JP3146922B2 - Substrate transfer device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for removing a substrate from a magazine.
The present invention relates to a substrate transfer device that takes out sheets one by one.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There has been known a substrate transport apparatus provided with a magazine for accommodating a plurality of substrates such as a liquid crystal panel and a take-out table for taking out the substrates accommodated in the magazine one by one. Such a substrate transfer device is based on the premise that the substrate is stored in a correct position in the magazine. If the storage position of the substrate is incorrect, it is necessary to detect an abnormality before taking out the substrate.
However, in the conventional substrate transfer device, an abnormality may not be detected even if the substrate is stored in an incorrect position.

[0003]

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing a magazine of a conventional substrate transfer apparatus. In FIG.
1 is a magazine for accommodating the substrate 2. As shown in FIG. 8, the substrate 2 should originally be stored horizontally in each stage of the magazine 1, but as shown in FIG. 8, the substrate 2 is stored diagonally in a different level. There is. In such a case, the conventional substrate transfer device cannot detect an abnormality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer apparatus capable of detecting an abnormality in advance even when a substrate is stored at a different level.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a substrate transport apparatus comprising: a magazine for holding a substrate; a take-out table for receiving a lower surface of a substrate housed in the magazine to take out the substrate from the magazine; And a contact provided on the take-out table and in contact with the substrate. The contact is supported so as to be displaceable in the three-dimensional direction with respect to the take-out table, and detects a displacement of the contact. It has a sensor.

[0006]

According to the above construction, when the substrate is stowed in the magazine in a stepped manner, the contact is displaced in one of the three-dimensional directions. You can know before taking out.

[0007]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a substrate transfer apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same components as those in FIG. 8 showing the conventional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 3 denotes a take-out table for taking out the substrate 2 from a magazine 1 which receives the lower surface of the substrate 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes a Y table for moving the take-out table 3 in the Y direction, and reference numeral 5 denotes a Z table for moving the Y table 4 in the Z direction. Reference numeral 15 denotes a θ table for rotating the Z table 5 in the horizontal direction. These Y tables 4, Z
The table 5 and the θ table 15 correspond to moving means of the take-out table 3. Reference numeral 6 denotes a mounting table on which the substrate 2 taken out of the magazine 1 is mounted.

Next, the structure of the take-out table 3 and the like will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 7 denotes a contact having a first side 7a parallel to the front surface of the take-out table 3 (facing in the X direction) and a second side 7b provided substantially at right angles to the first side 7a. It is. The first side 7a of the contact 7 is supported on the front surface of the take-out table 3 by a connecting portion 8 made of a rubber material in the form of a prism so as to be elastically displaceable in a three-dimensional direction.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a first vertical projection 9 and a second vertical projection 10 having the same height are provided on the first side 7a. These first
The vertical projections 9 and the second vertical projections 10 are made of a rubber material and are configured to contact the lower surface of the substrate 2, and the height of the upper surface is flush with the height of the upper surface of the take-out table 3. It is like that. Reference numeral 11 denotes a horizontal projection protruding forward only at the tip of the first side 7a. This horizontal projection 1
1 is also made of a rubber material like the first vertical projection 9 and the second vertical projection 10 in order to prevent damage when coming into contact with the substrate 2.

At the tip of the second side 7b, a small through hole 7c is formed in the thickness direction. A sensor 12 (gate-type light transmission type sensor) is provided on the side of the take-out table 3. In a state where the contact 7 is not displaced, an optical path N is formed through a through hole 7c formed in the second side 7b, so that light from the sensor 12 is not blocked.

On the other hand, for some reason, the contact 7
When displaced in any of the dimensional directions to the extent that it cannot be ignored, the position of the through hole 7c is shifted from the optical path N, and the
The portion other than c closes the optical path N and the displacement of the sensor 12 is detected by blocking the light from the sensor 12.

Next, the process of detecting the displacement of the contact 7 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. With reference to FIG. 5, a detection operation in a case where the substrate 2 is stored in the magazine 1 diagonally in a stepped state will be described.

First, by driving the Y table 4 and the Z table 5, the take-out table 3 is inserted slightly below the slanted substrate 2. Next, the Z table 5 is driven to slightly raise the take-out table 3 and the contact 7 to make contact with the inclined lower surface of the substrate 2.

In this way, as shown in FIG. 5, the first vertical projections 9 and the second vertical projections 10 provided on the upper surface of the first side 7a come into contact with the lower surface of the oblique substrate 2. become. As shown in the figure, the substrate 2 is inclined, so that the first vertical projections 9 and the second vertical projections 10 also abut on the lower surface of the substrate 2 obliquely. Thereby, the connecting portion 8 is in a twisted state. At this time, as shown in FIG.
When the connecting portion 8 is twisted and the second side 7b moves slightly upward, the through-hole 7c opened at the tip of the second side 7b.
Deviates from the optical path N, and the light of the sensor 12 is blocked by a portion other than the through hole 7 on the second side 7b. As a result, the sensor 12 detects an abnormal displacement of the contact 7.

With the above operation, it is possible to detect an abnormality that cannot be detected conventionally (the substrate 2 is stored in the magazine 1 at an angle). Further, when the take-out table 3 is inserted into the magazine 1, the contact 7 comes into contact with the end surface of the substrate 2, and if the take-out table 3 is pushed into the magazine 1 as it is, the substrate 2 may be damaged. The process of detecting such an abnormality will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the take-out table 3 is placed in the magazine 1
This shows a state where the first side 7 a of the contact 7 is in contact with the end face of the substrate 2 when inserted into the inside. As described above, the first side 7a is provided with the horizontal projection 11 on only one side. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the horizontal projection 11 and the front surface of the first side 7a on the side where the horizontal projection 11 is not provided are
It comes into contact with the end face of the substrate 2. At this time, the connecting portion 8
Is slightly bent obliquely, and the second side 7b is accordingly displaced in the same direction. This displacement causes the light path N to pass through the through hole 7c.
As described above, the light of the sensor 12 is blocked, and such an abnormality can be detected.

[0018]

According to the present invention, there is provided a substrate transport apparatus comprising: a magazine for holding a substrate; a take-out table for receiving the lower surface of the substrate housed in the magazine to take out the substrate from the magazine; and a moving means for moving the take-out table. A contact provided on the take-out table and in contact with the substrate. The contact is supported so as to be displaceable in the three-dimensional direction with respect to the take-out table, and includes a sensor for detecting the displacement of the contact. , Various abnormalities can be detected, such as when the substrate is stored diagonally in the magazine,
Breakage of the substrate due to malfunction can be avoided in advance.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a substrate transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a take-out table according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a take-out table according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of the substrate transfer apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of the substrate transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the substrate transfer apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the substrate transfer apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing a magazine of a conventional substrate transfer apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Magazine 2 Substrate 3 Take-out table 4 Y table 5 Z table 7 Contact 7a 1st side 7b 2nd side 12 Sensor

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A magazine for holding a substrate, a take-out table for receiving a lower surface of a substrate housed in the magazine to take out a substrate from the magazine, a moving means for moving the take-out table, And a contact that comes into contact with the substrate. The contact is supported so as to be displaceable in a three-dimensional direction with respect to the take-out table, and includes a sensor that detects displacement of the contact. A substrate transfer device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The contact device comprises: a first side supported on a front surface of the take-out table so as to be displaceable in a three-dimensional direction; and a second side connected to the first side at a substantially right angle. 2. The substrate transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor detects displacement of the contact by being shielded by the second side. 3.