JP2000351449A - Glass substrate transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a glass substrate transfer apparatus using an inexpensive diagonally stacked pallet of glass substrates capable of transferring a large amount of glass substrates safely and in large quantities. An oblique stacking pallet (10) for obliquely stacking a plurality of glass substrates (W) and a slip sheet (S) sandwiched between the glass substrates (W).
Paper removing device 70 for removing the interleaving paper S from the container, a handling device 80 provided in the vicinity of the interleaving material removing device 70, and the diagonally stacked pallet 10 are conveyed from the carry-in port H to the vicinity of the handling device 80, and further, the glass substrate W And pallet conveying means 60 for conveying the obliquely stacked pallet 10 from which the interleaf S has been taken out to the outlet h.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for transporting glass substrates using an oblique stacking pallet in which a plurality of glass substrates for a PDP (plasma display panel), a color filter and the like are stacked and placed in an inclined state. To a glass substrate transfer device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a glass substrate having a thickness of about 0.7 mm, for example, a plurality of glass substrates such as color filters, is transported, it is called a PP (made of polypropylene resin) case or a PE (made of polyethylene resin) case. Twenty to thirty glass substrates are vertically placed in a resin container provided with a groove into which a plate is inserted, covered with a lid, and transported by truck between a glass substrate manufacturer and a processing manufacturer.
In the factory, upon receiving, a mounting frame divided into, for example, four sections is provided on a pallet, and a PP case or a PE case is stacked in each mounting frame. Then, the pallet is placed on the conveyor and transported to the vicinity of the glass substrate take-out device.

[0003]

However, in response to the recent tendency that the area of the glass substrate, particularly the area of the glass substrate, becomes large, the above-mentioned conventional method requires that the area of the divided mounting frame on the pallet also be increased. Yes, the standard pallets cannot be used, and the size of the pallets must be increased. Further, when the glass substrate is transported in the factory, the PP case or the PE case in which the glass substrate is stored is placed on the mounting frame of the pallet. In addition, a space for providing a groove for inserting a glass substrate therein is required, and the space for mounting the glass substrate is sacrificed, and the number of glass substrates transported by one pallet is limited. . Naturally, pallet manufacturing costs will also increase significantly. Further, the transport device for transporting the pallets has to be changed to a large size, so that there is a problem that high equipment costs are required. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a glass substrate transfer apparatus using an inexpensive diagonally stacked pallet of glass substrates capable of transferring large-sized glass substrates safely and in large quantities.

[0004]

According to the present invention, there is provided a glass substrate transport apparatus according to the present invention, wherein a plurality of glass substrates and an interleaving paper sandwiched between the glass substrates are inclined and stacked in a stacked state. , A handling device that is provided near the slip sheet removing device and takes out the glass substrate, and a diagonally stacked pallet is transported from the loading port to the vicinity of the handling device, and the glass substrate and the slip sheet are further removed. Pallet transport means for transporting the diagonally stacked pallets after being taken out to the carry-out port. In this case, the glass substrates are stacked on an oblique stacking pallet and transported in a state where they are tilted and stacked without opening a gap between the interleaving papers, so the surface of the glass substrate is protected by the interleaving paper, and even a large glass substrate It can be transported safely and in large quantities. In particular, it is suitable for transferring glass substrates for plasma display panels and liquid crystals. In addition, a pallet transporting step of transporting the diagonally stacked pallets to the vicinity of the slip sheet removing device, a slip sheet removing step and a glass substrate removing step when removing glass substrates one by one from the diagonally stacked pallets, and returning an empty diagonally stacked pallet. It is possible to automate all of the processes.

[0005] Here, the slip sheet removing device is designed to reduce the distance between the slip sheet take-out device, the suction pad provided at the front side of the slip sheet take-out device, and the diagonally stacked glass substrate and the slip sheet take-out device. A sensor for detecting, a slip sheet holding member that holds the upper part of the glass substrate and the slip sheet stacked diagonally, and a slip sheet holding traveling device that moves the slip sheet holding member according to a change in the thickness of the glass substrate Is also good. in this case,
The sensor enables accurate and automatic positioning of the suction pad and the slip sheet holding member.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to provide an understanding of the present invention. Here, FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a glass substrate transport device according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing a slip sheet removing device provided in the glass substrate transport device,
FIG. 3 is a side view showing an oblique stacking pallet used in the glass substrate transfer device.

As shown in FIG. 1, a glass substrate transfer device 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention
A pallet transfer means 60 is provided for taking out 0 from the carry-in entrance H and reciprocating the work to the work place T. Pallet transfer means 6
Reference numeral 0 denotes a first transport unit 61 composed of a chain conveyor that loads and transports the diagonally stacked pallets 10 loaded with a plurality of glass substrates W at the loading entrance H, and receives the diagonally stacked pallets 10 from the first transport unit 61. And a second conveyor 62 composed of a chain conveyor for conveying at right angles. Further, the obliquely stacked pallet 10 is received from the intermediate portion of the second transport means 62, and reciprocates between the intermediate portion of the second transport means 62 and the unloading work site T provided with the slip sheet removing device 70 and the handling device 80. A third conveying means 63 for conveying, and an empty obliquely stacked pallet 10 received from the third conveying means 63 at an intermediate portion of the second conveying means 62 from the final end of the second conveying means 62 and a carry-out port and a fourth transport means 64 composed of a chain conveyor for transporting the conveyor belt to the position h. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the third transport means 63 fixes the diagonally stacked pallets 10 to the pallet truck 631 by clamps 632, and fixes the pallet truck 631 by a linear moving device 633 such as an air cylinder or a linear actuator. It is configured to be driven.

As shown in FIG. 2, an interleaf removal device 70 provided at the unloading work place T is adapted to remove an interleaf that can move in a direction perpendicular (perpendicularly) to the surface of the glass substrate W loaded on the diagonally stacked pallet 10. The pallet truck 631 is provided by a linear moving device 711.
It can be moved in the same direction as. An adsorbing pad 72 for adsorbing the interleaf paper S is provided at a tip of the interleaf paper removing device 71. A sensor 73 of, for example, a photoelectric type that detects the distance between the glass substrate W and the suction pad 72 is provided near the position where the suction pad 72 is provided in the slip sheet removal device 71. The output of the sensor 73 controls the slip sheet take-out device 71 so as to follow the change in the stacking thickness L of the glass substrate W, and presses the suction pad 72 against the slip sheet S on the surface of the glass substrate W to form the slip sheet. S is to be gripped.

Above the glass substrates W loaded on the diagonally stacked pallet 10, an interleaf pressing member 74 for pressing the upper portions of the diagonally stacked glass substrates W and the interleaf S, and an interleaf pressing member 74 are attached to the glass substrate W. An interleaving paper pressing and traveling device 75, which is a linear moving device for moving the W in the loading thickness direction, is provided so that the interleaving paper pressing member 74 can move following the change in the mounting thickness of the glass substrate W. As shown in an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 2, a pressing pad 76 made of a soft elastic member such as a sponge is provided at the end of the interleaf paper pressing member 74, and a pressing pad operating section that moves in the vertical direction by, for example, an air cylinder or the like. 77 are provided so as to press the upper portions of the interleaving paper S and the glass substrate W.

The handling device 80 provided adjacent to the slip sheet removing device 70 is, for example, a multi-joint industrial robot. The arm 81 has a plurality of suction pads 82 at its tip so as to be dispersed on the surface of the glass substrate W. Has been placed. After the slip sheet S is removed by the slip sheet removing device 70, the suction pad 82 is pressed against the surface of the glass substrate W by the arm 81 to hold the glass substrates W one by one, and the arm 81 is rotated to be provided in the vicinity. The glass substrate W can be placed on the single-wafer conveyor 83 (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 3, the diagonal stacking pallet 10 used for the glass substrate transfer apparatus is composed of a plurality of glass substrates W which are leaned and leaned on a base 20 having a horizontal mounting surface 21. A support member 23 having an inclined receiving surface 22 is provided. The support member 23 is provided with a turning shaft 24 protruding horizontally from both side surfaces thereof,
The pivot shaft 24 is provided with a bracket 25 that can rotate around the pivot shaft 24. The bracket 25 has a holding frame member 30 rotatably connected to a connecting pin 26 provided in a direction perpendicular to the pivot shaft 24. The holding frame member 30 includes a holding arm 31, and a plurality of setting holes 32 are provided near the tip of the holding arm 31 at intervals along the longitudinal direction. In addition, the holding frame member 30 includes lock mechanisms 33 on both side surfaces of the support member 23. Both holding arms 31
The two ends of the pressing means 34 are detachably attached to the tip of.

Here, the operation of the glass substrate transfer device 50 for transferring the diagonally stacked pallet 10 loaded with the glass substrates W, removing the slip sheet S, and taking out the glass substrates W will be described. The glass substrate W is placed on the mounting surface 21 of the diagonally stacked pallet 10 in a state where the auxiliary support member 40 is not attached.
A slip sheet S is sandwiched between a plurality of diagonally stacked adjacent glass substrates W, the glass substrates W are stacked with the front and back surfaces covered with the slip sheets S, and the glass substrates W are stacked by the holding frame member 30 and the pressing means 34. W is held so as to surround W. In this state, the obliquely stacked pallet 10 is transported to the carry-in entrance H by an external transport device (not shown) such as a truck, and is placed on the first transport means 61. Here, the hook pin 44
Is engaged with the cutout elongated hole 27, and the hook 28 is
An auxiliary support member 40 is attached to the back of the diagonally stacked pallet 10 so as to be hooked on the upper end of the pallet 2 to prevent the diagonally stacked pallet 10 from tipping over due to vibration or the like during transportation by the pallet transportation means 60. In this state, the obliquely stacked pallet 10 is moved on the first transport means 61, and is transferred from the first transport means 61 to the second transport means 62. Further, the pallet truck 631 of the third transport unit 63 is transferred to the pallet truck 631 at the intermediate portion of the second transport unit 62, the diagonally stacked pallets 10 are fixed to the pallet truck 631 by the clamp 632, and the slip sheet is removed by the linear moving device 633. It moves below the slip sheet take-out device 71 of the device 70. Reference numeral 231 denotes a mounting bar, 41 denotes a horizontal portion of the auxiliary support member 40, and 43 denotes a reinforcing portion.

Here, the pressing means 34 is removed, the lock mechanism 33 is released, and the holding arm 31 is opened outward and adjusted.
Is rotated about the pivot shaft 24 and lowered downward so as not to contact the glass substrate W, so that the glass substrate W and the slip sheet S can be taken out. After that, the slip sheet take-out device 71 is driven to bring the suction pad 72 close to the surface of the glass substrate W,
The distance to the surface of the glass substrate W is detected by a sensor 73 provided in the slip sheet take-out device 71. Sensor 73
According to the position of the surface of the glass substrate W obtained from the output of
The press pad operating member 77 moves to the upper end of the surface of the glass substrate W on which the press pad operating members 77 are stacked by the interleaf press member 74, and the press pad 76 is pressed against the end of the glass substrate W by the press pad operating portion 77, and Glass substrate W on top
To the top of In this state, the slip sheet removal device 71
Accordingly, the suction pad 72 is moved in accordance with the detected distance to the surface of the glass substrate W, and the slip sheet S covering the surface of the glass substrate W is further pressed and sucked, and then the slip sheet removal device 71 is moved. Then, the suction pad 72 is moved away from the surface of the glass substrate W to peel off the slip sheet S, and the slip sheet removing operation is performed. Thereafter, the interleaf take-out device 71 is moved to the position of the interleaf insertion box 78 by the linear moving device 711, and the peeled interleaf S is put into the interleaf insertion box 78 and carried out. When the slip sheet S is peeled off by the suction pad 72, the holding pad operating portion 77 is slightly
Is lifted to loosen the holding of the holding pad 76,
Is removed, the pressing pad operating portion 77 is moved in the direction of the support member 23 to the upper end of the surface of the glass substrate W in accordance with the thickness of the stacked glass substrates W, and the pressing pad is moved at that position. The operation unit 77 is operated to press the upper part of the slip sheet S.

Next, the arm 81 of the handling device 80
Is moved, and the suction pad 82 is pressed against the surface of the glass substrate W to grip one glass substrate W, and the arm 81 is turned to be placed on the single-wafer conveyor 83 to take out the glass substrate W. . The single wafer conveyor 83 conveys the glass substrates W one by one to the next step. After moving the glass substrate W from the diagonally stacked pallet 10 to the sheet-fed conveyor 83, the operation of removing the slip sheet and the operation of taking out the glass substrate W are repeated,
All the glass substrates W loaded on the diagonally stacked pallet 10
Is placed on the single-wafer conveyor 83. The empty diagonally stacked pallet 10 is placed on an intermediate portion of the second conveying means 62 by the third conveying means 63 and moved by the second conveying means 62 to carry out the fourth conveying from the final end. Put on the means 64,
It is returned to the carry-out port h by the fourth carrying means 64.

With such a glass substrate transfer device 50, the glass substrates W are stacked on the diagonal stacking pallet 10 in a state where the glass substrates W are tilted and stacked without opening a gap between the slip sheets S, and are transferred as in the conventional case. In addition, the mounting space of the glass substrate is not limited by the PP case or the PE case in which the glass substrate is stored. Even if the glass substrate is large, the glass substrate can be protected by the interleaving paper and transported safely and in large quantities. When taking out the glass substrates W one by one from the diagonally stacked pallet 10, the conveying process of the diagonally stacked pallet 10, the removing process of the slip sheet S, the removing process of the glass substrate W, and the returning of the empty diagonally stacked pallet 10. All processes can be automated.

[0016]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, there is provided a glass substrate transport apparatus for removing a slip sheet from a diagonally stacked pallet for diagonally stacking a plurality of glass substrates and a slip sheet sandwiched between the glass substrates. , A handling device provided in the vicinity of the slip sheet removing device, and a pallet for conveying the diagonally stacked pallet from the carry-in port to the vicinity of the handling device, and further conveying the diagonally stacked pallet after taking out the glass substrate and the slip sheet to the carry-out port. Transport means. Therefore, since the glass substrates are stacked on the diagonal stacking pallet in a state of being inclined and stacked without opening a gap with the interleaving paper therebetween, and conveyed,
Even large-sized glass substrates can be transported safely and in large quantities, and transport costs can be reduced. A pallet transporting step of transporting the diagonally stacked pallets to the vicinity of the slip sheet removing device; a slip sheet removing step and a glass substrate removing step when removing the glass substrates one by one from the diagonally stacked pallets;
It is possible to automate all the steps of returning the empty diagonally stacked pallets, and the number of work steps can be significantly reduced.

In particular, in the glass substrate transport device according to the second aspect, the slip sheet removing device includes a slip sheet removing device, a suction pad provided on a front side of the slip sheet removing device, and a glass substrate stacked obliquely. A sensor for detecting the distance between the slip sheet and the slip sheet take-out device, a slip sheet holding member that presses the upper part of the glass substrate and the slip sheet stacked diagonally, and a slip sheet holding member according to a change in the stacking thickness of the glass substrate. Since it has the slip sheet holding traveling device to move, the positioning between the suction pad and the slip sheet holding member is accurately and automatically performed by the sensor, and the slip sheet removing operation can be automated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a glass substrate transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a slip sheet removing device provided in the glass substrate transport device.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing an oblique stacking pallet used in the glass substrate transfer device.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: diagonally stacked pallet, 20: base, 21: mounting surface, 22: receiving surface, 23: support member, 24: pivot, 2
5: Bracket, 26: Connecting pin, 27: Notched long hole, 28: Hook, 30: Holding frame member, 31: Holding arm, 32: Set hole, 33: Lock mechanism, 34: Pressing means, 40: Auxiliary support Member, 41: horizontal portion, 42: support leg, 43: reinforcing portion, 44: hook pin, 50: glass substrate transport device, 60: pallet transport device, 61: first transport device, 62: second transport device , 63: third transport means, 64: fourth transport means, 70: slip sheet removing device, 7
1: interleaf paper take-out device, 72: suction pad, 73: sensor, 74: interleaf press member, 75: interleaf press traveling device, 76: press pad, 77: press pad operating section,
78: slip-sheet input box, 80: handling device, 8
1: arm, 82: suction pad, 83: single sheet conveyor,
231: Mounting bar, 631: Pallet truck, 632:
Clamp, 633: linear moving device, 711: linear moving device

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Takehiro Isono 2-1-1-15 Emitsu, Yawatahigashi-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka Inside Mishima Kosan Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shigeyo Nakazawa 1-1-1, Kagamachi, Ichigaya No. 1 Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3F030 AA04 AB04 BB01

Claims (2)

[Claims] An interleaf removal device for removing the interleaf from an oblique stacking pallet in which a plurality of glass substrates and interleaf sandwiched between the glass substrates are stacked while being inclined and stacked;
A handling device provided near the interleaf removal device to take out the glass substrate, and the oblique stacking pallet is conveyed from a carry-in entrance to the vicinity of the handling device, and further, the oblique after removing the glass substrate and the interleaf paper. And a pallet conveying means for conveying the stacked pallets to a carry-out port. 2. The interleaving paper removing device according to claim 1, wherein the interleaving paper removing device is capable of moving in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the glass substrate loaded on the diagonally stacked pallet; A suction pad provided on the front side of the slip sheet take-out device and gripping the slip sheet, and a distance between the glass substrate stacked on the slip sheet take-out device and the diagonally stacked glass substrate and the slip sheet take-out device. A sensor for detecting, a slip sheet holding member for holding the upper part of the diagonally stacked glass substrate and the slip sheet, and a slip sheet holding traveling device for moving the slip sheet holding member in accordance with a change in the stack thickness of the glass substrate; A glass substrate transport device comprising: