Vacuum type pickup apparatus and vacuum type pickup Method

• US 20080129063A1
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Jung-hyeon, Kang, Jin-won, Lee, Jun-young
• Granted Patent: US 7,878,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 294/64.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6838 with gripping and holding devices using a vacuum; Bernoulli devices

Abstract

A vacuum type pickup apparatus may include an absorption pad having an absorption inlet for contacting and/or picking up an object. A pad holder may be connected to the absorption pad. The pad holder may also have a vacuum line. A separator may be provided in the pad holder for forcibly releasing the object from the absorption inlet of the absorption pad. During the forcible release of the object, the air around the absorption pad may be drawn into the pad holder, thus reducing or preventing the potential contamination by impurities of the object as well as the equipment around the object. Also, an additional vacuum extinguisher may not be required, thus simplifying the structure of the vacuum type pickup apparatus and reducing installation costs. Furthermore, the object may be picked up and released in a relatively expedient, safe, and accurate manner, despite the suction force of the vacuum that may be maintained in the pad holder.

Claims

1. A vacuum type pickup apparatus, comprising:

an absorption pad having an absorption inlet for picking up an object;

a pad holder having a vacuum line, the pad holder connected to the absorption pad; and

a separator in the pad holder for forcibly releasing the object from the absorption inlet.

2. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separator comprises:

a push bar in the pad holder; and

a push bar compression device in the pad holder and connected to the push bar so as to protract or retract the push bar,

wherein the push bar protrudes out of the absorption inlet of the absorption pad to release the object.

3. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 2, wherein the push bar compression device comprises:

a first magnetic body in the pad holder; and

a second magnetic body in an inner guide surface of the pad holder, the adjacent surfaces of the first and second magnetic bodies having the same polarity so as to have a repulsive force between the first and second magnetic bodies.

4. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first and second magnetic bodies are disc-shaped and have one or more holes in each of the first and second magnetic bodies.

5. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least one of the first and second magnetic bodies are permanent magnets.

6. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first magnetic body is a permanent magnet and the second magnetic body is an electromagnet.

7. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 6, wherein the electromagnet includes a coil and a controller, the controller supplying an attractive force control signal to the coil to generate an attractive force between the permanent magnet and the electromagnet when the object is picked up, and supplying a repulsive force control signal to the coil to generate a repulsive force between the permanent magnet and the electromagnet when the object is released.

8. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 2, wherein the push bar compression device comprises:

a mover, to which the push bar is attached, in an inner guide surface of the pad holder; and

an elastic spring between the pad holder and the mover.

9. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 2, wherein the push bar compression device comprises:

a weighted mover, to which the push bar is fixed, in an inner guide surface of the pad holder.

10. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

an electromagnet between the pad holder and the weighted mover; and

a controller connected to a coil on the electromagnet, wherein the weighted mover is a magnetic body.

11. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller supplies a magnetic force generation signal to the coil to generate a magnetic force between the weighted mover and the electromagnet when the object is picked up, and supplies a magnetic force suspension signal to the coil so that the magnetic force is not generated between the weighted mover and the electromagnet when the object is released.

12. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separator comprises:

a piston in the pad holder;

a cylinder in the pad holder and connected to the piston so as to protract or retract the piston; and

a hydraulic controller supplying a hydraulic control signal to the cylinder.

13. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separator comprises:

a moving board in the pad holder;

a rack gear and a pinion gear in the pad holder and connected to the moving board so as to protract or retract the moving board;

a motor driving the pinion gear; and

a controller supplying a control signal to the motor.

14. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separator comprises:

a moving board in the pad holder;

a screw rod in the pad holder and connected to the moving board so as to protract or retract the moving board;

a motor driving the screw rod; and

a controller supplying a control signal to the motor.

15. The vacuum type pickup apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separator comprises:

a moving board in the pad holder;

a belt structure in the pad holder and connected to the moving board so as to protract or retract the moving board, the belt structure having a driving pulley, a driven pulley, and a belt;

a motor driving the belt structure; and

a controller supplying a control signal to the motor.

16. A vacuum type pickup method, comprising:

generating a vacuum in a pad holder, the pad holder connected to an absorption pad;

contacting an absorption inlet of the absorption pad to an object so as to pick up the object; and

forcibly releasing the object from the absorption inlet of the absorption pad using a separator provided in the pad holder.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the object is forcibly released using a push bar which protrudes out of the absorption inlet of the absorption pad.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the push bar is protracted using the magnetic force of magnetic bodies in the pad holder.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the push bar is protracted using the recovery force of an elastic spring in the pad holder.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the push bar is protracted using the weight of a weighted mover in the pad holder.