Patents Assigned to ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
  • Publication number: 20100065467
    Abstract: An object is to restrict vibration from being transmitted to a shelf member and thus to prevent a substrate supported on the shelf member from being damaged. An FOUP main body 3a is formed into a member separated from a shelf member 3e provided in the FOUP main body 3a, and then an elastic member 3g is interposed between the FOUP main body 3a and the shelf member 3e, thereby allowing the shelf member 3e to be elastically supported to the FOUP main body 3a.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: Asyst Technologies Japan, Inc.
    Inventor: Masanao MURATA
  • Publication number: 20090288931
    Abstract: An elevation conveyor 5 includes a turntable 17 and a roller conveyor 18. The roller conveyor 18 is supported onto the turntable 17. A turntable controller 7 turns the turntable 17 so that the roller conveyor 18 matches with a carrying direction of a conveyor rail for receiving or delivering a load and then drives the conveyor rail and the roller conveyor 18 to receive or deliver an FOUP 8. An elevation conveyor 5 is held in a cable 20a installed in an elevation space 9 through a coupling member 20b of a cableveyor 20, and can freely elevate and stop at a port 21 installed on each floor while being interlocked with motion of the cableveyor 20 caused by reciprocating circulation of the cableveyor 20 in a vertical direction by an elevation conveyor controller 4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2006
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
    Inventor: Munekuni Oshima
  • Publication number: 20090238664
    Abstract: Each storage provided for an storing apparatus is provided with: a driving device capable of reciprocating the load in a horizontal one direction and in a vertical direction; and a rack having a plurality of rack portions at a plurality of stages in the vertical direction, each stage including one or a plurality of rack portions in the horizontal one direction, the rack portion capable of accommodating or putting thereon the load to be displaced by the driving device. The storing apparatus is provided with a plurality of controllers, which control the loading and unloading in respective groups, each group comprising at least one or a plurality of storages of the plurality of the storages, and which can perform complementary control with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
    Inventors: Masanao MURATA, Takashi YAMAJI, Teruya YAMAJI
  • Publication number: 20090127073
    Abstract: A plurality of conveying apparatuses ace arranged from the inside of the first building to the inside of the second building along a conveying direction. A plurality of connection mechanisms connect each pair of adjacent conveying apparatuses such that the conveying apparatuses are arranged in a meandering manner in a case where relative positions between the first building and the second building are changed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2008
    Publication date: May 21, 2009
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
    Inventors: Masashi TSUCHIDA, Hideki Tsujii, Takahiko Futami
  • Publication number: 20090104006
    Abstract: A storage (10) unloads and loads a load (3) with a transporting carriage (2). The storage is provided with a port capable of transferring said load from or to said transporting carriage; a plurality of rack portions (15) capable of accommodating or putting said load thereon; a driving device (19) capable of moving said load between said port and said plurality of rack portions, and mutually between said plurality of rack portions; and a controlling device (20) for controlling said driving device to (i) firstly move said load to an temporary rack portion for unloading, which is one of said plurality of rack portions, and (ii), after once accommodating or putting said load on said temporary rack portion, move said load to said port from said temporary rack portion, in case of moving said load from said plurality of rack portions to said port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2008
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
    Inventors: Masanao Murata, Takashi Yamaji
  • Publication number: 20090065460
    Abstract: A storage (10) is provided with a supporting portion (11) capable of supporting a load (3), a horizontal driving portion (13) capable of moving said supporting portion back and forth in a horizontal one direction, a vertical driving portion (14) capable of moving said supporting portion back and forth in a vertical direction, and a rack (15) having a plurality of putting surfaces, each being capable of transferring said load mutually with said supporting portion, said putting surfaces being disposed at a plurality of stages in the vertical direction to each of which said supporting portion can access by said horizontal driving portion, one or more than one of said putting surfaces being disposed at a horizontal position to which said supporting portion can access by said horizontal driving portion. At least one of said putting surfaces functions as a port for unloading and loading said load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2008
    Publication date: March 12, 2009
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
    Inventors: Masanao MURATA, Takashi YAMAJI
  • Publication number: 20090063052
    Abstract: A transporting system is provided with: a track having a junction point; a plurality of transporting vehicles, each travelling on the track; and a transferring device which has (i) a left portion disposed on an edge on a left side of each of two track portions that are located at least before the junction point of the track with respect to a travelling direction of each transporting vehicle as a standard and (ii) a right portion disposed on an edge on a right side, and which can transfer a signal between the left portion in one of the two track portions and the right portion in another of the two track portions, and between the right portion in said one of the two track portions and the left portion in said another of the two track portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
    Inventor: Hisashi ONISHI
  • Publication number: 20090035104
    Abstract: A transporting system includes: a track portion; a plurality of loading platforms, disposed along the track portion, whose positions differ from each other in at least one direction; a plurality of transporting vehicles, each having a travelling device travelling along the track portion and a loading device, for loading transported objects; a first detecting device for detecting a first reference position, of the loading device when a reference transporting vehicle loads the transported object; a second detecting device for detecting a second reference position, of the loading device when each of the other transporting vehicles other than the reference transporting vehicle loads the transported object; and a teaching device for providing information on the position of the loading device with respect to each of the other loading platforms when each of the other transporting vehicles loads the transported object, on the basis of the detected first and second reference positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
    Inventors: Hisashi ONISHI, Taro YAMAMOTO, Shinji FUJIOKA, Nobuhiro GUNGE
  • Publication number: 20090026164
    Abstract: A transporting apparatus is provided with: a transporting device (120) having: a loading device (220) which can elongate in an elongation direction toward a side of the track portion; and an elongation mechanism (600) for elongating the loading device. The elongation mechanism is provided with: a first rack (510) fixed to the main body device (210) and a second rack (520) fixed to the loading device, the first rack and the second rack each extending in the elongation direction and facing each other with a space therebetween; and a first pinion (610) engaged with the first rack, a second pinion (620) engaged with the second rack, and an odd number of third pinions (630) engaged between the first and second pinions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2008
    Publication date: January 29, 2009
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
    Inventor: Noriyasu FUKAYA
  • Publication number: 20080236047
    Abstract: A transporting system with a fire door (100) is provided with: a rail (1) installed within a facility; a transporting carriage (3), whose wheel (4) is set so as to roll over a surface for rolling of the rail; a fire door plate (7) for segmenting a space within the facility in a direction intersecting the rail at a predetermined position of the rail; and a door plate moving device (8) capable of moving the fire door plate from an open position for the transporting carriage to pass through the predetermined position, to a close position for the fire door plate to segment the space. A first cut (1a) is formed obliquely with respect to a width direction of the rail when planarly seen on the surface for rolling, in the rail at the predetermined position. The fire door plate has a shape capable of passing through the first cut when being moved to the close position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
    Inventors: Masanao MURATA, Senzou Kyutoku, Toshio Takasu
  • Publication number: 20080217278
    Abstract: A suspended type transporting carriage (16) is provided with: a gripping mechanism (22) for gripping a transported object (17); a hoisting mechanism (21) for hoisting the gripping mechanism; and a traveling mechanism (60), on which the hoisting mechanism is mounted in a suspended condition, for traveling on a rail (20) installed on or near a ceiling. The gripping mechanism is provided with (i) an elongating and contracting device (23) capable of horizontally elongating and contracting and (ii) a gripping device (24) disposed at a tip portion of the elongating and contracting device for selectively gripping the transported object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2008
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
    Inventor: Masanao Murata
  • Publication number: 20080156069
    Abstract: A stocker 1 includes a storage FOUP 20, plural purge units 50, a measurement FOUP 30 and a stacker crane 60. The storage FOUP 20 stores a semiconductor wafer inside. The measurement FOUP 30 includes a flow meter inside. The purge unit 50 includes a purge shelf 51 having plural purge tables 54 for placing the storage FOUP 20, and a nitrogen gas is supplied into the storage FOUP 20 placed on the purge table 54. The stacker crane 60 transports the storage container 20 onto the purge table 54, and the measurement FOUP 30 is transported between the plural purge tables 54.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Publication date: July 3, 2008
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC
    Inventors: Masanao Murata, Susumu Maetaki
  • Publication number: 20080156760
    Abstract: A storage apparatus (1) stores a transported object (220) from a transporting carriage (110), which travels along a track (120) installed on or near a ceiling (210) while gripping the transported object. The storage apparatus is provided with a rack portion (30), on which the transported object is put; and a support member (10), whose upper end is supported by the track or ceiling and whose lower end supports the rack portion. The support member selectively has one of first and second shapes. The first shape allows the transporting carriage to put the transported object onto the rack portion at the predetermined position. The second shape allows the rack portion to move away from a position below the track.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2007
    Publication date: July 3, 2008
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
    Inventor: Susumu Maetaki
  • Publication number: 20080127851
    Abstract: The connection guide includes a first direction control guide which is provided on the other side of its width direction and extends in the extending direction; and a second direction control guide which is provided on one side of its width direction, apart from the first direction control guide by the interval area and extends in the extending direction. When the transport vehicle travels in a forward direction, after the guiding operation of the guide rollers of the traveling unit by the first direction control guide is released, by carrying out the shift operation, the traveling unit is shifted such that the guide roller of the traveling unit is guided by the second direction control guide. The forward shift guide having the abutting surface abutting on the guide roller during the shift operation is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2007
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
    Inventor: Senzo KYUTOKU
  • Publication number: 20080128374
    Abstract: An overhead traveling and transporting system includes a transporting carriage traveling along a track. The carriage has a gripping mechanism to grip an object, a hoisting mechanism to move down the gripping mechanism to a load port for the object, and a sensor emitting a light beam within a pseudo plane surface and receiving a reflection thereof. The system also has: a device for monitoring an obstacle existing in an emission direction of the emitted light beam, based on the reflected light; and a selecting device for establishing one condition that the obstacle existing forward in the traveling direction is monitored if the transporting carriage is traveling and establishing another condition that the obstacle existing downward from the transporting carriage is monitored if the gripping mechanism is moved down, by selecting the direction of emission and/or selecting an area of monitoring by the monitoring device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2007
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Applicant: ASYST TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, INC.
    Inventor: Senzo Kyutoku