JP2014218342A - Supporting air plate and gas flow resistor thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A technique for alleviating stress on an object due to a gas flow is provided. An air plate for support includes a gas flow resistor having a plurality of jet ports that squeeze out a supplied gas flow, and a plurality of large-diameter holes into which the plurality of gas flow resistors are mounted. The first perforated plate-like portion 11c having 17a and the first perforated plate-like portion 11c adjacent to the support surface 11a side and in communication with the first gas supply hole 17a at a position corresponding to the first gas supply hole 17a. And a second perforated plate-like portion 11d having a small-diameter hole portion 17b for jetting the gas flow toward the compressed gas layer, and a jet port of the gas flow resistor 14 for jetting the gas flow of the gas flow resistor 14 The gas flow opposing surface located at the boundary between the first perforated plate-like portion and the second perforated plate-like portion that collides and diffuses the gas flow ejected from the ejection port of the gas flow resistor 14 11e. [Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a support air plate that supports an object in a non-contact manner by a compressed gas layer, and more particularly to a support air plate that supports a glass substrate or the like used in a flat panel display, a solar panel, or the like in a non-contact state.

  In the manufacture of flat panel displays (FPD) and solar panels, it is required to reduce the thickness and size of the glass plate for panels, increase the speed and accuracy of conveyance, and make the glass substrate stress-free. In order to satisfy such a requirement, a non-contact conveying device that floats and conveys a glass plate with a gas layer is used. For example, it is required to float a glass plate having a long side of 2400 mm with a height and accuracy of 30 ± 5 μm.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for generating a swirling flow of gas to support a glass plate. In the technique of Patent Document 1, a swirl flow forming body is accommodated in a recess formed on the conveying surface of the apparatus base, and the outer peripheral surface of the swirl flow forming body is caulked and joined by a raised portion protruding around the recess. With this configuration, a swirl flow of gas is generated on the transport surface, and the glass substrate is supported in a non-contact state.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for supporting a glass substrate by generating an upward flow of gas. The upward flow forming body is configured such that the annular flange portion is press-fitted into a cylindrical wall surface portion of the accommodation hole portion formed on the upper plate of the transport substrate, and the engagement projection portion of the engagement hanging portion is fitted to the annular shoulder of the accommodation hole portion. By being engaged with the portion, it is mounted in the accommodation hole. With this configuration, an upward flow of gas is generated on the upper plate, and the glass substrate is supported in a non-contact state.

International Publication No. 2009/119377 pamphlet JP 2012-176822 A

  The swirl flow forming body of Patent Document 1 is mounted on the transport surface of the base body facing the glass substrate. The gas passing through the swirling flow forming body strikes the glass substrate while swirling, and a gas flow is generated inside the swirling flow in a direction that draws the glass substrate toward the substrate.

  Moreover, the upward flow formation body of patent document 2 is also mounted | worn with the conveyance surface of the board | substrate facing a glass substrate. The gas ejected from the ascending flow body hits the glass substrate directly, after the gases collide with each other, or after colliding with the inner peripheral side wall of the ascending flow forming body.

  However, in recent years, FPDs and solar panels have become increasingly larger and thinner, and accordingly, the glass plates that should be supported by the transfer device have also become larger and thinner. For this reason, the stress applied to the glass substrate by the gas flow and the uniform pressure are required more than ever.

  The objective of this invention is providing the technique which relieves the stress to the support target object by a gas flow.

  An air plate for support according to an aspect of the present invention has a support surface, a compressed gas layer is formed between the support surface and a support object, and the support object is in a non-contact state with the support surface. A supporting air plate for supporting, a gas flow resistor having a plurality of jets that squeeze out a gas flow to be supplied, and a plurality of first gas supply holes in which the plurality of gas flow resistors are mounted And a part of the first gas supply hole at a position adjacent to the support surface side of the first holed plate part and corresponding to the first gas supply hole. The second perforated plate-like portion having a second gas supply hole that overlaps and communicates with the first gas supply hole and jets the gas flow toward the compressed gas layer, and the gas flow is squeezed and jetted. It faces the gas flow resistor outlet and collides with the gas flow ejected from the gas flow resistor outlet. And a, a gas flow facing surface located at the boundary portion between the second perforated plate portion and the first perforated plate-like portion for diffusing Te.

  Further, the gas flow resistor according to one aspect of the present invention is configured to support a support in a non-contact state in which a compressed gas layer is formed between a support surface and a support object and the support object is levitated from the support surface. In the gas flow resistor used for the air plate for the air, a jet port that is mounted on the mounting portion of the support air plate and that can squeeze the supplied gas flow and indirectly eject the gas flow toward the support surface. It is characterized by having.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the stress to the support target which the compressed gas flow ejected from the support air plate gives can be relieved.

It is a schematic sectional drawing of the levitation air plate by 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the shape of the surface of a gas path plate 12. It is a figure which shows the shape of the back surface of the body path | route plate. It is the figure which looked at the bottom plate 13 from the surface side. 1 is a schematic exploded sectional view of a flying air plate according to a first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the top view (A) and side sectional view (B) of the ejection pellet 14. It is a figure which shows the gas flow in the inside of the ejection hole 17 of the top plate 11 to which the ejection pellet 14 was attached. It is a figure which shows the gas flow in the inside of the ejection hole 17 of the gas path | route plate 12 and the top plate 11 to which the suction pellet 15 was attached. It is sectional drawing of the orifice flow path vicinity of the ejection pellet 14. FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the air plate for levitation | floating by 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the gas flow in the inside of the gas supply hole 37 of the top plate 31 to which the ejection pellet 34 was attached. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the air plate for levitation | floating by 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the gas flow in the inside of the pellet mounting plate 52 and the top plate 51 to which the ejection pellet 34 was attached. It is a schematic sectional drawing near the ejection pellet of the air plate for levitation by a 4th embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the jet pellet vicinity of the air plate for levitation | floating by 5th Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the air plate for levitation | floating by 6th Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same members and parts, and the description may be omitted or simplified.

  (First embodiment)

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a flying air plate (supporting air plate) according to the first embodiment. The levitation air plate 10 has a support surface 11a, and forms a compressed gas layer between a glass substrate (not shown), which is an object to be supported (support object), and the support surface 11a, thereby supporting the glass substrate. It is a plate which is supported in a non-contact state levitated from the surface 11a.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a floating air plate 10 includes a top plate 11, a gas path plate 12 (flat plate), a bottom plate 13, an ejection pellet 14 (gas flow resistor), and a suction pellet 15 (suction gas flow resistor). )have.

  The top plate 11, the gas path plate 12, and the bottom plate 13 are all plate-shaped members made of a metal material such as aluminum. In order to prevent warping due to temperature change due to the bimetal effect, it is preferable to align the top plate 11, the gas path plate 12, and the bottom plate 13 with the same material. Each is manufactured by surface grinding with high precision and providing holes and grooves. The top plate 11, the gas path plate 12, and the bottom plate 13 are provided with an assembly hole and a tapping process (not shown), and are assembled to each other by bolts. Further, the ascending air plate 10 is provided with bolt mounting holes for assembling to a counterpart frame such as a transport device (not shown) for transporting the glass substrate.

  On the other hand, the ejection pellet 14 and the suction pellet 15 are injection molded products made of a resin material or the like, and are inserted into holes provided in the top plate 11 or the gas path plate 12.

  Hereinafter, each will be described in detail.

  The top plate 11 is a perforated plate-like member in which a plurality of ejection holes 17 and a plurality of suction holes 18 penetrating in the thickness direction are alternately arranged. The ejection hole 17 is a hole for ejecting a compressed gas between the support surface 11a and the glass substrate to form a compressed gas layer, and the glass substrate is floated, and the suction hole 18 is a gas from the compressed gas layer. It is a hole for sucking and stabilizing the flying height of the glass substrate.

  The pitch at which the ejection holes 17 and the suction holes 18 are arranged is set according to the thickness of the glass substrate that is the object to be supported. It is preferable to use a dense pitch for the thin glass substrate and a sparse pitch for the thick glass substrate from the viewpoint of suppressing deformation. One surface of the top plate 11 constitutes a support surface 11a for supporting the glass substrate in a non-contact state where the glass substrate is levitated. Hereinafter, the other surface of the support surface 11a which is one surface that supports the glass substrate in the top plate 11 is referred to as a back surface 11b.

  The ejection hole 17 is a through hole having a different inner diameter size on the support surface 11a side and the back surface 11b side, and a small diameter hole portion 17b (second second diameter) having a smaller inner diameter than the hole installed on the back surface 11b side on the support surface 11a side. A stepped hole structure including a gas supply hole) and a large-diameter hole 17a (first gas supply hole) connected to the small-diameter hole 17b on the back surface 11b side and having a larger inner diameter than the small-diameter hole 17b. The ejection pellets 14 are inserted into the large-diameter hole portion 17 a of the ejection hole 17. As an example, the large-diameter hole 17a has an inner diameter of φ8 mm, and the small-diameter hole 17b has an inner diameter of φ2.5 mm.

  Similarly to the ejection hole 17, the suction hole 18 is stepped by connecting a small-diameter hole portion 18 b having a smaller inner diameter on the support surface 11 a side than the back surface 11 b side and a large-diameter hole portion 18 a having a larger inner diameter on the back surface 11 b side than the small-diameter hole 18 b. It has a hole structure. As an example, the large-diameter hole 18a has an inner diameter of φ8 mm, and the small-diameter hole 18b has an inner diameter of φ4 mm. However, since the pellet is not inserted into the suction hole 18, the stepped structure may not be provided.

  The gas path plate 12 has a surface 12a which is a surface installed in close contact with the back surface 11b of the top plate 11, and a back surface 12b which is a surface on the opposite side facing the surface 12a.

  An air supply groove 21 (gas supply path) that connects the plurality of ejection holes 17 of the top plate 11 to each other is formed in the surface 12 a portion of the gas path plate 12. Further, the gas path plate 12 is provided with an air supply hole 19 which communicates with the air supply groove 21 and penetrates to the back surface 12b at a predetermined position.

  The gas path plate 12 is provided with a plurality of suction holes 20 penetrating from the front surface 12a to the back surface 12b at positions communicating with the suction holes 18 of the top plate 11. Further, a suction groove 22 that allows the plurality of suction holes 20 to communicate with each other is formed on the back surface 12 b of the gas path plate 12. The suction hole 20 is a through hole having a different inner diameter size on the back surface 12b side and the front surface 12a side, is on the back surface 12b side, and has a small diameter hole portion 20b having a smaller inner diameter size than a hole installed on the front surface 12a side, A stepped hole shape is formed of a large-diameter hole 20a having a larger inner diameter than the small-diameter hole 20a and connected to the small-diameter hole 20b on the surface 12a side, and the suction hole 20 is sucked into the large-diameter hole 20a. A pellet 15 is inserted.

  The air supply groove 21 on the front surface 12a of the gas path plate 12 and the suction groove 22 on the back surface 12b have a depth that does not interfere with each other in the plate thickness direction. As an example, the air supply groove 21 and the suction groove 22 are both 8 mm wide and 3.5 mm deep, and the thickness of the gas path plate 12 is greater than 7 mm.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing the shape of the gas path plate 12 on the surface 12a side.

  Referring to FIG. 2, an air supply groove 21 is formed in a mesh shape on the surface 12 a of the gas path plate 12, and an air supply hole 19 penetrating to the back surface 12 b is communicated with a predetermined portion of the air supply groove 21. . In the air supply groove 21, the opening surface 21 a is closed by the back surface 11 b of the top plate 11, communicates with the respective ejection holes 17 of the top plate 11, and gas supplied from the air supply holes 19 is supplied to the ejection holes 17 of the top plate 11. A supply path is formed (see FIG. 1).

  Further, a suction hole 20 penetrating to the back surface 12 b is provided at a position communicating with the suction hole 18 of the top plate 11 in the front surface 12 a portion of the gas path plate 12.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing the shape of the gas path plate 12 on the back surface 12b side.

  A suction groove 22 that allows the plurality of suction holes 20 to communicate with each other is provided in a mesh shape on the back surface 12 b of the gas path plate 12. The suction groove 22 has an opening surface 22a closed by the surface 13a of the bottom plate 13, and forms a path for gas to be sucked through each suction hole 20 (see FIG. 1).

  Here, as an example, the suction groove 22 is divided into three systems. When transporting the glass substrate in a floated state, there is a glass substrate above all the suction holes 18 communicating with the suction groove 22, and there is a glass substrate only above some of the suction holes 18, The force applied to the glass substrate differs depending on the compressed gas layer in the state where the upper portion of the remaining suction holes 18 is open. In the present embodiment, by dividing the suction groove 22 into three systems, all the suction holes 18 communicated by each system are covered early by the glass substrate being transported and added to the glass substrate being transported. The power is stabilized. The systems of the suction grooves 22 in the gas path plate 12 may be completely separated as shown in FIG. 3 and may not be communicated at all, or may be communicated only at a limited portion.

  In addition, an air supply hole 19 which is a through hole communicating with the air supply groove 21 on the front surface 12 a portion is provided on the back surface 12 b portion of the gas path plate 12.

  FIG. 4 is a view of the bottom plate 13 as viewed from the surface 13a side.

  The bottom plate 13 has a front surface 13a which is a surface installed in close contact with the back surface 12b of the gas path plate 12, and a back surface 13b which is the opposite surface facing the front surface 13a (see FIG. 1).

  In the bottom plate 13, an air supply port 23 for supplying compressed gas to the air supply hole 19 of the gas path plate 12 is formed in a state of penetrating in a plate thickness direction at a predetermined position communicating with the air supply hole 19. Further, a suction port 24 for sucking gas from the suction groove 22 of each system is formed in the bottom plate 13 in a state of penetrating in a plate thickness direction at a predetermined position communicating with the suction groove 22 of each system. Since the surface 13a of the bottom plate 13 is placed in close contact with the back surface 12b of the gas path plate 12, it plays the role of a lid that closes the opening surface 22a of the suction groove 22, and from the suction port 24, The suction of the gas in the suction groove 22 is enabled.

  A pump (not shown) is connected to the air supply port 23, and compressed gas is supplied from the pump to the air supply port 23. The compressed gas supplied to the air supply port 23 is sent to the ejection holes 17 of the top plate 11 through the air supply holes 19 and the air supply grooves 21 of the gas path plate 12, and passes through the ejection pellets 14 to the compressed gas layer. Supplied.

  Further, a vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to the suction port 24, and by suction of the vacuum pump, gas passes from the compressed gas layer through the suction hole 18 of the top plate 11 to the gas path plate 12 to which the suction pellet 15 is attached. The vacuum is sucked from the suction port 24 of the bottom plate 13 to the vacuum pump.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic exploded sectional view of the flying air plate according to the first embodiment.

  As shown by the arrow in FIG. 5, the ejection pellet 14 is inserted into the ejection hole 17 of the top plate 11 from the back surface 11 b side and attached inside the large-diameter hole portion 17 a of the ejection hole 17. The outer diameter 14 e of the ejection pellet 14 and the inner diameter 17 c of the large-diameter hole portion 17 a of the ejection hole 17 are the same size, or the outer diameter 14 e of the ejection pellet 14 is larger than the inner diameter 17 c of the large-diameter hole portion 17 a of the ejection hole 17. Is slightly increased, and when the ejection pellet 14 is inserted into the large-diameter hole portion 17a of the ejection hole 17, it is in a press-fitted state, so that the outer peripheral surface 14f of the ejection pellet 14 and the large-diameter hole portion of the ejection hole 17 prevent gas from leaking. The space between the inner peripheral surfaces 17aa of 17a is sealed.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view (A) and a side sectional view (B) of the ejection pellet 14.

  Referring to FIG. 6, the ejection pellet 14 has a resistance plate 14 a disposed in the horizontal direction, a tube shape that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the resistance plate 14 a, and is integrally formed with the resistance plate 14 a. Specifically, it has a cylindrical tubular portion 14c. A plurality of annular orifice channels 14b (through holes) are installed in the resistance plate 14a in a state of penetrating in the plate thickness direction.

  The ejection pellet 14 is a glass substrate (not shown) by squeezing and ejecting a gas flow supplied from the back surface 14aa side of the resistance plate 14a through an orifice channel 14b serving as a resistance channel having a desired channel resistance. It is possible to give a desired rigidity to the compressed gas layer between the top plate 11 and the support surface 11a of the top plate 11. The opening on the support surface 11a side of the orifice passage 14b of the ejection pellet 14, that is, the ejection outlet 14ba for ejecting gas is provided at a position separated from the central axis 14d of the ejection pellet 14 by a predetermined distance or more. What is necessary is just to select suitably the distance from the center axis | shaft 14d of the jet pellet 14ba of the jet nozzle 14ba, and the installation number of jet nozzles 14ba based on the structure of the orifice flow path 14b, the stress which a glass substrate accept | permits, etc. In the present embodiment, as an example, the spout 14ba has a pitch diameter (PCD) of 6 mm from the central axis 14d, and the number thereof is six.

  Focusing on the vicinity of the ejection hole 17 of the top plate 11, as described above, the ejection hole 17 has a stepped hole structure composed of two portions (large diameter hole portion 17a and small diameter hole portion 17b) having different inner diameters. . That is, the top plate 11 has a large-diameter hole portion 17a having an inner diameter that is the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the ejection pellet 14, and is provided with a perforated plate-like portion 11c (first perforated plate-like portion) on the back surface 11b side. And a perforated plate-like portion 11d (second perforated plate-like portion) on the support surface 11a side having a small-diameter hole portion 17b having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter 14e of the ejection pellet 14.

  Due to the difference in inner diameter between the large-diameter hole portion 17a and the small-diameter hole portion 17b due to the stepped configuration of the ejection hole 17, the large diameter facing the ejection port 14ba of the ejection pellet 14 provided at a position more than a predetermined distance from the central axis 14d. A gas flow facing surface 11e is formed at the boundary between the hole 17a and the small diameter hole 17b. That is, the jet outlet 14ba of the jet pellet 14 is located on the outer peripheral side of the inner peripheral surface of the small diameter hole portion 17b of the jet hole 17. The gas flow ejected from the ejection port 14ba of the ejection pellet 14 is diffused by the gas flow facing surface 11e and supplied to the compressed gas layer from the small diameter hole portion 17b of the ejection hole 17.

  Returning to FIG. 5, the suction pellet 15 is inserted into the suction hole 20 of the gas path plate 12 from the surface 12 a side and attached to the inside of the large-diameter hole portion 20 a of the suction hole 20. The suction pellet 15 has the same shape as the ejection pellet 14 having the resistance plate 14a and the tubular portion 14c. However, the dimensions of each part such as the outer diameter and length of the suction pellet 15, the position of the resistance plate, the number, position and inner diameter of the orifice channel may be different from the dimensions of the ejection pellet 14.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a gas flow inside the ejection holes 17 of the top plate 11 to which the ejection pellets 14 are attached. Referring to FIG. 7, the compressed gas is supplied from the back surface 11 b (the lower surface in the drawing) of the top plate 11 to the large-diameter hole portion 17 a of the ejection hole 17. This compressed gas is throttled by the orifice channel 14b of the ejection pellet 14, and is ejected from the ejection port 14ba of the orifice channel 14b. Since the gas flow facing surface 11e is above the jet port 14ba of the orifice channel 14b, the gas flow is diffused by the gas flow facing surface 11e. The diffused gas flow is jetted above the support surface 11a through the small-diameter hole portion 17b of the jet hole 17.

  Specifically, the gas flow narrowed by the orifice channel 14b hits the gas flow facing surface 11e. The gas flow is diffused on the gas flow facing surface 11e, is reduced in speed, concentrated in the small diameter hole portion 17b of the ejection hole 17, and ejected toward the glass substrate.

  According to the present embodiment, by using a plurality of resin injection molded products having orifices where a large number of fine holes need to be machined as orifices, a large number of fine holes are directly processed on the entire surface of a large plate. Therefore, manufacturing is extremely easy and processing time is shortened.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the gas flow having a desired flow path resistance provided by the orifice flow path 14b is diffused by the gas flow facing surface 11e and then supplied to the compressed gas layer above the support surface 11a. Therefore, it is possible to give a desired rigidity, that is, uniform speed and pressure to the compressed gas layer by the channel resistance, and to relieve the stress applied to the glass substrate by the gas flow facing surface 11e.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, in the ejection pellet 14, the resistance plate 14a is located on the lower side of the tubular portion 14c by a predetermined distance from the upper end surface 14ca of the tubular portion 14c in the axial direction of the tubular portion 14c. It is connected to the tubular portion 14c at a position entering the end face 14cb direction. It is preferable to arrange the resistance plate 14a at a position entering the direction of the lower side end face 14cb by 0.1 to 0.2 mm in the axial direction from the upper side end face 14ca of the tubular portion 14c. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 7, the ejection pellet 14 is attached so as to abut on the step of the stepped portion of the ejection hole 17, that is, the step of the boundary portion between the large diameter hole portion 17a and the small diameter hole portion 17b. It is possible to secure a space for relaxing the gas flow ejected from the orifice channel 14b.

  In addition, by keeping the positions of the ejection pellet 14 and the orifice flow path 14b as close to the support surface 11a as possible, it is possible to maintain the effect of constricting the gas flow and adding flow path resistance, and to suppress the occurrence of self-excited vibration. it can. As an example, the perforated plate-like portion 11d of the top plate 11 is preferably 5 mm or less.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing a gas flow inside the suction holes 20 and 18 of the gas path plate 12 and the top plate 11 to which the suction pellets 15 are attached. The gas sucked from the support surface 11 a of the top plate 11 toward the suction hole 18 reaches the gas path plate 12 through the suction hole 18. The gas that has reached the gas path plate 12 is throttled through the orifice flow path 15a of the suction pellet 15, is added with a desired flow path resistance, passes through the flow path formed by the suction groove 22, and then the back surface 12b of the gas path plate. Sucked from.

  The orifice flow path 15a of the suction pellet 15 is designed so that, for example, a suction amount of gas that cancels out the gas ejection amount from the orifice flow path 14b of the ejection pellet 14 can be sucked. At this time, the design is performed in consideration of the pressure balance inside and outside the orifice channel 14b. Since the gas that has passed through the orifice channel 14b and is ejected from the ejection hole 17 to the compressed gas layer is expanded more than the gas in the ejection hole 17 before ejection, the disconnection of the orifice channel 15a of the suction pellet 15 is interrupted. The area is set larger than the cross-sectional area of the orifice channel 14b of the ejection pellet 14.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the orifice channel 14 b of the ejection pellet 14.

  An orifice channel 14b is disposed in the resistance plate 14a of the ejection pellet 14 so as to penetrate in the thickness direction of the resistance plate 14a. The orifice channel 14b is a resistance unit that adds a channel resistance of a desired value to the gas flow. In the example of the present embodiment, the first resistor unit 14bR1, the second resistor unit 14bR2, and the resistor unit coupling unit 14bb are further provided. It is divided into. The channel resistance represents the ratio between the pressure difference between the input side and the output side of the channel and the gas flow rate.

  The first resistance portion 14bR1 has a cylindrical shape as an example, and the flow path resistance r1 can be expressed as r1 = a1 (d1 / S1) by the cross-sectional area S1 and the length d1 of the first resistance portion 14bR1. Similarly, when the second resistance portion 14bR2 is also cylindrical, the flow path resistance r2 can be expressed as r2 = a2 (d2 / S2) by the cross-sectional area S2 and the length d2 of the second resistance portion 14bR2. a1 and a2 are predetermined coefficients. In order to increase the resistance stepwise, here, as an example, the flow resistance r1 of the first resistance portion 14bR1 is designed to be sufficiently smaller than the flow resistance r2 of the second resistance portion 14bR2. For example, the inner diameter R1 of the first resistance portion 14bR1 is φ1.0 to 6.0 mm, the length d1 is 1.0 to 6.0 mm, and the inner diameter R2 of the second resistance portion 14bR2 is φ0.05 to 0.4 mm. The length d2 is preferably set at 0.2 to 3.0 mm.

  For example, when there are n orifice channels 14b having the same shape, the desired flow path resistance R of the ejection pellet 14 can be expressed as R = r2 / n. In the example of the present embodiment, n = 6 as described above. The desired flow path resistance R can be obtained by appropriately selecting the number n of the orifice flow paths 14b in the ejection pellet 14 and the cross-sectional areas S1 and S2 and the lengths d1 and d2 of the resistance portions of the orifice flow paths 14b. . In addition, the resistance portion connection portion 14bb has an effect of connecting the first resistance portion 14bR1 and the second resistance portion 14bR2 and increasing the resistance stepwise from the flow path resistance r1 to the flow path resistance r2. By increasing the resistance of the orifice flow path 14b in a stepwise manner, it is possible to obtain a desired flow path resistance R and secure a sufficient strength with the resistance plate 14a having a desired thickness. That is, in the example of this embodiment, the resistance portion has two stages, but may be designed in three stages or more.

  Further, in the example of FIG. 9, the resistance portion connecting portion 14bb of the orifice flow path 14b has a tapered shape, but has an effect of gradually increasing the resistance from the flow path resistance r1 to the flow path resistance r2. If it is a shape, it may not be a taper shape.

  Further, in order to increase the above-described effect of suppressing the self-excited vibration while maintaining the throttling effect as much as possible, the second resistance portion 14bR2 having a larger resistance is disposed on the ejection port 14ba side (support surface 11a side) of the resistance plate 14a. doing.

  The levitation air plate 10 of the present embodiment includes the ejection pellets 14 and the suction pellets 15 and is supported by ejecting gas from the support surface 11a to the compressed gas layer and sucking the gas from the compressed gas layer. In addition, the height of the target object is stabilized, and the resistance to vibration due to control noise or conveyance is increased. Furthermore, by providing the suction pellets 15 that give flow path resistance to the suction holes 16 as well, an effect of suppressing a change in suction force is obtained. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. As another example, the present invention can be applied to a floating air plate that only ejects gas from the support surface 11a.

  In the present embodiment, only the suction groove 22 of the gas path plate 12 is divided into three parts, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the air supply groove 21 may be divided into a plurality of parts in the same manner as the suction groove 22, or only the air supply groove 21 may be divided into a plurality of parts. Moreover, you may divide | segment into 2 divisions, 4 divisions, or more instead of 3 divisions.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the large-diameter hole portion 17a and the small-diameter hole portion 17b of the ejection hole 17 are concentric circles is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The shaft center of the small diameter hole portion 17b and the shaft center of the large diameter hole portion 17a may be shifted to communicate with each other, and any configuration may be adopted as long as the gas flow facing surface 11e is formed.

  Further, the ejection pellets 14 and the suction pellets 15 in the present embodiment may be removable after once attached to the top plate 11 or the gas path plate 12. In that case, it may be possible to reattach the ejected pellets 14 or suction pellets 15 that have been removed. Thereby, for example, at the time of design or installation, it is possible to sequentially try a plurality of ejected pellets 14 or suction pellets 15 having different gas flow rates and shapes, and select those that can obtain good performance. Further, for example, as maintenance, when the orifice flow path 14b of the ejection pellet 14 or the orifice flow path 15a of the suction pellet 15 is clogged, the ejection pellet 14 or the suction pellet 15 can be removed, cleaned, and attached again.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the support air plate is
A support air plate having a support surface, forming a compressed gas layer between the support surface and the support object, and supporting the support object in a non-contact state with the support surface;
A gas flow resistor having a plurality of jets that squeeze and jet the supplied gas flow;
A first perforated plate-like portion having a plurality of first gas supply holes to which the plurality of gas flow resistors are mounted;
The first gas supply hole is adjacent to the support surface side of the first perforated plate-like portion and overlaps a part of the first gas supply hole in a plan view at a position corresponding to the first gas supply hole. A second perforated plate-like portion having a second gas supply hole that communicates with the gas flow toward the compressed gas layer;
The first perforated plate-shaped portion facing the jet port of the gas flow resistor that squeezes out the gas flow and collides and diffuses the gas flow jetted from the jet port of the gas flow resistor, and the first A gas flow facing surface located at the boundary between the two perforated plate-like portions;
It has become.

In addition, the gas flow resistor of this embodiment is
In a gas flow resistor used in a support air plate that forms a compressed gas layer between a support surface and a support object and supports the support object in a non-contact state from the support surface.
It is mounted on the mounting portion of the support air plate, and has a jet port that can squeeze the supplied gas flow and indirectly eject it toward the support surface.

In the support air plate of the present embodiment, the gas flow resistor is
A through hole serving as a resistance flow path through which gas passes in the thickness direction, and a resistance plate having a resistance section having a predetermined cross-sectional area and a predetermined length in at least a part of the axial direction of the resistance flow path;
A tubular portion that is formed integrally with the resistor plate so as to surround the resistor plate, and has an outer peripheral surface having a shape and a dimension that matches the inner peripheral surface of the first gas supply hole;
Have

  In the supporting air plate of the present embodiment, the resistance portion has the greatest resistance on the jet outlet side in the axial direction of the resistance flow path.

In addition, the support air plate of this embodiment is
It has a plurality of gas flow resistors for suction attached to the first perforated plate-like portion and narrows the gas flow sucked from the compressed gas layer.

In addition, the gas flow resistor of this embodiment is
A resistance plate comprising a through-hole, having a resistance channel having an action of restricting the gas flow, and having the jet port at the end of the resistance channel on the support surface side;
A tubular portion that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the resistor plate at the inner peripheral surface and is formed integrally with the resistor plate;
It has become.

In addition, the gas flow resistor of this embodiment is
A resistance portion having a predetermined cross-sectional area and a predetermined length is provided in at least a part of the resistance channel in the axial direction.

In addition, the gas flow resistor of this embodiment is
The resistance portion has the largest resistance on the jet outlet side in the axial direction of the resistance flow path.

In the gas flow resistor of this embodiment,
The resistance plate is connected to the tubular portion at a position that is a predetermined distance from one end face of the tubular portion.

  (Second Embodiment)

  FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a flying air plate according to the second embodiment. The levitation air plate 30 according to the second embodiment has a support surface 31a as in the first embodiment, and forms a compressed gas layer between the glass substrate 99 and the support surface 31a. It is a plate that supports the substrate 99 in a non-contact state in which the substrate 99 is levitated from the support surface 31a.

  Moreover, both the ejection pellet 34 and the suction pellet 35 have the same structure as the ejection pellet 14 and the suction pellet 15 of the first embodiment.

  However, the levitating air plate 30 according to the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in that both the ejection pellet 34 and the suction pellet 35 are inserted into the top plate 31 that forms the support surface 31a. Is different.

  Referring to FIG. 10, the levitation air plate 30 includes a top plate 31, a gas path plate 32, a bottom plate 33, an ejection pellet 34, and a suction pellet 35.

  Similar to the top plate 11 of the first embodiment, the top plate 31 is a perforated plate-like member in which a plurality of ejection holes 37 and a plurality of suction holes 38 are alternately arranged. The open side surface of the top plate 31 constitutes a support surface 31a.

  The ejection holes 37 are through-holes having different inner diameters on the support surface 31a side and the back surface 31b side, similarly to the ejection holes 17 of the first embodiment, and are holes installed on the back surface 31b side on the support surface 31a side. It has a stepped hole structure comprising a small diameter hole portion 37b having a smaller inner diameter size and a large diameter hole portion 37a connected to the small diameter hole portion 37b on the back surface 31b side and having a larger inner diameter size than the small diameter hole portion 37b. The ejection pellet 34 is inserted into the large large-diameter hole portion 37a.

  That is, the top plate 31 has a large-diameter hole portion 37a having an inner diameter that is the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the ejection pellet 34, and a perforated plate-like portion 31c on the back surface 31b side, and an outer diameter of the ejection pellet 34. It consists of a perforated plate-like portion 31d on the support surface 31a side having a small-diameter hole portion 37b with a small inner diameter.

  When the ejection pellet 34 is press-fitted into the large-diameter hole portion 37 a of the ejection hole 37, the space between the inner peripheral surface 37 a 1 of the large-diameter hole portion 37 a of the ejection hole 37 and the outer peripheral surface 34 c 1 of the ejection pellet 34 is sealed. Further, the length in the axial direction from the upper end face 34 ca side to the lower end face 34 cb side of the ejection pellet 34 is equal to the length of the large-diameter hole portion 37 a of the top plate 31. Therefore, when the ejection pellet 34 is inserted into the top plate 31 and the surface 32a of the gas path plate 32 is brought into close contact with the back surface 31b of the top plate 31, the movement in the thickness direction, which is the axial direction of the ejection pellet 34, is restricted. Stabilize.

  Moreover, the suction hole 38 in the top plate 31 of this embodiment is a stepped hole in which the inner diameter on the support surface 31a side is smaller than the inner diameter on the back surface 31b side, similar to the ejection hole 37 described above. Unlike the first embodiment, the suction pellet 35 is inserted into the large-diameter hole 38 a of the suction hole 38 of the top plate 31. When the suction pellet 35 is press-fitted into the large-diameter hole portion 38 a of the suction hole 38, the space between the inner peripheral surface 38 a 1 of the large-diameter hole portion 38 a of the suction hole 38 and the outer peripheral surface 35 c 1 of the suction pellet 35 is sealed.

  As with the gas path plate 12 of the first embodiment, the gas path plate 32 of the second embodiment is installed such that the front surface 32 a is in close contact with the back surface 31 b of the top plate 31.

  On the surface 32 a of the gas path plate 32, air supply grooves 39 that connect the plurality of ejection holes 37 of the top plate 31 to each other are formed in a mesh shape. Further, the gas path plate 32 is provided with an air supply hole (not shown) that communicates with the air supply groove 39 and penetrates to the back surface 32b at a predetermined position.

  The gas path plate 32 is provided with a plurality of suction holes 41 penetrating from the front surface 32 a to the back surface 32 b at positions communicating with the suction holes 38 of the top plate 31. Further, suction grooves 40 that allow the plurality of suction holes 41 to communicate with each other are formed in a mesh shape on the back surface 32 b of the gas path plate 32.

  Note that either one or both of the air supply groove 39 and the suction groove 40 may be divided into a plurality of parts, similar to the suction groove 22 of the first embodiment.

  The bottom plate 33 is installed with the front surface 33 a in close contact with the back surface 32 b of the gas path plate 32. In the bottom plate 33, an air supply port (not shown) for supplying gas to the air supply groove 39 of the gas path plate 32 is installed in a state of passing through a predetermined position communicating with the air supply groove 39. Further, a suction port (not shown) for sucking gas from the suction groove 40 is installed in the bottom plate 33 in a state of penetrating through a predetermined position communicating with the suction groove 40. A pump is connected to the air supply port, and a vacuum pump is connected to the suction port.

  It is assumed that the ejection pellet 34 of the present embodiment has the same shape, structure, and size as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In addition, it is assumed that the shape, structure, and size of the orifice channel of the ejection pellet 34 of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. That is, a part of the orifice channel is a resistance portion that defines the channel resistance by a predetermined cross-sectional area and length.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a gas flow inside the ejection holes 37 of the top plate 31 to which the ejection pellets 34 are attached.

  As in the first embodiment, the top plate 31 is composed of two perforated plate-like portions 31d and 31c each having a large-diameter hole portion 37a and a small-diameter hole portion 37b of the ejection holes 37 having different inner diameter dimensions. Therefore, the ejection hole 37 of the top plate 31 is a stepped hole, and by the stepped configuration, a position facing the ejection outlet 34ba of the ejection pellet 34 provided at a position separated by a predetermined distance or more from the central axis 34d. A gas flow facing surface 31e is formed.

  When gas is supplied from the back surface 31 b side of the top plate 31 to the ejection hole 37, the gas is throttled by passing through the orifice channel 34 b penetrating the resistance plate 34 a of the ejection pellet 34. Since the gas flow facing surface 31e is located above and opposed to the jet port 34ba of the orifice channel 34b, the gas flow is diffused by the gas flow facing surface 31e. The diffused gas flow is ejected above the support surface 31 a through the small diameter hole portion 37 b of the ejection hole 37.

  Also in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a gas flow having a desired flow path resistance provided by the orifice flow path 34b is diffused by the gas flow facing surface 31e and then supplied to the compressed gas layer. Therefore, it is possible to give a desired rigidity, that is, uniform speed and pressure to the compressed gas layer by the channel resistance, and to relieve the stress applied to the glass substrate 99 by the gas flow facing surface 31e.

  (Third embodiment)

  FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a flying air plate according to the third embodiment. The levitation air plate 50 according to the third embodiment has a support surface 51a as in the second embodiment, and forms a compressed gas layer between the glass substrate 99 and the support surface 51a. It is a plate that supports the substrate 99 in a non-contact state in which the substrate 99 is levitated from the support surface 51a. The point that the ejection pellet 34 and the suction pellet 35 are inserted into the same plate is also common to the second embodiment.

  However, the floating air plate 50 according to the third embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that the portion corresponding to the top plate 31 in the second embodiment has two parts, a top plate 51 and a pellet mounting plate 52. It is composed of members. That is, the perforated plate-like portion 31c on the back surface 31b side having the ejection hole 37 having an inner diameter that is the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the ejection pellet 34 in the top plate 31 of the second embodiment, and the ejection pellet 34 In the third embodiment, the perforated plate-like portion 31d on the support surface 31a side having the ejection hole 37 having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter is composed of a top plate 51 and a mounting plate 52, which are separate members. ing.

  When the back surface 51b of the top plate 51 and the surface 52a of the pellet mounting plate 52 are brought into close contact with each other, the small diameter hole portion 53 of the top plate 51 and the large diameter hole portion 54 of the pellet mounting plate 52 communicate with each other. A stepped hole corresponding to the ejection hole 37 is formed. The ejected pellet 34 is mounted in the large-diameter hole portion 54 of the pellet mounting plate 52.

  As the suction hole, when the top plate 51 and the pellet mounting plate 52 are brought into close contact with each other, a stepped hole having the same configuration as the suction hole 38 in the second embodiment is formed, and the suction pellet 35 is mounted there.

  In the present embodiment, as an example, the thickness of the pellet mounting plate 52, the thickness of the ejection pellet 34, and the thickness of the suction pellet 35 all match. Therefore, when the ejection pellet 34 and the suction pellet 35 are mounted on the pellet mounting plate 52, and the top plate 51, the pellet mounting plate 52, and the gas path plate 32 are fixed to each other, the ejection pellet in which the pressure applied by the gas flow is reversed It is possible to regulate and stabilize the movement in the thickness direction, which is the axial direction, of both 34 and the suction pellet 35 at the same time.

  FIG. 13 is a view showing a gas flow inside the pellet mounting plate 52 and the top plate 51 to which the ejection pellets 34 are attached.

  An ejected pellet provided at a predetermined distance from the central axis 34d by a step boundary portion of a stepped hole formed by a small diameter hole portion 53 of the top plate 51 and a large diameter hole portion 54 of the pellet mounting plate 52. The gas flow opposing surface 51c which opposes the jet nozzle 34ba of 34 is formed.

  When compressed gas is supplied from the back surface 52 b side of the pellet mounting plate 52 to the large-diameter hole portion 54, the compressed gas is throttled by the orifice channel 34 b of the ejection pellet 34. Since the gas flow facing surface 51c is above the jet port 34ba of the orifice flow path 34b, the gas flow constricted in the orifice flow path 34b is diffused by the gas flow facing surface 51c. The diffused gas flow is ejected above the support surface 51a through the small-diameter hole 53.

  (Fourth embodiment)

  FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the ejection pellet of the levitation air plate according to the fourth embodiment. The levitating air plate according to the present embodiment differs from the levitating air plate 50 of the third embodiment only in the pellet shape. The pellet of the present embodiment realizes sealing by providing a protrusion that goes around the outer peripheral surface of the pellet. Although both the ejection pellet and the suction pellet are different from those of the third embodiment, since both are the same sealing structure, only the ejection pellet 61 will be described here.

  Referring to FIG. 14, the ejection pellet 61 includes a resistance plate 61a, a tubular portion 61c, and a sealing portion 61d. The resistance plate 61a is formed with a plurality of orifice channels 61b penetrating in the plate thickness direction.

  The position, shape, size, and number of the orifice channel 61b are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 9 as an example.

  The diameter of the outer peripheral surface 61 ca of the tubular portion 61 c of the ejection pellet 61 is smaller than the inner diameter of the large-diameter hole portion 54 of the pellet mounting plate 52. The outer peripheral surface 61ca of the tubular portion 61c is integrally provided with a sealing portion 61d that is a circumferential protrusion that goes around the ejection pellet 61. The outer diameter at the apex of the sealing portion 61 d is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the large-diameter hole 54 of the pellet mounting plate 52, and the ejected pellet 61 is inserted into the large-diameter hole 54 of the pellet mounting plate 52. Then, the sealing portion 61 d comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter hole portion 54 and seals between the outer peripheral surface 61 ca of the tubular portion 61 c of the ejection pellet 61 and the inner peripheral surface 54 a of the large diameter hole portion 54.

  Therefore, it is possible to prevent the gas flow from leaking into the compressed gas layer on the support surface 51a without passing through the orifice channel 61b of the ejection pellet 61. At the same time, the outer diameter size of the tubular portion 61c itself is smaller than the inner diameter size of the large-diameter hole portion 54, so that the ejection pellet 61 is pressed into the large-diameter hole portion 54 with a weak force as compared with the first embodiment. Is possible. For this reason, the force which pushes and expands the large diameter hole part 54 when inserting the ejection pellet 61 which may cause the curvature of the pellet mounting plate 52 is reduced.

In addition, the sealing portion 61d can achieve the purpose regardless of the position of the outer peripheral surface 61ca of the tubular portion 61c. In particular, as in the present embodiment, the axial center of the ejection pellet 61 is provided. When contacting the inner peripheral surface of the large-diameter hole 54 near the center in the height direction that is the direction, that is, near the center in the thickness direction of the pellet mounting plate 52, Thus, the deviation of the force for expanding the large-diameter hole portion 54 is small, and the cause of warping of the pellet mounting plate 52 can be reduced.
In the present embodiment, one sealing part 61d is installed, but a plurality of sealing parts 61d can be installed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the support air plate is
It has a sealing part for preventing a gas flow from leaking into the compressed gas layer without passing through the jet port in the gas flow resistor.

In the support air plate of the present embodiment,
The sealing portion is a circumferential protrusion provided on the outer peripheral surface facing the inner peripheral surface of the first gas supply hole of the gas flow resistor,
When the gas flow resistor is attached to the first gas supply hole, the circumferential protrusion comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the first gas supply hole.

In the support air plate of the present embodiment,
The circumferential protrusion is in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the first gas supply hole in the vicinity of the center in the thickness direction of the first perforated plate-like portion.

In addition, the gas flow resistor of this embodiment is
It has a sealing part for preventing a gas flow from leaking to the compressed gas layer without passing through the jet port in the gas flow resistor.

In the gas flow resistor of this embodiment,
The sealing portion is a circumferential protrusion that continuously goes around the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion.

  (Fifth embodiment)

  FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the ejection pellet of the flying air plate according to the fifth embodiment. The floating air plate of this embodiment is different from the third embodiment only in pellets. The pellet of this embodiment is provided with a structure for sealing similarly to the pellet of the fourth embodiment. However, the structure is different from that of the third embodiment.

  The pellet of the present embodiment realizes sealing with annular protrusions provided on the upper side end surface 71ca and the lower side end surface 71cb forming both end surfaces of the tubular portion 71c. In addition, since the ejection pellet and suction pellet of this embodiment have the same sealing structure, only the ejection pellet will be described here.

  Referring to FIG. 15, the ejection pellet 71 includes a resistance plate 71a, a tubular portion 71c, and sealing portions 71d1 and 71d2. A plurality of orifice channels 71b penetrating in the plate thickness direction are formed in the resistance plate 71a.

  The position, shape, size, and number of orifice channels 71b are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 9 as an example.

  The outer diameter dimension of the tubular portion 71 c of the ejection pellet 71 is smaller than the inner diameter dimension of the large-diameter hole portion 54 of the pellet mounting plate 52. The axial thickness 71 cc of the tubular portion 71 c is equal to or slightly smaller than the thickness 52 c of the pellet mounting plate 52.

  The sealing portion 71d1 is an annular protrusion (annular protrusion) integrally provided on the upper end surface 71ca (support surface end surface) of the tubular portion 71c. The sealing portion 71d2 is an annular protrusion provided integrally on the lower end surface 71cb (reverse end surface) of the tubular portion 71c. The total of the axial thickness 71cc of the tubular portion 71c, the height 71d1a of the sealing portion 71d1, and the height 71d2a of the sealing portion 71d2 is slightly larger than the thickness 52c of the pellet mounting plate 52. Yes. Therefore, the ejected pellet 71 is inserted into the pellet mounting plate 52, the back surface 51b of the top plate 51 and the surface 52a of the pellet mounting plate 52 are brought into close contact, and the back surface 52b of the pellet mounting plate 52 and the surface 32a of the gas path plate 32 (flat plate). Is closely contacted and fixed, the sealing portion 71d1 contacts the back surface 51b of the top plate 51, and the sealing portion 71d2 contacts the front surface 32a of the gas path plate 32. Thereby, the sealing which prevents the leakage of the gas by the upper side end surface 71ca and the lower side end surface 71cb of the ejection pellet 71 is implement | achieved.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the sealing portions 71d1 and 71d2 are provided on both the upper-side end surface 71ca and the lower-side end surface 71cb of the ejection pellet 71 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. You may decide to provide a sealing part only in any one end surface of the upper side end surface 71ca and the lower side end surface 71cb of the ejection pellet 71. FIG. If only one of them is sealed, it is possible to prevent gas from leaking into the compressed gas layer without passing through the orifice channel 71b.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the support air plate is
The gas flow resistor installed adjacent to a surface on the opposite side of the support surface side of the first perforated plate-like portion and attached to the first gas supply hole of the first perforated plate-like portion Having a flat plate forming a gas supply path for supplying gas to
The sealing portion is an annular protrusion provided on at least one of the end surface on the support surface side and the end surface on the opposite side of the support surface of the gas flow resistor, and the gas flow resistor is configured to supply the first gas. When inserted into the hole and the flat plate is placed in close contact with the first perforated plate-like portion, at least the annular projection on the end surface on the support surface abuts the gas flow facing surface, or at least on the support surface An annular projection on the opposite end surface is in contact with the flat plate.

In the gas flow resistor of this embodiment,
The sealing portion is an annular protrusion provided in an annular shape on one or both end surfaces of the tubular portion.

  (Sixth embodiment)

  FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a flying air plate according to the sixth embodiment. The levitating air plate 80 according to the sixth embodiment is common to the second embodiment in that the portion on which the pellet is mounted is integral with a member that provides a support surface. In addition, the floating air plate 80 according to the present embodiment is provided with an annular protrusion 71d1 and an annular protrusion 71d2 for sealing on the upper end face 71ca and the lower end face 71cb of the ejection pellet 71, respectively. This is the same as the fifth embodiment in that an annular projection 72d1 and an annular projection 72d2 for sealing are provided on the end surface 72ca and the lower end surface 72cb, respectively. However, the second and fifth embodiments are different in that sealing by an O-ring (annular sealing member) is further added.

  Referring to FIG. 16, the levitating air plate 80 includes a top plate 81, a gas path plate 32, a bottom plate 33, an ejection pellet 71, a suction pellet 72, and an O-ring 82.

  The ejection pellet 71 is the same as that described in the fifth embodiment. The suction pellet 72 is basically the same as the ejection pellet 71. However, the position, shape, size, number, and the like of the orifice channel may be appropriately selected.

  The top plate 81 that provides the support surface 81a of the present embodiment is similar to the top plate 31 of the second embodiment, but the edge portion surrounding the ejection hole 83 on the back surface 81b side (the back surface end or the reverse side). It differs from that of the second embodiment in that a counterbore 81c is formed at the side end). That is, the edge on the back surface 83b side of the ejection hole 83 of the top plate 81 is stepped.

  The counterbore portion 81c forms a space surrounded by the top plate 81, the ejection pellet 71, and the gas path plate 32. A rubber O-ring 82 is disposed in the space. The O-ring 82 deforms in contact with all of the top plate 81, the ejection pellet 71, and the gas path plate 32, and realizes a seal that prevents gas leakage.

  A counterbore 84a is also formed in the suction hole 84 of the top plate 81 at the end on the back surface 81b side. That is, the edge on the back surface 81b side of the suction hole 84 of the top plate 81 is also stepped. In the space surrounded by the top plate 81, the suction pellet 72, and the gas path plate 32 formed by the spot facing portion 84a, an O-ring 82 is also disposed.

  In the present embodiment, the annular protrusions provided on the upper side end surface 71ca and the lower side end surface 71cb of the tubular portion 71c of the ejection pellet 71 and the upper side end surface 72ca and the lower side end surface 72cb of the tubular portion 72c of the suction pellet 72, respectively. In addition to the sealing by the sealing portions 71d1, 71d2 and 72d1, 72d by the above, an example in which sealing by the O-ring 82 is additionally provided is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. As another example, the same pellets as the ejection pellets 34 and the suction pellets 35 of the second embodiment may be adopted, and sealing may be realized by the O-ring of this embodiment.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the example which arrange | positions the O-ring 82 to the counterbore part 81c provided in the back surface 81b side edge part of the ejection hole 83 of the top plate 81 was shown. This configuration is advantageous in that a space for arranging the O-ring 82 can be formed by a simple process on the top plate 81, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. Any other configuration may be adopted to secure a space for placing the O-ring 82.

As described above, in the support air plate of the present embodiment,
The first perforated plate-like portion has a counterbore at the opposite end of the support surface of the first gas supply hole,
The sealing portion is an annular sealing member;
The annular sealing member is disposed on the counterbore.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the levitation air plate that floats and supports the glass horizontally is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As another example, the present invention can be applied to a support air plate that supports a glass at a predetermined angle while supporting the glass vertically.

  Moreover, each embodiment of the present invention described above is an exemplification for explaining the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those embodiments. Those skilled in the art can implement the present invention in various other modes without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Air plate for levitation, 11 ... Top plate, 11a ... Support surface, 11b ... Back surface, 11c ... Perforated plate-like part, 11d ... Perforated plate-like part, 11e ... Gas flow opposing surface, 12 ... Gas path plate, 12a ... front surface, 12b ... back surface, 13 ... bottom plate, 13a ... front surface, 13b ... back surface, 14 ... jetting pellet, 14a ... resistance plate, 14aa ... back surface, 14ab ... front surface, 14b ... orifice flow path, 14ba ... jetting port, 14bb ... resistance part connecting part, 14bc ... surface side end face part, 14bR1 ... first resistance part, 14bR2 ... second resistance part, 14c ... tubular part, 14ca ... upper side end face, 14cb ... lower side end face, 14d ... center axis, 14e ... outer diameter, 14f ... outer peripheral surface, 15 ... suction pellet, 15a ... orifice flow path, 17 ... ejection hole, 17a ... large diameter hole portion, 17aa ... inner peripheral surface, 17b ... small diameter hole portion, 7c ... Inner diameter, 18 ... Suction hole, 18a ... Large diameter hole, 18b ... Small diameter hole, 19 ... Air supply hole, 20 ... Suction hole, 20a ... Large diameter hole, 20b ... Small diameter hole, 21 ... Air supply groove 21a ... Opening surface, 22 ... Suction groove, 22a ... Opening surface, 23 ... Air supply port, 24 ... Suction port, 30 ... Air plate for levitation, 31 ... Top plate, 31a ... Support surface, 31b ... Back surface, 31c ... Perforated plate portion, 31d: Perforated plate portion, 31e ... Gas flow facing surface, 32 ... Gas path plate, 32a ... Front surface, 32b ... Back surface, 33 ... Bottom plate, 33a ... Front surface, 34 ... Ejected pellet, 34a ... Resistance plate, 34b ... Orifice flow path, 34ba ... Jet port, 34c1 ... Outer peripheral surface, 34ca ... Upper side end face, 34cb ... Lower side end face, 34d ... Central axis, 35 ... Suction pellet, 35c1 ... Outer face, 37 ... Jet Hole, 37a ... Large diameter hole 37a1 ... inner peripheral surface, 37b ... small diameter hole, 38 ... suction hole, 38a ... large diameter hole, 38a1 ... outer peripheral surface, 39 ... air supply groove, 40 ... suction groove, 41 ... suction hole, 50 ... for floating Air plate, 51 ... Top plate, 51a ... Support surface, 51b ... Back surface, 51c ... Gas flow facing surface, 52 ... Pellet mounting plate, 52a ... Front surface, 52b ... Back surface, 52c ... Thickness, 53 ... Small diameter hole, 54 ... large-diameter hole part, 54a ... inner peripheral surface, 61 ... jetting pellet, 61a ... resistance plate, 61b ... orifice channel, 61c ... tubular part, 61ca ... outer peripheral surface, 61d ... sealing part, 71 ... jetting pellet, 71d1 ... sealing part, 71d1a ... height, 71d2 ... sealing part, 71d2a ... height, 71a ... resistance plate, 71b ... orifice channel, 71c ... tubular part, 71ca ... upper side end face, 71cb ... lower side end face, 71cc …thickness, 72 ... Suction pellet, 72ca ... Upper side end surface, 72cb ... Lower side end surface, 80 ... Floating air plate, 81 ... Top plate, 81a ... Support surface, 81b ... Back surface, 81c ... Counterbore part, 82 ... O-ring, 83 ... ejecting hole, 83b ... back surface, 84 ... suction hole, 84a ... spot facing, 99 ... glass substrate

Claims (17)

A support air plate having a support surface, forming a compressed gas layer between the support surface and the support object, and supporting the support object in a non-contact state with the support surface;
A gas flow resistor having a plurality of jets that squeeze and jet the supplied gas flow;
A first perforated plate-like portion having a plurality of first gas supply holes to which the plurality of gas flow resistors are mounted;
Adjacent to the support surface side of the first perforated plate-like portion and communicating with the first gas supply hole at a position corresponding to the first gas supply hole, overlapping a part of the first gas supply hole. A second perforated plate-like portion having a second gas supply hole for ejecting the gas flow toward the compressed gas layer;
The first perforated plate-shaped portion facing the jet port of the gas flow resistor that squeezes out the gas flow and collides and diffuses the gas flow jetted from the jet port of the gas flow resistor, and the first A gas flow facing surface located at the boundary between the two perforated plate-like portions;
A support air plate having:   The supporting air plate according to claim 1, further comprising a sealing portion for preventing a gas flow from leaking into the compressed gas layer without passing through the ejection port in the gas flow resistor. The sealing portion is a circumferential protrusion provided on the outer peripheral surface facing the inner peripheral surface of the first gas supply hole of the gas flow resistor,
When the gas flow resistor is attached to the first gas supply hole, the circumferential protrusion comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the first gas supply hole.
The supporting air plate according to claim 2. The circumferential protrusion abuts on the inner circumferential surface of the first gas supply hole in the vicinity of the center in the thickness direction of the first perforated plate-like portion.
The support air plate according to claim 3. The gas flow resistor installed adjacent to the surface on the opposite side of the support surface of the first perforated plate-like portion and attached to the first gas supply hole of the first perforated plate-like portion. A flat plate forming a gas supply path for supplying gas;
The sealing portion is an annular protrusion provided on at least one of the end surface on the support surface side and the end surface on the opposite side of the support surface of the gas flow resistor, and the gas flow resistor is configured to supply the first gas. When inserted into the hole and the flat plate is placed in close contact with the first perforated plate-like portion, at least the annular projection on the end surface on the support surface abuts the gas flow facing surface, or at least on the support surface The annular projection on the opposite end face abuts on the flat plate,
The supporting air plate according to claim 2. The first perforated plate-like portion has a counterbore at the opposite end of the support surface of the first gas supply hole,
The sealing portion is an annular sealing member;
The supporting air plate according to claim 2, wherein the annular sealing member is disposed in the counterbore portion. The gas flow resistor is
A through hole serving as a resistance flow path through which gas passes in the thickness direction, and a resistance plate having a resistance section having a predetermined cross-sectional area and a predetermined length in at least a part of the axial direction of the resistance flow path;
A tubular portion that is formed integrally with the resistor plate so as to surround the resistor plate, and has an outer peripheral surface having a shape and a dimension that matches the inner peripheral surface of the first gas supply hole;
The supporting air plate according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which has   The supporting air plate according to claim 7, wherein the resistance portion has a largest flow path resistance on a jet outlet side in the axial direction of the resistance flow path.   The support air according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a plurality of suction gas flow resistors attached to the first perforated plate-like portion and narrowing a gas flow sucked from the compressed gas layer. plate. In a gas flow resistor used in a support air plate that forms a compressed gas layer between a support surface and a support object and supports the support object in a non-contact state from the support surface.
A gas flow resistor mounted on a mounting portion of the support air plate and having a jet port capable of constricting a supplied gas flow and indirectly ejecting the gas flow toward the support surface. A resistance plate having a function of constricting the gas flow composed of a through-hole and a resistance plate having the jet port at the support surface side end of the resistance channel;
A tubular portion that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the resistor plate at the inner peripheral surface and is formed integrally with the resistor plate;
The gas flow resistor of claim 10, comprising:   The gas flow resistor according to claim 11, comprising a resistance portion having a predetermined cross-sectional area and a predetermined length in at least a part of the axial direction of the resistance flow path.   The gas flow resistor according to claim 12, wherein the resistance portion has a largest flow path resistance on a jet outlet side in the axial direction of the resistance flow path.   The gas according to any one of claims 11 to 13, further comprising a sealing portion for preventing a gas flow from leaking into the compressed gas layer without passing through the ejection port in the gas flow resistor. Current resistor.   The gas flow resistor according to claim 14, wherein the sealing portion is a circumferential protrusion that goes around the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion. The sealing portion is an annular protrusion provided in an annular shape on at least one end surface of the tubular portion.
The gas flow resistor according to claim 14. The gas flow resistor according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the resistance plate is connected to the tubular portion at a position at a predetermined distance from one end face of the tubular portion.

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