阅读说明：本技术 高架输送车 (Overhead transport vehicle ) 是由 小林诚 于 2020-03-13 设计创作，主要内容包括：高架输送车具备沿着轨道行进的行进单元、保持输送对象物的保持单元、以及使保持单元升降的升降驱动单元。保持单元具有：基座；保持部,包括主体部以及以能够开闭的方式与主体部连结的一对把持部,以能够沿着一对把持部的开闭方向移动的方式安装于基座；以及第1弹性部件,在基座与主体部之间限制保持部沿着开闭方向的移动。(The overhead transport vehicle includes a travel unit that travels along a rail, a holding unit that holds an object to be transported, and a lifting drive unit that lifts and lowers the holding unit. The holding unit has: a base; a holding section including a main body section and a pair of grip sections openably and closably connected to the main body section, the holding section being attached to the base so as to be movable in an opening and closing direction of the pair of grip sections; and a 1 st elastic member that restricts movement of the holding portion in the opening/closing direction between the base and the main body portion.)

1. An overhead transport vehicle is provided with:

a traveling unit traveling along the rail;

a holding unit for holding a conveying object; and

a lifting drive unit for lifting the holding unit,

the holding unit includes:

a base;

a holding portion including a main body portion and a pair of grip portions openably and closably coupled to the main body portion, the holding portion being attached to the base so as to be movable in an opening and closing direction of the pair of grip portions; and

and a 1 st elastic member that restricts movement of the holding portion in the opening/closing direction between the base and the main body portion.

2. The overhead transport vehicle according to claim 1,

the holding unit further includes a linear motion mechanism that guides the pair of gripping portions to be openable and closable and guides the holding portion to be movable.

3. The overhead transport vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,

the opening/closing direction is along the traveling direction of the traveling unit.

4. The overhead transport vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the holding unit further includes:

a connecting member connected to a lower end portion of a belt of the elevation drive unit; and

and a 2 nd elastic member disposed between a portion of the connection member located below the base and the base.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to overhead transport vehicles.

Background

In a holding unit for holding a conveying object, an overhead conveying vehicle is known in which a holding portion including a pair of gripping portions is disposed on an elastic member in order to suppress transmission of vertical and horizontal vibrations to the conveying object (see, for example, patent document 1).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 6327124

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the overhead transport vehicle as described above, since the vibration is suppressed from being transmitted to the object to be transported by disposing the holding portion on the elastic member, it is difficult to effectively suppress the vibration in one direction along the horizontal direction from being transmitted to the object to be transported.

Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an overhead transport vehicle capable of effectively suppressing transmission of vibration in one direction along a horizontal direction to an object to be transported by a simple structure.

Means for solving the problems

An overhead transport vehicle according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a traveling unit traveling along the rail; a holding unit for holding a conveying object; and a lifting drive unit for lifting the holding unit, wherein the holding unit comprises: a base; a holding section including a main body section and a pair of grip sections openably and closably connected to the main body section, the holding section being attached to the base so as to be movable in an opening and closing direction of the pair of grip sections; and a 1 st elastic member that restricts movement of the holding portion in the opening/closing direction between the base and the main body portion.

In the overhead transport vehicle, the holding portion is attached to the base so as to be movable in the opening/closing direction of the pair of gripping portions, and the 1 st elastic member restricts the movement of the holding portion in the opening/closing direction of the pair of gripping portions between the base and the main body portion of the holding portion. This allows the 1 st elastic member to absorb vibration in the opening/closing direction of the pair of gripping portions, which is vibration in one direction along the horizontal direction. Further, the movement direction of the holding portion with respect to the base is made to coincide with the opening and closing direction of the pair of gripping portions, whereby the structure can be simplified. As described above, according to the overhead transport vehicle, transmission of vibration in one direction along the horizontal direction to the transport target can be effectively suppressed with a simple configuration.

In the overhead transport vehicle according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the holding unit may further include a linear movement mechanism that guides the pair of gripping portions to be openable and closable and guides the holding portion to be movable. In this way, the linear motion mechanism serves as both the guide for the pair of gripping portions and the guide for the holding portion, thereby simplifying the structure.

In the overhead transport vehicle according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the opening/closing direction may be along the traveling direction of the traveling unit. This can suppress transmission of vibration in the traveling direction, which is generated when the overhead transport vehicle accelerates or decelerates, or when the overhead transport vehicle passes over a minute step on the track, to the transport target object.

In the overhead transport vehicle according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the holding unit may further include: a connecting member connected to a lower end of a belt of the elevation drive unit; and a 2 nd elastic member disposed between a portion of the connection member located on a lower side of the base and the base. This can suppress transmission of vibration in the vertical direction to the object to be conveyed, which is generated when the holding unit places the object to be conveyed on the transfer destination or when the overhead transport vehicle passes a small step on the track.

Effects of the invention

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an overhead transport vehicle capable of effectively suppressing transmission of vibration in one direction along the horizontal direction to an object to be transported by a simple structure.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view of an overhead transport vehicle according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the holding unit shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the holding unit shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a part of the holding unit shown in fig. 1.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 1, the overhead transport vehicle 1 travels along a rail 100 laid near the ceiling of a clean room where semiconductor devices are manufactured. The overhead transport vehicle 1 transports a FOUP (front Opening Unified pod) 200 in which a plurality of semiconductor wafers are stored, and transfers the FOUP200 to a load port (transfer destination) 300 provided in a processing apparatus that performs various processes on the semiconductor wafers. In the following description, the vertical direction is referred to as the Z-axis direction, the extending direction of the rail 100 is referred to as the X-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to the Z-axis direction and the X-axis direction is referred to as the Y-axis direction. In the present embodiment, the rail 100 extends in the horizontal direction.

The overhead transport vehicle 1 includes a frame unit 2, a travel unit 3, a traverse unit 4, a θ unit 5, an elevation drive unit 6, a holding unit 7, and a controller 9. The frame unit 2 has a middle frame 21, a front frame 22, and a rear frame 23. The front frame 22 extends from an end portion on the front side (the front side in the traveling direction of the overhead transport vehicle 1) to the lower side in the middle frame 21. The rear frame 23 extends from an end portion of the rear side (the rear side in the traveling direction of the overhead transport vehicle 1) in the middle frame 21 to the lower side.

The traveling unit 3 is disposed above the intermediate frame 21. The traveling unit 3 travels along the track 100 by receiving supply of electric power without contact from, for example, a high-frequency current line laid along the track 100. The lateral unit 4 is disposed below the intermediate frame 21. The transverse unit 4 moves the θ unit 5, the elevation drive unit 6, and the holding unit 7 in the transverse direction (the side in the traveling direction of the overhead transport vehicle 1). The θ unit 5 is disposed below the lateral unit 4. The θ unit 5 rotates the elevation drive unit 6 and the holding unit 7 in a horizontal plane.

The elevation drive unit 6 is disposed below the θ unit 5. The elevation drive unit 6 elevates the holding unit 7. More specifically, the elevation drive unit 6 raises the holding unit 7 by winding the plurality of belts 61 on which the holding unit 7 is hung, and lowers the holding unit 7 by paying out the plurality of belts 61 on which the holding unit 7 is hung. The holding unit 7 is disposed below the elevation drive unit 6. The holding unit 7 holds the FOUP 200. More specifically, the holding unit 7 holds the FOUP200 by holding the flange portion 201 of the FOUP200 by the holding portion 8. The controller 9 is disposed in the middle frame 21. The controller 9 is an electronic control unit constituted by a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. The controller 9 controls each part of the overhead transport vehicle 1.

The overhead transport vehicle 1 configured as described above operates as follows, for example. When the FOUP200 is transferred from the load port 300 to the overhead transport vehicle 1, the overhead transport vehicle 1 that does not hold the FOUP200 stops above the load port 300. Next, the lifting/lowering drive unit 6 lowers the holding unit 7, and the holding portion 8 holds the flange portion 201 of the FOUP200 placed in the load port 300. Next, the elevation drive unit 6 raises the holding unit 7, and the FOUP200 is disposed between the front frame 22 and the rear frame 23. Next, the overhead transport vehicle 1 holding the FOUP200 starts traveling.

On the other hand, when the FOUP200 is transferred from the overhead transport vehicle 1 to the load port 300, the overhead transport vehicle 1 holding the FOUP200 stops above the load port 300. Next, the elevation drive unit 6 lowers the holding unit 7, places the FOUP200 on the load port 300, and the holding portion 8 releases the holding of the flange portion 201 of the FOUP 200. Subsequently, the elevation drive unit 6 raises the holding unit 7. Next, the overhead transport vehicle 1 that does not hold the FOUP200 starts traveling.

Next, the structure of the holding unit 7 will be described in detail. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the holding unit 7 includes a base 71 and a plurality of linear motion mechanisms 72, 73, and 74 in addition to the holding portion 8. The holding portion 8 is attached to the base 71 via a plurality of linear motion mechanisms 72, 73, and 74. The respective linear motion mechanisms 72, 73, and 74 support the respective portions of the holding portion 8 to be movable only in the X-axis direction. In the present embodiment, each of the linear motion mechanisms 72, 73, and 74 is a linear guide configured such that a linear block slides along a guide rail. The holding portion 8 and the plurality of linear motion mechanisms 72, 73, 74 and the like disposed on the base 71 are covered with a cover (not shown).

The holding portion 8 includes a main body portion 81, a drive motor 82, a pair of gripping portions 83 and 84, a pair of link mechanisms 85 and 86, and an intermediate taper unit 87. The main body 81 is fixed to the linear block of the linear motion mechanism 72. The drive motor 82 is fixed to the main body 81 so that a rotation shaft 82a extends in the Y-axis direction. A brake mechanism 82b and the like for maintaining the rotation shaft 82a in a stopped state are also attached to the main body 81.

The grip 83 is disposed on one side of the body 81 in the X-axis direction. The grip 83 includes a support portion 83a, a pair of coupling portions 83b, and a claw portion 83 c. The support portion 83a is fixed to the linear block of the linear motion mechanism 73. The pair of coupling portions 83b extend from the support portion 83a toward the lower side of the base 71 through the pair of slits 71 a. A pair of slits 71a are formed in the base 71 on both sides of the linear motion mechanism 73 so as to extend in the X-axis direction along the linear motion mechanism 73. The claw portion 83c is a portion that engages with the flange portion 201 of the FOUP200, and is fixed to the lower end portions of the pair of coupling portions 83b on the lower side of the base 71.

The grip portion 84 is disposed on the other side of the body portion 81 in the X-axis direction (on the opposite side of the grip portion 83 with respect to the body portion 81). The grip portion 84 includes a support portion 84a, a pair of coupling portions 84b, and a claw portion 84 c. The support portion 84a is fixed to the linear block of the linear motion mechanism 74. The pair of coupling portions 84b extend from the support portion 84a toward the lower side of the base 71 through the pair of slits 71 b. The pair of slits 71b are formed in the base 71 on both sides of the linear motion mechanism 74 so as to extend in the X-axis direction along the linear motion mechanism 74. The claw portion 84c is a portion that engages with the flange portion 201 of the FOUP200, and is fixed to the lower end portions of the pair of coupling portions 84b on the lower side of the base 71.

As shown in fig. 4, the link mechanism 85 couples the rotation shaft 82a of the drive motor 82 and the support portion 83a of the grip portion 83. More specifically, the link mechanism 85 includes a 1 st link 85a and a 2 nd link 85 b. One end of the 1 st link 85a is fixed to the rotation shaft 82 a. One end of the 2 nd link 85b is rotatably attached to the other end of the 1 st link 85 a. The other end of the 2 nd link 85b is rotatably attached to a pin provided on the support portion 83 a.

The link mechanism 86 connects the rotary shaft 82a of the drive motor 82 to the support portion 84a of the grip portion 84. More specifically, the link mechanism 86 has a 1 st link 86a, a 2 nd link 86b, and a 3 rd link 86 c. One end of the 1 st link 86a is fixed to the rotation shaft 82 a. One end of the 2 nd link 86b is rotatably attached to the other end of the 1 st link 86 a. The other end portion of the 2 nd link 86b is rotatably attached to one end portion of the 3 rd link 86 c. The other end portion of the 3 rd link 86c is fixed to the support portion 84 a. In the present embodiment, the 1 st link 85a and the 1 st link 86a are integrally formed.

When the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84 grips the flange portion 201 of the FOUP200, the rotation shaft 82a of the drive motor 82 rotates in one direction (clockwise direction in fig. 4), and the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84 are closed in the X-axis direction by the action of the pair of link mechanisms 85 and 86. On the other hand, when the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84 release the grip of the flange portion 201, the rotation shaft 82a of the drive motor 82 rotates in the other direction (counterclockwise direction in fig. 4), and the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84 are spread in the X-axis direction by the action of the pair of link mechanisms 85 and 86.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the intermediate taper unit 87 has a pair of guides 87a, a pair of rods 87b, an intermediate taper 87c, and a pair of coil springs 87 d. The pair of guides 87a are fixed to the main body 81 in a state of being arranged in the X-axis direction. Each guide 87a is a tubular member extending in the Z-axis direction. A pair of rods 87b are inserted into the pair of guides 87a, respectively. The upper end portions of the rods 87b are coupled to each other by a coupling member 87 e. A pair of rods 87b extend from the pair of guides 87a toward the lower side of the base 71 via the slits 71 c. The slit 71c is formed in the base 71 so as to extend in the X-axis direction along the linear motion mechanism 72.

An intermediate taper member 87c is fixed to the lower end portion of each rod 87b in the lower side of the base 71. The pair of coil springs 87d are disposed between the pair of guides 87a and the intermediate cone 87c in a state where the pair of rods 87b are inserted. The pair of coil springs 87d urge the intermediate cone 87c downward with respect to the body 81. In the intermediate taper unit 87, in order to position the holding portion 8 with respect to the flange portion 201 when the holding portion 8 holds the flange portion 201 of the FOUP200, the intermediate taper member 87c is fitted into a recess formed in the flange portion 201.

In the holding portion 8 configured as described above, the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84 are coupled to the main body portion 81 so as to be openable and closable along the X-axis direction, and the entire holding portion 8 is attached to the base 71 so as to be movable along the X-axis direction, which is the opening and closing direction of the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84. That is, the linear motion mechanisms 73 and 74 guide the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84 to be openable and closable in the X-axis direction and guide the holding portion 8 to be movable in the X-axis direction. In the present embodiment, the opening/closing direction of the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84 and the movement direction of the holding portion 8 are along the X-axis direction, which is the traveling direction of the traveling unit 3 (i.e., the extending direction of the rail 100).

The holding unit 7 further has a plurality of 1 st elastic members 75, 76. The 1 st elastic member 75 is disposed between the moving plate 81a and the stopper plate 71 d. The 1 st elastic member 76 is disposed between the moving plate 81a and the stopper plate 71 e. The moving plate 81a is provided on the main body 81 so as to be positioned between the main body 81 and the grip 84, and is movable along the X-axis direction together with the main body 81. The stopper plate 71d is provided on the base 71 so as to be located on the grip 83 side with respect to the moving plate 81a, and faces the moving plate 81a in the X-axis direction. The stopper plate 71e is provided on the base 71 so as to be located on the grip 84 side with respect to the moving plate 81a, and faces the moving plate 81a in the X-axis direction. The 1 st elastic members 75 and 76 are made of, for example, a gel material, a rubber material, a compression spring, or the like.

When the holding portion 8 moves in the X-axis direction so that the moving plate 81a approaches the stopper plate 71d, the 1 st elastic member 75 is compressed, and the movement of the holding portion 8 is restricted by the repulsive force of the compressed 1 st elastic member 75. On the other hand, when the holding portion 8 moves in the X-axis direction so that the moving plate 81a approaches the stopper plate 71e, the 1 st elastic member 76 is compressed, and the movement of the holding portion 8 is restricted by the repulsive force of the compressed 1 st elastic member 76. In this way, the plural 1 st elastic members 75, 76 regulate the movement of the holding portion 8 along the X-axis direction between the base 71 and the main body portion 81.

As shown in fig. 5, the holding unit 7 further includes a connecting member 78 and a 2 nd elastic member 79. The connecting member 78 is provided to correspond to each belt 61 of the elevation drive unit 6. The lower end portion 61a of the corresponding belt 61 is connected to the connecting member 78. The connection member 78 extends toward the lower side of the base through an opening 71f formed in the base 71. The 2 nd elastic member 79 is disposed between the portion 78a of the connection member 78 located on the lower side of the base 71 and the base 71. The 2 nd elastic member 79 is, for example, a gel material, a rubber material, a compression spring, or the like. The plurality of connecting members 78 corresponding to the plurality of belts 61 are connected to each other by a link mechanism (not shown) for suppressing twisting about the Z axis. In fig. 2, 3, and 4, the connecting member 78 and the 2 nd elastic member 79 are not shown.

As described above, in the overhead conveyer 1, the holding portion 8 is attached to the base 71 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction, which is the opening and closing direction of the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84, and the plurality of 1 st elastic members 75 and 76 regulate the movement of the holding portion 8 in the X-axis direction, which is the opening and closing direction of the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84, between the base 71 and the main body portion 81 of the holding portion 8. This enables the plurality of 1 st elastic members 75, 76 to absorb vibration in the X-axis direction, which is vibration in one direction along the horizontal direction. Further, the movement direction of the holding portion 8 with respect to the base 71 is made to coincide with the opening and closing directions of the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84, whereby the structure can be simplified. As described above, according to the overhead transport vehicle 1, it is possible to effectively suppress the transmission of the vibration in one direction along the horizontal direction to the FOUP200 with a simple structure.

In the overhead transport vehicle 1, the linear motion mechanisms 73 and 74 guide the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84 to be openable and closable and guide the holding portion 8 to be movable. In this way, the linear motion mechanisms 73 and 74 serve as both the guide for the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84 and the guide for the holding portion 8, thereby simplifying the structure.

In the overhead transport vehicle 1, the opening/closing direction of the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84 and the moving direction of the holding portion 8 are along the X-axis direction which is the traveling direction of the traveling unit 3. This can suppress transmission of the vibration in the traveling direction to the FOUP200, which is generated when the overhead transport vehicle 1 accelerates or decelerates, or when the overhead transport vehicle 1 passes a minute step on the rail 100, or the like.

In the overhead transport vehicle 1, the lower end portion 61a of each belt 61 included in the elevation drive unit 6 is connected to the connection member 78, and the 2 nd elastic member 79 is disposed between a portion of the connection member 78 located below the base 71 and the base 71. This can suppress the transmission of vertical vibration to the FOUP200, which is generated when the holding unit 7 places the FOUP200 on the load port 300 or when the overhead transport vehicle 1 passes a minute step on the rail 100.

The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the object to be conveyed according to the present disclosure is not limited to the FOUP200, and may be another object such as a reticle box in which a plurality of glass substrates are stored. The track on which the overhead conveyer of the present disclosure travels is not limited to the track 100 laid near the ceiling of the clean room in which the semiconductor device is manufactured, and may be a track laid near the ceiling of another facility. The opening and closing directions of the pair of gripping portions 83 and 84 and the moving direction of the holding portion 8 may not be along the traveling direction of the traveling unit 3. Further, the guide rails of the linear motion mechanisms 72, 73, and 74 may be integrally formed.

Description of the symbols:

1: an overhead transport vehicle; 3: a traveling unit; 6: a lifting drive unit; 7: a holding unit; 8: a holding section; 61: a belt; 61 a: a lower end portion; 71: a base; 73. 74: a linear motion mechanism; 75. 76: 1 st elastic member; 78: a connecting member; 79: a 2 nd elastic member; 81: a main body portion; 83. 84: a grip portion; 100: a track; 200: FOUP (transport object).