Patents Assigned to Kawasaki Robotics (USA), Inc.
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Publication number: 20240120227Abstract: A substrate handling apparatus according to one or more embodiments may include: a base, an elevating unit that is connected to the base to freely elevate and lower, an arm that is rotatably connected to the elevating unit, a disk that is provided on the arm, and a hand that is rotatably connected to the arm, wherein in case that the hand is provided on a position to overlap the arm, the disk is provided under the substrate extracted by the hand.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 6, 2022Publication date: April 11, 2024Applicants: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Kawasaki Robotics (USA), INC.Inventors: Haruhiko TAN, Simon JEYAPALAN, Avish Ashok BHARWANI, Mu-Kai LIN
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Patent number: 11926039Abstract: A robot according to one or more embodiments may include an arm and a hand. The hand is connected to the arm and supports to convey a wafer. The hand includes a base end portion that is an end of the side connected to an arm, and a distal end portion that is an end of the opposite side of the base end portion. With the hand, a lightened part is formed in at least a part of a first region which is a region of a distal end portion than the center part in the longitudinal direction of the hand.Type: GrantFiled: December 25, 2020Date of Patent: March 12, 2024Assignees: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KAWASAKI ROBOTICS (USA), INC.Inventors: Haruhiko Tan, Hajime Nakahara, Avish Ashok Bharwani, Ming Zeng
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Publication number: 20240004368Abstract: A robot system includes a robot that includes a motor, a first storage unit that is provided to correspond to the motor and stores identification information of the motor, a second storage unit that is provided separately from the first storage unit and stores the identification information of the motor, and a control unit that detects whether or not the motor attached to the robot is a motor to which the identification information has been assigned in advance, by comparing the identification information of the motor stored in the first storage unit and the identification information of the motor stored in the second storage unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2022Publication date: January 4, 2024Applicants: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Kawasaki Robotics (USA), INC.Inventors: Haruhiko TAN, Masahiko SUMITOMO, Junichi SUGAHARA, Nobuyasu SHIMOMURA, Avish Ashok BHARWANI
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Patent number: 11862507Abstract: A robot system according to one or more embodiments may include a robot, and a control part. The robot may include one or more joints driven by an electric motor, and can hold a wafer by a holding part. The control part gives commands to the robot for control. When the robot holds and transports the wafer with the holding part, the control part performs, based on information about the electric motor, at least one of the following: determining whether slippage has occurred between the holding part and the wafer; and estimating an amount of slippage of the wafer relative to the holding part.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2020Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignees: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KAWASAKI ROBOTICS (USA), INCInventors: Masaya Yoshida, Avish Ashok Bharwani, Simon Jeyapalan
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Patent number: 11845179Abstract: A wafer jig according to one or more embodiments may be used for a robot having a hand and a state detector. The hand can transport a wafer. The state detector detects a state of a member holding the wafer at the hand or a state of a negative pressure adsorbing the wafer at the hand. The wafer jig includes an information output part. The information output part outputs information to a hand side via the state detector by changing a detection result of the state detector.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2020Date of Patent: December 19, 2023Assignees: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Kawasaki Robotics (USA), INC.Inventors: Haruhiko Tan, Hajime Nakahara
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Patent number: 11654578Abstract: A robot system according to an embodiment may include a robot, a wafer jig that is held by the robot, a positioning base, a positional displacement detection device, a control part, and an offset acquisition part for acquiring an offset that occurs between a command position for the robot and an actual position. The positioning base includes contacting members. The wafer jig has a tapered surface. The tapered surface guides the wafer jig so that a center of the wafer jig approaches a predetermined position as a position where the taped surface contacts the contacting members is relatively higher. The robot places the wafer jig on the positioning base, then holds and conveys the wafer jig to the positional displacement detection device. The offset acquisition part acquires the offset based on a result in which the positional displacement detection device detects a positional displacement of the conveyed wafer jig.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2020Date of Patent: May 23, 2023Assignees: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KAWASAKI ROBOTICS (USA), INCInventors: Masaya Yoshida, Hajime Nakahara, George Chin, Luc Nguyen
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Publication number: 20230150120Abstract: A substrate conveying robot includes an arm, a substrate holding hand, a sensor board to which a sensor is electrically connected, and a control board on which a controller is mounted, the control board including a universal connector connectable to different types of the sensor boards.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 17, 2021Publication date: May 18, 2023Applicants: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Kawasaki Robotics (USA), INC.Inventors: Haruhiko TAN, Shota TOMINAGA, Avish Ashok BHARWANI, Simon JEYAPALAN
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Patent number: 11554498Abstract: A wafer jig according to an embodiment may be used for a robot having a hand including a light emitting part and a light receiving part. The light receiving part detects detection light emitted from the light emitting part. The wafer jig includes a light source for emitting the notification light toward the light receiving part. The wafer jig outputs information to a hand side by emitting the notification light from the light source to the light receiving part.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2020Date of Patent: January 17, 2023Assignees: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Kawasaki Robotics (USA), INC.Inventors: Masaya Yoshida, Hajime Nakahara
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Publication number: 20220415690Abstract: An aligner system includes a motor, a rotating device, a control device, and a sensor. The motor generates a rotational drive force. The rotating device 11 is rotated by the rotational drive force generated by the motor, while supporting a wafer. The control device controls rotation of the rotating device, and performs a process of setting a rotational phase of the wafer to a predetermined value. The sensor emits a plurality of light beams traveling in different directions toward an edge of the wafer, and receives the light beams to detect a defect in the edge of the wafer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 24, 2021Publication date: December 29, 2022Applicants: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Kawasaki Robotics (USA), INC.Inventors: Haruhiko TAN, Avish Ashok BHARWANI, George CHIN, Simon Jeyapalan
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Publication number: 20220399218Abstract: A transport system includes a robot, sensors (an aligner sensor, a protrusion detecting sensor) and a controller. The robot having a hand which supports a wafer and transports the wafer to an aligner apparatus. The sensor detects the position of the wafer before the robot delivers the wafer to the aligner apparatus while supporting the wafer on the hand. The controller determines the positional deviation of the wafer based on a detection value of the sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 10, 2021Publication date: December 15, 2022Applicants: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Kawasaki Robotics (USA), INC.Inventors: Haruhiko TAN, Avish Ashok BHARWANI, Simon JEYAPALAN
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Publication number: 20220359261Abstract: A substrate transfer apparatus includes a base, an arm, an end effector provided at a tip of the arm and having first and second tip portions that are bifurcated, a light emitting unit, a light receiving unit, and a control device controlling an operation of the arm. The control device controls an operation of the arm so that light straightly traveling through a tip of the end effector scans edges of a plurality of substrates accommodated in a front opening unified pod (FOUP), and compares shape patterns of a measured waveform of an output value continuously changed in the light receiving unit with shape patterns of a reference waveform for comparison according to a relative positional relationship between the light and substrate during the operation of the arm and diagnoses at least one of a state of the substrate, the FOUP, and the end effector based on a comparison result.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 28, 2020Publication date: November 10, 2022Applicants: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KAWASAKI ROBOTICS (USA), INC.Inventors: Masaya YOSHIDA, Yuji TANAKA, Hajime NAKAHARA
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Patent number: 11427412Abstract: A robot control unit for a substrate conveying robot raises a hand from a first lower position below a first target position at which the hand picks up a substrate to a first upper position above the first target position, and displaces at least one of a plurality of joints in one direction, in a first interval from the first lower position to a first intermediate position between the first lower position and the first target position.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 2019Date of Patent: August 30, 2022Assignees: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KAWASAKI ROBOTICS (USA), INC.Inventors: Masaya Yoshida, Avish Ashok Bharwani, Ming Zeng, Brandon Lee, Ryan Le
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Publication number: 20220203555Abstract: A robot according to one or more embodiments may include an arm and a hand. The hand is connected to the arm and supports to convey a wafer. The hand includes a base end portion that is an end of the side connected to an arm, and a distal end portion that is an end of the opposite side of the base end portion. With the hand, a lightened part is formed in at least a part of a first region which is a region of a distal end portion than the center part in the longitudinal direction of the hand.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 25, 2020Publication date: June 30, 2022Applicants: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Kawasaki Robotics (USA), INC.Inventors: Haruhiko TAN, Hajime NAKAHARA, Avish Ashok BHARWANI, Ming ZENG
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Publication number: 20220193917Abstract: A wafer jig according to one or more embodiments may be used for a robot having a hand and a state detector. The hand can transport a wafer. The state detector detects a state of a member holding the wafer at the hand or a state of a negative pressure adsorbing the wafer at the hand. The wafer jig includes an information output part. The information output part outputs information to a hand side via the state detector by changing a detection result of the state detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2020Publication date: June 23, 2022Applicants: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Kawasaki Robotics (USA), INC.Inventors: Haruhiko TAN, Hajime NAKAHARA
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Publication number: 20220165607Abstract: A robot system according to one or more embodiments may include a robot, and a control part. The robot may include one or more joints driven by an electric motor, and can hold a wafer by a holding part. The control part gives commands to the robot for control. When the robot holds and transports the wafer with the holding part, the control part performs, based on information about the electric motor, at least one of the following: determining whether slippage has occurred between the holding part and the wafer; and estimating an amount of slippage of the wafer relative to the holding part.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 25, 2020Publication date: May 26, 2022Applicants: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Kawasaki Robotics (USA), INC.Inventors: Masaya YOSHIDA, Avish Ashok BHARWANI, Simon JEYAPALAN
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Patent number: 11335578Abstract: A substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention includes: a robot including a hand configured to hold a substrate, and an arm configured to move the hand; a robot control device configured to set a moving path for the hand and control the arm such that the hand moves on the moving path toward a target position; and a camera disposed so as to be able to capture an image of the substrate held by the hand located at a predetermined confirmation position. The robot control device sets the moving path so as to pass through the confirmation position, obtains an image captured by the camera when the hand is located at the confirmation position, calculates a distance between a predetermined environment and the substrate which are taken in the image, and calculates a positional deviation amount from a reference position of the substrate on the basis of the distance.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2020Date of Patent: May 17, 2022Assignees: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KAWASAKI ROBOTICS (USA), INC.Inventors: Masaya Yoshida, Avish Ashok Bharwani, Ming Zeng, Simon Jeyapalan, Hajime Nakahara
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Patent number: 11328947Abstract: An aligner apparatus according to one or more embodiments may include a first rotating base, a second rotating base, and a detection apparatus. The first rotating base on which a wafer placed thereon rotates around a first rotation axis line. The second rotating base on which a wafer placed thereon rotates around a second rotation axis whose position is different from that of the first rotation axis line. The detection apparatus includes one sensor for detecting the edge of the wafer, and the detection range of the sensor includes the edge of the wafer placed on the first rotating base and the edge of the wafer placed on the second rotating base, and detects the edges of the two wafers.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2021Date of Patent: May 10, 2022Assignees: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KAWASAKI ROBOTICS (USA), INC.Inventors: Haruhiko Tan, Hajime Nakahara, Shota Tominaga, Hiroyuki Yoshida
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Patent number: 11315823Abstract: A substrate suction-holding structure includes a conductive pad main body including an annular contact portion and a bottom wall portion closing a first vacuum chamber bottom surface surrounded by the contact portion, a conductive blade main body including an upper surface and a second vacuum chamber formed by depressing the upper surface, a conductive support column provided either on the second vacuum chamber or on the pad main body, causing the contact portion to be further on an upper side than the upper surface, and swingably supporting the pad main body with respect to the second vacuum chamber, a cover secured to the blade main body and covering the second vacuum chamber, and a suction path extending from the first vacuum chamber and passing through the bottom wall portion, the second vacuum chamber, and the blade main body in this order, the suction path connected to a vacuum source.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2019Date of Patent: April 26, 2022Assignees: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KAWASAKI ROBOTICS (USA), INC.Inventors: Masaya Yoshida, Hajime Nakahara
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Publication number: 20220111534Abstract: A wafer jig according to an embodiment may be used for a robot having a hand including a light emitting part and a light receiving part. The light receiving part detects detection light emitted from the light emitting part. The wafer jig includes a light source for emitting the notification light toward the light receiving part. The wafer jig outputs information to a hand side by emitting the notification light from the light source to the light receiving part.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 9, 2020Publication date: April 14, 2022Applicants: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Kawasaki Robotics (USA), INC.Inventors: Masaya YOSHIDA, Hajime NAKAHARA
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Publication number: 20220080604Abstract: A robot system according to an embodiment may include a robot, a wafer jig that is held by the robot, a positioning base, a positional displacement detection device, a control part, and an offset acquisition part for acquiring an offset that occurs between a command position for the robot and an actual position. The positioning base includes contacting members. The wafer jig has a tapered surface. The tapered surface guides the wafer jig so that a center of the wafer jig approaches a predetermined position as a position where the taped surface contacts the contacting members is relatively higher. The robot places the wafer jig on the positioning base, then holds and conveys the wafer jig to the positional displacement detection device. The offset acquisition part acquires the offset based on a result in which the positional displacement detection device detects a positional displacement of the conveyed wafer jig.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 17, 2020Publication date: March 17, 2022Applicants: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Kawasaki Robotics (USA), INC.Inventors: Masaya YOSHIDA, Hajime NAKAHARA, George CHIN, Luc NGUYEN