US 5,762,391 AGranted

Gripper for disk-shaped articles

AssigneeSEZ Semiconductor-Equipment Zubehor fur die Halbleiterfertigung Gesellschaft m.b.H.

InventorFranz Sumnitsch

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Abstract

A gripper assembly with gripper fingers (2) which are mounted so that they can be guided and moved radially inward and outward relative to the main body of the assembly. The gripper fingers (2) are biased radially inward by springs. Fitted in the main body (1) is a finger-opening device (20) with a conical body (21) which moves all of the fingers (2) radially outward together against the action of the springs. If the finger-opening device (20) is then retracted, at least some of the fingers (2) come to rest against the edge of the disc-shaped article. If the device (20) is retracted further, the remaining fingers also come to rest, under the action of their associated springs, against the edge of the disc-shaped article. The conical body (21) in the finger-opening device (20) acts on the fingers (2) via guiding elements (12) fitted inside the main body and connected to the fingers (2) by guiding rods (8).

Gripper for disk-shaped articles having a peripheral edge that is at least approximately circular, comprising:

a base body (1) having guide grooves (13) disposed radially thereon;
at least three gripping claws (2) movably disposed on the base body, the gripping claws (2) being able to move radially inward and outward relative to the base body (1), the gripping claws (2) being able to abut the peripheral edge of the disk-shaped article;
a plurality of mountings (9) to which the respective gripping claws (2) are attached;
a plurality of guide rods (8) to which the respective mountings (9) are attached at an outer distal end of each of the guide rods (8);
a plurality of guide sleeves (7) attached to the base body (1) such that the guide rods slidably pass through the respective guide sleeves;
elastic means for urging the gripping claws (2) radially inward;
a plurality of guide bodies (12) attached to inner ends of the respective guide rods (8), the guide bodies being slidably disposed within the respective guide grooves (13);
and
spreading means (20) for moving the gripping claws (2) outward against the inward urging of the elastic means, the spreading means (20) comprising a conical spreading body (21) capable of moving within the base body (1) along an axis perpendicular to directions of movement of the gripping claws (2);
wherein
the conical spreading body (21) is arranged to contact each of the plurality of guide bodies (12) such that when the conical spreading body (21) moves along its perpendicular axis so as to contact the guide bodies (12) at points of increasing radius of the conical spreading body (21), the guide bodies (12) are moved radially outward;
and
the elastic means comprises a plurality of coil compression springs each disposed around one of the guide rods (8), an inner end of each of the coil compression springs contacting an outer surface of a respective one of the guide bodies, an outer end of each of the coil compression springs contacting an inner end of a respective one of the guide sleeves (7).

10 more elements

Abstract

Claims13