Industrial Robot Arm Reducing-Width Design for FOUP Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial robots used in semiconductor manufacturing face challenges in transferring wafers due to elongated arm parts and a closer rotation center, which often result in collisions with the chassis, preventing effective wafer transfer.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a top-end-side arm part with a reducing-width shape and specific geometric relationships to avoid interference with the chassis walls, allowing for elongated arm parts and a closer rotation center without collisions, ensuring proper wafer transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If each arm part length is elongated and the rotation center is made closer to the FOUP or semiconductor wafer processing device side, then the workspace of the industrial robot is enlarged in comparison to the footprint, but the top end side of the third arm part collides with the wall part of the chassis
Solution Approach 1:
The top-end-side arm part is designed with a reducing-width part where the width gradually becomes narrower toward the top end, creating a localized tapered geometry. This local quality change allows the arm to fit within the limited space between the rotation center and the chassis wall, enabling workspace enlargement without collision.
Solution Approach 2:
The arm part width in the horizontal dimension is varied along the vertical dimension, creating a three-dimensional tapered structure. This dimensional approach allows the arm to occupy less horizontal space near the chassis wall while maintaining sufficient length for workspace enlargement.
2Area of moving object
If each arm part length is elongated and the rotation center is made closer to the FOUP or semiconductor wafer processing device side, then the workspace of the industrial robot is enlarged in comparison to the footprint, but the semiconductor wafer cannot be appropriately transferred
Solution Approach 1:
The reducing-width part is specifically positioned at the top end side of the top-end-side arm part, creating a localized geometric modification that preserves the arm's functionality while avoiding collision. This local quality change ensures the arm can reach the FOUP and processing device without interfering with the chassis wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The width parameter of the arm part is changed along its length, transitioning from a constant width to a variable width that decreases toward the top end. This parameter change allows the arm to achieve the necessary reach for wafer transfer while maintaining sufficient clearance from the chassis wall throughout its range of motion.
Data Source
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AI summary
[Problem] To provide an industrial robot that can appropriately transfer a semiconductor wafer even in the case where each arm part length of arm parts that constitute an arm is elongated and a rotation center of the arm in relation to a main body is made closer to a side of a FOUP or a side of a semiconductor wafer processing device. [Means to Solve the Problem] Where a radius of curvature of a top end of an arm part 20 is referred to as a radius R, an angle of a reducing-width part 20a of the arm part 20 is referred to as an angle θ , a length of an arm part center line CL connecting a rotation center C2 of a hand 15 and a rotation center C3 of the arm part 20 is referred to as a length L, an angle of the arm part center line CL in relation to a first wall surface 10c, at a time just after a finish of bringing a wafer into a FOUP 8, is referred to as a first angle θ 1, and a distance between the rotation center C3 and the first wall surface 10c, at the time just after the finish of bringing the wafer into the FOUP, is referred to as a distance d1; a relationship of a formula of "L × sin θ 1 < d1 - R" is established, and a relationship of a formula of "θ ≦ 2 × θ 1" is established as well, in the industrial robot.