US 6,256,548 B1Granted

Method for controlling lots dispatches of tool groups

AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.

InventorLi-Ren Lin

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Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for controlling lots' dispatch of tool groups, and all the lots can be transferred to correct places for further processing. The lots are transferred to the storage places of the tool when there is only a single tool for the next process. A decision step is performed for deciding whether the storage places of the next tool group and the next-next tool group overlap when the next process contains a tool group. If there are overlapped storage places, then the lots will be moved to the overlapped storage place having minimum loading. When there is no overlapped storage place, the lots will be dispatched to the storage place having minimum loading among the next tool group. All the lots can be processed with at minimum moving steps, and all the tools perform their processes under balance loading whenever the productions increase or decrease.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A method for controlling lots dispatch among storage places, said lots being processed according to a manufacturing sequence of tool groups, each of which include at least one tool for working on said lots, said method comprising the steps of:

transferring said lots to a first storage place serving a single tool when said tool group of a subsequent process of said manufacturing sequence contains only said single tool;
transferring said lots to a second storage place having minimum loading among overlapped storage places when said tools of said tool groups for said subsequent process and for a process next following said subsequent process share said overlapped storage places;
and
transferring said lots to a third storage place having minimum loading among candidate storage places for said subsequent process when said tools of said tool groups for said subsequent process and for the process next following said subsequent process share no said candidate storage places.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/074,539Filed 8 May 1998
Granted: 3 Jul 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G05B 19/418
Electric: total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible…
G06Q 10/08
Administration; Management: logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
G05B 2219/31266
From computer integrated manufacturing till monitoring: convey, transport tool to workcenter, central tool storage
Y02P 90/02
Enabling technologies with a potential contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation: total factory control, e.g. smart factories,…