Apparatus for gripping a flat substrate
AssigneeBalzers und Leybold Deutschland Holding AG
InventorsMichael Reising, Stefan Kempf, Michael Konig
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Several finger-like grippers (4) are held and guided in openings or holes (21) in the head part (6) of a housing (20) so they can pivot about axes which are in a common plane transverse to the longitudinal axis (L) of the housing (20). Permanent magnets (11, 12) fixed to the inner ends of the grippers (4) cooperate with an electromagnet (13) provided in the housing (20) above the magnets (11, 12), the magnetic field axis of the electromagnet coinciding with the longitudinal axis (L) of the housing (20). The electromagnet moves the inner ends of the grippers (11, 12) back and forth between two stops (16, 17) depending on the polarity of the electromagnet (13).
Claims5
Apparatus for gripping a disk-like substrate having a central opening, said apparatus comprising
- a housing having a longitudinal axis, inner stop surfaces facing outward from said axis, and outer stop surfaces facing said inner stop surfaces,
- a plurality of finger-like grippers pivotably supported in said housing to pivot about pivot axes in a common plane which is transverse to said longitudinal axis, each gripper having an inner end which is pivotable between one of said inner stop surfaces and one of said outer stop surfaces, and an outer end protruding from said housing,
- permanent magnets attached to said inner ends of said grippers, said permanent magnets serving to hold said inner ends against one of said inner stop surfaces and said outer stop surfaces, and
- an electromagnet having a field axis which coincides with the longitudinal axis of the housing, said electromagnet being switchable between a first polarity which moves the inner ends toward the inner stop surfaces and a second polarity which moves the inner ends toward the outer stop surfaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.