Tray Transfer Apparatus with Sensing Unit for Vacuum Deposition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate transfer systems in vacuum deposition for organic electroluminescent display devices lack efficient sensing mechanisms for tray entrance and discharge, leading to potential substrate damage and reduced processing speed.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a transferring unit comprising pulleys and a sensing unit equipped with sensors to detect tray entrance and discharge, ensuring precise control and maintaining the tray's upright position during transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a substrate transfer system is used in vacuum deposition, then substrate processing is enabled, but substrate damage may occur due to lack of sensing mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing unit detects tray entrance and discharge conditions before the transfer process completes, allowing the control unit to prepare and execute stopping actions in advance. This preliminary detection prevents substrate damage by ensuring the tray is properly positioned and secured before full transfer occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing unit provides continuous feedback to the control unit about tray position and transfer status. This feedback mechanism allows real-time monitoring and adjustment of the transfer process, enabling the system to respond to unexpected conditions and prevent substrate damage through automated control adjustments.
2Productivity
If transfer speed is increased to improve productivity, then processing speed increases, but substrate damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer system dynamically adjusts its operation based on real-time sensing data. The control unit modifies transfer speed and stopping points according to actual tray position and condition, allowing high-speed operation when conditions are favorable while automatically reducing speed or pausing when sensing indicates potential risks, thus maintaining both productivity and safety.
3Measurement precision
If sensing mechanisms are added to detect tray entrance and discharge, then transfer control precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing unit is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting tray entrance, monitoring tray position during transfer, and detecting tray discharge. This multi-functional sensing approach achieves high measurement precision across all transfer stages without requiring separate sensing systems for each function, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for transferring an upright tray at high speeds that can sense an entrance and discharge of the tray. The apparatus includes a transferring unit with pulleys driven by a driving source to form a transferring path. The pulleys contact a fixing member, which is attached to a lower edge of a substrate and mask fixed to the tray. The apparatus also includes a sensing unit with a sensor installed beneath the transferring path to detect the entrance and discharge of the tray. The apparatus may also include rollers disposed to contact both sides of the upper portion of the tray, and the rollers may be coupled with moveable members encased within rails along the transferring path so that the rollers can translate when a tray passes between two rollers. The rollers along both sides of the tray can be arranged symmetrically or alternately in a zigzag pattern.