KR100864378B1 - Pneumatic apparatus for floating and translating plates - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a flat plate conveying apparatus, and relates to an air-shape flat plate conveying apparatus which floats and conveys a flat plate to be conveyed at a pressure of air.

In the present invention, in the air-floating flat plate conveying apparatus 100 for conveying the flat plate P with air to one side,

A transport block (110) having a flat plate input end (111) formed in a normal direction with respect to the transport direction of the flat plate, wherein an upper edge of the flat plate input (111) is rounded over the entire period; And

It is formed adjacent to the plate input end 111 below the upper surface of the transfer block to form the nozzle unit 121 of the normal line with respect to the conveying direction of the plate, and through the nozzle unit 121 the plate input end ( 111) by discharging air in a direction in contact with the outer surface to induce the discharged air to flow along the round portion 112 of the flat plate input terminal 111 to the upper surface of the transfer block 110, It is configured to include a nozzle block 120 for simultaneously giving a floating force and a transfer force to the plate.

Flatbed Transfer, Air Flotation, Koanda, Clean Air, Air Recovery

Description

Pneumatic apparatus for floating and translating plates}

1 is a perspective view of a conventional air-floating flat plate conveying apparatus.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the air-floating flat plate conveying apparatus of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the use state of the air-floating flat plate conveying apparatus according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the air-shape flat plate transport apparatus of the present invention, a view showing a state in which the air suction port is provided.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the use state according to FIG.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the air-bubble flat plate conveying apparatus of the present invention, showing an air inlet and the air outlet is provided.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the use state according to FIG.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the air-bubble flatbed conveying apparatus according to the present invention, showing an arrangement state for one-axis feed control.

9 is a plan view showing an arrangement of the air-shape flatbed conveying apparatus according to the present invention, showing an arrangement for the two-axis feed control.

10A and 10B are plan views showing an arrangement state of the air-floating plate conveying apparatus according to the present invention, respectively, and showing a radial arrangement state for two-axis feed control;

11A and 11B are cross-sectional views illustrating an arrangement state of an air-shape flatbed conveying apparatus according to the present invention, respectively, illustrating an arrangement state for uniaxial rotation control.

12 is a cross-sectional view showing an arrangement state of the air-shape flat plate conveying apparatus according to the present invention, showing an arrangement state for one-axis feed control and one-axis rotation control.

13A and 13B are cross-sectional views illustrating an arrangement state of an air-floating flat plate conveying apparatus according to the present invention, respectively, illustrating an arrangement state for simultaneously performing two-axis feed control and one-axis rotation control.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100 ... plate feeder 110 ... feed block

111 Flat panel input 112 Round part

120 nozzle block 121 nozzle unit

130 Air intake 140 Air outlet

150 ... Porous member P ... flat

S ... sensor

The present invention relates to a flat plate conveying apparatus, and relates to an air-shape flat plate conveying apparatus which floats and conveys a flat plate to be conveyed at a pressure of air.

Common conveying devices include a conveyor belt or a plurality of conveying rollers that are connected to a driving motor to receive rotational force. However, all of these transfer devices are designed to be transported in contact with one side of the to-be-transmitted body, which not only causes foreign matter to contact or scratches, but also causes damage to the to-be-carried body due to concentration of support loads on the contact. It is also not suitable for the transport of precision products sensitive to dust or pressure. These problems are intensified as the area of the carrier increases.

In order to minimize such a problem, recently, a method in which the object to be conveyed is inclined to exclude the contact of the front surface of the object to be conveyed through only the side contact, or the feed roller is minimized to minimize the frictional force between the feed roller and the object to be conveyed. A method of transmitting a conveying force while sliding by a bearing friction force without being fixed to a shaft is also being devised, but since the conveying is still performed in contact with the conveyed object, it cannot be free from the above problem, Because of the high cost of the equipment, the longer the transfer line, the greater the manufacturer's cost burden.

According to this situation, recently, studies on a new concept of the air flotation transport device for supporting and transporting the object to be transported through the pressure of the air are actively being conducted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional air flotation transport apparatus installs a pair of support rails 10 so that both sides of the plate P are placed, and a lower portion of the plate P on one side of the support rail 10. A plurality of air nozzles 20 are installed to discharge air to the air, and the air nozzles 20 are disposed to be inclined toward the traveling direction of the flat plate P so as to discharge air from the air nozzles 20. While the flat plate (P) is to be transferred to one side, while the suction rail 30 is inclined in the opposite direction to the air nozzle 20 at the end of the support rail 10 by adsorbing the transferred flat plate (P) The transfer is configured to stop.

The air flotation conveying device is not required for motors, gears, belts, conveying rollers, etc. in addition to the advantages of non-contact conveying as compared to the conveying device through the conveyor belt or the conveying roller. This is most commonly used in the field of transferring sensitive plates (P), which are mainly susceptible to shock and must be kept clean due to the various advantages that they do not occur and do not cause the generation of various dust or foreign substances due to contact between components. have.

However, the above-described conventional air floating conveying apparatus has the following problems.

First, the air-floating conveying device is a way to transfer the flat plate (P) along the support rail 10, so that the direction control or rotation control of the flat plate (P) is very difficult. Therefore, in order to change the direction of the flat plate P, the support rails 10 must be arranged in different directions according to the transfer direction of the flat plate P. Therefore, the transfer line becomes complicated and occupies a large installation space. do.

In the actual conveying line, in order to change the direction of the plate P or to control the rotation, a separate direction lift is provided to support the lower part of the plate P, and the direction lift lifts itself to rotate the plate P supported on the upper part. The rotation of the plate P and the rotation control are performed by rotating the plate P. According to this method, contact between the direction lift and the plate P is inevitable, and thus damage and contamination of the plate P cannot be avoided. .

Second, the conventional air-floating conveying device does not provide a stable conveying force to the flat plate (P). That is, since the air nozzle 20 disposed to be inclined at a predetermined angle along the conveying direction directly discharges air to the surface of the plate P, an air shock is generated in the plate P at the beginning of the transfer. P) is a wobbly phenomenon may not occur smooth transfer or may damage the sensitive plate (P).

Thirdly, since the airborne conveying apparatus is generally applied to conveying shock-sensitive products, it is installed in an isolated clean room having low density of dust or foreign matter.

However, in the conventional air buoyancy conveying apparatus, a large amount of air is required to discharge the air through the air nozzle 20, and the air cannot be supplied from the inside of the clean room. There is no choice but, as a conventional air buoyancy conveying apparatus, a separate device for recovering the air discharged from the air nozzle 20 is not provided, thereby causing a problem that the entire clean room is contaminated.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides an air-floating flat plate conveying device in which the air is discharged to the flat plate for the purpose of supporting and conveying the flat plate while the stable conveying force is given. The purpose is.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is an air-floating plate conveying apparatus for conveying the flat plate with air to one side, the flat plate input end formed in the normal direction with respect to the conveying direction of the flat plate and the upper portion of the flat plate input end A transport block having rounded corners over the entire span; An upper end is formed adjacent to the plate input end below the upper surface of the transfer block so as to form a nozzle unit of a normal line with respect to the conveying direction of the plate, and discharges air by discharging air in a direction in contact with the outer surface of the input end through the nozzle part. It characterized in that it comprises a nozzle block for simultaneously providing the floating force and the conveying force to the upper plate of the transfer block by inducing the air to flow along the round portion of the plate input end.

In addition, the upper end of the transfer block may be further provided with an air suction port is formed in parallel with the nozzle unit so that the air flowing between the plate and the transfer block is discharged to the outside.

In addition, the upper end of the transfer block may be further provided with an air discharge port formed in parallel with the nozzle unit for discharging air vertically toward the plate.

In this case, an air suction port may be further provided between the nozzle unit and the air discharge port so as to be parallel to the nozzle unit so that air flowing between the plate and the transfer block is discharged to the outside.

On the other hand, it is preferable that the porous member is further inserted into at least one of the air discharge port and the air suction port so as not to protrude to the upper surface of the transfer block.

In addition, one side of the transport block and the sensor for sensing the lifting height, position and speed of the plate to be transported; Respective blowers connected to the nozzle unit, an air outlet port, and an air inlet port; The controller may be electrically connected to the sensor to control the output and operation of at least one of the blowers.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments based on the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, the terms or words used in the present specification and claims are defined in the technical spirit of the present invention on the basis of the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term in order to explain his invention in the best way. It must be interpreted to mean meanings and concepts.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the present invention has a flat plate input end 111 formed in the normal direction with respect to the flat plate conveying direction, the upper edge of the flat plate input end 111 is formed in a round round transfer block over the whole ( 110 and an upper end of the nozzle block 120 disposed adjacent to the front of the plate input terminal 111 below the upper end of the plate input terminal 111 of the transfer block 110.

The nozzle block 120 may be formed integrally with the transfer block 110.

The conveying block 110 is horizontally installed along the conveying direction of the flat plate (P) and has a horizontal upper surface. When the front end into which the flat plate P is introduced from the transport block 110 is called the flat plate input end 111, the upper edge of the flat plate input end 111 formed by the flat plate input end 111 and the upper surface of the block is the entire span. Formed roundly across. The curvature of the round part 112 may be appropriately adjusted in the design stage in consideration of the flotation force and the transfer force of the flat plate (P).

The nozzle block 120 is a block having a horizontal top surface and is manufactured to have the same width as the transfer block 110. The nozzle block 120 has an upper end disposed below the upper end of the transfer block 110 in front of the plate input terminal 111 of the transfer block 110 so that the nozzle of the normal line with respect to the conveying direction of the flat plate P is disposed. The part 121 is formed. That is, the shape of the plate input terminal 111 of the transfer block 110 and the nozzle unit 121 formed by the nozzle block 120 have the same shape.

A blower (not shown) for supplying air is connected to the nozzle unit 121. The blower which comprises this invention is a general term which means a blower, a pump, and a compressor. The air obtained through the blower is discharged in the direction of contact with the flat plate input terminal 111 through the nozzle unit 121. At this time, the air discharged through the nozzle unit 121 is naturally induced to flow to the upper surface of the transfer block 110 along the round portion 112 of the flat plate input terminal 111 by the Coanda effect. In the process, a directional air layer is formed between the upper surface of the transfer block 110 and the lower surface of the plate P, and the buoyancy force and the transfer force are simultaneously applied to the plate P. Therefore, the impact due to the air discharged through the nozzle unit 121 is not generated in the transferred flat plate (P).

The coanda effect is a main theory explaining the principle of lift, and the present invention is focused on the fact that the fluid flows in close contact with the curved surface due to the coanda effect.

Therefore, the air discharged through the nozzle unit 121 flows only in the horizontal direction along the upper surface of the transfer block 110 by the Coanda effect, so that the flat plate P on the upper portion of the transfer block 110 There is no air shock.

In addition, according to the present invention, the attraction force and the repulsive force act between the transfer block 110 and the plate (P) can always maintain a constant lifting height. That is, when the lifting height between the transfer block 110 and the plate P becomes higher than the lifting height in the stable state due to external factors, the air discharged from the nozzle unit 121 passes through the plate P while receiving less resistance. Therefore, the flow rate of air flowing between the transfer block 110 and the flat plate P is increased. This can be explained by Bernoulli's principle that the static pressure decreases with increasing flow rate. Therefore, the attraction force to be approached between the transfer block 110 and the flat plate (P) acts to cause the flat plate (P) is automatically returned to the lifting height of the stable state. On the other hand, when the lift height between the transfer block 110 and the plate P is lower than the float height in a stable state by external factors, the air discharged from the nozzle unit 121 receives a large resistance and receives the plate P. Since it passes through, the flow rate of air flowing between the transfer block 110 and the plate (P) is reduced. This can be explained by Bernoulli's principle that the static pressure increases as the flow rate decreases. Therefore, the repulsive force to move away between the transfer block 110 and the plate (P) acts to this because the plate (P) is automatically returned to the lifting height of the stable state of the plate (P) in the state always stable stably It is possible to transfer.

According to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper end of the transfer block 110 is formed in parallel with the nozzle unit 121 to discharge the air discharged from the nozzle unit 121 to the outside. An air inlet 130 may be further provided. The air inlet 130 is connected to a blower (not shown) that can suck air.

Therefore, the repulsive force by the air discharged through the nozzle unit 121 acts on the conveying plate P, and at the same time, the air exits to the outside through the air inlet 130 to the center of the plate P. Since the attraction force by the plate (P) has a strong flotation stiffness in a very stable state as a whole.

The flotation stiffness is a measure of how stable the position (float height) of the flat plate is when the force acting in the vertical direction (floating direction) of the flat plate P is changed. Change amount ". Therefore, the high stiffness of levitation means that there is almost no change in the levitation height under external influences.

On the other hand, it is preferable that the porous member 150 is inserted at the upper end of the air suction port 130 so as not to protrude to the upper surface of the transfer block 110. (See FIG. 6) The porous member 150 is an air suction hole ( Induce an even air pressure distribution at 130) to allow air to be sucked in a very stable state. Here, the porous member 150 means all members having a plurality of fine pores.

To this end, an insertion groove to which the porous member 150 is coupled is formed at an upper end of the air inlet 130. The porous member 150 may be stably fixed and attached by various methods such as adhesion or bolting with the insertion groove. The reason why the porous member 150 is installed so as not to protrude to the upper surface of the transport block 110 is to prevent distortion of the air flow flowing through the transport block 110.

6 and 7, an air outlet 140 may be further provided at the upper end of the transfer block 110. The air outlet 140 is formed in parallel with the nozzle portion 121 to discharge the air vertically toward the upper plate (P) side. The air outlet 140 is connected to a blower (not shown) for supplying air from the outside.

In this case, since the air band is formed at the edge of the transfer block 110 due to the air discharged through the air outlet 140, the air discharged through the nozzle unit 121 leaks to the outside of the transfer block 110. It is certainly blocked.

Therefore, when the clean air is supplied to the air outlet 140, the clean room may be prevented from being contaminated by the air discharged through the nozzle unit 121. Here, the clean air discharged through the air outlet 140 is dust or foreign matter is filtered through the filter, the blower is installed to directly receive the clean air in the clean room in which the transfer device 100 of the present invention is installed or In addition, the general air is supplied from the outside of the clean room and passed through the internal filter to make the air clean and may be installed to supply the air outlet 140.

In this case, an air inlet is formed between the nozzle 121 and the air outlet 140 in parallel with the nozzle 121 so that air flowing between the plate P and the transfer block 110 is discharged to the outside. 130 may be further provided. In this case, since the air inlet 130 is formed between the nozzle unit 121 and the air outlet 140, it is possible to provide a flotation force for a wider area of the flat plate P.

In addition, the porous member 150 may be inserted at the upper end of the air outlet 140 similarly to the air inlet 140. Since the porous member 150 is the same as the porous member 150 inserted into the upper end of the air inlet 140, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to the present invention, by controlling the vertical height, the feed force and the flotation stiffness of the flat plate (P) through various methods according to the state of the flat plate (P) to be transferred can be controlled to be transferred in the optimum state. Factors for such control include the instantaneous speed, the instantaneous acceleration of the plate P, the air flow rate and the air pressure in the nozzle unit 121, the air inlet 130, the air outlet 140 and the like.

In order to precisely measure the above factors, a sensor S for detecting the position and speed of the plate P being transferred is installed at one side of the transfer block, and the nozzle unit 121, the air suction port 130, and the air discharge port ( 140, a Pitot Tube (not shown), a pressure converter (not shown) is installed. The sensor (S), the pitot tube, the pressure transducer is electrically connected to a control unit (not shown) to control the operation.

In addition, the control unit is electrically connected to the blower to control the operation. The blower is driven by a variable speed electric motor (not shown), and as described above, may be installed in the nozzle unit 121, the air inlet 130, and the air outlet 140, respectively, and the outlet is the nozzle unit 121. ) And the inlet may be connected to the air inlet 130. At this time, a valve for adjusting the opening degree of the connection pipe is installed at the inlet and outlet of the blower, the operation of the valve is controlled by the controller.

As such, when devices for measuring the factors for the transfer control of the flat plate P are provided, the sensor S can grasp the instant position of the flat plate P through an optical measuring method or a pressure measuring method. The control unit detects the instantaneous position of the flat plate P by differentiating the instantaneous speed, and differentiates the instantaneous speed again to grasp the instantaneous acceleration of the flat plate P. In addition, the pressure changer grasps the flow rate of air sucked or discharged from the blower through the difference between the dynamic pressure and the static pressure acting on the pitot tube.

The control unit appropriately controls the operation of the blower and the valve based on the flow rate / pressure information of the air sucked in or discharged from the blower identified by the pressure changer and the movement information of the flat plate P detected from the sensor S. By doing so, the flat plate P can be transported in an optimal state.

For example, the control unit may selectively change the flow rate of the air discharged through the nozzle unit 121 or the flow rate of the air sucked through the air suction port 130 by selectively operating the valve, By controlling the operation of the blower through a variable speed electric motor connected to the blower according to the signal, the air discharge amount and the suction amount may be properly adjusted.

According to the present invention, a plurality of air inlets 130 or air outlets 140 may be formed on the transfer block 110, and when the transfer line is long, the transfer device 100 of the present invention is moved along the transfer line. Of course, it can be arranged continuously.

The air-floating flat plate conveying apparatus 100 of the present invention having such a configuration can freely control the conveying direction of the flat plate P by changing the arrangement as follows.

<1-axis feed control>

One-axis feed control means bi-directional feed control of the flat plate P, which means that the flat plate P can perform only the feeding in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction in one direction. As shown in FIG. 8, when the flat plate feeders 100 are arranged in a line, flat plate feed control in both directions is possible. That is, when the flat plate P is positioned, the sensor S informs the control unit of the position of the flat plate P, and the control unit selects and operates the flat plate conveying apparatus 100 according to the transfer direction of the flat plate P. Can be transferred freely in both directions.

<2-axis feed control>

Two-axis feed control means the four-way feed control of the flat plate P, which means that the flat plate (P) can perform the transfer in the front, rear, left and right directions at the same time. As shown in FIG. 9, when the flat plate conveying apparatuses 100 are arranged in the front, rear, left and right directions, the plate transfer control in the front, rear, left and right directions is possible. That is, when the plate feeder 100 is selectively operated according to the transfer direction of the plate P, the plate P may be freely transferred in the front, rear, left, and right directions.

10A and 10B are examples in which the flat plate conveying apparatus 100 is radially arranged in the above manner, respectively, and reference numerals 100a and 100b are flat plate conveying apparatuses manufactured in different forms according to the radial arrangement.

<1-axis rotation control>

As shown in FIG. 11A, the plate conveying apparatuses 100 are arranged at two edges of the plate P so as to face each other in two rows, or as shown in FIG. Simultaneous operation of the transfer apparatus 100 enables rotation control of the plate in one direction.

<1-axis feed control + 1-axis rotation control>

As shown in FIG. 12, when a pair of flat plate feeders 100c, 100c or 100d, 100d that are diagonally opposed to each other at the edges of the flat plate P are arranged diagonally in the form of "X", the flat plates in both directions In addition to rotation control, it is possible to control plate transfer in both directions. That is, when the pair of flat plate feeders 100c, 100c (100d, 100d) arranged in the diagonal direction according to the rotation direction of the flat plate (P), the plate (P) can be rotated in both directions, When the pair of flat plate transfer devices 100c and 100d and 100c and 100d arranged up and down are selectively operated, the flat plate P may be transferred in both directions.

<2-axis feed control + 1-axis rotation control>

As shown in FIG. 13, a pair of flat plate conveying apparatuses 100e and 100f are arranged horizontally on the upper and lower sides of the flat plate P, and a pair of adjacently arranged adjacent plates on the left and right sides of the flat plate P is disposed. When the flat plate feeder 100g, 100h is vertically arranged, not only the flat plate transfer control in the front, rear, left and right directions, but also the plate rotation control in both directions can be performed.

In other words, by separating the plate feeder arranged in the same direction as the conveying direction according to the conveying direction of the plate (P) it is possible to transfer the plate (P) in the front, rear, left and right directions, and select the plate feeder arranged in the diagonal direction By operating, the flat plate P can be rotated in both directions.

FIG. 13B is an example in which the flat plate feeder is disposed radially in the same manner as described above, and reference numerals 100i, 100j, 100k, and 100l are flat plate feeds manufactured in different forms according to the radial arrangement. Device.

On the other hand, although not shown, if you want to stop the flat plate (P) during transport, the nozzle block 120 may be further disposed on the opposite end of the flat plate input terminal 111 of the transfer block (110). In this case, a round part 112 should be formed at the opposite end of the plate input end 111 of the transfer block 110 in the same manner as the plate input end 111. In this case, since the air discharged from the added nozzle block 120 has a direction opposite to the conveying direction of the flat plate P, the flat plate P can be stopped.

According to the air-floating flat plate conveying apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above, by forming a rounded edge of the flat plate input end of the transfer block and by disposing the nozzle block to discharge the air in the direction in contact with the outer surface of the flat plate input end The coanda effect has an effect that can be stably transferred to the plate without air shock.

In addition, the air-floating flat plate conveying apparatus according to the present invention is made in a block state is easy to install and dismantle, there is an effect that can freely control the conveying direction of the plate while changing the arrangement of the blocks.

In addition, when the air inlet is formed at the upper end of the transfer block, since the flotation stiffness is strongly applied to the plate, it is possible to transfer the plate in a stable state and at the same time recover the air discharged from the nozzle unit, thereby preventing contamination of the clean room. It may be.

In addition, when an air outlet for discharging the clean air is further formed at the upper end of the transfer block, an air band is formed at the edge of the transfer block to prevent the air discharged from the nozzle from leaking into the clean room and discharged through the air inlet. All the collected air can be recovered to prevent pollution of the clean room more efficiently.

In addition, a sensor for detecting the lifting height, position and speed of the plate conveyed to one side of the transfer block, and the output and operation of the respective blowers electrically connected to the sensor and connected to the nozzle unit, air outlet, air inlet By further comprising a control unit, the lifting height, the conveying force and the conveying direction can be precisely controlled.

While the invention has been shown and described with respect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that the invention can be variously modified and modified without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. It should be included in the scope of the invention.

Claims (6)

In the air-floating flat plate conveying device for lifting the plate with air to convey to one side, A transport block having a flat plate input end formed in a normal direction with respect to the transport direction of the flat plate, the upper edge of the flat plate input end being rounded over the entire period; And An upper end is formed adjacent to the plate input end below the upper surface of the transfer block so as to form a nozzle unit of a normal line with respect to the conveying direction of the plate, and the air is discharged in a direction in contact with the outer surface of the plate input end through the nozzle part. And a nozzle block for simultaneously supplying the floating force and the transfer force to the flat plate on the transfer block by inducing the discharged air to flow along the round portion of the plate input end to the upper surface of the transfer block. Device. The method of claim 1, The upper portion of the transfer block is formed in parallel with the nozzle unit is an air-bubble flat plate transfer device, characterized in that the air inlet is further provided to discharge the air flowing between the plate and the transfer block to the outside. The method of claim 2, The upper portion of the conveying block is formed in parallel with the nozzle portion is an air-bubble flat plate conveying apparatus, characterized in that the air outlet for further discharging the air vertically to the plate side. The method of claim 3, wherein The air inlet flat plate conveying apparatus, characterized in that formed between the nozzle portion and the air outlet. The method according to claim 3 or 4, And at least one of the air outlet port and the air inlet port is further provided with a porous member so as not to protrude to an upper surface of the transfer block. The method of claim 5, On one side of the transfer block Sensor for sensing the lift height, position and speed of the plate to be transported; Respective blowers connected to the nozzle unit, an air outlet port, and an air inlet port; And And a control unit electrically connected to the sensor to control an output and an operation of at least one of the blowers.

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