JPH04137961U - Linear clean tube conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] In the linear clean tube transfer device,
By constantly blowing clean air in the direction of travel of the transport vehicle at a wind speed close to the speed of the transport vehicle, it does not create vortices behind the rear of the transport vehicle and prevents residual dust from flying up.
Reduces front air resistance. [Configuration] At both ends of the clean tube 2, fresh air introduction pipes 67, 77 with dampers, blowers 62, 72, HEPA
A pair of air supply devices 6, 7 equipped with filters 63, 73 and air circulation paths 65, 75 are always directed in the traveling direction of the transport vehicle 5 to supply clean air A to the transport area 2A and the traveling area 2B at the speed of the transport vehicle 5. It was installed to blow air at a wind speed close to , and an exhaust fan 8 for sucking and discharging return air a was provided in the return air area 2C.

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea]

0001

[Industrial application field]

This invention is a linear system for transporting parts that require high cleanliness such as wafers. Linear clean tube transport equipment using an amotor, especially in the traveling direction of the transport vehicle It is related to equipment that always blows clean air at a wind speed close to the transport vehicle speed.

0002

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, this type of conveying device 11 has a clean tube having a substantially rectangular tube shape, as shown in FIG. a tube 12, two running rails 13 provided inside the clean tube 12, A linear motor 14 arranged between the running rails 13 at a pitch of 2 to 3 m, and The transport vehicle 15 operated by It mainly consists of an air circulation device 16 that supplies clean room air A.

0003 The clean tube 12 has an upper partition plate 12a extending in the longitudinal direction and a lower partition plate 12a. The transport area 12A, traveling area 12B and It is divided into three layers: a return air area 12C.

0004 The upper partition plate 12a supports the container 15A of the transport vehicle 15 on the trolley 15C. A gap passage (not shown) is formed in the longitudinal direction through which the column 15B passes. , the lower partition plate 12b has a plurality of ventilation holes 12c whose opening areas can be adjusted in the longitudinal direction. The holes are bored at regular intervals, and the opening degree of the holes is the same as that of the bottom plate 1 of the clean tube 12. The exhaust port 12e provided at It is pre-adjusted to allow air to pass smoothly. In addition, the exhaust port 12e According to (driving area > return air area > atmospheric pressure), so the return air area 12C Contain dust and prevent its spread.

[0005] The air circulation device 16 connects the exhaust port 12e of the return air area 12C to the exhaust duct 16a. The air was sucked into the blower 17 and blown through the HEPA filter 16b. Clean air is provided to the top plate 12f of the clean tube 12 via the air supply duct 16c. This device feeds the air into the conveyance area 12A from the air supply port 12g.

[0006] With the above configuration, when the transport vehicle 15 operates, air is sent from the air supply port 12g. The clean air A enters the conveyance area 12A and passes through the gap passage to the travel area. Proceed to 12B, move from the ventilation hole 12c to the return air area 12C, and send it through the exhaust port 12e. It returns to the wind fan 17 and circulates.

[0007]

[Problem that the idea aims to solve]

However, in the conventional linear clean tube conveying device 11, air Since the circulation device 16 is installed only on one side of the clean tube 12, the supply Since the airflow direction of the clean air A is always in the same direction, the transport vehicle 15 It may be fine if you receive A on your back and move forward, but when you go backwards, you should receive it on your front. The air resistance is high and turbulence is likely to occur, and vortices are generated behind the back, so the remaining This has the inconvenience of raising dust that remains. In addition, the air resistance experienced at the front of the vehicle The resistance impedes the progress of the transport vehicle.

[0008] This invention was developed in view of the above circumstances, and is designed to constantly track speeds close to those of transport vehicles. By moving the conveyance vehicle while receiving wind, the air in front of the vehicle created by driving is reduced. In addition to reducing air resistance, it does not generate vortices on the back side and prevents residual dust from being stirred up. The purpose is to

[0009]

[Means to solve the problem]

The linear clean tube conveying device according to the present invention has a , equipped with a fresh room air introduction pipe with a damper, a blower, a HEPA filter, and an air circulation path. Always point the air supply device in the direction of travel of the transport vehicle in the transport area and driving area. The installation will be installed to blow clean air at a speed close to the transport vehicle speed, and the return air will be The area is equipped with an exhaust fan that sucks in and discharges return air.

0010

[Effect]

In the linear clean tube conveying device of this invention, the blower and exhaust fan on both sides are In order to maintain the air cleanliness inside the equipment, it operates continuously 24 hours a year, and only stops for maintenance. It operates only when guarding, and even when the transport vehicle is stopped. Therefore, when moving the transport vehicle to the right, open the damper of the left air supply device. The blower blows clean air into the transport area and the driving area, while the For air supply devices, close the damper to circulate clean air within the supply device. make a circle The exhaust fan also sucks and exhausts return air from the return air area. Therefore, the above Because clean air flows in the direction of travel of the transport vehicle at a speed close to that of the transport vehicle, There is no air resistance or eddy current in front of or behind the transport vehicle, and no dust is stirred up, making transport easier. It does not reduce the air cleanliness of the area.

[0011] On the other hand, when moving the transport vehicle to the left, clean air is supplied to the air supply device on the right side. The air supply device on the left side performs circulation operation, and the exhaust fan cooperates. By doing so, clean air is produced in the same direction as the transport vehicle at a wind speed close to the transport vehicle speed. By flowing air, the same effect as in the case of moving to the right can be obtained.

0012

【Example】

An embodiment of the linear clean tube conveying device 1 of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. I will explain. As shown in FIG. 1, this conveying device 1 includes a clean tube 2 having an approximately rectangular cylindrical shape. , two running rails 3 provided in the clean tube 2, and the running rails 3. A plurality of linear motors 4 are connected between the two, and a transport vehicle 5 is operated by the linear motors 4. and a pair of air holes installed at both ends of the clean tube 2 to feed clean air A. It mainly consists of air supply devices 6 and 7 and an exhaust fan 8 that sucks and discharges return air a. .

[0013] The clean tube 2 is provided to extend in the longitudinal direction, and supports the support column 52 of the transport vehicle 5. An upper partition plate 21 that forms a gap passage (not shown) for passage in the longitudinal direction, and an opening surface. The lower partition plate 22 has a plurality of ventilation holes 23 whose volume can be adjusted. It is divided into three layers: area 2A, driving area 2B, and return air area 2C.

[0014] The transport vehicle 5 is a container for storing components that require high cleanliness such as wafers. The car 51 is supported by a support 52 on a cart 53 equipped with wheels 54, and It is driven by a linear motor 4 along two running rails 3 provided in area 2B. drive.

[0015] Air supply devices 6 and 7 are attached to both ends of the clean tube 2 to support it. A blower 62, 72 and a HEPA filter 63, 73 are installed in the upper part of the housing 61, 71. The internal partition walls 64 and 74 form air circulation paths 65 and 75, respectively. In addition, a fresh air introduction pipe 67 having motor-driven dampers 66 and 76 is provided on the outer surface of the upper part. , 77 is installed. Note that the air circulation paths 65 and 75 are both connected to the conveyance area 2. A and running area 2B.

[0016] The exhaust fan 8 has a duct 81 connected to an exhaust port 25 provided on the bottom plate 24 of the clean tube 2. The gas is suctioned and discharged from the discharge port 82.

[0017] The control device 9 controls switches 96 and 97 attached to the sides of the casings 61 and 71. By individual operations, the dampers 66 and 76 on each side can be opened and closed, and the linear motor can be opened and closed. The transportation vehicle 5 is caused to travel by driving the motor 4. In addition, instead of manual operation, use a limit switch etc. to confirm that the limit has been reached, and then automatically It is also possible to switch.

[0018] With the above configuration, when moving the transport vehicle 5 to the right, the switch 96 is turned to OFF. When set to N, the damper 66 is opened and the damper 76 is closed, as shown in FIG. A portion of the air blown from the blower 62 is sent to the conveyance area 2A and the travel area 2B. On the other hand, the air from the blower 72 starts circulating within the air supply device 6, and at the same time The motor 4 causes the transport vehicle 5 to start moving forward to the right. Now, let us assume that the blowing capacity of the blowers 62 and 72 is 100, and the fresh air introduction pipes 67 and 7 If the suction capacity of the air supply device 7 is 60 and the exhaust capacity of the exhaust fan 8 is 60, then the air supply device 7 has a Since 100 clean air A circulates through the air circulation path 75, the clean tube The right end of block 2 is in the same state as closed in terms of air flow, while the air supply device 6, 40 out of 100 of the clean air A blown out from the blower 62 is air. It goes to the circulation path 65, joins with the intake outside air 60, and is sucked into the blower 62, but the The remaining 60 of the 100 clean air A are sent to the transport area 2A and the traveling area 2B. The tailwind of the transport vehicle 5 blows at a wind speed close to the transport vehicle speed, and the wind blows into the exhaust fan 8. Due to the attractive force 60, it becomes return air a and is sucked and discharged. Note that when the transport vehicle 5 reaches the right end of the clean tube 2, the limit switch is activated. (not shown) causes the transport vehicle 5 to stop.

[0019] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, when the transport vehicle 5 is moved backwards, that is, to the left In this case, when the switch 97 is turned on, the air supply device 6 starts circulating operation, contrary to the case of rightward movement. The air supply device 7 sends clean air A at the same speed as the tailwind of the transport vehicle 5. Therefore, in this linear clean tube transport device 1, the transport vehicle 5 is always The air will be blown in the direction of travel.

[0020] Note that the exhaust of the return air a by the exhaust fan 8 can also be discharged to the outside of the conveying device 1. It is also passed through a HEPA filter 83 as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figures 1 and 2. The branch duct 84 leads return air a to either the fresh air introduction pipes 67 or 77 for circulation. A ring system may be formed to save energy.

[0021]

[Effect of the idea]

As explained above, according to the linear clean tube conveying device of the present invention, An air supply device is installed at both ends of the air tube, and return air is circulated from the bottom using an exhaust fan. Because of this configuration, a tailwind of the same speed is always blown into the vehicle as it moves forward. As a result, the air resistance at the front of the transport vehicle is reduced, and the vortex at the rear of the transport vehicle is reduced. Because air flow is prevented from occurring, residual dust will fly up and the air inside the clean tube will Not only is there no risk of reducing cleanliness, but the airflow is also uniform and free from turbulence and stagnation. The speed of the transportation vehicle is also maintained constant.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a linear clean tube transport device according to the present invention, and is a diagram showing a situation when a transport vehicle is moving to the right.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the situation when the transport vehicle is moving to the left.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a conventional linear clean tube conveying device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Linear clean tube transport device 2 Clean tube 2A Transport area 2B Driving area 2C Return air area 5 Transport vehicle 6 Air supply device 7 Air supply device 8 Exhaust fan 62 Blower 63 HEPA filter 65 Air circulation path 66 Damper 67 Fresh air introduction pipe 72 Blower 73 HEPA filter 75 Air circulation path 76 Damper 77 Fresh air introduction pipe A. Clean air a Return air

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Claim 1: At both ends of the clean tube, an air supply device equipped with a damper-equipped fresh room air introduction pipe, a blower, a HEPA filter, and an air circulation path is always directed in the direction of travel of the transport vehicle to the transport area and the travel area. The system is installed so that cleaning air is blown at a speed close to the speed of the transport vehicle, and
A linear clean tube conveying device characterized in that a ventilation fan for sucking and discharging return air is provided in a return air area.