Substrate Container Clamping and Rack Transfer for Easy Unloading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate containers face difficulties in unloading substrates due to scars on cushions and abrasion powder, which prevent substrates from disengaging from cushions, leading to restricted movement and improper placement on racks, hindering external transport mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A substrate container design featuring housing-side and lid-side support members with binding portions that clamp substrates when the lid is attached, and a moving mechanism that disengages substrates from these bindings when the lid is detached, allowing substrates to be placed horizontally on racks, facilitating easy unloading by external transport mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cushions are used to support substrates when the lid is detached, then substrates can be protected during transport, but substrates become stuck on cushions due to scars and abrasion powder, preventing proper unloading
Solution Approach 1:
The support function is segmented into two distinct mechanisms: cushions for transport protection and rack members for unloading operations. The lid attachment state determines which mechanism is active, allowing the system to switch between protection mode and unloading mode without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The support mechanism dynamically transitions between cushion-based support and rack-based support depending on lid attachment state. When the lid is attached, cushions support substrates; when detached, rack members support substrates, enabling the system to adapt to different operational requirements.
2Stability of the object's composition
If substrates are held by cushions when lid is detached, then substrates remain stationary, but movement of substrates is restricted making unloading difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The support system dynamically switches between static cushion support and movable rack support based on lid attachment. This allows substrates to be stable during transport yet easily movable during unloading, resolving the contradiction between stability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack members act as an intermediary mechanism between the cushion support system and the external transport mechanism. They provide a temporary support structure that facilitates substrate movement and positioning during unloading operations.
3Reliability
If substrates do not disengage from cushions, then cushions continue to hold substrates, but intervals between substrates cannot be secured and external transport mechanism cannot access substrates
Solution Approach 1:
The holding function is segmented between cushions (for secure transport holding) and rack members (for unloading facilitation). This segmentation allows substrates to be securely held during transport while enabling efficient unloading through the rack mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack members are preliminarily positioned to receive substrates before the unloading process begins. When the lid is detached, substrates automatically transition to rack support, preparing them for efficient extraction by the external transport mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate container includes a housing, rack members, housing-side support members for supporting ends of substrates, a moving mechanism for moving the substrates, a lid, and lid-side support members for supporting ends of the substrates. The housing-side support members have deepest portions for supporting the ends of the substrates to be immovable upward. In a state where the lid is attached to the housing, the housing-side support members and lid-side support members clamp the ends of the substrates in between, with lower surfaces of the substrates out of contact with the rack members, and the housing-side support members support the ends of the substrates in the deepest portions. When the lid detaches from the housing, the moving mechanism moves the substrates supported in the deepest portions to disengage the ends of the substrates from the deepest portions, and places the substrates in a substantially horizontal position on the rack members.