JP6215015B2 - Horizontal articulated robot - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a horizontal articulated robot having a plurality of work axes.

  Many conventional horizontal articulated robots have a single work head, as described in Patent Document 1, for example. The horizontal articulated robot disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a rotating unit composed of a plurality of arms that are rotatably connected to each other, and one piece provided in a vertically extending state at the tip of the rotating unit. And a work axis. The work shaft constitutes a work head, and is provided on the arm so as to be movable in the vertical direction and rotatable. A work tool is attached to the lower end of the work shaft.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses a horizontal articulated robot including a plurality of work heads. In this horizontal articulated robot, a plurality of chucks are mounted on a work shaft provided at the tip of the arm. This working shaft is rotatably attached to the arm. The plurality of chucks can be individually moved only in the vertical direction.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-166083 JP 2003-159687 A

  In the horizontal articulated robot disclosed in Patent Document 1, work must be performed with one work head, and thus there is a limit to increasing productivity. In order to increase productivity, it is conceivable to simultaneously operate a plurality of horizontal articulated robots in one work area. However, if this is done, one robot and the other robot may interfere with each other, and the operating heads may come into contact with each other. Further, when taking out a part from one parts feeder, since one robot has to take out the part and evacuate it, the other robot has to take out the part, so that it takes time for the other robot to wait. That is, even if a plurality of horizontal articulated robots are used, productivity is not necessarily increased.

  Such a problem can be solved to some extent by attaching a plurality of tools to one work shaft as disclosed in Patent Document 2. However, the articulated robot disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a problem that the work content is limited. This is because the tool (chuck) of this horizontal articulated robot moves only in the vertical direction. In this robot, when the tool is rotated about the vertical axis, all the tools rotate around the work axis.

  Of the plurality of tools, a tool located at a position spaced apart from the work axis in the horizontal direction changes its position in the horizontal direction when rotated around the work axis. In such a case, the arm moves in the horizontal direction in order to correct the horizontal position of the tool. That is, the work of rotating a tool that is not located on the same axis as the work axis is significantly reduced in work efficiency due to the movement of the arm, so that the work content is restricted as described above.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and includes a plurality of work shafts that are not restricted by work contents while preventing the work shafts from interfering with each other, thereby improving productivity. An object is to provide an articulated robot.

In order to achieve this object, a horizontal articulated robot according to the present invention includes a first arm supported by a support member so as to be rotatable about a first rotation axis extending in the vertical direction, and the first arm. A second arm that is rotatably supported around a second rotation axis parallel to the first rotation axis, and that extends in the horizontal direction from the rotation center, and a plurality of arms spaced apart in the rotation direction of the second arm. Each of the working parts is provided in a state extending in the vertical direction, is movable in the vertical direction and is rotatable about the vertical axis, and is provided in each of the plurality of working parts. a lifting device for moving the said plurality of respectively provided in the working portion, and a rotating device for rotating said work shaft about a vertical axis, said first arm, below the said support member The second arm is disposed below the first arm, the work shaft is provided with a tool at a lower end, and each work shaft has the second rotation shaft. Positioned on the same circumference as the center, the length between the working shaft and the second rotating shaft of each working unit is an axis between the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft. It is equal to the distance between the hearts .

The horizontal articulated robot according to the present invention includes a first arm supported by a support member so as to be rotatable about a first rotation axis extending in the vertical direction, and the first arm and the first rotation axis. A second arm that is supported rotatably about a parallel second rotation axis and extends in the horizontal direction from the rotation center portion, and a plurality of working portions spaced apart in the rotation direction in the second arm and extends in the vertical direction. A working shaft that is provided in a state, is movable in the vertical direction and is rotatable about an axis in the vertical direction, and a lifting device that is provided in each of the plurality of working units and moves the working shaft in the vertical direction; respectively provided in a plurality of working portions, and a rotating device for rotating said work shaft about a vertical axis, said first arm is disposed below the support member, the second arm The disposed from below the first arm, the working axis state, and are not the tool is attached to a lower end portion, said plurality of working portions is divided into two types, one of the working unit, the working unit The arm length, which is the length between the working shaft and the second rotating shaft, is formed to be equal to the distance between the center axes of the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft. The working portion is formed in a shape in which an arm length that is a length between the working shaft of the working portion and the second rotating shaft is longer than an arm length of the one working portion, The working shaft is formed by the second arm from the first arm in a state in which the direction from the second rotating shaft to the working shaft is parallel to the direction in which the first arm extends when viewed from above and below. It is positioned on the opposite side to the rotating shaft.

  The working shaft of the horizontal articulated robot according to the present invention can be moved up and down and rotated with respect to the working portion of the second arm. For this reason, the horizontal articulated robot according to the present invention is equipped with a plurality of work heads that are not restricted by the work content and are rotatable about the second rotation axis. Since these working heads are kept separated from each other at a predetermined interval, they do not interfere with each other.

Therefore, the horizontal articulated robot according to the present invention is equipped with a plurality of work heads that can prevent the work heads from interfering with each other and are not restricted by the work content.
Therefore, according to the present invention, a horizontal articulated robot with improved productivity can be provided.

1 is a side view of a horizontal articulated robot according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a part of the second arm is drawn. 1 is a bottom view of a horizontal articulated robot according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a bottom view for demonstrating the area | region which can operate the horizontal articulated robot by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a bottom view of the horizontal articulated robot by 2nd Embodiment provided with the working part in four places. It is a bottom view of the horizontal articulated robot by 2nd Embodiment provided with the working part in three places. It is a side view of the horizontal articulated robot by a 3rd embodiment. It is a bottom view of a horizontal articulated robot according to a third embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a horizontal articulated robot according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
A horizontal articulated robot 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a base portion 4 attached to the ceiling 3 of the work chamber 2 and a rotating portion 5 that operates while being suspended from the base portion 4.

The base portion 4 is configured by assembling a first driving device 7 to a support plate 6 fixed to the ceiling 3. The 1st drive device 7 rotates the rotation part 5 mentioned later centering on the 1st rotating shaft 8 extended in an up-down direction.
The first rotating shaft 8 is rotatably supported by the support plate 6 in a state extending in the vertical direction. A first arm 9 of the rotating unit 5 described later is connected to the lower end portion of the first rotating shaft 8 so as to rotate integrally.

  The first driving device 7 covers the first rotating shaft 8 described above, the first motor 11 connected to the first rotating shaft 8 via the first speed reducer 10, and these members. And a cover 12. The first motor 11 is supported on the support plate 6 by a support bracket (not shown). In this embodiment, the support plate 6 constitutes a “support member” in the present invention.

The rotating unit 5 includes a first arm 9 that extends in the horizontal direction near the lower portion of the ceiling 3, and a second arm 13 that is disposed below the first arm 9. Although described in detail later, the second arm 13 is supported at the tip of the first arm 9 so as to be rotatable about a second rotation shaft 14 parallel to the first rotation shaft 8.
The first arm 9 is disposed below the support plate 6 and is supported by the support plate 6 so as to be rotatable about the first rotation shaft 8. The first arm 9 rotates in the horizontal direction around the first rotation shaft 8 by driving by the first driving device 7 described above.

The second rotating shaft 14 is constituted by a second motor 15 and a second speed reducer 16. The second motor 15 and the second speed reducer 16 are interposed between the first arm 9 and the second arm 13 in a state where the axial direction is directed in the vertical direction.
The second motor 15 is fixed to the distal end portion of the first arm 9. The second reduction gear 16 is connected to the lower end portion of the second motor 15. The second arm 13 is connected to the lower end of the second reduction gear 16. The rotation of the second motor 15 is decelerated by the second reduction gear 16 and transmitted to the second arm 13.

  The second arm 13 includes a plurality of working units 13A. The plurality of working portions 13A according to this embodiment are arranged apart from each other in the rotation direction of the second arm 13, and are formed in a shape extending in the horizontal direction from the rotation center portion (second reduction gear 16). ing. The horizontal articulated robot 1 according to this embodiment is equipped in two states of the second arm 13 in a state where the working unit 13A is distributed to one side and the other side in the horizontal direction around the second speed reducer 16. . These working portions 13A are each provided with a working shaft 22 that extends in the vertical direction and constitutes the working head 21, and a rotating device 23 and a lifting device 24 for driving the working shaft 22.

  The work shaft 22 is configured by a spline shaft, and penetrates the distal end portion of the work portion 13A in the vertical direction. The position where the work shaft 22 penetrates the work portion 13A, in other words, the distance D between the shaft center of the work shaft 22 and the shaft center of the second rotating shaft 14 is the same in all the work portions 13A. In other words, each work shaft 22 is positioned on the same circumference around the second rotation shaft 14. For this reason, the arm lengths (the length between the second rotary shaft 14 and the work shaft 22) of the two working portions 13A of the multi-joint robot are equal.

The arm lengths of the two working portions 13 </ b> A according to this embodiment are formed to be equal to the arm length of the first arm 9. The arm length of the first arm 9 is a distance between the axes of the first rotating shaft 8 and the second rotating shaft 14. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the work shaft 22 is positioned on the same axis as the first rotation shaft 8 in a state where the first arm 9 and the work portion 13 </ b> A overlap each other when viewed from above.
That is, the two working shafts 22 move along a circle indicated by a two-dot chain line A in FIG. 2 when the working portion 13A rotates about the second rotating shaft 14.

The working shaft 22 is supported by the working portion 13A so as to be movable in the vertical direction and to be rotatable about the vertical axis. A tool flange 26 for attaching the tool 25 is provided at the lower end of the work shaft 22.
A rotating device 23 is connected to a portion of the work shaft 22 located near the upper surface of the working portion 13A. The rotating device 23 rotates the work shaft 22 around the vertical axis.

The rotating device 23 is provided in all the working units 13A. The rotating device 23 according to this embodiment includes a belt-type speed reducer 31 extending from the work shaft 22 toward the base portion 13a of the working portion 13A, and a rotation driving motor 32 attached on the base portion 13a of the working portion 13A. I have.
The belt-type speed reducer 31 includes a driven pulley 31a through which the work shaft 22 passes, a drive pulley 31b that rotates integrally with the rotation drive motor 32, and a belt 31c wound around the driven pulley 31a and the drive pulley 31b. Etc. The driven pulley 31 a through which the work shaft 22 passes is fitted to the spline of the work shaft 22. That is, the work shaft 22 can move in the vertical direction with respect to the driven pulley 31a while rotating integrally with the driven pulley 31a.

A lifting device 24 is connected to the upper end of the work shaft 22 via a connecting member 33. As shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, the length of the work shaft 22 is formed such that a gap d is formed between the upper end of the elevating device 24 and the first arm 9 in the state of being moved up. Has been.
The connecting member 33 is rotatably attached to the work shaft 22 in a state where it cannot move in the vertical direction.
The lifting device 24 moves the work shaft 22 in the vertical direction. This lifting device 24 is also provided in all working parts 13A.

The lifting device 24 according to this embodiment includes a ball screw shaft 34 parallel to the work shaft 22. The ball screw shaft 34 is rotatably supported at an intermediate portion of the working portion 13A in the extending direction of the working portion 13A. The lower end portion of the ball screw shaft 34 is inserted into the working portion 13A.
A lifting motor 36 is connected to the lower end portion of the ball screw shaft 34 via a belt-type transmission mechanism 35 housed in the working portion 13A. The belt-type transmission mechanism 35 is wound around a driven pulley 35a that rotates integrally with the ball screw shaft 34, a driving pulley 35b that rotates integrally with the lifting motor 36, and these driven pulley 35a and driving pulley 35b. The belt 35c is used. As shown in FIG. 2, the elevating motor 36 is disposed at a position adjacent to the rotation driving motor 32 and is mounted on the base portion 13 a of the working portion 13 </ b> A.

A ball screw nut 37 is screwed onto the upper end portion of the ball screw shaft 34. The ball screw nut 37 is attached to the connecting member 33 described above so as not to rotate. That is, the ball screw nut 37 moves in the vertical direction integrally with the connecting member 33 and the work shaft 22 as the ball screw shaft 34 rotates.
In the lifting device 24, the rotation of the lifting motor 36 is transmitted to the ball screw shaft 34 via the belt type transmission mechanism 35. As the ball screw shaft 34 rotates in one direction, the ball screw nut 37 moves upward and the work shaft 22 rises. Further, when the ball screw shaft 34 rotates in the other direction, the ball screw nut 37 moves downward and the work shaft 22 descends. The work shaft 22 can move in the vertical direction between a raised position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1 and a lowered position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

In the horizontal articulated robot 1 configured as described above, the first arm 9 rotates around the first rotation shaft 8 by the drive by the first motor 11. In the horizontal articulated robot 1, the plurality of working units 13 </ b> A rotate around the second rotation shaft 14 by driving by the second motor 15.
The working shaft 22 provided in the working unit 13A can be moved up and down and rotated with respect to the working unit 13A. For this reason, all the working units 13A are provided with work heads 21 that are not restricted by the work content. The working heads 21 according to this embodiment are arranged on one side and the other side with the second rotating shaft 14 in between, and are kept separated from each other at a predetermined interval, so that they interfere with each other. There is no.

Therefore, the horizontal articulated robot 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a plurality of work heads 21 that can prevent the work heads 21 from interfering with each other and are not restricted by the work content.
Therefore, according to this embodiment, a horizontal articulated robot with improved productivity can be provided.

  According to the horizontal articulated robot 1 according to this embodiment, for example, by attaching different tools 25 to the two work axes 22, two different kinds of work can be performed alternately and continuously. In addition, one of the two work shafts 22 can be provided with a tool serving as a spare for the tool 25 provided on the other work shaft 22. By adopting this configuration, even if some trouble occurs in the device or tool 25 provided in the other working unit 13A, the work continues using the spare tool without stopping the horizontal articulated robot 1. can do.

The first arm 9 according to this embodiment is disposed below the support plate 6. The second arm 13 is disposed below the first arm 9. Therefore, a work space S in which the work shaft 22 can move without being blocked by the support plate 6 and the first arm 9 is formed below the first arm 9. Since the work shaft 22 has the tool 25 attached to the lower end portion, the work shaft 22 can work over the entire work space S in the horizontal direction. The region that can be reached by the work shaft 22 is the entire region in a circle indicated by a two-dot chain line B in FIG. This area B includes a space below the first rotation shaft 8.
Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a horizontal articulated robot having a high degree of freedom in the horizontal direction in determining the work position where the work shaft 22 performs work.

The two working shafts 22 according to this embodiment are positioned on the same circumference around the second rotating shaft 14.
For this reason, all the work shafts 22 are sequentially moved to the same work position by rotating the plurality of work portions 13A around the second rotation shaft 14 while the first arm 9 is stopped. be able to.

Therefore, since the work performed by moving the work shaft 22 to the same work position can be performed efficiently, a horizontal articulated robot with higher productivity can be provided. As an operation performed by moving the plurality of work shafts 22 to the same work position, for example, there is a work of taking out parts from one part feeder with a chuck for each work shaft.
The second arm 13 of the horizontal articulated robot 1 according to this embodiment is provided with working portions 13A at two locations. However, the present invention is not limited to such a limitation. In the horizontal articulated robot according to the present invention, the number of working parts 13A is not limited as long as it is two or more.

(Second Embodiment)
The plurality of working units can be configured as shown in FIGS. In these drawings, the same or equivalent members as those described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted as appropriate.
The second arm 13 of the horizontal articulated robot 1 shown in FIG. 4 includes working portions 13A at four locations. These working portions 13 </ b> A are formed in a shape extending radially about the second rotation shaft 14.

The work shafts 22 provided in the respective work portions 13 </ b> A are positioned on the same circumference around the second rotation shaft 14.
By adopting the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the four working parts 13A are arranged at equal intervals in the rotation direction, so that the weight balance is improved. As a result, the rotational speed of the second arm 13 can be increased, and a highly articulated horizontal articulated robot can be provided.

The second arm 13 of the horizontal articulated robot 1 shown in FIG. 5 includes working portions 13A at three locations. These working portions 13A are provided at positions that are not point-symmetric with respect to the axis of the second rotating shaft 14 as the center of symmetry. That is, of the three working parts 13A, the two working parts 13A located on both sides are positioned at positions separated by about 90 ° in the rotation direction. 13 A of working parts located in the center are located in the center between the two working parts 13A located in both sides.
When the three working parts 13A are arranged close to each other in this way, the three work heads 21 can be switched in a short time, and therefore, a highly articulated horizontal articulated robot is provided. Can do.

(Third embodiment)
The second arm can be configured as shown in FIGS. In these drawings, the same or equivalent members as those described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted as appropriate.
The second arm 13 of the horizontal articulated robot 1 shown in FIG. 6 includes a working unit 13A and a working unit 13B. These two working portions 13A and 13B are formed in a shape extending in one and the other in the horizontal direction with the second rotating shaft 14 in between. Of these two working parts 13A and 13B, one working part 13A is formed in a shape having the same arm length as the first arm 9.

The other working portion 13B has an arm length longer than that of the one working portion 13A. The other working unit 13B is different from the one working unit 13A only in the arm length, and the other configuration is the same.
As shown in FIG. 7, the work shaft 22 provided in the other work portion 13 </ b> B has a direction from the axis of the second rotating shaft 14 to the work shaft 22 as viewed from the top and bottom, In a state in which the extending direction of the arm 9 is parallel, the arm 9 is positioned on the side opposite to the second rotating shaft 14 (on the right side in FIG. 7) from the first arm 9. The working shaft 22 of the other working portion 13B moves along a circle indicated by a two-dot chain line C in FIG. 7 as the other working portion 13B rotates about the second rotating shaft 14.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the connecting member 33 and the ball screw shaft 34 are also positioned on the opposite side of the second arm 14 from the first arm 9. For this reason, the working shaft 22 and the ball screw shaft 34 provided in the other working portion 13B have a predetermined length compared to the working shaft 22 and the ball screw shaft 34 provided in the one working portion 13A. It is formed long. The predetermined length is a length corresponding to the vertical width of the first arm 9. That is, the upper end portion of the work shaft 22 of the other work portion 13B and the upper end portion of the lifting device 24 according to this embodiment are positioned at a height adjacent to the first arm 9 in the horizontal direction.

Since the relatively long work shaft 22 has a long vertical movement stroke, the work can be performed at a position lower than the other work shafts 22. That is, by using the relatively long work shaft 22, a part arranged at a position lower than the part at the lowest position where the work shaft 22 of one working portion 13 </ b> A can work is also a work target.
Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a horizontal articulated robot that not only has a high degree of freedom in the horizontal direction of the work position, but also has a high degree of freedom in the vertical direction of the work position.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the “support member” referred to in the present invention is configured by the support plate 6 fixed to the ceiling 3. However, the present invention is not limited to such a limitation. The support member according to the present invention can be configured by an arm (not shown) rotatably supported on the ceiling 3. In this case, the 1st arm 9 is rotatably supported by the front-end | tip part of this arm.

  The plurality of working portions 13A and 13B shown in the above-described embodiments are each formed in a shape extending in the horizontal direction from the rotation center portion (second reduction gear 16). However, the present invention is not limited to such a limitation. For example, the plurality of working portions 13A can be provided on the outer peripheral portion of the second arm 13 formed in a disk shape.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Horizontal articulated robot, 6 ... Support plate (support member), 8 ... 1st rotating shaft, 9 ... 1st arm, 13 ... 2nd arm, 13A, 13B ... Working part, 14 ... 2nd Rotating shaft, 22 ... work axis, 23 ... rotating device, 24 ... lifting device, 25 ... tool.

Claims (2)

A first arm supported by the support member so as to be rotatable about a first rotation axis extending in the vertical direction;
A second arm supported by the first arm so as to be rotatable about a second rotation axis parallel to the first rotation axis, and extending horizontally from the rotation center;
A plurality of working portions spaced apart in the rotational direction of the second arm, each provided in a state extending in the vertical direction, a work shaft that is movable in the vertical direction and rotatable about the vertical axis;
An elevating device that is provided in each of the plurality of working units and moves the working shaft in the vertical direction;
A rotation device that is provided in each of the plurality of working units, and that rotates the work shaft about an axis in the vertical direction ;
The first arm is disposed below the support member;
The second arm is disposed below the first arm;
The working shaft is a tool attached to the lower end,
The respective work shafts are positioned on the same circumference around the second rotation shaft,
A horizontal articulated robot in which a length between the working axis and the second rotating shaft of each working unit is equal to an inter-center distance between the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft . A first arm supported by the support member so as to be rotatable about a first rotation axis extending in the vertical direction;
A second arm supported by the first arm so as to be rotatable about a second rotation axis parallel to the first rotation axis, and extending horizontally from the rotation center;
A plurality of working portions spaced apart in the rotational direction of the second arm, each provided in a state extending in the vertical direction, a work shaft that is movable in the vertical direction and rotatable about the vertical axis;
An elevating device that is provided in each of the plurality of working units and moves the working shaft in the vertical direction;
A rotation device that is provided in each of the plurality of working units, and that rotates the work shaft about an axis in the vertical direction;
The first arm is disposed below the support member;
The second arm is disposed below the first arm;
The working axis state, and are not the tool is attached to the lower end,
The plurality of working parts are divided into two types,
One working unit has an arm length, which is a length between the working shaft of the working unit and the second rotating shaft, and an inter-center distance between the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft. Formed into equal shapes,
The other working portion is formed in a shape in which an arm length that is a length between the working shaft of the working portion and the second rotating shaft is longer than the arm length of the one working portion,
The work axis of the other working part is the first work piece in a state in which the direction from the second rotation shaft to the work shaft and the direction in which the first arm extends are parallel to each other when viewed from above and below. A horizontal articulated robot positioned on the opposite side of the arm from the second rotation axis.

Images