Material-handling robot with multiple end-effectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10580682-B2
Application number	US-201815897374-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2018
Priority date	Feb 15, 2017
Publication date	Mar 3, 2020
Grant date	Mar 3, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus including a robot drive having motors and coaxial drive shafts connected to the motors; and a robot arm connected to the robot drive. The robot arm includes two upper arms, a first set of forearms connected to a first one of the upper arms, a second set of forearms connected to a second one of the upper arms and end effectors connected to respective ones of the forearms. The first and second upper arms are connected to respective first and second ones of the coaxial drive shafts. The first set of the forearms is mounted on the first upper arm and connected to a third one of the coaxial drive shafts by respective first and second drive belt assemblies. The second set of the forearms is mounted to the second upper arm and connected to a fourth one of the coaxial drive shafts by respective third and fourth drive belt assemblies.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a robot drive comprising motors and coaxial drive shafts connected to the motors;
a robot arm connected to the robot drive, where the robot arm comprises two upper arms, a first set of forearms connected to a first one of the upper arms, a second set of forearms connected to a second one of the upper arms and end effectors connected to respective ones of the forearms, where the first and second upper arms are connected to respective first and second ones of the coaxial drive shafts, where the first set of the forearms is mounted on the first upper arm and connected to a third one of the coaxial drive shafts by respective first and second drive belt assemblies, where the second set of the forearms is mounted to the second upper arm and connected to a fourth one of the coaxial drive shafts by respective third and fourth drive belt assemblies.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the first drive belt assembly comprises a straight belt drive connected to a first one of the first set of forearms and the second drive belt assembly comprises a crossover belt drive connected to a second one of the first set of forearms.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the first set of forearms are connected to the first upper arm at a common axis or rotation.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the first and second drive belt assemblies each comprises at least one set of pulleys and a drive belt between the pulleys, and where at least one of the pulleys is a non-circular pulley.

5. An apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a controller connected to the robot drive, where the controller comprises at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer code for controlling the motors.

6. An apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a substrate transport chamber having the robot drive connected thereto, where the robot arm is located inside the substrate transport chamber, and a plurality of substrate stations connected to the substrate transport chamber, where the plurality of substrate stations comprise stations offset relative to a radial direction from an axis of connection of the robot drive to the substrate transport chamber and at least one station which is not offset relative to the radial direction from the axis of connection of the robot drive to the substrate transport chamber, where the robot drive and the robot arm are configured to move the end effectors to insert and remove substrates with the stations.

7. An apparatus as in claim 6 where the robot drive and the robot arm are configured to move a first one of the end effector on the first set of forearms and a second one of the end effectors on the second set of forearms at a same time into the at least one station which is not offset relative to the radial direction from the axis of connection of the robot drive to the substrate transport chamber.

8. An apparatus as in claim 6 where the apparatus comprises two of the offset substrate stations on a same side of the substrate transport chamber, the robot drive and the robot arm are configured to respectively move a first one of the end effector on the first set of forearms and a second one of the end effectors on the second set of forearms at a same time into the two offset station.

9. An apparatus as in claim 6 where the apparatus comprises two of the offset substrate stations on a same side of the substrate transport chamber, where the robot drive and the robot arm are configured to move the first end effector into a first one of the two offset substrate stations while the second upper arm and second set of forearms do not move, and where the robot drive and the robot arm are configured to move the second end effector into a second one of the two offset substrate stations while the first upper arm and first set of forearms do not move.

10. A method comprising:
connecting a first upper arm to a first coaxial drive shaft of a robot drive;
connecting a second upper arm to a second coaxial drive shaft of the robot drive;
connecting a first set of forearms to the first upper arm, where a first drive belt arrangement connects a first one of the forearms of the first set of forearms to a third coaxial drive shaft of the robot drive, and where a second drive belt arrangement connects a second one of the forearms of the first set of forearms to the third coaxial drive shaft of the robot drive;
connecting a second set of forearms to the second upper arm, where a third drive belt arrangement connects a first one of the forearms of the second set of forearms to a fourth coaxial drive shaft of the robot drive, and where a fourth drive belt arrangement connects a second one of the forearms of the second set of forearms to the fourth coaxial drive shaft of the robot drive; and
connecting respective end effectors to the forearms.

11. A method as in claim 10 where the first set of forearms are connected to the first upper arm at a common axis or rotation.

12. A method as in claim 10 where the first drive belt arrangement comprises at least one non-circular pulley to move a drive belt of the first drive belt arrangement at a variable rate relative to rotation of the third coaxial drive shaft. . . .

13. A method as in claim 10 where the first and second drive belt assemblies, including at least one non-circular pulley of the first and second drive belt assemblies, are connected to be able to move the first set of forearms without relative rotation therebetween when the first upper arm is rotated in a first direction, and to move the first set of forearms with relative rotation therebetween when the first upper arm is rotated in a second direction opposite the first direction.

14. A method as in claim 10 further comprising coupling a controller to the robot drive, where the controller comprises at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer code for controlling motors of the robot drive.

15. A method as in claim 10 further comprising connecting the robot drive to a substrate transport chamber, where the robot arm is located inside the substrate transport chamber, and connecting a plurality of substrate stations to the substrate transport chamber, where the plurality of substrate stations comprise stations offset relative to a radial direction from an axis of connection of the robot drive to the substrate transport chamber and at least one station which is not offset relative to the radial direction from the axis of connection of the robot drive to the substrate transport chamber, where the robot drive and the robot arm are configured to move the end effectors to insert and remove substrates with the stations.

16. A method as in claim 15 where the robot drive and the robot arm are assembled to be able to move a first one of the end effector on the first set of forearms and a second one of the end effectors on the second set of forearms at a same time into the at least one station which is not offset relative to the radial direction from the axis of connection of the robot drive to the substrate transport chamber.

17. A method as in claim 15 where the apparatus comprises two of the offset substrate stations on a same side of the substrate transport chamber, where the robot drive and the robot arm are assembled to be able to respectively move a first one of the end effector on the first set of forearms and a second one of the end effectors on the second set of forearms at a same time into the two offset station.

18. A method as in claim 15 where the apparatus comprises two of the offset substrate statio

Assignees

• Persimmon Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Hosek Martin
• Wilkas Scott
• Lipcon Jacob

Classifications

• H10P72/3402

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P72/3302 Primary

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P72/7602 Primary

  the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance · CPC title

• B25J9/0021 Primary

  All motors in base · CPC title

• B25J9/042

  comprising an articulated arm · CPC title