JP2006298507A - Transfer equipment for glass substrate and transferring method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact and inexpensive transfer equipment with a simple constitution capable of certainly separating a spacer without slide-contacting it with a surface of a glass substrate when the spacer is separated from the glass substrate and preventing generation of wrinkle and relaxing of the spacer during separation/conveying action and the generation of scratch on the glass substrate due to slide-contact. <P>SOLUTION: The transferring device for the glass substrate is provided with a substrate conveying means 10; and spacer separation/conveying means 20, 30, 40. When the substrate conveying means 10 adsorbs the glass substrate G, the spacer separation/conveying means 20, 30, 40 fix one side of the spacer S. When the spacer S is separated/conveyed, the spacer S is rotated so as to draw a circular track making a fixed side as a center and the spacer S is conveyed while separating from the glass substrate G without slide-contacting it with the surface of the subsequent glass substrate G. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a glass substrate transfer device for transferring a glass substrate to a predetermined place from a state where glass substrates and spacers are alternately laminated, and in particular, a state where the glass substrate and the spacer are leaned diagonally. The present invention relates to a glass substrate transfer device for transferring a glass substrate and a spacer to predetermined locations.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-255772 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-14155 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-61597

  In recent years, with the expansion of applications of glass substrates (for example, for large liquid crystal panels and large size PDP panels), the size of the substrates has increased (for example, fifth generation size: 1100 mm × 1300 mm, seventh generation). Size: 1870 mm × 2200 mm).

  And when carrying in and carrying out such a glass substrate, spacers, such as a slip sheet, are inserted between the laminated | stacked glass substrates, and this glass substrate is protected. In addition, when carrying in / out a large glass substrate, from the viewpoint of effective use of space, etc., the laminated glass substrate and the spacer are leaned against the carriage, that is, the glass substrate and the spacer are at a predetermined angle. The system is distributed in the state of standing up in.

  When transferring a large glass substrate inclined in this way to a processing line, it is necessary to separate and transfer the glass substrate and the spacer that are in close contact with each other. However, the glass substrate is separated from the spacer. At the time, or when the spacer is separated from the glass substrate, the spacer easily adheres to the glass substrate, which takes time for the separation work and causes a problem in manual workability.

  In addition, such a glass substrate is thin (for example, about 0.5 mm to 0.7 mm) and easily causes scratches, cracks, and the like. It has become difficult, and the time interval (processing tact) for supplying the glass substrate to the processing line has been required to be shortened year by year, and from this point of view, manual work has become difficult. .

  Thus, various transfer devices have been proposed for separating and transporting such glass substrates and spacers and supplying them to a predetermined processing line (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  Here, in Patent Document 1, a glass substrate transfer hand having an adsorption mechanism for adsorbing and transferring a glass substrate, a spacer adsorption nozzle for adsorbing a spacer such as a slip sheet, and the spacer by air blow. A glass substrate having a spray nozzle for peeling from a glass substrate and a spacer acquisition mechanism having an openable / closable chuck, and separating and transferring the glass substrate from the spacer by alternately operating the suction mechanism and the spacer acquisition mechanism A transfer device is disclosed.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a pressure contact member that is movable forward and backward from one side of a frame attached to the tip of an arm, a pressing member that is detachably attached to the pressure contact member and protrudes forward, and is movable back and forth. A glass substrate transfer device is provided that has an adsorbing member that adsorbs by adhering to the spacer at the lower end of the glass substrate, fixes the end of the spacer protruding from the side end, and separates and conveys the glass substrate and the spacer. It is disclosed.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, the suction plate that sucks the glass substrate on the pallet and the suction pad that sucks the spacer are individually moved up and down and protruded, and the stroke of the suction plate is made to go straight in two stages. Disclosed is a glass substrate transfer device that regulates the gap between the glass substrate supported by suction and the spacer and drops the spacer to a predetermined place by swinging the suction pad that sucks the lower edge of the spacer. Has been.

  However, each of the prior arts disclosed in the above-mentioned patent documents has the following problems.

  For example, in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to approach the glass substrate that is inclined and laminated, and the glass substrate suction mechanism and the spacer acquisition mechanism are integrated in the transfer hand. The glass substrate separation transport and the spacer separation transport could not be performed in parallel, resulting in a problem that speeding up was difficult.

  Further, in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 2, the end of the spacer protruding from one side of the glass substrate is pressed by a pressing member to be fixed once, and the fixing portion is sucked by the suction member to separate the spacers. During the separation operation of the spacer, the spacer is likely to adhere to the rear glass substrate surface due to electrostatic force or the like.

  Furthermore, in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 3, a configuration capable of adsorbing to a spacer arranged so as not to protrude from the peripheral edge of the glass substrate is adopted, but is disclosed in Patent Document 2. As in the prior art, the end of the spacer is pressed by a pressing member and is temporarily fixed, and the fixing portion is sucked by an adsorbing member to separate the spacer. There was a similar problem that it easily adheres to the substrate surface.

  The tendency that the spacer easily adheres to the surface of the rear glass substrate during the separation operation of the spacer is particularly noticeable when the spacer is separated from the glass substrate that has been increased in size and inclined in recent years. Appear. That is, when separating a spacer such as a slip sheet from a glass substrate that has been inclined and laminated in this manner, if the one end of the spacer is adsorbed and separated from the glass substrate, the free end of the enlarged spacer is Due to its own weight, it tends to bend or drop, or adhere to the substrate surface during the separation / transport operation due to electrostatic force or the like.

  In addition, when the spacer is further pulled by such an adsorbing means as disclosed in the prior art and separated from the surface of the glass substrate from the adhering state, the adsorbing means falls off the spacer and the spacer is stabilized. Problems such as separation not occurring, wrinkles and sagging in the spacer, which makes it more difficult for the spacer to come into contact with the glass substrate and make it difficult to separate, or damage the spacer itself The problem of doing.

  Furthermore, when the spacer is attached to the surface of the next glass substrate with a stronger suction force or the like, the spacer comes into sliding contact with the glass substrate, and dust or the like adhering to the spacer There has been a problem that the surface is rubbed and the surface is damaged.

  Such scratches on the surface of the glass substrate have a significant effect on subsequent processing steps where high-precision and high-density processing is performed, and cause quality defects. There has also been a concern that a separate polishing step for polishing the surface of the glass substrate damaged by the coating becomes necessary.

  In addition, a glass substrate that has undergone a certain amount of surface processing may be once carried into a carriage and supplied to another processing line. The glass substrate that has been subjected to such surface processing is transferred to the processing line. When the surface is damaged, there is a risk that the processing may be re-executed and eventually the glass substrate may be discarded, resulting in a decrease in productivity and yield.

  Therefore, in view of the problems of the prior art as described above, the present invention performs separation and conveyance of the inclined laminated glass substrate and the spacer in parallel to realize high speed operation and remove the spacer from the glass substrate. When separating, it is surely separated without sliding against the surface of the glass substrate, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of wrinkles and sagging of the spacer during the separation / transport operation and the occurrence of scratches on the glass substrate due to the sliding contact. An object of the present invention is to provide a glass substrate transfer device that can be made compact and inexpensive at a simple configuration.

  In order to achieve the above object, the glass substrate transfer device of the present invention is configured such that the glass substrate and the spacer are laminated in an alternating manner, and each of the glass substrate and the spacer is preliminarily arranged at a predetermined inclination angle. In the apparatus for transferring a glass substrate to be transferred to a predetermined location, a substrate transport means for adsorbing the frontmost glass substrate disposed at a predetermined position and transferring the glass substrate to a predetermined location; and the frontmost portion Spacer separating and conveying means that adsorbs a spacer disposed on the rear surface of the glass substrate, separates it from the surface of the next glass substrate, and transfers it to a predetermined location. The spacer separating and conveying means includes: When adsorbing the glass substrate, while fixing one side of the spacer, when separating and transporting the spacer, rotate the spacer so as to draw a circular orbit around the fixed side, It is characterized in that for conveying separated from the glass substrate spacers without surface sliding contact next glass substrate.

  Here, the spacer is not limited to a paper material such as a so-called slip sheet, and includes, for example, a resin sheet material made of polypropylene or the like.

  In the glass substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the glass substrates and the spacers are alternately stacked, and each of the glass substrates and the spacers is moved to a predetermined place from a state where the glass substrates and the spacers are inclined at a predetermined inclination angle. The glass substrate transfer apparatus to be transferred includes a substrate transfer means and a spacer separation transfer means. The spacer separation transfer means fixes one side of the spacer when the substrate transfer means sucks the glass substrate. When separating and transporting the spacer, the spacer is rotated so as to draw a circular orbit about the fixed side, and the spacer is separated from the glass substrate without being in sliding contact with the surface of the next glass substrate. Therefore, it is possible to perform a parallel operation of separating and transporting the glass substrate and separating and transporting the spacer, thereby realizing a high-speed operation. Further, when the spacer is separated from the glass substrate, the spacer is prevented from adhering to the next glass substrate, and the surface of the substrate is scratched due to the spacer being rubbed against the surface of the glass substrate during the spacer separation / transport operation. A glass substrate transfer device that prevents the occurrence of defects and prevents the generation of wrinkles of spacers during the separation and transfer operations of the spacers, making it easy to reuse, with a simple structure, and compact and inexpensive. Can be provided.

  The spacer separating / conveying means is arranged with a spacer pressing roller that presses and fixes the upper side of the spacer against the upper end of the next glass substrate, and a gentler inclination angle than a predetermined inclination angle of the glass substrate. A side chuck that is formed to be movable along an inclined guide rail provided, and that grips both sides of the spacer, and spacer holding means that sucks and holds the lower side of the spacer, and the spacer includes: The spacer may be rotated about the upper side of the spacer fixed by the spacer pressing roller until it becomes substantially parallel to the inclined guide rail, and the vicinity of the upper side may be gripped by the side chuck.

  Here, the inclination angle in the present specification means an inclination angle from a horizontal plane. That is, the inclination angle becomes steeper as it approaches the vertical plane, and the inclination angle becomes gentler as it approaches the horizontal plane.

  When configured in this way, the spacer separating and conveying means includes a spacer pressing roller that presses and fixes the upper side of the spacer to the upper end of the next glass substrate, and a gentler inclination than the predetermined inclination angle of the glass substrate. It is formed to be movable along an inclined guide rail arranged at an angle, and includes a side chuck that grips both sides of the spacer, and spacer holding means that sucks and holds the lower side of the spacer and conveys the side chuck. When gripping the spacer, the spacer is rotated about the upper side of the spacer fixed by the spacer pressing roller until it becomes substantially parallel to the inclined guide rail by the spacer holding means, and the side chuck makes the vicinity of the upper side. Since it is gripped, it can approach the side of the spacer linearly without adjusting the gripping posture of the side chuck. It can be, can be simplified for simplifying and control mechanisms by freedom reducing side chuck and will, thereby, can contribute to miniaturization and cost reduction. In addition, by drawing a predetermined circular orbit on the spacer, it prevents the adsorption of the lower side of the spacer from falling off, and also keeps the upper and lower sides of the spacer during separation and transport operations. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of sagging and wrinkles of the spacer in the glass, and to prevent adhesion and sliding contact with the glass substrate.

  Further, the spacer holding means is separated from the next substrate surface by rotating it so as to draw a circular orbit until the surface of the spacer is attracted and substantially parallel to the inclined guide rail, over the width direction of the spacer. When the spacer is separated by suction using the plurality of suction pads, the suction pad corresponding to both end portions in the width direction of the spacer is directed from the suction pad corresponding to the central portion to the suction pad. Then, they may be sequentially adsorbed and separated.

  In such a configuration, the spacer holding means is separated from the next substrate surface by rotating it so as to draw a circular orbit until the spacer surface is attracted and substantially parallel to the inclined guide rail. A plurality of suction pads arranged across the width direction, and when the spacers are separated by suction using the plurality of suction pads, the suction pads corresponding to the center portion from the suction pads corresponding to both ends in the width direction of the spacer As a result, the spacer and the glass substrate can be smoothly separated with a smaller suction force than in the case where the entire region in the width direction is adsorbed and separated. .

  Furthermore, the spacer holding means may further include a lower chuck that grips the vicinity of both ends of the lower side of the spacer when the spacer becomes substantially parallel to the inclined guide rail.

  In this case, the spacer holding means further includes a lower chuck that grips the vicinity of both ends of the lower side of the spacer when the spacer is substantially parallel to the inclined guide rail. And the lower chuck can securely hold the four corner ends of the spacer, and a constant tension can be applied to the spacer at all times, preventing the occurrence of wrinkles and slack during the transportation of the spacer, and the glass substrate during the transportation of the spacer. Generation | occurrence | production of the damage | wound of a glass substrate by adhesion to an adhesion and adhesion sliding contact can be prevented more reliably. In addition, the state of the spacer can be maintained better, and the reuse can be further facilitated.

  Furthermore, the substrate transporting means and the spacer holding means are arranged up and down via a predetermined transporting location of the glass substrate and are formed to be horizontally movable, and the substrate transporting means. When the glass substrate that has been adsorbed and separated is moved in a horizontal direction toward a predetermined transfer location and the posture of the glass substrate is made substantially horizontal, the spacer holding means moves in a horizontal direction toward the spacer. The spacer may be separated.

  When configured in this way, the substrate transfer means and the spacer holding means are arranged vertically via a predetermined transfer location of the glass substrate, and are formed so as to be horizontally movable, respectively. The spacer holding means moves in the horizontal direction toward the spacer when the glass substrate that has been sucked and separated by the conveying means is moved in the horizontal direction toward the predetermined transfer location and the attitude of the glass substrate is made substantially horizontal. Since the spacers are separated, the movement space between the substrate transport unit and the spacer holding unit can be separated vertically, and parallel operations can be easily realized with simpler drive control without interfering with each other. Accordingly, it is possible to contribute to further downsizing of the apparatus and higher work speed.

  In the above, when the spacer separating / conveying means rotates the spacer and separates it from the next glass substrate, the spacer is charged in the space between the spacer formed by the separation and the next glass substrate. You may further provide the static elimination means which sprays the ionized air flow electrically charged by the polarity opposite to polarity.

  When configured in this way, when the spacer separating / conveying means rotates the spacer and separates it from the next glass substrate, the spacer is formed in the space between the spacer formed by the separation and the next glass substrate.・ Equipped with static elimination means that blows ionized air flow charged in the opposite polarity to the charged polarity of the spacer, so that the charged spacer is neutralized between the glass substrates to prevent adhesion between the spacer and the next glass substrate due to electrostatic force Thus, separation of the spacer and the glass substrate can be performed more effectively and reliably.

  The glass substrate and the spacer may be moved at a predetermined timing so that the frontmost glass substrate is always in a predetermined position.

  In such a configuration, the glass substrate and the spacer are always moved at a predetermined timing so that the frontmost glass substrate is always at a predetermined position. Therefore, the glass substrate and the spacer are always at a fixed position. Therefore, it is possible to separate and transport the glass substrate and the spacer with high stability and certainty by simple transport control.

  In the glass substrate transfer method according to the present invention, the glass substrate and the spacer are alternately laminated, and the glass substrate and the spacer are transferred to a predetermined place from a state where the glass substrate and the spacer are inclined and arranged at a predetermined inclination angle. In the substrate transfer method, when adsorbing the frontmost glass substrate among the laminated glass substrates, one side of the spacer disposed on the rear surface is fixed, and the glass substrate is separated from the spacer to be predetermined. While the glass substrate is transferred to a predetermined location from the inclined position, the spacer is rotated around the fixed side of the spacer so as to maintain a constant turning radius. Then, after holding the vicinity of the four corners of the spacer, the fixing of one side of the spacer is released, and the spacer is transported separately from the glass substrate without being brought into sliding contact with the surface of the next glass substrate. It is intended.

  According to such a glass substrate transfer method according to the present invention, the glass substrate separation and conveyance work and the spacer separation and conveyance work are performed in parallel to achieve high-speed work, and the spacer is made of the glass substrate. When separating from the spacer, rotate the spacer around the fixed side of the spacer to maintain a constant turning radius, and then hold the vicinity of the four corners of the spacer, and then release the fixed side of the spacer Since the spacer is transported separately from the glass substrate without being brought into sliding contact with the surface of the next glass substrate, the spacer is prevented from adhering to and sliding on the glass substrate during the separation and transport operations. Thus, it is possible to provide a method for transferring a glass substrate that reliably prevents the glass substrate from being scratched, prevents the spacers from being wrinkled and slack, and facilitates the reuse thereof.

  According to the present invention, it becomes possible to perform a parallel operation for separating and transporting a glass substrate and a spacer, which are inclined and laminated, with a simple configuration, which contributes to the speeding up of the operation and at the time of separating the spacer from the glass substrate. Glass substrate transfer device that reliably separates without sliding against the surface of the substrate, and prevents the occurrence of wrinkles and slack of the spacer during separation / conveying operation and the generation of scratches on the glass substrate due to the sliding contact Can be realized in a compact and inexpensive manner.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[overall structure]

  First, the outline | summary of the transfer apparatus of the glass substrate which concerns on this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a glass substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the glass substrate transfer device according to the present invention has a predetermined structure from a state in which glass substrates G and spacers S accommodated in a carriage D and erected at a predetermined inclination angle are alternately stacked. Each of the glass substrate G and the spacer S is taken out from the take-out position, and each of the glass substrate G and the spacer S is conveyed to a predetermined position. Further, when the glass substrate G is separated and transported, the rear surface spacer S is prevented from adhering, and when the spacer S is separated and transported, the surface of the rear glass substrate G is not slid (glass substrate G). The spacer S can be separated from the glass substrate G and conveyed and accumulated without rubbing the surface of the glass substrate G.

  In the present embodiment, the spacer S is disposed so as to protrude further upward from the upper end portion between the inclined glass substrates G.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a glass substrate transfer device 1 according to the present invention includes a frame 3 that is a rectangular frame, and a conveying conveyor (not shown) is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the frame 3. A horizontal substrate stage GS, which is a predetermined transfer location of the glass substrate G, is provided on the surface thereof so as to be able to be connected. On the other hand, the other end of the frame 3 (the end opposite to the substrate stage GS) is a cart in which a glass substrate G and a spacer S arranged at a predetermined inclination angle (for example, 80 ° to 85 °) are accommodated. D is disposed on the carriage moving unit DD. The carriage moving unit DD is configured such that the carriage D containing the glass substrates G and the spacers S which are inclined and laminated at a predetermined pitch is always placed at a fixed position. When the transfer of the substrate G and the spacer S is completed, the trolley D is moved by a predetermined pitch, and the trolley D set by the operator is moved along the inclined surface DS together with the trolley D (not shown). A moving mechanism is provided.

  By using such a carriage moving unit DD, the glass substrate G and the spacer S are always taken out at predetermined positions, so that the configuration and control of the glass substrate transfer means and the spacer separation transfer means described later are simplified. In addition, it is possible to realize a stable separation and conveyance work.

  Further, a spacer storage stocker SS is provided in the longitudinal center of the lower surface of the frame 3 between the laminated glass substrate G and spacer S and the substrate stage GS.

  The upper longitudinal frames 3a and 3a extending in the longitudinal direction of the frame 3 are respectively formed with guide rails (not shown) on the upper surface thereof, and above the upper longitudinal frames 3a and 3a, A movable frame 5 formed so as to be horizontally movable in the longitudinal direction along the guide rail is disposed in the width direction (direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction) across the upper longitudinal frames 3a and 3a. A glass substrate transport unit 10 that sucks the glass substrate G disposed at a predetermined position and transports it to the substrate stage GS is suspended at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the movable frame 5.

  On the other hand, in the lower space of the substrate stage GS, there is accommodated a spacer transport unit 30 that sucks and separates the spacer S interposed between the stacked glass substrates G, and this spacer transport unit 30 transports the glass substrate. Similar to the unit 10, it is formed to be horizontally movable along a guide rail (not shown) so as to be close to the spacer S arranged at the other end.

  Further, above the foremost glass substrate G disposed at a predetermined position, a spacer pressing unit 20 that fixes the upper side portion of the spacer S disposed on the rear surface of the glass substrate G extends in the width direction. It is arranged like this.

  Further, in the vicinity of both end portions in the width direction of the spacer pressing unit 20, a side chuck having a side chuck that is formed so as to be slidable along an inclined frame that is inclined and which holds and conveys the side of the spacer S. A unit 40 is provided.

  Reference numeral 50 denotes a controller unit that controls each component unit.

  In the transfer apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment configured as described above, the glass substrate transport unit 10 corresponds to the substrate transport means, and the spacer pressing unit 20, the spacer transport unit 30, and the side chuck unit 40 are used to separate and transport the spacer. Means are configured.

Next, the structure of the main part of the glass substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention will be further described with reference to the drawings.
[Glass substrate transport unit 10]

  First, the configuration of the glass substrate transport unit 10 that performs adsorption separation of the glass substrate will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the glass substrate transport unit 10 according to the present invention is suspended from a movable frame 5 formed to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the frame 3 and a substantially central portion in the width direction of the movable frame 5. Further, for example, an expansion / contraction part 101 configured to extend in the vertical direction composed of a cylinder, a rotation shaft 103 formed to be rotatable in a direction facing the glass substrate G at the tip of the expansion / contraction part 101, and the rotation shaft 103 And a plate-like substrate suction surface 105 disposed so as to face the glass substrate G. The substrate suction surface 105 is provided with a plurality of substrate suction pads 107, 107,... Which are brought into pressure contact with the glass substrate G by a negative pressure source (not shown). By sucking, the glass substrate G is adsorbed and separated.

In the glass substrate transport unit 10 according to the present invention configured as described above, the glass substrate G which is inclined and stacked is sucked and transported in a horizontal posture onto a predetermined substrate stage GS, and the processing is completed It is also possible to carry G out of the conveyer and sequentially incline and stack on the carriage D.
[Spacer holding unit 20]

  Next, the structure of the spacer pressing unit 20 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the spacer pressing unit 20 according to the present invention is arranged to extend in the width direction above the foremost glass substrate G arranged at a predetermined position, The rotating shaft 201, the inverted Z-shaped rotating support members 203 and 203 connected to both ends of the rotating shaft 201, and the glass substrate G side end portions 203d and 203d of the rotating support members 203 and 203 are attached. A roller shaft 204 and a plurality of pressing rollers 205 attached to the roller shaft 204 are provided. The other end portions 203u and 203u of the rotation support members 203 and 203 are respectively connected to a drive cylinder 207. By driving the drive cylinder 207 to extend and contract, the rotation support members 203 and 203 are rotated around the rotation shaft 201. The plurality of pressing rollers 205, 205,... At the front ends are moved so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the upper side of the spacer S protruding from above the glass substrate G. Specifically, for example, by rotating the rotation support member 203 in the clockwise direction in the figure, the upper side of the spacer S is supported by a plurality of pressing rollers 205, 205. The rotation support member 203 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing to release the fixation, and the upper side of the spacer S can be fixed with a simple configuration. It can be canceled.
[Spacer transport unit 30]

  Next, the structure of the spacer conveyance unit 30 which is the spacer holding means according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration inside the casing of the spacer transport unit 30.

  The spacer transport unit 30 according to the present invention can be accommodated in a lower space of the substrate stage GS, and can be horizontally moved from the lower portion of the substrate stage GS to a predetermined take-out position of the glass substrate G as shown in FIG. A special casing 301 is provided. The casing 301 includes a roll member 305 extending along the width direction and movably formed along guide portions 303 and 303 formed on the inner side surface 301 </ b> S, and both end portions of the roll member 305. The bending arms 307 and 307 connected to each other, the suction support members 309 disposed at the tip ends of the bending arms 307 and 307 so as to extend in the width direction, and the suction support members 309 along the width direction. And a plurality of spacer suction pads 310 disposed on the surface.

  Here, the plurality of suction pads 310, 310,... Provided at the tips of the bending arms 307, 307 are arranged so as to correspond to substantially the entire width direction of the spacer S, and the number of arrangement is arbitrarily set. be able to. Further, the guide portions 303 and 303 have a plurality of suction pads 310, 310... Provided at the distal ends of the bending arms 307 and 307 when the roll member 305 moves along the guide portions 303 and 303. Are formed so as to draw a circular trajectory centered on the fixed side of the spacer S fixed by the pressing rollers 205, 205. Furthermore, the bending angle of the bending arm 307 is such that when the bending arm 307 approaches the spacer S, the tip thereof faces the surface of the spacer S (the surface of the spacer S and the suction surface of the suction pads 310, 310... And are in close contact with each other).

  Further, in the vicinity of both ends in the width direction of the lower front end edge of the casing 301, a telescopic shaft 313 that expands and contracts in the same direction as the inclination direction of the inclined frame 401, which will be described later, can be opened and closed in a hand shape that grips the lower side portion of the spacer S. Lower chucks 315 and 315 are provided.

  In the spacer transport unit 30 of the present invention configured as described above, the lower side portion of the spacer S is sucked by the plurality of suction pads 310, 310... And the upper portion of the spacer S fixed by the pressing rollers 205, 205. After rotating the spacer S so as to draw a circular orbit centered on the fixed side, the lower chuck 315, 315 grips the lower side of the spacer S, and together with the side chuck unit 40 described later, the spacer S It is accommodated in the spacer storage stocker SS.

Further, when the circular orbit is drawn on the spacer S, the orbit is drawn by a predetermined guide portion 303 formed in the casing 301. Therefore, the locus on the space at the tip of the spacer S is calculated and calculated. Compared to the case, the predetermined trajectory can be realized with a simple configuration and control.
[Side chuck unit 40]

  Next, the configuration of the side chuck unit 40 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of the side chuck unit 40 viewed from the spacer approach direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the side chuck unit 40 according to the present invention includes inclined frames 401, 401 disposed in the vicinity of both ends in the width direction of the frontmost glass substrate G disposed at a predetermined position. Side chucks 405 and 405 that are formed to be slidable along the inclined frames 401 and 401 and grip the side of the spacer S are provided.

  The inclined frames 401, 401 are inclined (see FIG. 1) from the upper rear side (cart D side) of the foremost glass substrate G toward the lower front side (substrate stage GS side). , 401 are formed with inclined guide rails 403, 403 along the inclination of the inclined frames 401, 401, respectively. Here, the inclined frames 401 and 401 are inclined and arranged at a gentler inclination angle (for example, 60 ° to 75 °) than a predetermined inclination angle (for example, 80 ° to 85 °) of the glass substrate G. Further, the inner sides of the inclined frames 401 and 401 have telescopic shafts 404 and 404 that are slidable along the inclined guide rails 403 and 403 and can be expanded and contracted in the width direction. Hand-shaped openable and closable side chucks 405 and 405 for gripping the sides are provided.

  In the side chuck unit 40 of the present invention configured as described above, without changing the gripping posture of the side chucks 405 and 405 slidably attached to the inclined frames 401 and 401, In combination with the predetermined rotation of the spacer S by the suction pads 310, 310,..., The spacer S can be gripped and fixed simply by approaching the side of the spacer S linearly. The side chuck unit 40 that grips the side of the spacer S in a compact and inexpensive manner can be realized with a minimum necessary degree of freedom without adding a degree of freedom such as a rotating shaft for changing the posture.

  Next, operation | movement of the transfer apparatus 1 of the glass substrate which concerns on this invention comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram mainly showing the separation and conveyance operation of the glass substrate G, FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram mainly showing the separation and conveyance operation of the spacer S, and FIG. It is an enlarged view which shows operation | movement.

  First, the separation operation of the glass substrate G will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B.

  When the operator sets the cart D containing the glass substrates G and the spacers S alternately laminated at a predetermined pitch at a predetermined position of the cart moving unit DD, the glass substrate G and the glass substrate G and As shown in FIG. 6A, the carriage D on which the spacers S are stacked moves in the direction of the arrow a along the inclined surface DS, and when the glass substrate G mounted on the foremost portion reaches a predetermined position. Stop. As a sensor for detecting the predetermined position, for example, an existing position detection switch such as an optical sensor or a limit switch can be used. In the present embodiment, the glass substrate G and the spacer S, which are alternately inclined and stacked on the carriage D, have the frontmost side (substrate stage GS side) as the glass substrate G, and the rearmost side (the carriage D side) is the spacer. It is set to be S.

  Next, based on a work start instruction from the operator, a work start command is output to the transfer device 1 via the controller unit 50, and based on this command, the glass substrate transport unit 10 is on standby on the substrate stage GS. While moving horizontally from the position (the position indicated by the broken line in the figure) to the carriage D side in the direction of the arrow b by the movable frame 5, the substrate suction surface 105 is moved to the frontmost glass by the telescopic part 101 and the rotating shaft 103. The posture is controlled so as to face the surface of the substrate G in parallel. The plurality of suction pads 107, 107,... On the substrate suction surface 105 are stopped at a predetermined position so as to come into pressure contact with the surface of the frontmost glass substrate G disposed at the predetermined position.

  At this time, the spacer pressing unit 20 rotates so that the rotation support members 203, 203 press the spacer S on the rear surface of the front glass substrate G against the upper end of the next glass substrate G, 205... Fix the upper side of the spacer S to prepare for the adsorption separation of the frontmost glass substrate G. When the glass substrate G and the spacer S at the end of the spacer S are fixed by the spacer pressing unit 20, the next glass substrate G does not exist and is pressed against the upper end of the carriage D.

  Next, the glass substrate transport unit 10 sucks the glass substrate G by a plurality of suction pads 107, 107,... Connected to a negative pressure source (not shown), and starts suction separation of the glass substrate G. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6B, the glass substrate transport unit 10 is configured so that the upper side portion of the adsorbed glass substrate G is separated from the spacer S earlier than the lower side portion. The posture is changed (the substrate suction surface 105 is rotated in the direction opposite to the inclination direction of the glass substrate G by the rotation shaft 103). And when the upper side part of the glass substrate G isolate | separates from the spacer S, it is toward the downward direction from the upper direction of the glass substrate G with the injection | spray nozzle not shown arrange | positioned with respect to this separation space by the press roller 205 vicinity. Blow air F.

  Thereby, the glass substrate G can be reliably separated from the spacer S without the spacer S being dragged to the back surface of the glass substrate G adsorbed to the glass substrate transport unit 10.

  Next, the separating and conveying operation of the spacer S will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7C and FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the glass substrate transport unit 10 changes the orientation of the glass substrate G that has been attracted and separated from the spacer S to the horizontal direction while moving from the carriage D side to the substrate stage GS side in the direction of arrow c by the movable frame 5. Then, the suction by the suction pads 107, 107... Is released on the substrate stage GS, and the transfer of the glass substrate G is completed.

  On the other hand, when the glass substrate transfer unit 10 makes the posture of the glass substrate G substantially horizontal, the spacer transfer unit 30 disposed below the substrate stage GS moves horizontally toward the carriage D side at a predetermined position. After stopping, the roll member 305 moves to the spacer S side along the guide portions 303 and 303, and the suction pads 310, 310... Provided at the tip of the bending arm 307 are pressed against the surface of the spacer S. Stop at the position (see FIG. 4).

  In this way, the glass substrate transport unit 10 and the spacer transport unit 30 are separated from each other vertically via the substrate stage GS, and the posture of the glass substrate G sucked and transported by the glass substrate transport unit 10 is substantially horizontal. At that time, the spacer transport unit 30 moves horizontally along the direction of the arrow d and approaches the spacer S, so that the moving space of the glass substrate transport unit 10 and the moving space of the spacer transport unit 30 are separated vertically. Without causing the movement ranges of the units 10 and 30 to interfere with each other, the parallel operation of separating and transporting the glass substrate G and the spacer S can be performed by simple drive control of the units 10 and 30. Therefore, it is possible to further speed up the work (shortening the processing tact) and downsize the apparatus.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7B, the spacer transport unit 30 starts suction of the spacer S by the suction pads 310, 310... And holds the spacer S held by suction with the pressing rollers 205 of the spacer pressing unit 20. Rotate to draw a circular orbit along the direction of arrow e, with the fixed side of the spacer S fixed by 205.

  The separation operation of the spacer S will be further described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 8, after the spacer transport unit 30 starts sucking the spacer S by the suction pads 310, 310..., The spacer member 30 moves the roll member 305 to which the bending arm 307 is attached to the guide portion 303. , 303 are moved toward the substrate stage GS (see FIG. 4), and the spacer length between the suction position by the suction pads 310, 310,... And the fixed position by the pressing rollers 205, 205,. The distance along the direction is defined as the rotation radius, and the spacer S is rotated along the direction of the arrow e while maintaining this constant rotation radius. That is, the lower facing side facing the upper fixed side fixed by the pressing roller 205 of the spacer S is sucked by the suction pads 310, 310..., And the lower facing side draws a circular orbit around the upper fixed side. Rotate like so.

  When the spacers S are sucked by the suction pads 310, 310,..., The suction pads are sequentially sucked from the suction pads corresponding to both ends in the width direction of the spacer S in the order along the suction pads corresponding to the central portion. When the lower side portion of the spacer S starts to separate from the next glass substrate G, the ionized air flow IF is moved below the spacer S by the static eliminator 320 disposed in the vicinity of a predetermined take-out position of the spacer S. Spray upward from. Here, the static eliminator 320 is an injection nozzle that blows the ionized air flow IF. For example, when the spacer S interposed between the glass substrates G is negatively charged due to static electricity, it has a polarity opposite to this. A positive ionized air flow IF is sprayed.

  In this way, by sequentially starting suction from the suction pads 310 corresponding to both ends in the width direction of the spacer S, compared to the case where suction is simultaneously performed by all the suction pads 310, 310. The spacer S can be smoothly separated with a small suction force.

  In addition, a spacer charged between the glass substrates G that easily adheres to the surface of the rear glass substrate G when removed by injecting the ionized air flow IF into the lower space formed by such a separation operation. The charge removal of S can be performed, and the adhesion of the spacer S to the surface of the next glass substrate G due to electrostatic force can be more reliably prevented, and the smooth separation of the spacer S can be promoted.

  Further, by rotating the spacer S so as to draw a predetermined circular orbit, the surface of the spacer S during the separation operation, and the distal ends of the bending arms 307, 307,. Of the suction pads 310, 310,..., And the suction surfaces of the suction pads 310, 310,... And the surface of the spacer S are always kept in close contact with each other. .. prevents the spacer S from falling off, prevents the spacer S from sagging or wrinkles, prevents the spacer S from adhering to the glass substrate G during the separation operation, and performs a stable separation operation. It becomes possible.

  Next, when the spacer S is rotated by the spacer transport unit 30 to a position that is substantially parallel to the tilt angles of the tilt frames 401 and 401 of the side chuck unit 40, the side chucks 405 and 405 of the side chuck unit 40 and the spacer transport. The lower chucks 315 and 315 of the unit 30 grip the both sides of the upper end of the spacer S and both ends of the lower side, respectively, and the spacer pressing unit 20 holds the rollers S 205, 205.・ Rotate.

  The gripping position of the spacer S by the side chucks 405 and 405 and the lower chucks 315 and 315 is preferably in the vicinity of the four corners from the viewpoint of preventing the free end of the spacer S from being bent or drooping.

  When the spacer S becomes substantially parallel to the inclined frames 401 and 401 in this manner, the side chucks 405 and 405 and the lower chucks 315 and 315 hold the spacer S, thereby allowing the side chucks 405 and 405 and the lower chuck to be gripped. Each of 315 and 315 can linearly approach the spacer S, thereby providing an additional degree of freedom (for example, a rotating shaft) for changing the gripping posture of each gripping mechanism. In addition, the spacers S can be separated and transported with a simpler configuration and control, which contributes to downsizing and cost reduction of the apparatus. At the same time, the entire spacer S being transported is always given a constant tension by the side chucks 405 and 405 and the lower chucks 315 and 315 gripping the four corners. , Etc., preventing adhesion of the spacer S to the substrate surface during the transporting operation of the spacer S, damage to the substrate surface due to adhesion sliding contact, and even easier reuse of the spacer S It becomes possible to do.

  From the viewpoint of holding and transporting the spacer S, the side chucks 405 and 405 and the suction pads 310, 310,... Can hold and transport the spacer S. From the viewpoint of preventing the occurrence of scratches on the surface of the next glass substrate G accompanying the adhesion and sliding contact of the spacer S, the surface of the next glass substrate G is rotated by rotating the spacer S as described above. It is preferable to grip the vicinity of the four corners of the spacer S by the side chucks 405 and 405 and the lower chucks 315 and 315 at the time when the spacers S are separated.

  Next, the spacer S gripped by the side chucks 405 and 405 and the lower chucks 315 and 315 moves from the upper side to the lower side along the inclined guide rails 403 and 403, and the suction pads 310, 310 and the lower chucks 315 and 315 move together with the casing 301 to a predetermined position on the spacer storage stocker SS along the direction of arrow f (see FIG. 7C), so that the spacer S is moved to the next glass substrate. The spacer S is conveyed onto a predetermined stocker SS without being brought into sliding contact with the surface of G, and the gripping by the side chucks 405 and 405 and the lower chucks 315 and 315 and the suctioning by the suction pads 310, 310. Are accommodated in a predetermined stocker SS.

  By repeating the above procedure, the parallel operation of separating and transporting the glass substrate G and the separating and transporting of the spacer S can be realized with a simple configuration and control. It is possible to realize a glass substrate transfer apparatus that contributes to shortening, compactness, and cost reduction.

  In addition, each of the glass substrates G and the spacers S that are alternately inclined and stacked on the carriage D can be reliably separated and conveyed, and when the spacers S are separated, they are in sliding contact with the surface of the next glass substrate G. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the generation of scratches on the surface of the glass substrate G, which requires surface accuracy for fine processing.

  Furthermore, since the spacer S can be neatly loaded and stored in the spacer storage stocker SS without causing wrinkles or slack in the spacer S during separation and transport, the reuse of the spacer S is facilitated.

  The glass substrate transfer device 1 according to the present invention not only separates and conveys the glass substrate G and the spacer S that are inclined and stacked on the carriage D to predetermined places, but also performs predetermined processing on the processing line. It is also possible to incline and stack the glass substrate G that has been subjected to the horizontal arrangement on the carriage D using the same apparatus configuration (hereinafter also referred to as unloading operation).

  Next, an operation procedure for performing such an unloading operation will be described below.

  In this case, the work of transferring the glass substrate G and the spacer S from the above-described carriage D (hereinafter also referred to as loading work) is basically the reverse work, and the glass substrate that has been processed. The final stage corresponds to the substrate stage GS in the loading operation, and a transfer device similar to that in the loading operation can be used. Further, the spacer storage stocker SS at this time can be used as it is by attaching a conventionally known cutting device using, for example, a roller pair to the spacer storage stocker SS previously separated and recovered. Note that the same procedure as the loading operation is omitted for simplicity.

  In the case of an unloading operation using the transfer device 1, first, the spacers S stacked on the stocker SS are cut out one by one by a conventionally known cutting device attached to the spacer storage stocker SS. The tip is projected on a guide member having the same inclination as the inclined guide rails 403 and 403 arranged on the discharge side.

  As a result, the leading edge of the spacer S cut out has an inclination angle similar to that of the inclined frames 401 and 401, and the side chucks 405 and 405 that have been waiting at the lower ends of the inclined guide rails 403 and 403 cause the leading edge of the spacer S. Grab the sides.

  The side chucks 405 and 405 are used to fix the spacer S along the inclined guide rails 403 and 403 at a predetermined position (the spacer S passes over the upper end of the carriage D and is pressed by the pressing rollers 205, 205... To the upper end of the carriage D by the pressing rollers 205, 205...

  Then, the suction pads 310, 310,... Are rotated toward the surface of the carriage D (the inclined surface facing the spacer S), and the spacer S is pressed against the carriage D and set.

  Next, the glass substrate G on the final stage is sucked and transported by the glass substrate transport unit 10 and is inclined and disposed via the spacer S previously disposed on the carriage D set at a predetermined unloading position.

  For simplicity, the rotation pressing operation by the suction pads 310, 310... May be omitted, and the spacer S may be pressed by the transfer operation of the glass substrate G.

  By repeating such an operation, the glass substrate G and the spacers S that have been processed are alternately laminated on the carriage D in an inclined manner.

  Further, if it is not preferable to adsorb the surface of the glass substrate G depending on the degree of processing, the configuration of the glass substrate transport unit 10 can be changed so as to adsorb from the back side of the glass substrate G. The unloading work can be performed according to the procedure.

  In this embodiment, when the spacer S is separated from the glass substrate G, the upper side portion of the spacer S is rotated with the lower side portion held as a fixed side. For example, although the apparatus configuration and drive control are complicated, the lower side may be used as a fixed side and the upper side may be rotated, or one side may be used as a fixed side. The side may be rotated.

It is a typical block diagram which shows the transfer apparatus of the glass substrate which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the glass substrate conveyance unit which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the spacer holding | suppressing unit which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the internal structure of the spacer conveyance unit which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the side chuck unit which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the separation conveyance operation | movement of the glass substrate by the transfer apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the separation conveyance operation | movement of the glass substrate by the transfer apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the separation conveyance operation | movement of the spacer by the transfer apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the separation conveyance operation | movement of the spacer by the transfer apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the separation conveyance operation | movement of the spacer by the transfer apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is an enlarged view showing the separation operation of the spacer by the transfer device according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

  1: transfer device, 3: frame, 5: movable frame, 10: glass substrate transport unit, 101: telescopic part, 103: rotating shaft, 105: substrate suction surface, 107: substrate suction pad, 20: spacer pressing unit, 201: Rotating shaft, 203: Rotating support member, 204: Roller shaft, 205: Roller, 207: Drive cylinder, 30: Spacer transport unit, 301: Casing, 301S: Inner side surface, 303: Guide part, 305: Roll member, 307: bending arm, 309: suction support member, 310: spacer suction pad, 313: telescopic shaft, 315: lower chuck, 320: static eliminator, 40: side chuck unit, 401: inclined frame, 403: inclined guide rail, 404 : Telescopic shaft, 405: side chuck, 50: controller unit, D: carriage, D : Truck mobile unit, DS: inclined surface, G: glass substrate, GS: substrate stage, IF: ionized air flow, S: spacer, SS: spacer container stocker

Claims (8)

In the glass substrate transfer device for transferring each of the glass substrate and the spacer to a predetermined location from a state where the glass substrate and the spacer are alternately stacked and inclined at a predetermined inclination angle,
A substrate transport means for adsorbing the frontmost glass substrate disposed at a predetermined position and transferring the glass substrate to a predetermined location;
A spacer separating and conveying means for adsorbing a spacer disposed on the rear surface of the frontmost glass substrate and separating it from the surface of the next glass substrate and transferring it to a predetermined place;
The spacer separating / conveying means fixes one side of the spacer when the substrate conveying means adsorbs the glass substrate, and circular orbit around the fixed side when separating and conveying the spacer. The glass substrate transfer apparatus, wherein the spacer is rotated so as to draw the substrate, and the spacer is transported separately from the glass substrate without being brought into sliding contact with the surface of the next glass substrate. The spacer separating / conveying means is provided with a spacer pressing roller that presses and fixes the upper side portion of the spacer against the upper end portion of the next glass substrate, and an inclination angle that is gentler than a predetermined inclination angle of the glass substrate. A side chuck that is formed to be movable along the inclined guide rail, grips both sides of the spacer, and spacer holding means that sucks and holds the lower side of the spacer and conveys it,
The spacer is rotated about the upper side portion of the spacer fixed by the spacer pressing roller until it becomes substantially parallel to the inclined guide rail by the spacer holding means, and the vicinity of the upper side portion is gripped by the side chuck. The apparatus for transferring a glass substrate according to claim 1. The spacer holding means is arranged so as to be separated from the next substrate surface by rotating it so as to draw a circular orbit until the surface of the spacer is attracted and substantially parallel to the inclined guide rail. It has a plurality of suction pads installed,
When the spacers are separated by suction using the plurality of suction pads, the spacers are sequentially sucked and separated from the suction pads corresponding to both ends of the spacer in the width direction toward the suction pads corresponding to the central portion. The apparatus for transferring a glass substrate according to claim 2.   The said spacer holding means is further equipped with the lower chuck which hold | grips the vicinity of both ends of the lower side part of the said spacer when the said spacer becomes substantially parallel to the said inclination guide rail. Glass substrate transfer device.   The substrate transfer means and the spacer holding means are arranged vertically above and below a predetermined transfer location of the glass substrate, and are formed to be horizontally movable, and the substrate transfer means is separated by suction. When the glass substrate is moved in a horizontal direction toward a predetermined transfer location and the posture of the glass substrate is made substantially horizontal, the spacer holding means moves in the horizontal direction toward the spacer and moves the spacer The glass substrate transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the separation is performed.   When the spacer separating / conveying means rotates the spacer and separates it from the next glass substrate, the space between the spacer formed by the separation and the next glass substrate is opposite to the charged polarity of the spacer. 6. The apparatus for transferring a glass substrate according to claim 1, further comprising a charge removing unit that blows an ionized air flow charged to a polarity.   7. The glass substrate transfer according to claim 1, wherein the glass substrate and the spacer are moved at a predetermined timing so that the frontmost glass substrate is always at a predetermined position. Mounting device. In the glass substrate transfer method of transferring each of the glass substrate and the spacer to a predetermined location from a state where the glass substrate and the spacer are alternately laminated and inclined and arranged at a predetermined inclination angle,
Among the laminated glass substrates, when adsorbing the frontmost glass substrate, fixing one side of the spacer arranged on the rear surface, separating the glass substrate from the spacer and transferring it to a predetermined place,
While the glass substrate is being transferred to a predetermined location from the inclined position, the spacer is rotated around the fixed side of the spacer so as to maintain a constant rotation radius, and the vicinity of the four corners of the spacer is After holding, the fixing of one side of the spacer is released, and the spacer is transported separately from the glass substrate without being brought into sliding contact with the surface of the next glass substrate.

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