Applied Materials, Inc.

Adam Christopher Cranmer

Gregory John Freeman

Omar Abdul-hadi

Marvin L Freeman

A system includes a robot with a robot arm having multiple joints and an end effector to carry a substrate. A processing device is to build, with respect to a joint space for the multiple joints and the end effector, a graph of reachable positions and sub-paths between the reachable positions, wherein the reachable positions and the sub-paths satisfy Cartesian limits within the joint space. The processing device is to determine, by executing a graph optimization algorithm on the graph, multiple paths, each made up of a group of the sub-paths and having one of a shortest distance or a lowest cost between a start point and an end point of the end effector. The processing device is to select a path, of the multiple paths, through the graph that minimizes a move time of the end effector between the start point and the end point.

Robot joint space graph path planning and move execution

A system includes a robot arm with multiple joints and one or more end effector to carry a substrate. A processing device determines, within joint space of the robot arm, start/end points of the one or more end effector for a complete movement. The processing device builds, in joint space for the multiple joints and the one or more end effector, a graph of reachable positions and sub-paths between the reachable positions that satisfy Cartesian limits. The reachable positions are identified at a granularity that divides the complete movement into multiple sub-movements. The processing device executes a graph optimization algorithm on the graph to determine multiple paths, each a group of the sub-paths, that have one of shortest distances or lowest costs between the start/end points, and selects a path thereof that minimizes move time of the one or more end effector between the start/end points.

A server includes a processor to supply a torque command to an amplifier that controls a motor that drives a linkage; include, in the torque command, an alternating signal wave that is to test a frequency response of the motor and the linkage; receive, from the amplifier, an instantaneous torque value of the motor and an instantaneous mechanical parameter value of the linkage at each time step according to a sampling rate and over a period of time; store an aggregate of both these values; determine, for a first frequency of the alternating signal wave, a magnitude and phase shift between the aggregate of the instantaneous mechanical parameter values and the aggregate of the instantaneous torque values; and generate, using an aggregate of magnitude and phase shift data for multiple frequencies of the alternating signal wave, a fingerprint to be used in performing diagnostics of motor and linkage.

Frequency response diagnostics for characterizing servo controlled mechanisms

Methods of correcting positional misalignment of blades in robots, such as dual-bladed robots, are described. The methods include, in one or more embodiments, a robot including moveable arms and an end effector attached to one of the moveable arms, a flag disposed on one of the moveable arms or the end effector, a chamber adapted to be serviced by the end effector, a beam sensor positioned at a distance from the chamber, and correcting misalignment of the end effector wherein the misalignment occurs between an initial linear center-finding location and the estimated center of the chamber. Systems of such electronic device calibration are also disclosed. Numerous other aspects are provided.

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Leander, TX, United States of America

Adam Christopher Cranmer