Pallet grabbing mechanism

Abstract

The utility model provides a pallet grabbing mechanism which is arranged above a wafer carrier transition conveying line to be suitable for grabbing pallets, the pallet grabbing mechanism comprises a grabbing supporting frame, a lifting air cylinder, a suction cup, two anti-falling air cylinders and two anti-falling supporting plates, the lifting air cylinder is vertically installed in the middle of the grabbing supporting frame, and the suction cup is installed in the middle of the grabbing supporting frame. A mounting plate is arranged at the end of a piston rod of the lifting air cylinder, a suction cup is arranged on the mounting plate, the two anti-falling air cylinders are symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the grabbing supporting frame, and a piston rod of each anti-falling air cylinder is connected with the corresponding anti-falling supporting plate. The pallet grabbing mechanism is used for replacing manual work to place pallets in the working process of the conveying belt, potential safety hazards are avoided, meanwhile, the positions for placing the pallets are accurate, and use is convenient.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of elevators, and in particular to a pallet grabbing mechanism. Background Art

[0002] In semiconductor wafer factories, various processes are often distributed on different floors, and wafers need to be transported between different floors together with carriers. The types of wafer carriers required for each process are not the same. In order to meet different customer needs, the sizes of wafers produced are also different, and the sizes of their carriers are also different. The existing wafer carriers on the market that transport materials across floors usually transport materials directly on the conveyor line and by robot gripping. Wafer carriers with a wide and flat bottom surface and a low center of gravity can be directly transported by the conveyor line; wafer carriers of a single type and uniform size are suitable for robot gripping.

[0003] Direct conveying on the conveyor line is only suitable for wafer carriers with a flat bottom, wide and low center of gravity, such as FOUP (front-opening wafer box), SMIF POD (wafer transfer box), etc. The bottom of the flower basket used in the front-end cleaning of the wafer factory is uneven. When it passes through the intersection of the conveyor lines at both ends, it vibrates greatly and easily damages the wafer. If the robot grips the wafer carrier to be compatible with wafer carriers of different types and sizes, it is necessary to add a clamp to the front end of the robot, which will greatly increase the load and control complexity of the robot. Therefore, it is necessary to design a wafer carrier conveying device with good compatibility.

[0004] To this end, technicians place compatible pallets under the wafer carrier, which not only facilitates subsequent operations but also avoids damage to the wafer. When the existing conveyor belt is conveying, the pallets need to be placed manually. Since the conveyor belt needs to cooperate with the wafer production line, the conveyor belt cannot be stopped during daily production. This requires workers to place pallets while the conveyor belt is working, which poses a safety hazard. In addition, the existing conveyor belt has relatively high requirements for the position of the pallets. When placing the pallets, they need to be placed precisely according to the working position of the conveyor belt, which is very inconvenient to use. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to solve the above defects, the utility model provides a pallet grabbing mechanism. The utility model adopts the pallet grabbing mechanism to replace manual placement of pallets during the operation of the conveyor belt, thereby avoiding safety hazards. At the same time, the position of the pallet is more accurate and easy to use.

[0006] The utility model provides a pallet grabbing mechanism, which is arranged above a wafer carrier transition conveyor line to be suitable for grabbing a pallet, the pallet grabbing mechanism comprises a grabbing support frame, a lifting cylinder, a suction cup, two anti-falling cylinders and two anti-falling supporting plates, the lifting cylinder is vertically installed at the middle part of the grabbing support frame, the end of the piston rod of the lifting cylinder is provided with a mounting plate, the mounting plate is provided with a suction cup, the two anti-falling cylinders are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the grabbing support frame, and the piston rod of each anti-falling cylinder is connected to the corresponding anti-falling supporting plate.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the pallet is provided with a plurality of grooves for placing wafer carriers of different specifications, and the mounting plate is provided with a plurality of suction cups, each of which is connected to the grooves respectively.

[0008] In one implementation manner of the utility model, the suction cup is connected to the vacuum generator through a pipeline.

[0009] In one embodiment of the utility model, the anti-fall support plate includes a horizontal support plate and a vertical mounting plate, the vertical mounting plate is vertically connected to the horizontal support plate, and the vertical mounting plate is connected to the piston rod of the anti-fall cylinder.

[0010] In one implementation of the present invention, the horizontal support plate is V-shaped.

[0011] In one implementation of the present invention, a reinforcing plate is installed between the vertical mounting plate and the horizontal supporting plate.

[0012] In summary, the utility model provides a pallet grabbing mechanism, and the beneficial effects of the utility model are: the utility model adopts the pallet grabbing mechanism to replace manual placement of pallets during the operation of the conveyor belt, thereby avoiding safety hazards, and at the same time, the position of the pallet is more accurate and easy to use.

[0013] Furthermore, the utility model adopts a suction cup to absorb the empty pallet, and the anti-falling supporting plate driven by the anti-falling cylinder can prevent the suction cup from breaking the vacuum and causing the pallet to fall off.

[0014] Furthermore, the utility model improves the transport efficiency of wafer carriers by using the pallet grabbing mechanism without waiting for the pallet to return. When the front pallet and wafer carrier enter the car, the pallet grabbing mechanism on the original floor releases the rear pallet and transports it to the input port to wait for material input; at the same time, the pallet grabbing mechanism on the target floor grabs the front pallet to make way for the rear pallet and wafer carrier to pass through, and after the rear pallet and wafer carrier pass through, the pallet grabbing mechanism releases the front pallet, and the front pallet returns to the car, and then returns to the original floor to continue transporting materials. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the wafer carrier cross-floor transport equipment.

[0016] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the middle transition conveyor line.

[0017] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Main view of the middle transition conveyor line.

[0018] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Right view of the middle transition conveyor line.

[0019] Figure 5 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the middle pallet.

[0020] Figure 6 The figure is a flow chart of a method for controlling the transfer of wafer carriers across floors.

[0021] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Flowchart of the transport and lifting procedure.

[0022] Figure 8 for Figure 6 Flow chart of the hollow pallet reflow procedure.

[0023] Main element symbol description: 1. Car; 2. Automatic door; 3. Transition conveyor line; 31. Base; 32. Linear slide; 321. Slider; 33. Driving cylinder; 331. Connecting plate; 34. Conveyor line body; 341. Frame; 342. Servo motor; 343. Driving shaft; 344. Transmission component; 345. Driven shaft; 346. Conveyor belt; 35. Pallet grabbing mechanism; 351. Lifting cylinder; 3511. Mounting plate; 352. Suction cup; 3 53. Anti-fall cylinder; 354. Anti-fall pallet; 3541. Horizontal pallet; 3542. Vertical mounting plate; 3543. Reinforcement plate; 355. Grasping support frame; 4. External conveyor line; 5. Chain; 6. Pallet; 61. Bottom plate; 61a. Supporting surface; 61b, 61c, 61e, 61f, Restriction part; 61d, 61g, Supporting surface; 62. Handle; 63. Induction sheet; 7. Wafer carrier; 8. Fireproof rolling shutter door; S1~S912, steps. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the embodiments of the utility model clearer, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the utility model will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work belong to the scope of protection of the utility model. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the utility model provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the utility model for which protection is sought, but merely represents the selected embodiments of the utility model. Based on the embodiments in the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work belong to the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0025] Figure 1 The three-dimensional structure diagram of the wafer carrier cross-floor transport equipment is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the wafer carrier cross-floor transport equipment includes an elevator, in which a car 1 is arranged. The car 1 is connected to a chain 5 through a chain connecting bolt, and the chain 5 pulls and drives the car to rise and fall. The outer periphery of the car 1 is a fireproof shaft, and each floor is provided with a fireproof rolling door 8. An automatic door 2 is arranged on one side of the car 1, and a car conveyor line is installed in the car 1. The wafer carrier 7 can move horizontally on the car conveyor line and can be lifted to the corresponding floor with the car. Figure 1 As shown, each floor is provided with an external conveyor line and a transition conveyor line 3. The external conveyor line is installed outside the fireproof shaft. The pallet 6 waits on the external conveyor line for the wafer carrier 7 to be put in or taken away manually or by equipment such as AGV (intelligent handling robot) and OHT (unmanned aerial transport vehicle). The transition conveyor line 3 is arranged between the car conveyor line and the external conveyor line, and the transition conveyor line 3 is installed on the side of the fireproof rolling shutter door 8 close to the car 1.

[0026] like Figure 2 , 3 As shown in , 4 , the transition conveyor line 3 includes a base 31 , a linear slide rail 32 , a driving cylinder 33 , a conveyor line body 34 and a pallet grabbing mechanism 35 .

[0027] Specifically, two parallel linear slide rails 32 are arranged on the base 31, and the conveyor line body 34 is slidably connected to the linear slide rails 32 through a slider 321. A connecting plate 331 is arranged at one end of the bottom of the conveyor line body 34, and the cylinder barrel of the driving cylinder 33 is fixedly mounted on the base 31, and the piston rod of the driving cylinder 33 is connected to the conveyor line body 34 through the connecting plate 331. Due to the existence of the automatic door 2, there will be a certain distance between the transition conveyor line 3 and the car conveyor line. The utility model adopts a driving cylinder to drive the conveyor line body 34 to move in the horizontal direction as a whole, which reduces the docking distance between the transition conveyor line 3 and the external conveyor line and the car conveyor line, and reduces the damage to the wafer caused by vibration generated during the transportation process.

[0028] Next, the conveyor line body 34 includes a frame 341, a servo motor 342, a driving shaft 343 and a driven shaft 345. The driving shaft 343 and the driven shaft 345 are arranged on the top of the frame 341. The driving shaft 343 and the driven shaft 345 are arranged in parallel. The driving shaft 343 and the driven shaft 345 are respectively sleeved with a driving roller and a driven roller. A conveyor belt 346 is wound between the driving roller and the driven roller. The conveyor belt 346 is used to realize the moving in and moving out of the pallet. The servo motor 342 is connected to the reducer, and the reducer is connected to the driving shaft 343 through the transmission component 344.

[0029] Furthermore, a support plate is provided in the conveyor belt 346, and both sides of the support plate are fixed to the top of the frame respectively. The design of the support plate prevents the conveyor belt 346 from deforming and causing vibration during transportation, thereby avoiding damage to the wafer and reducing economic losses.

[0030] Preferably, the transmission component 344 includes a synchronous pulley 1, a belt and a synchronous pulley 2, the transmission shaft of the reducer is connected to the synchronous pulley 1, the synchronous pulley 1 is connected to the synchronous pulley 2 through a synchronous belt, and the synchronous pulley 2 is installed on the driving shaft 343. The transmission component 344 can also be a chain transmission method, which should not be limited here.

[0031] Next, the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 includes a grabbing support frame 355, a lifting cylinder 351, a suction cup 352, two anti-falling cylinders 353 and two anti-falling supporting plates 354. The lifting cylinder 351 is vertically installed in the middle of the grabbing support frame 355. The end of the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 351 is provided with a mounting plate 3511. The mounting plate 3511 is provided with a suction cup 352. The suction cup is connected to the vacuum generator through a pipeline. The suction cup 352 is used to absorb the empty pallet. The two anti-falling cylinders 353 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the grabbing support frame 355. The piston rod of each anti-falling cylinder 353 is connected to the corresponding anti-falling supporting plate 354. The anti-falling supporting plate 354 driven by the anti-falling cylinder 353 can prevent the suction cup from breaking the vacuum and causing the pallet 6 to fall off.

[0032] Furthermore, the anti-falling support plate 354 includes a horizontal support plate 3541 and a vertical mounting plate 3542, the vertical mounting plate 3542 is vertically connected to the horizontal support plate 3541, the vertical mounting plate 3542 is connected to the piston rod of the anti-falling cylinder 353, and the horizontal support plate 3541 plays a role in supporting the pallet 6. Preferably, the horizontal support plate 3541 is V-shaped, which can support the pallet 6 and reduce the weight of the horizontal support plate 3541.

[0033] Further preferably, a reinforcing plate 3543 is installed between the vertical mounting plate 3542 and the horizontal supporting plate 3541, and the reinforcing plate 3543 is vertically arranged to improve the stability of the horizontal supporting plate.

[0034] The pallet grabbing mechanism 35 is used to grab and release empty pallets. If the number of transport tasks is greater than 1, while the front pallet and wafer carrier enter the elevator 1, the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 on the original floor releases the rear pallet and transports it to the input port to wait for material input; and / or, the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 on the target floor grabs the front pallet to make way for the rear pallet and wafer carrier to pass through, and after the rear pallet and wafer carrier pass through, the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 releases the front pallet, and the front pallet flows back to the elevator 1, and then returns to the original floor to continue transporting materials. The utility model can continue to transport wafer carriers without waiting for the pallet to flow back, thereby improving the transport efficiency.

[0035] Magazines (boxes) have a small bottom surface and a high height. They must be transported upright. If they are tipped over, there is a risk of materials falling out. They cannot be transported directly on the conveyor line. Pallets with good compatibility are required to transport different materials on different floors. Figure 5 As shown, the pallet 6 includes a bottom plate 61, and the bottom plate 61 is provided with a plurality of placement grooves for wafer carriers of different specifications to improve its compatibility. For example, the bottom surface of the magazine is supported by the supporting surface 61a, and the two side surfaces are embedded with limiting parts 61b and 61c, which effectively prevents the magazine from tipping over during transportation. The pallet 6 can transport two magazines at a time, which improves the transportation efficiency. During transportation, the bottom surface of the SMIF POD (wafer transfer box) is supported by a supporting surface 61d, and the two side surfaces are embedded with limiting parts 61e and 61f. The FOUP (front opening unified pod) is placed on the supporting surface 61g with a wide and flat ground. Three wafer carriers of different types and sizes can be transported by the same pallet 6 without replacing the pallet 6.

[0036] Furthermore, according to customer needs, the pallet 6 is designed to be compatible with different types of carriers such as FOUP / FOSB (wafer transfer box) / SMIFPOD, which also falls within the scope of protection of this patent.

[0037] Furthermore, a sensing sheet 63 is disposed at one end of the bottom plate 61 to locate different positions according to the type of wafer carrier.

[0038] Furthermore, handles 62 are provided on both sides of the bottom plate 61 to facilitate manual transport of the pallet 6 .

[0039] Next, a control method for the above-mentioned wafer carrier inter-floor transfer equipment is introduced below.

[0040] Regarding the execution subject of the method of the embodiment of the utility model, it can be any controller or processor with computing or processing capabilities to achieve the goal of controlling the elevator to intelligently transport the pallet and the wafer carrier. In some examples, it can be integrated and configured in the control panel of the elevator by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, which should not be limited here.

[0041] The wafer carrier cross-floor transport control method includes the following steps:

[0042] Obtain a material transport request, which includes the type, original floor, and target floor of the wafer carrier to be transported;

[0043] In response to a material transport request, an empty pallet is transported to an input port on the original floor, and then a wafer carrier is put onto the empty pallet;

[0044] Read the wafer carrier information and check it with the material handling request information. If it is correct, the pallet and wafer carrier are transported to the car conveyor line through the external conveyor line 4 and the transition conveyor line 3;

[0045] Close automatic door 2, start the transport and lifting program, and lift to the target floor;

[0046] Open the automatic door 2 and transport the pallet and wafer carrier to the external conveyor line 4 on the target floor to wait for the wafer carrier to be taken out;

[0047] Read whether there is a new move-out instruction on the target floor. If so, the pallet is put back into the material; if not, determine whether the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 has released the pallet. If so, start the empty pallet return program;

[0048] Determine whether the empty pallet reflow process is completed, if so, end.

[0049] In this embodiment, Figure 6 The figure shows a flow chart of a method for controlling the wafer carrier to move across floors. Figure 6 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0050] S1: Whether the MES system (manufacturing enterprise production process execution system) issues a transport instruction, if so, execute step S2;

[0051] S2, determine whether there is an empty pallet at the loading port on the moving-out floor, if so, execute step S3, if not, execute the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 to release the empty pallet and transport it to the loading port;

[0052] S3, determine whether the wafer carrier is put into operation, if yes, proceed to step S4,

[0053] S4, the BCR / RFID device reads the wafer carrier information to see if it is consistent with the MES system information. If so, execute step S5. If not, report an error and return the wafer carrier for manual processing;

[0054] S5, execute the transport and lifting procedure;

[0055] S6, determine whether the transport is completed, if so, execute step S7;

[0056] S7: Is there a move-out instruction on the target floor? If yes, then end; if no, proceed to step S8;

[0057] S8, determining whether the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 has released the pallet; if so, executing step S9;

[0058] S9, execute the empty pallet reflow program, and then determine whether the empty pallet reflow program is completed, if not, execute step S8, if yes, end.

[0059] In step S5, Figure 7 As shown, the transport and lifting procedure includes the following processes:

[0060] S501, the conveyor line transports the wafer carrier into the elevator 1, and then executes step S502;

[0061] S502, determine whether the transport is completed, if so, execute step S503;

[0062] S503, read whether there is no move-in instruction but a move-out instruction on the original floor, if so, put down the empty pallet of the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 on the transition conveyor line 3, and transport it to the input port of the external conveyor line 4; if not, execute step S504;

[0063] S504, the automatic door 2 is closed, and the car 1 is raised or lowered; then step S505 is executed;

[0064] S505, determine whether the lifting is completed, if so, execute step S506;

[0065] S506, open the automatic door 2 of the original floor, the conveyor line transports the wafer carrier to the input port, and then puts the wafer carrier onto the pallet, continues to transport, and then executes step S507;

[0066] S507, determine whether the transport is completed, if so, end.

[0067] Specifically, in step S9, if Figure 8 As shown, the empty pallet reflow procedure includes the following processes:

[0068] S901, the transition conveyor line 3 moves horizontally toward the car side, and step S902 is executed;

[0069] S902, determine whether the movement is completed, if so, execute step S903;

[0070] S903, the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 releases the empty pallet;

[0071] S904, determine whether the pallet is released, if so, execute step S905;

[0072] S905, transition conveyor line 3 transports the empty pallet to car 1;

[0073] S906, determine whether the transport is completed, if the transport is completed, execute step S907;

[0074] S907, close automatic door 2, and raise or lower car 1;

[0075] S908: Determine whether the lifting is completed. If so, execute step S909.

[0076] S909, the car conveyor line transports the empty pallet to the transition conveyor line 3;

[0077] S910, determine whether the transport is completed, if so, execute step S911;

[0078] S911, the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 grabs an empty pallet;

[0079] S912: Determine whether the capture is completed, if so, end.

[0080] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may be modified and varied in various ways. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Pallet grabbing mechanism, characterized in that: The pallet grabbing mechanism is arranged above the wafer carrier transition conveyor line to be suitable for grabbing the pallet. The pallet grabbing mechanism includes a grabbing support frame, a lifting cylinder, a suction cup, two anti-falling cylinders and two anti-falling support plates. The lifting cylinder is vertically installed in the middle of the grabbing support frame, and a mounting plate is provided at the end of the piston rod of the lifting cylinder, and a suction cup is provided on the mounting plate. The two anti-falling cylinders are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the grabbing support frame, and the piston rod of each anti-falling cylinder is connected to the corresponding anti-falling support plate.

2. The pallet grabbing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pallet is provided with a plurality of placement grooves for wafer carriers of different specifications, and the mounting plate is provided with a plurality of suction cups, each of which is connected to the grooves respectively.

3. The pallet grabbing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The suction cup is connected to the vacuum generator through a pipeline.

4. The pallet grabbing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The anti-fall supporting plate comprises a horizontal supporting plate and a vertical mounting plate, wherein the vertical mounting plate is vertically connected to the horizontal supporting plate, and the vertical mounting plate is connected to the piston rod of the anti-falling cylinder.

5. The pallet grabbing mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The horizontal support plate is V-shaped.

6. The pallet grabbing mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: A reinforcing plate is installed between the vertical mounting plate and the horizontal supporting plate.

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