US 12,384,620 B2
Overhead carrier and overhead carrying system
Yasuhisa Ito, Ise (JP)
Assigned to MURATA MACHINERY, LTD., Kyoto (JP)
Appl. No. 17/996,564
Filed by MURATA MACHINERY, LTD., Kyoto (JP)
PCT Filed Feb. 15, 2021, PCT No. PCT/JP2021/005478
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 19, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/220582, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 4, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-078157 (JP), filed on Apr. 27, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0118995 A1, Apr. 20, 2023
Int. Cl. B65G 1/04 (2006.01); B65G 49/07 (2006.01); H01L 21/677 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 1/0464 (2013.01) [B65G 1/0457 (2013.01); B65G 49/07 (2013.01); H01L 21/677 (2013.01); H01L 21/67724 (2013.01); H01L 21/67727 (2013.01); H01L 21/6773 (2013.01); H01L 21/67733 (2013.01); H01L 21/67736 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An overhead transport vehicle capable of traveling along a rail arranged at least partially in a grid pattern, the overhead transport vehicle comprising:
an article holding unit configured to hold an article;
a linear drive unit configured to drive the article holding unit to move linearly;
a pivoting drive unit configured to drive the article holding unit to pivot horizontally;
a control unit configured to control the pivoting drive unit in accordance with orientation of the article held by the article holding unit and orientation of a load port on which the article is placed;
a traveling wheel configured to roll on the rail; and
a body section disposed below the rail and including the article holding unit, the linear drive unit, and the pivoting drive unit, wherein
the linear drive unit includes a lifting drive unit configured to raise and lower the article holding unit and a slide drive unit configured to slide and move the lifting drive unit,
the pivoting drive unit includes a first pivoting drive unit configured to horizontally pivot the slide drive unit and a second pivoting drive unit configured to horizontally pivot the article holding unit or the lifting drive unit, and
when the slide drive unit is horizontally pivoted by the first pivoting drive unit, the second pivoting drive unit, the lifting drive unit, and the article holding unit that are attached to a lower side of the slide drive unit are horizontally pivoted together.
 
5. An overhead transport system comprising:
a plurality of processing devices disposed so as to be aligned along a passage on each of one side and the other side of the passage; and
an overhead transport vehicle capable of traveling along a rail arranged at least partially in a grid pattern, the overhead transport vehicle comprising:
an article holding unit configured to hold an article;
a linear drive unit configured to drive the article holding unit to move linearly;
a pivoting drive unit configured to drive the article holding unit to pivot horizontally;
a control unit configured to control the pivoting drive unit in accordance with orientation of the article held by the article holding unit and orientation of a load port on which the article is placed;
a traveling wheel configured to roll on the rail; and
a body section disposed below the rail and including the article holding unit, the linear drive unit, and the pivoting drive unit, wherein
the linear drive unit includes a lifting drive unit configured to raise and lower the article holding unit and a slide drive unit configured to slide and move the lifting drive unit,
the pivoting drive unit includes a first pivoting drive unit configured to horizontally pivot the slide drive unit and a second pivoting drive unit configured to horizontally pivot the article holding unit or the lifting drive unit, and
when the slide drive unit is horizontally pivoted by the first pivoting drive unit, the second pivoting drive unit, the lifting drive unit, and the article holding unit that are attached to a lower side of the slide drive unit are horizontally pivoted together, wherein
each of the processing devices includes the load port disposed on a side of the processing device closer to the passage, and
the overhead transport system includes a traveling path, serving as a path along which the overhead transport vehicle travels, extending across the passage and allowing the overhead transport vehicle to pass through above a pair of the load ports.