Transport system, processing system and manufacturing method of article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10965201-B2
Application number	US-201816134563-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2018
Priority date	Sep 25, 2017
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

An embodiment includes: a first transport module on which a carriage moves; a second transport module that is configured to be able to move to a position for connecting to the first transport module and on which the carriage is able to move to and from the first transport module; a position detection unit that detects a position in a moving direction of the second transport module and outputs position information; a first control unit that controls motion of the carriage on the first transport module; a second control unit that controls motion of the carriage on the second transport module; a third control unit that controls motion of the second transport module; and a fourth control unit that controls the first to third control units. The fourth control unit corrects a position where the second transport module connects to the first transport module based on the position information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transport system comprising:
a first transport module on which a carriage moves;
a second transport module that is configured to be able to move to a position for connecting to the first transport module and on which the carriage is able to move to and from the first transport module;
a position detection unit that detects a position of the second transport module and outputs position information of the second transport module; and
a control unit that controls motion of the second transport module,
wherein, based on the position information of the second transport module output from the position detection unit, the control unit determines a position where the second transport module connects to the first transport module, and
wherein, when the carriage moves from a transport path including the first transport module to the second transport module, the control unit controls motion of the carriage on the first transport module and/or motion of the second transport module so that the second transport module connects to the first transport module before the carriage passes through a predetermined position on the transport path.

2. The transport system according to claim 1 , wherein, based on the position information of the second transport module output from the position detection unit, the control unit calculates a position displacement of the second transport module when the second transport module connects to the first transport module.

3. The transport system according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit corrects a position where the second transport module connects to the first transport module so as to reduce the position displacement.

4. The transport system according to claim 2 , wherein, when the position displacement exceeds a predetermined threshold, the fourth control unit outputs a notification signal indicating that the threshold is exceeded.

5. The transport system according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the first and second transport modules has a group of coils, and
wherein the carriage has a permanent magnet or a ferromagnetic material subjected to electromagnetic force from the group of coils and is driven by the electromagnetic force to which the permanent magnet or the ferromagnetic material is subjected from the group of coils.

6. A transport system comprising:
a circulating transport path on which a carriage is movable, the circulating transport path including a first transport module, a second transport module and a third transport module; and
a fourth transport module on which the carriage is movable, the fourth transport module being installed outside the circulating transport path,
wherein the third transport module is movable to a position to connect the first transport module and the second transport module and a position to connect with the fourth transport module,
wherein the transport system further comprises fifth and sixth transport modules that are installed outside an area including the circulating transport path and on which the carriage moves, and
wherein the third transport module is movable horizontally and is configured to be able to move to a position for connecting to the fifth and sixth transport modules between the fifth and sixth transport modules.

7. The transport system according to claim 6 further comprising a seventh transport module that is installed outside the circulating transport path and on which the carriage moves,
wherein the third transport module is movable horizontally and is configured to be able to connect to the fourth and seventh transport modules between the fourth and seventh transport modules.

8. The transport system according to claim 6 ,
wherein the carriage mounts a workpiece thereon, and
wherein a processing unit that processes the workpiece is installed inside the circulating transport path.

9. The transport system according to claim 6 ,
wherein the third transport module is a curved transport module, and
wherein the fourth transport module is a linear transport module.

10. The transport system according to claim 6 ,
wherein the third transport module is a curved transport module, and
wherein the fourth transport module is a curved transport module having the same curvature as the third transport module.

11. A processing system comprising:
the transport system according to claim 1 ; and
a processing unit that processes a workpiece transported by the carriage.

12. A manufacturing method of an article that manufactures an article by using the processing system according to claim 11 , the manufacturing method comprising steps of:
transporting the workpiece by using the carriage; and
processing the workpiece transported by the carriage by using the processing unit.

13. The transport system according to claim 1 further comprising a transfer apparatus,
wherein the transfer apparatus is provided with the position detection unit and the second transport module.

14. A transport system comprising:
a circulating transport path on which a carriage is movable, the circulating transport path including a first transport module, a second transport module and a third transport module; and
a fourth transport module on which the carriage is movable, the fourth transport module being installed outside the circulating transport path,
wherein the third transport module is movable to a position to connect the first transport module and the second transport module and a position to connect with the fourth transport module,
wherein the third transport module is a curved transport module, and
wherein the fourth transport module is a linear transport module or a curved transport module having the same curvature as the third transport module.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Ota Hirohisa
• Yamamoto Takeshi
• Deguchi Satoru
• Shigemori Takashi
• Hirokawa Kichinosuke
• Okazaki Ryota

Classifications

• B65G2203/042

  Sensors · CPC title

• B65G2203/0266

  relating to the load carrier(s) · CPC title

• B65G43/00 Primary

  Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting · CPC title

• B65G37/00 Primary

  Combinations of mechanical conveyors of the same kind, or of different kinds, of interest apart from their application in particular machines or use in particular manufacturing processes (series of co-operating belt conveyor units B65G15/22; series of co-operating chain conveyor units B65G17/26; sequence control of combined conveyors B65G43/10) · CPC title

• B23P19/008

  the parts being continuously transported through the machine during assembling or disassembling · CPC title