US-12628613-B2 - Transport vehicle cleaning device and article transport equipment including the same

US12628613B2US 12628613 B2US12628613 B2US 12628613B2US-12628613-B2

Abstract

A transport vehicle cleaning device that cleans a transport vehicle incudes a housing including a cleaning space accommodating the transport vehicle for cleaning, a plurality of fans disposed at an upper part of the housing and generating a downward airflow in the cleaning space, a cleaning gas injector disposed at a ceiling of the housing and injecting a cleaning gas towards the transport vehicle in the cleaning space of the housing, an exhaust unit provided at a lower part of the housing and exhausting the cleaning gas supplied to the cleaning space and a foreign matter removed from the transport vehicle from the cleaning space, and a frame cover disposed in the housing and configured to completely cover opposite openings of the frame in the housing to form a closed internal space of the frame separated from the cleaning space.

Inventors

Sung Ho Lee
Ok Kyung KANG
No Jae PARK

Assignees

SEMES CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20221120
Priority Date: 20211202

Claims (9)

1 . A transport vehicle cleaning device that cleans a transport vehicle transporting an article along a driving rail and including a driving module and a frame connected to a lower part of the driving module and having a storage space for the article, the transport vehicle cleaning device comprising: a housing wrapping the driving rail and a movement path of the transport vehicle and including a cleaning space accommodating the transport vehicle for cleaning; a plurality of fans disposed at an upper part of the housing and generating a downward airflow in the cleaning space; a cleaning gas injector disposed at a ceiling of the housing and injecting a cleaning gas towards the transport vehicle in the cleaning space of the housing; an exhaust unit provided at a lower part of the housing and exhausting the cleaning gas supplied to the cleaning space and a foreign matter removed from the transport vehicle from the cleaning space; and a frame cover disposed in the housing and configured to completely cover opposite openings of the frame in the housing to form a closed internal space of the frame separated from the cleaning space, thereby preventing particles scattered by the cleaning gas from the upper part of the transport vehicle from adhering to the lower part of the transport vehicle.
2 . The transport vehicle cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein the frame cover is configured to entirely wrap the frame to form the closed internal space separated from the cleaning space.
3 . The transport vehicle cleaning device according to claim 2 , wherein the transport vehicle is controlled such that the frame cover and the frame are engaged with each other to form the closed internal space of the frame.
4 . The transport vehicle cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes an entrance door for receiving the transport vehicle into the housing and an exit door for releasing the transport vehicle from the housing.
5 . The transport vehicle cleaning device according to claim 4 , further comprising: a first sensor detecting the transport vehicle approaching the entrance door; and a second sensor detecting the transport vehicle moving away from the exit door.
6 . The transport vehicle cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning gas injector includes a plurality of nozzles.
7 . The transport vehicle cleaning device according to claim 6 , wherein each nozzle of the plurality of nozzles injects the cleaning gas toward a surface of the driving module accommodated in the housing.
8 . The transport vehicle cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning gas includes an inert gas or dry clean air.
9 . The transport vehicle cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein the driving rail continuously extends through the cleaning space of the housing.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0170955, filed Dec. 2, 2021, the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning device for a transport vehicle that transfers articles, and article transport equipment including the same. 2. Description of the Related Art In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or a display device, materials such as semiconductor wafers, semiconductor strips, glass substrates, and display panels may be transported through unmanned transport systems such as overhead hoist transport (OHT) devices, rail guided vehicle (RGV) devices, automatic guided vehicle (AGV) devices. In particular, such transport devices may include a transport vehicle configured to be movable along driving rails installed on the ceiling or floor of a clean room. For example, in a clean room for manufacturing semiconductor devices, driving rails for material transport may be installed in a ceiling area, and a plurality of transport vehicles may be arranged to be movably along the driving rails. The transport vehicle may include a driving module (such as a vehicle) configured to be movable along the driving rails, and a hoist module connected to the bottom of the driving module for transporting materials. The hoist module may include a hand unit including a frame providing an internal space and grippers for gripping the materials, and a hoist unit that moves the hand unit in a vertical direction. The hand unit and the hoist unit may be arranged in the internal space. The transport vehicles may generate foreign matters such as particles by driving wheels or the like during the driving, and such foreign matters may adhere to the surface of the transport vehicle. In particular, the foreign matters may adhere to the inside or outside of the frame. If driving is performed with foreign matters adhering to the surface of the transport vehicle, the foreign matters may be scattered during the driving, and contaminate the manufacturing line. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a transport vehicle cleaning device and article transport equipment capable of preventing an occurrence of a situation in which foreign matters scattered from the upper part of the transport vehicle adhere to the lower part again. Objects of the present disclosure are not limited to those described above, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a transport vehicle cleaning device that cleans a transport vehicle transporting an article along a driving rail and including a driving module and a frame connected to a lower part of the driving module and having a storage space for the article, incudes a housing wrapping the driving rail and a movement path of the transport vehicle and including a cleaning space accommodating the transport vehicle for cleaning, a plurality of fans disposed at an upper part of the housing and generating a downward airflow in the cleaning space, a cleaning gas injector disposed at a ceiling of the housing and injecting a cleaning gas towards the transport vehicle in the cleaning space of the housing, an exhaust unit provided at a lower part of the housing and exhausting the cleaning gas supplied to the cleaning space and a foreign matter removed from the transport vehicle from the cleaning space, and a frame cover disposed in the housing and configured to completely cover opposite openings of the frame in the housing to form a closed internal space of the frame separated from the cleaning space, thereby preventing particles scattered by the cleaning gas from the upper part of the transport vehicle from adhering to the lower part of the transport vehicle. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a transport vehicle cleaning method for cleaning a transport vehicle configured to be movable along a driving rail for transporting an article. The transport vehicle cleaning method includes: supplying a downward airflow into a transport vehicle cleaning device that cleans the transport vehicle; entering the transport vehicle into the transport vehicle cleaning device; cleaning the transport vehicle; and exiting the transport vehicle to an outside of the transport vehicle cleaning device. The cleaning of the transport vehicle includes a process for protecting a frame provided at a lower part of the transport vehicle from particles. According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided article transport equipment including: a driving rail that is provided on a ceiling and provides a transport path for transporting an article; at least one or more article transport vehicle including a dri