A pneumatic floating transportation device for a substrate

Abstract

The present application discloses an air-floating transportation device for a substrate, which includes a positive pressure area, a negative pressure area, a positive pressure air distribution channel, a negative pressure air distribution channel, a positive pressure throttling structure, and a negative pressure throttling structure; wherein, the positive pressure area and the negative pressure area are alternately distributed on the transportation platform; wherein, one positive pressure area corresponds to one positive pressure air distribution channel, one negative pressure area corresponds to one negative pressure air distribution channel, one positive pressure area includes a plurality of air outlets, and one negative pressure area includes a plurality of air inlets; the positive pressure area is connected to the air outlet section of the positive pressure throttling structure, and the air inlet section of the positive pressure throttling structure is connected to the positive pressure air distribution channel; and the air outlets of the positive pressure area and the positive pressure air distribution channel are not in the same plane; the negative pressure area is connected to the air inlet section of the negative pressure throttling structure, and the air outlet section of the negative pressure throttling structure is connected to the negative pressure air distribution channel; and the air inlets of the negative pressure area and the negative pressure air distribution channel are not in the same plane. The structure of the device is simple, and the manufacturing cost of the air-floating device can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of conveying display panels, and in particular to an air floating conveying device for substrates. Background Art

[0002] At present, during the transportation process of production and manufacturing of substrates (including glass substrates, flexible substrates, etc.), traditional contact-type (such as roller drive) transportation methods are prone to scratches, deformation, local stress concentration and other damage. Therefore, non-contact air flotation transportation is currently used. Air flotation transportation is to transport the substrate in a suspended state by releasing air through the air outlet.

[0003] However, the substrate suspension height requirement is at the micron level, which requires a high gas stability of the air flotation device. In order to achieve the micron-level substrate transportation requirement, the structure of the existing air flotation device is relatively complex, which also leads to a high manufacturing cost of the existing air flotation device.

[0004] Therefore, an air floating transport device for substrates is needed to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application discloses an air flotation transport device for a substrate, which has a simple structure and can reduce the manufacturing cost of the air flotation device.

[0006] The first aspect of the present application discloses an air flotation transport device for a substrate, the air flotation transport device comprising a positive pressure zone, a negative pressure zone, a positive pressure air distribution channel, a negative pressure air distribution channel, a positive pressure throttling structure and a negative pressure throttling structure; wherein the positive pressure zone and the negative pressure zone are alternately distributed on the transport platform; wherein one positive pressure zone corresponds to one positive pressure air distribution channel, one negative pressure zone corresponds to one negative pressure air distribution channel, one positive pressure zone comprises a plurality of air outlets, and one negative pressure zone comprises a plurality of air inlets; the positive pressure zone is connected to the air outlet section of the positive pressure throttling structure, and the air inlet section of the positive pressure throttling structure is connected to the positive pressure air distribution channel; and the air outlet of the positive pressure zone and the positive pressure air distribution channel are not on the same plane; the negative pressure zone is connected to the air inlet section of the negative pressure throttling structure, and the air outlet section of the negative pressure throttling structure is connected to the negative pressure air distribution channel; and the air inlet of the negative pressure zone and the negative pressure air distribution channel are not on the same plane.

[0007] In the above scheme, a positive pressure air distribution duct can supply air to multiple air outlets in a positive pressure zone, and a negative pressure air distribution duct can inhale air to multiple air inlets in a negative pressure zone; and the positive pressure air distribution duct is separated from the positive pressure zone by a positive pressure throttling structure, and the negative pressure air distribution duct is separated from the negative pressure zone by a negative pressure throttling structure, and the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure fully play the role of limiting the speed and flow of the airflow; in addition, the positive pressure zone and the negative pressure zone are alternately distributed, and the alternating distribution of positive and negative pressures is to reduce the flight deformation of the substrate and improve the flight stability; and it can adapt to substrates of various sizes, and the format of the air floating transport device can be adjusted according to actual conditions. The air floating transport device can also be directly manufactured with a single-layer board, or it can be manufactured with a double-layer board or a triple-layer board, and the above scheme does not impose any restrictions on this. The positive pressure zone and the negative pressure zone are alternately distributed in the longitudinal or transverse direction of the transport platform.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the air flotation transport device includes an upper plate; wherein the positive pressure zone and the negative pressure zone are alternately distributed on the upper plate, and the area of ​​the air outlet cross section of the positive pressure zone is smaller than the area of ​​the air inlet cross section of the negative pressure zone.

[0009] In the above scheme, the positions of the positive pressure zone and the negative pressure zone in an air flotation transport device are disclosed; and the vents of the positive pressure zone and the negative pressure zone are both arranged on the upper plate, which is directly opposite to the base plate. In this scheme, the vents of the positive pressure zone and the negative pressure zone are arranged on the upper plate in the multi-layer plate structure, which further reduces the manufacturing cost on the basis of simple structure. The cross-sectional area of ​​the air outlet of the positive pressure zone can also be the same as the cross-sectional area of ​​the air inlet of the negative pressure zone.

[0010] In a possible embodiment, the air flotation transport device includes a lower plate; wherein the positive pressure air distribution channel and the negative pressure air distribution channel are both groove-shaped structures, and the positive pressure air distribution channel and the negative pressure air distribution channel are both located on the lower plate; one positive pressure air distribution channel connects multiple positive pressure throttling structures, one negative pressure air distribution channel connects multiple negative pressure throttling structures, one positive pressure throttling structure corresponds to an air outlet of a positive pressure zone, and one negative pressure throttling structure corresponds to an air inlet of a negative pressure zone.

[0011] In the above scheme, it is disclosed that the positive pressure air distribution duct and the negative pressure air distribution duct can be arranged on the lower plate, and arranged on the side of the lower plate opposite to the upper plate; and an implementation structure of the positive pressure air distribution duct and the negative pressure air distribution duct is given. Of course, the positive pressure air distribution duct and the negative pressure air distribution duct can also be arranged at the bottom end of the upper plate, and then the lower plate is provided with vents for the positive pressure air distribution duct and the negative pressure air distribution duct.

[0012] In a possible implementation, one of the positive-pressure air distribution channels is provided with a plurality of air inlets of a positive air source, and one of the negative-pressure air distribution channels is provided with a plurality of air outlets of a negative air source.

[0013] In the above scheme, the multiple air inlets of the positive pressure air distribution duct are to make the gas pressure in the positive pressure air distribution duct more uniform; if only one air inlet is used, the air pressure of the positive pressure air distribution duct will be uneven, that is, the air pressure close to the air inlet will be larger, and the air pressure far away from the air inlet will be smaller, especially when the positive pressure air distribution duct is long, the uneven air pressure will be more obvious. Similarly, the negative pressure air distribution duct is provided with multiple air outlets to make the air pressure or airflow of the negative pressure air distribution duct more uniform. The air inlet of the positive pressure air source and the air outlet of the negative pressure air source can both be set at the bottom of the lower plate, that is, the lower plate away from the upper plate. There are many electronic circuits between the air source and the air vent of the lower plate (the air inlet of the positive pressure air distribution duct or the air outlet of the negative pressure air distribution duct), which will not be explained.

[0014] In a possible implementation manner, the positive-pressure throttling structure and the negative-pressure throttling structure may have the same or different structures.

[0015] In the above scheme, the purpose is to illustrate the structural relationship between the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the positive-pressure throttling structure and the negative-pressure throttling structure are both shallow groove structures; the cross-sectional area of ​​the positive-pressure throttling structure and the cross-sectional area of ​​the negative-pressure throttling structure may be the same or different.

[0017] In the above scheme, the shallow groove structure of the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure is easy to process; and the cross-sectional area of ​​the throttling structure (positive pressure throttling structure or negative pressure throttling structure) is much smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the vent on the upper plate (the air outlet in the positive pressure zone or the air inlet in the negative pressure zone), so that the throttling structure will have a significant effect on regulating the air pressure of the airflow.

[0018] In a possible embodiment, the positive pressure throttling structure includes an air outlet section, an air inlet section and a positive pressure intermediate structure, and the negative pressure throttling structure includes an air outlet section, an air inlet section and a negative pressure intermediate structure; wherein, the air outlet section and the air inlet section of the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure are both linear structures; the positive pressure intermediate structure and the negative pressure intermediate structure include one or more linear structures and one or more curved structures.

[0019] In the above scheme, the air inlet section and the air outlet section of the two are directly ventilated with the air distribution duct or the air vent of the upper plate and are arranged as a linear structure; there is no limitation on the positive pressure intermediate structure and the negative pressure intermediate structure, and it is sufficient to limit the speed and flow of the airflow.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the positive pressure throttling structure is located on the upper plate or the lower plate, and the negative pressure throttling structure is located on the upper plate or the lower plate.

[0021] In the above scheme, the throttling structure can be located at the bottom of the upper plate, that is, the upper plate is away from the plate surface of the base plate, and at this time, it directly cooperates with the air distribution channel corresponding to the lower plate to form an air flow path; the throttling structure can also be directly set on the lower plate, and cooperate with the air distribution channel of the lower plate to form an air flow path. There is no limitation on the specific setting position of the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure, and the throttling structure can also be located alone on a middle plate, and cooperate with the upper plate and the lower plate to form an air flow path. These settings can be selected according to the processing technology in practice.

[0022] In a possible embodiment, the air flotation transport device also includes an edge partition; wherein the edge partition is arranged at the front end and the rear end of the transport platform; the edge partition includes at least one air inlet, and the at least one air inlet is connected to the air outlet of the air source through at least one edge throttling structure.

[0023] In the above scheme, it is considered that when the substrate is transported on the air-floating transport device, the substrate is preparing to enter the air-floating transport platform and the substrate is preparing to leave the air-floating transport platform. In these two cases, the part of the substrate covered by the air flow is small, and because it is at the edge of the air-floating transport platform, the air flow pressure in the positive pressure zone will be lost or reduced, which will cause the flying height of the substrate to fluctuate (such as causing the substrate to sag); in order to reduce or eliminate such fluctuations, an edge throttling structure is separately set in the edge area, and the edge area is preferably controlled by a negative pressure passage separately. The edge negative pressure passage can be reduced or closed so that the substrate in the edge area can obtain more air flow pressure in the positive pressure zone, so that the substrate can be smoothly transported in the edge area. In addition, the edge area can also be controlled by a positive pressure passage separately. At this time, the edge area appropriately compensates for the air flow pressure in the positive pressure zone, so that the substrate can be smoothly transported in the edge area. The edge throttling structure also adopts an air outlet section, an air inlet section and an edge middle section; and there is no restriction on the specific structure of the edge throttling structure. The edge structure is also a shallow groove structure.

[0024] In a possible embodiment, the air flotation transport device also includes a leveling structure 2, which includes a first mounting seat 201, a first adjustment rod 202, a locking nut 203, a second adjustment rod 204 and a second mounting seat 205; wherein, the first mounting seat 201 is threadedly mounted with the first adjustment rod 202, the first adjustment rod 202 extending above the first mounting seat 201 is threadedly mounted with the locking nut 203, the top port of the first adjustment rod 202 is internally threadedly mounted with the second adjustment rod 204, the second mounting seat 205 is mounted on the second adjustment rod 204, and the second mounting seat 205 is connected to the first adjustment rod 202 via a spring 206.

[0025] In the above scheme, the leveling structure has two levels: coarse leveling and fine leveling. Coarse leveling is achieved through the first adjustment rod, which is used to level the transport platform when installing the air flotation transport device; fine leveling can achieve micron-level leveling, and the second adjustment rod can be used to further adjust the fine-tuning transport platform.

[0026] In a possible implementation manner, the second adjustment rod 204 is a columnar body, both ends of the second adjustment rod 204 are respectively provided with threads, and an operation hole 208 is provided at the end of the second adjustment rod 204 .

[0027] In the above solution, the second adjustment rod is provided with an operation hole 208, and the plane of the transport platform is provided with a leveling operation hole for use, so that the user can fine-tune the flatness of the transport platform in the vertical direction. However, there is no limit to the number of leveling structures.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the positive-pressure throttling structure and the negative-pressure throttling structure each include at least one linear structure and one or more curved structures.

[0029] In the above scheme, a positive pressure throttling structure and a negative pressure throttling structure are provided, thereby illustrating the diversity of the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure.

[0030] The air flotation transport device disclosed in the present application has a simple structure and can reduce the manufacturing cost of the air flotation device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a transport platform of an air flotation transport device for a substrate disclosed in this application specification;

[0032] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a throttling structure of an air flotation transport device for a substrate disclosed in this application specification;

[0033] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a three-dimensional partial structure of an air floating transport device for a substrate disclosed in this application specification;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an air flotation transport device for a substrate disclosed in this application specification;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of another substrate air flotation transport device disclosed in this application specification;

[0036] Figure 6 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of an air flotation transport device for a substrate disclosed in this application specification;

[0037] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the air distribution channel structure of an air floating transportation device for a substrate disclosed in this application specification;

[0038] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a leveling structure of an air floating transport device for a substrate disclosed in this application specification;

[0039] Fig. 9 A schematic cross-sectional view of a leveling structure of an air floating transport device for a substrate disclosed in this application specification;

[0040] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the leveling structural parts of an air floating transport device for a substrate disclosed in this application specification;

[0041] Fig.11 The present invention is a schematic diagram of a throttling structure of an air flotation transport device for a substrate disclosed in the present application specification.

[0042] Figure 1-Figure 11 :Air floating transport platform 1, upper plate 101; lower plate 102; positive pressure air outlet 103; negative pressure air inlet 104; positive pressure air distribution duct 105; negative pressure air distribution duct 106; air inlet 107 of air source; leveling structure 2; first mounting seat 201; first adjusting rod 202; locking nut 203; second adjusting rod 204; second mounting seat 205; spring 206; working outer edge 207; operating hole 208; positive pressure joint 3; negative pressure joint 4; edge joint 5; positive pressure area 100, negative pressure area 200, positive pressure throttling structure 300, negative pressure throttling structure 400, edge throttling structure 500, edge air inlet 600, mounting hole 700, leveling operating hole 800, throttling structure 900, throttling structure first section 901, throttling structure middle structure 902, throttling structure tail section 903. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In order to enable technicians in this field to better understand the technical solutions in this specification, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this specification will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments.

[0044] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, words such as "for example" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "for example" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "for example" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way.

[0045] This application specification discloses a substrate air flotation transport device, which is mainly used in the transportation process of substrates. For example, the transportation requirement of OLED substrates is a micron-level flight height, such as 150±30μm; how to ensure the precise transportation of substrates and reduce the cost of air flotation platforms is a problem faced by this field.

[0046] The present specification discloses an air flotation transport device for a substrate, which comprises a positive pressure zone, a negative pressure zone, a positive pressure air distribution channel, a negative pressure air distribution channel, a positive pressure throttling structure and a negative pressure throttling structure; wherein the positive pressure zone and the negative pressure zone are alternately distributed on the transport platform; wherein one positive pressure zone corresponds to one positive pressure air distribution channel, one negative pressure zone corresponds to one negative pressure air distribution channel, one positive pressure zone comprises a plurality of air outlets, and one negative pressure zone comprises a plurality of air inlets; the positive pressure zone is connected to the air outlet section of the positive pressure throttling structure, and the air inlet section of the positive pressure throttling structure is connected to the positive pressure air distribution channel; and the air outlet of the positive pressure zone and the positive pressure air distribution channel are not on the same plane; the negative pressure zone is connected to the air inlet section of the negative pressure throttling structure, and the air outlet section of the negative pressure throttling structure is connected to the negative pressure air distribution channel; and the air inlet of the negative pressure zone and the negative pressure air distribution channel are not on the same plane.

[0047] At this time, the positive pressure air distribution channel is separated from the positive pressure zone by the positive pressure throttling structure, and the negative pressure air distribution channel is separated from the negative pressure zone by the negative pressure throttling structure. The positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure fully play the role of limiting the speed and flow of the airflow. For ease of understanding, this specification will also refer to the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure as the throttling structure.

[0048] In addition, the air flotation transport device in this specification can also be directly manufactured with a single-layer plate, or it can be manufactured with a double-layer plate or a triple-layer plate, and there is no restriction on this. The positive pressure zone and the negative pressure zone are alternately distributed in the longitudinal or transverse direction of the transport platform; the longitudinal direction is the transport direction of the substrate. The manufacture of a single-layer plate is to set all the structures on one layer (for example: 3D printing can be used), the manufacture of a double-layer plate uses an upper layer and a lower layer, and the manufacture of a triple-layer plate is based on the double-layer plate. The throttling structure is separately set on the middle layer between the upper layer and the lower layer. For the convenience of description, this specification takes the transverse distribution of the positive pressure zone and the negative pressure zone as an example for explanation and discussion; and unless otherwise specified, the double-layer plate is used as an example for explanation.

[0049] Furthermore, the air inlet and the air outlet in this specification can be in various shapes, such as round or square. For ease of understanding, the air inlet and the air outlet in this specification are described as round through holes.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1An example is given in which positive pressure areas 100 and negative pressure areas 200 are alternately distributed on the air floating transport platform 1; and one positive pressure area 100 includes a plurality of air outlets, and one negative pressure area 200 includes a plurality of air inlets. Figure 1 In the example, 3 positive pressure areas and 2 negative pressure areas are used, and it can also be 2 positive pressure areas and 1 negative pressure area, as long as they are alternately distributed. For the convenience of description in this specification, 2 positive pressure areas and 1 negative pressure area are used as an example for explanation. This alternating distribution of positive pressure areas and negative pressure areas can adjust the size of the format according to the size of the substrate.

[0051] Figure 1 The number of air outlets in the positive pressure zone 100 may be the same as or different from the number of air inlets in the negative pressure zone 200. This specification uses the example that the number of both is the same. When the number of air outlets in the positive pressure zone 100 is different from the number of air inlets in the negative pressure zone 200, the number of corresponding positive pressure throttling structures and negative pressure throttling structures is also different, one positive pressure throttling structure corresponds to an air outlet in the positive pressure zone, and one negative pressure throttling structure corresponds to an air inlet in the negative pressure zone.

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 As an example of a double-layer plate, the overall structure of the air flotation transport device is described. The air outlet 103 of the positive pressure zone is located on the upper plate 101, and the positive pressure air distribution channel 105 is located on the lower plate 102. One end of the positive pressure throttling structure 300 is connected to the air outlet 103 of the positive pressure zone, and the other end is connected to the positive pressure air distribution channel 105. The positive pressure throttling structure 300 also separates the air outlet (also called the positive pressure air outlet) 103 of the positive pressure zone from the positive pressure air distribution channel 105. The negative pressure air inlet 104 is located on the upper plate 101, and the negative pressure air distribution channel 106 is located on the lower plate 102. One end of the negative pressure throttling structure 400 is connected to the negative pressure air inlet 104, and the other end is connected to the negative pressure air distribution channel 106. The negative pressure throttling structure 400 also separates the negative pressure air inlet (also called the air inlet of the negative pressure zone) 104 from the negative pressure air distribution channel 106. The positive pressure air distribution duct 105 and the air outlet 103 of the positive pressure zone are neither on the same horizontal plane nor on the same vertical plane; the negative pressure air distribution duct 106 and the negative pressure air inlet 104 are neither on the same horizontal plane nor on the same vertical plane.

[0053] In addition, if Figure 2 The mounting hole 700, such as Figure 3 A plurality of mounting holes 700 are provided on the upper plate and the lower plate, and the upper plate and the lower plate are tightly connected to reduce and avoid air leakage between the upper plate and the lower plate.

[0054] In one example, the air floating transport device includes an upper plate; wherein positive pressure areas and negative pressure areas are alternately distributed on the upper plate, and the area of ​​the air outlet cross section of the positive pressure area is smaller than the area of ​​the air inlet cross section of the negative pressure area.

[0055] At this time, the positive pressure area and the negative pressure area are alternately distributed on the upper plate, and the upper plate is used as the plate opposite to the substrate. The area of ​​the cross section of the positive pressure area's air outlet can also be the same as the area of ​​the cross section of the negative pressure air inlet, but in actual testing, the area of ​​the cross section of the negative pressure air inlet is larger than the area of ​​the cross section of the positive pressure area's air outlet, which will provide more stable support for the substrate.

[0056] In one example, the air flotation transport device includes a lower plate; wherein the positive pressure air distribution channel and the negative pressure air distribution channel are both groove-shaped structures, and the positive pressure air distribution channel and the negative pressure air distribution channel are both located on the lower plate; a positive pressure air distribution channel is connected to multiple positive pressure throttling structures, and a negative pressure air distribution channel is connected to multiple negative pressure throttling structures, one of the positive pressure throttling structures corresponds to an air outlet of a positive pressure zone, and one of the negative pressure throttling structures corresponds to an air inlet of a negative pressure zone.

[0057] like Figure 7 The lower plate 102 shown abuts against the upper plate, and the positive pressure air distribution channel 105 and the negative pressure air distribution channel 106 are both located on the lower plate. A positive pressure air distribution channel can connect multiple positive pressure throttling structures, and a negative pressure air distribution channel can connect multiple negative pressure throttling structures, both of which can reduce costs and facilitate ventilation.

[0058] In one example, a positive pressure air distribution channel is provided with a plurality of air inlets of a positive air source, and a negative pressure air distribution channel is provided with a plurality of air outlets of a negative air source.

[0059] like Figure 7 As shown, a plurality of air inlets 107 are provided on the positive pressure air distribution channel 105, and a plurality of air outlets (not marked in the figure) are provided on a negative pressure air distribution channel.

[0060] At this time, the multiple air inlets of the positive pressure air distribution duct are to make the gas pressure in the positive pressure air distribution duct more uniform; if only one air inlet is used, the air pressure in the positive pressure air distribution duct will be uneven, that is, the air pressure close to the air inlet will be higher, and the air pressure far away from the air inlet will be lower, especially when the positive pressure air distribution duct is long, the uneven air pressure will be more obvious. Similarly, multiple air outlets are set in the negative pressure air distribution duct to make the air pressure or airflow in the negative pressure air distribution duct more uniform. The air inlet of the positive pressure air source and the air outlet of the negative pressure air source can both be set at the bottom of the lower plate, that is, the lower plate away from the upper plate.

[0061] In addition, if Figure 5 As shown, a positive pressure joint 3 is provided corresponding to the air inlet of a positive pressure air distribution channel, and a negative pressure joint 4 is provided corresponding to the air outlet of a negative pressure air distribution channel. Both are located on the lower plate 102. Figure 6 As shown in the cross section, the negative pressure air distribution channel 106 is connected to the air inlets 104 of multiple negative pressure zones, and the positive pressure air distribution channel 105 is connected to the air outlets 103 of multiple positive pressure zones.

[0062] In one example, the structures of the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure may be the same or different.

[0063] In one example, the positive-pressure throttling structure and the negative-pressure throttling structure are both shallow groove structures; wherein, the cross-sectional area of ​​the positive-pressure throttling structure is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the air outlet in the positive-pressure zone, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the negative-pressure throttling structure is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the air inlet in the negative-pressure zone; and the cross-sectional area of ​​the positive-pressure throttling structure and the cross-sectional area of ​​the negative-pressure throttling structure may be the same or different.

[0064] like Figure 3 As shown, the cross-sectional area of ​​the positive pressure throttling structure 300 is much smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the air outlet of the positive pressure zone air outlet 103; the cross-sectional area of ​​the negative pressure throttling structure 400 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the air inlet 104 of the negative pressure zone. The shallow groove structure of the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure is easy to process and can further reduce costs.

[0065] In one example, the positive pressure throttling structure includes an air outlet section, an air inlet section and a positive pressure intermediate structure, and the negative pressure throttling structure includes an air outlet section, an air inlet section and a negative pressure intermediate structure; wherein, the air outlet section and the air inlet section of the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure are both linear structures; the positive pressure intermediate structure and the negative pressure intermediate structure include one or more linear structures and one or more curved structures.

[0066] It should be noted that, for the convenience of description, the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure, including the edge throttling structure, are all exemplified by the same throttling structure, but the throttling structure is not limited. Fig.11 Take as an example to illustrate the throttling structure of this specification. Fig.11 The middle throttling structure 900 includes a throttling structure first section 901, a throttling structure middle structure 902 and a throttling structure tail section 903; the throttling structure first section 901 and the throttling structure tail section 903 are directly connected to the vent (air inlet or air outlet) and the air distribution channel (positive air distribution channel or negative pressure air distribution channel), and are arranged in a straight line; the throttling structure middle structure 902 plays a role in limiting the speed and flow of the airflow, preventing the airflow speed from being too fast and the flow from being too large, while saving the airflow, it can also make the suspended airflow of the substrate more uniform and stable. The throttling structure middle structure 902 is only an example of the middle structure of the throttling structure. Those skilled in the art can easily think of using a combination of one or more straight-line structures and one or more curved structures; examples are not given here one by one.

[0067] This specification does not limit the positive pressure intermediate structure and the negative pressure intermediate structure, and it only needs to limit the speed and flow of the airflow. The dimensions of the shallow groove structure of the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure, the dimensions of the positive pressure air outlet, the dimensions of the negative pressure air inlet, the dimensions of the edge air inlet, the dimensions of the positive pressure air distribution channel groove, and the dimensions of the negative pressure air distribution channel groove are not limited and can be adjusted according to actual conditions.

[0068] In one example, the positive pressure throttling structure is located on the upper plate or the lower plate, and the negative pressure throttling structure is located on the upper plate or the lower plate.

[0069] In this example, the throttling structure can be located at the bottom of the upper plate, that is, the upper plate is away from the plate surface of the base plate, and at this time, it directly cooperates with the air distribution channel corresponding to the lower plate to form an airflow path; the throttling structure can also be directly set on the lower plate, and cooperate with the air distribution channel of the lower plate to form an airflow path. There is no limitation on the specific setting position of the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure, and the throttling structure can also be located alone on a middle plate, and cooperate with the upper plate and the lower plate to form an airflow path. These settings can be selected in practice according to the processing technology.

[0070] For the convenience of description, this specification takes the throttling structure located on the upper plate as an example for explanation. Figure 2 As shown, the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure are both located at the bottom end of the upper plate, the positive pressure throttling structure 300 is connected to the air outlet 103 of the positive pressure zone; the negative pressure throttling structure 400 is connected to the air inlet 104 of the negative pressure zone.

[0071] In a possible implementation, the positive-pressure throttling structure and the negative-pressure throttling structure each include at least one linear structure and one or more curved structures.

[0072] At this time, the purpose is to provide a structural setting method of a positive pressure throttling structure and a negative pressure throttling structure. This illustrates the diversity of the structural settings of the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure. There is no restriction on the combination method and the number of combinations of the linear structure and the curved structure, and they can be selected as needed. At this time, the positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure can still be divided into three sections, but the air inlet and outlet ends do not need to be linear structures, but can also be curved structures.

[0073] In one example, the air flotation transport device also includes an edge partition; wherein the edge partition is arranged at the front and rear ends of the longitudinal direction of the transport platform (the preferred direction in the example of this specification, and of course it can also be located in the lateral direction of the transport platform), and the longitudinal direction of the transport platform is the transport direction of the substrate; the edge partition includes at least one air inlet, and the at least one air inlet is connected to the air outlet of the air source through at least one edge throttling structure.

[0074] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the Y direction is the longitudinal direction of the transport platform (air floating platform), and the X direction is the transverse direction of the air floating platform. Figure 2 As shown, the edge throttling structure 500 is connected to the edge air inlet 600. Figure 3 In the three-dimensional diagram, the edge throttling structure 500 is connected to the edge air inlet 600. Figure 4 As shown, the edge air inlet 600 is connected to the edge joint 5, and the edge joint 5 is also equivalent to the air outlet of the air source. The edge area is also called the compensation area. By adjusting the airflow in the edge area separately, the fluctuation of the flying height of the substrate when passing through the edge area is small, so that it can pass smoothly. One edge throttling structure corresponds to one edge air inlet. In addition, when multiple edge air inlets are provided, an edge air distribution channel can be provided; one edge air distribution channel corresponds to multiple edge air inlets.

[0075] In the above example, it is considered that when the substrate is transported on the air floating transport device, the substrate is preparing to enter the air floating transport platform and the substrate is preparing to leave the air floating transport platform. In these two cases, the part of the substrate covered by the air flow is small, and the excessive air flow pressure in the positive pressure area will cause the flying height of the substrate to fluctuate; in order to reduce or eliminate such fluctuations, an edge throttling structure is separately set in the edge area, and the edge area preferably adopts a negative pressure passage. The edge throttling structure also adopts an air outlet section, an air inlet section and an edge middle section; and there is no restriction on the specific structure of the edge throttling structure.

[0076] In one example, the air floating transport device further includes a leveling structure 2. Figure 8-10 As shown, the leveling structure 2 includes a first mounting seat 201, a first adjusting rod 202, a locking nut 203, a second adjusting rod 204 and a second mounting seat 205; wherein, the first mounting seat 201 is threadedly mounted with the first adjusting rod 202, the first adjusting rod 202 extending above the first mounting seat 201 is threadedly mounted with the locking nut 203, the top port of the first adjusting rod 202 is internally threadedly mounted with the second adjusting rod 204, the second mounting seat 205 is mounted on the second adjusting rod 204, and the second mounting seat 205 is connected to the first adjusting rod 202 via a spring 206.

[0077] At this time, the leveling structure has two modes: coarse leveling and fine leveling. Coarse leveling is achieved through the working outer edge 207 on the first adjustment rod, and is used to level the transport platform when installing the air floating transport device; fine leveling can achieve micron-level leveling, and can be used to further adjust the fine-tuning transport platform through the second adjustment rod.

[0078] In one example, the second adjustment rod 204 is a columnar body, both ends of the second adjustment rod 204 are respectively provided with threads, and an operation hole 208 is provided at the end of the second adjustment rod 204. Figure 2As shown, the leveling operation hole 800 is reserved for the fine leveling stage of the leveling structure, and the user can directly adjust the flatness of the air floating transport platform 1 in the vertical direction; Figure 3 As shown, both the upper plate 101 and the lower plate 102 are provided with a leveling operation hole 800 which is connected to the operation hole 208; Fig.10 The second mounting base 205 shown in the figure is provided with a through hole at the center, forming a Figure 8 The adjustment structure shown, at the same time, the second mounting seat 205 can be threadedly fastened to the lower plate 102.

[0079] At this time, an operation hole 208 is set on the second adjustment rod, and a leveling operation hole is set on the plane of the transport platform for use, so that the user can fine-tune the flatness of the transport platform in the vertical direction. However, there is no limit on the number of leveling structures. Generally speaking, the more the number of adjustment structures 2, the higher the leveling precision.

[0080] The principle of the air flotation transport device of the present specification is as follows: positive-pressure gas is connected to the positive-pressure air distribution duct of the lower plate through multiple positive-pressure joints, the positive-pressure air distribution duct flows into multiple positive-pressure air outlets in the positive-pressure zone through the positive-pressure throttling structure located on the upper plate, and the positive-pressure joint is connected to the air compressor pipeline; negative-pressure gas enters the negative-pressure air distribution duct through multiple air inlets in the negative-pressure zone through the throttling structure located on the upper plate, and flows out from multiple negative-pressure joints, and the negative-pressure joint is connected to the air compressor pipeline; edge negative-pressure gas enters the edge throttling structure from the air inlet in the edge area, and flows out from the edge joint, and the edge joint is connected to the air compressor.

[0081] The air flotation transport device disclosed in the present application has a simple structure and can reduce the manufacturing cost of the air flotation device.

[0082] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the positive direction of "X" in the drawings represents the front, and correspondingly, the reverse direction of "X" represents the rear; the positive direction of "Y" represents the right, and correspondingly, the reverse direction of "Y" represents the left; the positive direction of "Z" represents the top, and correspondingly, the reverse direction of "Z" represents the bottom. The orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms "X", "Y", "Z", etc. is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings of the specification, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0083] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. Unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be a connection between the two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0084] It should be noted that, in this application, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0085] The above description is only a specific implementation of the present application, so that those skilled in the art can understand or implement the present application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but will conform to the widest range consistent with the principles and novel features applied for herein.

Claims

1. An air flotation transport device for a substrate, characterized in that: The air floating transport device comprises a positive pressure area, a negative pressure area, a positive pressure air distribution channel, a negative pressure air distribution channel, a positive pressure throttling structure and a negative pressure throttling structure; wherein, The positive pressure areas and the negative pressure areas are alternately distributed on the transport platform; wherein one positive pressure area corresponds to one positive pressure air distribution channel, one negative pressure area corresponds to one negative pressure air distribution channel, one positive pressure area includes a plurality of air outlets, and one negative pressure area includes a plurality of air inlets; The positive pressure zone is connected to the air outlet section of the positive pressure throttling structure, and the air inlet section of the positive pressure throttling structure is connected to the positive pressure air distribution duct; and the air outlet of the positive pressure zone and the positive pressure air distribution duct are not on the same plane; the negative pressure zone is connected to the air inlet section of the negative pressure throttling structure, and the air outlet section of the negative pressure throttling structure is connected to the negative pressure air distribution duct; and the air inlet of the negative pressure zone and the negative pressure air distribution duct are not on the same plane.

2. The air flotation transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air flotation transport device comprises an upper plate; wherein, The positive pressure areas and the negative pressure areas are alternately distributed on the upper plate.

3. The air flotation transport device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The air flotation transport device comprises a lower plate; wherein, The positive pressure air distribution channel and the negative pressure air distribution channel are both groove-shaped structures, and the positive pressure air distribution channel and the negative pressure air distribution channel are both located on the lower plate; One of the positive-pressure air distribution channels is connected to a plurality of the positive-pressure throttling structures, one of the negative-pressure air distribution channels is connected to a plurality of the negative-pressure throttling structures, one of the positive-pressure throttling structures corresponds to an air outlet in a positive-pressure zone, and one of the negative-pressure throttling structures corresponds to an air inlet in a negative-pressure zone.

4. The air flotation transport device according to claim 3, characterized in that: One of the positive pressure air distribution channels is provided with a plurality of air inlets of a positive air source, and one of the negative pressure air distribution channels is provided with a plurality of air outlets of a negative air source.

5. The air flotation transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The positive-pressure throttling structure and the negative-pressure throttling structure have the same structure.

6. The air flotation transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The positive pressure throttling structure and the negative pressure throttling structure are both shallow groove structures; wherein, The cross-sectional area of ​​the positive-pressure throttling structure and the cross-sectional area of ​​the negative-pressure throttling structure are the same or different.

7. The air flotation transport device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The positive pressure throttling structure includes an air outlet section, an air inlet section and a positive pressure intermediate structure, and the negative pressure throttling structure includes an air outlet section, an air inlet section and a negative pressure intermediate structure; wherein, The positive-pressure throttling structure and the negative-pressure throttling structure both have an air outlet section and an air inlet section that are linear structures; the positive-pressure intermediate structure and the negative-pressure intermediate structure include one or more linear structures and one or more curved structures.

8. The air flotation transport device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The positive pressure throttling structure is located on the upper plate or the lower plate, and the negative pressure throttling structure is located on the upper plate or the lower plate.

9. The air flotation transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air flotation transport device also includes an edge partition; wherein, The edge partitions are arranged at the front and rear ends of the transport platform in the longitudinal direction; The edge partition includes at least one air inlet, and the at least one air inlet is connected to the air outlet of the air source through at least one edge throttling structure.

10. The air flotation transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air floating transport device further comprises a leveling structure (2), wherein the leveling structure (2) comprises a first mounting seat (201), a first adjustment rod (202), a locking nut (203), a second adjustment rod (204) and a second mounting seat (205); wherein: A first adjustment rod (202) is threadedly mounted on the first mounting seat (201); a locking nut (203) is threadedly mounted on the first adjustment rod (202) extending above the first mounting seat (201); the second adjustment rod (204) is threadedly mounted on the top port of the first adjustment rod (202); the second mounting seat (205) is sleeved on the second adjustment rod (204); and the second mounting seat (205) is connected to the first adjustment rod (202) via a spring (206).

11. The air flotation transport device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The second adjustment rod (204) is a columnar body, both ends of the second adjustment rod (204) are respectively provided with threads, and an operating hole (208) is provided at the end of the second adjustment rod (204).

12. The air flotation transport device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The positive-pressure throttling structure and the negative-pressure throttling structure each include at least one linear structure and one or more curved structures.

Images