KR20080097834A - Glass transfer robot - Google Patents

Abstract

A glass transfer robot is provided to prevent that the finger is transformed due to the load of substrate and interrupt that the thickness of the finger increases. The substrate transfer robot includes the robot body(10); a plurality of fingers(20a,20b) supporting the substrate(G); the tension application portion which interrupts to droop of one or more finger. The one end of the tension application portion is combined with one exposure end part of the plurality of fingers. The other end of the tension application portion is combined with the robot body. The tension application portion is combined with one of the plurality of fingers and robot body.

Description

Substrate transfer robot

1 is a schematic perspective view of a substrate transfer robot according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged plan view of FIG. 1.

3 is a side view of FIG. 2.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG.

5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a finger region in the substrate transfer robot according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a finger region in the substrate transfer robot according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a finger region in the substrate transfer robot according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

10: robot body 20a, 20b: finger

21: vacuum hole 22: cap

30: tension part 32: wire groove

40: coupling part 45: rocker

The present invention relates to a substrate transfer robot, and more particularly, to a substrate transfer robot that can prevent the finger from sagging due to the load of the substrate while preventing substantially increasing the thickness of the finger.

Substrates are used for flat panel displays (FPDs), semiconductors, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs) and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). Wafer, glass for a photomask, etc. are pointed out.

Although a substrate as a flat panel display device (FPD) and a substrate as a semiconductor wafer are different in terms of materials and uses thereof, a series of processing processes for the substrates, for example, exposure, development, etching, stripping, rinsing, Processes, such as cleaning, are substantially very similar, and these processes proceed sequentially to produce a substrate.

Thus, the substrates described below may be considered to be all-inclusive terms. However, for convenience of description, the LCD substrate or the PDP substrate will be described as a substrate among flat panel display devices (FPD).

The substrate is manufactured by the substrate manufacturer and then supplied to the substrate processor. When a substrate is supplied from a substrate manufacturer to a substrate processor, a so-called crate may be used. A crate can be understood as a container containing tens to hundreds of substrates. Usually, it is known that about 120 to 200 substrates are loaded in one crate.

When the crates loaded with the substrates are supplied from the substrate manufacturer to the substrate processor, the substrate processor inserts the substrates one by one through the glass input system. The input substrate is loaded into a substrate storage device called a cassette through a separate substrate transfer robot. Usually, one cassette is loaded with tens to hundreds of substrates. When as many substrates as desired are loaded in the cassette, the cassette is transferred to the process again, and then the substrates are again taken out by the substrate transfer robot provided in the process to proceed with the process.

As such, the substrate transfer robot has a structure and a shape suitable for the situation of the process because the substrate transfer robot is disposed in various processes for processing the substrate and serves to transfer the substrate.

However, in the case of a substrate transfer robot that takes a substrate into or out of a cassette, it prevents substrate contamination by minimizing contact with the substrate while avoiding interference with the cassette during substrate transfer. It is usually manufactured in the form of cantilever beams for the substrate transfer operation. Substrate transfer robots in the form of cantilever beams have been disclosed in Korean Patent Office Publication Nos. 10-2006-0056654 and 10-2004-0104983.

On the other hand, in recent years, since the substrate has a tendency to be enlarged to 7 generations having a width of 1950 mm / 2250 mm or 1870 mm / 2200 mm, or 8 generations having 2160 mm / 2460 mm or more, the substrate has a large size. Not only did they grow in size, they also increased in weight.

Therefore, when attempting to transfer a large substrate using a simple cantilever-type substrate transfer robot that is currently applied to the industrial site, including the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned document, the finger holding the substrate may be sag due to the load of the substrate. do. If deformation due to deflection of the finger occurs, it is difficult to accurately insert and withdraw the substrate into the cassette, and the substrate may be damaged by contact or collision with the structure of the cassette.

Accordingly, various methods for transporting large substrates have been studied while preventing deformation due to sag of a finger.

One of them is to change the finger provided in the substrate transfer robot into a hollow hollow pipe structure to reduce the weight of the finger and to increase the rigidity of the finger. However, this method alone has a problem that it is insufficient to prevent the phenomenon of finger sag in the trend of increasing the size of the substrate.

The other is to supplement the deflection of the finger by making the thickness of the finger sufficiently thick to increase the bending strength of the finger. However, when the thickness of the finger increases in this way, the structure of the cassette should be a structure that widens the distance between the substrates to be supported in order to ensure the withdrawal and withdrawal of the thickened finger without interference. In the case where the distance between the substrates is kept wide, the number of substrates to be loaded in the unit cassette is reduced by that amount, which causes a process loss and eventually leads to a decrease in tact time.

Therefore, there is a need for a substrate transfer robot capable of transferring a large substrate without causing a deformation of the finger without causing a reduction in the number of substrates to be loaded in the unit cassette.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer robot that can prevent the finger from sagging and deforming due to the load of the substrate while substantially preventing the thickness of the finger from increasing.

The above object, according to the present invention, the robot body; A plurality of fingers having one end coupled to the robot body to support a substrate; And a tension applying unit coupled to at least one of the plurality of fingers and the robot body, respectively, and applying tension to the plurality of fingers in a reverse direction to the load of the substrate to prevent sagging of the at least one finger. It is achieved by a substrate transfer robot, characterized in that.

Here, the tension applying unit may be at least one tension application wire having one end coupled to at least one exposed end of the plurality of fingers and the other end coupled to the robot body.

The at least one tension application wire may be provided in plural, and may be provided in each of the plurality of fingers.

It may further include a coupling for coupling both ends of the tension application wire to the finger and the robot body.

The coupling portion, the cap is coupled to the exposed end of the finger is coupled one end of the tension application wire; And coupled to the robot body may include a rocker to which the other end of the tension application wire is coupled.

The rocker may include a winding drum for winding and unwinding the other end of the tension application wire having one end coupled to the cap; And it may include a handle for rotating the winding drum in the forward and reverse directions for tension control of the tension application wire.

The finger may be formed of a hollow hollow body, and the wire for tension application may be disposed inside the finger.

The tension application wire may be disposed on an outer surface of the finger.

A wire groove may be further formed on an outer surface of the finger to accommodate at least a portion of the tension application wire.

The tension application wire may be provided in plural per finger.

The finger may further include a plurality of vacuum holes for adsorbing the substrate, and the substrate may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP) and an organic EL (OLED, organic light). The display panel may be any one of a large flat panel display (FPD) selected from among Emitting Diodes.

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

Prior to the description, a substrate to be described later includes a flat panel display device (FPD, Flat), such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and an organic light emitting diode (OLED). A panel display, a wafer for semiconductors, a glass for photomasks, etc. may be referred to, but hereinafter referred to as a large LCD or PDP substrate.

Here, the term "large" means 7 generations having a width of 1950 mm / 2250 mm or 1870 mm / 2200 mm, or 8 generations having 2160 mm / 2460 mm or more, but the scope of the present invention is limited thereto. The size of the substrate does not necessarily need to be limited to the above-described numerical values.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a substrate transfer robot according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged plan view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a line AA of FIG. 2. According to the cross-sectional view.

As shown in these figures, the substrate transfer robot according to the present embodiment has a cantilever structure. The substrate transfer robot includes a robot body 10 and a plurality of fingers 20a (fingers) having one end coupled to the robot body 10 to support the substrate G.

The robot body 10 is coupled to an arm 12 capable of rotating, going straight, and lifting in at least one direction. And the arm 12 is connected to the support 14 which is fixedly supported on the ground or a separate structure. Thus, the arm 12 rotates, goes straight, and moves up and down relative to the support 14 so that the plurality of fingers 20a including the robot body 10 draw the substrate G into a desired position, for example into a cassette. Can be withdrawn.

Although not shown in detail, the substrate transfer robot excluding the plurality of fingers 20a is further provided with a vacuum device (not shown) for forming a vacuum. The vacuum apparatus is operated when the substrate G is placed on the plurality of fingers 20a to suck air through the vacuum holes 21 formed in the plurality of fingers 20a. Therefore, the substrate G held by the plurality of fingers 20a is prevented from being separated from the plurality of fingers 20a. Of course, since the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, the present technology may be applied to a vacuum transfer device or a substrate transfer robot not provided with the vacuum hole 21.

The plurality of fingers 20a are coupled to the robot body 10. That is, one end of the fingers (20a) is coupled to the robot body 10 and the other end is exposed. Such a structure is called a cantilever structure.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of fingers 20a are five in total and are arranged at predetermined intervals from each other. Conventional robots provided with two fingers 20a have also been used in the industrial field. However, only two fingers 20a are practically insufficient to transfer a large substrate G as in the present embodiment.

Thus, in the present embodiment, in order to more efficiently transport the larger and heavier large-sized substrate G, a total of five fingers 20a are used in combination with the robot body 10. However, since the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, the number of the fingers 20a may be more than five, or at least any number thereof. For convenience of description, all five fingers 20a are given the same reference numeral.

On the other hand, as described above, the area and weight increases as the substrate G increases in size, so that the finger 20a having a simple structure alone is insufficient to support the substrate G. That is, since the substrate transfer robot works to transfer a large amount of the substrate G, the deflection occurs on the finger 20a due to the load of the substrate G during this operation (see FIG. 3B). This may cause the substrate G to not be drawn in and taken out at the correct position in the cassette, resulting in damage to the substrate G, or the like. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the tension applying unit 30 is further provided to prevent the phenomenon in which the plurality of fingers 20a sag while being deformed.

The tension applying unit 30 is coupled to the plurality of fingers 20a and the robot main body 10 and serves to apply tension to the plurality of fingers 20a while acting in a reverse direction to the load of the substrate G.

As the tension applying unit 30, in this embodiment, a tension applying wire 30 is applied. That is, by coupling one end of the tension application wire 30 to the exposed end of the plurality of fingers 20a and the other end to the robot body 10, the plurality of fingers 20a are formed due to the load of the substrate G. It is preventing the phenomenon of being deformed while falling.

The tension application wire 30 is preferably made of a material having a relatively small cross-sectional area and strong rigidity, such as a rod file. And even in the installation of the tension-applying wire 30, without one coupling means, one end is simply bonded to the exposed end of the plurality of fingers (20a), the other end is bonded or knotted to the robot body (10) By combining in the way of pulling tightly to achieve the desired purpose.

In addition, the tension application wire 30 may be installed on all five fingers 20a, or may be provided only on a few selected from five. However, if the plurality of fingers 20a are to be completely prevented from sagging due to the load of the substrate G, it is preferable to provide the tension application wires 30 to all five fingers 20a.

In addition, the tension application wire 30 may be implemented in two lines, as shown in FIG. 4, but may be implemented in one or three or more lines in some cases.

On the other hand, the fingers (20a) of the present embodiment are all made of a rectangular tubular tubular body inside, the end of the fingers (20a) is equipped with a cap 22 to shield the opening of the end.

In view of the fact that the cap 22 is provided as described above, a coupling structure of the wire 30 for tension application may be proposed. That is, in the present embodiment, a coupling portion 40 for coupling both ends of the tension application wire 30 to the plurality of fingers 20a and the robot body 10 may be further provided.

The coupling part 40 includes a cap 22 to which one end of the tension application wire 30 is fixed, and a rocker 45 coupled to the robot body 10 and to which the other end of the tension application wire 30 is coupled. do.

The method of fixing one end of the tension application wire 30 to the cap 22 may be, for example, bonding or knotting, or by making a loop or the like on the inner surface of the cap 22 to apply tension wire 30. ) May be coupled to the cap 22 while passing through the ring.

Since the rocker 45 is a portion to which the other end of the tension application wire 30 is coupled, the rocker 45 may be provided at any position of the robot body 10. In the present embodiment, the rocker 45 is provided on the rear surface of the robot body 10. In this case, the other end of the tension-applying wire 30 passing through the interior of the fingers 20a is used to connect the robot body 10 to the robot body 10. It may be fastened to the rear rocker 45 of the robot body 10 by passing through.

At this time, if a means for adjusting the tension of the tension application wire 30 to the rocker 45 can achieve a higher effect. That is, as shown in the rocker 45, a winding drum 45a capable of winding and unwinding the other end of the tension application wire 30, one end of which is fixed to the cap 22, and a wire for tension application. After further providing a handle portion 45b for rotating the winding drum 45a in the forward and reverse directions to adjust the tension of the 30, when the tension of the tension application wire 30 is loosened, the handle portion 45b is rotated to tension it. It is also possible to keep the tension of the application wire 30 again taut. Of course, since this is only one embodiment, the winding drum 45a and the handle 45b are not necessarily provided.

On the other hand, as described above, all of the plurality of fingers (20a) may be formed of a hollow body therein. In this case, the tension application wire 30 may be disposed in the plurality of fingers 20a with both ends fixed to the cap 22 and the rocker 45. When the tension-applying wire 30 is disposed inside the fingers 20a as described above, interference between the tension-applying wire 30 and the substrate G in the process of placing the substrate G on the upper surface of the fingers 20a. This has the advantage that it does not occur.

With this configuration, both ends of the tension application wire 30 applied to the tension application unit 30 are disposed inside the fingers 20a while being fixed to the cap 22 and the rocker 45, respectively. This process applies to all five fingers 20a.

Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the substrate transfer robot operates. That is, the arm 12 supports the substrate G on the upper surface of the fingers 20a while the arm 12 rotates, goes straight, and moves up and down with respect to the support 14, and then supports the substrate G at a desired position, for example. The transfer operation of the substrate G is performed while drawing in and out of the cassette.

Even if the transfer operation of the substrate G is repeatedly performed, since the robot main body 10 and the fingers 20a are provided with the tension application wire 30 applied to the tension application unit 30, the substrate G Due to the load, as shown in FIG. 3B, the fingers 20a may be prevented from being deformed while being deflected downward.

Of course, in the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, since the thickness (t) of the fingers (20a) has not been increased at all, such a phenomenon that the number of substrates (G) to be loaded into the cassette is reduced as in the prior art Is to be prevented in advance.

As such, according to the present embodiment, while the thickness t (see FIG. 4) of the finger 20a is substantially prevented, the finger 20a is prevented from sagging and deformed due to the load of the substrate G. It becomes possible.

5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a finger region in the substrate transfer robot according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the tension application wire 30 was disposed in the inner central region of the fingers 20a. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the tension application wire 30 may be located on the upper surface toward the substrate G side in the fingers 20a.

6 and 7 are schematic cross-sectional views of the finger region in the substrate transfer robot according to the third and fourth embodiments of the present invention, respectively.

In the above-described embodiments, the fingers 20a are all formed of a rectangular tubular tubular body. However, as in the third and fourth embodiments of the present invention, the idea of the present invention may be applied to the case where the finger 20b is not hollowed out like a reinforcing bar rather than a tubular body.

At this time, since the inside of the finger 20b is not empty, the tension application wire 30 needs to be disposed on the outer surface of the fingers 20b, and the number thereof may also be used.

As shown in FIG. 6, the tension application wires 30 may be hanged one by one on both sides of the finger 20b, and one tension application wire 30 may be hanged on the upper surface of the finger 20b as shown in FIG. 7. You may also do it.

However, as shown in FIG. 7, when the tension application wire 30 is provided on the upper surface of the finger 20b, the support of the substrate G with respect to the finger 20b is not easy due to the tension application wire 30. It may not. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, a wire groove 32 for partially tensioning the wire 30 for tension application is further formed on the surface of the finger 20b, and the wire groove 32 is for tension application. The wire 30 can be accommodated.

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. 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 prevent the finger from sagging and deformed due to the load of the substrate while preventing the increase in the thickness of the finger substantially.

Claims (11)

Robot body; A plurality of fingers having one end coupled to the robot body to support a substrate; And And a tension applying unit coupled to at least one of the plurality of fingers and the robot body, respectively, and applying tension to the plurality of fingers in a reverse direction to the load of the substrate to prevent sagging of the at least one finger. Substrate transfer robot, characterized in that. The method of claim 1, The tension applying unit is a substrate transfer robot, characterized in that the one end is coupled to at least one of the exposed end of the plurality of fingers and the other end is at least one wire for tension applied to the robot body. The method of claim 2, The at least one tension applying wire is provided with a plurality, substrate transfer robot, characterized in that provided in each of the plurality of fingers. The method of claim 2, And a coupling part for coupling both ends of the tension application wire to the finger and the robot body. The method of claim 4, wherein The coupling part, A cap coupled to the exposed end of the finger but having one end of the tension application wire coupled thereto; And And a rocker coupled to the robot body and coupled to the other end of the tension application wire. The method of claim 5, The locker is, A winding drum for winding and unwinding the other end of the tension application wire having one end coupled to the cap; And Substrate transfer robot, characterized in that it comprises a handle for rotating the winding drum in the forward and reverse directions to adjust the tension of the tension application wire. The method of claim 2, The finger is formed of a hollow hollow body, The tension application wire is a substrate transfer robot, characterized in that disposed inside the finger. The method of claim 2, The tension application wire is a substrate transfer robot, characterized in that disposed on the outer surface of the finger. The method of claim 8, Substrate transfer robot, characterized in that the outer surface of the finger is further formed with a wire groove for receiving at least a portion of the tension application wire. The method of claim 2, The tension application wire is a substrate transfer robot, characterized in that provided in plurality per finger. The method of claim 1, The finger is further formed with a plurality of vacuum holes for adsorbing the substrate, The substrate may be any one of a large flat panel display (FPD) selected from a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and an organic light emitting diode (OLED). Substrate transfer robot, characterized in that.

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