JP2865070B2 - Glass substrate cassette - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cassette used for transporting and storing thin plates, and more particularly to a cassette for large glass substrates.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, large glass substrates have been transported and stored using a substrate cassette as shown in FIG.

[0005] A substrate cassette shown in FIG. 5 has a rectangular parallelepiped frame 11 having a space inside, and a frame 11.
And a storage groove 11a for holding the upper and lower edges of the glass plate 12 stored in the inside.

The frame 11 accommodates a glass substrate 12.
Only one surface is open for taking out, and storage grooves 11a are provided so as to be vertically opposed when viewed from that surface, and the upper and lower edges of the glass substrate 12 are sandwiched in the opposed storage grooves 11a. 12 is accommodated in the frame 11.

[0005] The substrate cassette shown in FIG.
Are stored in a clean room, and the workpieces are transported between processes and stored in a clean room.

[0006]

However, in the conventional example shown in FIG. 5, when a large glass substrate is transported and an impact force is applied to the end of the glass substrate when the glass substrate is stored in or taken out of a cassette, an impact force is applied to the glass substrate. There is a problem that the end portion is chipped and becomes a defective product.

The reason is that when the large glass substrate 12 is attached to and detached from the frame 11, the upper and lower ends of the large glass substrate come into direct contact with the frame 11 and slide.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-90380 discloses that
A configuration in which the substrate is housed in the pawl of the moving positioner, or the substrate is sandwiched by the groove of the arm, is disclosed.
Since the pawl or the groove fixes the substrate, it is necessary to closely fit the substrate into the pawl or the groove, and excessive force is likely to be applied to the end of the substrate, and the end of the substrate may be chipped. There was.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-64930 discloses that
Although a configuration in which glass substrates are housed one by one in a dustproof cassette and transported is disclosed, since the horizontal edge of the glass substrate is supported, the weight is particularly large for a glass substrate having a diagonal width of 30 inches or more. In addition, there is a disadvantage that bending occurs near the center.

An object of the present invention is to provide a glass substrate cassette that prevents chipping of a glass substrate and prevents occurrence of distortion or the like due to bending of the glass substrate.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a glass substrate cassette according to the present invention has a glass substrate mounted on a holder, and the holder is detachably set in a frame. A glass substrate cassette housed in a frame while mounted on
A plate-like shape, with vertical orientation, and is intended to be set in the frame in a posture inclined in the rear side of the frame from the horizontal plane, the glass substrate is vertically and horizontally is positioned regulated, rests against the holder Supported , direct contact with frame
Is to be avoided .

[0012] The holder is in a vertical posture inclined against the vertical direction of the substrate, and is intended to be set in the frame in a posture inclined in the rear side of the frame from the horizontal plane.

The lower edge of the glass substrate is supported on the pins, the pins are applied to the upper edge, the right and left side edges, and the position is regulated. The escape has been prevented.

Further, the holder has pins on a plate surface facing the glass substrate, supports the plate surface of the glass substrate with the pins, and separates the plate surface of the glass substrate from the plate surface of the holder.

The frame has a row of rollers along the direction in which the holder is pulled out, and the row of rollers rotatably supports the lower edge of the holder. It is arranged to be inclined toward the side.

[0016]

The glass substrate is inserted and removed from the frame while being mounted on the holder, so that the glass substrate does not come into direct contact with the frame, and no excessive force is applied to the end of the glass substrate during transportation and removal.

Further, since the glass substrate is supported on the holder with the vertical and horizontal positions regulated, no excessive fixing force is applied to the ends as compared with the case where the glass substrate is fixed with the claws or grooves. .

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a glass substrate cassette according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing a state where a glass substrate is mounted on a holder. FIG.

In the figure, a glass substrate cassette according to the present invention has a glass substrate 4 mounted on a holder 2 and a holder 2.
Is set in the frame 1 so as to be detachable, and is stored in the frame 1 while the glass substrate 4 is mounted on the holder 2. Here, the frame 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which the inside is a space, one side is open, and the holder 2 is detachable through the open surface.

The holder 2 has a plate shape, and is set in a vertical position.
The frame 1 is set in the frame 1 in a posture inclined to the inner side 1a of the frame 1 from the horizontal plane. In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the holder 2 has an upper edge 2a sandwiched by a storage groove 1b of the frame 1, and a lower edge 2b
Is to be supported. When the holder 2 is set in the frame 1 in the vertical position, the holder 2 is placed in the frame 1 in either the vertical position oriented in the vertical direction or the vertical position inclined with respect to the vertical direction. May be set.

The holder 2 has an upper edge 2a sandwiched by a housing groove 1b of the frame 1 and a lower edge 2b supported by a roller 6 described later. When the holder 2 is set in the frame 1 in a vertical position inclined with respect to the vertical direction, the roller 6 is set in the storage groove 1b. What is necessary is just to displace in the horizontal direction with respect to the position directly below 1b.

The glass substrate 4 has its upper, lower, left and right positions regulated, and is supported against the holder 2 by being leaned against it.
Specifically, the lower edge 4a is supported on the pin 3a,
b, the pins 3b, 3c, 3d are applied to the left and right side edges 4c, 4d to regulate the position, and a part of the upper and lower edges 4a, 4b is locked by the retaining piece 7, so that the removal from the holder 2 is prevented. It has become. In addition, each side of the glass substrate 4 is the holder 2.
Are arranged in parallel with each side of the holder 2 and are placed on the holder 2 with each side being drawn inward from the outer peripheral edge of the holder 2.

The retaining piece 7 is detachably provided at the tips of the pins 3a and 3b, is longer than the diameter of the pins 3a and 3b, and is applied to a part of the upper edge 4b and the lower edge 4a of the glass substrate 4. The glass substrate 4 is prevented from falling out of the holder 2.

The pins 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d and the retaining piece 7 are made of a material that does not damage the glass substrate 4.
For example, a resin is used.

The holder 2 has pins 3e on the plate surface facing the glass substrate 4, supports the plate surface of the glass substrate 4 with the pins 3e, and separates the plate surface of the glass substrate 2 from the plate surface of the holder 2. ing.

As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the frame 1 is provided with rows of rollers 6 shown in FIGS. 2 (b) and 2 (c) along the direction in which the holder 2 is pulled out (left and right directions in the figure). The row of rollers 6 rotatably supports the lower edge 2 b of the holder 2, and extends from the entrance side 1 c to the back side 1 a of the frame 1.
It is arranged inclined toward. The roller 6 has guide edges 6 a on both sides to guide the glass substrate 2. A stopper 5 for stopping the holder 2 at a fixed position is provided on the back side 1a of the frame 1.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

1 and 2, when taking out the glass substrate 4 from the inside of the frame 1, the holder 2 is pulled out from the frame 1 with the glass substrate 4 placed thereon. At this time,
The position of the glass substrate 4 is regulated in the vertical direction by the pins 3a and 3b, and in the left and right direction by the pins 3c and 3d. There is no. Further, the glass substrate 4 is floated from the surface of the holder 2 by the pins 3e fixed to the holder 2 and does not contact the entire surface of the holder 2 to prevent dust from adhering to the holder 2 and to remove the glass substrate 4 from the holder 2. Is easy.

The holder 2 pulled out from the frame 1 is placed horizontally on a work bench or the like with the glass substrate 4 facing upward, and the retaining pieces 7 are removed from the pins 3a and 3b. 4 is taken out of the holder 2. In order to store the glass substrate 4 in the frame 1,
An operation reverse to the above operation is performed.

(Embodiment) Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

The glass substrate cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention has a width of 800 mm, a height of 900 mm, and a depth of 1400.
Aluminum frame 1 with anodized aluminum
And thickness 20mm, width 820mm, depth 1,350m
m, and resin pins 3c, 3 having an outer diameter of φ10 mm and a height of 6 mm, which are fixed at positions applied to the upper, lower, left and right edges of the glass substrate 4 on the holder 2.
and a resin pin 3e having an outer diameter of 10 mm and a height of 3 mm.
And a retaining piece 7 having an outer diameter of the head of φ20 mm and a height of 2 mm,
A resin pin 3a having an outer diameter of a shaft of φ10 mm and a height of 6 mm,
3b and a stainless steel stopper 5 having an outer diameter of φ16 mm and a length of 800 mm.

A pitch of 30 m is provided on the upper part of the inside of the frame 1.
m, there are 20 storage grooves 1b, and rows of resin-made guide rollers 6 are arranged at the lower part of the frame 1 so as to be inclined so that the inner side 1a is lower than the inlet side 1c in the frame 1. .

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, when taking out the glass plate 4 from the inside of the frame 1, the holder 2 is pulled out from the frame 1 with the glass plate 4 placed thereon. At this time,
The glass plate 4 is vertically moved by the pins 3a and 3b.
The positions in the left and right directions are regulated by c and 3d, and the upper edge and the lower edge are locked by the retaining pieces 7, so that they do not fall out of the holder 2 and come out. Further, the glass substrate 4 is floated by 3 mm from the surface of the holder 2 by the pins 3e fixed to the holder 2,
Since the entire surface of the holder 1 does not come into contact with the holder 1, dust is prevented from adhering to the holder 2, and removal from the holder 2 is facilitated. The holder 2 pulled out from the frame 1 is placed horizontally on a work bench or the like with the glass plate 4 facing upward.
The retaining piece 7 is removed from the pins 3a and 3b, and the glass substrate 4 is taken out of the holder 2.

(Embodiment 2) Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention
Will be described with reference to FIG.

In the first embodiment, the retaining piece 7 is connected to the pins 3a, 3a.
In the second embodiment, the retaining piece 7 is detachably attached to the distal ends of the pins 3a and 3b, and the retaining piece 7 is tilted down by an external drive. By locking the upper edge and the lower edge of the glass substrate 4 and raising the retaining piece 7, the retaining piece 7 is
The upper and lower edges of the glass substrate 4 are free from the upper and lower edges of the glass substrate 4.

According to the second embodiment, the retaining piece 7 is turned upside down by an external operation to fix the glass substrate 4 to the holder 2.
Alternatively, since the glass substrate 4 can be released, there is an advantage that it can be incorporated into an automatic machine.

In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the retaining piece 7 is detachably attached to the tips of the pins 3a and 3b. In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the retaining piece 7 is attached to the tips of the pins 3a and 3b. Although it was mounted so that it could be turned upside down, the structure of the retaining piece 7 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a) and (b), the retaining piece 7 has a semicircular shape and a lengthwise dimension longer than the diameter of the pin 3a (3b), and the retaining piece 7 is formed of the pin 3a (3b). The rotatably attached to the tip end, as shown in FIG.
4A, the retaining piece 7 is engaged with the upper edge and the lower edge of the glass substrate 4, and as shown in FIG. 4 may be separated from the upper edge and the lower edge, and the structure of the retaining piece 7 is not limited to the illustrated one.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the glass substrate is inserted into and removed from the frame while being mounted on the holder, the glass substrate does not come into direct contact with the frame. It is possible to avoid applying unreasonable force when pulling out from the frame.

Further, since the upper, lower, left and right edges of the glass substrate are held against the holder with the positions thereof regulated, the glass substrate is forced to the edge of the glass substrate as compared with the conventional case where the glass substrate is fixed with claws or grooves. It is possible to prevent an excessive force from being applied to the glass substrate when the glass substrate is supported on the holder without applying a large fixing force.

Since the holder is supported by the rollers, the frictional force when the holder is pulled out can be reduced, and the generation of dust can be prevented.

The holder has a pin on a plate surface facing the glass substrate, the pin supports the plate surface of the glass substrate, and the plate surface of the glass substrate is separated from the plate surface of the holder. Is floating from the surface of the holder, does not come into contact with the entire surface of the holder, prevents dust from adhering to the holder, and facilitates removal from the holder.

The frame has a row of rollers along the direction in which the holder is pulled out, and the row of rollers supports the lower edge of the holder so as to be rollable. Since the holder is inclined, the holder can be prevented from accidentally falling out of the frame.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a glass substrate cassette according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a glass substrate cassette according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, which is housed in a frame. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between a holder and a glass substrate.

2A is a longitudinal sectional view showing a glass substrate cassette according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2B is a front view showing a guide roller, and FIG. 2C is a side view showing a guide roller. It is.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a glass substrate cassette according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

4A and 4B show a structure in which a retaining piece is attached to a pin in the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A shows a state in which the retaining piece is separated from an upper edge and a lower edge of a glass substrate, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the retaining pieces are locked at the upper edge and the lower edge of the glass substrate.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a glass substrate cassette according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 frame 1a frame inner side 1b storage groove 1c frame entrance side 2 holder 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e pin 4 glass substrate 5 stopper 6 guide roller 7 retaining piece

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A glass substrate cassette in which a glass substrate is mounted on a holder, the holder is detachably set in a frame, and the glass substrate is stored in the frame with the glass substrate mounted on the holder. None, in vertical position, and is intended to be set in the frame in a posture inclined in the rear side of the frame from the horizontal plane, the glass substrate is vertically and horizontally is positioned regulated, and supported rests against the holder In direct contact with the frame
A glass substrate cassette characterized in that the cassette is avoided . Wherein said holder, wherein characterized in that the vertical posture inclined against the vertical direction of the substrate, and is intended to be set in the frame in a posture inclined in the rear side of the frame from the horizontal plane Item 7. The glass substrate cassette according to Item 1. 3. A lower edge of the glass substrate is supported on the pins, pins are applied to the upper edge, left and right side edges, and the position is regulated. 3. The glass substrate cassette according to claim 1, wherein the glass substrate is prevented from coming off. 4. The holder has a pin on a plate surface facing the glass substrate, supports the plate surface of the glass substrate with the pin, and separates the plate surface of the glass substrate from the plate surface of the holder. 4. The glass substrate cassette according to claim 1, wherein the glass substrate cassette is a glass substrate cassette. 5. The frame has a row of rollers along a direction in which the holder is pulled out, and the row of rollers rotatably supports a lower edge of the holder. The glass substrate cassette according to claim 1, wherein the glass substrate cassette is arranged so as to be inclined toward a back side.