WO2009113160A1 - Substrate conveyor and substrate conveyance method - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate conveyor includes roller units (4,5) for carrying a substrate mounted on a conveyance plane of a conveyance path along the conveyance path, a lift (7) provided with the conveyance plane for relatively separating the substrate mounted on the conveyance plane, a side-positioning device (6) for moving the substrate separated from the conveyance plane in the breadthwise direction of the conveyance path to position at a predetermined position, and a conveyance path sectioning device (9) provided at the breadthwise center of the conveyance path for sectioning the conveyance path in the breadthwise direction and also arbitrarily making a guide roller (9d) for guiding the substrate in a direction parallel to the conveyance path frequently appear from the conveyance plane.

Description

Substrate transport apparatus and substrate transport method

The present invention relates to a substrate transport apparatus that transports a substrate on a production line such as a liquid crystal panel, and more particularly to a substrate transport apparatus that includes a positioning device that regulates a substrate on the substrate transport apparatus to a normal position and posture.

In the production line of display panels such as liquid crystal display, organic EL, inorganic EL, plasma display, field emission display, etc., in order to save labor and avoid the risk of contamination due to human intervention, the substrate is automatically transferred between processes. A substrate transfer device is used.

Generally, a roller conveyor is used in the substrate transfer device, but since the substrate is simply placed on the roller conveyor and the position and posture are not restricted, the position and posture are shifted during the transfer. On the other hand, in the transport destination process (apparatus), it is necessary to correctly position the substrate with respect to the apparatus, and various positioning apparatuses have been proposed.

For example, Patent Document 1 includes an air jetting unit that floats a substrate on a stage, a positioning unit that contacts and positions a floating substrate from the side, and a holding unit that holds the substrate on the stage. A substrate positioning and holding device is disclosed.

Further, Patent Document 2 includes a sensor that detects a positional deviation of a substrate, and an X-axis drive unit that moves the substrate in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction based on the deviation amount detected by the sensor, a conveyance direction Discloses a substrate positioning device that drives a Y-axis drive unit that moves in a direction parallel to the substrate and a θ-axis drive unit that rotates the substrate about an axis orthogonal to the conveyance surface, thereby correcting the positional deviation of the substrate. Has been.

JP 2006-170733 A JP 2007-266393 A

The substrate positioning and holding device described in Document 1 does not require a sensor or an arithmetic unit and can perform accurate positioning only with a mechanical device, but means for transferring a substrate on a transfer device to the substrate positioning and holding device. And means for transferring the substrate from the substrate positioning and holding device to the next process (apparatus), it is necessary to separately provide a transfer device. Moreover, there is also a problem that the tact time becomes long.

In addition, the positioning device described in Document 2 requires a sensor, an arithmetic device, and a three-axis drive device, which causes a problem that the device is complicated and expensive. In addition, the tact time tends to be long because three steps of sensing, calculation and movement are performed.

Also, the apparatuses described in Document 1 and Document 2 have a problem that a plurality of types of substrates having different sizes cannot be handled simultaneously.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem. For a plurality of types of substrates of different sizes or a plurality of substrates arranged and transported in parallel (from the previous step). It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer device that can continuously carry in, position, and carry out (to the next process) on a continuous roller conveyor.

In order to achieve the above object, a substrate transport apparatus according to the present invention is disposed below a transport conveyor for transporting a substrate placed on a transport surface of a transport path along the transport path. An elevating device that relatively separates the substrate placed on the conveyance surface from the conveyance surface, and moves the substrate separated from the conveyance surface in the width direction of the conveyance path, and positions the substrate at a predetermined position. A width adjusting device and a guide means that is arranged in the center in the width direction of the transport path, partitions the transport path in the width direction, and guides the substrate in a direction parallel to the transport path from the transport surface. It is provided with a conveyance path partitioning device that appears and disappears.

The guide means may be a guide roller.

The transport path partition device may arrange a plurality of the guide rollers in the longitudinal direction of the transport path.

The width adjusting device has a pair of width adjusting pieces that respectively move between each side end of the conveying path and the center of the conveying path, and a drive mechanism that drives the pair of width adjusting pieces to be close to and away from each other. It may be.

The drive mechanism is a rotating machine, is disposed at one side end of the transport path, is driven to rotate by the rotating machine, and a driven pulley is disposed at the other side end of the transport path. A belt that spans between the driving pulley and the driven pulley may be provided.

One of the pair of width adjusting pieces may be connected to the forward path of the belt, and the other of the pair of width adjusting pieces may be connected to the return path of the belt.

The transport conveyor may be configured by arranging a plurality of roller units in the width direction and the longitudinal direction of the transport path.

A stopper device may be provided that is disposed in the transport path and allows a stopper piece that stops the movement of the substrate on the transport surface to freely protrude above and below the transport surface.

A plurality of the stopper devices may be arranged in the width direction of the conveyance path.

A plurality of stopper device groups including a plurality of the stopper devices arranged in the width direction of the conveyance path may be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the conveyance path.

The transport conveyor is configured by arranging a plurality of roller units in the width direction and the longitudinal direction of the transport path, and is disposed in the transport path to stop the movement of the substrate on the transport surface. It is also possible to provide a stopper device that freely moves up and down above the conveying surface, and a control unit that individually controls the plurality of roller units and the plurality of stopper devices.

The traverse means for moving the transport conveyor in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction may be provided.

A substrate transfer device connected to one end of the transfer conveyor in the transfer direction, and a substrate storage device connected to the other end of the transfer conveyor in the transfer direction so that the substrate is carried out and loaded in may be provided. .

Further, the substrate transport method of the present invention is a substrate transport method for transporting a substrate placed on a transport surface of a transport path along the transport path, the step of partitioning the transport path left and right, and on the transport surface A step of stopping the movement of the substrate, a step of separating the substrate from which the movement of the substrate on the transfer surface is stopped from the transfer surface, and a width of the substrate separated from the transfer surface to the center of the transfer path And a step of placing the substrate, which has been brought closer to the center of the transport path, on the transport surface again.

According to the present invention, since the substrate is positioned on the transport path of the substrate transport device, it is not necessary to transfer the substrate between the positioning device and the substrate transport device. Therefore, the tact time required for transporting and positioning the substrate can be shortened.

It is a top view of the substrate conveyance line concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is an external view of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a roller unit. It is an external view of a stopper apparatus. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of a stopper apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of a width alignment apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of a raising / lowering apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of a conveyance path division apparatus. It is a figure explaining the structure of a board | substrate detection sensor. It is a figure which shows the structure of a control apparatus. It is a top view which shows the state which mounted the glass substrate in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus. It is a top view explaining the procedure of positioning of the glass substrate by a substrate conveying apparatus. It is a front view explaining the procedure of positioning of the glass substrate by a substrate conveying apparatus. It is explanatory drawing explaining the principle which arranges the direction of a glass substrate. It is an external view of the board | substrate conveyance line which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate conveyance apparatus 2 Substrate conveyance line 3 Cassette conveyance apparatus 4,5 Roller unit 6 Stopper apparatus 7 Alignment apparatus
7a Drive pulley 7b Driven pulley 7c Belt 7d, 7e Width-adjusting piece 8 Elevating device 8a Elevating actuator 8b Elevating piece 8c Placement piece 9 Conveying path partition device 9a Elevating actuator 9b Rod 9c Mounting base 9d Guide roller 10 Substrate detection sensor 11 Control device 12 Host Computer 13 Storage Cassette 14 Glass Substrate 21 Substrate Transfer Line 22 Processing Device 23 Transfer Conveyor 24 Transverse Unit

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
<Board transfer line>
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a substrate transfer line 2 including a substrate transfer apparatus 1 according to the present invention. The substrate transport line 2 transports a glass substrate (not shown) flowing from the left-hand direction in the figure by the substrate transport device 1 and regulates the posture of the substrate, and then on the cassette transport device 3 on the right hand side of the substrate transport device 1. The transfer line is stored in a cassette (not shown) and is transferred in the right-hand direction in the drawing by a cassette transfer device (not shown).

<Board transfer device>
2A and 2B are external views of the substrate transfer apparatus 1. FIG. 2A is a plan view, and FIG. 2B is a front view seen from the XX direction of FIG. 2A. These are the front views seen from the YY direction of Fig.2 (a). FIG. 2D is a side view.

As is apparent from FIG. 2, the substrate transport apparatus 1 has two types of large and small roller units 4 and 5 arranged in the front-rear and left-right directions. Paying attention to the arrangement of the roller units 4 and 5 in the width direction, the two roller units 4 are respectively arranged on the left and right outer sides of the transport path, and the two roller units 5 are on the inner side of the transport path, that is, the left and right roller units. It can be seen that they are arranged between 4. Further, a total of four sets of four roller units 4 and 5 are arranged in the front-rear direction.

Hereinafter, in this specification, the uppermost surfaces of the roller units 4, 5, that is, the surface that is in contact with the lower surface of the glass substrate to be transported will be referred to as the transport surface of the substrate transport apparatus 1 (see FIG. 2B).

<Roller unit>
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the roller units 4 and 5. As apparent from FIG. 3, the roller unit 4 has a width approximately twice that of the roller unit 5, but the basic configuration is common.

In the roller unit 4, the drive box 42 and the bearing base 43 are fixed to the left and right sides of the base plate 41 with a space therebetween, and four sets of shafts 45 on which the four rollers 44 are mounted are connected to the drive box 42 and the bearing base 43. Both are supported in a pivotable manner. Further, the drive box 42 incorporates a drive device (not shown) that drives the shaft 45 to rotate.

Similarly, in the roller unit 5, the drive box 52 and the bearing base 53 are fixed to the left and right of the base plate 51 with an interval therebetween, and the four sets of shafts 55 on which the two rollers 54 are mounted are connected to the drive box 52 and the bearing base. 53 and both are supported in rotation. The drive box 52 includes a drive device (not shown) that drives the shaft 55 to rotate.

As described above, since the roller units 4 and 5 are provided with independent driving devices, the start / stop of the roller units 4 and 5 and the speed adjustment can be performed for each roller unit 4 and 5.

<Stopper device>
Now, returning to FIG. 2, the description of the configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 will be continued. A plurality of stopper devices 6 (6a to 6d) are arranged in the substrate transfer device 1.

The stopper device 6 is a device for preventing the movement of the glass substrate in the carrying direction by causing the stopper piece to protrude from the carrying surface and abutting the stopper piece on the edge of the glass substrate to be carried by the substrate carrying device 1. It is.

In this specification, for convenience of explanation, the stopper devices 6 arranged in the length direction are distinguished from each other by adding subscripts such as 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d from the right side to the left side of the drawing. When subscripts are added as in the stopper device 6a or the stopper device 6b, all the four stopper devices 6a or stopper devices 6b arranged in the width direction of the substrate transfer device 1 are indicated. Further, the four stopper devices 6 with the same subscripts may be referred to as stopper device groups 6a to 6d.

The stopper device 6 is appropriately selected according to the size of the glass substrate to be transported by the substrate transport device 1. That is, the stopper device groups 6a to 6d are selected according to the size of the glass substrate in the transport direction. The four stopper devices 6 belonging to the selected stopper device groups 6a to 6d are appropriately selected and operated in accordance with the width direction size of the glass substrate. Of course, when all the stopper device groups 6a to 6d are selected, all four stopper devices 6 belonging to the same stopper device group 6a to 6d may be selected.

4A and 4B are external views of the stopper device 6, wherein FIG. 4A is a plan view and FIG. 4B is a front view. As shown in FIG. 4, the stopper device 6 includes a contact member 61 that contacts the edge of the glass substrate, and a drive unit 62 that raises and lowers the contact member 61. The contact member 61 and the drive unit 62 are brackets. 611 through 611.

Although the contact member 61 of the present embodiment has a truncated cone shape, the shape of the contact member 61 is not limited to the truncated cone shape. However, it is preferable that the shape of the portion in contact with the glass substrate in plan view is curved rather than linear, so that the shape of the contact member 61 in plan view is preferably an ellipse or a circle. Alternatively, the planar view shape of the portion in contact with the glass substrate may be an arc shape, and the other portion may be configured with a straight line. The contact member 61 is preferably made of a soft material having a lower hardness than the glass substrate, such as rubber.

The drive unit 62 is an air cylinder having a cylinder 621 and a rod 622. A bracket 611 is connected to the tip of the rod 622, and the contact member 61 moves up and down as the rod 622 advances and retreats.

The air supply parts 621a and 621b are provided on one side of the cylinder 621. An air supply source (for example, a compressor) is connected to the air supply units 621a and 621b via a control valve (not shown). When air is supplied from the air supply unit 621a, the rod 622 is drawn into the cylinder 621, and when air is supplied from the air supply unit 621b, the rod 622 protrudes from the cylinder 621.

Further, a sensor 623 for detecting the position of the rod 622 is provided on the other side of the cylinder 621. For this reason, with reference to the detection result of the sensor 623, it can be determined whether or not the movement of the contact member 61, that is, the advance and retreat of the rod 622 is completed.

A bracket 624 is fixed to the bottom of the cylinder 621, and the bracket 624 is fixed to the base plates 41 and 51 of the roller units 4 and 5. The bracket 624 is provided with a mounting hole 625 for passing a fixing screw.

Next, the operation of the stopper device 6 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5A shows a state where the contact member 61 is in the contact position, and FIG. 5B shows a state where the contact member 61 is in the standby position.

As is clear from FIG. 5, the stopper device 6 is fixed to the base plates 41 and 51 so that the locus D1 of the rod 622 is inclined by θ from the vertical axis Z to the opposite side of the conveying direction of the glass substrate 14. The magnitude of θ is selected so that the contact member 61 does not slide on the edge of the glass substrate 14 while the contact member 61 moves from the contact position to the standby position. In the present embodiment, the value of θ is set so that the portion of the contact member 61 that contacts the glass substrate 14 is substantially vertical (the value of θ is not particularly limited, but, for example, 4 ˜8 °, preferably around 6 °).

When the rod 622 moves along the locus D1 from the contact position toward the standby position, the contact member 61 also moves along a locus parallel to the locus D1. Therefore, when the contact member 61 moves from the contact position to the standby position, the contact member 61 descends while leaving the edge of the glass substrate 14 in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the contact member 61 does not rub the edge of the glass substrate 14 while the contact member 61 moves between the contact position and the standby position.

Hereinafter, in the present specification, moving the rod 622 from the standby position to the contact position and causing the contact member 61 to protrude from the transfer surface of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 is referred to as “operating the stopper device 6”. The movement of the rod 622 from the contact position to the standby position and lowering the contact member 61 below the transfer surface of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 is referred to as “releasing the stopper device 6”.

<Width alignment device>
Returning to FIG. 2, the description of the configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 is continued. As shown in FIG. 2, a width adjusting device 7 is disposed in the transport path of the substrate transport device 1.

The width aligning device 7 moves the width aligning pieces 7d and 7e in the width direction of the substrate transport device 1 by using four sets of belt and pulley mechanisms including a driving pulley 7a, a driven pulley 7b, and a belt 7c, thereby aligning the glass substrate. Device. In addition, the movement distance (width adjustment amount) of the width adjustment pieces 7d and 7e is determined in advance according to the size of the glass substrate. The four belt / pulley mechanisms are arranged between the roller units 4 and 5 arranged in the conveyance path. The four drive pulleys 7a are at one end of the conveyance path and are rotationally driven by a motor 7g via a common drive shaft 7f. Further, the four driven pulleys 7b are attached at positions facing the four driving pulleys 7a on the opposite end across the transport path.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the width adjusting device 7, and shows only one set of belt / pulley mechanisms provided in total of four sets. 6A is a front view, FIG. 6B is a right side view, and FIG. 6C is a left side view. As shown in FIG. 6, the width adjusting piece 7d has a cylindrical shape, is disposed at one end of the conveyance path, and is fixed to the upper surface of the slide member 7h. The upper end portion of the width adjusting piece 7d protrudes above the conveying surface. Further, the slide member 7h is supported by the rail 7i, and is slidable along the longitudinal direction of the rail 7i. Moreover, the rail 7i is arrange | positioned in parallel with the belt 7c, and is fixed to the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 1 via the rail attachment member 7j. Further, the slide member 7h is connected to the upper runway of the belt 7c through the connecting member 7k.

Similarly, the width adjusting piece 7e has a cylindrical shape, is disposed at the other end of the conveyance path, and is fixed to the upper surface of the slide member 7l. The upper end portion of the width aligning piece 7e protrudes above the transport surface. The slide member 7l is supported by the rail 7m, and is slidable along the longitudinal direction of the rail 7m. The rail 7m is arranged in parallel with the belt 7c, and is fixed to the substrate transport apparatus 1 via a rail mounting member 7n. The slide member 7l is connected to the lower running path of the belt 7d through a connecting member 7o.

When the driving pulley 7a rotates, the upper running path and the lower running path of the belt 7c move in the opposite directions, so that the width-shifting pieces 7d and 7e move in the opposite directions. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the driving pulley 7c rotates counterclockwise, the width adjusting piece 7d moves to the left, and the width adjusting piece 7e moves to the right. That is, since the width adjusting piece 7d and the width adjusting piece 7e move in a direction approaching each other, the glass substrate (not shown in FIG. 6) between the width adjusting piece 7d and the width adjusting piece 7e is located at the center of the conveyance path. It is justified.

<lift device>
Returning to FIG. 2, the description of the configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 is continued. As shown in FIG. 2, eight lifting devices 8 are arranged between the roller units 4 and 5 in the conveyance path of the substrate conveyance device 1.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the lifting device 8. As shown in FIG. 7, the lifting device 8 includes a lifting actuator 8a and a lifting piece 8b connected to the lifting actuator 8a. When the elevating actuator 8a is raised and the mounting piece 8c fixed on the upper surface of the elevating piece 8b is projected from the conveying surface, the glass substrate to be conveyed on the conveying path is placed on the placing piece 8c and conveyed. Can be lifted from the surface.

In the present embodiment, the roller units 4 and 5 are fixed to the substrate transport apparatus 1, and the glass substrate on the transport surface of the substrate transport apparatus 1 is placed on the placing piece 8c and lifted by the lifting actuator 8a. However, the mounting unit 8c may be fixed to the substrate transport apparatus 1 and the roller units 4 and 5 may be moved up and down.

<Conveying path section device>
Returning to FIG. 2, the description of the configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 is continued. As shown in FIG. 2, two transport path partitioning devices 9 are arranged at intervals in the transport direction at the center in the width direction of the transport path of the substrate transport apparatus 1. Further, the transport path partition device 9 is provided between two adjacent width adjusting devices 7, and the transport direction length of the transport path partition device 9 is substantially equal to the transport direction length of the roller units 4 and 5.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of the transport path partitioning device 9. The transport path partitioning device 9 partitions the transport path of the substrate transport apparatus 1 in the width direction when transporting two small glass substrates (for example, size W3 (see FIG. 11)) side by side in the width direction of the substrate transport apparatus 1. It is a device to do. As shown in FIG. 8, the conveyance path partitioning device 9 includes an elevating actuator 9a, a rod 9b that is connected to the elevating actuator 9a and is driven to extend and contract, a mounting base 9c that is attached to the tip of the rod 9b and moves up and down, and a mounting base 9c. A guide roller 9d that is attached to the upper surface of the lens and rotates freely around a vertical axis.

In the present embodiment, two guide rollers 9d are arranged along the transport direction of the substrate transport apparatus 1 to form a guide roller array, and two guide roller arrays are provided in the width direction of the substrate transport apparatus 1. Three or more guide rollers 9d may be arranged along the transport direction of the substrate transport apparatus 1 to form a guide roller row.

The guide roller 9d is preferably made of a soft material having a lower hardness than the glass substrate, such as rubber. Further, instead of the guide roller 9d, a rod-shaped guide member (guide bar) having no rotating portion may be attached to the attachment base 9c to guide the glass substrate in the width direction of the substrate transport apparatus 1. .

When the transport path of the substrate transport apparatus 1 is divided and used in the width direction (when two small glass substrates (for example, size W3 (see FIG. 11)) are transported side by side in the width direction of the substrate transport apparatus 1) Then, the elevating actuator 9a is driven to cause the guide roller 9d to protrude above the transport surface of the substrate transport apparatus 1. When the guide roller 9d protrudes above the transport surface of the substrate transport apparatus 1, the two small glass substrates that have been width-adjusted by the width-adjusting device 7 are sandwiched between the guide roller 9d and the width-adjusting pieces 7d and 7e. Are respectively positioned (regulated) and conveyed along the conveying direction. Further, when a large glass substrate (for example, sizes W1 and W2 (see FIG. 11)) is transported by the substrate transport device 1, the transport path is not partitioned in the width direction, and therefore the transport path partition device 9 is not used. In this case, the guide roller 9d is in a state of being pulled down below the conveying surface.

When the transport path of the substrate transport apparatus 1 is always divided and used in the width direction (when a large glass substrate is not handled), the lifting / lowering actuator 9a is omitted so that the guide roller 9d always protrudes from the transport surface. May be.

<Substrate detection sensor>
Returning to FIG. 2, the description of the configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 is continued. As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate transport apparatus 1 includes a plurality of substrate detection sensors 10 and detects a substrate on the substrate transport apparatus 1.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the substrate detection sensor 10. As shown in FIG. 9, the substrate detection sensor 10 is an optical sensor that is fixed to the base plates 41 and 51 of the roller units 4 and 5 via the bracket 101 and detects the edge of the glass substrate 14. For example, the detection point of the substrate detection sensor 10 is set to the position P1 of the edge of the glass substrate 14 when the glass substrate 14 comes into contact with the stopper device 6 and stops, so that the edge of the glass substrate 14 is the stopper device 6. The substrate detection sensor 10 detects the edge of the glass substrate 14 when contacting the contact member 61.

Further, after the detection point of the substrate detection sensor 10 is arranged at a position slightly offset to the + X side from the position P1 of the edge of the glass substrate 14, the substrate detection sensor 10 detects the edge of the glass substrate 14, It may be determined that the edge of the glass substrate 14 has come into contact with the contact member 61 of the stopper device 6 after a predetermined time (determined by the offset amount and the transport speed of the substrate transport device) has elapsed.

In the present embodiment, an optical sensor is used as the substrate detection sensor 10, but other types of sensors may be selected as long as they can detect the edge of the glass substrate 14. Alternatively, instead of the substrate detection sensor 10, a pressure sensor may be provided on the contact member 61 of the stopper device 6 and the pressure sensor may detect that the glass substrate 14 has contacted the contact member 61.

<Control device>
The substrate transfer apparatus 1 includes a control device 11 (not shown in FIG. 2) and is automatically operated.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of the control device 11. As shown in FIG. 10, the control device 11 is a computer that is controlled by the host computer 12 to automatically operate the substrate transfer device 1, and includes a CPU 111, a RAM 112, a ROM 113, an input interface (I / F) 114, and an output interface (I / F) 115 and a communication input interface (I / F) 116. The host computer 12 is a higher-level control device that controls the entire substrate processing facility including the substrate transfer apparatus 1.

The CPU 111 is a processing device that processes various sensor signals in accordance with commands from the host computer 12 and a control program written in the ROM 113, and commands the operations of various actuators.

The RAM 112 is a storage unit that provides a work area for the CPU 111 and stores variable data and the like. The ROM 113 is storage means for storing fixed data such as control programs and control data.

The input interface (I / F) 114 is an interface for taking in the detection results of various sensors into the CPU 111.

The output interface (I / F) 115 is an interface for the CPU 111 to control various actuators (control valves, motors, etc.).

The communication interface (I / F) 116 is an interface for connecting the CPU 111 to the host computer 12.

<Glass substrate size>
The substrate transport apparatus 1 can transport a plurality of types of glass substrates having different sizes. Here, the size of the glass substrate conveyed by the substrate conveying apparatus 1 will be described.

FIG. 11A is a plan view showing a state in which the substrate transport apparatus 1 transports (places) a glass substrate 14 of size W1. As shown in FIG. 11A, since the glass substrate 14 of size W1 is the largest glass substrate that can be transported (placed) by the substrate transport apparatus 1, it is transported (placed) one by one.

FIG. 11B is a plan view showing a state in which the glass substrate 14 of size W2 is placed on the substrate transport apparatus 1. FIG. The dimension of the size W2 in the front-rear direction is about ½ of the size W1, and two sheets are arranged (transferred) side by side in the front-rear direction of the substrate transport apparatus 1.

FIG. 11C is a plan view showing a state in which the glass substrate 14 of size W3 is placed on the substrate transport apparatus 1. FIG. The size of the size W3 in the left-right direction is about ½ of the size W2, and a total of four sheets are transferred (placed) on the substrate transfer apparatus 1 in the front-rear and left-right directions.

FIG. 11D is a plan view showing a state in which the glass substrate 14 of size W2 and size W3 is mixedly mounted on the substrate transport apparatus 1. The glass substrate 14 of size W2 is placed in front of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 (right hand in the figure), and the glass substrate 14 of size W3 is arranged in the left-right direction behind the glass substrate 14 of size W2 (left hand in the figure). It is transported (placed).

<Positioning procedure>
Now, a procedure for positioning the glass substrate 14 on the substrate transfer apparatus 1 will be described. 12 and 13 are diagrams for explaining the positioning procedure, FIG. 12 is a plan view, and FIG. 13 is a front view as seen from the downstream side in the transport direction. FIG. 12 shows the case where the glass substrate 14 is conveyed from the left side to the right side. However, since the rollers 44 and 54 of the roller units 4 and 5 constituting the substrate conveying apparatus 1 are freely reversible, the glass substrate It is also possible to transport 14 from the right side to the left side.

As already described, the substrate transport apparatus 1 can handle a plurality of types of glass substrates 14 having sizes W1 to W3. Here, two glass substrates 14 having the smallest size W3 are arranged in front, rear, left and right ( The case where a total of four sheets) is conveyed (placed) side by side and regulated (positioned) will be taken up.

(1) Information regarding the size of the glass substrate 14 is transmitted from the host computer 12 (see FIG. 10) to the control device 11 (see FIG. 10). As shown in FIG. 12A, based on this information, the control device 11 projects the guide roller 9d of the transport path partitioning device 9 from the transport surface to partition the transport path left and right, and the stopper devices 6a and 6c. Is operated (stopper devices 6b and 6d are released) to stop the movement of the glass substrate 14. The stopper device 6c is released until the rear ends of the two glass substrates 14 arranged in the front row have passed right above the stopper device 6c, and the substrate detection located at the same position as the stopper device 6c is detected. The sensor 10 (see FIGS. 2 and 10) is activated when it is no longer detected.

In addition, when conveying the glass substrate 14 of size W2 instead of size W3, the guide roller 9d of the conveyance path partition device 9 is pulled down below the conveyance surface, and the stopper devices 6a and 6c are operated. When transporting the glass substrate 14 of size W1, the guide roller 9d of the transport path partitioning device 9 is pulled down below the transport surface and only the stopper device 6a is operated. As described above, the substrate transfer device 1 selects and operates the stopper devices 6a to 6d according to the size of the glass substrate 14 to operate and release them, and selects the raising and lowering of the guide roller 9d of the transfer path partitioning device 9.

In addition, although information related to the size of the glass substrate 14 is passed from the host computer 12 to the control device 11, a sensor for determining the size of the glass substrate 14 may be provided in the substrate transport device 1.

(2) When the edge of the glass substrate 14 comes into contact with the stopper devices 6a and 6c, the planar sides of the glass substrate 14 are aligned so as to be parallel and perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate transport device 1 ( regulate). In addition, since the position of the glass substrate 14 in the front-rear direction (transport direction) is regulated by the stopper device 6a and the stopper device 6c, the glass substrate 14 is correctly positioned in the front-rear direction (transport direction). A mechanism for aligning the orientation of the glass substrate 14 will be described later.

(3) When the edge of the glass substrate 14 comes into contact with the stopper devices 6a and 6c and the regulation (positioning) of the glass substrate 14 in the front-rear direction (transport direction) is completed (see FIG. 13A), the lifting device 8 is raised and the glass substrate 14 is placed on the placing piece 8c and lifted from the conveying surface (see FIG. 13B).

(4) When the glass substrate 14 is lifted from the conveyance surface, the width alignment pieces 7d and 7e of the width alignment device 7 are moved from the end of the conveyance path toward the center of the conveyance path, so that the glass substrate 14 is conveyed to the conveyance path dividing device 9 Toward the guide roller 9d (see FIGS. 12B, 12C, and 13C).

The amount of movement of the width adjusting pieces 7d and 7e varies depending on the size of the glass substrate 14, and is stored in the control device 11 in advance, and the width adjusting pieces 7d and 7e are stopped at a predetermined position by a command from the control device 11. Further, in order to absorb the positioning error of the size of the glass substrate 14 and the width adjusting pieces 7d and 7e, the stop positions of the width adjusting pieces 7d and 7e are the width adjusting pieces 7d and 7e and the guide roller 9d of the conveyance path partitioning device 9. These intervals are set to be about 1 to 2 mm larger than the width of the glass substrate 14.

Therefore, when the edge of the glass substrate 14 does not contact the guide roller 9d (when it is conveyed while being biased toward the width-adjusting pieces 7d, 7e), or when it does not contact the width-adjusting pieces 7d, 7e (guide) In some cases, the toner is conveyed to the roller 9d side. Alternatively, when the edge of the glass substrate 14 does not contact both the guide roller 9d and the width-adjusting piece 7d (when transported in a normal position and posture), or both the guide roller 9d and the width-adjusting piece 7e are applied. There are also cases where they come into contact with each other (when they are conveyed in a largely inclined posture).

(5) When the two glass substrates 14 are brought closer to the center in the width direction of the transport path, regulation (positioning) of the glass substrate 14 is completed. Thereafter, the width aligning device 7 is moved in the reverse direction to separate the width aligning pieces 7d, 7e from the glass substrate 14. (See FIG. 13D). Then, the width adjusting pieces 7d and 7e are stopped at the standby position (first position).

(6) When it is detected by a confirmation sensor (not shown) that the width-adjusting pieces 7d and 7e are separated from the glass substrate 14, the control device 11 lowers the elevating piece 8b of the elevating device 8 so that the glass substrate 14 is again brought into the transport surface. (See FIG. 13 (e)).

(7) When the glass substrate 14 is placed on the transport surface, the control device 11 releases the stopper devices 6a and 6c and drives the roller units 4 and 5 to transfer the glass substrate 14 to the cassette transport device 3. (See FIG. 12D). Four glass substrates 14 may be transferred simultaneously, or may be transferred one by one. Alternatively, the left and right glass substrates 14 may be transported as a pair. The stopper devices 6a and 6c may be released before the glass substrate 14 is lifted from the transport surface, that is, after the end of the step (2).

<Mechanism for aligning the orientation of the glass substrate>
Here, the above-described <positioning procedure> (2) will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 14, a case is considered where two glass substrates 14 and 14 ′ (size W3) are carried into the substrate transport apparatus 1 in an irregular posture. Hereinafter, a description will be mainly given of a procedure for bringing the glass substrates 14 and 14 ′ into a normal posture (that is, a posture in which the long sides of the glass substrates 14 and 14 ′ are parallel to the conveyance path and the short sides are perpendicular to the conveyance path).

The glass substrate 14 is rotationally displaced clockwise from the normal posture on the transfer surface of the substrate transfer apparatus 1. On the other hand, the glass substrate 14 'is rotationally displaced counterclockwise. Further, the glass substrates 14 and 14 ′ are placed across the roller units 4 and 4 ′ and the roller units 5 and 5 ′. -Sent in the X direction.

Since the glass substrates 14 and 14 ′ are rotationally displaced clockwise and counterclockwise from the normal posture, the front edges of the glass substrates 14 and 14 ′ are ahead of the stopper device 6 of the roller units 4 and 4 ′. Abut. When the substrate detection sensor 10 (not shown) fixed to the roller units 4 and 4 ′ detects this, the control device 11 stops the roller units 4 and 4 ′. *

On the other hand, since the roller unit 5 continues to operate even after the roller unit 4 stops, a thrust is applied to the right side of the glass substrate 14 placed across the roller unit 4 and the roller unit 5, and a thrust is applied to the left side. Absent. Further, since the left side of the front edge of the glass substrate 14 is in contact with the stopper device 6 of the roller unit 4, the glass substrate 14 rotates counterclockwise around the stopper device 6 of the roller unit 4.

When the glass substrate 14 rotates counterclockwise around the stopper device 6 of the roller unit 4, the right side of the front edge of the glass substrate 14 eventually comes into contact with the stopper device 6 of the roller unit 5. When a substrate detection sensor 10 (not shown) fixed to the roller unit 5 detects that the right side of the front edge of the glass substrate 14 is in contact with the stopper device 6 of the roller unit 5, the control device 11 stops the roller unit 5. .

Through this process, the front edge of the glass substrate 14 comes into contact with the roller unit 4 and the stopper device 6 of the roller unit 5 and stops. That is, the front edge of the glass substrate 14 is perpendicular (right angle) to the transport direction of the substrate transport apparatus 1.

On the other hand, the glass substrate 14 ′ rotates clockwise around the stopper device 6 of the roller unit 4 ′ by the same mechanism as the glass substrate 14, so that the front edge of the glass substrate 14 ′ is also relative to the conveyance direction of the substrate conveyance device 1. Become vertical (right angle).

Through the above process, the glass substrates 14 and 14 ′ are corrected to a normal posture (that is, a posture in which the long sides of the glass substrates 14 and 14 ′ are parallel to the transport direction and the short sides are perpendicular to the transport direction).

[Second Embodiment]
<Substrate transfer line with traversing device>
15A and 15B are outline views of the substrate transfer line 21 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 15A is a plan view and FIG. 15B is a front view. As shown in FIG. 15, the substrate transport line 21 includes two glass substrates (not shown) that are unloaded from a processing device 22 that performs a predetermined process on a glass substrate (not shown). This is a transfer line for storing the cassette in a cassette (not shown) on the cassette transfer device 3, 3 'and transferring the cassette in the right-hand direction in the figure by a cassette transfer device (not shown).

The substrate transfer line 21 includes a substrate transfer device 1, a transfer conveyor 23, a traversing unit 24, and two cassette transfer devices 3 and 3 '.

Since the configuration and function of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 have been described in detail in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.

The transfer conveyor 23 is a roller conveyor that transfers a glass substrate (not shown) unloaded from the processing apparatus 22 to the substrate transfer apparatus 1.

The traversing unit 24 is a device that moves the substrate transport device 1 in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and faces the substrate transport device 1 to the transfer conveyor 23 under the control of the control device 11 (not shown in FIG. 15). Position A, position B facing the cassette transport apparatus 3 and position C facing the cassette transport apparatus 3 ′ are positioned.

The traversing unit 24 includes a frame 24a, a pair of rails 24b fixed to the frame 24a, a rack 24c fixed to the frame 24a in parallel to the rails 24b, and a support that slides along the longitudinal direction of the rails 24b. A plate 24d is provided, and the substrate transfer device 1 is mounted on the support plate 24d. A motor 24e is fixed to the support plate 24d, and a pinion 24f is attached to an output shaft (not shown) of the motor 24e so as to mesh with the rack 24c.

Since it is configured in this way, the substrate transfer line 21 positions the substrate transfer device 1 at the position A, receives a glass substrate (not shown) from the transfer conveyor 23, and then moves to the position B or C. The glass substrate can be stored in the cassette carrying device 3 or a cassette (not shown) on the cassette carrying device 3 ′.

Furthermore, the substrate transfer apparatus 1 can absorb the work time required for positioning in the movement time by positioning the glass substrate in the normal position and posture while moving from the position A to the position B or C. As a result, the conveyance efficiency is improved.

In the present embodiment, the example in which the two cassette transfer devices 3 and 3 ′ are arranged in parallel is shown, but it goes without saying that the number of cassette transfer devices arranged in parallel is not limited to two. . Moreover, although the example which conveys from the glass substrate processing apparatus 22 to the cassette conveying apparatuses 3 and 3 'was taken up, it cannot be overemphasized that you may convey to the processing apparatus 22 from the cassette conveying apparatuses 3 and 3'.

The present invention is useful as a device for correctly positioning a substrate to be transported on a substrate transport device such as a liquid crystal panel.

Claims (14)

A transport conveyor for transporting the substrate placed on the transport surface of the transport path along the transport path;
An elevating device that is disposed below the transfer surface and relatively separates the substrate placed on the transfer surface from the transfer surface;
A width adjusting device that moves a substrate separated from the transfer surface in the width direction of the transfer path and positions the substrate at a predetermined position;
A conveyance path section which is arranged at the center in the width direction of the conveyance path and divides the conveyance path in the width direction and freely guides the substrate in the direction parallel to the conveyance path. A substrate transport apparatus comprising the apparatus. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide unit is a guide roller. The transport path partition device is
The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the guide rollers are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the transport path. The width adjusting device is:
A pair of width-shifting pieces respectively moving between each side end of the transport path and the center of the transport path;
The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a driving mechanism that drives the pair of width-shifting pieces so as to approach and separate from each other. The drive mechanism is
A rotating machine,
A driving pulley disposed at one side end of the conveying path and driven to rotate by the rotating machine;
A driven pulley disposed at the other side end of the conveying path;
The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a belt that spans between the driving pulley and the driven pulley. One of the pair of width adjustment pieces is connected to the forward path of the belt,
The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the other of the pair of width adjusting pieces is connected to a return path of the belt. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport conveyor is configured by arranging a plurality of roller units in a width direction and a longitudinal direction of the transport path. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper device that is arranged in the transfer path and that freely stops and protrudes above the transfer surface, a stopper piece that stops movement of the substrate on the transfer surface. . The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of the stopper devices are arranged in a width direction of the transfer path. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of stopper device groups including a plurality of the stopper devices arranged in the width direction of the transfer path are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the transfer path. . The transport conveyor is configured by arranging a plurality of roller units in the width direction and the longitudinal direction of the transport path, and
A stopper device that is arranged in the transport path, and that freely stops and protrudes above the transport surface, a stopper piece that stops the movement of the substrate on the transport surface;
The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that individually controls the plurality of roller units and the plurality of stopper devices. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a traversing unit that moves the transport conveyor in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. A substrate transfer device connected to one end in the transfer direction of the transfer conveyor;
The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate storage device connected to the other end in the transport direction of the transport conveyor and configured to carry out and carry in the substrate. In the substrate transport method for transporting the substrate placed on the transport surface of the transport path along the transport path,
Dividing the conveyance path into left and right;
Stopping movement of the substrate on the transfer surface;
Separating the substrate from which the movement of the substrate on the transport surface is restrained from the transport surface;
Widening the substrate separated from the transfer surface to the center of the transfer path;
A substrate transport method comprising the step of placing the substrate, which has been brought closer to the center of the transport path, on the transport surface again.

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