JPH08244946A - Roller conveyer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To exchange an elastic ring to a roller installed on the rotary shaft easily and quickly by a conveyer constitution body constituted small and simply. CONSTITUTION: A pair of rollers 15 rotating integrally with a rotary shaft 11 are provided thereon and elastic rings 16 are installed on these rollers 15 so as to be wound. Ring shape cramp pieces 18 are contacted on the tip end surfaces of the main body parts 15a of the rollers 15 and connected by a screw attachably/detachably and arc shape recessed parts are formed across an entire periphery respectively on the outer periphery part of the connection part of the main body part 15a with the cramp pieces 18 and arc grooves are formed in a circumferential shape thereby. The arc of this arc groove is semi-circle or more and the elastic rings 16 are installed in this arc groove so as to be wound and thereby, the elastic rings 16 can be exchanged without the division of the rotary shaft 11 and the separation of the rollers 15 from the rotary shaft 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to, for example, a liquid crystal panel T
The present invention relates to a roller conveyor device for carrying an FT substrate or other work when carrying out a process that requires contact with a chemical solution.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A liquid crystal panel in a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) type liquid crystal display device is
It is formed by bonding a common substrate to the substrates with a liquid crystal interposed therebetween. The TFT substrate is one in which a TFT array is formed on a glass substrate by etching, and there is a step of removing the resist film after etching. This removal of the resist film is performed by bringing the TFT substrate into contact with various chemicals. A conveyor device is used to automate this process, and a shower system is adopted in which these chemicals are sequentially ejected while the TFT substrate is being conveyed by the conveyor device.

Since the conveyor device comes into contact with the chemical solution,
A rubber belt or the like cannot be used because it deteriorates severely. Also, the T conveyed by this conveyor device
Due to various restrictions such as the need to protect the FT substrate from damage, a conveyor structure having the structure shown in FIG. 1 is generally used.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a chamber wall which defines a conveying path, and a rotary shaft 2 is provided so as to penetrate the chamber wall 1. The rotary shaft 2 has bearings near both ends thereof. It is rotatably supported by the units 3 and 3. The rotary shaft 2 extends through the bearing unit 3 on one side, and a pair of pulleys 4 are connected to the tip of the rotary shaft unit 3. The pulley 4 receives power from a driving unit such as a motor (not shown). A timing belt for transmission is wound and provided. The rotary shaft 2 is provided with seal mechanisms 5 and 5 at the penetrating portion of the chamber wall 1, and the seal mechanism 5 prevents the chemical solution from leaking to the mechanism portion outside the chamber wall 1.

In order to convey the TFT substrate C, the rotary shaft 2
A pair of rollers 6 and 6 are attached to the rotary shaft 2 so as to rotate integrally with the rotary shaft 2. These rollers 6
Is formed by connecting a substantially conical flange portion 6b to an intermediate portion of a main body portion 6a inserted through the rotary shaft 2, and the conical surfaces of the flange portions 6b of both rollers 6 face each other. The left and right sides of the TFT substrate C are guided by the flange portion 6b. The TFT substrate C does not directly contact the main body portion 6a of the roller 6, but in order to protect the main body portion 6a of the roller 6 from being scratched, an elastic ring 7 is fitted to a portion inside the collar portion 6b. It makes contact with 7. Further, a holding roller 8 for preventing the TFT substrate C from warping or the like is attached to an intermediate portion between the rollers 6 and 6.

A large number of the above-described conveyor components are arranged side by side at a predetermined pitch in the direction of transporting the TFT substrate C on the chamber wall 1, and between the pulleys 4 of the rotary shaft 2 of the front and rear conveyor components. By winding the timing belts respectively and operating these timing belts by a driving means such as a motor, all the rotary shafts 2 are rotationally driven at a constant speed. As a result, the TFT substrate C is supplied with various chemicals while being set in a state of being in contact with the elastic ring 7 and conveyed, and a process such as removal of the resist film is performed.

Here, the elastic ring 7 elastically supports the TFT substrate C so as not to damage the TFT substrate C. For this reason, as the material of the elastic ring 7, for example, a rubber material such as fluororubber or ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM) is used. The elastic ring 7 is exposed to the chemical liquid for a long time depending on the position where the elastic ring 7 is arranged, and thus deteriorates in a long time. Therefore, the elastic ring 7 must be replaced regularly or at any time. This elastic ring 7
Has a closed loop shape, the rotating shaft 2 is divided into three parts and both rollers 4
The roller mounting portions 2a and 2a to which is attached, and the connecting portion 2b in the middle thereof.
b at one end and the other end of the connecting portion 2b at the roller mounting portion 2a.
Must be configured to removably connect to.
As shown in FIG. 2, as the attachment / detachment mechanism of these connecting parts, the joint parts 9a, 9b divided into two are used, and both joint parts 9a, 9b can be fixed in a connected state by a plurality of bolts 9c. The joint member 9 is used.

With the above construction, when replacing the elastic ring 7, the joint member 9 is detached to separate the connecting portion 2b of the rotary shaft 2, and the deteriorated elastic ring 7 is removed from the roller 6. Detaching, taking out from the tip of the roller mounting portion 2a of the rotary shaft 2, fitting a new elastic ring 7 from the tip side of the roller mounting portion 2a, and fitting it at a predetermined position in the main body portion 6a of the roller 6. You can Here, when the connecting portion 2b of the rotary shaft 2 is separated, the roller mounting portion 2a is cantilevered by the bearing unit 3, and an excessive load acts on this bearing unit. In order to prevent such a situation and to stably hold the roller mounting portion 2a, the bearing unit 3 supports two bearings 3a, 3a at different positions in the axial direction of the roller mounting portion 2a. It is configured to be attached to the plates 3b and 3c. The roller mounting portion 2a is separated by the two bearings 3a.
Even if the connecting portion 2b
Even when the rollers are separated, the roller mounting portion 2a can be stably held.

[0009]

By the way, as described above, in order to replace the elastic ring 7, it is necessary to divide the rotary shaft 2 into three parts in the axial direction, and therefore the joint member 9 must be provided. I have to. In addition, a bearing unit 3 that supports the roller mounting portion 2a of the rotary shaft 2
The number of parts constituting the roller conveyor device formed by arranging a large number of conveyor components is large because the structure of the bearing unit 3 is large and complicated, such as the need to provide two sets of bearings and support plates. However, there is a problem that the whole structure is complicated and the size is increased. Further, there is a problem that the elastic ring replacement work is complicated and takes a long time.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to easily and easily provide an elastic ring to a roller provided on a rotary shaft of a conveyor structure having a small size and a simple structure. The purpose is to be able to exchange quickly.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a rotary shaft with at least two rollers that rotate integrally with the rotary shaft, and attach elastic rings to these rollers to mount a workpiece. By rotating the rotary shaft in the state of being brought into contact with the elastic ring, a conveyor structure for conveying the work is provided at a predetermined pitch interval in the conveyance path of the work, and the elastic ring has a predetermined pitch. It is characterized in that it is composed of a string-shaped member having a circular cross-section having a length, and is wound around and fixed to the roller so that the portion with which the workpiece comes into contact is a substantially circular shape.

[0012]

The elastic ring can be attached / detached while the roller is still attached to the rotary shaft by mounting the roller so that the roller is wound around the roller instead of being fitted into the roller. Therefore, it is not necessary to divide the rotary shaft, a joint member may not be provided, and one bearing may be provided at each end of the rotary shaft formed of a single body. It will be extremely easy. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to separate the rotary shaft when replacing the elastic ring, the elastic ring replacement operation can be performed easily and quickly.

In order to smoothly feed the work without swaying in the vertical direction, when the elastic ring is mounted on the roller, the surface of the elastic ring, that is, the outer diameter of the protruding portion from the roller is in a perfect circle. So that there is no step or break at the end of the elastic ring. For this reason, the elastic ring is made to have a uniform cross-sectional shape, and a groove for positioning and fixing this elastic ring is formed in the roller in an annular shape. The both ends are attached to each other or are wound one or more times so that the both ends are located inside the other parts. Furthermore, the elastic ring has
Even if you embed a muscle that urges it so that it becomes a perfect circle, or if you use one that has an end connection mechanism that connects the ends so that it becomes a perfect circle, the elastic ring will have a step It can be made into a perfect circle without. Whichever configuration is adopted, the elastic ring is mounted so that it is wound around the roller instead of being fitted into the roller.When the elastic ring deteriorates, it can be directly removed from the roller without separating the rotating shaft. You can also install a new elastic ring.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following examples, the one configured as a roller conveyor device for carrying the TFT substrate and removing the resist film is shown, but the work carried by the roller conveyor device of the present invention is not limited to this. The treatment of the work is not limited to the removal of the resist film.

FIG. 3 shows the structure of the conveyor structure. In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a chamber wall, and the point that the rotary shaft 11 is inserted through the chamber wall 10 is the same as that of the above-mentioned conventional technique. However, this rotating shaft 1
1 is not divided, and its both ends are formed as a single body that penetrates both sides of the chamber wall 10 and extends to the outside. A bearing unit 12 having bearings 12b mounted on a support plate 12a is rotatably supported near the both ends of the rotary shaft 11. A pulley 13 is attached to one end of the rotary shaft 11,
The rotary shaft 11 is rotationally driven by winding a timing belt around the pulley 13 and driving the timing belt by rotational driving means such as a motor. Further, a seal mechanism 14 is provided at the insertion portion of the rotary shaft 11 into the chamber wall 10, and the seal mechanism 14 prevents the chemical liquid or the like from leaking to the outside of the chamber wall 10.

A pair of rollers 15 are mounted on the rotary shaft 11 so as to convey the TFT substrate C so as to rotate integrally with the rotary shaft 11. The roller 15 has a rotating shaft 11
The conical flange portion 15 is attached to the cylindrical main body portion 15a through which the
In order to elastically support the TFT substrate C on the main body portion 15a of the roller 15,
An elastic ring 16 formed of a rubber material such as fluororubber or ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM) is attached.
A holding roller 17 for preventing the TFT substrate C from warping is attached to an intermediate portion between the rollers 15 and 15.

By the way, the elastic ring 16 is composed of the roller 15
In the state of being attached to, the outer peripheral portion thereof needs to have a substantially circular shape and has a perfect circular shape. The elastic ring 17 can be exchanged while the roller 15 is still attached to the rotary shaft 11. For this purpose, the roller and the elastic ring having the structure shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 are used.

As is apparent from FIG. 4, an annular clamp piece 18 abuts on the distal end surface of the main body portion 15a of the roller 15 on the side where the conical surface of the flange portion 15b faces.
Screws 19 are detachably connected at a plurality of locations, preferably three or more locations. Then, arcuate recesses 20a and 20b are formed over the entire circumference at the outer peripheral portion of the joint between the main body 15a and the clamp piece 18, respectively, and these arcuate recesses 20a and 20b are formed.
When joined together, the circular arc groove 20 having a circular arc cross section is formed in a circular shape. The circular arc of the circular arc groove 20 is a semicircle or more, and the elastic ring 16 is mounted in the circular arc groove 20. Here, the arcuate recesses 20a and 20b can be formed in the same arcuate shape or different arcuate shapes, but at least one arcuate must be a semicircle or less.

The elastic ring 16 is not a closed loop, but a string-shaped elastic member having a circular cross section which forms a loop by joining the ends, and is attached to the circular arc groove 20 so as to be wound. To be done. The length of the elastic ring 16 is dimensioned such that when the elastic ring 16 is wound around the circular arc groove 20, both ends are joined in a close contact state. Here, as is clear from FIG. 6, the cuts at the ends of the elastic ring 16 are oblique, so that when the two ends are joined, the joining line is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the circumferential direction. It will be in the state of doing.

The conveyor structure is constructed as described above, and the conveyor structures are arranged along the work transfer path by the chamber wall 10 at a predetermined pitch interval, and the front and rear rotary shafts are arranged. A timing belt is wound around the pulley 13 between 11 and 11, and by driving the timing belt by the rotation driving means, the rotary shafts 11 in all the conveyor components are simultaneously rotated at a constant speed. , Roller 1
The TFT substrate C placed on the elastic ring 16 mounted on the substrate 5 is transported. Since the TFT substrate C is transported in this manner, a chemical solution is sprayed on the TFT substrate C to perform processing such as removal of the resist film, so that the elastic ring 16 at a predetermined portion in the transportation path is extended for a long time. Contact with chemicals. Therefore, since the elastic ring 16 deteriorates, it needs to be replaced.

To replace the elastic ring 16, the screw 19 is first loosened to separate the clamp piece 18 from the end surface of the roller 15. Here, since the elastic ring 16 is not fitted in the circular arc groove 20 but mounted so as to be wound, the restraint by the circular arc groove 20 is released, and the deteriorated end of the elastic ring 16 to which the elastic ring 16 is joined is joined. If you remove the part, you can remove it as it is. Then, the new elastic ring 16 is attached to the main body portion 15a of the roller 15.
The clamp piece 18 is joined to the main body portion 15a of the roller 15 by arranging the clamp piece 18 along the side arcuate concave portion 20a. In this state, both ends of the elastic ring 16 are accurately joined and then tightened with screws 19. As a result, the replacement work of the elastic ring 16 is completed, and this work can be performed easily and quickly. Since the circular arc groove 20 has a semi-circular shape or more, after attaching the elastic ring 16 thereto and tightening the clamp piece 18 with the screw 19,
This elastic ring 16 is kept very stable,
There is no danger of deviation or misalignment.

Then, the elastic ring 1 is obtained by bringing the clamp piece 18 into and out of contact with the main body portion 15a of the roller 15.
6 can be exchanged, the rotary shaft 11 can be divided,
Alternatively, since it is not necessary to separate the roller 15 from the rotating shaft 11, a mechanism for dividing / connecting the rotating shaft 11 is not required, and both ends of the rotating shaft 11 have 1
Since it suffices to provide the bearing unit 12 in which the bearings 12b at some locations are mounted, the configuration of the conveyor structure can be significantly simplified.

By accurately forming the elastic ring 16 and the circular arc groove 20, the circular groove 2 of the elastic ring 16 is formed.
The portion protruding from 0 and contacting the TFT substrate C becomes a substantially perfect circle, and when the TFT substrate C is transported, this TF
The T substrate C does not move up and down. Since the end-joining portions of the elastic ring 16 are in close contact with each other, there is no possibility of forming a gap or a step between them. In addition, even if there is some unevenness at this joint,
Since this joining line is oblique with respect to the circumferential direction, there is no possibility that the TFT substrate C will be displaced due to the influence of this unevenness.

Next, FIGS. 7 and 8 show a second embodiment of the roller and the elastic ring, in which the main body portion 30a of the roller 30 and the clamp piece 31 are joined to each other to form a screw. It is fixed by 32. Then, at this joining portion, one rotation or more, for example, about 3/2 rotations (5
Arc-shaped recesses 33a and 33b are formed in the outer peripheral portion of the joint portion of the main body 30a and the clamp piece 31 so that the arc-shaped groove 33 corresponding to 40 °) is formed in a spiral shape. At least one revolution of the circular arc groove 33 serves as a uniform groove portion that forms a groove having a uniform shape, and portions near both ends are deep groove portions that are deeper than the uniform groove portion. An elastic ring 34 made of a rubber material is mounted in the circular arc groove 33. The elastic ring 34 has a circular cross section with the same curvature as the circular arc shape of the circular arc groove 33, and has a length of It is the same as the length from the groove end of the arc groove 33 to the groove end.

With the above structure, the elastic ring 34 can be wound around the circular arc groove 33 provided between the clamp piece 31 and the main body 30a of the roller 30. In this state, in the elastic ring 34, the portion 34a of the circular arc groove 33 located in the uniform groove portion has a substantially circular shape, and the portion 34b located in the deep groove portion is positioned inside thereof. The TFT substrate C can be transported smoothly without moving up and down while being in contact with the portion located in the uniform groove portion. Then, by making the portion of the elastic ring 34 protruding from the circular arc groove 33 to be a semicircle or less, the elastic ring 34 is joined to the walls on both sides of the circular arc groove 33, and the elastic rings 34 are partially joined to each other. It is held in a stable state and is kept in a stable state without deviating from the circular arc groove 33 or being displaced.

Further, FIGS. 9 and 10 show a third embodiment of the roller and the elastic ring. In this embodiment, a clamp piece is not used and the main body portion 40a of the roller 40 has a cross section. A circular arc groove 41 of a semicircle or less is formed in a circumferential shape. As the elastic ring 42 wound around the outer circumferential surface of the circular arc groove 41, an elastic metal ring 42b bent and bent to have a circular ring shape is embedded in an elastic member 42a made of a rubber material. The elastic ring 42 does not have a closed loop shape, but has a circular loop shape with a cut.

With this structure, when the elastic metal ring 42b of the elastic ring 42 is expanded, it can be attached to and detached from the circular arc groove 41, so that its replacement becomes easy. When the elastic ring 42 is mounted in the circular arc groove 41, the elastic restoring force of the elastic metal ring 42b causes the entire outer peripheral portion to have a perfect circular shape, and the joint portions at the cut portions are in close contact with each other, so that the joint portions substantially come into contact with each other. It is held without any gaps or steps.

Furthermore, FIGS. 11 and 12 show a fourth embodiment of the roller and the elastic ring, in which the roller 50 is similar to the third embodiment described above. A circular arc groove 51 having a cross section of a semicircle or less is circumferentially formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 50a. Elastic ring 5 wound around the circular arc groove 51
Reference numeral 2 is made of a rubber material having a circular cross section, and has a circular loop shape with a cut. A protrusion 53 is provided on one end face side of the cut, and a recess 54 is formed on the other end face side to which the protrusion 53 fits.
Are formed. Here, the tip of the protrusion 53 is provided with a circular bulging portion 53a, and the inner portion of the concave portion 54 is bulging portion 53a.
It is an enlarged concave portion 54a having a shape corresponding to a.

With the above structure, the elastic ring 52 is wound around the circular arc groove 51 with the projection 53 being detached from the recess 54, and the projection 53 is recessed.
, The outer peripheral portion of the elastic ring 52 is formed into a substantially circular shape, and the elastic ring 52 is mounted so that no gap is formed in the cut portion. Then, the elastic ring 5 is disengaged between the protrusion 53 and the concave portion 54 and is expanded.
2 can be attached / detached to / from the circular arc groove 51, and the elastic ring 5 can be easily and quickly deteriorated without dividing the rotary shaft 11.
You can exchange 2.

[0030]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to easily and quickly replace the elastic ring with the roller provided on the rotating shaft of the conveyor structure having a small and simple structure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration explanatory view of a conveyor structure according to a conventional technique.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a joint member on the rotary shaft of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a structural explanatory view showing an example of a conveyor structure in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of a roller and an elastic ring attached to the roller.

5 is a front view of the elastic ring in FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a right side view of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of a roller and an elastic ring mounted on the roller.

8 is a front view showing the shape of the elastic ring of FIG. 7 when it is attached to the circular arc groove.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment of a roller and an elastic ring attached to the roller.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the elastic ring of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a roller and an elastic ring mounted on the roller according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing a state in which the projection and the recess are disengaged from each other and the elastic ring of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Chamber Wall 11 Rotating Shaft 15, 30, 40, 50 Roller 10a, 30a, 40a, 50a Main Body 16, 34, 42, 52 Arc-Shaped Groove 16a, 16b, 33a, 33b Arc-Shaped Recess 18, 31 Clamp Piece C TFT Substrate

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A rotary shaft is provided with at least two rollers that rotate integrally with the rotary shaft, elastic rings are attached to these rollers, and the rotary shaft is rotated in a state where a work is brought into contact with the elastic ring. According to the present invention, a conveyor structure that conveys a work is provided at a predetermined pitch interval in the conveyance path of the work, and the elastic ring is made of a string-shaped member having a circular cross section having a predetermined length, and the portion where the work contacts The roller conveyor device is characterized in that the roller is wound around and fixed to the roller so as to have a substantially circular shape. 2. The roller is a roller component part which is divided into two in the axial direction of the rotary shaft, and when the outer peripheral edge portions of the opposing parts of both roller component parts are joined to each other, A circular arc groove having a cross section larger than a semicircle is formed in a circumferential shape, and the elastic ring has a length dimension such that both ends are closely contacted when fitted in the circular arc groove. The roller conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The roller is a roller component part which is divided into two in the axial direction of the rotary shaft, and the outer peripheral edge portions of the opposing parts of both roller component parts are 1 when bonded to each other. Forming a circular arc groove having a spiral shape of more than rotation, and the arc groove for at least one rotation becomes a uniform groove portion of a constant shape,
2. The roller conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein extension lines on both sides of the uniform groove portion are deep groove portions deeper than the extended groove portion, and the elastic ring is mounted so as to be wound over the entire length of the circular arc groove. . 4. The roller has a structure in which a circular arc groove is circumferentially formed on an outer peripheral surface of the roller, and the elastic ring is embedded with a reinforcing member for urging the elastic ring so as to be in a perfect circular state. The roller conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The roller is formed with a circular arc groove on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the elastic ring is provided with an end connecting mechanism part for connecting the ends so as to form a perfect circle. The roller conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the roller conveyor device is provided with the roller conveyor device.