Robot and substrate handling apparatus including the same

• US 9,381,653 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2015
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Byeongsang, Park, Kang-Min, Park, Jungjun, Hwang, JaeChul
• Primary Examiner(s): KRAMER, DEAN J
• Application Number:
  US14/643,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20150251323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 294/213
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0095 Manipulators transporting wafers
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0014 having fork, comb or plate shaped means for engaging the lower surface on a object to be transported
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/0091 Shock absorbers in general F16F
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67766 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J

Abstract

The robot including a main body, an arm connected to the main body, a hand connected to the arm, the hand including a hand base and a finger, and a hand bracket unit between the hand base and the finger or between the hand base and the arm, may be provided. The hand bracket unit may include a vibration damping member provided between the hand base and the finger or between the hand base and the arm, thereby damping vibration of the hand base or the finger.

Claims

1. A robot, comprising:

a main body;

an arm connected to the main body;

a hand connected to the arm, the hand including a hand base and a finger; and

a hand bracket unit between the hand base and the finger or between the hand base and the arm, the hand bracket unit configured to damp vibration of the hand base or the finger, the hand bracket unit including,

an outer bracket coupled to the hand base or the arm,

an inner bracket inside the outer bracket and attached to the finger or the hand base,

a vibration damping member between the outer bracket and the inner bracket, and

a shaft member connecting the outer bracket to the inner bracket,

wherein the outer bracket includes,

a bottom plate,

a plurality of side plates at both sides of the bottom plate, and

a first spring between the bottom plate and the inner bracket.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein the vibration damping member comprises,

a lateral vibration damping sheet between the inner bracket and the outer bracket, the lateral vibration damping sheet configured to mitigate transmission of vibration between the inner bracket and the outer bracket.

3. The robot of claim 2, wherein the lateral vibration damping sheet has an area larger than an area of one of sides of the finger.

4. The robot of claim 2, wherein the lateral vibration damping sheet comprises a viscoelastic material.

5. The robot of claim 1, wherein the outer and inner brackets include first and second holes, respectively, each of which exposes therethrough a sidewall of the finger or the hand base, and

the shaft member is configured to couple the outer bracket with the inner bracket through the first and second holes.

6. The robot of claim 5, wherein the shaft member comprises:

a rotatable shaft disposed in the first hole;

a shaft bolt coupling the outer bracket with the inner bracket, the shaft bolt passing through the rotatable shaft and the second hole;

a washer between a head of the shaft bolt and the outer bracket; and

a vibration damping ring between the washer and the outer bracket.

7. The robot of claim 1, wherein:

the bottom plate is fixed to the hand base; and

the side plates are coupled to the inner bracket by the shaft member.

8. The robot of claim 7, wherein each of the side plates of the outer bracket includes an outer protrusion adjacent to the first hole,

the inner bracket includes an inner protrusion adjacent to the second hole, and

the vibration damping member further comprises a second spring, the second spring being a torsion spring between the inner bracket and the side plates of the outer bracket, the second spring coupling the inner protrusion to the outer protrusion.

9. The robot of claim 7, wherein the vibration damping member further comprises:

a bottom vibration damping sheet between the bottom plate and the hand base or between the bottom plate and the arm.

10. The robot of claim 7, wherein

the finger or the hand base passes through the inner bracket, and

the outer bracket further includes,

an edge bar of an edge portion of the bottom plate to cross the finger in a width direction thereof;

and

a clamp clamping a portion of the finger or the hand base, the clamp projecting above the inner bracket, wherein the first spring and the clamp are respectively adjacent to two opposite edge portions of the bottom plate in a length direction thereof,

wherein the first spring is disposed adiacent to the edge bar to damp vibration of the finger.

11. The robot of claim 10, wherein

the hand bracket unit includes an active vibration damping device,

the active vibration damping device is between the clamp and the finger, and

the active vibration damping device includes,

a piezo-electric plate;

a sensor disposed on the piezo-electric plate to monitor vibration of the piezo-electric plate or the finger; and

fastening member attaching the piezo-electric plate to the clamp and the finger.

12. The robot of claim 1, wherein the hand bracket unit further comprises:

an edge bar at an edge of the bottom plate adjacent to the spring, the edge bar configured to support the inner bracket.

13. A robot, comprising:

a first member extending in a first direction;

at least one second member connected to the first member and extending in a second direction, the second direction crossing the first direction; and

a bracket configured to secure the second member to the first member, the bracket including,

an outer bracket,

an inner bracket inside the outer bracket,

a vibration damping member between the outer bracket and the inner bracket and configured to damp transfer of vibration from the first member to the second member, and

a shaft member connecting the outer bracket to the inner bracket,

wherein the outer bracket includes,

a bottom plate,

a plurality of side plates at both sides of the bottom plate, and

a spring between the bottom plate and the inner bracket.

14. The robot of claim 13, wherein the first member includes a base of an object transfer hand and the second member includes at least one finger of the object transfer hand.

15. The robot of claim 13, wherein the first member includes a base of an object transfer hand and the second member includes an arm connected to a main body.

16. The robot of claim 13, wherein the vibration damping member includes a lateral vibration damping sheet between the inner bracket and the outer bracket and a bottom vibration damping sheet between the outer bracket and the object transfer hand.

17. A robot, comprising:

a main body;

an arm connected to the main body;

a hand connected to the arm, the hand including a hand base and a finger; and

a hand bracket unit between the hand base and the finger or between the hand base and the arm, the hand bracket unit configured to damp vibration of the hand base or the finger, the hand bracket unit including,

an outer bracket coupled to the hand base or the arm,

an inner bracket inside the outer bracket and attached to the finger or the hand base,

a vibration damping member including a plurality of lateral vibration damping sheets between the outer bracket and the inner bracket, the plurality of lateral vibration damping sheets each having an area larger than an area of a longitudinal side of the finger in the hand bracket unit or an area of

a longitudinal side of the hand base in the in hand bracket unit.

18. The robot of claim 17, wherein the outer bracket includes:

a plate member including a bottom plate and a plurality of side plates on both sides of the bottom plate;

an edge bar at an edge of the bottom plate, the edge bar configured to support the inner bracket; and

a spring between the bottom plate and the finger or between the bottom plate and the hand base, the spring disposed at a hole defined in the edge bar.