JPS62285272A - Disk loading method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain smooth loading while preventing a flow onto a disk by correcting the attitude of a disk carrying means so as to lift down the disk thereby bringing the tilt into a prescribed quantity or below based on a tilt detection signal. CONSTITUTION:A disk 2 is gripped by a finger 3b of a handling robot 3 and carried just above a turntable 1 and lifted down by several mm. Then a switch valve 14a of a delivery/exhaust device 11 is set to the delivery position and compressed air is supplied to ducts 91-94 to close the exhaust system. If the disk 2 it tilted, air is jetted from openings 91e-94e to cause a difference in each back pressure of the disk 2, and it is detected by back pressure sensors 41-42. Then detection signals b1-b4 are fetched in a microcomputer 5, and the attitude of the handling robot 3 is corrected by a prescribed quantity as to the turning direction shown in arrows phi and theta. In stopping the delivery, the disk 2 lifted down gradually and landed on a disk face 6a.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] 3. Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) This invention provides a method for automatically mounting a disk such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk onto a disk support mechanism (for example, a rotary table). Regarding how to install the disc.

(Conventional technology and its problems) The surfaces of magnetic disks, semi-finished optical disks, finished products, etc. are finished with extremely high precision. However, even if the surface is subjected to a slight force, scratches may occur that may cause problems in use. Therefore, it is necessary to pay close attention to the removal of the disk from the rotary table of the disk surface inspection device.

Therefore, when mounting a disk on a rotary table or the like, it is necessary to gradually lower the disk from directly above the rotary table downward while keeping the disk surface in a horizontal position. Conventionally, this work was performed manually, which was inefficient, and there was a desire for a technology that would automatically mount the disk on the rotary table using a disk transfer means such as a handling robot.

However, when using a handling robot,
If the disk is carelessly lowered from the robot's finger, the disk will be tilted and collide strongly with the rotary table, damaging the disk and reducing its product value. In addition, in the case of a disk that has a hole that fits into the spindle on the rotary table side, if the disk is released from above in a tilted position, there is a problem that the hole in the disk will be stuck in the middle of the spindle. arise.

(Objective of the Invention) The present invention aims to overcome the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and prevents scratches on the disc when the disc is released from above and automatically mounted on the disc support mechanism. At the same time, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for mounting a disc that can be mounted smoothly.

(Means for Achieving the Object) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the disk mounting method according to the present invention, a disk transferred by a disk transfer means such as a handling robot is placed above a disk support mechanism such as a rotary table. When the disk is lowered from the disk and mounted on the disk support mechanism, the inclination of the disk with respect to the disk support mechanism is detected by the inclination detection means installed in the disk support mechanism, and the inclination detection signal from the inclination detection means is detected. Based on this, the attitude of the disk transport means is corrected so that the inclination of the disk is less than a predetermined amount, and the disk is lowered.

(Embodiment) (1)-Plate fork 11 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus used to carry out a method for mounting a disk according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The above device includes a rotary table 1 as a disk support mechanism.
and a handling robot 3 as a disk transfer means for automatically setting the disk 2 onto the rotary table 1. In addition, a plurality of inclination detecting means (
In this embodiment, the posture of the handling robot 3 is controlled by v control 7 based on back pressure sensors 41 to 44 (four in this embodiment) and signals b1 to b4 obtained by digitizing detection signals 81 to a4 from these back pressure sensors 41 to 44. A microcomputer 5 is also provided as means for controlling σ11.

At the center of the surface of the rotary table 1, a work holder 6 for attaching the disk 2 is integrally formed one step higher, leaving an area near the outer periphery at the center of the upper end of the work holder 6, which becomes the disk mounting reference surface 6a. center hole 2 a of disk 2
A shaft portion 7 into which the lfi fits is provided in a protruding manner.

Of these, the rotary table 1 is rotatably fitted in an outer casing 8 as shown in a vertical cross-sectional view in FIG. 2, and as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. A plurality of ventilation passages 91 to 94 opening to the front surface of the rotary table 1 are formed extending from the outer casing 8 to the inside of the rotary table 1. Among the above-mentioned ventilation passages 91 to 94, the ventilation passage 91 will be explained as an example.
An inner side passage 91 extending from the center toward the center of the rotary table 1
b, a vertical passage 91 that bends upward from this inner horizontal passage 91b and opens to the disk mounting reference surface 6a of the work holder 6;
It consists of 11 outer side passages 91d extending from the outer circumferential surface of the C1 outer casing 8 to the inner circumferential surface side facing the annular groove 918.

Openings 91e to 91 of each of the air passages 91 to 94 IJ to the disk holding fJ reference surface 6a of the work holder 6 upper 9;
94e are arranged on the same circumference so as to be equally spaced from each other.

Further, an exhaust passage 10 is vertically opened in the center of the rotary table 1, and this IJF air passage 10 and each of the above-mentioned air passages 91 to 94 are connected to an air supply/exhaust device 11.

This air supply/exhaust device 11 includes: ■ air source 12 to filter 13;
The switching valve 14a, the pressure reducing valve 15. Needle valve 161
~164. The air supply system passes through the back pressure sensors 41 to 44 and reaches each of the air passages 91 to 94, and the air supply system branches from the filter 13 to the switching valve 14b and the Venturi pipe 17, where the Venturi effect causes the rotary table to 1, and an exhaust system that exhausts the air from an exhaust passage 10 provided at the center of the interior. This exhaust passage 10 opens at the upper surface of the work holder shaft portion 7.

Note that a plurality of seals 18 are interposed between the inner circumferential surface of the outer housing 8 and the outer circumferential surface of the rotary table 1 to ensure airtightness of each of the above-mentioned ventilation passages 91 to 94 in this portion. .

On the other hand, the handling robot 3 has a finger 3b which can be opened and closed for gripping the disk 2 at the tip of an arm 3a, as shown in FIG. 1 as a front view of the main part and as shown in FIG. 4 as a plan view. is provided, and the arm 3a is a first
As shown by the arrow θ in the figure, it is rotatable around its axis, and centered around the pivot 3C of the arm 3a (Fig. 1), as shown by the arrow φ in a plane parallel to the plane of the paper in the same figure. It is configured so that it can rotate freely.

In addition, the detection signal a1 from the back pressure sensors 41 to 44 described above
~a4 are respectively Δ/D converters 1 as shown in FIG.
91 to 194 are converted into digital signals b1 to b4, and the microcomputer 5 is configured to control the rotation of the handling robot 3 based on these signals. The microcomputer 5 not only controls the rotation of the handling robot 3, but also controls the sixth
As shown in the figure, a program is set to control the operation of the entire device.

Next, the operation of mounting the disk 2 onto the rotary table 1 by the above-mentioned apparatus will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

In step 2o of the program of the microcomputer 5, an operation is executed to grasp the disk 2 at a predetermined standby position with the fingers 3b of the handling robot 3 and transfer it to the position directly above the rotary table 1 as shown in FIG. be done. At this time, based on information input into the microcomputer 5 in advance, the handling robot 3 is controlled to have a posture such that the disk 2 is approximately horizontal. Next, by executing step 21, the handling robot 3 is moved until the disk 2 reaches a height of several M above the rotary table 1.
It's time.

With the above settings, the air supply operation of the above-mentioned air supply/exhaust device 11 is started in step 22.

In this air supply operation, the switching valve 14a is set to the air supply side, and while compressed air is supplied to each of the ventilation passages 91 to 94,
The exhaust system is closed. At this time, if the disk 2 is tilted, a difference will occur in the back pressure of the compressed air that is ejected from the openings 91e to 94e of the air passages 91 to 94 and reaches the back surface of the disk 2. For this reason, each back pressure sensor 41~
In step 23, the detection signals b to b4 corresponding to the above-mentioned back pressures respectively detected by the microphone 0
It is taken into the computer 5. Then step 24
Now, regarding the above detection signals b1 to b4 (bl-b3)
, (bl-b4) are executed. In other words, (1
)-b3), the disc 2 in the direction from the frontage 91e to the opening 93e is determined by the difference value.
The maximum slope of is found, and in the calculation of (bl-b4),
Based on the difference, the inclination of the disk in the direction from the opening 92e to the opening 94e can be determined.

In step 25, the posture of the handling robot 3 is corrected according to the difference value. For example, (b, -b3)
When the difference value of is a positive value, it is assumed that the distance from the opening 93e to the disc 2 is greater than the distance from the opening 91G to the disc 2, that is, the disc 2 is considered to be in an upwardly inclined state with the opening 93e side. , the handling robot 3 is corrected in its posture by a predetermined level in the direction of rotation as indicated by the arrow φ in FIG.

For example, when the difference value of (bl-b4) is a positive value, the distance from the opening 92a to the disk 72 is
4e to the disk 2 is larger, that is, the disk 2 is considered to be inclined upward with the opening 94e side, and the above-mentioned difference value decreases in the rotation direction of the handling robot 3 shown by the arrow θ in FIG. The posture is corrected by a predetermined amount toward the side that is moving.

After this execution, in step 26, the detection signals b1 to b4 from the back pressure sensors 41 to 44 after posture correction are captured, and lb-b31. A determination is made as to whether each absolute difference value of Ib2-b4+ has become equal to or less than a predetermined minimum value ε. The above-mentioned small value ε means that the disk 2
This is set as a tolerance value that will not damage the disk 2 that collides with the rotary table 1 even if it is released from the handling robot 3. When each of the above-mentioned difference values does not fall within the minimum value ε, steps 25 and 26 are repeated until they fall within the minimum value ε. Then, each absolute difference value 1b1 to b1. lb
,, -b41 falls within the range of the above-mentioned minimum value ε, that is, when the disk 2 is corrected to a horizontal posture, the process moves to step 27, and the fingers 3b of the handling robot 3 are opened. Disk 2 is released. Then, the disk 2 receives a constant back pressure of compressed air at a slightly lower height than before release, and is maintained in a horizontally floating state.

In this final step 28, the air supply operation is stopped. In this air supply stop operation, the switching valve 14a /fi N
It is switched to the ffJi side. Therefore, the back pressure on the disk 2 gradually decreases, and the disk 2 gradually descends accordingly. During this descent, if the disk tilts in one direction, the rate of reduction of back pressure in the downwardly tilted portion decreases, so the back pressure in this portion becomes relatively large compared to other portions, and the disk The action that attempts to return 2 to the horizontal position moves. Therefore, in addition to gradually lowering the disk 2 during release, the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 also has the function of lowering the disk 2 while maintaining it in a horizontal position.

When the disk 2 lands on the disk mounting surface 6a, the handling robot 3 places a cap 30 on the center of the disk 2 as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. Then, by executing step 29, the exhaust operation is started. In this exhaust operation, the switching valve 14b is set to the exhaust side,
Therefore, a suction force acts on the cap 30 through the exhaust passage 1o, and based on this, the disc 2 is moved to the disc mounting surface 6.
It is fixed at a.

B. Second Embodiment FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus used in a second embodiment of the disc mounting method of the present invention.

The device shown in FIG. 7 uses a plurality of non-contact distance sensors 311 to 314 such as eddy current sensors and ultrasonic sensors as a means for detecting the inclination of the disk 2. It is the one placed above. In this case, the disk 2 released from the handling robot 3 is gradually lowered in a floating state.
This means that the tilt detection means is provided regardless of the function or the existence of an air supply/exhaust device that waits for the disk suction function after landing. Note that the distance sensors 311 to 314 are installed on the upper surface of the outer housing 8, which is the fixed side, as long as they are within the range where they face the disk 2. This is more preferable because the transmission route to the computer 5 becomes simpler. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the inclination relationship between the disk 2 and the reference surface 6a after mounting can be detected, the presence of scratches and dust on the reference surface 6a can be detected and countermeasures can be taken to remove them. It becomes a monkey. The other configurations and operations are the same as those in the previous embodiment, so redundant explanation will be omitted.

In each of the above embodiments, according to the characteristics of this invention,
A tilt detection means is provided on the side of the disk support structure. On the other hand, the distance 111t on the disk transfer means side (for example, the finger 3b of the handling robot 3)? It is also possible to consider the technique of providing a screwdriver, but in this case, we are looking at the inclination relationship between the disk transport means and the disk support mechanism, and we are not necessarily looking at the inclination relationship between the disk itself and the disk support mechanism. It's not 4-J that's detecting it directly. Therefore, this technique leaves a large margin for error, and the present invention is superior in terms of accuracy.

In the above embodiment, the disk is dropped from above, but the present invention can also be applied to a case where the disk is lowered while being gripped by a handling robot and landed on the reference surface.

Furthermore, the present invention can also be used for mounting a disk-shaped object (such as a semiconductor wafer) without a central hole, and the term "disk" used in this invention includes such objects.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, when the disk is lowered from above the disk support mechanism and mounted by a disk transfer means such as a handling robot, the disk is automatically corrected to a horizontal posture. When it lands on the disk support mechanism, the impact may concentrate on a part of the disk and damage the disk, or in the case of a disk with a center hole, the hole in the disk may damage the disk support mechanism. Inconveniences such as getting caught on the spindle of the mechanism can be avoided, and the effect is that the disk can be installed safely and smoothly.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus used in a first embodiment of the disk mounting method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the rotary table side of the apparatus of FIG. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1, with a part of the handling robot not shown, and Fig. 5 is the connection between the back pressure sensor and the microcomputer. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus used in the second embodiment of the disk mounting method of the present invention. 1... Rotary table, 2... Disc, 3...
...Handling robot, 41-44...Back pressure sensor, 5...Microcomputer, 311-314...Distance sensor Fig. 6 Fig. 4b Fig. 7 Fig. 5

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) When lowering the disk transferred by the disk transfer means from above the disk support mechanism and mounting it on the disk support mechanism, the disk support mechanism is configured to adjust the inclination of the disk with respect to the disk support mechanism. and correcting the attitude of the disk transporting means so that the inclination of the disk is equal to or less than a predetermined amount based on the inclination detection signal from the inclination detecting means, and lowering the disk. A disc mounting method characterized by: (2) A plurality of openings are provided on the disk support mechanism for blowing compressed air toward the disk, and the tilt detection means detects that the disk is moved above the disk support mechanism by the disk transfer means. 2. The method for mounting a disk according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of back pressure sensors for detecting the back pressure of the compressed air supplied from each of the openings when the disk is transferred to the opening.