阅读说明：本技术 物品搬运设备 (Article carrying apparatus ) 是由 萩原孝一 正村彰太 于 2021-05-25 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明适当地取得表示用于判定维护时期的物品搬运车的状态的信息。物品搬运设备(100)具备沿行进路径(1)行进来搬运物品的多个物品搬运车(3)、控制物品搬运车(3)的运行的控制装置,物品搬运设备(100)的行进路径(1)包括在用于使对象搬运车(3T)行进检查区域(E)中设定的路径(K),前述对象搬运车被从多个物品搬运车(3)中作为检查对象指定。对象搬运车具备检测正在行进的本车辆的行动的传感器。控制装置控制多个物品搬运车(3),使得在检查区域中仅存在一台对象搬运车,在检查区域中使对象搬运车以预先规定的检查行进模式行进。控制装置从正在以检查行进模式行进的对象搬运车取得基于传感器的检测结果的检查数据。(The invention properly obtains information representing the state of an article carrier for judging maintenance time. The article carrying facility (100) is provided with a plurality of article carrying vehicles (3) which travel along a travel path (1) to carry articles, and a control device which controls the operation of the article carrying vehicles (3), wherein the travel path (1) of the article carrying facility (100) comprises a path (K) which is set in an inspection area (E) for making an object carrying vehicle (3T) travel, and the object carrying vehicle is specified as an inspection object from the plurality of article carrying vehicles (3). The object carrier includes a sensor for detecting the behavior of the vehicle that is traveling. The control device controls the plurality of article carriers (3) so that only one object carrier exists in the inspection area, and the object carrier is moved in a predetermined inspection moving pattern in the inspection area. The control device acquires inspection data based on the detection result of the sensor from the object transport vehicle traveling in the inspection traveling mode.)

1. An article transport facility including a control device and a plurality of article transport vehicles that transport articles while traveling along a predetermined travel path, the control device controlling the operation of the article transport vehicles,

the travel path includes a path set in an inspection area for traveling an object carrier designated as an inspection object from among the plurality of article carriers,

the object carrying vehicle is provided with a sensor for detecting the action of the vehicle,

the control device controls the plurality of object carriers such that only one object carrier is present in the inspection area and the object carrier is moved in a predetermined inspection moving pattern in the inspection area,

the control device acquires inspection data based on the detection result of the sensor from the object carrier traveling in the inspection traveling mode.

2. The article handling apparatus of claim 1,

the sensor detects at least one of a torque of a motor that moves the object carrying vehicle, a rotational speed of a wheel of the object carrying vehicle or a rotating member that is interlocked with the wheel, and a vibration of the object carrying vehicle.

3. The article handling apparatus of claim 1 or 2,

the examination region includes a linear path, a curved path, a branch portion where the path is branched into a plurality of paths, and a merge portion where the paths merge,

the inspection travel mode includes acceleration, deceleration, and constant speed travel.

4. The article handling apparatus of any of claims 1 to 3,

the inspection area is set to include one of two paths in which the article transport vehicles are arranged in parallel with the same direction of travel.

5. The article handling apparatus of any of claims 1 to 4,

the article transport vehicle sets the weight of an article being transported as a transport weight,

the control device specifies the article transport vehicle as the object transport vehicle on the condition that the transport weight is a predetermined value.

6. The article handling apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 5,

the object transport vehicle includes a detection result acquiring unit for acquiring the inspection data, an inspection data transmitting unit for transmitting the inspection data,

the inspection data transmission unit wirelessly transmits the inspection data to the control device.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an article transport facility including a plurality of article transport vehicles that travel along a predetermined travel path to transport an article, and a control device that controls the operation of the article transport vehicles.

Background

Preferably, the degree of consumption of the article transport vehicle is grasped in addition to appropriately maintaining the article transport facility provided with the article transport vehicle traveling along the travel path. Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2018-132332 discloses an inspection system for inspecting the degree of wear of wheels of an article carrier. The inspection system is provided with an identification mark provided on each side surface of a plurality of wheels and an imaging device for imaging the entire image of the traveling wheel from the side of the traveling path, and inspects the degree of wear of the wheel based on the imaged image data and performs individual identification of the wheel to be inspected via the identification mark.

The inspection system described above can appropriately inspect the wear of the wheel. However, since the article transport vehicle that is transporting the article travels under various traveling conditions, the posture of the wheels may be different depending on the behavior of the traveling article transport vehicle. Therefore, the inspection result may be uneven. Therefore, it is preferable to appropriately check the state of the article carrier for determining the maintenance timing by matching the conditions.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above background, it is desirable to appropriately acquire information indicating the state of an article transport vehicle for determining the maintenance timing.

In view of the above, the article transport facility includes a control device and a plurality of article transport vehicles that transport articles while traveling along a predetermined travel path, the control device controlling the operation of the article transport vehicles, wherein the travel path includes a path set in an inspection area for traveling an object carrier designated as an inspection object from among the plurality of article carriers, the object carrier includes a sensor for detecting a behavior of a vehicle traveling, the control device controls the plurality of article carriers such that only one of the object carriers exists in the inspection area, and the control device acquires inspection data based on the detection result of the sensor from the object transport vehicle traveling in the inspection travel mode.

According to this aspect, the behavior of the object carrier traveling in the predetermined inspection traveling pattern is detected by the sensor, and the control device acquires the inspection data obtained by the sensor. Therefore, the state of the article carrier can be obtained under the same condition. Since only one object transport vehicle is controlled to be present in the inspection area, the object transport vehicle can travel in a predetermined inspection travel pattern on a route set in the inspection area without being affected by other article transport vehicles. That is, according to this aspect, it is possible to appropriately acquire information indicating the state of the article transport vehicle for determining the maintenance timing.

Further features and advantages of the article handling apparatus will become clear from the following description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments thereof, which is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a top view of an article handling apparatus.

Figure 2 is a side view of an item carrier.

Figure 3 is a front view of the item carrier.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the behavior of the article carrier traveling straight at the branch portion.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the behavior of the article carrier branching off at the branching portion.

Fig. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the examination region.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the article transport facility.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the article transport facility will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in fig. 1 and 7, the article transport facility 100 includes a travel rail 2 provided along a travel path 1, a plurality of article carriers 3 that travel along the travel path 1 to transport an article W, and a facility controller H (control device) that controls the operation of the article carriers 3. In the present embodiment, as the article transport vehicle 3, a ceiling transport vehicle is exemplified which transports an article W while traveling on a traveling rail 2 (see fig. 2, fig. 3, and the like) suspended and supported on a ceiling as described later. In the present embodiment, the article transport vehicle 3 transports a foup (front Opening Unified pod) containing a semiconductor wafer as an article W. As shown in fig. 1, the article transport facility 100 includes a plurality of article processing units P for performing various processes on semiconductor wafers. The article transport vehicle 3 transports an article W to the plurality of article processing sections P.

Hereinafter, a direction along the travel path 1 will be referred to as a path longitudinal direction X, and a direction perpendicular to the path longitudinal direction X when viewed in the vertical direction Z will be referred to as a path width direction Y. In the travel path 1, the travel direction of the article transport vehicle 3 (the direction in which the article transport vehicle 3 travels) is referred to as the downstream side, and the opposite side is referred to as the upstream side.

As shown in fig. 1, the travel path 1 includes a single annular main path 1P, a plurality of annular sub paths 1S, and a connection path 1N connecting the main path 1P and the sub paths 1S. The sub path 1S is formed in a loop shape via each of the article processing units P, and is connected to the main path 1P at the branching unit 1c and the merging unit 1 d. The connection path 1N includes a branching connection path 1N of a branching portion 1c and a merging connection path 1N of a merging portion 1d, the branching connection path 1N of the branching portion 1c branches the article carrier 3 from the main path 1P to the sub path 1S, and the merging connection path 1N of the merging portion 1d merges the article carrier 3 from the sub path 1S to the main path 1P. The article transport vehicle 3 travels in the same circulation direction (clockwise in the present embodiment) on both the main path 1P and the plurality of sub paths 1S. In fig. 1, the traveling direction of the article transport vehicle 3 is indicated by an arrow.

As shown in fig. 3, the travel rail 2 is composed of a pair of right and left rail portions 7. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the article transport vehicle 3 includes a traveling portion 9 that travels on a traveling rail 2 suspended and supported from a ceiling, a main body portion 10 that is positioned below the traveling rail 2 and suspended and supported on the traveling portion 9, and a power receiving portion 12 that receives drive power from a power supply line 11 disposed along the traveling path 1 in a non-contact manner. The main body 10 is provided with a support mechanism 13, and the support mechanism 13 is provided to be vertically movable on the main body 10, and supports the article W in a suspended state.

The traveling section 9 includes a 1 st traveling section 9F and a 2 nd traveling section 9R arranged in the front-rear direction of the article carrier 3. The 1 st traveling unit 9F and the 2 nd traveling unit 9R have the same configuration, and will be described as only the traveling unit 9, unless otherwise noted. The traveling unit 9 includes a traveling motor 14 and a pair of left and right traveling wheels 15 that are rotationally driven by the traveling motor 14. The pair of left and right traveling wheels 15 roll on the upper surface of the traveling rail 2 (the pair of left and right rail portions 7). The traveling section 9 is provided with a guide wheel 16 that rotates about a vertical axis (about a vertical axis) in the vertical direction Z. The guide wheels 16 are disposed in a front-rear direction on one of the left and right sides of the traveling unit 9, and are disposed on the left and right sides of the traveling unit 9. That is, four guide wheels 16 are provided in each traveling section 9. The guide wheels 16 roll on the side surfaces of the pair of right and left guide rail portions 7 facing each other. The guide wheels 16 contact the travel rail 2 at a plurality of locations separated in the path longitudinal direction X (the direction along the travel path 1).

The 1 st traveling unit 9F and the 2 nd traveling unit 9R are provided with a connecting shaft 19 projecting downward from the lower end of the traveling wheel 15. The coupling shaft 19 of the 1 st traveling unit 9F and the main body 10 are coupled to each other so as to be relatively rotatable about a vertical axis along the vertical direction Z. The coupling shaft 19 of the 2 nd traveling unit 9R and the main body 10 are also coupled to be relatively rotatable about a vertical axis along the vertical direction Z. That is, the 1 st traveling part 9F and the 2 nd traveling part 9R are independently rotatable around different vertical axes.

The article transport vehicle 3 is rotationally driven by the travel motor 14 via the travel wheels 15 of the travel portion 9, and the guide wheels 16 of the travel portion 9 are guided by the pair of guide rail portions 7, and travel along the travel path 1 while being restricted in position in the path width direction Y. Further, the article transport vehicle 3 can travel along the travel path 1 even in a curved path such as the curved path 1b, the branching portion 1c, and the joining portion 1d by the first travel portion 9F and the second travel portion 9R swinging around the vertical axis with respect to the main body portion 10.

As shown in fig. 3 to 5, the branch portion 1c of the travel path 1 includes a guide rail 4 having a T-shaped cross section as viewed in the travel direction of the article carrier 3. The article transport vehicle 3 further includes a guide auxiliary wheel 17 that rotates about a vertical axis (about a vertical axis) in the vertical direction Z. Two guide auxiliary wheels 17 are arranged in a front-rear direction so as to be movable in the left-right direction at the center of the traveling section 9. The guide auxiliary wheel 17 is provided so as to be capable of changing positions to the right and left sides of the guide rail 4 disposed at the center portion in the path width direction Y of the pair of right and left guide rail portions 7, and is configured to rotate while being in contact with the right side surface or the left side surface of the guide rail 4. The carrier controller 31 moves the guide auxiliary wheel 17 in the lateral direction (the path width direction Y) of the vehicle body at the branching portion 1c as shown in fig. 3 to 5.

As shown in fig. 4, when the article carrier 3 is caused to travel straight without being branched at the branch portion 1c, the carrier controller 31 positions the guide auxiliary wheel 17 on the 1 st guide surface 41 side of the guide rail 4 (the direction of travel is the left side). Thereby, the traveling unit 9 is guided in a state where the 1 st guide surface 41 of the guide rail 4 abuts on the guide auxiliary wheel 17. As shown in fig. 4, when the branch portion 1c travels straight, the travel rail 2 on one of the left and right sides (here, the right side) of the pair of rail portions 7 is interrupted, but the guide rail 4 receives a load via the guide auxiliary wheel 17 and is guided and supported, whereby the travel portion 9 is prevented from falling off from the travel rail 2 on the other of the left and right sides (here, the left side) that is not interrupted, and the article carrier 3 can travel straight at the branch portion 1 c.

As shown in fig. 5, when the article carrier 3 is branched at the branching portion 1c, the carrier controller 31 positions the guide auxiliary wheel 17 on one side (the right side in the traveling direction) of the 2 nd guide surface 42 of the guide rail 4. Thereby, the traveling unit 9 is guided in a state where the 2 nd guide surface 42 of the guide rail 4 abuts on the guide auxiliary wheel 17. As shown in fig. 5, when the branching portion 1c branches, the travel rail 2 on one of the left and right sides (here, the left side) of the pair of rail portions 7 is interrupted, but the guide rail 4 receives a load via the guide auxiliary wheel 17 and is guided and supported, whereby the travel rail 2 on the other of the left and right sides (here, the right side) that is not interrupted by the travel portion 9 is prevented from falling off, and the article carrier 3 can branch and travel at the branching portion 1 c.

In the above description, the article carrier 3 has been described as traveling straight and branched at the branching portion 1c, but the same applies to the merging portion 1 d.

As shown in fig. 7, the article transport vehicle 3 includes a vehicle controller 31, a communication unit 32, an actuator group a, and a sensor group S. The sensor group S includes a code reader, not shown, for reading a position mark indicating position information arranged along the travel path 1, a rotary encoder, not shown, for detecting a travel distance of the article transport vehicle 3 based on a rotation amount of the travel wheel 15, an obstacle sensor, not shown, for detecting another article transport vehicle 3 or an obstacle in the traveling direction, and the like. The actuator group a includes a travel motor 14 that drives the travel wheels 15, an actuator (not shown) that moves the guide auxiliary wheels 17 in the vehicle transverse width direction (path width direction Y), an actuator (not shown) that moves the support mechanism 13 up and down, and the like.

The carrier controller 31 determines the position of the article carrier 3 on the travel path 1 based on the detection results of the code reader and the rotary encoder. The positional information of each of the article carriers 3 is transmitted to the equipment controller H and the other article carriers 3 by wireless communication. The facility controller H controls the travel of the article carrier 3 of the article transport facility 100 based on the position information of each article carrier 3. The carrier controller 31 carries the article W based on the carrying instruction from the apparatus controller H. The carrier controller 31 autonomously moves the article transport vehicle 3 on which the article W is suspended and supported, based on the transport command, the positional information of the own vehicle, the positional information of another vehicle, the detection result of the obstacle sensor, and the like.

As described above, the article transport vehicle 3 includes parts such as the travel wheels 15, the guide wheels 16, and the guide auxiliary wheels 17 which are worn by contact with the travel rails 2 and the guide rails 4, and parts such as actuators of the travel motor 14 which are consumed as the article transport vehicle 3 travels. Further, the bearings supporting the axles such as the traveling wheels 15, the guide wheels 16, and the guide auxiliary wheels 17 may be worn or damaged. For example, if the bearing is broken, the rotation resistance increases. Therefore, the article transport vehicle 3 is preferably subjected to regular maintenance such as inspection and part replacement. The maintenance can be performed at a fixed time, but the maintenance is not necessarily performed at an appropriate time for each of the article carriers 3. Therefore, it is preferable to detect the state of each part of the article transport vehicle 3 and perform maintenance such as part replacement and adjustment according to the state of the article transport vehicle 3.

Therefore, in the article transport facility 100 according to the present embodiment, the inspection data is collected from the article transport vehicle 3 that actually transports the article W, and the timing of maintenance such as replacement or adjustment of parts is determined based on the inspection data. In this case, the determination may be performed by comparing the normal reference value with the inspection data, or may be performed based on so-called large data in which a plurality of inspection data are accumulated. Here, the article transport vehicle 3 from which the inspection data is extracted is referred to as a target transport vehicle 3T. The object vehicle 3T includes a sensor (e.g., a vibration sensor S1) for detecting the behavior of the vehicle in motion. The object carrier 3T is an object carrier 3 designated as an inspection object from among the plurality of object carriers 3 by the equipment controller H. Further, all the article carriers 3 may be designated as the target carriers 3T, or some of all the article carriers 3 may be designated as the target carriers 3T.

As shown in fig. 1 and 6, the travel path 1 includes a path K set in an inspection area E for traveling the designated object carrier 3T. The equipment controller H controls the plurality of article carriers 3 so that only one object carrier 3T exists in the inspection area E. When another article carrier 3 (another vehicle) is present in front of the host vehicle, the article carrier 3 may lower the traveling speed or temporarily stop and wait for the collision. As indicated by reference numeral "3 a" in fig. 6, when another vehicle is present in front of the object truck 3T and the object truck 3T lowers or temporarily stops the traveling speed as described above, the vehicle may not travel properly for inspection and the equipment controller H may not obtain proper inspection data. However, in the present embodiment, the travel of the plurality of article carriers 3 is controlled so that only one object carrier 3T exists in the inspection area E. Therefore, the target cart 3T can travel so as to be suitable for inspection without affecting other vehicles in front of the host vehicle.

The equipment controller H also causes the object transport vehicle 3T to travel in the inspection area E in a predetermined inspection travel pattern. The equipment controller H acquires inspection data based on the detection result of the sensor (such as the vibration sensor S1) from the object carrier 3T traveling in the inspection traveling mode. As described above, since the object carrier 3 (other vehicle) other than the object carrier 3T is controlled not to exist in the inspection area E, the object carrier 3T can travel in the predetermined inspection travel pattern without affecting the other vehicle. The object cart 3T travels in a predetermined inspection travel pattern without affecting other vehicles, and thereby the equipment controller H can obtain inspection data with high reproducibility.

Here, the sensor that detects the behavior of the vehicle that is traveling on the target vehicle 3T detects at least one of the torque of the traveling motor 14 that causes the target vehicle 3T to travel, the rotational speed of the traveling wheel 15 or the rotating member that is linked with the traveling wheel 15 of the target vehicle 3T, and the vibration of the target vehicle 3T.

For example, when the friction force increases due to wear of the travel wheels 15, the guide wheels 16, the guide auxiliary wheels 17, and the like, the rotation resistance increases, and the travel motor 14 may require a large torque. The magnitude of the torque may be detected by a torque sensor, or may be detected based on the magnitude of a current flowing through a drive circuit of the traveling motor 14. The magnitude of the torque is not limited to the method using the torque sensor, and may be calculated by a servo driver used in the vehicle controller 31 to control the traveling motor 14.

When the diameter of the travel wheel 15 is reduced by wear or the like, the travel distance differs even at the same rotation speed. For example, as described above, when the position marker indicating the position information is arranged along the travel route 1, the travel distance can be detected based on the position marker. By comparing the travel distance with the travel distance based on the rotation speed, the state of wear of the travel wheel 15 can be determined. Therefore, a sensor (a rotation sensor such as a rotary encoder) for detecting the rotation speed of the travel wheel 15 can be used as a sensor for detecting the behavior. Further, the rotation speed of the travel wheel 15 is not limited to detection, and may be a sensor that detects the rotation speed of a rotating member provided on a power transmission path from the travel motor 14 to the travel wheel 15. In addition, a code reader that reads the position markers may also be included in the sensor that detects the action.

Further, when the travel wheels 15, the guide wheels 16, the guide auxiliary wheels 17, and the like are worn due to wear or the like, the stability of the article transport vehicle 3 may be deteriorated, and the vibration of the article transport vehicle 3 during travel may be increased. By detecting the magnitude of the vibration by the vibration sensor S1, the equipment controller H can determine the degree of wear of the travel wheels 15, the guide wheels 16, the guide auxiliary wheels 17, and the like. Therefore, the vibration sensor S1 corresponds to a sensor for detecting behavior.

However, the above description mainly exemplifies a mode of determining the state of wear or the like of the parts of the article carrier 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the state of the rotary encoder may be diagnosed based on a difference between the position of the article transport vehicle 3 based on the detection result of the rotary encoder and the position of the article transport vehicle 3 based on the detection result of the code reader. Further, the difference between the specified stop position on the travel path 1 and the actual stop position of the article carrier 3 may be used as inspection data to diagnose the sensor sensitivity such as a code reader or other stop position detection sensor (not shown).

As described above, the travel wheels 15 roll on the upper surface of the travel rail 2, and the guide wheels 16 roll on the side surfaces of the travel rail 2. That is, the travel wheels 15 and the guide wheels 16 contact the travel guide rail 2 over the entire travel path 1 except for a part of the branching portion 1c and the merging portion 1 d. On the other hand, the guide auxiliary wheel 17 rolls on the side surface of the guide rail 4. Since the guide rail 4 is provided at the branching portion 1c and the joining portion 1d, the guide auxiliary wheel 17 is in contact with the guide rail 4 only at a part of the travel path 1, specifically, only at the branching portion 1c and the joining portion 1 d. Therefore, the examination region E preferably includes a branching portion 1c where the path K branches into a plurality of paths and a merging portion 1d where the paths K merge. The shape of the path K other than the branching portion 1c and the merging portion 1d is not limited to a straight line, and may be a curved line. Therefore, the inspection area E preferably includes a linear path (linear path 1a) and a curved path (curved path 1 b).

Fig. 1 illustrates an embodiment in which the inspection area E, which is one set, includes a straight path 1a, a curved path 1b, a branching portion 1c, and a merging portion 1 d. However, the examination region E may be arranged in a plurality of regions. For example, the 1 st examination region E including only the linear path 1a, the 2 nd examination region E including only the curved path 1b, the 3 rd examination region E including the branching portion 1c, and the 4 th examination region E including the merging portion 1d may be separately arranged.

Fig. 1 and 6 illustrate a typical embodiment in which an inspection path K (inspection path K2) is provided in addition to a path K (normal path K1) through which the article transport vehicle 3 travels to transport the article W. However, all or a part of the inspection route K2 may be provided to be used as the normal route K1. For example, as illustrated in fig. 1 and 6, even when the inspection path K2 is provided separately from the normal path K1, the branch portion 1c from the normal path K1 to the inspection path K2 and the junction portion 1d from the inspection path K2 to the normal path K1 can be used by both the normal path K1 and the inspection path K2.

Further, the inspection travel mode is set to include acceleration, deceleration, and constant speed travel. For example, the friction between the travel rail 2 and the travel wheels 15 is also affected during acceleration and deceleration. Depending on the degree of wear of the travel wheels 15, the travel wheels 15 may slip. The inspection travel pattern is set not only for constant-speed travel but also for acceleration and deceleration, whereby the apparatus controller H can obtain appropriate inspection data.

As shown in fig. 1 and 6, in the present embodiment, the inspection area E is set to include one of the two paths K (the inspection path K2) arranged in parallel in the same direction as the direction of travel of the article carrier 3. By setting the inspection area E in this manner, in the truck 3 shown by the reference numeral "3 b" in fig. 6, the truck 3 not designated as the target truck 3T can be advanced by using the normal path K1, and the target truck 3T can be advanced by using the parallel inspection path K2. The object carriage 3T can travel on the inspection path K2 in the inspection travel mode without being affected by another vehicle. In the normal path K1 parallel to the inspection path K2, the other article carrier 3 can be moved to carry the article W, and therefore, the reduction in the carrying efficiency of the article carrying facility 100 is also suppressed.

As shown in fig. 6, when the inspection path K2 and the normal path K1 are provided in parallel, the branch portion 1c from the normal path K1 to the inspection path K2 and the junction portion 1d from the inspection path K2 to the normal path K1 include both the inspection path K2 and the normal path K1. Therefore, the inspection area E (the inspection path K2) can be arranged in parallel with the parallel section F of the normal path K1 including the branching portion 1c and the merging portion 1d, as shown in fig. 6.

However, as described above, there is a possibility that a plurality of or all of the plurality of article carriers 3 may be designated as the target carrier 3T. In the present embodiment, the object truck 3T is designated on condition that the weight (conveying weight) of the article W being conveyed is a common predetermined value. Thus, the device controller H can collect the inspection data by matching the conditions.

Since the semiconductor wafers are accommodated in the FOUP as the article W, for example, the weight of the FOUP with the full semiconductor wafers, the weight of the FOUP without the semiconductor wafers accommodated therein (empty FOUP), or the weight of the FOUP accommodating a predetermined plurality of semiconductor wafers can be set to a predetermined value of the carrying weight. For example, it is preferable that the most severe condition for the travel of the article carrier 3 be a predetermined value, that is, the weight of the FOUP full of semiconductor wafers, which is the heaviest carrying weight. The conveying weight also includes a state where the article transport vehicle 3 does not support the article W, that is, zero. The equipment controller H specifies the object carrier 3T as the article carrier 3 which is carrying the article W having the predetermined carrying weight, on the condition that the carrying weight is the predetermined value.

As shown in fig. 7, the article transport vehicle 3 includes a communication unit 32 that can wirelessly communicate with the equipment controller H. The inspection data acquired by the carrier controller 31 from the sensor group S is wirelessly transmitted from the communication section 32 to the device controller H. That is, the target cart 3T includes the carrier controller 31 as a detection result acquiring unit that acquires the inspection data, and the communication unit 32 as an inspection data transmitting unit that transmits the inspection data, and the communication unit 32 wirelessly transmits the inspection data to the equipment controller H. The device controller H can successively receive and accumulate inspection data.

As shown in fig. 7, the target cart 3T may include a detection result storage unit 33, and the detection result storage unit 33 may be configured by a storage medium such as a memory for storing the inspection data acquired by the carrier controller 31. In this case, the communication unit 32 may periodically transmit the inspection data stored in the detection result storage unit 33 to the device controller H. The inspection data stored in the detection result storage unit 33 may be transmitted to the device controller H through a wired connection with the device controller H. Alternatively, the inspection data may be transferred via a memory card or the like that is attachable to and detachable from the object carrier 3T and the equipment controller H. In addition, when the detection result storage 33 is detachable from the object transport vehicle 3T, the equipment controller H may connect the detection result storage 33 detached from the object transport vehicle 3T to the equipment controller H to obtain the inspection data.

[ other embodiments ]

Other embodiments will be described below. The configurations of the embodiments described below are not limited to being applied individually, and can be applied in combination with the configurations of other embodiments as long as no contradiction occurs.

(1) In the above description, the ceiling cart traveling while being supported by the traveling rail 2 is exemplified as the article cart 3, but the article cart 3 may be a cart traveling while being supported by a rail. Alternatively, the article transport vehicle 3 may be a vehicle that travels on a path (e.g., a floor) formed by a guide rail or the like.

(2) In the above description, the one or more inspection regions E are exemplified to include the straight path 1a, the curved path 1b, the branching portion 1c, and the merging portion 1d as the path K. That is, the mode in which the inspection path K2 includes the paths K of all the shapes is illustrated. However, the examination path K2 may be configured to include at least one of them. In addition to the branching portion 1c and the merging portion 1d, the inspection path K2 may include an intersection portion when the travel path 1 includes an intersection portion (not shown) where the two paths K intersect.

(3) In the above description, the equipment controller H has been exemplified as a mode of specifying the object carrier 3 as the target carrier 3T on the condition that the carrying weight is a predetermined value. However, the equipment controller H may specify the object carrier 3T based on, for example, a position on the travel path 1 of the article carrier 3 (a position with respect to the inspection path K2) regardless of the carrying weight. In addition, when the target vehicle 3T is designated regardless of the transport weight, the transport weight may be acquired as the inspection data.

(4) In the above, a mode in which the transfer destination of the check data is the device controller H is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this method, and the transfer destination of the inspection data may be a data server or the like provided separately from the device controller H.

(5) In the above description, the inspection travel mode is set to include an acceleration, deceleration, and constant speed travel mode. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and for example, the inspection travel mode may be set to travel only at a constant speed.

[ brief description of the embodiments ]

Hereinafter, the outline of the article carrying facility described above will be briefly described.

As one aspect, the present invention provides an article transport facility including a control device and a plurality of article transport vehicles, the plurality of article transport vehicles traveling along a predetermined travel path to transport an article, the control device controlling the operation of the article transport vehicles, wherein the travel path includes a path set in an inspection area for traveling an object transport vehicle, the object transport vehicle is specified as an inspection object from among the plurality of article transport vehicles, the object transport vehicle includes a sensor that detects the behavior of a vehicle that is traveling, the control device controls the plurality of article transport vehicles such that only one of the object transport vehicles exists in the inspection area and the object transport vehicle travels in a predetermined inspection travel mode in the inspection area, and the control device acquires an inspection by the sensor from the object transport vehicle traveling in the inspection travel mode And (5) detecting the inspection data of the result.

According to this aspect, the behavior of the object carrier traveling in the predetermined inspection traveling pattern is detected by the sensor, and the control device acquires the inspection data obtained by the sensor. Therefore, the state of the article carrier can be obtained under the same condition. Since only one object transport vehicle is controlled to be present in the inspection area, the object transport vehicle can travel in a predetermined inspection travel pattern on a route set in the inspection area without being affected by other article transport vehicles. That is, according to this aspect, it is possible to appropriately acquire information indicating the state of the article transport vehicle for determining the maintenance timing.

Preferably, the sensor detects at least one of a torque of a motor that moves the object carrying vehicle, a rotational speed of a wheel of the object carrying vehicle or a rotating member that is interlocked with the wheel, and a vibration of the object carrying vehicle.

The control device can determine the degree of consumption of the wheel and the motor by detecting the torque and the rotational speed. Further, by detecting the vibration, the control device can determine the wear of one of the wheels, the loosening of the rotating member, and the like.

Preferably, the inspection area includes a linear path, a curved path, a branch portion where the path is branched into a plurality of paths, and a merge portion where the paths merge, and the inspection travel pattern includes acceleration, deceleration, and constant-speed travel.

According to this aspect, the inspection data is obtained when the inspection area includes various types of routes and travels through various routes. The inspection travel pattern includes various travel states, and thereby inspection data of various travel modes is obtained.

Preferably, the inspection area includes one of two paths in which the article transport vehicles are arranged in parallel with each other in the same direction.

According to this configuration, for example, the object carrier branches from the normal route to the inspection route, travels on the inspection route, and easily returns to the normal route again. Further, it is difficult for the object carrier to block a path for carrying the object due to the travel of the object carrier, thereby preventing the object carrier other than the object carrier from carrying the object. Therefore, according to this aspect, the inspection data can be appropriately obtained while suppressing a decrease in the utilization efficiency of the article transport vehicle of the article transport facility.

Preferably, the article transport vehicle specifies the article transport vehicle as the target transport vehicle on the condition that the transport weight is a predetermined value.

According to this aspect, the comparison of the inspection data between the plurality of object vehicles is facilitated by matching the conditions regarding the transportation weights of the object vehicles. Further, the tendency of the entire article transport vehicle can be easily determined based on the inspection data of the plurality of object transport vehicles.

Preferably, the object carrier includes a detection result acquiring unit that acquires the inspection data, and an inspection data transmitting unit that transmits the inspection data, and the inspection data transmitting unit wirelessly transmits the inspection data to the control device.

According to this aspect, the control device can successively acquire the inspection data from the target transport vehicle. The target transport vehicle may not have a storage device with a large capacity for storing a plurality of inspection data.

Description of the reference numerals

1: travel path

1 a: straight line path (straight line path)

1 b: curve path (Curve path)

1 c: branching part

1 d: confluence part

3: article carrier

3T: object carrying vehicle

14: traveling motor (motor for traveling object carrier)

15: traveling wheel (wheel of object transport vehicle)

32: communication part (inspection data transmission part)

100: article carrying apparatus

E: examination region

H: equipment controller (control device)

K: route of travel

S: sensor group (sensor for detecting behavior of traveling vehicle)

S1: vibration sensor (sensor for detecting behavior of traveling vehicle)

W: an article.