Two-Axis Robot Hand Motor for Compact Airtight Wafer Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic systems for handling electronic substrates face challenges in maintaining positioning accuracy and compact design while ensuring effective sealing and maintainability, particularly in environments requiring airtight conditions.
Innovation Solution
The robot incorporates a direct drive motor system with a hand motor that allows independent rotation of hands around a vertical axis, utilizing a rotating magnetic field to drive joints, and a sealed wiring space to prevent gas leakage, while minimizing the size and improving maintainability through a flange design that matches the chamber layout.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a traditional motor system with gears and transmission mechanisms is used to drive the hands, then the robotic system can achieve sufficient torque and rotational control, but the positioning accuracy deteriorates due to mechanical play and the device size increases due to additional transmission components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical transmission systems (gears, belts, linkages) with a direct drive motor system. The motor's rotor is directly coupled to the hand assembly without intermediate transmission mechanisms, eliminating mechanical play and improving positioning accuracy while reducing the number of moving parts and overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor assembly serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides rotational drive torque, enables precise positioning control, and integrates the hand assembly mounting. The motor housing also serves as a structural component that can be sealed to maintain airtight conditions, combining drive, control, and structural functions in a single integrated unit.
2Volume of moving object
If the robotic arm and hand assembly are designed to be compact to fit within the chamber, then the device size is reduced, but sealing becomes more difficult and positioning accuracy may deteriorate due to constrained movement space
Solution Approach 1:
The hand assembly is nested within the motor housing, with the first and second hands positioned inside the motor's rotational envelope. The motor housing itself is nested within the arm link structure, creating a compact hierarchical arrangement that minimizes the overall volume while maintaining functional independence of each component.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor housing and arm link are designed with sealed configurations that create flexible yet airtight enclosures. The sealing interfaces between moving and stationary components use flexible sealing elements that maintain airtight conditions while accommodating the limited movement space within the compact chamber environment.
3Volume of moving object
If the motor housing is designed to be compact and integrated with the arm link, then the robotic system size is reduced, but maintainability deteriorates due to difficulty in accessing and replacing motors
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system is divided into modular segments: the arm link with integrated motor housing forms one replaceable module, while the hand assembly forms another. This segmentation allows the motor housing to be accessed and serviced as a discrete unit without disassembling the entire robotic system, improving maintainability despite the compact integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor housing is designed as a extractable component that can be removed from the arm link through accessible interfaces. This extraction capability allows motors to be replaced or serviced by simply detaching the motor housing module, maintaining ease of repair while preserving the compact integrated configuration during operation.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple hands are provided to handle electronic substrates from different positions, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity and positioning control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The first and second hands are merged into a single integrated hand assembly that rotates as one unit about the hand axis. This merging allows both hands to be controlled by a single motor system, reducing the complexity of having separate drive systems while maintaining the versatility of having multiple hands available for different substrate handling tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The hand assembly is designed to be dynamic, allowing the first and second hands to rotate independently relative to each other while maintaining their relative positioning. This dynamic configuration enables adaptability for different substrate handling scenarios without requiring complex fixed positioning mechanisms for each hand.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances positioning accuracy, reduces the robotic system's size, and maintains airtight conditions, thereby improving the handling of electronic substrates in a compact and reliable manner.
Implementation Method 1
a first stator configured to apply a rotating magnetic field around the hand axis on the first output shaft in the arm link; a second stator configured to apply a rotating magnetic field around the hand axis on the second output shaft in the arm link
Data Source
AI summary
A robot includes a hand motor configured to independently rotate a first hand and a second hand around a hand axis along a vertical orientation. The hand motor includes: a first output shaft fixed to the first hand; a first stator configured to apply a rotating magnetic field on the first output shaft in the arm link; a second output shaft extending through the first output shaft and fixed to the second hand; a second stator configured to apply a rotating magnetic field on the second output shaft in the arm link; a first bearing held by the arm link and holding the first output shaft or the second output shaft; and a second bearing held by the second output shaft between an outer periphery of the second output shaft and an inner periphery of the first output shaft.