Turntable Device for Glass Substrate Transfer

The patent merges the waiting area function with the rotating table by making the rotating table itself capable of holding substrates during rotation. The rotating table is designed with multiple substrate holding positions, allowing substrates to be transferred directly between export and import apparatus without requiring a separate waiting area, thus combining storage and transfer functions into a single integrated system.

The patent utilizes vertical space by designing the rotating table with multiple levels or layers for substrate placement. Instead of expanding the waiting area horizontally, the system stacks substrate holding positions vertically, allowing multiple substrates to be held simultaneously in a compact footprint, thereby reducing the horizontal working space requirement.

The patent extracts the waiting area concept from the displacing device path and relocates it to the rotating table structure. This eliminates the need for the horizontal displacing device to extend under a waiting area, as substrates are directly loaded onto the rotating table at the export apparatus location. The displacing device only needs to reach the rotating table surface, simplifying its travel path and reducing structural complexity.

The rotating table serves as an intermediary between the export and import apparatus. Instead of the pick-and-place arm directly transferring substrates between distant locations requiring long extension, the rotating table mediates the transfer by receiving substrates at one position and delivering them at another position through rotation, reducing the required extension distance of the displacing device.