JPH03121791A - Industrial robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To downsize a structure and to process a flexible longitudinal body at the internal part by fixing one end part of a circular arcuated flexible longitudinal body to a speed reducer case and the other end part to a 1st housing and inserting them into the insertion holes of the peripheral walls of first and second housings. CONSTITUTION:An annular space 25 is formed coaxially with a speed reducer case 11, integrally and bonded so as to include a speed reducer 10 and 1st housing 21 and at the interval to the external part in the radial direction of the speed reducer case 11 and a first housing 21 and a cylindrical second housing 23 which internal face one end is sealed freely rotatably to the external face of the opposite end to the bonding with the speed reducer 10 of the first housing 21 is provided. The flexible cable 26 arranged in U shape is stored in this annular space 25 and made in a circular arcuated shape along the outer peripheral faces of the speed reducer case 11 and first housing 21. Moreover insertion holes 31, 32 are respectively formed on the peripheral walls of the first and second housings 21, 23 and the flexible cable 26 is inserted into these insertion holes 31, 32 with its extension from the U shaped part.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to industrial robots, and more particularly to a joint module structure and a modular wrist structure of a modular industrial robot.

In prior art industrial robots, it is desirable for the articulation module to be small, and it is also desirable for electrical wiring gaples and fluid transport tubes to be passed through and handled within the articulation module. Furthermore, it is desirable to attach a wrist to this industrial robot depending on various uses.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention An object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot having a compact structure and equipped with a joint module capable of internally processing a flexible longitudinal body.

Another object of the invention is to provide an industrial robot with a modular wrist structure that can be used in various fields.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention is a modular industrial robot comprising joint modules having the following structural requirements (a> to (g)).

(a) It has a reducer that has an output stage integrated with a cylindrical case and a fixed flange coaxial with the gate, (b) It is possible to attach the motor gate to the fixed flange, and the output shaft of the motor is connected to the input shaft of the speed reducer, and further, (c) is coaxially and integrally connected to the fixed 7 langes,
a cylindrical first housing having substantially the same outer diameter as the reducer case and arranged to contain the motor therein, and integrally coupled to a fixed 7 flange of the reducer; , (d) coaxially and integrally connected to the reducer case and coupled so as to enclose the reducer and the first housing, and forming an annular space spaced outward in the radial direction between the reducer case and the first housing; and a cylindrical second housing having one end of the inner surface rotatably sealed with the outer surface of the first housing at the end opposite to the connection with the reducer.

(e) A flexible longitudinal body arranged in a U-shape is housed in the annular space, and the flexible longitudinal body is connected to the reducer case and the first
(f) one end of the U-shaped portion of the flexible longitudinal body is fixed to the reducer case, and the other end is fixed to the first housing; (g> Through-holes are formed in the peripheral walls of the first and second housings, respectively, and the flexible longitudinal body extends from the U-shaped portion and is inserted into these through-holes.

Further, the present invention is characterized by comprising a modular wrist structure having the following constituent features (h) to (2).

(h) a wrist proximal end portion having a first drive source and a first output end rotationally driven around a first axis by the first drive source; (1) 211th! a wrist intermediate portion that has a driving source and a second output end rotationally driven around a second axis perpendicular to the first axis by the second driving source, and is detachable from the first output end; (j) It has a third drive source, a third output end that is rotationally driven by the third drive source around a third axis perpendicular to the second axis, and a wrist tip that is detachable from the second output end. (k) the third axis is included in a plane that perpendicularly intersects the second axis and includes the first axis; It has a hollow part extending along each of the first to third axes, and the flexible elongated body can be inserted into the hollow part.

Effect According to the present invention, the joint module is small, and flexible longitudinal bodies such as electrical wiring cables and pipes can be handled within the joint module. It can be used in any direction. In this way, when this joint module is used, for example, in relation to the base axis and wrist, it can have a large range of motion, allowing one industrial robot to be freely installed on the floor, ceiling, equipment, wall, etc. can do.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the flexible longitudinal body is built into the joint module as described above, and each joint module is sealed, so that it has excellent environmental resistance.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, by using the joint module, it is possible to easily realize various industrial robots with the rotation axis of the arm in a desired direction, and also to easily realize industrial robots with different arm lengths. It can be realized.

Further, according to the present invention, a wide operating range can be achieved and the present invention can be effectively implemented in various fields.

Further, according to the present invention, by using a modular wrist structure, it is possible to realize an industrial robot that performs various desired tasks.

Example FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention.

This industrial robot 1 is configured with a joint module 2 according to the present invention as a part that is attached to a fixed position as a floor-standing, ceiling-suspended, device, or wall-mounted device, and further includes an intermediate member 3.
The joint module 4 is connected to the joint module 4 via the joint module 4, and the joint module 6 is connected to the joint module 6 through an intermediate arm member 5 having an arm length. Also connected to the joint module 6 is a modular wrist 7 according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the joint module 6, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the joint module 6. The reducer 10 is made up of an integral cylindrical case 11 and an output stage 12, and is provided with a fixed flange 13 coaxially and above the output stage 12 and case 11. Reducer fixing part 1 fixed to stage 12 and fixing flange 13
8 is rotatably supported by a cross roller bearing 14. A motor 15 is mountably connected to the fixed flange 13, and an output shaft 17 of the motor 15 is connected to an input shaft 16 of the reducer 10.
The output stage 12 is driven by the power of the cylindrical first
The housing 20 is coaxially and integrally coupled to the fixed 7 flange 13. This first housing 20 has approximately the same outer diameter as the case 11. An outward joining flange 21 is formed on the opposite side of the first housing 20 from the fixing 7 flange 13 (right side in FIG. 2).

The second housing 23 is coaxial with the case 11 and thus with the first housing 20 and is integrally connected to the case 11 at its end plate 24 . The second housing 23 has a cylindrical shape and forms an annular space 25 spaced apart from the case 11 and the first housing 20 in the radial direction.

The annular space 25 accommodates a cable 26 for electrical wiring, which is a flexible longitudinal body arranged in a U-shape. As shown in the fourth figure, this cable 26 has an arcuate shape along the outer peripheral surfaces of the case 11 and the first housing 20. One end 26b of the U-shaped portion 26a of the cable 26 is attached to the fixing piece 2.
7 to the outer circumferential surface of the case 11, and the other end 26C is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the first housing 20 by a fixing piece 28.

Through holes 31 and 32 are formed in the peripheral walls of the first and second housings 20.23. The cable 26 is inserted into the insertion hole 31.
A cable 26b extending from the U-shaped portion 26a of the cable 26 is inserted into the other insertion hole 32, and a portion 26e extending from the end 26b of the U-shaped portion 26a of the cable 26 is inserted into the other insertion hole 32. is inserted. Connectors 34, 35 are attached to these cables 26d, 26e, respectively, to facilitate attachment of the joint module.

The second housing 23 is connected to one end of the arm 2 . One end 7a of the modular wrist 7 is connected to the joining flange 21 of the first housing 20. cable 26
The portion 26d taken out from the insertion hole 31 in the first housing 20 is guided from within the first housing 20 into the modular wrist 7, as clearly shown in FIG. Further, the cable portion 26e taken out from the insertion hole 32 of the second housing 23 is taken out into the intermediate arm member 5. The cable 26 is thus integrated and handled in the modular wrist 7 and the intermediate arm member 5.

The joint module 2.4 also has a similar configuration to the joint module 6 described above.

By using such joint modules 4 and 6, for example, even if the arm length of the intermediate arm member 5 varies, it is possible to easily accommodate the difference in arm length.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an industrial robot 41 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this industrial robot 41, a joint module 4 is used to connect the base portion 42 and the arm 44.
A joint module 46 is used to connect the arms 44 and 45, and a joint module 47 is attached to the end of the arm 45. Even in connection with such a so-called scalar type industrial robot, it is possible to realize an industrial robot using joint modules 43, 46, 47 having the same configuration as the above-mentioned joint modules 2, 4, 6 according to the present invention. The arm lengths LL and L2 can be easily set freely. Furthermore, by using such a joint module, industrial robots having various modifications can be easily realized.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the structure of the modular wrist 7 shown in FIG. The wrist 7 basically includes a wrist proximal end 48, a wrist intermediate part 49, and a wrist distal end 50. The wrist base end portion 48 is connected to a first drive source 51 which is a motor.
, a first output end 53 rotatably driven around a first shaft 52 by the first drive source 51, and a transmission drive system thereof. The wrist intermediate portion 49 includes a second drive source 54 that is a motor, and a second output end 56 that is rotationally driven by the second drive source 54 around a second axis 55 perpendicular to the first axis 53.
and its transmission drive system, and is removably attached to the first output end 53. The wrist end portion 50 is connected to a third drive source 57, which is a motor, and is perpendicular to the second shaft 55 by this third drive source 53. The third output end 5 is rotationally driven around a third shaft 58.
9 and its transmission drive system, and this wrist end portion 50
can be attached to and detached from the second output end 56 using a bolt or the like.

The third axis 58 is perpendicular to the second axis 55 and is contained within a plane 60 that includes the first axis 52 .

As a result, there is no operational blind spot caused by the wrist tip 50, and the third axis 58 can be accurately brought to the desired working position, making it possible to effectively use a wide range of motion and perform work accurately. be able to do it.

Furthermore, the wrist proximal end 48, the wrist intermediate part 49, and the wrist distal end 50 have hollow portions 61, 62° 63 extending along the first to third axes 52.55° 58, respectively. A flexible longitudinal body such as a cable can be inserted into the portions 61, 62, and 63. In this way, the cable becomes modular wrist 7.
It will be built into.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, an industrial robot is realized that is small and includes a joint module that can internally process a flexible longitudinal body, and the joint module can be oriented in any direction. Since it can be used even on the floor, a large operating range can be realized, and one industrial robot can be freely installed on the floor, ceiling, between shelves, or wall-mounted. The elongated body is built into the joint module, and each joint module can be easily sealed, making it highly resistant to environments. Furthermore, it is easy to create industrial robots with various axes and many deformations. Furthermore, it can easily accommodate differences in arm length, and furthermore, it can widen the operating range and can be used effectively. Furthermore, by using the modular wrist structure of the present invention, industrial robots that perform various tasks can be easily realized.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the joint module 6, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the joint module 6, and FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway view of the joint module 6. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an industrial robot 41 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a front view of a modular wrist 7.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A modular industrial robot comprising joint modules having the following structural requirements (a) to (g). (a) It has a reducer having an output stage integrated with a cylindrical case and a fixed flange coaxial with the case, (b) The motor case can be attached to the fixed flange, and the output shaft of the motor connected to the input shaft of the speed reducer, and (c) coaxially and integrally connected to the fixed flange;
a cylindrical first housing having approximately the same outer diameter as the reducer case and arranged to contain the motor therein, and integrally coupled to a fixed flange of the reducer; (d) coaxially and integrally connected to the reducer case and coupled so as to enclose the reducer and the first housing, forming an annular space spaced apart in the radial direction of the reducer case and the first housing; and includes a cylindrical second housing whose inner surface has one end rotatably sealed with the outer surface of the first housing at the opposite end to the connection with the reducer, (e) arranged in a U-shape in the annular space. A flexible longitudinal body is housed, and the flexible longitudinal body is connected to the reducer case and the first
(f) one end of the U-shaped portion of the flexible longitudinal body is fixed to the reducer case, and the other end is fixed to the first housing; (g) Through-holes are formed in the peripheral walls of the first and second housings, and the flexible longitudinal body extends from the U-shaped portion and is inserted into these through-holes. (2) Claim 1 comprising a modular wrist structure having the following constituent features (h) to (l):
Industrial robots as described in Section. (h) a wrist proximal end portion having a first drive source and a first output end rotationally driven around a first axis by the first drive source; (i) a second drive source; a second output end rotatably driven by a drive source around a second axis perpendicular to the first axis; a wrist intermediate portion that is detachable from the first output end; (j) a third drive source; and a third output end that is rotationally driven around a third axis perpendicular to the second axis by a third drive source, and a wrist tip that is detachable from the second output end, k) the third axis is included in a plane that intersects perpendicularly with the second axis and includes the first axis; (l) the wrist proximal end, the wrist middle part, and the wrist distal end are:
having a hollow portion extending along each of the first to third axes,
It should be possible to insert the flexible longitudinal body into this hollow part.