Patents Assigned to Brooks Automation, Inc.
  • Patent number: 11332354
    Abstract: An apparatus (100) for automated capping and de-capping of test tubes (112) having an ejector pin (230) system for individualized cap (113) ejection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Stig Christensen, Lars Hovendahl, Michael Gabs Kaagaard Nielsen
  • Patent number: 11267649
    Abstract: Mounting hardware is installed to a cryogenic storage device to accommodate an automation system for automated storage and retrieval. A guideplate at an upper surface of a cover of the cryogenic storage device is positioned such that the guideplate is aligned in a predefined relation to an access port at the upper surface. One or more mounting posts are affixed at a location as indicated by the guideplate. A vacuum is then pulled within the cover, and the mounting hardware is affixed to the at least one mounting post.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignees: Brooks Automation, Inc., MVE Biological Solutions US
    Inventors: Robert T. Caveney, Frank Hunt, Lingchen Sun, Julian D. Warhurst, Bruce S. Zandi, Jeffrey S. Brooks
  • Patent number: 11251059
    Abstract: A substrate transport empiric arm droop mapping apparatus for a substrate transport system of a processing tool, the mapping apparatus including a frame, an interface disposed on the frame forming datum features representative of a substrate transport space in the processing tool defined by the substrate transport system, a substrate transport arm, that is articulated and has a substrate holder, mounted to the frame in a predetermined relation to at least one of the datum features, and a registration system disposed with respect to the substrate transport arm and at least one datum feature so that the registration system registers, in an arm droop distance register, empiric arm droop distance, due to arm droop changes, between a first arm position and a second arm position different than the first arm position and in which the substrate holder is moved in the transport space along at least one axis of motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Jairo T. Moura, Robert T. Caveney, Bing Yin, Nathan Spiker, Vincent W. Tsang
  • Patent number: 11235935
    Abstract: A substrate transport apparatus comprising a frame, a drive section connected to the frame, and an articulated arm having at least one articulated arm link operably connected to the drive section so that the articulated arm rotates about a pivot axis relative to the frame and extends and retracts relative to the pivot axis. The articulated arm has an end effector pivotally mounted to at least one articulated arm link forming a joint between the end effector and the articulated arm link, with an arm joint pivot axis disposed so that the end effector rotates relative to at least one articulated arm link about the arm joint pivot axis. The articulated arm has a drive band transmission with drive and driven pulleys where the driven pulley is connected to the articulated wrist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Babbs, Vincent W. Tsang, Robert C. May
  • Patent number: 11201073
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus comprising a transport arm having serially connected arm links, at least one of the arm links having a predetermined arm link height, at least a first pulley and a second pulley, where the second pulley is fixed to an arm link of the serially connected arm links, and at least one torque transmission band extending longitudinally between and coupled to each of the first pulley and the second pulley, the at least one torque transmission band having a corresponding band height for the predetermined arm link height and a variable lateral thickness such that the at least one torque transmission band includes a segment of laterally increased cross section for the corresponding band height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc
    Inventor: Ulysses Gilchrist
  • Patent number: 11201070
    Abstract: A substrate processing system including a processing section arranged to hold a processing atmosphere therein, a carrier having a shell forming an internal volume for holding at least one substrate for transport to the processing section, the shell being configured to allow the internal volume to be pumped down to a predetermined vacuum pressure that is different than an exterior atmosphere outside the substrate processing system, and a load port communicably connected to the processing section to isolate the processing atmosphere from the exterior atmosphere, the load port being configured to couple with the carrier to pump down the internal volume of the carrier and to communicably connect the carrier to the processing section, for loading the substrate into the processing section through the load port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Babbs, William Fosnight, Robert C. May, William Weaver
  • Patent number: 11192239
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus including a frame, a SCARA arm mounted to the frame at a shoulder joint having two links with at least one end effector dependent therefrom, the links defining an upper arm and a forearm, each end effector pivotally joined to the forearm at a wrist to rotate about a wrist axis, and a drive section with at least one degree of freedom operably coupled to the arm to rotate the arm about a shoulder axis articulating extension and retraction, wherein the end effector is coupled to a wrist joint pulley so that extension and retraction effects rotation of the pulley and end effector as a unit about the wrist axis, and wherein a height of the end effector is within a stack height profile of the wrist joint so that a total stack height is sized to conform with and pass through a pass-through of a slot valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Vincent W. Tsang, Robert T. Caveney
  • Patent number: 11195738
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus including a frame, a first SCARA arm connected to the frame, including an end effector, configured to extend and retract along a first radial axis; a second SCARA arm connected to the frame, including an end effector, configured to extend and retract along a second radial axis, the SCARA arms having a common shoulder axis of rotation; and a drive section coupled to the SCARA arms is configured to independently extend each SCARA arm along a respective radial axis and rotate each SCARA arm about the common shoulder axis of rotation where the first radial axis is angled relative to the second radial axis and the end effector of a respective arm is aligned with a respective radial axis, wherein each end effector is configured to hold at least one substrate and the end effectors are located on a common transfer plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert T. Caveney, Jayaraman Krishnasamy, Ulysses Gilchrist, Mitchell Drew, Jairo Moura
  • Patent number: 11181582
    Abstract: A variable reluctance motor load mapping apparatus includes a frame, an interface disposed on the frame configured for mounting a variable reluctance motor, a static load cell mounted to the frame and coupled to the variable reluctance motor, and a controller communicably coupled to the static load cell and the variable reluctance motor, the controller being configured to select at least one motor phase of the variable reluctance motor, energize the at least one motor phase, and receive motor operational data from at least the static load cell for mapping and generating an array of motor operational data look up tables.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Jairo T. Moura, Nathan Spiker, Aaron Gawlik, Jayaraman Krishnasamy
  • Patent number: 11162963
    Abstract: An automated sample specimen storage system including a tube holding microplate including a plate frame, a predetermined array of tube holding receptacles formed in the plate frame, the receptacles having a SBS standard pitch corresponding to the predetermined array, and being configured for holding therein sample store and transport tubes, each disposed so as to contain sample specimen in a sample storage of the storage system and to effect, with the sample tube, delivery from the sample storage to a workstation, the predetermined array of receptacles defining a volume capacity of the tube holding microplate, and each of the receptacles being shaped to conformally engage walls of the sample tubes and hold a respective one of the sample store and transport tubes, wherein the receptacles are arranged so that the tube holding microplate volume capacity defined by the predetermined array is an under optimum volume capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Etienne Croquette, Robin Grimwood, David Andrew Harding, Chris Walsh
  • Patent number: 11164769
    Abstract: A substrate transport apparatus includes a transport chamber, a drive section, a robot arm, an imaging system with a camera mounted through a mounting interface of the drive section in a predetermined location with respect to the transport chamber and disposed to image part of the arm, and a controller connected to the imaging system and configured to image, with the camera, the arm moving to or in the predetermined location, the controller effecting capture of a first image of the arm on registry of the arm proximate to or in the predetermined location, the controller is configured to calculate a positional variance of the arm from comparison of the first image with a calibration image of the arm, and determine a motion compensation factor changing an extended position of the arm. Each camera effecting capture of the first image is disposed inside the perimeter of the mounting interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventor: Jairo Terra Moura
  • Patent number: 11121015
    Abstract: A substrate transport system includes a carrier having a housing forming an interior environment having an opening for holding at least one substrate and a door for sealing the opening from an outside atmosphere where when sealed the interior environment is configured to maintain an interior atmosphere therein, the housing including a fluid reservoir exterior to the interior environment and configured to contain a fluid, forming a different atmosphere in the fluid reservoir than the interior atmosphere, to form a fluidic barrier seal that seals the interior environment from an environment exterior to the carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Babbs, Robert T. Caveney, Robert C. May, Krzysztof A. Majczak
  • Patent number: 11088004
    Abstract: A substrate transport apparatus including a transport chamber, a drive section, a robot arm having an end effector at a distal end configured to support a substrate and being connected to the drive section generating at least arm motion in a radial direction extending and retracting the arm, an imaging system with a camera mounted in a predetermined location to image at least part of the robot arm, and a controller connected to the imaging system to image the arm moving to a predetermined repeatable position, the controller effecting capture of a first image of the robot arm proximate to the repeatable position decoupled from encoder data of the drive axis, wherein the controller calculates a positional variance of the robot arm from comparison of the first image with a calibration image, and from the positional variance determines a motion compensation factor changing the extended position of the robot arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander Krupyshev, Leigh F. Sharrock
  • Patent number: 11077466
    Abstract: An end effector for transferring a tray is described. The end effector includes an end effector base attached to a vertical drive column of a tray engine. The end effector further includes a slide having multiple arms that are attached to the end effector base to support the tray, when present. The arms of the slide enable the tray to slide along a length of the end effector base. The arms face each other and extend along the length of the end effector base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony C. Bonora, Brian Compian, Jeff P. Henderson, Robert W. Carlson
  • Patent number: 11031265
    Abstract: Substrate loading device including a frame adapted to connect the substrate loading device to a substrate processing apparatus, the frame having a transport opening through which substrates are transported between the loading device and processing apparatus, a cassette support for holding at least one substrate cassette container, and cassette support purge ports with purge port nozzle locations disposed on the cassette support, each nozzle location being configured so that a nozzle at the nozzle location couples to at least one purge port of the substrate cassette container, wherein each nozzle location defines an interchangeable purge port nozzle interface so that different interchangeable purge port nozzles are removably mounted to respective nozzle interfaces of the nozzle locations that correspond to the different nozzle configurations of the interchangeable purge port nozzle modules, in conformance with and effecting coupling to different ports of different substrate cassette containers having different
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Radik Sunugatov, Robert Carlson
  • Patent number: 11002566
    Abstract: A sensing mechanism includes a magnetic source, a magnetic flux sensor, a sensor backing on which the magnetic source and flux sensor are mounted, and a ferromagnetic target, where the magnetic source, magnetic flux sensor, and ferromagnetic target are positioned to form a magnetic circuit from the magnetic source to the target, from the target to the sensor, and returning to the magnetic source through the sensor backing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Hosek, Jairo Moura, Jay Krishnasamy, Jeff Paranay
  • Patent number: 10978330
    Abstract: A Substrate processing apparatus including a wafer transport apparatus with a transport arm including an end effector, an arm pose deterministic feature integral to the substrate transport apparatus and disposed so that a static detection sensor of the substrate processing apparatus detects at least one edge of the at least one arm pose deterministic feature on the fly with radial motion of the transport arm, and a controller configured so that detection of the edge effects a determination of a proportion factor identifying at least a thermal expansion variance of the transport arm on the fly and includes a kinematic effects resolver configured to determine, from the detection of the edge on the fly, a discrete relation between the determined proportion factor and each different discrete variance respective to each different link of the transport arm determining at least the thermal expansion variance of the transport arm on the fly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Bing Yin, Jairo T. Moura, Vincent Tsang, Aaron Gawlik, Nathan Spiker
  • Patent number: 10967511
    Abstract: A time-optimal trajectory generation method, for a robotic manipulator having a transport path with at least one path segment, comprising generating a forward time-optimal trajectory of the manipulator along the at least one path segment from a start point of the at least one path segment towards an end point of the at least one path segment, generating a reverse time-optimal trajectory of the manipulator along the at least one path segment from the end point towards the start point of the at least one path segment, and combining the time-optimal forward and reverse trajectories to obtain a complete time-optimal trajectory, where the forward and reverse trajectories of the at least one path segment are blended together with a smoothing bridge joining the time-optimal forward and reverse trajectories in a position-velocity reference frame with substantially no discontinuity between the time-optimal forward and reverse trajectories.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Jayaraman Krishnasamy, Martin Hosek
  • Patent number: 10923375
    Abstract: A substrate loading device including a frame adapted to connect to a substrate processing apparatus, the frame having a transport opening through which substrates are transported to the processing apparatus, a cassette support connected to the frame for holding at least one substrate cassette container proximate the transport opening, the support configured so that a sealed internal atmosphere of the container is accessed from the support at predetermined access locations of the container, and the cassette support has a predetermined continuous steady state differential pressure plenum region, determined at least in part by boundaries of fluid flow generating differential pressure, so that the predetermined continuous steady state differential pressure plenum region defines a continuously steady state fluidic flow isolation barrier disposed on the support between the predetermined access locations of the container and another predetermined section of the support isolating the other predetermined section from
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Radik Sunugatov, Robert Carlson, Mike Krolak
  • Patent number: 10903107
    Abstract: A semiconductor process transport apparatus including a drive section with at least one motor, an articulated arm coupled to the drive section for driving articulation motion, a machine controller coupled to the drive section to control the at least one motor moving the articulated arm from one location to a different location, and an adapter pendant having a machine controller interface coupling the adapter pendant for input/output with the machine controller, the adapter pendant having another interface, configured for connecting a fungible smart mobile device having predetermined resident user operable device functionality characteristics, wherein the other interface has a connectivity configuration so mating of the fungible smart mobile device with the other interface automatically enables configuration of at least one of the resident user operable device functionality characteristics to define an input/output to the machine controller effecting input commands and output signals for motion control of the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: Dana L. Atwood, Jairo Moura