Crown block carrying method and material carrying system

Abstract

The invention discloses a crown block carrying method and a material carrying system.The crown block carrying method comprises the following steps that an MCS sends a plant room work instruction to a carrying control system of a source plant, the carrying control system of the source plant sends an execution instruction of moving to a butt joint area between the source plant and the target plant to the crown block according to the plant room working instruction; after the crown block moves to the butt joint area according to the execution instruction, the crown block circularly rotates on a transition rail of the butt joint area, and data needed during operation of the crown block is updated into data of the target plant; and after the crown block completes data updating, the crown block moves to a waiting position of the transition track and waits for a moving instruction of a carrying control system of the target plant communicating with the crown block, and the waiting position is not on the preset path. According to the invention, a plurality of crown blocks can circularly move on the circular track at the same time and carry out data updating, and when one crown block waits at the waiting position, the circular movement of other crown blocks is not influenced, so that the execution efficiency of the work instruction of the factory room is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of automatic handling, in particular to an overhead crane handling method and a material handling system. Background Art

[0002] In a wafer processing factory, there are multiple factory buildings, each of which is equipped with an overhead crane transportation system, and involves transferring the overhead crane between different factory buildings.

[0003] The maps, teaching data, sensor information, etc. of different factories are different. Therefore, when the overhead crane needs to transfer from one factory building to another, it is necessary to update the data required for its operation to the corresponding data of the other factory building to be entered at the transition track connecting the two factories before entering the other factory building. In the existing structure, the transition track has only one path, which results in that when one overhead crane updates data at the transition track, other overhead cranes cannot transfer at the transition track, which greatly affects the operating efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above problems existing in the prior art and to provide an overhead crane handling method and a material handling system.

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: The overhead crane handling method includes the following steps: The MCS issues a plant room work instruction to the transport control system of the source plant, wherein the plant room work instruction is an instruction to move a vehicle in the source plant to a target plant adjacent to the source plant; The transport control system of the source plant sends an execution instruction to the overhead crane to move to the docking area between the source plant and the target plant according to the work instruction between the plants; After the overhead crane moves to the docking area according to the execution instruction, it circulates on the transition track in the docking area and updates the data required for its operation to the data of the target plant; After the overhead crane completes data update, the overhead crane moves to the waiting position of the transition track and waits for movement instructions from the handling control system of the target plant with which it communicates. When the overhead crane stops at the waiting position, the cyclic movement of other overhead cranes is not affected.

[0006] Preferably, the transition track includes a first connecting track and a second connecting track connected between the tracks of the source plant and the target plant, and the first connecting track and the second connecting track are connected by a first turning track and a second turning track and they cooperate to form a circulating track.

[0007] Preferably, a first temporary stop track is provided on the side of the first connecting track and is located between the first turning track and the second turning track; and / or a second temporary stop track is provided on the side of the second connecting track and is located between the first turning track and the second turning track; The waiting position is arranged at the first temporary stop track and / or the second temporary stop track; Or the waiting position is arranged on the first connecting track and between the two ends of the first temporary stop track and / or the waiting position is arranged on the second connecting track and between the two ends of the second temporary stop track.

[0008] Preferably, the first connecting track, the second connecting track, the first turning track, the second turning track and the temporary stopping track are in a dust-free environment.

[0009] Preferably, the overhead travelling crane maintains unidirectional movement on the first connecting track, the second connecting track, the first turning track and the second turning track. The overhead travelling crane moves along a first direction on the first connecting track and moves along a second direction opposite to the first direction on the second connecting track.

[0010] Preferably, the overhead crane moves in one direction at the first temporary stopping track, and the moving direction of the overhead crane on the first temporary stopping track is consistent with the moving direction of the overhead crane on the first connecting track; the overhead crane moves in one direction at the second temporary stopping track, and the moving direction of the overhead crane on the second temporary stopping track is consistent with the moving direction of the overhead crane on the second connecting track.

[0011] Preferably, if it is determined that an overhead crane needs to move from a source factory building to a target factory building along a first direction, when it is determined that the overhead crane can move to a waiting position at a first temporary stop track, and when it is determined that the overhead crane moves to the vicinity of a connection point between the first temporary stop track and a first connecting track, it is determined whether another overhead crane is parked at the waiting position, and if so, the overhead crane continues to move along the first path; if not, the overhead crane is moved to the waiting position at the first temporary stop track and then stops; If it is determined that an overhead crane needs to move from the source factory building to the target factory building along the second direction, when it is determined that the overhead crane can move to the waiting position at the second temporary stop track, and when it is determined that the overhead crane moves to the vicinity of the access point between the second temporary stop track and the second connecting track, it is determined whether there is another overhead crane parked at the waiting position, and if so, the overhead crane continues to move along the third path; if not, the overhead crane is moved to the waiting position at the second temporary stop track and then stops.

[0012] Preferably, the transport control system and the overhead crane use UDP unicast communication.

[0013] Preferably, at least one factory building has a plurality of floors, each floor is provided with an overhead crane transport system, and each factory building is also provided with a transfer device for transferring the overhead crane on one floor to another floor.

[0014] A material handling system includes tracks arranged in at least two factory buildings and an overhead crane moving on the tracks. A transition track is arranged between the tracks of at least two factory buildings for the overhead crane to transfer between the two factory buildings. The overhead crane can move cyclically on the transition track and stop at a waiting position. When the overhead crane stops at the waiting position, the cyclic movement of other overhead cranes is not affected.

[0015] The advantages of the technical solution of the present invention are mainly reflected in: The present invention enables a transition track between tracks of two factory buildings to have a circulating track and a waiting position outside the circulating track, thereby enabling a plurality of overhead cranes to simultaneously move in a circular motion on the circulating track and perform data update. After one overhead crane completes data update, it moves to the waiting position outside the circulating track to wait for the transfer control system of the target factory building to be called and moved away, and the circular motion of other overhead cranes is not affected during the waiting period. Thus, the problem that when there is only one path, the execution of work instructions of other factory buildings is affected when one overhead crane updates data at the transition track can be effectively avoided, thereby greatly improving the execution efficiency of work instructions of factory buildings, and facilitating the balance of overhead cranes in each factory building.

[0016] The transition track of the present invention adopts the principle of unidirectional movement, which can effectively reduce the control difficulty and is easier to implement. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a material handling system of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the process of the overhead crane transportation method of the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a plant building of the present invention having multiple floors and a transfer device; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the plant of the present invention having multiple floors and a transfer device; Figure 5 It is a top view of the track in one floor of the present invention docking with the first lifting track in the transfer device; Figure 6 It is a top view of the track in one floor of the present invention docking with the second lifting track in the transfer device; Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a waiting track for executing the movement of the overhead travelling vehicle to the source floor in the present invention; Figure 8It is a schematic diagram of the flow of executing the communication between the overhead crane and the transfer device, the handling control system of the source floor and the MCS in the present invention; Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of executing the movement of the overhead travelling crane into the transfer device in the present invention; Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the lifting track of the transfer device in the present invention moving to dock with the waiting track of the destination floor; Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the communication between the overhead travelling crane and the handling control system and MCS of the destination floor of the present invention; Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of the waiting track for the overhead travelling vehicle to move to the destination floor according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The purpose, advantages and features of the present invention will be illustrated and explained by the non-limiting description of the following preferred embodiments. These embodiments are only typical examples of the application of the technical solution of the present invention, and any technical solution formed by equivalent replacement or equivalent transformation falls within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

[0019] In the description of the scheme, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience and simplification of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0020] The following is an explanation of the overhead crane handling method disclosed in the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The overhead crane handling method is based on a material handling system, wherein the material handling system includes an overhead crane handling system arranged in a plurality of factory buildings, the overhead crane handling system includes a track and an overhead crane moving along the track, a docking area is arranged between two adjacent factory buildings, and a transition track connected between the tracks of the two factory buildings is arranged at the docking area so that the overhead crane can move between the two factory buildings. The material handling system also includes a known control system, such as an MCS (Material Control System) and a transportation control system (TCS, Transportation Control System), each factory building has an independent transportation control system, the transportation control system of each factory building communicates with the overhead crane in the factory building, the transportation control systems of multiple factory buildings can be connected to the same MCS, and of course, the transportation control system of each factory building can also be connected to an independent MCS, and the MCSs can communicate with each other.

[0021] For the convenience of explanation, the attached Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, two factories are taken as an example for explanation, and the two factories are defined as a first factory building 100 and a second factory building 200; the track in the first factory building 100 is defined as a first track 101, and the overhead travelling crane in the first factory building positions the first overhead travelling crane 102; the track in the second factory building 200 is defined as a second track 201, and the overhead travelling crane in the second factory building is defined as a second overhead travelling crane 202; the direction from the first factory building 100 to the second factory building 200 is defined as a first direction A, and the direction from the second factory building 200 to the first factory building 100 is defined as a second direction B; the transport control system corresponding to the first factory building 100 is defined as a first transport control system 103, and the transport control system corresponding to the second factory building 200 is defined as communicating with the second transport control system 203; the first transport control system 103 passes through the overhead travelling crane in the first factory building 100, and the second transport control system 203 communicates with the overhead travelling crane in the second factory building 200.

[0022] A transition track 301 for transferring the overhead crane between the first factory building 100 and the second factory building 200 is provided between the first track 101 and the second track 201. The transition track 301 is provided in a docking area 300 connecting the first factory building 100 and the second factory building 200. The docking area 300 is, for example, a closed corridor 302. Moreover, the environment in the docking area 300 is kept dust-free like the environment in the first factory building 100 and the second factory building 200 to meet the cleanliness requirements of semiconductor device processing.

[0023] The transition track 301 includes a first connecting track 303 and a second connecting track 304 connected between the first track 101 and the second track 201. The first track 101 includes two first connecting points connected to one end of the first connecting track 303 and the second connecting track 304. The second track 201 includes two second connecting points connected to the other ends of the first connecting track 303 and the second connecting track 304. The first connecting track 303 and the second connecting track 304 can be straight-line extending tracks or curved tracks. They can be parallel or, of course, can also be non-parallel. The specific design is based on actual needs. Preferably, the first connecting track 303 and the second connecting track 304 are straight-line extending and parallel to each other.

[0024] The first connecting track 303 and the second connecting track 304 are connected by the first turning track 305 and the second turning track 306, and they cooperate to form a circulating track. The two ends of the first turning track 305 are respectively connected to the first connecting track 303 and the second connecting track 304 and are close to the first connecting point, and the two ends of the second turning track 306 are respectively connected to the first connecting track 303 and the second connecting track 304 and are close to the second connecting point. The shapes of the first turning track 305 and the second turning track 306 can be designed as needed. Preferably, the first turning track 305 and the second turning track 306 are both arc-shaped, and the first turning track 305, the second turning track 306 and the track sections between the first connecting track 303 and the second connecting track 304 form a waist-shaped circulating track.

[0025] A first temporary stop track 307 is arranged on the side of the first connecting track 303, which is located between the first turning track 305 and the second turning track 306; both ends of the first temporary stop track 307 are connected to the first connecting track 303, and the connection point between one end of the first temporary stop track 307 close to the first factory building 100 and the first connecting track 303 is the access point of the first temporary stop track 307 and the first connecting track 303, and the connection point between the other end of the first temporary stop track 307 and the first connecting track 303 is their exit point. The shape of the first temporary stop track 307 can be designed as needed, for example, it can be designed to be C-shaped, arc-shaped, etc., which is not limited here.

[0026] And / or a second temporary stopping track 308 is arranged on the side of the second connecting track 304, which is located between the first turning track 305 and the second turning track 306. Both ends of the second temporary stopping track 308 are connected to the second connecting track 304, and the connection point between one end of the second temporary stopping track 308 close to the second factory building 200 and the second connecting track 304 is the access point between the second temporary stopping track 308 and the second connecting track 304, and the connection point between the other end of the second temporary stopping track 308 and the second connecting track 304 is their exit point. The shape of the second temporary stopping track 308 can be designed as needed, for example, it can be designed to be C-shaped, arc-shaped, etc.

[0027] Preferably, the material handling system includes the first temporary stop track 307 and the second temporary stop track 308, the waiting position 309 is respectively set at the first temporary stop track 307 and the second temporary stop track 308, and the waiting position 309 can be a fixed point or a section on the first temporary stop track 307 and the second temporary stop track 308. The waiting position 309 on the first temporary stop track 307 is used for the parking of the overhead crane that needs to be transferred from the first factory building 100 to the second factory building 200; the waiting position 309 on the second temporary stop track 308 is used for the parking of the overhead crane that needs to be transferred from the second factory building 200 to the first factory building 100. Of course, if there is only one temporary stop track, whether it is to transfer the overhead crane from the first factory building 100 to the second factory building 200, or to transfer the overhead crane from the second factory building 200 to the first factory building 100, it is necessary to wait for scheduling at the waiting position 309 of the temporary stop track.

[0028] Of course, in other embodiments, the waiting position 309 can also be set on the first connecting rail 303 and located between the two ends of the first temporary stop rail 307 and / or the waiting position 309 can be set on the second connecting rail 304 and located between the two ends of the second temporary stop rail 308.

[0029] When the overhead crane is being transported, the MCS sends a transport instruction to the first transport control system 103 and the second transport control system 203. The first transport control system 103 and the second transport control system 203 control the corresponding overhead crane to perform the transport operation in the factory where they are located according to the transport instruction of the MCS. Further, the MCS can determine whether it is necessary to dispatch the overhead crane in one factory to another factory according to the number and frequency of use of the overhead cranes in each factory. Of course, the MCS can determine whether to transport the materials in one factory to another factory by the overhead crane according to the processing procedure. When it is necessary to move the overhead crane between the first factory 100 and the second factory 200, the corresponding factory room work instruction can be sent to the first transport control system 103 and the second transport control system 203. The factory room work instruction can only dispatch the overhead crane between the first factory 100 and the second factory 200, or the overhead crane can transport a material between the first factory 100 and the second factory 200.

[0030] The following describes the overhead crane transport method by taking the example of moving the overhead crane from the first factory building 100 to the second factory building 200. Figure 2 As shown, it includes the following steps: The MCS issues a plant room work instruction to the first transport control system 103 of the first plant 100 (source plant), wherein the plant room work instruction is an instruction to move a crane in the first plant 100 to the second plant 200 (target plant) or an instruction to transport materials in the first plant to the second plant.

[0031] The first transport control system 103 determines the overhead crane that executes the work instruction of the factory room, its moving path, and the second factory building 200 to be moved to according to the work of the factory room, and the first transport control system 103 sends an execution instruction to the overhead crane that executes the work instruction of the factory room to move to the docking area 300 between the first factory building 100 and the second factory building 200 according to the work instruction of the factory room; After the overhead crane moves to the docking area 300 according to the execution instruction of the first transport control system 103 , it circulates on the transition track 301 of the docking area 300 and updates the data required for its operation with the data corresponding to the second factory building 200 .

[0032] For the convenience of control, the overhead travelling vehicle is made to maintain unidirectional movement on the first connecting track 303, the second connecting track 304, the first turning track 305, and the second turning track 306. The moving directions of the overhead travelling vehicle on the first connecting track 303 and the second connecting track 304 are opposite, and the moving directions of the overhead travelling vehicle on the first turning track 305 and the second turning track 306 are opposite. That is, the first connecting track 303 is used for the overhead travelling vehicle to move from the first factory building 100 to the second factory building 200, that is, to move along the first direction A, the second connecting track 304 is used for the overhead travelling vehicle to move from the second factory building 200 to the first factory building 100, that is, to move along the second direction B, the first turning track 305 is used for the overhead travelling vehicle to move from the first connecting track 303 to the second connecting track 304, and the second turning track 306 is used for the overhead travelling vehicle to move from the second connecting track 304 to the first connecting track 303. At the same time, the overhead travelling vehicle moves unidirectionally at the first temporary stop rail 307 and the second temporary stop rail 308 , and the overhead travelling vehicle moves in a first direction A on the first temporary stop rail 307 , and moves in a second direction B on the second temporary stop rail 308 .

[0033] When the overhead travelling vehicle that needs to be transferred from the first plant 100 to the second plant 200 moves cyclically on the transition track 301, it may have two paths. The first path is to return to the first connecting track 303, the second turning track 306, the second connecting track 304 and the first turning track 305 in sequence and then return to the first connecting track 303 for circulation. The second path is to return to the first connecting track 303, the first temporary stop track 307, the second turning track 306, the second connecting track 304 and the first turning track 305 in sequence and then return to the first connecting track 303 for circulation.

[0034] The specific moving path of the overhead crane when it circulates on the transition track 301 can be determined according to the track where the waiting position 309 is located. In a preferred embodiment, the waiting position 309 is set on the first temporary stop track 307, and when the overhead crane does not need to move to the waiting position 309, the overhead crane is moved along the first path.

[0035] Each of the overhead cranes stores a corresponding compressed file for each factory building, and the compressed file includes a map, teaching data, sensor data, etc. When receiving the execution instruction of the first transport control system 103, the overhead crane obtains that the factory building to which it is to move is the second factory building, so that the overhead crane finds the compressed file corresponding to the second factory building from the compressed files stored therein, and decompresses the compressed file and updates the corresponding data. The decompression of the compressed file and the updating of the corresponding data are known technologies and will not be elaborated here.

[0036] During the movement of each overhead crane, it is determined in real time whether the data update is completed. At the same time, the first transport control system 103 will also inquire in real time whether the overhead crane on the transition track 301 that needs to be transferred from the first factory building 100 to the second factory building 200 has completed the data update. If not, the overhead crane continues to move along the first path. If so, it is determined that the overhead crane needs to move to the waiting position 309 of the first temporary stop track 307.

[0037] However, when one of the overhead cranes moves in a circular motion on the circular track, the MCS will also make other overhead cranes execute the work instructions of the factory room. Therefore, there will be a situation where multiple overhead cranes move in a circular motion at the same time on the circular track. In addition, when an overhead crane that needs to be transferred from the first factory building 100 to the second factory building 200 needs to move to the waiting position 309 of the first temporary stop track 307, there may be another overhead crane waiting for the dispatch of the second transport control system 203 at the waiting position 309. Therefore, the overhead crane that needs to move to the waiting position 309 can only move to the waiting position 309 when another overhead crane at the waiting position 309 moves out of the waiting position 309. In the overhead crane transport system, each overhead crane will feedback position information to the transport control system communicating with it during the movement process, and the transport control system will feedback the trolley position information to the MCS, so that the MCS system can accurately know the position of each overhead crane and control their movement.

[0038] Therefore, when it is determined that a crane needs to move to the first temporary stop track 307, the crane will feedback information that it can move to the waiting position 309 on the first temporary stop track 307 to the first transport control system 103, and the first transport control system 103 will feedback the information to the MCS. When the MCS determines that the crane that needs to move to the first temporary stop track 307 moves to the vicinity of the access point between the first temporary stop track 307 and the first connecting track 303, it determines whether there is another crane at the waiting position 309 of the first temporary stop track 307. If so, the crane that needs to move to the first temporary stop track 307 is controlled by the first transport control system 103 to continue moving along the first path; if not, the crane is moved from the access point to the waiting position 309 of the first temporary stop track 307 and stopped by the transport control system.

[0039] When in the waiting position 309, the overhead crane switches its IP to the network segment of the second transport control system 203 of the second plant 200, and communicates with the second transport control system 203 through UDP unicast. The overhead crane sends a control request to the second transport control system 203, and the second transport control system 203 includes the overhead crane in the control scope according to the control request of the overhead crane. The technology of the second transport control system 203 including the overhead crane in the control scope is a known technology. For example, the second transport control system 203 has a control overhead crane table. When a new overhead crane requests it to be controlled, the second transport control system 203 adds the information of the overhead crane requested to be controlled to the control overhead crane table, that is, includes the overhead crane in its control scope. Subsequently, the overhead crane can be controlled according to the information in the control overhead crane table, and the second transport control system 203 feeds back the information that the overhead crane has been included in its control scope to the MCS. The MCS sends a movement instruction to the second transport control system 203 to move the overhead crane at the waiting position 309 of the first temporary stop track 307 to a predetermined position of the second factory building 200, and the second transport control system 203 controls the overhead crane to move to the predetermined position of the second factory building 200 according to the movement instruction.

[0040] The process of the overhead crane moving from the second factory building 200 to the first factory building 100 is similar to the process of moving from the first factory building 100 to the second factory building 200, except that the overhead crane that needs to be moved to the first factory building 100 waits at the waiting position of the second temporary stop track 308. At this time, the third path of the overhead crane movement is to go through the second connecting track 304, the first turning track 305, the first connecting track 303 and the second turning track 306 in sequence and then return to the second connecting track 304 for a cycle.

[0041] In the material handling system, each factory building may have only one floor 400. Of course, at least one factory building may have multiple floors 400. Suppose that a factory building has only one floor 400 and a factory building has multiple floors 400, a docking area 300 may be set between two floors 400 of equal height to realize the transfer of the overhead crane between the floors 400. Of course, if each factory building has multiple floors 400, a docking area 300 may be set between each floor 400 of equal height to realize the transfer of the overhead crane between the same floors 400 of two factory buildings. Correspondingly, when the overhead crane is transferred from one factory building to another, the overhead crane updates the data required for its operation to the data of the corresponding floor 400.

[0042] As attached Figure 3 , Attachment Figure 4As shown, when a factory building has multiple floors 400, an overhead crane transport system 410 is provided in each floor 400, and the overhead crane transport system 410 of each floor has an independent transport control system (TCS). The transport control system of each floor can be connected to the MCS dedicated to the factory building, or multiple factories can share one MCS. Each factory building is also provided with a transfer device 500 for transferring the overhead crane in one floor 400 to another floor 400. The number of the transfer devices 500 can be designed according to actual application needs, and there can be only one or more, which is not limited here. The transfer device 500 communicates with the MCS, and each transfer device 500 feeds back its operating status to the MCS, so that the MCS can select a suitable transfer device 500 according to the operating status of the transfer device 500 to execute the corresponding cross-layer operation instruction.

[0043] As attached Figure 3 , Attachment Figure 4 As shown, the transfer device 500 includes a lifting device 510 and a lifting rail 520 driven up and down by the lifting device 510. The lifting device 510 can be a known scissor lift, a cylinder straight-top lifting device, a guide rail chain lift (vertical elevator, freight elevator), etc. The lifting rail 520 is suspended above the lifting platform of the lifting device 510 or in a lifting car. The lifting car can be a known elevator car, and if the car has a car door, the top of the car door can be lower than the lifting rail 520, so that the lifting rail 520 in the car can extend to the outer side of the car. Of course, the lifting car can also be a feasible car of other shapes, such as a rectangular frame.

[0044] The lifting rail 520 is driven by the lifting device 510 to move up and down so as to dock with the rails in different floors 400 to realize the transfer of the overhead travelling vehicle.

[0045] In order to prevent the overhead crane from moving randomly on the lifting track 520 during lifting, the top surface of the lifting track 520 may have two symmetrical and connected inclined surfaces, the slope of the inclined surfaces may be, for example, between 1° and 5°, and the connected end of the two inclined surfaces is lower than their opposite ends, and the portion where the top surface of the lifting track 520 connects with the opposite ends of the two inclined surfaces is a plane.

[0046] As attached Figure 3 -Attached Figure 6As shown, in order to avoid interference between the normal operation of the overhead crane system and the inter-layer transportation operation, the track of the overhead crane system on each floor 400 is connected with a waiting track 600 extending outside the track for docking with the lifting track 520. The waiting track 600 may have only one path. At this time, the overhead crane entering and exiting a floor 400 must pass through the waiting track 600 to move between the lifting track 520 and the waiting track 600.

[0047] Of course, in other embodiments, there may be two waiting tracks 600 for each floor 400, and the corresponding waiting tracks 600 for each floor 400 include independent entry tracks 610 and exit tracks 620. Correspondingly, the lifting track 520 includes an entry end and an exit end corresponding to the entry track 610 and the exit track 620, and the lifting track 520 may be set to different shapes according to the positions of the entry track 610 and the exit track 620. For example, the entry track 610 and the exit track 620 are located on the same side of the transfer device 500, and the lifting track 520 needs to be set to a C-shaped or U-shaped structure that can realize turning. When the entry track 610 and the exit track 620 are located on both sides of the transfer device 500, the lifting track 520 may be L-shaped or straight.

[0048] The transfer device 500 may have only one layer of lifting rails 520 or may have multiple layers of lifting rails 520, which can improve the transfer capacity to a certain extent.

[0049] In order to ensure that the lifting track 520 is accurately docked with the waiting track 600 at each floor 400, the waiting track 600 and the lifting track 520 are provided with matching alignment detection devices at the opposite ends. The alignment detection devices are, for example, known cross-beam sensors or reflective plates and reflective photoelectric sensors. Preferably, a reflective plate can be provided at the end of the lifting track 520 facing the waiting track, and the reflective plate can be recessed in the mounting groove at the end of the lifting track 520. At the same time, a self-reflective photoelectric sensor is provided at the end of the waiting track 600 facing the lifting track 520, and the self-reflective sensor is also recessed at the end of the waiting track 600. When the lifting track of the transfer device 500 moves into place, if the self-reflective photoelectric sensor has a trigger signal, it is confirmed that the waiting track 600 and the lifting track 520 are aligned. Otherwise, it is confirmed that there is an error between the waiting track 600 and the lifting track 520. At this time, the machine can be stopped and an alarm can be sounded, or the position of the lifting track of the transfer device 500 can be fine-tuned up and down.

[0050] When it is necessary to transfer a crane in a source floor 420 to another destination floor 440, the following steps can be followed to achieve the transfer: The MCS sends a cross-layer operation instruction to the transport control system of a source floor 420, wherein the source floor 420 is the floor 400 where the execution crane 430 to execute the cross-layer operation instruction is initially located. The cross-layer operation instruction is a cross-layer transport instruction or a cross-layer scheduling instruction, wherein the cross-layer transport instruction refers to an instruction to transport the materials of the source floor 420 to a destination floor 440 different from the source floor 420 by a crane of the source floor; the cross-layer scheduling instruction refers to an instruction to dispatch the execution crane 430 of the source floor 420 to a destination floor 440 different from the source floor 420, and the dispatched execution crane 430 does not need to transport materials during the scheduling process.

[0051] After receiving the cross-layer operation instruction, the transport control system of the source floor 420 feeds back a response to the instruction to the MSC. At the same time, the transport control system of the source floor 420 receives the cross-layer operation instruction including information of the execution crane 430 that executes the cross-layer operation instruction, information of the transfer device 500, and the destination floor 440 to be transferred to. The information of the execution crane 430 includes, for example, the number, position and moving route of the execution crane 430, and the information of the transfer device 500 includes, for example, the number and position of the transfer device 500.

[0052] The transport control system of the source floor 420 then sends a cross-floor operation execution instruction to the execution crane 430 that executes the cross-floor operation instruction.

[0053] The execution crane 430 moves to the waiting track 600 of the corresponding transfer device 500 on the source floor 420 according to the cross-floor operation execution instruction; After the execution crane 430 interacts with the transfer device 500, the execution crane 430 is transferred to the destination floor 440 corresponding to the cross-floor operation instruction through the transfer device 500.

[0054] The transport control system of the source floor 420 sends a cross-layer operation execution instruction to the execution crane 430 that executes the cross-layer operation instruction. After receiving the cross-layer operation execution instruction, the execution crane 430 sends a response to the transport control system of the source floor 420 that the instruction has been received, and operates according to the cross-layer operation execution instruction. When the cross-layer operation instruction is a cross-layer operation instruction, the execution crane 430 first moves to the material to be transported and grabs the material, and then moves to the waiting track 600 of the corresponding transfer device 500. If the cross-layer operation instruction is a cross-layer scheduling instruction, the execution crane 430 directly moves to the waiting track 600 of the corresponding transfer device 500, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 7 shown.

[0055] As attached Figure 8As shown, after the execution crane 430 moves to the waiting track 600, it feeds back the information of reaching the waiting track 600 to the transport control system of the source floor 420, and sends a request to the transfer device 500 whether the transfer can be performed; If the transfer device 500 can perform the transfer, the transfer device 500 feeds back information indicating that the transfer can be performed to the execution crane 430; The execution crane 430 feeds back information that the crane can be transferred to the transport control system of the source floor 420; The transport control system of the source floor 420 sends an instruction to the execution crane 430 to allow entry into the transfer device 500, as shown in the attached figure. Fig. 9 As shown, the execution crane 430 moves onto the lifting track of the transfer device 500 and feeds back information of entering the transfer device 500 and applying to leave the control of the transfer control system of the source floor 420; The transport control system of the source floor 420 releases the control of the execution crane 430 after sending an execution instruction to the execution crane 430 , and feeds back to the MCS the information that the execution crane 430 is heading to the destination floor 440 .

[0056] The execution crane 430 sends an execution instruction to the transfer device 500, that is, an instruction for the transfer device 500 to start the transfer.

[0057] The transfer device 500 sends a feedback message of receiving the execution instruction to the execution crane 430 and moves to the destination floor 440 according to the information of the destination floor 440 to be transferred to, as shown in the attached figure. Fig.10 shown.

[0058] After the transfer device 500 moves to the destination floor 440, the information that the transfer device 500 has reached the destination floor 440 and can move to the waiting track of the destination floor 440 is fed back to the execution crane 430. After receiving the information that the transfer device 500 can move to the waiting track of the destination floor 440, the execution crane 430 moves the transfer device 500 to the waiting track 600 of the destination floor 440, as shown in the attached figure. Fig.11 shown.

[0059] At any time between the transfer device 500 arriving at the destination floor 440 and the execution crane 430 moving to the waiting track 600 of the destination floor 440, preferably when it is determined that the execution crane 430 can be moved out of the transfer device 500, as shown in the attached Fig.12As shown, the execution crane 430 is connected and communicated with the handling control system of the destination floor 440, and sends a control request to the handling control system of the destination floor 440 to control it. The execution crane 430 can switch its IP to the same network segment as the handling control system of a floor, and then communicate with the handling control systems of each floor through UDP unicast. Of course, the connection and communication between each execution crane 430 and the handling control system can be achieved through known wireless communication technology. The corresponding wireless communication technology is a known technology and is not an innovation of the present invention, so it will not be described here.

[0060] After receiving the control request, the transport control system of the destination floor 440 includes the execution crane 430 in its control range and sends the control information to the execution crane 430. The specific method of the transport control system to release the control of the vehicle and include the crane in its control range is a known technology, which is not an innovation of the present invention and will not be described here. Then, the transport control system of the destination floor 440 reports to the MCS that the execution crane 430 has arrived, so that the MCS can timely and accurately understand which cranes each transport control system communicates with.

[0061] After the execution crane 430 moves to the waiting track (leaves the track) of the destination floor 440, it sends the information of arriving at the waiting track of the destination floor 440 to the transportation control system of the destination floor 440. Then, the transportation control system of the destination floor 440 sends an instruction to the execution crane 430 to leave the waiting track of the destination floor 440 to the predetermined avoidance point of the layer track of the destination floor 440. This can avoid the impact on the next execution crane 430 transported by the transfer device 500 as much as possible. The avoidance point can be designed as needed, for example, it is the point where the layer track intersects with the waiting track, which is not limited here.

[0062] The execution crane 430 moves to the avoidance point and sends information that the execution crane 430 has arrived at the avoidance point to the transport control system of the destination floor 440 .

[0063] Furthermore, each of the overhead cranes stores compressed files corresponding to each floor, and the compressed files include maps of each floor, teaching data, sensor data, etc. When the executing overhead crane 430 enters the transferring device 500, the executing overhead crane 430 can find the compressed file of the target floor from its pre-stored compressed files according to the information of the destination floor 440 to be moved to, such as the number of the destination floor 440 to be moved to, and decompress and perform corresponding data update switching, so that the time of the executing overhead crane 430 moving up and down can be effectively utilized to update the data, thereby effectively improving the working efficiency.

[0064] If the cross-layer operation instruction is a cross-layer transport instruction, the MCS system sends a transport instruction to the transport control system of the destination floor 440, and the transport control system of the destination floor 440 controls the execution crane 430 to transport the grabbed materials from the avoidance point to the target position according to the transport instruction; after the execution crane 430 completes the material transportation, the transport control system of the destination floor 440 controls the execution crane 430 to move to the designated position and wait for call according to the control instruction of the MCS.

[0065] If the cross-floor operation instruction is a cross-floor dispatch instruction, the transport control system of the destination floor 440 controls the execution crane 430 to execute the transport task or move to a designated position to wait for calling according to the control instruction of the MCS.

[0066] If the transport control system of the source floor 420 receives multiple cross-layer operation instructions sent by the MCS, it determines whether there are at least two cross-layer operation instructions corresponding to the same transfer device 500. If so, the order of moving the execution crane 430 corresponding to the at least two cross-layer operation instructions to the same transfer device 500 is determined according to the priority algorithm. The priority algorithm is, for example, based on the type of cross-layer operation instructions and / or the sequence of cross-layer operation instructions and / or the difference in the number of floors between the destination floor 440 of the cross-layer operation instructions and the source floor 420 to determine the specific execution order. For example, among multiple cross-layer operation instructions that require the use of the same transfer device 500, if one is a cross-layer operation instruction, the cross-layer operation instruction is executed first, and then the other cross-layer operation instructions are processed in the sequence of other cross-layer operation instructions. Moreover, when the MCS determines that the execution crane 430 corresponding to a cross-layer operation instruction has arrived at the destination floor 440, it controls the execution crane 430 corresponding to the next cross-layer operation instruction to start executing the cross-layer operation instruction. Of course, when the execution crane 430 of a cross-layer operation instruction leaves the waiting track of the source floor 420, the execution crane 430 corresponding to the next cross-layer operation instruction to be executed can be moved to the waiting track of the source floor 420 first.

[0067] After the MCS sends a cross-floor operation instruction to the transport control system of a source floor 420, it confirms whether the number of executing cranes 430 of the source floor 420 is below the lower limit threshold. If so, the MCS determines the number of executing cranes 430 of each floor 400 and sends a cross-floor operation instruction to the transport control system of the floor 400 whose number of executing cranes 430 exceeds the upper limit threshold and is closest to the source floor 420, so that the crane on this floor is dispatched to the source floor 420. This can effectively improve the deployment efficiency of the cranes, thereby ensuring that the number of cranes on each floor is balanced so that each crane can have the maximum utilization rate.

[0068] There are many implementation methods of the present invention, and all technical solutions formed by equivalent transformation or equivalent transformation fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for overhead crane transportation, characterized in that: The steps include: The MCS issues a plant room work instruction to the transport control system of the source plant, wherein the plant room work instruction is an instruction to move a vehicle in the source plant to a target plant adjacent to the source plant; The transport control system of the source plant sends an execution instruction to the overhead crane to move to the docking area between the source plant and the target plant according to the work instruction between the plants; After the overhead crane moves to the docking area according to the execution instruction, it circulates on the transition track in the docking area and updates the data required for its operation to the data corresponding to the target plant; After the overhead crane completes data update, the overhead crane moves to the waiting position of the transition track and waits for movement instructions from the handling control system of the target plant with which it communicates. When the overhead crane stops at the waiting position, the cyclic movement of other overhead cranes is not affected.

2. The overhead crane transport method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transition track includes a first connecting track and a second connecting track connected between the tracks of the source plant and the target plant. The first connecting track and the second connecting track are connected by a first turning track and a second turning track, and they cooperate to form a circulating track.

3. The overhead crane transport method according to claim 2, characterized in that: A first temporary stop track is provided on the side of the first connecting track and is located between the first turning track and the second turning track; and / or a second temporary stop track is provided on the side of the second connecting track and is located between the first turning track and the second turning track; The waiting position is arranged at the first temporary stop track and / or the second temporary stop track; Or the waiting position is arranged on the first connecting track and between the two ends of the first temporary stop track and / or the waiting position is arranged on the second connecting track and between the two ends of the second temporary stop track.

4. The overhead crane transport method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first connecting track, the second connecting track, the first turning track, the second turning track and the temporary stopping track are in a dust-free environment.

5. The overhead crane transport method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The overhead travelling vehicle maintains unidirectional movement on the first connecting track, the second connecting track, the first turning track and the second turning track. The overhead travelling vehicle moves along a first direction on the first connecting track and moves along a second direction opposite to the first direction on the second connecting track.

6. The overhead crane transport method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The overhead travelling vehicle moves in one direction at the first temporary stop track, and the moving direction of the overhead travelling vehicle on the first temporary stop track is consistent with the moving direction of the overhead travelling vehicle on the first connecting track; The overhead travelling vehicle moves in one direction at the second temporary stop track, and the moving direction of the overhead travelling vehicle on the second temporary stop track is consistent with the moving direction of the overhead travelling vehicle on the second connecting track.

7. The overhead crane transport method according to claim 3, characterized in that: If it is determined that an overhead crane needs to move from a source factory building to a target factory building along a first direction, when it is determined that the overhead crane can move to a waiting position at a first temporary stop track, and when it is determined that the overhead crane moves to the vicinity of a connection point between the first temporary stop track and a first connecting track, it is determined whether another overhead crane is parked at the waiting position, and if so, the overhead crane continues to move along the first path; if not, the overhead crane is moved to the waiting position at the first temporary stop track and then stops; If it is determined that an overhead crane needs to move from the source factory building to the target factory building along the second direction, when it is determined that the overhead crane can move to the waiting position at the second temporary stop track, and when it is determined that the overhead crane moves to the vicinity of the access point between the second temporary stop track and the second connecting track, it is determined whether there is another overhead crane parked at the waiting position, and if so, the overhead crane continues to move along the third path; if not, the overhead crane is moved to the waiting position at the second temporary stop track and then stops.

8. The overhead crane transport method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transport control system and the overhead crane communicate using UDP unicast.

9. The overhead crane handling method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: At least one factory building has a plurality of floors, each floor is provided with an overhead crane transport system, and each factory building is also provided with a transfer device for transferring the overhead crane on one floor to another floor.

10. A material handling system, comprising tracks arranged in at least two factory buildings and an overhead travelling crane moving on the tracks, characterized in that: A transition track is provided between the tracks of at least two factory buildings for a crane to transfer between the two factory buildings. The crane can move circularly on the transition track and stop at a waiting position. When the crane stops at the waiting position, the circular movement of other cranes is not affected.

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