Manufacturing Systems

Abstract

To provide an industrial robot which transports an object to be transported in a vacuum and enables improvement of versatility and simplification of a seal structure of a border portion between a vacuum region and an atmospheric region.SOLUTION: An industrial robot 1 includes: two hands 8, 9; an arm 10 having two tip side arm parts 13, 14 to which the hands 8, 9 are rotatably connected and a common arm part 15 to which the two tip side arm parts 13, 14 are rotatably connected; a swing arm 11 in which the common arm part 15 is rotatably connected to the tip side; a body part 12 to which a base end side of the swing arm 11 is rotatably connected; an arm drive mechanism which causes the arm 10 to expand or contract relative to the swing arm 11 to move the hands 8, 9 linearly in a horizontal direction and rotates the common arm part 15 relative to the swing arm 11; and a swing arm drive mechanism which rotates the swing arm 11 relative to the body part 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an industrial robot for transporting an object to be transported. Equipped with This relates to a manufacturing system that can [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an industrial robot that transports glass substrates for liquid crystal displays in a vacuum has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 includes two hands, an arm to which the two hands are rotatably connected, and a main body to which the arms are rotatably connected. The arm is composed of two tip-side arm sections to which the tips of the two hands are rotatably connected, and one common arm section to which the base ends of the two tip-side arm sections are rotatably connected.

[0003] In the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, the hand is movable linearly in the horizontal direction relative to the main body. Specifically, when viewed from above, the hand is movable relative to the main body along a straight line passing through the center of rotation of the common arm relative to the main body, and is movable radially around the center of rotation of the common arm relative to the main body. In other words, when viewed from above, the hand is movable in a radial direction around the center of rotation of the common arm, and the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 is capable of transporting glass substrates in a radial direction around the center of rotation of the common arm.

[0004] In the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, the hands, arms, and upper end portions of the main body are arranged in a vacuum chamber. That is, the hands, arms, and upper end portions of the main body are arranged in a vacuum region (in a vacuum). A seal member is provided at the boundary between the vacuum region and the atmospheric region to prevent air from flowing from the atmospheric region into the vacuum region. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-15839 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 is capable of transporting glass substrates in a radial direction around the center of rotation of the common arm relative to the main body, but is unable to transport glass substrates in directions other than the radial direction. Therefore, while this industrial robot can be used in specific manufacturing systems, the manufacturing systems in which it can be used are limited. In other words, the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 does not have high versatility. To enhance the versatility of this industrial robot, for example, a movement mechanism for moving the main body horizontally could be provided. However, in this case, the main body, the upper end of which is located in a vacuum region, moves horizontally, complicating the sealing structure at the boundary between the vacuum region and the atmospheric region.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot that transports an object in a vacuum. And An industrial robot that can enhance versatility and simplify the seal structure at the boundary between a vacuum area and an atmospheric area Equipped with The purpose of this invention is to provide a manufacturing system that can [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention Manufacturing Systemsthe arm has two hands on which an object to be transported is placed, two tip arm sections to which the two hands are rotatably connected at their tip ends with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation, and a common arm section to which the base ends of the two tip arm sections are rotatably connected with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation, a swing arm to which the common arm section is rotatably connected at its tip end with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation, a main body section to which the base end side of the swing arm is rotatably connected with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation, an arm drive mechanism that extends and retracts the arm relative to the swing arm to linearly move the hand in the horizontal direction and rotate the common arm section relative to the swing arm, and a swing arm drive mechanism that rotates the swing arm relative to the main body section. have industrial robots and a transfer chamber having a rectangular or square shape when viewed from above and below, one of the two hands being the first hand and the other hand being the second hand, the tip-side arm section to which the first hand is connected being the first tip-side arm section, and the tip-side arm section to which the second hand is connected being the second tip-side arm section, the arm drive mechanism comprises a first drive mechanism that rotates the first tip-side arm section relative to the common arm section and rotates the first hand relative to the first tip-side arm section, a second drive mechanism that rotates the second tip-side arm section relative to the common arm section and rotates the second hand relative to the second tip-side arm section, and a third drive mechanism that rotates the common arm section relative to the swing arm, and the hand, arm, and swing arm are arranged inside the transfer chamber. When the direction parallel to one side of the transfer chamber, which is rectangular or square when viewed from above, is defined as the first direction, the direction from the base end of the hand toward the tip of the hand is defined as the hand longitudinal direction, and the center of rotation of the swing arm relative to the main body is defined as the arm rotation center, when the swing arm rotates, the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism are stopped and the tip side of the swing arm is located on one side of the arm rotation center in the first direction, or when the tip side of the swing arm is located on the other side of the arm rotation center in the first direction, the hand longitudinal direction is inclined with respect to the first direction, and the third drive mechanism rotates the common arm portion relative to the swing arm so that the orientation of the hand remains constant. It is characterized by:

[0009] The present invention So, The industrial robot includes a swing arm to which a common arm is rotatably connected at its tip end, a main body to which the swing arm is rotatably connected at its base end, an arm drive mechanism that moves a hand horizontally linearly relative to the swing arm and rotates the common arm relative to the swing arm, and a swing arm drive mechanism that rotates the swing arm relative to the main body. Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to use the swing arm to transport an object in directions other than the radial direction about the rotation center of the swing arm relative to the main body. Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to increase the versatility of the industrial robot.

[0010] Furthermore, with the present invention, it is possible to transport the object to be transported in a direction other than the radial direction centered on the center of rotation of the swing arm relative to the main body without moving the main body horizontally, so that even if, for example, the upper end portion of the main body is placed in the vacuum zone in addition to the hand, arm, and swing arm, it is possible to simplify the sealing structure at the boundary between the vacuum zone and the atmospheric zone.

[0012] Also, The present invention Manufacturing SystemsThe transfer chamber has a rectangular or square shape when viewed from above. are In this manufacturing system, the hand, arm, and swing arm are disposed inside a transfer chamber, and when viewed from above, the transfer chamber is rectangular or square. The first direction is a direction parallel to one side of the transfer chamber, the direction from the base end of the hand to the tip of the hand is the hand longitudinal direction, and the center of rotation of the swing arm relative to the main body is the arm rotation center. When the swing arm rotates, the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism are stopped, and the swing arm rotates with the tip end of the swing arm positioned on one side of the arm rotation center in the first direction, or with the tip end of the swing arm positioned on the other side of the arm rotation center in the first direction. The hand moves in a direction perpendicular to the first direction. When the hand is moved, the longitudinal direction of the hand is inclined with respect to the first direction, and the third drive mechanism rotates the common arm portion with respect to the swing arm so that the orientation of the hand is constant. do.

[0013] In the present invention When the swing arm rotates, the longitudinal direction of the hand is tilted with respect to the first direction, and the third drive mechanism rotates the common arm portion relative to the swing arm so that the orientation of the hand is constant. Therefore, even if the width of the transfer chamber in the first direction is narrow, it is possible to prevent interference between the inner wall surface of the transfer chamber in the first direction and the hand and arm when the swing arm rotates. ,vinegar When the swing arm rotates, the third drive mechanism rotates the common arm portion relative to the swing arm so that the orientation of the hand remains constant, making it possible to stabilize the state of the object to be transported loaded on the hand when the swing arm is rotating.

[0014] In the present invention, when the swing arm rotates with the tip end of the swing arm positioned on one side of the arm rotation center in the first direction, or with the tip end of the swing arm positioned on the other side of the arm rotation center in the first direction, the longitudinal direction of the hand is inclined by 90° relative to the first direction, for example. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] As described above, the present invention makes it possible to increase the versatility of industrial robots that transport objects in a vacuum, and also makes it possible to simplify the sealing structure at the boundary between the vacuum area and the atmospheric area. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a state in which an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated into a manufacturing system. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the internal configuration of the arm and swing arm shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the internal configuration of the main body shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a plan view for explaining a state during a swing arm rotation operation of the industrial robot shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a plan view for explaining a state during a swing arm rotation operation of the industrial robot shown in FIG. 1. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0018] (Configuration of industrial robots and manufacturing systems) Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a state in which an industrial robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated into a manufacturing system 3. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the internal configuration of an arm 10 and a swing arm 11 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the internal configuration of a main body 12 shown in Fig. 1.

[0019] The industrial robot 1 (hereinafter referred to as "robot 1") of this embodiment is a robot for transporting objects to be transported, such as a glass substrate 2 for an organic EL (organic electroluminescence) display or a glass substrate 2 for a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as "substrate 2"). The robot 1 is a horizontal articulated robot that is incorporated into a display manufacturing system 3 for use. The robot 1 transports the substrate 2 in a vacuum.

[0020] The manufacturing system 3 includes a transfer chamber 4 (hereinafter referred to as "chamber 4") and multiple process chambers 5 and 6 (hereinafter referred to as "chambers 5 and 6") arranged around the chamber 4. The manufacturing system 3 includes, for example, two chambers 5 and two chambers 6. The chambers 4 to 6 are vacuum chambers, and the interiors of the chambers 4 to 6 are vacuum chambers. A part of the robot 1 is arranged inside the chamber 4. The robot 1 transfers the substrate 2 between the chambers 5 and 6 by inserting a fork part 19 (described below) that constitutes part of the robot 1 into the chambers 5 and 6. Various devices and the like are arranged in the chambers 5 and 6, and the substrate 2 transferred by the robot 1 is stored therein. Furthermore, various processes are performed on the substrate 2 in the chambers 5 and 6.

[0021] The chamber 4 is formed, for example, in the shape of a substantially rectangular box that has a square shape when viewed from above. In the following description, one of two directions parallel to the outer peripheral surface of the chamber 4 that forms a square shape when viewed from above (the X direction in FIG. 1) is referred to as the "front-rear direction," and the other direction perpendicular to the up-down and front-rear directions (the Y direction in FIG. 1) is referred to as the "left-right direction." Furthermore, one side in the front-rear direction (the X1 direction in FIG. 1) is referred to as the "front" side, the opposite side of the front side (the X2 direction in FIG. 1) is referred to as the "rear" side, one side in the left-right direction (the Y1 direction in FIG. 1) is referred to as the "right" side, and the opposite side of the right side (the Y2 direction in FIG. 1) is referred to as the "left" side.

[0022] The two chambers 5 are arranged behind chamber 4. The two chambers 5 are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. The two chambers 6 are arranged in front of chamber 4. The two chambers 6 are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. Gates are installed at the connection between chamber 4 and chamber 5, and at the connection between chamber 4 and chamber 6.

[0023] The robot 1 includes hands 8, 9 on which the substrate 2 is mounted, an arm 10 to which the hands 8, 9 are connected, a swing arm 11 to which the arm 10 is connected, and a main body 12 to which the swing arm 11 is connected. The robot 1 in this embodiment includes two hands 8, 9. The hands 8, 9 are rotatably connected to the arm 10. Specifically, the hands 8, 9 are rotatably connected to the tip end of the arm 10. The arm 10 is rotatably connected to the tip end of the swing arm 11. Specifically, the base end side of the arm 10 is rotatably connected to the tip end side of the swing arm 11. The base end side of the swing arm 11 is rotatably connected to the main body 12.

[0024] The arm 10 includes two tip-side arm sections 13, 14 to which the two hands 8, 9 are rotatably connected at their tip ends, and a common arm section 15 to which the base ends of the two tip-side arm sections 13, 14 are rotatably connected and which is also rotatably connected to the tip side of the swing arm 11. The arm 10 in this embodiment is composed of the two tip-side arm sections 13, 14 and one common arm section 15.

[0025] The hand 8 is rotatably connected to the tip side of the tip side arm section 13. The hand 9 is rotatably connected to the tip side of the tip side arm section 14. In this embodiment, the hand 8 is the first hand, and the hand 9 is the second hand. In addition, the tip side arm section 13 in this embodiment is the first tip side arm section, and the tip side arm section 14 is the second tip side arm section.

[0026] The hand 8 is rotatable relative to the tip-side arm portion 13 with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation. The hand 9 is rotatable relative to the tip-side arm portion 14 with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation. The tip-side arms 13, 14 are rotatable relative to the common arm portion 15 with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation. The common arm portion 15 is rotatable relative to the swing arm 11 with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation. The swing arm 11 is rotatable relative to the main body portion 12 with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation.

[0027] The hand 8 is arranged above the hand 9. The tip side arm portion 13 is arranged above the hand 8. The tip side arm portion 14 is arranged below the hand 9. The common arm portion 15 is arranged below the tip side arm portion 14. That is, the tip side arm portions 13, 14 are arranged above the common arm portion 15. The common arm portion 15 is arranged above the swing arm 11. That is, the arm 10 is arranged above the swing arm 11. The swing arm 11 is arranged above the main body portion 12.

[0028] The main body 12 is composed of a case body 16 (see FIG. 3) formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a lid body 17 that covers the opening at the top end of the case body 16. The outer diameter of the lid body 17 is larger than the outer diameter of the case body 16. The outer peripheral portion of the lid body 17 forms a flange 17a that extends radially outward from the case body 16. If the center of rotation of the swing arm 11 relative to the main body 12 is defined as an arm rotation center C, the center of the chamber 4 and the arm rotation center C coincide when viewed from the top-bottom direction. In other words, the main body 12 is installed so that the center of the chamber 4 and the arm rotation center C coincide.

[0029] In this embodiment, the part of the robot 1 above the lower surface of the flange 17a is disposed in the chamber 4, and the hands 8, 9, arm 10, and swing arm 11 are also disposed in the chamber 4. That is, the part of the robot 1 above the lower surface of the flange 17a is disposed in a vacuum region VR (in a vacuum) (see FIG. 3). On the other hand, the part of the robot 1 below the lower surface of the flange 17a is disposed in an atmospheric region AR (in the atmosphere).

[0030] The hands 8 and 9 each include a base 18 connected to the arm 10 and a fork 19 on which the substrate 2 is mounted. The base 18 of the hand 8 is rotatably connected to the tip of the tip-side arm 13, and the base 18 of the hand 9 is rotatably connected to the tip of the tip-side arm 14. The fork 19 is fixed to the base 18 so as to protrude horizontally from the base 18. The substrate 2 is mounted on the tip-side portion of the fork 19. In this embodiment, the chambers 5 and 6 are deep, and the fork 19 is long. That is, the hands 8 and 9 are long.

[0031] The tip-side arms 13 and 14 are formed in a block shape that has an elongated oval shape when viewed from the top-bottom direction and is relatively thin in thickness in the top-bottom direction. The common arm 15 is formed in a generally V-shaped block shape. A central portion (vertex portion) of the generally V-shaped common arm 15 is rotatably connected to the tip side of the swing arm 11. Furthermore, the base end side of the tip-side arm 13 is rotatably connected to one tip side of the generally V-shaped common arm 15, and the base end side of the tip-side arm 14 is rotatably connected to the other tip side of the common arm 15. The swing arm 11 is formed in a block shape that has an elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the top-bottom direction and is relatively thin in thickness in the top-bottom direction.

[0032] The tip arm portions 13, 14 and the common arm portion 15 are formed to be hollow. That is, the arm 10 is formed to be hollow. Also, the swing arm 11 is formed to be hollow. The insides of the tip arm portions 13, 14, which are formed to be hollow, are vacuum. On the other hand, the insides of the common arm portion 15 and the swing arm 11, which are formed to be hollow, are at atmospheric pressure.

[0033] In the horizontal direction, the distance between the rotation center of the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 and the rotation center of the tip-side arm portion 13 relative to the common arm portion 15 is equal to the distance between the rotation center of the tip-side arm portion 13 relative to the common arm portion 15 and the rotation center of the hand 8 relative to the tip-side arm portion 13, and the distance between the rotation center of the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 and the rotation center of the tip-side arm portion 14 relative to the common arm portion 15 is equal to the distance between the rotation center of the tip-side arm portion 14 relative to the common arm portion 15 and the rotation center of the hand 9 relative to the tip-side arm portion 14. Furthermore, in the horizontal direction, the distance between the rotation center of the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 and the rotation center of the tip-side arm portion 13 relative to the common arm portion 15 is equal to the distance between the rotation center of the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 and the rotation center of the tip-side arm portion 14 relative to the common arm portion 15.

[0034] The arm 10 is extendable relative to the swing arm 11 between an extended position where the tips of the hands 8, 9 (specifically, the tips of the fork portion 19) are separated from a joint portion 20, which is a connection portion between the swing arm 11 and the common arm portion 15, and a retracted position where the tips of the hands 8, 9 are separated from the joint portion 20. In this embodiment, when the portion of the arm 10 on the tip-side arm portion 13 side is extended so that the tip of the hand 8 is separated from the joint portion 20, the portion of the arm 10 on the tip-side arm portion 14 side is retracted, and when the portion of the arm 10 on the tip-side arm portion 14 side is extended so that the tip of the hand 9 is separated from the joint portion 20, the portion of the arm 10 on the tip-side arm portion 13 side is retracted. When the arm 10 is retracted relative to the swing arm 11, the hands 8, 9 move linearly in the horizontal direction while facing in a fixed direction relative to the swing arm 11.

[0035] (Arm drive mechanism, swing arm drive mechanism, brake mechanism, etc.) As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the robot 1 is equipped with an arm drive mechanism 24 that moves the hands 8 and 9 horizontally and linearly relative to the swing arm 11 and rotates the arm 10 relative to the swing arm 11, a swing arm drive mechanism 25 that rotates the swing arm 11 relative to the main body 12, a brake mechanism 26 that stops the rotation of the swing arm 11 relative to the main body 12, and a swing arm lifting mechanism 27 that raises and lowers the swing arm 11 relative to the main body 12.

[0036] The arm drive mechanism 24 extends and retracts the arm 10 relative to the swing arm 11 to linearly move the hands 8 and 9 in the horizontal direction (i.e., extends and retracts the arm 10 to linearly move the hands 8 and 9 in the horizontal direction relative to the swing arm 11), and also rotates the common arm unit 15 relative to the swing arm 11. The arm drive mechanism 24 includes a first drive mechanism 31 that rotates the tip-side arm unit 13 relative to the common arm unit 15 and rotates the hand 8 relative to the tip-side arm unit 13, a second drive mechanism 32 that rotates the tip-side arm unit 14 relative to the common arm unit 15 and rotates the hand 9 relative to the tip-side arm unit 14, and a third drive mechanism 33 that rotates the common arm unit 15 relative to the swing arm 11.

[0037] The first drive mechanism 31 includes a motor 34 and a reducer 35 connected to the motor 34. The reducer 35 is a hollow wave gear device, and is disposed at the connection between the common arm portion 15 and the tip-side arm portion 13. The first drive mechanism 31 also includes a pulley 36 fixed to the input shaft of the reducer 35, a pulley 37 disposed inside the base end side of the tip-side arm portion 13, and a pulley 38 disposed inside the tip end side of the tip-side arm portion 13. The ratio of the pitch circle diameter of the pulley 37 to the pitch circle diameter of the pulley 38 is set to 1:2.

[0038] The motor 34 is a servo motor and is equipped with an encoder for detecting the rotational position of the motor 34. The motor 34 is disposed inside the common arm portion 15. A pulley is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 34. A belt 40 is stretched between this pulley and pulley 36. The lower end of a cylindrical rotating shaft 41 is fixed to the output shaft of the reducer 35. The upper end of the rotating shaft 41 is fixed to the underside of the base end of the tip-side arm portion 13. A magnetic fluid seal is disposed on the outer periphery of the output shaft of the reducer 35.

[0039] A support shaft that rotatably supports a pulley 37 is installed inside the base end side of the tip side arm portion 13. The pulley 37 is fixed to one tip side of the common arm portion 15 via a fixing member 42. The fixing member 42 is arranged outside the tip side arm portion 13 and the common arm portion 15. A support shaft that rotatably supports a pulley 38 is installed inside the tip side of the tip side arm portion 13. The base portion 18 of the hand 8 is fixed to the lower end of the pulley 38. A belt 43 is stretched between the pulleys 37 and 38.

[0040] The second drive mechanism 32 is configured substantially similarly to the first drive mechanism 31, and includes a motor 44 and a reducer 45 connected to the motor 44. The reducer 45 is a hollow wave gear device, and is disposed at the connection between the common arm portion 15 and the tip-side arm portion 14. The second drive mechanism 32 also includes a pulley 46 fixed to the input shaft of the reducer 45, a pulley 47 disposed inside the base end side of the tip-side arm portion 14, and a pulley 48 disposed inside the tip side of the tip-side arm portion 13. The ratio of the pitch circle diameter of the pulley 47 to the pitch circle diameter of the pulley 48 is set to 1:2.

[0041] The motor 44 is a servo motor and is equipped with an encoder for detecting the rotational position of the motor 44. The motor 44 is disposed inside the common arm portion 15. A pulley is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 44. A belt 50 is stretched between this pulley and pulley 46. The output shaft of the reducer 45 is fixed to the underside of the base end side of the tip-side arm portion 14. A magnetic fluid seal is disposed on the outer periphery of the output shaft of the reducer 45.

[0042] A support shaft that rotatably supports a pulley 47 is installed inside the base end side of the tip side arm 14. The pulley 47 is fixed to the other tip side of the common arm 15 via a fixing member 52. The fixing member 52 is arranged outside the tip side arm 14 and the common arm 15. A support shaft that rotatably supports a pulley 48 is installed inside the tip side of the tip side arm 14. The base 18 of the hand 9 is fixed to the upper end of the pulley 48. A belt 53 is stretched between the pulleys 47 and 48.

[0043] The third drive mechanism 33 includes a motor 54, a reducer 55 connected to the motor 54, and a pulley 56 fixed to the input shaft of the reducer 55. The reducer 55 is a hollow wave gear device and is disposed in the joint portion 20. The motor 54 is a servo motor and is provided with an encoder for detecting the rotational position of the motor 54. The motor 54 is disposed inside the swing arm 11. A pulley is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 54. A belt 58 is stretched between this pulley and the pulley 56. The output shaft of the reducer 55 is fixed to the underside of the base end (center) of the common arm portion 15. A magnetic fluid seal is disposed on the outer circumferential side of the output shaft of the reducer 55.

[0044] The swing arm drive mechanism 25 includes a motor 62, a reducer 63 connected to the motor 62, and a pulley 64 fixed to the input shaft of the reducer 63. The reducer 63 is a hollow wave gear device. The motor 62 is a servo motor and includes an encoder for detecting the rotational position of the motor 62. The motor 62 and the reducer 63 are disposed inside the case body 16. A pulley 65 is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 62. A belt 66 is stretched between the pulleys 64 and 65. The lower end of a cylindrical rotating shaft 68 is fixed to the output shaft of the reducer 63. The upper end of the rotating shaft 68 is fixed to the lower surface of the base end side of the swing arm 11. A through hole is formed in the center of the cover body 17, and the rotating shaft 68 is disposed therein. A magnetic fluid seal and a bellows are disposed on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 68.

[0045] Brake mechanism 26 is a non-excitation type electromagnetic brake. Brake mechanism 26 includes a rotating plate fixed to the rotating shaft of motor 62, a brake plate and an armature arranged on either side of the rotating plate, a spring member such as a compression coil spring that urges the armature toward the rotating plate, and a yoke around which a coil is wound. In brake mechanism 26, a braking force is applied when the coil is in a non-excitation state, and no braking force is applied when the coil is in an excited state.

[0046] The swing arm lifting mechanism 27 raises and lowers the swing arm 11 together with the swing arm drive mechanism 25. The swing arm lifting mechanism 27 is disposed inside the case body 16. The swing arm lifting mechanism 27 includes a motor 70, a ball screw 71 that rotates by the power of the motor 70, and a pulley 72 fixed to the screw shaft of the ball screw 71. The motor 70 is a servo motor and includes an encoder for detecting the rotational position of the motor 70. The screw shaft of the ball screw 71 is rotatably held in the case body 16. A nut member of the ball screw 71 is fixed to a movable frame 73 that holds the swing arm drive mechanism 25. A pulley 74 is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 70. A belt 75 is stretched between the pulleys 72 and 74.

[0047] (Robot movement) 4 and 5 are plan views for explaining the state of the robot 1 shown in FIG. 1 when the swing arm 11 is rotating.

[0048] When the substrate 2 is loaded into the chamber 5 and when the substrate 2 is unloaded from the chamber 5, the arm 10 extends and retracts with the tips of the hands 8 and 9 positioned at the rear and the base ends of the hands 8 and 9 positioned at the front. Specifically, when the substrate 2 is loaded into the chamber 5 and when the substrate 2 is unloaded from the chamber 5, the part of the arm 10 on the tip-side arm section 13 side extends and retracts with the tip of the hand 8 positioned at the rear and the base end of the hand 8 positioned at the front, so that the hand 8 moves linearly in the front-to-back direction while facing a fixed direction, or the part of the arm 10 on the tip-side arm section 14 side extends and retracts with the tip of the hand 9 positioned at the rear and the base end of the hand 9 positioned at the front, so that the hand 9 moves linearly in the front-to-back direction while facing a fixed direction.

[0049] Similarly, when the substrate 2 is loaded into the chamber 6 and unloaded from the chamber 6, the tip of the hand 8 is positioned at the front and the base end of the hand 8 is positioned at the rear, and the portion of the arm 10 on the tip-side arm section 13 side extends and retracts, so that the hand 8 moves linearly in the front-to-back direction while facing a fixed direction, or the tip of the hand 9 is positioned at the front and the base end of the hand 9 is positioned at the rear, and the portion of the arm 10 on the tip-side arm section 14 side extends and retracts, so that the hand 9 moves linearly in the front-to-back direction while facing a fixed direction. In other words, if the longitudinal direction of the hands 8, 9 from the base ends of the hands 8, 9 to the tips of the hands 8, 9 is defined as the hand longitudinal direction, when the substrate 2 is loaded into the chambers 5, 6 and when the substrate 2 is unloaded from the chambers 5, 6, the arm 10 extends and retracts so that the hands 8, 9 move linearly in the front-to-back direction while the hand longitudinal direction and the front-to-back direction coincide.

[0050] When the substrate 2 is loaded into the chambers 5 and 6 and when the substrate 2 is unloaded from the chambers 5 and 6, the swing arm 11 is stopped relative to the main body 12. That is, when the substrate 2 is loaded into the chambers 5 and 6 and when the substrate 2 is unloaded from the chambers 5 and 6, the swing arm 11 is stopped relative to the main body 12, and the hands 8 and 9 move linearly in the front-to-rear direction relative to the swing arm 11. When the substrate 2 is loaded into the chambers 5 and 6 and when the substrate 2 is unloaded from the chambers 5 and 6, the coil of the brake mechanism 26 is in a de-energized state. That is, the brake mechanism 26 operates when the substrate 2 is loaded into the chambers 5 and 6 and when the substrate 2 is unloaded from the chambers 5 and 6, and maintains the swing arm 11 in a stopped state in rotation relative to the main body 12.

[0051] When the swing arm 11 rotates relative to the main body 12, the first drive mechanism 31 and the second drive mechanism 32 are stopped. That is, when the swing arm 11 rotates relative to the main body 12, the motors 34, 44 are stopped, and the arm 10 does not extend or retract relative to the swing arm 11. Furthermore, when the swing arm 11 rotates relative to the main body 12, the arm 10 is retracted, and the hands 8 and 9 overlap in the vertical direction. At this time, the fork portion 19 of the hand 9 is disposed directly below the fork portion 19 of the hand 8.

[0052] For example, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end side of the swing arm 11 positioned behind the arm rotation center C, the hand longitudinal direction is inclined with respect to the front-to-rear direction as shown in Figures 4(A) to 4(C). Specifically, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end side of the swing arm 11 positioned behind the arm rotation center C, the hand longitudinal direction is inclined by 90° with respect to the front-to-rear direction and coincides with the left-to-right direction.

[0053] Furthermore, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end side of the swing arm 11 positioned behind the arm rotation center C, the third drive mechanism 33 rotates the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 so that the orientation of the hands 8 and 9 remains constant. For example, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end side of the swing arm 11 positioned behind the arm rotation center C, the third drive mechanism 33 rotates the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 so that the tips of the hands 8 and 9 remain facing left.

[0054] 5A to 5C, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end of the swing arm 11 positioned forward of the arm rotation center C, the hand longitudinal direction is inclined with respect to the front-to-rear direction. Specifically, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end of the swing arm 11 positioned forward of the arm rotation center C, the hand longitudinal direction is inclined by 90° with respect to the front-to-rear direction and coincides with the left-to-right direction.

[0055] Furthermore, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end side of the swing arm 11 positioned forward of the arm rotation center C, the third drive mechanism 33 rotates the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 so that the orientation of the hands 8 and 9 remains constant. For example, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end side of the swing arm 11 positioned forward of the arm rotation center C, the third drive mechanism 33 rotates the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 so that the tips of the hands 8 and 9 remain facing rightward.

[0056] Furthermore, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end of the swing arm 11 positioned to the right of the arm rotation center C, the hand longitudinal direction is inclined with respect to the left-right direction as shown in Figures 4(D) to 4(F). Specifically, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end of the swing arm 11 positioned to the right of the arm rotation center C, the hand longitudinal direction is inclined by 90° with respect to the left-right direction and coincides with the front-rear direction.

[0057] Furthermore, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end side of the swing arm 11 positioned to the right of the arm rotation center C, the third drive mechanism 33 rotates the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 so that the orientation of the hands 8 and 9 remains constant. For example, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end side of the swing arm 11 positioned to the right of the arm rotation center C, the third drive mechanism 33 rotates the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 so that the tips of the hands 8 and 9 remain facing backward.

[0058] 5(D) to 5(F), when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end of the swing arm 11 positioned to the left of the arm rotation center C, the hand longitudinal direction is inclined with respect to the left-right direction. Specifically, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end of the swing arm 11 positioned to the left of the arm rotation center C, the hand longitudinal direction is inclined by 90° with respect to the left-right direction and coincides with the front-rear direction.

[0059] Furthermore, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end side of the swing arm 11 positioned to the left of the arm rotation center C, the third drive mechanism 33 rotates the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 so that the orientation of the hands 8 and 9 remains constant. For example, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end side of the swing arm 11 positioned to the left of the arm rotation center C, the third drive mechanism 33 rotates the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 so that the tips of the hands 8 and 9 remain facing forward.

[0060] In this way, if the direction parallel to one side of the chamber 4, which is square when viewed from the top and bottom (i.e., the front-to-back or left-to-right direction) is defined as a first direction, when the tip end of the swing arm 11 is located on one side of the arm rotation center C in the first direction, or when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end of the swing arm 11 located on the other side of the arm rotation center C in the first direction, the longitudinal direction of the hand is inclined with respect to the first direction. Specifically, the longitudinal direction of the hand is inclined by 90° with respect to the first direction.

[0061] In addition, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end of the swing arm 11 positioned on one side of the arm rotation center C in the first direction, or with the tip end of the swing arm 11 positioned on the other side of the arm rotation center C in the first direction, the third drive mechanism 33 rotates the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 so that the orientation of the hands 8 and 9 remains constant.

[0062] (Main effect of this form) As described above, the robot 1 of this embodiment includes the swing arm 11 to which the common arm portion 15 is rotatably connected at its tip end, the main body portion 12 to which the base end of the swing arm 11 is rotatably connected, the arm drive mechanism 24 that moves the hands 8 and 9 linearly in the horizontal direction relative to the swing arm 11 and rotates the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11, and the swing arm drive mechanism 25 that rotates the swing arm 11 relative to the main body portion 12. Therefore, in this embodiment, the swing arm 11 can be used to transport the substrate 2 in directions other than the radial direction about the arm rotation center C (i.e., the rotation center of the swing arm 11 relative to the main body portion 12). Therefore, in this embodiment, the versatility of the robot 1 can be improved.

[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to transport the substrate 2 in a direction other than the radial direction centered on the arm rotation center C without moving the main body portion 12 horizontally, so that even if the upper end portion of the main body portion 12 (specifically, the portion above the lower surface of the flange portion 17a) in addition to the hands 8, 9, arm 10 and swing arm 11 is positioned in the vacuum region VR, it is possible to simplify the sealing structure at the boundary between the vacuum region VR and the atmospheric region AR.

[0064] In this embodiment, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end of the swing arm 11 positioned behind or in front of the arm rotation center C, the longitudinal direction of the hand is inclined with respect to the front-to-rear direction, and the third drive mechanism 33 rotates the common arm portion 15 with respect to the swing arm 11 so that the orientation of the hands 8, 9 is constant. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the width of the chamber 4 in the front-to-rear direction is narrow, when the swing arm 11 rotates, it is possible to prevent interference between the hands 8, 9 and the arm 10 positioned inside the chamber 4 and the inner wall surface of the chamber 4 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0065] Similarly, in this embodiment, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip side of the swing arm 11 positioned to the right or left of the arm rotation center C, the longitudinal direction of the hand is tilted in the left-right direction, and the third drive mechanism 33 rotates the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 so that the orientation of the hands 8 and 9 is constant.Therefore, even if the left-right width of the chamber 4 is narrow, it is possible to prevent interference between the left-right inner wall surface of the chamber 4 and the hands 8 and 9 and arm 10 when the swing arm 11 rotates.

[0066] In addition, in this embodiment, when the swing arm 11 rotates, the third drive mechanism 33 rotates the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 so that the orientation of the hands 8 and 9 remains constant, making it possible to stabilize the state of the substrate 2 mounted on the hands 8 and 9 when the swing arm 11 is rotating.

[0067] (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.

[0068] In the above-described embodiment, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end side of the swing arm 11 positioned behind or in front of the arm rotation center C, the longitudinal direction of the hand may be inclined at an angle other than 90° with respect to the front-to-rear direction. Similarly, when the swing arm 11 rotates with the tip end side of the swing arm 11 positioned to the right or left of the arm rotation center C, the longitudinal direction of the hand may be inclined at an angle other than 90° with respect to the left-to-right direction.

[0069] In the above-described embodiment, the third drive mechanism 33 may be stopped as long as interference between the inner wall surface of the chamber 4 and the hands 8, 9 and arm 10 can be prevented when the swing arm 11 rotates. In other words, the common arm portion 15 does not need to rotate relative to the swing arm 11 when the swing arm 11 rotates. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the center of the chamber 4 and the arm rotation center C may be offset from each other. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the chamber 4 may be formed in a substantially rectangular box shape that is rectangular when viewed from above.

[0070] In the embodiment described above, the horizontal distance between the rotation center of the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 and the rotation center of the tip-side arm portion 13 relative to the common arm portion 15 may be different from the horizontal distance between the rotation center of the common arm portion 15 relative to the swing arm 11 and the rotation center of the tip-side arm portion 14 relative to the common arm portion 15. Also, in the embodiment described above, the lengths of the tip-side arm portion 13 and the tip-side arm portion 14 may be different. For example, the tip-side arm portion 13 may be longer than the tip-side arm portion 14.

[0071] In the embodiment described above, the common arm portion 15 is formed in a substantially V-shaped block shape, but the common arm portion 15 may be formed in a block shape that has an elongated oval or rectangular shape when viewed from above and that is relatively thin in thickness in the vertical direction. Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the object to be transported by the robot 1 may be something other than a glass substrate. For example, the object to be transported by the robot 1 may be a semiconductor wafer or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1. Robots (industrial robots) 2. Substrates (glass substrates, transported objects) 3 Manufacturing System 4 chambers (transfer chambers) 8th Hand (1st Hand) 9th Hand (2nd Hand) 10 Arm 11 Swingarm 12 Main body 13 Tip arm portion (first tip arm portion) 14 Tip arm section (second tip arm section) 15 Common arm section 24 Arm drive mechanism 25 Swing arm drive mechanism 31 First drive mechanism 32 Second drive mechanism 33 Third drive mechanism C-arm rotation center

Claims

1. an arm having two hands on which an object to be transported is placed, two tip-side arm sections to which the two hands are rotatably connected at their tip ends with the vertical direction as an axial direction of rotation, and a common arm section to which the base ends of the two tip-side arm sections are rotatably connected with the vertical direction as an axial direction of rotation, a swing arm to which the common arm section is rotatably connected at its tip end with the vertical direction as an axial direction of rotation, a main body section to which the base end side of the swing arm is rotatably connected with the vertical direction as an axial direction of rotation, an arm drive mechanism that extends and retracts the arm relative to the swing arm to linearly move the hand in a horizontal direction and rotate the common arm section relative to the swing arm, and a swing arm drive mechanism that rotates the swing arm relative to the main body section; A transfer chamber having a rectangular or square shape when viewed from above and below, When one of the two hands is referred to as a first hand, the other hand is referred to as a second hand, the tip-side arm portion to which the first hand is connected is referred to as a first tip-side arm portion, and the tip-side arm portion to which the second hand is connected is referred to as a second tip-side arm portion, the arm drive mechanism includes a first drive mechanism that rotates the first tip-side arm portion relative to the common arm portion and rotates the first hand relative to the first tip-side arm portion, a second drive mechanism that rotates the second tip-side arm portion relative to the common arm portion and rotates the second hand relative to the second tip-side arm portion, and a third drive mechanism that rotates the common arm portion relative to the swing arm, the hand, the arm, and the swing arm are disposed inside the transfer chamber; When viewed from above and below, a direction parallel to one side of the transfer chamber, which is rectangular or square, is defined as a first direction, a direction from the base end of the hand toward the tip end of the hand is defined as a hand longitudinal direction, and a rotation center of the swing arm relative to the main body is defined as an arm rotation center. When the swing arm rotates, the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism are stopped, A manufacturing system characterized in that, when the swing arm rotates and the hand moves in a direction perpendicular to the first direction with the tip side of the swing arm positioned on one side of the arm rotation center in the first direction, or with the tip side of the swing arm positioned on the other side of the arm rotation center in the first direction, the longitudinal direction of the hand is inclined with respect to the first direction, and the third drive mechanism rotates the common arm portion with respect to the swing arm so that the orientation of the hand remains constant.

2. The manufacturing system described in claim 1, characterized in that when the swing arm rotates with the tip side of the swing arm positioned on one side of the arm rotation center in the first direction, or with the tip side of the swing arm positioned on the other side of the arm rotation center in the first direction, the hand longitudinal direction is inclined 90° with respect to the first direction.

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