JPH09124107A - Glass base plate stocker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accomplish efficient and flexible arrangement of respective process lines for glass base plate production in a glass base plate stocker in which cleanliness can be secured. SOLUTION: In a stocker, shelf columns 110, in which a plurality of horizontal fixed shelves 111 for holding a glass plate 140 are arranged in the vertical direction, are arranged polygonally around a conveying robot 120, while a passage port 113 for the glass plate 140 is arranged on the outside of each of the shelf columns 110. The robot 120, by which the glass plate 140 can be released, is provided with a horizontal driving unit, a vertical (Z-axis directional) driving unit, and a rotational driving unit for a hand part 121 and transfers the base plate 140 from a desired horizontal fixed shelf 111 to another horizontal fixed shelf 111. Toward the robot 120 and a plurality of the shelf columns 110, air or nitrogen gas whose cleanliness is controlled to the predetermined value is fed so as to keep the horizontal fixed shelves 111 in the respective shelf columns 110 clean.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stocker for a glass substrate, which has flexibility in the layout of physical distribution equipment, and more particularly to a display panel having a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, a display panel for a plasma display, etc. To a stocker for glass substrates used in

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the production of a glass substrate used for a display panel having a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, a display panel for a plasma display or the like, it is necessary to temporarily store the glass substrate during the process. In some cases, it is temporarily stored in a cassette or stocker (storage) suitable for the size of the glass substrate, and when it is used again, it is taken out from the cassette or stocker and used. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the glass substrate is processed by the processing unit 630, the processing unit 631, and the processing unit 632, it is necessary to temporarily store the processed glass substrate in the stocker. If there is a glass substrate to be processed, a plurality of stockers 600 are arranged along the processing line, and the glass substrates that can travel substantially in parallel along the plurality of stockers 600 are arranged. By moving the transfer device (robot) 620, the glass substrate from the processing unit 631 is transferred to each stocker 60.
0, or from each stocker 600 to the processing unit 631
I was taking it out. In addition, in FIG. 6, a schematic view of a cross section is shown in order to facilitate understanding of the inside of the stocker 600. As shown in FIG. 6, the conventional stocker includes a plurality of horizontal fixed shelves 6 for mounting glass substrates 640.
A shelves 610 made up of 11 are provided, the peripheral portion is shielded from the outside, and clean air or nitrogen gas is allowed to flow in and out so that the inside can be kept clean. Usually, a box-like shape suitable for the shape of the glass substrate is used. It was a thing. The transfer device (robot) 620 shown in FIG. 6 can hold and fix the glass substrate on the hand portion 621 by vacuum suction, can move in the horizontal direction, and can control its vertical position and direction. The glass substrate 640 is stored in the shelf 610 of the stocker 600 from the processing unit 631 by holding the glass substrate 640 in the processing unit 631 on the hand portion 621 of the transfer device (robot) 620 by vacuum suction. To move to a predetermined stocker 600, move the hand portion 621 to a predetermined stocker 600 and move it to a predetermined position of a horizontal fixed shelf 611 of a predetermined shelf 610, and perform vacuum suction for holding a glass substrate. By releasing it, the hand portion is run, and taken out from the stocker, it is transferred to a predetermined horizontal fixed shelf 611. Glass substrate 640 with shelves 6
In the case of taking out from 10 and passing it to the processing unit 631, the above-mentioned operation is performed in reverse order. Therefore, there are problems that it takes too much time to take out the substrate, which is not efficient, and the storage efficiency per space of the stocker is not good. In addition, storage in a cassette does not allow a large amount of storage, which is problematic in terms of ensuring a clean environment.

On the other hand, in the production of a glass substrate used for a display panel having a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, a display panel for a plasma display, etc.,
Since the number of processing steps is large and it is necessary to convey the glass substrate to various process lines, in order to efficiently arrange the processing parts of various steps in a limited area (space),
It may not always be a good idea to provide these process lines continuously or linearly, and the process lines for glass substrate processing are not simply arranged continuously or linearly. There was also a demand for efficient and flexible placement.

[0004]

As described above, it has been used in the production of glass substrates used for conventional display panels having color filters for liquid crystal display devices, display panels for plasma displays, and the like. Stockers for glass substrates have problems such as inefficient removal of substrates, poor storage efficiency, and difficulty in ensuring cleanliness inside the stocker, and there is a demand for their correspondence, and glass substrate manufacturing For the arrangement of each process line, do not simply arrange in a continuous or linear manner,
There was also a demand for efficient and flexible placement. Under the circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a stocker for a glass substrate that can efficiently take out the substrate, has good storage efficiency of the glass substrate, and can secure cleanliness in the stocker. At the same time, the present invention aims to provide a stocker that can realize efficient and flexible arrangement with respect to the arrangement of each process line for manufacturing a glass substrate.

[0005]

A glass substrate stocker according to the present invention comprises a plurality of substantially horizontal fixed horizontal shelves for holding glass substrates, and a rack provided with a predetermined interval in the vertical direction.
For arranging a plurality of glass substrates around a robot for transporting glass substrates, the horizontal cross-sectional shape is made substantially polygonal, and for storing glass substrates in each shelf or taking out glass substrates from each shelf on the outside of each shelf. A glass substrate stocker having a glass substrate flow port, wherein the robot is capable of holding and fixing the glass substrate and releasing the held and fixed glass substrate, and heads to a desired tray and is substantially parallel to the horizontal fixed shelf. Of the hand portion, a horizontal drive portion for moving the hand portion in the substantially waterside direction, a vertical direction (Z-axis direction) drive portion for moving the position of the hand portion in the vertical direction, and a hand portion. And a rotation drive unit that rotates toward a desired shelf,
By moving the hand part appropriately, a desired horizontal fixed shelf can be moved to another horizontal fixed shelf, and the horizontal fixed shelf can be moved to another shelf including the shelf. , The robot and a plurality of shelves are almost sealed except for the inflow and outflow of clean air or nitrogen gas whose cleanliness is controlled. It is characterized in that air or nitrogen gas controlled to a clean degree is fed and exhausted to the outside of each shelf to keep the horizontal fixing portion of each shelf clean. And, in the above, a partition is provided between each of the shelves, and each of the shelves is provided with a plurality of partitions in the vertical direction, and a plurality of partitions are formed by the partition. is there. Further, in the above, it is characterized in that a flow port for the glass substrate is provided for each of the partitioned sections. Further, in the above, a door that can be opened and closed is provided outside the flow port of the glass substrate, and the door is provided with an exhaust hole for exhaust. Further, in the above, air or nitrogen gas controlled to a predetermined cleanliness is fed from above or below the robot unit through a prefilter made of polyester nonwoven fabric or the like and a HEPA filter. .

[0006]

With the glass substrate stocker of the present invention having the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate can be efficiently taken out, the glass substrate can be stored efficiently, and the cleanliness in the stocker can be secured. It is possible to provide a stocker that can realize efficient and flexible arrangement with respect to the arrangement of each process line for producing a glass substrate. More specifically, a plurality of shelves provided with a plurality of substantially horizontal horizontally fixed shelves for holding glass substrates are arranged around a glass transport robot to form a glass substrate having a polygonal cross section in a substantially horizontal direction. Since it is a stocker for storing, the glass substrates can be stored efficiently, and at the same time, the glass substrates placed on each shelf can be taken in and out in the direction of that shelf, and The glass substrate can be taken in and out with respect to the direction.
Then, the robot is capable of holding and fixing the glass substrate and releasing the held and fixed glass substrate, and heading to a desired shelf, and a hand unit that runs in a state substantially parallel to the horizontal fixed shelf, and the hand unit It has a horizontal drive unit for running in the waterside direction, a vertical (Z-axis direction) drive unit for vertically moving the position of the hand unit, and a rotary drive unit for rotating the hand unit toward a desired shelf. However, by moving the hand part appropriately, a desired horizontal fixed shelf can be moved to another horizontal fixed shelf, and it can also be moved to another shelf including the shelf having the horizontal fixed shelf. Therefore, the position of the glass substrate can be replaced in the stocker, and the substrate can be taken out from the shelf in a direction different from the shelf in which the glass substrate is taken in from the outside, that is, in the manufacturing process, Not continuous It is possible to efficiently connect the process lines that are not arranged linearly by the stocker, and as a result, it is possible to realize an efficient and flexible arrangement with respect to the arrangement of each process line of glass substrate production. It is possible. Further, it is possible to efficiently take out the substrate without the need for setup from one process line to the next process line. In addition, the robot and the plurality of shelves are in a substantially sealed state, and air or nitrogen gas controlled to a predetermined cleanliness is fed from above or below the robot unit to each shelves. Since the exhaust holes for exhausting air are provided on the outside to keep the horizontal fixed portions of each shelf clean, the cleanliness inside the stocker can be ensured. Specifically, this is achieved by sending air or nitrogen gas controlled to a predetermined cleanness level through a prefilter made of polyester nonwoven fabric or the like and a HEPA filter to the upper side or the lower side of the robot section. ing. Further, a partition is provided between each shelf, and the case shelf forms a narrow partition with a plurality of partitions in the vertical direction. Impact,
Especially, it is assumed that the impact on the clean side will not affect other areas. In addition, by providing a flow port for the glass substrate in each of the partitioned sections, the degree of freedom in storing and taking out the glass substrate is increased. A door that can be opened and closed is provided outside the flow port of the glass substrate, and an exhaust hole for exhaust is provided in the door, so that safety on a clean surface can be ensured.

[0007]

EXAMPLE An example of a glass substrate stocker of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a top view of a glass substrate stocker of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is A1-A of FIG.
2 is a schematic view of a cross section at 2, and FIG. 3 is a front view. 1, 2, and 3, 100 is a stocker, 110 is a shelf, and 11
0a, 110b, 110c and 110d are compartments, 111 is a horizontal fixed shelf, 112 is a shelf receiver, 113 is a glass substrate flow port, 114 is a door, 114A is an exhaust hole, 116 and 117 are partitions, 120 is a robot, 121 is a hand. Part, 121
Is a fixed part, 122 is a horizontal drive part, 122A is a groove (rail) part, 123 is a rotary drive part, 124 is a vertical drive part, 1
30 is a filter part, 131 is a pre-filter, 132
Is a HEPA filter, 133 is a fan, and 140 is a glass substrate. Stocker 10 for glass substrate of this embodiment
As shown in FIG. 1, a horizontal fixed base 111 holding a glass substrate 140 for storage is arranged in a substantially hexagonal shape around the robot 120 as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the shelf 110 is formed by providing a partition and a partition 116. The respective shelves 110 are partitioned by partitions 117 to form partitions. In this embodiment, the horizontal fixed shelves 111 are divided into every 10 pieces.
A glass substrate flow port 113 is provided for each of the partitions partitioned by the partitions 116 and 117, and the door 11 is provided on the outside thereof.
4 is provided so that it can be opened to the outside. Note that, in FIG. 1, for the sake of clarity, the entire robot 120 is shown by omitting it with a dotted line, and only the hand portion for holding and fixing the glass substrate is shown.
Also, the robot 120 is shown with only its characteristic parts. Further, in FIG. 2, for the sake of clarity, the horizontal fixed shelves 111 and the glass substrates 140 are shown in a reduced number only in the section 110d.

As shown in FIG. 2, the robot 120 is capable of holding and fixing the glass substrate 140 and releasing the held glass substrate 140, and heads to a desired shelf 110 and is substantially parallel to the horizontal fixed shelf 111. Hand part 121 that travels in a state, a horizontal drive part 122 that causes the hand part 121 to travel in a substantially waterside direction, a hand part 121 and a horizontal drive part 1
A rotation drive unit 123 that integrally rotates the motor 22 and
It has a vertical drive unit 124 for moving it up and down. The horizontal driving unit 122 is capable of holding and fixing the glass substrate 140 by the hand unit 121 and moving sufficiently to take it out from the shelf 110. The hand unit is horizontally driven together with the fixing unit 121 in a state of being fixed to the fixing unit 121A. Groove (rail) of part 122 1
Move along 22A. Rotational drive FIG. 123 allows the hand unit 111 and the horizontal drive unit 122 to face the desired shelf 110, which enables operation of 360 ° (± 180 °). The vertical drive unit 124 has its movable range set and a predetermined position so that the glass substrate 140 stored in each of the partitioned sections from the top to the bottom of the shelf 110 can be stored or taken out. You can stop at.
Although not shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal drive unit 12
2 and a hand portion 122 and a fixed portion 1 which are horizontally driven by the two.
21A both move up and down along the groove (rail) of the up-and-down drive unit 124. The arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the moving directions of the respective parts.

The robot 120 and each of the shelves 110 are made so as to be hermetically sealed with respect to the outside, except for a portion where clean air flows in and out. A filter unit 130 is provided above the robot 120, and external air is introduced from here by a fan 133. Then, it is adapted to flow out from an exhaust hole 114A provided in a door 114 attached to each section, which is partitioned by the partitions 166 and 167. It should be noted that providing a rough filter in the exhaust hole 114A of the door 114 can be said to be safe in terms of ensuring cleanliness. Also, the inside of the stocker can be kept at a higher pressure than the outside so that normal air can flow out from the door side even when the door is open.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the glass substrate stocker 100 of this embodiment. Stainless steel was used as a material for hermetically sealing the whole, but the material is not limited to this. Door 1
In order to reduce the weight of 14 parts, only the part where the exhaust hole 114A is provided is made of stainless steel and the other part is made of acrylic resin.

The operation of each part of the robot is carried out via a control part (not shown), and various sensors are provided to manage the operation in order to enhance safety.

FIG. 4 shows the door 114 from the outside of the stocker.
Horizontal fixed shelves 111 when opened and viewed toward each shelf 110
4A shows a state in which the large-sized glass substrate 140A is placed on the horizontal fixed shelf 111 via the jig 410, and FIG. 4B shows the state. A small-sized glass substrate 140B is placed on the horizontal fixed shelf 111 via the jig 410. In this way, it is possible to mount glass substrates of different sizes on the horizontal fixed shelf 111. The horizontal fixed shelf 111 shown in FIG. 4 can handle three types of width sizes, but the size is not limited to three types, and it is possible to deal with various sizes by increasing the number of jigs 410. it can. Incidentally, 410A is a fixing portion for fixing the jig 410.

Next, the layout of the manufacturing process and the operation of the stocker will be briefly described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows conveyors 520, 521, 522, and 523 for moving glass substrates around the stocker 100 and the processing units 510, 511, and 512 of the respective processes connected thereto.
513 and 513 are arranged. In the case of FIG. 5, the glass substrate 140 processed by the processing unit 510 is temporarily stored in the shelf 110A of the stocker 100 via the belt conveyor 520. Then, the glass substrate 140 is moved from the tray 110A to another tray 11 by the robot 120.
Moved to 0B. Next, the glass substrate 140 is sent to the processing unit 511 via the belt conveyor 521 and processed, and then conveyed to the next processing unit 512 via the belt conveyor 524, and then the glass substrate 140 of the stocker 100 via the belt conveyor 522. It is stored in the rack 110C. Thereafter, the glass substrate 140 is moved from the rack 110C to another rack 110D by the robot 120, and the next processing unit 513 is performed.
To the belt conveyor 523. Thus, by using the stocker 100 of this embodiment,
It is not necessary to connect each process line in manufacturing continuously or linearly, and as a result, it is possible to flexibly arrange the manufacturing process lines in a limited area (space).

[0014]

As described above, the present invention makes it possible to provide a glass substrate stocker which can efficiently take out a glass substrate, has a high glass substrate storage efficiency, and can ensure a clean state in the stocker in a good state. There is. At the same time, it is possible to provide a glass substrate stocker that can flexibly arrange the manufacturing process lines in a limited area (space) that does not require continuous or linear connection of each manufacturing process line in the glass substrate manufacturing. . In particular, when producing a glass substrate used for a display panel for forming a color filter for a liquid crystal display device or a display panel for a plasma display, the glass substrate can be stored in a good state, and, The layout of the manufacturing process can be made flexible, and it is also useful in terms of supporting multiple products and mass production.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view of a stocker for a glass substrate of an example.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a stocker for a glass substrate of an example.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a stocker for a glass substrate of an example.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a horizontal fixed shelf.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an arrangement of processing units and a stocker operation.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a conventional glass substrate stocker.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 Stocker 110 Shelf 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d Compartment 111 Horizontal fixed shelf 113 Glass substrate flow port 114 Door 114A Exhaust hole 116, 117 Partition 120 Robot 121 Hand part 121A Fixed part 122 Hand drive part 122A Groove (rail) 123 Rotation drive part 124 Vertical drive part 130 Filter part 131 Pre-filter 132 HEPA filter 133 Fan 140 Glass substrate 140A, 140B Glass substrate 410 Jig 410A Jig fixing part 510, 511, 512, 513 Processing part 520, 521, 522, 523 523 Belt conveyor 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D Shelf stage 600 Stocker 610 Shelf stage 611 Horizontal fixed shelf 620 Transfer device (robot) 621 Hand part 63 , 631 and 632 processor 640 glass substrate 650 belt conveyors

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A horizontal cross section in which a plurality of substantially horizontally fixed horizontal shelves for holding glass substrates and a plurality of shelves provided at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction are arranged side by side around a robot for transporting glass substrates. A glass substrate stocker having a substantially polygonal shape, and a glass substrate flow port for accommodating a glass substrate to each shelf or taking out a glass substrate from each shelf on the outside of each shelf, wherein: The robot is capable of holding and fixing the glass substrate and releasing the held and fixed glass substrate, and heads to a desired shelf, and a hand portion that runs in a state substantially parallel to the horizontal fixed shelf, and the hand portion in a substantially waterside direction. A horizontal drive unit for moving the hand, a vertical drive unit for vertically moving the position of the hand unit, and a rotary drive unit for rotating the hand unit toward a desired shelf, To operate The desired horizontal fixed shelf can be moved to another horizontal fixed shelf by means of the above, and the horizontal fixed shelf can be moved to another shelf including the shelf having the horizontal fixed shelf. Is a clean air whose controlled cleanliness is controlled, or an air which is controlled to a predetermined cleanliness from the upper or lower side of the robot section, except for the inflow and outflow portions of the nitrogen gas. A stocker for glass substrates, characterized in that nitrogen gas is fed and exhausted to the outside of each shelf to keep the horizontal fixing portion of each shelf clean. 2. The partition according to claim 1, wherein each of the shelves is provided with a partition, and each of the shelves is provided with a plurality of partitions in the vertical direction, and the partition forms a plurality of partitions. A stocker for glass substrates. 3. The glass substrate stocker according to claim 2, wherein a flow port for the glass substrate is provided for each of the partitioned sections. 4. The door according to claim 1, wherein a door that can be opened and closed is provided outside the flow port of the glass substrate, and
A stocker for glass substrates, wherein the door is provided with an exhaust hole for exhaust. 5. The air or nitrogen gas controlled to a predetermined cleanliness level is fed from above or below the robot section through a prefilter made of polyester nonwoven fabric or the like and a HEPA filter from above or below. Stocker for glass substrates.