CN118081809A - Industrial robot hand and industrial robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a hand of an industrial robot and the industrial robot, comprising: a carrying part for carrying the object to be carried; a mounting support portion for fixing the base end side of the mounting portion; and a holding mechanism for holding the object to be conveyed mounted on the mounting portion at a predetermined position in the horizontal direction, wherein the liquid is effectively prevented from entering an arrangement space in the mounting support portion in which the driving mechanism forming a part of the holding mechanism is housed, even when the object to be conveyed is used in an environment where the liquid is used. The hand of the industrial robot includes: a plurality of sealing members (20, 21) for preventing liquid from entering the interior of the mounting support (16); and a gas supply mechanism for supplying gas into the mounting support portion. The plurality of seal members are arranged in the axial direction of the shaft portion (32), are disposed in the shaft disposition hole (41 a), and are in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion. The gas supply mechanism supplies gas to the arrangement space inside the mounting support portion and makes the arrangement space positive in pressure.

Description

Industrial robot hand and industrial robot

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a hand of an industrial robot used for transporting an object to be transported. In addition, the present invention relates to an industrial robot comprising the hand.

Background

Conventionally, a horizontal articulated industrial robot for conveying a semiconductor wafer is known (for example, refer to patent document 1). The industrial robot described in patent document 1 includes a hand for mounting a semiconductor wafer, an arm rotatably coupled to the hand at a distal end side, and a body portion rotatably coupled to a proximal end side of the arm. The hand comprises: a mounting unit for mounting a semiconductor wafer; a hand base constituting a base end side portion of the hand; and a holding mechanism for holding the semiconductor wafer mounted on the mounting portion at a predetermined position in the horizontal direction. The base end side of the mounting portion is fixed to the hand base portion. The hand base is rotatably coupled to the distal end side of the arm.

In the industrial robot described in patent document 1, the holding mechanism includes: an end surface contact member having a contact surface for contacting an end surface of the semiconductor wafer; a pressing member that contacts an end surface of the semiconductor wafer and presses the end surface of the semiconductor wafer to an abutment surface of the end surface abutment member; and a driving mechanism for linearly moving the pressing member in the horizontal direction. The driving mechanism is accommodated in the hollow hand base. The base end of the pressing member is connected to the driving mechanism and is accommodated in the hand base. The front end side portion of the pressing member is disposed outside the hand base, and the front end of the pressing member can be brought into contact with the end face of the semiconductor wafer. An opening through which the pressing member is inserted is formed in the hand base.

[ Prior Art literature ]

[ Patent literature ]

Patent document 1 Japanese patent laid-open No. 2015-36186

Disclosure of Invention

[ Problem to be solved by the invention ]

In the industrial robot described in patent document 1, when the robot is used in an environment where a liquid such as water is used for a semiconductor wafer (that is, when a hand on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted is used in an environment where the liquid is used), there is a concern that the liquid may infiltrate into the inside of the hand base from the opening portion of the hand base. In addition, if the liquid is immersed in the hand base, there is a concern that the drive mechanism housed in the hand base corrodes.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a hand for an industrial robot, comprising: a carrying part for carrying the object to be carried; a mounting support portion for fixing the base end side of the mounting portion; and a holding mechanism for holding the object to be transported mounted on the mounting portion at a fixed position in the horizontal direction, wherein the hand of the industrial robot can effectively suppress the penetration of the liquid into the arrangement space of the mounting support portion in which the driving mechanism forming a part of the holding mechanism is housed, even when the hand is used in an environment where the liquid is used. Another object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot including the hand.

[ Means of solving the problems ]

In order to solve the above problems, an industrial robot hand according to an aspect of the present invention is an industrial robot hand for transporting an object to be transported, comprising: a carrying part for carrying the object to be carried; a mounting support part, at least a part of which is hollow and fixes the base end side of the mounting part; a holding mechanism for holding the object to be conveyed mounted on the mounting portion at a fixed position in the horizontal direction; a plurality of sealing members for preventing liquid from entering the mounting support part; and a gas supply mechanism for supplying gas into the mounting support part, wherein the holding mechanism comprises: an end surface contact member having a contact surface that contacts an end surface of the object to be conveyed and mounted on a front end side of the mounting portion; a pressing member having a pressing portion that contacts an end surface of the object to be conveyed and presses the end surface of the object to be conveyed against the contact surface, and a shaft-shaped shaft portion to which the pressing portion is attached at a front end side, and held by the mounting support portion; and a driving mechanism which is accommodated in an arrangement space inside the mounting support part and is connected with the base end side of the shaft part, and which enables the pressing member to linearly move in a horizontal direction relative to the mounting support part, wherein a shaft arrangement hole which is provided with a part of the shaft part and is communicated with the arrangement space is formed in the mounting support part, a plurality of sealing members are arranged in the shaft arrangement hole along the axial direction of the shaft part and are contacted with the outer peripheral surface of the shaft part, and a gas supply mechanism supplies gas to the arrangement space and enables the arrangement space to be positive pressure.

The hand of the industrial robot according to the present embodiment includes: a plurality of sealing members for preventing liquid from entering the mounting support part; and a gas supply mechanism for supplying gas into the mounting support portion. In this aspect, the plurality of seal members are arranged in the shaft arrangement hole in the axial direction of the shaft portion, and are in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion, and the gas supply mechanism supplies gas to the arrangement space so that the arrangement space is at a positive pressure. Therefore, in this embodiment, even when the hand is used in an environment where the liquid is used, the liquid can be effectively prevented from entering the arrangement space inside the mounting support portion through the shaft arrangement hole.

In this aspect, for example, the hand includes, as the seal members, two seal members, i.e., a first seal member and a second seal member, which are disposed at a distance from each other in the axial direction of the shaft portion, and when the side on which the pressing portion is disposed in the axial direction of the shaft portion is set to the first direction side, the first seal member is disposed on the first direction side than the second seal member.

In this aspect, it is preferable that the mounting support portion has a liquid discharge hole formed therein at a portion between the first seal member and the second seal member, the portion being communicated with the shaft arrangement hole from an outer side surface of the mounting support portion. With the above configuration, even if the liquid passes through the portion of the shaft arrangement hole where the first seal member is arranged, the liquid is immersed in the portion between the first seal member and the second seal member of the shaft arrangement hole, and the immersed liquid can be discharged from the discharge hole. Therefore, the liquid can be more effectively prevented from entering the arrangement space inside the mounting support portion through the shaft arrangement hole.

In this embodiment, the first sealing member is preferably a full seal ring, and the second sealing member is preferably a U-seal or a V-seal. With this configuration, sliding friction between the first seal member and the second seal member and the shaft portion can be reduced, for example, as compared with the case where the first seal member and the second seal member are O-rings. Therefore, the first seal member and the second seal member can be prevented from being worn, and the liquid can be effectively prevented from entering the arrangement space inside the mounting support portion. In addition, if the first seal member is configured as described above, the first seal member has high sealability, and thus, the liquid can be more effectively prevented from entering the arrangement space inside the mounting support portion.

In this aspect, it is preferable that the driving mechanism moves the pressing member between a holding position in which the pressing member is in contact with the end surface of the object to be conveyed and presses the end surface of the object to be conveyed to the contact surface, and a retracted position in which the pressing member is away from the end surface of the object to be conveyed, and when the pressing member is disposed in the holding position, a part of the shaft portion is disposed outside the mounting support portion, and when a side of the shaft portion on which the pressing member is disposed in the axial direction is set to the first direction side, and when a part of the shaft portion disposed outside the mounting support portion when the pressing member is disposed in the holding position is set to the external disposition portion, the external disposition portion is disposed on the first direction side than the sealing member disposed on the most first direction side when the pressing member is disposed in the retracted position.

With this configuration, the external arrangement portion, which is arranged outside the mounting support portion and to which the liquid is adhered, can be prevented from coming into contact with the seal member when the pressing member is arranged at the holding position. Therefore, for example, even if a hand is used in an environment where a chemical solution containing an abrasive is used, the external arrangement portion to which the abrasive contained in the chemical solution adheres can be prevented from coming into contact with the sealing member. As a result, even if a hand is used in an environment where a chemical solution containing an abrasive is used, damage to the sealing member due to the abrasive adhering to the external arrangement portion can be prevented.

In this aspect, the mounting support preferably includes: a cylindrical seal holding member having a shaft arrangement hole formed therein and holding a plurality of seal members on an inner peripheral side; and a support portion main body which is formed separately from the seal holding member and fixes the seal holding member, wherein a seal holding member arrangement hole in which the seal holding member is arranged and which communicates with the arrangement space is formed in the support portion main body, the seal holding member is detachable with respect to the support portion main body, and an outer peripheral side seal arrangement recess in which an outer peripheral side seal member for preventing liquid from entering into the arrangement space is arranged is formed in an outer peripheral surface of the seal holding member or an inner peripheral surface of the seal holding member arrangement hole. In the above-described configuration, when the seal holding member is detached from the support portion main body, the plurality of seal members can be detached from the support portion main body together. Therefore, the replacement work of the plurality of seal members can be easily performed.

In this aspect, it is preferable that the hand includes, as the seal members, two seal members, i.e., a first seal member and a second seal member, which are disposed at a distance from each other in the axial direction of the shaft portion, and when the side on which the pressing portion is disposed in the axial direction of the shaft portion is set to a first direction side and the opposite side to the first direction side is set to a second direction side, the first seal member is disposed on the first direction side than the second seal member, the first seal member is a full seal ring, the second seal member is a U-shaped seal or a V-shaped seal, and the seal holding member includes: a tubular seal holding member body having an inner peripheral side seal arrangement recess formed on an inner peripheral side thereof in which the second seal member is arranged; and a cover member having a cylindrical insertion portion inserted from the first direction side to the inner peripheral side of the seal holding member main body, the cover member being formed separately from the seal holding member main body and being detachable from the seal holding member main body, a first restricting surface restricting movement of the first seal member to the second direction side being formed on the inner peripheral side of the seal holding member main body, and an end surface on the second direction side of the insertion portion being a second restricting surface restricting movement of the first seal member to the first direction side.

With this configuration, sliding friction between the first seal member and the second seal member and the shaft portion can be reduced, for example, as compared with the case where the first seal member and the second seal member are O-rings. Therefore, the first seal member and the second seal member can be prevented from being worn, and the liquid can be effectively prevented from entering the arrangement space inside the mounting support portion. In addition, if the first seal member is configured as described above, the first seal member has high sealability, and thus, the liquid can be more effectively prevented from entering the arrangement space inside the mounting support portion.

In the above-described configuration, since the cover member having the second restricting surface for restricting the movement of the first seal member in the first direction is formed separately from the seal holding member main body, the first seal member can be easily disposed on the inner peripheral side of the seal holding member by removing the cover member from the seal holding member main body even if the full seal ring having higher rigidity than the U-shaped seal or the V-shaped seal is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the seal holding member as the first seal member.

The hand according to the present embodiment is applicable to an industrial robot including an arm to which the hand is connected and a body to which the arm is connected. In the industrial robot, even if the hand is used in the environment where the liquid is used, the liquid can be effectively prevented from entering the arrangement space inside the mounting support portion through the shaft arrangement hole.

[ Effect of the invention ]

As described above, in the present invention, a hand of an industrial robot includes: a carrying part for carrying the object to be carried; a mounting support portion for fixing the base end side of the mounting portion; and a holding mechanism for holding the object to be transported mounted on the mounting portion at a fixed position in the horizontal direction, wherein the hand of the industrial robot can effectively suppress the penetration of the liquid into the arrangement space of the mounting support portion in which the driving mechanism forming a part of the holding mechanism is housed, even when the hand is used in an environment where the liquid is used.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the industrial robot shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view for explaining the structure of the hand shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the E-E section of fig. 3.

[ Description of symbols ]

1: Robot (Industrial robot)

2: Wafer (semiconductor wafer, object to be transported)

3: Hand with a handle

4: Arm

5: Main body part

7. 8: Arm portion

11: Lifting body

12: Frame body

15: Mounting part

16: Mounting support

16A: discharge hole

17: Hand base

19: Holding mechanism

20: Sealing component (first sealing component)

21: Sealing component (second sealing component)

22: Gas supply mechanism

25: End face abutting member

25A: abutment surface

26: Roller (pressing part)

27: Pressing member

28: Driving mechanism

29: Wafer mounting member

32: Shaft portion

32A: external arrangement part

33: Roller

34: Roller holding member

35: Cylinder

36: Sliding block

37: Guide block

38: Guide rail

39. 44: Screw bolt

41: Seal holding member

41A: shaft arrangement hole

41B: sealing arrangement concave part

41C: sealing arrangement concave (inner circumference side sealing arrangement concave)

41D: sealing arrangement concave (outer circumference side sealing arrangement concave)

42: Support body

42A: holding part

42B: seal holding member arrangement hole

43: Cover member

45: Sealing member (outer peripheral side sealing member)

47: Seal retaining member body

47A: step surface (first limiting surface)

48: Cover member

48A: insertion part

48B: rear end face (second direction side end face of insertion portion, second limiting face)

S: configuration space

X1: first direction side

X2: second direction side

Y: direction of

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Outline structure of Industrial robot)

Fig. 1 is a side view of an industrial robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the industrial robot 1 shown in fig. 1.

The industrial robot 1 (hereinafter referred to as "robot 1") according to the present embodiment is a horizontal articulated robot for transporting a semiconductor wafer 2 (hereinafter referred to as "wafer 2") as a transport object. The wafer 2 is formed in a disk shape. The robot 1 is assembled and used in a semiconductor manufacturing system. The robot 1 includes: a hand 3 for mounting the wafer 2, an arm 4 connected to the hand 3, and a body 5 connected to the arm 4. The robot 1 of the present embodiment is used in an environment where a liquid such as water is used for the wafer 2. That is, in the present embodiment, the hand 3 on which the wafer 2 is mounted is used in an environment where a liquid is used.

The hand 3 is rotatably coupled to the distal end side of the arm 4. The base end side of the arm 4 is rotatably coupled to the main body 5. The arm 4 includes: an arm portion 7, the base end side of which is rotatably coupled to the main body portion 5; and an arm portion 8, the base end side of which is rotatably coupled to the tip end side of the arm portion 7. The hand 3, the arm 7, and the arm 8 are rotated in the axial direction in which the vertical direction is the rotation. The arm 4 performs a telescopic motion in the horizontal direction.

The main body 5 includes: a lift body 11 rotatably coupled to a base end side of the arm 4 (specifically, a base end side of the arm 7); a frame 12 for accommodating the lifter 11; and a lifting mechanism for lifting the lifting body 11 relative to the frame 12. The base end side of the arm portion 7 is rotatably coupled to the upper end portion of the elevating body 11. The elevating mechanism is accommodated in the housing 12. The body 5, arm 7, arm 8, and hand 3 are disposed in this order from the lower side in the up-down direction. The robot 1 further includes an arm driving mechanism or the like for rotating the arm 7, the arm 8, and the hand 3 and extending and retracting the arm 4.

(Structure of hand)

Fig. 3 is a plan view for explaining the structure of the hand 3 shown in fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the E-E section of fig. 3.

The hand 3 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the vertical direction, for example. The hand 3 includes: a mounting unit 15 for mounting the wafer 2; a mounting support 16 for fixing the base end side of the mounting portion 15; and a hand base 17 constituting a base end side portion of the hand 3. The hand base 17 is rotatably coupled to the distal end side of the arm 8. The hand base 17 is rotatable relative to the arm 8 in an axial direction in which the hand base rotates in the up-down direction. The mounting support 16 is rotatably coupled to the hand base 17. The mounting support 16 is rotatable relative to the hand base 17 in an axial direction that is a horizontal direction. At least a part of the mounting support portion 16 is formed in a hollow shape.

The mounting portion 15, the mounting support portion 16, and the hand base portion 17 are arranged in this order in the horizontal direction. In the following description, the direction in which the mounting portion 15, the mounting support portion 16, and the hand base portion 17 are arranged in the horizontal direction is referred to as the "front-rear direction", and the Y direction in fig. 3 and the like orthogonal to the up-down direction (vertical direction) and the front-rear direction is referred to as the "left-right direction". The X1 direction side of fig. 3 and the like, which is one of the front and rear directions, is referred to as the "front" side, and the X2 direction side of fig. 3 and the like, which is the opposite side, is referred to as the "rear" side. The mounting portion 15 is disposed on the front side of the mounting support portion 16, and the mounting support portion 16 is disposed on the front side of the hand base portion 17. The mounting support 16 is rotatable relative to the hand base 17 in an axial direction that is a rotation in the front-rear direction.

The hand 3 includes: a holding mechanism 19 (see fig. 2) for holding the wafer 2 mounted on the mounting portion 15 at a predetermined position in the horizontal direction; a plurality of seal members 20, 21 for preventing liquid from entering the interior of the mounting support 16; and a gas supply mechanism 22 (see fig. 2) for supplying gas into the mounting support 16. The hand 3 of the present embodiment includes two seal members 20 and 21, i.e., a seal member 20 as a first seal member and a seal member 21 as a second seal member. The hand 3 includes a rotation mechanism (not shown) for rotating the mounting portion 15 and the mounting support portion 16 by at least 180 ° with respect to the hand base portion 17 in the axial direction in which the front-rear direction is rotated. In the robot 1, the wafer 2 mounted on the mounting portion 15 can be reversed together with the mounting portion 15.

The mounting portion 15 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape, for example. The mounting portion 15 is arranged such that the thickness direction of the mounting portion 15 coincides with the up-down direction. The mounting portion 15 is arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the mounting portion 15 formed in a rectangular shape coincides with the front-rear direction. The mounting support portion 16 is formed in a flat rectangular parallelepiped block shape having a small thickness in the up-down direction. The rear end of the mounting portion 15 is fixed to the front end of the mounting support portion 16.

The holding mechanism 19 is a side-inserted (edgegrip) holding mechanism that contacts the end surface (outer peripheral surface) of the wafer 2 mounted on the mounting portion 15 from three directions and holds the wafer 2 mounted on the mounting portion 15 at a fixed position in the horizontal direction. The holding mechanism 19 includes: an end surface contact member 25 having a contact surface 25a that contacts the end surface of the wafer 2; a pressing member 27 having a roller portion 26 as a pressing portion that contacts the end surface of the wafer 2 and presses the end surface of the wafer 2 against the contact surface 25a of the end surface contact member 25; and a driving mechanism 28 for linearly moving the pressing member 27 in the horizontal direction.

The end surface contact member 25 is attached to the front end side of the mounting portion 15. That is, the end surface contact member 25 is attached to the front end side of the mounting portion 15. Specifically, the end surface contact members 25 are fixed to two portions of the front end portion of the upper surface of the mounting portion 15. Two wafer mounting members 29 on which the wafers 2 are mounted are fixed to the upper surface of the base end side of the mounting portion 15 (i.e., the upper surface of the rear end side of the mounting portion 15). The lower surface of the wafer 2 mounted on the mounting portion 15 is in contact with the end surface contact member 25 and the wafer mounting member 29. In fig. 1, the end face contact member 25 and the wafer mounting member 29 are not shown.

The pressing member 27 is held by the mounting support 16. Specifically, the pressing member 27 is held by the mounting support portion 16 so as to be linearly movable in the front-rear direction. The pressing member 27 includes a shaft-shaped shaft portion 32 to which the roller portion 26 is attached at the tip end side. The shaft portion 32 is formed in a cylindrical shape elongated in the front-rear direction. The axial direction of the shaft portion 32 coincides with the front-rear direction. That is, the front-rear direction is the axial direction of the shaft portion 32.

The roller portion 26 is attached to the front end portion of the shaft portion 32. The roller portion 26 includes a roller 33, and a roller holding member 34 that rotatably holds the roller 33. The roller holding member 34 is fixed to the front end portion of the shaft portion 32. The roller 33 is held by the roller holding member 34 so as to be rotatable in the axial direction in which the roller is rotatable in the up-down direction. The front side (X1 direction side) of the present embodiment is a first direction side which is a side where the roller portion 26 as the pressing portion is disposed in the axial direction of the shaft portion 32, and the rear side (X2 direction side) is a second direction side which is an opposite side to the first direction side.

The driving mechanism 28 is accommodated in an arrangement space S (see fig. 4) formed in the hollow mounting support portion 16. The driving mechanism 28 includes an air cylinder 35 as a driving source, and a slider 36 linearly moved in the front-rear direction by the power of the air cylinder 35. The slider 36 is coupled to the rod of the cylinder 35. The guide block 37 is fixed to the slider 36. The guide block 37 engages with a guide rail 38 fixed to the mounting support 16.

The slider 36 is guided in the front-rear direction by a guide block 37 and a guide rail 38. The base end side of the shaft portion 32 is coupled to the slider 36. Specifically, the rear end portion of the shaft portion 32 is fixed to the slider 36. The rear end portion of the shaft portion 32 is fixed to the front end portion of the slider 36 by a screw 39. The screw 39 is, for example, a set screw with a hexagonal hole. The pressing member 27 can be detached from the slider 36 by unscrewing the screw 39.

The driving mechanism 28 linearly moves the pressing member 27 in the front-rear direction with respect to the mounting support portion 16. The driving mechanism 28 moves the pressing member 27 between a holding position (see the two-dot chain line in fig. 3) at which the roller portion 26 contacts the end surface of the wafer 2 (specifically, the roller 33 contacts the end surface of the wafer 2) and presses the end surface of the wafer 2 against the contact surface 25a, and a retracted position (see the solid line in fig. 3) at which the roller portion 26 is separated from the end surface of the wafer 2 (specifically, the roller 33 is separated from the end surface of the wafer 2). The pressing member 27 moves forward toward the holding position and moves rearward toward the retracted position.

The mounting support 16 includes: a tubular seal holding member 41 that holds the seal member 20 and the seal member 21 on the inner peripheral side; a support portion main body 42 formed separately from the seal holding member 41; and a cover member 43 formed separately from the support portion main body 42 and fixed to the support portion main body 42. The support portion main body 42 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped box shape with an upper surface open. The cover member 43 is formed in a flat plate shape. The cover member 43 is fixed to the upper surface side of the support portion main body 42 so as to cover the opening of the upper surface of the support portion main body 42. The arrangement space S is defined by the support body 42 and the cover member 43. The driving mechanism 28 is disposed inside the support body 42.

A holding portion 42a for holding the seal holding member 41 is formed inside the front end portion of the support portion main body 42. The holding portion 42a is formed at a center position in the left-right direction of the support portion main body 42. The holding portion 42a is formed with a seal holding member arrangement hole 42b in which the seal holding member 41 is arranged. That is, the support portion main body 42 is formed with a seal holding member arrangement hole 42b. The seal holding member arrangement hole 42b is a circular hole penetrating the holding portion 42a in the front-rear direction. The seal holding member arrangement hole 42b opens at the front end surface of the support portion main body 42, and communicates with the arrangement space S.

The seal holding member 41 is formed in a flanged cylindrical shape. The portion of the seal retaining member 41 other than the flange portion is inserted into the seal retaining member disposition hole 42b from the front side. The seal retaining member 41 is arranged such that the axial direction of the seal retaining member 41 coincides with the front-rear direction. The flange portion of the seal holding member 41 constitutes the front end portion of the seal holding member 41. The seal retaining member 41 is fixed to the support portion main body 42. Specifically, the flange portion of the seal holding member 41 is fixed to the front end side of the holding portion 42 a. The seal holding member 41 is fixed to the support portion main body 42 by a plurality of screws 44. The screw 44 is, for example, a bolt with a hexagonal hole. The seal retaining member 41 can be detached from the support portion main body 42 by detaching the screw 44. That is, the seal holding member 41 is detachable from the support portion main body 42.

The inner peripheral side of the seal holding member 41 is a shaft arrangement hole 41a in which a part of the shaft portion 32 is arranged. That is, the mounting support portion 16 is formed with a shaft arrangement hole 41a. Specifically, the seal holding member 41 is formed with a shaft arrangement hole 41a. The roller portion 26 is disposed further toward the front side than the seal holding member 41. A gap is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 32 and the inner peripheral surface of the shaft disposition hole 41a in the radial direction of the shaft portion 32. The shaft arrangement hole 41a communicates with the arrangement space S. The seal member 20 and the seal member 21 are disposed in the shaft disposition hole 41a. The seal member 20 and the seal member 21 are disposed at a distance from each other in the front-rear direction. That is, the seal member 20 and the seal member 21 are arranged in the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the seal member 20 is disposed on the front side of the seal member 21.

The seal members 20 and 21 are lip seals, and are formed in a ring shape. Specifically, the seal member 20 is a full seal ring, and the seal member 21 is a U-seal or a V-seal (Y-seal). The seal members 20 and 21 are disposed on the outer peripheral side of the shaft portion 32. The seal members 20, 21 are in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 32. Specifically, the lip portions of the seal member 20 and the seal member 21 are closely adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 32. The seal members 20 and 21 function to prevent the liquid from entering the arrangement space S from the shaft arrangement hole 41 a.

A seal arrangement recess 41b in which the seal member 20 is arranged and a seal arrangement recess 41c in which the seal member 21 is arranged are formed in the inner peripheral surface of the seal holding member 41. That is, the shaft arrangement hole 41a is formed with a seal arrangement recess 41b and a seal arrangement recess 41c. The seal arrangement concave portion 41b and the seal arrangement concave portion 41c are formed in an annular shape recessed toward the radially outer side of the seal holding member 41. The seal arrangement recess 41b restricts movement of the seal member 20 in the front-rear direction, and the seal arrangement recess 41c restricts movement of the seal member 21 in the front-rear direction. The seal arrangement recess 41b is formed further toward the front side than the seal arrangement recess 41c. The seal arrangement recess 41c of this embodiment is an inner peripheral side seal arrangement recess.

A seal member 45 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the seal holding member 41, and the seal member 45 prevents liquid from entering the disposition space S from a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the seal holding member 41 and the inner peripheral surface of the seal holding member disposition hole 42 b. The seal member 45 is an O-ring, and is formed in a ring shape. A seal arrangement recess 41d in which the seal member 45 is arranged is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the seal holding member 41. The seal arrangement recess 41d is formed in an annular shape recessed toward the radially inner side of the seal holding member 41. The seal member 45 of this embodiment is an outer peripheral side seal member, and the seal arrangement recess 41d is an outer peripheral side seal arrangement recess.

In addition, the seal holding member 41 includes: a tubular seal holding member body 47 having a seal arrangement recess 41c formed on the inner peripheral side; and a cylindrical cover member 48 formed separately from the seal holding member body 47. The seal retaining member 41 of this embodiment includes a seal retaining member main body 47 and a cover member 48.

The seal retaining member main body 47 is formed in a flanged cylindrical shape. The portion of the seal retaining member main body 47 other than the flange portion is inserted into the seal retaining member disposition hole 42 b. The seal retaining member body 47 is arranged such that the axial direction of the seal retaining member body 47 coincides with the front-rear direction. The flange portion of the seal retaining member main body 47 constitutes the front end portion of the seal retaining member main body 47. The seal arrangement recess 41d is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the seal holding member body 47.

The cover member 48 is formed in a flanged cylindrical shape. The cover member 48 includes a cylindrical insertion portion 48a that is inserted from the front side to the inner peripheral side of the seal holding member body 47. The insertion portion 48a is formed in a cylindrical shape. The length (length in the front-rear direction) of the insertion portion 48a is shorter than the length (length in the front-rear direction) of the seal retaining member main body 47. For example, the length of the insertion portion 48a is about half the length of the seal retaining member main body 47.

The cover member 48 is arranged such that the axial direction of the cover member 48 coincides with the front-rear direction. The flange portion of the cover member 48 is connected to the distal end of the insertion portion 48a, and constitutes the distal end portion of the cover member 48. The flange portion of the cover member 48 is disposed on the front side of the flange portion of the seal holding member body 47. The rear surface of the flange portion of the cover member 48 is in contact with the front surface of the flange portion of the seal holding member main body 47. The seal holding member main body 47 and the cover member 48 are fixed together to the holding portion 42a by the screw 44. The cover member 48 is detachable from the seal holding member body 47.

The inner diameter of the front side portion of the seal retaining member main body 47 into which the insertion portion 48a is inserted to the inner peripheral side is larger than the inner diameter of the rear side portion of the seal retaining member main body 47. The inner diameter of the rear side portion of the seal holding member main body 47 is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the cover member 48. The seal arrangement recess 41c is formed on the inner peripheral side of the rear side portion of the seal holding member body 47. An annular step surface 47a orthogonal to the front-rear direction is formed at the boundary between the inner peripheral surface of the front portion of the seal retaining member body 47 and the inner peripheral surface of the rear portion of the seal retaining member body 47.

The seal arrangement recess 41b is formed between the step surface 47a and the rear end surface 48b of the insertion portion 48 a. That is, the seal member 20 is disposed between the step surface 47a and the rear end surface 48 b. The step surface 47a of this embodiment serves as a first restriction surface for restricting the movement of the seal member 20 to the rear side. That is, a first restricting surface is formed on the inner peripheral side of the seal holding member main body 47. The rear end surface 48b of the insertion portion 48a serves as a second restricting surface for restricting the movement of the sealing member 20 rearward. In the present embodiment, the shaft arrangement hole 41a is formed in the inner peripheral side of the rear portion of the seal holding member body 47 and the inner peripheral side of the insertion portion 48 a.

The mounting support portion 16 has a liquid discharge hole 16a formed therein, the liquid discharge hole communicating with the shaft arrangement hole 41a from the outer surface of the mounting support portion 16, and the portion between the seal member 20 and the seal member 21. The discharge hole 16a is a through hole penetrating from the lower surface of the mounting support 16 to a portion between the seal member 20 and the seal member 21 of the shaft arrangement hole 41 a. As shown in fig. 4, the discharge hole 16a includes a through hole formed in the rear side portion of the seal holding member body 47, and a through hole formed in the lower surface portion of the support portion body 42. The discharge hole 16a is formed at a front side than the seal member 45.

As described above, the driving mechanism 28 moves the pressing member 27 between the holding position where the roller 33 contacts the end surface of the wafer 2 and presses the end surface of the wafer 2 against the contact surface 25a, and the retracted position where the roller 33 is separated from the end surface of the wafer 2. When the pressing member 27 is disposed at the holding position, a part of the distal end side of the shaft portion 32 is disposed outside the mounting support portion 16. If the portion of the shaft portion 32 that is disposed outside the mounting support portion 16 when the pressing member 27 is disposed at the gripping position is referred to as an external disposition portion 32a, for example, a portion surrounded by a broken line in fig. 4 becomes the external disposition portion 32a. As shown in fig. 4, when the pressing member 27 is disposed at the retracted position, the external disposition portion 32a is disposed further toward the front side than the sealing member 20 disposed toward the front side.

The gas supply mechanism 22 supplies gas to the arrangement space S and makes the arrangement space S positive in pressure. The gas supply mechanism 22 of this embodiment supplies air to the arrangement space S. The gas supply mechanism 22 includes: a supply source of compressed air such as a blower for supplying compressed air to the arrangement space S, a pipe for connecting the supply source of compressed air to the arrangement space S, and the like.

(Main effects of the present embodiment)

As described above, in the present embodiment, the hand 3 includes: two seal members 20, 21 for preventing liquid from entering the interior of the mounting support 16; and a gas supply mechanism 22 for supplying gas into the mounting support 16. In the present embodiment, the two seal members 20 and 21 that are in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 32 are disposed in the shaft disposition hole 41a, and the gas supply mechanism 22 supplies gas to the disposition space S so that the disposition space S is at a positive pressure. Therefore, in this embodiment, even when the hand 3 is used in an environment where liquid is used, the liquid can be effectively prevented from entering the arrangement space S inside the mounting support portion 16 through the shaft arrangement hole 41 a.

In this embodiment, the mounting support portion 16 is provided with a liquid discharge hole 16a communicating from the outer surface of the mounting support portion 16 to a portion between the seal member 20 and the seal member 21 of the shaft arrangement hole 41 a. Therefore, in the present embodiment, even if the liquid passes through the portion of the shaft arrangement hole 41a where the seal member 20 is arranged and the liquid is immersed in the portion of the shaft arrangement hole 41a between the seal member 20 and the seal member 21, the immersed liquid can be discharged from the discharge hole 16a. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the discharge hole 16a communicates with the lower surface of the mounting support portion 16, even if the liquid is immersed in the portion of the shaft arrangement hole 41a between the seal member 20 and the seal member 21, the immersed liquid is easily discharged from the discharge hole 16a due to the action of gravity. Therefore, in this embodiment, the liquid can be more effectively prevented from entering the arrangement space S through the shaft arrangement hole 41 a.

In this embodiment, the seal member 20 is a full seal ring, and the seal member 21 is a U-seal or V-seal. Therefore, in this embodiment, sliding friction between the seal member 20, the seal member 21 and the shaft portion 32 can be reduced, for example, as compared with the case where the seal member 20, the seal member 21 are O-rings. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the penetration of the liquid into the arrangement space S can be effectively suppressed while the abrasion of the seal members 20 and 21 is suppressed. In the present embodiment, the sealing member 20 is a full seal ring, and the sealing member 20 has high sealing performance, so that the liquid can be more effectively prevented from entering the arrangement space S.

In the present embodiment, when the pressing member 27 is disposed at the retracted position, the outer disposition portion 32a of the shaft portion 32 is disposed further toward the front side than the sealing member 20 disposed toward the front side. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the external arrangement portion 32a, which is arranged outside the mounting support portion 16 and to which the liquid adheres, can be prevented from coming into contact with the seal member 20 and the seal member 21 when the pressing member 27 is arranged at the holding position. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the hand 3 is used in an environment where a chemical solution containing an abrasive is used, for example, the external arrangement portion 32a to which the abrasive contained in the chemical solution adheres can be prevented from contacting the seal member 20 and the seal member 21. As a result, in the present embodiment, even when the hand 3 is used in an environment where a chemical solution containing an abrasive is used, damage to the sealing member 20 and the sealing member 21 due to the abrasive adhering to the external arrangement portion 32a can be prevented.

In this embodiment, the mounting support 16 includes: a seal holding member 41 that holds the seal member 20 and the seal member 21 on the inner peripheral side; and a support portion main body 42 formed separately from the seal holding member 41 and fixing the seal holding member 41, the seal holding member 41 being detachable from the support portion main body 42. In the present embodiment, when the screw 39 is unscrewed to detach the pressing member 27 from the slider 36 and the screw 44 is detached to detach the seal retaining member 41 from the support body 42, the two seal members 20 and 21 can be detached from the support body 42 together. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the replacement work of the two seal members 20, 21 can be easily performed.

In the present embodiment, since the seal arrangement recess 41d in which the seal member 45 is arranged is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the seal holding member 41, the seal member 45 can be detached from the support portion main body 42 together with the two seal members 20 and 21 when the seal holding member 41 is detached from the support portion main body 42. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the replacement work of the three seal members 20, 21, 45 can be easily performed.

In this embodiment, the cover member 48 having the rear end surface 48b for restricting the forward movement of the seal member 20 is formed separately from the seal holding member body 47, and is detachable from the seal holding member body 47. Therefore, in the present embodiment, even if the seal member 20, which is a full seal ring having higher rigidity than the U-shaped seal or the V-shaped seal, is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the seal holding member 41, the seal member 20 can be easily disposed on the inner peripheral side of the seal holding member 41 by detaching the cover member 48 from the seal holding member main body 47.

(Other embodiments)

The above-described embodiment is an example of a suitable embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without changing the gist of the present invention.

In this configuration, the sealing member 20 may be a U-shaped seal or a V-shaped seal. In this embodiment, the seal member 21 may be a full seal ring. In this embodiment, the seal members 20 and 21 may be O-rings. In the above-described embodiment, the hand 3 may include three or more seal members disposed in the shaft disposition hole 41 a.

In this configuration, the seal retaining member 41 may also comprise one member. That is, the seal holding member main body 47 and the cover member 48 may be integrally formed. In this embodiment, the seal holding member 41 and the support portion main body 42 may be integrally formed. In this embodiment, the discharge hole 16a may not be formed in the mounting support portion 16. In the above-described embodiment, the seal retaining member arrangement hole 42b may have an outer peripheral side seal arrangement recess in which the seal member 45 is arranged.

In this embodiment, the driving mechanism 28 may include a driving source such as a motor instead of the cylinder 35. In this embodiment, the roller 33 may not be rotatable with respect to the roller holding member 34. In the above-described embodiment, the pressing member 27 may include a pressing portion other than the roller portion 26. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the mounting support portion 16 may not be rotatable with respect to the hand base portion 17. In the above-described embodiment, the gas supply mechanism 22 may supply a gas other than air to the arrangement space S.

In this embodiment, the robot 1 may include two hands 3 rotatably coupled to the distal end sides of the arms 4. In this embodiment, the arm 4 may include three or more arms. In the above-described embodiment, the object to be transported by the robot 1 may be an object other than the wafer 2. In this case, for example, the object to be conveyed may be formed in a square or rectangular flat plate shape.

The industrial robot to which the present invention is applied may be a robot other than a horizontal articulated industrial robot. For example, an industrial robot to which the present invention is applied may be an industrial robot including: an arm to which the hand 3 is coupled so as to be capable of linear reciprocation of the hand 3, a main body portion to which the arm is rotatably coupled, and a linear drive portion to linearly reciprocate the hand 3 with respect to the arm.

(Structure of the present technique)

The present technology can adopt the following configuration.

(1) A hand for an industrial robot for transporting an object to be transported, the hand comprising,

Comprising the following steps: a carrying part for carrying the object to be carried; a mounting support part, at least a part of which is hollow and fixes the base end side of the mounting part; a holding mechanism for holding the object to be conveyed mounted on the mounting portion at a predetermined position in a horizontal direction; a plurality of sealing members for preventing liquid from entering the mounting support; and a gas supply mechanism for supplying gas into the mounting support portion,

The holding mechanism includes: an end surface contact member having a contact surface that contacts an end surface of the object to be conveyed and mounted on a front end side of the mounting portion; a pressing member that has a pressing portion that contacts an end surface of the object to be conveyed and presses the end surface of the object to be conveyed against the contact surface, and a shaft-shaped shaft portion that has the pressing portion attached to a front end side thereof, and that is held by the mounting support portion; and a driving mechanism which is accommodated in an arrangement space inside the mounting support portion, is connected to a base end side of the shaft portion, and moves the pressing member linearly in a horizontal direction with respect to the mounting support portion,

A shaft arrangement hole which is arranged with a part of the shaft part and is communicated with the arrangement space is formed on the carrying support part,

The plurality of seal members are arranged in the shaft arrangement hole along an axial direction of the shaft portion and are in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion,

The gas supply means supplies gas to the arrangement space and makes the arrangement space positive in pressure.

(2) The hand according to (1), comprising two seal members, namely, a first seal member and a second seal member, which are disposed at a distance from each other in an axial direction of the shaft portion,

When the side on which the pressing portion is disposed in the axial direction of the shaft portion is set to the first direction side, the first seal member is disposed further toward the first direction side than the second seal member.

(3) The hand according to (2), wherein the mounting support portion is formed with a liquid discharge hole communicating from an outer side surface of the mounting support portion to a portion between the first seal member and the second seal member of the shaft arrangement hole.

(4) The hand according to (2) or (3), wherein the first sealing member is a full seal ring,

The second sealing member is a U-shaped seal or a V-shaped seal.

(5) The hand according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the driving mechanism moves the pressing member between a holding position in which the pressing portion contacts the end surface of the object to be conveyed and presses the end surface of the object to be conveyed against the abutment surface, and a retracted position in which the pressing portion is away from the end surface of the object to be conveyed,

When the pressing member is disposed at the holding position, a part of the shaft portion is disposed outside the mounting support portion,

When the side of the shaft portion on which the pressing portion is disposed in the axial direction is set to be the first direction side, and the portion of the shaft portion that is disposed outside the mounting support portion when the pressing member is disposed at the gripping position is set to be the external disposition portion,

When the pressing member is disposed at the retracted position, the external disposition portion is disposed further toward the first direction side than the sealing member disposed most toward the first direction side.

(6) The hand according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the mounting support portion includes: a cylindrical seal holding member which is provided with the shaft arrangement hole and holds a plurality of seal members on an inner peripheral side; and a supporting portion main body formed separately from the seal holding member and fixing the seal holding member,

A seal holding member arrangement hole in which the seal holding member is arranged and which communicates with the arrangement space is formed in the support portion main body,

The seal holding member is detachable with respect to the support body,

An outer peripheral side seal arrangement recess is formed in an outer peripheral surface of the seal holding member or an inner peripheral surface of the seal holding member arrangement hole, and an outer peripheral side seal member for preventing liquid from entering the arrangement space is arranged in the outer peripheral side seal arrangement recess.

(7) The hand according to (6), comprising two seal members, namely, a first seal member and a second seal member, which are disposed at a distance from each other in an axial direction of the shaft portion,

When a side on which the pressing portion is arranged in the axial direction of the shaft portion is set as a first direction side and an opposite side to the first direction side is set as a second direction side,

The first sealing member is disposed further toward the first direction side than the second sealing member,

The first sealing member is a full seal ring,

The second sealing member is a U-seal or a V-seal,

The seal retaining member includes: a tubular seal holding member body having an inner peripheral side seal arrangement recess formed on an inner peripheral side thereof in which the second seal member is arranged; and a cover member having a cylindrical insertion portion inserted from the first direction side to an inner peripheral side of the seal holding member main body,

The cover member is formed separately from the seal holding member main body and is detachable with respect to the seal holding member main body,

A first restricting surface for restricting movement of the first seal member to the second direction side is formed on an inner peripheral side of the seal holding member main body,

An end surface of the insertion portion on the second direction side serves as a second restricting surface that restricts movement of the first seal member to the first direction side.

(8) An industrial robot, comprising: the hand, the arm to which the hand is coupled, and the body to which the arm is coupled according to any one of (1) to (7).

Claims (8)

1. An industrial robot hand for transporting an object to be transported, the industrial robot hand characterized in that,

Comprising the following steps: a carrying part for carrying the object to be carried; a mounting support part, at least a part of which is hollow and fixes the base end side of the mounting part; a holding mechanism for holding the object to be conveyed mounted on the mounting portion at a predetermined position in a horizontal direction; a plurality of sealing members for preventing liquid from entering the mounting support; and a gas supply mechanism for supplying gas into the mounting support portion,

The holding mechanism includes: an end surface contact member having a contact surface that contacts an end surface of the object to be conveyed and mounted on a front end side of the mounting portion; a pressing member that has a pressing portion that contacts an end surface of the object to be conveyed and presses the end surface of the object to be conveyed against the contact surface, and a shaft-shaped shaft portion that has the pressing portion attached to a front end side thereof, and that is held by the mounting support portion; and a driving mechanism which is accommodated in an arrangement space inside the mounting support portion, is connected to a base end side of the shaft portion, and moves the pressing member linearly in a horizontal direction with respect to the mounting support portion,

A shaft arrangement hole which is arranged with a part of the shaft part and is communicated with the arrangement space is formed on the carrying support part,

The plurality of seal members are arranged in the shaft arrangement hole along an axial direction of the shaft portion and are in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion,

The gas supply means supplies gas to the arrangement space and makes the arrangement space positive in pressure.

2. The hand of an industrial robot according to claim 1, comprising two seal members, a first seal member and a second seal member, which are disposed at a distance from each other in an axial direction of the shaft portion,

When the side on which the pressing portion is arranged in the axial direction of the shaft portion is set as the first direction side,

The first seal member is disposed closer to the first direction side than the second seal member.

3. The hand of an industrial robot according to claim 2, wherein a liquid discharge hole is formed in the mounting support portion, the liquid discharge hole communicating with a portion between the first seal member and the second seal member from an outer side surface of the mounting support portion to the shaft arrangement hole.

4. A hand for an industrial robot according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the first sealing member is a full sealing ring,

The second sealing member is a U-shaped seal or a V-shaped seal.

5. The hand of an industrial robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the driving mechanism moves the pressing member between a holding position at which the pressing portion contacts the end surface of the object to be transported and presses the end surface of the object to be transported against the contact surface, and a retracted position at which the pressing portion is separated from the end surface of the object to be transported,

When the pressing member is disposed at the holding position, a part of the shaft portion is disposed outside the mounting support portion,

When the side of the shaft portion on which the pressing portion is disposed in the axial direction is set to be the first direction side, and the portion of the shaft portion that is disposed outside the mounting support portion when the pressing member is disposed at the gripping position is set to be the external disposition portion,

When the pressing member is disposed at the retracted position, the external disposition portion is disposed further toward the first direction side than the sealing member disposed most toward the first direction side.

6. The hand of an industrial robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mounting support portion includes: a cylindrical seal holding member which is provided with the shaft arrangement hole and holds a plurality of seal members on an inner peripheral side; and a supporting portion main body formed separately from the seal holding member and fixing the seal holding member,

A seal holding member arrangement hole in which the seal holding member is arranged and which communicates with the arrangement space is formed in the support portion main body,

The seal holding member is detachable with respect to the support body,

An outer peripheral side seal arrangement recess is formed in an outer peripheral surface of the seal holding member or an inner peripheral surface of the seal holding member arrangement hole, and an outer peripheral side seal member for preventing liquid from entering the arrangement space is arranged in the outer peripheral side seal arrangement recess.

7. The hand of an industrial robot according to claim 6, comprising two seal members, a first seal member and a second seal member, which are disposed at a distance from each other in an axial direction of the shaft portion,

When a side on which the pressing portion is arranged in the axial direction of the shaft portion is set as a first direction side and an opposite side to the first direction side is set as a second direction side,

The first sealing member is disposed further toward the first direction side than the second sealing member,

The first sealing member is a full seal ring,

The second sealing member is a U-seal or a V-seal,

The seal retaining member includes: a tubular seal holding member body having an inner peripheral side seal arrangement recess formed on an inner peripheral side thereof in which the second seal member is arranged; and a cover member having a cylindrical insertion portion inserted from the first direction side to an inner peripheral side of the seal holding member main body,

The cover member is formed separately from the seal holding member main body and is detachable with respect to the seal holding member main body,

A first restricting surface for restricting movement of the first seal member to the second direction side is formed on an inner peripheral side of the seal holding member main body,

An end surface of the insertion portion on the second direction side serves as a second restricting surface that restricts movement of the first seal member to the first direction side.

8. An industrial robot, comprising: the hand of an industrial robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, an arm to which the hand of the industrial robot is connected, and a body to which the arm is connected.