JP4739033B2 - Storage container lid and storage container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lid for a storage container and a storage container for storing a precision substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and mask glass and used for transportation, transportation, storage, and the like.

  In recent years, semiconductor components have been miniaturized and wiring pitches have been reduced. For this reason, a semiconductor wafer (precision substrate) storage container is required to have high hermeticity and automation of handling in order to prevent contamination of the precision substrate. This type of storage container includes a container body that stores the precision substrate and a lid that seals the container body, and the lid projects from the peripheral edge of the lid in conjunction with the movement of the rotating cam. A latching mechanism having a latching arm to be immersed is provided. The rotating cam is provided with a key slot (recessed portion) into which a rotatable key is inserted around the shaft. By inserting the key into the key slot and rotating the key, the latching mechanism is operated to operate the lid body. Automatic opening and closing.

Such a lid of the storage container has a problem that the key cannot be inserted because the key slot is not stopped at the correct position. For this reason, as a technique for regulating the stationary position of the rotating cam, a spring member is provided and biased in the direction opposite to the rotating direction of the rotating cam, so that the position of the rotating cam is forcibly moved and stopped at a predetermined position. The technique to make is proposed (for example, refer patent document 1).
Special table 2005-515121 gazette

  However, in the prior art described in Patent Document 1, in addition to the force for projecting the latching arm and latching it on the container body, the force for rotating the rotating cam against the biasing by the spring member. To the rotating cam at the same time. For example, in the SEMI standard regarding the opening and closing of the lid of a 300 mm wafer storage container, the rotational torque of the lid opening and closing device is required not to exceed 1.7 N · m. Further, in the assembling work, it is necessary to engage the spring member with the rotating cam and the lid, respectively, and there is a problem that the work is complicated. In addition, a minute amount of metal ions is generated from the metal constituting the spring member, and the precision substrate in the storage container may be contaminated.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve such problems, and while preventing contamination inside the storage container, the rotation cam is prevented from being displaced with a simple structure and torque applied to the rotation cam is reduced. An object of the present invention is to provide a storage container lid and a storage container that are dispersed.

  The lid of the storage container according to the present invention covers the opening provided in the container main body that stores the stored items, and the lid of the storage container includes a latch mechanism that is detachably held by the container main body. A cam member that is rotatably supported, and a latch arm that can be moved forward and backward in conjunction with the rotation of the cam member and that protrudes outward and is locked to the container body. A position restricting means for restricting the stationary position of the cam member after reaching the maximum is provided.

  In addition, the storage container according to the present invention is a storage container having a lid that includes a latch mechanism that covers an opening provided in a container main body for storing stored items and is detachably held by the container main body. A cam member that is rotatably supported, and a latch arm that can be moved forward and backward in conjunction with the rotation of the cam member and that protrudes outward and is locked to the container body. A position restricting means for restricting the stationary position of the cam member after reaching the maximum is provided.

  According to such a lid of the storage container and the storage container, the stationary position of the cam member can be regulated after the latch arm protrudes outward and the protrusion amount of the latch arm becomes maximum. It is not necessary to simultaneously apply the “force for maximizing the protruding amount of the latch arm” and the “force for moving the cam member to a predetermined stationary position” to the cam member, and the torque can be dispersed. Further, since it is not necessary to provide a conventional spring, the number of parts can be reduced and the structure can be simplified, the assembly work can be made more efficient, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since metal ions are not generated from the spring, it is possible to prevent the stored items in the container body from being contaminated.

  Here, as a preferable configuration for performing the above-described operation, specifically, the position restricting means rotates with the cam member and has a flexible lock arm, and a first position disposed at a position where the lock arm can come into contact with the lock arm. A position restricting portion having a contact surface and a second contact surface, and after the lock arm is bent by bringing the lock arm into contact with the first contact surface, the second contact is performed while restoring the lock arm. The structure which controls the stationary position of a cam member by moving along a surface is mentioned. Thereby, the cam member is rotated to move the lock arm, and the lock arm and the first contact surface are brought into contact with each other, whereby the lock arm can be deformed to store energy. The cam member can be moved to a predetermined stationary position by using the restoring force of the lock arm and moving the lock arm along the second contact surface.

  Further, the position restricting unit may be configured to restrict the stationary position of the cam member by bringing the lock arm and the first contact surface into contact after the protrusion amount of the latch arm becomes maximum.

  According to the present invention, the lid of the storage container and the storage container in which the rotation cam is prevented from being displaced with a simple structure and the torque applied to the rotation cam is dispersed while preventing contamination inside the storage container. Can be provided.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a storage container lid and a storage container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a precision substrate storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 5 are views showing a latch mechanism in FIG.

  A precision substrate storage container 1 shown in FIG. 1 stores, for example, a plurality of (for example, 25, 26) semiconductor wafers (contained items; not shown) having a diameter of 300 mm (about 12 inches) as a precision substrate for transportation, conveyance, A storage container used for storage or the like. The precision substrate storage container 1 includes a container main body 2 that stores a precision substrate, and a lid 4 that covers an opening 3 provided in the container main body 2. The precision substrate storage container 1 is formed of, for example, a thermoplastic resin, and examples of the thermoplastic resin include polycarbonate, cycloolefin polymer, polyetherimide, polyethersulfone, and polyetheretherketone. Note that conductive members such as conductive carbon, conductive fibers, metal fibers, and conductive polymers may be added to the thermoplastic resin, and various antistatic agents, ultraviolet absorbers, and the like may be added.

  The container body 2 has a box shape, and an opening 3 for taking in and out the precision substrate is formed on the right side surface in the drawing. On the inner surfaces of a pair of opposing side walls 2a of the container body 2, support portions 2b for supporting the precision substrates in a horizontal arrangement in the vertical direction are provided. Further, on the outer surfaces of the side wall 2a and the top wall 2c, transfer parts (not shown) used when the precision substrate storage container 1 is transferred are installed. The bottom wall 2d of the container body 2 is provided with positioning means (not shown) that is used when the precision substrate storage container 1 is placed on a predetermined apparatus. The positioning means has a V-groove cross section. It has the shape of

  Moreover, the peripheral part which forms the opening part 3 of the container main body 2 is made into the rim | limb part 5 which protrudes outward. As shown in FIG. 3, a rectangular locking recess 7 for locking a locking claw 6 (to be described later) of the lid body 4 is formed on the inner surface of the rim portion 5 in the illustrated vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the lid 4 includes a fitting plate (lid body) 8 that is detachably fitted into the rim portion 5 of the container body 2 and closes the opening 3. It has a pair of left and right cover plates 9. The fitting plate 8 has a peripheral wall 8a erected from the peripheral edge portion, and has a dish shape with a depressed center. On the peripheral wall 8a of the fitting plate 8, an opening 8b for allowing the locking claw 6 to appear and disappear is formed. A plurality of arc-shaped ribs 10 that are arranged on a concentric circumference and protrude outward (right side in the drawing) are provided in the recess of the fitting plate 8. A sealing gasket 11 that seals between the container body 2 and the lid 4 is inserted into the rim portion 5 of the container body 2. Furthermore, a retainer (see FIG. 1) 12 that contacts the precision substrate is installed on the surface of the fitting plate 8 on the container body 2 side, and the retainer 12 moves the precision substrate toward the opening 3 of the container body 2. And the movement of the precision substrate in the circumferential direction can be restricted, and the precision substrate can be held.

  The lid 4 has a built-in pair of latch mechanisms 13 provided with locking claws 6 locked to the locking recesses 7. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the latch mechanism 13 is configured such that a cam member 14 that is rotatably supported with respect to the fitting plate 8, and can be advanced and retracted in conjunction with the rotation of the cam member 14. And a pair of latch arms 15 extending in the vertical direction. The latch mechanism 13 is accommodated in the recess of the fitting plate 8 and is covered with the cover plate 9. As a material of the latch mechanism 13, for example, a thermoplastic resin can be used. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyacetal, polyether ether ketone, polycarbonate, and the like. A sliding property improving material such as silicone or fluorine may be added to the thermoplastic resin. By using such a thermoplastic resin, it is possible to obtain the latch mechanism 13 having good slidability.

  The cam member 14 has a substantially disc shape, and an operation recess 14a into which an operation key (see FIG. 5) 16 of a lid opening / closing device for opening / closing the lid body 4 is inserted is formed at the center of the surface. Yes. A ring-shaped protrusion 14b (see FIGS. 2 and 4) that protrudes toward the cover plate 9 is provided around the operation recess 14a. A cylindrical portion 14c is formed in the center of the back surface of the cam member 14 so as to protrude toward the fitting plate 8 (left side in FIGS. 3 and 5). And the cylindrical part 14c is mounted | worn with the circular arc-shaped rib 10 of the fitting plate 8, and the cam member 14 is rotatably supported. The cam member 14 is provided with a pair of guide holes 17 that form a cam surface that allows the latch arm 15 to advance and retract.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the guide hole 17 is formed in a curved shape (substantially arc shape), and the first region extends from the end portion 17 a closer to the center of the cam member 14 to the inflection point 17 b. From the inflection point 17b to the other end 17c is the second region. Then, the protruding portion 18a of the connecting bar 18 is guided in the first region, and the connecting bar 18 advances and retreats, and the protruding amount of the connecting bar 18 becomes maximum at the inflection point 17b, and the protruding portion 18a is in the second region. As a result, the locking state of the locking claw 6 with respect to the container body 2 is maintained.

  The latch arm 15 includes a connecting bar 18 that extends in the vertical direction and is connected to the cam member 14, and a locking claw 6 provided at an end of the connecting bar 18. The connecting bar 18 has a substantially rectangular plate shape, and is formed at one end with a substantially cylindrical protrusion 18a inserted into the guide hole 17 of the cam member 13, and at the other end. The pawl 6 is connected.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, the lid body 4 of the present invention is provided with a position restricting means 20 for restricting the stationary position (rotational position) of the cam member. The position restricting means 20 includes a flexible lock arm 21 provided on the cam member 14 and a protruding rib (position restricting portion) 22 formed on the fitting plate 8 and disposed at a position where it can come into contact with the lock arm 21. And.

  The lock arm 21 has a root portion 21a extending outward from the outer peripheral surface of the ring-shaped projection 14b in the cam member 14, and a tip (outer end portion) of the root portion 21a toward the ring-shaped projection 14b. And a hook portion 21b bent in a substantially inverted C shape. The lock arm 21 has a shape that gradually decreases from the root to the tip. The tip of the hook portion 21b is bent outward and protrudes.

  The protruding rib 22 is erected on the fitting plate 8, and has a first contact surface 22 a and a second contact surface 22 b formed at a position that can contact the tip of the hook portion 21 b that rotates together with the cam member 14. is doing. The first contact surface 22a is formed to be inclined to the outside of the cam member 14 so as to intersect the rotation direction of the hook portion 21b at a predetermined angle, and the second contact surface 22b is formed on the first contact surface 22a. In contrast, the cam member 14 is formed so as to incline inside. When the cam member 14 rotates counterclockwise, the tip of the hook portion 21b and the first contact surface 22a of the protruding rib 22 come into contact with each other, the lock arm 21 is bent, and the tip of the hook portion 21b The second contact surface 22b of the projecting rib 22 comes into contact, the lock arm 21 is restored, the tip of the hook portion 21b moves, and the lock arm 21 and the projecting rib 22 are engaged.

  Next, locking and unlocking of the latch mechanism 13 in the lid 4 of the precision substrate storage container 1 configured as described above will be described. The state where the longitudinal direction of the connecting bar 18 and the longitudinal direction of the operation recess 14a are orthogonal to each other as shown in FIGS. FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle of the cam member 14 and the relative movement position of the latch arm 15. The horizontal axis shows the rotation angle of the cam member 14, and the vertical axis shows the relative movement position of the latch arm 15. Show. Graph A shows the rotation angle of the cam member 14 and the relative movement position of the latch arm 15 of the present invention. Graph B shows the relationship between the rotation angle of the cam member and the relative movement position of the latch arm in the conventional latch mechanism.

  2, 3, and 6, when the rotation angle of the cam member 14 is 0 degree, the protrusion 18 a is positioned at the end 17 a of the guide hole 17, and the locking claw 6 is As shown, it does not protrude from the opening 8b. At this time, the latch mechanism 13 is in an unlocked state, and the lid 4 is detachable from the container body 2.

  Next, torque is applied to the operation key 16 (see FIG. 3), and the cam member 14 is rotated counterclockwise. At this time, the protrusion 18a is guided in the guide hole 17 from the end 17a toward the inflection point 17b, the connecting bar 18 slides in the longitudinal direction of the connecting bar 18, and the locking claw 6 faces outward. It is pushed out and protrudes from the opening 8b. When the rotation angle of the cam member 14 reaches 75 degrees, the protrusion 18a is positioned at the inflection point 17b, the protrusion amount of the locking claw 6 is maximized, and the locking claw 6 is locked to the container body 2. It becomes a state.

  Further, when the application of torque to the operation key 16 is maintained and the rotation angle of the cam member 14 exceeds 75 degrees, the projecting portion 18b passes the inflection point 17b, and as shown in FIG. The tip of the portion 21 b comes into contact with the first contact surface 22 a of the protruding rib 22. Then, the lock arm 21 is bent outward in the radial direction of the cam member 14 by the contact between the distal end portion of the hook portion 21b and the first contact surface 22a.

  When the rotation of the cam member 14 is continued and the rotation angle exceeds about 85 degrees, the hook portion 21b ends the contact with the first contact surface 22a. At this time, the lock arm 21 is restored, the inward force stored in the lock arm 21 is released, and the hook portion 21b and the second contact surface 22b are engaged at a stretch by the released repulsive force. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the hook portion 21b comes into contact with the second contact surface 22b, and the cam member 14 is stationary at a rotation angle of 90 degrees. That is, if the cam member 14 is rotated to 85 degrees, even if the application of torque to the cam member 14 is subsequently stopped, the position is adjusted by the position restricting means 20, and the cam member 14 has a rotation angle of 90 degrees. Still at position. Thereby, the position shift of the operation recessed part 14a is prevented, and the operation key 16 can be easily inserted.

  According to the precision substrate storage container 1 having such a lid 4, the projection 18 a is guided in the first region, and the amount of outward projection of the latch arm 15 is maximized so that the lid 4 is placed in the container body. After being locked to 2, the protrusion 18a is guided in the second region. In this second area, the position restricting means 20 regulates the stationary position of the cam member 14, so that the area where the latch arm 15 protrudes outward and the area where the rotational position of the cam member 14 is regulated are separated. “A force for maximizing the protruding amount of the latch arm” (for example, 1.3 N · m to 1.6 N · m) and “a force for moving the cam member 14 to a predetermined stationary position” It is not necessary to simultaneously apply “force” (for example, 0.1 N · m to 0.4 N · m) to the cam member 14, and the torque can be dispersed. As a result, it is possible to reduce the load of the maximum torque applied to the lid opening / closing device, and it is possible to reduce the extra load. As a result, the rotation region necessary for locking the lid 4 to the container body 2 can be performed at high speed. Further, since it is not necessary to provide a conventional spring, the number of parts can be reduced and the structure can be simplified, the assembly work can be made more efficient, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since metal ions are not generated from the spring, it is possible to prevent the stored items in the container body from being contaminated.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was concretely demonstrated based on the embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. In the said embodiment, although the storage container of this invention is demonstrated as the precision board | substrate storage container 1 which stores a precision board | substrate, a storage thing is not limited to a precision board | substrate, As a storage container which stores other storage goods. Also good. The precision substrate is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and may be other precision substrates such as mask glass.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the shape of the 1st contact surface 22a and the 2nd contact surface 22b of the protrusion rib (position control part) 22 is a straight line in planar view (viewing from the paper surface perpendicular | vertical direction in FIG. 7, FIG. 8). Although the surface has a shape (inclined surface), the shape of the first contact surface 22a and the second contact surface 22b is not limited to this, and has, for example, a surface having an arc shape or an elliptical shape in plan view. It may be a surface, a surface having another curved shape, or the like. The point is that the lock arm bends when the lock arm and the first contact surface come into contact with each other, and the bent lock arm is restored and comes into contact with the second contact surface to regulate the stationary position of the cam member. Any configuration is possible.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the precision substrate storage container which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the unlocking state of the latch mechanism in FIG. It is the III-III arrow line view of FIG. It is a top view which shows the locking state of the latch mechanism in FIG. It is a VV arrow line view of FIG. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the unlocking state of a latch mechanism. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the state which the latch arm of a latch mechanism and the 1st contact surface of a protrusion rib are contacting. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the locking state of a latch mechanism. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the rotation position of a cam member, and the relative movement position of a latch arm.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Precision substrate storage container, 2 ... Container main body, 3 ... Opening part, 4 ... Cover body, 13 ... Latch mechanism, 14 ... Cam member, 15 ... Latch arm, 20 ... Position control means, 21 ... Lock arm, 22 ... Projection rib (position restricting portion), 22a... First contact surface, 22b.

Claims (4)

In the lid of the storage container provided with a latch mechanism that covers the opening provided in the container main body for storing the stored items and is detachably held in the container main body,
The latch mechanism includes a cam member rotatably supported;
Interlocking with the rotation of the cam member, and being able to advance and retreat, has a latch arm that protrudes outward and is locked to the container body,
A position restricting means for restricting a stationary position of the cam member after the protrusion amount of the latch arm becomes maximum ;
The cam member has a pair of guide holes that form a cam surface that allows the latch arm to advance and retreat, and the guide holes include a first region from an end near the center position to an inflection point. A second region from the inflection point to the other end,
The protrusion amount of the latch arm increases in the first region, the protrusion amount becomes maximum at the inflection point, and the protrusion amount decreases in the second region,
The position restricting means restricts the stationary position of the cam member in the second region . The position restricting means rotates with the cam member and has a flexible lock arm;
A position restricting portion having a first contact surface and a second contact surface arranged at a position where the lock arm can be contacted,
After the lock arm is bent by bringing the lock arm into contact with the first contact surface, the lock arm is moved along the second contact surface while restoring the lock arm. The lid of the storage container according to claim 1, wherein   The position restricting means restricts the stationary position of the cam member by bringing the lock arm and the first contact surface into contact with each other after the protrusion amount of the latch arm becomes maximum. The lid of the storage container according to 2. In a storage container having a lid provided with a latch mechanism that covers an opening provided in a container main body for storing stored items and is detachably held in the container main body.
The latch mechanism includes a cam member rotatably supported;
Interlocking with the rotation of the cam member, and being able to advance and retreat, has a latch arm that protrudes outward and is locked to the container body,
A position restricting means for restricting a stationary position of the cam member after the protrusion amount of the latch arm becomes maximum ;
The cam member has a pair of guide holes that form a cam surface that allows the latch arm to advance and retreat, and the guide holes include a first region from an end near the center position to an inflection point. A second region from the inflection point to the other end,
The protrusion amount of the latch arm increases in the first region, the protrusion amount becomes maximum at the inflection point, and the protrusion amount decreases in the second region,
The container is characterized in that the position restricting means restricts the stationary position of the cam member in the second region .

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