Robot embedded vision apparatus

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.

2. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the imaging camera effecting capture of the image is disposed inside the perimeter of the mounting interface.

3. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the positional variance is determined from comparison of the image and the calibration image.

4. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the positional variance includes a positional variance component in the radial direction and another variance component in a direction angled at a non-zero crossing angle with the radial direction, and the motion compensation factor changes the extended position of the robot arm in at least one of the radial direction and in the angled direction.

5. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least part of the robot arm captured in the image includes the end effector with a substrate thereon, which end effector with substrate being imaged in the image, and the controller determines a substrate eccentricity with respect to a predetermined substrate hold position of the end effector.

6. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one link of the robot arm has a feature that describes linear and rotational characteristics of a position with respect to a predetermined plane, wherein the controller registers the linear and rotational characteristics of a position based on an image of the feature captured with the imaging camera.

7. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the robot arm extends and retracts relative to a shoulder axis of the robot arm, the shoulder axis being located on the inside of the perimeter.

8. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the imaging camera is located proximate the shoulder axis with respect to a distal position of a robot arm end effector with the robot arm extended.

9. A method comprising:

providing a transport chamber of a substrate transport apparatus, the transport chamber having a substrate transport opening arranged for communication with a substrate station module;

providing 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;

providing 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 robot 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;

imaging, with an imaging camera mounted through the mounting interface in a predetermined location with respect to the transport chamber, 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, where the at least part of the robot arm is imaged separate and distinct from the substrate;

capturing, with a controller, an image of the at least part of the robot arm, separate and distinct from the substrate, on registry of the robot arm proximate to or in the predetermined location; and

calculating, with the controller, 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, and the motion compensation factor identifying a change the extended position of the robot arm.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the imaging camera effecting capture of the image is disposed inside the perimeter of the mounting interface.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the positional variance is determined from comparison of the image and the calibration image.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein calculating the positional variance includes comparing a positional variance component in the radial direction and another variance component in a direction angled at a non-zero crossing angle with the radial direction, and the motion compensation factor changes the extended position of the robot arm in at least one of the radial direction and in the angled direction.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least part of the robot arm captured in the image includes the end effector with a substrate thereon, which end effector with substrate being imaged in the image, the method further comprising determining, with the controller, a substrate eccentricity with respect to a predetermined substrate hold position of the end effector.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one link of the robot arm has a feature that describes linear and rotational characteristics of a position with respect to a predetermined plane, the method further comprising registering, with the controller, the linear and rotational characteristics of a position based on an image of the feature captured with the imaging camera.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the robot arm extends and retracts relative to a shoulder axis of the robot arm, the shoulder axis being located on the inside of the perimeter.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the imaging camera is located proximate the shoulder axis with respect to a distal position of a robot arm end effector with the robot arm extended.

17. 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;

a multi-link robot arm mounted inside the transport chamber, and having an end effector at a distal end of the multi-link robot arm, configured to support a substrate thereon, the multi-link 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 multi-link robot arm and moving the end effector, in the radial direction, from a retracted position to an extended position;

a set of one or more indicia on the multi-link robot arm that characterize both linear and rotational characteristics of at least one link of the multi-link robot arm with respect to the radial direction;

an imaging sensor 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 set of one or more indicia on the multi-link robot arm separate and distinct from the substrate; and

a controller configured to image, with the imaging sensor, the at least part of the set of one or more indicia on the multi-link 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 multi-link robot arm proximate to or in the predetermined location, of an image of the at least part of the set of one or more indicia on the multi-link 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 substrate holding station of the end effector, of the multi-link robot arm, based on both the image and a calibration image of the at least part of the set of one or more indicia on the multi-link robot arm that is common to the image and calibration image, the motion compensation factor identifying a change in the extended position of the multi-link robot arm.

18. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the mounting interface mounts the drive section to the transport chamber and forms 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.

19. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the imaging sensor effecting capture of the image is disposed inside the perimeter.

20. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the at least part of the set of one or more indicia captured in the image is determinative of the positional variance of the substrate holding station of the end effector.

21. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the positional variance includes a positional variance component in the radial direction and another variance component in a direction angled at a non-zero crossing angle with the radial direction, and the motion compensation factor changes the extended position of the multi-link robot arm in at least one of the radial direction and in the angled direction.

22. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the at least part of the set of one or more indicia on the multi-link robot arm captured in the image includes the end effector with a substrate thereon, which end effector with substrate being imaged in the image, and the controller determines a substrate eccentricity with respect to a predetermined substrate hold position of the end effector.

23. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the set of one or more indicia on the multi-link robot arm describes linear and rotational characteristics of a position with respect to a predetermined plane, wherein the controller registers the linear and rotational characteristics of a position based on an image of the set of one or more indicia captured with the imaging sensor.

24. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the multi-link robot arm extends and retracts relative to a shoulder axis of the multi-link robot arm, the shoulder axis being located on the inside of the perimeter.

25. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the imaging sensor is located proximate the shoulder axis with respect to a distal position of a robot arm end effector with the multi-link robot arm extended.

26. A method comprising:

providing a transport chamber of a substrate transport apparatus, the transport chamber having a substrate transport opening arranged for communication with a substrate station module;

providing a drive section with a mounting interface connected to the transport chamber, and having a motor defining at least one independent drive axis;

providing a multi-link robot arm mounted inside the transport chamber, and having an end effector at a distal end of the multi-link robot arm, configured to support a substrate thereon, the multi-link robot arm being operably connected to the drive section;

generating, with the at least one independent drive axis, at least multi-link robot arm motion in a radial direction extending and retracting the multi-link robot arm and moving the end effector, in the radial direction, from a retracted position to an extended position;

providing a set of one or more indicia on the multi-link robot arm that characterize both linear and rotational characteristics of at least one link of the multi-link robot arm with respect to the radial direction;

imaging, with an imaging sensor mounted through the mounting interface in a predetermined location with respect to the transport chamber, at least part of the set of one or more indicia on the multi-link robot arm, separate and distinct from the substrate, moving along a path defined by the at least one independent drive axis to or in the predetermined location;

capturing, with a controller, an image of the at least part of the set of one or more indicia on the multi-link robot arm, separate and distinct from the substrate, on registry of the multi-link robot arm proximate to or in the predetermined location; and

calculating, with the controller, a motion compensation factor from a positional variance of the substrate holding station of the end effector, of the multi-link robot arm, based on both the image and a calibration image of the at least part of the set of one or more indicia on the multi-link 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 multi-link robot arm.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the mounting interface mounts the drive section to the transport chamber and forms 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.

28. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the imaging sensor effecting capture of the image is disposed inside the perimeter.

29. The method of claim 26 , wherein the at least part of the set of one or more indicia captured in the image is determinative of the positional variance of the substrate holding station of the end effector.

30. The method of claim 26 , further comprising calculating the positional variance, with the controller, from a comparison of the image and the calibration image by comparing a positional variance component in the radial direction and another variance component in a direction angled at a non-zero crossing angle with the radial direction, and the motion compensation factor changes the extended position of the multi-link robot arm in at least one of the radial direction and in the angled direction.

31. The method of claim 26 , wherein the at least part of the set of one or more indicia on the multi-link robot arm captured in the image includes the end effector with a substrate thereon, which end effector with substrate being imaged in the image, the method further comprising determining, with the controller, a substrate eccentricity with respect to a predetermined substrate hold position of the end effector.

32. The method of claim 26 , wherein the set of one or more indicia on the multi-link robot arm describes linear and rotational characteristics of a position with respect to a predetermined plane, the method further comprising registering, with the controller, the linear and rotational characteristics of a position based on an image of the set of one or more indicia captured with the imaging sensor.

33. The method of claim 26 , wherein the multi-link robot arm extends and retracts relative to a shoulder axis of the multi-link robot arm, the shoulder axis being located on the inside of the perimeter.

34. The method of claim 33 , wherein each of the at least one imaging sensor is located proximate the shoulder axis with respect to a distal position of a robot arm end effector with the multi-link robot arm extended.