JP4537411B2 - Substrate carry-in / out device and substrate carry-in / out method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate carry-in / out device, and more particularly, to a substrate carry-in / out device for taking out a substrate from a tray loaded on a pallet and storing the processed substrate in the tray again.

  Conventionally, the trays each containing the substrates are transferred in a stacked state, and the substrates are taken out one by one from the tray group that has reached the unloading position and supplied to the processing device, or after processing from the processing device. Various substrate transfer apparatuses that take out a substrate and store it in a tray have been proposed and realized.

  For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-59893, a plurality of fixing pins having a certain length are provided on a stage for delivering a substrate and the like, and holes are provided in accordance with positions where the fixing pins are inserted. A method is disclosed in which a plurality of trays are taken out from the top one by one and stacked on the fixing pins to take out and transport the substrates in the trays. The tray stacking order is reversed before and after the substrate is taken out.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-186249 discloses a place where a plurality of trays stacked in multiple stages are once transported to a high position, and a fixed pin having a length equal to or greater than the height of the stacked tray is on standby (located below). ), The lower tray separated is moved up and down to take out the substrate on the pins.

  However, in the substrate transfer apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-59893, a fixed pin having a considerable length must be prepared in order to take out the substrate from all of a plurality of trays stacked in dozens. As a result, the apparatus becomes large and it is difficult to install the substrate in a limited space and execute substrate processing. On the other hand, if the number of trays is limited, the apparatus can be reduced in size, but this is not preferable because the number of trays that can be processed at one time is small and the processing efficiency may be reduced. In addition, shape errors occur in each stacked tray as usage continues. Since this shape error causes a shift between the upper and lower trays when the tray stacking order is changed, the tray stacking order cannot be changed. In the case of using this transport device, there is also a drawback that it cannot cope with it.

Also in the substrate transport apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-186249, the fixing pin needs to be equal to or higher than the height of the stacking tray, and the stacking tray needs to be arranged once at a high position. There is a problem of becoming larger.
As described above, when the apparatus scale is increased, there may be a problem that a pin accommodation space cannot be taken when a substrate transfer apparatus is newly installed in an existing factory. This problem can be solved by constructing a new factory, but this leads to an increase in cost, which is not a favorable situation.

  Furthermore, when the material taken out by the substrate transfer device is a material that is easily damaged, such as a glass substrate, handling is required. In other words, in the conventional substrate transfer apparatus, the distance to move the substrate is long before the substrate is taken out, and the operation is complicated, so that there is a risk of damaging the substrate on the way. It is necessary to remove this risk as much as possible.

  In particular, in the transport device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-186249, all the trays when the engaging claw that grips the upper tray separated from the elevator platform for moving the trays up and down and the stacked tray group fails. May fall, and the substrate in the tray may be damaged, resulting in serious damage or a serious cause of an accident.

  The present invention mainly solves the problems of the conventional techniques as described above, and even substrates that require handling are smoothly removed from the tray, and the processed substrates are efficiently transferred to the tray again. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate carry-in / out device that can be accommodated and the device scale can be reduced.

The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and according to the present invention,
A substrate loading / unloading device for taking out or loading substrates from a tray, a conveyor for moving a pallet loaded with a plurality of trays having a predetermined number of pin insertion holes, and a predetermined position of the conveyor Pallet positioning means for positioning the pallet; tray lifting / lowering means for separating the plurality of trays in a state where the pallet is positioned by the positioning means and providing a predetermined separation space between the separated trays; In the separation space, a tray separating means for moving the tray for loading / unloading corresponding to the substrate to be loaded / unloaded, and a substrate support pin for supporting the substrate enter and retreat under the tray for loading / unloading. And a board support pin moving means for inserting the board support pin into the pin insertion hole of the carry-in / out tray. And the substrate support pin protrudes from the carry-in / out target tray by inserting the pin insertion hole, and the substrate is lifted from the carry-in / out target tray by the protruding substrate support pin A substrate carry-in / out device is provided.

  Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a substrate carry-in / out method for taking out or carrying in a substrate from a tray, wherein a pallet in which a plurality of trays having a predetermined number of pin insertion holes are stacked is moved to position the pallet. After performing the above steps, the stacked trays are separated to provide a predetermined separation space, a tray relative movement step, and the loading / unloading target tray corresponding to the substrate to be loaded / unloaded in the separation space is replaced with another tray. And a tray separating step for moving up and down independently to separate the other tray, and a substrate supporting pin moving step for allowing a substrate supporting pin for supporting the substrate to enter under the tray to be loaded and unloaded, The substrate support pins and the loading / unloading tray are arranged so that the substrate supporting pins pass through the pin insertion holes of the loading / unloading tray and protrude from the loading / unloading tray. In the state where the pin insertion step is moved, and the substrate support pin is inserted through the pin insertion hole of the carry-in / out target tray and protrudes from the carry-in / out target tray, between the substrate support pin and another transfer device There is provided a substrate carry-in / out method including a substrate delivery step of delivering a substrate.

Moreover, according to the present invention, in the substrate carry-in / out device for carrying in / out the substrate with respect to one tray having a plurality of pin insertion holes and selected from a plurality of stacked trays, A tray lifting and lowering unit that separates the plurality of trays up and down with a boundary between a tray to be loaded and unloaded corresponding to a substrate to be loaded and unloaded and a tray below the tray to be loaded and unloaded, a placement unit; , erected on the placing portion, the substrate support pins for supporting a substrate, and the substrate support pins units with, caused by, separated by pre Quito lay elevating means, the target tray out the carry Substrate support pin moving means for allowing the substrate support pin unit to enter from the side of the separation space into a separation space between the tray under the carry-in / out target tray, and the tray lifting means Before in space Comprising a loading and unloading target tray lifting hand stage for moving the loading and unloading target tray up and down, after the substrate support pin units were entered into the separation space by pre-Symbol substrate support pins moving means, the substrate supporting pins, the carry-out There is provided a substrate carry-in / out device, wherein the carry-in / out target tray is lowered by the carry-in / out target tray lifting / lowering means so as to protrude from the carry-in / out target tray through the pin insertion hole of the target tray. The

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The accompanying drawings are included in the specification, constitute a part thereof, show an embodiment of the present invention, and are used to explain the principle of the present invention together with the description.
It is the block diagram which showed schematically the board | substrate carrying in / out apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the pallet positioning operation | movement in the board | substrate carrying in / out apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure and operation | movement of the 1st positioning unit. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure and operation | movement of the 2nd positioning unit. FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the operation of the tray chuck 107. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of a tray chuck | zipper. It is a figure which shows the structure of a tray chuck unit. It is a figure which shows a mode when a slide pin and a turning pin approached under the process target tray. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of a tray. It is an operation | movement transition diagram which shows operation | movement when taking out a glass substrate from a lowermost tray. It is an operation | movement transition diagram which shows operation | movement when taking out a glass substrate from the tray after the 2nd step | paragraph. It is an operation | movement transition diagram which shows operation | movement when carrying in a glass substrate to the uppermost tray. It is an operation | movement transition diagram which shows operation | movement when carrying in a glass substrate to the tray below the 2nd step | paragraph from the top. It is a figure which shows the structural example which provided the positioning unit 200 in the tray chuck | zipper unit. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram of the positioning unit 200. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram of the positioning unit 200. 4 is a side view of a tray 302 that replaces the tray 102. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example in which an optical sensor 400 is provided in a robot hand 110. It is explanatory drawing of the check operation | movement whether the glass substrate 108 is mounted in each tray 302, and the figure which shows the detection result of the optical sensor 400. FIG. It is a block diagram of the control system using the detection result of the optical sensor.

<First Embodiment>
Embodiments of a substrate carry-in / out apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external view showing an entire substrate carry-in / out apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate carry-in / out device 100 takes out glass substrates 108 (not shown in FIG. 1) from the trays in order from the bottom of the plurality of trays 102 loaded on the pallet 101, and further accommodates the processed substrates in the trays again. It has the function to do. If all trays contain substrates, the glass substrates 108 are taken out in order from the lowermost tray. Further, for example, when all the trays below a certain tray are empty, the glass substrate 108 can be taken out from the tray or carried into the lower tray with the upper side as an object to be carried in / out. When the glass substrates 108 are mounted on all the trays, the glass substrates are taken out in order from the bottom, and when the glass substrates are loaded into all empty trays, the loading operation is performed from the top. These take-out / carry-in operations will be described in detail later.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 103 denotes a first conveyor for positioning and transporting the pallet 101 on which the loaded tray 102 is placed to the take-out position of the glass substrate 108. Reference numeral 104 denotes a second conveyor for sending the pallet 101 and the tray 102 to the first conveyor 103. The first conveyor 103 and the second conveyor 104 are connected so as to have the same height from the installation surface (floor surface) of the apparatus. The second conveyor 104 includes a driving roller 104a for moving the pallet 101 in the X direction (both positive and negative directions) and a free roller 104b for supporting the pallet 101 from below. In the present embodiment, the first conveyor 103 is provided with driving rollers at both ends, and no free roller is provided at the center of the conveying surface.

  Reference numeral 109 denotes a robot for taking out the glass substrate 108 from the tray 102. Reference numeral 110 denotes a U-shaped arm of the robot 109. This arm enters under the glass substrate 108 lifted by the side pin 122 and the pivot pin 126, and lifts the glass substrate 108 so that it is scooped up after being sucked and held. Receive it from the pin.

  A tray chuck driving unit 106 includes a tray chuck 107. The trays 102 corresponding to the number of steps that need to be raised and lowered are gripped by the tray chuck 107 from both sides in the Y direction, and the tray chuck 107 is moved up and down by the tray chuck driving unit 106 in this state. The tray chuck 107 is provided with a locking portion (gripping claw) 107a for locking the tray 102 that moves up and down.

  Reference numeral 120 denotes a side pin operating part, which is composed of a guide rail 128 of a rodless cylinder and a cylinder part 123. A side pin mounting part 121 in which a plurality of side pins 122 are arranged is attached to the cylinder part 123, and the cylinder part 123 is driven to move the side pin mounting part 121 back and forth along the guide rail 128. (In the Y direction).

  Reference numeral 124 denotes a swivel pin operation unit, which includes a swivel pin placement unit 125 in which a plurality of swivel pins 126 are arranged, and a rotary actuator 1013 that allows the swivel pin placement unit 125 to turn in an angular direction.

  The side pin operation unit 120 is disposed outside the tray chuck 107 (tray chuck row), and the swivel pin operation unit 124 is disposed between the two tray chuck rows constituting the tray chuck unit 107.

  Reference numeral 127 denotes a carry-in / out target tray separating mechanism that separates the carry-in / out target tray 102a from the upper tray (tray group) 102 and moves it up and down. The tray chuck driving unit 106 has a unit configuration divided into three in the vertical direction, and the side pin operating unit 120, the swivel pin operating unit 124, and the carry-in / out target tray separating mechanism 127 are attached below each unit. It has been.

  In the space separated vertically by the tray chuck driving unit 106, the tray 102a (not shown in FIG. 1) is loaded / unloaded into the other tray (tray) by the loading / unloading tray separation mechanism 127. In a state of being separated from the (group) 102, the side pin operating unit 120 causes the side pin mounting unit 121 to enter under the carry-in / out target tray 102a. Similarly, the swivel pin operation unit 124 swivels the swivel pin placement unit 125 to enter under the carry-in / out target tray 102a. Thereafter, the side pin operation unit 120 and the swivel pin operation unit 124 enter the space below the carry-in / out target tray 102a, and the side pins 122 and the swivel 126 are inserted through the insertion holes of the carry-in / out target tray 102a, The tray 102a and the glass substrate 108 are supported at positions separated by the side pins 122 and the pivot pins 126.

  At the time of unloading, the robot hand 110 takes out the raised glass substrate 108, and at the time of loading, the glass substrate 108 transferred by the robot hand 110 is received and accommodated by the side pins 122 and the swivel pins 126. The number of side pins 122 and swivel pins 126 is not limited as long as the glass substrate 108 is stable. The tip of the pin is covered with a soft material such as rubber so as not to damage the glass substrate 108.

  In the present embodiment, the tray 102 is configured by stacking 60 trays, but the lowest tray (first tray) is fixed to the pallet 101.

  The configuration and operation of the substrate carry-in / out apparatus 100 having the above-described configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

<Pallet 101 positioning operation>
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the positioning operation when the tray 102 placed on the pallet 101 is conveyed on the conveyor and arrives at the fixed position of the glass substrate taking-out operation.

  First, in FIG. 2A, the pallet 101 on which the tray 102 is placed is conveyed from the upstream direction of the conveyor (the positive direction of the X axis) to the downstream direction (the negative direction of the X axis), and one end of the first conveyor 103 (downstream) The conveyor 103 is controlled to stop when it comes into contact with the positioning block 111 provided on the side edge. In this embodiment, the stop operation of the conveyor 103 is provided with a sensor (not shown) that detects that the pallet 101 is in contact with the positioning block 111. When this sensor detects contact of the pallet 101 with the positioning block 111, only the conveyor 103 is stopped. In addition to providing a sensor, this conveyor stopping method may employ a mechanism in which a mechanical switch is turned on when the pallet 101 contacts the positioning block 111.

  When the first conveyor 103 stops, as shown in FIG. 2B, the first positioning unit 112 protrudes from the bottom surface of the conveyor 103 from the trailing direction of the pallet 101 with respect to the traveling direction, and the pallet 103 is moved to the positioning block 111. The pallet is fixed by positioning the moving direction (X-axis direction). A more detailed structure of the first positioning unit 112 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Since the conveyor 103 is provided with driving (for example, chain driving) rollers at both ends and the center of the conveyance surface is vacant, the lifting unit 114 shown by D in FIG. Lift a few centimeters. At this time, the first positioning unit 112 also has a mechanism in which the contact surface 112a with the pallet 101 is also lifted by several centimeters according to the lifting operation of the elevating unit 114 (details will be described later). In addition, since the lifting unit 114 has a free roller on the top surface (the rotation direction is the Y-axis direction), the pallet 101 is easy to move in a horizontal plane.

  When the positioning in the X-axis direction is finished, the second positioning unit 113 projects from the river width direction (X-axis direction) of the conveyor 103 as shown in FIG. Is not shown, and is positioned from the opposite sides of the conveyor 103 in the Y-axis direction (river width direction) so as to be positioned in the Y-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 2C, since the pallet 101 is lifted from below by the lifting / lowering unit 114, the contact surface (roller portion) of the positioning block 111 having the same structure as the first positioning unit 112. 111a also follows several centimeters and rises.

  When the pallet 101 is positioned at an appropriate position for taking out the glass substrate 108 by the positioning operation as described above, first, the second positioning unit 113 is separated from the pallet 101. Moreover, the raising / lowering unit 114 descend | falls and the carrying in / out operation | movement of the glass substrate 108 is started. A lower limit sensor is provided in the elevating unit 114, and the sensor is turned on when the elevating unit 114 is lowered again after being raised, thereby serving as a trigger signal for starting the next substrate carry-in / out operation. .

  Note that the pallet clamping operation by the positioning block 111 and the first positioning unit 112 is continued until the glass substrates 108 placed on all the trays 102 are taken out.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing details of the first positioning unit 112. As shown in FIG. 3, the first positioning unit 112 is disposed at the position W when it is in a standby state. Further, the action portion 115a of the cylinder 115 is also disposed at the position W. When it is detected that the pallet 101 is in contact with the positioning block 111, a control signal is sent to the cylinder 115. In response to the control signal, the operation unit 115a is moved from the position W to the position S1 by the cylinder so that the first positioning unit 112 is set from the position W in the standby state to the position S1 in the positioning state.

  In FIG. 3, the first positioning unit 112 is brought into contact with the pallet 101 via a roller 112a, and the roller 112a slides around a shaft 112b. That is, as described above, after the pallet 101 is positioned in the traveling direction (X-axis direction) on the conveyor, the pallet 101 is lifted by the lifting unit 114 from the lower surface of the conveyor. When the pallet 101 is lifted, positioning in the X-axis direction is performed. At that time, the roller 112a slides with respect to the central shaft 112b so that the roller 112a can follow the pallet 101. In order to enable this sliding, the shaft of the central axis 112b is somewhat long.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing details of the second positioning unit 113. As shown in FIG. 4, when the second positioning unit 113 is in a standby state, it is disposed at the position W. Further, the action portion 116 a of the cylinder 116 is also disposed at the position W. When the pallet 101 is lifted several centimeters by the lifting unit 114, a control signal is sent to the cylinder 115. In response to the control signal, the action portion 116a is moved from the position W to the position S2 by the cylinder so that the second positioning unit 113 is set from the position W in the standby state to the position S2 in the positioning state. The second positioning units are provided at both ends of the conveyor 103 in order to position the pallet 101 with the side surfaces in the Y-axis direction sandwiched from both sides.

<Configuration of tray chuck 107>
The configuration and operation of the tray chuck 107 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7.

  The tray chuck 107 is driven by a tray chuck driving unit 106. Normally, the trays 102 are sequentially carried out from the bottom, but every time the trays 102 are carried out, all the trays are once returned to the original state (a state in which all the trays are stacked), and the gripping of the tray chuck 107 is released. Then, the tray chuck 107 is raised by a predetermined height, and the tray above the tray to be carried out next is gripped and lifted again. This is the basic operation of the tray chuck 107.

  In FIG. 5, the tray chuck 107 is divided into three units, each of which can hold and lift a 19-stage tray, for example. Since a tray separating mechanism 127 is attached under each unit, this further holds one stage, and each unit lifts a total of 20 stages simultaneously. Here, the tray chuck of 60 stages can be grasped and lifted by the whole tray chuck, but when the unloading is finished every 20 stages, each tray chuck enters a standby state. In other words, the lower tray chuck 107d is in a standby state when the 20th tray from the bottom is finished, and the middle tray chuck 107c is in a standby state after the 21st to 40th trays are unloaded.

  Here, FIG. 5A shows an operation after the glass substrate 108 is taken out from the tray 102 of the 19th stage from the bottom among the trays having a total of 60 stages. At this time, the tray chuck 107 holds and lifts the upper 41 trays 102. Here, when the glass substrate 108 is unloaded (loaded) from the tray 102 of the 19th stage from the bottom (that is, the 41st stage from the top), the tray chuck 107 is lowered to temporarily return the tray to its original state.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, the entire tray chuck 107 is lowered to a position at which the tray loading / unloading operation is started.

  Until now, gripping and lifting operations have been performed using the upper, middle and lower tray chuck units 107b to 107d. However, since the 20th tray has been unloaded from the bottom, it is shown in FIG. 5C. As described above, the lower tray chuck unit 107d is in a standby state, and only the middle and upper tray chuck units 107b and 107c are used to perform gripping and tray lifting operations.

  The reason why the tray chuck 107 is divided into three units in this way is to reduce the overall height of the apparatus as much as possible. That is, if the three tray chucks always move up and down, when processing nearly 60 trays, the apparatus height is almost doubled, and it is not possible to meet the demand for downsizing the apparatus. Because. On the other hand, when the tray chuck 107 is divided as in the present embodiment, for example, if the apparatus carries in and out 60 trays, the installation height on the conveyor is approximately (60 + 20) stages. It only needs to be high. The number of divisions of the tray chuck is not limited to three divisions, but any number of divisions may be technically used.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing the structure of the tray chuck 107. 6A is a schematic front view of the tray chuck, FIG. 6B is a schematic side view of the tray chuck, and FIG. 6C is an enlarged view of the drive portion P for the gripping operation of the tray chuck.

  6A, the tray chuck 107 is provided in the tray chuck driving unit 106 via a tray chuck holder 1004, and is divided into, for example, three units 107b to 107d, each of which has 20 stages of gripping claws 107a (see FIG. 6). 6A is not shown). Each unit 107 b to 107 d includes two rows of vertical pillars 1003 connected by the first bar 1001. The vertical column 1003 is provided with a total of 20 gripping claws 107a, for example, 19 pieces and a tray cleaving mechanism 127 claw. This is because one tray chuck unit can hold and lift the 20-stage tray.

  Further, as shown by B and C in FIG. 6, the fixed second bar 1002 and the first bar 1001 provided so as to protrude from the tray chuck holder 1004 (fixed by the connecting block 1006) The guide rail 1009 and the slider 1010 are connected. A cylinder shaft 1007 is fixed to the tray chuck holder 1004, and a cylinder operating unit 1008 is provided on the first bar 1001. Accordingly, the first bar 1001 moves in the arrow G direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 1). Since the vertical bar 1003 to which the units 107b to 107d are attached is fixed to the first bar 1001, the units 107b to 107d also move in the direction of the arrow G by this operation so that the tray can be gripped. It has become.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 6B, the ball screw 1011 is rotated by a servo motor 1012 provided in the tray chuck drive unit 106, and thereby the tray chuck holder 1004 is controlled to move up and down in the H direction. The

<Configuration of tray chuck unit>
Next, the configuration of one tray chuck unit (107b, c, or d) constituting the tray chuck 107 will be described. FIG. 7 shows two of the three tray chuck units.

  As shown in FIG. 7, each tray chuck unit includes a first bar 1001, a second bar 1002, two rows of vertical pillars 1003 attached to the first and second bars, and a first bar A tray separating mechanism 127 attached to the side surface of the bar 1001, a slider (front / rear slider) 1010 attached to the bottom surface of the first bar 1001, and a side pin operation unit 120 attached to both bottom surfaces of the second bar 1002. And a pivot pin operating part 124 attached between the vertical pillars 1003 on the bottom surface of the second bar 1002.

  The side pin operating unit 120 is configured to move the side pin mounting unit 121 back and forth by moving the cylinder 123 along the guide rail 128 of the rodless cylinder and the side pin mounting unit 121 in which a plurality of side pins 122 are arranged. Allow movement (in the Y direction).

  The swivel pin operation unit 124 includes a swivel pin placement unit 125 in which a plurality of swivel pins 126 are arranged, and a rotary actuator 1013 that can turn the swivel pin placement unit 125 in an angular direction. The pivot pin 126 and the side pin 122 are arranged at the same height.

  The tray separating mechanism 127 is disposed between the two vertical pillars 1003, and separates the carry-in / out target tray 102a from the tray (tray group) 102 and moves it up and down. The tray separating mechanism 127 includes a support pillar 1270, an elevating mechanism portion 1271 attached thereto, a slider 1272 attached to the elevating mechanism portion 1271, a support bar 1273 attached to the elevating slider 1272, and a support bar 1273. A separation claw 1274 attached to the tip. The elevating mechanism 1271 includes a ball screw 1275 and a servo motor 1276 indicated by broken lines. By controlling the operation of the servo motor 1276, the slider 1272 and the support bar 1273 attached thereto can be moved up and down.

  Further, since the tray separating mechanism 127 is attached to the first bar 1001, the front / rear slider 1010 can be moved back and forth. The processing target tray separating mechanism 127 moves forward by the front / rear slider 1010, so that the loading / unloading target tray 102 a is gripped by the gripping claws 1274, and the supporting bar 1273 is moved up and down in this state to move the loading / unloading target tray 102 a up and down. . Through the above operation, the tray 102a (not shown in FIG. 7) to be carried in / out is separated from the tray (tray group) 102, and preparation for the operation of taking out or receiving the glass substrate 108 is completed.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the side pin operating unit 120 advances the side pin mounting unit 121. At the same time, the swivel pin operation unit 124 turns the swivel pin mounting unit 125 to enter under the carry-in / out target tray 102a.

  Thereby, each of the side pin 122 and the turning pin 126 is located under the insertion hole of the tray 102a.

  The side pin operation unit 120 and the swivel pin operation unit 124 are provided in each tray chuck unit on both sides of the tray 102. Accordingly, the side pins 122 and the swivel pins 126 enter from both sides of the carry-in / out target tray 102a and are positioned below all the insertion holes.

  Then, the processing target tray separation mechanism 127 lowers the carry-in / out target tray 102a. As the carry-in / out target tray 102 a is lowered, the glass substrate 108 in the tray is lifted by the side pins 122 and the pivot pins 126. The lifted glass substrate 108 is taken out by the robot hand 110.

<Structure of tray 102>
FIG. 9 shows the structure of the tray. The trays 102 are stacked, for example, for 60 stages, and each tray is provided with a plurality of insertion holes 1021. The insertion hole 1021 is provided to penetrate the lift pin 105, the side pin 122, and the swivel pin 126 and lift the glass substrate 108 from the tray by a predetermined height.

  Further, the corners of the bottom surface of the tray are chamfered (see 1023) in order to facilitate positioning when the trays are stacked and not to collapse.

  Each of the trays 102 is provided with a locking portion 1022 to which the gripping claw 107a and the separation claw 1274 are locked on the tray edge (one turn).

<Extraction Operation of Glass Substrate 108>
Subsequently, an operation of taking out the glass substrate 108 from each tray 102 placed on the positioned pallet 101 will be described with reference to FIGS.

(1) Removal operation from lowermost (first) tray Since the first tray is fixed to the pallet 101 with bolts, the operation differs from the second and subsequent trays. FIG. 10 is an operation transition diagram showing a state in which the glass substrate 108 is taken out from the first tray (the carry-in / out target tray 102a).

  First, the trays 102 stacked in 60 stages are carried by the conveyor 104 and positioned at the loading / unloading position (A in FIG. 10). The positioning operation is executed as described with reference to FIGS.

  Subsequently, the tray chuck 107 moves forward so as to sandwich the tray 102, and preparations are made to lift the second and higher trays (B in FIG. 10).

  Then, the second and subsequent trays are lifted (C in FIG. 10), and at the same time or thereafter, the lift pins 105 are raised to lift the glass substrate 108 to a predetermined height (D in FIG. 10). The lift pins 105 pass through the holes 1021 provided in the tray 102a and lift the glass substrate 108 from the tray by a predetermined height. The number of lift pins 105 is not limited as long as the glass substrate 108 is stable. Note that. The tip of the lift pin 105 may be covered with a soft material such as rubber so as not to damage the glass substrate 108 as with the side pin 120 and the pivot pin 124.

  When the glass substrate 108 is lifted by the lift pins 105, the robot hand 110 enters between the tray 102a and the glass substrate 108, takes out the glass substrate 108, and delivers it to a substrate processing apparatus (not shown).

  When the glass substrate 108 accommodated in the first-stage tray 102a is taken out, the lift pins are lowered, and the second-stage and higher trays, which will be described later, are taken out while the second-stage and higher trays are lifted. The tray may return to the original position, and the second and higher trays that have been lifted may be re-stacked on the first empty tray to take out the substrate from the second and higher trays described later. You can enter.

  The length of the lift pin 105 is only long enough to penetrate the pallet 101 and one tray, lift the glass substrate 108, and allow the robot hand 110 to take it out. It is much shorter than that. Therefore, a space between the pallet mounting table and the floor is not required to accommodate the lift pins.

  Further, when the lowermost tray is fixed to the pallet, lift pins 105 are added, the gripping claws 107a of the tray chuck unit 107d are 18 steps, and the gripping claws 107 of the tray chuck units 107b and 107c are 19 steps.

(2) Extracting Operation from Second and More Trays FIG. 11 is an operation transition diagram showing how the glass substrate 108 is extracted from the second and higher processing target trays 102a.

  First, the tray chuck 107 moves forward so as to sandwich the tray 102 (A in FIG. 11), and preparations are made to lift the second and higher trays (B in FIG. 11). Here, the difference from when the first tray is carried in and out is that the second tray 102 a is separated and held by the claw 1274.

  Then, the second and higher trays 102 are lifted (C in FIG. 11). At this time, as can be seen from FIG. 11C, the second tray 102a to be loaded and unloaded is gripped by the separation claw 1274, so that it is separated from the tray 102 above it. .

  With the second and higher trays 102 lifted up, the side pin operating unit 120 and the swivel pin operating unit 124 enter below the second tray 102a (D in FIG. 11). In addition, since FIG. 11 is a front view, the turning pin action | operation part 124 is not represented in the figure.

  Further, the tray separating mechanism 127 lowers only the second tray 102a by a predetermined height. If it does in this way, the side pin 122 and the turning pin 126 will pass the penetration hole 1021 of the tray 102a, and will raise the glass substrate 108 accommodated in the tray 102a (E of FIG. 11).

  When the glass substrate 108 is lifted from the second tray 102a, the robot hand 110 enters between the tray 102a and the glass substrate 108, takes out the glass substrate 108, and delivers it to a substrate processing apparatus (not shown). . This operation is the same as in the case of the first tray.

  When the delivery of the glass substrate 108 is completed, the processing target tray separating mechanism 127 raises the empty tray 102a and aligns the upper surface edge thereof with the bottom surface portion of the third tray (in terms of appearance, D in FIG. 11D). Like state). Then, the side pin 122 and the swivel pin 126 are retracted (in the appearance, a state as shown in FIG. 11C). Further, the second and higher trays 102 are placed on the first tray 102b (as shown in FIG. 11B), and the tray chuck 107 is retracted (as shown in FIG. 11A). Get ready for loading / unloading of trays on the tier.

  The operation as described above is executed from the third stage to the 60th stage, and all the glass substrates 108 are taken out from the tray 102.

  As described above, the tray chuck units (107b to 107d) to be used for every 20 trays are changed.

<Loading operation of glass substrate 108>
Hereinafter, the carrying-in operation of the glass substrate 108 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

  As shown in FIG. 12, when the glass substrate 108 is carried into the empty tray 102, it is executed from the uppermost tray (60th tray).

  First, the empty trays 102 stacked in 60 stages are carried by the conveyor 104 and positioned at the operation processing position (A in FIG. 12). The positioning operation is executed as described with reference to FIGS.

  Subsequently, the tray chuck 107 moves forward so as to sandwich the tray 102, and preparations for lifting the 60th tray 102a are made (B in FIG. 12). Since it is necessary to move the tray 102a up and down, the tray 102a is gripped not by the tray gripping claw 107a but by the separation claw 1274.

  Then, the 60th tray 102a is lifted (C in FIG. 12), and at the same time or thereafter, the side pins 122 and the swivel pins 126 enter the tray 102a (D in FIG. 12).

  Then, the carry-in / out tray separation mechanism 127 lowers the 60th tray 102a by a predetermined height so that the side pins 122 and the swivel pins 126 pass through the tray insertion holes 1021, and the glass substrate 108 is delivered. Preparation is complete. In this state, for example, a robot hand 110 (not shown in FIG. 12) holding the processed glass substrate 108 enters the side pins 122 and the swivel pins 126 and transfers the glass substrate 108 to these pins ( E) of FIG.

  When the delivery is finished, the carry-in / out target tray separating mechanism 127 raises the tray 102a and accommodates the delivered glass substrate 108 in the tray 102a.

  When the glass substrate 108 is delivered to the side pins 122 and the pivot pins 126, or when the glass substrate 108 is accommodated in the tray 102a, the glass substrate 108 is positioned by a sensor (not shown), and the glass in the tray is displayed. Measures are taken so that the substrate accommodation position does not deviate. For example, when the sensor detects a positional shift, the glass substrate 108 may be taken out from the side pin 122 and the turning pin 126 by the robot hand 110, and the delivery operation may be executed again.

  When the glass substrate 108 is properly accommodated in the 60th tray 102a, the side pins 122 and the pivot pins 126 are retracted to their original positions (state C in FIG. 12), and the carry-in / out object separation mechanism 127 is The gripped tray 102a is lowered and the 60th tray 102a is placed on the 59th tray (state B in FIG. 12). Then, the tray chuck 107 is retracted from the tray 102 and preparations for carrying the glass substrate 108 into the next tray (59th tray) are made.

  FIG. 13 is an operation transition diagram showing how the glass substrate 108 is carried into the 59th tray 102a.

  First, the tray chuck 107 moves forward so as to sandwich the tray 102, and preparations are made to lift the 59th and higher trays (A in FIG. 13). Here, the 60th tray is gripped by a tray gripping claw 107a, and the 59th tray 102a to be loaded and unloaded is gripped by a separation claw 1274.

  Then, the 59th and 60th trays are lifted by a predetermined height (B in FIG. 13). At this time, as can be seen from FIG. 13B, the 59th tray 102a to be carried in / out is held by the separation claw 1274, so that it is separated from the 60th tray. .

  In a state where the 59th and 60th trays 102 are lifted, the side pin operation unit 120 and the swivel pin operation unit 124 enter below the second tray 102a (C in FIG. 13).

  Further, the tray separating mechanism 127 lowers only the 59th tray 102a by a predetermined height. In this way, the side pin 122 and the pivot pin 126 pass through the insertion hole 1021 of the tray 102a and pass through the tray 102a, and preparation for delivery of the glass substrate 108 is completed. In this state, for example, a robot hand 110 (not shown in FIG. 13) holding the processed glass substrate 108 enters the side pins 122 and the pivot pins 126 and transfers the glass substrate 108 to these pins ( FIG. 13D).

  When the delivery is finished, the carry-in / out target tray separating mechanism 127 raises the tray 102a and accommodates the delivered glass substrate 108 in the tray 102a.

  The positioning of the glass substrate 108 by a sensor (not shown) is the same as when the glass substrate 108 is carried into the 60th tray.

  When the glass substrate 108 is properly accommodated in the 59th tray 102a, the side pins 122 and the pivot pins 126 are retracted to their original positions (state B in FIG. 13), and further, the tray chuck 107 and the separation mechanism 127 are placed. Lowers the gripped 59th and 60th trays and places them on the 58th tray (state A in FIG. 13). Then, the tray chuck 107 is retracted from the tray 102 and preparations for carrying the glass substrate 108 into the next tray (58th tray) are made.

  The above operation is repeated, and the glass substrate 108 is carried into all 60 trays. Since the lowermost tray (first stage) is fixed to the pallet 101, the glass substrate 108 is received from the robot hand 110 using the lift pins 105 without using the side pins 122 and the pivot pins 126. In a tray.

  The above is one of the embodiments of the present invention, and the case where the side pin moving means and the carry-in / out object separating mechanism are attached to the tray lifting / lowering means has been described. The insertion operation order of the side pins 122 and 126 to the 102a is changed, and the loading / unloading target separation mechanism 127 separates the loading / unloading tray 102a from the other trays, and then the side pins 122 and 126 are moved under the loading / unloading target tray 102a. You may make it raise. Further, in separating the stacked trays, the upper tray may not be moved up and down, but the lower tray may be moved up and down, and the side pin may enter the separation space generated thereby. In that case, if the side pin moving means and the carry-in / out object separating mechanism are attached to the lower tray lifting / lowering means, the configuration becomes simpler. In addition, it goes without saying that any embodiment may be used as long as it does not depart from the present invention.

<Effect of this embodiment>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the heights of the conveyors 103 and 104 are fixed, and the glass substrate 108 is lifted / removed by moving the lift pins 105 and the slide pins 122 and swivel pins 126. As a result, the operation of the apparatus can be simplified, and it is effective in saving the space of the apparatus, particularly when the height is limited. In other words, when moving the conveyor up and down with pins fixed, the absolute length of the pin (the length corresponding to the number of tray steps) and the height corresponding to the number of tray steps are required as a minimum device. In this embodiment, since the lift pins are moved up and down, the apparatus height twice the number of tray stages is not required. Each tray weighs less than that, but it can be quite heavy when stacked in layers. In such a case, it is important to minimize the vertical movement itself of the heavy object, and this can be realized in the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the slide pin 122 and the swivel pin 126 are retracted from the lower space of the tray each time one glass substrate 108 is taken out or carried in, so that the glass substrate in which the pins are stored in the tray is stored. There is no worry of piercing 108 and the risk of breakage of the glass substrate 108 is dramatically reduced. As in the prior art, if the tray chuck is removed when the pins are fixed, it can be easily imagined that most of the glass substrate stored in the gripped tray is likely to be damaged.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, all the trays are placed on the pallet 101 on the first conveyor 103 at the stage where the loading / unloading of all the trays is completed. Therefore, as soon as the loading / unloading is completed, it is possible to start the replacement operation with the pallet on which the tray to be processed next is placed, so that the total substrate transfer processing time can be shortened and efficient transfer can be performed. Can be realized.

  In the present embodiment, since the lowermost tray is fixed to the pallet, the glass substrate 108 can be taken out or carried in without any misalignment. That is, since the position of the first tray is clearly determined, as long as the pallet 101 is positioned accurately, the tray loaded thereon is also automatically positioned accurately.

<Second Embodiment>
In the above embodiment, when the glass substrate 108 placed on the slide pin 122 and the swivel pin 126 or the glass substrate 108 placed on the lift pin 105 is displaced, the robot 109 causes the glass substrate 108 to move. Although the case where the positional deviation is eliminated by re-holding has been described, the positioning function of the glass substrate 108 can be added to the substrate carry-in / out apparatus 100.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration example in which the positioning unit 200 is provided in the tray chuck unit. In the example of the figure, the positioning unit 200 is attached via attachment portions 201 below both ends of a bar 1002 ′ obtained by extending the second bar 1002 of the tray chuck unit in the X direction.

  The positioning unit 200 includes positioning rollers 210a, 210b, 211a, and 211b, a support plate 220 that supports the rollers 210a, 210b, 211a, and 211b, an actuator 230 that reciprocates the support plate 220 in the X direction, and an actuator 230. And an actuator 240 that reciprocates in the Y direction.

  The positional relationship between the positioning rollers 210 a and 210 b and 211 a and 211 b is set in advance by the distance between the outer periphery of the glass substrate 108 and the outer periphery of the tray 102 when accommodated at an appropriate position in the tray 102. .

  The glass substrate 108 is positioned by defining the positions of the four corners by the four positioning units 200. The rollers 210 a and 210 b are rollers for positioning one of the four corners of the glass substrate 108, and are rotatably supported by the support plate 220 on the upper side of the support plate 220.

  The rollers 211a and 211b are rollers for regulating the amount of movement of the support plate 220 by the actuators 230 and 240, and are rotatably supported by the support plate 220 below the support plate 220. In the present embodiment, the actuators 230 and 240 are both air actuators.

  Next, the positioning operation of the glass substrate 108 by the positioning unit 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. 15 and 16 is a side view of the periphery of the positioning unit 200 and a part (corner portion) of the carry-in / out target tray 102a, and the lower view is a plan view thereof. Hereinafter, the case where the second and higher trays 102 are used as the carry-in / out target tray 102a will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. However, the same applies to the case where the lowermost tray 102 is used as the carry-in / out target tray 102a. is there.

  FIG. 15 shows a case where the positioning unit 200 is in a standby state. The glass substrate 108 corresponding to the carry-in / out target tray 102a is placed on the slide pin 122 and the turning pin 126 (not shown). Further, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 15, the glass substrate 108 is in a state of being displaced from the carry-in / out target tray 102a in plan view.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 16, the actuator 240 is first extended, and then the actuator 230 is operated to move the support plate 220 in the Y direction and the −X direction in the figure. The extension of the actuator 240 causes the support plate 220 to advance between the glass substrate 108 and the carry-in / out target tray 102a, and the roller 211a contacts the side of the carry-in / out target tray 102a along the X direction. Driving (extension) of the actuator 240 stops when the roller 211a comes into contact with the carry-in / out target tray 102a. At this time, the roller 210a contacts the side along the X direction of the glass substrate 108 in accordance with the positional deviation of the glass substrate 108. As a result, the glass substrate 108 is positioned in the Y direction.

  Subsequently, by driving the actuator 230, the roller 211b comes into contact with the side of the carry-in / out target tray 102b along the Y direction. Driving (sliding) of the actuator 230 stops when the roller 211b comes into contact with the carry-in / out target tray 102a. At this time, the roller 210b comes into contact with the side of the glass substrate 108 along the Y direction in accordance with the displacement of the glass substrate 108. As a result, the glass substrate 108 is also positioned in the X direction.

  The driving of the actuators 230 and 240 is stopped so that, for example, when the rollers 211a and 211b contact the carry-in / out target tray 102a, the actuators 230 and 240 cannot move the support plate 220 any more. And a method of weakening the urging force by 240 in advance.

  In this way, relative positioning of the glass substrate 108 and the carry-in / out target tray 102a in the horizontal direction is performed. That is, by setting the relative arrangement relationship between the rollers 210a and 210b and 211a and 211b corresponding to the appropriate arrangement relationship between the glass substrate 108 and the carry-in / out target tray 102a, The positioning of the glass substrate 108 is completed when the rollers 211a and 211b come into contact with the two peripheral edges of the carry-in / out target tray 102a and the movement of the support plate 220 by the actuators 230 and 240 stops.

  As described above, the positioning of the glass substrate 108 is simultaneously performed by the four positioning units 200 arranged corresponding to the four corners, and the positions of the four corners of the glass substrate 108 are positioned by the rollers 210a and 210b. become.

  After positioning, the positioning unit 200 returns to the state shown in FIG. Such positioning of the glass substrate 108 can be performed both when the glass substrate 108 is carried in and when it is carried out. By positioning the glass substrate 108 with the configuration on the substrate carry-in / out apparatus 100 side, it is not necessary to pick up the glass substrate 108 again by the robot 109, and the tact time can be shortened.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a description will be given of a case where the glass substrate 108 is not carried in / out from the stacked trays 102 in order from the bottom or the top but is randomly accessed to carry in / out the tray 102 at an arbitrary position.

  In the case of sequential type, glass substrates are loaded and unloaded in order from the top or bottom, so it is difficult to envisage partially missing teeth in the stacked trays. There is also a possibility that the accommodation state of each of them will be separated. In order to prevent mistakes such as trying to put two glass substrates into one tray 102, the glass substrate 108 is mounted on each tray 102 at the start of loading and unloading of the glass substrate 108. It is desirable to check whether or not In the present embodiment, a configuration for performing substrate detection for detecting whether or not a glass substrate 108 is mounted on each tray 102 will be described.

  FIG. 17 is a side view of a tray 302 that replaces the tray 102. The tray 302 is provided with an opening 3021 communicating with the inside of the tray 102 on the side surface of the tray 102, and the other configuration is the same as that of the tray 102. By providing the opening 3021, it can be seen whether or not the glass substrate 108 is mounted in the tray 302 from the side of the tray 302. Therefore, it is possible to check whether or not the glass substrate 108 is mounted on each tray 302 by scanning the side surfaces of the stacked trays 302 in the vertical direction using an optical sensor.

  Although the moving mechanism for scanning the optical sensor up and down can be provided on the substrate carry-in / out apparatus 100 side, an example provided at the tip of the robot hand 110 of the robot 109 will be described here. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the optical sensor 400 is provided in the robot hand 110.

  The optical sensor 400 includes a light emitting element 401 and a light receiving element 402. The light emitting element 401 emits light from the tip of the robot hand 110. When an object exists in the irradiation range of the light emitting element 401, the reflected light reflected by the object is received by the light receiving element 402 at the tip of the robot hand 110, and the presence of the object is detected.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an operation when the optical sensor 400 checks whether or not the glass substrate 108 is mounted on each tray 302, and a diagram illustrating a detection result of the optical sensor 400.

  In the example of FIG. 19, the glass substrate 108 is not mounted on the second and fifth trays 302 from the bottom. The robot 110 brings the optical sensor 400 close to the side surface of the stacked tray 302 and keeps the distance between the optical sensor 400 and the side surface of the tray 302 constant, while keeping the robot hand 110 at the constant speed of the lower tray 302. The position is raised (or lowered from the position of the uppermost tray 302).

  Light emitted from the light emitting element 401 of the optical sensor 400 is reflected by the side surface of the tray 302 and detected by the light receiving element 402. In addition, when the glass substrate 108 exists, the light irradiated to the opening 3021 is reflected by the side surface of the glass substrate 108 and detected by the light receiving element 402, but the glass substrate 108 does not exist. In this case, since there is no reflected light, the light receiving element 402 does not detect this.

  For this reason, as shown in the detection result of FIG. 19, the electric signal output from the optical sensor 400 (light receiving element 402) has a different waveform between the tray 302 on which the glass substrate 108 is mounted and the tray 302 on which the glass substrate 108 is not mounted. Thus, it is possible to check whether or not the glass substrate 108 is mounted on each tray 302 from the detection result and the information on the movement position of the robot hand 110.

  Then, the tray 302 to be carried in / out is selected based on the detection result of the optical sensor 400, and the carrying in / out operation is performed. FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a control system using the detection result of the optical sensor 400.

  In the example shown in the figure, the host computer 500 that manages the entire factory where the substrate carry-in / out device 100 is installed, the control device 501 that controls the robot 109, and the control device 502 that controls the substrate carry-in / out device 100 can communicate with each other. An example of a connected system is shown. The detection result of the optical sensor 400 is transmitted to the host computer 500 via the control device 501. Based on the received detection result, the host computer 500 selects and instructs the control device 502 to select the tray 302 to be loaded / unloaded according to the operation status of various substrate processing apparatuses related to the substrate loading / unloading apparatus 100. To do. The control device 502 that has received the instruction to select the tray 302 sets the tray 302 corresponding to the selection instruction as a carry-in / out target tray, and performs the carry-in / out operation described above.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims (13)

A substrate loading / unloading device for taking out or loading a substrate from a tray,
A conveyor for moving a pallet loaded with a plurality of trays having a predetermined number of pin insertion holes;
Pallet positioning means for positioning the pallet at a predetermined position of the conveyor;
Tray lifting and lowering means for separating the plurality of trays in a state where the pallet is positioned by the positioning means and providing a predetermined separation space between the separated trays;
In the separation space, a tray separating means for vertically moving a carry-in / out target tray corresponding to a substrate to be carried in / out,
A substrate support pin moving means for entering and retracting a substrate support pin for supporting the substrate under the carry-in / out target tray; and
Pin insertion means for inserting the substrate support pin into the pin insertion hole of the carry-in / out target tray, and
The substrate support pin protrudes from the carry-in / out tray by inserting the pin insertion hole,
The board | substrate carrying in / out apparatus characterized by the said board | substrate being supported by the said board | substrate support pin which protruded in the state lifted from the said carrying-in / out object tray. The tray separating means functions as the pin insertion means,
The substrate support pin is inserted into the pin insertion hole of the carry-in / out target tray by lowering the carry-in / out tray by the tray separating means with the substrate support pin positioned below the carry-in / out target tray. The board | substrate carrying in / out apparatus of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.   2. The substrate carry-in / out apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate support pin moving means causes the substrate support pins to enter and retreat under the carry-in / out target tray by turning the substrate support pins.   2. The substrate carry-in / out device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate support pin moving means causes the substrate support pins to enter and retreat below the carry-in / out tray by sliding the substrate support pins. The tray lifting and lowering means includes tray gripping claws that support each tray in multiple stages in the vertical direction,
The substrate carrying-in / out apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tray gripping claw is driven and controlled in units of a plurality of groups divided in the vertical direction.   2. The substrate carry-in / out apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate support pin moving means is attached to the tray lifting / lowering means.   2. The substrate carry-in / out apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tray separating means is attached to the tray lifting / lowering means.   The substrate carrying-in / out apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising lift pins for supporting the substrate in a state of being lifted from the lowermost tray with respect to the lowermost tray. A substrate loading / unloading method for taking out or loading a substrate from a tray,
A tray relative movement step of moving a pallet in which a plurality of trays having a predetermined number of pin insertion holes are stacked, positioning the pallet, separating the stacked trays, and providing a predetermined separation space;
In the separation space, the tray separating step of moving the loading / unloading tray corresponding to the substrate to be loaded / unloading up and down independently from the other trays and being separated from the other trays,
A substrate support pin moving step for causing a substrate support pin for supporting the substrate to enter under the carry-in / out tray; and
A pin insertion step of relatively moving the substrate support pin and the carry-in / out target tray so that the substrate support pin protrudes from the carry-in / out target tray through the pin insertion hole of the carry-in / out target tray;
Substrate delivery for delivering a substrate between the substrate support pin and another transfer device in a state where the substrate support pin is inserted through the pin insertion hole of the carry-in / out target tray and protrudes from the carry-in / out target tray Process,
Board loading / unloading method including   2. The substrate carry-in / out device according to claim 1, further comprising substrate positioning means for positioning the substrate supported by the substrate support pins. A substrate detection means for detecting whether or not each of the trays loaded in a plurality of stages has a substrate,
The substrate carry-in / out apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carry-in / out target tray is selected based on a detection result of the substrate detection means. In a substrate loading / unloading apparatus having a plurality of pin insertion holes and loading / unloading a substrate with respect to one tray selected from a plurality of stacked trays,
A tray lifting / lowering means for separating the plurality of trays up and down on the boundary between a tray in and out corresponding to a substrate to be carried in and out and a tray below the tray to be carried in and out;
A substrate support pin unit comprising: a placement unit; and a substrate support pin installed on the placement unit for supporting the substrate;
Caused by separated by pre Quito Ray lifting means, to the separation space between the tray beneath the unloading target tray and the loading and unloading target tray, the substrate supporting pin unit from the side of the separation space A board support pin moving means for entering ,
The tray lifting means, in the separation space, with the loading and unloading target tray lifting hand stage for moving the loading and unloading target tray up and down,
After the substrate support pin units were entered into the separation space by pre-Symbol substrate support pins moving means, the substrate supporting pins, projecting from the loading and unloading target tray by inserting the pin insertion hole of the loading and unloading target tray The substrate loading / unloading apparatus is characterized in that the loading / unloading target tray is lowered by the loading / unloading target tray lifting means. The loading / unloading target tray lifting means includes a first gripping claw for gripping the loading / unloading target tray,
The tray lifting means is
A second gripping claw for gripping a plurality of trays above the carry-in / out tray;
An elevating device for elevating and lowering the tray loading and unloading means and the second gripping claw;
The board | substrate carrying in / out apparatus of Claim 12 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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