JP2017112157A - Conveying device and control method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a driving part of a conveying robot from being corroded while suppressing an abrasion of a sealing member.SOLUTION: When an arm part 11 is driven by at least a driving part (an elevation drive part, a rotation driving part, and an arm rotation driving part) in a driving processing for driving a conveying robot 10, a control part maintains the conveying robot 10 to a non-contact state where a driving part (motor or shaft, or the like) of the conveying robot 10 is not sealed from an external part (a state where a lower end of an arm base 11b is not contacted to an O ring 15a, and a state where a hollow O ring 15b is not expanded, and a surrounding space of shafts 11S1 to 11S3 is not sealed), and maintains the conveying robot 10 to a sealing state where the driving part of the conveying robot 10 is sealed from the external part during a gas supplying processing for supplying a gas to a conveying space (the lower end of the arm base 11b is contacted to the O ring 15a, and the hollow O ring 15b is expanded, and the surrounding of shafts 11S1 to 11S3 is sealed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer apparatus including a transfer robot for transferring a transfer object and a control method thereof.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a robot having a sterilization drive unit having an arm for holding a conveyed product and a power transmission unit for driving the sterilization drive unit. In Patent Document 1, an outer shell portion that covers the power transmission portion in the circumferential direction to dispose the sterilization drive portion in the clean space and the power transmission portion outside the clean space, and prevent contaminants from entering the clean space. Is provided with a sealing member.

JP 2007-229906 A

  A technique for supplying a gas (for example, a sterilizing gas such as hydrogen peroxide gas) to the transfer space is known for the purpose of adjusting the environment of the transfer space in which the transfer robot is arranged. When the gas supplied to the transfer space is corrosive to the drive unit (motor, shaft, etc.) of the transfer robot, a sealing member is provided as in Patent Document 1 to prevent the drive unit from corroding. Can be considered. However, in this case, when the transfer robot is driven (when the arm portion is rotated or lifted), the sealing member is worn by sliding contact with the surrounding members, and the sealing function is deteriorated. Problems such as generation of particles may occur.

  The objective of this invention is providing the conveying apparatus which can prevent the corrosion of the drive part of a conveyance robot, and its control method, suppressing the abrasion of a sealing member.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport robot for transporting a transported object, comprising: an arm part having an arm for holding the transported object; and a drive part for driving the arm part. A transfer robot; a transfer space in which the transfer robot is disposed; a gas supply unit that supplies a gas corrosive to the drive unit of the transfer robot to the transfer space; the transfer robot and the gas supply unit A control unit that controls the transfer robot, and the transfer robot is interposed between a drive portion driven by the drive unit in the arm unit and a member that faces the drive portion, so that the drive unit is moved to the transfer robot. A sealing member that can be sealed from the outside, and the drive unit is sealed from the outside by the sealing member and the drive member by the sealing member. The controller selectively takes an unsealed state in which the part is not sealed from the outside, and the control unit executes a driving process for driving the transport robot and a gas supply process for supplying the gas to the transport space. When the arm unit is driven by at least the driving unit in the driving process, the transfer robot is maintained in the unsealed state, and the transfer robot is maintained in the sealed state during the gas supply process. A conveyance device is provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport robot for transporting a transported object, comprising: an arm part having an arm for holding the transported object; and a drive part for driving the arm part. A transfer robot; a transfer space in which the transfer robot is disposed; and a gas supply unit that supplies a gas having corrosiveness to the drive unit of the transfer robot to the transfer space. There is a sealing member capable of sealing the drive unit from the outside of the transfer robot by being interposed between a drive part driven by the drive part in the arm part and a member facing the drive part. Then, a sealing state in which the driving unit is sealed from the outside by the sealing member and a non-sealing state in which the driving unit is not sealed from the outside by the sealing member are selectively taken. The control method of the transfer device includes a drive step of driving the transfer robot and a gas supply step of supplying the gas to the transfer space, and the arm unit is driven by at least the drive unit in the drive step. A control method is provided that maintains the transfer robot in the unsealed state and maintains the transfer robot in the sealed state during the gas supply step.

  According to the first and second aspects, when the arm unit is driven by at least the driving unit in the driving process (driving step), the transport robot is maintained in an unsealed state, while the gas supplying process (gas supplying step) is performed. Keeps the transfer robot sealed. Thereby, corrosion of the drive part of a conveyance robot can be prevented, suppressing abrasion of a sealing member.

  The transfer robot includes a support unit that supports the arm unit, the drive unit includes an elevating drive unit for elevating the arm unit with respect to the support unit, and the sealing member includes the elevating unit The arm portion may be provided at a position interposed between the arm portion and the support portion when the arm portion is disposed closest to the support portion by driving of the drive portion. In this case, wear of the sealing member that may occur when the arm portion is raised and lowered can be suppressed. In addition, the size of the transport robot in the up-and-down direction when in the sealed state can be reduced. Furthermore, since the internal space of the support portion in the sealed state can be reduced, the amount of non-sterile gas in the internal space of the support portion discharged to the transfer space when the transfer robot is driven can be reduced.

  The transfer robot includes a support unit that supports the arm unit, the drive unit includes an elevating drive unit for elevating the arm unit with respect to the support unit, and the sealing member includes the elevating unit The arm portion may be provided at a position interposed between the arm portion and the support portion when the arm portion is disposed farthest from the support portion by driving the drive portion. In this case, wear of the sealing member that may occur when the arm portion is raised and lowered can be suppressed. Further, the area exposed to the gas on the outer surface of the support portion is increased, and a wide range of sterilization can be performed on the outer surface of the support portion.

  The transfer robot may include a support unit that supports the arm unit, and the drive unit may include a rotation drive unit for rotating the arm unit with respect to the support unit. In this case, wear of the sealing member that may occur when the arm portion rotates can be suppressed.

  The arm portion includes the arm and an arm base that supports the arm, and the driving portion includes an arm rotation driving portion for rotating the arm with respect to the arm base, and the sealing member Is an arm shaft included in the arm rotation drive unit, and includes a hollow member provided around the arm shaft constituting the rotation center of the arm, and pressure for supplying pressure to the hollow portion of the hollow member The apparatus may further include a supply unit, and the control unit may switch the transfer robot from the unsealed state to the sealed state by controlling the pressure supply unit to supply pressure to the hollow portion. In this case, the above effect (an effect that corrosion of the driving unit of the transfer robot can be prevented while suppressing wear of the sealing member) can be obtained with a relatively simple configuration.

  According to the present invention, when the arm unit is driven by at least the driving unit in the driving process (driving step), the transport robot is maintained in an unsealed state, while the transport robot is kept during the gas supply process (gas supplying step). By maintaining the sealing state, it is possible to prevent corrosion of the driving unit of the transport robot while suppressing wear of the sealing member.

It is sectional drawing along the horizontal direction of the conveying apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the conveyance robot which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the conveyance robot which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (A) is sectional drawing which followed the IVA-IVA line | wire of Fig.3 (a) in the conveyance robot which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (B) is the elements on larger scale of the area | region IVB shown to Fig.4 (a). (A) is sectional drawing along the VA-VA line | wire of FIG.3 (b) in the conveyance robot which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (B) is the elements on larger scale of the area | region VB shown to Fig.5 (a). (C) is the elements on larger scale corresponding to Drawing 5 (b) which shows the state where the hollow O ring expanded. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the conveying apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control method of the conveying apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the elements on larger scale corresponding to Drawing 4 (b) which shows the sealing member of the conveyance robot concerning another embodiment of the present invention.

  A transfer apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is used for cell culture and testing, processing of a substrate (for example, a semiconductor wafer, a liquid crystal display), and the like. As shown in FIG. And a housing 20 that defines a transfer space 20x in which the transfer robot 10 is disposed. As shown in FIG. 6, the transfer apparatus 1 further controls a gas supply unit 40 that supplies a gas (for example, a sterilization gas such as hydrogen peroxide gas) to the transfer space 20 x, and the transfer robot 10 and the gas supply unit 40. Control unit 100. The gas supply unit 40 includes a pump or the like for supplying gas stored in a gas tank (not shown) to the transfer space 20x.

  The housing 20 has side walls 20a to 20d (see FIG. 1) extending in the vertical direction, and a lower wall and an upper wall (not shown) extending in the horizontal direction. The pair of side walls 20a and 20b are opposed to each other with the transfer space 20x interposed therebetween, and extend in the direction in which the transfer robot 10 travels (the direction along the horizontal plane, hereinafter referred to as “travel direction”). Yes. The pair of side walls 20c and 20d are opposed to each other with the conveyance space 20x interposed therebetween, and extend in a direction (hereinafter referred to as “orthogonal direction”) orthogonal to both the vertical direction and the traveling direction.

  Around the transfer space 20x, a plurality of peripheral spaces 50 serving as transfer destinations of a transfer object (a container, a substrate or the like containing cells) by the transfer robot 10 are arranged. In the present embodiment, the four peripheral spaces 50 are arranged so as to face the pair of side walls 20a and 20b, respectively. The conveyance space 20x communicates with each peripheral space 50 through four communication ports 21 formed in each of the pair of side walls 20a and 20b. A guide member 30 extending in the traveling direction for guiding the transfer robot 10 is provided on the inner surface of one of the pair of side walls 20a and 20b (side wall 20a).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the transfer robot 10 includes an arm 11 having an arm 11 a for holding a transfer object and an arm base 11 b for supporting the arm 11 a, and the arm 11 can be moved up and down and rotated. A supporting part 12 to be supported, a traveling motor 12M1 for causing the supporting part 12 to travel in the traveling direction together with the arm part 11, and a raising / lowering driving part for raising and lowering the arm part 11 with respect to the supporting part 12 (elevating motor 12M2 and raising / lowering) A mechanism 13), a rotation drive unit (rotation motor 12M3, shaft 12S, etc.) for rotating the arm unit 11 with respect to the support unit 12, and an arm rotation drive unit (for rotating the arm 11a with respect to the arm base 11b). Arm motor 11M, arm shafts 11S1 to 11S3, etc.).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the arm 11 a includes three arm elements 11 a 1 to 11 a 3 that are rotatably connected to each other, and a plate 11 x on which a conveyed product is placed. One end of the arm element 11a1 is attached to the upper surface of the arm base 11b, and an arm axis 11ax extending in the vertical direction through the one end (see FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4A). About the arm base 11b. One end of the arm element 11a2 is attached to the upper surface of the other end of the arm element 11a1, and the arm element 11a2 is rotatable with respect to the arm element 11a1 about an axis extending in the vertical direction through the one end. One end of the arm element 11a3 is attached to the upper surface of the other end of the arm element 11a2, and the arm element 11a3 is rotatable with respect to the arm element 11a2 about an axis extending in the vertical direction through the one end. The plate 11x is fixed to the side surface of the other end of the arm element 11a3.

  An arm motor 11M with a reduction gear 11R is disposed inside the arm base 11b below one end of the arm element 11a1 (see FIG. 5A). In addition, pulleys 11P1 and 11P2 are arranged at one end and the other end of the arm element 11a1, a belt 11B1 is wound around the pulleys 11P1 and 11P2, and pulleys 11P3 and 11P4 are arranged at one end and the other end of the arm element 11a2, respectively. The belt 11B2 is wound around the pulleys 11P3 and 11P4, the pulley 11P1 is fixed to the drive shaft (arm shaft 11S1) of the arm motor 11M, the pulley 11P2 is fixed to the pulley 11P3 via the arm shaft 11S2, and the pulley 11P4 is It is fixed to one end of the arm element 11a3 via the arm shaft 11S3.

  The driving force of the arm motor 11M is sequentially transmitted to the arm elements 11a1 to 11a3, and the arm elements 11a1 to 11a3 rotate to realize the expansion / contraction operation of the arm 11a (see FIGS. 3A and 3B). . By extending the arm 11 a with the transfer robot 10 facing the communication port 21, the plate 11 x can pass through the communication port 21 and transfer the transfer object to the peripheral space 50.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the arm base 11b is interposed between the arm 11a and the support portion 12, and is supported by the support portion 12 so as to be able to move up and down and rotate together with the arm 11a. The arm part 11 moves up and down so that the plate 11x is within the range of the communication port 21 in the vertical direction.

  The arm base 11b rotates with respect to the support portion 12 about the base axis 11bx by driving the rotary motor 12M3. The rotary motor 12M3 is disposed inside the arm base 11b and the support portion 12 and at the center of the horizontal plane of the arm base 11b. The base axis 11bx extends in the vertical direction at the center of the horizontal plane of the arm base 11b. As shown in FIG. 5A, the rotary motor 12M3 is equipped with a reduction gear 12R, and the drive shaft (shaft 12S) of the rotary motor 12M3 is fixed to the arm base 11b.

  A hollow O-ring 15b is provided around each arm shaft 11S1 to 11S3 as shown in FIG. The hollow O-ring 15b is an annular member having a hollow portion made of an elastic material such as rubber. When the inflator 15bx (see FIG. 6) is driven by the control of the control unit 100, pressure is supplied to the hollow portion to expand. (See FIGS. 5B and 5C). Thereby, the space around the arm shafts 11S1 to 11S3 is sealed, and the arm rotation drive unit (arm motor 11M, arm shafts 11S1 to 11S3, pulleys 11P1 to 11P4, belts 11B1 and 11B2, etc.) is sealed from the outside of the transport robot 10. Is done. The hollow O-ring 15b corresponds to a “hollow member” according to the present invention, and the inflator 15bx corresponds to a “pressure supply unit” according to the present invention. That is, the transfer robot 10 rotates between the drive part (arm shaft 11S1 to 11S3) driven by the drive part (arm rotation drive part) in the arm part 11 and the member facing the drive part. It has a sealing member (hollow O-ring 15b) that can seal the drive unit from the outside of the transfer robot 10, and the arm rotation drive unit is externally connected to the transfer robot 10 by the sealing member (hollow O-ring 15b). The sealed state (the state shown in FIG. 5C) to be sealed and the unsealed state in which the arm rotation driving unit is not sealed from the outside of the transfer robot 10 by the sealing member (hollow O-ring 15b) (FIG. 5). The state shown in (b)) can be selectively taken. In the state shown in FIG. 5B, the hollow O-ring 15b is not expanded, the space around the arm shafts 11S1 to 11S3 is not sealed, and the arm rotation driving unit is sealed from the outside of the transfer robot 10. Not.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the support unit 12 is provided with a lifting mechanism 13. The elevating mechanism 13 includes a pulley 13p, a belt (not shown) wound around the pulley 13p and the elevating motor 12M2, a ball screw 13x fixed to the rotating shaft of the pulley 13p and extending in the vertical direction, and the circumference of the ball screw 13x. A female screw portion that meshes with a male screw portion formed on the surface includes a cylindrical portion 13y formed on the inner peripheral surface, and a connecting portion 13z that connects the cylindrical portion 13y and the arm base 11b. By driving the lifting motor 12M2, the pulley 13p and the ball screw 13x rotate, and the arm portion 11 moves up and down as the connecting portion 13z moves up and down.

  An O-ring 15a is provided around the upper portion of the support portion 12 (a portion facing the lower end of the arm base 11b in the vertical direction) (see FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5A). . The O-ring 15a is an annular member made of an elastic material such as rubber, and the arm portion 11 is located at the lowest position (closest to the support portion 12) by driving of the elevating drive unit (elevating motor 12M2 and elevating mechanism 13). When arranged, it is interposed between the arm portion 11 and the support portion 12. When the arm portion 11 is disposed at the lowermost position, an O-ring 15a is interposed between the arm base 11b and the support portion 12, and a lift drive unit (lift motor 12M2 and lift mechanism 13) and a rotary drive unit (rotary motor 12M3). , The shaft 12S, etc.) are sealed from the outside of the transfer robot 10. That is, the transfer robot 10 moves up and down by being interposed between a drive part (arm base 11b) driven by a drive part (elevation drive part and rotation drive part) in the arm part 11 and a member facing the drive part. It has a sealing member (O-ring 15a) that can seal the drive unit and the rotation drive unit from the outside of the transport robot 10, and the elevating drive unit and the rotation drive unit are transported by the sealing member (O-ring 15a). The sealed state (the state shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5A) sealed from the outside of the robot 10, and the lift drive unit and the rotary drive unit by the sealing member (O-ring 15a). Is not sealed from the outside of the transfer robot 10 (a state in which the arm 11 is positioned above the state shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 5A). I can take it.

  The support portion 12 is further provided with a pinion (not shown) that meshes with the rack of the guide member 30. The driving of the traveling motor 12M1 rotates the pinion, and the pinion moves on the rack, so that the transport robot 10 moves in the traveling direction.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the contents of control by the control unit 100 will be described.

  First, the control unit 100 drives the transfer robot 10 based on an external command (S1: drive processing / drive step). In S <b> 1, the control unit 100 controls the travel motor 12 </ b> M <b> 1, the lift motor 12 </ b> M <b> 2, the rotation motor 12 </ b> M <b> 3, and the arm motor 11 </ b> M so that the transport robot 10 can travel, lift, and / or rotate.

  Note that while the transfer robot 10 is driven in the transfer space 20x in S1, the atmosphere in the transfer space 20x is kept clean.

  During S <b> 1, the control unit 100 does not seal the transport robot 10 (the lifting drive unit and the rotation drive unit are not sealed from the outside of the transport robot 10 by the sealing member (O-ring 15 a)), and the sealing is performed. The member (hollow O-ring 15b) is maintained in a state where the arm rotation driving unit is not sealed from the outside of the transfer robot 10. That is, the arm portion 11 is moved up and down as long as the lower end of the arm base 11b does not contact the O-ring 15a, and no pressure is supplied to the hollow portion of the hollow O-ring 15b. Maintain state.

  After S1, the control unit 100 determines whether or not a gas supply command is received from the outside (S2). When it is determined that the gas supply command has not been received (S2: NO), the control unit 100 repeats the process of S2. When determining that the gas supply command has been received (S2: YES), the control unit 100 stops the lifting and rotation of the transport robot 10 by stopping the driving of the lifting motor 12M2, the rotating motor 12M3, and the arm motor 11M. Thereafter, the traveling motor 12M1 is driven to move the transport robot 10 to a standby position defined in the transport space 20x (S3).

  After S3, the control unit 100 unseals the transport robot 10 (the elevating drive unit and the rotary drive unit are not sealed from the outside of the transport robot 10 by the sealing member (O-ring 15a), and the sealing is performed. The arm rotation drive unit is not sealed from the outside of the transfer robot 10 by the member (hollow O ring 15b), and the lift drive unit and the rotation drive unit of the transfer robot 10 are sealed by the sealing member (O ring 15a). The state is switched from the outside and the arm rotation driving unit is sealed from the outside of the transfer robot 10 by the sealing member (hollow O-ring 15b) (S4). In S4, the control unit 100 drives the lifting motor 12M2 to place the arm unit 11 at the lowest position, and seals the arm base 11b and the support unit 12 with an O-ring 15a (FIG. 4A ), (B) and FIG. 5A), and by driving the inflator 15bx, the hollow O-ring 15b is expanded by supplying pressure to the hollow portion of the hollow O-ring 15b, and the arm shafts 11S1 to 11S3. Is sealed (see FIG. 5C).

  After S4, the control unit 100 drives the gas supply unit 40 with the driving of the transfer robot 10 stopped, and supplies gas to the transfer space 20x (S5: gas supply process / gas supply step). The gas is a gas (for example, hydrogen peroxide gas) that is corrosive to the drive unit (elevation drive unit, rotation drive unit, and arm rotation drive unit) of the transfer robot 10.

  During S5, the control unit 100 maintains the transfer robot 10 in a sealed state. That is, the lower end of the arm base 11b comes into contact with the O-ring 15a so that the O-ring 15a is interposed between the support portion 12 and the arm base 11b, and the elevation drive unit and the rotation drive unit are sealed from the outside by the O-ring 15a. (See FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5A), the hollow O-ring 15b expands, the space around the arm shafts 11S1 to 11S3 is sealed, and the arm rotation drive unit is the transfer robot 10. The state sealed from the outside (see FIG. 5C) is maintained.

  After S5, the control unit 100 ends the routine.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the arm unit 11 is driven by at least the drive unit (elevation drive unit, rotation drive unit, and arm rotation drive unit) in S1 (drive processing / drive step), the transfer robot. While 10 is maintained in the non-sealed state, the transfer robot 10 is maintained in the sealed state during S5 (gas supply processing / gas supply step). Thereby, corrosion of the drive part of the transfer robot 10 can be prevented while suppressing wear of the O-rings 15a and 15b.

  The drive unit includes an elevating drive unit (elevating motor 12M2 and elevating mechanism 13) for elevating the arm unit 11 with respect to the support unit 12, and the O-ring 15a has the arm unit 11 at the lowest position by driving the elevating drive unit. It is provided at a position interposed between the arm portion 11 and the support portion 12 when it is disposed (closest to the support portion 12) (FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5). a)). In this case, wear of the O-ring 15a that can occur when the arm portion 11 is raised and lowered can be suppressed. In addition, the size of the transport robot 10 in the ascending / descending direction (vertical direction) in the sealed state can be reduced. Furthermore, since the internal space of the support portion 12 in the sealed state can be reduced, the amount of non-sterile gas in the internal space of the support portion 12 discharged to the transfer space 20x when the transfer robot 10 is driven is reduced. be able to.

  The drive unit includes a rotation drive unit (rotation motor 12M3, shaft 12S, etc.) for rotating the arm unit 11 with respect to the support unit 12. In this case, wear of the O-ring 15a that can occur when the arm portion 11 rotates can be suppressed.

  The drive unit includes an arm rotation drive unit (arm motor 11M, arm shafts 11S1 to 11S3, etc.) for rotating the arm 11a with respect to the arm base 11b, and a sealing member is provided around each shaft 11S1 to 11S3. A hollow O-ring 15b. The control unit 100 controls the inflator 15bx to supply pressure to the hollow portion of the hollow O-ring 15b, thereby switching the transfer robot 10 from the unsealed state to the sealed state (FIGS. 5A and 5B). reference). In this case, the above-described effect (an effect that the corrosion of the driving unit of the transfer robot 10 can be prevented while suppressing the wear of the sealing member) can be obtained with a relatively simple configuration.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in the arrangement of the O-ring 15a and the configuration of the portion of the arm base 11b and the support portion 12 where the O-ring 15a is arranged.

  In the present embodiment, an inner projecting portion 11bt projecting inward is provided at the lower end of the arm base 11b. An outer protrusion 12 t that protrudes outward is provided at the upper end of the support portion 12. The upper surface of the tip of the inner protrusion 11bt and the lower surface of the tip of the outer protrusion 12t are opposed in the vertical direction. The O-ring 15a is provided on the lower surface of the outer protrusion 12t. The arm portion 11 can be raised and lowered within a range in which the inner protruding portion 11bt is located below the O-ring 15a. The O-ring 15a is configured such that when the arm unit 11 is disposed at the uppermost position (farthest from the support unit 12) by driving of the elevating drive unit (elevating motor 12M2 and elevating mechanism 13), the arm unit 11 and the support unit 12 are provided. Between the two.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress wear of the O-ring 15a that may occur when the arm portion 11 is raised and lowered. Further, the area exposed to the gas on the outer surface of the support portion 12 is increased, and a wide range of sterilization can be performed on the outer surface of the support portion 12.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, various design changes can be made as long as they are described in the claims as follows. It is a thing.

In the driving process (driving step), at least when the arm unit is driven by the driving unit, the transport robot may be maintained in an unsealed state. For example, the transport robot is in a sealed state when the transport robot travels. Also good.
The gas supplied to the transfer space is not limited to hydrogen peroxide gas as long as it is corrosive to the drive unit of the transfer robot, and is arbitrary.
The gas supply timing and supply time are arbitrary. For example, the gas supply timing may be once every several weeks, and the gas supply time may be several hours.
The sealing member may be fixed to an arbitrary member. For example, the O-ring 15a (see FIGS. 4B and 8) may be fixed to the arm base 11b instead of the support portion 12.
The sealing member is preferably made of a material having resistance to the gas supplied to the transfer space (for example, fluorine rubber in the case of hydrogen peroxide gas), but is not limited thereto.
As the sealing member, the O-ring 15a and the hollow O-ring 15b are exemplified in the above-described embodiment, but only one of them may be provided. That is, one of the O-ring 15a and the hollow O-ring 15b may be omitted.
The arm is not limited to being composed of a plurality of arm elements, and may be composed of one arm element. Moreover, you may provide two or more arms comprised by the single or several arm element.
The arm may rotate with respect to the arm base about an axis extending in a direction intersecting the vertical direction.
The guide member is not limited to being provided on the side wall of the housing, and may be provided on the lower wall of the housing, for example.
The plurality of peripheral spaces may be arranged at arbitrary positions around the transport space. For example, the plurality of peripheral spaces may be arranged over the entire periphery of the conveyance space. Alternatively, the plurality of peripheral spaces may be provided only on one side of the conveyance space. The plurality of peripheral spaces may have different configurations or may have the same configuration.
The “sealed state” means a state in which the communication between the space accommodating the drive unit of the transfer robot and the outside of the transfer robot is blocked to the extent that the drive unit can be prevented from being corroded, and is limited to a completely sealed state. It is not something.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transfer apparatus 10 Transfer robot 11 Arm part 11a Arm 11b Arm base 11M Arm motor (drive part, arm rotation drive part)
11S1 to 11S3 Arm shaft (drive unit, arm rotation drive unit)
12 Supporting part 12M2 Lifting motor (Drive part, Lifting drive part)
12M3 rotary motor (drive unit, rotary drive unit)
12S shaft (drive unit, rotary drive unit)
13 Elevating mechanism (drive unit, elevating drive unit)
15a O-ring (sealing member)
15b Hollow O-ring (sealing member, hollow member)
15bx inflator (pressure supply part)
20x transfer space 40 gas supply unit 100 control unit

Claims (6)

A transport robot for transporting a transport object, the transport robot having an arm section having an arm for holding the transport object, and a drive section for driving the arm section;
A transfer space in which the transfer robot is disposed;
A gas supply unit for supplying a gas having corrosiveness to the drive unit of the transfer robot to the transfer space;
A controller that controls the transfer robot and the gas supply unit;
The transfer robot can seal the drive unit from the outside of the transfer robot by being interposed between a drive part driven by the drive part in the arm part and a member facing the drive part. A sealing state in which the driving unit is sealed from the outside by the sealing member and a non-sealing state in which the driving unit is not sealed from the outside by the sealing member Take
The control unit performs a driving process for driving the transfer robot and a gas supply process for supplying the gas to the transfer space, and at least when the arm unit is driven by the driving unit in the driving process, A transfer apparatus, wherein the transfer robot is maintained in the non-sealed state, and the transfer robot is maintained in the sealed state during the gas supply process. The transfer robot has a support part that supports the arm part,
The drive unit includes an elevating drive unit for elevating the arm unit with respect to the support unit,
The sealing member is provided at a position interposed between the arm portion and the support portion when the arm portion is disposed closest to the support portion by driving of the elevating drive portion. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The transfer robot has a support part that supports the arm part,
The drive unit includes an elevating drive unit for elevating the arm unit with respect to the support unit,
The sealing member is provided at a position interposed between the arm portion and the support portion when the arm portion is disposed farthest from the support portion by driving the elevating drive portion. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The transfer robot has a support part that supports the arm part,
The said drive part contains the rotation drive part for rotating the said arm part with respect to the said support part, The conveying apparatus of any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The arm portion includes the arm and an arm base that supports the arm,
The drive unit includes an arm rotation drive unit for rotating the arm with respect to the arm base,
The sealing member is an arm shaft included in the arm rotation driving unit, and includes a hollow member provided around the arm shaft that constitutes the rotation center of the arm,
A pressure supply part for supplying pressure to the hollow part of the hollow member;
The control unit switches the transfer robot from the non-sealed state to the sealed state by controlling the pressure supply unit to supply pressure to the hollow portion. 5. The transfer device according to any one of 4 above. A transfer robot for transferring a transfer object, the transfer robot having an arm part having an arm for holding the transfer object, and a drive part for driving the arm part, and the transfer robot being arranged And a gas supply unit that supplies gas that has corrosiveness to the drive unit of the transfer robot to the transfer space, and the transfer robot is driven by the drive unit in the arm unit. A sealing member capable of sealing the driving unit from the outside of the transfer robot by being interposed between the driving part and the member facing the driving part, and the driving by the sealing member In a control method for a conveying device, a sealing state in which a part is sealed from the outside and a non-sealing state in which the driving part is not sealed from the outside by the sealing member are selectively taken. Te,
A driving step of driving the transfer robot;
A gas supply step of supplying the gas to the transfer space,
When driving the arm unit by at least the driving unit in the driving step, the transport robot is maintained in the unsealed state,
The control method of maintaining the sealed robot in the sealed state during the gas supply step.

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