Object transfer apparatus and method for operating the same

Abstract

An object transfer device and a driving method thereof are disclosed. An object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a body portion, a first clamp unit disposed at a longitudinal end of the body portion and configured to move along the longitudinal direction and align and support an object, and a second clamp unit disposed at a widthwise end of the body portion and configured to move along the widthwise direction and align and support an object.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an object transfer device and a method for driving the same. For example, the present invention relates to a hand system for transferring a Fine Metal Mask (FMM). Background Technology

[0002] A Fine Metal Mask (FMM) is a mask used when depositing organic materials onto a substrate in an OLED display, and can be used during the deposition process to attach organic materials to the surface of the substrate.

[0003] This deposition is generally performed by heating the target material in a vacuum space and passing it through a Fine Metal Mask (FMM) to deposit it onto a substrate. However, since the FMM can become contaminated during this process, it is necessary to transport the FMM to perform cleaning or other maintenance whenever the deposition process is performed or at predetermined intervals. During this transport, the FMM must be mechanically gripped.

[0004] In this regard, conventionally, when transporting Fine Metal Masks (FMMs), a method of horizontally transporting the FMMs between units using multi-axis robot hands was applied, and this multi-axis robot hand-based transport method was mainly applied, especially when the FMMs were large in size.

[0005] Meanwhile, in the case of a conventional horizontal transfer method using a multi-axis robot hand, the hand itself lacks the function to align the Fine Metal Mask (FMM), so an external unit must be placed separately from the multi-axis robot hand to perform alignment of the Fine Metal Mask (FMM), which has the disadvantage of increasing the overall module volume and design costs.

[0006] The technology forming the background of this invention is disclosed in Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2365837. The problem to be solved

[0007] The present invention aims to solve the problems of the aforementioned conventional technology by providing an object transfer device and a driving method thereof that can correct positional errors, alignment direction errors, etc., of an object during the process of transferring an object without a separate external unit.

[0008] However, the technical problems that the embodiments of the present invention aim to solve are not limited to the technical problems described above, and other technical problems may exist. means of solving the problem

[0009] As a technical means for achieving the above-mentioned technical problem, an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a body portion, a first clamp unit disposed at a longitudinal end of the body portion and configured to move along the longitudinal direction and align and support the object, and a second clamp unit disposed at a widthwise end of the body portion and configured to move along the widthwise direction and align and support the object.

[0010] Additionally, the first clamp unit may be configured to enable a transition between a movement state in which it moves away from the longitudinal end of the body part to form a gap space in which the object can enter inward, and an alignment state in which it moves to narrow the gap space while the object has entered the gap space and adjusts the placement direction and placement position of the object.

[0011] Additionally, the second clamp unit may be configured to enable a transition between a movement state in which it moves away from the widthwise end of the body part to form a gap space in which the object can enter inward, and an alignment state in which it moves to narrow the gap space while the object has entered the gap space and adjusts the placement direction and placement position of the object.

[0012] In addition, the first clamp unit may have a first support structure for clamping the object by contacting the outer surface of the object.

[0013] In addition, the second clamp unit may have a second support structure for clamping the object by contacting the outer surface of the object.

[0014] In addition, the object can be seated on the first clamp unit.

[0015] In addition, the second clamp unit can move at a lower side relative to the height at which the object is seated on the first clamp unit.

[0016] Additionally, the first clamp unit may include a floating cylinder that supports the seated object upward to reduce friction of the object moving to adjust the positioning direction and positioning in the alignment state, and a first alignment cylinder that provides a driving force for the first clamp unit to move along the longitudinal direction according to the transition between the moving state and the alignment state.

[0017] Additionally, the second clamp unit may include a second alignment cylinder that provides a driving force for the second clamp unit to move along the width direction according to a transition between the movement state or the alignment state, and a clamp cylinder that provides a driving force for the second support structure to move along the up-down direction to bring the second support structure into contact with the outer surface of the object.

[0018] Additionally, the first clamp unit may be spaced apart from each other in the width direction at one end of the body portion in the longitudinal direction, and spaced apart from each other in the width direction at the other end of the body portion in the longitudinal direction.

[0019] Additionally, the second clamp unit may be spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction at one end of the width direction of the body part as a pair, and spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction at the other end of the width direction of the body part as a pair.

[0020] In addition, the above object may include a Fine Metal Mask (FMM).

[0021] Meanwhile, a driving method for an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention may include the steps of: controlling the first clamp unit so that the first clamp unit moves away from the longitudinal end of the body part to form a gap space through which the object can enter inward; controlling the second clamp unit so that the second clamp unit moves away from the widthwise end of the body part to form a gap space through which the object can enter inward; controlling the first clamp unit so that, while the object has entered the gap space, the first clamp unit moves to narrow the gap space and adjusts the placement direction and placement position of the object; and controlling the second clamp unit so that, while the object has entered the gap space, the second clamp unit moves to narrow the gap space and adjusts the placement direction and placement position of the object.

[0022] The means for solving the problem described above are merely exemplary and should not be interpreted as intended to limit the present invention. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, additional embodiments may exist in the drawings and the detailed description of the invention. Effects of the invention

[0023] According to the means for solving the problem of the present invention described above, it is possible to provide an object transfer device and a driving method thereof that can correct positional errors, placement direction errors, etc. of an object during the process of transferring an object without a separate external unit.

[0024] According to the means for solving the problem of the present invention described above, after aligning the object, the object can be transported while fixed and supported, and various types of movement methods that can be implemented using a multi-axis robot, such as horizontal movement, vertical movement, and S-curve movement, can be applied during the transport process.

[0025] However, the effects obtainable from this invention are not limited to those described above, and other effects may exist. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0026] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the unit coupling structure of an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4a and FIGS. 4b are perspective views of a first clamp unit of an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views of a first type second clamp unit of an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 6a and 6b are perspective views of a second type second clamp unit of an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an operation flowchart of a driving method for an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0027] Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the attached drawings to enable those skilled in the art to easily implement the invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the explanation have been omitted, and similar parts throughout the specification are denoted by similar reference numerals.

[0028] Throughout this specification, when a part is described as being "connected" to another part, this includes not only cases where they are "directly connected," but also cases where they are "electrically connected" or "indirectly connected" with other elements interposed between them.

[0029] Throughout the entire specification, when a component is described as being located "on," "on top," "on top," "under," "on bottom," or "on bottom" of another component, this includes not only cases where the component is in contact with the other component but also cases where another component exists between the two components.

[0030] Throughout this specification, when a part is described as "comprising" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components.

[0031] For reference, terms related to direction or position (length direction, width direction, up and down direction, top, bottom, upward, downward, etc.) in the description of the embodiments of the present invention are described based on the arrangement state of each component shown in the drawings. For example, when viewed in FIG. 1, the length direction may be from 4 o'clock to 10 o'clock, the width direction from 2 o'clock to 8 o'clock, and the up and down direction from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock. Also, when viewed in FIG. 3, the length direction may be from 3 o'clock to 9 o'clock, the width direction from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock, and the up and down direction may be the normal direction of the drawings.

[0032] However, such direction setting may vary depending on the arrangement of the present invention. For example, if necessary, the present invention may be arranged so that the upward direction relative to FIG. 1 faces the horizontal direction (left and right direction), and as another example, the present invention may be arranged so that the upward direction relative to FIG. 1 faces the oblique inclination direction.

[0033] The present invention relates to an object transfer device and a method for driving the same. For example, the present invention relates to a hand system for transferring a Fine Metal Mask (FMM).

[0034] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an object transfer device (10) (hereinafter referred to as 'object transfer device (10)') according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a body part (100), a first clamp unit (200), and a second clamp unit (300).

[0036] Additionally, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the description of the embodiment of the present invention, the object (1) may be, for example, a Fine Metal Mask (FMM), but is not limited thereto. As another example, the object (1) supported and transported by the object transport device (100) may be a member having various shapes and uses (e.g., a plate-shaped member, etc.).

[0037] Meanwhile, the arrows shown in FIG. 1 indicate the direction in which alignment is performed regarding the placement position and placement direction of the object (1) through the first clamp unit (200) and the second clamp unit (300). Specifically, the first clamp unit (200) may perform longitudinal alignment of the object (1), and the second clamp unit (300) may perform widthwise alignment of the object (1).

[0038] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the unit coupling structure of an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 3, the body portion (100) of the object transfer device (10) may be a body portion to which the first clamp unit (200) and the second clamp unit (300), which will be described later, are combined, and may be provided in an 'H' shape with respect to a plane viewed from above as shown in FIG. 3. More specifically, both ends of the body portion (100) in the width direction may be formed inwardly, and the second clamp unit (300) may be disposed in the inwardly formed area of ​​the body portion (100).

[0040] Additionally, referring to FIG. 3, the first clamp unit (200) may be coupled to the body part (100) in the shape of an 'H' so as to protrude outward in the longitudinal direction of the body part (100) from the portion protruding outward from both ends in the width direction relative to the aforementioned recessed area, but is not limited thereto.

[0041] In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the body portion (100) may be provided with an area capable of covering the area of ​​the object (1) that is fixed (supported) using the first clamp unit (200) and the second clamp unit (300). For example, the area based on the plane viewed from above may be designed to be smaller than the area of ​​the object (1).

[0042] Referring to FIG. 3, the first clamp unit (200) is positioned at the longitudinal end of the body portion (100) and may be configured to move along the longitudinal direction to align and support the object (1). For reference, the arrows shown in the ↔ direction in FIG. 3 indicate the direction of movement of the first clamp unit (200).

[0043] Specifically, the first clamp unit (200) may be configured to enable switching between a movement state in which it moves away from the longitudinal end of the body part (100) to form a gap space in which the object (1) can enter inward, and an alignment state in which it moves to narrow the gap space while the object (1) has entered the gap space and adjusts the placement direction and placement position of the object (1).

[0044] For reference, in the description of the embodiment of the present invention, the fact that the clamp unit (200, 300) adjusts the placement direction and placement position of the object (1) in an aligned state may mean that, while the object (1) has entered the gap space, which is a spatial range where the alignment operation for the object (1) is performed, each of the four sides (both sides in the longitudinal direction and both sides in the width direction) of the object (1) is in contact with the body part of the clamp unit (200, 300), and each clamp unit (200, 300) moves in a direction that narrows the gap space, thereby moving the object (1) so that the position and direction in which the object (1) is placed are directed toward a predetermined normal placement position and normal placement direction based on the longitudinal direction, width direction, and vertical direction.

[0045] Meanwhile, this normal arrangement direction may be set by taking into account the arrangement direction of the body part (100) to which the clamp unit (200, 300) is attached. In other words, after alignment is completed, the direction in which the four sides of the object (1) supported (fixed) by the clamp unit (200, 300) face may be adjusted so that it is substantially the same as the direction formed by the four sides of the body part (100) within an allowed error range.

[0046] Additionally, referring to FIG. 3, the second clamp unit (300) may be positioned at the widthwise end of the body portion (100) and configured to move along the widthwise direction to align and support the object (1). For reference, the arrow shown in the ↕ direction in FIG. 3 indicates the direction of movement of the second clamp unit (300).

[0047] Specifically, the second clamp unit (300) may be configured to enable switching between a movement state in which it moves away from the widthwise end of the body part (100) to form a gap space in which the object (1) can enter inward, and an alignment state in which it moves to narrow the gap space while the object (1) has entered the gap space and adjusts the placement direction and placement position of the object (1).

[0048] Meanwhile, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the second clamp unit (300) in the initial state is positioned lower than the position where the object (1) is seated on the first clamp unit (200) and is designed to not interfere with the object (1) supplied to the object transfer device (10), thereby forming a gap space through which the object (1) can enter inward. This behavioral state may refer to the initial state itself in which the second clamp unit (300) is positioned so as to be close to the widthwise end of the body part (100).

[0049] In other words, the first clamp unit (200) is positioned at a height that may interfere with the object (1), so it must move outward in the longitudinal direction of the body part (100) to form a gap space into which the object (1) can enter in order to supply the object (1) to the object transfer device (10), whereas the second clamp unit (300) is positioned relatively lower so as not to interfere with the object (1), so when the operation to enter the object (1) into the gap space is performed, the second clamp unit (300) may be positioned close to the body part (100) as an initial state according to an embodiment of the present invention, or it may be moved away from the widthwise end of the body part (100).

[0050] Additionally, referring to FIG. 3, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the first clamp unit (200) may include a first Y-axis clamp (2001) and a second Y-axis clamp (2002) arranged in a pair spaced apart from each other in the width direction at one end of the body portion (100) in the longitudinal direction. Additionally, the first clamp unit (200) may include a third Y-axis clamp (2003) and a fourth Y-axis clamp (2004) arranged in a pair spaced apart from each other in the width direction at the other end of the body portion (100) in the longitudinal direction.

[0051] In other words, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the first clamp unit (200) may be equipped with four Y-axis clamps, but is not limited thereto. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first clamp unit (200) may be designed to have two Y-axis clamps, including a Y-axis clamp (not shown) disposed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the body part (100) and, conversely, a Y-axis clamp (not shown) disposed at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the body part (100). Meanwhile, in the case of the object transfer device (10) including the first clamp unit (200) equipped with two Y-axis clamps, it may be preferable for each Y-axis clamp to be positioned at the reference center in the width direction of the body part (100).

[0052] Additionally, referring to FIG. 3, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the second clamp unit (300) may include a first X-axis clamp (3001) and a second X-axis clamp (3002) arranged in a pair spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction at one end of the width direction of the body part (100). Additionally, the second clamp unit (300) may include a third X-axis clamp (3003) and a fourth X-axis clamp (3004) arranged in a pair spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction at the other end of the width direction of the body part (100).

[0053] In other words, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the second clamp unit (300) may be equipped with four X-axis clamps, but is not limited thereto. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the object transfer device (10) may be designed in such a way that the second clamp unit (300) is equipped with two X-axis clamps, including an X-axis clamp (not shown) disposed at one end of the width direction of the body part (100) and, conversely, an X-axis clamp (not shown) disposed at the other end of the width direction of the body part (100).

[0054] Meanwhile, in the case of an object transfer device (10) including a second clamp unit (200) having two X-axis clamps, it may be preferable for each X-axis clamp to be positioned at the longitudinal reference center of the body part (100).

[0055] Below, the specific structure and operation mechanism of each of the first clamp unit (200) and the second clamp unit (300) will be described in detail.

[0056] FIGS. 4a and FIGS. 4b are perspective views of a first clamp unit of an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] Referring to FIGS. 4a and 4b, the first clamp unit (200) may be provided with a first support structure (230) for clamping the object (1) by contacting the outer surface of the object (1). For example, the first support structure (230) is provided in an L-shape and is located on the outside of the object (1) when the first clamp unit (200) is in a moving state. Then, as the first clamp unit (200) is switched to an aligned state and the second clamp unit (200) moves inward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the body part (100), the surface forming the L-shape comes into contact with the outer surface of the object (1), thereby preventing the object (1) from moving out of alignment and allowing the object (1) to be fixed and supported.

[0058] Additionally, referring to FIGS. 4a and 4b, the first clamp unit (200) may be equipped with a floating cylinder (210) and a first alignment cylinder (220).

[0059] The floating cylinder (210) may be a module for supporting the seated object (1) upward to reduce friction of the moving object (1) in order to adjust the placement direction and placement position when the first clamp unit (200) is in an aligned state.

[0060] Specifically, the floating cylinder (210) is provided with a seating portion on which the lower surface of the object (1) is seated, and the seating portion is designed to move in conjunction with the movement of the object (1) according to the alignment of the object (1), thereby reducing damage (e.g., scratches) that may occur due to friction when the object (1) is aligned by the first clamp unit (200), and preventing the generation of unforeseen contaminants such as dust.

[0061] For example, the seating portion of the floating cylinder (210) may be made of a ball-shaped member that contacts the lower surface of the object (1), and friction with the object (1) may be reduced by the ball-shaped member rolling in response to the movement of the object (1) according to the alignment of the object (1).

[0062] The first alignment cylinder (220) may be a module for providing a driving force for the first clamp unit (200) to move along the longitudinal direction according to the transition between the movement state or the alignment state of the first clamp unit (200).

[0063] For example, the first alignment cylinder (220) may be a hydraulic cylinder that provides a driving force to cause the body portion including the floating cylinder (210) and the first support structure (230) of the first clamp unit (200) to spread outward in the longitudinal direction in response to a movement state, or to contract inward in the longitudinal direction in response to an alignment state.

[0064] In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the first alignment cylinder (220) may be a cylinder that can move to three positions in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction (width direction, length direction, up and down direction).

[0065] FIGS. 5a and 5b are perspective views of a first type second clamp unit of an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 6a and 6b are perspective views of a second type second clamp unit of an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] Referring to FIGS. 5a to 6b, the second clamp unit (300) may be provided with a second support structure (330) for clamping the object (1) by contacting the outer surface of the object (1).

[0067] For example, the second support structure (330) is provided in an L-shape and is located on the outer lower side of the target body (1) when the second clamp unit (300) is in a moving state, and when the second clamp unit (300) is switched to an aligned state, it moves upward by the clamp cylinder (310) and the second alignment cylinder (320) and moves inward in the width direction, so that the surface forming the L-shape comes into contact with the outer surface of the target body (1), thereby preventing the target body (1) from moving out of alignment and allowing the target body (1) to be fixed and supported.

[0068] As another example, the second support structure (330) is located at the inner lower side of the target (1) when the second clamp unit (300) is in a moving state, and when the second clamp unit (300) is switched to an alignment state, it moves to a predetermined position at the lower side of the width direction end of the target (1) by the second alignment cylinder (320), and then moves upward by the clamp cylinder (310), so that during the process of performing alignment on the target (1), the surface forming an L-shape comes into contact with the outer surface of the target (1), thereby preventing the target (1) from moving out of alignment and allowing the target (1) to be fixed and supported.

[0069] Additionally, referring to FIGS. 5a and 5b, the second clamp unit (300) may be equipped with a clamp cylinder (310) and a second alignment cylinder (320).

[0070] The clamp cylinder (310) may be a module for providing a driving force to move the second support structure (330) of the second clamp unit (300) along the up and down direction, thereby bringing the second support structure (330) into contact with the outer surface of the object (1).

[0071] That is, the clamp cylinder (310) can clamp the object (1) by using the first clamp unit (200) and the second clamp unit (300) to align the four sides of the object (1) and then moving in the up and down direction so that the second support structure (330) supports the outer surface of the object (1).

[0072] In this regard, according to one embodiment of the present invention, an object (1) transported by an object transport device (10) may be supported in a seated state on a first clamp unit (200), and in contrast, a second clamp unit (300) may be designed to move in a relatively lower area relative to the height at which the object (1) is seated on the first clamp unit (200).

[0073] In this regard, in the process of performing operations such as inserting the object (1) into a cassette (not shown) that accommodates the object (1), removing the object (1) from the cassette (not shown), and seating the object (1) on the first clamp unit (200), thereby placing the object (1) on the object transfer device (10) or separating the object (1) transferred from the object transfer device (10), the second clamp unit (300) in its initial state may be positioned lower than the first clamp unit (200) so that it does not interfere with the area through which the second clamp unit (300) passes for the transfer (seating) or separation of the object (1); furthermore, the body part (100) is provided with an H-shaped frame structure that provides a recessed area where the first clamp unit (200) in its initial state can be positioned without interfering with the object (1), thereby transferring the object (1). The transfer (settlement) or separation process for the device (10) may be performed smoothly.

[0074] That is, since the second clamp unit (300) is positioned relatively lower than the object (1) to the first clamp unit (200) and is initially positioned in the recessed area of ​​the body part (100), it may be preferable for the process of supplying (placing) the object (1) to the object transfer device (10) or separating the object (1) transferred using the object transfer device (10) from the object transfer device (10) to be performed in a manner that moves the object (1) along the width direction.

[0075] Meanwhile, the second alignment cylinder (320) may be a module for providing a driving force for the second clamp unit (300) to move along the width direction according to the transition between the movement state or the alignment state of the second clamp unit (300).

[0076] For example, the second alignment cylinder (320) may be a hydraulic cylinder that provides a driving force to cause the body portion including the clamp cylinder (310) and the second support structure (330) of the second clamp unit (300) to spread outward in the width direction in response to the movement state, or to contract inward in the width direction in response to the alignment state.

[0077] Additionally, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the second alignment cylinder (320) may be a cylinder that can move to three positions in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction (width direction, length direction, up and down direction).

[0078] In addition, when comparing the first type clamp unit (300a) shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b with the second type clamp unit (300b) shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b, the second type clamp unit (300b) may additionally be provided with an auxiliary cylinder (320b) compared to the first type clamp unit (300a).

[0079] That is, referring to FIG. 6a and FIG. 6b, a second alignment cylinder (320a) of a second type clamp unit (300b) is provided to correspond to a second alignment cylinder (320) provided in a first type clamp unit (300a), and an auxiliary cylinder (320b) is arranged separately from the second alignment cylinder (320a), so that the second type clamp unit (300b) may operate to move in both directions in the width direction at a relatively faster speed compared to the first type clamp unit (300a) by means of the driving force additionally provided by the auxiliary cylinder (320b).

[0080] In this regard, according to one embodiment of the present invention, when performing width-direction alignment for an object (1), a first type clamp unit (300a) moves to first narrow the gap space in response to the alignment state to perform width-direction reference alignment of the object (1), and subsequently, a second type clamp unit (300b) moves to narrow the gap space in response to the alignment state to finally align the object (1) that was primarily aligned by the first type clamp unit (300a).

[0081] In addition, in this regard, since the state in which the first alignment by the first type clamp unit (300a) is completed corresponds to a state in which the placement direction and placement position of the object (1) have been adjusted at least partially, the degree of adjustment required for the second type clamp unit (300b) regarding the placement direction and placement position of the object (1) may be set relatively less, so the second type clamp unit (300b) may be controlled so that the operation of the second type clamp unit (300b) to narrow the gap space inward in the width direction is performed relatively quickly compared to the first type clamp unit (300a) by using an auxiliary cylinder (320b).

[0082] Below, based on the details described above, we will briefly examine the operation flow of the present invention.

[0083] FIG. 7 is an operation flowchart of a driving method for an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0084] The driving method of the object transfer device illustrated in FIG. 7 can be performed by the object transfer device (10) described above. Therefore, even if the content described below is omitted, the description of the object transfer device (10) can be equally applied to the description of the driving method of the object transfer device.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 7, in step S11, the object transfer device (10) can control the first clamp unit (200) so that the first clamp unit (200) moves away from the longitudinal end of the body part (100) to form a gap space through which the object (1) can enter inward.

[0086] Next, in step S12, the object transfer device (10) can control the second clamp unit (300) so that the second clamp unit (300) moves away from the widthwise end of the body part (100) to form a gap space through which the object (1) can enter inward.

[0087] Next, in step S13, the object transfer device (10) can control the first clamp unit (200) to adjust the placement direction and placement position of the object (1) by causing the first clamp unit (200) to move to narrow the gap space formed by the first clamp unit (200) and the second clamp unit (300) while the object (1) has entered the gap space formed by the first clamp unit (200).

[0088] Next, in step S14, the object transfer device (10) can control the second clamp unit (300) to adjust the placement direction and placement position of the object (1) by having the object (1) enter the gap space, and the second clamp unit (300) move to narrow the gap space.

[0089] In the description above, steps S11 through S14 may be further divided into additional steps or combined into fewer steps according to an embodiment of the present invention. Additionally, some steps may be omitted as necessary, and the order of the steps may be changed.

[0090] A driving method for an object transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc., either individually or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be those specifically designed and configured for the present invention, or those known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes; optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as floptical disks; and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. Examples of program instructions include machine code, such as that generated by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operation of the present invention, and vice versa.

[0091] In addition, the driving method of the aforementioned object transfer device may also be implemented in the form of a computer program or application executed by a computer stored on a recording medium.

[0092] The foregoing description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will understand that other specific forms can be easily modified without altering the technical concept or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single unit may be implemented in a distributed manner, and components described as distributed may likewise be implemented in a combined form.

[0093] The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims set forth below rather than by the detailed description above, and all modifications or variations derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and the concept of equivalents thereof should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0094] 10: Object transfer device 100: Body part 200: 1st Clamp Unit 210: Floating cylinder 220: 1st Align Cylinder 230: First support structure 300: 2nd Clamp Unit 310: Clamp cylinder 320: Second alignment cylinder 330: Second support structure 1: Object

Claims

Claim 1 In an object transfer device, a body portion; a first clamp unit disposed at a longitudinal end of the body portion and configured to move along the longitudinal direction and align and support the object; A transfer device comprising: a second clamp unit disposed at the widthwise end of the body portion and configured to move along the widthwise direction and to align and support the object; wherein the first clamp unit is configured to enable switching between a movement state in which it moves to be spaced apart from the longitudinal end of the body portion to form a gap space in which the object can enter inward, and an alignment state in which it moves to narrow the gap space while the object has entered the gap space and adjusts the placement direction and placement position of the object; wherein the first clamp unit comprises a floating cylinder that supports the object, which is seated, upward to reduce friction of the object moving to adjust the placement direction and placement position in the alignment state, wherein the seating portion of the floating cylinder is formed of a ball-shaped member that contacts the lower surface of the object, and the ball-shaped member performs a rolling motion to correspond to the movement of the object according to the alignment. Claim 2 A transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the second clamp unit is configured to enable switching between a movement state in which it moves away from the widthwise end of the body part to form a gap space in which the object can enter inward, and an alignment state in which it moves to narrow the gap space while the object has entered the gap space and adjusts the placement direction and placement position of the object. Claim 3 A transfer device according to paragraph 2, wherein the first clamp unit comprises a first support structure for clamping the object by contacting the outer surface of the object, and the second clamp unit comprises a second support structure for clamping the object by contacting the outer surface of the object. Claim 4 A transfer device according to paragraph 2, wherein the object is seated on the first clamp unit, and the second clamp unit moves at a lower side relative to the height at which the object is seated on the first clamp unit. Claim 5 A transfer device according to claim 4, wherein the first clamp unit further comprises a first alignment cylinder that provides a driving force for the first clamp unit to move along the longitudinal direction according to a transition between the movement state or the alignment state. Claim 6 A transfer device according to claim 3, wherein the second clamp unit comprises: a second alignment cylinder that provides a driving force for the second clamp unit to move along the width direction according to a transition between the movement state or the alignment state; and a clamp cylinder that provides a driving force for the second support structure to move along the up-down direction to bring the second support structure into contact with the outer surface of the object. Claim 7 A transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the first clamp unit is spaced apart from each other in the width direction at one end of the body portion in the longitudinal direction and spaced apart from each other in the width direction at the other end of the body portion in the longitudinal direction. Claim 8 A transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the second clamp unit is spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction at one end of the width direction of the body part as a pair, and spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction at the other end of the width direction of the body part as a pair. Claim 9 A transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the object comprises an FMM (Fine Metal Mask). Claim 10 A driving method for an object transfer device according to claim 1, comprising: a step of controlling the first clamp unit so that the first clamp unit moves away from the longitudinal end of the body part to form a gap space through which the object can enter inward; a step of controlling the second clamp unit so that the second clamp unit moves away from the widthwise end of the body part to form a gap space through which the object can enter inward; a step of controlling the first clamp unit so that, while the object has entered the gap space, the first clamp unit moves to narrow the gap space and adjusts the placement direction and placement position of the object; and a step of controlling the second clamp unit so that, while the object has entered the gap space, the second clamp unit moves to narrow the gap space and adjusts the placement direction and placement position of the object.

Images