Container transport facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9685361-B2
Application number	US-201514643041-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2015
Priority date	Mar 11, 2014
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

A support body includes a protrusion that protrudes in the horizontal direction from a base and passes through a notch in the vertical direction when a container is transferred, and the lateral width of the protrusion is formed to be narrower than the lateral width of the container. A small container and a large container configured to be wider than the small container in the lateral width direction exist as the container. The support body includes, as support body-side supporting parts, three support body-side small container supporting parts that support three small container supported parts located on the bottom surface of the small container, and a support body-side edge supporting part that supports an edge of the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the large container near the base.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A container transport facility comprising:
a transfer unit including a support body and a movement operation part that moves the support body at least in a vertical direction, the support body supports a container from below, the container defines an opening at a front end for placing a semiconductor substrate in and out of the container; and
a plate-shaped placement body as a transfer target location to which the container is transferred by the transfer unit,
wherein the support body includes support body-side supporting parts that support a bottom surface of the container in a state in which the container is positioned at a transfer position in the support body,
the placement body includes a notch having a recessed shape in plan view and a plurality of placement body-side supporting parts distributed at different positions in a direction along a peripheral edge of the notch in plan view, and is configured to receive and support the bottom surface of the container in a state in which the container is positioned relative to the placement body in a lateral width direction by the plurality of placement body-side supporting parts as a result of a portion of the support body that supports the container passing through the notch downwardly,
the support body includes a base to which the movement operation part is connected, and a protrusion that protrudes from the base in a horizontal direction and passes through the notch in the vertical direction when the container is transferred, and is configured to support the container in an orientation in which a front-to-rear direction of the container extends along a protruding direction of the protrusion,
a lateral width of the protrusion is formed to be narrower than a lateral width of the container,
the container comprises either a first container or a second container configured to be wider than the first container in the lateral width direction, wherein the transfer unit is configured to transfer the first container and, separately, the second container,
the first container includes three first container supported parts distributed on a bottom surface thereof, the three first container supported parts including a pair of first container forward supported parts spaced apart in a lateral width direction of the first container and a first container rearward supported part located at a position that is at a central portion in the lateral width direction of the first container and is spaced toward a rear of the first container relative to the pair of first container forward supported parts,
the second container includes three second container supported parts distributed on a bottom surface thereof, the three second container supported parts including a pair of second container forward supported parts spaced apart in a lateral width direction of the second container and a second container rearward supported part located at a position that is at a central portion in the lateral width direction of the second container and is spaced toward a rear of the second container relative to the pair of second container forward supported parts,
the pair of first container forward supported parts in a state in which the support body supports the first container are located inward, in plan view, of the pair of second container forward supported parts in a lateral width direction of the support body in a state in which the support body supports the second container, and
the support body includes, as the support body-side supporting parts for the first container, three support body-side first container supporting parts that support the three first container supported parts located on the bottom surface of the first container and, as the support body-side supporting parts for the second container, a plurality of support body-side edge supporting parts that support portions of an edge of an outer periphery of the bottom surface of the second container near the base and a support body-side second container supporting part provided at a tip of the protrusion that supports the second container rearward supported part of the second container,
the portions being located on opposite sides with respect to the protrusion in the lateral width direction of the support body,
the plurality of the support body-side edge supporting parts each include a placement surface on which the bottom surface of the second container is placed, and
the placement surface is positioned above a top surface of the protrusion.

2. The container transport facility according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of the support body-side edge supporting parts are distributed in the lateral width direction of the support body.

3. The container transport facility according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of support body-side edge supporting parts and the support body-side second container supporting part are configured to support the second container at a height at which the bottom surface of the second container is located above upper ends of the support body-side first container supporting parts.

4. The container transport facility according to claim 1 ,
wherein the placement body includes, as the placement body-side supporting parts, placement body-side first container supporting parts capable of supporting the bottom surface of the first container in a state in which the first container is positioned at a first container set placement position,
the placement body-side first container supporting parts include a pair of placement surfaces that are provided so as to be spaced apart on opposite sides of the notch of the placement body in the lateral width direction of the placement body in plan view and that support the bottom surface of the first container from below, a pair of first container engaging parts for engaging with the pair of first container forward supported parts, and a pair of first container positioning members, and
the first container positioning members each include a restriction surface that restricts movement of the first container along the lateral width direction of the placement body by coming into contact with a side portion of the first container, and a guiding inclined part that guides an end of the bottom surface of the first container in the lateral width direction to position the first container at the first container set placement position in the lateral width direction of the placement body.

5. The container transport facility according to claim 4 ,
wherein the placement body includes, as the placement body-side supporting parts, placement body-side second container supporting parts capable of supporting the bottom surface of the second container in a state in which the second container is positioned at a second container set placement position,
the placement body-side second container supporting parts include a pair of second container supporting and positioning members that are provided so as to be spaced apart on opposite sides of the notch of the placement body in the lateral width direction of the placement body in plan view and that support a pair of supported locations of the bottom surface of the second container that are spaced apart in the lateral width direction of the second container, and a second container rearward supporting part that supports the second container rearward supported part, and
the second container supporting and positioning members each include a placement surface that supports the bottom surface of the second container from below, a restriction surface that restricts movement of the second container along the lateral width direction of the placement body by coming into contact with a side portion of the second container, and a guiding inclined part that guides an end of the bottom surface of the second container in the lateral width di

Assignees

• Daifuku Kk

Inventors

• Yoshioka Hideo

Classifications

• H10P72/3408

  Docking arrangements · CPC title

• H10P72/1918

  characterised by coupling elements, kinematic members, handles or elements to be externally gripped · CPC title

• H10P72/3404 Primary

  Storage means · CPC title

• H01L21/67769 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y10S414/14

  Wafer cassette transporting · CPC title