COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

Abstract

To provide a communication apparatus capable of stabilizing a radio communication between a carriage and a communication device.SOLUTION: A communication apparatus 2 comprises: a wide area radio communication part 46 that transmits and receives information by a wide area radio communication to / from a carriage 4 via a radio access point 10; a short-range radio communication part 50 that transmits and receives the information by a short-range radio communication of a communication range narrower than that of the wide area radio communication to / from a communication device 8; and a control part 54 that converts the information received by the wide area radio communication part 46 into the information for the short-range radio communication from the information for the wide area radio communication, and outputs it to the short-range radio communication part 50, and converts the information received by the short-range radio communication part 50 into the information for the wide area radio communication from the information for the short-range radio communication, and outputs it to the wide area radio communication part 46.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A semiconductor manufacturing system is known that includes an overhead traveling transport vehicle for transporting a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) storing semiconductor wafers, and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 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 the communication between the transport cart and the communication device connected to the loading port of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment. When transferring a FOUP between the transport cart and the loading port, control signals are sent and received between the transport cart and the communication device by 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 is sent and received between the transport vehicle and the communication device, indicating that the transfer of the FOUP is about to begin. In the transfer procedure, a control signal for executing the transfer of the FOUP is sent and received between the transport vehicle and the communication device, and the FOUP is actually transferred. In the post-transfer procedure, a control signal is sent and received between the transport vehicle and the communication device, indicating that the transfer of the FOUP has been completed. 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. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-117616 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In a semiconductor manufacturing system, each of the multiple transport vehicles must simultaneously wirelessly perform an E84 communication sequence with each communication device of the multiple loading ports to which the FOUP is to be transferred. In addition, some semiconductor manufacturing equipment has a limited amount of power allocated to each communication device of each loading port, and the communication devices must operate with low power. Therefore, in order to avoid interference in wireless communication and to perform wireless communication that operates with low power, short-range wireless communication with a communication range limited to a short distance (for example, within 3 to 5 m) is adopted as a wireless communication method between the transport vehicles and the communication devices.

[0007] Incidentally, in recent years, in order to further increase the efficiency of semiconductor manufacturing in the above-mentioned semiconductor manufacturing system, 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, a problem arises in 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 object 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. [Means for solving the problem]

[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 cart for transporting a transported object and a communication device connected to a transfer device to which the transported object is transferred between the transport cart, and is equipped with a wide-area wireless communication unit that transmits and receives information between the transport cart via wide-area wireless communication via a wide-area wireless communication base station, a short-range wireless communication unit that transmits and receives information between the communication device via short-range wireless communication having a communication range narrower than 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 it 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 it to the wide-area wireless communication unit.

[0011] According to this aspect, for example, 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 by wide-area wireless communication via a wide-area wireless communication base station (e.g., a wireless access point), so that it is possible to avoid a decrease in the received radio wave intensity between the transport vehicle and the communication device, and it is possible to stabilize the wireless communication between the transport vehicle and the communication device. In addition, since the short-range wireless communication unit transmits and receives information to and from the communication device by short-range wireless communication, it is possible to operate the communication device with low power consumption.

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

[0013] According to the present embodiment, 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 other transport vehicles other than the transport vehicle and the communication device 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 executing 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 positions 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 traveling 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 executing a transfer procedure of the E84 communication sequence on the traveling route of the transport vehicle itself.

[0018] In addition, a control method for a communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a control method for a communication device that relays communication between a transport cart for transporting a transported object and a communication device connected to a transfer device to which the transported object is transferred between the transport cart, and includes the steps of: (a) receiving information from the transport cart via 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 via short-range wireless communication having a communication range narrower than the wide-area wireless communication; (d) receiving information from the communication device via the 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 cart via wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station.

[0019] According to this aspect, for example, 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 by wide-area wireless communication via a wide-area wireless communication base station (e.g., a wireless access point), so that it is possible to avoid a decrease in the received radio wave intensity between the transport vehicle and the communication device, and it is possible to stabilize the wireless communication between the transport vehicle and the communication device. In addition, since information is transmitted and received between the transport vehicle and the communication device by short-range wireless communication, it is possible to operate the communication device with low power consumption.

[0020] A communication system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a transport vehicle for transporting an object, a communication device connected to a transfer device to which the object is transferred between the transport vehicle and the transport vehicle, and a communication device that relays communication between the transport vehicle and the communication device, the transport vehicle having 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, the communication device having 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 includes a wide-area wireless communication unit that transmits and receives information between the first communication unit of the transport cart via the wide-area wireless communication base station and the first communication unit of the transport cart via the wide-area wireless communication, a short-range wireless communication unit that transmits and receives information between the second communication unit of the communication device via the 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 if 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 a wide-area wireless communication base station (e.g., a wireless access point) by wide-area wireless communication, so that it is possible to avoid a decrease in the received radio wave intensity between the transport vehicle and the communication device, and to stabilize the wireless communication between the transport vehicle and the communication device. In addition, 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, so that it is possible to operate the communication device 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 for causing 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 indicating the program.These programs, information, data, and signals may be distributed via a communication network such as the Internet. Effect of the Invention

[0023] According to the communication device and the like according to one aspect of the present invention, wireless communication between the transport vehicle and the communication device can be stabilized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a communication system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an E84 communication sequence when grabbing a FOUP. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an E84 communication sequence when unloading a FOUP. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 5]FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of information for wide-area wireless communication. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of information for short-range wireless communication. [Figure 7] 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation of the communication system according to the embodiment in a pre-transfer procedure. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations of the communication system according to the embodiment in a pre-transfer procedure. [Figure 9] 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the communication system according to the embodiment in a transfer procedure. FIG. [Figure 10] 11 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations of the communication system according to the embodiment in a transfer procedure. FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the communication system according to the embodiment in a post-transfer procedure. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Hereinafter, the 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 arrangement and connection forms, steps, order of steps, and the like 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 that are not described in the independent claims will be described as optional components.

[0026] (Embodiment) [1. Overview of the communication system] First, an overview of a communication system 2 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a communication system 2 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an E84 communication sequence when a FOUP 14 is gripped. Fig. 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 constructed 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 for transporting a FOUP 14 (an example of a transported object) storing semiconductor wafers, and is a so-called OHT (Overhead Hoist Transfer). The transport vehicle 4 travels unmanned along rails 16 installed on the ceiling of a semiconductor manufacturing factory. Although a plurality of transport vehicles 4 (e.g., several hundred) are arranged in a semiconductor manufacturing factory, for 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 cart 4 so as to be able to rise and fall. For example, when transferring the FOUP 14 between the transport cart 4 and a loading port 22 (described later) of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6, the gripper 18 descends from the transport cart 4 to the vicinity of the loading port 22 while the transport cart 4 is stopped in a position directly above the loading port 22. In addition, when the transfer of the FOUP 14 is completed, the gripper 18 rises from the vicinity of the loading port 22 to the transport cart 4 and is stored inside the transport cart 4.

[0030] The semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6 is a device 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) arranged 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 carriage 4 and the loading port 22, 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, Fig. 1 illustrates only one semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 6. Also, in the present embodiment, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 6 has one mounting port 22, but is not limited thereto and may have a plurality of mounting ports 22.

[0032] The communication device 8 is a device server for mediating communication between the transport cart 4 and the placement 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 placement port 22 of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6 via a parallel cable 24. This allows the communication device 8 to communicate with the placement port 22 of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6. The SEMI E84 communication sequence is applied to the communication between the communication device 8 and the transport cart 4. Note that the same number of communication devices 8 as the placement ports 22 are installed in the semiconductor manufacturing factory, but for convenience of explanation, only one communication device 8 is illustrated 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 by the wireless LAN, and the communication range is, for example, about 20 to 30 m square with the wireless access point 10 at the center. 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 transport cart 4 and the communication device 8. The communication device 12 is disposed, for example, above the rail 16. The communication device 12 transmits and receives information to and from the transport cart 4 by 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 by short-range wireless communication. Note that the short-range wireless communication is, for example, wireless communication by BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy), and the communication range is narrower than the communication range of wide-area wireless communication, for example, about 5 m square centered on the communication device 12. The short-range wireless communication is also called "near-field wireless communication".

[0035] In the above-described communication system 2, when the FOUP 14 placed on the loading port 22 is grabbed by the transport vehicle 4, 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 by 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, similar to Fig. 2: a pre-transfer procedure, a transfer procedure, and a post-transfer procedure.

[0037] 2 and 3, in the pre-transfer procedure, a control signal indicating that transfer of the FOUP 14 is about to begin is exchanged between the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 8. In the transfer procedure, a control signal for executing the 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, and while 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 the communication system] A 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 a 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-distance 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 IEEE802.11 series, and is constructed using WiFi (registered trademark) in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band.

[0041] The transport vehicle 4 has a wide area wireless communication unit 28 (an example of a first communication unit), an antenna 30, a short distance 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 through 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-distance wireless communication unit 32. Specifically, the control unit 36 ​​controls the short-distance wireless communication unit 32 to perform short-distance wireless communication with the communication device 8 immediately before the transporting cart 4 arrives at a position directly above the loading port 22 to which the FOUP 14 is to be transferred. In addition, the control unit 36 ​​may control the short-distance wireless communication unit 32 to perform short-distance wireless communication with the communication device 8 without using the communication device 12 when the position of the loading port 22 to which the transporting cart 4 is to transfer the FOUP 14 and the self-propelled 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 mounting port 22 of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6 includes 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 cart 4. The control unit 40 also executes a process for transferring the FOUP 14 between the transport cart 4 and the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6 through the carry-in / out opening 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 placement port 22 via the parallel cable 24. The communication unit 42 also transmits and receives information to and from each of the transport cart 4 and the communication device 12 by short-range wireless communication.

[0050] The control unit 44 executes various processes by controlling the communication unit 42. Note that 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 transmits and receives information to and from the transport vehicle 4 by wide-area wireless communication via the wireless access point 10. The antenna is an antenna for wide-area wireless communication, and is connected to the wide-area wireless communication unit .

[0053] The short-range wireless communication unit 50 transmits and receives information to and from the communication device 8 through short-range wireless communication. 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 is not limited thereto. For example, when transmitting and receiving information to and from a plurality of communication devices 8 simultaneously through short-range wireless communication, the communication device 12 may have a plurality of 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 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 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 (a) of Fig. 5. The data frame 58 shown in (a) of Fig. 5 includes the fields of Frame Control, Duration, MAC Address 1 to 3, Seq Control, MAC Address 4, Data, and CRC. The field of Data shown in (a) of Fig. 5 includes the fields of IP header, UDP header, and communication data shown in (b) of Fig. 5. Furthermore, the field of communication data shown in (b) of Fig. 5 includes the fields of short-distance wireless communication frequency band, short-distance wireless communication channel, short-distance wireless connection destination device ID, short-distance wireless connection source ID, and short-distance wireless communication data shown in (c) of Fig. 5. Furthermore, the field of short-distance wireless communication data shown in (c) of Fig. 5 includes the fields of transmission direction, INPUT DATA, and OUTPUT DATA shown in (d) of Fig. 5.

[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-distance wireless connection destination device ID, the short-distance 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-distance wireless communication.

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

[0059] The acquisition unit 56 acquires, while the transport vehicle 4 is traveling, communication status information indicating the communication status between the communication device 8 and other transport vehicles (not shown) other than the transport vehicle 4. In addition, while the transport vehicle 4 is traveling, it acquires position information indicating the position of other transport vehicles other than the transport 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 communication system] [3-1. Operation of communication system during pre-transfer procedures] 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] Hereinafter, as shown in Fig. 7, a case will be considered in which semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f (6a to 6f) are arranged in this order in a semiconductor manufacturing factory. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6a to 6f have mounting ports 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, 22e, 22f (22a to 22f), respectively. Communication devices 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e, 8f (8a to 8f) are connected to the mounting ports 22a to 22f, respectively.

[0062] In the following, a case will be described in which 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, for example, each of the communication devices 8a to 8f by short-range wireless communication. The communication device 12 can also transmit and receive information to and from the transport vehicle 4 traveling on the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6a side (leftward in FIG. 7) from a position directly above the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6d and on the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6f side (rightward in FIG. 7) from a position directly above the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6d by 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 by wide-area wireless communication (S101). The wireless access point 10 transfers the information from the transporting vehicle 4 to the communication device 12 by 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 by 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 it 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 by short-range wireless communication (S105).

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

[0067] Next, a description will be given of a case where the communication device 8d transmits information to the transport vehicle 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 apparatus 12 by short-range wireless communication (S107).

[0068] The short-range wireless communication unit 50 of the communication device 12 receives information transmitted from the communication device 8d by 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 cart 4 by 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 transport vehicle 4 by wide-area wireless communication (S111). The wide-area wireless communication unit 28 of the transport vehicle 4 receives the information transferred from the wireless access point 10 by wide-area wireless communication (S112).

[0070] [3-2. Operation of the communication system during transfer procedures] The operation of the communication system 2 in the transfer procedure will be described with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the communication system 2 in the transfer procedure according to the embodiment. Fig. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the operation of the communication system 2 in the transfer procedure according to the embodiment.

[0071] In the following, as in the above, a case will be described in which the transport vehicle 4 transfers the FOUP 14 between the loading port 22d of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 6d. As shown in Fig. 9, the transfer procedure is performed in a state in which the transport vehicle 4 stops at 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 by short-range wireless communication (S201). The communication unit 42 of the communication device 8d receives the information transmitted from the transporting vehicle 4 by short-range wireless communication (S202).

[0073] Next, a case will be described where 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 communication system during 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-mentioned FIG. 8, information indicating that the transfer of the FOUP 14 has been completed is transmitted 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 communication status between other transport vehicles other than the transport vehicle 4 and the communication devices 8a to 8f while the transport vehicle 4 is traveling. In response to a request from the transport 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 transport vehicle 4 while it is traveling by wide-area wireless communication via the wireless access point 10.

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

[0078] [4. Effects] In the communication system 2 according to this embodiment, for example, in a pre-transfer procedure or a 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 with the transport vehicle 4 by wide-area wireless communication via the wireless access point 10. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the received radio wave intensity 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 through short-range wireless communication, the communication device 8 can be operated with low power consumption. This allows the communication device 8 to be operated by 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 simultaneously communicate wirelessly with multiple communication devices 8, wireless communication interference can be avoided.

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

[0082] In the above embodiment, WiFi (registered trademark) is adopted as the wide-area wireless communication, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and for example, Private LTE (Long Term Evolution) or Local 5G that locally uses a fifth generation mobile communication system may be adopted. When using the wide-area wireless communication, the wide-area wireless communication unit 28 and antenna 30 of the transport cart 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] In the above embodiment, in the operation of the communication system 2 in the transfer procedure, in order to exchange information for executing the transfer of the FOUP 4 between the transport vehicle 4 and the communication device 8, 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 by short-range wireless communication, but a communication method similar to that of the operation of the communication system 2 in the pre-transfer procedure and the post-transfer procedure may 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 by 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, and interlock communication with the communication device 8 is possible by wide-area wireless communication, and the manufacturing cost and design complexity of the transport vehicle 4 can be reduced.

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

[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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 2. Communication Systems 4 Transport cart 6, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f Semiconductor manufacturing equipment 8,8a,8b,8c,8d,8e,8f Communication Devices 10. Wireless Access Points 12. Communications Equipment 14 FOUP 16 Rail 18 Gripping part 20 Loading / unloading entrance 22, 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, 22e, 22f Placement port 24 Parallel Cable 26 Wireless Networks 28,46 Wide area wireless communication section 30,34,48,52 Antenna 32,50 Near Field Wireless Communication Department 36, 40, 44, 54 Control section 38,42 Communications Department 56 Acquisition Department 58,60 Data Frame

Claims

1. A transport vehicle for transporting an object to be transported; A communication device connected to a transfer device that transfers the transported object between the transport cart and the transfer vehicle; a communication device that relays communication between the transport vehicle and the communication device, The communication device includes: a wide-area wireless communication unit that transmits and receives information between the transport vehicle and the wide-area wireless communication unit via a wide-area wireless communication base station by wide-area wireless communication; a short-range wireless communication unit configured to transmit and receive information between the communication device and the communication device through short-range wireless communication having a communication range narrower than that of the wide-area wireless communication; 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, (i) When the transport vehicle is traveling in a direction approaching the transfer device before transferring the transported object between the transport vehicle and the transfer device, or is traveling in a direction away from the transfer device after transferring the transported object between the transport vehicle and the transfer device, in the case where the transport vehicle transmits information to the communication device, the wide-area wireless communication unit receives information from the transport vehicle by the 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 the converted information to the short-range wireless communication unit; the short-range wireless communication unit transmits the information converted by the control unit to the communication device via the short-range wireless communication; (ii) when 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 between the transport vehicle and the transfer device, or while the transport vehicle is traveling in a direction away from the transfer device after transferring the transported object between the transport vehicle and the transfer device, the short-range wireless communication unit receives information from the communication device via the 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 the converted information to the wide-area wireless communication unit; The wide-area wireless communication unit transmits the information converted by the control unit to the transport vehicle by wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station. Communication systems.

2. The communication device further includes an acquisition unit that acquires communication status information indicating communication statuses between the communication device and other transporting vehicles other than the transporting vehicle while the transporting vehicle is traveling, The wide-area wireless communication unit transmits the communication status information acquired by the acquisition unit to the traveling transport vehicle by the wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station. The communication system according to claim 1 .

3. The communication device further includes an acquisition unit that acquires position information indicating positions of other transport vehicles other than the transport vehicle while the transport vehicle is traveling, The wide-area wireless communication unit transmits the location information acquired by the acquisition unit to the traveling transport vehicle by the wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station. The communication system according to claim 1 .

4. A communication method in a communication system including a transport vehicle for transporting an object, a communication device connected to a transfer device to which the object is transferred between the transport vehicle and the transport vehicle, and a communication device that relays communication between the transport vehicle and the communication device, comprising: (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 that of the wide-area wireless communication; (d) receiving information from the communication device via the 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; (f) transmitting the information converted in (e) to the transport vehicle by wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station, (i) When the transport vehicle is traveling in a direction approaching the transfer device before transferring the transported object between the transport vehicle and the transfer device, or is traveling in a direction away from the transfer device after transferring the transported object between the transport vehicle and the transfer device, in the case where the transport vehicle transmits information to the communication device, The communication device includes: receiving information from the transport vehicle by the wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station; Converting the received information from information for wide-area wireless communication to information for short-range wireless communication; Transmitting the converted information to the communication device via the short-range wireless communication; (ii) when 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 between the transport vehicle and the transfer device, or while the transport vehicle is traveling in a direction away from the transfer device after transferring the transported object between the transport vehicle and the transfer device, The communication device includes: receiving information from the communication device via the short-range wireless communication; Converting the received information from information for short-range wireless communication to information for wide-area wireless communication; The converted information is transmitted to the transport vehicle by the wide-area wireless communication via the wide-area wireless communication base station. Communication methods.

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