Optical: systems and elements – Deflection using a moving element – Using a periodically moving element
Utility Patent
1998-02-03
2001-01-02
Negash, Kinfe-Michael (Department: 2733)
Optical: systems and elements
Deflection using a moving element
Using a periodically moving element
C359S199200, C359S199200
Utility Patent
active
06169617
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information card used in a production system, and to a read/write device for the information card. In particular, the invention relates to an information card (hereinafter referred to as “ID card”) which is attached to a side of a case containing a piece of work (called work case or cassette), carried with the work, holds information specific to the work, and has an optical communication function for identifying the work, and relates to a read/write device for the optical communication with the ID card.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, there has been a demand mainly in the semiconductor industry towards a technique for manufacturing many types of products in small volumes. Under a production system which has been employed recently, an ID card storing information which specifies a piece of work is attached to each work case on which some working is performed, and each production apparatus reads the information and applies a proper process to the work. Such a production system enables many types of products to be automatically manufactured using the same equipment. A method of communication employed between the ID card and the production apparatuses (or production system) is the optical communication.
Referring to FIGS.
21
and
22
A-
22
D, a conventional ID card
160
has an ID card forward direction optical communication interface section
1
and a display section
2
at its front
4
. A top surface
5
, both of side surfaces
6
, a bottom surface
7
and a back surface of ID card
160
have no equipment for the optical communication.
Referring to
FIG. 23
, within ID card
160
, a control circuit
180
formed of an electronic circuit and connected to optical communication interface section
1
and display section
2
as well as a storage circuit
182
formed of a memory and connected to control circuit
180
are provided.
ID card
160
is attached to each work case which is to be processed by the production system such that ID card
160
faces in a prescribed direction. ID card
160
performs the optical communication with a read/write device attached to the production apparatus. A proper operation is automatically carried out for each piece of work using the information.
Referring to
FIG. 24
, a conventional read/write device
170
performing reading/writing for ID card
160
is provided with a user interface section
17
including: a read/write start instructing section
14
used when an operator gives a command to perform the read/write operation for the ID card; a read/write progress display section
16
for informing the operator that the read/write operation for the ID card is in progress or completed; and a read/write error display section
15
for informing the operator of whether or not there is an error concerning the read/write operation for the ID card. In the example shown in
FIG. 24
, user interface section
17
is provided at the top surface of read/write device
170
. Read/write device
170
exchanges information with the operator via user interface section
17
. Read/write device
170
is further provided with a read/write device optical communication interface section
13
provided at its front for the optical communication with optical communication interface section
1
of ID card
160
.
FIG. 25
shows a layout of an internal board and respective elements seen from the front side of conventional read/write device
170
having user interface section
17
at its top surface. On the inside of a case
40
of the read/write device of the type having the user interface at its top surface, a top surface user interface type read/write device board
39
is provided which includes: user interface section
17
having read/write start instructing section
14
, read/write error display section
15
and read/write progress display section
16
; read/write device optical communication interface section
13
having an optical transmitting section
22
and an optical receiving section
23
; other elements (not shown); and interconnections.
FIG. 26
shows a layout of an internal board and respective elements seen from the front side of a conventional read/write device
172
of a type having user interface section
17
at its bottom surface. On the inside of a case
240
of bottom surface user interface type read/write device
172
, a bottom surface user interface type read/write device board
239
is provided which includes: user interface section
17
having read/write start instruction section
14
, read/write error display section
15
and read/write progress display section
16
; read/write device optical communication interface section
13
having optical transmitting section
22
and optical receiving section
23
; other elements (not shown); and interconnections.
Referring to
FIG. 27
, a process performed by control circuit
180
of ID card
160
shown in FIGS.
21
and
22
A-
22
D has a following control structure. When the power is turned on, control circuit
180
reaches a state of waiting for reception of a signal from the read/write device (
70
). If there is a signal from the read/write device, control circuit
180
receives the signal from the read/write device via optical communication interface section
1
(
190
). According to contents of the signal thus received, update of internal data, update of data displayed on display section
2
, a prescribed calculation, and the like are carried out (
78
). After these processes, control circuit
180
transfers a result of its operation back to the read/write device via optical communication interface section
1
(
192
).
FIG. 28
shows an arrangement of conventional ID card
160
shown in FIGS.
21
-
23
and conventional read/write device
170
shown in
FIGS. 24 and 25
when the optical communication is carried out between the ID card and the read/write device. As shown in
FIG. 28
, ID card
160
is placed in a holder provided on a prescribed surface of a work case
11
such that the back surface of ID card
160
faces toward work case
11
. In this case, the method of housing a work in work case
11
is predetermined in order to enable, for example, a wafer carry robot provided for each production apparatus to insert or draw the work (object to be processed such as a semiconductor substrate) into or out of work case
11
. As a result, the position for placement of and the posture of work case
11
is predetermined for each production apparatus. Consequently, the direction in which front
4
of ID card
160
faces is determined for each production apparatus. An optical element used for the optical transmitting section constituting interface section
1
has the directivity, and an optical element used for the read/write device optical communication interface section of read/write device
170
also has the directivity. Therefore, the read/write device optical communication interface section should be arranged at a position opposite to front
4
of the ID card having ID card forward direction optical communication interface section
1
.
FIG. 29A
is a top view of the arrangement of
FIG. 28
, and
FIG. 29B
is a side view of FIG.
28
. In
FIGS. 29A and 29B
, the direction of the optical communication between top surface user interface type read/write device
170
and ID card
160
is shown by an arrow
42
.
FIG. 30
is a perspective view of a production apparatus
43
using conventional ID card
160
and top surface user interface type read/write device
170
which is the conventional read/write device shown in
FIGS. 24 and 25
. With reference to
FIG. 30
, when a certain process is carried out by production apparatus
43
, work case
11
is mounted on production apparatus
43
such that ID card
160
is positioned at the front of work case
11
. Top surface user interface type read/write device
170
is placed with a fixing arm
44
in front of work case
11
seen from the front side of production apparatus
43
such that user interface section
17
faces upward and read/write device optical communication
Kato Yuichi
Tsuchiya Kazuhiko
McDermott & Will & Emery
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Negash Kinfe-Michael
LandOfFree
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