Industrial robot hands and industrial robots

Abstract

To provide a hand of an industrial robot which includes a loading part on which a conveyed object is loaded and a hand base part which structures a base end side part of the hand and to which a base end side of the loading part is fixed, and a holding mechanism which holds the conveyed object loaded on the loading part in a fixed position in a horizontal direction, and can reduce an abrasion loss of a seal member which prevents immersion of liquid into an inside of a hand base part as compared with a conventional device.SOLUTION: A pressing member 17 of a hand 3 which has a pressing part 16 for pressing an end surface of a conveyed object 2 to an abutment surface of an end surface abutting member by contacting with the end surface of the conveyed object 2 includes a rotary shaft as a rotation center of the pressing member 17 and a first lever part 23 which extends from the rotary shaft to an outer side of the rotary shaft in a radial direction. In the hand 3, the pressing part 16 is connected to a tip end part of the first lever part 23 arranged outside the hand base part 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hand of an industrial robot used for an industrial robot that transports an object to be transported. The present invention also relates to an industrial robot provided with such a hand.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a horizontal articulated industrial robot for transporting semiconductor wafers has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 includes a hand on which a semiconductor wafer is mounted, an arm to which the hand is rotatably connected on the tip side, and a main body to which the base end side of the arm is rotatably connected. The hand includes a mounting portion on which a semiconductor wafer is mounted, a hand base portion constituting the base end side portion of the hand, and a holding mechanism for holding the semiconductor wafer mounted on the mounting portion at a fixed position in the horizontal direction. The base end side of the mounting portion is fixed to the hand base portion. The hand base portion is rotatably connected to the tip side of the arm.

[0003] In the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, the holding mechanism includes an end face abutting member having an abutting face against which the end face of the semiconductor wafer abuts, a pressing member that contacts the end face of the semiconductor wafer and presses the end face of the semiconductor wafer against the abutting face of the end face abutting member, and an air cylinder that linearly moves the pressing member. The air cylinder is housed inside the hand base portion formed in a hollow shape. The base end portion of the pressing member is connected to the air cylinder and is housed inside the hand base portion. The tip side portion of the pressing member is disposed outside the hand base portion, and the tip of the pressing member can contact the end face of the semiconductor wafer. An opening through which the pressing member is inserted is formed in the hand base portion.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] When the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 transports a semiconductor wafer after a predetermined process using liquid has been performed, there is a risk that the liquid remaining on the semiconductor wafer may seep into the interior of the hand base through the opening in the hand base. Furthermore, if liquid seeps into the interior of the hand base, there is a risk that the air cylinder and other components housed inside the hand base may corrode. To prevent liquid from seeping into the interior of the hand base, a sealing member can be placed at the opening of the hand base, and the inner surface of the sealing member can be brought into close contact with the outer surface of the linearly moving pressing member.

[0006] However, if a sealing member is placed in the opening of the hand base and made to adhere closely to the outer surface of the pressing member, each time the holding mechanism holds a semiconductor wafer and each time the holding mechanism releases the semiconductor wafer it was holding, the outer surface of the pressing member is in contact with the inner surface of the sealing member at high contact pressure, and the pressing member moves linearly by the stroke of the pressing member. This can lead to severe wear of the sealing member and a shortened lifespan of the sealing member.

[0007] Therefore, the object to be addressed by the present invention is to provide an industrial robot hand that comprises a mounting section on which an object to be transported is mounted, a hand base that constitutes the base end portion of the hand and to which the base end of the mounting section is fixed, and a holding mechanism for holding the object to be transported mounted on the mounting section at a fixed horizontal position, wherein the amount of wear of the sealing member for preventing liquid from entering the inside of the hand base can be reduced compared to conventional models. Another object to be addressed by the present invention is to provide an industrial robot equipped with such a hand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, the hand of the industrial robot 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; a hand base which constitutes the base end portion of the hand and to which the base end of the mounting section is fixed; and a holding mechanism for holding the object to be transported mounted on the mounting section at a fixed horizontal position, wherein the holding mechanism comprises: an end-face contact member having a contact surface to which the end face of the object to be transported abuts and attached to the tip side of the mounting section; a pressing member having a pressing portion that contacts the end face of the object to be transported and presses the end face of the object to the contact surface and is held by the hand base; and inside the hand base The device comprises a drive source that houses and rotates the pressing member relative to the hand base with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation, a bearing that rotatably supports the pressing member, and a sealing member that prevents liquid from entering the inside of the hand base. The pressing member comprises a pivot shaft that serves as the rotation center of the pressing member, and a first lever portion that extends from the pivot shaft radially outward. The first lever portion is located outside the hand base, and the tip of the first lever portion is connected to the pressing portion. The bearing rotatably supports the pivot shaft, and the sealing member is located on the outer circumference of the pivot shaft and is in close contact with the outer surface of the pivot shaft.

[0009] In the hand of the industrial robot of the present invention, the pressing member, which has a pressing portion that contacts the end face of the object to be conveyed and presses the end face of the object to be conveyed against the contact surface of the end face contact member, comprises a pivot axis that serves as the rotation center of the pressing member and a first lever portion that extends from the pivot axis radially outward. Furthermore, in the present invention, the pressing portion is connected to the tip of the first lever portion which is located outside the base of the hand.

[0010] Therefore, in the present invention, even if the rotation angle of the pivot shaft is reduced, it is possible to secure the amount of movement of the pressing portion for the holding mechanism to hold the object to be conveyed or for the holding mechanism to release the object to be conveyed. Thus, in the present invention, it is possible to reduce the rotation angle of the pivot shaft while it rotates with the outer surface of the pivot shaft in contact with the inner surface of the sealing member at a high contact pressure, while securing the amount of movement of the pressing portion for the holding mechanism to hold the object to be conveyed or for the holding mechanism to release the object to be conveyed. As a result, in the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of wear on the sealing member compared to the conventional invention.

[0011] In the present invention, for example, the pressing portion is a roller rotatably held by the first lever portion. Also in the present invention, for example, the pressing member includes a second lever portion extending from the pivot axis radially outward from the pivot axis, the second lever portion being located inside the hand base, and the tip of the second lever portion being connected to a drive source. In this case, for example, the shape of the pressing member when viewed from above is L-shaped.

[0012] The hand of the present invention can be used in an industrial robot comprising an arm to which the hand is connected and a main body to which the arm is connected. In this industrial robot, it is possible to reduce the amount of wear on the sealing member that prevents liquid from entering the inside of the hand base compared to conventional methods. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] As described above, the present invention provides an industrial robot hand comprising a mounting section on which an object to be transported is mounted, a hand base that constitutes the base end portion of the hand and to which the base end of the mounting section is fixed, and a holding mechanism for holding the object to be transported mounted on the mounting section at a fixed horizontal position, and makes it possible to reduce the amount of wear of the sealing member for preventing liquid from entering the inside of the hand base compared to conventional designs. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1]This is a plan view of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an enlarged view illustrating the configuration of section E in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the FF section. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0016] (Outline configuration of an industrial robot) Figure 1 is a plan view of an industrial robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] The industrial robot 1 in this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "Robot 1") is a horizontal articulated robot for transporting semiconductor wafers 2 (hereinafter referred to as "wafers 2"), which are the objects to be transported. The wafers 2 are formed in a disc shape. Robot 1 is used by being incorporated into a semiconductor manufacturing system. In this embodiment, a predetermined process using a liquid is performed on the wafers 2, and Robot 1 transports the wafers 2 after the process.

[0018] Robot 1 comprises a hand 3 on which a wafer 2 is mounted, an arm 4 to which the hand 3 is rotatably connected at its tip and which moves horizontally, and a main body 5 to which the base end of arm 4 is rotatably connected. Arm 4 consists of an arm portion 7 to which the base end is rotatably connected to the main body 5, an arm portion 8 to which the base end is rotatably connected at the tip of arm portion 7, and an arm portion 9 to which the base end is rotatably connected at the tip of arm portion 8.

[0019] The arm parts 7 to 9 rotate with the vertical direction as the axis direction of rotation. The main body part 5 includes a columnar member to which the proximal end side of the arm part 7 is rotatably connected, and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the columnar member together with the arm 4. The proximal end side of the arm part 7 is rotatably connected to the upper end part of the columnar member. The main body part 5, the arm part 7, the arm part 8, and the arm part 9 are arranged in this order from the lower side in the vertical direction. Further, the robot 1 includes an arm part drive mechanism that rotates the arm parts 7 and 8 to expand and contract a part of the arm 4 composed of the arm part 7 and the arm part 8, an arm part drive mechanism that rotates the arm part 9, and a hand drive mechanism that rotates the hand 3.

[0020] The hand 3 is formed such that its shape when viewed from the vertical direction is substantially Y-shaped, and the tip side of the hand 3 is bifurcated. The hand 3 is rotatably connected to the tip side of the arm part 9. Also, the hand 3 is disposed above the arm part 9. The hand 3 rotates with the vertical direction as the axis direction of rotation. The hand 3 includes a mounting part 11 on which the wafer 2 is mounted, a hand base part 12 that constitutes the proximal end side part of the hand 3, and a holding mechanism 13 for holding the wafer 2 mounted on the mounting part 11 at a fixed position in the horizontal direction.

[0021] The hand base part 12 is rotatably connected to the tip side of the arm part 9. The proximal end side of the mounting part 11 is fixed to the hand base part 12. The mounting part 11 is formed in a flat plate shape. The mounting part 11 is arranged such that the thickness direction of the mounting part 11 coincides with the vertical direction. The hand base part 12 is formed in a flat block shape with a thin thickness in the vertical direction. The hand base part 12 is formed in a hollow shape. The holding mechanism 13 is an edge grip type holding mechanism that contacts the end face (outer peripheral face) of the wafer 2 mounted on the mounting part 11 from three directions and holds the wafer 2 mounted on the mounting part 11 at a fixed position in the horizontal direction. Hereinafter, the configuration of the holding mechanism 13 will be described.

[0022] (Configuration of the holding mechanism) Figure 2 is an enlarged view for explaining the configuration of part E in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the F-F cross-section in Figure 2.

[0023] The holding mechanism 13 includes an end surface abutting member 15 having an abutting surface 15a against which the end surface of the wafer 2 abuts, and a pressing member 17 having a roller 16 as a pressing portion that contacts the end surface of the wafer 2 and presses the end surface of the wafer 2 against the abutting surface 15a of the end surface abutting member 15. The end surface abutting member 15 is attached to the tip end side of the mounting portion 11. Specifically, the end surface abutting member 15 is fixed to two locations at the tip end portion of the hand 3 having a substantially Y shape. Further, the end surface abutting member 15 is fixed to the upper surface of the mounting portion 11. Further, two wafer mounting members 18 on which the wafer 2 is placed are fixed to the upper surface on the base end side of the mounting portion 11, and the wafer 2 is mounted on the end surface abutting member 15 and the wafer mounting member 18.

[0024] The pressing member 17 is rotatably held by the hand base 12. Specifically, the pressing member 17 is held by the hand base 12 so as to be rotatable about an axis in the vertical direction with respect to the hand base 12. Further, the holding mechanism 13 includes an air cylinder 19 as a drive source for rotating the pressing member 17 with respect to the hand base 12 about an axis in the vertical direction, a bearing 20 for rotatably supporting the pressing member 17, and a seal member 21 for preventing the intrusion of liquid into the hand base 12.

[0025] The pressing member 17 includes a rotation shaft 22 that is the center of rotation of the pressing member 17, and a first lever portion 23 and a second lever portion 24 that extend from the rotation shaft 22 toward the outside in the radial direction of the rotation shaft 22. The rotation shaft 22 is arranged such that the axial direction of the rotation shaft 22 coincides with the vertical direction. The rotation shaft 22 is inserted into an insertion hole 12a formed on the upper surface side of the tip end portion of the hand base 12.

[0026] The first lever portion 23 and the second lever portion 24 are formed in a flat plate shape that, when viewed from above, has an elongated oval shape. The base end of the first lever portion 23 is connected to the upper end of the pivot shaft 22. The base end of the second lever portion 24 is connected to the lower end of the pivot shaft 22. When viewed from above, the first lever portion 23 and the second lever portion 24 extend from the pivot shaft 22 in different directions, and the shape of the pressing member 17 when viewed from above is L-shaped.

[0027] The first lever portion 23 is located outside the hand base portion 12. A roller 16 is connected to the tip of the first lever portion 23. The roller 16 is rotatably held by the first lever portion 23. Specifically, the roller 16 is rotatably held by a fixed shaft 25 fixed to the tip of the first lever portion 23, and is rotatably held by the first lever portion 23 via the fixed shaft 25. The fixed shaft 25 is positioned so that its axial direction coincides with its vertical direction. The roller 16 is capable of rotating with respect to the first lever portion 23 with its vertical direction being the axis of rotation.

[0028] The second lever portion 24 is located inside the hand base 12. That is, the second lever portion 24 is housed inside the hand base 12. The air cylinder 19 is housed inside the hand base 12. The tip of the second lever portion 24 is connected to the air cylinder 19. Specifically, the tip of the second lever portion 24 is rotatably connected to a connecting member 26 which is fixed to the tip of the rod of the air cylinder 19. The tip of the second lever portion 24 is rotatable relative to the connecting member 26 with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation. The main body of the air cylinder 19 is attached to the hand base 12 so as to be rotatable relative to the hand base 12 with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation.

[0029] The bearing 20 is, for example, a rolling bearing such as a ball bearing. The bearing 20 is positioned in the through hole 12a of the hand base 12. The bearing 20 rotatably supports the pivot shaft 22. The outer ring of the bearing 20 is fixed to the inner circumference of the through hole 12a, and the inner ring of the bearing 20 is fixed to the outer circumference of the pivot shaft 22. The bearing 20 may also be a sliding bearing.

[0030] The sealing member 21 is formed in an annular shape. The sealing member 21 is positioned inside the insertion hole 12a of the hand base 12. The sealing member 21 is also positioned above the bearing 20. The sealing member 21 is positioned on the outer circumference side of the pivot shaft 22. That is, the pivot shaft 22 is positioned on the inner circumference side of the sealing member 21. The sealing member 21 is in close contact with the outer circumference surface of the pivot shaft 22. Specifically, the inner circumference surface of the sealing member 21 is in close contact with the outer circumference surface of the pivot shaft 22.

[0031] In the holding mechanism 13 configured as described above, the air cylinder 19 rotates the pressing member 17 around the pivot axis 22 between a wafer holding position (shown by the dashed line in Figure 2) where the roller 16 contacts the end face of the wafer 2 and presses the end face of the wafer 2 against the contact surface 15a of the end face contact member 15, and a retracted position (shown by the solid line in Figure 2) where the roller 16 retracts away from the end face of the wafer 2.

[0032] (Main effects of this form) As described above, in this embodiment, the pressing member 17, which has a roller 16 that contacts the end face of the wafer 2 and presses the end face of the wafer 2 against the contact surface 15a of the end face contact member 15, is equipped with a pivot shaft 22 that serves as the pivot center of the pressing member 17, and a first lever portion 23 that extends radially outward from the pivot shaft 22. In addition, in this embodiment, the roller 16 is connected to the tip of the first lever portion 23 which is located outside the hand base 12. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the rotation angle of the pivot shaft 22 is small, it is possible to secure the amount of movement of the roller 16 necessary for the holding mechanism 13 to hold the wafer 2 or to release the wafer 2 that the holding mechanism 13 was holding.

[0033] In other words, in this embodiment, since the roller 16 is connected to the tip of the first lever portion 23 which rotates around the pivot shaft 22 as the pivot point, even if the rotation angle of the pivot shaft 22 is reduced, it is possible to move the roller 16 between the position shown by the dashed line in Figure 2 and the position shown by the solid line in Figure 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the rotation angle of the pivot shaft 22, which rotates while the outer surface of the pivot shaft 22 is in contact with the inner surface of the seal member 21 at a high contact pressure, while ensuring the amount of movement of the roller 16 for the holding mechanism 13 to hold the wafer 2 or to release the wafer 2 that the holding mechanism 13 was holding. As a result, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the amount of wear on the seal member 21.

[0034] (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.

[0035] In the above-described embodiment, the holding mechanism 13 may be equipped with a drive source such as a motor to rotate the pressing member 17 relative to the hand base 12, instead of the air cylinder 19. If the holding mechanism 13 is equipped with a motor as a drive source, for example, the motor may directly rotate the pivot shaft 22. In this case, the pressing member 17 does not need to be equipped with a second lever portion 24. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the roller 16 does not need to be rotatable relative to the first lever portion 23. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the pressing member 17 may be equipped with pressing portions other than the roller 16.

[0036] In the above-described embodiment, the robot 1 may be equipped with two hands 3 that are rotatably connected to the tip of the arm 4. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the arm 4 may be composed of two arm sections or four or more arm sections. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the object to be transported by the robot 1 may be something other than the wafer 2. In this case, for example, the object to be transported may be formed in the shape of a square or rectangular flat plate.

[0037] The industrial robot to which the present invention applies may be a robot other than a horizontally articulated industrial robot. For example, the industrial robot to which the present invention applies may be an industrial robot comprising an arm to which the hand 3 is connected so as to enable linear reciprocating movement of the hand 3, a main body to which the arm is rotatably connected, and a linear drive unit that moves the hand 3 linearly back and forth relative to the arm. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1. Robots (Industrial Robots) 2. Wafer (semiconductor wafer, object to be transported) 3 Hands 4 Arms 5 Main body 11 Mounting section 12 Hand base 13 Retention mechanism 15 End face contact member 15a Contact surface 16 Roller (pressing part) 17 Pressing member 19. Air cylinder (power source) 20 bearings 21 Sealing member 22 pivot axes 23. First lever section 24. Second lever section

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, a hand base which constitutes the base end portion of the hand and to which the base end of the mounting section is fixed, and a holding mechanism for holding the object to be transported mounted on the mounting section at a fixed horizontal position. The holding mechanism comprises: an end-face contact member having a contact surface against which the end face of the object to be conveyed abuts and attached to the tip side of the mounting portion; a pressing member having a pressing portion that contacts the end face of the object to be conveyed and presses the end face of the object to be conveyed against the contact surface and held by the hand base; a drive source housed inside the hand base and rotating the pressing member relative to the hand base with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation; a bearing that rotatably supports the pressing member; and a sealing member for preventing liquid from entering the inside of the hand base. The pressing member comprises a pivot shaft which serves as the rotation center of the pressing member, and a first lever portion which extends from the pivot shaft radially outward from the pivot shaft. The first lever portion is located outside the hand base, The tip of the first lever portion is connected to the pressing portion, The bearing rotatably supports the pivot shaft, The seal member is positioned on the outer circumference of the pivot shaft and is in close contact with the outer surface of the pivot shaft, characterized in that the seal member is positioned on the outer circumference of the pivot shaft.

2. The hand according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressing portion is a roller rotatably held by the first lever portion.

3. The pressing member includes a second lever portion that extends from the pivot shaft toward the radially outward direction of the pivot shaft, The second lever portion is located inside the hand base portion. The hand according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the tip of the second lever portion is connected to the drive source.

4. The hand according to claim 3, characterized in that the shape of the pressing member when viewed from above is L-shaped.

5. An industrial robot comprising a hand according to any one of claims 1 to 4, an arm to which the hand is connected, and a main body to which the arm is connected.

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