JP2023053455A - Industrial robot and control method for industrial robot - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an industrial robot capable of shortening a transfer time of a transfer object from a reception part to a delivery part even if the transfer object can be placed in the delivery part after a position and a direction of the transfer object, which is placed in the reception part, in a horizontal direction are corrected.SOLUTION: When performing first operation for moving a hand 6 to a reception part 4, an industrial robot 1 acquires position data (first position data and second position data) of the hand 6 in a Y direction at the time when a transfer object 2 is respectively detected by two detection mechanism 33 and when performing second operation for moving the hand 6 receiving the transfer object 2 in the reception part 4 closer to a main body part 10, the industrial robot acquires position data (third position data) of the transfer object 2 detected by a detection mechanism 34 in an X direction and when performing third operation for moving the hand 6 on which the transfer object 2 is loaded to a delivery part 5, a position and a direction of the hand 6 are corrected on the basis of, the first to third position data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an industrial robot that transports rectangular or square shaped objects. The present invention also relates to a control method for such an industrial robot.

Conventionally, a robot that transports glass substrates between cassettes is known (see Patent Literature 1, for example). The robot described in Patent Document 1 includes a horizontal movement section, a robot hand section, and a connecting section that connects the horizontal movement section and the robot hand section. The horizontal movement section has a slider that moves in the left-right direction along the guide rail. The robot hand section includes a first arm rotatably connected to the connecting section, a second arm rotatably connected to the distal end side of the first arm, and a rotatable distal end side of the second arm. and a hand that is connected and on which the glass substrate is mounted.

In the robot described in Patent Document 1, two first distance sensors are attached to the upper surface of the hand for detecting the distance from the front end surface of the glass substrate. The two first distance sensors are arranged with an interval left and right. A position detection sensor for detecting the position of the left end surface of the glass substrate mounted on the hand placed at the origin position is attached to the connecting portion via a support arm.

A control device is connected to the robot described in Patent Document 1. Based on the detection results of the two first distance sensors, the controller controls the amount of correction corresponding to the amount of deviation of the glass substrate placed in the cassette in the front-rear direction with respect to the reference position, and the amount of correction placed in the cassette. and a correction amount corresponding to the amount of tilt of the glass substrate that is present with respect to the reference position when viewed from the vertical direction. Further, the control device calculates a correction amount corresponding to the amount of horizontal deviation of the glass substrate mounted on the hand from the reference position based on the detection result of the position detection sensor.

The robot described in Patent Document 1 detects a correction amount corresponding to the amount of deviation of the glass substrate in the front-rear direction with respect to the reference position and the inclination of the glass substrate with respect to the reference position before mounting the glass substrate placed in the cassette on the hand. The direction and position in the front-rear direction of the hand are corrected based on the correction amount corresponding to the amount. In addition, when carrying the glass substrate mounted on the hand into the cassette for the next process and placing it in the cassette, the robot moves the hand to the left and right based on the amount of correction corresponding to the amount of deviation of the glass substrate in the left and right direction from the reference position. Correct the position of the direction.

JP-A-9-162257

The robot described in Patent Document 1 receives and carries out the glass substrate from the cassette in order to correct the horizontal position and orientation of the glass substrate placed in the cassette and then place the glass substrate in the cassette for the next process. The orientation and position of the hand are corrected both when the glass substrate is transferred and when the glass substrate is transferred to the cassette for the next process. Therefore, in the case of this robot, there is a possibility that the time required to transfer the glass substrate between the cassettes will be long.

For example, when receiving glass substrates from a cassette and unloading them, if the hand is moved in the corrected orientation, the glass substrates or hand mounted on the hand may interfere with the components of the cassette. In order to prevent interference between the glass substrate and the hand and the components of the cassette, it is necessary to change the orientation of the hand once before moving the hand out of the cassette. the time it takes to do it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot that carries out an object to be conveyed from a predetermined receiving portion and carries the object to be conveyed to a predetermined delivery portion. To provide an industrial robot capable of shortening the transport time of an object to be transported from a receiving part to a delivery part even if the object to be transported can be placed on the delivery part after correcting its position and orientation. That's what it is.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot that unloads an object to be transported from a predetermined receiving portion and transports the object to a predetermined delivery portion, in which the horizontal direction of the object to be transported placed on the receiving portion is Control of an industrial robot capable of shortening the transportation time of an object from the receiving unit to the delivering unit, even if it is possible to correct the position and orientation before placing the object on the delivering unit. It is to provide a method.

In order to solve the above problems, an industrial robot of the present invention is an industrial robot for transporting a rectangular or square-shaped object to be transported, in which the object to be transported is mounted and can move in the horizontal direction. a hand, an arm to which the hand is connected, a main body to which the arm is rotatably connected with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation, two optical first detection mechanisms attached to the hand, and a main body. and a control unit for controlling the industrial robot. The hand is placed on a predetermined receiving unit with the tip of the hand moving away from the main unit. The position of the hand when the object is received by being mounted on the hand is defined as the receiving position, and when the object to be conveyed mounted on the hand is transferred to a predetermined delivery section in a state in which the tip of the hand moves away from the main body. Assuming that the position of the hand in (1) is the delivery position, the first operation is the operation when the hand moves to the receiving position so that the tip of the hand moves away from the main body, and after the first operation, the object is received at the receiving position. a second operation in which the tip of the hand moves toward the main body, and a hand on which an object to be conveyed is mounted so that the tip of the hand moves away from the main body after the second operation. When the industrial robot performs the first and second actions, the hand moves in a straight line while facing a certain direction with respect to the main body. When the industrial robot performs the first motion and the second motion, the moving direction of the hand is defined as a first direction, and the direction orthogonal to the first direction and the vertical direction is defined as a second direction. The detection mechanism is a reflective detection mechanism that includes a first light emitting unit and a first light receiving unit that receives light emitted from the first light emitting unit and reflected by the object to be conveyed. The first detection mechanism is arranged in a state spaced apart in the second direction, and the second detection mechanism is between the second light receiving section consisting of a line sensor or an area sensor and the second light receiving section in the vertical direction. and a second light-emitting portion arranged to face the second light-receiving portion with a predetermined gap therebetween. 1 detection mechanism passes under the object to be conveyed placed on the receiving part, and when the industrial robot performs the second operation, one end surface of the object to be conveyed mounted on the hand in the second direction is Passing between the second light-receiving part and the second light-emitting part, the control part causes one of the two first detection mechanisms to First position data, which is position data of the hand in the first direction when the object to be conveyed is detected, and data when the other first detection mechanism of the two first detection mechanisms detects the object to be conveyed. Second position data, which is position data of the hand in the first direction, is acquired, and when the industrial robot performs the second operation, the second detection mechanism detects the Acquiring third position data, which is position data in the second direction of one end surface of the object to be conveyed to be detected, and performing the third operation of the industrial robot, performing the third operation with the first position data and the It is characterized by correcting the horizontal position and orientation of the hand when it reaches the handover position based on the second position data and the third position data.

Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, a control method for an industrial robot according to the present invention includes: a hand mounted with a rectangular or square-shaped object to be conveyed and capable of moving in a horizontal direction; a main body to which the arm is rotatably connected; two optical first detection mechanisms attached to the hand; and an optical second detection mechanism attached to the main body. , the position of the hand when an object to be conveyed placed on a predetermined receiving portion is received by the hand while the tip of the hand is moved away from the main body is defined as the receiving position, and the tip of the hand is the main body. Assuming that the position of the hand when handing over the object mounted on the hand to the predetermined handover section while moving away from the hand is the handover position, the hand reaches the receiving position so that the tip of the hand moves away from the main body. A first operation that is an operation when moving, and a second operation that is an operation when the hand that has received the object to be conveyed at the receiving position after the first operation moves so that the tip of the hand approaches the main body. , after the second action, the hand carrying the object to be conveyed moves to the delivery position so that the tip of the hand moves away from the main body, and the hand performs the first action and the third action. When the second action is performed, the hand moves linearly while facing a certain direction with respect to the main body. Assuming that the direction orthogonal to the first direction and the vertical direction is the second direction, the first detection mechanism includes a first light emitting section and a first light emitting section for receiving light emitted from the first light emitting section and reflected by the object to be conveyed. 1 light receiving part, the two first detection mechanisms are arranged with a gap in the second direction, and the second detection mechanism is a line sensor or an area sensor. A transmissive detection mechanism having a second light-receiving part and a second light-emitting part arranged to face the second light-receiving part with a predetermined gap between the second light-receiving part in the vertical direction. When the first operation is performed, the two first detection mechanisms pass under the conveyed object placed on the receiving section, and when the second operation is performed, the two first detection mechanisms are mounted on the hand. A control method for an industrial robot in which one end surface of the object to be conveyed in the second direction passes between a second light receiving portion and a second light emitting portion, wherein when performing the first operation, two First position data, which is position data of the hand in the first direction when one of the first detection mechanisms detects the object to be conveyed, and the other of the two first detection mechanisms acquires second position data, which is position data of the hand in the first direction when the first detection mechanism of detects the object to be conveyed, and moves the hand to a predetermined measurement position when performing the second operation; Acquiring third position data, which is position data in the second direction of one end surface of the object to be conveyed detected by the second detection mechanism when the is moved, and performing the third operation, It is characterized by correcting the horizontal position and orientation of the hand when it reaches the handover position based on the first position data, the second position data and the third position data.

In the present invention, when the industrial robot performs the third motion, the horizontal position and orientation of the hand when reaching the handover position are determined based on the first position data, the second position data, and the third position data. is corrected. That is, in the present invention, only when the hand carrying the object to be conveyed moves to the delivery position so that the tip of the hand moves away from the main body, the horizontal movement of the hand is performed. The position and orientation of the hand are corrected, and the position and orientation of the hand are not corrected when performing the first action when the hand moves to the receiving position so that the tip of the hand moves away from the main body. Therefore, in the present invention, even if it is possible to correct the horizontal position and orientation of the object placed on the receiving part before placing the object on the delivery part, It is possible to shorten the transport time of the transport object.

In the present invention, for example, the arm is composed of a plurality of arm portions that are rotatably connected to each other and can extend and contract in the horizontal direction, and the hand is rotatably connected to the distal end of the arm. , the base end side of the arm is rotatably connected to the main body.

In the present invention, the industrial robot includes, for example, an arm drive mechanism that extends and retracts the arm so that the hand moves linearly with respect to the main body in a fixed direction, and a rotation mechanism that rotates the main body. and a horizontal movement mechanism for moving the main body in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the vertical direction. When the industrial robot performs the third motion, the controller moves the arm driving mechanism and the rotating arm based on the first position data, the second position data, and the third position data. It corrects the horizontal position and orientation of the hand when reaching the delivery position by controlling the movement mechanism and the horizontal movement mechanism.

In the present invention, for example, the first direction and the left-right direction are the same, and the hand moves linearly in the left-right direction with respect to the main body when the industrial robot performs the first motion and the second motion. do. If the main body portion cannot be moved in the front-rear direction, there may be a case where the orientation of the hand cannot be properly corrected when performing the first motion. Even if the orientation cannot be properly corrected, it is possible to properly correct the orientation of the hand when performing the third action.

In the present invention, the first direction and the front-rear direction are the same, and the hand moves linearly in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body when the industrial robot performs the first operation and the second operation. Also good.

As described above, according to the present invention, in an industrial robot that unloads an object to be transported from a predetermined receiving portion and transports the object to be transported to a predetermined delivery portion, the horizontal direction of the object placed on the receiving portion is Even if it is possible to place the object to be conveyed on the delivery section after correcting the position and orientation of , it is possible to shorten the time for conveying the object to be conveyed from the receiving section to the delivery section.

1 is a plan view of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the industrial robot shown in FIG. 1 in different states; FIG. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the industrial robot shown in FIG. 1; 2 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the industrial robot shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating correction values for the horizontal position and orientation of the hand that are corrected when the industrial robot shown in FIG. 1 performs a third motion;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Configuration of industrial robot)
FIG. 1 is a plan view of an industrial robot 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the industrial robot 1 shown in FIG. 1 in different states. 3 is a rear view of the industrial robot 1 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the industrial robot 1 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG.

An industrial robot 1 (hereinafter referred to as "robot 1") of the present embodiment includes, for example, a glass substrate 2 for an organic EL display or a glass substrate 2 for a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as "substrate 2"), which is an object to be transported. ) is a horizontal articulated robot. The substrate 2 is formed in a rectangular or square flat plate shape. The robot 1 , for example, transports the substrates 2 from storage cassettes 3 and 4 that store a plurality of substrates 2 to a processing device 5 that performs predetermined processing on the substrates 2 . That is, the robot 1 unloads the substrates 2 from the storage cassettes 3 and 4 and loads the substrates 2 unloaded from the storage cassettes 3 and 4 into the processing apparatus 5 .

In the following description, the Y direction in FIG. 1 etc. orthogonal to the up-down direction is defined as the "horizontal direction", and the X direction in FIG. 1 etc. orthogonal to the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is defined as the "front-back direction". In addition, the Y1 direction side in FIG. 1 etc., which is one side in the left-right direction, is the "right" side, and the Y2 direction side in FIG. 1 etc., which is the opposite side, is the "left" side. The X1 direction side of 1, etc., is defined as the "front" side, and the opposite X2 direction side in FIG. 1, etc. is defined as the "rear" side.

A plurality of substrates 2 are accommodated in the accommodation cassettes 3 and 4 so as to overlap each other with a space therebetween in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the storage cassette 3 is arranged on the front side of the robot 1 and the storage cassette 4 is arranged on the right side of the robot 1 . Also, the processing device 5 is arranged behind the robot 1 . The end surfaces of the substrates 2 stored in the storage cassettes 3 and 4 and the processing device 5 are substantially parallel to the front-rear direction or the left-right direction.

The robot 1 includes two hands 6 and 7 on which the substrate 2 is mounted and which can move in the horizontal direction, an arm 8 to which the hand 6 is connected, an arm 9 to which the hand 7 is connected, and the arms 8 and 9. a base 11 to which the main body 10 is rotatably connected; and a base for holding the base 11 so that it can move linearly in the horizontal direction. 12. The main body 10 includes an arm support 15 that supports the base ends of the arms 8 and 9 and can be raised and lowered, a support frame 16 that supports the arm support 15 so that the arm support 15 can be raised and lowered, and a swivel frame that constitutes the lower end portion of the main body 10. 17.

The hand 6 is rotatably connected to the distal end of an arm 8 with the vertical direction being the axial direction of rotation, and the hand 7 is rotatably connected to the distal end of the arm 9 with the vertical direction being the axial direction of rotation. It is The hand 7 is arranged below the hand 6 . Arm 8 is arranged above hand 6 . The arm 9 is arranged below the hand 7 . Base end sides of the arms 8 and 9 are rotatably connected to the body portion 10 with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation. Specifically, the base ends of the arms 8 and 9 are rotatably connected to the arm support 15 . When viewed from above and below, the center of rotation of the arm 8 with respect to the main body 10 and the center of rotation of the arm 9 with respect to the main body 10 coincide.

The hands 6 and 7 include a hand base portion 18 rotatably connected to the distal ends of the arms 8 and 9, and a plurality of linear forks 19 on which the substrate 2 is placed on the upper surface side. The hands 6 and 7 of this embodiment have four forks 19 . The four forks 19 protrude in the same horizontal direction from the hand base 18 . Also, the four forks 19 are arranged parallel to each other. The fork 19 of the hand 6 and the fork 19 of the hand 7 protrude in the same direction.

Arms 8 and 9 are articulated arms that extend and contract in the horizontal direction. The arms 8 and 9 are composed of a first arm portion 21 and a second arm portion 22 that are rotatably connected to each other. That is, the arms 8 and 9 are composed of two arm portions that are rotatably connected to each other, and can extend and contract in the horizontal direction. The base end side of the first arm portion 21 is rotatably connected to the body portion 10 (specifically, the arm support 15). The proximal end side of the second arm portion 22 is rotatably connected to the distal end side of the first arm portion 21 . Hands 6 and 7 are rotatably connected to the distal end side of the second arm portion 22 . In the arm 8 , the second arm portion 22 is arranged below the first arm portion 21 , and in the arm 9 , the second arm portion 22 is arranged above the first arm portion 21 .

The proximal end of arm 8 is rotatably connected to the upper end of arm support 15 , and the proximal end of arm 9 is rotatably connected to the lower end of arm support 15 . In the horizontal direction, the distance between the center of rotation of the first arm portion 21 with respect to the arm support 15 and the center of rotation of the second arm portion 22 with respect to the first arm portion 21, and the distance between the center of rotation of the second arm portion 22 with respect to the first arm portion 21 The distance between the center of rotation and the center of rotation of the hands 6 and 7 with respect to the second arm portion 22 is equal.

The arms 8 and 9 extend so that the tips of the hands 6 and 7 (that is, the tips of the forks 19) are away from the main body 10 (separately), and the tips of the hands 6 and 7 extend to the main body. It is horizontally extendable between the positions where the arms 8 and 9 are retracted so as to approach the portion 10 . When the extension and contraction amounts of the arms 8 and 9 with respect to the main body 10 are equal, the hands 6 and 7 are vertically overlapped, and the arms 8 and 9 are vertically overlapped.

The support frame 16 holds the hands 6 and 7 and the arms 8 and 9 via arm supports 15 so as to be able to move up and down. The support frame 16 includes a columnar first support frame 23 that holds the arm support 15 so that it can move up and down, and a columnar second support frame 24 that holds the first support frame 23 so that it can move up and down. The revolving frame 17 is formed in a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a thin thickness in the vertical direction. The revolving frame 17 is formed in an elongated substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A lower end portion of a second support frame 24 is fixed to the upper surface of the rotating frame 17 on the tip side. The base end side of the revolving frame 17 is rotatably connected to the base 11 with the vertical direction being the axial direction of rotation. The revolving frame 17 is arranged above the base 11 . The base 11 is linearly movable in the horizontal direction with respect to the base 12 .

The robot 1 also includes an arm driving mechanism 27 for extending and retracting the arm 8, an arm driving mechanism 28 for extending and retracting the arm 9, a rotating mechanism 29 for rotating the main body 10, hands 6 and 7, and arms 8 and 9. a horizontal movement mechanism 31 for horizontally moving the main body 10 together with the base 11; and a controller 32 for controlling the robot 1. The robot 1 transports the substrate 2 by a combination of the extension/contraction motion of the arms 8 and 9 , the vertical motion of the arms 8 and 9 , and the rotation motion and horizontal movement motion of the main body 10 .

The robot 1 also has two detection mechanisms 33 and one detection mechanism 34 for detecting the position of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 6, and a detection mechanism 34 for detecting the position of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 7. , two detection mechanisms 33 and one detection mechanism 34 are provided. That is, the robot 1 has four detection mechanisms 33 and two detection mechanisms 34 . The detection mechanism 33 of this embodiment is the first detection mechanism, and the detection mechanism 34 is the second detection mechanism.

The arm drive mechanism 27 includes a motor that serves as a drive source, a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the arm 8 and the hand 6, and an encoder that detects the amount of rotation of the motor. The motor is a servomotor and is controlled based on the detection result of the encoder. The arm drive mechanism 27 horizontally extends and contracts the arm 8 so that the hand 6 moves linearly with respect to the main body 10 while facing a certain direction. The arm drive mechanism 27 is electrically connected to the controller 32 . Specifically, the motor, encoder, etc. of the arm drive mechanism 27 are electrically connected to the controller 32 .

The arm drive mechanism 28, like the arm drive mechanism 27, includes a motor as a drive source, a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of the motor to the arm 9 and the hand 7, and an encoder for detecting the amount of rotation of the motor. I have. The motor is a servomotor and is controlled based on the detection result of the encoder. The arm driving mechanism 28 extends and contracts the arm 9 horizontally so that the hand 7 moves linearly with respect to the main body 10 while facing a certain direction. The arm drive mechanism 28 is electrically connected to the controller 32 . Specifically, the motor, encoder, etc. of the arm drive mechanism 28 are electrically connected to the controller 32 .

The rotating mechanism 29 rotates the rotating frame 17 with respect to the base 11 with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation. That is, the rotating mechanism 29 rotates the arms 8 and 9 together with the main body 10 with the vertical direction as the axial direction of rotation. The rotating mechanism 29 includes a motor that serves as a drive source, a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the revolving frame 17, and an encoder that detects the amount of rotation of the motor. The motor is a servomotor and is controlled based on the detection result of the encoder. The rotating mechanism 29 is electrically connected to the controller 32 . Specifically, the motor, encoder, etc. of the rotation mechanism 29 are electrically connected to the controller 32 .

The elevating mechanism 30 elevates the first support frame 23 with respect to the second support frame 24 and elevates the arm support 15 with respect to the first support frame 23 . The elevating mechanism 30 detects a motor that elevates the arm support 15 and the first support frame 23, a speed reducer that transmits the power of the motor to the first support frame 23 and the arm support 15, and the amount of rotation of the motor. and an encoder for The motor is a servomotor and is controlled based on the detection result of the encoder.

The lifting mechanism 30 is electrically connected to the controller 32 . Specifically, the motor, encoder, etc. of the lifting mechanism 30 are electrically connected to the controller 32 . It should be noted that the robot 1 may be provided with an elevating mechanism that elevates the arm support 15 with respect to the first support frame 23 and an elevating mechanism that elevates the first support frame 23 with respect to the second support frame 24 separately. good.

The horizontal movement mechanism 31 linearly moves the base 11 in the left-right direction with respect to the base 12 . That is, the horizontal movement mechanism 31 linearly moves the main body 10 and the arms 8 and 9 together with the base 11 in the horizontal direction. The horizontal movement mechanism 31 includes a motor that serves as a drive source, a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the base 11, and an encoder that detects the amount of rotation of the motor. The motor is a servomotor and is controlled based on the detection result of the encoder. The horizontal movement mechanism 31 is electrically connected to the controller 32 . Specifically, the motor, encoder, etc. of the horizontal movement mechanism 31 are electrically connected to the controller 32 .

The detection mechanism 33 is an optical detection mechanism. Further, the detection mechanism 33 is a reflective detection mechanism having a light-emitting portion 37 and a light-receiving portion 38 that receives light emitted from the light-emitting portion 37 and reflected by the substrate 2 . A detection mechanism 33 is attached to each of the hands 6 and 7 . Specifically, two detection mechanisms 33 are attached to the hand 6 and two detection mechanisms 33 are attached to the hand 7 . The detection mechanism 33 is electrically connected to the controller 32 . The light-emitting portion 37 of this embodiment is a first light-emitting portion, and the light-receiving portion 38 is a first light-receiving portion.

The detection mechanism 33 is attached to the hands 6 and 7 so that the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting portion 37 and the light-receiving surface of the light-receiving portion 38 face upward. Also, the detection mechanism 33 is attached to the upper surface side of the fork 19 . In this embodiment, the detection mechanism 33 is attached to two of the four forks 19 of each of the hands 6 and 7, which are arranged inside in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the forks 19. there is Also, the detection mechanism 33 is attached to the tip side of the fork 19 .

The two detection mechanisms 33 attached to each of the hands 6 and 7 are arranged at the same position in the longitudinal direction of the fork 19 . The two detection mechanisms 33 attached to each of the hands 6 and 7 are spaced apart in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fork 19 . Note that the detection mechanism 33 may be attached to two of the four forks 19 of each of the hands 6 and 7, which are arranged outside in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the forks 19. good. Also, the detection mechanism 33 may be attached to the base end side of the fork 19 .

The detection mechanism 34 is an optical detection mechanism. Further, the detection mechanism 34 is a transmissive detection mechanism having a light-emitting portion 39 and a light-receiving portion 40 arranged to face the light-emitting portion 39 . The light emitting section 39 is arranged to face the light receiving section 40 with a predetermined gap therebetween in the vertical direction. The light receiving section 40 of this embodiment is a line sensor. In the light receiving section 40, a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged in a line. The detection mechanism 34 is electrically connected to the controller 32 . The light-emitting portion 39 of this embodiment is a second light-emitting portion, and the light-receiving portion 40 is a second light-receiving portion.

The detection mechanism 34 is attached to the main body 10 . Specifically, the detection mechanism 34 is fixed to a sensor fixing member 42 fixed to the arm support 15 and fixed to the arm support 15 via the sensor fixing member 42 . In this embodiment, a detection mechanism 34 for detecting the position of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 6 and a detection mechanism 34 for detecting the position of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 7 are connected via the sensor fixing member 42. is fixed to the arm support 15. That is, two detection mechanisms 34 are fixed to the arm support 15 . The two detection mechanisms 34 overlap vertically.

The detection mechanism 34 rotates together with the arm support 15 and moves up and down together with the arm support 15 . As described above, in the light receiving section 40, a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged in a line. Specifically, when the longitudinal direction of the fork 19 is aligned with the front-rear direction, the plurality of light-receiving elements are arranged in a line in the left-right direction in the light receiving section 40, and the longitudinal direction of the fork 19 is aligned with the left-right direction. When they match, a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged in a row in the front-rear direction in the light receiving section 40 .

As described above, robot 1 transports substrates 2 from storage cassettes 3 and 4 to processing apparatus 5 . Further, as described above, the arms 8 and 9 are arranged at positions where the arms 8 and 9 extend so that the tips of the hands 6 and 7 move away from the main body 10, and at positions where the tips of the hands 6 and 7 approach the main body 10. It is horizontally extendable between the position where the arms 8 and 9 are retracted. In this embodiment, when the robot 1 receives the substrates 2 from the storage cassettes 3 and 4 and when the robot 1 delivers the substrates 2 to the processing device 5, the arms 8 and 9 are extended and the tips of the hands 6 and 7 are extended. has moved away from the main body 10 .

The hand 6 when receiving the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 3 in a state in which the tip of the hand 6 moves away from the main body 10 (that is, in a state in which the arm 8 is extended). The position (the position shown in FIG. 1) is defined as a hand position 6A, and the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 6 is in a state in which the tip of the hand 6 moves away from the main body 10 (that is, the arm 8 is extended). Assuming that the position of the hand 6 when handing over to the processing device 5 is a hand position 6B, the robot 1 moves the hand 6 to the hand position 6A so that the tip of the hand 6 moves away from the main body 10. M11, after the operation M11, the hand 6 that has received the substrate 2 at the hand position 6A moves so that the tip of the hand 6 approaches the main unit 10, and after the operation M12, the hand An operation M13 is performed when the hand 6 on which the substrate 2 is mounted moves to the hand position 6B so that the tip of the hand 6 moves away from the main body 10 . In the motions M11 and M13, the contracted arm 8 is extended, and in the motion M12, the extended arm 8 is retracted.

Also, the position of the hand 6 (the position shown in FIG. 2) when the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 4 is received by the hand 6 with the tip of the hand 6 moved away from the main body 10 is Assuming that the hand position is 6C, the robot 1 performs an operation M14 when the hand 6 moves to the hand position 6C so that the tip of the hand 6 moves away from the main body 10, and after the operation M14, moves the substrate at the hand position 6C. 2 is moved so that the tip of the hand 6 approaches the main unit 10, and after the operation M15, the tip of the hand 6 is moved away from the main unit 10 to move the substrate. 2 is carried out to move the hand 6 to the hand position 6B. In the motions M14 and M16, the contracted arm 8 is extended, and in the motion M15, the extended arm 8 is retracted.

Similarly, when the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 3 is received by the hand 7 in a state in which the tip of the hand 7 moves away from the main body 10 (that is, in a state in which the arm 9 is extended), the substrate 2 is received. The position of the hand 7 is assumed to be a hand position 7A, and the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 7 is moved in a state in which the tip of the hand 7 moves away from the main body 10 (that is, in a state in which the arm 9 is extended). Assuming that the hand position 7B is the position of the hand 7 when the hand 7 is handed over to the robot 1, the robot 1 performs a motion M21, which is a motion when the hand 7 moves to the hand position 7A so that the tip of the hand 7 moves away from the main body 10, and a motion M21. After M21, the hand 7 receiving the substrate 2 at the hand position 7A moves toward the main body 10 with the tip of the hand 7 moving toward the main body 10. After the motion M22, the tip of the hand 7 moves to An operation M23, which is an operation when the hand 7 on which the substrate 2 is mounted is moved to the hand position 7B so as to move away from the main body 10, is performed. In the motions M21 and M23, the contracted arm 9 is extended, and in the motion M22, the extended arm 9 is retracted.

Further, if the position of the hand 7 when the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 4 is received by the hand 7 while the tip of the hand 7 is moved away from the main body 10, the position of the hand 7 is defined as a hand position 7C. 1 is an operation M24 when the hand 7 moves to the hand position 7C so that the tip of the hand 7 moves away from the main body 10, and after the operation M24, the hand 7 receives the substrate 2 at the hand position 7C. , an operation M25 when the tip of the hand 7 moves toward the main body 10; and an operation M26, which is an operation when moving to the hand position 7B. In the motions M24 and M26, the contracted arm 9 is extended, and in the motion M25, the extended arm 9 is retracted.

When the operations M12 and M15 are completed, the turning radius (turning radius) of the main body 10 including the board 2 mounted on the hand 6, the hand 6 and the arm 8 is minimized. Similarly, when the operations M22 and M25 are completed, the turning radius of the main body 10 including the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 7, the hand 7 and the arm 9 is minimized.

As described above, the arm driving mechanism 27 extends and retracts the arm 8 so that the hand 6 moves linearly with respect to the main body 10 in a fixed direction, and the arm driving mechanism 28 moves the main body 10 On the other hand, the arm 9 is extended and contracted so that the hand 7 moves linearly while facing a certain direction. That is, when the robot 1 performs actions M11 to M16, the hand 6 moves linearly while facing a certain direction with respect to the main body 10, and the hand 7 moves linearly when the robot 1 performs actions M21 to M26. Then, it moves linearly while facing a certain direction with respect to the body portion 10 .

In this embodiment, since the storage cassette 3 is arranged on the front side of the robot 1, the storage cassette 4 is arranged on the right side of the robot 1, and the processing device 5 is arranged on the rear side of the robot 1, the hand 6 When the robot 1 performs the actions M11 to M13 and M16, it moves linearly in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body 10, and when the robot 1 performs the actions M14 and M15, it moves linearly in the left-right direction with respect to the main body 10. move to The hand 7 moves linearly in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body 10 when the robot 1 performs the actions M21 to M23 and M26, and moves relative to the main body 10 when the robot 1 performs the actions M24 and M25. to move left or right in a straight line.

Specifically, when the robot 1 performs the action M11, the hand 6 moves linearly forward with respect to the main body 10 with the tip of the fork 19 facing forward, and the robot 1 performs the action M12. When the robot 1 performs the action M14, the tip of the fork 19 faces the front and moves to the rear in a straight line. When the robot 1 performs the action M15, the fork 19 moves linearly to the left with respect to the main body 10 with the tip of the fork 19 facing right, When the robot 1 performs the actions M13 and M16, the tip of the fork 19 is linearly moved rearward with respect to the main body 10 while facing rearward.

Similarly, when the robot 1 performs the action M21, the hand 7 moves linearly forward with respect to the main body 10 with the tip of the fork 19 facing forward, and when the robot 1 performs the action M22, the hand 7 moves forward. Then, the tip of the fork 19 faces forward and moves rearward in a straight line with respect to the main body 10, and when the robot 1 performs the operation M24, the tip of the fork 19 faces right and moves to the main body. When the robot 1 performs the action M25, the robot 1 moves linearly to the left with respect to the main body 10 with the tip of the fork 19 facing right. performs the operations M23 and M26, the tip of the fork 19 moves linearly rearward with respect to the main body 10 while facing rearward.

When the robot 1 performs the operation M11, the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hand 6 are mounted on the hand 6 under the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 3 (specifically, after the operation M11). When the robot 1 performs the operation M21, the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hand 7 pass under the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 3 (specifically, passes under the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 7) after the operation M21.

When the robot 1 performs the operation M14, the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hand 6 are mounted on the hand 6 under the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 4 (specifically, after the operation M14). When the robot 1 performs the operation M24, the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hand 7 pass under the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 4 (specifically, passes under the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 7) after the operation M24.

When the robot 1 performs the operation M12, one end surface of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 6 in the horizontal direction is located between the light emitting section 39 and the light receiving section 40 of one of the two detection mechanisms 34 . , and when the robot 1 performs the operation M22, one lateral end surface of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 7 passes between the light emitting section 39 and the light receiving section 40 of the other detection mechanism 34 . In this embodiment, when the robot 1 performs the operations M12 and M22, the detection mechanism 34 is arranged on the right side of the hands 6 and 7, and the right end surface of the substrate 2 mounted on the hands 6 and 7 is the light emitting portion. 39 and the light receiving section 40.

When the robot 1 performs the operation M15, one end face in the front-rear direction of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 6 is located between the light emitting part 39 and the light receiving part 40 of one of the two detection mechanisms 34 . , and when the robot 1 performs the operation M25, one end surface of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 7 in the front-rear direction passes between the light-emitting portion 39 and the light-receiving portion 40 of the other detection mechanism 34 . In this embodiment, when the robot 1 performs the operations M15 and M25, the detection mechanism 34 is arranged behind the hands 6 and 7, and the rear end surface of the substrate 2 mounted on the hands 6 and 7 emits light. It passes between the portion 39 and the light receiving portion 40 .

That is, when the robot 1 performs the operations M12 and M22, the detection mechanism 34 detects that the right end surface of the substrate 2 mounted on the hands 6 and 7 passes between the light emitting unit 39 and the light receiving unit 40 and that the robot 1 performs the operations M15 and M25, the rear end surface of the substrate 2 mounted on the hands 6 and 7 is positioned to pass between the light emitting section 39 and the light receiving section 40. As shown in FIG. Further, the detection mechanism 34 is arranged behind the rear end surface of the substrate 2 mounted on the hands 6, 7 arranged at the hand positions 6A, 7A, and the hands 6 arranged at the hand positions 6C, 7C. , 7 on the left side of the left end surface of the substrate 2 mounted thereon. Further, the detection mechanism 34 is arranged between the front end surface and the rear end surface of the substrate 2 mounted on the hands 6 and 7 after the operations M12 and M22 are completed in the front-rear direction, and is arranged in the left-right direction. It is arranged between the right end face and the left end face of the board 2 mounted on the hands 6 and 7 after M15 and M25 are completed.

As described above, the light-receiving unit 40 is a line sensor in which a plurality of light-receiving elements are arranged in a line. The direction position can be detected by the detection mechanism 34 . Further, the detection mechanism 34 can detect the front-back position of the rear end surface of the substrate 2 mounted on the hands 6 and 7 after the operations M15 and M25 are completed.

It should be noted that the robot 1 performs a rotating motion of rotating the main body 10 between the motions M12 and M13 and between the motions M15 and M16. At this time, the arm 9 is also contracted. In addition, the robot 1 performs a rotating motion of rotating the main body 10 between the motions M22 and M23 and between the motions M25 and M26. At this time, the arm 8 is also contracted. In addition, the robot 1, as necessary, between the motions M12 and M13, between the motions M15 and M16, between the motions M22 and M23, and between the motions M25 and M26: The arm support 15 is raised and lowered, and the main body 10 is moved in the horizontal direction. Further, the robot 1 may move the arm support 15 up and down and move the main body 10 in the left-right direction as necessary when performing the actions M11 to M16 and M21 to M26.

(Robot control method)
When the robot 1 performs the operation M11, the control unit 32 controls when one of the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hand 6 detects the substrate 2 (specifically, when the storage cassette 3 4 is data of the position of the hand 6 in the front-rear direction when one of the detection mechanisms 33 detects the rear end surface of the substrate 2 placed on the top (that is, when one of the detection mechanisms 33 first detects the substrate 2). Position data D1 and when the other detection mechanism 33 detects the substrate 2 (specifically, when the other detection mechanism 33 detects the rear end surface of the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 3 (that is, when the other detection mechanism 33 detects Position data D2, which is data on the position of the hand 6 in the front-rear direction when the detection mechanism 33 first detects the substrate 2)), is obtained. The control unit 32 acquires the position data D1 and D2 based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 33 and the detection result of the encoder of the arm driving mechanism 27 .

Based on the position data D1 and D2, the control unit 32 specifies the position and orientation (inclination of the substrate 2 in the horizontal plane) of the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 3 in the front-rear direction. Further, the control unit 32 compares the specified position and orientation of the substrate 2 in the front-rear direction with the position and orientation of the substrate 2 in the front-rear direction previously taught to the robot 1. Secondly, based on this comparison result, the position and orientation of the hand 6 in the front-rear direction when reaching the hand position 6A are corrected. That is, when the robot 1 performs the motion M11, the control unit 32 corrects the position and orientation of the hand 6 in the front-rear direction when reaching the hand position 6A based on the position data D1 and D2.

Specifically, when the robot 1 performs the motion M11, the control unit 32 controls the arm drive mechanism 27, the rotation mechanism 29, and the horizontal movement mechanism 31 based on the position data D1 and D2 to move the hand position. Correct the longitudinal position and orientation of the hand 6 when reaching 6A. Further, when the robot 1 performs the motion M11, the control unit 32 adjusts the position of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 6 in the front-rear direction to an appropriate position based on the position data D1 and D2, The position and orientation of the hand 6 in the front-rear direction when reaching the hand position 6A are corrected so that the substrate 2 to be mounted is oriented appropriately.

The control unit 32 also provides data on the horizontal position of the right end surface of the substrate 2 detected by the detection mechanism 34 when the hand 6 moves to a predetermined measurement position when the robot 1 performs the operation M12. Acquire position data D3. The control unit 32 acquires the position data D3 based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 34 and the detection result of the encoder of the arm driving mechanism 27 . In this embodiment, for example, the position of the hand 6 when the action M12 is completed is the measurement position, but a predetermined position of the hand 6 during the action M12 may be the measurement position. .

The control unit 32 identifies the horizontal position of the board 2 mounted on the hand 6 based on the position data D3. Further, the control unit 32 compares the specified horizontal position of the substrate 2 with the horizontal position of the substrate 2 previously taught to the robot 1, and when the robot 1 performs the operation M13, the comparison is performed. Based on the result, the horizontal position of the hand 6 when reaching the hand position 6B is corrected. That is, when the robot 1 performs the action M13, the control unit 32 corrects the horizontal position of the hand 6 when reaching the hand position 6B based on the position data D3.

Specifically, when the robot 1 performs the action M13, the control unit 32 controls the horizontal movement mechanism 31 based on the position data D3 to determine the horizontal position of the hand 6 when it reaches the hand position 6B. correct. In addition, when the robot 1 performs the operation M13, the control unit 32 adjusts the hand position 6B so that the position of the substrate 2 placed on the processing device 5 in the left-right direction is appropriate based on the position data D3. Correct the lateral position of the hand 6 when it reaches.

Similarly, when the robot 1 performs the motion M21, the control unit 32 controls the longitudinal direction of the hand 7 when one of the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hand 7 detects the substrate 2. and position data D5, which is data on the position of the hand 7 in the front-rear direction when the other detection mechanism 33 detects the board 2 . The control unit 32 acquires the position data D4 and D5 based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 33 and the detection result of the encoder of the arm driving mechanism 28 .

The control unit 32 specifies the position and orientation of the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 3 in the front-rear direction based on the position data D4 and D5. Further, the control unit 32 compares the specified position and orientation of the substrate 2 in the front-rear direction with the position and orientation of the substrate 2 in the front-rear direction previously taught to the robot 1. Secondly, based on the result of this comparison, the position and orientation of the hand 7 in the longitudinal direction when reaching the hand position 7A are corrected.

Specifically, when the robot 1 performs the motion M21, the control unit 32 controls the arm drive mechanism 28, the rotation mechanism 29, and the horizontal movement mechanism 31 based on the position data D4 and D5 to move the hand position. Correct the longitudinal position and orientation of the hand 7 when it reaches 7A. In addition, when the robot 1 performs the operation M21, the control unit 32 adjusts the position of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 7 in the front-rear direction to an appropriate position based on the position data D4 and D5. The position and orientation of the hand 7 in the front-rear direction when reaching the hand position 7A are corrected so that the substrate 2 to be mounted is oriented appropriately.

Further, the control unit 32 provides data on the horizontal position of the right end surface of the substrate 2 detected by the detection mechanism 34 when the hand 7 moves to a predetermined measurement position when the robot 1 performs the operation M22. Acquire position data D6. The control unit 32 acquires the position data D6 based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 34 and the detection result of the encoder of the arm driving mechanism 28 . In this embodiment, for example, the position of the hand 7 when the action M22 is completed is the measurement position, but a predetermined position of the hand 7 during the action M22 may be the measurement position. .

The control unit 32 specifies the horizontal position of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 7 based on the position data D6. Further, the control unit 32 compares the specified horizontal position of the substrate 2 with the horizontal position of the substrate 2 previously taught to the robot 1, and when the robot 1 performs the operation M23, the comparison is performed. Based on the result, the horizontal position of the hand 7 when reaching the hand position 7B is corrected. That is, when the robot 1 performs the action M23, the control unit 32 corrects the horizontal position of the hand 7 when reaching the hand position 7B based on the position data D6.

Specifically, when the robot 1 performs the operation M23, the control unit 32 controls the horizontal movement mechanism 31 based on the position data D6 to determine the horizontal position of the hand 7 when reaching the hand position 7B. correct. Further, when the robot 1 performs the operation M23, the control unit 32 adjusts the hand position 7B so that the position of the substrate 2 placed on the processing device 5 in the left-right direction is appropriate based on the position data D6. Correct the lateral position of the hand 7 when it reaches.

Further, when the robot 1 performs the operation M14, the control unit 32 is controlled when one of the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hand 6 detects the substrate 2 (specifically, when the detection mechanism 33 detects the substrate 2). Position data D11, which is data on the lateral position of the hand 6 when one detection mechanism 33 detects the left end face of the substrate 2 placed on the cassette 4, and the position data D11 of the position of the hand 6 when the other detection mechanism 33 detects the substrate 2. position data D12, which is the position data of the hand 6 in the left-right direction at the time (specifically, when the other detection mechanism 33 detects the left end surface of the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 4). , when the robot 1 performs the operation M15, the position data D13, which is data on the longitudinal position of the rear end surface of the substrate 2 detected by the detection mechanism 34 when the hand 6 moves to a predetermined measurement position, is acquired. .

In this embodiment, for example, the position of the hand 6 when the action M15 is completed is the measurement position, but a predetermined position of the hand 6 during the action M15 may be the measurement position. . Further, the control unit 32 acquires the position data D11 and D12 based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 33 and the detection result of the encoder of the arm drive mechanism 27, and the detection result of the detection mechanism 34 and the encoder of the arm drive mechanism 27. Position data D13 is acquired based on the detection result. After the robot 1 performs the operation M14, when the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 4 is to be mounted on the hand 6, the arm 8 is extended so that the hand 6 is placed at the previously taught hand position 6C. ing. The hand 6 is loaded with the substrate 2 in the state (position and orientation) as placed in the storage cassette 4 .

Based on the position data D11 to D13, the control unit 32 specifies the position in the front-rear direction, the position in the left-right direction, and the orientation of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 6. FIG. In addition, the control unit 32 compares the specified position (horizontal position) and orientation of the substrate 2 in the horizontal direction with the horizontal position and orientation of the substrate 2 previously taught to the robot 1, and 1 performs the operation M16, based on the result of this comparison, the horizontal position and orientation of the hand 6 when reaching the hand position 6B are corrected. That is, when the robot 1 performs the action M16, the control unit 32 corrects the horizontal position and orientation of the hand 6 when reaching the hand position 6B based on the position data D11 to D13.

Specifically, when the robot 1 performs the motion M16, the control unit 32 controls the arm drive mechanism 27, the rotation mechanism 29, and the horizontal movement mechanism 31 based on the position data D11 to D13 to move the hand position. Correct the horizontal position and orientation of the hand 6 when reaching 6B. Further, when the robot 1 performs the operation M16, the control unit 32 adjusts the horizontal position of the substrate 2 placed on the processing device 5 based on the position data D11 to D13, The horizontal position and orientation of the hand 6 when reaching the hand position 6B are corrected so that the substrate 2 placed on the substrate 2 is properly oriented.

Similarly, the control unit 32 controls the horizontal direction of the hand 7 when one of the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hand 7 detects the substrate 2 when the robot 1 performs the operation M24. , and position data D15, which is data on the horizontal position of the hand 7 when the other detection mechanism 33 detects the substrate 2, and the robot 1 performs the operation M25. At the time of measurement, position data D16, which is data on the longitudinal position of the rear end surface of the substrate 2 detected by the detection mechanism 34 when the hand 7 has moved to a predetermined measurement position, is obtained.

In this embodiment, for example, the position of the hand 7 when the action M25 is completed is the measurement position, but a predetermined position of the hand 7 during the action M25 may be the measurement position. . Further, the control unit 32 acquires the position data D14 and D15 based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 33 and the detection result of the encoder of the arm drive mechanism 28, and the detection result of the detection mechanism 34 and the encoder of the arm drive mechanism 28. Position data D16 is obtained based on the detection result. After the robot 1 performs the operation M24, when the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 4 is to be mounted on the hand 7, the arm 9 is extended so that the hand 7 is placed at the previously taught hand position 7C. ing. The hand 7 is loaded with the substrate 2 in the state (position and orientation) as placed in the storage cassette 4 .

Based on the position data D14 to D16, the control unit 32 specifies the position in the front-rear direction, the position in the left-right direction, and the orientation of the board 2 mounted on the hand 7 . In addition, the control unit 32 compares the specified position (horizontal position) and orientation of the substrate 2 in the horizontal direction with the horizontal position and orientation of the substrate 2 previously taught to the robot 1, and 1 performs the operation M26, based on this comparison result, the horizontal position and orientation of the hand 7 when reaching the hand position 7B are corrected. That is, when the robot 1 performs the action M26, the control unit 32 corrects the horizontal position and orientation of the hand 7 when reaching the hand position 7B based on the position data D14 to D16.

Specifically, when the robot 1 performs the operation M26, the control unit 32 controls the arm drive mechanism 28, the rotation mechanism 29, and the horizontal movement mechanism 31 based on the position data D14 to D16 to move the hand position. Correct the horizontal position and orientation of the hand 7 when reaching 7B. Further, when the robot 1 performs the operation M26, the control unit 32 adjusts the horizontal position of the substrate 2 placed on the processing device 5 based on the position data D14 to D16, The horizontal position and orientation of the hand 7 when reaching the hand position 7B are corrected so that the substrate 2 placed on the substrate 2 is properly oriented.

The storage cassette 4 of this embodiment is a receiving section, the processing device 5 is a delivery section, hand positions 6C and 7C are receiving positions, and hand positions 6B and 7B are delivery positions. Also, the actions M14 and M24 are the first actions, the actions M15 and M25 are the second actions, and the actions M16 and M26 are the third actions. The left-right direction (Y direction) in this embodiment is the first direction in which the hands 6 and 7 move when the robot 1 performs the first motions M14 and M24, and the front-back direction (X direction) is a second direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the first direction. When the robot 1 performs motions M14, M15, M24, and M25, the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hand 6 and the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hand 7 are spaced apart in the front-rear direction. are placed in

(Method for calculating hand correction value)
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating correction values for the horizontal positions and orientations of the hands 6 and 7 that are corrected when the robot 1 shown in FIG. 1 performs the motions M16 and M26.

For example, when the substrate 2 is placed in the storage cassette 4 as indicated by the solid line in FIG. The horizontal position and orientation correction values are calculated as follows. In FIG. 5, the substrate 2 indicated by the dashed line is placed at a regular position in the storage cassette 4 (that is, the substrate 2 is placed so that it is not necessary to correct the horizontal position and orientation). substrate 2). Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the substrate 2 indicated by the solid line and the substrate 2 indicated by the broken line in FIG. 5, the substrate 2 indicated by the solid line is referred to as the substrate 2A and the substrate 2 indicated by the broken line is referred to as the substrate 2B. Also, the center of the substrate 2B when viewed from above and below is set as the origin OR.

Let PB1 be the position of the left end surface of the substrate 2B detected by one of the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hands 6 and 7 when the robot 1 performs the operations M14 and M24. PB2 is the position of the left end surface of the substrate 2B detected by the other detection mechanism 33 attached to the robot 1, and PB3 is the position of the rear end surface of the substrate 2B detected by the detection mechanism 34 when the robot 1 performs the operations M15 and M25. Then, in a coordinate system having the origin OR as the origin, the coordinates of PB1 to PB3 are expressed as follows.
PB1 (-b3/2, -YB/2)
PB2 (b3/2, -YB/2)
PB3 (-XB/2, b4-YB/2)

Here, XB is the width of the substrate 2 in the front-rear direction, and YB is the width of the substrate 2 in the left-right direction. Also, b3 is the distance in the front-back direction between PB1 and PB2 (that is, the distance in the front-back direction of the two detection mechanisms 33), and the distance in the front-back direction between the origin OR and PB1 and the distance between the origin OR and PB2. The distance in the front-rear direction is equal. Also, b4 is the distance in the horizontal direction between the left end surface of the substrate 2 and the PB3.

Further, when the robot 1 performs the operations M14 and M24, the position of the left end surface of the substrate 2A detected by one of the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hands 6 and 7 is P1. P2 is the position of the left end surface of the substrate 2A detected by the other detection mechanism 33 attached to 6 and 7, and the position of the rear end surface of the substrate 2A detected by the detection mechanism 34 when the robot 1 performs the operations M15 and M25. is P3, the coordinates of P1 to P3 are expressed as follows in a coordinate system having the origin OR as the origin.
P1 (-b3/2, -YB/2+S1)
P2 (b3/2, -YB/2+S2)
P3 (-XB/2-S3, b4-YB/2)
Here, S1 is the lateral distance between PB1 and P1, S2 is the lateral distance between PB2 and P2, and S3 is the longitudinal distance between PB3 and P3.

Assuming that the position of the left rear corner of the substrate 2B is the origin WOR, a straight line passing through P1 and P2 in a coordinate system with the origin WOR as the origin is expressed as follows.
ax+by+c=0
Assuming that the coordinates of P3 are (X0, Y0), the distance L between this straight line and P3 is
L=|aX0+bY0+c|/( ^a2 + ^b2 ) ^1/2
becomes.
Further, if the position of the substrate 2B corresponding to P3 of the substrate 2A is P3', the coordinates of P3' are expressed as follows in a coordinate system having the origin OR as the origin.
P3' (-XB/2, LYB/2)

Assuming that the tilt angle of the substrate 2A with respect to the substrate 2B (that is, the deviation of the orientation of the substrate 2A with respect to the substrate 2B) is θ,
tan θ=(S2−S1)/b3
Therefore, the angle θ, which is the correction value for the orientation of the substrate 2A with respect to the substrate 2B, is calculated by the following equation.
θ=tan θ ⁻¹ ((S2−S1)/b3)
This angle θ is a correction value for the directions of the hands 6 and 7 that are corrected when the robot 1 performs the motions M16 and M26.

In a coordinate system with the origin OR as the origin, P3' is rotated by an angle θ, P3'r is the rotated position, and the coordinates of P3'r are (P3'rx, P3'ry). P3'x, P3'y), P3'rx and P3'rx are expressed by the following equations.
P3′rx=P3′x×cos θ−P3′y×sin θ
P3′ry=P3′x×sin θ+P3′y×cos θ

Assuming that the coordinates of P3 are (P3x, P3y) in a coordinate system having the origin OR as the origin, a parallel deviation component ΔX between P3 and P3′r and a parallel deviation component ΔY between P3 and P3′r are calculated. Therefore, the coordinates of P3 (P3xr, P3yr) and the coordinates of P3'r (P3'rxr, P3'ryr) in a coordinate system rotated by an angle θ around the origin OR are expressed as follows. .
P3′rxr=P3′rx×cos θ+P3′ry×sin θ
P3′ryr=−P3′rx×sin θ+P3′ry×cos θ
P3xr=P3x×cos θ+P3y×sin θ
P3yr=−P3x×sin θ+P3y×cos θ

Therefore, parallel deviation components ΔX and ΔY, which are correction values for the substrate 2A with respect to the substrate 2B, are calculated by the following equations.
ΔX=P3xr-P3'rxr
ΔY=P3yr−P3′ryr
The parallel deviation component ΔX is a correction value for the positions of the hands 6 and 7 corrected by the horizontal driving mechanism 31 when the robot 1 performs the motions M16 and M26. The parallel deviation component ΔY is a correction value for the positions of the hands 6 and 7 corrected by the arm driving mechanisms 27 and 28 when the robot 1 performs the motions M16 and M26.

When the robot 1 performs movements M16 and M26, the rotation mechanism 29 corrects the angle θ, the horizontal movement mechanism 31 corrects the parallel deviation component ΔX, and the parallel deviation component ΔY is corrected. is corrected by the arm drive mechanisms 27 and 28.

(Main effects of this form)
As described above, in the present embodiment, when the robot 1 performs the motion M16, the controller 32 controls the horizontal position and position of the hand 6 when it reaches the hand position 6B based on the position data D11 to D13. The orientation is corrected, and the horizontal position and orientation of the hand 7 when reaching the hand position 7B are corrected based on the position data D14 to D16 when the robot 1 performs the action M26.

That is, in this embodiment, the control unit 32 corrects the horizontal positions and orientations of the hands 6 and 7 only when the robot 1 performs the motions M16 and M26, and corrects the horizontal positions and orientations of the hands 6 and 7 when the robot 1 performs the motions M14 and M24. The positions and orientations of 6 and 7 have not been corrected. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if it is possible to correct the horizontal position and orientation of the substrates 2 placed in the accommodation cassette 4 before placing the substrates 2 in the processing apparatus 5, the substrates 2 can be placed in the processing apparatus 5 from the accommodation cassette 4. 5 can be shortened.

In this embodiment, since the main body 10 cannot be moved in the front-rear direction, the orientations of the hands 6 and 7 cannot be appropriately corrected when the robot 1 performs the actions M14 and M24. , even if the orientations of the hands 6 and 7 cannot be properly corrected when the robot 1 performs the movements M14 and M24, the orientations of the hands 6 and 7 can be properly corrected when the robot 1 performs the movements M16 and M26. correction becomes possible.

(Example of change in robot control method)
In the embodiment described above, the control unit 32 acquires the position data D1 and D2 when the robot 1 performs the motion M11, and acquires the position data D3 when the robot 1 performs the motion M12. 1 performs the operation M13, the horizontal position and orientation of the hand 6 when reaching the hand position 6B may be corrected based on the position data D1 to D3. In this case, after the robot 1 performs the operation M11, when the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 3 is mounted on the hand 6, the hand 6 is placed at the previously taught hand position 6A. Arm 8 is extended. The hand 6 is loaded with the substrate 2 in the state (position and orientation) as placed in the storage cassette 3 .

Further, in this case, the control unit 32 specifies the position in the front-rear direction, the position in the left-right direction, and the orientation of the board 2 mounted on the hand 6 based on the position data D1 to D3, and the position of the specified board 2. The position (horizontal position) and orientation in the front, back, left and right directions are compared with the horizontal position and orientation of the substrate 2 previously taught to the robot 1, and when the robot 1 performs the operation M13, the comparison result is used to correct the horizontal position and orientation of the hand 6 when it reaches the hand position 6B. Specifically, when the robot 1 performs the operation M13, the control unit 32 controls the arm drive mechanism 27, the rotation mechanism 29, and the horizontal movement mechanism 31 based on the position data D1 to D3 to control the hand position. Correct the horizontal position and orientation of the hand 6 when reaching 6B.

Similarly, in the embodiment described above, the control unit 32 acquires the position data D4 and D5 when the robot 1 performs the motion M21, and acquires the position data D6 when the robot 1 performs the motion M22. In addition, when the robot 1 performs the operation M23, the horizontal position and orientation of the hand 7 when reaching the hand position 7B may be corrected based on the position data D4 to D6. In this case, after the robot 1 performs the operation M21, when the substrate 2 placed in the storage cassette 3 is mounted on the hand 7, the hand 7 is placed at the previously taught hand position 7A. Arm 9 is extended. The hand 7 is loaded with the substrate 2 in the state (position and orientation) as placed in the storage cassette 3 .

Further, in this case, the control unit 32 specifies the position in the front-rear direction, the position in the left-right direction, and the orientation of the board 2 mounted on the hand 7 based on the position data D4 to D6, and the position of the specified board 2. The position (horizontal position) and orientation in the front, back, left and right directions are compared with the horizontal position and orientation of the substrate 2 previously taught to the robot 1, and when the robot 1 performs the operation M23, the comparison result is used to correct the horizontal position and orientation of the hand 7 when it reaches the hand position 7B. Specifically, when the robot 1 performs the operation M23, the control unit 32 controls the arm drive mechanism 28, the rotation mechanism 29, and the horizontal movement mechanism 31 based on the position data D4 to D6 to move the hand position. Correct the horizontal position and orientation of the hand 7 when reaching 7B.

In this modification, the storage cassette 3 is the receiving portion and the hand positions 6A, 7A are the receiving positions. Also, the actions M11 and M21 are first actions, the actions M12 and M22 are second actions, and the actions M13 and M23 are third actions. In this modified example, the front-rear direction (X direction) is the first direction in which the hands 6 and 7 move when the robot 1 performs the first motions M11 and M21. (X direction) is a second direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the first direction. When the robot 1 performs the motions M11, M12, M21 and M22, the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hand 6 and the two detection mechanisms 33 attached to the hand 7 are spaced apart in the horizontal direction. are placed in

In this modified example, even if it is possible to correct the horizontal position and orientation of the substrates 2 placed in the accommodation cassette 3 before placing the substrates 2 in the processing apparatus 5, the substrates 2 can be placed in the processing apparatus 5 from the accommodation cassette 3. It is possible to shorten the transport time of the substrate 2 to the.

(Other embodiments)
The embodiments and modifications described above are examples of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In the form described above, the robot 1 may transport the substrates 2 from the processing device 5 to the storage cassette 4 . That is, the robot 1 may unload the substrate 2 from the processing apparatus 5 and load the substrate 2 unloaded from the processing apparatus 5 into the storage cassette 4 . In this case, the processing device 5 becomes the receiving section, and the storage cassette 4 becomes the delivery section. Further, in the modified example of the robot control method described above, the robot 1 may transfer the substrate 2 from the processing device 5 to the storage cassette 3 . In this case, the processing device 5 becomes the receiving section, and the storage cassette 3 becomes the delivery section.

In the form mentioned above, the number of detection mechanisms 34 with which the robot 1 is provided may be one. In this case, when the robot 1 performs the operation M12, the right end surface of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 6 passes between the light emitting unit 39 and the light receiving unit 40 of the one detection mechanism 34, and the robot 1 The detection mechanisms 34 are arranged so that the right end face of the board 2 mounted on the hand 7 passes between the light emitting portion 39 and the light receiving portion 40 of one detection mechanism 34 when performing the operation M22. . Further, when the robot 1 performs the operation M15, the rear end surface of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 6 passes between the light emitting unit 39 and the light receiving unit 40 of the single detection mechanism 34, and the robot 1 performs the operation M25. The detection mechanisms 34 are arranged so that the right end face of the substrate 2 mounted on the hand 7 passes between the light emitting portion 39 and the light receiving portion 40 of one detection mechanism 34 when performing the detection.

Also, in this case, when the robot 1 performs the motions M12 and M15, the arm 9 is extended or contracted in a state in which the substrate 2 is not mounted on the hand 7, and the robot 1 performs the motion M22. , M25, the arm 8 is extended or contracted in a state in which the board 2 is not mounted on the hand 6. As shown in FIG.

In the form mentioned above, the light-receiving part 40 may be an area sensor in which a plurality of light-receiving elements are arranged two-dimensionally. Even in this case, the detection mechanism 34 detects the lateral position of the right end surface of the substrate 2 mounted on the hands 6 and 7, and the detection mechanism 34 detects the position of the substrate 2 mounted on the hands 6 and 7. It is possible to detect the position of the rear end surface of the substrate 2 in the front-rear direction.

In the embodiment described above, the arms 8 and 9 are arranged in a vertically displaced state, but the arms 8 and 9 are arranged at the same position in the vertical direction and are horizontally adjacent to each other. can be Further, in the above embodiment, the robot 1 may have one hand and one arm. For example, the robot 1 may have only one hand 6 and one arm 8. Moreover, in the form mentioned above, the arms 8 and 9 may be comprised by three or more arm parts.

In the embodiment described above, instead of the arms 8 and 9, the robot 1 has two hands 6 and 7, respectively, like the arms of the industrial robot disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-15839. An arm composed of two tip-side arms rotatably connected to the side and a common arm portion rotatably connected to the proximal sides of the two tip-side arms good.

Further, in the above embodiment, instead of the arms 8 and 9, the robot 1 can move the hands 6 and 7 in the horizontal direction like the industrial robot arm disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-25585. An elongated substantially rectangular parallelepiped arm that holds the hands 6 and 7 may be provided so as to enable linear reciprocating movement. That is, the robot 1 may be a so-called linear type robot in which the hands 6 and 7 are connected to arms so as to be able to slide in the horizontal direction. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the object to be transported by the robot 1 may be something other than the substrate 2 .

1 Robot (industrial robot)
2 Substrate (glass substrate, object to be transported)
3, 4 storage cassette (receiving part)
5 Processing equipment (delivery unit)
6, 7 hand 8, 9 arm 10 main body 21 first arm (arm)
22 second arm section (arm section)
27, 28 arm drive mechanism 29 rotation mechanism 31 horizontal movement mechanism 32 control unit 33 detection mechanism (first detection mechanism)
34 detection mechanism (second detection mechanism)
37 light-emitting part (first light-emitting part)
38 light receiving part (first light receiving part)
39 light emitting unit (second light emitting unit)
40 light receiving portion (second light receiving portion)
X Front-back direction Y Left-right direction

Claims (6)

In an industrial robot that transports a rectangular or square-shaped object to be transported,
a hand on which the object to be conveyed is mounted and which can move in the horizontal direction, an arm to which the hand is connected, a main body to which the arm is rotatably connected with the vertical direction being the axial direction of rotation, Two optical first detection mechanisms attached to the hand, an optical second detection mechanism attached to the main body, and a control unit for controlling the industrial robot,
A receiving position is defined as a position of the hand when the object to be conveyed, which is placed on a predetermined receiving portion with the tip of the hand moving away from the main body, is received by the hand. Assuming that the position of the hand when the object to be conveyed mounted on the hand is transferred to a predetermined transfer section in a state in which the tip of the hand moves away from the main body, is defined as the transfer position,
a first action when the hand moves to the receiving position such that the tip of the hand moves away from the main body, and the hand receives the conveyed object at the receiving position after the first action. a second operation when the tip of the hand moves toward the main body; performing a third operation, which is an operation when the mounted hand moves to the delivery position;
When the industrial robot performs the first action and the second action, the hand moves linearly while facing a certain direction with respect to the main body,
Assuming that the moving direction of the hand when the industrial robot performs the first action and the second action is a first direction, and the direction orthogonal to the first direction and the vertical direction is a second direction,
The first detection mechanism is a reflective detection mechanism that includes a first light emitting unit and a first light receiving unit that receives light emitted from the first light emitting unit and reflected by the object to be conveyed. ,
The two first detection mechanisms are spaced apart in the second direction,
The second detection mechanism is opposed to the second light receiving section, which is a line sensor or an area sensor, and the second light receiving section with a predetermined gap therebetween in the vertical direction. A transmissive detection mechanism having a second light emitting unit disposed,
When the industrial robot performs the first motion, the two first detection mechanisms pass under the transport object placed on the receiving section,
When the industrial robot performs the second operation, one end surface of the object to be conveyed mounted on the hand in the second direction is located between the second light receiving section and the second light emitting section. through
When the industrial robot performs the first motion, the control unit controls the movement of the hand when one of the two first detection mechanisms detects the object to be conveyed. First position data, which is position data in the first direction; second position data, which is direction position data, and when the hand moves to a predetermined measurement position when the industrial robot performs the second motion, the second detection mechanism detects Acquiring third position data, which is position data in the second direction of one end surface of the object to be conveyed to be detected, and performing the third operation when the industrial robot performs the third operation; An industrial robot that corrects the horizontal position and orientation of the hand when reaching the handover position based on the first position data, the second position data, and the third position data. The arm is composed of a plurality of arm parts that are rotatably connected to each other and can extend and contract in the horizontal direction,
The hand is rotatably connected to the distal end side of the arm,
2. The industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein a proximal end of said arm is rotatably connected to said main body. an arm drive mechanism for extending and contracting the arm so that the hand moves linearly with respect to the main body with the hand directed in a fixed direction; a horizontal movement mechanism for moving the main body in the left-right direction,
The hand moves linearly with respect to the main body in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction when the industrial robot performs the third operation,
When the industrial robot performs the third motion, the controller controls the arm drive mechanism and the rotation mechanism based on the first position data, the second position data, and the third position data. 3. The industrial robot according to claim 2, wherein said horizontal movement mechanism and said horizontal movement mechanism are controlled to correct the horizontal position and orientation of said hand when reaching said delivery position. The first direction and the left-right direction match,
4. The industrial robot according to claim 3, wherein the hand moves linearly in the horizontal direction with respect to the main body when the industrial robot performs the first motion and the second motion. . The first direction and the front-rear direction match,
4. The industrial robot according to claim 3, wherein the hand linearly moves in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body when the industrial robot performs the first motion and the second motion. . A hand on which a rectangular or square-shaped object to be conveyed is mounted and which can move in the horizontal direction, an arm connected to the hand, and the arm can rotate with the vertical direction as the axis direction of rotation. a main body connected to the hand, two optical first detection mechanisms attached to the hand, and an optical second detection mechanism attached to the main body,
A receiving position is defined as a position of the hand when the object to be conveyed, which is placed on a predetermined receiving portion with the tip of the hand moving away from the main body, is received by the hand. Assuming that the position of the hand when the object to be conveyed mounted on the hand is transferred to a predetermined transfer section in a state in which the tip of the hand moves away from the main body, is defined as the transfer position,
a first action when the hand moves to the receiving position such that the tip of the hand moves away from the main body, and the hand receives the conveyed object at the receiving position after the first action. a second operation when the tip of the hand moves toward the main body; performing a third operation, which is an operation when the mounted hand moves to the delivery position;
the hand moves linearly while facing a certain direction with respect to the main body when the first action and the second action are performed;
Assuming that the moving direction of the hand when the first action and the second action are performed is a first direction, and the direction orthogonal to the first direction and the vertical direction is a second direction,
The first detection mechanism is a reflective detection mechanism that includes a first light emitting unit and a first light receiving unit that receives light emitted from the first light emitting unit and reflected by the object to be conveyed. ,
The two first detection mechanisms are spaced apart in the second direction,
The second detection mechanism is opposed to the second light receiving section, which is a line sensor or an area sensor, and the second light receiving section with a predetermined gap therebetween in the vertical direction. A transmissive detection mechanism having a second light emitting unit disposed,
When the first operation is performed, the two first detection mechanisms pass under the conveyed object placed on the receiving portion,
When the second operation is performed, one end surface of the object to be conveyed mounted on the hand in the second direction passes between the second light receiving section and the second light emitting section. A robot control method comprising:
data of the position of the hand in the first direction when one of the two first detection mechanisms detects the object to be conveyed when performing the first operation; first position data; and second position data representing the position of the hand in the first direction when the other first detection mechanism of the two first detection mechanisms detects the object to be conveyed. one end surface of the object to be conveyed in the second direction detected by the second detection mechanism when the hand moves to a predetermined measurement position when acquiring data and performing the second operation; Acquiring third position data, which is position data in the second direction, and performing the third action based on the first position data, the second position data, and the third position data and a control method for an industrial robot, comprising correcting the horizontal position and orientation of the hand when reaching the handover position.

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