JPH0322177Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Industrial application field The present invention relates to equipment for transporting semiconductors, etc. that do not want to generate dust, and in particular, uses jetting force of a fluid such as air to levitate a transport object. With,
It relates to transportation equipment that provides propulsion or braking force.

Conventional technology Conventionally, equipment for transporting semiconductors and other objects that do not generate dust in clean rooms etc. has been equipped with equipment that sprays gas such as air to transport objects such as semiconductors in an exposed state. , the object to be transported is placed on the transport body, air is injected from the transport path to the transport body to make it float, and the transport body is transported by applying a propulsive force or braking force to the transport body using a linear motor mechanism. There are known facilities to do this.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention According to the first conventional example, a large number of objects cannot be transported at the same time, resulting in poor efficiency and the possibility that the objects may be damaged during transportation. According to the second conventional example, although the above-mentioned drawbacks are solved, two different operating sources, air and linear motor, are required, so separate control is required for each, which is complicated. will occur.

It is an object of the present invention to provide equipment for transporting semiconductors and the like that do not like the generation of dust, which eliminates these drawbacks.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides, for example, a conveying body for conveying objects, in which a plurality of blades are arranged in parallel in the advancing and retreating directions on the outside of both sides, and this conveying body. a conveyance path on which fluid is injected in order to levitate the conveyance body, and a conveyance path on both sides of the conveyance path in which fluid is injected toward the blade surface to impart propulsive force or braking force to the conveyance body. It consists of a plurality of nozzles installed along the

Function Each vane receives the fluid jetted from the nozzle, and the floating carrier can move, so the carrier can be used to carry out efficient conveyance work, and the only operating source is fluid such as air. Its control is simplified.

Embodiments Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a sectional view showing the conveyance state of the conveyor;
The figure is a plan view, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view, and the conveyance path is constituted by an air duct 1 having a square cross section. A plurality of rows of air injection holes 2 for floating are provided on the upper surface of the air duct 1, and a plurality of rows of air injection holes 3 for preventing lateral slippage are provided on both sides thereof. Air supply pipes 4 are provided on the lower surface of the air duct 1 so as to communicate with each other at predetermined intervals, and air is supplied from a compressor (not shown) through the air supply pipes 4. In addition, regarding this air supply,
It is configured to be appropriately controlled by a solenoid valve (not shown) provided at a suitable position in the air supply path.

A carrier 5 placed on the air duct 1
is made of a metal plate or a plastic plate having a U-shaped cross section, and its hanging both sides are positioned opposite to both sides of the air duct 1 with a slight gap between them. Furthermore, a container 6 for accommodating objects to be transported such as semiconductors is placed on the horizontal portion of the transport body 5. Furthermore, a plurality of blades 7 are fixed at equal intervals on the outer sides of both sides of the conveyor 5, respectively.

In order to inject gas toward the blades 7, a plurality of nozzles 8a, 8b are provided along the air duct 1 at predetermined intervals. A predetermined number of locations where these nozzles 8a and 8b are installed constitute a starting station or a stopping station, and some locations serve as both stations, and the remaining locations constitute a starting station or a stopping station. It is used for acceleration and deceleration. As can be better understood from Figures 1 and 2,
The nozzle 8a and the nozzle 8b are arranged in pairs at different heights so that the directions of the ejection ports are opposite to each other. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the nozzles 8a, 8b is supplied with air from a compressor (not shown) via air supply pipes 10a, 10b (only a portion of which is shown) provided with electromagnetic valves 9a, 9b. It is something that will be done. Note that this compressor can also be used as a compressor that supplies air to the air duct 1.

Next, the operation of the above-described embodiment will be explained.

When starting the carrier 5, first, a compressor (not shown) connected to the air duct 1 is activated, and while air is injected from the air injection holes 2 to the horizontal portion of the carrier 5, Air is injected from the air injection holes 3 to both side portions of the body 5. As a result, the carrier 5 is connected to the air duct 1.
The air duct 1 floats up from the air duct 1, and both sides of the air duct 1 can maintain a constant distance from both sides of the air duct 1. Next, each nozzle 8a, 8 as shown in FIG.
operate a compressor (not shown) connected to b;
When each electromagnetic valve 9a is opened, the carrier 5 travels to the right due to the air jet force against the blades 7.
At this time, if each solenoid valve 9b is opened, the carrier 5
travels to the left due to the air jet force against the blades 7. Since the carrier 5 is in a non-contact state during running and has little resistance, once it starts running, its inertia is large, and the interval between the nozzles 8a and 8b that inject air to the blades 7 to continue running is There's no need to be secret.

Next, in order to stop the carrier 5, it is sufficient to apply air jet force to the blades 7 in the opposite direction to the traveling direction. The stop position is for each nozzle 8a, 8
By injecting air from b, it is possible to maintain a constant position where the air injection forces acting in opposite directions are balanced.

A desired speed can be obtained by appropriately changing the number of blades 7, nozzles 8a, 8b, and air jet force. Also, sudden acceleration or deceleration when starting or stopping is prohibited.
This must be avoided when the object to be conveyed is a semiconductor, etc., but if this is necessary, it can be done by increasing the number of nozzles 8a and 8b facing the same direction by narrowing the distance between them, and by increasing the jetting force. It is possible. Generally, it is desirable to arrange the nozzles 8a and 8b over a predetermined distance near a predetermined start position or stop position to perform gentle acceleration or deceleration. Furthermore, by arranging ultrafine filters at appropriate locations in the air supply path, the cleanliness of the air injected from the air duct 1 and each nozzle 8a, 8b can be improved, and dust generation is almost eliminated.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the blade. In this embodiment, the blades 20 are provided at each nozzle 8a, 8 in order to efficiently utilize the jetting force of air.
b (see FIG. 2), recesses 21 and 22 are provided which are recessed in the air injection direction.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the air duct 1 may be divided in the conveying direction of the conveying body 5 and air jetting may be controlled for each section, or air may be replaced with other air. In addition to using a gas or fluid, many modifications are possible, such as providing the vane 7 on the underside of the carrier 5.

Effects As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, it is possible to transport a transport object on which an object is placed in a non-contact state using only the jetting force of the fluid.
In addition to simplifying the control mechanism and almost eliminating dust generation, each blade can effectively receive the fluid jetted from the nozzles, making it possible to control air strength, number of nozzles, and their installation locations. If selected appropriately, it is possible to perform gentle acceleration/deceleration or, in some cases, rapid acceleration, which not only does not damage the transported object during transport, but also can meet various transport requirements, resulting in high efficiency. It is possible to achieve the effect of being able to be transported.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the conveyance state of the conveyor in an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view, FIG. 3 is a perspective view, and FIG. 4 is another embodiment of the blade of the present invention. It is a side view of the conveyance body which shows. 1... Air duct, 2, 3... Air injection hole, 5... Transport body, 7... Vane, 8a, 8b...
Nozzle, 20... blade.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Multiple blades are arranged in parallel in the advancing and retreating direction on both sides,
A conveyance body for conveying an object to be conveyed, a conveyance path on which the conveyance body is placed and a fluid is injected to float the conveyance body, and each of the above-mentioned conveyance bodies for imparting propulsive force or braking force to the conveyance body. 1. A conveyance facility that utilizes fluid jetting force, characterized by comprising a plurality of nozzles provided along both sides of the conveyance path to jet fluid toward the blade surface.