WO2021107207A1

WO2021107207A1 - Magnetic levitation transfer apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2021107207A1
Application number: PCT/KR2019/016662
Authority: WO
Inventors: 김영일
Original assignee: 엘지전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2019-11-29
Filing date: 2019-11-29
Publication date: 2021-06-03
Also published as: KR20220062045A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a magnetic levitation transfer apparatus comprising: a carrier on which a substrate or glass is mounted, and which includes a guide groove on the bottom thereof; a rail accommodated in the guide groove so as to guide the movement of the carrier; a magnetic levitation unit which is provided between the carrier and the rail, and which includes a plurality of permanent magnets to levitate the carrier off the rail by magnetic force; a magnetic transfer unit which is provided between the carrier and the rail, and which includes a plurality of permanent magnets so as to transfer the carrier along the rail by magnetic force; a centering unit which is provided between the carrier and the rail, and which includes a plurality of permanent magnets so as to maintain the gap between the carrier and both side surfaces of the rail by magnetic force; and a roller assembly which is mounted on the rail, and which includes a roller that comes in contact with the carrier so as to constantly maintain the height of the carrier, wherein a collision between the carrier and the roller can be prevented.

Description

magnetic levitation transfer device

The present invention relates to a magnetic levitation transfer device for transferring glass or a substrate into a vacuum chamber.

Recently, display devices such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display device) and OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) have been widely used, and their demand is increasing.

In the conventional display device manufacturing process, when a carrier (Carrier) for mounting the display substrate is moved in the vacuum chamber, the lower portion of the carrier is in contact with the roller unit installed in the vacuum chamber is used.

In the contact-type conveying device as described above, dust is generated by frictional force generated when the lower part of the carrier and the roller unit come into contact, and the dust is attached to the display substrate during the manufacturing process to cause defects.

In addition, the size of the display device is increasing in size. As the size of the display device increases, more dust is generated during the manufacturing process.

Therefore, it is important to suppress the dust that may be generated in the vacuum chamber.

In order to solve this problem, by moving the carrier in the vacuum chamber in a magnetic levitation method using a magnet, it is possible to minimize the dust (Particle) that may be generated during the manufacturing process.

On the other hand, the magnetic levitation transport device is provided with a guide roller installed at a narrow interval between all parts of the movement path of the carrier, the guide roller guides the carrier by contacting the carrier when an abnormality occurs during transport of the carrier.

However, if the carrier collides with the guide roller inside the vacuum chamber when the glass or substrate is mounted and transported, there are the following problems.

First, due to the collision between the carrier and the guide roller, particles are generated to contaminate the substrate and cause defects in the substrate.

Second, due to the collision between the carrier and the guide roller, an impact is transmitted to the substrate and the substrate is broken, or vibration occurs due to the collision between the carrier and the magnetic levitation unit, so that the substrate is pulled out of the carrier.

In addition, when the carrier and the magnetic levitation unit collide, the carrier or the magnetic levitation unit is damaged. When the collision between the carrier and the magnetic levitation unit occurs inside the vacuum chamber, it is unknown at which position the collision occurred. There is a problem that maintenance time takes a lot of time because the entire line needs to be re-leveled and aligned.

In addition, there is a problem that it takes a long time to form a vacuum again by breaking the vacuum in the vacuum chamber to find the cause of the breakage and performing a repair check.

The present invention was created to solve the above-mentioned problems, to provide a magnetic levitation transport device that can solve problems such as cracking of the substrate by preventing the collision between the carrier and the roller during transport of the carrier inside the vacuum chamber. There is a purpose.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic levitation transport device that can prevent damage to the transport device and find the cause of the abnormality by monitoring the presence or absence of abnormality during transport of the carrier.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic levitation transport device capable of minimizing the occurrence of defects in the substrate due to static electricity by removing static electricity generated in the carrier during transport of the carrier.

In order to achieve the first object described above, the present invention is to mount a substrate or glass, the carrier having a guide groove in the lower portion; a rail accommodated in the guide groove to guide movement of the carrier; a magnetic levitation unit provided between the carrier and the rail and having a plurality of permanent magnets to levitate the carrier on the rail by a magnetic force; a magnetic transfer unit provided between the carrier and the rail and having a plurality of permanent magnets to transfer the carrier along the rail by a magnetic force; a centering unit provided between the carrier and the rail, the centering unit having a plurality of permanent magnets to maintain a gap between both sides of the rail and the carrier by magnetic force; and a roller assembly mounted on the rail and having a roller in contact with the carrier to maintain a constant height of the carrier.

According to this configuration, the roller is always in contact with the carrier so that the carrier can be transported while having a certain height, thereby preventing collision between the carrier and the roller.

In order to achieve the second object described above, the roller assembly further includes a load sensing unit provided between the roller and the rail to detect a change in load and vibration of the carrier when the carrier moves.

According to an example related to the present invention, the load sensing unit may be a piezoelectric sensor.

According to an example related to the present invention, a mounting portion for mounting the roller assembly may be provided on an upper end of the rail, and the mounting portion may be recessed from the rail.

According to an example related to the present invention, the roller assembly may include: the roller in contact with the guide groove; a shaft coupled through a central portion of the roller to rotatably support the roller; Brackets for fixing both sides of the shaft; and a piezoelectric sensor disposed on both sides of the bracket to detect a change in load and vibration transmitted from both sides of the shaft.

According to an example related to the present invention, a plurality of roller assemblies may be provided on both left and right sides of the rail.

According to an example related to the present invention, the bracket may include a plurality of supporters that are opened upward and rotatably support both sides of the shaft; and a connection unit connecting the plurality of supporters.

According to an example related to the present invention, the bracket may further include an insulator for blocking static electricity between the carrier and the roller.

In order to achieve the above-described third object, the carrier and the roller may each be made of a metal material to remove the static electricity generated in the carrier.

According to an example related to the present invention, the carrier may include a receiving part for accommodating a substrate or glass; an upper guide provided on an upper portion of the receiving unit; and a lower guide provided at a lower portion of the accommodating part and forming the guide groove therein.

According to an example related to the present invention, the magnetic levitation unit may include: a first magnetic levitation permanent magnet mounted on an upper portion of the guide groove; and a second magnetic levitation permanent magnet mounted on the rail to face the first permanent magnet.

According to an example related to the present invention, the magnetic transfer unit may include: a rotating magnet unit rotatably mounted on the rail and having a plurality of first magnetic transfer permanent magnets formed along a circumferential direction; and a plurality of second magnetic transfer permanent magnets mounted on opposite sides of the guide groove with the rotating magnet part therebetween so as to transport the carrier by the magnetic force between the first magnetic transfer permanent magnet and the mutual magnetic force have.

According to an example related to the present invention, the centering unit may include a plurality of first centering permanent magnets mounted on both sides of the rail; and a plurality of second centering permanent magnets mounted on both side surfaces of the guide groove to face the first centering permanent magnet.

The effects of the magnetic levitation transport device according to the present invention are as follows.

First, the roller assembly may include a roller in contact with the carrier, and the roller may contact the inner surface of the lower guide of the carrier to maintain a constant distance between the lower guide and the rail. In addition, by supporting the lower guide, the roller may maintain a constant height of the carrier when the carrier is transported. In addition, by supporting the lower guide, the roller is in contact with the carrier regardless of the occurrence of an abnormality to prevent collision between the carrier and the roller.

Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the breakage of the substrate or glass due to the collision between the carrier and the roller, and it is possible to prevent the defect of the substrate due to particles generated when the carrier and the roller collide.

Second, each of the roller and the carrier may be made of a metal material. When the roller contacts the lower guide of the carrier made of a metal material, static electricity generated in the carrier can be removed.

Third, the magnetic levitation transport device is provided with a load sensing unit. The load sensing unit is configured to monitor changes in load and vibration of the carrier when the carrier is transported.

The load sensing unit may be configured as a piezoelectric sensor. The piezoelectric sensor is configured to generate an electrical signal when pressure (load) is applied from the outside. The control unit may detect a change in the load and vibration of the carrier through an electrical signal generated from the piezoelectric sensor.

Accordingly, the roller assembly can know the abnormal state due to the deformation of the carrier by the load sensing unit, the occurrence of an abnormality in the vacuum chamber, and the occurrence of the deformation of the driving unit.

In addition, since the load sensing unit is mounted at each required position in the conveying section of the carrier, it is possible to detect a problem in the conveying apparatus and prevent the carrier from falling and collide with the lower unit in advance.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing a vertical magnetic levitation transport device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along II-II in FIG. 1 .

3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state in which a plurality of piezoelectric sensors are mounted on one roller assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state in which a piezoelectric sensor is mounted on each of two roller assemblies according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a conceptual diagram showing a horizontal magnetic levitation transport device according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are assigned the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of only the ease of writing the specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles by themselves. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, and the technical idea disclosed herein is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention , should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

Terms including an ordinal number, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

When a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it is understood that the other component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but other components may exist in between. it should be On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a certain element is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that the other element does not exist in the middle.

The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the present application, terms such as "comprises" or "have" are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing a vertical magnetic levitation transport apparatus 100 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along II-II in FIG. 1 . 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state in which a plurality of piezoelectric sensors are mounted on one roller assembly 160 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The magnetic levitation transport device of the present invention is a device for mounting a substrate or glass (1), floating by magnetic force, and transporting the device. For example, the magnetic levitation transfer device may transfer the substrate into the vacuum chamber.

The magnetic levitation conveying device can be classified into a vertical type for transporting the carrier 110 in a vertically arranged state and a horizontal type for transporting the carrier 110 in a horizontally arranged state according to the arrangement form of the carrier 110 . . In this embodiment, the magnetic levitation conveying device is a vertical type for transporting the carrier 110 in a vertically arranged state.

The magnetic levitation transport device includes a carrier 110 for transporting a substrate or glass 1 .

The carrier 110 includes a receiving portion 111 , an upper guide 112 , and a lower guide 114 . The accommodating part 111 is configured to accommodate the substrate or the glass 1 . The carrier 110 may be made of a metal material.

The accommodating part 111 may have a structure surrounding the substrate or the glass 1 . The receiving part 111 may be formed to correspond to the shape of the substrate or glass 1 .

The upper guide 112 is disposed on the upper portion of the accommodating portion 111 , and configured to support and guide the upper portion of the accommodating portion 111 . A plurality of connecting rods 113 are provided between the upper guide 112 and the accommodating part 111 to connect the upper guide 112 and the upper side of the accommodating part 111 .

The upper guide 112 may be installed to be attached to the ceiling or the like. In this case, lower sides of the plurality of connecting rods 113 provided on the upper portion of the receiving portion 111 may be movably coupled together with the receiving portion 111 .

The upper side of the plurality of connecting rods 113 provided on the upper portion of the receiving portion 111 may be coupled to the upper guide 112 slidably along the upper guide 112 .

The lower guide 114 is provided at the lower portion of the receiving portion 111 to support and guide the lower portion of the receiving portion 111 . A plurality of connecting rods 113 are provided between the lower guide 114 and the accommodating part 111 to connect the lower guide 114 and the lower side of the accommodating part 111 .

The lower guide 114 is configured to move together with the receiving part 111 . The lower guide 114 may be configured to move along the rail 120 .

The lower guide 114 may be formed in an upside-down U-shape. The lower guide 114 may be formed in a structure in which the upper and both sides are blocked and open downward.

An upper end of the lower guide 114 may be connected to a plurality of connecting rods 113 . A guide groove 115 is formed inside the lower guide 114 .

The guide groove 115 is configured to receive at least a portion of the rail 120 .

The rail 120 is configured to guide the transport of the carrier 110 . The rail 120 extends to protrude upward from the upper surface of the base 121 . The rail 120 is fixedly installed to the base 121 .

A protrusion may be formed to protrude laterally from the upper end of the rail 120 . The protrusions may be respectively formed on both sides of the upper end of the rail 120 . The protrusion may extend closer toward both sides of the guide groove 115 than the width of the rail 120 .

The magnetic levitation transport apparatus may include a magnetic levitation unit 130 , a magnetic transport unit 140 and a centering unit 150 to transport the carrier 110 .

The magnetic levitation unit 130 is provided with a plurality of permanent magnets, and is made to levitate the carrier 110 at a predetermined interval upward from the rail 120 by magnetic force.

A plurality of permanent magnets for magnetic levitation may be composed of a plurality of first magnetic levitation permanent magnets 131 and a plurality of second magnetic levitation permanent magnets 132 .

The upper end of the rail 120 is disposed to face the upper end of the guide groove 115 .

The plurality of first magnetic levitation permanent magnets 131 may be installed to be embedded in the upper end of the rail 120 . The upper surface of the first magnetic levitation permanent magnet 131 may be disposed to be exposed toward the upper side of the guide groove 115 .

A plurality of second magnetic levitation permanent magnets 132 are installed at the upper end of the guide groove 115 to face the first magnetic levitation permanent magnets 131 . The plurality of second magnetic levitation permanent magnets 132 may be installed to be embedded in the upper end of the guide groove 115 . A lower surface of the second magnetic levitation permanent magnet 132 may be exposed to face the first magnetic levitation permanent magnet 131 .

A plurality of fixing grooves for fixing the plurality of first and second magnetic levitation

permanent magnets

131 and 132 may be formed at the upper ends of each of the rail 120 and the lower guide 114 , respectively.

Each of the plurality of first and second magnetic levitation

permanent magnets

131 and 132 may be disposed on both left and right sides of the upper end of the rail 120 and the lower guide 114 .

The plurality of first magnetic levitation permanent magnets 131 and the plurality of second magnetic levitation permanent magnets 132 are configured to have the same polarity.

According to this configuration, the first and second magnetic levitation

permanent magnets

131 and 132 act as a mutual repulsive force, so that the carrier 110 can be levitated at a predetermined interval from the rail 120 .

In addition, each of the first and second magnetic levitation

permanent magnets

131 and 132 is symmetrically disposed on both sides of the rail 120 with respect to the center of the width direction, so that the magnetic levitation force is equally applied to the left and right sides of the carrier 110 By doing so, the left and right sides of the carrier 110 can be transported while maintaining the horizontal left and right without shaking up and down.

The magnetic transfer unit 140 includes a rotating magnet unit 141 having a plurality of first magnetic transfer permanent magnets 142 , a second magnetic transfer permanent magnet 144 , and a driving motor.

The rotating shaft 143 may be rotatably installed in the center of the rail 120 in the vertical direction and left and right directions.

The plurality of first magnetic transfer permanent magnets 142 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction along the circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating magnet unit 141 . The first magnetic transfer permanent magnet 142 may be formed in a cylindrical shape.

Each of the plurality of first magnetic transfer permanent magnets 142 may be mounted on the surface of the rotating magnet unit 141 and rotated together with the rotating magnet unit 141 .

In the plurality of first magnetic transfer permanent magnets 142 , permanent magnets having different polarities may be alternately disposed in the circumferential direction.

The rotating shaft 143 is disposed in the center of the rotating magnet unit 141 and is coupled to the rotating magnet unit 141 so that the rotating shaft 143 and the rotating magnet unit 141 are rotated together.

A plurality of second magnetic conveying permanent magnets 144 are first on the inner surface of the carrier 110 , specifically on the inner surface of the lower guide 114 , and more specifically on opposite side surfaces of the guide groove 115 . It is installed to face the magnetic transfer permanent magnet (142).

The plurality of second magnetic transfer permanent magnets 144 may be configured by alternately disposing permanent magnets having different polarities in the longitudinal direction of the lower guide 114 .

The plurality of second magnetic transfer permanent magnets 144 may extend vertically in a length corresponding to the diameter of the rotating magnet unit 141 .

It may be formed in a fixing groove for fixing the plurality of second magnetic transfer permanent magnets 144 to the inner surface of the lower guide 114 .

The driving motor may be connected to the rotating shaft 143 to rotate the rotating shaft 143 .

According to this configuration, as the driving motor is operated, the rotating shaft 143 may be rotated and the rotating magnet unit 141 may be rotated.

The first magnetic conveying permanent magnet 142 is rotated together with the rotating magnet unit 141 , and attractive and repulsive forces are generated between the plurality of first magnetic conveying permanent magnets 142 and the plurality of second magnetic conveying permanent magnets 144 . works repeatedly.

The plurality of second magnetic transfer permanent magnets 144 may be moved according to the arrangement direction of the plurality of first magnetic transfer permanent magnets 142 , and the carrier 110 may be transferred along the rail 120 .

The centering unit 150 may be disposed between the rail 120 and the lower guide 114 to maintain centering of the carrier 110 .

The centering unit 150 may include a plurality of first centering permanent magnets 151 and a plurality of second centering permanent magnets 152 .

The plurality of first centering permanent magnets 151 may be respectively disposed on left and right side surfaces of the rail 120 .

The first centering permanent magnet 151 may be disposed at the upper end and lower end of the rail 120 , respectively.

The first centering permanent magnets 151 may be respectively disposed on the upper and lower portions of the rotating magnet unit 141 .

The number of the first centering permanent magnets 151 disposed at the upper end of the rail 120 may be greater than that of the first centering permanent magnets 151 disposed at the lower end of the rail 120 (see FIG. 2 ). .

The plurality of second centering permanent magnets 152 may be installed on the inner surface of the carrier 110 , specifically on the inner surface of the lower guide 114 , and more specifically on both sides of the guide groove 115 opposite to each other. have.

The plurality of second centering permanent magnets 152 may be disposed to face the first centering permanent magnet 151 .

A plurality of fixing grooves for fixing the plurality of first and second centering permanent magnets 152 may be formed in each of the rail 120 and the lower guide 114 .

According to this configuration, the centering unit 150 is such that the carrier 110 maintains a constant distance in the left and right directions with respect to the rail 120 , and the rail 120 is centered in the inner space of the guide groove 115 . can do.

A shielding wall 153 may be provided between the magnetic transfer unit 140 and the centering unit 150 . The shielding wall 153 is configured to block magnetic forces so that the magnetic forces generated from the permanent magnets of the magnetic transfer unit 140 and the permanent magnets of the centering unit 150 do not affect each other.

For example, the shielding wall 153 may be disposed between the lower portion of the rotating magnet unit 141 and the first centering permanent magnet 151 positioned at the lower portion thereof. The shielding wall 153 may be formed to protrude from both sides of the rail 120 toward the inner surface of the lower guide 114 .

One side of the shielding wall 153 is mounted between the rotating magnet unit 141 and the first centering permanent magnet 151 located below the rotating magnet unit 141, and the other side of the shielding wall 153 is a guide groove ( 115) may be disposed to be spaced apart from the inner surface with a small gap.

According to this configuration, the shielding wall 153 blocks the magnetic force between the first magnetic transfer permanent magnet 142 and the first and second centering permanent magnets 152 as the rotating magnet unit 141 rotates. can

The magnetic levitation conveying apparatus of the present invention may include a roller assembly 160 .

The roller assembly 160 is provided between the carrier 110 and the rail 120 . In detail, it may be disposed between the lower guide 114 and the rail 120 .

The roller assembly 160 may include a roller 161 , a shaft 162 , a bracket 163 and a piezoelectric sensor.

A mounting portion may be formed at the upper end of the rail 120 . The mounting portion is configured to mount the roller assembly 160 to the rail 120 .

The mounting portion may be concave downwardly from the top of the rail 120 .

The rollers 161 may be vertically disposed in the vertical direction. The roller 161 may be formed in a cylindrical shape. The outer peripheral surface of the roller 161 may be disposed in contact with the inner surface of the lower guide 114 , that is, the upper end of the guide groove 115 . The roller 161 is configured to be in surface contact with the lower guide 114 .

The roller 161 is rotatably mounted on the rail 120 . The roller 161 is made to maintain a constant distance from the lower guide 114 in the vertical direction.

A through hole is formed in the center of the roller 161 . The shaft 162 passes through the through hole and is coupled to the roller 161 . The shaft 162 and the roller 161 are configured to rotate together. The roller 161 is configured to rotate about the shaft 162 .

The bracket 163 is configured to support both ends of the shaft 162 . A bearing is inserted between the bracket 163 and the shaft 162 , so that both ends of the shaft 162 may be rotatably supported by the bearing.

An opening is formed in an upper portion of the bracket 163 , and one side of the roller 161 may protrude through the opening of the bracket 163 .

The bracket 163 may include a first supporter 1631 supporting one end of the shaft 162 and a second supporter 1632 supporting the other end of the shaft 162 .

The first supporter 1631 and the second supporter 1632 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 162 .

Each of the first and

second supporters

1631 and 1632 may have a structure surrounding the end of the shaft 162 . Each of the first and

second supporters

1631 and 1632 has a shaft accommodating hole. The shaft 162 is inserted into the shaft receiving hole, and the roller 161 and the bracket 163 are coupled thereto.

A roller accommodating part is formed inside the bracket 163 , and the roller accommodating part is configured to accommodate the roller 161 .

According to this configuration, the roller assembly 160 is provided with a roller 161 in contact with the carrier 110, the roller 161 is in contact with the inner surface of the lower guide 114, the lower guide 114 and the rail ( 120) can maintain a certain distance between them.

In addition, the roller 161 supports the lower guide 114 , thereby maintaining a constant height of the carrier 110 when the carrier 110 is transported.

In addition, by supporting the lower guide 114 , the roller 161 is in contact with the carrier 110 irrespective of occurrence of an abnormality, thereby preventing a collision between the carrier 110 and the roller 161 .

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the breakage of the substrate or glass 1 due to the collision between the carrier 110 and the roller 161 , and the defect of the substrate due to particles generated when the carrier 110 and the roller 161 collide. can prevent

The roller 161 may be made of a metal material. The roller 161 may remove static electricity generated in the carrier 110 when it comes into contact with the lower guide 114 of the carrier 110 made of a metal material.

The bracket 163 may include an insulator. The insulator may be coated on the outer surface of the bracket 163 with a rubber material.

According to this configuration, the insulator can store static electricity transferred from the lower guide of the carrier 110 inside the bracket 163 or block the movement of static electricity between the carrier 110 and the bracket 163 .

The magnetic levitation conveying apparatus of the present invention includes a load sensing unit.

The load sensing unit is configured to monitor changes in the load and vibration of the carrier 110 when the carrier 110 is transported.

The load sensing unit may be composed of

piezoelectric sensors

164 and 165 .

The

piezoelectric sensors

164 and 165 are configured to generate an electrical signal when a pressure (load) is applied from the outside.

The control unit may detect a change in load and vibration of the carrier 110 through electrical signals generated from the

piezoelectric sensors

164 and 165 .

The

piezoelectric sensors

164 and 165 may be provided on both sides of the bottom surface of the bracket 163 . A plurality of

piezoelectric sensors

164 and 165 may be disposed. The first piezoelectric sensor 164 of the plurality of

piezoelectric sensors

164 and 165 is disposed below the first supporter 1631 , and the second piezoelectric sensor 165 of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors is located below the second supporter 1632 . can be installed.

The load of the carrier 110 is transferred to the shaft 162 via the roller 161 , and each of the first piezoelectric sensor 164 and the second piezoelectric sensor 165 is the carrier 110 from both sides of the shaft 162 . It is possible to sense a change in the load and vibration of the carrier 110 by receiving the load.

The load sensing unit may be mounted at each required position in the transport section of the carrier 110 .

Accordingly, the roller assembly 160 can know the abnormal state due to the deformation of the carrier 110 by the load sensing unit, the occurrence of an abnormality in the vacuum chamber, and the occurrence of the deformation of the driving unit.

In addition, since the load sensing unit is mounted at each required position in the conveying section of the carrier 110 , it is possible to detect a problem in the conveying apparatus, and to prevent the carrier 110 from falling and collide with the lower unit in advance.

4 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the

piezoelectric sensors

264 and 265 are mounted on each of the two

roller assemblies

260 and 261 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The mounting parts provided at the upper end of the rail 220 are installed to correspond to the number of roller assemblies 160 . A plurality of

roller assemblies

260 and 261 may be installed. The plurality of

roller assemblies

260 and 261 may be respectively installed on left and right sides of the upper end of the rail 120 . The mounting portion is concavely formed in the upper end of the rail 120 to receive the

roller assemblies

260 and 261 .

The

brackets

2631 and 2632 may be formed in a U-shape to open upward. The

brackets

2631 and 2632 have a roller accommodating part on the inside to accommodate the roller 161 .

First and

second supporters

1631 and 1632 are formed on both sides of the

brackets

2631 and 2632, and are configured to support both sides of the shaft.

A piezoelectric sensor may be installed on the bottom surface of the

brackets

2631 and 2632 .

The first piezoelectric sensor 264 may be installed under the first roller assembly 260 disposed on the left side of the upper end of the rail 220 among the plurality of

roller assemblies

260 and 261 .

The second piezoelectric sensor 265 may be installed under the second roller assembly 261 disposed on the right side of the upper end of the rail 220 among the plurality of

roller assemblies

260 and 261 .

The first roller assembly 260 is installed to be accommodated in the first mounting part, and the second roller assembly 261 is installed to be accommodated in the second mounting part.

According to this configuration, since the plurality of

roller assemblies

260 and 261 are respectively installed on the left and right sides of the rail 220 , the plurality of rollers 262 can stably support the lower guide 114 .

The plurality of

piezoelectric sensors

264 and 265 sense the load transmitted from the carrier 110 through the plurality of rollers 262 , and may more accurately detect the load and vibration change of the left and right sides of the carrier 110 .

Since the other components are the same as or similar to those of the above-described exemplary embodiment of the present invention, redundant descriptions will be omitted.

5 is a conceptual diagram showing a view from above of the horizontal magnetic levitation transport device 300 according to the present invention.

This embodiment shows a horizontal magnetic levitation conveying apparatus 300 . The horizontal magnetic levitation apparatus of this embodiment is different from the vertical magnetic levitation apparatus in that the carrier 310 is arranged in a horizontal state.

Guide rollers 320 are additionally installed on the left and right sides of the carrier 310 . The guide roller 320 may guide the movement of the carrier 310 . Here, the guide roller 320 has a different configuration from the roller 161 of the roller assembly 160 in the above-described embodiment.

However, the

roller assemblies

160 , 260 , and 261 of the present invention may be applied not only to the vertical magnetic levitation transfer apparatus 100 , but also to the horizontal magnetic levitation transfer apparatus.

Since other components are the same as or similar to those of the above-described embodiment, redundant descriptions will be omitted.

Claims

a carrier for mounting a substrate or glass and having a guide groove thereon;

a rail accommodated in the guide groove to guide movement of the carrier;

a magnetic levitation unit provided between the carrier and the rail and having a plurality of permanent magnets to levitate the carrier on the rail by a magnetic force;

a magnetic transfer unit provided between the carrier and the rail and having a plurality of permanent magnets to transfer the carrier along the rail by a magnetic force;

a centering unit provided between the carrier and the rail, the centering unit having a plurality of permanent magnets to maintain a gap between both sides of the rail and the carrier by magnetic force; and

A magnetic levitation transport device including a roller assembly mounted on the rail and having a roller in contact with the carrier to maintain a constant height of the carrier.
According to claim 1,

The roller assembly,

Magnetic levitation conveying device further comprising a load sensing unit provided between the roller and the rail to detect a change in the load and vibration of the carrier when the carrier moves.
3. The method of claim 2,

The load sensing unit is a piezoelectric sensor, a magnetic levitation transport device.
According to claim 1,

A mounting portion for mounting the roller assembly is provided on an upper end of the rail, and the mounting portion is a magnetic levitation transport device configured to be recessed from the rail.
According to claim 1,

The roller assembly,

the roller in contact with the guide groove;

a shaft coupled through a central portion of the roller to rotatably support the roller;

Brackets for fixing both sides of the shaft; and

A magnetic levitation transport device including a piezoelectric sensor disposed on both sides of the bracket, respectively, for detecting a change in load and vibration transmitted from both sides of the shaft.
6. The method of claim 5,

The roller assembly is a magnetic levitation conveying device provided in plurality, respectively, on the left and right sides of the rail.
7. The method of claim 6,

The bracket includes a plurality of supporters open upward and rotatably supporting both sides of the shaft; and

Magnetic levitation transport device including a connection for connecting the plurality of supporters.
8. The method of claim 7,

The bracket may further include an insulator for blocking static electricity transferred from the carrier to the roller.
According to claim 1,

The carrier and the roller are each made of a metal material to remove the static electricity generated in the carrier.
According to claim 1,

The carrier is

a receiving unit for accommodating a substrate or glass;

an upper guide provided on an upper portion of the receiving unit; and

A magnetic levitation conveying device that is provided in the lower portion of the receiving portion, and includes a lower guide forming the guide groove on the inside.
According to claim 1,

The magnetic levitation unit,

a first magnetic levitation permanent magnet mounted on the guide groove; and

Magnetic levitation transport device comprising a second magnetic levitation permanent magnet mounted on the rail to face the first magnetic levitation permanent magnet.
According to claim 1,

The magnetic transfer unit,

a rotating magnet part rotatably mounted on the rail and having a plurality of first magnetically transporting permanent magnets formed along a circumferential direction; and

Magnetic levitation comprising a plurality of second magnetic conveying permanent magnets mounted on opposite sides of the guide groove with the rotating magnet interposed therebetween so as to transport the carrier by the magnetic force between the first magnetic conveying permanent magnet and the mutual magnetic force conveying device.
According to claim 1,

The centering unit is

a plurality of first centering permanent magnets mounted on both sides of the rail;

A magnetic levitation transport device comprising a plurality of second centering permanent magnets mounted on both sides of the guide groove to face the first centering permanent magnet.