US 12,343,880 B2
End effector bump detector
Adolphus Edward McClanahan, Dallas, TX (US); Anthony Wayne Myers, Plano, TX (US); Ronald Tracy White, Plano, TX (US); and John Keith Bentley, Irving, TX (US)
Assigned to TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED, Dallas, TX (US)
Filed by Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas, TX (US)
Filed on Jan. 11, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/146,098.
Application 17/146,098 is a division of application No. 14/973,350, filed on Dec. 17, 2015, abandoned.
Prior Publication US 2021/0129337 A1, May 6, 2021
Int. Cl. B25J 9/16 (2006.01)
CPC B25J 9/1676 (2013.01) [G05B 2219/39505 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
a contact shock transients sensing unit coupled to an end effector of a robot arm configured to carry a semiconductor wafer and configured to:
detect contact shock transients on the robot arm, and
generate a signal corresponding to contact shock transients; and
a control unit coupled to the contact shock transients sensing unit, the control unit is configured to:
measure an amount of the signal generated,
determine whether the amount of the signal exceeds one or more predetermined thresholds, and
execute one or more predetermined operations based on the determination, wherein the predetermined operation includes identifying a location of the robot arm in a manufacturing process where the amount of the signal exceeds the one or more predetermined thresholds.