초록 ▼

An article storage facility includes a transport device for transporting containers to a plurality of storage sections, an inactive gas feed section which supplies inactive gas to the interior of the container stored in the storage section, and a controller for controlling operation of the device an

An article storage facility includes a transport device for transporting containers to a plurality of storage sections, an inactive gas feed section which supplies inactive gas to the interior of the container stored in the storage section, and a controller for controlling operation of the device and operation of the flow rate adjusting device of the inactive gas feed section. The controller is configured to cause a state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section to be both a storage feed state and an unfeeding state depending on if the carrier is stored or not stored be. The controller is also configured to store the transporting container in the storage section after changing the state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the container is to be stored to a pre-storage feed state from the unfeeding state.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An article storage facility comprising: a plurality of storage sections for storing transporting containers for housing substrates;a transport device for transporting the transporting containers to the plurality of storage sections;an inactive gas feed section provided to each of the plurality of

1. An article storage facility comprising: a plurality of storage sections for storing transporting containers for housing substrates;a transport device for transporting the transporting containers to the plurality of storage sections;an inactive gas feed section provided to each of the plurality of storage sections wherein the inactive gas feed section includes a discharge opening for discharging inactive gas and a flow rate adjusting device which can adjust a flow rate of the inactive gas discharged from the discharge opening wherein the inactive gas feed section is configured to supply the inactive gas to inside the transporting container that is stored in associated one of the plurality of storage sections;a controller configured to control operations of the transport device and the flow rate adjusting device;wherein the controller is configured to keep track of whether the transporting container is stored for each of the plurality of storage sections and to control operation of the flow rate adjusting device of each of a plurality of the inactive gas feed sections in order to cause a state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is stored to be a storage feed state in which the inactive gas is discharged from the discharge opening and to cause a state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which none of the transporting containers is stored and for which no supply request for the inactive gas is issued to be an unfeeding state in which the inactive gas is not discharged from the discharge opening;wherein in response to a discharge opening purge request which comprises the supply request which is issued when storing the transporting container in the storage section with the said transport device and which includes information of the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored, the controller is further configured to control operation of the transport device and operation of the flow rate adjusting device in order to change the state of said inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored from the unfeeding state to a pre-storage feed state in which the inactive gas is discharged from the discharge opening and then to store the transporting container in the storage section after changing the state of the inactive gas feed section from the unfeeding state to the pre-storage feed state;wherein a feed state determination position is set to be closer to a position of the storage section in which the container is to be stored, in the transporting path for the transport device, than to a position of the transporting container when the operational state of the transport device becomes the inactive gas feed start state; andwherein the controller is configured to maintain the pre-storage feed state until a set period has elapsed from a point in time of changing the state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored from the unfeeding state to the pre-storage feed state and to control operations of the flow rate adjusting device and the transport device in order to stop transport operation of the transport device if the state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the container is to be stored is the pre-storage feed state when the transporting container is transported by the transport device to and reaches the feed state determination position, and in order to resume the transport operation of the transport device after supplying of the inactive gas by the inactive gas feed section in the pre-storage feed state is completed. 2. The article storage facility as defined in claim 1, wherein: an operational state of the transport device that occurs at a certain point in time before the transporting container is transported to and reaches the storage section is defined in advance to be an inactive gas feed start state, andwherein the controller is configured to control operation of the flow rate adjusting device in order to change the state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored from the unfeeding state to the pre-storage feed state in response to said discharge opening purge request which is issued if the operational state of the transport device becomes the inactive gas feed start state. 3. The article storage facility as defined in claim 1, wherein: until a set period lapses from a point in time of changing the state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored from the unfeeding state to the pre-storage feed state, the controller is configured to maintain the pre-storage feed state and then upon lapse of the set period from the point in time of changing, if the transporting container has not reached the storage section, the controller is configured to control operation of the flow rate adjusting device in order to change the state of the inactive gas feed section to the unfeeding state from the pre-storage feed state and thereafter to change the state of the inactive gas feed section from the unfeeding state to the storage feed state if the transporting container reaches the storage section. 4. The article storage facility as defined in claim 1, wherein: in order to maintain the pre-storage feed state until a set period lapses from a point in time of changing the state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored from the unfeeding state to the pre-storage feed state, the controller is configured to control operation of the flow rate adjusting device and perform a transport restraint control in which transporting of the transporting container to the storage section by the transport device is not allowed to complete until the set period has elapsed from the point in time of changing. 5. The article storage facility as defined in claim 1, wherein: the controller is configured to control operations of the flow rate adjusting device and the transport device in order to maintain the supplying of the inactive gas by the inactive gas feed section in the pre-storage feed state until the transporting container reaches the storage section after changing the state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored from the unfeeding state to the pre-storage feed state. 6. An article storage method that uses an article storage facility including: a plurality of storage sections for storing transporting containers for housing substrates;a transport device for transporting the transporting containers to the plurality of storage sections;an inactive gas feed section provided to each of the plurality of the storage sections wherein the inactive gas feed section includes a discharge opening for discharging inactive gas and a flow rate adjusting device which can adjust a flow rate of the inactive gas discharged from the discharge opening wherein the inactive gas feed section is configured to supply the inactive gas to inside the transporting container that is stored in associated one of the plurality of storage sections; anda controller configured to control operations of the transport device and the flow rate adjusting device;the article storage method comprising the following steps that are performed by the controller:a first control step of keeping track of whether the transporting container is stored for each of the plurality of storage sections and controlling operation of the flow rate adjusting device of each of a plurality of the inactive gas feed sections in order to cause a state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is stored to be a storage feed state in which the inactive gas is discharged from the discharge opening and to cause a state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which none of the transporting containers is stored and for which no supply request for the inactive gas is issued to be an unfeeding state in which the inactive gas is not discharged from the discharge opening;a second control step of controlling operation of the transport device and operation of the flow rate adjusting device in response to a discharge opening purge request which comprises the supply request which is issued when storing the transporting container in the storage section with the said transport device and which includes information of the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored, in order to change the state of said inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored from the unfeeding state to a pre-storage feed state in which the inactive gas is discharged from the discharge opening and then to store the transporting container in the storage section after changing the state of the inactive gas feed section from the unfeeding state to the pre-storage feed state;wherein a feed state determination position is set to be closer to a position of the storage section in which the container is to be stored, in the transporting path for the transport device, than to a position of the transporting container when the operational state of the transport device becomes the inactive gas feed start state; andwherein, in the second control step, the pre-storage feed state is maintained until a set period has elapsed from a point in time of changing the state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored from the unfeeding state to the pre-storage feed state and operations of the flow rate adjusting device and the transport device are controlled in order to stop transport operation of the transport device if the state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored is the pre-storage feed state when the transporting container is transported by the transport device to and reaches the feed state determination position, and in order to resume the transport operation of the transport device after supplying of the inactive gas by the inactive gas feed section in the pre-storage feed state is completed. 7. The article storage method as defined in claim 6, wherein: an operational state of the transport device that occurs at a certain point in time before the transporting container is transported to and reaches the storage section is defined in advance to be an inactive gas feed start state, andwherein, in the second control step, operation of the flow rate adjusting device is controlled in order to change the state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored from the unfeeding state to the pre-storage feed state in response to said discharge opening purge request which is issued if the operational state of the transport device becomes the inactive gas feed start state. 8. The article storage method as defined in claim 6, wherein: in the second control step, until a set period lapses from a point in time of changing the state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored from the unfeeding state to the pre-storage feed state, the pre-storage feed state is maintained and then upon lapse of the set period from the point in time of changing, if the transporting container has not reached the storage section, operation of the flow rate adjusting device is controlled in order to change the state of the inactive gas feed section to the unfeeding state from the pre-storage feed state and thereafter to change the state of the inactive gas feed section from the unfeeding state to the storage feed state if the transporting container reaches the storage section. 9. The article storage method as defined in claim 6, wherein: in the second step, in order to maintain the pre-storage feed state until a set period elapses from a point in time of changing the state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored from the unfeeding state to the pre-storage feed state, operation of the flow rate adjusting device is controlled and a transport restraint control is performed in which transporting of the transporting container to the storage section by the transport device is not allowed to complete until the set period has elapsed from the point in time of changing. 10. The article storage method as defined in claim 6, wherein: in the second control step, operations of the flow rate adjusting device and the transport device are controlled in order to maintain the supplying of the inactive gas by the inactive gas feed section in the pre-storage feed state until the transporting container reaches the storage section after changing the state of the inactive gas feed section associated with the storage section in which the transporting container is to be stored from the unfeeding state to the pre-storage feed state.