JP3585611B2 - Stocker for glass substrate - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial applications]
The present invention relates to a stocker for a glass substrate which is flexible in a layout of a logistics facility, and particularly to a glass substrate used for a display panel having a color filter for a liquid crystal display device or a display panel for a plasma display. Regarding stockers.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in the production of a glass substrate used for a display panel or a display panel for a plasma display formed with a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, temporary storage may be required during the processing process, They were temporarily stored in cassettes or stockers (storage) suitable for the size of the glass substrate, and were taken out of these cassettes and stockers when used again.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when each processing is performed on a glass substrate in the processing unit 630, the processing unit 631, and the processing unit 632, it is necessary to temporarily store the glass substrate processed in the processing unit 631 in a stocker. In the case where there is, according to the number of glass substrates to be processed, a plurality of stockers 600 are arranged along a processing line, and a plurality of By moving the transfer device (robot) 620, the glass substrate from the processing unit 631 was stored in each stocker 600, or was taken out from each stocker 600 to the processing unit 631.
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view for easy understanding of the inside of the stocker 600. As shown in FIG. 6, the conventional stocker is provided with a shelf 610 composed of a plurality of horizontal fixed shelves 611 for placing a glass substrate 640 thereon, so that the peripheral portion is shielded from the outside and the inside can be kept clean. Clean air or nitrogen gas flows into and out of the device, and usually has a box shape that matches the shape of the glass substrate.
The transfer device (robot) 620 shown in FIG. 6 can hold and fix the glass substrate to the hand unit 621 by vacuum suction, can move in the horizontal direction, and can control its vertical position and direction.
When the glass substrate 640 is stored in the shelf 610 of the stocker 600 from the processing unit 631, the glass substrate 640 is held and fixed to the hand unit 621 of the transfer device (robot) 620 by the processing unit 631 by vacuum suction. Travels to a predetermined stocker 600, moves the hand unit 621 to the predetermined stocker 600, moves it to a predetermined position on the horizontal fixed shelf 611 of the predetermined shelf 610, and performs vacuum suction for holding the glass substrate. When the user releases the hand unit and removes it from the stocker, the user moves the hand unit to a predetermined horizontal fixed shelf 611.
The operation of taking out the glass substrate 640 from the shelf 610 and transferring it to the processing unit 631 was performed in the reverse order.
For this reason, there are problems such as (1) the time required for taking out the substrate is too long, which is not efficient, and (2) the storage efficiency per space of the stocker is not good.
In addition, a large amount of storage cannot be performed by using a cassette, and there is a problem in securing a clean environment.
[0003]
On the other hand, in the production of a glass substrate used for a display panel having a color filter for a liquid crystal display device or a display panel for a plasma display, the number of processing steps is large, and the glass substrate is transferred to various process lines. However, in order to efficiently arrange the processing units of various processes in a limited area (space), it is not always preferable to provide these process lines continuously or linearly. There is also a demand for an efficient and flexible arrangement of each process line for processing a glass substrate, which is not simply or continuously arranged.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, a stocker for a glass substrate used in the production of a glass substrate used for a conventional display panel having a color filter for a liquid crystal display device or a display panel for a plasma display, etc. There are problems such as inefficient removal, poor storage efficiency, and difficulty in maintaining the cleanness of the stocker. There is also a need for an efficient and flexible arrangement that is not merely a continuous or linear arrangement.
The present invention is intended to provide a stocker for a glass substrate which can efficiently take out the substrate under such circumstances, has a good storage efficiency of the glass substrate, and can secure the cleanness in the stocker. At the same time, it is an object of the present invention to provide a stocker capable of realizing efficient and flexible arrangement with respect to the arrangement of each process line for producing a glass substrate.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The glass substrate stocker of the present invention includes a plurality of substantially horizontal fixed shelves for holding glass substrates, a plurality of shelves provided at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, and a plurality of shelves around a glass substrate transfer robot. A glass substrate stocker having a horizontal polygonal cross-sectional shape arranged side by side, and a glass substrate circulation port for storing a glass substrate in each shelf or removing a glass substrate from each shelf on the outside of each shelf. The robot has a hand unit capable of holding and fixing the glass substrate and releasing the glass substrate held and fixed, and traveling toward a desired shelf and running substantially in parallel with the horizontal fixed shelf; A vertical drive (Z-axis direction) for vertically moving the position of the hand unit, and a rotation drive unit for rotating the hand unit toward a desired shelf. With By moving the hand unit appropriately, a desired horizontal fixed shelf is moved to another horizontal fixed shelf, and the horizontal fixed shelf can be moved to another shelf including the shelf where the fixed shelf is located. Yes, the robot and the plurality of shelves are almost completely sealed except for the inlet and outlet of clean air or nitrogen gas with controlled cleanliness. Air or nitrogen gas controlled to a degree of cleanliness is sent out and exhausted to the outside of each shelf, so that the horizontal fixing portion of each shelf is kept clean. .
And in the above, a partition is provided between each shelf, and each shelf is provided with a plurality of partitions also in the vertical direction, and a plurality of partitions are formed by the partitions. is there.
In the above, a flow port for a glass substrate is provided for each partitioned section.
Further, in the above, a door which can be opened and closed is provided outside the flow opening of the glass substrate, and the door is provided with an exhaust hole for exhaust.
In the above, air or nitrogen gas controlled to a predetermined degree of cleanness is sent from the upper or lower side of the robot unit through a pre-filter made of a polyester non-woven fabric or the like and a HEPA filter. .
[0006]
[Action]
The glass substrate stocker of the present invention, by adopting the above structure, can efficiently take out the substrate, have a good storage efficiency of the glass substrate, can secure the cleanness in the stocker, and can manufacture the glass substrate. It is therefore possible to provide a stocker that can realize efficient and flexible arrangement for the arrangement of each process line.
In detail, a plurality of shelves provided with a plurality of substantially horizontal fixed shelves for holding glass substrates are arranged around a glass transfer robot, and a glass substrate having a polygonal cross section in a substantially horizontal direction is provided. The storage stocker is designed to improve the storage efficiency of the glass substrates, and at the same time, the glass substrates placed on each shelf can be moved in and out in the direction of the shelf. The glass substrate can be moved in and out of the direction.
The robot is capable of holding and fixing the glass substrate and releasing the held and fixed glass substrate, and moves to a desired shelf and travels in a state substantially parallel to the horizontal fixed shelf. It has a horizontal drive unit for traveling in the waterside direction, a vertical (Z-axis direction) drive unit for moving the position of the hand unit up and down, and a rotary drive unit for rotating the hand unit toward a desired shelf. Then, by moving the hand unit appropriately, the desired horizontal fixed shelf is moved to another horizontal fixed shelf, and the horizontal fixed shelf can be moved to another shelf, including the shelf where the horizontal fixed shelf is located. Therefore, in the stocker, the position of the glass substrate can be replaced, and the substrate can be taken out from a shelf in a different direction from the shelf in which the glass substrate is taken in from the outside, that is, in the manufacturing process, Not continuous Non-linearly arranged process lines can be efficiently connected by a stocker, resulting in efficient and flexible arrangement of each process line for glass substrate fabrication. It is possible. Then, it is possible to efficiently take out the substrate without setting up from one process line to the next process line.
In addition, the robot and the plurality of shelves are supplied with air or nitrogen gas controlled to a predetermined degree of cleanness from the upper or lower side of the robot section in a state in which the whole is substantially sealed, and each shelves are An exhaust hole for exhaust is provided on the outside to keep the horizontal fixing portion of each shelf clean, so that the cleanness in the stocker can be ensured.
Specifically, this is achieved by sending air or nitrogen gas, which is controlled to a predetermined cleanness, through a pre-filter made of polyester non-woven fabric or the like and a HEPA filter to the upper or lower side of the robot unit. ing.
In addition, partitions are provided between each of the shelves, and the case shelves are provided with a plurality of partitions in the vertical direction to form one narrow partitioned section. The impact, especially on the clean side, will not be affected in other areas.
In addition, since a glass substrate circulation port is provided for each partitioned section, the degree of freedom in storing and removing the glass substrate is increased.
In addition, a door that can be opened and closed is provided outside the flow opening of the glass substrate, and the door is provided with an exhaust hole for exhaust, so that safety on a clean surface can be ensured.
[0007]
【Example】
An embodiment of the glass substrate stocker of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a top view of a stocker for a glass substrate of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a cross section taken along line A1-A2 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front view.
1, 2, and 3, 100 is a stocker, 110 is a shelf, 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d are sections, 111 is a fixed horizontal shelf, 112 is a shelf receiver, 113 is a glass substrate distribution port, and 114 is a door. , 114A are exhaust holes, 116 and 117 are partitions, 120 is a robot, 121 is a hand unit, 121 is a fixed unit, 122 is a horizontal drive unit, 122A is a groove (rail) unit, 123 is a rotary drive unit, and 124 is a vertical drive. , 130 is a filter unit, 131 is a pre-filter, 132 is a HEPA filter, 133 is a fan, and 140 is a glass substrate.
As shown in FIG. 1, the glass substrate stocker 100 of this embodiment has a horizontal fixing table 111 that holds a glass substrate 140 for storage arranged in a substantially hexagonal shape around a robot 120, and is horizontally fixed. The table 111 is provided in a shelf shape as shown in FIG. 2, and a partition 116 is provided to form a shelf 110. Each shelf 110 is partitioned by a partition 117 to form a section. In this embodiment, the horizontal fixed shelves 111 are partitioned every ten.
A glass substrate circulation port 113 is provided for each section partitioned by the partitions 116 and 117, and a door 114 is provided on the outside thereof so that the door 114 can be opened to the outside.
In FIG. 1, for the sake of simplicity, the entire robot 120 is omitted by a dotted line, and only a hand portion for holding and fixing a glass substrate is illustrated. Only the features of the configuration are shown.
In FIG. 2, the horizontal fixed shelves 111 and the glass substrates 140 are shown in a reduced number only in the section 110d for simplicity.
[0008]
As shown in FIG. 2, the robot 120 can hold and fix the glass substrate 140 and release the held and fixed glass substrate 140, and travels toward a desired shelf 110 in a state substantially parallel to the horizontal fixed shelf 111. Hand part 121, a horizontal drive part 122 for moving the hand part 121 substantially in the waterside direction, a rotation drive part 123 for rotating the hand part 121 and the horizontal drive part 122 integrally, and a vertical movement part for vertical movement. And a drive unit 124.
The horizontal drive unit 122 is capable of holding and fixing the glass substrate 140 with the hand unit 121 and moving it sufficiently to take it out of the shelf 110. The hand unit is horizontally driven together with the fixed unit 121 while being fixed to the fixed unit 121A. It moves along the groove (rail) 122A of the part 122.
The rotation drive diagram 123 enables a 360-degree (± 180 °) operation for directing the hand unit 111 and the horizontal drive unit 122 to a desired shelf 110.
The movable range of the vertical drive unit 124 is set at a predetermined position so that the glass substrate 140 stored in each partitioned section from the top to the bottom of the shelf 110 can be stored or taken out. You can stop at.
Although not shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal drive unit 122 and the hand unit 122 and the fixed unit 121A that are driven horizontally by the horizontal drive unit 122 move up and down along the groove (rail) of the vertical drive unit 124.
The arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the moving direction of each part.
[0009]
The robot 120 and each of the shelves 110 are hermetically sealed with respect to the outside except for the location where clean air flows in and out.
A filter section 130 is provided above the robot 120, from which external air flows into the inside by a fan 133. And it flows out from the exhaust hole 114A provided in the door 114 attached to each section partitioned by the partitions 166 and 167. It should be noted that if a rough filter is provided in the exhaust hole 114A of the door 114, it can be said that it is safe to secure cleanness.
Also, even when the door is open, the inside of the stocker can be maintained at a higher pressure than the outside so that normal air flows out from the door.
[0010]
FIG. 3 is a front view of the glass substrate stocker 100 of the present embodiment, and stainless steel is used as a material for sealing the whole, but the material is not limited to this.
In order to make the door 114 light, only the portion where the exhaust hole 114A is provided is made of stainless steel and the others are made of acrylic resin.
[0011]
The operation of each part of the robot is performed via a control unit (not shown), and various sensors are provided and the operation is managed to enhance safety.
[0012]
FIG. 4 shows the state of the horizontal fixed shelf 111 when the door 114 is opened from the outside of the stocker and viewed toward each shelf 110. FIG. 4 (a) shows a jig for holding a large-sized glass substrate 140A. FIG. 4B shows a case where the small-sized glass substrate 140B is placed on the horizontal fixed shelf 111 via the jig 410. FIG. FIG.
As described above, it is possible to mount glass substrates of different sizes on the horizontal fixed shelf 111.
The horizontal fixed shelf 111 shown in FIG. 4 can correspond to three types of width sizes, but the size is not limited to three types, and it is possible to increase the number of jigs 410 to support more various sizes. it can. Incidentally, 410A is a fixing portion for fixing the jig 410.
[0013]
Next, the layout of the manufacturing process and the operation of the stocker will be briefly described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 illustrates a case where conveyors 520, 521, 522, and 523 for moving glass substrates and processing units 510, 511, 512, and 513 of respective processes connected to the conveyors 520, 521, 522, and 523 are arranged around the stocker 100. It is.
In the case of FIG. 5, the glass substrate 140 processed by the processing unit 510 is temporarily stored in the shelf 110A of the stocker 100 via the belt conveyor 520.
Next, the glass substrate 140 is moved from the shelf 110A to another shelf 110B by the robot 120.
Next, after the glass substrate 140 is sent to the processing unit 511 via the belt conveyor 521 and processed, the glass substrate 140 is conveyed to the next processing unit 512 via the belt conveyor 524, and then the stocker 100 is transferred via the belt conveyor 522. Stored in shelf 110C.
Thereafter, the glass substrate 140 is moved from the shelf 110C to another shelf 110D by the robot 120 and sent to the next processing unit 513 via the belt conveyor 523.
As described above, by using the stocker 100 of this embodiment, it is not necessary to continuously or linearly connect each process line in the manufacturing process. As a result, the manufacturing process in a limited area (space) is performed. Lines can be flexibly arranged.
[0014]
【effect】
As described above, the present invention makes it possible to provide a glass substrate stocker that can efficiently take out a glass substrate, has a good storage efficiency for the glass substrate, and can ensure a good degree of cleanness in the stocker. At the same time, it is possible to provide a glass substrate stocker that can flexibly arrange the manufacturing process lines in a limited area (space) without having to connect each process line in the glass substrate manufacturing continuously or linearly. .
In particular, when manufacturing a glass substrate used for a display panel or a display panel for a plasma display formed with a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, the glass substrate can be stored in a good state, and The layout of the manufacturing process can be made flexible, and it is useful for multi-product and mass production.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a top view of a glass substrate stocker of an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a glass substrate stocker of an embodiment; FIG. 3 is a front view of a glass substrate stocker of an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a fixed shelf. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of a processing unit and a stocker operation. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a conventional glass substrate stocker.
Reference Signs List 100 Stocker 110 Shelf steps 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d Section 111 Horizontal fixed shelf 113 Glass substrate distribution port 114 Door 114A Exhaust holes 116, 117 Partition 120 Robot 121 Hand unit 121A Fixed unit 122 Hand drive unit 122A Groove (rail)
123 Rotation drive unit 124 Vertical drive unit 130 Filter unit 131 Pre-filter 132 HEPA filter 133 Fan 140 Glass substrate 140A, 140B Glass substrate 410 Jig 410A Jig fixing unit 510, 511, 512, 513 Processing unit 520, 521, 522, 523, 523 Belt conveyors 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D Shelf 600 Stocker 610 Shelf 611 Horizontal fixed shelf 620 Transfer device (robot)
621 Hand unit 630, 631, 632 Processing unit 640 Glass substrate 650 Belt conveyor

Claims (5)

A plurality of substantially horizontal fixed shelves for holding glass substrates, a plurality of shelves provided at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction are arranged around a glass substrate transfer robot, and the horizontal cross-sectional shape is substantially polygonal. And a glass substrate stocker provided with a glass substrate distribution port for storing a glass substrate in each shelf or removing a glass substrate from each shelf on the outside of each shelf, wherein the robot is a glass substrate And a hand unit that can release the held and fixed glass substrate, and runs in a state substantially parallel to the horizontal fixed shelf toward a desired shelf, and a horizontal drive that moves the hand unit in a substantially waterside direction. Unit, a vertical drive unit for moving the position of the hand unit up and down, and a rotation drive unit for rotating the hand unit toward a desired shelf. of It moves from a flat fixed shelf to another horizontal fixed shelf, and can also be moved to other shelves including the shelf where the horizontal fixed shelf is located. The robot and a plurality of shelves are clean. Except for the inflow and outflow of clean air or nitrogen gas whose degree of control has been controlled, the air or nitrogen gas controlled to a predetermined degree of cleanness is controlled from the upper or lower side of the robot unit in a substantially sealed state except for the whole. A stocker for glass substrates, wherein the stocker is fed in and exhausted to the outside of each shelf to keep the horizontal fixing portion of each shelf clean. 2. The glass substrate according to claim 1, wherein a partition is provided between each shelf, and each shelf is provided with a plurality of partitions in a vertical direction, and the partitions form a plurality of partitions. For stocker. 3. The glass substrate stocker according to claim 2, wherein a glass substrate circulation port is provided for each of the divided sections. The glass substrate stocker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a door that can be opened and closed is provided outside the flow opening of the glass substrate, and the door is provided with an exhaust hole for exhaust. . The glass according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein air or nitrogen gas controlled to a predetermined degree of cleanness is fed from above or below the robot unit through a pre-filter made of polyester non-woven fabric and a HEPA filter. Stocker for substrates.

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