BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram of a substrate transport device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a substrate transport device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged local view of FIG. 2;
FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 depict operation of the substrate transport device in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a substrate transport device in accordance with a modified embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a substrate transport device in accordance with another modified embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following description is of the best-contemplated mode of carrying out the invention. This description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determined by reference to the appended claims.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, a substrate transport device comprises a base 1, a plurality of rotary wheels 2, a plurality of first magnets 3, a plurality of second magnets 4, a plurality of partitions 5, a carrier 6, a chamber 7, and a rail 9.
Referring to FIG. 2, the base 1 is disposed outside the chamber 7. One or more rotary wheels 2 are disposed on the base 1. The shaft of the rotary wheel 2 is supported on the base 1, such that the rotary wheel 2 is rotatable rather than movable.
The rotary wheel 2 is disposed outside the chamber 7. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of first magnets 3 is disposed along the circumference of the rotary wheel 2 in such a way that a magnetic pole (e.g. the north pole 31) of a first magnet 3 and the adjacent magnetic poles (e.g. south poles 32) of other first magnets 3 are opposite. The first magnets 3 may be permanent magnets.
The carrier 6 is disposed in the chamber 7 and mounted on the rail 9. As shown in FIG. 1, the rail 9 supports the carrier 6 via the top and is fixed to the chamber 7 via the bottom. Thus, the carrier 6 is restricted to move forward and backward. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of second magnets is disposed on the bottom of the carrier in such a way that a magnetic pole (e.g. the north pole 41) of a second magnet 4 and the adjacent magnetic poles (e.g. south poles 42) of other second magnets 4 are opposite. The second magnets 4 may be permanent magnets.
The partitions 5, disposed between the first magnets 3 and the second magnets 4, are fixed to the chamber 7. The chamber 7 generally is made of inducible magnetic material (e.g. steel) that will allow multiple magnetic flux lines within, effectively concentrating the lines, and channeling the lines away from objects in the chamber. Therefore, the partitions 5 are not made of inducible magnetic material with proper thickness to avoid blocking magnetic forces between the second magnets 4 and the first magnets 3. It is understood, however, that the partitions 5 can be omitted when the chamber 7 is not made of inducible magnetic material with proper thickness to avoid blocking the magnetic forces.
Referring to FIG. 3, the N-pole 31 of the first magnetic 3 attracts the S-pole 42 of the second magnet 4, and the S-pole 32 of the first magnet 3 attracts the N-pole 41 of the second magnet 4. As shown in FIG. 4, when the rotary wheel 2 is rotated clockwise, the first magnets 3 thereon are driven to correspondingly rotate clockwise. Thus, the magnetic fields created by the first and second magnets change in phase. The magnetic forces induced by the magnetic fields also change, moving the second magnets 4 toward the right. The carrier 6, along with the second magnets 4 is moved toward the right.
The rotary wheel 2 continues to rotate clockwise and the carrier 6 continues to move rightward. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, carrier 6 is increasingly influenced by the magnetic fields created by the first magnets of the next rotary wheel 2 and departs from the first (previous) rotary wheel 2. Similarly, the next rotary wheel 2 passes the carrier 6 to the third rotary wheel 2, the third rotary wheel 2 passes the carrier 6 to the fourth rotary wheel 2, and so on. Thus, the carrier 6 is continuously moved rightward. Individual rotation of the rotary wheels 2 can be independently controlled, if necessary.
FIG. 7 depicts a modified embodiment of the substrate transport device, wherein caterpillar tracks 8 are disposed around and driven by rotary wheels 2. First magnets 3 are disposed at the periphery of the caterpillar tracks 8. The rotary wheels 2, the caterpillar tracks 8, and the first magnets 3 constitute a driving module for moving the carrier 6 in the chamber 7. FIG. 8 depicts another modified embodiment of the substrate transport device, wherein the caterpillar tracks 8 are disposed around a rotary wheel 2 and a supporting element 10. The caterpillar tracks 8 are driven by the rotary wheel 2 and maintained in a normal position during operation by the supporting element 10. The supporting element 10 may be a fixed pin, a cylindrical bar, or similar. A plurality of first magnets 3 is disposed at the periphery of the caterpillar tracks 8. The rotary wheel 2, the supporting element 10, the caterpillar tracks 8, and the first magnets 3 constitute a driving module for moving the carrier 6 in the chamber 7.
When the rotary wheel 2 is rotated clockwise, the upper part of the caterpillar tracks 8 and the first magnets 3 thereon are moved toward the right. The magnetic fields created by the first and second magnets 3 and 4 thus change in phase. Then, the second magnets 4 are moved rightward by the magnetic forces induced by the magnetic fields such that the carrier 6 thereon is moved toward the right. It is understood that more than one driving module can be provided to move the carrier 6 in the chamber 7. Furthermore, the driving modules can be independently controlled, if necessary.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
Patent Application
20080038020
