Patent ID: 6453214
Filing Date: 2002-09-17
Classification: H01L,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
A method of aligning a robot arm to which an end effector is operatively coupled with a specimen stored on or in a container, the robot arm being positionable in at least two dimensions and the specimen having a periphery, comprising:providing an end effector having a body operatively connected Lo a light source and a light receiver, the light source and light receiver having spaced-apart respective source light path and receiver light path openings between which a light beam propagates along a straight line light transmission pathway; finding for a first robot arm position a first maximum robot arm distance between a reference and a first corresponding point on the periphery of the specimen at which the light transmission pathway of the light beam is not interrupted by intersection with the specimen; finding for a second robot arm position a second maximum robot arm distance between the reference and a second corresponding point on the periphery of the specimen at which the light transmission pathway of the light beam is not interrupted by intersection with the specimen, the first and second robot arm positions being different from each other; recording first and second position information corresponding to the respective first and second maximum robot arm distances; and determining from the first and second position information a robot arm aligned position that represents a minimum distance between the reference and the periphery of the specimen.