JP7088641B2 - Board transfer device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer, a liquid crystal display substrate, a plasma display substrate, an organic EL substrate, a FED (Field Emission Display) substrate, an optical display substrate, a magnetic disk substrate, an optical magnetic disk substrate, and a photomask. The present invention relates to a substrate transfer device for transporting a substrate and a substrate for a solar cell (hereinafter, simply referred to as a substrate), and particularly relates to a technique for transporting a bent substrate.

Conventionally, as this kind of device, three thin plate-shaped arms that abut on the lower surface of the substrate, a rotation mechanism that rotates two arms at both ends around a long axis, and a central arm that moves up and down in the vertical direction. Some of the drive mechanism units are provided with a vertical movement mechanism for causing the drive mechanism (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In this board transfer device, for example, among cassettes in which a plurality of boards are stored in the height direction, the arm is inserted into the lower surface of the board to be carried out, and then the arm is raised and the arm is retracted from the cassette. Carry out. At that time, if the substrate is bent, it is difficult to allow the arm to enter, but the two arms at both ends are rotated around the long axis according to the bending and tilted, and the central arm responds to the bending. After lowering the board, three arms are inserted below the bent board to carry out the board. As a result, the arm can be moved forward and backward even if the space below the board is narrowed due to the bending of the board, so that even a bending board can be conveyed by a cassette having a standard storage space.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-51525

However, in the case of the conventional example having such a configuration, there are the following problems.
That is, the conventional device has a problem that the substrate is transported at a high speed in order to increase the throughput and cannot be applied to a device provided with a fall prevention configuration on the arm.

Generally, in this configuration, in order to restrict the horizontal movement of the substrate and prevent the substrate from falling, a locking portion that abuts on the end surface of the substrate is provided at the tip of the arm. Since this locking portion protrudes from the upper surface of the arm at least by the thickness of the substrate, there is a problem that it is difficult to transport the bent substrate with an arm having a locking portion at the tip portion. There is.

In particular, recently, thin substrates for three-dimensional laminated devices may be used to improve the degree of integration in the device. For example, a 200 mm (8 inch) diameter substrate has a product standard of 725 μm thickness, but a device thinner than this (for example, 200 μm thickness) may be used to manufacture a device. This type of substrate is smaller than a liquid crystal display substrate and is required to have a high throughput, so that it is required to be transported at a high speed. Therefore, problems caused by the above-mentioned bending are likely to occur, and the conventional technique cannot be used for transportation.

Further, recently, the substrates may be stored at intervals narrower than the standard, but it is also difficult to convey the bent substrates stored at such narrow intervals. Furthermore, although it is effective for transporting a substrate having a deflection when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the approach direction, it cannot be used for transporting a substrate having a deflection when viewed in a vertical cross section parallel to the approach direction. There's a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and even if the arm has a locking portion at the tip portion, the substrate is bent and the substrate is arranged at a narrower interval than the standard. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transport device capable of transporting the above.

The present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve such an object.
That is, the invention according to claim 1 is an arm that abuts on the lower surface of the substrate to hold the substrate and is provided at the tip of the arm and abuts on the side end surface of the substrate in the substrate transport device that conveys the substrate. It is located between the locking portion that restricts the movement of the substrate in the advancing direction of the arm, the mounting portion on the base end portion side of the arm, and the locking portion and the mounting portion, and is located from the mounting portion. The arm shape variable mechanism includes an extension portion extended to the tip end side and an arm shape variable mechanism provided with a rotation mechanism for rotating the base end portion around the long axis of the arm, and the arm shape variable mechanism comprises the arm. When entering the storage position of the substrate, the locking portion does not interfere with the lower surface of the substrate, and the extending portion seen from the direction orthogonal to the advancing / retreating direction of the arm is substantially linear and the lower surface of the substrate. When the arm is retracted from the storage position of the substrate while the substrate is held by the arm, the locking portion abuts on the side end surface of the substrate and the extending portion is curved downward. By integrally rotating the locking portion and the extending portion by the rotation mechanism, the rotation mechanism has a function of changing the shape seen from the direction orthogonal to the advancing / retreating direction of the arm . Further, the arm has a rod shape, is composed of two arms, and has a curved shape according to the bending of the substrate, and the rotation mechanism is an arm that rotatably holds the base ends of the two arms. A plurality of rollers including a holding portion and a driven roller attached to a base end portion of an arm penetrating the arm holding portion, an endless belt hung on these rollers, and the two endlessly arranged symmetrically. An elevating piece arranged between the belts and fixed to the two uncarried belts and an air cylinder having an operating shaft connected to the elevating piece are included, and as the air cylinder expands and contracts, the arm It is characterized in that the locking portion is directed laterally at the time of entry and the locking portion is directed upward at the time of exiting the arm .

[Action / Effect] According to the invention according to claim 1, in the arm shape variable mechanism, the locking portion does not interfere with the lower surface of the substrate at the time of entry, and is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the advancing / retreating direction of the arm. Since the extending portion is substantially linear and has a shape that does not interfere with the lower surface of the substrate , the arm can enter without the locking portion of the arm interfering with the substrate. Further, at the time of exiting , the locking portion and the extending portion are integrally rotated by the rotation mechanism so that the locking portion abuts on the side end surface of the substrate and the extending portion is curved downward. Therefore, the arm can carry out the substrate while restricting the movement of the substrate by locking the side end surface of the substrate with the locking portion of the arm. By changing the shape of the arm between entry and exit in this way, even if the arm has a locking portion at the tip, it is a bent substrate and a substrate arranged at a narrower interval than the standard. Can be transported.

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According to the substrate transfer device according to the present invention, the arm shape variable mechanism has the first shape at the time of entry, so that the arm can enter without the locking portion of the arm interfering with the substrate. Further, since the second shape is used at the time of exiting, the arm can carry out the substrate while locking the side end surface of the substrate with the locking portion of the arm to restrict the movement of the substrate. By changing the shape of the arm between entry and exit in this way, even if the arm has a locking portion at the tip, it is a bent substrate and a substrate arranged at a narrower interval than the standard. Can be transported.

It is an overall view which shows the schematic structure of the substrate transfer apparatus which concerns on Example. It is a side view of a cassette and a substrate transfer apparatus. It is a perspective view which looked at the substrate transfer apparatus from the rear. It is a perspective view which looked at the substrate transfer apparatus from the front. It is a perspective view which looked at the main part of the board transfer apparatus from the front. It is a perspective view which looked at the main part of the board transfer apparatus from the rear. It is a vertical sectional view of an arm at the time of leaving. It is a top view of the arm at the time of leaving. It is a schematic diagram which showed the unloading operation of a board by a board transfer device. It is a perspective view which shows the 1st modification of the substrate transfer apparatus. It is a vertical sectional view which shows the 1st modification of the substrate transfer apparatus. It is a top view which shows the 2nd modification of the substrate transfer apparatus.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate transfer device according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view of a cassette and a board transfer device, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the board transfer device as viewed from the rear. Yes, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the board transfer device as viewed from the front, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part of the board transfer device as viewed from the front, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the main part of the board transfer device. It is a perspective view seen from the rear.

The substrate transfer device 1 according to the embodiment conveys a plurality of substrates W stacked and stored separately from the cassette C one by one. The substrate W is, for example, thin, and when it is housed in the cassette C, its upper surface is dented and protrudes downward. That is, in the side view, it is curved downward when viewed from the substrate transporting device 1 side, and is curved downward when viewed from the direction orthogonal to the delivery direction of the substrate transporting device 1 (the front-back direction of the paper in FIG. 1). There is.

The substrate transfer device 1 includes a base 3 that is raised and lowered by an elevating mechanism (not shown). The base 3 is provided with an advance / retreat drive mechanism 5. The advancing / retreating drive mechanism 5 includes a drive motor 7, one main roller 9, and two driven rollers 11 and 13. The drive motor 7 is attached to the base 3 with the drive shaft facing upward, and the driving roller 9 is attached to the drive shaft protruding from the upper surface of the base 3. The two driven rollers 11 and 13 are arranged on the end side of the base 3 so as to be separated from each other on the left and right sides of FIG. 1 with the main roller 9 interposed therebetween. The width of the driven roller 11 in the height direction is wider than that of the driven roller 9. The driven roller 13 is arranged so as to be separated upward from the upper surface of the base 3 in accordance with the height of the driven roller 11. An endless belt 15 is laid between the main roller 9 and the lower part of the driven roller 11, and an endless belt 17 is laid between the upper part of the driven roller 11 and the driven roller 13. One part of the endless belt 17 is fixed to the moving base 19.

A linear guide 21 is attached to the upper surface of the base 3 and behind the endless belt 17 in FIGS. 1 and 3 in parallel with the endless belt 17. A moving base 19 is attached to a movable block attached to the rail of the linear guide 21. When the drive motor 7 described above is driven, the endless belt 17 rotates with the rotation of the endless belt 15, whereby the moving base 19 moves along the linear guide 21 in the longitudinal direction of the base 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the moving positions are the advance position where the arm 29 advances into the cassette C (indicated by a two-dot chain line in the figure) and the exit position where the arm 29 exits from the cassette C as shown in FIG. There are two locations, the position (indicated by the solid line in the figure). Although not shown, the moving base 19 is provided with a detection piece whose position is detected by a sensor, and the base 3 is provided with a sensor for detecting the detection piece. A support column 23 is erected on the moving base 19 above the moving base 19.

As shown in FIG. 5, a stay 25 is attached to the upper side of the support column 23. The width of the stay 25 is wider than the width of the support column 23, and both ends of the stay 25 project from both ends of the support column 23. Arm holding portions 27 are attached to both ends of the stay 25, respectively. The arm holding portion 27 rotatably holds the base end portion of the arm 29 around the axis of its long axis. The base end portion of the arm 29 penetrates the arm holding portion 27 and the stay 25. A driven roller 31 is attached to the base end of the arm 29 protruding from the stay 25. Therefore, when the driven roller 31 rotates, the arm 29 rotates in conjunction with the rotation.

As shown in FIG. 6, two driven rollers 33 and 35 are attached to the center side of the stay 25 so as to be vertically separated from each other with the rotation axes horizontal. An endless belt 37 is bridged to the driven rollers 31, 33, and 35. A tension roller 38 for increasing the tension of the endless belt 37 is attached between the driven roller 31 and the driven roller 33 in the horizontal direction and between the driven roller 33 and the driven roller 35 in the vertical direction. The driven rollers 31, 33, 35 and the tension roller 38 described above are similarly arranged symmetrically with respect to the vertical center line of the stay 25. That is, the driven rollers 31, 33, 35 and the tension rollers 38 described above are provided for each arm 29. An elevating piece 39 is arranged between the driven rollers 35 at the center position in the lateral direction of the stay 25. The elevating piece 39 has both upper side surfaces fixed to two endless belts 37. The lower part of the elevating piece 39 is connected to the operating shaft of the air cylinder 41 attached to the center of the stay 25. Therefore, for example, when the air cylinder 41 contracts the operating shaft, the elevating piece 39 is lowered as shown in FIG. 6, and the locking portion 29b of the arm 29 faces upward as the endless belt 37 moves. It is considered to be in a state (corresponding to the "second shape" in the present invention). On the other hand, when the air cylinder 41 is extended on the operating shaft, the elevating piece 39 is raised, and as the endless belt 37 moves, the locking portion 29b of the arm 29 faces outward as shown in FIG. (Corresponding to the "first shape" in the present invention).

The arm holding portion 27, the driven rollers 31, 33, 35, the endless belt 37, the tension roller 38, the elevating piece 39, and the air cylinder 41 are the "arm shape variable mechanism" and the "arm shape variable mechanism" in the present invention. Corresponds to "rotation mechanism".

Here, the details of the above-mentioned arm 29 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the arm at the time of exit, and FIG. 8 is a plan view of the arm at the time of exit.

The arm 29 in this embodiment has a rod shape having a thin appearance, and the substrate transfer device 1 includes two arms 29. The arm 29 is made of, for example, anodized aluminum or ceramic or carbon.

The arm 29 is located between the mounting portion 29a on the base end side, the locking portion 29b on the tip end side, and the mounting portion 29a and the locking portion 29b, and extends from the mounting portion 29a to the tip end side. An extending portion 29c and a contact supporting portion 29d on the mounting portion 29a side are provided. The mounting portion 29a is rotatably held by the arm holding portion 27 described above. The locking portion 29b abuts and supports the lower surface on the outer peripheral side of the substrate W, and also abuts on the side end surface of the substrate W, and the advance direction when the arm 29 advances to the storage position of the substrate W (in other words, when exiting). The movement of the substrate W to the opposite side of the exit direction) is restricted. It is preferable that the upper surface of the extending portion 29c is curved in a concave shape according to the degree of curvature of the substrate W. The contact support portion 29d abuts and supports the lower surface on the outer peripheral side of the substrate W. When the substrate W is thin and bends and curves downward, if the substrate W is scooped up from below by the arm 29, not only the locking portion 29b and the contact support portion 29d but also the extending portion 29c can be scooped up. Although the lower surface of the substrate W comes into contact with the substrate W, the extending portion 29c is curved in a concave shape, so that rubbing against the substrate W can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of particles due to the rubbing between the substrate W and the arm 29, and the substrate W can be conveyed cleanly.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the substrate transfer device 1, a support plate 43 is erected on a base 3 on the opposite side of a driven roller 13 sandwiching a linear guide 21. The support plate 43 is formed so that the top thereof is higher than that of the support column 23. A position regulating plate 45 is attached to the top thereof. The position restricting plate 45 is formed with a contact portion 47 curved in a concave shape on the arm 29 side according to the peripheral shape of the substrate W. The contact portion 47 is formed with an inclined surface in order to reduce the contact area with the side end surface of the substrate W. Further, the position restricting plate 45 is formed with recesses 49 for avoiding interference with both ends of the arm holding portion 27 and the stay 25. An air cylinder 51 is attached to the side surface of the support plate 43 on the linear guide 21 side with the operating shaft facing in the vertical direction. A transfer arm 53 having a U-shaped plan view is arranged between the operating shaft of the air cylinder 51 and the lower surface of the position regulating plate 45. The lower surface of the transfer arm 53 is connected to the tip of the operating shaft of the air cylinder 51 . On the upper surface of the transfer arm 53, support pins 55 are erected at positions corresponding to the vertices of an equilateral triangle inscribed in a circle smaller than the outer diameter of the substrate W in a plan view.

When the air cylinder 51 is not operated, the operating shaft contracts, and the three support pins 55 are located in the standby position (position shown in FIG. 2) below the arm 29 together with the transfer arm 53. On the other hand, when the air cylinder 51 is operated, the operating shaft is extended, the three support pins 55 are raised together with the transfer arm 53, and the top of the support pins 55 protrudes to a position higher than the arm 29. As a result, the substrate W supported by the arm 29 is lifted from the arm 29, and the substrate W can be delivered to and from another transfer mechanism (not shown).

The drive motor 7 and the air cylinders 41 and 51 described above are operated by the control unit 57 as shown in FIG. The control unit 57 is composed of a microcontroller and the like.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned substrate transfer device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the operation of carrying out the board by the board transfer device.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of boards W are housed in the cassette C. The cassette C includes a plurality of mounting shelves C1 formed in the vertical direction at intervals according to the standard. The substrate W is, for example, a thin one, and is a central portion of the substrate W when viewed from the substrate transfer device 1 side in a state of being mounted on the mounting shelf C1 or when viewed from the direction orthogonal to the substrate W (FIG. 2). Is in a state of being bent downward.

The control unit 57 extends the operating shaft of the air cylinder 41 in a state in which the operating shaft of the air cylinder 51 is contracted and the support pin 55 is lowered so that the locking portion 29b of the arm 29 faces outward. (See FIGS. 4 and 9 (a)). Then, the drive motor 7 is operated to move the arm 29 to the advanced position (see FIG. 9B). At this time, since the locking portion 29b of the arm 29 is directed to the side, it is possible to prevent the substrate W from coming into contact with the lower surface of the substrate W even if the substrate W is curved. Next, the operating shaft of the air cylinder 41 is contracted to rotate the arm 29, and the locking portion 29b is directed upward (see FIGS. 5 and 6 and FIG. 9 (c)). Then, the control unit 57 operates an elevating mechanism (not shown) to slightly raise the substrate transfer device 1 and hold the substrate W by the arm 29 (see FIG. 9D). Further, the control unit 57 operates the drive motor 7 to move the arm 29 to the exit position (see FIG. 9E). Although not shown, in this state, the control unit 57 raises the operating shaft of the air cylinder 51 to transfer the substrate W to the support pin 55, and transfers the substrate W to another transfer mechanism (not shown). do.

According to the above-described embodiment, in the substrate transfer device 1, the shape of the arm 29 seen from the side is the first shape in which the locking portion 29b faces outward at the time of approach, so that the locking portion of the arm 29 The arm 29 can enter without the 29b interfering with the substrate W. Further, at the time of exiting, the shape of the arm 29 seen from the side is the second shape in which the locking portion 29b faces upward, so that the side end surface of the substrate W is locked by the locking portion 29b of the arm 29. The arm 29 can carry out the substrate W while restricting the movement of the substrate W. By changing the shape of the arm 29 in the side view between entering and exiting in this way, even if the arm 29 has a locking portion 29b at the tip portion, the flexible substrate W and the standard Can also transport the substrates W arranged at narrow intervals.

In the above-described embodiment, the arm 29 is rotated around the axis of the long axis to change the shape seen from the direction orthogonal to the advancing / retreating direction of the arm 29. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The following modifications of the present invention will be described.

<First modification>

Modification 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. Note that FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a first modification of the substrate transfer device, and FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a first modification of the substrate transfer device.

The arm 291 has a rod-like appearance, and only the locking portion 291b at the tip thereof is movable. That is, the locking portion 291b is a locking piece that is swingably attached to the tip portion of the extending portion 291c with a half-split portion 61 having a half thickness and a rotating shaft 63 with respect to the half-split portion 61. It is equipped with 65. The locking piece 65 has a through hole 67 formed at a position above the rotation shaft 63. Further, the arm 291 is formed with an operation hole 69 that communicates the half split portion 61 and the base end portion. An operation wire 71 is inserted through the operation hole 69. The operation wire 71 is connected to, for example, the operating shaft of the air cylinder 41 described above. When the operating shaft of the air cylinder 41 is contracted, the locking piece 65 stands up as shown in FIG. 10, and the side end edge of the substrate W can be locked. Therefore, when advancing to the storage position of the substrate W, the operating shaft of the air cylinder 41 is extended so that the locking piece 65 is in the extended posture shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 10 (“non-locking posture”). When the substrate W is locked and exits, the operating shaft of the air cylinder 41 is contracted so that the locking piece 65 is in the standing posture shown by the solid line in FIG. 10 (“locking posture”).

The above-mentioned half split portion 61, the rotating shaft 63, the locking piece 65, and the operation wire 71 correspond to the "arm shape variable mechanism" and the "locking portion displacement mechanism" in the present invention.

According to such a configuration, a simple configuration has the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment. Further, since only the locking portion 202b at the tip portion is operated, the load can be reduced.

<Second modification>

A second modification will be described with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a second modification of the substrate transfer device.

In the above-described embodiment and the first modification, the appearance of the arms 29 and 291 has a rod shape, but the present invention does not limit the shape of the arm to a rod shape.

For example, the arm 292 has a plate-like appearance. Then, an operation hole 67 is formed from the mounting portion 292a through the contact support portion 292d and the extension portion 292c over the locking portion 292b, and the operation wire 71 is inserted through the operation hole 67. The tip of the operation wire 71 is connected to the locking piece 65 as in the first modification. The operation of the locking piece 65 can be performed in the same manner as in the first modification described above.

According to such a configuration, the same effect as that of the first modification can be obtained, and the rigidity can be increased by the plate-shaped arm 292, so that the substrate W having a larger diameter can be conveyed.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified as follows.

(1) In the above-described embodiment, the extending portion 29c of the arm 29 is curved and formed according to the bending of the substrate W, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. That is, the extending portion 29c may be formed linearly without being curved.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the shape of the arm 29 in the side view is changed by the driven rollers 31, 33, 35, the air cylinder 41, and the like, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, a stepping motor may be attached to the stay 25 so that the arm 29 can be rotated around its long axis by the rotation of the stepping motor.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the arm 29 is advanced to the substrate W side with the locking portion 29b facing outward, but the arm 29 is moved toward the substrate W side with the locking portion 29b facing inward. You may try to advance to.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the locking portion 29b is deformed in a lateral view by a rotational force or a pulling force, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, a shape memory alloy may be used for the locking portion 29b, and the shape memory alloy may be electrically heated to deform the shape of the locking portion 29b.

1 ... Board transfer device C ... Cassette W ... Board 3 ... Base 5 ... Advance / retreat drive mechanism 7 ... Drive motor 9 ... Main roller 11, 13 ... Driven roller 15, 17 ... Endless belt 19 ... Moving base 21 ... Linear guide 27 ... Arm holding part 29 ... Arm 29a ... Mounting part 29b ... Locking part 29c ... Extension part 29d ... Contact support part 31, 33, 35 ... Driven roller 37 ... Endless belt 41, 51 ... Air cylinder 57 ... Control unit

Claims (1)

In a board transfer device that conveys a board
An arm that abuts on the underside of the board and holds the board,
A locking portion provided at the tip of the arm, which abuts on the side end surface of the substrate and restricts the movement of the substrate in the advancing direction of the arm.
The mounting part on the base end side of the arm and
An extending portion located between the locking portion and the mounting portion and extending from the mounting portion to the tip side,
An arm shape variable mechanism provided with a rotation mechanism for rotating the base end portion around the long axis of the arm,
Equipped with
The arm shape variable mechanism has the extension so that the locking portion does not interfere with the lower surface of the substrate and is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the advancing / retreating direction of the arm when the arm enters the storage position of the substrate. The portion is substantially linear and has a shape that does not interfere with the lower surface of the substrate, and when the arm is retracted from the storage position of the substrate while holding the substrate by the arm, the locking portion abuts on the side end surface of the substrate. In addition, by integrally rotating the locking portion and the extending portion by the rotation mechanism so that the extending portion has a shape that curves downward, a direction orthogonal to the advancing / retreating direction of the arm. With the function to change the shape seen from the side ,
In addition,
The arm has a rod shape, is composed of two arms, and has a curved shape according to the bending of the substrate.
The rotation mechanism includes a plurality of rollers including an arm holding portion that rotatably holds the base ends of the two arms and a driven roller attached to the base end of the arm that penetrates the arm holding portion. An endless belt hung on these rollers, an elevating piece arranged between the two endless belts arranged symmetrically and fixed to the two unbearable belts, and an operating shaft attached to the elevating piece. Including a connected air cylinder, the locking portion is directed laterally when the arm enters, and the locking portion is directed upward when the arm exits, as the air cylinder expands and contracts. A board transfer device characterized by this.

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