JP6794976B2 - Transfer equipment, transfer method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention transfers an article between a first transfer machine on which an article is placed and moved back and forth in the horizontal direction and a second transfer machine that supports the upper part of the article and moves it up and down in the vertical direction. It is related to the transfer equipment for loading.

As the transfer equipment, for example, there is an equipment for transferring a cassette (article) containing a substrate in a chamber which is a processing device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the transfer equipment of Patent Document 1, the cassette transfer unit (first transfer machine) carries the cassette transported by the transport carriage unit into the equipment, and the cassette transferred by the cassette transfer unit is carried into the cassette transfer unit (first transfer machine). The second transfer machine) is carried into the chamber. Alternatively, the cassette transfer unit carries out the cassette carried into the chamber, and the cassette transfer unit transfers the cassette conveyed by the cassette transfer unit to the transfer carriage unit.
The cassette transferred by the cassette transfer unit from the transfer carriage unit is placed on a loading platform provided above the chamber before being carried into the chamber by the cassette transfer unit. Similarly, the cassette carried out from the chamber by the cassette transfer unit is placed on the loading platform before being transferred to the transport carriage unit by the cassette transfer unit.
The cassette transfer unit carries the cassette placed on the loading platform into the chamber by grasping the cassette from above and moving it up and down, or carries the cassette carried out from the chamber into the loading platform.

Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1511963

However, in the transfer equipment as described above, when the cassette (article) is transferred between the cassette transfer unit (first transfer machine) and the cassette transfer unit (second transfer machine), the cassette (article) is transferred. During loading, it is necessary to temporarily place the cassette (article) on the loading platform. Further, when the cassette transfer unit (second transfer machine) grips the cassette (article) and moves it up and down, the cassette (article) interferes with the cradle, so that the interference with the cradle is avoided. It is necessary to perform operations such as turning the cassette (article). Therefore, there is a problem that it takes time to transfer the cassette (article) between the cassette transfer unit (first transfer machine) and the cassette transfer unit (second transfer machine).

Therefore, the present invention relates to an article between a first transfer machine on which an article is placed and moved back and forth in the horizontal direction and a second transfer machine that supports the upper part of the article and moves it up and down in the vertical direction. The purpose is to provide a transfer facility capable of efficiently performing transfer.

The problem to be solved by the present invention has been described above, and next, the means for solving this problem will be described.

That is, the transfer equipment of the present invention includes a first transfer machine for placing an article and moving it back and forth in the horizontal direction, and a second transfer machine for supporting the upper part of the article and moving it up and down in the vertical direction. It is a transfer facility that transfers articles between the two, and abuts on the side surface of the article mounted on the mounting surface of the first transfer machine to regulate the position of the article on the previously described mounting surface. The first transfer machine is provided with a floating unit on a mounting surface thereof, and the floating unit has a movable portion provided with a support portion for supporting an article on the fixed portion. The structure is such that the article is movably received and supported in the horizontal direction, the article is supported by the support portion for supporting the article placement, the movable portion is movable in the horizontal direction with respect to the fixed portion, and the position is described. By restricting the position of the article by the regulating device, the article is positioned on the above-mentioned mounting surface with respect to the elevating position of the second transfer machine.
In the above configuration, the article placed on the mounting surface of the first transfer machine is positioned at the elevating position of the second transfer machine.

The transfer equipment of the present invention includes a positioning means for positioning the first transfer machine with respect to the elevating position of the second transfer machine in the transfer equipment.
In the above configuration, the first transfer machine is positioned at the elevating position of the second transfer machine.

The transfer equipment of the present invention is the transfer equipment, wherein the article has a substantially box-shaped shape in which a locking portion to be locked to the second transfer machine is formed on the upper portion thereof. The locking portion is formed in the shape of a hook.
In the above configuration, a substantially box-shaped article having a hook-shaped locking portion is transferred between the first transfer machine and the second transfer machine.

According to the transfer equipment of the present invention, the goods can be directly transferred between the first transfer machine and the second transfer machine without going through the loading platform, so that the goods are received during the transfer. The operation of placing the article on the table and the operation of turning the article when the article is moved up and down by the second transfer machine are not required. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently transfer the article between the first transfer machine and the second transfer machine.

It is a top view of the transfer equipment which concerns on this invention. It is a front view of the transfer facility. It is a side sectional view of the floating unit in the transfer equipment. It is a side sectional view which shows the outline when the fork unit in the transfer equipment carries out a cassette from a transport carriage. It is a figure which shows the outline at the time when the fork unit in the transfer equipment carries a cassette into the transfer equipment, (a) is the side view, (b) is the plan view. It is a side sectional view which shows the outline when the fork unit in the transfer equipment carries a cassette into the transfer equipment. It is a figure which shows the outline when the transfer machine in the transfer facility carries out a cassette from a fork unit, (a) is the side view, (b) is the plan view. It is a front sectional view which shows the outline when the transfer machine in the transfer facility transfers a cassette to a load port of a vapor deposition apparatus.

The transfer equipment 10 according to the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transfer facility 10 is a facility attached to a vapor deposition apparatus 80 that performs a vapor deposition process on a substrate 91, which is a work-in-process product of a semiconductor product or a liquid crystal display element product, and is a plate. The cassette 90 (an example of an “article”) containing the physical substrate 91 is transferred to the load port 83 of the vapor deposition apparatus 80. In the transfer facility 10, the cassette 90 carried into the transfer facility 10 is transferred to the load port 83 of the vapor deposition apparatus 80, and the cassette 90 carried out from the load port 83 of the vapor deposition apparatus 80 is transferred to the transfer facility 10. It is carried out to the outside of.
The cassette 90 transported in the transfer facility 10 is formed of a substantially box-shaped member having one side surface or both side surfaces open thereof, and is configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates 91 inside the cassette 90. The cassette 90 is formed with a plurality of flange portions 92 (an example of a “locking portion”) to be locked to the transfer machine 20 described later on the upper portion thereof. The flange portion 92 is composed of a hook-shaped member provided so as to project from the upper surface of the cassette 90, and is provided at a plurality of locations on the upper surface of the cassette 90.

The transfer facility 10 is attached above the vapor deposition apparatus 80. The entire apparatus 80 of the vapor deposition apparatus 80 attached to the transfer equipment 10 is covered with the apparatus housing 81. The device housing 81 has an internal space inside which the vapor deposition device 80 can be stored. The device housing 81 is formed with a cassette carry-in inlet 82 for carrying the cassette 90 inside, above the device housing 81.
The device housing 81 is provided with a load port 83 for mounting the cassette 90 in its internal space. Specifically, the load port 83 is provided directly below the cassette carry-in port 82 (directly below the transfer machine 20 described later, and on the elevating path of the cassette 90 that is raised and lowered by the transfer machine 20).

A fork unit 40 (an example of a "first transfer machine") for transporting the cassette 90 to the transfer equipment 10 is provided on the side of the transfer equipment 10 and above the vapor deposition apparatus 80. That is, the cassette 90 is above the vapor deposition apparatus 80 and is carried in or out from the side of the transfer facility 10.
As shown in FIG. 1, the fork unit 40 mounts the cassette 90 and moves it back and forth in the horizontal direction. The fork unit 40 carries out the cassette 90 from the transport carriage 86 traveling along the carriage traveling rail 85, and carries the carried-out cassette 90 into the transfer facility 10. Further, the fork unit 40 carries out the cassette 90 from the transfer equipment 10, and transfers the carried-out cassette 90 to the transport carriage 86.
The fork unit 40 rotates a fork 41 having a mounting surface 41a for mounting the cassette 90 on its upper surface, a bending / extending arm 42 for moving the fork 41 back and forth in the horizontal direction, and a bending / stretching arm 42. It is mainly composed of a swivel table 43 and a fork.
The fork 41 is composed of a substantially rectangular plate on which the cassette 90 can be placed and transferred, and by bending and stretching the bending and stretching arm 42, the fork 41 is mounted on the transport carriage 86 or the transfer equipment 10 (transfer machine 20). Move in and out.
The bending / extending arm 42 has a loading / unloading position 45 for carrying out or loading the cassette 90 to the transport carriage 86 by extending the pair of arms, or the transfer machine 20 moves the cassette 90 to the fork 41. The fork 41 is horizontally moved to the cassette loading / unloading position 11 for loading / unloading.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the fork 41 is provided with a floating unit 50 on the mounting surface 41a. The floating unit 50 is for receiving and supporting the cassette 90 mounted on the mounting surface 41a so as to be movable in all directions in the horizontal direction. A plurality of floating units 50 are provided on both ends in the width direction of the fork 41 (the direction horizontally orthogonal to the fork exit / exit direction) along the longitudinal direction of the fork 41 (the fork exit / exit direction) (FIGS. 1 and 1). In FIG. 5, two pieces are arranged in a total of four pieces) and arranged on the mounting surface 41a.
As shown in FIG. 3, the floating unit 50 is housed inside a frame body constituting the fork 41. The floating unit 50 has a structure in which a movable portion 52 provided with a support portion 51 for mounting and supporting the cassette 90 is movably received and supported with respect to the fixed portion 53 in the horizontal direction. The floating unit 50 is provided by a rollable support 56 provided with a movable portion 52 provided with a support portion 51 for supporting an article placed in a state in which a plurality of rolling members 54 are rotatably held by a holder 55. , The fixed portion 53 is movably received and supported in all directions in the horizontal direction and rotatably in a plan view.
The rolling support 56 has a flat fixed portion side contact surface forming member 57a provided on the fixed portion 53 in an upward state and a flat movable portion side contact surface forming member 57a provided on the movable portion 52 in a downward state. A plurality of rolling members 54 are positioned between the members 57b and are movably provided in all directions in the horizontal direction with respect to the movable portion 52 and the fixed portion 53.
The floating unit 50 includes a position fixing means KF for fixing the movable portion 52 in the horizontal direction with respect to the fixing portion 53 and a support for returning and moving the rolling support 56 to a reference position in the horizontal direction with respect to the fixing portion 53. It has a body return means SF.
The position fixing means KF is a fixing means for fixing the horizontal position of the movable portion 52 with respect to the fixed portion by the magnetic attraction force of the electromagnet 58a, and includes an electromagnet 58a on the fixing portion 53 side, a ferromagnetic material 58b on the movable portion 52 side, and the like. Is fixed by magnetic force to fix the position of the movable portion 52 in a plan view.
The support returning means SF is an elastic urging type returning means that utilizes the elastic urging force of the coil spring 59, and is spaced at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the radial outer side of the annular rolling support 56. A plurality of push-operated coil springs 59 are provided, and the radial outer side of the coil spring 59 is received by a spring receiver 59a provided in a fixed position 53 in a fixed position, and the rolling support 56 is received on the radial inner side. By pushing the rolling support 56 toward the reference position, the rolling support 56 is returned to the reference position.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the fork 41 has a roller fitting portion 41b formed at the end portion in the longitudinal direction (the tip portion in the extending direction of the fork 41) to be fitted with a positioning guide roller 26 described later. ing. The roller fitting portion 41b is a long side view concave member formed along the width direction of the fork 41, and is formed in a state where the concave portion faces downward.

As shown in FIG. 1, buffer stations 95 for temporarily storing the cassette 90 are provided on both sides of the fork unit 40. The buffer station 95 is provided with a mounting table 96 for mounting the cassette 90.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transfer facility 10 is provided with a cassette carry-out outlet 14 for carrying out the cassette 90 to the load port 83 of the vapor deposition apparatus 80 at the lower portion thereof. The cassette carry-out port 14 is provided so as to communicate with the cassette carry-in port 82 of the apparatus housing 81.

The transfer equipment 10 is mounted on a transfer machine 20 (an example of a “second transfer machine”) which is a transport unit of the cassette 90 in the transfer equipment 10 and a mounting surface 41a of the fork 41 of the fork unit 40. A pusher 25 (an example of a "position regulating device") that regulates the position of the cassette 90, and a positioning guide roller 26 ("positioning means") that positions the fork 41 of the fork unit 40 with respect to the elevating position of the transfer machine 20. (One example) and.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer machine 20 carries out or carries in the cassette 90 to the fork 41 of the fork unit 40, and carries out or carries in the cassette 90 between the fork 41 and the load port 83 of the vapor deposition apparatus 80. It is to move up and down with. That is, in the transfer facility 10, the transfer machine 20 directly carries out the cassette 90 transported by the fork unit 40 from the fork unit 40 without temporarily placing it on the loading platform or the like, and loads the vapor deposition apparatus 80. The transfer machine 20 directly carries in the cassette 90 carried out from the port 83 to the fork unit 40 without temporarily placing it on the loading platform or the like.
The transfer machine 20 is provided above the load port 83 of the vapor deposition apparatus 80, and is arranged at a position overlapping the load port 83 of the vapor deposition apparatus 80 in a plan view. The transfer machine 20 carries out the cassette 90 transported to the cassette loading / unloading position 11 from the fork 41, or loads the cassette 90 into the fork 41 that has moved to the cassette loading / unloading position 11. The transfer machine 20 transports the cassette 90 by locking the upper part of the cassette 90 and moving it up and down in the vertical direction above the vapor deposition apparatus 80. The transfer machine 20 is mainly composed of an elevating mechanism 21 for moving the cassette 90 up and down, and a locking mechanism 24 for locking the upper part of the cassette 90.

The elevating mechanism 21 supports the locking mechanism 24 in a suspended state by the support frame 22A. The elevating mechanism 21 is composed of a first elevating part 22 that moves the locking mechanism 24 (cassette 90) up and down, and a second elevating part 23 that moves the first elevating part 22 and the locking mechanism 24 (cassette 90) up and down. It is configured. That is, the elevating mechanism 21 elevates the cassette 90 by two-step elevating movement.
The first elevating part 22 includes a support frame 22A that suspends and supports the locking mechanism 24, a ball screw 22B for raising and lowering the support frame 22A, and a first motor 22C that rotates the screw shaft 22d of the ball screw 22B. It is mainly composed of and.
The support frame 22A is a frame material formed in an inverted U shape when viewed from the front, and the screw shafts 22d are rotatably supported by a pair of leg portions 22a provided at both ends thereof, and the support frame 22A is erected on the pair of leg portions 22a. The locking mechanism 24 is supported in a suspended state at the supporting portion 22b. In the ball screw 22B, the screw shaft 22d is supported by the support frame 22A, and the nut 22e is supported by the second elevating portion 23. The first motor 22C is provided on both upper ends of the support frame 22A.
The first elevating part 22 rotates the screw shaft 22d by driving the first motor 22C, so that the screw shaft 22d is moved up and down with respect to the nut 22e supported by the second elevating part 23. As a result, the support frame 22A that rotatably supports the screw shaft 22d moves up and down, and the locking mechanism 24 (cassette 90) moves up and down by the raising and lowering. Since the first elevating part 22 moves the locking mechanism 24 (cassette 90) up and down by rotating the screw shaft 22d, it is possible to easily finely align the cassette 90 with respect to the load port 83 of the vapor deposition apparatus 80. it can.
The second elevating part 23 includes a guide body 23A that guides the nut 22e of the ball screw 22B so as to be able to move up and down, a drive belt 23B that moves the nut 22e up and down, and a second motor 23C for rotating the drive belt 23B. It is mainly composed of.
The guide body 23A is composed of a pair of long members. The drive belt 23B is rotatably bridged between the upper end and the lower end of the guide body 23A. The second motor 23C is provided at the lower end of the guide body 23A.
The second elevating unit 23 drives the second motor 23C to rotate the drive belt 23B, thereby moving the nut 22e of the ball screw 22B up and down. As a result, the support frame 22A (screw shaft 22d) that supports the nut 22e moves up and down, and the locking mechanism 24 (cassette 90) moves up and down by the raising and lowering. The second elevating part 23 moves the guide frame 23A up and down between a pair of long guide bodies 23A extending in the vertical direction, thereby roughly positioning the cassette 90 with respect to the load port 83 of the vapor deposition apparatus 80. Make a match.
In this way, the elevating mechanism 21 lowers the cassette 90 to a rough position with respect to the load port 83 of the vapor deposition device 80 by the second elevating unit 23, and then lowers the cassette 90 by the first elevating unit 22 of the vapor deposition device 80. By lowering the cassette 90 to a position close to the load port 83, the cassette 90 can be aligned with the load port 83 of the vapor deposition apparatus 80.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the locking mechanism 24 is supported by the support frame 22A (support portion 22b) of the first elevating portion 22, and also locks the flange portion 92 at the upper part of the cassette 90. The locking mechanism 24 has a locking portion 24A for locking the flange portion 92 of the cassette 90 on the side facing the cassette 90 when the cassette 90 is locked. A plurality of locking portions 24A (4 in FIG. 1) are provided at positions corresponding to the flange portions 92 of the cassette 90. The locking portion 24A is formed of a hook-shaped member that can be locked to the flange portion 92, and the hook-shaped member is configured to be rotatable in a predetermined direction. The locking mechanism 24 supports the cassette 90 in a suspended state by locking the flange portion 92 by the locking portion 24A.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the pusher 25 regulates the position of the cassette 90 mounted on the mounting surface 41a of the fork 41 of the fork unit 40. The pusher 25 regulates the position of the cassette 90 on the fork 41 by abutting on the corner 90A (side surface of the lower corner) of the cassette 90 placed on the fork 41. The pusher 25 is arranged near the diagonal position of the cassette 90 which sandwiches the cassette 90 conveyed to the cassette loading / unloading position 11 together with the paired pushers 25. The pusher 25 includes a pusher main body 25A and an arm portion 25B that is supported by the pusher main body 25A and can move back and forth in the horizontal direction. The arm portion 25B is configured so as to be in contact with the corner portion 90A (side surface of the lower corner portion) of the cassette 90. The pusher 25 hits the corner 90A (side surface of the lower corner) of the cassette 90 so as to sandwich the arm 25B together with the arm 25B of the pair of pushers 25 from the diagonal position of the cassette 90 on the fork 41. By bringing them into contact with each other, the position of the cassette 90 on the fork 41 is restricted to a predetermined position. Here, the predetermined position is a position (cassette loading / unloading position 11) in which the transfer machine 20 can be locked and raised / lowered while holding the posture of the cassette 90 on the fork 41. When the transfer machine 20 carries out or carries in the cassette 90 with respect to the fork 41, the arm portion 25B extends and moves toward the cassette 90 so that the corner portion 90A (side surface of the lower corner portion) of the cassette 90 is moved. To abut. When the cassette 90 is moved up and down by the transfer machine 20, the arm portion 25B moves in a direction avoiding the moving path of the cassette 90 by contracting and moving away from the cassette 90.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the positioning guide roller 26 is a long roller provided at right angles to the moving direction of the fork 41 of the fork unit 40 in the horizontal direction, and the fork 41 is a cassette. The roller matching portion 41b of the fork 41 is provided at a position where it can be combined when the fork 41 is moved to the loading / unloading position 11. The position (cassette) in which the transfer machine 20 carries out or carries in the cassette 90 with respect to the fork 41 by aligning the roller matching portion 41b of the fork 41 that has moved to the cassette carry-in / out position 11 with the positioning guide roller 26. The fork 41 can be positioned at the carry-in / carry-out position 11). The positioning guide roller 26 has a roller diameter that matches the shape of the concave portion of the roller fitting portion 41b. The positioning guide roller 26 rotates via a rotation shaft that is rotatably supported. Since the positioning guide roller 26 is configured to be rotatable via the rotation shaft, the roller fitting portion 41b that moves toward the positioning guide roller 26 is pulled into the positioning guide roller 26 and is easily aligned.

Next, a method of transferring the cassette 90 in the transfer facility 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, when the cassette 90 is transported to a predetermined position by the transport carriage 86, the fork unit 40 extends the bending and stretching arm 42 to move the fork 41 horizontally with respect to the transport carriage 86. The cassette 90 on the transport carriage 86 is placed and supported on the fork 41. When the cassette 90 is placed on the fork 41, the floating unit 50 operates (the movable portion 52 becomes immovable in the horizontal direction with respect to the fixed portion 53), and the cassette 90 becomes immovable on the fork 41. Become.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the floating unit 50 is activated, the fork unit 40 bends the bending / extending arm 42 and turns the fork 41 with the cassette 90 mounted on the fork 41. Further, the fork unit 40 extends the bending / extending arm 42 to horizontally move the fork 41 to the cassette loading / unloading position 11 of the transfer facility 10. As a result, the cassette 90 is conveyed to the cassette loading / unloading position 11.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the cassette 90 is conveyed to the cassette loading / unloading position 11, the fork 41 is lowered and the roller fitting portion 41b of the fork 41 is aligned with the positioning guide roller 26. As a result, the fork 41 is positioned at the cassette loading / unloading position 11. When the fork 41 is positioned at the cassette loading / unloading position 11, the operation of the floating unit 50 is released (the movable portion 52 can move horizontally with respect to the fixed portion 53), and the cassette 90 can move on the fork 41. It becomes a state. Subsequently, the arm portion 25B of the pusher 25 extends and moves toward the cassette 90 and comes into contact with the corner portion 90A of the cassette 90. As a result, one diagonal of the cassette 90 is sandwiched between the pair of arm portions 25B.
The pusher 25 moves the cassette 90 in all directions by expanding and contracting the pair of arm portions 25B with each other. Then, the pusher 25 moves the cassette 90 to a position (cassette loading / unloading position 11) where the locking portion 24A (locking mechanism 24) of the transfer machine 20 can lock the flange portion 92 of the cassette 90. That is, the pusher 25 positions the cassette 90 with respect to the elevating position of the transfer machine 20 by moving the cassette 90 in all directions. When the positioning of the cassette 90 by the pusher 25 is completed, the floating unit 50 operates (the movable portion 52 becomes immovable in the horizontal direction with respect to the fixed portion 53), and the cassette 90 becomes immovable on the fork 41. As a result, the cassette 90 is held at the cassette loading / unloading position 11.

When the cassette 90 is held at the cassette loading / unloading position 11, the second elevating unit 23 of the transfer machine 20 is driven, and the locking mechanism 24 of the transfer machine 20 is lowered to the upper position of the cassette 90. Then, the locking portion 24A of the locking mechanism 24 is swiveled in a predetermined direction, so that the flange portion 92 of the cassette 90 is locked by the locking portion 24A. When the flange portion 92 is locked to the locking portion 24A, the operation of the floating unit 50 is released (the movable portion 52 can move in the horizontal direction with respect to the fixed portion 53). As a result, the cassette 90 can be moved up and down by the transfer machine 20.
When the operation of the floating unit 50 is released, the fork unit 40 bends the bending / extending arm 42 to horizontally move the fork 41 to a position away from the cassette loading / unloading position 11. Further, the pusher 25 contracts and moves the arm portion 25B in a direction away from the cassette 90 (a direction avoiding the elevating path of the cassette 90).
When the fork 41 and the arm portion 25B move to a position away from the cassette loading / unloading position 11, the second elevating portion 23 of the transfer machine 20 is driven, and the locking mechanism 24 that locks the cassette 90 loads the vapor deposition apparatus 80. It descends towards port 83. Specifically, the drive belt 23B is operated by driving the second motor 23C, and the nut 22e of the ball screw 22B is lowered along the guide body 23A by operating the drive belt 23B. Then, the support frame 22A (screw shaft 22d) that supports the nut 22e is lowered, and the locking mechanism 24 (cassette 90) is lowered to a predetermined position by the lowering.
As shown in FIG. 8, when the locking mechanism 24 descends to a predetermined position, the driving of the second elevating unit 23 is stopped and the first elevating unit 22 is driven. As a result, the cassette 90 locked to the locking mechanism 24 is transferred to the load port 83 of the vapor deposition apparatus 80. Specifically, when the drive of the second motor 23C is stopped, the first motor 22C is driven and the screw shaft 22d of the ball screw 22B is rotated. As a result, the support frame 22A that supports the screw shaft 22d is lowered, and the locking mechanism 24 (cassette 90) is lowered by the raising and lowering.

On the other hand, when the processing on the substrate 91 is completed in the vapor deposition apparatus 80, the locking portion 24A of the locking mechanism 24 locks the flange portion 92 of the cassette 90. Then, the first motor 22C is driven to rotate the screw shaft 22d of the ball screw 22B. As a result, the support frame 22A rises, and the locking mechanism 24 rises in accordance with the rise, and the cassette 90 is carried out from the load port 83. When the locking mechanism 24 rises to a predetermined position, the drive of the first motor 22C is stopped and the second motor 23C is driven. As a result, the drive belt 23B operates, and the drive belt 23B operates so that the nut 22e of the ball screw 22B rises along the guide body 23A. Then, the support frame 22A (screw shaft 22d) that supports the nut 22e rises, and the locking mechanism 24 (cassette 90) rises due to the rise.
When the cassette 90 locked to the locking mechanism 24 rises to the cassette loading / unloading position 11, the fork unit 40 horizontally moves the fork 41 to the cassette loading / unloading position 11. At this time, the roller fitting portion 41b is fitted with the positioning guide roller 26.

When the fork 41 moves horizontally to the cassette loading / unloading position 11, the second motor 23C is driven and the locking mechanism 24 is lowered. As a result, the cassette 90 is lowered and placed on the fork 41. When the cassette 90 is placed on the fork 41, the locking portion 24A of the locking mechanism 24 rotates in a predetermined direction, so that the locking portion 24A is released from being locked to the flange portion 92. When the locking to the flange portion 92 by the locking portion 24A is released, the fork unit 40 raises the fork 41 with the cassette 90 mounted on it, and the roller fitting portion 41b and the positioning guide roller 26 are aligned with each other. The fit is released, the bending / stretching arm 42 is bent, and the fork 41 on which the cassette 90 is placed is swiveled. Further, the fork unit 40 extends the bending / extending arm 42 to horizontally move the fork 41 to the transport carriage 86, and transfers the cassette 90 on the fork 41 to the transport carriage 86.

As described above, the transfer equipment 10 according to the present invention can directly transfer the cassette 90 between the fork unit 40 and the transfer machine 20 without going through the loading platform, and therefore, during the transfer. It is not necessary to place the cassette 90 on the loading platform and to rotate the cassette 90 when the transfer machine 20 moves the cassette 90 up and down. Therefore, the cassette 90 can be efficiently transferred between the fork unit 40 and the transfer machine 20. Further, since the loading platform is not required, the cassette 90 can be transferred even if the transfer equipment 10 is covered with the equipment housing.

In the present embodiment, the articles to be transferred in the transfer facility 10 are not limited to the cassette 90, and can be transferred between the fork unit 40 and the transfer machine 20. It does not matter if it is an article.
In the present embodiment, the transfer machine 20 moves the cassette 90 up and down in a state where the locking portion 24A of the transfer machine 20 locks the hook-shaped flange portion 92 on the upper part of the cassette 90. The present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the cassette 90 may be moved up and down while the transfer machine 20 grips the side surface of the cassette 90.
In the present embodiment, the transfer machine 20 raises and lowers the cassette 90 by two-step up and down movement by the first elevating unit 22 and the second elevating unit 23, but the present invention is not limited to this. Only one of the 1 elevating part 22 or the 2nd elevating part 23, that is, the cassette 90 may be moved up and down by a one-step elevating movement. Further, the first elevating part 22 raises and lowers the cassette 90 using the ball screw 22B, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the elevating belt attached to the locking mechanism 24 is wound and unwound to obtain the cassette. You may go up and down 90.
In the present embodiment, a plurality of floating units 50 are arranged on the mounting surface 41a in a state of being arranged at both ends in the width direction of the fork 41 along the longitudinal direction of the fork 41, but the cassette 90 The arrangement position and the number of the floating units 50 are not limited as long as they can be sufficiently supported on the fork 41.
In the present embodiment, the support return means SF is configured by the elastic bias type return means, but it may be configured by the magnet type return means.
In the present embodiment, the pusher 25 regulates the position of the cassette 90 by abutting on the corner 90A of the cassette 90, but the position of the cassette 90 is not limited to this, but is the side surface of the cassette 90. If the position of the cassette 90 can be regulated at the time of contact, the central portion of the side surface of the cassette 90 may be contacted. Further, although the position of the cassette 90 is regulated by two pushers 25, the position is not limited to this, and the position may be regulated by one or three or more pushers 25.
In the present embodiment, the fork 41 of the fork unit 40 is positioned with respect to the elevating position of the transfer machine 20 by the positioning guide roller 26 which is a roller, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the fork 41 is cassetteed. As long as the structure can be held at the carry-in / carry-out position 11, for example, the roller fitting portion 41b of the fork 41 may be made of a convex member that can be joined.

10 Transfer equipment 20 Transfer machine (2nd transfer machine)
25 pusher (position control device)
40 Fork unit (1st transfer machine)
41a Mounting surface 50 Floating unit 51 Supporting part 52 Moving part 53 Fixed part 90 Cassette

Claims (3)

Transfer of articles between a first transfer machine that places articles and moves them back and forth in the horizontal direction and a second transfer machine that supports the upper part of the articles and moves them up and down in the vertical direction. It ’s a mounting facility,
A position regulating device for abutting the side surface of the article mounted on the mounting surface of the first transfer machine to regulate the position of the article on the previously described mounting surface is provided.
The first transfer machine is provided with a floating unit on the mounting surface thereof.
The floating unit has a structure in which a movable portion provided with a support portion for supporting an article is received and supported so as to be movable in the horizontal direction with respect to the fixed portion.
The article is supported by a support portion for supporting the article placement,
By making the movable portion movable in the horizontal direction with respect to the fixed portion and restricting the position of the article by the position regulating device, the positioning of the article with respect to the elevating position of the second transfer machine is described above. Transfer equipment characterized by being performed on the surface. The transfer equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning means for positioning the first transfer machine with respect to the elevating position of the second transfer machine. The article has a substantially box-shaped shape in which a locking portion to be locked to the second transfer machine is formed on the upper portion thereof, and the locking portion is formed in a hook shape. The transfer equipment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transfer equipment is characterized in that.

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