JP2011143500A - Substrate conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method reducing power consumption at a stand-by attitude of a substrate conveying device. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate conveying device includes: a hand part 14 for placing a conveyed article; a horizontal arm mechanism 30 connected to the hand part 14, including at least two rotation joints, expanded/contracted to move the hand part 14 in one direction and arranged to be opposed to the axial direction; and a lifting mechanism 20 constituted by at least two pairs of link mechanisms provided on a base member vertically moving the horizontal arm mechanism 30. At the stand-by position of the horizontal arm mechanism 30, the horizontal arm mechanism 30 is moved to the most-descending position and the horizontal arm mechanism is arranged in the lifting mechanism 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate transfer device that operates a semiconductor substrate, a liquid crystal substrate, and a solar panel.

A predetermined processing is performed on a workpiece such as a liquid crystal substrate or a wafer substrate, and the substrate manufacturing apparatus uses a substrate transfer device that transfers the substrate to a target position for the processing. The substrate transfer apparatus is also called a transfer robot, and the inventors have configured the hand and arm that realize the horizontal operation mechanism and the arm support member that supports them to be raised and lowered by an elevating mechanism including a double leg mechanism. A robot is provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the semiconductor manufacturing process including this substrate transfer device, the substrate is subjected to fine processing, so that the substrate is accurately positioned at a target position and, of course, dust (also referred to as particles) may not adhere to the substrate. Therefore, a great amount of electric power is consumed for air conditioning management for maintaining a clean environment in the whole factory, and energy saving in the transport process is required to reduce running costs.

WO2009 / 034854

In the substrate transfer apparatus, a waiting time is generated by performing a predetermined process on the substrate in the previous and subsequent steps. Conventionally, after the last transfer operation before the waiting time, wait until the next transfer operation with the minimum turning radius posture (radius that the transfer device can turn in the smallest space) at the position before the next transfer operation. In the meantime, it continues to consume power. Further, depending on the posture at that time, the horizontal arm portion remains at a high position, and there arises a problem of standby in an unstable posture in which the center of gravity of the transport device is high.
An object of the present invention is to provide a standby method in which the center of gravity of the standby posture of the elevating mechanism is low and stable, and the power consumption is low.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention is provided with a hand unit for placing a transported object and the hand unit, and is provided with at least two or more rotary joints so that the hand unit can be moved in one direction. And a horizontal arm mechanism disposed so as to be opposed in the axial direction, and a lifting mechanism including at least two sets of link mechanisms provided in a base member that moves the horizontal arm mechanism up and down, The standby position of the horizontal arm mechanism is such that the horizontal arm mechanism moves to the lowest lowered position, and the horizontal arm mechanism is disposed between the elevating mechanisms.

According to the present invention, the second leg connected by the second joint which is the other end of the first leg connected to the leg supporting member constituting the lifting mechanism is arranged in parallel with the leg supporting member. Thus, since the load applied to the drive mechanism including the motor of the second joint portion can be reduced to almost zero, the power consumption can be reduced to almost zero, and the power consumption of the lifting mechanism can be reduced.
Further, the second joint portion at the other end of the first leg portion connected to the first joint portion of the leg support member constituting the lifting mechanism is disposed at a position lower than the first joint portion, whereby the horizontal mechanism It is possible to achieve a stable standby posture with a low position.

The perspective view of the transfer robot which shows the Example of this invention The perspective view which shows the case where the horizontal arm mechanism of the Example of this invention moves to the highest position. The perspective view which shows the case where the horizontal arm mechanism of the Example of this invention moves to the lowest position. The schematic diagram which shows the stand-by posture with little power consumption of the raising / lowering mechanism of the Example of this invention

Hereinafter, specific examples of the method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a transfer robot according to the present invention.

The transfer robot of the present invention includes a turning mechanism 17, an elevating mechanism 20, and a horizontal arm mechanism 30 for taking out a workpiece arranged in a stocker (not shown) and transferring it to a work area.
The turning mechanism 17 is installed so that the turning shaft is arranged at the approximate center of the base 2 attached to the base 1. Further, leg support members 3 a and 3 b are installed at both ends of the base 2.
In the elevating mechanism 20, a drive unit (not shown) provided in the leg support members 3a and 3b drives the first joint portions 4a and 4b, and the first joint portions 4a and 4b include the first leg portions 5a and 5b. One end is connected, and the other end of the first leg portions 5a and 5b is connected to one end of the second leg portions 7a and 7b by second joint portions 6a and 6b provided with a drive unit (not shown). The other ends of the second leg portions 7a and 7b are rotatably connected to the support base 8. The first leg portions 5a and 5b are formed longer than the leg portion supporting members 3a and 3b so that the movement of the horizontal arm mechanism 30 to the lowest lowered position can be further lowered. The lengths of the second leg portions 7a and 7b are such that the side surfaces of the first leg portions 5a and 5b do not protrude outward from the side surfaces of the leg portion supporting members 3a and 3b when the horizontal arm mechanism 30 moves to the lowest position. Thus, it is formed with a length shorter than the length of the first leg portions 5a and 5b.
Here, although the Example provided with the drive part which drives a 1st joint part and a 2nd joint part is described, for example, a 2nd joint part is driven by a belt drive by the drive part which drives a 1st joint part. You may make it drive.
Next, the horizontal arm mechanism 30 will be described. The horizontal arm mechanism 30 includes a double link mechanism that moves the two hands 14a and 14b so that a workpiece (not shown) is moved in and out of the stocker. The moving direction of the hands 14a and 14b is relative to the direction in which the horizontal arm mechanism 30 moves vertically in the vertical direction by the lifting mechanism 20 and the extension direction of the second horizontal joint when the hands 14a and 14b are pulled into the lifting mechanism 20. The hands 14a and 14b move linearly in one direction.
Details of the horizontal arm mechanism 20 will be described. A first horizontal joint portion 9a having a drive mechanism (not shown) provided in the support base 8 is connected to one end of the first arm 10a, and the other end of the first arm 10a is secondly connected to the second horizontal joint portion 11a. It is connected to one end of the arm 12a. The other end of the second arm 12a is connected to the first hand 14a at the third horizontal joint portion 13a.
The support base 8 is provided with a support column 15 provided with a support member 16, and one end of the first arm 10b is connected to a first horizontal joint portion 9b provided with a drive mechanism (not shown) provided in the support member. The other end of the first arm 10b is connected to one end of the second arm 12b at the second horizontal joint 11b. The other end of the second arm 12b is connected to the first hand 14b at the third horizontal joint part 13b. The first arms 10a and 10b and the second arms 12a and 12b face each other to form a facing structure. Moreover, the 1st horizontal joint part 9a, 9b is arrange | positioned coaxially by the up-down direction so that it may face up and down in a present Example. However, even when the hands 14a and 14b are moved with respect to the moving direction, the same operation as in the present embodiment can be performed by changing the arm lengths of the first arms 10a and 10b and the second arms 12a and 12b. The first horizontal joint portions 9a and 9b are positioned on a straight line with respect to the moving direction of the hands 14a and 14b, and the third horizontal joint portions 13a and 13b are vertically moved when the hands 14a and 14b overlap in the vertical direction. Arranged coaxially in the direction.
Further, in the present embodiment, the rotation axes of the first horizontal joint portions 9a and 9b are offset forward with respect to the moving direction of the hand from the turning axis of the turning mechanism 17, and are arranged so as not to interfere with the turning mechanism 17. ing. However, even if the movement direction of the hands 14a and 14b is offset in either the front-rear direction or the left-right direction, it is the same as the present embodiment by changing the arm lengths of the first arms 10a and 10b and the second arms 12a and 12b. Operation is possible.
Next, the operation will be described. First, the operation of the lifting mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows a case where the lifting mechanism 20 has moved to the highest position, and FIG. 3 shows a case where the lifting mechanism 20 has moved to the lowest position. One elevating mechanism will be described, and the other operation will be omitted because it is plane-symmetric.
The case of moving to the highest position will be described with reference to FIGS. A drive mechanism including a motor (not shown) of the first joint portion 4a and the second joint portion 6a is driven, and the first leg portion 5a moves the first joint portion 4a counterclockwise when viewed from the front in the moving direction of the hand 14a. The second leg portion 7a pivots clockwise about the second joint portion 6a to move the horizontal arm mechanism 30 to the highest position.
Moreover, the case where it moves to the lowest position using FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 is demonstrated. A driving mechanism including a motor (not shown) of the first joint portion 4a and the second joint portion 6a is driven, and the first leg portion 5a is centered on the first joint portion 4a in a clockwise direction when viewed from the front in the moving direction of the hand 14a. When the second leg 7a turns counterclockwise around the second joint 6a and lowers the horizontal arm mechanism 30, the first leg 5a is flush with the base 2 surface. Further, the first leg portion 5a is pivoted clockwise about the first joint portion 4a to the extent that the side surface of the first leg portion 5a does not protrude greatly from the side surface of the leg support member 3a, The leg portion 7a is pivoted clockwise about the second joint portion 6a and moved to the highest position.
When the horizontal arm mechanism 30 moves to the lowest position, the horizontal arm mechanism 30 is disposed between the elevating mechanism 20. By doing so, it becomes possible to take out the work at the lowest position of a stocker (not shown) by the hand 14a attached to the support base 8.
Even if one lifting mechanism 20 breaks down, it can be driven by the other lifting mechanism 20, so that the horizontal arm mechanism can be safely moved to the lowest position without falling, and the workpiece is not damaged. .
In the turning region, the length from the turning mechanism 17 to the side surfaces of the leg support members 3a and 3b is the turning radius, and a relatively small installation area is possible.
Next, a standby method in which the center of gravity of the standby posture of the lifting mechanism is low and stable and power consumption is low will be described with reference to FIG.
The elevating mechanism 20 is disposed at a position where the second leg portion 7a is parallel to the leg support member 3a and is sandwiched between 3a and 3b, and the second joint portion 6a is more than the first joint portion 4a. Be placed in a low position.
The second joint portion 6a corresponds to a moment load generated in the clockwise direction with respect to the weight of the support base 8 and the paper surface of the second leg portion 7a in order to hold the support base 8 connected to the second leg portion 7a. Counterclockwise torque is generated with respect to the paper surface.
On the other hand, in order to hold the support base 8 connected to the second leg portion 7b, the second joint portion 6b has a moment generated counterclockwise with respect to the weight of the support base 8 and the paper surface of the second leg portion 7b. A clockwise torque is generated with respect to the paper surface corresponding to the load.
Here, the moment load generated by the second leg portions 7a and 7b is canceled by acting clockwise and counterclockwise, and the second joint portions 6a and 6b generate torque that holds the weight of the support base 8. However, since the second leg portions 7a and 7b are positioned vertically, the rotational torque generated by the weight of the support base 8 becomes zero.
Therefore, when taking such a posture, the torque generated by the motors of the second joint portions 6a and 6b is zero. Actually, since there is a tilt of the apparatus, even if it is not completely zero, a current value close to zero is controlled by energizing the motors of the second joint portions 6a and 6b.

In the present invention, a robot for transferring a liquid crystal substrate or a semiconductor wafer has been described. However, if such a substrate is transferred, for example, a substrate such as a panel for solar power generation or an organic EL substrate may be used. It is possible to transport.

1 base 2 base 3a, 3b leg support member 4a, 4b first joint part 5a, 5b first leg part 6a, 6b second joint part 7a, 7b second leg part 8 support base 9a, 9b first horizontal joint part 10a, 10b 1st arm 11a, 11b 2nd horizontal joint part 12a, 12b 2nd arm 13a, 13b 3rd horizontal joint part 14a, 14b Hand 15 support | pillar 16 support member 17 turning mechanism 20 raising / lowering mechanism 30 horizontal arm mechanism

Claims (3)

A hand unit for placing a transported object, and a hand unit connected to the hand unit, including at least two or more rotary joints, arranged to extend and contract so as to move the hand unit in one direction, and to face each other in the axial direction. A horizontal arm mechanism, and a lifting mechanism composed of at least two sets of link mechanisms provided on a base member that moves the horizontal arm mechanism up and down,
The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal arm mechanism is moved to the lowest position, and the horizontal arm mechanism is disposed between the elevating mechanisms. When the horizontal arm mechanism moves to the standby position, the second leg connected at the other end of the first leg connected to the leg support member of the elevating mechanism is parallel to the leg support member. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transfer apparatus is positioned on the substrate.   When the horizontal arm mechanism is moved to the standby position, the second joint part at the other end of the first leg part connected to the first joint part of the leg support member constituting the lifting mechanism is the first joint part. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transfer apparatus is located lower.

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