JP2004119554A - Apparatus for holding plate-like object and manufacturing facility equipped with same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To hold a wafer or the like within a processing apparatus without dust caused by impulse or friction of a holding member and the wafer or without damage by conveying the wafer to a predetermined position accurately in a short time in a manufacturing facility for a plate-like electronic component. <P>SOLUTION: The wafer is held while controlling an operating speed and decelerating the speed just before contact with the wafer by a first holding member 21 provided on the top of an end effector 10 which is connected to be turnable with an arm 12 of a conveyer robot 4, and a motor-driven second holding member 22. In order to deal with a size error of the wafer, a spring member 25 is provided between the second holding member 22 and a motor driving part to impart a fixed pressure to the wafer at all the time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display devices, plasma display devices, organic and inorganic electroluminescence, field emitting display devices, products such as printed wiring boards, and thin electronic components used for them, especially semiconductor silicon wafers, A gripping device for transferring a disk-shaped object such as a circular glass semiconductor substrate between a cassette or various processing devices that are a clean container in a clean environment, a transfer device having the same, and a thin plate electronic component using the transfer device. It relates to manufacturing equipment.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, in a facility for manufacturing a thin plate 6 such as a semiconductor electronic component, a plurality of thin plates are stored in a cleaning container 5 called a FOUP on a shelf and transported between steps. Is done. The cleaning container 5 is placed on the stage of the transfer device 2, and the thin plate in the cleaning container has a plurality of chambers 11 by a transfer robot 4 such as a scalar robot or an articulated robot provided in the transfer device 2. It is transported to the processing device 3.
[0003]
FIGS. 7A to 7C are perspective views showing a situation in which a conventional scalar-type transfer robot 4 takes a semiconductor wafer into and out of a cleaning container 5, and the transfer robot 4 has an elevating device on a base. The upper part has an arm 12 capable of turning and bending and extending. Further, the end effector 10 is provided at the tip of the arm 12 so as to be rotatable. As shown in FIG. 7A, a suction hole in which a tube for negative pressure is piped from the base through the inside of the arm 12 is provided at the end of the end effector 10. As shown in FIG. 7B, the thin plate 6 is placed on the suction holes 41 to fix the thin plate 6 by suction, and as shown in FIG. It can be pulled out of a clean container and transported at high speed. By providing a pressure sensor for detecting a pressure change in the middle of the tube connected to the suction hole 41, the thin plate 6 detects whether the thin plate 6 is placed on the end effector 10 or not. It can be used as means for detecting the presence or absence of an object.
[0004]
When the transport robot 4 transports the thin plate 6 to a processing apparatus that performs various processes such as patterning and vapor deposition and various inspections, it is necessary to always place the thin plate 6 at a predetermined position and a predetermined direction in the processing chamber. is there. Therefore, in general, during the transportation to the processing apparatus, it is transferred to a positioning device 7 called an aligner (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-343501) shown in FIG. Incidentally, the positioning device 7 rotates the spindle on which the thin plate 6 is placed and suction-fixed, and detects the eccentric radius and the rotation angle by detecting means fixed near the peripheral edge of the thin plate 6. The center of the thin plate 6 is calculated, and based on the position information, the thin plate 6 is moved in a plane to correct the position so that the center of the thin plate 6 is at a predetermined position.
[0005]
The gripping device for a wafer transfer robot disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H07-039960 has three movable gripping members driven by an air cylinder on an end effector, and grips three points on the circumference of a disk-shaped object with the movable gripping members. Thus, there has been proposed a method of correcting the position of the center of a disk-shaped object so as to be at a predetermined position and then transporting the disk-shaped object to a processing apparatus.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-039960
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-116046
[Patent Document 3] US Pat. No. 6,275,748
[Patent Document 4] US Pat. No. 6,256,555
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-03960, in which a disk-shaped object is suction-fixed and conveyed on an end effector, dirt and scratches are formed on the back surface of the thin plate-shaped object with which the end effector comes into contact, and deformation occurs in the suction portion. The trouble that occurred occurred.
[0008]
Also, when an air cylinder or the like is used as a part of the driving means, which includes a fixed gripping member and a movable gripping member, the movable gripping member collides vigorously with a thin plate-shaped object because the gripping speed of the movable gripping member is constant. . For this reason, the transported object is damaged, and this causes the generation of minute dust. Also, if the gripping speed is reduced to reduce the impact, the transport time increases, and as a result, the productivity also decreases.
[0009]
In the apparatus for performing the heat treatment, the thin plate 6 is placed on the end effector, the back surface thereof is sucked, and is conveyed into the chamber 11. In the chamber, the peripheral portion is supported and placed. If heat is applied in this state, it may be deformed. Therefore, in a processing apparatus involving heating, the thin plate-shaped object needs to be placed in a planar manner with most of the back surface in contact with the hot plate in the processing chamber. In order to transfer to such a processing device, it is impossible to transfer by a gripping device that is placed on the end effector and sucked. In addition, it is possible to convey by sucking and grasping the upper surface of the thin plate with the end effector, but it is difficult to fix the upper surface with the uneven surface by suction, and dust adheres to the microcircuit formed on the surface. Or the circuit is destroyed, causing a decrease in yield, and cannot be used in such a device. If a part of the back surface of the thin plate heated to a high temperature is locally vacuum-sucked and transported, the thin plate is deformed to cause a depression, which causes a problem.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention provides an end effector provided at an end of an arm of a transfer robot, at least one first gripping member fixed to the end of the end effector and supporting a peripheral portion of a thin plate-shaped object, and an end effector fixed to the end effector. A thin plate-like gripping device for gripping a peripheral portion of the thin plate with the second gripping member having at least one drive unit, wherein the control unit is capable of adjusting an operation speed of the drive unit. A thin plate-like object gripping device characterized by this is proposed. The second gripping member moves in the horizontal plane by the operation of the driving means, and the second gripping member and the first gripping member engage with the peripheral edge of the thin plate. Thereby, the thin plate is gripped, and the relative displacement of the position of the first gripping member fixed to the end effector is corrected.
[0011]
In the gripping device of the present invention, the second gripping member and the thin plate are gently engaged with each other by reducing the operating speed of the driving means immediately before the thin plate is gripped in order to prevent the thin plate from being damaged and generating dust. We propose a gripping device. The position at which acceleration / deceleration of the gripping device is started can be set by the following method. The desired acceleration / deceleration start position between the start point and the end point, which is the operation start position of the second gripping member, and a method of storing in advance the information of at least two operation speeds in the control means, and the second gripping member When passing through an arbitrary point within the moving range, the detecting means detects the passage and transmits a signal to the control means, and based on this information, the control means instructs the driving means before the thin plate is gripped. There is a method of decelerating and then accelerating when this is released.
[0012]
The planar shape of the thin plate is a polygonal plate such as a disk or a quadrangle, and the entire edge surrounding the thin plate is referred to as a peripheral portion.
[0013]
Further, by connecting the driving means of the present invention and the second gripping member via a spring member, even if the thin plate-shaped object has a slight error as compared with the standard size, the error is absorbed by expansion and contraction of the spring. Can be gripped. However, in the case of using a spring, since a thin plate-shaped object having a different size can be gripped, even if the second gripping device has a problem that the thin plate-shaped object cannot be gripped by some obstacle, the defect is detected. Without carrying out, the conveyance operation is continued following the operation to be grasped. Therefore, when a standard-sized thin plate-like object is gripped, a gripping position detecting means for detecting a gripping position of the second gripping member is provided so as to confirm that the second gripping member is at a normal gripping position. did. A known sensor is used as the grip position detecting means.
[0014]
The second gripping member is provided with a plate-like sensor dog or the like having a concave or convex portion that the gripping position detecting means reacts to when the gripping device is at a position where the thin plate-like object can be gripped. When the gripping device grips a thin plate of a standard size, it is preferable that the gripping position detecting means is adjusted and fixed so as to detect substantially the center of the sensor dog. Further, the detection width of the concave portion or the convex portion of the sensor dog is determined according to the error range of the size of the thin plate-shaped object allowed in the standard.
[0015]
When a thin plate is gripped by the gripping device of the present invention, the gripping position detection means is in a range where the sensor dog can be detected, indicating that the gripping has been normally performed. In addition, when the gripping position detecting means cannot detect the sensor dog despite performing the gripping operation, it indicates that the gripping device cannot grip the thin plate-like object due to some trouble. If the gripping position detection means goes beyond the detection range despite detecting the sensor dog once, problems such as the thin plate not being placed on the gripping device or being not placed properly. Indicates that it has occurred. These detection results are transmitted to the control means, and if a problem occurs, measures such as an emergency stop are performed.
[0016]
The gripping device of the present invention proposes not only a method of gripping and transporting a thin plate placed on the end effector, but also an upper grip type transfer method of hanging and transporting the placed thin plate from above. are doing. As shown in FIG. 3, in this gripping device, a first gripping member 21 and a second gripping member 22 are provided on a lower surface of the end effector 10. Similarly to the gripping device for gripping a thin plate placed on the end effector described above, at least one first gripping member 21 and at least one second gripping member 22 are disposed substantially facing each other, or This is a device that includes a first gripping member 21 and a second gripping member 22 near the edge of the object 6, and grips the thin plate 6 by moving the second gripping member 22 in a horizontal plane. These gripping members 21 and 22 have control means for changing the speed in the driving means.
[0017]
In FIG. 3, a vertical portion (see FIG. 8C) of the first gripping member and the second gripping member that engages with the sheet-like member has a shape matching the peripheral portion of the sheet-like object, The vertical cross-sectional shape of the portion where the first gripping member and the second gripping member are in contact with the thin plate is L-shaped (see FIG. 8 (b)), whereby the side of the thin plate is L-shaped. The vertical portion 45 can be pressed and gripped and fixed. In addition, the shape of the L-shaped seat portion 46 on which the thin plate-shaped object is placed can be a shape (see FIG. 8A) in which the shape is inclined so as to gradually decrease toward the substantially center of the disk. In this case, along with the gripping operation, the peripheral edge of the bottom surface of the thin plate is scooped up and gripped. Since the gripping member may be at a high temperature before and after processing and comes into contact with the thin plate, the material of the gripping member is not easily worn even when it comes into contact with the thin plate, and a material having excellent heat resistance is suitable. Abrasion / heat resistant polyester is preferred.
[0018]
The driving means used in the gripping device of the present invention preferably includes a motor, but the speed is controlled by an electric cylinder having a rubber packing in a cylinder, a deceleration means called a shock absorber, and an electric valve for opening and closing. It is a fluid actuator such as an air cylinder that can control the amount of air injection by providing a controllable electric valve, and other known driving means. Furthermore, by combining a damper made of a spring member, the gripping speed can be reduced, and the impact given to the thin plate-like object can be reduced. In addition, the accuracy of the operation can be improved by providing a guide means on the second gripping member as needed.
[0019]
When the driving means of the second gripping member includes a pulse motor, the operation is started by an operation command from the control means, and stopped by receiving a stop command, a braking command, or an operation command for a predetermined number of pulses. For this reason, the gripping device using the motor can operate with a free stroke. For example, the control means previously stores information obtained by finely dividing the stroke length, and sends an operation command of a dividing position corresponding to the manually selected stroke length from the control means to the driving means, or This is enabled by the control means selecting the stroke length and sending an operation command to the driving means in response to a signal from the detecting means for measuring the size. The same applies to the speed of the driving means, and the speed is detected manually or by the speed detecting means. For example, when the second gripping member passes a certain point, the detecting means senses and decelerates, and an operation command is issued. Is stored in the control means in advance so that the data is sent to the drive means.
[0020]
At the first gripping member position of the end effector, which is the gripping device of the present invention, it is possible to provide a means for detecting the presence or absence of a thin plate made of a reflection-type or transmission-type optical sensor or the like. The presence / absence detection means of the thin plate-like object for detecting whether or not the relative position between the thin plate-like object and the thin plate-like object is at a predetermined position. For example, the transmission type sensor as the presence / absence detection means is configured such that the light emitter and the light receiver are fixed to the end of the end effector or the first holding member at the end of the end effector with the light emitter and the light receiver facing each other. It is detected by blocking its optical axis with its thickness. The presence / absence detection means can be used as a detection means for mapping, which has been performed conventionally, and has two functions.
[0021]
The above-mentioned mapping refers to the number of thin plate-like objects previously stored in the cleaning container and the existing shelf position, etc., in order to efficiently transfer from the cleaning container to various processing devices with a transfer device having a transfer robot. Collecting information. FIG. 10 shows a mapping means, and a pair of sensors including a light emitter 31 and a light receiver 32 are provided at the protruding end of the Y-shaped end effector 10 so as to be spaced apart from and opposed to each other. To perform the mapping operation, the end effector 10 is relatively moved into the cleansing container 5 by driving the arm 12 of the transfer robot 4 or the like, and is moved up and down between the lowest position and the highest position of the cleansing container 5. Position information when the optical axis of the sensor is blocked by the thickness of the peripheral portion of the thin plate 6 is transmitted to the control means 24 and stored. Based on this information, the transfer robot 4 can efficiently transfer the thin plate-shaped material 6 existing on the shelf in the clean container 5.
[0022]
The procedure for performing mapping by the detection means of the transport robot is as follows. The end effector 10 is moved to a position where the optical axis of the detection means at the tip of the end effector 10 is above the peripheral edge of the thin plate 6 stored in the cleaning container 5. Next, the end effector 10 descends from above the uppermost stage to below the lowermost stage of the cleansing container 5 by the lifting operation of the transport robot 4 (when the position of the end effector 10 before the start is below the lowermost stage). With the rise, the position where the thin plate 6 interrupts the optical axis is detected.
[0023]
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the stroke length (distance) and the speed of the second holding member when the holding member holds the wafer. Point G is the position where the second gripping member has started gripping. Point H is a point where the acceleration reaches 0 and the maximum speed M is reached. Point I is a point at which the detecting means starts the deceleration in a straight line or an S-shaped curve in response to the sensor dog passage information before the gripping member grips the wafer. Point J is the point where the gripping member engages the wafer. In the holding member provided with a spring material between the connecting member and the second holding member, the speed of the second holding member is 0 because the operation of the second holding member stops when the wafer is held. On the other hand, since the driving means operates up to the stroke length set in advance, it operates until reaching the virtual stroke length point K as shown by the dotted curve.
[0024]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of an end effector, a transfer device, and a thin plate manufacturing facility according to the present invention that grips the transfer device and transfers it to a predetermined place will be described with reference to the drawings. The thin plate 6 here is a semiconductor wafer or the like.
[0025]
1 includes a transfer device 2 that transfers a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) from a cleaning container 5 to a load lock chamber 13 or the like, which is a loading / unloading port of the processing apparatus 3, and a load lock chamber 13. And a processing device 3 for performing various processes such as application of an etching resist, exposure, and development on the wafer. The transfer device 2 includes three stages 16 on which the cleaning container 5 in which the thin plate-shaped material 6 is stored on the shelf, a scalar transfer robot 4 having an arm 12, and a slide unit A drive device for moving a slide unit (not shown) in parallel with the plurality of stages 16 fixed on the line and arranged on a line, and a normal computer for controlling the operation and signals of the transfer robot 4 and the like in the transfer device 2 And control means 24 (not shown).
[0026]
Further, the processing apparatus 3 shown in FIG. 1 includes three chambers 11 for performing various processes such as film formation and diffusion, a transfer chamber 14 connecting the chambers 11, and a thin plate 6 provided in the transfer chamber 14. , A load lock chamber 13 for transferring the thin plate 6 transferred by the transfer device 2, and controlling the operations of the chamber 11, the vacuum robot 15, and the door. There is provided second control means 29 (not shown) which is independent and manages the operation in cooperation with the control means 24 of the transport device 2.
[0027]
The transfer robot 4 shown in FIG. 2 includes a holding device for holding a wafer on the lower surface of the end effector shown in FIG. The procedure for transferring a wafer stored in the cleaning container 5 as such an upper gripping type gripping device is as follows. First, the end effector 10 is moved to a position above the wafer in the cleaning container 5, and the holding member is adjusted to the same height as the wafer (see FIG. 2B). Next, the driving means 23 is operated in the S direction in FIG. 2 and the arm 12 is operated in the direction opposite to the operation of the driving means 23 (the T direction in FIG. 2), so that the second gripping member and the first Is engaged with the thin plate 6. The transfer robot 4 grips the thin plate-shaped object 6, moves the arm 12 by a small amount, moves the end effector 10 out of the clean container 5, and transfers it to a predetermined place (see FIG. 2C).
[0028]
FIG. 3 shows an upper grip type end effector, in which the gripping device of the present invention for gripping a wafer on the lower surface of the end effector is viewed obliquely from below. A grip member 21 is provided. In a driving means 34 provided near a portion where the end effector 10 and the arm 12 are connected, a screw shaft 33 is fixed to a motor shaft 34 via a connecting member 35. The second gripping member 22 having a linear motion bearing as the guide means 28 is provided with a bearing, and is linearly moved by driving a motor by being screwed with a screw shaft. The wafer is gripped by engaging with the gripping members 21 and 22 from both front and rear sides (in both directions S and T in FIG. 3). Since the shape of the semiconductor wafer is disk-shaped, the gripping member has the same arc shape as the wafer outer edge circle when the portion in contact with the semiconductor wafer is viewed from above (see FIG. 8C).
[0029]
The vertical cross section of the portion where the first gripping member 21 and the second gripping member 22 come into contact with the wafer is L-shaped as shown in the DD diagram of FIG. It is inclined to lower.
[0030]
In this gripping device, a light emitter 31 and a light receiver 32 are provided to face a first gripping member 21 fixedly provided at the end of the end effector 10 at a distance from each other. When the holding device is located at a position where the thin plate 6 can be held, the optical axis emitted from the light emitter 31 to the light receiver 32 is blocked by the thickness of the peripheral portion of the wafer. This cutoff signal is transmitted to the control means 24. The detecting means including the light projecting device 31 and the light receiving device 32 shown in FIG. 3 has both a function as a thin plate presence detecting device and a function as the above-described mapping detecting device.
[0031]
FIG. 4 is a partially cut-away perspective view showing a state in which the gripping device provided on the arm 12 of the transfer robot 4 is viewed obliquely from above, and the motor included in the driving means 23 includes the end effector 10 and the arm. It is provided in the vicinity of the connecting portion 12. In this motor, the motor shaft itself is a screw shaft 33 and linearly moves with rotation. The tip end of the screw shaft 33 is in contact with the guide member 30 connected to the second gripping member 22 having the guide means 28. The second gripping member 22 is connected to the end effector 10 via a spring member 25, and moves back and forth (moves in the S and T directions in FIG. 4) in conjunction with the operation of the motor. In addition, the second gripping member always applies a load in the T direction in FIG. 4 due to the contraction force of the spring material 25.
[0032]
As shown in FIG. 4, the wafer placed on the first gripping member 21 and the second gripping member 22 by the operation of the robot arm 12 is turned into a light projector 31 and a light receiver 32 provided at the end of the end effector. , The second gripping member 22 starts to move toward the first gripping member 21. During the gripping operation, when a problem occurs that the second gripping member cannot be gripped even though the second gripping member is engaged with the wafer due to some obstacle, the spring member 25 extends and the guide member 30 moves away from the tip of the screw shaft 33. This prevents damage to the wafer. In addition, since the sensor dog 27 provided on the guide member 30 is not detected by the gripping position detecting means 26 within a predetermined time, the control means 24 recognizes that a problem has occurred, and issues a command to stop the transfer operation, etc. Put out
[0033]
FIG. 5 is a partially cut-away perspective view showing a state in which the gripping device provided on the arm 12 of the transfer robot 4 is obliquely viewed from above, and the motor shaft 34 of the driving means 23 is screwed via a connecting member 35. It is connected to the shaft 33. The screw shaft 33 is in threaded contact with a bearing 40 provided on a connecting plate 36 having the guide means 28, and the connecting plate 36 is connected to the second holding member 22 having the guide means 28 via a spring member 25. are doing. The second gripping member 22 moves back and forth (moves in the S and T directions in FIG. 5) in conjunction with the driving of the motor.
[0034]
In the gripping device of FIG. 5, similarly to the gripping device of FIG. 4, a sensor dog 27 is provided on the second gripping member 22 as a part of the gripping position detecting means 26 to detect a gripping position.
[0035]
In addition, this gripping device is provided with an optical reflection type sensor 37 as a means for detecting the presence or absence of a wafer near the center of the wafer. In FIG. 5, the light is projected upward by the light projecting means of the optical reflective sensor, and the light receiving means of the optical reflective sensor 37 detects that the intensity of the reflected light is within a predetermined range. It recognizes that the wafers on the gripping member 21 and the second gripping member 22 are placed at the normal positions.
[0036]
FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a gripping device provided on the arm 12 of the transfer robot 4. In this gripping device, the second gripping member 22 grips the wafer from left to right in a symmetrical manner. A pair of second gripping members 22 that linearly move in the left-right direction toward the end effector tip are rotatably connected to a connecting rod 44 having a first support shaft 42 and a second support shaft 43, respectively. . The connecting rod 44 is rotatably connected to an air cylinder having an electric valve, and the pair of second gripping members 22 move in the U and W directions in FIG. 6 to grip the wafer by the operation of the air cylinder.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
The apparatus for holding a thin plate according to the present invention does not particularly require the positioning device 7, so that a positioning step is not required, and the thin plate can be accurately conveyed to a predetermined position in a short time.
[0038]
The gripping device according to the present invention includes a gripping member having a controllable operating speed. By reducing the speed immediately before gripping, generation of dust due to impact or wear during the gripping operation is suppressed, and The possibility of damage is also reduced. Further, since the driving means 23 and the second gripping member 22 are connected by the spring member 25, the thin plate-shaped material 6 having a size error slightly larger than the standard size can be gripped without any influence. It is possible to grasp the state of the thin plate 6 on the end effector 10, such as confirming that the thin plate 6 is normally gripped by the position detecting means 26, so that it plays a role of a safety device and drops the thin plate. Accidents are reduced.
[0039]
Further, by the gripping device of the present invention, the side edge of the thin plate-shaped object 6 placed in contact with the most part of the back surface of the thin plate-shaped object 6 or the like in the processing chamber for heat treatment or the like is placed from above. By gripping, not only can the thin sheet 6 after being heated be transported without damaging it, but it can also operate accurately in synchronization with the arm 12 by providing control means for controlling the gripping operation. The object 6 can be gripped without shifting the mounting position in the processing chamber, in other words, without abrasion.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing one embodiment of a thin plate-like material manufacturing facility for carrying out the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a transfer robot in the thin plate manufacturing equipment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the gripping device of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of a gripping device for carrying out the present invention, which differs from FIG.
FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing one embodiment of the gripping device of the present invention having a spring member.
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the gripping device of the present invention in which the operation direction of the second gripping member is different from that of FIG.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state where wafers are stored in a cassette of a conventional SCARA type transfer robot.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along lines DD and EE showing a vertical section of the gripping member, and a plan view of the gripping member.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a change in speed of a second gripping member when the gripping device grips.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a conventional positioning device.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Thin plate manufacturing equipment
2 Transport device
3 Processing equipment
4 Transfer robot
5 Clean container (FOUP)
6 Thin plate
7 Positioning device
10 End effector
11 chambers
12 arms
13 Load lock room
14 Transfer room
15 Vacuum robot
16 stages
21 First gripping member
22 Second gripping member
23 Driving means
24 control means
25 Spring member
26 gripping position detecting means
27 Sensor dog
28 Guide
29 Second control means
30 Guide member
31 Floodlight
32 receiver
33 Screw shaft
34 Motor shaft
35 Connecting member
36 Connecting plate
37 Optical reflective sensor
40 bearing
41 Suction hole
42 First spindle
43 Second spindle
44 Connecting rod
45 vertical part
46 seat

Claims (8)

A flat end effector rotatably connected to a tip of an arm of the transfer robot, at least one first gripping member fixed to the tip of the end effector and supporting a peripheral portion of a thin plate-shaped object; A control means for changing an operation speed of said driving means in a thin plate-like object gripping device which is fixed to an end effector and grips a peripheral portion of the thin sheet material by at least one second gripping member having driving means; A device for gripping a thin plate-shaped object, comprising: From the starting point at which the second gripping member starts the gripping operation, detecting means for detecting that the second gripping member has passed a position intermediate to the position where the thin plate-shaped object has been gripped, and the detected information The apparatus for gripping a thin plate according to claim 1, further comprising control means for reducing the driving speed. The control means, when the second gripping member stops operating, a means for recognizing normal if it is within a preset range, and a means for recognizing a malfunction if it is not within the set range, The gripping device according to claim 1, further comprising: The gripping device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a first gripping member and a second gripping member are provided on a lower surface of the end effector. The gripping device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second gripping member and the driving unit are connected by a spring member. The gripping device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the thin plate object is a disk-shaped object. A transport device comprising an end effector having the grip device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A thin plate manufacturing facility comprising the transport device according to claim 7.

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