Temporary storage device, transport system, and temporary storage method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9548230-B2
Application number	US-201514859488-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2015
Priority date	Sep 25, 2014
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

A temporary storage device transfers an article in different positions to and from an overhead travelling vehicle system and a second transport system, and transfers an article to and from an article transfer position outside the temporary storage device. The temporary storage device includes a local carrier including a hoist, travel rails of the local carrier below a travel rail of the overhead travelling vehicle system, passing directly above an article transfer position, and a slide rack below the travel rails of the local carrier, slidable between a portion directly above the transfer position and a second position in which an article can be transferred to and from the second transport system, the second position being different from the portion directly above the transfer position in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the travel rails of the local carrier in a horizontal plane.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A temporary storage device that temporarily stores an article between an overhead travelling vehicle system and an article transfer position, the temporary storage device comprising:
a local carrier capable of travelling, the local carrier including a hoist to raise and lower an article;
travel rails of the local carrier provided below a travel rail of the overhead travelling vehicle system so as to pass directly above the transfer position; and
a slide rack provided below the travel rails of the local carrier, the slide rack being provided entirely below the local carrier, the slide rack being slidable between a portion directly above the transfer position and a second position in which an article is transferred to and from a second transport system including a transfer device, the second position being different from the portion directly above the transfer position in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the travel rails of the local carrier in a horizontal plane.

2. A transport system comprising:
the temporary storage device according to claim 1 ;
a first overhead travelling vehicle system, which is the overhead travelling vehicle system, with a travel rail passing directly above the transfer position; and
a second overhead travelling vehicle system, which is the second transport system, with a travel rail passing above the second position.

3. The transport system according to claim 2 , wherein
the transfer position is a load port of a processing device; and
the second overhead travelling vehicle system transports an article with a production-control attribute different from that of the first overhead travelling vehicle system.

4. A transport system comprising:
the temporary storage device according to claim 1 provided in a bay of a semiconductor factory;
a first overhead travelling vehicle system, which is the overhead travelling vehicle system, with a travel rail passing directly above the transfer position, the travel rail extending from inside the bay to an inter-bay route for inter-bay transport;
the second transport system being capable of transferring an article to and from the slide rack located in the second position and transporting an article in the bay;
an overhead travelling vehicle system for inter-bay transport with a travel rail disposed in parallel or substantially in parallel with the travel rail of the first overhead travelling vehicle system in the inter-bay route; and
a conveyor that connects a position below the overhead travelling vehicle system for inter-bay transport and the second transport system.

5. A temporary storage method for temporarily storing an article between an overhead travelling vehicle system and an article transfer position, the method performed by a temporary storage device including:
a local carrier capable of travelling, the local carrier including a hoist to raise and lower an article;
travel rails of the local carrier provided below a travel rail of the overhead travelling vehicle system so as to pass directly above the transfer position; and
a slide rack provided below the travel rails of the local carrier, the slide rack being provided entirely below the local carrier, the slide rack being slidable between a portion directly above the transfer position and a second position in which an article is transferred to and from a second transport system including a transfer device, the second position being different from the portion directly above the transfer position in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the travel rails of the local carrier in a horizontal plane;
the method comprising the steps of:
transferring an article by the local carrier between the transfer position and the slide rack;
transferring an article between the slide rack located directly above the transfer position and the overhead travelling vehicle system; and
transferring an article between the slide rack located in the second position and the second transport system.

6. The temporary storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the slide rack is configured to receive and store an article transferred by the local carrier.

Assignees

• Murata Machinery Ltd

Inventors

• Iwasaki Junji

Classifications

• H10P72/3222

  Loading to or unloading from a conveyor · CPC title

• H10P72/3221

  Overhead conveying · CPC title

• H10P72/3216

  using a general scheme of a conveying path within a factory · CPC title

• H10P72/3218 Primary

  Conveying cassettes, containers or carriers · CPC title

• H01L21/67733

  Electricity · mapped topic