JP2007001716A - Device for and method of storing workpiece - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To treat a plurality of workpieces efficiently and reduce the stagnation time of the workpieces stored before. <P>SOLUTION: A base board storing device 1 to store base boards W as workpieces has a first base board cassette 10 to store the boards W from above in the sequence as carried in, a carry-out conveyor 3 to carry out the base boards stored in the first base board cassette 10 from below one by one, and a second base board cassette 20 to store the boards W transported by the carry-out conveyor 3 from above one by one. Since the arrangement order of the boards W are reversed when they are transferred from the first base board cassette 10 onto the second 20, carrying-out is conducted first from the board W carried in earlier in such a case the boards W are carried out from the second base board cassette 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a workpiece storage device and a workpiece storage method that sequentially store and dispense a plurality of workpieces.

As a device for sequentially storing and carrying out a plurality of workpieces, for example, a substrate storage device for storing a substrate for an FPD (Flat Panel Display) is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This type of apparatus has a cassette in which slots for storing substrates are arranged up and down, a cassette lifting device for raising and lowering the cassette, and a roller that enters the cassette from below and conveys the substrate. When the roller enters the cassette from the lower side and the substrate is loaded, the substrate is raised and loaded into a new slot. Furthermore, in order to arrange a plurality of cassettes so that they can be transferred (for example, refer to Patent Document 2) or to facilitate the processing when the cassettes are installed in a place where there is a roller, the position is lower than the conveyance level of the cassettes. In other cases, a level for conveying a substrate is set (for example, see Patent Document 2).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-79388 JP 2004155555 A JP 2002-167038 A

By the way, in this type of apparatus, since workpieces such as substrates are stored side-by-side in the normal place loaded by raising and lowering the cassette, when the workpiece is unloaded from the cassette, it is unloaded from the last loaded workpiece. Will do. In such a case, the residence time of the work carried in first becomes long, and depending on the type of work and the surrounding environment, contamination and deterioration may progress and the quality may vary. On the other hand, if a robot that can take out a workpiece from an arbitrary position is provided, a space for inserting the robot arm is required, so the number of workpieces that can be stored in one cassette is reduced and storage efficiency is reduced. To do. In particular, when the workpiece is a substrate for a large display, the substrate is easily bent, so that the slot interval must be increased, and the storage efficiency is further reduced.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its main object to efficiently process a plurality of workpieces and reduce the residence time of the workpieces previously stored.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention for solving the above problem is a work storage device for storing a work carried into a carry-in end and carrying out the work from the carry-out end, wherein a plurality of works are provided at the carry-in end. A loading-side buffer arranged and stored in the order of loading, a plurality of the workpieces stored in the loading-side buffer one by one from the loading-side buffer, and a conveying portion provided at the unloading end. The work carried out from the carry-in buffer can be received, and a work-out buffer for arranging and storing the work in the order of acceptance, and the work arrangement being reversed every time the transport unit carries out the work. And a control device that moves the carry-in side buffer and the carry-out side buffer.
In this workpiece storage device, when a plurality of workpieces are sequentially loaded into the loading-side buffer at the loading end, the workpieces are transferred from the loading-side buffer to the loading-side buffer. At this time, since the arrangement of the workpieces is reversed, the workpieces are carried out in the order of loading.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the work storage device according to the first aspect, the control device moves the carry-in side buffer and the carry-out side buffer in the reverse direction each time the carrying unit carries out the work. It is configured as described above.
In this workpiece storage device, when the workpiece is transferred, both the buffers are moved in the reverse direction to reverse the workpiece storage order and rearrange the workpieces so that they can be carried out in the order of loading.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the work storage device according to the first or second aspect, the work is a thin board, and the carry-in side buffer and the carry-out side buffer move the board up and down. It is storable and can be moved up and down independently.
In this work storage device, the substrates are stored in both buffers in order up and down. When the substrate is transferred, the substrates are rearranged while moving both buffers in the vertical direction and in the reverse direction.

The invention according to claim 4 is the work storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of sets of the carry-in side buffer, the transfer unit, and the carry-out side buffer are arranged in parallel. It is characterized by that.
In this workpiece storage device, a pair of storage units are formed by the carry-in buffer, the transfer unit, and the carry-out buffer, and a plurality of storage units are provided in parallel. During this time, the workpiece can be carried into and out of another storage unit.

The invention according to claim 5 stores the work carried in at the carry-in end, and when carrying out the work from the carry-out end, a plurality of works are housed in the carry-in buffer in the order of carrying in, and the work is housed in the carry-in buffer. A step of unloading a plurality of the workpieces from the loading buffer one by one in the reverse order of loading, a step of receiving the workpieces unloaded from the loading buffer in a loading buffer, and storing the workpieces in the order of acceptance; And a step of unloading the workpieces from the unloading buffer in an order opposite to the order of acceptance.
In this workpiece storage method, after storing the workpieces in the order of loading into the loading side buffer, the workpieces are transferred from the loading side buffer to the unloading side buffer, and the workpieces are rearranged at this time, so that the workpieces are loaded in the order of loading. Can be carried out.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the work storage method according to the fifth aspect, when the work is unloaded from the unloading side buffer, the other work is loaded into the unloading side buffer.
In this work storage method, when the work is unloaded from the unloading side buffer, the loading side buffer is vacant, so a new work is loaded into the empty loading side buffer and stored in order. Improve processing efficiency.

  According to the present invention, since the workpieces are rearranged between the two buffers, the workpieces can be carried out in the order of loading. Therefore, the residence time of the work carried in initially can be shortened. In the case where the length of the residence time affects the quality of the workpiece, it is possible to prevent variations in quality by shortening the residence time of the workpiece loaded first.

  The best mode for carrying out the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each of the following embodiments, the workpiece to be stored is described as a thin plate-like substrate W made of glass or the like, but the workpiece is not limited to the substrate W, and may be a component in the middle of assembly.

(First embodiment)
1 and 2 show a schematic configuration of a substrate storage device as a workpiece storage device according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate storage device 1 has a base portion 2 installed on a floor surface or the like, and a transport conveyor 3 as a transport portion is provided on the base portion 2. In the conveyor 3, a plurality of conveyor tables 4 extending upward in the vertical direction are arranged in parallel, and a roller 5 is rotatably attached to the upper part of each conveyor table 4. The transport table 4 has an elongated shape in plan view, the rotation axis of the roller 5 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the transport table 4, and the transport table 4 is equally spaced in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the roller 5. Are lined up. Each roller 5 is connected to a drive device (not shown) so that each roller can be driven to rotate.

  In this substrate storage apparatus 1, the three transport tables 4 and the rollers 5 on one end side in the arrangement direction of the transport table 4 form a carry-in end of the substrate W, and the transport table 4 and the rollers 5 are surrounded by a plan view so as to surround them. One substrate cassette 10 is arranged. The first substrate cassette 10 has a rectangular outer shape, has a configuration in which a top 10A and a bottom 10B made of a rectangular frame are connected by a plurality of columns 10C, and functions as a carry-in buffer. As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom 10 </ b> B of the first substrate cassette 10 is larger than the combined shape of the outer edges of the three transfer platforms 4 at the carry-in end, and two beams 11 parallel to the rollers 5 are bridged. . The beam 11 prevents distortion of the bottom portion 10 </ b> B, and is arranged and sized so as to be able to enter the gap of the transport table 4. A cross member (not shown) for mounting a plurality of substrates W at equal intervals in the vertical direction is fixed to the column 10C at equal intervals. By the crosspiece member, a plurality of slots capable of storing one substrate W are formed in the vertical direction. One end side and the other end side of the first substrate cassette 10 are open so that the substrate W can be taken in and out. Such a first substrate cassette 10 is supported by the first elevating mechanism 13 so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

  Further, in the substrate storage apparatus 1, the three transport tables 4 and the rollers 5 on the other end side form a carry-out end of the substrate W, and the second substrate is surrounded by the transport table 4 and the rollers 5 in a plan view. A cassette 20 is arranged. The second substrate cassette 20 has the same configuration as the first substrate cassette 10 described above, and functions as a carry-out buffer. That is, the second substrate cassette 20 has a bottom portion 10B into which the transport table 4 can be inserted, two beams 11 that can enter between the transport tables 4 are bridged, and a plurality of substrates W are equally spaced in the vertical direction. Multiple mounting is possible. The one end part side and the other end part side of the second substrate cassette 20 are open so that the substrate W can be taken in and out. The second substrate cassette 20 is supported by the second lifting mechanism 14 so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

  The elevating mechanisms 13 and 14 and the driving device for the roller 5 are connected to the control device 25. The control device 25 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and is configured to control the loading / unloading operation of the substrate W described later.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. As an initial state, as shown in FIG. 3, the first substrate cassette 10 stands by at the lowermost position, and the roller 5 slightly protrudes upward from the top beam member. On the other hand, the second substrate cassette 20 stands by at the uppermost position, and the roller 5 slightly protrudes upward from the bottom beam member.

  First, the substrate W is loaded into the first substrate cassette 10 as in step S101 shown in the time chart of FIG. Specifically, a single substrate W is inserted from the opening on one end side of the first substrate cassette 10 by a transfer device (not shown). The control device 25 rotates the three rollers 5 at the carry-in end, and the substrate W enters the first substrate cassette 10 so as to be conveyed by these rollers 5. When the loading of the first substrate W is completed, the first elevating mechanism 13 is driven and the first substrate cassette 10 is raised by one slot pitch so that the second beam member is slightly below the roller 5. Let At this time, the substrate W carried in first rises with the peripheral portion supported by the uppermost crosspiece member. Then, the second substrate W is loaded under the substrate W in the same manner as described above. Thereafter, the same operation is repeated until all necessary substrates W are loaded. As a result, the plurality of substrates W are stored in the first substrate cassette 10 from the top in the order in which they are first carried.

  Thereafter, the substrate W is transferred from the first substrate cassette 10 to the second substrate cassette 20 in step S102 of FIG. Specifically, the controller 25 rotates all the rollers 5 to carry out the lowermost substrate W of the first substrate cassette 10 and deliver it to the second substrate cassette 20. When the substrate W is stored in the second substrate cassette 20, the control device 25 drives the first lifting mechanism 13 to lower the first substrate cassette 10 by one slot pitch, while moving the second lifting mechanism 14. Driven to raise the second substrate cassette 20 by one slot pitch. As a result, the substrate W in the second substrate cassette 20 rises while being supported by the uppermost crosspiece member. Further, the second substrate W from the bottom of the first substrate cassette 10 is unloaded from the first substrate cassette 10 by the roller 5 and loaded into the second slot from the top of the second substrate cassette 20. Thereafter, the same operation is repeated until all the substrates W of the first substrate cassette 10 are transferred to the second substrate cassette 20, and then the roller 5 and the lifting mechanisms 13, 14 are stopped. As a result, the first substrate cassette 10 becomes empty, and a plurality of substrates W are stored in the second substrate cassette 20 from the bottom in the order of loading.

  When unloading the substrates W from the substrate storing apparatus 1, the substrates W are unloaded from the second substrate cassette 20 one by one as step S103. The control device 25 rotates the three rollers 5 at the carry-out end to carry out the substrate W first carried into the bottom, that is, the carry-in end from the other end of the second substrate cassette 20, Hand over to the device. The other apparatus may be a transfer apparatus or a known production apparatus. When one substrate W is unloaded, the second lifting mechanism 14 is driven to lower the second substrate cassette 20 by the slot pitch. As a result, the second substrate W loaded from the bottom, that is, the second substrate W loaded into the loading end is unloaded from the substrate storage device 1. Thereafter, the same operation is repeated until all necessary substrates W are carried out.

  During this time, the first substrate cassette 10 is empty, so a new substrate W can be carried in. Thus, a new substrate W is stored in the first substrate cassette 10 while the substrate W is unloaded from the second substrate cassette 20. Therefore, after that, by repeating Step S102 and Step S103, a plurality of substrates W can be carried in and carried out in the order of carrying them.

According to this embodiment, the plurality of substrates W are sequentially stored, and the substrates W are rearranged by transferring the substrates W between the first and second substrate cassettes 10 and 20. It is possible to carry out the substrate W that has been carried into the substrate. For this reason, the dispersion | variation in quality resulting from the residence time of the board | substrate W carried in previously increasing can be prevented. Further, since the residence time of the substrate W that has been carried in first becomes shorter, dust accumulation and the like can be minimized.
Further, since the first and second substrate cassettes 10 and 20 need only be moved up and down in the reverse direction, the apparatus configuration can be simplified. Therefore, it is easy to increase the size of the substrate cassettes 10 and 20, and it is easy to handle large substrates. Since it is not necessary to provide a space for inserting the robot arm in the first and second substrate cassettes 10 and 20, the storage efficiency can be improved.
Further, since the new substrate W is loaded into the first substrate cassette 10 while the substrate W is unloaded from the second substrate cassette 20, a large number of substrates W can be loaded and unloaded efficiently.

(Second embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as 1st embodiment. In addition, overlapping explanation is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the substrate storage device 51, the first storage unit 52 and the second storage unit 53 are arranged in parallel, and the substrate W is loaded into one of the first storage unit 52 or the second storage unit 53. A carry-in side roller conveyor 54, a carry-out side roller conveyor 54 that carries out the substrate W from one of the first storage unit 52 and the second storage unit 53, and the control device 25.

  Each of the first storage unit 52 and the second storage unit 53 has the same configuration as that of the substrate storage device 1 of the first embodiment. That is, the conveyor 3 is provided on the base portion 2, and the first substrate cassette 10 and the second substrate cassette 20 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor 3. , 14 are supported so that they can be raised and lowered independently.

  The carry-in roller conveyor 54 is provided with a number of rollers 60 for moving the substrate W in the transport direction of the first and second storage portions 52 and 53, and its end portions 54 </ b> A and 54 </ b> B are the first and second storage portions. 52 and 53 are provided corresponding to the respective carry-in ends. Further, a plurality of rollers 61 are arranged at the carry-out ends 54 </ b> A and 54 </ b> B so as to be rotatable in a direction orthogonal to the rotation direction of the roller 60. Similarly, the carry-out side roller conveyor 55 is provided with a number of rollers 60 that move the substrate W in the transport direction. In addition to the roller 60, a large number of rollers 61 can transport the substrate W in the direction orthogonal to the unloading direction of the substrate W at the end portions 55 </ b> A and 55 </ b> B corresponding to the unloading ends of the first and second storage portions 52 and 53. It is arranged. In addition, it is preferable that the roller 61 is provided so that raising / lowering is possible.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In the following, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 6, the case where the substrate W is first loaded into the first storage unit 52 will be described. However, even if the substrate W is loaded first from the second storage unit 53, good.
First, as shown in step S <b> 201, the substrate W is carried into the first storage unit 52. The substrates W are sequentially loaded from the carry-in side roller conveyor 54 into the first substrate cassette 10 of the first storage unit 52 from the top. When the substrates W are stored in all the slots of the first substrate cassette 10, the process proceeds to step S202.

  In step S <b> 202, the substrates W are transferred from the first substrate cassette 10 to the second substrate cassette 20 one by one in the first storage unit 52. At this time, the control device 25 moves the first and second substrate cassettes 10 and 20 by one slot pitch in the reverse direction, and stores the previously loaded substrates W in order from the bottom of the second substrate cassette 20. Let In step S <b> 202, the substrate W is carried into the first substrate cassette 10 of the second storage unit 53 from the carry-in side roller conveyor 54. The substrates W are transported from the end portion of the carry-in roller conveyor 54 to the end portion 54B by the rotation of the rollers 61, and are then carried in order from the top to the first substrate cassette 10 of the second storage portion 53. Since the same number of substrates W are stored in each of the first substrate cassettes 10 of the first and second storage units 52 and 53, the transfer of the substrate W in the first storage unit 52 is almost completed. Then, the loading of the substrate W into the second storage unit 53 is completed.

  Next, in step S203, the substrates W are unloaded from the first storage unit 52 to the unloading-side roller conveyor 55 one by one. At this time, the second substrate cassette 20 descends in order of one slot pitch, and the substrates W are unloaded in order from the previously loaded ones. At the same time, the substrates W are carried one by one from the carry-out side roller conveyor 55 into the first substrate cassette 10 emptied in the first storage unit 52 and sequentially stored from above the first substrate cassette 10. Further, in step S 203, the substrate W stored in the first substrate cassette 10 of the second storage unit 53 is transferred to the second substrate cassette 20. The first and second substrate cassettes 10 and 20 are moved up and down in the opposite direction, and the substrates W previously carried in are stored in the second substrate cassette 20 in order from the bottom.

  In subsequent step S <b> 204, the substrate W is transferred by the first storage unit 52, and the substrates W are sequentially unloaded from the second substrate cassette 20 of the second storage unit 53. In the second storage unit 53, the substrates W are carried out to the carry-out side roller conveyor 55 in order from the first carried in. Further, in the second storage unit 53, the substrates W are sequentially loaded into the empty first substrate cassette 10 from the top. Thereafter, step S203 and step S204 are alternately performed to carry out the substrates W in the order in which they are stored.

  According to this embodiment, by providing the first storage unit 52 and the second storage unit 53 in parallel, it becomes possible to carry out a large number of substrates W in the order in which they are stored, and work efficiency is improved. Other effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The present invention can be widely applied without being limited to the above-described embodiments.
For example, the conveyance of the substrate W is not limited to a roller, and air levitation may be used.
Further, instead of transporting the substrate W substantially horizontally and storing the substrates W side by side, the substrate W may be transported and stored in a state in which the substrate W stands substantially vertically. In this case, the first and second substrate cassettes 10 and 20 are configured to store the substrates W in parallel while standing, and the control device 25 divides the first and second substrate cassettes 10 and 20 by one slot pitch. Move left and right and reverse each minute. Even in such a configuration, the same effect as described above can be obtained. In this case, the substrate W may be transported by a roller in a posture slightly inclined from the vertical, or a roller may be disposed on the lower side so as to contact the lower end of the substrate W.
In the second embodiment, when the number of storage units (first storage unit 52, second storage unit 53) is three or more, a larger number of substrates W can be processed efficiently.

It is a side view which shows the structure of the board | substrate storage apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of a substrate storage device. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning when carrying in a board | substrate. It is a time chart which shows the storage method of a board | substrate. It is a side view which shows the structure of the board | substrate storage apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a time chart which shows the storage method of a board | substrate.

Explanation of symbols

1,51 Substrate storage device (work storage device)
3 Transport conveyor (transport section)
10 1st substrate cassette (incoming buffer)
20 Second substrate cassette (unloading side buffer)
25 Control Device 52 First Storage Unit 53 Second Storage Unit W Substrate (Workpiece)

Claims (6)

A work storage device for storing a work carried into a carry-in end and carrying out from a carry-out end,
A loading-side buffer that is provided at the loading end and stores a plurality of workpieces arranged in the order of loading; a conveying unit that unloads the plurality of workpieces stored in the loading-side buffer one by one from the loading-side buffer; An unloading-side buffer provided at the unloading end and capable of receiving the workpiece unloaded from the loading-side buffer by the transfer unit; the unloading-side buffer for arranging and storing the workpieces in the receiving order; and the transfer unit unloading the workpiece And a control device for moving the carry-in side buffer and the carry-out side buffer so that the arrangement of the work pieces is reversed.   The work storage device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to move the carry-in side buffer and the carry-out side buffer in opposite directions each time the carrying unit carries out the work.   2. The workpiece according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is a thin substrate, and the carry-in side buffer and the carry-out side buffer are provided so that the substrate can be stored vertically and can be moved up and down independently. The work storage device according to claim 2.   4. The work storage device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of sets of the carry-in side buffer, the transfer unit, and the carry-out side buffer are arranged in parallel. 5.   A step of storing a plurality of workpieces in the loading-side buffer in the order of loading, and a plurality of the workpieces stored in the loading-side buffer in the order of loading the workpieces loaded into the loading end and unloading from the unloading end. A step of unloading from the loading side buffer one by one in the reverse order, a step of receiving the workpieces unloaded from the loading side buffer into the unloading side buffer and storing them in the order of acceptance, and receiving the workpieces from the unloading side buffer. And a step of unloading in a reverse order to the order. The work storage method according to claim 5, wherein when the work is unloaded from the unloading buffer, the other work is loaded into the loading buffer.

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