CN113029213A

CN113029213A - Robotic drive with isolated optical encoder

Info

Publication number: CN113029213A
Application number: CN202110250264.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: D·普尔; M·霍塞克
Original assignee: Persimmon Technologies Corp
Current assignee: Persimmon Technologies Corp
Priority date: 2016-03-21
Filing date: 2017-03-21
Publication date: 2021-06-25
Also published as: KR20180125434A; CN107534364A; WO2017165401A1; JP6985933B2; JP2019512663A; KR102447015B1; KR20220134041A; JP7455794B2; CN107534364B; JP2022024140A

Abstract

An apparatus includes a frame, an environmental separation barrier, and an optical sensor coupled to the frame. The frame is configured to attach to the housing of the motor assembly adjacent an aperture extending through the housing. The optical sensor includes a camera. The environmental separation barrier is configured to be connected to the housing at an aperture, wherein the environmental separation barrier is at least partially transparent and positioned relative to the camera to allow the camera to view images inside the housing through the environmental separation barrier and the aperture.

Description

Robotic drive with isolated optical encoder

The present application is a divisional application of the chinese patent application having an international application date of 2017, 3 and 21, and a national application number of 201780001408.2, entitled "robot driver with isolated optical encoder".

Technical Field

The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments relate generally to position sensing and, more particularly, to a robot drive position sensor having an optical encoder.

Background

U.S. patent publication nos. 2009/0243413a1 and 2015/0303764a1, incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, disclose barriers between non-optical encoder read heads and encoder disks.

Disclosure of Invention

The following summary is merely exemplary. This summary is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

According to an aspect, there is provided an example embodiment of an apparatus, comprising: a frame, wherein the frame is configured to attach to a housing of the motor assembly adjacent an aperture extending through the housing; an optical sensor connected to the frame, wherein the optical sensor comprises a camera; and an environment separation barrier configured to be connected to the housing at the aperture, wherein the environment separation barrier is at least partially transparent and positioned relative to the camera to allow the camera to view images inside the housing through the environment separation barrier and the aperture.

According to another aspect, an example method includes: providing a readhead comprising a frame and a camera connected to the frame; connecting a readhead to a housing of a motor assembly, wherein a frame of the readhead is connected to the housing adjacent an aperture that extends through the housing; and positioning an environmental separation barrier at the aperture to separate a first environmental region from a second environmental region inside the housing in which the camera is located, wherein the environmental separation barrier is at least partially transparent and positioned relative to the camera to allow the camera to view images inside the housing through the environmental separation barrier and the aperture.

According to another aspect, an example method includes: illuminating, by a light emitter of a readhead, a reference member located inside a housing of a motor assembly, wherein the readhead is located at least partially outside the housing; viewing an image of the reference member by a camera of the readhead, wherein the camera is located at least partially outside the housing, wherein the image is viewed by the camera through an aperture in the housing and through a transparent environment separation barrier located at the aperture, wherein the transparent environment separation barrier seals a first environment inside the housing from a second environment in which the sensor is located, and wherein the camera is located outside the first environment, and the transparent environment separation barrier allows the camera to view the image from inside the housing while the camera is outside the first environment.

Drawings

The foregoing aspects and other features are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a substrate processing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating some of the components of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating some of the components shown in FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating another example embodiment of the components shown in FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating some of the components shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram illustrating one example of the read head shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram illustrating one example of a plurality of readheads of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating one example type of connection arrangement in the sensors shown in FIGS. 3-4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating one example type of connection of the sensors shown in FIGS. 3-4 to a housing;

FIG. 7 is a diagram similar to FIG. 4 showing another example embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram similar to FIG. 4 showing another example embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram similar to FIG. 4 showing another example embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram similar to FIG. 4 showing another example embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a diagram similar to FIG. 4 showing another example embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a diagram similar to FIG. 4 showing another example embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a diagram similar to FIG. 4 showing another example embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a diagram similar to FIG. 4 showing another example embodiment; and

FIG. 15 is a diagram similar to FIG. 4 showing another example embodiment.

Detailed Description

Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic top view of an exemplary substrate processing apparatus 10 having a substrate transport apparatus 12 is shown. Although the present invention will be described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be embodied in many alternate forms of embodiments. In addition, any suitable size, shape or type of materials or elements could be used.

In addition to the substrate transport apparatus 12, the substrate processing apparatus 10 includes a plurality of substrate processing chambers 14 connected to a vacuum chamber 15 and a substrate cassette lifter 16. Transport apparatus 12 is at least partially located in chamber 15 and is adapted to transport planar substrates, such as semiconductor wafers or flat panel displays, between and/or among chamber 14 and elevator 16. In alternate embodiments, transport apparatus 12 may be used in any suitable type of substrate processing apparatus.

Conventional vacuum environment robotic manipulators typically comprise a drive unit which accommodates all active components of the robotic manipulator, such as actuators and sensors, and one or more arms driven by the drive unit as discussed above. The arm(s) are typically passive mechanisms, i.e. they do not comprise any active components such as actuators and sensors. This is primarily due to the difficulties of exhausting, distributing, and removing heat in a vacuum environment.

Referring additionally to fig. 2, substrate transport apparatus 12 (or vacuum compatible robotic system) includes a drive 18 and an arm 20. The driver 18 has two rotational axes. The arm 20 is coupled to the driver 18. In this exemplary embodiment, arm 20 includes a first link 22, a second link 24, and an end effector 26. The first link 22 is directly attached to the first rotational axis of the driver 18. The second link 24 is coupled to the first link 22 by a first rotational joint 28. The end effector 26 is coupled to the second link 24 by a second rotational joint 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the arm 20 has three

rotational axes

90, 92, 94 formed at the driver 18 and the joints 28, 30. In this embodiment, the second link 24 is driven by a belt/belt drive, which may include a first pulley attached to the second axis of rotation of the drive 18, a first belt/belt, and a second pulley attached to the second link 24 of the arm 20. The end effector 26 is constrained to point in an approximately radial direction relative to the drive 18 by another belt/band arrangement, which may include a third pulley pivotably coupled to the first link 22, a second belt/band, and a fourth pulley attached to the end effector 26. In various different example embodiments, any suitable driver, actuator, sensor, or otherwise may provide: features as discussed herein; any combination of and/or disclosed features of U.S. patent No.9,202,733 and U.S. patent No.8,716,909, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Although the substrate transport apparatus 12 is described with respect to a vacuum robot, any suitable substrate transport apparatus, atmospheric pressure, etc., having the features as disclosed may be provided. The substrate transport apparatus 12 has a controller 54, a drive unit 18, and an arm 20, and is configured to transport the substrate S. The controller 54 may have at least one processor 32, at least one memory 34, and software or computer code 36, the software or computer code 36 configured to control the driver 18 and process input from the sensors. The arm 20 is shown as a SCARA type arm and is driven by the drive unit 18, but in alternative embodiments any suitable arm may be provided. Although the substrate transport apparatus 12 is described with respect to two link arms, any suitable number of links may be provided. Further, any suitable number of arms may be provided. Further, any combination of rotational and/or linear axes may be provided on any suitable arm.

The drive 18 forms a robot motor assembly. In this example, the robot motor assembly includes a stator and a rotor configured to drive one of the pulleys in the first link and a main shaft connected to the first link 22. Referring also to fig. 3, the actuator 18 includes a housing 38, the housing 38 separating an ambient region 40 inside the actuator 18 and inside the chamber 15 from an ambient region 42 outside the actuator and chamber. A position encoder reference member or disc is connected to each of the rotors or spindles of the drive 18. One such example is shown in fig. 3, where a position encoder reference member disk 44 is shown attached to a spindle/rotor 46. The housing of the motor assembly 38 has an aperture 48 therethrough. The hole 48 is aligned with the position encoder reference member disk 44. Attached to the housing 38 is a position read head 50. A position read head 50 is located at the aperture 48 through the housing 38 so that as the rotor/spindle 46 rotates, the read head 50 senses the position or location of the position encoder reference member disk 44 as the disk 44 rotates. The output from the read head 50 is provided to a controller 54. Another example is shown in fig. 3A, which schematically illustrates a direct drive module of a robot, such as the example robot depicted in fig. 1 of U.S. patent application publication No.2014/0077637, showing spindle 46a, the stator and rotor of motor 47, direct drive module housing 38a, encoder track or reference member 44a, bearing 49, and encoder sensor 60 a.

Referring additionally to FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the position readhead 50 generally comprises a frame 56, a light emitter 58, an optical sensor 60, an environmental separation barrier 62, and electronic circuitry 59. In one type of example embodiment, the sensor 60 is a plurality of optical sensors arranged in an array for viewing at least one image, and the light emitter 58 comprises a plurality of light emitters. One such example is shown in fig. 4A by the read head 50'. In another alternative, as shown in fig. 4B, the device may include multiple readheads 50 ", 50'" having different light emitter and optical sensor configurations, but all attached to the housing 38 to read the same reference member 44.

Referring additionally to fig. 5, in this example embodiment, a first connection 64 is provided between the sensor 60 and the frame 56, and a second connection 66 is provided between the separation barrier 62 and the frame 56. However, as shown in fig. 6, the sensor 60 and the separation barrier 62 may be a unitary assembly with the sensor frame, with a single type of connection 68 with the housing 38. The

links

64, 66, 68 may be fixed or adjustable. In the example shown in fig. 4, link 64 is stationary, link 66 is a resiliently deflectable link, and link 68 is adjustable.

In this example embodiment, the environment separation barrier 62 is a transparent window and the optical sensor 60 is a camera. A retainer 70 is provided to retain the transparent window 62. The retainer 70 is connected to the frame 56 by the connection 66. The retainer 70 is biased in the direction of the aperture 48 by the connector 66 to press the transparent window 62 against the seal 72. Thus, the seal 72 and the window 62 seal the aperture 48, thereby forming an optically transparent barrier between the two

environmental regions

40, 42 at the aperture 48. Because the barrier 62 is optically transparent, the camera 60 is still able to view images from the reference member 44. Because the components of the readhead 50, including the camera 60, light emitter 58 and electronic circuitry 59, are all outside the environmental zone 40, there is no risk of exhausting air from these components inside the zone 40. Because the components of the readhead 50, including the camera 60, light emitter 58, and electronic circuitry 59, are all outside of the environmental region 40, no special design or enclosure of the readhead 50 or its components is necessary.

With the features as described herein, the position encoder may be incorporated into a robotic direct drive module, such as into the drive 18 or one of a plurality of drive modules assembled to form the drive 18. A position encoder track, such as on a disk 44, may be coupled to the driven portion 46 of the direct drive module, and a position read head may be provided outside of the housing 38 of the direct drive module, for example, as shown in the example embodiment shown in the figures.

In one exemplary embodiment, as schematically depicted in fig. 4, the housing 38 of the direct drive module may feature an aperture (slot) 48, the aperture (slot) 48 being positioned such that the aperture (slot) 48 provides an optical path (field of view) of the position encoder track from outside the housing of the direct drive module. The aperture 48 may feature a separation barrier 62 that serves to separate a vacuum or other non-atmospheric environment inside the housing of the direct drive module from an environment outside the housing of the direct drive module. The separation barrier 62 may be made of a substantially transparent material, such as glass or acrylic, for example. The separation barrier 62 may be sealed to the housing of the direct drive module, for example using an O-ring or adhesive joint, for example, or in any other suitable manner.

The encoder track on the reference member 44 may include features that can be used to sense the position of the encoder track. As one example, the features may form an incremental track, and in some cases, the incremental track may be supplemented by an absolute track. As another example, the features may form a pattern that may be decoded using image processing techniques.

As shown in fig. 4, the read-head 50 may be provided outside of the direct drive module such that the read-head 50 may sense the position of the encoder track through an aperture in the housing of the direct drive module. The read-head may be attached to the housing of the direct drive module in a substantially fixed manner, or the read-head may be coupled to the housing of the direct drive module in a movable manner to allow adjustment of the read-head relative to the encoder track. The adjustment may include a distance between the read head and the encoder track and an orientation of the read head relative to the encoder track (e.g., pitch, roll, and yaw). Alternatively, the read head may be held in the vicinity of the aperture in any suitable manner.

Still referring to FIG. 4, the readhead may include a housing 56 and an optical system (including sensor 60). The read head may also include other components, such as electronics, to control the read head, process data, and support communication.

The optical system may be configured to detect a position of the encoder track relative to the read head. As one example, an optical system may include one or more optical transmitters, one or more optical receivers, and other optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, and masks. The light emitter(s) and receiver(s) may be arranged to detect features on the encoder track. For example, the receiver(s) may detect the feature based on reflection of light produced by the emitter(s).

As another example, the optical system may include one or more light sources, one or more digital cameras, and other optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, and masks. The light source(s) may be arranged to provide illumination of the encoder track in the field of view of the digital camera(s). The digital camera(s) may be arranged to take pictures (images) of the encoder track periodically. The pictures may be processed by and/or external to the encoder read head (e.g., such as at the controller 54) to determine the position of the encoder track relative to the encoder read head.

In another example embodiment, as schematically illustrated in fig. 7, the housing 38 of the direct drive module may feature an aperture (slot) 48 positioned such that the aperture (slot) 48 provides an optical path (field of view) of the position encoder track 44 from outside the housing of the direct drive module. The read head 50a may be provided on the exterior of the direct drive module such that the read head 50a may sense the position of the encoder track 44 through an aperture in the housing of the direct drive module.

The encoder track 44 may include features that may be used to sense the position of the encoder track. As one example, the features may form an incremental track, and in some cases, the incremental track may be supplemented by an absolute track. As another example, the features may form a pattern that may be decoded using image processing techniques.

The readhead 50a may include a housing 56a, a window 62, and an optical system including 58, 60. The read head 50a may also include other components, such as electronics, to control the read head, process data, and support communications.

As depicted in fig. 7, a window 62 may be located in the housing of the readhead to provide an optical path (field of view) between the

optical systems

58, 60 and the encoder track 44 through the aperture 48 in the housing 38 of the direct drive module. The window 62 may be made of a substantially transparent material, such as glass or acrylic.

The optical system may be configured to detect the position of the encoder track 44 relative to the read head. As one example, an optical system may include one or more optical transmitters, one or more optical receivers, and other optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, and masks. The light emitter(s) and receiver(s) may be arranged to detect features on the encoder track. For example, the receiver(s) may detect the feature based on reflection of light produced by the emitter(s). The light source(s) may be arranged to provide illumination of the encoder track in the field of view of the digital camera(s). The digital camera(s) 60 may be arranged to take pictures (images) of the encoder track periodically. The pictures may be processed by an encoder read head to determine the position of the encoder track relative to the encoder read head.

The read head 50a may be attached to the housing 38 of the direct drive module such that the window 62 of the read head is sealed relative to the housing 38 of the direct drive module around the aperture 48 of the direct drive module, thereby separating the vacuum or other non-atmospheric environment inside the housing of the direct drive module from the environment outside the direct drive module. Thus, components inside the housing of the read head 50a are not exposed to the vacuum or other non-atmospheric environment inside the housing of the direct drive module.

As illustrated in fig. 7, the read head may be attached to the housing of the direct drive module in a substantially fixed manner, and an O-ring or any other suitable seal may be used to seal the window 62 to the housing 38 of the direct drive module. Additional examples of sealing arrangements are schematically depicted in fig. 8, 9 (seals compressed in a direction orthogonal to the mounting direction of the readhead) and 10 (O-rings compressed in the mounting direction of the readhead). FIG. 8 shows a housing 38b having an aperture 48b, and a readhead 50b, the readhead 50b having a frame 56b, a seal 72b, a window 62b, and optical components including a light emitter 58 and a sensor 60. FIG. 9 shows a housing 38c having an aperture 48c, and a readhead 50c having a frame 56c, a seal 72b, a window 62b, and optical components including a light emitter 58 and a sensor 60. FIG. 10 shows the housing 38b with the aperture 48b, and the readhead 50d, the readhead 50d having a frame 56c, a seal 72d, a window 62d, and optical components including the light emitter 58 and the sensor 60. The window 62 may also be shaped: providing sufficient space for the seal and at the same time allowing the desired proximity of the components of the sensor to the encoder track, as shown in fig. 11. FIG. 11 shows the housing 38b with the aperture 48b, and the readhead 50e, the readhead 50e having the frame 56c, the seal 72d, the window 62e, and the optical components including the light emitter 58 and the sensor 60.

It should be noted that in all of the example configurations of fig. 7-11, the window 62 may be merely mechanically secured, rather than necessarily sealed, with respect to the housing 56 of the sensor, and sealing occurs between the window 62 and the housing 38 of the direct drive module. It should be noted that in the examples of fig. 7-11, the window 62 may not necessarily be a separate component. The window 62 may conveniently be formed by a component of the optical system of the readhead, such as a lens, or by any other suitable component.

Alternatively, the read head may be movably coupled to the housing of the direct drive module to allow adjustment of the sensor relative to the encoder track. The adjustment may include a distance between the read head and the encoder track and an orientation of the read head relative to the encoder track (e.g., pitch, roll, and yaw). The window of the sensor may be sealed to the housing of the direct drive module by an O-ring, bellows, flexure, or any other suitable seal that provides sufficient motion to the sensor while maintaining a seal.

In yet another example embodiment, as schematically depicted in fig. 12, the housing of the direct drive module may feature an aperture (slot) positioned such that the aperture (slot) provides an optical path (field of view) of the position encoder track from outside the housing of the direct drive module. The read head may be provided on the exterior of the direct drive module such that the read head may sense the position of the encoder track through an aperture in the housing of the direct drive module. FIG. 12 shows the housing 38 with the aperture 48, and the read head 50f, the read head 50f having a frame 56f, a seal 72, a window 62f, a seal 72f, and optical components including the light emitter 58 and the sensor 60.

The encoder track may include features that may be used to sense the position of the encoder track. As one example, the features may form an incremental track, and in some cases, the incremental track may be supplemented by an absolute track. As another example, the features may form a pattern that may be decoded using image processing techniques.

The readhead may comprise a housing, a window and an optical system. The read head may also include other components, such as electronics, to control the read head, process data, and support communication.

As depicted in fig. 12, a window may be located in the housing of the readhead to provide an optical path (field of view) between the optical system and the encoder track through an aperture in the housing of the direct drive module. The window may be made of a substantially transparent material, such as glass or acrylic. The window may be sealed to the housing of the sensor, for example using an O-ring or adhesive joint.

As another example, the optical system may include one or more light sources, one or more digital cameras, and other optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, and masks. The light source(s) may be arranged to provide illumination of the encoder track in the field of view of the digital camera. The digital camera(s) may be arranged to take pictures (images) of the encoder track periodically. The pictures may be processed by an encoder read head to determine the position of the encoder track relative to the encoder read head.

The readhead may be attached to the housing of the direct drive module such that the housing of the sensor is sealed relative to the housing of the direct drive module around the aperture of the direct drive module and around the window of the readhead, thereby separating the vacuum or other non-atmospheric environment inside the housing of the direct drive module from the environment outside the direct drive module, and furthermore separating the components inside the housing of the readhead from the vacuum or other non-atmospheric environment inside the housing of the direct drive module. This prevents components inside the housing of the readhead from being exposed to the vacuum or other non-atmospheric environment inside the housing of the direct drive module.

As shown in fig. 12, the read-head may be attached to the housing of the direct drive module in a substantially fixed manner, and the housing of the sensor may be sealed to the housing of the direct drive module using an O-ring or any other suitable seal. Fig. 14-15 schematically depict additional example embodiments in which the window is sealed to the housing of the read head and the housing of the read head is in turn sealed to the housing of the direct drive module. FIG. 14 shows a housing 38h having an aperture 48h, and a readhead 50h having a frame 56h, seals 72h1, 72h2, a window 62h, and optical components including a light emitter 58 and a sensor 60. FIG. 15 shows a housing 38h with an aperture 48h, and a readhead 50i, the readhead 50i having a frame 56i, seals 72h1, 72h2, a window 62h, and optical components including a light emitter 58 and a sensor 60.

It should be noted that in the example of fig. 12, the window may not necessarily be a separate component. The window may conveniently be formed by a component of the optical system of the sensor, such as a lens, or by any other suitable component.

Alternatively, the read head may be movably coupled to the housing of the direct drive module to allow adjustment of the read head relative to the encoder track. The adjustment may include a distance between the read head and the encoder track and an orientation of the read head relative to the encoder track (e.g., pitch, roll, and yaw). The housing of the read head may be sealed to the housing of the direct drive module by an O-ring, bellows, flexure, or any other suitable seal that provides sufficient motion to the read head while maintaining a seal.

In yet another example embodiment, as schematically depicted in fig. 13, the housing of the direct drive module may feature an aperture (slot) positioned such that the aperture (slot) provides an optical path (field of view) of the position encoder track from outside the housing of the direct drive module. FIG. 13 shows a housing 38g having an aperture 48g, and a readhead 50g having frame members 56g1, 56g2, seals 72g1, 72g2, a window 62g, and optics including a light emitter 58 and a sensor 60. The sensor may be provided on the exterior of the direct drive module such that the sensor may sense the position of the encoder track through an aperture in the housing of the direct drive module.

The readhead may include a first housing, a window, and an optical system. The sensor may also include other components, such as electronics, to control the read head, process data, and support communication.

As depicted in fig. 13, a window may be located in the first housing of the readhead to provide an optical path (field of view) between the optical system and the encoder track through an aperture in the housing of the direct drive module. The window may be mechanically fastened to a first housing of the readhead and sealed to a second housing (window seal in fig. 13), neither of which is the housing of the direct drive module. The second housing may then be sealed to the housing of the direct drive module (housing seal in fig. 13). This allows a readhead housing that is never intended to serve as a barrier between atmospheric and non-atmospheric environments to be used for all intents and purposes.

The window may be made of a substantially transparent material, such as glass or acrylic. Alternatively, as explained with respect to the examples of fig. 6-12, the window may conveniently be formed by a component of the optical system of the readhead (such as a lens), another optical element intended to influence the light, or any other suitable component.

The window may be sealed to the first housing of the readhead, for example using an O-ring or adhesive joint. Sealing may be achieved by adding features, such as flanges, to the window if desired. Alternatively, sealing may be achieved by using features available on commercially available readheads.

As another example, the optical system may include one or more light sources, one or more digital cameras, and other optical components, such as lenses, mirrors, and masks. The light source(s) may be arranged to provide illumination of the encoder track in the field of view of the digital camera(s). The digital camera(s) may be arranged to take pictures (images) of the encoder track periodically. The pictures may be processed by an encoder read head to determine the position of the encoder track relative to the encoder read head.

The read head may be attached to the housing of the direct drive module such that the second housing is sealed relative to the housing of the direct drive module. The second enclosure is then sealed to the window of the readhead, thereby separating the vacuum or other non-atmospheric environment inside the housing of the direct drive module from the environment outside the direct drive module, and further separating the components inside the second enclosure from the vacuum or other non-atmospheric environment inside the housing of the direct drive module. This prevents the components inside the second housing from being exposed to the vacuum or other non-atmospheric environment inside the housing of the direct drive module.

Alternatively, the second housing may be movably coupled to the housing of the direct drive module to allow adjustment of the read head relative to the encoder track. The adjustment may include a distance between the read head and the encoder track and an orientation of the read head relative to the encoder track (e.g., pitch, roll, and yaw). The second housing may be sealed to the housing of the direct drive module by an O-ring, bellows, flexure, or any other suitable seal that provides sufficient movement to the read head while maintaining a seal.

Although the above-described exemplary embodiments show the read head facing radially inward, the read head may be arranged to face radially outward, e.g. pointing towards the inner cylindrical surface of the disc, or arranged to face axially upward or downward, e.g. pointing towards one of the flat faces of the disc.

The features described herein may be used to provide a drive arrangement, such as a robotic drive arrangement, with an optical encoder in which the disc of the optical encoder is in one environment, such as a vacuum environment, and components of the readhead of the optical encoder, including the optical system and control electronics of the optical encoder, are in another environment, such as an atmospheric environment, and there is a substantially transparent barrier between the disc and the components of the readhead.

Although the example embodiments show the read head facing radially inward, the sensor may be arranged to face radially outward against the inner cylindrical surface of the disk, or axially (up or down) against one of the flat faces of the disk. This arrangement can be extended to linear applications including, for example, the example linear robots described in U.S. patent publication nos. 2015/0214086a1, 2016/0229296a1, and 2017/0036358a1, which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

An example apparatus includes: a frame, wherein the frame is configured to attach to a housing of the motor assembly adjacent an aperture extending through the housing; a position sensor connected to the frame, wherein the position sensor comprises a camera; and an environment separation barrier configured to be connected to the housing at the aperture, wherein the environment separation barrier is at least partially transparent and positioned relative to the camera to allow the camera to view images inside the housing through the environment separation barrier and the aperture. The environmental separation barrier may be directly connected to the housing at the aperture, or may be indirectly connected to the housing, such as via a frame of the device, but forms at least a portion of an environmental enclosure through the aperture of the housing while also providing an optical path.

The apparatus may include a seal configured to be positioned directly between the environmental isolation barrier and a housing of the motor assembly. The apparatus may include a first seal directly connected between the environmental separation barrier and the frame. The apparatus may include a second seal configured to be located directly between the frame and the housing of the motor assembly. The apparatus may include a seal and a barrier retainer configured to press the environmental separation barrier against the seal, wherein the barrier retainer is configured to be pressed toward the aperture by the frame. The device may include a connector between the barrier holder and the frame that is resilient to allow the barrier holder to move relative to the frame, and wherein the connector biases the barrier holder towards the aperture when the frame is connected to the housing. The environmental separation barrier may include a transparent window directly contacting the frame, and the transparent window is configured to be pressed against the aperture by the frame when the frame is connected to the housing. The apparatus may include a housing, at least one seal, and a rotor inside the housing having a position reference member configured to be imaged by the camera, wherein the frame is connected to the housing with the at least one seal and an environmental isolation barrier to seal the aperture to isolate a first environmental region inside the housing from a second environmental region outside the housing. The frame may not be exposed to the first environmental region inside the enclosure.

An example method may include: providing a readhead comprising a frame and a camera connected to the frame; connecting a readhead to a housing of a motor assembly, wherein a frame of the readhead is connected to the housing adjacent an aperture that extends through the housing; and positioning an environmental separation barrier at the aperture to separate a first environmental region from a second environmental region inside the housing in which the camera is located, wherein the environmental separation barrier is at least partially transparent and positioned relative to the camera to allow the camera to view images inside the housing through the environmental separation barrier and the aperture.

The method can comprise the following steps: the seal is positioned directly between the environmental separation barrier and the housing of the motor assembly. The method can comprise the following steps: the first seal is directly connected between the environmental separation barrier and the frame. The method can comprise the following steps: a second seal is positioned directly between the frame and the housing of the motor assembly. The method can comprise the following steps: the barrier retainer biases the environmental separation barrier against the seal, wherein the barrier retainer is pressed toward the aperture by the frame. The method can comprise the following steps: a connector between the barrier holder and the frame is provided, the connector being resilient to allow the barrier holder to move relative to the frame and to bias the barrier holder towards the aperture when the frame is connected to the housing. The environmental separation barrier may include a transparent window that directly contacts the frame and is pressed against the aperture by the frame when the frame is connected to the housing. The method may include a rotor inside the housing and a position reference member configured to be imaged by the camera, wherein the frame is connected to the housing with at least one seal and an environmental isolation barrier to seal the aperture to isolate a first environmental region inside the housing from a second environmental region outside the housing. The frame may not be exposed to the first environmental region inside the housing.

An example method may include: illuminating, by a light emitter of a sensor, a reference member located inside a housing of a motor assembly, wherein the sensor is located outside the housing; viewing an image of the reference member by a camera of the sensor, wherein the camera is located outside of the housing, wherein the image is viewed by the camera through an aperture in the housing and through a transparent environment separation barrier located at the aperture, wherein the transparent environment separation barrier seals a first environment inside the housing from a second environment in which the sensor is located, and wherein the camera is located outside of the first environment, and the transparent environment separation barrier allows the camera to view the image from inside the housing while the camera is outside of the first environment.

The example of fig. 4 illustrates a viewport in a housing of a direct drive module. The examples of fig. 7-11 illustrate the seal directly between the window and the housing of the direct drive module. The examples of fig. 12 and 14-15 illustrate a seal between the window and the housing of the readhead and another seal between the housing of the readhead and the housing of the direct drive module. The example of fig. 13 illustrates two housings.

An example embodiment of an apparatus may be provided, comprising: a frame, wherein the frame is configured to attach to a housing of the motor assembly adjacent an aperture extending through the housing; at least one light emitter connected to the frame; an optical sensor array connected to the frame; and an environment separation barrier configured to be connected to the housing at the aperture, wherein the environment separation barrier is at least partially transparent and positioned relative to the optical sensor array to allow the optical sensor array to view an image inside the housing through the environment separation barrier and the aperture.

An example method may be provided, the method comprising: providing a readhead comprising a frame, at least one light emitter connected to the frame, and an optical sensor array connected to the frame; connecting a readhead to a housing of a motor assembly, wherein a frame of the readhead is connected to the housing adjacent an aperture that extends through the housing; and positioning an environmental separation barrier at the aperture to separate a first environmental region inside the housing from a second environmental region in which the optical sensor array is located, wherein the environmental separation barrier is at least partially transparent and positioned relative to the optical sensor array to allow the optical sensor array to view an image inside the housing through the environmental separation barrier and the aperture.

An example method may be provided, the method comprising: illuminating, by at least one light emitter of a readhead located at least partially outside of a housing, a reference member located inside the housing of the motor assembly; viewing at least one image of the reference member by an optical sensor array of the readhead, wherein the optical sensor array is located at least partially outside of the housing, wherein the at least one image is viewed by the optical sensor array through an aperture in the housing and through a transparent environment separation barrier located at the aperture, wherein the transparent environment separation barrier seals a first environment inside the housing from a second environment in which the optical sensor array is located, and wherein the optical sensor array is located outside of the first environment, and the transparent environment separation barrier allows the optical sensor array to view the at least one image from inside the housing while the camera is outside of the first environment.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art. For example, the features recited in the various dependent claims may be combined with each other in any suitable combination(s). In addition, features from different embodiments described above may be selectively combined into new embodiments. Accordingly, the description is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a motor assembly comprising a housing, a stator, and a rotor, wherein the housing includes a bore therethrough;

a frame, wherein the frame is attached to the housing of the motor assembly adjacent the aperture;

at least one light emitter connected to the frame;

at least one optical sensor connected to the frame;

an environment separation barrier connected to the frame, wherein the environment separation barrier is configured to be connected to the housing at the aperture, wherein the environment separation barrier is at least partially transparent and positioned relative to the at least one optical sensor to allow the at least one optical sensor to view an image of the interior of the housing through the environment separation barrier and the aperture; and

at least one seal on the housing and at least one seal on the housing,

wherein the rotor inside the housing comprises a position reference member having the image thereon, wherein the image is configured to be viewed by the at least one optical sensor.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the frame is connected to the housing with the at least one seal between the frame and the housing, and wherein the environmental separation barrier at least partially seals the aperture and separates a first environmental region inside the housing from a second environmental region outside the housing.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the frame is not exposed to the first environmental region of the interior of the housing.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a barrier retainer that presses the environmental separation barrier against the at least one seal, wherein the barrier retainer is pressed toward the aperture by the frame.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the at least one seal is located directly between the environmental separation barrier and the housing of the motor assembly.

6. The device of claim 5, further comprising a connector between the barrier holder and the frame, the connector being resilient to allow the barrier holder to move relative to the frame, and wherein the connector biases the barrier holder toward the aperture when the frame is connected to the housing.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the at least one seal comprising a first seal directly connected between the environmental separation barrier and the frame.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one seal comprises a second seal located directly between the frame and the housing of the motor assembly.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the environmental separation barrier comprises a transparent window that directly contacts the frame and is pressed by the frame toward the aperture when the frame is connected to the housing.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical sensor comprises a camera.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical sensor comprises a plurality of cameras.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the frame directly contacts the housing to seal with the housing.

13. A method, comprising:

providing a readhead comprising a frame, at least one light emitter connected to the frame, and at least one optical sensor connected to the frame;

connecting the readhead to a housing of a motor assembly, wherein the frame of the readhead is connected to the housing adjacent an aperture that extends into the housing; and

positioning an environment separation barrier at the aperture to separate a first environment region from a second environment region of the interior of the housing, the at least one optical sensor being located in the second environment region, wherein the environment separation barrier is at least partially transparent and positioned relative to the at least one optical sensor to allow the at least one optical sensor to view an image of the interior of the housing through the environment separation barrier and the aperture,

wherein the rotor of the motor assembly is inside the housing and comprises a position reference member configured to be viewed by the at least one optical sensor, wherein the frame is connected to the housing with at least one seal and the environmental separation barrier to seal the aperture to separate a first environmental region inside the housing from a second environmental region outside the housing.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: positioning a first seal of the at least one seal directly between the environmental isolation barrier and the housing of the motor assembly.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: connecting a first seal of the at least one seal directly between the environmental isolation barrier and the frame.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: positioning a second seal of the at least one seal directly between the frame and the housing of the motor assembly.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the environmental separation barrier comprises a transparent window that directly contacts the frame and is pressed by the frame against the aperture.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the frame is not exposed to the first environmental region of the interior of the housing.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one optical sensor comprises at least one camera.

20. An optical system, comprising:

a frame, wherein the frame is configured to attach to a housing of a motor assembly adjacent an aperture extending into the housing;

at least one light emitter connected to the frame; and

at least one optical receiver connected to the frame;

wherein the at least one light emitter and the at least one light receiver are arranged on the frame relative to each other for the at least one light receiver to detect a feature on a rotor of the motor assembly located inside the housing of the motor assembly through the aperture.

21. The optical system of claim 20, further comprising an environmental separation barrier configured to be connected to the housing at the aperture, wherein the environmental separation barrier is at least partially transparent and positioned relative to the at least one optical sensor to allow the at least one optical sensor to view the feature on the rotor inside the housing through the environmental separation barrier and the aperture.

22. The optical system of claim 20, further comprising at least one of the following connected to the frame:

a lens is arranged on the base plate and is provided with a plurality of lenses,

a mirror, and/or

And (5) masking.

23. The optical system of claim 20, wherein the at least one optical receiver comprises at least one camera.

24. The optical system of claim 20, wherein the frame is configured to directly contact the housing to seal with the housing.

25. The optical system of claim 24, further comprising at least one seal on the frame and/or environmental separation barrier retainer, the environmental separation barrier configured to connect to the housing at the aperture, the environmental separation barrier retainer configured to connect to the housing at the aperture.