JP2020196083A - Sensor device and sensor system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a sensor device which enables flexible arrangements corresponding to detection areas and yet facilitates mounting on an installation surface, and a sensor system.SOLUTION: A sensor device 1 is provided with: a plurality of enclosures 101C, 102C, 103C, 104C and 105C that respectively have sensors K1, K2, K3, K4 and K5 built-in to respectively constitute sensor unit 101, 102, 103, 104 and 105; and tubes t1-t4 for connecting the enclosures 101C, 102C, 103C, 104C and 105C. The connection of the enclosures 101C, 102C, 103C, 104C and 105C through the tubes t1-t4 can keep positional relations among the enclosures 101C, 102C, 103C, 104C and 105C. Further the tubes t1-t4 are provided to be able to adjust the positional relations among the 101C, 102C, 103C, 104C and 105C.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a sensor device and a sensor system that can be flexibly arranged according to a detection area and can be easily mounted on an installation surface.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-21188, a plurality of detection units (sensors) are arranged inside a head portion (housing) attached to the tip of a movable portion of a robot, and these detection portions are used to lower the head portion. It is described that the misalignment error of the moving part is detected by detecting the detection area (pages 3 and 13 of the upper right column of the same publication, and FIGS. 1 and 2). See FIG. 6).

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-173201, a plurality of magnetic sensors (sensors) are arranged inside a cover (housing), and the displacement amount of the robot arm during rotation is detected by these magnetic sensors. Are described (see paragraphs [0015] to [0017] and FIGS. 1 to 3 of the same publication).

In the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-21188 and the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-173201, a plurality of sensors are arranged inside one housing, and each sensor is mounted in one housing. It is limited to the inside of. Therefore, every time the detection area changes, it is necessary to prepare a new housing corresponding to the detection area. Further, when mounting each sensor, it is necessary to determine the position of each sensor one by one, which complicates the mounting work.

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional circumstances, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is that it can be flexibly arranged according to the detection area and can be mounted on an installation surface. An object of the present invention is to provide a sensor device and a sensor system that can be easily performed.

The sensor device according to the present invention includes a plurality of housings, each of which constitutes a sensor unit by incorporating a sensor, and a connecting member for connecting each housing, and each housing is connected by a connecting member. By doing so, the positional relationship between the housings is maintained.

In the present invention, since each of the plurality of housings has a built-in sensor and constitutes a sensor unit, the arrangement and number of each housing, that is, each sensor unit can be freely changed. It can be flexibly arranged according to the detection area. As a result, the versatility of the sensor device can be improved and the cost can be reduced. Moreover, according to the present invention, the positional relationship between the housings is maintained by connecting the housings with the connecting member, whereby each housing, that is, each sensor unit is attached to the installation surface. It is not necessary to determine the position of each sensor unit one by one, and the installation work can be easily performed.

In the present invention, the connecting member is provided so that the positional relationship between the housings can be adjusted.

In the present invention, the connecting member is a hollow member, and each housing has a connected portion for detachably connecting the end portions of the connecting member.

In the sensor system according to the present invention, each sensor unit is arranged so as to detect the approach of a person to a jig or a workpiece provided on a robot arm.

As described above, according to the present invention, since each of the plurality of housings has a built-in sensor and each constitutes a sensor unit, it is possible to flexibly arrange the sensors according to the detection area. Since the housings are connected by the connecting member, the positional relationship between the housings is maintained, so that the housings can be easily mounted on the installation surface.

It is an overall perspective view of the sensor system provided with the sensor device according to one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the sensor system (FIG. 1). FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line III-III in FIG. FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3, showing a state in which a connecting member (tube) between each sensor unit constituting the sensor device is omitted. It is a top view of the sensor unit which comprises the sensor device (FIG. 1). It is a VI-VI line arrow view of FIG. It is a perspective view of the sensor unit (FIG. 5) viewed from above, and shows a state in which a connecting member is attached to one connected portion and the other connected portion is cut in the axial direction. It is a perspective view of the sensor unit (FIG. 5) viewed from below, and shows a state in which a connecting member is attached to one connected portion and the other connected portion is cut in the axial direction. It is a perspective view of the sensor unit (FIG. 5) viewed from above, and shows a state in which a connecting member made of transparent resin is attached to one of the connected portions. FIG. 6 is a side schematic view showing a state in which the sensor unit (FIG. 6) is linearly connected via a connecting member. It is a top view which shows the state which removed the lid body from the sensor unit (FIG. 5), and shows the state which the wiring passes through the inside of the connecting member. The state in which the sensor units (FIG. 11) are arranged on the circumference is shown, and it is a figure corresponding to FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the action effect by this Example. It is a top view which shows the example of another layout of each sensor unit which comprises the sensor device by this invention. It is a top view which shows the example of another layout of each sensor unit which comprises the sensor device by this invention.

Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 to 13 are diagrams for explaining a sensor device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, an example is shown in which the sensor device according to this embodiment is applied to a nut runner as a jig and tool for a robot arm.

As shown in FIG. 1, a nut runner (jig tool) NR is rotatably provided at the tip of the robot arm RA. The tip of the nut runner NR is formed in the shape of a socket, for example, and the nut / bolt is tightened and loosened by fitting the nut / bolt head (work) and rotating the nut / bolt head. It is a tool for. A disk-shaped table T is arranged above the nut runner NR. As shown in FIG. 2, a through hole Ta is formed in the center of the table T, and the nut runner NR extends downward through the through hole Ta.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on the table T, a plurality of sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ constituting the sensor device 1 (five in this example) are nut runners. They are evenly spaced or approximately evenly spaced on the circumference around the NR. The sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ each have a built-in sensor in the housing, and each housing 10 ₁ C, 10 ₂ C, 10 ₃ C, 10 ₄ C, 10 ₅ C. Consists of sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10, ₄ , 10 ₅ , respectively. Each housing _{10 1 C, 10 2 C,} 10 3 C, 10 4 C, 10 5 C is composed of an insulating resin. In addition, each sensor unit 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ detects an intruder such as a human body that has invaded the irradiation area of the laser beam by irradiating the laser beam downward. It is provided as follows. In this example, a distance measuring sensor using the TOF (Time of Flight) method is used, but other methods may be adopted, or a camera or an image sensor may be adopted. Good.

In FIG. 1, reference numerals D ₁ , D ₂ , D ₃ , D ₄ , and D ₅ indicate detection areas (sensing areas) of the respective sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10, ₄ , and 10 ₅ , respectively. .. As shown in FIG. 2, each sensor unit adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction is connected by a tube (connecting member) t. That is, each sensor unit 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ is connected to the tube t ₁ , each sensor unit 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ is connected to the tube t ₂ , and each sensor unit 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ is connected to the tube t _3. 10 _4, 10 ₅ while being respectively connected by a tube _{t 4.} Further, the sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₅ are not connected by a tube, and the sensor unit 10 ₁ is connected to the control unit 20 by a tube t ₅ . Each tube t ₁ , t ₂ , t ₃ , t ₄ , t ₅ is composed of a flexible hollow resin member. As shown in FIG. 2, each tube t ₁ , t ₂ , t ₃ , t ₄ , and t ₅ are arranged while being curved in an arc shape. The cable 21 extending from the controller unit 20 is connected to a control panel (not shown) of the robot arm RA. The sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ (or housing 10 ₁ C, 10 ₂ C, 10 ₃ C, 10 ₄ C, 10 ₅ C), tubes t ₁ , t ₂ , The sensor system according to the present invention is composed of t ₃ , t ₄ , t ₅ , and nut runner NR.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the sensor unit _{10 1,} 10 _2, 10 _3, 10 4, each detection area _D 1 of the _{10 5, D 2, D 3} , D 4, D 5 , respectively downward It spreads out in a conical shape and is arranged so that it partially overlaps with each other. The area in which these detection areas D ₁ , D ₂ , D ₃ , D ₄ , and D ₅ are combined is the detection area by the sensor device 1. FIG Each sensor unit ₁₀ 1 in _3, 10 _2, 10 _3, 10 4, 10 each detection area _D 1 in the plane W, which is located away by a predetermined distance H downwardly from _5, D _{2, D} 3, D ₄ and D ₅ are shown in FIG. The plane W corresponds to a work surface on which a nut (not shown) is placed. In FIG. 4, for convenience of illustration, the tubes t ₁ , t ₂ , t ₃ , and t ₄ for connecting the sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10, ₄ , and 10 ₅ are omitted.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, each detection area D ₁ , D ₂ , D ₃ , D ₄ , D ₅ is arranged around the nut runner NR while surrounding (that is, surrounding) the nut runner NR. Is not included in any of the detection areas D ₁ , D ₂ , D ₃ , D ₄ , and D ₅ . This is for each sensor unit 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ to detect the approach of an intruder such as a person to the nut runner NR, and each sensor unit 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ is to _{10 3,} 10 4, 10 ₅ as the nut runner NR itself is not detected by.

As shown in FIG. 4, each sensor unit 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 _{5 has} a sensor on the lower surface 10 ₁ B, 10 ₂ B, 10 ₃ B, 10 ₄ B, 10 ₅ B, respectively. The light receiving and receiving units 10 ₁ S, 10 ₂ S, 10 ₃ S, 10 ₄ S, and 10 ₅ S are arranged. Each sensor light emitting / receiving unit 10 ₁ S, 10 ₂ S, 10 ₃ S, 10 ₄ S, 10 ₅ S is composed of a laser beam light emitting / receiving unit, respectively. Each sensor unit 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ is a pair of tubular connected portions 10 ₁ a, 10 ₁ b; 10 ₂ for detachably connecting the ends of the tubes t. It has a, 10 ₂ b; 10 ₃ a, 10 ₃ b; 10 ₄ a, 10 ₄ b; 10 ₅ a, 10 ₅ b, respectively.

Next, the details of each housing 10 ₁ C, 10 ₂ C, 10 ₃ C, 10 ₄ C, 10 ₅ C constituting each sensor unit 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ are shown in the figure. 5 to 13 will be described.
Here, the sensor unit 10 ₁ will be described as an example, but the same applies to the other sensor units 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10, ₄ , and 10 ₅ , and the description of the sensor unit 10 ₁ is based on the other sensor unit 10 _2. The same applies to 10, ₃ , 10, ₄ , and 10 ₅ .

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, the housing 10 ₁ C has a main body portion 10 ₁ C ₁ and a lid body 10 ₁ C ₂ screwed and fixed to the main body portion 10 ₁ C ₁ . The connected portions 10 ₁ a and 10 ₁ b are integrally provided with the main body portion 10 ₁ C ₁ in this example, but they may be separate bodies. Further, the connected portions 10 ₁ a and 10 ₁ b each have convex portions ar and br on the outer periphery into which the end portion of the tube t is press-fitted. The tube t connects the housings of the adjacent sensor units to each other via a connected portion (see FIG. 2). It should be noted that FIGS. 7 to 9 show a state in which the tube t is attached to _one connected portion 10 ₁ a and the tube t is not attached to the other connected portion 10 ₁ b. And the connected portion 10 ₁ b in FIG. 8 is shown in a state of being cut in the axial direction.

FIG. 10 shows a state in which a plurality of (here, three) sensor units 10 ₁ are connected via a tube t. At this time, the tube t is flexible and can be bent in the vertical direction in the figure, and each sensor unit 10 ₁ has a curved surface in which each lower surface 10 ₁ B is substantially straight (or slightly curved). ) Arranged along a plane (or curved surface) passing through L. In this case, as the length of the tube t becomes longer, are susceptible to the weight of the sensor unit 10 _1, the amount of deflection of the tube t is increased, the lower surface 10 1 _B of the sensor unit 10 ₁ has a more curved curve Will be placed along. Even in such a case, the positional relationship between the respective sensor units 10 ₁ (i.e., placement and spacing, etc.) is maintained.

Further, as the flexible tube t is twisted around its central axis, each sensor unit 10 ₁ is slightly tilted around the central axis of the tube t, and as a result, each sensor unit 10 ₁ is attached to the tube t. It may be twisted around the central axis. In FIG. 10, for simplification of the illustration, none of the sensor units 10 ₁ is tilted around the central axis of the tube t, but all the sensor units 10 ₁ are around the central axis of the tube t. the same angle or by substantially the same angle than the case of tilting the original, even when the sensor units 10 ₁ is tilted by different angles about the central axis of the tube t, the positional relationship between the respective sensor units 10 ₁ (i.e. , Arrangement, spacing, etc.) are maintained. Incidentally, if the center of gravity of the sensor unit 10 ₁ on an extension line of the center axis of the tube t are arranged, each sensor unit 10 ₁ or reduce the angle of tilt around the tube t, each sensor unit 10 ₁ It is also possible to align the tilt angles of.

FIG. 11 shows a state in which the lid body 10 ₁ C ₂ is removed from the housing 10 ₁ C of the sensor unit 10 ₁ . As shown in the figure, the main body portion 10 ₁ C ₁ of the housing 10 ₁ C accommodates the sensor (board) K ₁ on which the sensor light receiving / receiving unit 10 ₁ S is mounted. Lead wires 25 ₁ a and 25 ₁ b are connected to the sensor K ₁ , respectively. The lead wires 25 ₁ a and 25 ₁ b are taken out to the left and right of the main body 10 ₁ C ₁ through the connected portions 10 ₁ a and 10 ₁ b, respectively, and pass through the insides of the tubes t ₅ and t ₁ , respectively. Is wired.

FIG. 12 shows a state in which the lids are removed from the sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the sensor unit _{10 2,} 10 _3, 10 4, 10 ₅ each lead wire _{25 2 b, 25 3 b,} 25 4 b Similarly for, tube _t 2, _{respectively,} t 3, _{t 4} It is wired through the inside of the sensor unit 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ and is connected to each of the sensors K ₂ , K ₃ , K ₄ , and K ₅ , respectively.

Next, the action and effect of this example will be described.
When driving the nut runner NR attached to the robot arm RA, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 _{5 and} the sensor light receiving and receiving units 10 ₁ S, 10 ₂ S, 10 ₃ S, 10 ₄ S, 10 ₅ S are on, and each sensor's light receiving / receiving unit 10 ₁ S, 10 ₂ S, 10 ₃ S, 10 ₄ S, 10 ₅ S goes downward. Laser light is emitted from each of them. As described above, the detection areas D ₁ , D ₂ , D ₃ , D ₄ , and D ₅ of each laser beam are formed in a conical shape around the nut runner NR, and are adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. Partially overlap each other.

From this state, as shown in FIG. 13, an intruder such as a worker's finger invades one of the detection areas D ₁ , D ₂ , D ₃ , D ₄ , D ₅ , for example, the detection area D ₂ or D ₃ . Then, the sensor K ₂ or K ₃ detects the intruder. Then, the detection signal of the sensor K ₂ or K ₃ is input to the controller unit 20 and input to the control panel of the robot arm RA. As a result, the nut runner NR is temporarily stopped (or urgently stopped). As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the operator's fingers from being pinched between the tip of the nut runner NR and the nut. Moreover, in this case, since the sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ are arranged over the entire circumference of the nut runner NR, intrusion detection from all directions is detected for the nut runner NR. can do. Further, when the nut runner NR is arranged above the nut (not shown), if an intruder such as a worker's finger approaches the nut, the intruder will invade one of the detection areas. , Similarly, one of the sensors detects the intruder and the nut runner NR pauses (or urgently stops).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the plurality of housings 10 ₁ C, 10 ₂ C, 10 ₃ C, 10 ₄ C, and 10 ₅ C are sensors K ₁ , K ₂ , K ₃ , K ₄ , and K _{5, respectively.} Since each sensor unit 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ is built in, the arrangement of each housing, that is, each sensor unit can be freely changed, thereby detecting. It is possible to flexibly arrange the area according to the size and shape of the area, and the degree of freedom in layout can be increased. As a result, the versatility of the sensor device can be improved and the cost can be reduced. In this case, since it is sufficient to prepare one housing as the housing of the sensor unit, only one type of mold is required, and the cost can be significantly reduced. On the other hand, in the conventional structure in which a plurality of sensors are arranged inside one housing, if the size or shape of the detection area changes, the housing is recreated each time according to the detection area. It is necessary and the cost is high.

Moreover, according to this embodiment, the housings 10 ₁ C, 10 ₂ C, 10 ₃ C, 10 ₄ C, 10 ₅ C are connected by tubes t ₁ , t ₂ , t ₃ , and t ₄ . The positional relationship between each housing 10 ₁ C, 10 ₂ C, 10 ₃ C, 10 ₄ C, and 10 ₅ C is maintained, so that when each housing, that is, each sensor unit is mounted on the installation surface, It is not necessary to determine the position of each sensor unit one by one, and the installation work can be easily performed. On the other hand, since each tube t ₁ , t ₂ , t ₃ , and t ₄ has flexibility, each tube t ₁ , t ₂ , t ₃ , and t ₄ can be deformed by bending or bending. Therefore, using the same tubes t ₁ , t ₂ , t ₃ , and t ₄ , each housing 10 ₁ C, 10 ₂ C, 10 ₃ C, 10 ₄ C, and 10 ₅ C are arranged in a straight line. It is also possible to arrange them in an arc shape, a U shape, or the like. That is, in this embodiment, the positional relationship between the housings can be adjusted. Further, since each sensor unit is housed in a housing, each sensor unit has waterproof, drip-proof and oil-proof properties. Furthermore, by lead wires _{25 1 b, 25 2 b,} 25 3 b, 25 4 b is accommodated in the interior of the tube _{t 1, t 2, t 3} , t 4 , respectively, the housing structure as a whole sensor device As a result, the rigidity of the entire device can be increased, and the environmental resistance of the device as a whole can be improved.

[First modification]
In the above embodiment, each sensor unit 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ is one sensor light receiving unit 10 ₁ S, 10 ₂ S, 10 ₃ S, 10 ₄ S, 10 ₅ S. Although the case where is built-in is described as an example, the number of sensor light-receiving parts built in each sensor unit may be two or more, and the number of sensor light-receiving parts built in each sensor unit is a sensor. It may vary from unit to unit.

[Second modification]
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a tube t made of a hollow resin member is used as the connecting member is shown, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this. As the connecting member, a solid resin member may be adopted. Further, the member is not limited to the resin member, and may be made of a hard rubber. Further, as the tube t, for example, a solid metal rod or a hollow pipe having poor flexibility or elasticity may be adopted.

[Third variant]
In the above embodiment, five sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ and 10 ₅ are arranged on the circumference, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this. The number of sensor units constituting the sensor device may be more than or less than 5, and is appropriately determined according to the size of the detection area determined by the size of the jig and tool, the size of the intruder, and the like. In FIG. 14, 12 sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 _{5 5} , 10 ₆ , 10 _{7 7} , 10 ₈ 10, _{9 9} , 10 _{10 10} , 10 ₁₁ and 10 ₁₂ are arranged on the circumference. (In the figure, the tube connecting each sensor unit is omitted for convenience of illustration), but in this case, even if they are on the same circumference, if the intruder is a human body, each The array pitch of the sensor units may be relatively large, and if the intruder is a human finger, the array pitch of each sensor unit may be relatively small. Since the sensor device 1 according to the present invention adopts a configuration in which each housing of each sensor unit is connected by a connecting member, it is possible to flexibly respond to a change in the number of sensor units.

[Fourth variant]
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which each sensor unit is arranged on the circumference is shown, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this. The sensor unit according to the present invention has various shapes such as rectangular, U-shaped, U-shaped, V-shaped, L-shaped, horseshoe-shaped, oval-shaped, oval-shaped, and oval-shaped, depending on the detection region. It may be arranged along. FIG. 15 shows an example in which the sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 _{5 5} , 10 ₆ , 10 ₇ 10, ₈ and 10 ₉ are arranged in a U shape. In FIG. 15, the tube connecting each sensor unit is omitted.

[Fifth variant]
In the above embodiment, the tubes t ₁ , t ₂ , t ₃ , and t ₄ connecting the sensor units 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , and 10 ₅ adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction have a constant length. Although these tubes are made of resin and can be cut, their lengths can be freely changed. Therefore, by increasing the length of the tube, the arrangement pitch of each sensor unit can be increased and sparsely arranged. On the contrary, by shortening the length of the tube, the arrangement pitch of each sensor unit can be increased. It can be made small and densely arranged. As described above, by using the resin tube as the connecting member, the positional relationship between the sensor units (or between the housings) can be adjusted.

[Sixth variant]
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a resin tube is used as the connecting member is shown, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this. As the connecting member, a member having elasticity may be adopted. For example, a plurality of tubular members having different diameters may be prepared and combined in a nested manner to form a telescopic connecting member having a telescopic structure. Alternatively, a bellows-shaped member may be used as the connecting member. In any of these cases, since the connecting member has elasticity, the positional relationship between the sensor units (or between the housings) can be adjusted without cutting the connecting member as in the above embodiment. It is possible.

[7th variant]
In the above embodiment, the connected portions 10 ₁ a, 10 ₁ b; 10 ₂ a, 10 ₂ b; 10 ₃ a, 10 ₃ b; of each sensor unit 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ ; 10 ₄ a, 10 ₄ b; 10 ₅ a, 10 ₅ b are the housings of each sensor unit 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ 10 ₁ C, 10 ₂ C, 10 ₃ C, 10 An example is shown in which the main bodies of ₄ C, 10 and ₅ C are integrally provided and fixed (in FIG. 5, each connected portion 10 ₁ a, 10 _{1 with} respect to the center line CL of the housing 10 ₁ C). The center lines CaL and CbL of b are orthogonal to each other), but the application of the present invention is not limited to this. Each base end of the connected portion 10 ₁ a, 10 ₁ b; 10 ₂ a, 10 ₂ b; 10 ₃ a, 10 ₃ b; 10 ₄ a, 10 ₄ b; 10 ₅ a, 10 ₅ b, respectively. Ball joint connection to each main body of the sensor unit 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ housing 10 ₁ C, 10 ₂ C, 10 ₃ C, 10 ₄ C, 10 ₅ C. Therefore, the connected portion may be configured to be tiltable in any direction with respect to the main body portion (at this time, the center lines CaL and CbL of the connected portions 10 ₁ a and 10 ₁ b in FIG. 5). There angle formed with respect to the center line CL of the casing 10 ₁ C can vary). In this case, since the connected portion tilts when connecting the adjacent sensor units with the tube, the tube can be smoothly connected without applying an excessive force to the tube.

[Other variants]
The above-mentioned examples and each modification should be regarded in all respects merely as an example of the present invention, and are not limited. Those skilled in the art in the field to which the present invention is related will not deviate from the spiritual and essential features of the present invention when considering the above-mentioned teaching contents, even if not explicitly stated in the present specification. Various variants and other embodiments that employ the principle of can be constructed.

[Other application examples]
In the above embodiment, the sensor device according to the present invention is applied to the nut runner NR of the robot arm RA, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to jigs and tools other than the nut runner NR. Further, the application of the present invention is not limited to the jig and tool of the robot arm, and the present invention can be applied to end effectors other than the jig and tool, and can be similarly applied to machines and devices other than the robot arm.

The present invention is useful for a sensor device and a sensor system that can be flexibly arranged according to a detection area and can be easily mounted on an installation surface.

1: Sensor device

10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , 10 ₃ , 10 ₄ , 10 ₅ : Sensor unit 10 ₁ a, 10 ₁ b; 10 ₂ a, 10 ₂ b; 10 ₃ a, 10 ₃ b: Connected part 10 ₄ a, 10 ₄ b; 10 ₅ a, 10 ₅ b: Connected part 10 ₁ C, 10 ₂ C, 10 ₃ C, 10 ₄ C, 10 ₅ C: Housing K ₁ , K ₂ , K ₃ , K ₄ , K ₅ : Sensor

t, t ₁ , t ₂ , t ₃ , t ₄ : Tube (connecting member)

RA: Robot arm NR: Nut runner (jig tool)

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58-21188 (see pages 13 to 19 in the upper right column of page 3 and FIGS. 1, 2 and 6) Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-173201 (see paragraphs [0015] to [0017] and FIGS. 1 to 3)

Claims (4)

It is a sensor device
A plurality of housings, each of which constitutes a sensor unit by incorporating a sensor,
It is provided with a connecting member for connecting each of the housings.
Since each of the housings is connected by the connecting member, the positional relationship between the housings is maintained.
A sensor device characterized by this. In claim 1,
The connecting member is provided so that the positional relationship between the housings can be adjusted.
A sensor device characterized by this. In claim 1,
The connecting member is a hollow member, and each housing has a connected portion to which an end portion of the connecting member is detachably connected.
A sensor device characterized by this. Each of the sensor units according to claim 1 is arranged so as to detect the approach of a person to a jig or a workpiece provided on the robot arm.
A sensor system characterized by that.

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