Material-Handling Robot With Magnetically Guided End-Effectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026054397-A9
Application number	US-202519075995-A
Country	US
Kind code	A9
Filing date	Mar 11, 2025
Priority date	Sep 1, 2020
Publication date	Feb 26, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus includes a drive unit; and an arm assembly connected to the drive unit, where the arm assembly comprises a traversing platform having an end-effector configured to carry a payload located thereon; a linear actuation system configured to drive the traversing platform in a linear direction; and a magnetic support system comprising at least one guide attached to a frame of the arm assembly, a plurality of vertical actuators attached to the traversing platform, and a plurality of horizontal actuators attached to the traversing platform, the plurality of vertical actuators being configured, with the at least one guide, to move the traversing platform in a vertical direction relative to the linear direction, and the plurality of horizontal actuators being configured, with the at least one guide, to move the traversing platform in a horizontal direction relative to the linear direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
actuate three vertical actuators to control first, second, and third degrees of freedom related to a vertical position of a traversing platform of a robot;
actuate three horizontal actuators to control fourth and fifth degrees of freedom related to a horizontal position of the traversing platform of the robot; and
actuate a linear actuator to control a sixth degree of freedom related to a linear movement of the traversing platform of the robot.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein causing the apparatus to actuate the three vertical actuators to control the first, second, and third degrees of freedom comprises controlling a z-axis coordinate, a pitch angle, and a roll angle of the traversing platform.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the pitch angle of the traversing platform is changed to adjust the vertical position of the traversing platform.

4 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the pitch angle of the traversing platform is changed independently of the vertical position of the traversing platform.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein causing the apparatus to actuate the three horizontal actuators to control the fourth and fifth degrees of freedom comprises controlling a y-axis coordinate and a yaw angle of the traversing platform.

6 . The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the yaw angle of the traversing platform is changed to adjust the horizontal position of the traversing platform.

7 . The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the yaw angle of the traversing platform is changed independently of the horizontal position of the traversing platform.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein causing the apparatus to actuate the linear actuator to control the sixth degree of freedom comprises controlling an x-axis coordinate of the traversing platform.

9 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the roll angle of the traversing platform is changed to adjust a position of the traversing platform along a z-axis.

10 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the roll angle of the traversing platform is changed independently of the vertical position of the traversing platform and the horizontal position of the traversing platform.

11 . A method of adjusting a position of a traversing platform of a robot, the method comprising:
actuating three vertical actuators to control first, second, and third degrees of freedom related to a vertical position of the traversing platform; actuating three horizontal actuators to control fourth and fifth degrees of freedom related to a horizontal position of the traversing platform; and actuating a linear actuator to control a sixth degree of freedom related to a linear movement of the traversing platform.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein actuating the three vertical actuators to control the first, second, and third degrees of freedom comprises controlling a z-axis coordinate, a pitch angle, and a roll angle of the traversing platform.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein controlling the pitch angle of the traversing platform adjusts the vertical position of the traversing platform.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein controlling the pitch angle of the traversing platform does not change the vertical position of the traversing platform.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein actuating the three horizontal actuators to control the fourth and fifth degrees of freedom comprises controlling a y-axis coordinate and a yaw angle of the traversing platform.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein controlling the yaw angle of the traversing platform adjusts the horizontal position of the traversing platform.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein controlling the yaw angle of the traversing platform does not change the horizontal position of the traversing platform.

18 . The method of claim 11 , wherein actuating the linear actuator to control the sixth degree of freedom comprises controlling an x-axis coordinate of the traversing platform.

Assignees

• Persimmon Tech Corporation

Inventors

• Hosek Martin
• Poole Dennis

Classifications

• B25J19/021

  Optical sensing devices · CPC title

• B25J11/0095

  Manipulators transporting wafers · CPC title

• H10P72/7602

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

• H10P72/3302

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• B25J19/027 Primary

  Electromagnetic sensing devices · CPC title