JPH048103Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] [Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to transport equipment suitable for transporting semiconductors and the like that do not want to generate dust, and in particular, while the semiconductors and other objects to be transported are placed on the transport body, a gas such as air is injected from a duct serving as a transport path. The present invention relates to a gas levitation type conveyance facility that levitates a conveyance body and conveys the conveyance body using a propulsive force generated by a linear motor mechanism.

[Conventional technology]

In the above-mentioned conveyance equipment, it is required that the conveyor be conveyed in a stable state without lateral vibration in order to suppress the generation of dust as much as possible. For example, in order to prevent this lateral vibration, the device described in JP-A-60-19616 has a rectangular cross section with an integrally formed conveying duct, and nozzles are installed on both the horizontal and vertical sides of the conveyor duct. It consists of a conveyance table provided, a linear motor disposed between the two sides, and a conveyance pallet serving as a conveyance body having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion corresponding to the conveyance table so as to straddle the conveyance table. . In this conventional example, the conveying pallet is floated by compressed air ejected from the nozzles on the top surface, and lateral vibration is prevented by the discharge pressure of the compressed air ejected from the nozzles on both side surfaces.

[Problem that the idea aims to solve]

In the conventional example described above, the air ejected from the nozzles on both sides of the conveyance table is discharged in a short time through the gap between the lower edges of both sides and the vertical parts of the conveyance pallet. Therefore, a large amount of compressed air is required, and the flow of air ejected from the nozzles on the front and both sides tends to become turbulent between the conveyance table and the conveyance pallet, and this turbulence causes There is a problem in that vibrations occur in the conveyed pallet. The problem of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide a gas levitation type conveyance equipment using a conveyor that has a simple configuration and can run stably. It is in.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention forms a conveyance path with a duct whose upper surface extends almost horizontally and has both side surfaces, and provides an injection hole for injecting gas on the upper surface. The conveyor placed in the duct has a placing part for placing the transported object located corresponding to the upper surface of the duct, and a placing part for placing the transported object in the width direction of this placing part in the opposite direction to the transported object placing surface. a pair of side parts provided symmetrically so as to extend, and each of these side parts has at least a lower end so that the gas injected from the upper surface of the duct toward the mounting part flows in the direction of each side part. The distance between the portion excluding the edge and the duct surface is set wider than the distance between the mounting portion and the top surface of the duct in the floating state.

[Effect]

In the present invention, the gas injected from the upper surface of the duct toward the carrier mounting section flows in the direction of the pair of sides of the carrier, so the inflowing gas causes a constant flow of the gas to the pair of sides. Pressure is applied, and this action prevents the conveyor from wobbling laterally during travel, ensuring stable travel.

【Example】

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described as shown in the attached drawings.
This will be explained in detail based on FIGS. 3 to 3. Here, FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the entire equipment in one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view showing the positional relationship between the carrier in a floating state and the air duct serving as the carrier path in another embodiment. In FIGS. 1 and 2, an air duct 1 that injects air has a rectangular cross section and is divided into sections of a predetermined length, and each section is connected to an air supply pipe 3 via an air supply casing 2. A branch pipe 4 branched from is connected. The air supply pipe 3 is connected to a blower 5 to supply air to the air duct 1, and each branch pipe 3 is provided with a control valve 6 to control the air supply for each section.
is provided. As can be clearly understood in FIG. 2, the upper surface 1 extending horizontally in each section of the air duct 1
A recess 7 is formed in a, and this recess 7
A plurality of rows of air injection holes 8 for levitation are provided except for. A linear motor mechanism that applies a propulsion force to the carrier 9 made of a non-magnetic material placed in the air duct 1 is connected to a mounting portion 9a of the carrier 9 on which the transported object 10 is placed. A movable element 11 made of a magnetic material buried in the lower surface, and this movable element 11
Each recess 7 of the air duct 1 is positioned correspondingly to
The stator 12 is arranged within the stator 12. The carrier 9 has a horizontal mounting portion 9a having a width slightly wider than the width of the air duct 1, and on both sides of the mounting portion 9a, both side surfaces of the air duct 1 that are symmetrically suspended are provided. It has a pair of side parts 9b and 9c located corresponding to 1b and 1c, respectively. As is clear from FIG. 2, the pair of side portions 9b and 9c, when the carrier 9 is in a floating state,
In order for the air injected from the air injection hole 8 of the air duct 1 toward the mounting part 9a to flow in the direction of both side surfaces 1b and 1c of the air duct 1, in other words, in the direction of each side surface 9b and 9c, Said both sides 1
b, 1c is set wider than the interval between the mounting portion 9a and the upper surface 1a of the air duct 1, and in order to make it difficult for the inflowing air to escape from the lower edge direction, the lower edge It is configured to be close to both side surfaces 1b and 1c of the duct 1. Since the present embodiment is configured as described above, air is supplied to the partitioned portion of the air duct 1 where the carrier 9 is located, and air is injected from the air injection hole 8, so that the carrier 9 While floating, the robot moves with the propulsion force provided by the linear motor mechanism. Here, the air injected toward the mounting section 9a is connected to the upper surface 1a of the air duct 1 and the mounting section 9a.
Since the gap between the pair of side portions 9b, 9c and both side surfaces 1b, 1c of the air duct 1 is wider than the gap between Since the gap is narrower than other parts, the inflowing air flows through the pair of side parts 9.
A constant pressure is applied to b and 9c, and the carrier moves in the opposite direction of movement of the carrier 9 and flows out from its end. Therefore, the pair of side portions 9b, 9 of the traveling conveyor 9
Since a constant pressure is always applied to c by the action of the air mentioned above, this action prevents the conveyor 9 from wobbling laterally while it is running, making stable running possible. . FIG. 3 shows another embodiment regarding a pair of side portions 9d and 9e of the carrier 9. The pair of side portions 9d and 9e are symmetrically formed in a dogleg shape in cross section so as to have the widest distance from both side surfaces 1b and 1c of the air duct 1 at approximately the center in the height direction. Also in this embodiment, when the carrier 9 is in the floating state, air is injected from the air injection hole 8 provided on the upper surface 1a of the air duct 1 toward the mounting portion 9a, and the air is ejected from both sides of the air duct 1. Surface 1b, 1
In order to flow in the c direction, the distance between the pair of side portions 9d and 9e and the both side surfaces 1b and 1c is set wider than the distance between the mounting portion 9a and the upper surface 1a of the air duct 1, and In order to make it difficult for the inflowing air to escape from the lower edge, the lower edge is configured to be close to both side surfaces 1b and 1c of the air duct 1. Therefore, in this embodiment as well, a constant pressure is always applied to the pair of side portions 9d and 9e of the moving conveyor 9 by the action of air, as in the above-described embodiments. Therefore, lateral vibration of the conveyor 9 while traveling is prevented, and stable traveling is possible. Note that the present invention is not limited to each of the embodiments described above, and for example, the air injected from the air injection hole 8 toward the mounting portion 9a of the carrier 9,
In order to efficiently flow the air toward both side surfaces 1b and 1c of the air duct 1, grooves are provided at both ends of the lower surface of the mounting portion 9a in the traveling direction to prevent air from flowing out by forming turbulent flow. Alternatively, the cover body may be provided not at the front end of the carrier 9 but at the rear end or front and rear ends. Furthermore, air duct 1
The cross-sectional shape is not limited to a square, and the gas to be injected is not limited to air, and many modifications can be made.

[Effect of the idea]

As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, the gas injected upward from inside the duct flows into the wide gap between the sides and applies a constant pressure to the pair of sides. Moreover, it flows out from either end in the direction of movement of the conveyor. Therefore,
Since a constant pressure is always applied to the pair of side portions of the conveying body while it is running, sideways wobbling of the conveying body while it is running is prevented and stable running is possible. In addition, as mentioned above, the gas that has flowed between both sides of the duct and both sides of the carrier is difficult to discharge downward, so it is retained in the wide gap for a longer time than in the conventional case, so it is compressed. Gas consumption can be kept low and labor can be saved. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide gas injection holes on both sides of the duct, the structure is simple and the manufacturing cost can be reduced compared to the conventional one, which is an excellent advantage.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the overall configuration of equipment in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially sectional side view showing the positional relationship between the carrier and the duct, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the carrier and the duct in another embodiment. 1...Air duct, 1a...Top surface, 1b, 1
c...Side surface, 8...Air injection hole, 9...Transporter, 9a...Placement section, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e...
...Side part, 11...Mover, 12...Stator.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Injecting gas from a conveying path toward a conveying body for conveying the conveyed object to levitate the conveying body,
In a gas levitation type conveyance facility using a conveyor that conveys the object by applying a propulsive force to the conveyor by a linear motor mechanism,
The conveying path is formed of a duct whose upper surface extends substantially horizontally and has both side surfaces, and an injection hole for injecting gas is provided on the upper surface, and the conveying body is formed of a duct which is located corresponding to the upper surface of the duct. It is equipped with a placing part for placing an object, and a pair of side parts provided symmetrically so as to extend in the width direction of this placing part in the direction opposite to the object placing surface, and each of these side parts The section is configured to adjust the distance between the duct surface and at least the portion excluding the lower edge so that the gas injected from the upper surface of the duct toward the mounting section flows in the direction of each side. Gas levitation type conveyance equipment using a conveyor, characterized in that the distance between the upper surface of the duct and the upper surface of the duct is wider than that of the upper surface of the duct.