Annular workpiece conveying device and conveying method

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of automatic handling equipment, and in particular to a ring-shaped workpiece handling equipment and a handling method. A ring-shaped workpiece handling equipment includes a robot and a control device. The robot includes a body and a manipulator, the body is movable, and the manipulator includes: a mechanical arm and a picking mechanism. The mechanical arm is rotatably fixed to the body and has 6 degrees of freedom. The picking mechanism includes a picker and an image collector. A plurality of pickers are evenly arranged along the circumferential direction, the pickers are retractable, and a pick-up assembly is provided at the end, and the pick-up assembly includes a plurality of pick-ups. The control device is arranged on the body, and the control device includes a processor, a controller and a sensor. After the processor calculates and analyzes the information received through the sensor and the image collector, it controls the movement of the body and the manipulator through the controller. A ring-shaped workpiece handling equipment has the advantage that it prevents silicon wafers from being fragile during handling and flipping, and can accurately position the picker.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automatic handling equipment, and in particular to an annular workpiece handling equipment and a handling method. Background Art

[0002] Elemental silicon is a grey, brittle, tetravalent non-metallic chemical element. 27.8% of the earth's crust is made up of silicon, second only to oxygen. Silicon is a relatively abundant element in nature. Silicon can be found in quartz, agate, flint and common beach stones. Silicon wafers, also known as wafers, are made from silicon ingots. Millions of transistors can be etched on silicon wafers through a special process and are widely used in the manufacture of integrated circuits. Silicon is a semiconductor material and its own conductivity is not very good. However, its resistivity can be precisely controlled by adding appropriate dopants. Therefore, silicon wafers are widely used in many electronic products, mainly in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, solar cells, etc.

[0003] Silicon wafers have high hardness, good wear resistance and pressure resistance, but are relatively brittle. In particular, many electronic components require ring-shaped silicon wafers, which are very easy to break, resulting in high difficulty in processing silicon wafers, especially in the process of handling. The breakage rate is extremely high. Therefore, special equipment is required to handle silicon wafer workpieces. For example, the Chinese invention patent with publication number CN112623746A discloses a movable clamp, a handling robot and an operation method of the movable clamp, including fixed fingers and movable fingers, vacuum suction cups are installed on the opposite surfaces of the fixed fingers and the movable fingers, the vacuum suction cups are arranged relatively, the movable fingers are hinged with the fixed fingers, the first drive motor is connected to the movable fingers from the hinge position, the first drive motor drives the movable fingers to rotate around the fixed fingers at any angle, and also includes a base, a large arm and a lifting assembly, one end of the large arm is rotatably connected to the base, the lifting assembly is rotatably connected to the other end of the large arm, and the movable clamp is connected to the lifting assembly. The fixed clamp picks up the workpiece, the movable clamp cooperates to clamp the workpiece, and the movable clamp realizes the flipping of the workpiece. However, the robot's movable gripper can only grip the silicon wafer at two locations, causing uneven force on the silicon wafer, which can also easily break the silicon wafer when the workpiece is turned over. The robot cannot capture images of the gripper during use, which can easily cause the gripper to move inaccurately, resulting in the silicon wafer breaking due to the gripper touching the silicon wafer. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention aims to provide a circular workpiece handling equipment and method, which adopts remote control of the robot to walk or the robot to walk automatically according to the site map, and controls the mechanical arm to pick up and place the circular workpiece according to the processor instruction through the controller. The picker is provided with an image collector, and the picker is arranged in a ring shape and can be telescopically moved. The picking piece is a suction cup and is provided with a flipping device, which solves the problems of silicon wafers being fragile during the handling and flipping process and the inability to accurately position the picker.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a ring-shaped workpiece handling device, comprising:

[0006] A robot comprises a body and a manipulator, wherein the body is movable and the manipulator comprises:

[0007] A mechanical arm is rotatably fixed to the machine body, wherein the mechanical arm is composed of a plurality of straight rods and joints so that the end of the mechanical arm has six degrees of freedom;

[0008] Pick-up mechanism, including:

[0009] A picker, wherein a plurality of the pickers are evenly arranged in a circumferential direction, and the plurality of the pickers are connected to the mechanical arm, and the picker can be extended and retracted in a direction close to or away from the mechanical arm through a telescopic assembly, and a picker assembly is provided at an end of the picker, and the picker assembly includes a plurality of pickers arranged in an arc shape;

[0010] An image collector connected to the end of the mechanical arm;

[0011] A control device, arranged on the body, comprising a processor, a controller and a sensor;

[0012] After the processor performs calculation and analysis on the information received through the sensor and the image collector, the processor controls the actions of the machine body and the manipulator through the controller.

[0013] Furthermore, the picking mechanism also includes:

[0014] The base is provided with a mechanical arm interface, the mechanical arm interface is connected to the end of the mechanical arm, and the telescopic component and the image collector are both fixed on the base.

[0015] Furthermore, the picking mechanism also includes:

[0016] The anti-fall assembly is L-shaped and comprises a vertical portion and a horizontal portion connected to each other, wherein the vertical portion is telescopically connected to the base, and the horizontal portion can rotate around the vertical portion.

[0017] Furthermore, a buffer is provided at the end of the transverse portion.

[0018] Furthermore, the picking member is a suction cup.

[0019] Furthermore, the annular workpiece handling equipment further comprises:

[0020] The flipping device comprises a first carrier plate and a second carrier plate arranged side by side, wherein the first carrier plate and the second carrier plate are both annular, the first carrier plate is rotatable relative to the second carrier plate, and a clamping assembly is arranged on the first carrier plate.

[0021] Furthermore, at least three clamping assemblies are evenly distributed on the inner ring of the first carrying plate.

[0022] Furthermore, the clamping assembly comprises:

[0023] Electric actuator;

[0024] The clamping member has one end rotatably connected to the push rod of the electric push rod and the other end is provided with a buffer member.

[0025] Furthermore, the control device also includes:

[0026] A memory, used to store operation information, workpiece information and a site map, wherein the processor adjusts the extension and retraction of the telescopic assembly according to the workpiece information;

[0027] An output device, outputting the workpiece information, fault information, and operation parameters;

[0028] An information transceiver is used to transmit data between the processor and the remote control device.

[0029] A method for transporting an annular workpiece, a method for transporting an annular workpiece by using an annular workpiece transporting device as described in any one of the above, the transporting method comprising:

[0030] S100, starting the system of the circular workpiece transporting device, inputting the workpiece information and the site map into the memory, and starting the circular workpiece transporting device;

[0031] S200, through the remote control platform or according to the pre-stored site map and the workpiece handling process flow, the controller controls the annular workpiece handling device to move to the workpiece storage area according to the instructions of the processor, and controls the movement of the robot arm, and controls the robot arm to move to the top of the workpiece according to the image collected by the image collector, and the controller controls the picker to extend and retract, so that the pick-up pieces of the multiple pickers are aligned between the inner ring and the outer ring of the annular workpiece to pick up the workpiece;

[0032] S300, according to the workpiece processing requirements, when the workpiece needs to be flipped, the controller controls the manipulator to move to the top of the flipping device, places the workpiece on the first carrier plate, the controller controls the clamping assembly to start, the clamping assembly and the first carrier plate clamp the workpiece, the first carrier plate flips to the top of the second carrier plate, releases the workpiece to the second carrier plate, and the manipulator picks up the workpiece on the second carrier plate;

[0033] S400, the annular workpiece transporting device moves to the station for processing the annular workpiece and places the workpiece on the station.

[0034] Compared with the prior art, the annular workpiece handling device and handling method described in the present invention have the following advantages:

[0035] The advantage of this technical solution is that the robot is remotely controlled to walk or the robot walks automatically according to the site map, and the controller controls the mechanical arm to pick up and place the annular workpiece according to the processor instructions. The picker is provided with an image collector, the picker is arranged in a ring shape, and can be telescopically moved. The picker is a suction cup and is provided with a flipping device, which prevents the silicon wafer from being fragile during transportation and flipping and can accurately position the picker. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of an annular workpiece handling device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 2 A three-dimensional diagram of a manipulator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 3 A three-dimensional diagram of a pickup mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 4 A three-dimensional diagram of an anti-fall assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the flipping device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Description of reference numerals:

[0042] 100-robot, 110-manipulator, 111-picking mechanism, 1111-pickup device, 11111-picking assembly, 11112-telescopic assembly, 1112-base, 1113-image collector, 1114-anti-fall assembly, 11141-vertical part, 11142-horizontal part, 112-manipulator, 120-body, 200-turning device, 210-first carrying plate, 220-second carrying plate, 230-clamping assembly, 300-control device, 400-workpiece. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0044] In the present invention, the descriptions involving "first", "second", "upper", "lower", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or suggesting their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second", "upper", "lower" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in the field to implement. When the technical solutions between the embodiments can be combined, they are all within the protection scope required by the present invention.

[0045] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with embodiments.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, a circular workpiece handling device includes: a robot 100 and a control device 300. The robot 100 includes a body 120 and a manipulator 110, and the body 120 is movable, such as Figure 2 As shown, the robot 110 includes: a robot arm 112 and a picking mechanism 111. The robot arm 112 is rotatably fixed to the body 120. The robot arm 112 is combined with a plurality of straight rods and joints so that the end of the robot arm 112 has 6 degrees of freedom. Figure 3 As shown, the picking mechanism 111 includes: a picker 1111 and an image collector 1113. A plurality of the pickers 1111 are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction, and the plurality of the pickers 1111 are connected to the mechanical arm 112. The picker 1111 can be extended and retracted in the direction close to or away from the mechanical arm 112 through the telescopic component 11112. The end of the picker 1111 is provided with a pick-up component 11111, and the pick-up component 11111 includes a plurality of pick-up members arranged in an arc shape. The image collector 1113 is connected to the end of the mechanical arm 112. The control device 300 is arranged on the body 120, and the control device 300 includes a processor, a controller and a sensor. After the processor calculates and analyzes the information received through the sensor and the image collector 1113, the controller controls the actions of the body 120 and the mechanical arm 110 through the controller.

[0047] The bottom of the body 120 is provided with wheels, and the robot is controlled to walk by a controller. The controller can transmit the walking command to the robot 100 through the remote control platform. After receiving the control command, the processor of the control device 300 issues the walking command to the controller after processing (signal conversion, etc.), or the robot can be controlled to walk through a pre-stored map and a specified line. During the walking process, the obstacle information around the body 120 is detected in real time by the sensor, and the obstacle information is transmitted to the processor for analysis. After the position of the obstacle is obtained, the body 120 is controlled by the controller to avoid the obstacle. When the robot walks to the storage place of the annular workpiece 400, the processor controls the manipulator 110 to move through the controller, and collects the surrounding environment information of the manipulator 110 in real time through the image acquisition device, especially the position information of the manipulator 110, so that the processor can locate the manipulator 110 to the position of the annular workpiece 400 according to the position information, and adjust the extension and contraction of the picker 1111 according to the size of the workpiece 400, which is conducive to the manipulator 110 to accurately pick up the annular workpiece 400.

[0048] Furthermore, the picking mechanism 111 also includes: a base 1112, which is provided with a robotic arm interface, the robotic arm interface is connected to the end of the robotic arm 120, and the telescopic component 11112 and the image collector 1113 are both fixed on the base 1112.

[0049] The pickup 1111 and the image collector 1113 are both connected to the robot 120 through the base 1112. As an embodiment, the base 1112 is disc-shaped, with a protrusion set on one surface, and an interface that cooperates with the robot interface is set on the protrusion. The telescopic component 11112 is fixed on the base 1112, and the telescopic component 11112 can adopt any structure that can achieve the telescopic function. For example, a track is fixed on the base 1112, and the pickup component 11111 is slidably connected to the track through a slider, and the movement of the slider can be powered by a motor. The extension and retraction of the telescopic component 11112, the picking and releasing of the workpiece 400 by the image collector 1113 and the pickup component 11111 are all connected to the control device 300 through a circuit, and the circuit can be set inside the base 1112 and the robot 120.

[0050] Further, such as Figure 4 As shown, the picking mechanism 111 also includes: an anti-fall component 1114, which is L-shaped, including a vertical portion 11141 and a horizontal portion 11142 that are connected to each other, the vertical portion 11141 is telescopically connected to the base 1112, and the horizontal portion 11142 can rotate around the vertical portion 11141.

[0051] The extension and retraction of the vertical portion 11141 and the rotation of the horizontal portion 11142 can be achieved by any method, for example, a screw nut mechanism, a gear transmission mechanism, etc. In this example, Figure 4 As shown, the above two actions can be realized by pneumatic transmission. The specific implementation method belongs to the prior art and will not be repeated here. Since the cost of silicon wafers is relatively high, the anti-drop component 1114 can be set to support the workpiece 400 at the bottom of the workpiece 400 through the horizontal part 11142 after the pick-up component 1111 picks up the workpiece 400, so as to prevent the silicon wafer from falling off and breaking, reduce losses, and save costs.

[0052] Preferably, a buffer member (not shown) is provided at the end of the transverse portion 11142 .

[0053] Further, such as Figure 3 As shown, the picking component 11111 is a suction cup.

[0054] The suction cup is connected to the cylinder through an air pipe. At the same time, the air pipe can be preferably a cylinder mechanism to achieve the extension and retraction of the suction cup and adjust the height of the suction cup.

[0055] Further, such as Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, the annular workpiece 400 handling equipment also includes: a flipping device 200, including a first carrying plate 210 and a second carrying plate 220 arranged side by side, the first carrying plate 210 and the second carrying plate 220 are both annular, the first carrying plate 210 is rotatable relative to the second carrying plate 220, and a clamping assembly 230 is provided on the first carrying plate 210.

[0056] In this embodiment, a rotating shaft is provided between the first carrier plate 210 and the second carrier plate 220, and the first carrier plate 210 is connected to the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is driven by a motor so that the first carrier plate 210 can rotate toward or away from the second carrier plate 220. After the manipulator 110 places the workpiece 400 on the first carrier plate 210, the clamping assembly 230 is actuated to clamp the workpiece 400 with the first carrier plate 210 from the upper and lower surfaces of the workpiece 400. The motor drives the first carrier plate 210 to rotate toward the second carrier plate 220. When the first carrier plate 210 is buckled on the second carrier plate 220, the clamping assembly 230 releases the workpiece 400, and the first carrier plate 210 rotates away from the second carrier plate 220, thereby realizing the flipping of the workpiece 400.

[0057] Furthermore, at least three clamping assemblies 230 are evenly distributed on the inner ring of the first carrier plate 210 .

[0058] Preferably, three clamping assemblies 230 are provided, and the angle between each assembly is 120°, which effectively ensures that the workpiece 400 is subjected to uniform clamping force.

[0059] Furthermore, the clamping assembly 230 comprises: an electric push rod and a clamping member. One end of the clamping member is rotatably connected to the push rod of the electric push rod, and the other end is provided with a buffer member.

[0060] The clamping member is L-shaped, and one end of the buffer member protrudes toward the first carrier plate 210, so that only the end of the clamping member clamps the workpiece 400 during clamping, thereby avoiding excessive contact area between the clamping member and the workpiece 400. Vibration may occur between the workpiece 400 and the clamping member when the workpiece 400 is flipped due to structural defects of the workpiece 400 or surface defects of the clamping member, thereby breaking the workpiece 400. At the same time, the L-shaped structure also reduces the processing cost of the clamping member.

[0061] Furthermore, the control device 300 further includes: a memory, an output device and an information transceiver. The memory is used to store operation information, workpiece 400 information and a site map, and the processor adjusts the telescopic component according to the workpiece 400 information. The output device outputs the workpiece 400 information, fault information and operation parameters. The information transceiver transmits data between the processor and the remote control device through the information transceiver.

[0062] Preferably, the output device is a display. The display is preferably a touch screen, which can realize the operation of the control device 300 by the operator. The control device 300 transmits data with the remote control device through the information transceiver, and controls the actions of the body 120, the manipulator 110 and the flip device 200 through the instructions sent by the remote control device. The walking of the robot 100 can also realize unmanned automatic walking through the site map and walking route pre-stored in the memory.

[0063] A method for transporting an annular workpiece, a method for transporting an annular workpiece by using an annular workpiece transporting device as described in any one of the above, the transporting method comprising:

[0064] S100, starting the system of the circular workpiece transporting device, inputting the workpiece information and the site map into the memory, and starting the circular workpiece transporting device;

[0065] S200, through the remote control platform or according to the pre-stored site map and the workpiece handling process flow, the controller controls the annular workpiece handling device to move to the workpiece storage area according to the instructions of the processor, and controls the movement of the robot arm, and controls the robot arm to move to the top of the workpiece according to the image collected by the image collector, and the controller controls the picker to extend and retract, so that the pick-up pieces of the multiple pickers are aligned between the inner ring and the outer ring of the annular workpiece to pick up the workpiece;

[0066] S300, according to the workpiece processing requirements, when the workpiece needs to be flipped, the controller controls the manipulator to move to the top of the flipping device, places the workpiece on the first carrier plate, the controller controls the clamping assembly to start, the clamping assembly and the first carrier plate clamp the workpiece, the first carrier plate flips to the top of the second carrier plate, releases the workpiece to the second carrier plate, and the manipulator picks up the workpiece on the second carrier plate;

[0067] S400, the annular workpiece transporting device moves to the station for processing the annular workpiece and places the workpiece on the station.

[0068] According to the operation process, if the workpiece does not need to be turned over, step S300 can be omitted.

[0069] The above-mentioned transport method prevents the silicon wafer from being fragile during the transport and flipping process, and enables the pickup to be accurately positioned.

[0070] Although the present invention is disclosed as above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the scope defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A ring-shaped workpiece handling device, characterized in that: include: A robot (100) comprises a body (120) and a manipulator (110), wherein the body (120) is movable, and the manipulator (110) comprises: A mechanical arm (112) is rotatably fixed to the machine body (120), the mechanical arm (112) being composed of a plurality of straight rods and joints so that an end of the mechanical arm (112) has six degrees of freedom of movement; The picking mechanism (111) comprises: A picker (1111), wherein a plurality of the pickers (1111) are evenly arranged in a circumferential direction, and the plurality of the pickers (1111) are connected to the mechanical arm (112), and the picker (1111) can be extended and retracted in a direction approaching or moving away from the mechanical arm (112) through a telescopic component (11112), and a picker component (11111) is provided at an end of the picker (1111), and the picker component (11111) comprises a plurality of pickers arranged in an arc shape; An image collector (1113) connected to an end of the mechanical arm (112); The turning device (200) comprises a first carrier plate (210) and a second carrier plate (220) arranged side by side, the first carrier plate (210) and the second carrier plate (220) are both annular, the first carrier plate (210) is rotatable relative to the second carrier plate (220), and a clamping assembly (230) is provided on the first carrier plate (210); A control device (300) is arranged on the machine body (120), and the control device (300) comprises a processor, a controller, and a sensor; After the processor performs calculation and analysis on the information received through the sensor and the image collector (1113), the processor controls the actions of the machine body (120) and the manipulator (110) through the controller; The method for transporting annular workpieces by the above-mentioned annular workpiece transporting device comprises: S100, starting the system of the circular workpiece transporting device, inputting the workpiece information and the site map into the memory, and starting the circular workpiece transporting device; S200, through the remote control platform or according to the pre-stored site map and the workpiece handling process flow, the controller controls the annular workpiece handling device to move to the workpiece storage area according to the instructions of the processor, and controls the movement of the robot arm, and controls the robot arm to move to the top of the workpiece according to the image collected by the image collector, and the controller controls the picker to extend and retract, so that the pick-up pieces of the multiple pickers are aligned between the inner ring and the outer ring of the annular workpiece to pick up the workpiece; S300, according to the workpiece processing requirements, when the workpiece needs to be flipped, the controller controls the manipulator to move to the top of the flipping device, places the workpiece on the first carrier plate, the controller controls the clamping assembly to start, the clamping assembly and the first carrier plate clamp the workpiece, the first carrier plate flips to the top of the second carrier plate, releases the workpiece to the second carrier plate, and the manipulator picks up the workpiece on the second carrier plate; S400, the annular workpiece transporting device moves to the station for processing the annular workpiece and places the workpiece on the station.

2. The annular workpiece handling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The picking mechanism (111) further comprises: The base (1112) is provided with a mechanical arm (112) interface, the mechanical arm (112) interface is connected to the end of the mechanical arm (112), and the telescopic component (11112) and the image collector (1113) are both fixed on the base (1112).

3. The annular workpiece transporting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The picking mechanism (111) further comprises: The anti-fall assembly (1114) is L-shaped and comprises a vertical portion (11141) and a horizontal portion (11142) that are connected to each other, wherein the vertical portion (11141) is telescopically connected to the base (1112), and the horizontal portion (11142) is rotatable around the vertical portion (11141).

4. The annular workpiece handling device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A buffer is provided at the end of the transverse portion (11142).

5. The annular workpiece transporting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The picking-up member is a suction cup.

6. The annular workpiece transporting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least three clamping assemblies (230) are evenly distributed on the inner ring of the first carrying plate (210).

7. The annular workpiece transporting device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The clamping assembly (230) comprises: Electric actuator; The clamping member has one end rotatably connected to the push rod of the electric push rod and the other end is provided with a buffer member.

8. The annular workpiece transporting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control device (300) further includes: A memory, used to store operation information, workpiece information and a site map, wherein the processor adjusts the extension and retraction of the telescopic component (11112) according to the workpiece information; An output device, outputting the workpiece information, fault information, and operation parameters; An information transceiver is used to transmit data between the processor and the remote control device.

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