Claims
- 1. A transfer apparatus for transferring a plurality of substrates between carriers and a support member, the carriers holding the substrates in an equidistant manner, the transfer apparatus comprising:
- a carrier table for arranging a plurality of said carriers arranged in a serial array so as to hold the substrates mutually parallel to each other;
- a plurality of push-up members, each of said push-up members being adapted to be moved below each of said carriers, wherein a push-up mechanism for each of said push-up members pushes up said substrates supported on the carriers through a lower opening portion of each of said carriers to a position higher than the carrier table, each of said push-up members having an upper surface with a plurality of equidistantly spaced grooves for receiving and lifting all of the substrates supported in one carrier as a whole; and
- driving means for bringing at least one of the plurality of push-up members into proximity to a corresponding remaining push-up member to allow the at least one push-up member to be adjacent to and face the corresponding push-up member so that mutually adjacent, directly-facing endmost substrates held in endmost grooves of the adjacent, directly-facing push-up members have a mutual distance between them which is adjusted to a distance equal to a pitch distance of those substrates supported by the push-up member, wherein all the equidistantly arranged substrates lifted by the plurality of the push-up members are transferred at a time from the push-up members to the support member.
- 2. The transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein two push-up members are provided, only one of which is so coupled to the driving means so as to be horizontally moved to enable said one push-up member to be brought into proximity to the other push-up member.
- 3. The transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said support member has a pair of arms each supported at one end, and said push-up members include two members consisting of one member which can be moved in a horizontal direction by said driving means and is positioned closer to a distal end of said arms than the other member.
- 4. The transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pitch of the grooves formed in each push-up member is equal to a pitch of the grooves formed in the carrier.
- 5. The transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each push-up member is provided with the same number of grooves which are formed equidistantly.
- 6. The transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 50 to 80 grooves are equidistantly formed in each push-up member.
- 7. The transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said push-up mechanisms bring said push-up members to substantially the same height.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2-312478 |
Nov 1990 |
JPX |
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CROSS-REFERENCES TO THE RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/140,985 (filed on Oct. 25, 1993), which is a file wrapper continuation application of Ser. No. 07/787,663, filed on Nov. 4, 1991.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
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236714 |
Jun 1986 |
DEX |
48442 |
Feb 1989 |
JPX |
255242 |
Oct 1989 |
JPX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
787663 |
Nov 1991 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
140985 |
Oct 1993 |
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