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JP-2026075030-A - Load port and conveying system

JP2026075030AJP 2026075030 AJP2026075030 AJP 2026075030AJP-2026075030-A

Abstract

[Challenge] Miniaturize the load port. [Solution] A load port comprising: a mounting section on which a container is placed; a storage section disposed below the mounting section; a port door capable of holding the door portion of the container; a bolt plate having an opening through which the substrate can be inserted and removed; and a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the port door relative to the opening, wherein the lifting mechanism comprises: a lifting section stored in the storage section; a connecting member that passes through a slit formed in the bolt plate and connects the lifting section and the port door; and a drive source stored in the storage section, which raises and lowers the lifting section between a first position and a second position, wherein the lifting section has a space into which the drive source can enter at the second position, and the second position is a position in which the lifting section overlaps with the drive source in a side view, and the space overlaps with the drive source in a plan view. [Selection Diagram] Figure 6

Inventors

  • ▲高▼城 弘樹

Assignees

  • 平田機工株式会社

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20250310
Priority Date
20241021

Claims (10)

  1. A mounting section on which a container containing a circuit board is placed, A storage section located below the aforementioned mounting section, A port door capable of holding the door portion of the aforementioned container, A bolt plate is positioned between the mounting section and the storage section and the port door, and is openable and closable by the port door, having an opening through which the substrate can be inserted and removed, A lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the port door relative to the opening, A load port equipped with, The aforementioned lifting mechanism is The lifting unit stored in the aforementioned storage unit, A connecting member that passes through a slit formed in the bolt plate and connects the lifting section and the port door, The drive mechanism comprises a drive source stored in the storage section, and the lifting section moves up and down between a first position and a second position, The lifting section has a space into which the drive source can enter at the second position. The second position is a position where the lifting portion overlaps with the drive source in a side view, and the space overlaps with the drive source in a plan view. A load port characterized by the following features.
  2. A load port according to claim 1, The aforementioned lifting mechanism is The connecting member is provided with a retraction mechanism that moves it back and forth between a holding position in which the port door holds the door portion and a retracted position separated from the holding position, The system includes a support member that supports the reciprocating mechanism and forms the space. A load port characterized by the following features.
  3. A load port according to claim 2, The support member is a frame member including a first side plate and a second side plate, a first end plate connecting the first side plate and the second side plate, and a second end plate spaced apart from the first end plate and connecting the first side plate and the second side plate. The aforementioned space is part of the space enclosed by the frame member. A load port characterized by the following features.
  4. A load port according to claim 3, The support member includes a bottom plate connecting the first side plate and the second side plate. The aforementioned reciprocating mechanism is supported by the bottom plate, A load port characterized by the following features.
  5. A load port according to claim 2, The aforementioned reciprocating mechanism and the aforementioned space are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. The aforementioned space is located on the side of the bolt plate rather than the reciprocating mechanism. A load port characterized by the following features.
  6. A load port according to claim 2, The connecting member is slidably supported by the support member. A load port characterized by the following features.
  7. A load port according to claim 3, The aforementioned connecting member is A first connecting member is slidably supported on the first side plate of the support member and overlaps with the first side plate in a side view, The support member comprises a second connecting member which is slidably supported on the second side plate of the support member and which overlaps with the second side plate in a side view, A load port characterized by the following features.
  8. A load port according to claim 1, The drive mechanism comprises a ball screw shaft extending in the vertical direction and a ball nut that engages with the ball screw shaft. The aforementioned drive source is a motor, The ball screw shaft rotates as a result of the motor's drive. The motor is positioned within the storage compartment with its output shaft facing downwards. A load port characterized by the following features.
  9. A load port according to claim 1, The lifting section includes a support member that supports the connecting member and forms the space. A load port characterized by the following features.
  10. A transport system comprising a substrate transport device and a load port attached to the substrate transport device, The substrate transport device is A circuit board transport robot that transports circuit boards, The system comprises a housing for the aforementioned substrate transport robot, The aforementioned load port is A mounting section on which a container containing a circuit board is placed, A storage section located below the aforementioned mounting section, A port door capable of holding the door portion of the aforementioned container, A bolt plate is positioned between the mounting section and the storage section and the port door, and is openable and closable by the port door, having an opening through which the substrate can be inserted and removed, The port door is raised and lowered relative to the opening, The aforementioned bolt plate is attached to the housing. The aforementioned lifting mechanism is The lifting unit stored in the aforementioned storage unit, A connecting member that passes through a slit formed in the bolt plate and connects the lifting section and the port door, The drive mechanism comprises a drive source stored in the storage section, and the lifting section moves up and down between a first position and a second position, The lifting section has a space into which the drive source can enter at the second position. The second position is a position where the lifting portion overlaps with the drive source in a side view, and the space overlaps with the drive source in a plan view. A transport system characterized by the following features.

Description

This invention relates to a load port and a transport system. Containers such as FOUPs for housing substrates like semiconductor wafers are known. These containers are opened and closed at a load port provided in a substrate transport device, allowing substrates to be loaded and unloaded from inside the container. Patent Document 1 discloses a load port having a port door that holds the lid of the container, and the container is opened and closed by raising and lowering the port door. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-184831 External view of a transport system according to one embodiment of the present invention.Figure 1 shows the internal mechanism of the load port and substrate transport device of the transport system.Plan view of the configuration around the lifting/lowering section.A perspective view of the configuration around the lifting mechanism.Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the load port.Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the load port.A partial cross-sectional view of the area around part P1 in Figure 5, seen from the side.A partial cross-sectional view of the area around part P2 in Figure 5, seen from the side.A diagram showing other examples of motor placement. The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more features from the multiple features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. Furthermore, identical or similar configurations will be given the same reference numeral, and redundant descriptions will be omitted. <First Embodiment> <Overview of the device> Figure 1 is an external view of a transport system A according to one embodiment of the present invention. The transport system A comprises a load port 1 and a substrate transport device 100. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the internal mechanisms of the load port 1 and the substrate transport device 100, and is a schematic cross-sectional view when a container 200 is placed on the load port 1. In each figure, arrows X and Y indicate mutually orthogonal horizontal directions, and arrow Z indicates the vertical direction. The load port 1 is a device for opening and closing a container 200 such as a FOUP. The container 200 has a box-shaped container body 201 with an opening 201a on its side for loading and unloading a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer, and a door portion 202 that is detachably attached to the opening 201a and closes the opening 201a, thereby housing the substrate W. Figure 2 shows the door portion 202 being removed from the container body 201 by the load port 1, and the door portion 202 in the process of descending. The load port 1 is attached to a substrate transport device 100, which contains a substrate transport robot 110 that transports substrates W. The substrate transport device 100 has a housing 102 that accommodates the substrate transport robot 110. The load port 1 is attached to the front wall 102a of the housing 102. In the example shown in Figure 1, two load ports 1 are attached to the front wall 102a. The substrate transport robot 110 loads and unloads substrates W into and out of a container 200 placed on the load port 1. The substrate transport robot 110 includes an end effector 111 for holding the substrate W, a multi-joint arm 112 that holds the end effector 111 so that it can move back and forth at least, and a drive unit 113 that rotates and raises the multi-joint arm 112. The substrate transport robot 110 further includes a travel unit 114 that reciprocates the substrate transport robot 110 in the Y direction. As shown by the dashed line in Figure 2, the substrate W is loaded and unloaded by inserting the end effector 111 of the substrate transport robot 110 into the container body 201, which has an opening 201a on the substrate transport device 100 side. The load port 1 includes a mounting section 2 on which the container 200 is placed, a bolt plate 3, a port door 4, and a storage section 5 located below the mounting section 2. The bolt plate 3 is a plate-shaped wall extending in the Z direction, and includes a front surface 3a on the mounting section 2 side and a rear surface 3b on the substrate transport device 100 side. The bolt plate 3 closes the opening formed in the front wall section 102a, and together with the front wall section 102a, separates the external space on the mounting section 2 side from the substrate transport space 101 within the substrate transport device 100. In terms of being a partition wall, the bolt plate 3 can also be considered a component of the front wall section 102a. The bolt plate 3 includes an opening 30 through which the removed door section 202 and end effector 111 can pass in the X direction. Furthermore, the bolt plate 3 has a mounting section 3c at a predetermined