Two-axis magnetically coupled robot

• US 5,656,902 A
• Filed: 10/26/1995
• Issued: 08/12/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Lowrance, Robert B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ip, Paul
• Application Number:
  US08/548,945
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 318/560-646, 414/744.1, 414/732, 414/749, 414/225, 414/744 R, 414/627, 414/673, 414/752, 414/222, 414/461, 414/786, 414/744.8, 414/331, 414/217, 414/416, 156/643, 156/345, 198/471.1, 198/476.1, 204/298
• US Class Current: 318/568.1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 21/005 Clean rooms
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/107 of the froglegs type
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/126 Rotary actuators
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J

Abstract

A robot having a pair of magnetic couplings that each couple a motor in a cylindrical first chamber to an associated cylindrical ring closely spaced from the cylindrical wall of said first chamber. The robot includes a mechanism to convert rotation of each of these rings into separate motions of the robot. In the preferred embodiment, these separate motions are radial and rotational.

Claims

1. A robot comprising:

a motor chamber;

first and second arm member assemblies, each supported by the motor chamber at a first end thereof for circumferential movement about a common axis;

the first and second arm member assemblies each having a second end coupled to a common robot element; and

a drive mechanism mounted in the motor chamber, the drive mechanism having drive members, each coupled to a respective one of the first and second arm member assemblies to controllably move the first ends of the first and second arm assemblies;

i) in a same circumferential direction to cause the common robot element to revolve around the common axis, and

ii) in opposite circumferential direction to cause the common robot element to move along a linear path perpendicular to the common axis.

2. A robot comprising:

a robot chamber;

a motor chamber comprising a side wall structure extending within the confines of the robot chamber and being in an airtight relation in respect to the robot chamber;

first and second arm member assemblies, each supported at a first end thereof by the side wall structure of the motor chamber within the robot chamber for circumferential movement about a common axis;

the first and second arm member assemblies each having a second end coupled to a common robot element within the robot chamber; and

a drive mechanism mounted within the motor chamber and having drive members, each coupled through the side wall structure of the motor chamber to a respective one of the first and second arm member assemblies to controllably move the first ends of the first and second arm assemblies;

i) in a same circumferential direction to cause the common robot element to revolve around the common axis, and

ii) in opposite circumferential direction to cause the common robot element to move along a linear path perpendicular to the common axis.

3. A robot comprising:

a robot chamber;

a motor chamber comprising a wall structure extending within the confines of the robot chamber and being in an airtight relation in respect to the robot chamber;

first and second arm member assemblies within the robot chamber, each supported at a first end thereof by the motor chamber for circumferential movement about a common axis;

the first and second arm member assemblies each having a second end coupled to a common robot element within the robot chamber; and

a drive mechanism mounted within the motor chamber and magnetically coupled through the wall structure of the motor chamber to the first and second arm member assemblies to controllably, selectively move the first ends of the first and second arm assemblies;

i) to cause the common robot element to revolve within the robot chamber, and

ii) to cause the common robot element to move in a generally linear path within the robot chamber.