A carrier mechanism for photovoltaic silicon wafers with hierarchical adjustment storage

Abstract

The present invention discloses a carrier mechanism for photovoltaic wafers with hierarchical adjustment storage, which includes a base constituting the carrier mechanism and a bracket installed on the upper end surface of the base. The bracket is in a U-shaped structure and is buckled on the left and right sides of the base, so that the front and rear sides of the base and the area above the bracket form an open intervention space. At the same time, a support mechanism is installed on the inner surface of the bracket, and this support mechanism is used to support the wafers from below and automatically fold when the wafers below the supported wafers are moved up. For this carrier mechanism for photovoltaic wafers with hierarchical adjustment storage, by designing a hierarchical storage support mechanism, although the carrying capacity will be reduced to a certain extent, the carrying stability of the wafers will be significantly improved, and at the same time, the moving resistance during the transportation of the wafers can be reduced synchronously. At the same time, it can automatically clean the dust and impurities on the surface of the wafers, effectively improve the processing quality of the subsequent wafers, and reduce the burden on the staff.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of photovoltaic silicon wafer processing, specifically to a method or device specially applicable to manufacturing or processing semiconductor or solid devices or their components, and particularly to a transporting mechanism for photovoltaic silicon wafers with hierarchical adjustment storage. Background Art

[0002] Photovoltaic silicon wafers are generally thin and have low stiffness. Therefore, during the processing and production process, a specific transporting mechanism is required for transfer and transportation between processing steps. For example, a silicon wafer transporting device with the publication number CN102897488B in the prior art includes: a support frame provided with a track, and a wheel groove is provided on the track; and a carrier cart located on the support frame and provided with silica gel rollers that rollingly cooperate with the wheel groove. The silicon wafer transporting device provided by this invention reduces the breakage of silicon wafers during transportation, thereby reducing the production cost of silicon wafer manufacturers;

[0003] Or a silicon wafer carrier tray and a transporting water tank having the same with the publication number CN115440636B. The silicon wafer carrier tray of this invention can stack a plurality of silicon wafers obliquely in the slot positions. The silicon wafers rely on their own gravity to closely lean against the blocking parts and are clamped and fixed by the two blocking parts, effectively avoiding the problem that the silicon wafers shake left and right relative to the tray during transportation and the silicon wafers collide with the inner wall of the side part, resulting in chipping of the silicon wafers; when it is necessary to take out the silicon wafers from the tray one by one, the side part can be removed or opened to eliminate the restriction of the side part on the silicon wafers, and the problem that the silicon wafers collide with the inner wall of the side wall when the inserter drives the silicon wafers to be transferred from the slot positions one by one can be avoided;

[0004] The above-mentioned prior art has good technological innovations in improving the transporting capacity of the transporting mechanism and the anti-collision protection of silicon wafers, and has had a great positive effect on the production of silicon wafers. However, as described in the above prior art content, although the direct contact between the stacked silicon wafers will improve the transporting capacity, when there are dust impurities between the silicon wafers, it will affect the subsequent processing quality, and it will also increase the overall moving resistance of the transporting mechanism in the environment. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a transporting mechanism for photovoltaic silicon wafers with hierarchical adjustment storage, so as to solve the problem proposed in the above background art that although the direct contact between the stacked silicon wafers will improve the transporting capacity, when there are dust impurities between the silicon wafers, it will affect the subsequent processing quality, and it will also increase the overall moving resistance of the transporting mechanism in the environment.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A carrying mechanism for photovoltaic wafers with hierarchical adjustment storage, including a base constituting the carrying mechanism and a bracket installed on the upper end surface of the base. The bracket is in a U-shaped structure and is inverted on the left and right sides of the base, forming an open access space in the front and rear sides of the base and the area above the bracket. At the same time, a support mechanism is installed on the inner surface of the bracket, and this support mechanism is used to support the wafer from below and automatically fold when the wafer below the supported wafer is moved upward.

[0007] Furthermore, the support mechanism includes a support plate and a groove for accommodating the rotated support plate. The groove is opened on the opposite surfaces of the two brackets, and the bottom end of the support plate is rotatably installed in the groove through a pin shaft.

[0008] Furthermore, elastic layers are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the inner wall of the support plate. Before the support plate rotates, this elastic layer is used to connect the support plate and the groove, and after the support plate rotates, it deforms and is accommodated in the groove. At the same time, the top height of the elastic layer in the initial state is higher than the top height of the adjacent support plate.

[0009] Furthermore, suction cups are horizontally distributed in the space formed by the support plate, the elastic layer connected to the inner wall of the support plate, and the groove enclosure. The top end of the suction cup is also located above the support plate.

[0010] Furthermore, the bottom end of the suction cup is connected to a sliding rod and is communicated with the hollow structure in the sliding rod. The sliding rod is connected to a negative pressure mechanism, and the negative pressure mechanism is used to pump the suction cup to a negative pressure. Among them, the sliding rod parallel to the support plate in the initial state is inclined and slidably installed on the bracket through a spring. The bottom end of the sliding rod is connected to a traction frame, and the traction frame is connected to a traction mechanism arranged in the base and is used to drive the traction frame to move, thereby driving the suction cup to move away from or close to the wafer.

[0011] Furthermore, the traction mechanism includes a bottom plate, and the bottom plate is vertically slidably installed on the upper end surface of the base. The edge of the bottom plate is connected to the bottom end of the traction frame through a rope wound around a roller. The up and down movement of the bottom plate drives the traction frame to reciprocate along the axis direction of the sliding rod through the rope.

[0012] Furthermore, the bottom plate is slidably installed on the top of the base through a vertically distributed rod, and the bottom end of the rod is fixed on the upper end surface of a sliding plate. The sliding plate is vertically slidably installed in a cavity opened in the base, and the lower end surface of the sliding plate is connected to a pressing plate located below the base. The upper end surface of the pressing plate is slidably connected to the base through a spring rod, and the lower end surface of the pressing plate is attached to the side surface of a cam installed at the end of the output shaft. The output shaft is connected to a driving machine installed on the lower end surface of the base.

[0013] As a further aspect, the internal space of the cavity below the skateboard is communicated with the internal space of the slide bar through a first air pipe.

[0014] As a further aspect, the internal space of the cavity above the skateboard is communicated with an air cavity opened in the bracket through a second air pipe, and the air cavity is communicated with a blowing hole whose output end is located inside the groove. At the same time, the slide bar located in the groove is a flat plate structure, and the air flow blown out of the blowing hole is guided by the flat plate section and the support plate to blow towards the lower end face of the silicon wafer.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: For the carrier mechanism for photovoltaic silicon wafers with hierarchical adjustment and storage, a hierarchical storage and support mechanism is designed. Although it will reduce the carrying capacity to a certain extent, it will significantly improve the carrying stability of the silicon wafers, and simultaneously reduce the moving resistance during the transportation of the silicon wafers. At the same time, it can automatically clean the dust and impurities on the surface of the silicon wafers, effectively improving the subsequent processing quality of the silicon wafers and reducing the burden on the staff. Specifically, it is as follows:

[0016] 1. The structural design of the support plate and the elastic layer, combined with the rotatable setting of the support plate itself, can effectively store the silicon wafers in layers by using the buffering effect of the elastic layer and the rigid support of the support plate. At the same time, the rotatable setting of the support plate ensures that the multi-directional extraction of the silicon wafers will not be affected. At the same time, combined with the unique structural design of the bracket, the moving resistance of the carrier mechanism is effectively reduced;

[0017] 2. Using a suction cup structure in the groove can further improve the stability of the silicon wafers during transportation by using the negative pressure adsorption effect. The structural design of the traction frame, the pull rope and the bottom plate can use the movement of the skateboard to generate a driving force and traction the suction cup to retract or extend in the groove, respectively adapting to the different requirements of taking out and placing the silicon wafers;

[0018] Furthermore, the structural design of the skateboard, the air pipe and the air cavity can, on the one hand, link the air pressure in the lower half space of the air cavity with the air pressure state in the suction cup by using the movement of the skateboard, and cooperate with the movement of the suction cup itself to generate the effects of negative pressure adsorption and positive pressure detachment respectively. At the same time, it can use the use of the blowing hole and the guidance of the slide bar and the support plate, and the skateboard automatically cleans the lower surface of the silicon wafer during the movement process, and no additional electronic control equipment is required, which is more energy-saving and environmentally friendly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the distribution structure of the support plate of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the distribution structure of the groove of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the bottom plate distribution structure of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the skateboard distribution structure of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the cam distribution structure of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the air pipe distribution structure of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the air cavity distribution structure of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure for the slide bar and the support plate to guide the air flow of the present invention.

[0030] In the figure: 1, base; 2, bracket; 3, support plate; 4, elastic layer; 5, groove; 6, pin shaft; 7, suction cup; 8, slide bar; 9, traction frame; 10, pull rope; 11, roller; 12, bottom plate; 13, skateboard; 14, cavity; 15, pressing plate; 16, cam; 17, output shaft; 18, first air pipe; 19, second air pipe; 20, air cavity; 21, blowing hole. Detailed implementation manners

[0031] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0032] Please refer to Figures 1-11 , the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0033] Embodiment 1: In this embodiment, in order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, it is disclosed as Figures 1-2The shown solution includes a base 1 that constitutes a carrier mechanism and a bracket 2 installed on the upper end surface of the base 1. The bracket 2 is in a U-shaped structure and is inverted on the left and right sides of the base 1, forming an open intervention space in the front, rear sides of the base 1 and the area above the bracket 2. At the same time, a support mechanism is installed on the inner surface of the bracket 2, which is used to support the silicon wafer from below and automatically fold when the silicon wafer below the supported silicon wafer is moved. The support mechanism includes a support plate 3 and a groove 5 for accommodating the rotated support plate 3. The groove 5 is opened on the opposite surfaces of the two brackets 2. The bottom end of the support plate 3 is rotatably installed in the groove 5 through a pin shaft 6. In the normal state, the silicon wafers are placed layer by layer above each support mechanism. The support plate 3 in the support mechanism is initially inclined. Under the condition of force at its top end, it has a tendency to deflect away from the bracket 2 to which it is installed, so that the whole will remain in an inclined distribution state, thereby realizing the layer-by-layer distribution of the silicon wafers in the carrier mechanism, reducing the resistance during their movement in a pure water environment, and at the same time avoiding damage caused by dust debris, etc. due to the mutual adhesion between the silicon wafers. At the same time, when removing the silicon wafer, the clamp or suction cup 7 can be fixed from the lower end surface of the silicon wafer from bottom to top and then the silicon wafer can be translated out of the carrier mechanism. Since the front and rear areas of the bracket 2 are both open spaces, not only the overall load of the carrier mechanism is reduced, but also the operation range is increased, and it is very convenient to use. The silicon wafers can also be taken out layer by layer in the vertical direction from top to bottom. After the topmost silicon wafer is taken out, the lower silicon wafers move up layer by layer. During the movement, the support plate 3 in contact with the silicon wafer will rotate around the pin shaft 6 accordingly until it fits into the groove 5, so as to avoid blocking the access to the silicon wafer. At the same time, a soft buffer material can also be used on the contact surface between the support plate 3 and the silicon wafer.

[0034] In this embodiment, it is further disclosed that Figure 3 the solution. The key point of this solution lies in the use of the elastic layer 4. An elastic layer 4 is respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the inner wall of the support plate 3. The elastic layer 4 is used to connect the support plate 3 and the groove 5 before the support plate 3 rotates, and is deformed and stored in the groove 5 after the support plate 3 rotates. At the same time, the top height of the elastic layer 4 in the initial state is higher than the top height of the adjacent support plate 3. On the one hand, it is to avoid direct contact between the silicon wafer and the support plate 3 when the silicon wafer is vertically placed, avoiding possible collisions and scratches, etc. On the other hand, it is to improve the stability of the silicon wafer placed in the carrier mechanism through the static friction between the elastic layer 4 and the silicon wafer.

[0035] Embodiment 2: The solution disclosed in this embodiment further discloses how to further strengthen the connection stability between the silicon wafer and the carrier mechanism, such as Figures 4-5As shown, a suction cup 7 is horizontally arranged in the space formed by enclosing the support plate 3, the elastic layer 4 connected to the inner wall of the support plate 3, and the groove 5. The top end of the suction cup 7 is also located above the support plate 3. The bottom end of the suction cup 7 is connected to the sliding rod 8 and communicates with the hollow structure in the sliding rod 8. The sliding rod 8 is connected to a negative pressure mechanism, and the negative pressure mechanism is used to pump the suction cup 7 to a negative pressure state. Initially, the sliding rod 8 parallel to the support plate 3 is inclined and slidably installed on the bracket 2 through a spring. The bottom end of the sliding rod 8 is connected to the traction frame 9. The traction frame 9 is connected to a traction mechanism arranged in the base 1 and is used to drive the traction frame 9 to move, thereby driving the suction cup 7 to move away from or close to the silicon wafer. The traction mechanism includes a bottom plate 12. The bottom plate 12 is vertically slidably installed on the upper end surface of the base 1. The edge of the bottom plate 12 is connected to the bottom end of the traction frame 9 through a pull rope 10 wound around a roller 11. The up and down movement of the bottom plate 12 drives the traction frame 9 to reciprocate along the axis direction of the sliding rod 8 through the pull rope 10. In this solution, the means adopted is to add multiple movable suction cups 7. The upper end surface of the bottom plate 12 can be used to place the silicon wafer or can only be used as a traction mechanism and move up and down under the control of an electric drive device. When it moves downward, the spring return effect on the sliding rod 8 will pull the sliding rod 8 and the traction frame 9 towards the direction close to the bracket 2. Therefore, the suction cup 7 will move out of the groove 5 and contact the silicon wafer. On the contrary, when the bottom plate 12 moves upward, the pull rope 10 will pull the traction frame 9 towards the direction away from the bracket 2, so that the suction cup 7 can be retracted into the groove 5.

[0036] In this embodiment, the following solution for driving the bottom plate 12 to move is further disclosed. As Figures 6-7 shown, the bottom plate 12 is slidably installed at the top end of the base 1 through a vertically distributed rod. The bottom end of the rod is fixed to the upper end surface of the sliding plate 13. The sliding plate 13 is vertically slidably installed in a cavity 14 opened inside the base 1. The lower end surface of the sliding plate 13 is connected to a pressing plate 15 located below the base 1. The upper end surface of the pressing plate 15 is slidably connected to the base 1 through a spring rod. The lower end surface of the pressing plate 15 is attached to the side surface of a cam 16 installed at the end of an output shaft 17. The output shaft 17 is connected to a driving machine installed on the lower end surface of the base 1. The driving machine installed on the lower end surface of the base 1 can be a device such as a motor that drives the output shaft 17 to rotate, or an electric control push rod directly connected to the lower end surface of the sliding plate 13 can be used to replace mechanisms such as the cam 16. The output shaft 17 drives the cam 16 to rotate, and drives the sliding plate 13 to reciprocate up and down through the pressing plate 15 and the spring return effect of the spring member on the pressing plate 15, so as to drive the bottom plate 12 to reciprocate and produce a driving effect. The reason for adopting the above relatively complex solution is that the above solution can also achieve the effect shown in Embodiment 3 below.

[0037] Embodiment 3: Specifically, reference can be made to Figures 8-11As shown in the figure, the internal space of the cavity 14 below the skateboard 13 is connected to the internal space of the slide bar 8 through the first air pipe 18. The internal space of the cavity 14 above the skateboard 13 is connected to the air cavity 20 opened in the bracket 2 through the second air pipe 19, and the air cavity 20 is connected to the air blowing hole 21 with the output end communicated inside the groove 5. At the same time, the slide bar 8 located in the groove 5 is in a flat plate structure. The air flow blown out from the air blowing hole 21 is guided by the flat plate section and the support plate 3 to blow towards the lower end face of the silicon wafer. When the skateboard 13 moves downward, the cavity 14 below it is in a high-pressure state. At this time, the air flow enters the slide bar 8 and the suction cup 7 through the first air pipe 18. Therefore, the silicon wafer placed above it will be separated from the adsorption contact with the suction cup 7, thus facilitating the separation of the silicon wafer from the carrier mechanism. After the silicon wafer is placed, the skateboard 13 can be controlled to move upward. The internal space of the cavity 14 below it will be in a negative pressure state. At this time, the suction cup 7 will be in a negative pressure state while extending out of the groove 5 and complete the adsorption and fixation of the silicon wafer. At the same time, the internal space of the cavity 14 above the skateboard 13 will be in a high-pressure state. Therefore, an air flow will be generated and enter the air cavity 20 through the second air pipe 19, and finally flow along the inclined air duct formed by the air blowing hole 21, the slide bar 8 and the support plate 3 and act on the lower part of the silicon wafer to complete the auxiliary cleaning of the silicon wafer, and also avoid the surface residual dust, etc. during the transfer process before transportation, facilitating the subsequent efficient processing.

[0038] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A transport mechanism for photovoltaic silicon wafers with layered adjustable storage, comprising a base (1) constituting the transport mechanism and a bracket (2) mounted on the upper end surface of the base (1), characterized in that: The support (2) is in a U-shaped structure and is inverted on the left and right sides of the base (1), so that the front and rear sides of the base (1) and the area above the support (2) form an open intervention space. At the same time, a support mechanism is installed on the inner surface of the support (2), and the support mechanism is used to support the silicon wafer from below and automatically fold when the silicon wafer below the supported silicon wafer moves upward; The support mechanism comprises a support plate (3) and a groove (5) for accommodating the rotated support plate (3), wherein the groove (5) is provided on opposite surfaces of the two brackets (2); An elastic layer (4) is provided on the left and right sides of the inner wall of the support plate (3), respectively. The elastic layer (4) is used to connect the support plate (3) and the groove (5) before the support plate (3) rotates, and is deformed and accommodated in the groove (5) after the support plate (3) rotates. At the same time, the top height of the elastic layer (4) in the initial state is higher than the top height of the adjacent support plate (3); A horizontally distributed suction cup (7) is provided in the space formed by the support plate (3), the elastic layer (4) connected to the inner wall of the support plate (3), and the enclosure of the groove (5), and the top end of the suction cup (7) is also located above the support plate (3); The bottom end of the suction cup (7) is connected to the slide bar (8) and communicates with the hollow structure in the slide bar (8), and the slide bar (8) is connected to the negative pressure mechanism, and the negative pressure mechanism is used to draw the suction cup (7) to a negative pressure, wherein the slide bar (8) which is parallel to the support plate (3) in the initial state is installed on the bracket (2) by means of a spring tilting slide, wherein the bottom end of the slide bar (8) is connected to the traction frame (9), wherein the traction frame (9) is connected to the traction mechanism arranged in the base (1), and is used to drive the traction frame (9) to move, thereby driving the suction cup (7) to leave or approach the silicon wafer.

2. The transport mechanism for photovoltaic silicon wafers with layered adjustable storage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom end of the support plate (3) is rotatably mounted in the groove (5) via a pin shaft (6).

3. The transport mechanism for photovoltaic silicon wafers with layered adjustable storage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The traction mechanism comprises a bottom plate (12), wherein the bottom plate (12) is vertically slidably mounted on the upper end surface of the base (1), wherein the edge of the bottom plate (12) is connected to the bottom end of the traction frame (9) via a pull rope (10) wound on a roller (11), wherein the up and down movement of the bottom plate (12) causes the pull rope (10) to drive the traction frame (9) to reciprocate along the axial direction of the slide rod (8).

4. The transport mechanism for photovoltaic silicon wafers with layered adjustable storage according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The bottom plate (12) is slidably mounted on the top of the base (1) via a vertically distributed rod, and the bottom end of the rod is fixed to the upper end surface of the slide plate (13), wherein the slide plate (13) is vertically slidably mounted in a cavity (14) opened inside the base (1), and the lower end surface of the slide plate (13) is connected to a pressure plate (15) located below the base (1), the upper end surface of the pressure plate (15) is slidably connected to the base (1) via a spring rod, and the lower end surface of the pressure plate (15) is in contact with the side surface of a cam (16) mounted at the end of an output shaft (17), wherein the output shaft (17) is connected to a driving machine mounted on the lower end surface of the base (1).

5. The transport mechanism for photovoltaic silicon wafers with layered adjustable storage according to claim 4, characterized in that: The internal space of the cavity (14) below the slide plate (13) is connected to the internal space of the slide rod (8) via the first air pipe (18).

6. A transport mechanism for photovoltaic silicon wafers with layered adjustable storage according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: The internal space of the cavity (14) above the slide plate (13) is connected to the air cavity (20) opened in the bracket (2) through the second air pipe (19), and the air cavity (20) is connected to the blowing hole (21) inside the groove (5) at the output end. At the same time, the slide bar (8) located in the groove (5) is a flat plate structure, and the airflow blown out of the blowing hole (21) is blown toward the lower end surface of the silicon wafer through the guidance of the flat plate section and the support plate (3).

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