US 2010/0135755 A1Published application

Lid closing method for closed container and lid opening/closing system for closed container

AssigneeTDK Corporation

InventorsMutsuo Sasaki, Toshihiko Miyajima

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Abstract

Provided is a method of detecting whether or not a lid is fixed to a pod appropriately when performing an operation of closing an opening of the pod by the lid in an FIMS system. Determination is made whether or not a door is present at a predetermined position when the lid is attached to the pod and whether or not the pod is displaced from a position of opening/closing the lid, and determination is made again, after the lid engages with the pod, whether or not the door is present at the predetermined position and whether or not the pod is displaced from the position of opening/closing the lid. When it is confirmed in both the determinations that the door is present at the predetermined position and the pod is not displaced, determination that fixation of the lid is appropriate is made.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A lid closing method, which is applied to a lid opening/closing system that opens and closes a lid of a closed container to allow transfer of an object to be stored into/out of an interior of the closed container,

the closed container comprising the lid, having an opening to be closed by the lid on one lateral side thereof, and being capable of storing therein the object to be stored,
the lid closing method being used for closing the opening by the lid,
the lid and the closed container comprising an engagement means for fixedly attaching the lid to the closed container by an operation from outside one of the lid and the closed container,
the lid opening/closing system comprising:
a mini-environment having an opening portion;
a door that is movable between a position at which the door nearly closes the opening portion and a position at which the door leaves the opening portion open, and comprises a lid holding means for holding the lid;
a docking plate on which the closed container is allowed to be placed in such a way that the opening is opposed to the opening portion, the docking plate being movable toward and away from the opening portion together with the closed container to arrange, when located at a position close to the opening portion, the closed container at a first position at which the lid is to be detached and the object to be stored is transferred into/out of the closed container, and to arrange, when located at a position away from the opening portion, the closed container at a second position at which loading and unloading of the closed container is to be performed;
and
a docking plate driving means for causing the docking plate to move toward and away from the opening portion,
the lid closing method comprising:
moving the lid to the position at which the door nearly closes the opening portion;
determining presence of the door at the position at which the door nearly closes the opening portion and presence of the docking plate at the first position;
fixedly attaching the lid to the closed container by the engagement means;
and
determining the presence of the door at the position at which the door nearly closes the opening portion and the presence of the docking plate at the first position.

12 more elements

A lid opening/closing system that opens and closes a lid of a closed container to allow transfer of an object to be stored into/out of an interior of the closed container,

the closed container comprising the lid, having an opening to be closed by the lid on one lateral side thereof, and being capable of storing therein the object to be stored,
the lid and the closed container comprising an engagement means for fixedly attaching the lid to the closed container by an operation from outside one of the lid and the closed container,
the lid opening/closing system comprising:
a mini-environment having an opening portion;
a door that is movable between a position at which the door nearly closes the opening portion and a position at which the door leaves the opening portion open, and comprises a lid holding means for holding the lid;
a docking plate on which the closed container is allowed to be placed in such a way that the opening is opposed to the opening portion, the docking plate being movable toward and away from the opening portion together with the closed container to arrange, when located at a position close to the opening portion, the closed container at a position at which the lid is to be detached and the object to be stored is transferred into/out of the closed container, and to arrange, when located at a position away from the opening portion, the closed container at a position at which loading and unloading of the closed container is to be performed;
a docking plate driving means for causing the docking plate to move toward and away from the opening portion;
a displacement detecting means for detecting that the docking plate is displaced from the position close to the opening portion;
and
a door-position detecting sensor for outputting a signal according to presence of the door at the position at which the door nearly closes the opening portion.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.