JP4489616B2 - Semi-hermetic box type container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a semi-enclosed box container for glass substrates, and more particularly to a semi-enclosed box container for glass substrates that can accommodate, pack and transport large glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices and the like.

Usually, in order to transport and store a plurality of semiconductor wafers and glass substrates together, a cassette or a container for storing glass substrates (hereinafter referred to as a container) is used. The container often has a structure that supports the edge of the glass substrate in the groove. There are open-type containers that are partially open at all times, and semi-closed box-type containers that define a semi-closed space by a combination of a container body and a lid. Containers that store glass substrates horizontally (in the horizontal direction) and containers that store vertically (in the vertical direction) are known.
The size of the display tends to increase year by year, and the glass substrate tends to increase in size to improve production efficiency. As the glass substrate becomes larger and thinner, the amount of deflection when horizontally supported increases. Cassettes that take measures against bending and packaging containers that actively use bending have also been proposed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-152069 JP, 2002-128182, A A container which accommodates a glass substrate horizontally, blocks an opening with a stopper, and conveys it by rotating vertically is also proposed. JP 2003-68840 A JP, 10-142773, A With the enlargement of a glass substrate, the occupied area changes to an extent that cannot be ignored depending on whether the short side of the glass substrate is in the vertical direction or the long side is in the vertical direction. change. There is also known a packaging in which an L-shaped pad with a groove is arranged on the top of four glass substrates arranged in place of accommodating the glass substrate in a container and fastened with a belt.

  1A and 1B show examples of packing using L-shaped pads. As shown in FIG. 1A, a pair of L-shaped pads L1 and L2 having guide grooves formed on the inner surface are arranged to face each other, and a plurality of glass substrates GS are arranged in the grooves. The case where the long side of each glass substrate is accommodated in the horizontal direction is shown. When the desired number of glass substrates are arranged, the L-shaped pads L3 and L4 are applied also from above, and the glass substrates are guided into the grooves. The L-type pads L1 to L4 are pressed against the four corners of each glass substrate, and the L-type pads L1 to L4 are fixed by the belts B1 and B2. Each glass substrate GS is pressed against the L-shaped pads L1 to L4 from the upper and lower sides and the right and left sides to fix the relative positions, and is prevented from being displaced with respect to the L-shaped pads. Since the L-shaped pad protrudes, it is not suitable to store the glass substrate in a horizontal direction. However, if the glass substrate is in a vertical state, the short side can be changed even if the long side of the glass substrate is set up and down. There is no problem in transportation and storage even in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, after packaging with the short side of the glass substrate in the vertical direction, the long side of the glass substrate GS arranged horizontally is rotated 90 degrees to stand vertically. By carrying and storing in a state where the occupied area is small, the area efficiency of the place to be carried and stored can be improved. The relationship between the glass substrate and the L-shaped pad is firmly fixed, and no problem arises even if the long side or the short side of the glass substrate is rotated in the vertical direction.

  In the packaging using L-type pads, the outermost substrate surface of the glass substrates arranged in a plurality is opened to the outside air, and between adjacent L-type pads is also opened to the outside air. For this reason, it is inferior to the protection of the glass substrate surface, and prevention of adhesion of foreign substances such as particles during transportation / storage. Considering these points, it is preferable to use a semi-sealed box-type container in which the opening of the container body is closed with a lid.

  2A and 2B show a configuration example of a semi-hermetic box type container. FIG. 2A shows a top view of the container body 50. The container body 50 is disposed with the opening facing up. A groove member 52 for guiding the glass substrate GS is provided on a pair of opposed inner side surfaces of the housing 51. The groove member 52 has a shape in which the blades 53 protrude from the plane, and guides the glass substrate GS entering from above with a pair of left and right groove members. The groove member 52 may be integrated with the housing 51. On the bottom surface of the housing 51, there is a grooved support portion having elasticity.

  FIG. 2B shows a cross-sectional view taken along the dashed line IIB-IIB in FIG. 2A. The container body is arranged with the opening facing up, and the glass substrate GS transported from above is accommodated in an upright state. In the drawing, the left side shows a portion with blades 53 and the right side shows a groove portion without blades 53. An elastic grooved support portion 55 is provided on the bottom surface of the container body 51. The glass substrate GS held by the chuck of the substrate robot hand is guided by the left and right groove members 52, accommodated in the container main body 50 from above, and held on the elastic support portion 55. The glass substrate GS is accommodated in the groove between the blades 53 and fits on the groove of the grooved support portion 55. After accommodating the desired number of glass substrates GS, the lid 60 is disposed on the opening of the container body 50 and combined with the container body 50. An elastic grooved support portion 65 is provided on the inner upper surface of the lid 60. The upper and lower grooved support portions 65 and 55 hold down the upper and lower sides of the glass substrate GS. Since only the upper and lower sides are pressed and fixed, they are transported and stored only in the orientation with the opening facing upward while maintaining the vertical relationship when stored. After storage, the box-shaped container is generally rotated in an arbitrary direction and is not transported and stored. Therefore, the occupied area during transportation and storage is limited.

  Moreover, even if the glass substrate has the same thickness, when the glass substrate is enlarged, the amount of warpage of the glass substrate increases, and the probability of occurrence of cracks and chips increases. When a box-shaped container that fixes the glass substrate GS with only two upper and lower sides is used, if a large force is applied, the probability of cracking is increased. When the force applied to the upper and lower sides is weakened, the glass substrate GS is displaced relative to the box-type containers 50 and 60 due to acceleration and vibration during transportation. For example, the lateral end surface of the glass substrate GS contacts the groove bottom surface of the groove member 52 of the box-type container. If an attempt is made to take out the glass substrate GS with the robot hand in this state, the lateral end surface of the glass substrate GS and the groove bottom surface of the groove member 52 will move relative to each other while interfering with each other. This also damages the groove bottom surface of the groove member 52.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a semi-enclosed box type container that is advantageous in protecting the surface of a glass substrate and preventing adhesion of particles, and having excellent holding power in a state in which the glass substrate is accommodated. That is.

  Another object of the present invention is a semi-enclosed box-type container that is advantageous for protecting the glass substrate surface and preventing the adhesion of particles, and capable of performing an orientation changing operation such as rotation in a state in which the glass substrate is accommodated. An object of the present invention is to provide a semi-hermetic box type container excellent in area efficiency.

According to one aspect of the present invention,
A semi-hermetic box-type container having an opening at the top and comprising a container body that houses a glass substrate and a lid that is coupled to the opening of the container body,
There is provided a semi-hermetic box-type container having a supporting mechanism for supporting four sides of a glass substrate in a state where the glass substrate is accommodated and the lid is bonded.

  In the semi-hermetic box-type container, not only the upper and lower sides but also the left and right sides are added to support the four sides, thereby increasing the holding force.

  Hereinafter, the semi-hermetic container according to the embodiment will be described. “Semi-hermetic” means not completely sealed enough to maintain a vacuum, but the inside is surrounded by a container, and has openings, holes, etc. that can reach the inside linearly from the outside. Refers to no state.

3A and 3B show how the glass substrate GS is stored in the container body 10. 3A is a top view, and FIG. 3B is a longitudinal sectional view. The housing 11 of the container body 10 has a box shape having an opening on the upper side, and is provided with groove members 12 that can rotate about the lower portion on opposite left and right side surfaces. The housing 11 receives a lower end of the groove member 12 and forms a bearing having an arcuate cross section that functions as a bearing. The housing 11 and the groove member 12 can be formed of resin, for example, expandable polypropylene. In particular, it is possible to improve the sliding by surface treatment of the sliding engagement surface.
The groove member 12 includes blades 13 on the inner surface of the planar member, and a groove is defined between the blades 13. Further, the groove member 12 includes a balancer 14 on the back surface of the planar member, and is weighted so as to be inclined outward when no external force is applied. The balancer can also be formed of a resin or the like. Instead of the balancer, other biasing means may be used, and the balancer can be omitted if the groove member is tilted outward without the balancer. The upper end of the groove member 12 forms a smooth surface in an arc shape. A grooved support portion 15 having elasticity is provided on the inner bottom surface of the housing 11. The grooved support 15 has blades or steps 16 projecting upwardly and defines a groove 16 therebetween. The positions of the grooves 16 of the grooved support portion 15 and the blades 13 of the groove member 12 are aligned.

  The glass substrate GS is conveyed with the robot hand upright, and is carried into the container body from above. The groove member 12 is inserted so as not to interfere with the groove bottom surface, and the glass substrate is accommodated in the groove of the grooved support portion 15. The glass substrate GS is guided by the blade 13 of the groove member 12 and supported by the groove 16 of the grooved support portion 15.

  4A and 4B show an operation of closing the lid after storing the glass substrate GS. The lid 20 includes a grooved support portion 25 having elasticity on the inner upper surface of the housing 21. An actuator 22 having an inclined surface that engages with the groove member 12 and drives the groove member 12 inward is formed at the engaging portion of the lid 20 with the container body 10. When the lid 20 is lowered, the actuator 22 comes into contact with the top of the rotatable groove member 12, slides down, and drives the groove member 12 in the lateral direction. The groove member 12 is pressed against the glass substrate GS. The lid 20 and the grooved support portion can be formed of a resin having good sliding property, for example, expandable polypropylene. In addition, you may provide the rotating shaft 17 in the rotation part of a groove member like illustration.

  FIG. 4C shows a state where the lid has been closed. In the state where the lid 20 is closed, the planar member of the groove member 12 pressed by the actuator 12 is pressed against the lateral end surface of the glass substrate GS, and supports both lateral end surfaces. Since the grooved support portions 25 and 15 support the upper end surface and the lower end surface from above and below, the glass substrate GS is supported on all four sides. Since the supporting force is enhanced, it is possible to increase the area efficiency by rotating the box-shaped container after packing.

  When taking out the glass substrate, the lid 20 is removed. The force that presses the groove member 12 against the glass substrate is released, and the groove member 12 is displaced so as to lean against the housing 11, and the lateral end surface of the glass substrate GS and the groove bottom surface of the groove member 12 are separated. The glass substrate can be taken out with a robot hand without interfering with the groove member 12.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated along the Example, this invention is not restrict | limited to these. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, improvements, modifications, combinations, and the like can be made.

1A and 1B are perspective views showing examples of packaging using L-type pads according to the prior art. 2A and 2B are a top view and a cross-sectional view showing a packaging example using a semi-hermetic box-type container according to the prior art. 3A and 3B are a top view and a cross-sectional view showing the storage of the glass substrate using the semi-hermetic box-type container according to the embodiment. 4A, 4B, and 4C are cross-sectional views showing packaging of a glass substrate using a semi-hermetic box-type container according to an embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Container main body 11 Housing 12 Groove member 13 Blade 14 Balancer 15 Grooved support part 20 Lid 22 Actuator 25 Grooved support part GS Glass substrate

Claims (3)

A semi-hermetic box-type container having an opening at the top and comprising a container body that houses a glass substrate and a lid that is coupled to the opening of the container body,
In a state where the glass substrate is accommodated and the lid is coupled, a support mechanism for supporting the four sides of the glass substrate is provided ,
The supporting mechanism is provided in the container main body, the elastic containing groove disposed on the bottom surface of the container main body, the elastic accommodating groove arranged on the inner upper surface of the lid, and the insertion of the lid And a pair of movable mechanisms that hold both sides of the glass substrate,
The pair of movable mechanisms are in a state of being separated from each other by their own weight when the lid is removed . The semi-sealed box container according to claim 1 , wherein the pair of movable mechanisms also have guide grooves for guiding both side portions of the glass substrate . The semi-enclosed box container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pair of movable mechanisms are rotatably supported with respect to the container body below and are displaced so as to approach each other by insertion of the lid .

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