Glass Substrate Pick-and-Place Apparatus with Rotating Rods
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing technology lacks an efficient and automated pick-and-place apparatus for handling glass substrates in liquid crystal display manufacturing, leading to manual handling that is time-consuming and prone to substrate damage due to the substrates' brittleness and tight storage spaces.
Innovation Solution
A pick-and-place apparatus comprising a chassis, transportation platform with transferring rods, a lifting mechanism, and an assisting device that allows for precise and automated retrieval and repositioning of glass substrates within a cartridge, using a combination of horizontal and vertical displacing mechanisms and rollers to minimize damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual handling is used to retrieve and place glass substrates from the cartridge, then flexibility and simplicity are maintained, but time consumption increases and the risk of substrate damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transferring device automatically retrieves glass substrates from the cartridge and places them on the production line without human intervention. The device serves itself by using the cartridge structure to guide the transferring rods, which automatically engage with the substrates and move them between locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical handling with an automated mechanical system consisting of transferring rods, lifting mechanisms, and displacing devices. This automated system eliminates the need for human operators to manually handle the fragile glass substrates, thereby reducing both time consumption and damage risk.
2Device complexity
If manual handling is used to retrieve and place glass substrates from the cartridge, then equipment complexity is avoided, but the risk of substrate damage increases due to brittleness and tight spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The transferring rods act as intermediaries between the cartridge and the production line. These rods are specifically designed to engage with the glass substrates in the tight spaces of the cartridge without causing damage. The lifting mechanism serves as another intermediary that carefully elevates substrates without exposing them to harmful forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The transferring device incorporates localized features such as rollers on the transferring rods that make contact with specific areas of the glass substrates. This localized contact minimizes stress on the fragile substrates while enabling effective retrieval from the tight cartridge spaces.
3Productivity
If automated transferring device is implemented, then handling efficiency and productivity are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transferring device is segmented into distinct functional modules: transferring rods for substrate engagement, lifting mechanisms for vertical movement, and horizontal displacing devices for position changes. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining overall system manageability despite the increased automation.
Data Source
AI summary
A pick-and-place apparatus for handling glass substrate is disclosed and which comprises a chassis and a transportation platform which includes a transferring device disposed on the chassis and includes a first frame and a plurality of transferring rods rotationally disposed across the first frame along a first reference direction. A vertical displacing mechanism is provided for moving the transportation platform to move vertically to a pre-determined height. And a horizontal displacing device is provided for moving the transportation platform to more along the first reference direction such that the transferring device can be moved in and out of the cartridge, wherein the first transferring rods rotationally move the glass substrate into the cartridge or out of the cartridge.