Workpiece Detection Mechanism

• US 20130147437A1
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daihen Corporation
• Original Assignee: Haruo Maetani, Katsuyuki Morita, Takaya Yamada
• Inventors: YAMADA, Takaya, MORITA, Katsuyuki, MAETANI, Haruo
• Granted Patent: US 9,142,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/128
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67259 Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence

Abstract

A workpiece detection mechanism may include a sensor part detecting the workpiece; a sensor amplifier part connected to the sensor part and processing a signal from the sensor part; a battery part supplying electric power to the sensor amplifier part; and a wireless transmitting part transmitting by wireless the signal from the sensor amplifier part to an outside of the vacuum chamber. The sensor part, the sensor amplifier part, the battery part and the wireless transmitting part may be provided in one end effector provided in the workpiece transfer mechanism and are not connected directly to any member other than the end effector.

Claims

1. A workpiece detection mechanism detecting a workpiece conveyed by a workpiece transfer mechanism in an inside of a vacuum chamber, comprising:

a sensor part detecting the workpiece;

a sensor amplifier part connected to the sensor part and processing a signal from the sensor part;

a battery part supplying electric power to the sensor amplifier part; and

a wireless transmitting part transmitting by wireless the signal from the sensor amplifier part to an outside of the vacuum chamber, wherein

the sensor part, the sensor amplifier part, the battery part and the wireless transmitting part are provided in one end effector provided in the workpiece transfer mechanism and are not connected directly to any member other than the end effector.

2. The workpiece detection mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising

a charging part converting energy supplied from the outside of the vacuum chamber with a contactless method into electric power and charges the battery part, wherein

the charging part is provided in the one end effector and not connected directly to any member other than the end effector and energy is supplied from the outside of the vacuum chamber to the charging part by the contactless method so that electric power is generated and used for charging.

3. The workpiece detection mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein

the parts other than the sensor part in the workpiece detection mechanism are covered by one housing, and

the one housing is thermally insulated with an inner space of the vacuum chamber.

4. The workpiece detection mechanism according to claim 3, wherein

the one housing is arranged in an basal end part of the end effector.