Industrial Robots

Abstract

To provide an industrial robot capable of downsizing a base end side portion of a mounting mechanism even if it is possible to attach and detach each mounting portion of a plurality of hands individually without removing the mounting portion of another hand in an industrial robot equipped with a mounting mechanism having the plurality of hands overlapping at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction.SOLUTION: In an industrial robot, for example, in a hand 15, a fixed portion 38 forming a part of a mounting portion of the hand 15 is fixed to a fixing portion 50 of the hand 15 by a bolt 62 in which a head 62a is arranged on the lower side. A through hole h1 for engaging a tool T is formed from the lower side of the hand 24 arranged at the bottom to the head 62a is formed on all fixing portions 51 to 59 and fixed portions 39 to 47 arranged under the bolt 62, and the inner diameter of the through hole h1 is larger than the outer diameter of the head 62a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an industrial robot that transports an object such as a semiconductor wafer. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, industrial robots that transport substrates such as semiconductor wafers are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 includes a substrate mounting mechanism on which a plurality of substrates are mounted, and a first arm that rotatably supports the base end side of the substrate mounting mechanism. The substrate mounting mechanism has a hand fork on which the substrates are mounted, and includes five hands that overlap at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction. The hand includes a fork fixing portion to which the hand fork is fixed, and a headed bolt for fixing the hand fork to the fork fixing portion. The fork fixing portion constitutes the base end portion of the hand.

[0003] Of the five hands, the hand fork is fixed to the fork fixing part by a bolt screwed in from above in the hand positioned at the top and the hand positioned at the second highest. The fork fixing part of the hand positioned at the top and the fork fixing part of the hand positioned at the second highest are positioned at positions offset from each other in the front-to-rear direction. The fork fixing part of the hand positioned at the second highest is positioned at a position that is not covered from above by the hand positioned at the top.

[0004] In addition, the hand forks of the lowest hand and the second hand from the bottom are fixed to the fork fixing parts by bolts screwed in from below. The fork fixing parts of the lowest hand and the second hand from the bottom are offset in the front-to-rear direction. The fork fixing part of the second hand from the bottom is positioned so that it is not covered from below by the lowest hand.

[0005] Furthermore, the fork fixing part of the third hand from the top is positioned offset in the front-to-rear direction from the fork fixing parts of the remaining four hands, and this fork fixing part is positioned so that it is not covered by the remaining four hands from at least either above or below.

[0006] Therefore, in the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, even if the five hands are arranged so as to overlap one another in the vertical direction and even if the hand forks of all the hands are fixed to the fork fixing parts, it is possible to attach and detach the bolts of each of the five hands individually. Therefore, even if the five hands are arranged so as to overlap one another in the vertical direction, it is possible to attach and detach the hand forks of each of the five hands individually to and from the fork fixing parts without removing the hand forks of the other hands, which improves the maintainability of the industrial robot. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-179420 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, the fork fixing part of the top hand and the fork fixing part of the second hand from the top are positioned at positions offset in the front-rear direction, and the fork fixing part of the bottom hand and the fork fixing part of the second hand from the bottom are positioned at positions offset in the front-rear direction, and the fork fixing part of the third hand from the top is positioned at positions offset in the front-rear direction from the fork fixing parts of the remaining four hands, so that the hand forks of each of the five hands can be individually attached and detached from the fork fixing parts without removing the hand forks of the other hands. Therefore, while the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 can improve maintainability, the base end side portion of the substrate mounting mechanism becomes large, which may result in an increase in the size of the industrial robot.

[0009] Furthermore, in the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, when the number of hands equipped in the substrate mounting mechanism is increased so that more substrates can be transported at one time, if the fork fixing parts of each hand are arranged so that they do not overlap in the vertical direction so that the hand forks of each hand can be individually attached and detached from the fork fixing parts without removing the hand forks of the other hands, the base end portion of the substrate mounting mechanism will become larger, which could result in the industrial robot becoming larger.

[0010] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot having a plurality of hands overlapping at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction and equipped with a mounting mechanism on which a plurality of transport objects are mounted, in which the mounting portions of each of the plurality of hands can be attached and detached individually without removing the mounting portions of the other hands, while the base end portion of the mounting mechanism can be made compact. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, the industrial robot of the present invention is an industrial robot equipped with a mounting mechanism on which a plurality of transport objects are mounted, the mounting mechanism includes at least three or more hands having a mounting portion for the transport objects and overlapping at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction, the hands include a fixing portion to which a fixed portion of the mounting portion is fixed, and a headed bolt for fixing the fixed portion to the fixing portion, the fixing portions of the plurality of hands are overlapped at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction, the fixed portion is fixed to the fixing portion in a state overlapping with the fixing portion in the vertical direction by a bolt arranged with the vertical direction as its axial direction, the bolt whose head is arranged on the lower side is an upward bolt, the bolt whose head is arranged on the upper side is a downward bolt, and the hands other than the hand arranged at the top and the hand arranged at the bottom are upward-facing bolts. The mounting mechanism is characterized in that, if a hand having a downward bolt is defined as a first hand, and a hand having a downward bolt that is the hands excluding the topmost hand and the bottommost hand among the multiple hands is defined as a second hand, when the mounting mechanism is equipped with the first hand, a through hole is formed in the fixing parts and fixed parts of all hands arranged below the upward bolt of the first hand, for engaging a tool with the head of the upward bolt of the first hand from the bottommost hand, and when the mounting mechanism is equipped with the second hand, a through hole is formed in the fixing parts and fixed parts of all hands arranged above the downward bolt of the second hand, for engaging a tool with the head of the downward bolt of the second hand from the topmost hand, and the inner diameter of the through hole is larger than the outer diameter of the head.

[0012] In the industrial robot of the present invention, the hand includes a fixing part to which the fixed part of the mounting part is fixed, and a headed bolt for fixing the fixed part to the fixing part, and the fixed part is fixed to the fixing part in a state where it overlaps the fixing part in the vertical direction by a bolt arranged with the vertical direction as the axial direction. In addition, in the present invention, the fixing parts of the multiple hands are overlapped at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction, and when the mounting mechanism includes a first hand, the fixing parts and fixed parts of all hands arranged below the upward bolt of the first hand are formed with through holes for engaging a tool with the head of the upward bolt of the first hand from the underside of the hand arranged at the bottom, and when the mounting mechanism includes a second hand, the fixing parts and fixed parts of all hands arranged above the downward bolt of the second hand are formed with through holes for engaging a tool with the head of the downward bolt of the second hand from the upper side of the hand arranged at the top. Furthermore, in the present invention, the inner diameter of the through hole is larger than the outer diameter of the head.

[0013] Therefore, in the present invention, even if the fixing parts of the multiple hands are overlapped in the vertical direction, or even if the mounting parts of all the hands are fixed to the fixing parts, it is possible to attach and detach the bolts of each of the multiple hands using a tool from the lower side of the hand located at the bottom or from the upper side of the hand located at the top. Therefore, in the present invention, even if the fixing parts of the multiple hands are overlapped in the vertical direction, it is possible to attach and detach each of the mounting parts of the multiple hands individually without removing the mounting parts of the other hands. In addition, in the present invention, since the fixing parts of the multiple hands are overlapped in the vertical direction, it is possible to reduce the size of the base end side part of the mounting mechanism. In other words, in the present invention, even if the mounting parts of the multiple hands can be attached and detached individually without removing the mounting parts of the other hands, it is possible to reduce the size of the base end side part of the mounting mechanism.

[0014] In the present invention, it is preferable that the bolt held by the hand located at the top is a downward bolt, and the bolts held by the remaining hands, excluding the hand located at the top, among the multiple hands are upward bolts. With this configuration, it is possible to drop the upward bolt loosened using a tool by its own weight to the bottom of the hand located at the bottom. Therefore, it is possible to easily remove the bolts held by the remaining hands, excluding the hand located at the top, and as a result, it is possible to easily perform the bolt removal work.

[0015] In the present invention, when the hand moves linearly in the horizontal direction during the transport of the transport object, and the direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the hand and the up-down direction is defined as the orthogonal direction, the fixed part is fixed to the fixing part by bolts arranged on both sides of the center of the hand in the orthogonal direction, and it is preferable that the bolts held by the remaining hands, except for the hand arranged at the top, among the multiple hands, are gradually shifted inward in the orthogonal direction from the hand arranged at the top to the hand arranged at the bottom. With this configuration, the fixing parts of the multiple hands are overlapped at a predetermined pitch in the up-down direction, and even if the positions of the bolts held by each of the remaining hands, except for the hand arranged at the top, cannot be visually confirmed from above, it is easy to grasp the horizontal positions of the bolts held by each of the remaining hands, except for the hand arranged at the top.

[0016] In the present invention, the mounting unit includes a mounting unit main body on which the transport object is mounted, and the mounting unit main body is preferably formed separately from the fixed unit. In the present invention, there are cases where the shape of the fixed unit must be changed for each of the multiple hands depending on the number of through holes, etc., formed in the fixed unit. However, by configuring in this way, it is possible to make the mounting unit main body have a common shape for all the hands. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the parts cost of the hands. Effect of the Invention

[0017] As described above, in the present invention, in an industrial robot having a plurality of hands that overlap at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction and equipped with a mounting mechanism on which a plurality of transport objects are mounted, it is possible to miniaturize the base end portion of the mounting mechanism, even though the mounting portions of each of the plurality of hands can be attached and detached individually without removing the mounting portions of the other hands. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view of a mounting mechanism, a linear drive mechanism, a tilt correction mechanism, etc. shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mounting mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a perspective view showing the mounting mechanism shown in FIG. 3 from a different direction. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a portion of the mounting mechanism shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of an E-E cross section of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the FF cross section of FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 8] 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the cross section GG of FIG. 5. [Figure 9] 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the HH cross section of FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 10] 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the JJ cross section in FIG. 5. [Figure 11] 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the KK cross section of FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 12] 4 is a bottom view for explaining the configuration of the hand arranged second from the top in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 13] 4 is a bottom view for explaining the configuration of the hand arranged fifth from the top in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 14] 4 is a bottom view for explaining the configuration of the hand arranged at the bottom in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a side view of the base end of the mounting mechanism shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the mounting mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the mounting mechanism shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] (Overall configuration of industrial robots) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an industrial robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a mounting mechanism 3, linear drive mechanisms 5 to 7, and a tilt correction mechanism 8 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the mounting mechanism 3 shown in Fig. 1.

[0021] The industrial robot 1 (hereinafter referred to as "robot 1") of this embodiment is a robot for transporting a semiconductor wafer 2 (hereinafter referred to as "wafer 2"), which is an object to be transported. The wafer 2 is formed in a thin disk shape. The robot 1, for example, simultaneously transports a plurality of wafers 2 from a cassette (not shown) in which a plurality of wafers 2 are stored stacked at a predetermined pitch, and transports the plurality of wafers 2 transported from the cassette into a predetermined processing device that constitutes a semiconductor manufacturing system (not shown). The robot 1 also simultaneously transports a plurality of wafers 2 from a processing device in which a plurality of wafers 2 are stored stacked at a predetermined pitch, and transports the transported plurality of wafers 2 into the cassette.

[0022] The robot 1 includes a mounting mechanism 3 on which multiple wafers 2 are mounted, a hand 4 on which one wafer 2 is mounted, a linear drive mechanism 5 for moving the mounting mechanism 3 linearly in the horizontal direction, a linear drive mechanism 6 for moving the hand 4 linearly in the horizontal direction, a linear drive mechanism 7 for moving the linear drive mechanisms 5, 6 linearly in the horizontal direction, a tilt correction mechanism 8 for correcting the tilt of the mounting mechanism 3 and the hand 4, a main body 9 that holds the tilt correction mechanism 8, and a base member 10 that supports the main body 9 for horizontal movement.

[0023] The mounting mechanism 3 mounts a plurality of wafers 2 that are stacked at a constant pitch in the vertical direction. The mounting mechanism 3 includes a plurality of hands 14-24 on which the wafers 2 are mounted. The mounting mechanism 3 in this embodiment includes eleven hands 14-24. Each of the hands 14-24 mounts one wafer 2. The eleven hands 14-24 are stacked at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction. Specifically, the eleven hands 14-24 are stacked at a constant pitch. The eleven hands 14-24 face the same direction.

[0024] The mounting mechanism 3 also includes a pitch change mechanism 25 for changing the vertical pitch of the eleven hands 14-24. The hand 4 is disposed above the hands 14-24. The hand 4 faces the same direction as the hands 14-24. The specific configurations of the hands 14-24 and the pitch change mechanism 25 will be described later. The base end side portion of the mounting mechanism 3 is covered by a cover 27 (see FIG. 2), but the cover 27 is not shown in FIG. 3 etc.

[0025] The linear drive mechanism 5 moves the mounting mechanism 3 back and forth linearly. That is, the linear drive mechanism 5 moves the eleven hands 14 to 24 back and forth linearly. The linear drive mechanism 5 is disposed below the hands 14 to 24. The linear drive mechanism 5 includes, for example, a motor, a ball screw, a guide mechanism, and the like. The linear drive mechanism 6 moves the hand 4 back and forth linearly in the same direction as the back and forth movement direction of the hands 14 to 24 moved by the linear drive mechanism 5. The linear drive mechanism 6 is disposed below the hands 14 to 24. Like the linear drive mechanism 5, the linear drive mechanism 6 includes, for example, a motor, a ball screw, a guide mechanism, and the like.

[0026] The linear drive mechanism 7 linearly reciprocates the linear drive mechanisms 5 and 6 in the same direction as the reciprocating direction of the hands 4, 14-24 moved by the linear drive mechanisms 5 and 6. That is, the linear drive mechanism 7 further reciprocates the hands 14-24 together with the linear drive mechanism 5 in the same direction as the reciprocating direction of the hands 4, 14-24 moved by the linear drive mechanisms 5 and 6, and further reciprocates the hand 4 together with the linear drive mechanism 6. The linear drive mechanism 7 is disposed below the linear drive mechanisms 5 and 6. Like the linear drive mechanisms 5 and 6, the linear drive mechanism 7 includes, for example, two motors, two ball screws, a guide mechanism, and the like.

[0027] The tilt correction mechanism 8 is disposed below the linear drive mechanism 7. The linear drive mechanism 7 is mounted on the tilt correction mechanism 8. The tilt correction mechanism 8 tilts the linear drive mechanism 7 to correct the tilt of the hand 4, 14 to 24 on which the wafer 2 is mounted. The tilt correction mechanism 8 includes a first tilt correction mechanism that rotates the hand 4, 14 to 24 together with the linear drive mechanism 7 and the like, with a predetermined first direction tilted with respect to the vertical direction as the axial direction of the rotation, and a second tilt correction mechanism that rotates the hand 4, 14 to 24 together with the linear drive mechanism 7 and the like, with a second direction tilted with respect to the vertical direction and with respect to the first direction as the axial direction of the rotation. The first direction is approximately the same as the reciprocating direction of the mounting mechanism 3 and the hand 4. The second direction is a direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0028] The main body 9 includes a columnar frame 31 that holds the tilt correction mechanism 8 so that it can be raised and lowered. The columnar frame 31 is formed in a columnar shape that is elongated in the vertical direction. The main body 9 also includes a base 32 that constitutes the lower end of the main body 9 and is horizontally movable relative to the base member 10, and a rotating base 33 to which the lower end of the columnar frame 31 is fixed and is rotatable relative to the base 32. The robot 1 includes a lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the tilt correction mechanism 8 relative to the columnar frame 31, a rotating mechanism that rotates the rotating base 33 relative to the base 32 with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation, and a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the base 32 horizontally relative to the base member 10.

[0029] (Hand configuration) FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the mounting mechanism 3 shown in FIG. 3 from a different direction. FIG. 5 is a bottom view of a part of the mounting mechanism 3 shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the EE section of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the FF section of FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the GG section of FIG. 5. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the HH section of FIG. 5. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the JJ section of FIG. 5. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the KK section of FIG. 5. FIG. 12 is a bottom view for explaining the configuration of the hand 15 shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 13 is a bottom view for explaining the configuration of the hand 18 shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 14 is a bottom view for explaining the configuration of the hand 24 shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 15 is a side view of the base end of the mounting mechanism 3 shown in FIG. 3. FIGS. 16 and 17 are rear views of the mounting mechanism 3 shown in FIG. 3.

[0030] As described above, the mounting mechanism 3 includes eleven hands 14-24. The hands 14-24 are arranged in this order from top to bottom. The hands 14-24 move linearly in the horizontal direction when transporting the wafer 2. In the following description, the X direction in FIG. 3 etc., which is the movement direction (reciprocating movement direction) of the hands 14-24, is defined as the "front-rear direction", and the Y direction in FIG. 3 etc., which is perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction, is defined as the "left-right direction". The left-right direction (Y direction) in this embodiment is an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the hands 14-24 and the up-down direction.

[0031] For ease of explanation, the X1 direction in Fig. 3, etc., which is one side in the front-rear direction, will be referred to as the "front" side, the X2 direction in Fig. 3, etc., which is the opposite side, will be referred to as the "rear" side, the Y1 direction in Fig. 3, etc., which is one side in the left-right direction, will be referred to as the "right" side, and the Y2 direction in Fig. 3, etc., which is the opposite side, will be referred to as the "left" side. In this embodiment, the front side is the tip side of the hands 14 to 24, and the rear side is the base end side of the hands 14 to 24.

[0032] Each of the hands 14 to 24 includes a blade 36 on which a wafer 2 is mounted. As shown in Fig. 6, the hand 14 includes a blade holding member 37 to which the blade 36 is fixed, a fixing member 49 to which the blade holding member 37 is fixed, and a headed bolt 61 for fixing the blade holding member 37 to the fixing member 49. Similarly to the hand 14, the hand 15 includes a blade holding member 38 to which the blade 36 is fixed, a fixing member 50 to which the blade holding member 38 is fixed, and a headed bolt 62 for fixing the blade holding member 38 to the fixing member 50.

[0033] Similarly, the hand 16 comprises a blade holding member 39 to which the blade 36 is fixed, a fixing member 51 to which the blade holding member 39 is fixed, and a headed bolt 63 for fixing the blade holding member 39 to the fixing member 51, the hand 17 comprises a blade holding member 40 to which the blade 36 is fixed, a fixing member 52 to which the blade holding member 40 is fixed, and a headed bolt 64 for fixing the blade holding member 40 to the fixing member 52, and the hand 18 comprises a blade holding member 41 to which the blade 36 is fixed, a fixing member 53 to which the blade holding member 41 is fixed, and a headed bolt 65 for fixing the blade holding member 41 to the fixing member 53 (see Figures 6 and 7).

[0034] In addition, the hand 19 comprises a blade holding member 42 to which the blade 36 is fixed, a fixing member 54 to which the blade holding member 42 is fixed, and a headed bolt 66 for fixing the blade holding member 42 to the fixing member 54, the hand 20 comprises a blade holding member 43 to which the blade 36 is fixed, a fixing member 55 to which the blade holding member 43 is fixed, and a headed bolt 67 for fixing the blade holding member 43 to the fixing member 55, and the hand 21 comprises a blade holding member 44 to which the blade 36 is fixed, a fixing member 56 to which the blade holding member 44 is fixed, and a headed bolt 68 for fixing the blade holding member 44 to the fixing member 56 (see Figures 8 and 9).

[0035] Furthermore, the hand 22 comprises a blade holding member 45 to which the blade 36 is fixed, a fixing member 57 to which the blade holding member 45 is fixed, and a headed bolt 69 for fixing the blade holding member 45 to the fixing member 57, the hand 23 comprises a blade holding member 46 to which the blade 36 is fixed, a fixing member 58 to which the blade holding member 46 is fixed, and a headed bolt 70 for fixing the blade holding member 46 to the fixing member 58, and the hand 24 comprises the blade holding member 47 to which the blade 36 is fixed, a fixing member 59 to which the blade holding member 47 is fixed, and a headed bolt 71 for fixing the blade holding member 47 to the fixing member 59 (see Figures 9 to 11).

[0036] In this embodiment, the blade holding members 37-47 and the blade 36 constitute a mounting portion for the wafer 2. The blade 36 in this embodiment is a mounting portion main body on which the wafer 2 is mounted, and the blade holding members 37-47 are fixed portions of the mounting portion. The fixing members 49-59 are fixed portions to which the blade holding members 37-47, which are the fixed portions, are fixed. Similarly to the hands 14-24, the hand 4 is provided with a blade 73 on which the wafer 2 is mounted (see FIG. 2).

[0037] The blade 36 is formed in a flat plate shape. The blade 36 is arranged so that the thickness direction of the blade 36 coincides with the up-down direction. When viewed from the up-down direction, the shape of the blade 36 is substantially U-shaped. The blade 36 is formed separately from the blade holding members 37 to 47.

[0038] The blade holding members 37-47 are formed in a substantially rectangular flat plate shape. The blade holding members 37-47 are arranged so that the thickness direction of the blade holding members 37-47 coincides with the up-down direction. The hand 14 of this embodiment includes two blade holding members 37, and the two blade holding members 37 are arranged with a gap between them in the left-right direction. Similarly, each of the hands 15-24 includes two blade holding members 38-47, and the two blade holding members 38-47 are arranged with a gap between them in the left-right direction.

[0039] The two blade holding members 37 have the same shape, and when viewed from the top-bottom direction, the two blade holding members 37 are arranged line-symmetrically with respect to the center of the hand 14 in the left-right direction. Similarly, the two blade holding members 38-47 have the same shape, and when viewed from the top-bottom direction, the two blade holding members 38-47 are arranged line-symmetrically with respect to the center of the hands 15-24 in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the outer shapes of the blade holding members 37-47 are the same.

[0040] The rear end (base end) of the blade 36 is fixed to the front ends of the two blade holding members 37-47 by bolts such as flat head bolts. The rear end of the blade 36 is disposed above the front ends of the blade holding members 37-47 and is fixed to the blade holding members 37-47 in a state where it overlaps with the front ends of the blade holding members 37-47 in the vertical direction. The lower surface of the rear end of the blade 36 contacts the upper surfaces of the front ends of the blade holding members 37-47. The upper surfaces of the front ends of the blade holding members 37-47 are slightly recessed downward.

[0041] The fixing members 49 to 59 are formed in a flat plate shape. The fixing members 49 to 59 are arranged so that the thickness direction of the fixing members 49 to 59 coincides with the up-down direction. The outer shapes of the fixing members 49 to 59 are substantially the same as each other. The fixing members 49 to 59 are overlapped at a predetermined pitch in the up-down direction. As described above, the hands 14 to 24 are arranged in this order from the top to the bottom, and the fixing members 49 to 59 are arranged in this order from the top to the bottom. The fixing members 50 to 59 arranged below the fixing member 49 cannot be seen from above the fixing member 49.

[0042] The blade holding member 37 is fixed to the front end of the fixed member 49 by a bolt 61 arranged with the vertical direction as the axial direction. The blade holding member 37 is fixed to the fixed member 49 in a state where it overlaps with the fixed member 49 in the vertical direction. Specifically, the blade holding member 37 is arranged above the front end of the fixed member 49 and is fixed to the fixed member 49 in a state where it overlaps with the front end of the fixed member 49. The lower surface of the blade holding member 37 contacts the upper surface of the front end of the fixed member 49. The upper surface of the front end of the fixed member 49 is slightly recessed downward. A shim for adjusting the height may be arranged between the lower surface of the blade holding member 37 and the upper surface of the front end of the fixed member 49.

[0043] Similarly, blade holding member 38 is fixed to the front end of fixed member 50 by bolt 62 arranged with its axial direction in the vertical direction, blade holding member 39 is fixed to the front end of fixed member 51 by bolt 63 arranged with its axial direction in the vertical direction, blade holding member 40 is fixed to the front end of fixed member 52 by bolt 64 arranged with its axial direction in the vertical direction, blade holding member 41 is fixed to the front end of fixed member 53 by bolt 65 arranged with its axial direction in the vertical direction, and blade holding member 42 is fixed to the front end of fixed member 54 by bolt 66 arranged with its axial direction in the vertical direction.

[0044] In addition, blade holding member 43 is fixed to the front end of fixed member 55 by bolt 67 arranged with its axial direction in the vertical direction, blade holding member 44 is fixed to the front end of fixed member 56 by bolt 68 arranged with its axial direction in the vertical direction, blade holding member 45 is fixed to the front end of fixed member 57 by bolt 69 arranged with its axial direction in the vertical direction, blade holding member 46 is fixed to the front end of fixed member 58 by bolt 70 arranged with its axial direction in the vertical direction, and blade holding member 47 is fixed to the front end of fixed member 59 by bolt 71 arranged with its axial direction in the vertical direction.

[0045] Each of the blade holding members 38-47 is disposed above the front end portion of each of the fixed members 50-59, and is fixed to the fixed members 50-59 while overlapping with the front end portion of each of the fixed members 50-59 in the vertical direction. The lower surface of each of the blade holding members 38-47 contacts the upper surface of the front end portion of each of the fixed members 50-59. The upper surfaces of the front ends of the fixed members 50-59 are slightly recessed downward. Note that shims for adjusting height may be disposed between the lower surface of each of the blade holding members 38-47 and the upper surface of each of the front ends of the fixed members 50-59.

[0046] Most of the fixed members 49-59, excluding the front ends of the fixed members 49-59 to which the blade holding members 37-47 are fixed, are disposed between a lower frame 75 constituting the lower surface of the mounting mechanism 3, and an upper frame 76 (see Figs. 15-17) constituting the upper surface of the mounting mechanism 3. The lower frame 75 is fixed to a movable part of the linear drive mechanism 5. A plurality of pillars standing upward are fixed to the upper surface of the lower frame 75, and the upper frame 76 is fixed to the upper ends of the plurality of pillars. Note that the upper frame 76 is not shown in Figs. 3, 4, etc.

[0047] The bolt 61 is a hexagonal socket bolt having a hexagonal recess formed in the head 61a. Similarly, the bolts 62 to 71 are hexagonal socket bolts having a hexagonal recess formed in the heads 62a to 71a. The head 61a of the bolt 61 is disposed on the upper side of the shaft of the bolt 61. The heads 62a to 71a of the bolts 62 to 71 are disposed on the lower side of the shaft of the bolts 62 to 71. The bolts 62 to 71 in this embodiment are upward bolts in which the heads 62a to 71a are disposed on the lower side, and the bolt 61 is a downward bolt in which the head 61a is disposed on the upper side.

[0048] That is, in this embodiment, the bolt 61 held by the hand 14 located at the top is a downward bolt. Also, the bolts 62-71 held by the remaining hands 15-24 excluding the hand 14 located at the top of the eleven hands 14-24 are upward bolts. The hands 15-23 in this embodiment are the hands excluding the hand 14 located at the top and the hand 24 located at the bottom of the eleven hands 14-24, and are first hands that have upward bolts.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 3, the blade holding member 37 is fixed to the fixed member 49 by four bolts 61. Specifically, one of the two blade holding members 37 is fixed to the fixed member 49 by two bolts 61, and the other blade holding member 37 is fixed to the fixed member 49 by two bolts 61. The two bolts 61 fixing one blade holding member 37 are arranged on one side in the left-right direction with respect to the center of the hand 14 in the left-right direction, and the two bolts 61 fixing the other blade holding member 37 are arranged on the other side in the left-right direction with respect to the center of the hand 14 in the left-right direction. In other words, the blade holding member 37 is fixed to the fixed member 49 by the bolts 61 arranged on both sides in the left-right direction with respect to the center of the hand 14 in the left-right direction.

[0050] Similarly, each of the blade holding members 38-47 is fixed to each of the fixing members 50-59 by four bolts 62-71. Also, each of the blade holding members 38-47 is fixed to each of the fixing members 50-59 by bolts 62-71 arranged on both left and right sides of the left and right center of each of the hands 15-24.

[0051] The two bolts 61 arranged on one side in the left-right direction are arranged with a gap between them in the front-rear direction. The two bolts 61 arranged on the other side in the left-right direction are also arranged with a gap between them in the front-rear direction. The two bolts 61 arranged on one side in the left-right direction and the two bolts 61 arranged on the other side in the left-right direction are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction.

[0052] Similarly, the two bolts 62 arranged on one side in the left-right direction are arranged with a gap between them in the front-rear direction. The two bolts 62 arranged on the other side in the left-right direction are also arranged with a gap between them in the front-rear direction. The two bolts 62 arranged on one side in the left-right direction and the two bolts 62 arranged on the other side in the left-right direction are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction.

[0053] Similarly, the two bolts 63-71 arranged on one side in the left-right direction are spaced apart in the front-rear direction, and the two bolts 63-71 arranged on the other side in the left-right direction are also spaced apart in the front-rear direction. Similarly, the two bolts 63-71 arranged on one side in the left-right direction and the two bolts 63-71 arranged on the other side in the left-right direction are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction.

[0054] On both left and right sides, the two bolts 61 are disposed at the outer left and right ends of the blade holding member 37 (see FIG. 3). On both left and right sides, the two bolts 61 and the two bolts 62 are disposed at the same positions in the left and right directions and in the front-to-rear directions, and the two bolts 62 are disposed directly below the two bolts 61. On both left and right sides, the two bolts 62 and the two bolts 63 are disposed at the same positions in the left and right directions and at offset positions in the front-to-rear direction. The bolts 62 and the bolts 63 are disposed alternately in this order from the rear side to the front side.

[0055] Moreover, on both sides in the left-right direction, the two bolts 64 and the two bolts 65 are arranged at the same position in the left-right direction and at positions offset in the front-rear direction. The bolts 64 and the bolts 65 are arranged alternately in this order from the rear side to the front side. The bolts 64, 65 are arranged more inward in the left-right direction than the bolts 62, 63. Moreover, on both sides in the left-right direction, the two bolts 66 and the two bolts 67 are arranged at the same position in the left-right direction and at positions offset in the front-rear direction. The bolts 66 and the bolts 67 are arranged alternately in this order from the rear side to the front side. The bolts 66, 67 are arranged more inward in the left-right direction than the bolts 64, 65.

[0056] Furthermore, on both left and right sides, the two bolts 68 and the two bolts 69 are arranged at the same position in the left and right direction and are arranged at positions offset in the front-rear direction. The bolts 68 and the bolts 69 are arranged alternately in this order from the rear side to the front side. The bolts 68, 69 are arranged further inward in the left-right direction than the bolts 66, 67. The bolt 70 is arranged further inward in the left-right direction than the bolts 68, 69. The bolt 71 is arranged further inward in the left-right direction than the bolt 70.

[0057] In this way, bolt 61 and bolt 62 are disposed at the same position in the horizontal direction, but bolts 62 to 71 are disposed at positions offset from one another in the horizontal direction. In other words, when viewed from the top and bottom direction, bolt 61 and bolt 62 overlap, but bolts 62 to 71 are disposed at positions offset from one another and do not overlap.

[0058] Moreover, the bolts 64, 65 are arranged inwardly of the bolts 62, 63 in the left-right direction, the bolts 66, 67 are arranged inwardly of the bolts 64, 65 in the left-right direction, the bolts 68, 69 are arranged inwardly of the bolts 66, 67 in the left-right direction, the bolt 70 is arranged inwardly of the bolts 68, 69 in the left-right direction, and the bolt 71 is arranged inwardly of the bolt 70 in the left-right direction, and the bolts 62-71 of the remaining hands 15-24 except for the hand 14 arranged at the top of the multiple hands 14-24 are gradually shifted inwardly in the left-right direction from the hand 15 arranged at the top to the hand 24 arranged at the bottom. Moreover, in this embodiment, the bolts 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, and 71 are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction, and the bolts 63, 65, 67, and 69 are arranged at the same position.

[0059] 6, the blade holding member 37 has an arrangement hole 37a in which the head 61a of the bolt 61 and the like are arranged. The fixing member 49 has a screw hole in which the male thread of the bolt 61 engages. The bolt 61 is screwed into the fixing member 49 from above. In this embodiment, the bolt 61 is arranged at a position where the bolt 61 is not covered from above by the hand 4 even when the hand 4 and the hand 14 overlap each other.

[0060] The blade holding member 38 has a screw hole into which the male thread of the bolt 62 engages. Similarly, the blade holding members 39-47 have screw holes into which the male threads of the bolts 63-71 engage. The fixing member 50 has an arrangement hole 50a into which the head 62a of the bolt 62 and the like are arranged. Similarly, the fixing members 51-59 have arrangement holes 51a-59a into which the heads 63a-71a of the bolts 63-71 and the like are arranged (see FIGS. 6-11). The bolts 62-71 are screwed into the blade holding members 38-47 from below.

[0061] 6, each of the blade holding members 39-47 and each of the fixed members 51-59 arranged below the bolt 62 has a through hole h1 formed therein for engaging a tool T with the head 62a of the bolt 62 from below the fixed member 59. That is, each of the blade holding members 39-47 and the fixed members 51-59 of all the hands 16-24 arranged below the bolt 62 has a through hole h1 formed therein for engaging a tool T with the head 62a from below the hand 24 arranged at the bottom. The through hole h1 is formed directly below the head 62a.

[0062] Further, in each of the blade holding members 40-47 and the fixed members 52-59 arranged below the bolt 63, a through hole h2 is formed for engaging a tool T with the head 63a of the bolt 63 from the underside of the fixed member 59. That is, in the blade holding members 40-47 and the fixed members 52-59 of all the hands 17-24 arranged below the bolt 63, a through hole h2 is formed for engaging a tool T with the head 63a from the underside of the hand 24 arranged at the bottom. The through hole h2 is formed directly below the head 63a.

[0063] 7, each of the blade holding members 41-47 and each of the fixed members 53-59 arranged below the bolt 64 has a through hole h3 formed therein for engaging a tool T with the head 64a of the bolt 64 from below the fixed member 59. That is, each of the blade holding members 41-47 and the fixed members 53-59 of all the hands 18-24 arranged below the bolt 64 has a through hole h3 formed therein for engaging a tool T with the head 64a from below the hand 24 arranged at the bottom. The through hole h3 is formed directly below the head 64a.

[0064] Further, a through hole h4 is formed in each of the blade holding members 42-47 and the fixed members 54-59 arranged below the bolt 65, for engaging a tool T with the head 65a of the bolt 65 from the underside of the fixed member 59. That is, a through hole h4 is formed in each of the blade holding members 42-47 and the fixed members 54-59 of all the hands 19-24 arranged below the bolt 65, for engaging a tool T with the head 65a from the underside of the hand 24 arranged at the bottom. The through hole h4 is formed directly below the head 65a.

[0065] 8, a through hole h5 is formed in each of the blade holding members 43-47 and the fixed members 55-59 arranged below the bolt 66, for engaging a tool T with the head 66a of the bolt 66 from below the fixed member 59. That is, a through hole h5 is formed in each of the blade holding members 43-47 and the fixed members 55-59 of all the hands 20-24 arranged below the bolt 66, for engaging a tool T with the head 66a from below the hand 24 arranged at the bottom. The through hole h5 is formed directly below the head 66a.

[0066] Further, in each of the blade holding members 44-47 and the fixed members 56-59 arranged below the bolt 67, a through hole h6 is formed for engaging a tool T with the head 67a of the bolt 67 from the underside of the fixed member 59. That is, in the blade holding members 44-47 and the fixed members 56-59 of all the hands 21-24 arranged below the bolt 67, a through hole h6 is formed for engaging a tool T with the head 67a from the underside of the hand 24 arranged at the bottom. The through hole h6 is formed directly below the head 67a.

[0067] 9, a through hole h7 is formed in each of the blade holding members 45-47 and the fixed members 57-59 arranged below the bolt 68, for engaging a tool T with the head 68a of the bolt 68 from below the fixed member 59. That is, a through hole h7 is formed in each of the blade holding members 45-47 and the fixed members 57-59 of all the hands 22-24 arranged below the bolt 68, for engaging a tool T with the head 68a from below the hand 24 arranged at the bottom. The through hole h7 is formed directly below the head 68a.

[0068] Further, the blade holding members 46, 47 and the fixed members 58, 59 arranged below the bolt 69 have a through hole h8 formed therein for engaging a tool T with the head 69a of the bolt 69 from below the fixed member 59. That is, the blade holding members 46, 47 and the fixed members 58, 59 of all the hands 23, 24 arranged below the bolt 69 have a through hole h8 formed therein for engaging a tool T with the head 69a from below the hand 24 arranged at the bottom. The through hole h8 is formed directly below the head 69a.

[0069] 10, the blade holding member 47 and the fixed member 59 arranged below the bolt 70 have a through hole h9 formed therein for engaging a tool T with the head 70a of the bolt 70 from below the fixed member 59. That is, the blade holding members 47 and the fixed members 59 of all the hands 24 arranged below the bolt 70 have a through hole h9 formed therein for engaging a tool T with the head 70a from below the hand 24 arranged at the bottom. The through hole h9 is formed directly below the head 70a.

[0070] Thus, the blade holding member 39 and the fixed member 51 have a through hole h1, the blade holding member 40 and the fixed member 52 have through holes h1 and h2, the blade holding member 41 and the fixed member 53 have through holes h1 to h3 (see FIG. 13), the blade holding member 42 and the fixed member 54 have through holes h1 to h4, and the blade holding member 43 and the fixed member 55 have through holes h1 to h5. Furthermore, the blade holding member 44 and the fixed member 56 have through holes h1 to h6, the blade holding member 45 and the fixed member 57 have through holes h1 to h7, the blade holding member 46 and the fixed member 58 have through holes h1 to h8, and the blade holding member 47 and the fixed member 59 have through holes h1 to h9 (see FIG. 14).

[0071] The through holes h1 to h9 are circular holes that penetrate in the vertical direction. The inner diameters of the through holes h1 to h9 are larger than the outer diameters of the heads 62a to 70a of the bolts 62 to 70. The tool T is a T wrench. A hexagonal column-shaped engagement portion that engages with the recesses of the heads 62a to 70a is formed at the tip of the tool T.

[0072] A support member 78 having support portions 78a for supporting the fixed member 50 from below is fixed to the fixed member 49. That is, the hand 14 is provided with support portions 78a for supporting the hand 15 from below. In this embodiment, the support members 78 are fixed to the fixed member 49 on both left and right sides, and the two support portions 78a make it possible to support the fixed member 50 from below on both left and right sides.

[0073] Similarly, support members 79 having support portions 79a for supporting fixed member 51 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right ends of fixed member 50, support members 80 having support portions 80a for supporting fixed member 52 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right ends of fixed member 51, support members 81 having support portions 81a for supporting fixed member 53 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right ends of fixed member 52, and support members 82 having support portions 82a for supporting fixed member 54 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right ends of fixed member 53.

[0074] In addition, support members 83 having support portions 83a for supporting fixed member 55 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right ends of fixed member 54, support members 84 having support portions 84a for supporting fixed member 56 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right ends of fixed member 55, support members 85 having support portions 85a for supporting fixed member 57 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right ends of fixed member 56, support members 86 having support portions 86a for supporting fixed member 58 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right ends of fixed member 57, and support members 87 having support portions 87a for supporting fixed member 59 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right ends of fixed member 58.

[0075] That is, each of the hands 15-23 includes two support parts 79a-87a for supporting each of the hands 16-24 from below. The support parts 78a-87a are formed in a flat plate shape. The support parts 78a-87a are arranged so that the thickness direction of the support parts 78a-87a coincides with the up-down direction. Recesses 50b-59b in which the support parts 78a-87a are arranged are formed on the lower surfaces of both end portions in the left-right direction of the fixing members 50-59.

[0076] The recesses 50b-59b are recessed upward from the lower surface of each of the fixing members 50-59 and from both left and right end surfaces of each of the fixing members 50-59 toward the inside in the left and right direction. The upper surfaces of the recesses 50b-59b are flat surfaces perpendicular to the up and down direction. The thickness (up and down thickness) of the support portions 78a-87a is thinner than the up and down width of the recesses 50b-59b. The up and down positions of the support members 79-87 relative to the fixing members 49-58 can be adjusted by adjustment bolts 88.

[0077] In addition, a support member 89 having support portions 89a for supporting the fixed member 49 from below on both left and right sides is fixed to the upper frame 76 of the mounting mechanism 3. The support portions 89a are formed in a flat plate shape and are arranged so that the thickness direction of the support portion 89a coincides with the up-down direction. Note that the support member 89 is not shown in any figures other than FIG. 15.

[0078] The lower surface of the fixing member 49 at both left and right end portions is formed with recesses 49b in which the support portions 89a are disposed. Like the recesses 50b to 59b, the recesses 49b are recessed upward from the lower surface of the fixing member 49 and inward in the left and right direction from both left and right end surfaces of the fixing member 49. The upper surface of the recess 49b is a flat surface perpendicular to the up and down direction. The thickness (up and down thickness) of the support portions 89a is thinner than the up and down width of the recess 49b. The up and down position of the support member 89 relative to the upper frame 76 can be adjusted by an adjustment bolt.

[0079] (Configuration of pitch change mechanism) The pitch change mechanism 25 changes the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36. That is, the pitch change mechanism 25 changes the vertical pitch of the mounting portions of the eleven hands 14 to 24. Specifically, the pitch change mechanism 25 sets the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36 to a predetermined first pitch (see FIG. 17) and a second pitch (see FIG. 16) that is wider than the first pitch. The first pitch is, for example, about 8 mm, and the second pitch is, for example, about 10 mm. The pitch change mechanism 25 includes a lifting mechanism 91 that lifts and lowers the hand 24, and a guide mechanism 92 that linearly guides the hands 14 to 24 in the vertical direction.

[0080] The lifting mechanism 91 includes an air cylinder 93 as a drive source, and a connecting member 94 that connects the air cylinder 93 and the hand 24. The air cylinder 93 is a low-speed air cylinder whose rod (piston) moves at a relatively slow speed. The air cylinder 93 is fixed to the upper surface side of the lower frame 75. The air cylinder 93 is disposed such that the rod of the air cylinder 93 protrudes downward. The connecting member 94 is fixed to the lower end of the rod of the air cylinder 93 and the lower surface of the fixed member 59 of the hand 24.

[0081] The guide mechanism 92 is a ball spline mechanism including a plurality of spline shafts 95-98 and a plurality of outer cylinders 99 through which the spline shafts 95-98 are inserted. The guide mechanism 92 of this embodiment includes four spline shafts 95-98 and twenty-two outer cylinders 99. The spline shafts 95-98 are arranged such that the axial direction of the spline shafts 95-98 coincides with the vertical direction. The lower ends of the spline shafts 95-98 are fixed to the lower frame 75, and the upper ends of the spline shafts 95-98 are fixed to the upper frame 76. The outer cylinders 99 are formed in a cylindrical shape. The outer cylinders 99 are fixed to each of the hands 14-24. Specifically, two outer cylinders 99 are fixed to each of the fixed members 49-59.

[0082] In this embodiment, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the first pitch, the rod of the air cylinder 93 is retracted and the hand 24 is pushed up. At this time, as shown in Fig. 17, the upper surface of the fixed member 49 contacts the lower surface of the upper frame 76, the upper surface of the fixed member 50 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 49, the upper surface of the fixed member 51 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 50, the upper surface of the fixed member 52 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 51, the upper surface of the fixed member 53 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 52, the upper surface of the fixed member 54 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 53, the upper surface of the fixed member 55 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 54, the upper surface of the fixed member 56 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 55, the upper surface of the fixed member 57 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 56, the upper surface of the fixed member 58 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 57, and the upper surface of the fixed member 59 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 58.

[0083] In addition, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the first pitch, in the vertical direction, a gap is formed between the fixed member 49 and the upper surface of the support portion 89a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 50 and the upper surface of the support portion 78a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 51 and the upper surface of the support portion 79a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 52 and the upper surface of the support portion 80a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 53 and the upper surface of the support portion 81a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 54 and the upper surface of the support portion 82a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 55 and the upper surface of the support portion 83a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 56 and the upper surface of the support portion 84a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 57 and the upper surface of the support portion 85a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 58 and the upper surface of the support portion 86a, and a gap is formed between the fixed member 59 and the upper surface of the support portion 87a.

[0084] In addition, when the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is the first pitch, in the vertical direction, a gap is formed between the fixed member 50 and the lower surface of the support portion 89a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 51 and the lower surface of the support portion 78a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 52 and the lower surface of the support portion 79a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 53 and the lower surface of the support portion 80a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 54 and the lower surface of the support portion 81a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 55 and the lower surface of the support portion 82a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 56 and the lower surface of the support portion 83a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 57 and the lower surface of the support portion 84a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 58 and the lower surface of the support portion 85a, and a gap is formed between the fixed member 59 and the lower surface of the support portion 86a.

[0085] On the other hand, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the second pitch, the rod of the air cylinder 93 protrudes and pulls down the hand 24. At this time, as shown in Fig. 16, the fixed member 49 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 89a, the fixed member 50 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 78a, the fixed member 51 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 79a, the fixed member 52 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 80a, the fixed member 53 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 81a, the fixed member 54 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 82a, the fixed member 55 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 83a, the fixed member 56 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 84a, the fixed member 57 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 85a, the fixed member 58 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 86a, and the fixed member 59 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 87a.

[0086] Furthermore, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the second pitch, in the vertical direction, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 49 and the lower surface of the upper frame 76, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 50 and the lower surface of the fixed member 49, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 51 and the lower surface of the fixed member 50, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 52 and the lower surface of the fixed member 51, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 53 and the lower surface of the fixed member 52, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 54 and the lower surface of the fixed member 53, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 55 and the lower surface of the fixed member 54, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 56 and the lower surface of the fixed member 55, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 57 and the lower surface of the fixed member 56, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 58 and the lower surface of the fixed member 57, and a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 59 and the lower surface of the fixed member 58.

[0087] When the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is at the second pitch, and the lifting mechanism 91 lifts the hand 24 (specifically, when the air cylinder 93 lifts the hand 24), the upper surface of the fixed member 59 comes into contact with the lower surface of the fixed member 58 and lifts the fixed member 58, the upper surface of the fixed member 58 comes into contact with the lower surface of the fixed member 57 and lifts the fixed member 57, the upper surface of the fixed member 57 comes into contact with the lower surface of the fixed member 56 and lifts the fixed member 56, the upper surface of the fixed member 56 comes into contact with the lower surface of the fixed member 55 and lifts the fixed member 55, and the upper surface of the fixed member 55 comes into contact with the lower surface of the fixed member 55 and lifts the fixed member 55. The surface contacts the lower surface of fixed member 54 and lifts fixed member 54, the upper surface of fixed member 54 contacts the lower surface of fixed member 53 and lifts fixed member 53, the upper surface of fixed member 53 contacts the lower surface of fixed member 52 and lifts fixed member 52, the upper surface of fixed member 52 contacts the lower surface of fixed member 51 and lifts fixed member 51, the upper surface of fixed member 51 contacts the lower surface of fixed member 50 and lifts fixed member 50, and the upper surface of fixed member 50 contacts the lower surface of fixed member 49 and lifts fixed member 49, so that the pitch of the 11 blades 36 becomes the first pitch.

[0088] In this manner, when the lifting mechanism 91 lifts the hand 24 in a state in which the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the second pitch, the upper surfaces of the hands 24-15 come into contact with the lower surfaces of the hands 23-14 in sequence, lifting the hands 23-14 in sequence in this order, and the pitch of the eleven blades 36 becomes the first pitch. In other words, when the lifting mechanism 91 lifts the hand 24 in a state in which the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the second pitch, the hands 14-23 also lift in conjunction with the lifting of the hand 24, and the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36 becomes the first pitch.

[0089] On the other hand, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is set to the first pitch, and the lifting mechanism 91 lowers the hand 24 (specifically, when the air cylinder 93 lowers the hand 24), the fixed member 59 comes into contact with the upper surface of the support portion 87a and pulls down the fixed member 58, the fixed member 58 comes into contact with the upper surface of the support portion 86a and pulls down the fixed member 57, the fixed member 57 comes into contact with the upper surface of the support portion 85a and pulls down the fixed member 56, the fixed member 56 comes into contact with the upper surface of the support portion 84a and pulls down the fixed member 55, and the fixed member 55 contacts the upper surface of support portion 83a and pulls down fixed member 54, fixed member 54 contacts the upper surface of support portion 82a and pulls down fixed member 53, fixed member 53 contacts the upper surface of support portion 81a and pulls down fixed member 52, fixed member 52 contacts the upper surface of support portion 80a and pulls down fixed member 51, fixed member 51 contacts the upper surface of support portion 79a and pulls down fixed member 50, fixed member 50 contacts the upper surface of support portion 78a and pulls down fixed member 49, causing the pitch of the 11 blades 36 to become the second pitch.

[0090] In this manner, when the lifting mechanism 91 lowers the hand 24 in a state in which the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the first pitch, the hands 24-15 successively come into contact with the upper surfaces of the supports 87a-78a and successively pull down the hands 23-14 in this order, so that the pitch of the eleven blades 36 becomes the second pitch. In other words, when the lifting mechanism 91 lowers the hand 24 in a state in which the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the first pitch, the hands 14-23 also descend in conjunction with the descent of the hand 24, so that the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36 becomes the second pitch.

[0091] (Main effects of this form) As described above, in this embodiment, the blade holding members 39-47 and the fixed members 51-59 are formed with a through hole h1 for engaging the tool T with the head 62a of the bolt 62 from below the hand 24 located at the bottom. Also, in this embodiment, the blade holding members 40-47 and the fixed members 52-59 are formed with a through hole h2 for engaging the tool T with the head 63a of the bolt 63 from below the hand 24, the blade holding members 41-47 and the fixed members 53-59 are formed with a through hole h3 for engaging the tool T with the head 64a of the bolt 64 from below the hand 24, and the blade holding members 42-47 and the fixed members 54-59 are formed with a through hole h4 for engaging the tool T with the head 65a of the bolt 65 from below the hand 24.

[0092] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a through hole h5 is formed in the blade holding members 43-47 and the fixed members 55-59 for engaging a tool T with the head 66a of the bolt 66 from the underside of the hand 24, a through hole h6 is formed in the blade holding members 44-47 and the fixed members 56-59 for engaging a tool T with the head 67a of the bolt 67 from the underside of the hand 24, a through hole h7 is formed in the blade holding members 45-47 and the fixed members 57-59 for engaging a tool T with the head 68a of the bolt 68 from the underside of the hand 24, a through hole h8 is formed in the blade holding members 46, 47 and the fixed members 58, 59 for engaging a tool T with the head 69a of the bolt 69 from the underside of the hand 24, and a through hole h9 is formed in the blade holding members 47 and the fixed member 59 for engaging a tool T with the head 70a of the bolt 70 from the underside of the hand 24. In this embodiment, the inner diameters of the through holes h1-h9 are larger than the outer diameters of the heads 62a-a of the bolts 62-.

[0093] Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the fixing members 49-59 are overlapped in the vertical direction and even if the blade holding members 38-46 are fixed to the fixing members 50-58, it is possible to attach and detach the bolts 62-70 from below the hand 24 located at the bottom using the tool T. Also, in this embodiment, since the bolt 61 is screwed into the fixing member 49 from above, it is possible to attach and detach the bolt 61 from above the hand 14 located at the top, and since the bolt 71 is screwed into the blade holding member 47 from below, it is possible to attach and detach the bolt 71 from below the hand 24.

[0094] Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the fixed members 49-59 are overlapped in the vertical direction, any one of the blade holding members 37-47 can be individually attached to and detached from the fixed members 49-59 together with the blade 36 without removing the other blade holding members 37-47 from the fixed members 49-59. Also, in this embodiment, since the fixed members 49-59 are overlapped in the vertical direction, it is possible to reduce the size of the base end portion (rear end portion) of the mounting mechanism 3. That is, in this embodiment, even if any one of the blade holding members 37-47 can be individually attached to and detached from the fixed members 49-59 together with the blade 36 without removing the other blade holding members 37-47 from the fixed members 49-59, it is possible to reduce the size of the base end portion of the mounting mechanism 3.

[0095] In this embodiment, the bolts 62-70 are upward bolts with the heads 62a-70a disposed on the lower side. Therefore, in this embodiment, the bolts 62-70 loosened using the tool T can be dropped by their own weight to the lower side of the hand 24 disposed at the bottom. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the fixing members 49-59 overlap in the vertical direction, the bolts 62-70 can be easily removed, and as a result, the removal work of the bolts 62-70 can be easily performed.

[0096] In this embodiment, the bolts 62-71 are gradually shifted inward in the left-right direction from the hand 15 arranged on the upper side to the hand 24 arranged on the lower side. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the fixing members 49-59 overlap in the vertical direction and the positions of the bolts 62-70 are difficult to visually confirm, it is easy to grasp where the bolts 62-70 are arranged in the horizontal direction.

[0097] In this embodiment, the shape of the blade holding members 37-47 must be changed for each hand 14-24 due to the influence of the arrangement hole 37a formed in the blade holding member 37, the positions of the screw holes and the number of through holes h1-h9 formed in the blade holding members 38-47, etc., but in this embodiment, the blade 36 formed separately from the blade holding members 37-47 is common to all of the hands 14-24. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the parts cost of the hands 14-24.

[0098] (Other embodiments) The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0099] In the above embodiment, the head 61a of the bolt 61 may be disposed below the shaft of the bolt 61. In this case, a disposition hole in which the head 61a of the bolt 61 is disposed is formed in the fixed member 49, and a screw hole into which the male screw of the bolt 61 is engaged is formed in the blade holding member 37. In this case, the bolt 61 and the bolt 62 are disposed at positions offset from each other in at least one of the left-right direction and the front-rear direction. That is, the bolt 61 and the bolt 62 are disposed at positions offset from each other in the horizontal direction. In this case, a through hole is formed in all the blade holding members 38 to 47 and the fixed members 50 to 59 disposed below the bolt 61, for engaging the head 61a with a tool T from the underside of the fixed member 59.

[0100] In the above-described embodiment, if the loosened bolts 62-70 can be removed, the bolts 62-70 may include a downward bolt whose head 62a-70a is disposed above the shaft. In this case, a through hole is formed in all the blade holding members 37-45 and the fixing members 49-57 disposed above the downward bolt to allow a tool T to engage with the head of the downward bolt from above the blade holding member 37 (i.e., from above the hand 14 disposed at the top).

[0101] Even in this case, as in the above-described embodiment, any one of the blade holding members 37-47 can be individually attached to and detached from the fixed members 49-59 together with the blade 36, without removing the other blade holding members 37-47 from the fixed members 49-59. Also, even in this case, it is possible to reduce the size of the base end side portion of the mounting mechanism 3. Note that if the hands 15-23 include a hand having a downward bolt, the hand having the downward bolt is the second hand.

[0102] In the above-described embodiment, the head 71a of the bolt 71 may be disposed above the shaft of the bolt 71. In this case, a through hole for engaging the tool T with the head 71a from above the blade holding member 37 is formed in all of the blade holding members 37-46 and the fixing members 49-58 disposed above the bolt 71. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the bolts 62-71 are gradually shifted inward in the left-right direction from the hand 15 disposed above to the hand 24 disposed below, but the bolts 62-71 may be disposed randomly in the left-right direction.

[0103] In the above-mentioned embodiment, each of the blade holding members 37-47 and the blade 36 may be integrally formed. That is, the mounting portion for the wafer 2 may be configured by one integrally formed part. Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the bolts 61-71 may be bolts other than hexagon socket bolts. Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the blade holding members 37-47 may be fixed to the fixing members 49-59 by two or three bolts 61-71, or may be fixed to the fixing members 49-59 by five or more bolts 61-71.

[0104] In the above-mentioned embodiment, each of the blade holding members 37-47 may be disposed below the front end portion of each of the fixed members 49-59. In this case, a screw hole is formed in each of the blade holding member 37 and the fixed members 50-59, and an arrangement hole in which the heads 61a-71a etc. are arranged is formed in the blade holding members 38-47 and the fixed member 49. Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the number of hands provided in the mounting mechanism 3 may be 10 or less as long as it is 3 or more, or may be 12 or more.

[0105] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the robot 1 may not include the hand 4. In this case, the linear drive mechanism 6 and the like are not necessary. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the robot 1 may not include the tilt correction mechanism 8. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the robot 1 may be a horizontal multi-joint type robot. In this case, the robot 1 includes a multi-joint arm to the tip of which the mounting mechanism 3 is rotatably connected, and a multi-joint arm to the tip of which the hand 4 is rotatably connected, instead of the linear drive mechanisms 5 to 7. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the robot 1 may transport an object to be transported other than the wafer 2. For example, the robot 1 may transport a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 1. Robots (industrial robots) 2 Wafers (semiconductor wafers, transport objects) 3. Mounting mechanism 14 Hands 15~23 hands (1st hand) 24 Hands 36 Blade (main body of mounting part, part of mounting part) 37~47 Blade holding member (fixed part, part of mounting part) 49~59 Fixing member (fixing part) 61 Bolt (Downward Bolt) 61a~71a Head 62~71 Bolts (Upward Bolts) h1~h9 Through holes T-tool X hand movement direction Y orthogonal direction

Claims

1. An industrial robot having a mounting mechanism on which a plurality of transport objects are mounted, the loading mechanism includes at least three or more hands each having a loading portion for the transport object and overlapping at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction; the hand includes a fixing portion to which a fixed portion of the mounting portion is fixed, and a headed bolt for fixing the fixed portion to the fixing portion, The fixing portions of the plurality of hands are overlapped at a predetermined pitch in the up-down direction, the fixed portion is fixed to the fixing portion in a state overlapping with the fixing portion in the vertical direction by the bolt arranged with the vertical direction as the axial direction, The bolt whose head is arranged on the lower side is defined as an upward bolt, the bolt whose head is arranged on the upper side is defined as a downward bolt, the hand excluding the hand arranged at the top and the hand arranged at the bottom among the plurality of hands and having the upward bolt is defined as a first hand, and the hand excluding the hand arranged at the top and the hand arranged at the bottom among the plurality of hands and having the downward bolt is defined as a second hand, When the mounting mechanism includes the first hand, a through hole is formed in the fixing portion and the fixed portion of all the hands arranged below the upward bolt of the first hand, for engaging a tool with the head of the upward bolt of the first hand from the underside of the hand arranged at the bottom, When the mounting mechanism includes the second hand, the fixing portion and the fixed portion of all the hands arranged above the downward bolt of the second hand are formed with a through hole for engaging a tool with the head of the downward bolt of the second hand from the upper side of the hand arranged at the top, An industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the through hole is larger than the outer diameter of the head portion.

2. the bolt held by the hand arranged at the top is the downward bolt, 2. The industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein the bolts held by the remaining hands, excluding the hand positioned at the top of the plurality of hands, are the upward bolts.

3. the hand moves linearly in a horizontal direction when transporting the object to be transported, If the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the hand and the vertical direction is defined as an orthogonal direction, the fixed portion is fixed to the fixing portion by the bolts arranged on both sides in the orthogonal direction with respect to a center of the hand in the orthogonal direction, 3. The industrial robot according to claim 2, wherein the bolts held by the remaining hands, except for the hand that is positioned at the top of the plurality of hands, are gradually shifted inward in the orthogonal direction from the hand positioned at the top to the hand positioned at the bottom.

4. the mounting unit includes a mounting unit main body on which the transport object is mounted, 4. The industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein the mounting body is formed separately from the fixed portion.

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