KR20070079152A - Stocker apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A stocker apparatus is provided to considerably improve workability and reduce costs for a line set-up by handling a cassette and directly handling each glass substrate by one apparatus. A stocker apparatus includes a stocker main body(10), a cassette fork part(20), and a glass fork part(30). A plurality of shelves receive a cassette. The stocker main body is movably installed between the plurality of shelves. The cassette fork part is coupled to the stocker main body. The cassette fork part handles the cassette to load the cassette on the shelves or to discharge the cassette from the shelves. The glass fork part is coupled to the stocker main body and directly handles the glass substrate. The glass substrate is received in the cassette.

Description

Stocker Apparatus}

1 is a perspective view of a stocker device according to a conventional embodiment.

2 is a perspective view of a stocker device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view for describing the vertical driving unit of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a state in which the glass fork portion of the stocker device of FIG. 2 is moved in association with the movement of the cassette fork portion.

5 to 6 are perspective views schematically illustrating an operation process of the second robot arm of the glass fork part of FIG. 2.

7 is a perspective view of a stocker device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

           1: Stocker device 10: Stocker body

          11: vertical frame 13: lower frame

          15: upper frame 20: cassette fork portion

          21: sliding member 22: carrier

          23: first robot arm 24: first robot arm

          25: first fork 26: vertical drive unit

          30: glass fork part 31: the carriage (carriage)

          32: fork body 33: support member

          34: rotary table 35: second robot arm

          36: second fork 37: balance weight

The present invention relates to a stocker device, and more particularly, to handle a cassette in order to load or take out a cassette containing a glass substrate on a shelf or to a shelf, as well as to directly handle each glass substrate. Relates to a stalker device.

Recently, the flat panel display (FPD) has begun to emerge as the electronic display industry is rapidly developing among the semiconductor industry.

A flat panel display (FPD) is an image display device that is thinner and lighter than a cathode ray tube (CRT), which is mainly used as a display, such as a TV or a computer monitor. LCD, liquid crystal display (PDP), plasma display panel (PDP).

 One of such flat display (FPD) thin film transistor (TFT-LCD) liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCDs) injects a liquid crystal, which is an intermediate material between a solid and a liquid, between two thin upper and lower glass substrates. It is a device using a kind of optical switch phenomenon that displays the numbers or images by changing the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules by changing the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules by the difference of electrode voltage of the substrate, and the existing cathode ray tube at high speed due to the excellent performance of thinness, light weight and low power consumption. CRT). Currently, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are widely used in electronic products such as electronic clocks, electronic calculators, TVs, notebook PCs, and speed displays and driving systems for automobiles and aircrafts.

On the other hand, the role and function of the glass substrate in the flat panel display such as liquid crystal display (LCD) is important because the overall quality of the flat panel display is affected by the functions of many circuit elements formed on the glass substrate. .

The glass substrate of the flat panel display is generally made of glass, and has a brittleness characteristic that is very vulnerable to the impact from the outside, so special care is required in handling. Therefore, if the glass substrate can be efficiently transported and stored without damaging the manufacturing process of manufacturing the flat display, it will not only improve productivity but also maintain the quality of the flat display.

In the manufacturing process for manufacturing flat panel displays, glass substrates having completed any process are generally mounted on a cassette and the cassettes on which glass substrates are carried are transferred to any other equipment that performs the following process. In order to solve the buffering problem caused by the difference in glass substrate processing capacity and processing time of each equipment performing each process, other equipment which is temporarily stored on the shelf of the cassette storage system and then performs another process Is carried by.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stocker device according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the stocker apparatus 101 according to an exemplary embodiment may include a plurality of shelves 103 in which a cassette (C, Cassette) is accommodated. A stocker body 110 which is installed to be movable between the stocker body 110 and the stocker body 110 to be coupled to the stocker body 110 to load the cassette C on the shelf 103 or to carry the cassette C out of the shelf 103. And a cassette fork portion (120) for handling C).

The glass substrate G is accommodated in the cassette C, and the cassette C in which the glass substrate G is accommodated is handled by the stocker device 101 and placed on the shelf 103 of the cassette storage system. It is loaded and stored or taken out from the shelf 103 and transported to a required place. That is, when the stocker main body 110 of the stocker device 101 moves to the shelf 103 which needs to be loaded and unloaded through the rail 105, the cassette fork 120 moves the cassette C to the cassette storage system. It is loaded on the shelf 103, or the cassette C is taken out from the shelf 103, loaded on the stocker body 110, and then transported to a required place.

However, in the stocker apparatus 101 according to the related art, since the apparatus for directly handling the glass substrate G in the cassette C is not provided, there is a problem in that the glass substrate G cannot be directly handled. have.

That is, when handling the glass substrate G in the process of manufacturing the flat display, the cassette C containing the several glass substrates G may be moved and stored, but in some cases, the glass substrate G is directly In the prior art, when the individual glass substrates G need to be handled directly, a transfer robot (not shown) separate from the stocker device 101 may perform the operation. Getting drunk. The transfer robot moves along a path defined by its own power source to store the glass substrate G in the cassette C, or, in turn, to carry out the glass substrate G stored in the cassette C to a necessary place. Will be carried.

However, according to the conventional method in which the cassette C is handled by the stocker device 101 and the glass substrate G is handled by a separate transport robot different from the stocker device 101, Depending on the loading and unloading operation mode and the loading and unloading operation mode of the glass substrate G, the work efficiency is significantly reduced since the conversion from the stocker device 101 to the transport robot and the transport robot back to the stocker device 101 is performed. There is a problem, and there is also a problem that the line setup cost is increased.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is not only to handle a cassette in which a glass substrate is housed, but also to directly handle each glass substrate as one apparatus, thus significantly improving work efficiency than in the related art. It is possible to provide a stocker device which can also reduce the line set-up cost significantly.

According to the present invention, a stocker main body is provided to be movable between a plurality of shelves for loading the cassette (Cassette) in which the glass substrate is accommodated; A cassette fork portion coupled to the stocker body, the cassette fork portion for handling the cassette for loading the cassette on or off the shelf; And a glass fork portion coupled to the stocker body to directly handle the glass substrate housed in the cassette.

Here, the stocker main body, a pair of vertical frame provided to face each other; A lower frame connecting the pair of vertical frames from the bottom and having a plurality of wheels installed therein; And an upper frame connecting the pair of vertical frames from the upper side, wherein the cassette fork portion is preferably coupled to the pair of vertical frames in a liftable manner between the pair of vertical frames.

And, the cassette fork portion, a pair of sliding members are coupled to the vertical frame to be elevated; A carriage having both ends coupled in a direction crossing the pair of sliding members; A first robot arm portion having one end coupled to the carriage so as to be moved forward and backward and supporting the cassette to be loaded; And it may include a vertical driving unit for moving the pair of sliding members relative to the vertical frame.

The first robot arm portion may include: a first robot arm whose one end is coupled to the carriage so that the front part can be moved forward and backward; And it may include a first fork for supporting the cassette is coupled to one end of the first robot arm is loaded.

The glass fork portion, the carriage (carriage) coupled to the outer wall of any one of the vertical frame of the stocker body; And it is preferable to include a fork body coupled to the carriage.

At this time, it is advantageous that the fork body is hinged to the carriage so that the fork body is foldable relative to the carriage and can be prevented from collision.

Thus, the fork body, the support member hinged to the carriage; A rotary table rotatably coupled to the support member; A second robot arm whose one end is coupled to the rotary table so as to be forward and retracted; And a second fork coupled to one end of the second robot arm to load the glass substrate, and to provide a vacuum pad for adsorption of the glass substrate.

The stocker device may further include a balance weight coupled to an outer wall of the other vertical frame of the stocker body and having a weight corresponding to the weight of the glass fork portion.

On the other hand, the carriage can be configured to be elevated relative to the vertical frame in the opposite direction of the lifting and lowering of the cassette fork portion by the cassette fork portion by the vertical driving portion.

The glass fork portion may be coupled to an end portion of the sliding member at a height higher than that of the cassette loaded on the first robot arm.

In this case, the glass fork part includes a fork body coupled to an end of the sliding member, and the fork body includes: a support member coupled to an end of the sliding member; A rotary table rotatably coupled to the support member; A second robot arm coupled to the rotary table; And a second fork coupled to the second robot arm to load the glass substrate and to provide a vacuum pad for adsorption of the glass substrate.

The glass fork may be coupled to the end of the sliding member so as to be movable relative to each other, and may further include an individual vertical driving unit for elevating the glass fork relative to the sliding member.

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

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a stocker device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the vertical drive of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a fork for the glass fork portion of the stocker device of Figure 2 It is a figure for explaining the state moved in conjunction with a movement. As shown in these figures, the stocker device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the stocker main body 10 is installed to be movable between a plurality of shelves (3) in which a cassette (C, Cassette) is accommodated And a fork portion 20 for a cassette coupled to the stocker main body 10 to handle the cassette C, and a glass substrate G coupled to the stocker main body 10 and stored in the cassette C directly. The glass fork part 30 is provided.

As described above, the glass substrates G on which the arbitrary processing is completed are mounted on the cassette C, and the cassettes C on which the glass substrates G are mounted perform the following process. In order to solve the buffering problem caused by the difference in the processing capacity and processing time of the glass substrate (G) of each of the equipments performing each process, the shelf of the cassette storage system ( It is temporarily stored in 3) and then transported to other equipment to perform other processes. The shelves 3 of the cassette storage system are arranged in a plurality of rows at predetermined intervals from each other, and each shelf 3 is provided with a storage space for accommodating one cassette C.

The stocker device 1 according to the present invention not only loads the cassette C on the shelf 3 or carries out the cassette C on the shelf 3, but also carries the cassette C on each glass substrate G. The glass substrate G can be directly handled for loading into or out of the cassette C.

The stocker body 10 of the stocker device 1 moves through the rail 5 between the plurality of shelves 3 of the cassette storage system. The stocker main body 10 includes a pair of vertical frames 11 provided to face each other, a lower frame 13 connecting a pair of vertical frames 11 from below, and a pair of vertical frames 11. ) Is provided with an upper frame 15 for connecting the upper portion. The lower frame 13 is provided with a plurality of wheels 14 so that the stocker main body 10 moves along the rails 5 so that the stocker device 1 requires the loading and unloading operation of the cassette C. It will move forward of this line.

On the other hand, the cassette fork portion 20 loads the cassette C, on which the glass substrate G is housed, on the shelf 3 or to carry out the cassette C loaded on the shelf 3. Handle

The cassette fork 20 has a pair of sliding members 21 coupled to the vertical frame 11 so as to be lifted and lowered, and a carriage having both ends coupled in a direction crossing the pair of sliding members 21. (22) and the first robot arm portion (23) coupled to the carriage (22) so that one end can be moved forward and backward and the pair of sliding members (21) relative to the vertical frame (11) The vertical drive part 26 is provided. In this configuration, the sliding member 21 is lifted up and down by the vertical driving part 26 so that the carriage 22 and the first robot arm 23 are positioned in front of the shelf 3 that requires work. Thereafter, the first robot arm 23 loads the cassette C on the shelf 3 or takes out the cassette C from the shelf 3.

The first robot arm portion 23, which loads the cassette C on the shelf 3 or ejects the cassette C from the shelf 3, is coupled to the carriage 22 so that one end thereof can move forward and backward. Is coupled to the first robot arm 24 and the end of the first robot arm 24 is provided with a first fork 25, the cassette (C) is loaded when the cassette (C) loading or unloading operation. In this case, when the cassette C loaded on the shelf 3 is taken out, the first robot arm 24 moves forward to insert the first fork 25 into the lower portion of the cassette C so as to contact and support it. By retracting the first robot arm 24 backward, the cassette C is loaded on the pallet 22 and then transported to the required place. On the contrary, when the cassette C is loaded onto the shelf 3, the cassette C loaded on the pallet 22 is loaded onto the shelf 3 through the reverse process.

In addition, the vertical driving unit 26 which relatively moves the cassette fork 20 with respect to the vertical frame 11 of the stocker main body 10 is a vertical frame of the stocker main body 10 as shown in detail in FIG. 3. 11, the upper pulley 27 and the lower pulley 28, respectively, the timing belt 29 connecting the upper pulley 27 and the lower pulley 28, the upper pulley 27 and the lower pulley 28 ) Is provided with a drive motor (not shown). The pair of sliding members 21 of the cassette fork 20 are connected to the timing belt 29 so that the timing belt 29 moves vertically by the rotation of the upper pulley 27 and the lower pulley 28. It moves relative to the frame 11 and moves up and down. As will be described later, in the present embodiment, the carriage 31 of the glass fork 30 is coupled to the other side of the timing belt 29 to which the sliding member 21 is coupled, so that the sliding member 21 of the cassette fork 20 is provided. At the time of lifting, the glass fork 30 is lifted in the opposite direction.

On the other hand, when handling the glass substrate G in the process of manufacturing the flat display, the cassette C containing several glass substrates G may be moved and stored, but in some cases, the glass substrate G is directly Occasionally there is a need for handling. At this time, in the related art, the stocker device 1 and the other transfer robot handle the glass substrate G directly, thereby significantly reducing work efficiency and increasing line setup costs.

The stocker apparatus 1 which concerns on this invention is equipped with the glass fork part 30 which can handle glass substrate G directly in addition to the cassette fork part 20. As shown in FIG. The glass fork 30 may be coupled to various positions of the stocker body 10, but in the present embodiment, the glass fork portion 30 may be coupled to an outer wall of one vertical frame 11 of the stocker body 10.

In addition, the glass fork 30, the carriage 31 is coupled to the outer wall of any one of the vertical frame 11 of the stocker body 10, the fork body 32 is hinged to the carriage 31 It is provided. The carriage 31 is coupled to the other side of the timing belt 29 to which the sliding member 21 of the cassette fork portion 20 is coupled, as shown in FIG. 3. Therefore, the glass fork 30 in the present embodiment, as shown in detail in Figure 4, in conjunction with the lifting of the cassette fork 20, the vertical frame in the opposite direction of the lifting of the cassette fork 20 It elevates with respect to (11).

The fork body 32 is hinged to the carriage 31 so that the fork body 32 can fold and rotate relative to the carriage 31. Therefore, the fork body 32 may be folded relative to the carriage 31 by lifting up and down as shown in FIG. 4, and may be folded relative to the carriage 31 when the lifting is completed. Can be unfolded. In addition, when the stocker body 10 does not need to handle the glass substrate G directly, such as when moving horizontally along the rail 5, the fork body 32 may be left in a folded state. As a result, the glass fork 30 coupled to the outer wall of the vertical frame 11 may reduce the risk of collision with the external structure.

5 to 6 are perspective views schematically showing an operation process of the second robot arm of the glass fork part of FIG. 2. As shown in these drawings, the fork body 32 hinged to the carriage 31 is , A support member 33 hinged to the carriage 31, a rotation table 34 coupled to the support member 33 so as to be relatively rotatable, and a second robot arm 35 coupled to the rotation table 34. And a second fork 36 coupled to the second robot arm 35 on which the glass substrate G is loaded. A vacuum pad 37 is provided on the second fork 36 to vacuum-adsorb the glass substrate G loaded on the second fork 36, whereby the glass substrate G is loaded on the second fork 36. This prevents breakage and prevents breakage.

In this configuration, when directly carrying out the glass substrate G loaded on the cassette C, the second robot arm 35 moves forward to insert the second fork 36 into the lower portion of the glass substrate G. After contact support, the second robot arm 35 is retracted to the rear to be loaded onto the rotary table 34 and transported to a required place. On the contrary, when the glass substrate G is loaded into the cassette C, Through the reverse process, the glass substrate G loaded on the second robot arm 35 is loaded on the cassette C.

Meanwhile, the left and right weights may not be balanced by the weight of the glass fork part 30 provided on one side of the vertical frame 11, so that the stocker body 10 may be inclined to the opposite side of the glass fork part 30. have. In order to prevent this, the balance weight 40 having a weight corresponding to the weight of the glass fork 30 is formed on the outer wall of the vertical frame 11 other than the vertical frame 11 to which the glass fork 30 is coupled. Is combined. The balance weight 40 may have the same weight as the fork 30 for glass, whereby the stocker device 1 has its center of gravity on the geometric centerline and thus is structurally stable. As shown in FIG. 4, the balance weight 40 is also configured to move up and down in conjunction with the lifting up and down of the glass fork 30.

Hereinafter, an operation process of the stocker device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

When the glass substrate G handles the cassette C housed therein, the glass fork 30 does not need to be used, and thus it may be left in a folded state. First, when the cassette C loaded on the shelf 3 is taken out, first, the stocker main body 10 moves along the rail 5, and the cassette fork part 20 moves the vertical frame 11 of the stocker main body 10. Raise and lower the relative position and position the front of the shelf (3). Then, the first robot arm 24 of the cassette fork 20 advances forward, and the first fork 25 is inserted into the lower portion of the cassette C to contact and support the cassette C, and then the first By retracting the robot arm 24 backward, the cassette C is loaded on the pallet 22 and then transported to the required place. On the contrary, when the cassette C is loaded onto the shelf 3, the cassette C loaded on the pallet 22 can be loaded onto the shelf 3 through the reverse process.

When handling the glass substrate G in the process of manufacturing the flat display, the cassette C containing the plurality of glass substrates G may be moved or stored, but in some cases, the individual glass substrates G may be directly The case of moving or storing occurs as described above.

When the glass substrate G mounted on the cassette C is to be moved or stored directly, in the stocker device 1 according to the present invention, the stocker main body 10 is moved along the rail 5 and the glass is moved. The carriage 31 of the fork 30 for sliding is slid with respect to the vertical frame 11 of the stocker main body 10 to position the glass fork 30 in front of the cassette C. Then, the second robot arm 35 of the glass fork 30 is moved forward to insert the second fork 36 into the lower portion of the glass substrate G so as to be in contact with the second robot arm 35. The back 35 is retracted to load the glass substrate G onto the turntable 34 and then transported to the required place. On the contrary, when the glass substrate G is loaded into the cassette C, the glass substrate G loaded on the second robot arm 35 is loaded into the cassette C through the reverse process.

As described above, the cassette fork portion 20 for loading and unloading the cassette C containing the glass substrate G in the stocker main body 10 and the glass for directly loading and unloading the glass substrate G are provided. By providing the fork part 30, both the cassette C and the glass substrate G in which the glass substrate G is accommodated can be handled by one apparatus, so that the work efficiency can be improved and the line setup cost can be reduced. have.

Hereinafter, a stocker device according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the same descriptions as those described in the stocker apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment will be omitted.

7 is a perspective view of a stocker device according to another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in this, the stocker device (1a) according to another embodiment of the present invention, unlike one embodiment for the glass fork portion (30a) Is coupled to the end of the sliding member 21 of the cassette fork 20. That is, the glass fork portion 30a has both the sliding members 21a of the cassette fork portion 20 at a height higher than that of the cassette C loaded on the first robot arm portion 23 of the cassette fork portion 20. It is coupled to one end of each. The glass fork 30a may be detachably coupled to the end of the sliding member 21a, fixedly coupled to the end of the sliding member 21a, and may be relatively movable to the sliding member 21a. In this embodiment, the support member 33a of the glass fork 30a is fixedly coupled to the sliding member 21a.

In the present embodiment, the cassette fork portion 20 and the glass fork portion 30 are moved in the same direction by the vertical driving portion (not shown), but when the cassette C is handled, the cassette fork portion ( When 20) is used and the glass substrate (not shown) is directly handled, the use of the glass fork 30a is the same as the above-described embodiment.

This structure has the advantage that the center of gravity of the cassette fork portion 20 and the fork portion 30a for the glass coincide with each other for easy control, and does not add a separate structure for the lifting and lowering of the glass fork portion 30a. As it may not, it is structurally stable and does not have a dead space on the side.

However, in order to directly handle the glass substrate in the cassette C of the shelf (not shown) disposed below, the reference height of the stocker apparatus 1a of the present embodiment should be configured to be 3 m or more higher than the reference height of the shelf 3. .

Of course, when it is difficult to configure the reference height of the stocker device (1a) 3m or more higher than the reference height of the shelf 3, as in another embodiment of the present invention, the glass fork 30 is sliding member (21a) It may be configured separately to the individual vertical driving unit to be coupled to the relative movement to the glass fork portion (30a) relative to the sliding member (21a) relative to.

In the above-described embodiment, the cassette fork portion 20 and the glass fork portion 30 are interlocked and lifted, but the glass fork 30 and the cassette fork portion 20 are independent. Each of the vertical driving unit 26 may be lifted.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and various modifications and variations 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, it is possible to handle not only the cassette having the glass substrate housed by one apparatus, but also to directly handle each glass substrate. In addition, the line set-up cost can be significantly reduced than before.

Claims (12)

A stocker body installed to be movable between a plurality of shelves for stacking a cassette in which a glass substrate is accommodated; A cassette fork portion coupled to the stocker body, the cassette fork portion for handling the cassette for loading the cassette on or off the shelf; And And a glass fork portion coupled to the stocker body to directly handle the glass substrate housed in the cassette. The method of claim 1, The stocker body, A pair of vertical frames provided to face each other; A lower frame connecting the pair of vertical frames from the bottom and having a plurality of wheels installed therein; And An upper frame connecting the pair of vertical frames from the top; And the cassette fork portion is liftably coupled to the pair of vertical frames between the pair of vertical frames. The method of claim 2, The cassette fork portion, A pair of sliding members coupled to the vertical frame to be liftable; A carriage having both ends coupled in a direction crossing the pair of sliding members; A first robot arm portion having one end coupled to the carriage so as to be moved forward and backward and supporting the cassette to be loaded; And Stalker device comprising a vertical drive for moving the pair of sliding members relative to the vertical frame. The method of claim 3, The first robot arm unit, A first robot arm whose one end is coupled to the carriage so that it can be moved forward and backward; And And a first fork coupled to one end of the first robot arm to support the cassette. The method of claim 3, The glass fork portion, A carriage coupled to an outer wall of one of the vertical frames of the stocker body; And Stalker device comprising a fork body coupled to the carriage. The method of claim 5, The fork body is a stocker device, characterized in that the fork body is hinged to the carriage so as to be foldable relative to the carriage. The method of claim 6, The fork body, A support member hinged to the carriage; A rotary table rotatably coupled to the support member; A second robot arm whose one end is coupled to the rotary table so as to be forward and retracted; And And a second fork coupled to one end of the second robot arm to load the glass substrate and having a vacuum pad for adsorption of the glass substrate. The method of claim 5, And a balance weight coupled to an outer wall of the other vertical frame of the stocker body and having a weight corresponding to the weight of the glass fork portion. The method of claim 5, And the carriage is linked with the lifting and lowering of the cassette fork portion by the vertical driving portion, and is lifted with respect to the vertical frame in the opposite direction to the lifting and lowering of the cassette fork portion. The method of claim 3, The glass fork part is a stocker device, characterized in that coupled to the end of the sliding member at a height higher than the cassette loaded on the first robot arm. The method of claim 10, The glass fork portion, It includes a fork body coupled to the end of the sliding member, The fork body, A support member coupled to an end of the sliding member; A rotary table rotatably coupled to the support member; A second robot arm coupled to the rotary table; And And a second fork coupled to the second robot arm to load the glass substrate, and having a vacuum pad for adsorption of the glass substrate. The method of claim 10, The glass fork portion is coupled to the end of the sliding member so as to move relative, Stalker device further comprises a separate vertical drive for elevating the glass fork relative to the sliding member.

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