Transferer-Mounted Antenna for Reliable Transport Vehicle Communication

Solution Overview

Problem

In semiconductor manufacturing factories, transport vehicles face communication challenges due to obstructed wireless communication caused by other vehicles, leading to reduced radio wave intensity, which existing solutions attempt to address by changing the antenna posture, but this requires additional mechanisms increasing vehicle size and weight, and costs.

Innovation Solution

The transport vehicle design allows for changing the position or posture of the antenna using the existing transferer's rotation driver, eliminating the need for a separate antenna driving mechanism, with the antenna mounted on a frame that rotates around a vertical axis, preventing interference and improving communication quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a separate antenna driving mechanism is provided to change the antenna posture, then communication reliability is improved, but the size and weight of the transport vehicle increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidweight of transport vehicle

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The transferer is designed to serve dual purposes: its primary function of transferring articles is combined with the secondary function of serving as a mounting base for the antenna. By mounting the antenna on the transferer, the patent eliminates the need for a separate antenna driving mechanism while still enabling antenna posture adjustment through the transferer's rotation around the vertical axis. This multi-functionality approach directly resolves the contradiction by improving communication reliability without adding extra weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges the antenna system with the transferer mechanism by mounting the antenna on the transferer structure. This combination allows the antenna to be repositioned using the transferer's existing rotational capability rather than requiring an independent antenna driving system. The merging of these two systems directly addresses the technical contradiction by achieving reliable communication antenna positioning without increasing vehicle weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If a separate antenna driving mechanism is provided to change the antenna posture, then communication reliability is improved, but the cost of the transport vehicle system increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The transferer is designed to serve dual purposes: its primary function of transferring articles is combined with the secondary function of serving as a mounting base for the antenna. By mounting the antenna on the transferer, the patent eliminates the need for a separate antenna driving mechanism while still enabling antenna posture adjustment through the transferer's rotation around the vertical axis. This multi-functionality approach directly resolves the contradiction by improving communication reliability without adding extra weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges the antenna system with the transferer mechanism by mounting the antenna on the transferer structure. This combination allows the antenna to be repositioned using the transferer's existing rotational capability rather than requiring an independent antenna driving system. The merging of these two systems directly addresses the technical contradiction by achieving reliable communication antenna positioning without increasing vehicle weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Device complexity

If the antenna position is fixed, then the device complexity is reduced, but communication quality deteriorates due to obstruction from other vehicles

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice complexityVSAvoidcommunication quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic antenna positioning by mounting the antenna on the transferer, which can rotate around the vertical axis. This allows the antenna position to be dynamically adjusted based on communication conditions and the positions of other vehicles, rather than being fixed. The dynamic capability enables the system to maintain communication quality by repositioning the antenna when obstructions occur, while still using the existing transferer mechanism to avoid excessive complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS12119253B2Transport vehicle

Publication Date: 2024.10.15 MURATA MASCH LTD

AI summary

A transport vehicle includes: a traveler; a transferer that is mounted on the traveler and receives or delivers an article from or to a transfer destination; and an antenna that is provided so that at least the position or the posture thereof can be changed to follow the action of the transferer, and that performs wireless communication with another device.