TWI749802B - Conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

A conveying device includes a holding arm and a balance sensor located on the holding arm. The balance sensor includes a body, a conductive circuit, and a sliding conductor. The body has an accommodating recess, and the conductive circuit ls located on a side wall of the accommodating recess. The sliding conductor is located in the accommodating recess and configured to be in contact with or separated from the conductive circuit, such that the conductive circuit forms a closed circuit or an open circuit. The balance sensor determines whether the holding arm is in a balanced state or an inclined state upon the closed circuit or the open circuit of the conductive circuit.

Description

Conveying device

The invention relates to a conveying device, in particular to a conveying device for conveying semiconductor wafers.

The machine used in the semiconductor manufacturing process has extremely precise robotic arms and extremely high requirements for stability when transporting wafers. If the robot arm deviates slightly or does not move smoothly (for example, vibration) during the transmission process, the wafer will be scratched or even broken, which will cause the company to suffer huge economic losses.

In addition, manufacturers also require the transportation efficiency of the machine. If the robot arm transports wafers at a slow speed, the efficiency of the production product will be greatly reduced, which will delay the delivery time of the product, thus affecting customer orders and reducing the competitiveness of the company.

Therefore, how to propose a conveying device that can solve the above-mentioned problems is one of the problems that the industry urgently wants to invest in research and development resources to solve.

In view of this, one purpose of the present invention is to provide a conveying device that can solve the above-mentioned problems, which includes a clamping arm and a balance sensor. The balance sensor is arranged on the clamping arm. The balance sensor includes a body, a conductive circuit, and a sliding conductor. The body has a containing groove. The conductive circuit is arranged on the side wall of the containing groove. The sliding conductor is located in the accommodating slot, and the sliding conductor is arranged to contact or be separated from the conductive circuit to make the conductive circuit closed or open, and the balance sensor judges that the clamping arm is in a balanced state or an inclined state according to the open circuit or closed circuit of the conductive circuit.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the conveying device further includes a seat body, wherein the seat body is connected to the clamping arm, and the seat body is used to move along the horizontal direction.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the conveying device further includes a seat body, wherein the clamping arm is movably connected to the seat body and used to move relative to the seat body in a vertical direction.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the conveying device further includes a lifting body, wherein the lifting body is located on the base and connected to the clamping arm, and the lifting body is used to drive the clamping arm to move.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the conductive circuit includes an electrically separated two-coil structure.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the side wall is ring-shaped, and the two coil structures are parallel to each other and are ring-shaped on the side wall of the accommodating groove.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the sliding conductor is liquid metal.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the balance sensor further includes a transparent top cover, and the transparent top cover covers the accommodating groove.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the conveying device further includes a controller, wherein the controller is electrically connected to the clamping arm and the balance sensor, and the controller controls the clamping arm to stop according to the closed circuit generated by the conductive circuit.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the conveying device further includes a controller and a warning device, wherein the controller is electrically connected to the balance sensor and the warning device, and the controller controls the warning device to emit according to the closed circuit generated by the conductive circuit alarm.

In summary, the conveying device of the present invention has a clamping arm and a balance sensor, and the balance sensor uses the position of the sliding conductor in the accommodating groove to affect the opening and breaking of the conductive circuit, and the opening and breaking of the conductive circuit It means that the gripping arm is in a tilted or balanced state, so it can effectively and accurately reflect the status of the gripping arm in real time. In addition, the above-mentioned balance sensor can be used to further control the clamping arm. When the balance sensor detects that the clamping arm is in a tilted state, it can immediately stop the clamping arm to prevent the clamping arm from tilting. Wrong angle contact with the object to be conveyed.

The above description is only used to illustrate the problems to be solved by the present invention, the technical means to solve the problems, and the effects produced by them, etc. The specific details of the present invention will be described in detail in the following embodiments and related drawings.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed in drawings. For clear description, many practical details will be described in the following description. However, it should be understood that these practical details should not be used to limit the present invention. That is to say, in some embodiments of the present invention, these practical details are unnecessary. In addition, in order to simplify the drawings, some conventionally used structures and elements are shown in the drawings in a simple and schematic manner.

Please refer to Figure 1A and Figure 1B. FIG. 1A shows a schematic side view of the conveying device 100a according to some embodiments of the present invention. Fig. 1B is a schematic diagram showing the inclined state of the conveying device 100a in Fig. 1A. In some embodiments of the present invention, the conveying device 100 a includes a base 110, a clamping arm 130 and a balance sensor 150. The clamping arm 130 is disposed on the base 110, and the balance sensor 150 is disposed on the clamping arm 130. Specifically, the base 110 may be, for example, a mechanical moving base or a mechanical rotating base that moves at least in a horizontal direction, and the clamping arm 130 may be, for example, a clamping arm for transferring wafers. In addition, the balance sensor 150 is used to sense that the clamping arm 130 is in a balanced state or an inclined state. In practical applications, when the clamping arm 130 is in a balanced state, the clamping arm 130 can lift the wafer horizontally; when the clamping arm 130 is in an inclined state, it is difficult for the clamping arm 130 to accurately lift the wafer horizontally. This may cause the wafer to slip off, scratch or break.

Please refer to Figure 2A, Figure 2B, Figure 3A and Figure 3B. FIG. 2A is a schematic top view of the balance sensor 150 of the transportation device 100a in FIG. 1A. FIG. 2B is a schematic top view of the balance sensor 150 in FIG. 2A. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the balance sensor 150 in FIG. 2A drawn along the cross-sectional line A-A. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the balance sensor 150 in FIG. 2B drawn along the cross-sectional line B-B. In some embodiments of the present invention, the body C of the balance sensor 150 includes a receiving groove 151, a conductive circuit 153 and a sliding conductor 155. The conductive circuit 153 is disposed on the annular side wall 151 a of the accommodating groove 151, and the side wall 151 a is perpendicular to the bottom surface 151 b of the accommodating groove 151. The sliding conductor 155 is a conductor slidable in the accommodating groove 151. The sliding conductor 155 may be liquid metal (for example, liquid mercury), but the present invention is not limited to this. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs It can be replaced with other suitable conductive materials. When the sliding conductor 155 contacts the conductive circuit 153, the conductive circuit 153 generates a closed circuit, and when the sliding conductor 155 is separated from the conductive circuit 153, the conductive circuit 153 generates an open circuit. The balance sensor 150 determines whether the clamping arm 130 is in a balanced state or an inclined state based on the open circuit or the closed circuit generated by the conductive circuit 153.

Specifically, the conductive circuit 153 may include electrically separated two coil structures 153a, wherein the two coil structures 153a are parallel to each other and are ring-shaped on the annular side wall 151a of the accommodating groove 151, and the two coil structures 153a of the conductive circuit 153 can be, for example, It is made of conductive materials of gold, silver, copper, iron, aluminum or alloys thereof, and the present invention is not limited to this. In FIG. 3A, the clamping arm 130 is in a balanced state, and the sliding conductor 155 and the side wall 151a of the accommodating groove 151 are separated from each other. At this time, the conductive circuit 153 and the sliding conductor 155 are also separated from each other, resulting in an open circuit. In Figure 3B, the clamping arm 130 is in a tilted state (perhaps due to impact or vibration), the sliding conductor 155 will be affected by gravity and move to the side wall 151a and contact the two-coil structure 153a at the same time. At this time, the two-coil structure 153a is electrically conducted through the sliding conductor 155, so the conductive circuit 153 is closed. However, it should be understood that this is only an exemplary embodiment and the balance sensor 150 can be used with any suitable conductive circuit 153 without any limitation. For the sake of brevity of this disclosure, not every example is included, but this application covers any such embodiments.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the balance sensor 150 further includes a transparent top cover 157, and the transparent top cover 157 is located above the accommodating groove 151 and covers the accommodating groove 151. Specifically, the transparent top cover 157, the sidewall 151a and the flat bottom surface 151b of the accommodating groove 151 together form a closed accommodating space for accommodating the sliding conductor 155. In fact, the transparent top cover 157 facilitates the user to visually observe the position of the sliding conductor 155, so that the user can visually know the inclination direction of the clamping arm 130 instantly. In addition, the transparent top cover 157 is made of a hard transparent material, such as glass or a transparent plastic such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), but the present invention is not limited to this.

Please refer to FIG. 4, which illustrates a functional block diagram of the transport device 100a according to some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments of the present invention, the balance sensor 150 further includes a controller 158, wherein the controller 158 is electrically connected to the base 110, the clamping arm 130, and the conductive circuit 153, and the controller 158 generates the signal according to the conductive circuit 153 Close the circuit to control the base 110 and the clamping arm 130 to stop. In addition, when the conductive circuit 153 is open, the controller 158 controls the base 110 and the clamping arm 130 to maintain operation. In some embodiments of the present invention, the balance sensor 150 may further include an alarm 159, wherein the controller 158 is further electrically connected to the alarm 159, and the controller 158 generates an alarm according to the closed circuit generated by the conductive circuit 153. , To remind the user that the holding arm 130 is currently tilted. Since the controller 158 of the balance sensor 150 can instantly determine that the clamping arm 130 is in a balanced state or an inclined state based on the conductive circuit 153, when the controller 158 determines that the clamping arm 130 is in an inclined state, the controller 158 controls the base 110 and The clamping arm 130 stops running, so it is possible to prevent the clamping arm 130 from clamping the wafer in an inclined state, thereby avoiding the occurrence of scratches or surface breakage of the wafer. Specifically, the controller 158 may be a processor, a microprocessor, or other computing devices with computing functions. The warning device 159 may include a display, a light source, or a loudspeaker so as to remind the user with graphics, text, light, or sound.

In some embodiments of the present invention, when the base 110 is moving horizontally, the controller 158 turns off the function of controlling the stop of the base 110 and the clamping arm 130. In other words, the function of the controller 158 to control the stop of the base 110 and the clamping arm 130 is only activated when the base 110 is not moving. The controller 158 controls the clamping arm 130 to maintain operation or stop only according to the clamping action of the clamping arm 130 or the vertical movement relative to the base 110 to maintain or stop the clamping arm 130, thereby eliminating the influence of the sliding conductor when the base 110 moves. 155 and accidentally touch the stop function of the controller 158.

Please refer to Figure 1C and Figure 1D. 1C and 1D show schematic side views of the conveying device 100c according to some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments of the present invention, the conveying device 100c includes a base 110, a lifting body 120, a clamping arm 130, and a balance sensor 150. The lifting body 120 is located on the base 110 and connected to the clamping arm 130, and the lifting body 120 can be actuated by a motor to drive the clamping arm 130 to lift. In Figure 1C and Figure 1D, the lifting body 120 lifts the clamping arm 130 to different heights. Specifically, since the balance sensor 150 is arranged on the clamping arm 130, the balance sensor 150 will simultaneously determine that the clamping arm 130 is in a balanced state or tilted while the lifting body 120 drives the clamping arm 130 to lift. state. In some embodiments of the present invention, the lifting body 120 includes an electric sliding rail and a sliding block, the electric sliding rail extends in a vertical direction, the sliding block is movably connected to the electric sliding rail, and the sliding block is used to fix the clamping arm 130 And move relative to the electric slide rail, whereby the lifting body 120 can drive the clamping arm 130 to move relative to the base 110 in the vertical direction, but the present invention is not limited to this.

In summary, the conveying device of the present invention has a clamping arm and a balance sensor, and the balance sensor uses the position of the sliding conductor in the accommodating groove to affect the opening and breaking of the conductive circuit, and the opening and breaking of the conductive circuit It means that the gripping arm is in a tilted or balanced state, so it can effectively and accurately reflect the status of the gripping arm in real time. In addition, the above-mentioned balance sensor can be used to further control the clamping arm. When the balance sensor detects that the clamping arm is in a tilted state, it can immediately stop the clamping arm to prevent the clamping arm from tilting. Wrong angle contact with the object to be conveyed.

The different embodiments of the present invention have been described above, and it should be understood that the different embodiments are presented only as examples and not as limitations. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, many changes can be made to the implementation of the present disclosure based on the disclosure herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by the above-described embodiments.

100a, 100b, 100c: transport device 110: seat body 120: Lifting body 130: Clamping arm 150: balance sensor 151: Containment Slot 151a: side wall 151b: bottom surface 153: Conductive circuit 153a: Coil structure 155: Sliding conductor 157: Transparent top cover 158: Controller 159: warning device C: body

In order to achieve the above advantages and features, the principles briefly described above will be explained in more detail with reference to the embodiments, and the specific embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. These drawings only exemplarily describe the invention, and therefore do not limit the scope of the invention. The principle of the present invention will be clearly explained through the accompanying drawings, and additional features and details will be fully described, among which: Fig. 1A shows a schematic side view of a conveying device according to one or more embodiments of the present invention; Figure 1B is a schematic side view of the clamping arm of the conveying device in Figure 1A in an inclined state; FIG. 1C and FIG. 1D show schematic side views of the conveying device according to some embodiments of the present invention; Figure 2A is a schematic top view of the balance sensor of the transport device in Figure 1A; Figure 2B is a schematic top view of the balance sensor in Figure 2A; Figure 3A is a cross-sectional view of the balance sensor in Figure 2A drawn along the section line A-A; Figure 3B is a cross-sectional view of the balance sensor in Figure 2B drawn along the section line B-B; and Fig. 4 shows a functional block diagram of the conveying device according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.

Domestic deposit information (please note in the order of deposit institution, date and number) none Foreign hosting information (please note in the order of hosting country, institution, date, and number) none

100a: transport device

110: seat body

130: Clamping arm

150: balance sensor

Claims (10)

A conveying device includes: Clamping arm; and The balance sensor is arranged on the clamping arm, wherein the balance sensor includes: The main body has a accommodating groove; The conductive circuit is arranged on the side wall of the accommodating groove; and The sliding conductor is located in the accommodating groove, wherein the sliding conductor is arranged to contact or be separated from the conductive circuit to make the conductive circuit a closed circuit or an open circuit, and the balance sensor judges the clamping according to the open circuit or the closed circuit of the conductive circuit The arm is in a balanced state or tilted state. The conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising a seat body, wherein the seat body is connected to the clamping arm, and the seat body is used for moving in a horizontal direction. The conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising a base, wherein the clamping arm is movably connected to the base and used to move relative to the base in a vertical direction. The conveying device according to any one of claim 3, further comprising a lifting body, wherein the lifting body is located on the base body and connected to the clamping arm, and the lifting body is used to drive the clamping arm to move. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the conductive circuit includes an electrically separated two-coil structure. The conveying device according to claim 5, wherein the side wall is ring-shaped, and the two coil structures are parallel to each other and are ring-shaped on the side wall of the accommodating groove. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the sliding conductor is liquid metal. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the balance sensor further includes a transparent top cover, and the transparent top cover covers the accommodating groove. According to the conveying device of claim 1, the balance sensor further includes a controller, wherein the controller is electrically connected to the clamping arm and the balance sensor, and the controller uses the closed circuit generated by the conductive circuit to Control the clamping arm to stop. According to the conveying device of claim 1, the balance sensor further includes a controller and a warning device, wherein the controller is electrically connected to the balance sensor and the warning device, and the controller generates according to the conductive line Close the circuit to control the warning device to sound an alarm.

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