Abstract: A sealed joint having two adjacent, axially aligned sleeves separated by a rotating seal, one joint being movable with respect to the other. The joints contain a tubular passageway surrounded by a motor and a harmonic drive. A tachometer and a brake help to control the motor and a position encoder measures rotational motion between the sleeves. All components are mounted in sealed relation with respect to the outside of the sleeves. A sealable port communicates with the interior of the tubular passageway for each sleeve so that control cables and fluid conduits may pass into the joint through one port, along the tubular passageway and out of the other port.

Abstract: A tool interface has a rotatable tool changer for holding a tool on the end of a robot arm. The tool changer is a socket chuck having spring jaws in a socket for clamping the tool. A spring actuated sleeve slides longitudinally into wedging engagement with an inclined surface on the jaws. Fluid pressure moves an annular piston against the spring to disengage the sleeve from the jaws, and thus release the tool. A motor couples through a harmonic wave generator to a shaft on the axis of the tool changer for rotating a tool. An angular position sensor and encoder, such as an inductosyn, is used to determine the orientation of the tool. Fluid and electrical supply lines from the robot arm are connected to the tool changer for supplying electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and vacuum connections to the tool.

Abstract: A mechanical interface for joining a gripper to a robot wrist of the type having a shaft projecting outwardly as the distal member of a robot arm. The interface includes a sleeve having an internal nut or flange for properly locating the sleeve with respect to the shaft. At this location, a bevel gear at the end of the shaft engages a similar gear within the sleeve so that the sleeve is locked to the shaft. The bevel gear within the sleeve is supported by a spring so that outward force from the sleeve allows separation of the gears and disconnection of the coupler from the shaft. Internal fluid passageways within the sleeve allow transmission of fluid pressure from the shaft to a connected gripper for transmitting power, control signals or sensing signals between the robot arm and the gripper.

Abstract: A robotic gripper for transporting an object such as a disk-shaped integrated circuit wafer by contacting and gripping only its edge surface. The robotic gripper includes a plurality of elongated fingers which are joined together at a central location from which they project outward in the shape of the letter "X" to their fingertips. Each fingertip may be individually extended outward from or retracted inward to the edge surface of the object to be transported. To adapt the fingertips for grasping the edge of disk-shaped integrated circuit wafers, each fingertip is formed with a projecting lip having a V-shaped notch into which a wafer's edge surface is received while it is being gripped. Each finger includes a bellows through which a cable communicates force from a remote motor to the fingertip. A housing encloses cables and gears used to move the cable.

Abstract: A robot arm with upper and lower arm sections having shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. The shoulder joint is triaxial having a sweep axis, a swivel axis and a roll axis, the three axes being mutually perpendicular and intersecting at a point. The elbow joint has a single extension axis parallel to the swivel axis of the shoulder joint. The wrist joint has a pitch axis parallel to the elbow extension axis. Wrist roll motion is provided by roll motion of the shoulder joint so that the robot wrist may have low mass.