Workpiece carrier for vacuum coating machine and vacuum coating machine

Abstract

The application discloses a workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine and the vacuum coating machine. The workpiece carrier comprises a revolution shaft and a revolution carrier rotatably installed on the revolution shaft. A plurality of self-rotation shafts for connecting and installing workpieces are installed on the revolution carrier. The self-rotation shafts are rotatably installed on the revolution carrier through a swing mechanism. A linkage assembly is arranged between each self-rotation shaft and the revolution shaft to drive the self-rotation shaft to rotate synchronously when the revolution carrier rotates. The workpiece carrier for the vacuum coating machine further comprises a swing adjusting assembly for adjusting the swing angle of the self-rotation shaft. The vacuum coating machine is provided with the workpiece carrier. The plurality of self-rotation shafts are divided into a plurality of shaft groups which are arranged at intervals around the revolution shaft. Each shaft group comprises a plurality of self-rotation shafts which are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the revolution carrier. The application can improve the uniformity and quality of coating of complex workpieces, adapt to the needs of diversified advanced processes, and has good flexibility and compatibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vacuum coating equipment technology, specifically to a workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine and a vacuum coating machine. Background Technology

[0002] Vacuum coating technologies (such as physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are widely used in modern manufacturing to prepare thin film coatings with specific functions (such as wear resistance, corrosion resistance, decoration, optics, and conductivity) on workpiece surfaces. In this technology, the workpiece carrier (or workpiece rotating frame, tooling fixture) is one of the core actuators of the coating equipment, undertaking the crucial task of positioning and supporting multiple workpieces and ensuring their movement within the coating chamber in a predetermined manner. Its performance directly affects the efficiency and quality of the coating production (film uniformity, adhesion, structural density, etc.).

[0003] To improve the uniformity of film thickness distribution on workpiece surfaces, especially complex surfaces, and to overcome the deposition advantage of the line-of-sight direction caused by fixed placement (i.e., faster deposition rate and larger film thickness in areas facing the sputtering or evaporation source), modern vacuum coating equipment generally adopts a rotatable workpiece carrier design. This design continuously moves the workpiece during the coating process, changing its angle and position relative to the coating source (such as a sputtering target or evaporation boat), thereby averaging the deposition angle, effectively reducing shading effects, and improving overall film thickness uniformity.

[0004] Currently, most mainstream rotary workpiece carriers employ planetary gear systems or similar transmission mechanisms to achieve composite motion of the workpiece: the workpiece not only revolves around a common central axis (revolution axis) but also rotates around a local axis (rotation axis). For example, a workpiece carrier disclosed in Chinese Patent Application Publication No. CN215887213U uses this typical dual-axis rotation structure, which improves the uniformity of film thickness distribution to a certain extent through the superposition of revolution and rotation. However, in the prior art, the revolution axis and rotation axis of such rotatable workpiece carriers are usually designed to be parallel to each other. The degree of freedom of motion provided by this parallel axis rotation mode (mainly composite rotation in a two-dimensional plane) is too singular and limited. Although it is effective in improving the film thickness uniformity of workpieces with simple geometries (such as planes and regular outer surfaces), it is significantly insufficient in improving the coating uniformity, coverage, and quality of workpieces with complex geometries (especially those with deep holes, grooves, cavities, sharp edges, and complex curved surface features). Meanwhile, its single motion mode is also difficult to adapt to the increasingly sophisticated coating processes that require more precise workpiece movement. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a new workpiece carrier technology with higher degrees of freedom of movement, the ability to more flexibly adjust the posture and angle of the workpiece in the coating space, thereby significantly improving the uniformity and quality of coating on complex workpieces, and adapting to the diverse needs of advanced processes. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology and provide a workpiece carrier and vacuum coating machine that can improve the uniformity and quality of coating on complex workpieces, meet the needs of diverse advanced processes, and have good flexibility and compatibility.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine includes a revolution shaft and a revolution frame rotatably mounted on the revolution shaft. Multiple spin shafts for connecting and mounting workpieces are mounted on the revolution frame. Each spin shaft is mounted on the revolution frame in a swinging manner via a swinging mechanism. A linkage component is provided between each spin shaft and the revolution shaft to drive the spin shaft to rotate synchronously when the revolution frame rotates. The workpiece carrier for the vacuum coating machine also includes a swing adjustment component for adjusting the swing angle of the spin shafts. The multiple spin shafts are divided into multiple groups of shafts arranged at intervals around the revolution shaft. Each group of shafts includes multiple spin shafts arranged sequentially at intervals along the axial direction of the revolution frame.

[0008] As a further improvement to the above technical solution:

[0009] The swing mechanism includes a swing base, which is connected to a hinge shaft and hinged to a revolution frame. The rotation shaft is rotatably mounted on the swing base.

[0010] The swing adjustment assembly includes one or more adjustment rods rotatably mounted on the revolution frame. The hinge shaft of the swing seat is connected to the adjustment rods through a connecting mechanism. When the adjustment rods are rotated, the connecting mechanism causes the hinge shaft to rotate accordingly to adjust the angle.

[0011] The connecting mechanism is a worm gear mechanism located between the hinge shaft and the adjusting rod.

[0012] Each adjusting rod is connected to the hinge shaft of the swing seat of multiple rotating shafts in a set of shafts.

[0013] The adjusting rod is connected to an adjusting control mechanism that allows the adjusting rod to be rotated to adjust its rotation angle.

[0014] The adjustment and control mechanism includes an active adjustment gear rotatably mounted on a revolution frame, and each adjustment rod is connected to a driven adjustment gear that meshes with the active adjustment gear.

[0015] The active adjusting gear is equipped with a screwing part that facilitates manual turning.

[0016] The adjustment control mechanism is a tool joint with a polygonal hole at the end of the adjustment rod.

[0017] The swing seat includes a sleeve portion and two swing arms respectively connected to both sides of the sleeve portion. The orbital frame is provided with two outwardly protruding connecting lugs. The two swing arms are respectively hinged to the two connecting lugs through hinge shafts. The rotation shaft is sleeved and installed in the sleeve portion.

[0018] The linkage assembly includes a first linkage gear, a second linkage gear, and a drive shaft rotatably mounted on the revolution frame. The first linkage gear is fixedly mounted on the revolution shaft, the second linkage gear is connected to the drive shaft, and the first linkage gear and the second linkage gear mesh with each other. The drive shaft is connected to the rotation shaft through a universal coupling.

[0019] The orbital frame is provided with multiple strip beams that extend along the axial direction. The multiple strip beams are evenly spaced around the orbital axis, and a set of shafts is installed on each strip beam.

[0020] Both ends of the revolution shaft are equipped with rotating seats, and both ends of the strip beam are detachably connected to the rotating seats at both ends of the revolution shaft.

[0021] Multiple support frames are rotatably mounted on the revolution axis and arranged sequentially at intervals along the axial direction. Each strip beam is connected to the support frame.

[0022] The present invention also provides a vacuum coating machine, wherein the vacuum coating machine is provided with the above-mentioned workpiece carrier for vacuum coating machine.

[0023] As a further improvement to the above technical solution:

[0024] The vacuum coating machine includes a transfer chamber and multiple process chambers connected to the transfer chamber. The multiple process chambers are arranged around the transfer chamber. Each process chamber and the transfer chamber are provided with a material inlet and outlet with a first openable and closable door. The transfer chamber is connected to an inlet and outlet device for supplying and receiving workpiece carriers. The transfer chamber is provided with a transfer device for transferring workpiece carriers between the inlet and outlet device and each process chamber. Each process chamber is provided with a drive device for mounting the workpiece carriers vertically in a revolution axis and driving the revolution carriers to rotate.

[0025] The driving device includes a lifting drive assembly and a rotary drive assembly for docking with the orbital frame to drive the orbital frame to rotate around the orbital axis. The rotary drive assembly is located at the top of the process chamber, and the lifting drive assembly is located at the bottom of the process chamber and can support the orbital axis for lifting and lowering. When the lifting drive assembly supports the orbital axis to move upward, it can dock with the orbital frame. When the lifting drive assembly supports the orbital axis to move downward, it can disengage the orbital frame from the rotary drive assembly.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0027] The workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine of the present invention features multiple rotating shafts mounted on a rotating frame. These rotating shafts are mounted on the frame in a swinging manner. When workpieces are loaded onto these rotating shafts for coating, the workpieces not only rotate around the rotating shaft, but the rotating shafts also rotate the workpieces around their own axes. Compared to existing technologies, this provides workpieces with greater freedom of movement, allowing for more flexible adjustment of the workpiece's posture and angle within the coating space. This improves the uniformity and quality of coating on complex workpieces and adapts to the needs of diverse advanced processes. Furthermore, the swing adjustment component can adjust the swing angle of the rotating shafts to meet the needs of workpieces rotating around different angle axes, offering good flexibility and compatibility. The multiple rotating shafts are divided into multiple groups arranged at intervals around the rotating shaft. Each group has multiple rotating shafts arranged sequentially at intervals along the axial direction of the rotating frame, ensuring a uniform and reasonable arrangement of workpieces on the rotating frame. This facilitates the mounting of as many workpieces as possible on the rotating frame while ensuring coating quality.

[0028] The vacuum coating machine of the present invention also has the advantages of the workpiece carrier for vacuum coating machine because it is equipped with the workpiece carrier for vacuum coating machine of the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the workpiece carrier for the vacuum coating machine in Example 1.

[0030] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged structural diagram at point A in the middle.

[0031] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Enlarged structural diagram at point B.

[0032] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Enlarged structural diagram at point C.

[0033] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the workpiece carrier for the vacuum coating machine in Example 2.

[0034] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Enlarged structural diagram at point D.

[0035] Figure 7 This is a top sectional view of the vacuum coating machine in Example 3.

[0036] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the main cross-sectional structure of the process chamber in Example 3.

[0037] Legend:

[0038] 1. Revolution shaft; 11. Rotary seat; 2. Revolution frame; 21. Strip beam; 23. Support frame; 3. Rotation shaft; 4. Linkage assembly; 41. First linkage gear; 42. Second linkage gear; 43. Drive shaft; 44. Universal coupling; 5. Swing adjustment assembly; 51. Adjusting rod; 511. Tool joint; 52. Worm gear mechanism; 53. Active adjustment gear; 531. Tightening part; 54. Driven adjustment gear; 6. Swing seat; 61. Sleeve part; 62. Swing arm; 63. Connecting lug; 7. Hinge shaft; 101. Process chamber; 102. Transfer chamber; 103. Material inlet / outlet; 1031. First openable / closable door; 104. Feeding / discharging device; 105. Transfer device; 106. Lifting drive assembly; 107. Rotation drive assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0040] Example 1

[0041] like Figure 1 As shown, the workpiece carrier for the vacuum coating machine in this embodiment includes a revolution shaft 1 and a revolution frame 2 rotatably mounted on the revolution shaft 1. The revolution frame 2 is equipped with multiple spin shafts 3 for connecting and mounting workpieces. The spin shafts 3 are mounted on the revolution frame 2 in a swinging manner through a swinging mechanism. Each spin shaft 3 is provided with a linkage component 4 between itself and the revolution shaft 1, which drives the spin shaft 3 to rotate synchronously when the revolution frame 2 rotates. The workpiece carrier for the vacuum coating machine also includes a swing adjustment component 5 for adjusting the swing angle of the spin shaft 3. The multiple spin shafts 3 are divided into multiple groups of shafts arranged at intervals around the revolution shaft 1. Each group of shafts includes multiple spin shafts 3 arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the revolution frame 2. This vacuum coating machine uses a workpiece carrier with multiple rotating shafts 3 mounted on a rotating frame 2. These rotating shafts 3 are mounted on the rotating frame 2 in a swinging manner. When workpieces are loaded onto these rotating shafts 3 for coating, the workpieces not only rotate around the rotating shaft 1, but the rotating shafts 3 also allow the workpieces to rotate around their own axes. Compared to existing technologies, this provides workpieces with greater freedom of movement, allowing for more flexible adjustment of their posture and angle within the coating space. This improves the uniformity and quality of coating on complex workpieces and adapts to the needs of diverse advanced processes. Furthermore, the swing adjustment component 5 can adjust the swing angle of the rotating shafts 3 to meet the needs of workpieces rotating around different angle axes, offering good flexibility and compatibility. The multiple rotating shafts 3 are divided into multiple groups arranged at intervals around the rotating shaft 1. Each group has multiple rotating shafts 3 arranged sequentially at intervals along the axial direction of the rotating frame 2, ensuring a uniform and reasonable arrangement of workpieces on the rotating frame 2. This facilitates the mounting of as many workpieces as possible on the rotating frame 2 while ensuring coating quality.

[0042] In this embodiment, as Figure 2As shown, the swing mechanism includes a swing base 6, which is connected to a hinge shaft 7 and hinged to the revolution frame 2. A rotation shaft 3 is rotatably mounted on the swing base 6. The rotation shaft 3 can rotate and also move axially relative to the swing base 6, while the swing base 6 can rotate relative to the revolution frame 2 around the hinge shaft 7. This allows the rotation shaft 3 to perform both rotational and swinging movements. The mounting structure of this rotation shaft 3 is simple in structure, easy to manufacture and assemble, and provides stable and reliable operation.

[0043] In this embodiment, the swing adjustment assembly 5 includes multiple adjusting rods 51 rotatably mounted on the revolution frame 2. The hinge shaft 7 of the swing seat 6 is connected to the adjusting rods 51 via a connecting mechanism. When the adjusting rods 51 are rotated, the connecting mechanism causes the hinge shaft 7 to rotate accordingly to adjust the angle. When it is necessary to adjust the swing angle of the rotation shaft 3, simply rotate the connecting mechanism of the adjusting rods 51 to cause the hinge shaft 7 to rotate accordingly to adjust the angle, thus changing the swing angle of the rotation shaft 3. The adjustment is simple. Each adjusting rod 51 cooperates with multiple rotating sleeves connected to the revolution frame 2 to complete the rotatable installation.

[0044] In this embodiment, the connecting mechanism is a worm gear mechanism 52 located between the hinge shaft 7 and the adjusting rod 51. The worm gear mechanism 52 has a self-locking function. Rotating the adjusting rod 51 can drive the hinge shaft 7 to rotate. When the hinge shaft 7 is subjected to external torque, it cannot drive the adjusting rod 51 to rotate in the opposite direction. No additional locking mechanism is required to ensure that the self-rotating shaft 3 remains unchanged at the adjusted swing angle. Its structure is simple and low cost.

[0045] In this embodiment, each adjusting rod 51 is connected to the hinge shaft 7 of the swing seat 6 of multiple rotating shafts 3 in a set of shafts. That is, the hinge shaft 7 of the swing seat 6 of multiple rotating shafts 3 in a set of shafts is simultaneously connected to the same adjusting rod 51. Each adjusting rod 51 can adjust the swing angle of multiple rotating shafts 3 at the same time, which can reduce the number of adjusting rods 51, making the structure simple and compact and reducing costs.

[0046] In this embodiment, the adjusting rod 51 is connected to an adjusting control mechanism that facilitates the rotation of the adjusting rod 51 to adjust its rotation angle, thus simplifying the adjustment operation.

[0047] In this embodiment, as Figure 3 As shown, the adjustment control mechanism includes an active adjustment gear 53 rotatably mounted on the revolution frame 2, and each adjustment rod 51 is connected to a driven adjustment gear 54 that meshes with the active adjustment gear 53. Simply rotating the active adjustment gear 53 simultaneously rotates all the adjustment rods 51, thus simultaneously adjusting the swing angle of all the rotation shafts 3. The adjustment is simple and convenient, and since all the adjustment rods 51 rotate at the same angle, the change in the swing angle of the rotation shafts 3 is also consistent, which helps to ensure the consistency of the swing angle of all the rotation shafts 3 after adjustment.

[0048] In this embodiment, the active adjustment gear 53 is provided with a screwing part 531 that is easy to manually turn, which facilitates manual operation and adjustment.

[0049] In this embodiment, the swing seat 6 includes a sleeve portion 61 and two swing arms 62 respectively connected to both sides of the sleeve portion 61. The orbital frame 2 is provided with two protruding connecting lugs 63. The two swing arms 62 are respectively hinged to the two connecting lugs 63 via hinge shafts 7. The rotation shaft 3 is sleeved and installed inside the sleeve portion 61. The two swing arms 62 are respectively hinged to the two connecting lugs 63, which has good connection strength, smooth rotation, and strong load-bearing capacity.

[0050] In this embodiment, as Figure 4 As shown, the linkage assembly 4 includes a first linkage gear 41, a second linkage gear 42, and a transmission shaft 43 rotatably mounted on the revolution frame 2. The first linkage gear 41 is fixedly mounted on the revolution shaft 1, and the second linkage gear 42 is connected to the transmission shaft 43. The first linkage gear 41 and the second linkage gear 42 mesh with each other. The transmission shaft 43 is connected to the rotation shaft 3 via a universal coupling 44. This linkage assembly 4 uses a gear mechanism with the first linkage gear 41 and the second linkage gear 42 meshing, which has the advantages of simple structure, low cost, easy assembly and maintenance, and stable and reliable transmission. Specifically, the first linkage gear 41 and the second linkage gear 42 are bevel gears or spur gears. In other embodiments, the linkage assembly 4 can also use a non-gear mechanism, as long as it can achieve synchronous rotation of the rotation shaft 3 when the revolution frame 2 is driven to rotate.

[0051] In this embodiment, the orbital frame 2 is provided with multiple strip beams 21 extending axially. These strip beams 21 are evenly spaced around the orbital axis 1, and each strip beam 21 is equipped with a set of shafts, i.e., multiple rotating shafts 3 arranged sequentially and at intervals along the axial direction. This makes the orbital frame 2 simple in structure, lightweight, and easy to manufacture and assemble. In this embodiment, only one adjusting rod 51 is provided for each strip beam 21 to connect and adjust the swing angle of all the rotating shafts 3 on that strip beam 21.

[0052] In this embodiment, rotating seats 11 are installed at both ends of the revolution shaft 1, and the two ends of the strip beam 21 are detachably connected to the rotating seats 11 at both ends of the revolution shaft 1. During manufacturing and assembly, the two manufactured rotating seats 11 are installed at the two ends of the revolution shaft 1, the rotation shaft 3 is installed on the strip beam 21, and then the strip beam 21 is connected and fixed to the two rotating seats 11. The assembly is simple, and it is easy to disassemble each strip beam 21 individually for replacement and maintenance. Furthermore, the number of strip beams 21 can be increased or decreased as needed, provided the installation space allows, making it flexible and convenient to use. For example, in this embodiment, the rotating seat 11 has a hexagonal structure and specifically has three strip beams 21 installed. In other cases, up to six other strip beams 21 can be installed on the hexagonal rotating seat 11 as needed. In other embodiments, the rotating seat 11 can also be configured in other shapes, and more strip beams 21 can be provided. In this embodiment, the rotating seat 11 is rotatably mounted on the revolution shaft 1 through a bearing mechanism, and the self-rotating shaft 3 is mounted on the strip beam 21 through a bearing mechanism or a bushing structure. The strip beam 21 and the rotating seat 11 are connected by screws.

[0053] In this embodiment, a plurality of support frames 23 are rotatably mounted on the revolution shaft 1, arranged sequentially at intervals along the axial direction. Each strip beam 21 is connected to the support frame 23, which can prevent the strip beam 21 from deforming and improve the installation stability and load-bearing capacity of the strip beam 21.

[0054] Example 2

[0055] The workpiece carrier for the vacuum coating machine in this embodiment is basically the same as that in Embodiment 1, with the main difference being that, for example... Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the adjustment control mechanism is a tool connector 511 with a polygonal hole at the end of the adjustment rod 51, and each adjustment rod 51 is provided with a tool connector 511. Simply by using a tool with a polygonal plug that matches the polygonal hole, inserting the polygonal plug into the polygonal hole, the adjustment rod 51 can be turned. The adjustment control mechanism of this embodiment has a simpler structure and lower cost.

[0056] Example 3

[0057] A vacuum coating machine is provided, which is equipped with a workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine as described in Embodiment 1 or 2. The vacuum coating machine of this embodiment, by being equipped with the workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine as described in Embodiment 1 or 2, also possesses the advantages of that workpiece carrier.

[0058] In this embodiment, as Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, the vacuum coating machine includes a transfer chamber 102 and multiple process chambers 101 connected to the transfer chamber 102. The multiple process chambers 101 are arranged around the transfer chamber 102. Each process chamber 101 and the transfer chamber 102 are provided with a material inlet / outlet 103 with a first openable / closeable door 1031. The transfer chamber 102 is connected to a feeding / discharging device 104 for supplying and receiving workpiece carriers. The transfer chamber 102 is provided with a transfer device 105 for transferring workpiece carriers between the feeding / discharging device 104 and each process chamber 101. Each process chamber 101 is provided with a drive device for installing the workpiece carrier in the process chamber 101 in a vertical arrangement with a revolution axis 1 and driving the revolution frame 2 to rotate.

[0059] This vacuum coating machine arranges multiple process chambers 101 around a transfer chamber 102. A transfer device 105 is installed in the transfer chamber 102 to transfer the workpiece carrier. The machine occupies little space and has low site requirements. Only one transfer device 105 is needed to transfer the workpiece carrier between the feeding / discharging device 104 and each process chamber 101. The structure is simple, the equipment manufacturing and maintenance costs are low, and the control difficulty is low. The workpiece carrier does not need to be handed over multiple times during the transfer between the feeding / discharging device 104 and each process chamber 101, which can ensure high precision and high repeatability of the workpiece carrier positioning during the transfer process, improve the accuracy and stability of the workpiece carrier transfer. At the same time, there is no need to set up a conveying system in the process chamber 101, which can reduce the size of the process chamber 101 and facilitate the installation and layout of other functional devices in the process chamber 101. Furthermore, the workpiece carrier is usually large in the axial direction, while the drive device of each process chamber 101 can install the workpiece carrier in the process chamber 101 with the revolution axis 1 arranged vertically and drive the revolution frame 2 to rotate, so that the radial dimension of each process chamber 101 in the transfer chamber 102 is small, which can reduce the footprint of the entire vacuum coating machine. At the same time, the revolution axis 1 is arranged in the vertical direction, and the rotation axis 3 is arranged in the horizontal direction. The axis of rotation of the workpiece mounted on the rotation axis 3 is arranged horizontally, so that impurities and other contaminants are not easy to adhere to the workpiece, and impurities and other contaminants on the workpiece are easy to fall off, which can improve the coating quality.

[0060] In this embodiment, the driving device includes a lifting drive assembly 106 and a rotary drive assembly 107 for docking with the orbital frame 2 to drive the orbital frame 2 to rotate around the orbital axis 1. The rotary drive assembly 107 is located at the top of the process chamber 101, and the lifting drive assembly 106 is located at the bottom of the process chamber 101 and can support the orbital axis 1 to move up and down. When the lifting drive assembly 106 supports the orbital axis 1 to move up, it can dock the orbital frame 2 with the rotary drive assembly 107, so that the workpiece carrier is stably and reliably clamped between the lifting drive assembly 106 and the rotary drive assembly 107. The rotary drive assembly 107 can drive the orbital frame 2 to rotate around the orbital axis 1. When the lifting drive assembly 106 supports the orbital axis 1 to move down, it can disengage the orbital frame 2 from the rotary drive assembly 107, thereby facilitating the loading and unloading of the workpiece carrier. The combination of lifting drive assembly 106 and rotation drive assembly 107 enables loading and unloading of the workpiece carrier and driving the rotation of the revolution frame 2, while having the advantages of simple structure, low cost and easy control.

[0061] Preferably, the lifting drive assembly 106 includes a support and a lifting drive mechanism for lifting and lowering the drive connecting seat. The support has a positioning hole for the lower end of the rotating shaft 1 to be inserted and positioned. After the lower end of the rotating shaft 1 is inserted into the positioning hole, it can be supported and positioned on the support. The rotation drive assembly 107 includes a connector and a motor for driving the connector to rotate. The connector is provided with a socket hole for positioning and engaging with the upper end of the rotating frame 2. When the lifting drive assembly 106 drives the rotating shaft 1 to move upward, the upper end of the rotating frame 2 is inserted into the socket hole to achieve docking. The motor drives the connector to drive the rotating frame 2 to rotate. When the lifting drive assembly 106 drives the rotating shaft 1 to move downward, the upper end of the rotating frame 2 is disengaged from the rotation drive assembly 107.

[0062] The multiple process chambers 101 in this embodiment can be configured as needed to complete any step in the coating process, such as cleaning, preheating, and coating. Specific configuration can be referenced from existing coating machines. The first openable / closable door 1031 can be an isolation door that completely isolates the process chambers 101 and the transfer chamber 102 when closed, such as a gate valve; or it can be a door that does not completely isolate the process chambers 101 and the transfer chamber 102 when closed, only blocking the material inlet / outlet 103, such as a roller shutter. The feeding / discharging device 104 includes a feeding / discharging chamber and a first carrier assembly installed inside the feeding / discharging chamber. The feeding / discharging chamber has two feeding / discharging ports with gate valves, one of which communicates with the transfer chamber 102. The transfer device 105 can be a commercially available robotic arm.

[0063] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For those skilled in the art, improvements and modifications obtained without departing from the inventive concept should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine, comprising a revolution shaft (1) and a revolution frame (2) rotatably mounted on the revolution shaft (1), characterized in that: The orbital frame (2) is equipped with multiple rotating shafts (3) for connecting and installing workpieces. The rotating shafts (3) are mounted on the orbital frame (2) in a swinging manner through a swinging mechanism. Each rotating shaft (3) is provided with a linkage component (4) between itself and the orbital frame (1) to drive the rotating shaft (3) to rotate synchronously when the orbital frame (2) rotates. The workpiece carrier for the vacuum coating machine also includes a swing adjustment component (5) for adjusting the swing angle of the rotating shaft (3). The multiple rotating shafts (3) are divided into multiple groups of shafts arranged at intervals around the orbital frame (1). Each group of shafts includes multiple rotating shafts (3) arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the orbital frame (2). The swing mechanism includes a swing seat (6), the swing seat (6) is connected to a hinge shaft (7) and is hinged to the revolution frame (2) through the hinge shaft (7), and the rotation shaft (3) is rotatably mounted on the swing seat (6); The swing adjustment assembly (5) includes one or more adjustment rods (51) rotatably mounted on the orbital frame (2). The hinge shaft (7) of the swing seat (6) is connected to the adjustment rod (51) through a connecting mechanism. When the adjustment rod (51) is rotated, the connecting mechanism causes the hinge shaft (7) to rotate accordingly to adjust the angle.

2. The workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting mechanism is a worm gear mechanism (52) located between the hinge shaft (7) and the adjusting rod (51).

3. The workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each adjusting rod (51) is connected to the hinge shaft (7) of the swing seat (6) of multiple rotating shafts (3) in a set of shafts.

4. The workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adjusting rod (51) is connected to an adjusting control mechanism that facilitates rotating the adjusting rod (51) to adjust the rotation angle of the adjusting rod (51).

5. The workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The adjustment and control mechanism includes an active adjustment gear (53) rotatably mounted on the orbital frame (2), and each adjustment rod (51) is connected to a driven adjustment gear (54) that meshes with the active adjustment gear (53).

6. The workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The active adjustment gear (53) is provided with a screwing part (531) for easy manual screwing.

7. The workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The adjustment control mechanism is a tool joint (511) with a polygonal hole at the end of the adjustment rod (51).

8. The workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The swing seat (6) includes a sleeve part (61) and two swing arms (62) respectively connected to both sides of the sleeve part (61). The orbital frame (2) is provided with two outwardly protruding connecting lugs (63). The two swing arms (62) are respectively hinged to the two connecting lugs (63) through the hinge shaft (7). The rotation shaft (3) is sleeved and installed in the sleeve part (61).

9. The workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The linkage assembly (4) includes a first linkage gear (41), a second linkage gear (42), and a drive shaft (43) rotatably mounted on the revolution frame (2). The first linkage gear (41) is fixedly mounted on the revolution shaft (1), and the second linkage gear (42) is connected to the drive shaft (43). The first linkage gear (41) and the second linkage gear (42) mesh with each other. The drive shaft (43) is connected to the rotation shaft (3) through a universal coupling (44).

10. The workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The orbital frame (2) is provided with multiple strip beams (21) extending along the axial direction. The multiple strip beams (21) are evenly spaced around the orbital axis (1), and each strip beam (21) is equipped with a set of shafts.

11. The workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine according to claim 10, characterized in that: Both ends of the revolution shaft (1) are equipped with rotating seats (11), and both ends of the strip beam (21) are respectively connected to the rotating seats (11) at both ends of the revolution shaft (1) in a detachable manner.

12. The workpiece carrier for a vacuum coating machine according to claim 10, characterized in that: Multiple support frames (23) are rotatably mounted on the revolution shaft (1) and are arranged sequentially at intervals along the axial direction. Each strip beam (21) is connected to the support frame (23).

13. A vacuum coating machine, characterized in that: The vacuum coating machine is equipped with a workpiece carrier for vacuum coating machine as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The vacuum coating machine according to claim 13, characterized in that: The vacuum coating machine includes a transfer chamber (102) and multiple process chambers (101) connected to the transfer chamber (102). The multiple process chambers (101) are arranged around the transfer chamber (102). Each process chamber (101) and the transfer chamber (102) are provided with a material inlet and outlet (103) with a first openable and closable door (1031). The transfer chamber (102) is connected to an inlet and outlet device (104) for supplying and receiving workpiece carriers. The transfer chamber (102) is provided with a transfer device (105) for transferring workpiece carriers between the inlet and outlet device (104) and each process chamber (101). Each process chamber (101) is provided with a drive device for installing the workpiece carrier in the process chamber (101) in a vertical arrangement with a revolution axis (1) and driving the revolution frame (2) to rotate.

15. The vacuum coating machine according to claim 14, characterized in that: The driving device includes a lifting drive assembly (106) and a rotary drive assembly (107) for docking with the orbital frame (2) to drive the orbital frame (2) to rotate around the orbital axis (1). The rotary drive assembly (107) is located at the top of the process chamber (101), and the lifting drive assembly (106) is located at the bottom of the process chamber (101) and can support the orbital axis (1) to move up and down. When the lifting drive assembly (106) supports the orbital axis (1) to move up, it can dock the orbital frame (2) with the rotary drive assembly (107). When the lifting drive assembly (106) supports the orbital axis (1) to move down, it can disengage the orbital frame (2) from the rotary drive assembly (107).

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