JP2007175787A - Horizontally articulated robot - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a work robot having an articulated arm, which prevents a tube having an operating cable stored therein from being entangled during execution of work of the articulated arm. <P>SOLUTION: According to the structure of the work robot, the tube 10 having the cable 11 stored therein, is arranged between a front end arm section of the articulated work arm B consisting of a plurality of arms, and a base A movably supporting the articulated work arm B. The tube 10 has a springy wire member 12 having resilience loosely inserted therein. Further one linear end of the wire member 12 is movably supported. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a horizontal articulated robot capable of preventing a work from being hindered in a work robot having a multi-joint arm, in which a tube storing an operation cable is caught during the work of the multi-joint arm.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a working horizontal articulated robot or the like, a tube in which a bundle of operation cables such as electric wires is accommodated is provided between an articulated arm portion and a support base of the articulated arm portion. The tube prevents the cables from being entangled with each other or caught by an external object and cut. However, the tube itself hangs down due to the weight of the stored cable bundle, and is caught by the articulated arm, and the articulated arm constantly performs a refraction operation during work. Therefore, the tube hooked on the articulated arm part may interfere with the operation of the articulated arm, or the tube may be damaged by the operation of the articulated arm. Inventions that attempt to solve such problems are described in the following patent documents.
JP-A-8-155881 Japanese Utility Model Publication 5-84477 ACT 6-70967 Utility Kaihei 5-76666 Utility Kaihei 5-51587

  The above-mentioned patent document discloses a technical content for solving the problem that the tube in which the cable is stored is not loosened and hung on the articulated arm. However, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-1555881) and Patent Document 4 (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-76666), a cable and a hose are attached to the arm via a support member. In such a configuration, a support for supporting the cable and the hose is necessary, and the cable and the hose between the supports are slackened or drooped. Further, in order to mount the support tool on the arm, troubles such as the need for processing such as perforation in the arm occur.

  Next, in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-844477), a kickless cable is provided with a support, a flexible connecting member, and the like to protect the kickless cable. This also requires a plurality of large members, and the size of the device itself is also increased. Further, Patent Document 3 (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-70967) includes a cover that covers both the conduit cable and the articulated arm. However, in this configuration, the articulated refracting portion cannot be covered with a cover, and there is a sufficient danger that the conduit cable will be caught at the refracted portion.

  Patent Document 5 (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-51587) discloses a cable protection structure, but does not disclose a cable protection structure at an articulated arm portion. However, without using an auxiliary device or the like for preventing the sagging, the object is to prevent danger with a simple and inexpensive configuration. For this reason, the problem (technical problem or object) to be solved by the present invention is to prevent the slack of the robot cable with a simple and inexpensive configuration and to avoid danger.

  Therefore, as a result of intensive studies and researches to solve the above problems, the inventor made the invention of claim 1 that the articulated work arm composed of a plurality of arms and the articulated work arm are movable. A tube in which a cable is stored is provided between the base and the base to be supported, and a spring-like elastic wire member is loosely inserted in the tube, and either side of the wire member in the line direction Has solved the above problems by adopting a horizontal articulated robot that is movably supported.

  Next, the invention of claim 2 is a first arm that swings in the horizontal direction, a second arm that is pivotally connected to the first arm and swings in the horizontal direction, and the first arm and the second arm. A work robot comprising a base that supports the first arm so that the joint can move freely, and a tube in which a cable is housed is mounted between the second arm and the base. A linear member having spring-like elasticity is loosely inserted therein, and the linear member is supported by one side of the second arm or the base so that the linear member can move freely in the linear direction. The above-mentioned problem has been solved by adopting a horizontal articulated robot in which the other side is fixed.

  Next, the invention of claim 3 solves the above-mentioned problems by adopting a horizontal articulated robot in which the wire member is a metal wire or a synthetic resin wire in the configuration described above. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stopper for preventing the wire member from coming out of the wire member support portion that supports the wire member so as to be movable in the line direction at the end portion on the movable side of the wire member. The above-mentioned problem has been solved by using a horizontal articulated robot formed with a portion.

  According to the present invention, even if the cable bundle is stored in the tube, even if the weight of the cable bundle is applied, a wire member having spring-like elasticity is loosely inserted into the tube, and either one of the wire members in the line direction is By being supported so as to be movable, the tube is not loosened by installing it between the articulated arm and the base so that the wire member has a substantially inverted “U” shape or substantially arch shape. Further, the tube does not hang down, and therefore, the tube can be prevented from being caught on the multi-joint arm, and the work by the multi-joint arm can be performed.

  Next, in the present invention, an articulated arm is constituted by the first arm and the second arm, and there is a refracting portion at each of the connection points of the base, the first arm, and the first arm and the second arm. With this simple configuration, a tube in which a spring-like elastic wire member is loosely inserted can be easily mounted between the base and the second arm, and the wire member is substantially inverted “U” -shaped or substantially Even when it is arranged in an arch shape, the restoring property of the wire member can be kept good and a stable tube protection structure can be obtained.

  Next, by using a metal wire as the wire member, the wire member has durability and can be a long-life device. In addition, by using a synthetic resin wire as the wire member, even if the cable and the wire member are in contact with each other, it is difficult to cause friction between them, and even if the vinyl coating of the cable is damaged, there is no possibility of short-circuiting. It is. Next, a stopper portion for preventing the wire member from coming out of the support portion that supports the wire member so as to move in the linear direction is formed at the end of the wire member on the movable side. It is possible to prevent slipping out and obtain a stable working state.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the present invention includes a base A, an articulated work arm B, a tube 10, a cable 11, and a line member 12, as shown in FIGS. First, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 3, the first arm portion 6 of the articulated work arm B is mounted on the base A so as to be swingable in the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the base A has a main drive motor 2 mounted together with a motor control mechanism in a substantially cylindrical base casing 1. The first arm portion 6 is pivotally connected by a motor shaft 2a of the main drive motor 2 (see FIGS. 1A and 3).

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2, the sub casing 4 is attached to the base casing 1, and one end side of a tube 10 described later is attached to the sub casing 4. Furthermore, one end of a cable such as an electric wire housed in the tube 10 is connected to the operation panel 5 of the sub casing 4 or to the main drive motor 2 in the base casing 1. The operation panel 5 is provided with input devices such as a control switch and a control handle (see FIG. 2C).

  The articulated work arm B is composed of a plurality of arm portions, and specifically, the arm portion is composed of a first arm portion 6 and a second arm portion 7 as shown in FIG. The first arm portion 6 and the second arm portion 7 are pivotally connected so that the first arm portion 6 and the second arm portion 7 are swingable in the horizontal direction to constitute the multi-joint work arm B. The multi-joint work arm B is mounted on the main drive motor 2 of the base A with one end side in the longitudinal direction of the first arm portion 6 as a swing center portion, and swings from the operation panel 5 of the base A. Can do. In this embodiment, there are two arm parts constituting the multi-joint work arm B (first arm part 6 and second arm part 7), but multi-joint work comprising three or more arm parts. Arm B may be used.

  A motor housing portion 7a is formed on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the second arm portion 7, and a sub drive motor 8 is mounted therein. The other end side in the longitudinal direction of the first arm portion 6 and the one end side in the longitudinal direction of the second arm portion 7 are pivotally connected. The pivot connection location is such that the motor shaft 8a of the sub drive motor 8 is fixed to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the first arm portion 6 (see FIG. 1A).

  The second arm portion 7 swings with respect to the first arm portion 6 by driving the auxiliary drive motor 8 (see FIGS. 4A and 5A). The sub drive motor 8 is also controlled from the operation panel 5 of the base A in the same manner as the main drive motor 2. In this way, various operations are performed by the main drive motor 2 and the sub drive motor 8 in a refraction operation by swinging the multi-joint work arm B.

  A work tool 9 such as various electric drills and drivers is detachably attached to the other end side of the second arm portion 7 in the longitudinal direction, that is, the swinging free end side. The working tool 9 can also be performed from the operation panel 5 of the base A. Here, in the arm part constituting the articulated work arm B, the second arm part 7 is the arm part located at the outermost end, but there are three or more arm parts constituting the articulated work arm B. If so, the arm portion located at the outermost end among the three or more arm portions is defined as the tip arm portion.

  And the tube 10 is spanned between the front-end | tip arm part located in the outermost end which comprises the said articulated work arm B, and the base A which supports the said articulated work arm B so that it can operate. (See FIGS. 2 and 3). More specifically, the tube 10 is attached so that one end in the line direction of the tube 10 communicates with the sub casing 4 of the base A, and the other end side in the line direction of the tube 10 is the second arm portion. 7 is mounted on the top portion of the motor housing portion 7a.

  The tube 10 is specifically called a conduit tube, is made of resin, has a bellows shape, is flexible, can be easily bent, and can form an arcuate curve. The tube 10 may be made of metal, cloth, etc. as long as it has flexibility as described above.

  As described above, both ends of the tube 10 in the linear direction are connected to the base A and the second arm portion 7 which is the tip arm portion via a connector tool (FIGS. 1B and 2B). Etc.]. The tube 10 stores a bundle of cables 11 such as electric wires. The cable 11 serves to issue a control signal for appropriately operating the main drive motor 2 and the sub drive motor 8 from the operation panel 5 of the base A. The bundle of cables 11 is such that its weight is applied to the tube 10.

Inside the tube 10, a wire member 12 having spring-like tension is loosely inserted. The wire member 12 is loosely inserted into the tube 10, one side in the line direction is supported movably on the multi-purpose base A side, and the other side is fixed to the tip arm portion. In the specific embodiment, the distal arm portion is the second arm portion 7. The wire member 12 is a spring-like material, and a metal wire having elasticity and resilience is used. The concept of metal wire includes piano wire.

  In particular, when a piano wire is used as the metal wire, the wire member 12 has a good restorability and can be made extremely thin by using a piano wire. The proportion of the wire member 12 with respect to the space in the tube 10 can be reduced. Therefore, a sufficient space can be left in the tube 10, a large number of cables 11 can be accommodated, and interference between the wire member 12 and the cable bundle can be prevented.

  Moreover, if it has elasticity and a restoring property, it may be set as a synthetic resin wire. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, etc., the line member 12 is mounted between the base A and the second arm portion 7 as a substantially inverted U shape or arch shape. A wire member support 13 is mounted inside the sub casing 4 of the base A. As shown in FIG. 1, the line member support portion 13 supports a moving side end portion of the line member 12 so as to be movable, and a loop-shaped portion 13 a is formed. The member 12 is inserted movably.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a stopper 12a is formed at the moving side end of the wire member 12, and the stopper 12a can prevent the wire member 12 from coming out of the loop-like portion 13a. It is said. On the fixing side of the wire member 12, a fixing support portion 14 is formed on the second arm portion 7, and the fixing side end portion 12 b of the wire member 12 is fixed to the fixing support portion 14. Specifically, the fixing-side end portion 12b of the wire member 12 is bent in a hook shape and is locked to a locked portion such as a through hole formed in the fixing support portion 14. .

  The wire member 12 is loosely inserted in the tube 10, and the wire member 12 forms a substantially inverted U shape or arch shape in the tube 10, so that the tube 10 itself is also substantially inverted U shape. Alternatively, the arch shape is maintained. That is, the wire member 12 serves as the core of the tube 10. Due to the spring-like tension property of the wire member 12, it is possible to prevent the cable member 11 from drooping downward even when the bundle of cables 11 housed in the tube 10 is heavy.

  Moreover, since one side of the linear direction of the said linear member 12 is supported so that a movement is possible, when the 1st arm part 6 and the 2nd arm part 7 of the articulated work arm B perform a refraction | bending operation, the tube 10 Even if the distance between the ends in the linear direction changes, the wire member 12 is not subjected to an excessive load, and only the curvature radius of the arc portion changes, so that a substantially inverted U-shape or arch shape is maintained. The tube 10 can be supported.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the tube 10 is not drooped in a state where the multi-joint work arm B is refracted and a substantially inverted U shape or arch shape is maintained only by a change in the arc portion. FIG. 5 shows a change in the shape of the line member 12 when the distance between the tubes 10 is changed due to the refraction operation of the multi-joint work arm B. In contrast to the distance S ₀ between the line members 12 in the normal state. The state in which the interval changes to S ₁ and S ₂ is shown. And it shows that the tube 10 is maintaining the favorable substantially reverse U shape or arch shape with the wire member 12 by the operation | movement by the side of the movement of the said wire member 12. FIG. Furthermore, the state in which the stopper 12a at the moving side end of the wire member 12 moves up and down via the wire member support portion 13 along with this change is shown [FIG. 1 (a), FIG. 5 (b), etc. reference〕.

(A) is a partially cutaway side view of the present invention, (b) is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the structure of the main part of the tube and wire member in the present invention. (A) is the perspective view of this invention, (b) is the rear view which made the subcasing of the base a cross section, (c) is the rear view of a base. It is a structure schematic diagram which shows the structure of the tube of this invention, a wire member, and a cable. (A) is a top view which shows the operation state which the 2nd arm part rotated, (b) is a side view of (a). (A) is an action figure which shows the change of the tube by the refraction | bending operation | movement of an articulated work arm, (b) is an action | operation figure of the line member corresponding to (a).

Explanation of symbols

A ... Base, B ... Articulated work arm, 6 ... First arm, 7 ... Second arm,
10 ... Tube, 11 ... Cable, 12 ... Line member, 12a ... Stopper,
13 ... Line member support part.

Claims (4)

  A tube containing a cable is provided between a tip arm portion of a multi-joint work arm composed of a plurality of arms and a base that supports the multi-joint work arm so as to be movable. A horizontal articulated robot, wherein a linear member having spring-like elasticity is loosely inserted, and one side of the linear direction of the linear member is movably supported.   A first arm that swings in the horizontal direction, a second arm that is pivotally connected to the first arm and swings in the horizontal direction, and the first arm and the second arm are movable articulated. In the work robot including the base supporting the first arm, a tube in which a cable is stored is mounted between the second arm and the base, and a spring-like elastic wire is provided inside the tube. The member is loosely inserted, and the line member is supported by one side in the line direction so as to be movable to either one of the second arm or the base, and the other side in the line direction is fixed. A horizontal articulated robot.   The horizontal articulated robot according to claim 1, wherein the wire member is a metal wire or a synthetic resin wire.   The end portion of the movable side of the wire member is formed with a stopper portion that prevents the wire member from coming out of a wire member support portion that supports the wire member so as to be movable in the line direction. The horizontal articulated robot according to 2 or 3.

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