JP2006239794A - Arm structure of industrial robot - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact, inexpensive arm structure of an industrial robot, having a wide operating range for linear movement at a low carrying height. <P>SOLUTION: This arm structure of an industrial robot includes: a horizontal moving part composed of a first horizontal arm 2 supported on a fixed base 1 to freely rotate around a first vertical axis, a second horizontal arm 3 supported on the tip of the first horizontal arm to freely rotate around a second vertical axis b, and a rotary bed 4 supported on the tip of the second horizontal arm 3 to freely rotate around a fourth vertical axis d; a first vertical arm 7 supported on the rotary bed 4 to freely rotate around a first horizontal axis g; a second vertical arm 8 supported on the tip of the first vertical arm 7 to freely rotate around a second horizontal axis h; a third vertical arm 9 supported on the tip of the second vertical arm 8 to freely rotate around a third horizontal axis i; and a horizontal and vertical moving part having a flange 10 for fitting a working tool to the tip of the third vertical arm 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an arm structure of an industrial robot having a wide operation range capable of moving in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction with a low conveyance height.

A general vertical multi-indirect robot has, for example, six axes disclosed in Patent Document 1 as shown in FIG. 4 and has a structure in which each arm is operated. Therefore, when performing a linear motion in the front-rear direction on the plane passing through the first axis of the robot, it is not possible to perform a linear motion structurally in the vicinity of the robot. Not only will it operate | move, but the subject that conveyance height became high as a result occurred.
Japanese Patent No. 2668336 JP 2002-326182 A

  To avoid this, if the robot shown in FIG. 4 is used and the plane offset from the first axis is moved in the front-rear direction as shown in FIG. 5, the robot can move linearly from the front to the rear. . However, in this case, when the work tool attached to the wrist of the robot is large, it is necessary to increase the distance between the first axis and the plane to be linearly operated in order to avoid interference between the robot and the work tool. There is a problem that a large robot installation space is required at the place protruding from the line, and the motors and reduction gears of the first axis, the second axis, and the third axis are increased. Further, for example, the robot disclosed in Patent Document 2 and used for conveying the glass substrate shown in FIG. 6 moves up and down with the first axis and the second axis, and the fourth axis is arranged on the second axis. -It is structured to move back and forth with the fifth and sixth axes. For this reason, when expanding the front-rear stroke, it is necessary to lengthen the lengths of the upper arm 1 and the upper arm 2, and there is a problem that the robot interference dimension when the upper arm 1 and the upper arm 2 are folded increases. Further, since the front and rear shafts are mounted on the vertical shaft, the vertical shaft needs to hold the weight of the front and rear shafts, and there is a problem that mechanical elements such as a motor and a speed reducer become large.

As described above, in a conventional industrial robot, when a linearly long stroke operation is performed at a low conveyance height, there is a problem that the installation space of the robot and the interference dimension become large, or mechanical elements such as a motor and a reducer become large. there were.
An object of the present invention is to provide a compact and low-cost industrial robot arm structure having a wide operation range capable of linearly operating at a low conveyance height, which solves the conventional problems. Another object of the present invention is a compact that allows the work tool to move linearly without interfering with the robot, with a low and wide operating range in the front-rear direction and with the flange to which the work tool is attached always facing up. It is to provide a simple industrial robot arm structure.

For this reason, the present invention supports a first horizontal arm rotatably supported on a fixed base around a first vertical axis, and a tip of the first horizontal arm supported rotatably about a second vertical axis. A horizontal movement unit comprising: a second horizontal arm, and a rotation base that is rotatably supported around a fourth vertical axis at a tip of the second horizontal arm;
A first vertical arm, which has a short arm length and is supported on the rotary base so as to be rotatable about a first horizontal axis, and is rotatable about a second horizontal axis at the tip of the first vertical arm. A second vertical arm supported by the second vertical arm; a third vertical arm supported rotatably at a tip of the second vertical arm around a third horizontal axis; and a work tool attached to the tip of the third vertical arm. The above-mentioned problems have been solved by providing an arm structure for an industrial robot characterized by having a horizontal direction and vertical direction moving part having a flange.

  In the present invention, a horizontal direction moving part for linearly long stroke operation at a low conveyance height is provided on a fixed base, and a horizontal direction and a vertical direction moving part with short arm lengths are provided at the ends of the horizontal direction moving part, respectively. As a result, it is possible to ensure a wide range of operation in the front-rear direction and increase the linearity of the flange for attaching the work tool at a low transfer height without increasing the size of interference with the installation space of the industrial robot and peripheral devices. The lower arm supporting the robot's own weight is made a horizontal moving part having a horizontal arm, and a horizontal moving part and a vertical moving part having a short arm length that are affected by gravity are provided on the tip side of the horizontal moving part. Compact and low-cost, which can reduce the load on the motor and reducer due to gravity and reduce the capacity of the motor and reducer It was intended to provide an arm structure of industrial robots.

Preferably, the length of the first horizontal arm and the second horizontal arm are made equal and / or the lengths of the first vertical arm and the second vertical arm are made equal so that the flange for mounting the work tool is always raised. It is now possible to operate while facing
More preferably, the first horizontal arm is operated at an angle θ, the second horizontal arm is operated at an angle −2θ, and / or the first vertical arm is operated at an angle α, and the second vertical arm is operated at an angle −2α. By arranging the drive systems in this way, it becomes possible to always move the flange for attaching the work tool linearly.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1A is a plan view of an arm structure of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a view taken along the arrow Y in FIG. 1B, FIG. 1B showing a side view of FIG. The perspective view of the arm structure of 1 industrial robot is shown. FIG. 3A is a reference operation range diagram viewed from the plan view of the arm structure of the industrial robot according to the embodiment of the present invention in FIG. The reference operation | movement range figure seen with the side view of (a) is shown.

The industrial robot of the embodiment of the present invention is
The first horizontal arm 2 is rotatably supported on the fixed base 1 around the first vertical axis a, and is opposed to the first horizontal arm 2 around the second vertical axis b at the tip of the first horizontal arm 2. The second horizontal arm 3 rotatably supported, the rotation base 4 rotatably supported around the fourth vertical axis d at the tip of the second horizontal arm 3, and the rotation base 4 being rotated. For this purpose, the hinge 5 is supported on the second horizontal arm so as to be rotatable about the third vertical axis c in parallel with the rotary base 4 and has one end around the fifth vertical axis e at the tip of the hinge 5. And a link 6 rotatably supported around the sixth vertical axis f and mounted in parallel to the second horizontal arm 3 at the other end. And
The first vertical arm 7 is supported on the rotary base 4 so as to be rotatable about the first horizontal axis g, and the second horizontal axis h is provided at the tip of the first vertical arm 7. A second vertical arm 8 rotatably supported around the first vertical arm 7, and a third vertical arm 8 rotatably supported around the third horizontal axis i at the tip of the second vertical arm 8. A vertical arm 9 and a horizontal and vertical moving part having a flange 10 for attaching a work tool to the tip of the third vertical arm 9 are provided.

A first shaft motor 11 for driving the first horizontal arm 2 is mounted on the first horizontal arm 2, and when the first shaft motor 11 rotates, the first horizontal arm is connected via a gear and a speed reducer (not shown). The arm 2 rotates. A second and 3-axis motor 12 for simultaneously driving the second horizontal arm 3 and the hinge 5 is mounted on the second horizontal arm 3, and the hinge with respect to the reduction ratio 1R of the second horizontal arm 3 is mounted. A gear and a reducer (not shown) are attached so that the reduction ratio of 5 is −2R. When the second / three-axis motor 12 rotates, the second horizontal arm 3 and the hinge 5 rotate at a ratio of 2θ: −1θ. Further, if the operating angle θ of the first horizontal arm 2 and the second horizontal arm 3 is operated so as to be −1θ: 2θ, the rotating base 4 is horizontally straight without changing its posture with respect to the ground. Do exercise.
A fourth axis motor 13 for driving the first vertical arm 7 is mounted on the rotation base 4. When the fourth axis motor 13 rotates, the first vertical arm is connected via a gear and a speed reducer (not shown). 7 rotates. A fifth shaft motor 14 for driving the second vertical arm 8 is mounted on the first vertical arm 7, and when the fifth shaft motor 14 rotates, the second vertical arm is connected via a gear and a speed reducer (not shown). The arm 8 rotates. A sixth shaft motor 15 for driving the third vertical arm 9 is mounted on the second vertical arm 8, and when the sixth shaft motor 15 rotates, the third vertical arm is connected via a gear and a speed reducer (not shown). The arm 9 rotates. If the operating angle α of the first vertical arm 7, the second vertical arm 8, and the third vertical arm 9 is operated to be −1α: 2α: −1α, the flange 10 at the tip of the third vertical arm 9 is Perform linear motion parallel to the ground without changing posture. Further, the vertical movement in the vertical direction is also possible by combining the operating angles of the first vertical arm 7, the second vertical arm 8 and the third vertical arm 9.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. According to the embodiment described above, the second horizontal arm 3 and the hinge 5 are driven by one second / three-axis motor, but may be driven by different motors. Further, the rotary base 4 is operated via the hinge 5 and the link 6, but a motor, a gear, a speed reducer, etc. for driving the rotary base 4 to the rotary base 4 or the tip of the second horizontal arm are provided. By disposing, the hinge 5 and the link 6 may be eliminated. Further, the second vertical axis b and the third vertical axis c are arranged on the same axis, but there is no problem even if they are offset. Further, one horizontal rotation axis may be added between the base 1 and the first horizontal arm 2 to increase the degree of freedom in the left-right direction of the robot.

  In an embodiment of the present invention, a horizontal direction moving unit is provided on a fixed base for linearly long stroke operation at a low conveyance height, and the horizontal direction and vertical direction moving unit each have a short arm length at the end of the horizontal direction moving unit. With this, a wide operating range is ensured in the front-rear direction without increasing the size of interference with the industrial robot installation space and peripheral devices, and the flange for mounting the work tool is linearly operated at a low transfer height. The lower arm that supports the robot's own weight is a horizontal moving part having a horizontal arm, and the horizontal direction and the vertical direction with short arm lengths are affected by gravity on the tip side of the horizontal moving part. It is a compact unit that can reduce the load on the motor and reducer due to gravity by reducing the capacity of the motor and reducer by arranging a moving part. It was intended to provide the arm structure of the cost of industrial robots. That is, since the robot moves in the front-rear direction on the four axes of the first horizontal arm, the second horizontal arm, the first vertical arm, and the second vertical arm, a low horizontal movement unit is disposed on the fixed base, Providing a wide horizontal operation range, and each horizontal and vertical moving part with a short arm length, not only reduces the interference area with the peripheral device, it is also possible to keep the transport height low, In addition, the load acting on the motor and reducer of each axis can be reduced, and the capacity of the motor and reducer can be reduced.

Preferably, the length of the first horizontal arm and the second horizontal arm are made equal and / or the lengths of the first vertical arm and the second vertical arm are made equal so that the flange for mounting the work tool is always raised. It is now possible to operate while facing
More preferably, the first horizontal arm is operated at an angle θ, the second horizontal arm is operated at an angle −2θ, and / or the first vertical arm is operated at an angle α, and the second vertical arm is operated at an angle −2α. By arranging the drive systems in this way, it becomes possible to always move the flange for attaching the work tool linearly.

(A) is a top view of the arm structure of the industrial robot of embodiment of this invention, the Y arrow directional view of (b) is shown, (b) shows the side view of (a). The perspective view of the arm structure of the industrial robot of FIG. 1 is shown. (A) is the reference operation | movement range figure seen by the top view of the arm structure of the industrial robot of embodiment of this invention of FIG. 1 (a), and shows the Z arrow line view of (b), (b) is (a) ) Is a side view of the reference operation range. (A) is a top view which shows the operation | movement range of the conventional 1st industrial robot, The P arrow directional view of (b) is shown, (b) shows the side view of (a). (A) is a top view which shows another operation | movement range of the conventional 1st industrial robot of FIG. 4, The R arrow directional view of (b) is shown, (b) shows the side view of (a). An arrow view is shown. (A) is a top view which shows the operation | movement range of the 2nd conventional industrial robot, The S arrow view of (b) is shown, (b) shows the side view of (a).

Explanation of symbols

1: base 2: first horizontal arm 3: second horizontal arm 4: rotating base 7; first vertical arm 8: second vertical arm 9; third vertical arm 10: flange 11: first axis motor 12: first 2/3 axis motor 13: 4th axis motor 14: 5th axis motor 15; 6th axis motor a: 1st vertical axis b: 2nd vertical axis c: 3rd vertical axis d: 4th vertical axis e: 1st axis 5 Vertical axis f: 6th vertical axis g: 1st horizontal axis h: 2nd horizontal axis i: 3rd horizontal axis

Claims (4)

A first horizontal arm rotatably supported about a first vertical axis on a fixed base; and a second horizontal arm rotatably supported about a second vertical axis at a tip of the first horizontal arm. A horizontal base that includes a rotation base that is rotatably supported around the fourth vertical axis at the tip of the second horizontal arm, and
A first vertical arm, which has a short arm length and is supported on the rotary base so as to be rotatable about a first horizontal axis, and is rotatable about a second horizontal axis at the tip of the first vertical arm. A second vertical arm supported by the second vertical arm; a third vertical arm supported rotatably at a tip of the second vertical arm around a third horizontal axis; and a work tool attached to the tip of the third vertical arm. An industrial robot arm structure comprising: a horizontal direction movement unit and a vertical direction movement unit having a plurality of flanges.   2. The industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein lengths of the first horizontal arm and the second horizontal arm are made equal and / or lengths of the first vertical arm and the second vertical arm are made equal. Arm structure.   The first horizontal arm is operated at an angle θ, the second horizontal arm is operated at an angle −2θ, and / or the first vertical arm is operated at an angle α, and the second vertical arm is operated at an angle −2α. 3. The arm structure for an industrial robot according to claim 2, wherein a drive system is arranged as described above.   A hinge supported on the second horizontal arm so as to be rotatable about a third vertical axis in parallel with the rotation base for rotating the rotation base, and a fifth end at the tip of the hinge. A link rotatably supported on a vertical shaft, and having the other end rotatably supported on a sixth vertical shaft on the rotary base and attached in parallel to the second horizontal arm. The arm structure of the industrial robot according to claim 1, claim 2, or claim 3.

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