Substrate transfer robot, substrate transfer system, and method for transferring substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9446910-B2
Application number	US-201414285565-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2014
Priority date	May 22, 2013
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

A substrate transfer robot includes a hand to approach a substrate storage on which a substrate is placed, and to hold the substrate. An arm moves the hand. A controller controls a position and orientation of the hand. When in plan view, a substrate holding center at a time when the hand is holding the substrate is adjacent to the substrate storage and is at an access start position at a predetermined distance from the substrate storage, the substrate holding center reaches a substrate placement position in the substrate storage with a hand center line inclined toward an access straight line and with the hand holding center overlapping the access straight line. The hand center line is oriented from a base to a distal end of the hand. The access straight line is perpendicular to a front surface of the substrate storage and associated with the hand approaching the substrate storage.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A substrate transfer robot comprising:
a hand configured to approach a substrate storage on which a substrate is placed, and configured to hold the substrate;
an arm configured to move the hand; and
a controller configured to control a position and an orientation of the hand such that as viewed in plan view, at an access start position that is a predetermined distance from the substrate storage, a substrate holding center is adjacent to the substrate storage and a hand center line is inclined with respect to an access straight line, as the substrate holding center is moved toward a substrate placement position in the substrate storage the hand center line is rotated so as to overlap the access straight line, the hand center line being oriented from a base of the hand to a distal end of the hand, the access straight line being perpendicular to a front surface of the substrate storage and being associated with the hand approaching the substrate storage,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the position and orientation of the hand such that the hand is continuously rotated to move the hand from the access start position to an intermediate access position, the intermediate access position being located within an outer edge of the substrate storage.

2. The substrate transfer robot according to claim 1 ,
wherein the hand is approachable to a first substrate storage and a second substrate storage farther away from the substrate transfer robot than the first substrate storage is away from the substrate transfer robot,
wherein the controller is configured to control the hand to approach the first substrate storage while controlling the hand center line to overlap the access straight line with the substrate holding center being at the access start position, and
wherein the controller is configured to control the hand to approach the second substrate storage while inclining the hand center line with respect to the access straight line within a movable range of the arm with the substrate holding center being at the access start position.

3. The substrate transfer robot according to claim 1 ,
wherein the arm is coupled to the hand at a distal end of the arm, and comprises a plurality of arm sections coupled together end-to-end, and
the controller is configured to move the hand to the intermediate access position from the access start position while maintaining a constant relative angle between at least two contiguous arm sections of the plurality of arm sections.

4. The substrate transfer robot according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is configured move the hand to the intermediate access position from the access start position by rotating an entirety of the arm along an arc-shaped path.

5. The substrate transfer robot according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to change an orientation of the hand center line between the access start position and the substrate placement position so as to make the hand center line overlap the access straight line, and configured to control the substrate holding center to reach the substrate placement position with the hand center line overlapping the access straight line.

6. The substrate transfer robot according to claim 5 ,
wherein the hand is approachable to a first substrate storage and a second substrate storage farther away from the substrate transfer robot than the first substrate storage is away from the substrate transfer robot,
wherein the controller is configured to control the hand to approach the first substrate storage while controlling the hand center line to overlap the access straight line with the substrate holding center being at the access start position, and
wherein the controller is configured to control the hand to approach the second substrate storage while inclining the hand center line with respect to the access straight line within a movable range of the arm with the substrate holding center being at the access start position.

7. The substrate transfer robot according to claim 5 ,
wherein the controller is configured to make the hand center line overlap the access straight line with the substrate holding center positioned at the intermediate access position, the intermediate access position being further toward the substrate storage beyond the access start position, and
wherein between the intermediate access position and the substrate placement position, the controller is configured to control the hand to make linear movement with the hand center line overlapping the access straight line.

8. The substrate transfer robot according to claim 7 ,
wherein the arm is coupled to the hand at a distal end of the arm, and comprises a plurality of arm sections coupled together end-to-end from a swing center of the arm to the distal end of the arm, the plurality of arm sections being turnable at ends of the plurality of arm sections, and
wherein from a state in which in plan view the substrate holding center of the hand is at the access start position and the hand center line is inclined with respect to the access straight line, the controller is configured to move the hand to the intermediate access position with a constant relative angle maintained between at least two arm sections next to each other among the plurality of arm sections.

9. The substrate transfer robot according to claim 7 ,
wherein the hand is approachable to a first substrate storage and a second substrate storage farther away from the substrate transfer robot than the first substrate storage is away from the substrate transfer robot,
wherein the controller is configured to control the hand to approach the first substrate storage while controlling the hand center line to overlap the access straight line with the substrate holding center being at the access start position, and
wherein the controller is configured to control the hand to approach the second substrate storage while inclining the hand center line with respect to the access straight line within a movable range of the arm with the substrate holding center being at the access start position.

10. The substrate transfer robot according to claim 7 ,
wherein the substrate storage comprises a cassette,
wherein the access start position comprises a position at which the substrate holding center at the time when the hand is holding the substrate adjacent to the outer edge, which is an outer edge of a cassette opening/closing area, and
wherein the intermediate access position comprises a position that is further toward the cassette beyond the outer edge of the cassette opening/closing area and that is outside an entrance prohibited area for the hand in the cassette.

11. The substrate transfer robot according to claim 10 ,
wherein the arm is coupled to the hand at a distal end of the arm, and comprises a plurality of arm sections coupled together end-to-end from a swing center of the arm to the distal end of the arm, the plurality of arm sections being turnable at ends of the plurality of arm sections, and
wherein from a state in which in plan view the substrate holding center of the hand is at the access start position and the hand center line is inclined with respect to the access straight line, the controller is configured to move the hand to the intermediate access position with a constant relative angle maintained between at least two arm sections next to each other among the plurality of arm sections.

12. A substrate transfer robot comprising:
a hand configured to approach a substrate storage on which a substrate is placed, and configured to hold the subs

Assignees

• Yaskawa Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kimura Yoshiki
• Shin Daisuke

Classifications

• H10P72/3402

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P72/0608

  of substrates stored in a container, a magazine, a carrier, a boat or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/3302 Primary

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• B25J9/042 Primary

  comprising an articulated arm · CPC title

• G05B2219/40087

  Align hand on workpiece to pick up workpiece, peg and hole · CPC title