The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for determining the position of a substrate within a closed chamber, wherein the substrate is moved within the chamber by a transport system comprising at least one rotating shaft. A load-converting element is provided adjacent to at least one of the rotating shafts, wherein the load-converting element detects a load acting on the at least one rotating shaft and converts it into an electrical parameter. While no substrate is present on the at least one rotating shaft, a first output signal corresponding to a first value of the electrical parameter is measured. The output signal is then monitored and a presence of the substrate on the at least one rotating shaft is detected when the output signal differs from the first output signal by at least a predetermined amount.

In a stacker crane, a cover to cover an elevation area of an elevation portion is integrally attachable to side surface portions of a mast, which includes a reinforcement portion and an adjuster. The reinforcement portion between a pair of the side surface portions in a Y direction extends toward an opposite direction to an elevation surface of an elevation surface defining portion and has a higher stiffness than that of each of the pair of side surface portions. The adjuster is spaced from the elevation surface defining portion in an X direction perpendicular to a Z direction and the Y direction, and both edges thereof extendible in the Y direction are contactable with the reinforcement portion and each of the pair of side surface portions.

Embodiments of a curved vehicle display including a display module having a display surface, a curved glass substrate disposed on the display surface having a first major surface, a second major surface having a second surface area, and a thickness in a range from 0.05 mm to 2 mm, wherein the second major surface comprises a first radius of curvature of 200 mm or greater, wherein, when the display module emits a light, the light transmitted through the glass substrate has a substantially uniform color along 75% or more of the second surface area, when viewed at a viewing angle at a distance of 0.5 meters from the second surface. Methods of forming a curved vehicle display are also disclosed.

A substrate processing device includes shafts, rollers, a gas blowing unit, bearings, and s suction unit. The shafts include internal spaces and first through holes communicated with the internal spaces. The rollers are attached to the shafts to be rotatable about axes of the shafts for conveying a substrate. The gas blowing unit is configured to blow gas to the substrate carried by the rollers. The bearings support the shafts to be rotatable and include second through holes communicated with the first through holes of the shafts. The bearings include inner rings fitted on the shafts, outer rings opposed to outer peripheries of the inner rings, respectively, and rolling components disposed between the inner rings and the outer rings. The suction unit is configured to suck air in the internal spaces of the shafts.

An article storage facility is provided in which a back side transport device can be installed while reducing any reduction in the storage efficiency of the article storage facility. A back side transport device (4) is provided which can support and transport an article (W) between an outside location (P1) located rearward of a back face of the article storage rack (2) and an inside location (P2) located forwardly of the back face of the article storage rack (2). The inside location (P2) is defined between storage sections (1) arranged along the rack vertical direction. And the back side transport device (4) includes a receiving support portion (20) for receiving and supporting an article (W), and an actuating operation portion (21) for actuating the receiving support portion (20) in order to move the article (W) to the inside location (P2) and to the outside location (P1). The actuating operation portion (21) is provided rearward of articles (W) stored in the storage sections (1) along the rack fore and aft direction.

An overturning and shifting mechanism, comprising: a carrier platform (10) on which a first item-sensing device (12) is disposed; a transporting device (11) on which a second item-sensing device (13) is disposed; an overturning device (14) which is positioned between the carrier platform (10) and the transporting device (11) and which comprises a driving device (141) and a rotating arm (142), the rotating arm (142) being provided with a suction structure (15) thereon; and a control device which is connected with the first item-sensing device (12), the second item-sensing device (13), the driving device (141) and the suction structure (15), wherein according to sensing signals of the first item-sensing device (12) and the second item-sensing device (13), the control device controls the driving device to drive the rotating arm (142) to rotate reciprocatingly between the carrier platform (10) and the transporting device (11), while at the same time the control device controls sucking or releasing operation of the suction structure (15). The mechanism is mainly used in production process of display devices and solves problems in contaminations and deformations due to overturning and shifting of display panels by manual operations in the conventional arts.

A substrate holding device includes: a frame body on which a substrate transferred by a transfer device is mounted, and a substrate delivery mechanism for delivering, to the frame body, the substrate transferred to the above of the frame body by the transfer device. The substrate delivery mechanism includes: a support pin arranged below the frame body, a support pin advancing/retreating mechanism for advancing and retreating the support pin between a support pin lifting/lowering position set on a lower side inside the frame body and a support pin retracting position set outside the frame body, and a support pin lifting/lowering mechanism by which the support pin arranged in the support pin lifting/lowering position by the support pin advancing/retreating mechanism is lowered after being lifted so as to pass through the interior of the frame body and support the substrate.

There is provided a carrier device that has a linkage arm mechanism, in particular, a carrier device that cools the linkage arm mechanism and can reduce the impact of radiation heat from a work that is in a high temperature state. A carrier device is a carrier device that includes a linkage arm mechanism and a pivot shaft, and the linkage arm mechanism includes lower arms and upper arms, and one ends of which are respectively connected to the lower arms, and horizontal movement members that support a work that is connected to the other ends of the upper arms, and cooling plates are respectively arranged between the upper arms, and the horizontal movement members.

Non-contact, liquid-ejecting bearings (3) are provided for conveying flexible glass sheets (13), such as LCD substrates, at high conveyance speeds, e.g., speeds of 15 meters/minute and above. The operating parameters and physical properties of the bearings satisfy at least one of the following conditions: (a) the average flow rate from the bearing's orifices (22) is in the range of 100-800 milliliters/minute/orifice; (b) the orifices' average horizontal pitch (P) is in the range of 20-55 millimeters; and/or (c) the orifices' average size (e.g., D.sub.0) is in the range of 1.0-4.5 millimeters. The bearings (3) can reduce the time-averaged, peak-to-peak variation in the spacing between a LCD substrate (13) traveling at 15 meters/minute and the face (20) of the bearing (3) to less than 100 microns, thus reducing the chances that the bearing (3) will lose control of the substrate (13) or that the substrate (13) will hit the bearing (3).

There is provided a carrier device that has a linkage arm mechanism, in particular, a carrier device that cools the linkage arm mechanism and can reduce the impact of radiation heat from a work that is in a high temperature state. A carrier device is a carrier device that includes a linkage arm mechanism and a pivot shaft, and the linkage arm mechanism includes lower arms and upper arms, and one ends of which are respectively connected to the lower arms, and horizontal movement members that support a work that is connected to the other ends of the upper arms, and cooling plates are respectively arranged between the upper arms, and the horizontal movement members.