Robot arm mount with temporary mechanical reference locator
An apparatus including a stator configured to be stationarily connected to a housing; and a rotor configured to have a robot arm connected thereto. The rotor includes a shaft and an robot arm mount adjustably connected to the shaft. The stator and the rotor include mechanical reference locators to temporarily stationarily locate the robot arm mount to the stator for subsequently stationarily fixing the robot arm mount to the shaft.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a housing;
a motor connected to the housing, where the housing forms a motor housing for the motor, where the motor comprises a stator, and a rotor, where the rotor comprises a shaft;
a robot arm mount, where the robot arm mount is directly and adjustably connected to the shaft, where the robot arm mount is configured to have at least a portion of a robot arm mounted thereto;
an encoder connected to the housing, where the housing forms an encoder housing for the encoder, where the encoder is configured to sense a rotational angle of the rotor relative to the stator; and
at least one mechanical reference locator configured to temporarily stationarily locate the robot arm mount relative to the housing for subsequently stationarily fixing the robot arm mount to the shaft, where the at least one mechanical reference locator comprises a movable lock, where the at least one mechanical reference locator is configured to temporarily stationarily locate the robot arm mount relative to the encoder while the robot arm mount is being stationarily fixed to the shaft.
2. An apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a robot arm connected to the robot arm mount, where the apparatus is configured to phase a driven part of the robot arm with respect to the encoder.
3. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:
a substrate transport apparatus housing;
a robot drive comprising the apparatus claimed in claim 1 ;
a robot arm connected to the robot drive, where the robot arm is configured to support at least one substrate thereon; and
a controller comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, where the controller it connected to the robot drive to control movement of the robot drive and the robot arm.
4. An apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising fasteners which stationarily fix the robot arm mount to the shaft, where the robot arm mount comprises curved fastener slots configured to receive the fasteners and allow the robot arm mount to be adjusted to an angular rotated position on the shaft before the fasteners stationarily fix the robot arm mount to the shaft.
5. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the housing comprises a locating feature to align the housing with a substrate transport housing at a predetermined rotational angle in a receiving area of the substrate transport housing.
6. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the apparatus is configured to determine a commutation angle offset.
7. An apparatus as in claim 6 where the apparatus is configured to re-zero the encoder based upon the commutation angle offset.
8. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the movable lock comprises a fixture pin, and where the at least one mechanical reference locator comprises holes configured to receive the fixture pin to align the robot arm mount relative to the stator.
9. An apparatus as in claim 8 the fixture pin is configured to temporarily slide into the holes to align axial rotation position of the robot arm mount relative to the stator.
10. An apparatus as in claim 8 further comprising fasteners which stationarily fix the robot arm mount to the shaft, where the robot arm mount comprises curved fastener slots configured to receive the fasteners and allow the robot arm mount to be adjusted to an angular rotated position on the shaft before the fasteners stationarily fix the robot arm mount to the shaft.
11. An apparatus as in claim 8 where the housing comprises a locating feature to align the housing with a substrate transport housing at a predetermined rotational angle in a receiving area of the substrate transport housing.
12. An apparatus as in claim 8 where the apparatus is configured to determine a commutation angle offset.
13. An apparatus as in claim 12 where the apparatus is configured to re-zero the encoder based upon the commutation angle offset.
14. An apparatus as in claim 8 further comprising a robot arm connected to the robot arm mount, where the apparatus is configured to phase a driven part of the robot arm with respect to the encoder.
15. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:
a substrate transport apparatus housing;
a robot drive comprising the apparatus claimed in claim 8 ;
a robot arm connected to the robot drive, where the robot arm is configured to support at least one substrate thereon; and
a controller comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, where the controller it connected to the robot drive to control movement of the robot drive and the robot arm.
16. An apparatus comprising:
a substrate transport housing; and
a substrate transport apparatus connected to the substrate transport housing, where the substrate transport apparatus comprises a robot arm and a robot drive, where the robot arm is configured to support at least one substrate thereon, where the robot drive comprises a drive housing, an encoder mounted to the drive housing, a drive motor and a robot arm mount, where the drive motor comprises a stator and a rotor, where the robot arm mount is adjustably connected to a shaft of the rotor and has at least a portion of the robot arm mounted thereto, where the robot arm mount is located between the shaft and the portion of the robot arm and connects the shaft to the portion of the robot arm,
where the robot arm mount is configured to be adjustably located relative to the shaft to provide a predetermined location of the robot arm mount relative to the drive housing to compensate for the drive housing, the stator and the encoder being located at one of a plurality of different locations on the substrate transport housing.
17. An apparatus as in claim 16 where the robot arm mount is directly and adjustably connected to the shaft.
18. An apparatus as in claim 16 the apparatus comprises a movable lock comprising a fixture pin, and where the robot arm mount and the drive housing comprise holes configured to receive the fixture pin to align the robot arm mount relative to the stator.
19. An apparatus as in claim 18 where the fixture pin is configured to temporarily slide into the holes to align axial rotation position of the robot arm mount relative to the stator.