Transport system

Abstract

To provide a transport system that prevents cassettes from shaking when an automatic transport device travels.SOLUTION: In a transport system, a travel panel along which an automatic transport device travels is disposed on the top plate of a processing device including multiple processing devices, and travel guide lines for guiding the travel of the automatic transport device are formed on the travel panel. A main body 16 of the automatic transport device includes a right tire drive unit 20 and a left tire drive unit 22, front wheels 24 disposed in front of the right tire drive unit 20 and the left tire drive unit 22, rear wheels 26 disposed behind them, an opening 36 formed in a central area surrounded by the right tire drive unit 20, the left tire drive unit 22, the front wheels 24, and the rear wheels 26, and belt winding means 42 that passes a belt 40 attached to a winding cassette 38 that stores articles through the opening and raises and lowers the winding cassette. When the belt winding means winds the belt and the cassette rises to the opening, the outer periphery of the winding cassette and the outer periphery of the opening come into tight contact with each other via a swing prevention member 62.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying system in which a traveling panel along which an automatic conveying device travels is arranged on the top plate of a processing device including multiple processing devices, and a traveling guide line for guiding the travel of the automatic conveying device is formed on the traveling panel. [Background technology]

[0002] A wafer has multiple devices such as ICs and LSIs formed on its surface, separated by planned dividing lines. The back side is ground using a grinding machine to form the wafer to the desired thickness, and then the wafer is divided into individual device chips using a cutting machine and laser processing machine. Each of the divided device chips is used in electrical equipment such as mobile phones and personal computers.

[0003] The present applicant has also developed a transport system in which a travel path is arranged using the top plate of a processing device including processing devices such as grinding devices, cutting devices, and laser processing devices, and a wafer storage device that stores multiple wafers, and an automatic transport device travels between the processing devices to transport wafers from the wafer storage device to each processing device or to transport consumables (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] The travel path is formed with a guide line for guiding the travel of the automatic transport device, and the automatic transport device is equipped with drive wheels on the left and right sides of the guide line, as well as directional casters on the front and rear and a sensor for reading the guide line. Also, at the center of the bottom of the automatic transport device, there is provided a lifting means for lifting and lowering cassettes containing articles such as wafers to the article loading / unloading table of each processing device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-013892 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the lifting means is configured to support the cassette with four belts and raise and lower the cassette using a winding section that winds up the four belts, which poses a problem in that when the cassette is raised and moved, it may swing, potentially damaging the items stored in the cassette.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a transport system that can prevent cassettes from shaking when an automatic transport device travels. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to the present invention, there is provided the following transport system that solves the above-mentioned problems: "In a conveyance system in which a traveling panel on which an automatic conveyance device travels is arranged on the top plate of a processing device including a plurality of processing devices, and a traveling guide line for guiding the travel of the automatic conveyance device is formed on the traveling panel, The automatic conveying device a right tire driving unit and a left tire driving unit disposed on opposite sides of the travel guide line; front wheels disposed in front of the right tire driving unit and the left tire driving unit; rear wheels disposed behind the right tire driving unit and the left tire driving unit; an opening formed in a central region surrounded by the right tire driving portion, the left tire driving portion, the front wheels, and the rear wheels; a belt winding means for winding a belt attached to a cassette containing articles through the opening and lifting and lowering the cassette, When the belt is wound up by the belt winding means and the cassette rises to the opening, the outer periphery of the cassette and the outer periphery of the opening come into tight contact with each other via a swing-preventing member.

[0009] Preferably, the anti-sway member is disposed on the outer periphery of the opening. The anti-sway member is made of elastic resin and is desirably treated to facilitate removal of the cassette. The removal treatment may include at least one of an unevenness forming treatment for forming unevenness on the contact surface of the anti-sway member that contacts the outer periphery of the cassette, a fluororesin coating treatment for coating the contact surface with a fluororesin, or a conductivity imparting treatment for imparting conductivity to the anti-sway member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The transport system of the present invention comprises: A conveyance system in which a travel panel on which an automatic conveyance device travels is arranged on a top plate of a processing device including a plurality of processing devices, and a travel guide line for guiding the travel of the automatic conveyance device is formed on the travel panel, The automatic transport device a right tire driving unit and a left tire driving unit disposed on opposite sides of the travel guide line; front wheels disposed in front of the right tire driving unit and the left tire driving unit; rear wheels disposed behind the right tire driving unit and the left tire driving unit; an opening formed in a central region surrounded by the right tire driving portion, the left tire driving portion, the front wheels, and the rear wheels; a belt winding means for winding a belt attached to a cassette containing articles through the opening and lifting and lowering the cassette, When the belt is wound by the belt winding means and the cassette is raised to the opening, the outer periphery of the cassette and the outer periphery of the opening are tightly fitted together via the anti-sway member, preventing the cassette from swinging when the automatic conveying device is running. This eliminates the problem of the cassette swinging when the automatic conveying device raises the cassette and runs, which could damage the articles stored in the cassette. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a transport system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the automatic transport device shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main body shown in FIG. 2 (with the belt unwound). [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the cassette and the opening of the frame are in close contact with each other via the anti-sway member shown in FIG. 3. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a transport system according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] (Transport System 2) Referring to FIG. 1, in the conveying system 2, a traveling panel 10 along which the automatic conveying device 8 travels is disposed on the top plate 6 of the processing device 4 including a plurality of processing devices, and a traveling guide line 12 for guiding the travel of the automatic conveying device 8 is formed on the traveling panel 10.

[0014] The processing equipment 4 includes a storage device 4a for storing articles and first, second, and third processing devices 4b, 4c, and 4d to which the articles in the storage device 4a are transported by an automatic transport device 8. Examples of articles stored in the storage device 4a include workpieces such as semiconductor wafers to be processed in the first to third processing devices 4b to 4d, and processing tools used when processing in any of the first to third processing devices 4b to 4d. Examples of processing tools used when processing in any of the first to third processing devices 4b to 4d include cutting blades used when cutting the workpieces, and grinding wheels with grinding stones used when grinding the workpieces to thin them. In this embodiment, one storage device 4a and three processing devices 4b to 4d are provided as the processing equipment 4, but the number and combination of processing devices 4 can be set as desired.

[0015] A traveling panel 10 is disposed on the top plate 6 of the processing equipment 4, and a plurality of processing equipments 4 are connected to one another by the traveling panel 10. An article delivery opening 10a is formed in the traveling panel 10. Although not shown, a delivery opening corresponding in position and size to the delivery opening 10a of the traveling panel 10 is also formed in the top plate 6 of the processing equipment 4. Articles are delivered between the automatic conveying equipment 8 and the processing equipment 4 through the delivery opening 10a of the traveling panel 10 and the delivery opening in the top plate 6 of the processing equipment 4.

[0016] Furthermore, on the upper surface of the traveling panel 10, there are formed travel guide lines 12 for guiding the travel of the automatic conveying device 8. Therefore, the automatic conveying device 8 travels on the traveling panel 10 along the travel guide lines 12, and is able to transport the articles received from the storage device 4a to the first to third processing devices 4b to 4d. The traveling panel 10 is also provided with a fall prevention wall 14 for preventing the automatic conveying device 8 from falling off the traveling panel 10.

[0017] (Main body 16 of automatic conveying device 8) 2 and 3, the automatic transport device 8 includes a main body 16 and a cover 18 (see FIG. 2) that covers the main body 16. As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 16 includes a right tire drive unit 20 and a left tire drive unit 22 that are arranged on either side of the travel guide line 12, front wheels 24 that are arranged in front of the right tire drive unit 20 and the left tire drive unit 22, and rear wheels 26 that are arranged behind the right tire drive unit 20 and the left tire drive unit 22. The front-rear and left-right directions of the automatic transport device 8 are indicated by arrows in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0018] (Right tire drive unit 20, left tire drive unit 22) The right tire drive unit 20 includes a right tire 28 and a right motor (not shown) that drives the right tire 28, and the right motor is attached to the right side of the frame 30 of the main body 16. Similarly, the left tire drive unit 22 includes a left tire 32 and a left motor 34 that drives the left tire 32, and the left motor 34 is attached to the left side of the frame 30. In the automatic transport device 8, by adjusting the rotational speed and rotational direction of the right tire 28 and the left tire 32, it is possible to move forward, backward, turn right, turn left, or spin turn (turn on the spot around the vertical center axis of the automatic transport device 8).

[0019] (Front wheel 24, rear wheel 26) The front wheels 24 are mounted in pairs on the front side of the frame 30 of the main body 16, spaced apart in the left-right direction. However, only one of the front wheels 24 is shown in Figure 3. The rear wheels 26 are mounted in pairs on the rear side of the frame 30 of the main body 16, spaced apart in the left-right direction. Both the front wheels 24 and the rear wheels 26 are directional casters, and are mounted on the frame 30 so as to be swivel freely around an axis in the vertical direction.

[0020] Continuing the explanation with reference to Figure 3, the main body 16 of the automatic conveying device 8 includes an opening 36 formed in a central area surrounded by the right tire drive unit 20, the left tire drive unit 22, the front wheels 24, and the rear wheels 26, and a belt winding means 42 that winds up a belt 40 attached to a cassette 38 that stores articles through the opening 36 and raises and lowers the cassette 38.

[0021] (Opening 36) The opening 36 is rectangular and formed in a central region of the frame 30 of the main body 16. A front support wall 44 extending upward is provided at the front end of the opening 36, and a rear support wall 46 extending upward is provided at the rear end of the opening 36.

[0022] (Cassette 38) The cassette 38 is formed in a box shape with a smaller vertical dimension (thickness) compared to its dimensions in the front-rear and left-right directions. The front-rear and left-right dimensions of the cassette 38 are larger than the front-rear and left-right dimensions of the opening 36, so that the cassette 38 does not pass through the opening 36. The cassette 38 has a storage section 38a that stores articles and a flip-up cover section 38b that opens and closes the opening (not shown) of the storage section 38a.

[0023] (Belt 40) The belt 40 has two right-side belts 40a spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction and extending upward from the upper right surface of the storage section 38a of the cassette 38, and two left-side belts 40b spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction and extending upward from the upper left surface of the storage section 38a of the cassette 38.

[0024] (Belt winding means 42) The belt winding means 42 includes a right guide roller 48 that guides the two right belts 40a, a left guide roller 50 that guides the two left belts 40b, and a winding roller 52 that winds up the right belts 40a and the left belts 40b. The right guide roller 48, the left guide roller 50, and the winding roller 52 are rotatably supported by the front support wall 44 and the rear support wall 46 of the frame 30. The right guide roller 48 is disposed on the right side of the main body 16, and the left guide roller 50 is disposed on the left side of the main body 16. The winding roller 52 is disposed between the right guide roller 48 and the left guide roller 50.

[0025] The belt winding means 42 further includes a winding motor 54 that rotates the winding roller 52. The winding motor 54 is mounted on the upper rear surface of the frame 30. A drive current for the winding motor 54 is output from a driver 56 disposed adjacent to the winding motor 54. The driver 56 also outputs a drive current to the right motor of the right tire drive unit 20 and the left motor 34 of the left tire drive unit 22. The drive current output by the driver 56 is controlled by a control means 58 mounted on the rear of the frame 30. The control means 58 may be composed of a computer having a processor and a memory. Power is supplied to the control means 58 and the driver 56 from a battery 60 mounted on the front of the frame 30.

[0026] When raising the cassette 38, the belt retraction means 42 operates the retraction motor 54 in the retraction direction, and the right belt 40a and the left belt 40b are retracted by the retraction roller 52. This causes the cassette 38 to rise, and the cassette 38 approaches the opening 36 of the frame 30. On the other hand, when lowering the cassette 38, the belt retraction means 42 operates the retraction motor 54 in the unwinding direction, and the right belt 40a and the left belt 40b are unwound from the retraction roller 52. This causes the cassette 38 to fall, and the cassette 38 moves away from the opening 36 of the frame 30.

[0027] (Sway prevention member 62) 4, in the automatic conveying device 8, when the belt 40 is wound by the belt winding means 42 and the cassette 38 rises to reach the opening 36, the outer periphery of the cassette 38 and the outer periphery of the opening 36 are brought into close contact with each other via the anti-sway member 62. This prevents the cassette 38 from swaying when the automatic conveying device 8 is traveling.

[0028] The anti-sway members 62 are disposed on the outer periphery of the opening 36. As shown in FIG. 3, the anti-sway members 62 in this embodiment are disposed on the underside of the frame 30 at the four corners of the opening 36, and when the cassette 38 is raised, the underside of the anti-sway members 62 and the upper surface of the cassette 38 come into close contact. For convenience, in FIG. 3, the anti-sway members 62 are shown separated from the underside of the frame 30, and the portion where the anti-sway member 62 is disposed is indicated by reference numeral 62a. Note that, contrary to the illustrated embodiment, the anti-sway members 62 may be attached to the upper surface of the cassette 38, and the upper surface of the anti-sway member 62 may come into close contact with the outer periphery of the opening 36 (the lower surface of the frame 30) when the cassette 38 is raised.

[0029] The anti-sway member 62 is preferably made of an elastic resin (such as urethane foam) and has been subjected to a removal treatment to facilitate smooth removal of the cassette 38. The removal treatment may include at least one of an unevenness forming treatment to form unevenness on the contact surface of the anti-sway member 62 that comes into contact with the outer periphery of the cassette 38, a fluororesin coating treatment to coat the contact surface of the anti-sway member 62 with a fluororesin, or a conductivity imparting treatment to impart conductivity to the anti-sway member 62. It is desirable to perform all of the unevenness forming treatment, fluororesin coating treatment, and conductivity imparting treatment.

[0030] The unevenness forming process reduces the contact area between the cassette 38 and the anti-sway member 62, making it easier to separate the cassette 38 and the anti-sway member 62. Furthermore, the fluororesin coating process increases the slipperiness of the anti-sway member 62, making it easier to separate the cassette 38 and the anti-sway member 62. If the anti-sway member 62 has been treated to be conductive (for example, by adding conductive carbon to the material of the anti-sway member 62), this prevents the cassette 38 and the anti-sway member 62 from attracting each other due to static electricity, making it easier to separate the cassette 38 and the anti-sway member 62. Note that when the anti-sway member 62 is attached to the top surface of the cassette 38, the contact surface of the anti-sway member 62 that comes into contact with the outer periphery of the opening 36 (the bottom surface of the frame 30) may be treated with an unevenness forming process or coated with a fluororesin.

[0031] If the anti-sway member 62 is not subjected to the above-described detachment process, the cassette 38 may become attached to the anti-sway member 62. As a result, when the cassette 38 is lowered from the automatic conveyor 8, the cassette 38 does not immediately descend even after the belt 40 is unwound, causing slack in the belt 40. If the cassette 38 is released from the anti-sway member 62 after slack in the belt 40, the cassette 38 will suddenly fall, potentially causing the cassette 38 to swing and damage the items inside the cassette 38. However, if the anti-sway member 62 is subjected to the above-described detachment process, the cassette 38 can be smoothly detached from the anti-sway member 62. Therefore, when the cassette 38 is lowered from the automatic conveyor 8, the cassette 38 will immediately descend as soon as the belt 40 is unwound, preventing the cassette 38 from suddenly falling. This prevents damage to the items inside the cassette 38 when the cassette 38 is lowered.

[0032] (Cover 18 of automatic transport device 8) As shown in Fig. 2, the cover 18 of the automatic conveying device 8 has a top plate 64 and side walls 66. The top plate 64 is formed in a rectangular shape with rounded corners. The top plate 64 is also formed with a pair of circular openings 64a. The side walls 66 are formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape extending downward from the outer periphery of the top plate 64.

[0033] Next, an example of transporting a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer in the transport system 2 will be described.

[0034] In the conveyance system 2, first, the workpieces are transferred from the storage device 4a to the automatic conveyance device 8. At this time, the automatic conveyance device 8 stops at the transfer opening 10a of the traveling panel 10 installed above the storage device 4a. Next, the winding motor 54 of the belt winding means 42 operates in the delivery direction, and the belt 40 is delivered from the winding roller 52. As a result, the cassette 38 descends from the automatic conveyance device 8 through the transfer opening 10a of the traveling panel 10 and the transfer opening of the top plate 6 of the storage device 4a, and the cassette 38 is delivered into the storage device 4a.

[0035] When the cassette 38 is lowered and positioned at a predetermined position within the storage device 4a, the workpieces are stored in the cassette 38 by the transport means (e.g., a robot hand) of the storage device 4a. Next, the winding motor 54 of the belt winding means 42 operates in the winding direction, and the belt 40 is wound around the winding roller 52. This causes the cassette 38 containing the workpieces to rise, and the cassette 38 is removed from the storage device 4a. Furthermore, the outer periphery of the cassette 38 and the outer periphery of the opening 36 come into tight contact with each other via the swing prevention member 62. In this way, the workpieces are transferred from the storage device 4a to the automatic transport device 8.

[0036] After the workpieces are handed over from the storage device 4a to the automatic conveying device 8, the automatic conveying device 8 conveys the workpieces to the first processing device 4b. At this time, the automatic conveying device 8 reads the travel guide line 12 on the traveling panel 10 with a reading sensor (not shown), and travels along the traveling panel 10 so that the read travel guide line 12 is positioned between the right tire 28 and the left tire 32, moving from the storage device 4a to the first processing device 4b. In this embodiment, the outer periphery of the cassette 38 and the outer periphery of the opening 36 are in close contact with each other via the swing-preventing member 62, so that swinging of the cassette 38 when the automatic conveying device 8 travels can be prevented. This eliminates the problem of the cassette 38 swinging and potentially damaging the articles stored in the cassette 38 when the automatic conveying device 8 lifts the cassette 38 while traveling.

[0037] When the automatic conveying device 8 arrives at a predetermined position above the first processing device 4b (the position where the delivery opening 10a of the traveling panel 10 is formed), the belt winding means 42 lowers the cassette 38, and the cassette 38 is fed into the first processing device 4b through the delivery opening 10a of the traveling panel 10 and the delivery opening of the top plate 6 of the first processing device 4b. If the swing-preventing member 62 has been subjected to a detachment process, the swing-preventing member 62 and the cassette 38 can be smoothly detached, preventing the cassette 38 from swinging when the cassette 38 is lowered. This eliminates the risk of the cassette 38 swinging and damaging the articles stored in the cassette 38 when the automatic conveying device 8 lowers the cassette 38.

[0038] When the cassette 38 is lowered and positioned at a predetermined position within the first processing device 4b, the workpiece is removed from the cassette 38 by the transport means (for example, a robot hand) of the first processing device 4b. Then, after the required processing is performed on the workpiece in the first processing device 4b, the transport means stores the processed workpiece in a cassette 38 of the same automatic transport device 8 or another automatic transport device 8. When the processed workpiece is stored in the cassette 38, the belt winding means 42 raises the cassette 38, and the cassette 38 is removed from the first processing device 4b.

[0039] After the required processing is performed on the workpiece in the first processing device 4b, the workpiece is transported by the automatic transport device 8 to the second processing device 4c, where the required processing is performed on the workpiece. The steps for transporting the workpiece to the second processing device 4c are substantially the same as the steps for transporting the workpiece to the first processing device 4b, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0040] After the required processing is performed on the workpiece in the second processing device 4c, the workpiece is transported to the third processing device 4d by the automatic transport device 8, where the required processing is performed on the workpiece. After that, the automatic transport device 8 transports the workpiece to the storage device 4a, where the processed workpiece is stored.

[0041] In this manner, in the conveyance system 2, articles such as workpieces are conveyed to each processing device 4 by the automatic conveyance device 8. When the automatic conveyance device 8 travels, the outer periphery of the cassette 38 and the outer periphery of the opening 36 come into close contact with each other via the anti-sway member 62, thereby preventing the cassette 38 from swinging when the automatic conveyance device 8 travels. This eliminates the problem of the cassette 38 swinging when the automatic conveyance device 8 lifts the cassette 38 and travels, which could damage the articles stored in the cassette 38.

[0042] Furthermore, if the anti-sway member 62 has been subjected to a separation treatment such as unevenness formation, fluororesin coating, or conductivity imparting treatment, the anti-sway member 62 can be smoothly separated from the cassette 38, preventing the cassette 38 from shaking when the cassette 38 is lowered. This eliminates the risk of the cassette 38 shaking and damaging the articles stored in the cassette 38 when the automatic conveying device 8 lowers the cassette 38. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 2:Transport system 4: Processing equipment 4a: Storage device 4b: First processing device 4c: Second processing equipment 4d: Third processing equipment 6: Top plate 8: Automatic transport device 10: Travel panel 12: Driving guidance line 20: Right tire drive unit 22: Left tire drive unit 24: Front wheel 26: Rear wheel 36: Opening 38: Cassette 40: Belt 42: Belt winding means 62: Anti-sway member

Claims

1. A conveyance system in which a travel panel on which an automatic conveyance device travels is arranged on a top plate of a processing device including a plurality of processing devices, and a travel guide line for guiding the travel of the automatic conveyance device is formed on the travel panel, The automatic conveying device a right tire driving unit and a left tire driving unit disposed on opposite sides of the travel guide line; front wheels disposed in front of the right tire driving unit and the left tire driving unit; rear wheels disposed behind the right tire driving unit and the left tire driving unit; an opening formed in a central region surrounded by the right tire driving portion, the left tire driving portion, the front wheels, and the rear wheels; a belt winding means for winding a belt attached to a cassette containing articles through the opening and lifting and lowering the cassette, When the belt is wound by the belt winding means and the cassette is raised to reach the opening, the outer periphery of the cassette and the outer periphery of the opening come into close contact with each other via a swing prevention member.

2. 2. The conveying system according to claim 1, wherein the anti-swaying member is disposed on the outer periphery of the opening.

3. 3. A conveying system according to claim 2, wherein said anti-swaying member is made of an elastic resin and is treated to allow smooth removal of said cassette.

4. The conveying system of claim 3, wherein the removal process includes at least one of an unevenness forming process for forming unevenness on the contact surface of the anti-sway member that contacts the outer periphery of the cassette, a fluororesin coating process for coating the contact surface with a fluororesin, or a conductivity imparting process for imparting conductivity to the anti-sway member.

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