Hand for industrial robot and industrial robot

Abstract

To provide a hand for an industrial robot that is thin in a vertical direction despite the inclusion of support members for supporting an object being conveyed from a lower side at least at two different heights.SOLUTION: A hand 7 comprises: a support member 17 which is fixed on a top surface of a loading part 15 and supports a target object being conveyed from a lower side, a support member 18 which supports the object from a lower side, and a first movement mechanism which moves the support member 18. The support member 17 has a support surface 17a for supporting the object at a first height and a support surface 17b for supporting the object at a second height. The support member 18 has a support surface 18a for supporting the object at the first height and a support surface 18b for supporting the object at the second height. The support member 18 is disposed at a position that is offset from the loading part 15 when viewed in the vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hand for an industrial robot used in an industrial robot that transports an object to be transported, and also to an industrial robot equipped with such a hand. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a hand (hand unit) used in a transport device for transporting a semiconductor wafer is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The hand described in Patent Document 1 includes a plate-shaped hand member on which the semiconductor wafer is placed, a base unit to which the base of the hand member is fixed, two first support members, two second support members, and two third support members that support the underside of the semiconductor wafer, and two holding members for holding the semiconductor wafer placed on the hand member. The hand member is formed in a U-shape with a pair of finger portions, and the pair of finger portions are connected at their bases.

[0003] In the hand described in Patent Document 1, a first support member is fixed to the upper surface of the tip of the finger portion. Two second support members are fixed to the upper surface of the base portion of the hand member. Two third support members are movably arranged on the base portion. Two holding members are arranged on the base portion side and on both sides of the base portion so as to sandwich the base portion. The base unit includes a drive unit that moves the two third support members relative to the hand member and a drive unit that moves the two holding members relative to the hand member.

[0004] In the hand described in Patent Document 1, a first support member is formed with a first support portion for supporting a semiconductor wafer at a predetermined first support height and a second support portion for supporting the semiconductor wafer at a second support height higher than the first support height. A semiconductor wafer placed at the first support height is supported by the first support portion and the second support member of the first support member. A semiconductor wafer placed at the second support height is supported by the second support portion and the third support member of the first support member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6276317 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the hand described in Patent Document 1, the second support member is fixed to the upper surface of the base of the hand member and overlaps with the hand member in the vertical direction. Also, in this hand, the third support member is movably disposed above the base and overlaps with the hand member in the vertical direction. Therefore, the hand described in Patent Document 1 tends to be thick in the vertical direction.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot hand that can be thinned in the vertical direction even if the hand is provided with support members for supporting the object from below at least two different heights, and to provide an industrial robot equipped with such a hand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, an industrial robot hand according to one aspect of the present invention is a hand of an industrial robot that transports an object, and in which a predetermined direction perpendicular to the up-down direction is defined as a first direction, one side of the first direction is defined as a second direction side, and the opposite side of the second direction side is defined as a third direction side, the hand comprises a mounting part that constitutes a portion of the hand on the second direction side and on which the object to be transported is placed on an upper side, a hand base that constitutes a portion of the hand on the third direction side and to which an end of the mounting part on the third direction side is attached, and a first support member that is fixed to an upper surface of the mounting part and that supports the portion of the object to be transported on the second direction side from below. the first support member is formed with a first support surface for supporting the object to be transported at a predetermined first height and a second support surface for supporting the object to be transported at a second height higher than the first height, the second support member is formed with a third support surface for supporting the object to be transported at the first height and a fourth support surface for supporting the object to be transported at the second height, and the second support member is disposed at a position offset from the mounting portion when viewed from the top-bottom direction.

[0009] In the hand of the industrial robot of this aspect, the second support member, which has a third support surface for supporting the transport object at a first height and a fourth support surface for supporting the transport object at a second height, is disposed at a position offset from the mounting part when viewed from the top-bottom direction. That is, in this aspect, the second support member does not overlap with the mounting part in the top-bottom direction. Therefore, in this aspect, even if the hand includes the second support member for supporting the transport object from below at least two different heights, it is possible to make the hand thinner in the top-bottom direction compared to the case where the second support member overlaps with the mounting part in the top-bottom direction.

[0010] In addition, in this embodiment, the second support member is formed with a third support surface for supporting the transported object at a first height and a fourth support surface for supporting the transported object at a second height. Therefore, compared to a case in which the second support member and the third support member are formed separately, such as in the hand described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to reduce the number of parts of the hand and to narrow the installation space for the second support member.

[0011] In this embodiment, for example, the hand includes a pressing member that contacts the end face of the object to be transported and presses the object from the third direction side, and a second moving mechanism that moves the pressing member in the first direction, and the first support member is formed with a contact surface against which the end face of the object to be transported contacts, and the pressing member presses the end face of the object to be transported against the contact surface and is disposed at a position offset from the mounting part when viewed from the top-bottom direction. In this case, even if the hand includes the pressing member, it is possible to make the hand thinner in the top-bottom direction.

[0012] In this aspect, if a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the first direction is defined as a fourth direction, the mounting portion preferably includes a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion spaced apart in the fourth direction, and a connecting portion connecting an end portion of the first mounting portion on the third direction side and an end portion of the second mounting portion on the third direction side, and the second support member and the pressing member are preferably disposed between the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion in the fourth direction and on the second direction side of the connecting portion. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the size of the hand in the first and fourth directions.

[0013] In this embodiment, for example, the hand includes two second support members arranged at a distance from each other in the fourth direction, and the pressing member is arranged between the two second support members in the fourth direction.

[0014] The hand of this aspect can be used in an industrial robot that includes an arm to which the hand is connected and a main body to which the arm is connected. In this industrial robot, even if the hand includes a second support member for supporting the transport object from below at least two different heights, the hand can be made thinner in the vertical direction. Effect of the Invention

[0015] As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, in a hand of an industrial robot that transports an object to be transported, even if the hand is equipped with support members for supporting the object to be transported from below at least two different heights, it is possible to make the hand thinner in the vertical direction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view for explaining a schematic configuration of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the hand shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a perspective view of a tip side portion of the hand shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the second supporting member and the pressing member shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a plan view for explaining a configuration of a hand according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] (Outline of industrial robot configuration) FIG. 1 is a plan view for explaining a schematic configuration of an industrial robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] The industrial robot 1 (hereinafter referred to as "robot 1") of this embodiment is a horizontal articulated robot for transporting a semiconductor wafer 2 (hereinafter referred to as "wafer 2"), which is an object to be transported. 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, for example, an equipment front end module (EFEM) 4 and a wafer processing device 5 for performing a predetermined process on the wafer 2. The wafer processing device 5 cleans the wafer 2, for example. The robot 1 constitutes a part of the EFEM 4. The robot 1 transports the wafer 2 into the wafer processing device 5 and transports the wafer 2 out of the wafer processing device 5.

[0020] The robot 1 includes a hand 7 on which a wafer 2 is mounted, an arm 8 to which the hand 7 is connected, and a main body 9 to which the arm 8 is connected. The hand 7 is rotatably connected to the tip side of the arm 8. The base end side of the arm 8 is rotatably connected to the main body 9. The arm 8 is composed of an arm 11 whose base end side is rotatably connected to the main body 9, an arm 12 whose base end side is rotatably connected to the tip side of the arm 11, and an arm 13 whose base end side is rotatably connected to the tip side of the arm 12.

[0021] The arm units 11 to 13 rotate with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation. The arm 8 operates in the horizontal direction. The hand 7 is formed so that its shape when viewed from the vertical direction is approximately Y-shaped, and the tip side of the hand 7 is bifurcated. The hand 7 is rotatably connected to the tip side of the arm unit 13. The hand 7 rotates with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation. The main body unit 9 includes a columnar member to which the base end side of the arm unit 11 is rotatably connected, and an elevating mechanism that raises and lowers the columnar member together with the arm 8. The base end side of the arm unit 11 is rotatably connected to the upper end of the columnar member. The main body unit 9, the arm unit 11, the arm unit 12, the arm unit 13, and the hand 7 are arranged in this order from the bottom in the vertical direction.

[0022] The robot 1 also includes a rotation mechanism that rotates the columnar member and the lifting mechanism of the main body 9 with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation, an arm section drive mechanism that rotates the arm sections 11 and 12 to extend and retract a part of the arm 8 consisting of the arm sections 11 and 12, an arm section drive mechanism that rotates the arm section 13, and a hand drive mechanism that rotates the hand 7. When the wafer 2 is transported to the wafer processing device 5, the hand 7 rotates with respect to the arm 8 and the arm 8 extends and retracts with respect to the main body 9 so that the hand 7 moves linearly with the hand 7 facing in a fixed direction.

[0023] A specific configuration of the hand 7 will be described below. In the following description, when viewed from the top-bottom direction, the longitudinal direction (X direction in FIG. 2, etc.) of the hand 7, which is substantially Y-shaped, is defined as the "front-rear direction", and the Y direction in FIG. 2, etc., which is perpendicular to the front-rear direction is defined as the "left-right direction". In other words, the X direction perpendicular to the up-down direction (vertical direction) is defined as the front-rear direction, and the Y direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction is defined as the left-right direction. In the following description, the X1 direction side in FIG. 2, etc., which is one side of the front-rear direction, is defined as the "front" side, and the X2 direction side in FIG. 2, etc., which is the opposite side, is defined as the "rear" side.

[0024] The front side is the tip side of the hand 7, and the rear side is the base end side of the hand 7. In this embodiment, the front-rear direction (X direction) is a first direction that is a predetermined direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, and the left-right direction (Y direction) is a fourth direction that is a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the first direction. In addition, the front side (X1 direction side) is a second direction side that is one side of the first direction, and the rear side (X2 direction side) is a third direction side that is the opposite side to the second direction side.

[0025] (Hand configuration) Fig. 2 is a plan view of the hand 7 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the tip side portion of the hand 7 shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the support member 18 and the roller 24 shown in Fig. 2.

[0026] The hand 7 includes a mounting portion 15 constituting the front portion of the hand 7 (i.e., the tip portion of the hand 7), and a hand base portion 16 constituting the rear portion of the hand 7 (i.e., the base portion of the hand 7) and to which the rear end portion (base end portion) of the mounting portion 15 is attached. The wafer 2 is placed on the upper side of the mounting portion 15. The hand base portion 16 is formed in a flat block shape with a thin thickness in the vertical direction. The hand base portion 16 is also formed in a hollow shape. The hand base portion 16 is rotatably connected to the tip side of the arm portion 13. The mounting portion 15 is formed in a thin flat plate shape. The thickness direction of the mounting portion 15 approximately coincides with the vertical direction.

[0027] The mounting portion 15 includes a first mounting portion 15a and a second mounting portion 15b that are spaced apart in the left-right direction, and a connecting portion 15c that connects the rear end of the first mounting portion 15a to the rear end of the second mounting portion 15b. The first mounting portion 15a and the second mounting portion 15b are formed in a rectangular shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction. The mounting portion 15 of this embodiment is composed of the first mounting portion 15a, the second mounting portion 15b, and the connecting portion 15c, and the shape of the mounting portion 15 when viewed from the top-bottom direction is U-shaped. The rear end of the connecting portion 15c is fixed to the hand base 16.

[0028] The hand 7 also includes a support member 17 as a first support member that supports the front portion of the wafer 2 from below, a support member 18 as a second support member that supports the rear portion of the wafer 2 from below, and a moving mechanism 19 as a first moving mechanism that moves the support member 18 in the front-rear direction. The hand 7 in this embodiment includes two support members 17 and two support members 18. The wafer 2 is placed on the two support members 17 and the two support members 18. The moving mechanism 19 moves the two support members 18 together in the front-rear direction.

[0029] One of the two support members 17 is fixed to the upper surface of the front end of the first mounting portion 15a, and the other support member 17 is fixed to the upper surface of the front end of the second mounting portion 15b. That is, the support member 17 is fixed to the upper surface of the mounting portion 15. The two support members 17 are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction and spaced apart in the left-right direction. The support member 17 is formed with a support surface 17a as a first support surface for supporting the wafer 2 at a predetermined first height, and a support surface 17b as a second support surface for supporting the wafer 2 at a second height higher than the first height.

[0030] Support surfaces 17a and 17b face upward. The height of support surface 17b is higher than the height of support surface 17a. In the radial direction of the disk-shaped wafer 2 mounted on the hand 7 (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as the "radial direction"), support surfaces 17a and 17b are adjacent to each other. Support surface 17b is disposed outside support surface 17a in the radial direction. Support surfaces 17a and 17b are inclined surfaces that are slightly inclined downward as they move inward in the radial direction.

[0031] At the boundary between the support surface 17a and the support surface 17b, an abutment surface 17c is formed against which the end face of the wafer 2 supported by the support surface 17a abuts. At the outer side of the support surface 17b in the radial direction, an abutment surface 17d is formed against which the end face of the wafer 2 supported by the support surface 17b abuts. That is, the support member 17 is formed with the abutment surfaces 17c and 17d against which the end face of the wafer 2 abuts. The abutment surfaces 17c and 17d face inward in the radial direction. The abutment surfaces 17c and 17d are inclined surfaces that are slightly inclined inward in the radial direction as they move upward. The abutment surfaces 17c and 17d function to restrict the movement of the wafer 2 to the front side.

[0032] The moving mechanism 19 includes a holding member 21 that holds the two support members 18, and a drive mechanism 22 that moves the holding member 21 in the front-rear direction. The drive mechanism 22 is housed in the hand base 16. The drive mechanism 22 includes, for example, a motor as a drive source, and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the holding member 21. The power transmission mechanism includes, for example, a ball screw. The rear end of the holding member 21 is housed in the hand base 16. The rear end of the holding member 21 is connected to the drive mechanism 22. The front end of the holding member 21 is disposed forward of the hand base 16.

[0033] The two support members 18 are fixed to the front end of the holding member 21. The two support members 18 are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction and spaced apart in the left-right direction. The support member 18 is formed with a support surface 18a as a third support surface for supporting the wafer 2 at a first height together with the support surface 17a, and a support surface 18b as a fourth support surface for supporting the wafer 2 at a second height together with the support surface 17b.

[0034] The support surfaces 18a and 18b face upward. The height of the support surface 18a is the same as that of the support surface 17a, and the height of the support surface 18b is the same as that of the support surface 17b. The support surfaces 18a and 18b are adjacent to each other in the radial direction. The support surface 18b is disposed on the outer side of the support surface 18a in the radial direction. The support surfaces 18a and 18b are inclined surfaces that are slightly inclined downward as they move inward in the radial direction.

[0035] The hand 7 also includes a roller 24 as a pressing member that contacts the end surface of the wafer 2 and presses the end surface of the wafer 2 from the rear side, and a moving mechanism 25 as a second moving mechanism that moves the roller 24 in the front-rear direction. The roller 24 functions to press the end surface of the wafer 2 against the contact surfaces 17c, 17d of the support member 17. The hand 7 in this embodiment includes two rollers 24. The two rollers 24 contact the end surface of the wafer 2 from the rear side. The moving mechanism 25 moves the two rollers 24 together in the front-rear direction.

[0036] The moving mechanism 25 includes a holding member 26 that rotatably holds the two rollers 24, and a driving mechanism 27 that moves the holding member 26 in the front-rear direction. The driving mechanism 27 is housed in the hand base 16. The driving mechanism 27 includes, for example, an air cylinder as a driving source. The rear end of the holding member 26 is housed in the hand base 16. The rear end of the holding member 26 is connected to the driving mechanism 27. The front end of the holding member 26 is disposed forward of the hand base 16.

[0037] The two rollers 24 are rotatably attached to the front end of the holding member 26. A fixed shaft supporting the rollers 24 is fixed to the front end of the holding member 26. The two rollers 24 are disposed at the same position in the front-rear direction and adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. The rollers 24 are rotatable relative to the holding member 26 with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation. The outer diameter of the rollers 24 gradually decreases toward the bottom. In other words, the outer peripheral surface of the rollers 24 is a tapered surface.

[0038] The two support members 18 are disposed at positions offset from the mounting portion 15 when viewed from the top-bottom direction. That is, the two support members 18 are disposed at positions offset from the mounting portion 15 when viewed from the top-bottom direction, and do not overlap with the mounting portion 15 in the top-bottom direction. In addition, the two rollers 24 are disposed at positions offset from the mounting portion 15 when viewed from the top-bottom direction. That is, the two rollers 24 are disposed at positions offset from the mounting portion 15 when viewed from the top-bottom direction, and do not overlap with the mounting portion 15 in the top-bottom direction.

[0039] Specifically, the two support members 18 and the two rollers 24 are disposed between the first mounting portion 15a and the second mounting portion 15b in the left-right direction, and in front of the connection portion 15c. That is, the two support members 18 and the two rollers 24 are disposed between the rear end portion of the first mounting portion 15a and the rear end portion of the second mounting portion 15b in the left-right direction. The two rollers 24 are disposed between the two support members 18 in the left-right direction. The two rollers 24 are also disposed at the center of the hand 7 in the left-right direction. When viewed from the top-bottom direction, the two support members 18 are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center line of the hand 7 in the left-right direction.

[0040] One wafer 2 is placed on the hand 7. Specifically, the wafer 2 is placed at a first height on the support surface 17a of the support member 17 and the support surface 18a of the support member 18, or the wafer 2 is placed at a second height on the support surface 17b of the support member 17 and the support surface 18b of the support member 18. When the wafer 2 is placed on the support surfaces 17a and 18a, the support member 18 is disposed at a position where the wafer 2 can be placed on the support surface 18a (see FIG. 4(A)). When the wafer 2 is placed on the support surfaces 17b and 18b, the support member 18 is disposed at a position where the wafer 2 can be placed on the support surface 18b (see FIG. 4(B)).

[0041] When the roller 24 moves forward with the wafer 2 placed on the support surfaces 17a and 18a, the contact surface 17c and the roller 24 come into contact with the edge surface of the wafer 2, and the wafer 2 is held at a fixed position in the horizontal direction. When the roller 24 moves forward with the wafer 2 placed on the support surfaces 17b and 18b, the contact surface 17d and the roller 24 come into contact with the edge surface of the wafer 2, and the wafer 2 is held at a fixed position in the horizontal direction.

[0042] (Main effects of this form) As described above, in this embodiment, the support members 18 are disposed at positions offset from the mounting portion 15 when viewed in the vertical direction, and do not overlap with the mounting portion 15 in the vertical direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the hand 7 includes the support members 18 for supporting the wafer 2 from below at two different heights (i.e., the first height and the second height), it is possible to make the hand 7 thinner in the vertical direction compared to a case in which the support members 18 overlap with the mounting portion 15 in the vertical direction.

[0043] In addition, in this embodiment, the rollers 24 are disposed at a position offset from the mounting portion 15 when viewed in the vertical direction, and do not overlap with the mounting portion 15 in the vertical direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the hand 7 includes the rollers 24, it is possible to make the hand 7 thinner in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the support member 18 and the rollers 24 are disposed between the first mounting portion 15a and the second mounting portion 15b in the horizontal direction, and in front of the connection portion 15c, so that it is possible to make the hand 7 smaller in the front-rear and left-right directions.

[0044] In this embodiment, the support member 18 is formed with a support surface 18a for supporting the wafer 2 at a first height and a support surface 18b for supporting the wafer 2 at a second height. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of parts of the hand 7 and to narrow the installation space for the support member 18, compared to a case in which the member on which the support surface 18a is formed and the member on which the support surface 18b is formed are provided separately.

[0045] (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 can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0046] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the two rollers 24 may be disposed outside the two support members 18 in the left-right direction. In this case, the two rollers 24 may be disposed between the first mounting portion 15a and the second mounting portion 15b in the left-right direction, or may be disposed outside the mounting portion 15 in the left-right direction. Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the two support members 18 may be disposed outside the mounting portion 15 in the left-right direction. Even in these cases, the two support members 18 and the two rollers 24 are disposed at positions shifted from the mounting portion 15 when viewed in the up-down direction, and do not overlap with the mounting portion 15 in the up-down direction.

[0047] In the above-mentioned embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the number of the support member 18 provided in the hand 7 may be one. In this case, the support member 18 is disposed at the center of the hand 7 in the left-right direction. In addition, the two rollers 24 are disposed on the outside of the support member 18 in the left-right direction. In this case, the two rollers 24 may be disposed between the first mounting portion 15a and the second mounting portion 15b in the left-right direction, as shown in FIG. 5, or may be disposed on the outside of the mounting portion 15 in the left-right direction. Even in this case, the support member 18 and the two rollers 24 are disposed at a position shifted from the mounting portion 15 when viewed in the up-down direction, and do not overlap with the mounting portion 15 in the up-down direction. In addition, in FIG. 5, the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations as those in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0048] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the support members 17 and 18 may be formed with a support surface for supporting the wafer 2 at a third height higher than the second height. Also, the support members 17 and 18 may be formed with a support surface for supporting the wafer 2 at a fourth height higher than the third height. That is, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the support members 17 and 18 are formed with two support surfaces 17a, 17b, 18a, and 18b having different heights from each other, but the support members 17 and 18 may be formed with three or more support surfaces having different heights from each other. That is, the support members 17 and 18 may support the wafer 2 from below at three or more different heights.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the number of rollers 24 provided in the hand 7 may be one. In addition, in the above embodiment, the pressing member that contacts the end face of the wafer 2 and presses the end face of the wafer 2 against the contact surfaces 17c and 17d of the support member 17 may not be a roller. For example, the pressing member may be a cylindrical member fixed to the front end of the holding member 26. In addition, in the above embodiment, the hand 7 may not be provided with the rollers 24 and the moving mechanism 25. In this case, for example, suction holes for sucking and holding the wafer 2 placed on the support surfaces 17a, 17b, 18a, and 18b are formed in the support members 17 and 18. In this case, the contact surfaces 17c and 17d may not be formed in the support member 17.

[0050] In the above-described embodiment, the robot 1 may include two hands 7 rotatably connected to the tip end of the arm 8. In this case, for example, the two arms 8 are stacked in the vertical direction. In addition, when the robot 1 includes two hands 7, for example, the arm 8 may be composed of a common arm portion formed in a V shape and rotatably connected at its center to the main body portion 9, a first arm portion whose base end side is rotatably connected to one end side of the common arm portion, and a second arm portion whose base end side is rotatably connected to the other end side of the common arm portion. In this case, the hand 7 is rotatably connected to each of the tip end side of the first arm portion and the tip end side of the second arm portion.

[0051] In the above-described embodiment, the robot 1 may include two arms 8 whose base ends are rotatably connected to the main body 9. In this case, the hand 7 is rotatably connected to the tip end of each of the two arms 8. In the above-described embodiment, the arm 8 may be configured with two arm portions, or may be configured with four or more arm portions. In the above-described embodiment, the object to be transported by the robot 1 may be something other than the wafer 2.

[0052] The industrial robot to which the present invention is applied may be a robot other than a horizontal articulated industrial robot. For example, the industrial robot to which the present invention is applied may be an industrial robot including an arm to which the hand 7 is connected so as to enable linear reciprocating movement of the hand 7, a main body to which the arm is rotatably connected, and a linear drive unit that linearly reciprocates the hand 7 relative to the arm. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1. Robots (industrial robots) 2 Wafers (semiconductor wafers, transport objects) 7 Hands 8 Arm 9 Main body 15 Mounting section 15a 1st loading section 15b 2nd loading section 15c Connection 16 Hand base 17 Support member (first support member) 17a Support surface (1st support surface) 17b Support surface (second support surface) 17c, 17d Contact surface 18 Support member (second support member) 18a Support surface (3rd support surface) 18b Support surface (4th support surface) 19 Moving mechanism (first moving mechanism) 24 Roller (pressing member) 25 Moving mechanism (second moving mechanism) X 1st direction X1 2nd direction side X2 3rd direction side Y 4th direction

Claims

1. In an industrial robot hand that transports objects, A predetermined direction perpendicular to the up-down direction is defined as a first direction, one side of the first direction is defined as a second direction, and the opposite side of the second direction is defined as a third direction. the transport device includes a mounting section which constitutes a portion of the hand on the second direction side and on which the transport object is placed, a hand base which constitutes a portion of the hand on the third direction side and to which an end portion of the mounting section on the third direction side is attached, a first support member which is fixed to an upper surface of the mounting section and which supports the portion of the object on the second direction side from below, a second support member which supports the portion of the object on the third direction side from below, and a first moving mechanism which moves the second support member in the first direction, The first support member is formed with a first support surface for supporting the transport object at a predetermined first height and a second support surface for supporting the transport object at a second height higher than the first height, the second support member is formed with a third support surface for supporting the transport object at the first height and a fourth support surface for supporting the transport object at the second height; The hand is characterized in that the second support member is disposed at a position offset from the mounting portion when viewed from above and below.

2. a pressing member that contacts an end surface of the object to be transported and presses the object from the third direction side, and a second moving mechanism that moves the pressing member in the first direction, The first support member is formed with a contact surface against which an end surface of the object to be transported comes into contact, 2. The hand according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member presses an end surface of the object to be transported against the contact surface and is disposed at a position offset from the mounting portion when viewed from above and below.

3. If a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the first direction is defined as a fourth direction, the mounting portion includes a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion that are spaced apart in the fourth direction, and a connection portion that connects an end portion of the first mounting portion on the third direction side and an end portion of the second mounting portion on the third direction side, The hand according to claim 2, characterized in that the second support member and the pressing member are arranged between the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion in the fourth direction, on the second direction side of the connection portion.

4. two second support members arranged at an interval in the fourth direction; 4. The hand according to claim 3, wherein the pressing member is disposed between two of the second support members in the fourth direction.

5. 5. An industrial robot comprising: a hand according to claim 1; an arm to which the hand is connected; and a main body to which the arm is connected.

Images