JP2802883B2 - Object levitating device, object conveying device equipped with the device, and object levitating method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an object levitation apparatus for floating an object in the air, a method thereof, and an object transport apparatus provided with the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, as this type of apparatus, the following types have been known.

(1) A method in which an object is magnetically levitated and conveyed using an alternating magnetic field flowing through a coil. (2) A method of levitating and transporting using the superconducting Meissner effect. (3) A method of levitating and transporting using a pressurized gas such as compressed air.

[0004]

In each of these devices described in (1) and (2), the objects to be levitated and transported are limited to ferromagnetic materials and semiconductors, and receive magnetism. It has the disadvantage that it cannot be applied to objects that are not desirable to be placed under conditions. In addition, for an apparatus utilizing the super-electric Meissner effect, an expensive coolant is required to cool the coil to a very low temperature. Must also be considered,
In addition, there is a problem that the size of the apparatus must be extremely large in order to levitate and transport in a stable state for a long time.

On the other hand, in the apparatus of the type described in (3) above, it is necessary to supply the pressurized gas to the entire surface of the object transport path. For this reason, a large-scale pressurized gas supply means is provided, and the entire apparatus is provided. In addition, it is difficult to reduce the size of the gas, and it is not easy to control the pressure of the supplied gas over a wide range. Further, in the apparatus, a so-called clean room,
When used under conditions where the atmosphere must be kept clean, a means for sucking and recovering the gas ejected from the pressurized gas supply means is also required to prevent diffusion of the gas. At the same time, it is difficult to completely recover the gas.

Recently, an apparatus as shown in FIG. 27 has been developed. This device was used on October 3, 1983
No. 745 of “The Acoustical Society of Japan”
Page 746.

[0007] That is, in FIG.
A standing wave (not shown) is generated between the stepped circular vibration plate 102 excited by 1 and the reflecting plate 103 disposed corresponding to the stepped circular vibration plate 102, and a sphere 104 made of styrene foam is formed.
(A weight of 1.2 mg and a diameter of 4 mm) are floated by a sound field. In FIG. 27, the direction of gravity is indicated by an arrow g. In this case, it is said that each sphere 104 is stationary at an interval of の of the wavelength of the aerial ultrasonic wave, and that position is found to be a valley of sound pressure. The size of the levitable sphere is preferably equal to or less than 波長 wavelength, and its weight is considered to be related to the sound pressure.

However, using the standing wave as described above,
In an apparatus configured to hold an object at the position of the node, the sphere 104 as a test object is currently limited to an extremely light one, and the diaphragm 1 is used to levitate a heavy object.
02 must have a very large vibration amplitude. Therefore, in view of the stressful destruction of the diaphragm 102 and the horn 101a (see FIG. 27), it is difficult to levitate a heavy object stably for a long time, and it is considered that it is far from practical use. Further, in such a configuration, it is conceivable to adopt a method of converging a sound wave into a strong sound wave so as to allow a relatively heavy object to levitate.
The sound wave acts on an area smaller than the diameter of the object, and as a result, only an object having a small diameter can be handled.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and there is no restriction on the material or the like of the object to be handled, and at the same time, it is possible to handle an object having a relatively large weight and size and to reduce the size. It is an object of the present invention to provide an object levitation device which is inexpensive, is suitable in terms of safety and the like, is easy to control, an object transport device including the device, and an object levitation method.

[0010]

An object levitation apparatus according to the present invention includes a vibrating body, and an ultrasonic exciting means for exciting the vibrating body, and the surface of the vibrating body is radiated by a radiation pressure of a sound wave of the vibrating body. Is configured to levitate the object. Further, the object transfer device according to the present invention includes a vibrating body, an ultrasonic exciting unit for exciting the vibrating body, and a traveling unit for running the vibrating body. Is configured to levitate and run the object on the surface. Further, in the object levitation method according to the present invention, the vibrating body is excited, and the object is levitated on the surface of the vibrating body by the radiation pressure of the sound wave of the vibrating body.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show an object transporting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the object transport device has a vibrating body 1 formed in a rectangular plate shape. This vibrator 1
For example, a screw 3 (FIG. 2)
Are shown). However, the shape of the vibrating body 1 is not limited to a flat plate shape, and can be appropriately changed depending on the use or the like. Also, the vibrating body 1 may be attached to the horn 2 using various other means such as brazing or welding, and the attaching position is also variable. In FIG. 1, the direction of the ultrasonic vibration by the horn 2 is indicated by an arrow U. Thus, the horn 2 performs longitudinal vibration. Vibrator 1
The length L (see FIG. 2) and the width B are determined by the resonance length of the bending vibration based on the vibration transmitted from the horn 2, and the bending vibration such as the bending curve A shown in FIG.

The vibrating body 1 of the present embodiment has a length L
Is 434 mm, the width B is 154 mm, the thickness t (shown in FIG. 1) is 3 mm, and duralumin is used as a material. For horn 2, about 19.4k
It is excited at Hz, and a vibration having an amplitude of about 32 μmp-p is applied to the tip. With these settings, the nodes of the vibration of the vibrating body 1 appear at intervals of about 54.25 mm in the length direction and about 19.25 mm in the width direction, and vibrate in a lattice vibration mode. The dimensions of the vibrating body 1, the resonance frequency and its amplitude, and the mode of the vibration mode can be appropriately set. For example, the length L can be 1000 mm or more.

As shown in FIG. 1, the horn 2 includes a vibrating body 1
Is coupled to the vibrator 4 on the side opposite to the coupling portion. The electrode 4a of the vibrator 4 and the oscillator 5 are connected, and the vibrator 4 is excited by the oscillator 5 to generate ultrasonic vibration. The horn 2 mechanically amplifies the vibration generated by the vibrator 4. The horn 2
Is formed with a flange portion 2b. The flange portion 2b is formed with respect to the vibrator 4 and the case 6 containing the horn 2.
Are fastened via the packing 2c.

The above-mentioned horn 2, vibrator 4, oscillator 5, and peripheral members related thereto are collectively referred to as ultrasonic excitation means.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, plate-like sound wave reflecting members 8 are arranged along both sides of the conveying path of the object 7 to be conveyed, and are attached to the case 6.

Next, the operation of the object transport device having the above configuration will be described.

First, the operation of the object transport device as an object levitation device will be described.

First, when the apparatus is operated, the attitude of the apparatus is adjusted so that the vibrating body 1 is parallel to the virtual horizontal plane 10 as shown in FIG. Power is supplied in this state,
The vibrator 4 is excited by the oscillator 5, the horn 2 is longitudinally vibrated, and the vibrating body 1 is excited through the horn to perform bending vibration. When the vibrating body 1 performs bending vibration, a sound wave (not shown) is emitted from the vibrating body 1.

After the vibrating body 1 starts to vibrate as described above, the object 7 is brought onto the vibrating body 1 and the hand is gently released.
However, the object 7 may be placed on the vibrating body 1 before the vibrating body 1 starts to vibrate.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion E in FIG. 1. As is apparent from FIG. 4, the object 7 is moved away from the surface of the vibrating body 1 by the radiation pressure of the sound wave emitted from the vibrating body 1. levitate with e ₁ separated. Here, the levitation distance e ₁ is a distance based on 0 (zero) as the surface of the vibrating body 1 that is stationary without emitting a sound wave yet. If the area of the vibrating body 1 is small, the vibrating body 1 vibrates in the vibration mode of the longitudinal vibration itself given by the horn 2 without bending vibration, but the object 7 floats in this case as well. If the power supply to the ultrasonic excitation means is cut off, the sound wave from the vibrating body 1 immediately stops, and the object 7 comes into contact with the vibrating body 1.

The object 7 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is assumed to be simply a flat plate and a relatively lightweight one, for example, a business card, a thin plate made of synthetic resin or metal, or the like. These objects are
The apparatus shown in this example was experimentally manufactured and levitated as a test piece. In addition, an experiment was performed on an object 7 having a form as shown in FIG. That is, the flat carrier 7a and the weight 7 carried on the carrier 7a
b. 5 shows the distance between the carrier 7a in this case the vibrating body 1 at e _2.
It should be noted that a heavy object 7b requiring such a carrier 7a
Examples thereof include an object that cannot be levitated by itself, such as an object having a shape close to a sphere or an object having irregularities, and a powder or liquid contained in a container. However, if the bottom surface of itself is flat, the carrier 7a is detached, and only the heavy object 7b floats. Therefore, a floating test of the heavy object 7b alone was performed. We also experimented. The actual state of this experiment and various data obtained by the experiment will be described later.

As a result of the above experiment, it was found that the material of the specimen to be levitated was not restricted at all and that any object could levitate. In addition, although experiments were carried out widely from light to heavy ones, of course, the light ones floated, and the heavy ones were the largest ones in the experiment, having a diameter of about 140 mm and a weight of about 3.26 kg. The object levitates, and the maximum buoyancy that the object receives from the radiation pressure of the sound wave from the vibrating body 1 is calculated as 21.4 g / cm.
It became ² . Therefore, if this numerical value is converted from the surface area of the vibrating body 1, if the object extends over the entire surface of the vibrating body 1, it can be levitated even if the weight of the object is 14.3 kg. However, when a relatively light object is levitated, the input power to the vibration system applied to the apparatus is only 130 W, but when a heavy object is levitated as described above, 16 W is required.
It required 0W.

Also, as described above, objects of various materials were used in the levitation experiment. However, the higher the plane accuracy of the bottom surface facing the surface of the vibrating body 1, the higher the levitation weight can be. found. However, it was also confirmed that the planar accuracy of the surface of the vibrating body 1 was high, and that the stability of the entire apparatus was important.

As is apparent from the above, in the apparatus according to the present invention, there is no restriction on the material of the object to be handled, such as whether or not it is a magnetic substance, and the apparatus cannot be placed in a magnetic field. Any object can be levitated and transported as described below. Further, even if the weight and the size of the object to be handled are relatively large, the object can be levitated and transported.

Next, the operation of the object transport device including the above-described object levitation device will be described. This object transport device is obtained by adding a traveling unit for traveling the levitated object 7 to the configuration of the aforementioned object levitating device.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the means for this traveling.
The configuration shown in FIG. That is, the vibrating body 1
Is inclined at an angle θ _{1 with} respect to the virtual horizontal plane 10. Due to the inclination θ ₁ , an acceleration based on gravity is generated in the object 7, and the object 7 travels. Where angle θ
It is set to 1 to 5 ° in the experiment for _1. In the case of such a configuration, a drive source for traveling the object 7 is not particularly required, and it is only necessary to incline the device, so that it is easy to reduce the size and cost of the entire device.
As described above, if the power supply to the ultrasonic excitation means is cut off, the object 7 comes into contact with the vibrator 1 instantaneously and stops due to frictional resistance.

By the way, when the object 7 is conveyed as described above, deviation from the conveyance path is prevented by the following operation.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, sound wave reflecting members 8 are arranged along both sides of the transport path. As is clear from FIG.
Is in a non-contact state with the vibrating body 1 and guides the sound waves radiated from the lower surface of the vibrating body 1 to the side of the transport path while reflecting the sound waves as shown by arrows in the figure. Since the sound wave thus guided exists on the side of the transport path, it becomes a wall, and when the object 7 tries to deviate from the transport path, it acts to push it back. Therefore, the object 7 does not deviate from the transport path. Further, according to this configuration, the object 7
Does not come into contact with the sound wave reflecting member 8. However, even without such a sound wave reflecting member 8, it was confirmed that the object 7 that tried to protrude from the edge of the vibrating body 1 was pulled back inside by the action of the sound wave emitted from the vibrating body 1 itself. Have been.

Next, as described above, the gravity of the object 7 is
A description will be given of another object transporting device provided with a traveling unit different from the type of traveling. Note that each of these object transporting devices is configured similarly to the object transporting device according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIG. 6 except for the portions described below. Are omitted because they overlap, and only the main part will be described. Also, in the following description. The same components as those of the object transporting apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 7 shows a main part of an object transport device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, in the object transport device, the vibrating body 1 is made parallel to the virtual horizontal plane 10. The traveling means for traveling the object 7 has a plurality of nozzles 15 arranged side by side at predetermined intervals along the direction in which the object 7 is to travel. These nozzles 15 are disposed, for example, above the vibrating body 1 and eject compressed air toward the object 7 from obliquely rearward. The object 7 is accelerated and conveyed by the ejected compressed air. These nozzles 15 and a compressor (not shown) for supplying compressed air to the nozzles 15 constitute a gas injection unit acting as the traveling unit. In addition,
The gas to be injected under pressure is not limited to air, and various gases can be used depending on the application and if the influence on the environment such as the atmosphere is allowed.

FIG. 8 shows a main part of an object transporting apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In the object transfer device according to the second embodiment, the object 7
In this device, ultrasonic waves are radiated to the object 7 and the object 7 is caused to travel as a propulsion force.

That is, as shown in the figure, a plurality of ultrasonic radiators 20 are provided at equal intervals above the vibrating body 1 along the direction in which the object 7 should travel. These ultrasonic radiators 20 are each provided with a vibration plate 20a.
It is installed in a state where the ultrasonic wave 21 radiating more is directed obliquely forward and downward.

In this configuration, the object 7 is accelerated and conveyed by the radiation pressure of the sound wave emitted from each ultrasonic radiator 20.

FIG. 9 shows a main part of an object transport apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the object transport device according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the ultrasonic radiator 20 is provided for propulsion of the object 7, but in this embodiment, the sound wave emitted from the vibrating body 1 itself is used for object propulsion. We utilize as.

As shown, in this embodiment, a plurality of flat reflecting members 25 are arranged above the vibrating body 1 along the direction in which the object 7 should travel. Each of the reflection members 25 is installed so as to form an angle of θ ₂ with the surface of the vibrating body 1 and to be inclined so that the front becomes higher. Therefore, the sound wave 26a emitted upward from the vibrating body 1 is reflected by these reflecting members 25, and travels obliquely forward and downward. The object 7 is accelerated and conveyed by the reflected wave 26b.

In this embodiment, the plurality of reflecting members 25 are individually provided. In addition, only one long reflecting member (not shown) having a plurality of inclined portions formed in a wave shape is provided. It may be.

In the second to fourth embodiments shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, respectively, the nozzle 15 and the ultrasonic radiator 20 are used.
And a plurality of reflection members 25 are provided side by side along the object conveyance path.
It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the movement is performed so as to follow.

FIG. 10 shows an object transporting apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the object transport device, the traveling means for traveling the object 7 is configured as follows.

As shown in the figure, an ultrasonic exciting means 30 for exciting the vibrating body 1 is installed on the right end side of the vibrating body 1 and an energy conversion device having substantially the same configuration as the ultrasonic exciting means 30 is provided on the left end side. Means 31 are arranged. The energy conversion means 31 converts the energy of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the vibrating body 1 excited by the ultrasonic excitation means 30 into electric energy again. Specifically, the electrode 4a of the vibrator 4 included in the energy conversion means 31
Is connected to a circuit composed of a resistor R and a coil L, and electric energy converted from ultrasonic energy as mechanical energy is further converted into Joule heat by passing through this circuit and is dissipated.

In this configuration, if this energy conversion means 31 is acted upon simultaneously with the ultrasonic excitation means, the bending vibration wave generated in the vibrating body 1 becomes a traveling wave as shown by the arrow S. The object 7 travels on the traveling wave.

FIG. 11 shows a main part of an object transporting apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, in the object transporting apparatus, a weight 32 is mounted on the side of the object 1 in the traveling direction as a means for traveling the object 7. When the weight is placed in this manner, the object 7 is different in weight distribution between the traveling direction side of the object and the opposite direction side, and tilts in a floating state. Then, a sound wave (not shown) emitted upward from the vibrating body 1 is reflected on the lower surface of the object 7, and the reflected wave (not shown) travels obliquely rearward and downward. The object 7 is accelerated by the propulsive force of the reflected wave and travels.
Instead of using the weight 32, the weight of the object 7 itself may be changed between the traveling direction side and the opposite direction side so that the weight distribution is different and the object 7 is inclined.

FIG. 12 shows a main part of an object transporting apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, in the object transfer device, as a means for moving the object 7, irregularities 7d are formed on the rear lower surface of the object 7. As is clear from FIG. 13, the unevenness 7d is formed, for example, by alternately and continuously forming the vertical surface 7e and the inclined surface 7f in the direction in which the object 7 should travel. Then, the inclined surface 7f is at an angle of theta ₃ to the surface of the vibrating body 1, is formed and as the front becomes lower. Therefore, the sound wave 26a emitted upward from the vibrating body 1 is reflected by these inclined surfaces 7f, and travels obliquely rearward and downward. The object 7 is accelerated by the propulsive force of the reflected wave 26b and travels.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the object transporting apparatus of each of the above-described embodiments, in order to prevent the object 7 from deviating from the transporting path, the sound wave reflecting member 8 is moved along the transporting path. And the sound wave emitted from the lower surface side of the vibrating body 1 and reflected along the sound wave reflecting member 8 acts as a wall. With this configuration, it is possible to cope with an object up to a certain mass. However, when the mass of the object 7 becomes considerably large, the inertia when trying to deviate from the transport path is large, and this is restricted only by the sound wave wall. It is difficult to do. Therefore, the configuration shown in FIG. 14 is added.

As shown in FIG.
(E.g., consisting only of the heavy object 7b)
A plate-shaped departure prevention member 35 is provided. Therefore, when the object 7 attempts to deviate from the transport path, the object 7 contacts the inner side surface of the deviation prevention member 35 very lightly, and the deviation is avoided.

In each of the embodiments described above, one object transport device is shown. However, as shown in FIG. 15, two or more object transport devices are connected so that their respective transport paths are continuous. They can be installed side by side in series. Thus, the length of the transport path can be freely set,
High degree of freedom and excellent versatility.

Here, a part of the actual experiment described above will be described.

For this experiment, a measuring device as shown in FIG. 16 was prepared. This measuring device measures the levitation distance e of various objects 7 on the vibrating body 1. As shown in the figure, a laser displacement gauge 37, an oscilloscope 38 for displaying a measurement value of the laser displacement gauge 37, and a signal output from the laser displacement gauge 37 are amplified and displayed on the oscilloscope 38 between the two. And a displacement meter main body 39 interposed therebetween.

The laser displacement meter 37 irradiates a laser 37a from directly above the object 7 toward the upper surface of the object 7 and measures the distance by using the reflected light or the like.
Various known measurement principles may be employed. The measurement is specifically performed as follows.

First, the vibrating body 1 is kept stationary without being vibrated, and the object 7 is placed on the vibrating body 1. In this state, the measuring device is operated, and the distance to the upper surface of the stationary object 7 is reset so as to be the reference for the measurement of the levitation distance, that is, 0 (zero). Next, the vibrating body 1 is excited to levitate the object 7. In this floating state, the measurement device is operated again to perform measurement. Since the measured value obtained here is a distance from the above reference, the measured value is, that is, the levitation distance e
Becomes When the object 7 is a metal, the object 7 and the vibrating body 1 are energized in a non-floating state to obtain a mutual conduction state, and the conduction state disappears and the object 7 becomes non-conduction state. Confirmation of levitation was also made.

In this experiment, specimens of various forms shown in FIGS. 17 to 23 were prepared, and the levitation distance was measured for these specimens.

The specimen 41 shown in FIG. 17 is a semiconductor (IC)
A silicon wafer as a primary product for manufacturing a chip) having a diameter of about 100 mm (4 inches) was selected. The specimen 42 shown in FIG. 18 is a rectangular plate made of bakelite, and has the dimensions shown. However, in FIG. 18, the thickness of the specimen 42 is indicated by reference numeral t ₁ instead of the actual size, because a plurality of specimens 42 having different thicknesses, in this case, eight specimens 42 are prepared. In Table 2 below, reference numerals 41a to 41h are assigned to each of these eight specimens to indicate their respective thicknesses. The test specimens 41a to 41h are each made of Bakelite, but have different specific weights.

Next, each of the specimens 43 to 47 shown in FIGS. 19 to 23 is made of duralumin, respectively.
It is formed with the dimensions shown in each figure. However, in FIG. 20, the thickness of the test piece 44 is indicated by the reference numeral t2 because _two test pieces 44 having different thicknesses from each other are prepared. The specimen 46 shown in FIG. 22 is obtained by combining these two specimens. These two specimens are denoted by reference numerals 44a and 44b, respectively, in FIG.

Table 1 below shows the weight of each of the above-mentioned specimens and numerical values obtained by dividing the weight by the bottom area.

[Table 1]

[Table 2]

Table 1 shows the levitation distance measured for each of the above specimens. FIG. 24 is a graph showing the relationship between the weight per unit area of each specimen and the levitation distance. From this graph, it was found that the weight per unit area and the levitation distance were inversely proportional. However,
As is clear from the graph, the rate of change of the levitation distance decreases as the weight per unit area increases considerably.

Subsequently, three specimens 41, 42c and 43 are selected from the specimens described above, and the amplitude of the vibrating body 1 is changed for each of these specimens, and the levitation distance at each amplitude is measured. went. The change in amplitude is 8
Each amplitude value was set in stages, and confirmed using a dial gauge (not shown). The measurement results are shown in Table 3 below. FIG. 25 is a graph showing the relationship between each amplitude and the corresponding levitation distance. As is apparent from this graph, although the amplitude and the levitation distance are in a proportional relationship, when the amplitude value increases to a certain extent, the amplitude becomes saturated and the levitation distance does not exceed a certain amount. It is presumed that this is because when the levitation distance increases, the radiation pressure of the sound wave escapes and the levitation efficiency decreases.

[Table 3]

The above description is based on the results obtained by selecting various objects as test specimens and performing a levitation experiment on each of these objects using a prototype levitation apparatus.
As an example of practical application, a configuration shown in FIG. 26 was considered.

The object to be conveyed in this configuration is
A silicon wafer 50 as a primary product when manufacturing a semiconductor (IC chip).
Is mounted on the carrier 51 formed in a rectangular plate shape, for example, and levitated and transported by the above-described object transport device.

As is apparent from the figure, the carrier 51 is provided with a circular concave portion 51a into which a substantially circular silicon wafer 50 is to be inserted. For example, four protrusions 51b are formed at equal intervals on the inner peripheral surface of the recess 51a, and the silicon wafer 50 is placed on the protrusions 51b in the recess 51a.
Notches 51c communicating with the recesses 51a are formed on both sides of the carrier 51. This notch 51c
Has a depth such that a predetermined gap is formed between the bottom surface of the notch 51c and the lower surface of the silicon wafer 50 when the silicon wafer 50 is placed on the projection 51b. That is, when a not-shown robot hand or the like inserts or removes the silicon wafer 50 into or from the concave portion 51a, the silicon wafer 50 is held through the cutout portion 51c.

Incidentally, without using the carrier 51,
It is also possible to directly transfer the silicon wafer 50.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and a wide variety of configurations can be realized by combining any two or more of the embodiments with each other even partially. Of course.

In each of the above-described embodiments, duralumin is used as the material of the vibrating body 1. However, various materials such as carbon steel and its alloy steel, such as stainless steel and titanium alloy, may be used. Can be adopted.

By the way, a photograph of the state of the experiment described above was taken, and a part of the photograph was attached as Reference Photos 1 to 8 for reference.

[0068]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is not restricted by the material of the object to be handled, such as whether or not it is a magnetic material, and it can levitate and transport any object, such as those that can not be placed in a magnetic field,
In addition, there is an effect that even if the weight and size of the object are relatively large, it is possible to cope with the problem. In addition, as for the device, only the vibrating body and the ultrasonic exciting means for exciting the vibrating body need to be provided at a minimum, so that the effect of achieving downsizing and cost reduction is obtained, and the power consumption is reduced. Is extremely small, which contributes to energy saving. Further, since the levitation effect is based on the radiation pressure of the sound waves converted from the electric energy, the safety of the worker can be easily secured, and the power can be easily controlled by turning off and on the power supply. The shape of the vibrating body can be appropriately changed depending on the application, and the apparatuses can be arranged for long-distance transportation. For example, the degree of freedom is very large and the versatility is excellent.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view including a partial cross section of an object transporting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the object transport device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view on arrow DD in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion E in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of an object to be conveyed by the object conveyance device illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the object transport device shown in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 7 is a front view of a main part of an object transport device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a main part of an object transport device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a main part of an object transport device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a front view including a partial cross section of an object transporting apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a main part of an object transport device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a front view of a main part of an object transfer device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a portion G in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing a partially modified example of the object transporting device of each embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 13;

FIG. 15 is a front view including a partial cross section, showing a state in which a plurality of object transport devices are arranged.

FIG. 16 is a front view schematically showing a main part of an object levitation device according to the present invention and a measuring device for performing measurement relating to the device.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a test sample used for measurement by the measuring device shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a test sample used for measurement by the measuring device shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a test sample used for measurement by the measuring device shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a test sample used for measurement by the measuring device shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a test sample used for measurement by the measuring device shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a specimen used for measurement by the measuring device shown in FIG.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a test sample used for measurement by the measuring device shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 24 is a graph showing a measurement result obtained by the measurement device shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 25 is a graph showing a measurement result obtained by the measurement device shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of a silicon wafer to be transferred by the object transfer device of each embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 13 and a carrier on which the silicon wafer is mounted.

FIG. 27 is a front view schematically showing a conventional object levitation apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 vibrator 2 horn 4 vibrator 5 oscillator 6 case 7 object 8 sound wave reflection member 10 virtual horizontal plane 20 ultrasonic radiator 25 reflection member 30 ultrasonic excitation means 31 energy conversion means 35 departure prevention member 37 laser displacement Total 38 Oscilloscope 39 Displacement meter main body 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 Specimen 50 Silicon wafer 51 Carrier

Claims (15)

(57) [Claims] An object levitation apparatus comprising: a vibrating body; and an ultrasonic exciting unit that excites the vibrating body, wherein an object is levitated on a surface of the vibrating body by radiation pressure of a sound wave of the vibrating body. . 2. The object levitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating body performs bending vibration or longitudinal vibration. 3. The object levitation device according to claim 1, wherein the vibrator is formed in a flat plate shape. 4. A vibrating body, ultrasonic exciting means for exciting the vibrating body, and running means for running the vibrating body, wherein an object is provided on a surface of the vibrating body by a radiation pressure of a sound wave of the vibrating body. An object conveyance device characterized by levitating and traveling. 5. The object transport device according to claim 4, wherein the vibrating body is provided with the surface inclined with respect to a virtual horizontal plane, and the object travels by the inclination. 6. The object transporting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said traveling means includes gas injection means for injecting gas to said object. 7. The object transporting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said traveling means has an ultrasonic wave radiating means for radiating an ultrasonic wave to said object. 8. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said traveling means has a reflecting member for reflecting ultrasonic waves emitted from said vibrating body toward said object. Object transfer device. 9. The traveling means has energy conversion means for converting the ultrasonic energy emitted by the ultrasonic excitation means into electric energy, thereby converting the ultrasonic waves into traveling waves traveling in a direction in which the object should move. The object transporting device according to claim 4, wherein the object transporting device comprises: 10. The object has a different weight distribution between the traveling direction side and the opposite direction side of the object, and generates a propulsive force by a reflected wave radiated from the vibrating body and reflected on a lower surface of the object. The object transport device according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the object is caused to travel. 11. The object according to claim 4, wherein the object has an unevenness formed on a lower surface thereof, and the object is caused to travel by a propulsive force of a reflected wave radiated from the vibrating body and reflected by the unevenness. 11. The object transporting device according to any one of 10 above. 12. A sound wave reflecting member is arranged along both sides of the conveyance path of the object, and a sound wave emitted from the vibrating body and reflected by the sound wave reflection member prevents the object from deviating from the conveyance path. The object transporting device according to any one of claims 4 to 11, wherein: 13. The device according to claim 4, wherein a deviation preventing member for preventing the object from deviating from the transport path is provided separately from the vibrating body. Object transfer device. 14. The object transport apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of the object transport paths are arranged so as to be continuous. 15. A method for levitation of an object, comprising exciting a vibrating body and levitating an object on a surface of the vibrating body by a radiation pressure of a sound wave of the vibrating body.