INTEGRATED MATERIAL MANAGEMENT MODULE

• Main Authors: EXTINE, ANDREW, S, SIMMONS, MICHAEL, C, LEMCHAK, MICHAEL, RICHARD, ELLIS, RAYMOND, W, HARDEE, BEDFORD, EUGENE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 29.07.1999
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CINEMATOGRAPHY; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION ORPROCESSING OF GOODS; CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; CONTROLLING; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROGRAPHY; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HOLOGRAPHY; MATERIALS THEREFOR; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS ORELEMENTS; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES,e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTORDEVICES; PHYSICS; REGULATING; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE

A module for use in a system for processing articles, in which the system includes a plurality of machine tools for processing articles, a pod for carrying the articles to be processed by the machine tools from one machine tool to another, a host processing controller associated with the machine tools for controlling the operation thereof, a robot connected to each machine tool for receiving a pod, opening the pod and for transporting the articles from within the pod into position on the machine tool for processing. An identification means is carried by the pod for identifying a particular pod and the articles carried in the pod. The module includes a single wire connection between the identification means, the host controller and the robot. The module has microprocessor means to identify the source of a signal and means for routing the signal between the identification means and the host controller and between the host controller and the robot depending on its source. L'invention concerne un module à utiliser dans un système de traitement de composants qui comprend une pluralité de machines-outils permettant de traiter les composants, une nacelle servant à transporter les composants à traiter par les machines-outils d'une machine-outil à l'autre, un contrôleur de traitement hôte associé aux machines-outils permettant de commander leur fonctionnement, un robot connecté à chaque machine-outil servant à recevoir une nacelle, ouvrir une nacelle et transporter les composants d'une position dans la nacelle vers une position sur la machine-outil en vue d'un traitement. Un organe d'identification porté par la nacelle permet d'identifier une nacelle particulière et les composants contenus dans celle-ci. Le module comprend une connexion unifilaire entre l'organe d'identification, le contrôleur hôte et le robot. Le module a un organe microprocesseur servant à identifier la source d'un signal et un organe d'acheminement servant à acheminer le signal entre l'organe d'identification et le contrôleur hôte et entre le contrôleur hôte et le robot selon la source du signal.