Automatic locking device

Abstract

The present invention provides an automatic locking device, including a substrate and a container body, and the container body is placed on the substrate. Two symmetrical positioning members and two wedge-shaped members are arranged on the substrate, and the container body has a storage space for accommodating wafers or sheet-shaped carriers. Two symmetrical guide grooves, two limiting members and two movable locking members are arranged on the same side of the container body, and the first ends of the two movable locking members are respectively located between the two guide grooves and the two limiting members. When the second ends of the two movable locking members are against the high point position of the wedge-shaped member, the first end is ejected from the two guide grooves, and moves from the first limiting part to the second limiting part, so that the first end falls into the two guide grooves, and the second ends of the two movable locking members are located at the low point position of the wedge-shaped member, so that the two movable locking members block part of the opening of the storage space, thereby preventing the wafers or sheet-shaped carriers accommodated in the storage space from falling out.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic locking device, in particular to an automatic locking device which utilizes a wedge-shaped action to guide a movable locking piece to automatically lock the opening of a container body. Background Art

[0002] Wafers are the substrates in semiconductor manufacturing processes, and most of them have to go through a variety of processes such as coating, exposure, and etching. Since wafers are fragile, before subsequent processing such as cutting, the wafers need to be placed in containers for protection during the transportation process of each workstation's process steps, such as wafer frame boxes (Frame Cassette), wafer boat magazines (Boat Magzine), etc., and then moved to the next process workstation.

[0003] The inner side wall of the container carrying the wafer or the wafer frame is designed with a plurality of symmetrical horizontal support ribs arranged at intervals, and each pair of support ribs is used to clamp the side edge of a wafer or a wafer frame. In electronics factories or semiconductor factories, the use of automated equipment is very common. For automated equipment, placing wafers or wafer frames into containers is a common operating procedure. However, when the container carrying the wafers or wafer frames is to be transported to the next workstation, in order to prevent the wafers or wafer frames from falling and being damaged during transportation, a locking structure is generally designed on the container, and manual locking operation is required. However, the current locking structure design on the container is relatively complex and is easily damaged due to improper human operation. Not only can the mechanism design not be used for a long time, but if the locking structure is damaged or the locking operation is forgotten due to human negligence, the risk of the wafer or wafer frame falling out of the container will increase.

[0004] Therefore, how to solve the above-mentioned problems and deficiencies of the prior art has become a research and development topic that relevant industry players are eager to research and develop. Summary of the invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to achieve an automatic locking state by guiding and positioning the wedge-shaped action on the substrate without the need for manual locking operations, so that the opening of the container body can be locked more conveniently and reliably, and it is more likely to avoid human errors and have a fool-proof protection effect, thereby preventing the wafer or sheet carrier carried in the container body from falling out.

[0006] The secondary purpose of the present invention is that the overall structure is simple and can save manpower and time, and can improve production efficiency, thus having a great market competitive advantage.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an automatic locking device, characterized in that it includes:

[0008] a base plate on which two symmetrical positioning members and two wedge-shaped members are disposed, wherein the inclined surfaces of the two wedge-shaped members have a high point position and a low point position; and

[0009] A container body, which has a accommodating space, and the same side of the container body is provided with two symmetrical guide grooves, two limiting members and two movable locking members, the first ends of the two movable locking members are respectively located between the two guide grooves and the two limiting members, the two limiting members have a first limiting portion and a second limiting portion, the high point position corresponds to the first limiting portion, and the low point position corresponds to the second limiting portion; wherein, the container body is placed on the substrate, the second ends of the two movable locking members are against the high point position, the first ends of the two movable locking members are pushed out of the two guide grooves, and move from the first limiting portion to the second limiting portion, so that the first ends of the two movable locking members fall into the two guide grooves, and the second ends are located at the low point position, so that the two movable locking members block part of the opening of the accommodating space.

[0010] The automatic locking device, wherein: each of the limiting members is a triangular limiting member, having a symmetrical first inclined surface and a second inclined surface thereon.

[0011] The automatic locking device, wherein: the container body also has two first pivot holes and two second pivot holes, the two first pivot holes are respectively located in the two guide grooves, the two second pivot holes are located at the bottom of the container body, and the two first pivot holes correspond to the positions of the two second pivot holes respectively.

[0012] The automatic locking device, wherein: the distal end of the first end of the two movable locking members is pivotally connected to the first pivot hole, and the distal end of the second end has a shaft connection portion, and the shaft connection portion is pivotally connected to the second pivot hole.

[0013] The automatic locking device further comprises an elastic member installed in the shaft connection portion.

[0014] The automatic locking device, wherein: the elastic member is a spring.

[0015] The automatic locking device, wherein: the two movable locking members are both rods, and an extension portion extends from each of the two ends of the movable locking member.

[0016] The automatic locking device, wherein: the bottom of the container body has an embedding portion, and the two positioning pieces are correspondingly fixed at the two end positions of the embedding portion.

[0017] The automatic locking device, wherein: the second positioning member is a V-shaped positioning member.

[0018] The automatic locking device, wherein: the two positioning members and the two wedge-shaped members are located on opposite surfaces and have a spacing therebetween, and the spacing is adapted to the total width of the container body.

[0019] In summary, the advantages of the present invention are: through the wedge-shaped effect and positioning method on the substrate, the two movable locking parts are guided to automatically lock the openings at both ends of the container body at the same time, so as to prevent the wafers or sheet carriers carried in the container body from falling out. The overall structural design is quite simple and does not require manual operation. It can not only avoid problems such as damage to the machine or forgetting the locking operation due to improper human operation, but also save time and improve the process fluency, which can effectively improve production efficiency and has great market competitive advantages.

[0020] The following detailed description with reference to specific embodiments will make it easier to understand the purpose, technical content, characteristics and effects achieved by the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 It is a partial enlarged view of the top of the container body of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 It is a partial enlarged view of the bottom of the container body of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention in an unlocked state.

[0025] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the present invention in the unlocked state.

[0026] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the locking operation state of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 7 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention in a locking operation state.

[0028] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of the third embodiment of the locking operation state of the present invention.

[0029] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the structure after locking of the present invention.

[0030] Explanation of the reference numerals: 10 base plate; 12 container body; 122 accommodating space; 1222 supporting rib; 124 first pivot hole; 126 second pivot hole; 128 fitting portion; 14 positioning member; 16 wedge-shaped member; 162 bottom surface; 164 inclined surface; 18 guide groove; 20 limiting member; 202 first inclined surface; 204 second inclined surface; 22 movable locking member; 222 first end; 224 second end; 2242 axial connection portion; 24 elastic member; 26 machine handle; A high point position; B low point position; a first limiting portion; b second limiting portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to solve the problem that the existing locking structure is complicated and requires manual operation, the inventor has, after years of research and development, used innovative structural design to make operation more convenient, and to replace the existing complex structure, complex process and poor efficiency and other application advantages, thereby improving the shortcomings of existing products. The following will introduce in detail how the present invention uses an automatic locking device to achieve the most efficient functional requirements.

[0032] Please also see Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 , Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention; Figure 2 is a partial enlarged view of the top of the container body of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a partial enlarged view of the bottom of the container body of the present invention. The automatic locking device includes a base plate 10 and a container body 12. Two symmetrical positioning members 14 and two wedge members 16 are arranged on the base plate 10. The two positioning members 14 and the two wedge members 16 are located on opposite surfaces and have a spacing. The spacing between the two positioning members 14 and the two wedge members 16 is the total width of the container body 12. The inclined surface of each wedge member 16 has a high point position A and a low point position B; in detail, the highest point of the height from the bottom surface 162 of the wedge member 16 to the inclined surface 164 is the high point position A, and conversely, the lowest point of the height from the bottom surface 162 of the wedge member 16 to the inclined surface 164 is the low point position B.

[0033] The container body 12 has a receiving space 122, two first pivot holes 124, two second pivot holes 126 and an interlocking portion 128. Two symmetrical guide grooves 18, two limiting members 20 and two movable lock members 22 are provided on the same side of the container body 12, wherein the two guide grooves 18 and the two limiting members 20 are located at the top corners of the container body 12. The two first pivot holes 124 are respectively located in the two guide grooves 18, the two second pivot holes 126 are located at the bottom of the container body 12, and the two first pivot holes 124 located at the top position of the container body 12 correspond to the positions of the two second pivot holes 126 at the bottom position of the container body 12. The two limiting members 20 have a first limiting portion a and a second limiting portion b. It is worth noting that the high point position A of the wedge-shaped member 16 corresponds to the first limiting portion a, and the low point position B of the wedge-shaped member 16 corresponds to the second limiting portion b. In this embodiment, each stopper 20 is a triangular stopper having a first inclined surface 202 and a second inclined surface 204 symmetrically thereon, which are used for guiding displacement, which will be described in detail later.

[0034] The two movable lock members 22 have a first end 222 and a second end 224. The first ends 222 of the two movable lock members 22 are respectively located between the two guide grooves 18 and the two limit members 20. In the present embodiment, the two movable lock members 22 are both rods, and an extension portion is extended at both ends, for example, the extension portion is bent and extended into an L shape at the end, that is, the first end 222 and the second end 224 form an L-shaped end. The end of the first end 222 is pivotally connected to the first pivot hole 124, and the end of the second end 224 has an axial connection portion 2242. The automatic locking device further includes an elastic member 24, such as a spring, and the elastic member 24 is installed in the axial connection portion 2242, and then the axial connection portion 2242 is pivotally connected to the second pivot hole 126. When the first ends 222 and the second ends 224 of the two movable locking members 22 are axially connected, a movable locking member in the shape of a "ㄈ" is formed and is located on both sides of the same side of the container body 12, so as to lock the accommodating space 122 of the container body 12. The accommodating space 122 is a connected accommodating space, and the inner side wall of the accommodating space 122 has a plurality of symmetrical supporting ribs 1222 arranged at intervals, and each pair of supporting ribs is used to clamp the side edge of a wafer or a wafer frame (not shown in the figure).

[0035] After understanding the detailed structure and assembly method of the present invention, further explanation of how the present invention achieves the effect of automatic locking is provided. Figure 1 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention in an unlocked state; Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention in an unlocked state; Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first embodiment of the present invention in the locking operation state. Figure 4 As shown, when the container body 12 is in an unlocked state, the first ends 222 of the two movable locking members 22 are located in the two guide grooves 18 and are limited at the position of the first limit portion a. The accommodating space 122 of the container body 12 is used to accommodate wafers or wafer frames (not shown in the figure), and a machine handle 26 is provided on the top outer side surface of the container body 12. Since the wafers or wafer frames need to be moved to different process workstations, in order to prevent the wafers or wafer frames from falling out of the accommodating space 122 of the container body 12 during movement or transportation, the robot arm of the automated equipment (not shown in the figure) can be used to grab the machine handle 26 of the container body 12 to move the container body 12 to a relative position of the substrate 10, such as Figure 5 As shown. Since the distance between the two positioning members 14 and the two wedge-shaped members 16 on the base plate 10 is the total width of the container body 12, the two positioning members 14 are preferably V-shaped positioning members, which have a positioning effect on the container body 12. Figure 6As shown, when the robot arm places the container body 12 on the substrate 10, the two positioning members 14 are fixed to the two end positions of the interlocking portion 128 at the bottom of the container body 12 correspondingly, and the two positioning members 14 are used to position the container body 12. At the same time, the second ends 224 of the two movable locking members 22 are against the high point position A, and the elastic member 24 located on the shaft connection portion 2242 is in an uncompressed state, and the first ends of the two movable locking members 22 are located at the position of the first limit portion a.

[0036] Please also refer to Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig. 9 , Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention in a locking operation state; Figure 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a third embodiment of the present invention in a locking operation state; Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of the structure after the present invention is locked. Figure 7 As shown, after the container body 12 is placed on the substrate 10, the second ends 224 of the two movable locking members 22 move from the high point position A originally located on the inclined surface 164 to the low point position B. At this time, the elastic member 24 located on the shaft connection portion 2242 is in an elastically compressed state; at the same time, the first ends 222 of the two movable locking members 22 are pushed out from the position of the first limiting portion a originally located in the guide groove 18 as the force is guided by the inclined surface 164 of the wedge-shaped member 16, and are rotated along the inclined surface 164 of the wedge-shaped member 16 to be pushed out of the guide groove 18.

[0037] For example Figure 8 As shown, as the second ends 224 of the two movable locking members 22 move to the low point position B, the elastic member 24 located on the shaft connection portion 2242 is still in an elastically compressed state; at the same time, the first ends 222 of the two movable locking members 22 rotate from the first inclined surface 202 of the limiting member 20 to the second inclined surface 204. At this time, the first ends 222 of the two movable locking members 22 are located at the second limiting portion b of the guide groove 18. Finally, as shown in FIG. Fig. 9 As shown, after the first ends 222 of the two movable locking members 22 are rotated from the second inclined surface 204 and fall into the two guide grooves 18, the elastic member 24 on the shaft connection portion 2242 recovers its elasticity and is not compressed, so that the two movable locking members 22 can block the opening of part of the accommodation space 122. After the robot arm (not shown) of the automated equipment grabs the machine handle 26 of the container body 12 and leaves the substrate 10, the automatic locking method can prevent the wafer or wafer frame from falling out of the accommodation space 122 of the container body 12 during the moving or transporting process.

[0038] In summary, the present invention is capable of solving the problems and deficiencies of the prior art. The key technology lies in guiding the two movable locking members to automatically lock the openings at both ends of the container body at the same time through the wedge-shaped action and positioning method on the substrate, so as to prevent the wafers or sheet carriers carried in the container body from falling out. The overall structural design is quite simple and does not require manual operation. It can not only avoid problems such as damage to the machine or forgetting the locking operation due to improper human operation, but also save time and improve the process fluency, which can effectively improve production efficiency and has great market competitive advantages.

[0039] The above description is only illustrative rather than restrictive of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that many modifications, changes or equivalents may be made without departing from the spirit and scope defined by the claims, but all will fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic locking device, characterized in that: include: a base plate on which two symmetrical positioning members and two wedge-shaped members are disposed, wherein the inclined surfaces of the two wedge-shaped members have a high point position and a low point position; and A container body, which has a accommodating space, and the same side of the container body is provided with two symmetrical guide grooves, two limiting members and two movable locking members, the two movable locking members are both rods, and the first ends thereof are respectively located between the two guide grooves and the two limiting members, the two limiting members have a first limiting portion and a second limiting portion, the high point position corresponds to the first limiting portion, and the low point position corresponds to the second limiting portion; wherein, the container body is placed on the substrate, the second ends of the two movable locking members are against the high point position, the first ends of the two movable locking members are pushed out of the two guide grooves, and move from the first limiting portion to the second limiting portion, so that the first ends of the two movable locking members fall into the two guide grooves, and the second ends are located at the low point position, so that the two movable locking members block part of the opening of the accommodating space; The two positioning members and the two wedge-shaped members are located on opposite surfaces and have a spacing therebetween, and the spacing is adapted to the total width of the container body.

2. The automatic locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the limiting members is a triangular limiting member having a symmetrical first inclined surface and a second inclined surface.

3. The automatic locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The container body also has two first pivot holes and two second pivot holes. The two first pivot holes are respectively located in the two guide grooves, and the two second pivot holes are located at the bottom of the container body. The two first pivot holes correspond to the positions of the two second pivot holes respectively.

4. The automatic locking device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first end of the movable locking element is pivotally connected to the first pivot hole, and the second end is provided with a shaft connection portion, which is pivotally connected to the second pivot hole.

5. The automatic locking device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The invention also comprises an elastic member, which is installed in the shaft connection part.

6. The automatic locking device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The elastic member is a spring.

7. The automatic locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An extension portion is respectively extended from two ends of the movable locking element.

8. The automatic locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the container body is provided with an inserting portion, and the two positioning pieces are correspondingly fixed at two end positions of the inserting portion.

9. The automatic locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Second, the positioning piece is a V-shaped positioning piece.

Images