Transport Vehicle Stop Position Correction via Deviation Amounts
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor manufacturing facilities, the teaching of transfer destinations for transport vehicles becomes time-consuming and inefficient as the number of vehicles increases, requiring significant effort and time to correct transfer positions, especially when multiple vehicles need to be calibrated across a large facility.
Innovation Solution
A transport system with a track and multiple vehicles, each equipped with a traveling body and a transferer, uses stop indicators at transfer destinations and a controller to calculate and correct deviations in transfer positions by finding differences in errors between reference points, allowing for efficient alignment of vehicles across multiple transfer destinations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of transport vehicles increases to handle larger facility sizes, then the transport capacity is improved, but the time required for teaching each transport vehicle becomes excessively long
Solution Approach 1:
The teaching process is segmented into two distinct phases: (1) reference transport vehicle teaching that visits all transfer destinations to establish reference teaching data, and (2) other transport vehicle teaching that only visits one transfer destination to acquire correction data. This segmentation dramatically reduces the total teaching time while maintaining accuracy across all vehicles.
Solution Approach 2:
The reference transport vehicle performs preliminary teaching at all transfer destinations first, establishing reference teaching data that includes position information and correction amounts. This preliminary action creates a foundation that other vehicles can build upon, eliminating the need for each vehicle to be individually taught at every destination.
2Ease of operation
If one transfer destination is used to correct each transport vehicle, then the teaching process is simplified, but the operation efficiency is reduced when multiple vehicles need teaching
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by having other transport vehicles acquire correction data from a single transfer destination and apply this correction to their operations at all destinations. The controller uses the correction amount obtained from one destination to adjust the teaching data for all other destinations, creating an efficient feedback loop that maintains accuracy without requiring extensive teaching at each location.
3Ease of operation
If multiple reference platforms are installed to divide transport routes into areas, then local teaching efficiency is improved, but the overall operation efficiency decreases due to repeated teaching requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The reference transport vehicle serves a universal function by establishing reference teaching data at all transfer destinations that can be used by all other transport vehicles. Instead of having separate reference platforms for different areas, one reference vehicle creates universally applicable teaching data that benefits the entire system, eliminating the need for repeated teaching when vehicles move between areas.
Data Source
AI summary
A deviation amount is a difference between a first error that occurs when an article is placed on a first transfer destination by a first transport vehicle and a second error that occurs when the article is placed on a second transfer destination by the first transport vehicle. An nth error that occurs when the article is placed on an nth transfer destination other than the first transfer destination and the second transfer destination is acquired. In an mth transport vehicle other than the first transport vehicle, a stop position of an mth traveling body is corrected by the nth error and an mth-1 error occurring when the article is placed on the first reference platform, or by the nth error and an mth-2 error as well as the deviation amount, the mth-2 error occurring when the article is placed on the second reference platform.