KR101414530B1 - Transporting vehicle system - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To improve the conveying efficiency of an article in a conveyer system.
A conveyance system (1) is a conveyance system for conveying articles between a plurality of processing apparatuses (2) and is provided with a trajectory (3), a conveyance car (5) and a buffer have. The track (3) has a plurality of loops (11, 13, 15) adjacent to the plurality of processing apparatuses (2). The carriage 5 carries the articles by running a plurality of loops (for example, the first loop 11, the second loop 13, and the third loop 15) by one-way running. The buffer 9 has a first stacking table 85 and a second stacking table 86 arranged in a line in the longitudinal direction of the loop and arranged close to both sides of the loop in the inside of the loop. The first loading stage 85 and the second loading stage 86 are provided with a first opening 85a opened toward one side of the loop and a second opening 86a opened toward the opposite side of both sides of the loop Respectively.

Description

[0001] TRANSPORTING VEHICLE SYSTEM [0002]

The present invention relates to a conveyance system, and more particularly to a conveyance system having a conveyance vehicle traveling along an orbit between a plurality of processing apparatuses.

Conventionally, there is known a conveyance car system having a predetermined route, a plurality of stations provided on a route, and a plurality of carriage cars traveling along the route to carry the articles. In the carriage system, cargo catching (carrying the article from the station to the carriage) or cargo unloading (carriing the article to the station from the carriage carriage) is performed between the station and the carriage carriage.

As a representative example of the conveying car system, a ceiling conveying car system used in a conveying system of a semiconductor factory is known. The ceiling conveyance system consists of a track installed on the ceiling and a ceiling carriage that can travel along the track. The overhead traveling carriage mainly has a traveling section which is engaged with the track, a holding section capable of holding the FOUP loaded with the semiconductor wafer, and a moving mechanism for moving the holding section up and down.

In addition, recently, the overhead traveling carriage has a transverse moving mechanism for moving the cargo in the lateral direction. The transporter system employs a transient storage port for transverse movement, thereby making it possible to perform a temporary storage operation in a simple and quick manner as compared with a conventional stocker (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-206371

In the above conveyance system, although the temporary storage port is employed at the side of the path, there are cases in which it is not sufficient to increase the conveyance efficiency of the entire conveyance system.

An object of the present invention is to improve the conveyance efficiency of an article in a conveyance system.

A conveyance system according to the present invention is a conveyance system for conveying an article among a plurality of processing apparatuses, and is provided with a track, a conveyance carriage, and a loading stand. The trajectory has a plurality of loops adjacent to the plurality of processing apparatuses. The conveyer car travels a plurality of loops in a one-way passage to convey the articles. The stacking pod has a first stacking pile and a second stacking pile which are arranged close to both sides of the loop on the inside of the loop and are arranged side by side in a row in the longitudinal direction of the loop. The first stacking stage and the second stacking stage each have a first opening opened toward one side of both sides of the loop and a second opening opened toward the opposite side of both side portions of the loop.

In this system, since the stacking unit has the first opening and the second opening, which are respectively opened toward the trajectories on both sides in the loop, the opening of the opening in the vicinity of the target processing apparatus at the time of temporary provision of the article, Can be selected. As a result, the conveying efficiency of the article is improved.

The first stacking unit and the second stacking unit may be arranged in a straight line in the loop.

In this system, the width of the loop can be set to a minimum.

The carriage system may further include an automatic warehouse connected to the plurality of loops and capable of relaying movement of the articles between the plurality of loops.

In this system, the goods can be stored in an automatic warehouse between a plurality of loops. Thus, for example, it is no longer necessary to place articles excluded from the production schedule in the loading zone. Also, the automatic warehouse functions as a detour when the path is abnormal.

The orbit may be disposed below the floor surface.

In this system, the trajectory does not protrude upward from the bottom, so that the trajectory does not interfere when the operator moves beyond the trajectory.

The conveyance car system may further include a protective cover which covers the orbit and which is disposed in parallel with the bottom surface.

In this system, since the bottom surface is made flat by the protective cover, there is no possibility of damaging the track when the work vehicle moves beyond the track.

The processing apparatus may include a first processing apparatus and a second processing apparatus connected so as to move the article directly. The plurality of loops may include an inlet side loop and an outlet side loop disposed at the inlet of the first processing apparatus and the outlet of the second processing apparatus, respectively.

In this system, the article is moved from the transport vehicle in the inlet side loop to the first processing device and also directly to the second processing device. Finally, the article is moved from the second processing apparatus to the conveying vehicle in the exit side loop. By connecting the plurality of processing apparatuses in this way, the number of conveyance in the entire conveying system is reduced.

The plurality of loops may have a plurality of first loops arranged in parallel and a second loop arranged to connect between the first ends of the plurality of first loops. A loop may not be provided on the second end side of the plurality of first loops.

In this system, since there is no loop connecting between the second ends of the plurality of first loops, it is easy to carry the apparatus between a plurality of first loops or to take the apparatus out of between a plurality of first loops It becomes.

A plurality of loops are arranged in parallel between a plurality of first loops, a second loop arranged to connect between the first ends of the plurality of first loops, and a second loop arranged between the second ends of the plurality of first loops And may have a third loop arranged to connect. The trajectory constituting the third loop may be disposed below the bottom surface.

In this system, the trajectory constituting the third loop does not protrude upward from the bottom, so that the trajectory is not obstructed when the operator moves beyond the trajectory.

The conveyer system may further include a protective cover which covers an orbit constituting the third loop and which is disposed in parallel with the bottom surface.

In this system, since the bottom surface is flat by the protective cover, it is easy to carry the apparatus between the first loops or to take the apparatus out of the plurality of first loops.

(Effects of the Invention)

In the conveyance system according to the present invention, since the stacking unit has the first opening and the second opening which are respectively opened toward both sides of the loop in the loop, the conveying efficiency of the article is improved.

1 is a schematic plan view of a conveyer system in which an embodiment of the present invention is employed.
2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a carrier system as one embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a schematic plan view of the conveyance car.
4 is a partially enlarged view of Fig.
5 is a partial schematic plan view of a carrier system showing a modified example of the trajectory.
6 is a block diagram showing a control system of the conveyance system.
Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the controller in the conveyance carriage.
8 is a partial cross-sectional view of a conveyance car system as one embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a carrier system as an embodiment of the present invention. Fig.
10 is a partial cross-sectional view of a carrier system as an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a partial cross-sectional view of a carrier system as one embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a partial cross-sectional view of a conveyance car system as one embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a partial cross-sectional view of a carrier system as an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view of a conveyer system for explaining a state in which a protective cover is provided on a rail. Fig.
15 is a schematic plan view of a conveyer system in which another embodiment of the present invention is employed.
16 is a partial cross-sectional view of a carrier system in which another embodiment of the present invention is employed.
Fig. 17 is a schematic plan view of a loading platform. Fig.
18 is a partial side view of the stand.
19 is a partial cross-sectional view of the conveyance car system.

(1) Car carrier system

1, a conveyance system 1 according to the present invention will be described. 1 is a schematic plan view of a conveyer system in which an embodiment of the present invention is employed. In this embodiment, the carriage system 1 is employed in a liquid crystal manufacturing factory for manufacturing a large-sized liquid crystal. A plurality of processing apparatuses 2 and inspection apparatuses 4 are arranged in a liquid crystal manufacturing factory.

The conveyance system 1 is a system for conveying an article (for example, a cassette containing a plurality of substrates) between a plurality of processing apparatuses 2 and includes a trajectory 3, a conveyance car 5, (7), and a plurality of buffers (9). In the carriage system 1, the trajectory 3 has a plurality of loops (a main circuit), and the carriage 5 is configured to run the loops one-way.

The orbit 3 has first to fourth loops 11, 13, 15, and 17. The first to third loops (11, 13, 15) extend long in one direction, and therefore have both straight portions and curves at both ends. The first to third loops (11, 13, 15) extend in parallel to each other. The fourth loop 17 is disposed so as to extend between one ends of the first to third loops 11, In this embodiment, no tracks are provided on the opposite sides of the first loop 17 of the first to third loops 11, 13, and 15. Therefore, it is easy to carry the device between the first to fourth loops 11, 13, 15, 17 or to move the device therebetween.

The first loop 11 realizes the first small loop 11a, the second small loop 11b and the third small loop 11c by providing a plurality of first shortcut connecting portions 19 . The second loop 13 realizes the fourth small loop 13a, the fifth small loop 13b and the sixth small loop 13c by providing a plurality of second short-path connecting portions 21. [ The third loop 15 realizes the seventh small loop 15a, the eighth small loop 15b and the ninth small loop 15c by providing a plurality of third short-path connecting portions 23. [

The fourth loop 17 realizes the tenth small loop 17a and the eleventh small loop 17b by providing the fourth short-path connecting portion 25. [ The tenth small loop 17a is connected to the first loop 11 and the second loop 13 by a plurality of connecting portions 27. [ The eleventh small loop 17b is connected to the third loop 15 by a connecting portion 28. [

A plurality of processing apparatuses 2 are arranged on the outside of the first to fourth loops 11, 13, 15, 17 in parallel. Since the configuration and kind of the processing apparatus 2 are known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

As one type of the plurality of processing apparatuses 2, there is provided a continuous processing apparatus 29 continuously disposed between loops. The continuous processing device 29 is disposed between the first loop 11 and the second loop 13 and between the second loop 13 and the third loop 15. [ The continuous processing device 29 includes a first processing device 29a and a second processing device 29b which are arranged so as to directly move the articles. For example, the first processing device 29a is an etching device and the second processing device 29b is a peeling device. Thus, the articles are transported from the transporting carriage 5 in the first loop 11 to the inlet station 36 of the first processing apparatus 29a, and then transported to and processed by the second processing apparatus 29b , And finally to the transport vehicle 5 at the exit station 38 of the second loop 13. As described above, since the conveying trajectory is not provided between the plurality of processing apparatuses 2, the number of conveying steps in the entire conveying system 1 is reduced.

The automatic warehouse 7 is disposed between the first loop 11 and the second loop 13. The automatic warehouse (7) has a plurality of shelves capable of loading articles and a crane. Since the configuration of the automatic warehouse 7 is known, a description thereof will be omitted here. The automatic warehouse 7 has a first station 31 extending long in the direction in which the first loop 11 and the second loop 13 extend and a first station 31 extending toward the first loop 11, 13) side. Thereby, the automatic warehouse 7 can deliver and receive articles between the first loop 11 and the conveyance carriage 5 running on the second loop 13.

In this embodiment, a plurality of inspection apparatuses 4 are arranged around the automatic warehouse 7 in such a manner as to be connected to the automatic warehouse 7. However, the position of the inspection apparatus is not particularly limited.

The plurality of buffers 9 are stacked tables that serve as temporary temporary storage locations when the articles are transported between the processing apparatuses 2. The plurality of buffers 9 are arranged in the first to fourth loops 11 to 17, more specifically in each small loop. The buffer 9 is elongated along the longitudinal direction of the loop, and has a plurality of receiving portions formed with openings as will be described later. Four buffers 9 are arranged in the first to ninth small loops 11a, 11b, 11c, 13a, 13b, 13c, 15a, 15b, 15c. Six buffers 9 are arranged in the tenth small loop 17a. In the eleventh small loop 17b, four buffers 9 are arranged in a line and in a straight line.

In the present invention, the loops have one and the other facing each other, the first stacking frame has a first opening portion opened toward one of the loops, and the second stacking portion has a second opening portion opened toward the other of the loops . The arrangement and structure of the first buffer 9A and the second buffer 9B will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of Fig. In each small loop, the first buffer 9A and the second buffer 9B are alternately arranged. The basic structure of the first buffer 9A and the second buffer 9B is the same, but the directions of the openings are reversed. As shown in Fig. 4, in the first small loop 11a, the first buffer 9A has three first unit buffers 85. In Fig. The first unit buffer 85 has a first opening 85a directed to an adjacent track, specifically, a linear portion of one of the first small loops 11a. The second buffer 9B has three second unit buffers 86. [ The second unit buffer 86 has a second opening 86a directed to an adjacent track, specifically, the other linear portion of the first small loop 11a. The first opening 85a of the first buffer 9A and the second opening 86a of the second buffer 9B are opposite to each other in the first small loop 11a. As a result, the first buffer 9A can be accessed from the first side of the first small loop 11a while the second buffer 9B can be accessed from the second side of the first small loop 11a Access is possible. Since a buffer accessible from either side of the small loop is secured in one small loop, the transfer between the transport vehicle 5 and the buffer 9 can be performed in a short time.

With the above arrangement, there is a buffer 9 in a loop adjacent to each processing apparatus 2, and in particular, a buffer 9 having an opening that opens toward both side portions of the loop. Therefore, when an article is transported between the two processing apparatuses 2, it is usually possible to realize transport by two commands. Concretely, the first command transfers the article from the processing apparatus 2, which is the origin of the transport vehicle 5, to the buffer 9 in the vicinity of the processing apparatus 2 which is the destination. The transport vehicle 5 carries the article from the buffer 9 to the destination processing apparatus 2 by the second command. Thus, since the conveyance of the articles is completed by the two operations of the conveyance carriage 5, the conveyance throughput of the articles in the conveyance carriage system 1 is improved.

A layout in which a stopping position is ensured as a modified example of the carriage car system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 5 is a partial schematic plan view of a carrier system showing a modified example of the trajectory.

In Fig. 5, a part of the processing apparatus 2 is removed, and a bypass 89 extending from the seventh small loop 15a is disposed at the portion. The bypass 89 is connected at its both ends to the seventh small loop 15a, and the intermediate portion thereof is linear in a predetermined length and parallel to the linear portion of the seventh small loop 15a. A plurality of conveyance carriages (5) can be stopped in the bypass (89). The arrangement position and shape of the bypass 89 are not limited to this embodiment. Further, the number of possible stops of the bypass 89 may be one.

The conveyance carriage 5 requiring inspection or maintenance enters the bypass 89 and stops at the straight portion. In this state, the operator checks or carries out the conveyance carriage 5. As a result, the work of the conveyance carriage 5 for conveying between the processing apparatuses 2 is not stopped by the inspection or maintenance operation. In other words, it is possible to reduce or eliminate the downtime in the conveyance system 1.

(2)

The structure of the carriage 5 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a carrier system as one embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a schematic plan view of the conveyance car. In Fig. 2, the direction orthogonal to the paper is the conveying direction of the conveyance carriage 5, and the lateral direction of the paper is the conveying direction of the article. 3, the vertical direction of the paper surface is the transport direction of the transport vehicle 5, and the horizontal direction of the paper is the transport direction of the article.

2 shows the bottom surface 32 and the ceiling surface 34 and also shows the carriage 5, the buffer 9 and the station 2a of the processing apparatus 2. In FIG. The top surface of the carriage 5, the buffer 9 and the station 2a of the processing apparatus 2 are approximately the same height and close to the ceiling surface 34. [

The conveying carriage 5 is a conveying means for conveying an article such as a glass substrate or a cassette between the stations of the processing apparatus 2. [ The conveying carriage 5 has a main body 35, a running portion 37, a roller conveyor 39, a push-pull conveying device 41, and a mini-inference mechanism 43.

The main body 35 has a substantially box-like shape.

The traveling section 37 includes a wheel 45 provided on the right and left front and rear of the main body 35, a traveling motor 131 (Fig. 7) connected to the wheel 45, an encoder 139 provided on the traveling motor 131, (Fig. 7). The rail 47 on which the wheel 45 travels is arranged in the concave portion 32a formed on the bottom surface 32 and is disposed below the bottom surface 32 as is clearly shown in Fig.

As shown in Fig. 14, the protective cover 70 can be provided on the rail 47 where the conveyance carriage 5 does not run. The protective cover 70 covers the rail 47 and is disposed in parallel with the bottom surface 32. There is no fear that the rail 47 will be damaged when the operator moves beyond the rail 47 because the bottom surface 32 is flat by the protective cover 70. [

The roller conveyor 39 is installed on the upper surface of the main body 35 so as to be able to roll, and constitutes a supporting surface of the conveyance carriage 5. [ As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the rollers 39a of the roller conveyor 39 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the running direction, whereby the article can be easily moved in the lateral direction. The roller conveyor 39 is constituted by a pair of roller rows spaced apart in the running direction. The rollers 39a of the roller conveyor 39 are all free rollers (rollers that do not drive independently), and the rows of rollers simply constitute the guide members of the articles. Therefore, the resistance at the time of transporting the article can be reduced, and it is suitable for transporting the heavy article. Thus, the support surface of the conveyance carriage 5 is a roller conveyor 39 made of rollable rollers, so that the occurrence of abrasion is suppressed during conveyance of the article.

The push-pull conveying device 41 is a retractable device that pushes and pulls the article on the roller row of the roller conveyor 39 to move. The push-pull conveying apparatus 41 includes an arm mechanism 51 that is extendable and retractable in the left-right direction, a hook member 53 provided on the arm mechanism 51, and a push- (Fig. 7). In the state shown in Fig. 2, the push-pull conveying device 41 is disposed below the roller conveyor 39. Further, the push-pull transfer device 41 does not need to support the load of the article, so that the construction is simple. Therefore, the weight of the conveyance carriage 5 is realized.

The hook member 53 includes a first portion 53a extending further to both sides in the lateral direction from the uppermost arm of the arm mechanism 51 and a second portion 53b extending upwardly from the end of the first portion 53b. Lt; / RTI > The lateral distance between the second portions 53b is slightly longer than the lateral length of the article.

The mini inverting mechanism 43 has a housing 55, a pair of shutters 57, and an FFU (Fan Filter Unit) 59. The mini-inhaler mechanism 43 is a mechanism for improving the cleanliness of the article circumstance in the conveyance carriage 5. [ The housing 55 is provided on the upper portion and front and rear of the main body 35, and shields a predetermined space. Openings are formed on both left and right sides of the housing 55, and a pair of shutters 57 are provided in the opening. The shutter 57 can be opened and closed by the shutter drive motor 135 (Fig. 7). In the state shown in Fig. 2, the pair of shutters 57 shields the space in the housing 55 from the outside. The FFU 59 is a device for supplying clean air into the housing 55 and is driven by the FFU driving motor 137 (Fig. 7).

(3) Buffers

The structure of the buffer 9 (corresponding to the first unit buffer 85 and the second unit buffer 86 in Fig. 4) will be described with reference to Fig.

The buffer 9 is disposed, for example, close to both side portions inside the first small loop 11a. The buffer 9 has a loading table 61, a roller conveyor 63, and a mini-inhaler mechanism 65.

The pallet 61 has a substantially box-like shape. The roller conveyor 63 is provided on the upper surface of the loading table 61 so as to be able to rotate, and constitutes a loading surface of the buffer 9. The roller conveyor 63 is flush with the roller conveyor 39 of the conveyance carriage 5. The rollers of the roller conveyor 63 are arranged at right angles to the running direction, whereby the articles can be easily moved in the left and right directions. The roller conveyor 63 is composed of a pair of roller rows spaced apart in the running direction. The rollers of the roller conveyor 63 are all free rollers. Thus, since the loading surface of the buffer 9 is the roller conveyor 63 made of rollable rollers, the generation of abrasion is suppressed at the time of conveyance of the article.

The mini inverting mechanism 65 has a cover 67 and an FFU 69. The mini inhalation mechanism 65 is a mechanism for improving the cleanliness of the environment around the article in the cover 67 in the buffer 9. [ The cover 67 is provided on the upper portion of the loading table 61 and shields a predetermined space. An opening 67a (corresponding to the first opening 85a and the second opening 86a in Fig. 4) is formed on the track side of the cover 67. [ In this embodiment, the cover is disposed only above the article, but the cover may be disposed only above and to the left and right of the article, or may be disposed above, right, left, and inside of the article. In this embodiment, the shutter is not provided in the opening portion, but a shutter may be provided if necessary. The FFU 69 is a device for increasing cleanliness around the stacked article by supplying clean air into the housing 55. [ The FFU 69 is driven by the FFU driving motor 137 (Fig. 7).

(4) Station

The station 2a of the processing apparatus 2 will be described with reference to Fig. The station 2a has a loading table 71 and a roller conveyor 73. [

The stage 71 has a substantially box-like shape. The roller conveyor 73 is installed on the upper surface of the table 71 in a rolling manner. The rollers of the roller conveyor 73 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the running direction, whereby the articles can be easily moved in the lateral direction. The roller conveyor 73 is constituted by a pair of roller rows spaced apart in the running direction. The rollers of the roller conveyor 73 are all free rollers.

(5) Control configuration

The control system 120 of the conveyance system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a control system of the conveyance system.

The control system 120 has a manufacturing controller 121, a distribution controller 123, an automatic warehouse controller 125, and a transportation car controller 127.

The logistics controller 123 is a host controller of the automatic warehouse controller 125 and the conveyance car controller 127. The transporting car controller 127 has an allocation function for managing a plurality of transporting vehicles 5 and assigning a transporting instruction to them. The " transportation instruction " includes a command for traveling, and a command for a position for holding the cargo and a position for lowering the cargo.

The manufacturing controller 121 can communicate with the processing apparatus 2. [ The processing device 2 transmits a transport request (cargo hold request / cargo release request) of the finished product to the manufacturing controller 121.

The manufacturing controller 121 transmits a transport request from the processing apparatus 2 to the goods distribution controller 123 and the goods distribution controller 123 sends the report to the manufacture controller 121. [

When receiving a transportation request from the manufacturing controller 121, the goods distribution controller 123 transmits a goods receipt or departure order to the automatic warehouse controller 125 at a predetermined timing when goods receipt or dispatch is carried out in the automatic warehouse 7 . Then, the automatic warehouse controller 125 transmits the goods receipt or departure order to the automatic warehouse 7 accordingly. The distribution controller 123 also receives the transport request from the manufacturing controller 121, converts it into a transport instruction, and carries out a transport instruction allocation operation to the transport vehicle 5. [

The transporting car controller 127 continuously communicates with each of the transporting vehicles 5 in order to create a transport instruction and obtains the location information based on the location data transmitted from each transporting vehicle 5. [

The controller 129 in the conveyance carriage 5 of the conveyance carriage 5 will be described with reference to Fig. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the controller in the conveyance carriage.

The controller 129 in the carriage car is a computer which is made up of a CPU, a RAM, a ROM and the like and executes a program. A route map is stored in the memory of the controller 129 in the carriage carriage. The carriage 5 continues the traveling while comparing the coordinates written in the route map with the coordinates of the own (internal coordinates of the own apparatus) (coordinates obtained by the encoder 139 (described later)).

A drive motor 131, a push-pull drive mechanism 133, a shutter drive motor 135, an FFU drive motor 137, and an encoder 139 are connected to the controller 129 in the conveyance.

(6) Operation of the carriage system

The operation of the conveyance system 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 8 to 13. Fig. 8 to 13 are partial cross-sectional views of a conveyance car system as an embodiment of the present invention. 2, the conveying carriage 5 is stopped between the buffer 9 and the station 2a of the processing apparatus 2 in a state in which the article C1 is loaded. An article C2 is loaded on the station 2a. From this state, the carriage 5 drops the article C1 to the buffer 9, and then loads the article C2 from the station 2a. Hereinafter, the operation thereof will be described in detail.

The shutter 57 on the side of the buffer 9 is opened by driving the shutter drive motor 135 in the conveyance carriage 5 from the state shown in Fig. Further, the elevating mechanism (not shown) of the push-pull driving mechanism 133 is driven, and the arm mechanism 51 is raised. As a result, the second portion 53b of the hook member 53 is disposed on both sides in the left-right direction of the article C1. The state after the arm mechanism 51 is raised is shown in Fig.

The slide mechanism (not shown) of the push-pull drive mechanism 133 is driven in the conveying carriage 5 from the state shown in Fig. 8 so that the arm mechanism 51 is slid toward the buffer 9 side. The article C1 is pushed by the second portion 53b of the hook member 53 and is transported into the buffer 9 from the transporting carriage 5. More specifically, the article C1 slides on the roller conveyor 39 and the roller conveyor 63 to move. The state of the article C1 after movement is shown in Fig.

The elevating mechanism (not shown) of the push-pull driving mechanism 133 is driven in the conveying carriage 5 from the state shown in Fig. 9, and the arm mechanism 51 is lowered. As a result, the second portion 53b of the hook member 53 is disposed below both sides in the left-right direction of the article C1. Then, a slide mechanism (not shown) of the push-pull drive mechanism 133 is driven to slide the arm mechanism 51 toward the conveyance carriage 5 side. As a result, the arm mechanism 51 returns to the carriage 5. Finally, the shutter drive motor 135 is driven to close the shutter 57 on the buffer 9 side. The state in which the shutter 57 is closed is shown in Fig.

As described above, the carriage 5 stops at the side of the buffer 9 and moves the article between the main body 35 and the buffer 9 by the push- The article moves on the roller conveyor 39 and the roller conveyor 63 when a force is applied from the push-pull conveying device 41. In this way, heavy materials can be conveyed with a simple structure.

When the shutter drive motor 135 is driven in the conveyance carriage 5 from the state shown in Fig. 10, the shutter 57 on the station 2a side is opened. Further, the slide mechanism (not shown) of the push-pull drive mechanism 133 is driven to slide the arm mechanism 51 toward the buffer 9 side. The state after sliding the arm mechanism 51 is shown in Fig.

The elevating mechanism (not shown) of the push-pull driving mechanism 133 is driven in the conveying carriage 5 from the state of Fig. 11, and the arm mechanism 51 is raised. As a result, the second portion 53b of the hook member 53 is disposed on both sides in the left-right direction of the article C2. The state in which the arm mechanism 51 is lifted is shown in Fig.

From the state of Fig. 12, the slide mechanism of the push-pull drive mechanism 133 is driven, and the arm mechanism 51 slides toward the conveyance carriage 5 side. As a result, the arm mechanism 51 returns to the carriage 5. The article C2 is pushed by the second portion 53b of the hook member 53 and is conveyed from the station 2a into the conveyance car 5. [ More specifically, the article C2 slides on the roller conveyor 73 and the roller conveyor 39 to move. Further, the lift mechanism (not shown) of the push-pull drive mechanism 133 is driven, and the arm mechanism 51 is lowered. As a result, the second portion 53b of the hook member 53 is disposed below the left and right sides of the article C2. Finally, the shutter drive motor 135 is driven to close the shutter 57 on the station 2a side. The state in which the shutter 57 is closed is shown in Fig.

As a result, a series of traversing operations is completed.

(7) Other embodiments

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention.

In particular, a plurality of embodiments and modifications described in this specification may be arbitrarily combined as needed.

(A) In the above embodiment, the first buffer 9A and the second buffer 9B each having a plurality of openings facing to the other side are alternately provided one by one, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment.

The buffer may have any structure as long as it has a first opening and a second opening which are open toward both sides of the loop in the loop. For example, one kind of buffer may be arranged continuously. Further, a buffer having only one opening may be used. That is, the shape of the buffer and the number of consecutive buffers are not particularly limited.

According to the above structure, the buffer has the first opening and the second opening which are respectively opened toward both sides of the loop in the loop. Therefore, when bringing the article into the buffer 9, it is possible to select a buffer near the processing apparatus 2, which has an opening that is opened toward the processing apparatus 2, As a result, the conveying efficiency of the article is improved.

(B) The plurality of buffers 9 in the loop need not be arranged in a straight line. However, in order not to make the width of the loop extremely large, it is preferable that the plurality of buffers 9 are arranged in a line. Further, when the buffer 9 is arranged in a linear shape, the width of the loop can be set to a minimum.

(C) In the traction system shown in Fig. 15, the trajectory 3 has, in addition to the structure of the above-described embodiment, a fifth loop 17 on the opposite side to the fourth loop 17 of the first to third loops 11, (77).

The fifth loop 77 realizes the twelfth small loop 77a and the thirteenth small loop 77b by providing the fifth short-cut line connecting portion 79. [ The twelfth small loop 77a is connected to the first loop 11 and the second loop 13 by a plurality of connecting portions 81. [ And the thirteenth small loop 77b is connected to the third loop 15 by the connecting portion 83. [

The rails of the first to fifth loops 11, 13, 15, 17, and 77 are accommodated in the concave portion 32a of the bottom surface 32 as described in the above embodiment. In this embodiment, for example, a protective cover is put on the rails of the fifth loop 77 during normal operation. By arranging the protective cover, the bottom surface 32 becomes flat, so that it is easy to carry the device between the first to fourth loops 11, 13, 15, 17 or to carry the device out of between them. Further, there is no fear that the rail will be damaged when the operator moves beyond the fifth loop 77. [ Then, for example, in the event of an emergency, the protective cover may be peeled off and the carriage 5 may be caused to run on the fifth loop 77.

In this embodiment, no buffer is provided in the fifth loop 77. However, the buffer may be arranged as required.

(D) Another embodiment in which the article storage capacity of the buffer is enhanced will be described with reference to Figs. 16 to 19. Fig. 16 is a partial cross-sectional view of a carrier system in which another embodiment of the present invention is employed. Fig. 17 is a schematic plan view of a loading platform. Fig. 18 is a partial side view of the stand. 19 is a partial cross-sectional view of the conveyance car system.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the buffer 91 has a roller conveyor 93 and a support mechanism 95.

The roller conveyor 93 is the same as the above embodiment, but a predetermined clearance is ensured between the rollers 93a. The roller conveyor 93 further has a support portion 93b for supporting the roller 93a, a support 93c, and a support bar 93d. The support portion 93b directly supports the roller 93a and extends in the direction in which the roller 93a is arranged. The support portion 93b rotatably supports the end of the roller 93a on the side opposite to the other roller row. The strut 93c holds the support portion 93b at a predetermined height. The support rod 93d extends obliquely from the strut 93c and rotatably supports an end of the roller 93a opposite to the other roller row. That is, no support is provided on the opposite side of the other roller row of the roller 93a.

The support mechanism 95 is a mechanism for moving the article on the roller conveyor 93 above the roller conveyor 93 and has a support member 97 and a drive mechanism 99. The support member 97 is a pair of members capable of supporting the article through the pair of roller conveyors 93 in the vertical direction. As shown in Fig. 17, the base frame 101 and the base frame 101 (Not shown). Each base frame 101 is disposed outside the front and rear of each roller conveyor 93 and extends in the direction in which the rollers 93a of the roller conveyor 93 are arranged. 16 and 17, the plurality of support portions 103 extend between the rollers 93a of the roller conveyor 93. As shown in Fig. The upper surface of the support portion 103 is a flat surface and is disposed below the upper surface of the roller 93a. The drive mechanism 99 is a mechanism for driving the support member 97 and has a support 105, a lift motor (not shown), and a chain (not shown). The support posts 105 are provided at, for example, four corners and extend in the vertical direction, and support both ends of the base frame 101 of the support member 97 so as to be movable up and down as shown in Fig. The elevating motor (not shown) can move the supporting member 97 up and down through a chain (not shown).

In this embodiment, the support 105 is extended so that the ceiling portion of the buffer 91 cover 67 is higher and the portion of the ceiling surface 34 corresponding to the buffer 91 is higher.

In this conveying car system, an elevating motor (not shown) rolls up a chain (not shown) to raise the supporting member 97 after the article is placed on the roller conveyor 93. [ Then, a plurality of support portions 103 pass between the rollers 93a of the roller conveyor 93 and move upward. 18, the support portion 103 of the support member 97 lifts the article C, whereby the article C is separated from the roller 93a of the roller conveyor 93. As shown in Fig. Finally, as shown in Fig. 19, the article C is supported by the plurality of supports 103 at the highest position in the buffer 91. Fig. In this state, a space is provided on the roller conveyor 93 so that the next item can be carried. As described above, two items can be brought into the buffer 91. That is, the buffer capacity of the buffer 91 is increased.

Further, the shape of the support member for lifting the article is not limited to the above embodiment. The support member may be, for example, in the shape of a ladder.

(E) The roller conveyor 39 of the main body 35 and the roller conveyor 63 of the buffer 9 may have the same height at the time of conveyance of the article C. In other words, the height of one or both sides can be changed, and the height of both sides may be different during running or stop of the carriage carriage 5. [

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely applied to a conveyer system for conveying an article between a plurality of processing apparatuses.

1: Carrier system 2: Processing device
2a: station 3: orbit
4: Inspection device 5:
7: Automatic warehouse 9: Buffer
9A: first buffer 9B: second buffer
11: first loop (first loop) 11a: first small loop
11b: second small loop 11c: third small loop (inlet side loop)
13: second loop (second loop) 13a: fourth loop
13b: fifth small loop 13c: sixth small loop (exit side loop)
15: third loop (first loop) 15a: seventh small loop
15b: the eighth sub-loop 15c: the ninth sub-loop
17: fourth loop (second loop) 17a: tenth small loop
17b: eleventh small loop 19: connection for the first short path
21: connection portion for the second short-circuit route 23: connection portion for the third short-
25: connection part for the fourth shortcut path 27: connection part
28: connection part 29: continuous processing device
29a: first processing device 29b: second processing device
31: first station 32: bottom surface
32a: recess 33: second station
34: cloth front face 35: main body
37: running part 39: roller conveyor
39a: roller 41: push-pull transfer device
43: Mini-in-bypassing mechanism 45: Wheel
47: rail 51: arm mechanism
53: hook member 53a: first portion
53b: second part 55: housing
57: shutter 59: FFU
61: Stacker 63: Roller conveyor
65: Mini-in-bypassing mechanism 67: Cover
67a: opening 69: FFU
70: protective cover 71:
73: roller conveyor 77: fifth loop (third loop)
77a: twelfth small loop 77b: thirteenth small loop
79: connection part for the fifth shortcut path 81: connection part
83: connection part 120: control system
121: Manufacturing controller 123: Logistics controller
125: Automatic warehouse controller 127: Carrying car controller
129: Controller in conveying car 131: Traveling motor
133: push-pull drive mechanism 135: shutter drive motor
137: FFU driving motor 139: Encoder

Claims (9)

A conveyance system for conveying an article between a plurality of processing apparatuses, comprising:
An orbit having a plurality of loops adjacent to the plurality of processing apparatuses;
A conveyance path for conveying the articles by running the plurality of loops in a one-way passage; And
And a first stacking table and a second stacking table arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction of the loop inside the loop,
The loop has one and the other facing each other,
Wherein the first stacking unit has a first opening portion opened toward one of the loops, and the second stacking unit has a second opening portion opened toward the other of the loops. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first stacking unit and the second stacking unit are arranged in a straight line in the loop. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising an automatic warehouse connected to the plurality of loops and capable of relaying movement of the articles between the plurality of loops. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the trajectory is disposed below the bottom surface. 5. The method of claim 4,
Further comprising a protective cover which covers the trajectory and is disposed in parallel with the bottom surface. The method according to claim 1,
The processing apparatus includes a first processing apparatus and a second processing apparatus arranged so as to move the article directly,
Wherein said plurality of loops includes an inlet side loop and an outlet side loop respectively disposed at an inlet of said first processing apparatus and an outlet of said second processing apparatus. The method according to claim 1,
The plurality of loops having a plurality of first loops arranged in parallel and a second loop arranged to connect between the first ends of the plurality of first loops,
And a loop is not provided on the second end side of the plurality of first loops. The method according to claim 1,
The plurality of loops comprising a plurality of first loops arranged in parallel and a second loop arranged to connect between the first ends of the plurality of first loops and a second loop arranged to connect between the first ends of the plurality of first loops, And a third loop arranged to connect between the end portions,
And the trajectory constituting the third loop is disposed below the bottom surface. 9. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising a protective cover which covers a trajectory constituting the third loop and is disposed in parallel with the bottom surface.

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