Disk edge polishing machine and disk edge polishing system

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a disk edge polishing machine and a disk edge polishing system, more precisely relates to a disk edge polishing machine, which is capable of polishing an inner edge of a center hole of a disk and an outer edge thereof, and a disk edge polishing system including the disk edge polishing machines.

Glass disks are now used for manufacturing hard disks, laser disks, magnetic disks, etc. Inner edges and outer edges of glass disks must be beveled (rounded) and polished.

Conventionally, high polishing accuracy was not required but, these days, high polishing accuracy is required so as to make memory density higher. If the polishing accuracy is low, glassy dusts are scattered from the edges of the glass disks and badly influence functions of the glass disks, etc. Therefore, the edges of the glass disks must be polished like mirror faces with higher polishing accuracy.

Conventionally, the edges of the glass disks are polished, by a brush, to polish the edges of the glass disks. For example, the conventional method of polishing the edges of the glass disks are executed by the steps of: piling and holding the glass disks, e.g., 100 disks; supplying slurry (liquid abrasive agent including abrasive powder of ceria) to the brush; and rotating or reciprocally moving the brush so as to polish the edges of the glass disks.

However, in the conventional method, polishing speed is very low because of polishing many piled glasses by the brush. And the inner edges and the outer edges are polished by the brush, so polishing time must be longer. Further, it was impossible to polish with the required polishing accuracy (flatness or roughness).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a disk edge polishing machine capable of polishing the edges of the glass disks with higher polishing accuracy.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a disk edge polishing system capable of efficiently polishing the edges of the glass disks with higher polishing accuracy.

To achieve the objects, the present invention has following structures.

The disk edge polishing machine, which polishes an inner edge of a center hole of a disk and an outer edge thereof, comprises:

a sucking member having a cylindrical end section, the sucking member sucking the disk by the cylindrical end section and exposing the inner edge and the outer edge of the disk, the sucking member spinning together with the disk;

an outer polishing member polishing the outer edge of the disk;

an inner polishing member being inserted into the center hole and simultaneously polishing the inner edge of the disk;

a first driving mechanism relatively moving the outer polishing member and the sucking member close to and away from the outer edge of the disk along a predetermined course; and

a second driving mechanism relatively moving the inner polishing member and the sucking member close to and away from the inner edge of the disk along another predetermined course extended from the predetermined course.

In the disk edge polishing machine of the present invention, the outer polishing member and the inner polishing member can be smoothly relatively moved to and away from the disk, so that the inner edge and the outer edge can be simultaneously polished with higher polishing accuracy. By simultaneously polishing the both edges, polishing efficiency can be higher and required time to polish the disk can be shorter.

In the disk edge polishing machine, an inner circumferential face of the outer polishing member may contact the outer edge of the disk, and

the outer polishing member may be spun so as to polish the outer edge of the disk. With this structure, contact area between the outer polishing member and the outer edge of the disk can be broader, so that the outer edge can be stably polished with high polishing accuracy and the polishing efficiency can be improved.

In the disk edge polishing machine, the outer polishing member may be spun about a fixed shaft, which is not relatively moved with respect to a base. With this structure, the outer polishing member, which is relatively large, is not moved except spinning, so the polishing work can be executed stably.

In the disk edge polishing machine, the predetermined courses may be arc courses rounding a coaxial center. With this structure, the moving courses of the outer polishing member and the inner polishing member can be easily set on the same line.

In the disk edge polishing machine, the first driving mechanism may include:

a first arm having a first end, to which the sucking member is rotatably attached, and a second end, which is capable of pivoting about the coaxial center so as to move the sucking member on the arc course; and

a first arm driving unit for turning the first arm, and the second driving mechanism may include:

a second arm having a first end, to which the inner polishing member is rotatably attached, and a second end, which is capable of pivoting about the coaxial center so as to move the inner polishing member on the arc course; and

a second arm driving unit for turning the second arm.

With this structure, the driving mechanisms, which are capable of precisely moving, can be simplified. Therefore, the polishing accuracy can be improved, and manufacturing cost of the machine can be reduced.

In the disk edge polishing machine, the predetermined courses are linear courses. With this structure, the outer edge of the disk can be always moved, with respect to the outer polishing member, with fixed angle, and the inner edge of the disk can be always moved, with respect to the inner polishing member, with fixed angle, so that the edges can be polished stably.

In the disk edge polishing machine, the first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism may be air cylinder units. With this structure, the edges can be pressed onto the polishing members with proper controlled forces, so that the edges can be properly polished.

In the disk edge polishing machine, the outer polishing member and the inner polishing member may be mainly made of urethane foam. With this structure, the polishing members are inexpensive and can be exchanged easily.

In the disk edge polishing machine, a plurality of ring grooves may be formed in the inner circumferential face of the outer polishing member and arranged, in the axial direction of the outer polishing member, with regular separations, and

a plurality of ring grooves are formed in the outer circumferential face of the inner polishing member and arranged, in the axial direction of the inner polishing member, with regular separations. With this structure, the edges of the disk, which have been beveled, can be properly polished like a mirror face.

In the disk edge polishing machine may further comprise:

an outer slurry path supplying slurry to a portion in which the outer polishing member contacts the outer edge of the disk; and

an inner slurry path being communicated to an inner space of the sucking member, the inner slurry path supplying slurry to a portion in which the inner polishing member contacts the inner edge of the disk. With this structure, the slurry can be properly supplied to the portions, so that the edges can be properly polished.

Next, the disk edge polishing system of the present invention has following structures.

The disk edge polishing system comprises:

a couple of polishing stages, each of which has a disk edge polishing machine, which polishes an inner edge of a center hole of a disk and an outer edge thereof, including:

a sucking member having a cylindrical end section, the sucking member sucking the disk by the cylindrical end section and exposing the inner edge and the outer edge of the disk, the sucking member spinning together with the disk;

an outer polishing member polishing the outer edge of the disk;

an inner polishing member being inserted into the center hole and simultaneously polishing the inner edge of the disk;

a first driving mechanism relatively moving the outer polishing member and the sucking member close to and away from the outer edge of the disk along a predetermined course; and

a second driving mechanism relatively moving the inner polishing member and the sucking member close to and away from the inner edge of the disk along another predetermined course extended from the predetermined course; and

a disk handling machine feeding the disk to and receiving the disk from the sucking members of the polishing stages.

In the disk edge polishing system of the present invention, the disk can be fed to or received from one of the polishing stages while another disk is polished in the other polishing stage. Therefore, the disks are fed to or received from one of the polishing stages alternately, so that the disks can be efficiently fed to or received from the polishing stages. Namely, the edges of the disks can be efficiently polished, with high polishing accuracy, without complicating the system.

The disk edge polishing system may further comprise a cleansing stage being located between the polishing stages, the cleansing stage cleansing the disks, which are alternately conveyed from the polishing stages. The disks polished in the both polishing stages can be cleansed in one cleansing stage, so that the system can be simplified.

In the disk edge polishing system, centers of the polishing stages and the cleansing stage may be linearly arranged along a standard line, and

the cleansing stage may be located at a center between the polishing stages. With this structure, the disks can be conveyed among the stages efficiently.

In the disk edge polishing system, the disk handling machine may have a chucking unit for holding the disk, and

the chucking unit may be moved, in parallel to the standard line, by a driving unit. With this structure, the chucking unit can be efficiently moved among the stages, so that the disks can be efficiently fed and received.

In the disk edge polishing system, the sucking members may be reciprocally moved, between the polishing stages and the cleansing stage, by a reciprocating unit. With this structure, the disks can be securely held while the disks are polished and cleansed, and they can be fed and received efficiently.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEIR DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1

is a plan view of a first embodiment of the disk edge polishing machine of the present invention;

FIG. 2

is a plan view of an embodiment of the disk edge polishing system including the machines shown in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 3

is a side sectional view of a polishing machine, which polishes an outer edge of a disk, shown in

FIG. 2

;

FIG. 4

is a plan view of a first driving mechanism shown in

FIG. 3

;

FIG. 5

is a sectional view of a sucking member for holding the disk;

FIG. 6

is a side sectional view of a polishing machine, which polishes an inner edge of the disk, shown in

FIG. 2

;

FIG. 7

is a plan view of a second driving mechanism shown in

FIG. 6

;

FIG. 8

is an explanation view showing a positional relationship between an outer polishing member and an inner polishing member wherein the polishing machine for polishing the inner edge is located on the opposite side, with respect to

FIG. 2

, so as to clearly understand;

FIG. 9

is a plan view of a second embodiment of the disk edge polishing machine; and

FIG. 10

is a plan view of a third embodiment of the disk edge polishing machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A first embodiment of the disk edge polishing machine of the present invention will be explained with reference to

FIGS. 1-8

.

In

FIG. 1

, a glass disk

10

has a center hole

12

, an inner edge

14

and an outer edge

16

.

The disk

10

is used as a substrate of a hard disk for a memory unit of a personal computer. For example, an outer diameter of the disk

10

is 95 mm; an inner diameter of the center hole

12

is 25 mm; a thickness of the disk

10

is 0.9 mm; and beveling angles of the edges

14

and

16

are 90°.

In

FIG. 1

, crossing lines are drawn in the disk

10

so as to clearly show the disk

10

. Of course, no lines are actually formed on the surface of the disk

10

, and the surface of the disk

10

is made highly flat. In

FIG. 1

, the disk

10

located at an initial position, at which the disk

10

is located immediately before and after polishing, is shown by a two-dot chain line.

An outer polishing member

20

is spun about its own axis so as to polish the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

by an inner circumferential face

22

. In the first embodiment, the outer polishing member

20

is formed into a circular cylindrical shape and has the inner circumferential face

22

. The outer polishing member

20

is spun by rotary means

24

.

The outer polishing member

20

is spun about a fixed shaft

42

, which is not relatively moved with respect to a base

40

. With this structure, the outer polishing member

20

, which is relatively large, is not moved except spinning, so that the polishing work can be stably executed.

An inner polishing member

30

is inserted in the center hole

12

of the disk

10

. An outer circumferential face of the inner polishing member

30

contacts the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

, and the inner polishing member

30

is spun so as to polish the inner edge

14

. The outer edge

16

and the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

can be polished simultaneously. Note that, in

FIG. 1

, the inner polishing member

30

polishing and the inner polishing member

30

located at an initial position, at which the inner polishing member

30

is located immediately before and after polishing, are shown by black circles.

As clearly shown, the inner polishing member

30

is formed into a columnar shape and has the outer circumferential face

32

. The inner polishing member

30

is spun, about its own axis, by rotary means

34

.

To make the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

contact the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

, the disk

10

is moved close to and away from the outer polishing member

20

, by a sucking member

50

and a first driving mechanism

60

, along a predetermined course “P”. In the present embodiment, the course “P” is an arc course. Simultaneously, the outer polishing member is moved, by a second driving mechanism

70

, so as to make the outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

contact the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

, along another predetermined arc course, which corresponds to an arc line extended from the course “P”. Namely, the predetermined courses correspond to the arc “P” having radius “R” from a center

65

. A center of the disk

10

and a center of the inner polishing member

30

are moved along the arc “P”.

With this structure, the outer edge

16

and the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

can be simultaneously polished by properly moving the disk

10

and the inner polishing member

30

.

Since the disk

10

and the inner polishing member

30

are moved on the same course “P”, the inner polishing member

30

can be smoothly moved in the center hole

12

of the disk

10

, so that the outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

can properly contact the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

. When the edges

14

and

16

of the disk

10

is polished, a direction of pressing force working to the edges

14

and

16

and a direction of the counter force of the pressing force are on the same line. Thus, forces, which work to the first and the second driving mechanisms

60

and

70

, always work in the same line, so that vibration of the machine can be prevented. By preventing the vibration, the edges

14

and

16

can be polished with higher polishing accuracy.

In the present embodiment, the direction of pressing the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

onto the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

is equal to the direction of pressing the outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

onto the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

. Therefore, the pressing force for pressing the disk onto the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

is the sum of a force for moving the disk

10

by the sucking member

50

and a force for moving the inner polishing member

30

.

Contact area between the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

and the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

is apt to be broader than contact area between the outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

and the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

when the machine polishes the edges

14

and

16

uniformly. Thus, the force pressing the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

onto the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

may be greater than the force pressing the outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

onto the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

. Therefore, output forces of the first and the second driving mechanisms

60

and

70

can be easily designed, the structure of the machine can be simplified and manufacturing cost of the machine can be reduced.

Concrete examples of mechanisms of the disk edge polishing machine will be explained with reference to

FIGS. 2-8

. Note that,

FIG. 2

shows an embodiment of the disk edge polishing system including the disk edge polishing machines of the first embodiment.

As shown in

FIGS. 2-5

and

8

, especially clearly shown in

FIG. 5

, the sucking member

50

has a cylindrical end section and sucks the disk

10

by the cylindrical end section. When the sucking member

50

holds the disk

10

, the inner edge

14

and the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

are exposed. The sucking member

50

is capable of spinning together with the disk

10

.

Rotary means

52

(see

FIG. 8

) includes a motor

53

, which is provided on a first arm

64

, and a reduction gear unit (not shown) so as to spin the sucking member

50

and the disk

10

. A rotary shaft

54

is rotatably held by a cylindrical bearing section

55

, which is fixed to the first arm

64

and headed downward, and the rotary shaft

54

is rotated by the motor

53

with the reduction gear unit (see

FIGS. 3

,

5

and

8

). With this structure, the sucking member

50

, which is fixed to a lower end of the rotary shaft

54

, can be spun.

The first driving mechanism

60

moves the sucking member

50

close to and away from the outer polishing member

22

along the predetermined course so as to make the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

contact the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

(see FIGS.

2

-

4

).

As shown in

FIG. 4

, the first driving mechanism

60

has the first arm

64

, which is pivotatably attached to a first base section

62

, and a first cylinder unit

66

.

The sucking member

50

is rotatably attached to one end of the first arm

64

. The other end of the first arm

64

is pivotably attached to the first base section

62

and can be rotated about a shaft

65

. With this structure, the sucking member

50

can be moved along the arc course “P”.

An end

66

a

of the first cylinder unit

66

is pivotably connected to the first base section

62

. The other end

66

b

is pivotably connected to a front end of a first lever

68

, which is fixed to a first shaft member

67

. With this structure, the first cylinder unit

66

rotates the first arm

64

as a first arm driving unit.

By driving the first cylinder unit

66

, the disk

10

, which is held by the sucking member

50

and shown by the two-dot chain line, can be moved along the arc course “P”, so that the disk

10

can be moved close to and away from the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

, which is shown by one-dot chain line. Note that, in the present embodiment, the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

can be made contact the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

by retracting the first cylinder unit

66

.

The second driving mechanism

70

moves the inner polishing member

30

close to and away from the sucking member

50

along the predetermined course “P” so as to make the outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

contact the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

(see FIGS.

6

and

7

).

As shown in

FIG. 7

, the second driving mechanism

70

has a second arm

74

, which is pivotatably attached to a second base section

72

, and a second cylinder unit

76

.

The inner polishing member

30

is rotatably attached to one end of the second arm

74

. The other end of the second arm

74

is pivotably attached to the second base section

72

and can be rotated about the shaft

65

. With this structure, the inner polishing member

30

can be moved along the arc course “P”.

An end

76

a

of the second cylinder unit

76

is pivotably connected to the second base section

72

. The other end

76

b

is pivotably connected to a front end of a second lever

78

, which is fixed to a second shaft member

77

. With this structure, the second cylinder unit

76

rotates the second arm

74

as a second arm driving unit.

By driving the second cylinder unit

76

, the inner polishing member

30

can be moved along the arc course “P”, so that the inner polishing member

30

can be moved close to and away from the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

, which is held by the sucking member

50

. Note that, in the present embodiment, the outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

can be made contact the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

by extending the second cylinder unit

76

.

As described above, the elements are moved along the same arc course “P”, whose center is the shaft

65

, so that the course of the disk

10

for moving close to and away from the outer polishing member

20

and the course of the inner polishing member

30

for moving close to and away from the disk

10

can be easily coincided.

By coinciding the courses, the inner edge

14

and the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

can be simultaneously polished with high polishing accuracy, and the polishing efficiency can be improved.

Despite the first and the second driving mechanisms

60

and

70

have simple structures, they can drive with high accuracy. The first arm

64

and the second arm

74

, which are used for polishing the edges

14

and

16

of the disk

10

, are rotated about the common shaft

65

, so the structures can be simplified and variation of load can be reduced. Therefore, polishing accuracy can be improved and the manufacturing cost of the machine can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the air cylinder units

66

and

76

are employed in the first and the second driving mechanisms

60

and

70

, the force for pressing the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

onto the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

and the force for pressing the outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

onto the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

can be easily controlled, and the edges

14

and

16

of the disk

10

can be properly beveled and polished.

The rotary means

24

, which rotates the outer polishing member

20

, comprises: an electric motor

25

being fixed to the base

40

; a rotary member

26

being rotatably supported by a bearing section

44

, which is provided to the base

40

and to which the outer polishing member

20

is fixed; a pulley

27

fixed to an output shaft of the motor

25

; a pulley

28

being fixed to the rotary shaft

26

and coaxial to the outer polishing member

20

; and a belt

29

being engaged with the pulleys

27

and

28

(see FIG.

8

).

With this structure, the outer polishing member

20

can be spun about the fixed shaft

42

, which is fixed to the base

40

, so that the polishing work can be executed more stably.

The rotary means

34

, which rotates the inner polishing member

30

, comprises: an electric motor

35

being fixed to the second arm

74

; a rotary member

36

being rotatably supported by a bearing section

75

, which is provided to the second arm

74

and to which the inner polishing member

30

is fixed; a pulley

37

fixed to an output shaft of the motor

35

; a pulley

38

being fixed to the rotary shaft

36

and coaxial to the inner polishing member

30

; and a belt

39

being engaged with the pulleys

37

and

38

(see FIGS.

6

and

8

).

With this structure, the inner polishing member

30

can be rotated by the rotary means

34

, which is provided to the second arm

74

, so that the driving force can be directly transmitted and the polishing work can be executed more stably.

In the present embodiment, the disk

10

is horizontally arranged and polished, so that the edges of the disk

10

can be uniformly polished without being badly influenced by the gravity. The shafts and the axes of spinning members are vertically arranged or extended.

Preferably, the spinning directions of the outer polishing member and the inner polishing member are opposite to the spinning direction of the disk

10

, which is held by the sucking member

50

. The spinning directions of the spinning members are not limited, and they may be selected on the basis of polishing conditions.

The mechanisms, which relatively horizontally move the outer. polishing member

20

and the outer polishing member

30

with respect to the disk

10

, have been described above.

Successively, a mechanism, which vertically moves the disk

10

so as to make the outer edge

16

contact the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

, and another mechanism, which vertically moves the inner polishing member

30

so as to make the outer circumferential face

32

contact the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

, will be explained. Further, a disk handling machine for feeding and receiving the disk

10

will be explained.

Firstly, the mechanism

56

, which vertically moves the sucking member

50

so as to vertically move the disk

10

with respect to the outer polishing member

20

, will be explained with reference to

FIGS. 2-5

and

8

.

As shown in

FIG. 3

, a linear guide rail

57

a

is vertically arranged and fixed to a horizontal base

82

, which is horizontally moved by a horizontal driving mechanism

80

. A slider

57

b

, which is fixed to a first base

62

, is slidably attached to the linear guide rail

57

a

. With this structure, a guide mechanism

57

guides the first base

62

in the vertical direction.

As shown in

FIG. 8

, a ball screw

58

a

is vertically arranged and rotated by a servomotor

58

b

. With this structure, a driving unit

58

moves the first base

62

in the vertical direction. Note that, the driving unit

58

is not shown in

FIG. 3

, and the guide mechanism

57

is not shown in FIG.

8

.

The elevating mechanism

56

, which includes the guide mechanism

57

and the driving unit

58

, moves the sucking member

50

, in the vertical direction, with the first arm

64

and the rotary member

54

. The vertical motion of the sucking member

50

is highly precisely controlled by the servo motor

58

b.

By the elevating mechanism

56

, the disk

10

, which has been held by the lower end section of the sucking member

50

, can be inserted into the outer polishing member

20

and level of the disk

10

, with respect to the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

, can be optionally adjusted. Thus, level of a contact point, at which the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

contacts the inner circumferential face of the outer polishing member

20

, can be periodically changed so as to use the whole inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

. By changing the level of the contact point, the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

can be uniformly abraded, so that frequency of changing the outer polishing member

20

can be lower, the polishing efficiency can be improved and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Next, the mechanism

46

, which vertically moves the inner polishing member

30

with respect to the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

, will be explained with reference to

FIGS. 6-8

.

As shown in

FIG. 6

, a linear guide rail

47

a

is vertically arranged and fixed to the base

40

. A slider

47

b

, which is fixed to a second base

72

, is slidably attached to the linear guide rail

54

a

. With this structure, a guide mechanism

47

guides the second base

72

in the vertical direction.

As shown in

FIG. 8

, a ball screw

48

a

is vertically arranged and rotated by a servo motor

48

b

. With this structure, a driving unit

48

moves the second base

72

in the vertical direction. Note that, the driving unit

48

is not shown in

FIG. 6

, and the guide mechanism

47

is not shown in FIG.

8

.

The elevating mechanism

46

, which includes the guide mechanism

47

and the driving unit

48

, moves the inner polishing member

30

, in the vertical direction, with the second arm

74

and the rotary member

36

. The vertical motion of the inner polishing member

30

is highly precisely controlled by the servo motor

48

b.

By the elevating mechanism

46

, the inner polishing member

30

, which is fixed to an upper end of the rotary member

36

, can be inserted into the center hole

12

of the disk

10

and level of the inner polishing member

30

, with respect to the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

, can be optionally adjusted. Thus, level of a contact point, at which the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

contacts the outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

, can be periodically changed so as to use the whole outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

. By changing the level of the contact point, the outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

can be uniformly abraded, so that frequency of changing the inner polishing member

30

can be lower, the polishing efficiency can be improved and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Next, polishing materials of the outer and the inner polishing members will be explained.

The outer and the inner polishing members

20

and

30

of the present embodiment is mainly made of urethane foam. The urethane foam is inexpensive and can be easily exchanged. The urethane foam has a porous structure, so slurry can be kept in fine porous holes. The slurry kept in the fine porous holes can be properly supplied to portions between the polishing members

20

and

30

and the edges

14

and

16

of the disk

10

, so that the polishing work can be executed properly.

A plurality of ring grooves are formed in the vertical inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

and they are arranged, in the axial direction of the outer polishing member

20

, with regular separations. Further, a plurality of ring grooves are formed in the vertical outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

and they are also arranged, in the axial direction of the inner polishing member

30

, with regular separations.

By forming the ring grooves, the beveled edges

14

and

16

, whose sectional shapes look like tapered-shapes with tapered angles, e.g., 90° can be wholly properly polished. Namely, an upper and a lower beveled portions of the inner edge

14

and an upper and a lower beveled portions of the outer edge

16

can be securely contact the ring grooves of the outer and the inner polishing members

20

and

30

, so that the beveled portions can be efficiently polished. If the polishing materials of the outer and the inner polishing members

20

and

30

have enough softness and is capable of properly contact the beveled portions of the edges of the disk

10

, no ring grooves are required.

The materials and the shapes of the outer and the inner polishing member

20

and

30

may be selected on the basis of polishing conditions.

For example, in the present embodiment, the polishing members

20

and

30

are mainly made of urethane foam. But they may be mainly made of, for example, hard urethane foam including silica powders.

In the case that the polishing members are made of synthetic resin, e.g., hard urethane foam, the circumferential faces

22

and

32

of the polishing members

20

and

30

may be cut or ground so as to make new polishing faces or new ring grooves. Namely, the polishing members can be reused.

The polishing members are not limited to the urethane foam. For example, each polishing member may comprise: a base body; and polishing cloth adhered on the base body. If the polishing cloth has enough softness and can deform along the shape of the edge

14

or

16

of the disk

10

when the edge are pressed onto the polishing cloth, the polishing cloth can polish the upper and the lower beveled portions of the edge as well as the ring groove.

Next, sucking action of the sucking member

50

, which is capable of holding the disk

10

, will be explained with reference to FIG.

5

.

The sucking member

50

includes a cylindrical sucking head

51

, whose lower end if opened. The inner polishing member

30

is capable of entering an inner space Sla of the sucking head

51

(see FIG.

8

).

An air inlet

59

is opened in a bottom face of the sucking head

51

and communicated to a vacuum generator

59

a

via an air path formed in the sucking head

51

.

An outer V-ring

17

is fitted in an outer ring groove

51

c, which is formed in the bottom face of the sucking head

51

. A lip section

17

a

of the outer V-ring

17

is exposed and its free end is headed outward.

An inner V-ring

18

is fitted in an inner ring groove

51

d

, which is formed in the bottom face of the sucking head

51

and located inside of the outer ring groove

51

c

. A lip section

18

a

of the inner V-ring

18

is exposed and its free end is headed inward.

Note that, the air inlet

59

is opened in a flat face

19

between the outer V-ring

17

and the inner V-ring

18

.

Cloth

19

a

is adhered on and covers the bottom face of the sucking head

51

except the V-rings

17

and

18

so as to protect an upper surface of the disk

10

. Therefore, the cloth has enough softness.

To hold the disk

10

by the sucking member

50

, the V-rings

17

and

18

are tightly fitted onto the upper surface of the disk

10

, then the vacuum generator

59

a

is driven. Air in a small space enclosed by the Vrings

17

and

18

, the flat face

19

and the upper surface of the disk

10

is drawn via the air inlet

59

, so that the space is negative pressure and the disk

10

is sucked.

The V-rings

17

and

18

are made of synthetic rubber. The V-rings

17

and

18

respectively have the lip sections

17

a

and

18

a

. By having the lip sections

17

a

and

18

a

, the V-rings

17

and

18

a

can tightly fit to the disk

10

without damaging the upper surface of the disk

10

.

The sucking head

51

is made as large as possible but the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

is exposed when the sucking head

51

sucks and holds the disk

10

. On the other hand, an inner diameter of the sucking head

51

is made as short as possible but the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

is exposed when the sucking head

51

sucks and holds the disk

10

. With this structure, sucking area of the sucking head

51

can be broad, and the disk

10

can be held with greater sucking force.

Note that, the sucking member

50

is not limited to the embodiment. For example, other sealing members may be used instead of the V-rings.

Next, means for supplying the slurry will be explained with reference to

FIGS. 1 and 5

.

An outer slurry path

23

supplies the slurry from a slurry supply unit

43

to a portion, in which the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

contacts the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

.

An inner slurry path

33

, which is communicated to an inner space of the sucking member

50

, supplies the slurry from the slurry supply unit

43

to a portion, in which the outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

contacts the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

.

With this structure, the slurry can be simultaneously supplied to the both portions, so that the both edges

14

and

16

can be polished simultaneously.

Next, the disk handling unit machine

90

, which is capable of feeding the disk

10

to and receiving the disk

10

from the sucking member

50

, will be explained with reference to

FIGS. 2

,

3

and

6

.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of loading cassettes

91

a

, in which the disks

10

to be fed to the sucking member

50

, and a plurality of unloading cassettes

91

b

, in which the disks

10

transferred from the sucking member

50

, are soaked in pure water in a water tank

91

.

A chucking unit

92

is capable of holding the disk

10

. The chucking unit

92

has a pair of claws

92

a

. The claws

92

a

are inserted into the center hole

12

of the disk

10

, then they are moved radially outward (opened) so as to hold the disk

10

. The chucking unit

92

is moved, by a driving mechanism

93

, to enter the loading cassette

91

a

, then the chucking unit

92

holds the disk

10

and conveys the disk

10

to the sucking member

50

. Upon transferring the disk

10

to the sucking member

50

, the chucking unit

92

receives another disk

10

from the sucking member

50

and conveys the disk

10

to the unloading cassette

91

b

. Namely, the disk handling machine

90

, which feeds the disk

10

to and receives the disk

10

from the sucking member

50

, comprises the chucking unit

92

and the driving mechanism

93

.

Note that, the disk handling machine

90

is not limited to the present embodiment. For example, sucking means, a chucking unit having claws for catching the outer edge of the disk, etc. may be employed instead of the chucking unit

92

.

The driving mechanism

93

, which moves the chucking unit

92

, comprises: an R-L driving unit

94

being provided to the base

40

; an R-L traveler

94

a

being moved right and left by the R-L driving unit

94

; a vertical driving unit

95

being provided to the R-L traveler

94

a

; an elevating member

95

a

being vertically moved by the vertical driving unit

95

; a B-F driving unit

96

being provided to the elevating member

95

a

; a B-F traveler

96

a

being moved back and forth by the B-F driving unit

96

; a horizontal turning unit

97

being provided to the B-F traveler

96

a

; a horizontal turning member

97

a

being turned, in a horizontal plane, by the horizontal turning unit

97

; a vertical turning unit

98

being provided to the horizontal turning member

97

a

; and a vertical turning member

99

being turned, in a vertical plane, by the vertical turning unit

98

.

As clearly shown in

FIGS. 3 and 6

, the chucking unit

92

is fixed to a front end of a horizontal arm

99

a

of the vertical turning member

99

. The chucking member

92

is arranged to cross the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm

99

a

at right angle.

By properly controlling the units of the driving mechanism

93

, the chucking unit

92

can be properly moved to feed the disk

10

to and receive the disk

10

from the sucking member

50

. The driving mechanism

93

is not limited to the present embodiment, a multi-joint robot arm, for example, may be used as the driving mechanism

93

.

Next, an example of a horizontal driving mechanism, which horizontally moves the sucking member

50

, will be explained with reference to

FIGS. 2 and 3

.

A linear guide rail

81

a

is horizontally fixed to the base

40

. A slider

82

a

, which is fixed to a horizontal base section

82

, is slidably attached to the linear guide rail

81

a

. A guide mechanism

81

, which guides the horizontal base section

82

in the horizontal direction, comprises the linear guide rail

81

a

and the slider

82

a.

As shown in

FIG. 3

, a cylinder unit

83

is horizontally arranged and moves the horizontal base section

82

in the horizontal direction.

The horizontal driving mechanism

80

comprises the guide mechanism

81

and the cylinder unit

83

. Thus, the horizontal driving mechanism

80

is capable of reciprocally moving the sucking member

50

, between a polishing stage

85

, at which the edges of the disk

10

are beveled and polished, and a cleansing stage

88

, with the first base

62

, the first arm

64

and the rotary member

54

. Note that, the sucking member

50

reaches the polishing stage

85

when the cylinder unit

83

is extended; the sucking member

50

reaches the cleansing stage

88

when the cylinder unit

83

is retracted.

Next, the cleansing stage

88

will be explained.

At the cleansing stage

88

, the disk

10

, which has been polished and held by the holding member

50

, is cleansed by water jet. And a sucking face of the sucking member

50

is also cleansed, by the water jet, after the polished disk

10

is transferred from the sucking member

50

to the disk handling machine

90

. The cleansing stage

88

includes, for example, a plurality of jet nozzles, from which water is jetted, and a collecting section for collecting the jetted water to reuse.

Note that, pressure of the water jet is, for example, 30-40 kg/cm

2

. Of course, the water pressure may be selected on the basis of cleansing conditions.

Successively, an embodiment of the disk edge polishing system will be explained.

The embodiment of the disk edge polishing system is shown in FIG.

2

. The present system includes: two polishing stages

85

; one cleansing stage

88

; and one disk handling machine

90

.

Namely, two disk edge polishing machines, each of which has the sucking member

50

, can be simultaneously operated.

In the present embodiment, centers of the two polishing stages

85

and the cleansing stage

88

are linearly arranged along a prescribed standard line, and the cleansing stage

88

is located at a center between the polishing stages

85

.

The chucking unit

92

of the disk handling machine

90

is moved, by the R-L driving unit

94

of the driving mechanism

93

, parallel to the standard line.

Action of the disk edge polishing system will be explained.

Firstly, as shown in

FIG. 2

, two sucking members

50

are respectively moved to the polishing stages

85

by the horizontal driving mechanism

80

. The disk

10

is conveyed to one of the sucking members

50

by the disk handling machine

90

. The disk

10

is sucked and held by the sucking member

50

. After the chucking unit

92

is moved outside of the polishing stage

85

, the sucking member

50

is moved downward so as to make the disk

10

enter the outer polishing member

20

. Simultaneously, the inner polishing member

30

is inserted into the center hole

12

of the disk

10

. In this state, the disk

10

and the inner polishing member

30

are respectively located at the initial positions, at which the disk

10

and the inner polishing member

30

are coaxially located to the outer polishing member

20

. The outer polishing member

20

, the disk

10

and the inner polishing member

30

are respectively rotated on their own axes.

Next, the sucking member

50

, which is holding the disk

10

, is moved, in the direction of an arrow shown in

FIG. 4

(along the course “P”), by the first driving mechanism

60

.

Simultaneously, the inner polishing member

30

is also moved, in the direction of an arrow shown in

FIG. 7

(along the course “P”), by the second driving mechanism

70

.

In the present embodiment, the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

comes into contact with the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

, so that the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

can be polished. Simultaneously, the outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

comes into contact with the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

, so that the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

can be polished.

While the edges of the disk

10

are polished at one of the polishing stages

85

, the disk handling machine

90

feeds another disk

10

to the sucking member

50

of the other polishing stage

85

.

Upon completing the polishing work, the first and the second driving mechanisms

60

and

70

respectively move the disk

10

and the inner polishing member

40

to the initial positions. Then, the sucking member

50

is moved upward so as to take out the disk

10

from the outer polishing member

20

. The sucking member

50

, which is holding the disk

10

, is horizontally moved, by the horizontal driving mechanism

80

, to the cleansing stage

88

, which is located between the two polishing stages

85

.

At the cleansing stage

88

, firstly the sucking member

50

is moved downward so as to wash the disk

10

by the water jet. Then, the sucking member

50

is moved upward and stopped at a predetermined position. The chucking unit

92

of the disk handling machine

90

is moved to receive the disk

10

, and the chucking unit

92

conveys the disk

10

from the cleansing stage

88

to the unloading cassette

91

b

and accommodates therein. On the other hand, the sucking member

50

, which has transferred the disk

10

to the chucking unit

92

, is moved downward again to cleans its sucking face.

Then, the sucking member

50

, which has been cleansed, is moved upward and moved to the polishing stage

85

by the horizontal driving mechanism

80

. When the sucking member

50

reaches the polishing stage

85

, one cycle of the polishing work is completed.

The polishing work of the other disk, which is held by the sucking member

50

of the other polishing stage

85

, is executed late.

Polishing the disk

10

and handling the disk

10

are alternately executed at the two polishing stages

85

. The two sucking members

50

alternately convey the disks

10

to the cleansing stage

88

to cleans the disks

10

, etc.

Since the disk edge polishing system has the two polishing stages

85

, while the disk

10

is polished at one of the polishing stages

85

, the disk

10

can be fed to or taken out from the other polishing stage

85

. The disks

10

can be alternately fed to and taken out the two polishing stages

85

. The one disk handling machine

90

can be used efficiently. Therefore, the polishing efficiency of the system can be improved without complicating the system.

The one cleansing stage

88

can be efficiently used without complicating the system. Note that, in the present embodiment, the cleansing stage

88

employs the water jet as cleansing means, so the disks

10

, etc. can be cleansed for a short time and the working efficiency can be improved.

Since two polishing stages

85

are provided, while the disk

10

is polished at one of the polishing stages

85

, maintenance, e.g., exchanging the polishing member, can be executed. By providing a plurality of the polishing stages in one system, a plurality of the disks, whose sizes are different, can be polished in the system.

By linearly arranging the polishing stages

85

and the cleansing stage

88

and locating the cleansing stage

88

between the polishing stages

85

, the disks

10

can be efficiently conveyed and the working efficiency can be improved.

A second embodiment of the disk edge polishing machine will be explained with reference to FIG.

9

.

As shown in

FIG. 9

, the courses of the sucking member (not shown), which is driven by the first driving mechanism (not shown), and the inner polishing member

30

, which is driven by the second driving mechanism (not shown), are on the same line, which is shown by one-dot chain line. Namely, in the third embodiment, the disk

10

and the inner polishing member

30

are moved from the initial positions, at which the disk

10

and the inner polishing member

30

are shown by two-dot chain lines, to the shown positions, at which the disk

10

and the inner polishing member

30

are shown by solid lines. Therefore, the first and the second driving mechanisms respectively move the sucking member and the inner polishing member

30

in the same direction. With this structure, the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

can be always moved, with respect to the inner circumferential face

22

of the outer polishing member

20

, with fixed angle. And, the outer circumferential face

32

of the inner polishing member

30

can be always moved, with respect to the inner edge

14

of the disk

10

, with fixed angle. Therefore, the edges

14

and

16

of the disk

10

can be polished stably.

In the case of moving the disk

10

and the inner polishing member

30

along the linear course, they can be properly moved even if they move in the opposite (180° shifted) directions. By linearly moving along the linear course, no vibration is occurred, so that the edges

14

and

16

can be simultaneously properly polished.

A third embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG.

10

. In the third embodiment, an outer circumferential face

21

a

of an outer polishing member

21

, which spins about its own axis, contacts the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

, so that the outer edge

16

can be beveled and polished.

Though contact area between the outer circumferential face

21

a

of the outer polishing member

21

and the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

is not so broad, the outer polishing member

21

can be exchanged easily. To broaden the contact area, a plurality of the outer polishing members

21

may be simultaneously used.

Further, other means, which is capable of always pressing the outer edge

16

of the disk

10

with uniform force, may be employed as the outer polishing member. For example, a belt-shaped polishing member may be employed.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Number	Name	Date
5404678	Hasegawa et al.	Apr 1995
5514025	Hasegawa et al.	May 1996
5609514	Yasunaga et al.	Mar 1997
5738563	Shibata	Apr 1998

Disk edge polishing machine and disk edge polishing system

Information

Patent Number

Date Filed

Date Issued

Inventors

Original Assignees

Examiners

Agents

CPC

US Classifications

Field of Search

US

International Classifications

Abstract

Description

Claims

Priority Claims (1)

US Referenced Citations (4)

Foreign Referenced Citations (1)