Abstract:
A supporting device includes a support body for supporting a substrate and an auxiliary wing for supporting the corner of the substrate, so that the substrate is substantially horizontally disposed on the supporting device. Also disclosed is a substrate transportation equipment including the supporting device and a movable protruding member. The substrate transportation equipment can prevent the movable protruding member from hitting the edge of the substrate when the movable protruding member moves.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a supporting device. In particular, the present invention relates to a supporting device which allows a substrate to be horizontally disposed thereon. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   In the current solar cell production, transportation equipment is employed to transport the solar cells. In the meantime, the edges of the solar cells may droop to bend due to various reasons, such as curling of the substrate because of heated Al paste on the back of the substrate or because of an extremely thin substrate. 
   Once the substrates bend too much, they collide with one another and pile up while being transported and the collision causes the drop of the yield. 
     FIG. 1  Illustrates the conventional transportation of the substrates. The transportation equipment  100  includes the base  110 , the walking beam  120  and cell seats  130 ,  131 ,  132 ,  133 . The cell seats  130 ,  131 ,  132 ,  133  are fixed on the base  110 . The walking beam  120  includes multiple protruding members  121  reciprocating between the cell seats  130 ,  131  and the cell seats  132 ,  133  to transport the substrate  140 . 
   A complete cycle of the reciprocation of the walking beam  120  includes movements A-B-C-D. When the substrate bends, the far edges droop more than the ordinary ones. In the mean time, if the walking beam  120  moves along the D direction, the protruding members  121  of the walking beam  120  collide with the drooping edges of the substrate  140  on the cell seats  132 ,  133  and cause pile-ups. The yield therefore decreases. 
   It is needed to provide a novel supporting device to solve the above-mentioned problems. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a novel supporting device for avoiding the aforementioned abnormal situation to effectively lower the defects and increase the yield. 
   The present invention first provides a supporting device, which includes a support body for supporting a substrate and an auxiliary wing for supporting the corners of the substrate, so that the substrate is substantially horizontally disposed on the supporting device. 
   The present invention further provides a substrate transportation equipment, which includes a base and a plurality of supporting devices. The base includes a central working beam and a first base surface and a second base surface respectively disposed on both sides of the central working beam. The central working beam includes a reciprocating movable protruding member for transporting a substrate and a plurality of supporting devices correspondingly disposed on the first base surface and the second base surface. Each supporting device includes a support body for supporting the substrate and an auxiliary wing for supporting the substrate so that the substrate may be substantially horizontally disposed on the supporting devices to avoid the collision of the movable protruding member with corners of the substrate during its reciprocation. 
   The present invention also provides a method for transporting a substrate. The method of the present invention includes first providing a substrate transportation equipment including a base, a plurality of first supporting devices disposed on a first location of the base, a plurality of second supporting devices disposed on a second location of the base, and a working beam, disposed on a base, including a movable protruding member reciprocating between the first location and the second location. Afterwards, a substrate is substantially horizontally placed on the first supporting devices. Later the protruding member is elevated so that the protruding member replaces the first supporting devices to support the substrate. Afterwards, the protruding member and the substrate thereon altogether move from the first location to the second location along the working beam. Later the protruding member is lowered so that the substrate is off the protruding member and substantially horizontally disposed on the second supporting devices. Then the protruding member returns to the first location. 
   These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1 . Illustrates the conventional transportation of the substrates. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the supporting device of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the substrate transportation equipment of the present invention. 
       FIGS. 4-7  illustrate the method for transporting a substrate of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   One aspect of the present invention provides a supporting device and a substrate transportation equipment to prevent the working beam from colliding with the substrate on the base so as to effectively lower the defects and increase the yield. 
     FIG. 2  illustrates the supporting device  200  of the present invention. The supporting device  200  includes a support body  210  and an auxiliary wing  220 . The support body  210  is useful in supporting a substrate (not shown) and the auxiliary wing  220  is useful in supporting the corners of the substrate, so that a substrate is substantially horizontally disposed on the supporting device  200 . 
   Usually the support body  210  includes a first top surface  211  so that a substrate may lie on the first top surface  211 . Preferably, the support body  210  may further include a cushion  212 , made of elastic material, on the first top surface  211 . Similarly, the auxiliary wing  220  may include a second top rim  221  so that the corners of a substrate may be disposed on the second top rim  221  of the auxiliary wing  220 . Also, the auxiliary wing  220  may further include a pad on the second top rim  221  to avoid scratching the substrate. The auxiliary wing  220  may be made of plastic materials, such as plastics or metal, so that the auxiliary wing  220  may be adjusted manually to correctly support the corners of a substrate. 
   The auxiliary wing  220  may extend from the support body  210  along the diagonal direction of the substrate. According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary wing  220  is detachably connected to the support body  210 . Or, according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support body  210  and the auxiliary wing  220  are integratedly formed. Preferably, the auxiliary wing  220  may be a bended metal plate latched to a base with the support body  210 . 
     FIG. 3  illustrates the substrate transportation equipment  300  of the present invention. The substrate transportation equipment  300  includes a base  340  and a plurality of supporting devices  301 . The base  340  includes a central working beam  343 , a first base surface  341  and a second base surface  342 . The first base surface  341  and the second base surface  342  are respectively disposed on both sides of the central working beam  343 . The central working beam  343  includes a reciprocating movable protruding member  344  for transporting a substrate  330 . 
   The supporting devices  301  which are correspondingly disposed on the first base surface  341  and the second base surface  342  respectively include a support body  310  and an auxiliary wing  320 . The support body  310  is useful in supporting the substrate  330  and the auxiliary wing  320  is useful in supporting the substrate  330  so that the substrate  330  may be substantially horizontally disposed on the supporting devices  301 . Because the substrate  330  can be substantially horizontally disposed on the supporting devices  301 , the collision of the movable protruding member  344  with corners  331  of the substrate  330  during its reciprocation can be avoided. 
   The substrate  330  may be a bendable article, such as a solar cell, but is not limited to this. Usually, the support body  310  may include a first top surface  311  so that the substrate  330  may lie on the support body  310  by means of the first top surface  311 . Preferably, the support body  310  may further include a cushion  312  made of elastic material, such as a plastic tube, on the first top surface  311 . Similarly, the auxiliary wing  320  may include a second top rim  321  so that the corners  331  of the substrate  330  may lie on the second top rim  321  of the auxiliary wing  320 . Also, the auxiliary wing  320  may further include a pad (not shown) on the second top rim  321  to avoid scratching the substrate. The auxiliary wing  320  may be made of plastic materials, such as plastics or metal, so that the auxiliary wing  320  may correctly support the corners  331  of the substrate  330 . 
   The auxiliary wing  320  may extend from the support body  310  along the diagonal direction of the substrate  330 . The auxiliary wing  320  may be detachably connected to the support body  310 , or the support body  310  and the auxiliary wing  320  may be integratedly formed. Preferably, the auxiliary wing  320  may be a bended metal plate latched to the base  340  with the support body  310 . 
     FIGS. 4-7  illustrate the method for transporting a substrate of the present invention. First, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the substrate transportation equipment  400  includes a base  440 , a plurality of first supporting devices  401  disposed on a first location  403  of the base  400 , a plurality of second supporting devices  402  disposed on a second location  402  of the base  400  and disposed on the base  400  a working beam  443  including a pair of movable protruding member  444  reciprocating between the first location  403  and the second location  404 . 
   Afterwards, as shown in  FIG. 5  the substrate  430  is substantially horizontally placed on the first supporting devices  401 . Then the protruding member  444  is elevated so that the protruding member  444  replaces the first supporting devices  401  to support the substrate  430 . Please note, the substrate  430  has corners  431 . 
   Both the first supporting device  401  and the second supporting device  402  respectively include a support body  410  and an auxiliary wing  420 . The support body  410  is useful in supporting the substrate  430  and the auxiliary wing  420  is useful in supporting the corners  431  of the substrate  430 , so that the substrate  430  may be substantially horizontally disposed on the supporting device. 
   The substrate  430  may usually be a bendable article, such as a solar cell, but is not limited to this. Usually, the support body  410  may include a first top surface  411  so that the substrate  430  may lie on the support body  410  by means of the first top surface  411 . Preferably, the support body  410  may further include a cushion  412  made of elastic material, such as a plastic tube, on the first top surface  411 . 
   Similarly, the auxiliary wing  420  may include a second top rim  421  so that the corners  431  of the substrate  430  may lie on the second top rim  421  of the auxiliary wing  420 . Also, the auxiliary wing  420  may further include a pad (not shown) on the second top rim  421  to avoid scratching the substrate. The auxiliary wing  420  may be made of plastic materials, such as plastics or metal, so that the auxiliary wing  420  may correctly support the corners  431  of the substrate  430 . 
   The auxiliary wing  420  may extend from the support body  410  along the diagonal direction of the substrate  430 . In order to allow the auxiliary wing  420  to correctly support the corners  431  of the substrate  430 , the second top rim  421  may be preferably slightly lower than the first top surface  411 . The auxiliary wing  420  may be detachably connected to the support body  410 , or the support body  410  and the auxiliary wing  420  may be integratedly formed. Preferably, the auxiliary wing  420  may be a bended metal plate latched to the base  440  with the support body  410 . 
   Later, as shown in  FIG. 6  the protruding member  444  and the substrate  430  thereon altogether move from the first location  403  to the second location  404  along the working beam  443 . The distance between the first location  403  and the second location  404  depends on the dimension of the substrate  430 . The shorter the distance usually means the higher the yield. 
   After reaching the second location  404 , the protruding member  444  is lowered so that the substrate  430  is off the protruding member  444  and substantially horizontally disposed on the second supporting devices  402 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , because the auxiliary wing  420  elevates the drooping corners  431  of the substrate  430 , the substrate  430  now is substantially horizontally disposed on the supporting device  402  so the collision of the movable protruding member (not shown) with corners  431  of the substrate  430  during its reciprocation can be avoided. Accordingly, the height of the auxiliary wing  420  is preferably between the support body  410  and the protruding member  444 . Afterwards the protruding member  444  returns to the first location  403 . 
   Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention.