Material handling system and monitoring system and monitoring method for particles in traveling area of overhead hoist transfers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12339208-B2
Application number	US-202117433816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2021
Priority date	Mar 2, 2020
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

The present application discloses a material handling system and a monitoring system and a monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers, wherein the monitoring system for particles in the overhead hoist transfer traveling area comprises gas sampling modules, a particle counter and a monitoring device. The gas sampling module is configured to obtain the gas to be tested around traveling wheels of each overhead hoist transfer (OHT). The particle counter is configured to test the gas to be tested for the size and number of particles in the gas to be tested. The monitoring device is electrically connected to the particle counter, and is configured to acquire the size and number of the particles tested and alarm when determining that the content of particles does not meet a preset standard.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers, comprising:
four gas collectors, two gas collectors respectively arranged on two sides of a front gearbox of each overhead hoist transfer and two gas collectors respectively arranged on two sides of a rear gearbox of each overhead hoist transfer: each gas collector comprises a probe and a gas collecting tube, and the probe is connected to the gas collecting tube, each gas collector configured to obtain gas to be tested around traveling wheels of each overhead hoist transfer;
a particle counter, connected to the four gas collectors, and configured to test the gas to be tested for the size and number of particles in the gas to be tested; and
an alarm apparatus, electrically connected to the particle counter, and configured to acquire the size and number of the particles tested and alarm when determining that a content of particles does not meet a preset standard.

2. The monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to claim 1 , wherein each gas collector is arranged on a support of the traveling wheels of each overhead hoist transfer.

3. The monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to claim 1 , wherein the particle counter comprises a gas collecting chamber, a laser beam source, a photoelectric conversion module, a controller and a gas pump module, a gas inlet of the gas collecting chamber is communicated with the gas collecting tube while a gas outlet thereof is communicated with the gas pump module, the laser beam source and the photoelectric conversion module are respectively arranged on two sides of the gas collecting chamber, and the controller is electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion module.

4. The monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to claim 3 , wherein the gas pump module comprises a pump body and a filter; the pump body is configured to provide power to pump the gas out of the gas collecting chamber, and the filter is arranged on the pump body and configured to filter the gas pumped out of the gas collecting chamber.

5. The monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to claim 1 , wherein each overhead hoist transfer further comprises hangers which are located below tracks and configured to accommodate the particle counter.

6. A material handling system, comprising the monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to claim 1 , and further comprising tracks, wherein each overhead hoist transfer is movably arranged on the tracks, and each gas collector is arranged on each overhead hoist transfer.

7. The material handling system according to claim 6 , wherein each overhead hoist transfer is further provided with anti-tip wheels each moving along a sidewall of the tracks.

8. A monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers, comprising following steps of:
obtaining, by four gas collectors, gas to be tested around traveling wheels of each overhead hoist transfer;
testing, by a particle counter, the gas to be tested for the size and number of particles in the gas to be tested; and
alarming by an alarm apparatus when determining that the content of particles does not meet a preset standard.

9. The monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to claim 8 , further comprising following steps of:
dividing the traveling area of each overhead hoist transfer in a wafer factory into a plurality of test groups, providing several measuring points in each test group;
enabling each overhead hoist transfer to move through all the test groups in sequence, and testing the size and number of particles at the several measuring points in the test groups in sequence;
calculating test data of particles at the several measuring points in the test groups by a preset algorithm to obtain the test data of particles in the test groups;
determining whether the test data of particles at each measuring point in the test group is within a first preset range or not, and if not, giving a prompt to clean the test group corresponding to the measuring point and to clean the overhead hoist transfer; and
determining whether the test data of particles in the test group is within a second preset range or not, and if not, giving a prompt to clean the test group.

10. The monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to claim 8 , wherein in the step of determining that the test data of particles in the test group is out of the second preset range, further comprises: counting the overhead hoist transfers moving through the test groups, determining the overhead hoist transfers moving through the test groups the most frequently or at a frequency higher than a preset frequency, and cleaning the determined overhead hoist transfers.

11. The monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to claim 9 , wherein the step of calculating the test data of particles at the several measuring points in the test groups by a preset algorithm to obtain the test data of particles in the test groups specifically comprises:
averaging the test data of particles at the several measuring points in the test groups to obtain the test data of particles in the test groups.

12. The monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to claim 9 , further comprising following steps of: testing the size and number of particles at the measuring points in the test groups at least twice, and taking an average of the values as the test data of particles at the measuring points.

13. The monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to claim 9 , wherein the step of enabling each overhead hoist transfer to move through all the test groups in sequence and testing the size and number of particles at the several measuring points in the test groups in sequence comprises: enabling each overhead hoist transfer to move through all the test groups in sequence at a set interval; and
analyzing a data-changing trend based on the test data of particles at the measuring points at each interval and the test data of particles in the test groups, and adjusting the set interval according to the data-changing trend.

14. The monitoring method for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to claim 13 , wherein the set interval is 10 h, 20 h, 30 h, 40 h, 50 h or 100 h.

15. The monitoring system for particles in a traveling area of overhead hoist transfers according to claim 2 , wherein each overhead hoist transfer further comprises hangers which are located below tracks and configured to accommodate the particle counter.

16. A material handling system, comprising the monitoring system for particles in a traveling area according to claim 2 , and further comprising overhead hoist transfers and tracks, wherein each overhead hoist transfer is movably arranged on the tracks, and each gas collector is arranged on each overhead hoist transfer.

17. A material handling system, comprising the monitoring system for particles in a traveling area according to claim 1 , and further comprising overhead hoist transfers and tracks, wherein each overhead hoist transfer is movably arranged on the tracks, and each gas collector is arranged on each overhead hoist transfer.

Assignees

• Changxin Memory Tech Inc

Inventors

• Qin Yuanzhang

Classifications

• H10P72/3221

  Overhead conveying · CPC title

• H10P72/3202

  Mechanical details, e.g. rollers or belts · CPC title

• H10P72/3214

  by means of a cart or a vehicle · CPC title

• G01N15/075

  by optical means · CPC title

• G01N2015/0046

  in gas, e.g. smoke · CPC title