Substrate transfer apparatus and method of driving the same
AssigneeSamsung Techwin Co., Ltd.
InventorsSeong-Ku Kim, Jong-Eok Ban
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A substrate transfer apparatus and a method of driving the same includes a first guide block and a second guide block, and a single ball screw shaft connected to the first and second guide blocks moves the guide blocks in an axial direction thereof. A first drive unit rotates the ball screw shaft to concurrently move the pair of guide blocks, and a second drive unit connected to the second guide block separately moves the second guide block with respect to the first guide block.
Claims12
A substrate transfer apparatus comprising:
- a first guide rail on which a first conveyor belt is rotatably supported and at which one side of a substrate to be transferred is disposed;
- a first ball screw nut fixed with respect to the first guide rail;
- a ball screw shaft inserted into the first ball screw nut and rotatably disposed to move the first ball screw nut and the first guide rail in an axial direction of the ball screw shaft during rotation thereof;
- a second guide rail spaced apart from the first guide rail, on which a second conveyor belt is rotatably supported, and at which another side of the substrate to be transferred is disposed, the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt operable to transfer the substrate disposed thereon;
- a second ball screw nut rotatably supported on the second guide rail and operable to engage the ball screw shaft to move the second guide rail in the axial direction of the ball screw shaft when the ball screw shaft is rotated;
- a first drive unit connected to the ball screw shaft and operable to rotate the ball screw shaft;
- and
- a second drive unit connected to the second ball screw nut and operable to rotate the second ball screw nut.
A method of driving a substrate transfer apparatus including a first guide rail on which a first conveyor belt is rotatably supported and at which one side of a substrate to be transferred is disposed;
- a first ball screw nut fixed to the first guide rail;
- a ball screw shaft inserted into the first ball screw nut and rotatably disposed to move the first ball screw nut and the first guide rail in an axial direction of the ball screw shaft during rotation thereof;
- a second guide rail spaced a predetermined gap from the first guide rail, on which a second conveyor belt is rotatably supported, and at which another side of the substrate to be transferred is disposed, the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt operable to transfer the substrate disposed thereon;
- a second ball screw nut rotatably disposed on the second guide rail and operable to engage the ball screw shaft to move the second guide rail in the axial direction of the ball screw shaft when the ball screw shaft is rotated;
- a first drive unit connected to the ball screw shaft and operable to rotate the ball screw shaft;
- and a second drive unit connected to the second ball screw nut and operable to rotate the second ball screw nut, the method comprising:
- driving the first drive unit connected to the ball screw shaft to rotate the ball screw shaft to thereby concurrently move the first guide rail and the second guide rail in the axial direction of the ball screw shaft by rotatably engaging the first ball screw nut fixed to the first guide rail and the second ball screw nut rotatably disposed on the second guide rail, respectively;
- and
- driving the second drive unit connected to the second ball screw nut rotatably disposed on the second guide rail to rotate the second ball screw nut and engage the ball screw shaft to thereby adjust a gap between the first and second guide rails.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.