Multi-turn drive assembly and systems and methods of use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11850745-B2
Application number	US-202217886709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2022
Priority date	Mar 3, 2020
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

Disclosed herein are multi-turn drive assemblies, systems and methods of use thereof. The multi-turn drive assemblies enable a robot link member to have a maximum rotation of at least 360 degrees about an axis. The multi-turn drive assemblies can be incorporated into a robot arm for enabling 360 degrees rotation of one or more link members about an axis. The robot arm may be located in a transfer chamber of an electronic device processing system. Also disclosed are methods of controlling the multi-turn drive assemblies and related robots.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a multi-turn drive assembly of a robot, the robot comprising:
an arm rotatable about a shoulder axis;
a forearm rotatable relative to the arm about a forearm axis at a position offset from the shoulder axis; and
a forearm drive assembly for rotating the forearm about the forearm axis, the forearm drive assembly comprising:
a forearm driving member comprising a first plurality of machined sections around the center point and circumference of the forearm driving member, each of the first plurality of machined sections having a different radius;
a forearm driven member attached to the forearm, the forearm driven member comprising a second plurality of machined sections around the center point circumference of the forearm driven member, each of the second plurality of machined sections having a different radius;
a forearm transmission element comprising:
a first band, wherein a first end of the first band is affixed to the forearm driving member and a second end of the first band is affixed to the forearm driven member, and wherein the first band wraps at least two times around the forearm driving member when the forearm is in a first forearm position; and
a second band, wherein a first end of the second band is affixed to the forearm driving member and a second end of the second band is affixed to the forearm driven member, wherein the second band wraps at least two times around the forearm driven member when the forearm is in the first position,
wherein the first band is wrapped around the forearm driving member in a first direction and the second band is wrapped around the forearm driving member in an opposite second direction,

the method comprising:
controlling the forearm drive assembly to rotate the forearm about the forearm axis by at least 360 degrees; and
controlling tension of at least one of the first band or the second band.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling tension comprises transmitting a signal from a controller to the robot to operate at least one tensioner element configured to control tension of the first band or the second band.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling tension comprises increasing, maintaining or decreasing tension on at least one of the first band or the second band.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling tension comprises pulling or releasing by one or more tensioner elements at least one of a first end of the first band or a first end of the second band to increase or decrease tension.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling tension comprises at least one of:
pulling or releasing a first end of the first band by a first tensioner element and a second end of the first band by a second tensioner element to increase or decrease tension in the first band; or
pulling or releasing a first end of the second band by a third tensioner element and a second end of the first band by a fourth tensioner element to increase or decrease tension in the second band.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein at least one of:
the first and second tensioner elements operate together at about 125 Hz to about 145 Hz to maintain a predetermined tension of the first band about 450 N to about 650 N, wherein the first band has a thickness of about 10 mils, or
the third and fourth tensioner elements operate together at about 125 Hz to about 145 Hz to maintain a predetermined tension of the second band at about 450 N to about 650 N, wherein the second band has a thickness of about 10 mils.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising controlling phasing between the forearm driving member and the forearm driven member.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein controlling phasing comprises controlling a degree of rotation of the forearm driving member using a non-linear transmission ratio.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein controlling the degree of rotation comprises tracking rotational positions of the forearm driving member and the forearm driven member and adjusting tension of at least one of the first band or the second band.

10. A method for controlling a multi-turn drive assembly of a robot, the robot comprising:
an arm rotatable about a shoulder axis;
a forearm rotatable relative to the arm about a forearm axis at a position offset from the shoulder axis;
a first wrist member rotatable relative to the forearm about a wrist axis at a position offset from the shoulder axis; and
a first wrist drive assembly for rotating the first wrist member about the wrist axis, the first wrist drive assembly comprising:
a first wrist driving member comprising a first plurality of machined sections around the center point and circumference of the first wrist driving member, each of the first plurality of machined sections having a different radius;
a first wrist driven member attached to the forearm, the first wrist driven member comprising a second plurality of machined sections around the center point and circumference of the first wrist driven member, each of the second plurality of machined sections having a different radius, wherein the first wrist driven member is attached to the first wrist driving member by a torsion spring; and
a first wrist transmission element, comprising:
a first band, wherein a first end of the first band is affixed to the first wrist driving member and a second end of the first band is affixed to the first wrist driven member, and wherein the first band wraps at least two times around the first wrist driving member when the first wrist member is in a first wrist position; and
a second band, wherein a first end of the second band is affixed to the first wrist driving member and a second end of the second band is affixed to the first wrist driven member, wherein the second band wraps at least two times around the first wrist driven member when the first wrist member is in the first position,
wherein the first band is wrapped around the first wrist driving member in a first direction and the second band is wrapped around the first wrist driving member in an opposite second direction,

the method comprising:
controlling the first wrist drive assembly to rotate the first wrist member about the first wrist axis by at least 360 degrees; and
controlling tension of at least one of the first band or the second band.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein controlling tension comprises transmitting a signal from a controller to the robot to operate at least one tensioner element configured to control tension of the first band or the second band of the first wrist transmission element.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein controlling tension comprises increasing, maintaining or decreasing tension on at least one of the first band or the second band of the first wrist transmission element.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein controlling tension comprises pulling or releasing by one or more tensioner elements at least one of a first end of the first band of the first wrist transmission element or a first end of the second band of the first wrist transmission element to increase or decrease tension.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein controlling tension comprises at least one of:
pulling or releasing a first end of the first band of the first wrist transmission element by a first tensioner element and a second end of the first band of the first wrist transmission element by a second tensioner element to increase or decrease tension in the first band; or
pulling or releasing a first end of the second band of the first wrist transmission element by a third tensioner element and a second end of the second band of the first

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Hudgens Jeff
• Cox Damon K
• Thanu Rajkumar

Classifications

• H10P72/7602

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

• H10P72/3302 Primary

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P72/3311

  Horizontal transfer of a batch of workpieces · CPC title

• B25J9/1045 Primary

  comprising tensioning means · CPC title

• B25J17/0241

  One-dimensional joints · CPC title