JP6329813B2 - Transfer robot - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer robot for transferring a plate-like workpiece between a plurality of processing units such as a grinding apparatus and a polishing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art As a plate workpiece processing apparatus, a grinding device for thinning a plate workpiece is known. In a grinding apparatus, a plate-like workpiece is sucked and held on a chuck table, and the upper surface of the plate-like workpiece is ground and thinned by a grinding wheel. When the plate-like workpiece is thinned, it is held by the transfer robot and transferred toward the cleaning mechanism. As a grinding apparatus, one having a lower surface cleaning mechanism for cleaning the lower surface of a plate workpiece as well as an upper surface cleaning mechanism for cleaning the upper surface of the plate workpiece is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-122995 A

  Usually, since these washing mechanisms wash the plate-shaped workpiece using the washing water, they are installed at a predetermined location near the processing chamber where the washing water can be easily drained. This shortens the tact time by shortening the transfer time by the transfer robot from the processing unit to the cleaning mechanism. However, since a fully automatic type processing apparatus includes a plurality of processing units such as a grinding unit and a polishing unit, a cleaning mechanism is individually provided near each processing unit in order to increase the transfer time between the processing units. Must be installed. For this reason, there exists a problem that a cost increases while an apparatus enlarges.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer robot that can shorten the tact time of a machining process and can save space and cost of the apparatus.

The transfer robot of the present invention is a transfer robot that holds a plate-like workpiece and reciprocates by a moving mechanism to transfer the plate-like workpiece between a predetermined processing unit and a predetermined processing unit. A conveyance pad having a holding surface for sucking and holding a plate-like workpiece, an arm for suspending the conveyance pad, a support column for supporting the arm, a lifting means for moving the support column up and down, and the conveyance pad A horizontal movement means for moving the plate-like workpiece parallel to the holding surface, and a workpiece cleaning mechanism for washing the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece held by the transfer pad. The transfer robot moves the plate-like workpiece by the transfer mechanism. During the transfer, the workpiece cleaning mechanism can clean the lower surface of the plate workpiece.

  According to this configuration, the tact time can be shortened because the lower surface of the plate workpiece is cleaned during the transfer time of the plate workpiece by the workpiece cleaning mechanism of the transfer robot. Also, even when a plate-shaped workpiece is transported between multiple processing units as in a fully automatic processing device, there is no need to install a workpiece cleaning mechanism for each processing unit, and one workpiece cleaning mechanism is transported. The tact time can be shortened just by preparing for the robot. Therefore, the space of the apparatus can be saved and the number of units can be reduced to reduce the cost.

In the transfer robot of the present invention, the conveying robot includes a cleaning water supply nozzle for supplying cleaning water to the lower surface of the plate-shaped workpiece held by the holding surface and the holding surface, the cleaning water supplied from the cleaning water supply nozzle A drain pan that catches the cleaning water received by the drain pan, and the workpiece cleaning mechanism includes a workpiece cleaning member that extends in a long shape, and a direction in which the workpiece cleaning member extends. Workpiece washing support means for supporting the workpiece washing member orthogonal to the moving direction of the horizontal movement means, supplying washing water from the washing water supply nozzle, and lowering the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece by the lifting means The conveying pad is moved horizontally by the horizontal moving means by contacting the cleaning member, and the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece held by the holding surface is cleaned.

  In the transfer robot according to the present invention, the transfer robot includes a rotation unit that horizontally rotates the transfer pad around the center of the holding surface, and the transfer pad is lowered by the elevating unit and rotated by the rotation unit. The workpiece cleaning mechanism for cleaning the plate workpiece is brought into contact with the lower surface of the plate workpiece held by the transfer pad, and the transfer pad is horizontally moved in the radial direction of the holding surface by the horizontal moving means, and the workpiece cleaning is performed. The lower surface of the plate workpiece is cleaned by the mechanism.

  The transfer robot according to the present invention includes a holding surface cleaning mechanism that cleans the holding surface, and a moving unit that brings either the workpiece cleaning mechanism or the holding surface cleaning mechanism closer to the holding surface than the other. The moving robot can be used to clean the lower surface of the plate workpiece by the workpiece cleaning mechanism while the transfer robot is transferring the plate workpiece, and after the transfer robot has transferred the plate workpiece, The holding surface can be cleaned by the holding surface cleaning mechanism until the workpiece is received.

  In the transfer robot according to the present invention, the holding surface cleaning mechanism includes a holding surface cleaning member extending in a long shape, and the holding surface cleaning member is set so that the extending direction of the holding surface cleaning member is orthogonal to the moving direction of the horizontal moving means. Holding surface cleaning support means for supporting the surface cleaning member, the moving means moves the holding surface cleaning mechanism closer to the holding surface than the workpiece cleaning mechanism, and supplies the cleaning water with the lifting means. The holding surface is brought into contact with the holding surface cleaning member, and the transport pad is horizontally moved by the horizontal moving means to clean the holding surface.

  In the transfer robot according to the present invention, the transfer robot includes a rotation unit that horizontally rotates the transfer pad around the center of the holding surface, and the transfer pad is lowered by the elevating unit and rotated by the rotation unit. The holding surface cleaning mechanism for cleaning the holding surface is brought into contact with the transfer pad, the transfer pad is horizontally moved in the radial direction of the holding surface by the horizontal moving means, and the holding surface is moved by the holding surface cleaning mechanism. Wash.

  According to the present invention, the work robot is provided with a workpiece cleaning mechanism, and the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece is cleaned during the conveyance, so that the tact time of the machining process can be shortened and the space of the apparatus can be saved and the cost can be reduced. be able to.

It is an upper surface schematic diagram of the processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the conveyance robot which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is an upper surface schematic diagram of the conveyance robot which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the washing | cleaning operation | movement by the conveyance robot which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the conveyance robot which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is an upper surface schematic diagram of the conveyance robot which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a processing apparatus including a transfer robot according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of the processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Note that in this embodiment, a processing apparatus including a plurality of processing units that perform rough grinding, finish grinding, and polishing is described, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The transfer robot according to the present embodiment can also be applied to a processing apparatus provided with a single processing unit. Further, in FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, the housing of each processing unit is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the processing apparatus 1 is a full-auto type processing apparatus, and performs a series of operations including a carry-in process, a grinding process, a polishing process, a cleaning process, and a carry-out process with respect to a disk-shaped plate-like workpiece W. It is configured to be fully automated. The plate-like workpiece W may be a semiconductor substrate such as silicon or gallium arsenide, an inorganic material substrate such as ceramic, glass, or sapphire, or a semiconductor product package substrate. The plate-like workpiece W may be carried into the processing apparatus 1 with a protective tape attached to the lower surface and attached to the annular frame via the protective tape.

  In addition to loading the plate-like workpiece W from the cassette C, a loading / unloading unit 2 for loading the processed plate-like workpiece W into the cassette C is disposed on the front side of the processing apparatus 1. A centering unit 3 for centering the plate-like workpiece W is disposed in the back of the carry-in / out unit 2. A pair of upper surface cleaning units 6 for cleaning the upper surface of the plate-like workpiece W are arranged on both sides of the centering unit 3. Further, a conveyance unit 7 that conveys the plate-like workpiece W by the pair of conveyance robots 51 is disposed in the back of the centering unit 3, and the conveyance unit 7 extends linearly from the front side of the apparatus toward the back side of the apparatus. doing.

  A pair of grinding units 4 that grind the plate-like workpiece W are disposed on the far side in the extending direction of the transport unit 7 so as to face each other with the transport unit 7 interposed therebetween. In the pair of grinding units 4, not only rough grinding but also finish grinding is performed. In addition, a pair of polishing units 5 that perform polishing on the plate-like workpiece W after grinding are arranged at an intermediate position in the extending direction of the transfer unit 7 so as to face each other with the transfer unit 7 interposed therebetween. Yes. Thus, the processing apparatus 1 is configured by arranging a plurality of processing units in parallel with the traveling direction (Y-axis direction) of the pair of transfer robots 51.

  In the carry-in / out unit 2, a plurality of cassettes C that can accommodate a plurality of plate-like workpieces W are placed side by side (in the X-axis direction) on the cassette base 21, and the plate-like workpieces W with respect to the cassettes C are moved by the cassette robot 22. Loading and unloading is performed. The cassette robot 22 is configured such that a hand portion 24 is provided at the tip of an arm 23 formed of a multi-node link, and is moved in the X-axis direction by a linear motor type moving mechanism 25. The cassette robot 22 carries the unprocessed plate-shaped workpiece W from the cassette C to the centering unit 3 and unloads the processed plate-shaped workpiece W from the centering unit 3 to the cassette C.

  In the centering unit 3, the plate-like workpiece W is placed on the centering table 27, and the outer shape of the plate-like workpiece W is imaged by an imaging means (not shown). Then, the plate-like workpiece W is centered based on the captured image of the plate-like workpiece W. In the grinding unit 4, a pair of columns 32 and 35 are erected on the unit base 31, and the rough grinding means 33 and the finish grinding means 36 are supported by the pair of columns 32 and 35 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction. . Next to the pair of columns 32 and 35, a turntable 39 on which three chuck tables 38 are arranged is provided. The chuck tables 38 are arranged on the turn table 39 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

  The turntable 39 is intermittently rotated at intervals of 120 degrees, so that the chuck table is placed at the position where the plate-like workpiece W is replaced, the rough grinding position facing the rough grinding means 33, and the finish grinding position facing the finish grinding means 36. 38 are positioned in order. At the rough grinding position, the plate-like workpiece W is roughly ground to a predetermined thickness by the relative rotation of the plate-like workpiece W on the chuck table 38 and the grinding wheel (not shown) of the rough grinding means 33. At the finish grinding position, the plate workpiece W is finish ground by the relative rotation of the plate workpiece W on the chuck table 38 and a grinding wheel (not shown) of the finish grinding means 36.

  In the polishing unit 5, a column 42 is erected on a unit base 41, and a polishing means 43 is supported on the column 42 so as to be movable up and down. Next to the column 42, there is provided a turntable 45 in which a pair of chuck tables 44 are arranged at point-symmetrical positions around the rotation axis. Then, the turntable 45 is intermittently rotated at intervals of 180 degrees, whereby the chuck table 44 is alternately moved between the position where the plate-like workpiece W is replaced and the polishing position facing the polishing means 43. At the polishing position, the plate-like workpiece W on the chuck table 38 and the polishing pad (not shown) of the polishing means 43 rotate relative to each other, whereby the plate-like workpiece W is polished and the grinding marks are removed from the surface to be ground. .

  In the upper surface cleaning unit 6, the spinner table 47 holding the plate-like workpiece W is lowered into the unit base 48, and cleaning water is sprayed in the unit base 48 to wash the plate-like workpiece W, and then dry air Is sprayed to dry the plate-like workpiece W. In the transfer unit 7, the plate-like workpiece W is transferred between a plurality of units by the pair of transfer robots 51. The pair of transfer robots 51 are arranged side by side in the left and right (X-axis direction), and run independently in the Y-axis direction to form a transfer line for the pair of plate-like workpieces W. Details of the transfer robot 51 will be described later.

  In the processing apparatus 1 configured as described above, the plate-like workpiece W in the cassette C is conveyed to the centering table 27 by the cassette robot 22 and the plate-like workpiece W is centered. Next, the plate-like workpiece W is transferred by the transfer robot 51 in the order of the grinding unit 4 and the polishing unit 5, and the plate-like workpiece W is processed by each processing module. Next, after the plate-like workpiece W is cleaned in the upper surface cleaning unit 6, the plate-like workpiece W is again conveyed to the centering table 27. Then, the plate-like workpiece W is accommodated in the cassette C from the centering table 27 by the cassette robot 22.

  By the way, when the transfer robot 51 holds the upper surface of the plate-like workpiece W and lifts it from the chuck table 38, the grinding waste on the chuck table 38 is transferred to the plate-like workpiece W. For this reason, it is necessary to clean not only the upper surface side of the plate-like workpiece W but also the lower surface side of the plate-like workpiece W. However, if the cleaning unit for the lower surface is installed, the cost increases and the apparatus space must be secured, and the tact time becomes longer by the cleaning time for the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece W. In particular, in a processing apparatus having a plurality of processing units, a cleaning unit must be provided for each processing unit.

  Thus, in the processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the work robot 77 is provided with the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 so that the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece W is cleaned during the transfer, thereby reducing the tact time of the processing step. Yes. For this reason, it is not necessary to secure an installation space for the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77, and the apparatus can be saved in space. Furthermore, even a processing apparatus having a plurality of processing units can clean the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece W by the single workpiece cleaning mechanism 77, so that the cost can be reduced.

  The transfer robot will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the transfer robot according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the transfer robot according to the first embodiment. 2 and 3, for convenience of explanation, only one of the two transfer robots is shown.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the transfer robot 51 suspends a disk-shaped transfer pad 53 at the tip of an arm 52 composed of a multi-node link, and the base end side of the arm 52 is placed on a robot base 54. The support column 55 is configured to be supported. The transport pad 53 has a holding surface 56 that sucks and holds the plate-like workpiece W by a porous porous material or the like. The holding surface 56 is connected to a suction source through an air pipe, and the plate-like workpiece W is sucked and held by the negative pressure generated on the holding surface 56. The arm 52 is configured by rotatably connecting a plurality of link members 57, 58, 59. The lowermost link member 59 is supported by a support column 55 protruding from the robot base 54.

  In the robot base 54, lifting means 61 (see FIG. 4A) for lifting the support pillar 55 is provided. The elevating means 61 is constituted by a ball screw mechanism, and moves the support column 55 up and down by the driving force of the elevating motor 62. Further, the transfer robot 51 is provided with a horizontal moving means 64 for moving the transfer pad 53 horizontally. The horizontal moving means 64 rotates the link members 57, 58, 59 by a transmission mechanism (not shown) to move the transport pad 53 in parallel with the holding surface 56. In the transport robot 51, the transport pad 53 is moved up and down and moved horizontally by the lifting means 61 and the horizontal moving means 64.

  The robot base 54 is reciprocated between processing units in the Y-axis direction by a linear motor type moving mechanism 66. The moving mechanism 66 includes a pair of guide rails 67 that guide the transport robot 51 in the traveling direction (Y-axis direction), and a drive source 68 that causes the transport robot 51 to travel along the pair of guide rails 67. The drive source 68 is a linear motor, and extends in the Y-axis direction in parallel with the pair of guide rails 67. A drain side groove 71 (see FIG. 1) is provided along the guide rail 67 in the housing of the transport unit 7. In the drain side groove 71, an outlet of a drain pipe 72 described later of the transfer robot 51 is installed.

  The transfer robot 51 is configured to be able to clean the plate-like workpiece W (see FIG. 1) and the transfer pad 53, and a drain pan 73 for receiving the cleaning water is provided on the robot base 54. The drain pan 73 is provided with a workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 that cleans the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece W and a holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 that cleans the holding surface 56 of the transport pad 53. In the vicinity of the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78, a cleaning water supply nozzle 74 that supplies cleaning water to the holding surface 56 of the transport pad 53 and the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece W is provided. A drain pipe 72 is connected to the drain port 75 of the drain pan 73, and the cleaning water in the drain pan 73 is drained into the drain side groove 71 through the drain path of the drain pipe 72.

  The workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 supports a workpiece cleaning member 81 having a length equal to or larger than the diameter of the plate-like workpiece W by a workpiece cleaning support means 82 so as to be rotatable. The workpiece cleaning member 81 is formed of a hollow cylindrical sponge roller (for example, a porous PVA sponge) so as not to damage the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece W. The workpiece cleaning support means 82 supports both ends of the rod inserted into the workpiece cleaning member 81 by the support bracket 84. The workpiece cleaning support unit 82 has the workpiece cleaning member 81 extending in the X-axis direction so as to be orthogonal to the Y-axis direction in which the transport pad 53 is moved by the horizontal moving unit 64 when the plate-shaped workpiece W is cleaned. keeping.

  The holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 rotatably supports a holding surface cleaning member 85 having a length equal to or larger than the diameter of the holding surface 56 of the transport pad 53 by a holding surface cleaning support means 86. The holding surface cleaning member 85 is formed of a brush roller in which a large number of brushes are planted on the outer periphery of a hollow cylindrical base so as to scrape grinding waste from the porous surface 56. The holding surface cleaning support means 86 supports both ends of the rod inserted into the holding surface cleaning member 85 by a support bracket 88. Similar to the workpiece cleaning support means 82, the holding surface cleaning support means 86 holds the extending direction of the holding surface cleaning member 85 in the X-axis direction.

  Further, on the lower surface side of the drain pan 73, a moving means 91 is provided to bring either one of the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 closer to the holding surface 56 of the transport pad 53 than the other. By moving the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 closer to the holding surface 56 by the moving means 91, the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece W held on the holding surface 56 during the conveyance of the plate-like workpiece W is cleaned by the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77. Further, the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 is brought close to the holding surface 56 by the moving means 91, so that the holding surface 56 is held between the transfer of the plate-like workpiece W and the next plate-like workpiece W is received. It is washed with. The configuration of the moving unit 91 will be described later.

  In addition, the transfer robot 51 is provided with a rotating unit 92 that rotates the transfer pad 53 around the center of the holding surface 56 when cleaning the workpiece and cleaning the holding surface. At the time of workpiece cleaning, the transport pad 53 is rotated by the rotating means 92 while holding the plate-like workpiece W, and the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece W. In this state, the transport pad 53 is horizontally moved in the Y-axis direction by the horizontal moving means 64 and the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece W is cleaned. Further, at the time of cleaning the holding surface, the transport pad 53 is rotated by the rotating means 92 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 is brought into contact with the holding surface 56. In this state, the transport pad 53 is horizontally moved in the Y-axis direction by the horizontal moving means 64 and the holding surface 56 is cleaned.

  With reference to FIG. 4, the cleaning operation by the transfer robot will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a cleaning operation by the transfer robot according to the first embodiment. Here, after describing the moving means of the transfer robot, the cleaning operation by the transfer robot will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 are lowered by the moving means 91 during non-cleaning. The moving means 91 has a lifting mechanism 95 that lifts the support plate 93 on which the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 are arranged from the drain pan 73 via the upper moving rod 83. The lifting mechanism 95 is constituted by a ball screw mechanism, and the upper moving rod 83 can be moved in the Z-axis direction by the driving force of the upper moving motor 96. On the support plate 93, the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 are arranged such that the uppermost value of the outer peripheral surface 98 of the workpiece cleaning member 81 is higher than the uppermost value of the outer peripheral surface 99 of the holding surface cleaning member 85. Is supported.

  The holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 is supported by the support plate 93 via the cylinder 97. When the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 is moved upward by the cylinder 97, the uppermost position of the outer peripheral surface 98 of the holding surface cleaning member 85 is positioned higher than the uppermost position of the outer peripheral surface 98 of the workpiece cleaning member 81. As described above, when the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 is moved up and down by the cylinder 97, either the outer peripheral surface 98 of the workpiece cleaning member 81 or the outer peripheral surface 98 of the holding surface cleaning member 85 is positioned higher than the other. Positioned. By combining the operation of the cylinder 97 and the operation of the lifting mechanism 95, the workpiece cleaning and the holding surface cleaning can be selectively performed.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the workpiece cleaning is performed while the plate-like workpiece W is being transferred by the transfer robot 51. At the time of workpiece cleaning, the conveyance pad 53 is positioned immediately above the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78, and the conveyance pad 53 starts to be rotated by the rotating unit 92. The plate-like workpiece W held on the conveyance pad 53 is lowered by the elevating and lowering means 61, and the upward movement rod 83 of the moving means 91 is moved upward to bring the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 closer to the conveyance pad 53. At this time, since the cylinder 97 is not driven, only the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 is brought into contact with the lower surface Wa of the plate-like workpiece W while the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 is separated from the lower surface Wa of the plate-like workpiece W.

  Cleaning water is supplied from the cleaning water supply nozzle 74 to the lower surface Wa of the plate-like workpiece W, and the transport pad 53 is moved to the Y-axis by the horizontal moving means 64 in a state where the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the lower surface Wa of the plate-like workpiece W are in rotational contact. Horizontally moved in the direction. As a result, while the sponge-like workpiece cleaning member 81 of the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 is rotated in accordance with the horizontal movement of the transport pad 53, the grinding waste adhering to the lower surface Wa of the plate-like workpiece W is removed by the workpiece cleaning member 81. . When the workpiece cleaning is completed, the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 is separated from the lower surface Wa of the plate workpiece W, and the plate workpiece W is dried by the rotation means 92 being continuously rotated.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, holding surface cleaning is performed before a new plate-like workpiece W is received by the transfer robot 51. At the time of holding surface cleaning, the transport pad 53 is positioned immediately above the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78, and the transport pad 53 starts to rotate by the rotating means 92. The transport pad 53 is lowered by the lifting and lowering means 61, and the upward movement rod 83 of the moving means 91 is moved upward to bring the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 closer to the transport pad 53. At this time, the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 is moved up by the cylinder 97, and only the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 is brought into contact with the holding surface 56 in a state where the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 is separated from the holding surface 56.

  The cleaning water is supplied from the cleaning water supply nozzle 74 to the holding surface 56 of the transport pad 53, and the transport pad 53 is leveled in the Y-axis direction by the horizontal moving means 64 in a state where the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 and the holding surface 56 are in rotational contact. Moved. As a result, the holding surface cleaning member 85 with the brush of the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 is rotated along with the horizontal movement of the transport pad 53, and the grinding scraps are scraped from the porous surface of the holding surface 56 by the brush of the holding surface cleaning member 85. Is issued. When the holding surface cleaning is completed, the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 is separated from the holding surface 56, and the holding surface 56 is dried by the rotation means 92 continuing to rotate the transport pad 53.

  As described above, according to the transfer robot 51 according to the present embodiment, the lower surface Wa of the plate workpiece W is cleaned by the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 during the transfer of the plate workpiece W, and the next plate workpiece W is removed. The holding surface 56 of the transport pad 53 is cleaned by the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 on the way to step. Since the plate-like workpiece W and the transfer pad 53 are cleaned during the operation of the transfer robot 51, the tact time of the machining process can be shortened. Further, even when the plate-like workpiece W is transported between a plurality of processing units as in the full-auto type processing apparatus 1, it is not necessary to install a workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 for each processing unit, and one workpiece cleaning is performed. The tact time can be shortened simply by providing the mechanism 77 in the transport robot 51. Therefore, the space of the apparatus can be saved and the number of units can be reduced to reduce the cost.

  Next, a transport robot according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the transfer robot according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of the transfer robot according to the second embodiment. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a single member arm is used instead of an arm using a multi-joint link mechanism, and cleaning is performed without rotating the transport pad. Yes. Therefore, the differences will be mainly described in detail. In the second embodiment, since the configuration of the processing apparatus other than the transfer robot is the same as that of the first embodiment, description of the entire processing apparatus is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the transfer robot 101 according to the second embodiment suspends a disk-shaped transfer pad 103 at the distal end of the long arm 102, and the base end of the arm 102 is The robot base 104 is configured to be supported by a support pillar 105. In the robot base 104, as in the first embodiment, an elevating means 107 for elevating the support pillar 105 is provided, and further a horizontal moving means 108 for horizontally moving the transport pad 103 is provided. The horizontal moving means 108 moves the transport pad 103 horizontally by turning the arm 102 around the support column 105. In the transfer robot 101, the transfer pad 103 is moved up and down and moved horizontally by the lifting means 107 and the horizontal moving means 108.

  Also in the second embodiment, the transfer robot 101 is configured to be able to clean the plate-like workpiece W (see FIG. 1) and the transfer pad 103. The drain pan 111 of the transfer robot 101 is provided with a workpiece cleaning mechanism 115 for cleaning the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece W and a holding surface cleaning mechanism 116 for cleaning the holding surface 106 of the transfer pad 103. The workpiece cleaning mechanism 115 and the holding surface cleaning are provided. A cleaning water supply nozzle 113 that supplies cleaning water is provided in the vicinity of the mechanism 116. Further, a drain pipe 112 is connected to the drain port 114 of the drain pan 111, and the washing water of the drain pan 111 is drained into the drain side groove 71 (see FIG. 1) through the drain channel of the drain pipe 112.

  The workpiece cleaning member 121 of the workpiece cleaning mechanism 115 is a sponge roller having a length equal to or larger than the diameter of the plate-shaped workpiece W, and is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape. The workpiece cleaning support means 122 of the workpiece cleaning mechanism 115 supports both ends of the rod inserted into the workpiece cleaning member 121 by the support bracket 124. One end of the rod protrudes from the support bracket 124 and is connected to the output shaft of the motor 118, and the workpiece cleaning member 121 is rotated by the motor 118. Further, the workpiece cleaning support means 122 sets the extending direction of the workpiece cleaning member 121 in the Y-axis direction so as to be orthogonal to the X-axis direction in which the transport pad 103 is moved by the horizontal movement means 108 when the plate-like workpiece W is cleaned. Hold towards.

  The holding surface cleaning member 125 of the holding surface cleaning mechanism 116 is a brush roller having a length equal to or larger than the diameter of the holding surface 106 of the transport pad 103 and is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape. The holding surface cleaning support means 126 of the holding surface cleaning mechanism 116 supports both the rods inserted into the holding surface cleaning member 125 by the support bracket 128. One end of the rod protrudes from the support bracket 128 and is connected to the output shaft of the motor 119, and the holding surface cleaning member 125 is rotated by the motor 119. Further, like the workpiece cleaning member 121, the holding surface cleaning support means 126 holds the extending direction of the holding surface cleaning member 125 in the Y-axis direction.

  Further, the moving means 129 is the same as in the first embodiment, and is configured to bring either one of the workpiece cleaning mechanism 115 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 116 closer to the holding surface 106 of the transport pad 103 than the other. ing. At the time of workpiece cleaning, the workpiece cleaning member 121 of the workpiece cleaning mechanism 115 is rotated and is brought into rotational contact with the lower surface Wa (see FIG. 4) of the plate-like workpiece W held on the transport pad 103. Then, while the cleaning water is supplied from the cleaning water supply nozzle 113, the transport pad 103 is horizontally moved in the X-axis direction by the horizontal moving means 108 to clean the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece W. At the time of cleaning the holding surface, the holding surface cleaning member 125 of the holding surface cleaning mechanism 116 is rotated and is brought into rotational contact with the holding surface 106 of the transport pad 103. Then, while the cleaning water is supplied from the cleaning water supply nozzle 113, the transport pad 103 is horizontally moved in the X-axis direction by the horizontal moving means 108 to clean the holding surface 106.

  As described above, also in the transfer robot 101 according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the workpiece cleaning is performed during the transfer of the plate workpiece W, and the next plate workpiece W is Washing of the holding surface is performed on the way to take, and the tact time of the machining process is shortened. Further, the space of the apparatus can be saved, and the number of units can be reduced to reduce the cost.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change and implement variously. In the above-described embodiment, the size, shape, and the like illustrated in the accompanying drawings are not limited to this, and can be appropriately changed within a range in which the effect of the present invention is exhibited. In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the object of the present invention.

  For example, in the first and second embodiments described above, the transfer robots 51 and 101 are provided with the workpiece cleaning mechanisms 77 and 115 and the holding surface cleaning mechanisms 78 and 116. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The transfer robots 51 and 101 only need to include at least the workpiece cleaning mechanisms 77 and 115.

  In the first embodiment described above, the work pad and the holding surface are cleaned by horizontally moving the transport pad 53 by the horizontal moving means 64 while the transport pad 53 is rotated by the rotating means 92. However, it is not limited to this configuration. Instead of rotating the transport pad 53, the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 are each provided with a motor, and the workpiece cleaning and cleaning of the holding surface are performed while rotating the workpiece cleaning member 81 and the holding surface cleaning member 85. Good.

  Further, in the second embodiment described above, the workpiece cleaning member 121 and the holding surface cleaning member 125 are rotated, the horizontal movement means 108 is moved horizontally by the horizontal moving means 108, and the workpiece cleaning and the holding surface cleaning are performed. Although configured, it is not limited to this configuration. Instead of rotating the workpiece cleaning member 121 and the holding surface cleaning member 125, the workpiece cleaning and the holding surface cleaning may be performed while rotating the transport pad 53.

  In both the first and second embodiments, the workpiece cleaning members 81 and 121 and the holding surface cleaning members 85 and 125 are configured to rotate. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. After the horizontal moving means 64 and 108 are positioned at the respective cleaning positions where the centers of the workpiece cleaning members 81 and 121 and the centers of the holding surface cleaning members 85 and 125 coincide with the centers of the transfer pads 53 and 103, the rotating means 92 The conveyance pad 53 may be rotated to clean the workpiece and the holding surface. In this case, it is not necessary to provide a rotation mechanism for the workpiece cleaning mechanisms 77 and 115 and the holding surface cleaning mechanisms 78 and 116, and a workpiece cleaning member formed of a plate-like sponge and a holding surface formed of a brush arranged on a plate. Since it can be cleaned with the cleaning member, an inexpensive apparatus configuration is possible.

  In the first embodiment, the conveyance pad 53 that holds the plate-like workpiece W is rotated by using the rotating unit 92 and the workpiece drying after the workpiece cleaning is described. However, the plate-like workpiece W needs to be dried. However, it is also possible to supply the cleaning water from the cleaning water supply nozzle 74 after the workpiece is cleaned to wet the surface to be cleaned of the cleaned plate-like workpiece W.

  In the first embodiment, the conveyance pad 53 that holds the plate-like workpiece W is rotated by using the rotation unit 92 and the conveyance pad 53 is dried after the holding surface cleaning. However, the conveyance pad 53 is not rotated. In both cases, the holding surface 56 may be dried by communicating the holding surface 56 with a suction source.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the holding surfaces 56 and 106 of the transport pads 53 and 103 are formed of a porous material. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The holding surfaces 56 and 106 of the transport pads 53 and 103 may be configured in any manner as long as the plate-like workpiece W can be sucked and held.

  Further, in the first embodiment described above, the arm 52 of the multi-joint link mechanism is used, and in the second embodiment described above, the arm 102 formed of one member is used. It is not limited to. The arm 102 may be configured in any manner as long as the conveyance pads 53 and 103 are suspended and the conveyance pads 53 and 103 can be moved horizontally.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the workpiece is cleaned while the plate-like workpiece W is being transferred by the transfer robots 51 and 101. However, the workpiece is cleaned while the transfer robots 51 and 101 are moving. It is not limited to. For example, the workpiece may be cleaned during a waiting time during opening / closing of the shutter of the processing unit. That is, the state in which the plate-shaped workpiece W is being transported includes not only a state in which the plate-shaped workpiece W is held and moving, but also a state in which the plate-shaped workpiece W is held and is on standby.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the workpiece cleaning members 81 and 121 are configured to have a length equal to or greater than the diameter of the plate workpiece W. However, the workpiece cleaning members 81 and 121 are particularly long. It is not limited. The workpiece cleaning members 81 and 121 only need to be formed in a long shape. For example, the workpiece cleaning members 81 and 121 may be used to perform workpiece cleaning.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the workpiece cleaning members 81 and 121 are formed of sponge rollers. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The workpiece cleaning members 81 and 121 may be formed of a material that does not damage the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece W.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the holding surface cleaning members 85 and 125 are configured to have a length equal to or greater than the diameter of the plate-like workpiece W. However, the lengths of the holding surface cleaning members 85 and 125 are the same. Is not particularly limited. The holding surface cleaning members 85 and 125 are only required to be formed in a long shape. For example, the workpiece cleaning may be performed using a plurality of workpiece cleaning members 81 and 121.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the holding surface cleaning members 85 and 125 are formed by brush rollers. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The holding surface cleaning members 85 and 125 may be formed with a polishing grindstone in addition to the brush, and the holding surface 56 may be surface-polished with the polishing grindstone after the brush cleaning.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the workpiece cleaning members 81 and 121 and the holding surface cleaning members 85 and 125 are formed in a rotatable roller shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. It is only necessary that the workpiece cleaning members 81 and 121 are in contact with the lower surface Wa of the plate-like workpiece W, and the holding surface cleaning members 85 and 125 are in contact with the holding surfaces 56 and 106 of the transport pads 53 and 103. It may be formed in a cylindrical shape.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the uppermost value of the workpiece cleaning member 81 is set to the holding surface cleaning by making the outer dimension of the workpiece cleaning member 81 larger than the outer dimension of the holding surface cleaning member 85. Although it was set as the structure positioned higher than the highest value of the member 85, it is not limited to this structure. A configuration may be adopted in which the highest value of the workpiece cleaning member 81 is positioned higher than the highest value of the holding surface cleaning member 85 by making the support position of the workpiece cleaning member 81 higher than the support position of the holding surface cleaning member 85. .

  In the first embodiment described above, the moving means 91 selectively brings the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 closer to the holding surface 56 by combining the operation of the cylinder 97 and the operation of the lifting mechanism 95. Although configured, it is not limited to this configuration. The moving means 91 only needs to be configured to bring either one of the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78 closer to the holding surface 56 than the other, for example, the workpiece cleaning mechanism 77 and the holding surface cleaning mechanism 78. There may be provided a mechanism for individually moving the components.

  In the first embodiment described above, the processing unit and the cleaning unit are arranged linearly along the traveling direction of the transfer robot 51, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. A configuration in which the processing units and the cleaning units are radially arranged around the transfer robot 51 may be employed.

  As described above, the present invention has an effect that the tact time of the machining process can be shortened and the space of the apparatus can be saved and the cost can be reduced. In particular, a plurality of grinding apparatuses, polishing apparatuses, etc. This is useful for transfer robots that transfer plate-like workpieces between processing units.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing apparatus 51,101 Transfer robot 52,102 Arm 53,103 Transfer pad 55,105 Support pillar 56,106 Holding surface 61,107 Lifting means 64,108 Horizontal movement means 73,111 Drain pan 74,113 Washing water supply nozzle 75 , 114 Drain port 77, 115 Work cleaning mechanism 78, 116 Holding surface cleaning mechanism 81, 121 Work cleaning member 82, 122 Work cleaning support means 85, 125 Holding surface cleaning member 86, 126 Holding surface cleaning support means 91, 129 Moving means 92 Rotating means W Plate workpiece Wa Bottom surface of plate workpiece

Claims (6)

A transfer robot that holds a plate-like workpiece and reciprocates by a moving mechanism, and conveys the plate-like workpiece between a predetermined processing unit and a predetermined processing unit ,
A conveyance pad having a holding surface for sucking and holding a plate-like workpiece, an arm for suspending the conveyance pad, a support column for supporting the arm, an elevating means for raising and lowering the support column, and the holding pad A horizontal moving means that moves parallel to the surface, and a workpiece cleaning mechanism that cleans the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece held by the transport pad,
A transfer robot capable of cleaning the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece by the workpiece cleaning mechanism while the plate-like workpiece is being transferred by the transfer robot by the moving mechanism . Conveying robot includes a cleaning water supply nozzle for supplying cleaning water to the lower surface of the plate-shaped workpiece held by the holding surface and the holding surface, and a drain pan for receiving the washing water supplied from the cleaning water supply nozzle, the drain pan And a drainage channel for draining the wash water received by
The workpiece cleaning mechanism
A workpiece cleaning member extending in a long shape, and a workpiece cleaning support means for supporting the workpiece cleaning member with the extending direction of the workpiece cleaning member orthogonal to the moving direction of the horizontal movement means,
A plate for supplying cleaning water from the cleaning water supply nozzle, bringing the lower surface of the plate-shaped workpiece into contact with the workpiece cleaning member by the elevating means, horizontally moving the transport pad by the horizontal moving means, and holding the holding pad by the holding surface The transfer robot according to claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the workpiece is cleaned. The transfer robot
A rotation means for horizontally rotating the transport pad around the center of the holding surface;
Lower the transport pad with the lifting means,
The workpiece cleaning mechanism for cleaning the plate-like workpiece is brought into contact with the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece held by the conveyance pad rotated by the rotation means, and the conveyance pad is horizontally aligned in the radial direction of the holding surface by the horizontal movement means. The transfer robot according to claim 1, wherein the transfer robot is moved and the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece is cleaned by the workpiece cleaning mechanism. A holding surface cleaning mechanism for cleaning the holding surface, and a moving means for bringing either one of the workpiece cleaning mechanism and the holding surface cleaning mechanism closer to the holding surface than the other,
Using the moving means,
While the transfer robot is transferring a plate-like workpiece, the workpiece cleaning mechanism enables the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece to be cleaned.
4. The transfer robot according to claim 1, wherein the holding surface can be cleaned by the holding surface cleaning mechanism after the transfer robot transfers the plate-shaped workpiece and before the next plate-shaped workpiece is received. 5. . The holding surface cleaning mechanism is:
A holding surface cleaning member extending in a long shape, and a holding surface cleaning support means for supporting the holding surface cleaning member with the extending direction of the holding surface cleaning member orthogonal to the moving direction of the horizontal moving means. Prepared,
With the moving means, the holding surface cleaning mechanism is moved closer to the holding surface than the workpiece cleaning mechanism,
5. The transfer robot according to claim 4, wherein while the cleaning water is supplied, the holding surface is brought into contact with the holding surface cleaning member by the elevating means, the transfer pad is horizontally moved by the horizontal moving means, and the holding surface is cleaned. . The transfer robot
A rotation means for horizontally rotating the transport pad around the center of the holding surface;
Lower the transport pad with the lifting means,
The holding surface cleaning mechanism for cleaning the holding surface is brought into contact with the transport pad rotated by the rotating means, the transport pad is horizontally moved in the radial direction of the holding surface by the horizontal moving means, and the holding surface cleaning is performed. 6. The transfer robot according to claim 4, wherein the holding surface is cleaned by a mechanism.

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