JP2008074551A - Expansion type transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an expansion type transfer device preventing wire breaking caused by wiring of sensors to be installed in transfer parts and generation of particles. <P>SOLUTION: In the expansion type transfer device 30, the transfer parts 5 advance/retract to/from base tables 1 horizontally. The sensors 6A, 6B to be installed in the transfer parts 5 are wireless, and batteries 7 for supplying power sources to the sensors 6A, 6B are provided in the transfer parts 5. Non-contact charging means 8 for charging the batteries 7 when the transfer parts 5 are in the waiting position are provided on the base tables 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is used in a transport system for transporting a workpiece (referred to as a “conveyance object”) or the like, and uses a multi-joint arm, a plurality of slide rails, etc. The present invention relates to a telescopic transfer device that moves a workpiece by moving forward and backward.

  In factories that manufacture semiconductor substrates, liquid crystal display panels, etc., because the flat plate material (semiconductor wafer or glass plate) that is the material is subjected to multi-step processing at different positions, trays that contain the flat plate material, etc. It is essential to have a transport system that transports workpieces, which are the objects to be transported, in a clean room. In the transport system, an extendable transfer device that moves the workpieces in the same horizontal plane is used to transfer the workpieces. ing.

  In such a telescopic transfer device, a load presence / absence detection sensor that detects whether or not a work is placed on a transfer portion that moves forward and backward in the horizontal direction with respect to the base, or a destination to be transferred When a preload detection sensor that detects whether or not there is a workpiece is provided, detection signals from these sensors and wiring for supplying power are wired from the transfer section to the base.

  However, when there is a wired wiring between the base and the transfer part that moves forward and backward with respect to the base, the wiring is frequently bent repeatedly during the transfer of workpieces, generating dust or disconnection. There was a high possibility that it was necessary to improve the situation.

  In this case, it is conceivable to provide a slide type or rotary type conductive means between the fixed base and the transfer part on the moving side. However, such conductive means may generate particles. High and unsuitable for clean rooms. Moreover, since such a conductive means is worn, periodic replacement is necessary, and maintenance is poor.

Patent Document 1 also describes a transfer device using a multi-joint arm, which is a kind of such an extendable transfer device, but there is no description about the wiring of the sensor as described above. There was no description of the solution and solution.
JP-A-6-156632 (FIG. 1)

  The present invention is intended to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an extendable transfer device that does not cause disconnection and particle problems caused by wiring of a sensor to be installed in the transfer unit.

  The extendable transfer device according to claim 1 is an extendable transfer device in which the transfer unit advances and retreats in the horizontal direction with respect to the base, and the sensor to be installed in the transfer unit is wireless. The transfer unit is provided with a rechargeable battery for supplying power to the sensor, and charging means for charging the rechargeable battery when the transfer unit is in a standby position is provided on the base.

  The telescopic transfer device according to claim 2 is dependent on claim 1, and the charging means is a non-contact charging means for charging the rechargeable battery in a non-contact state.

  A telescopic transfer device according to claim 3 is dependent on claim 1 or 2, wherein the base end sides of a pair of free arms composed of two arms are rotatably attached to a base, and the pair of It is comprised by the transfer arm which connected the front end side of the free arm so that rotation was mutually possible, and the transfer arm is a transfer part, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the telescopic transfer device of claim 1, the telescopic transfer device in which the transfer unit moves forward and backward in the horizontal direction with respect to the base, and the sensor to be installed in the transfer unit is a wireless type. The transfer unit is provided with a rechargeable battery for supplying power to the sensor, and the rechargeable battery is charged when the transfer unit is in the standby position. Disconnection and particle problems caused by the wiring of the sensor to be installed do not occur.

  According to the telescopic transfer device of the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the problem of particles due to the contact between the rechargeable battery and the charging means does not occur.

  According to the telescopic transfer device of the third aspect, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect, the telescopic transfer device has a base on the base end side of a pair of free arms composed of two arms. Since the transfer arm is a transfer part that is rotatably attached to the front end side of the pair of free arms and connected to each other so as to be rotatable, the effects of claims 1 and 2 above. However, it is exhibited in a so-called articulated arm type telescopic transfer device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments (examples) of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1A is a front view showing an example of the telescopic transfer device of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a side view of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual view of the main part of the telescopic transfer device of FIG. FIG. 3 and FIG. 3 are front views showing a state where the transfer unit of the telescopic transfer device of FIG. 1 has advanced most.

  For example, in a factory for manufacturing a semiconductor substrate or a liquid crystal display plate, the telescopic transfer device 30 is used to perform various processing processes in a clean room on the flat plate material (semiconductor wafer or glass plate). It is used when transferring a tray in which a flat material is stored one by one as a work W that is an object to be transported in a state of being stacked one or more.

  In addition, although the case where the tray which accommodated the flat material in a clean room is conveyed is shown as an example where an expansion-contraction transfer apparatus is used here, the expansion-contraction transfer apparatus of this invention is limited to this. Instead, generally, it can be used when the transfer target is transferred to another position on the same plane.

  The telescopic transfer device 30 of the present invention is an extendable transfer device 30 in which the transfer unit 5 advances and retreats in the horizontal direction with respect to the base 1, and includes a sensor 6A to be installed in the transfer unit 5. 6B is a wireless type, and a rechargeable battery 7 that supplies power to the sensors 6A and 6B is provided in the transfer unit 5, and the rechargeable battery 7 is not in the non-moving position when the transfer unit 5 is in a standby position (state shown in the drawing). It is characterized by contact charging.

  In relation to the above configuration, the telescopic transfer device 30 includes a non-contact charging means 8 for charging the rechargeable battery 7 in a non-contact manner and a terminal box 9 containing the rechargeable battery 7 and the like, as shown in the figure. I have.

  Specifically, in the first embodiment, the sensor 6A is a preload detection sensor 6A that detects whether or not there is a workpiece W ahead of the transfer, and the sensor 8B It is a load presence / absence detection sensor 6B that detects whether or not W is placed.

  However, the sensors are not limited to the above, and include all types of sensors that should be installed in the transfer unit 5.

  The non-contact charging means 8 uses a known non-contact power supply means for charging, and when the transfer unit 5 is in a standby state, the side parts to be charged are brought close to each other as illustrated. 8a (moving side) and charging side portion 8b (fixed side), an alternating current is passed through the charging side portion 8b, and a power receiving coil provided on the charged side portion 8a receives power by electromagnetic induction. Is capable of charging the rechargeable battery 7 by AC / DC conversion.

  The terminal box 9 incorporates the rechargeable battery 7 described above, and controls the telescopic transfer device 30 by controlling the detection signals from the preload detection sensor 6A and the load presence / absence detection sensor 6B. Wireless communication means 9a to be sent to (illustrated) and a power supply port 9b for charging the rechargeable battery 7 by wire.

  With such a configuration, according to the telescopic transfer device 30, in the state where the workpiece W is placed as shown in FIG. 1 (loaded state), the load presence / absence detection sensor 6B detects that the workpiece is loaded, As shown in FIG. 3, the loaded work W is operated to be transferred to a predetermined position, and when the target position is reached, the preload detection sensor 6A confirms that there is no load at the target place. The workpiece W is transferred in a state where the transfer unit 5 is advanced to the maximum.

  On the other hand, in the empty load state, the telescopic transfer device 30 detects that the load is detected by the load presence / absence detection sensor 6B, detects that the workpiece W is at the target position by the preload detection sensor 6A, The workpiece W is placed on the transfer unit 5 and transferred.

  The transfer device 30 repeatedly performs such work. At this time, these sensors 6A and 6B are indispensable for the transfer work. However, the transfer device 30 frequently moves forward and backward with respect to the base 1. The sensors 6A and 6B installed in the mounting unit 5 output detection signals by the wireless communication means 9a of the terminal box 9 also provided in the transfer unit 5, and the power source is the base in the standby state. Since the rechargeable battery 7 is charged from the side 1 by the non-contact charging means 8, there is no wiring between the transfer part 5 for the sensor and the base 1, and there is a problem of disconnection of the wiring and particles from the wiring. Does not occur.

  Moreover, since the charging port 9b which can charge the rechargeable battery 7 with a wire as needed is provided, the power supply required when using the sensor for a long time in a state where non-contact charging is not possible, such as during sensor adjustment, is supplied. be able to.

  Note that the standby state of the transfer unit 5 is a standby state in which the base 1 is rotatable as described later, and the transfer unit 5 is advanced and retracted in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lifting platform 50. Since the time and the number of times of standby are large in one transfer, the rechargeable battery 7 can be sufficiently charged.

  In addition, when the transfer unit 5 is in the standby state, the rechargeable battery is charged not by the above-described non-contact charging means 8, but by providing electrodes on the transfer unit 5 side and the base 1 side, respectively. A charging method may be used in which both electrodes come in contact and charge only in the state.

  Such a charging means may be a sliding or rotating conductive means described in the background art, or may be a male-female type relay means that fit into each other in a standby state. .

  In this case, the generation of particles due to the contact portion may be a problem, but the contact occurs only in the standby state of the transfer unit 5, and thus the influence is small.

  Now, the telescopic transfer device 30 having such a feature is configured such that the transfer unit 5 is transferred by an articulated arm (hereinafter, the transfer unit 5 is a transfer arm 5 and the articulated arm portion is a transfer arm unit). The multi-joint arm portion will be described below.

  The transfer device 30 is configured so that the base end side of the base end side arm 2 of the pair of free arms 4 composed of two arms (the base end side arm 2 and the front end side arm 3) can be rotated to the base 1. A transfer arm 5 that is attached and connected to the front end side of the front end side arm 3 of the pair of free arms 4 so as to be rotatable with respect to each other is provided, and the structure between the transfer arm 5 and the front end side arm 3 is arranged in the vertical direction. The structure is such that it interferes but does not interfere horizontally.

  With respect to the point that the transfer arm 5 linearly moves in the direction of the symmetric center line when the pair of bases 1 synchronously rotationally drives each of the pair of base end side arms 2 with respect to the center line. The details are omitted because they are similar.

  Here, the symmetric center line means a line orthogonal to the line connecting the axis centers at the midpoint of the line connecting the axis centers of the base 1, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the telescopic transfer device 30 taken longitudinally.

  The pair of bases 1, the base end side arm 2, the front end side arm 3 (these are collectively referred to as “free arm 4”) and the transfer arm 5 are collectively referred to as an arm transfer unit 10.

  In addition to the above-described parts, the telescopic transfer device 30 is also referred to as the “transfer direction” because the entire arm transfer unit 10 is in the direction of the symmetry center line (this direction is also the direction in which the workpiece W is transferred). .) Is provided.

  The slide unit 20 on which the arm transfer unit 10 is placed is placed on the rotation unit 40, and the arm transfer unit 10 and the slide unit 20 are rotatable.

  The rotating unit 40 is placed on a lifting platform 50 conceptually indicated by a two-dot chain line in the figure, and the arm transfer unit 10 and the slide unit 20 (that is, the telescopic transfer device 30), and The rotating unit 40 can be moved up and down.

  The transfer arm 5 of the arm transfer unit 10 has a base end while maintaining the upper surface 5a constituting the transfer surface, the lower surface 5b of the arm, the base end portion 5d serving as the base end of the arm, and the transfer surface 5a. A pair of receiving arms 5e extending from the portion 5s to the front side in the transfer direction is provided.

  Here, the arm transfer portion 10, that is, the telescopic transfer device 30 is characterized in that the lower surface 5 b of the transfer arm 5 is more than the upper surface 3 a of the distal arm 3 that instructs the transfer arm 5 to be rotatable. This is the point below. That is, as described above, the transfer arm 5 is provided so as to interfere with the distal end side arm 3 in the vertical direction.

  More specifically, as a result of acquiring the height of the transfer arm 5 in the direction of interfering with the distal arm 3 side in this way, the upper surface (transfer surface 5a) of the transfer arm 5 is free arm. 4 is substantially the same vertical position as the upper surface 3a of the distal end side arm 3 or slightly above. That is, the height of the transfer surface of the telescopic transfer device 30 can be reduced as much as possible.

  On the other hand, when the transfer arm 5 and the distal arm 3 of the free arm 4 are in a positional relationship such that they vertically interfere with each other, depending on the rotational phase of the free arm 4, the transfer arm 5 and the distal arm 3 The part that covers the top and bottom of will collide.

  Therefore, in the telescopic transfer device 30, the transfer arm as shown in FIG. 1A is formed on the base portion of the transfer arm 5 and the portion that will collide with the distal arm 3. An escape portion 5c is provided for allowing the arm portion to escape in an oblique direction from the connecting portion between the front end side arm 5 and the distal end side arm 3 in the anti-connecting direction.

  FIG. 1A shows a state in which the arm transfer unit 10 is most retracted with respect to the transfer direction, but the transfer arm 5 and the distal arm 3 are moved by the relief portion 5 c of the transfer arm 5. Are close to each other, but are not in contact with each other, and it is understood that collision is avoided.

  When there is no vertical interference between the transfer arm 5 and the distal arm 3, the transfer arm 5 further moves in the right direction (retracting direction) from the state shown in FIG. 1 and the symmetric center line (or transfer direction) of the front arm 3 can be retracted to a position where the angle is 0 degree. In the transfer device 30 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. Up to the state.

  However, in the state of FIG. 1 (a), the angle formed by the symmetrical center line (or transfer direction) of the proximal arm 2 and the distal arm 3 is very small, and until this angle becomes 0 degrees. The distance that can be retracted is a slight distance from the whole, and the inventor of the present invention has the advantage of reducing the transfer surface of the transfer device 30 as much as possible rather than the loss of the slight distance from the industrial viewpoint. The transfer device 30 is conceived to be important.

  In addition, since the telescopic transfer device 30 includes the slide portion 20, even if there is some loss in the transfer arm transfer stroke due to the horizontal interference, the entire transfer arm 5 is transferred. By sliding in the direction, the stroke loss can be eliminated.

  However, the telescopic transfer device may include only the arm transfer unit 10 without including the slide unit 20 as in this example.

  Furthermore, in the telescopic transfer device 30 of the present invention, the slide portion 20 that is highly likely to generate particles is provided below the arm transfer portion 10 and further away from the arm transfer portion 10. Since it does not advance, it is possible to minimize the influence of the particles on the workpiece W in the workpiece placement area provided at the position where the arm transfer unit 10 is most advanced.

  On the other hand, the arm transfer portion 10 that enters the work placement area has an articulated arm structure, and there is little particle generation, and contamination of the work W in this portion can be suppressed as much as possible.

  In addition, when the slide 20 is present, the entire transfer distance of the telescopic transfer device 30 is the sum of the transfer distance of the arm transfer unit 10 and the transfer distance of the slide unit 20. As a whole, a longer transfer distance can be achieved.

  That is, according to the telescopic transfer device 30 of the present invention, the effect of enabling transfer corresponding to a workpiece to be enlarged can be exhibited while avoiding the problem of particle generation.

  Now, in the telescopic transfer device 30 having such a configuration, as described above, the wiring required for the sensor 6 to be installed in the transfer unit 5 is not necessary, so that the transfer unit in the transfer device 30 is not necessary. This backs up that the function of 5 moving forward and backward with respect to the base 1 is suitably exhibited and maintained.

  In addition, as an expansion-contraction transfer apparatus which should install a sensor in a transfer part, it is not limited to the articulated arm type thing illustrated here, What combined multiple slide rails each linearly slid, Other structure Any of the telescopic transfer devices can be used, and anyway, as long as the transfer part moves forward and backward in the horizontal direction with respect to the base, the configuration characteristic of the present invention is applicable.

  Here, in the above-described articulated arm type telescopic transfer device 30, the base 1 and the arms 2, 3, 5 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable. Since they rotate with each other, if wiring is provided over these, the wiring is subjected to torsion and the number of bendings is larger than that in the case of the slide type.

  Therefore, in the case of the multi-joint arm type, the effect of the configuration of the present invention that eliminates the wiring for the sensor is more effectively exhibited.

  In addition, the wireless method of the detection signal of the sensor does not have to be performed in a concentrated manner in the terminal box 9 illustrated here, but may be a method performed by individual sensors alone.

  As mentioned above, although the specific example of this invention was demonstrated in detail in the embodiment, these are only illustrations and do not limit a claim. The technology described in the claims, that is, the technical scope of the patented invention of the present application, variously modified or changed from the above-described embodiments as described in various places, or those A combination is included.

  The telescopic transfer device of the present invention can be used in an industrial field where it is required that problems of disconnection and particles due to the wiring of the sensor to be installed in the transfer unit do not occur.

(A) is a front view which shows an example of the expansion-contraction type transfer apparatus of this invention, (b) is a side view of (a). The figure which shows notionally the principal part of the expansion-contraction transfer apparatus of FIG. The front view of the state which the transfer part of the telescopic transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 advanced most

Explanation of symbols

1 base
2 Proximal arm
3 Front arm
4 Free arm
5 Transfer arm (transfer section)
6 Sensor
7 Rechargeable battery
8 Non-contact charging means
9 Terminal box
9a Wireless communication means
9b (wired) charging port 10 Arm transfer part (expandable transfer device)
20 Slide part 30 Telescopic transfer device 40 Rotating part 50 Lifting platform

Claims (3)

  A telescopic transfer device in which a transfer unit moves forward and backward in a horizontal direction with respect to a base, wherein a sensor to be installed in the transfer unit is a wireless type, and a rechargeable battery for supplying power to the sensor is transferred to the transfer unit. A telescopic transfer device provided in the mounting portion, wherein the base includes charging means for charging the rechargeable battery when the transfer portion is in the standby position.   2. The telescopic transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the charging means is a non-contact charging means for charging the rechargeable battery in a non-contact state.   A base end side of a pair of free arms composed of two arms is rotatably attached to a base, and is composed of a transfer arm in which the front end sides of the pair of free arms are connected to each other so as to be rotatable, The telescopic transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer arm is a transfer unit.

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