TRANSPORT SYSTEM INCLUDING VERTICAL ROLLERS

• Main Authors: BRAIN MICHAEL D, PARIKH MIHIR, KITAZUMI BARRY
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 18.10.2007
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CONVEYING; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS; STORING; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ARTCOLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING ORTIPPING; TRANSPORTING

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.