JP2009034791A - Substrate carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate carrying device having stable and highly accurate carrying performance without complicating the construction. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate carrying device comprises an articulated arm 61 supported at one end on the supporting shaft of a base 63 and connected at the other end to a substrate supporting hand 62, a linear guide 66 for guiding the hand to be linearly moved, a belt 76 for moving the hand along a guide rail 67a of the linear guide, a drive mechanism 68 for driving the belt, and a connection member 81 for connecting the hand to a slider 67b of the linear guide. The connection member restricts the movement of the hand relative to the slider in a first direction parallel to the moving direction of the hand and allows the movement of the hand relative to the slider in a second direction parallel to the vertical direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate to be processed such as a semiconductor substrate or a glass substrate.

  In recent years, as a substrate processing apparatus that vacuum-processes substrates to be processed such as semiconductor wafers and glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, various substrate processing can be performed by connecting a plurality of processing chambers around a transfer chamber via gate valves. A multi-chamber apparatus is known which is consistently performed in a vacuum. This type of multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus is provided with a substrate transfer apparatus for automatically loading or unloading a substrate from the transfer chamber to each process chamber.

  As a substrate transfer device, for example, a parallel link type as shown in FIG. 15 is known (see Patent Document 1 below). The parallel link type substrate transfer device 5 shown in the figure includes a pair of rotating shafts 1 and 2 having a driving source connected to at least one of them, and first arms 11 and 12 having rotating shafts 1 and 2 connected to one end. A pair of second arms 21 and 22 having one end rotatably coupled to the other end of each of the first arms 11 and 12, and a pair of second arms 21 and 22 rotatably coupled to the other end of each of the second arms 21 and 22. Hand 4.

  The first arms 11 and 12 and the second arms 21 and 22 have the same arm length, and a parallel link mechanism is constituted by these. Accordingly, by rotating the pivot shafts 1 and 2 in opposite directions, the angle θ formed by the first arms 11 and 12 and the second arms 21 and 22 changes, and the hand 4 is moved in the vertical direction in the figure. The Thereby, the substrate W on the hand 4 can be transported to an arbitrary position.

JP-A-9-283588 JP 2004-228370 A

  In the conventional parallel link type substrate transport apparatus 5 shown in FIG. 15, when the substrate W is transported from the front position to the rear position, for example, the first arms 11 and 12 and the second arms 21 and 22 are parallel to each other ( It is necessary to pass through a position where θ = 0 °. This position corresponds to the dead point of the parallel link mechanism and obstructs the smooth conveyance of the substrate W. Therefore, the illustrated substrate transfer device 5 includes a first pulley 6 concentrically fixed to the rotation shaft 2 and a second pulley concentrically fixed to a connecting portion between the first arm 11 and the second arm 21. 7 and a dead center escape mechanism comprising a belt 8 spanned between the first pulley 6 and the second pulley 7. Thereby, the rotational force of the rotating shaft 2 is directly transmitted to the second arm 21 via the belt 8 and smoothly passes through the dead center position of the link, so that the substrate W can be transported stably. .

  However, in the parallel link type substrate transport apparatus, it is necessary to provide a dead center escape mechanism as described above for smoothly passing through the dead center of the link mechanism, and there is a problem that the apparatus configuration becomes complicated. In addition, the parallel link type substrate transport apparatus has a problem that the straight transportability of the substrate is not necessarily high, and high feed accuracy is difficult to obtain.

  On the other hand, a linear motion type substrate transfer apparatus that moves a hand along a linear guide is known (see Patent Document 2). The linear motion type substrate transport apparatus has an advantage that the configuration can be simplified because there is no dead point in the parallel link type substrate transport apparatus. In addition, since the substrate is excellent in straight-line transportability, high feed accuracy is easily obtained.

  However, in the linear motion type substrate transport apparatus, the weight of the substrate to be transported or the hand directly acts on the linear guide. Linear guides have low load characteristics. When a high load is applied, the board conveyance accuracy is reduced and high feed accuracy cannot be obtained. Also, the durability of the bearing (bearing) is reduced and the bearing deteriorates in a short time. Had the problem of doing. Therefore, it becomes impossible to cope with an increase in the size of a substrate that will be developed more and more in the future.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transfer apparatus capable of obtaining stable and highly accurate transferability and high bearing durability without complicating the configuration.

  In solving the above-described problems, the substrate transport apparatus of the present invention is configured so that one end is supported by a support shaft of a base and the other end is connected to a substrate support hand, and the linear movement of the hand is performed. A linear guide for guiding; a belt for moving the hand along a guide rail of the linear guide; a driving mechanism for driving the belt; and a connecting means for connecting between the hand and a slider of the linear guide. The connecting means regulates relative movement between the hand and the slider in a first direction parallel to the traveling direction of the hand, and the hand in a second direction parallel to the vertical direction; Allow relative movement between the sliders.

  In the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention, the articulated arm does not have its own drive source, and the hand is linearly extended along the guide rail of the linear guide by expanding and contracting by driving a belt drive mechanism connected to the hand. Move. The substrate transport apparatus having such a configuration supports a load acting on the hand with the multi-joint arm, and ensures straight transportability of the hand with the linear guide. Therefore, since a special mechanism for passing through the dead center is not required, the configuration can be prevented from becoming complicated. Moreover, since a load does not act directly on the linear guide, high conveyance accuracy and durability can be obtained at the same time.

  Further, for example, even when the load in the vertical direction increases when the multi-joint arm is extended, the load can be prevented from acting on the linear guide due to the relative movement in the vertical direction between the hand and the slider. Thereby, it becomes possible to maintain the high conveyance precision of a board | substrate irrespective of a hand position.

  In the present invention, the connecting means includes any one of a connecting member fixed integrally with the slider, a shaft member connecting the connecting member and an attaching portion provided on the lower surface of the hand, and the connecting member and the attaching portion. And an engaging groove formed on one side. The engaging groove has a depth direction in the second direction and a groove width that is equal to the shaft diameter of the shaft member. The shaft member is inserted into the engagement groove from a third direction orthogonal to each of the first direction and the second direction.

  As a specific configuration, the engaging groove is formed in the connecting member, one end of the shaft member is fixed to the mounting portion, and the other end of the shaft member is connected to the mounting portion in the third direction. It is fixed to a regulating member that regulates the maximum movement amount. In this configuration, the connecting member is movable by a predetermined amount in the third direction between the attachment portion and the regulating member. As a result, the linear guide can be protected from a load in the lateral direction or the rotational direction of the hand.

  The connecting member includes a main body part integrally fixed with the slider, a hand connecting part that connects the main body part and the mounting part, and a belt connecting part that connects the main body part and the belt. Become. With this configuration, the hand, the linear guide, and the belt can be connected to each other by a single connecting member.

  As described above, according to the substrate transport apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a stable and highly accurate transportability of the substrate and high bearing durability without complicating the configuration.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Although not shown, the substrate transfer apparatus of this embodiment is a multi-chamber apparatus in which a plurality of vacuum processing chambers are arranged around a vacuum transfer chamber, and is installed in the vacuum transfer chamber and includes a plurality of load / unload chambers. It is configured as a substrate transfer device that automatically transfers a substrate to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate between vacuum processing chambers.

  1 and 2 are perspective views showing a configuration of a substrate transfer apparatus 60 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate transfer device 60 includes an articulated arm 61 having a hand 62 coupled to a tip portion, and a belt driving mechanism 68 that moves the hand 62 linearly.

  FIG. 1 shows a state of the articulated arm 61 when the hand 62 is at the origin position, and FIG. 2 shows a state of the articulated arm 61 when the hand 62 is at the front position. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the configuration of the belt driving mechanism 68 is simply shown for easy understanding.

  In the present embodiment, the articulated arm 61 is configured as a parallel link type, and one end of each of the pair of first arms 71A and 71B and one end of the pair of first arms 71A and 71B are rotatably supported by the base 63. And a pair of second arms 72A and 72B having one end rotatably coupled thereto. The arm lengths of the second arms 72A and 72B are configured to be longer than the arm lengths of the first arms 71A and 71B, but they may be configured with the same arm length. The hand 62 includes a block body 64 that is rotatably coupled to the other end of each of the pair of second arms 72A and 72B, and a fork portion 65 that supports the substrate.

  One ends of the first arms 71A and 71B are supported by a first support shaft 91 (FIG. 2) installed on the base 63 side. A second support shaft 92 is installed between the other ends of the first arms 71A and 71B and one ends of the second arms 72A and 72B. A third support shaft 93 is installed between the other ends of the second arms 72A and 72B and the block body 64 of the hand 62. The first and second arms 71A, 71B, 72A, 72B rotate around the support shafts 91-93, so that the articulated arm 61 has the origin position of the hand 62 shown in FIG. It expands and contracts between the extended position to the rear or the rearward extended position (not shown).

  A base plate 70 is fixed on a base 63 on which one end of the multi-joint arm 61 having the above configuration is installed. The base plate 70 is provided with a belt drive mechanism 68 that controls the amount and direction of movement of the hand 62 and a linear guide 66 that guides the linear movement of the hand 62. The linear guide 66 includes a linear guide rail 67a and a slider 67b that moves on the linear guide rail 67a. The belt drive mechanism 68 moves the hand 62 linearly along the guide rail 67 a of the linear guide 66. A rotation mechanism 69 is attached to the base 63, and the multi-joint arm 61 can be turned together with the base 63 and the base plate 70 by the rotation mechanism 69.

  The belt drive mechanism 68 spans between a drive pulley 73 connected to a drive shaft, a pair of driven pulleys 74a and 74b disposed with the drive pulley 73 interposed therebetween, and the drive pulley 73 and the driven pulleys 74a and 74b. Belt member 76 is provided. The drive pulley 73 is rotatably disposed on the base plate 70. The distance between the driven pulleys 74 a and 74 b is appropriately set according to the moving distance of the hand 62. Auxiliary pulleys 75 a and 75 b for adjusting the tension of the belt member 76 are provided between the driven pulleys 74 a and 74 b and the driving pulley 73, respectively, and the close contact between the driving pulley 73 and the belt member 76 is provided. The power is improved.

  The belt drive mechanism 68 converts the rotational motion of the drive pulley 73 into the linear travel motion of the belt member 76. In particular, although not shown, it is preferable to form a plurality of engaging projections on the peripheral surface of the drive pulley 73 and provide a plurality of engaging holes on the belt surface of the belt member 76 to engage with these engaging projections. is there. Thereby, the slip between the drive pulley 73 and the belt member 76 can be prevented, and the rotational force of the drive pulley 73 can be reliably transmitted to the belt member 76.

  The driven pulleys 74a and 74b are rotatably supported by the frames 78a and 78b, respectively. The frames 78 a and 78 b are integrally fixed to a linear angle member 77 installed on the base plate 70. The auxiliary pulleys 75a and 75b are rotatably supported on the base plate 70 by frames 79a and 79b integrally fixed to the angle member 77 (FIG. 3).

  The driven pulleys 74a and 74b and the auxiliary pulleys 75a and 75b are arranged so that their axial centers are aligned on the same straight line. The belt member 76 is a metal endless belt made of stainless steel or the like, and is spanned between the pulleys in a horizontal plane that is a substrate transfer surface. Thereby, the structure of the belt drive mechanism 68 can be made compact. Further, the belt drive mechanism 68 can be easily installed in the vacuum transfer chamber.

  3 is a perspective view of a main part of the belt drive mechanism 68, FIG. 4 is a partial sectional front view showing a connection structure between the hand 62 and the belt member 76, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the connection structure. In FIG. 3, the first arm 71A on one side (the front side in the figure) is not shown. The guide rail 67 a of the linear guide 66 is laid on the angle member 77. The guide rail 67a is disposed in parallel with the belt surface of the belt member 76 that linearly extends from one driven pulley 74a to the other driven pulley 74b.

  The slider 67b that moves on the guide rail 67a is connected to the belt member 76 and the hand 62 via a connecting member 81 as shown in FIG. The connecting member 81 is provided on the lower surface of the block body 64 of the hand 62, a main body portion 81 a fixed integrally with the slider 67 b, a belt connecting portion 81 b that fixes the main body portion 81 a and the belt member 76. And a hand connecting portion 81c for fixing between the mounting portion 64a and the main body portion 81a. Thereby, the hand 62, the linear guide 66, and the belt member 76 are mutually connected by the single connection member 81. FIG. Then, by running the belt member 76, the hand 62 can be linearly moved along the guide rail 67a of the linear guide 66 via the connecting member 81 and the slider 67b.

  Hereinafter, the details of the connecting member 81 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting member 81 has a main body 81a, a belt connecting portion 81b, and a hand connecting portion 81c, and connects the belt 76 and the hand 62 to the slider 67b of the linear guide 66, respectively. . The belt member 76 and the belt connecting portion 81b are connected to each other by an operation shaft portion 108 described later. Further, the attachment portion 64a of the hand 62 and the hand connecting portion 81c are connected to each other via a regulating member 82 and three screw members 83A, 83B, 83C.

  6 is a perspective view of the hand connecting portion 81c when the restriction member 82 is removed, and FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view of the attachment positions of the three screw members 83A to 83C. Each of the screw members 83A to 83C has the same configuration, and has a screw portion 83s at one end and a head portion 83h at the other end. The screw members 83A to 83C are fixed to the attachment portion 64a via the screw portion 83s. Each of the screw members 83A to 83C has a sleeve 86 attached to the outer periphery thereof, and one end of the sleeve 86 is in contact with the attachment portion 64a. In particular, the shaft member 84A and the sleeve 86 attached thereto constitute the “shaft member” of the present invention.

  The restricting member 82 is made of a plate member, and is sandwiched between the head 83 h of the screw member and the other end of the sleeve 86. The distance between the regulating member 82 and the attachment portion 64 a is defined by the axial length of the sleeve 86. In the present embodiment, the distance between the regulating member 82 and the attachment portion 64a is set to be larger than the width of the hand connecting portion 81c by a predetermined amount (by an amount corresponding to the sum of the clearances C1 and C2 in FIG. 7). Therefore, the attachment portion 64a and the regulating member 82 serve to regulate the maximum movement amount of the hand connecting portion 81c in the Y-axis direction.

  The mounting portion 64a and the hand connecting portion 81c are in a horizontal direction (the Y-axis direction (third direction)) orthogonal to the forward / backward direction of the hand 62 (X-axis direction (first direction) in FIGS. 5 and 7). Opposite. The hand connecting portion 81C is provided with an engaging groove 84 through which the screw member 83A is inserted and insertion holes 85 and 85 through which the screw members 83B and 83C are inserted. In the present embodiment, two insertion holes 85 are formed at equal intervals in the X-axis direction with the engagement groove 84 interposed therebetween. The screw members 83A to 83C are inserted through the engagement groove 84 and the insertion holes 85, 85 from the Y-axis direction, respectively.

  The engaging groove 84 has a depth direction in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction (second direction in FIGS. 5 and 7)). The depth of the engagement groove 84 is formed larger than the outer diameter of the sleeve 86 attached to the screw member 83A (the shaft diameter of the “shaft member”). Further, the engagement groove 84 has a groove width of the same size as the outer diameter of the sleeve 86 in the X-axis direction (first direction). Therefore, the screw member 83A (and the sleeve 86) inserted through the engagement groove 84 is restricted from relative movement in the X-axis direction with respect to the hand connecting portion 81C, and is allowed to move in the Z-axis direction. The

  On the other hand, the insertion holes 85 and 85 through which the screw members 83B and 83C are inserted have an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the sleeves 86 and 86 of the screw members 83B and 83C inserted through these. The inner diameter of the insertion hole 85 is formed so as to ensure a predetermined amount of relative movement in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) between the attachment portion 64a and the hand connecting portion 81c.

  The hand connecting portion 81c of the connecting member 81, the mounting portion 64a of the hand 62, the regulating member 82, the screw members 83A to 83C, and the sleeve 86 constitute the “connecting means” of the present invention. The connecting means regulates the relative movement between the hand 62 and the slider 67b in a first direction (X-axis direction) parallel to the traveling direction of the hand 62, and a second direction (Z The relative movement between the hand 62 and the slider 67b in the axial direction is allowed.

  In the substrate transfer device 60 of the present embodiment, the articulated arm 61 does not have a unique drive source, and the hand 62 is linearly moved along the guide rail 67 a by driving the belt drive mechanism 68. In the substrate transport apparatus 60 having such a configuration, the first arms 71A and 71B and the second arms 72A and 72B pass through the dead center position (the origin position of the hand 62 shown in FIG. 1) where the links are parallel to each other. Since the special mechanism is not required, complication of the configuration can be avoided.

  Further, in the substrate transfer device 60 of the present embodiment, since the load acting on the hand 62 is supported by the articulated arm 61, the load can be prevented from acting directly on the guide rail 66, A stable and high conveyance accuracy of the substrate by the guide rail 66 can be ensured, and high bearing durability can be obtained.

  On the other hand, for example, when the multi-joint arm 61 is extended, a load of a predetermined value or more may be applied to the hand 62 due to the influence of the self-weight of the multi-joint arm 61, the hand and the substrate, and the moment acting when turning. In this case, the connecting means described above prevents the excessive load acting on the hand 62 from acting on the guide rail 66, and ensures the straight travelability of the guide rail.

  Specifically, the excessive load acting on the hand 62 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) causes relative movement of the screw member 83A in the Z-axis direction within the U-shaped engagement groove 84 formed in the hand connecting portion 81c. And the relative movement of the screw members 83B and 83C in the insertion hole 85 in the Z-axis direction. At this time, relative movement of the screw member 83A in the X-axis direction within the engagement groove 84 is restricted. Therefore, the relative position between the hand 62 and the slider 67b in the X-axis direction does not change, and the position accuracy of the hand 62 is not impaired.

  Further, an excessive load around the X axis and an excess load around the Z axis acting on the hand 62, or an excessive load acting on the hand 62 in the lateral direction (Y axis direction) is formed between the regulating member 82 and the mounting portion 64a. Each of the screw members 83A to 83C is absorbed by a change in the relative position of the screw members 83A to 83C with respect to the hand connecting portion 81c within the predetermined gap.

  Next, the lock mechanism 100 of the substrate transport apparatus 60 will be described. The lock mechanism 100 has a function of restricting the rotation of the articulated arm 61 around the support shaft 91 (93) at the origin position of the hand 62 shown in FIG.

  The lock mechanism 100 rotates integrally with the lock bar 101 that moves relative to the base 63 and the base plate 70 in the advancing direction of the hand 62, and the first arms 71A and 71B, and contacts the lock bar 101. A pair of holding arms 102 for restricting the rotation of one arm 71A, 71B is provided.

  The lock bar 101 is fixed to a moving unit 103 that can move relative to the base plate 70. A pair of lock bars 101 are provided, and each is attached to a front end and a rear end with respect to the hand traveling direction of the moving unit 103. The holding arm 102 has a main body 102A (FIGS. 3 and 8) that rotates integrally with the first arms 71A and 71B around the first support shaft 91, and each main body 102A has a lock bar. A pair is provided corresponding to 101.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view of main parts of the lock mechanism 100, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of main parts when the moving unit 103 is viewed from below. In FIG. 8, the first arm 71B is not shown. The moving unit 103 is installed on the lower surface side of the base plate 70 to guide the movement of the movable member 104 and a pair of movable members 104 that can move relative to the base plate 70 in the moving direction of the hand 62 on the lower surface side of the base plate 70. And a support mechanism for movably supporting the movable member 104 between the base 63 and the base plate 70.

  Although the details of the support mechanism are omitted in the drawing, a mechanism for movably suspending the movable member 104 by the base plate 70 or a lower surface of the movable member 104 on the base 63 is movably supported. The mechanism to do is adopted.

  The pair of lock bars 101 are attached to both ends of the movable member 104, respectively. At the origin position of the hand 62 where the first and second arms 71A, 71B, 72A, 72B of the articulated arm 61 are parallel to each other, the distal end portion 101E of the lock bar 101 contacts the distal end portion 102E of the holding arm 102. (FIGS. 1, 8, and 10). Therefore, in this state, the articulated arm 61 is restricted from rotating about the first support shaft 91 (third support shaft 93) by the contact of the holding arm 102 with the lock bar 101.

  10 to 12 are plan views of main parts showing the positional relationship between the lock bar 101 and the holding arm 102. Here, FIG. 10 shows a state where the hand is at the origin position, and FIG. 11 shows a state where the hand is slightly moved forward from the origin position. FIG. 12 shows an example of a state where the lock state by the lock mechanism 100 is released. The movement of the hand from the origin position to the rear is also expressed in the same way.

  The lock bar 101 moves in the moving direction of the belt member 63 in synchronization with the movement of the belt member 76 (and the hand 62). On the other hand, each holding arm 102 rotates integrally with the first arms 71A and 71B according to the movement of the belt member 76. Therefore, when the belt member 76 moves rightward as shown in FIG. 11, the holding arm 102 rotates counterclockwise about the support shaft 91. On the other hand, when the belt member 76 moves to the left, the holding arm 102 rotates clockwise about the support shaft 91. The amount of rotation of the holding arm 102 is determined according to the amount of movement of the belt member 76. When the movement amount of the belt member 76 increases, the contact state between the lock bar 101 and the holding arm 102 is canceled, and thus the rotation restriction of the first arms 71A and 71B by the lock mechanism 100 is released ( FIG. 12).

  As described above, the lock mechanism 100 includes the lock bar 101 and the holding arm 102 from the position where the first arms 71A and 71B and the second arms 72A and 72B are parallel to each other until the hand 62 moves a predetermined distance. Maintain contact between the two. The predetermined distance is a size corresponding to the width of the lock bar 101. Therefore, by arbitrarily setting the formation width of the lock bar 101, the range of the hand position where the rotation of the articulated arm 61 can be regulated can be adjusted.

  In the present embodiment, the tip 101E of the lock bar 101 extends along the rotation direction of the holding arm 102 in order to prevent the lock bar 101 from interfering with each other when the lock bar 101 moves linearly and when the holding arm 102 rotates. It is formed in a tapered shape. The tapered surface may be a flat surface or a curved surface. Furthermore, the distal end portion 102E of the holding arm 102 is configured by a roller, and smooth relative movement with respect to the distal end portion 101E of the lock bar 101 when in contact is ensured. Further, since the tip 101E of the lock bar 101 is formed in the above-described tapered shape, when the hand 62 moves from the origin position, the holding arm 102 is rotated in an appropriate direction by a pressing operation by the lock bar 101. Prompted. Thereby, the smooth extension operation | movement of the articulated arm 61 is ensured.

  Next, the synchronous drive mechanism for the belt member 63 of the moving unit 103 will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a support member 106 facing the belt member 76 over a predetermined length is attached to the movable member 104 on one side of the moving unit 103. A rotation shaft portion 107a of the pinion gear 107 is rotatably attached to a substantially central portion in the extending direction of the support member 106.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the belt member 76 has an operation shaft portion 108 that protrudes toward the pinion gear 107. The operation shaft portion 108 also serves as a fixing tool that fixes the lower end of the belt connecting portion 81 b of the connecting member 81 to the belt member 76. An engagement hole 109 (FIG. 13) that can accommodate the distal end portion of the operation shaft portion 108 is provided inside the rotation shaft portion 107 a of the pinion gear 107. A rack gear 110 that meshes with the pinion gear 107 is installed on the base 63. The rack gear 110 is fixed to the base 63 via an attachment member 111.

  With the above configuration, when the hand 62 moves forward or backward from the origin position, the belt member 76 and the pinion gear 107 move integrally by the engagement between the operation shaft portion 108 and the rotation shaft portion 107a. As a result, the moving unit 103 that supports the pinion gear 107 can move in synchronization with the belt member 76.

  In the present embodiment, the moving unit 103 maintains the engaged state with the belt member 76 until the hand 62 moves forward or backward by a predetermined distance from the origin position, and the moving distance of the hand 62 becomes equal to the predetermined distance. When it exceeds, the engagement with the belt member 76 is released. Details thereof will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 13 is a side view of the pinion gear 107 as viewed from the rotating shaft 107a side. As described above, the engagement hole 109 for accommodating the operation shaft portion 108 is provided in the rotation shaft portion 107a. A bearing 113 is mounted around the operation shaft portion 108 and maintains the engagement relationship with the pinion gear 107 while rolling the inner peripheral surface of the engagement hole 109 when the belt member 76 moves. Accordingly, the pinion gear 107 travels on the rack gear 110 in synchronization with the movement of the belt member 76, and moves the moving unit 103 relative to the base plate 70.

  The rotation shaft portion 107 a of the pinion gear 107 is provided with a notch portion 112 that communicates with the engagement hole 109 and that allows the operation shaft portion 108 to pass therethrough. The notch 112 opens upward at the origin position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 13, and the direction of the opening changes according to the amount of rotation of the pinion gear 107. When the belt member 76 moves and the extension operation of the articulated arm 61 starts, the pinion gear 107 also rotates, and when the opening direction of the notch 112 coincides with the traveling direction of the belt member 76, the operation shaft The part 108 is detached from the engagement hole 109 having a U-shaped cross section through the notch 112. As a result, since the engagement relationship between the pinion gear 107 and the operation shaft portion 108 is released, the articulated arm 61 continues to expand, but the pinion gear 107 loses its rotational driving force, and the movement of the moving unit 103 stops. To do.

  The disengagement between the pinion gear 107 and the operation shaft portion 108 is performed when the engagement state between the lock bar 101 and the holding arm 102 is released, for example, as shown in FIG. Thereby, it is possible to avoid that the extension action of the articulated arm 61 is hindered by the interference between the lock bar 101 and the holding arm 102. Further, the gear diameter of the pinion gear 107 is set so that the engagement with the operation shaft portion 108 is released at the timing described above.

  On the other hand, when the articulated arm 61 returns from the extended position to the origin position, the operation shaft portion 108 is again engaged with the rotation shaft portion 107 a of the pinion gear 107 and rotates the pinion gear 107 in synchronization with the movement of the belt member 76. As a result, the moving unit 103 can return to the origin position.

  Here, in order to ensure an appropriate engagement operation of the operation shaft portion 108 with respect to the pinion gear 107, the pinion gear 107 is engaged after the engagement with the operation shaft portion 108 is released until it is engaged with the operation shaft portion 108 again. It is necessary to hold the rotation position at the rotation position where the engagement with the operation shaft portion 108 is released. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the base plate 70 has a magnetic attraction between a holding pin 114 made of a ferromagnetic material attached to the lower surface of the base plate 70 and a magnet 115 attached to the upper surface of the lock bar 101. The relative position of the moving unit 103 with respect to is held.

  14A to 14C are schematic side cross-sectional views of main parts for explaining the operation of the holding means described above. Magnets 115 </ b> A and 115 </ b> B are attached to the upper surface of each lock bar 101. The holding pins 114A and 114B are attached to the lower surface of the base plate 70 so as to be positioned between the pair of magnets 115A and 115B. As shown in FIG. 14A, when the hand is at the origin position, the pairs of the holding pins 114A (114B) and the magnets 115A (115B) are separated from each other by a certain distance. This distance corresponds to the circumferential length of the pinion gear 107 until the direction of the opening of the notch portion 112 transitions from the upper position at the origin position to the horizontal direction in which the operation shaft portion 108 is detached. Then, when the belt member 76 is caused to travel and the lock bar 101 is moved relative to the base plate 70, a pair of the holding pin and the magnet that are opposed to the rear side in the moving direction come into contact with each other. Thereby, the movement of the lock bar 101 is restricted and the lock bar 101 is positioned by the magnetic attraction of the magnet. FIG. 14B shows a state when the lock bar 101 moves to the right side, and FIG. 14C shows a state when the lock bar 101 moves to the left side.

  As described above, the rotational position of the pinion gear 107 is maintained while the engagement state between the operation shaft portion 108 and the pinion gear 107 is released. Thus, the direction of the opening of the notch 112 can be matched with the direction of engagement of the operation shaft portion 108 with respect to the engagement hole 109, so that the holding member 108 can be reliably engaged with the pinion gear 107. Can do.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, of course, this invention is not limited to this, A various deformation | transformation is possible based on the technical idea of this invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the U-shaped engagement groove 84 into which the screw member 83A for connecting the attachment portion 64a of the hand 62 and the connection member 81 is inserted is formed in the hand connection portion 81c of the connection member 81. Alternatively, for example, the engagement groove 84 may be formed on the attachment portion 64a side of the hand 62 by reversing the positional relationship between the attachment portion 64a and the hand connecting portion 81c in FIG. Even in this case, when an excessive load is applied in the vertical direction of the hand 62, the load can be absorbed by the relative movement between the mounting portion 64a and the hand connecting portion 81c. It is possible to ensure transportability.

  In the above embodiment, the three screw members 83A to 83C are used for coupling between the attachment portion 64a and the hand connecting portion 81c. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a screw member inserted through at least the engagement groove 84 is used. Only 83A may be used. Alternatively, the other screw members 83 </ b> B and 83 </ b> C may similarly be formed with a shape like the engagement groove 84 through which the insertion hole 85 is inserted.

It is a perspective view which shows the board | substrate conveyance apparatus by embodiment of this invention, and has shown the state which the hand has stopped at the origin position. It is a perspective view which shows the board | substrate conveyance apparatus by embodiment of this invention, and has shown the state which extended the hand. It is a principal part expansion perspective view of the belt drive mechanism of the board | substrate conveying apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the connection member which connects the belt member and hand of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the connection member which connects the belt member and hand of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a connection member which connects the belt member and hand of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus by embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view when removing a part of component and seeing. It is a connection member which connects the belt member and hand of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus by embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a plane sectional view which shows the principal part of a connection part. It is a principal part perspective view explaining the locking mechanism of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part perspective view explaining the locking mechanism of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part top view explaining an effect | action of the locking mechanism of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part top view explaining an effect | action of the locking mechanism of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part top view explaining an effect | action of the locking mechanism of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the relationship between the operating-shaft part and pinion gear of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic side view explaining the structure of the rotation position holding means of the pinion gear of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the conventional board | substrate conveyance apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

60 substrate transfer device 61 articulated arm 62 hand 63 base 66 linear guide 67a guide rail 67b slider 68 belt drive mechanism (drive mechanism)
69 Rotating mechanism part 70 Base plate 71A, 71B First arm 72A, 72B Second arm 73 Driving pulley 74a, 74b Driven pulley 75a, 75b Auxiliary pulley 76 Belt member 81 Connecting member 81a Main body part 81b Belt connecting part 81c Hand connecting part 82 Restriction Member 83A-83C Screw member (shaft member)
84 Engaging groove 85 Insertion hole 86 Sleeve (shaft member)
100 Lock mechanism

Claims (5)

An articulated arm having one end supported by the support shaft of the base and the other end connected to a substrate support hand;
A linear guide for guiding the linear movement of the hand;
A belt for moving the hand along a guide rail of the linear guide;
A drive mechanism for driving the belt;
A connecting means for connecting the hand and the slider of the linear guide;
The connection means regulates relative movement between the hand and the slider in a first direction parallel to the traveling direction of the hand, and the hand and the slider in a second direction parallel to the vertical direction. A substrate transfer device that allows relative movement between the substrate transfer devices. The connecting means includes a connecting member fixed integrally with the slider, a shaft member connecting the connecting member and a mounting portion provided on a lower surface of the hand, and any of the connecting member and the mounting portion. An engagement groove formed on either side,
The engagement groove has a depth direction in the second direction and a groove width having a size equivalent to the shaft diameter of the shaft member,
The substrate transport according to claim 1, wherein the shaft member is inserted into the engagement groove from a third direction orthogonal to each of the first direction and the second direction. apparatus. The engaging groove is formed in the connecting member;
One end of the shaft member is fixed to the mounting portion, and the other end of the shaft member is fixed to a regulating member that regulates the maximum movement amount of the connecting member relative to the mounting portion in the third direction. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 2. The connecting member includes a main body portion fixed integrally with the slider, a hand connecting portion that connects the main body portion and the attachment portion, and a belt connecting portion that connects the main body portion and the belt. It consists of these. The board | substrate conveyance apparatus of Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The engagement groove is formed in the mounting portion,
One end of the shaft member is fixed to the connecting member, and the other end of the shaft member is fixed to a restricting member that restricts the maximum movement amount of the attachment portion with respect to the connecting member in the third direction. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 2.

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