Industrial robot and control method of industrial robot

Abstract

To provide an industrial robot that transports transportation objects to a carry-in part from a carry-out part, capable of appropriately transporting the transportation objects to the carry-in part from the carry-out part even if positions and orientations of hands of the industrial robot cannot be appropriately corrected at one of the carry-out part and the carry-in part due to a mechanical restriction.SOLUTION: A control part of an industrial robot 1 previously stores: carry-out side correction values for correcting positions and orientations of hands 7 and 8 on the basis of deviations of positions on a layout of transportation objects 2 arranged at normal positions in the carry-out part 5; and carry-in side correction values for correcting positions and orientations of the hands 7 and 8 on the basis of deviations of positions on the layout of the transportation objects 2 arranged at normal positions in a carry-in part 4. The industrial robot 1 does not correct the positions and the orientations of the hands 7 and 8 in the carry-out part 5, and corrects the positions and the orientations of the hands 7 and 8 on the basis of the carry-out side correction values and the carry-in side correction values in the carry-in part 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an industrial robot for transporting an object such as a semiconductor wafer, and also to a method for controlling the industrial robot. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, industrial robots for transporting semiconductor wafers are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 includes a hand on which a semiconductor wafer is mounted, an arm to which the hand is rotatably connected at its tip end, a main body to which the base end of the arm is rotatably connected, and an X-axis table that moves the main body linearly in the horizontal direction. This industrial robot transports semiconductor wafers one by one between a wafer storage container installed in a load port and a wafer processing device.

[0003] In a semiconductor manufacturing system incorporating the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, for example, the positions of semiconductor wafers that are loaded into a wafer storage container or wafer processing device by the industrial robot and placed in their correct positions may deviate from their designed positions due to the influence of variations in the components that make up the wafer storage container or wafer processing device. Therefore, in the semiconductor manufacturing system incorporating the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, a correction value for correcting the position and orientation of a hand in the wafer storage container or wafer processing device is calculated in advance using a sensor jig and a light-shielding jig, and the position and orientation of the hand are corrected based on this correction value when transporting a semiconductor wafer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2009 / 145082 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present inventor has developed an industrial robot that transports an object to be transported, such as a semiconductor wafer, from a predetermined unloading section to a predetermined loading section, like the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1. In a manufacturing system incorporating this industrial robot, similar to the semiconductor manufacturing system incorporating the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, it is preferable to calculate in advance a correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand at the unloading section, correct the position and orientation of the hand based on this correction value when the object to be transported is unloaded from the unloading section, and calculate in advance a correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand at the loading section, and correct the position and orientation of the hand based on this correction value when the object to be transported is loaded into the loading section.

[0006] However, there may be cases where the position and orientation of the hand of the industrial robot cannot be appropriately corrected in either the unloading part or the loading part due to mechanical constraints resulting from, for example, the installation position of the unloading part or the loading part, the structure of the unloading part or the loading part, the structure of the industrial robot, etc. In such cases, it may be difficult to appropriately transport the transport object from the unloading part to the loading part.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot that can properly transport an object from an unloading section to a loading section even if the position and orientation of the hand of the industrial robot cannot be properly corrected at either the unloading section or the loading section due to mechanical constraints.An object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot control method that can properly transport an object from an unloading section to a loading section even if the position and orientation of the hand of the industrial robot cannot be properly corrected at either the unloading section or the loading section due to mechanical constraints. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the industrial robot of the present invention is an industrial robot that transports an object to be transported from an output section where the object can be placed to an input section where the object can be placed, and includes a hand on which the object to be transported is mounted, an arm to which the hand is connected, a main body section to which the arm is rotatably connected, a main body holding section that holds the main body section so as to enable linear movement in a horizontal direction, a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the main body section relative to the main body holding section, a hand drive mechanism that rotates the arm relative to the main body section with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation and linearly moves the hand in a horizontal direction relative to the main body section while facing in a fixed direction, and a control section for controlling the industrial robot, and the control section is configured to perform a control process based on a deviation of the object to be transported that is placed in a correct position in the output section from its designed position. The system is characterized in that an output-side correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand, and an input-side correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand based on a deviation from a designed position of the object to be transported, which is placed at a correct position in the input section, are stored in advance, and the direction of movement of the main body section relative to the main body holding section is defined as a first direction, and a direction perpendicular to the first direction and the up-down direction is defined as a second direction, and the hand, by design, moves linearly in the first direction relative to either the output section or the input section, and moves linearly in the second direction relative to the other of the output section or the input section, and the control unit does not correct the position and orientation of the hand at either the output section or the input section, but corrects the position and orientation of the hand at the other of the output section or the input section based on the output-side correction value and the input-side correction value.

[0009] Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a control method for an industrial robot of the present invention includes a hand on which an object to be transported is placed, an arm to which the hand is connected, a main body to which the arm is rotatably connected, a main body holding part which holds the main body part so as to enable linear movement in a horizontal direction, a horizontal movement mechanism which moves the main body part relative to the main body holding part, and a hand drive mechanism which rotates the arm relative to the main body part with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation and moves the hand, which is facing in a fixed direction, linearly in the horizontal direction relative to the main body part, and transports the object to be transported from an unloading part where the object to be transported can be placed to an loading part where the object to be transported can be placed, and when the direction of movement of the main body part relative to the main body holding part is defined as a first direction and a direction perpendicular to the first direction and the vertical direction is defined as a second direction, the hand is designed to move in a direction parallel to the vertical direction and linearly in the horizontal direction relative to the main body part. A control method for an industrial robot that moves linearly in a first direction relative to either the exit section or the load section, and moves linearly in a second direction relative to the other of the exit section and the load section, characterized in that an exit-side correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand based on a deviation from a designed position of an object to be transported that is placed at a correct position in the load section, and an load-side correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand based on a deviation from a designed position of an object to be transported that is placed at a correct position in the load section, are stored in advance, and the position and orientation of the hand are not corrected in either the exit section or the load section, and the position and orientation of the hand are corrected based on the exit-side correction value and the load-side correction value in the other of the exit section and the load section.

[0010] In the present invention, the position and orientation of the hand is not corrected in either the carry-out unit or the carry-in unit, but is corrected in the other of the carry-out unit and the carry-in unit based on the carry-out-side correction value and the carry-in-side correction value. Therefore, in the present invention, even if the position and orientation of the hand cannot be appropriately corrected in either the carry-out unit or the carry-in unit due to mechanical constraints caused by, for example, the installation position of the carry-out unit or the carry-in unit, the structure of the carry-out unit or the carry-in unit, or the structure of the industrial robot, it is possible to appropriately correct the position and orientation of the hand in the other of the carry-out unit and the carry-in unit. Therefore, in the present invention, even if the position and orientation of the hand cannot be appropriately corrected in either the carry-out unit or the carry-in unit due to mechanical constraints, it is possible to appropriately transport the transport object from the carry-out unit to the carry-in unit.

[0011] In the present invention, for example, the industrial robot is a horizontally articulated robot, the hand is rotatably connected to the arm, and the hand drive mechanism is an arm drive mechanism that rotates the arm relative to the main body with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation, and extends and retracts the arm so that the hand moves linearly horizontally relative to the main body with the hand facing in a fixed direction.

[0012] In the present invention, for example, an industrial robot has a first hand and a second hand as hands, the first hand is positioned lower than the second hand, and the arm has a first tip side arm portion to which the first hand is rotatably connected at its tip side, a second tip side arm portion to which the second hand is rotatably connected at its tip side, and a common arm portion to which the base end side of the first tip side arm portion and the base end side of the second tip side arm portion are rotatably connected.

[0013] In the present invention, for example, an industrial robot transports two transport objects that do not overlap in the vertical direction from an output section to an input section together, and two transport objects that do not overlap in the vertical direction can be positioned in the output section and the input section, the hand has a first mounting section on which one transport object is mounted and a second mounting section on which one transport object is mounted, and the hand is mounted with two transport objects that do not overlap in the vertical direction.

[0014] In the present invention, the movement direction of the main body part relative to the main body holding part is a first direction, and by design, the hand moves linearly in the first direction relative to either the unloading part or the loading part. Therefore, when the industrial robot transports two objects to be transported that do not overlap in the vertical direction from the unloading part to the loading part together, due to mechanical constraints caused by the structure of the industrial robot, it is not possible to properly correct the position and orientation of the hand in either the unloading part or the loading part. However, even in this case, the present invention makes it possible to properly correct the position and orientation of the hand in the other of the unloading part or the loading part.

[0015] In the present invention, the object to be transported mounted on the first mounting section is referred to as the first object to be transported, the object to be transported mounted on the second mounting section is referred to as the second object to be transported, the position in the unloading section where the first object to be transported is referred to as the unloading-side first positioning position, the position in the unloading section where the second object to be transported is referred to as the unloading-side second positioning position, the position in the loading section where the first object to be transported is referred to as the load-in first positioning position, and the position in the loading section where the second object to be transported is referred to as the load-in second positioning position, and when viewed from above and below, the center of the first object to be transported that is positioned at the regular position of the unloading-side first positioning position and the second object to be transported that is positioned at the regular position of the unloading-side second positioning position are aligned. If the first line segment is a line segment connecting the centers of the first transport object placed in the correct position at the first loading side placement position and the second transport object placed in the correct position at the second loading side placement position when viewed from the top-down direction, it is preferable that the unloading side correction value includes the amount of deviation of the midpoint of the first line segment from the designed position in the horizontal direction and the inclination of the first line segment from the designed position when viewed from the top-down direction, and the loading side correction value includes the amount of deviation of the midpoint of the second line segment from the designed position in the horizontal direction and the inclination of the second line segment from the designed position when viewed from the top-down direction.

[0016] With this configuration, it becomes possible to correct the position and orientation of the hand in either the unloading or loading section based on the amount of deviation of the midpoint of the first line segment from its designed position in the horizontal direction and the inclination of the first line segment from its designed position when viewed from the top-down direction, the amount of deviation of the midpoint of the second line segment from its designed position in the horizontal direction, and the inclination of the second line segment from its designed position when viewed from the top-down direction.

[0017] Therefore, when the horizontal pitch between the first and second transport objects placed in their correct positions in the transport section differs due to factors such as variations in the parts that make up the discharge section and the transport section, it becomes possible to equalize, for example, the horizontal deviation from the correct position of the first transport object transported from the discharge section to the load section and placed in the load section, and the horizontal deviation from the correct position of the second transport object transported from the discharge section to the load section and placed in the load section.

[0018] As a result, when the horizontal pitch between the first and second transport objects placed in their correct positions in the unloading section is different from the horizontal pitch between the first and second transport objects placed in their correct positions in the loading section, it is possible to reduce both the horizontal deviation from the correct position of the first transport object placed in the loading section and the horizontal deviation from the correct position of the second transport object placed in the loading section.

[0019] Furthermore, with this configuration, the unloading-side correction value includes the inclination of the first line segment from its designed position when viewed from the top-bottom direction, and the loading-side correction value includes the inclination of the second line segment from its designed position when viewed from the top-bottom direction, so it becomes possible to appropriately correct the orientation of the hand in either the unloading unit or the loading unit based on the inclination of the first line segment from its designed position when viewed from the top-bottom direction and the inclination of the second line segment from its designed position when viewed from the top-bottom direction. Therefore, even if two transport objects that do not overlap in the top-bottom direction are transported together, it becomes possible to appropriately correct the orientation of the hand. Effect of the Invention

[0020] As described above, in the present invention, in an industrial robot that transports an object to be transported from an unloading section to an loading section, even if the position and orientation of the industrial robot's hand cannot be properly corrected at either the unloading section or the loading section due to mechanical constraints, the object can be properly transported from the unloading section to the loading section. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view for explaining a configuration of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view for explaining the configuration of the industrial robot shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the industrial robot shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating a correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating a correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram for explaining a first detection step that is executed when calculating a correction value of the hand shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the industrial robot shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the industrial robot shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] (Configuration of industrial robots) Fig. 1 is a plan view for explaining the configuration of an industrial robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side view for explaining the configuration of the industrial robot 1 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the industrial robot 1 shown in Fig. 1.

[0024] The industrial robot 1 (hereinafter referred to as "robot 1") of this embodiment is a robot for transporting a semiconductor wafer 2 (hereinafter referred to as "wafer 2"), which is an object to be transported. Specifically, the robot 1 is a horizontal articulated robot. The wafer 2 is formed in a thin, disc-like shape. The robot 1 is incorporated into a semiconductor manufacturing system 3 for use. The semiconductor manufacturing system 3 includes a plurality of wafer processing devices 4 that perform predetermined processing on the wafers 2, and a wafer storage section (buffer) 5 in which the wafers 2 are temporarily stored before or after processing. Two wafer processing devices 4 are shown in FIG. 1.

[0025] The robot 1 transports the wafer 2 between the wafer storage unit 5 and the wafer processing device 4. In this embodiment, the robot 1 transports the wafer 2 from the wafer storage unit 5 to the wafer processing device 4. The wafer storage unit 5 stores the wafer 2 before it is processed by the wafer processing device 4. The wafer processing device 4 and the wafer storage unit 5 can accommodate two wafers 2 that are not overlapped in the up-down direction (vertical direction). That is, the wafer processing device 4 and the wafer storage unit 5 can accommodate two wafers 2 that are adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction. The wafer storage unit 5 and the wafer processing device 4 are provided with, for example, a plurality of support pins that support the wafer 2 from below, and the wafer 2 is placed on the plurality of support pins. The wafer storage unit 5 in this embodiment is an unloading unit from which the wafer 2 is unloaded, and the wafer processing device 4 is an loading unit from which the wafer 2 is loaded.

[0026] The robot 1 includes hands 7 and 8 on which the wafer 2 is mounted, an arm 9 to which the hands 7 and 8 are connected, a main body 10 to which the arm 9 is connected, a main body holding unit 11 that holds the main body 10 so as to enable linear movement in the horizontal direction, and a control unit 12 for controlling the robot 1. The robot 1 of this embodiment includes two hands 7 and 8. The hands 7 and 8 are rotatably connected to the arm 9 and are rotatable relative to the arm 9 with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation. The arm 9 is rotatably connected to the main body 10 and is rotatable relative to the main body 10 with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation. The hand 7 of this embodiment is a first hand, and the hand 8 is a second hand. Note that the main body holding unit 11 is not shown in FIG. 2.

[0027] The arm 9 includes a tip side arm section 15 to which the hand 7 is rotatably connected, a tip side arm section 16 to which the hand 8 is rotatably connected, and a common arm section 17 to which the tip side arm sections 15, 16 are rotatably connected and which is also rotatably connected to the main body section 10. The arm 9 in this embodiment is composed of the tip side arm sections 15, 16 and the common arm section 17. The tip side arm sections 15, 16 are rotatable relative to the common arm section 17 with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation. The tip side arm section 15 in this embodiment is a first tip side arm section, and the tip side arm section 16 is a second tip side arm section.

[0028] The tip side arm parts 15 and 16 are formed in a block shape having a long and narrow oval shape when viewed from above and below, and a relatively thin thickness in the vertical direction. The common arm part 17 is formed in a block shape having an isosceles triangle shape when viewed from above and below, and a relatively thin thickness in the vertical direction. The common arm part 17 is disposed above the main body part 10. The tip side arm parts 15 and 16 are disposed above the common arm part 17. The tip side arm part 16 is disposed above the tip side arm part 15. The hand 7 is rotatably connected to the tip side of the tip side arm part 15. The hand 8 is rotatably connected to the tip side of the tip side arm part 16.

[0029] The base end sides of the tip side arms 15 and 16 are rotatably connected to the common arm 17. Specifically, the base end side of the tip side arm 15 is rotatably connected to the vicinity of a corner of the common arm 17, which has an isosceles triangle shape when viewed from the top-bottom direction, where one oblique side and a base side intersect, and the base end side of the tip side arm 16 is rotatably connected to the vicinity of a corner of the common arm 17, where the other oblique side and a base side intersect. The common arm 17 is rotatably connected to the main body 10. Specifically, if the corner of the common arm 17, which has an isosceles triangle shape, where two oblique sides intersect is the apex corner, a part of the common arm 17 that is slightly closer to the apex corner than the center part is rotatably connected to the main body 10 when viewed from the top-bottom direction.

[0030] The hand 7 is disposed below the hand 8. The tip side arm portion 15 is disposed below the hand 7. The tip side arm portion 16 is disposed above the hand 8. Two wafers 2 that do not overlap in the vertical direction are loaded on the hands 7 and 8. The robot 1 transports the two wafers 2 that do not overlap in the vertical direction together (simultaneously) from the wafer accommodation portion 5 to the wafer processing device 4.

[0031] The hands 7 and 8 each include a mounting portion 20 on which one wafer 2 is mounted, a mounting portion 21 on which one wafer 2 is mounted, and a hand base 22 to which the base end of the mounting portion 20 and the base end of the mounting portion 21 are fixed. The hands 7 and 8 in this embodiment are configured by the mounting portions 20 and 21 and the hand base 22. The hand base 22 is formed in a block shape that is approximately isosceles triangular when viewed from the top and bottom and has a thin thickness in the top and bottom directions. The hand base 22 is rotatably connected to the tip side of the tip side arm portions 15 and 16. The mounting portion 20 in this embodiment is a first mounting portion, and the mounting portion 21 is a second mounting portion.

[0032] The mounting parts 20 and 21 are thin plate-like members. The wafer 2 is mounted on the tip side of the mounting parts 20 and 21. The tip side of the mounting parts 20 and 21 is formed in a substantially E-shape. A wafer suction part 23 for suctioning the wafer 2 mounted on the mounting parts 20 and 21 is provided at the center of the tip side of the mounting parts 20 and 21. The mounting parts 20 and 21 are arranged with a gap between them in the horizontal direction. The mounting parts 20 and 21 are also arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line of the hand base part 22 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (direction from the base end to the tip) of the hands 7 and 8.

[0033] In this embodiment, the horizontal distance between the rotation center of the common arm portion 17 relative to the main body portion 10 and the rotation center of the tip arm portion 15 relative to the common arm portion 17, the horizontal distance between the rotation center of the common arm portion 17 relative to the main body portion 10 and the rotation center of the tip arm portion 16 relative to the common arm portion 17, the horizontal distance between the rotation center of the tip arm portion 15 relative to the common arm portion 17 and the rotation center of the hand 7 relative to the tip arm portion 15, and the horizontal distance between the rotation center of the tip arm portion 16 relative to the common arm portion 17 and the rotation center of the hand 8 relative to the tip arm portion 16 are equal.

[0034] The main body 10 includes a housing 25 and a lifting body 26 that can be raised and lowered relative to the housing 25. The common arm 17 is rotatably connected to the upper end of the lifting body 26. As described above, the main body 10 is horizontally movable linearly relative to the main body holder 11. The main body holder 11 is formed in a block shape that is elongated in the moving direction of the main body 10. In the following description, the moving direction of the main body 10 relative to the main body holder 11 (X direction in FIG. 1, etc.) is referred to as the "left-right direction", and the Y direction in FIG. 1, etc. that is perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction is referred to as the "front-rear direction". In this embodiment, the left-right direction (X direction) is the first direction, and the front-rear direction (Y direction) is the second direction.

[0035] The main body holding section 11 is disposed behind the main body section 10. The wafer accommodation section 5 is disposed to the left of the main body section 10 and the main body holding section 11. The two wafer processing devices 4 are disposed forward of the main body section 10 and the main body holding section 11. The two wafer processing devices 4 are adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. The two wafers 2 disposed in the wafer accommodation section 5 are adjacent to each other in the front-to-rear direction, and the two wafers 2 disposed in the wafer processing device 4 are adjacent to each other in the left-to-right direction.

[0036] The robot 1 is equipped with a tip-side arm section drive mechanism 28 that rotates the tip-side arm section 15 relative to the common arm section 17 with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation and rotates the hand 7 relative to the tip-side arm section 15, a tip-side arm section drive mechanism 29 that rotates the tip-side arm section 16 relative to the common arm section 17 with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation and rotates the hand 8 relative to the tip-side arm section 16, a common arm section drive mechanism 30 that rotates the common arm section 17 relative to the main body section 10 with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation, a lifting mechanism 31 that raises and lowers the lifting body 26 relative to the housing 25, and a horizontal movement mechanism 32 that moves the main body section 10 left and right relative to the main body holding section 11.

[0037] The tip arm drive mechanism 28 includes a motor 33, a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of the motor 33 to the tip arm 15 and the hand 7, and an encoder 38 for detecting the rotational position of the motor 33. The tip arm drive mechanism 29 includes a motor 34, a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of the motor 34 to the tip arm 16 and the hand 8, and an encoder 39 for detecting the rotational position of the motor 34. The common arm drive mechanism 30 includes a motor 35, a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of the motor 35 to the common arm 17, and an encoder 40 for detecting the rotational position of the motor 35.

[0038] The lifting mechanism 31 includes a motor 36, a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of the motor 36 to the lifting body 26, and an encoder 41 for detecting the rotational position of the motor 36. The horizontal movement mechanism 32 includes a motor 37, a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of the motor 37 to the main body 10, and an encoder 42 for detecting the rotational position of the motor 37. The motors 33 to 37 and the encoders 38 to 42 are electrically connected to the control unit 12.

[0039] The arm 9 is extendable relative to the main body 10 between a position where the tips of the hands 7, 8 extend away from a joint that is a connection between the main body 10 and the common arm 17, and a position where the tips of the hands 7, 8 retract toward the joint. In this embodiment, when the part of the arm 9 on the tip arm 15 side retracts, the part of the arm 9 on the tip arm 16 side is stopped in a retracted state. When the part of the arm 9 on the tip arm 16 side retracts, the part of the arm 9 on the tip arm 15 side is stopped in a retracted state (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1).

[0040] When the arm 9 extends or retracts relative to the main body 10, the hands 7 and 8 move linearly in the horizontal direction while facing a fixed direction relative to the main body 10, as designed. In this embodiment, the tip-side arm section drive mechanism 28, the tip-side arm section drive mechanism 29, and the common arm section drive mechanism 30 constitute an arm drive mechanism 46 that rotates the arm 9 relative to the main body 10 with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation, and extends or retracts the arm 9 so that the hands 7 and 8 move linearly in the horizontal direction relative to the main body 10 while facing a fixed direction. The arm drive mechanism 46 in this embodiment is a hand drive mechanism that rotates the arm 9 relative to the main body 10 with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation, and moves the hands 7 and 8 facing a fixed direction linearly in the horizontal direction relative to the main body 10.

[0041] When the hand 7 unloads the wafer 2 from the wafer storage unit 5, the hand 7 moves linearly in the left-right direction relative to the wafer storage unit 5 by design. Similarly, when the hand 8 unloads the wafer 2 from the wafer storage unit 5, the hand 8 moves linearly in the left-right direction relative to the wafer storage unit 5 by design. When the hand 7 loads the wafer 2 into the wafer processing device 4, the hand 7 moves linearly in the front-rear direction relative to the wafer processing device 4 by design. Similarly, when the hand 8 unloads the wafer 2 from the wafer processing device 4, the hand 8 moves linearly in the front-rear direction relative to the wafer processing device 4 by design.

[0042] (Calculation method for correction value of industrial robot) Figures 4 and 5 are diagrams for explaining a method of calculating correction values ​​for correcting the positions and orientations of the hands 7 and 8 shown in Figure 1. Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining a first detection step that is executed when calculating the correction values ​​of the hands 7 and 8 shown in Figure 1.

[0043] In the semiconductor manufacturing system 3, the position of the wafer 2 placed at the correct position in the wafer accommodating unit 5 may deviate from the designed position due to, for example, variations in the parts constituting the wafer accommodating unit 5 or assembly errors in the wafer accommodating unit 5. For example, the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 4(A) is the designed position of the wafer 2 placed in the wafer accommodating unit 5, whereas the position of the wafer 2 placed at the correct position in the wafer accommodating unit 5 may be the position indicated by the solid line in Fig. 4(A).

[0044] Similarly, for example, due to the influence of variations in the components constituting the wafer processing apparatus 4, the position of the wafer 2 placed at the correct position in the wafer processing apparatus 4 may deviate from the designed position. For example, the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 5(A) is the designed position of the wafer 2 placed in the wafer processing apparatus 4, whereas the position of the wafer 2 placed at the correct position in the wafer processing apparatus 4 may be the position indicated by the solid line in Fig. 5(A).

[0045] In this embodiment, correction values ​​for correcting the positions and orientations of the hands 7 and 8 in the wafer processing device 4 are calculated in advance and stored in the control unit 12. Specifically, an unloading-side correction value for correcting the positions and orientations of the hands 7 and 8 based on the deviation from the designed position of the wafer 2 placed in the correct position in the wafer accommodation unit 5, and an loading-side correction value for correcting the positions and orientations of the hands 7 and 8 based on the deviation from the designed position of the wafer 2 placed in the correct position in the wafer processing device 4 are calculated in advance and stored in the control unit 12.

[0046] In this embodiment, the positions and orientations of the hands 7, 8 are corrected when the robot 1 transports the wafer 2 from the wafer accommodation unit 5 to the wafer processing device 4 based on the unloading-side correction value and the loading-side correction value stored in the control unit 12. The control unit 12 includes a correction value calculation unit 49 that calculates the unloading-side correction value and the loading-side correction value, and a correction value storage unit 50 that stores the unloading-side correction value and the loading-side correction value (see FIG. 3).

[0047] A method for calculating the carry-out side correction value and the carry-in side correction value will be described below. Note that the method for calculating the correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand 7 is the same as the method for calculating the correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand 8, so the method for calculating the correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand 7 will be described below. Also, in Figs. 4 to 6 etc., for convenience of explanation, the position of the wafer 2 placed at the regular position in the wafer accommodation unit 5 is significantly shifted from the designed position, and the position of the wafer 2 placed at the regular position in the wafer processing device 4 is significantly shifted from the designed position, but in reality, the position of the wafer 2 does not shift this much.

[0048] In the following description, when the wafer 2 mounted on the mounting portion 20 and the wafer 2 mounted on the mounting portion 21 are to be distinguished from each other, the wafer 2 mounted on the mounting portion 20 will be referred to as the "wafer 2A" and the wafer 2 mounted on the mounting portion 21 will be referred to as the "wafer 2B". In this embodiment, the wafer 2A is the first transport object, and the wafer 2B is the second transport object. In the following description, the position of the wafer storage portion 5 where the wafer 2A is disposed will be referred to as the first arrangement position 55a, the position of the wafer storage portion 5 where the wafer 2B is disposed will be referred to as the second arrangement position 55b, the position of the wafer processing device 4 where the wafer 2A is disposed will be referred to as the first arrangement position 54a, and the position of the wafer processing device 4 where the wafer 2B is disposed will be referred to as the second arrangement position 54b. In this embodiment, the first position 55a is the first position on the unloading side, the second position 55b is the second position on the unloading side, the first position 54a is the first position on the loading side, and the second position 54b is the second position on the loading side.

[0049] When calculating the carry-out side correction value and the carry-in side correction value, a detection jig 60 and a detectable jig 61 are used. The detectable jig 61 has a cylindrical reference pin 62. The detectable jig 61 is placed at the first arrangement positions 54a, 55a and the second arrangement positions 54b, 55b when calculating the correction values. When the detectable jig 61 is placed at the first arrangement positions 54a, 55a and the second arrangement positions 54b, 55b, the axial direction of the reference pin 62 coincides with the up-down direction.

[0050] In the wafer accommodation unit 5, the reference pins 62 are arranged at a predetermined location in the first arrangement position 55a and a predetermined location in the second arrangement position 55b. In the following description, the reference pin 62 arranged in the first arrangement position 55a is referred to as the "first reference pin 62A," and the reference pin 62 arranged in the second arrangement position 55b is referred to as the "second reference pin 62B." In this embodiment, the first reference pin 62A is the unloading-side first reference pin, and the second reference pin 62B is the unloading-side second reference pin.

[0051] In the wafer processing apparatus 4, the reference pin 62 is disposed at a predetermined location in the first arrangement position 54a and a predetermined location in the second arrangement position 54b. In the following description, the reference pin 62 disposed at the first arrangement position 54a is referred to as the "first reference pin 62C," and the reference pin 62 disposed at the second arrangement position 54b is referred to as the "second reference pin 62D." In this embodiment, the first reference pin 62C is the carry-in side first reference pin, and the second reference pin 62D is the carry-in side second reference pin.

[0052] The first reference pin 62A is disposed at a position where the center C1 (see FIG. 4(A)) of the wafer 2A when disposed at the correct position of the first arrangement position 55a coincides with the center C2 (see FIG. 4(B)) of the first reference pin 62A when viewed from the top-bottom direction. The second reference pin 62B is disposed at a position where the center C3 (see FIG. 4(A)) of the wafer 2B when disposed at the correct position of the second arrangement position 55b coincides with the center C4 (see FIG. 4(B)) of the second reference pin 62B when viewed from the top-bottom direction.

[0053] The first reference pin 62C is disposed at a position where the center C5 (see FIG. 5(A)) of the wafer 2A when disposed at the correct position of the first arrangement position 54a coincides with the center C6 (see FIG. 5(B)) of the first reference pin 62C when viewed from the top-bottom direction. The second reference pin 62D is disposed at a position where the center C7 (see FIG. 5(A)) of the wafer 2B when disposed at the correct position of the second arrangement position 54b coincides with the center C8 (see FIG. 5(B)) of the second reference pin 62D when viewed from the top-bottom direction.

[0054] The detection jig 60 is placed on the mounting parts 20, 21 and used when the correction values ​​are calculated. The detection jig 60 includes two detection mechanisms 63, 64. The detection mechanisms 63, 64 are, for example, transmission type optical sensors including a light emitting part having a light emitting element and a light receiving part having a light receiving element. When calculating the unloading side correction value and the loading side correction value, the detection mechanisms 63, 64 are electrically connected to the control unit 12.

[0055] When the detection jig 60 is placed in the correct position on the mounting parts 20, 21, the optical axis of the detection mechanism 63 is parallel to the horizontal direction and parallel to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the hand 7 (see FIG. 6). When the detection jig 60 is placed in the correct position on the mounting parts 20, 21, the optical axis of the detection mechanism 64 is parallel to the horizontal direction and parallel to a direction inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the hand 7 and the direction of the optical axis of the detection mechanism 63 (see FIG. 6).

[0056] When calculating the unloading side correction value, first, the first reference pin 62A is arranged at the first arrangement position 55a, and the second reference pin 62B is arranged at the second arrangement position 55b. In addition, the detection jig 60 is attached to the hand 7. That is, detection mechanisms 63, 64 are attached to the mounting parts 20, 21. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6, the hand 7 is moved in the left-right direction, and the horizontal positions of the first reference pin 62A and the second reference pin 62B are detected by the detection mechanisms 63, 64 attached to the mounting parts 20, 21 (first detection step).

[0057] In the first detection step, the control unit 12 detects the left-right position of the first reference pin 62A based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 63 attached to the mounting unit 20, and detects the left-right position of the second reference pin 62B based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 63 attached to the mounting unit 21. Also, in the first detection step, the control unit 12 detects the front-rear position of the first reference pin 62A based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 63 attached to the mounting unit 20 and the detection result of the detection mechanism 64, and detects the front-rear position of the second reference pin 62B based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 63 attached to the mounting unit 21 and the detection result of the detection mechanism 64. The first detection step is automatically executed based on a predetermined control program.

[0058] Similarly, when calculating the carry-in correction value, first, the first reference pin 62C is arranged at the first arrangement position 54a, and the second reference pin 62D is arranged at the second arrangement position 54b. In addition, the detection jig 60 is attached to the hand 7. Thereafter, the hand 7 is moved in the front-rear direction, and the horizontal positions of the first reference pin 62C and the second reference pin 62D are detected by the detection mechanisms 63, 64 attached to the mounting parts 20, 21 (second detection step).

[0059] In the second detection step, the control unit 12 detects the front-rear position of the first reference pin 62C based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 63 attached to the mounting unit 20, and detects the front-rear position of the second reference pin 62D based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 63 attached to the mounting unit 21. In the second detection step, the control unit 12 detects the left-right position of the first reference pin 62C based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 63 attached to the mounting unit 20 and the detection result of the detection mechanism 64, and detects the left-right position of the second reference pin 62D based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 63 attached to the mounting unit 21 and the detection result of the detection mechanism 64. The second detection step is automatically executed based on a predetermined control program.

[0060] Hereinafter, the line segment connecting the center C2 of the first reference pin 62A and the center C4 of the second reference pin 62B when viewed from the top-bottom direction, which are specified based on the detection result of the first detection step, is defined as the unloading-side detection line segment L1, and the midpoint of the unloading-side detection line segment L1 is defined as the unloading-side detection midpoint M1 (see FIG. 4(B)). In addition, hereinafter, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4(B), when it is assumed that the first reference pin 62A and the second reference pin 62B are arranged at the designed positions in the wafer accommodation unit 5 (i.e., when it is assumed that the position of the wafer 2 arranged at the regular position in the wafer accommodation unit 5 coincides with the designed position), the line segment connecting the center C2 of the first reference pin 62A and the center C4 of the second reference pin 62B when viewed from the top-bottom direction is defined as the unloading-side reference line segment L11, and the midpoint of the unloading-side reference line segment L11 is defined as the unloading-side reference midpoint M11.

[0061] In the following description, the line segment connecting the center C6 of the first reference pin 62C and the center C8 of the second reference pin 62D when viewed from the top-bottom direction, which is specified based on the detection result of the second detection step, is defined as the loading-side detection line segment L2, and the midpoint of the loading-side detection line segment L2 is defined as the loading-side detection midpoint M2 (see FIG. 5(B)). In the following description, the line segment connecting the center C6 of the first reference pin 62C and the center C8 of the second reference pin 62D when viewed from the top-bottom direction is defined as the loading-side reference line segment L21, and the midpoint of the loading-side reference line segment L21 is defined as the loading-side reference midpoint M21, assuming that the first reference pin 62C and the second reference pin 62D are arranged at the designed positions in the wafer processing device 4 (i.e., assuming that the position of the wafer 2 arranged at the regular position in the wafer processing device 4 coincides with the designed position), as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5(B).

[0062] When the first detection step is executed, the control unit 12 calculates the deviation amount of the unloading-side detection midpoint M1 from the unloading-side reference midpoint M11 when viewed from the top-bottom direction (i.e., the horizontal deviation amount of the unloading-side detection midpoint M1 from the unloading-side reference midpoint M11) and the inclination Δθ1 of the unloading-side detection line segment L1 from the unloading-side reference line segment L11 when viewed from the top-bottom direction as the unloading-side correction value (first correction value calculation step). That is, if the line segment connecting the center C1 of the wafer 2A arranged at the normal position of the first arrangement position 55a and the center C3 of the wafer 2B arranged at the normal position of the second arrangement position 55b when viewed from the top-bottom direction is defined as the first line segment, the unloading-side correction value includes the deviation amount in the horizontal direction of the midpoint of the first line segment corresponding to the unloading-side detection midpoint M1 from the designed position and the inclination of the first line segment from the designed position when viewed from the top-bottom direction.

[0063] Similarly, when the second detection step is executed, the control unit 12 calculates the deviation amount of the loading-side detection midpoint M2 from the loading-side reference midpoint M21 when viewed from the top-bottom direction (i.e., the horizontal deviation amount of the loading-side detection midpoint M2 from the loading-side reference midpoint M21) and the inclination Δθ2 of the loading-side detection line segment L2 from the loading-side reference line segment L21 when viewed from the top-bottom direction as the loading-side correction value (second correction value calculation step). That is, if the line segment connecting the center C5 of the wafer 2A arranged at the normal position of the first arrangement position 54a and the center C7 of the wafer 2B arranged at the normal position of the second arrangement position 54b when viewed from the top-bottom direction is defined as the second line segment, the loading-side correction value includes the deviation amount in the horizontal direction of the midpoint of the second line segment corresponding to the loading-side detection midpoint M2 from the designed position and the inclination of the second line segment from the designed position when viewed from the top-bottom direction.

[0064] (Control method for industrial robots) 7 and 8 are diagrams for explaining a method of controlling the robot 1 shown in FIG.

[0065] When the robot 1 transports the wafer 2 from the wafer storage unit 5 to the wafer processing device 4, the control unit 12 corrects the positions and orientations of the hands 7, 8 based on the carry-out side correction value and the carry-in side correction value stored in the control unit 12. Specifically, the control unit 12 does not correct the positions and orientations of the hands 7, 8 in the wafer storage unit 5, but corrects the positions and orientations of the hands 7, 8 based on the carry-out side correction value and the carry-in side correction value in the wafer processing device 4. That is, when the wafer 2 is transported from the wafer storage unit 5, the control unit 12 moves the hands 7, 8 facing in the designed direction to the designed mounting position of the wafer 2 in the wafer storage unit 5 and mounts the wafer 2 on the mounting units 20, 21 (see FIG. 7). In this embodiment, the wafer 2 is disposed in the normal position in the wafer storage unit 5.

[0066] Furthermore, when the wafer 2 is carried into the wafer processing apparatus 4, the control unit 12 corrects the positions and orientations of the hands 7, 8 based on the carry-out side correction value and the carry-in side correction value. Specifically, if the amount of left-right deviation of the unloading-side detection midpoint M1 from the unloading-side reference midpoint M11 is ΔX1, the amount of front-rear deviation of the unloading-side detection midpoint M1 from the unloading-side reference midpoint M11 is ΔY1, the amount of left-right deviation of the unloading-side detection midpoint M2 from the load-in-side reference midpoint M21 is ΔX2, and the amount of front-rear deviation of the unloading-side detection midpoint M2 from the load-in-side reference midpoint M21 is ΔY2, when the control unit 12 loads the wafer 2 into the wafer processing device 4, it corrects the positions of the hands 7, 8 in the left-right direction by ΔX1+ΔX2 from the designed mounting position of the wafer 2 in the wafer processing device 4, corrects the positions of the hands 7, 8 in the front-rear direction by ΔY1+ΔY2, and corrects the orientation of the hands 7, 8 by Δθ1+Δθ2 from the designed orientation of the hands 7, 8 in the wafer processing device 4.

[0067] If the line segment connecting the centers C11 of the two wafers 2 loaded on the hands 7 and 8 in the wafer storage section 5 is defined as line segment L50 and the midpoint of line segment L50 is defined as midpoint M50 (see Figure 8), when the position and orientation of the hands 7 and 8 are corrected in the wafer processing device 4, as shown in Figure 8, when viewed from the top and bottom, the loading side detection midpoint M2 and midpoint M50 coincide and the loading side detection line segment L2 and line segment L50 overlap.

[0068] (Main effects of this form) As described above, in this embodiment, the movement direction of the main body 10 relative to the main body holding part 11 is the left-right direction, and the hands 7, 8 on which two wafers 2 that are not overlapped in the vertical direction are loaded move linearly in the left-right direction relative to the wafer accommodation part 5 by design, so that the positions and orientations of the hands 7, 8 cannot be appropriately corrected in the wafer accommodation part 5 due to mechanical constraints caused by the structure of the robot 1, etc. However, in this embodiment, the control part 12 does not correct the positions and orientations of the hands 7, 8 in the wafer accommodation part 5, but corrects the positions and orientations of the hands 7, 8 in the wafer processing device 4 based on the carry-out side correction value and the carry-in side correction value.

[0069] Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the positions and orientations of the hands 7, 8 cannot be appropriately corrected in the wafer accommodation unit 5 due to mechanical constraints, it is possible to appropriately correct the positions and orientations of the hands 7, 8 in the wafer processing device 4. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the positions and orientations of the hands 7, 8 cannot be appropriately corrected in the wafer accommodation unit 5 due to mechanical constraints, it is possible to appropriately transport the wafer 2 from the wafer accommodation unit 5 to the wafer processing device 4.

[0070] In this embodiment, the unloading-side correction value includes the horizontal deviation of the unloading-side detection midpoint M1 from the unloading-side reference midpoint M11 and the inclination Δθ1 of the unloading-side detection line segment L1 from the unloading-side reference line segment L11 when viewed from the top-bottom direction, while the loading-side correction value includes the horizontal deviation of the loading-side detection midpoint M2 from the loading-side reference midpoint M21 and the inclination Δθ2 of the loading-side detection line segment L2 from the loading-side reference line segment L21 when viewed from the top-bottom direction. In this embodiment, the positions and orientations of the hands 7 and 8 are corrected in the wafer processing device 4 based on the horizontal deviation of the unloading-side detection midpoint M1 from the unloading-side reference midpoint M11 and the horizontal deviation of the loading-side detection midpoint M2 from the loading-side reference midpoint M21 and the inclinations Δθ1 and Δθ2.

[0071] Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the horizontal pitch P1 (see FIG. 4(A)) between wafers 2A and 2B placed at their correct positions in wafer storage section 5 and wafer processing device 4 differs from the horizontal pitch P2 (see FIG. 5(A)) between wafers 2A and 2B placed at their correct positions in wafer processing device 4 due to the influence of variations in the parts that make up wafer storage section 5 and wafer processing device 4, it is possible to make the horizontal deviation ΔS1 of wafer 2A from its correct position, which has been carried in and placed in wafer processing device 4, equal to the horizontal deviation ΔS2 of wafer 2B from its correct position, as shown in FIG. 8.

[0072] Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the pitch P1 and the pitch P2 are different, it is possible to reduce both the horizontal deviation amount ΔS1 from the normal position of the wafer 2A placed on the wafer processing apparatus 4 and the horizontal deviation amount ΔS2 from the normal position of the wafer 2B placed on the wafer processing apparatus 4. Also, in this embodiment, the orientations of the hands 7 and 8 are corrected in the wafer processing apparatus 4 based on the inclinations Δθ1 and Δθ2, so that even if two wafers 2 that do not overlap in the vertical direction are transported together, the orientations of the hands 7 and 8 can be appropriately corrected.

[0073] (Other embodiments) The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0074] In the above-described embodiment, in a first detection step, the hand 7 may be moved up and down (raised and lowered) to detect the height of the upper end of the first reference pin 62A and the height of the upper end of the second reference pin 62B using the detection mechanisms 63, 64 attached to the mounting parts 20, 21, and in a second detection step, the hand 7 may be moved up and down to detect the height of the upper end of the first reference pin 62C and the height of the upper end of the second reference pin 62D using the detection mechanisms 63, 64 attached to the mounting parts 20, 21.

[0075] In this case, in the first correction value calculation step, the control unit 12 calculates, as the unloading-side correction value, the amount of deviation of the height of the unloading-side detection midpoint M1, calculated based on the height of the upper end of the first reference pin 62A and the height of the upper end of the second reference pin 62B detected in the first detection step, from the designed height of the unloading-side reference midpoint M11, and in the second correction value calculation step, calculates, as the unloading-side correction value, the amount of deviation of the height of the unloading-side detection midpoint M2, calculated based on the height of the upper end of the first reference pin 62C and the height of the upper end of the second reference pin 62D detected in the second detection step, from the designed height of the unloading-side reference midpoint M21. In this case, in the wafer accommodation unit 5 and the wafer processing device 4, it becomes possible to correct the vertical positions of the hands 7 and 8 based on the unloading-side correction value and the unloading-side correction value.

[0076] In the above-described embodiment, when viewed from the top-bottom direction, the center C2 of the first reference pin 62A arranged at the first arrangement position 55a may be offset from the center C1 of the wafer 2A when arranged at the regular position of the first arrangement position 55a, and the center C4 of the second reference pin 62B arranged at the second arrangement position 55b may be offset from the center C3 of the wafer 2B when arranged at the regular position of the second arrangement position 55b. Similarly, when viewed from the top-bottom direction, the center C6 of the first reference pin 62C arranged at the first arrangement position 54a may be offset from the center C5 of the wafer 2A when arranged at the regular position of the first arrangement position 54a, and the center C8 of the second reference pin 62D arranged at the second arrangement position 54b may be offset from the center C7 of the wafer 2B when arranged at the regular position of the second arrangement position 54b.

[0077] In the above-described embodiment, the robot 1 may transport the wafer 2 from the wafer processing device 4 to the wafer accommodation unit 5. In this case, the wafer processing device 4 serves as an unloading unit, and the wafer accommodation unit 5 serves as an loading unit. In this case, when the wafer 2 is transported from the wafer processing device 4 to the wafer accommodation unit 5, the wafer processing device 4, which is the unloading unit, corrects the positions and orientations of the hands 7, 8 based on the unloading-side correction value and the loading-side correction value, while the wafer accommodation unit 5, which is the loading unit, does not correct the positions and orientations of the hands 7, 8.

[0078] In the above-described embodiment, one wafer 2 may be loaded on the hands 7 and 8. That is, the robot 1 may transport one wafer 2 from the wafer storage unit 5 to the wafer processing device 4. In this case, the hands 7 and 8 are provided with one loading unit. Even in this case, the position and orientation of the hands 7 and 8 cannot be appropriately corrected due to mechanical constraints in either the wafer storage unit 5 or the wafer processing device 4. Therefore, the control unit 12 does not correct the position and orientation of the hands 7 and 8 in either the wafer storage unit 5 or the wafer processing device 4, but corrects the position and orientation of the hands 7 and 8 based on the carry-out side correction value and the carry-in side correction value in the other of the wafer storage unit 5 and the wafer processing device 4.

[0079] In the above-mentioned embodiment, instead of the horizontal deviation amount of the unloading-side detection midpoint M1 relative to the unloading-side reference midpoint M11, for example, the horizontal deviation amount of the center C1 of the wafer 2A when placed at the regular position of the first placement position 55a relative to the center C1 of the wafer 2A when placed at the designed position at the first placement position 55a may be included in the unloading-side correction value. Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, instead of the horizontal deviation amount of the unloading-side detection midpoint M2 relative to the loading-side reference midpoint M21, for example, the loading-side correction value may include the horizontal deviation amount of the center C5 of the wafer 2A when placed at the regular position of the first placement position 54a relative to the center C5 of the wafer 2A when placed at the designed position at the first placement position 54a.

[0080] In the above-described embodiment, the detection mechanisms 63, 64 may be directly attached to the mounting portions 20, 21. In this case, the detection jig 60 becomes unnecessary. In the above-described embodiment, the common arm portion 17 may be formed in a V-shape or an elliptical shape. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first detection step and the second detection step may be manually performed by an operator.

[0081] In the above-described embodiment, the robot 1 may have two articulated arms, for example, as in the industrial robot disclosed in JP 2021-167045 A. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the number of hands provided in the robot 1 may be one. In this case, the robot 1 has one articulated arm. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the robot 1 may be an industrial robot other than a horizontal articulated type, for example, as in the industrial robot disclosed in JP 2019-25585 A. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the robot 1 may transport an object to be transported other than the wafer 2. In this case, the object to be transported does not have to be formed in a disk shape. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1. Robots (industrial robots) 2 Wafers (semiconductor wafers, transport objects) 2A Wafer (first transport object) 2B Wafer (second transport object) 4 Wafer processing equipment (loading section) 5 Wafer storage section (unloading section) 7th Hand (1st Hand) 8th Hand (2nd Hand) 9 Arm 10 Main body 11 Body holding part 12 Control section 15 Tip arm portion (first tip arm portion) 16 Tip arm portion (second tip arm portion) 17 Common arm section 20 Mounting section (first mounting section) 21 Mounting section (second mounting section) 32 Horizontal movement mechanism 46 Arm drive mechanism (hand drive mechanism) 54a 1st placement position (1st placement position on loading side) 54b 2nd placement position (2nd placement position on import side) 55a 1st placement position (1st placement position on unloading side) 55b 2nd placement position (2nd placement position on unloading side) X 1st direction Y Second direction

Claims

1. An industrial robot that transports an object from an output section where the object can be placed to an input section where the object can be placed, the hand on which the object to be transported is placed, an arm to which the hand is connected, a main body to which the arm is rotatably connected, a main body holding section which holds the main body so as to enable linear movement in a horizontal direction, a horizontal movement mechanism which moves the main body relative to the main body holding section, a hand drive mechanism which rotates the arm relative to the main body with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation and linearly moves the hand, facing in a fixed direction, in the horizontal direction relative to the main body, and a control section for controlling the industrial robot, the control unit prestores an unloading-side correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand based on a deviation from a designed position of the transport object placed at a regular position in the unloading unit, and an loading-side correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand based on a deviation from a designed position of the transport object placed at a regular position in the loading unit, A moving direction of the main body portion relative to the main body holding portion is defined as a first direction, and a direction perpendicular to the first direction and the up-down direction is defined as a second direction. The hand is designed to move linearly in the first direction relative to one of the unloading unit and the loading unit, and to move linearly in the second direction relative to the other of the unloading unit and the loading unit, the control unit does not correct the position and orientation of the hand at either the unloading unit or the loading unit, and corrects the position and orientation of the hand at the other of the unloading unit and the loading unit based on the unloading-side correction value and the loading-side correction value.

2. It is a horizontally articulated robot. The hand is rotatably connected to the arm, 2. The industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein the hand drive mechanism is an arm drive mechanism that rotates the arm relative to the main body with the vertical direction as the axial direction of the rotation and extends and retracts the arm so that the hand moves linearly in a horizontal direction relative to the main body while facing in a fixed direction.

3. The hand includes a first hand and a second hand, The first hand is disposed below the second hand, 3. The industrial robot according to claim 2, wherein the arm comprises a first tip arm portion to which the first hand is rotatably connected at a tip side, a second tip arm portion to which the second hand is rotatably connected at a tip side, and a common arm portion to which a base end side of the first tip arm portion and a base end side of the second tip arm portion are rotatably connected.

4. The two objects to be conveyed that are not overlapped in the vertical direction are conveyed together from the discharge section to the carry-in section; Two of the objects to be transported can be placed in the unloading section and the loading section without being overlapped in the vertical direction, the hand includes a first mounting portion on which one of the transport objects is mounted, and a second mounting portion on which one of the transport objects is mounted, 4. The industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein two of the objects to be transferred are mounted on the hand such that they do not overlap in the vertical direction.

5. The object to be transported mounted on the first mounting section is the first object to be transported, the object to be transported mounted on the second mounting section is the second object to be transported, the position of the unloading section where the first object to be transported is the unloading-side first position, the position of the unloading section where the second object to be transported is the unloading-side second position, the position of the loading section where the first object to be transported is the load-in first position, and the position of the loading section where the second object to be transported is the load-in second position, a line segment connecting the center of the first object to be transported that is placed at the correct position of the unloading-side first position and the center of the second object to be transported that is placed at the correct position of the unloading-side second position when viewed from the top-bottom direction is defined as a first line segment, and a line segment connecting the center of the first object to be transported that is placed at the correct position of the load-in first position and the center of the second object to be transported that is placed at the correct position of the load-in second position when viewed from the top-bottom direction is defined as a second line segment. the unloading-side correction value includes a deviation amount of a midpoint of the first line segment from a designed position in a horizontal direction and an inclination of the first line segment from the designed position when viewed in a vertical direction, 5. The industrial robot according to claim 4, wherein the loading-side correction value includes a deviation amount of the midpoint of the second line segment from a designed position in the horizontal direction and an inclination of the second line segment from the designed position when viewed from above and below.

6. a hand on which an object to be transported is placed, an arm to which the hand is connected, a main body to which the arm is rotatably connected, a main body holding section which holds the main body so as to enable linear movement in a horizontal direction, a horizontal movement mechanism which moves the main body relative to the main body holding section, and a hand drive mechanism which rotates the arm relative to the main body with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation and linearly moves the hand in a horizontal direction facing a fixed direction relative to the main body, and transports the object to be transported from an exit section where the object to be transported can be placed to an entry section where the object to be transported can be placed, A moving direction of the main body portion relative to the main body holding portion is defined as a first direction, and a direction perpendicular to the first direction and the up-down direction is defined as a second direction. a control method for an industrial robot, the control method comprising: a step of: designing the hand to move linearly in the first direction relative to one of the unloading unit and the loading unit; and designing the hand to move linearly in the second direction relative to the other of the unloading unit and the loading unit, the step comprising: an unloading-side correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand based on a deviation from a designed position of the transport object placed at a regular position in the unloading section, and an import-side correction value for correcting the position and orientation of the hand based on a deviation from a designed position of the transport object placed at a regular position in the importing section are stored in advance; The position and the orientation of the hand are not corrected in either the carrying-out unit or the carrying-in unit, a position and orientation of the hand are corrected based on the carry-out side correction value and the carry-in side correction value at the other of the carry-out unit and the carry-in unit.

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