JP2022134933A - Robot and robot system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a robot or the like having a configuration capable of being downsized, the robot including a control circuit board and a drive circuit board.SOLUTION: Provided is a robot including a drive circuit board connected to a power source device and configured to drive an operation part, and a control circuit board connected to a robot controller and the drive circuit board and configured to transmit a control signal of the operation part to the drive circuit board. The control circuit board and the drive circuit board are electrically connected to each other via wiring having flexibility.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a configuration of a robot or the like, and more particularly to a configuration of a robot including a plurality of action units.

In recent years, various articulated robots have been developed. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an articulated robot arm that can be easily miniaturized.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a robot arm having therein a series of follower (slave) control circuit boards connected to a robot controller and a series of drive circuit boards connected to a power supply. ing. The control circuit board and the drive circuit board are paired to control the motor.

The control circuit board is connected to an encoder or the like, has a microcomputer mounted thereon, and transmits motor control signals to the drive circuit. On the other hand, the drive circuit board mounts a motor driver or the like and drives the motor according to the control signal.

In this way, by separately providing the control circuit board and the drive circuit board, it is possible to separate the drive circuit board and the control circuit board, which tend to generate heat, making heat countermeasures easier and improving maintainability. do.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-26000

By the way, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, a configuration is adopted in which the input/output terminals of the control circuit board and the input/output terminals of the drive circuit board are directly connected via a connector.

However, with such a configuration, since the positional relationship between the control circuit board and the drive circuit board is fixed, there is a risk of hindering the miniaturization of the robot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described technical background, and its object is to provide a robot or the like having a configuration that can be miniaturized in a robot provided with a control circuit board and a drive circuit board. That's what it is.

The above technical problems can be solved by a robot or the like having the following configuration.

That is, the robot according to the present invention includes a drive circuit board connected to a power supply device to drive an action section, a robot controller and the drive circuit board connected to the drive circuit board, and transmitting control signals for the action section to the drive circuit board. a control circuit board for transmitting data, wherein the control circuit board and the drive circuit board are electrically connected via flexible wiring.

With such a configuration, flexible wiring increases the degree of freedom in arranging the drive circuit board and the control circuit board, so that the size of the robot can be reduced. In addition, since the wiring is less likely to be densely packed, the number of assembly man-hours can be reduced.

The wiring may be a wire harness.

According to such a configuration, since a plurality of signal lines and the like are bundled, the size of the robot can be reduced, and the number of man-hours such as wiring work can be reduced.

The drive circuit board and the control circuit board may be paired to control the operating section.

According to such a configuration, the operation section can be controlled by the pair of the drive circuit board and the control circuit board.

The drive circuit board and the control circuit board may be paired to control the two operation units.

According to such a configuration, one substrate pair can be used to control two operating units by using substrates in common, so that the size of the robot can be reduced and the number of assembly steps can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to reduce the cost by sharing the substrate.

The robot may have an arm, and the action part may be included in the arm.

According to such a configuration, since the motion portions of the arm are controlled two by two, the size of the arm can be reduced, and the number of assembling steps can be reduced.

The operating section may include a joint operating section that operates joints of the robot, and the drive circuit board and the control circuit board may both be fixed to one member that constitutes the joint. .

With such a configuration, the relative positional relationship between the drive circuit board and the control circuit board does not change, and stable connection between the boards can be achieved.

The housing of the robot includes a first cover that exposes the mounting portion of the drive circuit board when removed, and a second cover that exposes the mounting portion of the control circuit board when removed. may

According to such a configuration, by removing the cover provided on the housing, the mounting portion of each substrate is exposed, so mounting and maintenance of the substrates are facilitated.

A sensor may be connected to the control circuit board, and a motor may be connected to the drive circuit board.

According to such a configuration, the control circuit board can receive the sensor signal and transmit the motor control signal to the drive circuit board.

Communication between the control circuit board and the drive circuit board may be performed by digital signals.

With such a configuration, the influence of analog noise due to wiring can be minimized.

The drive circuit board may be fixed so as to be in surface contact with the housing.

According to such a configuration, the heat generated in the drive circuit board, which tends to generate heat from the motor driver or the like, can be released to the housing.

The operating section includes a joint operating section that operates the joints of the robot, and the drive circuit board is fixed so that the rotation center axis of the joint and its center are substantially the same. good.

According to such a configuration, the drive circuit board can be arranged with little deviation, so smooth rotation of the joint can be realized.

The drive circuit board may have an opening at its center.

According to such a configuration, wiring can be performed through the opening.

The operating section includes a joint operating section that operates joints of the robot, the drive circuit board is fixed to one member that constitutes the joint, and the control circuit board is fixed to the other member that constitutes the joint. may be fixed to a member of the

According to such a configuration, even in the joint portion where the positional relationship changes relatively, each board can be divided into each member by wiring having flexibility, and the size of the joint portion can be reduced. can be done.

The invention can also be thought of as a robotic system. That is, a robot system according to the present invention includes: a drive circuit board connected to a power supply to drive an action section; a robot controller and the drive circuit board connected to each other; and a control circuit board for transmitting a signal, wherein the control circuit board and the drive circuit board are electrically connected via a flexible wiring.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a robot or the like having a configuration that enables miniaturization in a robot including a control circuit board and a drive circuit board.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the layout of the control circuit board. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram regarding the configuration of the control circuit board and the drive circuit board. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the right arm of the robot. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the first joint assembly. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the layout of the control circuit board according to the modified example (part 1). FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram regarding the arrangement of the control circuit board according to the modified example (part 2). FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of the mobile robot. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the layout of the control circuit board in the mobile robot.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(1. First embodiment)
As a first embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a dual-arm robot 800 will be described. In this embodiment, the dual-arm robot 800 will be described as an example, but the present invention may be applied to other robots. For example, it may be a robot that has only one arm, or a robot that has a structure other than an arm. Moreover, you may apply with respect to a robot system.

The dual-arm robot 800 according to this embodiment is formed by connecting a plurality of structures, that is, a body, a pair of arms connected symmetrically to both sides of the body, and It has a head connected to the upper end via a neck. The torso has two joints (J1, J2), the left and right arms each have seven joints (J1 to J7), and the neck has two joints (J1, J2), allowing rotation and bending around the axis. Bring. More specifically, each articulation includes a motor to effect flexion and rotation of the articulation about its longitudinal axis.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement of the control circuit board 30. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the control circuit board 30 is mounted with a microcomputer including one CPU. One control circuit board 30 processes commands from the robot controller and sensor values from sensors such as encoders provided at each joint, and functions as a follower controller of the robot controller 1 to simultaneously control two motors associated with two joints. control effectively.

As is clear from the figure, the robot 800 has a robot controller 1 inside its body. The robot controller 1 is connected to the EtherCAT hub 2 inside the body via a first bus 700 .

Here, the EtherCAT hub 2 is a hub that operates under the EtherCAT standard and has high-speed response. The EtherCAT hub 2 consists of a first bus 700, a body, a second bus 701 extending into the head, a third bus 702 extending into the right arm, and a fourth bus extending into the left arm. branch to 703; That is, a star topology centering on the EtherCAT hub 2 is formed.

Although the EtherCAT hub 2 is exemplified in this embodiment, hubs operating under other standards may be used.

On the second bus 701, in order from the EtherCAT hub 2, the control circuit board 30-3 that controls the first joints of the left and right arms, the two joints of the body, that is, the first joint of the body and the body A control circuit board 30-2 that controls the second joint of the head, and a control circuit board 30-1 that controls the two joints of the neck that supports the head, that is, the first neck joint and the second neck joint, are connected to the daisy chain. Connected by connection.

On the third bus 702, in order from the EtherCAT hub 2, the control circuit board 30-4 that controls the right arm second joint and the right arm third joint, the control circuit board 30 that controls the right arm fourth joint and the right arm fifth joint. -5, a control circuit board 30-6 for controlling the sixth joint of the right arm and the seventh joint of the right arm are connected by daisy chain connection.

On the fourth bus 703, in order from the EtherCAT hub 2, the control circuit board 30-7 controls the second joint of the left arm and the third joint of the left arm, the control circuit board 30-7 controls the fourth joint of the left arm and the fifth joint of the left arm. -8, a control circuit board 30-9 for controlling the sixth joint of the left arm and the seventh joint of the left arm are connected by daisy chain connection.

As is clear from the figure, although the arm has seven joints, the first joint corresponding to the joint at the base of the arm is the control circuit board 30 connected to the second bus 701 and arranged in the body. Left and right are collectively controlled by -3. Thus, in this embodiment, all the control circuit boards 30 are control circuit boards that control two joints.

According to such a configuration, it is not necessary to provide a board for each of the left and right first joints, and there is no need to design a board for the first joint. Therefore, it is possible to provide a robot or the like having a simple and compact configuration.

In addition, since the control circuit boards 30-3 for the left and right first joints are accommodated in the torso section, which has relatively more space than the arms, the left and right arms can be made smaller.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram regarding the configuration of the control circuit board 30 and the drive circuit board 40. As shown in FIG. As is clear from the figure, the robot 800 has a control system in which control circuit boards 30 for processing control signals from the robot controller 1 are connected in series by daisy chain connection, and a control circuit board 30 connected in parallel to each control circuit board 30 and a drive system consisting of a series of drive circuit boards 40 provided.

Each control circuit board (30-3 to 30-1) is connected by a second bus 701, and each control circuit board (30-3 to 30-1) has an encoder (50-3) associated with two joints. 50-1) are connected. Each control circuit board 30 transmits a control signal to each corresponding drive circuit board 40 via the wire harness 9 for data transmission/reception based on the value of the encoder and the command value from the robot controller. Note that the wire harness is a flexible collective component formed by bundling a plurality of signal lines and having terminals or connectors at both ends thereof.

Each drive circuit board (40-3 to 40-1) is connected in series to a power line 8 from a power supply device attached to the robot 800, and each corresponding control circuit board (30-3 to 30-1 ) and motors (60-3 to 60-1).

Each drive circuit board 40 has a hole in the center and has circuit elements corresponding to each motor in each of the left and right half regions. Each drive circuit board 40 is equipped with a motor driver circuit, an inverter circuit that converts a DC voltage to an AC voltage, and the like. -1) are respectively controlled.

With such a configuration, the control circuit board 30 and the drive circuit board 40 having circuit elements that easily generate heat can be separated from each other, which facilitates countermeasures against heat.

Although the system related to the second bus 701 is described as an example in FIG. , a pair of control circuit board 30 and drive circuit board 40 are provided in series.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the right arm of the robot 800 having seven joints. As is clear from the figure, the right arm consists of a right arm second joint (J2) and a right arm third joint (J3) in order from the root side of the right arm. A joint assembly 111, a second joint assembly 112 consisting of the fourth right arm joint (J4) and the fifth right arm joint (J5) corresponding to the area of a human elbow or forearm, the sixth right arm joint (J6) and It has a third joint assembly 113 consisting of the seventh joint (J7) of the right arm and corresponding to the area around the human wrist and hand.

The right arm first joint is provided at the base of the arm. Also, in the figure, the cover that protects each substrate is shown removed from the housing.

In addition, in the first joint gathering portion 111, the drive circuit board 40-4 for driving the right arm second joint and the right arm third joint is exposed on the front side of the shoulder. A control circuit board 30-4 for controlling the right arm second joint and the right arm third joint is exposed on the side of the shoulder.

Similarly, the drive circuit board 40-5 for driving the fourth right arm joint and the fifth right arm joint is exposed on the side surface side of the second joint assembly 112. As shown in FIG. The corresponding control circuit board 30-5 is not shown because it is located on the back side of the drawing. Further, although not shown, the third joint assembly 113 is also provided with a pair of control circuit board 30-6 and drive circuit board 40-6 for controlling the sixth and seventh right arm joints. .

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the first joint assembly 111. As shown in FIG. As is clear from the figure, on the surface corresponding to the front of the shoulder of the second right arm housing 102 rotatably connected to the first right arm housing, the drive circuit board 40-4 is mounted at the center (this embodiment). In terms of form, the center of the circular hole) is substantially the same as the center of the joint rotation shaft, and the rear surface is fixed so as to abut against the housing. With such a configuration, the drive circuit board 40 can be arranged with little bias, so smooth rotation of the joint can be achieved. In addition, the contact allows the heat generated in the drive circuit board 40-4 to escape to the housing.

A control circuit board 30-4 is fixed by bolts to the surface corresponding to the outer surface of the arm of the right arm second housing. The control circuit board 30-4 and the drive circuit board 40-4 are connected at one end of a wire harness (not shown) to the connector connection portion 31 of the control circuit board 30-4 and at the other end to the connector of the drive circuit board 40-4. It is connected by connecting to the unit 41 . At this time, the wire harness 9 is wired so as to pass through the inside of the housing.

According to such a configuration, since both the control circuit board 30-4 and the drive circuit board 40-4 are fixed to the right arm second housing 2, the right arm second housing 102 is driven by the operation of the motor. is rotated with respect to the right arm first housing 101, the relative positional relationship between the control circuit board 30-4 and the drive circuit board 40-4 does not change, realizing stable connection between the boards. be able to.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the control circuit board 30 and the drive circuit board 40 may be fixed to different parts constituting joints. For example, the control circuit board 30-4 may be fixed to the right arm second housing 102, and the drive circuit board 40-4 may be fixed to the right arm first housing 101. FIG. According to such a configuration, even if the relative positional relationship between the first right arm housing 101 and the second right arm housing 102 changes due to the rotation of the second right arm joint, the flexibility of the wire harness allows the control circuit to operate. The board 30-4 and the driving circuit board 40-4 are stably connected.

In addition, according to such a configuration, by removing the housing cover of the robot 800, the mounting surfaces of the control circuit board 30 and the drive circuit board 40 can be easily accessed. improve sexuality.

Furthermore, according to such a configuration, since the control circuit board 30 and the drive circuit board 40 are connected by the wire harness 9 having flexibility, the control circuit board 30 and the drive circuit board 40 are installed in the housing of the robot 800 . can be freely arranged.

As described above, in the first embodiment, a plurality of structures including arms and a torso are connected to each other. The robot 800 including seven (7) motion units (motors 60) has been described as an example. More specifically, a plurality of control circuit boards (30-1, 30-2, 30-4 to 30-9) arranged in a structure having an odd number of operating units and controlling two operating units each, and , a control circuit board 30 for one surplus operating section, which controls two one surplus operating sections remaining in each of the odd-numbered structures by sequentially associating the control circuit boards with the two operating sections. -3 and robot 800 have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and can be implemented in various modifications.

(2. Modification)
In the first embodiment, the control circuit board 30-3 that controls the left and right first joints is connected to the second bus 701, but the configuration is not limited to this. Thus, for example, it may be arranged on another communication system.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the layout of the control circuit board 30 according to the modification (part 1). As is clear from the figure, the control circuit board 30-3 that controls the left and right first joints is connected to the fourth bus 703 in this example. Even in this case, the control circuit board 30-3 is arranged inside the body. Further, it may be connected to the third bus 702 instead of the fourth bus 703 .

In the first embodiment, a control circuit board 30 for controlling two motors is applied to an arm having an odd number of moving parts (motors), and the remaining one motor is connected to the left and right arms. Although the configuration in which the components are collectively controlled by the control circuit board 30-3 in the body portion has been described, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the layout of the control circuit board 30 according to the modification (No. 2). In the configuration shown in the figure, the body has an odd number of joints, namely three joints, and the neck has an odd number of joints, namely three joints. In addition, in the same figure, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected about the structure similar to FIG.

As is clear from the figure, the control circuit board 308 that controls the left and right first joints is arranged on the second bus 701 also in the configuration of the figure.

On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 1, the body and neck each have three joints. A control circuit board 305 corresponding to the joints (J2/J3) and a control circuit board 307 corresponding to the two joints (J1/J2) of the trunk are provided. A control circuit board 306 for controlling the two joints is connected to one neck joint (J1) and one body joint (J3). At this time, the control circuit board 306 is placed inside the body.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to provide a robot or the like having a simple and compact configuration. Also, the size of the neck can be reduced in addition to the arms.

In the first embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the dual-arm robot 800 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. Thus, for example, the invention can also be applied to a mobile robot 850 with one robot arm.

FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of mobile robot 850 . As is clear from the figure, the mobile robot 850 has a head 201 having two joints (neck J1/J2) at its neck, and a head 201 at its upper end to slide the head 201 and arms 203 up and down. A body part 202 having one joint (body part J1), a truck part 204 having four independently driven wheels 205 to 208 and supporting the body part 202, and seven joints connected to the front of the body part 202. and arm portions including portions (arm portions J1 to J7).

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement of the control circuit board 230 in the mobile robot 850. As shown in FIG. As is clear from the figure, the mobile robot 850 comprises a robot controller 1 and an EtherCAT hub 2 connected thereto via a first bus 211, as in the first embodiment. In the EtherCAT hub 2, the signal from the first bus 211 is transmitted to the second bus 212 extending into the body portion 202, the third bus 213 extending into the arm portion 203, and the truck portion 204. and a fourth bus 214 extending into the interior of the .

On the second bus 212, in order from the EtherCAT hub 2, a control circuit board 230-2 for controlling the first joint (arm J1) of the arm 203 and the joint (body J1) of the body 202, A control circuit board 230-1 is connected to control the two joints (neck J1/J2).

Also, on the third bus 213, in order from the EtherCAT hub 2, a control circuit board 230-3 for controlling the second and third joints (arms J2/J3) of the arm 203; A control circuit board 230-4 that controls the fourth and fifth joints (arms J4/J5), and a control circuit board 230-5 that controls the sixth and seventh joints (arms J6/J7) of the arm 203. are placed.

Furthermore, a control circuit board 230-6 for controlling the two wheels on the right side of the truck section 204 and the two wheels on the left side of the truck section 204 are provided on the fourth bus 214 in order from the EtherCAT hub 2. A control circuit board 230-7 is arranged.

According to such a configuration, the first joint of arm 203 and the joint of the torso are controlled by one control circuit board 230 provided in torso 202, so that the size of arm 203 can be reduced. can be planned.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely show a part of application examples of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific configurations of the above embodiments. do not have. Moreover, the above-described embodiments can be appropriately combined within a range that does not cause contradiction.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used at least in industries that manufacture robots and the like.

1 robot controller 2 EtherCAT hub 30 control circuit board 40 drive circuit board 50 encoder (sensor)
60 motor 700 first bus 701 second bus 702 third bus 703 fourth bus 8 power line 9 wire harness (communication line)
201 Head 202 Body 203 Arm 204 Truck 205 Wheel 211 First bus 212 Second bus 213 Third bus 214 Fourth bus 800 Dual-arm robot 810 Dual-arm robot (modification)
820 dual-arm robot (modification)
850 mobile robot

Claims (14)

a drive circuit board connected to the power supply and driving the operating unit;
a control circuit board connected to the robot controller and the drive circuit board, and transmitting a control signal of the operating unit to the drive circuit board;
The robot, wherein the control circuit board and the drive circuit board are electrically connected via flexible wiring. The robot according to claim 1, wherein said wiring is a wire harness. 2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein said drive circuit board and said control circuit board are paired to control said action section. 2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein said drive circuit board and said control circuit board are paired to control two said motion units. the robot has an arm,
4. The robot according to claim 3, wherein the action section is included in the arm section. The operating unit includes a joint operating unit that operates joints of the robot,
2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein both said drive circuit board and said control circuit board are fixed to one member constituting said joint. The housing of the robot is
a first cover from which the mounting portion of the drive circuit board is exposed when removed;
2. The robot according to claim 1, further comprising a second cover from which a mounting portion of said control circuit board is exposed when removed. 2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein a sensor is connected to said control circuit board, and a motor is connected to said drive circuit board. 9. The robot according to claim 8, wherein communication between said control circuit board and said drive circuit board is performed by digital signals. 2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the drive circuit board is fixed to the housing so as to make surface contact therewith. The operating unit includes a joint operating unit that operates joints of the robot,
2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the drive circuit board is fixed so that the rotation center axis of the joint and its center are substantially the same. 12. The robot according to claim 11, wherein said drive circuit board has an opening in its center. The operating unit includes a joint operating unit that operates joints of the robot,
The drive circuit board is fixed to one member constituting the joint,
2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein said control circuit board is fixed to the other member constituting said joint. a drive circuit board connected to the power supply and driving the operating unit;
a control circuit board connected to the robot controller and the drive circuit board, and transmitting a control signal of the operating unit to the drive circuit board;
The robot system, wherein the control circuit board and the drive circuit board are electrically connected via flexible wiring.

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