US 11,810,801 B2
Robot embedded vision apparatus
Jairo Terra Moura, Malborough, MA (US)
Assigned to Brooks Automation US, LLC, Chelmsford, MA (US)
Filed by Brook Automation, Inc., Chelmsford, MA (US)
Filed on Nov. 2, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/517,490.
Application 17/517,490 is a continuation of application No. 16/942,255, filed on Jul. 29, 2020, granted, now 11,164,769.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/880,521, filed on Jul. 30, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0130696 A1, Apr. 28, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B25J 13/08 (2006.01); H01L 21/67 (2006.01); H01L 21/687 (2006.01); B25J 9/16 (2006.01); G06T 7/73 (2017.01); G06V 20/10 (2022.01); G06F 18/22 (2023.01); H04N 23/54 (2023.01)
CPC H01L 21/67184 (2013.01) [B25J 9/1612 (2013.01); B25J 9/1692 (2013.01); B25J 9/1697 (2013.01); B25J 13/08 (2013.01); G06F 18/22 (2023.01); G06T 7/73 (2017.01); G06V 20/10 (2022.01); H01L 21/67259 (2013.01); H01L 21/68707 (2013.01); H04N 23/54 (2023.01)] 34 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A substrate transport apparatus comprising: a transport chamber with a substrate transport opening arranged for communication with a substrate station module;
a drive section with a mounting interface connected to the transport chamber, and having a motor defining at least one independent drive axis, the mounting interface mounting the drive section to the transport chamber and forming a perimeter that separates an interior of the transport chamber on an outside of the perimeter from an exterior of the transport chamber on the inside of the perimeter;
a robot arm mounted inside the transport chamber, and having an end effector at a distal end of the robot arm, configured to support a substrate thereon, the robot arm being operably connected to the drive section generating, with the at least one independent drive axis, at least arm motion in a radial direction extending and retracting the robot arm and moving the end effector, in the radial direction, from a retracted position to an extended position;
an imaging camera mounted through the mounting interface in a predetermined location with respect to the transport chamber and disposed so as to image at least part of the robot arm separate and distinct from the substrate; and
a controller configured to image, with the imaging camera, the at least part of the robot arm moving along a path defined by the at least one independent drive axis to or in the predetermined location, the controller effecting capture, on registry of the robot arm proximate to or in the predetermined location, of an image of the at least part of the robot arm separate and distinct from the substrate;
wherein the controller is configured to calculate a motion compensation factor from a positional variance of the at least part of the robot arm based on both the image and a calibration image of the at least part of the robot arm that is common to the image and the calibration image, the motion compensation factor identifying a change in the extended position of the robot arm.