Carrying unit

A non-contact carrying unit comprising:

• a carrying head, in which a workpiece holding face opposing a carried object and a concave portion dented to the side of a rear end with respect to the workpiece holding face are formed, and which carries and holds the carried object in a nearly flat condition, the concave portion having an air guide face continued gently from the bottom face to the workpiece holding face;
• a cylindrical nozzle attached to the carrying head such that it projects from the bottom face of the concave portion so as to form a ring-like air discharging slit between the bottom face and the cylindrical nozzle, to discharge positive pressure air from the ring-like slit;
• and
• a vertical nozzle having a vertical hole opened substantially in the vertical direction with respect to the carried object in order to supply positive or negative pressure air to the carried object, and having a flat portion perpendicular to the vertical hole, the flat portion forming a same plane as the workpiece holding face, and a central portion of the cylindrical nozzle serving as the vertical nozzle,
• wherein, with the carrying head disposed above the carried object such that the workpiece holding face opposes the carried object, the carried object is carried in conditions that it is held by the workpiece holding face by suction, by discharging positive pressure air from the slit to suck and attract the carried object toward the workpiece holding face and thereafter supplying negative pressure air to the vertical hole while stopping the discharge of the positive pressure air from the slit.