JP2020011343A - Protection jacket for robot - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a protection jacket for a robot that can be avoided from being damaged by rotation of a shaft without excessively limiting a movable range of the robot even if the jacket is integrally formed in whole.SOLUTION: A protection jacket 3 is made of a sheet-like member 3a in a cylindrical shape, one end of which is fixed to a tip part side of an arm of a robot 1, which covers a range up to an installation part side. At the tip part side of the arm are arranged at intervals a plurality of rings 10 which support the sheet-like member 3a from inside so that a state where an inner diameter of the sheet-like member 3a is larger than a diameter of the tip part is maintained.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a protective jacket for a robot to be mounted on a robot having a plurality of arms.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a protective jacket to be attached to a robot has been devised for the purpose of protecting the robot and the like. Such protective jackets include those using a bellows structure so as not to limit the movable range of the robot, and those using a structure separated at joints as in Patent Document 1, for example. However, the bellows structure tends to be relatively expensive, and when the bellows portion is folded, the outer shape becomes large, which may limit the movable range of the robot. In addition, in the case of the separated structure, there is a possibility that foreign matter may enter the inside of the protective jacket from the separated part or may be released from the inside, and may not be adopted depending on the installation environment of the robot.

JP 2010-274373 A

  Therefore, it is desirable to be able to use an integral protective jacket having a bag shape as a whole. However, such a protective jacket also has the following problems. For example, in the case of a vertical six-axis type robot, one end of the protective jacket is fixed to a six-axis portion which is the tip of the robot arm. Generally, the six axes are configured to be rotatable beyond 180 °. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the fabric of the protective jacket is greatly deformed by twisting, and the protective jacket is easily damaged.

  Therefore, a protective jacket for a robot that can avoid damage due to rotation of a shaft without excessively restricting the movable range of the robot even if the whole is integrated is provided.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a protection jacket for a robot, which is formed of a tubular sheet-like member having one end fixed to the distal end of the arm and covering up to the installation portion. A plurality of support members, which support the sheet-like member from the inside so as to maintain a state where the inner diameter of the sheet-like member is larger than the diameter of the distal end portion, are arranged at a predetermined interval on the tip end side of the arm. I do.

  Thus, the inner diameter of the sheet-shaped member on the distal end side of the arm becomes larger than the outer diameter of the arm distal end portion by being supported by the support member. Therefore, when the distal end of the arm rotates more than 180 °, the twist generated near the base end where the sheet-shaped member is fixed is relatively small, and the twist is dispersed in the direction of the installation portion. Can be. In other words, the cloth area of the sheet-shaped member is increased by an amount corresponding to the increase in the outer diameter of the tip portion of the protective jacket, so that when the same amount of rotation is applied, the twist is concentrated on the tip portion by the increased area. The degree to which it is performed becomes small. As a result, the state in which the torsion concentrates near the base end is reduced.

  In the protective jacket for a robot according to the second aspect, the interval at which the support members are arranged is set so that the distance between the front end of the arm and the rear end is smaller. That is, the twist generated in the sheet-shaped member when the distal end of the arm rotates is concentrated near the base end to which the sheet-shaped member is fixed. Therefore, by narrowing the arrangement interval of the support members at the distal end, it is possible to disperse torsion that tends to concentrate near the base end.

  The protective jacket for a robot according to claim 3 is formed in a bag shape over the entire circumferential direction by folding the sheet-shaped member in the longitudinal direction, and the apparent length in the longitudinal direction of the protective jacket is variable. The expansion and contraction portion is provided at a rear end side of a portion where the plurality of support members are arranged. According to this structure, when the distal end portion of the arm rotates and the protective jacket is twisted, the state in which the length in the longitudinal direction of the protective jacket is apparently shortened can be compensated by extending the expandable portion.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a protective jacket is applied to a robot having a vertical six-axis type arm according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows an example of a fixing member typically The figure which shows the shape of a protective jacket typically Figure showing a photograph of the tip of the protective jacket when the rotation amount is small Figure showing a photograph of the tip of the protective jacket when the rotation amount is large FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating torsion that occurs when six axes rotate when the shape of the distal end portion is a truncated cone shape according to the second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a conventional configuration, which illustrates torsion generated in a protective jacket when six axes rotate.

(1st Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, a so-called vertical articulated 6-axis robot having a plurality of arms is assumed as the robot 1. The robot 1 is connected to a controller (not shown), which is a control device, and performs various operations while being installed on the installation surface 2 such as a floor surface.

  In the robot 1, a shoulder 1b is connected to a base 1a corresponding to an installation portion via a first shaft having a vertical axis so as to be rotatable in a horizontal direction. The lower arm 1c is rotatably connected to the shoulder 1b via a second axis that is a rotation axis orthogonal to the first axis. A first upper arm 1d is rotatably connected to the lower arm 1c via a third axis, which is a rotation axis parallel to the second axis, on the distal end side of the lower arm 1c. A second upper arm 1e is connected to the distal end side of the first upper arm 1d coaxially with the first upper arm 1d so as to be rotatable through a fourth axis which is a rotation axis orthogonal to the third axis. .

  A wrist 1f is rotatably connected to a distal end side of the second upper arm 1e via a fifth axis which is a rotation axis orthogonal to the fourth axis. A flange 1g as a tip is connected to the wrist 1f via a sixth axis, which is a rotation axis orthogonal to the fifth axis, coaxially with the wrist 1f so as to be able to twist and rotate. These first to sixth axes correspond to the joint axes of the robot 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a fixing member 4 for fixing the protective jacket 3 to the robot 1 is attached to the flange 1g so as to be rotatable together with the flange 1g. The fixing member 4 is formed in a columnar shape, and has a structure in which it can be attached to the flange 1g on one surface side and an end effector (not shown) can be mounted on the surface opposite to the flange 1g.

  A plurality of screw holes for fixing the protective jacket 3 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the fixing member 4. The structure of the fixing member 4 shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and may be a cylindrical structure so that the end effector can be directly attached to the flange 1g. A ring 10 is fixedly arranged inside the protective jacket 3. Thereby, the distal end portion of the protective jacket 3 has a shape that rises substantially vertically in the figure from the portion fixed to the fixing member 4, and has a distal end surface portion 3F corresponding to the upper bottom portion of the cylinder. .

  The protective jacket 3 covers the entire robot 1, and has a tubular sheet-like member 3 a that covers from the flange 1 g side, which is the front end of the robot 1, to the base 1 a side, which is the installation section, a front end 3 b, and a front end. An elastic portion 3c formed by loosening a part of the sheet-like member 3a on the rear end side of the portion 3b.

  The sheet-like member 3 a is fixed with the end on the distal end side of the robot 1 connected to the fixing member 4. In FIG. 1, for simplification of description, the sheet-like member 3a shows a cross section along the longitudinal direction. Further, the sheet-like member 3a has an end portion on the base 1a side tightly fixed to, for example, a floor surface.

  That is, the cylindrical sheet-shaped member 3a has an inner diameter larger than the diameter of each arm, and the length in the longitudinal direction is changed from the leading end of the robot 1 to the installation portion regardless of the posture of the robot 1. It is formed so as to be longer than the length along the surface of the arm. A plurality of rings 10 as support members are arranged inside the distal end portion 3b, and the outer shape of the distal end portion 3b is maintained in a substantially cylindrical shape. FIG. 1 shows a cross section of the protective jacket 3 along the longitudinal direction for simplification of the description.

  In the present embodiment, the sheet-like member 3a constituting the protective jacket 3 is a sheet-like member having water resistance and chemical resistance so that it can be cleaned with, for example, a hypochlorous acid-based cleaning liquid. However, the elasticity of the sheet-like member 3a is very small, and it is difficult to expand and contract. Further, the sheet-shaped member 3a is desirably a material having a strength that can withstand without being damaged even when the robot 1 repeatedly performs the same operation, and is made of, for example, nylon having a thickness of about 0.5 mm. The ring 10 fixed inside the protective jacket 3 is also made of nylon.

  The cylindrical protective jacket 3 has an inner diameter formed to be larger than the diameter of each arm, and has a length in the longitudinal direction that is equal to the arm length from the distal end of the robot 1 to the installation portion regardless of the posture of the robot 1. It is formed to be longer than the length along the surface. In addition, the size of the protective jacket 3, particularly the inner diameter forming the space for accommodating the robot 1, can be appropriately designed according to the shape of the arm of the robot 1.

  FIG. 3 shows a model of the outer shape of the tip 3b. A plurality of, for example, four rings 10a to 10d are arranged inside the tip 3b. Among these, the arrangement intervals of the rings 10a, 10b, and 10c are set relatively narrow, and they are concentrated nearer to the tip. On the other hand, the arrangement interval between the rings 10c and 10d is set wider.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. By arranging the plurality of rings 10a to 10d at the distal end 3b of the protective jacket 3, when the sixth axis of the robot 1 rotates slightly, the state of the twist generated at the distal end 3b is as shown in FIG. 4, for example. become. In addition, when the sixth shaft rotates more, the state of torsion generated at the distal end portion 3b is as shown in FIG. 5, for example. That is, the twist of the sheet-like member 3a generated in the vicinity of the front end face 3F is dispersed to the rear end side by the action of the rings 10a to 10d. Thereby, the damage of the sheet member 3a is reduced.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the protective jacket 3 is formed of the tubular sheet member 3a whose one end is fixed to the distal end side of the arm of the robot 1 and covers up to the installation section side. Then, a ring 10 for supporting the sheet-like member 3a from the inner side is provided at a predetermined interval on the distal end side of the arm so as to maintain a state in which the inner diameter of the sheet-like member 3a is larger than the diameter of the distal end. Arrange multiple items.

  Thus, the inner diameter of the sheet-shaped member on the distal end side of the arm becomes larger than the outer diameter of the arm distal end portion by being supported by the support member. Therefore, when the distal end of the arm rotates more than 180 °, the twist generated near the base end where the sheet-shaped member is fixed is relatively small, and the twist is dispersed in the direction of the installation portion. Can be. In other words, since the cloth area of the sheet-like member 3a increases by an amount corresponding to the increase in the outer diameter of the tip 3b, when the same amount of rotation is applied, the degree of torsion concentrated on the tip 3b by the amount of the area is large. Becomes smaller. As a result, the twist is relatively small. Further, in the robot 1 in the 6-axis arm position, the arm diameters from the 6 axes on the distal end side to about 3 axes are substantially the same, and there is no small-diameter portion where the torsion is concentrated, so that the torsion is dispersed. Therefore, the state in which the torsion concentrates near the base end is reduced.

  By setting the interval at which the plurality of rings 10a to 10d are arranged so as to be narrower at the distal end of the arm than at the rear end, it is possible to concentrate near the base end where the sheet-like member 3a is fixed. Can be dispersed. In addition, a stretchable portion 3c that makes the apparent length variable by folding the sheet-like member 3a in the longitudinal direction is provided on the rear end side of the portion where the plurality of rings 10a to 10d are arranged. Accordingly, when the distal end of the arm rotates and the protective jacket 3 is twisted, the state in which the length in the longitudinal direction of the protective jacket 3 is apparently shortened by extending the expandable portion 3c can be compensated.

(2nd Embodiment)
FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment, which is applied to a case where the shape of the distal end side of the protective jacket 11 is a truncated cone. As shown in FIG. 1, the outer diameter of the arm of the general vertical six-axis robot 1 becomes smaller toward the distal end. When the shape of the protective jacket 11 is determined according to the shape of such an arm, the shape of the distal end 11b naturally becomes a truncated cone. When the sixth shaft of the arm rotates, the rotation torque acts from the front end side, so that the twist of the sheet-shaped member concentrates on the front end side.

  Therefore, when arranging a plurality of rings 12 to 15 gradually increasing in size according to the truncated cone shape, the arrangement interval of the rings 12 and 13 is A, the arrangement interval of the rings 13 and 14 is B, Assuming that the interval between the rings 14 and 15 is C, the rings are arranged so that A <B <C. Thereby, the torsion that tends to concentrate on the front end side can be transmitted to the rear end side and dispersed.

(Other embodiments)
The sheet-like member constituting the protective jacket 3 may be configured to use a single sheet. However, it is not always necessary to use a single sheet. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the components are stuck or sewn together.
Instead of the nylon ring 10, a resin or metal ring may be used.
The elastic portion 3c may be provided as needed.

Further, in the embodiment, the protective jacket 3 is simply referred to as a cylindrical shape. That is, the term “cylindrical” used in the present specification includes any shape that can cover the periphery of the robot 1. Therefore, the shape of the support member is not limited to the annular shape, but may be a polygonal shape or an elliptical shape.
The number and intervals of the support members may be appropriately changed according to individual designs.
The present invention may be applied to a robot having an arm other than six axes.

  In the drawings, 1 is a robot, 1a to 1f are arms, 3 is a protective jacket, 3a is a sheet-like member, 3b is a tip, 3c is a telescopic part, 10 is a ring, 11 is a protective jacket, and 12 to 15 are rings. .

Claims (3)

A protective jacket for a robot to be attached to a robot having a plurality of arms,
A sheet-shaped member formed in a tubular shape covering from the distal end portion of the arm to the installation portion side, and having one end fixed to the distal end side of the arm,
A plurality of support members that support the sheet-like member from the inside so as to maintain a state in which the inner diameter of the sheet-like member is larger than the diameter of the distal end portion are provided at a predetermined interval on the distal end side of the arm. A protective jacket for the placed robot.   2. The protection jacket for a robot according to claim 1, wherein an interval between the support members is set to be narrower at a front end side of the arm than at a rear end side.   Assuming that the direction from the distal end of the arm to the installation portion is the longitudinal direction, the sheet-shaped member is folded in the longitudinal direction in the middle of the longitudinal direction so that the sheet-shaped member is formed in a bag shape over the entire circumferential direction. 3. The protection for a robot according to claim 1, further comprising a telescopic portion that makes an apparent length in the longitudinal direction of the protective jacket variable at a rear end side of a portion where the plurality of support members are arranged. Jacket.