JP2023018160A - stacker crane - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a stacker crane capable of reliably preventing falling of an object to be conveyed from a hand.SOLUTION: A stacker crane 7 conveys a storage container 90 which has a recessed part 92 and a flange 93. The stacker crane 7 includes: a lifting base 73 going up/down along a mast 72; a hand 110 provided at the lifting base 73, having a positioning pin P which can be inserted in the recessed part 92, and on which the storage container 90 is placed; a transfer device 120 for transferring the storage container 90 by moving the hand 110 forward/backward; and a falling prevention member 100 provided at the lifting base 73, and for preventing falling of the storage container 90 from the hand 110 in a retreat state in which the hand 110 is retreated by the transfer device 120. The falling prevention member 100 is arranged by having an interval H equal to or less than insertion height of the positioning pin P into the recessed part 92 with respect to the flange 93, on the flange 93 of the storage container 90 placed on the hand 110 in a retreat state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to stacker cranes.

Conventionally, a stacker crane for transporting a transported object includes a lifting platform that ascends and descends along a mast, a hand that is provided on the lifting platform for placing the transported product, and a transfer that transfers the transported product by moving the hand forward and backward. A stacker crane is known that comprises a device. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a stacker crane provided with pressing support means for pressing a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) placed on a hand from above.

JP-A-2007-55698

In the stacker crane as described above, there is a possibility that the transported object placed on the hand may drop from the hand if, for example, the transported object is stopped at a large deceleration due to a power failure during transportation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a stacker crane capable of reliably preventing a transported object from falling from a hand.

A stacker crane according to the present invention is a stacker crane that conveys an object having a positioning concave portion provided at the bottom and a flange provided at the top, and includes a lift that moves up and down along a mast; a hand that has a positioning pin that can be inserted into a concave portion to place an object to be transported; a transfer device that moves the hand forward and backward to transfer the object to be transported; a fall prevention member for preventing the article from falling from the hand in the retracted state retracted by the device, wherein the fall prevention member, in the retracted state, is placed on the flange of the article placed on the hand; are arranged at intervals equal to or less than the insertion height of the positioning pin into the recess.

In this stacker crane, the drop prevention member is arranged on the flange of the object to be conveyed in a retracted state in which the hand is retracted onto the platform by the transfer device (hereinafter also simply referred to as the "retracted state"). is equal to or less than the insertion height of the positioning pin into the recess. Therefore, for example, even if a power failure causes a large deceleration while conveying an object to be conveyed in the retracted state, and an external force having a vertical component is applied to the conveyed object, the positioning pin of the hand is conveyed so as not to come off the concave portion. It is possible to restrict the movement of objects in the vertical direction. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the transported object from falling from the hand.

In the stacker crane according to the present invention, the fall prevention member may be provided so as to include the entire flange when viewed from above in the retracted state. In this case, it is possible to effectively exhibit the above-described action of restricting the vertical movement of the conveyed object so that the positioning pin does not come off the concave portion, and it is possible to more reliably prevent the conveyed object from falling from the hand.

The stacker crane according to the present invention may further include a gripping section provided on the hand for gripping the article placed on the hand in the horizontal direction. In this case, it is possible to more reliably prevent the transported object from falling from the hand even by the gripping portion.

In the stacker crane according to the present invention, the fall prevention member may have a plate shape and may be cantilevered by the support member on the platform. As a result, it is possible to concretely realize a structure that can reliably prevent the transported object from falling from the hand.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the stacker crane which can prevent the fall of the conveyed object from a hand reliably can be provided.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a stocker with a stacker crane according to one embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of the stacker crane of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of the stacker crane of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a side view showing a main part of the stacker crane of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a fall prevention member of the stacker crane of FIG. 1;

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted. The terms "top" and "bottom" correspond to vertical directions upward and downward, respectively.

A stocker equipped with a stacker crane according to one embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a stocker 1 provided with a stacker crane 7. FIG. 2, 3 and 4 are diagrams showing the essential parts of the stacker crane 7. FIG. In FIG. 2, the display of the containment vessel 90 is omitted for convenience of explanation. As shown in at least one of FIGS. 1 to 3, the stocker 1 stores storage containers (transported objects) 90 such as FOUPs (Front Opening Unified Pods) in which stored objects such as semiconductor wafers and glass substrates are stored. It has a function as a storehouse for storing. The stocker 1 is provided, for example, in a clean room. The stocker 1 mainly includes a stocker body 3 , racks 4 , stacker crane 7 and controller 80 .

The stocker main body 3 is a portion that defines the internal space A of the stocker 1, and is formed by a plurality of partitions. The rack 4 is a portion for storing the container 90, and is normally provided in 1 to 2 rows (here, 2 rows). Each rack 4 extends in the X direction (width direction) and is arranged substantially parallel so that two adjacent racks 4, 4 face each other.

Each rack 4 has a plurality of storage shelves 50 on which storage containers 90 are placed and stored. The storage shelves 50 are arranged along the X direction and the Z direction (vertical direction). In the following description, the side on which the storage rack 50 is arranged as seen from the stacker crane 7 is the front side, and the opposite side is the rear side.

The stacker crane 7 is a mechanism that moves the storage container 90 in and out of the storage shelf 50 and moves the storage container 90 between the storage shelf 50 and the storage shelf 50 and the storage port and delivery port (not shown). The stacker crane 7 is arranged in a region sandwiched between the racks 4, 4 facing each other. The stacker crane 7 can move along the rack 4 in the X direction by traveling on a track (not shown) arranged on the floor along the extending direction (X direction) of the rack 4 .

The stacker crane 7 includes a travel section 71 , an elevating section 74 , a turning section 75 , a hand 110 , a transfer device 120 , a grip section 130 and a fall prevention member 100 . The traveling portion 71 is provided so as to be able to travel in the X direction along the track by a travel driving portion such as a motor. The elevating section 74 includes a mast 72 and an elevating platform 73 . The mast 72 is a member provided on the traveling portion 71 and extending in the Z direction. The lift table 73 is provided so as to be able to move up and down along the mast 72 by a lift driving unit such as a motor. The turning section 75 rotates the hand 110, the transfer device 120, the gripping section 130, and the like mounted on the turning section 75 in a rotational direction around the axis along the Z direction.

The hand 110 places the container 90 thereon. The hand 110 is provided on the lift table 73 . The transfer device 120 transfers the storage container 90 by moving the hand 110 forward and backward (advancing to the outside of the platform 73 and retracting onto the platform 73 in a plan view). The transfer device 120 is provided on the lift table 73 . The grasping part 130 horizontally grasps the container 90 placed on the hand 110 . The grip portion 130 is provided on the hand 110 . The drop prevention member 100 prevents the storage container 90 from falling from the hand 110 in a retracted state (hereinafter also simply referred to as “retracted state”) in which the hand 110 is retracted onto the lift table 73 by the transfer device 120 . The fall prevention member 100 is provided on the lift table 73 .

The configuration, mechanism, or arrangement of the traveling section 71, the lifting section 74, the turning section 75, the hand 110, the transfer device 120, and the gripping section 130 are not particularly limited. Various known mechanisms or devices can be employed as the traveling portion 71, the lifting portion 74, the turning portion 75, the hand 110, the transfer device 120, and the gripping portion .

A controller 80 controls each part of the stacker crane 7 . The controller 80 is arranged inside the stocker main body 3, for example. The controller 80 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like. In the controller 80, hardware such as a CPU, RAM, and ROM cooperate with software such as programs to perform various controls.

Next, the stacker crane 7 will be described in detail.

As shown in at least one of FIGS. 2 to 4, the storage container 90 to be transported by the stacker crane 7 includes a box-shaped container body 91 and three positioning recesses 92 provided at the bottom. , and a flange 93 provided thereon. The recessed portion 92 is a hole (groove) corresponding to a positioning pin P, which will be described later, and is formed in the bottom surface of the container body 91 . The flange 93 is a portion that is gripped by, for example, an overhead carrier, and is provided on the container body 91 . The flange 93 has a plate shape along the upper surface of the container body 91 and is positioned at the center of the upper surface when viewed from above. The flange 93 constitutes the uppermost horizontal top surface of the containment vessel 90 .

The hand 110 is a plate-like member whose thickness direction is the Z direction. The hand 110 has a plurality of positioning pins P that can be inserted into the recesses 92 . The positioning pin P is a kinema pin erected on the hand 110 and supporting the container 90 . In the illustrated example, the positioning pins P are provided at three points on the upper surface of the hand 110 that are not aligned.

The transfer device 120 is an arm-type drive device that advances and retracts the hand 110 . The transfer device 120 has an arm base 121 , a first arm 122 and a second arm 123 . One end of the first arm 122 is connected to the arm base 121 so as to be rotatable (swingable) about an axis along the Z direction. One end of the second arm 123 is connected to the other end of the first arm 122 so as to be rotatable around an axis along the Z direction. A rear end portion of the hand 110 is connected to the other end portion of the second arm 123 so as to be rotatable around an axis along the Z direction. In the transfer device 120, the turning motion of the first arm 122, the second arm 123, and the hand 110 can be realized by the driving force of, for example, a turning motor and a telescopic motor.

The gripping portion 130 is configured to be openable and closable between an open state in which the storage container 90 is not gripped and a closed state in which the storage container 90 is gripped. The grip portion 130 has a pair of clamps 131 . A pair of clamps 131 are members that clamp the container 90 . The clamp 131 has an L-shaped plate shape with a bent tip when viewed from above. A tip portion of the clamp 131 is provided with a contact portion 131 a that contacts the side surface of the storage container 90 . The pair of clamps 131 are arranged such that their contact portions 131a face each other. The pair of clamps 131 are movably supported on the hand 110 such that the respective contact portions 131a approach and separate from each other in the horizontal direction. The grasping portion 130 is closed when the hand 110 is in the retracted state. When the hand 110 advances from the retracted state to a certain position, the grasping unit 130 transitions from the closed state to the open state by an interlocking mechanism (not shown) that interlocks with the advance operation of the hand 110 .

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the fall prevention member 100. FIG. As shown in at least one of FIGS. 2 to 5, the fall prevention member 100 is placed on the flange 93 of the storage container 90 placed on the hand 110 at a distance H from the flange 93 in the retracted state. are placed apart. The interval H is a distance equal to or less than the insertion height (depression depth) of the positioning pin P into the recess 92 . The interval H is a distance equal to or less than the dimension from the upper surface, which is the mounting surface of the hand 110, to the apex of the positioning pin P in the Z direction. For example, the interval H is the distance in the Z direction from the bottom end of the fall prevention member 100 to the top end of the flange 93 . For example, when the insertion height of the positioning pin P is 13 mm, the interval H is 8 mm.

The fall prevention member 100 has a plate shape (here, a disk shape) whose thickness direction is the Z direction.
The fall prevention member 100 is provided so as to include the entire flange 93 when viewed from the Z direction in the retracted state. That is, the fall prevention member 100 is larger than the flange 93 when viewed from the Z direction, and is provided so that the entire flange 93 is hidden in the retracted state. The lower surface of the fall prevention member 100 faces the flange 93 in the retracted state.

The fall prevention member 100 is cantilevered by a support member 78 on the lift table 73 (see FIG. 1). The support member 78 includes horizontal members 78x and vertical members 78y. The horizontal member 78x extends in the horizontal direction, and one end of the horizontal member 78x is fixed to the upper surface of the fall prevention member 100. As shown in FIG. The vertical member 78y extends along the Z direction, and its upper end side continues to the other end side of the horizontal member 78x. The vertical member 78y is fixed to the lift table 73 at its lower end side. Such a fall prevention member 100 moves up and down integrally with the lift table 73 .

As described above, in the stacker crane 7 , the fall prevention member 100 is arranged on the flange 93 of the storage container 90 in the retracted state, and the interval H therebetween is equal to or less than the insertion height of the positioning pin P into the recess 92 . Therefore, in the stacker crane 7, for example, while the containment vessel 90 is being transported in the retracted state (while it is moving in the X direction along the track), it stops at a large deceleration due to a power failure, and an external force having a component in the vertical direction is applied to the containment vessel 90. The vertical movement of the storage container 90 can be restricted so that the positioning pin P of the hand 110 does not come off the concave portion 92 even if the force is applied. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the container 90 from falling from the hand 110 .

In the stacker crane 7, the drop prevention member 100 is provided so as to include the entire flange 93 when viewed from above in the retracted state. As a result, the action of restricting the vertical movement of the storage container 90 so that the positioning pin P does not come off the recess 92 can be effectively exhibited, and the drop of the storage container 90 from the hand 110 can be prevented more reliably. be able to.

The stacker crane 7 further includes a gripper 130 that horizontally grips the container 90 placed on the hand 110 . This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the storage container 90 from falling from the hand 110 by the grip portion 130 as well. In addition, since the holding portion 130 grips the storage container 90 during the evacuation operation, it is possible to prevent the storage container 90 from moving up and down during the evacuation operation. Collisions can be reliably prevented.

In the stacker crane 7 , the fall prevention member 100 has a plate shape and is cantilevered by a support member 78 on the lift table 73 . Thereby, a structure that can reliably prevent the storage container 90 from falling from the hand 110 can be concretely realized.

Although the embodiments have been described above, one aspect of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the above embodiment, the fall prevention member 100 may be applied to a stacker crane having a configuration different from that of the stacker crane 7 described above. In the above embodiment, the storage container 90 such as a FOUP was described as an example of the transported object, but a reticle pod for storing reticles may also be used. The structure of the fall prevention member 100 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various structures may be employed as long as the fall prevention member 100 can be arranged on the flange 93 with a space H from the flange 93 in the retracted state.

7 Stacker crane, 72 Mast, 73 Elevator, 78 Support member, 90 Storage container (conveyed object), 92 Recessed portion, 93 Flange, 100 Drop prevention member, 110 Hand, 120 Transfer Apparatus, 130... Gripping part, H... Spacing, P... Positioning pin.

Claims (4)

A stacker crane for conveying an object having a positioning concave portion provided at the bottom and a flange provided at the top,
a lifting platform that moves up and down along the mast;
a hand that is provided on the lifting table, has a positioning pin that can be inserted into the recess, and places the article to be conveyed;
a transfer device that moves the hand forward and backward to transfer the article to be conveyed;
a fall prevention member that is provided on the lift table and prevents the transported object from falling from the hand in a retracted state in which the hand is retracted by the transfer device;
In the retracted state, the fall prevention member is arranged on the flange of the article placed on the hand, with a gap not greater than the insertion height of the positioning pin into the recess from the flange. done, stacker crane. 2. The stacker crane according to claim 1, wherein said fall prevention member is provided so as to include the entire flange when viewed from above in said retracted state. 3. The stacker crane according to claim 1, further comprising a gripping part provided on said hand for gripping said conveyed object placed on said hand in a horizontal direction. The stacker crane according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fall prevention member has a plate shape and is cantilevered on the platform by a support member.

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