# US 9,751,209 B2 · Compact direct drive spindle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,751,209 B2 - Document ID: US9751209B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/941,888 - Filed: 2015-11-16 - Published: 2016-05-19 - Granted: 2017-09-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-07-13 - Assignees: Brooks Automation, Inc. - Applicants: Brooks Automation, Inc. - Inventors: Robert T. Caveney - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9751209B2 ## CPC - B25J 9/126: {Rotary actuators} - B25J 11/0095: {Manipulators transporting wafers} - B25J 18/04: rotatable - H10P 72/3302: {Mechanical parts of transfer devices} - B25J 9/0009: {Constructional details, e.g. manipulator supports, bases} - Y10S 901/23: Electric motor - Y10T 74/20317: including electric motor - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract A substrate transport apparatus including a frame, at least one arm link rotatably connected to the frame and a shaftless drive section. The shaftless drive section including stacked drive motors for rotating the at least one arm link relative to the frame through a shaftless interface, each of the stacked drive motors including a stator having stator coils disposed on a fixed post fixed relative to the frame and a rotor substantially peripherally surrounding the stator such that the rotor is connected to a respective one of the at least one arm link for rotating the one of the at least one arm link relative to the frame causing an extension or retraction of the one of the at least one arm link, where the stacked drive motors are disposed in the at least one arm link so that part of each stator is within a common arm link. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A substrate transport apparatus comprising: a frame; at least one arm link movably connected to the frame; and a drive section connected to the frame for driving the at least one arm link and including stacked drive motors, each of the stacked drive motors having a housing, a motor stator mounted to the housing, a motor rotor disposed at least partially within the housing and a stator seal, the stator seal being disposed between the motor stator and motor rotor, surrounding the motor rotor and interfacing with a sealing housing surface facing the rotor to seal the motor stator from the motor rotor; wherein the stacked drive motors are stacked against each other and the housing sealing surface interfaced to the stacked stator seals of each respective stacked motor together forms a substantially continuous seal interface of the stacked drive motors sealed by the stacked stator seals to form a continuous barrier seal between the motor rotors and the motor stators. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drive section is connected to the at least one arm link. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motor stator is isolated from vacuum. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second drive section disposed at least partially within the frame and configured to linearly move the at least one arm link in a direction substantially normal to a plane containing a direction of extension and retraction of the at least one arm link. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one arm link is connected to the frame by a seal configured to accommodate relative axial movement between the at least one arm link and the frame wherein the seal is located on one side of the arm and the drive section is located on the opposite side of the arm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one arm link includes an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder axis of rotation, a forearm rotatably connected to the upper arm about an elbow axis of rotation and at least one substrate holder rotatably connected to the forearm about a wrist axis of rotation, and the stacked drive motors include two stacked drive motors where each stacked motor drives rotation of a respective one of the upper arm and the forearm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one arm link includes an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder axis of rotation, a forearm rotatably connected to the upper arm about an elbow axis of rotation and at least one substrate holder rotatably connected to the forearm about a wrist axis of rotation, and the stacked drive motors include at least two stacked drive motors where each stacked motor drives rotation of a respective one of the upper arm, the forearm and the at least one substrate holder. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one arm link includes an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder axis of rotation and at least one substrate holder movably mounted to the upper arm for linear travel along at least a portion of a length of the upper arm, and the stacked drive motors include at least two stacked drive motors where one of the at least two stacked drive motors drives rotation of the upper arm and the other ones of the at least two stacked drive motors drive the linear travel of a respective one of the at least one substrate holder. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an encoder interfacing with each of the stacked drive motors, the encoder including a sensor system and at least one scale, the sensor system being mounted to the housing and the scale is integrated into the motor rotor of a respective one of the stacked drive motors such that an interface plane between the sensor system and scale is arranged at an angle relative to an interface plane between the motor stator and the motor rotor of the respective one of the stacked drive motors. ### Claim 10 A sealed actuator comprising: stacked motor modules, each motor module having a motor module housing, a motor stator attached to a respective motor module housing, a motor rotor in communication with a respective motor stator, and a stator seal disposed between the motor stator and motor rotor, surrounding the motor rotor and interfaced with a respective sealing housing surface of the motor module housing facing the motor rotor; where the motor module housings are stacked against each other and the housing sealing surface interfaced to the respective stacked stator seals of the motor module housings forms a substantially continuous seal interface of the stacked motor modules sealed by the stacked stator seals to form a continuous barrier seal between the motor rotors and the motor stators. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The actuator of claim 10, wherein the motor stator of each motor module is isolated from vacuum.