Conveyance Arm Rotational Angle Transmission Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional conveyance robots for electronic components like semiconductor wafers and LCD substrates face issues with high material costs due to heavy loads on links, wear of small-diameter bearings, and reduced accuracy over time, leading to conveyance troubles and potential damage.

Innovation Solution

A conveyance arm with a rotational angle transmission mechanism that minimizes the number of small-diameter bearings and uses a linear conversion link mechanism to reduce load on driven side links, featuring a first and second parallel link mechanism with a rotational angle transmission mechanism that converts rotation into linear movement and back, maintaining high accuracy and reducing material costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If conventional parallel link mechanisms with multiple small-diameter bearings are used, then the conveyance robot can achieve initial positioning accuracy, but the bearings wear over time causing increased material costs and reduced accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconveyance accuracyVSAvoidlong-term accuracy maintenance

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the small-diameter bearings from the link mechanisms by redesigning the connection between drive side links and driven side links. Instead of using bearings at the connection points, the patent uses a different mechanical configuration where links connect directly through rotational joints, removing the wear-prone bearing components while maintaining the parallel link mechanism's functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention replaces expensive, wear-prone small-diameter bearings with simpler, more durable rotational joint structures that do not require frequent replacement. The new design uses robust connection points that can withstand long-term operation without the degradation issues associated with bearing wear, effectively eliminating the need for periodic maintenance and replacement of wearing parts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Strength

If heavy loads are applied to links in conventional conveyance robots, then the robot can support the conveyance table and work, but material costs increase due to the need for stronger, more expensive link materials

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelink load-bearing capacityVSAvoidmaterial cost

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention segments the load-bearing functions across multiple components including the drive side links, driven side links, and support structures. By distributing the heavy load across these segmented components rather than concentrating it in single links, each component can be designed with optimized, lighter materials while collectively supporting the required loads, thereby reducing overall material costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent incorporates counterweight mechanisms in the link design that balance the heavy loads during operation. The drive side links and driven side links are configured with counterbalancing features that reduce the effective load on each link, allowing the use of lighter, less expensive materials while maintaining the necessary strength and stability for supporting the conveyance table and work.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #8Anti-weight (Counterweight)

3Volume of moving object

If small-diameter bearings are used in link mechanisms, then the initial structure is compact, but the bearings wear and cause rattling leading to conveyance troubles and potential damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelink mechanism compactnessVSAvoidwear-induced rattling and damage

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention converts the potential harm of wear by eliminating the bearings that wear in the first place. By redesigning the link connections to use rotational joints without bearings, the patent transforms a design that would have suffered from wear-induced rattling and damage into one that is inherently resistant to these problems, maintaining compactness while eliminating the harmful wear effects.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentUS8677855B2Conveyance arm and conveyance robot with same

Publication Date: 2014.03.25 RORZE CORP

AI summary

First and second parallel link mechanisms 36, 38 are connected via a short link 35 arranged on a rotational angle transmission mechanism 29 so that a rotation applied to the first parallel link mechanism 36 is transmitted to the second parallel link mechanism 38 via the rotational angle transmission mechanism 29. The rotational angle transmission mechanism 29, the second parallel link mechanism 38 and the driven side link of the first parallel link mechanism 36 are horizontally supported by the drive side link 30 of the first parallel link mechanism 36. The rotational angle transmission mechanism 29 transmits the rotational angle applied to the drive side link 30 of the first parallel link mechanism 36 to the drive side link 32 of the second parallel link mechanism 38 supported by the drive side link 30 via the guide means that is parallel to the short link 35.