Communication method, device and system of semiconductor carrying equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication method, device and system for semiconductor carrying equipment. The method comprises the steps that position information is sent to a road management unit arranged in the automatic material handling system through a first network and / or a second network according to a preset period, and the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other; receiving a current control instruction sent by the road management unit; obtaining N management and control instructions received before the current management and control instruction, wherein N is a natural number greater than 0; comparing the current management and control instruction with at least one management and control instruction in the N management and control instructions to obtain a comparison result; and according to the comparison result, determining whether to execute the current management and control instruction. Therefore, the reliability and the stability of information transmission between each semiconductor carrying device and the road management unit in the automatic material carrying system can be improved, and the operation efficiency of the semiconductor carrying devices is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor material transportation technology, and in particular to a communication method, device, and system for semiconductor handling equipment. Background Art

[0002] In semiconductor automation factories, AMHS (Automatic Material Handling System) is usually used to improve transportation efficiency. The most important components of AMHS include: tracks, overhead hoist transport (OHT), a scheduling system that can cluster OHT, and a traffic control unit (TCU) that controls OHT through the branch road. In AMHS, in order to ensure the smooth operation of the production line, stable and reliable data communication is required between OHT and TCU, that is, all OHTs pass through the branch road in an orderly manner under the control of TCU, so that OHT can run safely and smoothly on the track, so as to realize the safe and reliable transportation of semiconductor materials such as wafer boxes between different sites.

[0003] In traditional technology, OHT switching between different TCU controllers is almost always based on map decisions, that is, the map area to be controlled by the TCU is demarcated in advance, and when the OHT is driving in the current map area, it applies for road rights from the TCU responsible for the current map area. When the OHT leaves the current map area, it will actively apply to release the control of the corresponding TCU and apply for road rights from the TCU in charge of the map area it is about to enter.

[0004] However, the way in which OHT first applies to release the control of the corresponding TCU and then applies to the new TCU for control is prone to delays in information transmission, resulting in reduced operational stability and reliability of AMHS. Summary of the invention

[0005] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a communication method, device and system for semiconductor handling equipment that can improve the operating stability and reliability of AMHS in response to the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment, which is applied to semiconductor handling equipment, and the method includes:

[0007] According to a preset cycle, the location information is sent to a road management unit arranged in the automatic material handling system through the first network and / or the second network, wherein the first network and the second network serve as backup networks for each other;

[0008] Receiving a current control instruction sent by a road management unit, wherein the current control instruction received by the semiconductor handling equipment is sent by the road management unit through the first network or the second network;

[0009] Obtain N control instructions received before the current control instruction, where N is a natural number greater than 0;

[0010] Comparing the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result;

[0011] According to the comparison result, determine whether to execute the current control instruction.

[0012] In one of the embodiments, the first network includes: a transmission network based on leaky wave antennas; the second network includes: a transmission network based on AP antennas, the AP being an access point;

[0013] The on-board switch of the semiconductor handling equipment is respectively connected to the on-board leaky wave antenna and the on-board AP antenna. The on-board leaky wave antenna is communicatively connected to the router via at least one leaky wave antenna arranged in the automatic material handling system. The on-board AP antenna is communicatively connected to the router via at least one AP antenna arranged in the automatic material handling system. The router is communicatively connected to the road management unit.

[0014] In one embodiment, the comparing the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result includes at least one of the following methods:

[0015] If the branch roads in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located are all controlled by the same road management unit, the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the previous control instruction are compared to obtain a comparison result; wherein the discrimination information includes: a timestamp, and / or an instruction sequence number;

[0016] If the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, search the N control instructions for a control instruction whose reception time is closest to the current control instruction and which comes from the same road management unit as the current control instruction as the target control instruction, and compare the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the target control instruction to obtain a comparison result;

[0017] If the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, and no control instruction whose reception time is closest to the current control instruction and comes from the same road management unit as the current control instruction is found among the N control instructions, then the current control instruction is compared with the control result of the previous control instruction to obtain a comparison result.

[0018] In one embodiment, determining whether to execute the current control instruction according to the comparison result includes at least one of the following methods:

[0019] When the forks in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located are all controlled by the same road management unit, if the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction is the same as that carried in the previous control instruction, the current control instruction is not executed; if the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction is different from that carried in the previous control instruction, the current control instruction is executed;

[0020] When the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, if the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the target control instruction is the same, the current control instruction is not executed; if the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the target control instruction is different, the current control instruction is executed;

[0021] When the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, and no control instruction whose reception time is closest to the current control instruction and comes from the same road management unit as the current control instruction is found among the N control instructions, if the current control instruction is consistent with the control result of the previous control instruction, the current control instruction will not be executed.

[0022] In one of the embodiments, if the control result of the current control instruction is inconsistent with that of the previous control instruction, the method further includes: sending first verification information to the road management unit, and if the first verification result fed back by the road management unit is passed, executing the current control instruction, and if the verification result fed back by the road management unit is failed, not executing the current control instruction; or

[0023] Wait for and receive the next control instruction. If the control result of the next control instruction is consistent with that of the current control instruction, execute the current control instruction; if the control result of the next control instruction is inconsistent with that of the current control instruction, do not execute the current control instruction.

[0024] In one of the embodiments, before comparing the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result, the method further includes:

[0025] The current control instruction and the N control instructions transmitted based on UDP are parsed through the DDS of the application layer to obtain parsed information corresponding to the current control instruction and the N control instructions; wherein the DDS is a data distribution service, the UDP is a user datagram protocol, and the parsed information includes: at least one of an ID, a priority, a timestamp, a request attribute, and an operation attribute of a semiconductor handling device;

[0026] Compare the parsed information corresponding to the current control instruction with at least a portion of the parsed information corresponding to the N control instructions to determine whether there is at least one control instruction among the N control instructions that is the same control instruction as the current control instruction; the same control instruction refers to a control instruction sent by the same road management unit through the first network and the second network respectively;

[0027] If there is at least one control instruction among the N control instructions that is the same as the current control instruction, the current control instruction is filtered.

[0028] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0029] Sending, via the first network and / or the second network, right-of-way request information for M forks to the road management unit in one communication frame; M is a natural number greater than 1; the right-of-way request information includes: at least one of an ID, priority, timestamp, request attribute, and operation attribute of the semiconductor handling equipment;

[0030] receiving current traffic control instructions for the M forks fed back by the road management unit;

[0031] The current traffic control instruction based on UDP transmission and the P traffic control instructions received before the current traffic control instruction are parsed through the DDS of the application layer to obtain parsing information corresponding to the current traffic control instruction and parsing information corresponding to the P traffic control instructions; wherein the DDS is a data distribution service, the UDP is a user datagram protocol, P is a natural number greater than 0, and the parsing information includes: at least one of the ID, priority, timestamp, request attribute, and operation attribute of the semiconductor handling equipment; the request attribute includes: the identification of each of the M requested forks, and the identification of the corresponding fork turning; the operation attribute includes: speed, acceleration;

[0032] Compare the parsed information corresponding to the current traffic control instruction with at least a portion of the parsed information corresponding to the P traffic control instructions to determine whether there is at least one traffic control instruction among the P traffic control instructions that is the same traffic control instruction as the current traffic control instruction; the same traffic control instruction refers to a traffic control instruction sent by the same road management unit through the first network and the second network respectively;

[0033] If there is at least one passage control instruction among the P passage control instructions that is the same as the current passage control instruction, filtering the current passage control instruction;

[0034] If there is no passage control instruction among the P passage control instructions that is the same as the current passage control instruction, the control result of the current passage control instruction is compared with the control result of the previous passage control instruction. If the comparison results are consistent, the current passage control instruction is not executed.

[0035] In one of the embodiments, when the control result of the current traffic control instruction is compared with the control result of the previous traffic control instruction, and the comparison results are inconsistent, the method further includes: sending second verification information to the road management unit, if the second verification result fed back by the road management unit is passed, executing the current traffic control instruction, if the second verification result fed back by the road management unit is not passed, not executing the current traffic control instruction; or

[0036] Wait for and receive the next traffic control instruction. If the control result of the next traffic control instruction is consistent with that of the current traffic control instruction, execute the current traffic control instruction; if the control result of the next traffic control instruction is inconsistent with that of the current traffic control instruction, do not execute the current traffic control instruction.

[0037] In one embodiment, executing the current control instruction includes any one of the following operations:

[0038] Passing through the turnout is allowed;

[0039] No passing through the turnout is allowed;

[0040] Cancel the permission to pass to the next fork.

[0041] In one of the embodiments, the method further includes: issuing an alarm if no control instruction is received from the road management unit within a preset number of heartbeat cycles.

[0042] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment, which is applied to a group consisting of two or more road management units deployed in an automatic material handling system, including:

[0043] Receiving location information sent by the semiconductor handling equipment, and determining a target road management unit having jurisdiction over a branch road according to the location information, wherein the jurisdiction over each track branch road in the automatic material handling system has been allocated to the road management unit according to a preset allocation strategy;

[0044] The target road management unit sends a control instruction to the semiconductor handling equipment through the first network and / or the second network, wherein the control instruction carries discrimination information, and the first network and the second network serve as backup networks for each other.

[0045] In one of the embodiments, the first network includes: a transmission network based on leaky wave antennas; the second network includes: a transmission network based on AP antennas, the AP being an access point;

[0046] The on-board switch of the semiconductor handling equipment is respectively connected to the on-board leaky wave antenna and the on-board AP antenna. The on-board leaky wave antenna is communicatively connected to the router via at least one leaky wave antenna arranged in the automatic material handling system. The on-board AP antenna is communicatively connected to the router via at least one AP antenna arranged in the automatic material handling system. The router is communicatively connected to the road management unit.

[0047] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0048] If the location information sent from the semiconductor handling equipment is not received within a preset number of heartbeat cycles, an alarm is issued.

[0049] In a third aspect, the present application further provides a communication device for semiconductor handling equipment, which is applied to semiconductor handling equipment, and the device includes:

[0050] A sending module, used for sending location information to a road management unit arranged in the automatic material handling system through a first network and / or a second network according to a preset period, wherein the first network and the second network serve as backup networks for each other;

[0051] A receiving module, configured to receive a current control instruction sent by a road management unit, wherein the current control instruction received by the semiconductor handling equipment is sent by the road management unit through the first network or the second network;

[0052] An acquisition module, used to acquire N control instructions received before the current control instruction, where N is a natural number greater than 0;

[0053] A comparison module, used to compare the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result;

[0054] An execution module is used to determine whether to execute the current control instruction according to the comparison result.

[0055] In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device for semiconductor handling equipment, which is applied to a group consisting of two or more road management units arranged in an automatic material handling system, and the device includes:

[0056] A receiving module, used for receiving position information sent by semiconductor handling equipment;

[0057] A processing module, configured to determine a target road management unit having jurisdiction over a turnout according to the position information, wherein the jurisdiction over each turnout of the track in the automatic material handling system has been allocated to the road management unit according to a preset allocation strategy;

[0058] A sending module is used to control the target road management unit to send a control instruction to the semiconductor handling equipment through the first network and / or the second network, wherein the control instruction carries discrimination information, and the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other.

[0059] In a fifth aspect, the present application further provides a communication system for semiconductor handling equipment, comprising: a group consisting of semiconductor handling equipment and a road management unit, wherein the semiconductor handling equipment and the road management unit are communicatively connected via a first network and / or a second network, and the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other, wherein:

[0060] The semiconductor handling equipment is used to send location information to a road management unit arranged in the automatic material handling system through the first network and / or the second network according to a preset period, and the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other;

[0061] The group of road management units is used to receive the location information sent by the semiconductor handling equipment and determine the target road management unit that has the jurisdiction of the branch road according to the location information, wherein the jurisdiction of each track branch road in the automatic material handling system has been allocated to the road management unit according to a preset allocation strategy;

[0062] The target road management unit sends a control instruction to the semiconductor handling equipment through the first network and / or the second network;

[0063] The semiconductor handling equipment is also used to receive the current control instruction sent by the target road management unit, and obtain N control instructions received before the current control instruction, compare the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result; based on the comparison result, determine whether to execute the current control instruction; N is a natural number greater than 0.

[0064] In one of the embodiments, the system further includes: at least one road management unit server, wherein the road management unit server is used to start a backup function and take over the branch road range under the jurisdiction of the road management unit with the abnormality when an abnormality occurs in the road management unit.

[0065] In a sixth aspect, the present application further provides a communication system for semiconductor handling equipment, comprising: semiconductor handling equipment, at least one road management unit server, the semiconductor handling equipment and the road management unit server are communicatively connected via a first network and / or a second network, the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other, wherein:

[0066] The semiconductor handling equipment is used to send location information to the at least one road management unit server through the first network and / or the second network according to a preset period;

[0067] The road management unit server is used to receive the location information sent by the semiconductor handling equipment, and send a control instruction to the semiconductor handling equipment through the first network and / or the second network;

[0068] The semiconductor handling equipment is also used to receive the current control instruction sent by the road management unit server, and obtain N control instructions received before the current control instruction, compare the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result; based on the comparison result, determine whether to execute the current control instruction; N is a natural number greater than 0.

[0069] In a seventh aspect, the present application further provides a computer device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the method steps in the first aspect or the embodiment described in the second aspect are implemented.

[0070] In an eighth aspect, the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method steps in the first aspect or the embodiment described in the second aspect are implemented.

[0071] In a ninth aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method steps in the first aspect or the embodiment described in the second aspect.

[0072] The communication method, device, and system of the semiconductor handling equipment send location information to the road management unit deployed in the automatic material handling system through the first network and / or the second network according to a preset cycle, and the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other; thus, the two backup networks can simultaneously send real-time location information to the road management unit, thereby improving the stability and reliability of information transmission. Receive the current control instruction sent by the road management unit, and the current control instruction received by the semiconductor handling equipment is sent by the road management unit through the first network or the second network; thus, the control instruction issued by the road management unit side can be transmitted under the guarantee of the dual network, thereby improving the transmission efficiency and reliability of the control instruction. Obtain N control instructions received before the current control instruction, wherein N is a natural number greater than 0; compare the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result; thus, it is possible to determine whether the current control instruction is a repeated redundant instruction based on a series of control instructions received before the current control instruction, thereby avoiding repeated execution and improving the execution efficiency of the semiconductor handling equipment. According to the comparison result, determine whether to execute the current control instruction. This can improve the reliability and stability of information transmission between each semiconductor handling equipment and the road management unit / road management unit server in the automatic material handling system, and ensure the operating efficiency of the semiconductor handling equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0073] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or related technologies, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application or related technical descriptions will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0074] Figure 1 A diagram of an application environment of a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment in one embodiment;

[0075] Figure 2 It is a flowchart of the communication method of the semiconductor handling equipment in the first embodiment;

[0076] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the principle of TCU allocating fork management in one embodiment;

[0077] Figure 4It is a flowchart of the communication method of the semiconductor handling equipment in the second embodiment;

[0078] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a transmission link between a first network and a second network in an embodiment;

[0079] Figure 6 It is a flowchart of the communication method of the semiconductor handling equipment in the third embodiment;

[0080] Figure 7 is a flow chart of a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment in a fourth embodiment;

[0081] Figure 8 is a flow chart of a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment in a fifth embodiment;

[0082] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the connection relationship between a TCU controller and a router in one embodiment;

[0083] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment in a sixth embodiment;

[0084] Fig.11 is a flow chart of a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment in a seventh embodiment;

[0085] Fig.12 is a structural block diagram of a communication device of a semiconductor handling equipment in one embodiment;

[0086] Fig.13 It is a structural block diagram of a communication device of a semiconductor handling equipment in another embodiment;

[0087] Fig.14 A structural block diagram of a communication system of a semiconductor handling device in one embodiment;

[0088] Fig.15 It is a structural block diagram of a communication system of a semiconductor handling device in another embodiment;

[0089] Fig.16 FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a computer device in one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0090] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0091] AMHS can be used in semiconductor production workshops, including a track (also called an aerial track) suspended under the ceiling and a number of aerial transport vehicles running on the aerial track.

[0092] The aerial track has interconnected straight track sections, curved track sections, and forks (also called track forks), so there is at least one path between any two positions on the aerial track, allowing the aerial transport vehicle to travel from one position to another along one of the aforementioned one or more paths. It is easy to understand that there can also be two or more paths between any two positions on the aerial track, depending on the needs of the track layout, and this application does not limit this.

[0093] The aerial transport vehicle comprises a traveling mechanism, a vehicle body connected to the traveling mechanism, a transverse movement mechanism arranged on the vehicle body, a lifting mechanism arranged on the transverse movement mechanism, and a clamping mechanism arranged on the lifting mechanism.

[0094] The direction in which the aerial transport vehicle moves forward along the path on the aerial track is defined as the travel direction, and the horizontal direction perpendicular to the travel direction is defined as the lateral direction. Accordingly, the lateral movement mechanism can drive the lifting mechanism to move in the lateral direction, thereby controlling the lifting mechanism to move between an internal position in the aerial transport vehicle and an external position partially or completely extended to the outside of the aerial transport vehicle; the lifting mechanism is connected to the clamping mechanism through a flexible belt assembly, and the clamping mechanism is controlled to move up and down relative to the body of the aerial transport vehicle by retracting and releasing the belt assembly, and the clamping mechanism is used to clamp materials. The aerial track and the aerial transport vehicle can be implemented with reference to the prior art, and this application does not limit this and will not repeat it.

[0095] On the ground side of the semiconductor production workshop, there are several process machines, storage devices and other equipment, wherein the process machines may be photolithography machines, etching machines, etc., and the storage devices may be storage bins, storage shelves, etc. The process machines and storage devices are arranged along the aerial track and are located below or below the side of the aerial track. When the aerial transport vehicle stops at a position corresponding to a process machine or storage device on the aerial track, it can place materials on the docking station of the process machine or storage device, or take materials from the docking station. In this way, the aerial transport vehicle can travel along the aerial track and transport materials between various process machines, storage devices and other sites.

[0096] Depending on the specific application, the materials transported by the aerial transport vehicle can be FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) used to load wafers, or other material boxes such as SIMF POD (Standard Mechanical Interface Pod, a box using a standard mechanical interface).

[0097] It is easy to understand that in AMHS, FOUP can also be transferred by other types of semiconductor handling equipment such as OHS (Overhead Shuttle), RGV (Rail Guided Vehicle), etc. The following embodiments are introduced by taking an aerial transport vehicle as an example, but the present application is not limited to this and can also be applied to control other types of handling equipment.

[0098] The communication method for semiconductor handling equipment provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to Figure 1 In the application environment shown in FIG. 1 , the air transport vehicle 101 includes an OHT controller, an on-board switch, an on-board AP (wireless access point), and an on-board leaky wave antenna. For example, the OHT controller is connected to the on-board AP and the on-board leaky wave antenna through the on-board switch. Multiple leaky wave antennas are arranged in the AMHS, such as Figure 1 The leaky wave antenna 104 shown in FIG. 1 illustrates the coverage of the leaky wave network inside the AMHS workshop. A plurality of AP antennas are also arranged in the AMHS, such as Figure 1 The AP antenna 105 shown in the figure illustrates the coverage of the AP network inside the AMHS workshop. The vehicle-mounted leaky wave antenna communicates with at least one leaky wave antenna inside the workshop in a wireless manner, and the vehicle-mounted AP communicates with at least one AP antenna inside the workshop in a wireless manner. Further, the leaky wave antenna and the AP antenna inside the workshop are connected to the road management unit group 102 through the router 103. The aerial transport vehicle 101 sends location information to the road management unit group 102 deployed in the AMHS through the leaky wave network and / or the AP network according to a preset period; wherein the jurisdiction of each track branch in the automatic material handling system has been allocated to the road management unit group 102 according to a preset allocation strategy. The aerial transport vehicle 101 receives the current control instruction sent by the road management unit; then obtains the N control instructions received before the current control instruction, wherein N is a natural number greater than 0; compares the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result; and determines whether to execute the current control instruction according to the comparison result.

[0099] It should be noted that the road management unit is responsible for controlling the track turnouts in the AMHS and sending control instructions to the OHT. The OHT can execute the control instructions issued by the TCU.

[0100] In this embodiment, multiple leaky wave antennas deployed in AMHS constitute a first network, multiple AP antennas deployed in AMHS constitute a second network, and the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other. OHT can communicate with TCU through the first network and / or the second network. If the packet loss rate of the first network is too high and the result cannot be calculated, the overall packet loss rate can be reduced through the data of the second network, thereby maximizing the stability and reliability of AMHS.

[0101] In a first exemplary embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown, a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment is provided, and the method is applied to Figure 1 Taking the aerial transport vehicle in the example as an example, the method includes the following steps 201 to 205. Among them:

[0102] Step 201: Sending location information to a road management unit deployed in an automatic material handling system through a first network and / or a second network according to a preset cycle.

[0103] The first network and the second network are backup networks for each other, that is, when a delay or signal interruption occurs in any one of the networks, the other network can be used as a redundant network, thereby ensuring the stability and reliability of the network in the AMHS.

[0104] In step 201, the aerial transport vehicle scans the markers arranged in advance on the track according to its own acquisition equipment, so as to obtain the current position information according to the markers. In addition to the positioning method of scanning the markers, the signals emitted by the grating and infrared sensors can also be collected to determine the current position. For example, the motor encoder in the OHT can also roughly estimate the position of the OHT in the track according to the number of rotations of the motor.

[0105] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the positioning method of the aerial transport vehicle. In some embodiments, a combination of at least two of the aforementioned multiple positioning methods can also be used for positioning.

[0106] Exemplarily, the first network in step 201 includes: a transmission network based on a leaky wave antenna; the second network includes: a transmission network based on an AP antenna, the AP being an access point; the on-board switch of the semiconductor handling equipment is respectively connected to the on-board leaky wave antenna and the on-board AP antenna, the on-board leaky wave antenna is communicatively connected to the router via at least one leaky wave antenna arranged in the automatic material handling system, the on-board AP antenna is communicatively connected to the router via at least one AP antenna arranged in the automatic material handling system, and the router is communicatively connected to the road management unit.

[0107] For details about the first network and the second network in this embodiment, see Figure 1 Application scenario shown. For example, in the AMHS workshop, one AP will be installed on the ceiling every 20-30m, and multiple leaky wave antennas are also deployed in the AMHS workshop. All AP antennas and leaky wave antennas are connected to the router via a network cable, and the router is connected to the TCU controller via a network cable. When the TCU issues control instructions for the fork, the signal is forwarded to the AP antenna and the leaky wave antenna through the router. The cabin AP antenna and the cabin leaky wave antenna communicate with the vehicle-mounted AP antenna and the vehicle-mounted leaky wave antenna respectively, thereby sending the control instructions to the OHT controller.

[0108] In this embodiment, the OHT may send location information to multiple TCUs (or all TCUs) in the AMHS.

[0109] In a possible embodiment, assuming that there are five TCUs in the AMHS, the area where the OHT is currently traveling is controlled by the first and second TCUs, and the area to be entered next is controlled by the third TCU. At this time, the OHT can send location information only to some TCUs. For example, the location information is only sent to the first TCU, the second TCU, and the third TCU, but not to the fourth TCU and the fifth TCU.

[0110] In another possible embodiment, assuming that there are five TCUs in the AMHS, no matter which area the OHT is currently located in, the location information is sent to the five TCUs.

[0111] For example, when OHT enters a certain fork area, it must constantly apply to the TCU in the AMHS for the right of way for a certain fork. Correspondingly, the TCU must constantly reply to OHT whether it is allowed to pass through the right of way of a certain fork. The interaction cycle between the two is about tens of milliseconds. Since the interaction between OHT and TCU completely relies on the wireless network, the reliability and stability of the wireless network directly affects the reliability and stability of the entire AMHS. By setting up the first network and the second network, the network stability of the AMHS can be significantly improved.

[0112] Exemplarily, the jurisdiction of each track branch in the automatic material handling system has been assigned to the road management unit according to a preset allocation strategy. For example, each branch of each track in the automatic material handling system is identified to obtain a number corresponding to each branch, wherein the number is used to distinguish different branches; the jurisdiction is allocated according to the number corresponding to the branch, wherein the jurisdiction of the branch corresponding to each number is allocated to at least one road management unit. For another example, the branches of each track are divided according to their distribution locations to obtain multiple areas, wherein the number of branches contained in each area is within a preset range; the jurisdiction of the branches is allocated according to the area, wherein the jurisdiction of the branches in the same area is allocated to at least one road management unit.

[0113] For example, in Figure 3 A possible way to allocate the jurisdiction of the branch tracks to the TCU is described in . Assuming that there are multiple TCUs in the AMHS, the branch tracks can be allocated according to the number and performance of the TCUs. For example, 50 branch tracks are allocated to each TCU, such as Figure 3 As shown, the forks numbered 1-50 are allocated to the first TCU, the forks numbered 51-100 are allocated to the second TCU, the forks numbered 101-150 are allocated to the third TCU, and so on.

[0114] It should be noted that the number of forks may not be divisible by the number of TCUs. In this case, the forks can be allocated as evenly as possible according to the equal distribution principle (ie, the number of forks allocated to each TCU is as close to the average as possible).

[0115] Step 202, receiving the current control instruction sent by the road management unit.

[0116] Wherein, the current control instruction is sent by the road management unit through the first network and / or the second network.

[0117] Exemplarily, when the signals of the first network and the second network are normal, the current control instruction issued by the TCU reaches OHT via the first network and the second network. When the first network is interrupted or the signal is poor, the current control instruction can reach OHT via the second network. When the second network is interrupted or the signal is poor, the current control instruction can reach OHT via the first network. The network delays transmitted via the first network and the second network are different, so that a communication content (the communication content is a passage request sent by OHT to TCU, such as a passage request containing location information, or a control instruction for a passage request replied by TCU to OHT) is sent via the two networks respectively, and the communication content transmitted by one of the two networks arrives first, so that OHT or TCU can receive and process it in time.

[0118] Step 203, obtaining N control instructions received before the current control instruction.

[0119] Wherein, N is a natural number greater than 0.

[0120] In this embodiment, the specific value of N can be an empirical value, that is, the number of historical control instructions that need to be obtained is determined based on past experience.

[0121] In the first possible case, assuming that the branches within the range of the OHT's current position are all controlled by the same road management unit, ideally, it is only necessary to compare the current control instruction with the previous control instruction, and the value of N is 1 at this time.

[0122] In the second possible case, it is described in step 201 that OHT can send location information to multiple TCUs in AMHS. Therefore, it is assumed that the fork in the range of OHT's current position is controlled by two or more road management units, and the situation becomes complicated at this time. Assuming that the fork in the range of OHT's current position is controlled by the first TCU and the second TCU, in order to distinguish, the control instructions sent by the first TCU are recorded as A1, A2, A3, ..., Ai, ..., Au; the control instructions sent by the second TCU are recorded as B1, B2, B3, ..., Bi, ..., Bu; Ai is the i-th control instruction issued by the first TCU, Bi is the i-th control instruction issued by the second TCU, and u represents the number of control instructions issued. Since both the first TCU and the second TCU can issue control instructions to OHT via the first network and the second network. However, the transmission delays of the first network and the second network may not be the same. Therefore, in the order in which the control instructions are received, the control instructions received by OHT may be: A3, B3, B3', A3', A2, B2, A2', B2', A1, A1', B1, B1'. Among them, A3 and A3' correspond to the third control instruction issued by the first TCU and reaching OHT via the first network and the second network, respectively, and B3 and B3' correspond to the third control instruction issued by the second TCU and reaching OHT via the first network and the second network, respectively, and so on. The meanings of A2, B2, A2', B2', A1, A1', B1, B1' are not repeated here. Assuming that the current control instruction is A3, the value of N can be set to 3, that is, B3, B3', A3' are obtained for comparison with A3.

[0123] In some embodiments, the i-th control instruction sent by the road management unit to the semiconductor handling equipment is transmitted in the form of two control instructions, namely, control instruction Ai and control instruction Ai'. Correspondingly, one of the control instruction Ai and the control instruction Ai' is transmitted by the first network, and the other of the control instruction Ai and the control instruction Ai' is transmitted by the second network. The control instruction Ai' can be regarded as a mirror control instruction of the control instruction Ai. In form, the control instruction Ai and the control instruction Ai' are transmitted by two corresponding communication frames of the two networks, but the substantive contents of the two correspond to the same control instruction (the i-th control instruction).

[0124] The time delays of the first network and the second network may be different. Therefore, the control instructions Ai and Ai' are received and processed by the semiconductor handling equipment at different times, that is, there is a time relationship of first and last. Exemplarily, they may be received in sequence: the semiconductor handling equipment first receives the control instruction Ai, and then the semiconductor handling equipment receives the control instruction Ai'; or, exemplary, they may be received at intervals: the semiconductor handling equipment first receives the control instruction Ai, and then the semiconductor handling equipment receives several other control instructions, and then the semiconductor handling equipment receives the control instruction Ai'.

[0125] Therefore, it is easy to understand that, assuming that the control instruction Ai received by the semiconductor handling equipment is the current control instruction, and the control instruction Ai (current control instruction) is transmitted through one of the first network and the second network, then the control instruction Ai' (the mirror control instruction of the aforementioned current control instruction) corresponding to the control instruction Ai is the same control instruction, and is transmitted through the other of the first network and the second network, and is received by the semiconductor handling equipment before the current control instruction is received by the semiconductor handling equipment, or will be received by the semiconductor handling equipment after the current control instruction is received by the semiconductor handling equipment. If the control instruction Ai' is received before the control instruction Ai, the control instruction Ai' received first is executed, and the currently received control instruction Ai is not executed; if the control instruction Ai' is to be received after the control instruction Ai, the currently received control instruction Ai is executed, and the control instruction Ai' received thereafter is not executed. Therefore, corresponding to the current control instruction and the mirror control instruction of the same control instruction, one of the two is received first through a faster network transmission and the control instruction is executed, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of the instruction and the timeliness of the instruction execution; when the other of the two is received later, it can be filtered so that the same control instruction is not executed repeatedly.

[0126] Step 204: compare the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result.

[0127] In combination with the two possible situations given in step 203, when obtaining N control instructions and comparing them with the current control instructions, the following three situations can be classified:

[0128] The first case: if the branches in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located are all controlled by the same road management unit, the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the previous control instruction is compared to obtain a comparison result; wherein the discrimination information includes: timestamp, and / or instruction sequence number.

[0129] Exemplarily, the timestamp refers to the moment when the TCU generates a control instruction after receiving the location information sent by the OHT. The OHT can determine the order in which the control instructions are generated by the timestamp carried in the control instructions. Exemplarily, assuming that the timestamp carried in the control instruction sent by the first TCU is 10:11:20, then whether the control instruction is issued through the first network or through the second network, the timestamp in the control instruction received by the OHT is 10:11:20. That is, the time when the OHT receives the control instruction does not affect the timestamp carried in the control instruction. Therefore, it can be determined based on the timestamp whether the control instructions received successively are the same control instructions. If the timestamps are the same, it is considered that the current control instruction and the previously received control instruction are the same control instruction; if the timestamps are different, it is considered that the current control instruction and the previously received control instruction are not the same control instruction.

[0130] Exemplarily, the instruction sequence number may be a sequence number for identifying the order in which the control instructions are generated when the TCU generates the control instructions. Since the instruction sequence numbers are generated in chronological order (for example, in the form of self-increment), the order of the control instructions can be determined based on the instruction sequence number. Assuming that the sequence number carried in the control instruction sent by the first TCU is 000125, whether the control instruction is issued through the first network or through the second network, the sequence number in the control instruction received by the OHT is 000125. This also allows OHT to determine whether the control instructions received successively are the same control instructions through the instruction sequence number. If the sequence numbers are the same, it is considered that the current control instruction and the previously received control instruction are the same control instruction; if the sequence numbers are different, it is considered that the current control instruction and the previously received control instruction are not the same control instruction.

[0131] The second situation: If the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, then search the N control instructions for a control instruction whose reception time is closest to the current control instruction and which comes from the same road management unit as the current control instruction as the target control instruction, and compare the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the target control instruction to obtain a comparison result.

[0132] This embodiment can be described in conjunction with the embodiment given in step 203. Assume that the control instructions received by OHT in the order in which the control instructions are received are: A3, B3, B3', A3', A2, B2, A2', B2', A1, A1', B1, B1'. The current control instruction is A3, and the value of N can be set to 4, that is, B3, B3', A3', A2 are obtained, where A3' is the control instruction with the closest reception time to A3 and comes from the same road management unit as the current control instruction, so A3' is used as the target instruction for comparison with A3. Since A3 and A3' correspond to the third control instruction issued by the first TCU and reaching OHT via the first network and the second network, respectively, the discrimination information carried by the two is the same.

[0133] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the control instructions received by OHT in the order of time when the control instructions are received are: A3, B3, B3', A2, B2, A2', B2', A1, A1', B1, B1'. The current control instruction is A3, and the value of N can be set to 4, that is, B3, B3', A2, B2 are obtained, among which A2 is the control instruction with the closest reception time to A3 and comes from the same road management unit as the current control instruction, so A2 is used as the target instruction for comparison with A3. Although A3 and A2 are both issued by the first TCU, the discrimination information they carry is different.

[0134] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the value of N can be set to a natural number of [3, 10]. These values ​​of N will not affect the final acquisition of A2 as the target instruction. When the value of N is less than 3, no control instruction from the same TCU as A3 can be found in the N control instructions. This corresponds to the third case.

[0135] The third situation: If the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, and no control instruction with the most recent receiving time as the current control instruction and from the same road management unit as the current control instruction is found in the N control instructions, then the current control instruction is compared with the control result of the previous control instruction to obtain a comparison result.

[0136] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the control instructions received by OHT in the order in which the control instructions are received are: A3, B3, B3', A2, B2, A2', B2', A1, A1', B1, B1'. The current control instruction is A3. When the value of N is 2, no control instruction from the same TCU as A3 can be found in the N control instructions. At this time, the control results of A3 and B3 are compared, where the control result refers to the instructions for allowing or not allowing passage for several branch roads.

[0137] Step 205: Determine whether to execute the current control instruction based on the comparison result.

[0138] The three situations in step 204 are described separately.

[0139] Exemplarily, when all the branch roads in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located are controlled by the same road management unit, if the judgment information carried in the current control instruction and the previous control instruction is the same, the current control instruction will not be executed; if the judgment information carried in the current control instruction and the previous control instruction is different, the current control instruction will be executed.

[0140] Exemplarily, when the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, if the judgment information carried in the current control instruction and the target control instruction is the same, the current control instruction is not executed; if the judgment information carried in the current control instruction and the target control instruction is different, the current control instruction is executed.

[0141] Exemplarily, when the branch roads in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located are controlled by two or more road management units, and no control instruction whose reception time is closest to the current control instruction and which comes from the same road management unit as the current control instruction is found among the N control instructions, if the control result of the current control instruction is consistent with that of the previous control instruction, the current control instruction will not be executed; if the control result of the current control instruction is inconsistent with that of the previous control instruction, a first verification message is sent to the road management unit, and if the first verification result fed back by the road management unit is passed, the current control instruction is executed; if the verification result fed back by the road management unit is failed, the current control instruction is not executed.

[0142] In one possible scenario, assume that the current control instruction indicates that the control results of the three forks X2, X3, and X4 are: allow passage, allow passage, and do not allow passage. The previous control instruction indicates that the control results of the three forks X2, X3, and X4 are: allow passage, allow passage, and do not allow passage. At this time, it is considered that the control results of the current control instruction are consistent with those of the previous control instruction.

[0143] In another possible situation, assume that the current control instruction indicates that the control results of the three forks X2, X3, and X4 are: passage allowed, passage allowed, and passage not allowed. The previous control instruction indicates that the control results of the three forks X2, X3, and X4 are: passage allowed, passage not allowed, and passage not allowed. At this time, it is considered that the control result of the current control instruction is inconsistent with that of the previous control instruction. In view of this situation, in order to eliminate control errors, a first verification message can also be sent to the road management unit, and the current control instruction is only executed when the first verification message fed back is passed.

[0144] In some embodiments, it is assumed that the control results corresponding to the three forks X2, X3, and X4 issued by one TCU are allowed to pass, allowed to pass, and not allowed to pass, respectively, and the control results corresponding to the three forks X2, X3, and X4 issued by another TCU are allowed to pass, not allowed to pass, and not allowed to pass, respectively. At this time, X2 is the fork to be passed at present, and X3 is the fork to be passed after passing the X2 fork. In this case, the control results of the two control instructions of the two TCUs for the fork X2 are consistent, both of which are allowed to pass. Therefore, for the same fork, taking fork X2 as an example, after receiving the control instruction for fork X2 issued by one of the two TCUs (which can be called the previous instruction, or the previous control instruction for fork X2), the control instruction is executed; after receiving the control instruction for X2 issued by the other of the two TCUs (which can be called the current control instruction, or the current control instruction for fork X2), the control result of the current control instruction is the same as that of the previous control instruction, that is, the same control result is obtained under the same judgment conditions, then the current control instruction is not executed. As for fork X3, the control results of the two TCUs with jurisdiction are different and there is a conflict, but it will take some time to reach fork X3. For the control of fork X3, a new control instruction can be requested from the two TCUs with jurisdiction by sending the first verification information; or, based on the periodic interaction between OHT and TCU, wait for OHT to issue a new round of control instructions in the subsequent period, and then make a judgment based on the new round of control instructions. If the new round of control instructions still conflict with the control results of the current control instructions, an alarm is issued. For example, when an alarm is issued, the vehicle may also stop and wait for the fault to be resolved.

[0145] In another possible case, assume that the current control instruction indicates that the control results of the three forks X2, X3, and X4 are: passage allowed, passage allowed, and passage not allowed. The previous control instruction indicates that the control results of the three forks X1, X2, and X3 are: passage allowed, passage allowed, and passage allowed. At this time, it is considered that the control result of the current control instruction is inconsistent with that of the previous control instruction. In view of this situation, in order to eliminate control errors, a first verification message may also be sent to the road management unit, and the current control instruction is only executed when the first verification message fed back is passed. Exemplarily, in addition to sending the first verification message, you can also wait for the next control instruction, compare the control results of the current control instruction and the next control instruction, and if the control results are consistent, execute the current control instruction; if the control results are inconsistent, it means that an error has occurred in the current control instruction, and a warning may be issued at this time, or the current control instruction may be directly ignored (the current control instruction is not executed).

[0146] In some embodiments, OHT and TCU interact periodically, wherein, in one interaction cycle, OHT sends a request to TCU, and the request may include a pass application for multiple forks, and TCU feeds back control instructions corresponding to the aforementioned multiple forks to OHT based on the request (the control instructions for multiple forks may be included in one communication frame). During the operation of OHT, that is, between adjacent interaction cycles, the number of pass applications corresponding to the number of forks in the request sent by OHT to TCU is variable (for example, at time t1, a pass application for 3 forks is applied, and at time t2, a pass application for 2 forks is applied). Exemplarily, a time length is first preset, and OHT calculates the number of forks that can be passed within the time length based on the current driving path, and then requests a pass application for the corresponding one or more forks. Therefore, assuming that at the current time node, OHT calculates that it is expected to pass through 3 forks after the time length has passed, then the corresponding 3 forks are requested for passage. As time goes by, at the next time node, OHT calculates that it is expected to pass through 2 forks after the time length has passed, then the corresponding 2 forks are requested for passage. It should be noted that the number of forks requested for each time length is not limited in this embodiment. For example, if there are 4 forks that can be passed, then the corresponding 4 forks are requested for passage.

[0147] Exemplarily, executing the current control instruction includes any of the following operations:

[0148] Passing through the turnout is allowed;

[0149] No passing through the turnout is allowed;

[0150] Cancel the permission to pass to the next fork.

[0151] In this embodiment, the cancellation of the permission for passage at the next branch is when the OHT sends a request for passage rights for multiple branches to the TCU. The TCU indicated that the next branch is allowed to pass in the control instruction previously sent, and the current control instruction may indicate the cancellation of the permission for passage at the next branch.

[0152] The communication method of the semiconductor handling equipment sends location information to the road management unit deployed in the automatic material handling system through the first network and / or the second network according to a preset cycle, and the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other; thus, the two backup networks can simultaneously send real-time location information to the road management unit, thereby improving the stability and reliability of information transmission. Receive the current control instruction sent by the road management unit, and the current control instruction is sent by the road management unit through the first network and / or the second network; thus, the control instruction issued by the road management unit side can be transmitted under the guarantee of the dual network, thereby improving the transmission efficiency and reliability of the control instruction. Obtain the N control instructions received before the current control instruction, wherein N is a natural number greater than 0; compare the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result; thus, it can be determined whether the current control instruction is a repeated redundant instruction based on a series of control instructions received before the current control instruction, thereby avoiding repeated execution and improving the execution efficiency of the semiconductor handling equipment. According to the comparison result, determine whether to execute the current control instruction. This can improve the reliability and stability of information transmission between each semiconductor handling equipment and the road management unit / road management unit server in the automatic material handling system, and ensure the operating efficiency of the semiconductor handling equipment.

[0153] In a second exemplary embodiment, if Figure 4 As shown, a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment is provided, and the method is applied to Figure 1 Taking the aerial transport vehicle in the example as an example, the method includes the following steps 401 to 406. Among them:

[0154] Step 401: Sending location information to a road management unit deployed in an automatic material handling system through a first network and / or a second network according to a preset cycle.

[0155] The first network and the second network are backup networks for each other.

[0156] Step 402, receiving the current control instruction sent by the road management unit.

[0157] Wherein, the current control instruction is sent by the road management unit through the first network and / or the second network;

[0158] Step 403, obtaining N control instructions received before the current control instruction.

[0159] Wherein, N is a natural number greater than 0.

[0160] For the specific implementation process and technical effects of steps 401 to 403 in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 2 The descriptions of steps 201 to 203 in the illustrated method embodiment are not repeated here.

[0161] Step 404: parse the current control instruction and N control instructions transmitted based on UDP through the DDS of the application layer to obtain the parsing information corresponding to the current control instruction and the parsing information corresponding to the N control instructions.

[0162] Wherein, the DDS is a data distribution service, the UDP is a user datagram protocol, and the parsed information includes: at least one of an ID, a priority, a timestamp, a request attribute, and an operation attribute of the semiconductor handling equipment.

[0163] In this embodiment, the ID (identity identifier / equipment identifier) ​​of the semiconductor handling equipment is used to distinguish different semiconductor handling equipment. The priority refers to the task priority of the OHT and / or the branch entrance priority of the confluence point (which can be pre-set in the AMHS system). The timestamp refers to the time when the TCU generates a control instruction. The request attributes may include the identifiers of each of the multiple branch roads requested, as well as the identifiers of the corresponding branch road entry bends; the operating attributes may include speed and acceleration.

[0164] Step 405, compare the parsed information corresponding to the current control instruction with at least part of the parsed information corresponding to N control instructions to determine whether there is at least one control instruction among the N control instructions that is the same as the current control instruction; if so, execute step 406; if not, execute step 407.

[0165] The same control instruction refers to a control instruction generated by the same road management unit and sent to the semiconductor handling equipment via the first network and the second network respectively. The two control instructions are received successively by the semiconductor handling equipment due to network transmission delay. For example, assuming that the road management unit marks a timestamp when generating each control instruction, the two control instructions received successively by the semiconductor handling equipment should have the same timestamp (which will not change due to the order of reception).

[0166] In this embodiment, the judgment result of whether it is the same control instruction can be obtained by comparing part of the information in the parsed information, or all of the information. For example, the timestamps can be directly compared. If the timestamps are the same, it is considered to be the same control instruction. If the timestamps are different, it is considered not to be the same control instruction. In addition, at least one of the ID, priority, request attribute, and operation attribute of the conductor handling equipment can be combined as a basis for judgment. If the parsed information used as the basis for judgment is the same, it is considered to be the same control instruction. If the parsed information used as the basis for judgment is different, it is considered not to be the same control instruction.

[0167] Step 406, filter the current control instructions and end the process.

[0168] In this embodiment, the current control instruction can be filtered through the DDS protocol loaded in the controller of the semiconductor handling equipment. After filtering, the current control instruction will no longer be processed.

[0169] For example, Figure 5 The transmission links of the first network and the second network are shown in FIG. The leaky wave network and the WIFI network (ie, the AP network) occupy two independent IP (Internet Protocol) addresses respectively and do not interfere with each other. Figure 5 As shown in the figure, the control instructions issued by the TCU send the signal synchronously from the WIFI network and the leaky wave network through the router, and the received signal is filtered into a valid signal by the protocol's own filtering mechanism through the DDS protocol at the application layer. Among them, the principle of DDS signal filtering is: whichever signal arrives first will be processed. If the two signals separated by the router are from the same signal source, DDS can identify that the two signals are the same signal. Due to network delays, the time when the signals of the WIFI network and the leaky wave network arrive at the application layer must be sequential. Under this premise, assuming that the signal via the WIFI network arrives first, DDS processes the signal of the WIFI network and transmits it to the OHT controller. At this time, the same signal of the leaky wave network arrives at the application layer. The DDS protocol determines that the signal is a signal from the same signal source that has been processed before, and automatically filters the signal without processing. Under this mechanism, the timeliness of communication can be guaranteed to the maximum extent, and the reliability of signal transmission in the entire AMHS can be improved through two networks.

[0170] Step 407: compare the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result.

[0171] Step 408, determine whether to execute the current control instruction based on the comparison result.

[0172] For the specific implementation process and technical effects of steps 407 to 408 in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 2The descriptions of steps 204 to 205 in the illustrated method embodiment are not repeated here.

[0173] In this embodiment, the current control instruction and N control instructions based on UDP transmission are parsed through the DDS of the application layer to obtain the parsing information corresponding to the current control instruction and the parsing information corresponding to the N control instructions. At least part of the parsing information corresponding to the current control instruction and the parsing information corresponding to the N control instructions are compared to determine whether there is at least one control instruction in the N control instructions that is the same as the current control instruction. If so, the current control instruction is filtered. In this way, the control instructions can be automatically filtered based on the DDS of the application layer, and the duplicate instructions caused by network delays can be removed. On the basis of ensuring network stability and reliability, the operating efficiency of semiconductor handling equipment can be improved.

[0174] In a third exemplary embodiment, Figure 6 As shown, a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment is provided, and the method is applied to Figure 1 Taking the aerial transport vehicle in the example as an example, the method includes the following steps 601 to 607; wherein:

[0175] Step 601: Sending right-of-way request information for M branch roads to the road management unit in one communication frame via the first network and / or the second network.

[0176] Wherein, M is a natural number greater than 1; the right-of-way request information includes: at least one of the ID, priority, timestamp, request attribute, and operation attribute of the semiconductor handling equipment.

[0177] Step 602: Receive current traffic control instructions for the M forks fed back by the road management unit.

[0178] Step 603, parse the current traffic control instruction transmitted based on UDP and the P traffic control instructions received before the current traffic control instruction through the DDS of the application layer to obtain the parsing information corresponding to the current traffic control instruction and the parsing information corresponding to the P traffic control instructions.

[0179] Among them, the DDS is data distribution service, the UDP is user datagram protocol, P is a natural number greater than 0, and the parsed information includes: at least one of the ID, priority, timestamp, request attributes, and operation attributes of the semiconductor handling equipment; the request attributes include: the identification of each of the M requested forks, and the identification of the corresponding fork turning; the operation attributes include: speed, acceleration.

[0180] Step 604, compare the parsed information corresponding to the current access control instruction with at least a portion of the parsed information corresponding to the P access control instructions to determine whether there is at least one access control instruction among the P access control instructions that is the same access control instruction as the current access control instruction; if so, execute step 605; if not, execute step 606.

[0181] The same traffic control instruction refers to a traffic control instruction sent by the same road management unit via the first network and the second network respectively.

[0182] Step 605, filter the current traffic control instruction and end the process.

[0183] Step 606, compare the control result of the current traffic control instruction with the control result of the previous traffic control instruction to obtain a comparison result.

[0184] Step 607: If the comparison results are the same, the current traffic control instruction is not executed.

[0185] In an optional embodiment, when the comparison results are not the same, the following steps may also be included:

[0186] Send the second verification information to the road management unit; if the second verification result fed back by the road management unit is passed, execute the current traffic control instruction; if the second verification result fed back by the road management unit is failed, do not execute the current traffic control instruction.

[0187] In another optional embodiment, when the comparison results are not the same, the following steps may also be included:

[0188] Wait for and receive the next traffic control instruction. If the control result of the next traffic control instruction is consistent with that of the current traffic control instruction, execute the current traffic control instruction; if the control result of the next traffic control instruction is inconsistent with that of the current traffic control instruction, do not execute the current traffic control instruction.

[0189] In this embodiment, steps 601 to 607 can be Figure 2 , Figure 4 The steps in the illustrated method embodiments are merged.

[0190] In this embodiment, the semiconductor handling equipment sends a right of way request information for M forks to the road management unit in one communication frame. Receive the access control instruction issued by the road management unit via the first network and / or the second network. Among them, the principle of filtering the current access control instruction based on UDP transmission through the DDS of the application layer is similar to the filtering process of the current control instruction in step 4, which will not be repeated here. If the current access control instruction is not filtered, the control result of the current access control instruction is compared with the control result of the previous access control instruction. If the comparison result is consistent, the current access control instruction is not executed; if the comparison result is inconsistent, the second verification information is sent to the road management unit. If the second verification result fed back by the road management unit is passed, the current access control instruction is executed. If the second verification result fed back by the road management unit is not passed, the current access control instruction is not executed. In this way, secure communication between the semiconductor handling equipment and the road management unit can be achieved under the connectionless protocol, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the semiconductor handling equipment.

[0191] It is easy to understand that several new embodiments obtained by combining the various embodiments that can be combined in the present application belong to the content of the present application. In the present application, the access control instructions described in some embodiments are instructions that the TCU replies to the semiconductor handling equipment, and the control instructions described in some embodiments are instructions that the TCU replies to the semiconductor handling equipment, both of which are instructions for controlling whether the semiconductor handling equipment passes through a certain fork. Therefore, in some embodiments, the access control instructions and the control instructions can be understood as definitions made only for the convenience of description, and both can be understood as instructions of the same type or similar types. In some embodiments, an instruction that the TCU replies to the semiconductor handling equipment to control whether the semiconductor handling equipment passes through a fork can be defined as a access control instruction or a control instruction, including the same content.

[0192] In a fourth exemplary embodiment, as Figure 7 As shown, a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment is provided, and the method is applied to Figure 1 Taking the aerial transport vehicle in the example as an example, the method includes the following steps 701 to 702. Among them:

[0193] Step 701: Sending location information to a road management unit deployed in an automatic material handling system through a first network and / or a second network according to a preset cycle.

[0194] For the specific implementation process and technical effects of step 701 in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 2 The relevant description of step 201 is shown.

[0195] Step 702: If no control instruction is received from the road management unit within a preset number of heartbeat cycles, an alarm is issued.

[0196] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, step 702 can be combined with Figure 2 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 It is performed after or before any of the method steps shown.

[0197] Exemplary, combined Figure 1 In the application scenario shown, there are usually a large number of OHTs in AMHS, and TCU controls the safe driving of OHTs on various tracks. OHT communicates with TCU at a certain period. If no control instructions are received from TCU within a preset number of heartbeat cycles, it means that there may be network anomalies or TCU anomalies. At this time, OHT issues an alarm prompt, so that the staff can check the anomalies in time to ensure the normal operation of OHT.

[0198] For example, the OHT can continuously request the right of way (i.e., the right of way for the fork) from the TCU according to the current time and location while driving or parked. For a fork under the jurisdiction of the TCU, upon receiving requests from several OHTs that want to pass through the fork, the TCU first determines which OHTs are allowed to pass, takes the OHTs that are allowed to pass as the target OHTs, and responds to the target OHTs with a right of way reply that allows them to pass, and responds to other OHTs that are not allowed to pass with a right of way reply that does not allow them to pass. In this way, the TCU can change the control of the OHT right of way in real time according to the changes in the operating status of the OHT, thereby improving the traffic efficiency of the OHT.

[0199] In this embodiment, the communication between OHT and TCU is ensured by the redundancy of the first network and the second network. If the packet loss rate of the first network is too high, resulting in the inability to calculate the result, the overall packet loss rate can be reduced by the data of the second network, thereby maximizing the stability and reliability of AMHS.

[0200] In a fifth exemplary embodiment, as Figure 8 As shown, a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment is provided, and the method is applied to Figure 1 Taking a group consisting of two or more road management units in as an example, the method includes the following steps 801 to 802. Among them:

[0201] Step 801, receiving location information sent by semiconductor handling equipment, and determining a target road management unit having jurisdiction over a branch road according to the location information.

[0202] Wherein, the jurisdiction of each track branch in the automatic material handling system has been allocated to the road management unit according to a preset allocation strategy.

[0203] Exemplarily, the jurisdiction of each track branch in the automatic material handling system has been assigned to the road management unit according to a preset allocation strategy. For example, each branch of each track in the automatic material handling system is identified to obtain a number corresponding to each branch, wherein the number is used to distinguish different branches; the jurisdiction is allocated according to the number corresponding to the branch, wherein the jurisdiction of the branch corresponding to each number is allocated to at least one road management unit. For another example, the branches of each track are divided according to their distribution locations to obtain multiple areas, wherein the number of branches contained in each area is within a preset range; the jurisdiction of the branches is allocated according to the area, wherein the jurisdiction of the branches in the same area is allocated to at least one road management unit.

[0204] For example, in Figure 3 A possible way to allocate the jurisdiction of the branch tracks to the TCU is described in . Assuming that there are multiple TCUs in the AMHS, the branch tracks can be allocated according to the number and performance of the TCUs. For example, 50 branch tracks are allocated to each TCU, such as Figure 3 As shown, the forks numbered 1-50 are allocated to the first TCU, the forks numbered 51-100 are allocated to the second TCU, the forks numbered 101-150 are allocated to the third TCU, and so on.

[0205] It should be noted that the number of forks may not be divisible by the number of TCUs. In this case, the forks can be allocated as evenly as possible according to the equal distribution principle (ie, the number of forks allocated to each TCU is as close to the average as possible).

[0206] For example, Fig. 9 As shown, all TCU controllers are directly connected to the router and belong to the same level. When the OHT controller requests the passing permission of a certain branch through the network, the request signal will be sent to all TCU controllers through the router at the same time. Since the relationship between the TCU controller and the branch number has been configured at the beginning of the configuration, it is assumed that when the OHT controller applies for the passing permission of the branch No. 40, the first TCU controller, the second TCU controller, and the third TCU controller will all receive the request instruction, and the first TCU controller determines that it belongs to the branch number under its control, then the first TCU controller works and feeds back the branch control instruction to the OHT controller. Correspondingly, the second TCU controller and the third TCU controller process the signal and determine that it does not belong to the branch number under their control, and no feedback is given. Thereby realizing the switching of OHT control authority of different TCU controllers.

[0207] For example, it can also be combined with Figure 3 As shown, assuming that the branches are numbered 1-150, according to the pre-setting, each TCU controller controls 50 branches, the first TCU controller controls the branches numbered 1-50, the second TCU controller controls the branches numbered 51-100, and the third TCU controller controls the branches numbered 101-150. When the OHT is walking on the track, it is positioned by scanning the barcode on the track, and the positioning information is communicated with the TCU controller in real time, so that the TCU controller and the OHT can know the current position of the OHT relative to the track.

[0208] Step 802: The target road management unit sends a control instruction to the semiconductor handling equipment through the first network and / or the second network.

[0209] The control instruction carries identification information, and the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other.

[0210] Exemplarily, the first network in step 802 includes: a transmission network based on a leaky wave antenna; the second network includes: a transmission network based on an AP antenna, the AP being an access point; the on-board switch of the semiconductor handling equipment is respectively connected to the on-board leaky wave antenna and the on-board AP antenna, the on-board leaky wave antenna is communicatively connected to the router via at least one leaky wave antenna arranged in the automatic material handling system, the on-board AP antenna is communicatively connected to the router via at least one AP antenna arranged in the automatic material handling system, and the router is communicatively connected to the road management unit.

[0211] For details about the first network and the second network in this embodiment, see Figure 1 Application scenario shown. For example, in the AMHS workshop, an AP will be installed every 20-30m on the ceiling, and leaky wave antennas will be arranged in the AMHS workshop at the same time. All APs and leaky wave antennas are connected to the router via network cables, and the routers are connected to the TCU controllers via network cables. When the TCU issues control instructions for the forks, the signal is forwarded to the AP antenna and the leaky wave antenna through the router. The AP antenna in the AMHS workshop and the leaky wave antenna in the AMHS workshop communicate with the vehicle-mounted AP antenna and the vehicle-mounted leaky wave antenna respectively, thereby sending the control instructions to the OHT controller.

[0212] For example, when OHT enters a certain fork area, it must constantly apply to the TCU in the AMHS for the right of way for a certain fork. Correspondingly, the TCU must constantly reply to OHT whether it is allowed to pass through the right of way of a certain fork. The interaction cycle between the two is about tens of milliseconds. Since the interaction between OHT and TCU completely relies on the wireless network, the reliability and stability of the wireless network directly affects the reliability and stability of the entire AMHS.

[0213] In this embodiment, by setting the first network and the second network, the network stability of AMHS can be significantly improved.

[0214] In a sixth exemplary embodiment, as Fig.10 As shown, a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment is provided, and the method is applied to Figure 1 Taking a group consisting of two or more road management units in as an example, the method includes the following steps 1001 to 1003. Among them:

[0215] Step 1001, receiving location information sent by semiconductor handling equipment, and determining a target road management unit having jurisdiction over a branch road according to the location information.

[0216] Step 1002: The target road management unit sends a control instruction to the semiconductor handling equipment through the first network and / or the second network.

[0217] In this embodiment, the specific implementation process and technical effects of step 1001 and step 1002 are shown in Figure 8 The related descriptions of step 801 and step 802 are not repeated here.

[0218] Step 1003: If the location information sent from the semiconductor handling equipment is not received within a preset number of heartbeat cycles, an alarm is issued.

[0219] In this embodiment, OHT communicates with TCU at a certain period. If TCU does not receive the location information from OHT within a preset number of heartbeat cycles, it means that there may be a network abnormality or OHT abnormality. At this time, TCU issues an alarm prompt, so that the staff can check the abnormality in time to ensure the normal operation of OHT.

[0220] In a seventh exemplary embodiment, as Fig.11 As shown, a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment is provided, and the method is applied to Figure 1 Taking the aerial transport vehicle and the group consisting of two or more road management units as an example, the method includes the following steps 1101 to 1109. Among them:

[0221] Step 1101: The aerial transport vehicle sends location information to a road management unit via the first network and / or the second network according to a preset period.

[0222] Step 1102: The road management unit receives the location information sent by the aerial transport vehicle, and determines the target road management unit that has jurisdiction over the branch road according to the location information.

[0223] Step 1103: The target road management unit sends a control instruction to the aerial transport vehicle through the first network and / or the second network.

[0224] Step 1104: the aerial transport vehicle receives the control instruction sent by the road management unit.

[0225] Step 1105, the aerial transport vehicle obtains N control instructions received before the current control instruction.

[0226] Step 1106: the aerial transport vehicle compares the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result.

[0227] Step 1107, determine whether to execute the current control instruction based on the comparison result.

[0228] Step 1108: If the aerial transport vehicle does not receive a control instruction from the road management unit within a preset number of heartbeat cycles, an alarm is issued.

[0229] Step 1109: If the road management unit does not receive the location information sent from the aerial transport vehicle within a preset number of heartbeat cycles, an alarm is issued.

[0230] In this embodiment, steps 1101 to 1109 are integrated. Figure 2 to Figure 10 For all the method embodiments shown, their specific implementation processes and technical effects, please refer to Figure 2 to Figure 10 The description of each step in the method embodiment is not repeated here.

[0231] It should be understood that, although the various steps in the flowcharts involved in the above-mentioned embodiments are displayed in sequence according to the indication of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in sequence according to the order indicated by the arrows. Unless there is a clear explanation in this article, the execution of these steps is not strictly limited in order, and these steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least a part of the steps in the flowcharts involved in the above-mentioned embodiments can include multiple steps or multiple stages, and these steps or stages are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and the execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily to be carried out in sequence, but can be executed in turn or alternately with other steps or at least a part of the steps or stages in other steps.

[0232] Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device for semiconductor handling equipment for implementing the communication method for semiconductor handling equipment involved above. The implementation scheme for solving the problem provided by the device is similar to the implementation scheme recorded in the above method, so the specific limitations in the embodiments of the communication device for one or more semiconductor handling equipment provided below can refer to the limitations of the communication method for semiconductor handling equipment above, and will not be repeated here.

[0233] In an exemplary embodiment, Fig.12 As shown, a communication device for semiconductor handling equipment is provided, which is applied to semiconductor handling equipment, including: a sending module 1201, a receiving module 1202, an acquisition module 1203, a comparison module 1204 and an execution module 1205, wherein:

[0234] The sending module 1201 is used to send the location information to the road management unit arranged in the automatic material handling system through the first network and / or the second network according to a preset period, and the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other;

[0235] The receiving module 1202 is used to receive a current control instruction sent by a road management unit, where the current control instruction is sent by the road management unit through the first network and / or the second network;

[0236] The acquisition module 1203 is used to acquire N control instructions received before the current control instruction, where N is a natural number greater than 0;

[0237] A comparison module 1204 is used to compare the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result;

[0238] The execution module 1205 is used to determine whether to execute the current control instruction according to the comparison result.

[0239] Exemplarily, the first network includes: a transmission network based on a leaky wave antenna; the second network includes: a transmission network based on an AP antenna, the AP being an access point; the on-board switch of the semiconductor handling equipment is respectively connected to the on-board leaky wave antenna and the on-board AP antenna, the on-board leaky wave antenna is communicatively connected to the router via at least one leaky wave antenna arranged in the automatic material handling system, the on-board AP antenna is communicatively connected to the router via at least one AP antenna arranged in the automatic material handling system, and the router is communicatively connected to the road management unit.

[0240] Exemplarily, the comparison module 1204 is specifically used for:

[0241] If the branch roads in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located are all controlled by the same road management unit, the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the previous control instruction are compared to obtain a comparison result; wherein the discrimination information includes: a timestamp, and / or an instruction sequence number;

[0242] If the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, search the N control instructions for a control instruction whose reception time is closest to the current control instruction and which comes from the same road management unit as the current control instruction as the target control instruction, and compare the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the target control instruction to obtain a comparison result;

[0243] If the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, and no control instruction whose reception time is closest to the current control instruction and comes from the same road management unit as the current control instruction is found among the N control instructions, then the current control instruction is compared with the control result of the previous control instruction to obtain a comparison result.

[0244] Exemplarily, the execution module 1205 is specifically used for:

[0245] When the forks in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located are all controlled by the same road management unit, if the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction is the same as that carried in the previous control instruction, the current control instruction is not executed; if the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction is different from that carried in the previous control instruction, the current control instruction is executed;

[0246] When the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, if the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the target control instruction is the same, the current control instruction is not executed; if the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the target control instruction is different, the current control instruction is executed;

[0247] When the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, and no control instruction whose reception time is closest to the current control instruction and comes from the same road management unit as the current control instruction is found among the N control instructions, if the control result of the current control instruction is consistent with that of the previous control instruction, the current control instruction will not be executed; if the control result of the current control instruction is inconsistent with that of the previous control instruction, a first verification message is sent to the road management unit, and if the first verification result fed back by the road management unit is passed, the current control instruction is executed; if the verification result fed back by the road management unit is failed, the current control instruction is not executed.

[0248] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned device may further include: a filtering module 1206, configured to parse the current control instruction and the N control instructions transmitted based on UDP through the DDS of the application layer, and obtain the parsing information corresponding to the current control instruction and the parsing information corresponding to the N control instructions; wherein the DDS is a data distribution service, the UDP is a user datagram protocol, and the parsing information includes: at least one of the ID, priority, timestamp, request attribute, and operation attribute of the semiconductor handling equipment;

[0249] Compare the parsed information corresponding to the current control instruction with at least a portion of the parsed information corresponding to the N control instructions to determine whether there is at least one control instruction among the N control instructions that is the same control instruction as the current control instruction; the same control instruction refers to a control instruction sent by the same road management unit through the first network and the second network respectively;

[0250] If there is at least one control instruction among the N control instructions that is the same as the current control instruction, the current control instruction is filtered.

[0251] Exemplarily, the execution module 1205 is specifically configured to execute any of the following operations:

[0252] Passing through the turnout is allowed;

[0253] No passing through the turnout is allowed;

[0254] Cancel the permission to pass to the next fork.

[0255] Exemplarily, the sending module 1201 is further used to send right-of-way request information for M forks to the road management unit in one communication frame through the first network and / or the second network; M is a natural number greater than 1; the right-of-way request information includes: at least one of an ID, priority, timestamp, request attribute, and operation attribute of the semiconductor handling equipment;

[0256] The receiving module 1202 is further configured to receive current traffic control instructions for the M forks fed back by the road management unit;

[0257] The filtering module 1206 is further used to parse the current traffic control instruction based on UDP transmission and the P traffic control instructions received before the current traffic control instruction through the DDS of the application layer to obtain the parsing information corresponding to the current traffic control instruction and the parsing information corresponding to the P traffic control instructions; wherein the DDS is a data distribution service, the UDP is a user datagram protocol, P is a natural number greater than 0, and the parsing information includes: at least one of the ID, priority, timestamp, request attributes, and operation attributes of the semiconductor handling equipment; the request attributes include: the identification of each of the M requested forks, and the corresponding The identification of the fork road entering the curve; the operation attributes include: speed, acceleration; compare the parsed information corresponding to the current traffic control instruction and at least a part of the parsed information corresponding to the P traffic control instructions to determine whether there is at least one traffic control instruction in the P traffic control instructions that is the same as the current traffic control instruction; the same traffic control instruction refers to the traffic control instruction sent by the same road management unit through the first network and the second network respectively; if there is at least one traffic control instruction in the P traffic control instructions that is the same as the current traffic control instruction, filter the current traffic control instruction;

[0258] The execution module 1205 is also used for: if there is no traffic control instruction among the P traffic control instructions that is the same as the current traffic control instruction, then the control result of the current traffic control instruction is compared with the control result of the previous traffic control instruction. If the comparison results are consistent, the current traffic control instruction is not executed; if the comparison results are inconsistent, a second verification message is sent to the road management unit. If the second verification result fed back by the road management unit is passed, the current traffic control instruction is executed. If the second verification result fed back by the road management unit is failed, the current traffic control instruction is not executed.

[0259] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned device may also include: a warning module 1207, wherein the warning module 1207 is used to issue an alarm prompt when no control instruction is received from the road management unit within a preset number of heartbeat cycles.

[0260] In another exemplary embodiment, Fig.13As shown, a communication device for semiconductor handling equipment is provided, which is applied to a group consisting of two or more road management units arranged in an automatic material handling system, and the device includes: a receiving module 1301, a processing module 1302 and a sending module 1303, wherein:

[0261] A receiving module 1301 is used to receive location information sent by semiconductor handling equipment;

[0262] A processing module 1302 is used to determine a target road management unit having jurisdiction over a branch road according to the position information, wherein the jurisdiction over each branch road of the track in the automatic material handling system has been allocated to the road management unit according to a preset allocation strategy;

[0263] The sending module 1303 is used to control the target road management unit to send a control instruction to the semiconductor handling equipment through the first network and / or the second network, wherein the control instruction carries identification information, and the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other.

[0264] Exemplarily, the first network includes: a transmission network based on a leaky wave antenna; the second network includes: a transmission network based on an AP antenna, the AP being an access point; the on-board switch of the semiconductor handling equipment is respectively connected to the on-board leaky wave antenna and the on-board AP antenna, the on-board leaky wave antenna is communicatively connected to the router via at least one leaky wave antenna arranged in the automatic material handling system, the on-board AP antenna is communicatively connected to the router via at least one AP antenna arranged in the automatic material handling system, and the router is communicatively connected to the road management unit.

[0265] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned device may further include: an alarm module 1304, wherein the alarm module 1304 is configured to issue an alarm prompt when the location information sent from the semiconductor handling equipment is not received within a preset number of heartbeat cycles.

[0266] Each module in the communication device of the semiconductor handling equipment can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, or a combination thereof. Each module can be embedded in or independent of a processor in a computer device in the form of hardware, or can be stored in a memory in a computer device in the form of software, so that the processor can call and execute operations corresponding to each module.

[0267] In an exemplary embodiment, Fig.14As shown, a communication system for semiconductor handling equipment is provided, including: semiconductor handling equipment 1401, a road management unit 1402, the semiconductor handling equipment 1401 and the road management unit 1402 are connected to each other through a first network and / or a second network, the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other, wherein:

[0268] The semiconductor handling equipment 1401 is used to send location information to a road management unit 1402 arranged in the automatic material handling system through the first network and / or the second network according to a preset period, and the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other;

[0269] The group of road management units 1402 is used to receive the location information sent by the semiconductor handling equipment, and determine the target road management unit that has the jurisdiction of the branch road according to the location information, wherein the jurisdiction of each track branch road in the automatic material handling system has been allocated to the road management unit according to a preset allocation strategy; the target road management unit sends a control instruction to the semiconductor handling equipment through the first network and / or the second network;

[0270] The semiconductor handling equipment 1401 is further used to receive the current control instruction sent by the road management unit 1402, and obtain N control instructions received before the current control instruction, where N is a natural number greater than 0; compare the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result; and determine whether to execute the current control instruction according to the comparison result.

[0271] Exemplarily, the system further includes: at least one road management unit server 1403, wherein the road management unit server 1403 is used to start a backup function and take over the branch road range under the jurisdiction of the road management unit 1402 when an abnormality occurs.

[0272] It should be noted that the aerial transport vehicle 1401 in this embodiment can perform the following operations: Figure 2 to Figure 7 In the embodiment shown, the road management unit 1402 may perform the following steps: Figure 8 , Fig.10 The various method steps in the illustrated embodiment.

[0273] In another exemplary embodiment, Fig.15As shown, a communication system for semiconductor handling equipment is provided, including: semiconductor handling equipment 1501, at least one road management unit server 1502, the semiconductor handling equipment 1501 and the road management unit server 1502 are connected to each other through a first network and / or a second network, the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other, wherein:

[0274] The semiconductor handling equipment 1501 is used to send location information to the at least one road management unit server 1502 through the first network and / or the second network according to a preset period;

[0275] The road management unit server 1502 is used to receive the location information sent by the semiconductor handling equipment 1501, and send a control instruction to the semiconductor handling equipment 1501 through the first network and / or the second network;

[0276] The semiconductor handling equipment 1501 is also used to receive the current control instruction sent by the road management unit server 1502, and obtain N control instructions received before the current control instruction, compare the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result; based on the comparison result, determine whether to execute the current control instruction; N is a natural number greater than 0.

[0277] It should be noted that the aerial transport vehicle 1501 in this embodiment can perform the following operations: Figure 2 to Figure 7 In the embodiment shown, the road management unit server 1502 may execute the following steps: Figure 8 , Fig.10 The various method steps in the illustrated embodiment.

[0278] In an exemplary embodiment, a computer device is provided. The computer device may be a server, and its internal structure diagram may be as shown in FIG. Fig.16As shown. The computer device includes a processor, a memory, an input / output interface (Input / Output, referred to as I / O) and a communication interface. Among them, the processor, the memory and the input / output interface are connected through a system bus, and the communication interface is connected to the system bus through the input / output interface. Among them, the processor of the computer device is used to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the computer device includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system, a computer program and a database. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and the computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. The database of the computer device is used to store data of OHT and TCU. The input / output interface of the computer device is used to exchange information between the processor and an external device. The communication interface of the computer device is used to communicate with an external terminal through a network connection. When the computer program is executed by the processor, a communication method for semiconductor handling equipment is implemented.

[0279] Those skilled in the art will understand that Fig.16 The structure shown in the figure is only a block diagram of a part of the structure related to the solution of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the computer device to which the solution of the present application is applied. The specific computer device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have a different arrangement of components.

[0280] In an exemplary embodiment, a computer device is provided, including a memory and a processor, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor implements the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiments when executing the computer program.

[0281] In one embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiments are implemented.

[0282] In one embodiment, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program, which implements the steps in the above method embodiments when executed by a processor.

[0283] It should be noted that the user information (including but not limited to user device information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data used for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.) involved in this application are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, use and processing of relevant data must comply with relevant regulations.

[0284] Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to the memory, database or other medium used in the embodiments provided in the present application can include at least one of non-volatile memory and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, optical memory, high-density embedded non-volatile memory, resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetic random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), phase change memory (PCM), graphene memory, etc. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory, etc. As an illustration and not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The database involved in each embodiment provided in this application may include at least one of a relational database and a non-relational database. Non-relational databases may include distributed databases based on blockchains, etc., but are not limited to this. The processor involved in each embodiment provided in this application may be a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit, a graphics processor, a digital signal processor, a programmable logic device, a data processing logic device based on quantum computing, an artificial intelligence (AI) processor, etc., but are not limited to this.

[0285] The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this application.

[0286] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the present application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A communication method for semiconductor handling equipment, characterized in that: Applied to semiconductor handling equipment, the method comprises: According to a preset cycle, the location information is sent to a road management unit arranged in the automatic material handling system through the first network and / or the second network, wherein the first network and the second network serve as backup networks for each other; Receiving a current control instruction sent by a road management unit, wherein the current control instruction received by the semiconductor handling equipment is sent by the road management unit through the first network or the second network; Obtain N control instructions received before the current control instruction, where N is a natural number greater than 0; Comparing the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result; According to the comparison result, determine whether to execute the current control instruction.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The comparing the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result includes at least one of the following methods: If the forks in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located are all controlled by the same road management unit, the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the previous control instruction are compared to obtain a comparison result; If the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, search the N control instructions for a control instruction whose reception time is closest to the current control instruction and which comes from the same road management unit as the current control instruction as the target control instruction, and compare the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the target control instruction to obtain a comparison result; If the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, and no control instruction with the closest reception time to the current control instruction and from the same road management unit as the current control instruction is found among the N control instructions, then the current control instruction is compared with the control result of the previous control instruction to obtain a comparison result.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The determining, based on the comparison result, whether to execute the current control instruction includes at least one of the following methods: When the forks in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located are all controlled by the same road management unit, if the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction is the same as that carried in the previous control instruction, the current control instruction is not executed; If the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction is different from that carried in the previous control instruction, the current control instruction is executed; When the fork road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, if the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the target control instruction is the same, the current control instruction is not executed; If the discrimination information carried in the current control instruction and the target control instruction is different, executing the current control instruction; When the branch road in the area where the semiconductor handling equipment is currently located is controlled by two or more road management units, and no control instruction with the closest reception time to the current control instruction and from the same road management unit as the current control instruction is found among the N control instructions, if the current control instruction is consistent with the control result of the previous control instruction, the current control instruction will not be executed.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: If the control result of the current control instruction is inconsistent with the control result of the previous control instruction, the method further includes: Sending first verification information to the road management unit, if the first verification result fed back by the road management unit is passed, executing the current control instruction, if the verification result fed back by the road management unit is failed, not executing the current control instruction; or Wait for and receive the next control instruction. If the control result of the next control instruction is consistent with that of the current control instruction, execute the current control instruction; if the control result of the next control instruction is inconsistent with that of the current control instruction, do not execute the current control instruction.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before comparing the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result, the method further includes: The current control instruction and the N control instructions transmitted based on UDP are parsed through the DDS of the application layer to obtain parsed information corresponding to the current control instruction and the N control instructions; wherein the DDS is a data distribution service, the UDP is a user datagram protocol, and the parsed information includes: at least one of an ID, a priority, a timestamp, a request attribute, and an operation attribute of a semiconductor handling device; Compare the parsed information corresponding to the current control instruction with at least a portion of the parsed information corresponding to the N control instructions to determine whether there is at least one control instruction among the N control instructions that is the same control instruction as the current control instruction; the same control instruction refers to a control instruction sent by the same road management unit through the first network and the second network respectively; If there is at least one control instruction among the N control instructions that is the same as the current control instruction, the current control instruction is filtered.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Sending, via the first network and / or the second network, right-of-way request information for M forks to the road management unit in one communication frame; M is a natural number greater than 1; receiving current traffic control instructions for the M forks fed back by the road management unit; The current traffic control instruction transmitted based on UDP and the P traffic control instructions received before the current traffic control instruction are parsed through the DDS of the application layer to obtain parsing information corresponding to the current traffic control instruction and parsing information corresponding to the P traffic control instructions; wherein the DDS is a data distribution service, the UDP is a user datagram protocol, and P is a natural number greater than 0; Compare the parsed information corresponding to the current traffic control instruction with at least a portion of the parsed information corresponding to the P traffic control instructions to determine whether there is at least one traffic control instruction among the P traffic control instructions that is the same traffic control instruction as the current traffic control instruction; the same traffic control instruction refers to a traffic control instruction sent by the same road management unit through the first network and the second network respectively; If there is at least one passage control instruction among the P passage control instructions that is the same as the current passage control instruction, filtering the current passage control instruction; If there is no passage control instruction among the P passage control instructions that is the same as the current passage control instruction, the control result of the current passage control instruction is compared with the control result of the previous passage control instruction. If the comparison results are consistent, the current passage control instruction is not executed.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that When the control result of the current traffic control instruction is compared with the control result of the previous traffic control instruction and the comparison results are inconsistent, the method further includes: Sending second verification information to the road management unit, if the second verification result fed back by the road management unit is passed, executing the current traffic control instruction, if the second verification result fed back by the road management unit is not passed, not executing the current traffic control instruction; or Wait for and receive the next traffic control instruction. If the control result of the next traffic control instruction is consistent with that of the current traffic control instruction, execute the current traffic control instruction; if the control result of the next traffic control instruction is inconsistent with that of the current traffic control instruction, do not execute the current traffic control instruction.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The executing of the current control instruction includes any of the following operations: Passing through the turnout is allowed; No passing through the turnout is allowed; Cancel the permission to pass to the next fork.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: If no control instructions are received from the road management unit within a preset number of heartbeat cycles, an alarm will be issued.

10. A communication system for semiconductor handling equipment, characterized in that: include: A group consisting of semiconductor handling equipment and a road management unit, wherein the semiconductor handling equipment and the road management unit are communicatively connected via a first network and / or a second network, and the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other, wherein: The semiconductor handling equipment is used to send location information to a road management unit arranged in the automatic material handling system through the first network and / or the second network according to a preset period, and the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other; The group of road management units is used to receive the location information sent by the semiconductor handling equipment and determine the target road management unit that has the jurisdiction of the branch road according to the location information, wherein the jurisdiction of each track branch road in the automatic material handling system has been allocated to the road management unit according to a preset allocation strategy; The target road management unit sends a control instruction to the semiconductor handling equipment through the first network and / or the second network; The semiconductor handling equipment is also used to receive the current control instruction sent by the target road management unit, and obtain N control instructions received before the current control instruction, compare the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result; based on the comparison result, determine whether to execute the current control instruction; N is a natural number greater than 0.

11. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that The system also includes: at least one road management unit server, which is used to start a backup function and take over the branch road range under the jurisdiction of the road management unit with the abnormality when the road management unit has an abnormality.

12. A communication system for semiconductor handling equipment, characterized in that: include: Semiconductor handling equipment, at least one road management unit server, the semiconductor handling equipment and the road management unit server are communicatively connected via a first network and / or a second network, the first network and the second network are backup networks for each other, wherein: The semiconductor handling equipment is used to send location information to the at least one road management unit server through the first network and / or the second network according to a preset period; The road management unit server is used to receive the location information sent by the semiconductor handling equipment, and send a control instruction to the semiconductor handling equipment through the first network and / or the second network; The semiconductor handling equipment is also used to receive the current control instruction sent by the road management unit server, and obtain N control instructions received before the current control instruction, compare the current control instruction with at least one of the N control instructions to obtain a comparison result; based on the comparison result, determine whether to execute the current control instruction; N is a natural number greater than 0.

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