KR101998582B1 - Multi tray automatic guided vehicles system - Google Patents

Abstract

A multi-tray unmanned conveyance truck system is disclosed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a multi-tray unmanned conveying and billing system includes: an unmanned conveying truck; And a multiaxial articulated robot which is mounted on an unmanned conveyance bogie and carries out re-work of trays while driving in a horizontal or vertical direction.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a multi-tray automatic guided vehicle system,

The present invention relates to a multi-tray unmanned conveyance truck system, and more particularly, to a multi-axis articulated robot system, unlike the prior art, it is possible to carry out transfer operations in the front, back, It is possible to re-transfer the tray to a large number of ports and to re-transfer the tray even in the case of a two-port port having a large height difference, so that the multi-tray unmanned To a conveyance truck system.

Recently, as the electronic display industry has rapidly developed in the semiconductor industry, flat panel displays (FPDs) have continued to develop. Flat panel displays include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs).

Among flat panel displays, OLEDs are divided into passive PMOLEDs and active AMOLEDs depending on the driving method. AMOLED is a self-emissive display that has a faster response speed than conventional displays, has a natural color and has low power consumption. In addition, AMOLED can be applied to a flexible panel which is thin and easily bendable instead of a glass panel, and can realize the technology of a flexible display.

On the other hand, a small-size flat panel display (substrate) applied to a flat panel display, particularly a mobile phone or the like, is moved in a predetermined tray, and the process is shifted. Of course, other items than the substrate may be mounted on the tray.

In the conventional tray unmanned conveying and balancing system, which has been operated in a conventional clean room, a single-axis orthogonal robot, particularly a single-axis orthogonal robot driven only in the horizontal direction, is mounted on a conveyance truck, So as to be transferred.

However, when a single-axis orthogonal robot is applied as in the prior art, it is possible to re-transfer the tray only to one or two or three ports in a state where the transport bogie is stationary, There is a problem that the efficiency is low and a tact time is required.

This means that most of the factory's tray handling facilities are composed of 1 to 8 ports or 1 to 12 ports. Therefore, the existing tray unmanned conveyance truck can be used to re-transfer trays to all ports. In order to proceed, the frequent movement of the bogie is inevitable, which leads to the problem that it takes a lot of tact time.

In addition, in the case of a tray unmanned conveyance system in which a single-axis orthogonal robot is applied as in the past, due to the structural limitations, it is difficult to deal with transfer operations in a two-stage port having a height difference of, for example, 200 mm or more, There is a need for a new concept multi-tray unmanned bogie system that is not known before.

Korea Patent Office Application No. 10-2012-0036304

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-joint articulated robot capable of performing rearward, The present invention also provides a multi-tray unmanned conveyance system capable of significantly reducing the tact time because the tray can be relocated even when the tray is in a high-height two-port or more.

According to an aspect of the present invention, an unmanned conveyance truck, And a multiaxial multi-joint robot mounted on the unmanned conveyance bogie and performing a re-work of trays while being driven in a horizontal or vertical direction.

And a transfer position correcting unit for correcting the transfer position of the tray by interaction with a predetermined tray handling facility.

The transfer position correcting unit may be mounted on the multiaxial articulated robot.

Wherein the multiaxial articulated robot includes: a robot base fixed to the floor of the unmanned conveyance truck; A plurality of articulated arms connected to the robot base and driven in a horizontal or vertical direction; And a pick-up hand provided at an end of the plurality of articulated arms and picking up the tray.

Wherein the plurality of articulated arms include: a first arm rotatably connected to the robot base; A second arm connected to an end of the first arm so as to be rotatable relative to the first arm; And a third arm connected to the end of the second arm so as to be rotatable relative to the second arm, and the pick-up hand may be coupled to the end of the third arm.

Wherein the pick-up hand comprises: a hand body having an arm coupling portion to which an end of the third arm is coupled; And a tray finger connected to the hand body and clamping the tray.

The transfer position correcting unit may be mounted on a pick-up hand of the multiaxial articulated robot.

The transfer position correcting unit may include a vision camera disposed on one side of the pick-up hand and provided for correcting front, back, right and left or rotational position of the tray on the plane.

The transfer position correcting unit may further include a laser displacement sensor disposed on the other side of the pick-up hand and provided for correcting the vertical position of the tray.

And a controller for controlling the operation of the multiaxis articulated robot based on the information from the vision camera or the laser displacement sensor.

The unmanned conveying bogie includes a cab lower cabinet; And a cab upper cabinet disposed at an upper portion of the lower cabinet and having a larger volume than the cab lower cabinet and having an opening formed at one side thereof so that a part of the multi-axis joint robot can be taken in and out.

And the other surface of the upper cabinet except the opening may form a safety cover.

The unmanned conveying bogie may further include a light curtain irradiated into the cabin upper cabinet.

The light curtain may be disposed in a corner area in the cab top cabinet.

According to the present invention, since the multiaxial articulated robot is applied, it is possible to re-work the trays back, forth, or up and down, unlike the prior art, In addition, it is possible to carry out re-work of the tray even in a two-stage port having a large height difference, which can significantly reduce the tact time.

1 is a perspective view of a multi-tray unmanned conveyance truck system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which a multi-axis articulated robot is partially operated in FIG.
Figure 3 is a side view of Figure 2;
4 is a side view of a multi-axis articulated robot that picks up a tray.
5 is an enlarged perspective view of the pick-up hand area of FIG.
6 is a use state plan view of a multi-tray unmanned conveyance truck system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 7 is a side view of Fig. 6. Fig.
8 is a control block diagram of a multi-tray unmanned conveying and billing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In order to fully understand the present invention, operational advantages of the present invention, and objects achieved by the practice of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference symbols in the drawings denote like elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multi-tray unmanned conveyance truck system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a state in which a multi-axis articulated robot is partially operated in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 4 is a side view of a multiaxial articulated robot that picks up a tray, FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the pick-up hand area of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a plan view of the multitier unmanned conveyance truck system according to an embodiment of the present invention FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a control block diagram of a multi-tray unmanned conveying and billing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to these drawings, since the multi-axis articulated robot 140 according to the present embodiment is applied to the multi-tray unmanned conveyance truck system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to carry out transfer work in the front, back, It is possible to re-transfer the tray to a larger number of ports (see FIG. 7) than the conventional one at one place, and to re-transfer the tray even in a two-port or more port (see FIG. 7) So that the tact time can be significantly reduced.

The multi-tray unmanned conveying and delivering system according to the present embodiment, which can provide the above-described effects, includes an unmanned conveying truck 110, an unmanned conveying truck 110 mounted on the unmanned conveying truck 110, And a multiaxial articulated robot 140 for performing transfer rework.

As mentioned above, a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) So that the process can be moved. Although illustrated schematically in the figure, each tray has a plurality of substrate seating grooves (not shown) on which the substrates are mounted.

The tray on which the substrate is placed is moved from the tray handling facility W to the tray handling facility W through the multi-tray unmanned conveyance truck system according to the present embodiment, . Since the multi-tray unmanned conveyance truck system, which is different from the conventional one, that is, the multi-shaft articulated robot 140 is applied to the tray movement, unlike the prior art, it is possible to perform the transfer operation in the forward, The tray can be relocated to a larger number of ports than the conventional one (see FIG. 7), and transfer reworking of the tray can be performed even in a two-tiered port (see FIG. 7) will be.

For reference, the present embodiment discloses a tray on which a substrate is placed, but an item other than a substrate may be mounted on the tray, all of which are within the scope of the present invention.

A detailed structure of the multi-tray unmanned conveyance truck system according to the present embodiment will be described. First, the unmanned conveyance truck 110 is an unmanned truck.

As mentioned above, the unmanned conveying bogie 110 can be used for producing parts necessary for production in a workshop such as a clean room, for example, when moving a tray containing a substrate as described above.

The unmanned conveyance truck 110 may move freely on the floor of the clean room, or may be disposed on the orbit to travel along a predetermined orbit. Any form whatsoever will be within the scope of the present invention.

The unmanned conveyance truck 110 may include a lower cabinet 120 and a cab upper cabinet 130.

The truck upper cabinet 130 is disposed at an upper portion of the lower cabinet 120 and has a larger volume than the lower cabinet 120. An open portion 131 is formed on one side of the bogie upper cabinet 130 so that a part of the multiaxial articulated robot 140 can enter and exit.

The other surface of the upper cabinet 130 except for the openings 131 forms a safety cover 132. Since the safety cover 132 is provided as described above, it is possible to ensure the safety of workers located in the periphery.

A light curtain (133) is provided in the upper cabinet (130). The light curtain 133 is a means for irradiating light into the truck upper cabinet 130. The light curtain 133 is disposed in a corner area in the cab top 130 and can irradiate light into the upper cabinet 130 at the corresponding position.

A display 134 is provided on the outer surface of the upper cabinet 130 to output various information such as an input of a controller 160 to be described later and information on a work situation such as where the tray is to be moved. The display 134 may be applied as a touch panel.

At the upper part of the display 134, warning means 135 may be provided to inform the operator of the danger or to indicate an error of the equipment. The warning means 135 may be realized by a combination of a lamp and a buzzer.

A plurality of doors (137) are provided on the outer wall of the upper cabinet (130). It is possible to perform various installation and maintenance operations on the internal devices by opening / closing the plurality of doors 137.

Next, the multiaxial articulated robot 140 is mounted on the unmanned conveyance truck 110, and is a robot for moving the tray while moving in a horizontal or vertical direction.

The multiaxis articulated robot 140 includes a robot base 141 fixed to the floor of the unmanned conveying bogie 110 and a plurality of articulated arms 143 connected to the robot base 141 and driven in a horizontal or vertical direction, And a pickup hand 145 provided at an end of the plurality of articulated arms 143 and picking up the tray.

The plurality of articulated arms 143 include a first arm 143a rotatably connected to the robot base 141 and a second arm 143b rotatably connected to the first arm 143a so as to be rotatable relative to the first arm 143a. And a third arm 143c connected to the end of the second arm 143b so as to be rotatable relative to the second arm 143b.

In the structure of the multi-joint arm 143, the pick-up hand 145 is coupled to the end of the third arm 143c. The pick-up hand 145 is provided with the arm coupling portion 146 (see Fig. 5) for coupling the pickup hand 145 to the end of the third arm 143c.

Since the multiaxial articulated robot 140, which is different from the conventional single-axis orthogonal robot, has the articulated arm 143, the multileaxial articulated robot 140 can be moved horizontally or vertically while re-transferring the tray. Therefore, it is possible to rewind the trays back and forth or up and down directions, and it is possible to re-transfer the trays to a larger number of ports (see Fig. 7) than in the past. Further, It is possible to carry out the transfer rework of the tray even in the case of the port (see FIG. 7).

The pick-up hand 145 includes a hand body 147 having an arm engaging portion 146 to which an end of the third arm 143c is engaged, a tray finger 145 connected to the hand body 147, (Not shown).

On the other hand, the multi-tray unmanned conveyance truck system according to the present embodiment is provided with a transfer position correcting unit 150 for correcting the transfer position of the tray by interaction with the tray handling apparatus W (Figs. 6 and 7) . You must calibrate the transfer position to the tray to transfer the tray to the correct port.

In the present embodiment, the transfer position correcting unit 150 includes a vision camera 153 and a laser displacement sensor 151 mounted on the multiaxial articulated robot 140. Particularly, the vision camera 153 and the laser displacement sensor 151 are mounted on the pick-up hand 145 of the multi-axis articulated robot 140 as shown in FIG.

Since the vision camera 153 and the laser displacement sensor 151 constituting the transfer position correcting unit 150 are mounted on the pickup hand 145 of the multiaxis articulated robot 140, It is advantageous to correct the transfer position.

The vision camera 153 is disposed on one side of the pick-up hand 145 and is provided for correcting the front, back, left, right, or rotational position of the tray on the plane. Right, left, or rotational position correction for the tray on the plane through the image information of the vision camera 153. [

The laser displacement sensor 151 is disposed on the other side of the pick-up hand 145 and is provided for correcting the vertical position of the tray. That is, the laser displacement sensor 151 detects the height of the tray at the corresponding position.

Thus, in the case of this embodiment, the positional correction in the substantially plane X-axis, Y-axis, and θ-axis directions can be performed by moving forward, backward, rightward or leftward or rotational position correction with the vision camera 153. The positional correction for the height is implemented by individual teaching of each port. For this purpose, the laser displacement sensor 151 is applied.

In this embodiment, the vision camera 153 and the laser displacement sensor 151 are mounted on the pick-up hand 145 of the multiaxis articulated robot 140 so that the vertical direction of the tray relative to the X-, Y-, It is possible to perform the position correction in the Z axis direction, thereby enabling the more accurate transfer rework to proceed without generating an error.

In order to control the operation of the multiaxial articulated robot 140 through the transfer position correcting unit 150, a controller 160 is provided in the multi-tray unmanned conveying and billing system according to the present embodiment.

The controller 160 controls the operation of the multiaxis articulated robot 140 based on the information from the vision camera 153 or the laser displacement sensor 151 constituting the transfer position correcting unit 150. [

The controller 160 performing such a role may include a central processing unit (CPU) 161, a memory 162, and a support circuit 163 (SUPPORT CIRCUIT).

The central processing unit 161 controls the operation of the multiaxis articulated robot 140 based on the information from the vision camera 153 or the laser displacement sensor 151 constituting the transfer position correcting unit 150 in this embodiment And may be one of a variety of computer processors that may be industrially applicable.

The memory 162 (MEMORY) is connected to the central processing unit 161. [ The memory 162 may be a computer-readable recording medium and may be located locally or remotely and may be any of various types of storage devices, including, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a ROM, a floppy disk, May be at least one or more memories.

A support circuit 163 (SUPPORT CIRCUIT) is coupled with the central processing unit 161 to support the typical operation of the processor. Such a support circuit 163 may include a cache, a power supply, a clock circuit, an input / output circuit, a subsystem, and the like.

The controller 160 controls the operation of the multiaxis articulated robot 140 based on the information from the vision camera 153 or the laser displacement sensor 151 constituting the transfer position correcting unit 150. In this embodiment, At this time, a series of processes or the like in which the controller 160 controls the operation of the multiaxis articulated robot 140 based on the information from the vision camera 153 or the laser displacement sensor 151 can be stored in the memory 162 have. Typically, a software routine may be stored in the memory 162. The software routines may also be stored or executed by other central processing units (not shown).

Although processes according to the present invention are described as being performed by software routines, it is also possible that at least some of the processes of the present invention may be performed by hardware. As such, the processes of the present invention may be implemented in software executed on a computer system, or in hardware such as an integrated circuit, or in combination of software and hardware.

According to the present embodiment having the structure and function as described above, since the multiaxial articulated robot 140 is applied, unlike the conventional art, it is possible to perform the transfer operation in the front, rear, or up and down directions for the tray, The transfer of the tray can be reworked to the number port (see FIG. 7), and the re-work of the tray can be performed even in a two-port or more port (see FIG. 7) ) Can be remarkably reduced.

In particular, due to structural limitations, many modifications and changes to the part responsible for transferring from the tray handling facility (W) have been necessary to correct the position of the tray. However, due to the structural limitations, It was not possible to cope with a facility equipped with a port of a structure.

However, in the present embodiment, the vision camera 153 and the laser displacement sensor 151 are mounted on the pick-up hand 145 of the multiaxis articulated robot 140 so that the plane X, Y, It is possible to correct the position in the Z-axis direction, which is vertical, so that more accurate transfer rework can be performed without occurrence of an error.

In particular, position correction for the tray can be made without modification of the tray handling facility W. Also, it is possible to migrate from 1 to 8 ports or from 1 to 12 ports in one fixed position, even if it does not move as usual, so that the tact time can be remarkably reduced, thereby improving the productivity.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. It is therefore intended that such modifications or alterations be within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

W: Tray handling facility 110: Unmanned conveyance truck
120: cab lower cabinet 130: cab upper cabinet
131: opening part 132: safety cover
133: Light Curtain 140: Multiaxial articulated robot
141: robot base 143: multi-joint arm
143a: first arm 143b: second arm
143c: third arm 145: pickup hand
150: transfer position correcting unit 151: laser displacement sensor
153: vision camera 160: controller

Claims (14)

Unmanned buggies;
A multiaxial articulated robot mounted on the automatic unmanned conveyance bogie for performing a transfer operation of a tray while being driven in a horizontal or vertical direction;
A vision camera mounted on the multiaxial articulated robot and provided for correcting front, rear, right and left or rotational positions of the tray on a plane; and a laser displacement sensor provided for correcting the vertical position of the tray, A transfer position correcting unit for correcting a transfer repositioning position with respect to the tray by interaction with a tray handling facility; And
And a controller for controlling the operation of the multiaxis articulated robot based on information from the vision camera or the laser displacement sensor,
The unmanned conveying bogie includes:
Cabin bottom cabinet; And
A cab upper cabinet disposed at an upper portion of the lower cabinet and having a larger volume than the cab lower cabinet and having an opening formed at one side thereof so that a part of the multi-
The multiaxial articulated robot includes:
A robot base fixed to the floor of the unmanned conveying bogie;
A plurality of articulated arms connected to the robot base and driven in a horizontal or vertical direction; And
And a pick-up hand provided at an end of the plurality of articulated arms and picking up the tray,
Wherein the transfer repositioning correction unit is mounted on a pick-up hand of the multiaxial articulated robot. delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of articulated arms comprise:
A first arm rotatably connected to the robot base;
A second arm connected to an end of the first arm so as to be rotatable relative to the first arm; And
And a third arm connected to an end of the second arm so as to be rotatable relative to the second arm,
And the pick-up hand is coupled to the end of the third arm. 6. The method of claim 5,
The pick-
A hand body having an arm coupling portion to which an end of the third arm is coupled; And
And a tray finger which is connected to the hand body and clamps the tray. delete delete delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
And the other surface of the upper cabinet except the opening portion forms a safety cover. The method according to claim 1,
The unmanned conveying bogie includes:
Further comprising a light curtain illuminated into the cabin top cabinet. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 16 > 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the light curtain is disposed in a corner area in the cab top cabinet.

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