Substrate transport apparatus

A substrate transport apparatus comprising:

• a frame;
• a drive section connected to the frame;
• and
• an articulated arm having at least one articulated arm link operably connected to the drive section so that the articulated arm rotates, about a pivot axis, relative to the frame and extends and retracts relative to the pivot axis;
• wherein the articulated arm has an end effector pivotally mounted to the at least one articulated arm link forming a joint between the end effector and the at least one articulated arm link with an arm joint pivot axis disposed so that the end effector rotates relative to the at least one articulated arm link about the arm joint pivot axis, and wherein the articulated arm has a drive band transmission, with pulleys and dual opposing bands connecting the pulleys, that extends and retracts the articulated arm through an arm motion stroke extending or retracting the articulated arm and moving the end effector through a corresponding end effector stroke;
• wherein the dual opposing bands have a winding geometry on at least one of the pulleys that determines rotation of the end effector about the joint pivot axis that provides at least substantially 300° end effector rotation from end to end of the end effector stroke;
• and
• wherein the end effector has more than one end effectors, each separately connected to a respective idler pulley for independent rotation about the joint pivot axis with respect to each other.

A method comprising:

• providing a substrate transport apparatus, where the substrate transport apparatus includes
• a frame;
• a drive section connected to the frame;
• an articulated arm having at least one articulated arm link operably connected to the drive section so that the articulated arm rotates, about a pivot axis, relative to the frame and extends and retracts relative to the pivot axis;
• and
• an end effector pivotally mounted to the at least one articulated arm link forming a joint between the end effector and the at least one articulated arm link with an arm joint pivot axis disposed so that the end effector rotates relative to the at least one articulated arm link about the arm joint pivot axis;
• moving the end effector respectively through an extension stroke and a retraction stroke with a drive band transmission with pulleys and at least one band connecting the pulleys that extends and retracts the articulated arm;
• and
• wherein the at least one band is wrapped around at least one of the connected pulleys so the at least one band is overwrapped relative to itself so the transmission generates rotation of the end effector, relative to the at least one articulated arm link, about the joint pivot axis that is at least about 145° from an end effector midstroke rotation position of the end effector to a maximum stroke rotation position of the end effector;
• and
• wherein the end effector has more than one end effectors, each separately connected to a respective idler pulley for independent rotation about the joint pivot axis with respect to each other.