Conveyance system

A conveyance system, comprising:

• a storage case configured to store a plurality of substrates such that the stored substrates are vertically spaced apart from each other;
• a lifting/lowering apparatus configured to lift and lower the storage case to position each substrate stored in the storage case to a receiving position sequentially;
• a handover apparatus configured to receive the substrate at the receiving position, and hand over the substrate at a handover position;
• and
• a conveying apparatus configured to receive the substrate at the handover position, and convey the substrate, and
• a space-restricting mechanism configured to restrict space between a pair of conveying belts in a predetermined direction among a plurality of conveying belts, wherein
• the conveying apparatus includes:
• the plurality of conveying belts each extending in a conveying direction and provided such that the conveying belts are arranged side by side and spaced apart from each other in the predetermined direction;
• a plurality of support members associated with each other and provided on the plurality of conveying belts, respectively;
• and
• a conveying unit configured to drive the plurality of conveying belts such that the plurality of support members associated with each other move together in the conveying direction, and
• the support members, which are associated with each other and which are provided on the plurality of conveying belts, are configured to support outer edges of the substrate that has been handed over at the handover position, and position the supported substrate to a prescribed position on the support members,
• the support members that are associated with each other and that are provided on the pair of conveying belts, respectively, include:
• support portions configured to support respective outer edges of the substrate at both sides of the substrate in the predetermined direction;
• and
• positioning portions configured to position respective side surfaces of the substrate in the predetermined direction, the positioning portions facing each other in the predetermined direction, and
• the support members are configured such that,
• in a state where the space-restricting mechanism is not narrowing down the space between the pair of conveying belts in the predetermined direction, the support members associated with each other and provided on the pair of conveying members support the outer edges of the substrate that has been handed over at the handover position, and
• when the space-restricting mechanism narrows down the space between the pair of conveying belts in the predetermined direction, the support members position the supported substrate to the prescribed position.

A conveyance system comprising:

• a conveying apparatus configured to convey a received substrate to the receiving position;
• a handover apparatus configured to receive the substrate at the receiving position from the conveying apparatus, and hand over the substrate at a handover position;
• a storage case including storage spaces each storing the substrate handed over by the handover apparatus, the storage spaces being positioned such that the storage spaces are vertically spaced apart from each other;
• and
• a lifting/lowering apparatus configured to lift and lower the storage case to position each storage space of the storage case to the receiving position sequentially, wherein
• the conveying apparatus includes:
• a plurality of conveying belts each extending in a conveying direction and provided such that the conveying belts are arranged side by side and spaced apart from each other in a predetermined direction;
• a plurality of support members associated with each other and provided on the plurality of conveying belts, respectively;
• and
• a conveying unit configured to drive the plurality of conveying belts such that the plurality of support members associated with each other move together in the conveying direction, and
• the support members, which are associated with each other and which are provided on the plurality of conveying belts, include support areas supporting the substrate and tapered surfaces contacted by the received substrate, the tapered surfaces being tapered downward toward the support areas, and the support members are configured to guide, by the tapered surfaces, the received substrate to prescribed positions on the support areas, and support outer edges of the substrate at the prescribed positions on the support areas.