JPS61136790A - Robot for clean room - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a working robot for use in a clean room, and specifically, to a robot installed in a clean room during the manufacturing process of semiconductor parts such as LSI, laser discs, etc. This invention relates to robots for handling workpieces (silicon wafers, etc.).

(Conventional Techniques) Generally, in the manufacturing process of the above-mentioned semiconductor components, handling of the workpiece (loading and unloading of the workpiece to a processing device, etc.) is performed by nesting. Therefore, there is a problem that the workpiece processing efficiency is low, and there is also a problem that the clean room where the work is performed is easily contaminated by dust generated by the workers. To that end, we are currently
It is desired to introduce g-industry robots used in general factories into the manufacturing process of semiconductor parts, etc., so that the robots can handle the workpieces.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) However, in general, inside a robot there is a W! Mechanical sliding parts such as gear meshing parts, bearing parts, and motor brush parts exist as sources, and abrasion powder and lubricant are scattered to the outside from these parts. For this reason, if conventional robots are introduced into clean rooms as they are, the clean rooms will become extremely contaminated with dust from the robots, so such introduction is currently impossible.

Furthermore, in the conventional robot, in addition to the dust generation source inside F, there is a sixth order rIM source externally. Zunawara,
The wrist at the tip of the robot arm is usually equipped with workpiece suction/gripping devices (tools) such as vacuum hands and electromagnetic chucks, and these devices are connected to lines such as air piping and electric wires through the outside of the robot. be done. These lines then come into contact with the wrist as the robot operates.

However, since the surface of conventional robot wrists is simply a coated outer shell made of cast metal, the coefficient of friction is high. As a result, when the line repeatedly contacts and rubs against the wrist surface, abrasion powder is generated from the contact portion. This J: Uni [There are also dust sources outside the cobot, and this external dust source is also one of the reasons that prevents the introduction of robots into clean rooms.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has a structure in which the inside of the robot is sealed and the dust inside the robot is sucked and discharged outside the clean room. Specifically, it is structured as follows:

That is, the present invention provides an arm that is movably attached to a base frame, a wrist for attaching a tool that is movably attached to the arm, and a drive device for driving the arm and the wrist, which are externally connected by a cover. It is characterized in that it is covered in a sealed state and the inlet of the vacuum piping for dust suction is connected to the inside of the cover.

Further, the present invention provides a structure that sucks and discharges internal dust and prevents wear from occurring at the contact portion between the wrist and the tool driving lie. Specifically, the present invention is constructed as follows. has been done.

That is, the present invention covers an arm that is movably attached to the base frame, a wrist for attaching a tool that is movably attached to the arm, and a drive device for driving the arm and the wrist. The inlet of the dust suction vacuum piping is connected to the inside of the cover, and the tool drive line connected to the tool is placed on the outside of the wrist, and the outer surface of the wrist has a low coefficient of friction. , and is characterized by forming a surface treatment layer having wear resistance against the above lines.

<Function> According to the above configuration, since each part of the arm, wrist, and drive device is sealed with a cover, dust generated inside will not flow out to the outside. In addition, suction force from the vacuum piping acts on the internal space of the cover, so even if there is an incompletely sealed part of the cover, suction force from the outside to the inside will act on that part. . Therefore, dust will not leak out from the incompletely sealed portion. Furthermore,
Since the dust inside the cover is quickly sucked into the vacuum piping, dust does not accumulate inside the cover, and in this respect, dust is also prevented from flowing away.

Furthermore, since the outer surface of the wrist has a low coefficient of friction and excellent wear resistance, no wear powder is generated from the contact area between the outer surface of the wrist and the tool drive line.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a piping route diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a robot employing the structure of FIG. 1.

First, the basic structure of the robot will be explained with reference to FIG.

To install the robot, the plate 1 (foundation frame) is installed on the base 2 via a suitable sponge seal.

A vertical cylindrical post 3 is attached to the upper surface of the plate 1, and a first arm 4 (only the center line is shown) is rotatably attached within the post 3. A base end portion of a second arm 6 is rotatably connected to the upper end of the first arm 4 via a horizontal support shaft mechanism 5. A base part of a third arm 8 is rotatably connected to the tip of the second arm 6 via a support mechanism 7 parallel to the support shaft mechanism 5, and a wrist 9 is connected to the tip of the third arm 8. There is. The wrist 9 is adapted to perform bending motions and two types of turning operations, and an air chuck 10 is attached to the tip of the wrist 9. An air hose 11 is connected to the air chuck 10, and the suction force supplied from the air hose 11 causes the air chuck 10 to adsorb a workpiece such as a silicon wafer. The air hose 11 is exposed to the outside and passes near the wrist 9.

Note that a tool such as a Ti magnetic chip or a pneumatic jack may be used instead of the air chuck 1o. However, the air chuck 10 produces less I than other tools.
! ! 1 is small, so it is suitable for use in clean rooms. When using the electromagnetic jack 11, instead of the air hose 11, an electric wire is connected to the jack through the vicinity of the wrist 9.

In order to drive the above-mentioned parts, a motor 12 is mounted on the knob plate 1, and motors 13 and 14 are mounted on the rear end of the second arm 6. Since the motor 12 is used to drive the first arm 4, its output shaft is connected to the first arm 4 via a gear A7R structure (not shown) or the like. The motors 13 and 14 are for driving the second arm 6, the third arm 8, and the wrist 9, respectively, and their output shafts are connected to the second arm 6 through a mechanism (not shown).
and is connected to the third arm 8 and the wrist 9.

The whole of each of the above counties is covered by the following J. In other words, the second and third arms 6.8 are covered by a dedicated cover 1.
8, and the frame and gear mechanism of the arm 6.8 are housed inside the cover 18.

The wrist 9 has a cover 19 formed by the outer skin frame that houses the gear mechanism. The cover 20 of the first arm 4 is formed by the post 3. In mounting, the plate 1 itself forms a cover for accommodating gear mechanisms and the like. The motors 12, 13, and 14 are also provided with covers 21. All of these covers are internally sealed, and the gaps between the covers are sealed with a gasket, packing, liquid packing, or the like.

In FIG. 1, 24 is an internal space covered with the plate 1 and covers 18, 20, and 21, and 25 is an external space, that is, a clean room in which the robot is installed. Four vacuum pipes 26 are installed in the clean room 25.

Each of the piping 26 has one end connected to the vacuum rA 27 outside the clean room 25, and the other end connected to the vacuum piping 3 through joints 30 to 33 attached to the plate 1.
5 to 37 or connected to the internal space 24.

The vacuum pipe 35 connected to the joint 30 is connected to the internal space 24
It extends through the outside to the motor 12.

The motor 12 is provided with a cover 39 surrounding the motor brush portion, and the vacuum pipe 35 is connected to the inside of the cover 39. The joint 31 opens directly into the interior space 24 . A vacuum pipe 36 connected to the joint 32 extends within the interior space 24 and is connected to one end of a vacuum pipe 41 via a joint 40 fixed to the cover 18. The vacuum pipe 41 is provided outside the internal space 211, and the other end is fixed to the wrist cover 19 and connected to the internal space. A vacuum pipe 37 connected to the joint 33 is provided in the interior space 24 and is connected via a manifold 42 to two vacuum pipes 43 and 44. Vacuum piping 43.44 is the joint 45.4 attached to the cover 18
6 are connected to vacuum piping 47 and 48, respectively. The motor 13, 14 is also provided with a cover 39 surrounding the motor plush part, and a vacuum pipe 47
．． 48 is connected to the inside of the cover 39 of the motor 13.14.

Although not clearly shown, the cover 19 (outer skin frame) of the wrist 9 is a cast product, and its outer surface (and inner surface)
Surface treatment such as Taflam (registered trademark) processing is applied to the surface. Toughram processing is a hard
There is also a method of forming a PJllJiWAWl film, impregnating and coating the porous film with Teflon (registered trademark), and fusing the Teflon. By applying this toughram processing, the surface of the cover 19 becomes 11! The coefficient of friction is reduced, and wear when the air hose 11 comes into contact is prevented. Note that it is also possible to reduce the am coefficient and improve the wear resistance of the surface of the cover 19 by coating it with Teflon or the like by a method other than Toughflaming.

According to the above structure, by appropriately interlocking the arm 4.6.8, the wrist 9, and the air chuck 10, the air chuck 10 can attract and move a workpiece such as a silicon wafer.

During this operation, abrasion powder, lubricant, and other dust are generated at the sliding parts of each part of the robot. However, since the entire robot is sealed with a cover, the dust generated inside will not leak outside.

Also, a joint 31 is provided in the internal space 24 of the cover 18.20.21.
Since the suction force from the cover 18.
Even if there is an incompletely sealed part in a part of 20.21 (such as around the bearing), a suction force from the outside to the inside acts on that part. Therefore, the rabbit is reliably prevented from flowing out from the internal space 24 into the clean room 25. Further, since suction force is applied to the brush portions of each motor 12, 13, and 14 from the vacuum pipes 35 and 47, 48, dust in the brush portions is reliably prevented from flowing into the clean room 25. Furthermore, since the suction force from the vacuum pipe 41 also acts on the inside of the wrist 9, dust from inside the clean room 25 is reliably prevented from flowing into the clean room 25.

In any part, the dust inside the cover is quickly sucked into the vacuum pipe 26 and discharged outside the clean room 25, so a large amount of dust does not accumulate inside the cover, and this also prevents dust from flowing away. be done.

Also, as the robot operates, the air hose 11 comes into contact with the surface of the wrist 9 and rubs, but the outer skin surface of the wrist 9 is rI.
Since the friction coefficient is low and the wear resistance is excellent, no wear powder is generated from the contact area between the wrist 9 and the air hose 11.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, each part of the robot is sealed with a cover and the inside is suctioned to prevent dust generated in each part of the robot from flowing outside. A robot suitable for working within the clean room 25 can be constructed. Furthermore, generation of abrasion powder from the contact portion between the wrist 9 and the air hose 11' (tool drive line) is also prevented, so that the robot is suitable for work in the clean room 25 in this respect as well.

(Other Examples) It is also possible to communicate the entire internal space of the robot (or the entire internal space excluding the wrist) and connect vacuum piping to only one point in the communication space, in which case the piping structure can be simplified. can be converted into

It is also possible to individually seal parts of the robot where deer are likely to infest with covers, so that the suction force corresponding to the dust-generating feet does not reach each internal space.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a piping route diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a robot employing the structure shown in FIG. 1... Mounting is on plate (foundation frame), 4.6.8
...Arm, 9...Wrist, 10...Air chuck (tool), 11...Air hose (tool drive line), 12.13.14...Motor (part of the drive device) , 18-21...Cover, 25...Clean room, 26...Vacuum piping patent applicant Kawasaki Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. agent Patent attorney Tadaka Taishoku:・ :1211

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An arm that is movably attached to the base frame, a wrist for attaching a tool that is movably attached to the arm, and a drive device for driving the arm and wrist are exposed to the outside using a cover. A clean room robot characterized by being covered in a hermetically sealed state and having an inlet for a dust suction vacuum pipe connected to the inside of the cover. (2) An arm that is movably attached to the base frame, a wrist for attaching a tool that is movably attached to the arm, and a drive device for driving the arm and wrist are exposed to the outside using a cover. The inlet of the dust suction vacuum piping is connected to the inside of the cover, and the tool driving line connected to the tool is placed on the outside of the wrist. A clean room robot featuring a surface treatment layer with wear resistance.