Communication apparatus, method for controlling communication apparatus, and communication system

Abstract

A communication apparatus (12) is equipped with: a wide-area wireless communication unit (46) for transmitting and receiving information to and from a transport vehicle (4) using wide-area wireless communication via a wireless access point (10); a near-field wireless communication unit (50) for transmitting and receiving information to and from a communication device (8) using near-field wireless communication, which has a shorter communication range than does the wide-area wireless communication; and a control unit (54) for outputting the information received by the wide-area wireless communication unit (46) to the near-field wireless communication unit (50) by converting from information for wide-area wireless communication into information for near-field wireless communication, and outputting the information received by the near-field wireless communication unit (50) to the wide-area wireless communication unit (46) by converting from information for near-field wireless communication into information for wide-area wireless communication.

Description

Communication device, communication device control method, and communication system

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, a control method for a communication device, and a communication system.

[0002] BACKGROUND ART A semiconductor manufacturing system is known that includes an overhead traveling transport vehicle for transporting front opening unified pods (FOUPs) storing semiconductor wafers, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment for processing the semiconductor wafers (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The E84 communication sequence of SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International) is applied to communication between the transport vehicle and a communication device connected to a loading port of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment. When transferring a FOUP between the transport vehicle and the loading port, control signals are exchanged between the transport vehicle and the communication device according to the E84 communication sequence.

[0004] The E84 communication sequence consists of three steps: a pre-transfer procedure, a transfer procedure, and a post-transfer procedure. In the pre-transfer procedure, a control signal indicating that FOUP transfer is about to begin is exchanged between the transport vehicle and the communication device. In the transfer procedure, a control signal for executing FOUP transfer is exchanged between the transport vehicle and the communication device, and the FOUP is actually transferred. In the post-transfer procedure, a control signal indicating that FOUP transfer is complete is exchanged between the transport vehicle and the communication device. The pre-transfer procedure, transfer procedure, and post-transfer procedure are performed when the transport vehicle is stopped in a position directly above the loading port.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-117616

[0006] In a semiconductor manufacturing system, each of the multiple transport vehicles must simultaneously wirelessly communicate the E84 communication sequence with each communication device of each of the multiple loading ports to which the FOUPs are to be transferred. Furthermore, some semiconductor manufacturing equipment allocates limited power to each communication device of each loading port, requiring the communication devices to operate in a power-saving manner. Therefore, in order to avoid wireless communication interference and perform wireless communication that operates in a power-saving manner, short-range wireless communication, which has a communication range limited to a short distance (e.g., within 3 to 5 meters), is adopted as the wireless communication method between the transport vehicle and the communication device.

[0007] In recent years, in order to further improve the efficiency of semiconductor manufacturing in the semiconductor manufacturing system described above, it has been proposed to execute the pre-transfer procedure and post-transfer procedure of the E84 communication sequence while the transport vehicle is traveling.

[0008] However, since the radio wave output strength is suppressed in short-range wireless communication between the transport cart and the communication device, there is a problem that the received radio wave strength decreases between the transport cart and the communication device when the transport cart is traveling at a position away from the position directly above the loading port during the pre-transfer and post-transfer procedures.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and its purpose is to provide a communication device, a control method for a communication device, and a communication system that can stabilize wireless communication between a transport vehicle and a communication device.

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a communication device that relays communication between a transport platform for transporting transported objects and a communication device connected to a transfer device to which the transported objects are transferred between the transport platform and the transport platform, and includes a wide-area wireless communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from the transport platform via wide-area wireless communication via a wide-area wireless communication base station, a short-range wireless communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from the communication device via short-range wireless communication having a communication range narrower than that of the wide-area wireless communication, and a control unit that converts information received by the wide-area wireless communication unit from information for wide-area wireless communication to information for short-range wireless communication and outputs the information to the short-range wireless communication unit, and converts information received by the short-range wireless communication unit from information for short-range wireless communication to information for wide-area wireless communication and outputs the information to the wide-area wireless communication unit.

[0011] According to this aspect, even if the transport vehicle is traveling at a position away from the position directly above the transfer device, the wide-area wireless communication unit transmits and receives information to and from the transport vehicle via wide-area wireless communication base station (e.g., wireless access point) by wide-area wireless communication, thereby preventing a decrease in the received radio wave intensity between the transport vehicle and the communication device and stabilizing the wireless communication between the transport vehicle and the communication device. Furthermore, the short-range wireless communication unit transmits and receives information to and from the communication device by short-range wireless communication, allowing the communication device to operate with low power consumption.

[0012] For example, (i) when the transporting vehicle is traveling in a direction approaching the transfer device before transferring the transported object between the transporting vehicle and the transfer device, or when the transporting vehicle is traveling in a direction away from the transfer device after transferring the transported object between the transporting vehicle and the transfer device, the wide-area wireless communication unit receives information from the transporting vehicle by wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station, the control unit converts the information received by the wide-area wireless communication unit from information for wide-area wireless communication to information for short-range wireless communication and outputs it to the short-range wireless communication unit, and the short-range wireless communication unit transmits the information converted by the control unit to the communication device by short-range wireless communication, and (ii) when the transporting vehicle is traveling in a direction approaching the transfer device between the transporting vehicle and the transfer device, or when the transporting vehicle is traveling in a direction away from the transfer device after transferring the transported object between the transporting vehicle and the transfer device, the wide-area wireless communication unit receives information from the transporting vehicle by wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station, the control unit converts the information received by the wide-area wireless communication unit from information for wide-area wireless communication to information for short-range wireless communication and outputs it to the short-range wireless communication unit, and the short-range wireless communication unit transmits the information converted by the control unit to the communication device by short-range wireless communication, and When the communication device transmits information to the transporting cart while the cart is traveling in a direction approaching the transfer device before transferring the transported object between the transfer device and the transporting device, or while the cart is traveling in a direction away from the transfer device after transferring the transported object between the transfer device and the transporting device, the short-range wireless communication unit receives information from the communication device via short-range wireless communication, the control unit converts the information received by the short-range wireless communication unit from information for short-range wireless communication to information for wide-area wireless communication and outputs it to the wide-area wireless communication unit, and the wide-area wireless communication unit transmits the information converted by the control unit via the wide-area wireless communication to the transporting cart via the wide-area wireless communication base station.

[0013] According to this aspect, for example, when the SEMI E84 communication sequence is applied between a transport vehicle and a communication device, wireless communication between the transport vehicle and the communication device can be stabilized even if the transport vehicle is traveling at a position away from the position directly above the transfer device during the pre-transfer procedure or post-transfer procedure of the E84 communication sequence.

[0014] For example, the communication device may further include an acquisition unit that acquires communication status information indicating the communication status between the communication device and other transport vehicles other than the transport vehicle while the transport vehicle is traveling, and the wide-area wireless communication unit may be configured to transmit the communication status information acquired by the acquisition unit to the transport vehicle traveling by wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station.

[0015] According to this aspect, a traveling transport vehicle can appropriately change its traveling route based on communication status information indicating the communication status between other transport vehicles other than the transport vehicle and the communication device, for example, when another transport vehicle is performing a transfer procedure of the E84 communication sequence on the traveling route of the transport vehicle.

[0016] For example, the communication device may further include an acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the locations of other transport vehicles other than the transport vehicle while the transport vehicle is traveling, and the wide-area wireless communication unit may be configured to transmit the location information acquired by the acquisition unit to the transport vehicle traveling by wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station.

[0017] According to this aspect, a traveling transport vehicle can appropriately change its travel route based on position information indicating the positions of other transport vehicles other than the transport vehicle itself, for example, when another transport vehicle is performing a transfer procedure of the E84 communication sequence on the travel route of the transport vehicle itself.

[0018] In addition, a control method for a communication device according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method for a communication device that relays communication between a transport vehicle for transporting a transported object and a communication device connected to a transfer device to which the transported object is transferred between the transport vehicle and the transport vehicle, and includes the steps of: (a) receiving information from the transport vehicle by wide-area wireless communication via a wide-area wireless communication base station; (b) converting the information received in (a) from information for wide-area wireless communication to information for short-range wireless communication; (c) transmitting the information converted in (b) to the communication device by short-range wireless communication having a communication range narrower than the wide-area wireless communication; (d) receiving information from the communication device by short-range wireless communication; (e) converting the information received in (d) from information for short-range wireless communication to information for wide-area wireless communication; and (f) transmitting the information converted in (e) to the transport vehicle by wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station.

[0019] According to this aspect, even if the transport vehicle is traveling at a position away from the position directly above the transfer device, information is transmitted and received between the transport vehicle and the communication device via wide-area wireless communication via a wide-area wireless communication base station (e.g., a wireless access point), so that a decrease in the received radio wave intensity between the transport vehicle and the communication device can be avoided and wireless communication between the transport vehicle and the communication device can be stabilized. In addition, since information is transmitted and received between the transport vehicle and the communication device via short-range wireless communication, the communication device can be operated with low power consumption.

[0020] A communication system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a transporting vehicle for transporting an object to be transported, a communication device connected to a transfer device to which the object is transferred between the transporting vehicle and the communication device, and a communication device that relays communication between the transporting vehicle and the communication device, wherein the transporting vehicle has a first communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from the communication device by wide-area wireless communication via a wide-area wireless communication base station, and the communication device has a second communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from the communication device by short-range wireless communication having a communication range narrower than that of the wide-area wireless communication, and the communication device The communication device has a wide-area wireless communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from the first communication unit of the transport platform by wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station, a short-range wireless communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from the second communication unit of the communication device by short-range wireless communication, and a control unit that converts information received by the wide-area wireless communication unit from information for wide-area wireless communication to information for short-range wireless communication and outputs the information to the short-range wireless communication unit, and also converts information received by the short-range wireless communication unit from information for short-range wireless communication to information for wide-area wireless communication and outputs the information to the wide-area wireless communication unit.

[0021] According to this aspect, even when the transport vehicle is traveling at a position away from the position directly above the transfer device, the wide-area wireless communication unit of the communication device transmits and receives information to and from the first communication unit of the transport vehicle via wide-area wireless communication base station (e.g., wireless access point) by wide-area wireless communication, thereby preventing a decrease in the received radio wave intensity between the transport vehicle and the communication device and stabilizing wireless communication between the transport vehicle and the communication device. Furthermore, the short-range wireless communication unit of the communication device transmits and receives information to and from the second communication unit of the communication device by short-range wireless communication, allowing the communication device to operate with low power consumption.

[0022] The present invention can be realized not only as an apparatus, but also as a method in which the processing means constituting the apparatus are steps, as a program that causes a computer to execute those steps, as a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM on which the program is recorded, or as information, data, or signals that represent the program.These programs, information, data, and signals may be distributed via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0023] According to the communication device and the like according to one aspect of the present invention, wireless communication between the transporting carriage and the communication device can be stabilized.

[0024] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an E84 communication sequence when grabbing a FOUP. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an E84 communication sequence when unloading a FOUP. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of information for wide-area wireless communication. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of information for short-range wireless communication. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a communication system according to an embodiment in a pre-transfer procedure. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating the flow of operation of a communication system according to an embodiment in a pre-transfer procedure. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a communication system according to an embodiment in a transfer procedure. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating the flow of operation of a communication system according to an embodiment in a transfer procedure. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a communication system according to an embodiment in a post-transfer procedure.

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection forms, steps, step order, etc. shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not recited in independent claims will be described as optional components.

[0026] (Embodiments) [1. Overview of Communication System] First, an overview of a communication system 2 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a communication system 2 according to an embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of an E84 communication sequence when a FOUP 14 is gripped. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of an E84 communication sequence when a FOUP 14 is unloaded.

[0027] 1, the communication system 2 is a system established in, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing factory. The communication system 2 includes a transport vehicle 4, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 6, a communication device 8, a wireless access point 10, and a communication device 12.

[0028] The transport vehicle 4 is an overhead traveling transport vehicle, known as an OHT (Overhead Hoist Transfer), for transporting FOUPs 14 (an example of a transported object) storing semiconductor wafers. The transport vehicle 4 travels unmanned along rails 16 installed on the ceiling of the semiconductor manufacturing factory. Although a plurality of transport vehicles 4 (e.g., several hundred vehicles) are arranged in the semiconductor manufacturing factory, for the sake of convenience of explanation, only one transport vehicle 4 is shown in FIG. 1.

[0029] A gripper 18 for gripping the FOUP 14 is mounted inside the transport platform 4 so as to be able to rise and fall. For example, when transferring a FOUP 14 between the transport platform 4 and a loading port 22 (described later) of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6, the gripper 18 descends from the transport platform 4 to the vicinity of the loading port 22 while the transport platform 4 is stopped in a position directly above the loading port 22. Furthermore, when the transfer of the FOUP 14 is complete, the gripper 18 rises from the vicinity of the loading port 22 to the transport platform 4 and is stored inside the transport platform 4.

[0030] The semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6 is an apparatus for processing or temporarily storing semiconductor wafers stored in the FOUP 14, and is installed directly below the rails 16. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6 has a loading / unloading opening 20 for loading and unloading the FOUP 14, and a loading port 22 (an example of a transfer device) located near the loading / unloading opening 20. The loading port 22 is a load port for loading the FOUP 14. The loading port 22 transfers the FOUP 14 between the gripper 18 of the transport vehicle 4 and the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6, and delivers the FOUP 14 to and from the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6 through the loading / unloading opening 20.

[0031] Although a semiconductor manufacturing factory is equipped with a plurality of (e.g., several thousand) semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses 6, for convenience of explanation, only one semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 6 is shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 6 has been described as having one loading port 22, but this is not limiting and the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 6 may have a plurality of loading ports 22.

[0032] The communication device 8 is a device server that mediates communication between the transport vehicle 4 and the load port 22 of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6. The communication device 8 is disposed on the top surface of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6 and is connected to the load port 22 of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6 via a parallel cable 24. This allows the communication device 8 to communicate with the load port 22 of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6. The SEMI E84 communication sequence is applied to communication between the communication device 8 and the transport vehicle 4. Note that although the same number of communication devices 8 as the load ports 22 are installed in a semiconductor manufacturing factory, for convenience of explanation, only one communication device 8 is shown in FIG. 1.

[0033] The wireless access point 10 is an access point in a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). The wireless access point 10 mediates wide-area wireless communication between the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 12. In other words, the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 12 are stations in the wireless LAN. Note that the wide-area wireless communication is wireless communication via a wireless LAN, and the communication range is, for example, approximately 20 to 30 meters square, centered on the wireless access point 10. The wireless access point 10 is an example of a wide-area wireless communication base station.

[0034] The communication device 12 is a relay device for relaying communication between the transporting carriage 4 and the communication device 8. The communication device 12 is disposed above the rail 16, for example. The communication device 12 transmits and receives information to and from the transporting carriage 4 via wide-area wireless communication via the wireless access point 10. The communication device 12 also transmits and receives information to and from the communication device 8 via short-range wireless communication. Note that short-range wireless communication is, for example, wireless communication using BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy), and its communication range is narrower than the communication range of wide-area wireless communication, for example, an area of ​​approximately 5 m square centered on the communication device 12. Short-range wireless communication is also called "close proximity wireless communication."

[0035] In the above-described communication system 2, when the transport vehicle 4 grabs the FOUP 14 placed on the loading port 22, and when the FOUP 14 is unloaded from the transport vehicle 4 to the loading port 22, a control signal (information) is exchanged between the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 8 using the E84 communication sequence. The E84 communication sequence employs an interlock sequence consisting of multiple steps, in which the process does not proceed to the next step unless a specific control signal (e.g., L_REQ) is turned off when transferring the FOUP 14 between the transport vehicle 4 and the loading port 22.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 2, the E84 communication sequence when grabbing a FOUP 14 consists of three steps: a pre-transfer procedure, a transfer procedure, and a post-transfer procedure. Also, as shown in Fig. 3, the E84 communication sequence when unloading a FOUP 14 consists of three steps: a pre-transfer procedure, a transfer procedure, and a post-transfer procedure, just like Fig. 2.

[0037] 2 and 3 , in the pre-transfer procedure, a control signal indicating that transfer of the FOUP 14 will now begin is exchanged between the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 8. In the transfer procedure, a control signal for executing transfer of the FOUP 14 is exchanged between the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 8, and the FOUP 14 is actually transferred. In the post-transfer procedure, a control signal indicating that transfer of the FOUP 14 has been completed is exchanged between the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 8.

[0038] The pre-transfer procedure is performed while the transport vehicle 4 is traveling in a direction approaching the position directly above the loading port 22 to which the FOUP 14 is to be transferred. The transfer procedure is performed after the transport vehicle 4 arrives at the position directly above the loading port 22 to which the FOUP 14 is to be transferred, while the transport vehicle 4 is stopped at that position. The post-transfer procedure is performed while the transport vehicle 4 is traveling in a direction away from the position directly above the loading port 22 to which the FOUP 14 has been transferred.

[0039] 2. Functional Configuration of Communication System The functional configuration of a communication system 2 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 6. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a communication system 2 according to an embodiment. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of information for wide-area wireless communication. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information for short-range wireless communication.

[0040] 4, the transport vehicle 4, the wireless access point 10, and the communication device 12 are connected to a wireless network 26. The wireless network 26 is, for example, a wireless LAN conforming to the IEEE 802.11 series, and is constructed using Wi-Fi (registered trademark) in the 2.4 GHz band or the 5 GHz band.

[0041] The transporting vehicle 4 has a wide-area wireless communication unit 28 (an example of a first communication unit), an antenna 30, a short-range wireless communication unit 32, an antenna 34, and a control unit 36.

[0042] The wide-area wireless communication unit transmits and receives information by wide-area wireless communication with the communication device 12 via the wireless access point 10. The antenna 30 is an antenna for wide-area wireless communication, and is connected to the wide-area wireless communication unit .

[0043] The short-range wireless communication unit 32 transmits and receives information to and from the communication device 8 via short-range wireless communication. The antenna 34 is an antenna for short-range wireless communication, and is connected to the short-range wireless communication unit 32.

[0044] The control unit 36 ​​executes various processes by controlling the wide-area wireless communication unit 28 and the short-range wireless communication unit 32. Specifically, the control unit 36 ​​controls the short-range wireless communication unit 32 to perform short-range wireless communication with the communication device 8 immediately before the transport vehicle 4 arrives at a position directly above the loading port 22 to which the FOUP 14 is to be transferred. Furthermore, the control unit 36 ​​may control the short-range wireless communication unit 32 to perform short-range wireless communication with the communication device 8 without using the communication device 12 when the position of the loading port 22 to which the transport vehicle 4 is to transfer the FOUP 14 and its own traveling position are within a certain range. In this case, the power consumption of the communication device 12 can be reduced. The control unit 36 ​​is realized, for example, by a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

[0045] The loading port 22 of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6 has a communication unit 38 and a control unit 40 .

[0046] The communication unit 38 transmits and receives information to and from the communication device 8 via the parallel cable 24 (see FIG. 1).

[0047] The control unit 40 executes various processes by controlling the communication unit 38. Specifically, the control unit 40 executes an interlock process for transferring the FOUP 14 (see FIG. 1) between the transport vehicle 4 and the control unit 40. The control unit 40 also executes a process for transferring the FOUP 14 between the transport vehicle 4 and the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6 through the loading / unloading port 20 (see FIG. 1). The control unit 40 is realized, for example, by a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0048] The communication device 8 includes a communication unit 42 (an example of a second communication unit) and a control unit 44 .

[0049] The communication unit 42 transmits and receives information to and from the loading port 22 via the parallel cable 24. The communication unit 42 also transmits and receives information to and from each of the transporting carriage 4 and the communication device 12 via short-range wireless communication.

[0050] The control unit 44 executes various processes by controlling the communication unit 42. The control unit 44 is realized, for example, by a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

[0051] The communication device 12 includes a wide-area wireless communication unit 46 , an antenna 48 , a short-range wireless communication unit 50 , an antenna 52 , a control unit 54 , and an acquisition unit 56 .

[0052] The wide-area wireless communication unit 46 transmits and receives information to and from the transporting vehicle 4 by wide-area wireless communication via the wireless access point 10. The antenna 48 is an antenna for wide-area wireless communication and is connected to the wide-area wireless communication unit 46.

[0053] The short-range wireless communication unit 50 transmits and receives information via short-range wireless communication with the communication device 8. The antenna 52 is an antenna for short-range wireless communication and is connected to the short-range wireless communication unit 50. Note that, in the present embodiment, the communication device 12 has only one set of the short-range wireless communication unit 50 and the antenna 52, but this is not limited thereto, and for example, when transmitting and receiving information via short-range wireless communication simultaneously with a plurality of communication devices 8, the communication device 12 may have multiple sets of the short-range wireless communication unit 50 and the antenna 52.

[0054] The control unit 54 executes various processes by controlling the wide-area wireless communication unit 46 and the short-range wireless communication unit 50. Specifically, the control unit 54 converts information received by the wide-area wireless communication unit 46 from information for wide-area wireless communication to information for short-range wireless communication and outputs the converted information to the short-range wireless communication unit 50. The control unit 54 also converts information received by the short-range wireless communication unit 50 from information for short-range wireless communication to information for wide-area wireless communication and outputs the converted information to the wide-area wireless communication unit 46. The control unit 54 is realized, for example, by a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

[0055] Here, the information for wide-area wireless communication is, for example, a data frame 58 as shown in FIG. 5A. The data frame 58 shown in FIG. 5A includes fields for Frame Control, Duration, MAC Addresses 1 to 3, Seq Control, MAC Address 4, Data, and CRC. The Data field shown in FIG. 5A includes fields for the IP header, UDP header, and communication data shown in FIG. 5B. Furthermore, the communication data field shown in FIG. 5B includes fields for the short-range wireless communication frequency band, short-range wireless communication channel, short-range wireless connection destination device ID, short-range wireless connection source ID, and short-range wireless communication data shown in FIG. 5C. Furthermore, the short-range wireless communication data field shown in FIG. 5C includes fields for the transmission direction, INPUT DATA, and OUTPUT DATA shown in FIG. 5D.

[0056] The information for short-distance wireless communication is, for example, a data frame 60 as shown in Fig. 6. The data frame 60 shown in Fig. 6 includes fields for a short-distance wireless connection destination device ID, a short-distance wireless connection source ID, a transmission direction, INPUT DATA, and OUTPUT DATA.

[0057] For example, when the wide-area wireless communication unit 46 receives a data frame 58 shown in (a) of Fig. 5, the control unit 54 extracts the fields of the short-range wireless connection destination device ID, the short-range wireless connection source ID, the transmission direction, INPUT DATA, and OUTPUT DATA shown in (c) and (d) of Fig. 5 from the data frame 58 received by the wide-area wireless communication unit 46, thereby generating a data frame 60 shown in Fig. 6. In this way, the control unit 54 converts the data frame 58, which is information for wide-area wireless communication, into the data frame 60, which is information for short-range wireless communication.

[0058] 6, the control unit 54 generates the data frame 58 shown in Fig. 5(a) by extracting the fields of the short-range wireless connection destination device ID, the short-range wireless connection source ID, the transmission direction, the INPUT DATA, and the OUTPUT DATA from the data frame 60 received by the short-range wireless communication unit 50. In this way, the control unit 54 converts the data frame 60, which is information for short-range wireless communication, into the data frame 58, which is information for wide-area wireless communication.

[0059] The acquisition unit 56 acquires, while the transporting vehicle 4 is traveling, communication status information indicating the communication status between the communication device 8 and other transporting vehicles (not shown) other than the transporting vehicle 4. Furthermore, while the transporting vehicle 4 is traveling, it acquires position information indicating the positions of other transporting vehicles other than the transporting vehicle 4. The acquisition unit 56 may acquire the communication status information and the position information from the wide-area wireless communication unit 46 or the short-range wireless communication unit 50, or may acquire the communication status information and the position information from a higher-level controller (not shown) that controls the communication system 2.

[0060] [3. Operation of the communication system] [3-1. Operation of the communication system in the pre-transfer procedure] The operation of the communication system 2 in the pre-transfer procedure will be described with reference to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the communication system 2 according to the embodiment in the pre-transfer procedure. Fig. 8 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the operation of the communication system 2 according to the embodiment in the pre-transfer procedure.

[0061] 7, consider a case where semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, and 6f (6a to 6f) are installed in a semiconductor manufacturing factory in this order. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6a to 6f have mounting ports 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, 22e, and 22f (22a to 22f), respectively. Communication devices 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e, and 8f (8a to 8f) are connected to the mounting ports 22a to 22f, respectively.

[0062] The following describes the case where the transport vehicle 4 transfers a FOUP 14 (see FIG. 1) between the loading port 22d of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6d. As shown in FIG. 7, the pre-transfer procedure is executed while the transport vehicle 4 is traveling in a direction approaching a position directly above the loading port 22d to which the FOUP 14 is to be transferred. In the pre-transfer procedure, information indicating that the transfer of the FOUP 14 is about to begin is exchanged between the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 8d.

[0063] The communication device 12 can transmit and receive information to and from each of the communication devices 8a to 8f, for example, via short-range wireless communication. The communication device 12 can also transmit and receive information to and from the transport vehicle 4 traveling closer to the semiconductor manufacturing device 6a (to the left in FIG. 7) than the position directly above the semiconductor manufacturing device 6d, and closer to the semiconductor manufacturing device 6f (to the right in FIG. 7) than the position directly above the semiconductor manufacturing device 6d, via wide-area wireless communication.

[0064] First, a case where the transporting vehicle 4 transmits information to the communication device 8d will be described. As shown in Fig. 8, the wide-area wireless communication unit 28 of the transporting vehicle 4 transmits information (information for wide-area wireless communication) to the communication device 12 via wide-area wireless communication (S101). The wireless access point 10 transfers the information from the transporting vehicle 4 to the communication device 12 via wide-area wireless communication (S102).

[0065] The wide-area wireless communication unit 46 of the communication device 12 receives information transferred from the wireless access point 10 via wide-area wireless communication (S103). The control unit 54 of the communication device 12 converts the information received by the wide-area wireless communication unit 46 from information for wide-area wireless communication to information for short-range wireless communication (S104) and outputs the converted information to the short-range wireless communication unit 50. The short-range wireless communication unit 50 of the communication device 12 transmits the information converted by the control unit 54 (information for short-range wireless communication) to the communication device 8d via short-range wireless communication (S105).

[0066] The communication unit 42 of the communication device 8d receives the information transmitted from the communication apparatus 12 via short-range wireless communication (S106).

[0067] Next, a case will be described in which the communication device 8d transmits information to the transporting carriage 4. As shown in Fig. 8 , the communication unit 42 of the communication device 8d transmits information (information for short-range wireless communication) to the communication device 12 by short-range wireless communication (S107).

[0068] The short-range wireless communication unit 50 of the communication device 12 receives the information transmitted from the communication device 8d via short-range wireless communication (S108). The control unit 54 of the communication device 12 converts the information received by the short-range wireless communication unit 50 from information for short-range wireless communication to information for wide-area wireless communication (S109) and outputs the converted information to the wide-area wireless communication unit 46. The wide-area wireless communication unit 46 of the communication device 12 transmits the information converted by the control unit 54 (information for wide-area wireless communication) to the transport vehicle 4 via wide-area wireless communication (S110).

[0069] The wireless access point 10 transfers the information transmitted from the communication device 12 in step S110 to the transporting vehicle 4 via wide-area wireless communication (S111). The wide-area wireless communication unit 28 of the transporting vehicle 4 receives the information transferred from the wireless access point 10 via wide-area wireless communication (S112).

[0070] 9 and 10, the operation of the communication system 2 in the transfer procedure will be described. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the communication system 2 according to the embodiment in the transfer procedure. Fig. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the operation of the communication system 2 according to the embodiment in the transfer procedure.

[0071] Similar to the above, the following describes the case where the transport vehicle 4 transfers a FOUP 14 between the loading port 22d of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 6d. As shown in Fig. 9, the transfer procedure is performed with the transport vehicle 4 stopped in a position directly above the loading port 22d to which the FOUP 14 is to be transferred. In the transfer procedure, information for executing the transfer of the FOUP 14 is exchanged between the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 8d, and the FOUP 14 is actually transferred.

[0072] First, a case where the transporting vehicle 4 transmits information to the communication device 8d will be described. As shown in Fig. 10, the short-range wireless communication unit 32 of the transporting vehicle 4 transmits information (information for short-range wireless communication) to the communication device 8d via short-range wireless communication (S201). The communication unit 42 of the communication device 8d receives the information transmitted from the transporting vehicle 4 via short-range wireless communication (S202).

[0073] Next, a case will be described in which the communication device 8d transmits information to the transporting vehicle 4. As shown in Fig. 10 , the communication unit 42 of the communication device 8d transmits information (information for short-range wireless communication) to the transporting vehicle 4 by short-range wireless communication (S203). The short-range wireless communication unit 32 of the transporting vehicle 4 receives the information transmitted from the communication device 8d by short-range wireless communication (S204).

[0074] [3-3. Operation of the communication system in the post-transfer procedure] The operation of the communication system 2 in the post-transfer procedure will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the communication system 2 according to the embodiment in the post-transfer procedure.

[0075] 11 , the post-transfer procedure is executed while the transport vehicle 4 is traveling in a direction away from the position directly above the loading port 22d to which the FOUP 14 has been transferred. In the post-transfer procedure, similar to the above-described FIG. 8 , information indicating that the transfer of the FOUP 14 has been completed is exchanged between the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 8d via the wireless access point 10 and the communication device 12.

[0076] [3-4. Other operations] As described above, the acquisition unit 56 acquires communication status information indicating the communication status between the communication devices 8a to 8f and other transporting vehicles other than the transporting vehicle 4 while the transporting vehicle 4 is traveling. In response to a request from the transporting vehicle 4 while it is traveling, the wide-area wireless communication unit 46 transmits the communication status information and / or location information acquired by the acquisition unit 56 to the transporting vehicle 4 while it is traveling via the wireless access point 10 by wide-area wireless communication.

[0077] As a result, for example, when a transport cart 4 is traveling in a direction approaching a position directly above the loading port 22d for a pre-transfer procedure, and another transport cart is stopped at a position directly above the loading port 22d for a transfer procedure, the traveling transport cart 4 can appropriately change its traveling route based on communication status information and / or position information to bypass the position directly above the loading port 22d.

[0078] [4. Effects] In the communication system 2 according to this embodiment, for example, in the pre-transfer procedure or post-transfer procedure of the E84 communication sequence, while the transport vehicle 4 is traveling at a position away from the position directly above the loading port 22, the wide-area wireless communication unit 46 of the communication device 12 transmits and receives information to and from the transport vehicle 4 by wide-area wireless communication via the wireless access point 10. This makes it possible to avoid a decrease in the strength of the received radio wave between the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 8, and to stabilize the wireless communication between the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 8.

[0079] Furthermore, since the short-range wireless communication unit 50 of the communication apparatus 12 transmits and receives information to and from the communication device 8 via short-range wireless communication, the communication device 8 can be operated with low power consumption. This allows the communication device 8 to be operated using power (24 V, 100 mA) supplied via a PI / O (Programmed Input / Output) installed in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6, for example.

[0080] Furthermore, in the transfer procedure of the E84 communication sequence, information is sent and received between the transport cart 4 and the communication device 8 via short-range wireless communication, so that even if multiple transport carts 4 each communicate wirelessly with multiple communication devices 8 simultaneously, wireless communication interference can be avoided.

[0081] (Other Modifications, etc.) While the communication device of the present invention has been described above based on the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The present invention also includes modifications that can be made to the above embodiment by those skilled in the art, and other modifications that can be realized by arbitrarily combining the components of the above embodiment.

[0082] In the above embodiment, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is used as the wide-area wireless communication, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other technologies may be used, such as Private LTE (Long Term Evolution) or Local 5G, which locally uses a fifth-generation mobile communication system. When using such wide-area wireless communication, the wide-area wireless communication unit 28 and antenna 30 of the transport vehicle 4, the wide-area wireless communication unit 46 and antenna 48 of the communication device 12, and the communication unit 42 of the communication device 8 comply with the communication standards of each wide-area wireless communication.

[0083] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, in the operation of the communication system 2 in the transfer procedure, the short-range wireless communication unit 32 provided in the transport vehicle 4 transmits and receives information (information for short-range wireless communication) to the communication device 8 via short-range wireless communication to exchange information for executing the transfer of the FOUP 4 between the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 8. However, a communication method similar to that used in the operation of the communication system 2 in the pre-transfer procedure and the post-transfer procedure may also be applied. That is, in the operation of the communication system 2 in the transfer procedure, the transport vehicle 4 transmits and receives information with the communication device 12 via wide-area wireless communication via the wireless access point 10, and the communication device 12 performs short-range wireless communication with the communication device 8. In this way, the transport vehicle 4 does not need to be provided with the short-range wireless communication unit 32, interlock communication with the communication device 8 is possible via wide-area wireless communication, and the manufacturing cost and design complexity of the transport vehicle 4 can be reduced.

[0084] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0085] The communication system according to the present invention can be applied to, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing system for transporting FOUPs by a transport cart that runs along rails installed on the ceiling.

[0086] 2 Communication system 4 Transport vehicle 6, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f Semiconductor manufacturing equipment 8, 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e, 8f Communication device 10 Wireless access point 12 Communication device 14 FOUP 16 Rail 18 Grip unit 20 Loading / unloading port 22, 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, 22e, 22f Placement port 24 Parallel cable 26 Wireless network 28, 46 Wide-area wireless communication unit 30, 34, 48, 52 Antenna 32, 50 Short-range wireless communication unit 36, 40, 44, 54 Control unit 38, 42 Communication unit 56 Acquisition unit 58, 60 Data frame

Claims

1. A communications device that relays communications between a transport vehicle for transporting an object to be transported and a communications device connected to a transfer device to which the object is transferred between the transport vehicle and the transport vehicle, comprising: a wide-area wireless communications unit that transmits and receives information to and from the transport vehicle by wide-area wireless communications via a wide-area wireless communications base station; a short-range wireless communications unit that transmits and receives information to and from the communications device by short-range wireless communications with a narrower communication range than the wide-area wireless communications; and a control unit that converts information received by the wide-area wireless communications unit from information for wide-area wireless communications to information for short-range wireless communications and outputs the converted information to the short-range wireless communications unit, and also converts information received by the short-range wireless communications unit from information for short-range wireless communications to information for wide-area wireless communications and outputs the converted information to the wide-area wireless communications unit.

2. (i) In the case where the transport vehicle transmits information to the communication device while traveling in a direction approaching the transfer device before transferring the transported object to or from the transfer device, or while traveling in a direction away from the transfer device after transferring the transported object to or from the transfer device, the wide-area wireless communication unit receives information from the transport vehicle by wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station, the control unit converts the information received by the wide-area wireless communication unit from information for wide-area wireless communication to information for short-range wireless communication and outputs it to the short-range wireless communication unit, and the short-range wireless communication unit transmits the information converted by the control unit to the communication device by short-range wireless communication, (ii) In the case where the communication device transmits information to the transport vehicle while the transport vehicle is traveling in a direction approaching the transfer device before transferring the transported object to or from the transfer device, or while traveling in a direction away from the transfer device after transferring the transported object to or from the transfer device, the short-range wireless communication unit receives information from the communication device by short-range wireless communication, 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit converts the information received by the short-range wireless communication unit from information for short-range wireless communication to information for wide-area wireless communication and outputs the converted information to the wide-area wireless communication unit, and the wide-area wireless communication unit transmits the information converted by the control unit by the wide-area wireless communication to the transporting platform via the wide-area wireless communication base station.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, further comprising an acquisition unit that acquires communication status information indicating the communication status between the communication device and other transport vehicles other than the transport vehicle while the transport vehicle is traveling, and the wide-area wireless communication unit transmits the communication status information acquired by the acquisition unit to the transport vehicle while it is traveling by wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station.

4. The communication device according to claim 2, further comprising an acquisition unit that acquires position information indicating the positions of other transport vehicles other than the transport vehicle while the transport vehicle is traveling, and the wide-area wireless communication unit transmits the position information acquired by the acquisition unit to the transport vehicle while it is traveling by wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station.

5. A control method for a communication device that relays communication between a transport vehicle for transporting an object to be transported and a communication device connected to a transfer device to which the object is transferred between the transport vehicle and the transport vehicle, comprising: (a) a step of receiving information from the transport vehicle by wide-area wireless communication via a wide-area wireless communication base station; (b) a step of converting the information received in (a) from information for wide-area wireless communication to information for short-range wireless communication; (c) a step of transmitting the information converted in (b) to the communication device by short-range wireless communication having a communication range narrower than that of the wide-area wireless communication; (d) a step of receiving information from the communication device by short-range wireless communication; (e) a step of converting the information received in (d) from information for short-range wireless communication to information for wide-area wireless communication; and (f) a step of transmitting the information converted in (e) to the transport vehicle by wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station.

6. A communication system comprising: a transport vehicle for transporting transported objects; a communication device connected to a transfer device to which the transported objects are transferred between the transport vehicle and the transport vehicle; and a communication device relaying communication between the transport vehicle and the communication device, wherein the transport vehicle has a first communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from the communication device via wide-area wireless communication via a wide-area wireless communication base station, and the communication device has a second communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from the communication device via short-range wireless communication having a narrower communication range than the wide-area wireless communication, and the communication device comprises: a wide-area wireless communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from the first communication unit of the transport vehicle via the wide-area wireless communication base station; a short-range wireless communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from the second communication unit of the communication device via short-range wireless communication; and a control unit that converts information received by the wide-area wireless communication unit from information for wide-area wireless communication to information for short-range wireless communication and outputs the converted information to the short-range wireless communication unit, and converts information received by the short-range wireless communication unit from information for short-range wireless communication to information for wide-area wireless communication and outputs the converted information to the wide-area wireless communication unit.

Images