A high-precision telescopic mechanical arm

Abstract

The present invention provides a high-precision telescopic mechanical arm, comprising: the first end of the lower arm box is installed on the installation base, and the lower arm box is provided with a first transmission step pulley; the upper arm box is provided with a terminal step pulley, and the end face of the terminal step pulley is connected with a clamping claw fixing base; the second end of the upper arm box is rotatably connected with the second end of the lower arm box through the second transmission step pulley, and the second transmission step pulley includes an upper step pulley, a mounting plate and a lower step pulley which are fixedly connected in sequence, the upper step pulley is located in the upper arm box, and the upper step pulley is connected to the terminal step pulley through a terminal synchronous belt, the mounting plate is connected to the second end of the upper arm box, the lower step pulley is located in the lower arm box, and the lower step pulley is connected to the first transmission step pulley through a transmission step belt; the output end of the harmonic reducer is fixedly connected to the first transmission step pulley and rotates synchronously: the driving end of the servo motor is fixedly connected to the input end of the harmonic reducer. It has a simple structure, accurate positioning, fast response speed, good stability and low cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of high-precision industrial automation, and in particular to a high-precision telescopic mechanical arm. Background Art

[0002] Nowadays, with the development of science and technology, robots are being used more and more widely. Intelligent telescopic transport robot arms are an automated and intelligent device that has the function of grabbing and moving workpieces in the automated production process. It is a new type of device developed in the mechanized and automated production process. Intelligent telescopic transport robot arms have developed into an important part of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) and flexible manufacturing cells (FMC). They can make complex and tedious things simple, complete high-precision handling work that cannot be achieved manually, reduce the danger of manual handling, and improve production efficiency and product yield.

[0003] However, the existing retractable robotic arm system has poor stability and accuracy, especially in the semiconductor industry, which has extremely high precision requirements. Taking the wafer production in the semiconductor industry as an example, the final production of silicon wafers into chips requires a series of processes such as "photolithography, corrosion, and deposition". The positioning accuracy of the wafer transfer and placement between different processes is the key to ensuring the quality of chip processing. The control accuracy and long-term continuous working stability of the wafer handling robot are the key to restricting the production quality of semiconductor chips. Therefore, the wafer handling robot must meet the requirements of high precision and high stability. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a high-precision telescopic robot arm, which has a simple structure, accurate positioning, fast response speed, good stability, and low cost, and is particularly suitable for application fields such as wafer handling in the semiconductor industry that require high-precision and fast rotation posture control. To achieve the above purpose, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0005] A high-precision telescopic mechanical arm, comprising:

[0006] Install the base;

[0007] A lower arm box, wherein the first end of the lower arm box is mounted on the mounting base, and a first transmission step pulley is arranged in the lower arm box, and the first transmission step pulley is located at the first end of the lower arm box;

[0008] The upper arm box is provided with a terminal step belt pulley in the upper arm box, and the terminal step belt pulley is located at the first end of the upper arm box, and the end face of the terminal step belt pulley is connected with a clamping claw fixing base for setting a clamping claw; the second end of the upper arm box is rotatably connected to the second end of the lower arm box through a second transmission step belt pulley, and the second transmission step belt pulley includes an upper step belt pulley, a mounting plate and a lower step belt pulley that are fixedly connected in sequence, the upper step belt pulley is located in the upper arm box, the upper step belt pulley is transmission-connected to the terminal step belt pulley through a terminal synchronous belt, the mounting plate is connected to the second end of the upper arm box, the lower step belt pulley is located in the lower arm box, and the lower step belt pulley is transmission-connected to the first transmission step belt pulley through a transmission step belt;

[0009] A harmonic reducer, wherein the output end of the harmonic reducer is fixedly connected to the first transmission step pulley and rotates synchronously;

[0010] A servo motor, wherein the driving end of the servo motor is connected to the input end of the harmonic reducer via a pin key.

[0011] Preferably, the upper step belt wheel and the lower step belt wheel have different numbers of teeth, and the upper step belt wheel and the terminal step belt wheel also have different numbers of teeth.

[0012] Preferably, a tension adjustment member bracket is also provided in the lower arm box, and a first tension adjustment member for adjusting the tightness of the transmission stepping belt is provided on the tension adjustment member bracket; a second tension adjustment member for adjusting the tightness of the terminal synchronous belt by adjusting its own position is also provided in the upper arm box, and the number of the second tension adjustment members is two, which are distributed on both sides of the terminal synchronous belt.

[0013] Preferably, the mounting base is in the shape of a hollow cylinder.

[0014] Furthermore, the high-precision telescopic robotic arm also includes a base mounting plate, the first end of the lower arm box is mounted on the mounting base through the base mounting plate, the servo motor is mounted on the base mounting plate, and the servo motor is placed in the mounting base.

[0015] Preferably, the high-precision telescopic robotic arm further comprises an upper arm sealing plate for sealing the upper arm box and a lower arm sealing plate for sealing the lower arm box.

[0016] Preferably, the high-precision telescopic robotic arm further includes a servo driver and a main control computer, wherein the servo driver is used to send a corresponding drive signal to the servo motor according to a control signal of the main control computer, thereby achieving precise control of the motion state of the servo motor.

[0017] Furthermore, the high-precision telescopic robotic arm also includes a position locator and a position sensor, the position locator is fixed on the first transmission step pulley, and the position sensor determines whether the first transmission step pulley has reached the limit position of the rotation movement by sensing the rotation angle of the position locator, and if so, the judgment result is fed back to the main control computer.

[0018] Furthermore, the position locator includes an annular plate and a fan-shaped extension portion arranged on the edge of the annular plate, the annular plate and the fan-shaped extension portion are located in the same plane, the annular plate and the fan-shaped extension portion are integrally formed, and the position sensor is a photoelectric sensor.

[0019] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0020] The high-precision telescopic mechanical arm of the present invention has a simple structure, high positioning accuracy, good stability, and low cost. A servo motor is used to drive a harmonic reducer, which can effectively adjust the reduction ratio and the stability of the movement, thereby improving the stability of the mechanical arm movement. The relative position of the upper arm and the clamping claw can be determined by a multi-stage synchronous belt and a stepping pulley, thereby ensuring the positioning accuracy of each section during movement. This set of mechanical arms has accurate positioning and fast response speed, and is particularly suitable for application fields such as wafer handling that require high-precision and rapid rotation posture control. Under the control of the main control machine and the servo driver, the upper and lower sections of the mechanical arm and the clamping claw are controlled by using multi-stage synchronous wheels and stepping belts to complete the overall extension and retraction movement of the mechanical arm; the main control machine is equipped with high-precision and efficient control software, and can accurately control the servo motor's speed, acceleration, position, brake and other motion information under the drive of a dedicated servo driver. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is an exploded schematic diagram of a high-precision telescopic mechanical arm according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Description of reference numerals:

[0023] 1 Upper arm sealing plate; 2 Terminal synchronous belt; 3 Upper arm box; 4 Lower arm sealing plate; 5 Second transmission step pulley;

[0024] 6 driving stepping belt; 7 first tension adjusting member; 8 tension adjusting member bracket; 9 lower arm box;

[0025] 10 harmonic reducer; 11 base mounting plate; 12 servo motor; 13 mounting base;

[0026] 14 first transmission step pulley; 15 position locator; 16 position sensor; 17 second tension adjustment member;

[0027] 18: terminal step pulley; 19: clamp fixing base; 20: servo driver; 21: main control machine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the high-precision telescopic robot arm of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, a high-precision telescopic robot arm according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a mounting base 13 , a lower arm box 9 , an upper arm box 3 , a harmonic reducer 10 , and a servo motor 12 .

[0030] Among them, the first end of the lower arm box 9 ( Figure 1 The lower arm box 9 is provided with a first transmission step pulley 14, and the first transmission step pulley 14 is located at the first end ( Figure 1 center left).

[0031] The upper arm box 3 is provided with a terminal step pulley 18. The terminal step pulley 18 is located at the first end ( Figure 1 The end surface of the terminal step pulley 18 is connected to a clamp fixing base 19 for setting the clamp.

[0032] The second end of the upper arm box 3 ( Figure 1 The middle right end) is connected to the second end of the lower arm box 9 ( Figure 1 the second transmission step pulley 5 comprises an upper step pulley, a mounting plate and a lower step pulley which are fixedly connected in sequence, and the upper step pulley, the mounting plate and the lower step pulley are preferably concentrically arranged.

[0033] The upper step pulley is located in the upper arm box 3, and the upper step pulley is connected to the terminal step pulley 18 through the terminal synchronous belt 2. The terminal step pulley 18 controls the rotation of the clamping jaw fixing base 19 under the drive of the terminal synchronous belt 2. The clamping jaw fixing base 19 is used to fix the external clamping jaw to realize the external function, and rotates with the rotation of the terminal step pulley.

[0034] The mounting plate is connected to the second end of the upper arm box 3 ( Figure 1 The lower step belt pulley is located in the lower arm box 9, and the lower step belt pulley is connected to the first transmission step belt pulley 14 through the transmission step belt 6.

[0035] The output end (flexible wheel) of the harmonic reducer 10 is fixedly connected to the first transmission step pulley 14 and rotates synchronously: the driving end of the servo motor 12 is connected to the input end (wave generator) of the harmonic reducer 10 through a pin key, and the servo motor 12 serves as the power source of the robot arm. The harmonic reducer 10 is installed in the lower arm box 9, and the rigid wheel of the harmonic reducer 10 can be fixed in the lower arm box 9.

[0036] In this embodiment, the number of teeth of the upper step pulley is different from that of the lower step pulley, and the number of teeth of the upper step pulley and the terminal step pulley 18 are also different. When the second transmission step pulley 5 rotates through a certain angle, the upper step pulley, the lower step pulley and the upper arm box 3 rotate at the same angle, but because the number of teeth of the upper step pulley and the lower step pulley are different, the stroke of the synchronous belt is different, resulting in deceleration. The deceleration ratio is related to the number of teeth of the upper step pulley and the lower step pulley. At the same time, because the number of teeth of the upper step pulley and the terminal step pulley 18 are also different, further deceleration is performed. Preferably, the angular velocity of the external clamp fixed on the clamp fixed base 19 is lower than the angular velocity of the transmission step pulley (the first transmission step pulley 14 and the second transmission step pulley 5).

[0037] As a preferred embodiment, a tension adjusting member bracket 8 is also provided in the lower arm box 9, and a first tension adjusting member 7 for adjusting the tightness of the transmission stepping belt 6 is provided on the tension adjusting member bracket 8; the tension adjusting member bracket 8 is used to fix the tension adjusting member, so as to ensure the tension degree of the synchronous belt.

[0038] A second tension adjusting member 17 is also provided in the upper arm box 3 to adjust the tightness of the terminal synchronous belt 2 by adjusting its own position. There are two second tension adjusting members 17 , which are distributed on both sides of the terminal synchronous belt 2 .

[0039] The first tension adjusting member 7 and the second tension adjusting member 17 are provided, and the tightness of the stepping belt can be adjusted by adjusting their own positions. The upper arm box 3 is sealed by the upper arm sealing plate 1, and the upper arm sealing plate 1 plays a role of sealing and dustproof; the lower arm box 9 is sealed by the lower arm sealing plate 4, and the lower arm sealing plate 4 plays a role of sealing and dustproof.

[0040] In this embodiment, the mounting base 13 is a hollow cylindrical shape, and the mounting base 13 serves as the mounting base of the entire robot arm and is connected and fixed to the external structural member. Preferably, the first end ( Figure 1 The lower arm box 9 is mounted on the mounting base 13 through the base mounting plate 11, and the rotation of the lower arm box 9 is achieved by the rotation of the mounting base 13. The base mounting plate 11 is used to connect and fix the lower arm box 9 and the mounting base 13, and the servo motor 12 is mounted on the base mounting plate 11. The servo motor 12 is placed in the mounting base 13, which can further save the installation space.

[0041] As a preferred embodiment, the high-precision telescopic robotic arm also includes a servo driver 20 and a main control machine 21. The servo driver 20 is used to send a corresponding drive signal to the servo motor 12 according to the control signal of the main control machine 21, thereby achieving precise control of the motion state of the servo motor 12.

[0042] Preferably, the high-precision telescopic robotic arm also includes a position locator 15 and a position sensor 16. The position locator 15 is fixed on the first transmission step pulley 14. The position locator 15 can be used to mark the rotation angle of the first transmission step pulley 14. The position locator 15 plays the role of marking the rotation angle of the active step pulley.

[0043] The position sensor 16 determines whether the first transmission step pulley 14 has reached the limit position of the rotation action by sensing the rotation angle of the position locator 15, and if so, feeds back the judgment result to the main control machine 21. In this embodiment, the position locator 15 includes an annular plate and a fan-shaped extension portion arranged on the edge of the annular plate, the annular plate and the fan-shaped extension portion are located in the same plane, the annular plate and the fan-shaped extension portion are integrally formed, and the position sensor 16 is a photoelectric sensor.

[0044] The overall design structure of the telescopic mechanical arm of the above embodiment mainly consists of the following parts: a mounting base 13, a drive control part, a lower arm and an upper arm. Among them, the drive control part includes a main control machine 21, a servo driver 20 and a servo motor 12; the lower arm includes an active step pulley (a first transmission step pulley 14), a transmission step pulley (a second transmission step pulley 5), a transmission synchronous belt 6, a first tension adjustment member 7, a tension adjustment fixing frame (a tension adjustment member bracket 8), a position sensor 16, a position locator 15, a lower arm box 9 and a lower arm sealing plate 4; the upper arm includes a transmission step pulley (a second transmission step pulley 5), a terminal step pulley 18, a terminal synchronous belt 2, a second tension adjustment member 17, a clamp fixing base 19, an upper arm box 3 and an upper arm sealing plate 1.

[0045] When the robot arm starts to move, the main control computer 21 sends a control instruction to the servo driver 20, and then the servo driver 20 sends a drive signal to drive the servo motor 12 to rotate. The harmonic reducer 10 modulates the speed to a suitable ratio, driving the active step pulley (first transmission step pulley 14) connected to the harmonic reducer to rotate, and drives the transmission step pulley (second transmission step pulley 5) to rotate through the transmission synchronous belt 6. The upper arm box 3 fixed on the transmission step pulley (second transmission step pulley 5) will rotate with the rotation of the transmission step pulley (second transmission step pulley 5). At the same time, the transmission step pulley (second transmission step pulley 5) drives the terminal step pulley 18 to rotate by driving the terminal synchronous belt 2, thereby driving the clamp fixed base 19 fixed on the terminal step pulley 18 to rotate.

[0046] Among them, the relative positions between the active step pulley (first transmission step pulley 14) and the harmonic reducer 10, the upper arm and the transmission step pulley (second transmission step pulley 5), the clamp fixed base 19 and the terminal step pulley 18 are fixed respectively, so that along with the rotation of the servo motor 12, the relative positions between the various parts are fixed, so that the extension and retraction of the robot arm can be achieved by controlling the rotation direction of the servo motor 12. The first tension adjustment member 7 is firmly installed inside the box by the tension adjustment fixing frame (adjustment member bracket 8), and the tightness of the transmission synchronous belt 6 is controlled by adjusting the position of the first tension adjustment member 7, so as to ensure that the torque can be evenly and firmly transmitted between multiple step pulleys. The relative rotation of the upper arm box 3, the lower arm box 9, and the clamp fixed base 19 realizes the extension and retraction of the robot arm and the external clamp, and the upper arm box 3 and the lower arm box 9 are realized by the rotation transmission and control of the servo motor and a series of pulleys and synchronous belts.

[0047] The position locator 15 itself is fixed on the active step pulley (first transmission step pulley 14) and can record the angle of the active step pulley. The position sensor 16 can judge whether the active step pulley (first transmission step pulley 14) has reached the limit position of the rotation action by sensing the angle of rotation of the position locator 15, and provide feedback signals to the main control machine 21 at the same time. Since there is a linkage relationship between the various arms of the entire mechanical arm, monitoring the position of the active step pulley (first transmission step pulley 14) also realizes the detection and control of the movement of the entire mechanical arm. The main control machine 21 is installed with high-precision motion control software to control the servo driver 20 to send different control drive signals, thereby realizing precise control of the motion state of the servo motor. The servo driver 20 is a driver matched with the servo motor 12, and sends a corresponding drive signal to the servo motor by receiving the control signal of the main control machine 21. The harmonic reducer 10 is used to control the speed ratio and improve the control accuracy of the rotation position.

[0048] The high-precision telescopic mechanical arms of the above embodiments have simple structures, high positioning accuracy, good stability, and low cost. The servo motor drives the harmonic reducer, which can effectively adjust the reduction ratio and the stability of the movement, thereby improving the stability of the mechanical arm movement. The relative positions of the upper arm and the gripper can be determined by multi-stage synchronous belts and step pulleys, thereby ensuring the positioning accuracy of each section during movement. The set of mechanical arms has accurate positioning, fast response speed, and high production efficiency, and is particularly suitable for applications such as wafer handling that require high-precision and fast rotation posture control.

[0049] Under the control of the main control machine and servo driver, the upper and lower sections of the robot arm and the gripper are controlled by using multi-stage synchronous wheels (stepping pulleys) and stepping belts to complete the overall extension and retraction movement of the robot arm; the main control machine is equipped with high-precision and efficient control software, which can accurately control the servo motor's speed, acceleration, position, brake and other motion information under the drive of a dedicated servo driver.

[0050] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the above embodiments and features therein may be combined with each other.

[0051] Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and conversions can be made without exceeding the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments of the process, equipment, means, method and steps described in the specification. It will be easily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the disclosure of the present invention that the process, equipment, means, method or step to be developed in the present and future that performs the functions substantially the same as the corresponding embodiments described herein or obtains substantially the same results as the corresponding embodiments described herein can be used according to the present invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to include such processes, equipment, means, methods or steps within their scope.

Claims

1. A high-precision telescopic robotic arm, characterized in that: include: Mounting base (13); A lower arm box (9), wherein the first end of the lower arm box (9) is mounted on the mounting base (13), a first transmission step pulley (14) is arranged in the lower arm box (9), and the first transmission step pulley (14) is located at the first end of the lower arm box (9); An upper arm box (3), wherein a terminal step pulley (18) is arranged in the upper arm box (3), wherein the terminal step pulley (18) is located at the first end of the upper arm box (3), and the end surface of the terminal step pulley (18) is connected to a clamp fixing base (19) for setting a clamp; the second end of the upper arm box (3) is rotatably connected to the second end of the lower arm box (9) through a second transmission step pulley (5), wherein the second transmission step pulley (5) comprises an upper step pulley, a mounting plate and a lower step pulley which are fixedly connected in sequence, wherein the upper step pulley is located in the upper arm box (3), wherein the upper step pulley is transmission-connected to the terminal step pulley (18) through a terminal synchronous belt (2), wherein the mounting plate is connected to the second end of the upper arm box (3), wherein the lower step pulley is located in the lower arm box (9), and wherein the lower step pulley is transmission-connected to the first transmission step pulley (14) through a transmission step belt (6); A harmonic reducer (10), wherein the output end of the harmonic reducer (10) is fixedly connected to the first transmission pulley (14) and rotates synchronously; A servo motor (12), wherein a driving end of the servo motor (12) is connected to an input end of the harmonic reducer (10) via a pin key; A tension adjustment member bracket (8) is also provided in the lower arm box (9), and a first tension adjustment member (7) for adjusting the tightness of the transmission stepping belt (6) is provided on the tension adjustment member bracket (8); a second tension adjustment member (17) for adjusting the tightness of the terminal synchronous belt (2) by adjusting its own position is also provided in the upper arm box (3), and the number of the second tension adjustment members (17) is two and they are distributed on both sides of the terminal synchronous belt (2); The invention also comprises a servo driver (20), a main control machine (21), a position locator (15) and a position sensor (16). The servo driver (20) is used to send a corresponding drive signal to the servo motor (12) according to a control signal of the main control machine (21), so as to realize precise control of the motion state of the servo motor (12); the position locator (15) is fixed on the first transmission step belt wheel (14), and the position sensor (16) judges whether the first transmission step belt wheel (14) has reached the limit position of the rotation action by sensing the rotation angle of the position locator (15), and if so, feeds back the judgment result to the main control machine (21); the number of teeth of the upper step belt wheel is different from that of the lower step belt wheel, and the number of teeth of the upper step belt wheel and the terminal step belt wheel (18) are also different.

2. The high-precision telescopic robot arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting base (13) is in the shape of a hollow cylinder.

3. The high-precision telescopic robot arm according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a base mounting plate (11), the first end of the lower arm box (9) is mounted on the mounting base (13) through the base mounting plate (11), the servo motor (12) is mounted on the base mounting plate (11), and the servo motor (12) is placed in the mounting base (13).

4. The high-precision telescopic robot arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an upper arm sealing plate (1) for sealing the upper arm box (3) and a lower arm sealing plate (4) for sealing the lower arm box (9).

5. The high-precision telescopic robot arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The position locator (15) comprises an annular plate and a fan-shaped extension portion arranged on the edge of the annular plate, the annular plate and the fan-shaped extension portion are located in the same plane, the annular plate and the fan-shaped extension portion are integrally formed, and the position sensor (16) is a photoelectric sensor.

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