Yaskawa America, Inc.

Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki

John Charles Rogers

Clark Thomas Tella

Hiroyuki Handa

Carl Michael Traynor

Margaret Kathleen Swiecicki

John D Payne

A pre-aligner for pre-aligning a wafer having a notch. The pre-aligner includes a wafer platform having a wafer receiving surface, and a drive device. A detector is provided to detect the notch, and a memory is provided to store a notch window defining a range of angles in which the notch is predicted to be located in relation to a start position. A controller performs a pre-alignment operation where the wafer is rotated from the start position to an alignment location. The controller performs the operation such that the wafer is rotated at maximum acceleration/deceleration values from the start position to a notch location detected by the detector: where the operation is limited to a maximum velocity for rotation of the wafer from the start position to a notch window; and where the operation is limited to a scanning velocity within the notch window until the notch location is detected.

Wafer pre-aligner and method of pre-aligning wafer

A method of teaching a robot including providing a pin at a location within a work station, and the robot in an area adjacent to the station. The robot having an arm and an end effector that pivots. The end effector has a through-beam sensor including a light emitter and a light receiver to sense when an object is present therebetween. The robot is moved to perform sensing operations in which the sensor senses the pin, such operations are performed while a position and/or an orientation of the end effector are varied to gather sensed position and orientation data. The sensing operations are performed such that the pin is located at different distances between the emitter and the receiver as the robot moves the sensor across the pin. Calculations are performed on the data to determine the location of the pin with respect to a coordinate system of the robot.

Through-beam auto teaching

A robotic handling apparatus includes a first arm member configured to pivot about a first pivot axis and a first drive unit configured to bring the first arm member into motion about the first pivot axis. A second arm member is configured to pivot about a second pivot axis, the second arm member being connected to the first arm member and having a distal end portion. A second drive unit is configured to bring the second arm member into motion about the second pivot axis. A third arm member is configured to pivot about a third pivot axis. A carrier unit is connected to the distal end portion of the second arm member and the distal end of the third arm member to define a distance.

Robotic handling apparatus, link mechanism, and robotic handling system

An apparatus including a base, a drive device disposed on the base, a sensor unit disposed on the base, and an engagement device. The drive device having an output shaft with a wafer receiving surface, and the drive device being configured to rotate the output shaft about an axis of rotation. The sensor unit being configured to sense a wafer received on the wafer receiving surface. The engagement device being configured to engage and disengage a translational mechanism between the drive device and the sensor unit. When the engagement device engages the translational mechanism, rotation of the output shaft about the axis of rotation by the drive device changes a relative positional relationship between the sensor unit and the axis of rotation.

Wafer pre-alignment apparatus and method

A testing apparatus for minimizing runout of a rotating assembly includes a measurement device and a runout evaluator. The measurement device measures a distance to a surface. The runout evaluator obtains a first runout of a surface of a first member of the rotating assembly from the measurement device. The first runout has a magnitude and a phase. The runout evaluator obtains a second runout of a surface of a second member of the rotating assembly from the measurement device. The second runout has a magnitude and a phase. The runout evaluator determines a rotational position of the first member relative to the second member which results in a reduced runout of the rotating assembly. The determination of the rotational position is based on the magnitude and the phase of the first runout and the magnitude and the phase of the second runout.

Testing apparatus, computer readable medium, and method for minimizing runout

A robotic handling apparatus includes a vertical motion mechanism and a first arm member connected to the vertical motion mechanism. The first arm member is movable in a vertical direction by the vertical motion mechanism. The robotic handling apparatus includes a second arm member connected to the vertical motion mechanism via the first arm member, and a first drive unit configured to drive the second arm member to pivot about a first axis. An end effector is connected to the second arm to transfer an article from a first position to a second position by the motion of the vertical motion mechanism, first arm member, and second arm member, the first arm member being mounted to a side of the vertical motion mechanism relative to the vertical direction.

Method, apparatus, and system for robotic article handling

A robotic apparatus for transporting a workpiece includes a first arm that pivots about a first axis and a second arm that is pivotably connected to the first arm. The second arm has a surface upon which the workpiece can be received. A first drive unit of the robotic apparatus drives the first arm member to pivot about the first axis. The robotic apparatus includes a controller that controls the first drive unit to move the surface of the second arm member to transport the workpiece. The control unit also controls the first drive unit such that the surface is not moved at an acceleration value that exceeds a predetermined acceleration limit during the transport of the workpiece.

Growing community of inventors

Danville, CA, United States of America

John Charles Rogers