Transport System

Abstract

To realize a conveyance system that can convey efficiently.SOLUTION: A conveyance system (1) includes a first conveyance vehicle (11) traveling on a first track (10) while holding a conveyance object (30) and a second conveyance vehicle (21) traveling on a second track (20) while placing the conveyance object (30) on a placement part (25). The first conveyance vehicle (11) can send / receive the conveyance object (30) to / from the placement part (25) of the second conveyance vehicle (21)d by using a transfer part (15).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport system that transports an object to be transported by a transport vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a system in which a transport vehicle travels along a track installed on the ceiling to transport an object. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a transport vehicle system including a first transport vehicle that travels in one direction on a lower track and a second transport vehicle that travels in one direction on an upper track. In the transport vehicle system described in Patent Document 1, the object can be handed over between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle via a first delivery unit and a second delivery unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2017 / 029873 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described conventional technology, the object to be transported is handed over between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle via the first delivery unit or the second delivery unit, and there is room for improvement in terms of efficiency of transport.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to realize a transport system capable of efficient transport. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a conveying system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a first conveying vehicle having a transfer unit for transferring and receiving transport objects between a first track and a required location, and running on the first track while holding the transport object; and a second conveying vehicle having a second track and a loading unit for placing the transport object on the loading unit, and running on the second track with the transport object placed on the loading unit, wherein the first conveying vehicle is capable of transferring and receiving the transport object between the loading unit and the loading unit of the second conveying vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, an object to be transported can be transported efficiently to a desired position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a layout of tracks in a transport system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which an object to be transported is transferred from a first transport vehicle to a second transport vehicle 21. In FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the object to be transported has been transferred onto a second transport vehicle in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 5] 3 is a diagram showing a state in which an object to be conveyed is transferred to an equipment port in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a layout of tracks in a transport system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view taken along line BB in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 7, this is a diagram showing a state in which the transport object is being transferred from the first transport vehicle to the second transport vehicle. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the effect of the transport system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Embodiment 1] [Overview] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. First, an overall overview of the conveyance system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the layout of the tracks of the conveyance vehicles in the conveyance system 1. FIG. 1 shows the conveyance system 1 as viewed from above in the vertical direction. Note that in FIG. 1, the first track 10 and the second track 20 are depicted as being offset in the vertical direction to make the layout easier to understand, but in this embodiment, the second track 20 is positioned directly below the first track 10 in the vertical direction.

[0010] The conveying system 1 conveys the object 30 to be conveyed between conveying areas (called bays in this embodiment) in which multiple processing devices 50 performing the same or nearly the same processing are arranged, using conveying vehicles (first conveying vehicle 11, second conveying vehicle 21) that can run along tracks (first track 10, second track 20).

[0011] In the example shown in Fig. 1, five bays from a first bay 101 to a fifth bay 105 are shown as the transfer area. The first track 10 and the second track 20 are arranged so that the object 30 can be transferred between the first bay 101 and the fifth bay 105. The first transfer vehicle 11 travels along the first track 10, and the second transfer vehicle 21 travels along the second track 20, thereby transferring the object 30.

[0012] Each of the first bay 101 to the fifth bay 105 includes a plurality of processing devices 50. Each processing device 50 is provided with one or more device ports 51, and the transport object 30 to be processed in the processing device 50 is placed on the device port 51 of the processing device 50.

[0013] The first track 10 is arranged along the ceiling, and the second track 20 is arranged vertically below the first track 10. Therefore, the first transport vehicle 11 traveling along the first track 10 is a ceiling transport vehicle. The first track 10 and the second track 20 include a circular route and a route that branches off from the circular route, travels around the processing equipment 50 in each bay (first bay 101 to fifth bay 105), and returns to the circular route. The circular route allows for the arrangement of multiple first transport vehicles 11 and second transport vehicles 21.

[0014] Furthermore, the first transport vehicle 11 travels in one direction along the first track 10, and the second transport vehicle 21 travels in one direction along the second track 20. The first transport vehicle 11 and the second transport vehicle 21 travel in opposite directions. That is, for example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, when the first transport vehicle 11 travels to the equipment port 51X and then to the equipment port 51Y, the second transport vehicle 21 travels to the equipment port 51Y and then to the equipment port 51X.

[0015] By having the first transport vehicle 11 and the second transport vehicle 21 travel in opposite directions, the second transport vehicle 21 can transport the object 30 in the opposite direction to the direction in which the first transport vehicle 11 transported it, thereby improving the efficiency of transporting the object 30.

[0016] The first transport vehicle 11 transports the object 30 while holding the object 30 with a gripping unit 152 (described later). The second transport vehicle 21 is equipped with a placement unit 25, and places the object 30 on the placement unit 25 and transports the object 30.

[0017] The transport system 1 also includes a controller 80. The controller 80 is a part that executes various control processes for the entire transport system 1, and is an electronic control unit including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. In this embodiment, the controller 80 controls the travel of the first transport vehicle 11, the travel of the second transport vehicle 21, the transfer of the transport object 30 from the first transport vehicle 11 to the second transport vehicle 21, the transfer of the transport object 30 from the first transport vehicle 11 to the equipment port 51, the transfer of the transport object 30 from the equipment port 51 to the first transport vehicle 11, etc.

[0018] For example, when an object 30 to be transported is allocated, the controller 80 controls an appropriate first transport vehicle 11 to travel to an appropriate position.

[0019] Furthermore, if the transport object 30 being transported by the first transport vehicle 11 has passed through an equipment port 51 on which it is to be placed, the controller 80 transfers the transport object 30 from the first transport vehicle 11 to a second transport vehicle 21 after passing the equipment port 51. Then, the second transport vehicle 21 that has received the transport object 30 travels in the opposite direction to the first transport vehicle 11, and after passing the desired equipment port 51, the controller 80 transfers the transport object 30 to another first transport vehicle 11. Then, the first transport vehicle 11 that has received the transport object 30 travels in the opposite direction to the second transport vehicle 21, and transfers the transport object 30 to the desired equipment port 51.

[0020] Furthermore, when another object 30 is placed at the equipment port 51 to which the object 30 being transported by the first transport vehicle 11 is to be transported, the controller 80 may temporarily transfer the object 30 from the first transport vehicle 11 to the second transport vehicle 21. This allows the second transport vehicle 21 to act as a buffer for the equipment port 51.

[0021] [First transport vehicle 11, second transport vehicle 21] FIG. 2 is a front view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the first transport vehicle 11 includes a transfer unit 15. The transfer unit 15 includes a lifting unit 151 and a gripping unit 152. The transfer unit 15 can transfer the transport object 30 to the second transport vehicle 21 or the equipment port 51 by gripping the transport object 30 with the gripping unit 152 and raising and lowering it with the lifting unit 151. That is, the first transport vehicle 11 can transfer the transport object 30 directly to the second transport vehicle 21 or to the equipment port 51. That is, the first transport vehicle 11 includes the transfer unit 15 that transfers the transport object 30 to and from a required location (e.g., the equipment port 51). Furthermore, the first transport vehicle 11 can use the transfer unit 15 to transfer the transport object 30 to and from the placement unit 25 of the second transport vehicle 21.

[0022] When the object 30 to be transported is transferred between the first transport vehicle 11 and the second transport vehicle 21, the first transport vehicle 11 and the second transport vehicle 21 are stopped.

[0023] The second transport vehicle 21 is equipped with a placement section 25. The second transport vehicle 21 is not provided with a transfer section 15 or the like, as is the first transport vehicle 11. Therefore, the second transport vehicle 21 can be made lighter than the first transport vehicle 11, and can have a faster transport speed than the first transport vehicle 11.

[0024] 3 and 4 are diagrams showing the state in which the transport object 30 is transferred to the second transport vehicle 21 in the example shown in FIG. 2. With the second transport vehicle 21 positioned directly below the first transport vehicle 11, as shown in FIG. 3, the transport object 30 held by the holding unit 152 of the first transport vehicle 11 is lowered vertically downward by the lifting unit 151 and placed on the placement unit 25 of the second transport vehicle 21. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4, the holding unit 152 returns to the first transport vehicle 11, and only the transport object 30 remains placed on the second transport vehicle 21. In this state, the second transport vehicle 21 transports the transport object 30.

[0025] 5 is a diagram showing the state in which the transport object 30 is placed on the equipment port 51. When the transport object 30 is placed on the equipment port 51, the transport object 30 held by the holding unit 152 of the first transport vehicle 11 is lowered vertically downward by the lifting unit 151 and placed on the equipment port 51. As described above, the transfer unit 15 is provided only on the first transport vehicle 11 and not on the second transport vehicle 21. Therefore, the transport object 30 placed on the second transport vehicle 21 cannot be directly transferred to the equipment port 51.

[0026] As described above, the conveying system 1 includes a first conveying vehicle 11 that has a first track 10 and a transfer unit 15 that transfers the transport object 30 between the required location and runs on the first track 10 while holding the transport object 30, a second conveying vehicle 21 that has a second track 20 and a loading unit 25 for loading the transport object 30 and runs on the second track 20 with the transport object 30 loaded on the loading unit 25, and the first conveying vehicle 11 is able to use the transfer unit 15 to transfer the transport object 30 between the loading unit 25 of the second conveying vehicle 21 and the transport object 30.

[0027] This allows the object 30 to be directly transferred between the first transport vehicle 11 and the second transport vehicle 21, thereby improving the efficiency of transporting the object 30.

[0028] [Embodiment 2] Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals will be used to designate components having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0029] [Overview] First, with reference to FIG. 6, an overall overview of the transport system 1' according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the layout of the tracks of the transport vehicles in the transport system 1'. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the transport system 1' viewed from above in the vertical direction. The first track 10 of the transport system 1' is the same as the track in the above-described embodiment. In the transport system 1', second tracks 20A and 20B are arranged instead of the second track 20 of the transport system 1. The second track 20A is a circular path connecting the first bay 101 and the fourth bay 104. The second track 20B is a circular path connecting the second bay 102 and the third bay 103.

[0030] Furthermore, the second track 20A and the second track 20B are not disposed directly below the first track 10 in the vertical direction, but are disposed at positions shifted from directly below in the vertical direction.

[0031] That is, in this embodiment, there are multiple bays (first bay 101, second bay 102, third bay 103, fourth bay 104, fifth bay 105) each containing multiple processing devices 50, and the combination of bays around which the first track 10 rotates (first bay 101, second bay 102, third bay 103, fourth bay 104, fifth bay 105) is different from the combination of bays around which the second track 20A and second track 20B rotate (second track 20A rotates around the first bay 101 and the fourth bay 104, and second track 20B rotates around the second bay 102 and the third bay 103).

[0032] For example, when there is a large amount of transportation between the first bay 101 and the fourth bay 104, by using the second track 20A as a route that travels only between the first bay and the fourth bay, transportation can be performed more efficiently than when traveling on the first track 10. In addition, congestion of the first transport vehicles 11 traveling on the first track 10 can be alleviated.

[0033] Similarly, when there is a large amount of transportation between the second bay 102 and the third bay 103, by using the second track 20B as a route that travels only between the second bay 102 and the third bay 103, transportation can be performed more efficiently than when traveling on the first track 10. In addition, congestion of the first transport vehicles 11 traveling on the first track 10 can be alleviated.

[0034] [First transport vehicle 11', second transport vehicle 21] FIG. 7 is a front view seen from BB in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the first transport vehicle 11' includes a transfer unit 15 and a slide mechanism 16. The transfer unit 15 includes a lifting unit 151 and a gripping unit 152. The slide mechanism 16 is a mechanism that slides (moves) the transfer unit 15 in the horizontal direction. By including the slide mechanism 16, the first transport vehicle 11' can transfer the object 30 to be transported to the second transport vehicle 21 that is not located directly below it in the vertical direction. This will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 8.

[0035] 8 is a diagram showing the state in which the transport object 30 is transferred to the second transport vehicle 21 in the example shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the transport object 30 held by the holding unit 152 of the first transport vehicle 11′ is moved by the slide mechanism 16 to a position directly above the placement unit 25 of the second transport vehicle 21. Then, the lifting unit 151 lowers the transport object 30 vertically downward, and the object is placed on the placement unit 25 of the second transport vehicle 21. This allows the second transport vehicle 21 to transport the transport object 30.

[0036] [Effects of Embodiments 1 and 2] As described above, in the transport system 1, 1' according to this embodiment, it is possible to transfer the transport object 30 from the first transport vehicle 11, 11' to the second transport vehicle 21. In addition, the first transport vehicle 11, 11' and the second transport vehicle 21 move in opposite directions. This allows the transport object 30 to be efficiently placed on the equipment port 51.

[0037] The following description will be made with reference to Figure 9. Figure 9 is a diagram for explaining the effects of the transport systems 1, 1'. Figure 9 is a diagram seen from the side in the traveling direction of the first transport vehicles 11A, 11B and the second transport vehicle 21, and shows the positional relationship between the first transport vehicles 11A, 11B, the second transport vehicle 21, and the equipment port 51 (51A, 51B, 51C).

[0038] As shown in 901 of Figure 9, when it is desired to place an object 30C to be transported on one of the three equipment ports 51A, 51B, and 51C of the processing device 50, an object 30C to be transported is already placed on the equipment port 51A and the equipment port 51B.

[0039] In this case, the first transport vehicle 11A needs to place the transport object 30C at the equipment port 51C, but if it has passed the equipment port 51C, it would normally need to make one full circuit of the first track 10 and reach the equipment port 51C again.

[0040] However, in the transfer system 1, 1' according to this embodiment, there is a second transfer vehicle 21 traveling in the opposite direction to the first transfer vehicle 11A, and the first transfer vehicle 11A can transfer the transfer object 30C to the second transfer vehicle 21 after passing the equipment port 51C (902 in FIG. 9). Then, the second transfer vehicle 21 with the transferred transfer object 30C travels in the opposite direction to the first transfer vehicle 11A (903 in FIG. 9), and after passing the equipment port 51C, the second transfer vehicle 21 is transferred to the first transfer vehicle 11B by a first transfer vehicle 11B different from the first transfer vehicle 11A (904 in FIG. 9). The first transfer vehicle 11B, which has received the transfer object 30C, travels in the direction of the equipment port 51C (905 in FIG. 9), and when it reaches the equipment port 51C (906 in FIG. 9), it places the transfer object 30C on the equipment port 51C (907 in FIG. 9).

[0041] In this way, according to the conveying system 1, 1' of this embodiment, even if the desired placement location is passed, the object to be conveyed 30 can be efficiently placed at the placement location without continuing to orbit the first track 10.

[0042] Furthermore, for example, if the object 30 to be transported is placed at the desired equipment port 51C and the object 30C to be transported cannot be placed immediately, the object 30C to be transported can be temporarily placed on the second transport vehicle 21 and wait for the equipment port 51C to become available. In other words, the second transport vehicle 21 can serve as a buffer for the equipment port 51. This is particularly useful when the circuit path is shorter than the first track 10, such as the second track 20A or the second track 20B, because the object 30 to be transported placed on the second transport vehicle 21 can return to the desired equipment port 51 in a short time.

[0043] 〔summary〕 The conveying system according to aspect 1 of the present invention includes a first conveying vehicle having a transfer unit for transferring and receiving the object to be transported between a first track and a required location, and running along the first track while holding the object to be transported; and a second conveying vehicle having a second track and a loading unit for placing the object to be transported, and running along the second track while holding the object to be transported on the loading unit, wherein the first conveying vehicle is capable of transferring and receiving the object to and from the loading unit of the second conveying vehicle.

[0044] According to the above configuration, the object to be transported can be directly transferred between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle, so that the object to be transported can be transported efficiently.

[0045] A conveying system according to aspect 2 of the present invention may be the same as that of aspect 1, wherein the first track is a circular path, the second track includes a circular path, and the first conveying vehicle and the second conveying vehicle travel in opposite directions to each other.

[0046] According to the above configuration, the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle travel in opposite directions, so that by transferring the transported object between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle, the transported object can be transported in the opposite direction, thereby improving transport efficiency.

[0047] A transport system according to a third aspect of the present invention is the transport system of the first or second aspect, wherein the first transport vehicle is a ceiling transport vehicle in which the first track is disposed near a ceiling.

[0048] According to the above configuration, the first transport vehicle can be an overhead transport vehicle.

[0049] A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to the conveyance system of the third aspect, wherein the second track is disposed vertically below the first track.

[0050] According to the above configuration, the object to be transported can be easily transferred between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle.

[0051] A conveying system according to aspect 5 of the present invention may be such that, in any of aspects 1 to 4, when another object to be conveyed is placed at the required location to which the object to be conveyed being conveyed by the first conveying vehicle is to be conveyed, the first conveying vehicle temporarily transfers the object to the second conveying vehicle.

[0052] According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the first transport vehicle from waiting without being able to unload the object to be transported at the required location, thereby preventing a decrease in transport efficiency. Therefore, it is possible to transport the object to the required location while efficiently operating the first transport vehicle.

[0053] A sixth aspect of the present invention relates to a conveyance system in any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the second track is disposed at a position shifted from a position directly below the first track in the vertical direction.

[0054] This configuration allows for flexible layout of the first and second tracks, enabling efficient use of the transport space. Furthermore, because the second track is positioned away from directly below the first track, the first transport vehicle traveling on the first track can easily transfer the transported object directly to the desired location (e.g., equipment port).

[0055] A seventh aspect of the present invention relates to a transport system in any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the transfer unit has a slide mechanism capable of moving the object to be transported in a horizontal direction.

[0056] According to the above configuration, when the object to be transported is transferred from the first transport vehicle, it can be transferred to a location other than directly below.

[0057] A conveying system according to aspect 8 of the present invention may be any of aspects 1 to 7, in which there are multiple conveying areas each including a multiple number of processing devices, and the combination of the conveying areas through which the first orbit rotates may be different from the combination of the conveying areas through which the second orbit rotates.

[0058] According to the above configuration, by utilizing the first track and the second track, it is possible to efficiently transport the object to be transported.

[0059] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1. Transport system 10 1st orbit 11 First Transport Vehicle 15 Transfer section 151 Lifting section 152 Gripping part 16 Slide mechanism 20 Second orbit 21 Second transport vehicle 25 Placement section 30 Transported objects 50 Processing equipment 51 Device Port 80 Controller 101 Bay 1 102 Bay 2 103 3rd Bay 104 4th Bay 105 5th Bay

Claims

1. A first orbit; a first transport vehicle having a transfer unit for transferring an object to be transported between a required location and the first transport vehicle, the first transport vehicle running on the first track while holding the object to be transported; A second orbit; a second transport vehicle having a placement section for placing the transport object on the placement section, the second transport vehicle traveling on the second track with the transport object placed on the placement section, the first transport vehicle is capable of transferring the transport object between the placement unit of the second transport vehicle and the placement unit of the first transport vehicle, the first orbit is a circular path, the second orbit includes a circular path; A transport system in which the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle travel in opposite directions to each other.

2. The transport system according to claim 1 , wherein the first transport vehicle is a ceiling transport vehicle in which the first track is disposed near a ceiling.

3. The conveyance system according to claim 2 , wherein the second track is disposed vertically below the first track.

4. 2. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein, when another object is placed at the required location to which the object being transported by the first transport vehicle is to be transported, the first transport vehicle temporarily transfers the object to the second transport vehicle.

5. There are multiple transport areas each containing multiple processing equipment, The transport system according to claim 1 , wherein a combination of the transport areas around which the first track circulates is different from a combination of the transport areas around which the second track circulates.

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