Hand of industrial robot and industrial robot

Abstract

To provide a hand of an industrial robot capable of effectively suppressing adhesion of dirt attached on the hand to a transfer target after cleaning, even when dirt from the transfer target before cleaning adheres to the hand.SOLUTION: In a hand 4 of an industrial robot, first support members 36 and 37 are fixed to one surface of a mounting part 27 on which a transfer target 3 can be mounted, and second support members 38 and 39 are fixed to the other surface of the mounting part 27. A rotation mechanism for rotating the mounting part 27 with respect to a hand base part 28 about a horizontal axis direction as a rotation axis direction rotates the mounting part 27 with respect to the hand base part 28 between a position where one surface of the mounting part 27 faces upward and a position where the other surface of the mounting part 27 faces upward. The transfer target 3 mounted on the mounting part 27 is supported from below by the first support members 36 and 37 when one surface of the mounting part 27 faces upward, and is supported from below by the second support members 38 and 39 when the other surface of the mounting part 27 faces upward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hand for an industrial robot and an industrial robot. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a hand (hand unit) used in a transfer device for transferring semiconductor wafers has been 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 bases of the hand member are fixed, and two first support members, two second support members, and two third support members that support the underside of the semiconductor wafer. The hand member is formed in a U-shape with a pair of finger portions, and the pair of finger portions are connected at the base.

[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 of the hand member. Two third support members are movably disposed above the base. A drive unit is built into the base unit to move the two third support members relative to the hand member. The first support member is formed with a first support portion for supporting the 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 positioned 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 positioned at the second support height is supported by the second support portion and the third support member of the first support member.

[0004] The transfer device described in Patent Document 1, for example, loads uncleaned semiconductor wafers into a cleaning apparatus and unloads cleaned semiconductor wafers from the cleaning apparatus. That is, the uncleaned semiconductor wafer and the cleaned semiconductor wafer are placed on the hand described in Patent Document 1. In the hand described in Patent Document 1, the uncleaned semiconductor wafer is supported by the first support portion and the second support member of the first support member, and the uncleaned semiconductor wafer is supported by the second support portion and the third support member of the first support member. Therefore, the hand described in Patent Document 1 can prevent dirt and the like that has adhered to the hand from the uncleaned semiconductor wafer from adhering to the cleaned semiconductor wafer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

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

[0006] The present inventors are developing a hand for an industrial robot that can be used to carry objects such as semiconductor wafers, similar to the hand described in Patent Document 1. Like the hand described in Patent Document 1, this hand can be loaded with objects both before and after cleaning. If dirt or other contaminants adhering to the hand from the objects before cleaning adhere to the objects after cleaning, this could result in a decrease in the quality of the objects that are subjected to a predetermined process after cleaning. Therefore, it is preferable that the hand under development be designed so that dirt or other contaminants adhering to the hand from the objects before cleaning are less likely to adhere to the objects after cleaning.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a hand for an industrial robot that transports objects, which can effectively prevent dirt from adhering to the hand from the object before cleaning, even if the dirt adheres to the hand from the object after cleaning.Another object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot equipped with such a hand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, one embodiment of the present invention provides an industrial robot hand that transports an object to be transported, and the hand comprises: a mounting section on which the object to be transported can be mounted; a hand base that constitutes the base end portion of the hand; a rotation mechanism that rotates the mounting section by at least 180° relative to the hand base, with the horizontal direction as the axis of rotation; a first support member fixed to one surface of the mounting section; and a second support member fixed to the other surface of the mounting section, the rotation mechanism rotates the mounting section relative to the hand base between a position where one surface of the mounting section faces upward and a position where the other surface of the mounting section faces upward, and when one surface of the mounting section faces upward, the object to be transported mounted on the mounting section is supported from below by the first support member, and when the other surface of the mounting section faces upward, the object to be transported mounted on the mounting section is supported from below by the second support member.

[0009] In the industrial robot hand of this aspect, a first support member is fixed to one surface of a mounting section on which an object to be transported can be mounted, and a second support member is fixed to the other surface of the mounting section. Also, in this aspect, the rotation mechanism rotates the mounting section relative to the hand base between a position where one surface of the mounting section faces upward and a position where the other surface of the mounting section faces upward. Furthermore, in this aspect, the object to be transported mounted on the mounting section is supported from below by the first support member when one surface of the mounting section faces upward, and is supported from below by the second support member when the other surface of the mounting section faces upward.

[0010] Therefore, in this aspect, for example, it is possible to load and transport an object to be transported before cleaning on one surface of the mounting unit, and to load and transport an object to be transported after cleaning on the other surface of the mounting unit. Therefore, in this aspect, even if dirt or the like adheres to the hand from the object to be transported before cleaning, it is possible to effectively prevent the dirt adhered to the hand from adhering to the object to be transported after cleaning, compared to, for example, a case in which the first support member and the second support member are fixed to one surface of the mounting unit and the object to be transported before cleaning and the object to be transported after cleaning are mounted on one surface of the mounting unit.

[0011] 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 dirt or the like adheres to the hand from the transported object before cleaning, it is possible to effectively prevent the dirt adhered to the hand from adhering to the transported object after cleaning. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] As described above, in one aspect of the present invention, in the hand of an industrial robot that transports an object to be transported, even if dirt or the like adheres to the hand from the object to be transported before cleaning, it is possible to effectively prevent the dirt adhered to the hand from adhering to the object to be transported after cleaning. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the hand, arm, arm support member, lifting member, etc. shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the hand shown in FIG. [Figure 4]4A is a side view showing a part of the hand from the EE direction of FIG. 3, FIG. 4B is a side view showing a part of the hand shown in FIG. 4A turned upside down, FIG. 4C is an enlarged view of part F in FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4D is a plan view showing the tip of the hand from the GG direction of FIG. 4C. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a bottom view for explaining the configuration of the pressing member, the moving mechanism, and the like shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side view for explaining the configuration of the pressing member, the rotation mechanism, etc. shown in FIG. [Figure 7] Figure 7A is a diagram showing the state of the detection mechanism when the pressing member shown in Figure 3 is retracted to the base end side of the hand, Figure 7B is a diagram showing the state of the detection mechanism when the pressing member moves to a position where the wafer abuts against the first abutment surface, Figure 7C is a diagram showing the state of the detection mechanism when the pressing member moves to a position where the wafer abuts against the second abutment surface, and Figure 7D is a diagram showing the state of the detection mechanism when the pressing member moves to the tip side of the hand with no wafer loaded on the mounting section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] (Overall configuration of industrial robots) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an industrial robot 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the hands 4, 5, arms 6, 7, arm support member 11, lifting member 12, etc. shown in Fig. 1.

[0016] The industrial robot 2 (hereinafter referred to as "robot 2") of this embodiment is a horizontal articulated robot for transporting semiconductor wafers 3 (hereinafter referred to as "wafers 3"), which are objects to be transported. The wafers 3 are formed in the shape of thin disks. The robot 2 is incorporated into a semiconductor manufacturing system for manufacturing semiconductors. The semiconductor manufacturing system includes, for example, a cleaning device (not shown) for cleaning the wafers 3. The robot 2 loads the wafers 3 into the cleaning device and unloads the wafers 3 from the cleaning device.

[0017] The robot 2 comprises two hands 4 and 5 on which a wafer 3 is mounted, an arm 6 to which the hand 4 is connected, an arm 7 to which the hand 5 is connected, and a main body 8 to which the arms 6 and 7 are connected. When the hands 4 and 5 are mounted with a wafer 3, the outer shape of each of the hands 4 and 5 when viewed from above and below is a long, narrow, and generally rectangular shape. The specific configuration of the hands 4 and 5 will be described later. The main body 8 comprises an arm support member 11 to which the base ends of the arms 6 and 7 are connected, a lifting member 12 that rotatably holds the arm support member 11, and a holding frame 13 that holds the lifting member 12 so that it can be raised and lowered.

[0018] The arm 6 includes an arm section 14 whose base end is fixed to the arm support member 11, and an arm section 15 whose base end is rotatably connected to the tip end of the arm section 14. The arm 6 is composed of two arm sections 14, 15. A hand 4 is rotatably connected to the tip end of the arm section 15. The arm section 15 and the hand 4 rotate with the up-down direction (vertical direction) as the rotation axis direction. The arm section 14 is arranged below the arm support member 11, the arm section 15 is arranged below the arm section 14, and the hand 4 is arranged below the arm section 15. In other words, the arm 6 is arranged below the arm support member 11, and the hand 4 is arranged below the arm 6.

[0019] The arm 7 includes an arm section 16 whose base end is fixed to the arm support member 11, and an arm section 17 whose base end is rotatably connected to the tip end of the arm section 16. The arm 7 is made up of two arm sections 16, 17. The hand 5 is rotatably connected to the tip end of the arm section 17. The arm section 17 and the hand 5 rotate with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation. The arm section 16 is arranged above the arm support member 11, the arm section 17 is arranged above the arm section 16, and the hand 5 is arranged above the arm section 17. In other words, the arm 7 is arranged above the arm support member 11, and the hand 5 is arranged above the arm 7.

[0020] The arm support member 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The axial direction of the cylindrical arm support member 11 coincides with the vertical direction. The base end side of the arm portion 14 is fixed to the underside of the arm support member 11, and the base end side of the arm portion 16 is fixed to the upper surface of the arm support member 11. The arm support member 11 is rotatable relative to the lifting member 12, with the vertical direction as the axial direction of the rotation. A drain pan 20 arranged below the hand 4 and a drain pan 21 arranged below the hand 5 are fixed to the lifting member 12. The holding frame 13 is formed in a columnar shape that is elongated in the vertical direction.

[0021] The robot 2 is equipped with a rotation mechanism 22 that rotates the arm support member 11 relative to the lifting member 12. The rotation mechanism 22 is equipped with a motor 23 and a power transmission mechanism 24 that transmits the power of the motor 23 to the arm support member 11. The rotation mechanism 22 rotates the arms 14, 16 fixed to the arm support member 11 together with the arm support member 11. The robot 2 also is equipped with an elevator mechanism that raises and lowers the lifting member 12 relative to the holding frame 13, an arm drive mechanism that rotates the arm 15 relative to the arm 14 and rotates the hand 4 relative to the arm 15, and an arm drive mechanism that rotates the arm 17 relative to the arm 16 and rotates the hand 5 relative to the arm 17.

[0022] When the hand 4 transports the wafer 3 to the cleaning device, the arm support member 11 rotates and the arm section 15 and the hand 4 rotate so that the hand 4 moves linearly while facing a fixed direction. Similarly, when the hand 5 transports the wafer 3 to the cleaning device, the arm support member 11 rotates and the arm section 17 and the hand 5 rotate so that the hand 5 moves linearly while facing a fixed direction.

[0023] (Hand Composition) FIG. 3 is a plan view of the hand 4 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4A is a side view showing a part of the hand 4 from the EE direction in FIG. 3, FIG. 4B is a side view showing a state in which a part of the hand 4 shown in FIG. 4A is inverted upside down, FIG. 4C is an enlarged view of part F in FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4D is a plan view showing the tip of the hand 4 from the GG direction in FIG. 4C. FIG. 5 is a bottom view for explaining the configuration of the pressing member 30, the moving mechanism 31, etc. shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a side view for explaining the configuration of the pressing member 30, the rotating mechanism 29, etc. shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is a side view for explaining the state of the detection mechanism 32 depending on the position of the pressing member 30 shown in FIG. 3.

[0024] As described above, when the wafer 3 is loaded, the outer shape of the hands 4, 5 when viewed from the top-bottom direction is a long, narrow, approximately rectangular shape. In the following description, the direction of the long side of the approximately rectangular hand 4 when viewed from the top-bottom direction (the X direction in FIG. 3, etc.) is referred to as the "front-to-back direction," and the Y direction in FIG. 3, etc., which is perpendicular to the front-to-back direction, is referred to as the "left-to-right direction." That is, the X direction perpendicular to the up-to-down direction (vertical direction) is referred to as the front-to-back direction, and the Y direction perpendicular to the up-to-down direction and the front-to-back direction is referred to as the left-to-right direction. In the following description, the X1 direction side in FIG. 3, etc., which is one side of the front-to-back direction, is referred to as the "front" side, and the X2 direction side in FIG. 3, etc., which is the opposite side, is referred to as the "rear" side. The front side is the tip end side of the hand 4, and the rear side is the base end side of the hand 4.

[0025] The hand 4 includes a mounting portion 27 on which the wafer 3 can be mounted, a hand base 28 constituting the base end portion of the hand 4, and a rotation mechanism 29 (see FIG. 6) that rotates the mounting portion 27 by at least 180° relative to the hand base 28 with the horizontal direction as the rotation axis direction. The mounting portion 27 is formed in the shape of a thin flat plate. The rotation mechanism 29 rotates the mounting portion 27 relative to the hand base 28 between a position where one surface of the flat mounting portion 27 faces upward and a position where the other surface of the mounting portion 27 faces upward. In other words, the rotation mechanism 29 turns the mounting portion 27 upside down.

[0026] The hand base 28 is formed to be hollow. The hand base 28 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped box. The hand base 28 is rotatably connected to the tip end of the arm unit 15. The hand 4 is equipped with a pressing member 30 that contacts the edge surface of the wafer 3 and presses the wafer 3 from behind, a movement mechanism 31 (see FIG. 5) that linearly moves the pressing member 30 in the front-to-rear direction, and a detection mechanism 32 that detects the position of the pressing member 30 in the front-to-rear direction. A part of the rotation mechanism 29, the movement mechanism 31, and the detection mechanism 32 are housed in the hand base 28, which is formed to be hollow.

[0027] The mounting portion 27 includes a mounting portion main body 33 on which the wafer 3 is mounted, and two mounting base ends 34 that form the base end portion (rear portion) of the mounting portion 27. The mounting portion main body 33 forms the tip end portion (front portion) of the mounting portion 27. The mounting portion 27 of this embodiment is composed of the mounting portion main body 33 and the two mounting base ends 34. The mounting portion main body 33 is formed in the shape of a substantially rectangular flat plate that is elongated in the front-to-rear direction. The tip end portion (front end portion) of the mounting portion main body 33 is U-shaped and formed in a bifurcated shape. The mounting base ends 34 are formed in the shape of a rectangular flat plate that is elongated in the front-to-rear direction. The front end of the mounting base ends 34 is connected to the rear end of the mounting portion main body 33. The two mounting base ends 34 are arranged with a gap in the left-to-right direction.

[0028] Support members 36 and 37 for supporting the wafer 3 from below are fixed to one surface of the mounting portion 27. Support members 38 and 39 for supporting the wafer 3 from below are fixed to the other surface of the mounting portion 27. That is, the hand 4 includes support members 36 and 37 fixed to one surface of the mounting portion 27 and support members 38 and 39 fixed to the other surface of the mounting portion 27. In this embodiment, the support members 36 and 37 are first support members, and the support members 38 and 39 are second support members.

[0029] Two support members 36 and two support members 37 are fixed to one surface of the mounting portion 27. Two support members 38 and two support members 39 are fixed to the other surface of the mounting portion 27. The support members 36 and 38 are fixed to the tip portion of the mounting portion main body 33. The support members 37 and 39 are fixed to the boundary portion between the mounting portion main body 33 and the mounting base end portion 34. In this embodiment, the support member 36 is a first tip side support member arranged on the tip side of the mounting portion 27, and the support member 38 is a second tip side support member arranged on the tip side of the mounting portion 27.

[0030] The two support members 36 are arranged with a gap between them in the left-right direction. The two support members 36 are also arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction. The two support members 38 are arranged with a gap between them in the left-right direction. The two support members 38 are also arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the support members 36 and 38 are arranged at positions offset from each other in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the support member 36 is arranged rearward of the support member 38.

[0031] The two support members 37 are arranged with a gap between them in the left-right direction. The two support members 37 are also arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction. The two support members 39 are arranged with a gap between them in the left-right direction. The two support members 39 are also arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction. The support members 37 and 39 are arranged at positions offset from each other in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the support member 37 is arranged rearward of the support member 39.

[0032] The support member 36 is formed with a contact surface 36b as a first contact surface against which the edge surface of the wafer 3 contacts. The support member 38 is formed with a contact surface 38b as a second contact surface against which the edge surface of the wafer 3 contacts (see FIG. 4D). The contact surfaces 36b, 38b face substantially rearward. More specifically, the contact surfaces 36b, 38b face inward in the radial direction of the wafer 3 mounted on the mounting portion 27. As described above, the support members 36 and 38 are disposed at positions offset from each other in the front-rear direction, and the contact surfaces 36b and 38b are disposed at positions offset from each other in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the contact surface 36b is disposed rearward of the contact surface 38b.

[0033] When one surface of the mounting portion 27 faces upward, the wafer 3 mounted on the mounting portion 27 is placed on support members 36, 37 and is supported from below by the support members 36, 37 (see FIG. 4A). When the other surface of the mounting portion 27 faces upward, the wafer 3 mounted on the mounting portion 27 is placed on support members 38, 39 and is supported from below by the support members 38, 39 (see FIG. 4B). When one surface of the mounting portion 27 faces upward and when the other surface of the mounting portion 27 faces upward, the thickness direction of the flat plate-shaped mounting portion 27 substantially coincides with the up-down direction.

[0034] The rotation mechanism 29 rotates the mounting unit 27 relative to the hand base 28 with the front-to-rear direction as the rotation axis. The rotation mechanism 29 also rotates the mounting unit 27 relative to the hand base 28 with the center line of the mounting unit 27 in the left-to-right direction when viewed from the top-to-bottom direction as the rotation center. The front-to-back direction (X direction) in this embodiment is a first direction that is the axial direction of the rotation of the mounting unit 27 relative to the hand base 28. 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 of the second direction side.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 6, the rotation mechanism 29 includes a motor 41 and a power transmission mechanism 42 that transmits the power of the motor 41 to the mounting portion 27. The motor 41 is housed inside the hand base 28. The motor 41 is disposed below the pressing member 30. The power transmission mechanism 42 includes a pulley 43 fixed to the output shaft of the motor 41, a pulley 44 rotatably held on the hand base 28, and a belt 45 stretched between the pulleys 43 and 44. The pulley 44 is disposed above the pulley 43. The pulleys 43 and 44 rotate about the front-rear direction as the rotation axis. The pulley 44 in this embodiment is a rotating member that rotates relative to the hand base 28 about the rotation axis in the front-rear direction.

[0036] A bearing holder 46, which has a built-in bearing, is fixed to the front surface of the hand base 28. The pulley 44 is rotatably held on the hand base 28 via the bearing built into the bearing holder 46 and the bearing holder 46. A mounting portion support member 47 is fixed to the front end of the pulley 44. The rear end of the mounting base end 34 is fixed to the mounting portion support member 47. In other words, the rear end of the mounting portion 27 is fixed to the pulley 44 via the mounting portion support member 47. A spline hole 44b is formed in the center of the pulley 44, penetrating the pulley 44 in the front-to-rear direction (see Figures 5 and 6). A plurality of teeth are formed in the spline hole 44b.

[0037] The pressing member 30 is disposed behind the wafer 3 mounted on the mounting portion 27 and contacts the wafer 3 mounted on the mounting portion 27 from the rear side. When viewed from the top-bottom direction, the pressing member 30 is disposed on the center line of the mounting portion 27 in the left-right direction. The pressing member 30 includes two rollers 50 that contact the edge surface of the wafer 3, a roller holding member 51 that rotatably holds the two rollers 50, and a moving shaft 52 to which the roller holding member 51 is fixed. The moving shaft 52 is formed in the shape of an elongated cylinder with its axial direction extending in the front-to-rear direction. The roller holding member 51 is fixed to the front end of the moving shaft 52.

[0038] A portion of the moving shaft 52 is disposed in the spline hole 44b of the pulley 44. The moving shaft 52 is formed with a spline shaft portion 52b that is disposed in the spline hole 44b (see FIGS. 5 and 6). That is, the pressing member 30 is formed with the spline shaft portion 52b. The spline shaft portion 52b has a plurality of teeth formed thereon that mesh with the teeth of the spline hole 44b. The pressing member 30 is movable in the front-rear direction relative to the pulley 44.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, the movement mechanism 31 includes an air cylinder 53 having a rod 53b, and a slide member 54 fixed to the rod 53b. The air cylinder 53 is disposed on the right or left side of the rear end portion of the movement shaft 52. The rod 53b moves linearly in the front-to-rear direction relative to the main body of the air cylinder 53. The rod 53b also protrudes rearward from the main body of the air cylinder 53. The slide member 54 is formed in a block shape. The slide member 54 is fixed to the rear end of the rod 53b. The movement mechanism 31 also includes a rotation prevention member (not shown) for preventing the air cylinder 53 and the slide member 54, whose rotation axis is the front-to-rear direction.

[0040] The pressing member 30 is held by a slide member 54. Specifically, the rear end of the moving shaft 52 is held by the slide member 54. The pressing member 30 moves in the front-to-rear direction together with the slide member 54. A bearing 55 that rotatably supports the rear end of the moving shaft 52 is attached to the slide member 54 (see FIG. 5). That is, the rear end of the moving shaft 52 is rotatably held by the slide member 54 via the bearing 55. The pressing member 30 is rotatable relative to the slide member 54, with the front-to-rear direction being the axial direction of the rotation. A shaft holding member 56 that holds the front end portion of the moving shaft 52 is attached to the mounting base end 34 (see FIG. 3). A seal member (not shown) that comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the moving shaft 52 is attached to the shaft holding member 56.

[0041] When one surface of the mounting portion 27 faces upward, the pressing member 30 comes into contact with the wafer 3 supported from below by the support members 36, 37 from the rear side, and presses the edge surface of the wafer 3 against the contact surface 36b of the support member 36. When the other surface of the mounting portion 27 faces upward, the pressing member 30 comes into contact with the wafer 3 supported from below by the support members 38, 39 from the rear side, and presses the edge surface of the wafer 3 against the contact surface 38b of the support member 38.

[0042] In this embodiment, for example, an uncleaned wafer 3 to be carried into the cleaning apparatus is carried on the carrying portion 27 with one surface facing upward and is supported from below by the support members 36 and 37. Furthermore, a cleaned wafer 3 to be carried out of the cleaning apparatus is carried on the carrying portion 27 with the other surface facing upward and is supported from below by the support members 38 and 39. As described above, the abutment surface 36b and the abutment surface 38b are disposed at positions offset in the front-to-rear direction, and therefore the wafer 3 abutting on the abutment surface 36b and the wafer 3 abutting on the abutment surface 38b are disposed at positions offset in the front-to-rear direction. For example, the wafer 3 abutting on the abutment surface 36b and the wafer 3 abutting on the abutment surface 38b are offset by approximately 4 mm in the front-to-rear direction.

[0043] As described above, the pulley 44 has a spline hole 44b, and the moving shaft 52 has a spline shaft portion 52b. The rear end of the moving shaft 52 is rotatably held by the slide member 54 via the bearing 55. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the pulley 44 rotates, the pressing member 30 rotates together with the pulley 44. That is, the rotating mechanism 29 rotates the pressing member 30 together with the mounting portion 27 relative to the hand base 28 with the horizontal direction as the axial direction of the rotation (specifically, with the front-rear direction as the axial direction of the rotation).

[0044] The detection mechanism 32 includes three sensors 58-60 and a detection plate 61 having a detected portion 61b that is detected by the sensors 58-60. The sensors 58-60 are, for example, transmission-type optical sensors having a light-emitting portion and a light-receiving portion that are arranged opposite each other. The sensors 58-60 are fixed inside the hand base 28. The sensors 58-60 are arranged in the front-rear direction. The sensors 58-60 are also arranged in this order from the rear to the front.

[0045] The detection plate 61 is formed by bending a metal plate formed into a predetermined shape. The detection plate 61 is fixed to the slide member 54 and moves in the front-to-rear direction together with the slide member 54. In other words, the detection plate 61 moves in the front-to-rear direction together with the pressing member 30. The detected portion 61b is formed in a flat plate shape. The detected portion 61b is disposed in a position that passes between the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion of the sensors 58 to 60.

[0046] In this embodiment, when the pressing member 30 is retracting so that the two rollers 50 move away from the edge surface of the wafer 3 (i.e., when the pressing member 30 is moving toward the base end of the hand 4), as shown in FIG. 7A, the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion of the sensor 58 are blocked by the detectable portion 61b, while the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion of the sensor 59 and the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion of the sensor 60 are not blocked by the detectable portion 61b.

[0047] Furthermore, when a wafer 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 27 with one surface facing upward and the pressing member 30 advances to a position where the two rollers 50 contact the edge surface of the wafer 3 (i.e., when the pressing member 30 moves to a position where the wafer 3 contacts the contact surface 36b), as shown in FIG. 7B, the light-emitting portion and light-receiving portion of sensor 58 and the light-emitting portion and light-receiving portion of sensor 59 are blocked by the detected portion 61b, while the light-emitting portion and light-receiving portion of sensor 60 are not blocked by the detected portion 61b.

[0048] Furthermore, when a wafer 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 27 with the other surface facing upward and the pressing member 30 advances to a position where the two rollers 50 contact the edge surface of the wafer 3 (i.e., when the pressing member 30 moves to a position where the wafer 3 abuts against the abutment surface 38b), the light-emitting portion and light-receiving portion of sensor 58, the light-emitting portion and light-receiving portion of sensor 59, and the light-emitting portion and light-receiving portion of sensor 60 are blocked by the detected portion 61b, as shown in Figure 7C.

[0049] Furthermore, when the pressing member 30 is moving forward without a wafer 3 being loaded on the loading portion 27 (i.e., when the pressing member 30 is moving toward the tip of the hand 4), as shown in FIG. 7D, the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion of the sensor 59 and the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion of the sensor 60 are blocked by the detected portion 61b, while the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion of the sensor 58 are not blocked by the detected portion 61b.

[0050] Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to detect whether or not a wafer 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 27 based on the detection results of the detection mechanism 32, and if a wafer 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 27, it is possible to detect whether the wafer 3 is mounted on one side of the mounting portion 27 or on the other side of the mounting portion 27.

[0051] Like the hand 4, the hand 5 includes a mounting section 67 on which the wafer 3 can be mounted, a hand base 68 constituting the base end portion of the hand 5, and a rotation mechanism that rotates the mounting section 67 by at least 180° relative to the hand base 68 with the horizontal direction as the axial direction of the rotation. The mounting section 67 is configured similarly to the mounting section 27, and the hand base 68 is configured similarly to the hand base 28.

[0052] In the hand 5, the wafer 3 is mounted on only one surface of the mounting portion 67. Therefore, in the hand 5, support members corresponding to the support members 36 and 37 are fixed to one surface of the mounting portion 67, but support members corresponding to the support members 38 and 39 are not fixed to the other surface of the mounting portion 67. Except for this point, the hand 5 is configured almost the same as the hand 4, and therefore a description of the specific configuration of the hand 5 will be omitted. Note that, like the hand 4, the wafer 3 may be mounted on the other surface of the mounting portion 67. In this case, support members corresponding to the support members 38 and 39 are fixed to the other surface of the mounting portion 67.

[0053] (Main effect of this form) As described above, in this embodiment, support members 36, 37 are fixed to one surface of the mounting portion 27, and support members 38, 39 are fixed to the other surface of the mounting portion 27, and the wafer 3 mounted on the mounting portion 27 is supported from below by the support members 36, 37 when one surface of the mounting portion 27 faces upward, and is supported from below by the support members 38, 39 when the other surface of the mounting portion 27 faces upward.

[0054] Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, as described above, it is possible to load and transport the uncleaned wafer 3 on one side of the mounting portion 27, and it is also possible to load and transport the cleaned wafer 3 on the other side of the mounting portion 27. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if dirt or the like adheres from the uncleaned wafer 3 to the hand 4, it is possible to effectively prevent the dirt adhered to the hand 4 from adhering to the cleaned wafer 3, compared to when the uncleaned wafer 3 and the cleaned wafer 3 are loaded on one side of the mounting portion 27.

[0055] In this embodiment, the wafer 3 supported from below by the support members 36 and 37 is pressed against the contact surface 36b, and the wafer 3 supported from below by the support members 38 and 39 is pressed against the contact surface 38b using a common pressing member 30 and moving mechanism 31. Therefore, in this embodiment, the configuration of the hand 4 can be simplified.

[0056] In this embodiment, the wafer 3 abutting against the abutment surface 36b of the support member 36 and the wafer 3 abutting against the abutment surface 38b of the support member 38 are disposed at positions offset in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the wafer 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 27 as described above, it is possible to detect whether the wafer 3 is mounted on one surface of the mounting portion 27 or on the other surface of the mounting portion 27 based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 32.

[0057] In this embodiment, the rotation mechanism 29 that rotates the mounting portion 27 relative to the hand base 28 about the front-rear direction as the rotation axis direction also rotates the pressing member 30 about the front-rear direction as the rotation axis direction relative to the hand base 28. Therefore, in this embodiment, the configuration of the hand 4 can be simplified compared to when a rotation mechanism that rotates the pressing member 30 about the hand base 28 about the rotation axis direction in the front-rear direction is provided separately from the rotation mechanism 29.

[0058] In this embodiment, a spline hole 44b is formed in the pulley 44, and a spline shaft portion 52b that is disposed in the spline hole 44b is formed in the pressing member 30, so that when the pulley 44 rotates, the pressing member 30 rotates together with the pulley 44. Therefore, in this embodiment, the pressing member 30, which is movable in the front-rear direction relative to the mounting portion 27 and the pulley 44, can be rotated together with the mounting portion 27 with a relatively simple configuration.

[0059] In this embodiment, the pressing member 30 is held by a slide member 54 fixed to the rod 53b of the air cylinder 53, and moves in the front-rear direction together with the slide member 54. In addition, in this embodiment, the pressing member 30 is rotatable relative to the slide member 54, with the front-rear direction being the axial direction of the rotation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the pressing member 30, which rotates together with the mounting portion 27, can be moved in the front-rear direction with a relatively simple configuration.

[0060] (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 of the present invention.

[0061] In the above-described embodiment, the power transmission mechanism 42 may include, instead of the pulleys 43, 44, and the belt 45, a drive-side gear fixed to the output shaft of the motor 41 and a driven-side gear rotatably held on the hand base 28 and meshing with the drive-side gear. In this case, the driven-side gear is rotatably held on the hand base 28 via a bearing built into the bearing holder 46 and the bearing holder 46. A mounting unit support member 47 is fixed to the front end of the driven-side gear. A spline hole in which the spline shaft portion 52b is disposed is formed in the center of the driven-side gear. In this case, the driven-side gear is a rotating member that rotates relative to the hand base 28 with the longitudinal direction as the rotation axis.

[0062] In the above-described embodiment, the contact surface 36b of the support member 36 and the contact surface 38b of the support member 38 may be disposed at the same position in the front-rear direction. In this case, the wafer 3 abutting on the contact surface 36b and the wafer 3 abutting on the contact surface 38b are disposed at the same position in the front-rear direction. In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the hand 4 may be provided with a rotation mechanism, separate from the rotation mechanism 29, that rotates the pressing member 30 relative to the hand base 28 with the front-rear direction as the rotation axis direction. In this case, the pulley 44 does not have a spline hole 44b. In addition, the moving shaft 52 does not have a spline shaft portion 52b. In the above-described embodiment, the pressing member 30 does not have to be rotatable relative to the hand base 28.

[0063] In the above-described embodiment, the moving mechanism 31 may be provided with a motor as a drive source instead of the air cylinder 53. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the pressing member 30 may be provided with only one roller 50. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the pressing member 30 may not be provided with a roller 50. In this case, for example, the pressing member 30 may be provided with a cylindrical member fixed to the roller holding member 51 instead of the roller 50.

[0064] In the above-described embodiment, a pressing member that presses the wafer 3 supported from below by the support members 36 and 37 against the contact surface 36b, and a pressing member that presses the wafer 3 supported from below by the support members 38 and 39 against the contact surface 38b may be provided separately. In this case, for example, the hand 4 includes two movement mechanisms that individually move each of the two pressing members in the forward and backward directions. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the detection mechanism 32 may include a reflective optical sensor instead of the sensors 58 to 60, which are transmissive optical sensors, or may include a sensor other than an optical sensor.

[0065] In the above-described embodiment, the hand 4 may not include the pressing member 30, the moving mechanism 31, and the detection mechanism 32. In this case, for example, suction holes for sucking and holding the wafer 3 placed on the support members 36-39 may be formed in the support members 36-39. Also, in this case, the contact surfaces 36b, 38b may not be formed on the support members 36, 38. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the arms 6, 7 may be configured with three or more arm portions. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the robot 2 may not include the hand 5 and the arm 7.

[0066] In the above-described embodiment, the object to be transported by the robot 2 may be something other than the wafer 3. Furthermore, 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 hands 4, 5 are connected so as to enable linear reciprocating movement of the hands 4, 5, a main body to which the arm is rotatably connected, and a linear drive unit that linearly reciprocates the hands 4, 5 relative to the arm.

[0067] (Configuration of this technology) The present technology can be configured as follows: (1) In an industrial robot hand that transports an object to be transported, the hand includes a mounting section on which the object to be transported can be mounted, a hand base section constituting a base end side section of the hand, a rotation mechanism that rotates the mounting section by at least 180° relative to the hand base section with the horizontal direction as the axis of rotation, a first support member fixed to one surface of the mounting section, and a second support member fixed to the other surface of the mounting section; the rotation mechanism rotates the mounting portion relative to the hand base between a position where one surface of the mounting portion faces upward and a position where the other surface of the mounting portion faces upward; When one surface of the mounting portion faces upward, the object to be transported mounted on the mounting portion is supported from below by the first support member, A hand characterized in that when the other surface of the mounting portion faces upward, the object to be transported mounted on the mounting portion is supported from below by the second support member. (2) When the axial direction of the rotation of the mounting unit relative to the hand base 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 first support member comprises a first tip-side support member disposed on the tip side of the mounting section which is on the second direction side, and the second support member comprises a second tip-side support member disposed on the tip side of the mounting section, and the transport device further comprises a pressing member which contacts an end face of the transport object to press the transport object from the third direction side, and a moving mechanism which linearly moves the pressing member in the first direction, The first tip-side support member is formed with a first contact surface with which an end surface of the object to be conveyed comes into contact, The second tip side support member is formed with a second contact surface with which an end surface of the transport object comes into contact, The hand described in (1) is characterized in that the pressing member presses the end face of the transport object supported from below by the first support member against the first abutment surface when one surface of the mounting portion faces upward, and presses the end face of the transport object supported from below by the second support member against the second abutment surface when the other surface of the mounting portion faces upward. (3) A detection mechanism for detecting the position of the pressing member in the first direction is provided, The hand described in (2) is characterized in that the object to be transported whose end surface abuts the first abutment surface and the object to be transported whose end surface abuts the second abutment surface are positioned at offset positions in the first direction. (4) The hand described in (2) or (3) is characterized in that the rotation mechanism rotates the pressing member together with the mounting portion relative to the hand base, with the first direction as the axis of rotation. (5) The rotation mechanism includes a motor and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the mounting portion, the power transmission mechanism includes a rotating member formed of a pulley or a gear that rotates relative to the hand base with the first direction as an axial direction of rotation, an end portion of the mounting portion on the third direction side is fixed to the rotating member; the pressing member is movable in the first direction relative to the rotating member, The rotating member has a spline hole formed therethrough in the first direction, the pressing member is formed with a spline shaft portion that is disposed in the spline hole, The hand according to (4), wherein when the rotating member rotates, the pressing member rotates together with the rotating member. (6) The movement mechanism includes an air cylinder having a rod that moves linearly in the first direction, and a slide member fixed to the rod, The hand described in (4) or (5) is characterized in that the pressing member is held by the sliding member, moves together with the sliding member in the first direction, and is rotatable relative to the sliding member with the first direction as the axis of rotation. (7) An industrial robot comprising a hand according to any one of (1) to (6), an arm to which the hand is connected, and a main body to which the arm is connected.

[0068] In this aspect, if the axial direction of the rotation of the mounting unit relative to the hand base 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 first support member as a first tip side support member arranged on the tip side of the mounting unit which is on the second direction side, and a second support member as a second tip side support member arranged on the tip side of the mounting unit, and also comprises a pressing member that comes into contact with an end face of the transported object and presses the transported object from the third direction side, and a pressing member that moves the pressing member linearly in the first direction. and a moving mechanism for moving the object to be transported, wherein the first tip-side support member is formed with a first contact surface against which the end face of the object to be transported contacts, and the second tip-side support member is formed with a second contact surface against which the end face of the object to be transported contacts, and it is preferable that the pressing member presses the end face of the object to be transported supported from below by the first support member against the first contact surface when one surface of the mounting part is facing upward, and presses the end face of the object to be transported supported from below by the second support member against the second contact surface when the other surface of the mounting part is facing upward.

[0069] With this configuration, it is possible to use a common pressing member and movement mechanism to press the object supported from below by the first support member against the first contact surface and to press the object supported from below by the second support member against the second contact surface, thereby simplifying the configuration of the hand.

[0070] In this aspect, the hand preferably includes a detection mechanism for detecting the position of the pressing member in the first direction, and the object to be transported whose end face abuts against the first contact surface and the object to be transported whose end face abuts against the second contact surface are positioned at positions offset in the first direction. With this configuration, it becomes possible to detect whether the object to be transported is mounted on the mounting section by detecting the position of the pressing member in the first direction based on the detection result of the detection mechanism. Furthermore, with this configuration, the object to be transported whose end face abuts against the first contact surface and the object to be transported whose end face abuts against the second contact surface are positioned at positions offset in the first direction, and therefore it becomes possible to detect which face of the mounting section the object to be transported is mounted on by detecting the position of the pressing member in the first direction based on the detection result of the detection mechanism.

[0071] In this aspect, for example, the rotation mechanism rotates the pressing member together with the mounting unit relative to the hand base, with the first direction as the rotation axis direction. In this case, the configuration of the hand can be simplified compared to when a mechanism that rotates the pressing member relative to the hand base, with the horizontal direction as the rotation axis direction, is provided separately from the rotation mechanism.

[0072] In this aspect, it is preferable that the rotation mechanism includes a motor and a power transmission mechanism that transmits power of the motor to the mounting unit, the power transmission mechanism including a rotating member made of a pulley or gear that rotates relative to the hand base with the first direction as the rotation axis direction, the end of the mounting unit on the third direction side being fixed to the rotating member, the pressing member being movable in the first direction relative to the rotating member, the rotating member having a spline hole that penetrates in the first direction, the pressing member having a spline shaft portion that is disposed in the spline hole, and the pressing member rotating together with the rotating member when the rotating member rotates. With this configuration, it is possible to rotate the pressing member, which is movable in the first direction relative to the mounting unit and the rotating member, together with the mounting unit with a relatively simple configuration.

[0073] In this aspect, it is preferable that the movement mechanism includes an air cylinder having a rod that moves linearly in the first direction and a slide member fixed to the rod, and that the pressing member is held by the slide member and moves together with the slide member in the first direction, and is rotatable relative to the slide member with the first direction as the axial direction of the rotation. With this configuration, it is possible to move the pressing member, which rotates together with the mounting part, in the first direction with a relatively simple configuration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 2. Robots (industrial robots) 3 Wafers (semiconductor wafers, transported objects) 4 hands 6 Arm 8 Main body 27 Mounting section 28 Hand base 29 Rotating mechanism 30 Pressing member 31 Moving mechanism 32 Detection mechanism 36 Support member (first support member, first tip side support member) 36b Contact surface (1st contact surface) 37 Support member (first support member) 38 Support member (second support member, second tip side support member) 38b Contact surface (second contact surface) 39 Support member (second support member) 41 Motor 42 Power transmission mechanism 44 Pulley (rotating member) 44b spline hole 52b Spline shaft 53 Air cylinder 53b Rod 54 Slide member X 1st direction X1 2nd direction side X2 3rd direction side

Claims

1. In an industrial robot hand that transports an object to be transported, the hand includes a mounting section on which the object to be transported can be mounted, a hand base section constituting a base end side section of the hand, a rotation mechanism that rotates the mounting section by at least 180° relative to the hand base section with the horizontal direction as the axis of rotation, a first support member fixed to one surface of the mounting section, and a second support member fixed to the other surface of the mounting section; the rotation mechanism rotates the mounting portion relative to the hand base between a position where one surface of the mounting portion faces upward and a position where the other surface of the mounting portion faces upward; When one surface of the mounting portion faces upward, the object to be transported mounted on the mounting portion is supported from below by the first support member, A hand characterized in that, when the other surface of the mounting portion faces upward, the transport object mounted on the mounting portion is supported from below by the second support member.

2. When an axial direction of rotation of the mounting portion relative to the hand base is defined as a first direction, one side of the first direction is defined as a second direction, and the side opposite to the second direction is defined as a third direction, the first support member comprises a first tip-side support member disposed on the tip side of the mounting section which is on the second direction side, and the second support member comprises a second tip-side support member disposed on the tip side of the mounting section, and the transport device further comprises a pressing member which contacts an end face of the transport object to press the transport object from the third direction side, and a moving mechanism which linearly moves the pressing member in the first direction, The first tip-side support member is formed with a first contact surface with which an end surface of the object to be conveyed comes into contact, The second tip side support member is formed with a second contact surface with which an end surface of the transport object comes into contact, The hand according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressing member presses the end face of the transport object supported from below by the first support member against the first abutment surface when one surface of the mounting portion faces upward, and presses the end face of the transport object supported from below by the second support member against the second abutment surface when the other surface of the mounting portion faces upward.

3. a detection mechanism for detecting a position of the pressing member in the first direction; The hand according to claim 2, characterized in that the object to be transported whose end surface abuts the first abutment surface and the object to be transported whose end surface abuts the second abutment surface are positioned at positions offset in the first direction.

4. 4. The hand according to claim 2, wherein the rotation mechanism rotates the pressing member together with the mounting portion relative to the hand base, with the first direction as an axial direction of rotation.

5. the rotation mechanism includes a motor and a power transmission mechanism that transmits power of the motor to the mounting portion; the power transmission mechanism includes a rotating member formed of a pulley or a gear that rotates relative to the hand base with the first direction as an axial direction of rotation, an end portion of the mounting portion on the third direction side is fixed to the rotating member; the pressing member is movable in the first direction relative to the rotating member, The rotating member is formed with a spline hole that penetrates in the first direction, the pressing member is formed with a spline shaft portion that is disposed in the spline hole, 5. The hand according to claim 4, wherein when the rotating member rotates, the pressing member rotates together with the rotating member.

6. the movement mechanism includes an air cylinder having a rod that moves linearly in the first direction, and a slide member fixed to the rod; 5. The hand according to claim 4, wherein the pressing member is held by the slide member, moves together with the slide member in the first direction, and is rotatable relative to the slide member with the first direction as an axial direction of rotation.

7. 4. 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.

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