Patent ID: 9266629
Filing Date: 2016-02-23
CPC Classification: B65B,H01L

Claim Text:
1. An article storage facility comprising: a plurality of storage sections each storing a transport container accommodating a substrate therein; a transport device for transporting the transport containers to the plurality of storage sections; an inactive gas feeding section provided for each of the plurality of storage sections for feeding inactive gas to the inside of the transport container stored in the storage section, the inactive gas feeding section including a discharge opening for discharging the inactive gas and a flow rate adjusting device capable of adjusting the flow rate of the inactive gas to be discharged via the discharge opening; a controller configured to control operations of the transport device and the flow rate adjusting device; a feed source for feeding the inactive gas to a group of the inactive gas feeding sections corresponding to a group of storage sections of the plurality of storage sections; wherein the feed source is configured with a maximum allowable flow rate that can be fed from the feed source to the group of inactive gas feeding sections; the controller is capable of switching over a controlled state of each inactive gas feeding section of the group of inactive gas feeding sections between a first feed state in which the flow rate adjusting device is operated to feed the inactive gas at a first target flow rate to the transport container stored in the storage section and a second feed state in which the flow rate adjusting device is operated to feed the inactive gas at a second target flow rate to the transport container stored in the storage section, the second target flow rate being smaller than the first target flow rate; with a maximum number of the inactive gas feeding sections that can be controlled to the first feed state at one time being defined as a maximum simultaneous feed number, the controller determines the maximum simultaneous feed number based on the maximum allowable flow rate, a total number of storage sections in the group of storage sections, the first target flow rate, and the second target flow rate; or the maximum simultaneous feed number, which is determined based on the maximum allowable flow rate, a total number of storage sections in the group of storage sections, the first target flow rate, and the second target flow rate, is inputted to the controller; and when the controller determines that the maximum simultaneous feed number is exceeded by a first total target number which is a total number of inactive gas feeding sections determined to be controlled to the first feed state at one time, the controller controls some of the inactive gas feeding sections determined to be controlled to the first feed state at one time, which are not more than the maximum simultaneous feed number, to the first feed state and executes a start delaying process for the others in which process starting of the first feed state is delayed by a set delay period; the controller is configured to complete the process of controlling the inactive gas feeding section to the first feed state when a predetermined condition for completion is satisfied; the control is further configured to repeatedly determine, after execution of the start delaying process, whether a second total target number which is a total number of the inactive gas feeding sections that have been controlled to the first feed state falls short of the maximum simultaneous feed number, and if the second total target number falls short of the maximum simultaneous feed number, execute a feed process in which, of the inactive gas feeding sections subjected to the execution of the start delaying process, a number of these inactive gas feeding sections not exceeding a difference between the second total target number and the maximum simultaneous feed number are controlled to the first feed state.