JP5035104B2 - Substrate transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low-cost substrate conveying device enabling a holding mechanism to automatically hold/release. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate conveying device 1 comprising a substrate holding frame 11 and the holding mechanism 20 for holding the glass substrate between the substrate holding frame 11 and itself carries out conveying the glass substrate. The substrate conveying device 1 adopts a composition comprising a pinion 30 engaging with a rack 60 provided on a conveyance route 2 and a connection mechanism for connecting the pinion 30 and the holding mechanism 20 so as to hold/release the holding mechanism 20 according to rotation of the pinion 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus.

In a manufacturing process of a thin film solar cell or the like, a substrate transfer device that has a holding mechanism that holds a glass substrate and transfers the held glass substrate to the next process is used. As such a holding mechanism for holding a substrate, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a mechanism in which clips are provided on the upper and lower sides of a rectangular outer frame and both ends of the substrate are clamped by the clips.
Japanese Patent No. 3243044

By the way, in order to mount a substrate on the substrate transfer device, the substrate is automatically held by a holding mechanism using a human hand or a robot arm. When the substrate is mounted on the substrate transfer device by a robot arm or the like, for example, a driving device such as a motor is provided for the holding mechanism, and the holding mechanism is automatically held / released by driving the driving device. Necessary.
However, in this configuration, a driving device for the holding mechanism must be additionally provided separately from the driving device for moving the substrate transfer device, which causes a problem of high cost.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transport apparatus that can automatically hold and release a holding mechanism at low cost.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a substrate transfer apparatus that includes a substrate holding frame and a holding mechanism that holds the substrate between the substrate holding frame and transfers the substrate. A pinion that meshes with a rack provided on the transport path, and a coupling mechanism that couples the pinion and the holding mechanism so that the holding mechanism is held / released according to the rotation of the pinion. The structure of having is adopted.
By adopting such a configuration, in the present invention, the rack on the transfer path and the pinion of the substrate transfer device are engaged, and the pinion is rotated and held by using the power that the substrate transfer device moves. It is possible to automatically hold / release the mechanism.

In the present invention, the holding mechanism includes a rotation shaft that is rotatable around an axis along the substrate holding frame, and a rotation holding portion that is provided on the rotation shaft and has a holding portion that can contact the substrate. And an urging device that urges the rotating shaft in a rotating direction in which the holding portion abuts on the substrate, and the coupling mechanism rotates the rotating shaft in conjunction with the rotation of the pinion. Is adopted.
By adopting such a configuration, in the present invention, it is possible to hold / release the holding mechanism by rotating the rotating shaft around the axis. Further, since the rotating shaft is urged by the urging device in the rotation direction in which the holding portion abuts on the substrate, the substrate can be held without using electric power such as a motor.

Further, in the present invention, a plurality of the rotation holding portions are provided, the plurality of rotation holding portions are connected to each other so as to be interlocked with each other, and the connection mechanism is a specific one of the plurality of rotation holding portions. Adopted a configuration that is provided in one.
By adopting such a configuration, in the present invention, the substrate can be clamped in a plurality of directions, the substrate can be held more securely, and one specific rotation holding portion is held / released. Thus, it becomes possible to bring the other plurality of rotation holding units into the holding / holding release state in conjunction with the operation.

In the present invention, a configuration is adopted in which a switching device is provided that switches between a restriction mode for restricting the rotation of the rotation shaft in the rotation direction and a restriction release mode for releasing the restriction of the rotation of the rotation shaft in the rotation direction. To do.
By adopting such a configuration, in the present invention, it is possible to prevent the holding mechanism from automatically shifting to the holding state by the urging force of the urging device, so that the substrate can be received and delivered smoothly. Is possible.

In the present invention, the switching device employs a configuration in which the restriction mode and the restriction release mode are switched when the substrate is located at a holding position where the substrate is held by the substrate holding frame.
By adopting such a configuration, in the present invention, when the substrate is positioned at the holding position, the rotation axis is rotated by the biasing force by switching between the restriction mode and the restriction release mode, and the substrate is automatically held. It becomes possible to do.

According to the present invention, there is provided a substrate transfer apparatus that has a substrate holding frame and a holding mechanism that holds the substrate between the substrate holding frame and performs the transfer of the substrate, on the transfer path. A configuration is adopted in which a pinion that meshes with a provided rack and a coupling mechanism that couples the pinion and the holding mechanism so as to hold and release the holding mechanism according to the rotation of the pinion are employed. Thus, the rack on the transfer path and the pinion of the substrate transfer device are engaged with each other, and the pinion is rotated by using the moving power of the substrate transfer device to automatically hold / release the holding mechanism. Is possible.
Therefore, according to the present invention, there is an effect that the holding mechanism can be automatically held / released at low cost without providing a driving device for the holding mechanism.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the scale of each member is appropriately changed in order to make each member a recognizable size.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a substrate transfer apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing the substrate transfer apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of a main part of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a main part of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a latch mechanism (switching device) 50 provided in the substrate transport apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The substrate transfer device 1 is for transferring, for example, a plurality of glass substrates for manufacturing a thin film solar cell at the same time, and has a plurality of substrate mounting portions 10 on which glass substrates can be mounted as shown in FIG. It has become. Further, the substrate transfer apparatus 1 is provided with a wheel 1 a at the bottom, and is configured to be movable along the transfer path 2. A substrate receiving unit 3 and a substrate delivery unit (not shown) are provided at specific locations on the transport path 2 of the substrate transport apparatus 1, and a rack 60 is placed on the transport path 2 at a location corresponding to the specific location. Is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate mounting unit 10 includes a substrate holding frame 11, a holding mechanism 20, a pinion 30, and a latch mechanism 50, and a connecting mechanism 40 as shown in FIG. It has become.
The substrate holding frame 11 supports the glass substrate in cooperation with the holding mechanism 20 and has an opening 11a formed corresponding to the shape of the glass substrate as shown in FIG. The opening 11a has a rectangular shape designed to be slightly smaller than the glass substrate. By providing such an opening 11a, it is possible to hold a glass substrate whose surface has been processed without touching the surface. In the following description, the position where the glass substrate is held by the substrate holding frame 11 may be referred to as a holding position.

The holding mechanism 20 includes a rotation holding unit 23 including a clamp shaft (rotating shaft) 21 and a clamp arm (holding unit) 22, and a coil spring (biasing device) 24.
The clamp shaft 21 is disposed along the opening 11 a and is rotatably supported around an axis along the substrate holding frame 11 by a plurality of support arms 12 fixed to the substrate holding frame 11.
The clamp arm 22 is provided on the clamp shaft 21 and is configured to come into contact with the glass substrate. More specifically, the clamp arm 22 has a substantially U-shape and is provided so as to protrude in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the clamp shaft 21. Provided.

The holding mechanism 20 having the rotation holding unit 23 having such a configuration rotates the clamp shaft 21 to hold the glass substrate by closing the clamp arm 22 inside, and to open the clamp arm 22 outward. It is possible to shift to a holding release state in which the glass substrate is released.
Four rotation holding portions 23 are provided so as to correspond to each of the four sides of the opening 11a, and these can be interlocked with each other by bevel gears 21a provided at the end portions of the respective clamp shafts 21. It becomes the structure connected. Therefore, for example, when one specific rotation holding part 23 is shifted to the holding state, it is possible to move the other rotation holding part 23 to the holding state in conjunction with it. Similarly, when one specific rotation holding unit 23 is shifted to the holding release state, the other rotation holding units 23 can be shifted to the holding release state in conjunction with the one rotation holding unit 23.

  The coil spring 24 is attached so as to normally urge the clamp shaft 21 in the rotational direction in which the clamp arm 22 contacts the glass substrate. Therefore, the plurality of rotation holding portions 23 are normally held by the biasing force of the coil spring 24.

The pinion 30 is provided at the bottom of the substrate holding frame 11 and in the vicinity of the end of the clamp shaft 21 where the coil spring 24 is provided. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pinion 30 has a height that can mesh with a rack 60 provided on the conveyance path 2, and is arranged around an axis that extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction. It can be mounted freely.
The pinion 30 and the clamp shaft 21 are coupled by a coupling mechanism 40 as shown in FIG. The coupling mechanism 40 includes a bevel gear 41 provided at the end of the rotation shaft of the pinion 30, and a bevel gear 42 that meshes with the bevel gear 41 and is provided at the end of the clamp shaft 21. In other words, the coupling mechanism 40 allows the clamp shaft 21 to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the pinion 30.

As shown in FIG. 2, the latch mechanism 50 is provided at the holding position of the substrate holding frame 11 and restricts the rotation in the rotation direction in which the clamp arm 22 of the clamp shaft 21 is closed, and the clamp arm of the clamp shaft 21. The configuration is switched to a restriction release mode in which the restriction of rotation in the rotation direction 22 is closed.
In this embodiment, the latch mechanism 50 has a structure as shown in FIG. 5, for example, a claw wheel 51 connected to the clamp shaft 21, a claw portion 52 that comes into contact with the claw wheel 51, and a claw portion. A link part 53 and a glass substrate mounting part 54 for moving 52 close to and away from the claw wheel 51 are provided.

The glass substrate mounting portion 54 is provided with a guide portion 54b movable along a guide groove 54B extending vertically downward.
When the glass substrate is in the holding position, the glass substrate mounting portion 54 is pushed downward by the glass substrate placed on the glass substrate, the guide portion 54b is positioned at the pressing position (the lower end of the guide groove 54B), and When the glass substrate is not in the holding position, the guide portion 54b moves so as to return to the normal position (the upper end of the guide groove 54B) by the biasing force of the spring 54a.

  The link portion 53 is connected to the glass substrate mounting portion 54 and is also connected to the claw portion 52. When the glass substrate mounting portion 54 is in the normal position, the link portion 53 is in a contact position where the claw portion 52 contacts the claw wheel 51. In contrast, when the glass substrate mounting portion 54 is in the pressed position, the claw portion 52 is positioned at a separation position where the claw portion 52 is separated from the claw wheel 51. The link portion 53 has one end portion 53a as a fixed end, and the other end portion 53b serving as a free end is provided with a guide portion 53c movable along a guide groove 53B extending in a direction toward the claw wheel 51. Further, the link portion 53 has a configuration in which the one end portion 53a side and the other end portion 53b side are relatively rotatable around the center portion at the center portion to which the glass substrate mounting portion 54 is connected.

  The claw 52 includes a claw 52a that contacts the claw wheel 51, a claw 52a that can be accommodated therein, a case 52b that is connected to the other end 53b of the link 53, and a claw wheel that is connected to the claw 52a. And a spring 52c for urging the claw 52a in a direction toward the 51. The claw 52a is provided with a guide portion 52a1 movable along a guide groove 52b1 provided in the case portion 52b.

  Therefore, in the latch mechanism 50 configured as described above, when the glass substrate mounting portion 54 is in the normal position, the claw 52a and the claw wheel 51 come into contact with each other, and the rotation in the rotation direction in which the clamp arm 22 of the clamp shaft 21 is closed is restricted. On the other hand, when the glass substrate mounting portion 54 is in the depressed position, the claw 52a and the claw wheel 51 are separated from each other, and the regulation of rotation in the rotation direction in which the clamp arm 22 of the clamp shaft 21 is closed is released. The configuration is a restriction release mode.

Next, the operation of the substrate transport apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the substrate receiving unit 3 of the substrate transport apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the substrate receiving unit 3 of the substrate transport apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation in the substrate transfer section of the substrate transport apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation in the substrate transfer section of the substrate transport apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

First, a glass substrate receiving operation in the substrate receiving unit 3 (see FIG. 1) of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 will be described.
The substrate transfer apparatus 1 moves along the transfer path 2 to a position where the substrate receiving unit 3 is provided (see FIG. 6A). At this time, no glass substrate is mounted on the substrate transport apparatus 1, the holding mechanism 20 is in the holding state, and the latch mechanism 50 is in the regulation mode.

As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the substrate transport apparatus 1 is configured such that the pinion 30 is engaged with the rack 60 provided on the transport path 2 at a position where the substrate receiving unit 3 is provided (see FIG. 3). 60 is passed.
At this time, the pinion 30 rotates around the axis by meshing with the rack 60. When the pinion 30 rotates, the clamp shaft 21 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the pinion 30 by the action of the coupling mechanism 40 shown in FIG. Further, the action of the bevel gear 21a provided at the end of the clamp shaft 21 causes the clamp shafts 21 to rotate in conjunction with each other to open the clamp arm 22 to the outside, thereby causing the holding mechanism 20 to be in a release state.
At this time, since the latch mechanism 50 is in the restriction mode, the claw 52a and the claw wheel 51 come into contact with each other to restrict the rotation in the rotation direction in which the clamp arm 22 of the clamp shaft 21 is closed. This prevents the holding mechanism 20 from changing from the holding release state to the holding state.

After the holding mechanism 20 enters the holding release state, the robot arm (not shown) transfers the glass substrate to the holding position of the substrate holding frame 11 as shown in FIG.
When the glass substrate is positioned at the holding position, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 5, the glass substrate mounting portion 54 is pushed by the glass substrate and positioned at the pressed position, and the latch mechanism 50 includes the tab 52a and the tab wheel. 51, and the restriction release mode for releasing the restriction of the rotation in the rotation direction in which the clamp arm 22 of the clamp shaft 21 is closed.
When the latch mechanism 50 enters the restriction release mode, the holding mechanism 20 holds the glass substrate by rotating the clamp shaft 21 by the biasing force of the coil spring 24 and closing the clamp arm 22 inward as shown in FIG. 7B. It will be in the holding state.
Then, the substrate transfer apparatus 1 holds the glass substrate between the substrate holding frame 11 and the holding mechanism 20 and also transfers the glass substrate to the substrate transfer section in the next process.

Next, the glass substrate delivery operation in the substrate delivery unit of the substrate transport apparatus 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the substrate transfer apparatus 1 moves along the transfer path 2 to a position where the substrate delivery unit is provided while holding the glass substrate. The substrate delivery unit is provided with a robot arm R that receives a glass substrate from the substrate transfer apparatus 1 and waits in advance at a predetermined position. The robot arm R is configured to support a glass substrate by a plurality of substrate suction pads R1.
At this time, since the glass substrate is mounted on the substrate transport apparatus 1, the holding mechanism 20 is in the holding state, and the latch mechanism 50 is in the regulation release mode.

First, the robot arm R sucks the glass substrate held between the substrate holding frame 11 and the holding mechanism 20 with the substrate suction pad R1, and supports the glass substrate.
Next, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), the substrate transfer apparatus 1 is arranged on the rack 60 while engaging the pinion 30 with the rack 60 provided on the transfer path 2 at the position where the substrate receiving portion 3 is provided. To a predetermined position. At this time, it is preferable that the robot arm R supporting the glass substrate is also moved following the movement of the substrate transfer apparatus 1.

  Then, the pinion 30 rotates around the axis by meshing with the rack 60, and brings the holding mechanism 20 into a holding release state. At this time, since the latch mechanism 50 is in the restriction release mode, a force that causes the clamp arm 22 to close inward is applied to the clamp shaft 21 by the urging force of the coil spring 24, but as shown in FIG. The substrate transport device 1 is stopped at a predetermined position while maintaining the meshing state of the pinion 30 and the rack 60, thereby preventing the holding mechanism 20 from being changed from the holding release state to the holding state.

After the holding mechanism 20 enters the holding release state, the robot arm R transfers the glass substrate from the holding position of the substrate holding frame 11 to the substrate delivery unit as shown in FIG.
Then, after the glass substrate is transferred to the substrate delivery unit, the substrate transport apparatus 1 passes over the rack 60 and moves to the substrate receiving unit 3 again.

Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, the substrate transport apparatus 1 includes the substrate holding frame 11 and the holding mechanism 20 that holds the glass substrate between the substrate holding frame 11 and transports the glass substrate. The pinion 30 and the holding mechanism 20 are coupled so that the pinion 30 meshed with the rack 60 provided on the transport path 2 and the holding mechanism 20 is held / released according to the rotation of the pinion 30. By adopting the configuration of having the coupling mechanism 40, the rack 60 on the transport path 2 and the pinion 30 of the substrate transport apparatus 1 are engaged with each other, and the pinion is used by utilizing the power that the substrate transport apparatus 1 moves. It is possible to automatically hold / release the holding mechanism 20 by rotating 30.
Therefore, in this embodiment, there is no need to provide a driving device for the holding mechanism 20, and there is an effect that the holding mechanism 20 can be automatically held / released at low cost.

  In the present embodiment, the holding mechanism 20 includes a clamp shaft 21 that is rotatable around an axis along the substrate holding frame 11, and a rotation having a clamp arm 22 that is provided on the clamp shaft 21 and that can contact the glass substrate. A holding portion 23 and a coil spring 24 that urges the clamp shaft 21 in the rotational direction in which the clamp arm 22 abuts on the glass substrate are included, and the coupling mechanism 40 rotates the clamp shaft 21 in conjunction with the rotation of the pinion 30. By adopting such a configuration, the holding mechanism 20 can be held / released by rotating the clamp shaft 21 around the axis. Further, since the clamp shaft 21 is urged by the coil spring 24 in the rotational direction in which the clamp arm 22 contacts the glass substrate, the glass substrate can be held without using electric power such as a motor.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a plurality of rotation holding units 23 are provided, the plurality of rotation holding units 23 are connected to each other so as to be interlocked with each other, and the coupling mechanism 40 is a specific one of the plurality of rotation holding units 23. By adopting a configuration in which the glass substrate is provided, the glass substrate can be clamped in a plurality of directions, and the glass substrate can be held more securely, and one specific rotation holding portion 23 is held / released. By setting the state, the other plurality of rotation holding portions 23 can be brought into the holding / holding release state in conjunction with the operation.

  In the present embodiment, the latch mechanism 50 is configured to switch between a restriction mode for restricting the rotation of the clamp shaft 21 in the rotation direction and a restriction release mode for releasing the restriction of the rotation of the clamp shaft 21 in the rotation direction. Since the holding mechanism 20 can be prevented from automatically shifting to the holding state due to the urging force of the coil spring 24, the glass substrate can be received and delivered smoothly.

  In the present embodiment, the latch mechanism 50 adopts a configuration in which the restriction mode and the restriction release mode are switched when the glass substrate is positioned at the holding position where the glass substrate is held by the substrate holding frame 11, so that the substrate is By switching between the restriction mode and the restriction release mode when positioned at the holding position, the clamp shaft 21 can be rotated by the urging force to automatically hold the glass substrate.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring drawings, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. Various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described embodiments are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the coil spring 24 is used as the biasing device, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, the biasing device may be an elastic force of another type of spring member or rubber member. It may be configured to urge the clamp shaft 21 or a combination thereof.

It is a perspective view which shows the board | substrate conveyance apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the board | substrate conveyance apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part enlarged front view of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part enlarged side view of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the latch mechanism provided in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement in the board | substrate receiving part of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement in the board | substrate receiving part of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement in the board | substrate delivery part of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement in the board | substrate delivery part of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Substrate conveyance apparatus, 2 ... Conveyance path, 11 ... Substrate holding frame, 20 ... Holding mechanism, 21 ... Clamp axis (rotation axis), 22 ... Clamp arm (holding part), 23 ... Rotation holding part, 24 ... Coil spring ( Urging device), 30 ... pinion, 40 ... coupling mechanism, 50 ... latch mechanism (switching device), 60 ... rack

Claims (4)

A substrate transport device having a substrate holding frame and a holding mechanism for holding a substrate between the substrate holding frame and transporting the substrate,
The holding mechanism includes a rotation shaft that is rotatable around an axis along the substrate holding frame, a rotation holding portion that is provided on the rotation shaft and has a holding portion that can come into contact with the substrate, and the rotation shaft. An urging device that urges the holding portion in a rotating direction in contact with the substrate;
A pinion that meshes with a rack provided on the transport path;
And a coupling mechanism that couples the pinion and the holding mechanism so that the holding mechanism is held / released when the rotating shaft is rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the pinion. Substrate transfer device. A plurality of the rotation holding portions are provided,
The plurality of rotation holding portions are connected to each other so as to be interlocked with each other,
The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling mechanism is provided in a specific one of the plurality of rotation holding units. A restriction mode for restricting rotation of the rotation shaft in the rotation direction;
The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a switching device that switches between a restriction release mode for releasing restriction of rotation of the rotation shaft in the rotation direction. The substrate transfer device according to claim 3 , wherein the switching device switches between the restriction mode and the restriction release mode when the substrate is located at a holding position where the substrate is held by a substrate holding frame.

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