Conveying device

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a conveying device comprising: a driving unit provided with a driving wheel and connected with a housing; the lifting unit is arranged in the shell; and a hand unit provided with a gripper that grips a transfer target, in which the lifting unit comprises: a belt unit connected to the hand unit, the belt unit comprising a first lifting belt and a second lifting belt; and a lifting driving unit configured to wind or unwind the belt unit, and each of the first surface of the first lifting belt and the second surface of the second lifting belt is disposed to be offset at an angle from a driving direction of the driving unit without being parallel to the driving direction of the driving unit.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0174323 filed on December 5, 2023 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and all rights and interests therefrom under 35 U.S.C. 119, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a conveying device. Background Art

[0004] The semiconductor device manufacturing process can be continuously performed in a semiconductor fabrication facility and can be divided into a front-end process (pre-process) and a back-end process (post-process). Semiconductor manufacturing equipment can be installed in a space defined as a wafer fab (FAB) to manufacture semiconductor devices.

[0005] The front-end process refers to the process of completing a chip by forming a circuit pattern on a substrate (e.g., a wafer). The front-end process may include: a deposition process to form a thin film on a substrate; a photolithography process to transfer a photoresist to a thin film by using a photo mask; an etching process to selectively remove unnecessary parts by using chemicals or reactive gases to form a desired circuit pattern on a substrate; an ashing process to remove residual photoresist after etching; an ion implantation process to implant ions into a portion connected to a circuit pattern to impart characteristics to an electronic device; and a cleaning process to remove contaminants on a substrate.

[0006] The back-end process refers to the process of evaluating the performance of the product completed by the front-end process. The back-end process may include: a substrate inspection process to select good products and defects by checking the operation of each chip on the substrate; a packaging process to cut and separate each chip to make the shape of the product through cutting, chip bonding, wire bonding, molding, marking, etc.; and a final inspection process to finally check the characteristics and reliability of the product through electrical characteristics inspection, aging inspection, etc.

[0007] The article such as a substrate may be transported by the transfer device while being contained in the container. The transfer device may be moved between substrate processing devices, or may be moved to another wafer fab or another factory to transfer the article.

[0008] Meanwhile, the conveyor may be provided with a plurality of lifting belts so as to move up and down to the position where the container is placed. The lifting belts are arranged so that their width is parallel to the driving direction of the conveyor, so that a large deformation rate of the lifting belts can occur in a direction perpendicular to the driving direction of the conveyor (the direction in which the hand unit slides).

[0009] Therefore, the conveyor is susceptible to the shaking response of the hand unit, and thus the position of the hand unit may be set incorrectly. As a result, the gripper of the hand unit may be incorrectly installed in the container due to the shaking of the lifting belt, or errors may occur in the vibration / optical sensor detecting the hand unit, which requires improvement. Summary of the invention

[0010] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a conveying device that can minimize shaking of a belt unit that moves a hand unit in a vertical direction.

[0011] The objects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above objects, and other objects of the present disclosure which are not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description of the present disclosure.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a conveying device designed to achieve the above-mentioned purpose includes: a driving unit, which is provided with a driving wheel and connected to a shell; a lifting unit, which is arranged in the shell; and a hand unit, which is provided with a clamp for clamping a conveying target, wherein the lifting unit includes: a belt unit, which is connected to the hand unit and includes a first lifting belt and a second lifting belt; and a lifting drive unit, which is configured to wind or unwind the belt unit, and each of the first surface of the first lifting belt and the second surface of the second lifting belt is arranged to be misaligned (misligned) at a certain angle to the driving direction of the driving unit and not parallel to the driving direction of the driving unit.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a conveying device designed to achieve the above-mentioned purpose includes: a driving unit, which is provided with a driving wheel and connected to a shell; a lifting unit, which is arranged in the shell; a horizontal moving unit, which moves between the shell and the lifting unit in a direction orthogonal to the driving direction of the driving unit to move the lifting unit relative to the shell; and a hand unit, which is provided with a clamp for clamping a conveying target, wherein the lifting unit includes: a belt unit, which is connected to the hand unit and includes a first lifting belt and a second lifting belt; and a lifting drive unit, which is configured to wind or unwind the belt unit, and the first surface of the first lifting belt and the second surface of the second lifting belt are arranged in an X shape by crossing each other at the upper part and extending in a downward direction.

[0014] According to other aspects of the present disclosure, a conveying device designed to achieve the above-mentioned purpose and arranged in a semiconductor manufacturing plant includes: a driving unit, which is provided with a driving wheel and connected to a shell; a lifting unit, which is arranged in the shell; a horizontal moving unit, which moves between the shell and the lifting unit in a direction orthogonal to the driving direction of the driving unit to move the lifting unit relative to the shell; and a hand unit, which is provided with a clamp for clamping a conveying target, wherein the lifting unit includes: a belt unit, which is connected to the hand unit and includes a first lifting belt, a second lifting belt and a third lifting belt; and a lifting drive unit, which is configured to wind or unwind the belt unit, and the lifting drive unit includes: a motor, which is provided with a motor shaft; a driving pulley (driving a first bevel gear connected to one end of the input shaft at an acute angle; a second bevel gear connected to the other end of the input shaft at an obtuse angle symmetrical to the first bevel gear; a first output shaft connected to the first bevel gear; a second output shaft connected to the second bevel gear; a first drum connected to the first output shaft, the first lifting belt being wound on the first drum; a second drum connected to the second output shaft, the second lifting belt being wound on the second drum; a third drum surrounding the input shaft to receive the rotational force of the input shaft, the third lifting belt being wound on the third drum, and the third drum being arranged between the first drum and the second drum; a first guide roller, the first guide roller guiding the first lifting belt facing the first drum movement; a second guide roller, which guides the movement of the second lifting belt while facing the second reel; a third guide roller, which guides the movement of the third lifting belt while facing the third reel; a first anti-sway plate, on which the first lifting belt is arranged between the first guide rollers; a second anti-sway plate, on which the second lifting belt is arranged between the second guide rollers; and a third anti-sway plate, on which the third lifting belt is arranged between the third guide rollers; each of the first surface of the first lifting belt and the second surface of the second lifting belt is arranged toward the center direction of the shell instead of the driving direction of the driving unit, and thereby is arranged to be offset at a certain angle rather than parallel to each of the driving direction of the driving unit and the moving direction of the horizontal moving unit, the first surface between the first reel and the first guide roller and the second surface between the second reel and the second guide roller intersect each other to form an "X" shape, and the third surface of the third lifting belt faces the point where the first surface of the first lifting belt and the second surface of the second lifting belt intersect each other.

[0015] Details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

[0016] In the conveying device according to the present disclosure, the three lifting belts are arranged to face the center direction between the lifting unit and the hand unit, so that the deformation rate of the three lifting belts in the sliding direction of the horizontal moving unit can be reduced, that is, the shaking of the belt unit can be reduced. Therefore, since the shaking of the interaction between the operation of the hand unit and the belt unit can be reduced, the stability of the clamping operation of the hand unit can be improved, and various error causes such as the clamping error of the clamper and the oscillation error caused by the shaking of the hand unit can be improved, so that the quality of the equipment can be improved.

[0017] Effects according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and more various effects are included in the following description of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and other aspects and features of the present disclosure will become more apparent through the detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a manufacturing plant in which a conveying device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is provided;

[0020] Figure 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a conveying device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure descends toward a conveying target;

[0021] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 A graph of region A;

[0022] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a conveying device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure clamps a conveying target;

[0023] Figure 5 is a diagram showing a state in which a belt unit of a conveying device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is unfolded;

[0024] Figure 6 is a diagram showing a belt unit of a conveyor according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a lifting unit of a conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 8 is a rear view showing a lifting unit of a conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Fig. 9 is a plan view showing a lifting unit of a conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Fig.10 is a plan view showing a lifting unit of a conveying device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Fig.11 is a plan view showing a lifting unit of a conveying device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Fig.12 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a lifting belt according to a comparative example;

[0031] Fig.13 is a diagram showing a conveying path in a driving direction of a hand unit of a conveying device according to a comparative example; and

[0032] Fig.14 is a diagram showing a conveying path in a sliding direction of a hand unit of a conveying device according to a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present disclosure, and the methods for achieving these advantages and features will become apparent from the description of the following detailed embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and can be implemented in various forms. The embodiments provided are only for the purpose of disclosing the present disclosure and for those skilled in the art to understand the scope of the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings, the embodiments of the present disclosure are limited by the scope of the claims. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals represent the same elements.

[0034] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, unless otherwise mentioned, the singular form is intended to include the plural form. The terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" used herein specifically refer to the presence of the elements, steps, operations and / or targets, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements, steps, operations and / or targets.

[0035] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a manufacturing plant in which a conveying device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is set.

[0036] Reference Figure 1The manufacturing plant 10 of the present embodiment may be a plant for manufacturing semiconductors (or displays). The manufacturing plant 10 may be provided with a plurality of manufacturing facilities (wafer plants, not shown). A plurality of wafer plants may be provided as clean rooms, and a plurality of substrate processing devices (not shown) for performing semiconductor manufacturing processes may be installed.

[0037] For example, a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses may process a number of manufacturing processes (such as a deposition process, a photolithography process, and an etching process) on a substrate (eg, a wafer).

[0038] After performing a substrate manufacturing process in any one substrate processing device, the substrate may be transferred to another substrate processing device for the next manufacturing process. The substrate processing device may process the substrate by taking out the substrate from the transfer target 30 installed on the mounting position such as a load port. In addition, the substrate processing device may accommodate the processed substrate in the transfer target 30 installed on the mounting position.

[0039] That is, the substrate can be transferred while being stored in the transfer target 30 capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates. For example, the transfer target 30 may be a front opening unified pod (FOUP) accommodating a plurality of substrates. However, the transfer target 30 is not limited to the FOUP, and may be a chip box accommodating chips therein. In this way, the transfer target 30 may be composed of various examples.

[0040] The transfer target 30 storing substrates or chips therein may be transferred by the transfer device 100. The track unit 20 may form a moving path in the manufacturing plant 10 in order to transfer the transfer target 30 between a plurality of substrate processing devices in the manufacturing plant 10 or to a plurality of wafer factories.

[0041] The conveying device 100 may move along a moving path formed by the rail unit 20. That is, a conveying path for conveying the conveying target 30 may be formed between a plurality of substrate processing devices. The conveying path is a moving path of the conveying device 100 and may form an installation path of the rail unit 20. For example, the rail unit 20 may be provided on a top plate.

[0042] The track unit 20 provided to the wafer factory may have a structure in which straight lines and curves are combined with each other. The track unit 20 is provided with a plurality of bays in which a transfer operation for the availability of a work space and the ease of management of the transfer device 100 is performed, and the plurality of bays are connected as a whole so that the transfer device 100 can move to a plurality of bays adjacent to each other, rather than moving in only any one of the plurality of bays.

[0043] The track unit 20 may be provided with a power cable (not shown) for supplying power to the conveying device 100 with high-efficiency inductive (HID) power distribution or contactless power supply (CPS). The power cable may be installed on all or part of the track unit 20.

[0044] The conveying device 100 for moving the rail unit 20 provided on the top plate may be provided as an overhead hoist transport (OHT). For example, when the conveying device 100 conveys the conveying target 30 between a plurality of substrate processing devices, the conveying target 30 may be directly conveyed from one substrate processing device to another substrate processing device, or the conveying target 30 may be stored in a stocker 40 and then conveyed to another substrate processing device.

[0045] Hereinafter, the conveying device 100 will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0046] Figure 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a conveying device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure descends toward a conveying target, Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 A graph of area A, and Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a conveying device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure clamps a conveying target.

[0047] Reference Figures 2 to 4 The conveying device 100 may include a driving unit 110 , a housing 130 , a horizontal moving unit 140 , a lifting unit 150 , and a hand unit 160 .

[0048] The driving unit 110 may be provided with a driving wheel 111 rotated by a motor 113 so that the driving unit 110 is driven along the driving rail 20. The driving unit 110 may be driven while the driving wheel 111 is rotated in a state of contact with the driving rail 20.

[0049] A steering wheel (not shown) may be provided on an upper surface of the driving unit 110. The steering wheel may be provided to be movable in a horizontal direction along a direction 2 (i.e., a direction 2 along which the horizontal moving unit 140 slides) perpendicular to a driving direction 1 of the driving unit 110. The steering wheel may selectively contact a linear steering rail (not shown) for guiding a linear drive and a branch steering rail (not shown) for guiding a branch drive.

[0050] The housing 130 may be connected to the drive unit 110 below the drive rail 20. The housing 130 may be formed with an inner space 130S. The housing 130 may have a lower side and two sides (based on Figure 2 front and back) or one side (based on Figure 2 The front of the housing 130 is open for the structure of vertical movement and horizontal movement of the transmission target 30. In this case, both sides of the housing 130 can be the direction 2 in which the horizontal moving unit 140 slides.

[0051] When transferring the transfer target 30 from the installation position to the internal space 130S, or when transferring the transfer target 30 from the internal space 130S to the installation position, the horizontal moving unit 140, the lifting unit 150, and the hand unit 160 may transfer the transfer target 30 through the open bottom of the housing 130. That is, the horizontal moving unit 140, the lifting unit 150, and the hand unit 160 may be installed in the housing 130 to load and unload the transfer target 30.

[0052] The horizontal moving unit 140 may be disposed on an upper surface inside the housing 130. The horizontal moving unit 140 may perform horizontal movement such as a sliding operation through the open side of the housing 130. For example, the horizontal moving unit 140 may include a guide rail (not shown) and a moving block (not shown) that slides in a horizontal direction, or may include a plurality of sliding plates (not shown) and ball bearings, etc.

[0053] Such a horizontal movement unit 140 may move the lifting unit 150 relative to the housing 130 by moving in an orthogonal direction (ie, in a sliding direction 2 ) relative to a driving direction 1 of the driving unit 110 .

[0054] The lifting unit 150 may be disposed below the horizontal moving unit 140 and may be horizontally moved by the horizontal moving unit 140. The lifting unit 150 may lift and lower the hand unit 160. To this end, the lifting unit 150 may include a belt unit 151 and a lifting driving unit 155.

[0055] The belt unit 151 can vertically move the hand unit 160 by the driving force of the lifting driving unit 155. The lifting driving unit 155 can wind or unwind the belt unit 151 by generating a driving force, that is, vertically move the hand unit 160 by adjusting the length of the belt unit 151, thereby adjusting the height. Figures 5 to 11 Such a lifting unit 150 is described.

[0056] The hand unit 160 can be moved in the vertical direction in the housing 130 by the lifting unit 150, and can pick up the transfer target 30. For example, the hand unit 160 can be fixed to the lower end of the belt unit 151 and connected to the lifting unit 150 by the belt unit 151. The hand unit 160 can be set in parallel with the bottom surface. That is, the heights of the lower ends of the three lifting belts (the first lifting belt 151A, the second lifting belt 151B, and the third lifting belt 151C) can be set equally so that the hand unit 160 can be set in parallel with the bottom surface.

[0057] The hand unit 160 may include a gripper 161 for gripping the conveying target and a gripper motor (not shown) for driving the gripper 161. The gripper 161 may be configured to slide by the gripper motor to interfere with the conveying target 30 or release the interference.

[0058] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 For example, the clamping operation can be performed in the following manner: when the conical member 163 provided in the hand unit 160 is inserted into the groove 31H of the conveying target 30 and the conical member 163 contacts the groove 31H, it is determined that the sensor (not shown) provided in the conical member 163 has detected the conveying target 30, so that the clamper 161 slides to approach the plate 31 of the conveying target 30.

[0059] However, since the sensor of the cone 163 is a contact sensor and can detect only an object in contact with the groove 31H of the conveying target 30, even if the belt unit 151 of the lifting unit 150 is greatly shaken and is not installed in the correct position of the groove 31H, an error of being recognized as being normally installed in the groove 31H may occur. Therefore, the clamper 161 may be installed in the plate 31 at a position where the clamper 161 is not correctly installed in the plate 31 of the conveying target 30.

[0060] Then, problems such as the transport target 30 falling down or the clamping state of the clamper 161 may not be normally performed and thus the clamper 161 may be damaged may occur in the transport process of the transport target 30. In order to solve this problem, the shaking of the belt unit 151 must be minimized. That is, when the shaking of the belt unit 151 is minimized, since the hand unit 160 can be set at the correct position and thus the cone 163 can be accurately installed in the groove 31H, errors in the clamping operation of the clamper 161 can be minimized or avoided. For this reason, the lifting unit 150 of the present embodiment improves the belt unit 151.

[0061] Hereinafter, the hoisting unit 150 will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0062] Figure 5is a diagram showing a state in which a belt unit of a conveying device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is unfolded, Figure 6 is a diagram showing a belt unit of a conveyor according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a lifting unit of a conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 8 is a rear view showing a lifting unit of a conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, and Fig. 9 is a plan view showing a crane unit of a conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0063] Reference Figures 5 to 9 , the lifting unit 150 of the first embodiment may include a belt unit 151 and a lifting driving unit 155 .

[0064] The band unit 151 may be connected to the hand unit 160, and an end of the band unit 151 may be fixed to the hand unit 160 without friction and detachment, or may be fixed to the hand unit in various ways, such as by bolts or adhesives.

[0065] The belt unit 151 may include a first lifting belt 151A, a second lifting belt 151B, and a third lifting belt 151C such that they may be connected to three points of the hand unit 160 .

[0066] The belt unit 151 of the present embodiment can be set to have no large deformation rate. For example, the first lifting belt 151A and the second lifting belt 151B can be set so that the wide surface 151W with a large deformation rate does not face the sliding direction 2 of the horizontal moving unit 140, that is, it can be set to be non-parallel, so that the shaking of the hand unit 160 passing through the belt unit 151 is minimized. In addition, the three lifting belts (the first lifting belt 151A, the second lifting belt 151B and the third lifting belt 151C) can be arranged non-parallel to each other, that is, the wide surfaces 151W with a large deformation rate do not face each other in the same direction and are arranged to be staggered and non-parallel to each other, thereby reducing the deformation rate of adjacent lifting belts. This is because the three lifting belts (the first lifting belt 151A, the second lifting belt 151B and the third lifting belt 151C) have different deformation directions, and thus the deformation of adjacent lifting belts is prevented.

[0067] In this case, refer to Figure 6, the wide surface 151W refers to a surface of the belt unit 151 where the width is wider. That is, each of the first lifting belt 151A, the second lifting belt 151B, and the third lifting belt 151C has a width that is not a rope shape. In addition, the wide surface 151W in the belt unit 151, rather than the narrow surface 151N, is defined as a first surface 151W1, a second surface 151W2, and a third surface 151W3. That is, the first surface 151W1 refers to the wide surface 151W of the first lifting belt 151A, the second surface refers to the wide surface 151W of the second lifting belt 151B, and the third surface 151W3 refers to the wide surface 151W of the third lifting belt 151C. The wide surface 151W includes a plurality of surfaces based on Figure 6 For example, the first surface 151W1 refers to the front surface and the rear surface which are the wide surface 151W of the first lifting belt 151A.

[0068] like Figure 5 As shown, the first lifting belt 151A, the second lifting belt 151B, and the third lifting belt 151C of the present embodiment may be arranged between the lifting unit 150 and the hand unit 160 toward the center direction of the housing 130. For example, the first surface 151W1 and the second surface 151W2 may be arranged to be offset at a certain angle rather than parallel with respect to each of the driving direction 1 of the driving unit 110 and the sliding direction 2 which is the moving direction of the horizontal moving unit 140. For example, the width of the third surface 151W3 may be parallel to the driving direction 1 to form 0° / 180°, the width of the first surface 151W1 may form an acute angle (e.g., 60°) with respect to the driving direction 1, and the width of the second surface 151W2 may form a symmetrical obtuse angle (e.g., 120°) with respect to the first surface 151W1.

[0069] In addition, refer to Figure 7 , a first surface 151W1 between the first reel 155DR1 and the first guide roller 155GR1 and a second surface 151W2 between the second reel 155DR2 and the second guide roller 155GR2 may cross each other to form an "X" shape. A third surface 151W3 of the third lifting belt 151C may face a point where the first surface 151W1 and the second surface 151W2 cross each other.

[0070] The hoist drive unit 155 may be configured to wind or unwind the belt unit 151 .

[0071] The lifting drive unit 155 may include a motor 155M, a driving pulley 155PL1, a driven pulley 155P21, an input shaft 155SS, a first connector 155C1, a second connector 155C2, a first output shaft 155S1, a second output shaft 155S2, a first reel 155DR1, a second reel 155DR2, a third reel 155DR3, a first guide roller 155GR1, a second guide roller 155GR2, a third guide roller 155GR3, a first anti-shaking plate 155SP1, a second anti-shaking plate 155SP2 and a third anti-shaking plate 155SP3.

[0072] The motor 155M may include a motor shaft (not shown). The motor 155M of the present embodiment may be provided as one body to drive the belt unit 151 including three lifting belts (the first lifting belt 151A, the second lifting belt 151B, and the third lifting belt 151C). The driving pulley 155PL1 and the driven pulley 155P21 may be connected to the motor 155M so that the three lifting belts are wound or unwound by the operation of one motor 155M.

[0073] The driving pulley 155PL1 is directly connected to the motor shaft so that the rotational force of the motor 155M can be directly transmitted to the driving pulley. The driven pulley 155P21 can be positioned on the same central axis as the central axis of the third reel 155DR3 adjacent to the driving pulley 155PL1, and can be connected to the driving pulley 155PL1 through the timing belt 155TB so that the rotational force of the driving pulley 155PL1 transmitted from the motor 155M can be transmitted to the driven pulley.

[0074] The input shaft 155SS may extend to both sides of the driven pulley 155P21 so that the rotational force is transmitted from both sides of the driven pulley 155P21 to the first and third reels 155DR1 and 155DR3 upon receiving the rotational force of the driven pulley.

[0075] Each of the first connector 155C1 and the second connector 155C2 may be connected to the input shaft 155SS such that the first output shaft 155S1 and the second output shaft 155S2 form an acute or obtuse angle with respect to the angle of the input shaft 155SS.

[0076] For example, the first connector 155C1 may be connected to one end of the input shaft 155SS at an acute angle (ie, 60°) (based on Figure 7 and Fig. 9 The second connector 155C2 may be connected to the other end of the input shaft 155SS at an obtuse angle (i.e., 120°) symmetrical to the first connector 155C1 (based on Figure 7The first connector 155C1 and the second connector 155C2 may be configured as universal joints 155C1U and 155C2U, respectively.

[0077] The first output shaft 155S1 may be connected to the first connector 155C1 to rotate the first reel 155DR1 by receiving a rotational force of the input shaft 155SS while being bent from the input shaft 155SS.

[0078] The second output shaft 155S2 may be connected to the second connector 155C2 to rotate the second reel 155DR2 by receiving the rotational force of the input shaft 155SS while being bent from the input shaft 155SS.

[0079] The first reel 155DR1 may be connected to the first output shaft 155S1 to rotate together with the first output shaft 155S1, and the first lifting belt 151A may be wound around the first reel. The central axis of the first reel 155DR1 is identical to the central axis of the first output shaft 155S1 whose angle is bent by the first connector, so that the first surface 151W1 between the first reel 155DR1 and the first guide roller 155GR1 may be disposed transversely from the upper surface of the hand unit 160 in a diagonal direction.

[0080] The second reel 155DR2 may be connected to the second output shaft 155S2 to rotate together with the second output shaft 155S2, and the second lifting belt 151B may be wound around the second reel. The central axis of the second reel 155DR2 is identical to the central axis of the second output shaft 155S2 whose angle is bent by the second connector, so that the second surface 151W2 between the second reel 155DR2 and the second guide roller 155GR2 may be disposed transversely from the upper surface of the hand unit 160 in a diagonal direction.

[0081] Therefore, if Figure 7 and Fig. 9 As shown, when viewed from the top, the first surface 151W1 and the second surface 151W2 may cross each other and thus may be disposed in an X shape.

[0082] The third reel 155DR3 may surround the input shaft 155SS to receive the rotational force of the input shaft 155SS, the third lifting belt 151C may be wound around the third reel, and may be disposed between the first reel 155DR1 and the second reel 155DR2 to be spaced apart from the first reel 155DR1 and the second reel 155DR2.

[0083] The first guide roller 155GR1 may guide the movement of the first lifting belt 151A. The surface of the first guide roller 155GR1 on which the first lifting belt 151A is wound may face the surface of the first reel 155DR1 on which the first lifting belt 151A is wound. The interval between the first guide roller 155GR1 and the first reel 155DR1 may be greater than the interval between the third guide roller 155GR3 and the third reel 155DR3.

[0084] The second guide roller 155GR2 may guide the movement of the second lifting belt 151B. The surface of the second guide roller 155GR2 on which the second lifting belt 151B is wound may face the surface of the second reel 155DR2 on which the second lifting belt 151B is wound. The interval between the second guide roller 155GR2 and the second reel 155DR2 may be the same as the interval between the first guide roller 155GR1 and the first reel 155DR1.

[0085] At a point where the second surface 151W2 and the first surface 151W1 cross each other, a height of the second guide roller 155GR2 may be different from a height of the first guide roller 155GR1 so as not to rub against each other.

[0086] For example, refer to Figure 8 , the first reel 155DR1 and the second reel 155DR2 may have the same central axis CL10, and the central axis CL20 of the first guide roller 155GR1 may be lower than the central axis CL30 of the second guide roller 155GR2, so that the height L10 of the second guide roller 155GR2 may be higher than the height of the first guide roller 155GR1.

[0087] However, the ends of the first lifting belt 151A, the second lifting belt 151B, and the third lifting belt 151C may have the same height so that the hand unit 160 is horizontal with respect to the bottom surface.

[0088] The third guide roller 155GR3 may guide the movement of the third lifting belt 151C. The surface of the third guide roller 155GR3 on which the third lifting belt 151C is wound may face the surface of the third reel 155DR3 on which the third lifting belt 151C is wound. Each of the first guide roller 155GR1, the second guide roller 155GR2, and the third guide roller 155GR3 may be relative to the third lifting belt 151C based on the first guide roller 155GR1. Figure 7 behind or in front of each of the first reel 155DR1, the second reel 155DR2 and the third reel 155DR3.

[0089] Each of the first anti-sway plate 155SP1, the second anti-sway plate 155SP2 and the third anti-sway plate 155SP3 is set to not contact the belt unit 151 to prevent or minimize the belt unit 151 from swaying while preventing interference or friction with the movement of the belt unit 151.

[0090] The first lifting belt 151A may be disposed on the first anti-swaying plate 155SP1 between the first guide rollers 155GR1. The second lifting belt 151B may be disposed on the second anti-swaying plate 155SP2 between the second guide rollers 155GR2. The third lifting belt 151C may be disposed on the third anti-swaying plate 155SP3 between the third guide rollers 155GR3.

[0091] In addition, the third anti-sway plate 155SP3 may be provided with an auxiliary plate 155SP4 to prevent or minimize the shaking of the belt unit 151 by blocking the belt unit 151 in different directions facing the auxiliary plate 155SP4. In addition, the first anti-sway plate 155SP1 and the second anti-sway plate 155SP2 may also be provided with an auxiliary plate (not shown) that is the same / similar to the third anti-sway plate 155SP3.

[0092] Such a hoisting drive unit 155 may be covered by a box-shaped body (not shown) and / or a cover-like member, and may be mounted on the body by reinforcing ribs and bolts.

[0093] In the following, reference will be made to Fig.10 and Fig.11 Modified examples of the present embodiment are described, and redundant descriptions of the same elements performing the same functions will be omitted.

[0094] Fig.10 2 is a plan view showing a lifting unit of a conveying device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.10 , the following will be based on the reference Figures 7 to 9 The differences between the descriptions are described below.

[0095] Reference Fig.10 The conveying device 100 of the second embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in that the first connector 155C1 and the second connector 155C2 are provided as constant velocity joints 155C1E and 155C2E, respectively.

[0096] The constant velocity joints 155C1E and 155C2E may include balls (not shown) and cages (not shown) to transmit the rotational force of the input shaft 155SS to the first output shaft 155S1 and the second output shaft 155S2 , respectively.

[0097] A bellows (not shown as a reference numeral) may be provided outside the constant velocity joints 155C1E and 155C2E so that the internal structure (balls, cages, etc.) is isolated from the outside, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0098] Fig.11 2 is a plan view showing a lifting unit of a conveying device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.11 , the following will be based on the reference Figures 7 to 10 The differences between the descriptions are described below.

[0099] Reference Fig.11 The transmission device 100 of the third embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that the first connector 155C1 and the second connector 155C2 are respectively provided as bevel gears 155C1BG and 155C2BG. That is, the third embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that the first connector 155C1 is provided as the first bevel gear 155C1BG, and the second connector 155C2 is provided as the second bevel gear 155C2BG. The bevel gears 155C1BG and 155C2BG can transmit the rotational force of the input shaft 155SS to the first output shaft 155S1 and the second output shaft 155S2, respectively, which are equivalent to / similar to the constant velocity joints 155C1E and 155C2E.

[0100] In addition, although not shown in the drawings, various modifications may be made to the bevel gears 155C1BG and 155C2BG, such as providing a bellows on the outside so that the internal structure (meshing of the bevel gears 155C1BG and 155C2BG) is identically / similarly separated from the constant velocity joints 155C1E and 155C2E from the outside.

[0101] Hereinafter, a lifting belt of a comparative example will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0102] Fig.12 is a view showing the arrangement of a lifting belt according to a comparative example, Fig.13 is a diagram showing a conveying path in a driving direction of a hand unit of a conveying device according to a comparative example, and Fig.14 is a diagram showing a conveying path in a sliding direction of a hand unit of a conveying device according to a comparative example.

[0103] First, refer to Fig.12 , since the wide surface of the lifting belt BT has a larger deformation rate than the narrow surface, when the lifting belt BT is arranged in parallel with the sliding direction 2 of the hand unit 160, the lifting belt BT can be greatly deformed relative to the sliding direction 2 of the hand unit 160. That is, the three lifting belts BT can be deformed together without preventing each other from being deformed.

[0104] When the lifting belt BT is released so that the hand unit 160 clamps the conveying target 30, the hand unit 160 descends and shakes not only in the driving direction 1 but also in the sliding direction 2, whereby the hand unit 160 may shake greatly due to the large deformation rate of the wide surface of the lifting belt BT.

[0105] That is to say, Fig.13 As shown, when the hand unit 160 descends, the lifting belt BT is deformed, so that the trajectory of the hand unit 160 during the descent may not be perpendicular to the driving direction 1 of the conveyor 100, and a first deformation rate D1 may occur.

[0106] In addition, if Fig.14 As shown, when the hand unit 160 descends, the lifting belt BT is deformed, so that the trajectory of the hand unit 160 during the descent may not be perpendicular to the sliding direction 2 of the hand unit 160, and a second deformation rate D2 may occur.

[0107] At the same time, in the conveying device 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first lifting belt 151A and the second lifting belt 151B are arranged to be staggered at a certain angle rather than parallel with respect to the driving direction 1 of the driving unit 110 and the sliding direction 2 of the moving direction of the horizontal moving unit 140, that is, the three lifting belts (the first lifting belt 151A, the second lifting belt 151B and the third lifting belt 151C) have different deformation directions, and therefore the deformation of adjacent lifting belts can be prevented, so that the deformation rate can be smaller than the deformation rate of the lifting belt BT of the comparative example.

[0108] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the technical ideas and basic features of the present disclosure. Therefore, the above embodiments should be considered in all aspects as illustrative rather than restrictive.

Claims

1. A conveying device, comprising: a drive unit, the drive unit being provided with a drive wheel and connected to the housing; A lifting unit, wherein the lifting unit is arranged in the housing; as well as A hand unit, wherein the hand unit is provided with a gripper for gripping a conveying target, Wherein, the lifting unit comprises: a belt unit connected to the hand unit, comprising a first lifting belt and a second lifting belt; and a hoisting drive unit configured to wind or unwind the belt unit, and Each of the first surface of the first lifting belt and the second surface of the second lifting belt is disposed to be offset at an angle from a driving direction of the driving unit and not to be parallel to the driving direction of the driving unit.

2. The conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising a horizontal moving unit, the horizontal moving unit moving between the housing and the lifting unit in a direction orthogonal to the driving direction of the driving unit to move the lifting unit relative to the housing, in, Each of the first surface and the second surface is disposed to be offset at an angle rather than parallel to the moving direction of the horizontal moving unit.

3. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein: Each of a first surface of the first lifting belt and a second surface of the second lifting belt is disposed toward a center direction of the housing rather than the driving direction of the driving unit.

4. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein: The belt unit further includes a third lifting belt connected to the hand unit and disposed to be spaced apart from each of the first lifting belt and the second lifting belt.

5. The conveying device according to claim 4, wherein: The lifting drive unit comprises: A motor, wherein the motor is provided with a motor shaft; a driving pulley connected to the motor shaft to receive the rotational force of the motor; a driven pulley connected to the drive pulley via a timing belt; an input shaft extending to both sides of the driven pulley; a first connector connected to one end of the input shaft at an acute or obtuse angle; a second connector connected to the other end of the input shaft at an acute or obtuse angle; a first output shaft connected to the first connector; a second output shaft connected to the second connector; a first drum connected to the first output shaft, the first lifting belt being wound around the first drum; a second drum connected to the second output shaft, the second lifting belt being wound around the second drum; A third drum surrounds the input shaft to receive the rotational force of the input shaft, and the third lifting belt is wound around the third drum.

6. The conveying device according to claim 5, wherein: Each of the first connector and the second connector includes a bevel gear.

7. The conveying device according to claim 5, wherein: Each of the first connector and the second connector includes a constant velocity joint.

8. The conveying device according to claim 5, wherein: Each of the first connector and the second connector includes a universal joint.

9. The conveying device according to claim 5, wherein: The lifting drive unit also includes: a first guide roller, the first guide roller guiding the movement of the first lifting belt while facing the first drum; a second guide roller that guides movement of the second lifting belt while facing the second drum; and A third guide roller guides the movement of the third lifting belt while facing the third drum.

10. The conveying device according to claim 9, wherein: The lifting drive unit also includes: a first anti-sway plate on which the first lifting belt is disposed between the first guide rollers; a second anti-sway plate on which the second lifting belt is disposed between the second guide rollers; and A third anti-sway plate, on which the third lifting belt is arranged between the third guide rollers.

11. The conveying device according to claim 9, wherein: The first surface between the first drum and the first guide roller intersects the second surface between the second drum and the second guide roller.

12. The conveying device according to claim 11, wherein: The first guide roller has a different height than the second guide roller.

13. The conveying device according to claim 11, wherein: The third surface of the third lifting strap faces a point where the first surface of the first lifting strap and the second surface of the second lifting strap intersect each other.

14. A conveying device, comprising: a drive unit, the drive unit being provided with a drive wheel and connected to the housing; A lifting unit, wherein the lifting unit is arranged in the housing; a horizontal moving unit, the horizontal moving unit moving between the housing and the lifting unit in a direction orthogonal to the driving direction of the driving unit to move the lifting unit relative to the housing; as well as A hand unit, wherein the hand unit is provided with a gripper for gripping a conveying target, Wherein, the lifting unit comprises: a belt unit connected to the hand unit, comprising a first lifting belt and a second lifting belt; and a hoisting drive unit configured to wind or unwind the belt unit, and The first surface of the first lifting belt and the second surface of the second lifting belt are arranged in an X shape by crossing each other at an upper portion, and extend in a downward direction.

15. The conveying device according to claim 14, wherein: The belt unit further includes a third lifting belt connected to the hand unit and disposed to be spaced apart from each of the first lifting belt and the second lifting belt.

16. The conveying device according to claim 15, wherein: The lifting drive unit comprises: A motor, wherein the motor is provided with a motor shaft; a driving pulley connected to the motor shaft to receive the rotational force of the motor; a driven pulley connected to the drive pulley via a timing belt; an input shaft extending to both sides of the driven pulley; a first connector connected to one end of the input shaft at an acute or obtuse angle; a second connector connected to the other end of the input shaft at an acute or obtuse angle symmetrical to the first connector; a first output shaft connected to the first connector; a second output shaft connected to the second connector; a first drum connected to the first output shaft, the first lifting belt being wound around the first drum; a second drum connected to the second output shaft, the second lifting belt being wound around the second drum; A third drum surrounds the input shaft to receive the rotational force of the input shaft, and the third lifting belt is wound around the third drum.

17. The conveying device according to claim 16, wherein: Each of the first connector and the second connector includes a bevel gear.

18. The conveying device according to claim 16, wherein: The lifting drive unit further includes: a first guide roller, the first guide roller guiding the movement of the first lifting belt when facing the first drum; a second guide roller, the second guide roller guiding the movement of the second lifting belt when facing the second drum; and a third guide roller, the third guide roller guiding the movement of the third lifting belt when facing the third drum; and The first surface between the first drum and the first guide roller intersects the second surface between the second drum and the second guide roller.

19. A conveying device, the conveying device being arranged in a semiconductor manufacturing plant, the conveying device comprising: a drive unit, the drive unit being provided with a drive wheel and connected to the housing; A lifting unit, wherein the lifting unit is arranged in the housing; a horizontal moving unit, the horizontal moving unit moving between the housing and the lifting unit in a direction orthogonal to the driving direction of the driving unit to move the lifting unit relative to the housing; as well as A hand unit, wherein the hand unit is provided with a gripper for gripping a conveying target, Wherein, the lifting unit comprises: a belt unit connected to the hand unit, the belt unit including a first lifting belt, a second lifting belt, and a third lifting belt; and a lifting drive unit configured to wind or unwind the belt unit, The lifting drive unit comprises: A motor, wherein the motor is provided with a motor shaft; a driving pulley connected to the motor shaft to receive a rotational force of the motor; a driven pulley connected to the drive pulley via a timing belt; an input shaft extending to both sides of the driven pulley; a first helical gear connected to one end of the input shaft at an acute angle; a second helical gear connected to the other end of the input shaft at an obtuse angle symmetrical to the first helical gear; a first output shaft connected to the first bevel gear; a second output shaft connected to the second bevel gear; a first drum connected to the first output shaft, the first lifting belt being wound around the first drum; a second drum connected to the second output shaft, the second lifting belt being wound around the second drum; a third drum, the third drum surrounding the input shaft to receive the rotational force of the input shaft, the third lifting belt being wound around the third drum, and the third drum being disposed between the first drum and the second drum; a first guide roller, the first guide roller guiding the movement of the first lifting belt while facing the first drum; a second guide roller, the second guide roller guiding the movement of the second lifting belt while facing the second drum; a third guide roller, the third guide roller guiding the movement of the third lifting belt while facing the third drum; a first anti-sway plate on which the first lifting belt is disposed between the first guide rollers; a second anti-sway plate on which the second lifting belt is disposed between the second guide rollers; and a third anti-sway plate on which the third lifting belt is disposed between the third guide rollers; Each of the first surface of the first lifting belt and the second surface of the second lifting belt is arranged toward the center direction of the housing rather than the driving direction of the driving unit, and is thereby arranged to be offset at a certain angle rather than parallel to each of the driving direction of the driving unit and the moving direction of the horizontal moving unit, The first surface between the first reel and the first guide roller and the second surface between the second reel and the second guide roller cross each other to form an "X" shape, and The third surface of the third lifting strap faces a point where the first surface of the first lifting strap and the second surface of the second lifting strap intersect each other.

Images