JP2005179032A - Suction device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reliably suck a work such as a solar cell to be sucked while preventing the cracking thereof. <P>SOLUTION: The suction device comprises a pad 1 having a plane suction face 11 with a number of suction ports for coming into contact with the work W, a cover 2 forming an air passage 22 to be in negative pressure between the pad 1 and itself, an upper material 4 opposed to a lower material 3 constituted by these, a spring 51 laid between these, inclined faces 52, 55, and a screw member 53 having a screw head 54 for coming into contact with the inclined faces. The cracking of the work is prevented by using the plane for sucking the work W with multipoint equal force. The suction face is freely moved and inclined to the direction of suction by the spring and the inclined supporting faces to secure suction performance so that the work can be sucked and held even when moved at a high speed perpendicularly to the direction of suction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a suction device formed to enable suction of flat articles such as solar cells, wafers, and liquid crystal glass substrates.

As an apparatus for adsorbing and supporting a thin plate made of, for example, a plurality of solar cell substrates stacked and supported as a flat article for transportation, the four corners of the uppermost thin plate are adsorbed by four adsorbing pads and the center of the thin plate is used. A pressing member is provided at the position, and the center position of the thin plate is pushed so that it protrudes slightly from the suction position, and the thin plate is bent so that the uppermost thin plate is separated from the second and subsequent thin plates so that it can be sucked and conveyed. An apparatus and method for separating heavy plates has been proposed. (See Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-114434 (Related description of FIGS.

  However, in such an adsorption device, since the thin plate is bent, there is a high possibility that a defect such as a microcrack is generated in the thin plate due to the bending stress even if a certain limit is imposed on the bending degree. In addition, in the device that sucks the thin plate with the four suction pads fixedly provided at four positions in this way, the accuracy of the suction device at the time of manufacture, the fluctuation of the pad position accompanying use, the pad Due to wear or the like, the suction surfaces of the four suction pads are not flush with each other, and a non-uniform concentrated suction force is applied to the thin plate during suction, and the thin plate is inevitably bent to a considerable extent. Even when the center-point push-bending separation is not performed as described above, there is a problem that there is a high possibility that the thin plate is inherently cracked or cracked.

  In addition, the laminated and supported thin plates are often slightly inclined from the reference horizontal plane. In such a case, it is difficult to match the four suction pads to the inclination of the thin plate while maintaining the same flatness. There is also a problem that it is difficult to prevent the occurrence of poor adsorption.

  Accordingly, the present invention has an object to solve such a problem and to provide an adsorption device that can reliably adsorb and support cracks and cracks even if the flat plate-like article is thin. To do. Another object of the present invention is to provide a suction device that enables high-speed transfer of a flat article.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a suction device formed to enable suction of a flat article.
The one surface side provided with a connection port to which the one-surface side portion having a large number of openings and the same size as the article and having a large number of openings are connected to the negative pressure forming member for adsorption. A pad member having a portion on the other surface forming a space with the portion, and the pad member can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the plane and tilted in an arbitrary direction. And a supporting means for supporting the pad member.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above, the support means is provided between the pad member and the support member, the support member provided to face the pad member, and the pad member A spring that urges away from the support member in a perpendicular direction, and a support portion and a supported portion that are provided on the pad member and the support member and can support the pad member from the away direction. And a supported portion having a contact portion that is supported by the inclined surface when contacting the inclined surface.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in the invention of claim 1, the pad member is provided, and the one surface side portion thereof is substantially the same size as the flat article and the surface is flat, and a large number Since the opening is provided, when the surface of the one surface side portion is brought into contact with the flat article and the inside of the opening is made negative pressure, the air existing between the article and the surface of the one surface side member is removed. The article is sucked into the opening and adsorbed on the surface. In this case, since the surface is flat, when the flat surface of the flat article is along the plane of the surface and receives an adsorption force, it is uniformly supported by a large number of openings in one plane. become.

  As a result, a large bending or shearing external force is not applied to the article, and even if the article is a thin plate having a thickness of about 0.3 mm, such as a solar cell, there is a problem that the article can be broken or cracked. There is nothing. In addition, since there are a large number of openings in the adsorption process, the flat article is attracted to the surface by the force dispersed by the multipoint distributed suction force, so it is not adsorbed by impact, and this point also Cracking is reliably prevented.

  The other surface side portion of the pad member is provided with a connection port to which a member for forming a negative pressure for suction is connected to form a space with the one surface side portion. When a negative pressure is formed on the member, the space in the opening from the connection port becomes a negative pressure, and the article can be adsorbed on the surface as described above.

  Support means is also provided, and this means supports the pad member so as to enable movement in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the pad member. When the pad contacts the article, the pad member moves in that direction, so that both sides can be reliably brought into contact with each other. Further, since the support means enables the pad member to be inclined in an arbitrary direction, the pad member can be mounted even when the angle of the flat plate surface of the flat article to be sucked does not coincide with the angle of the surface of the pad member. It can be tilted along the surface of the article. As a result, a negative pressure is quickly and reliably formed between both surfaces, and the article can be adsorbed quickly and reliably.

  In this case, since the surface of the pad member is almost the same size as the article, the article is adsorbed by one surface, so that the mechanism can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the surface and the surface can be inclined. However, the structure of the adsorption apparatus in which the cracking of the article is prevented and the adsorption is ensured can be simplified.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the support means is provided between the support member provided so as to face the pad member, and between the pad member and the support member, and supports the pad member in a direction perpendicular to the surface thereof. Since the spring is biased in the direction away from the member, the elastic force of the spring can be used when the support member is moved in the perpendicular direction to bring the surface into contact with the flat article. As a result, a moderate force buffered at the time of contact can be applied to the article.

  Also, when the pad member and the support member are provided with a support portion and a supported portion, and the support portion is an inclined surface inclined in a direction in which the pad member can be supported from the above-mentioned direction, and the supported portion is in contact with the inclined surface Therefore, the pad member can be supported by the support member by receiving the repulsive force of the spring at the inclined surface.

  Such an inclined surface is designed to have an appropriate position and number so that the surface of the pad member can be inclined according to the shape of the pad member and the direction of movement so that the pad member can be stably supported. Is done. A part of the contact portion of the supported portion moves along the inclined surface or moves away from the inclined surface, whereby the surface of the pad member can be inclined in an arbitrary direction.

  When a flat article is adsorbed and transferred by the adsorption device, the adsorption device is horizontally conveyed at a high speed while the article is adsorbed, and the adsorption device is rapidly stopped by a stopper or the like in order to increase the conveyance efficiency. There are many cases where the driver is driven. In such a case, the pad member receives a large force in the direction of the surface when accelerating or particularly when stopping. At that time, since the support part of the pad member is an inclined surface, the contact part of the supported part that is in contact with the inclined surface by the repulsive force of the spring moves in the direction of the surface by climbing the inclined surface. The supported part receives the component of the repulsive force of the spring when climbing the inclined surface and the frictional resistance force from the inclined surface, and these become the appropriate deceleration resistance force when the pad member is stopped. Deceleration acceleration at the time can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent a problem that the flat article adsorbed and supported on the surface of the pad member is displaced from the surface or falls off. Therefore, the adsorption device can be made suitable for high-speed movement.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a suction apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of a lower member including a pad.
The suction device A is formed as a flat article so as to enable suction of a rectangular workpiece W made of a solar cell in this example, and the pad 1 which is one surface side portion and the cover which is the other surface side portion. 2, a lower member 3 that is a pad member, an upper member 4 that is a support member that constitutes a support means, and an engagement portion 5 that is a support mechanism part that constitutes the support means. The lower member 3 is formed in a quadrangular shape in accordance with the shape of the workpiece W. Further, in this example, the upper member 4 has the same shape as the lower member 3 and has a frame shape, and is provided so as to face the lower member 3. If the workpiece W is circular like a wafer, the lower member 3 and the upper member 4 are usually circular.

  The pad 1 is substantially the same size as the workpiece W, and the suction surface 11 as a surface is flat. In this example, the pad 1 is provided with 16 intake ports 12 and is made of rubber, soft resin, or the like. Yes. The air inlets 12 are provided uniformly to some extent so as to be dispersed over the entire surface of the suction surface 11 so that the workpiece W can be stably sucked and supported.

  The cover 2 is provided with a connection port 21 to which the intake pipe 100 is connected as a negative pressure forming member for attracting the workpiece W. The cover 2 forms an air passage 22 between the pad 1 and a space portion that is closed during suction. In this example, the air passage 22 is formed by interposing a partition member 23 between the pad 1 and the cover 2. In addition, the air passage is formed in a pipe shape so that the air smoothly flows through the inlet 12 and the connection port 21, but it may be a space in which the pipe is widened or conducted.

  The upper member 4 is formed so that the lower member 3 can be held at a fixed plane position and interval with respect to the upper member 4 with the lower member 3 as a fixed position. That is, the lower member 3 can be supported in combination with the engaging portion 5. The engaging portion 5 is interposed between the upper member 4 and the lower member 3 to enable movement in the vertical Z direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the suction surface 11 of the lower member 3, and inclination in an arbitrary direction. Thus, the lower member 3 is supported. In this example, four connecting shafts 200 are screwed to the upper member 4. Further, the connecting shaft 200 is integrally connected to the upper member 4 by the structure 300, and the whole including the suction device A becomes a work transfer body, This is attached to an appropriate transfer machine and the work W is transferred.

In this example, such an engaging portion 5 is provided between the upper member 3 and the lower member 4 so as to bias the lower member 3 in the lower Z ₁ direction, which is the direction away from the upper member 4 in the vertical Z direction. A spring 51 provided, a support part provided on the lower member 3 and the upper member 4, an X-direction inclined surface 52 provided on the upper member 4 as a supported part, and a screw member 53 provided on the lower member 3; Have

X direction inclined surface 52, the four corners of the upper member 4 that is a rectangular frame shape is integrally formed with the upper member 4, the outer of the lower member 4 as the direction capable of supporting the upper member 3 from Z ₁ direction The slope is spread out. The screw member 53 includes a countersunk screw head 54 as a contact portion supported and guided by this surface when it contacts the X-direction inclined surface 52.

The support portion is provided with the X-direction inclined surface 52 as described above, but in this example, a Y-direction inclined surface 55 directed in the Y direction perpendicular to the X direction is further provided, and this inclined surface and the X-direction inclined surface 52 are provided. And are formed to connect at the corners. Then, when the screw head 54 contacts both the inclined surfaces 52 and 55, the position of the lower member 3 in the XYZ directions is determined. If the lower member 3 is urged in the lower Z ₁ direction and the screw head 54 comes into contact with the X-direction inclined surface 52, the lower member 3 is thereby held in a fixed position. If 54 is brought into contact with both inclinations in the XY directions, the support state is further stabilized, and when the lower member moves, the movement can be guided by both inclined surfaces.

  The screw member 53 includes a screw portion 57 at the tip of a shaft portion 56 on which a screw head 54 is formed, and the screw portion 57 is attached to the lower member 3 by being screwed to the cover 2 of the lower member 3. Yes. Note that the screw portion 57 may be further fixed from below with a nut. If the guided portion is such a screw member 53, the position of the screw head 54 in the Z direction can be arbitrarily adjusted. Since the screw head 54 comes into contact with the inclined surface, if the screw member 53 is manufactured with a certain degree of accuracy, it can be fixedly attached to the lower member 3. It is also possible to integrate with the lower member 3.

  FIG. 3A is a diagram schematically showing a transfer transport system when the suction device is used as an inspection device. This transport system includes a workpiece support frame 400 composed of a cassette or the like that supports and stacks a large number of sheets so that the workpiece W composed of a solar cell before inspection after the production process is completed can be guided upward. A loading table 501 that constitutes the inspection apparatus 500 and on which the work W is transferred, and a transfer apparatus 600 that causes the suction apparatus A to move up and down and move in the horizontal X direction that is the direction in which the suction apparatus is moved. The stopper 700 is configured to stop and position the suction device at its moving end.

  Although the detailed description is omitted, the inspection apparatus 500 images the surface of the workpiece W and performs image processing to inspect the presence / absence of a crack and the state thereof, or inspects the quality characteristics of the workpiece W by irradiating pseudo sunlight. As shown in FIG. 3B, the apparatus includes the carry-in table 501, the intermediate table 502, the inspection table 503, and the carry-out table 504 that constitute a 4-station index apparatus with 90 ° intervals.

In this example, the transfer device 600 includes an elevator 601 and a lateral movement device 602 that are rodless cylinders. Note that a robot 800 may be employed as the transfer device 600 as shown in FIG. A robot 800 includes a first arm 801 that is attached to a main body (not shown) and is rotated about a central axis C ₁ , a second arm 802 that is connected to the central arm C ₂ and rotated about the central axis C ₂ , a ball screw It is comprised by the elevator 803 etc. which consist of.

  The transfer device 600 is provided with the stopper 700. The stopper 700 of this example is configured to stop the elevator 601 while buffering at both end portions of the lateral moving device 602, and stops the workpiece W by stopping the lateral movement of the lifting device.

  FIG. 4 shows the structure of the workpiece separation portion at the top of the workpiece support frame 400. In this portion, the support frame body 400 will be described. The guide frame 401 that surrounds the workpiece W, the air knife portion 402 that is supplied with compressed air from an air system (not shown) at four locations therein, and the like are provided. ing. The air knife part 402 is arrange | positioned so that air may be blown off in the direction of the arrow which turned downward about 20 degrees at the four corner parts of the workpiece | work W as shown in the figure. A lower support suction pad 403 is provided for raising the workpiece W and separating the final workpiece Wn.

The adsorbing apparatus as described above to which the present invention is applied is used in the following manner and exhibits its effects.
The support frame 400, the workpiece W is being, for example, about 100 of stacked supports as a predetermined number, the work W ₁ of the top row is always such that the position P of the upper end. Further, the suction surface 11 of the pad 1 of the suction device A is located at a position Q higher than the position P directly above the workpiece W. If such a state is assumed to be an initial state, the inspection work using the suction device is started from this state.

First, the elevator 601 of the transfer device 600 is operated to lower the suction device A to a position where it comes into contact with the uppermost work W ₁ of the support frame 400. At this time, the lower member 3 with the pad 1 of the suction device A is biased in the lower Z ₁ direction by the spring 51, and the screw head 54 of the screw member 53 is supported by the inclined surfaces 52 and 55 of the upper member 4. As a result, since the upper member 4 is supported in a floating state, the spring 51 is slightly compressed by the contact, so that the workpiece is not subjected to an impact force, and damage to the workpiece is reliably prevented. Has been.

  In addition, since the suction surface 11 of the pad 1 of the suction device A is flat, it is in surface contact with the workpiece W which is similarly flat. As a result, in the conventional suction device, the four independent suction pads are often not on the same plane, so that the workpiece W is subjected to a non-uniform four-point concentrated load, and the workpiece W is bent and damaged. Although there is a problem, according to the suction device of the present example to which the present invention is applied, such a problem of workpiece breakage is completely solved.

Further, the suction surface 11 of the pad 1 and the uppermost workpiece W ₁ among the workpieces stacked and supported on the support frame 400 are not essentially completely coincident with each other, but are a few. In many cases, an inclination angle is generated between both surfaces, and in the portion of the work W where air is blown upward, the surface of the work W ₁ may be slightly inclined due to the influence. Since the lower member 3 with 1 is supported in a floating state from the upper member 4 and the surface can be inclined in any direction, the pad 1 is made to conform to the inclination of the workpiece W ₁ and both surfaces are made to coincide. Thus, the vacuum suction can be surely achieved.

FIG. 5 shows the state at this time. In the drawing, the inclination angle θ is shown larger than the actual angle for easy understanding.
(A) As in, the upper member 4 strikes the workpiece W ₁ whose one end 11a is inclined in the suction surface 11 of the pad descends Z ₁ direction, as shown (b), the upper member 4 further descends As a result, the spring 51 ₁ on the one end side 11a hitting the workpiece is compressed, and the spring 51 ₂ on the side not hitting the workpiece almost maintains the initial state in which the lower member 3 is urged and extended in the Z ₁ direction. the other end 11b of the suction surface 11 of the lower member 3 is further lowered in the Z ₁ direction in a state where the screw head 54 of the screw member 53 is supported on the inclined surface 52, the entire inclined suction surface 11 by an angle θ Will be along the workpiece W ₁ . Therefore, even when the suction surface 11 and the work surface do not coincide with each other at the beginning, both surfaces come into contact with each other and the work can be reliably sucked.

When the suction device A is lowered to a certain position, a vacuum system is actuated, for example, by opening a vacuum solenoid valve (not shown), and the air in the air passage 22 is sucked out through the intake pipe 100, and the negative pressure is contained therein. Thus, the work W ₁ is adsorbed by the portions of the 16 intake ports 12 arranged on the same plane. At this time, the workpiece is not subjected to the suction force consisting of four non-uniform concentration forces as in the conventional suction device, but the same negative pressure suction force of multi-point equidistribution acts. The support state is very good. As a result, the problem that the workpiece is bent and damaged is reliably prevented.

When the work W ₁ is sucked, the elevator 601 is operated and the suction device A is raised. In this case, the air knife action of the air is blown continuously downward into the upper portion of the workpiece W, W2 or less of the work which is not the action of the suction force is released from W _1, only the work W ₁ is adsorber A It is adsorbed and rises.

When the suction device A attracts and lifts the workpiece W ₁ , the lateral movement device 602 of the transfer device 600 moves it in the X ₁ direction, and each suction device A is moved to a predetermined position on the loading table 501 of the inspection device 500. Stop. At this time, the suction device A moves at a high speed and is stopped by stopping the elevator 601 by the stopper 700 at the moving end. As a result, the inertial force during acceleration and the greater inertial force during stop act on the pad 1 of the lower member 3 and thus the workpiece W supported by suction.

Figure 6 shows a state in which adsorber A is the upper member 4 to move in the X ₁ direction is stopped against the stop 700. In the figure, the upper member 4 of the suction device A is shown to come into direct contact with the stopper 700 and stop.

The stopper 700 has a surface on which rubber or a soft resin material is stuck so as to have a buffering effect. However, when the upper member 4 hits the stopper 700, the stopper 700 stops suddenly. Therefore, it is necessary to stop the lower member 3 in response to the sudden stop of the upper member 4. On the other hand, in the suction device to which the present invention is applied, the lower member 3 is held by the compression repulsive force F of the spring 51 in contact with the X-direction inclined surface 52 as shown in FIGS. screw head 54 ₁ of the screw member 53 ₁ has been found thus climb the inclined surface 52 while receiving the frictional force f to be resistance to the spring force component F ₁ and climbing direction of a direction down from the inclined surface 52.

As a result, the lower member 3 stops rapidly under an appropriate braking action while performing a stable movement guided by the inclined surface. In the case where the lower member 3 is supported only by the spring 51 without providing the support guide portion such as the inclined surface 52, the stopping force of the lower member 3 is only the force generated by the displacement of the spring in the X direction. In addition, since the additional damping force such as the frictional resistance of the inclined surface is not generated, the excessive movement of the lower member 3 is a reciprocating operation and continues for a relatively long time, and the lowering and the workpiece transfer operation are quick. Will not be done. In addition, when a vertical stop guide surface having a gap from the screw head 54 is provided instead of the inclined surface, an impact force is generated in the lower member 3 when the lower member 3 is stopped, and the workpiece W ₁ and the suction surface 11 There is also a possibility that the workpiece W ₁ may be displaced from the suction surface in the X ₁ direction or fall off. According to the suction device of this example, such a problem is reliably prevented.

In the suction device of this example, since the Y direction inclined surface 55 is provided, the screw head 54 separated from the X direction inclined surface 52 by the X ₂ direction screw member 53 _{2 as} shown in FIG. ₂ is brought into contact with the Y-direction inclined surface 55 and guided in the movement in the X direction, so that the movement of the lower member 3 is stabilized. Screw member 53 ₁ climb this in contact with the X direction inclined surface 52, but turns into a floating state in the Y direction as shown in (e).

The suction device A that reliably sucks and supports the workpiece W ₁ as described above descends from above the carry-in table 501 and stops at a slightly higher position, thereby opening the vacuum system of the suction device A. At the same time, the vacuum breaking air is supplied, the pressure in the air passage 22 is increased from negative pressure to slightly over atmospheric pressure, the adsorption of the workpiece W ₁ is released, and the workpiece W ₁ is lowered onto the loading table 501.

At this time, in the index device of the inspection apparatus 500, the standby work Wa and the work Wb under inspection are on the intermediate table 502 and the inspection table 503, respectively. The carry-out table 504 is in an empty state in which the carry-out work Wc on it is transferred to a product cassette (not shown) by the suction device A of the present invention or another carry-out device. The products are usually loaded in several types of cassettes according to the inspection results. When the workpiece W ₁ is placed on the carry-in table 501, the inspection of the inspection workpiece Wb is completed, the index device rotates 90 °, and the workpieces W ₁ , Wa, Wb become the workpieces Wa, Wb, Wc, respectively, and the next inspection Work begins.

The suction device A with the workpiece W ₁ attached / detached moves in the opposite direction, and ascends and moves laterally in the X ₁ to X ₂ direction to return to the initial position. Thus, one step of transferring the workpiece W ₁ for inspection is completed. The time for this one step is, for example, about 2 seconds. Therefore, the suction device moves at an average speed of about 250 mm / s, and it moves to some extent at the moving and lifting movement ends. However, in the suction device of this example, the spring and the inclined surface are skillfully combined. Since the upper member 3 is in a floating state and is supported and guided, it operates very well even under such usage conditions.

In this way, the suction device A sequentially transfers workpieces subsequent to the workpiece W ₂ after the workpiece support frame 400. At this time, the work below the work W ₂ is sequentially moved to the P position by the lower support suction pad 403.

The case where the suction device A is moved by the lateral movement type transfer device 600 of FIG. 3A has been described above. However, when the suction device A is moved by the robot 800 of FIG. Then, it is moved up and down by an elevator 803 having a ball screw mechanism, and is moved by rotating the first and second arms 801 and 802 around the central axes C ₁ and C ₂ . In the robot 800, the stopper 700 is not provided. However, since the motion is a combination of the acceleration of the linear movement and the angular acceleration due to the rotation, a large inertial force acts on the workpiece W in this case as well, As described above, the work W can be transferred favorably while allowing the movement.

FIG. 7 shows another example of the adsorption apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
The suction device of this example is provided with a concave groove directly in the cover 2 of the lower member 3 which is a pad member as compared with that of FIG. 1, which is used as an air passage 22, and another partition member 23 is omitted. 1, the engaging member 6 serving as a supporting mechanism portion constituting the supporting means of the lower member 3 is replaced by the upper member 51 instead of the vertical spring 51, the inclined surfaces 52, 55 and the screw member 53 of the suction device of FIG. 1. 4 is an outer spring latching plate 61 that is a spring latching portion that is uniformly arranged and attached at four positions as a plurality of uniformly arranged locations, and another spring latching portion that is attached to the lower member 3. In this example, the positions of the inner spring latching plates 62 and the outer spring latching plates 61 are X-direction and Y-direction as a plurality of symmetrical directions from the positions of both ends to the positions where the inner spring latching portions 62 face each other. A total of 8 tension springs 63 as a plurality of springs attached in the direction That constitutes me, it is different in terms of equal.

  According to the suction device of the present example, the lower member 3 holds the lower member 3 at a fixed position by the eight tension springs 63 pulling the inner spring retaining plate 62 uniformly in the XY direction, and at the same time Z The lower member 3 is supported in a floating state, allowing movement in a direction and tilting in an arbitrary direction.

  The suction device of this example also constitutes a workpiece transfer device in the same manner as the device of FIG. 1, is used as the inspection device shown in FIG. 3 in the same manner as the device of FIG. 1, and exhibits the same advantageous effects. That is, the workpiece can be prevented from being damaged by the flat suction surface 11. Further, the impact of the pad 1 coming into contact with the workpiece can be extremely effectively prevented by the sufficiently relaxed vertical support force and buffering action generated by the planar spring force.

  Further, the lower member can be tilted by the degree of freedom of vertical movement and the restraining force generated by the spring force in the plane direction, so that the suction surface 11 follows the workpiece surface even when the suction surface 11 and the workpiece surface do not coincide. Thus, it is possible to reliably generate the adsorption action and to restore the inclination of the adsorption surface 11.

  Furthermore, when the suction device moves in the X direction and stops suddenly, the tension of the tension spring 63 directly acts to elastically stop the movement of the lower member 3 in the X direction. While being prevented, the impact force at the time of a sudden stop can be relieved. Since the suction device does not include a fixed position restricting portion like the inclined surface 52 of the suction device in FIG. 1, it is convenient for a transfer device having a relatively low operating speed among transfer devices that move at high speed. Used for.

  The present invention is particularly advantageously used as a transfer device for inspecting a solar cell, and is also used for transferring a flat article such as a solar cell, a wafer, or a liquid crystal glass substrate.

An example of the whole structure of the adsorption | suction apparatus to which this invention is applied is shown, (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a center position, (b) is a top view. It is a top view of the adsorption surface of the adsorption device. (A) thru | or (c) is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the outline transfer conveyance system for the test | inspection of the solar cell containing the said adsorption | suction apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the structural example of the air knife part of the upper part of the original product support frame in the above, (a) shows a planar state, (b) shows a longitudinal cross-sectional state. (A) And (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the state which makes an adsorption surface incline. (A) thru | or (e) is explanatory drawing of operation | movement of a lower member when the horizontal movement of an adsorption | suction apparatus is stopped suddenly. The other example of the adsorption | suction apparatus to which this invention is applied is shown, (a) is an aa arrow directional view of (b), (b) is a top view. (A) is sectional drawing of a lower member, (b) is a top view of an adsorption surface.

Explanation of symbols

1 pad (one side)
2 Cover (other side)
3 Lower member (pad member)
4 Upper member (support member, support means)
11 Adsorption surface (surface)
12 Inlet (opening)
21 Connection 22 Air passage (space part)
51 Spring (support means)
52 X-direction inclined surface (inclined surface, support means)
55 Y-direction inclined surface (support means)
53 Screw member (supporting means)
54 Screw head (contact part) 61 Outer spring retaining plate (supporting means)
62 Inner spring retaining plate (supporting means)
63 Tension spring (support means)
100 Intake pipe (member for forming negative pressure)
A Adsorption device
W, W ₁ , W ₂ , W _n work (flat plate-like article)
Z Vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the plane)
Z ₁ down (away)

Claims (2)

In an adsorption device formed to allow adsorption of a flat article,
The one surface side provided with a connection port to which the one-surface side portion having a large number of openings and the same size as the article and having a large number of openings are connected to the negative pressure forming member for adsorption. A pad member having a portion on the other surface forming a space with the portion, and the pad member can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the plane and tilted in an arbitrary direction. And a support means for supporting the pad member.   The support means is a support member provided to face the pad member, and is provided between the pad member and the support member, and the pad member is moved away from the support member in the perpendicular direction. A biasing spring; a support portion and a supported portion provided on the pad member and the support member; and a support portion comprising an inclined surface inclined in a direction in which the pad member can be supported from the separating direction; The adsorbing device according to claim 1, further comprising: a supported portion having a contact portion supported by the inclined surface when contacting the inclined surface.

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