Transfer device and teaching method of robot arm
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorsTakami FUKASAWA, Ryosuke KANAMARU
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is provided a transfer device for transferring a substrate. The transfer device comprises a robot arm having an arm for transferring the substrate and a driving unit for rotating the arm, a first light irradiation unit configured to irradiate light along a first optical path, a first light receiving unit configured to receive the light irradiated from the first light irradiation unit, and a control device configured to control the driving unit so that the arm is rotated across the first optical path.
Claims16
A transfer device for transferring a substrate, the transfer device comprising:
- a robot arm having an arm for transferring the substrate and a driving unit for rotating the arm;
- a first light irradiation unit configured to irradiate light along a first optical path;
- a first light receiving unit configured to receive the light irradiated from the first light irradiation unit;
- and
- a control device configured to control the driving unit so that the arm is rotated across the first optical path,
- wherein the control device performs
- a) a process of detecting a first rotation angle of the arm when a state in which the first optical path is not blocked by the arm is changed to a state in which the first optical path is blocked by the arm on the basis of whether the light irradiated from the first light irradiation unit is received by the first light receiving unit,
- b) a process of detecting a second rotation angle of the arm when the state in which the first optical path is blocked by the arm is changed to the state in which the first optical path is not blocked by the arm on the basis of whether the light irradiated from the first light irradiation unit is received by the first light receiving unit, and
- c) a process of specifying a position of a first rotation axis of the arm on the basis of a width of a portion of the arm passing through the first optical path, a position of a first intersection of the first optical path and the arm when the first optical path is blocked by the arm, the first rotation angle, and the second rotation angle.
A teaching method of a robot arm in a transfer device, which includes a robot arm having an arm for transferring a substrate and a driving unit for rotating the arm, a first light irradiation unit configured to irradiate light along a first optical path, a first light receiving unit configured to receive the light irradiated from the first light irradiation unit, and a control device configured to control the driving unit so that the arm is rotated across the first optical path, the teaching method performed by the control device comprising:
- a) a process of detecting a first rotation angle of the arm when a state in which the first optical path is not blocked by the arm is changed to a state in which the first optical path is blocked by the arm on the basis of whether the light irradiated from the first light irradiation unit is received by the first light receiving unit;
- b) a process of detecting a second rotation angle of the arm when the state in which the first optical path is blocked by the arm is changed to the state in which the first optical path is not blocked by the arm on the basis of whether the light irradiated from the first light irradiation unit is received by the first light receiving unit;
- and
- c) a process of specifying a position of a first rotation axis of the arm on the basis of a width of a portion of the arm passing through the first optical path, a position of a first intersection of the first optical path and the arm when the first optical path is blocked by the arm, the first rotation angle, and the second rotation angle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.