Transport system including vertical rollers

Abstract

A transport system for conveying articles along conveyance paths including straight, curvilinear, horizontal, inclined and declined conveyance sections. The articles are conveyed between a pair of vertical belts while being supported by protrusions extending from the vertical belts. The vertical belts are guided using a multiplicity of vertical rollers that are configurable into straight, curvilinear and dynamically changing conveyance sections. Multiple conveyance sections can be joined end to end to transport articles over complex paths and over long distances. The articles conveyed may include semiconductor wafers.

1 . A system comprising:
 a first vertical belt and a second vertical belt disposed on either side of a conveyance path and configured to convey an article along the conveyance path;   at least two approximately vertical rollers and at least one support point configured to guide the first vertical belt;   at least two approximately vertical rollers and at least one support point configured to guide the second vertical belt; and   a plurality of support protrusions extending from the first vertical belt and from the second vertical belt, the plurality of support protrusions configured to support a weight of the article.   
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , further including the article, the article including a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP). 
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , further including the article, the article including a semiconductor wafer. 
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 1 , further including the article, the article including a substrate used for manufacturing a display device. 
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first vertical belt and the second vertical belt include a compliant material configured to allow movement of a member of the plurality of support protrusions responsive to the weight of the article. 
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first vertical belt and the second vertical belt are configured to move at speeds different from each other. 
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the approximately vertical rollers or support points is disposed such that the conveyance path is curvilinear. 
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the approximately vertical rollers or support points is configured to move in order to change the conveyance path. 
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the approximately vertical rollers or support points is configured to move in order to change a length of the conveyance path. 
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a member of the plurality of support protrusions includes an article supporting surface that is disposed below a part of the first vertical belt. 
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the article has a lateral freedom of movement of less than 25 millimeters between the first vertical belt and the second vertical belt. 
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first vertical belt and the second vertical belt are disposed at least 415 millimeters apart. 
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least two of the plurality of support points are configured to move horizontally in order to change the conveyance path of the article. 
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first vertical belt and the second vertical belt are disposed less than 500 millimeters apart. 
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the approximately vertical rollers and support points is disposed such that the conveyance path is inclined, declined, or some combination of both. 
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one support point configured to guide the first vertical belt includes an approximately vertical roller. 
   
   
       17 . A transport belt comprising:
 a first surface configured to be coupled to a vertical roller, the vertical roller being configured to drive the transport belt in a conveyance path;   a support protrusion configured to support the weight of an article being conveyed along the conveyance path by the transport belt; and   a compliant material configured to allow the support protrusion to move in response to forces from the article.   
   
   
       18 . The transport belt of  claim 17 , further including a capture lip attached to the transport belt and configured to restrain vertical movement of the article. 
   
   
       19 . The transport belt of  claim 17 , wherein the compliant material includes urethane. 
   
   
       20 . The transport belt of  claim 17 , wherein the compliant material includes silicone. 
   
   
       21 . The transport belt of  claim 17 , wherein the compliant material includes polyvinyl chloride. 
   
   
       22 . The transport belt of  claim 17 , wherein the compliant material includes rubber. 
   
   
       23 . The transport belt of  claim 17 , wherein the compliant material is configured for the transport belt to flex relative to the vertical roller. 
   
   
       24 . The transport belt of  claim 17 , wherein the conveyance path is inclined or declined. 
   
   
       25 . A method comprising:
 loading an article on a conveyance section, the conveyance section including
 a first vertical belt and a second vertical belt, 
 at least three support points configured to guide the first vertical belt, and 
 at least three support points configured to guide the second vertical belt; 
   conveying the article along a conveyance path using the first vertical belt and the second vertical belt; and   unloading the article.   
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the step of loading the article on the conveyance section includes loading a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP), a substrate for manufacturing a display, or a semiconductor wafer. 
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the conveyance path is curvilinear. 
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 25 , further including dynamically changing the conveyance path during conveyance of the article. 
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein unloading the article from the conveyance path includes translating or tilting a member of the support points configured to guide the first vertical belt. 
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the at least three support points configured to guide the first vertical belt includes at least two vertical rollers. 
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the article includes a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP), a semiconductor wafer, or a substrate used for manufacturing a display device. 
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the first vertical belt and the second vertical belt include a compliant material configured to reduce vibration of the article as the article is conveyed along the conveyance path. 
   
   
       33 . A system comprising:
 a first transport section configured for transporting an article along a first conveyance path,   a second transport section configured for transporting the article along a second conveyance path approximately parallel to the first conveyance path; and   a third transport section configured for transporting the article along a third conveyance path from the first transport section to the second transport section, the third conveyance path being curvilinear, the third transport section including a first belt and a second belt, a plurality of support protrusions extending from the first belt and from the second belt, the plurality of support protrusions configured to support a weight of the article.   
   
   
       34 . The system of  claim 33 , wherein the article includes a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) or a substrate for the manufacture of a display.