WO2008007516A1

WO2008007516A1 - Multijoint robot

Info

Publication number: WO2008007516A1
Application number: PCT/JP2007/062154
Authority: WO
Inventors: Satoshi Sueyoshi; Kentaro Tanaka; Tomohiro Matsuo
Original assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
Priority date: 2006-07-11
Filing date: 2007-06-15
Publication date: 2008-01-17
Also published as: TWI315243B; KR101120824B1; JP5077406B2; CN101360589B; TW200932456A; KR20080081196A; TWI315244B; KR20080082606A; CN101863015B; CN101844359B; KR100914386B1; JP2010274413A; JP2008155361A; TW200817151A; TWI357375B; TW200930524A; CN101360589A; KR20080081197A; KR100914387B1; CN101863015A

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide a multijoint robot which prevents contamination of a substrate due to dusts generated from a vertically moving shaft, and puts in and takes out thin-board-shaped works having improved productivity, such as a glass substrate for liquid crystal and a semiconductor wafer, to and from a stocker. [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] A multijoint robot (1) is composed of a hand section (8) for placing an object to be transferred; a multijoint arm (1), which is connected to the hand section (8), has at least two or more rotating joints (3, 4, 5), extends and retracts to move the hand section (8) in one direction and faces a shaft direction; a supporting member (10) for connecting the multijoint arm (1) with a moving mechanism (11) which vertically moves; and a base (13), which is arranged on the moving mechanism (11) and has a turning function. The moving mechanism (11) has a column (12) in the same direction as the moving direction of the hand section (8), and the supporting member (10), which is arranged on the moving mechanism (11), protrudes in a direction orthogonally intersecting with the moving direction of the hand section (8) and is connected to the multijoint arm (2).

Description

Articulated robot

Technical field

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an articulated robot for putting a thin plate-like workpiece such as a glass substrate for liquid crystal or a semiconductor wafer into and out of stock force.

Background art

[0002] Conventional articulated robots have been proposed in which the turning radius of the articulated robot is reduced when the pedestal is rotated by offsetting the rotational center of the shoulder joint and the rotational center of the pedestal. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

As shown in FIG. 5, the conventional articulated robot 1 includes two sets of arms 2 that are rotatably connected by joint portions 3, 4, and 5 to transmit a rotational force from a rotational drive source and perform a desired operation. Therefore, the rotation center axis of the joint portion 3 at the base end provided in the two sets of arms 2 is arranged vertically (or in the axial direction).

The multi-joint robot 1 has a two-threaded arm 2, one arm drive type device 2 is used for supply and the other is used for take-out, and the supply operation of the work 9 and the take-out operation of another work 9 are performed simultaneously. Is possible.

Further, the conventional articulated robot 1 is configured such that the hand portion 8 that holds the workpiece 9 by the arm 2 can be linearly moved in the direction of taking out and supplying the workpiece 9 indicated by an arrow X in the figure.

In addition, the conventional articulated robot 1 includes a moving member 11 that moves the support member 10 provided with the arm 2 up and down (hereinafter referred to as the up-and-down moving mechanism 11) so that the vertical position of the arm 2 can be adjusted. It is said. The pedestal 13 of the vertical movement mechanism 11 is rotatably provided so that the articulated robot 1 can be turned to change its direction.

Further, in the articulated robot 1 of the present embodiment, the base 13 is mounted on the base in the direction indicated by the arrow Y in the figure, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the hand unit 8 and the vertical moving direction of the support member 10. It is provided so as to be movable with respect to 14, and the position of the vertical movement mechanism 11 is adjustable. Further, the two sets of arms 2 provided in the conventional articulated robot 1 have, for example, a plurality of joint parts, that is, the articulated robot 1 is configured as a horizontal articulated robot. In this embodiment, the arm 2 includes a first arm 6 (hereinafter referred to as the upper arm 6), a second arm 7 connected to the upper arm 6 (hereinafter referred to as the forearm 7), and a work arm 9 connected to the forearm 7. And a hand portion 8 for holding the

The base end of the upper arm 6 is connected to the support member 10 via a drive shaft to constitute a rotatable joint 3 (hereinafter referred to as a shoulder joint 3). This shoulder joint 3 becomes the joint 3 at the base end of the arm 2. Further, the distal end of the upper arm 6 and the proximal end of the forearm 7 are connected via a drive shaft to constitute a rotatable joint 4 (hereinafter referred to as an elbow joint 4). Further, the tip of the forearm 7 and the hand portion 8 are connected via a drive shaft to constitute a rotatable joint portion 5 (hereinafter referred to as a hand joint portion 5). The shoulder joint part 3 is arranged so as to face in the vertical direction so that the rotation center axis is coaxial.

The arm 2 rotates the shoulder joint portion 3, the elbow joint portion 4 and the hand joint portion 5 by a rotation drive source (not shown) to move the hand portion 8 in the workpiece take-out and supply direction. At this time, in the arm 2, due to the mechanism, the hand portion 8 is directed in the opposite direction, the extended position where the upper arm 6 and the forearm 7 are fully extended, and the contracted position where the upper arm 6 and the forearm 7 are folded. Extend and retract so that it moves linearly between

Here, in the conventional articulated robot 1, the center force of the work 9 held by the node 8 is designed to coincide with the rotation center of the pedestal 13 at the contracted position of the arm 2 shown in FIG. ing. Furthermore, when rotating the pedestal 13 by offsetting the rotation center of the shoulder joint 4 and the rotation center of the pedestal 13 in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the node 8, the surroundings of the articulated robot 1 The turning radius of the multi-joint robot 1 can be reduced so that the elbow joint 4 and the end 8 do not protrude from the minimum area circle 15 required for the joint. Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-274218 (Pages 4-5, Figure 1, Figure 2)

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

Multi-articulated robots that take in and out thin plate-like workpieces such as glass substrates for liquid crystals and semiconductor wafers with stocking force are increasing in size, increasing the number of substrates to be processed, and processing in a short time In addition, in order to increase the yield of the substrate, it is required to suppress dust generation from the robot as much as possible. For this reason, it is a major challenge for robots to realize high speed, high accuracy, and low dust generation, despite the fact that the equipment itself becomes large until the stocking force for placing the substrates reaches the ceiling. It has become. On the other hand, large-scale equipment requires a large amount of capital investment in order to keep the surrounding degree of cleanliness clean. For this reason, it is desirable to arrange and process more substrates in the stocker. ing. It is also desirable for articulated robots to have a small footprint and a small turning radius so that there is no interference with equipment installed in the factory.

In addition, the number of liquid crystal substrates and semiconductor wafers produced is increasing year by year, and robots are required to have a transfer-put to improve productivity. However, since robots include machine parts, maintenance is required, and maintenance time is a major factor related to throughput, and it is desirable that maintenance be easy.

However, the conventional articulated robot has a structure in which the base end of the arm projects so that the moving surface force also protrudes and faces the transfer board, so it cannot prevent dust generation from the vertical movement mechanism. For this reason, there has been a problem that fine dust accumulates on the substrate.

In addition, when the arm is moved downward by the vertical movement mechanism, the support member of the arm cannot move to the lowermost surface of the vertical movement mechanism because it collides with the pedestal, resulting in a problem that the movable range becomes narrow, There has been a problem that the stocking force for taking in and out the liquid crystal substrate and the semiconductor wafer becomes high. Furthermore, since the height of the stocking force is limited to the height of the factory building, the number of panels and boards to be arranged decreases as the movable range of the vertical movement mechanism becomes narrower, reducing productivity. Cause problems to occur.

In addition, because there is a motor and pulley at the base end of the arm, it has a thick structure in the vertical direction. For this reason, there has been a problem that a wide interval is required for arranging the liquid crystal substrate and the semiconductor substrate in the stocker. In other words, the number of panels and substrates that can be placed in the stocker is reduced, resulting in a problem of reduced productivity. In order to avoid this, it is conceivable to change the height of the arm when taking it in and out with the vertical movement mechanism, but in this case, it takes time to repeat the sequence of moving the arm up and down. , Problems such as longer work time have occurred.

In addition, the conventional articulated robot has a structure in which the base end of the arm is coaxially arranged vertically. For this reason, in order to replace the motor or pulley, which is a mechanical component located at the base end of the arm, it is necessary to take a method such as exchanging after removing one arm. There was a problem that productivity was reduced due to the huge amount.

In addition, the conventional articulated robot moves the support member on one column by a moving mechanism, so if the stopping force becomes high enough to reach the ceiling, the column length inevitably needs to be increased, resulting in reduced rigidity. At the same time, the guide mechanism of the moving mechanism arranged inside must also have a length that matches the column length. However, when the guide mechanism is lengthened while the force is applied, the accuracy of the support member that is moved by the moving mechanism decreases because the guide accuracy decreases, and the liquid crystal placed on the hand portion 8 at the end of the arm decreases. The positioning accuracy of the substrate and the semiconductor wafer is lowered, and the substrate and the wafer collide with the stock force. This causes a problem in that the yield is lowered.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and prevents contamination of the substrate due to dust generation from the vertical movement shaft, and improves productivity such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal or a semiconductor wafer. The purpose is to provide an articulated robot that can put a thin plate-shaped workpiece into and out of the stock force.

Means for solving the problem

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured as follows.

The invention according to claim 1 is connected to the hand unit for placing a transported object and the hand unit, and includes at least two or more rotary joints, and expands and contracts the hand unit to move in one direction. A multi-joint arm arranged so as to face in the axial direction; a support member that connects the multi-joint arm to a moving mechanism attached to a column that moves up and down; and a turning function provided in the moving mechanism In an articulated robot comprising a pedestal, the mobile mechanism is arranged in a column in the same direction as the movement direction of the hand part, and the support member arranged in the movement mechanism is a direction orthogonal to the movement direction of the hand part. Projecting from the column and connected to the articulated arm. The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the support member is offset in the moving direction of the hand portion so as not to interfere with the pedestal when moved to the lowest position of the column by the moving mechanism. Formed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the rotary joints of the support members disposed above and below are disposed at positions that are relatively offset.

The invention according to claim 4 is arranged at a position where either one of the rotary joints of the support member arranged above and below is relatively offset in the moving direction of the hand portion.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the rotary joint arranged below the rotary joint of the support member arranged above and below is arranged in a moving direction of the hand unit with respect to the upper rotary joint. It is arranged at an offset position.

In the invention according to claim 6, the moving mechanism has a shield function. The invention according to claim 7 is connected to the hand unit for placing a conveyed product, the hand unit, and includes at least two or more rotary joints, and expands and contracts to move the hand unit in one direction, A multi-joint arm arranged so as to face in the axial direction; a support member that connects the multi-joint arm to a moving mechanism attached to a column that moves up and down; and a turning function provided in the moving mechanism In an articulated robot comprising a pedestal, the rotation center of the rotary joint arranged on the support member, the rotation center of the hand unit, and the rotation center of the pedestal coincide with the axis of movement of the hand unit. It is formed so as to be offset.

In the invention according to claim 8, when the positional relationship between the rotation center of the rotary joint, the rotation center of the hand portion, and the rotation center of the pedestal is moved so as to retract the hand portion, A forward force is formed on the axis related to the moving direction so that the rotation center of the rotary joint, the rotation center of the pedestal, and the rotation center of the hand portion are arranged in this order. The invention according to claim 9 is connected to the hand unit for placing a conveyed product and the hand unit, and includes at least two or more rotary joints, and expands and contracts the hand unit to move in one direction, A multi-joint arm disposed so as to face in the axial direction; a support member that connects the multi-joint arm and a movement mechanism attached to a column that moves up and down; and the movement mechanism In the multi-joint robot comprising a pedestal having a turning function provided in the above-mentioned structure, a plurality of blocks of the column force are connected.

In the invention according to claim 10, the block of the column is provided with an opening for adjusting the arrangement of the guide mechanism of the moving mechanism.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the connecting portion of the column block is formed with a fitting structure.

The invention's effect

According to the first and sixth aspects of the invention, the moving mechanism is arranged in the column in the same direction as the moving direction of the hand portion, and the support member arranged in the moving mechanism is in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the hand portion. Since it protrudes and is connected to the articulated arm, the sliding part is arranged without facing the liquid crystal substrate or semiconductor wafer, and dust generated by the sliding part force is directly generated by the liquid crystal substrate or semiconductor wafer. Therefore, the contamination of the liquid crystal substrate and the semiconductor wafer can be reduced and the production yield of the substrate and the wafer can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the support member has a shape offset in the moving direction of the hand portion so as not to interfere with the pedestal when moved to the lowest position of the column by the moving mechanism. By being formed, the support member can move to the lowermost surface of the vertical movement mechanism without colliding with the pedestal, and the movable range can be widened. For this reason, it is possible to place a liquid crystal substrate or semiconductor wafer under the stocker without increasing the stocking force required to move the liquid crystal substrate or semiconductor wafer in and out. Since the movable range can be widened, many can be arranged. For this reason, the productivity of the entire factory can be improved.

According to the inventions of claims 3 to 5, according to the inventions of claims 7 and 8, the rotary joints of the support members arranged above and below are arranged at a relatively offset position. The rotation center of the rotary joint arranged on the support member, the rotation center of the hand unit, and the rotation center of the pedestal are formed so as to be offset so as to coincide with the axis of the movement direction of the hand unit. When the hand comes to the position where the liquid crystal substrate or semiconductor wafer is pulled in, even if the hand is turned by the rotation function of the pedestal, the turning radius of the substrate or wafer Since the robot can turn without protruding, the footprint can be reduced and the robot can be placed so that it does not interfere with the equipment placed in the factory!

According to the invention described in claims 9 to 11, since the column has a structure in which a plurality of blocks are connected, the column of the block can be connected to a stocker that is high enough to reach the ceiling of the factory. In addition to being able to cope with this, since the guide accuracy of the longer moving mechanism cannot be lowered, the moving accuracy of the support member moved by the moving mechanism is not lowered. For this reason, the positioning accuracy of the liquid crystal substrate and the semiconductor wafer placed on the hand is transported without deteriorating, and the yield due to the collision between the substrate and the wafer is not reduced to the stock force.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an articulated robot showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of an articulated robot showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of an articulated robot showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the turning radius of an articulated robot showing an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 5] Perspective view of a conventional articulated robot

[Figure 6] Diagram showing turning radius of conventional articulated robot

Explanation of symbols

[0007] 1 Articulated robot

2 arms

21 Upper arm

22 Lower arm

3 Shoulder joint

4 Elbow joint

5 Hand joint

6 upper arm 11 Vertical movement mechanism

12 columns

13 pedestal

14 base

15 Minimum area circle

16 = 3 ram blocks

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

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

Example 1

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an articulated robot according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view of the articulated robot of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view of the articulated robot of the present invention.

The articulated robot 1 of the present invention has a structure in which columns 12 divided into a plurality of blocks are connected in order to cope with an increase in the stocking force (not shown). In this way, the articulated robot 1 having a height corresponding to the high floor is formed by sequentially connecting the column blocks 16. In this embodiment, four column blocks 16 are connected. Both end surfaces of each column block 16 have a fitting structure so that the column blocks 16 are connected to each other, and there are positioning holes (not shown) in order to accurately arrange a guide mechanism including a linear guide. And it is assembled by adjusting using a positioning jig.

Further, the articulated robot 1 of the present invention includes two sets of arms 2 that are rotatably connected by joint portions 3, 4, and 5 to transmit a rotational force from a rotational drive source and perform a desired operation. Further, the hand portion 8 holding the workpiece 9 by the arm 2 is configured to be linearly movable in the direction of taking out and supplying the workpiece 9 indicated by an arrow X in the drawing. In addition, the relationship between the rotation center axes of the proximal joints 3 provided in the two arms 2 is that the hand 8 moves relative to the proximal joint 3 of the upper arm 21, as shown in FIG. The joint 3 at the base end of the lower arm 22 is arranged so as to be displaced in the direction.

Further, the arm 2 is provided, and a vertical movement member 11 for moving the support member 10 up and down is provided so that the vertical position of the arm 2 can be adjusted. Also, the base of the vertical movement mechanism 11 Reference numeral 13 is provided so as to be rotatable, and the articulated robot 1 can be turned to change its direction. Here, the vertical movement mechanism 11 is disposed in the same direction as the movement direction of the hand portion 8, and the support member 10 protrudes from the vertical drive mechanism 11 in a direction orthogonal to the movement direction of the hand portion 8, It is connected to the proximal joint 3. Further, the supporting member 10 connected to the lower arm 22 does not interfere with the base 13 when the arm 2 is moved downward by the vertical movement mechanism 11, so that the moving direction of the hand portion 8 is as shown in FIG. An offset shape can be formed. Further, the vertical movement mechanism 11 is covered with a protective cover having a shield function (not shown) to suppress dust generation from the inside of the column 12.

The part in which the present invention is different from Patent Document 1 is that the vertical movement mechanism is arranged in the same direction as the movement direction of the hand part, and the support member 10 that connects the vertical movement mechanism and the joint part at the base end of the arm 2 is This is a portion formed so as to be offset in the moving direction of the hand portion so that the supporting member 10 protruding perpendicularly to the moving direction and coupled to the lower arm 22 does not interfere with the base 13.

Next, the operation will be described. The two sets of arms 2 provided in the articulated robot 1 of the present invention have, for example, a plurality of joint portions, that is, the articulated robot 1 is configured as a horizontal articulated robot. The arm 2 in this embodiment has a structure similar to that of the conventional arm 2.

The base end of the upper arm 6 is connected to the support member 10 via a drive shaft to form a rotatable shoulder joint 3. This shoulder joint 3 becomes the joint 3 at the base end of the arm 2. Further, the distal end of the upper arm 6 and the proximal end of the forearm 7 are connected via a drive shaft to constitute a rotatable elbow joint 4. Further, the tip of the forearm 7 and the hand portion 8 are connected via a drive shaft to constitute a rotatable hand joint portion 5.

Here, the turning radius of the articulated robot 1 of the present embodiment will be described using the lower arm 22. To do. In the contracted position of the arm 22 shown in FIG. 4, the center of the work 9 held by the hand portion 8 is designed to coincide with the center of rotation of the base 13. Further, the pedestal 13 is rotated by offsetting so that the rotation center of the shoulder joint 3, the rotation center of the hand joint 5, and the rotation center of the pedestal 13 coincide with the axis of movement of the hand 8. The turning radius of the articulated robot 1 can be reduced by preventing the elbow joints 4 and 8 from protruding from the minimum area circle 15 required around the articulated robot 1 when it can.

Here, similarly, the center of the work 9 is designed so that the center of the work 9 coincides with the center of rotation of the pedestal 13 for the upper arm 21 described using the lower arm in order to avoid complication of the drawing. The positional relationship between the rotation center of the shoulder joint part 3, the hand joint part 5 and the pedestal 13 is the same as that of the lower arm.

Next, the operation in the vertical direction will be described. The arm 2 is attached to the support member 10 and moves to the vertical movement mechanism 11 in the vertical direction according to a command from a controller (not shown). As shown in FIG. 3, when the support member 10 moves downward, the support member 10 does not collide with the pedestal 13. The moving mechanism 11 can be lowered to the lowest moving position.

In the present invention, an articulated robot having an upper arm and a lower arm has been described. However, it is obvious that an articulated robot having either upper or lower arm force may be used. In addition, the multi-joint robot with the fixed hand joint unit described for the multi-joint robot having the shoulder joint, the elbow joint and the hand joint rotation joint naturally has the same action and effect.

Industrial applicability

Since an article can be exchanged by placing the article on such a hand part and transporting it, the present invention can also be applied to a transporting work of a thick plate or a box-like article.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A hand unit for placing a transported object and the hand unit, which includes at least two rotary joints, expands and contracts so that the hand unit moves in one direction, and faces the axial direction A multi-joint arm, a support member that connects the multi-joint arm and a moving mechanism attached to a column that moves up and down, and a pedestal having a turning function provided in the moving mechanism. In joint robots,

The moving mechanism is arranged in the column in the same direction as the moving direction of the hand part, and a support member arranged in the moving mechanism protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the hand part, and the articulated arm An articulated robot characterized by being connected to.

[2] The support member is formed in a shape offset in the moving direction of the hand part so as not to interfere with the pedestal when moved to the lowest position of the column by the moving mechanism. The articulated robot according to claim 1, characterized in that:

3. The articulated robot according to claim 1, wherein the rotary joints of the support members arranged above and below are arranged at positions that are relatively offset.

[4] The rotary joint according to claim 1, wherein any one of the rotary joints of the support member disposed above and below is disposed at a position relatively offset in the moving direction of the hand unit. Articulated robot.

[5] The rotary joint force arranged below the rotary joint of the support member arranged above and below is arranged at a position offset in the moving direction of the hand unit with respect to the upper rotary joint. The articulated robot according to claim 1, wherein:

6. The articulated robot according to claim 1, wherein the moving mechanism has a shield function.

[7] A hand unit for placing a transported object and the hand unit, including at least two or more rotary joints, extending and contracting the hand unit to move in one direction, and facing the axial direction A multi-joint arm, a support member that connects the multi-joint arm and a moving mechanism attached to a column that moves up and down, and a pedestal having a turning function provided in the moving mechanism. In joint robots,

A rotation center of the rotary joint disposed on the support member, a rotation center of the hand portion, An articulated robot formed so as to be offset so that the center of rotation of the pedestal coincides with the axis of movement of the hand portion.

[8] Positional relation force between the rotation center of the rotary joint, the rotation center of the hand unit, and the rotation center of the pedestal When the hand unit is moved so as to be retracted, it is on an axis related to the movement direction of the hand unit. 8. The articulated robot according to claim 7, wherein the forward force is formed so as to be arranged in the order of the rotation center of the rotary joint, the rotation center of the base, and the rotation center of the hand portion.

[9] A hand unit for placing a transported object, coupled to the hand unit, including at least two or more rotary joints, extending and contracting the hand unit to move in one direction, and facing the axial direction A multi-joint arm, a support member that connects the multi-joint arm and a moving mechanism attached to a column that moves up and down, and a pedestal having a turning function provided in the moving mechanism. In joint robots,

The articulated mouth hot, wherein the column has a structure in which a plurality of blocks are connected.

10. The articulated robot according to claim 9, wherein the column block includes an opening for adjusting the arrangement of the guide mechanism of the moving mechanism.

11. The articulated robot according to claim 9, wherein the connecting portion of the column block is formed with a fitting structure.