FACTORY TRANSITION SYSTEM AND TRANSITION DEVICE THEREOF

A factory transition system and a transition device thereof are provided. The transition device is provided for being disposed on a partition wall that separates two rooms from each other, and includes a chamber and a filtering module assembled to the chamber. The chamber has a transition channel formed therein. The transition channel has two entrances respectively arranged on two ends thereof. The chamber is configured to correspond in position to the communication opening of the partition through one of the two entrances. The filtering module is spatially communicated with the transition channel. The filtering module is configured to perform a ventilation and filtration process for continuously suctioning air from an external environment of the transition device into the transition channel after filtering the air.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a transition device, and more particularly to a factory transition system and a transition device thereof for increasing cross-area efficiency.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Nowadays, most of the transition devices disposed in a factory are equipped with automatic doors to effectively divide the factory into two areas. However, because the automatic doors are equipped, the cost of the conventional transition devices become higher, and because a waiting time for the automatic doors opening and closing is necessary when objects are transported between the two areas, the manufacturing capacity of the factory is difficult to be further increased.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In response to the above-referenced technical inadequacies, the present disclosure provides a factory transition system and a transition device thereof to effectively improve the issues associated with conventional transition devices.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one of the technical aspects adopted by the present disclosure provides a factory transition system, which includes a first room, a second room, a partition wall, a track module, and a transition device. The first room and the second room are arranged adjacent to each other, and a first cleanliness requirement of the first room is lower than a second cleanliness requirement of the second room. The partition wall is arranged to separate the first room and the second room from each other. The partition wall has a communication opening for enabling the first room and the second room to be in spatial communication with each other. The track module is arranged in the first room and the second room by passing through the communication opening. The track module is configured to allow at least one transfer vehicle to move thereon. The transition device is arranged in the first room and corresponds in position to the communication opening. The transition device includes a chamber and a filtering module. The chamber has a transition channel formed therein. The transition channel has two entrances respectively arranged on two ends thereof. The chamber corresponds in position to the communication opening through one of the two entrances, and the track module passes through the transition channel. The filtering module is assembled to the chamber and is spatially communicated with the transition channel. The filtering module is configured to perform a ventilation and filtration process for continuously suctioning air from the first room into the transition channel after filtering the air.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the other one of the technical aspects adopted by the present disclosure provides a transition device of a factory transition system for being disposed on a partition wall that separates two rooms from each other. The transition device includes a chamber and a filtering module. The chamber has a transition channel formed therein. The transition channel has two entrances respectively arranged on two ends thereof. The chamber is configured to correspond in position to the communication opening of the partition wall through one of the two entrances. The filtering module is assembled to the chamber and is spatially communicated with the transition channel. The filtering module is configured to perform a ventilation and filtration process for continuously suctioning air from an external environment of the transition device into the transition channel after filtering the air.

Therefore, the factory transition system in the present disclosure is provided with the transition device in the first room, so that the automatic door adopted by the conventional transition device can be effectively replaced by using the filtering module to perform the ventilation and filtration process, thereby preventing air from traveling from the first room to the second room by flowing through the transition channel. Accordingly, the track module and the at least one transfer vehicle can have a better efficiency for transporting objects between the first room and the second room, thereby increasing the manufacturing capacity of factory.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

First Embodiment

Referring toFIG.1toFIG.6, a first embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The present embodiment discloses a factory transition system100preferably applied to cleanrooms of a semiconductor plant, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The factory transition system100includes a first room1, a second room2arranged adjacent to the first room1, a partition wall3arranged to separate the first room1and the second room2from each other, a track module4penetrating through the partition wall3, and a transition device5that is disposed on the partition wall3.

It should be noted that the transition device5of the factory transition system100in the present embodiment is described in cooperation with the first room1, the second room2, the partition wall3, and the track module4, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure not shown in the drawings, the transition device5can be independently used based on the design requirement (e.g., sold) or can be used in cooperation with other components.

In the present embodiment, the first room1has a first cleanliness requirement being lower than a second cleanliness requirement of the second room2, and an air pressure of the first room1is lower than an air pressure of the second room2. For example, the first cleanliness requirement of the first room1can be Class100K, the second cleanliness requirement of the second room2can be Class1K, and a difference between the air pressure of the first room1and the air pressure of the second room2can be within a range from 2 Pa to 5 Pa, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Moreover, the partition wall3has a communication opening31for enabling the first room1and the second room2to be in spatial communication with each other. The communication opening31is arranged on a top portion of the partition wall3. The track module4is arranged in the first room1and the second room2by passing through the transition device5and the communication opening31, so that the track module4is configured to allow at least one transfer vehicle200(e.g., an overhead hoist transfer) to move thereon.

In the present embodiment, the communication opening31has two sub-openings311, the track module4can be a transfer system of overhead hoist transfer (OHT) having two tracks41respectively passing through the two sub-openings311, and each of the two tracks41allows one transfer vehicle200to move thereon, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure not shown in the drawings, a quantity of the sub-openings311of the communication opening31can be adjusted or changed according to design requirements (e.g., one or more than one), and the track module4has at least one track41passing through the communication opening31.

The transition device5is arranged in the first room1and corresponds in position to the communication opening31. The transition device5includes a chamber51and a filtering module52that is assembled to the chamber51. Specifically, the chamber51has a transition channel C formed therein, and the transition channel C has two entrances C1respectively arranged on two ends thereof.

One of the two entrances C1of the chamber51corresponds in position and shape to the communication opening31(e.g., the communication opening31and the one of the two entrances C1are flush with each other and are spatially communicated with each other), and the track module4passes through the transition channel C through the two entrances C1. In other words, the entrance C1corresponding to the communication opening31in the present embodiment has two sub-entrances C11respectively corresponding in position to the two sub-openings311, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Specifically, the chamber51in the present embodiment substantially has a cuboid shape, and the chamber51includes a bottom plate511, two side plates512and two end plates513respectively connected to peripheral edges of the bottom plate511, and a top plate514that is connected to the two side plates512and the two end plates513. The bottom plate511is provided without any hole, the two entrances C1are respectively formed on the two end plates513, and one of the two end plates513is abutted against (or is fixed onto) the partition wall3, so that the entrance C1formed in the one of the two end plates513can be flush with the communication opening31, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure not shown in the drawings, one of the two entrances C1of the chamber51can be formed by omitting (or removing) at least one of the two end plates513.

The filtering module52is spatially communicated with the transition channel C. The filtering module52is configured to perform a ventilation and filtration process for continuously suctioning air from the first room1into the transition channel C after filtering the air. In other words, the first room1and the second room2can be in spatial communication with each other through the transition channel C.

In the present embodiment, the filtering module52includes a plurality of fan filter units (FFUs)521, and the fan filter units521are configured to simultaneously suction the air from the first room1into the transition channel C after filtering the air. Moreover, the filtering module52(e.g., the fan filter units521) can be assembled to at least one of the top plate514and the two side plates512, and the filtering module52is preferably assembled to an external side of the chamber51, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Accordingly, the factory transition system100disclosed in the present embodiment is provided with the transition device5in the first room1, so that the automatic door adopted by the conventional transition device can be effectively replaced by using the filtering module to perform the ventilation and filtration process, thereby preventing air from traveling from the first room1to the second room2by flowing through the transition channel C. Accordingly, the track module4and the at least one transfer vehicle200can have a better efficiency for transporting objects between the first room1and the second room2, thereby increasing the manufacturing capacity of factory.

Specifically, the transition channel C and the second room2have an air pressure difference therebetween at the communication opening31, and the filtering module52is configured to continuously perform the ventilation and filtration process for maintaining the air pressure difference to be less than or equal to 0.5 Pa. In other words, when there is no transfer vehicle200to move through the transition channel C, a flow field in the transition channel C is at a steady state, and the filtering module52can continuously perform the ventilation and filtration process to provide a sufficient pressure in the transition channel C, thereby enabling the communication opening31to almost have no airflow.

Moreover, when the at least one transfer vehicle200is moving along the track module4from the first room1to the second room2by traveling through the transition channel C, the flow field in the transition channel C is disturbed from the steady state to a turbulent state, and the filtering module52is configured to perform the ventilation and filtration process to the flow field at the turbulent state for restoring the flow field to the steady state within a predetermined time period. The predetermined time period can be within a range from 3 seconds to 25 seconds and can be adjusted or changed according to design requirements, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Second Embodiment

Referring toFIG.7andFIG.8, a second embodiment of the present disclosure, which is similar to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, is provided. For the sake of brevity, descriptions of the same components in the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure will be omitted herein, and the following description only discloses different features between the first and second embodiments.

In the present embodiment, the bottom plate511has a plurality of holes5111such that the transition channel C is spatially communicated with an external environment (e.g., the first room1) through the holes5111. The holes5111of the bottom plate511have an open ratio being less than or equal to 25%. The open ratio is preferably within a range from 10% to 20%. Specifically, when the bottom plate511in the present embodiment having the open ratio of 15% is compared to the bottom plate511of the first embodiment provided without any hole, the predetermined time period of the factory transition system100in the present embodiment can be controlled to be lower than that of the first embodiment, thereby effectively further increasing the manufacturing capacity of factory.

Third Embodiment

Referring toFIG.9toFIG.11, a third embodiment of the present disclosure, which is similar to the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure, is provided. For the sake of brevity, descriptions of the same components in the first to third embodiments of the present disclosure will be omitted herein, and the following description only discloses different features among the first to third embodiments.

In the present embodiment, the factory transition system100further includes at least one air curtain6assembled to the partition wall3. The at least one air curtain6is arranged in the second room2and corresponds in position to the communication opening31. In other words, the transition device5and the at least one air curtain6are respectively assembled to two opposite sides of the partition wall3.

The at least one air curtain6can be operated to continuously output air for enclosing the communication opening31, thereby effectively avoiding air to travel from the first room1to the second room2by flowing through the transition channel C. Moreover, a cubic meter per minute (CMM) of the at least one air curtain6can be within a range from 20 m3/min to 50 m3/min, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Beneficial Effects of the Embodiments

In conclusion, the factory transition system in the present disclosure is provided with the transition device in the first room, so that the automatic door adopted by the conventional transition device can be effectively replaced by using the filtering module to perform the ventilation and filtration process, thereby preventing air from traveling from the first room to the second room by flowing through the transition channel. Accordingly, the track module and the at least one transfer vehicle can have a better efficiency for transporting objects between the first room and the second room, thereby increasing the manufacturing capacity of factory.

Moreover, in any one of the factory transition system and the transition device provided by the present disclosure, the holes of the bottom plate of the chamber can have the open ratio of a specific value (e.g., the open ratio being less than or equal to 25%), thereby shortening the predetermined time period for restoring the flow field from the turbulent state to the steady state.

In addition, in any one of the factory transition system and the transition device provided by the present disclosure, the partition wall can be assembled with the air curtain according to design requirements, and the air curtain can be operated to continuously output air for enclosing the communication opening, thereby effectively avoiding air to travel from the first room to the second room by flowing through the transition channel.