Teaching tool of material taking and placing mechanism

Abstract

The utility model discloses a material taking and placing mechanism teaching tool, including: main part, camera and distance measuring sensor, the main part includes bottom plate, top plate and is used for connecting the connecting rod of bottom plate and top plate, the outer contour of bottom plate and top plate is the same as the outer contour of wafer box, the height of main part is the same as the height of wafer box, the distance measuring sensor is used for measuring the distance between the camera and the distance measuring sensor, the distance measuring sensor is used for measuring the distance between the camera and the distance measuring sensor. The camera and the distance measuring sensor are respectively arranged on the bottom plate, and the bottom plate is provided with a first through hole corresponding to the camera and a second through hole corresponding to the distance measuring sensor. According to the teaching tool, the teaching accuracy of the material taking and placing mechanism can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of intelligent warehousing equipment, in particular to a teaching tool for a material taking and placing mechanism. Background Art

[0002] Stockers are common intelligent storage equipment in semiconductor factories. They feature multiple layers of storage space and are primarily used for the automated transport and storage of FOUP wafer cassettes (FOUPs), facilitating the flow of wafers between processes. Stockers typically utilize an Automatic Material Handling System (AMHS) to access materials at the material level.

[0003] The Chinese patent with the announcement number CN214043616U discloses a pick-up and place mechanism, and further discloses that the pick-up and place mechanism includes a first transmission arm, a second transmission arm and a pick-up and place dock that are connected to rotate in sequence, and a first driver, a second driver and a pick-up and place driver for driving the above three to rotate respectively, wherein the pick-up and place dock picks up the wafer box under the drive of the first transmission arm and the second transmission arm. Before being put into use, it is usually necessary to teach the pick-up and place mechanism to ensure that the pick-up and place mechanism can automatically perform the action. The existing teaching method is: Figure 1 As shown, a sensor 110 is provided at the front end of the pick-and-place dock 10. Figure 2 As shown, a reflective tape 210 is placed on the front end of the material level 20. The sensor 110 of the dock 10 illuminates the reflective tape 210 to obtain the positional relationship between the dock 10 and the material level 20, thereby calculating the required movement distance of the dock in the X, Y, and Z directions when loading and unloading materials. The above teaching method has the problem of low teaching accuracy due to the limited number of positional relationships obtained and the inaccurate positional relationships obtained. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to overcome the defects in the prior art, an embodiment of the present utility model provides a teaching tool for a material taking and placing mechanism, which is used to solve the above problems.

[0005] An embodiment of the present application discloses: a teaching tool for a material picking and placing mechanism, comprising: a main body, a camera and a ranging sensor, the main body comprising a bottom plate, a top plate and a connecting rod for connecting the bottom plate and the top plate, the outer contours of the bottom plate and the top plate are the same as the outer contours of a wafer box, the height of the main body is the same as the height of the wafer box, the camera and the ranging sensor are respectively mounted on the bottom plate, and the bottom plate is provided with a first through hole corresponding to the camera and a second through hole corresponding to the ranging sensor.

[0006] Specifically, the distance measuring sensor is a laser distance measuring sensor.

[0007] Specifically, a first sensor and a second sensor are further installed on the bottom plate, and the first sensor and the second sensor are used to detect the positional relationship between the main body and the material level along the X direction.

[0008] Specifically, a third sensor and a fourth sensor are further installed on the bottom plate, and the third sensor and the fourth sensor are used to detect the positional relationship between the main body and the material level along the Y direction.

[0009] Specifically, the first sensor, the second sensor, the third sensor and the fourth sensor are pressure sensors.

[0010] Specifically, a plurality of first positioning columns for positioning the wafer box are provided on the material level, and a plurality of second positioning columns for positioning the wafer box are provided on the pick-and-place dock. A first positioning column and a corresponding second positioning column constitute a positioning column group. A plurality of positioning grooves are provided on the bottom plate of the main body, and the plurality of positioning grooves correspond one-to-one to the plurality of positioning column groups.

[0011] The utility model has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0012] 1. The teaching tool of this embodiment includes a main body and a camera and a ranging sensor installed on the main body. When it is necessary to teach the pick-and-place mechanism, a method of simulating the pick-and-place of a wafer box is adopted. The pick-and-place mechanism lifts the teaching tool placed on the material level, and the camera is used to photograph and analyze the positioning mark on the material level. The ranging sensor measures the distance between the tool main body and the material level, thereby providing accurate data basis for the movement amount along the X direction, Y direction and Z direction when the pick-and-place dock picks and places materials, thereby improving the teaching accuracy.

[0013] 2. The positional relationship between the teaching tool body and the material level is detected by triggering the first sensor, the second sensor, the third sensor and the fourth sensor arranged on the bottom plate of the main body, which can further improve the accuracy of teaching.

[0014] In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, preferred embodiments are given below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0016] Figure 1This is a structural diagram of the pick-up and place dock of the material pick-up and place mechanism in an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of the material level in the embodiment of the present utility model;

[0018] Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of a teaching tool for a material taking and placing mechanism in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention in which a dock is inserted into a material position to access a teaching tool (or wafer cassette);

[0020] Figure 5 It is a bottom view of the teaching tool placed on the material level in the embodiment of the utility model.

[0021] The figure marks of the above drawings are: 11, bottom plate; 111, first through hole; 112, second through hole; 113, positioning groove; 12, top plate; 13, connecting rod; 2, camera; 3, ranging sensor; 41, first sensor; 42, second sensor; 43, third sensor; 44, fourth sensor; 10, pick-up and place dock; 110, sensor; 120, first positioning column; 20, material level; 210, reflective tape; 220, positioning mark; 230, second positioning column. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0023] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "installed," "connected," "fixed," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on specific circumstances.

[0024] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first feature and the second feature being in direct contact, or may include the first feature and the second feature being in contact not directly but through another feature therebetween. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "below," and "above" a second feature may include the first feature being directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below," "below," and "below" a second feature may include the first feature being below or obliquely below the second feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0025] In the description of this embodiment, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0026] In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish in description and have no special meaning.

[0027] The teaching tool of the pick-up and place mechanism of this embodiment can be used to simulate the normal pick-up and place of the wafer box during the teaching process of the pick-up and place mechanism, so that the pick-up and place mechanism can obtain more information about the position relationship between the teaching tool and the material level, and the obtained position relationship information is more accurate. Figure 1 As shown, the material picking and placing mechanism of this embodiment includes a picking and placing dock 10, and also includes a transmission structure for driving the picking and placing dock 10 to move (not shown, for details, please refer to the Chinese patent announcement number CN214043616U). Figure 2 As shown, the material level 20 of this embodiment is installed at the automatic loading and unloading port of the intelligent storage equipment (Stocker). The material level 20 of this embodiment includes a support plate and a positioning mark 220 arranged on the support plate. The positioning mark 220 is specifically a rectangular through hole.

[0028] like Figure 3As shown, the teaching tool for the loading and unloading mechanism of this embodiment mainly includes: a main body, a camera 2, and a distance sensor 3. The main body is used to simulate the wafer cassette used in the production line. The main body includes a bottom plate 11, a top plate 12, and multiple connecting rods 13 for connecting the bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12. The outer contours of the bottom plate 11 and the top plate 12 are the same as the outer contours of the wafer cassette, and the height of the main body is the same as the wafer cassette, which improves the accuracy of teaching. The camera 2 and the ranging sensor 3 are respectively mounted on the base plate 11, and a first through hole 111 and a second through hole 112 are provided on the base plate 11; the first through hole 111 is located below the camera 2, and the second through hole 112 is located below the ranging sensor 3, so that when the main body is placed on the material level 20, the camera 2 can shoot and analyze the positioning mark 220 on the support plate, and the ranging sensor 3 can measure the distance between the base plate 11 of the main body and the support plate of the material level 20, thereby providing accurate data basis for the movement amount along the X direction, Y direction and Z direction when the pick-up and place dock 10 picks and places materials.

[0029] Specifically, the distance measuring sensor 3 of this embodiment is a laser distance measuring sensor.

[0030] like Figure 3 As shown, the bottom plate 11 of this embodiment is further mounted with a first sensor 41 and a second sensor 42, which are used to detect the positional relationship between the main body and the material level 20 along the X direction. When the main body is correctly placed on the material level 20, the first sensor 41 is triggered and the second sensor 42 is not triggered. Furthermore, the bottom plate 11 is further mounted with a third sensor 43 and a fourth sensor 44, which are used to detect the positional relationship between the main body and the material level 20 along the Y direction. When the main body is correctly placed on the material level 20, neither the third sensor 43 nor the fourth sensor 44 is triggered. Specifically, in combination with Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the support plate of the material level 20 has a clearance opening for the dock 10 to enter and exit to access the wafer cassette. When the main body is correctly placed on the material level 20, at least a portion of the sensing portion of the first sensor 41 is located above the support plate of the material level 20 to achieve triggering, while the second sensor 42, the third sensor 43, and the fourth sensor 44 are completely located outside the support plate of the material level 20. In this embodiment, the above three sensors are located within the clearance opening to avoid triggering. If the first sensor 41 does not trigger, or if one of the second sensor 42, the third sensor 43, and the fourth sensor 44 triggers, it indicates that the main body is not correctly placed on the material level 20 and its position on the material level 20 needs to be readjusted. The above solution can further improve the accuracy of the teaching of the material retrieving mechanism.

[0031] In this embodiment, the first sensor 41 , the second sensor 42 , the third sensor 43 and the fourth sensor 44 are preferably pressure sensors, for example.

[0032] Combine Figures 3 to 5 As shown, in this embodiment, a plurality of first positioning posts 120 are provided on the support plate of the material level 20, and a plurality of second positioning posts 230 are provided on the pick-and-place dock 10. The first positioning posts 120 and the second positioning posts 230 are respectively used to position the wafer cassette, so that the wafer cassette can be accurately switched between the material level 20 and the pick-and-place dock 10 (the wafer cassette on the material level 20 is removed by the pick-and-place dock 10, and the wafer cassette on the pick-and-place dock 10 is placed on the material level 20). A first positioning post 120 and a second positioning post 230 are arranged adjacent to each other, and the two constitute a positioning post group. A plurality of positioning grooves 113 are provided on the bottom plate 11 of the main body. The plurality of positioning grooves 113 correspond one-to-one to the plurality of positioning post groups. In other words, one positioning groove 113 is used to accommodate the first positioning post 120 and the second positioning post 230 in a positioning post group. The above solution ensures that the main body of the teaching tool can be stably placed on the material level 20 and the pick-and-place dock 10.

[0033] To sum up, the method of using the teaching tool of the material picking and placing mechanism of this embodiment is as follows: the reflective tape 210 on the material level 20 is illuminated by the sensor 110 at the front end of the picking and placing dock 10 to preliminarily locate the material level 20; then the transmission structure of the picking and placing mechanism (a plurality of transmission arms connected to each other) is extended to support the main body of the teaching tool on the material level 20, at this time the camera 2 shoots and analyzes the positioning mark 220, locates the distance of the extension of the transmission structure and corrects the X-axis and Y-axis; then, the laser ranging sensor 3 is used to measure the distance between the main body and the material level 20 during picking and placing, correct the Z-axis, and locate the Z-direction distance of the extension of the transmission structure. At this time, the information collection of the position relationship between the main body (wafer box) and the material level 20 is completed; then, the transmission structure uses the positioned position to place the main body of the teaching tool on the material level 20, and confirms whether the positioned position is correct through the triggering of the first sensor 41, the second sensor 42, the third sensor 43 and the fourth sensor 44. If correct, the teaching is completed. If incorrect, the above steps are repeated.

[0034] The present invention uses specific embodiments to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core idea of ​​the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of ​​the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. A teaching tool for a material taking and placing mechanism, characterized in that: include: The main body includes a base plate, a top plate, and a connecting rod for connecting the base plate and the top plate. The outer contours of the base plate and the top plate are the same as the outer contours of the wafer box. The height of the main body is the same as the height of the wafer box. The camera and the ranging sensor are respectively installed on the base plate. The base plate is provided with a first through hole corresponding to the camera and a second through hole corresponding to the ranging sensor.

2. The teaching tool for the material taking and placing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance measuring sensor is a laser distance measuring sensor.

3. The teaching tool for the material taking and placing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first sensor and a second sensor are further installed on the bottom plate, and the first sensor and the second sensor are used to detect the positional relationship between the main body and the material level along the X direction.

4. The teaching tool for the material taking and placing mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: A third sensor and a fourth sensor are further installed on the bottom plate, and the third sensor and the fourth sensor are used to detect the positional relationship between the main body and the material level along the Y direction.

5. The teaching tool for the material taking and placing mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first sensor, the second sensor, the third sensor and the fourth sensor are pressure sensors.

6. The teaching tool for the material taking and placing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of positioning grooves are provided on the bottom plate of the main body.

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