JP2002002909A - Teaching confirmation method for robot for stocker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a robot for stocker capable of automatically confirming whether a positioning coordinate value after teaching for positioning coordinate is given is correctly set or not and a transfer confirmation method by means of the robot. SOLUTION: In teaching confirmation method for the robot for stocker in which a transfer situation of a workpiece 3 when the workpiece 3 is transferred into each storage part 2a by moving a hand part 11 is detected to confirm the teached positioning coordinate based on the teached positioning coordinate in a plurality of storage parts 2a provided on a storage shelf, a transfer situation of the workpiece 3 for positioning members 20a, 20b of the workpiece 3 provided in each storage part 2a is conformed by a detection means provided in at least either of the hand part 11 and the workpirce 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for confirming a transfer state of a work when the work is transferred to each of a plurality of storage units provided on a storage shelf based on the taught positioning coordinates.
The present invention relates to a teaching confirmation method for a stocker robot for confirming a taught positioning coordinate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a silicon wafer processed in a semiconductor manufacturing process is temporarily stored in a stocker after being transported in a cassette unit. As shown in FIG. 9, the stocker includes a storage shelf 52 having a plurality of storage sections 52a for accommodating cassettes 51,
And a stocker robot 53 for holding and moving the storage unit 52.
The cassette 51 is loaded and unloaded to and from a.

The storage shelf 52 generally has a depth of about 1.5 to 2.0 m, a width of about 3 to 10 m, and a height of about 3 m, depending on the size of the stocker. It is divided, transported, assembled and installed on site. For this reason, it is difficult to install each storage unit 52a with high dimensional accuracy. Therefore, after the storage rack 52 is installed, it is necessary to make the stocker robot 53 teach the positioning coordinates at the time of handling in each storage unit 52a. In recent years, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-071973 by the present applicant, automation of teaching of positioning coordinates has been advanced.

However, when the teaching of the positioning coordinates of each storage unit is automated, the work is not transferred at all at the time of teaching, so it is necessary to confirm whether the positioning coordinate values are correctly set after the teaching. This verification work,
The transfer of the work is carried out for all the storage units by automatic operation, and the transfer status is checked visually by an operator.

[0005]

However, since many transfer confirmations are performed at one time, oversight is likely to occur. In recent years, due to a demand for improved storage efficiency of the stocker, an empty space inside the stocker for a worker to enter has been reduced. Also, depending on the position of the storage unit, visual confirmation may be difficult.

Accordingly, the present invention determines whether or not the positioning coordinate value after the teaching of the positioning coordinate is correctly set.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for checking a teaching of a stocker robot which can be automatically checked.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a work apparatus for moving a hand unit to a plurality of storage units provided on a storage rack based on the taught positioning coordinates. Detecting the transfer state of the work when transferred to each of the storage units, the teaching confirmation method of the stocker robot for confirming the taught positioning coordinates, at least the hand unit or the work This is a teaching confirmation method of a stocker robot for confirming a state of transfer of the workpiece to a workpiece positioning member provided in each of the storage units by a detection unit provided on one side. After automatically teaching the positioning coordinates of each storage unit, the work is transferred to each storage unit based on the taught positioning coordinates, so that even if the worker does not enter the stocker, it can be visually checked. Even in a storage unit in a place where it is difficult to confirm, it is possible to directly confirm via the detection unit whether or not the work is reliably transferred along the work positioning member provided in the storage unit.

A second aspect of the present invention is the teaching confirmation method for a stocker robot according to the first aspect, wherein the detecting means is a video camera provided on the hand portion and capable of photographing the vicinity of the positioning member. Since the detection means is a video camera which is an imaging means capable of capturing an image of the vicinity of the workpiece positioning member, the transfer state of the workpiece can be visually observed through the video camera.

[0009] Preferably, the detection means is provided on the work, and a video camera capable of photographing the vicinity of the positioning member, an acceleration sensor for detecting an impact acting on the work, and the positioning means for the work. The teaching confirmation method for a stocker robot according to claim 1, wherein the method is at least one of a tilt sensor that detects a tilt with respect to a member. The work is not transferred between the positioning members in the storage unit,
For example, whether or not the workpiece can be normally transferred by a method other than the imaging means, such as detecting when the workpiece is transferred by being caught on the positioning member or detecting the inclination or the like while riding on the positioning member. You can check if.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 2, the stocker robot 5 according to the present embodiment positions the hand unit 11 in each of the plurality of storage units 2a provided in the storage rack 2 in a matrix in a matrix in accordance with the positioning coordinates. For example, the cassette 3, which becomes a work by being moved, is handled and transferred to each storage unit 2a.

That is, the stocker robot 5 is, for example,
The stocker 1 is provided in each step of a line for manufacturing semiconductors, liquid crystal display substrates, disks, and the like in a clean room. The stocker 1 has a storage shelf 2,
The storage shelf 2 is provided with a large number of storage units 2a for accommodating a cassette 3 for holding a wafer. Marking means 15 for teaching positioning coordinates is provided in each of these storage sections 2a.
The mounting plate 16 provided with is provided. A traveling rail 4 is laid in front of the storage shelf 2 in parallel with the storage shelf 2, and a stocker robot 5 is provided on the traveling rail 4 so as to be able to reciprocate in arrow (left and right) directions. ing.

The stocker robot 5 includes a traveling section 6 traveling on the traveling rail 4, a post section 7 vertically provided on the traveling section 6, and a cassette holding section 8 provided on the post section 7 so as to be able to move up and down. And

As shown in FIG. 1, the cassette holding section 8
A first arm 9 that can pivot with respect to the post 7;
It has a second arm section 10 that can rotate with respect to the arm section 9, and a hand section 11 provided at the tip of the second arm section 10. The hand unit 11 has a pair of hand grippers 12 that can move in opposite directions to each other, and holds and opens the cassette 3 by opening and closing the hand grippers 12. . In this specification, the state of the hand unit 11 when handling the cassette 3 is called a second posture, and the state of the hand unit 11 when traveling along the storage shelf 2 is the first posture.
Posture.

When the cassette 3 is handled by the pair of hand clippers 12 and the cassette 3 is transferred to each storage section 2a, positioning members 20a, 20b provided on the mounting plate 16 are provided. Video cameras 30a and 30b are provided as imaging means capable of capturing images. By using the video cameras 30a and 30b as the image pickup means, an operator can confirm the situation when the cassette 3 is transferred.

When teaching the positioning coordinates of each storage section 2a, a stereo camera 30 serving as a position detecting means of each storage section 2a is attached to and detached from the distal end of the second arm section 10, as shown in FIG. It is provided freely. The stereo cameras 31 are two video cameras 3 installed at predetermined intervals.
1a and 31b. This video camera 3
Reference numerals 1a and 31b denote positions where the cassette holding unit 8 is in the first position and marks and marks for recognizing the position coordinates of each storage unit 2a such as the mark means 15 and the ID mark 18 are included in the visual field. It is attached to the tip of the two-arm unit 10. The stereo camera 31 is not limited to the two video cameras 31a and 31b as shown in FIG. 3, but is limited to a single slide-movable video camera as long as a parallax image can be obtained. A camera or a video camera combined with a field-of-view splitting optical system can also be used. It is preferable that the position detecting means 31 be removed after the teaching operation in order to prevent contact with the cassette 3.

The hand unit 11 is configured as described above. Next, after the positioning coordinates of each storage section 2a are taught by an arbitrary method in advance, the cassette 3 is transferred to each storage section 2a to check whether the teaching coordinates are correct, and the transfer state is confirmed. The method for performing the above will be described below.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, first, a stereo camera 31 attached to the tip of the second arm unit 10 teaches the position coordinates of each storage unit 2a. The information is recorded and the marking means 1
The ID mark 18 installed on the mounting plate 16 is detected while scanning the hand unit 11 along the storage units 2a in the first posture so that the positional relationship with the storage unit 5 is substantially constant. Next, the mark means 15 is moved to the imaging coordinates at which the mark means 15 can be photographed by the stereo camera 31 input in advance, the mark means 15 is photographed, and the image is processed to calculate the mark coordinates of the mark means 15. The positioning coordinates of each storage unit 2a are taught from the mark coordinates and the position coordinates by the ID mark 18. Thus, the positioning coordinates of each storage unit 2a can be automatically taught without actually handling the cassette 3 and transferring the cassette 3 to each storage unit 2a. The method of teaching the positioning coordinates of each storage unit 2a is not limited to the method shown here. For example, even if the ID mark 18 is not provided, the mark unit 15 is detected. The teaching can also be made by a method such as correcting the previously input position coordinates of each storage unit 2a from the mark coordinates.

After each storage unit 2a is taught, it is determined whether or not the positioning coordinates of each storage unit 2a to be taught are correctly taught. Then, it is performed while checking the transfer status.

First, the cassette 3 is inserted into the hand clipper 12.
1 and 4, the hand unit 11 is moved based on the pre-taught positioning coordinates of an arbitrary storage unit 2a, as shown in FIGS. Next, the hand unit 11 is moved downward by a predetermined distance, the hand clippers 12 are opened, and the cassette 3 is released. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the cassette 3 is moved to the positioning member 20 formed on the mounting plate 16.
a video camera which is a transfer status detecting means for determining whether or not the robot is completely mounted on or positioned on any of the positioning members 20a and 20b without being inclined and mounted. Images are taken at 30a and 30b.

Images captured by the video cameras 30a and 30b are transmitted from a transmitter (not shown) by wire or wirelessly.
This is also transmitted to a receiver (not shown), and the operator can directly confirm whether the data has been transferred to each storage unit 2a outside the stocker using a video monitor or the like. This operation is performed for each of the storage sections 2a, and if the transfer condition is not good, the positioning coordinates are taught again. As described above, since the video camera 30a, 30b can check the transfer status of the transferred cassette 3 based on the taught positioning coordinates, it is difficult for the operator to directly observe the cassette 3. The transfer status of the cassette 3 to the storage unit 2a at the place can be checked.

The video cameras 30a and 30b can be mounted on the cassette 3 as shown in FIG. As a result, the cassettes 3 can be transferred to all the storage units 2a and the transfer status can be confirmed in the same manner as described above.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 7, an acceleration sensor 32 is provided at substantially the center of the upper surface of the cassette 3 as a transfer status detecting means. The cassette 3 provided with the acceleration sensor 32 is
Similarly to the above-described embodiment, the hand section 11 is held by the hand clippers 12 of the hand section 11, and the hand section 11 is moved based on the pre-taught positioning coordinates of an arbitrary storage section 2a. Next, the hand unit 11 is moved downward by a predetermined distance,
Open the hand clippers 12 and release the cassette 3.
At this time, for example, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 7, when the cassette 3 rides on the positioning member 20a provided on the mounting plate 16 and is placed obliquely, the cassette 3 is moved by its own weight, It slides down from the member 20a and becomes a state shown by a solid line in FIG. At this time, the cassette 3 is moved to the positioning member 20 by the acceleration sensor 32 installed on the upper surface.
The impact when sliding down from a is detected. Thereby, the transfer status of the cassette 3 can be confirmed, and the accuracy of the positioning coordinates taught in advance can be determined. The storage unit 2a in which the transfer is not reliably performed in this manner
As for, the positioning coordinates are taught again.

Also, an inclination sensor can be attached in place of the acceleration sensor 32. In this case, it is possible to detect a state in which the cassette 3 is placed obliquely as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 8 or a state in which the cassette 3 is completely mounted on one of the positioning members 20a and 20b.

In this way, the robot is provided with the accuracy of the coordinates in which the positioning coordinates of each storage section 2a provided on the storage shelf 2 are taught by the robot without actually transferring the work. It can be confirmed by the transfer status detecting means. Note that the confirmation of the transfer status by the video camera as the imaging means and the confirmation of the transfer status by the acceleration sensor and the tilt sensor described above may be performed individually or in combination. You can also.

[0027]

The present invention is configured as described above.
According to the present invention, the position of each storage unit taught by the robot is confirmed by confirming the state of transfer of the work to each storage unit by the transfer state detection unit including an imaging unit, an acceleration sensor, a tilt sensor, and the like. Whether the coordinates are accurate
It can be performed without the operator directly watching. In addition, it is possible to confirm the transfer status of the work in all storage units including the storage unit in a place where the worker cannot enter in the stocker. At this time, even if the transfer condition is not good, the positioning coordinates can be automatically taught by the robot again. From the teaching of the positioning coordinates of each storage unit of the stocker, the teaching coordinates of the taught positioning coordinates are obtained. A series of operations up to the confirmation can be automated. As a result, the storage efficiency of the stocker is improved, the burden on the worker is reduced, and the time and cost can be significantly reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a state in which a work of a hand unit of a stocker robot of the present invention is transferred.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a stocker robot of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state of a hand unit when teaching the stocker robot of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state of a hand unit before transferring a work.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where a work is transferred.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state of a hand unit before transferring a work according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state of a hand unit before transferring a work according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method of confirming a transfer state of a work.

FIG. 9 shows a conventional example, and is an explanatory view showing a state of teaching positioning coordinates to a stocker robot.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stocker 2 Storage shelf 2a Storage part 3 Cassette 4 Traveling rail 5 Stocker robot 6 Traveling part 7 Post part 8 Cassette holding part 9 First arm part 10 Second arm part 11 Hand part 12 Hand gripper 15 Marking means 16 Mounting plate 20a, 20b Work positioning member 30a, 30b Video camera 31a, 31b Video camera 32 Acceleration sensor

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/68 H01L 21/68 A F term (Reference) 3F022 AA08 BB09 CC02 EE05 FF01 JJ09 KK12 KK20 MM08 NN01 NN12 QQ00 QQ17 3F059 AA02 BA08 BB05 BC07 BC09 CA06 CA08 DA02 DA05 DA08 DB04 DB08 DB09 DD01 DE04 FA03 FA05 FA10 FB01 FB12 FB16 FB26 FC02 FC07 FC13 FC14 5F031 CA02 DA01 DA17 FA03 GA48 GA49 JA04 JA22 JA49 5H269 AB21 AB33 JJ09 CC09 CC21

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A work transfer state when a work is transferred to each of the storage units by moving a hand unit based on taught positioning coordinates in a plurality of storage units provided on a storage shelf. It is a teaching confirmation method of a stocker robot for detecting and confirming the taught positioning coordinates, wherein a detection unit provided in at least one of the hand unit or the work is provided in each of the storage units. A teaching confirmation method of a stocker robot for confirming a transfer state of the work to a work positioning member. 2. The teaching confirmation method for a stocker robot according to claim 1, wherein the detection means is a video camera provided in the hand unit and capable of photographing the vicinity of the positioning member. 3. A video camera provided on the work and capable of photographing the vicinity of the positioning member, an acceleration sensor for detecting an impact acting on the work, and detecting an inclination of the work with respect to the positioning member. The method for confirming teaching of a stocker robot according to claim 1, wherein the method is at least one of a tilt sensor that performs the teaching.