WO2006123520A1

WO2006123520A1 - Apparatus for carrying in/out substrate and method for carrying in/out substrate

Info

Publication number: WO2006123520A1
Application number: PCT/JP2006/308633
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tetsuro Kamichika; Tomohiro Ueda
Original assignee: Hirata Corporation
Priority date: 2005-05-17
Filing date: 2006-04-25
Publication date: 2006-11-23
Also published as: TWI320392B; KR20070088490A; WO2006123402A1; KR100830225B1; JP4537411B2; CN101018723A; CN101018723B; JPWO2006123520A1

Abstract

An apparatus for carrying in and out a substrate is provided for taking out the substrate from a tray or carrying the substrate onto the tray. The apparatus separates the stacked trays and permits a substrate supporting pin to enter into a space made by the separation. In the status where the substrate supporting pin is positioned under the tray to be carried in/out, the substrate supporting pin is inserted into a pin inserting hole of the tray to be carried in/out. At the time of taking out the substrate, the substrate is lifted from the tray by the substrate supporting pin so that the substrate can be taken out.

Description

Specification

Substrate carry-in / out device and substrate carry-in / out method

Technical field

The present invention relates to a substrate carry-in / out device, and more particularly to a substrate carry-in / out device for taking out a substrate from a tray carder loaded on a pallet and further storing the processed substrate in a tray.

Background art

[0002] Conventionally, trays containing substrates one by one are transported in a stacked state, and the substrates are taken out one by one from the tray group that has reached the carry-out position, and supplied to the processing apparatus, or the processing apparatus Various substrate transfer apparatuses that take out a processed substrate from the substrate and store it in a tray have been proposed and realized.

[0003] For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-59893, a plurality of fixing pins having a certain length are provided on a stage for delivering a substrate or the like, and holes are formed in accordance with positions where these fixing pins are inserted. A method is disclosed in which a plurality of trays provided are taken out from the top one by one and stacked on a fixed pin to take out and transport the substrates in the tray. The order in which the trays are stacked is reversed before and after the substrate is taken out.

[0004] Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-186249 discloses a place where a plurality of trays stacked in multiple stages are transported to a high position, and a fixed pin having a length longer than the height of the stacking tray waits ( A method is disclosed in which the lower tray separated to the bottom is moved up and down to take out the substrate on the pins.

[0005] However, in the substrate transport apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11 59893, a fixing pin having a considerable length is used to take out the substrate with all the force of a plurality of trays stacked in tens of stages. Since it must be prepared, the apparatus becomes large, and it is difficult to perform board processing by installing it in a limited space. On the other hand, if the number of trays is limited, the apparatus can be reduced in size, but this is not preferable because the number of trays that can be processed at one time is small and processing efficiency may be reduced. In addition, shape errors will occur in each stacked tray over time. This shape error is caused by the misalignment between the top and bottom of the tray when the tray stacking order is changed. Because of this, it is not possible to change the tray stacking order. When this transport device is used, it cannot cope with it.

[0006] Also, in the substrate transport apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-186249, the fixing pins need to be equal to or higher than the height of the laminated tray, and the laminated tray needs to be arranged at a high position. Therefore, there is a problem that the scale of the apparatus is inevitably increased.

As described above, when the apparatus scale becomes large, there may be a problem that a pin accommodation space cannot be taken when a new substrate transfer apparatus is installed in an existing factory. This problem can be solved by constructing a new site, but this leads to increased costs and is not a favorable situation.

[0007] Furthermore, if the material taken out by the substrate transfer device is a material that is easily damaged like a glass substrate, it must be handled with care. In other words, in the conventional substrate transfer apparatus, since the operation of moving the substrate is long and the operation is complicated until the substrate is taken out, there is a risk of damaging the substrate in the middle. It is necessary to eliminate this danger as much as possible.

[0008] In particular, in the transport device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-186249, when an ascending / descending table that raises or lowers the tray or an engaging claw that grips the upper portion of the tray separated from the stacked tray group fails. In addition, there is a danger that all trays may fall and the substrates in the trays may be damaged, causing major damage and a serious factor in the occurrence of an accident.

Disclosure of the invention

[0009] The present invention mainly solves the problems of the prior art as described above, and smoothly removes the tray card even if the substrate requires handling, and re-processes the processed substrate. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate carry-in / out device that can be efficiently accommodated in a tray and that can reduce the size of the device.

[0010] The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and according to the present invention, there is provided a substrate carry-in / out device for taking out or carrying in a substrate by a trayer, wherein a predetermined number of pin pins are provided. A conveyor for moving a pallet loaded with a plurality of trays having through holes, a pallet positioning means for positioning the pallet at a predetermined position of the conveyor, and the pallet being positioned by the positioning means And the plurality Tray lifting / lowering means for separating the trays of the stage and providing a predetermined separation space between the separated trays, and separating the tray for moving the loading / unloading target tray corresponding to the substrate to be loaded / unloaded in the separation space up and down Means, substrate support pin moving means for allowing a substrate support pin for supporting the substrate to enter and retreat under the carry-in / out target tray, and the board in the pin insertion hole of the carry-in / out target tray Pin insertion means for inserting support pins, and the substrate support pins project from the carry-in / out tray by passing through the pin insertion holes, and the substrate is unloaded by the projected substrate support pins. Provided is a substrate carry-in / out device which is supported in a state where it is lifted from a tray to be entered.

[0011] Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a substrate loading / unloading method for taking out or loading a substrate from a tray carder, wherein a pallet in which a plurality of trays having a predetermined number of pin insertion holes are stacked is moved. And positioning the pallet, separating the stacked trays, and providing a tray relative movement step for providing a predetermined separation space, and loading / unloading corresponding to the substrate to be loaded / unloaded in the separation space A tray separating process for moving the target tray up and down independently of the other trays so that the target tray is separated from the other trays, and a substrate support pin for supporting the substrate enter under the target tray. The substrate support pin moving step, and the substrate support pin and the loading / unloading target so that the substrate supporting pin passes through the pin insertion hole of the loading / unloading target tray and protrudes from the loading / unloading target tray. A pin insertion step for relatively moving the lay, and the substrate support pin and another transfer device in a state in which the substrate support pin protrudes through the pin insertion hole of the carry-in / out target tray and the carry-in / out target tray card And a substrate delivery process for delivering the substrate between the two.

[0012] Further, according to the present invention, the substrate carry-out and carry-out of the substrate to and from one tray having a plurality of pin through holes and selected from a plurality of stacked trays. In the loading / unloading device, a first lifting / lowering that separates the plurality of trays up and down at a boundary between a loading / unloading tray corresponding to a substrate to be loaded / unloaded and a tray below the loading / unloading tray. And a substrate support for supporting the substrate in a separation space between the tray to be carried in and out and a tray below the tray to be carried in and out, which is generated by being separated by the first tray lifting and lowering means. A substrate support pin moving means for entering the pins, and the carry-out in the separation space. Second elevating means for moving the entry target tray up and down, and the substrate support pin passes through the pin insertion hole of the carry-in / out target tray so that the carry-in / out target tray card protrudes There is provided a substrate carry-in / out device characterized in that after the substrate support pin is moved into the separation space by the substrate support pin moving means, the carry-in / out object tray is lowered by the second lifting / lowering means.

[0013] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0014] The accompanying drawings are included in the specification and constitute a part thereof, show an embodiment of the present invention, and are used together with the description to explain the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically illustrating a substrate carry-in / out device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a pallet positioning operation in the substrate carry-in / out device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a diagram for explaining the structure and operation of the first positioning unit 112. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the structure and operation of a second positioning unit 113.

5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the tray chuck 107. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the structure of a tray chuck.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a structure of a tray chuck unit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state when a slide pin and a swivel pin enter under the processing target tray.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the structure of a tray.

FIG. 10 is an operation transition diagram showing the operation when the lowermost tray is also taken out of the glass substrate.

FIG. 11 is an operation transition diagram showing an operation when taking out the second and subsequent tray glass substrates.

FIG. 12 is an operation transition diagram showing an operation when a glass substrate is carried into the uppermost tray.

FIG. 13 is an operation transition diagram showing an operation when a glass substrate is carried into a tray below the second stage in the upper part. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration example in which a positioning unit 200 is provided in the tray chuck unit.

FIG. 15 is an operation explanatory diagram of the positioning unit 200.

FIG. 16 is an operation explanatory diagram of the positioning unit 200.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a tray 302 instead of the tray 102.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example in which the optical sensor 400 is provided in the robot hand 110.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of a check operation for checking whether or not the glass substrate is mounted on each tray 302, and a diagram showing a detection result of the optical sensor 400.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a control system using the detection result of the optical sensor 400.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0015] <First embodiment>

Embodiments of a substrate carry-in / out apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external view showing the entire substrate carry-in / out apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate loading / unloading apparatus 100 takes out the glass substrate 108 (not shown in FIG. 1) in order from the bottom of the plurality of trays 102 loaded on the pallet 101, and further accommodates the processed substrates in the tray again. It has the function to do. If all the trays are loaded with the substrates, the glass tray 108 is also removed in order from the lowermost tray. Further, for example, when all trays below a certain tray are empty, the glass substrate 108 can be taken out from the tray carder with the upper side being the object to be carried in or out, or can be carried into the lower side tray. . When glass substrates 108 are mounted on all trays, the glass substrates are taken out in order from the bottom, and when loading glass substrates into all empty trays, the loading operation is also performed at the highest level. . These removal Z loading operations will be described in detail later.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 103 denotes a first conveyor for positioning and transporting the pallet 101 on which the loaded tray 102 is placed to the take-out position of the glass substrate 108. Reference numeral 104 denotes a second conveyor for sending the pallet 101 and the tray 102 to the first conveyor 103. The first conveyor 103 and the second conveyor 104 are connected so as to have the same height from the installation surface (floor surface) of the apparatus. The second conveyor 104 is pallet 1 A driving roller 104a for moving 01 in the X direction (both positive and negative directions) and a free roller 104b for supporting the pallet 101 also with a downward force are provided. In the present embodiment, the first conveyor 103 is provided with driving rollers at both ends, and no free roller is provided at the center of the conveying surface.

Reference numeral 109 denotes a robot for taking out the glass substrate 108 from the tray 102. Reference numeral 110 denotes a U-shaped arm of the robot 109. This arm enters under the glass substrate 108 lifted by the side pins 122 and the swivel pins 126, lifts the glass substrate 108 so that it is picked up and then scooped up. Receive it pin force.

Reference numeral 106 denotes a tray chuck driving unit, which includes a tray chuck 107. The trays 102 corresponding to the number of steps that need to be raised and lowered are gripped by the tray chuck 107 from both sides in the Y direction, and the tray chuck 107 is moved up and down by the tray chuck drive unit 106 in this state. The tray chuck 107 is provided with a locking portion (a gripping claw) 107a for locking the tray 102 that moves up and down.

[0020] Reference numeral 120 denotes a side pin operating portion, which is composed of a guide rail 128 and a cylinder portion 123 of a rodless cylinder. A side pin mounting part 121 in which a plurality of side pins 122 are arranged is attached to the cylinder part 123, and the cylinder part 123 is driven to drive the side pin mounting part along the guide rail 128. Enable 121 to move back and forth (Y direction).

[0021] Reference numeral 124 denotes a swivel pin operating unit, a swivel pin mounting part 125 having a plurality of swivel pins 126 disposed thereon, and a rotary actuator 1 013 capable of swiveling the swivel pin placing part 125 in an angular direction. And.

Note that the side pin operation unit 120 is disposed outside the tray chuck 107 (tray chuck row), and the swivel pin operation unit 124 is disposed between the two rows of tray chuck rows constituting the tray chuck unit 107.

[0023] Reference numeral 127 denotes a carry-in / out target tray separation mechanism, and the carry-in / out target tray 102a is placed in the upper tray.

(Tray group) A mechanism for lifting and lowering from the tray group 102. The tray chuck driving unit 106 is divided into three units in the vertical direction. Under each unit, the side pin operating unit 120, the turning pin operating unit 124, and the carry-in / out target tray separating mechanism 127 are provided. Is attached.

[0024] Within the space vertically separated by the tray chuck drive unit 106, only one tray 102a (not shown in FIG. 1) to be carried in / out is removed by the tray separating mechanism 127 to be carried in / out. In the state of being separated from the tray (tray group) 102, the side pin operating unit 120 causes the side pin mounting unit 121 to enter under the carry-in / out target tray 102a. Similarly, the swivel pin operating part 124 turns the swivel pin mounting part 125 so as to enter under the carry-in / out tray 102a. Thereafter, the side pin operating unit 120 and the swivel pin operating unit 124 are inserted into the space under the carry-in / out target tray 102a, and the side pins 122 and swivel 126 are passed through the through-hole of the carry-in / out target tray 102a. By doing so, the tray 102a and the glass substrate 108 are supported at positions separated by the side pins 122 and the pivot pins 126.

[0025] The robot hand 110 takes out the raised glass substrate 108 when unloading, and receives the glass substrate 108 transferred by the robot node 110 by the side pin 122 and the swivel pin 126 when loading. Contain. The number of side pins 122 and swivel pins 126 is not limited as long as the glass substrate 108 is stable. Further, the tip of the pin is covered with a soft material such as rubber so as not to damage the glass substrate 108.

In this embodiment, the tray 102 is configured by stacking 60 trays. The lowest tray (first tray) is assumed to be fixed to the pallet 101.

The configuration and operation of the substrate carry-in / out apparatus 100 having the above-described configuration will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

[0028] Pallet 101 positioning operation>

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the positioning operation when the tray 102 placed on the pallet 101 is conveyed on the conveyor and arrives at the fixed position of the glass substrate extraction operation.

First, in FIG. 2A, the pallet 101 on which the tray 102 is placed is transported from the upstream direction of the conveyor (the positive direction of the X axis) to the downstream direction (the negative direction of the X axis). When it comes into contact with the positioning block 111 provided at one end (the downstream end), the conveyor 103 is controlled to stop. In addition, the stop operation of the conveyor 103 is a pallet in this embodiment. A sensor (not shown) is provided for detecting that 101 is in contact with the positioning block 111. When this sensor detects contact of the pallet 101 with the positioning block 111, only the conveyor 103 is stopped. In addition to providing a sensor, this conveyor stop method may employ a mechanism that turns on the mechanical switch when the pallet 101 abuts against the positioning block 111.

[0030] When the first conveyor 103 stops, as shown in FIG. 2B, the rearward force of the pallet 101 in the traveling direction, the first positioning unit 112 protrudes from the lower surface of the conveyor 103, and the pallet 103 is sandwiched between the positioning block 111 and the pallet is fixed by positioning the moving direction (X-axis direction). A more detailed structure of the first positioning unit 112 will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0031] Since the conveyor 103 is provided with driving rollers (for example, chain driving) at both ends and the center of the conveying surface is vacant, the lifting unit 114 indicated by D in FIG. The lower surface force also lifts the pallet 101 several centimeters. At this time, the first positioning unit 112 is also configured to lift the contact surface 112a with the pallet 101 several centimeters in accordance with the lifting operation of the elevating unit 114 (details will be described later). Since the lifting unit 114 has a free roller on the top surface (the rotation direction is the Y-axis direction), the pallet 101 is easy to move in the horizontal plane.

[0032] After the positioning in the X-axis direction is finished, as shown in FIG. 2C, the second positioning unit 113 protrudes from the river width direction (X-axis direction) of the conveyor 103, and the pallet 101 is The other unit (not shown) is positioned in the Y-axis direction so as to sandwich both side forces in the Y-axis direction (river width direction) of the conveyor 103 (projecting on the opposite side surface). As indicated by C in FIG. 2, since the pallet 101 is also lifted by the lifting unit 114, the contact surface of the positioning block 111 having the same structure as the first positioning unit 112 ( (Laura part) 11 la also follows a few centimeters and rises! /

[0033] When the pallet 101 is positioned at a position appropriate for taking out the glass substrate 108 by the positioning operation as described above, first, the second positioning unit 113 is separated from the pallet 101. Further, the elevating unit 114 is lowered, and the loading / unloading operation of the glass substrate 108 is started. Note that a lower limit sensor is provided in the lifting unit 114, and then descends again after ascending. As a result, the sensor is turned on, and it becomes a trigger signal for starting the next board loading / unloading operation.

Note that the pallet clamping operation by the positioning block 111 and the first positioning unit 112 is continued until the glass substrates 108 placed on all the trays 102 are taken out.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing details of the first positioning unit 112. As shown in FIG. 3, when the first positioning unit 112 is in the standby state, the first positioning unit 112 is disposed at the position W. Further, the action part 115a of the cylinder 115 is also arranged at the position W. Then, when it is detected that the contact is in contact with the positioning block 111, a control signal is sent to the cylinder 115. In response to the control signal, the operation unit 115a is moved from position W to position S1 by the cylinder so that the first positioning unit 112 is set from the position W in the standby state to the position S1 in the positioning state.

In FIG. 3, the first positioning unit 112 is brought into contact with the pallet 101 via a roller 112a, and the roller 112a slides around a shaft 112b. That is, as described above, after the pallet 101 is positioned in the traveling direction (X-axis direction) on the conveyor, the pallet 101 is lifted by the lifting unit 114 from the lower surface of the conveyor. When the pallet 101 is lifted, the force for positioning in the X-axis direction slides with respect to the central axis 112b so that the roller 112a can follow the pallet 101 at that time. In order to make this slide possible, the shaft of the central shaft 112b is somewhat longer.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing details of the second positioning unit 113. As shown in FIG. 4, when the second positioning unit 113 is in the standby state, the second positioning unit 113 is disposed at the position W. Further, the action part 116a of the cylinder 116 is also arranged at the position W. Then, when the pallet 101 is lifted several centimeters by the lifting unit 114, a control signal is sent to the cylinder 115. In response to the control signal, the operation unit 116a is moved from position W to position S2 by the cylinder so that the second positioning unit 113 is set from the position W in the standby state to the position S2 in the positioning state. This second positioning unit positions the pallet 101 so that the side surfaces in the Y-axis direction are sandwiched between the two sides. A is provided at each end of 103.

[0038] Configuration of the tray chuck 107>

The configuration and operation of the tray chuck 107 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7.

The tray chuck 107 is driven by a tray chuck driving unit 106.

Normally, the tray 102 also carries out the lowermost force in order, but every time it is carried out, all trays are returned to the original state (all trays are stacked), and the grip of the tray chuck 107 is released. Then, the tray chuck 107 is raised by a predetermined height, and the tray above the tray to be carried out next is gripped and lifted again. This is the basic operation of the tray chuck 107.

In FIG. 5, the tray chuck 107 is divided into three units, each of which can hold and lift, for example, a 19-stage tray. A tray separation mechanism 127 is attached under each unit, so that one unit is held by this, and each unit is lifted by 20 steps at the same time. Here, each tray chuck is in a stand-by state when unloading is completed every 20 stages, which is the force that enables the tray tray to grip and lift the 60-stage tray as a whole. In other words, the lower tray chuck 107d is in a standby state when the 20th tray from the bottom is finished, and the middle tray chuck 107c is in a standby state when the 21st tray has been transported to the 40th tray.

Here, A in FIG. 5 shows an operation after the glass substrate 108 is taken out from the tray 102 at the 19th stage from the bottom among the trays having a total of 60 stages. At this time, the tray chuck 107 holds and lifts the upper 41 stages of the tray 102. Here, when the glass substrate 108 is unloaded (loaded) from the tray 102 at the 19th stage from the bottom (that is, the 41st stage of the upper force), the tray chuck 107 is lowered and the tray is returned to the original state.

Subsequently, as shown by B in FIG. 5, the entire tray chuck 107 is lowered to a position where the tray loading / unloading operation is started.

[0043] Since the upper and middle trays and the lower tray chuck units 107b to 107d have been used to hold and lift the tray 20 units from the bottom, unloading of the 20 trays has been completed. As shown in the figure, the lower tray chuck unit 107d is in a standby state, and only the middle and upper tray chuck units 107b and c are used to hold and lift the tray. To.

[0044] The reason why the tray chuck 107 is divided into three units in this way is to reduce the overall height of the apparatus as much as possible. In other words, if three tray chucks always move up and down, when processing nearly 60 stages of trays, the device height is almost doubled, which meets the demand for smaller devices. Because there is no. On the other hand, when the tray chuck 107 is divided as in the present embodiment, the installation height on the conveyor is approximately (60 + 20) stages, for example, if the apparatus carries in and out 60-stage trays. If it is only a minute high, it will be. Technically, the number of tray chuck divisions is not limited to three, but may be any number.

FIG. 6 is a view showing the structure of the tray chuck 107. 6A is a schematic view of the front surface of the tray chuck, FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram of the side surface of the tray chuck, and FIG. 6C is an enlarged view of the drive portion P of the gripping operation of the tray chuck.

In FIG. 6A, the tray chuck 107 is provided in the tray chuck driving unit 106 via a tray chuck holder 1004, and is divided into, for example, three units 107b to d, each having 20 stages of gripping claws. 107a (not shown in FIG. 6A). Each unit 107b-d has two rows of vertical columns 1003 connected by a first bar 1001. This vertical column 1003 is provided with 20 gripping claws 107a, for example, 19 pieces and one piece of tray separating mechanism 127, for a total of 20 pieces! This is so that one tray chuck unit can hold the 20-step tray and move it up and down.

In addition, as shown by B and C in FIG. 6, the second bar 1002 and the first bar fixed (fixed by the connecting block 1006) provided so as to protrude from the tray chuck holder 1004 1001 is connected to a guide rail 1009 via a slider 1010. A cylinder shaft 1007 is fixed to the tray chuck holder 1004, and a cylinder operating unit 1008 is provided on the first bar 1001. Accordingly, the first bar 1001 moves in the arrow G direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 1). Since the vertical bar 1003 to which the units 107b to 107d are attached is fixed to the first bar 1001, each unit 107b to 107d also moves in the direction of the arrow G by this operation, and thereby the gripping operation of the tray. You can now!

[0048] Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the servo module provided in the tray chuck drive unit 106 is provided. The ball screw 1011 is rotated by the motor 1012, and thereby, the tray chuck holder 100 4 is controlled to move up and down in the H direction.

[0049] <Configuration of tray chuck unit>

Next, the configuration of one tray chuck unit (107b, c or d) constituting the tray chuck 107 will be described. FIG. 7 shows two of the three tray chuck units.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 7, each tray chuck unit includes a first bar 1001, a second bar 1002, and two rows of vertical pillars 1003 attached to the first and second bars. Tray separating mechanism 127 attached to the side of the first bar 100 1, slider (front / rear slider) 1010 attached to the bottom of the first bar 1001, and attached to the bottom of both ends of the second bar 1002 Side pin operating unit 120 and a pivot pin operating unit 124 attached to the bottom surface of the second bar 1002 and between the vertical pillars 1003.

[0051] The side pin operating unit 120 includes a side pin mounting unit 121 in which a plurality of side pins 122 are arranged, and a cylinder 123 that moves along the guide rail 128 of the rodless cylinder. Can be moved back and forth (in the Y direction).

[0052] The swivel pin operation unit 124 includes a swivel pin placement unit 125 in which a plurality of swivel pins 126 are arranged, and a rotary actuator 1013 that enables the swivel pin placement unit 125 to swivel in an angular direction. Yes. The pivot pin 126 and the side pin 122 are disposed at the same height.

The tray separating mechanism 127 is disposed between the two vertical pillars 1003, and separates the carry-in / out target tray 102a from the tray (tray group) 102 to move up and down. The tray separation mechanism 127 includes a support column 1270, an elevating mechanism portion 1271 attached thereto, a slider 1272 attached to the elevating mechanism portion 1271, a support bar 1273 attached to the elevating slider 1272, and a support bar. Detaching claws 12 74 attached to both ends of the 1273. The elevating mechanism portion 1271 includes a ball screw 1275 and a servo motor 1276 indicated by broken lines. By controlling the operation of the servo motor 1276, the slider 1272 and the support bar 1273 attached thereto can be moved up and down.

Further, since the tray separating mechanism 127 is attached to the first bar 1001, the front / rear slider 1010 can perform the front / rear motion. Front / back slider 1010 Therefore, the carry-in / out target tray 102a can be moved up and down by holding the carry-in / out target tray 102a with the gripping claws 1274 as the processing target tray separating mechanism 127 moves forward and moving the support bar 1273 up and down in this state. Through the above operation, the tray 102 2a (not shown in FIG. 7) to be carried in / out is separated from the tray (tray group) 102 and the glass substrate 108 is taken out or ready for the receiving operation.

As shown in FIG. 8, the side pin operating unit 120 advances the side pin mounting unit 121. At the same time, the swivel pin operating unit 124 turns the swivel pin mounting unit 125 to enter the carry-in / out target tray 102a.

[0056] Thereby, each of the side pin 122 and the pivot pin 126 is positioned below the through hole of the tray 102a.

[0057] The side pin operation unit 120 and the swivel pin operation unit 124 are provided in each tray chuck unit on both sides of the tray 102. Accordingly, the side pins 122 and the pivot pins 126 enter both sides of the carry-in / out target tray 102a and are positioned below all the through holes.

Then, the processing target tray separating mechanism 127 lowers the carry-in / out target tray 102a.

As the carry-in / out object tray 102a is lowered, the glass substrate 108 in the tray is lifted by the side pins 122 and the pivot pins 126. The robot hand 110 takes out the lifted glass substrate 108.

[0059] <Structure of tray 102>

FIG. 9 shows the structure of the tray. For example, 60 trays are stacked, and each tray is provided with a plurality of through holes 1021. The through hole 1021 is provided to pass through the lift pin 105, the side pin 122, and the swivel pin 126 and lift the glass substrate 108 by a predetermined height.

[0060] Further, the corners of the bottom surface of the tray are chamfered (see 1023) so that the trays are positioned and not easily collapsed when the trays are stacked.

Each tray 102 is provided with a locking portion 1022 on the tray edge (one turn) where the gripping claw 107a and the separation claw 1274 are locked.

[0062] Removal operation of glass substrate 108>

Subsequently, from each tray 102 placed on the positioned pallet 101, a glass substrate 108 is obtained. The operation of taking out will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG.

[0063] (1) Removal operation of the lowermost (first stage) tray

Since the first tray is fixed to the pallet 101 with bolts, the operation differs from the second and subsequent trays. FIG. 10 is an operation transition diagram showing how the glass substrate 108 is taken out from the first-stage tray (the carrying-in / out target tray 102a).

[0064] First, the trays 102 stacked in 60 stages are carried by the conveyor 104 and positioned at the loading / unloading position (A in FIG. 10). The positioning operation is performed as described in FIGS.

[0065] Subsequently, the tray chuck 107 moves forward so as to sandwich the tray 102, and preparations are made to lift the second and higher trays (B in FIG. 10).

[0066] Then, the trays in the second and subsequent stages are lifted (C in FIG. 10), and at the same time or thereafter, the lift pins 105 are raised to lift the glass substrate 108 by a predetermined height (D in FIG. 10). The lift pin 105 passes through the hole 1021 provided in the tray 102a and lifts the glass substrate 108 from the tray by a predetermined height. Any number of the lift pins 105 may be used as long as the glass substrate 108 is stable. Note that. The tip of the lift pin 105 may be covered with a soft material such as rubber so as not to damage the glass substrate 108, like the side pin 120 and the pivot pin 124.

[0067] When the glass substrate 108 is lifted by the lift pins 105, the robot hand 110 enters between the tray 102a and the glass substrate 108, takes out the glass substrate 108, and transfers it to a substrate processing apparatus (not shown). is there.

[0068] When the glass substrate 108 accommodated in the first-stage tray 102a is taken out, the lift pins are lowered, and the second-stage or higher trays are lifted from the second-stage or higher trays to be described later. The board may be taken out and returned to its original position, and the second and higher trays that have been lifted are again stacked on the first empty tray, and the second and higher trays described later are used. You can start taking out the board.

[0069] The length of the lift pin 105 is only long enough to penetrate the pallet 101 and one tray, lift the glass substrate 108, and allow the robot hand 110 to remove it. It is much shorter than the length of a conventional pin. Therefore, accommodate the lift pin Therefore, it is not necessary to take much space between the pallet mounting table and the floor.

[0070] When the lowermost tray is fixed to the pallet, lift pins 105 are added, the gripping claws 107a of the tray chuck unit 107d are 18 steps, and the gripping claws 107 of the tray chuck units 107b and 107c are 19 It becomes a step.

[0071] (2) Removing from the second or higher tray

FIG. 11 is an operation transition diagram showing how the glass substrate 108 is taken out from the processing target tray 102a in the second and higher stages.

[0072] First, the tray chuck 107 moves forward so as to sandwich the tray 102 (A in FIG. 11), and preparations are made to lift the tray on the second and higher stages (B in FIG. 11). Here, a difference from when the first-stage tray is carried in and out is that the second-stage tray 102a is separated and held by the claw 1274.

[0073] Then, the second and higher trays 102 are lifted (C in FIG. 11). At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, since the second tray 102a to be loaded and unloaded is gripped by the separation claw 1274, it is separated from the tray 102 above it. ing.

[0074] With the trays 102 in the second and higher stages lifted, the side pin operating unit 120 and the swivel pin operating unit 124 enter below the second stage tray 102a (D in FIG. 11). Since FIG. 11 is a front view, the swivel pin operation unit 124 is shown in the figure.

[0075] Further, the tray separating mechanism 127 lowers only the second tray 102a by a predetermined height. In this way, the side pin 122 and the pivot pin 126 pass through the through hole 1021 of the tray 102a to lift the glass substrate 108 accommodated in the tray 102a (E in FIG. 11).

) o

[0076] When the glass substrate 108 is lifted from the second tray 102a, the robot hand 110 enters between the tray 102a and the glass substrate 108, takes out the glass substrate 108, and places it on a substrate processing apparatus (not shown). I hand it over. This operation is the same as for the first tray.

[0077] When the delivery of the glass substrate 108 is completed, the tray separation mechanism 127 to be processed raises the empty tray 102a and aligns the upper surface edge thereof with the bottom surface of the third-stage tray (in terms of appearance, the figure). 11 states like D). Then, the side pin 122 and the pivot pin 126 are retracted ( (Appearance is as shown in Fig. 11C). Furthermore, the second or higher tray 102 is placed on the first tray 102b (as shown in Fig. 11B), and the tray chuck 107 is retracted (as shown in Fig. 11A). Preparation for loading / unloading of the third tray is started.

The operation as described above is executed from the third stage to the 60th stage, and all the glass substrates 108 are taken out from the tray 102.

[0079] As described above, the tray chuck unit (107b to 107d) used for every 20 trays is changed.

[0080] Loading operation of glass substrate 108>

Hereinafter, the operation of loading the glass substrate 108 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 12, when the glass substrate 108 is carried into the empty tray 102, the uppermost (60th) tray is executed.

First, empty trays 102 stacked in 60 stages are carried by the conveyor 104 and positioned at the operation processing position (A in FIG. 12). The positioning operation is performed as described in FIGS.

[0083] Next, the tray chuck 107 moves forward so as to sandwich the tray 102, and preparations are made to lift the 60th tray 102a (B in FIG. 12). Since it is necessary to raise and lower the tray 102a, the tray 102a is gripped by the separation claw 1274 that is not gripped by the tray gripping claw 107a.

[0084] Then, the tray 102a at the 60th stage is lifted (C in Fig. 12), and at the same time or thereafter, the side pin 122 and the pivot pin 126 enter the tray 102a (D in Fig. 12).

Then, the tray separating mechanism 127 for carrying in / out the object lowers the tray 102a of the 60th stage by a predetermined height, and the side pin 122 and the swivel pin 126 pass through the through hole 1021 of the tray, and the glass substrate 108 delivery preparations are complete. In this state, for example, a robot hand 110 (not shown in FIG. 12) holding the processed glass substrate 108 enters the side pins 122 and the pivot pins 126, and receives the glass substrate 108 on these pins. Hand it over (E in Figure 12).

[0086] When the delivery is completed, the carry-in / out target tray separating mechanism 127 raises the tray 102a and accommodates the delivered glass substrate 108 in the tray 102a.

[0087] It should be noted that when the glass substrate 108 is delivered to the side pin 122 and the pivot pin 126, or When the glass substrate 108 is accommodated in the tray 102a, the glass substrate 108 is positioned by a sensor (not shown), and the glass substrate is accommodated in the tray in a misalignment position. For example, if the sensor detects a displacement, the glass substrate 108 is taken out from the side pin 122 and the pivot pin 126 by the robot hand 110, and the delivery operation is executed again.

[0088] When the glass substrate 108 is properly accommodated in the 60th tray 102a, the side pin 122 and the pivot pin 126 are retracted to their original positions (state C in FIG. 12), and further, the object to be carried in / out is separated. The mechanism 127 lowers the gripped tray 102a and places the 60th tray 102a on the 59th tray (state B in FIG. 12). Then, the tray chuck 107 is retracted from the tray 102, and preparations for carrying the glass substrate 108 into the next tray (59th tray) are made.

FIG. 13 is an operation transition diagram showing how the glass substrate 108 is carried into the 59th tray 102a.

First, the tray chuck 107 moves forward so as to sandwich the tray 102, and preparations are made to lift the 59th and higher trays (A in FIG. 13). Here, the tray in the 60th stage is gripped by the tray gripping claw 107a, and the tray 102a in the 59th stage, which is the object to be carried in / out, is gripped by the separation claw 1274.

Then, the 59th and 60th stage trays are lifted by a predetermined height (B in FIG. 13). At this time, as shown in FIG. 13B, the 59th tray 102a to be loaded and unloaded is gripped by the separation claw 1 274, so that it is separated from the 60th tray. It has become.

[0092] With the 59th and 60th trays 102 lifted, the side pin operation unit 120 and the swivel pin operation unit 124 enter below the second tray 102a (C in FIG. 13).

Furthermore, the tray separating mechanism 127 lowers only the 59th tray 102a by a predetermined height. In this way, the side pin 122 and the pivot pin 126 pass through the through hole 1021 of the tray 102a and pass through the tray 102a, and preparation for delivery of the glass substrate 108 is completed. In this state, for example, a robot node 110 (not shown in FIG. 13) holding the processed glass substrate 108 enters the side pins 122 and the swivel pins 126, and the glass substrate 108 is applied to these pins. Hand it over (D in Figure 13).

[0094] When the delivery is finished, the tray separating mechanism 127 to be carried in / out raises the tray 102a. The transferred glass substrate 108 is accommodated in the tray 102a.

Note that the positioning of the glass substrate 108 by a sensor (not shown) is the same as when the glass substrate 108 is carried into the 60th tray.

[0096] When the glass substrate 108 is properly accommodated in the 59th tray 102a, the side pins 122 and the pivot pins 126 are retracted to their original positions (state B in FIG. 13). The separation mechanism 127 lowers the gripped 59th and 60th trays and places them on the 58th tray (state A in FIG. 13). Then, the tray chuck 107 is retracted from the tray 102, and preparations for carrying the glass substrate 108 into the next tray (58th tray) are made.

[0097] The above operation is repeated, and the glass substrate 108 is carried into all 60 trays. Note that the bottom (first) tray is fixed to the pallet 101, so that the glass substrate 108 is removed from the robot hand 110 using the lift pins 105 without using the side pins 122 and the swivel pins 126. Receive it and place it in a tray.

[0098] The above is one of the embodiments of the present invention, and the case where the side pin moving means and the carry-in / out object separating mechanism are attached to the tray lifting / lowering means has been described. After changing the insertion order of the side pins 122 and 126 to the carry-in / out target tray 102a and separating the other input / output tray 102a by the carry-in / out target separating mechanism 127, the side pins 122 and 126 are connected to the carry-in / out target tray 102a. You may make it go down and raise it. Further, when separating the stacked trays, the upper tray may not be moved up and down, but the lower tray may be moved up and down, and the side pin may enter the separation space generated thereby. In that case, if the side pin moving means and the carry-in / out object separating mechanism are attached to the lower tray lifting / lowering means, the configuration becomes simpler. In addition, any embodiment may be used as long as it does not deviate from the present invention.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the heights of the conveyors 103 and 104 are fixed, and the glass substrate 108 is lifted and removed by moving the lift pins 105 and moving the slide pins 122 and the swivel pins 126 Z Since it is carried in, the operation of the apparatus can be simplified, and it is effective for space saving of the apparatus, particularly when the height is limited. In other words, when the pin is fixed and the conveyor itself is moved up and down, first set the absolute length. The minimum pin length (the length corresponding to the number of tray steps) and the height corresponding to the number of tray steps are required as a minimum device. In this embodiment, since the lift pins are raised and lowered, the number is twice the number of tray steps. Does not require device height. Each tray does not weigh as much, but it can be quite heavy when stacked in layers. In such a case, it is important to minimize the vertical movement of the heavy object itself, and this embodiment can achieve this.

[0100] Further, in this embodiment, each time the one glass substrate 108 is taken out or carried in, the slide pin 122 and the swivel pin 126 are also retracted under the tray, so that the pin is in the tray. The risk of breakage of the glass substrate 108 without worrying about piercing the glass substrate 108 stored in the container is dramatically reduced. As in the prior art, it is easy to imagine that if the tray chuck is removed when the pins are fixed, most of the glass substrate stored in the gripped tray is likely to be damaged. Let's go.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, all the trays are placed on the pallet 101 on the first competitor 103 at the stage where the loading / unloading of all the trays is completed. Therefore, as soon as the loading / unloading is completed, the replacement operation with the pallet loaded with the tray to be processed next can be started, so the processing time for substrate transfer can be shortened as a whole, and efficient transfer is possible. Can be realized.

[0102] In the present embodiment, since the lowermost tray is fixed to the pallet, the glass substrate 108 can be taken out or carried in without any positional deviation. In other words, since the position of the first tray is clearly determined, as long as the pallet 101 is accurately positioned, the tray loaded on it is automatically positioned accurately.

[0103] <Second Embodiment>

In the above embodiment, when the glass substrate 108 placed on the slide pin 122 and the pivot pin 126 or the glass substrate 108 placed on the lift pin 105 is displaced, the robot 109 causes the glass substrate 108 to move. Although the case where the positional deviation is eliminated by re-holding has been described, the positioning function of the glass substrate 108 can be added to the substrate carry-in / out device 100.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration example in which the positioning unit 200 is provided in the tray chuck unit. In the example in the figure, the bar 1 is an extension of the second bar 1002 of the tray chuck unit in the X direction. A positioning unit 200 is attached to the lower side of both end portions of 002 ′ via an attachment portion 201.

[0105] The positioning unit 200 includes positioning rollers 210a, 210b, 21 la, and 21 lb, a support plate 220 that supports the rollers 210a, 210b, 21 la, and 21 lb, and a support plate 220 that reciprocates in the X direction. There is provided an actuator 230 for moving and an actuator 240 for reciprocating the actuator 230 in the Y direction.

[0106] The positional relationship between the positioning rollers 210a and 210b and 21 la and 21 lb is the distance between the outer periphery of the glass substrate 108 and the outer periphery of the tray 102 when stored at an appropriate position in the tray 102. Is set in advance.

[0107] The glass substrate 108 is positioned by defining the positions of its four corners with the four positioning units 200. The rollers 210 a and 210 b are rollers for positioning one of the four corners of the glass substrate 108, and are supported by the support plate 220 so as to rotate on the upper side of the support plate 220.

The rollers 211 a and 21 lb are for controlling the amount of movement of the support plate 220 by the actuators 230 and 240, and are rotatably supported by the support plate 220 below the support plate 220. In the case of the present embodiment, the actuators 230 and 240 are both air actuators.

[0109] Next, the positioning operation of the glass substrate 108 by the positioning unit 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16 are upper side views of the periphery of the positioning unit 200 and a part (corner portion) of the carry-in / out target tray 102a, and the lower view is a plan view thereof. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16, a description will be given of the case where the tray 102 at the second or higher level is set as the carry-in / out target tray 102a, but the same applies when the bottom tray 102 is set as the target tray 102a. is there.

FIG. 15 shows a case where the positioning unit 200 is in a standby state. The glass substrate 108 corresponding to the carry-in / out target tray 102a is placed on the slide pin 122 and the turning pin 126 (not shown). Further, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 15, the glass substrate 108 is in a state of being displaced from the carry-in / out target tray 102a in plan view.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 16, the actuator 240 is first extended, and then The actuator 230 is operated to move the support plate 220 in the Y direction and the X direction in the figure. Due to the extension of the actuator 240, the support plate 220 advances between the glass substrate 108 and the tray 10a for loading / unloading, and the roller 21la contacts the side of the tray 102a for loading / unloading along the X direction. The drive (extension) of the actuator 240 stops when the roller 21 la contacts the carrying-in / out tray 102a. At this time, the roller 210a comes into contact with the side of the glass substrate 108 along the X direction according to the displacement of the glass substrate 108. As a result, the glass substrate 108 is positioned in the Y direction.

Subsequently, the roller 211b is brought into contact with the side of the carry-in / out target tray 102b along the Y direction by driving the actuator 230. Actuator 230 stops driving (sliding) when 21 lb of roller comes into contact with the loading / unloading tray 102a. At this time, the roller 210b comes into contact with the side of the glass substrate 108 along the Y direction according to the position of the glass substrate 108. As a result, the glass substrate 108 is also positioned in the X direction.

It should be noted that the drive of the actuators 230 and 240 is stopped when, for example, the rollers 211a and 21 lb contact the carrying-in / out object tray 102a, the actuators 230 and 240 cannot move the support plate 220 any more. To some extent, a method of weakening the urging force by the actuators 230 and 240 in advance is mentioned.

[0114] In this way, relative positioning of the glass substrate 108 and the carry-in / out target tray 102a in the horizontal direction is performed. In other words, by setting the relative positional relationship between the rollers 210a and 210b and 21 la and 21 lb corresponding to the appropriate positional relationship between the glass substrate 108 and the tray 102a to be carried in and out, The positioning of the glass substrate 108 is completed when the two rollers 21 la and 21 lb come into contact with two sides of the periphery of the tray 102a to be carried in and out, and the movement of the support plate 220 by the actuators 230 and 240 stops. .

[0115] As described above, the positioning of the glass substrate 108 is simultaneously performed by the four positioning units 200 arranged corresponding to the four corners, and the four corners of the glass substrate 108 are positioned by the rollers 210a and 210b. Will be.

[0116] After positioning, the positioning unit 200 returns to the state shown in FIG. Such positioning of the glass substrate 108 can be performed both when the glass substrate 108 is carried in and when it is carried out. Glass substrate 108 is positioned on the substrate loading / unloading device 100 side With this configuration, the robot 109 does not need to hold the glass substrate 108 again, and the tact time can be shortened.

[0117] <Third Embodiment>

Next, a description will be given of a case where random access is performed to carry in / out the tray 102 at an arbitrary position, in which the glass substrate 108 is not carried in / out from the stacked trays 102 in order.

[0118] In the case of the sequential type, glass substrates are loaded and unloaded in the order of upward or downward force, so it is difficult to envisage partial omission in the stacked trays. When carrying out the test, the accommodation state of the substrate may be scattered. In order to prevent mistakes such as trying to insert two glass substrates into one tray 102, the glass substrate 108 is placed in each tray 102 at the start of loading and unloading of the glass substrate 108. It is desirable to check whether the power is installed. In the present embodiment, a configuration for performing substrate detection for detecting whether or not a glass substrate 108 is mounted on each tray 102 will be described.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a tray 302 that replaces the tray 102. The tray 302 is provided with an opening 3021 communicating with the inside of the tray 102 on the side surface of the tray 102, and the other configuration is the same as the tray 102. By providing the opening 3021, it can be seen from the side of the tray 302 whether or not the glass substrate 108 is mounted in the tray 302. Therefore, it is possible to check whether or not the glass substrate 108 is mounted on each tray 302 by scanning the side surface of the stacked trays 302 in the vertical direction using an optical sensor.

[0120] Although the moving mechanism for scanning the optical sensor up and down can be provided on the substrate carry-in / out apparatus 100 side, an example in which the moving mechanism is provided at the tip of the robot hand 110 of the robot 109 will be described here. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example in which the optical sensor 400 is provided in the robot hand 110.

The optical sensor 400 includes a light emitting element 401 and a light receiving element 402. The light emitting element 401 also irradiates light with the tip force of the robot hand 110. When an object exists in the irradiation range of the light emitting element 401, the reflected light reflected by the object is received by the light receiving element 402 at the tip of the robot hand 110, and the presence of the object is detected. .

[0122] In FIG. 19, the glass substrate 108 is mounted on each tray 302 by the optical sensor 400. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation when checking whether or not the optical sensor 400 is detected.

In the example of FIG. 19, the glass substrate 108 is mounted on the second and fifth trays 302 from the bottom. The robot 110 brings the optical sensor 400 close to the side surface of the stacked tray 302, and keeps the distance between the optical sensor 400 and the side surface of the tray 302 constant, while keeping the distance between the optical sensor 400 and the tray 302 at a constant speed. Raise from the position of 302 (or descend from the position of the uppermost tray 302).

The light emitted from the light emitting element 401 of the optical sensor 400 is reflected by the side surface of the tray 302 and detected by the light receiving element 402. In addition, when the glass substrate 108 is present, the light irradiated to the opening 3021 is reflected by the side surface of the glass substrate 108 and detected by the light receiving element 402. When the glass substrate 108 is not present Since there is no reflected light, the light receiving element 402 does not detect this.

For this reason, as shown in the detection result of FIG. 19, the electrical signal that also outputs the force of the optical sensor 400 (light receiving element 402) is mounted on the tray 302 on which the glass substrate 108 is mounted and on the tray 302. The waveform is different from that of the 302, and it is possible to check whether or not the glass substrate 108 is mounted on each tray 302 from this detection result and information on the movement position of the robot hand 110. That's true.

[0126] Then, the tray 302 to be carried in / out is selected based on the detection result of the optical sensor 400, and the carrying-in / out operation is performed. FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a control system using the detection result of the optical sensor 400.

[0127] The example in the figure shows a host computer 500 that manages the entire factory where the substrate carry-in / out device 100 is installed, a control device 501 that controls the robot 109, and a control device 502 that controls the substrate carry-in / out device 100. An example of a system that is connected to be communicable is shown. The detection result of the optical sensor 400 is transmitted to the host computer 500 via the control device 501. Based on the received detection result, the host computer 500 selects the tray 302 to be loaded / unloaded with respect to the control device 502 according to the operation status of various substrate processing apparatuses related to the substrate loading / unloading apparatus 100. Instruct. Receiving the instruction for selecting the tray 302, the control device 502 sets the tray 302 according to the selection instruction as a tray to be loaded / unloaded, and performs the above-described loading / unloading operation. It will be.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A tray loader is also a substrate loading / unloading device for taking out or loading a substrate,

A conveyor for moving a pallet loaded with a plurality of trays having a predetermined number of pin through holes;

Pallet positioning means for positioning the pallet at a predetermined position of the conveyor;

Tray lifting / lowering means for separating the plurality of trays in a state where the pallet is positioned by the positioning means and providing a predetermined separation space between the separated trays; Tray separating means for moving up and down the tray to be loaded / unloaded corresponding to the substrate to be

A substrate support pin moving means for allowing a substrate support pin for supporting the substrate to enter and retreat under the carry-in / out tray;

Pin insertion means for inserting the substrate support pin through the pin insertion hole of the carry-in / out target tray,

The substrate support pin protrudes from the carry-in / out tray by passing through the pin insertion hole,

The substrate loading / unloading apparatus, wherein the substrate is supported by the protruding substrate supporting pins in a state where the substrate is lifted from the loading / unloading tray.

[2] The tray separating means functions as the pin insertion means,

In the state where the substrate support pin is positioned below the tray for carrying in / out, the tray support means lowers the carry-in / out tray by the tray separating means, thereby supporting the substrate in the pin insertion hole of the tray for carrying in / out. 2. The substrate carry-in / out device according to claim 1, wherein a pin is inserted.

3. The substrate carry-out according to claim 1, wherein the substrate support pin moving means causes the substrate support pin to enter and retreat under the carry-in / out tray by turning the substrate support pin. Input device.

[4] The substrate support pin moving means is characterized in that the substrate support pin enters and retracts below the carry-in / out tray by sliding the substrate support pin. The substrate carry-in / out device according to claim 1.

[5] The tray lifting and lowering means includes a plurality of tray gripping claws for supporting each tray in the vertical direction.

2. The substrate carry-in / out device according to claim 1, wherein the tray gripping claw is driven and controlled in a plurality of groups divided in the vertical direction.

6. The substrate carry-in / out apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate support pin moving means is attached to the tray lifting / lowering means.

7. The substrate carry-in / out apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tray separating means is attached to the tray lifting / lowering means.

8. The substrate carry-in / out device according to claim 1, further comprising lift pins for supporting the substrate in a state where the lowermost tray is lifted with respect to the lowermost tray.

[9] Tray card A substrate loading / unloading method for taking out or loading a board,

After moving a pallet in which a plurality of trays having a predetermined number of pin through holes are moved and positioning the pallet, the stacked trays are separated, and a tray relative movement for providing a predetermined separation space is performed. Process,

In the separation space, the tray separating step for moving the tray for loading / unloading corresponding to the substrate to be loaded / unloaded independently of other trays to separate the tray from the other trays and the substrate are supported. A substrate support pin moving step for causing a substrate support pin to enter under the carry-in / out tray,

A pin insertion step for relatively moving the substrate support pin and the loading / unloading target tray so that the substrate supporting pin passes through the pin insertion hole of the loading / unloading target tray and protrudes from the loading / unloading target tray;

A substrate delivery step of delivering a substrate between the substrate support pin and another transfer device in a state where the substrate support pin passes through the pin insertion hole of the carry-in / out target tray and protrudes from the carry-in / out target tray card. When,

Board loading / unloading method including

[10] Substrate positioning means for positioning the substrate supported by the substrate support pins The substrate carry-in / out apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

[11] A substrate detecting means for detecting whether or not each of the trays loaded in a plurality of stages has a substrate is provided.

2. The substrate carry-in / out device according to claim 1, wherein the carry-in / out target tray is selected based on a detection result of the substrate detection means.

[12] In a substrate loading / unloading apparatus that loads and unloads a substrate to / from one tray selected from a plurality of stacked trays having a plurality of pin through holes,

First elevating means for separating the plurality of trays up and down with a boundary between a carry-in / carry-out tray corresponding to a substrate to be carried in / out and a tray below the carry-in / carry-out tray; (1) Substrate support in which a substrate support pin for supporting a substrate enters a separation space between the tray to be carried in / out and a tray below the tray to be carried in / out generated by separation by the tray lifting / lowering means Pin moving means;

A second lifting and lowering means for moving the carry-in / out target tray up and down in the separation space;

After the substrate support pins enter the separation space by the substrate support pin moving means so that the substrate support pins pass through the pin insertion holes of the carry-in / out target tray and protrude from the carry-in / out target tray card The substrate loading / unloading apparatus, wherein the second loading / lowering means lowers the loading / unloading tray.