This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0020405, filed on Feb. 28, 2012, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
Apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to a semiconductor hoist apparatus and a hoist system including the semiconductor hoist apparatus, and more particularly, to a hoist apparatus that lifts up an accommodating container accommodating an object and transfers the accommodating container to another location along a rail and a hoist system including the hoist apparatus.
In general, hoists refer to apparatuses for lifting up and transferring an object. Hoists are used for transporting freights in a storehouse, a railway station, or the like, assembling and disassembling machines, etc. Also, hoists are used for transferring semiconductor distributions.
One or more exemplary embodiments provide a hoist apparatus which may safely and accurately transfer an object, such as a lead frame, a printed circuit board, or a ring, accommodated in an accommodating container, such as a magazine or a ring cassette, while preventing the object from being removed from the accommodating container, and a hoist system including the hoist apparatus.
According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a hoist apparatus including: a traveling unit that travels from one place to another; an elevating unit installed in the traveling unit to be lifted up and lowered down from the traveling unit; a grip device which is installed in the elevating unit and selectively grips a stumbling projection formed at one side of an accommodating container accommodating an object; and a separation preventing apparatus which is connected to the elevating unit and selectively closes an open inlet of the accommodating container so that the object accommodated in the accommodating container is not separated from the accommodating container.
The grip device may include: a grip finger formed to have a shape corresponding to the stumbling projection of the accommodating container; a grip arm connected to the grip finger; and a grip driving device for selectively moving the grip arm toward the accommodating container.
The grip driving device may include: a grip driving motor installed in the elevating unit; a screw rod rotated by the grip driving motor; a movable body which moves forward and backward along the screw rod; a cam member which is installed at one side of the movable body to move forward and backward together with the movable body and includes an inclined guiding surface in a direction in which the movable body moves forward and backward; and a carriage which is installed in the elevating unit to move toward the accommodating container and includes a rod contacting a guiding surface of the cam member, wherein the grip arm is installed at one side of the carriage.
The grip device further may include: a grip sensor which senses an engagement state between the grip finger and the stumbling projection; and a controller which receives a grip state signal from the grip sensor and applies a control signal to the elevating driving apparatus for lifting up and lowering down the elevating unit.
The hoist apparatus may further include an aligning device which is installed in the elevating unit and which aligns the accommodating container to a regular position.
The aligning device may include an aligning protrusion inserted into an aligning hole formed at another side of the accommodating container.
The aligning device may further include: a fixing stage installed in the elevating unit; an aligning movable stage installed in the fixing stage to be lifted up and lowered down, wherein the aligning protrusion is installed in the aligning movable stage; and; a spring installed between the fixing stage and the aligning movable stage.
The aligning device may further include: an aligning sensor which senses an alignment state of the elevating unit and the aligning device; and a controller which receives an alignment state signal from the aligning sensor and applies a control signal to the elevating driving apparatus for lifting up and lowering down the elevating unit.
The hoist apparatus may further include the elevating driving apparatus which is installed in the traveling unit and lifts up and lowers down the elevating unit, wherein the elevating driving apparatus comprises: a pulley which winds up a belt installed in the elevating unit; and an elevating driving motor which rotates the pulley.
The separation preventing apparatus may include a separation preventing rod which is fixed at one side of the grip arm connected to the grip finger formed to have a shape corresponding to the stumbling projection of the accommodating container and moves toward the open inlet of the accommodating container together with the grip arm when the grip device grips the stumbling projection.
The separation preventing apparatus may include: a link of which one end is hinge-coupled to the cam member; a rotating rod of which one end portion is coupled to another end of the link and another end portion is rotated about a rotation axis; and a separation preventing rod which is installed in the rotating rod and is rotated toward the open inlet of the accommodating container by the rotating rod.
The object may be a lead frame for a semiconductor or a printed circuit board (PCB) for a semiconductor, and the accommodating container may be a magazine for accommodating the lead frame or the PCB.
The object may be a ring for transferring a semiconductor, and the accommodating container may be a ring cassette for accommodating the ring.
A guide pin inserted into a guide hole formed in the traveling unit may be installed the elevating unit.
According to another aspect of another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a hoist system including: a port in which an accommodating container accommodating an object is disposed; and a hoist apparatus which transfers the accommodating container disposed in the port to another location, wherein the hoist apparatus comprises: a traveling unit which travels from one place to another; an elevating unit installed in the traveling unit to be lifted up and lowered down according to the traveling unit; a grip device which is installed in the elevating unit and selectively grips a stumbling projection formed at one side of the accommodating container accommodating an object; and a separation preventing apparatus which is connected to the elevating unit and selectively closes an opened inlet of the accommodating container so that the object accommodated in the accommodating container is not separated from the accommodating container.
Exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The inventive concept will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The inventive concept may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, lengths and sizes of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity.
It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “on” another element or layer, the element or layer can be directly on another element or layer or intervening elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers, and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another element, component, region, layer, or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of the inventive concept.
Spatially relative terms, such as “below” or “lower” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation, in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the inventive concept. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising”, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, the embodiments described herein should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing.
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Also, the elevating unit 20 may be installed in the traveling unit 10 to be lifted up and lowered down from the traveling unit 10. That is, the traveling unit 10 may be used here as a base unit of the elevating unit 20. Here, as shown in
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Also, the grip arm 32 is connected to the grip finger 31 and may be formed to vertically extend upward.
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Also, the cam member 334 is installed at one side of the movable body 333 to move forward and backward together with the movable body 333 and includes a cam hole CH including an inclined guiding surface 334a in a direction in which the movable body 333 moves forward and backward.
The carriage 335 is installed in the elevating unit 20 along a guide 337 to freely move toward the accommodating container 2. The carriage 335 includes a rod 336 passing through the cam hole CH including the inclined guiding surface 334a of the cam member 334, and the grip arm 32 is installed at one side of the carriage 335.
Accordingly, if the grip driving motor 331 positively or reversely rotates the screw rod 332, the movable body 333 may move forward and backward along the screw rod 332, the rod 336 and the carriage 335 may reciprocate in the cam hole CH along the guiding surface 334a, and the grip finger 31 connected to the grip arm 32 may move forward and backward toward the stumbling projection 3 to grip or release the accommodating container 2.
Also, the separation preventing apparatus 40 is connected to the elevating unit 20 and selectively closes an open inlet 2a of the accommodating container 2 so that the object 1 accommodated in the accommodating container 2 is not separated from the accommodating container 2.
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Here, the grip sensor 50 is a sensor for sensing an engagement state between the grip finger 31 and the stumbling projection 3, and may be an optical sensor for emitting light to a reflection layer 52 installed on one surface of the grip finger 31 and sensing light reflected by the reflection layer 52. The reflection layer 52 may be formed by using various methods, for example, by attaching a reflection tape to the grip finger 31 or forming a reflection layer on the grip finger 31. The reflection layer 52 is not formed in the stumbling projection 3.
The controller 51 receives a grip state signal from the grip sensor 50 and applies a control signal to the elevating driving apparatus 60 for lifting up and lowering down the elevating unit 20.
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Here, the aligning protrusion 71 is inserted into an aligning hole 4 formed at another side of the accommodating container 2. A leading end of the aligning protrusion 71 may be formed to be pointed or may have a round protrusion shape. A stopper 711 having a flange shape and engaging with the aligning hole 4 may be formed in a posterior end of the aligning protrusion 71.
Also, the fixing stage 72 is installed in the elevating unit 20, and may have a space therein. One end of the movable stage 73 may be inserted into the space so as to be lifted up toward or lowered down from the fixing stage 72, and the aligning protrusion 71 may be installed in another end of the movable stage 73. The spring 74 is installed between the fixing stage 72 and the aligning movable stage 73, and thus, a restoring force is applied when the movable stage 73 is away from the fixing stage 72.
The aligning sensor 75 is installed in the fixing stage 72 to sense an alignment state of the elevating unit 20 and the aligning device 70 and to sense movement of the aligning movable stage 73. Here, the aligning sensor 75 may be a touch switch sensor that is touched due to movement of the movable stage 73, an optical sensor, a magnetic sensor, or the like.
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Hereinafter, operations of the hoist apparatus 100 and the hoist system 1000 including the hoist apparatus 100 will be described in detail.
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At this time, when the grip driving motor 331 positively rotates the screw rod 332 and the movable body 333 moves forward along the screw rod 332, the guiding surface 334a is moved in a direction away from a pair of the carriages 335 as the pair of carriages 335 are moved away from each other while carrying out a cam action of the cam hole CH, and thus, the grip finger 31 connected to the grip arm 32 may move in a direction away from the stumbling projection 3, thereby being ready to release the accommodating container 2.
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Accordingly, as described above, during movement of the accommodating container 2, the object 1 accommodated in the accommodating container 2 may be rapidly and stably moved to a desired position without being separated from the accommodating container 2 by the separation preventing rod 41, and the object 1 or the accommodating container 2 may be protected from an external impact during the movement of the accommodating container 2.
Meanwhile, instead of the separation preventing apparatus 40 including the separation preventing rod 41 of
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Accordingly, as described above, during movement of the accommodating container 2, the object 1 accommodated in the accommodating container 2 may be rapidly and stably moved to a desired position without being separated from the accommodating container 2 by the separation preventing rod 83, and the object 1 or the accommodating container 2 may be protected from an external impact during the movement of the accommodating container 2.
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A hoist apparatus and a hoist system including the hoist apparatus can stably, accurately, and automatically transfer a magazine for accommodating a lead frame or a PCB or a ring cassette for accommodating a ring in a semiconductor backend process. Also, the hoist apparatus and the hoist system can allow line automation and factory automation by preventing separation, falling, and an impact of an object to be accommodated, thereby reducing working hours and human power required for the manufacturing process and greatly improving productivity.
While the inventive concept has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2012-0020405 | Feb 2012 | KR | national |