KR20070068889A - Pad assembly for robot which is transferring glass - Google Patents

Abstract

A pad assembly for a glass substrate transfer robot is provided to prevent the damage of a glass substrate due to a weak friction by securing the friction against the glass substrate enough using an increased area of a substrate contact portion. A pad assembly for a glass substrate transfer robot includes a connecting portion, a substrate contact body and a substrate contact portion. The connecting portion(22) is connected to an arm of the transfer robot. The substrate contact body(24) is fixed to the connecting portion through a lower surface. An upper surface of the substrate contact body is protruded from the arm. The substrate contact body is used for supporting a glass substrate. The substrate contact portion(26) is used as the upper surface of the substrate contact body. The substrate contact portion is capable of forming the friction against the glass substrate on a substantially entire surface except a predetermined groove. The substrate contact body is formed like a disc type structure.

Description

Pad assembly for robot which is transferring glass}

1 is a schematic partial enlarged view of a transport robot provided with a pad assembly for a glass substrate transport robot according to the prior art;

2 is a plan view of the pad assembly for a glass substrate transfer robot shown in FIG.

3 is a side view of FIG.

4 is a schematic operation state diagram of the glass substrate transfer robot according to the present invention,

5 is a partially enlarged view showing a pad assembly provided in the transfer robot shown in FIG.

6 is a plan view of the pad assembly for the glass substrate transfer robot shown in FIG.

7 is a side view of FIG. 6;

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

1,5: Chamber 10: transfer robot

12: body 14: arm

20 pad assembly 22 coupling portion

24: substrate contact body 26: substrate contact

28 groove

The present invention relates to a pad assembly for a glass substrate transfer robot, and more particularly, to increase the area of the substrate contact portion, which is the upper surface of the substrate contact body in contact with the glass substrate, thereby securing frictional force against the glass substrate. It relates to a pad assembly for a glass substrate transfer robot that can prevent the glass substrate from being damaged during transfer.

The term refers to a TV, a computer monitor, or a liquid crystal of a notebook computer. The display device is provided with a so-called panel as a means for forming an image. Panels are mainly made of glass substrates.

Conventional glass substrates include a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), organic light emitting diodes (OLED), and the like.

CRT refers to cathode ray tube, also known as CRT. It refers to a device that converts an electric signal into an optical image by emitting an electron beam onto a fluorescent surface. This CRT has the disadvantage that its volume is large.

LCD is a device using a kind of optical switch that displays numbers or images by generating contrast by injecting liquid crystal, which is an intermediate material between solid and liquid, between two thin glass plates and changing the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules by the voltage difference between the upper and lower glass plates. All.

According to the driving method, the passive matrix method and the active matrix method are classified into TN (Twisted Nematic) and STN (Super-Twisted Nematic), and the active matrix method includes TFT (Thin Film Transistor). Currently, LCDs are in the spotlight as one of the alternatives to CRTs.

PDP puts Ne + Ar, Ne + Xe, etc. gas between the front glass and the back glass and the glass enclosed by the partition therebetween, and applies a voltage through the anode and cathode electrodes to emit neon light to display the light. The electronic display device to be used is referred to.

PDP is not only high display quality due to large panel, but also fast response time, high reliability and long life.

OLED is also called organic diode, organic EL. It refers to a "self-emitting organic material" that emits light by using electroluminescence which emits light when a current flows through the fluorescent organic compound.

It can be driven at low voltages and can be made thin. With wide viewing angle and fast response speed, unlike normal LCD, the image quality does not change even when viewed from the side, and there is no afterimage on the screen. In addition, the small screen has an advantageous price competitiveness due to the image quality of LCD and simple manufacturing process. It is in the spotlight as the next generation display.

Among these kinds of glass substrates, the manufacturing process of TFT-LCD, which is widely used as a liquid crystal of a TV, a computer monitor, or a notebook computer, is briefly described as follows.

The TFT-LCD manufacturing process is largely divided into three parts: the TFT process, the cell process, and the module process.

The TFT process is very similar to the semiconductor fabrication process, and is a process of arranging thin film transistors on a glass substrate by repeating deposition, photolithography, and etching.

Unlike semiconductors in that glass substrates are used instead of wafers, semiconductor processes have a process temperature of about 1,000 degrees, while TFT processes use glass substrates, and therefore, process temperatures of 300 to 500 degrees are required. It's a trickier technique.

In the cell process, an alignment layer is formed on a TFT lower plate and an upper plate on which a color filter is formed, the alignment is performed to align the liquid crystals well on the alignment layer, and then the spacers are dispersed and sealed. It is a process of printing and bonding. After the bonding, the liquid crystal is injected into the interior using a capillary phenomenon, and then the LCD process is finished by sealing the injection hole.

The module process is the step of determining the product quality finally delivered to the user. The module is completed by attaching a polarizing plate to the completed panel, mounting a driver IC, and then assembling a printed circuit board (PCB) to finally assemble a backlight unit and an apparatus.

Like this, glass substrates are not only various but also released through a number of processes and steps as a finished product. Therefore, each process is equipped with a chamber for performing the process, as well as a robot for transferring the glass substrate to the chamber. This is called a glass substrate transfer robot.

The glass substrate transfer robot grips the glass substrate and transfers the glass substrate to the chamber or takes out the glass substrate which has been processed in the chamber.

1 is a schematic enlarged partial view of a transport robot provided with a pad assembly for a glass substrate transport robot according to the prior art, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the pad assembly for a glass substrate transport robot shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 is a side view.

Although not shown in detail, the arm 114 of the transfer robot is provided with a pad assembly 120, as shown in FIG. 1.

The so-called SMD 850B (X) System is provided with a glass substrate transfer robot that grips the glass substrate by vacuum action, and the arm 114 of the transfer robot is equipped with a total of 104 pad assemblies 120.

2 and 3, the pad assembly 120 extends from the substrate contact body 124 having an upper surface directly contacting the glass substrate (not shown), and the arm 114 extending from the substrate contact body 124. ) Has a coupling portion 122 coupled thereto.

The substrate contact portion 126 formed on the upper surface of the substrate contact body 124 has a relatively circular arc shape and is arranged in pairs to be spaced apart from each other to support the glass substrate.

The substrate contact body 124 prevents static electricity from occurring on the glass substrate when the glass substrate is brought into contact with the substrate contact portion 126 and prevents the glass substrate from slipping and falling or being damaged by hitting the surrounding structure. It plays a role.

However, in the conventional pad assembly 120 having such a structure, since the area of the substrate contact portion 126 formed on the upper surface of the substrate contact body 124 is substantially narrow, there are few portions in contact with the glass substrate, so that the glass substrate is small. It is difficult to secure large frictional force with.

Therefore, in the case of long-term use, especially, about 2 months, since the friction force is reduced to 1/2 level compared with the existing one, the pad assembly 120 needs to be replaced every 2 months, thereby increasing the replacement cost and stopping work during the replacement operation. Cause Loss.

In particular, when the area of the substrate contact portion 126 formed on the upper surface of the substrate contact body 124 is small and the friction force with the glass substrate is not maintained, the glass substrate may be shaken in the process of transferring the glass substrate by the transfer robot. There is a high possibility of damage to the glass substrate, such as falling.

In addition, the conventional pad assembly 120 has a relatively small thickness H1 of the substrate contact body 124 and a small protruding height from the surface of the arm 114. In the above equipment, the thickness H1 of the substrate contact body 124 is about 3 mm. Therefore, it may be easily worn, which may cause damage to the glass substrate by directly hitting the arm 114 of the transfer robot.

In particular, when a slim glass substrate is to be transferred, since the thickness H1 of the substrate contact body 124 is small, the glass substrate is directly in contact with the arm 114 and is damaged frequently. Therefore, there is a problem that can not be applied to a slim glass substrate of less than 0.5t (Slim).

An object of the present invention is to increase the area of the substrate contact portion, which is the upper surface of the substrate contact body in contact with the glass substrate to secure the friction force on the glass substrate, thereby preventing the glass substrate from being damaged during transportation due to the slight frictional force. It provides a pad assembly for a transfer robot.

Another object of the present invention is to increase the height of the substrate contact body to increase the height of protrusion from the surface of the arm to solve the general problem caused by the glass substrate directly hit the arm, and furthermore, 0.5t or less It is to provide a pad assembly for the glass substrate transfer robot that can be applied to the transfer of the slim (Slim) glass substrate.

The object is a coupling portion detachably coupled to the arm of the transfer robot for transporting a predetermined glass substrate; A lower surface is fixed to the coupling portion and an upper surface protrudes a predetermined height toward the upper side of the arm to support the glass substrate; And a substrate contact portion forming an upper surface of the substrate contact body and contacting the glass substrate to form a frictional force in substantially all areas except a predetermined groove formed on the upper surface of the substrate contact body. Is achieved by.

Here, the substrate contact body has a disk shape.

The groove is recessed a predetermined depth along a top diameter of the substrate contact body.

The groove includes a relatively wide first groove portion; And a second groove portion recessed further toward the engaging portion in the central region of the first groove portion.

The width of the first groove portion may be narrower than the cross-sectional diameter of the coupling portion.

The substrate contact portion has a pair of semicircular shapes formed symmetrically with the groove interposed therebetween.

The surface of the substrate contact portion may be roughened.

Preferably, the substrate contact body has a thickness of at least 3 mm.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

4 is a schematic operation state diagram of the glass substrate transfer robot according to the present invention, Figure 5 is a partially enlarged view showing a pad assembly provided in the transfer robot shown in FIG.

Referring to these drawings, a plurality of chambers 1, 5 and chambers are provided in the process line through which the glass substrate G is moved. If necessary, three or more chambers 1 and 5 may be provided. In this embodiment, it is assumed that two chambers 1 and 5 are provided in the line.

Since the glass substrate G is very sensitive to scratches, the slits S supporting the glass substrate G are formed in the chambers 1 and 5.

The glass substrate G to be transferred provided in one of the two chambers 1 and 5 is transferred toward the other. This is the transfer robot 10 provided between each chamber (1,5).

The transfer robot 10 has a body portion 12 and an arm 14 provided on one side of the body portion 12 to hold the glass substrate G. Usually, since the glass substrate G is substantially large in area, the arm 14 of the transfer robot 10 holds the lower surface of the glass substrate G like a human arm, and then holds the glass. The substrate G is moved.

Thus, the arm 14 is rotatable with respect to the body portion 12, and is provided to extend and retract in length in place. Of course, after the arm 14 rotates with respect to the body portion 12, it is also possible to transfer the glass substrate G while the body portion 12 moves in one direction.

As described above, the glass substrate G is very sensitive to scratches. Therefore, when it is placed on the arm 14 of the transfer robot 10 as it is conveyed, defects due to scratches cannot be avoided.

In addition, after the glass substrate G is placed on the arm 14, when the transfer robot 10 moves or rotates, static electricity is generated on the glass substrate G as well as the glass substrate G slips and falls around. It can only be damaged by hitting the structure.

Thus, the arm 14 of the transfer robot 10, as described later, a plurality of pad assembly 20 is provided to more stably support the glass substrate (G). Typically, in the case of the SMD 850B (X) System as shown in FIG. 4, 52 pad assemblies 20 are provided.

6 is a plan view of the pad assembly for the glass substrate transfer robot shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 6.

Referring to these figures, the pad assembly 20 for a glass substrate transfer robot according to the present invention includes a coupling part 22, a substrate contact body 24, and a substrate contact part 26.

Coupling portion 22 is a portion coupled to the arm 14 of the transfer robot 10 for transporting the glass substrate (G). The coupling portion 22 may be applied as a hook type, or may be applied as a screw type as shown.

The threaded portion 22a is formed in the engaging portion 22 and the threaded groove 14b is formed in the arm 14 for the threaded application. Of course, referring to Figure 5, the arm 14 is further formed with a pad receiving groove (14a) for the pad assembly 20 is fitted.

The lower surface of the substrate contact body 24 is fixed to the coupling portion 22, and the upper surface of the substrate contact body 24 protrudes a predetermined height above the arm 14 to support the glass substrate G.

The thickness H2 of the substrate contact body 24 is formed at least larger than 3 mm, which is the thickness of the substrate contact body 124 (see FIG. 3) mentioned in the prior art. In this embodiment, it is set to 5 mm.

As such, when the thickness H2 of the substrate contact body 24 is increased as compared with the prior art, the height of protrusion from the surface of the arm 14 increases. Therefore, the wear time can be as long as it can be used longer than conventional. Indeed, when using the pad assembly 20 according to the present embodiment, there is an advantage that the replacement cycle of the pad assembly 20 can be extended to six months or more.

In addition, when the thickness H2 of the substrate contact body 24 is increased, the glass substrate G directly hits the arm 14 of the transfer robot 10, thereby lowering the frequency of damage.

In particular, even when the slim glass substrate G is transferred, the frequency H2 of the glass substrate G directly contacts the arm 14 is reduced because the thickness H2 of the substrate contact body 24 is large. Therefore, in the present embodiment, there is an advantage that can be sufficiently applied to a slim glass substrate of 0.5t or less.

The substrate contact body 24 has a disk shape. The groove 28 formed on the upper surface of the substrate contact body 24 is recessed to a predetermined depth along a diameter of the upper surface of the substrate contact body 24.

The groove 28 has a relatively wide first groove portion 28a and a second groove portion 28b which is further recessed toward the coupling portion 22 in the central region of the first groove portion 28a. Take the step shape with. At this time, the width of the first groove portion 28a is formed narrower than the cross-sectional diameter of the coupling portion 22.

On the other hand, the substrate contact portion 26 forms an upper surface of the substrate contact body 24. Thus, the substrate contact portion 26 and the substrate contact body 24 are substantially the same member.

As described above, the substrate contact portion 26 forms frictional force by contacting the glass substrate G in substantially the entire area except for the predetermined groove 28 formed on the upper surface of the substrate contact body 24.

Thus, the substrate contact portion 26 has a pair of semicircular shapes formed symmetrically with each other with the groove 28 therebetween. Thus, by increasing the area of the substrate contact portion 26 directly in contact with the glass substrate (G) much larger than in the prior art, the area in contact with the glass substrate (G) is widened to secure a large friction force with the glass substrate (G). have. In fact, this product can secure a friction force of 1.7 kg f / ㎠ or more even after 4 months of use.

Therefore, there is no need to replace the pad assembly 20 from time to time because it can be used much longer than the prior art. Thus, the replacement cost can be reduced, and an effect of reducing loss caused by the replacement operation can be achieved.

In particular, since the area of the substrate contact portion 26 formed on the upper surface of the substrate contact body 24 is large, a greater frictional force with the glass substrate G can be ensured, so that the transfer robot 10 grips the glass substrate G. Glass substrate (G) does not shake or fall in the process of conveying. Therefore, the possibility of breakage of the glass substrate G can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the surface of the substrate contact portion 26 is subjected to a predetermined roughness to hold the glass substrate G more stably. However, this is only one embodiment, and it is not necessary to perform roughness processing. However, as in the present embodiment, as the substrate contact portion 26 is widened, the contact area with the glass substrate G increases, and staining of the glass substrate G may be solved by roughening.

As described above, according to the present invention, the frictional force against the glass substrate G is secured by increasing the area of the substrate contact portion 26 which is the upper surface of the substrate contact body 24 in contact with the glass substrate G. The glass substrate G can be prevented from being damaged during transfer.

In addition, by increasing the thickness H2 of the substrate contact body 24 relatively to increase the height of protruding from the surface of the arm 14, the general problem that the glass substrate G directly hits the arm 14 occurs. Not only can be solved, but also it can be applied to the transfer of a slim glass substrate (G) of 0.5t or less.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto.

In the above-described embodiment, the substrate contact body has a disk shape, but may have a quadrangular shape, a triangular shape, or other polygonal shape.

In the above embodiment, the pad assembly is provided directly on the arm, but the square plate provided with the pad assembly may be attached to the arm of the transfer robot.

In the above-described embodiment, the material of the pad is used as the O-ring, but the material of Viton may be used.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, such modifications or variations will have to be belong to the claims of the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, by increasing the area of the substrate contact portion, which is the upper surface of the substrate contact body in contact with the glass substrate to secure the friction force on the glass substrate, it is possible to prevent the glass substrate from being damaged during transportation due to the inferior friction force. It can be effective.

In addition, according to the present invention, by increasing the thickness of the substrate contact body relatively to increase the height of the protrusion from the surface of the arm not only can solve the general problem caused by the glass substrate directly hit the arm, but also less than 0.5t There is an effect that can be applied to the transfer of a slim glass substrate.

Claims (8)

A coupling part detachably coupled to an arm of a transfer robot that transfers a predetermined glass substrate; A lower surface is fixed to the coupling portion and an upper surface protrudes a predetermined height toward the upper side of the arm to support the glass substrate; And A substrate contact portion which forms an upper surface of the substrate contact body and contacts the glass substrate in substantially all regions except for a predetermined groove formed on the upper surface of the substrate contact body; Pad assembly for glass substrate transfer robot comprising a. The method of claim 1, The substrate contact body is a pad assembly for a glass substrate transfer robot, characterized in that having a disk shape. The method of claim 2, The groove is a pad assembly for a glass substrate transfer robot, characterized in that the groove has a predetermined width and a predetermined depth along the upper surface diameter of the substrate contact body. The method of claim 3, The groove is, A relatively wide first groove portion; And The pad assembly for the glass substrate transfer robot, characterized in that the step shape having a second groove portion further recessed toward the coupling portion in the central region of the first groove portion. The method of claim 4, wherein The width of the first groove portion is pad assembly for a glass substrate transfer robot, characterized in that narrower than the cross-sectional diameter of the coupling portion. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The substrate contact portion is a pad assembly for a glass substrate transfer robot, characterized in that the pair of semi-circular shape formed symmetrically with the groove therebetween. The method of claim 6, The surface of the substrate contact portion is a pad assembly for a glass substrate transfer robot, characterized in that the predetermined roughness processing. The method of claim 1, The thickness of the substrate contact body is greater than at least 3 mm pad assembly for a glass substrate transfer robot.

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