JP4920209B2 - Plate workpiece transfer equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a plate-like workpiece transfer device for suitably receiving and delivering a plate-like workpiece such as liquid crystal glass or a thin large substrate.

  In the manufacturing process for liquid crystal glass and thin large substrates, plate-like workpieces such as liquid crystal glass and thin large substrates are stored in storage shelves (stockers) or are appropriately pulled out from the storage shelves. In addition, the workpiece is delivered to the transfer device. In this case, the workpiece is received and delivered via the transfer device. As a transfer device, a configuration using a comb-like fork member is known, and the workpiece is transferred to a desired position by moving the fork member up and down and rotating while the workpiece is mounted. (See, for example, Patent Document 1). Further, the inventors of the present application provide a fork member with a plurality of suction members, air ejection members, and the like to favorably receive and deliver the workpiece by the fork member, thereby supporting the workpiece in contact with the workpiece in the suction state, or We are considering non-contact support in the floating state.

  However, in recent years, there has been a tendency for workpieces to become larger and thinner, and in such a situation, various troubles may occur in receiving and delivering the workpiece. In other words, it is necessary to increase the size of the fork member as the workpiece becomes larger, but at that time, it is difficult to obtain the processing accuracy of the workpiece mounting surface of the fork member, resulting in a difference in height of the workpiece mounting surface ( For example, a comma several mm to several mm). In particular, such a height difference becomes large at the fork tip side. In order to improve the work storage efficiency in the storage shelf, it is possible to narrow the interval between the storage floors (inter-workpiece pitch) and further reduce the thickness of the fork member accordingly. Then, the variation in the height difference of the workpiece mounting surface is further promoted.

  If the workpiece mounting surface has a height difference in this way, when multiple fork members and air ejection members are provided on the fork member, the height of each member will be different, and this will cause a locally concentrated load to act on the workpiece. And problems such as difficulty in holding the workpiece in a non-contact state occur. This problem will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 9A is a plan view of the fork member 101 having a plurality of comb teeth 102, and FIGS. 9B and 9C are cross-sectional views taken along line BB in FIG. Among these, (b) shows a state in which the workpiece W is supported by contact with the suction member 103, and (c) shows a state in which the workpiece W is supported in a non-contact manner by the plurality of air ejection members 104. Both the adsorbing member 103 and the air ejection member 104 are constituted by a porous pad. In FIG. 9, for convenience of explanation, the height difference of each comb tooth portion 102 in the fork member 101 is exaggerated.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, when there is a difference in height between the left and right comb teeth 102 in the fork member 101, the workpiece W is in a horizontal state on the suction surface of each suction member 103. A bending deformation corresponding to the height difference occurs between the portions 102. In this case, the workpiece W has a horizontal portion and an inclined portion, and a load acts on the upper corner of the suction member 103 in a concentrated manner. As a result, the workpiece W may be locally deformed or damaged.

In the case of FIG. 9C, since the work W is inclined with respect to the upper surface of the air ejection member 104, most of the air ejected from the air ejection member 104 escapes to one side, and this air leakage causes There arises a disadvantage that a sufficient levitation force does not act on the workpiece W. This causes a problem that the workpiece W comes into contact with the upper corner of the air ejection member 104 and the original purpose of non-contact support is lost.
JP 2005-142480 A

  The present invention provides a plate-like workpiece transfer device that can hold a plate-like workpiece such as a liquid crystal glass or a thin large-sized substrate in a desired state and can suitably receive and deliver the plate-like workpiece. This is the main purpose.

  Hereinafter, effective means for solving the above-described problems will be described while showing effects and the like as necessary. In the following, in order to facilitate understanding, a corresponding configuration example in the embodiment of the invention is appropriately shown in parentheses, etc., but is not limited to the specific configuration shown in parentheses.

Means 1. In a plate-like workpiece transfer device that includes a fork member (fork 13) having a plurality of comb teeth (comb teeth 14), and receives or delivers a plate-like workpiece (work W) by the fork member,
A porous body (a porous body) that has an opposing surface (air ejection surface 51a) facing the plate-like workpiece on the upper surface of each comb tooth portion of the fork member and causes gas to be ejected through a fine hole or to generate a suction action. 51) provided with a plurality of porous units (porous unit 30), and a swinging mechanism (support 31 and swinging body 41) that swings in accordance with the inclination of the opposing plate-like workpiece. ) Is added to the plate-like workpiece transfer device.

  In the transfer device of the means 1, the porous unit provided on the upper surface of each comb tooth portion of the fork member is provided with a porous body having a facing surface facing the plate-like workpiece, When the gas is ejected through the fine holes or a suction action is generated, the plate-like workpiece is floated (non-contact held) or held by suction. Then, the plate-shaped workpiece is received or delivered in the state of being floated or sucked and held. In this case, since each comb tooth portion has a height difference, the plate-like workpiece is mounted on the uneven workpiece mounting surface, which may cause local deformation or damage to the plate-like workpiece. This problem is caused when the plate-like workpiece is levitated and held, because the plate-like workpiece is inclined with respect to the porous body, and one side escapes to the side, so that sufficient levitation force does not act. Further, in the case where the plate-like workpiece is held by suction, the plate-like workpiece is formed with a horizontal portion and an inclined portion, which is caused by concentration of load.

  According to this point means, since the porous unit is added with a swinging mechanism that swings according to the tilt of the opposing plate-like work, the work-facing surfaces of the porous bodies face each other. The angle is automatically adjusted according to the inclination of the plate workpiece. Accordingly, the porous unit swings in accordance with the bending state of the plate-like workpiece, and the load (weight) from the plate-like workpiece can be received over the entire surface. For example, when a plate-like workpiece is floated and held, the plate-like workpiece and the workpiece facing surface of the porous body are always kept in a parallel state. In this case, the height difference of each comb tooth portion is absorbed, and local deformation and damage in the plate-like workpiece are eliminated. As a result, a plate-like workpiece such as a liquid crystal glass or a thin large substrate can be held in a desired state, and the plate-like workpiece can be received and delivered suitably.

Mean 2. The swing mechanism includes a fixed member (support 31) fixed to the comb tooth portion and a swing member (swing main body) supported by the fixed member so as to be swingable. 41)
Means 1 is characterized in that a gas passage (air passages 35 and 54, a flow step portion 53) is formed so as to be communicated with the fixing member and the swing member, respectively, with one end connected to the porous body. The plate-shaped workpiece transfer apparatus described.

  According to the means 2, each gas passage formed in the fixing member and the swinging member is communicated, and one end of the gas passage is connected to the porous body. Can be done properly.

  Means 3. A spherical portion (spherical portion 34) is provided on one of the fixing member and the swinging member, and an accommodating portion (upper concave portion 44, which accommodates the spherical portion in a state of being in contact with the outer surface of the spherical portion on the other side. The plate-like workpiece transfer device according to the means 2, wherein a lower concave portion 48) is provided.

  According to the means 3, the orientation (angle) of the swinging member with respect to the fixed member is arbitrarily adjusted by rotating the spherical body portion in an arbitrary direction within the accommodating portion. Thereby, the rocking | fluctuation operation | movement of a porous unit is realizable as mentioned above. At this time, since the swing mechanism is configured using the spherical surface, a smooth swing operation can be realized.

  Means 4. The gas passage (air passage 16) is formed in the comb tooth portion, and the gas flows into or out of the porous unit through the gas passage. Plate work transfer equipment.

  According to the means 4, inflow or outflow of gas to the porous unit is performed via the gas passage formed in the comb tooth portion. In this case, it is possible to simultaneously supply and draw in a plurality of porous units. Moreover, when switching a gas ejection state and a suction state in each porous unit, the switching can be easily performed.

  Means 5. The plate-like workpiece according to any one of means 1 to 4, wherein the fork member is provided with a porous unit provided with the swing mechanism and a porous unit not provided with the swing function. Transfer equipment.

  According to the means 5, the swing mechanism is not added to all the porous units provided in the fork member, but a swing mechanism is added as necessary. Therefore, it is possible to secure a desired effect in receiving and delivering the plate-like workpiece, and to suppress an increase in cost associated with newly adding a swing mechanism.

  In this case, a swing mechanism is added to the porous unit in the fork member where the plate-like workpiece is likely to be bent and deformed, or where the inconvenience is caused if the porous unit is not swung following the bent deformation. A configuration in which a swinging mechanism is not added to the porous units in other portions is conceivable. More specifically, for example, a configuration in which a rocking mechanism is added to the porous unit near the outer edge of the plate-like workpiece and a rocking mechanism is not added to the porous unit in other parts, or the tip of the fork member It is conceivable that a rocking mechanism is added to the porous unit in the section, and no rocking mechanism is added to the porous units in other parts.

  Means 6. 6. The plate-like workpiece transfer apparatus according to any one of means 1 to 5, wherein the porous body is made of a porous synthetic resin material.

  According to the means 6, since the porous body is made of a synthetic resin material, damage or the like in a contact state with the plate-like workpiece can be suppressed. The surface of the porous body is preferably finished so as to reduce the surface roughness.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment embodies a transfer system for receiving and transferring a plate-shaped workpiece such as a liquid crystal glass or a thin large substrate between a transfer device and a storage shelf (stocker). In this transfer device, the workpiece is supported in a floating state (non-contact support) on the fork member which is a handling arm, and the workpiece is received and delivered by the fork member.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a transfer system in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer system includes a transfer device 10 and a storage shelf (stocker) 20, and the workpiece W is received and delivered between the transfer device 10 and the storage shelf 20. Done. The storage shelf 20 can store a plurality of workpieces W in multiple stages, and is configured to store the workpieces W for each of the plurality of storage floors 21.

  The transfer apparatus 10 includes, as main components, a main body part 11, a table part 12 placed on the main body part 11, and a comb-like fork 13 for holding the workpiece W in a floating state. . The main body 11 has a lifting / lowering function for moving the table 12 up and down and a rotating function for rotating the table 12 in an arbitrary direction, and the main body 11 operates according to a command from a control device (not shown). By doing so, the height position and rotation position of the table part 12 can be adjusted as desired.

  The table unit 12 has a function for causing the fork 13 to linearly move in the horizontal direction. The fork 13 is made of a lightweight and highly rigid material such as CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic), and holds the workpiece W in a floating state by ejecting a gas such as air upward through a gas passage inside the fork 13. It has a function to do. The details will be described later.

  With the transfer device 10 positioned in front of the storage shelf 20, the fork 13 moves toward a predetermined floor of the storage shelf 20, so that the fork 13 enters the storage shelf 20 from the entrance of the storage shelf 20. To do. In this state, the workpiece W is received or delivered.

  In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the several rail is laid on the floor surface in which this transfer system was installed, and the transfer apparatus 10 and the storage shelf 20 can each move along a rail. In the transfer device 10, as a configuration for moving the fork 13 to a desired position, a robot having a parallelogram link mechanism, an arbitrary multi-axis robot having a multi-joint structure, or the like can be employed. .

  Next, the configuration of the fork 13 will be described. 2 is a plan view of the fork 13, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing the porous unit 30 provided on the fork 13.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fork 13 has a plurality (four in this embodiment) of comb teeth 14, and the comb teeth 14 are connected by a trunk 15. The comb tooth portion 14 and the core portion 15 are hollow, and the hollow portion serves as an air passage 16. Further, mounting screw holes 17 are formed on the upper surface of each comb tooth portion 14, and the porous units 30 are screwed and fixed to the mounting screw holes 17, respectively. Air is supplied to the porous unit 30 through the air passage 16.

  In this case, it is preferable that the bending analysis is performed in a state where the workpiece W is floated and held, and the number and positions of the porous units 30 to be installed in the fork 13 are determined based on the analysis result. Thereby, the holding state of the workpiece W can be optimized and the number of the porous units 30 to be installed can be minimized. In addition, the load amount at the time of air floating by each porous unit 30 is good to be about 1000 g / 1.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the porous unit 30 is configured to add a swinging mechanism (also referred to as a swing mechanism) that swings according to the inclination of the opposing workpiece W. The swinging mechanism is described in detail below. explain.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the porous unit 30 includes a support 31 as a fixing member that is fixed to the comb tooth portion 14 of the fork 13, and a swing member that is swingably supported by the support 31. A swing body 41 is provided. The support 31 has a shaft portion 32 extending in the vertical direction, and a mounting screw portion 33 is formed at the base end portion thereof. In addition, a spherical portion 34 as a support portion having a spherical shape is formed on the distal end side of the shaft portion 32. The support 31 is provided with an air passage 35 that opens to the upper end of the sphere 34 and the bottom surface of the mounting screw 33. The central axis of the shaft part 32 coincides with the center line in the vertical direction passing through the centers of the mounting screw part 33, the spherical body part 34 and the air passage 35, which is the center line of the entire porous unit 30. And each part and each member which will be described later constituting the porous unit 30 are provided on the basis of this center line.

  The swing body 41 has a cylindrical outer shape, and includes an upper structure 42 and a lower structure 43. Both components 42 and 43 have the same cross-sectional area. An upper concave portion 44 that can accommodate the upper portion of the spherical portion 34 is formed in the central portion of the lower surface of the upper structure 42. The side wall forming the upper concave portion 44 is an upper tapered surface 45 as a supported portion over the entire circumference, and the upper concave portion 44 is formed in a downward mortar shape. The lower opening edge of the upper recess 44 is formed in a step shape and is provided with an annular groove 46, and an O-ring 47 as a sealing means is accommodated in the annular groove 46. The inner diameter portion of the O-ring 47 is in contact with the spherical surface 34a of the sphere portion 34 over the entire circumferential direction. The O-ring 47 seals the three parts of the sphere 34, the upper component 42 and the lower component 43, and prevents air flowing inside the swinging body 41 from leaking to the outside. Yes.

  A lower concave portion 48 that can accommodate the lower portion of the sphere portion 34 is formed in the center portion of the upper surface of the lower structure 43. The side wall forming the lower concave portion 48 is a lower tapered surface 49 as a contact surface over the entire circumference, and the lower concave portion 48 is formed in an upward mortar shape. The lower taper surface 49 is symmetric with the upper taper surface 45. Further, the bottom of the lower concave portion 48 penetrates the lower surface of the lower structure 43, and a through hole 50 having a diameter larger than that of the shaft portion 32 of the support 31 is formed in the lower surface central portion of the lower structure 43. Has been.

  The upper structure 42 and the lower structure 43 are bonded to each other at their opposing surfaces and fixed by a fixing means such as a bolt (not shown). In the state shown in FIG. 4, the spherical portion 34 of the support 31 is accommodated in the accommodating space formed by the upper concave portion 44 and the lower concave portion 48, and the shaft portion 32 and the mounting screw portion 33 are connected via the through hole 50. It protrudes from the lower surface of the lower structure 43. The spherical surface 34 a of the spherical body portion 34 is in contact with the upper tapered surface 45 and the lower tapered surface 48, and the spherical body portion 34 is optional in the accommodation space formed by the upper concave portion 44 and the lower concave portion 48. It can be rotated in the direction of. With the above configuration, the swing body 41 is swingable with respect to the support 31 and is held in a stable state.

  The swing body 41 includes a porous body 51 and is configured such that air is ejected from an air ejection surface 51 a that is the upper surface of the porous body 51. The detailed configuration is as follows.

  A circular recess 52 is formed on the upper surface, which is a flat surface, in the upper structure 42 constituting the oscillating body 41, and the porous body 51 protrudes from the upper surface of the upper structure 42 in the circular recess 52. Is assembled. The porous body 51 has a disk shape having a predetermined thickness, and is made of a porous synthetic resin material. A circulation step 53 is formed on the bottom surface of the circular recess 52, and an air passage 54 is formed below the circulation step 53. The flow step portion 53 communicates with the air passage 54 of the swing body 41 and the air passage 35 of the support 31. When air is supplied to the flow step portion 53 through these air passages 35, 54, Passes through the fine holes of the porous body 51 and is ejected from the air ejection surface 51a.

  In the porous unit 30 having the above-described configuration, when air is ejected from the air ejection surface 51a of the porous body 51, a levitation force is generated by the air ejection, and the air ejection surface 51a of the porous body 51 (the porous unit 30). The workpiece W placed on the upper surface of the surface rises. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the swinging main body 41 swings according to the tilt of the work W facing the air ejection surface 51 a of the porous body 51 and tilts with respect to the support 31. That is, on the air ejection surface 51a of the porous body 51, air ejection is performed in a substantially uniform state over the entire surface, and if the work W is tilted at that time, the swinging main body 41 is swung following the workpiece W, and the porous body 51 The air ejection surface 51a of the body 51 and the workpiece W are held in a parallel state. Therefore, the inconvenience that the work W is inclined with respect to the air ejection surface 51a (the upper surface of the porous unit 30) of the porous body 51 and air leaks due to the work W and sufficient levitation force does not occur is eliminated.

  Even if the axis of the swinging body 41 is inclined with respect to the axis of the support 31, there is no inconvenience that the air passages 35 and 54 provided in the support 31 and the swinging body 41 are blocked. Therefore, even in the inclined state as shown in FIG. 5, a floating force equivalent to that in the non-inclined state acts on the workpiece W, and an appropriate workpiece floating state is maintained.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a state of the porous unit 30 and the workpiece W when a difference in height occurs in each comb tooth portion 14 of the fork 13. FIG. 6 schematically shows a state in which the fork 13 is viewed from the tip side of the comb tooth portion 14.

  In FIG. 6, the left and right comb teeth 14 have a difference in height as shown in the figure, and accordingly, the workpiece W is bent and deformed so that the right side of the drawing is downward. In this case, since the porous unit 30 swings following the inclination of the workpiece W, the air ejection surface 51a of the porous body 51 is automatically adjusted to an angle corresponding to the inclination of the workpiece W. Thereby, the air ejection surface 51a (the upper surface of the porous unit 30) of the porous body 51 and the workpiece W are held in a parallel state, and the porous unit 30 is not affected by the bending state (tilt) of the workpiece W. The load (weight) from W can be received on the entire surface. Therefore, the air leakage is eliminated as described above, and the workpiece W is held in a suitable floating state.

  In the transfer system of FIG. 1, when receiving the workpiece W stored in the storage shelf 20, the transfer device 10 is operated as follows. That is, first, the transfer device 10 is moved to the front of the storage shelf 20, and the fork 13 is inserted below the workpiece W stored on the predetermined storage floor 21. Next, pressurized air (positive air of about 0.1 to 0.2 MPa) is supplied to the porous unit 30 via the air passage 16 of each comb tooth portion 14, and the air ejection surface of each porous body 51. Air is ejected from 51a (the upper surface of the porous unit 30). In this state, the fork 13 is moved up to approach the workpiece W. As the fork 13 approaches, the workpiece W rises. Further, when the weight of the workpiece W acts on the porous unit 30, the swing mechanism is activated. If the workpiece W is tilted at that time, the porous unit 30 swings in accordance with the tilt, and the porous unit 30. And the workpiece W are in a parallel state.

  Thereafter, the fork 13 is moved in the horizontal direction while the workpiece W is placed in a floating state. Thereby, the workpiece | work W is transferred with respect to another conveying apparatus etc. with the floating state. During this transfer, the workpiece W may sway, but the sway is also absorbed by the swing mechanism. Therefore, damage during workpiece transfer can be suppressed.

  According to the embodiment described in detail above, since the swinging mechanism that swings according to the tilt of the workpiece W is added to the porous unit 30, there is a difference in height in each comb tooth portion 14 of the fork 13. The height difference can be absorbed, and the workpiece W can be reliably held in a floating state (non-contact holding). Thereby, the local deformation | transformation, damage, etc. in the workpiece | work W are eliminated. As a result, the workpiece W such as a liquid crystal glass or a thin large substrate can be held in a desired state, and the workpiece W can be preferably received and delivered.

  Since the swing mechanism is configured such that the sphere part 34 is provided on the support 31 and the sphere part 34 is rotatably accommodated in the accommodation space formed in the swing main body 41, the porous unit 30 is configured as described above. A desired swinging motion can be realized. At this time, the swinging main body 41 operates while being in contact with the sphere surface 34a of the sphere 34, so that a smooth swinging operation can be realized in any direction.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the content of description of the said embodiment, For example, you may implement as follows.

  In the above-described embodiment, the swing mechanism is configured to provide the support body 31 with the sphere portion 34 and rotatably receive the sphere portion 34 in the storage space formed in the swing body 41. The configuration may be changed. For example, contrary to the above configuration, a spherical body portion is provided in the swinging main body and an accommodation space is formed in the support body. And it comprises so that the spherical body part of a rocking | swiveling main body may be rotatably accommodated in the accommodation space formed in the support body. In addition, the spherical portion provided in the support (fixing member) or the swinging main body (swinging member) can be hemispherical, and any configuration having a spherical surface is sufficient.

  It is also possible to provide a projecting member for preventing the displacement of the workpiece W on the top surface of the fork 13. As a result, it is possible to suppress inconveniences such as displacement of the workpiece W on the fork 13 and dropping of the workpiece W from the fork 13.

  In the above-described embodiment, in the transfer device 10, a plurality of porous units 30 are provided in each comb-tooth portion 14 of the fork 13, and air is blown out from the porous units 30 to float the workpiece W (non-contacting). The state is held in the state) and transferred in that state, but this is changed. For example, it is good also as a structure which hold | maintains the workpiece | work W in an adsorption | suction state by producing a suction effect with the porous unit 30, and transfers in that state. The configuration of the porous unit 30 is not changed at all, but the only difference is that the upper surface of the porous body 51 functions as an adsorption surface rather than an air ejection surface.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a holding state of the workpiece W when a suction action is generated by the porous unit 30. FIG. 7 schematically shows a state in which the fork 13 is viewed from the tip side of the comb tooth portion 14.

  In FIG. 7, the left and right comb teeth 14 have a height difference as shown in the figure, and accordingly, the workpiece W is bent and deformed so that the right side of the figure is down. Then, by performing air suction through the air passage 16 of each comb tooth portion 14, the workpiece W is adsorbed on the adsorption surface of the porous body 51, and the porous unit 30 follows the inclination of the workpiece W at that time. Swing. In this case, local deformation or damage to the workpiece W due to the swing of the porous unit 30 is suppressed. The adsorption distortion of the workpiece W can also be reduced. Therefore, similarly to the case where the workpiece W is transferred in a floating state, the workpiece W such as a liquid crystal glass or a thin large substrate can be held in a desired state, and the workpiece W can be preferably received and delivered. Further, in this case, by using the porous body 51 made of synthetic resin, it is possible to suppress damage to the workpiece W and the like at the adsorbing portion with the porous body 51. The surface of the porous body 51 is preferably finished so as to reduce the surface roughness.

  Further, the fork 13 may be configured to have both a function of floating and holding the workpiece W by the air ejection of the porous unit 30 and a function of sucking and holding the workpiece W by the suction action of the porous unit 30. In this case, it is possible to switch between a state where air is supplied via the air passage 16 of the fork 13 and a state where air is sucked via the air passage 16. Thus, by having both a floating function and an adsorption function, the following usage becomes possible. For example, when the workpiece W is transferred from the storage shelf 20 to a transfer device or the like, when the workpiece W is received from the storage floor 21 of the storage shelf 20, pressurized air (0.1 to 0.2 MPa) is supplied to the porous unit 30. A positive pressure air) is supplied, and the work W is levitated by the air jets associated therewith. After that, when the workpiece W is transferred to another transfer device or the like, the workpiece W is adsorbed to the porous unit 30 by air suction (suction by negative pressure of about −70 to −90 kPa) with respect to the porous unit 30. In this case, inconveniences such as the work W rattling on the fork 13 or the work W falling from the fork 13 during the work transfer are eliminated. In addition, the fork 13 can be tilted.

  In the above embodiment, the swing mechanism is added to all the porous units 30 provided in each comb tooth portion 14 in the fork 13, but this is changed, and the porous unit having the swing mechanism is You may make it provide two types of porous units which consist of the porous unit which is not provided with a function in a fork member. In this case, in the fork 13, a swinging mechanism is added to a portion where the workpiece W is likely to be bent and deformed, or a portion of the porous unit that is inconvenient if the porous unit is not swung following the bending deformation, A rocking mechanism is not added to the porous units in other parts. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8A, a rocking mechanism is added to the porous unit (UA shown in FIG. 8) in the vicinity of the outer edge of the workpiece W, so that the porous parts in other parts are porous. A configuration in which no rocking mechanism is added to the quality unit is conceivable. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), the porous unit (in FIG. 8, the solid portion in FIG. 8) corresponds to the tip portion of the fork 13 (this corresponds to the most affected by the height difference of each comb tooth portion 14). A configuration in which a swinging mechanism is added to UB) and a swinging mechanism is not added to porous units in other portions is conceivable.

  Since a swinging mechanism is not added to all the porous units provided in the fork 13 but a swinging mechanism is added as necessary, a desired effect can be obtained in receiving and delivering the workpiece W. In addition, the cost increase associated with newly adding the swing mechanism can be minimized.

It is a figure which shows the outline of a workpiece transfer system. It is a top view of a fork. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the porous unit provided in the fork. It is sectional drawing which shows the rocking | fluctuation state of a porous unit. It is the schematic which shows the floating holding | maintenance state of the workpiece | work when a height difference arises in each comb-tooth part of a fork. It is the schematic which shows the adsorption | suction holding | maintenance state of the workpiece | work when a height difference arises in each comb-tooth part of a fork. It is a figure which shows the example of arrangement | positioning with the porous unit which added the rocking | fluctuation mechanism, and the porous unit which has not added the rocking | fluctuation mechanism. It is a figure for demonstrating the problem of a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Transfer apparatus, 13 ... Fork, 14 ... Comb tooth part, 16 ... Air passage, 30 ... Porous unit, 31 ... Support body, 34 ... Spherical body part, 35 ... Air passage, 41 ... Swing body, 44 ... Upper concave part, 48 ... lower concave part, 51 ... porous body, 51a ... air ejection surface, 53 ... distribution step part, 54 ... air passage, W ... work.

Claims (4)

In a plate-like workpiece transfer device that includes a fork member having a plurality of comb teeth portions, and receives or delivers a plate-like workpiece by the fork member,
On the upper surface of each comb tooth portion of the fork member, there are provided a plurality of porous units including a porous body that has a facing surface facing the plate-like workpiece and causes a gas to be ejected through a fine hole or to generate a suction action. A swinging mechanism that swings according to the tilt of the opposing plate-like workpiece is added to the porous unit,
The swing mechanism includes a fixing member fixed to the comb tooth portion, and a swinging member that includes the porous body and is swingably supported by the fixing member.
The fixing member and the swinging member are in communication with each other, and a gas passage is formed so as to be connected to the porous body,
A spherical portion is provided on one of the fixing member and the swinging member, and a receiving portion for receiving the spherical portion in a state of being in contact with the spherical surface of the spherical portion is provided on the other,
The spherical surface is abutted and supported at positions above and below the sphere center of the sphere portion in the accommodating portion, and in a state where gas for ejection or suction flows through the gas passage, The swinging member is swingable while being in contact with and supported while the relative position between the spherical portion and the accommodating portion is fixed ;
Further, the accommodating portion is provided with a sealing means in a state of being in contact with the spherical surface of the spherical body portion at a position surrounding the opening on the porous body side of the gas passage formed in the fixing member, An apparatus for transferring a plate-like workpiece , wherein the spherical surface is abutted and supported at positions above and below the spherical center of the spherical body portion by an inner surface of the housing portion and the sealing means . 2. The plate-like workpiece transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein a gas passage is formed in the comb-tooth portion, and gas flows into or out of the porous unit through the gas passage. The plate-like workpiece transfer according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the fork member is provided with a porous unit including the swing mechanism and a porous unit not including the swing mechanism. Mounting device. Apparatus for transferring plate-shaped workpiece according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that to prepare the porous body of a synthetic resin porous material.

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