JPH07114230B2 - Belt conveyor tray - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of use] The present invention relates to a tray used when a belt conveyor is connected to convey an object to be conveyed.

[Conventional technology]

The belt conveyor is an effective means for automatically supplying articles, and is widely used, for example, to automate the manufacture of semiconductor devices. By the way, in order to convey goods with a conveyor having a series of conveying functions by connecting a plurality of belt conveyors, the method of directly placing the conveyed object on the belt conveyor and conveying it, the small parts and the bottom surface are flat. There is a method in which a non-defective product or the like is placed on a pallet or a tray and the pallet or tray is transferred between belt conveyors to convey the pallet or the tray. To carry the wafer carrier case containing the semiconductor wafer, the wafer carrier case is mainly placed on a tray for carrying.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a belt conveyor for carrying the wafer carrier case, and FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state where the wafer carrier case is carried via a tray between the belt conveyors. In these figures, 1 is a supply station for supplying a plurality of first belt conveyors 2, 2 ... At the top, and supplies the wafer carrier case 3 to an automatic carrier described later, and 4 is the supply station and the stations of other locations (Fig. (Not shown) is an automated guided vehicle which is provided with a number of second belt conveyors 5 corresponding to the first belt conveyors 2, 2 ... That is, the first conveyor belt 2 and the second conveyor belt 5 are connected to each other by stopping the automatic conveyance vehicle 4 in the vicinity of the supply station 1, and the second conveyor belt 5 from the top of the first conveyor belt 2 is connected. A series of conveyors for transferring the wafer carrier case 3 upward is formed. Reference numeral 6 denotes a semiconductor wafer manufacturing process control table, and the manufacturing process control table 6 and the wafer carrier case 3 are placed on the first and second belt conveyors 2, 5 via the tray 7.

Therefore, the wafer carrier case 3 placed on the first belt conveyor 2 on the supply station 1 side via the tray 7 and the manufacturing process control table 6 show that the first and second belt conveyors 2, 5 are As the vehicle travels, it is transferred from the supply station 1 to the automatic transport vehicle 4. Then, the automatic transport vehicle 4 moves to a station at another place while the wafer carrier case 3 and the manufacturing process control table 6 are placed on the belt conveyor 5, and the tray 7 and the wafer 7 are moved in the reverse operation to the above operation. Carry out the carrier case 3 and the manufacturing process control table 6.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In such a belt conveyor, trays are accumulated at the arrival destination, and the trays must be returned to the shipping source on a regular basis, which is a waste of labor. On the other hand, if the wafer carrier case is placed directly on the belt conveyor and transported without using this tray, the wafer carrier case will be caught between the end portion and the start end portion of the belt conveyor and cannot be transferred. There is a problem that the table cannot be transported.

[Means for solving problems]

The belt conveyor according to the present invention uses a sheet in which characters can be entered in the tray as a management table for the conveyed objects.

[Action]

An object to be conveyed is conveyed via a sheet on a series of conveyors connected to a belt conveyor.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a belt conveyor according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing a use state of sheets on the belt conveyor. In these drawings, the supply stations indicated by reference numerals 11 and 15 and the automatic carrier and wafer carrier case 12 are the same as those in the above-mentioned conventional example, but will be described in more detail including re-explanation of the conventional example. Reference numeral 11 denotes a supply station for automatically supplying a wafer carrier case 12 containing a semiconductor wafer (not shown) to an automatic carrier described later, and the wafer carrier case 12 is provided above the supply station 11. A plurality of first belt conveyors 13, 13 ... Which are conveyed are arranged side by side. Further, a control device 14 for controlling the first belt conveyor 13 is attached to the side portion. Reference numeral 15 is an automatic carrier, on the upper part of which a number of second belt conveyors 16 corresponding to the first belt conveyors 13 are arranged side by side in the same pitch, and the automatic carrier 15 is located close to the supply station 11. By stopping the vehicle, the end portion of the first belt conveyor 13 and the start portion of the second belt conveyor 16 are connected, and the wafer carrier case 12 is moved from the first belt conveyor 13 onto the second belt conveyor 16 Forming a series of conveyors 17 for transfer. 18
Is a drive wheel connected to an electric motor (not shown), 19 is an idle wheel rotatably provided, 20 is a conveyor belt, and the belt 20 is stretched by the drive wheel 18 and the guide wheel 19. Has been done. Reference numeral 21 denotes a sheet which is a manufacturing process control table for semiconductor wafers. The sheet 21 is formed of hard processed paper, and the wafer carrier case 12 is placed on the upper surface of the sheet 21 and the belt 20
Placed on top. That is, the belt 20 responds as the drive wheel 18 rotates to the right in FIG.
The wafer carrier case 12 is transferred via the sheet 21. Reference numeral 22 is a support roller that supports the sheet 21 and the wafer carrier case 12 placed on the belt 20, and the support roller 22 contacts the lower surface of the rubber belt 20 on the carrying side and is rotatable so as to be interlocked with the running of the belt 20. It is provided in.

Therefore, the wafer carrier case 12 is transferred from the supply station 11 to the automatic carrier 15 via the sheet 21 by the conveyor 17. Further, the automatic carrier 15 moves to the supply station at another place, and carries the wafer carrier case 12 for each sheet 21 by the operation opposite to the above-mentioned operation.

In the present embodiment, an example of a belt conveyor that conveys a wafer carrier case accommodating semiconductor wafers is shown.
Any object can be similarly used as long as the transferred object is transferred on the conveyor via the tray.

Further, the sheet 21 is not limited to the hard paper, and is in the form of a film or sheet in which characters and the like can be easily written, and a state in which the object to be conveyed is placed between the first and second belt conveyors. Any material may be used as long as it has a rigidity that does not extremely bend even when it is hung over.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, in the belt conveyor according to the present invention, since the sheet which is the management table of the transported object is used in place of the tray, there is nothing to be transported other than the transported object and the sheet, so the tray is not delivered at the destination. It is possible to save the trouble of returning the item to the shipping source and to reliably transfer the transported object and its management table without using a tray. Further, since the number of members to be transported is reduced by not using the tray, there is an advantage that the handling of the transported object is simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a belt conveyor according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing a usage state of sheets on the belt conveyor, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a belt conveyor for carrying a wafer carrier case. The figure is a side view showing a state in which a wafer carrier case is conveyed between belt conveyors via a tray. 12 …… Wafer carrier case, 13 …… First belt conveyor, 16 …… Second belt conveyor, 21 …… Sheet.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A belt conveyor in which a series of conveyors is formed by bringing end portions of a belt conveyor close to each other, and a conveyed object is conveyed on the conveyor via a tray. A tray of a belt conveyor characterized by using a sheet in which characters can be entered in a management table.