Linear robot

Abstract

The utility model discloses a linear mechanical hand relates to semiconductor wafer handling equipment, include: linear mechanical hand, include: fixed casing, open the strip opening, mobile subassembly, mobilely set up in fixed casing, and the part of mobile subassembly is through strip opening and extends, dynamic sealing assembly, straddle strip opening setting, the flexible sealing piece is connected with mobile subassembly, wherein, the flexible sealing piece can with the movement of mobile subassembly and relative to the guiding support piece produces adaptive deformation and displacement, to continue to close the dynamic gap between mobile subassembly and fixed casing. Adopt above -mentioned scheme, and the clearance between high -efficient dynamic sealing casing and executive component, effectively block the contaminant and enter the drive area and avoid internal particle dispersion to clean room.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor wafer handling equipment technology, and in particular to a linear robotic arm. Background Technology

[0002] Semiconductor manufacturing processes generally require wafer handling and transfer in a high-cleanliness environment to avoid particulate contamination from adversely affecting device performance and product yield. As a critical transfer device, linear robotic arms play a central role in in-situ wafer transfer. Their structural design must not only ensure motion accuracy and repeatability but also consider environmental cleanliness and stability during long-term operation. Therefore, in the development of linear robotic arms, maintaining system sealing and cleanliness while achieving high-precision displacement is a key technical challenge of widespread concern in the industry.

[0003] Existing linear robotic arms typically consist of a fixed housing, actuators that can move linearly along the housing, and a power unit that drives the actuators. Since the actuators need to achieve linear displacement inside and outside the housing, a relative gap inevitably forms between them. This gap is often an open structure, making effective sealing difficult. Current technologies often employ sealing rings, sealing strips, or flexible protective sheets to attempt to block particles, but these methods generally suffer from poor wear resistance, limited sealing effect, and additional loads on motion precision, failing to simultaneously meet high cleanliness requirements and precise transmission performance.

[0004] Existing sealing structures suffer from the following problems: Firstly, excessive reliance on contact friction can increase motion resistance, affecting positioning accuracy and service life. Secondly, insufficient sealing allows particles to easily enter the transmission area through the gap, causing contamination and equipment failure. Therefore, achieving efficient dynamic sealing of the gap between the housing and the actuator in linear manipulators has been a long-standing technical challenge in this field. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a linear manipulator to solve the problems of poor open sealing and difficulty in efficiently sealing the gap between the housing and the actuator in existing linear manipulators.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of this utility model is as follows: Linear robotic arms include: The fixed housing has a strip-shaped opening; A movable component is movably disposed within the fixed housing, a portion of which extends out through the strip opening, and a dynamic gap is generated when the extended portion of the movable component moves relative to the fixed housing; A dynamic sealing assembly, spanning the strip-shaped opening, includes a flexible seal and a guide support; the flexible seal is connected to the movable assembly. The flexible seal can adapt to the movement of the moving component and undergo adaptive deformation and displacement relative to the guide support to continuously seal the dynamic gap between the moving component and the fixed housing.

[0007] Furthermore, the guide support includes a first bracket and a second bracket arranged opposite to each other along the length direction of the strip opening, and the two ends of the flexible seal are respectively fixed to the first bracket and the second bracket and cover the strip opening.

[0008] Furthermore, the guide support also includes at least one guide roller group disposed between the first bracket and the second bracket, the guide roller group being close to the strip opening, and the flexible seal being partially covered by the guide roller group.

[0009] Furthermore, the guide roller assembly includes three rotating shafts with parallel axes arranged in a triangle to allow the flexible seal to form a tortuous winding path.

[0010] Furthermore, the moving component includes a moving base and a driving block. The moving base is located inside the fixed housing, and the driving block is fixedly connected to the moving base and located outside the fixed housing. The three rotating shafts and the flexible seal form a clearance area, and part of the driving block is located in the clearance area.

[0011] Furthermore, the rotating shaft includes a support shaft, a bearing mounted on the support shaft, and a rotating cylinder mounted on the outer ring of the bearing. The outer circumferential surface of the rotating cylinder is used to contact the flexible seal and provide rolling support.

[0012] Furthermore, the flexible seal is a sealing strip, the inner surface of which makes rolling contact with the guide support, and the outer surface of which is used to seal the dynamic gap.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes a driving element for driving the moving component to move.

[0014] Furthermore, the driving component includes a drive motor, a transmission belt, and a tensioning mechanism for tensioning the transmission belt. The moving component is fixedly connected to the transmission belt. The fixed housing is provided with a driving wheel connected to the output shaft of the drive motor and at least one driven wheel. The transmission belt is wrapped around the driving wheel and the driven wheel.

[0015] Furthermore, it also includes a body assembly and a finger assembly; the finger assembly includes at least four finger units; the body assembly has at least four drive blocks to independently drive at least four finger units to extend or retract in a straight line.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this linear robotic arm are as follows: by setting a dynamic sealing component at the strip-shaped opening of the fixed housing, the technical problem of poor sealing between the housing and the actuator of existing linear robotic arms is effectively solved. Specifically, the dynamic sealing component is composed of a flexible seal and a guide support. One end of the flexible seal is fixedly connected to the moving component and can move synchronously with the moving component. Under the support and constraint of the guide support, it undergoes adaptive deformation, thereby forming a continuous and closed sealing barrier between the moving component and the fixed housing. This structure not only avoids the influence of traditional rigid seals on motion accuracy, but also effectively prevents particulate matter from entering the transmission area through the dynamic gap through the adaptive fit of the flexible component. This achieves a balance between linear motion and efficient sealing, improving the reliability of the robotic arm in high-cleanliness environments and thus significantly improving the yield in semiconductor manufacturing processes. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the linear manipulator of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the moving component according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the dynamic sealing assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the guide support component in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0018] Reference numerals: 1. Fixed housing; 11. Strip opening; 12. Bearing seat; 2. Moving assembly; 21. Moving seat; 22. Drive block; 3. Dynamic sealing assembly; 31. Flexible seal; 32. Guide support; 321. First bracket; 322. Second bracket; 323. Guide roller group; 3231. First support shaft; 3232. First bearing; 3233. First sleeve; 3234. Second support shaft; 3235. Second bearing; 3236. Second sleeve; 3237. Third support shaft; 3238. Third bearing; 3239. Third sleeve; 4. Drive component; 41. Drive wheel; 42. First idler wheel; 43. Second idler wheel; 44. Tensioner wheel; 45. Transmission belt; 46. Slide rail; 47. Slider; 48. Clamping block; 5. Body assembly; 6. Finger assembly; 61. Translation seat; 62. Adapter plate; 63. Finger body. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model. Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used herein should have the ordinary meaning understood by those skilled in the art to which this utility model pertains. The terms "comprising" and similar expressions used herein mean that the element or object preceding the word covers the element or object listed following the word and its equivalents, but does not exclude other elements or objects.

[0020] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-4 The specific embodiments of this utility model will be further described in detail below.

[0021] like Figures 1-2 As shown, in some embodiments of this utility model, such as Figures 1-4 As shown, a linear manipulator includes a fixed housing 1, a moving component 2, a dynamic sealing component, and a finger component 6. The fixed housing 1 has a strip-shaped opening 11 on its top surface along its length, allowing external components of the moving component 2 to extend and interact with external workstations. To facilitate the installation and guidance of internal components, a support seat 12 is provided inside the fixed housing 1, arranged along the length of the housing, for mounting the guide rail 46, the drive component 4, and the support structure of the dynamic sealing component. The moving component 2 can perform linear reciprocating motion along the length of the fixed housing 1, and part of its structure extends through the strip-shaped opening 11, thereby forming a dynamic gap between the extended portion and the strip-shaped opening 11.

[0022] In some specific embodiments of this utility model, the movable component 2 includes a movable seat 21 disposed inside the fixed housing 1 and a drive block 22 fixedly connected to it and located outside the fixed housing 1. Specifically, the movable seat 21 cooperates with the slide rail 46 disposed on the support seat 12 through the slider 47 to form a linear motion pair, so as to ensure that the movement trajectory of the movable seat 21 relative to the fixed housing 1 extends strictly along the length direction of the housing; the drive block 22 is rigidly connected to the movable seat 21 by means of thread fastening or pin and positioning step, and docks with the external finger component 6 through the strip opening 11.

[0023] Reference Figure 2Specifically, to convert rotational motion into linear motion, a driving component 4 is installed inside the fixed housing 1. The driving component 4 includes a drive motor, a driving pulley 41 synchronously connected to the motor's output shaft, at least one driven pulley, and a transmission belt 45 surrounding it. The driving pulley 41 is synchronously connected to the rotor end of the motor. When the motor starts, the driving pulley 41 rotates, synchronously driving the first idler pulley 42 and the second idler pulley 43 to rotate via the meshing annular transmission belt 45. Preferably, the annular transmission belt 45 forms a closed transmission loop, thus creating a closed transmission path of "driving pulley 41—transmission belt 45—first idler pulley 42—transmission belt 45—second idler pulley 43—transmission belt 45—driving pulley 41". In some specific embodiments of this utility model, a specific section of the transmission belt 45 is rigidly connected to the movable seat 21 via a clamping block 48. The clamping block 48 adopts an embedded structure to tightly engage the tooth grooves of the transmission belt 45 and is locked to the movable seat 21 by fastening bolts to prevent slippage. Specifically, when the drive motor starts, the driving pulley 41 rotates synchronously with the motor rotor end, and the transmission belt 45 forms a controlled linear displacement between the driving pulley 41 and each driven pulley. The clamping block 48, as a transmission medium, directly transmits the linear displacement of the transmission belt 45 to the movable seat 21, forcing the movable seat 21 to reciprocate linearly along the slide rail 46, and further driving the drive block 22 located on the outside of the housing to move synchronously linearly, thereby driving the finger assembly 6 to extend or retract. To ensure transmission stability, the drive component 4 also includes a tensioning mechanism to apply preload to the transmission belt 45, eliminate backlash, and suppress belt vibration.

[0024] In some specific embodiments of this utility model, the tensioning mechanism can ensure the stability of the transmission process and avoid backlash caused by the slack of the transmission belt 45. Specifically, the tensioning mechanism is preferably a tensioning wheel 44, which is mounted on the support seat 12 and can change the tension of the transmission belt 45 by adjusting its installation position, thereby achieving effective pre-tensioning of the transmission belt 45, which not only suppresses belt vibration during operation but also improves the repeatability and reliability of the system. In addition, the driven wheel includes a first idler wheel 42 and a second idler wheel 43, which are used to define and guide the transmission path of the transmission belt 45 to form a stable closed transmission circuit.

[0025] Reference Figure 3In some specific embodiments of this utility model, the dynamic sealing assembly is arranged across the strip opening 11 to perform a follow-up seal on the dynamic gap between the protruding part of the movable assembly 2 and the strip opening 11. Specifically, the dynamic sealing assembly includes a flexible sealing element 31 and a guide support element 32. The guide support element 32 is disposed on the bearing seat 12 and positioned and connected to the fixed housing 1. The guide support element 32 has a first bracket 321 and a second bracket 322 arranged opposite to each other along the length direction of the strip opening 11. The two ends of the flexible sealing element 31 are respectively fixed to the first bracket 321 and the second bracket 322 and cover the area of ​​the strip opening 11, so that the outer surface of the flexible sealing element 31 always covers the dynamic gap during operation, thereby forming a continuous sealing barrier.

[0026] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 In some specific embodiments of this utility model, in order to enable the flexible seal 31 to obtain low-resistance, stable and repeatable follow-up characteristics during the reciprocating motion of the moving component 2, at least one guide roller group 323 is provided between the first bracket 321 and the second bracket 322 of the guide support member 32. Specifically, the guide roller group 323 includes three rotating shafts with parallel axes arranged in a triangle. The flexible seal 31 partially covers the three rotating shafts and forms a tortuous winding path. This winding path intersects with the movement channel of the drive block 22 in space, so that the three rotating shafts and the flexible seal 31 surround and form a clearance area. The protrusion of the drive block 22 is located in the clearance area and passes freely therein. The flexible seal 31 undergoes adaptive deformation and displacement under the guidance of the guide roller group 323 to continuously seal the dynamic gap between the drive block 22 and the strip opening 11. Specifically, the moving seat 21 is formed with a mounting platform, and the rotating shaft is vertically mounted on the mounting platform.

[0027] In some specific embodiments of this utility model, to reduce frictional wear during the sealing process and improve follow-up stability, each rotating shaft includes a support shaft, a bearing mounted on the support shaft, and a rotating cylinder mounted on the outer ring of the bearing. The multiple rotating shafts include a first rotating shaft, a second rotating shaft, and a third rotating shaft; the first rotating shaft includes a first support shaft 3231, a first bearing 3232, and a first sleeve 3233; the second rotating shaft includes a second support shaft 3234, a second bearing 3235, and a second sleeve 3236; the third rotating shaft includes a third support shaft 3237, a third bearing 3238, and a third sleeve 3239. The inner surface of the flexible seal 31 rolls in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the rotating cylinder, achieving rolling support for the seal during movement. Specifically, the bearing is a roller bearing, which has an inner ring and an outer ring, wherein the outer ring is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the rotating cylinder, and the inner ring is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the support shaft. In some other embodiments of this utility model, the flexible seal 31 is preferably a sealing strip structure, the inner surface of which forms rolling contact with the rotating drum of the guide roller group 323 to reduce motion resistance and heat accumulation, and the outer surface covers the dynamic gap and forms a fit with the outer surface of the drive block 22 or the edge area of ​​the strip opening 11, thereby achieving a continuous and stable dynamic seal throughout the entire stroke.

[0028] In some specific embodiments of this utility model, the finger assembly 6 includes at least four finger units, each finger unit including an adapter plate 62, a translation seat 61, and a finger body 63. The body assembly 5 is provided with at least four drive blocks 22 connected to the corresponding moving assembly 2, to independently drive at least four finger units to extend or retract in a straight line, thereby achieving orderly transfer of wafers at different workstations. In terms of structural implementation, for ease of explanation, this embodiment uses one set of "moving seat 21—drive block 22—dynamic sealing assembly" as an example for description. The remaining sets of structures and working processes are the same and arranged in parallel, and can be independently controlled to complete multi-finger coordination and step-by-step operations.

[0029] In some specific embodiments of this utility model, the working process of the linear manipulator is as follows: After the drive motor is powered on, the drive wheel 41 drives the transmission belt 45 to run along a closed path. The clamping block 48 transmits the linear displacement of the transmission belt 45 to the moving seat 21, causing the moving seat 21 to reciprocate linearly along the slide rail 46. The drive block 22 moves synchronously linearly within the range of the strip opening 11 and drives the corresponding finger unit to complete the extension / retraction. At the same time, the flexible sealing element 31 undergoes adaptive deformation and displacement relative to the first support 321 and the second support 322 under the rolling guidance of the guide roller group 323, always covering the dynamic gap between the drive block 22 and the strip opening 11, forming a linkage sealing structure of "support-rotating shaft-sealing belt". This effectively blocks external particles from entering the transmission area and inhibits the escape of internal particles while ensuring the accuracy of linear transmission and smooth stroke, maintaining a high cleanliness environment inside and outside the shell.

[0030] In some specific embodiments of this utility model, the fixed housing 1 and the bearing seat 12 adopt a composite positioning connection method of positioning pin and screw to improve the assembly accuracy of the guide and sealing components; the edge of the strip opening 11 can be provided with a micro-chamfer or rounded corner to improve the fit transition of the flexible seal 31 at the extreme position; the tensioning mechanism adopts an adjustable eccentric wheel or elastic tensioning wheel 44 structure to compensate for the long-term elongation of the transmission belt 45 and reduce the return gap.

[0031] Furthermore, in other embodiments, in addition to using a closed-loop transmission belt 45, the aforementioned drive component 4 can also be driven by a ball screw-servo motor direct drive or a linear motor drive to achieve the same linear reciprocating function; in addition to the sealing strip, the aforementioned flexible sealing component 31 can also be made of polyimide (PI) film, fluoropolymer tape, or metal elastic sheet with a low-friction coefficient coating to adapt to different working conditions such as temperature, vacuum, and liquid atmosphere; the number and spatial arrangement of the aforementioned guide roller group 323 can also be adjusted to two or four groups according to the length of the strip opening 11 and the required sealing performance, or different shaft arrangements such as "equilateral triangle / acute triangle / rhombus" can be used to optimize the covering angle and bending radius of the sealing component; the connection between the aforementioned drive block 22 and the moving seat 21 can be secured by screws or by a maintainable connection method such as a T-bolt groove to facilitate disassembly and fine adjustment.

[0032] Although the embodiments of this utility model have been described in detail above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to these embodiments. However, it should be understood that such modifications and variations fall within the scope and spirit of this utility model as described in the claims. Moreover, the utility model described herein may have other embodiments and can be implemented or realized in various ways.

Claims

1. A linear robotic arm, characterized in that, include: The fixed housing (1) has a strip opening (11); The movable component (2) is movably disposed within the fixed housing (1). A portion of the movable component (2) extends out through the strip opening (11). When the extended portion of the movable component (2) moves relative to the fixed housing (1), a dynamic gap is generated. A dynamic sealing assembly is disposed across the strip opening (11), the dynamic sealing assembly including a flexible seal (31) and a guide support (32), the flexible seal (31) being connected to the moving assembly (2). The flexible seal (31) can adapt to the movement of the moving component (2) and deform and displace relative to the guide support (32) to continuously seal the dynamic gap between the moving component (2) and the fixed housing (1).

2. The linear manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide support (32) includes a first bracket (321) and a second bracket (322) arranged opposite to each other along the length direction of the strip opening (11). The two ends of the flexible seal (31) are respectively fixed to the first bracket (321) and the second bracket (322) and cover the strip opening (11).

3. The linear manipulator according to claim 2, characterized in that, The guide support (32) further includes at least one guide roller group (323) disposed between the first bracket (321) and the second bracket (322), the guide roller group (323) being close to the strip opening (11), and the flexible seal (31) being partially covered by the guide roller group (323).

4. The linear manipulator according to claim 3, characterized in that, The guide roller assembly (323) includes three rotating shafts with parallel axes arranged in a triangle to allow the flexible seal (31) to form a tortuous winding path.

5. The linear manipulator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The moving component (2) includes a moving base (21) and a driving block (22). The moving base (21) is located inside the fixed housing (1). The driving block (22) is fixedly connected to the moving base (21) and located outside the fixed housing (1). The three rotating shafts and the flexible seal (31) together form a clearance area. The driving block (22) is partially located in the clearance area.

6. The linear manipulator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The rotating shaft includes a support shaft, a bearing mounted on the support shaft, and a rotating cylinder mounted on the outer ring of the bearing. The outer circumferential surface of the rotating cylinder is used to contact the flexible seal (31) and provide rolling support.

7. The linear manipulator according to claim 5, characterized in that, The flexible seal (31) is a sealing strip, the inner surface of which rolls in contact with the guide support (32), and the outer surface of which is used to seal the dynamic gap.

8. The linear manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a drive unit (4) for driving the moving component (2) to move.

9. The linear manipulator according to claim 8, characterized in that, The drive component (4) includes a drive motor, a transmission belt (45), and a tensioning mechanism for tensioning the transmission belt (45). The moving component (2) is fixedly connected to the transmission belt (45). The fixed housing (1) is provided with a drive wheel (41) connected to the output shaft of the drive motor and at least one driven wheel. The transmission belt (45) is wrapped around the drive wheel (41) and the driven wheel.

10. The linear manipulator according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a body component (5) and a finger component (6); the finger component (6) includes at least four finger units; the body component (5) has at least four of the drive blocks (22) to independently drive at least four finger units to extend or retract in a straight line.

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