The present invention provides a direction change device which can reduce the
transport time, including first and second transport passage 3, 4, in which one of the transport passages is disposed at the same vertical position as that of the first transport rail 16, the other is disposed below the one, a rotating unit 22 rotating the transport passages 3, 4 about their central points, a lift unit 23 lifting the transport passages 3, 4 in a vertical direction and a
control unit 21. The
control unit 21 controls such that when the
FOUP 5 is carried out from the transport rail 16 to the transport passage disposed at the same vertical position as that of the transport rail 16, rotating the transport passages 3, 4 by about 90 DEG, carrying out the
FOUP 5 from one of the transport passages, and exchanging the respective vertical positions of the first and second transport passages 3, 4.