Glass substrate transport buffer system

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of suspension conveying device, and particularly relates to a glass substrate conveying and buffering system, which comprises a flow transmission mechanism and multiple groups of cantilever clamping modules for clamping glass substrates, the flow transmission mechanism can drive the cantilever clamping modules to flow in the horizontal direction; the cantilever clamping module comprises a cantilever frame, multiple groups of vertical parallel clamping plates are arranged on the cantilever frame, the clamping plates are connected with the cantilever frame through connecting rods to form a parallelogram connecting rod mechanism; when clamping, the glass substrate is vertically placed from bottom to top, the two clamping plates in a group are gradually separated while being pushed upward by the glass substrate, the glass substrate is placed between the two clamping plates in a group and contacts with the clamping surface on the inner side, and after being released, the two clamping plates in a group are pulled downward by the glass substrate under the action of gravity and are folded to the middle to clamp. The present application has compact structure, small floor area, fast taking and placing, and high flexibility.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application relates to a glass substrate conveying and buffering system and belongs to the technical field of suspension conveying devices. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the manufacturing field of liquid crystal panels, photovoltaic glass and the like, glass substrates need to be circulated between cleaning, film coating, cutting and the like. Traditional conveying systems mostly adopt flat roller beds or mechanical arms for conveying, and have many problems.

[0003] Low space utilization: roller conveying needs to continuously occupy horizontal space, and the land occupation area is huge when large-size glass substrates are buffered, which is difficult to arrange in a space-limited production environment, resulting in low utilization of the production site.

[0004] Limited pick-and-place efficiency: the mechanical arm has a long single pick-and-place action cycle, which affects the production line beat;

[0005] Poor buffering flexibility: the existing suspension buffering system mostly adopts fixed shelves, and special lifting equipment is needed for storage and taking, and dynamic circulation cannot be realized.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a glass substrate processing system integrating efficient conveying, compact buffering and safe clamping. SUMMARY

[0007] According to the above problems in the prior art, the technical problem to be solved by the application is to provide a glass substrate conveying and buffering system which is compact in structure, small in land occupation area and fast in picking and placing.

[0008] The glass substrate conveying and buffering system provided by the application comprises a circulation transmission mechanism and a plurality of suspension clamping modules for clamping glass substrates, the circulation transmission mechanism can drive the suspension clamping modules to circulate in the horizontal direction; the suspension clamping modules circulate under the driving of the circulation transmission mechanism, conveying (or buffering), the suspension clamping modules can be picked and placed at the head and tail positions of the circulation transmission mechanism; the glass substrates can also be circulated and temporarily stored on the suspension clamping modules, the suspension clamping modules on both sides can be stored, the structure is compact, the land occupation area is small, and the space utilization rate is high.

[0009] The cantilever clamping module comprises a cantilever frame, a plurality of groups of vertical parallel clamping plates arranged on the cantilever frame, and connecting rods connecting the clamping plates with the cantilever frame to form a parallelogram connecting rod mechanism; each group of clamping plates can be opened and closed, and the clamping plates always remain in a vertical state and parallel to each other during the opening and closing process. When not clamping, the clamping plates fall to the lowest point of the stroke, and the two clamping plates in the same group are closest to each other at the lowest point, and the closest distance is less than the thickness of the glass substrate; when clamping, the glass substrate is placed vertically from bottom to top, and the two clamping plates in the group are gradually separated while being pushed upward by the glass substrate, and after the glass substrate is placed between the two clamping plates, it is in contact with the clamping surface on the inner side, and after being released, the glass substrate pulls the two clamping plates in the group downward and folds them in the middle to clamp tightly, thereby achieving stable clamping of the glass substrate.

[0010] The flow transmission mechanism comprises a frame body and a transmission belt running in the horizontal plane, and a suspension track identical to the running track of the transmission belt is arranged above the transmission belt; one end of the cantilever clamping module is slidably mounted on the suspension track and driven by the transmission belt to flow horizontally, and the other end extends out of the frame body.

[0011] The cantilever clamping module is provided with a clamping release mechanism for releasing the clamping of the glass substrate when taking out the glass substrate, so that the glass substrate falls.

[0012] Specifically, a connecting curved plate is arranged above the clamping plate, and a transverse roller is mounted at the top end of the connecting curved plate; the clamping release mechanism comprises a wedge block that can slide along the length direction of the cantilever frame, the wedge block is located below the roller and has a low end and a high end on the upper surface; when the wedge block moves, the roller rolls along the upper surface of the wedge block, which can force the roller to drive the clamping plate to move upward and open to both sides at the same time, thereby releasing the clamping.

[0013] Further, a plurality of parallel rollers are arranged on the upper surface of the wedge block, and the axis direction of the rollers is perpendicular to the axis direction of the roller. During the process of the roller driving the clamping plate to move upward and open to both sides, movement between the roller and the wedge block in the axis direction of the roller occurs, and the arrangement of the rollers can reduce the friction of the axial movement of the roller, so that the mechanism operates smoothly.

[0014] Preferably, each clamping plate is provided with one wedge block, and all the wedge blocks are connected together through a linkage frame to move synchronously.

[0015] Further, a push-pull handle is arranged at the outer end of the linkage frame, and an abutting shaft is arranged at the inner end; when the linkage frame moves towards the inner end, the wedge blocks are synchronously moved towards the inner end to release the clamping; an abutting track identical to the running track of the transmission belt of the flow transmission mechanism is arranged below the transmission belt, and the abutting shaft cannot extend out under the blocking action of the abutting track when the cantilever clamping module flows and runs, which can limit the movement of the linkage frame towards the inner end, thereby achieving self-locking in the transportation (or buffer station) to prevent the glass substrate from falling and being damaged due to the release of clamping by mistake in the area outside the loading and unloading stations.

[0016] Further, the upper and lower feeding stations are located at the head and tail positions of the circulating conveying mechanism, and the abutting tracks at the corresponding positions of the upper and lower feeding stations are provided with inward recessed openings, the inward recessed openings are provided for the abutting shafts, so that the linkage frame can move inward at the upper and lower feeding stations, the clamping of the glass substrate is released, and the upper and lower feeding is facilitated.

[0017] Preferably, when the clamping plates fall to the lowest point of the stroke, the connecting rods are in a horizontal state under the limiting action, at this time, the distance between the two clamping plates in the same group is the closest.

[0018] The lower ends of the clamping plates are formed with flared openings, facilitating feeding; and the clamping surfaces on the inner sides of the clamping plates are provided with rubber pads, increasing the clamping friction.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] 1. Three-dimensional spatial layout

[0021] Through the vertical distribution of the suspension track and the cantilever clamping module, the glass substrate is suspended and conveyed and buffered, saving more than 70% of the ground space (compared with the traditional roller type layout), and being especially suitable for high-density storage of large-size glass substrates.

[0022] 2. Gravity self-locking clamping mechanism

[0023] The clamping plates realize pure mechanical clamping through the parallelogram linkage mechanism, the clamping plates are driven to move downward and close by the self-weight of the glass substrate, without the need for external energy; the rubber pads on the clamping surfaces provide flexible friction force, avoiding scratching the surface of the glass, the clamping force is self-adaptively adjusted according to the weight of the glass, and the safety is high.

[0024] 3. Precise station interlocking control

[0025] The abutting track and the abutting shaft constitute a physical position interlocking, the abutting shaft is allowed to move inward only at the upper and lower feeding stations to release the clamping, and the risk of glass falling caused by misoperation in circulation is eliminated.

[0026] 4. High-efficiency low-resistance release mechanism

[0027] The surface of the wedge block and the roller form a rolling friction pair in the X and Y axis directions on the horizontal plane, greatly reducing the friction resistance when releasing the clamping, the action is smooth and the wear is small, prolonging the service life of the mechanism.

[0028] 5. Seamless connection automation

[0029] The cantilever clamping module is designed to circulate to support continuous operation, and cooperates with the transfer trolley to realize the "stop and take" type feeding of the glass substrate, greatly improving the efficiency of the production line. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 is one of the overall structure schematic diagrams of the present application;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention after concealing the U-shaped suspension track and the contact track at the material loading station;

[0032] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A magnified view of part A in the middle;

[0033] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure after adding the U-shaped suspension track and the contact track at the material loading station;

[0034] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A magnified view of part B in the middle;

[0035] Figure 6 This is the front view of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 7 This is a top view of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 8 This is a side view of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 9 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of a cantilever clamping module;

[0039] Figure 10 This is the second structural schematic diagram of the cantilever clamping module;

[0040] Figure 11 This is the third structural schematic diagram of the cantilever clamping module;

[0041] Figure 12 yes Figure 11 A magnified view of part C in the middle;

[0042] Figure 13 This is the fourth structural schematic diagram of the cantilever clamping module;

[0043] Figure 14 This is a structural diagram of the linkage frame;

[0044] Figure 15 This is one of the schematic diagrams illustrating the process of a cantilever clamping module clamping a glass substrate;

[0045] Figure 16 yes Figure 15 Side view;

[0046] Figure 17 yes Figure 16 A magnified view of part D in the middle;

[0047] Figure 18 This is the second schematic diagram of the process of the cantilever clamping module clamping the glass substrate;

[0048] Figure 19 is Figure 18 a partial enlarged view of E part in FIG. 1;

[0049] Figure 20 is the second schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present application;

[0050] Figure 21 is Figure 20 a partial enlarged view of F part in FIG. 1;

[0051] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the U-shaped abutting rail at the blanking station;

[0052] Figure 23 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the interface with the transfer trolley;

[0053] Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the interface with the transfer trolley.

[0054] In the figure: 1, frame body; 2, transmission belt; 3, suspension rail; 4, abutting rail; 4.1, notch; 5, cantilever clamping module; 6, servo motor; 7, speed reducer; 8, shaft coupling; 9, pulley; 10, glass substrate; 11, hanging hook; 12, belt connecting arm; 13, elastic mechanism; 14, guide rail; 15, linkage frame; 16, wedge block; 17, connecting rod; 18, clamping plate seat; 19, push-pull handle; 20, cantilever frame; 21, clamping plate; 21.1, flared portion; 22, connecting curved plate; 23, roller; 24, abutting shaft; 25, needle roller; 26, roller; 27, transfer trolley; 28, lifting platform; 29, placement groove; 30, positioning male head; 31, positioning female head. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with specific examples.

[0056] The description of the present application is only an example of structural and functional description, and the scope of the present application is not limited by the examples described in the text.

[0057] As Figures 1-24 shown, the present embodiment is realized by the following technical solutions: a glass substrate conveying and buffering system, comprising a flow transmission mechanism and a plurality of cantilever clamping modules 5 for clamping glass substrates 10, the flow transmission mechanism can drive the cantilever clamping modules 5 to flow in the horizontal direction.

[0058] The flow transmission mechanism includes a frame 1 and a transmission belt 2 running horizontally. The transmission belt 2 has teeth on its inner side, which cooperate with a pulley 9 with the same teeth. The pulley 9 is driven to rotate by a servo motor 6 through a reducer 7 and a coupling 8. The upper and lower sides of the transmission belt 2 are respectively provided with a suspension rail 3 and an abutment rail 4 with the same running trajectory. The suspension rail 3 and the abutment rail 4 are fixed to the frame 1. One end of the cantilever clamping module 5 is slidably mounted on the suspension rail 3 and driven by the transmission belt 2 to flow horizontally. The other end extends out of the frame 1, and the length direction of the cantilever clamping module 5 is perpendicular to the horizontal direction of the suspension rail 3.

[0059] The cantilever clamping module 5 of this embodiment includes a cantilever frame 20, with a hollowed-out middle area to allow the glass substrate 10 to pass through. A vertical belt connecting arm 12 is fixedly installed at one end of the cantilever frame 20, and a hook 11 is fixedly connected to the top of the belt connecting arm 12. The hook 11 is slidably connected to the suspension rail 3, and the belt connecting arm 12 is fixedly connected to the transmission belt 2.

[0060] The cantilever 20 is equipped with multiple sets of vertically parallel clamping plates 21. The clamping plates 21 are connected to clamping plate seats 18 fixed to the bottom surface of the cantilever 20 via connecting rods 17. The clamping plates 21, clamping plate seats 18, and connecting rods 17 form a parallelogram linkage mechanism. Each set of clamping plates 21 can be opened and closed, maintaining a vertical position and parallelism during opening and closing. Clamping plates 21 in the same set can achieve symmetrical synchronous opening and closing via a pair of gears (or half-tooths) meshing (not shown in the figure).

[0061] When not clamped, clamp 21 is at its lowest point of travel, at which point connecting rod 17 is in a horizontal state, such as... Figure 17 As shown, the two clamping plates 21 in the same group are closest to each other when they are at their lowest points, and the closest distance is less than the thickness of the glass substrate 10. During clamping, the glass substrate 10 is vertically inserted from bottom to top. The two clamping plates 21 in the group are gradually separated as they are pushed upward by the glass substrate 10. After the glass substrate 10 is placed between the two clamping plates 21 in the group, it contacts the clamping surface on its inner side. After release, the glass substrate 10 pulls the two clamping plates 21 in the group downward under its own weight and clamps them together in the middle, thus achieving stable clamping of the glass substrate 10 (at this time, the angle α between the connecting rod 17 and the horizontal direction is ≤20°). The lower end of the clamping plates 21 in the group has a flared opening 21.1 to facilitate loading. The clamping surface on the inner side of the clamping plate 21 is provided with a rubber pad to increase the clamping friction.

[0062] The cantilever clamping module 5 is equipped with a clamping release mechanism, which is used to release the clamping of the glass substrate 10 during material removal, allowing the glass substrate 10 to fall.

[0063] The connecting curved plate 22 is provided with a transverse roller 23 at the top end, which is used in cooperation with the clamping release mechanism. Specifically, the clamping release mechanism includes a wedge block 16 arranged on the guide rail 14 and capable of sliding along the length direction of the cantilever frame 20. Each clamping plate 21 is provided with a wedge block 16, and all the wedge blocks 16 are connected together through a linkage frame 15 and move synchronously. The wedge block 16 is located below the roller 23 and has a top surface with one end lower and the other end higher. A plurality of rollers 25 are arranged on the top surface of the wedge block 16 in parallel, and the axis direction of the rollers 25 is perpendicular to the axis direction of the roller 23. When the wedge block 16 moves, the roller 23 rolls along the top surface of the wedge block 16, so as to force the roller 23 to drive the clamping plate 21 to move upwards and open to both sides at the same time, thereby releasing the clamping. During the process that the roller 23 drives the clamping plate 21 to move upwards and open to both sides, the movement between the roller 23 and the wedge block 16 in the axis direction of the roller 23 is generated, and the arrangement of the rollers 25 can reduce the friction force of the axial movement of the roller 23, so that the mechanism moves smoothly.

[0064] The linkage frame 15 is provided with a push-pull handle 19 at the outer end and a abutting shaft 24 at the inner end. The abutting shaft 24 penetrates through the belt connecting arm 12, and the height of the abutting shaft 24 corresponds to the abutting rail 4. When the linkage frame 15 moves towards the inner end, the wedge block 16 is synchronously moved towards the inner end to release the clamping. The linkage frame 15 is provided with an elastic mechanism 13, which makes the linkage frame 15 have a tendency to move towards the outer end, so as to reset the linkage frame 15. When the cantilever clamping module 5 is in operation, the abutting shaft 24 cannot be stretched out under the blocking action of the abutting rail 4, so as to limit the movement of the linkage frame 15 towards the inner end. The abutting rail 4 at the corresponding position of the feeding and discharging stations is provided with an inner recessed opening 4.1, which provides a space for the abutting shaft 24, so that the linkage frame 15 can move towards the inner end at the feeding and discharging stations, thereby releasing the clamping of the glass substrate 10 and being used for feeding and discharging. The abutting shaft 24 is provided with a transverse roller 26 at the end, which prevents the rigid friction between the abutting shaft 24 and the abutting rail 4.

[0065] The abutting rail has the following effects: one is to realize self-locking during transportation (or buffering station), so as to prevent the glass substrate from falling and being damaged due to the mistaken operation of releasing the clamping in the area outside the feeding and discharging stations; and the other is to provide a suspension anti-torsion support force for the cantilever clamping module 5, so as to prevent the cantilever clamping module 5 from overturning.

[0066] The system further includes a transfer trolley 27, which is provided with a lifting platform 28 and a placing groove 29 on the lifting platform. The glass substrate 10 is located in the placing groove 29 during the transfer (silk cloth or dust-free cloth is arranged between the glass substrate 10 and the placing groove 29).

[0067] The working process or principle of the present application is as follows:

[0068] When loading, the transfer trolley 27 transports the glass substrate 10 to the loading station, and the positioning male head 30 on the transfer trolley 27 cooperates with the positioning female head 31 on the frame body 1 to realize loading positioning. The lifting platform 28 is raised, and the glass substrate 10 is vertically placed into the cantilever clamping module 5 from bottom to top, and the two clamping plates 21 in the group are pushed upward by the glass substrate 10, and at the same time, the two clamping plates 21 in the group are gradually separated, and the glass substrate 10 is placed between the two clamping plates 21 in the group and in contact with the rubber pads on the inner sides of the two clamping plates 21 in the group. The lifting platform 28 is lowered by 1 cm, and the glass substrate 10 pulls the two clamping plates 21 in the group downward and folds inwards to clamp, thereby realizing stable clamping of the glass substrate 10. The bottom of the placement groove 29 of the transfer trolley 27 is provided with a pressure sensor assembly, and after the lifting platform 28 is lowered for 5 s, if the pressure sensor assembly does not alarm, it indicates that the glass substrate 10 does not slide and the clamping is firm, the transfer trolley 27 retreats, and the equipment normally flows and operates; otherwise, the current cantilever clamping module 5 is stopped for maintenance or marked for temporary suspension of use.

[0069] The glass substrate 10 can be buffered or transported in the system.

[0070] When unloading, the transfer trolley 27 moves to the unloading station, and the positioning male head 30 on the transfer trolley 27 cooperates with the positioning female head 31 on the frame body 1 to realize unloading positioning. The lifting platform 28 is raised to make the bottom of the placement groove 29 in contact with the bottom surface of the glass substrate 10, the push-pull handle 19 is pushed, the linkage frame 15 moves inwardly, the wedge block 16 moves inwardly synchronously, and the roller shaft 23 rolls along the upper surface of the wedge block 16, so as to force the roller shaft 23 to drive the clamping plate 21 to move upward and open at the same time, thereby releasing the clamping, and the glass substrate 10 falls into the placement groove 29, and the lifting platform 28 is lowered, and the transfer trolley 27 drives the glass substrate 10 to drive away.

[0071] When flowing and operating, the abutting shaft 24 cannot extend out under the blocking action of the abutting rail 4, and the linkage frame 15 can be limited to move inwardly, thereby realizing self-locking of the flowing and clamping. The abutting rail 4 at the corresponding position of the loading and unloading stations is provided with an inwardly recessed opening 4.1, the inwardly recessed opening 4.1 provides a space for the abutting shaft 24, so that the linkage frame 15 can move inwardly at the loading and unloading stations, thereby releasing the clamping of the glass substrate 10, and being used for loading and unloading.

[0072] Of course, the above content is only a preferred embodiment of the present application, and cannot be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The present application is also not limited to the above examples, and equivalent changes and improvements made by ordinary skilled in the art within the essential scope of the present application should be attributed to the patent coverage range of the present application.

Claims

1. A glass substrate transport and buffer system, characterized in that, It includes a flow transmission mechanism and multiple sets of cantilever clamping modules (5) for clamping glass substrates (10). The flow transmission mechanism can drive the cantilever clamping modules (5) to flow in the horizontal direction. The cantilever clamping module (5) includes a cantilever frame (20), on which multiple sets of vertically parallel clamping plates (21) are provided. The clamping plates (21) are connected to the cantilever frame (20) through a connecting rod (17) to form a parallelogram linkage mechanism. When not clamping, the clamping plates (21) fall to the lowest point of the stroke. When the two clamping plates (21) in the same group are at the lowest point, they are closest to each other. The closest distance is less than the thickness of the glass substrate (10). When clamping, the glass substrate (10) is vertically placed from bottom to top. The two clamping plates (21) in the group are pushed upward by the glass substrate (10) and gradually separated. After the glass substrate (10) is placed between the two clamping plates (21) in the group, it contacts the clamping surface on its inner side. After release, the glass substrate (10) pulls the two clamping plates (21) in the group downward under its own weight and clamps them together in the middle. The aforementioned flow transmission mechanism includes a frame (1) and a transmission belt (2) running in the horizontal direction. A suspension track (3) with the same running trajectory is provided above the transmission belt (2). One end of the cantilever clamping module (5) is slidably installed on the suspension track (3) and driven by the transmission belt (2) to flow horizontally, while the other end extends out of the frame (1). The cantilever clamping module (5) is equipped with a clamping release mechanism; A connecting curved plate (22) is provided above the clamping plate (21), and a transverse roller (23) is installed at the top of the connecting curved plate (22); the clamping release mechanism includes a wedge (16) that can slide along the length of the cantilever frame (20). The wedge (16) is located below the roller (23) and its upper surface is lower at one end and higher at the other end; when the wedge (16) moves, it can force the roller (23) to drive the clamping plate (21) to move upward and open to both sides at the same time, thus releasing the clamping.

2. The glass substrate transport and buffer system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper surface of the wedge (16) is provided with several parallel rollers (25), and the axial direction of the rollers (25) is perpendicular to the axial direction of the roller (23).

3. The glass substrate transport and buffer system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Each clamp (21) is equipped with a wedge (16), and all wedges (16) are connected together by a linkage frame (15) and move synchronously.

4. The glass substrate transport and buffer system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The linkage frame (15) is provided with a push-pull handle (19) at the outer end and an abutment shaft (24) at the inner end. When the linkage frame (15) moves inward, it drives the wedge block (16) to move inward synchronously to release the clamping. The transmission belt (2) of the flow transmission mechanism is provided with an abutment track (4) with the same running trajectory below it. When the cantilever clamping module (5) is running, the abutment shaft (24) cannot extend under the blocking effect of the abutment track (4), which can limit the movement of the linkage frame (15) inward.

5. The glass substrate transport and buffer system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The corresponding contact rails (4) at the loading and unloading stations have concave notches (4.1).

6. The glass substrate transport and buffer system according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the clamp (21) is at the lowest point of its stroke, the connecting rod (17) is in a horizontal state.

7. The glass substrate transport and buffer system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower end of the set of clamps (21) is formed with a flared opening (21.1); the clamping surface on the inner side of the clamps (21) is provided with a rubber pad.

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