Thin dual ring encoder stack mounting structure and joint module applying the same

Abstract

The application relates to a thinning double-ring encoder stack mounting structure and a joint module applying the same, and belongs to the technical field of semiconductors. The thinning double-ring encoder stack mounting structure comprises an outer-layer ring encoder, an outer-layer ring encoder circuit board and an outer-layer ring encoder magnetic grid corresponding to the circuit board; an inner-layer ring encoder, an inner-layer ring encoder circuit board and an inner-layer ring encoder magnetic grid corresponding to the circuit board; wherein the inner diameter of the outer-layer ring encoder circuit board is greater than the outer diameter of the inner-layer ring encoder circuit board, the inner-layer ring encoder circuit board is at least partially arranged in the annular hollow area of the outer-layer ring encoder circuit board, and the inner-layer ring encoder circuit board and the outer-layer ring encoder circuit board partially overlap in the axial direction. The application can greatly reduce the occupation of the axial space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of semiconductor technology, and particularly relates to a thinned dual-ring encoder stacking structure and a joint module using the same. Background Technology

[0002] Semiconductor wafer handling robots typically employ servo motors, with the motors positioned at the base of the arm or within the lifting column, transmitting torque to the end effector via a synchronous belt. This approach suffers from accuracy errors and vibration interference due to the toothed meshing of the synchronous belt. To improve accuracy and reduce the transmission chain, a direct-drive joint solution is required. When the robot's end effector requires two independent fingers, two DD motors and corresponding encoders must be installed, placing extremely stringent space constraints. While existing technologies include dual-encoder stacking solutions, the circuit boards for the two encoders still need to be arranged axially with a safety clearance, making it difficult to further reduce the joint thickness and meet the compact requirements of a dual-DD motor configuration. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a thinner dual-ring encoder stacking structure and a joint module using the same, thereby significantly reducing the axial space occupied.

[0004] A thinner dual-ring encoder stacking structure includes:

[0005] An outer ring encoder includes an outer ring encoder circuit board and an outer ring encoder magnetic grid correspondingly disposed on the circuit board;

[0006] An inner ring encoder includes an inner ring encoder circuit board and an inner ring encoder magnetic grid correspondingly disposed on the circuit board;

[0007] Wherein, the inner diameter of the outer ring encoder circuit board is larger than the outer diameter of the inner ring encoder circuit board, the inner ring encoder circuit board is at least partially disposed within the annular hollow area of ​​the outer ring encoder circuit board, and the inner ring encoder circuit board and the outer ring encoder circuit board partially overlap in the axial direction.

[0008] The outer ring encoder magnetic grating is disposed on the radial inner side of the outer ring encoder circuit board, and the inner ring encoder magnetic grating is disposed on the radial inner side of the inner ring encoder circuit board, wherein the inner diameter of the outer ring encoder magnetic grating is larger than the outer diameter of the inner ring encoder magnetic grating.

[0009] The overall axial thickness of the two ring encoders is equal to the thickness of a single ring encoder circuit board.

[0010] It includes a first DD motor and a second DD motor arranged along the same axis, and also includes the aforementioned thinned dual ring encoder stacked mounting structure. The outer ring encoder and the inner ring encoder are sandwiched between the first DD motor and the second DD motor, and the rotors of the two DD motors are respectively connected to the magnetic grids of the two ring encoders, and the stators of the two DD motors are respectively connected to the circuit boards of the two ring encoders.

[0011] The inner ring encoder is configured correspondingly to the first DD motor, which includes a first motor rotor and a first motor stator; the magnetic grid of the inner ring encoder is fixedly connected to the first motor rotor, and the circuit board of the inner ring encoder is fixedly connected to the first motor stator.

[0012] The outer ring encoder is correspondingly configured with the second DD motor, which includes a second motor rotor and a second motor stator; the outer ring encoder magnetic grid is fixedly connected to the second motor rotor, and the outer ring encoder circuit board is fixedly connected to the second motor stator.

[0013] It also includes a first motor rotor fixing component and a first motor stator fixing component. The inner ring encoder magnetic grid is fixedly connected to the first motor rotor through the first motor rotor fixing component, and the inner ring encoder circuit board is fixedly connected to the first motor stator through the first motor stator fixing component.

[0014] It also includes a second motor rotor fixing component and a second motor stator fixing component. The outer ring encoder magnetic grid is fixedly connected to the second motor rotor through the second motor rotor fixing component, and the outer ring encoder circuit board is fixedly connected to the second motor stator through the second motor stator fixing component.

[0015] Both ring encoders are magnetic grid encoders.

[0016] The joint module is applied to the end joint of a semiconductor wafer handling robot to achieve a dual DD motor direct drive configuration.

[0017] By employing the above technical solution, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0018] This invention eliminates the safety gap that must be reserved between the two circuit boards in the traditional structure, and at the same time, the thicknesses of the two circuit boards overlap axially, with the overall thickness being only equivalent to that of a single circuit board. Specifically, it saves two portions of axial space.

[0019] Compared to solutions where the inner and outer encoders are located on the same plane, this invention has a significant advantage in terms of extreme axial thickness compression. Solutions with the same plane cannot compress the thickness of two complete, independent encoders to less than the thickness of a circuit board, while the axial thickness of this invention is only the thickness of a circuit board, achieving further thinning.

[0020] Compared to the solution of two code disks sharing a single circuit board, this invention uses two complete and independent encoders, each with its own complete circuit board, thus offering advantages in signal processing, electrical isolation, and anti-interference capabilities.

[0021] This invention achieves further extreme compression in axial space occupancy through a structure in which the inner and outer ring encoder circuit boards overlap axially. The axial dimension, which originally required two circuit board thicknesses plus a gap, is reduced to only one circuit board thickness, effectively supporting the direct-drive configuration of dual DD motors at the end effector of a robotic arm. In extremely compact applications such as the end effector joints of semiconductor wafer handling robots, every millimeter of this axial thickness compression has a decisive impact on the feasibility of the overall structure. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the stacked mounting structure of the thinned dual-ring encoder provided by the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the thinned dual-ring encoder stacked mounting structure provided by the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a structural decomposition diagram of a conventional dual encoder stacked structure;

[0025] Figure 4 The joint module provided by this invention features a thinned dual-ring encoder stacking structure.

[0026] In the picture:

[0027] 1-1, First motor output shaft; 1-2, First motor rotor; 1-3, First motor stator; 1-4, First motor rotor fixing component; 1-5, First motor stator fixing component; 1-10, Second motor stator fixing component; 1-11, Second motor rotor fixing component; 1-12, Second motor rotor; 1-13, Second motor stator; 1-14, Second motor output shaft; 2-1, Outer ring encoder; 2-2, Inner ring encoder; 3-1, First square ring encoder magnetic grating; 3-2, First square ring encoder circuit board; 3-3, Second square ring encoder circuit board; 3-4, Second square ring encoder magnetic grating; 3-5, Outer ring encoder magnetic grating; 3-6, Outer ring encoder circuit board; 3-7, Inner ring encoder circuit board; 3-8, Inner ring encoder magnetic grating. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To better explain and facilitate understanding of the present invention, the technical solution and effects of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0029] Combination Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 As shown, this embodiment provides a thinned dual-ring encoder stacked mounting structure, including two ring encoders of different sizes: an outer ring encoder 2-1 and an inner ring encoder 2-2. The outer ring encoder 2-1 has a larger outer and inner diameter, while the inner ring encoder 2-2 has a smaller outer and inner diameter, with the outer diameter of the inner ring encoder 2-2 being smaller than the inner diameter of the outer ring encoder 2-1. Both the outer ring encoder 2-1 and the inner ring encoder 2-2 are composed of a ring circuit board and a ring magnetic grid.

[0030] Specifically, the outer ring encoder 2-1 includes an outer ring encoder circuit board 3-6 and an outer ring encoder magnetic grating 3-5, with the magnetic grating 3-5 disposed radially inside and cooperating with the outer ring encoder circuit board 3-6. The inner ring encoder 2-2 includes an inner ring encoder circuit board 3-7 and an inner ring encoder magnetic grating 3-8, with the magnetic grating 3-8 disposed radially inside and cooperating with the inner ring encoder circuit board 3-7.

[0031] In the conventional method, such as Figure 3As shown, the first circular encoder includes a first circular encoder magnetic grating 3-1 and a first circular encoder circuit board 3-2, and the second circular encoder includes a second circular encoder circuit board 3-3 and a second circular encoder magnetic grating 3-4. The first circular encoder circuit board 3-2 and the second circular encoder circuit board 3-3 are arranged sequentially along the axial direction, and a sufficient safety clearance must be maintained between them. This is because if the two circuit boards are too close, the electronic components on the circuit boards may physically interfere, electromagnetic signals may interfere with each other, and even breakdown may occur due to insufficient electrical clearance. The existence of this safety clearance results in the two encoders occupying a relatively large total height in the axial direction.

[0032] In the thinned dual-ring encoder stacking structure provided in this application, the outer ring encoder circuit board 3-6 is a ring-shaped plate structure with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the inner ring encoder circuit board 3-7. During assembly, the inner ring encoder circuit board 3-7 is placed within the annular hollow area of ​​the outer ring encoder circuit board 3-6, causing the two circuit boards to partially overlap axially. Simultaneously, the inner diameter of the outer ring encoder magnetic grating 3-5 is also larger than the outer diameter of the inner ring encoder magnetic grating 3-8, resulting in a similar inner-outer nesting of the two magnetic grating sections radially. Using this structure, the two encoder circuit boards no longer require an axial safety clearance, and the overall thickness is only equivalent to the thickness of one circuit board, thus saving the thickness of one circuit board and the axial space occupied by the original clearance. Furthermore, because the outer ring encoder circuit board 3-6 and the inner ring encoder circuit board 3-7 are radially staggered, the distance between electrical components meets safety requirements, preventing interference or breakdown.

[0033] like Figure 4 As shown, in another preferred embodiment, a joint module applying the above-described thinned dual-ring encoder stacked mounting structure is provided, including a first DD motor, a second DD motor arranged along the same axis, and the aforementioned thinned dual-ring encoder stacked mounting structure; wherein the first DD motor is located above, and the second DD motor is located below. The two DD motors are arranged along the same axis, and two ring encoders are sandwiched between the first DD motor and the second DD motor.

[0034] The first DD motor includes a first motor output shaft 1-1, a first motor rotor 1-2, a first motor stator 1-3, a first motor rotor fixing member 1-4, and a first motor stator fixing member 1-5. The first motor rotor 1-2 is disposed inside the first motor stator 1-3 and can rotate relative to the first motor stator 1-3. Further, the first motor output shaft 1-1 is fixedly connected to the first motor rotor 1-2 and is used to output the driving force of the first DD motor. One end of the first motor rotor fixing member 1-4 is fixed to the first motor rotor 1-2, and the other end is fixedly connected to the inner ring encoder magnetic grating 3-8, so that the inner ring encoder magnetic grating 3-8 rotates synchronously with the first motor rotor 1-2. One end of the first motor stator fixing member 1-5 is fixed to the first motor stator 1-3, and the other end is fixedly connected to the inner ring encoder circuit board 3-7, so that the inner ring encoder circuit board 3-7 remains stationary.

[0035] Furthermore, the second DD motor includes a second motor output shaft 1-14, a second motor rotor 1-12, a second motor stator 1-13, a second motor rotor fixing member 1-11, and a second motor stator fixing member 1-10. The second motor rotor 1-12 is disposed inside the second motor stator 1-13; the second motor output shaft 1-14 is fixedly connected to the second motor rotor 1-12. One end of the second motor rotor fixing member 1-11 is fixed to the second motor rotor 1-12, and the other end is fixedly connected to the outer ring encoder magnetic grating 3-5, so that the outer ring encoder magnetic grating 3-5 rotates synchronously with the second motor rotor 1-12. One end of the second motor stator fixing member 1-10 is fixed to the second motor stator 1-13, and the other end is fixedly connected to the outer ring encoder circuit board 3-6, so that the outer ring encoder circuit board 3-6 remains stationary.

[0036] Based on the above structure, the inner ring encoder 2-2 is responsible for detecting the rotational position and angle of the first DD motor, and the outer ring encoder 2-1 is responsible for detecting the rotational position and angle of the second DD motor. The circuit boards of the two encoders are stacked inside and outside in the aforementioned manner, occupying only the thickness of one circuit board in the axial direction, thus significantly reducing the thickness of the entire joint module.

[0037] Through the above structure, this invention achieves ultra-thin stacked installation of two ring encoders within a limited space, providing a feasible solution for the direct-drive configuration of dual DD motors at the end effector of a robotic arm. Simultaneously, this structure avoids component interference, signal interference, or electrical breakdown problems caused by the close proximity of the two encoder circuit boards, exhibiting good reliability and practicality.

Claims

1. A thinned dual-ring encoder stacking structure, characterized in that, include: An outer ring encoder includes an outer ring encoder circuit board and an outer ring encoder magnetic grid correspondingly disposed on the circuit board; An inner ring encoder includes an inner ring encoder circuit board and an inner ring encoder magnetic grid correspondingly disposed on the circuit board; Wherein, the inner diameter of the outer ring encoder circuit board is larger than the outer diameter of the inner ring encoder circuit board, the inner ring encoder circuit board is at least partially disposed within the annular hollow area of ​​the outer ring encoder circuit board, and the inner ring encoder circuit board and the outer ring encoder circuit board partially overlap in the axial direction.

2. The thinned dual-ring encoder stacking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer ring encoder magnetic grating is disposed on the radial inner side of the outer ring encoder circuit board, and the inner ring encoder magnetic grating is disposed on the radial inner side of the inner ring encoder circuit board, wherein the inner diameter of the outer ring encoder magnetic grating is larger than the outer diameter of the inner ring encoder magnetic grating.

3. The thinned dual-ring encoder stacking structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The overall axial thickness of the two ring encoders is equal to the thickness of a single ring encoder circuit board.

4. A joint module, comprising a first DD motor and a second DD motor arranged along the same axis, characterized in that: It also includes the thinned dual ring encoder stacked mounting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the outer ring encoder and the inner ring encoder are sandwiched between the first DD motor and the second DD motor, and the rotors of the two DD motors are respectively connected to the magnetic grids of the two ring encoders, and the stators of the two DD motors are respectively connected to the circuit boards of the two ring encoders.

5. The joint module according to claim 4, characterized in that: The inner ring encoder is configured correspondingly to the first DD motor, which includes a first motor rotor and a first motor stator; the magnetic grid of the inner ring encoder is fixedly connected to the first motor rotor, and the circuit board of the inner ring encoder is fixedly connected to the first motor stator.

6. The joint module according to claim 5, characterized in that: The outer ring encoder is correspondingly configured with the second DD motor, which includes a second motor rotor and a second motor stator; the outer ring encoder magnetic grid is fixedly connected to the second motor rotor, and the outer ring encoder circuit board is fixedly connected to the second motor stator.

7. The joint module according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes a first motor rotor fixing component and a first motor stator fixing component. The inner ring encoder magnetic grid is fixedly connected to the first motor rotor through the first motor rotor fixing component, and the inner ring encoder circuit board is fixedly connected to the first motor stator through the first motor stator fixing component.

8. The joint module according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes a second motor rotor fixing component and a second motor stator fixing component. The outer ring encoder magnetic grid is fixedly connected to the second motor rotor through the second motor rotor fixing component, and the outer ring encoder circuit board is fixedly connected to the second motor stator through the second motor stator fixing component.

9. The joint module according to claim 4, characterized in that: Both ring encoders are magnetic grating encoders.

10. The joint module according to claim 4, characterized in that: The joint module is applied to the end joint of a semiconductor wafer handling robot to achieve a dual DD motor direct drive configuration.

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