Film box transport device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a film box conveying device, which belongs to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, including a base, a mechanical arm, a mechanical fork and a carrier. The base is provided with a plurality of carrying stations, one end of the mechanical arm is connected to the base, and the trajectory direction of the mechanical arm conveying the film boxes to the plurality of carrying stations is consistent; the mechanical fork is detachably connected to the other end of the mechanical arm; the carrier is arranged on the carrying station, and the carrier is detachably connected to the base. The mechanical fork is driven by the mechanical arm to convey the film box to the carrying station on the base. Since the carrier is detachably connected to the base and the mechanical fork is detachably connected to the mechanical arm, the type of the carrier and the mechanical fork can be replaced according to the type of the film box, and multiple types of film boxes can be compatible; the trajectory direction of the mechanical arm conveying the film boxes to the plurality of carrying stations is consistent, so that the mechanical arm only needs to convey in one direction, the overall trajectory is simple, the conveying efficiency is improved, and the balance is good.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a film box conveying device. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, silicon wafers (i.e., wafers) need to be transferred between different processes. To prevent the silicon wafers from being contaminated or damaged, the silicon wafers are usually placed in a silicon wafer box, which carries the silicon wafers and enables the transfer of the silicon wafers.

[0003] Existing film box handling robots, such as Figure 1 As shown, the workstations are arranged on both sides of the robot arm 20. When the robot arm 20 carries the film box from the machine table 100 to the workstation, it needs to carry it to one side and then to the other side. Figure 1 The middle arrow indicates the transport track. The tracks of the workstations on both sides are incompatible, resulting in low transport efficiency and large space occupation. The lengths of the transport tracks on both sides are unequal, resulting in poor balance of the workstations on both sides. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a film box transporting device to solve the technical problems of low transporting efficiency and large occupied space in the prior art.

[0005] As conceived above, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0006] A film box transporting device, comprising:

[0007] A base, wherein a plurality of bearing stations are arranged on the base;

[0008] A mechanical arm, one end of which is connected to the base, and the trajectory of the mechanical arm in which the film boxes are transported to the plurality of carrying stations is in the same direction;

[0009] A mechanical fork, detachably connected to the other end of the mechanical arm;

[0010] A carrier plate is arranged on the carrying station, and the carrier plate is detachably connected to the base.

[0011] Wherein, the plurality of carrying stations are arranged in a matrix, and the robotic arm is disposed at a corner of the matrix.

[0012] Wherein, the base comprises at least two layers of platforms, each layer of the platforms is provided with the carrying station, and the robotic arm is located at one end of the platform on the top layer.

[0013] Among them, the base includes a bottom platform and a top platform, the bottom platform is provided with two first workstations, the top platform is provided with a second workstation, and the robotic arm is connected to the top platform and is located on one side of the second workstation.

[0014] Wherein, the carrier plate comprises at least two layers of carrier plates, each layer of the carrier plates can carry at least one film box, and adjacent carrier plates are connected by support plates.

[0015] Wherein, a plurality of positioning blocks are arranged on the carrying plate, and a plurality of the positioning blocks enclose a containing space, and the mechanical fork can drive the film box into the containing space.

[0016] The carrier plate at least comprises a bottom plate and a box body arranged on the bottom plate, and the box body can accommodate at least one film box.

[0017] Wherein, the carrier plate and the base are connected via screws, magnets or buckles.

[0018] Wherein, it also includes a plurality of detection sensors, the detection sensors are connected to the base, and the plurality of detection sensors are distributed around the circumference of the base.

[0019] Wherein, it also includes a plurality of moving wheels, and the moving wheels are arranged at the bottom of the base.

[0020] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0021] The film box transporting device proposed in the present invention transports the film box to the loading station on the base by driving the mechanical fork through the mechanical arm. The base is provided with multiple loading stations, and the loading stations are provided with a carrier. Since the carrier is detachably connected to the base and the mechanical fork is detachably connected to the mechanical arm, the types of the carrier and the mechanical fork can be replaced according to the type of the film box, and can be compatible with a variety of types of film boxes; the trajectory of the mechanical arm in transporting the film boxes to the multiple loading stations is in the same direction, so that the mechanical arm only needs to transport in one direction, the overall trajectory is simple, the transport efficiency is improved, and the balance is good. Moreover, since the multiple transport trajectories are in the same direction relative to the mechanical arm, less space is occupied, and it can adapt to a variety of transport conditions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an existing cassette handling robot;

[0023] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a film box transporting device provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the film box transporting device provided in the first embodiment of the present invention in a working state;

[0025] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the film box transporting device provided in the first embodiment of the present invention in another working condition;

[0026] Figure 5is a schematic diagram of the structure of a carrier provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of a film box transporting device carrying a film box provided in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a carrier provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a film box transporting device carrying a film box provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0030] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a carrier provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0031] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the film box transporting device provided in the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] In the figure:

[0033] 100. Machine;

[0034] 10. Base; 101. Load-bearing station;

[0035] 20. Robotic arm;

[0036] 30. Mechanical fork;

[0037] 40. carrier plate; 401. carrier plate; 402. support plate; 403. positioning block; 404. reinforcing plate; 405. bottom plate; 406. box body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0040] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0041] The technical solution of the present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through specific implementation methods.

[0042] Embodiment 1

[0043] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 An embodiment of the present invention provides a film box transporting device, including a base 10, a robotic arm 20, a mechanical fork 30 and a carrier 40. A plurality of carrying stations 101 are arranged on the base 10. One end of the robotic arm 20 is connected to the base 10. The trajectory direction of the robotic arm 20 transporting the film boxes to the plurality of carrying stations 101 is consistent; the mechanical fork 30 is detachably connected to the other end of the robotic arm 20; the carrier 40 is arranged on the carrying station 101, and the carrier 40 is detachably connected to the base 10.

[0044] The mechanical fork 30 is driven by the robotic arm 20 to transport the film box to the loading station 101 on the base 10. Since the carrier plate 40 is detachably connected to the base 10 and the mechanical fork 30 is detachably connected to the robotic arm 20, the types of the carrier plate 40 and the mechanical fork 30 can be replaced according to the type of the film box, and can be compatible with a variety of film boxes; the trajectory of the robotic arm 20 in transporting the film boxes to multiple loading stations 101 is in the same direction, so that the robotic arm 20 only needs to transport in one direction, the overall trajectory is simple, the transportation efficiency is improved, and the balance is good. Moreover, since the multiple transportation trajectories are in the same direction relative to the robotic arm 20, they occupy less space and can adapt to a variety of transportation conditions.

[0045] Typically, the film cassettes are stored on the machine 100 , which has a plurality of accommodation spaces. The robot arm 20 drives the robot fork 30 to move the film cassettes out of the accommodation spaces on the machine 100 , and transport the film cassettes to the carrying station 101 on the base 10 .

[0046] In this embodiment, a plurality of carrying stations 101 are arranged in a matrix, and the robot arm 20 is disposed at a corner of the matrix. When transporting a film box, the plurality of transport tracks are in the same direction relative to the robot arm 20, and the transport tracks of each carrying station 101 have overlapping parts, so as to simplify the transport procedure of the robot arm 20, and the robot arm 20 does not need to make a large turn during transport, thereby improving the transport efficiency.

[0047] As a replaceable implementation, a plurality of carrying stations 101 may be distributed on an arc, and the robot arm 20 may be disposed on one side of the arc.

[0048] exist Figure 3 Different lines are used to represent different transport tracks, wherein only the transport track from the machine 100 to the base 10 is shown, and the transport track from the base 10 to the machine 100 is just the opposite. Specifically, the transport track includes a first straight portion, an arc portion, and a second straight portion, the first straight portion is parallel to the exit direction of the machine 100, the second straight portion is parallel to the entrance direction of the carrying station 101, and the arc portion is located between the first straight portion and the second straight portion.

[0049] The base 10 includes at least two layers of platforms, each of which is provided with a load-bearing station 101. The robot arm 20 is located at one end of the platform on the top layer, making full use of the space for layout so that there is no interference between the film boxes. The robot arm 20 is located on the platform at the top, and the load-bearing station 101 is arranged on one side of the robot arm 20 and faces the same direction, which not only improves the utilization rate of the vehicle body space and increases the load-bearing capacity of the vehicle body, but also improves the trajectory consistency of each load-bearing station 101 and simplifies the trajectory, and improves the overall handling efficiency of the robot.

[0050] In this embodiment, the base 10 includes a bottom platform and a top platform, the bottom platform is provided with two first workstations, the top platform is provided with a second workstation, and the robot arm 20 is connected to the top platform and is located on one side of the second workstation.

[0051] The film box transport device also includes a plurality of moving wheels, which are arranged at the bottom of the base 10, and the film box transport device can move according to the path set by the program. Specifically, the film box transport device includes a controller, which controls the moving trajectory of the mechanical arm 20 and also controls the moving path of the moving wheels. The controller stores a program for controlling the mechanical arm 20, and the control program can be changed according to the transport working conditions. The control principle of the controller is the prior art.

[0052] The film box transport device further includes a plurality of detection sensors connected to the base 10 . The plurality of detection sensors are distributed around the base 10 and are used to detect whether there are obstacles around the film box transport device for safety protection.

[0053] The mechanical fork 30 is provided with a first sensor for detecting whether the film box is on the machine table 100 , a second sensor for detecting whether the film box is on the mechanical fork 30 during the transport process, and a camera for calculating the final grasping position of the robot arm 20 .

[0054] The robot arm 20 is supported on the electrical box of the front of the base 10 through a cantilever, and the mechanical fork 30 is installed on the end joint of the robot arm 20 to realize the grabbing of the film box. The interior of the electrical box is used to integrate the controller, various sensors, film box reader and other electrical components and related cables.

[0055] There are many film boxes on the machine 100. When the film box transporting device continuously transports multiple film boxes from the machine 100 to the base 10, the target workstation is set according to the position of the film boxes. The target workstation is first taught, the teaching data is saved and offline verification is performed. After verification, the film box transporting device is switched to automatic mode for transportation.

[0056] After receiving the transport instruction, the film box transport device moves to the target station. Specifically, the moving wheels are controlled to move so that the film box transport device approaches the platform 100 and stops at one side of the platform 100, so that the front of the vehicle stops perpendicular to the platform 100 and stops in front of the target station. The parking distance of the film box transport device relative to the platform 100 can be adjusted according to actual conditions.

[0057] After arriving at the target station, the cassette transport device establishes a normal handshake signal with the machine 100, and the robot arm 20 starts to operate. The operation process is as follows:

[0058] a. The robot arm 20 moves from the initial position to the photographing position for visual recognition;

[0059] b. After the visual calculation is correct, the station inspection is carried out to check whether the cassette is placed normally on the target station;

[0060] c. The robot arm 20 drives the mechanical fork 30 to move the film box from the target station to the carrying station 101 on the base 10;

[0061] d. The robot arm 20 is retracted to the initial position and shakes hands with the host computer;

[0062] e. After receiving the task completion signal, the host computer moves to the next position to complete the task of placing the film box on another machine 100;

[0063] f. After the entire task is completed, wait for a new transport task.

[0064] The process of the robot arm 20 placing the film box on the machine table 100 is as follows:

[0065] a. The robot arm 20 moves from the initial position to the photographing position for visual recognition;

[0066] b. After the visual calculation is correct, the station detection is performed to detect whether the target station for placing the film box on the machine 100 is normal;

[0067] c. The robot arm 20 drives the mechanical fork 30 to move from the photographing position to the carrying station 101 on the base 10, and take the film box;

[0068] d. The robot arm 20 places the film box on the target station of the machine 100;

[0069] e. The robot arm 20 is retracted to the initial position and completes the handshake with the host computer;

[0070] f. The robot waits for new handling tasks.

[0071] See also Figure 4 When the machine 100 is located close to the wall, by changing the parking method of the film box transport device relative to the machine 100, the transport tracks of multiple carrying stations 101 are still located on the same side of the robot arm 20, and the same transport strategy is adopted to ensure that the film box picking and placing of the special extreme station is completed without changing the original track, while ensuring the transport efficiency.

[0072] See also Figure 5 and see Figure 6 The carrier plate 40 is plate-shaped, takes up little space, and is easy to install and replace. When the film box is carried to the top stage of the base 10, it will not interfere with the film box on the lower stage.

[0073] The carrier plate 40 and the base 10 may be connected by screws for a stable connection, or may be connected by magnetic attraction for easy installation and removal, or by snap-fit ​​connection.

[0074] Embodiment 2

[0075] Figure 7 and Figure 8 The second embodiment is shown, wherein the components identical or corresponding to the first embodiment are marked with the corresponding reference numerals of the first embodiment. For the sake of simplicity, only the differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment are described. The difference is that the carrier plate 40 includes at least two layers of carrier plates 401, each layer of carrier plates 401 can carry at least one film box, and adjacent carrier plates 401 are connected by support plates 402 to increase the carrying capacity and improve the handling efficiency.

[0076] A plurality of positioning blocks 403 are disposed on the carrier plate 401 . The plurality of positioning blocks 403 enclose an accommodating space. The mechanical fork 30 can drive the film box into the accommodating space. The positioning blocks 403 prevent the film box from sliding off the carrier plate 401 .

[0077] In order to increase the structural strength, a reinforcing plate 404 may be disposed on the supporting plate 402 between adjacent bearing plates 401 .

[0078] Embodiment 3

[0079] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 The third embodiment is shown, wherein the components identical or corresponding to the first embodiment are marked with the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment. For the sake of simplicity, only the differences between the third embodiment and the first embodiment are described. The difference is that the carrier 40 at least includes a bottom plate 405 and a box body 406 disposed on the bottom plate 405, and the box body 406 can accommodate at least one film box. By changing the model of the carrier 40, more models of film boxes can be compatible. Fig.10 The cover of the middle box body 406 is in an open state.

[0080] The above embodiments are only to illustrate the basic principles and characteristics of the present invention. The present invention is not limited by the above embodiments. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the present invention may be subject to various changes and modifications, which are within the scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A film box transport device, characterized in that: include: A base (10), wherein a plurality of bearing stations (101) are arranged on the base (10); A mechanical arm (20), one end of the mechanical arm (20) being connected to the base (10), and the trajectory of the mechanical arm (20) in conveying the film boxes to the plurality of carrying stations (101) being in the same direction; A mechanical fork (30) detachably connected to the other end of the mechanical arm (20); A carrier plate (40) is disposed on the carrying station (101), and the carrier plate (40) is detachably connected to the base (10); The base (10) comprises at least two layers of platforms, each layer of the platforms being provided with the bearing station (101), and the mechanical arm (20) being located at one end of the platform at the top layer; When transporting a film box, the directions of the plurality of transport tracks relative to the robot arm (20) are consistent, and the transport tracks of the respective carrying stations (101) have overlapping portions.

2. The film box transporting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of carrying stations (101) are arranged in a matrix, and the mechanical arm (20) is disposed at a corner of the matrix.

3. The film box transporting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The base (10) comprises a bottom platform and a top platform, the bottom platform is provided with two first workstations, the top platform is provided with a second workstation, and the mechanical arm (20) is connected to the top platform and is located on one side of the second workstation.

4. The film box transporting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The carrier plate (40) comprises at least two layers of carrier plates (401), each layer of the carrier plates (401) is capable of carrying at least one film box, and adjacent carrier plates (401) are connected via support plates (402).

5. The film box transporting device according to claim 4, characterized in that: A plurality of positioning blocks (403) are arranged on the carrying plate (401), and the plurality of positioning blocks (403) enclose a containing space, and the mechanical fork (30) can drive the film box into the containing space.

6. The film box transporting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The carrier plate (40) comprises at least a bottom plate (405) and a box body (406) arranged on the bottom plate (405), and at least one film box can be accommodated in the box body (406).

7. The film box transporting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The carrier plate (40) is connected to the base (10) via screws, magnets or snaps.

8. The film box transporting device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: It also comprises a plurality of detection sensors, which are connected to the base (10), and the plurality of detection sensors are distributed around the circumference of the base (10).

9. The film box transporting device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: It also comprises a plurality of moving wheels, wherein the moving wheels are arranged at the bottom of the base (10).

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