A robotic arm system comprising a deployment system or a base, a first joint, and a manipulator coupled to the deployment system or base at the first joint and movable relative to the deployment link or base about the first joint. The manipulator includes a manipulator link, a second joint coupled to the manipulator link distal from the first joint, an elevation linkage coupled to the manipulator link at the second joint, a wrist coupled to the elevation linkage distal from the second joint, and an end effector coupled to the wrist. The end effector can change elevation via the elevation link without changing orientation.

An apparatus having a drive unit having a first drive axis rotatable about a first axis of rotation and a second drive axis rotatable about a second axis of rotation, the second drive axis being coaxial with and partially within the first drive axis and axially rotatable within the first drive axis. A robot arm has an upper arm connected to the drive unit at the first drive axis, a forearm coupled to the upper arm, the forearm being coupled to the upper arm at a first rotary joint and rotatable about the first rotary joint, the first rotary joint being actuatable by a first band arrangement coupled to the second drive axis, and an end effector coupled to the forearm, the end effector being coupled to the forearm at a second rotary joint and rotatable about the second rotary joint, the second rotary joint being actuatable by a second band arrangement coupled to the first rotary joint. The second band arrangement is configured to provide a variable transmission ratio.

A motor drive circuit for a robot includes a switching unit switching among a normal state in which regenerative power is supplied to a regenerative capacitor, a first state in which a voltage is applied to a first resistor, and a second state in which a voltage is applied to the first resistor and a second resistor based on a detection result of a detection unit, wherein the switching unit switches to the first state when the voltage applied to the regenerative capacitor detected in the detection unit is equal to or larger than a first threshold in the normal state, and switches to the second state when the voltage applied to the first resistor is equal to or larger than a second threshold larger than the first threshold in the first state.

A robot control device configured to control operation of a robot configured to transfer a substrate while holding the substrate. The robot includes a robotic arm having at least one joint axis, and an end effector provided to a tip end of the robotic arm and configured to hold the substrate. A position and a posture of the end effector are defined by values of N variables. A value of at least one of the N variables that define a holding position and a holding posture of the end effector for holding the substrate placed on the installation position by the end effector is independent from a value of the corresponding variable among the N variables that define a withdrawn position and a withdrawn posture of the end effector after retreating the end effector in the holding position and the holding posture from the installation position.

A substrate transfer robot for transferring a substrate in a vacuum chamber, includes: a transfer arm platform having coupling holes, wherein a link connecting member with blades is engaged at a front area of the transfer arm platform and a support shaft of a lower support is inserted into the lower space of one of the coupling holes; and a first and a second transfer arm part each including an end effector for supporting the substrate, multiple transfer link arms and subordinate link arms, and a common link arm that are connected to each other or to the transfer arm platform, wherein, the transfer link arms include at least some of drive shafts, interlocked with transfer driving motors or speed reducers, and output shafts interlocked with the drive shafts, and wherein the end effectors are positioned at different heights from each other through using a bracket.

A motor drive circuit for a robot includes a switching unit switching among a normal state in which regenerative power is supplied to a regenerative capacitor, a first state in which a voltage is applied to a first resistor, and a second state in which a voltage is applied to the first resistor and a second resistor based on a detection result of a detection unit, wherein the switching unit switches to the first state when the voltage applied to the regenerative capacitor detected in the detection unit is equal to or larger than a first threshold in the normal state, and switches to the second state when the voltage applied to the first resistor is equal to or larger than a second threshold larger than the first threshold in the first state.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a frame and a transport apparatus connected to the frame. The transport apparatus has an upper arm link, a forearm link rotatably coupled to the upper arm link about an elbow axis, at least a third arm link rotatably coupled to the forearm about a wrist axis, and an end effector rotatably coupled to the third arm link about a knuckle axis. A two degree of freedom drive system is operably connected to at least one of the upper arm link, the forearm link, and the third arm link for effecting extension and retraction of the end effector wherein a height of the end effector is within the stack height profile of the wrist axis so that a total stack height of the end effector and wrist axis is sized to conform within a pass through of a slot valve.

A vehicle or another object is grasped by a robotic arm of a handling system and caused to undergo one or more movements or manipulations resulting in a change of position, orientation, velocity or acceleration of the vehicle. Sensors provided in the robotic arm capture data representative of forces or torques imparted upon the robotic arm by the vehicle during or after the movement, or power or energy levels of vibration resulting from the movement. A signature representative of an inertial or vibratory response of the vehicle to the movement is derived based on the data. The signature may be compared to a baseline signature similarly derived for a vehicle that is known to be structurally and aerodynamically sound. If the signature is sufficiently similar to the baseline signature, the vehicle may also be determined to be structurally and aerodynamically sound.

Disclosed are techniques and systems for automatically determining and correcting the levelness of a wafer handling robot end effector. The systems may use a tilt sensor or a gravitational field sensor which may be calibrated to the wafer handling robot. The output from the tilt sensor may be used to determine or estimate the tilt of an end effector of the wafer handling robot and to perform correctional positioning to reduce or eliminate the tilt, to automatically teach certain positions that have reduced tilt, to perform health checks on the robot, provide feedback to a user, etc.

A method for detecting at least one characteristic parameter of a closure element (12) closing an opening. By means of a handling device (10), a movement is imposed on the closure element (12), wherein at least the interacting force between the closure element and the handing device during the movement is determined by means of a first sensor (20) integrated in the handling device, and position changes of the closure element during the movement sequence are detected by means of a second sensor (26).