Adsorption pad

Abstract

The adsorption pad (2) for adsorbing the glass plate (G) includes: a pad main body (4) that forms an airtight space (S) between the glass plate (G); and a first foaming member (5) that is disposed in the airtight space (S) and contacts the glass plate (G). The pad main body (4) includes: an exhaust port (6) for exhausting the gas in the airtight space (S); and a skirt portion (4) that contacts the glass plate (G) outside the outer edge portion (9) of the first foaming member (5). The skirt portion (4) can be elastically deformed by contacting the glass plate (G), and can be separated from the glass plate (G) under the action of the restoring force of the elastic deformation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an adsorption pad for adsorbing a plate material such as a glass plate. Background Art

[0002] In the manufacturing process of a glass plate used as a substrate for a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic EL display, or a solar cell, there is sometimes a process of moving the glass plate while adsorbing it with an adsorption pad.

[0003] As an adsorption pad, a structure is generally used in which a conical skirt portion of a pad body is brought into contact with the surface of a glass plate, and the gas in the airtight space formed between the pad body and the glass plate is sucked by a vacuum pump or the like to adsorb the glass plate.

[0004] However, if the glass plate becomes thinner, when it is adsorbed by the adsorption pad, the glass plate bends in the suction direction and is unduly deflected, which may cause damage or breakage.

[0005] Therefore, for example, in FIG. 9 of Patent Document 1, a planar pad made of a porous body through which a negative pressure fluid can pass is disposed in the airtight space, and a workpiece is adsorbed through this pad.

[0006] Prior Art Documents

[0007] Patent Documents

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-110982 Summary of the Invention

[0009] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] However, when the structure of FIG. 9 of Patent Document 1 is applied to the adsorption of a glass plate, the skirt portion of the pad body contacts the glass plate with a lip portion formed thinly at the peripheral portion of the pad interposed therebetween. That is, since the skirt portion of the pad body does not directly contact the glass plate, the adsorption force of the glass plate may become insufficient. It should be noted that in Patent Document 1, if a thin-walled lip portion is formed by compression through stamping, the cavity is flattened along with the stamping, so that the lip portion functions as a sealing portion that blocks the passage of fluid. In this case, as the rigidity of the lip portion is increased by stamping, the flexibility is impaired, so that the glass plate may be damaged during adsorption.

[0011] In addition, Patent Document 1 discloses that when the adsorption of the glass plate is released, the supply of negative pressure to the airtight space is stopped, but there is a problem that it takes time to separate the adsorption pad from the glass plate. It should be noted that it is also conceivable to supply a gas for pressurizing the airtight space to separate the adsorption pad from the glass plate, but in this case, an additional supply device for the pressurizing gas is required, so that new problems such as equipment complication may occur.

[0012] It should be noted that the above problems may also occur when an adsorption pad is used for a plate material other than a glass plate.

[0013] The problem of the present invention is to ensure a high adsorption force while suppressing the deflection of the plate material during the adsorption execution of the adsorption pad, and to quickly separate the plate material when the adsorption of the adsorption pad is released.

[0014] Solution for Solving the Problem

[0015] The present invention made to solve the above problems is an adsorption pad that adsorbs a plate material. The adsorption pad is characterized in that the adsorption pad includes: a pad main body that forms an airtight space between the pad main body and the plate material; and a first foaming member that is disposed in the airtight space and contacts the plate material. The pad main body includes: an exhaust port for discharging the gas in the airtight space; and a skirt portion that contacts the plate material outside the outer edge portion of the first foaming member. The skirt portion can be elastically deformed by contacting the plate material and can be separated from the plate material under the action of the restoring force of the elastic deformation.

[0016] In this way, while maintaining an appropriate buffering property by using the first foaming member, the deflection of the plate material can be reliably suppressed. In addition, since the skirt portion contacts the plate material outside the outer edge portion of the first foaming member, the airtightness in the airtight space can be easily ensured and the adsorption force can be improved. Moreover, if the supply of negative pressure to the airtight space is stopped, the skirt portion can be separated from the plate material under the action of the restoring force of the elastic deformation, so that the time required to separate the adsorption pad from the plate material can be shortened. It should be noted that since the restoring force of the elastic deformation of the skirt portion is utilized, equipment for supplying gas for pressurizing the airtight space is not additionally required.

[0017] In the above structure, it is preferable that the thickness of the outer edge portion of the first foaming member is thinner than the thickness of the central portion inside the outer edge portion of the first foaming member.

[0018] In this way, the skirt portion and the plate material contact more reliably outside the outer edge portion of the first foaming member, so that adsorption errors of the adsorption pad adsorbing the plate material can be prevented.

[0019] In the above structure, it is preferable that the outer edge portion of the first foaming member gradually becomes thinner from the inside to the outside.

[0020] In this way, the elastic deformation of the skirt portion is smoothly generated during adsorption, so that the deformation of the plate material accompanying the contact with the skirt portion can be reduced. In addition, the restoration of the elastic deformation of the skirt portion is also smoothly generated, so that the adsorbed plate material can be easily separated.

[0021] In the above structure, preferably, the first foaming member has exhaust holes penetrating in the thickness direction of the plate from the exhaust port.

[0022] In this way, a negative pressure is directly applied to the plate through the exhaust holes. Therefore, compared with the case where the negative pressure is applied through the first foaming member, the adsorption force of the plate is increased.

[0023] In the above structure, preferably, the inner wall of the exhaust port is formed by the second foaming member.

[0024] In this way, the periphery of the exhaust holes of the first foaming member is supported by the second foaming member instead of the pad main body. Therefore, in the part of the plate located around the exhaust holes, local deformation can be alleviated, and damage or breakage of the plate can be suppressed. In addition, the opening area of the exhaust port can be reduced by an amount equivalent to the thickness of the second foaming member, so the generation of local deformation of the plate itself can also be suppressed.

[0025] In the above structure, preferably, the inner diameter of the exhaust port is 30 mm or less.

[0026] In this way, the opening area of the exhaust port becomes sufficiently small, so the situation where the plate is locally deformed at the position corresponding to the exhaust port can be suppressed, and the situation of damage or breakage of the plate can be further reduced.

[0027] In the above structure, preferably, the plate is a glass plate.

[0028] Advantages of the Invention

[0029] According to the present invention, it is possible to ensure a high adsorption force during the adsorption execution of the adsorption pad while suppressing the flexure of the plate. In addition, the plate can be quickly separated when the adsorption of the adsorption pad is released. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an adsorption pad according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a glass plate is adsorbed by an adsorption pad according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 3 is Figure 2 an enlarged view of the X region of

[0033] Figure 4 is Figure 2 an enlarged view of the X region of and shows the state during the adsorption of the glass plate.

[0034] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. It should be noted that hereinafter, an adsorption device having an adsorption pad according to an embodiment of the present invention will be exemplified.

[0035] As Figures 1 to 4 shown, the adsorption device 1 of the present embodiment includes an adsorption pad 2 and a vacuum pump 3. It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the case where the plate material to be adsorbed is a glass plate G will be described.

[0036] The adsorption pad 2 includes: a pad main body 4 that forms an airtight space S between the pad main body 4 and the glass plate G; and a first foamed member 5 that is disposed in the airtight space S and contacts the glass plate G.

[0037] The pad main body 4 includes: an exhaust port 6 for exhausting the gas (such as air) in the airtight space S; and a skirt portion 7 that contacts the glass plate G on the outer side in the radial direction of the first foamed member 5. The pad main body 4 is made of an elastic body such as rubber that does not allow the gas in the airtight space S to pass through.

[0038] The vacuum pump 3 is connected to the exhaust port 6 via a pipe 8. By the suction operation of the vacuum pump 3, the gas in the airtight space S is exhausted from the exhaust port 6, and a negative pressure is applied to the airtight space S.

[0039] The inner diameter D of the exhaust port 6 is preferably 30 mm or less, more preferably 25 mm or less, and most preferably 20 mm or less. In this way, the exhaust port 6 is sufficiently small, so that local deformation of the glass plate G in the suction direction at the portion corresponding to the exhaust port 6 can be suppressed. On the other hand, if the inner diameter D of the exhaust port 6 is too small, the time required for exhausting the gas in the airtight space S in the subsequent adsorption process and the time required for raising the air pressure in the airtight space S to a certain level in the separation process may become long, and the responsiveness may decrease. Therefore, the inner diameter D of the exhaust port 6 is preferably 10 mm or more.

[0040] The skirt portion 7 can be elastically deformed by contacting the glass plate G (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 ), and can be separated from the glass plate G under the action of the restoring force of the elastic deformation (see Figure 4 ). In the present embodiment, the skirt portion 7 has a conical shape, and the thickness gradually decreases from the inside to the outside. The front end portion 7a of the thin wall of the skirt portion 7 becomes the contact portion that contacts the glass plate G.

[0041] The first foamed member 5 includes an outer edge portion 9 with a relatively thin wall and a central portion 10 with a relatively thick wall.

[0042] The outer edge portion 9 gradually thins from the inside towards the outside. The central portion 10 is a plate-like body having a substantially constant thickness. The surface of the outer edge portion 9 on the side of the glass plate G and the surface of the central portion 10 on the side of the glass plate G form a contact surface 5a that contacts the glass plate G.

[0043] In the present embodiment, an exhaust hole 11 penetrating in the thickness direction from the exhaust port 6 towards the glass plate G is provided in the central portion 10. It should be noted that when the first foaming member 5 has air permeability, the exhaust hole 11 can be omitted, but from the viewpoint of improving the adsorption force, it is preferably provided with the exhaust hole 11. It should be noted that the inner diameter of the exhaust hole 11 is the same as the inner diameter of the exhaust port 6 in the present embodiment, but it can be larger than the inner diameter of the exhaust port 6 or smaller than the inner diameter of the exhaust port 6.

[0044] The first foaming member 5 is fixed to the inner wall of the pad main body 4. It should be noted that the fixing method of the first foaming member 5 is not particularly limited, but for example, it is fixed to the inner wall of the pad main body 4 using an adhesive.

[0045] The first foaming member 5 is not fixed to the inner wall of the front end portion 7a of the skirt portion 7 in the pad main body 4. That is, when viewed from the side of the glass plate G, the front end portion 7a of the skirt portion 7 protrudes radially outward of the first foaming member 5. The radially protruding width W of the front end portion 7a of the skirt portion 7 is preferably 2 mm to 10 mm.

[0046] A through hole 12 penetrating in the thickness direction is provided at the center of the pad main body 4, and a cylindrical second foaming member 13 is disposed on the inner wall of the through hole 12. That is, the inner hole of the cylindrical second foaming member 13 functions as the exhaust port 6. If the second foaming member 13 is arranged in this way, it is easy to adjust the inner diameter of the exhaust port 6 according to the thickness of the glass plate G. In addition, the periphery of the exhaust hole 11 of the first foaming member 5 is not supported by the pad main body 4, but by the second foaming member 13 that is easily deformed. Therefore, in the portion of the glass plate G located around the exhaust hole 11, local deformation can be alleviated, and damage or breakage of the glass plate G can be suppressed.

[0047] The second foaming member 13 is inserted into the inside of the through hole 12 in a compressed state and is fixed to the inner wall of the through hole 12 by its restoring force. That is, the second foaming member 13 is not adhesively fixed to the inner wall of the through hole 12. The insertion depth of the second foaming member 13 is limited by the first foaming member 5. The fixing method of the second foaming member 13 is not particularly limited. For example, it can also be fixed to the peripheral wall of the exhaust port 6 using an adhesive. It should be noted that the second foaming member 13 can also be omitted.

[0048] As the first foamed member 5 and the second foamed member 13, they are porous elastomers having a closed-cell structure or an open-cell structure. For example, polyurethane foam can be used. It should be noted that the first foamed member 5 and the second foamed member 13 can be made of different materials such as different foaming ratios. In this case, the first foamed member 5 can be set to a high density (high hardness) and the second foamed member 13 can be set to a low density (low hardness). Of course, the first foamed member 5 and the second foamed member 13 can also be made of the same material.

[0049] Next, the adsorption process of adsorbing the glass plate G by the adsorption device 1 having the above structure and the separation process of separating the glass plate G will be described separately.

[0050] As Figure 1 shown, in the adsorption process, the front end portion 7a of the skirt portion 7 of the adsorption pad 2 is brought into contact with the surface of the glass plate G. In this state, the gas in the airtight space S of the adsorption pad 2 is vacuum-sucked by the suction action of the vacuum pump 3. When the air pressure in the airtight space S decreases, as Figure 2 shown, while the volume of the airtight space S is reduced, the skirt portion 7 of the pad main body 4 is strongly pressed against the surface Ga of the glass plate G, and the skirt portion 7 undergoes elastic deformation. Along with this, the contact surface 5a of the first foamed member 5 in the airtight space S is also strongly pressed against the surface Ga of the glass plate G, and the first foamed member 5 undergoes compressive deformation. At this time, as magnified in Figure 3 the front end portion 7a of the skirt portion 7 is in contact with the surface Ga of the glass plate G and deforms in a manner that warps following the surface Ga of the glass plate G. Thus, the glass plate G is reliably adsorbed to the adsorption pad 2 by negative pressure.

[0051] In this state, since the first foamed member 5 having appropriate cushioning properties is pressed against the surface Ga of the glass plate G, the bending of the glass plate G in the suction direction is suppressed. Therefore, it is not easy to generate deflection caused by improper bending in the glass plate G, and damage and breakage of the glass plate G can be suppressed. In addition, since the skirt portion 7 is in direct contact with the glass plate G outside the radial direction of the outer edge portion 9 of the first foamed member 5, it is possible to easily ensure the airtightness in the airtight space S and improve the adsorption force.

[0052] In the separation process, the suction action of the vacuum pump 3 is stopped, and the airtight space S is opened to the atmosphere. Along with this, when the air pressure in the airtight space S rises to a certain level, as in Figure 4As shown in the enlarged view, the front end portion 7a of the skirt portion 7 is to return to its original shape under the action of the restoring force of the elastic deformation. Under the action of the restoring deformation of the front end portion 7a of the skirt portion 7, the glass plate G is pressed in the direction of separating from the adsorption pad 2. As a result, the glass plate G is quickly separated from the adsorption pad 2. Thereby, the time required until the adsorption pad is separated from the glass plate can be shortened. In addition, since the restoring force of the elastic deformation of the skirt portion 7 is utilized, there is also an advantage that equipment for supplying gas for pressurizing the airtight space S is not additionally required.

[0053] In the adsorption process, the thin-walled front end portion 7a deformed in a manner imitating the surface Ga of the glass plate G is preferably set to have a thickness of, for example, 2 to 10 mm. In addition, the thin-walled front end portion 7a is preferably set to have a radial width of, for example, 2 mm or more, more preferably set to be equal to or greater than the protruding width W, and further preferably set to be equal to or greater than (W + 5) mm. The upper limit is preferably set to be, for example, equal to or less than (W ± 15) mm.

[0054] As described above, in the adsorption process, the first foaming member 5 having appropriate cushioning properties is used to suppress the bending of the glass plate G in the suction direction. Therefore, the glass plate G is preferably flexible. The thinner the thickness of the glass plate G, the more remarkable the effect of suppressing the bending of the glass plate G. Therefore, the thickness of the glass plate G is preferably 0.5 mm or less, more preferably 0.4 mm or less, and further preferably 0.3 mm or less. The lower limit is preferably 0.05 mm or more.

[0055] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various embodiments can be adopted within the scope of the present invention.

[0056] The adsorption pad 2 is used, for example, when moving the glass plate G in the manufacturing process (mainly the processing process) of the glass plate G. Specifically, it is used when moving the glass plate G after being cut into a specified size, when extracting an inspection glass plate from the transport path of the glass plate G, when loading the glass plate G onto a bundling tray, when unloading the glass plate G from the bundling tray, etc. In addition, the adsorption pad 2 can adsorb and separate the glass plate G in a vertical posture (for example, a vertical posture) or can also adsorb and separate the glass plate G in a horizontal posture (for example, a horizontal posture).

[0057] In the above-described embodiment, the case of using the restoring force of the elastic deformation of the skirt portion 7 when separating the glass plate G from the adsorption pad 2 has been described. However, the restoring force of the elastic deformation of the skirt portion 7 and the supply of gas into the airtight space S can also be adopted simultaneously during separation.

[0058] In the above-described embodiments, the case where the plate material is the glass plate G has been described, but the plate material is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention can also be applied to plate materials such as metal plates, silicon plates (silicon wafers), resin plates, and laminates of glass plates and resin plates. From the viewpoint of obtaining the effect of suppressing the bending of the glass plate G, it is preferable that the plate material has flexibility.

[0059] Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0060] 1 Adsorption device

[0061] 2 Adsorption pad

[0062] 3 Vacuum pump

[0063] 4 Pad body

[0064] 5 First foaming member

[0065] 5a Contact surface

[0066] 6 Exhaust port

[0067] 7 Skirt

[0068] 7a Front end portion

[0069] 8 Pipe

[0070] 9 Outer edge portion

[0071] 10 Center portion

[0072] 11 Exhaust hole

[0073] 12 Through hole

[0074] 13 Second foaming member

[0075] G Glass plate

[0076] Ga Surface

[0077] S Airtight space.

Claims

1. An adsorption pad that adsorbs a plate material, The adsorption pad is characterized in that, The adsorption pad includes: a pad main body that forms an airtight space between it and the plate material; and a first foaming member that is disposed in the airtight space and contacts the plate material, The pad main body includes: an exhaust port for discharging the gas in the airtight space; and a skirt portion that contacts the plate material outside the outer edge portion of the first foaming member, The skirt portion is in a conical shape with a gradually decreasing thickness from the inside to the outside, The skirt portion covers the outer edge portion of the first foaming member, and, The front end portion of the skirt portion extends from the outer edge portion of the first foaming member to the opposite side of the attracting direction, The outer edge portion of the first foaming member gradually becomes thinner from the inside to the outside, The skirt portion can elastically deform in a manner that warps following the surface of the plate material by contacting the plate material, and can be separated from the plate material under the action of the restoring force of the elastic deformation.

2. The adsorption pad according to claim 1, wherein, The thickness of the outer edge portion of the first foaming member is thinner than the thickness of the central portion inside the outer edge portion of the first foaming member.

3. The adsorption pad according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first foaming member has exhaust holes that penetrate in the thickness direction from the exhaust port toward the plate material.

4. The adsorption pad according to claim 3, wherein, The inner wall of the exhaust port is composed of a second foaming member.

5. The adsorption pad according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The inner diameter of the exhaust port is 30 mm or less.

6. The adsorption pad according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The plate material is a glass plate.

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