JP4569549B2 - Transfer equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer apparatus that is used in a transport system that transports a work (referred to as a “conveyance object”) and that moves the work in a straight line by an articulated arm within the same horizontal plane.

  In factories that manufacture semiconductor substrates, liquid crystal display panels, etc., because the flat plate material (semiconductor wafer or glass plate) that is the material is subjected to multi-step processing at different positions, trays that contain the flat plate material, etc. A transport system that transports workpieces, which are the objects to be transported, in a clean room is indispensable. In the transport system, a transfer device that moves the workpieces linearly within the same horizontal plane using articulated arms transfers the workpieces. It is used to do.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of such a transfer apparatus, which is a background art of the present invention. FIG. 9 (a) is a front view thereof, and FIG. 9 (b) is a side view thereof. This transfer apparatus is described in Patent Document 1.

  The transfer apparatus 100 includes a pair of bases 101, a pair of base-side arms 102 rotatably attached to the pair of bases 101, and tips of the pair of base-side arms 102. And a transfer arm 105 that rotatably connects the distal end sides of the pair of distal end arms.

  Each base 101 drives the base end side arm 102 synchronously and rotationally symmetrically with the center line of the base 101, so that the transfer device 100 causes the transfer arm 105 to move along the two-dot chain line in the figure. From the state indicated by the imaginary line to the state indicated by the solid line, it can be linearly moved in the direction of the symmetric center line.

  The transfer arm 105 is provided with a pair of gripping arms 106 that grip the workpiece W. Therefore, the transfer apparatus 100 exhibits a transfer function of grasping, moving, and lowering the workpiece W within the linear movement range.

  However, in this transfer apparatus 100, the base end side arm 102, the front end side arm 103, and the transfer arm 105 are stacked vertically so as not to interfere with each other in the vertical direction (so as not to collide with each other). It has become.

  Such a configuration is not a problem when the workpiece W is small and light, but the transfer distance becomes longer as the workpiece W becomes larger, and the problem arises when each arm becomes larger correspondingly. It becomes.

  That is, the transfer surface of the transfer arm 105 that is the apex of the three-tier stack is cumulatively increased as the height of each arm is increased. Correspondingly, it is necessary to increase the height of a shelf or the like on which the workpiece is transferred, and an unused space (dead space) under the shelf becomes large, so a solution has been desired.

  The height of the arm needs to be increased in response to an increase in weight accompanying the increase in size of the workpiece W, and the above-described problem of the height of the transfer surface has become a more important solution.

  In addition to the articulated arm type as described above, a transfer device that uses a slide rail is also possible as a transfer device that enables linear movement of the workpiece W. In this case, the height of the slide rail is It can be kept low.

However, compared to the articulated arm type, the slide rail type generates more particles due to the rolling contact between the roller and the rail that cannot be sealed, so that the workpiece W can be directly gripped in the clean room or It was not suitable as a transfer device in a part that passes through.
JP-A-6-156632 (FIGS. 1 and 4)

  The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problem, and it is an object to provide a transfer device capable of reducing the height of the transfer surface as much as possible while having a configuration using an articulated arm. It is said.

  The transfer device according to claim 1 is configured such that a base end side of a pair of free arms composed of two arms is rotatably attached to a base, and a tip end side of the pair of free arms is rotatable relative to each other. And a structure between the transfer arm and the tip side arm of the pair of free arms that interferes in the vertical direction but does not interfere in the horizontal direction.

The transfer device according to claim 1 further includes an escape portion for avoiding horizontal interference between at least one of the distal end side arm and the transfer arm, and the shape of the escape portion is defined between each other. By escaping the arm portion diagonally in the anti-connection direction from the connection portion, the structure between the transfer arm and the tip side arms of the pair of free arms interferes in the vertical direction, but in the horizontal direction It is characterized by a structure that does not interfere .

The transfer device according to claim 2 is dependent on claim 1 and is characterized in that the base is slidable in the transfer direction of the transfer arm.

  According to the transfer device of the first aspect, the base end sides of a pair of free arms composed of two arms are rotatably attached to a base, and the tip ends of the pair of free arms are rotated relative to each other. Since the transfer arm is connected freely, the structure between the transfer arm and the tip side arm of the pair of free arms interferes in the vertical direction but does not interfere in the horizontal direction. Thus, the upper surface of the transfer arm can be set at substantially the same height as the upper surface of the distal arm, and the height of the transfer surface can be made as low as possible.

According to the transfer device of claim 1, further , the structure between the transfer arm and the distal end side arm of the pair of free arms interferes in the vertical direction but does not interfere in the horizontal direction. At least one of the side arm and the transfer arm is provided with a relief portion that avoids horizontal interference between them, and the shape of the relief portion is changed from the mutual connection portion to the anti-connection direction, and the arm portion is inclined. Since it was made to escape, the meat | flesh part of the base end part of a transfer arm can be ensured as much as possible, and the horizontal maintenance strength of a transfer arm can be improved.

According to the transfer device of the second aspect , in addition to the effect of the first aspect , since the base is slidable in the transfer direction of the transfer arm, the shortage of the transfer stroke of the transfer arm is reduced. Can cover.

  Hereinafter, embodiments (examples) of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  Fig.1 (a) is a front view which shows an example of the transfer apparatus of this invention, (b) is a side view of (a).

  For example, in a factory that manufactures a semiconductor substrate, a liquid crystal display panel, etc., the transfer device 30 has a flat plate shape (semiconductor wafer or glass plate) for performing various processing processes in a clean room. It is used when transferring a tray containing materials one by one as a work W that is an object to be conveyed in a state of being stacked one or more.

  In addition, here, as an example in which the transfer device is used, a case where a tray containing a plate-shaped material is transported in a clean room is shown, but the transfer device of the present invention is not limited to this, and generally The transfer object can be used when transferring to another position on the same plane.

  The transfer device 30 according to the present invention rotates the base end side of the base end side arm 2 of the pair of free arms 4 composed of two arms (the base end side arm 2 and the front end side arm 3) to the base 1. A transfer arm 5 that is movably attached and includes a transfer arm 5 in which the tip ends of the tip side arms 3 of the pair of free arms 4 are rotatably connected to each other, and the structure between the transfer arm 5 and the tip side arm 3 is It is characterized by a structure that interferes in the vertical direction but does not interfere in the horizontal direction.

  The point that the transfer arm 5 linearly moves in the direction of the symmetric center line when the pair of bases 1 synchronously drives the pair of base end side arms 2 symmetrically with the center line is shown in FIG. Since it is the same as the background art transfer apparatus 100, details are omitted.

  Here, the symmetric center line means a line orthogonal to the line connecting the axis centers at the midpoint of the line connecting the axis centers of the base 1, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the transfer device 30 taken longitudinally.

  The pair of bases 1, the base end side arm 2, the front end side arm 3 (these are collectively referred to as “free arm 4”) and the transfer arm 5 are collectively referred to as an arm transfer unit 10.

  In addition to the above-described parts, the transfer device 30 includes the entire arm transfer unit 10 in the direction of the symmetry center line (this direction is also referred to as a “transfer direction” because it is a direction in which the workpiece W is transferred). The slide part 20 to be slid is provided.

  The slide unit 20 on which the arm transfer unit 10 is placed is placed on the rotation unit 40, and the arm transfer unit 10 and the slide unit 20 are rotatable.

  The rotating unit 40 is placed on a lifting platform 50 conceptually indicated by a two-dot chain line in the figure, and the arm transfer unit 10 and the slide unit 20 (that is, the transfer device 30) and rotation. The part 40 can be moved up and down.

  The transfer arm 5 of the arm transfer unit 10 has a base end while maintaining the upper surface 5a constituting the transfer surface, the lower surface 5b of the arm, the base end portion 5d serving as the base end of the arm, and the transfer surface 5a. A pair of receiving arms 5e extending from the portion 5s to the front side in the transfer direction is provided.

  Here, the arm transfer unit 10, that is, the transfer device 30 is characterized in that the lower surface 5 b of the transfer arm 5 is below the upper surface 3 a of the distal arm 3 that rotatably supports the transfer arm 5. It is a point. That is, as described above, the transfer arm 5 is provided so as to interfere with the distal end side arm 3 in the vertical direction.

  More specifically, as a result of acquiring the height of the transfer arm 5 in the direction of interfering with the distal arm 3 side in this way, the upper surface (transfer surface 5a) of the transfer arm 5 is free arm. 4 is substantially the same vertical position as the upper surface 3a of the distal end side arm 3 or slightly above. That is, the height of the transfer surface of the transfer device 30 can be reduced as much as possible.

  On the other hand, when the transfer arm 5 and the distal arm 3 of the free arm 4 are in a positional relationship such that they vertically interfere with each other, depending on the rotational phase of the free arm 4, the transfer arm 5 and the distal arm 3 The part that covers the top and bottom of will collide.

  Therefore, in this transfer device 30, the transfer arm 5 as shown in FIG. 1 (a) is formed on the base portion of the transfer arm 5, which will collide with the distal arm 3. An escape portion 5c is provided for allowing the arm portion to escape in an oblique direction in the anti-connection direction from the connection portion between the distal end side arm 3 and each other.

  FIG. 1A shows a state in which the arm transfer unit 10 is most retracted with respect to the transfer direction, but the transfer arm 5 and the distal arm 3 are moved by the relief portion 5 c of the transfer arm 5. Are close to each other, but are not in contact with each other, and it is understood that collision is avoided.

  When there is no vertical interference between the transfer arm 5 and the distal arm 3, the transfer arm 5 further moves in the right direction (retracting direction) from the state shown in FIG. 1 and the symmetric center line (or transfer direction) of the front arm 3 can be retracted to a position where the angle is 0 degree. In the transfer device 30 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. Up to the state.

  However, in the state of FIG. 1 (a), the angle formed by the symmetrical center line (or transfer direction) of the proximal arm 2 and the distal arm 3 is very small, and until this angle becomes 0 degrees. The distance that can be retracted is a slight distance from the whole, and the inventor of the present invention has the advantage of reducing the transfer surface of the transfer device 30 as much as possible rather than the loss of the slight distance from the industrial viewpoint. It is thought to be important and is conceived of the present invention.

  As can be seen from FIG. 1, the upper surface 5 a of the transfer arm 5 can be made lower than the front end side arm 3 only by looking at the interference relationship between the transfer arm 5 and the front end side arm 3. However, if the upper surface 5a of the transfer arm 5 is made lower than the front end side arm 3, the transfer arm 5 itself does not interfere with the front end side arm 3, but the workpiece W placed on the transfer arm 5 does not interfere with the front end side arm 3. 3 will interfere.

  Therefore, the upper surface 5a of the transfer arm 5 is slightly higher than the upper surface 3a of the distal arm 3.

  Now, the operation mode of the transfer device 30 having the above-described configuration and operation effects will be described and confirmed with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the part already demonstrated from this, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and duplication description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the state of FIG. 1, the transfer direction of the transfer device 30 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the lifting platform 50 on which the transfer device 30 is mounted. Here, when the slide unit 20 and the transfer device 30 are rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise by the rotating unit 40, the state shown in FIG. 2 is obtained.

  As will be described later with reference to FIG. 8, the placement places where the workpieces W to be transferred are placed are provided on both sides of the traveling path along the longitudinal direction of the lifting platform 50, and are once mounted on the transfer device 30. The transfer operation of the workpiece W (FIG. 1) placed and in the standby state is started from the state of FIG.

  In FIG. 2 to FIG. 3, only the slide part 20 of the transfer device 30 is operated, and the transfer arm part 10 is not operated. That is, while the free arm 4 of the transfer arm unit 10 maintains the last retracted state (standby state), the entire transfer arm unit 10 slides to the state of FIG.

  Next, in FIGS. 3 to 7, only the arm transfer unit 10 operates, and the transfer arm 5 on the tip side advances in order with the workpiece W placed thereon.

  Here, in FIG. 7, the angle between the proximal end arm 2 and the distal end arm 3 and the transfer direction is 180 degrees (or both are in a parallel state), and the free arm 4 is fully extended. In this state, the lifting platform 50 is lowered and the work W is placed on the target placement location.

  In this operation process, in the transfer device 30 (particularly, the arm transfer unit 10) of the present invention, the transfer arm 5 and the distal arm 3 of the pair of free arms 4 interfere in the vertical direction, but in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the transfer surface can be made as low as possible with almost no loss of the movement stroke.

  Further, as a structure in which the transfer arm 5 and the distal arm 3 do not interfere in the horizontal direction, specifically, the arm portion is arranged in the anti-connection direction from the connecting portion between the transfer arm 5 and the distal arm 3. An escape portion 5c that escapes in an oblique direction is employed.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, such a relief portion 5 c extends from the base end portion 5 d, which is a connection portion between the transfer arm 5 and the distal arm 3 of the free arm 4, to the distal end side to the transfer arm 5. Therefore, the horizontal maintenance strength of the transfer arm 5 on which the workpiece W is placed can be improved.

  In addition, the shape of the relief portion is not limited to a V-shaped base end side of the transfer arm 5 such as the illustrated relief portion 5c, Anyway, any material may be used as long as the overall strength to the transfer arm 5 is ensured and horizontal interference with the distal arm 3 is avoided.

  Further, this relief portion may be provided on the distal arm.

  In addition, since the transfer device 30 includes the slide portion 20, even if there is some transfer stroke loss due to the horizontal interference, the stroke loss can be eliminated.

  However, the transfer device may be configured only by the arm transfer unit 10 without including the slide unit 20 as in this example. The arm transfer unit 10 having such a configuration may be referred to as a scalar arm.

  6 and 7 indicates a work placement area ZW on which the work W is to be placed, and ZS indicates a transport area ZS used for transporting the work W. A boundary between the work placement area ZW and the transfer area ZS is indicated by a bold two-dot chain boundary BZ.

  Here, in the transfer device 30 of the present invention, the slide portion 20 that is highly likely to generate a particle is a position that is largely retracted to the transfer area ZS side with respect to the boundary line BZ, and is in the workpiece placement area ZW. The influence of particles on W can be minimized.

  On the other hand, the arm transfer portion 10 that enters the workpiece placement area ZW has an articulated arm structure, and there is little particle generation, and contamination of the workpiece W in this portion can be suppressed as much as possible.

  In addition, when the slide 20 is present, the entire transfer distance of the transfer device 30 is a combination of the transfer distance of the arm transfer unit 10 and the transfer distance of the slide unit 20. Overall, longer transfer distances can be achieved.

  That is, according to the transfer device 30 of the present invention, it is possible to exhibit an effect that enables transfer corresponding to a workpiece to be enlarged while avoiding the problem of particle generation.

  FIG. 8 is an external perspective view showing an example of a transport system including the transfer device of FIG.

  The transfer system 80 shown in FIG. 8 includes the lifting table 50 in addition to the transfer device 30 including the arm transfer unit 10 and the slide unit 20, the rotating unit 40, and the lifting table 50 described above. A lifting device 60 that moves up and down and a traveling carriage 70 provided with the lifting device 60 are provided.

  The elevating device 60 is provided on the traveling carriage 70 at the front and rear ends in the traveling direction, and is provided with elevating drive means (not shown) therein so as to be bridged between the pair of elevating devices 60. The elevator 50 installed in is raised and lowered.

  The upper frame 61 connects the zenith portions of the pair of lifting devices 60 to form a strong structure including the traveling carriage 70, the pair of lifting devices 60, and the upper frame 61.

  The traveling carriage 70 includes wheels 61 provided at the four corners of the traveling carriage frame 67 and linearly moves the lifting device 60, the lifting platform 50, and the transfer device 30 along the traveling path 62.

  The workpiece is placed on the transfer arm 5 of the transfer device 30, moved forward and backward (arrow P <b> 1) by the arm transfer unit 10 of the transfer device 30, and moved forward and backward (arrow P <b> 2) by the slide unit 20. The rotation unit 40 rotates (arrow P3).

  In addition, the work is moved up and down (arrow P4) by a lifting platform 50 on which the transfer device 30 is placed while being placed on the transfer device 30, and a lifting device 60 that lifts and lowers the lifting platform 50 is placed thereon. The traveling carriage 70 is moved linearly (arrow P5).

  At the standby position, the transfer device 30 can rotate from the direction of the tip of the transfer arm 5 shown in the figure to the opposite direction by 180 degrees on the lifting platform 50 with the work placed thereon.

  Therefore, according to this conveyance system 80, a workpiece can be conveyed from point A to point B at different heights at different positions on both sides of the traveling path 62, and in that case, the transfer device 30 of the present invention. The multi-joint transfer arm 10 can secure transfer with less generation of particles and can reduce the transfer surface as much as possible, and the effect extends to the entire transport system 80.

  As mentioned above, although the specific example of this invention was demonstrated in detail in the embodiment, these are only illustrations and do not limit a claim. The technology described in the claims, that is, the technical scope of the patented invention of the present application, variously modified or changed from the above-described embodiments as described in various places, or those A combination is included.

  The transfer device of the present invention can be used in an industrial field where it is required to secure a workpiece transfer with less generation of particles and to make the transfer surface as low as possible.

(A) is a front view which shows an example of the transfer apparatus of this invention, (b) is a side view of (a). The figure which shows the operation | movement aspect of the transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 in order. The figure which shows the operation | movement aspect of the transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 in order. The figure which shows the operation | movement aspect of the transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 in order. The figure which shows the operation | movement aspect of the transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 in order. The figure which shows the operation | movement aspect of the transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 in order. The figure which shows the operation | movement aspect of the transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 in order. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an example of a transport system including the transfer device of FIG. The transfer apparatus which is background art of this invention is shown, (a) is the front view, (b) is the side view.

Explanation of symbols

1 base
2 Proximal arm
3 Front arm
4 Free arm
5 Transfer arm
5c Relief part 10 Arm transfer part (scalar arm)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Slide part 30 Transfer apparatus 40 Rotating part 50 Lifting table 60 Lifting apparatus 70 Traveling carriage 80 Conveyance system

Claims (2)

A base arm of a pair of free arms composed of two arms is rotatably attached to a base, and a transfer arm is provided in which the tip sides of the pair of free arms are rotatably connected to each other, The structure between the transfer arm and the tip side arm of the pair of free arms is provided with a relief part for avoiding horizontal interference between the tip side arm and the transfer arm, at least one of the above, A transfer device having a structure in which the shape of the escape portion is configured to allow the arm portion to escape in an oblique direction in the anti-connection direction from the connection portion between each other and to interfere in the vertical direction but not in the horizontal direction. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the base is slidable in the transfer direction of the transfer arm.

Images