JP7820191B2 - Transport jig - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a conveying jig used when transporting items using a conveying mechanism consisting of a belt conveyor.

In manufacturing factories for device chips incorporated into electronic devices, plate-shaped workpieces such as semiconductor wafers and resin package substrates are processed using a variety of processing equipment. In manufacturing factories for the processing tools used in these processing equipment and in manufacturing factories for device chips, items such as workpieces, finished products, and processing tools are often transported using a transport mechanism consisting of a belt conveyor. Items transported by the belt conveyor are sometimes transported on transport jigs such as containers or stands.

In a conveying mechanism consisting of a belt conveyor, multiple conveying jigs flow simultaneously, transporting items to their respective destinations. In this conveying mechanism, certain conveying jigs may be held up on the operating belt conveyor due to factors such as the position and status of other conveying jigs, the receiving status of the destination, etc. For example, if a rod- or plate-shaped regulating device (stopper) is inserted immediately downstream of the area where the conveying jig is desired to be held up, the conveying jig will hit the regulating device and slide along the moving belt of the belt conveyor, causing the conveying jig to be held up in that area.

When this occurs, the belt and the conveying jig rub against each other, causing wear on both surfaces, generating dust. This dust can become problematic if it floats into the atmosphere and adheres to the items being conveyed, the conveying jig, or the belt conveyor's drive mechanism. For example, technology has been developed to remove dust generated by the conveying mechanism (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-131294

However, it is not easy to collect all of the dust that is generated when conveying jigs are stationary on a belt conveyor. Furthermore, as dust continues to be generated, the belt and conveying jigs continue to wear out. Therefore, the problem of the belt and conveying jigs having a short lifespan (usable period) and needing to be replaced frequently cannot be solved by collecting the dust.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and its purpose is to provide a transport jig that generates extremely little dust while remaining on a belt conveyor.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport jig on which an article is placed when the article is transported on a belt conveyor, the article being any one of a semiconductor wafer, a resin package substrate, a device chip, a processing tool, a container, a stand, or a plate-shaped workpiece or finished product in a device chip manufacturing factory, the transport jig comprising: a base on the upper surface of which the article can be placed; and three or more rotating parts disposed on the underside of the base, each having a rotatable sphere at its lower end ; and when the article is placed on the belt conveyor via the spheres of the rotating parts and is kept in a predetermined area by a regulating device , the transport jig can move relative to the advancing belt conveyor by the rotation of the spheres of the rotating parts.

Preferably, two or more rotating parts are provided at the front and rear of the underside of the base.

Preferably, three or more rotating parts are disposed at the front and rear of the underside of the base, and two or more rotating parts are offset from each other in the front and rear directions.

In one aspect of the present invention, a conveying jig has three or more rotating parts on the underside of a base on which an item is placed. Each rotating part has a rotatable sphere at its bottom end. The conveying jig is placed on the belt conveyor via the spheres of the rotating parts. In this case, when the conveying jig, which is moving on the advancing belt, hits a regulating device (stopper) and becomes stuck, the sphere in contact with the belt rotates. This prevents the conveying jig from rubbing against the belt.

As a result, the amount of dust generated by friction between the belt and conveying jig is significantly reduced. It also reduces wear on the belt and conveying jig, extending their lifespan (usable period) and reducing the frequency of replacement.

Therefore, one aspect of the present invention provides a conveying jig that generates very little dust while remaining on a belt conveyor.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view schematically showing the front side of the transport jig, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view schematically showing the back side of the transport jig. FIG. 2A is a side view that schematically shows the transport jig, and FIG. 2B is a plan view that schematically shows the back side of the transport jig. FIG. 3(A) is a side view showing a schematic diagram of a transport jig moving on the belt of a belt conveyor, and FIG. 3(B) is a side view showing a schematic diagram of a transport jig remaining on the moving belt.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The transport jig according to this embodiment is a jig that is primarily used by being placed on the belt of a belt conveyor. The item to be transported is placed on the transport jig, the transport jig is placed on the belt, and the belt conveyor is operated to move the belt forward, thereby transporting the item placed on the transport jig. Details of the transport jig will be provided later.

Figures 3(A) and 3(B) show schematic cross-sections of belts 1a, 1b, and 1c that make up a belt conveyor-type transport mechanism 1. They also show schematic side views of transport jigs 2 that are placed on belts 1a, 1b, and 1c. Transport mechanism 1 is an automated transport path that connects a source and destination with one or more circular belts 1a, 1b, and 1c.

The conveying mechanism 1 has at least one pair of rollers (not shown) arranged upstream and downstream in the direction of conveyance of the article. A number of other rollers (not shown) may be arranged between the pair of rollers. Each roller is arranged in a direction transverse to the direction of conveyance of the article.

Each of the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c is a band-shaped, annular member made of rubber, resin, cloth, or the like, and is disposed over each roller. The conveying mechanism 1 has a rotary drive source, such as a motor, connected to at least one roller, and operates the rotary drive source to rotate the roller, thereby moving the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c forward.

Each portion of the circular belts 1a, 1b, and 1c travels along the direction of travel, crossing over each roller from upstream to downstream of the conveying path, and then returns to the upstream of the conveying path via a different path. When a conveying jig 2 carrying an item to be conveyed is placed on the advancing belts 1a, 1b, and 1c, the conveying jig 2 moves along the conveying path, transporting the item.

When the conveying mechanism 1 has multiple belts 1a, 1b, and 1c, the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c are arranged in series. Figure 3(A) shows a schematic of belt 1a and the belt 1b next to belt 1a. A gap 3 is formed between two adjacent belts 1a and 1b. The conveying jig 2 moves across each gap 3 and moves on the multiple belts 1a, 1b, and 1c in succession, eventually reaching its destination. In a belt conveyor-type conveying mechanism 1, multiple items may be conveyed simultaneously, one after the other.

In the conveying mechanism 1, a certain conveying jig 2 may be retained in a specific area depending on the position of other conveying jigs 2, the conveying status, the receiving status of the destination, and other factors. In such cases, if it is not desirable to stop the movement of other conveying jigs 2, the roller rotation drive source is not stopped, and a rod- or plate-shaped regulating device (stopper) 5 is inserted immediately downstream of the area in question, as shown in Figure 3(B). In this case, the conveying jig 2 traveling along the conveying path hits this regulating device 5, and the conveying jig 2 slides along the belt 1c of the belt conveyor, retaining in the area.

In the past, this caused friction between belt 1c and conveying jig 2, resulting in the scraping of both and the generation of dust. This dust would then fly into the atmosphere and adhere to the objects being conveyed, conveying jig 2, the belt conveyor's drive mechanism, and other issues. Furthermore, belts 1a, 1b, 1c and conveying jig 2 quickly wear out, shortening the lifespan of belts 1a, 1b, 1c and conveying jig 2, which required frequent replacement, creating problems.

The conveying jig 2 according to this embodiment therefore employs a configuration that reduces friction between the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c and the conveying jig 2, suppressing the generation of dust caused by friction and wear on both. The conveying jig 2 according to this embodiment will be described below. The conveying jig 2 according to this embodiment is a container, platform, or the like on which an item is placed when it is transported on a belt conveyor. The item to be transported is placed on the conveying jig 2 and transported by the belt conveyor-type transport mechanism 1.

Figure 1(A) is a perspective view schematically showing the front side of the transport jig 2, and Figure 1(B) is a perspective view schematically showing the back side of the transport jig 2. Figure 2(A) is a side view schematically showing the transport jig 2, and Figure 2(B) is a plan view schematically showing the back side of the transport jig 2.

The transport jig 2 has a base 4 on whose upper surface 4a an item to be transported can be placed. The shape and size of the base 4 are determined taking into account the shape and size of the item to be transported. While the figures schematically show a rectangular or flat base 4, the shape of the base 4 is not limited to this. In addition, it is preferable that a structure (not shown) having a predetermined shape suitable for holding the item to be transported is formed on the upper surface 4a of the base 4. The shape of this structure may be, for example, pillar-shaped, wall-shaped, hole-shaped, or uneven, and is not particularly limited.

For ease of explanation, in each figure, the front-to-back direction of the transport jig 2 is designated as the X-axis direction, the left-to-right direction as the Y-axis direction, and the up-to-down direction as the Z-axis direction. The transport jig 2 is placed on the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c with the front surface 6a of the base 4 facing downstream along the transport path and the rear surface 6b facing upstream, and moves along the transport path as the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c move.

The transport jig 2 has a rotating unit 8 on the underside 4b of the base 4, which includes a sphere holding mechanism 10 and a rotatable sphere 12 held by the sphere holding mechanism 10. The sphere holding mechanism 10 and the sphere 12 are made of materials such as metal or resin. The sphere holding mechanism 10 is a mechanism that rotatably holds the sphere 12 while withstanding the load applied via the sphere 12, and exposes a portion of the sphere 12 at its lower end. In other words, the rotating unit 8 has the rotatable sphere 12 at its lower end.

A more detailed explanation follows. A number of small balls (not shown) are incorporated inside the sphere holding mechanism 10 and are arranged movably while covering the top of the sphere 12, with the top of the sphere 12 being in contact with these small balls. The movement of these small balls allows the sphere 12 held by the sphere holding mechanism 10 to rotate. In addition, more than half of the surface of the sphere 12 is covered by the sphere holding mechanism 10, preventing the sphere 12 from falling off the sphere holding mechanism 10. However, the configuration of the sphere holding mechanism 10 is not limited to this.

Three or more rotating units 8 are provided on the underside 4b of the base 4. The height positions of the bottom ends of the spheres 12 of each rotating unit 8 are uniform, so when the transport jig 2 is placed on the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c of the belt conveyor, only the spheres 12 of the multiple rotating units 8 come into contact with the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c. At this time, other components of the transport jig 2, such as the base 4, do not come into contact with the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c. In other words, the transport jig 2 is placed on the belt conveyor via the spheres 12 of the rotating units 8.

If the number of rotating parts 8 provided on the underside 4b of the base 4 were one or two, the transport jig 2 would not be able to maintain a stable position and would tilt, causing the base 4 to come into contact with the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c. Therefore, the minimum number of rotating parts 8 is three. However, the number of rotating parts 8 is not limited to three and may be four or more.

For example, two or more rotating units 8 may be provided at each of the front (front surface 6a side, positive side in the X-axis direction) and rear (rear surface 6b side, negative side in the X-axis direction) portions of the underside 4b of the base 4. At least two rotating units 8 may be provided at each of the front and rear portions, spaced apart in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) on the underside 4b of the base 4. In this case, the posture of the transport jig 2 moving on the belt conveyor is stabilized.

When a transport jig 2 is placed on the moving belts 1a, 1b, and 1c of the transport mechanism 1, the transport jig 2 moves along the transport path. Then, as shown in Figure 3(B), if a regulating device 5 is inserted into the transport path to keep the transport jig 2 in a specific area on the transport path, the transport jig 2 will come into contact with the regulating device 5, and the transport jig 2 will remain in that area.

Here, if the drive source for belt 1c of conveying mechanism 1 does not stop, belt 1c will continue to move relative to conveying jig 2. For example, if conveying jig 2 does not have a rotating part 8 and base 4 is in direct contact with belt 1c, the base 4 and belt 1c may rub against each other, generating dust and causing wear to the base 4 and belt 1c.

In contrast, the conveying jig 2 according to this embodiment is equipped with a rotating unit 8 and contacts the belt 1c via rotatable spheres 12. As a result, the spheres 12 of each rotating unit 8 that contact the belt 1c rotate as the belt 1c moves forward. In other words, the conveying jig 2 can move relative to the belt 1c of the belt conveyor as the spheres 12 of the rotating units 8 rotate. In this case, when the belt 1c moves forward while the conveying jig 2 remains in a predetermined area, the rotation of the spheres 12 reduces friction between the conveying jig 2 and the belt 1c.

As explained above, in the conveying jig 2 according to this embodiment, when the conveying jig 2 lingers in a specific area on the belt 1c, the spheres 12 rotate, thereby reducing wear on the conveying jig 2 and belt 1c and also reducing the generation of dust. As a result, the conveying mechanism 1, conveying jig 2, and the objects being conveyed by the conveying jig 2 are less likely to be contaminated with dust. Furthermore, wear on the belt 1c and conveying jig 2 is reduced, reducing the frequency of replacement of the belt 1c, etc.

As shown in the figures, the transport jig 2 according to this embodiment may have three or more rotating parts 8 disposed at the front and rear of the underside 4b of the base 4. In particular, it is preferable that two or more rotating parts 8 are offset from each other in the front-to-back direction (X-axis direction) at the front and rear of the underside 4b of the base 4.

When the belt conveyor-type transport mechanism 1 is composed of multiple belts 1a, 1b, and 1c, the transport jig 2 passes through the gap 3 between the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c, as shown in Figure 3(A). If the rotating part 8 falls into the gap 3 at this time, the posture of the transport jig 2 may be significantly disrupted, which may result in a large load being placed on the item being transported or the orientation of the transport jig 2 changing.

However, when a rotating part 8 passes through the gap 3, if the sphere 12 of another rotating part 8 near the rotating part 8 comes into contact with either the belt 1a or 1b at the front or rear of the gap 3, the base 4 will be supported by that other rotating part 8. If two or more rotating parts 8 are misaligned from each other in the front-to-back direction (X-axis direction) at the front and rear of the underside 4b of the base 4, when one rotating part 8 passes through the gap 3, the other nearby rotating part 8 will come into contact with the belt 1a or 1b. Therefore, problems caused by the gap 3 will not occur.

In addition, in a conveying mechanism 1 using the conveying jig 2 according to this embodiment, dedicated control may be implemented to advance the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c under conditions suitable for the movement of the conveying jig 2. Because the conveying jig 2 contacts the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c via the spheres 12, it is conceivable that the operation of a conventional conveying mechanism 1 would not be able to move the conveying jig 2 as planned.

For example, when the transport jig 2 is placed on stopped belts 1a, 1b, and 1c and the drive source of the transport mechanism 1 is activated to move the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c, if the speed or acceleration is too high, the spheres 12 will rotate and the transport jig 2 will tend to remain in place due to inertia. Conversely, when stopping the moving belts 1a, 1b, and 1c, if the deceleration is too rapid, the transport jig 2 will start running on the stopped belts 1a, 1b, and 1c due to inertia.

For this reason, the operation of the conveying mechanism 1 must be determined taking into account the rotation of the spheres 12 on the rotating parts 8 of the conveying jig 2. Factors to be considered here include, for example, the size, weight, and material of the spheres 12, the presence and degree of surface irregularities, the ease of rotation of the spheres 12 relative to the sphere holding mechanism 10, the weight of the conveying jig 2 and the items to be conveyed, and the number of rotating parts 8. Furthermore, the hardness, thickness, and material of the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c, the presence and degree of surface irregularities, etc., must also be considered.

If it is difficult to select the operation of the transport mechanism 1 taking these factors into consideration, the drive mechanism of the transport mechanism 1 can be operated under various conditions while the transport jig 2 is actually placed on the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c of the transport mechanism 1, and the selection can be made based on an evaluation of the movement tendency of the transport jig 2. The upper limit of the travel speed or acceleration of the belts 1a, 1b, and 1c can then be determined based on the evaluation results.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be implemented with various modifications. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the transport jig 2 was described while illustrating a case in which the arrangement of the rotating parts 8 disposed on the underside 4b of the base 4 of the transport jig 2 is symmetrical at the front and rear across the center of the underside 4b. However, one aspect of the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the arrangement of the rotating parts 8 on the underside 4b of the base 4 of the transport jig 2 may be asymmetrical at the front and rear.

In addition, the structures, methods, etc. of the above-described embodiments and variations can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 conveying mechanism 1a, 1b, 1c belt 3 gap 5 regulating tool 2 conveying jig 4 base 4a upper surface 4b lower surface 6a front surface 6b rear surface 8 rotating part 10 sphere holding mechanism 12 sphere

Claims (3)

A conveying jig on which an article is placed when the article is conveyed on a belt conveyor,
The article is any one of a semiconductor wafer, a resin package substrate, a device chip, a processing tool, a container, a stand, and a plate-shaped workpiece or finished product in a device chip manufacturing factory,
a base on which the article can be placed;
three or more rotating units disposed on the lower surface of the base, each having a rotatable sphere at its lower end;
A conveying jig characterized in that when the sphere of the rotating part is placed on the belt conveyor and kept in a predetermined area by a regulating device , the sphere of the rotating part rotates , allowing the jig to move relative to the moving belt conveyor. The transport jig described in claim 1, characterized in that two or more rotating parts are arranged at the front and rear of the underside of the base. Three or more of the rotating parts are disposed at the front and rear of the lower surface of the base, respectively;
2. The conveying jig according to claim 1, wherein two or more of the rotating parts are offset from each other in the front and rear portions, respectively.