FR2602990A1 - DEVICE FOR SEIZING, RESPECTIVELY RELEASING, AUTOMATICALLY A TOOL HOLDER BY AN INDUSTRIAL ROBOT - Google Patents

Abstract

DEVICE FOR ENTERING, RESPECTIVELY RELEASING, AUTOMATICALLY A TOOL HOLDER BY AN INDUSTRIAL ROBOT, WHOSE LAST DRIVE BODY IS EQUIPPED WITH A CONNECTION ELEMENT FOR A COUPLING PART TO A TAKING BODY, THE CONNECTION ELEMENT AND THE COUPLING PART BEING GUIDED BY A SAFETY DEVICE AND CONNECTING THROUGH ENERGY SHEET COUPLINGS, AND, IN THE CONNECTION ELEMENT, A BUSH FITTED WITH BAYONET TEETH IS LIKELY TO COOPERATE WITH TEETH CORRESPONDENTS OF A LOCKING ORGAN OF THE COUPLING PART. ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION, THE RING 13 IS EQUIPPED WITH A COAXIAL HELICOIDAL TOOTHED WHEEL 11 FOR AN ENDLESS SCREW 10 DRIVED BY A LOCKING MOTOR 7 AND IS MOUNTED, AT THE SAME TIME AS THE CONTROL MECHANISM, IN A BOX 19 OF THE CONNECTION ELEMENT 1. APPLICATION TO THE HANDLING OF PARTS.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for gripping, respectively

release, automatically a

  tool holder by an industrial robot.

  DE-PS-3 421 452 already discloses a device for grasping, respectively releasing, automatically a tool support by an industrial robot whose last drive member is provided with a connection element. for a coupling part for fastening a gripping member or the like, the coupling element and the coupling part being guided towards each other in the near state of one of the other via a safety organ and being connected to each other, in the coupled state, by means of energy plug couplings, and in the connection element, a rotatable ring provided with ball-and-socket teeth is capable of cooperating with corresponding teeth of a locking member of the coupling part. In this device, the rotation required to assemble the coupling parts is costly obtained by rotating the last axis of rotation of the industrial robot. This axis of rotation is however not always necessary, for example when parts must only be "depalletized" by means of the gripping member or transported from a pallet to a working machine. For this, a robot to

portico is suitable.

  The present invention aims to improve the device of the prior art, so that the coupling

  parts to be connected are simplified.

  For this purpose, the device, of the type indicated above, is remarkable, according to the invention, in that the ring is provided with a helical coaxial gear wheel.

  for a worm driven by a locking motor and is mounted, together with the control mechanism, in a box of the connecting element.

  The locking motor can be very small and thus economical, because, unlike the known device, it does not drive an axis of an industrial robot but only a coupling element, and can

  be mounted directly to the connection element via an overload coupling.

  To avoid unintentional release of the link and thereby increase safety, on a lock motor shaft a safety gear wheel can be attached for a pawl actuated by a pushing device. To operate the connection even during a power failure, the shaft can be provided laterally

  a recess likely to cooperate with a tool.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, in the connecting element are arranged, on a circular arc, proximity switches for a tab of

  signaling provided on the rotating ring. Proximity switches signal the realization, or the liberation

  ration, from the link to the control unit and thus release the industrial robot for the next planned displacement. According to yet another feature of the invention, in the coupling part there are provided one or more connectors for opening pressure means valves in the connecting element. By using two of the pressure medium passages indicated in the connecting member / coupling portion connection, no work control valve is required on the different mating engagement members. These would then be in the direct work area and could interfere. The work control valves may be disposed at appropriate locations of the industrial robot. By using four or more pressure medium passages, two or more gripping modules can be operated independently of one another. In order for the industrial robot to be able to receive, independently, several different gripping members, parts or tools, using the device of the invention, these are arranged on a magazine plate. For automatic reception, the locking member, which can be received by the rotary ring, has, on its connecting plate with the gripping member or the like, at its periphery, two opposite bores for pins, which are guided movably in the gripping member against the spring force in the coupling direction by pressing the connecting member, and the magazine plate has a plurality of peripheral notches for base plates of the gripping members and recesses. opposite for the pins, connecting to the indentations. In addition, the pins with safety washers

  are guided in sockets surrounding the springs.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, the pins have, on their opposite sides, recesses for the ends of the notches, projecting from the recesses. According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the store plate has recesses surrounding the indentations for the external shoulders of the connecting plate of the coupling part and the

  base plate of the grip member.

  The figures of the appended drawing will make it clear

  how the invention can be realized. In these figures, identical references designate like elements.

  Figure 1 is the section along the line I-I of the

figure 3.

  Figure 2 is the section along the line II-II of Figure 3.

  Figure 3 is a bottom view of the device

  according to the invention, partly in section.

  FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a tool of FIG.

socket can be coupled.

  FIG. 5 is a section of the coupling part

of the device according to the invention.

  Figure 6 is a side view of the part of a

plement with gripping member.

  FIG. 7 is the view along the arrow X of FIG. 1.

  Figure 8 is the section along the line VIII-VIII of Figure 6, without a gripping member.

  FIG. 9 is the section along line IX-IX of FIG.

figure 6.

  Figure 10 is the section along line X-X of the

Figure 3, with a female plug.

  FIG. 11 shows the connector adapted to FIG.

  Figure 12 shows a portion of a magazine plate.

  FIG. 13 shows the detail "Z" of FIG.

larger scale.

  Figure 14 is the section along line XIV-XIV of

line 13.

  Connecting lines 4, pressure medium lines 5 and control lines 6 are connected to the connecting element 1 for a coupling part 2, for the connection of a gripping member 3. The

  device of the invention is actuated by a locking motor 7, which, via a coupler-

  8, drives a shaft 9 having a worm 10, and a helical gear 11, as can be seen

in Figure 3.

  FIG. 1 shows that the wheel 11 constitutes a part of a rotating sleeve 12, which comprises a ring 13 provided with balancing teeth 14. After the lowering of the connecting element 1 on the coupling part 2 shown in FIG. FIG. 5, the ring 13 is turned and its

  teeth 14 engage under corresponding teeth 15 of the locking member 16 which has a passage 17.

  The rotating sleeve 12 is mounted in a housing 19 by roller bearings 24, which housing

  19 is surrounded by a housing 20 of the connecting element 19.

  The connecting element 1 has, above the annular surface of the locking member 16, a proximity switch 21, which, via its connecting line 4, indicates to a calculator the establishment of of the locking member 16 in the ring 13. During the rotation of the ring 13, the curved signaling tab 23 which is fixed there arrives under other proximity switches 22 and 22a, the signals of which are transmitted by intermediary of the lines of liaison

  4a. Proximity switches 21, 22 and 22a are attached to supports 57.

  The locking member 16 has a flange 18 for screwing a standard connecting plate 25, which, by its outer shoulder 26, can be inserted into the openings of the magazine plate 43 shown in FIG.

  12 and which has an internal recess 27 for the connection of the gripping member 3 shown in FIG. 9.

  The connecting plate 25 further has a connector 28 for the valve 29 shown in Figure 1, which is connected to the pressure medium line already indicated. The connector 28 opens the valve 29 when the connecting element 1 is placed on the coupling part 2. In addition, the connecting plate 25 carries pins 30, which can be seen in the figures 6, 8 and 9, which allow, via the bushes 31 (Figure 2), the junction and the centering of the connecting element 1 and the coupling portion 2. To avoid an erroneous junction, one of the two pins 30 has flattened sides. The connecting plate 25 also has, on its upper face, two receivers 32 for floating mounted connectors 33 having exchangeable male plugs 34 for power lines and two centering pins 35. For this male plug 34 visible on the 11, the connecting element 1 has two female plugs 36 visible in FIG. 10. The position of the connectors 33 on the connecting plate 25

is visible in Figures 3 and 4.

  Figure 3 also shows a device, by which unintentional unlocking is prevented. For this, the shaft 9 has a safety toothed wheel 37, in the interstices of which engages a spring loaded pawl 39, which is pivotally mounted on a screw 40. When actuating the device of

  According to the invention, the catch pawl 39 is pivoted backwards by a traction magnet 38 against the force of the spring.

  The shaft 9 has, at the end of the guide sleeve of the safety gear 37, a recess 41,

  to rotate it, using a tool insertable through a bore 42 of the housing 20, during a power failure or other problem.

  To provide a plurality of coupling members 2 with different gripping members 3, a magazine plate 43, shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, is located in the working area of the industrial robot. It has several peripheral notches 44, which in each case comprise a shoulder 45 (FIG. 14) for receiving the external shoulder 26 of the connecting plate 25. In order to prevent the coupling part 2 from unintentionally coming out of the notch 44, it has, near the edge of the store plate 43, two recesses 46, of which

  one is shown on a larger scale in Figure 13.

  In the two recesses 46 of the notch 44, pins 47 engage, which are guided in bores 49 of the base plate 3a of the gripping member 3 and the connecting plate 25. Each pin 47 is maintained,

  by a spring 51, upwardly through the bore 49 of the connecting plate 25. In addition, at the lower end

  pins 47 are provided with safety washers 47a for the pins. The safety washers 47a engage in the sockets 50 below the base plate 3a of the gripping member. When placing the connection element 1 on the coupling part

  2, the housing 20 presses the pins 47 down until the recess 48 thereof (Figure 14) reaches the recess 46. Then the engagement member 3 can be removed. laterally of the notch 44 of the magazine plate 43, the recesses 48 of the pins 47 sliding towards the ends 44a of the notch 44.

  In the presence of the coupling portion 2 in the magazine plate 43, adjustable stops 52 of the base plate 3a of the gripping member 3 press against a switch 53, fixed to the magazine plate 43 (FIG. 9). , which signals the presence of the gripping member 3 at the

control center.

  To receive the coupling part 2 with its gripping member 3, the industrial robot with its connecting element 1 moves over the part

  2 located in the magazine plate 43.

  The connecting element 1 is then lowered, whereby: 1 - the pins 30 penetrate into the bushes 31, 2 - the locking member 16 with the teeth 15 penetrate into the ring 13 with the balancing teeth 14, 3 the centering pins 35 and the male plugs 34 of the connectors 3 penetrate into the sockets 36, 4 - the two connections 28 open the sockets 29, - the casing 20 of the connecting element 1 releases

  the pins 47 with their recesses 48.

  During this approach of the connecting element 1 5 to the coupling portion 2, the locking member 16 actuates the proximity switch 21, which signals the establishment carried out at the control unit, which then causes the starting of the locking motor 7. This then rotates, by means of the worm 10 and the helical gear 11, the rotary sleeve 12, as well as the ring 13, whereby the teeth 14 thereof come under the teeth 15 and the inclined surfaces thereof press against one another. The tab 23 attached to the ring 13 reaches under the proximity switch 22, which signals the rotation made, and allows the industrial robot to remove the coupling portion 2 with the gripping member 3 of the notch 44 of the When unlocking the device, the tab 23 arrives under another proximity switch 22a, which signals the release made. The teeth 14 and the teeth 15 have a slope angle

  about 6. Thus, the surface condition of the sliding surfaces is such that the connection is still in the area of automatic locking.

  As can be seen in FIG. 3, three teeth 14 and three teeth 15, having an angular extension

  less than 60, are expected.

  The connecting plate 25 and the base plate 3a of the gripping member are connected to one another by the

screw 55 (Figure 4).

  The gripping member 3 is centered on the base plate

  3a and fixed by screws 56 (Figure 9).

Claims (6)

  1 - Device for gripping, respectively releasing, automatically a tool support by an industrial robot, the last drive member is provided with a connecting member for a coupling portion for fixing a gripping member or the like, the connecting element and the coupling part being guided towards each other in the state close to each other by means of a safety member and being connected, in the coupled state, by means of energy-plug couplings, and in the connection element, a rotatable ring provided with thumb-teeth is capable of cooperating with corresponding teeth of a locking member of the coupling part, characterized in that the ring (13) is provided with a coaxial helical gear (11) for a worm (10) driven by a locking motor (7) and is mounted, together with the mechanism of c remote control, in a housing (19) of the connecting element (1). 2 - Device according to claim 1, characterized in that a coupling is arranged between the locking motor (7) and the toothing (10, 11). overload (8).   3 - Device according to claim 1, characterized in that, on a shaft (9) of the locking motor (7), is fixed a toothed gear (37) for a pawl (39) actuable by a thrust apparatus (38).   4 - Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the safety gear (37) fixed on the shaft (9) is provided in its guide sleeve, a recess (41) capable of cooperating with a tool . Device according to claim 1,   characterized in that in the connection element 10 (1), proximity switches (21, 22) are arranged on a circular arc for a signaling lug (23) provided on the rotary ring (13). .   6 - Device according to claim 1, characterized in that in the coupling part (2) there are provided one or more connections (28) for the opening of pressure means valves (29) in the element connection (1).   7 - Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking member (16), for being sated by the rotary ring (13), has, on its connecting plate (25) to the gripping member ( 3) or the like, at its periphery, two opposite bores (49) for pins (47), which are movably guided in the gripping member (3) against the spring force (51) in the direction of coupling by pressing the connecting element (1), and in that a magazine plate (43) has a plurality of peripheral notches (44)   for base plates (3a) engaging members (3) and opposed recesses (46) for the pins (47) connecting to the indentations (44).   8 - Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the pins (47) with safety washers (47a) are guided in bushes (50) surrounding the springs (51). 9 - Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the pins 47 have, on   their opposite sides, recesses (48) for the ends (44a) of the notches (44), projecting from the recesses (46).   - Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the storeplate (43) has recesses (45) surrounding the notches (44) for the outer shoulders (26) of the connecting plate (25) of the coupling part (2) and the plate base (3a) of the gripping member (3).