Hand for industrial robot and industrial robot

Abstract

The present application provides a hand of an industrial robot and an industrial robot, even if the width of a storage portion that stores a carrying object in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the hand is narrowed, when the carrying object is carried into or carried out relative to the storage portion, the carrying object held by a holding mechanism at a certain position of the hand or the wall surface of the storage portion in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the hand can be prevented from being damaged. The hand (11) is provided with: a loading portion (20) that loads a carrying object (2); and a hand base (21) that constitutes a portion on the one end side in the V direction of the hand (11) and connects the loading portion (20). The loading portion (20) is provided with a holding mechanism (26) that holds the carrying object (2) loaded on the loading portion (20) at a certain position in the horizontal direction, and is capable of sliding relative to the hand base (21) in the W direction orthogonal to the V direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a hand used in industrial robots for transporting objects. Furthermore, this invention also relates to an industrial robot equipped with this hand. Background Technology

[0002] Conventionally, horizontally articulated industrial robots for handling semiconductor wafers are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 includes: a hand for loading semiconductor wafers; an arm rotatably connected to a front end; and a main body rotatably connected to the base end of the arm. The hand includes a holding mechanism for holding the semiconductor wafer loaded on the hand at a certain position in the horizontal direction. The holding mechanism includes: an end face abutment member having an abutment surface that abuts against the end face of the semiconductor wafer; and a pressing mechanism that presses the semiconductor wafer so that the end face of the semiconductor wafer is pressed by the abutment surface of the end face abutment member.

[0003] The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 is used in a semiconductor manufacturing system. This industrial robot transports semiconductor wafers between a FOUP (Front Opening Unity Pod) that holds semiconductor wafers and a wafer processing apparatus that performs prescribed processing on the semiconductor wafers. In the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, when a semiconductor wafer is being placed into or removed from the FOUP and wafer processing apparatus, the hand rotates relative to the arm, and the arm extends and retracts relative to the main body, so that the hand moves linearly in a certain direction (specifically, the hand moves linearly when viewed from above). Existing technical documents Patent documents

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-36186 Summary of the Invention

[0005] In the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, when a semiconductor wafer is being loaded or unloaded, the hand rotates relative to the arm, and the arm extends and retracts relative to the main body, so that the trajectory of the hand when viewed from above and below is a straight line. However, the trajectory of the hand when loading or unloading the semiconductor wafer when viewed from above and below is not a perfectly straight line, but rather a trajectory that includes vibrations or undulations in a direction orthogonal to the direction of hand movement.

[0006] Therefore, in the case of the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, if the width of the storage part such as the FOUP or wafer processing device that stores semiconductor wafers becomes narrower in the direction orthogonal to the direction of hand movement, and the difference between the width of the storage part in the direction orthogonal to the direction of hand movement and the diameter of the semiconductor wafer becomes smaller, then when the semiconductor wafer is moved in or out relative to the storage part, the wall surface of the storage part in the direction orthogonal to the direction of hand movement comes into contact with the semiconductor wafer held in a certain position by the holding mechanism at the hand with excessive contact pressure, which may damage the semiconductor wafer or the wall surface of the storage part.

[0007] Therefore, the objective of this invention is to provide a hand for an industrial robot that moves objects, wherein even if the width of the storage portion for holding the object narrows in the direction orthogonal to the movement direction of the hand, damage to the object being moved, which is held in a certain position by a holding mechanism, or to the wall surface of the storage portion in the direction orthogonal to the movement direction of the hand, can be prevented when the object is moved into or out of the storage portion. Furthermore, the objective of this invention is to provide an industrial robot equipped with this hand.

[0008] To address the aforementioned issues, the hand of the industrial robot of the present invention is a hand of an industrial robot for transporting objects. It is characterized in that, when a predetermined direction orthogonal to the vertical direction is designated as a first direction, and a direction orthogonal to both the vertical direction and the first direction is designated as a second direction, it comprises: a loading section for loading the object to be transported; and a hand base forming one end portion of the hand in the first direction and connected to the loading section. The loading section has a holding mechanism for holding the object to be transported loaded on the loading section at a certain position in the horizontal direction, and is capable of sliding relative to the hand base in the second direction.

[0009] In the hand of the industrial robot of the present invention, the loading section for loading and transporting objects is slidable in a second direction relative to the hand base portion constituting one end portion of the hand in a first direction. Therefore, in the present invention, when loading or unloading objects relative to the storage section for storing and transporting objects, even if the object being transported, which is held at a certain position by the holding mechanism, comes into contact with the wall surface of the storage section in the second direction, the loading section can slide relative to the hand base in the second direction so that the wall surface of the storage section does not come into contact with the object being transported with excessive contact pressure.

[0010] Therefore, in this invention, if the direction of hand movement is consistent with the first direction and the direction orthogonal to the direction of hand movement is consistent with the second direction, then even if the width of the storage part in the direction orthogonal to the direction of hand movement becomes narrower, damage to the object being transported, which is held at a certain position by the holding mechanism, or the wall surface of the storage part in the direction orthogonal to the direction of hand movement can be prevented when the object being transported is moved in or out relative to the storage part.

[0011] In this invention, the hand, for example, has a guide mechanism for guiding the loading portion in a second direction. The guide mechanism includes: a guide rail, which is formed as a straight line with the second direction as its length direction and is fixed to the base of the hand; and a guide block, which engages with the guide rail and is fixed to the loading portion, the loading portion being able to slide along the guide rail relative to the base of the hand in the second direction.

[0012] In this invention, the hand preferably includes: a first force-applying member that applies force to the loading part on one side of the hand base in a second direction; and a second force-applying member that applies force to the loading part on the other side of the hand base in a second direction. With this configuration, when no external force other than the forces of the first and second force-applying members acts on the loading part, the forces of the first and second force-applying members can automatically return the loading part to a predetermined reference position relative to the hand base.

[0013] In this invention, the hand preferably includes a loading part holding mechanism for holding the loading part at a predetermined position in the second direction. With this configuration, even if the loading part can slide relative to the hand base in the second direction, the loading part holding mechanism can prevent the loading part from wobbling relative to the hand base in the second direction. Therefore, for example, when the loading part is inserted into the storage part, the state of the loading part relative to the hand base can be stabilized. Thus, even if the loading part can slide relative to the hand base in the second direction, interference between the loading part and the storage part when the loading part is inserted into the storage part can be prevented.

[0014] The hand of the present invention can be used in industrial robots having an arm that connects to the hand and a main body that connects to the arm. In this industrial robot, even if the width of the storage portion in the direction orthogonal to the direction of hand movement becomes narrower, damage to the object being transported, which is held in a certain position by the holding mechanism, or to the wall surface of the storage portion in the direction orthogonal to the direction of hand movement can be prevented when the object being transported is moved in or out relative to the storage portion.

[0015] As described above, in the present invention, even if the width of the storage part for storing the object becomes narrower in the direction orthogonal to the direction of hand movement in the hand of an industrial robot that is used to transport objects, damage to the object being transported, which is held at a certain position by the holding mechanism, or the wall of the storage part in the direction orthogonal to the direction of hand movement can be prevented when the object is being moved in or out relative to the storage part. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a top view illustrating the schematic structure of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The hand shown is shown in a top view. Figure 3 From Figure 2 The EE direction is shown in the diagram of the guide mechanism. Figure 4 It is used for explanation Figure 2 The top view showing the operation of the loading unit retaining mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] (Simplified structure of an industrial robot) Figure 1 This is a top view illustrating the schematic structure of the industrial robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] The industrial robot 1 (hereinafter referred to as "robot 1") of this embodiment is a horizontal, multi-jointed robot used for handling semiconductor wafers 2 (hereinafter referred to as "wafer 2"), which are the objects to be handled. The wafer 2 is formed into a thin, circular plate. Robot 1 is assembled and used in a semiconductor manufacturing system 3. In the following description, the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction will be referred to as... Figure 1 The X direction is set to "left and right direction", which is orthogonal to the up and down and left and right directions. Figure 1 The Y-direction is set to the "front and back direction".

[0020] The semiconductor manufacturing system 3 includes, for example, an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) 4 and a wafer processing apparatus 5 for performing prescribed processing on wafers 2. A robot 1 is part of the EFEM 4. Furthermore, the EFEM 4 includes, for example, multiple loading ports 7 for opening and closing FOUP 6 for housing wafers 2 and a housing 8 for housing the robot 1. The wafer processing apparatus 5 is, for example, disposed on one side of the housing 8 in the front-to-back direction. Additionally, the multiple loading ports 7 are, for example, disposed on the other side of the housing 8 in the front-to-back direction. The multiple loading ports 7 are arranged at intervals in the left-to-right direction.

[0021] In FOUP6, multiple wafers 2 can be stored in a vertically spaced and overlapping manner. Robot 1 moves wafers 2 between FOUP6 ​​and wafer processing unit 5. For example, robot 1 removes wafers 2 from FOUP6 ​​and moves the removed wafers 2 into wafer processing unit 5. Additionally, robot 1 removes wafers 2 from wafer processing unit 5 and moves the removed wafers 2 into FOUP6.

[0022] Robot 1 includes: a hand 11 with a chip 2 mounted on it; an arm 12, the hand 11 being rotatably connected to the front end of the arm 12, the arm 12 moving in a horizontal direction; and a main body 13, the base end of the arm 12 being rotatably connected to the main body 13. The arm 12 is composed of an arm 15 rotatably connected to the main body 13 at its base end, an arm 16 rotatably connected to the front end of the arm 15 at its base end, and an arm 17 rotatably connected to the front end of the arm 16 at its base end.

[0023] Arms 15-17 rotate along an axis with the vertical direction as the rotation axis. The main body 13 includes a columnar member rotatably connected to the base end of arm 15; and a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the columnar member together with arm 12. The base end of arm 15 is rotatably connected to the upper end of the columnar member. The main body 13, arm 15, arm 16, and arm 17 are arranged sequentially from the bottom side in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the robot 1 includes an arm drive mechanism that rotates arms 15 and 16 to extend and retract a portion of arm 12, which is composed of arms 15 and 16; an arm drive mechanism that rotates arm 17; and a hand drive mechanism that rotates hand 11.

[0024] (Structure of the hand) Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The top view of hand 11 shown. Figure 3 From Figure 2 The diagram shows the EE direction, including the guide mechanism 22. Figure 4 It is used for explanation Figure 2 A top view showing the operation of the loading and holding mechanism 25.

[0025] The hand 11 is formed into a roughly Y-shaped form when viewed from above and below. The hand 11 is rotatably connected to the front end of the arm 17. The hand 11 is positioned on the upper side of the arm 17. The hand 11 rotates along the vertical axis. The hand 11 has a loading portion 20 for loading the wafer 2 and a hand base portion 21 that forms the base end portion of the hand 11.

[0026] When viewed from above and below, if the length of the roughly Y-shaped hand 11 is ( Figure 2 The V direction is set as the hand length direction, and the direction orthogonal to the hand length direction is set as follows: Figure 2If the W direction is set as the hand width direction, then when the wafer 2 is being moved into the FOUP 6, into the wafer processing device 5, removed from the FOUP 6, and removed from the wafer processing device 5, the hand 11 rotates relative to the arm 12, and the arm 12 extends and retracts relative to the main body 13, so that the hand 11 moves in a straight line in the front-back direction with the hand length direction aligned with the front-back direction (i.e., the hand width direction aligned with the left-right direction) and the hand 11 facing a certain direction (specifically, so that the hand 11 moves in a straight line in the front-back direction when viewed from the top and bottom). However, the trajectory of the hand 11 when moving the wafer 2 into or out of the wafer processing device 5 or FOUP 6, when viewed from the top and bottom, is not necessarily a perfectly straight line.

[0027] In this embodiment, the hand length direction (V direction) is a predetermined direction orthogonal to the vertical direction (i.e., a predetermined direction in the horizontal direction), namely the first direction, and the hand width direction (W direction) is a second direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the first direction. The hand base 21 constitutes one end portion of the hand 11 in the first direction and is rotatably connected to the front end of the arm portion 17.

[0028] The loading part 20 is connected to the hand base 21. Furthermore, the loading part 20 is slidable relative to the hand base 21 in the hand width direction. The hand 11 includes: a guide mechanism 22 for guiding the loading part 20 in the hand width direction; a tension coil spring 23 as a first force-applying member, which applies force to the loading part 20 relative to the hand base 21 towards one side in the hand width direction; a tension coil spring 24 as a second force-applying member, which applies force to the loading part 20 relative to the hand base 21 towards the other side in the hand width direction; and a loading part holding mechanism 25 for holding the loading part 20 at a predetermined position in the hand width direction.

[0029] A protrusion 20a is formed on the loading portion 20, protruding toward the base of the hand 11. That is, a protrusion 20a is formed on the loading portion 20, protruding toward the base of the hand 21. The protrusion 20a is, for example, formed as a long rectangular parallelepiped that is elongated in the length direction of the hand. Most of the protrusion 20a is disposed inside the hand base 21. A conical recess 20b is formed on the front end face of the protrusion 20a (the end face of the protrusion 20a on the base side of the hand 11) that is recessed toward the front end side of the hand 11.

[0030] The loading unit 20 includes a holding mechanism 26 that holds the wafer 2 loaded on the loading unit 20 at a certain position in the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the holding mechanism 26 is an edge-gripping type holding mechanism that contacts the end face (outer peripheral surface) of the wafer 2 loaded on the loading unit 20 from three directions, thereby holding the wafer 2 loaded on the loading unit 20 at a certain position in the horizontal direction. The holding mechanism 26 includes: an end face abutment member 27 having an abutment surface that abuts against the end face of the wafer 2; and a wafer pushing mechanism 28 that pushes the wafer 2 by pressing the end face of the wafer 2 against the abutment surface of the end face abutment member 27.

[0031] The end face abutment member 27 is disposed at two parts of the front end of the hand 11, which is generally Y-shaped. The wafer pressing mechanism 28 includes a pressing part that presses the end face of the wafer 2 toward the front end of the hand 11, and a cylinder that drives the pressing part. The pressing part includes a roller that contacts the end face of the wafer 2. Two wafer mounting members 29 for mounting the wafer 2 are fixed on the upper surface of the loading part 20, and the wafer 2 is loaded onto the end face abutment member 27 and the wafer mounting members 29.

[0032] The guiding mechanism 22 includes a guide rail 32 fixed to the hand base 21 and a guide block 33 engaging with the guide rail 32. The guide rail 32 is formed as a straight line with the hand width direction as its length direction. The guide rail 32 is disposed inside the hand base 21. The guide block 33 is fixed to the loading part 20. Specifically, the guide block 33 is fixed to the protrusion 20a. In addition, the guide block 33 is fixed to, for example, the lower surface of the protrusion 20a and engages with the guide rail 32 from above. The guide block 33 is disposed inside the hand base 21. The loading part 20 is capable of sliding along the guide rail 32 relative to the hand base 21 in the hand width direction.

[0033] Tension coil springs 23 and 24 are disposed inside the hand base 21. One end of tension coil springs 23 and 24 engages with the loading portion 20. Specifically, one end of tension coil springs 23 and 24 engages with the protrusion 20a. The other end of tension coil springs 23 and 24 engages with the hand base 21. In this embodiment, by applying force to one side of the loading portion 20 in the hand width direction with the force of tension coil spring 23 and applying force to the other side of the loading portion 20 in the hand width direction with the force of tension coil spring 24, the loading portion 20 can be automatically returned to a predetermined reference position in the hand width direction. When the loading portion 20 is disposed at the reference position in the hand width direction, for example, as Figure 2 As shown, the center of the loading portion 20 in the hand width direction coincides with the center of the hand base portion 21 in the hand width direction.

[0034] The loading part holding mechanism 25 includes, for example, an engaging member 34 having a conical engaging portion 34a that engages with a recess 20b of the protrusion 20a; and a cylinder 35 that drives the engaging member 34. The cylinder 35 causes the engaging member 34 to move linearly in the hand length direction. Additionally, the cylinder 35 keeps the engaging member 34 in the holding position 34A where the engaging portion 34a engages with the recess 20b (see reference). Figure 4 (B) and the engaging member 34 retract to a retracted position 34B (see reference) so that the engaging part 34A disengages from the recess 20b. Figure 4 Move between (A)).

[0035] When the engaging member 34 is positioned in the retracted position 34B, the loading portion 20 can slide relative to the hand base 21 in the hand width direction. In this embodiment, the sliding resistance of the guide block 33 relative to the guide rail 32 is reduced, and the loading portion 20 slides more smoothly relative to the hand base 21 in the hand width direction. On the other hand, when the engaging member 34 is positioned in the holding position 34A, the movement of the loading portion 20 relative to the hand base 21 in the hand width direction is restricted, and the loading portion 20 is held at a predetermined position in the hand width direction. In this embodiment, the loading portion 20 is held at a reference position in the hand width direction by the loading portion holding mechanism 25. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the loading portion 20 is inserted into the wafer processing device 5 or FOUP 6, the engaging member 34 moves to the holding position 34A, holding the loading portion 20 at a reference position in the hand width direction.

[0036] (Main effects of this implementation method) As explained above, in this embodiment, the loading part 20 can slide relative to the hand base 21, which is rotatably connected to the arm 12, in the hand width direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the wafer 2 is loaded into the wafer processing device 5 or the FOUP 6, and when the wafer 2 is unloaded from the wafer processing device 5 or the FOUP 6, the hand 11 moves linearly in a manner consistent with the left-right direction in the hand width direction.

[0037] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the wafer 2 is loaded or unloaded relative to the wafer processing apparatus 5 or FOUP 6, even if the wafer 2 held at a certain position by the holding mechanism 26 in the loading section 20 comes into contact with the wall surface of the wafer processing apparatus 5 or FOUP 6 in the left-right direction, the loading section 20 can slide relative to the hand base 21 in the left-right direction (hand width direction) so that the wall surface of the wafer processing apparatus 5 or FOUP 6 in the left-right direction does not come into contact with the wafer 2 with excessive contact pressure. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the width of the wafer processing apparatus 5 or FOUP 6 in the left-right direction becomes narrower, damage to the wafer 2 held at a certain position by the holding mechanism 26 in the left-right direction and the wall surface of the wafer processing apparatus 5 or FOUP 6 in the left-right direction can be prevented when the wafer 2 is loaded or unloaded relative to the wafer processing apparatus 5 or FOUP 6.

[0038] In this embodiment, the hand 11 includes a loading part holding mechanism 25 for holding the loading part 20 at a reference position in the hand width direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the loading part 20 can slide relative to the hand base 21 in the hand width direction, the loading part holding mechanism 25 can prevent the loading part 20 from wobbling relative to the hand base 21 in the hand width direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the loading part 20 is inserted into the wafer processing device 5 or FOUP 6, the loading part holding mechanism 25 holds the loading part 20 at a reference position in the hand width direction.

[0039] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the loading part 20 is inserted into the wafer processing device 5 or FOUP 6, the state of the loading part 20 relative to the hand base 21 can be stabilized. As a result, in this embodiment, even if the loading part 20 can slide relative to the hand base 21 in the hand width direction, interference between the wafer processing device 5 or FOUP 6 and the loading part 20 when the loading part 20 is inserted into the wafer processing device 5 or FOUP 6 can be prevented.

[0040] (Other implementation methods) The above-described embodiments are examples of preferred embodiments of the present invention, but are not limited thereto. Various modifications can be made without changing the spirit of the present invention.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the guide rail 32 may be fixed to the protrusion 20a of the loading part 20, and the guide block 33 may be fixed to the hand base 21. Alternatively, in the above embodiment, the guide mechanism 22 may replace the guide rail 32 and the guide block 33, for example, by having a guide shaft fixed to the hand base 21 and a cylindrical guide bushing through which the guide shaft passes and is fixed to the protrusion 20a of the loading part 20.

[0042] In the above embodiments, the holding mechanism 26 may also be an attraction-type holding mechanism that uses vacuum attraction to hold the wafer 2 loaded on the loading section 20 in a certain position. Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the force-applying component that applies force to the loading section 20 relative to the hand base 21 in the hand-width direction may be a spring component other than the tension coil springs 23 and 24. Additionally, in the above embodiments, the hand 11 may not have the loading section holding mechanism 25.

[0043] In the above embodiments, the robot 1 may also have two hands 11 rotatably connected to the front end of the arm 12. Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the arm 12 may consist of two arms or four or more arms. Additionally, in the above embodiments, the object being transported by the robot 1 may be an object other than the wafer 2. In this case, for example, the object being transported may be formed into a square or rectangular flat plate.

[0044] The industrial robot using the present invention can also be a robot other than a horizontal multi-joint type industrial robot. For example, the industrial robot using the present invention can also be an industrial robot having an arm that is connected to the hand 11 in a manner that enables linear reciprocating movement of the hand 11, a main body that is rotatably connected to the arm, and a linear drive unit that enables the hand 11 to reciprocate linearly relative to the arm. Symbol Explanation

[0045] 1. Robots (Industrial Robots) 2. Wafer (semiconductor wafer, object to be transported) 11 hands 12 arms 13 Main body 20 Loading Section 21. Base of the hand 22 Guiding Organizations 23. Tension coil spring (first force-applying component) 24. Tension coil spring (second force-applying component) 25 Loading Part Holding Mechanism 26. Maintaining the organization 32 guide rails 33. Bootstrap Block V First Direction W second direction.

Claims

1. A hand of an industrial robot for transporting objects, characterized in that, When a predetermined direction orthogonal to the vertical direction is defined as the first direction, and a direction orthogonal to both the vertical direction and the first direction is defined as the second direction... It comprises: a loading section for loading the object to be transported; and a hand base that forms one end portion of the hand in the first direction and is connected to the loading section. The loading section includes a holding mechanism that holds the transported object loaded on the loading section at a certain position in the horizontal direction. The loading section is capable of sliding relative to the hand base in the second direction. It comprises: a first force-applying component that applies force to the loading portion relative to the hand base on one side in the second direction; and a second force-applying component that applies force to the loading portion relative to the hand base on the other side in the second direction.

2. The hand according to claim 1, characterized in that, It includes a guiding mechanism for guiding the loading unit in the second direction. The guiding mechanism includes: a guide rail, which is formed as a straight line with the second direction as its length direction and is fixed to the base of the hand; And a guide block, which engages with the guide rail and is fixed to the loading part. The loading part is capable of sliding along the guide rail relative to the hand base in the second direction.

3. The hand according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, It includes a loading part holding mechanism for holding the loading part at a predetermined position in the second direction.

4. An industrial robot, characterized in that, have: The hand according to any one of claims 1 to 3; The arm connecting the hand; and The main body of the arm is connected.

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