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

Conveyor

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

[0002] In the field of semiconductor manufacturing and the like, there has long been a transport technology that uses an industrial transport robot provided in a transport device to transport a transported object between a load port on which a container for accommodating the transported object, such as a substrate (e.g., a wafer, a glass substrate, etc.), is placed and a processing device or load lock chamber for processing the transported object. Specifically, the transport robot, which serves as a transport mechanism provided in the transport device, can unload the transported object from a container for accommodating the transported object, transport it to a processing device for processing the transported object, and unload the transported object from the processing device for processing the transported object and store the transported object in the container for accommodating the transported object. Furthermore, when the transport robot transports the transported object into the transport device, a detector in the transport device can detect the condition of the transported object (e.g., the amount of warpage) and control the transport operation of the transport robot based on the detected condition of the transported object.

[0003] Furthermore, in recent years, a method called panel-level packaging (hereinafter referred to as PLP) has become popular as a packaging technology for highly integrated devices. PLP is a method for manufacturing multiple semiconductor packages at once by arranging a large number of chips on a rectangular panel (e.g., a glass substrate). PLP includes a process for coating (sealing) the upper surface of the panel on which the large number of chips are mounted with a resin, and panels handled on a semiconductor package manufacturing line using PLP are prone to significant warpage in the vertical direction (upward warpage, downward warpage, etc., including deflection and distortion).

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-260010

[0005] In a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod), which is a container for transported objects (hereinafter referred to as substrates), support portions for the substrates are formed at equal intervals in the vertical direction. The intervals between each support portion are becoming narrower to improve the substrate storage efficiency. When a substrate is transported to a FOUP using a transport robot, a robot hand provided on the transport robot as a holder for holding the substrate enters above a specific support portion into the FOUP while holding the substrate, then moves downward to support the substrate on the specific support portion before leaving the FOUP. However, because the intervals between the support portions in the vertical direction are narrow, there is a risk that the substrate will collide with the support portion of the FOUP when the robot hand is inserted.

[0006] For the above reasons, it is required that the state of the object (substrate) being transported by the transport device be detected by a detector of the transport device and that the state be reflected in the control of the transport operation of the transport device.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention provides a conveying device that prevents the transported object (substrate) from colliding with a support portion provided on a container by controlling a holding portion based on the state of the transported object (substrate) detected by a detection portion of the conveying device.

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, there is provided a conveying device comprising: a conveying mechanism for conveying an object to be conveyed to a container having a plurality of support parts arranged at a predetermined interval 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 configured such that an upper support part is provided as a first support part and a lower support part is provided 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 direction and the vertical direction, wherein the detection unit detects the distance from the lower surface of the holding part in the vertical direction to the upper end of the object to be conveyed as the upper end position of the object to be conveyed, when the object to be conveyed is held by the holding part, and 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 conveyed is located at a target position, and the target position is a position closer to the first support part in the vertical direction than the second support part.

[0009] According to the present invention, a conveying device can be provided that corrects the insertion height at which the holding part is inserted into the container based on the position of the transported object detected by the detection part so that the upper end position of the transported object is positioned at the target position, thereby preventing the transported object from colliding with the support part.

[0010] 7 is a perspective view illustrating an entire conveying system to which a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a block diagram of the electrical configuration of the conveying system shown in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the conveying device shown in FIG. 1 with a part of the conveying device removed. It is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a load port used in the conveying system shown in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view illustrating the interior of a container placed on the load port shown in FIG. 4. It is a perspective view illustrating a conveying robot as a conveying mechanism used in the conveying devices shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. It is a schematic view illustrating the detection by a detector of a flat conveyed object held by a holder of the conveying mechanism shown in FIG. 6. It is a schematic view illustrating the detection by a detector of a warped conveyed object held by a holder of the conveying mechanism shown in FIG. 6. It is a schematic view illustrating the insertion by a detector of a first support part and a second support part of a container while holding a flat conveyed object. It is a schematic view illustrating the insertion by a holder of the conveying mechanism shown in FIG. 7 between a first support part and a second support part of a container while holding a warped conveyed object. It is a flowchart of a process of conveying a conveyed object to a container by a conveying device in the conveying system shown in FIG. 2. It is an explanatory view showing an example of a container error information table used in the conveying system shown in FIG. 2. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a transported object error information table used in the transport system shown in Fig. 2. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a correction amount information table used in the transport system shown in Fig. 2. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a correction insertion position information table used in the transport system shown in Fig. 2.

[0011] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following describes the specific structure and conveying means of a conveying apparatus 100 and a conveying system 50 to which the conveying apparatus 100 is applied, in combination with Figures 1 to 15, and describes the spatial coordinate system XYZ as having a left-right direction X, a front-back direction Y, and an up-down direction Z. However, this is merely an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0012] First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 , a transfer device 100 according to this embodiment and a transfer system 50 to which the transfer device 100 is applied will be described. The transfer device 100 according to this 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 Equipment Front End Module (EFEM). The load port 52 is a device for placing a container H (e.g., a FOUP) that contains a transfer object W and for opening and closing a lid (not shown) of the container H. The processing device 54 is a device for processing the transfer object W. The transport device 100 includes a housing 110, a transport mechanism 120 provided inside the housing 110 and configured to transport a transported object W, a detection unit 130 provided inside the housing 110 and configured to detect the state of the transported object W transported by the transport mechanism 120, and a control unit 140 configured to control the transport mechanism 120. The housing 110 houses the transport mechanism 120 and other components, and communicates with the load port 52 and the processing device 54. The transport mechanism 120 is configured to be movable inside the housing 110. The transport mechanism 120 (e.g., a transport robot) provided in the transport device 100 transports the transported object W removed from a container H to the processing device 54 through the inside of the housing 110. The processing device 54 processes the transported object W transported by the transport mechanism 120. Alternatively, the transport mechanism 120 transports the transported object W removed from the processing device 54 to a container H through the inside of the housing 110. The container H stores the transported object W transported by the transport mechanism 120. The detection unit 130 is provided inside the housing 110. The detection unit 130 detects the state of the transported object W when the transport mechanism 120 transports the transported object W in the housing 110. The control unit 140 controls the transport operation of the transport mechanism 120. The control unit 140 controls the transport operation of the transport mechanism 120 based on the state of the transported object W detected by the detection unit 130.

[0013] In this embodiment, the transported object W is, for example, a glass substrate used in PLP, and is accommodated in a container H (although not limited thereto). As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the container H accommodating the transported object W, such as a glass substrate used in PLP, is placed on a load port 52. The container H is provided with a plurality of support members S arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction Z. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 , the support members S are arranged to protrude horizontally (e.g., in the left-right direction X) from the inner surfaces of opposing sides of the container H, and can support the transported object W on opposing sides of the transported object W. Furthermore, each support member S, together with other support members S adjacent thereto in the vertical direction Z, forms a space G in which the transported object W is stored. As a result, the container H can store a plurality of transported objects W inside (in each of the spaces G) by supporting the transported object W with each of the plurality of support members S arranged at predetermined intervals (space G) in the vertical direction Z. That is, the transported object W is supported by the 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 portions S and the space G will be described by numbering them from top to bottom in the vertical direction Z. Of the multiple support portions S, the support portion S that supports the transported object W being transported to the container H by the transport device 100 is referred to as the second support portion, and the support portion S located above the second support portion is referred to as the first support portion. In other words, of the multiple support portions S that define the predetermined space G for storing the transported object W transported by the transport mechanism 120, the support portion S located on the upper side is the first support portion, and the support portion S located on the lower side is the second support portion. Note that there is no other support portion S between the first support portion and the second support portion in the vertical direction Z (i.e., they are adjacent to each other). As shown in FIG. 5, the space G1 is partitioned by support portion S1 and support portion S2. In this case, support portion S1 corresponds to the first support portion, and support portion S2 corresponds to the second support portion. When the transported object W is supported by support portion S2 and stored in space G1, a target position for correction is determined based on the first support portion and the second support portion described below. Furthermore, space G2 is partitioned by support portion S2 and support portion S3. In this case, support portion S2 corresponds to the first support portion, and support portion S3 corresponds to the second support portion. When the transported object W is supported by support portion S3 and stored in space G2, a target position for correction is determined based on the first support portion and the second support portion described below. Note that, since there are no other support portions above support portion S1, when the transported object W is supported by support portion S1, a position spaced a predetermined distance from the top surface of container H becomes the target position for storing the transported object W in the uppermost support portion S1. Furthermore, the correction related to the target position determined based on the first and second support units, which will be described later, will be explained by taking as an example a case where the transported load W is stored in a space G1 partitioned by support units S1 and S2. In this case, support unit S1 corresponds to the first support unit, and support unit S2 corresponds to the second support unit, so support units S1 and S2 will be used in the explanation of the first and second support units. However, as described above, the first and second support units to be used will change depending on which support unit S partitions the space G in which the transported load W is stored.

[0015] 2 and 4, the load port 52 includes a port door 52a that engages with the lid (not shown) of the container H, a door drive unit 52b for driving the movement of the port door 52a in the vertical direction Z, a door control unit 52c for controlling the driving 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 body 52f that supports the mounting table 52e. The door drive unit 52b is a unit including, for example, a motor and a ball screw (not shown), and the general structure is housed inside the support body 52f, with a portion of the structure protruding into the interior of the housing 110 of the transport device 100 so as to be connected to the port door 52a. When the transport mechanism 120 of the transport device 100 is used to transport the transported object W to a container H or when the transport mechanism 120 of the transport device 100 is used to transport the transported object W from a container H, the door control unit 52c controls the driving of the door drive unit 52b to move the port door 52a in the vertical direction Z. This allows the load port 52 to open the lid of the container H. By opening the lid of the container H, the transported object W stored in the container H faces the interior of the casing 110, and the transport mechanism 120 can transport the transported object W from the container H to the interior of the casing 110. Similarly, the transport mechanism 120 can also transport the transported object W from the interior of the casing 110 to the container H. 4 and 5, the port door 52a moves downward while engaged with the lid of the container H, opening the lid of the container H downward and exposing the multiple support members S provided inside the container H in order from top to bottom so as to directly face the inside of the housing 110. In other words, by moving the port door 52a, of the multiple support members S provided on the container H, the first support member S1 on the upper side is exposed so as to directly face the inside of the housing 110 before the second support member S2 on the lower side.

[0016] 2 and 4, the container detection unit 52d is, for example, a reflective sensor, and is provided on the upper edge of the port door 52a, facing the container H toward the rear of the load port 52. The container detection unit 52d detects the height position of the support member S. In this embodiment, the container detection unit 52d detects the height position of each support member S (the height position RS of each of the multiple support members S of the container H, which will be described later) using the mounting table 52e as a reference. The container detection unit 52d can move in the vertical direction Z 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 members S from top to bottom in order so that they directly face the interior of the housing 110. At the same time, the container detection unit 52d can move from top to bottom in the vertical direction Z to detect the height positions of the multiple support members S of the container H in order from top to bottom. That is, 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 member S1 and then detecting the height position of the lower second support member S2. In this manner, the height positions of the multiple supports S provided on the container H are detected by the container detection unit 52d, and the spacing (space G) between the multiple supports S can also be obtained based on the detected height positions. This detection process is preferably performed before the transport device 100 transports the transported object W. The height positions of the multiple supports S and the spacing between the multiple supports S may also be obtained by other means. For example, they may be set based on dimensional information about the container H and the load port 52. The height positions of the multiple supports S and the spacing between the multiple supports S can be input to the control unit 140 as container information and used as one of the control conditions for the transport means of the transport device 100.

[0017] The processing device 54 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes at least one platform (not shown) and can support at least one object W during a processing step of the object W. The type of processing device 54 can be selected depending on the process to be performed on the object W (e.g., a process required for semiconductor manufacturing, such as ion implantation or etching). Furthermore, by opening the door of the processing device 54, the object W inside the processing device 54 faces the interior of the housing 110, allowing the transport mechanism 120 to transport the object W from inside the processing device 54 to inside the housing 110. Similarly, the transport mechanism 120 can also transport the object W from inside the housing 110 to inside the processing device 54. In another embodiment (not shown), a load lock chamber may be further installed between the transport device 100 and the processing device 54.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3 , the housing 110 of the conveying device 100 includes, for example, a frame 112 (shown in FIG. 3 ), a wall 114 (shown in FIG. 1 ) for covering the frame 112, a moving body 116 for moving the conveying mechanism 120, and a guide structure 118 for guiding the movement of the moving body 116. The frame 112 is installed as a frame of the housing 110. The wall 114 is provided on the frame 112 and forms an internal space of the housing 110. The guide structure 118 is, for example, a slide rail structure, a conveyor drive device, or the like, and is provided in the internal space of the housing 110. The moving body 116 is provided on the guide structure 118 in the internal space of the housing 110 and is installed so as to be freely movable within the housing 110 by the guide structure 118. For example, the moving body 116 is attached to the guide structure 118 for guiding movement in the left-right direction X, and is movable within the housing 110 in the left-right direction X by the guide structure 118. The wall 114 also has an opening OP (shown in FIG. 1 ) for communication with the load port 52 and an opening (not shown) for communication with the processing device 54. When these openings are open, the transport mechanism 120 provided inside the housing 110 can transport the transported object W from the load port 52 to the processing device 54 or from the processing device 54 to the load port 52. That is, the transport mechanism 120 moves by the movable body 116 to the position of the port door 52a of the load port 52, allowing the transported object W to be transferred between the container H and the interior of the housing 110. Similarly, the transport mechanism 120 moves by the movable body 116 to the position of the door of the processing device 54, allowing the transported object W to be transferred between the processing device 54 and the interior of the housing 110. As a result, the transport device 100 can transport the transported object W between the container H placed on the load port 52 and the processing device 54 using the transport mechanism 120 inside the housing 110.

[0019] 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 holder 126 attached to the tip of the arm 124 and holding the transported object W, and a drive unit 128 that drives the arm 124 to move the holder 126 in the horizontal direction (the left-right direction X and the front-back direction Y) and the up-down 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 rotatable within 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 movable up and down in the up-down direction Z. The holder 126 is, for example, a robot hand, and is attached to the tip of the arm 124, so that it can rotate within the horizontal plane of the arm 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 122, and applies a driving force to the arm 124 to move the holder 126. Therefore, the transport robot serving as the transport mechanism 120 moves between the load port 52 on which the container H is placed and the processing device 54 by the movable body 116 while holding the transported object W with the holder 126 (as shown in FIG. 6 ), and drives the arm 124 with the drive unit 128, thereby freely moving (up and down, rotating, back and forth) the holder 126, and transporting the transported object W by the holder 126.

[0020] In this embodiment, while the transport mechanism 120 transports the transported object W inside the housing 110, a detector 130 provided inside the housing 110 detects the state of the transported object W. The detector 130 detects the upper end position of the transported object W transported by the transport mechanism 120. As shown in FIG. 3 , the detector 130 forms a detection area DR in the horizontal direction (e.g., the front-rear direction Y) and detects the upper end position of the transported object W passing through the detection area DR. As an example, the detector 130 is a line sensor and includes a light-emitting unit 132 (light-emitting unit) that emits detection light that forms the detection area 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 facing the light-emitting unit 132 at a predetermined distance from the light-emitting unit 132. For example, the light-emitting unit 132 and the light-receiving unit 134 are fixed to the inner wall sides of the wall portions 114 on both opposing sides in the front-to-rear direction Y of the housing 110. The light-emitting unit 132 emits detection light toward the light-receiving unit 134 provided on the inner wall side of the opposing wall portion 114, and the light-receiving unit 134 receives the detection light emitted from the light-emitting unit 132 provided on the opposing wall portion 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 (e.g., the front-to-rear direction Y) between the wall portions 114 on both opposing sides in the front-to-rear direction Y of the housing 110. As a result, inside the housing 110, the transported object W held in the holding section 126 by the transport mechanism 120 is transported along a transport direction D (e.g., left-right direction X) that intersects with the extension direction of the detection area DR (e.g., the front-to-back direction Y), and the detection section 130 detects the upper end position of the transported object W by passing the transported object W through the detection area DR along the transport direction D (e.g., the left-to-right direction X).

[0021] 3, in order to improve the detection accuracy of the detector 130, the horizontal dimension (e.g., the front-to-rear direction Y) of the detection area DR is set to be larger than the horizontal dimension (e.g., the front-to-rear direction Y) of the transported object W. In this case, when the transported object W is transported along the transport direction D (e.g., the left-to-right direction X), the transported object W can pass through the detection area DR from one end to the other end in the horizontal direction (e.g., the front-to-rear direction Y) at the same time, and the entire top surface of the transported object W can be detected.

[0022] 3, 7, and 8, the detection of the upper end position P1 of the transported object W by the detection unit 130 will be described. Here, the transported object W shown in FIG. 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 FIG. 8 is a substrate that is warped in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the light-emitting unit 132 of the detection unit 130 emits a belt-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 on the light-receiving surface of a line-type CCD sensor (not shown). The belt-shaped detection light L extends from the light-emitting unit 132 toward the light-receiving unit 134, forming a belt-shaped detection region DR. Furthermore, the vertical dimension of the belt-shaped detection light L is preferably greater than the distance from the lower surface 126a of the holder 126 of the transport mechanism 120 to the upper end of the transported object W held by the holder 126. Inside the housing 110, the transported object W held by the holder 126 of the transport mechanism 120 passes through the detection area DR while moving in the transport direction D (e.g., the left-right direction X) of the transport mechanism 120. As the holder 126 holding the transported object W passes through the range of the band-shaped detection light L (i.e., the detection area DR) so as to block it, the detection unit 130 measures the amount of the band-shaped detection light L blocked by the transported object W and the holder 126 in the up-down direction Z.

[0023] As a result, when the transported object W is held by the holding portion 126, the detection unit 130 detects the distance in the vertical direction Z from the lower surface 126a of the holding portion 126 to the upper end of the transported object W (for example, the distance D1 shown in FIG. 7 or the distance D2 shown in FIG. 8) as the upper end position P1 of the transported object W. If the transported object W is an ideal substrate as shown in FIG. 7, the upper end position P1a of the transported object W is the upper surface of the transported object W, while if the transported object W is a substrate that is warped in the vertical direction Z as shown in FIG. 8, the upper end position P1b of the transported object W is the uppermost surface of the upward warpage of the transported object W (the portion with the largest amount of upward warpage). However, regardless of whether the transported object W is warped in the vertical direction Z, the detection unit 130 can obtain the upper end position P1 of the transported object W when the transport mechanism 120 transports the transported object W, as described above. Here, the detector 130 is exemplified as a line sensor composed of a light emitter 132 and a light receiver 134, but detection means other than a line sensor may be used. The detector 130 forms the detection area DR along the horizontal direction, i.e., the front-to-rear direction Y, but the detector 130 may form the detection area DR along another horizontal direction (e.g., the left-to-right direction X), or may form the detection area DR along a direction other than the horizontal direction. It is sufficient that the detector 130 that forms the detection area DR can detect the upper end position P1 of the transported object W held by the holder 126.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 3 , 7 , and 8 , the transport mechanism 120 further includes support pins 129 extending upward from the upper surface 126 b of the holder 126 (robot hand). The transported object W is held by the holder 126 while being supported by the support pins 129. The support pins 129 are provided on the upper surface 126 b of the holder 126 and abut against the lower surface of the transported object W to hold the transported object W, thereby improving the stability of the transported object W during transport. More specifically, a predetermined area on the lower surface of the transported object W is allowed to come into contact with the holder 126 (robot hand). In addition, the holder 126 is required to support the transported object W so that the lower surface of the transported object W does not touch the surface of the holder 126, even if the transported object W is warped or bent. Therefore, the holding unit 126 is required to support the transported object W using the support pins 129 that come into contact within the above-mentioned area in order to prevent particles from adhering to the transported object W due to contact between the holding unit 126 and the transported object W. Furthermore, since the support pins 129 support the transported object W at a position spaced above the holding unit 126, the bottom surface of the transported object W is prevented from coming into contact with the surface of the holding unit 126.

[0025] As an example, when a transported object W supported by support pins 129 is placed in a space G formed by predetermined support members S in a container H (FOUP), the transported object W is supported so that its lower surface does not touch the surface of the holder 126. This increases the likelihood that the transported object W will collide with an upper one of the support members S that form the destination space G. Furthermore, when the transported object W is held by the support pins 129 provided on the holder 126, the lower end of the transported object W may overlap the position of the support pins 129 in the vertical direction Z (see FIGS. 7 and 8 ). Therefore, 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 sophisticated detector 130, which increases the detection cost. Therefore, in this embodiment, the detector 130 detects the upper end position P1 of the transported object W while the transported object W is being transported while held by the multiple support pins 129. Therefore, when detecting the state of the transported load W held by the holding unit 126 by the support pins 129 (for example, the upper end position P1 of the transported load W shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 ), the detection unit 130 measures the distance from the lower surface 126 a of the holding unit 126, including the support pins 129, to the uppermost surface of the transported load W (for example, the distance D1 shown in FIG. 7 or the distance D2 shown in FIG. 8 ), and can detect the upper end position P1 of the transported load W based on this. If the holding unit 126 does not have the support pins 129, the holding unit 126 can also directly hold the transported load W by the upper surface 126 b of the holding unit 126. In one aspect, the holding unit 126 also serves as the support pins 129.

[0026] 4, 5, and 9, in this embodiment, when the transport mechanism 120 transports the transported object W to the container H, the holding unit 126 (robot hand) holding the transported object W enters, while holding the transported object W, a space G partitioned by two vertically adjacent support units S of the multiple support units S of the container H, and then moves downward to support the transported object W on the lower support unit S (second support unit) of the two vertically adjacent support units S, before leaving the container H. At this time, as described above, if the spacing (pitch) between the multiple support units S in the container H is narrow and the transported object W is warped, there is a risk that the transported object W will collide with the support unit S of the container H when the holding unit 126 is inserted. For this reason, the control unit 140 (shown in FIG. 2) of the conveying device 100 is required to correct the insertion height at which the holding unit 126 is inserted into the container H based on the upper end position P1 of the conveyed object W detected by the detection unit 130 so that the conveyed object W does not collide with the support units S of the container H, and to insert the holding unit 126 into the container H at the corrected insertion position (insertion height). Note that if it is estimated that the magnitude of the warpage of the conveyed object W is greater than the spacing between the multiple support units S based on the value detected by the detection unit 130 and the spacing between the multiple support units S, an alarm may be issued without inserting the conveyed object W into the container H, and irregular processing may be performed.

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

[0028] As an example, the control unit 140 acquires in advance the spacing (space G) between the multiple support portions S of the container H, and sets the target position P2 to a position closer to the first support portion S1, based on the midpoint between the first support portion S1 and the second support portion S2. Alternatively, while the port door 52a (shown in FIG. 4) described above is being lowered, the container detector 52d installed on the upper part of the port door 52a detects the position of the underside of the first support portion S1 (the lowering operation may be stopped at this point), and sets the target position P2 to a position a predetermined distance below the position of the underside of the first support portion S1. For subsequent support portions S, the target positions P2 may be calculated according to the spacing between the multiple support portions S, or the port door 52a may continue to be lowered, detecting the position of the underside of each support portion S and setting the target position of the next support portion S. After setting the target positions P2 of the multiple support parts S, it is preferable to correct the insertion height at which the holding part 126 is inserted into the container H so that the detected upper end position P1 of the transported object W is located at the target position P2, regardless of the state of the transported object W being transported by the transport mechanism 120 (whether it is warped in the vertical direction Z or not), but this does not exclude adjusting the target position P2 during the transport process of the transported object W.

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

[0030] 7 and 9, the process of inserting the holder 126, which holds the transported object W as an ideal substrate, into the container H will be described. The transported object W shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 has the same dimensions and posture as the ideal substrate. Therefore, the distance D1 of the transported object W is equal to the reference setting value of the ideal substrate. When the transported object W is actually transported, the detection unit 130 detects the distance D1 from the lower surface 126a of the holder 126 to the upper end of the transported object W as the upper end position P1a of the transported object W. The control unit 140 compares the detection value (distance D1) of the detection unit 130 with a previously acquired reference setting value corresponding to the reference insertion position of the holder 126. As described above, because the distance D1 of the transported object 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 holder 126 as 0. The control unit 140 corrects the reference insertion position of the holder 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 holder 126 is inserted into the container H at insertion position P3a. Note that in this example, the correction amount for the insertion height of the holder 126 is 0, so that no correction of the insertion height of the holder 126 appears to have been made. That is, in FIG. 9, the reference insertion position can be referred to as insertion position P3a.

[0031] 8 and 10 , the process of inserting the holder 126, which holds the transported object W (i.e., a substrate warped in the vertical direction Z), into the container H will be described. The transported object W shown in FIGS. 8 and 10 differs from an ideal substrate in that it warps in the vertical direction Z. The transported object W includes warping that separates its upper surface from the holder 126. Therefore, the distance D2 of the transported object W is greater than the reference setting value (corresponding to the distance D1) of an ideal substrate. When the transported object W is actually transported, the detection unit 130 detects the distance D2 from the lower surface 126a of the holder 126 to the upper end of the transported object W as the upper end position P1b of the transported object W. The control unit 140 compares the detection value (distance D2) of the detection unit 130 with a reference setting value corresponding to a previously acquired reference insertion position of the holder 126. Specifically, the detection unit 130 calculates the difference between the distance D2 and the reference setting value as a correction amount for the insertion height of the holder 126. The control unit 140 corrects the reference insertion position (insertion position P3a) of the holder 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 holder 126 is inserted into the container H at the insertion position P3b.

[0032] As can be seen from this, in this embodiment, the control unit 140 corrects the insertion height at which the holder 126 is inserted into the container H so that the upper end position P1 of the transported object W is located at the target position P2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10 , for a transported object W that has upward bowing, the insertion position P3b of the holder 126 is corrected downward relative to the insertion position P3a of the holder 126 for transporting the object to the ideal substrate shown in FIG. 9 (the correction amount a is the difference between the distance D2 and the distance D1). In this way, regardless of the state of the transported object W (whether or not it is bowed in the vertical direction Z), the transport device 100 detects the state of the transported object W (e.g., the upper end position P1) while the transported object W is being transported, and corrects the insertion height at which the holder 126 is inserted into the container H so that the upper end position P1 of the transported object W is located at the target position P2. This controls the insertion position of the holder 126 to reduce collisions of the transported object W with the support S, thereby improving control stability. That is, by controlling the insertion position (e.g., insertion position P3a, insertion position P3b) of the holder 126 so that the upper end position P1 of the transported load W is located at the target position P2 by the control unit 140 of the transport device 100, it is possible to prevent the upper end of the transported load W from colliding with the upper first support portion S1. Furthermore, assuming that the upper end of the transported load W will not collide with the upper first support portion S1, the holder 126 is inserted into the container H so that the transported load W is as close to the upper first support portion S1 as possible, thereby obtaining space for the lower second support portion S2. This reduces the risk of the transported load W colliding with the lower second support portion S2 even if the transported load W is bent downward.

[0033] In the embodiments described above, the control unit 140 acquires, as transported object error information AP, the error between the upper end position of the transported object W detected by the detection unit 130 (e.g., the upper end position P1b of the transported object W as a substrate warped in the vertical direction Z) and the upper end position of the transported object W that serves as a reference when inserting the holder 126 into the container H (e.g., the upper end position P1a of the transported object W as a reference ideal substrate), and calculates a correction amount for the insertion height of the holder 126 into the container H based on the transported object error information AP. In another embodiment, the control unit 140 further acquires, as container error information AS, the error between the height positions RS of each of the multiple support parts S of the container H and the height positions BS of each of the multiple support parts S of the reference container H, and preferably calculates, as correction amount information RC, a correction amount a (shown in FIG. 10 ) for the insertion height of the holder 126 into the container H based on at least one of the transported object error information AP and the container error information AS. Below, with reference to Figures 2 and 11 to 15, we will explain the process of transporting the transported object W to the container H using the transporting device 100 of this embodiment, and the calculation of the correction amount a for the insertion height of the holding part 126 into the container H as correction amount information RC by combining the transported object error information AP and the container error information AS.

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

[0035] Then, in an insertion position correction step S04, the control unit 140 corrects the insertion height at which the holder 126 is inserted into the container H based on the calculated correction amount a (shown in FIG. 10 ). Specifically, the control unit 140 calculates a corrected insertion position of the holder 126 into the container H (e.g., insertion position P3b) as corrected insertion position information PR based on reference insertion position information TR as reference insertion position information P3a and correction amount information RC as the correction amount a, which have been acquired in advance. Note that the reference insertion position information TR is information on the reference insertion position P3a at which the holder 126 is inserted into the container H so that the upper end position P1a of the transfer object W, which serves as a reference, is located at the target position P2. Then, in a transfer object storage step S05, the control unit 140 inserts the holder 126 positioned at the insertion height into the container H and transfers the transfer object W to the container H. That is, 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 transported object W to the container H. Through the above steps, the transport of one transported object W is completed. Thereafter, in a remaining transported object number confirmation step S06, the remaining number of transported objects W to be transported is confirmed. If it is confirmed in the remaining transported object number confirmation step S06 that there are transported objects W to be transported to the container H, the upper end position measurement step S02, the correction amount calculation step S03, the insertion position correction step S04, and the transported object storage step S05 are executed again for the next transported object W, and the next transported object W is transported. If it is confirmed in the remaining transported object number confirmation step S06 that there are no transported objects W to be transported to the container H, the process proceeds to a storage completion step S07. In the storage end step S07, the control unit 140 receives a storage end command, and the transfer mechanism 120 ends the transfer of the transferred object W to the container H. Furthermore, there is no need to repeat the preliminary processing step S00.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2 , the control unit 140 has a calculation unit 142, a processing unit 144, and a memory unit 146. The calculation unit 142 calculates a correction amount a (shown in FIG. 10 ) for the insertion height at which the holding unit 126 is inserted into the container H so that the upper end position P1 is positioned at the target position P2. The processing unit 144 corrects the insertion height at which the holding unit 126 is inserted into the container H based on the correction amount a, and inserts the holding unit 126 positioned at the insertion height (positioned at insertion position P3b) into the container H to transport the transported object W to the container H. That is, the control unit 140 corrects the insertion height at which the holding unit 126 is inserted 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 transported object W to the container H. The storage unit 146 also stores the container error information AS in a container error information table 146a, the transported object error information AP in a transported object error information table 146b, the correction amount information RC in a correction amount information table 146c, and the corrected insertion position information PR in a corrected 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 function of the storage unit 146 may be executed by, for example, a storage device (memory). Various pieces 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 corrected insertion position information table 146d will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15.

[0037] More specifically, in this embodiment, before the transport mechanism 120 starts transporting the transported object W to the container H (in the preliminary process S00), the control unit 140 acquires in advance, as container error information AS, the error between the height position RS of each of the multiple support portions S of the container H and the height position BS of each of the multiple support portions S of the reference container H. As shown in FIG. 12 , the container error information table 146a associates and stores the height positions RS1, RS2, ... of each of the multiple support portions S of the container H (numbered from top to bottom) with the height positions BS1, BS2, ... of each of the multiple support portions 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 the height position RS and the height position BS) as container error information AS1, AS2, .... That is, the container error information AS1 is the difference between the actual height position RS1 of the first support member S1 and the reference height position BS1, and the container error information AS2 is the difference between the actual height position RS2 of the second support member S2 and the reference height position BS2. The reference height positions BS of the multiple support members S of the container H are acquired in advance. In contrast, the height positions RS of the multiple support members S of the container H are acquired when the transport device 100 transports the transported object W to the container H (for example, in the pre-processing step S00). In this way, the container error information AS of the multiple support members S of the container H can be acquired during the transport process of the transported object W, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the upper end position measuring step S02, the control unit 140 acquires, as transported object error information AP, the error between the upper end position P1b of the transported object W detected by the detection unit 130 and the reference upper end position P1a of the transported object W when inserting the holding unit 126 into the container H. As shown in FIG. 13 , the transported object error information table 146b stores the detected upper end positions P1b1, P1b2, ... of the transported object W (numbered from top to bottom) to be inserted into each of the multiple support units S of the container H in association with the upper end positions P1a1, P1a2, ... of the transported object W that serve as the reference for insertion into each of the multiple support units S of the container H. The transported object error information table 146b also 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 the upper end position P1b and the upper end position P1a) as transported object error information AP1, AP2, .... That is, the transported object error information AP1 is the difference between the detected upper end position P1b1 of the first transported object W1 and the upper end position P1a1 of the reference transported object W, and the transported object error information AP2 is the difference between the detected upper end position P1b2 of the second transported object W2 and the upper end position P1a2 of the reference transported object W. The upper end position P1a is acquired in advance, and a common value is stored for the 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 (e.g., in the upper end position measurement step S02). This allows the transported object error information AP of the transported object W to be inserted into each of the multiple support portions S of the container H to be acquired during the transport of the transported object W, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the following description, the first transported object W1 is described as an object to be inserted above the second support portion S2 in the container error information table 146a and supported by that support portion S2, and the second transported object W2 is described as an object to be inserted above the third support portion S3 in the container error information table 146a and supported by that support portion S3, but the combination of the transported object W and the support portion S supporting the transported object W is not limited to this. For example, the first transported object W1 may be an object to be supported by the third support portion S3.

[0039] Next, in this embodiment, in the correction amount calculation step S03, the control unit 140 further calculates, as correction amount information RC, a correction amount a (shown in FIG. 10) for the insertion height at which the holder 126 is inserted into the container H so that the upper end position P1a of the transported load W is located at a predetermined target position P2. Here, it will be described that the control unit 140 calculates the correction amount a for the insertion height of the holder 126 into the container H as correction amount information RC by combining the transported load error information AP and the container error information AS. However, it is sufficient to calculate the correction amount a for the insertion height of the holder 126 into the container H as correction amount information RC based on at least one of the transported load error information AP and the container error information AS. As shown in FIG. 14, the correction amount information table 146c stores the transported load 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. The correction amount information table 146c also 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, .... That is, the correction amount information RC1 is 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), and the correction amount information RC2 is 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 holder 126 into the container H when inserting the container H into each of the multiple supports S to be acquired during the transport process of the transported object W. As mentioned above, the first transported object W1 may be the object to be supported by the third support 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 S2.Furthermore, although it has been described that the control unit 140 calculates the 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 the correction amount a (correction amount information RC) is calculated based only on the transported object error information AP, the transported object error information AP is used as the correction amount information RC as is.

[0040] Next, in this embodiment, in an insertion position correction step S04, the control unit 140 corrects the insertion height at which the holder 126 is inserted into the container H based on the calculated correction amount a. Here, the control unit 140 further acquires in advance reference insertion position information TR as a reference insertion position P3a of the holder 126 into the container H so that the upper end position P1a of the transported load W, which serves as a reference when inserting the holder 126 into the container H, is located at the target position P2, and calculates a corrected insertion position of the holder 126 into the container H (e.g., insertion position P3b) as corrected insertion position information PR based on the reference insertion position information TR as the reference insertion position P3a and correction amount information RC as the correction amount a. 15, the corrected insertion position information table 146d stores reference insertion position information TR1, TR2, ... of the holder 126 that transports the reference transported object W to the container H, and correction amount information RC1, RC2, ... calculated in the correction amount calculation step S03, in association with each other. In addition, the corrected 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 corrected insertion position information PR1, PR2, .... In other words, the corrected insertion position information PR1 is insertion position information used when the first transported object W1 is placed on the support part S2 (i.e., support part S2 is the second support part), and is the sum of the reference insertion position information TR1 when the reference transported object W is transported to the second support part S2 (space G1) and the correction amount information RC1 when the first transported object W1 is transported to the second support part S2 (space G1), and the corrected insertion position information PR2 is insertion position information used when the second transported object W2 is placed on the support part S3 (i.e., support part S3 is the second support part), and is the sum of the reference insertion position information TR2 when the reference transported object W is transported to the third support part S3 (space G2) and the correction amount information RC2 when the second transported object W2 is transported to the third support part S3 (space G2). This allows corrected insertion position information PR to be obtained during the transport process of the transported object W, as the corrected insertion position of the holding portion 126 into the container H when inserted into each of the multiple support portions S of the container H, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0041] Next, in this embodiment, in the transported object storing 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 as the corrected insertion position (for example, insertion position P3b), inserts the holding unit 126 into the container H, and transports the transported object W to the container H. That is, when performing the transported object storing 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 unit S (support unit S1, S2, ...) on which the currently transported transported object W is to be placed. Then, the control unit 140 moves (lifts) the holding unit 126 to a corrected insertion position (for example, insertion position P3b in FIG. 10 ) corresponding to the calculated corrected insertion position information PR (corrected insertion position information PR1, PR2, ...), inserts the holding unit 126 positioned at the corrected insertion position (insertion position P3b) into the container H, and conveys the transported object W to the container H. At this time, the control unit 140 controls the arm unit 124 (shown in FIG. 6 ) of the transport mechanism 120 to move it in the vertical direction Z, positions the holding unit 126 at the corrected insertion position (insertion position P3b), and controls the holding unit 126 positioned at the corrected insertion position (insertion position P3b) to convey the transported object W to the container H. Thereafter, the holding unit 126 is moved downward in the vertical direction Z, and the transported object W is placed on the corresponding support unit S. In this way, the holding section 126, which is inserted at the corrected insertion position calculated based on the target position P2, and the transported object W held by the holding section 126 can be prevented from colliding with the first support section S1 and the second support section S2.

[0042] In summary, the conveying device of the present invention includes a conveying mechanism that conveys a conveyed object to a container having a plurality of support members arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction, a detector that detects the upper end position of the conveyed object conveyed by the conveying mechanism, and a controller that controls the conveying mechanism. The controller corrects the insertion height at which a holder of the conveying mechanism is inserted into the container so that the upper end position of the conveyed object is positioned at a predetermined target position. The target position, which is a condition for correcting the insertion height at which the holder is inserted into the container, is set to a position vertically closer to the upper first support member than to the lower second support member. In this way, regardless of the condition of the conveyed object (e.g., whether it is warped vertically), the conveying device detects the condition of the conveyed object (e.g., the upper end position) while the conveyed object is being conveyed, corrects the insertion height at which the holder is inserted into the container so that the upper end position of the conveyed object is positioned at the target position, and controls the insertion position of the holder to reduce collision of the conveyed object with the support members, thereby improving control stability. That is, the insertion position of the holder is controlled so that the upper end of the transported object is always positioned at the target position, thereby preventing the transported object from colliding with the support portion.

[0043] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to explain the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the same. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that the technical solutions described in the above embodiments can still be modified or some or all of the technical features can be replaced with equivalents, provided that such modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0044] The present invention provides a conveying device that can detect the state of the transported object while it is being transported, control a holding unit to reduce collision of the transported object with a support unit provided on a container, and improve control stability.

[0045] 50 Transport system, 52 Load port, 52a Port door, 52b Door drive unit, 52c Door control unit, 52d Container detection unit, 52e Placement table, 52f Support, 54 Processing device, 100 Transport device, 110 Housing, 112 Frame unit, 114 Wall unit, 116 Moving body, 118 Guide structure, 120 Transport mechanism, 122 Main body unit, 124 Arm unit, 126 Holding unit, 126a Lower surface, 126b Upper surface, 128 Drive unit, 129 Support pin, 130 Detection unit, 132 Light emitter, 134 Light receiver, 140 Control unit, 142 Calculation unit, 144 Processing unit, 146 Memory unit, 146a Container error information table, 146b Transported object error information table, 146c Correction amount information table, 146d Corrected insertion position information table, a: correction amount, AP; AP1; AP2; transported object error information, AS; AS1; AS2; container error information, BS; BS1; BS2; RS; RS1; RS2; height position, D: transport 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; corrected insertion position information, RC; RC1; RC2; correction amount information, S: support part, S1: first support part, S2: second support part, S00: pre-processing step, S01: storage start step, S02: upper end position measurement step, S03: correction amount calculation step, S04 Insertion position correction process, S05 Transported object storage process, S06 Transported object remaining number confirmation process, S07 Storage 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 device comprising: a conveying mechanism that conveys an object to be conveyed to a container having a plurality of support parts lined up at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction; a detection unit that detects the upper end position of the object to be conveyed by the conveying mechanism; and a control unit that controls the conveying mechanism, wherein the plurality of support parts have upper support parts that are provided as first support parts and lower support parts that are provided as second support parts, the conveying mechanism has a holding part that holds the object to be conveyed, and a drive unit that moves the holding part in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, wherein the detection unit detects the distance from the underside of the holding part in the vertical direction to the upper end of the object to be conveyed as the upper end position of the object while the object is held by the holding part, and 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 conveyed is located at a target position, and the target position is a position that is closer to the first support part than to the second support part in the vertical direction.

2. The conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit calculates a correction amount for the insertion height at which the holding unit is inserted into the container so that the upper end position is located at the target position, corrects the insertion height at which the holding unit is inserted into the container based on the correction amount, and inserts the holding unit positioned at the insertion height into the container to convey the conveyed object to the container.

3. The conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the object to be conveyed is a substrate that is warped in the vertical direction, and the control unit further sets the target position so that the lower end of the object to be conveyed is positioned above the upper surface of the second support part in the vertical direction.

4. The conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveying mechanism further has support pins extending upward from the holding section, and the object to be conveyed is held by the holding section while being supported by the support pins.

5. The conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the detection unit forms a detection area in the horizontal direction and detects the upper end position of the conveyed object passing through the detection area.

6. The conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit acquires as conveyed object error information the error between the upper end position of the conveyed object detected by the detection unit and the upper end position of the conveyed object that serves as a reference when inserting the holding unit into the container.

7. The conveying device described in claim 6, characterized in that the control unit further acquires the error between the height positions of each of the multiple support parts of the container and the height positions of each of the multiple support parts of a reference container as container error information.

8. The conveying device according to claim 7, characterized in that 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.

9. The conveying device according to claim 8, characterized in that the control unit further acquires reference insertion position information as a reference insertion position of the holding unit into the container so that the upper end position of the transported object, which serves as a reference when inserting the holding unit into the container, is positioned at a target position, and calculates a corrected insertion position of the holding unit into the container as corrected insertion position information based on the reference insertion position information and the correction amount information as the correction amount.

10. The conveying device according to claim 9, characterized in that the control unit further positions the holding unit at the corrected insertion position based on the corrected insertion position information as the corrected insertion position, inserts the holding unit into the container, and conveys the object to the container.

11. The conveying device described in claim 1, characterized in that the detection unit comprises a light-emitting unit that emits detection light that forms the detection area and a light-receiving unit that receives the detection light, and detects the upper end position of the conveyed object by having the conveying mechanism pass the conveyed object through the detection area along a conveying direction that intersects with the extension direction of the detection area.

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