Automated material handling system method and arrangement
US6035245A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 24, 1998 |
| Grant date | Mar 7, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 24, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S414/14
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A computer controlled manufacturing arrangement and method for selecting between multiple paths for transporting cassettes between processing locations. The manufacturing arrangement includes a plurality of stockers interconnected with tracks on which cassettes are carried on vehicles. A first and second stocker are interconnected by at least a first path and a second path formed by the tracks, and a cassette can be transported from the first to the second stocker via either of the two paths. A plurality of robotic arrangements are configured to transfer cassettes between the stockers and the vehicles. A data processing system is coupled to the robotic arrangements and configured and arranged to maintain an historical record of codes indicative of periods of time expended in transporting cassettes from the first stocker to the second stocker via the first path and second path, respectively. When a cassette is to be transported from the first stocker to the second stocker, the data processing system determines, as a function of the historical record of codes associated with the paths, which of the first or second paths is more likely to result in a lesser period of time in transport…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.