JPH07270019A - Improved conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To sustain high a clean level required for fabrication of electronic device by providing a gripper means for connecting the interior of a vessel to a pumping system, and an on-board refrigeration system for providing circulating refrigerant fluid to and from heat exchange means associated with the gripper means. CONSTITUTION: A baffle 19 is associated with the mouth part of a diffusion pump secured to a flange 6. When a vehicle is used, an air-cooled diffusion pump is fixed to the flange 6 and a pipe to be treated in production line is received sealingly by the gripper 9 preferably under a state where a vacuum gauge is fixed sealingly to the flange 6 provided with an oil sealed pump on the back thereof. Refrigerant fluid is pressure fed from the air-cooled compressor of a unit 15 to a cooling system through a pipe 16. Subsequently, the gripper 9 is cooled and only the cooled refrigerant fluid is pressure fed to a chevron baffle 19 through a piping system 18. The fluid cools the baffle and returns back to the unit 15.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improved conveyors for use in the treatment of vacuum exhaust products, and more particularly to individual vehicles for use in such machines.

[0002]

In the manufacture of the prior art and the problem to be Solved by the Invention TV picture tubes or other forms of similar tubes, while heating at least the tubes in several phases in one process step, the tube of about 10 ^- Evacuation to a residual pressure of less than ⁶ mbar is generally required in the final process step. In a typical production line, each pipe is
It is attached to a "cart"). A number of such vehicles form part of a conveyor system in which they are in slow but continuous operation along a straight or round / oval manufacturing line. Each transport device is typically, for example, 70-100 minutes (depending on the product being processed,
(More than that) can be equipped with up to 250 vehicles. Each vehicle typically incorporates the equipment required to perform the various finishing process steps for the picture tube. Known vehicles generally have a vacuum device, for example in the form of a diffusion pump or a turbomolecular pump behind a rotary pump. Also, known vehicles generally have a gripper assembly for receiving the "neck" of the television tube and sealingly connecting to a vacuum device to maintain a vacuum inside the tube.

However, vehicles incorporating such equipment generally require a water supply to cool the equipment. First, the gripper assembly is generally water cooled to maintain the gripper assembly at the required temperature while in contact with the heated tube. Equally, it is generally necessary to supply cooling water to the diffusion vacuum pump in a manner well known in the art for the overall operation of the diffusion vacuum pump. Also, to prevent the phenomenon known as backflow of the diffusion pump working fluid from the pump nozzle towards the mouth of the pump, and thus towards the chamber in which the pump is mounted, such pump can be shut off by condensing the backflow. It is well known to incorporate a water cooled "guard ring" or "baffle".
However, the drawbacks associated with the use of water cooling for such mobile vehicles are obvious. Vehicles usually require cooling water intake / drainage lines with outriggers along with onboard water circulation pumps, these water intake / drainage lines are prone to damage and transfer due to their outriggered position,
This results in significant maintenance and unreliability. In addition, the vehicle's transport system must be equipped with water intake / drainage troughs, which can also bend water intake / drainage pipes or lift from this water to overheat pumps and grippers and to operate carts. Significant maintenance is required due to trough obstruction caused by the inward destruction of sections of the tube that result in a stall. There are also difficulties in maintaining a high degree of cleanliness, which is essential to the manufacture of high quality electronic devices.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a transport vehicle of the type described above which overcomes the above difficulties.

[0005]

According to the present invention, a vacuum pumping device, gripper means for receiving the neck of a container and connecting the interior of the container to the pumping device through the neck, and cooling associated with the gripper means. A non-water-cooled transport vehicle for transporting a wholly or partially evacuated container, characterized in that it has an in-vehicle cooling system for circulating a fluid to and from the heat exchange means. Will be provided. Preferably, the vehicle cooling system has other heat exchange means associated with the mouth of the vacuum pump of the vacuum pumping device. Thereby, such other heat exchange means may constitute a "guard ring" or "baffle", especially in the case of a diffusion vacuum pump. The use of an onboard cooling unit eliminates the need for water cooling for the gripper means and, if present, for the guard rings or baffles associated with the diffusion vacuum pump. The cooling unit may be of any known form but preferably pumps the cooling fluid through a closed circuit,
In particular, it is associated with a gripper means and incorporates a compressor that expands the fluid and pumps a compressed fluid that cools the gripper means.

Preferably, the expanded cooling fluid is passed through another heat exchange means incorporated into the circuit and associated with the diffusion pump (if present) as part of the pumping device. In order to be able to slowly move the vehicle along its production line, all of the components of the vehicle must be provided in a suitable vehicle body intended for use in the vehicle.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, there is shown a pump pumping device incorporated into a vehicle body (not shown itself), which pump transporting device comprises a number of different components hermetically coupled to one another, in particular a cylinder. Shaped main manifold 1, small, generally cylindrical components 2, 3, 4 and hollow support head 5.
It has and. The support head 5 has a flange 6 to which a standard design diffusion pump or turbomolecular pump (not shown) can be mounted, and if desired, an oil sealed rotary pump may be provided behind the diffusion pump. According to the preferred embodiment, the diffusion pump is of air cooled design. The component 3 has a horizontally oriented extension 7 terminating in a flange 8 to which a vacuum gauge of known design can be attached. The component 3 also has a vertically oriented extension cup 8 which acts as a glass trap for receiving any debris that may be present. The cup 8 is hermetically connected to the component 3 during use, but can also be removed to remove debris after use of the vehicle. A gripper means 9 is mounted on the upper end of the main manifold component 1, the gripper means 9 comprising a gripper head 10 made of an electrothermal material and two vertical holes extending vertically through the gripper means 9. The widest two of these holes 11, 12 are adapted to receive a seal ring (not shown) and a neck-opened tube to be transported along the production line. The third hole 13 provides a connection between the inside of this pipe and the pumping device of the vehicle.

The gripper means 9 also has a heat exchanger device 14 in physical close contact with the head 10, which heat exchanger device 14 is comprised of a number of metal members having various internal spaces / passages therebetween. It is equipped with a disc. The vehicle also has an in-vehicle cooling system consisting of a cooling unit 15 in the form of an air-cooled compressor device. Also, this cooling system
Circulation of the cooling fluid from the compressor device in the form of a capillary tube connection 16 to the inlet 17 of the heat exchanger device 14 of the gripper head 10, then through the internal passages of the device 14 and then through the tubular system 18 back to the cooling unit 15. Constitutes a closed circuit for. In the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, the tubular system 18 passes through the wall of the support head 5,
At the center of the head 5, a further heat exchanger device is provided in the form of a chevron baffle 19. This baffle 19 forms a "guard ring" or "baffle" associated with the mouth of the diffusion pump which is fixedly attached to the flange 6 during use. Thereby the guard ring or cold cap functions as described above. In use of the vehicle, an air-cooled diffusion pump (or a turbo molecular pump) is attached to the flange 6, preferably an oil-sealed pump is provided behind the pump, and a vacuum gauge is hermetically attached to the flange 6. , The gripper 9 sealingly receives the pipe to be processed in the production line.

Cooling fluid is pumped from the air-cooled compressor unit of unit 15 via pipe 16, ie in the direction of the arrow, through the cooling system and then to heat exchanger unit 14.
To thereby cool the gripper 9 and then
The expanded chilled cooling fluid is pumped through the tubular system 18 to the chevron baffle 19, thereby cooling the baffle, which then returns to the unit 15.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing main features of a vehicle according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Main Manifold 2, 3, 4 Cylindrical Components 5 Support Head 6 Flange 7 Extension 8 Cup 9 Gripper Means 10 Gripper Head 11, 12, 13 Holes 14 Heat Exchanger Device 15 Cooling Unit 18 Tubular System 19 "Chevron" Baffle

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───Continued from the front page (72) Inventor Colin William Bendal West Sussex Earl H17 17 6 W Staplefield Upper Common Tides Farm Cottage 1 (72) Inventor Roland Grego Paul Coosey England Sally Earl H1 6 Bee Redhill Blackstone Hill 14

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A non-water-cooled transport vehicle for transporting a wholly or partially evacuated container, wherein a vacuum pumping device and a neck of the container are received, and the inside of the container is pumped through the neck. Non-water cooled, characterized in that it comprises gripper means for coupling and an in-vehicle cooling system for circulating cooling fluid to and from the heat exchange means associated with the gripper means. Transport vehicle. 2. The non-water-cooled transfer vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising another heat exchange means associated with the opening of the vacuum pump of the vacuum pumping device. 3. The non-water cooled transport vehicle of claim 2, wherein the other heat exchange means comprises a guard ring or baffle associated with the diffusion pump. 4. The non-water-cooled transfer vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the cooling system incorporates a compressor for pumping a cooling fluid through a closed circuit. 5. The non-water cooled type of claim 4 wherein the compressor pumps the compressed cooling fluid to a heat exchanger associated with the gripper means, where the fluid expands to cool the gripper means. Transport vehicle. 6. The non-water-cooled transfer vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the expanded cooling fluid is passed through another heat exchange means incorporated in the circuit. 7. The non-water cooled transport vehicle of claim 6, wherein the other heat exchange means is associated with a diffusion pump as part of the pumping device. 8. A vehicle body for mounting vehicle components, the vehicle body being suitable for use in a carrier so that the vehicle can be moved slowly along a manufacturing line. The non-water cooling type conveyance vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7.