JP3855119B2 - Transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a walking beam type carrying device having a simple constitution, adjustable in carrier speed and easy to transfer an object to be processed between a loader and an unloader. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a pair of first moving beams 4 which are provided left and right at an interval and extend in front and rear directions and a pair of moving beams 5 which are provided left and right at an interval between the first moving beams 4 and extend in front and rear directions. The first moving beams 4 moves forward and backward and the second moving beams 5 move in the vertical direction to transfer the object P to be processed between the first moving beams 4 and the second moving beams 5 and to carry the object P forward.

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a transfer device used in a continuous heat treatment apparatus such as a furnace. In particular, the present invention relates to a transfer device for a processing apparatus such as a furnace used in a clean room or the like for processing a plate-shaped workpiece such as a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate such as an LCD panel or a plasma display panel.
[0002]
In the present specification, front, rear, left, and right refer to the moving direction of the workpiece.
[0003]
[Prior art]
A transfer device for a processing apparatus such as a furnace used in a clean room or the like is required to generate less dust. There is a walking beam type conveying apparatus as one of the conveying apparatuses that satisfy such requirements.
[0004]
The walking beam transfer device includes a pair of beams provided in the left-right direction and extending in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of workpiece placement units disposed in the front-rear direction between the beams. The object to be processed is conveyed as follows.
[0005]
First, a beam located at a position lower than the workpiece placement unit moves upward to lift the workpiece on the placement unit. Next, the beam moves forward until the lifted workpiece is positioned above the next placement portion. And a beam moves below and a to-be-processed object is mounted in the following mounting part. After this, the beam moves backward.
[0006]
The above-described series of operations is repeated, and the workpieces are sequentially transferred to the front mounting portion and conveyed.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above conventional walking beam type transfer device, the beam is moved back and forth, up and down, that is, two-dimensionally. Therefore, not only the configuration is complicated, but also the transfer speed of the workpiece is necessary for performing the above series of operations. Since it is determined by time, there is a limit to increasing the conveyance speed.
[0008]
In addition, since it is necessary to place an object to be processed at a correct position on the beam, a loader and unloader having a complicated mechanism is required.
[0009]
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a walking beam type transport apparatus that has a simple configuration and can freely adjust the transport speed. It is another object of the present invention to provide a transport device that can easily transfer an object to be processed between a loader and an unloader.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention]
In order to solve the above problems, the transport device of the present invention is
A pair of first moving beams provided in the left-right direction and extending in the front-rear direction, and a pair of second moving beams provided in the left-right distance and extending in the front-rear direction between the first moving beams. Any one of the first moving beam and the second moving beam moves back and forth, the other moves up and down, and the object to be processed is transferred between the first moving beam and the second moving beam and moved forward. It is conveyed by this.
[0011]
According to this transfer device, two pairs of beams can move separately in the front and back and up and down directions to transfer the object to be processed. Therefore, each pair of drive devices only needs to move the beam in one dimension. Becomes simple and the cost of the apparatus can be reduced. In addition, since it is possible to freely adjust the conveyance speed, the setting range of the conveyance speed is widened, and the optimum conveyance speed can be set depending on the processing method and type of the workpiece.
[0012]
In the conveying apparatus, the beam that moves up and down includes the carry-in conveyor that pulls in the workpiece that has been sent to the rear end and moves it forward, and stops when the entire workpiece is transferred, and the workpiece. A carry-out conveyor that starts to move when it is placed and feeds an object to be processed forward may be connected to the carry-in side and the carry-out side.
[0013]
In this way, the object to be processed is drawn into the transport device by the carry-in conveyor just by placing the front end of the object to be carried on the carry-in conveyor, and the object to be treated is fed forward by the carry-out conveyor, and the front end is the carry-out conveyor. The object to be processed can be easily taken out by protruding from the surface. Therefore, this transfer device is easy to transfer the object to be processed between the loader and unloader, and is excellent in versatility.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a transfer device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0015]
FIG. 1 shows a continuous furnace (1) to which the transfer device (2) of the present invention is applied.
[0016]
Here, the transfer device (2) includes a pair of front and rear moving beams (4) spaced apart from each other on the left and right sides, and a pair of vertical movements spaced apart from each other between the front and rear moving beams (4). A workpiece carrying conveyor (6) attached to the rear end of the beam (5), the vertically moving beam (5), and a workpiece carrying conveyor (7) attached to the front end of the vertically moving beam (5). It has.
[0017]
The interval between the longitudinally moving beam (4) and the interval between the vertically moving beams (5) is smaller than the width of the workpiece (P) so that the workpiece (P) can be placed thereon. Similarly, the conveyors (6) and (7) convey the workpiece (P) by the left and right belts. The back-and-forth moving beam (4) and the up-and-down moving beam (5) are each driven by a separate driving device (not shown).
[0018]
The vertically moving beam (5) moves between an ascending position above the longitudinal moving beam (4) and a descending position below the longitudinal moving beam (4). On the other hand, the longitudinally moving beam (4) moves between a retracted position where the rear end is located on the carry-in conveyor (6) side and an advanced position where the rear end is located before the carry-in conveyor (6). When the forward / backward moving beam (4) is in the forward position, its front end is located on the side of the carry-out conveyor (7), and when it is in the retracted position, the front end is located behind the carry-out conveyor (7).
[0019]
Hereinafter, the operation of the transfer device (2) will be described.
[0020]
The transfer device (2) takes an initial state in which the vertically moving beam (5) is first in the ascending position, the longitudinally moving beam (4) is in the retracted position, and the conveyors (6) and (7) are both stopped.
[0021]
The workpiece carrying conveyor (6) starts moving and the workpiece (P) sent to the rear end of the carrying conveyor (6) is drawn onto the conveyor (6) and moved forward (FIG. 3a). . When the entire workpiece (P) is placed on the conveyor (6) (FIG. 3b), the carry-in conveyor (6) stops.
[0022]
Subsequently, the vertically moving beam (5) and the conveyors (6) and (7) are lowered integrally to the lowered position, and the workpiece (P) is transferred to the longitudinally moving beam (4) (FIG. 3c). The back-and-forth moving beam (4) on which the workpiece (P) is placed moves forward and reaches a forward position (FIG. 3d).
[0023]
When the back-and-forth moving beam (4) reaches the forward movement position, the up-and-down moving beam (5) and the conveyor (6) and (7) that are in the lowered position immediately rise, reach the rising position, and the workpiece (P) moves back and forth. It is transferred from the beam (4) to the vertically moving beam (5) (FIG. 3e). Thereafter, the longitudinally moving beam (4) is retracted to reach the retracted position, the longitudinally moving beam (4) is in the retracted position, and the vertically moving beam (5) is in the ascending position, returning to the initial state (FIG. 3f). . In this manner, the procedure from FIG. 3b to FIG. 3f is repeated every predetermined tact time, and the workpiece (P) is conveyed forward.
[0024]
The carry-out conveyor (7) is configured such that when the workpiece (P) is placed on the carry-out conveyor (7), the conveyor (7) starts moving and feeds the workpiece (P) forward. Normally, the carry-in / out conveyors (6) and (7) operate synchronously.
[0025]
As described above, a pair of beams that move up and down and a pair of beams that move back and forth are provided separately, and each pair is driven by a separate driving device, so that each driving device performs a one-dimensional operation. The configuration of the drive device is often simplified. In addition, the object to be processed is drawn in by the carry-in conveyor (6) and sent out by the carry-out conveyor (7), so it becomes easy to transfer the object to be processed (P), and no special loader or unloader is required. Easy connection.
[0026]
In the above embodiment, for the sake of convenience of explanation, it has been described that the longitudinally moving beam (4) and the vertically moving beam (5) operate separately, but at least the workpiece (P) moves back and forth in the longitudinally moving beam (4). When the beam (4) and the vertically moving beam (5) are replaced, it only needs to stop at the forward or backward position, and move back and forth while the vertically moving beam (5) is moving up and down. The beam (4) can also be moved forward and backward. In this way, the tact time can be set freely, and the tact time can be shortened to a level close to continuous conveyance.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1a is a longitudinal sectional view of a continuous heat treatment apparatus to which a transfer apparatus of the present invention is applied, and b is a transverse sectional view of the continuous heat treatment apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of a transport apparatus according to the present invention.
FIGS. 3A to 3F are diagrams illustrating the operation of the transport apparatus. FIGS.
[Explanation of symbols]
(1) Processing equipment (continuous furnace)
(2) Transfer device
(4) Back and forth moving beam
(5) Vertical movement beam
(6) Conveyor for processing object
(7) Unloading conveyor
(P) Workpiece

Claims (1)

A pair of first moving beams provided in the left-right direction and extending in the front-rear direction;
A pair of second moving beams provided between the first moving beams and spaced in the left-right direction and extending in the front-rear direction;
Either one of the first moving beam and the second moving beam moves back and forth, the other moves up and down, and the object to be processed is transferred between the first moving beam and the second moving beam and moved forward. The beam that is transported and moved up and down is loaded with the carry-on conveyor that pulls in the workpiece sent to the rear end and moves it forward and stops when the whole workpiece is transferred, and the workpiece. A conveyor for a processing apparatus, wherein a conveyor for unloading and moving a workpiece forward is connected to the loading side and the unloading side, respectively .

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