U.S. patent application number 12/158404 was filed with the patent office on 2009-11-12 for dust remover.
This patent application is currently assigned to NIX, INC.. Invention is credited to Atsunori Nakata, Junji Oyama.
Application Number | 20090276970 12/158404 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38256077 |
Filed Date | 2009-11-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090276970 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nakata; Atsunori ; et
al. |
November 12, 2009 |
DUST REMOVER
Abstract
A dust remover includes a rotary brush which removes dust
attached to a workpiece, a workpiece carrying section which carries
the workpiece in a direction crossing the axial direction of the
rotary brush, a brush rotating section which rotates the rotary
brush around the axial center of the rotary brush, and a brush
back-and-forth movement section which moves the rotary brush back
and forth in the axial direction of the rotary brush. The dust
remover also includes a motor which is a common driving source for
both the brush rotating section and the brush back-and-forth
movement section. The brush rotating section has a power
transmitting section which transmits the power of the motor to the
rotary brush as a rotation of the rotary brush, and the brush
back-and-forth movement section has a power transmitting section
which converts the power of the motor into a back-and-forth
movement of the rotary brush to transmit the back-and-forth
movement to the rotary brush.
Inventors: |
Nakata; Atsunori; (Kanagawa,
JP) ; Oyama; Junji; (Kanagawa, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Studebaker & Brackett PC
1890 Preston White Drive, Suite 105
Reston
VA
20191
US
|
Assignee: |
NIX, INC.
Kanagawa
JP
|
Family ID: |
38256077 |
Appl. No.: |
12/158404 |
Filed: |
June 9, 2006 |
PCT Filed: |
June 9, 2006 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2006/311648 |
371 Date: |
June 20, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/77 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B08B 1/02 20130101; H01L
21/67046 20130101; H05K 3/26 20130101; B08B 1/04 20130101; H05K
2203/0257 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/77 |
International
Class: |
A46B 13/02 20060101
A46B013/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 12, 2006 |
JP |
2006005363 |
Claims
1. A dust remover comprising: a rotary brush which removes dust
attached to a workpiece; workpiece carrying means for carrying the
workpiece in a direction crossing the axial direction of the rotary
brush; brush rotation means for rotating the rotary brush around
the axial center of the rotary brush synchronously with the
workpiece carrying means: brush back-and-forth movement means for
moving the rotary brush back and forth in the axial direction of
the rotary synchronously with the workpiece carrying means; and a
motor which is a common driving source of the brush rotation means
and the brush back-and-forth movement means, wherein the brush
rotation means has power transmission means for transmitting the
power of the motor to the rotary brush as a rotation of the rotary
brush, and the brush back-and-forth movement means has power
transmission means for converting the power of the motor into a
back-and-forth movement of the rotary brush to transmit the
back-and-forth movement to the rotary brush.
2. The dust remover according to claim 1, wherein the power
transmission means of the brush back-and-forth movement means has a
cam mechanism, the cam mechanism has a cam follower, and a
cylindrical cam having a cam portion along which the cam follower
is guided, the cylindrical cam being configured to rotate owing to
the power of the motor, the cylindrical cam is connected to the
rotary brush so as to rotate and move back and forth integrally and
coaxially with the rotary brush, and the cam follower is fixed to
an immobile position so as to allow the cylindrical cam to rotate
when the motor rotates while converting the rotation of the
cylindrical cam into the back-and-forth movement of the cylindrical
cam.
3. The dust remover according to claim 2, further comprising: a
base which fixes the cam follower to the immobile position; and a
rotary shaft which connects the cylindrical cam to the rotary brush
and which rotates and moves back and forth integrally with the
cylindrical cam and the rotary brush, wherein the rotary shaft is
inserted through the cylindrical cam and fixed to the inside of the
cylindrical cam, and a portion of the rotary shaft protruding
externally from the cylindrical cam in the axial direction is
rotatably and movably supported on the base.
4. the dust remover according to claim 3, wherein the rotary shaft
includes two rotary shafts arranged coaxially with each other, and
the two rotary shafts are inserted through the cylindrical cam and
fixed to the inside of the cylindrical cam.
5. The dust remover according to claim 2, wherein the cam follower
has a pin-like shape.
6. The dust remover according to claim 2, wherein the cam portion
is set so that the rotation number of the cylindrical cam is equal
to the amplitude of the cylindrical cam is a back-and-forth
direction.
7. The dust remover according to claim 2, wherein the cylindrical
cam is made of a plastic, and the cam follower is made of a
metal.
8. The dust remover according to claim 2 wherein the cylindrical
cam and the cam follower are made of a metal.
9. The dust remover according to claim 2, wherein the rotary brush
is constituted so as to perform a reciprocation in the
back-and-forth direction every time the rotary brush rotates
once.
10. The dust remover according to claim 2, wherein the rotary brush
has a first end into which the power for the rotation is input from
the power transmission means of the brush rotation means, and a
second end into which the power for the back-and-forth movement is
input from the power transmission means of the brush back-and-forth
movement means.
11. The dust remover according to claim 10, wherein the first and
second ends are positioned in the axial center of the rotary
brush.
12. The dust remover according to claim 2, wherein the motor has an
output shaft coaxially with the rotary brush.
13. The dust remover according to claim 12, wherein the output
shaft is connected to the axial center of the rotary brush via the
power transmission means of the brush rotation means.
14. the dust remover according to claim 12, wherein the power
transmission means of the brush rotation means has a main shaft
connected to the output shaft, a spline boss formed integrally with
the main shaft, a spline shaft fitted into the spline boss, and a
coupling connecting the spline shaft to the rotary brush.
15. The dust remover according to any claim 2, wherein the
workpiece carrying means carries the workpiece in a direction
crossing the axial direction of the rotary brush.
16. The dust remover according to claim 2, wherein the rotary brush
is constituted so as to come in contact with the workpiece.
17. The dust remover according to claim 2, wherein the rotary brush
has an implanted portion constituted of a conductive fiber, and the
implanted portion comes in rotating contact with a surface of the
workpiece.
18. The dust remover according to claim 2, further comprising: a
height adjustment mechanism constituted so as to adjust the height
of the rotary brush in accordance with the thickness of the
workpiece.
19. The dust remover according to claim 2, wherein the workpiece is
at least one of a printed wiring board, a liquid crystal glass
substrate, a flexible substrate, a ceramic substrate, a plastic
plate, a liquid crystal display panel a vacuum tray, a lens, an
optical waveguide plate and a film.
20. The dust remover according to claim 2, wherein the whole outer
shape of the workpiece is a rectangular shape.
21. The dust remover according to claim 1, wherein the power
transmission means of the brush back-and-forth movement means has a
cam mechanism, the cam mechanism has a cam follower, and a
cylindrical cam having a cam portion along which the cam follower
is guided, the cylindrical cam being configured to rotate owing to
the power of the motor, the axial direction of the cylindrical cam
is provided in parallel with that of the rotary brush, and the cam
follower is connected to the rotary blush so as to move back and
forth integrally with the rotary brush when the motor rotates.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a dust remover which
removes dust attached to a workpiece such as a glass substrate.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Heretofore, a dust remover has been known where a rotary
brush comes into contact with a workpiece to be carried to scratch
and remove dust attached to the workpiece (Japanese Patent
Application Laid-Open Nos. 2003-334499 and 2005-211722). The dust
remover disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
2005-211722 moves the rotary brush back and forth in the axial
direction of the brush with a motor for exclusive use in
back-and-forth movement while rotating the rotary brush around the
axial center of the brush with a motor for exclusive use in
rotation, whereby a dust removal effect is improved. As a mechanism
which moves the rotary brush back and forth, a reciprocating slider
crank mechanism is used.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Problem to be solved by the Invention
[0003] However, a conventional dust remover has a large space for
installing a reciprocating slider crank mechanism, and it has been
difficult to miniaturize the dust remover. The dust remover is also
provided with two motors for exclusive use in the rotation and
back-and-forth movement of the rotary brush, which enlarges the
whole device and increases cost.
[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a dust
remover which, needless to say, effectively removes dust and which
can miniaturize the whole device and reduce the cost.
Means for Solving the Problem
[0005] A dust remover of the present invention includes: a rotary
brush which removes dust attached to a workpiece; workpiece
carrying means for carrying the workpiece in a direction crossing
the axial direction of the rotary brush; brush rotation means for
rotating the rotary brush around the axial center of the rotary
brush synchronously with the workpiece carrying means; and brush
back-and-forth movement means for moving the rotary brush back and
forth in the axial direction of the rotary brush synchronously with
the workpiece carrying means. The dust remover also includes a
motor which is a common driving source of the brush rotation means
and the brush back-and-forth movement means. The brush rotation
means has power transmission means for transmitting the power of
the motor to the rotary brush as a rotation of the rotary brush.
The brush back-and-forth movement means has power transmission
means for converting the power of the motor into a back-and-forth
movement of the rotary brush to transmit the back-and-forth
movement to the rotary brush.
[0006] According to this constitution, one motor is used in both
the rotation of the rotary brush and the back-and-forth movement
thereof, so that as compared with a case where the motors for
exclusive use are provided, the miniaturization of the whole device
and the cost reduction can be achieved.
[0007] Here, the examples of the type of the workpiece include a
printed wiring board, a liquid crystal glass substrate, a flexible
substrate, a ceramic substrate, a plastic plate, a liquid crystal
display panel, a vacuum tray, a lens, an optical waveguide plate, a
film and paper. The outer shape of the workpiece may be a
rectangular shape or a disc-like shape such as a wafer described
later.
[0008] Preferably, the power transmission means of the brush
back-and-forth movement means has a cam mechanism, and the cam
mechanism has a cam follower, and a cylindrical cam having a cam
portion along which the cam follower is guided, and configured to
rotate owing to the power of the motor. The cylindrical cam is
connected to the rotary brush so as to rotate and move back and
forth integrally and coaxially with the rotary brush. The cam
follower is fixed to an immobile position so as to allow the
cylindrical cam to rotate when the motor rotates while converting
the rotation of the cylindrical cam into the back-and-forth
movement of the cylindrical cam.
[0009] According to this constitution, in a case where the motor
rotates, the rotary brush and the cylindrical cam rotate, while the
cam follower allows the cylindrical cam to move back and forth
integrally with the rotary brush. According to a simple mechanism
such as the cam mechanism using the cylindrical cam, the rotary
brush can rotate and move back and forth with a single motor. It is
to be noted that the cam portion may be a groove formed in the
peripheral surface of the cylindrical cam, or a protrusion attached
to the peripheral surface of the cylindrical cam.
[0010] More preferably, the dust remover of the present invention
further comprises a base which fixes the cam follower to the
immobile position; and a rotary shaft which connects the
cylindrical cam to the rotary brush and which rotates and moves
back and forth integrally with the cylindrical cam and the rotary
brush. The rotary shaft is inserted through the cylindrical cam,
and fixed to the inside of the cylindrical cam, and a portion of
the rotary shaft protruding externally from the cylindrical cam in
an axial direction is rotatably and movably supported on the
base.
[0011] According to this constitution, the rotary shaft can
rotatably and movably be supported by effectively using the base
which fixes the cam follower. Moreover, the cylindrical cam can
rotatably be supported via the supported rotary shaft.
[0012] In this case, it is preferable that the rotary shaft
includes two rotary shafts arranged coaxially with each other and
that the two rotary shafts are inserted through the cylindrical cam
and fixed to the inside of the cylindrical cam.
[0013] According to this constitution, the rotary shaft includes
two rotary shafts, whereby ease of assembling the rotary shafts,
the cylindrical cam and the rotary brush can be improved. Moreover,
the two rotary shafts are fixed to the inside of the cylindrical
cam, so that the cylindrical cam can effectively be used as a
coupling function of connecting the two rotary shafts.
[0014] Preferably, the cam follower has a pin-like shape.
Preferably, the cam portion is set so that the rotation number of
the cylindrical cam is equal to the amplitude of the cylindrical
cam in a back-and-forth direction. Preferably, the cylindrical cam
is made of a plastic, and the cam follower is made of a metal.
Alternatively, the cylindrical cam and the cam follower are
preferably made of a metal.
[0015] Preferably, the rotary brush is constituted so as to perform
a reciprocation in the back-and-forth direction every time the
rotary brush rotates once. Preferably, the rotary brush has a first
end into which the power for the rotation is input from the power
transmission means of the brush rotation means, and a second end
into which the power for the back-and-forth movement is input from
the power transmission means of the brush back-and-forth movement
means. More preferably, the first and second ends are positioned in
the axial center of the rotary brush. Preferably, the motor has an
output shaft coaxially with the rotary brush. More preferably, the
output shaft is connected to the axial center of the rotary brush
via the power transmission means of the brush rotation means.
Alternatively, the power transmission means of the brush rotation
means preferably has a main shaft connected to the output shaft, a
spline boss formed integrally with the main shaft, a spline shaft
fitted into the spline boss, and a coupling which connects the
spline shaft to the rotary brush.
[0016] Preferably, the workpiece carrying means carries the
workpiece in a direction crossing the axial direction of the rotary
brush. Preferably, the rotary brush is constituted so as to come in
contact with the workpiece. Preferably, the rotary brush has an
implanted portion constituted of a conductive fiber, and the
implanted portion comes in rotating contact with the surface of the
workpiece. Preferably, the dust remover of the present invention
further includes a height adjustment mechanism constituted so as to
adjust the height of the rotary brush in accordance with the
thickness of the workpiece.
[0017] According to another preferable mode of the present
invention, the power transmission means of the brush back-and-forth
movement means has a cam mechanism, and the cam mechanism has a cam
follower, a cam portion along which the cam follower is guided, and
a cylindrical cam which rotates owing to the power of the motor.
The cylindrical cam is provided so that the axial direction of the
cylindrical cam is parallel to that of the rotary brush. The cam
follower is connected to the rotary brush so that the cam follower
moves back and forth integrally with the rotary brush when the
motor rotates.
[0018] According to this constitution, when the motor rotates, the
rotary brush and the cylindrical cam rotate. When this cylindrical
cam rotates, the cam follower (a driven node) performs a
reciprocation (a back-and-forth movement) integrally with and in
parallel with the rotary brush. Thus, the rotary brush can be
rotated and moved back and forth with a single motor owing to a
simple mechanism such as the cam mechanism using the cylindrical
cam. It is to be noted that the cam portion may be a groove formed
in the peripheral surface of the cylindrical cam or a protrusion
attached to the peripheral surface of the cylindrical cam.
[0019] According to another viewpoint to reach the present
invention, the dust remover of the present invention can be applied
not only to the workpiece to be carried but also to a workpiece to
be rotated.
[0020] That is, a dust remover comprises: a rotary brush which
removes dust attached to the surface of a disc-like workpiece;
workpiece rotation means for rotating the workpiece around the
axial center of the workpiece; brush rotation means for rotating
the rotary brush around the axial center of the rotary brush
synchronously with the workpiece rotation means; brush
back-and-forth movement means for moving the rotary brush in the
diametric direction of the workpiece synchronously with the
workpiece rotation means; and a motor which is a common driving
source of the brush rotation means and the brush back-and-forth
movement means. The brush rotation means has power transmission
means for transmitting the power of the motor to the rotary brush
as a rotation of the rotary brush. The brush back-and-forth
movement means has power transmission means for converting the
power of the motor into a back-and-forth movement of the rotary
brush to transmit the back-and-forth movement to the rotary
brush.
[0021] It is to be noted that the examples of the disc-like
workpiece include a wafer and a disk medium such as a compact disk
(CD).
EFFECT OF THE INVENTION
[0022] According to the dust remover of the present invention, dust
can effectively be removed, the whole device can be miniaturized,
and cost can be reduced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a dust remover according to a
first embodiment;
[0024] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the dust remover shown in FIG.
1;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a sectional view schematically showing the
enlarged main part of the dust remover shown in FIG. 1;
[0026] FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view similar to FIG. 3, (a)
is a diagram in an initial state, (b) is a diagram at a time when a
motor rotates as much as 1/4 from the initial state, (c) is a
diagram at a time when the motor rotates as much as 2/4 from the
initial state, and (d) is a diagram at a time when the motor
rotates as much as 3/4 from the initial state;
[0027] FIG. 5 is a sectional view schematically showing the
enlarged main part of a dust remover according to a second
embodiment; and
[0028] FIG. 6 is a sectional view schematically showing the
enlarged main part of a dust remover according to a third
embodiment.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0029] A dust remover according to a preferable embodiment of the
present invention will hereinafter be described with reference to
the accompanying drawings. This dust remover removes, with a brush,
trash, dust and dirt attached to the surface (the upper surface) of
a workpiece which is any substrate. This type of trash, dust and
dirt will hereinafter be referred to as the "dust".
First Embodiment
[0030] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the main part of a dust
remover, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the main part of the
dust remover.
[0031] A dust remover 1 has a lower base 2 on a stand (not shown),
and a workpiece treatment area for performing a dist removal
operation with respect to a workpiece W (the substrate) is
constituted above the lower base 2.
[0032] Examples of the type of the workpiece W include a printed
wiring board, a liquid crystal glass substrate, a flexible
substrate, a ceramic substrate, a plastic plate, a liquid crystal
display panel, a vacuum tray, a lens, a waveguide plate, a film and
paper. Here, the workpiece W having a rectangular outer shape as a
whole is used.
[0033] A first support stand 3 and a second support stand 4 are
horizontally arranged apart from each other on the lower base 2. An
upper base 5 is positioned so as to extend in an upper portion
between the first support stand 3 and the second support stand 4.
The upper base 5 has a main body base 51 extending in a horizontal
direction. A right vertical base 52, a middle vertical base 53 and
a left vertical base 54 hang from the lower surface of the main
body base 51. The right vertical base 52 and the left vertical base
54 are constituted slidably in a vertical direction with respect to
the first support stand 3 and the second support stand 4.
[0034] The first support stand 3 and the second support stand 4
have height adjustment mechanisms 6, 6 attached to upper ends,
respectively. The height adjustment mechanisms 6, 6 move the upper
base 5 in the vertical direction via the right vertical base 52 and
the left vertical base 54. In consequence, the position of any type
of component (e.g., a rotary brush 11 described later) assembled
onto the upper base 5 in the vertical direction can be adjusted
with respect to the thickness of the workpiece W.
[0035] In the workpiece treatment area, there are arranged the
rotary brush 11 which removes dust attached to the workpiece W,
workpiece carrying means 12 which carries the workpiece W in one
direction, brush rotation means 13 which rotates the rotary brush
11 around the axial center of the brush, and brush back-and-forth
movement means 14 which moves the rotary brush 11 back and forth in
the axial direction of the brush synchronously with the workpiece
carrying means 12. The brush rotation means 13 and the brush
back-and-forth movement means 14 include a motor 15 which is a
common driving source.
[0036] The axial direction of the rotary brush 11, that is, the
back-and-forth direction of the rotary brush 11 crosses the
carrying direction of the workpiece W at right angles. However,
these directions may cross each other at an angle other than 90
degrees.
[0037] A dust removal operation is performed by the dust remover 1
in which the rotary brush 11 is moved back and forth in the axial
direction, while rolling the rotary brush 11 from the upside with
respect to a part of the workpiece W to be carried. In consequence,
the dust is removed from the whole surface of the workpiece W. It
is to be noted that during the dust removal operation, air is blown
to the workpiece W with a blower (not shown), and the blown air is
sucked and discharged from the workpiece treatment area together
with the dust.
[0038] The rotary brush 11 is constituted of a so-called conductive
brush, and conductive fibers having a diameter of, for example,
about several ten .mu.m are implanted in the peripheral surface of
a substantially columnar brush main body. The implanted portion of
the rotary brush 11 comes in rotating contact with the surface of
the workpiece W to scratch and remove the dust attached to the
surface of the workpiece W, and the brush also removes static
electricity from the surface of the workpiece W.
[0039] The height (the gap) of the rotary brush 11 is adjusted by
the height adjustment mechanisms 6, 6, whereby the brush is
constituted so as to treat the workpieces W having different
thicknesses. The rotary brush 11 also extends long in the
horizontal direction so as to treat the workpiece W having a large
width. Then, the power for the rotation of the brush rotation means
13 is input into a protrusion-like right end 41 of the rotary brush
11, and the power for the reciprocation of the brush back-and-forth
movement means 14 is input into a protrusion-like left end 42 of
the rotary brush 11. The right end 41 and the left end 42 are
positioned in the axial center of the rotary brush 11.
[0040] The workpiece carrying means 12 has a pair of left and right
guides 34, 34 which guide the opposite side surfaces of the
workpiece W to be carried. The workpiece carrying means 12 has a
pair of belt conveyors (not shown) which support the lower portions
of the opposite ends of the workpiece W and convey this, and a
driving motor which drives each belt conveyor. The pair of belt
conveyors carry the workpiece W opposed to the rotary brush 11
disposed above so that the workpiece W brought into contact with
the rotary brush 11 passes through this rotary brush.
[0041] The workpiece carrying means 12 has a workpiece width
adjustment mechanism including a pair of front and back rails 36,
36 installed on the lower base 2. The workpiece width adjustment
mechanism allows a pair of belt conveyors to carry any type of
workpiece W having a different width while guiding the workpiece
with the pair of guides 34, 34.
[0042] The motor 15 is constituted of a DC motor or a stepping
motor provided with a rectifier or a brush. An output shaft 61 of
the motor 15 has the same axis as that of the rotary brush 11, and
connected to the axial center of the rotary brush 11 via power
transmission means 70 described later. The motor 15 rotates
synchronously with the driving motor of the workpiece carrying
means 12 during the dust removal operation.
[0043] The motor 15 is attached to a bracket 63, and the bracket 63
is fixed to the right vertical base 52 of the upper base 5 so as to
extend through the first support stand 3. Therefore, in a case
where the upper base 5 vertically moves to adjust the gap, the
motor 15 and the rotary brush 11 integrally move up and down.
[0044] FIG. 3 is a sectional view schematically showing the
enlarged main part of the dust remover 1 shown in FIG. 1. The brush
rotation means 13 includes the power transmission means 70 for
transmitting the power of the motor 61 to the rotary brush 11 as
the rotation of the rotary brush 11.
[0045] The brush back-and-forth movement means 14 includes power
transmission means 80 for converting the power of the output shaft
61 into a back-and-forth movement of the rotary brush 11 to
transmit the back-and-forth movement to the rotary brush 11.
[0046] The power transmission means 70 is constituted of a main
shaft 72 connected to the output shaft 61 of the motor 15, a spline
boss 73 formed integrally with the main shaft 72, and a spline
shaft 74 which fits into the spline boss 73. The spline boss 73 is
rotatably supported by the right vertical base 52 of the upper base
5 via a bearing 76. The spline shaft 74 is connected to the right
end 41 of the rotary brush 11 via a coupling 77.
[0047] A square spline constituted of the spline boss 73 and the
spline shaft 74 integrally rotates owing to the rotation of the
motor 15. This square spline rotates the rotary brush 11 to which
the rotary force of the motor 15 has been transmitted, and allows
the brush back-and-forth movement means 14 to move the rotary brush
11 back and forth in the axial direction during the rotation of the
brush. It is to be noted that, needless to say, a ball spline may
be used instead of the square spline.
[0048] The power transmission means 80 has a cam mechanism
including a cylindrical cam 81 and a cam follower 82. The
peripheral surface of the cylindrical cam 81 is provided with a cam
groove (a cam portion) 83 along which the cam follower 82 is
guided. It is to be noted that instead of the cam groove 83, the
peripheral surface of the cylindrical cam 81 may be provided with a
protrusion to guide the cam follower 82.
[0049] The cylindrical cam 81 is arranged coaxially with the rotary
brush 11. A rotary shaft 91 is inserted through the axial center of
the cylindrical cam 81. The rotary shaft 91 is constituted of two
rotary shafts 91a, 91b arranged along the same axis, and two rotary
shafts 91a, 91b are fixed to the inside of the cylindrical cam 81.
That is, the cylindrical cam 81 also functions as a coupling to
connect two rotary shafts 91a, 91b to each other.
[0050] One end of the rotary shaft 91a is inserted into the
cylindrical cam 81 from the right side, and fixed to this cam,
whereas the other end of the shaft is connected to the left end 42
of the rotary brush 11 via a coupling 92. Moreover, the
intermediate portion of the rotary shaft 91a extending externally
from the cylindrical cam 81 in the axial direction is rotatably and
movably supported by the middle vertical base 53 via a bush 93.
[0051] One end of the rotary shaft 91b is inserted into the
cylindrical cam 81 from the left side, and fixed to this cam.
Moreover, the portion of the other end of the rotary shaft 91b
extending externally from the cylindrical cam 81 in the axial
direction is rotatably and movably supported by the left vertical
base 54 via a bush 94. It is to be noted that the other end of the
rotary shaft 91b inserted through the bush 94 can be constituted to
extend through the second support stand 4.
[0052] According to such a constitution, the rotary shaft 91 (the
rotary shafts 91a, 91b) connects the cylindrical cam 81 to the
rotary brush 11, and rotates and moves back and forth integrally
with the cylindrical cam and the rotary brush. The rotary shaft 91
is constituted of two rotary shafts 91a, 91b as in the present
embodiment, whereby the rotary shaft 91, the cylindrical cam 81 and
the rotary brush 11 are easily assembled.
[0053] Specifically, a workability can be improved in a case where
the cylindrical cam 81 is arranged between the middle vertical base
53 and the left vertical base 54, and the rotary shaft 91 is
supported by these vertical bases 53, 54 via the bushes 93, 94.
Moreover, a workability in a case where the rotary brush 11 is
connected to the rotary shaft 91 via the coupling 92 can be
improved. It is to be noted that the middle vertical base 53 and
the left vertical base 54 function as bush holders for holding the
bushes 93, 94, and are constituted integrally with or separately
from the main body base 51.
[0054] The cam follower 82 has a pin-like shape. The cam follower
82 is attached to an attachment member 101 fixed to the lower
surface of the main body base 51 so as to face downwards. In
consequence, the cam follower 82 is fixed to an immobile position
so that the follower does not move, even when the motor 15 rotates.
When the motor 15 rotates, the cam follower 82 is guided along the
cam groove 83 to convert the rotation of the cylindrical cam 81
into the back-and-forth movement of the cylindrical cam 81, while
allowing the rotation of the cylindrical cam 81.
[0055] That is, when the motor 15 rotates, the cam follower 82 in
the fixed position allows the cylindrical cam 81 and the rotary
brush 11 to integrally rotate while moving back and forth in the
axial direction. Then, the cam groove 83 of the present embodiment
is set so that the rotation number of the cylindrical cam 81 is
equal to the number of amplitude (the number of reciprocation
times) in the back-and-forth direction, and the cylindrical cam 81
and the rotary brush 11 perform the reciprocation once in the
back-and-forth direction every time they rotate once.
[0056] Here, as a material of the cylindrical cam 81 and the cam
follower 82, a hard resin or any type of metal may be applied. For
example, both of the cylindrical cam 81 and the cam follower 82 may
be made of a plastic such as nylon, and one of them may be made of
a metal such as stainless steel. When the plastic is used in the
material, the operation sound of the device can be reduced.
However, from a viewpoint that the wear of the cam groove 83 be
suppressed, both of the cylindrical cam 81 and the cam follower 82
are preferably made of stainless steel.
[0057] FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view similar to FIG. 3,
showing the back-and-forth movement of the rotary brush 11 with an
elapse of time.
[0058] In an initial state shown in FIG. 4(a), when the motor 15
rotates as much as 1/4, the rotary brush 11 and the cylindrical cam
81 advance toward the left while rotating, and move to a position
shown in FIG. 4(b). When the motor 15 further rotates as much as
1/4, the rotary brush 11 and the cylindrical cam 81 advance toward
a leftmost position while rotating, and move to a position shown in
FIG. 4(c). Then, when the motor 15 further rotates as much as 1/2,
the rotary brush 11 and the cylindrical cam 81 start advancing
toward the right while rotating, and advance toward a rightmost
position via a position shown in FIG. 4(d) to return to the
position shown in FIG. 4(a).
[0059] As described above, according to the dust remover 1 of the
present embodiment, the rotary brush 11 is moved back and forth in
the axial direction while coming into rotating contact with the
surface of the workpiece W which is being carried, so that the dust
attached to the workpiece W can preferably be removed. Especially,
the number of the back-and-forth movements (the number of the
reciprocations) of the rotary brush 11 can be set to be equal to
the rotation number of the brush, and a dust removal effect can be
improved.
[0060] Moreover, the rotary brush 11 can be rotated and moved back
and forth with one motor 15, so that as compared with a case where
motors for exclusive use in the rotation and the back-and-forth
movement are provided, the number of the motors can be reduced, and
cost can be reduced. Furthermore, the cam mechanism including the
cylindrical cam 81 is employed, so that a simple mechanism for
moving the rotary brush 11 back and forth can be constituted, and
the reduction of an installation space and the miniaturization of
the whole device can be achieved.
[0061] It is to be noted that instead of the constitution for
carrying the workpiece W in the present embodiment, the workpiece W
may be set to an immobile state in a predetermined position, and
the rotary brush 11 may be moved in a direction crossing the
back-and-forth direction of the brush at right angles while moving
the rotary brush 11 back and forth with respect to the workpiece.
In this case, for example, a movable base which integrally supports
the brush rotation means 13 and the brush back-and-forth movement
means 14 may be provided, and this movable base may be moved
synchronously with the brush rotation means 13 and the brush
back-and-forth movement means 14 in one direction (the carrying
direction of the workpiece W) by driving a ball screw or the
like.
Second Embodiment
[0062] Next, a dust remover 1 according to a second embodiment of
the present invention will be described mainly with respect to a
characteristic different from the first embodiment with reference
to FIG. 5. The embodiment is different from the first embodiment
mainly in that the constitution of the power transmission means 80
of the brush back-and-forth movement means 14 is changed. It is to
be noted that a rotary brush 11, workpiece carrying means 12, brush
rotation means 13 and a motor 15 are the same as those of the first
embodiment, and denoted with the same reference numerals as those
of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is
omitted.
[0063] The power transmission means 80 has a cam mechanism
including a cylindrical cam 121 and a cam follower 122. The
peripheral surface of the cylindrical cam 121 is provided with a
cam groove (a cam portion) 123 along which the cam follower 122 is
guided. It is to be noted that instead of the cam groove 123, the
peripheral surface of the cylindrical cam 121 may be provided with
a protrusion to guide the cam follower 122.
[0064] The axial direction of the cylindrical cam 121 is provided
in parallel with that of the rotary brush 11. A support shaft 130
is inserted through the axial center of the cylindrical cam 121.
The support shaft 130 is rotatably supported under a middle
vertical base 53 and a left vertical base 54. One end of the
support shaft 130 is secured to a gear 140 which inputs a power for
rotating the support shaft 130.
[0065] An output shaft 61 of the motor 15 is secured to a drive
gear 141. The drive gear 141 transmits the power to the gear 140
which engages with a gear 146 via, for example, a gear row
constituted of three gears 142, 143 and 144, a transmission shaft
145 and the gear 146. According to such a constitution, the
cylindrical cam 121 rotates owing to the power of the motor 15.
[0066] The cam follower 122 is attached to a back-and-forth
movement shaft 150 via an attachment member 101. The back-and-forth
movement shaft 150 is positioned coaxially with the rotary brush
11, and extends in a horizontal direction. A portion of one end of
the back-and-forth movement shaft 150 is movably supported by the
left vertical base 54 via a bush 94. The other end of the
back-and-forth movement shaft 150 is connected to a joint portion
160.
[0067] The joint portion 160 coaxially connects the back-and-forth
movement shaft 150 to a rotary shaft 170, and is constituted to
block the transmission of a rotary force from the rotary shaft 170
to the back-and-forth movement shaft 150. That is, even when the
rotary shaft 170 rotates, the back-and-forth movement shaft 150
does not rotate. On the other hand, in a case where the
back-and-forth movement shaft 150 moves back and forth in a
horizontal direction, the rotary shaft 170 moves back and forth in
the horizontal direction integrally with the joint portion 160 and
the back-and-forth movement shaft 150.
[0068] One end of the rotary shaft 170 is connected to the joint
portion 160, and the other end of the rotary shaft is connected to
a coupling 92. The coupling 92 is connected to a left end 42 of the
rotary brush 11. Moreover, an intermediate portion of the rotary
shaft 170 is rotatably and movably supported by the middle vertical
base 53 via a bush 93.
[0069] According to the above constitution, when the motor 15
rotates, the rotary brush 11, the rotary shaft 170 and the
cylindrical cam 121 rotate. At this time, the cam follower 122 is
guided along the cam groove 123, whereby the cam follower 122 and
the back-and-forth movement shaft 150 move back and forth in the
horizontal direction. This back-and-forth movement is transmitted
to the rotary brush 11 via the joint portion 160, the rotary shaft
170 and the like. In consequence, when the motor 15 rotates, the
rotary brush 11 moves back and forth integrally with the cam
follower 122, while rotating.
[0070] Therefore, even the dust remover 1 of the present embodiment
can produce function and effect similar to those of the first
embodiment. In particular, according to the present embodiment, the
gear ratio of various gears (140, 141, 142, 143, 144 and 146) is
set, whereby the rotation number of the rotary brush 11 and the
amplitude (the number of the reciprocations) in the back-and-forth
direction can be varied, and both the numbers may be set to
different numbers. It is to be noted that a material similar to
that of the first embodiment may be applied to that of the
cylindrical cam 121 and the cam follower 122.
Third Embodiment
[0071] Next, a dust remover 1 according to a third embodiment of
the present invention will be described mainly with respect to a
characteristic different from the first embodiment with reference
to FIG. 6. A workpiece W for use in the present embodiment
sometimes has a disc-like outer shape, and is, for example, a
silicon semiconductor wafer or a disk medium such as a compact disk
(CD). Therefore, the third embodiment includes workpiece rotation
means 171 for rotating the workpiece W around an axial center 173
of the workpiece, instead of the workplace carrying means 12 of the
first embodiment. It is to be noted that a constitution other than
the workpiece W and the workpiece rotation means 171 is the same as
that of the first embodiment, and is denoted with the same
reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and the
description thereof is omitted.
[0072] The workpiece rotation means 171 has a rotary shaft arranged
on the same axis as the central axis 173 of the workpiece W, and a
rotary table attached to the distal end of the rotary shaft,
although they are not shown. It is constituted that the workpiece W
can be mounted on the rotary table. Then, a rotary brush 11 is
arranged above the workpiece rotation means 171, and the rotary
brush 11 is connected to brush rotation means 13 and brush
back-and-forth movement means 14 as described above. The brush
rotation means 13 and the brush back-and-forth movement means 14
include a motor 15 which is a common driving source.
[0073] In a dust removal operation to be performed by the dust
remover 1 of the present embodiment, the motor 15 rotates
synchronously with the rotation of the workpiece W performed by the
workpiece rotation means 171. In consequence, the rotary brush 11
moves back and forth in the axial direction of the rotating
workpiece W, while the rotary brush 11 rotates around the axial
center. In this case, the rotary brush 11 comes in contact with the
workpiece W to remove dust attached to the surface of the workpiece
W. Therefore, even the present embodiment can produce function and
effect similar to those of the first embodiment.
[0074] It is to be noted that in the above embodiments, the rotary
brush 11 is directly brought into contact with the surface of the
workpiece W. However, in the non-contact state of the rotary brush
11 with respect to the surface of the workpiece W, that is, even in
a case where the rotary brush 11 comes close to the surface of the
workpiece W with a slight gap from the surface, the rotary brush 11
can remove the dust from the surface of the workpiece W.
* * * * *