JP2003165087A - Transfer device, and unmanned conveying vehicle provided with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transfer device capable of carrying out turn and elevation smoothly, and an unmanned conveying vehicle using the transfer device. <P>SOLUTION: In this transfer device 3, an arm expansion and contraction driving motor 22 for an expansion and contraction mechanism for transfer arms 32,33 is arranged in a turning part elevated and turned with respect to a fixing side of the transfer device, the first cable bundle 40 for electric power supply has a portion fixed to the fixing side, a portion fixed to the turning part, and a slackened portion between both portions, the slackened portion is inserted loosely into a flexible protection member 44, the turning part is provided turnably in the elevation part elevated with respect to the fixing side and provided with a turn driving motor 26 for a turning mechanism, the second cable bundle 34 for electric power supply therefor is fixed to the fixing side and the elevation part, a lower end of the first cable bundle 40 is positioned to be brought into an upper side compared with a lower end of the second cable bundle 34. The transfer device 3 is provided in the unmanned conveying vehicle 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic guided vehicle equipped with a transfer device having a transfer arm extension / contraction mechanism, a turning mechanism, and a lifting mechanism, and more particularly to a technique for improving the operability of the transfer device. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an automatic guided vehicle equipped with a transfer device for transferring articles, for example, there is a transfer device provided with a scalar type robot hand. This transfer device is provided with a mechanism for extending and contracting the arm of the robot hand, a mechanism for rotating the arm, and a mechanism for raising and lowering. For example, there is a transfer device in which a swivel mechanism and a telescopic mechanism are arranged on an elevating mechanism, and the swivel mechanism and the telescopic mechanism are elevated by the elevating mechanism. In such a transfer device, in order to supply power to the drive sources of the expansion mechanism and the swing mechanism, the power supply line bundle is supported by using a protective support member such as a cabel bear.

[0003]

In the conventional transfer device as described above, there may be a problem in turning even though there is no problem in raising and lowering. That is, since the cable bear is twisted at one end due to the turning by the turning mechanism, stress is easily applied to the cable bear and there is a risk of breaking in an extreme case. Further, since the cable bear has a resistance against twisting, this resistance adversely affects the turning by the turning mechanism. this is,
The same applies to a transfer device having a configuration in which the lifting mechanism and the extension / contraction mechanism are rotated by the rotation mechanism.

On the other hand, if a cable bear is not provided in the bundle of power supply lines, there arises a problem that the power supply lines are not properly united due to variation during turning.

In view of this, the present invention provides a transfer device in which turning and lifting are performed smoothly, and an automatic guided vehicle using the transfer device.

[0006]

The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, the means for solving the problems will be described. That is, in claim 1, the transfer device is provided with an extension / contraction mechanism of the transfer arm, a swivel mechanism, and an elevating / lowering mechanism, and the transfer device is moved to a swivel unit that can move up and down with respect to the fixed side of the transfer device. An extension mechanism of the mounting arm and a drive source of the extension mechanism are arranged, and the power supply first cable bundle for the drive source has a portion fixed to the fixed side, a portion fixed to the turning portion, and both portions. And a slack portion between the slack portion and the slack portion is loosely inserted into a bendable protection member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a swivel unit is swivelably provided on an ascending / descending unit which ascends and descends with respect to the fixed side, and a swivel mechanism and a drive source for the swivel mechanism are provided, and a second cable bundle for feeding power to the drive source Is configured to have a part fixed to the fixed side, a part fixed to the elevating part, and a slackened part between the two parts, and the slackened part of the first power supply cable bundle is loosened. The lower end of the portion is located above the lower end of the loosened portion of the power feeding second cable bundle.

In the third aspect, the automatic guided vehicle is equipped with the transfer device.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The overall construction of an automated guided vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a side view showing an automatic guided vehicle 1 provided with a transfer device 3, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automated guided vehicle 1 includes various working devices on a traveling vehicle body 2 below. A transfer device 3 is provided in the center of the traveling vehicle body 2 in the front-rear direction, and an attitude alignment device 8 and a buffer cassette 7 are arranged in front of and behind the transfer device 3. In the present embodiment, the direction of arrow A shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 will be described as a front view direction. That is, the side on which the buffer cassette 7 is located is the front side, and the side on which the attitude adjusting device 8 is located is the rear side.

The transfer device 3 provided in the automated guided vehicle 1 of this embodiment is used for the work of transferring (transferring) a wafer formed of a silicon single crystal between the automated guided vehicle 1 and various devices. To be done. The attitude adjusting device 8 detects the position of the wafer placed in the attitude adjusting device 8, adjusts the position, and adjusts the wafer holding position of the transfer hand 31 of the transfer device 3 to an appropriate position. It is for. In addition, the buffer cassette 7 is used to temporarily store the wafer during the transfer operation according to the progress status of the operation.
Hereinafter, although the automatic guided vehicle 1 including the transfer device 3 for transferring the wafer will be described, the present invention is not limited to the transfer device for transferring the wafer. For example, the present invention may be applied to a transfer device equipped with a swivel mechanism for picking up an article other than a wafer and performing a transfer operation.

Traveling wheels 9 are provided at the four front, rear, left and right corners of the lower portion of the traveling vehicle body 2. Running wheel 9
Each of the .9 ... has a drive motor (not shown), and the drive force of this drive motor is applied to the traveling wheels 9.
.. By transmitting to and rotating on rail 10,
The automated guided vehicle 1 is made to travel.

The transfer device 3 will be described. Transfer device 3
Has two sets of SCARA robot hands 30M and 30S
The robot hands 30M and 30S are equipped with
A transfer hand 31 for holding a wafer, and a pair of transfer arms 32.3 for moving the transfer hand 31 in the horizontal direction.
3 and 3. The transfer hand 31, which will be described in detail later, is configured to be movable back and forth by expanding and contracting the transfer arms 32 and 33. Then, during the transfer work, the transfer hand 3
In order to move the transfer arm 1 to an appropriate position, the transfer device 3 includes an extension / contraction mechanism for the transfer arms 32 and 33, and a transfer arm 3.
A turning mechanism for the 2.33 (transfer hand 31) and an elevating mechanism for the transfer arms 32, 33 (transfer hand 31) are provided.

The arrangement of the above-mentioned mechanisms provided in the transfer device 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. 3 is a front view showing the transfer device 3, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same. Each part of the transfer device 3 is unitized and is configured to be separable into a plurality of units. Specifically, the plurality of units are three units of an elevating unit 4, a swivel unit 5, and an arm unit 6, and the swivel unit 5 is attached to the elevating unit 4, and the arm unit 6 is mounted on the swivel unit 5, respectively. By that,
The transfer device 3 is configured. As shown in FIG. 1, the elevating unit 4 is attached to the traveling vehicle body 2 of the automatic guided vehicle 1. The elevating unit 4 performs the elevating drive described later and also serves as a base for attaching the swing unit 5 and the arm unit 6. Is playing. The function of expanding and contracting the transfer arm is received by the arm unit 6, the function of rotating the transfer arm is received by the swivel unit 5, and the function of raising and lowering the transfer arm is received by the elevating unit 4. I have it.

With the above structure, the transfer device 3 is provided for each unit.
Can be maintained, and the maintainability can be improved. Further, since each of the unitized parts is provided with a mechanism for expansion / contraction, turning, and elevating / lowering, adjustment work can be performed for each mechanism. As a result, the number of parts that can be easily adjusted after assembly is increased compared to the integrated transfer device, and fine adjustment of the moving direction of the transfer hand 31 connected to the transfer arms 32 and 33 is also performed. Is possible.

Next, each of the above units will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7. 5 is a front partial cross-sectional view showing the lifting unit 4, FIG. 6 is a front partial cross-sectional view showing the turning unit 5, and FIG. 7 is a front partial cross-sectional view showing the arm unit 6.

The lifting unit 4 will be described. The elevating unit 4 includes a base frame 11 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and the base frame 11 is detachable from the traveling vehicle body 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the base frame 11 is formed in a substantially U shape in a plan view, and the turning unit 5 and the arm unit 6 are arranged inside the base frame 11. Although not shown, a device for driving the traveling vehicle body 2 (for example, a battery for a motor for driving the traveling wheels 9) is arranged on the opposite side of the base frame 11 with the turning unit 5 and the arm unit 6 interposed therebetween. It is used as an installation space. A screw shaft 12 is provided inside the base frame 11.
Are vertically arranged and rotatably supported. A nut 16 is engaged with the screw shaft 12, and the nut 16
Is fixed via a support member 21 to a plate-shaped mount member 37 for mounting a turning unit 5 described later. An elevating drive motor 13 as a drive means for the screw shaft 12 is provided outside the lower portion of the base frame 11.
The motor shaft of the lifting drive motor 13 extends downward,
A pulley 13a is fixed to the extending portion. On the other hand, a pulley 12a is fixedly installed at the lower end of the screw shaft 12,
Wind the belt 14 between the pulleys 12a and 13a,
The motor shaft of the elevation drive motor 13 and the screw shaft 12 are interlockingly connected. The lifting drive motor 13, the screw shaft 12, the nut 16, the pulleys 12a and 13a, the belt 14 and the like constitute the lifting mechanism.

Inside the base frame 11, FIG. 4 and FIG.
As shown in, two rails 15 are fixed in the vertical direction. This is for guiding the ascending / descending direction of the mount member 37. The mount member 37 is provided with two pairs of upper and lower sliding contact members 17 and 17 so that the pair of sliding contact members 17 and 17 come into contact with one rail 15 while sliding. With this configuration, when the screw shaft 12 is rotated by the drive of the lifting drive motor 13,
A mount member 37 fixed to the nut 16 on the screw shaft 12 is moved up and down while being guided by the rails 15.

The elevating unit 4 is constructed as described above. Therefore, the elevating unit 4 has a base frame 11 which is detachable from the traveling vehicle body 2, and the base frame 11.
On the other hand, a mount member 37 that moves up and down, a lift drive motor 13 that is a drive source for lifting, and four drive transmission paths from the lift drive motor 13 to the mount member 37 are integrally configured. Become.

The turning unit 5 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the swivel unit 5 includes a frame 18 and a swivel case 1 rotatably attached to the frame 18.
9 is included.

A mounting portion 18a for mounting a turntable 20 on the upper surface of the frame 18 and allowing the turntable 20 to slide and rotate freely.
Is formed. The mounting portion 18a is provided with a circular shallow recess into which the lower portion of the turntable 20 is fitted, and the turntable 20 is slidably rotatable while being guided by the recess. Further, the frame 18 extends downward on the side of the elevating unit 4 facing the screw shaft 12 to form a support portion 18b. A mounting seat for mounting the mount member 37 of the lifting unit 4 is formed on the outer surface of the lower portion of the support portion 18b.

The swivel case 19 has a hollow cylindrical shape with its upper side opened and its lower end closed. The turntable 20 is fixedly mounted on the closed lower surface of the swivel case 19. An opening 19a is formed at the center (rotational axis) of the bottom surface of the swivel case 19, and a cylindrical hollow tubular body 25 is fixedly mounted. The tubular body 25 is a mounting portion of the turntable 20 and the frame 18. 18a is vertically penetrated and extends downward toward the inside of the frame 18. The internal space of the cylindrical body 25 is connected to the inside of the swivel case 19 through the opening 19a. Swivel case 1
9 power supply lines for a device group (drive motor 22 and control mechanism) arranged inside 9 and (arm unit 6 described later).
Of the) by the air pipe connected to the transfer hand 31,
A first cable bundle 40 is configured, and the cable bundle 40 is pulled out into the inside of the swivel case 19 while passing through the inside of the cylindrical body 25.

Inside the frame 18, the supporting portion 18 is provided.
A turning drive motor 26 for rotating the turning case 19 is fixed to the inner surface of b. The motor shaft of the swing drive motor 26 is extended upward, and the pulley 26 is attached to the extended portion.
a is fixed. A pulley 27 is arranged outside the cylindrical body 25, and the pulley 27 is fixedly mounted on the turntable 20 via a turning shaft 41. A swivel belt 28 is wound around the pulleys 26 a and 27, and the swivel drive motor 26 drives the pulley 27 to rotate the swivel case 19 via the turntable 20. The turning drive motor 26, the pulleys 26a and 27, the turning belt 28, the turntable 20 and the like constitute the turning mechanism.

A base frame 24 of the arm unit 6, which will be described later, can be attached to the upper surface of the swivel case 19 with bolts (not shown). Therefore, when the arm unit 6 is attached to the revolving unit 5 as described later, the revolving drive motor 26 can rotate the arm unit 6 integrally with the revolving case 19.

A wiring board 29 is provided inside the frame 18, and the wiring board 29 is provided with an electronic component group for transmitting a control signal to the swing drive motor 26 which is a servo motor. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a second cable bundle 34 extends from a power feeding device (not shown) arranged in the traveling vehicle body 2 toward the wiring board 29.
Electric power is supplied to the swing drive motor 26 and the wiring board 29 via the second cable bundle 34.

The swivel unit 5 is constructed as described above. Therefore, the swivel unit 5 includes the lift unit 4 described above.
A frame 18 to be attached to the rotary member, a rotary member (swivel case 19) that rotates with respect to the frame 18, a swivel drive motor 26 that is a drive source of the rotary member, and a drive transmission path from the swivel drive motor 26 to the rotary member. It will be constructed by including the four parties.

Next, the arm unit 6 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 7, the arm unit 6 includes a flat plate-shaped base frame 24 and robot hands 30M, 30 attached to the base frame 24.
Including S and. The robot hands 30M and 30S respectively include a transfer hand 31 holding a wafer and a transfer hand 3
Transfer arm 32 for connecting 1 and the base frame 24.
It consists of 33. The transfer hand 31 is configured not to rotate with respect to the base frame 24 and only to move back and forth.

The transfer hand 31 is moved back and forth with the base frame 24 (center thereof) as a base point by changing the angle formed by both arms 32 and 33. Both arms 32 and 33
When the arms 32 and 33 are aligned in a straight line with the maximum extension, the transfer hand 31 reaches its maximum advance limit.

An arm drive motor 22 is fixed to the lower surface of the base frame 24 via a support member (not shown). The motor shaft of the arm drive motor 22 extends upward, and a pulley 22a is fixed to the extended portion. A pulley 35 is rotatably supported on the base frame 24, and the pulley 35 is fixed to a transfer arm 33. Then, the arm drive belt 36 is wound around the pulleys 22a and 35 to connect the motor shaft and the transfer arm 33, and the transfer arm 33 is rotated relative to the base frame 24 by the drive of the arm drive motor 22. I am trying.

With the above construction, the transfer arm 33 is rotatable relative to the base frame 24, and a belt type planetary mechanism (not shown) is provided inside the transfer arms 32 and 33. There is. With this planetary mechanism, bending and stretching of the transfer arms 32 and 33 and change of the relative orientation of the transfer hand 31 with respect to the transfer arm 32 can be performed by a single drive source (that is, the arm drive motor 22). It has become. In addition to the arm drive motor 22, the pulleys 22a and 35, and the arm drive belt 36 described above, the planetary mechanism described above constitutes the expansion mechanism.

More specifically, if the angle at which the transfer arm 33 on the base side rotates to one side with respect to the base frame 24 is one, the transfer arm 32 has two angles on the other side with respect to the transfer arm 33. The transfer hand 31 at the leading end rotates by one angle with respect to the transfer arm 32 by one angle. As a result, the transfer hand 31 is advanced and retracted by bending and extending the transfer arms 32 and 33 while maintaining its orientation with respect to the base frame 24.

A wiring board 23 for controlling the drive of the arm drive motor 22 is provided on the lower surface of the base frame 24 via, for example, an L-shaped bracket projecting downward. Is provided with electronic components for using the arm drive motor 22 as a servo motor. Further, the first cable bundle 40 is pulled out from a power feeding device (not shown) arranged in the traveling vehicle body 2, and the cable bundle 40 is inserted through the inside of the tubular body 25 and extends upward, so that the wiring board 23 is provided. It is connected to the. Electric power is supplied to the arm drive motor 22 and the wiring board 23 via the cable bundle 40.

The transfer hand 31 is configured to hold the wafer by vacuum suction. A suction port (not shown) is formed on the upper surface of the transfer hand 31, and the wafer is sucked and held by the suction port. The suction port of the transfer hand 31 is connected to an air pump (not shown) provided in the traveling vehicle body 2 via an air pipe 38 of FIG. 7. Specifically, the air pipe 38 is the transfer hand 31.
Passing through the transfer arms 32 and 33 from the inside, the pulley 35
The slewing case 19 is reached via the cylindrical body 39 fixed inside. In the turning case 19, the air pipe 38 merges with the first cable bundle 40, passes through the inside of the tubular body 25, and is connected to the traveling vehicle body 2.

The arm unit 6 is constructed as described above. Therefore, the arm unit 6 includes a base frame 24 for attaching to the swivel unit 5, arms 32 and 33 extending and contracting with respect to the base frame 24, and the arms. Arm drive motor 22 which is the expansion and contraction drive source of 32 and 33
And the four drive transmission paths from the arm drive motor 22 to the arms 32 and 33 are integrated and configured.

With the above configuration, the transfer device 3 includes the arm unit 6 having the transfer arm and its extension / contraction mechanism, the revolving unit 5 having the revolving mechanism, and the elevating / lowering unit 4 having the elevating / lowering mechanism. The unit can be removed and separated while maintaining the integrity of the units 5 and 6 (that is, without disassembling the units 4, 5, and 6 themselves).
That is, by removing the base frame 24 of the arm unit 6 from the turning case 19 of the turning unit 5,
The arm unit 6 can be detached from other parts of the transfer device 3 while maintaining the state in which the base frame 24, the transfer arms 32 and 33, and the arm drive motor 22 are integrally connected. Further, by removing the frame 18 of the swivel unit 5 from the mount member 37 of the lifting unit 4, the swivel unit 5 is moved to the frame 1
8 and the turning case 19 and the turning drive motor 26 can be separated from the lifting unit 4 while maintaining the state of being integrally connected.

For this reason, the transfer device 3 is installed in each of the units 4 and 5.
Disassembling into 6 units, the maintenance work can be independently performed for each of the units 4, 5 and 6, and the efficiency of the maintenance work is improved. In particular, the arm unit 6 including the expansion / contraction mechanism is removed from the portion including the swivel mechanism and the elevating mechanism (that is, the swivel unit 5 and the elevating unit 4), and adjustment work (for example, transfer hand) for the arm unit 6 is performed. It is possible to finely adjust the advancing direction of 31), and it is possible to further rationalize the maintenance work.

Generally, the arm unit 6 portion of the transfer device 3 has a complicated structure using the above-mentioned planetary mechanism and the like, and is relatively large in number and highly accurate with respect to the other unit portions 4 and 5. Adjustment (fine adjustment) is required, and the adjustment work usually takes time. However, in the configuration of this embodiment, only the arm unit 6 is preassembled,
In parallel with the time-consuming adjustment work, the lifting unit 4 and the turning unit 5 are manufactured, and then each unit 4, 5 ,.
By adopting a manufacturing process in which 6 are attached to each other, the time required for manufacturing and shipping can be easily shortened even in such a situation.

The above-described embodiment has three units 4, 5, and 6.
However, the invention is not limited to this, and the turning mechanism and the elevating mechanism may be provided in a single unit. That is,
It is also conceivable that a single main frame is provided with a swivel mechanism and an elevating mechanism, and both mechanisms are integrated into one unit, and one mechanism cannot be separated from the other mechanism without disassembling the mechanism itself. With this configuration also, the arm unit 6 can be detached from other parts of the transfer device 3 while maintaining its integrity, and can be independently maintained.

A portion of the swing unit 5 to which the base frame 24 of the arm unit 6 is attached is formed in a case shape (that is, the swing case 19), and at the same time when the arm unit 6 is attached to the swing unit 5, the base frame 24 is attached. A group of devices installed on the lower surface (the arm drive motor 22 that is the drive source of the expansion mechanism, the wiring board 23 that constitutes the control mechanism for the motor 22, etc.),
Part of the power supply line (cable bundle 40) for the device group is
Since it is housed in the swivel case 19, it is possible to avoid the exposure of the device group and the like and to have a neat appearance. The base frame 24 also serves as a lid of the swivel case 19, and dust generated from the arm drive motor 22 and the like in the swivel case 19 scatters in a clean room where wafer processing work is performed. To prevent it.

Next, a cable bundle for supplying electric power to the expansion mechanism and the turning mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the arrangement configuration of the cable bundle, and FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the cable bundle loosely inserted in the protective cover. The above-described first cable bundle (first power feeding cable bundle) 40 and second cable bundle 34 (power feeding second cable bundle) are each configured by bundling a plurality of cables. Although the cable bundles 34 and 40 are used for power supply, not only for power supply, but also for example signal lines are included.

The power supply first cable bundle 40 is used for the traveling vehicle body 2.
Electric power is supplied from a power feeding device provided in the traveling vehicle body 2 to an extension / contraction mechanism provided in the arm unit 6 that moves up and down and turns. The power feeding second cable bundle 34 supplies power to the turning mechanism of the turning unit 5 that moves up and down with respect to the traveling vehicle body 2 from a power feeding device provided in the traveling vehicle body 2.

The first cable bundle 40, as shown in FIG.
A support base 45 fixed to the traveling vehicle body 2 and a turning case 19
And the cable fixing parts 42 and 43, respectively. Since the base frame 11 of the lifting unit 4 of the transfer device 3 is fixed to the traveling vehicle body 2, the traveling vehicle body 2
The support base 45 provided in the above is a member on the fixed side (that is, the traveling vehicle body 2 side) for fixing the transfer device 3 thereto. on the other hand,
The revolving unit 5 can be moved up and down with respect to the fixed side, and in particular, the revolving case 19 can be moved up and down with respect to the fixed side and can be turned. The arm unit 6 and the turning case 19 are combined to form a turning portion for the fixed side. Further, the first cable bundle 40 is in a slackened state between a portion fixed to the support base 45 and a portion fixed to the turning portion (turning case 19).

The above configuration is the same for the second cable bundle 34. The second cable bundle 34 is attached to the support base 45 and the elevating frame 18 by the cable fixing parts 42 and 43.
It has been fixed using. Here, the lifting frame 18
Is an elevating part that ascends and descends with respect to the fixed side. The swivel case 19 and the arm unit 6 are swivelable with respect to the elevating frame 18 which is the elevating part, and correspond to the swivel part in the present invention.

As described above, by allowing the cable bundles 34 and 40 to have a sufficient length and slackening between the fixing points,
Even if the vertical position changes due to the raising and lowering of the swivel unit 5 and the arm unit 6, the cable bundles 34, 40 are pulled so that an unreasonable force is not applied.

In the cable bundles 34 and 40, the portions fixed by the cable fixing fittings 42 and 43 are used as nodes, and the loosened portions (freely bent portions) formed between the fixed portions are freely moved in accordance with the elevation. Can be bent. Particularly, in the first cable bundle 40, the first cable bundle 40 is fixed to the fixed side of the swivel unit 5 and the swivel portion of the swivel unit 5, and the twisting occurs between the fixed portions due to the rotation of the swivel unit. Therefore, it is possible to freely bend not only in the ascending / descending direction of the swivel unit but also in the swivel direction of the swivel unit (direction orthogonal to the ascending / descending direction of the swivel unit). Therefore, the cable bundle does not hinder the swiveling and ascending / descending operations, and the operation of the transfer device 3 is smooth.

As shown in FIG. 9, the first cable bundle 40 is provided with a plurality of cables 40a, 40b, ... And the like, and these plurality of cables are loosely inserted into a cylindrical protective cover 44. . The protective cover 44 is made of a flexible material and has a net shape.

By constructing the first cable bundle 40 in this way, each cable 40 constituting the first cable bundle 40
By suppressing the a.40b ... from scattering and maintaining a neat state, the appearance is improved.

More specifically, the first cable bundle 4 is
One end of 0 will be twisted as the swivel case 19 rotates, and must be covered by the protective cover 44.
Due to the twisting action, the cables 40a and 40b are largely separated (distributed) from each other. This variation becomes particularly large in the vicinity of the lower end of the loosened first cable bundle 40 and becomes an obstacle during maintenance work, or when the variation is extreme, another portion, for example, the second cable bundle 3
In addition, there is an inconvenience that the cable rubs against the surface and causes damage.

On the other hand, it is conceivable to restrain the cables 40a and 40b at a number of portions of the first cable bundle 40. That is, the cable fixing bracket 42
-Using a fastening member such as 43, the first cable bundle 40
By restraining a large number of points on the way, it is possible to prevent at least the variation of the cables 40a and 40b. However, in such a configuration, when the above-mentioned twist or the like acts, each of the cables 40a and 40b is restrained from freely moving by the fastening member, so that each cable 40a and 40b is strong. The force (stress) is applied, and the durability of the cable bundle 40 is reduced.

In the present embodiment, in view of the above circumstances, when the cables 40a and 40b are twisted or the like by gently restraining the cables 40a and 40b by the protective cover 44, the cables 40a and 40b are protected by the protective covers. By moving freely within the range of the inner diameter of 44,
The force applied to the cables 40a and 40b is reduced, and the durability of the cable bundle 40 is prevented. And
When the cables 40a and 40b move further largely due to twisting or the like and are separated from each other and attempt to completely disperse, the protective cover 44 regulates the cables 40a and 40b to prevent them from contacting other portions, and First, by protecting the cable bundle 40 when it comes into contact with it, it is possible to further prevent the durability of the cable bundle 40 from being lowered.

The first cable bundle 40 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. As described above, the first cable bundle 40 is not only bent by up and down but also twisted by turning. Therefore, the position of the first cable bundle 40 changes in the turning direction of the turning portion even when the turning portion rotates. At this time, the free-bending portion of the cable bundle 40 moves to a position higher than that in the untwisted state in a front view (side view), as shown by a two-dot diagonal line in FIG. Further, in a plan view, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 4, the state is laterally displaced as compared with the state without twist. Here, the lateral side means a lateral side with respect to a line segment connecting both fixing points (the fixed side and the turning portion).

As the cable bundles 34, 40 move up and down, the lower end position of the free-bent portion fluctuates. In this case, since both cable bundles 34, 40 also fluctuate, the relative position change is small. . In other words, there is no problem that the cable bundles 34, 40 come into contact with each other and interfere with each other during the ascent and descent. On the other hand, when the swivel unit (swivel case 19) is rotated, only the cable bundle 40 is twisted.
The position of the cable bundle 40 changes significantly relative to the cable bundle 34. This change in position is a change in the direction in which the lower end position of the free bending portion of the cable bundle 40 is raised or moved laterally. Therefore, the cable bundle 40
Is disposed outside the cable bundle 34, the cable bundle 40 may come into contact with the inner cable bundle 34 when the turning portion rotates.

According to the present invention, by disposing the first cable bundle 40 inside the swivel drive cable 34, the cable bundle 40 comes into contact with the cable bundle 34 even if the swivel portion rotates. Is trying to prevent.

Next, an example of the operating state of the automatic guided vehicle 1 equipped with the transfer device 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an operating state of the automatic guided vehicle 1. In an example of a factory where the automatic guided vehicle 1 is operated, as shown in FIG.
Stations such as 21 and stockers 122 and 122 are arranged. Cassettes 123, 123 ... Are placed on the stocker 122,
The wafer 100 is stored in the cassette 123.
The processing device 121 is a device for processing the wafer 100. The automatic guided vehicle 1 uses the transfer device 3 to receive the wafer 100 from the cassette 122 on the stocker 122 and transfer the wafer 100 to the processing device 121. Then, the wafer 100 is processed by the processing device 121.

Stations such as the processing device 121 and the stocker 123 are arranged on both sides of the rail 10 on which the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels. Therefore, the automated guided vehicle 1 is
0, the cassette 12 on the stocker 122 arranged on one side
The wafer 100 may be received from the wafer No. 3 and may be transferred to the processing apparatus 121 on the other side. Of course, it may be transferred from the cassette 123 arranged on the same side to the processing device 121. Further, at the time of the transfer work, the wafer 100 is inserted into the attitude adjusting device 8 in the automatic guided vehicle 1 and the wafer 10 is transferred.
The wafer 100 may be stored in the buffer cassette 7 of the automated guided vehicle 1 depending on the appropriate holding position of 0 or depending on the progress status of the work. That is, the transfer arms 32 and 33 included in the transfer device 3 are frequently required to turn even when the station is arranged on the same side of the rail 10. One step of the transfer operation, the cassette 122 on the stocker 123 → the attitude adjusting device 8 → the processing device 121
In this case, at least two turns are required. In addition to this, when the storage in the buffer cassette 7 and the case where the stations are arranged on both sides are added, the transfer arms 32.3
The turning angle and the turning frequency of No. 3 are further increased.

In the transfer device 3 of the present invention, as described above, the free-bent portion is provided between the fixed portions on the fixed side and the swivel portion, so that the cable bundles 34, 40 for power feeding are swung ( The arm unit 6 and the turning case 19) are configured so as not to interfere with the turning and lifting operations. Also, by loosely inserting the cable bundle into the flexible protective cover,
This prevents the occurrence of cracks and the deterioration of the durability of the cable bundle. Therefore, even when the transfer arms 32 and 33 are swung frequently, or when the turning angle is large, the operation of the transfer device 3 is smooth and the durability is maintained. Therefore, the transfer device 3 is suitable for the automatic guided vehicle 1 that requires a large number of turns and a turning angle.

[0056]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transfer device having a transfer arm extending / contracting mechanism, a turning mechanism, and an elevating mechanism, which is capable of moving up and down and turning relative to the fixed side of the transfer device. An extension mechanism of the transfer arm and a drive source of the extension mechanism are disposed in the section, and the first cable bundle for power supply to the drive source is fixed to the fixed side and to the swivel section. And a slackened portion between the two portions, and the slackened portion is loosely inserted into the bendable protection member, so that the cable bundle is fixed with the fixed portion as a node. The free-bending portion formed between the points can be flexed freely as it goes up and down. In particular, in the first cable bundle, it is fixed to the fixed side and the swivel part, and twisting occurs between the fixed parts due to the rotation of the swivel part, but the free-bending part can be flexibly bent in accordance with the swivel. Therefore, the cable bundle does not hinder the swiveling and ascending / descending operations, and the operation of the transfer device becomes smooth. In addition, since the cable bundle is loosely inserted in the tubular protective cover, it is possible to prevent the cables forming the first cable bundle from being dissipated from each other, and to keep the cables in a neat state. Is improved. This dislocation becomes particularly large near the lower end of the loosened first cable bundle 40, which becomes an obstacle during maintenance work, and when the disparity is extreme, the cable rubs against other parts and causes damage. However, these problems can be prevented. Further, since the cable bundle is gently restrained by the protective cover, the cables constituting the cable bundle can move freely to some extent when a twist or the like acts, so that a strong force is exerted on each cable ( Since stress is not applied, the durability of the cable bundle does not decrease.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a swivel unit is provided on the ascending / descending unit that moves up and down with respect to the fixed side so as to swivel, and a swivel mechanism and a drive source for the swivel mechanism are provided, and a second cable for supplying power to the drive source. The bundle is configured to have a portion fixed to the fixed side, a portion fixed to the elevating unit, and a slackened portion between the two portions, and Since the lower end of the open portion is located above the lower end of the slackened portion of the power supply second cable bundle, the first cable bundle may contact the second cable bundle regardless of the rotation of the turning portion. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of the problem of being lost.

Since the automatic guided vehicle is provided with the transfer device as described in claim 3, the stations are arranged on both sides of the rail, and even when the transfer arm is swung frequently or when the swivel angle is large. Transfer work can be performed smoothly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an automated guided vehicle 1 equipped with a transfer device 3.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same.

3 is a front view showing a transfer device 3. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 5 is a front partial cross-sectional view showing a lifting unit 4.

FIG. 6 is a partial front cross-sectional view showing a turning unit 5.

FIG. 7 is a partial front sectional view showing an arm unit 6.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing an arrangement configuration of a cable bundle.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a cable bundle loosely inserted in a protective cover.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an operating state of the automatic guided vehicle 1.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Automated guided vehicle 3 Transfer device 4 Lifting unit 5 swivel units 6 arm unit 19 swivel case 22 Arm drive motor 23 wiring board 26 Swing drive motor 32 ・ 33 Transfer arm 34 Second cable bundle 40 first cable bundle 42/43 Cable fixing bracket 44 Protective cover

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A transfer apparatus comprising a transfer arm expansion / contraction mechanism, a swivel mechanism, and an elevating mechanism, wherein the transfer arm is mounted on a swivel unit capable of moving up and down with respect to a fixed side of the transfer apparatus. A drive source for the expansion / contraction mechanism is arranged, and a first cable bundle for power supply to the drive source is fixed to the fixed side, a portion fixed to the swivel portion, and a loosened portion between both portions. And a slackened portion which is loosely inserted into a bendable protective member. 2. A raising / lowering unit that is raised / lowered with respect to a fixed side is provided with a turning unit so as to be turnable, and is provided with a turning mechanism and a drive source for the turning mechanism, and the second cable bundle for feeding power to the drive source is the fixed unit. A part fixed to the side, a part fixed to the elevating part, and a slack part between the two parts, and the lower end of the slack part of the first cable bundle for power feeding is From the lower end of the loosened portion of the second cable bundle for feeding,
The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer device is located above. 3. An automated guided vehicle comprising the transfer device according to claim 1 or 2.