RACK AND PINION SYSTEM, VACUUM PROCESSING DEVICE, DRIVE CONTROL METHOD FOR RACK AND PINION SYSTEM, DRIVE CONTROL PROGRAM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

摘要

Provided is a simple rack and pinion system which prevents impacts between the tips of teeth caused by phase offsets between a rack gear and pinion gears, and which allows the rack gear and pinion gears to mesh smoothly. The rack and pinion system comprises a rack gear (16) secured to a mounting base (20) which carries an object to be conveyed and moves over a conveyance track (7), and a plurality of pinion gears (17) which are linked to a drive source (13). At least two of the pinion gears rotate synchronously and mesh succesively with the rack gear so that the rack gear is transferred from the pinion gears of the current stage to the pinion gears of the following stage in order to convey the object. The system also comprises means for detecting the phase difference of the pinion gears, and a control unit (25) which has a memory unit (27) for storing the detected phase difference and controls the phase difference of the pinion gears of the following stage in accordance with the phase difference of the pinion gears of the current stage.