JP2020189390A - Method of adjusting industrial robot and instrument for measurement - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a method of adjusting an industrial robot having a plurality of hands to be mounted with an object to be conveyed such as a semiconductor wafer etc., one over each other vertically across a gap, the method of adjusting the industrial robot making it possible to simplify adjusting operation for a vertical pitch of the plurality of hands.SOLUTION: The method of adjusting the industrial robot includes: a weight mounting process in which a weight 21 fitted with a pin 22 protruding toward a hand 5 is mounted on a hand 4, and then the weight 23 having a plane facing the side of the hand 4 is mounted on the hand 5 so that the pin 22 vertically overlap a part of the weight 23 arranged more outside the hand 5 than an end face of the hand 5; a subsequent gap measuring process in which a gap between the plane of the weight 23 which faces the side of the hand 4 and a tip of the pin 22 is measured with a gap gauge 24; and a further subsequent pitch adjusting process in which a vertical pitch between the hand 4 and hand 5 is adjusted based upon a measurement result obtained in the gap measuring process.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an adjustment method for an industrial robot that conveys an object to be conveyed such as a semiconductor wafer. The present invention also relates to a measuring instrument used for adjusting the vertical pitch of a plurality of hands on which a transport object such as a semiconductor wafer is placed.

Conventionally, a horizontal articulated industrial robot that conveys a semiconductor wafer is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 is incorporated and used in a semiconductor manufacturing system, and transfers a wafer between a FOUP (Front Open Unified Pod) and a semiconductor wafer processing apparatus. This industrial robot has two hands on which a semiconductor wafer is placed, an arm in which the two hands are rotatably connected to the tip side, and a main body in which the base end side of the arm is rotatably connected. It has a department. The two hands overlap in the vertical direction with a predetermined gap.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-35771

Since the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 generally adjusts the vertical pitch of the two hands, the industrial robot adjusts the pitch for adjusting the vertical pitch of the two hands. It has a mechanism. Further, in this industrial robot, when adjusting the vertical pitch of two hands, for example, first, a pick tester and a height gauge to which the pick tester is attached are used to adjust the height of each of the two hands. taking measurement. When measuring the height of each of the two hands, for example, the height of each of the two hands is measured with the mounting surface of the gantry on which the height gauge is mounted as a reference plane. Further, based on the measured heights of the two hands, the pitch adjustment mechanism adjusts the pitches of the two hands in the vertical direction.

However, when measuring the height of each of the two hands using a pick tester and a height gauge, a stand on which the height gauge is placed and a height reference plane is formed is also required. The measuring instrument (measuring instrument) used when adjusting the vertical pitch of each hand becomes large-scale. When the measuring instrument becomes large, the handling of the measuring instrument becomes complicated when the measuring instrument is installed, so that the work of adjusting the pitch in the vertical direction of the two hands becomes complicated. Further, when the measuring instrument becomes large, it becomes difficult to transport the measuring instrument, and when the installation space of the industrial robot is narrow, the measuring instrument may not be installed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to adjust the vertical pitch of a plurality of hands in an industrial robot in which a plurality of hands on which a transport object such as a semiconductor wafer is placed are overlapped in the vertical direction through a gap. The purpose is to provide an adjustment method for an industrial robot that can simplify the adjustment work of the robot. Another object of the present invention is to simplify the configuration and reduce the size of a measuring instrument used for adjusting the vertical pitch of a plurality of hands on which a transport object such as a semiconductor wafer is placed. Is to provide a measuring instrument capable of.

In order to solve the above problems, in the adjustment method of the industrial robot of the present invention, a plurality of hands on which the object to be conveyed is placed and overlapped with each other through a gap in the vertical direction and a pitch in the vertical direction of the plurality of hands An adjustment method for an industrial robot equipped with a pitch adjustment mechanism for adjustment, where one of two adjacent hands in the vertical direction is the first hand and the other hand is the second hand. , The first weight to which the pin protruding toward the second hand is attached is placed on the first hand so that the pin is arranged outside the first hand from the end face of the first hand, and the first hand is placed. A second weight having a flat surface facing the 1-hand side is arranged so that a part of the second weight is arranged outside the second hand and outside the end face of the second hand. Also, a weight mounting process in which a part of the second weight placed outside the second hand and a pin are placed on the second hand so as to overlap in the vertical direction, and a plane of the second weight facing the first hand side. A pitch that adjusts the vertical pitch between the first hand and the second hand by a pitch adjustment mechanism based on the gap measurement process that measures the gap between the pin and the tip of the pin with a gap gauge and the measurement results in the gap measurement process. It is characterized by including an adjustment process.

In the adjustment method of the industrial robot of the present invention, in the weight mounting step, the first weight to which the pin protruding toward the second hand is attached is mounted on the first hand and faces the first hand side. A flat surface-formed second weight is placed on the second hand so that a part of the second weight arranged outside the second hand and the pin overlap in the vertical direction with respect to the end face of the second hand. In the gap measuring step, the gap between the flat surface of the second weight facing the first hand side and the tip of the pin is measured with a feeler gauge. Further, in the present invention, in the pitch adjusting step, the pitch in the vertical direction of the first hand and the second hand is adjusted based on the measurement result in the gap measuring step.

That is, in the present invention, the first hand is based on the gap between the flat surface of the second weight and the tip of the pin measured using the first weight to which the pin is attached, the second weight, and the feeler gauge. The vertical pitch between the hand and the second hand is adjusted, and it is not necessary to use a large-scale measuring instrument when adjusting the vertical pitch of a plurality of hands. Therefore, if the industrial robot is adjusted by the adjustment method of the industrial robot of the present invention, it is possible to simplify the work of adjusting the pitch in the vertical direction of the plurality of hands.

In the present invention, in the weight mounting step, for example, the first weight and the second weight are mounted at a plurality of places. In this case, in the weight mounting step, it is preferable to mount the first weight and the second weight at at least three places. With this configuration, it is possible to specify the inclination of the second hand with respect to the first hand based on the measurement result in the gap measurement process, so that the first hand and the second hand move up and down in the pitch adjustment process. It is possible to adjust the pitch in the direction with high accuracy. That is, it is possible to accurately adjust the vertical pitches of a plurality of hands.

In the present invention, the total weight of the plurality of first weights and pins mounted on the first hand and the total weight of the plurality of second weights mounted on the second hand are conveyed. It is preferably equal to the weight of the object. With this configuration, it is possible to adjust the vertical pitch of the first hand and the second hand under conditions close to the state in which the object to be transported is actually placed on the first and second hands. become. Therefore, it is possible to accurately adjust the pitches of the plurality of hands in the vertical direction when the object to be conveyed is conveyed.

In the present invention, the industrial robot includes two hands, the hands include a plurality of support members that support a plurality of locations of the object to be conveyed from below, and in the weight mounting process, the first weight and the first weight. It is preferable to place the weight 2 in the vicinity of each of the plurality of support members. With this configuration, it is possible to adjust the vertical pitch of the first hand and the second hand under almost the same conditions as when the object to be transported is actually placed on the first and second hands. It will be possible. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately adjust the pitch in the vertical direction of the plurality of hands when transporting the object to be transported.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, the measuring instrument of the present invention is used when the object to be conveyed is placed and the vertical pitches of a plurality of hands overlapping through a gap in the vertical direction are adjusted. If one of the two adjacent hands in the vertical direction is the first hand and the other hand is the second hand, the first hand is placed on the first hand. A weight, a pin attached to the first weight and protruding toward the second hand, and a pin arranged outside the first hand from the end face of the first hand, and a flat surface facing the first hand side are formed and a part thereof. Is placed outside the second hand from the end face of the second hand, and the pin overlaps with a part placed outside the second hand from the end face of the second hand in the vertical direction. It is characterized by including a second weight placed on the hand and a gap gauge for measuring the gap between the plane of the second weight facing the first hand side and the tip of the pin.

The measuring instrument of the present invention is composed of a first weight, a pin, a second weight, and a feeler gauge. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the measuring instrument used when adjusting the vertical pitch of a plurality of hands and to reduce the size of the measuring instrument.

In the present invention, the tip of the pin is preferably formed in a hemispherical shape. With this configuration, it is possible to accurately measure the gap between the plane of the second weight facing the first hand side and the tip of the pin with a feeler gauge.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the mounting position of the pin with respect to the first weight can be adjusted in the protruding direction of the pin. With this configuration, by changing the mounting position of the pin with respect to the first weight, a common measuring instrument is used when adjusting various industrial robots having different vertical pitches of a plurality of hands. Will be possible. Therefore, it is possible to increase the versatility of the measuring instrument.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the first weight is formed with a through hole through which a pin is inserted, and the through hole is formed at a position deviated from the center of the first weight. That is, in the present invention, it is preferable that the pin is arranged at a position deviated from the center of the first weight. With this configuration, it is easy to place the first weight on the first hand so that the pin is arranged outside the first hand with respect to the end face of the first hand.

As described above, in the present invention, in the method of adjusting an industrial robot in which a plurality of hands on which a transport object such as a semiconductor wafer is placed are overlapped in the vertical direction through a gap, the plurality of hands are in the vertical direction. It is possible to simplify the pitch adjustment work. Further, in the present invention, in a measuring instrument used for adjusting the vertical pitch of a plurality of hands on which a transport object such as a semiconductor wafer is placed, the configuration of the measuring instrument is simplified for measurement. It becomes possible to miniaturize the equipment.

It is a perspective view of the industrial robot which is adjusted by the adjustment method of the industrial robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) is a side view of the first hand and the second hand shown in FIG. 1, and (B) is an enlarged view of part E of (A). (A) is a plan view of the first hand shown in FIG. 1, and (B) is an enlarged view of the F portion of (A). (A) is a plan view of the second hand shown in FIG. 1, and (B) is an enlarged view of the G portion of (A). It is a top view for demonstrating the procedure for adjusting the pitch of the 1st hand and the 2nd hand shown in FIG. 1 in the vertical direction. (A) is a side view for explaining the procedure for adjusting the pitch in the vertical direction between the first hand and the second hand shown in FIG. 1, and (B) is an enlarged view of the H portion of (A). Yes, (C) is an enlarged view of part J of (A).

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

(Structure of industrial robot)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an industrial robot 1 in which adjustment is performed by the adjustment method of the industrial robot according to the embodiment of the present invention. 2 (A) is a side view of the hands 4 and 5 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 (B) is an enlarged view of a portion E of FIG. 2 (A). 3 (A) is a plan view of the hand 4 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 (B) is an enlarged view of a portion F of FIG. 3 (A). 4 (A) is a plan view of the hand 5 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 (B) is an enlarged view of a portion G of FIG. 4 (A).

The industrial robot 1 (hereinafter referred to as “robot 1”) adjusted by the adjustment method of the industrial robot of the present embodiment is referred to as a semiconductor wafer 2 (hereinafter referred to as “wafer 2”) which is an object to be conveyed. ) Is a horizontal articulated robot for transporting. The robot 1 is used by being incorporated in a semiconductor manufacturing system. The robot 1 has two hands 4 and 5 on which the wafer 2 is placed, an arm 6 in which the hands 4 and 5 are rotatably connected to the tip side and operates in the horizontal direction, and a base end of the arm 6. It is provided with a main body 7 whose sides are rotatably connected.

The arm 6 includes a first arm portion 9 whose base end side is rotatably connected to the main body portion 7, and a second arm portion 10 whose base end side is rotatably connected to the tip end side of the first arm portion 9. It is composed of a third arm portion 11 whose base end side is rotatably connected to the tip end side of the second arm portion 10. The main body portion 7, the first arm portion 9, the second arm portion 10, and the third arm portion 11 are arranged in this order from the lower side in the vertical direction. The main body 7 includes an elevating body in which the base end side of the arm 6 is rotatably connected to the upper surface side, a housing that holds the elevating body rotatably, and an elevating mechanism that raises and lowers the elevating body with respect to the housing. ing.

The hands 4 and 5 are formed so that the shape when viewed from the vertical direction is substantially a Y shape. The base end portions of the hands 4 and 5 are rotatably connected to the tip end side of the third arm portion 11. The hand 4 and the hand 5 are arranged so as to overlap each other in the vertical direction. Further, the hand 4 and the hand 5 overlap each other with a gap in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the hand 4 is arranged on the upper side and the hand 5 is arranged on the lower side. Further, the hands 4 and 5 are arranged above the third arm portion 11. The hand 4 of this embodiment is the first hand, which is one of the two adjacent hands 4 and 5 in the vertical direction, and the hand 5 is the second hand, which is the other hand. There is.

The tip end side portions of the hands 4 and 5 are flat wafer mounting portions 4a and 5a on which the wafer 2 is mounted. Support members 13 and 14 that support a plurality of positions of the wafer 2 from below are attached to the upper surfaces of the wafer mounting portions 4a and 5a. That is, the hands 4 and 5 include a plurality of support members 13 and 14 that support a plurality of locations of the wafer 2 from below. Specifically, the hand 4 includes two support members 13 and two support members 14 that support the four locations of the wafer 2 from below. Similarly, the hand 5 includes two support members 13 and two support members 14 that support the four locations of the wafer 2 from below.

The support members 13 are arranged at two locations at the tip portions of the wafer mounting portions 4a and 5a. The support members 14 are arranged at two locations at the base ends of the wafer mounting portions 4a and 5a. The support member 13 is formed with a mounting surface 13a on which the wafer 2 is mounted and a guide portion 13b for preventing the wafer 2 from being displaced in the horizontal direction. Similarly, the support member 14 is formed with a mounting surface 14a on which the wafer 2 is mounted and a guide portion 14b for preventing the wafer 2 from being displaced in the horizontal direction. The wafer 2 mounted on the hands 4 and 5 is mounted on the two mounting surfaces 13a and the two mounting surfaces 14a, and the lower surface of the wafer 2 is mounted on the two mounting surfaces 13a. It is in contact with the two mounting surfaces 14a.

Further, the robot 1 includes an arm portion drive mechanism that rotates the first arm portion 9 and the second arm portion 10 to expand and contract a part of the arm 6 including the first arm portion 9 and the second arm portion 10. It is provided with a third arm portion drive mechanism for rotating the third arm portion 11. Further, the robot 1 includes a hand drive mechanism for rotating the hand 4 and a hand drive mechanism for rotating the hand 5. That is, the hand 4 and the hand 5 can rotate individually. Further, the robot 1 includes a pitch adjusting mechanism 12 for adjusting the pitch of the hand 4 and the hand 5 in the vertical direction.

The pitch adjusting mechanism 12 includes a plurality of adjusting screws 15 for adjusting the vertical position of the hand 4 and the inclination of the hand 4, and a plurality of adjusting screws 15 for adjusting the vertical position of the hand 5 and the inclination of the hand 5. It is provided with an adjusting screw 16. The pitch adjusting mechanism 12 of this embodiment includes three adjusting screws 15 and three adjusting screws 16. The three adjusting screws 15 are arranged at the base end of the hand 4, and the three adjusting screws 16 are arranged at the base end of the hand 5. Further, the three adjusting screws 15 are arranged at substantially equal angle pitches about the rotation center of the hand 4 with respect to the third arm portion 11, and the three adjusting screws 16 are arranged with respect to the third arm portion 11. The hands 5 are arranged at substantially equal angle pitches around the center of rotation.

As shown in FIG. 2B, a screw hole 4b into which the adjusting screw 15 is screwed is formed in the base end portion of the hand 4, and the adjusting screw 16 is screwed in the base end portion of the hand 5. A screw hole 5b is formed. The vertical position and inclination of the hand 4 are adjusted by the amount of protrusion of the three adjusting screws 15 from the lower end of the screw hole 4b. The vertical position and inclination of the hand 5 are adjusted by the amount of protrusion of the three adjusting screws 16 from the lower end of the screw hole 5b. Further, by adjusting the vertical position and inclination of the hands 4 and 5, the vertical pitch of the hand 4 and the hand 5 is adjusted. The adjusted hands 4 and 5 are fixed by the fixing screws 17.

(Procedure for adjusting the vertical pitch of the hand)
FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining a procedure for adjusting the pitch of the hand 4 and the hand 5 shown in FIG. 1 in the vertical direction. 6 (A) is a side view for explaining the procedure for adjusting the vertical pitch of the hand 4 and the hand 5 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 (B) is the H portion of FIG. 6 (A). 6 (C) is an enlarged view of the J portion of FIG. 6 (A).

When adjusting the vertical pitch of the hand 4 and the hand 5, the measuring instrument 20 is used. The measuring instrument 20 includes a weight 21 as a first weight mounted on the hand 4, a pin 22 attached to the weight 21, and a weight 23 as a second weight mounted on the hand 5. ing. The measuring instrument 20 of this embodiment includes four weights 21, four pins 22, and four weights 23. Also. The measuring instrument 20 includes a feeler gauge (sickness gauge) 24.

The weight 21 is formed in a disk shape. The pin 22 is formed in an elongated columnar shape. The weight 21 is formed with a through hole 21a through which the pin 22 is inserted. The through hole 21a penetrates the weight 21 in the thickness direction of the weight 21 formed in a disk shape. The through hole 21a is formed at a position deviated from the center of the weight 21. The pin 22 inserted through the through hole 21a is fixed to the weight 21 so that both ends of the pin 22 project from the end surface of the weight 21. One end of the pin 22 is formed in a hemispherical shape. The other end of the pin 22 is formed in a flat shape. In the following, one end of the pin 22 formed in a hemisphere is referred to as the tip of the pin 22.

Further, the weight 21 is formed with a screw hole 21b leading to the through hole 21a (see FIG. 6B). The screw hole 21b penetrates the weight 21 in the radial direction of the weight 21 formed in a disk shape. A screw (not shown) for fixing the pin 22 inserted through the through hole 21a is screwed into the screw hole 21b. This screw is, for example, a hexagon socket set screw. In this embodiment, the amount of protrusion from the weight 21 on the tip end side of the pin 22 can be adjusted by loosening the screw screwed into the screw hole 21b. That is, the mounting position of the pin 22 with respect to the weight 21 can be adjusted in the protruding direction of the pin 22. Note that in FIG. 6C, the screw hole 21b is not shown.

The weight 23 is formed in a disk shape. The outer diameter of the weight 23 is equal to the outer diameter of the weight 21, and the thickness of the weight 23 is equal to the thickness of the weight 21. The weight 23 is not formed with a through hole corresponding to the through hole 21a and a screw hole corresponding to the screw hole 21b. In the weight mounting step described later, the four weights 21 to which the pins 22 are attached are mounted on the hand 4, and the four weights 23 are mounted on the hand 5. In this embodiment, the total weight (weight) of the four weights 21 and the four pins 22 mounted on the hand 4 and the weight (weight) of the four weights 23 mounted on the hand 5 are used. Is equal to the sum of. Further, the total weight of the four weights 21 and the four pins 22 mounted on the hand 4 and the total weight of the four weights 23 mounted on the hand 5 are the total weights of the wafer 2. It is equal to the weight (weight).

When adjusting the vertical pitch between the hand 4 and the hand 5, first, the weight 21 to which the pin 22 protruding toward the hand 4 is attached is placed on the hand 4, and the weight 23 is placed on the hand 5. (Weight mounting process). In the weight mounting step, the weight 21 is mounted on the wafer mounting portion 4a so that the thickness direction of the weight 21 and the vertical direction coincide with each other and the tip of the pin 22 faces downward. Further, in the weight mounting step, the weight 23 is mounted on the wafer mounting portion 5a so that the thickness direction and the vertical direction of the weight 23 coincide with each other. In the weight mounting step, the weight 21 may be mounted on the hand 4 and then the weight 23 may be mounted on the hand 5, or the weight 23 may be mounted on the hand 5 and then the weight 21 is mounted on the hand 4. You may.

Further, in the weight mounting step, as shown in FIG. 5A, the pin 22 is arranged outside the hand 4 with respect to the end face of the hand 4 (specifically, the end face of the wafer mounting portion 4a). The weight 21 is placed on the wafer mounting portion 4a. Further, in the weight mounting step, the weights 21 are mounted at four places on the hand 4. Specifically, in the weight mounting step, the weight 21 is mounted in the vicinity of each of the four support members 13 and 14. That is, the weight 21 is placed in the vicinity of each of the two support members 13, and the weight 21 is placed in the vicinity of each of the two support members 14.

Further, in the weight mounting step, the weight 23 is mounted on the wafer so that a part of the weight 23 is arranged outside the hand 5 with respect to the end face of the hand 5 (specifically, the end face of the wafer mounting portion 5a). It is placed on the part 5a (see FIG. 5B). Further, in the weight mounting step, the weight 23 is mounted on the wafer mounting portion 5a so that a part of the weight 23 arranged outside the hand 5 and the pin 22 overlap in the vertical direction with respect to the end surface of the hand 5. (See FIG. 6). The upper surface of the weight 23 mounted on the wafer mounting portion 5a is flat and faces the hand 4 side. Further, in the weight mounting step, the weights 23 are mounted at four places on the hand 5. Specifically, in the weight mounting step, the weight 23 is mounted in the vicinity of each of the four support members 13 and 14.

After that, the gap between the upper surface of the weight 23 facing the hand 4 side and the tip of the pin 22 is measured with a feeler gauge 24 (see the gap measuring step, FIGS. 6B and 6C). That is, the feeler gauge 24 is used to measure the gap between the upper surface of the weight 23 and the tip of the pin 22. In this embodiment, the weight 21 is formed so that a predetermined gap is formed between the upper surface of the weight 23 and the tip of the pin 22 when the vertical pitch of the hand 4 and the hand 5 becomes an appropriate pitch. The amount of protrusion on the tip side of the pin 22 from the pin 22 is adjusted. The amount of protrusion of the pin 22 from the weight 21 on the tip end side is adjusted by using a predetermined jig such as a block gauge.

Then, based on the measurement result in the gap measurement step, the pitch adjustment mechanism 12 adjusts the pitch in the vertical direction between the hand 4 and the hand 5 (pitch adjustment step). Specifically, in the pitch adjustment step, the amount of protrusion of the three adjusting screws 15 from the lower end of the screw hole 4b and the three protrusions from the lower end of the screw hole 5b are based on the measurement results in the gap measurement step. By adjusting the protrusion amount of the adjusting screw 16 and adjusting the vertical position and inclination of the hands 4 and 5, the vertical pitch between the hand 4 and the hand 5 is adjusted. Further, in the pitch adjusting step, the inclinations of the hands 4 and 5 are adjusted so that the hands 4 and the hands 5 are parallel to each other.

(Main effect of this form)
As described above, the measuring instrument 20 of the present embodiment includes a weight 21, a pin 22, a weight 23, and a feeler gauge 24. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the measuring instrument 20 used when adjusting the vertical pitch of the hand 4 and the hand 5, and to reduce the size of the measuring instrument 20.

Further, in the present embodiment, the hand 4 and the hand 5 are based on the gap between the upper surface of the weight 23 and the tip of the pin 22 measured by using the weight 21 to which the pin 22 is attached, the weight 23, and the feeler gauge 24. Since the vertical pitch of the hand 4 is adjusted, it is not necessary to use a large-scale measuring instrument when adjusting the vertical pitch of the hand 4 and the hand 5. Therefore, if the robot 1 is adjusted by the adjustment method of the present embodiment, it is possible to simplify the work of adjusting the pitch of the hand 4 and the hand 5 in the vertical direction.

In this embodiment, the weights 21 and 23 are placed at four places in the weight mounting step. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to specify the inclination of the hand 5 with respect to the hand 4 based on the measurement result in the gap measurement step. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to accurately adjust the vertical pitch of the hand 4 and the hand 5 in the pitch adjusting step.

In this embodiment, the total weight of the four weights 21 and the four pins 22 mounted on the hand 4 and the total weight of the four weights 23 mounted on the hand 5 are the wafers. It is equal to the weight of 2. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to adjust the pitch in the vertical direction between the hand 4 and the hand 5 under conditions close to the state in which the wafer 2 is actually placed on the hands 4 and 5. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to accurately adjust the pitch in the vertical direction between the hand 4 and the hand 5 when the wafer 2 is conveyed by the hands 4 and 5.

In particular, in this embodiment, since the weights 21 and 23 are placed in the vicinity of the four support members 13 and 14 in the weight mounting step, the wafer 2 is actually mounted on the hands 4 and 5. It is possible to adjust the vertical pitch of the hand 4 and the hand 5 under almost the same conditions as in the present state. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to more accurately adjust the pitch in the vertical direction between the hand 4 and the hand 5 when the wafer 2 is conveyed by the hands 4 and 5.

In this embodiment, the mounting position of the pin 22 with respect to the weight 21 can be adjusted in the protruding direction of the pin 22. Therefore, in the present embodiment, by changing the mounting position of the pin 22 with respect to the weight 21, a common measuring instrument 20 is used when adjusting various robots 1 having different vertical pitches between the hand 4 and the hand 5. It will be possible to use it. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to increase the versatility of the measuring instrument 20.

In this embodiment, the tip of the pin 22 is formed in a hemispherical shape. Therefore, in this embodiment, the gap between the upper surface of the weight 23 and the tip of the pin 22 can be accurately measured by the feeler gauge 24. Further, in the present embodiment, the through hole 21a through which the pin 22 is inserted is formed at a position deviated from the center of the weight 21, and the pin 22 is arranged at a position deviated from the center of the weight 21. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the weight 21 can be easily placed on the hand 4 so that the pin 22 is arranged outside the hand 4 with respect to the end face of the hand 4.

(Other embodiments)
The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be carried out without changing the gist of the present invention.

In the above-described form, the weights 21 and 23 may be placed at positions away from the support members 13 and 14. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the total weight of the four weights 21 and the four pins 22 mounted on the hand 4 and the weight of the wafer 2 may be different, or the wafer 2 is mounted on the hand 5. The total weight of the four weights 23 and the weight of the wafer 2 may be different. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the weights 21 and 23 may be placed at three or five or more places of the hands 4 and 5, and the weights 21 and 23 may be placed at one or two places of the hands 4 and 5. You may.

In the above-described form, the weights 21 and 23 may be formed in a shape other than a disk shape. For example, the weights 21 and 23 may be formed in a polygonal plate shape such as a square plate shape. Further, in the above-described form, the shape of the tip of the pin 22 may be a shape other than the hemispherical shape. Further, in the above-described form, the mounting position of the pin 22 with respect to the weight 21 does not have to be adjustable.

In the above-described embodiment, the weight 21 to which the pin 22 is attached may be placed on the hand 5, and the weight 23 may be placed on the hand 4. In this case, the weight 21 is placed on the hand 5 so that the tip of the pin 22 faces upward. In this case, the gap between the lower surface of the weight 23 facing the hand 5 side and the tip of the pin 22 is measured by the feeler gauge 24. In this case, the hand 5 becomes the first hand and the hand 4 becomes the second hand.

In the above-described embodiment, the hand 4 and the hand 5 can rotate individually, but the hand 4 and the hand 5 are fixed to each other in the rotation directions of the hands 4 and 5, and the hand 4 and the hand 5 May rotate together. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the hands 4 and 5 are connected to the common arm 6, but an arm to which the hand 4 is connected and an arm to which the hand 5 is connected may be individually provided. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the robot 1 may include three or more hands that overlap each other through a gap in the vertical direction.

In the above-described embodiment, the arm 6 may be composed of two arm portions or may be composed of four or more arm portions. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the robot 1 is a robot for transporting the wafer 2, but the robot 1 may be a robot for transporting another object to be transported such as a glass substrate for liquid crystal.

1 Robot (industrial robot)
2 Wafers (semiconductor wafers, objects to be transported)
4 hands (1st hand)
5 hands (2nd hand)
12 Pitch adjustment mechanism 13, 14 Support member 20 Measuring instrument 21 Weight (first weight)
21a Through hole 22 pin 23 weight (second weight)
24 Feeler gauge

Claims (9)

This is an adjustment method for an industrial robot that includes a plurality of hands on which an object to be transported is placed and overlaps with each other through a gap in the vertical direction, and a pitch adjustment mechanism for adjusting the vertical pitch of the plurality of hands. hand,
Assuming that one of the two adjacent hands in the vertical direction is the first hand and the other hand is the second hand,
A first weight to which a pin protruding toward the second hand is attached is placed on the first hand so that the pin is arranged outside the first hand with respect to the end face of the first hand. At the same time, the second weight on which the plane facing the first hand side is formed is arranged so that a part of the second weight is placed outside the second hand with respect to the end face of the second hand. In addition, a weight mounting step of mounting the second hand on the second hand so that a part of the second weight arranged outside the second hand and the pin overlap in the vertical direction with respect to the end surface of the second hand. ,
A gap measurement step of measuring the gap between the plane of the second weight facing the first hand side and the tip of the pin with a feeler gauge.
An industrial robot characterized by comprising a pitch adjusting step of adjusting the vertical pitch of the first hand and the second hand by the pitch adjusting mechanism based on the measurement result in the gap measuring step. Adjustment method. The method for adjusting an industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein in the weight mounting step, the first weight and the second weight are mounted at a plurality of places. The method for adjusting an industrial robot according to claim 2, wherein in the weight mounting step, the first weight and the second weight are mounted at at least three places. The sum of the weights of the plurality of first weights and the pins mounted on the first hand and the sum of the weights of the plurality of second weights mounted on the second hand are: The method for adjusting an industrial robot according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the weight is equal to the weight of the object to be transported. The industrial robot comprises two said hands.
The hand includes a plurality of support members that support a plurality of locations of the object to be transported from below.
The method for adjusting an industrial robot according to claim 4, wherein in the weight mounting step, the first weight and the second weight are mounted in the vicinity of each of the plurality of support members. It is a measuring instrument used to adjust the vertical pitch of a plurality of hands that are placed on the object to be transported and overlap in the vertical direction through a gap.
Assuming that one of the two adjacent hands in the vertical direction is the first hand and the other hand is the second hand,
A first weight mounted on the first hand, a weight attached to the first weight, projecting toward the second hand, and arranged outside the first hand from the end face of the first hand. A pin and a plane facing the first hand side are formed, and a part thereof is arranged outside the second hand from the end face of the second hand, and the pin is arranged outside the end face of the second hand. A second weight placed on the second hand so that a part arranged on the outside of the second hand and the pin overlap in the vertical direction, and a plane of the second weight facing the first hand side. A measuring instrument including a feeler gauge for measuring a gap between the pin and the tip of the pin. The measuring instrument according to claim 6, wherein the tip of the pin is formed in a hemispherical shape. The measuring instrument according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the mounting position of the pin with respect to the first weight can be adjusted in the protruding direction of the pin. A through hole through which the pin is inserted is formed in the first weight.
The measuring instrument according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the through hole is formed at a position deviated from the center of the first weight.

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