Conveying device

Abstract

The present invention provides a conveying device that is characterized by comprising: a conveyance mechanism for conveying a conveyance object to a container provided with a plurality of support parts arranged at a prescribed interval in the vertical direction; a detection unit for detecting the upper end position of the conveyance object being conveyed by the conveyance mechanism; and a control unit for controlling the conveyance mechanism. The conveying device is also characterized in that: the plurality of support parts have an upper support part provided as a first support part and a lower support part provided as a second support part; the conveyance mechanism has a holding part for holding the conveyance object, and a drive part for moving the holding part in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction; the detection unit detects, in a state where the conveyance object is held by the holding part, the distance in the vertical direction from the lower surface of the holding part to the upper end of the conveyance object as the upper end position of the conveyance object; the control unit corrects an insertion height, at which the holding part is inserted into the container, so that the upper end position of the conveyance object is positioned at a target position; and the target position is closer to the first support part than to the second support part in the vertical direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device for conveying an object to be conveyed.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in the field of manufacturing such as semiconductors, a container containing an object to be conveyed as a substrate (for example, a wafer, a glass substrate, etc.) is placed on a load port using an industrial transfer robot provided in a transfer device, and the object to be conveyed is processed. There is a transfer technology for transferring an object to be conveyed between a processing device or a load lock chamber. Specifically, a transfer robot as a transfer mechanism provided in the transfer device unloads the object to be conveyed from a container for accommodating the object to be conveyed, transfers it to a processing device, and performs processing on the object to be conveyed. On the other hand, the object to be conveyed is unloaded from a processing device that performs processing on the object to be conveyed, and the object to be conveyed can be stored in a container for accommodating the object to be conveyed. Further, when the object to be conveyed is conveyed by a transfer robot inside the transfer device, the state of the object to be conveyed (for example, the amount of warpage, etc.) is detected by a detection unit of the transfer device, and the transfer operation of the transfer robot can be controlled based on the detected state of the object to be conveyed.

[0003] In recent years, as a packaging technology for high-density devices, a method called panel level packaging (hereinafter, PLP) has been spreading. PLP is a method of manufacturing a plurality of semiconductor packages at once by arranging a large number of chips on a rectangular panel (for example, a glass substrate). PLP includes a process of coating (sealing) the upper surface of a panel on which a large number of chips are placed with resin. Panels handled in a semiconductor package manufacturing line using PLP are likely to have a large warpage (including upward warpage, downward warpage, etc. including bending and distortion) in the vertical direction.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

[0005] Inside the FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod), which is the container for transported objects (hereinafter referred to as substrates), support sections for the substrates are formed at equal intervals in the vertical direction. The spacing between each support section has been narrowed to improve the efficiency of substrate storage. When transporting a substrate to the FOUP using a transport robot, the robot hand, which is provided on the transport robot as a holding part for the substrate, enters the FOUP above a specific support section while holding the substrate, then moves downward to support the substrate on the specific support section, and then leaves the FOUP. However, because the vertical spacing of the support sections is narrow, there is a risk that the substrate may collide with the support section of the FOUP when the robot hand is inserted.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to detect the state of the object (substrate) being transported by the transport device using the transport device's detection unit and to reflect this in the control of the transport device's transport operation.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention provides a conveying device that prevents the conveyed object (substrate) from colliding with a support part provided in a container by controlling the holding part based on the state of the conveyed object (substrate) detected by the detection part of the conveying device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a conveying device comprising: a conveying mechanism for conveying an object to be conveyed into a container provided with a plurality of support parts arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction; a detection unit for detecting the upper end position of the object to be conveyed by the conveying mechanism; and a control unit for controlling the conveying mechanism, wherein the plurality of support parts are provided with the upper support part as a first support part and the lower support part as a second support part; the conveying mechanism has a holding part for holding the object to be conveyed and a drive unit for moving the holding part in the horizontal and vertical directions; the detection unit detects the distance from the lower surface of the holding part to the upper end of the object to be conveyed in the vertical direction as the upper end position of the object to be conveyed; the control unit corrects the insertion height for inserting the holding part into the container so that the upper end position of the object to be conveyed is located at a target position, and the target position is a position closer to the first support part than to the second support part in the vertical direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the conveying device corrects the insertion height at which the holding part is inserted into the container so that the upper end of the conveyed object is positioned at the target position, based on the position of the conveyed object detected by the detection unit, thereby providing a conveying device that prevents the conveyed object from colliding with the support part. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view illustrating the entire transport system to which a transport device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a block diagram of the electrical configuration of the transport system shown. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the conveying device, with some parts of the conveying device shown in Figure 1 removed. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the load port used in the transport system shown. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating the interior of a container placed on the load port. [Figure 6] Figures 1 and 3 are perspective views illustrating the transport robot used as a transport mechanism in the transport device shown. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram illustrating how a flat object to be transported, held in the holding section of the transport mechanism shown in Figure 6, is detected by a detection unit. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram illustrating how a detection unit detects a warped object held in the holding section of the transport mechanism shown in Figure 6. [Figure 9] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the holding part of the transport mechanism, which holds the object to be transported in a flat state, is inserted between the first and second support parts of the container. [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram illustrating how the holding part of the transport mechanism shown in Figure 8 is inserted between the first and second support parts of the container while holding the object being transported in a curved state. [Figure 11] Figure 2 shows a flowchart illustrating the process of transporting an object to a container using a transport device in the transport system. [Figure 12] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a container error information table used in the transport system shown. [Figure 13] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a transport error information table for the transport system shown. [Figure 14] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a correction amount information table used in the transport system shown. [Figure 15] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a correction insertion position information table used in the transport system shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Herein, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be given in detail, and examples of exemplary embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. In the following, Figures 1 to 15 will be used to describe the specific structure and conveying means of the conveying device 100 and the conveying system 50 to which the conveying device 100 is applied, and the spatial coordinate system XYZ will be described with X representing the left-right direction, Y representing the front-back direction, and Z representing the up-down direction. However, this is merely one example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0012] First, referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the transfer device 100 of the present embodiment and the transfer system 50 to which the transfer device 100 is applied will be described. The transfer device 100 of the present embodiment is applied to the transfer system 50. The transfer system 50 includes the transfer device 100, a load port 52 disposed on one side (e.g., the front side) of the transfer device 100, and a processing device 54 disposed on the other side (e.g., the rear side) of the transfer device 100. The transfer device 100 is, for example, an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module). The load port 52 is a device for placing a container H (e.g., a FOUP) that houses the object to be transferred W and opening and closing the lid (not shown) of the container H. The processing device 54 is a device for processing the object to be transferred W. The transfer device 100 includes a housing 110, a transfer mechanism 120 provided inside the housing 110 for transferring the object to be transferred W, a detection unit 130 provided inside the housing 110 for detecting the state of the object to be transferred W transferred by the transfer mechanism 120, and a control unit 140 for controlling the transfer mechanism 120. The housing 110 houses the transfer mechanism 120 and the like, and communicates with the load port 52 and the processing device 54, respectively. The transfer mechanism 120 is configured to be movable inside the housing 110. The transfer mechanism 120 (e.g., a transfer robot) provided in the transfer device 100 transfers the object to be transferred W taken out from the container H to the processing device 54 through the inside of the housing 110. The processing device 54 processes the object to be transferred W transferred by the transfer mechanism 120. Or, the transfer mechanism 120 transfers the object to be transferred W taken out from the processing device 54 to the container H through the inside of the housing 110. The object to be transferred W transferred by the transfer mechanism 120 is stored in the container H. The detection unit 130 is provided inside the housing 110. The detection unit 130 detects the state of the object to be transferred W being transferred when the object to be transferred W is transferred by the transfer mechanism 120 in the housing 110. The control unit 140 controls the transfer operation of the transfer mechanism 120. The control unit 140 controls the transfer operation of the transfer mechanism 120 based on the state of the object to be transferred W detected by the detection unit 130.

[0013] The object to be transported W in this embodiment is, for example, a glass substrate used in PLP, and is housed in a container H (but is not limited to this). As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the container H that houses the object to be transported W, such as a glass substrate used in PLP, is placed on the load port 52. The container H is provided with a plurality of support parts S arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction Z. The plurality of support parts S are provided projecting horizontally (for example, in the left-right direction X) from the inner surfaces of opposing sides of the container H, as shown in Figure 5, and can support the object to be transported W on both opposing sides of the object to be transported W. In addition, the support parts S, together with other support parts S adjacent to each other in the vertical direction Z, form a space G in which the object to be transported W is stored. As a result, the container H can store multiple objects to be transported W inside (in each of the spaces G) by supporting the object to be transported W with each of the plurality of support parts S arranged at predetermined intervals (space G) in the vertical direction Z. In other words, the object to be transported W is supported by left and right support parts S (for example, the second support part S from the top) and stored in the space G above the support parts S (for example, the space between the first and second support parts S from the top).

[0014] In detail, the support parts S and space G will be described by numbering them from top to bottom in the vertical direction Z. Of the multiple support parts S, the support part S that supports the object W being transported to the container H by the transport device 100 will be called the second support part, and the support part S located above the second support part will be called the first support part. That is, of the multiple support parts S that define the predetermined space G in which the object W being transported by the transport mechanism 120 is stored, the support part S located on the upper side is the first support part, and the support part S located on the lower side is the second support part. Note that the first support part and the second support part are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction Z, with no other support parts S interposed between them. As shown in Figure 5, space G1 is partitioned by support part S1 and support part S2. In this case, support section S1 corresponds to the first support section, and support section S2 corresponds to the second support section. When the object to be transported W is supported by support section S2 and stored in space G1, a target position for correction can be determined based on the first and second support sections described later. Space G2 is partitioned by support section S2 and support section S3. In this case, support section S2 corresponds to the first support section, and support section S3 corresponds to the second support section. When the object to be transported W is supported by support section S3 and stored in space G2, a target position for correction can be determined based on the first and second support sections described later. Note that since there are no other support sections above support section S1, when the object to be transported W is supported by support section S1, the target position for storing the object to be transported W in the uppermost support section S1 is a predetermined distance from the top surface of the container H. Furthermore, the correction related to the target position determined based on the first and second support parts described later will be explained using the example of a case where the object to be transported W is stored in a space G1 partitioned by support parts S1 and S2. In this case, support part S1 corresponds to the first support part and support part S2 corresponds to the second support part, so support parts S1 and S2 will be used in the explanation of the first and second support parts. However, as mentioned above, the support part to be used will change depending on which support part S partitions the space G in which the object to be transported W is stored.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the load port 52 includes a port door 52a that engages with a lid (not shown) of the container H, a door drive unit 52b for driving the vertical movement of the port door 52a in the Z direction, a door control unit 52c for controlling the drive of the door drive unit 52b, a container detection unit 52d provided at the upper end of the port door 52a, a mounting table 52e on which the container H is placed, and a support 52f that supports the mounting table 52e. The door drive unit 52b is, for example, a unit composed of a motor and a ball screw (not shown). Generally, its structure is housed inside the support 52f, and a part of its structure protrudes to the inner side of the housing 110 of the transfer device 100 so as to be connected to the port door 52a. When the conveyed object W is conveyed to the container H using the conveying mechanism 120 of the transfer device 100, or when the conveyed object W is conveyed from the container H using the conveying mechanism 120 of the transfer device 100, the door control unit 52c controls the drive of the door drive unit 52b and moves the port door 52a in the vertical direction Z. Thereby, the load port 52 can open the lid of the container H. When the lid of the container H is opened, the conveyed object W stored in the container H faces the inside of the housing 110, and the conveyed object W can be conveyed from the container H to the inside of the housing 110 by the conveying mechanism 120. Similarly, it is also possible to convey the conveyed object W from the inside of the housing 110 to the container H by the conveying mechanism 120. As an example, since the container H is placed on the upper end of the load port 52, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the port door 52a moves downward in a state of engaging with the lid of the container H, opens the lid of the container H downward, and exposes a plurality of support portions S provided inside the container H so as to directly face the inside of the housing 110 in order from top to bottom. That is, due to the movement of the port door 52a, among the plurality of support portions S provided in the container H, the upper first support portion S1 is exposed so as to directly face the inside of the housing 110 earlier than the lower second support portion S2.

[0016] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the container detection unit 52d is, for example, a reflective sensor, provided on the upper edge of the port door 52a, and facing the container H toward the rear of the load port 52. The container detection unit 52d detects the height position of the support part S. In this embodiment, the container detection unit 52d detects the height position of each support part S (the respective height positions RS of the multiple support parts S of the container H, described later) with respect to the mounting base 52e. The container detection unit 52d can move vertically in the Z direction together with the port door 52a. Therefore, by moving the port door 52a downward, the lid of the container H is opened downward, exposing the multiple support parts S from top to bottom in order so as to directly face the inside of the housing 110, and at the same time, the container detection unit 52d can move vertically in the Z direction from top to bottom to detect the height positions of the multiple support parts S of the container H from top to bottom in order. Specifically, as the port door 52a moves, the container detection unit 52d moves from top to bottom in the vertical direction Z, detecting the height position of the upper first support part S1, and then detecting the height position of the lower second support part S2. In this way, the height positions of the multiple support parts S provided on the container H are detected by the container detection unit 52d, and based on this, the spacing (space G) between each of the multiple support parts S can also be obtained. It is preferable that this detection process be performed before the conveying device 100 conveys the object to be conveyed W. Alternatively, the height positions of the multiple support parts S and the spacing between each of the multiple support parts S may be obtained by other means. For example, they may be set based on the dimensional information of the container H and the load port 52. The height positions of the multiple support parts S and the spacing between the multiple support parts S can be input to the control unit 140 as container information, for example, and used as one of the control conditions for the conveying means of the conveying device 100.

[0017] The processing apparatus 54 shown in Figures 1 and 2 includes at least one mounting platform (not shown) and can support at least one object W during the processing steps of the object W to be transported. The type of processing apparatus 54 can be selected according to the content of the process for processing the object W to be transported (for example, processes required for semiconductor manufacturing processes such as ion implantation and etching). Furthermore, by opening the door of the processing apparatus 54, the object W to be transported inside the processing apparatus 54 faces the inside of the housing 110, and the object W to be transported can be transported from inside the processing apparatus 54 to inside the housing 110 by the transport mechanism 120. Similarly, it is also possible to transport the object W from inside the housing 110 to inside the processing apparatus 54 by the transport mechanism 120. In other embodiments not shown, a load lock chamber may be further installed between the transport device 100 and the processing apparatus 54.

[0018] As shown in Figure 3, the housing 110 of the conveying device 100 includes, for example, a frame portion 112 (shown in Figure 3), a wall portion 114 (shown in Figure 1) to cover the frame portion 112, a movable body 116 for moving the conveying mechanism 120, and a guide structure 118 for guiding the movement of the movable body 116. The frame portion 112 is installed as the frame of the housing 110. The wall portion 114 is provided on the frame portion 112 and forms the internal space of the housing 110. The guide structure 118 is, for example, a slide rail structure, a conveyor drive device, etc., and is provided in the internal space of the housing 110. The movable body 116 is provided on the guide structure 118 in the internal space of the housing 110 and is installed to move freely within the housing 110 by the guide structure 118. For example, the movable body 116 is attached to a guide structure 118 for guiding movement in the left-right direction X, and the guide structure 118 makes it possible to move in the left-right direction X within the housing 110. Furthermore, the wall portion 114 has an opening OP (shown in Figure 1) for communicating with the load port 52 and an opening (not shown) for communicating with the processing device 54. The transport mechanism 120 provided inside the housing 110 can transport the object to be transported W from the load port 52 to the processing device 54, or from the processing device 54 to the load port 52, when these openings are opened. That is, the transport mechanism 120 moves to the position of the port door 52a of the load port 52 by the movable body 116, enabling the transfer of the object to be transported W between the container H and the inside of the housing 110. Similarly, the transport mechanism 120 moves to the door position of the processing device 54 by the movable body 116, enabling the transfer of the object to be transported W between the processing device 54 and the inside of the housing 110. As a result, the transport device 100 can transport the object to be transported W between the container H placed on the load port 52 and the processing device 54 inside the housing 110 by the transport mechanism 120.

[0019] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 6, the transport mechanism 120 is, for example, a transport robot and includes a main body 122, an arm 124 attached to the upper end of the main body 122, a holding part 126 attached to the tip of the arm 124 to hold the object to be transported W, and a drive unit 128 that drives the arm 124 to move the holding part 126 in the horizontal direction (left-right direction X and front-back direction Y) and the vertical direction Z. The main body 122 is attached to a movable body 116 provided inside the housing 110 and is installed so as to be movable by the movable body 116. For example, the main body 122 is movable (slidable) in the left-right direction X by the movable body 116. The arm 124 is attached to the upper end of the main body 122 so as to be able to rotate in a horizontal plane (a virtual horizontal plane formed by the left-right direction X and the front-back direction Y) relative to the main body 122 and to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction Z. The holding unit 126 is, for example, a robot hand and is attached to the tip of the arm unit 124, so that it can rotate in the horizontal plane of the arm unit 124 and move up and down in the vertical direction Z. The drive unit 128 is, for example, a motor or transmission mechanism built into the main body unit 122, which applies driving force to the arm unit 124 to move the holding unit 126. Therefore, the transport robot as a transport mechanism 120 moves between the load port 52 on which the container H is placed and the processing unit 54 by the moving body 116 while the object to be transported W is held by the holding unit 126 (as shown in Figure 6), and the arm unit 124 is driven by the drive unit 128, so that the holding unit 126 can move freely (up and down, rotate, forward and backward), and the object to be transported W is transported by the holding unit 126.

[0020] Furthermore, in this embodiment, while the object to be transported W is being transported by the transport mechanism 120 inside the housing 110, the state of the object to be transported W is detected by a detection unit 130 provided inside the housing 110. The detection unit 130 detects the upper end position of the object to be transported W as it is being transported by the transport mechanism 120. As shown in Figure 3, the detection unit 130 forms a detection region DR in the horizontal direction (for example, the front-to-back direction Y) and detects the upper end position of the object to be transported W as it passes through the detection region DR. As an example, the detection unit 130 is a line sensor and comprises a light-emitting unit 132 (light-emitting unit) that emits detection light to form the detection region DR, and a light-receiving unit 134 (light-receiving unit) that receives the detection light. Inside the housing 110, the light-receiving unit 134 is positioned at a predetermined distance from the light-emitting unit 132 and facing the light-emitting unit 132. For example, the light-emitting unit 132 and the light-receiving unit 134 are fixed to the inner walls of opposing side walls 114 of the housing 110 in the front-to-back direction Y. The light-emitting unit 132 emits detection light toward the light-receiving unit 134 provided on the inner walls of the opposing side walls 114, and the light-receiving unit 134 receives the detection light emitted from the light-emitting unit 132 provided on the opposing side walls 114. Therefore, the light-emitting unit 132 and the light-receiving unit 134, as the detection unit 130, form a detection region DR along the horizontal direction (for example, the front-to-back direction Y) between the opposing side walls 114 of the housing 110 in the front-to-back direction Y. As a result, within the housing 110, the transport mechanism 120 transports the object W held in the holding section 126 along a transport direction D (e.g., left-right direction X) that intersects with the extension direction of the detection area DR (e.g., front-back direction Y), and the detection section 130 detects the upper end position of the object W by passing the object W through the detection area DR along the transport direction D (e.g., left-right direction X).

[0021] As an example, as shown in Figure 3, in order to improve the detection accuracy of the detection unit 130, the horizontal dimension of the detection area DR (e.g., the front-to-back direction Y) is set to be larger than the horizontal dimension of the object to be transported W (e.g., the front-to-back direction Y). In this case, when transporting the object to be transported W along the transport direction D (e.g., the left-to-right direction X), the detection area DR can be passed simultaneously from one end to the other in the horizontal direction (e.g., the front-to-back direction Y) of the object to be transported W, and the entire upper surface of the object to be transported W can be detected.

[0022] Furthermore, with reference to Figures 3, 7, and 8, the detection unit 130 will be used to explain how it detects the upper end position P1 of the transported object W. Here, the transported object W shown in Figure 7 is a flat substrate that is not warped in the vertical direction Z (hereinafter referred to as an ideal substrate). In contrast, the transported object W shown in Figure 8 is a substrate that is warped in the vertical direction Z. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the light-emitting unit 132 of the detection unit 130 emits a band-shaped detection light L having a predetermined range of dimensions in the vertical direction Z. The light-receiving unit 134 of the detection unit 130 receives the light emitted by the light-emitting unit 132 at the light-receiving surface of a line-type CCD sensor (not shown). The band-shaped detection light L extends from the light-emitting unit 132 toward the light-receiving unit 134, forming a band-shaped detection region DR. It is also preferable that the vertical dimension of the band-shaped detection light L is greater than the distance from the lower surface 126a of the holding unit 126 of the transport mechanism 120 to the upper end of the transported object W held by the holding unit 126. Inside the housing 110, the object to be transported W, held by the holding part 126 of the transport mechanism 120, passes through the detection area DR as the transport mechanism 120 moves in the transport direction D (for example, left-right direction X). covered As the holding unit 126, which holds the transported object W, passes through the range of the band-shaped detection light L (i.e., the detection area DR) in a way that obstructs it, the detection unit 130 measures the amount of the band-shaped detection light L obstructed by the transported object W and the holding unit 126 in the vertical Z direction.

[0023] As a result, the detection unit 130 detects the distance from the lower surface 126a of the holding unit 126 to the upper end of the object to be transported W in the vertical direction Z (for example, the distance D1 shown in Figure 7, or the distance D2 shown in Figure 8, etc.) as the upper end position P1 of the object to be transported W while the object to be transported W is held by the holding unit 126. If the object to be transported W is an ideal substrate as shown in Figure 7, the upper end position P1a of the object to be transported W is the upper surface of the object to be transported W. On the other hand, if the object to be transported W is a substrate that is curved in the vertical direction Z as shown in Figure 8, the upper end position P1b of the object to be transported W is the uppermost surface of the upward curve (the part with the largest upward curve). However, regardless of whether the object to be transported W is curved in the vertical direction Z or not, the detection unit 130 can acquire the upper end position P1 of the object to be transported W when the transport mechanism 120 transports the object to be transported, as described above. Here, the detection unit 130 is exemplified as a line sensor composed of a light-emitting unit 132 and a light-receiving unit 134, but detection means other than a line sensor may be used. Also, the detection unit 130 forms a detection area DR along the front-to-back direction Y as the horizontal direction, but the detection area DR may be formed along other horizontal directions (for example, the left-to-right direction X), or along directions other than horizontal. It is sufficient that the detection unit 130 that forms the detection area DR can detect the upper end position P1 of the transported object W held by the holding unit 126.

[0024] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3, 7, and 8, the transport mechanism 120 also has a support pin 129 extending upward from the upper surface 126b of the holding part 126 (robot hand). The object to be transported W is held by the holding part 126 while being supported by the support pin 129. The support pin 129 is provided on the upper surface 126b of the holding part 126 and holds the object to be transported W by contacting its lower surface, thereby improving the stability of the object to be transported W. More specifically, there is a predetermined area on the lower surface of the object to be transported W in which contact with the holding part 126 (robot hand) is permitted. In addition, the holding part 126 is required to support the object to be transported W so that its lower surface does not touch the surface of the holding part 126, even if the object to be transported W is warped or bent. Therefore, the holding portion 126 is required to support the object to be transported W using support pins 129 that contact within the above area in order to suppress the adhesion of particles to the object to be transported W caused by contact between the holding portion 126 and the object to be transported W. Furthermore, since the support pins 129 support the object to be transported W at a position spaced upward from the holding portion 126, contact between the lower surface of the object to be transported W and the surface of the holding portion 126 is suppressed.

[0025] Here, as an example, when a transported object W supported by support pins 129 is placed into a space G formed by predetermined support parts S within a container H (FOUP), the lower surface of the transported object W is supported so as not to touch the surface of the holding part 126. Therefore, the transported object W is highly likely to collide with the upper support part S among the support parts S that form the space G at the destination. Also, when the transported object W is held by the support pins 129 provided on the holding part 126, the lower end of the transported object W may coincide with the position of the support pins 129 in the vertical direction Z (see Figures 7 and 8). For this reason, detecting the lower end of the transported object W as an alternative to the upper end position P1 of the transported object W requires a more advanced detection unit 130, which increases the detection cost. Thus, in this embodiment, the detection unit 130 detects the upper end position P1 of the transported object W during the transport process while the transported object W is held by multiple support pins 129. Therefore, when the detection unit 130 detects the state of the object to be transported W held by the holding unit 126 by the support pin 129 (for example, the upper end position P1 of the object to be transported W shown in Figures 7 and 8), it measures the distance from the lower surface 126a of the holding unit 126, including the support pin 129, to the uppermost surface of the object to be transported W (for example, the distance D1 shown in Figure 7, or the distance D2 shown in Figure 8, etc.), and can detect the upper end position P1 of the object to be transported W based on this. If the holding unit 126 does not have a support pin 129, the holding unit 126 can also directly hold the object to be transported W with its upper surface 126b. In one embodiment, the holding unit 126 also serves as the support pin 129.

[0026] Referring to Figures 4, 5, and 9, in this embodiment, when the transport mechanism 120 transports the object to be transported W to the container H, the holding part 126 (robot hand) that holds the object to be transported W enters the space G partitioned by two vertically adjacent support parts S of the container H while holding the object to be transported W, then moves downward to allow the lower support part S (second support part) of the two vertically adjacent support parts S to support the object to be transported W, and then moves away from the container H. At this time, as mentioned above, if the distance (pitch) between the multiple support parts S in the container H is narrow, and if the object to be transported W is warped, there is a risk that the object to be transported W may collide with the support part S of the container H when the holding part 126 is inserted. Therefore, the control unit 140 (shown in Figure 2) of the conveying device 100 is required to correct the insertion height of the holding part 126 into the container H so that the conveyed object W does not collide with the support part S of the container H, based on the upper end position P1 of the conveyed object W detected by the detection unit 130, and to insert the holding part 126 into the container H at the corrected insertion position (insertion height). If the magnitude of the curvature of the conveyed object W is assumed to be greater than the distance between the support parts S based on the value detected by the detection unit 130 and the distance between the multiple support parts S, an alarm may be issued and irregular processing may be performed without inserting the conveyed object W into the container H.

[0027] More specifically, Figures 9 and 10 show the operation of correcting the insertion height of the holding part 126 into the container H so that the upper end of the object to be transported W does not collide with the support part S1 when the holding part 126 is inserted into the space G1 between the support part S1 and the support part S2. In the explanation using Figures 9 and 10, the support part S1 corresponds to the first support part and the support part S2 corresponds to the second support part, so they will be referred to as the first support part S1 and the second support part S2. In other words, Figures 9 and 10 show that when the holding part 126 is inserted into the space G1 between the first support part S1 and the second support part S2, the insertion height of the holding part 126 into the container H is corrected so that the upper end position P1 of the object to be transported W is located at a predetermined target position P2 between the first support part S1 and the second support part S2, so that the upper end of the object to be transported W does not collide with the first support part S1. In other words, the target position P2 is the target position where the upper end position P1 of the object to be transported W should be located when inserting the holding unit 126 into the container H in order to place the object to be transported W on a predetermined support unit S, and is set for each support unit S. The target position P2 is a predetermined amount below the position (height) of the first support unit S1. The predetermined amount is set according to, for example, the amplitude of vibration generated in the holding unit 126 (robot hand) when the object to be transported W is transported. In addition, the target position P2 is a position closer to the first support unit S1 than to the second support unit S2 in the vertical direction Z. Furthermore, the target position P2 is set for each support unit S (or each space G). The control unit 140 further sets the target position P2 so that the lower end of the object to be transported W is located above the upper surface of the second support unit S2 in the vertical direction Z. That is, it is preferable to move the target position P2 closer to the first support unit S1 so that the lower end of the object to be transported W does not collide with the second support unit S2.

[0028] As an example, the control unit 140 acquires the spacing (space G) between multiple support parts S of the container H in advance, and sets the target position P2 to a position closer to the first support part S1, using the intermediate position between the first support part S1 and the second support part S2 as a reference. Alternatively, while lowering the aforementioned port door 52a (shown in Figure 4), the control unit 52d for containers installed on the upper part of the port door 52a detects the position of the bottom surface of the first support part S1 (the lowering operation may be stopped at this point), and sets the target position P2 to a position a predetermined amount below the said position of the bottom surface of the first support part S1. For subsequent support parts S, the target position P2 may be calculated according to the spacing between multiple support parts S, or the port door 52a may be kept lowered and the position of the bottom surface of each support part S may be detected to set the target position of the next support part S. After setting the target positions P2 of multiple support parts S, it is preferable to correct the insertion height of the holding part 126 into the container H so that the detected upper end position P1 of the object W being transported by the transport mechanism 120 is located at the target position P2, regardless of the state of the object W being transported (whether or not it is curved in the vertical direction Z). However, this does not mean that adjustment of the target position P2 during the transport process of the object W is excluded.

[0029] Before the transport device 100 transports the object to be transported W, the control unit 140 pre-acquires a reference insertion position (for example, insertion position P3a shown in Figure 9) for inserting the holding unit 126 into the container H so that the upper end position P1 of the object to be transported W, which is an ideal substrate, is at the target position P2. The reference insertion position (insertion position P3a) is set according to a reference setting value (distance D1), which is the distance from the lower surface 126a of the holding unit 126 to the upper end of the object to be transported W, which is an ideal substrate, when the object to be transported W is held by the holding unit 126. The reference insertion position is set for each support unit S. The reference setting value is acquired by the detection unit 130 by moving the transport mechanism 120 so that the object to be transported W and the holding unit 126 pass through the detection area DR while the object to be transported W is held by the holding unit 126. Note that the reference setting value may be a value calculated from the dimensions of the holding unit 126 and the object to be transported W.

[0030] Referring to Figures 7 and 9, the process of inserting the holding unit 126, which holds the object to be transported W as an ideal substrate, into the container H will be explained. The object to be transported W shown in Figures 7 and 9 has the same dimensions and orientation as the ideal substrate. Therefore, the distance D1 of the object to be transported W is equal to the reference setting value of the ideal substrate. When actually transporting the object to be transported W, the detection unit 130 detects the distance D1 from the lower surface 126a of the holding unit 126 to the upper end of the object to be transported W as the upper end position P1a of the object to be transported W. The control unit 140 compares the detected value (distance D1) of the detection unit 130 with a reference setting value corresponding to the reference insertion position of the holding unit 126 that has been acquired in advance. As described above, since the distance D1 of the object to be transported W is equal to the reference setting value of the ideal substrate, the control unit 140 calculates the correction amount for the insertion height of the holding unit 126 to be 0. The control unit 140 corrects the reference insertion position of the holding unit 126 based on the calculation result and derives the corrected insertion position (insertion position P3a). The control unit 140 drives the drive unit 128 of the transport mechanism 120 so that the holding unit 126 is inserted into the container H at the insertion position P3a. In this example, since the correction amount for the insertion height of the holding unit 126 is 0, it appears that no correction has been made to the insertion height of the holding unit 126. That is, in Figure 9, the reference insertion position can be referred to as insertion position P3a.

[0031] In contrast, with reference to Figures 8 and 10, the process of inserting the holding unit 126, which holds the object to be transported W as a substrate that is warped in the vertical direction Z, into the container H will be explained. The object to be transported W shown in Figures 8 and 10 differs from an ideal substrate in that it is warped in the vertical direction Z. The object to be transported W includes a warp in which its upper surface is separated from the holding unit 126. Therefore, the distance D2 of the object to be transported W is greater than the reference setting value (corresponding to distance D1) of an ideal substrate. When actually transporting the object to be transported W, the detection unit 130 detects the distance D2 from the lower surface 126a of the holding unit 126 to the upper end of the object to be transported W as the upper end position P1b of the object to be transported W. The control unit 140 compares the detected value (distance D2) of the detection unit 130 with a reference setting value corresponding to the reference insertion position of the holding unit 126 that has been acquired in advance. Specifically, the detection unit 130 calculates the difference between distance D2 and the reference setting value as the correction amount for the insertion height of the holding unit 126. The control unit 140 corrects the reference insertion position (insertion position P3a) of the holding unit 126 based on the calculation result and derives the corrected insertion position (insertion position P3b). The control unit 140 drives the drive unit 128 of the transport mechanism 120 so that the holding unit 126 is inserted into the container H at the insertion position P3b.

[0032] As can be seen from here, in this embodiment, the control unit 140 corrects the insertion height of the holding unit 126 into the container H so that the upper end position P1 of the object to be transported W is located at the target position P2. For this reason, as shown in Figure 10, for an object to be transported W that is curved upward, the upper end position P1 of the object to be transported W is located at the target position P2, as shown in Figure 9, an ideal substrate transportThe insertion position P3b of the retaining part 126 is corrected to be lower than the insertion position P3a of the retaining part 126 being transported (the correction amount a is the difference between distance D2 and distance D1). In this way, regardless of the state of the object to be transported W (whether or not it is curved in the vertical direction Z), the transport device 100 can detect the state of the object to be transported W (for example, the upper end position P1) while the object to be transported W is being transported, correct the insertion height of the retaining part 126 to insert into the container H so that the upper end position P1 of the object to be transported W is at the target position P2, control the insertion position of the retaining part 126 to reduce the chance of the object to be transported W colliding with the support part S, and improve control stability. That is, by controlling the insertion position of the retaining part 126 (for example, insertion position P3a, insertion position P3b) by the control unit 140 of the transport device 100 so that the upper end position P1 of the object to be transported W is at the target position P2, it is possible to prevent the upper end of the object to be transported W from colliding with the upper first support part S1. Furthermore, assuming that the upper end of the object to be transported W does not collide with the upper first support part S1, the holding part 126 is inserted into the container H so that the object to be transported W is brought as close as possible to the upper first support part S1, thereby creating space for the lower second support part S2. As a result, even if the object to be transported W is curved downwards, the risk of the object to be transported W colliding with the lower second support part S2 is reduced.

[0033] In the embodiments described so far, the control unit 140 acquires the error between the upper end position of the transported object W detected by the detection unit 130 (for example, the upper end position P1b of the transported object W as a substrate that is curved in the vertical direction Z) and the upper end position of the transported object W that serves as a reference when inserting the holding unit 126 into the container H (for example, the upper end position P1a of the transported object W as a reference ideal substrate) as transported object error information AP, and calculates a correction amount for the insertion height of the holding unit 126 into the container H based on the transported object error information AP. In another embodiment, it is preferable that the control unit 140 further acquires the error between the height position RS of each of the multiple support parts S of the container H and the height position BS of each of the multiple support parts S of the reference container H as container error information AS, and calculates a correction amount a (shown in Figure 10) for the insertion height of the holding unit 126 into the container H as correction amount information RC based on at least one of the transported object error information AP and the container error information AS. The following describes the process of transporting the object to be transported W into the container H using the transport device 100 of this embodiment, and how the correction amount a for the insertion height of the holding unit 126 into the container H is calculated as correction amount information RC by combining the object error information AP and the container error information AS.

[0034] As an example, as shown in Figure 11, the process of transporting an object W to a container H of the transport device 100 includes the following steps. First, in the pre-processing step S00, the control unit 140 acquires the error between the height position RS of each of the multiple support parts S of the container H and the height position BS of each of the multiple support parts S of a reference container H as container error information AS. Also, in the storage start step S01, the control unit 140 receives a storage start command and starts transporting the object W to the container H using the transport mechanism 120. Also, in the upper end position measurement step S02, with the object W being transported held by the holding part 126 (and further supported by the support pin 129), the detection unit 130 detects the upper end position P1 of the transported object W (shown in Figures 7 and 8). Then, in the correction amount calculation step S03, the control unit 140 calculates a correction amount a (shown in Figure 10) as correction amount information RC for the insertion height at which the holding unit 126 is inserted into the container H so that the upper end position P1 of the object to be transported W is located at a preset target position P2. The correction amount a here may be calculated by combining the object error information AP, which is the error between the upper end position P1b of the object to be transported W detected in the upper end position measurement step S02 and the reference upper end position P1a of the object to be transported W, and the container error information AS acquired in the pre-processing step S00, or it may be calculated based only on the object error information AP. If the correction amount a is calculated based only on the object error information AP, the pre-processing step S00 may be omitted.

[0035] Then, in the insertion position correction step S04, the control unit 140 corrects the insertion height at which the holding unit 126 is inserted into the container H based on the calculated correction amount a (shown in Figure 10). Specifically, the control unit 140 calculates the corrected insertion position of the holding unit 126 into the container H (for example, insertion position P3b) as corrected insertion position information PR, based on the reference insertion position information TR, which is the reference insertion position information P3a, and the correction amount information RC, which is the correction amount a, which have been acquired in advance. The reference insertion position information TR is information on the reference insertion position P3a at which the holding unit 126 is inserted into the container H so that the upper end position P1a of the object to be transported W is at the target position P2. Then, in the object to be transported storage step S05, the control unit 140 inserts the holding unit 126, which has been positioned at the insertion height, into the container H and transports the object to be transported W into the container H. Specifically, the control unit 140 moves (raises and lowers) the holding unit 126 to the calculated corrected insertion position (for example, insertion position P3b), and inserts the holding unit 126, positioned at the corrected insertion position (insertion position P3b), into the container H to transport the object W to the container H. After these steps, the transport of one object W is completed. Subsequently, in the object remaining count confirmation step S06, the remaining number of objects W to be transported is confirmed. If the object remaining count confirmation step S06 confirms that there are objects W to be transported to the container H, the upper end position measurement step S02, correction amount calculation step S03, insertion position correction step S04, and object storage step S05 are executed again for the next object W to be transported. In the storage completion process S07, the control unit 140 receives a storage completion command and the transport mechanism 120 completes the transport of the transported object W into the container H. Furthermore, the repetition of the pre-processing process S00 becomes unnecessary.

[0036] As shown in Figure 2, the control unit 140 includes a calculation unit 142, a processing unit 144, and a storage unit 146. The calculation unit 142 calculates a correction amount a (shown in Figure 10) for the insertion height of the holding unit 126 into the container H so that the upper end position P1 is at the target position P2. The processing unit 144 corrects the insertion height of the holding unit 126 into the container H based on the correction amount a, and inserts the holding unit 126, positioned at the corrected insertion height (located at insertion position P3b), into the container H to transport the object W into the container H. In other words, the control unit 140 corrects the insertion height of the holding unit 126 into the container H based on the correction amount a, and inserts the holding unit 126, positioned at the corrected insertion height, into the container H to transport the object W into the container H. Furthermore, the storage unit 146 stores the aforementioned container error information AS in the container error information table 146a, the aforementioned transported object error information AP in the transported object error information table 146b, the aforementioned correction amount information RC in the correction amount information table 146c, and the aforementioned correction insertion position information PR in the correction insertion position information table 146d. The functions of the calculation unit 142 and the processing unit 144 may be executed by, for example, a central processing unit (processor), and the functions of the storage unit 146 may be executed by, for example, a memory device. Also, with reference to Figures 12 to 15, the various types of information stored in the container error information table 146a, the transported object error information table 146b, the correction amount information table 146c, and the correction insertion position information table 146d will be explained.

[0037] More specifically, in this embodiment, before the transport mechanism 120 starts transporting the object to be transported W to the container H (in the pre-processing step S00), the control unit 140 pre-acquires the error between the height position RS of each of the multiple support parts S of the container H and the height position BS of each of the multiple support parts S of a reference container H as container error information AS. As shown in Figure 12, the container error information table 146a stores the height positions RS1, RS2, ... of each of the multiple support parts S of the container H (explained by numbering from top to bottom) in association with the height positions BS1, BS2, ... of each of the multiple support parts S of the reference container H. The container error information table 146a also stores the error of the container H calculated by the calculation unit 142 (i.e., the difference between height position RS and height position BS) as container error information AS1, AS2, .... Specifically, container error information AS1 is the difference between the actual height position RS1 of the first support part S1 and the reference height position BS1, and container error information AS2 is the difference between the actual height position RS2 of the second support part S2 and the reference height position BS2. The height positions BS of each of the multiple support parts S of the reference container H are acquired in advance. In contrast, the height positions RS of each of the multiple support parts S of the container H are acquired when the conveying device 100 processes the transport of the object W to be transported to the container H (for example, in the pre-processing step S00). As a result, the container error information AS of each of the multiple support parts S of the container H can be acquired during the transport process of the object W to be transported, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the upper end position measurement step S02, when the holding unit 126 is inserted into the container H, the control unit 140 acquires the error between the upper end position P1b of the object to be transported W detected by the detection unit 130 and the upper end position P1a of the reference object to be transported W as object to be transported error information AP. As shown in Figure 13, the object to be transported error information table 146b stores the detected upper end positions P1b1, P1b2, ... of the objects to be transported W (explained by numbering from top to bottom) that are to be inserted into each of the multiple support parts S of the container H, and associates them with the upper end positions P1a1, P1a2, ... of the reference object to be transported W to be inserted into each of the multiple support parts S of the container H. Furthermore, the transported object error information table 146b stores the error of the upper end position P1 of the transported object W calculated by the calculation unit 142 (i.e., the difference between upper end position P1b and upper end position P1a) as transported object error information AP1, AP2, ... Specifically, transported object error information AP1 is the difference between the upper end position P1b1 detected by the first transported object W1 and the upper end position P1a1 of the reference transported object W, and transported object error information AP2 is the difference between the upper end position P1b2 detected by the second transported object W2 and the upper end position P1a2 of the reference transported object W. Note that the upper end position P1a is acquired in advance, and a common value is stored for upper end positions P1a1, P1a2, ... In contrast, the upper end position P1b is acquired when the transported object W is transported to the container H of the transport device 100 (for example, in the upper end position measurement step S02). This allows for the acquisition of object error information AP for the object W to be transported, which is intended to be inserted into each of the multiple support parts S of the container H, during the transport process of the object W, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Furthermore, in the following description, the first object W1 is described as an object to be transported which is intended to be inserted above the second support part S2 in the container error information table 146a and supported by said support part S2, and the second object W2 is described as an object to be transported which is intended to be inserted above the third support part S3 in the container error information table 146a and supported by said support part S3, but the combination of object W and the support part S that supports the object W is not limited to these. For example, the first object W1 may be an object to be transported which is intended to be supported by the third support part S3.

[0039] Next, in this embodiment, in the correction amount calculation step S03, the control unit 140 further calculates a correction amount a (shown in Figure 10) for the insertion height of the holding unit 126 into the container H so that the upper end position P1a of the object to be transported W is located at a predetermined target position P2, as correction amount information RC. Here, it is explained that the control unit 140 calculates the correction amount a for the insertion height of the holding unit 126 into the container H as correction amount information RC by combining the object to be transported error information AP and the container error information AS, but it is sufficient to calculate the correction amount a for the insertion height of the holding unit 126 into the container H as correction amount information RC based on at least one of the object to be transported error information AP and the container error information AS. As shown in Figure 14, the correction amount information table 146c stores the object to be transported error information AP1, AP2, ... detected in the upper end position measurement step S02 and the container error information AS1, AS2, ... acquired in the pre-processing step S00 in association with each other. Furthermore, the correction amount information table 146c stores the sum of the correction amounts calculated by the calculation unit 142 (i.e., the sum of the transported object error information AP and the container error information AS) as correction amount information RC1, RC2, ... Specifically, correction amount information RC1 is the correction amount information used when the first transported object W1 is placed on the support unit S2 (i.e., the support unit S2 is the second support unit), and is the sum of the transported object error information AP1 of the first transported object W1 and the container error information AS1 of the first support unit S1 (i.e., the first support unit). Correction amount information RC2 is the correction amount information used when the second transported object W2 is placed on the support unit S3 (i.e., the support unit S3 is the second support unit), and is the sum of the transported object error information AP2 of the second transported object W2 and the container error information AS2 of the second support unit S2 (i.e., the first support unit). This allows correction amount information RC for the insertion height of the holding part 126 into the container H when inserting it into each of the multiple support parts S of the container H to be acquired during the transport process of the transported object W. As mentioned above, the first transported object W1 may be an object that is to be supported by the third support part S3. In this case, the correction amount information RC2 is the sum of the transported object error information AP1 of the first transported object W1 and the container error information AS2 of the second support part S2.Furthermore, although it has been explained that the control unit 140 calculates a correction amount a (correction amount information RC) based on the transported object error information AP and the container error information AS, the correction amount a (correction amount information RC) may be calculated based on at least one of the transported object error information AP and the container error information AS. For example, when calculating the correction amount a (correction amount information RC) based only on the transported object error information AP, the transported object error information AP is used as is as the correction amount information RC.

[0040] Next, in this embodiment, in the insertion position correction step S04, the control unit 140 corrects the insertion height for inserting the holding unit 126 into the container H based on the calculated correction amount a. Here, the control unit 140 further acquires reference insertion position information TR as the reference insertion position P3a of the holding unit 126 into the container H so that the upper end position P1a of the reference object W to be transported is at the target position P2 when inserting the holding unit 126 into the container H, and calculates the corrected insertion position of the holding unit 126 into the container H (for example, insertion position P3b) as corrected insertion position information PR based on the reference insertion position information TR as the reference insertion position P3a and the correction amount information RC as the correction amount a. As shown in Figure 15, the corrected insertion position information table 146d stores the reference insertion position information TR1, TR2, ... of the holding unit 126 into the container H that transports the reference object W to be transported, and the correction amount information RC1, RC2, ... calculated in the correction amount calculation step S03, in association with each other. Furthermore, the correction insertion position information table 146d stores the sum of the reference insertion position information TR and the correction amount information RC calculated by the calculation unit 142 as correction insertion position information PR1, PR2, ... Specifically, the corrected insertion position information PR1 is insertion position information used when the first object to be transported W1 is placed on the support part S2 (i.e., the support part S2 is the second support part), and is the sum of the reference insertion position information TR1 when the reference object to be transported W is transported to the second support part S2 (space G1) and the correction amount information RC1 when the first object to be transported W1 is transported to the second support part S2 (space G1). The corrected insertion position information PR2 is insertion position information used when the second object to be transported W2 is placed on the support part S3 (i.e., the support part S3 is the second support part), and is the sum of the reference insertion position information TR2 when the reference object to be transported W is transported to the third support part S3 (space G2) and the correction amount information RC2 when the second object to be transported W2 is transported to the third support part S3 (space G2). This makes it possible to acquire corrected insertion position information PR, which is the corrected insertion position of the holding part 126 into the container H when it is inserted into each of the multiple support parts S of the container H, during the transport process of the transported object W, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0041] Next, in this embodiment, in the transported object storage step S05, the control unit 140 further positions the holding unit 126 at the corrected insertion position (insertion position P3b) based on the corrected insertion position information PR, which is the corrected insertion position (for example, insertion position P3b), and inserts it into the container H to transport the transported object W into the container H. That is, when executing the transported object storage step S05, the processing unit 144 of the control unit 140 obtains corrected insertion position information PR (corrected insertion position information PR1, PR2, ...) from the corrected insertion position information table 146d for the support units S (support units S1, S2, ...) on which the currently transported transported object W is to be placed. The control unit 140 then moves (raises and lowers) the holding unit 126 to the corrected insertion position (for example, insertion position P3b in Figure 10) corresponding to the calculated corrected insertion position information PR (corrected insertion position information PR1, PR2, ...), and inserts the holding unit 126, positioned at the corrected insertion position (insertion position P3b), into the container H to transport the object W to the container H. At this time, the arm portion 124 (shown in Figure 6) of the transport mechanism 120 is controlled to move in the vertical direction Z, positioning the holding unit 126 at the corrected insertion position (insertion position P3b), and the holding unit 126 positioned at the corrected insertion position (insertion position P3b) is controlled to transport the object W to the container H. After that, the holding unit 126 is moved downward in the vertical direction Z, and the object W to be transported is placed on the corresponding support portion S. In this way, the retaining part 126 inserted at the corrected insertion position calculated based on the target position P2, and the object to be transported W held in the retaining part 126, can be prevented from colliding with the first support part S1 and the second support part S2.

[0042] In summary, the present invention provides a transport device comprising: a transport mechanism for transporting an object to be transported into a container provided with a plurality of support parts arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction; a detection unit for detecting the upper end position of the object to be transported by the transport mechanism; and a control unit for controlling the transport mechanism. The control unit corrects the insertion height at which the holding part of the transport mechanism is inserted into the container so that the upper end position of the object to be transported is located at a preset target position. The target position, which is the condition for correcting the insertion height at which the holding part is inserted into the container, is set in the vertical direction to be closer to the upper first support part than to the lower second support part. In this way, regardless of the state of the object to be transported (whether or not it is curved in the vertical direction), the transport device can detect the state of the object to be transported (e.g., the upper end position) while the object is being transported, correct the insertion height at which the holding part is inserted into the container so that the upper end position of the object to be transported is located at the target position, control the insertion position of the holding part to reduce collisions between the object and the support parts, and improve control stability. In other words, the insertion position of the holding part can be controlled so that the upper end of the conveyed object is always at the target position, preventing the conveyed object from colliding with the support part.

[0043] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are used solely for the purpose of explaining the technical proposals of the present invention and are not limiting. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, the technical proposals described in the above embodiments can still be modified or replaced with equivalents for some or all of the technical features. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical proposals to deviate from the scope of the technical proposals of the embodiments of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0044] The present invention provides a conveying device that can detect the state of an object being conveyed while it is being conveyed, control a holding unit to reduce collisions between the object and a support unit provided on the container, and improve control stability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 50 Conveying system, 52 Load port, 52a Port door, 52b Door drive unit, 52c Door control unit, 52d Container detection unit, 52e Mounting platform, 52f Support, 54 Processing unit, 100 Conveying device, 110 Housing, 112 Frame unit, 114 Wall unit, 116 Moving body, 118 Guide structure, 120 Conveying mechanism, 122 Main body unit, 124 Arm unit, 126 Holding unit, 126a Bottom surface, 126b Top surface, 128 Drive unit, 129 Support pin, 130 Detection unit, 132 Light-emitting unit, 134 Light-receiving unit, 140 Control unit, 142 Calculation unit, 144 Processing unit, 146 Storage unit, 146a Container error information table, 146b Transported object error information table, 146c Correction amount information table, 146d Correction insertion position information table, a Correction amount, AP;AP1;AP2 Conveyed object error information, AS;AS1;AS2 Container error information, BS;BS1;BS2;RS;RS1;RS2 Height position, D Conveying direction, D1;D2 Distance, DR Detection area, G;G1;G2 Space, H Container, L Detection light, P1;P1a;P1a1;P1a2;P1b;P1b1;P1b2, Upper end position, P2 Target position, P3a;P3b Insertion position, PR;PR1;PR2 Correction insertion position information, RC;RC1;RC2 Correction amount information, S Support part, S1 First support part, S2 Second support part, S00 Pre-processing process, S01 Storage start process, S02 Upper end position measurement process, S03 Correction amount calculation process, S04 Insertion position correction process, S05 Transported object storage process, S06 Transported object remaining number confirmation process, S07 Storing end process, TR;TR1;TR2 Reference insertion position information, W Transported object, X left and right direction, Y front and back direction, Z up and down direction

Claims

1. A conveying mechanism for transporting an object to be transported into a container provided with multiple support parts arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, A detection unit for detecting the upper end position of the object to be transported by the transport mechanism, A control unit that controls the transport mechanism, Equipped with, The aforementioned plurality of support parts are provided such that the upper support part is provided as the first support part, and the lower support part is provided as the second support part. The transport mechanism comprises a holding unit for holding the object to be transported, and a drive unit for moving the holding unit in the horizontal and vertical directions. The detection unit, while the object to be transported is held by the holding unit, detects the distance from the lower surface of the holding unit to the upper end of the object to be transported in the vertical direction as the upper end position of the object to be transported. The control unit corrects the insertion height at which the holding part is inserted into the container so that the upper end position of the object to be transported is located at the target position. The target position is a position in the vertical direction that is closer to the first support portion than to the second support portion. A conveying device characterized by the following features.

2. The control unit, The correction amount for the insertion height is calculated so that the upper end position is located at the target position, Based on the correction amount, the insertion height for inserting the holding part into the container is corrected, and The holding part positioned at the aforementioned insertion height is inserted into the container to transport the object to be transported into the container. The conveying device according to feature 1.

3. The object to be transported is a substrate that is curved in the vertical direction, The control unit further sets the target position such that the lower end of the object to be transported is located above the upper surface of the second support in the vertical direction. The conveying device according to feature 1.

4. The transport mechanism further includes a support pin extending upward from the holding portion. The object to be transported is held in the holding section while being supported by the support pin. The conveying device according to feature 1.

5. The detection unit forms a detection area in the horizontal direction and detects the upper end position of the object being transported as it passes through the detection area. The conveying device according to feature 1.

6. The control unit acquires the error between the upper end position of the object to be transported, as detected by the detection unit, and the upper end position of the object to be transported, which serves as a reference when inserting the holding unit into the container, as object error information. The conveying device according to feature 2.

7. The control unit further acquires the error between the height position of each of the multiple support parts of the container and the height position of each of the multiple support parts of a reference container as container error information. The conveying device according to feature 6.

8. The control unit further calculates the correction amount for the insertion height of the holding unit into the container as correction amount information based on at least one of the transported object error information and the container error information. The conveying device according to feature 7.

9. The control unit further acquires reference insertion position information as a reference insertion position for the holding unit into the container, so that the upper end position of the object to be transported, which serves as the reference when inserting the holding unit into the container, is positioned at the target position, and Based on the reference insertion position information and the correction amount information as the correction amount, the corrected insertion position of the holding part into the container is calculated as corrected insertion position information. The conveying device according to feature 8.

10. The control unit further positions the holding unit at the corrected insertion position based on the corrected insertion position information, inserts it into the container, and transports the object to be transported into the container. The conveying device according to feature 9.

11. The detection unit comprises a light-emitting unit that emits detection light to form the detection area, and a light-receiving unit that receives the detection light, The upper end position of the object is detected by the transport mechanism, which moves the object to be transported through the detection area along a transport direction intersecting the extension direction of the detection area. The conveying device according to feature 5.

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