Claims
- 1. An elevating mechanism comprising:
a guide member arranged along a vertical direction; a fixed surface arranged in parallel with said guide member; an elevating mechanism guided so as to rise and fall along said guide member; a braking mechanism pivotally supported by said elevating mechanism in a vertical plane, said braking mechanism being in a position apart from said fixed surface under a normal condition of said braking mechanism and being rotated in a direction approaching said fixed surface from an underside of said elevating mechanism when said elevating mechanism falls, whereby said braking mechanism is engaged with said fixed surface to brake said elevating mechanism; urging means for urging said braking mechanism to rotate in the direction approaching said fixed surface from the underside of said elevating mechanism; a suspension member connected to said braking mechanism, for suspending said elevating mechanism through an intermediary of said braking mechanism, said suspension member, owing to its tensile strength to suspend said elevating mechanism, also rotationally urging said braking mechanism in a direction to separate said braking mechanism from said fixed surface in opposition to rotating force due to said urging unit; a stopper including:
a stopper member fixed to said braking mechanism, said stopper member having a stopper surface; and an abutment member fixed to said elevating mechanism, said abutment member having an abutment surface; whereby, said stopper stops the rotation of said braking mechanism due to the tensile strength of said suspension member by engaging said abutment surface with said stopper surface of said stopper member:
whereby, when the suspension member is cut off, the braking mechanism to which urging force due to the tensile strength of the suspension member is not applied any longer is rotated against the fixed surface by the urging means, so that the elevating mechanism can be braked from falling.
- 2. A carrier conveying apparatus comprising:
a fixed frame arranged so as to extend in a vertical direction; a supporting arm adapted so as to move in the vertical direction along said fixed frame, for conveying a carrier having an object to be processed accommodated therein; and an elevating mechanism arranged between said fixed frame and said supporting arm, for moving said supporting arm to a predetermined position in the vertical direction and maintaining said supporting arm thereat so as not to fall down, said elevating mechanism including:
a guide member arranged on said fixed frame along a vertical direction; a fixed surface arranged in parallel with said guide member; an elevating mechanism guided so as to rise and fall along said guide member, for supporting said supporting arm; a braking mechanism pivotally supported by said elevating mechanism in a vertical plane, said braking mechanism being in a position apart from said fixed surface under a normal condition of said braking mechanism and being rotated in a direction approaching said fixed surface from an underside of said elevating mechanism when said elevating mechanism falls, whereby said braking mechanism is engaged with said fixed surface to brake said elevating mechanism; urging unit for urging said braking mechanism so as to rotate in the direction approaching said fixed surface from the underside of said elevating mechanism; a suspension member connected to said braking mechanism, for suspending said elevating mechanism through an intermediary of said braking mechanism, said suspension member, owing to its tensile strength to suspend said elevating mechanism, also rotationally urging said braking mechanism in a direction to separate said braking mechanism from said fixed surface in opposition to rotating force due to said urging unit; and a stopper including:
a stopper member fixed to said braking mechanism, said stopper member having a stopper surface; and an abutment member fixed to said elevating mechanism, said abutment member having an abutment surface; whereby, said stopper stops the rotation of said braking mechanism due to the tensile strength of said suspension member by engaging said abutment surface with said stopper surface of said stopper member.
- 3. A carrier conveying apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said braking mechanism includes:
a shaft for rotating said braking mechanism; a braking member arranged so as to project from said shaft radially outward, said braking member, at a time of said elevating mechanism falling down, being rotationally forced between said shaft and said fixed surface thereby to press said fixed surface; and a suspension member connecting part arranged across said shaft from said fixed surface, said suspension member connecting part having said suspension member connected thereto.
- 4. A carrier conveying apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said braking member has a press surface formed on a leading end thereof to be pressed on said fixed surface, said press surface being formed in a manner that a distance between said press surface and said shaft increases as directing in the opposite direction to the rotating direction of said braking member caused due to said urging means.
- 5. A carrier conveying apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said braking member is provided, on said press surface, with a tooth part which encroaches on said fixed surface when said braking member is pressed against said fixed surface.
- 6. A carrier conveying apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said braking member is shaped in the form of a lever.
- 7. A carrier conveying apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said urging means comprises a tensile spring.
- 8. A carrier conveying apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said suspension member is a toothed belt.
- 9. A carrier conveying apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein a member having said fixed surface is made of aluminum.
- 10. A heat treatment installation comprising:
a carrier I/O port for receiving and taking out a carrier which accommodates a substrate; a carrier keeping section for keeping the carrier; a carrier set-up section where the carrier is set-up for receiving and taking out the substrate; a heat treatment apparatus for heat-treatment the substrate; a substrate conveyer mechanism for conveying the substrate between the carrier set-up section and the heat treatment apparatus; a carrier conveying apparatus for conveying the carrier between the I/O port, the carrier keeping section and the carrier set-up section, the carrier conveying apparatus including:
a fixed frame arranged so as to extend in a vertical direction; a supporting arm adapted so as to move in the vertical direction along said fixed frame, for conveying a carrier having an object to be processed accommodated therein; and an elevating mechanism arranged between said fixed frame and said supporting arm, for moving said supporting arm to a predetermined position in the vertical direction and maintaining said supporting arm thereat so as not to fall down, said elevating mechanism including:
a guide member arranged on said fixed frame along a vertical direction; a fixed surface arranged in parallel with said guide member; an elevating mechanism guided so as to rise and fall along said guide member, for support said supporting arm; a braking mechanism pivotally supported by said elevating mechanism in a vertical plane, said braking mechanism being in a position apart from said fixed surface under a normal condition of said braking mechanism and being rotated in a direction approaching said fixed surface from an underside of said elevating mechanism when said elevating mechanism falls, whereby said braking mechanism is engaged with said fixed surface to brake said elevating mechanism; urging unit for urging said braking mechanism so as to rotate to the direction approaching said fixed surface from the underside of said elevating mechanism; a suspension member connected to said braking mechanism, for suspending said elevating mechanism through an intermediary of said braking mechanism, said suspension member, owing to its tensile strength to suspend said elevating mechanism, also rotationally urging said braking mechanism in a direction to separate said braking mechanism from said fixed surface in opposition to rotating force due to said urging unit; and a stopper including:
a stopper member fixed to said braking mechanism, said stopper member having a stopper surface; and an abutment member fixed to said elevating mechanism, said abutment member having an abutment surface; whereby, said stopper stops the rotation of said braking mechanism due to the tensile strength of said suspension member by engaging said abutment surface with said stopper surface of said stopper member; whereby, when said suspension member is cut off, said braking mechanism to which urging force due to the tensile strength of said suspension member is not applied any longer is rotated against said fixed surface by said urging unit, so that said elevating mechanism can be braked from falling.
- 11. A carrier conveying apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said braking mechanism includes a shaft, said stopper member fixed to said shaft.
- 12. A heat treatment installation according to claim 10 wherein said braking mechanism includes a shaft, said stopper member fixed to said shaft.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
101044/1997 |
Apr 1997 |
JP |
|
REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 09/050,000 which is relied on and incorporated herein by reference.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09773379 |
Feb 2001 |
US |
Child |
10289636 |
Nov 2002 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09050000 |
Mar 1998 |
US |
Child |
09773379 |
Feb 2001 |
US |