JP2016000432A - Parallel link robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a structure which controls a posture of an output member by using a simple structure without limiting an action area of the output member.SOLUTION: A parallel link robot 100 includes: an output member 100B having an output shaft 105; and a driven pulley 403 which rotates relative to the output shaft 105. The parallel link robot 100 includes: a motor 302 located on a vertical plate 102; and a drive pulley 303 which is supported on the vertical plate 102 and rotated by driving of the motor 302. The parallel link robot 100 includes a control cable 500 which makes a drive linkage between the driven pulley 403 and the drive pulley 303 and causes the driven pulley 403 to be rotated by rotation of the drive pulley 303.

Description

  The present invention relates to a parallel link robot configured by combining a plurality of actuators and a link mechanism, and used for operations such as processing and assembly of articles.

  The parallel link robot is provided with a link mechanism as an arm between a plurality of actuators supported by a fixed member serving as a base and an output member. Then, each of the plurality of actuators is driven to control the position and posture of the output member connected to the tip of each link. Further, in order to change the posture of the output member, there has been proposed a structure in which a drive mechanism different from a plurality of actuators for controlling the position and posture of the output member is provided to change the posture of the output member (Patent Document 1). , 2).

Japanese Patent No. 4109062 Japanese Patent No. 4598864

  However, in the case of the configuration described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the output member is connected by a drive mechanism that changes the attitude of the output member and a rigid transmission member, and the power of the drive mechanism is output by the transmission member. Is transmitted to the member. In such a configuration, since the transmission member is configured by a rigid body, the transmission member is not deformed, and depending on the position of the output member, the movement of the output member is limited, and the operation region of the output member is limited. There is a possibility that. Further, in the case of the configuration described in Patent Document 2 described above, the structure of the holder assembly in the drive mechanism that changes the attitude of the output member is complicated, and the number of parts and assembly man-hours increase, resulting in an increase in manufacturing cost. There is a possibility.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention has been invented to realize a structure capable of controlling the posture of an output member with a simple configuration without restricting the operation region of the output member.

  The present invention is provided between an output member having an output shaft, a plurality of movement actuators supported by a fixed member and moving the output member in a predetermined space, and the output shaft and the plurality of movement actuators. A plurality of link mechanisms, a first rotation unit that rotates with respect to the output shaft, a rotation unit control actuator that is supported by the fixing member and rotates the first rotation unit, A second rotating portion supported by a fixed member and rotated by driving of the rotating portion control actuator is connected to drive the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion, and the second rotation A parallel link robot, comprising: a wire member configured to rotate the first rotating unit by rotating the moving unit.

  According to the present invention, the posture of the output member can be controlled with a simple configuration. In addition, since the transmission member that transmits the driving force of the second rotating part to the first rotating part is composed of a deformable wire member, the attitude of the output member can be controlled without restricting the operating region of the output member. can do.

(A) is a schematic front view of the parallel link robot which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a schematic plan view of a parallel link robot, (c) is a schematic perspective view of a parallel link robot. The expansion perspective view of the output member of the parallel link robot concerning a 1st embodiment. (A) is a schematic front view of the drive pulley housing which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (b) is a schematic side view of a drive pulley housing, (c) is a schematic perspective view of a drive pulley housing. (A) is a schematic front view of the driven pulley housing of 1st Embodiment, (b) is BB arrow sectional drawing of a driven pulley housing. The schematic perspective view of the control cable which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The schematic front view which shows the modification of the drive pulley housing which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Among the modified examples of the drive pulley housing according to the first embodiment, (a) and (b) are schematic perspective views showing the attitude of the control cable at each position of the output member, and (c) is each of the output members. The schematic front view which shows the deformation | transformation of the control cable in a position. Among the modifications of the drive pulley housing and the driven pulley housing according to the first embodiment, (a) and (b) are schematic perspective views showing the posture of the control cable at each position of the output member. The schematic sectional drawing which shows the modification of the driven pulley housing which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (A) is a schematic front view of the parallel link robot according to the second embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a schematic side view of the parallel link robot, (c) is a schematic front view of the parallel link robot, d) is a schematic perspective view of a parallel link robot. The expansion perspective view of the output member of the parallel link robot concerning a 2nd embodiment. (A) is a schematic front view of the drive pulley housing which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, (b) is a schematic side view of a drive pulley housing, (c) is a schematic perspective view of a drive pulley housing. (A) is a schematic front view of the driven pulley housing of 2nd Embodiment, (b) is EE arrow sectional drawing of a driven pulley housing. (A)-(c) is a schematic front view which shows the rotation position of the drive pulley which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (A) is a schematic perspective view of the parallel link robot which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a schematic front view of a parallel link robot. Among the enlarged perspective views of the output member of the parallel link robot according to the third embodiment, (a) is an enlarged perspective view showing a method of attaching the end effector coaxially with the output shaft, and (b) is the end effector. The expansion perspective view which shows the state rotated with respect to the 2nd axis | shaft. The schematic sectional drawing of the end effector which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. The schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the rotation means which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. The schematic sectional drawing which shows the rotation means which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a schematic front view which shows the state which the end effector based on the 5th Embodiment of this invention closed the chuck | zipper, (b) is a schematic front view which shows the state in which the end effector opened the chuck | zipper. (A) is a schematic plan view which shows the state in which the end effector which concerns on 5th Embodiment closed the chuck | zipper, (b) is a schematic plan view which shows the state in which the end effector opened the chuck | zipper. (A) is an expansion perspective view of the output member which concerns on 5th Embodiment, (b) is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the method of attaching an end effector to an output member.

<First Embodiment>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the parallel link robot 100 includes a base portion 100A as a fixed member, an output member 100B that moves within a predetermined space, a plurality of motors 107, 108, and 111, and a plurality of arms. 109, 110, 112. Here, the motor 107 corresponds to a first actuator, the motor 108 corresponds to a second actuator, and the motor 111 corresponds to a third actuator. The motors 107, 108, and 111 constitute a moving actuator in the present embodiment. The arm 109 corresponds to the first arm, the arm 110 corresponds to the second arm, and the arm 112 corresponds to the third arm. In the following description, the motor 107 is also referred to as a first motor 107, the motor 108 is also referred to as a second motor 108, and the motor 111 is also referred to as a third motor 111.

  The base portion 100A includes a horizontal plate 101 disposed in a substantially horizontal direction and a vertical plate 102 provided in a substantially vertical direction from the horizontal plate 101, and supports the first to third motors 107, 108, and 111. To do. The first to third motors 107, 108, and 111 are fixed to predetermined positions on the vertical plate 102, respectively. In the present embodiment, the parallel link robot 100 includes the third motor 111 on the upper side in the center of the vertical direction of the vertical plate 102 and the third motor 111 on both sides of the vertical direction intermediate portion of the vertical plate 102 with the width direction center interposed therebetween. 1 motor 107 and 2nd motor 108 are arranged. On the horizontal plate 101, a workpiece, an assembly jig, and the like are arranged.

  The output member 100B is a manipulator for mounting an end effector 100C such as a robot hand that holds and moves a workpiece. The output member 100B is an end effector support that is provided coaxially with the output shaft 105 and supports the end effector 100C via an output shaft 105 to which link mechanisms constituting a plurality of arms are coupled, and a driven pulley housing 400 described later. Member 103. Details of the link mechanism will be described later.

  At predetermined positions of the output shaft 105, joint shafts 134 and 135 as a plurality of first protrusions and joint shafts 136 and 137 as a plurality of second protrusions are mounted and fixed by press-fitting or the like. The joint shafts 134 to 137 may be formed integrally with the output shaft 105.

  The joint shafts 134 and 135 as the first projecting portions are provided so as to project in parallel to each other in a direction orthogonal to the output shaft 105. The joint shafts 134 and 135 are formed to have the same length and protrude in the same direction. The joint shafts 136 and 137 as the second projecting portions are provided so as to project in parallel to each other in a direction orthogonal to the output shaft 105. The joint shafts 136 and 137 are formed in the same length and project in the same direction. Here, the joint shafts 134 and 135 and the joint shafts 136 and 137 are all formed to have the same length, and are formed at the same position in the axial direction of the output shaft 105. Further, the joint shafts 134 and 135 and the joint shafts 136 and 137 are formed so as to be orthogonal to each other at an angle of 90 °.

  The first arm 109 includes two first links 109a that form a parallel link mechanism. One ends of the two first links 109a are connected to joint shafts 134 and 135 on virtual axes parallel to the output shaft 105 through joint portions 109B as first joint portions, respectively. The other ends of the two first links 109a are connected to a first link shaft 107b provided on a first rotating arm 107a driven by the motor 107 via a joint portion 109C. In addition, the first arm 109 is provided with bridge members 201a and 202a that are stretched over the two first links 109a. Accordingly, the first arm 109 is centered on an axis orthogonal to the axis to which the two first links 109a are connected and the arrangement direction of the links while the two first links 109a are maintained in the parallel state. Rotation is possible.

  The second arm 110 includes two second links 110a that form a parallel link mechanism. One ends of the two second links 110a are connected to joint shafts 136 and 137 on virtual axes parallel to the output shaft 105 via joint portions 110B as second joint portions, respectively. The other ends of the two second links 110a are connected to a second link shaft 108b provided on a second rotating arm 108a driven by the motor 108 via a joint portion 110C. Further, the second arm 110 is provided with bridge members 201b and 202b that are spanned over the two second links 110a. As a result, the second arm 110 is centered on an axis orthogonal to the axis to which the two second links 110a are connected and the arrangement direction of the links while the two second links 110a are maintained in a parallel state. Rotation is possible.

  Joint shafts 138 and 139 that are orthogonal to the output shaft 105 are formed integrally with the output shaft 105 at the upper end portion of the output shaft 105. The joint shafts 138 and 139 may be formed as separate members and attached and fixed to the output shaft 105 by press fitting or the like. The joint shafts 138 and 139 face the output shaft 105 as a center and project on the same axis.

  The third arm 112 includes two third links 112a that form a parallel link mechanism. One ends of the two third links 112a are connected to joint shafts 138 and 139 via joint portions 112B as third joint portions, respectively. The other ends of the two third links 112a are connected to a third link shaft 111b provided on a third rotating arm 111a driven by the motor 111 via a joint portion 112C. In addition, the third arm 112 is provided with bridge members 201c and 202c that are spanned over the two third links 112a. Thus, the third arm 112 is centered on an axis orthogonal to the axis to which the two third links 112a are connected and the arrangement direction of the links while the two third links 112a are maintained in the parallel state. Rotation is possible. Each of the joint parts described above is configured by a rod end bearing having three degrees of freedom.

  Thus, in the parallel link robot 100 according to the present embodiment, the output shaft 105 is fixed by the parallel link mechanism formed by the first arm 109 and the second arm 110 and the parallel link mechanism formed by the third arm 112. Is supported to keep the posture. Here, the attitude of the output shaft 105 means both the inclination of the output shaft 105 and the direction of the output shaft 105.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the end effector 100 </ b> C includes a chuck 104 that can grip a workpiece and a mounting shaft 106 that serves as a reference for axial positioning. The end effector 100C is positioned and mounted by fitting the mounting shaft 106 to the end effector support member 103 from the direction of arrow A. At this time, the mounting shaft 106 is end-supported by the bolt 113 inserted from the direction of the arrow B into the screw portion 106a provided in the mounting shaft 106 through the opening hole 103a provided in the end effector support member 103. 103 is fixed with screws.

  The chuck 104 includes a pair of claw portions 104a that opens and closes to grip a workpiece, an open / close drive portion 104b that opens and closes the pair of claw portions 104a, and a drive source 104c such as an electromagnetic solenoid and a motor that provides power to the open / close drive portion 104b. And comprising.

  Next, the operation of the parallel link robot 100 will be described. In the present embodiment, the parallel link robot 100 drives the first rotating arm 107a by the first motor 107 and drives the second rotating arm 108a by the second motor 108, so that the output member 100B is substantially horizontal. Move in the direction. Further, the parallel link robot 100 moves the output member 100B in a substantially vertical direction by driving the third rotating arm 111a by the third motor 111. When the output member 100B is translated, the parallel link robot 100 controls the rotation amounts of the first motor 107, the second motor 108, and the third motor 111 in cooperation with each other. For example, when the position of the output member 100B is moved from the current position Xn to the target position Xn + 1, the parallel link robot 100 drives each of the first to third motors 107, 108, and 111 by a necessary amount. By driving each motor, the first to third arms 109, 110, and 112 move the position of the output member 100B in cooperation. The parallel link robot 100 performs control so that the driving amount of each motor becomes zero at the same time when the position of the output member 100B reaches the target position Xn + 1. Thus, in the present embodiment, the parallel link robot 100 moves the output member 100B in a predetermined space by driving the first motor 107, the second motor 108, and the third motor 111. .

  When the output member 100B is moved in the vertical direction, the first arm 109 and the second arm 110 are deviated from the horizontal and tilted in the vertical direction. For this reason, the position of the output member 100B in the three-dimensional space (in the predetermined space) is determined by the amount of inclination of the first and second arms 109 and 110 and the amount of drive of the first to third rotating arms 107a, 108a, and 111a. And can be calculated geometrically. In addition, when inverse kinematics calculation is used, the driving amounts of the first to third motors 107, 108, and 111 can be calculated from the spatial coordinate position of the output member 100B.

  Next, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D of the end effector 100C will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the posture of the end effector 100C includes the position, inclination, and orientation of the end effector 100C. As shown in FIG. 1, in the attitude control drive mechanism 100D, a drive pulley housing 300 provided on the lower side in the vertical direction of the vertical plate 102 of the base portion 100A and an end effector support member 103 provided on the output shaft 105 are connected. A driven pulley housing 400. The attitude control drive mechanism 100D includes a control cable 500 that drives and connects the drive pulley housing 300 and the driven pulley housing 400.

  3A to 3C show schematic configuration diagrams of the drive pulley housing 300. FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the drive pulley housing 300 is supported by the vertical plate 102, and is supported by the housing plate 301 for rotating a driven pulley 403 as a first rotating portion described later. And a motor 302. The drive pulley housing 300 includes a drive pulley 303 that is fixed to the rotation shaft of the motor 302. The housing plate 301 is provided with a photo interrupter 507 as detection means. The photo interrupter 507 is configured to detect the rotational position of the drive pulley 303 by detecting the position of the sensor plate 508 fixed to the drive pulley 303. Here, the position at which the position of the sensor plate 508 can be detected by the photo interrupter 507 is configured to be the rotation reference position of the drive pulley 303. In the present embodiment, the housing plate 301 constitutes a second fixing portion. In addition, the motor 302 constitutes a rotation unit control actuator for rotating the driven pulley 403 that is the first rotation unit. Further, the driving pulley 303 fixed to the vertical plate 102 via the housing plate 301 and the motor 302 by being fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor 302 constitutes a second rotating portion.

  FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic configuration diagrams of the driven pulley housing 400. FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the driven pulley housing 400 includes a housing plate 401 that is screwed and fixed to the flange portion 105 a of the output shaft 105, and a driven that is rotatably supported via a bearing 402 on the same axis as the output shaft 105. And a pulley 403. The driven pulley 403 is restricted from moving in the axial direction by the E-ring 404. Further, the end effector support member 103 is fixed to the driven pulley 403 by a screw on the same axis as the output shaft 105. For this reason, the parallel link robot 100 rotates the driven pulley 403 with respect to the output shaft 105 to rotate the end effector support member 103. Therefore, the chuck 104 connected to the end effector support member 103 also rotates. Moved. That is, in this embodiment, the driven pulley 403 rotates with respect to the output shaft and rotates in conjunction with the attitude of the end effector 100C with respect to the output shaft 105.

  In this embodiment, the pulley diameters of the drive pulley 303 and the driven pulley 403 are configured to be the same diameter. As a result, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D according to the present embodiment controls the rotation angle of the chuck 104 with respect to the output shaft 105 by controlling the rotation angle of the motor 302 because the drive pulley 303 and the driven pulley 403 have the same rotation angle. can do. In this embodiment, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D is configured such that the chuck 104 is positioned at a predetermined home position when the drive pulley 303 is positioned at the rotation reference position of the drive pulley 303. Thus, the posture control drive mechanism 100D can return the chuck 104 to the home position only by detecting the rotation position of the drive pulley 303 and without providing the driven pulley 403 with sensors for detecting the rotation position. it can. The attitude control drive mechanism 100D is configured to change the pulley diameters of the drive pulley 303 and the driven pulley 403 to decelerate or increase the rotation of the motor 302 at a predetermined ratio to rotationally drive the chuck 104. Also good. In this case, it is preferable to provide the driven pulley housing 400 with a configuration capable of detecting the rotational position of the driven pulley 403. Moreover, in this embodiment, the housing plate 401 comprises a 1st fixing | fixed part. Further, the driven pulley 403 constitutes a first rotating part.

  FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a control cable 500 as a wire member. As shown in FIG. 5, the control cable 500 includes a pair of outer cables 501 that are flexible and deformable and have hollow shapes that are fixed to the housing plates 301 and 401 at both ends. The control cable 500 has one inner wire 502 slidably disposed inside each outer cable 501. The control cable 500 is provided between each end portion of the outer cable 501 and the housing plates 301 and 401, and is an adjuster as an adjustment member that adjusts a fixing position as a position to which the end portion of the outer cable 501 is fixed. A member 504 is included. In the present embodiment, the adjuster member 504 is provided at both ends of the outer cable 501, but is not limited thereto, and may be provided at at least one of the ends.

  The outer cable 501 is configured such that a single curved portion 501a is formed between the housing plates 301 and 401 when the output member 100B is located in any predetermined space. Further, the flexible and deformable outer cable 501 outputs the output member 100B without restricting the operation region of the output member 100B when the output member 100B is moved by driving the first to third motors 107, 108, and 111. It deforms following the movement of the member 100B.

  The inner wire 502 has a spherical ball terminal 503 inserted through both end portions and a central portion thereof, and is fixed by caulking. Inner wire 502 fits ball terminals 503 at both ends into terminal holes 303b formed in each flange portion 303a of drive pulley 303. Here, one terminal hole 303 b is formed in the flange portion 303 a of the drive pulley 303, and one terminal hole 303 b is in a line-symmetrical position with respect to the terminal hole 303 b formed in the flange portion 303 a and the central axis of the drive pulley 303. Is formed. The inner wire 502 is wound around the circumferential direction of the drive pulley 303 by two half rotations from the terminal hole 303b of the drive pulley 303. In this way, the inner wire 502 is fixed to the drive pulley 303. The inner wire 502 is wound around the driven pulley 403, and a ball terminal 503 fixed at the center is fitted in a terminal hole 403 a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the driven pulley 403. Accordingly, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D can execute positioning of the inner wire 502 and the driven pulley 403, and prevents the inner wire 502 from sliding on the outer peripheral surface of the driven pulley 403. .

  As described above, the inner wire 502 is stretched between the driving pulley 303 and the driven pulley 403, thereby drivingly connecting the driving pulley 303 and the driven pulley 403, and disposed in the outer cable 501. In the following description, a section from one of the drive pulleys 303 to one of the driven pulleys 403 in the inner wire 502 is referred to as a first inner wire 502a. In the following description, a section from the other of the drive pulley 303 to the other of the driven pulley 403 in the inner wire 502 is referred to as a second inner wire 502b. Further, the winding amount of the inner wire 502 around the driving pulley 303 and the driven pulley 403 is determined based on the rotation amount of each pulley. In this embodiment, the amount of winding around each pulley is configured such that the chuck 104 rotates 360 ° in half in the left-right direction, so that the rotation amount of each pulley (360 °) + the phase difference of the wire is at least. It may be (180 °) or more.

  The adjuster member 504 is formed with a screw portion 504 a and is fixed to the housing plates 301 and 401 by a pair of nuts 505. The adjuster member 504 is configured to be able to adjust the fixing position of the end portion of the outer cable 501 by adjusting the position of the nut 505 and adjust the mounting length of the outer cable 501. By adjusting the attachment length of the outer cable 501, the length of the first inner wire 502a and the second inner wire 502b of the inner wire 502 is adjusted. Thereby, the slack is removed from the inner wire 502, and the lengths of the first and second inner wires 502a and 502b are set to be the same as the length of the outer cable 501 respectively.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a compression coil spring 506 as an elastic member is inserted between the housing plate 301 and the nut 505 in a biased state in the screw portion 504a of the adjuster member 504 fixed to the housing plate 301. Has been. The outer cable 501 is biased in the direction of arrow C away from the housing plate 301 by the compression coil spring 506. Here, for example, when the output member 100B moves, the bending angle of the bending portion 501a of the outer cable 501 changes while maintaining the bending state. In this case, since there is usually a gap between the outer cable 501 and the inner wire 502, a difference occurs in the stroke when the inner wire 502 contacts the inner wall of the outer cable 501. Due to the change in the bending angle, the tension of the inner wire 502 increases, the sliding resistance with the outer cable 501 increases, and the driving load increases. The compression coil spring 506 biases the outer cable 501 so that the entire length of the outer cable 501 can be displaced. Therefore, the inner wire 502 is maintained at a predetermined tension, and an increase in driving load can be prevented. By maintaining the tension of the inner wire 502, the control cable 500 can accurately transmit the rotation of the drive pulley 303 to the driven pulley 403. In the present embodiment, the compression coil spring 506 is provided on the drive pulley housing 300 side, but may be provided on the driven pulley housing 400 side. Further, the compression coil spring 506 may be provided on both the drive pulley housing 300 side and the driven pulley housing 400 side.

  Next, the operation of the attitude control drive mechanism 100D will be described. In the attitude control drive mechanism 100D, first, the drive pulley 303 rotates in one direction by driving the motor 302 of the drive pulley housing 300. Of the inner wires 502 wound around the drive pulley 303 and the driven pulley 403, the first inner wire 502a is wound around the drive pulley 303, whereby tension is generated in the inner wire 502, and the driven pulley is caused by the tension. 403 rotates. The first inner wire 502 a drawn out from the driven pulley 403 by the rotation of the driven pulley 403 is wound around the driving pulley 303. In addition, the second inner wire 502 b drawn out from the drive pulley 303 by the rotation of the drive pulley 303 is wound around the driven pulley 403.

  As the driven pulley 403 rotates, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D rotates the end effector support member 103 coupled to the driven pulley 403, and the end effector 100C connected to the end effector support member 103 also moves in one direction. Rotate. In this way, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D can transmit the rotation of the drive pulley 303 to the driven pulley 403 by the control cable 500, rotate the driven pulley 403, and control the attitude of the end effector 100C.

  In addition, when the output member 100B moves in a predetermined space by driving the first to third motors 107, 108, and 111, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D follows the operation of the output member 100B and performs control. The cable 500 is deformed. Specifically, the bending portion 501a of the deformable outer cable 501 of the control cable 500 is deformed while maintaining a curved shape, and the inner wire 502 is also deformed while maintaining a predetermined tension as the outer cable 501 is deformed. . The attitude control drive mechanism 100D can transmit the rotation of the drive pulley 303 to the driven pulley 403 without restricting the operation region of the output member 100B by the control cable 500 being deformed as the output member 100B moves. When the drive pulley 303 is rotated in the other direction, the driven pulley 403 is also rotated in the other direction by the same operation, and the end effector 100C is also rotated in the other direction.

  As described above, the parallel link robot 100 according to the present embodiment can control the posture of the end effector 100C with a simple configuration. Further, since the transmission member that transmits the driving force of the driving pulley 303 to the driven pulley 403 is composed of a deformable control cable 500, the posture of the end effector 100C can be controlled without restricting the operating region of the end effector 100C. Can do.

  In this embodiment, the parallel link robot 100 maintains the tension of the inner wire 502 by adjusting the fixing position of the end of the outer cable 501 by urging by the adjuster member 504 and the compression coil spring 506, but the present invention is not limited to this. Not. For example, the parallel link robot 100 is configured to hold the tension of the inner wire 502 by including a biasing means that abuts on the inner wire 502 exposed from the outer cable 501 and applies tension to the inner wire 502. Also good.

  Below, an example of a structure provided with a biasing means is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 6, the adjuster members 504 attached and fixed to both ends of the pair of outer cables 501 are fixed to the housing plate 301 by nuts 505, respectively. The housing plate 301 is provided with a pair of urging means 510. The urging unit 510 includes a tension roller 511 as a contact member that contacts the inner wire 502 and a guide roller 512 as a guide member that guides the inner wire 502 to the outer cable 501. Further, the biasing means 510 includes a tensioner arm 513 to which the tension roller 511 and the guide roller 512 are attached, and a tension spring 514 as a biasing member that biases the tension roller 511 against the inner wire 502.

  The tension roller 511 is rotatably supported by a roller shaft 515 provided on the tensioner arm 513 and abuts against the inner wire 502 to apply tension to the inner wire 502. The guide roller 512 has a V-groove in contact with the inner wire 502 on the outer peripheral surface, is rotatably supported by a shaft 516 fixed to the housing plate 301 by caulking or the like, and the inner wire from the tension roller 511 to the outer cable 501. Guide 502. The tensioner arm 513 is swingably supported by the shaft 516 and has a hook portion 513a on which a tension spring 514 is hooked. One end of the tension spring 514 is hooked to the hook portion 513a, and the other end is hooked to the housing plate 301, and the tensioner arm 513 swings about the shaft 516 as a fulcrum by elastic force.

  When applying tension to the inner wire 502, the urging means 510 swings the tensioner arm 513 by the tension spring 514 and swings the tension roller 511 in the direction of arrow D, thereby attaching the inner wire 502 to the tension roller 511. To force. As a result, the urging means 510 can apply a predetermined tension to the inner wire 502 by the tension roller 511 and hold the inner wire 502 with the predetermined tension.

  By adopting a configuration in which the biasing means 510 is provided, the parallel link robot 100 can set a large adjustment margin for tension by directly applying tension to the inner wire 502, so that adjustment work becomes easier and more stable. Tension can be applied. In the present embodiment, the biasing means 510 is provided on the drive pulley housing 300 side, but is not limited thereto, and may be provided on the driven pulley housing 400 side. Further, the biasing means 510 may be provided on both the drive pulley housing 300 side and the driven pulley housing 400 side. In this embodiment, the tension roller 511 and the guide roller 512 are each composed of a roller. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the tension roller 511 and the guide roller 512 are composed of a member that can easily slide the inner wire 502 such as a slide bearing. It may be.

  Further, in this embodiment, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D is provided with the drive pulley housing 300 on the lower side in the vertical direction of the vertical plate 102, but is not limited to this. In general, the control cable 500 increases the sliding resistance between the outer cable 501 and the inner wire 502 as the number of times of bending or the bending angle increases, and the position of the inner wire 502 in the above-described gap in the outer cable 501 increases. The amount of change increases. When the amount of change increases, the control cable 500 decreases in durability and causes a decrease in response and accuracy of transmission of rotation of the drive pulley 303. In other words, the posture control drive mechanism 100D only needs to be configured so that the number of times of bending and the total bending angle of the control cable 500 are small, and the change in the number of bending times and the bending angle is reduced depending on the movement position of the output member 100B. . Specifically, it is preferable that the outer cable 501 is disposed so that a single curved portion 501a is formed regardless of where the output member 100B is located.

  For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 7A to 7C, the drive pulley housing 300 may be provided between the first motor 107 and the second motor 108 and the third motor 111. When configured in this way, the outer cable 501 extends in the horizontal direction from the housing plates 301 and 401 to the curved portion 501a, and is disposed so as to form a U-shaped posture having a single curved portion 501a. Is done. In this configuration, in the control cable 500, the position of the output member 100B shown in FIG. 7A is the farthest from the vertical plate 102, and the position of the output member 100B shown in FIG. The position changes as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7C, in the control cable 500, although the position of the bending portion 501a changes, the bending angle and the bending shape of the bending portion 501a are kept almost constant. In addition, the control cable 500 can suppress a large change in the bending angle without causing local bending even when the output member 100B moves vertically and horizontally within a predetermined range. Thereby, the control cable 500 can perform stable rotation transmission regardless of the position of the output member 100B.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the attitude control drive mechanism 100 </ b> D may be provided with a drive pulley housing 300 on the upper side in the vertical direction of the vertical plate 102. In this configuration, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the adjuster member 504 is fixed to the driven pulley housing 400 so as to be parallel to the axial direction of the driven pulley 403. Then, the inner wire 502 wound around the driven pulley 403 is changed in direction by 90 ° by the guide roller 406 and is inserted from the adjuster member 504 into the outer cable 501. Here, the guide roller 406 is rotatably supported by a guide roller shaft 405 fixed to the side surface of the housing plate 401 by caulking or the like. Further, the guide roller 406 is formed with a V-groove on the outer peripheral surface for contacting the inner wire 502 and guiding the inner wire 502 to the outer cable 501.

  When the drive pulley housing 300 is provided above the vertical plate 102 in the vertical direction, the outer cable 501 forms a posture extending in the vertical direction from the housing plate 301 to the curved portion 501a. The outer cable 501 has a single curved portion 501 a and is disposed so as to form a posture to be connected to the housing plate 401. That is, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D can arrange the outer cable 501 vertically above the driven pulley housing 400 that moves integrally with the output member 100B. With this configuration, the parallel link robot 100 can prevent the outer cable 501 from interfering with a workpiece or an assembly jig during operation.

<Second Embodiment>
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment described above, the elastic deformation of the inner wire 502 and the compression deformation of the outer cable 501 are affected by the position of the output member 100B even if the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the motor 302 and the drive pulley 303 are the same. Differences may occur in the rotation of the driven pulley 403. It was difficult to cope with this case. In addition, when the rotation of the motor 302 and the rotation of the end effector 100C do not uniquely correspond, it is difficult to manage the attitude of the end effector 100C based on the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the motor 302. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the motor 302 and the drive pulley 303 are the same, it is possible to cope with the case where the rotation of the driven pulley 403 and the end effector 100C is different. Note that the configuration and operation of the parallel link robot in the present embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified. Therefore, the overlapping description is omitted or simplified, and the differences from the first embodiment are described below. The explanation is centered.

  As shown in FIGS. 10A to 10D, in the parallel link robot 100 according to this embodiment, the drive pulley housing 300 is provided on the upper side in the vertical direction of the vertical plate 102. With this configuration, the parallel link robot 100 can prevent the outer cable 501 from interfering with a workpiece or an assembly jig during operation.

  As shown in FIGS. 11, 13A, and 13B, the output member 100B is provided with a rotary encoder 407 therein. The input shaft of the rotary encoder 407 is connected to the end effector support member 103 via the connection member 408. Since the end effector support member 103 is connected to the driven pulley 403, the parallel link robot 100 can accurately obtain the rotational position information of the driven pulley 403 using the rotary encoder 407. Here, the rotational position information is information with which the difference between the stop position of the driven pulley 403 that realizes the desired posture of the end effector 100C and the current stop position of the driven pulley 403 can be confirmed. In the parallel link robot 100, the rotation of the motor 302 can be controlled based on the rotational position information of the driven pulley 403, and the attitude of the end effector 100C can be controlled.

  With this configuration, the parallel link robot 100 can centrally manage a desired posture of the end effector 100C and the current posture of the end effector 100C based on the rotational position information of the driven pulley 403. Accordingly, the parallel link robot 100 can easily match the stop posture assumed by the end effector 100C with the actual stop posture. Further, the deviation of the posture of the end effector 100C due to the deformation of the outer cable 501 and the deviation due to the tension fluctuation of the inner wire 502 due to the difference in the rotation direction of the motor 302 can be eliminated by the control based on the rotational position information of the driven pulley 403. In other words, in the control based on the rotational position information of the driven pulley 403, the desired posture of the end effector 100C and the actual stoppage are maintained while maintaining repeatability like an adjustment mechanism that automatically adjusts the tension using a spring or the like. An increase in error with the posture can be avoided. Note that the detection means for obtaining the rotational position information of the driven pulley 403 is not limited to a rotary encoder, and may be a potentiometer, a resolver, or the like, and an output signal that can be converted into an angle value simplifies the control system design. preferable.

  Here, as a control method of the motor 302, for example, until the difference between the stop position of the driven pulley 403 that realizes the desired posture of the end effector 100C and the current stop position of the driven pulley 403 becomes a predetermined value or less. There is a method of repeating driving at minute time intervals. The desired posture of the end effector 100C is set independently of the state of the parallel link robot 100, that is, the position and posture of the end effector 100C at a certain point in time, in accordance with an assembly jig or the like. Further, the control method of the motor 302 is not limited to the minute time interval drive, and the desired attitude of the end effector 100C and the current attitude of the end effector 100C can be centrally managed based on the position information of the driven pulley 403. Any control method may be used. In the present embodiment, the detection means for obtaining the rotational position information of the driven pulley 403 is disposed inside the output member 100B, but is not limited to this. The detection unit may be configured to obtain rotational position information of the driven pulley 403, and may be configured to be connected to the driven pulley 403 by a flexible shaft or the like, for example, in a fixed portion of the parallel link robot 100.

  In the present embodiment, the desired posture of the end effector 100C is set independently of the position and posture of the end effector 100C at a certain point in time. Therefore, when the rotary encoder 407 is an incremental type that outputs a pulse train in accordance with the amount of rotational rotation of the shaft, the power supply is cut off once, and after the power supply is restored, the reference position of the posture of the end effector 100C is set. There is a need. If the reference position is not set, the parallel link robot 100 cannot manage the posture of the end effector 100C in accordance with a jig or the like using appropriate rotational position information.

  Below, the structure which sets the reference | standard position of the attitude | position of the end effector 100C is demonstrated. As shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C, the drive pulley housing 300 has a mechanical stopper 304 in the drive pulley 303, and a stopper end 301 a as a restricting portion in the housing plate 301. The rotation range of the drive pulley 303 is restricted to less than 360 ° when the mechanical stopper 304 that is a part of the drive pulley 303 comes into contact with the stopper end 301a. The housing plate 301 is provided with a photo interrupter 507. In the present embodiment, a sensor plate 508 serving as a flange member is provided on the flange portion 303a of the drive pulley 303 facing the photo interrupter 507. The sensor plate 508 is configured by joining, in the circumferential direction, a first flange portion 508a having a first radius and a second flange portion 508b having a second radius longer than the first radius. The sensor plate 508 is formed so that only one end 508 c of the edge changes the signal state of the photo interrupter 507 within the rotation range of the drive pulley 303. The sensor plate 508 is formed so that the other end 508 d of the edge does not pass the detection position of the photo interrupter 507 within the rotation range of the drive pulley 303. The photo interrupter 507 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the first flange portion 508a, and detects the presence or absence of the second flange portion 508b. In the present embodiment, the parallel link robot 100 sets the rotation reference position of the driven pulley 403, that is, the reference position of the posture of the end effector 100C, when the photo interrupter 507 detects one end 508c of the edge of the second flange portion 508b. it can.

  The mechanical stopper 304 has a shape for guiding the inner wire 502 in a part of the end surface. The mechanical stopper 304 is a bolt-shaped member that also functions to fix the flange portion 303a constituting the flange of the drive pulley 303 and the sensor plate 508 to the drive pulley 303 with screws. The stopper end 301 a is formed integrally with the housing plate 301 and has a shape protruding from the housing plate 301 in the axial direction of the drive pulley 303. The stopper end 301a is formed integrally with the housing plate 301, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed separately from the housing plate 301 and joined thereto.

  14A to 14C are diagrams for explaining the relationship between the rotation of the drive pulley 303 and the light transmission and light shielding of the signal from the photo interrupter 507. FIG. FIG. 14A shows a state in which the drive pulley 303 is at one limit of the rotation range, and the mechanical stopper 304 is in contact with the stopper end 301a. In this state, the photo interrupter 507 is in a light shielding state in which a signal is blocked by the second flange portion 508b. Further, in this state, the drive pulley 303 can rotate only in the direction in which the mechanical stopper 304 is separated from the stopper end 301a. FIG. 14B is a view showing a state in which the drive pulley 303 is rotated clockwise from the state of FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 14B, the photo interrupter 507 is switched from the light shielding state where the signal is blocked to the sensor plate 508 to the light transmitting state where the signal is transmitted to the sensor plate 508 by the rotation of the driving pulley 303. FIG. 14C is a view showing a state in which the drive pulley 303 is rotated clockwise from the state of FIG. 14B and the mechanical stopper 304 is in contact with the stopper end 301a. As shown in FIG. 14C, the photo interrupter 507 is attached to the sensor plate 508 even in a state where the drive pulley 303 is positioned at one of the limits of the rotation range in which clockwise rotation is restricted. The translucent state is maintained without blocking the signal.

  Next, each control when setting the reference position of the posture of the end effector 100C will be described. In the present embodiment, the position of the drive pulley 303 is the first rotation position where the drive pulley 303 is rotated clockwise and the photo interrupter 507 is switched from the light shielding state to the light transmitting state. The position of the drive pulley 303 is the second rotation position where the drive pulley 303 is rotated counterclockwise and the photo interrupter 507 is switched from the light transmitting state to the light shielding state. In the present embodiment, the first and second rotational positions are such that the edge end 508c remains at the edge 508c even when the rotary encoder 407 is powered off because the rotational range of the drive pulley 303 is less than 360 °. It always coincides with the rotational position facing the photo interrupter 507. Thereby, the parallel link robot 100 can use the case where the rotation position of the drive pulley 303 is the first rotation position or the second rotation position as the reference position of the posture of the end effector 100C.

  Here, the parallel link robot 100 may cause a slight error in the detection position of the photo interrupter 507 due to the difference in the rotation direction due to the backlash of the gear included in the motor 302, the width of the light receiving portion of the photo interrupter 507, or the like. . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the parallel link robot 100 is configured to set the reference position of the end effector 100C when the drive pulley 303 is located at the second rotation position. For example, when the photo interrupter 507 is in a light-shielded state, the parallel link robot 100 first rotates the drive pulley 303 by a predetermined amount clockwise from the first rotation position to make the photo interrupter 507 light-transmitting. Then, the parallel link robot 100 rotates the driving pulley 303 counterclockwise to the second rotation position, and sets the reference position of the posture of the end effector 100C. With this configuration, the parallel link robot 100 can set the reference position of the posture of the end effector 100C after the power supply is cut off without being affected by the difference in the rotation direction.

  When the rotational position detection sensor such as the photo interrupter 507 is provided in the drive pulley housing 300 as described above, the reference position described above after the output member 100B is moved to a predetermined position (for example, home position). It is necessary to execute the setting. As described above, since the rotation of the motor 302 and the rotation of the end effector 100C do not uniquely correspond to each other, the posture of the end effector 100C is not constant before the output member 100B is moved. to cause. When the same configuration as that of the present embodiment is applied to the driven pulley housing 400, the reference position of the attitude of the end effector 100C can be set regardless of the position of the output member 100B.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the parallel link robot 100 regulates the rotation range of the drive pulley 303 to be less than 360 °. With this configuration, the photo interrupter 507 has both functions of detecting the reference position of the end effector 100C and determining the rotation direction of the drive pulley 303 for returning the end effector 100C to the reference position. It becomes composition. Thereby, the parallel link robot 100 can collect a plurality of functions in a single component, simplify the control, reduce the number of components, and reduce the manufacturing cost. In addition, the parallel link robot 100 can easily set the reference position of the end effector 100C after returning even when power supply is temporarily turned on, and can improve productivity.

  In this embodiment, the parallel link robot 100 can change the posture of the end effector 100C by increasing the rotation of the motor 302 by configuring the outer diameter of the drive pulley 303 to be larger than the driven pulley 403. . That is, the parallel link robot 100 can set the range of postures that the end effector 100C can take to be 360 ° or more. The end effector attitude control drive mechanism according to the present embodiment may be applied to the end effector attitude control drive mechanism according to the first embodiment and modifications thereof.

<Third Embodiment>
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, as the posture control of the end effector 100C, the end effector 100C can be rotated about an axis different from the output shaft 105 in addition to rotating the end effector 100C with respect to the output shaft 105. Note that the configuration and operation of the parallel link robot in this embodiment are the same as those in the first and second embodiments unless otherwise specified. Therefore, the overlapping description is omitted or simplified, and the first and second embodiments are hereinafter described. A description will be given centering on differences from the embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the attitude control drive mechanism 100 </ b> D according to the present embodiment includes a first attitude changing unit 450 and a second attitude changing unit 460. In addition, the end effector support member 103 is disposed coaxially with the output shaft 105 on the output shaft 105 via the first posture changing unit 450 and the second posture changing unit 460.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the first attitude changing unit 450 is a first rotating unit via a pair of bearings 451 with respect to a first shaft 472 (described later) arranged on the same axis as the output shaft 105. The first driven pulley 452 is rotatably supported. In addition, a housing member 453 as a support member is connected and fixed to the first driven pulley 452, and the housing member 453 also rotates as the first driven pulley 452 rotates. A bearing holder 453a is fixed to the housing member 453, and a pair of bearings 454 is provided so that a second shaft 473 described later has a predetermined angle (45 ° in the present embodiment) with respect to the output shaft 105. The second shaft 473 is rotatably supported. In the second attitude changing unit 460, a second driven pulley 462 as a third rotating unit is rotatably supported with respect to the output shaft 105 via a bearing 461. That is, the first driven pulley 452 and the second driven pulley 462 are both provided coaxially with the output shaft 105.

  Further, a first shaft 472 is rotatably supported on the output shaft 105 via a pair of bearings 471. The second shaft 473 rotatably supported by the bearing holder 453a has a rotation block 474 as an output member connecting portion having a plurality of end effector support members 103 at one end fixed by a pin 475 or the like. Here, the end effector support member 103 is disposed and fixed on the rotary block 474 so as to be coaxial with the output shaft 105. A bevel gear 477 that meshes with a bevel gear 476 provided on the first shaft 472 at an angle of 45 ° is provided at the other end of the second shaft 473. That is, the end shaft 100C is connected to one end of the second shaft 473, and the first shaft 472 is rotated by the bevel gear 477 provided on the other end and the bevel gear 476 provided on the first shaft 472. It is transmitted and rotated.

  Next, the structure which transmits motive power to the 1st attitude | position change part 450 and the 2nd attitude | position change part 460 is demonstrated. As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, the first attitude changing unit 450 has a first drive pulley housing 455 provided below the vertical plate 102 in the vertical direction. Further, the second posture changing unit 460 is provided with the second drive pulley housing 463 between the first motor 107 and the second motor 108 and the third motor 111.

  Here, the configurations of the first drive pulley housing 455 and the second drive pulley housing 463 are the same as those of the drive pulley housing 300 in the first and second embodiments. That is, the first drive pulley housing 455 includes a housing plate 456 as a second fixed portion, a motor 457 as an attitude control actuator, and a first drive pulley 458 as a second rotating portion. The second drive pulley housing 463 includes a housing plate 464 serving as a second fixed portion, and a rotating portion control actuator for rotating the second driven pulley 462 that is supported by the vertical plate 102 and is a third rotating portion. As a motor 465. The second drive pulley housing 463 includes a second drive pulley 466 that is provided in the motor 465 and that serves as a fourth rotation unit that rotates when the motor 465 is driven. Here, the second drive pulley 466 is provided on the motor 465 and is supported by the vertical plate 102 via the housing plate 464 and the motor 465.

  Further, the control cable 500 is drivingly connected between the first driven pulley 452 and the first driving pulley 458 and between the second driven pulley 462 and the second driving pulley 466, respectively. That is, each control cable 500 has one end of the outer cable 501 connected to the housing plate 401 and the other end connected to the housing plate 456 or the housing plate 464. The first and second attitude changing units 450 and 460 rotate the first and second driven pulleys 452 and 462 when the rotation of the first and second drive pulleys 458 and 466 is transmitted by the control cable 500. Is configured to do. Here, in the present embodiment, the control cable 500 constitutes a wire member and a transmission wire member.

  Next, the first shaft 472 is rotated with respect to the first driven pulley 452 based on the rotation of the first driven pulley 452 and the rotation of the second driven pulley 462 provided in the output member 100B. The structure of the possible rotation means 480 will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the rotation means 480 is formed on the inner surface of the sun gear 481 that is formed integrally with the first shaft 472 and disposed on the rotation shaft of the first shaft 472, and the second driven pulley 462. An internal gear 482 formed on the rotation axis of the first shaft 472. The rotation means 480 includes a planetary gear 484 that is rotatably supported by a gear shaft 483 fixed to the first driven pulley 452 by press-fitting or the like. A plurality of planetary gears 484 (four in this embodiment) are provided, and are configured to mesh with the sun gear 481 and the internal gear 482. Thus, the rotation means 480 is a so-called planetary gear mechanism, and the first driven pulley 452 forms a carrier that rotatably holds the plurality of planetary gears 484. That is, the carrier of the rotating means 480 is connected to the first driven pulley 452 so as to be able to transmit the rotation.

  Next, the operation of the rotating means 480 will be described. For example, when the end effector 100C is rotated with respect to the output shaft 105, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D simultaneously rotates the first driven pulley 452 and the second driven pulley 462 in the same direction and at a constant speed. In this case, the housing member 453 connected to the first driven pulley 452 is rotated with respect to the output shaft 105 by the rotation of the first driven pulley 452. Further, the second shaft 473 supported by the bearing holder 453 a fixed to the housing member 453 also rotates with respect to the output shaft 105 as the housing member 453 rotates. Here, when the second shaft 473 rotates with respect to the output shaft 105, the bevel gear 477 that meshes with the bevel gear 476 provided on the first shaft 472 moves along with the rotation of the second shaft 473. Rotate up. In this case, the second shaft 473 rotates and the end effector 100C rotates with respect to the second shaft 473.

  Therefore, the rotating means 480 includes an internal gear 482 formed on the inner surface of the second driven pulley 462 and a first driven pulley 452 serving as a carrier by the rotation of the first driven pulley 452 and the second driven pulley 462. Are rotated in the same direction. The rotating means 480 rotates the sun gear 481, the internal gear 482, and the planetary gear 484 integrally with the first driven pulley 452 by rotating the internal gear 482 and the first driven pulley 452 in the same direction. Then, the rotation unit 480 rotates the sun gear 481 formed integrally with the first shaft 472 to rotate the first shaft 472 in the same direction as the first driven pulley 452. Accordingly, the rotation of the bevel gear 476 provided on the first shaft 472 and the rotation of the bevel gear 477 due to the rotation of the second shaft 473 are offset. Thus, the rotation means 480 does not rotate the first shaft 472 relative to the first driven pulley 452 by the rotation of the first driven pulley 452 and the rotation of the second driven pulley 462. Thus, the rotation block 474 is prevented from rotating with respect to the second shaft 473. Accordingly, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D can rotate the end effector 100C only with respect to the output shaft 105.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 16B, a case where the end effector 100C is rotated with respect to the second shaft 473 and the posture of the end effector 100C is changed from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction will be described. In this case, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D fixes the rotation of the first driven pulley 452 and rotates the second driven pulley 462. Since the rotation of the first driven pulley 452 is fixed, the rotation of the housing member 453 with respect to the output shaft 105 is prevented. In the rotation means 480, the first driven pulley 452 that is a carrier of the planetary gear 484 is fixed, and the second driven pulley 462 having the inner gear 482 formed on the inner surface is rotated. Therefore, the internal gear 482 is the input gear. Thus, the sun gear 481 becomes an output gear via the planetary gear 484. That is, the rotation means 480 rotates the first shaft 472 on which the sun gear 481 is formed in order to rotate the sun gear 481 at a predetermined speed ratio. In this way, the rotation means 480 fixes the rotation of the first driven pulley 452 and rotates the second driven pulley 462, thereby making the first shaft 472 relatively to the first driven pulley 452. Rotate. When the first shaft 472 is rotated, the second shaft 473 having the bevel gear 477 that meshes with the bevel gear 476 provided on the first shaft 472 is also rotated. Due to the rotation of the second shaft 473, the rotation block 474 provided at one end of the second shaft 473 rotates with respect to the second shaft 473. When the rotation block 474 is rotated, the end effector 100 </ b> C connected to the rotation block 474 via the end effector support member 103 is rotated with respect to the second shaft 473. As described above, the rotation unit 480 rotates only the second driven pulley 462, thereby rotating the rotation block 474 with respect to the second shaft 473 without rotating the housing member 453, and the end effector 100C. Can be rotated. Accordingly, the posture control drive mechanism 100D can change the posture of the end effector 100C from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction by rotating the posture of the end effector 100C with respect to the second shaft 473.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the parallel link robot 100 includes the first posture changing unit 450, the second posture changing unit 460, and the rotating unit 480. With this configuration, the parallel link robot 100 can rotate the attitude of the end effector 100C with respect to the output shaft 105 without restricting the operation region of the output member 100B, and in addition to the second shaft different from the output shaft 105 It can rotate with respect to 473. That is, the parallel link robot 100 can control the attitude of the end effector 100C with a higher degree of freedom with a simple configuration.

  In the present embodiment, the rotary block 474 is provided with the end effector support member 103 coaxially with the output shaft 105, but is not limited thereto. For example, the end effector support member 103 may be attached to each of the rotation block 474 coaxially with the output shaft 105 and at a position rotationally symmetric with respect to the second shaft 473 by 180 °. With this configuration, the parallel link robot 100 can connect the plurality of end effectors 100C to the rotation block 474. Thereby, since the parallel link robot 100 can switch the end effector 100C according to the work application, the work can be continued without exchanging the end effector 100C, and the work efficiency is improved.

<Fourth Embodiment>
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the third embodiment, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D rotates the first and second driven pulleys 452 and 462 when the end effector 100C is rotated with respect to the output shaft 105. In such a configuration, it is necessary to synchronize the fourth and fifth motors 457 and 465, and there is a concern that the control becomes complicated. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the rotating means is configured by a differential mechanism, and the posture of the end effector 100C can be controlled without synchronizing the fourth and fifth motors 457 and 465. Note that the configuration and operation of the parallel link robot in the present embodiment are the same as those in the first to third embodiments unless otherwise specified. Therefore, the overlapping description is omitted or simplified. A description will be given centering on differences from the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the rotating means 490 in the present embodiment includes a first bevel gear 491 that rotates together with the first driven pulley 452 and is provided on the rotation shaft of the first driven pulley 452. The first bevel gear 491 is connected and fixed to the first driven pulley 452. The rotating means 490 includes a second bevel gear 492 that is connected and fixed to the second driven pulley 462 and rotates together with the second driven pulley 462 and provided on the rotation shaft of the second driven pulley 462. The second driven pulley 462 and the second bevel gear 492 are supported rotatably with respect to the output shaft 105 via a pair of bearings 404. The rotating means 490 includes a third bevel gear 494 that is provided on a vertical shaft 493a that protrudes in the vertical direction from the central axis of a first shaft 493 (described later) and is rotatably supported. The third bevel gear 494 is provided on each of the vertical shafts 493 a and meshes with the first bevel gear 491 and the second bevel gear 492.

  In the present embodiment, the first shaft 493 is rotatably supported with respect to the output shaft 105 via a bearing 471, and a bevel gear 476 that meshes with a bevel gear 477 of the second shaft 473 at one end at a shaft angle of 45 °. Is provided. In the present embodiment, the first shaft 493 has the two vertical shafts 493a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is only necessary to have at least one vertical shaft 493a.

  Next, the operation of the rotating means 490 will be described. For example, when the end effector 100C is rotated with respect to the output shaft 105, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D rotates the first driven pulley 452 and fixes the second driven pulley 462. In this case, the housing member 453 connected to the first driven pulley 452 is rotated with respect to the output shaft 105 by the rotation of the first driven pulley 452. Further, the second shaft 473 supported by the bearing holder 453 a fixed to the housing member 453 also rotates with respect to the output shaft 105 as the housing member 453 rotates. Here, when the second shaft 473 rotates with respect to the output shaft 105, the bevel gear 477 that meshes with the bevel gear 476 provided on the first shaft 493 is rotated along with the rotation of the second shaft 473. Rotate up. In this case, the second shaft 473 rotates and the end effector 100C rotates with respect to the second shaft 473.

  Therefore, the rotating means 490 rotates the first bevel gear 491 in the same direction as the first driven pulley 452 by the rotation of the first driven pulley 452. The rotating means 490 rotates the first bevel gear 491 to rotate the third bevel gear 494 that meshes with the first bevel gear 491 with respect to the vertical shaft 493a, and causes the third bevel gear 494 to rotate. Revolve with respect to 493. The rotating means 490 rotates the first shaft 493 in the same direction as the first driven pulley 452 by the third bevel gear 494 revolving with respect to the first shaft 493. Thereby, the rotation of the bevel gear 476 provided on the first shaft 493 and the rotation of the bevel gear 477 due to the rotation of the second shaft 473 are offset. As described above, the rotation unit 490 does not rotate the first shaft 493 relative to the first driven pulley 452 by rotating the first driven pulley 452 and stopping the second driven pulley 462. Thus, the rotation block 474 is prevented from rotating with respect to the second shaft 473. Thereby, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D can rotate the end effector 100C only with respect to the output shaft 105.

  Next, a case where the end effector 100C is rotated with respect to the second shaft 473 and the posture of the end effector 100C is changed from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction will be described. In this case, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D fixes the rotation of the first driven pulley 452 and rotates the second driven pulley 462. Since the rotation of the first driven pulley 452 is fixed, the rotation of the housing member 453 with respect to the output shaft 105 is prevented. The rotating means 490 rotates the second bevel gear 492 in the same direction as the second driven pulley 462 by the rotation of the second driven pulley 462. Then, the rotating means 490 rotates the third bevel gear 492 that meshes with the second bevel gear 492 by the rotation of the second bevel gear 492, and rotates the third bevel gear 494 with respect to the first shaft. Revolve with respect to 493. The rotating means 490 rotates the first shaft 493 in the same direction as the second driven pulley 462 when the third bevel gear 494 revolves with respect to the first shaft 493. As the first shaft 493 rotates, the second shaft 473 having the bevel gear 477 that meshes with the bevel gear 476 provided on the first shaft 493 also rotates. Due to the rotation of the second shaft 473, the rotation block 474 provided at one end of the second shaft 473 rotates with respect to the second shaft 473. When the rotation block 474 is rotated, the end effector 100 </ b> C connected to the rotation block 474 via the end effector support member 103 is rotated with respect to the second shaft 473. In this way, the rotating means 490 rotates only the second driven pulley 462, thereby rotating the rotating block 474 with respect to the second shaft 473 without rotating the housing member 453, and the end effector 100C. Can be rotated. Accordingly, the posture control drive mechanism 100D can change the posture of the end effector 100C from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction by rotating the posture of the end effector 100C with respect to the second shaft 473.

  As described above, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D can control the attitude of the end effector 100C by rotating only the first driven pulley 452 when the end effector 100C is rotated with respect to the output shaft 105. . Further, when the end effector 100C is rotated with respect to the second shaft 473, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D can control the attitude of the end effector 100C by rotating only the second driven pulley 462. In the present embodiment, the rotational drive amount of the end effector 100C with respect to the output shaft 105 matches the rotational drive amount of the first driven pulley 452. Further, the rotational drive amount of the end effector 100 </ b> C with respect to the second shaft 473 coincides with the rotational drive amount of the second driven pulley 462.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the parallel link robot 100 includes the first posture changing unit 450, the second posture changing unit 460, and the rotating means 490, and the fourth and fifth motors 457 and 465. The attitude of the end effector 100C can be controlled without synchronizing the two. Thereby, the parallel link robot 100 can control the end effector 100C to a desired posture by a simple control design, and can realize more stable posture control of the end effector 100C.

<Fifth Embodiment>
A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first to fourth embodiments, the parallel link robot 100 performs opening and closing of the claw portion 104a of the chuck 104 using the drive source 104c. In such a configuration, there is a concern that the end effector 100C is provided with a drive source such as an electromagnetic solenoid or a motor, thereby increasing the weight and increasing the inertia, thereby affecting the motion of the movable part. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the opening and closing of the chuck claw portion can be realized by the operation of the first and second posture changing units 450 and 460. Note that the configuration and operation of the parallel link robot in this embodiment are the same as those in the first to fourth embodiments unless otherwise specified. Therefore, the overlapping description is omitted or simplified. A description will be given centering on differences from the embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 20 to 22, in this embodiment, the end effector 100 </ b> C includes a chuck 600. The chuck 600 has a mounting shaft 602 coupled to a frame 601 having a hook portion 601a. The mounting shaft 602 is positioned and mounted by shaft fitting with the end effector support member 103, and the bolt 113 is attached to the screw portion 602 a provided on the mounting shaft 602 through the opening hole 103 a provided in the end effector support member 103. It is fixed by. The frame 601 is provided with a pair of guide shafts 603 in parallel. Each guide shaft 603 is provided with a slide member 604 as a moving member that is slidably movable on the guide shaft 603. Each slide member 604 is provided with a pair of chuck claws 605 as claw portions for gripping the workpiece.

  A second shaft 607 is rotatably supported inside the mounting shaft 602 via a pair of bearings 606. One end surface of the second shaft 607 facing the end effector support member 103 is formed with a square hole 607a at the center of the second shaft 607. As shown in FIG. ) Is provided in the protruding portion 620a. Further, a plate-like cam lever 608 as a driving member is coupled to the other end surface of the second shaft 607 by caulking or the like. The cam lever 608 has two long holes 608a and a hook portion 608b.

  As shown in FIG. 21, a pin 609 is fixed to the pair of slide members 604 by press fitting or the like, and the pins 609 are slidably fitted in the respective long holes 608 a of the cam lever 608. A tension spring 610 is hung on the hook portion 608 b of the cam lever 608 and the hook portion 601 a of the frame 601. With this configuration, the chuck 600 can rotate the cam lever 608 by rotating the second shaft 607. The chuck 600 performs an opening / closing operation of sliding the slide member 604 on the guide shaft 603 by moving the cam lever 608 and moving the chuck claw 605 in a contact and separation direction. Here, FIG. 21A shows the closed state of the chuck claw 605 by the rotation of the second shaft 607, and the chuck claw 605 abuts against each other to serve as a stopper when moving in the contact direction. . FIG. 21B shows the open state of the chuck claw 605 by rotating the second shaft 607, and the length by which the chuck claw 605 is moved away is adjusted by the rotation angle of the second shaft 607. Is possible. Further, the chuck claw 605 is always urged in the contact direction by the tension spring 610.

  Next, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D will be described. As shown in FIG. 22, the first attitude changing unit 450 has a first driven pulley 452 via a pair of bearings 451 with respect to a first shaft 620 (described later) having a rotation axis on the same axis as the output shaft 105. Is supported rotatably. Further, the end effector support member 103 is connected and fixed to the first driven pulley 452 with a screw or the like, and the end effector support member 103 is also rotated with the rotation of the first driven pulley 452. In the second attitude changing unit 460, the second driven pulley 462 is rotatably supported with respect to the output shaft 105 via a bearing 461. That is, the first driven pulley 452 and the second driven pulley 462 are both provided coaxially with the output shaft 105.

  Further, the first shaft 620 is rotatably supported on the output shaft 105 via a pair of bearings 471. The first shaft 620 is integrally formed with the sun gear 481 of the rotating means 480, and has a square-shaped protrusion 620a that fits into the square hole 607a of the second shaft 607 at one end. In the present embodiment, when the chuck 600 is mounted on the end effector support member 103, the rotation of the first shaft 620 is transmitted to the second shaft 607 by fitting the projection 620a into the square hole 607a. .

  Next, the operation of the attitude control drive mechanism 100D will be described. For example, when the chuck 600 is rotated with respect to the output shaft 105, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D simultaneously rotates the first driven pulley 452 and the second driven pulley 462 in the same direction and at a constant speed. In this case, the end effector support member 103 connected to the first driven pulley 452 is rotated with respect to the output shaft 105 by the rotation of the first driven pulley 452. Here, as the end effector support member 103 rotates, the second shaft 607 rotatably supported by the mounting shaft 602 fixed to the end effector support member 103 also rotates with respect to the output shaft 105. .

  Therefore, the rotating means 480 includes an internal gear 482 formed on the inner surface of the second driven pulley 462 and a first driven pulley 452 serving as a carrier by the rotation of the first driven pulley 452 and the second driven pulley 462. Are rotated in the same direction. The rotating means 480 rotates the sun gear 481, the internal gear 482, and the planetary gear 484 integrally with the first driven pulley 452 by rotating the internal gear 482 and the first driven pulley 452 in the same direction. Then, the rotating unit 480 rotates the sun gear 481 formed integrally with the first shaft 472 to rotate the first shaft 620 in the same direction as the first driven pulley 452. Thereby, the rotation of the first shaft 620 and the rotation of the second shaft 607 are offset. As described above, the rotation means 480 prevents the first shaft 620 from rotating relative to the first driven pulley 452 by the first and second driven pulleys 452 and 462, so that the second shaft 607 is moved to the cam lever 608. Is rotated to prevent the chuck pawl 605 from opening and closing. Thereby, the attitude control drive mechanism of the end effector can rotate the chuck 600 only with respect to the output shaft 105.

  Next, the case where the chuck claws 605 are moved in the direction in which they are brought into contact with and separated from each other will be described. In this case, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D fixes the rotation of the first driven pulley 452 and rotates the second driven pulley 462. By fixing the rotation of the first driven pulley 452, the rotation of the end effector support member 103 relative to the output shaft 105 is prevented. In the rotating means 480, the first driven pulley 452 that is a carrier of the planetary gear 484 is fixed, and the second driven pulley 462 having the inner gear 482 formed on the inner surface rotates, so that the inner gear 482 serves as an input gear. The sun gear 481 becomes an output gear through the planetary gear 484. That is, the rotation means 480 rotates the sun gear 481 at a predetermined speed ratio, so that the first shaft 620 on which the sun gear 481 is formed rotates. As described above, the rotation unit 480 fixes the rotation of the first driven pulley 452 and rotates the second driven pulley 462 so that the first shaft 620 can be relatively moved with respect to the first driven pulley 452. Rotate. As the first shaft 620 rotates, the second shaft 607 fitted with the projection 620a provided on the first shaft 620 and the square hole 607a also rotates. As the second shaft 607 rotates, the cam lever 608 provided at the other end of the second shaft 607 rotates together with the second shaft 607 to slide the slide member 604 on the guide shaft 603. As a result, the posture control drive mechanism 100D can move the chuck pawl 605 in the direction of contacting and separating. Thus, the attitude control drive mechanism 100D can open and close the chuck pawl 605 of the chuck 600 by fixing the first driven pulley 452 and rotating the second driven pulley 462.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the parallel link robot 100 can provide the base unit 100A with a drive source that supplies power for bringing the chuck claws 605 into contact with and separating from each other. Thereby, the parallel link robot 100 can prevent the inertia from becoming large without increasing the weight of the end effector 100C, and can realize more stable movement of the output member 100B and posture control of the end effector 100C. it can.

  In the present embodiment, the rotating means 480 constituted by the planetary gear mechanism is used as the rotating means. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rotating means 490 constituted by the differential mechanism may be used. .

<Other embodiments>
The posture control drive mechanism 100D according to each embodiment described above may be applied not only to the parallel link robot having the link configuration described in each embodiment but also to a conventional delta type parallel link robot. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a serial type robot.

100 Parallel link robot 100A Base part (fixing member)
100B Output member (manipulator)
100C End effector 105 Output shaft 107 First motor (moving actuator)
108 Second motor (movement actuator)
109a First link (link mechanism)
110a Second link (link mechanism)
111 Third motor (moving actuator)
112a Third link (link mechanism)
301, 456, 464 Housing plate (second fixed part)
301a Stopper end (Regulator)
302,457 Motor (rotating part control actuator)
303 Drive pulley (second rotating part)
401 Housing plate (first fixed part)
403 driven pulley (first rotating part)
452 1st driven pulley (1st rotation part)
453 Housing member (support member)
458 First drive pulley (second rotating part)
462 Second driven pulley (third rotating part)
465 Motor (rotating part control actuator)
466 Second drive pulley (fourth rotating part)
472,493,620 1st axis 473,607 2nd axis 474 Rotating block (end effector connecting member)
481 Sun gear 482 Internal gear 484 Planetary gear 491 First bevel gear 492 Second bevel gear 493a Vertical shaft 494 Third bevel gear 500 Control cable (wire member, transmission wire member)
501 Outer cable 501a Bending portion 502 Inner wire 504 Adjuster member (adjustment member)
506 Compression coil spring (elastic member)
507 Photo interrupter (detection means)
508 Sensor plate (flange member)
508a First flange portion 508b Second flange portion 510 Biasing means 511 Tension roller (contact member)
512 Guide roller (guide member)
514 Tension spring (biasing member)
604 Slide member (moving member)
605 Chuck claw (claw part)
608 Cam lever (drive member)

Claims (15)

An output member having an output shaft;
A plurality of moving actuators that are supported by a fixed member and move the output member within a predetermined space;
A plurality of link mechanisms respectively provided between the output shaft and the plurality of moving actuators;
A first rotating portion that rotates with respect to the output shaft;
A rotation unit control actuator supported by the fixing member for rotating the first rotation unit;
A second rotation unit supported by the fixing member and rotated by driving of the rotation unit control actuator;
A wire member for drivingly connecting the first rotating part and the second rotating part and rotating the first rotating part by the rotation of the second rotating part;
A parallel link robot characterized by that. A first fixing portion provided on the output shaft;
A second fixing portion provided on the fixing member,
The wire member drives and connects a hollow outer cable whose both ends are fixed to the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion, the first rotating portion, and the second rotating portion, An inner wire disposed inside the outer cable that rotates the first rotating part by rotating the second rotating part.
The parallel link robot according to claim 1.   The wire member includes an adjustment member that is provided between an end portion of the outer cable and at least one of the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion and adjusts a fixing position of the end portion of the outer cable. The parallel link robot according to claim 2, wherein:   An elastic member is provided between at least one of the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion and an end portion of the outer cable, and urges the outer cable in a direction away from the fixing portion. The parallel link robot according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein   5. The parallel link robot according to claim 2, further comprising an urging unit that abuts on the inner wire exposed from the outer cable and applies tension to the inner wire. The biasing means includes a contact member that contacts the inner wire, a guide member that guides the inner wire to the outer cable, and a biasing member that biases the contact member to the inner wire. ,
The parallel link robot according to claim 5.   The parallel link robot according to any one of claims 2 to 6, further comprising detection means capable of detecting a rotation position of the second rotation unit. The second fixing portion has a restricting portion that contacts a part of the second rotating portion and restricts the rotation of the second rotating portion.
The parallel link robot according to claim 7. The second rotating portion includes a flange member configured by joining a first flange portion having a first radius and a second flange portion having a second radius longer than the first radius in a circumferential direction. Have
The detection means is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the first flange portion to detect the presence or absence of the second flange portion;
The parallel link robot according to claim 8.   In the wire member, a single curved portion is formed between the first rotating portion and the second rotating portion regardless of where the output member is located in the predetermined space. The parallel link robot according to claim 1, wherein the parallel link robot is provided on the parallel link robot. A third rotating part that rotates with respect to the output shaft;
A rotating portion control actuator supported by the fixing member for rotating the third rotating portion;
A fourth rotating part supported by the fixing member and rotated by driving a rotating part control actuator for rotating the third rotating part;
A transmission wire member for drivingly connecting the third rotating part and the fourth rotating part and rotating the third rotating part by the rotation of the fourth rotating part;
A first axis disposed on the same axis as the output axis;
A second shaft connected to one end of the output member and rotated by rotation of the first shaft;
A support member that rotates together with the first rotation part and rotatably supports the second shaft;
Rotating means capable of rotating the first shaft with respect to the first rotating portion based on the rotation of the first rotating portion and the rotation of the third rotating portion. ,
The parallel link robot according to claim 1, wherein the robot is a parallel link robot. The rotating means includes a sun gear disposed on the rotation shaft of the first shaft, an internal gear formed on the inner surface of the third rotation portion and disposed on the rotation shaft of the first shaft, A planetary gear mechanism that is disposed between a sun gear and the internal gear, and is formed of a plurality of planetary gears that mesh with the sun gear and the internal gears, and a carrier that rotatably holds the plurality of planetary gears. Yes,
The carrier is connected to the first rotating part so as to be able to transmit rotation.
The parallel link robot according to claim 11, wherein: The rotating means rotates together with the first rotating part and rotates together with the first bevel gear provided on the rotation axis of the first rotating part and the third rotating part, and the third time. A second bevel gear provided on the rotating shaft of the moving portion; and a third bevel gear provided on a vertical shaft protruding in a vertical direction from the central axis of the first shaft and meshing with the first bevel gear and the second bevel gear. A bevel gear;
The parallel link robot according to claim 11. An output member connecting portion provided at one end of the second shaft to which at least one of the output members is connected;
The support member rotatably supports the second shaft so as to have a predetermined angle with respect to the output shaft.
The parallel link robot according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the robot is a parallel link robot. The output member includes a pair of claw portions, a moving member that moves in a direction in which the pair of claw portions are brought into contact with and separated from each other, and a driving member that drives the moving member by rotation of the second shaft.
The parallel link robot according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the robot is a parallel link robot.

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