JP7610944B2 - Industrial Robots - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an industrial robot that transports objects such as semiconductor wafers.

Conventionally, industrial robots that transport substrates such as semiconductor wafers are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 includes a substrate mounting mechanism on which multiple substrates are mounted, and a first arm that rotatably supports the base end side of the substrate mounting mechanism. The substrate mounting mechanism has hand forks on which substrates are mounted, and includes five hands that overlap at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction, and a pitch change mechanism that changes the pitch of the five hand forks.

The pitch change mechanism includes a lever member (first lever member) to which the topmost hand of the five hands and the second-highest hand from the top are connected, a lever member (second lever member) to which the bottommost hand and the second-lowest hand from the bottom are connected, and a drive mechanism for rotating the two lever members. A cam follower is attached to the lever member, and this cam follower engages with a guide member fixed to the hand side. In the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, when the two lever members rotate, the four hands excluding the third-highest hand rise and fall, changing the pitch of the five hand forks.

JP 2010-179420 A

In the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, the pitch change mechanism is equipped with two elongated lever members that rotate, so the pitch change mechanism becomes large. Also, in the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, if the number of hands equipped in the substrate mounting mechanism is increased so that more substrates can be transported at once, it becomes necessary to increase the number of lever members of the pitch change mechanism or to connect more hands to one lever member, which makes the configuration of the pitch change mechanism more complex and larger.

The objective of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot that is equipped with a pitch change mechanism for changing the vertical pitch of multiple mounting sections on which objects to be transported are mounted, and that is capable of downsizing the pitch change mechanism.

In order to solve the above problems, the industrial robot of the present invention is an industrial robot equipped with a mounting mechanism on which a plurality of transport objects are mounted, the mounting mechanism comprising at least three or more hands each having a mounting portion for an object to be transported and overlapping at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction, and a pitch change mechanism for changing the vertical pitch of the plurality of mounting portions, the hand arranged at the top of the plurality of hands being the uppermost hand, the hand arranged at the bottom of the plurality of hands being the lowermost hand, the hand remaining among the plurality of hands excluding the uppermost hand and the lowermost hand being the intermediate hand , the hand arranged at the upper side of two hands adjacent in the vertical direction being the upper hand, and the hand arranged at the lower side being the lower hand , the pitch change mechanism comprises a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the lowermost hand, the vertical pitch of the plurality of mounting portions being a predetermined first pitch and a second pitch wider than the first pitch, and the lifting mechanism lifts the lowermost hand, As the lowest hand rises, at least the intermediate hand rises and the vertical pitch of the multiple mounting parts becomes a first pitch, and when the lifting mechanism lowers the lowest hand, as the lowest hand descends, at least the intermediate hand descends and the vertical pitch of the multiple mounting parts becomes a second pitch, the upper hand has a support part for supporting the lower hand from below, and when the pitch of the multiple mounting parts is the first pitch, the upper surface of the lower hand contacts the lower surface of the upper hand, and when the pitch of the multiple mounting parts is the second pitch, the lower hand contacts the support part, a recess is formed on the lower surface of the lower hand in which the support part is disposed, the recess is recessed upward from the lower surface of the lower hand, the vertical thickness of the support part is thinner than the vertical width of the recess, and when the pitch of the multiple mounting parts is the first pitch, the support part is disposed between the upper surface of the recess and the upper surface of the lower hand in the vertical direction .

In the industrial robot of the present invention, when the lifting mechanism raises the lowest hand, at least the intermediate hand rises in conjunction with the rise of the lowest hand, and the vertical pitch of the multiple mounting parts becomes a first pitch, and when the lifting mechanism lowers the lowest hand, at least the intermediate hand descends in conjunction with the descent of the lowest hand, and the vertical pitch of the multiple mounting parts becomes a second pitch. Therefore, in this invention, even without using two elongated lever members as in the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to change the vertical pitch of the multiple mounting parts by lifting and lowering the lowest hand with the lifting mechanism. Therefore, in this invention, it is possible to miniaturize the pitch change mechanism.

In addition, in the present invention, even if the number of hands provided in the mounting mechanism increases, the vertical pitch of multiple mounting parts can be changed by raising and lowering the lowest hand with the lifting mechanism, so even if the number of hands provided in the mounting mechanism increases, the configuration of the pitch change mechanism can be simplified and the pitch change mechanism can be made smaller.

In addition, in the present invention, if the hand located on the upper side of two hands adjacent in the vertical direction is referred to as the upper hand and the hand located on the lower side is referred to as the lower hand, the upper hand has a support part for supporting the lower hand from below, and when the pitch of the multiple mounting parts is the first pitch, the upper surface of the lower hand contacts the lower surface of the upper hand, and when the pitch of the multiple mounting parts is the second pitch, the lower hand contacts the support part . Therefore , with a relatively simple configuration, it is possible to position the multiple hands in the vertical direction when the pitch of the multiple mounting parts is the first pitch, and to position the multiple hands in the vertical direction when the pitch of the multiple mounting parts is the second pitch.

In the present invention, when the pitch of the multiple mounting parts is the second pitch, when the lifting mechanism lifts the lowest hand, the upper surface of the lower hand contacts the lower surface of the upper hand and the lower hand lifts the upper hand, causing the pitch of the multiple mounting parts to become the first pitch, and when the pitch of the multiple mounting parts is the first pitch, when the lifting mechanism lowers the lowest hand, the lower hand contacts the support and pulls down the upper hand, causing the pitch of the multiple mounting parts to become the second pitch. With this configuration, it is possible to reliably lift and lower hands other than the lowest hand in conjunction with the lifting and lowering of the lowest hand, with a relatively simple configuration.

In the present invention, the hand moves linearly in the horizontal direction when transporting the transport object, and if the direction perpendicular to the hand movement direction and the up-down direction is defined as the orthogonal direction, it is preferable that the upper hand has support parts arranged on both sides of the orthogonal direction. With this configuration, it is possible to make the state of the lower hand more stable when the pitch of the multiple mounting parts is the second pitch.

In the present invention, the pitch change mechanism includes a guide mechanism that linearly guides at least the intermediate hand and the lowest hand in the vertical direction, and the guide mechanism is a ball spline mechanism that includes a plurality of spline shafts and a plurality of external cylinders that are fixed to the hands and through which the spline shafts are inserted, and a hand to which an external cylinder through which one of the plurality of spline shafts is inserted is fixed and a hand having a through hole through which the one spline shaft is inserted and to which the external cylinder through which the one spline shaft is inserted is not fixed are alternately arranged in the vertical direction, and it is preferable that the inner diameter of the through hole is larger than the outer diameter of the external cylinder.

When configured in this manner, even when the hand is guided in the vertical direction using a ball spline mechanism, it is possible to reduce the vertical distance between two vertically adjacent hands compared to when an outer cylinder through which one spline shaft is inserted is fixed to all hands. Therefore, even when the hand is guided in the vertical direction using a ball spline mechanism, it is possible to reduce the first pitch.

As described above, the present invention makes it possible to miniaturize the pitch change mechanism in an industrial robot equipped with a pitch change mechanism for changing the vertical pitch of multiple mounting sections on which objects to be transported are mounted.

1 is a perspective view of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mounting mechanism, a linear driving mechanism, a tilt correction mechanism, and the like shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mounting mechanism shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the mounting mechanism shown in FIG. 3 from a different direction. FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining the configuration of the hand shown in FIG. 3 . FIG. 4 is a side view of the proximal end of the mounting mechanism shown in FIG. 3 . FIG. 4 is a rear view of the mounting mechanism shown in FIG. 3 . FIG. 4 is a rear view of the mounting mechanism shown in FIG. 3 . 8 is an enlarged view for explaining the configuration of the support member shown in FIG. 7 . 7 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the guide mechanism shown in FIG. 6.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

(Overall configuration of industrial robots)
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an industrial robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a mounting mechanism 3, linear drive mechanisms 5 to 7, and an inclination correction mechanism 8 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the mounting mechanism 3 shown in Fig. 1.

The industrial robot 1 (hereinafter referred to as "robot 1") of this embodiment is a robot for transporting semiconductor wafers 2 (hereinafter referred to as "wafers 2"), which are objects to be transported. The wafers 2 are formed in a thin, circular plate shape. The robot 1, for example, simultaneously transports multiple wafers 2 from a cassette (not shown) in which multiple wafers 2 are stored stacked at a predetermined pitch, and transports the multiple wafers 2 transported from the cassette into a predetermined processing device that constitutes a semiconductor manufacturing system (not shown). The robot 1 also simultaneously transports multiple wafers 2 from a processing device in which multiple wafers 2 are stored stacked at a predetermined pitch, and transports the multiple wafers 2 transported into the cassette.

The robot 1 includes a mounting mechanism 3 on which multiple wafers 2 are mounted, a hand 4 on which one wafer 2 is mounted, a linear drive mechanism 5 for moving the mounting mechanism 3 linearly in the horizontal direction, a linear drive mechanism 6 for moving the hand 4 linearly in the horizontal direction, a linear drive mechanism 7 for moving the linear drive mechanisms 5, 6 linearly in the horizontal direction, a tilt correction mechanism 8 for correcting the tilt of the mounting mechanism 3 and the hand 4, a main body 9 that holds the tilt correction mechanism 8, and a base member 10 that supports the main body 9 so that it can move horizontally.

The mounting mechanism 3 mounts multiple wafers 2 that are stacked at a constant pitch in the vertical direction. The mounting mechanism 3 includes multiple hands 14-24 on which the wafers 2 are mounted. The mounting mechanism 3 in this embodiment includes eleven hands 14-24. Each of the hands 14-24 mounts one wafer 2. The eleven hands 14-24 are stacked at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction. Specifically, the eleven hands 14-24 are stacked at a constant pitch. The eleven hands 14-24 face the same direction.

The mounting mechanism 3 also includes a pitch change mechanism 25 for changing the vertical pitch of the eleven hands 14-24. Hand 4 is positioned above the hands 14-24. Hand 4 faces the same direction as the hands 14-24. The specific configurations of the hands 14-24 and the pitch change mechanism 25 will be described later. The base end portion of the mounting mechanism 3 is covered by a cover 27 (see Figure 2), but the cover 27 is not shown in Figure 3 etc.

The linear drive mechanism 5 moves the mounting mechanism 3 back and forth in a straight line. That is, the linear drive mechanism 5 moves the eleven hands 14 to 24 back and forth in a straight line. The linear drive mechanism 5 is disposed below the hands 14 to 24. The linear drive mechanism 5 includes, for example, a motor, a ball screw, a guide mechanism, etc. The linear drive mechanism 6 moves the hand 4 back and forth in a straight line in the same direction as the back and forth movement direction of the hands 14 to 24 moved by the linear drive mechanism 5. The linear drive mechanism 6 is disposed below the hands 14 to 24. The linear drive mechanism 6 includes, for example, a motor, a ball screw, a guide mechanism, etc., like the linear drive mechanism 5.

The linear drive mechanism 7 linearly reciprocates the linear drive mechanisms 5 and 6 in the same direction as the reciprocating movement of the hands 4, 14-24 moved by the linear drive mechanisms 5 and 6. In other words, the linear drive mechanism 7 further reciprocates the hands 14-24 together with the linear drive mechanism 5 in the same direction as the reciprocating movement of the hands 4, 14-24 moved by the linear drive mechanisms 5 and 6, and further reciprocates the hand 4 together with the linear drive mechanism 6. The linear drive mechanism 7 is disposed below the linear drive mechanisms 5 and 6. Like the linear drive mechanisms 5 and 6, the linear drive mechanism 7 is equipped with, for example, two motors, two ball screws, a guide mechanism, etc.

The tilt correction mechanism 8 is disposed below the linear drive mechanism 7. The linear drive mechanism 7 is mounted on the tilt correction mechanism 8. The tilt correction mechanism 8 tilts the linear drive mechanism 7 to correct the tilt of the hand 4, 14 to 24 on which the wafer 2 is mounted. The tilt correction mechanism 8 includes a first tilt correction mechanism that rotates the hand 4, 14 to 24 together with the linear drive mechanism 7, etc., with a predetermined first direction tilted with respect to the vertical direction as the axial direction of the rotation, and a second tilt correction mechanism that rotates the hand 4, 14 to 24 together with the linear drive mechanism 7, etc., with a second direction tilted with respect to the vertical direction and with respect to the first direction as the axial direction of the rotation. The first direction is approximately the same as the reciprocating direction of the mounting mechanism 3 and the hand 4. The second direction is a direction perpendicular to the first direction.

The main body 9 includes a columnar frame 31 that holds the tilt correction mechanism 8 so that it can be raised and lowered. The columnar frame 31 is formed in a columnar shape that is elongated in the vertical direction. The main body 9 also includes a base 32 that constitutes the lower end of the main body 9 and is horizontally movable relative to the base member 10, and a rotating base 33 to which the lower end of the columnar frame 31 is fixed and is rotatable relative to the base 32. The robot 1 includes a lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the tilt correction mechanism 8 relative to the columnar frame 31, a rotating mechanism that rotates the rotating base 33 relative to the base 32 with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation, and a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the base 32 horizontally relative to the base member 10.

(Hand Composition)
Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the mounting mechanism 3 shown in Fig. 3 from a different direction. Fig. 5 is a side view for explaining the configuration of the hands 14 to 24 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a side view of the base end portion of the mounting mechanism 3 shown in Fig. 3. Figs. 7 and 8 are rear views of the mounting mechanism 3 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view for explaining the configuration of the support members 78 to 87 shown in Fig. 7.

As described above, the mounting mechanism 3 includes eleven hands 14 to 24. The hands 14 to 24 are arranged in this order from top to bottom. In this embodiment, hand 14 is the top hand that is the hand arranged at the top of the multiple hands 14 to 24, and hand 24 is the bottom hand that is the hand arranged at the bottom of the multiple hands 14 to 24. Hands 15 to 23 are intermediate hands that are the remaining hands excluding the top hand (hand 14) and the bottom hand (hand 24) of the multiple hands 14 to 24.

In addition, in this embodiment, in the relationship between hand 14 and hand 15, hand 14 is the upper hand, which is the hand that is located on the upper side of the two hands 14, 15 that are adjacent in the vertical direction, and hand 15 is the lower hand, which is the hand that is located on the lower side. In addition, in the relationship between hand 15 and hand 16, hand 15 is the upper hand, which is the hand that is located on the upper side of the two hands 15, 16 that are adjacent in the vertical direction, and hand 16 is the lower hand, which is the hand that is located on the lower side.

Similarly, in the relationship between hand 16 and hand 17, hand 16 is the upper hand and hand 17 is the lower hand; in the relationship between hand 17 and hand 18, hand 17 is the upper hand and hand 18 is the lower hand; in the relationship between hand 18 and hand 19, hand 18 is the upper hand and hand 19 is the lower hand; and in the relationship between hand 19 and hand 20, hand 19 is the upper hand and hand 20 is the lower hand.

In addition, in the relationship between hand 20 and hand 21, hand 20 is the upper hand and hand 21 is the lower hand; in the relationship between hand 21 and hand 22, hand 21 is the upper hand and hand 22 is the lower hand; in the relationship between hand 22 and hand 23, hand 22 is the upper hand and hand 23 is the lower hand; and in the relationship between hand 23 and hand 24, hand 23 is the upper hand and hand 24 is the lower hand.

The hands 14-24 move linearly in the horizontal direction when transporting the wafer 2. In the following explanation, the X direction in FIG. 3 etc., which is the movement direction (reciprocating movement direction) of the hands 14-24, is referred to as the "front-rear direction", and the Y direction in FIG. 3 etc., which is perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction, is referred to as the "left-right direction". The left-right direction (Y direction) in this embodiment is an orthogonal direction that is perpendicular to the movement direction of the hands 14-24 and the up-down direction.

For ease of explanation, the X1 direction in FIG. 3, etc., which is one side in the front-to-rear direction, will be referred to as the "front" side, the X2 direction in FIG. 3, etc., which is the opposite side, will be referred to as the "rear" side, the Y1 direction in FIG. 3, etc., which is one side in the left-right direction, will be referred to as the "right" side, and the Y2 direction in FIG. 3, etc., which is the opposite side, will be referred to as the "left" side. In this embodiment, the front side is the tip side of the hands 14 to 24, and the rear side is the base end side of the hands 14 to 24.

The hands 14 to 24 each include a blade 36 on which the wafer 2 is mounted. As shown in FIG. 5, the hand 14 includes a blade holding member 37 to which the blade 36 is fixed, and a fixed member 49 to which the blade holding member 37 is fixed. Like the hand 14, the hand 15 includes a blade holding member 38 to which the blade 36 is fixed, and a fixed member 50 to which the blade holding member 38 is fixed, and the hand 16 includes a blade holding member 39 to which the blade 36 is fixed, and a fixed member 51 to which the blade holding member 39 is fixed.

Similarly, hand 17 includes a blade holding member 40 to which blade 36 is fixed and a fixed member 52 to which blade holding member 40 is fixed, hand 18 includes a blade holding member 41 to which blade 36 is fixed and a fixed member 53 to which blade holding member 41 is fixed, hand 19 includes a blade holding member 42 to which blade 36 is fixed and a fixed member 54 to which blade holding member 42 is fixed, and hand 20 includes a blade holding member 43 to which blade 36 is fixed and a fixed member 55 to which blade holding member 43 is fixed.

Furthermore, the hand 21 includes a blade holding member 44 to which the blade 36 is fixed and a fixed member 56 to which the blade holding member 44 is fixed, the hand 22 includes a blade holding member 45 to which the blade 36 is fixed and a fixed member 57 to which the blade holding member 45 is fixed, the hand 23 includes a blade holding member 46 to which the blade 36 is fixed and a fixed member 58 to which the blade holding member 46 is fixed, and the hand 24 includes a blade holding member 47 to which the blade 36 is fixed and a fixed member 59 to which the blade holding member 47 is fixed.

In this embodiment, the mounting portion for the wafer 2 is formed by each of the blade holding members 37 to 47 and the blade 36. The blade 36 is formed in a flat plate shape. The blade 36 is arranged so that the thickness direction of the blade 36 coincides with the vertical direction. When viewed from the vertical direction, the shape of the blade 36 is approximately U-shaped. The blade 36 is formed separately from the blade holding members 37 to 47. Like the hands 14 to 24, the hand 4 is equipped with a blade 73 on which the wafer 2 is mounted (see Figure 2).

The blade holding members 37-47 are formed in a generally rectangular flat plate shape. The blade holding members 37-47 are arranged so that the thickness direction of the blade holding members 37-47 coincides with the up-down direction. The hand 14 in this embodiment has two blade holding members 37, and the two blade holding members 37 are arranged with a gap between them in the left-right direction. Similarly, each of the hands 15-24 has two blade holding members 38-47, and the two blade holding members 38-47 are arranged with a gap between them in the left-right direction.

The rear end (base end) of the blade 36 is fixed to the front ends of the two blade holding members 37-47 by bolts such as flat head bolts. The rear end of the blade 36 is disposed above the front ends of the blade holding members 37-47 and is fixed to the blade holding members 37-47 in a state where it overlaps with the front ends of the blade holding members 37-47 in the vertical direction. The lower surface of the rear end of the blade 36 is in contact with the upper surfaces of the front ends of the blade holding members 37-47.

The fixing members 49 to 59 are formed in a flat plate shape. The fixing members 49 to 59 are arranged so that the thickness direction of the fixing members 49 to 59 coincides with the vertical direction, and the upper and lower surfaces of the fixing members 49 to 59 are planes perpendicular to the vertical direction. The external shapes of the fixing members 49 to 59 are almost the same as each other. The fixing members 49 to 59 overlap at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction. As described above, the hands 14 to 24 are arranged in this order from top to bottom, and the fixing members 49 to 59 are arranged in this order from top to bottom. The fixing members 50 to 59 arranged below the fixing member 49 cannot be seen from above the fixing member 49.

Each of the blade holding members 37-47 is fixed to the front end of each of the fixed members 49-59 by a bolt. Each of the blade holding members 37-47 is fixed to the fixed members 49-59 while overlapping with each of the fixed members 49-59 in the vertical direction. Specifically, each of the blade holding members 37-47 is disposed above the front end of each of the fixed members 49-59, and is fixed to the fixed members 49-59 while overlapping with each of the front end of each of the fixed members 49-59 in the vertical direction. The lower surface of each of the blade holding members 37-47 is in contact with the upper surface of the front end of each of the fixed members 49-49.

Excluding the front ends of the fixed members 49-59 to which the blade holding members 37-47 are fixed, most of the fixed members 49-59 are disposed between a lower frame 75 that constitutes the lower surface of the mounting mechanism 3, and an upper frame 76 (see Figures 6-8) that constitutes the upper surface of the mounting mechanism 3. The lower frame 75 is fixed to the movable part of the linear drive mechanism 5. A number of pillars that rise upward are fixed to the upper surface of the lower frame 75, and the upper frame 76 is fixed to the upper ends of the multiple pillars. Note that the upper frame 76 is not shown in Figures 3, 4, etc.

A support member 78 having support parts 78a for supporting the fixed member 50 from below is fixed to the fixed member 49. That is, the hand 14 has support parts 78a for supporting the hand 15 from below. The hand 14 in this embodiment has support parts 78a arranged on both left and right sides. That is, in this embodiment, the support members 78 are fixed to the fixed member 49 on both left and right sides, and the two support parts 78a make it possible to support the fixed member 50 from below on both left and right sides.

Similarly, support members 79 having support portions 79a for supporting fixed member 51 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right sides of fixed member 50, support members 80 having support portions 80a for supporting fixed member 52 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right sides of fixed member 51, support members 81 having support portions 81a for supporting fixed member 53 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right sides of fixed member 52, and support members 82 having support portions 82a for supporting fixed member 54 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right sides of fixed member 53.

In addition, support members 83 having support parts 83a for supporting the fixed member 55 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right sides of the fixed member 54, support members 84 having support parts 84a for supporting the fixed member 56 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right sides of the fixed member 55, support members 85 having support parts 85a for supporting the fixed member 57 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right sides of the fixed member 56, support members 86 having support parts 86a for supporting the fixed member 58 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right sides of the fixed member 57, and support members 87 having support parts 87a for supporting the fixed member 59 from below on both left and right sides are fixed to both left and right sides of the fixed member 58.

That is, each of the hands 15 to 23 has a support portion 79a to 87a for supporting each of the hands 16 to 24 from below. Also, each of the hands 15 to 23 has two support portions 79a to 87a arranged on both the left and right sides.

At the right end of the fixing members 49 to 59, the support members 78 to 87 are arranged at the same position in the left-right direction. Also, at the right end of the fixing members 49 to 59, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the support members 78, 82, and 86 are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction, the support members 79, 83, and 87 are arranged at the same position, the support members 80 and 84 are arranged at the same position, the support members 81 and 85 are arranged at the same position, and the support members 78, 82, and 86, the support members 79, 83, and 87, the support members 80 and 84, and the support members 81 and 85 are arranged at positions offset from each other in the front-rear direction.

On the left end side of the fixed members 49 to 59, the support members 78, 80, 82, 84, and 86 and the support members 79, 81, 83, 85, and 87 are arranged at positions offset in the left-right direction. Specifically, the support members 78, 80, 82, 84, and 86 are arranged to the right of the support members 79, 81, 83, 85, and 87. Also, on the left end side of the fixed members 49 to 59, for example, the support members 78, 80, 82, 84, and 86 are arranged behind the support members 79, 81, 83, 85, and 87.

As shown in FIG. 9, the support member 78 has a fixed portion 78b fixed to the fixed member 49, and a position adjustment portion 78c extending outward in the left-right direction from the fixed portion 78b. The support member 79 has a fixed portion 79b fixed to the fixed member 50, and a position adjustment portion 79c extending outward in the left-right direction from the fixed portion 79b. Similarly, the support members 80-87 have fixed portions 80b-87b fixed to the fixed members 51-58, respectively, and position adjustment portions 80c-87c extending outward in the left-right direction from the fixed portions 80b-87b, respectively.

The support parts 78a to 87a, the fixed parts 78b to 87b, and the position adjustment parts 78c to 87c are formed in a flat plate shape. The support parts 78a to 87a are arranged so that the thickness direction of the support parts 78a to 87a coincides with the up-down direction, the fixed parts 78b to 87b are arranged so that the thickness direction of the fixed parts 78b to 87b coincides with the left-right direction, and the position adjustment parts 78c to 87c are arranged so that the thickness direction of the position adjustment parts 78c to 87c coincides with the up-down direction. Each of the fixed parts 78b to 87b is fixed to the left-right end faces of the fixing members 49 to 58 by a bolt 61. Each of the support parts 78a to 87a extends from the lower end of the fixed parts 78b to 87b toward the inside in the left-right direction.

The lower surfaces of both left and right end portions of the fixing members 50 to 59 are formed with recesses 50b to 59b in which the support portions 78a to 87a are disposed. The recesses 50b to 59b are recessed upward from the lower surface of each of the fixing members 50 to 59 and inward in the left and right direction from both left and right end surfaces of each of the fixing members 50 to 59. The upper surfaces of the recesses 50b to 59b are flat surfaces perpendicular to the up and down direction. The thickness (up and down thickness) of the support portions 78a to 87a is thinner than the up and down width of the recesses 50b to 59b.

The vertical position of each of the support members 78-87 relative to each of the fixing members 49-58 can be adjusted by an adjustment bolt 88. The adjustment bolt 88 is composed of a push bolt 63 that contacts the upper surface of each of the position adjustment parts 78c-87c and pushes each of the position adjustment parts 78c-87c downward, and a pull bolt 64 that pulls each of the position adjustment parts 78c-87c upward (see FIG. 9). The push bolt 63 is, for example, a hexagon socket set screw, and the pull bolt 64 is, for example, a hexagon socket bolt.

Bolt holding portions 49c to 58c are formed in each of the fixing members 49 to 58, in which a screw hole into which the male thread of the pressing bolt 63 engages and a through hole into which the pulling bolt 64 is inserted are formed. The bolt holding portions 49c to 58c are formed at both left and right ends of each of the fixing members 49 to 58. The bolt holding portions 49c to 58c protrude outward in the left and right directions from each of the fixing members 49 to 58. The bolt holding portions 49c to 58c are formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The bolt holding portions 49c to 58c are disposed above the position adjustment portions 78c to 87c, respectively. The fixed portions 78b to 87b are formed with notches to prevent interference between the fixed portions 78b to 87b and the bolt holding portions 49c to 58c. Nuts 65 that engage with the pressing bolts 63 are disposed above the bolt holding portions 49c to 58c (see FIG. 9). The nuts 65 function to prevent the pressing bolts 63 from loosening. The position adjustment portions 78c to 87c are formed with screw holes into which the male threads of the pulling bolts 64 engage.

A support member 89 having support portions 89a for supporting the fixed member 49 from below on both left and right sides is fixed to the upper frame 76 of the mounting mechanism 3 (see FIG. 6). That is, the upper frame 76 has two support portions 89a for supporting the hand 14 from below on both left and right sides. The support member 89 is configured similarly to the support members 78 to 87, and has a fixed portion that is fixed to the upper frame 76, and a position adjustment portion that extends outward in the left and right direction from this fixed portion. The support portion 89a is formed in a flat plate shape, and is arranged so that the thickness direction of the support portion 89a coincides with the up-down direction. Note that the support member 89 is not shown in any figures other than FIG. 6.

A recess 49b in which the support portion 89a is disposed is formed on the underside of both left and right end portions of the fixed member 49. Like the recesses 50b to 59b, the recess 49b is recessed upward from the underside of the fixed member 49 and inward in the left and right direction from both left and right end faces of the fixed member 49. The upper surface of the recess 49b is a flat surface perpendicular to the up and down direction. The thickness (up and down thickness) of the support portion 89a is thinner than the up and down width of the recess 49b. The up and down position of the support member 89 relative to the upper frame 76 can be adjusted by an adjustment bolt similar to the adjustment bolt 88.

(Configuration of pitch change mechanism)
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the guide mechanism 92 shown in FIG.

The pitch change mechanism 25 changes the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36. That is, the pitch change mechanism 25 changes the vertical pitch of the mounting portions of the eleven hands 14 to 24. Specifically, the pitch change mechanism 25 sets the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36 to a predetermined first pitch (see FIG. 8) and a second pitch (see FIG. 7) that is wider than the first pitch. The first pitch is, for example, about 8 mm, and the second pitch is, for example, about 10 mm. The pitch change mechanism 25 includes a lifting mechanism 91 that lifts and lowers the hands 24, and a guide mechanism 92 that linearly guides the hands 14 to 24 in the vertical direction.

The lifting mechanism 91 includes an air cylinder 93 as a drive source, and a connecting member 94 that connects the air cylinder 93 and the hand 24. The air cylinder 93 is a low-speed air cylinder with a rod (piston) that moves at a relatively slow speed. The air cylinder 93 is disposed behind the hands 14 to 24. The body of the air cylinder 93 is fixed to the upper surface side of the lower frame 75. The air cylinder 93 is disposed so that the rod of the air cylinder 93 protrudes downward. The connecting member 94 is fixed to the lower end of the rod of the air cylinder 93 and the lower surface of the fixed member 59 of the hand 24.

The guide mechanism 92 guides the fixed members 49-59 linearly in the vertical direction. The guide mechanism 92 is a ball spline mechanism that includes multiple spline shafts 95-98 and multiple outer cylinders 99 through which the spline shafts 95-98 are inserted. The guide mechanism 92 in this embodiment includes four spline shafts 95-98 (see FIG. 3) and 22 outer cylinders 99. The spline shafts 95-98 are arranged so that their axial directions coincide with the vertical direction. The lower ends of the spline shafts 95-98 are fixed to the lower frame 75, and the upper ends of the spline shafts 95-98 are fixed to the upper frame 76.

As shown in FIG. 3, the spline shafts 95 and 96 are disposed on the right end side of the hands 14 to 24. The spline shafts 97 and 98 are disposed to the left of the center in the left-right direction of the hands 14 to 24. The spline shafts 95 and 96 are disposed at the same position in the left-right direction and are disposed with a gap between them in the front-rear direction. The spline shaft 95 is disposed behind the spline shaft 96.

The spline shafts 97 and 98 are arranged at positions offset from each other in the front-rear and left-right directions. The spline shaft 97 is arranged rearward and to the right of the spline shaft 98. The spline shafts 95 and 97 are arranged at positions offset from each other in the front-rear direction. The spline shaft 95 is arranged slightly rearward of the spline shaft 97. The spline shafts 96 and 98 are arranged at the same position in the front-rear direction.

The outer cylinder 99 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The outer cylinder 99 is fixed to each of the hands 14 to 24. In this embodiment, two outer cylinders 99 are fixed to each of the fixed members 49 to 59. The outer cylinders 99 are fixed at two locations, the rear end portion and the front end portion of each of the fixed members 49 to 59. Specifically, the outer cylinder 99 through which the spline shaft 95 is inserted is fixed to each of the fixed members 50, 52, 54, 56, and 58, and the outer cylinder 99 through which the spline shaft 96 is inserted is fixed to each of the fixed members 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, and 59 (see FIG. 10). In addition, the outer cylinder 99 through which the spline shaft 97 is inserted is fixed to each of the fixed members 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, and 59, and the outer cylinder 99 through which the spline shaft 98 is inserted is fixed to each of the fixed members 50, 52, 54, 56, and 58.

The length of the outer tube 99 (vertical (axial) length) is longer than the thickness of the fixing members 49-59. The upper end of the outer tube 99 protrudes upward from the upper surface of each of the fixing members 49-59 to which the outer tube 99 is fixed. The lower end of the outer tube 99 protrudes downward from the lower surface of each of the fixing members 49-59 to which the outer tube 99 is fixed. The fixing members 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 are each formed with through holes 49d, 51d, 53d, 55d, 57d, 59d through which the spline shafts 95, 98 are inserted (see FIG. 10). The fixing members 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 are formed with through holes 50d, 52d, 54d, 56d, 58d through which the spline shafts 96, 97 are inserted (see FIG. 10).

In this manner, in this embodiment, the hands 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 to which the outer cylinder 99 through which the spline shaft 95 is inserted is fixed and the hands 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 to which the through holes 49d, 51d, 53d, 55d, 57d, 59d through which the spline shaft 95 is inserted are formed and the outer cylinder 99 through which the spline shaft 95 is inserted is not fixed are arranged alternately in the vertical direction. Also, the hands 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 to which the outer cylinder 99 through which the spline shaft 96 is inserted is fixed and the hands 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 to which the through holes 50d, 52d, 54d, 56d, 58d through which the spline shaft 96 is inserted are formed and the outer cylinder 99 through which the spline shaft 96 is inserted is not fixed are arranged alternately in the vertical direction.

The hands 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 to which the outer cylinder 99 through which the spline shaft 97 is inserted is fixed and the hands 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 to which the through holes 50d, 52d, 54d, 56d, 58d through which the spline shaft 97 is inserted are formed and to which the outer cylinder 99 through which the spline shaft 97 is inserted is not fixed are arranged alternately in the vertical direction. The hands 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 to which the outer cylinder 99 through which the spline shaft 98 is inserted is fixed and the hands 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 to which the through holes 49d, 51d, 53d, 55d, 57d, 59d through which the spline shaft 98 is inserted are formed and to which the outer cylinder 99 through which the spline shaft 98 is inserted is not fixed are arranged alternately in the vertical direction.

In other words, in this embodiment, the hands 14-24 to which the outer cylinder 99 through which one of the four spline shafts 95-98 is inserted is fixed, and the hands 14-24 to which the through-holes 49d-59d through which the one spline shaft 95-98 is inserted and to which the outer cylinder 99 through which the one spline shaft 95-98 is inserted is not fixed are arranged alternately in the vertical direction.

The through holes 49d-59d are round holes that penetrate in the vertical direction. The inner diameter of the through holes 49d-59d is larger than the outer diameter of the outer tube 99. More specifically, in order to prevent interference between the fixing members 49-59 and the outer tube 99 when the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36 becomes the first pitch, the inner diameter of the through holes 49d-59d is larger than the outer diameter of the upper end of the outer tube 99 that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the fixing members 49-59 and the outer diameter of the lower end of the outer tube 99 that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the fixing members 49-59.

In this embodiment, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the first pitch, the rod of the air cylinder 93 is retracted and the hand 24 is pushed up. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the upper surface of the fixed member 49 contacts the lower surface of the upper frame 76, the upper surface of the fixed member 50 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 49, the upper surface of the fixed member 51 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 50, the upper surface of the fixed member 52 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 51, the upper surface of the fixed member 53 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 52, the upper surface of the fixed member 54 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 53, the upper surface of the fixed member 55 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 54, the upper surface of the fixed member 56 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 55, the upper surface of the fixed member 57 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 56, the upper surface of the fixed member 58 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 57, and the upper surface of the fixed member 59 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 58.

That is, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the first pitch, the upper surface of hand 14 contacts the lower surface of upper frame 76, the upper surface of hand 15 contacts the lower surface of hand 14, the upper surface of hand 16 contacts the lower surface of hand 15, the upper surface of hand 17 contacts the lower surface of hand 16, the upper surface of hand 18 contacts the lower surface of hand 17, the upper surface of hand 19 contacts the lower surface of hand 18, the upper surface of hand 20 contacts the lower surface of hand 19, the upper surface of hand 21 contacts the lower surface of hand 20, the upper surface of hand 22 contacts the lower surface of hand 21, the upper surface of hand 23 contacts the lower surface of hand 22, and the upper surface of hand 24 contacts the lower surface of hand 23.

When the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the first pitch, in the vertical direction, a gap is formed between the fixed member 49 and the upper surface of the support portion 89a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 50 and the upper surface of the support portion 78a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 51 and the upper surface of the support portion 79a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 52 and the upper surface of the support portion 80a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 53 and the upper surface of the support portion 81a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 54 and the upper surface of the support portion 82a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 55 and the upper surface of the support portion 83a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 56 and the upper surface of the support portion 84a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 57 and the upper surface of the support portion 85a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 58 and the upper surface of the support portion 86a, and a gap is formed between the fixed member 59 and the upper surface of the support portion 87a.

When the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is the first pitch, in the vertical direction, a gap is formed between the fixed member 50 and the lower surface of the support portion 89a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 51 and the lower surface of the support portion 78a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 52 and the lower surface of the support portion 79a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 53 and the lower surface of the support portion 80a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 54 and the lower surface of the support portion 81a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 55 and the lower surface of the support portion 82a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 56 and the lower surface of the support portion 83a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 57 and the lower surface of the support portion 84a, a gap is formed between the fixed member 58 and the lower surface of the support portion 85a, and a gap is formed between the fixed member 59 and the lower surface of the support portion 86a.

On the other hand, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the second pitch, the rod of the air cylinder 93 protrudes and the hand 24 is in a lowered state. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the fixed member 49 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 89a, the fixed member 50 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 78a, the fixed member 51 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 79a, the fixed member 52 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 80a, the fixed member 53 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 81a, the fixed member 54 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 82a, the fixed member 55 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 83a, the fixed member 56 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 84a, the fixed member 57 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 85a, the fixed member 58 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 86a, and the fixed member 59 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 87a.

In other words, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the second pitch, hand 14 contacts support portion 89a, hand 15 contacts support portion 78a, hand 16 contacts support portion 79a, hand 17 contacts support portion 80a, hand 18 contacts support portion 81a, hand 19 contacts support portion 82a, hand 20 contacts support portion 83a, hand 21 contacts support portion 84a, hand 22 contacts support portion 85a, hand 23 contacts support portion 86a, and hand 24 contacts support portion 87a.

When the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the second pitch, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 49 and the lower surface of the upper frame 76 in the vertical direction, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 50 and the lower surface of the fixed member 49, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 51 and the lower surface of the fixed member 50, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 52 and the lower surface of the fixed member 51, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 53 and the lower surface of the fixed member 52, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 54 and the lower surface of the fixed member 53, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 55 and the lower surface of the fixed member 54, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 56 and the lower surface of the fixed member 55, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 57 and the lower surface of the fixed member 56, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 58 and the lower surface of the fixed member 57, and a gap is formed between the upper surface of the fixed member 59 and the lower surface of the fixed member 58.

When the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is set to the second pitch, and the lifting mechanism 91 raises the hand 24 (specifically, when the air cylinder 93 raises the hand 24), the upper surface of the fixed member 59 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 58 to lift the fixed member 58, then the upper surface of the fixed member 58 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 57 to lift the fixed member 57, then the upper surface of the fixed member 57 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 56 to lift the fixed member 56, then the upper surface of the fixed member 56 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 55 to lift the fixed member 55, then the upper surface of the fixed member 55 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 55 to lift the fixed member 55, and then the upper surface of the fixed member 55 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 56 to lift the fixed member 55. The upper surface of the fixed member 54 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 53 and lifts the fixed member 53, then the upper surface of the fixed member 53 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 52 and lifts the fixed member 52, then the upper surface of the fixed member 52 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 51 and lifts the fixed member 51, then the upper surface of the fixed member 51 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 50 and lifts the fixed member 50, then the upper surface of the fixed member 50 contacts the lower surface of the fixed member 49 and lifts the fixed member 49, and the pitch of the 11 blades 36 becomes the first pitch.

In this way, when the lifting mechanism 91 lifts the hand 24 in a state in which the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is the second pitch, the upper surfaces of the hands 24 to 15 come into contact with the lower surfaces of the hands 23 to 14, lifting the hands 23 to 14, and the pitch of the 11 blades 36 becomes the first pitch. Specifically, when the lifting mechanism 91 lifts the hand 24 in a state in which the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is the second pitch, the upper surfaces of the hands 24 to 15 come into contact with the lower surfaces of the hands 23 to 14 in sequence, lifting the hands 23 to 14 in sequence in this order, and the pitch of the 11 blades 36 becomes the first pitch. In other words, when the lifting mechanism 91 lifts the hand 24 in a state in which the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is the second pitch, the hands 14 to 23 rise as the hand 24 rises, and the vertical pitch of the 11 blades 36 becomes the first pitch.

On the other hand, when the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is set to the first pitch, and the lifting mechanism 91 lowers the hand 24 (specifically, when the air cylinder 93 lowers the hand 24), the fixed member 59 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 87a and pulls down the fixed member 58, then the fixed member 58 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 86a and pulls down the fixed member 57, then the fixed member 57 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 85a and pulls down the fixed member 56, then the fixed member 56 contacts the upper surface of the support portion 84a and pulls down the fixed member 55, then the fixed member 55 contacts the upper surface of support portion 83a and pulls down fixed member 54, then fixed member 54 contacts the upper surface of support portion 82a and pulls down fixed member 53, then fixed member 53 contacts the upper surface of support portion 81a and pulls down fixed member 52, then fixed member 52 contacts the upper surface of support portion 80a and pulls down fixed member 51, then fixed member 51 contacts the upper surface of support portion 79a and pulls down fixed member 50, then fixed member 50 contacts the upper surface of support portion 78a and pulls down fixed member 49, and the pitch of the 11 blades 36 becomes the second pitch.

In this way, when the lifting mechanism 91 lowers the hand 24 in a state where the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is the first pitch, the hands 24 to 15 come into contact with the supports 87a to 78a and pull down the hands 23 to 14, and the pitch of the 11 blades 36 becomes the second pitch. Specifically, when the lifting mechanism 91 lowers the hand 24 in a state where the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is the first pitch, the hands 24 to 15 come into contact with the upper surfaces of the supports 87a to 78a in sequence and pull down the hands 23 to 14 in sequence in this order, and the pitch of the 11 blades 36 becomes the second pitch. In other words, when the lifting mechanism 91 lowers the hand 24 in a state where the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is the first pitch, the hands 14 to 23 descend in conjunction with the descent of the hand 24, and the vertical pitch of the 11 blades 36 becomes the second pitch.

(Main effects of this embodiment)
As described above, in this embodiment, when the lifting mechanism 91 lifts the hand 24, the hands 14 to 23 lift in conjunction with the lifting of the hand 24, and the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36 becomes the first pitch, and when the lifting mechanism 91 lowers the hand 24, the hands 14 to 23 lower in conjunction with the lowering of the hand 24, and the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36 becomes the second pitch. Therefore, in this embodiment, even without using two elongated lever members as in the industrial robot described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36 can be changed by lifting and lowering one hand 24 by the lifting mechanism 91. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to miniaturize the pitch change mechanism 25.

In addition, in this embodiment, the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36 can be changed by raising and lowering one hand 24 with the lifting mechanism 91, so even if the mounting mechanism 3 has eleven hands 14 to 24, the configuration of the pitch changing mechanism 25 can be simplified and the pitch changing mechanism 25 can be made smaller.

In this embodiment, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the first pitch, the upper surface of the hand 14 contacts the lower surface of the upper frame 76, and the upper surfaces of the hands 15 to 24 contact the lower surfaces of the hands 14 to 23. Also, in this embodiment, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the second pitch, the hand 14 contacts the support portion 89a, and the hands 15 to 24 contact the support portions 78a to 87a. Therefore, in this embodiment, with a relatively simple configuration, it is possible to position the hands 14 to 24 in the vertical direction when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the first pitch, and to position the hands 14 to 24 in the vertical direction when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the second pitch.

In this embodiment, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the second pitch, when the lifting mechanism 91 raises the hand 24, the upper surfaces of the hands 24-15 come into contact with the lower surfaces of the hands 23-14, lifting the hands 23-14 and causing the pitch of the eleven blades 36 to become the first pitch, and when the lifting mechanism 91 lowers the hand 24 in a state in which the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the first pitch, the hands 24-15 come into contact with the supports 87a-78a, pulling down the hands 23-14 and causing the pitch of the eleven blades 36 to become the second pitch. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reliably raise and lower the hands 14-23 in conjunction with the raising and lowering of the hand 24 with a relatively simple configuration.

In this embodiment, each of the hands 14 to 23 has support parts 78a to 87a on both left and right sides for supporting the hands 15 to 24 from below. Also, in this embodiment, the upper frame 76 has support parts 89a on both left and right sides for supporting the hand 14 from below. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to more stabilize the state of the hands 14 to 24 when the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is the second pitch.

In this embodiment, the hands 14-24 to which the outer cylinder 99 through which one of the four spline shafts 95-98 is inserted is fixed and the hands 14-24 to which the through holes 49d-59d through which the one spline shaft 95-98 is inserted are formed and to which the outer cylinder 99 through which the one spline shaft 95-98 is inserted is not fixed are arranged alternately in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the through holes 49d-59d is larger than the outer diameter of the upper end of the outer cylinder 99 protruding upward from the upper surface of the fixed member 49-59 and the outer diameter of the lower end of the outer cylinder 99 protruding downward from the lower surface of the fixed member 49-59 so that interference between the fixed member 49-59 and the outer cylinder 99 does not occur when the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36 becomes the first pitch.

Therefore, in this embodiment, even when the hands 14-24 are guided in the vertical direction using a ball spline mechanism, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 becomes the first pitch, the lower surface of each of the hands 14-23 and the upper surface of each of the hands 15-24 can be brought into contact with each other, thereby making it possible to reduce the vertical distance between two vertically adjacent hands 14-24. Therefore, in this embodiment, even when the hands 14-24 are guided in the vertical direction using a ball spline mechanism, it is possible to reduce the first pitch.

Other Embodiments
The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, when the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the first pitch, the upper surface of the fixed member 50 may contact the lower surface of the support portion 89a, the upper surface of the fixed member 51 may contact the lower surface of the support portion 78a, the upper surface of the fixed member 52 may contact the lower surface of the support portion 79a, the upper surface of the fixed member 53 may contact the lower surface of the support portion 80a, the upper surface of the fixed member 54 may contact the lower surface of the support portion 81a, the upper surface of the fixed member 55 may contact the lower surface of the support portion 82a, the upper surface of the fixed member 56 may contact the lower surface of the support portion 83a, the upper surface of the fixed member 57 may contact the lower surface of the support portion 84a, the upper surface of the fixed member 58 may contact the lower surface of the support portion 85a, and the upper surface of the fixed member 59 may contact the lower surface of the support portion 86a. In this case, a gap is formed between the upper surface of each of the hands 15 to 24 and the lower surface of each of the hands 14 to 23.

In the embodiment described above, a stopper member for determining the vertical position of the hands 14 to 24 when the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is the first pitch may be fixed to at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the fixed members 49 to 58, or may be fixed to the upper surface of the fixed member 59. In other words, the hands 14 to 24 may be provided with a stopper member for determining the vertical position of the hands 14 to 24 when the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is the first pitch.

In the above-described embodiment, the hands 14-23 may not include the support members 78-87. Furthermore, the upper frame 76 may not include the support member 89. In this case, for example, support members corresponding to the support members 78-87, 89 are fixed to a support pillar rising from the lower frame 75. Also, in this case, for example, notches are formed in the fixed members 50-59 to prevent interference between the support members fixed to the pillar and the fixed members 49-59 when the hands 14-24 are raised and lowered.

In the above-described embodiment, when the pitch of the 11 blades 36 is the first pitch and the hand 24 is lowered, the hands 14 to 23 may fall under their own weight, causing the pitch of the 11 blades 36 to become the second pitch.

In the above embodiment, the hand 14 may be fixed to the upper frame 76. Specifically, the fixing member 49 may be fixed to the upper frame 76. In this case, the support member 89 is not necessary. In this case, when the hand 24 is raised in a state where the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the second pitch, the hands 15 to 23 rise with the hand 24 rising, and the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36 becomes the first pitch, and when the hand 24 is lowered in a state where the pitch of the eleven blades 36 is the first pitch, the hands 15 to 23 fall with the hand 24 falling, and the vertical pitch of the eleven blades 36 becomes the second pitch. In this case, the guide mechanism 92 guides the hands 15 to 24 in the vertical direction.

In the above embodiment, four outer cylinders 99 may be fixed to each of the hands 14 to 24. In this case, the four spline shafts 95 to 98 are inserted into each of the four outer cylinders 99 fixed to each of the hands 14 to 24. In this case, the fixing members 49 to 59 do not have through holes 49d to 59d. In the above embodiment, the guide mechanism 92 may include a guide shaft and a bush through which the guide shaft is inserted, instead of the spline shafts 95 to 98 and the outer cylinder 99, or a guide rail and a guide block that engages with the guide rail.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the lifting mechanism 91 may be equipped with a motor instead of the air cylinder 93. Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the number of hands equipped to the mounting mechanism 3 may be 10 or less, or 12 or more, as long as it is 3 or more. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the robot 1 may not be equipped with the hand 4. In this case, the linear drive mechanism 6 and the like are not required. Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the robot 1 may not be equipped with the tilt correction mechanism 8.

In the above-described embodiment, the robot 1 may be a horizontal articulated robot. In this case, instead of the linear drive mechanisms 5 to 7, the robot 1 is provided with an articulated arm to which the mounting mechanism 3 is rotatably connected at its tip, and an articulated arm to which the hand 4 is rotatably connected at its tip. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the robot 1 may transport objects other than the wafer 2. For example, the robot 1 may transport glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices.

1. Robots (industrial robots)
2 Wafer (semiconductor wafer, transport object)
3 Mounting mechanism 14 Hand (top hand, upper hand)
15-23 Hands (middle hand, upper hand, lower hand)
24 Hand (Lowest Hand, Lower Hand)
25 Pitch change mechanism 36 Blade (part of mounting section)
37-47 Blade holding member (part of mounting part)
49d to 59d through holes 78a to 87a support portion 91 lift mechanism 92 guide mechanism 95 to 98 spline shaft 99 outer cylinder X hand movement direction Y perpendicular direction

Claims (4)

An industrial robot having a mounting mechanism on which a plurality of transport objects are mounted,
the mounting mechanism includes at least three or more hands each having a mounting portion for the object to be transported and overlapping at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction, and a pitch changing mechanism for changing the vertical pitch of the mounting portions;
The hand that is placed at the top of the plurality of hands is defined as the most significant hand, the hand that is placed at the bottom of the plurality of hands is defined as the most significant hand, the hands excluding the most significant hand and the most significant hand are defined as intermediate hands , the hand that is placed at the top of two hands that are adjacent in the vertical direction is defined as the upper hand, and the hand that is placed at the bottom is defined as the lower hand ,
the pitch change mechanism includes a lift mechanism for lifting the lowest hand, and sets a vertical pitch of the plurality of mounting parts to a predetermined first pitch and a second pitch wider than the first pitch;
when the lifting mechanism lifts the lowest hand, at least the intermediate hand lifts in conjunction with the lifting of the lowest hand, so that the vertical pitch of the plurality of mounting units becomes the first pitch;
when the lifting mechanism lowers the lowest hand, at least the intermediate hand is lowered in association with the lowering of the lowest hand, so that the vertical pitch of the plurality of mounting units becomes the second pitch;
the upper hand includes a support portion for supporting the lower hand from below,
When the pitch of the plurality of mounting parts is the first pitch, the upper surface of the lower hand contacts the lower surface of the upper hand,
When the pitch of the plurality of mounting parts is the second pitch, the lower hand comes into contact with the support part,
A recess in which the support portion is disposed is formed on the lower surface of the lower hand,
The recess is recessed upward from the lower surface of the lower hand,
The thickness of the support portion in the vertical direction is smaller than the width of the recess in the vertical direction,
When the pitch of the multiple mounting parts is the first pitch, the support part is positioned between an upper surface of the recess and an upper surface of the lower hand in the vertical direction . When the lifting mechanism lifts the lowest hand while the pitch of the plurality of mounting parts is the second pitch, an upper surface of the lower hand comes into contact with a lower surface of the upper hand, and the lower hand lifts the upper hand, so that the pitch of the plurality of mounting parts becomes the first pitch;
2. The industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein when the pitch of the plurality of mounting parts is the first pitch and the lifting mechanism lowers the lowest hand, the lower hand comes into contact with the support part and pulls down the upper hand, so that the pitch of the plurality of mounting parts becomes the second pitch. the hand moves linearly in a horizontal direction when transporting the object to be transported,
If the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the hand and the vertical direction is defined as an orthogonal direction,
3. The industrial robot according to claim 1 , wherein the upper hand includes the support portions arranged on both sides in the perpendicular direction. the pitch change mechanism includes a guide mechanism that linearly guides at least the intermediate hand and the lowermost hand in a vertical direction,
the guide mechanism is a ball spline mechanism including a plurality of spline shafts and a plurality of outer cylinders fixed to the hand and through which the spline shafts are inserted,
the hand to which the outer cylinder through which one of the plurality of spline shafts is inserted is fixed, and the hand in which a through hole through which the one spline shaft is inserted and to which the outer cylinder through which the one spline shaft is inserted is not fixed are alternately arranged in a vertical direction,
4. The industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the through hole is larger than an outer diameter of the outer cylinder.

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