CN112960371A

CN112960371A - Vacuum conveying device and conveying method

Info

Publication number: CN112960371A
Application number: CN202110366863.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 段廷原; 张铢仓
Original assignee: TCL Huaxing Photoelectric Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: TCL Huaxing Photoelectric Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-04-06
Filing date: 2021-04-06
Publication date: 2021-06-15
Anticipated expiration: 2041-04-06
Also published as: CN112960371B

Abstract

The application provides a vacuum carrying device and a carrying method, the carrying device comprises a conveying mechanism and a bearing mechanism, the bearing mechanism comprises a first adsorption member, a second adsorption member and a power supply device, the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member are arranged oppositely, the power supply device is arranged between the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member, the power supply device is used for providing adsorption force for the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member, the bearing mechanism can be overturned relative to the conveying mechanism, and the adsorption surface of the adsorption member adsorbs a transferred substrate, so that the problem of sagging of the substrate is prevented, meanwhile, the carrying efficiency is effectively improved, and the production process is simplified.

Description

Vacuum conveying device and conveying method

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of display panel manufacturing and transportation, and more particularly, to a vacuum conveying apparatus and a vacuum conveying method.

Background

With the continuous improvement of the manufacturing technology of the display panel, people also put higher demands on the manufacturing process of the display panel and the transportation mode in the manufacturing process so as to manufacture and obtain the display panel with the best performance.

In the manufacturing process of the display panel, the substrate in the display panel needs to be transported and manufactured, and when the size of the display panel is larger, the size of the corresponding substrate is also larger. In the prior art, when a large-sized substrate is transported and processed, the periphery of the large-sized substrate is clamped by a chuck, and then the large-sized substrate is conveyed and further processed. However, since the weight of the large-sized substrate and the corresponding surface area are large, when the periphery of the substrate is engaged, the substrate may sag to a large extent in the middle region of the substrate due to the gravity, so that the surface of the substrate becomes a non-horizontal surface, and when drilling is continued on the non-horizontal surface, a deviation in accuracy may occur. Meanwhile, the conveying mode is to clamp the peripheral edge area through the chuck, so that the requirement on equipment is high, once the clamping is not firm, the substrate is easy to fall off, and the preparation of the display panel is not facilitated.

As described above, in the conventional process of transporting and preparing the substrate for the display panel, particularly for the large-sized display panel, the substrate is often transported and processed by the engaging transportation method, but the engaging transportation method is likely to cause the substrate to be engaged with a weak fastening, and the engaged substrate is likely to have a problem of an excessively large sagging amount, which is not favorable for transporting the substrate and preparing the display panel.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a vacuum conveying device and a conveying method, which are used for effectively solving the problems that the sag amount of a substrate is too large easily in the conveying process of the substrate of a display panel, and further the preparation of the display panel is influenced.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the technical method provided in the embodiment of the present application is as follows:

in a first aspect of embodiments of the present application, there is provided a vacuum handling apparatus, including:

a transport mechanism; and the number of the first and second groups,

the bearing mechanism is arranged on the conveying mechanism and can move along with the conveying mechanism;

the bearing mechanism comprises a first adsorption member and a second adsorption member, the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member are arranged oppositely, the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member are provided with adsorption surfaces, and the bearing mechanism can be overturned relative to the conveying mechanism.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the vacuum transporting apparatus further includes an ejection mechanism, the ejection mechanism is disposed in the carrying mechanism, the ejection mechanism is capable of extending and contracting with respect to the first suction member and the second suction member, and the ejection mechanism extends out with respect to the first suction member or the second suction member when performing vacuum transporting.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member are further provided with an ejection hole, the ejection hole is disposed corresponding to the ejection mechanism, and when the vacuum carrying device operates, the ejection mechanism extends out along the ejection hole.

According to an embodiment of the application, ejection mechanism includes the thimble, the length of thimble is less than bear the thickness of mechanism, when vacuum handling device is out of work, the thimble shrink is in the liftout hole.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the carrying mechanism further includes a power supply device disposed between the first suction member and the second suction member.

According to an embodiment of the application, transport mechanism includes first work area, second work area and third work area, first work area with the second work area is adjacent, the second work area with the third work area is adjacent, just vacuum handling device is in the operating condition all inequality in first work area, second work area and the third work area.

According to an embodiment of the application, the vacuum handling device further comprises a drilling device, and the drilling device is correspondingly arranged in the third working area.

According to an embodiment of the application, the transport mechanism comprises an L-shaped transport device or a T-shaped transport device.

According to an embodiment of the application, display panel still includes the barricade, the barricade sets up on the substrate and sets up first link with between the second link, just the height value of barricade is less than emitting diode arrives distance value between the substrate.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is also provided a vacuum transfer method, including the steps of:

s100: placing a plurality of substrates and conveying the substrates into a first working area of a vacuum handling device;

s101: a power supply device in the vacuum conveying device supplies power, meanwhile, a first adsorption member on a bearing mechanism adsorbs the substrate, and after adsorption is completed, the bearing mechanism is turned over;

s102: a second adsorption member on the bearing mechanism adsorbs the substrate, and after adsorption of the second adsorption member is completed, the bearing mechanism is conveyed into a second working area;

s103: drilling the substrate adsorbed on the first adsorption mechanism in the second working area, turning over the bearing mechanism after drilling is completed, and drilling the substrate adsorbed on the second adsorption mechanism;

s104: and conveying the bearing mechanism into a third working area, taking out the substrate on the first adsorption mechanism, turning over the bearing mechanism, taking out the substrate on the second adsorption mechanism, and completing the transportation.

According to an embodiment of the present application, in the process of conveying the display panel to the bearing mechanism, the ejection mechanism in the bearing mechanism extends out, the display panel is supported and moved by the ejection mechanism, and after the movement is completed, the ejection mechanism descends.

To sum up, the beneficial effect of this application embodiment is:

the embodiment of the application provides a vacuum carrying device and a carrying method, by arranging a conveying mechanism and a bearing mechanism in the carrying device, when a substrate to be carried is conveyed into the bearing mechanism, a first adsorption member in the bearing mechanism adsorbs the substrate, after the adsorption of the first adsorption member is completed, the bearing mechanism is turned over, the other surface of the bearing mechanism faces upwards, and the substrate is adsorbed again through a second adsorption member, so that double-sided adsorption is realized, the conveying efficiency of the substrate is effectively improved, and meanwhile, because the bearing mechanism in the application carries in an adsorption mode, the problem that the surface of the substrate sags due to gravity can not occur, the working condition of the substrate in the carrying and preparation processes is effectively improved, and finally, the preparation process of a display panel is effectively improved.

Drawings

The technical solutions and other advantages of the present application will become more apparent from the detailed description of specific embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a carrying device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a bearing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a transport process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIGS. 4 to 6 are schematic views illustrating a flow of the first adsorption member adsorbing the substrate;

fig. 7 is a schematic view illustrating drilling of a substrate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It is to be understood that the embodiments described are only a few embodiments of the present application and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," and the like are used in the orientations and positional relationships indicated in the drawings for convenience in describing the present application and for simplicity in description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the referenced devices or elements must have a particular orientation, be constructed in a particular orientation, and be operated in a particular manner, and are not to be construed as limiting the present application. Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically limited otherwise.

With the development of display panel manufacturing technology, it is desirable to manufacture and obtain a panel with optimal quality and performance. Meanwhile, as the size of the display panel increases gradually, the size of the corresponding substrate increases accordingly. When carrying and preparing the process to great base plate, the base plate often can have the problem that droops because of the effect of gravity, and then is unfavorable for display panel's preparation.

As shown in fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a carrying device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The conveying device includes a conveying mechanism 102 and a carrying mechanism 103. In order to realize the complete structure of the vacuum conveying device, the conveying device can also comprise a driving motor and a feeding mechanism, wherein the driving motor and the feeding mechanism are not shown, and the specific arrangement position can be adjusted according to the function of the equipment. However, the driving motor and the feeding mechanism are both arranged to realize the complete function of the conveying device. Preferably, in the embodiment of the present application, the driving motor may be connected to the feeding mechanism and the conveying mechanism 102 at the same time, and the feeding mechanism and the conveying mechanism 102 are moved by the rotation of the driving motor, so as to complete the conveyance of the materials such as the display panel.

Wherein the feeding mechanism can be a conveyor belt device, which is not limited in detail here. When the substrate 100 such as a display panel is transported, the plurality of substrates 100 are flatly laid on the conveyor belt device, and a certain distance is reserved between two adjacent substrates, so as to provide controllable time for a subsequent preparation process. The feeding mechanism is driven by the rotation of the driving motor, and then the substrate on the feeding mechanism moves along with the feeding mechanism, so that the purposes of material feeding and automation of the vacuum conveying device are achieved.

Meanwhile, the driving motor is also connected with the conveying mechanism 102, when the driving motor rotates, the conveying device in the conveying mechanism 102 can also move relatively, when the substrate 100 is conveyed to the corresponding conveying mechanism 102, the substrate is conveyed together with the conveying mechanism 102, and different preparation processes are performed on the corresponding conveying mechanism 102, and the substrate is conveyed.

In the embodiment of the present application, in order to improve the carrying efficiency and performance of the carrying device and to reduce the floor area of the carrying device to a certain extent, the conveying mechanism 102 may be configured as an L-shaped logistics conveying device or a T-shaped logistics conveying device.

Further, in the embodiment of the present application, the conveying mechanism 102 includes a first working area 105, a second working area 106, and a third working area 107. The first working area 105 is arranged adjacent to the second working area 106, the second working area 106 is arranged adjacent to the third working area 107, and when the conveying device works normally, the conveying device realizes different working states in the first working area 105, the second working area 106 and the third working area 107. Preferably, the carrier mechanism 103 sucks the substrate 100 in the first working area 105, and the transfer device performs a process operation such as drilling on the substrate 100 in the second working area 106, and unloads the substrate in the third working area 107 when the substrate 100 is transferred to the area, thereby performing the entire transfer process of the substrate.

In the embodiment of the application, different working areas are arranged in the conveying mechanism 102 and are mutually independent, so that the conveying effect and the operation independence in the conveying process are effectively guaranteed, and the performance of the conveying device is improved.

Preferably, the handling device further includes a drilling device 108, the drilling device 108 is correspondingly disposed in the accommodating cavity of the conveying mechanism 102, and the drilling device 108 can perform a drilling operation on the corresponding substrate when the conveying mechanism 102 conveys into the second working area 106. In this embodiment, the drilling device 108 may be a laser generator, and the substrate is drilled through high energy and high temperature of laser, so as to effectively improve the substrate preparation process and the substrate preparation precision.

Further, as shown in fig. 2, fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a bearing mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment of the present application, the substrate carrying function is mainly realized by the carrying mechanism 103. Specifically, the plurality of carrying mechanisms 103 may be connected by a hinge or a belt, and may move along the receiving cavity of the conveying mechanism 102 so as to transfer the substrate 100 from the first working area 105 into the third working area 107.

Wherein the carrying mechanism 103 includes a first suction member 201, a power supply device 200, and a second suction member 202, and the power supply device 200 is disposed on the second suction member 202 such that the first suction member 201 and the second suction member 202 are disposed oppositely. Meanwhile, the first adsorption member 201 is arranged on the power supply device 200, and the first adsorption member 201 and the second adsorption member 202 can be the same or different, in the embodiment of the application, in order to ensure the consistency of the conveying device, the first adsorption member 201 and the second adsorption member 202 are arranged as the same adsorption member, and the power supply device 200 provides electrostatic adsorption force to the first adsorption member 201 and the second adsorption member 202, so that the adsorption of the first adsorption member 201 and the second adsorption member 202 to materials such as a substrate or a display panel is finally realized, and the function of double-sided conveying is finally realized.

Preferably, the first adsorption member 201 and the second adsorption member 202 in the embodiment of the present application each have an adsorption surface, and the adsorption surface is correspondingly disposed on the surface of each adsorption member, when the adsorption member adsorbs the substrate 100, the adsorption surface can act on the surface of the substrate, and the substrate is transported by adsorption force such as static electricity, therefore, the adsorption member in the present application has a larger adsorption area in the transportation process, not only acts on the edge region of the substrate, but also exerts adsorption force on the non-edge region of the substrate, thereby effectively avoiding the problem that the middle region of the substrate sags in the transportation process, and improving the transportation effect.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, the surfaces of the first suction member 201 and the second suction member 202 are a conveying plane, and when the substrate is conveyed to the corresponding suction member, the suction member directly sucks the substrate, so that the surface of the substrate is attached to the surface of the suction member during the conveying process, and the problem of sagging of the substrate due to gravity is reduced, thereby improving the conveying effect of the substrate.

Specifically, the carrying mechanism further includes an ejection mechanism 203, the ejection mechanism 203 is disposed on the carrying mechanism, and when the ejection mechanism 203 is disposed, a plurality of ejection holes 204 are disposed on the carrying mechanism, and then the ejection mechanism 203 is correspondingly disposed in each ejection hole 204. Meanwhile, the power supply device 200 can simultaneously provide power for the first adsorption member 201, the second adsorption member 202 and the ejection mechanism 203, thereby ensuring that different driving forces are provided for different components and corresponding movement is realized.

When the substrate is transferred to the corresponding carrying mechanism, the power supply device 200 provides driving force for the ejection mechanisms 203, and causes the ejection mechanisms 203 to extend out of the ejection holes, and support of the substrate is achieved by the plurality of ejection mechanisms 203, and when the substrate is completely dropped on the carrying mechanism, the driving force of the ejection mechanisms 203 is slowly unloaded, so that the ejection mechanisms 203 are slowly retracted into the ejection holes 204, and the substrate is brought into contact with the first adsorption member 201.

In this embodiment, the ejection mechanism 203 may include a thimble or other ejector rod, in order to ensure the ejection and storage effect, the length of the thimble should be smaller than the thickness of the bearing mechanism, and when the vacuum conveying device does not work, the thimble shrinks in the corresponding ejection hole.

When the first adsorption member 201 is attached to the substrate, the power supply device 200 supplies a driving voltage to the first adsorption member 201, so that the first adsorption member 201 generates an electrostatic adsorption force and adsorbs the substrate.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the application, in the processes of adsorption and transportation of the substrate, the substrate is in contact with the surface, so that the problem of sagging of the substrate can be avoided in the process of transportation of the transporting device, and the adsorption and transportation effects of the substrate are better.

After the first adsorption member 201 finishes adsorption, the bearing mechanism is turned over in the containing cavity of the conveying mechanism, after the turning is finished, the first adsorption member 201 faces downwards, the second adsorption member 202 faces upwards, and at the moment, the substrate is continuously conveyed to the corresponding bearing mechanism. Since the second suction member 202 is located above, the power feeding device 200 supplies a driving force to the second suction member 202, and causes the second suction member 202 to suction the substrate.

In this embodiment, the first adsorption member 201 and the second adsorption member 202 may be electrostatic chucks, and preferably, the first adsorption member 201 and the second adsorption member 202 further include an electrostatic adsorption film attached to the first adsorption member 201 and the second adsorption member 202, and when the power supply device 200 provides a voltage to the first adsorption member 201 and the second adsorption member 202, the electrostatic adsorption film generates an adsorption force therewith, so that the substrate or the display panel is effectively adsorbed and the purpose of transportation is achieved. Therefore, the carrying device in the embodiment of the application is easier to operate during carrying.

Wherein, the electrostatic absorption membrane in this application embodiment can include the PVC board and fix the flexible FPC layer on this PVC board, like this, the effectual adsorption affinity who guarantees the adsorption element provides handling performance.

After the substrate is completely adsorbed, the substrate is adsorbed on both the first adsorbing member 201 and the second adsorbing member 202, so that the conveying efficiency of the conveying device is effectively improved. The carrier continues to be transported and is transported into the second work area.

In this embodiment of the application, a drilling device is further disposed in the carrying device, the drilling device is correspondingly disposed in the second working area, after the substrate is conveyed into the second working area along with the carrying mechanism, the drilling device firstly drills the substrate adsorbed on the first adsorbing member 201, and after the substrate drilling on the first adsorbing member 201 is completed, the power supply device 200 supplies power to the carrying mechanism, and the carrying mechanism is turned over in the accommodating cavity.

After the turning is completed, the substrate sucked on the second suction member 202 is made to face the drilling device, and at this time, the drilling device is driven and the substrate on the second suction member 202 is drilled. Therefore, the carrying device in the embodiment of the application realizes the operations such as drilling the substrate in the second working area, and effectively simplifies the production process of the substrate or the display panel in the preparation process.

In the embodiment of the application, when the ejection mechanism 203 in the bearing mechanism is controlled, the ejection mechanism 203 can be set as a remote control mechanism for easier and convenient control of the ejection mechanism 203, and the remote control mechanism can be controlled by other wireless signals such as external wifi signals, so that the lifting of the ejection mechanism 203 can be remotely regulated and controlled, the adjustment precision of the substrate during supporting is ensured, and the supporting effect is ensured.

Correspondingly, the power supply device 200 provided in the embodiment of the present application may be a detachable power supply device, and the power supply device may be taken out periodically for charging, or the power supply device 200 may be designed as a wireless charging power supply device, so as to ensure normal power supply of the power supply device, and improve the carrying effect of the carrying device.

Further, when the carrying mechanism of the carrying device is transferred into the third working area, the third working area is mainly an unloading area, and in the third working area, the substrate or the panel adsorbed on the carrying mechanism is removed. Specifically, the substrate adsorbed directly above the carrier is taken out, and after the substrate is taken out, the carrier is turned over, and the substrate below is turned over and taken out. And in the taking-out process, the power supply of the power supply device is cut off respectively. Finally, the operations of carrying, preparing and the like of the whole substrate are completed. Therefore, the carrying device provided in the embodiment of the application has a better carrying effect, and the production process of the panel is effectively simplified.

As shown in fig. 3, fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a carrying process provided in the embodiment of the present application. The carrying method comprises the following steps:

s101: a power supply device in the vacuum conveying device supplies power to a bearing mechanism, a first adsorption member on the bearing mechanism adsorbs the substrate, and after adsorption is completed, the bearing mechanism is turned over;

as shown in fig. 4 to 6, fig. 4 to 6 are schematic views illustrating a flow of the first adsorption member adsorbing the substrate. When the first substrate 400 is transferred onto the carrying mechanism, the lower surface of the substrate may sag due to the gravity of the substrate, as shown in the outline of the lower surface of the first substrate 400 in fig. 4, when the substrate is gradually placed onto the carrying mechanism, the ejector pins 203 in the carrying mechanism are driven by the power supply device 200 to extend, so that the ejector pins 203 support the first substrate 400 and precisely move the first substrate 400 onto the carrying mechanism.

When the first substrate 400 moves to a predetermined position, the ejector pins 203 are gradually retracted into the loading mechanism, and at the same time, the power supply device 200 supplies power to the first suction member 201, so that the first suction member 201 sucks and fixes the first substrate 400.

After the first substrate 400 is completely adsorbed, the carrying mechanism is turned over, the second adsorbing member 202 is turned over from the bottom to the top, and according to the operation action of the first adsorbing member 201 adsorbing the first substrate 400, the second adsorbing member 202 is also made to adsorb another substrate and fix the substrate, and finally after the transfer is completed, the first substrate 400 is adsorbed on both sides of the carrying mechanism.

after the substrate is completely adsorbed by the carrying device in the first working area, the conveying mechanism is driven to convey, and at the moment, the bearing mechanism is conveyed from the first working area to the second working area. As shown in fig. 7, fig. 7 is a schematic view illustrating drilling of a substrate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the second working area, drilling or the like of the first substrate 400 is mainly performed in the carrier. Specifically, the substrate facing one side of the drilling device 108 is drilled, after the substrate on the side is drilled, the bearing mechanism is turned over, and the substrate adsorbed on one side is drilled, so that the drilling efficiency of the substrate is effectively improved.

After the substrate is drilled, the bearing mechanism is conveyed continuously, the bearing mechanism is conveyed into a third working area, the vacuum conveying device provided by the embodiment of the application adsorbs the substrate through the action of electrostatic adsorption force, therefore, in the third working area, power supply to the adsorption mechanism on one side is stopped firstly, once power supply is stopped, the adsorption force of the adsorption member on the side disappears, then the substrate on the side is taken down through a conveying device such as a sucker, after the substrate on the side is taken down, the bearing mechanism is turned over, and the substrate on the other side is taken down according to the same operation process. Thereby completing the conveyance of the substrate. Therefore, the carrying method in the embodiment of the application is faster, processes such as drilling and the like can be carried out on the corresponding area of the substrate in the carrying process, and the preparation process of the panel is effectively simplified.

The vacuum conveying device and the conveying method provided by the embodiment of the present application are described in detail above, and the principle and the embodiment of the present application are explained in the present application by applying specific examples, and the description of the above embodiments is only used to help understanding the technical solution and the core idea of the present application; those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be equivalently replaced; such modifications or substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A vacuum handling apparatus, comprising:

a transport mechanism; and the number of the first and second groups,

2. The vacuum transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an ejector mechanism provided in the carrying mechanism, the ejector mechanism being extendable and retractable with respect to the first suction member and the second suction member, the ejector mechanism being extended with respect to the first suction member or the second suction member when performing vacuum transfer.

3. The vacuum transfer apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first and second suction members are further provided with an ejection hole which is provided in correspondence with the ejection mechanism, and the ejection mechanism is protruded along the ejection hole when the vacuum transfer apparatus is operated.

4. The vacuum handling apparatus of claim 3, wherein the ejector mechanism comprises a thimble having a length less than a thickness of the carrying mechanism, the thimble being retracted within the ejector hole when the vacuum handling apparatus is not in operation.

5. The vacuum handling device of claim 1, wherein the carrying mechanism further comprises a power supply device disposed between the first suction member and the second suction member.

6. The vacuum handling device of claim 1, wherein the transfer mechanism includes a first work area, a second work area, and a third work area, the first work area is adjacent to the second work area, the second work area is adjacent to the third work area, and the vacuum handling device is in different operating states in the first, second, and third work areas.

7. The vacuum handling apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a drilling apparatus correspondingly disposed within the third working area.

8. The vacuum handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transfer mechanism comprises an L-shaped transfer device or a T-shaped transfer device.

9. A vacuum transfer method is characterized by comprising the following steps:

10. The method of claim 9, wherein during the transferring of the substrate to the carrier mechanism, an ejector mechanism in the carrier mechanism extends, the substrate is supported and moved by the ejector mechanism, and after the moving is completed, the ejector mechanism descends and retracts.