Industrial robot hands and industrial robots

Abstract

The present invention provides an industrial robot hand for transporting objects in environments where liquids such as cleaning water are used, which can reduce the vertical size of the part of the hand on which the object is mounted, while suppressing the adhesion of dirt to the object caused by liquid droplets adhering to the object. [Solution] The hand 7 of the industrial robot 2 that transports the object to be transported 3 comprises a mounting section 20 on which the object to be transported 3 is mounted, and sensors 24 and 25 having detection sections 33 attached to the mounting section 20. The sensors 24 and 25 are equipped with sensor cables that are pulled out from the detection section 33 and routed inside the mounting section 20. In the hand 7, a through hole 20d is formed in the mounting section 20 at a position that avoids the sensor cables, and penetrates the mounting section 20 in the vertical direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hand for an industrial robot. The present invention also relates to an industrial robot.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, industrial robots for transporting semiconductor wafers are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 includes a hand on which a semiconductor wafer is mounted, an arm to which the hand is connected, and a main body part to which the arm is connected. The hand includes a mounting part on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted, and a mounting support part to which the base end side of the mounting part is fixed. An end surface abutting member and a wafer mounting member are fixed to the upper surface of the mounting part. The lower surface of the semiconductor wafer mounted on the mounting part is in contact with the end surface abutting member and the wafer mounting member, and a gap is formed between the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer mounted on the mounting part and the upper surface of the mounting part. Two sets of a light-emitting part and a light-receiving part of a fiber sensor are attached to the mounting part.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 may be used, for example, in a polishing apparatus for polishing semiconductor wafers. In a polishing apparatus, cleaning water is used to clean semiconductor wafers, and droplets of the cleaning water adhere to the semiconductor wafers. When the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 is used in a polishing apparatus, when the industrial robot transports the semiconductor wafers after cleaning, if the semiconductor wafers with water droplets of the cleaning water adhering to their underside are placed on the mounting section, surface tension may cause the water droplets to remain between the underside of the semiconductor wafer and the upper surface of the mounting section, potentially causing dirt to adhere to the semiconductor wafers after cleaning.

[0005] Even when transporting a semiconductor wafer after cleaning using the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to suppress the accumulation of water droplets after cleaning between the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer and the upper surface of the mounting portion by increasing the distance between the upper surface of the end-face contact member and the wafer mounting member and the upper surface of the mounting portion, thereby increasing the gap between the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer mounted on the mounting portion and the upper surface of the mounting portion, and thus suppressing the adhesion of dirt to the semiconductor wafer. However, in this case, the portion of the hand on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted becomes larger in the vertical direction.

[0006] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot hand that transports objects in an environment where liquids such as washing water are used, while miniaturizing the portion of the hand on which the object to be transported is mounted in the vertical direction, and suppressing the adhesion of dirt to the object caused by liquid droplets adhering to the object. Another object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot equipped with such a hand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, an industrial robot hand according to one aspect of the present invention is an industrial robot hand for transporting an object, comprising a mounting section on which the object to be transported is mounted, and a sensor having a detection section attached to the mounting section, wherein the sensor includes a sensor cable that is pulled out from the detection section and routed inside the mounting section, and a through hole is formed in the mounting section at a position that avoids the sensor cable, passing through the mounting section in the vertical direction.

[0008] In the hand of the industrial robot in this embodiment, a through hole is formed in the mounting section at a position that avoids the sensor cable, and penetrates the mounting section vertically. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the gap between the lower surface of the object to be transported and the upper surface of the mounting section is reduced, when an object to be transported with liquid droplets such as cleaning water adhering to its lower surface is placed on the mounting section, it is possible to suppress the accumulation of liquid droplets between the lower surface of the object to be transported and the upper surface of the mounting section. Thus, in this embodiment, it is possible to miniaturize the part of the hand on which the object to be transported is mounted in the vertical direction, while suppressing the adhesion of dirt to the object to be transported caused by liquid droplets adhering to the object.

[0009] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since a through hole is formed in the mounting section at a position that avoids the sensor cable, even if the sensor cable pulled out from the detection unit attached to the mounting section is routed inside the mounting section, it is possible to miniaturize the part of the hand on which the transported object is mounted in the vertical direction while suppressing the adhesion of dirt to the transported object caused by liquid droplets adhering to the transported object.

[0010] The hand according to this embodiment can be used, for example, 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 sensor cable pulled out from the detection unit attached to the mounting unit is routed inside the mounting unit, it is possible to miniaturize the portion of the hand on which the object to be transported is mounted in the vertical direction, while suppressing the adhesion of dirt to the object to be transported caused by liquid droplets adhering to the object. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] As described above, in one aspect of the present invention, in an industrial robot hand that transports objects in an environment where liquids such as washing water are used, it is possible to miniaturize the portion of the hand on which the object to be transported is mounted in the vertical direction, while suppressing the adhesion of dirt to the object caused by liquid droplets adhering to the object. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a side view of a part of the industrial robot shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a plan view of a part of the hand shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a bottom view of a part of the hand shown in Figure 3. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] (Overall configuration of an industrial robot) Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of an industrial robot 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a side view of a part of the industrial robot 2 shown in Figure 1.

[0015] The industrial robot 2 in this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "Robot 2") is a horizontal articulated robot for transporting semiconductor wafers 3 (hereinafter referred to as "Wafer 3"), which are the objects to be transported. The wafer 3 is formed in the shape of a thin disc. The diameter of the wafer 3 is, for example, 300 mm. Robot 2 is installed and used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment is, for example, polishing equipment for polishing wafers 3. Specifically, the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is a CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) device for chemically mechanically polishing wafers 3. The CMP device is equipped with a stage 4 on which wafers 3 are placed. Washing water is used in the CMP device to wash wafers 3.

[0016] Robot 2 performs at least one of the following: loading wafers 3 into stage 4 and unloading wafers 3 from stage 4. In other words, robot 2 transports wafers 3 to stage 4. Robot 2 comprises a hand 7 on which wafers 3 are mounted, an arm 8 to which hand 7 is connected, a main body 9 to which arm 8 is connected, and a case 10 in which main body 9 is housed. Hand 7 is rotatably connected to the tip of arm 8. The base end of arm 8 is rotatably connected to main body 9.

[0017] Arm 8 consists of an arm portion 11 whose base end is rotatably connected to the main body portion 9, and an arm portion 12 whose base end is rotatably connected to the tip end of arm portion 11. Hand 7 is rotatably connected to the tip end of arm portion 12. Hand 7 and arm portions 11 and 12 rotate with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation. The main body portion 9, arm portions 11 and 12, and hand 7 are arranged in this order from bottom to top in the vertical direction. Robot 2 also includes an arm drive mechanism for rotating arm portions 11 and 12, and a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the main body portion 9 relative to the case body 10. The arm drive mechanism and the lifting mechanism are housed in the case body 10.

[0018] The arm 8 performs a horizontal telescoping operation between a position where the arm 8 extends such that the distal end of the hand 7 moves away from the main body 9, and a position where the arm 8 retracts such that the distal end of the hand 7 approaches the main body 9. When the wafer 3 is transferred relative to the stage 4, a part of the hand 7 (specifically, a mounting portion 20, which will be described later and constitutes a part of the hand 7) moves to the installation position of the stage 4 (refer to the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). When the part of the hand 7 moves to the installation position of the stage 4, when viewed from the vertical direction, the hand 7 moves linearly toward the stage 4 in a state oriented in a fixed direction.

[0019] In the following description, the horizontal movement direction of the hand 7 when the part of the hand 7 moves to the installation position of the stage 4 (the X direction in FIG. 1) is defined as the "front-rear direction", and the Y direction in FIG. 1, which is orthogonal to the vertical direction (perpendicular direction) and the front-rear direction, is defined as the "left-right direction". Further, the X1 direction side in FIG. 1, which is one side in the front-rear direction, is defined as the "front" side, the X2 direction side in FIG. 1, which is the opposite side, is defined as the "rear" side, the Y1 direction side in FIG. 1, which is one side in the left-right direction, is defined as the "right" side, and the Y2 direction side in FIG. 1, which is the opposite side, is defined as the "left" side.

[0020] (Configuration of Stage) The stage 4 is arranged on the front side of the main body 9. The stage 4 includes four cylindrical support pins 13 to 16 that come into contact with the lower surface of the wafer 3 to support the wafer 3 from below, and a stage main body 17 to which the support pins 13 to 16 are fixed. The wafer 3 is placed on the four support pins 13 to 16. The stage main body 17 is formed with a notch 17b through which the below-described mounting portion 20 can pass in the vertical direction. The notch 17b is notched forward from the rear end of the stage main body 17.

[0021] The support pin 13 is fixed to the front right end side of the stage main body 17. The support pin 14 is fixed to the front left end side of the stage main body 17. The support pin 15 is fixed to the rear right end side of the stage main body 17. The support pin 16 is fixed to the rear left end side of the stage main body 17. The support pin 13 and the support pin 14 are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction, and the support pin 15 and the support pin 16 are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction. The support pin 13 and the support pin 15 are arranged at the same position in the left-right direction, and the support pin 14 and the support pin 16 are arranged at the same position in the left-right direction.

[0022] When viewed from the vertical direction in a state where the wafer 3 is placed at the regular position of the stage 4, if the position of the stage 4 that coincides with the center of the wafer 3 is defined as the stage center position C1, the positional accuracy of the four support pins 13 to 16 relative to the stage center position C1 is ensured. In the present embodiment, when viewed from the vertical direction, the intersection of the line CL1 connecting the center of the support pin 13 and the center of the support pin 16 and the line CL2 connecting the center of the support pin 14 and the center of the support pin 15 is the stage center position C1.

[0023] (Configuration of the hand) FIG. 3 is a plan view of a part of the hand 7 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a part of the hand 7 shown in FIG. 3.

[0024] The hand 7 is formed, for example, such that its outer shape when viewed from the vertical direction is substantially rectangular. When a part of the hand 7 moves to the installation position of the stage 4, the direction parallel to the long side of the substantially rectangular hand 7 (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as the "long side direction of the hand 7") coincides with the front-rear direction, and the direction parallel to the short side of the hand 7 (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as the "short side direction of the hand 7") coincides with the left-right direction. The hand 7 includes a mounting portion 20 on which the wafer 3 is mounted, a mounting support portion 21 to which the base end side of the mounting portion 20 is fixed, and a hand base portion 22 constituting the base end side portion of the hand 7.

[0025] The mounting section 20, the mounting support section 21, and the hand base section 22 are arranged in this order along the long side of the hand 7. The hand base section 22 is rotatably connected to the tip of the arm section 12. The mounting support section 21 is rotatably connected to the hand base section 22. The mounting support section 21 is rotatable relative to the hand base section 22 with the horizontal direction as the axis of rotation. Specifically, the mounting support section 21 is rotatable relative to the hand base section 22 with the long side of the hand 7 as the axis of rotation.

[0026] The mounting section 20 is formed in the shape of a roughly rectangular flat plate. When a wafer 3 is mounted, the thickness direction of the mounting section 20 coincides with the vertical direction. The wafer 3 is mounted on the mounting section 20 so that its thickness direction and vertical direction coincide. The mounting section 20 is positioned so that the direction parallel to the long side of the roughly rectangular mounting section 20 coincides with the long side direction of the hand 7. The width of the mounting section 20 in the direction of the short side of the hand 7 is narrower than the width of the notch 17b of the stage body 17 in the left-right direction. The mounting support section 21 is formed in the shape of a flat rectangular block with a thin thickness in the vertical direction. The mounting support section 21 is also formed in a hollow shape.

[0027] The hand 7 is equipped with a holding mechanism 23 for holding the wafer 3 mounted on the mounting section 20 in a fixed position in the horizontal direction. The holding mechanism 23 is an edge-grip type holding mechanism that contacts the end face (outer peripheral surface) of the wafer 3 mounted on the mounting section 20 from three directions to hold the wafer 3 mounted on the mounting section 20 in a fixed position in the horizontal direction. The hand 7 is also equipped with sensors 24 and 25 for detecting the support pins 13 to 16 of the stage 4. In this embodiment, the hand 7 is equipped with two sensors 24 and 25.

[0028] The holding mechanism 23 includes an end-face contact member 27 having a contact surface against which the end face of the wafer 3 abuts, a pressing member 28 that contacts the end face of the wafer 3 and presses the end face of the wafer 3 against the contact surface of the end-face contact member 27, and a drive mechanism (not shown) that moves the pressing member 28 linearly in the horizontal direction. The end-face contact member 27 is fixed to the upper surface of the mounting section 20. The end-face contact member 27 is also fixed at two locations on the tip side of the mounting section 20. Two wafer mounting members 29 on which the wafer 3 is placed are fixed to the base end side of the mounting section 20. In other words, the hand 7 is equipped with two wafer mounting members 29. The wafer mounting members 29 are fixed to the upper surface of the mounting section 20. Note that the pressing member 28 is not shown in Figure 2.

[0029] The lower surface of the wafer 3 mounted on the mounting section 20 is in contact with the end face contact member 27 and the wafer mounting member 29. A gap is formed between the lower surface of the wafer 3 mounted on the mounting section 20 and the upper surface of the mounting section 20 (see Figure 2). The pressing member 28 is movably held in the mounting support section 21. The drive mechanism is housed inside the hollow mounting support section 21. The drive mechanism moves the pressing member 28 between a gripping position in which the pressing member 28 contacts the end face of the wafer 3 and presses the end face of the wafer 3 against the contact surface of the end face contact member 27, and a retracted position in which the pressing member 28 moves away from the end face of the wafer 3.

[0030] Sensors 24 and 25 are through-type optical sensors having a light-emitting unit 31 and a light-receiving unit 32. Specifically, sensors 24 and 25 are through-type fiber sensors. The light-emitting unit 31 and the light-receiving unit 32 are mounted on the mounting unit 20. The light-emitting unit 31 and the light-receiving unit 32 are spaced apart. In this embodiment, the light-emitting unit 31 and the light-receiving unit 32 constitute a detection unit 33. That is, two detection units 33 are mounted on the mounting unit 20.

[0031] The detection unit 33 of sensor 24 is attached to the front end of the mounting unit 20. The detection unit 33 of sensor 25 is attached to the base end of the mounting unit 20. The detection units 33 of sensor 24 and sensor 25 are arranged approximately diagonally across the roughly rectangular mounting unit 20. In this embodiment, when the long side direction of hand 7 coincides with the front-to-back direction, and the front end of the mounting unit 20 is positioned towards the front, the detection unit 33 of sensor 24 is positioned at the front right end of the mounting unit 20, and the detection unit 33 of sensor 25 is positioned at the rear left end of the mounting unit 20.

[0032] The pitch between the detection unit 33 of sensor 24 and the detection unit 33 of sensor 25 in the long-side direction of hand 7 is equal to the pitch between support pins 13 and 16 in the front-to-back direction, and the pitch between support pins 14 and 15 in the front-to-back direction. The optical axis L of the detection unit 33 (specifically, the optical axis L of the light-emitting unit 31 and the light-receiving unit 32, see Figure 4) is parallel to the horizontal direction. In addition, the optical axis L of the detection unit 33 is inclined with respect to the long-side direction and the short-side direction of hand 7. The inclination of the optical axis L of the detection unit 33 of sensor 24 with respect to the long-side direction of hand 7 is equal to the inclination of the optical axis L of the detection unit 33 of sensor 25 with respect to the long-side direction of hand 7.

[0033] In this embodiment, when teaching robot 2, robot 2 moves its hand 7 and detects the positions of support pins 13-16 using sensors 24 and 25. Also, when teaching robot 2, robot 2 calculates the stage center position C1 based on the detection results of sensors 24 and 25 and corrects the position of hand 7. The method for correcting the position of hand 7 is the same as the correction method described in Patent Document 1 above, so a detailed explanation of the method for correcting the position of hand 7 is omitted.

[0034] Sensors 24 and 25 are equipped with a fiber amplifier 34 as a sensor amplifier. Sensors 24 and 25 are also equipped with a fiber cable 35 as a sensor cable connecting the detection unit 33 and the fiber amplifier 34. Specifically, each of sensors 24 and 25 is equipped with two fiber cables 35: one fiber cable 35 that transmits light by connecting the light-emitting unit 31 and the fiber amplifier 34, and another fiber cable 35 that transmits light by connecting the light-receiving unit 32 and the fiber amplifier 34. In sensors 24 and 25, the light-emitting unit 31, the light-receiving unit 32, and the two fiber cables 35 constitute a fiber unit.

[0035] In this embodiment, the fiber amplifier 34 of sensor 24 and the fiber amplifier 34 of sensor 25 are integrated. The fiber amplifier 34 is located in the mounting support section 21. Specifically, the fiber amplifier 34 is housed inside the hollow mounting support section 21. The fiber amplifier 34 includes a light-emitting element connected to the light-emitting section 31 via a fiber cable 35, a light-receiving element connected to the light-receiving section 32 via a fiber cable 35, and a detection circuit, etc. Note that the fiber amplifier 34 of sensor 24 and the fiber amplifier 34 of sensor 25 may be separate components.

[0036] As described above, the mounting portion 20 is formed in the shape of a roughly rectangular flat plate. The mounting portion 20 has notches 20b formed to prevent interference with the support pins 13-16. The notches 20b are formed at one location on the tip side of the mounting portion 20 and at one location on the base side of the mounting portion 20. Also, as described above, the detection portion 33 of the sensor 24 is attached to the tip side of the mounting portion 20, and the detection portion 33 of the sensor 25 is attached to the base side of the mounting portion 20. The light-emitting portion 31 and light-receiving portion 32 of the sensor 24 are arranged so as to sandwich the notches 20b formed on the tip side of the mounting portion 20. The light-emitting portion 31 and light-receiving portion 32 of the sensor 25 are arranged so as to sandwich the notches 20b formed on the base side of the mounting portion 20.

[0037] The mounting section 20 has cable routing recesses 20c formed therein for routing four fiber optic cables 35. The cable routing recesses 20c are recessed from the bottom surface of the mounting section 20 upwards. The four fiber optic cables 35 are arranged inside the cable routing recesses 20c. The light-emitting section 31 and the light-receiving section 32 are also arranged inside the cable routing recesses 20c. The mounting section 20 is equipped with a cover (not shown) that closes the cable routing recesses 20c from below. In other words, the fiber optic cables 35 drawn out from the detection section 33 are routed inside the mounting section 20.

[0038] When the long side direction and front-to-back direction of the hand 7 coincide, and the tip of the mounting section 20 is positioned towards the front, the two fiber cables 35 drawn from the detection section 33 of the sensor 25 are routed diagonally to the front right with a gap between them, and then routed horizontally adjacent to each other towards the rear. Also, when the long side direction and front-to-back direction of the hand 7 coincide, and the tip of the mounting section 20 is positioned towards the front, the two fiber cables 35 drawn from the detection section 33 of the sensor 24 are routed diagonally to the rear left with a gap between them, and then routed horizontally adjacent to each other towards the rear.

[0039] The two fiber cables 35 of sensor 24, which are routed horizontally adjacent to each other towards the rear, are routed to avoid the two fiber cables 35 of sensor 25. The four fiber cables 35 are bundled together at the base end of the mounting section 20, adjacent to each other horizontally. The four fiber cables 35 bundled at the base end of the mounting section 20 are pulled out from the cable arrangement recess 20c to the upper surface of the mounting section 20.

[0040] The fiber optic cable 35, which is pulled out to the upper side of the mounting section 20, is routed into the mounting support section 21. The mounting support section 21 has a through hole formed therein for routing the fiber optic cable 35 inside. A sealing member (rubber bushing) is placed between the inner circumferential surface of this through hole and the fiber optic cable 35 to prevent liquids such as cleaning water from entering the inside of the mounting support section 21.

[0041] In the mounting section 20, a through-hole 20d for drainage is formed in a location (area) that avoids the cable placement recess 20c, penetrating the mounting section 20 in the vertical direction. In other words, a through-hole 20d is formed in the mounting section 20 in a location that avoids the fiber optic cable 35. Multiple through-holes 20d are formed in the mounting section 20. The multiple through-holes 20d are formed in such a way that the sum of the areas of the multiple through-holes 20d is as large as possible, while ensuring the minimum necessary strength of the mounting section 20 in which the cable placement recess 20c is formed.

[0042] In this embodiment, five through-holes 20d are formed in the mounting section 20. Specifically, when the long side direction of the hand 7 coincides with the front-to-back direction, and the tip of the mounting section 20 is positioned towards the front, the through-holes 20d are formed in a total of five locations: between two fiber cables 35 that are routed diagonally to the left rear at a distance from the detection section 33 of the sensor 24, at two locations on the front side, then at two locations on either side of the two fiber cables 35 that are routed horizontally adjacent to each other towards the rear, and at one location between two fiber cables 35 that are routed diagonally to the right front at a distance from the detection section 33 of the sensor 25.

[0043] (Main effects of this form) As described above, in this embodiment, a through hole 20d is formed in the mounting section 20 on which the wafer 3 is mounted, at a position that avoids the fiber cable 35, and penetrates the mounting section 20 in the vertical direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the gap between the lower surface of the wafer 3 mounted on the mounting section 20 and the upper surface of the mounting section 20 is reduced (i.e., even if the vertical thickness of the end face contact member 27 and the wafer mounting member 29 is reduced), it is possible to suppress the accumulation of liquid droplets between the lower surface of the wafer 3 and the upper surface of the mounting section 20 when a wafer 3 with liquid droplets such as cleaning water adhering to its lower surface is mounted on the mounting section 20. Thus, in this embodiment, it is possible to miniaturize the portion of the hand 7 on which the wafer 3 is mounted in the vertical direction, while suppressing the adhesion of dirt to the wafer 3 caused by liquid droplets adhering to the wafer 3.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since through holes 20d are formed in the mounting section 20 at a position that avoids the fiber cable 35, even if the fiber cable 35 connecting the detection unit 33 attached to the mounting section 20 and the sensor amplifier 34 located on the mounting support section 21 is routed inside the mounting section 20, it is possible to miniaturize the portion of the hand 7 on which the wafer 3 is mounted in the vertical direction while suppressing the adhesion of dirt to the wafer 3 caused by liquid droplets adhering to the wafer 3. In addition, in this embodiment, since multiple through holes 20d are formed in the mounting section 20, when a wafer 3 with liquid droplets such as cleaning water adhering to its lower surface is mounted on the mounting section 20, it is possible to effectively suppress the accumulation of liquid droplets between the lower surface of the wafer 3 and the upper surface of the mounting section 20.

[0045] (Other embodiments) The above-described embodiments are examples of preferred embodiments of the present invention, but are not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without altering the essence of the invention.

[0046] In the above-described configuration, sensors 24 and 25 may be retroreflective fiber sensors or reflective fiber sensors. Furthermore, sensors 24 and 25 may be optical sensors other than fiber sensors or sensors other than optical sensors. Also, in the above-described configuration, the hand 7 may have only one sensor. For example, the hand 7 may have only sensor 24. That is, only one detection unit 33 may be attached to the mounting unit 20. Moreover, in the above-described configuration, the hand 7 may have three or more sensors. That is, three detection units 33 may be attached to the mounting unit 20.

[0047] In the above-described embodiment, the number of through holes 20d formed in the mounting section 20 may be one. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the mounting section 20 does not need to be rotatable relative to the hand base 22. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the main body 9, arm section 11, arm section 12, and hand 7 may be arranged in this order from top to bottom in the vertical direction. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the robot 2 may be equipped with multiple hands 7 and arms 8. For example, the robot 2 may be a double-arm type robot equipped with two hands 7 and arms 8. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the arm 8 may be composed of three or more arm sections. For example, the arm 8 may be a three-link arm composed of three arm sections.

[0048] In the above-described embodiment, the object to be transported by the robot 2 may be something other than the wafer 3. In this case, the object to be transported may be formed in the shape of a square or rectangular flat plate, for example. 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 a so-called linear type industrial robot, such as the industrial robot disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-25585, which includes an arm to which the hand 7 is connected so as to enable linear reciprocal movement of the hand 7, a main body to which the arm is rotatably connected, and a linear drive unit that moves the hand 7 linearly back and forth relative to the arm.

[0049] (Configuration of this technology) Furthermore, this technology can be configured as follows: (1) In the hand of an industrial robot that transports objects, The system comprises a mounting section on which the object to be transported is mounted, and a sensor having a detection unit attached to the mounting section. The sensor includes a sensor cable that is drawn out from the detection unit and routed inside the mounting unit. The hand is characterized in that a through hole is formed in the mounting portion at a position that avoids the sensor cable, and the through hole penetrates the mounting portion in the vertical direction. (2) The base end of the mounting portion is provided with a mounting support portion, The sensor includes a sensor amplifier located on the mounting support portion, The hand according to (1), characterized in that the sensor cable connects the detection unit and the sensor amplifier. (3) The hand according to (1) or (2), characterized in that a plurality of through holes are formed in the mounting portion. (4) The hand according to any one of (1) to (3), characterized in that two detection units, each consisting of a light-receiving unit and a light-emitting unit, are attached to the mounting unit at an interval. (5) An industrial robot comprising a hand as described in any of (1) to (4), an arm to which the hand is connected, and a main body to which the arm is connected.

[0050] In this technology, for example, the hand includes a mounting support to which the base end of the mounting section is fixed, the sensor includes a sensor amplifier located on the mounting support, and the sensor cable connects the detection unit and the sensor amplifier. In this case, even if the sensor cable connecting the detection unit attached to the mounting section and the sensor amplifier located on the mounting support is routed inside the mounting section, it becomes possible to miniaturize the part of the hand on which the object to be transported is mounted in the vertical direction, while suppressing the adhesion of dirt to the object to be transported caused by liquid droplets adhering to the object.

[0051] In this technology, it is preferable that the mounting section has multiple through holes. With this configuration, when an object to be transported, on which liquid droplets such as washing water adhere to the lower surface, is mounted on the mounting section, it is possible to effectively suppress the accumulation of liquid droplets between the lower surface of the object to be transported and the upper surface of the mounting section.

[0052] In this technology, for example, the mounting unit is equipped with two detection units, each consisting of a light-receiving unit and a light-emitting unit, which are spaced apart from each other. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0053] 2. Robots (Industrial Robots) 3. Wafer (semiconductor wafer, object to be transported) 7 Hand 8 Arms 9 Main body 20 Mounting section 20d through hole 21 Mounting support section 24, 25 Sensors 31 Light-emitting part 32 Light receiving part 33 Detection unit 34. Fiber Amplifier (Sensor Amplifier) 35 Fiber optic cables (sensor cables)

Claims

1. In the hand of an industrial robot that transports objects, The system comprises a mounting section on which the object to be transported is mounted, and a sensor having a detection unit attached to the mounting section. The sensor includes a sensor cable that is drawn out from the detection unit and routed inside the mounting unit. The hand is characterized in that a through hole is formed in the mounting portion at a position that avoids the sensor cable, and the through hole penetrates the mounting portion in the vertical direction.

2. The mounting support portion is provided to which the base end of the mounting portion is fixed, The sensor includes a sensor amplifier located on the mounting support portion, The hand according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor cable connects the detection unit and the sensor amplifier.

3. The hand according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plurality of through holes are formed in the mounting portion.

4. The hand according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that two detection units, each consisting of a light-receiving unit and a light-emitting unit, are attached to the mounting unit at an interval.

5. An industrial robot comprising a hand according to claim 1 or 2, an arm to which the hand is connected, and a main body to which the arm is connected.

Images