Multi-angle liquid crystal panel transplanting device for interfacing OHT

Abstract

The utility model relates to liquid crystal panel transfer equipment field discloses a kind of multi-angle liquid crystal panel transplanting device for interfacing OHT, comprising: linear transfer mechanism;Rotary material guiding mechanism, it is set on linear transfer mechanism and is driven to move by it;U-shaped frame, it is installed on rotary material guiding mechanism and is driven to rotate by it;Plate material transmission mechanism, including two sets of conveying components corresponding setting on the two arms of U-shaped frame, two sets of conveying components are commonly supported and synchronously transmit liquid crystal panel;Material receiving and separating mechanism, it is corresponding to set in the top of the two arms of U-shaped frame, the material receiving and separating mechanism includes separating storage board and movable plate;The utility model structure is compact. The transit station, secondary positioning and manual intervention link needed in traditional process are saved, directly complete the complete process from receiving OHT incoming material to correct direction and single piece form to host equipment feeding, significantly improve production efficiency, reduce equipment floor area and fault point.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of liquid crystal panel transfer equipment, and more specifically, to a multi-angle liquid crystal panel transfer device for docking with OHT. Background Technology

[0002] LCD panel manufacturing belongs to the high-end precision manufacturing field, which has extremely high requirements for the cleanliness of the production environment, production efficiency, and degree of automation. In recent years, with the transfer of semiconductor automated material handling system (AMHS) technology to the panel industry, overhead hoist transport (OHT) systems have become standard configurations in newly built panel production lines (such as BOE and Tianma), used for efficient and unmanned transport of LCD panels in the overhead space of the workshop.

[0003] Material transfer between the OHT system and ground-based main equipment (such as exposure machines and inspection machines) is a key link in achieving full automation. However, this link faces two major technical challenges: 1. Poor flexibility in docking direction: Due to its track layout, the OHT crane may transport carriers containing panels to the equipment interface from different directions. Traditional fixed-direction conveyor lines cannot efficiently handle this multi-directional material inflow scenario, often requiring complex diversion mechanisms or manual intervention to adjust the direction, thus hindering the improvement of production efficiency. 2. Lack of single-piece separation and transfer capability: OHT typically transports a stack (multiple panels) of panels at a time. However, the main equipment's production and processing often requires single-piece feeding. In existing technology, the common practice is to first unload the entire stack of panels to a transfer buffer station, and then use another set of dedicated separation equipment for single-piece separation and transport. This method not only increases the production line's footprint and equipment costs, but also introduces potential risks of scratches, breakage, and particulate contamination due to the added multiple pick-up, placement, and positioning steps, which contradicts the high cleanliness requirements of the panel industry.

[0004] To address these issues, OHT (Outlet-of-Touch) rotary drum conveyors have emerged in the market, attempting to combine docking, rotation, and conveying functions. However, such devices often fall short in terms of individual component separation, mostly relying on the aforementioned inefficient transfer and separation methods. They cannot achieve an integrated, efficient, and highly reliable workflow from multiple stacks of materials to direct output of individual components to the equipment. Utility Model Content

[0005] The present invention aims to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a multi-angle liquid crystal panel transfer device for docking with OHT, so as to solve the technical problem that the existing device cannot dock with multi-directional OHT and cannot output and transfer liquid crystal panels at multiple angles on a single piece.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by this utility model is a multi-angle LCD panel transfer device for docking with OHT, comprising: a linear transfer mechanism; a rotary guide mechanism, disposed on the linear transfer mechanism and driven to move by it; a U-shaped frame, mounted on the rotary guide mechanism and driven to rotate by it; a panel transfer mechanism, including two sets of conveying components correspondingly disposed on the two arms of the U-shaped frame, the two sets of conveying components jointly supporting and synchronously transferring the LCD panel; and a receiving and separating mechanism, correspondingly disposed at the top of the two arms of the U-shaped frame, the receiving and separating mechanism including a separating storage plate and a movable plate; the movable plate is mounted on the top of the conveying components and has a vertical first... A positioning plane is provided, and the first positioning planes of the two movable plates are parallel to each other and arranged opposite to each other. The distance between the first positioning planes is used to limit the first directional dimension of the liquid crystal panel. The vertical distance between the top of the movable plate and the conveying surface of the conveying assembly is greater than the thickness of a single liquid crystal panel and less than the thickness of two liquid crystal panels. The separating storage plates are respectively installed at the top two ends of the conveying assembly and have a vertical second positioning plane. The second positioning planes of the two separating storage plates are parallel to each other and arranged opposite to each other. The distance between the second positioning planes of the two separating storage plates is used to limit the second directional dimension of the liquid crystal panel, which is perpendicular to the first directional dimension.

[0007] The U-shaped frame is driven to rotate by a rotating material guiding mechanism, which can receive materials from OHT cranes from different directions. After rotating and adjusting the materials to the required direction of the main equipment, the materials are output and transferred to the main equipment. This realizes multi-angle reception and multi-angle output and transfer of LCD panels, greatly improving the flexibility of the production line layout and the docking efficiency of the OHT. Two movable plates and their first positioning plane limit the panel width, and two separating storage plates and their second positioning plane limit the panel length, which together constitute the precise positioning and constraint of the stacked LCD panels. Utilizing the unique spacing design between the top surface of the movable plate and the conveying surface (the plane formed by the top of the drive roller in this solution) which is greater than the thickness of a single panel but less than the thickness of two panels, it physically ensures that only the bottom panel is allowed to be sent out by the conveying component at a time, while the upper panels are effectively blocked. This achieves a mechanical, highly reliable single-panel separation function without an additional power source, ensuring the uniqueness and orderliness of the output.

[0008] Furthermore, the movable plate is an L-shaped plate, composed of interconnected vertical and horizontal sections. The outer surface of the vertical section forms a first positioning plane, and the horizontal section of the movable plate is provided with an installation structure for lateral adjustment.

[0009] Furthermore, the vertical section of the movable plate has multiple arc-shaped notches at one end near the conveying assembly, and the arc-shaped notches correspond to the positions of the drive rollers in the conveying assembly.

[0010] Furthermore, the separating storage plate is an L-shaped plate, composed of interconnected longitudinal and transverse sections. The inner side of the transverse section forms a second positioning plane, and the top of the second positioning plane has a smoothly transitioning outwardly inclined guide slope. The longitudinal section of the separating storage plate is provided with an installation structure for longitudinal adjustment.

[0011] Furthermore, the mounting structure is a strip-shaped hole, which is used in conjunction with mounting bolts to achieve fixation and position adjustment.

[0012] Furthermore, the conveying assembly also includes a mounting groove, a drive belt, a drive wheel, and a main drive belt. Several drive rollers are rotatably arranged in the mounting groove, and adjacent drive rollers are connected by a drive belt. A drive wheel is installed at the bottom of the U-shaped frame, and the drive wheel is connected to two adjacent drive rollers directly above it by the main drive belt.

[0013] Furthermore, the sheet metal conveying mechanism also includes a drive assembly, which includes a dual-output commutator and a third drive component. The third drive component is used to drive the input shaft of the dual-output commutator. The two output shafts of the dual-output commutator are respectively connected to the drive wheels of the two sets of conveying assemblies to achieve synchronous drive.

[0014] Furthermore, the material receiving and separating mechanism also includes a guide seat, which is installed on the top of the movable plate and has a guide surface coplanar with the first positioning plane and a guide slope that is connected to the guide surface and inclined outward.

[0015] Furthermore, the rotary material guiding mechanism includes a support base fixed to the linear conveying mechanism, a rotary seat mounted on the support base, a rotary disk rotatably disposed within the rotary seat, and a second driving component for driving the rotary disk to rotate.

[0016] Furthermore, the rotating material guiding mechanism also includes a detection component for detecting the rotation angle. The detection component includes a trigger plate fixed on the rotating disk and at least one sensor disposed on the rotating base or support base for sensing the trigger plate.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: by driving the U-shaped frame to rotate through the rotating material guiding mechanism, it can receive materials from OHT cranes from different directions, and after rotating and adjusting the materials to the direction required by the main equipment, it outputs and transfers them to the main equipment, realizing multi-angle reception and multi-angle output transfer of LCD panels, which greatly improves the flexibility of production line layout and the docking efficiency of OHT.

[0018] Two movable plates and their first positioning plane limit the width of the panel, while two separating storage plates and their second positioning plane limit the length of the panel, together forming a precise positioning and constraint for the stacked LCD panels. Utilizing a unique spacing design between the top surface of the movable plate and the conveying surface—greater than the thickness of a single panel but less than the thickness of two panels combined—physically ensures that only the bottommost panel is conveyed out at a time, while the upper panels are effectively blocked. This achieves a mechanical, highly reliable single-panel separation function without the need for an additional power source, guaranteeing the uniqueness and orderliness of the output.

[0019] This invention integrates four major functions—multi-angle rotation docking or transplanting, linear transfer, single-board separation, and directional output—into a compact structure. It eliminates the intermediate transfer stations, secondary positioning, and manual intervention required in traditional processes, directly completing the entire process from receiving OHT materials to supplying them to the main equipment in the correct direction and single-piece form. This significantly improves production efficiency and reduces equipment footprint and potential failure points. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating material guiding mechanism of this utility model.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the material receiving and separating mechanism of this utility model.

[0023] In the diagram: 1. Linear conveying mechanism; 11. Base; 12. Sliding seat; 13. Drive component one; 2. Rotary guide mechanism; 21. Drive component two; 22. Support seat; 23. Rotary seat; 24. Rotary disk; 3. U-shaped frame; 4. Sheet material transfer mechanism; 41. Mounting groove; 42. Transmission roller; 43. Drive belt; 44. Drive assembly; 441. Dual output commutator; 442. Drive component three; 443. Coupling; 45. Drive wheel; 46. Main drive belt; 47. Tensioner wheel; 5. Material receiving and separating mechanism; 51. Mounting frame; 52. Separating storage plate; 53. Guide seat; 54. Movable plate; 6. Trigger plate; 7. Sensor one; 8. Sensor two. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this invention. To better illustrate the following embodiments, some components in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual dimensions of the product. It is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the drawings.

[0025] like Figure 1-3As shown, this solution discloses a multi-angle LCD panel transfer device for docking with OHT, including a linear transfer mechanism 1, a rotary guide mechanism 2, a U-shaped frame 3, a panel transfer mechanism 4, and a receiving and separating mechanism 5;

[0026] The linear transfer mechanism 1 includes a base 11, a sliding seat 12, and a drive component 13. The sliding seat 12 is slidably connected to the base 11, and the drive component 13 is used to drive the sliding seat 12 to slide.

[0027] The rotating material guiding mechanism 2 includes a second driving component 21, a support base 22, a rotating base 23, and a rotating disk 24. The support base 22 is fixed on the sliding base 12, and the rotating base 23 is fixedly installed on the support base 22. The rotating disk 24 is disposed inside the rotating base 23. The second driving component 21 is installed on the sliding base 12 and is used to drive the rotating disk 24 to rotate.

[0028] A trigger plate 6 is fixed on the rotating disk 24, a sensor 7 is fixed on the rotating base 23, and a sensor 8 is fixed on the support base 22. With the center of the rotating disk 24 as the center, the sensor 7 and the sensor 8 are distributed at a 90-degree angle. This is only an example. Multiple sensors (sensor 7 or sensor 8) can also be set around the center of the rotating disk 24, and the angle can be customized. When the rotating disk 24 drives the trigger plate 6 to rotate to the position of the sensor, the sensor is triggered to determine the rotation position of the rotating disk 24.

[0029] The U-shaped frame 3 is fixedly installed on the rotating disk 24.

[0030] The sheet metal conveying mechanism 4 includes a mounting groove 41, drive rollers 42, driven belts 43, a drive assembly 44, a drive wheel 45, a main drive belt 46, and a tension wheel 47. The mounting groove 41, drive rollers 42, driven belts 43, drive wheel 45, main drive belt 46, and tension wheel 47 constitute the conveying assembly. Two sets of the conveying assembly are correspondingly arranged at the top of the two arms of the U-shaped frame 3. Specifically, the mounting groove 41 is fixed to the top of the arm of the U-shaped frame 3, and several drive rollers 42 are rotatably mounted within the mounting groove 41. The axes are parallel and arranged in a row to form a transmission roller 42 conveyor line. Adjacent transmission rollers 42 are connected by a transmission belt 43. A drive wheel 45 is installed at the bottom of the arm of the U-shaped frame 3. The drive wheel 45 is connected to the two adjacent transmission rollers 42 directly above it. An adjustable tension wheel 47 is installed on the arm of the U-shaped frame 3. The tension wheel 47 rolls with the main transmission belt 46. The tension of the main transmission belt 46 can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the tension wheel 47. The drive assembly 44 is used to synchronously drive the drive wheels 45 on both sides to rotate.

[0031] The drive assembly 44 includes a dual-output commutator 441, a drive component 3 442, and a coupling 443. Both the dual-output commutator 441 and the drive component 3 442 are fixedly mounted on the bottom of the U-shaped frame 3. The dual-output commutator 441 has one input shaft and two output shafts. The drive component 3 442 is used to drive the input shaft of the dual-output commutator 441 to rotate. The two output shafts of the dual-output commutator 441 are fixedly connected to the shafts of two drive wheels 45 through two couplings 443 respectively, and are used to drive the two drive wheels 45 to rotate.

[0032] The material receiving and separating mechanism 5 includes a mounting frame 51, a separating storage plate 52, a guide seat 53, and a movable plate 54. The material receiving and separating mechanism 5 is respectively set on the top of the two mounting slots 41 and used in conjunction with each other. The mounting frame 51 is installed on the mounting slot 41 by bolts.

[0033] The movable plate 54 has an L-shaped structure, consisting of interconnected vertical and horizontal sections. The outer surface of the vertical section of the movable plate 54 is a positioning plane (i.e., the first positioning plane). The horizontal section of the movable plate 54 is laterally movable and connected to the top of the mounting frame 51. Specifically, the horizontal section is provided with a transverse slot, through which bolts fix the movable plate 54 to the mounting frame 51. After loosening the bolts, the lateral position of the movable plate 54 can be adjusted through the slot. After installation, the end of the vertical section of the movable plate 54 faces the drive roller 42, allowing for movement. The vertical section of plate 54 near the end of the drive roller 42 has arc-shaped notches corresponding to the number and spacing of the drive rollers 42. After the movable plate 54 is installed, by adjusting the height of the mounting bracket 51, the corresponding number of arc-shaped notches can be precisely engaged with the corresponding drive rollers 42, forming a gap between them (which can be controlled within 1-5mm). The shortest distance from the surface of the flat section of the movable plate 54 to the arc-shaped notch (i.e., from the middle of the arc-shaped notch) is greater than the thickness of one LCD panel but less than the size of two LCD panels. After installation, the two movable plates 54 at the ends of the two arms of the U-shaped frame 3 are positioned opposite each other, and the distance between the positioning planes of the two movable plates 54 is slightly greater than the width of the LCD panel.

[0034] Guide seats 53 are installed on both sides of the top of the movable plate 54. The guide seats 53 are also L-shaped structures with horizontal and vertical sections. The horizontal section of the guide seat 53 can be installed horizontally on the top of the mounting frame 51. A horizontal strip hole is provided on the horizontal section of the guide seat 53. The bolts are used to fix the guide seat 53 to the movable plate 54 through the strip hole. After loosening the bolts, the horizontal position of the guide seat 53 can be adjusted through the strip hole. The outer side of the vertical section of the guide seat 53 is a guide surface. After installation, the guide surface is coplanar with the positioning plane of the movable plate 54. The two sides and the top of the guide surface are smoothly connected to the guide slope. The guide slope slopes outward from the guide surface towards the side with the horizontal section of the guide seat 53.

[0035] Separating storage plates 52 are respectively set at both ends of the top of the mounting frame 51. Separating storage plates 52 are also L-shaped structures, with their sides facing down. Therefore, they have longitudinal and transverse sections. The inner side of the transverse section of the separating storage plate 52 is a positioning plane (i.e., the second positioning plane). This positioning plane is smoothly connected to a guide slope. The guide slope starts from the positioning plane and slopes upwards towards the side away from the longitudinal section of the separating storage plate 52. The bottom of the longitudinal section of the separating storage plate 52 is provided with a longitudinal strip hole. Bolts are used to fix the separating storage plate 52 to the mounting frame 51 through the strip hole. After loosening the bolts, the longitudinal position of the separating storage plate 52 can be adjusted through the strip hole. After installation, the positioning planes of the two separating storage plates 52 on both sides of the mounting frame 51 are set opposite each other. The distance between the two positioning planes is slightly greater than the length of the LCD panel. The bottom of the positioning plane of the separating storage plate 52 is flush with the top surface of the movable plate 54.

[0036] Drive component 13, drive component 21 and drive component 3 442 can be motors or geared motors, and sensor 1 7 and sensor 2 8 can be photoelectric sensors or other position sensors.

[0037] When in use, first adjust the distance between the two separating storage plates 52 on each mounting bracket 51 so that it is slightly larger than the length of the LCD panel (about 1-5mm larger than the length of the LCD panel). Then adjust the distance between the two movable plates 54 so that it is slightly larger than the width of the LCD panel (about 1-5mm larger than the width of the LCD panel). Finally, adjust the position of the guide seats 53 on both sides so that their guide surfaces are coplanar with the vertical positioning plane of the movable plates 54. The material receiving and separating mechanism (5) is then adjusted.

[0038] By rotating the rotating material guide mechanism 2, OHT materials from different directions can be connected. After receiving the material, the material is rotated and adjusted to the direction required by the main equipment. When connecting multiple main equipment, they can be connected sequentially by rotation. Then, the connecting main equipment is transferred by the linear transfer mechanism 1. Then, the transmission rollers 42 on both sides are controlled to roll and output the bottom layer of LCD panels to the main equipment. The panels stacked on top of the bottom layer of LCD panels are blocked by the separation storage plate 52. After the bottom layer of LCD panels is output, the upper layer of LCD panels falls onto the transmission rollers 42. This cycle is repeated so that the stacked LCD panels can be transferred sequentially from bottom to top to each main equipment.

[0039] Obviously, the above embodiments of this utility model are merely examples for clearly illustrating the technical solution of this utility model, and are not intended to limit the specific implementation of this utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the claims of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A multi-angle liquid crystal panel transfer device for interfacing with an OHT, characterized by, include: Linear transfer mechanism (1); A rotary guide mechanism (2) is mounted on and driven to move by the linear conveying mechanism (1); The U-shaped frame (3) is mounted on the rotating guide mechanism (2) and driven to rotate by it; The sheet material conveying mechanism (4) includes two sets of conveying components correspondingly set on the two arms of the U-shaped frame (3). The two sets of conveying components jointly support and synchronously convey the LCD panel. The receiving and separating mechanism (5) is correspondingly set at the top of the two arms of the U-shaped frame (3). The receiving and separating mechanism (5) includes a separating storage plate (52) and a movable plate (54). The movable plate (54) is installed on the top of the conveying assembly and has a vertical first positioning plane. The first positioning planes of the two movable plates (54) are parallel to each other and arranged opposite to each other. The distance between the first positioning planes is used to limit the first direction dimension of the liquid crystal panel. The vertical distance between the top of the movable plate (54) and the conveying surface of the conveying assembly is greater than the thickness of a single liquid crystal panel and less than the thickness of two liquid crystal panels. The separating storage plates (52) are respectively installed at the top two ends of the conveying assembly and have vertical second positioning planes. The second positioning planes of the two separating storage plates (52) are parallel to each other and arranged opposite to each other. The distance between the second positioning planes of the two separating storage plates (52) is used to limit the second direction dimension of the liquid crystal panel that is perpendicular to the first direction dimension.

2. A multi-angle liquid crystal panel transfer device for docking OHT according to claim 1, characterized in that: The movable plate (54) is an L-shaped plate, consisting of interconnected vertical and horizontal sections. The outer side of the vertical section forms a first positioning plane, and the horizontal section of the movable plate (54) is provided with an installation structure for horizontal adjustment.

3. A multi-angle liquid crystal panel transfer device for docking OHT according to claim 2, characterized in that: The vertical section of the movable plate (54) has multiple arc-shaped notches at one end near the conveying assembly, and the arc-shaped notches correspond to the position of the transmission roller (42) in the conveying assembly.

4. A multi-angle liquid crystal panel transfer device for docking OHT according to claim 2, characterized in that: The separating storage plate (52) is an L-shaped plate, consisting of interconnected longitudinal and transverse sections. The inner side of the transverse section forms a second positioning plane. The top of the second positioning plane has a smoothly transitioning outwardly inclined guide slope. The longitudinal section of the separating storage plate (52) is provided with an installation structure for longitudinal adjustment.

5. A multi-angle liquid crystal panel transfer device for docking OHT according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that: The mounting structure is a strip-shaped hole, which is used to fix the device and adjust its position by engaging with mounting bolts.

6. A multi-angle liquid crystal panel transfer device for docking OHTs according to claim 3, characterized in that: The conveying assembly also includes a mounting groove (41), a drive belt (43), a drive wheel (45), and a main drive belt (46). Several drive rollers (42) are rotatably provided in the mounting groove (41), and two adjacent drive rollers (42) are connected by a drive belt (43). The bottom end of the U-shaped frame (3) is equipped with a drive wheel (45), and the drive wheel (45) is connected to two adjacent drive rollers (42) directly above it by the main drive belt (46).

7. A multi-angle liquid crystal panel transfer device for docking OHTs according to claim 6, characterized in that: The sheet metal conveying mechanism (4) further includes a drive assembly (44), which includes a dual-output commutator (441) and a third drive component (442). The third drive component (442) is used to drive the input shaft of the dual-output commutator (441). The two output shafts of the dual-output commutator (441) are respectively connected to the drive wheels (45) of the two sets of conveying assemblies to achieve synchronous drive.

8. A multi-angle liquid crystal panel transfer device for docking OHTs according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material receiving and separating mechanism (5) further includes a guide seat (53), which is installed on the top of the movable plate (54) and has a guide surface coplanar with the first positioning plane and a guide slope that is connected to the guide surface and inclined outward.

9. A multi-angle liquid crystal panel transfer device for docking OHTs according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating material guiding mechanism (2) includes a support base (22) fixed on the linear conveying mechanism (1), a rotating base (23) mounted on the support base (22), a rotating disk (24) rotatably disposed in the rotating base (23), and a second driving component (21) for driving the rotating disk (24) to rotate.

10. A multi-angle liquid crystal panel transfer device for docking OHTs according to claim 9, characterized in that: The rotating material guide mechanism (2) also includes a detection component for detecting the rotation angle. The detection component includes a trigger plate (6) fixed on the rotating disk (24) and at least one sensor (7,8) disposed on the rotating seat (23) or the support seat (22) for sensing the trigger plate (6).

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