JPH09109071A - Conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To heighten the action accuracy of a hand for holding material and manufacture a conveying device easily at low cost by connecting the hand to a driving part by link mechanism provided with a plurality of crank links driven by the driving part. SOLUTION: First and second crank links 3E, 3I of link mechanism 3 are synchronously rotated in reverse directions by a first motor of a driving part 4 so as to move a hand 1 in an X-direction through first and second lever links 3C, 3G. A third crank link 3N is rotated by a second motor so as to move the hand 1 in a Y-direction through a third lever link 3L and a connecting link 3Q. An outer cylinder is protruded/retreated from a housing 4G by a third motor through a screw rod, a ball nut, a moving base, and the like to move the hand 1 The hand 1 is moved in a free position by combining the above- mentioned diverse movement.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technical field of a transfer device for moving a relatively small measuring material such as a wafer in a vacuum or a clean environment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as such a transfer device, for example, a hand for holding a material and a drive unit are vacuumed,
It is known that a hand is movable in any direction by connecting with a linking mechanism that operates in a clean environment. Known examples of this linkage mechanism include a combination of a link mechanism and a gear, and a combination of a link mechanism, a pulley, and a timing belt.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the above-mentioned conventional conveying apparatus, since the linkage mechanism is provided with the gear-type, pulley-type, meshing-type and friction-type drive transmission structures such as a timing belt,
There is a problem that gas, dust, etc. generated by meshing and friction hinder the vacuum or clean environment. Furthermore, since the linkage mechanism is configured by combining the link mechanism with the meshing and friction type drive transmission structure, the structure becomes complicated,
There are problems that the manufacturing is troublesome, the cost is high, and the operation accuracy of the hand is low.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and provides a transfer device which does not generate gas, dust, etc., has high operation accuracy of a hand, and is inexpensive and easy to manufacture. The challenge is to provide.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the carrying device according to the present invention employs the following means.

That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the transfer device in which the hand holding the material and the driving unit are connected by the linking mechanism that operates in a vacuum or clean environment, the linking mechanism is driven by the driving unit. It is characterized in that it is configured only by a link mechanism having a plurality of crank links. In this means, a part of the plurality of non-meshing and non-friction type crank links replaces the conventional gear, pulley, timing belt meshing type, friction type drive transmission structure.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the transfer apparatus according to the first aspect, a plurality of crank links of the linkage mechanism are rotationally driven on a coaxial line. With this means, the connection points of the drive unit and the plurality of crank links that are the linking mechanism are collected.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the transport apparatus according to the second aspect, the linkage mechanism includes a first lever link and a first crank link rotatably supported by the first lever link. The first lever link is connected to the drive unit by the second lever link and the second crank link that rotates in the opposite direction in synchronization with the first crank link. The link, the pivotal fulcrum of the first crank link is connected to the drive unit by the third lever link and the third crank link that rotates independently of the first crank link and the second crank link, and the hand, It is characterized in that the pivotal fulcrum of the first lever link and the pivotal fulcrum of the first lever link and the first crank link are connected by a connect link. With this means, a plurality of lever links and the like corresponding to a plurality of crank links are combined in a simple structure.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of a conveying device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment, a material suitable for moving a material composed of a wafer, which is small in size and thin, and thin, is shown.

This embodiment is composed of a hand 1, a vacuum mechanism 2, a linkage mechanism 3, and a drive unit 4.

The hand 1 is made of a forked thin plate that abuts the material.

The vacuum mechanism 2 includes a vacuum port 2A which is opened in the vicinity of the forked end of the hand 1, and a vacuum port 2
It is composed of a hand 1, a linkage mechanism 3, a vacuum passage 2B arranged in the drive unit 4 in communication with A, a vacuum pump (not shown) provided in the drive unit 4, and the like. The vacuum mechanism 2 sucks and holds the material on the hand 1 by the suction force generated in the vacuum port 2A in the atmosphere. In a vacuum, the material is conveyed simply by placing it on it.

The link mechanism 3 is composed only of a link mechanism that does not include a meshing type or friction type drive transmission structure.

An end portion of a first lever link 3C is pivotally supported by a shaft portion 3B on a mounting plate 3A for detachably fixing the hand 1. As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the shaft portion 3B is provided with a bearing 3Ba for smoothing the shaft support, a seal material 3Bb for preventing scattering of dust and the like, and a cover material 3Bc. Further, since the first lever link 3C constitutes the main member of the link mechanism and disposes the vacuum passage 2B of the vacuum mechanism 2,
It has a perforated structure to reduce its weight while being formed into a large, wide plate.

One end of the first crank link 3E is pivotally supported by the shaft 3D at the other end of the first lever link 3C. As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the shaft portion 3D is provided with a bearing 3Da, a sealing material 3Db, and a cover material 3Dc, which are similar to those of the shaft portion 3B. Further, the first crank link 3E is the first lever link 3
Similar to C, it is formed in a large structure with a wide and long plate shape, and the other end is connected to the drive unit 4.

One end of the second lever link 3G is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 3F in the middle of the first lever link 3C. The shaft portion 3F has a simple rotating shaft structure. Further, the second lever link 3G has a thin rod shape.

One end of the second crank link 3I is pivotally supported by the shaft 3H at the other end of the second lever link 3G. As shown in detail in FIG. 5, the shaft portion 3H is connected to the simple rotating shaft structure 3Ha of the shaft portion 3F by connecting the shaft 3H.
By providing Hb, the first crank link 3E and the second lever link 3G are phased. Further, the second crank link 3I is formed in a wide and short plate shape, and the other end thereof is connected to the drive unit 4.

One end portion of the third lever link 3L is pivotally supported by the shaft portion 3K on the relay plate 3J provided on the shaft portion 3D that pivotally supports the first lever link 3C and the first crank link 3E. ing. As shown in detail in FIG. 4, this shaft portion 3K has a rotating shaft structure 3 similar to that of the shaft portion 3H.
Ka and the connecting shaft 3Kb are provided, and the first crank link 3
The third lever link 3L is phased from E. Further, the third lever link 3L has a thin rod shape.

At the other end of the third lever link 3L, a ring-shaped third crank link 3N connected to the drive unit 4 by a shaft portion 3M is pivotally supported. This shaft portion 3M is
As shown in detail in FIG. 5, it has a simple rotary shaft structure similar to the shaft portion 3F.

A connecting link 3Q is axially supported by the mounting plate 3A and the relay plate 3J by shaft portions 3O and 3P. The shaft portion 3O on the side of the mounting plate 3A is
As shown in detail in FIG. 1, it has a simple rotary shaft structure similar to the shaft portions 3F and 3M. Also, this relay plate 3
As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the shaft portion 3P of J has a rotating shaft structure 3Pa and a connecting shaft 3Pb similar to the shaft portions 3H and 3K.
Is provided and the connection link 3Q is phased from the first lever link 3C. Also, the connect link 3Q is
It consists of a small rod.

The drive unit 4 is provided with drive systems corresponding to the first crank link 3E, the second crank link 3I, and the third crank link 3N of the linkage mechanism 3.

The first drive shaft 4A, to which the first crank link 3E is fixed, has a hollow shape in which the vacuum passage 2A of the vacuum mechanism 2 is formed so as to penetrate through the shaft center. The second drive shaft 4B, to which the second crank link 3I is fixed, has a cylindrical shape arranged concentrically outside the first drive shaft 4A. The third drive shaft 4C, to which the third crank link 3N is fixed, has a cylindrical shape arranged concentrically outside the second drive shaft 4B. These first drive shaft 4A, second drive shaft 4B, and first drive shaft 4C are the outer cylinder 4
It is housed inside D and has a ball bearing 4E near the end.
The end surface is hermetically closed by the sealing material 4F.
In addition, the outer cylinder 4D can be retracted from the housing 4G sealed by a metal bellows (not shown) incorporating a magnetic fluid in a vacuum.

The first drive shaft 4A is rotationally driven by the first motor 4H via the timing belt 4I and the pulley 4J. The second drive shaft 4B includes a gear 4O fixed to a driven shaft 4N that rotates via a timing belt 4K to which the rotation of the first drive shaft 4A is transmitted, pulleys L and M, and a gear 4P meshed with the gear 4O. Is driven to rotate. Therefore,
The second drive shaft 4B rotates in the opposite direction in synchronization with the first drive shaft 4A (see FIG. 6). Third drive shaft 4
C is a timing belt 4R,
It is rotationally driven via the pulley 4S. The timing belts 4I and 4R do not necessarily have to be wound endlessly, and backlash can be prevented by running only the required rotation amount.

The first motor 4H, the second motor 4Q and the outer cylinder 4D are moved by being fixed to a ball nut 4V screwed into a screw rod 4U which is rotationally driven by a third motor T. It is fixed to the base 4W.

The respective parts such as the first motor 4H are housed inside the housing 4G.

In the embodiment configured as described above, when the first motor 4H of the drive unit 4 is driven, the first drive shaft 4A and the second drive shaft 4B are synchronously rotated in opposite directions, The first crank link 3E and the second crank link 3I of the linkage mechanism 3 are synchronously rotated in opposite directions.
The rotation of the first crank link 3E and the second crank link 3I moves the hand 1 in the X direction (see FIG. 1) via the first lever link 3C and the second lever link 3G. In this movement in the X direction, the first lever link 3C and the first crank link 3E are prevented from extending in a straight line so that a change point is not formed.

When the second motor 4Q of the drive unit 4 is driven, the third drive shaft 4C rotates and the third mechanism of the linkage mechanism 3 is rotated.
Will rotate the crank link 3N. The rotation of the third crank link 3N moves the hand 1 in the Y direction (see FIG. 1) via the third lever link 3L and the connect link 3Q. In this movement in the Y direction, a change point is not formed,
The linkage mechanism 3 is prevented from rotating up to 360 degrees (for example, about 330 degrees).

When the third motor 4T of the drive unit 4 is driven, the screw rod 4U, the ball nut 4V and the moving base 4 are driven.
The outer cylinder 4D is integrated with the first drive shaft 4A, the second drive shaft 4B, the third drive shaft 4C, and the like via the W and the like, and the housing 4G.
The hand 1 moves in the Z direction (see FIG. 2). The movement in the Z direction can take a long stroke of about 100 to 300 mm in height in the atmosphere, but is about 5 to 10 mm in vacuum because of sealing with a metal bellows.

Therefore, by combining the movements in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction, the hand 1 can be moved to a free position to convey the material. Note that this movement can be automatically controlled by inputting the movement amount into the controller.

In this movement of the hand 1, only the linkage mechanism 3 operates under vacuum or a clean environment, and the drive unit 4 is sealed from the vacuum clean environment. Further, since the linkage mechanism 3 is composed of only the link mechanism, gas, dust, etc. are not generated. For this reason,
Material quality is maintained under vacuum and clean environment.

Further, the linking mechanism 3 is simple in structure because it does not employ a slide structure or the like and is composed only of a link mechanism using only a shaft support. Therefore, it can be manufactured inexpensively and easily, and the operation accuracy of the hand 1 is also increased. In addition, it is also inexpensive that the rotation centers of the first crank link 3E, the second crank link 3I, and the third crank link 3N and the drive system of the drive unit 4 corresponding to these are located on the coaxial line. ， Contributes to easy manufacturing.

[0033]

As described above, the transport apparatus according to the present invention is
Since the link mechanism that operates in vacuum or in a clean environment is composed only of a link mechanism instead of a meshing or friction type drive transmission structure, there is no generation of gas, dust, etc. It has the effect of maintaining quality.

Further, since the linking mechanism is composed only of the link mechanism and the structure is simple, there is an effect that the accuracy of operation of the hand becomes high.

Further, since the linking mechanism is composed only of the link mechanism and the structure is simple, there is an effect that it can be manufactured inexpensively and easily.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view showing an embodiment of a carrying device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the operating state of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of another main part of FIG.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of still another main part of FIG.

6 is a simplified perspective view of a part of FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Hand 3 Coupling Mechanism 3C First Lever Link 3E First Crank Link 3G Second Lever Link 3I Second Crank Link 3L Third Lever Link 3N Third Crank Link 3Q Connect Link 4 Drive Unit

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A transporting device in which a hand holding a material and a drive unit are connected by a linkage mechanism that operates in vacuum or in a clean environment, and the linkage mechanism includes a plurality of crank links driven by the drive unit. A transport device characterized by being configured only with a link mechanism provided. 2. The carrier device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of crank links of the linkage mechanism are rotationally driven on a coaxial line. 3. The transfer device according to claim 2, wherein the linkage mechanism connects the hand to the drive unit by a first lever link and a first crank link rotatably supported by the first lever link. And the first lever link is coupled to the drive unit by the second lever link and the second crank link that rotates in the opposite direction in synchronization with the first crank link,
The first lever link and the pivotal fulcrum of the first crank link are connected to the drive unit by the third lever link and the third crank link that rotates independently of the first crank link and the second crank link. The transport device is characterized in that the hand, the pivotal fulcrum of the first lever link and the pivotal fulcrum of the first lever link, the first crank link are connected by a connect link.