JP2005206304A - Pneumatic floating conveyer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pneumatic floating conveyer capable of avoiding dust adherence and scatter generation without charging static electricity to thin sheet conveying objects such as glass sheets while taking advantage of a pneumatic floating conveyance apparatus, and reducing air consumption. <P>SOLUTION: This conveyer comprises, in parallel with a supporting passage A, a first air passage 2a which makes a thin sheet product 1 afloat by air jetted toward the lower surface side of the thin sheet object 1 from a first nozzle hole 2 arranged in line, and a second air passage 3a which eliminates static electricity with air ionized by ionizers 8 and 9 jetted from a second nozzle hole 3 arranged in line. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air levitation conveyor, and in particular, in a liquid crystal production line or the like, the amount of air consumption is reduced, and a thin sheet transported object such as a glass sheet (hereinafter simply referred to as “thin sheet transported object”). The present invention relates to an air levitation conveyor suitable for transporting a thin sheet transported object in which dust is not attached or scattered without being charged with static electricity.

Conventionally, in a liquid crystal production line or the like, as a method of conveying a glass sheet used for a liquid crystal substrate,
(1) Method of conveying using a roller conveyor (2) Method of conveying using a belt conveyor (3) Method of transferring or conveying using a robot (4) Method of conveying by air levitation method (conventional method) ( 5) A method such as a method of carrying in a cassette using a carriage etc. has been proposed and put into practical use.

By the way, in recent years, the size of the glass sheet used for the liquid crystal substrate tends to increase while the thickness tends to decrease due to a change in demand, response to cost reduction, and the like.
For this reason, when a higher-speed conveyance is required, the thin plate conveyed product is damaged during the conveyance, or contamination is caused and the cost is reduced.
In addition, due to the increase in weight and size, the load and area on the building have increased, and the amount of capital investment has become extremely large.
Furthermore, air conditioning in a clean room is generally performed in the vertical direction, so-called down flow, but since the area of the glass sheet is large, if this glass sheet is placed on a flat surface, the flow of air is hindered and the degree of cleanness is reduced. Become. Although it is conceivable to convey the glass sheet vertically, since the manufacturing apparatus is often processed in a flat state, the size of the reversing apparatus is large and expensive, which is not a good idea.
Further, a method of air-conditioning in the horizontal direction instead of downflow, a so-called side flow is conceivable, but it is not realistic because dust affects other devices.

When transporting a thin sheet transported product in a downflow environment, each of the above-described methods has the following problems.
(1) Method of transporting using a roller conveyor Although there is an advantage that the device is inexpensive and the layout is easy, a slight deviation in the parallelism of the rollers generates static electricity, and dirt on the rollers contaminates the transported object. When a transfer object is transferred between rollers, vibration is generated, and if a belt is used to drive the roller, it becomes a source of dust, and it is difficult to maintain and replace the belt. In addition to cost for uniform speed control, it is difficult to find a failure and alignment, particularly in the width direction, is difficult.
(2) Conveying method using a belt conveyor Although it has the advantages of low vibration and relatively low cost, the dirt on the belt contaminates the thin plate and the adjustment and maintenance and replacement of the belt are difficult. Conversion is difficult. Furthermore, it is difficult to align, particularly in the width direction.
(3) Method of transferring or transporting using a robot Although it has the advantages of high cleanliness and easy positioning, in order to perform reciprocating operation when entering and exiting a fork, it is also usually used for turning and traveling. Therefore, inefficiency, fork deflection is large, fork insertion space is large especially for large glass sheets, etc., and when high speed is required, weight, power consumption, vibration during acceleration / deceleration, occupied area Fundamental costs, prices, adjustment costs, etc. become large, and safety measures are indispensable.
(4) Method of transporting by air levitation method (conventional method) Porous ceramic to reduce air consumption, while having the advantages of simple structure, high reliability, extremely easy alignment, and no vibration. (Such as air passing through the air permeability of porous ceramics) is expensive and uneconomical, and the use of a small-diameter nozzle increases the air flow rate and causes static electricity on the glass sheet. If this occurs, dust adhesion will occur, and conversely, if the nozzle diameter is increased to reduce the air flow rate, air consumption will increase and new problems will occur such as the air scattering dust outside. To do.
(5) Method of transporting in a cassette using a carriage etc. Although it has the advantage of high cleanliness and simple logistics management in units of cassettes, it normally takes about 20 sheets to transport together, so it takes stagnation time The cassette becomes large and requires a large area for transporting and stocking, and equipment for loading and unloading the cassette is required.

  In view of the problems of the transport method of thin sheet transported materials such as glass sheets used for the liquid crystal substrate in the conventional liquid crystal production line and the like, the present invention meets the needs for higher speed, is vibration free, and easy to align. Focusing on air levitation transport devices that have high reliability and low maintenance costs, while taking advantage of the air levitation transport device, dust adhesion and It is an object of the present invention to provide an air floating conveyor that can prevent scattering and further reduce the amount of air consumption.

  In order to achieve the above object, the air levitation conveyor according to the first aspect of the present invention floats a sheet transported object by air ejected from the first nozzle holes arranged in a row toward the lower surface side of the sheet transported object. The first air path configured as described above and the second air path configured to remove static electricity by the air ionized by the ionizer ejected from the second nozzle holes arranged in a row are arranged in parallel with the support path. It is characterized by being formed.

  In this case, the air pressure of the air ejected from the first nozzle hole can be set to be higher than the air pressure of the air ejected from the second nozzle hole.

  Moreover, the hole diameter of the first nozzle hole can be formed smaller than the hole diameter of the second nozzle hole.

  In addition, the air supplied to the first air passage and the air supplied to the second air passage are respectively supplied by adjusting the pressure with a pressure adjusting valve by a pipe branched from one compressor. be able to.

  In order to achieve the same object, the air levitation conveyor according to the second aspect of the invention causes the thin plate transported object to float by the air jetted from the nozzle holes arranged in a row toward the lower surface side of the thin plate transported product. The air path is formed in parallel with the support path, and air ionized by an ionizer is supplied into the air path.

  Furthermore, an exhaust path that exhausts air in parallel with the support path may be provided to configure the transport path.

  In addition, a plurality of support paths and / or exhaust paths can be arranged in parallel to form a conveyance path having a required width.

  In addition, a closing plate that closes the gap between the support path and the exhaust path can be provided.

  Further, partitions can be provided on both sides of the conveyance path.

  According to the air levitation conveyor of the first aspect of the present invention, the thin plate transported object is levitated by the air ejected from the first nozzle holes arranged in a row toward the lower surface side of the thin plate transported object. And a second air passage configured to remove static electricity by air ionized by an ionizer ejected from the second nozzle holes arranged in a row in parallel with the support passage. The air ionized by the ionizer ejected from the second nozzle hole of the second air passage while taking advantage of the air levitation method with no vibration, easy positioning, and high reliability and low maintenance cost By removing static electricity, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering and scattering without charging static electricity on thin sheet transported objects such as glass sheets. It is possible to set the air pressure of the air ejected from the first nozzle hole of the first air path for levitating the conveyed product to a high pressure, or to reduce the diameter of the first nozzle hole to a small diameter. Can be reduced. By reducing the amount of air consumed, the air flow does not affect the peripheral devices, so that the peripheral devices and the thin plate transported object can be transported while maintaining a clean state.

  In addition, the air supplied to the first air passage and the air supplied to the second air passage are respectively supplied by adjusting the pressure with a pressure adjusting valve by a pipe branched from one compressor. As a result, the air supplied to the first air passage and the second air passage can be covered by one compressor, so that the structure is simplified and the maintenance can be simplified.

  Further, according to the air levitation conveyor of the second aspect of the present invention, the air passage that causes the thin plate transported object to float by the air jetted from the nozzle holes arranged in a row toward the lower surface side of the thin plate transported object. An air levitation system that is formed in parallel with the support path and that is supplied with ionized air by an ionizer into the air path, which is vibration-free, easy to align, reliable, and low in maintenance costs By removing static electricity with the air ionized by the ionizer ejected from the nozzle hole while taking advantage of the above, it prevents dust from adhering to and scattering from a thin sheet transported object such as a glass sheet. In addition, since there is no problem with static electricity, it is possible to reduce the diameter of the nozzle hole as necessary, reducing air consumption. Rukoto can. By reducing the amount of air consumed, the air flow does not affect the peripheral devices, so that the peripheral devices and the thin plate transported object can be transported while maintaining a clean state.

  Furthermore, by arranging an exhaust path for exhausting in parallel with the support path to configure the transport path, the air flowing on both sides of the transport path can be absorbed and exhausted by the exhaust path. However, the peripheral device and the thin plate transported object can be transported while maintaining a clean state.

  Further, by arranging a plurality of support paths and / or exhaust paths in parallel to form a transport path having a required width, it becomes possible to handle transport paths of various widths using a common member. Construction cost can be reduced.

  In addition, by disposing a blocking plate that closes the gap between the support path and the exhaust path, it prevents the dust from rolling up from the floor due to downflow and transports the thin sheet transported object while maintaining a clean state. be able to.

  In addition, by arranging partitions on both sides of the conveyance path, the flow in the outer horizontal direction of the air flow flowing on both sides of the conveyance path is blocked by the partitions, so the influence of the air flow is not affected by peripheral equipment. The peripheral device and the thin plate transported object can be transported while maintaining a clean state.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of an air levitation conveyor according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 2 show a first embodiment of an air levitation conveyor according to the present invention.
This air levitation conveyor is used in a liquid crystal production line and the like, and is not particularly limited. For example, a thin sheet conveyance object 1 such as a glass sheet used for a liquid crystal substrate is levitated mainly from a conveyance path L. The exhaust passage B is arranged in parallel with the support passage A and the support passage A, and the closing plate 15 for eliminating the gap between the support passage A and the exhaust passage B is disposed. ing.
In this case, the closing plate 15 is arranged at the same level as the exhaust passage B, and is arranged so as to have a height difference from the support passage A (so that the support passage A side becomes higher). Although not shown, for example, in the illustrated embodiment, five rows are arranged to form a conveying path L having a required width as a whole.

The support path A is not particularly limited. For example, the support path A has a required length in the shape of a square pipe. The upper surface mainly floats the thin plate transported object 1 along the longitudinal direction of the support path A. First nozzle holes for supporting, specifically, a row of high-pressure nozzle holes 2, and second nozzle holes for removing static electricity charged to the thin plate transported object mainly by the jetted air, specifically The low pressure nozzles 3 are formed in parallel with each other.
In the present embodiment, two nozzle rows of the high pressure nozzle 2 row and the low pressure nozzle 3 row are arranged in parallel on one support path A, but the high pressure nozzle row and the low pressure nozzle row are arranged in parallel. It is also possible to form a row of these in separate support paths A and to configure them in parallel.

In this embodiment, two independent air passages are formed in the support passage A having a square pipe shape and a required length.
Among these, one air path, that is, the first air path is a high-pressure air path 2a, and a large number of high-pressure nozzle holes 2 are formed on the upper surface to form a high-pressure nozzle array. Each of the high-pressure nozzle holes 2 is disposed at a predetermined interval with a diameter from which a sufficient amount of air is ejected to float the thin plate transported material disposed on the upper surface of the support path A.
The other air passage, that is, the second air passage is a low-pressure air passage 3a, and a number of low-pressure nozzle holes 3 are formed on the upper surface to form a low-pressure nozzle row.
The high-pressure nozzle hole 2 and / or the low-pressure nozzle hole 3 are slit-shaped and arranged along the longitudinal direction of the support path A, or the low-pressure air path 3a is provided in the high-pressure air path 2a. The high pressure air passage 2a may be incorporated in the low pressure air passage 3a, and the present invention does not exclude these configurations.

  The high-pressure air passage 2a is configured to be connected to a high-pressure pipe 6 so as to supply required high-pressure air, whereby high-pressure air ejected from the high-pressure nozzle hole 2 toward the lower surface side of the thin plate transported object 1 is The thin plate transported object 1 is floated, and the thin plate transported material 1 is transported by transport means such as rollers (not shown) disposed on the side surface of the conveyor.

  The low-pressure air passage 3a formed inside the support passage A is connected to a low-pressure pipe 7 so as to supply low-pressure air mixed with air ionized by an ionizer described later. The static electricity charged on the thin plate transported object is removed by the air ejected from the hole 3 toward the lower surface of the thin plate transported object 1.

The exhaust path B is not particularly limited, like the support path A, but has, for example, a required length of a square pipe shape, and the upper surface has a length of 1 along the longitudinal direction of the exhaust path B. A plurality of exhaust ports 16 are arranged in a row or two rows, an exhaust passage 16a is formed inside, and the exhaust passage 16a and each exhaust port 16 are electrically connected to each other. All or part of the air ejected from the nozzle hole 2 and the low-pressure nozzle hole 3 can be exhausted to the outside of the conveying path through the exhaust pipe 17 connected to the exhaust path 16a.
In this case, an intake pump 18 can be connected to the exhaust pipe 17 so as to force exhaust.

  The blocking plate 15 is a flat plate or a U-shaped cross section as shown in the figure as long as it fills the gap between the support passage A having the high-pressure nozzle row and the low-pressure nozzle row arranged in parallel and the exhaust passage B. The shape steel material or the like can be employed, and preferably, the closing plate 15 and the top surface of the exhaust passage B are at the same level.

  A high-pressure compressor 14 is connected to the tip of the high-pressure pipe 6 connected to the high-pressure air path 2a of the support path A. The pressure adjustment valve 12, the filter 11 and the ON / OFF are connected to the high-pressure pipe 6 from the high-pressure compressor 14 side. A valve 10 is provided, whereby the pressure of the high-pressure air supplied from the high-pressure compressor 14 is adjusted by the pressure adjustment valve 12, dust is removed by the filter 11, and the required high-pressure clean air can be supplied to the high-pressure nozzle hole 2. To do.

  In addition, a low-pressure compressor 13 is connected to the tip of the low-pressure pipe 7 connected to the low-pressure air path 3a in the same manner as the high-pressure air path 2a. A filter 11 and an ON / OFF valve 10 are disposed, and an ionizer discharge element 9 is connected to a position of the low-pressure pipe 7 through the ON / OFF valve 10, and the ionizer discharge element 9 is connected via an ionized air supply pipe 81. The ionizer main body 8 is connected, and the pressure of the low-pressure air supplied from the low-pressure compressor 13 is adjusted by the pressure regulating valve 12 and dust is removed by the filter 11 to be ionized into the required low-pressure clean air by the ionizer. The mixed air is mixed so that it can be supplied to the low pressure nozzle hole 3 through the low pressure air passage 3a.

Along the longitudinal direction of the transport path L, partitions 5 and 5 are arranged on the side of the transport path.
The partition 5 is arranged so that all or part of the air ejected from the high-pressure nozzle hole 2 and the low-pressure nozzle hole 3 in the support path A collides with the lower surface of the thin sheet transported object on the transport path, and then horizontally toward the outside of the transport path. The air flowing in the direction is blocked or blocked, and the direction is directed downward. As shown in FIG. 2, the exhaust is put on the down flow in the clean room and can be exhausted to the outside. Prevent dust from adhering to the transported items and / or contamination of peripheral equipment.

  In the present embodiment, high pressure air is supplied to the first nozzle hole, low pressure air is supplied to the second nozzle hole, and the air pressure of the air ejected from the first nozzle hole is changed to the second nozzle hole. Although the pressure is set to be higher than the air pressure of the air ejected from the hole, the first air passage is formed by making the hole diameter of the first nozzle hole smaller than the hole diameter of the second nozzle hole. It is possible not to provide the pressure difference of the air in the second air passage, or to use these configurations in combination.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, only one high-pressure compressor 14 is used as means for supplying air of a set pneumatic pressure to the high-pressure air passage 2a and the low-pressure air passage 3a of the support passage A, and the high-pressure pipe 6 Is branched into two circuits on the way to the pressure regulating valve 12, this one pipe is used as the high pressure pipe 6 as it is, and the pressure regulating valve 12, the filter 11 and the ON / OFF valve 10 are arranged in this order. The piping may be a low-pressure piping 7, and the pressure regulating valve 12, the filter 11, and the ON / OFF valve 10 may be sequentially disposed on the piping.
As a result, even if one high-pressure compressor is used, the pressure regulating valves 12 and 12 are arranged in the branched pipes, respectively. By adjusting the pressure to a high pressure on the side and to a low pressure on the low pressure side, respectively, the same action as in the embodiment using two compressors as shown in FIG. 1 is achieved.

Next, the operation of this air levitation conveyor will be described.
The thin plate conveyed product 1 supplied on the conveying path L is ejected from the high-pressure nozzle hole 2 by the high-pressure air supplied through the high-pressure compressor 14 and the high-pressure pipe 6, so It is supported so as to surface.
In this case, since the high-pressure nozzle hole 2 employs an extremely small nozzle diameter that allows the thin plate conveyed object 1 to float on the conveyance path, the consumption of high-pressure air ejected from the high-pressure nozzle hole 2 can be reduced. .
Moreover, since the air ionized by the ionizer body 8 and the ionizer discharge element 9 is ejected from the low pressure nozzle hole 3 toward the lower surface of the thin plate transported object 1, static electricity can be neutralized by the air passing through the ionizer. Since the conveyance object 1 can be prevented from being charged, it is possible to prevent foreign matters from adhering to the thin plate conveyance object 1 and peripheral devices.

  In addition, the used air that hits the lower surface of the thin plate transported object 1 and flows into the space formed between the lower surface of the thin plate transported material 1 that floats on the upper surface of the transport path and the upper surface of the transport path is parallel to the support path A. The air is sucked in from the plurality of exhaust ports 16 disposed along the longitudinal direction of the exhaust path B and is exhausted by the intake pump 18 through the exhaust pipe 17. The used air that has flowed in the direction collides with partitions 5 and 5 that are inclined on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the conveyance path, and the air flow after use is in the horizontal direction depending on the installation angle of the partitions 5 and 5. Will be blocked down, flow toward the floor, and discharged to the outside.

As a result, even if dust is contained in the air after use, it will not be diffused, so it can be transported while maintaining the peripheral equipment and the thin plate transported object in a clean state. The high-pressure air allows the thin plate transported to be levitated and supported, so vibrations can be reduced, and there is almost no resistance in the horizontal direction of the thin plate transported material. Can be aligned with.
In addition, since there are no wear parts such as motors, rollers, and bearings in the conveyance path, there are few maintenance parts and reliability is improved.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the air levitation conveyor of the present invention.
This air floating type conveyor forms only one air path, that is, the high-pressure air path 2a, in the support path A having a square pipe-like required length.
In this case as well, a number of high-pressure nozzle holes 2 are arranged along the longitudinal direction on the top surface of the support path A to form a high-pressure nozzle row. The high-pressure nozzle holes 2 are the same as in the first embodiment. In addition, the aperture is set to such a small diameter that air is blown to the extent that the thin plate transported object 1 is levitated, and a large number of the apertures are arranged at a predetermined interval.
The high-pressure air 6 is connected to a high-pressure pipe 6 having an ON / OFF valve 10, a filter 11, a pressure regulating valve 12, and a high-pressure compressor 14, and the required high-pressure air is formed in the support path A. Supply to the path 2a.
In this case, ionized air is supplied on the way to the high-pressure air passage 2a of the support passage A through the ON / OFF valve 10 and is mixed with the high-pressure air.

The ionized air is supplied by connecting an ionizer discharge element 9 to the high-pressure pipe 6 on the way to the support path A via the ON / OFF valve 10, and the ionizer discharge element 9 via the ionized air supply pipe 81. The main body 8 is connected.
As a result, the pressure of the air supplied from the high-pressure compressor 14 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure by the pressure control valve 12, and the air that has been ionized by the ionizer is mixed with the clean air that has been dust-removed by the filter 11. The high pressure air passage 2a is supplied.
The arrangement of the closing plate 15 and the exhaust path B is the same as that in the first embodiment.

This air levitation conveyor is supported only by high-pressure air jetted from the high-pressure nozzle holes of one high-pressure nozzle row so that the thin plate-conveyed material is levitated along the conveyance path and the thin plate-conveyed material is not charged. It is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the thin plate transported object.
Thus, since only the high-pressure air ejected from the high-pressure nozzle hole has both the levitation force and the charge removal effect, the apparatus can be configured easily.
The basic operation of the air floating conveyor of the present embodiment is the same as that of the air floating conveyor of the first embodiment.

  As mentioned above, although the air floating type conveyor of this invention was demonstrated based on several Example, this invention is not limited to the structure described in the said Example, The structure described in each Example is combined suitably. The configuration can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  The air levitation conveyor of the present invention makes it possible to prevent dust adhesion and scattering without charging static electricity on a thin sheet conveyance object such as a glass sheet while taking advantage of the air levitation conveyance device. Furthermore, since it has the characteristic that the amount of consumption of air can be reduced, it can be widely used for the conveyance of thin plate conveyed objects such as glass sheets used for liquid crystal substrates.

It is explanatory drawing which shows 1st Example of the air floating type conveyor of this invention. It is sectional drawing in the II line in FIG. 1, and is explanatory drawing of the streamline of the air in the conveyor. It is explanatory drawing of the principal part which showed the modification of 1st Example and was made to operate | move with one compressor. It is explanatory drawing which shows 2nd Example of the air floating type conveyor of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Thin plate transported object 2 Nozzle hole (first nozzle hole)
2a High-pressure air passage (first air passage)
3 Nozzle holes (second nozzle holes)
3a Low pressure air passage (second air passage)
5 Screen 6 High Pressure Pipe 7 Low Pressure Pipe 8 Ionizer Body 9 Ionizer Discharge Element 10 ON / OFF Valve 11 Filter 12 Pressure Adjustment Valve 13 Low Pressure Compressor 14 High Pressure Compressor 15 Blocking Plate 16 Exhaust Port 17 Exhaust Pipe 18 Suction Pump 81 Ionized Air Supply Pipe L Conveyance path A Support path B Exhaust path

Claims (9)

  A first air passage configured to float the thin plate transported object by air ejected from the first nozzle holes arranged in a row toward the lower surface side of the thin plate transported product, and a second air channel disposed in a row. An air levitation conveyor, wherein a second air path configured to remove static electricity by air ionized by an ionizer ejected from a nozzle hole is formed in parallel with a support path.   The air floating conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the air pressure of the air ejected from the first nozzle hole is set to be higher than the air pressure of the air ejected from the second nozzle hole.   The air floating conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hole diameter of the first nozzle hole is smaller than the hole diameter of the second nozzle hole.   That the air supplied to the first air passage and the air supplied to the second air passage are supplied by adjusting the pressure with the pressure regulating valve by the piping branched from one compressor, respectively. The air levitation conveyor according to claim 1, 2, or 3.   An air path is formed in parallel with the support path by the air jetted from the nozzle holes arranged in a row toward the lower surface side of the thin plate transported object. An air floating conveyor characterized by supplying air ionized by an ionizer.   6. The air levitation conveyor according to claim 1, wherein a conveying path is configured by arranging an exhaust path for exhausting in parallel with the support path.   The air levitation conveyor according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of support paths and / or exhaust paths are arranged in parallel to form a transport path having a required width.   The air floating conveyor according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising a closing plate for closing a gap between the support path and the exhaust path.   The air floating conveyor according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, wherein partitions are arranged on both sides of the conveying path.

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