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.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a dust remover which removes dust attached to a workpiece such as a glass substrate.

BACKGROUND ART

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a dust remover according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the dust remover shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view schematically showing the enlarged main part of the dust remover shown in FIG. 1;

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 ¼ 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 ¾ from the initial state;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view schematically showing the enlarged main part of a dust remover according to a second embodiment; and

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The rotary brush 11 is constituted of a so-called conductive brush, and conductive fibers having a diameter of, for example, about several ten μm 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In an initial state shown in FIG. 4(a), when the motor 15 rotates as much as ¼, 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 ¼, 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 ½, 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).

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.