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US 6,638,004 B2Granted
Article holders and article positioning methods
AssigneeTru-Si Technologies, Inc.
InventorsAlexander J. Berger, Frank E. Kretz, Sean A. Casarotti
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An article holder has protrusions that contact the article. The friction between the protrusions and the article impedes the article movement relative to the holder yet allows the article to slide when the article is pushed against some object. The article is pushed against the object in order to position the article more precisely.
Claims35
An article holder comprising:
- a first surface which is not to contact an article held by the holder;
- one or more protrusions protruding from the first surface, at least one of the one or more protrusions contacting the article held by the holder;
- and
- a first mechanism for drawing the article towards the first surface and pressing the article against the one or more protrusions to hold the article in a position opposite to the first surface and to impede the article sliding on the one or more protrusions, the first mechanism being operable to allow the article held in the holder to slide on the one or more protrusions while the first mechanism presses the article against the one or more protrusions and impedes the article sliding, each of the one or more protrusions having a surface which is to contact the article, wherein at least part of the surface for contacting the article is rounded.
1 more element
A method for handling a semiconductor wafer by a robot controlled by computer circuitry, the method comprising:
- the robot picking up the wafer with an end effector;
- and
- with the wafer protruding from the end effector, the robot pushing the wafer against one or more objects so as to change the position of the wafer relative to the end effector while the end effector is holding the wafer, the one or more objects steering the wafer into an area defined without a reference to the position of the end effector, the end effector being allowed to be in any one of a plurality of positions relative to said area when the wafer is occupying said area.
An article holder comprising:
- a first surface which is not to contact an article held by the holder;
- one or more protrusions protruding from the first surface, at least one of the one or more protrusions contacting the article held by the holder;
- and
- a first mechanism for drawing the article towards the first surface and pressing the article against the one or more protrusions to hold the article in any one of a plurality of positions relative to the first surface, said positions being opposite to the first surface, said positions being shifted relative to each other, each of the one or more protrusions having a surface which is to contact the article in at least one of said positions, wherein at least part of the surface for contacting the article is rounded;
- wherein the article is not to contact the holder except at the one or more protrusions.
2 more elements
An article holder comprising:
- a first surface which is not to contact an article held by the holder;
- one or more protrusions protruding from the first surface, at least one of the one or more protrusions contacting the article held by the holder;
- and
- a first mechanism for drawing the article towards the first surface and pressing the article against the one or more protrusions to hold the article in any one of a plurality of positions relative to the first surface, said positions being opposite to the first surface, said positions being shifted relative to each other, each of the one or more protrusions having a surface which is to contact the article in at least one of said positions, wherein at least part of the surface for contacting the article is rounded;
- wherein the first mechanism comprises one or more gas outlets for emitting gas towards the article.
2 more elements
An article holder comprising:
- a first surface which is not to contact an article held by the holder;
- one or more protrusions protruding from the first surface, at least one of the one or more protrusions contacting the article held by the holder;
- and
- a first mechanism for drawing the article towards the first surface and pressing the article against the one or more protrusions to hold the article in any one of a plurality of positions relative to the first surface, said positions being opposite to the first surface, said positions being shifted relative to each other, each of the one or more protrusions having a surface which is to contact the article in at least one of said positions, wherein at least part of the surface for contacting the article is rounded;
- wherein the first mechanism comprises one or more vortex chambers for emitting gas vortices towards the article.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- (1) an article holder comprising:
- a first surface which is not to contact an article held by the holder;
- one or more protrusions protruding from the first surface, at least one of the one or more protrusions contacting the article held by the holder;
- and
- a first mechanism for drawing the article towards the first surface and pressing the article against the one or more protrusions to hold the article in any one of a plurality of positions relative to the first surface, said positions being opposite to the first surface, said positions being shifted relative to each other, each of the one or more protrusions having a surface which is to contact the article in at least one of said positions, wherein at least part of the surface for contacting the article is rounded;
- (2) a control mechanism for controlling a force drawing the article towards the first surface, wherein the control mechanism comprises a mechanism for:
- moving the article holder into a first position as the first mechanism is drawing the article towards the first surface;
- reducing the force that draws the article towards the first surface, and moving the holder into a second position as the first mechanism draws the article towards the first surface with a reduced force.
5 more elements
A method for transporting an article, the method comprising:
- emitting one or more gas flows from a first surface towards the article to generate a force drawing the article towards the first surface and pressing a planar surface of the article against one or more protrusions protruding from the first surface, the article being at a distance from the first surface, at least one of the protrusions having a surface contacting the article, wherein at least part of the protrusion's surface contacting the article is rounded.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.