Conveying system

Abstract

To provide a conveying system that does not require an operator to adjust a reading sensor to have an appropriate quantity of light for every automatic conveying device.SOLUTION: A conveying system is disposed with a traveling panel in which automatic conveying devices travel on a top plate of a processing apparatus including a plurality of processors, and travel guide lines are formed on the traveling panel. The automatic conveying device includes a right tire driving unit and a left tire driving unit disposed to sandwich the travel guide line, a reading sensor 24 that reads the travel guide line, and control means. The reading sensor 24 has a structure in which light emitting elements 42 and light receiving elements 44 are disposed in plurality over the travel guide line and the light receiving elements 44 capture reflected light of light emitted by the light emitting elements 42 to read the travel guide line. The control means changes the quantity of light from the light emitting elements 42 of the reading sensor 24, and when the quantity of light received by the light receiving elements 44 capturing the light reflected on the travel guide line becomes an appropriate value, sets the quantity of light from the light emitting elements 42 as an appropriate value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

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 reading sensor for reading the guide line. Furthermore, a lifting means is provided at the center of the bottom of the automatic transport device for raising and lowering cassettes containing articles such as wafers to the article transfer tables of each processing device. The travel path is formed with a delivery port for raising and lowering the cassette to deliver the articles to the 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] The reading sensor is structured so that multiple light-emitting elements and light-receiving elements are arranged across the guide line, and the light-receiving elements capture the reflected light emitted by the light-emitting elements to read the guide line. Therefore, the operator must adjust the reading sensor appropriately to ensure the appropriate light intensity for each automatic conveying device, which is a hassle.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a conveyance system that does not require an operator to adjust the reading sensor so that the light intensity is appropriate for each automatic conveyance device. [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 transport device a right tire driving unit and a left tire driving unit disposed on opposite sides of the travel guide line; a reading sensor that reads the travel guide line; a control means; The reading sensor has a structure in which a plurality of light-emitting elements and light-receiving elements are arranged across the driving guidance line, and the light-receiving elements capture the reflected light of the light emitted by the light-emitting elements to read the driving guidance line, The control means changes the amount of light emitted by the light-emitting element of the reading sensor, and when the amount of light received by the light-receiving element that captures the light reflected from the travel guide line reaches an appropriate value, sets the amount of light emitted by the light-emitting element to an appropriate value.

[0009] Preferably, the control means adjusts the set light emission amount of the light-emitting element so that the light-receiving element maintains an appropriate light amount while the automatic conveying device is traveling. The automatic conveying device preferably includes front wheels disposed in front of the right tire drive unit and the left tire drive unit, rear wheels disposed behind the right tire drive unit and the left tire drive unit, an opening formed in a central area surrounded by the right tire drive unit, the left tire drive unit, the front wheels, and the rear wheels, and belt winding means for winding a belt attached to a cassette that stores articles through the opening to lift and lower the cassette, and the traveling panel is preferably formed with a delivery opening for lifting and lowering the cassette to deliver articles to the processing device. [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 conveying device a right tire driving unit and a left tire driving unit disposed on opposite sides of the travel guide line; a reading sensor that reads the travel guide line; a control means; The reading sensor has a structure in which a plurality of light-emitting elements and light-receiving elements are arranged across the driving guidance line, and the light-receiving elements capture the reflected light of the light emitted by the light-emitting elements to read the driving guidance line, The control means changes the light emission amount of the light-emitting element of the reading sensor, and when the light-receiving element that captures the light reflected from the travel guide line receives an appropriate amount of light, it sets the light emission amount of the light-emitting element to an appropriate value, so that an operator does not need to adjust the reading sensor to obtain an appropriate amount of light for each automatic conveying device. [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] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the read sensor shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram when the automatic transport device shown in FIG. 1 travels. 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 conveying 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 driving unit 20 and a left tire driving unit 22 that are arranged to sandwich the travel guide line 12, a reading sensor 24 that reads the travel guide line 12, and control means 26. The front-rear and left-right directions of the automatic conveying device 8 are indicated by arrows in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0018] (Right tire drive unit 20, left tire drive unit 22) As shown in FIG. 3 , the right tire drive unit 20 has a right tire 28 and a right motor 30 that drives the right tire 28. The right motor 30 is attached to the right side of a frame 32 of the main body 16. Similarly, the left tire drive unit 22 has a left tire 34 and a left motor 36 that drives the left tire 34. The left motor 36 is attached to the left side of the frame 32. A pair of front wheels 38 (only one side is shown) are disposed in front of the right tire drive unit 20 and the left tire drive unit 22 and spaced apart in the left-right direction. Furthermore, a pair of rear wheels 40 are disposed behind the right tire drive unit 20 and the left tire drive unit 22 and spaced apart in the left-right direction. Both the front wheels 38 and the rear wheels 40 are directional casters that are attached to the frame 32 so as to be swivel freely about an axis in the vertical direction. In the automatic conveying device 8, the rotational speed and direction of the right tire 28 and the left tire 34 are adjusted by the right motor 30 and the left motor 36, so that the automatic conveying device 8 can move forward, backward, turn right, turn left, or spin turn (turn on the spot around the vertical center axis of the automatic conveying device 8).

[0019] (Reading sensor 24) 2, the reading sensor 24 of this embodiment includes a front reading sensor 24a disposed in front of the right tire driving unit 20 and the left tire driving unit 22, and a rear reading sensor 24b disposed behind the right tire driving unit 20 and the left tire driving unit 22. The front reading sensor 24a is attached to the left-right central portion of the front lower surface of the frame 32, and the rear reading sensor 24b is attached to the left-right central portion of the rear lower surface of the frame 32. Both the front reading sensor 24a and the rear reading sensor 24b read the travel guide lines 12 formed on the travel panel 10 and send the reading results to the control means 26.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 4 , the reading sensors 24 (both the front and rear reading sensors 24a and 24b) are configured such that a plurality of light-emitting elements 42 and light-receiving elements 44 are arranged across the travel guide line 12, and the light-receiving elements 44 capture reflected light emitted by the light-emitting elements 42 to read the travel guide line 12. The reading sensor 24 of this embodiment includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing 46 that supports the light-emitting elements 42 and the light-receiving elements 44. The longitudinal direction of the housing 46 is aligned with the left-right direction of the automatic conveying device 8. A plurality of light-emitting elements 42 (seven in this embodiment) are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing 46. A plurality of light-receiving elements 44 (seven in this embodiment) are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing 46, spaced apart from the light-emitting elements 42 in the front-rear direction. That is, a plurality of light-emitting elements 42 and light-receiving elements 44 (seven in this embodiment) are arranged across the travel guide line 12.

[0021] (Control means 26) The control means 26 is composed of a computer having a processor and memory, and controls the operation of the automatic transport device 8. For example, the control means 26 controls the light emission intensity of the light-emitting element 42 of the reading sensor 24. Because the light-emitting element 42 and the light-receiving element 44 each have their own characteristics, the light emission intensity of the light-emitting element 42 that results in an appropriate light reception intensity of the light-receiving element 44 varies for each automatic transport device 8. The appropriate light reception intensity of the light-receiving element 44 also varies depending on the usage environment of the automatic transport device 8 (e.g., the illuminance of the location where the automatic transport device 8 is used, the reflectivity of the travel guide line 12, etc.). Therefore, the control means 26 of this embodiment changes the light emission intensity of the light-emitting element 42 of the reading sensor 24, and when the light reception intensity of the light-receiving element 44 that captures light reflected from the travel guide line 12 reaches an appropriate value, the control means 26 sets the light emission intensity of the light-emitting element 42 to an appropriate value. In this way, because the control means 26 of this embodiment controls the light emission intensity of the light-emitting element 42 of the reading sensor 24, an operator does not need to adjust the reading sensor 24 to obtain an appropriate light intensity for each automatic transport device 8.

[0022] Furthermore, the control means 26 of this embodiment adjusts the set light emission intensity of the light-emitting element 42 so that the amount of light received by the light-receiving element 44 is maintained at an appropriate value while the automatic transport device 8 is traveling. More specifically, the control means 26 determines whether the amount of light received by the light-receiving element 44 is within an acceptable range while the automatic transport device 8 is traveling. This determination may be performed continuously or periodically. If the result of the determination is that the amount of light received by the light-receiving element 44 is within the acceptable range, the control means 26 maintains the set light emission intensity of the light-emitting element 42. On the other hand, if the amount of light received by the light-receiving element 44 is outside the acceptable range, the control means 26 adjusts the set light emission intensity of the light-emitting element 42 so that the amount of light received by the light-receiving element 44 falls within the acceptable range. This allows the amount of light received by the light-receiving element 44 to be maintained at an appropriate value even if a change occurs in the operating environment of the automatic transport device 8.

[0023] Furthermore, the control means 26 controls the traveling direction of the automatic transport device 8. As shown in FIG. 5, the control means 26 receives the reading results of the front reading sensor 24a and the rear reading sensor 24b. Based on the received reading results, the control means 26 controls the driver 48, causing the driver 48 to output required drive currents to the right motor 30 and the left motor 36. In this way, the control means 26 controls the traveling direction of the automatic transport device 8. The control means 26 and the driver 48 are supplied with power from a battery 50 shown in FIG. 3.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 16 of the automatic conveying device 8 includes an opening 52 formed in a central area surrounded by the right tire drive unit 20, the left tire drive unit 22, the front wheels 38, and the rear wheels 40, and a belt winding means 58 that winds a belt 56 attached to a cassette 54 containing articles through the opening 52 and raises and lowers the cassette 54.

[0025] (Opening 52) The opening 52 is rectangular and formed in the central region of the frame 32 of the main body 16. A front support wall 60 extending upward is provided at the front end of the opening 52, and a rear support wall 62 extending upward is provided at the rear end of the opening 52.

[0026] (Cassette 54) Cassette 54 is formed in a box shape with a vertical dimension (thickness) that is smaller than the dimensions in the front-rear and left-right directions. Cassette 54 has a storage section 54a that stores articles and a flip-up cover section 54b that opens and closes an opening (not shown) of storage section 54a.

[0027] (Belt 56) The belt 56 has two right-side belts 56a spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction and extending upward from the upper right surface of the storage section 54a of the cassette 54, and two left-side belts 56b spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction and extending upward from the upper left surface of the storage section 54a of the cassette 54.

[0028] (Belt winding means 58) The belt winding means 58 includes a right guide roller 64 that guides the two right belts 56a, a left guide roller 66 that guides the two left belts 56b, a winding roller 68 that winds up the right belt 56a and the left belt 56b, and a winding motor 70 that rotates the winding roller 68. The right guide roller 64, the left guide roller 66, and the winding roller 68 are rotatably supported by the front support wall 60 and the rear support wall 62 of the frame 32. The right guide roller 64 is disposed on the right side of the main body 16, and the left guide roller 66 is disposed on the left side of the main body 16. The winding roller 68 is disposed between the right guide roller 64 and the left guide roller 66, and the winding motor 70 is mounted on the upper rear surface of the frame 32. The drive current for the winding motor 70 is output from the driver 48.

[0029] In the belt winding means 58, the winding motor 70 is operated in the winding direction to wind the right belt 56a and the left belt 56b onto the winding roller 68, thereby lifting the cassette 54. In addition, the belt winding means 58 is configured to operate the winding motor 70 in the unwinding direction to unwind the right belt 56a and the left belt 56b from the winding roller 68, thereby lowering the cassette 54.

[0030] (Cover 18 of automatic transport device 8) 2, the cover 18 of the automatic conveying device 8 has a top plate 72 and side walls 74. The top plate 72 is formed in a rectangular shape with rounded corners. The side walls 74 are formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape extending downward from the outer periphery of the top plate 72.

[0031] Next, an example of transporting a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer in the transport system 2 will be described.

[0032] In the conveyance system 2, first, a workpiece is transferred from the storage device 4a to the automatic conveyance device 8. At this time, the automatic conveyance device 8 stops at the delivery opening 10a of the traveling panel 10 installed above the storage device 4a. Next, the winding motor 70 of the belt winding means 58 operates in the delivery direction, and the belt 56 is delivered from the winding roller 68. As a result, the cassette 54 is lowered from the automatic conveyance device 8 through the delivery opening 10a of the traveling panel 10 and the delivery opening of the top plate 6 of the storage device 4a, and the cassette 54 is delivered into the storage device 4a. When the cassette 54 is positioned at a predetermined position within the storage device 4a, the workpiece is stored in the cassette 54 by the conveyance means (e.g., a robot hand) of the storage device 4a. Next, the winding motor 70 of the belt winding means 58 operates in the winding direction, and the belt 56 is wound around the winding roller 68. As a result, the cassette 54 containing the workpieces is raised and the cassette 54 is removed from the storage device 4a. In this manner, the workpieces are transferred from the storage device 4a to the automatic transfer device 8.

[0033] After the workpiece is handed over from the storage device 4a to the automatic conveying device 8, the automatic conveying device 8 conveys the workpiece to the first processing device 4b. While traveling, the automatic conveying device 8 reads the travel guide lines 12 on the traveling panel 10 with the reading sensor 24. That is, the light-receiving element 44 captures the reflected light of light emitted by the light-emitting element 42 (light reflected by the travel guide lines 12), thereby reading the travel guide lines 12. Then, the automatic conveying device 8 travels on the traveling panel 10 from the storage device 4a to the first processing device 4b so that the read travel guide lines 12 are positioned between the right tire 28 and the left tire 34.

[0034] When the automatic conveying device 8 arrives at a predetermined position above the first processing device 4b (a position where the delivery opening 10a of the traveling panel 10 is formed), the cassette 54 is lowered by the belt winding means 58 and 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. Once the cassette 54 is positioned at a predetermined position within the first processing device 4b, the workpiece is removed from the cassette 54 by the transport means (e.g., 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 places the processed workpiece in a cassette 54 of the same automatic conveying device 8 or a different automatic conveying device 8. Once the processed workpiece is placed in the cassette 54, the cassette 54 is raised by the belt winding means 58 and removed from the first processing device 4b.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] In this way, in the conveyance system 2, the automatic conveyance device 8 travels on the traveling panel 10 while reading the travel guide line 12 with the reading sensor 24, and conveys articles such as workpieces to each processing device 4. In the automatic conveyance device 8 of this embodiment, the light emission amount of the light-emitting element 42 of the reading sensor 24 is changed, and when the light received by the light-receiving element 44 that captures light reflected from the travel guide line 12 reaches an appropriate value, the light emission amount of the light-emitting element 42 is set to an appropriate value, so there is no need for an operator to adjust the reading sensor 24 to obtain an appropriate light amount for each automatic conveyance device 8.

[0038] Furthermore, the control means 26 of this embodiment adjusts the set light emission amount of the light emitting element 42 so that the amount of light received by the light receiving element 44 is maintained at an appropriate value while the automatic transport device 8 is traveling. This allows the amount of light received by the light receiving element 44 to be maintained at an appropriate value even if there is a change in the environment in which the automatic transport device 8 is used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 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 10a: Delivery point 12: Driving guidance line 20: Right tire drive unit 22: Left tire drive unit 24: Reading sensor 24a: Front reading sensor 24b: Rear reading sensor 26: Control means 38: Front wheel 40: Rear wheel 42: Light-emitting element 44: Photodetector 52: Opening 54: Cassette 56: Belt 58: Belt winding means

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 transport device a right tire driving unit and a left tire driving unit disposed on opposite sides of the travel guide line; a reading sensor that reads the travel guide line; a control means; The reading sensor has a structure in which a plurality of light-emitting elements and light-receiving elements are arranged across the driving guidance line, and the light-receiving elements capture the reflected light of the light emitted by the light-emitting elements to read the driving guidance line, The control means changes the amount of light emitted by the light-emitting element of the reading sensor, and when the amount of light received by the light-receiving element that captures the light reflected from the travel guide line reaches an appropriate value, sets the amount of light emitted by the light-emitting element to an appropriate value.

2. 2. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein said control means adjusts the light emission amount of said light emitting element so that the light receiving amount of said light receiving element is maintained at an appropriate value while said automatic transport device is traveling.

3. 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 to raise and lower the cassette, 2. A conveying system according to claim 1, wherein said traveling panel is formed with a delivery port for lifting and lowering said cassette to deliver articles to said processing device.

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