JPH0333390Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] This invention can be used, for example, in automatic assembly equipment.
The present invention relates to an alignment device that automatically performs alignment with respect to a fitting hole when a member is fitted into the fitting hole.

[Prior Art] Generally, in an automatic assembly device, in order to insert a member into a predetermined fitting hole, the member and the fitting hole must be aligned with each other, in other words, their central axes must be aligned with each other. It is necessary to perform centering so that they are located on the same straight line.

In order to align the member and the fitting hole with each other in this way, a compliance mechanism has conventionally been employed as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C. In this compliance mechanism, the pin a is connected to the attached member b.
Even if their central axes are slightly deviated from each other, they can be reliably fitted into the fitting hole c formed in the fitting hole c.

Here, in the conventional compliance mechanism, as shown in the figure, a pin a is inserted into an insertion hole e formed in a holder d and is sucked by a suction pipe f connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). , held by the holder d. This holder d is fixed to a movable plate g. This movable plate g has two elastic leaf springs h that are parallel to each other, and a presser plate i and a screw j.
It is fixed through.

Furthermore, an intermediate plate k is fixed to the other end of the above-mentioned leaf spring h by a presser plate and screws j. Furthermore, this intermediate plate k has the above-mentioned 2
Two other mutually parallel leaf springs m are fixed via a presser plate n and a screw j in a state extending along a direction orthogonal to the leaf spring h.

A mounting base o is fixed to the other ends of these other two leaf springs m by a presser plate n and a screw j, and further, this mounting base o is fixed to an arm q by a screw p. Here, arm q is
It is attached to a flexible arm (not shown), such as a robot, in an automatic assembly machine.

In the conventional compliance mechanism configured in this way, the movable plate g is in a state where it is easily movable along the left-right direction (x-axis direction) in FIG. 9A due to the deflection of the leaf spring h, and the intermediate plate Due to the deflection of the leaf spring m, k is in a state where it is easy to move along the direction (y-axis direction) perpendicular to the plane of the paper. In this way, the holder d fixed to the movable plate g is placed on a horizontal plane (x-y plane).
You will be able to move in any direction within the space.

Here, such a compliance mechanism is
The pin a, which is attached to the robot hand of the automatic assembly device and is held under suction by the holder d, is transferred to a predetermined position by the movement of the robot band, and inserted into the fitting hole c formed in the member to be attached b. It works to make it fit in. Here, if the center axis of the pin a to be inserted and the center axis of the fitting hole c to be inserted are slightly misaligned, as shown in FIG. 9B, the opening of the fitting hole c The lower edge of the pin a comes into contact with a chamfered portion r that is chamfered on the edge.

As the robot arm q further descends from this contact state, the downward force exerted by the robot arm q is divided at the contact portion between the lower edge of the pin a and the chamfer r, and the force is applied to the pin a as shown in the figure. A lateral component force will act. As a result, the movable plate g is deflected in the lateral direction while remaining parallel to the intermediate plate k, and in this way, the pin a is displaced from the 9th C while maintaining its initial attitude and parallel state. As shown in the figure, it will be fitted into the fitting hole c.

In addition, as a conventional example of a centering device used in an assembly robot as an automatic assembly device, a robot body and a finger device are connected via a plurality of leaf springs, and the deformability of these leaf springs and The one that utilizes resilience is the Special Publication Act of 1983
It is disclosed in Publication No. 34932. Further, a structure in which a coil spring is used instead of a leaf spring and the robot body and the finger device are connected to each other by these coil springs is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-168840, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-103990, and US Pat. No. 3,824,674.
This is shown in the specification of No.

Further, the alignment device needs to have a configuration that allows mutual displacement between the robot and the finger device and restores the robot and the finger device. USP4609325 specification,
US Pat. No. 4,179,783 and US Pat. No. 4,098,001 disclose a structure in which a bearing means and an elastic member allow displacement of a robot and a finger device and restore the robot to its original state.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, although conventional compliance mechanisms can perform alignment operations with a simple configuration, they have the following problems. It is.

That is, (1) two types of leaf springs h and m must be installed separately for the x direction and the y direction,
Since it is a two-stage type, the distance from arm r to holder d becomes long. As a result, the deflection at the tip of the pin a with respect to the arm r becomes large, making it easy to cause a fitting error.

(2) As shown in Figure 9C, in order to generate a component force along the lateral direction by the force along the vertical direction, the rigidity of both leaf springs h and m must be set quite low. Therefore, the tip of the holder d is likely to vibrate, and once the vibration starts, it takes a long time to come to rest.

(3) When two fitting holes c are formed in the mounted member b and two pins a are to be fitted into these two fitting holes c, both fitting holes c are In a state where the extending direction of the line segment connecting the mutual centers of both pins a and the extending direction of the line segment connecting the mutual centers of both pins a deviates from each other, fitting may become impossible. In other words, when both line segments are parallel to each other, insertion is possible, but when both line segments are misaligned at a predetermined angle, this conventional compliance mechanism is effective against angular misalignment in the horizontal plane. Since it does not have any flexure, the insertion operation becomes impossible.

(4) In this conventional compliance mechanism, it is possible to insert the pin in a hanging state, and it is difficult to support the pin in a state inclined at a predetermined angle from the vertical axis. As described above, this conventional compliance mechanism has the problem that its scope of application is limited.

Further, the alignment device described in the above-mentioned conventional publication uses a spring that has directionality of displacement. For this reason, there is a restriction on the displacement direction of the finger device. Further, in the conventional alignment device, if an attempt is made to perform accurate alignment, the configuration becomes complicated.

In addition, the assembly work of goods by robots is carried out at high speed and with high precision within a unit of time.
It has its merits. Here, if such high-speed work is performed, there will be a shift in the assembly position of the object gripped by the finger device and the mating member. For this reason, the alignment device displaces the finger device relative to the robot arm to perform assembly work, and upon completion of this assembly work, the finger device is returned to its original position. . The return operation of such a finger device,
The time required for the finger device to come to rest is preferably short. In particular, if this resting time takes a long time, a problem arises in that the next operation of the robot becomes unstable.

This idea was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the purpose of this idea is to have two shaft members with a simple configuration, while setting the distance between them to be short, and to It is an object of the present invention to provide an alignment device with compliance that allows free movement in the center.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the purpose, the alignment device according to this invention includes a first shaft member disposed extending along a predetermined axis. and a second shaft member disposed at a predetermined distance from the first shaft member along the predetermined axis of the first shaft member, and the first and second shaft members facing each other. A plurality of supporting members are disposed around the ends of the first and second shaft members, and the supporting members are attached to surround the first and second shaft members. It is characterized by comprising a biasing member that biases the opposing end portions so as to come into elastic pressure contact with the circumferential surfaces of the opposing ends.

[Function] In the alignment device configured as described above, the mutually opposing ends of the first and second shaft portions are surrounded by a plurality of support members, and these support members are , is biased by a biasing member so as to come into elastic pressure contact with the surrounding surfaces of the first and second shaft members.

In this way, the first and second shaft members are free to move relative to each other in a plane perpendicular to the axis in which they extend, and at any time both shaft members are elastically held in alignment with each other.

[Embodiment] The configuration of an embodiment of the alignment device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4B of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which a hand portion 14 is attached to the tip of a robot arm 10, which constitutes a part of an automatic assembly device, via an alignment device 12 of this embodiment. The robot arm 10 is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) to move freely in the left-right direction (x-axis direction), the direction perpendicular to the page (y-axis direction), and the vertical direction (z-axis direction) in the figure. It is something that

On the other hand, the hand part 14 has an upper surface opened by a circular opening having a first diameter, and a cylindrical hollow part having a second diameter set larger than the first diameter. It includes a main body 16 and a holder 20 fixed to the lower surface of the hand main body 16 via a bolt 18. This holder 2
0, there is a round bar-shaped pin 2 extending along the vertical direction, opening at the lower surface, and serving as a fitting member.
An insertion hole 2 into which 2 is inserted is formed.

Here, a suction pipe 26 connected to a suction pump (not shown) is connected to the upper part of this insertion hole 24 so as to communicate therewith. By driving this suction pump, the inside of the insertion hole 24 is maintained in a negative pressure state, and the pin 22 is suctioned and held within the insertion hole 24 by this negative pressure.

Also, a fitting hole 28 into which this pin 22 is fitted
is formed on the substrate 30 as a member to be fitted. This substrate 30 is mounted horizontally on a base (not shown), and in this state, the fitting hole 28 is set to extend in the vertical direction. Note that a pin 22 is provided at the upper edge of this fitting hole 28.
In order to facilitate fitting, a tapered surface 32 is formed with a predetermined inclination with respect to the horizontal surface.

Here, the alignment device 12 of the above-described embodiment includes a pair of compliance mechanisms 34 and 36 disposed at symmetrical positions with respect to the central axis of the robot arm 10. This alignment device 12 also has a bolt 3 attached to the lower end of the robot arm 10.
a disk-shaped mounting body 40 fixed via 8;
A support body 44 is fixed to the lower surface of the attachment body 40 via bolts 42.

This support body 44 has the above-mentioned first
A cylindrical portion 44a having a diameter of 3 smaller than the diameter of
and is integrally formed at the lower end of this columnar part 44a,
A flange portion 44 having a fourth diameter larger than the aforementioned first diameter and smaller than the second diameter.
It is composed of b. With this configuration, the hand main body 16 to which the holder 20 is fixed is suspended from the support main body 44 fixed to the lower end of the robot arm 10.Here, the upper surface of this flange portion 44b is 1st
through the ball bearing 46 of the hand body 1.
The lower surface of the flange portion 44b contacts the upper surface of the hollow portion of the hand body 16 so as to be rotatable and movable within the horizontal plane, and the lower surface of the flange portion 44b contacts the lower surface of the hollow portion of the hand body 16 via the second ball bearing 48. It contacts freely rotatably and movably within a horizontal plane. In this way, the holder 20 is supported so that it can move and move freely in the horizontal plane with respect to the robot arm 10.

Here, in the pair of compliance mechanisms 34 and 36 described above, in a normal state, when no external force is acting on the holder 20, the central axis of the robot arm 10 and the central axis of the holder 20 are mutually aligned. , while elastically maintaining the aligned state along the vertical direction, and allowing the retainer 20 to be softly deflected within a predetermined range in response to an external force in the horizontal plane when this external force is applied to the holder 20. It is set up so that it can be done.

The configuration of the compliance mechanisms 34 and 36 that characterizes this embodiment will be explained below.
As shown in FIG. 2, they are located at opposite positions on the same circumference centered on the central axis of the robot arm 10, in other words, on the same diameter, and have the same configuration. have. For this reason,
Only the configuration of the compliance mechanism 34 on the left side of the figure will be described in detail, and the description of the configuration of the compliance mechanism 36 on the right side of the figure will be omitted by adding the same alphabetic subscript.

That is, the compliance mechanism 34 includes a first shaft member 34a attached to the lower surface of the attachment body 40 so as to protrude downward, and a holder 20.
A second shaft member is attached to the upper surface of the hand body 16 so as to protrude upward in alignment with the first shaft member 34a in the vertical direction when no external force is applied to the second shaft member 34a. 34b.

These first and second shaft members 34a, 34b
are formed to have outer circumferential surfaces having the same radius, and the lower end of the first shaft member 34a is
The second shaft member 34b is set to face and be slightly spaced apart from the upper end of the second shaft member 34b.

Further, this compliance mechanism 34
Support pins 34c are provided as a plurality of support members disposed to simultaneously surround the opposing ends of the second shaft members 34a and 34b. Specifically, in this embodiment, these support pins 34c are formed from a cylindrical body having the same radius as the first and second shaft members 34a and 34b, and the number of support pins 34c is six. is set to . These six support pins 34c are arranged so as to simultaneously surround the opposing ends of the first and second shaft members 34a and 34b without any gaps.

Here, each support pin 34c has an annular cut groove 34b formed at its upper end and lower end, respectively. These support pins 34c are connected to both shaft members 3
4a, 34b, and surround these support pins 34c all at once,
Each groove 34d is provided with a ring-shaped biasing member 34e that biases the support pins so as to elastically press against the circumferential surfaces of the opposing ends of the first and second shaft members 34a and 34b. They are stored respectively.

Note that in this embodiment, this biasing member 3
4e is formed from a finely wound ring-shaped coil spring.

The alignment operation in the alignment device 12 configured as described above will be explained below.

With the pin 22 suctioned and held in the holder 20,
The robot arm 10 connects this pin 22 to the substrate 30.
Its movement is controlled by a control mechanism (not shown) so that it fits into the fitting hole 28 formed in the . That is, in this control mechanism, the x-
Position information on the y-plane and robot arm 1
0 three-dimensional position, that is, the pin 22 to be inserted
The positional information of the robot arm 10 is inputted, and the movement of the robot arm 10 is controlled by the control operation of the control mechanism based on this positional information.

Here, if this position information is accurate, the robot arm 10 is moved and driven according to the control contents of the control mechanism, and the fitting hole 28 is positioned according to the set value, the fitting hole 28 By moving the pin 22 directly above the hole 28 and then lowering it vertically, the pin 22 is properly fitted into the fitting hole 28.
It will fit inside.

However, the positioning of the fitting hole 28 may not be accurate, and may deviate slightly from the set value in the There may be cases where the position is slightly deviated from the specified position.

If such a shift occurs, the pin 22, which has been vertically lowered by the lowering of the robot arm 10, will move as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.
The lower edge thereof comes into contact with the tapered surface 32 of the fitting hole 28. Then, as the robot arm 10 further descends, the lower end edge of the pin 22 receives a component force F directed in the horizontal direction along the tapered surface 32.

Here, such horizontal component force F is expressed as pin 2.
2, this component force F is applied to the holder 2.
0, the second shaft members 34b, 3 of the compliance mechanisms 34, 36 via the hand main body 16
6b. Therefore, when this component force F is not acting, as shown in FIG. 4A, the pair of upper and lower biasing members 34e; 36e
As a result, the first and second shaft members 34a,
34b, 36a, 36b are aligned with each other in the vertical axis direction, as shown in FIG. 4B, against the urging force of these urging members 34e, 36e,
By tilting the support pins 34c, 36c diagonally, the second members 34b, 36b move horizontally.

In addition, when moving in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. 4B, the hand main body 16 to which the second shaft member 34b is attached is moved so that the pin 22 extends vertically without tilting its posture. It will be moved with support. Therefore, the subsequent insertion operation will be easily performed.

In this way, the misalignment between the pin 22 and the fitting hole 28 can be avoided in the first and second shaft members 34a, 34b, 36 in each compliance mechanism 34, 36.
a, 36b, the pin 22 and the fitting hole 28 are brought into a vertically aligned state with respect to each other, and the robot arm 1
0, the pin 22 is properly fitted into the fitting hole 28.

After the operation of fitting the pin 22 into the fitting hole 28 is completed, the drive of the suction pump (not shown) is stopped and the robot arm 10 is driven upward.
The holding state of the pin 22 in the holder 20 is released, and the hand portion 14 lifts up independently with the pin 22 released. Then, when the pin 22 is completely separated from the holder 20, the above-mentioned component force F no longer acts on the holder 20. As a result, in both the compliance mechanisms 34 and 36, the second shaft member 3
4b, 36b is eliminated, and the second shaft members 34b, 36b are moved by the urging force of the upper and lower pair of urging members 34e, 36e.
The biased state shown in FIG. 4B is successfully returned to the aligned state shown in FIG. 4A.

In this way, the alignment operation in the alignment device 12, in other words, the elastic biasing and returning operations in the compliance mechanisms 34 and 36 are completed.

It goes without saying that this invention is not limited to the configuration of the one embodiment described above, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of this invention.

For example, in one embodiment described above, pin 2
2 has been described as being held in a vacuum-suctioned state in the insertion hole 24 formed in the holder 22, but
The mechanism is not limited to this, but may be a magnetic attraction using a magnet, or a mechanical locking mechanism using a mechanical finger.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the hand portion 1
Although it has been described that the connection between the handle body 16 of No. 4 and the support body 44 of the robot arm 10 is rotatably supported by the first and second ball bearings 46, 48, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. Alternatively, the structure may be such that it is supported by an air bearing.

Furthermore, in the compliance mechanisms 34, 36 of the embodiment described above, the biasing members 34e, 36
Although it has been explained that a ring-shaped coil spring is used as e, the structure is not limited to this, and a ring-shaped elastic rubber band 34f can be used as shown in FIG. 5A as a first modification example. You can do it like this. In this case, compared to the case where a ring-shaped coil spring is used, each support pin 34
It is no longer necessary to form the cut grooves 34d and 36d in the grooves c and 36c.

Furthermore, as shown in the second modification example in Fig. 5B, by widening the width of this ring-shaped elastic rubber band, it is possible to use one elastic rubber band of 34 g instead of a pair of upper and lower elastic bands. .

Moreover, the biasing members 34e, 36e are not wound around the outer peripheries of the support pins 34c, 36c, but instead are wound around the outer peripheries of the support pins 34c, 36c, as shown in a third modified example in FIG. 5C. It may also be possible to attach it by penetrating the inside of the.

Further, the biasing members 34e, 36e are not wound around all the support pins 34c, 36c, but are wound around each of the support pins 34c, 36c as shown in a fourth modification in FIG. 5D. are formed from a hollow cylindrical body, and the support pins 34 are adjacent to each other.
c and 36c are connected to each other by ring-shaped urging members 34e and 36e that are attached so as to connect them while passing through these hollow parts, and then the first
and second shaft members 34a, 34b, 36a, 36
The support pins 34c and 36c may be configured to elastically abut against the outer circumferential surfaces of the mutually opposing ends of the support pins 34c and 36c.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the first and second shaft members 34a, 34b, 36a, 36b
Although described as being formed in a cylindrical shape, this invention is not limited to such a configuration.
As shown in FIG. 5E as a fifth modification, when six support pins 34c, 36c each having a circular cross section are provided, the first and second shaft members 34a',
34b', 36a', and 36b' may be configured to have a regular hexagonal column shape. In this case,
Since the diameter of the inscribed circle of the hexagonal cross-sectional shape has the same value as the diameter of each support pin, a configuration is achieved in which adjacent support pins abut each other laterally. . Note that these first and second shaft members 34a', 34b', 36
The polygonal shapes in the cross-sectional shapes of a' and 36b' are determined depending on the number of support pins 34c and 36c.

Further, in the fifth modification described above, the mutually adjacent support pins 34c and 36c were described as being in contact with each other at the sides, but the present invention is not limited to this, and FIG. 5F shows a sixth modification. As shown, each support pin 34c, 36c is connected to a corresponding first and second shaft member 34a', 34b', 36a',
It may also be configured to elastically abut independently on the side surface of 36b'. In this case, the first
and second shaft members 34a', 34b', 36a', 36
A corresponding support pin 34c, 36 is provided on each side of b'.
V grooves 34h and 36h are formed in a state extending along the vertical direction in order to receive the V grooves 34h and 36h. Since each support pin 34c, 36 is attached in a state of being locked in the V-groove 34h, 36h in this way, the first and second shaft members 34a', 34b', 3
The relative angular positions of 6a' and 36b' will be elastically defined.

Further, in the fifth modification described above, the first and second shaft members 34a', 34 having a hexagonal cross section
Although it has been explained that the support pins 34c and 36c having a circular cross section surround the outer peripheries of b', 36a' and 36b',
Without being limited to this, as shown in FIG. 5G as a seventh modification, each of the support pins 34c', 3
6'c is the first and second shaft member 34a', 34b',
It may be configured to have a hexagonal cross section that is the same as 36a' and 36b'.

Here, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the substrate 3
One fitting hole 28 is formed in the holder 2.
0, one pin 22 is inserted and held, and the case of a single shaft in which this pin 22 is fitted into the fitting hole 28 has been described. It is applicable not only to a two-shaft case in which two pins 22 inserted and held in a holder 20 are fitted into two fitting holes 28 formed in a substrate 30. It is possible.

That is, in such a two-axis case, the 6th A
As shown in the figure, a line segment ₁ connecting the centers of the two pins 22 and a line segment 2 connecting the centers of the two fitting holes ₂₈
If they are deviated from each other while maintaining parallel states, the amount of deviation Δx along the x-axis direction and the amount of deviation Δy along the y-axis direction are different from each other when the respective pins 22 and The same value is obtained at the contact portion of the mating hole 28 with the tapered surface 32, and this can be ensured without rotation of the hand body 16 relative to the robot arm 10.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6B, two pins 22
If the line segment ₁ connecting the centers of the two fitting holes 28 and the line segment ₂ connecting the centers of the two fitting holes 28 are offset so that they intersect at a predetermined angle Δθ, the amount of deviation along the x-axis direction Δx and the deviation amount Δy along the y-axis direction have different values at the abutting portions of the respective pins 22 and the tapered surfaces 32 of the fitting holes 28, and the hand body 1
6 with respect to the robot arm 10. Even in such a case, the compliance mechanisms 34 and 36 in the alignment device 12 of this embodiment allow rotation of the hand body 16 relative to the robot arm 10 within a predetermined range, so that It can reliably deal with angular deviations.

Here, the alignment operation in the case of two axes can be similarly applied even when the fitting member has a polygonal cross section instead of a circular cross section in the case of one axis.

Furthermore, the alignment device 12 of this embodiment is applicable not only to the two-axis fitting operation described above, but also to multi-axis fitting operations.

Furthermore, the alignment device 12 of this embodiment can reliably cope with the misalignment shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B even if they occur in a combined state.

As described in detail above, in this embodiment, the alignment device 12 has free compliance in the x-y plane, and in detail, the alignment device 12 has free compliance in the x- and y-axis directions. , and deflect in response to angular deviations in the rotational direction with compliance, and when the component forces based on these deviations are released, reliably return to the original, consistent state. This is something that can be done.

Furthermore, in the above description of the embodiment, the alignment device 12 was described as having two sets of compliance mechanisms 34 and 36, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C as another embodiment, a set of compliance mechanisms 50 may be provided. Other embodiments will be described below.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7C, a compliance mechanism 50 of another embodiment of the alignment device 12
The first shaft member 50a is provided on the lower surface of the mounting body 40 fixed to the lower end of the robot arm 10, and is integrally formed so as to be coaxial with the central axis of the robot arm 10 and protrude downward. There is. On the other hand, a second shaft member 50b is integrally formed at the center of the upper surface of the hand body 16 so as to be coaxial with the central axis of the holder 20 and project upward. These first and second shaft members 50a, 50
The mutually opposing ends of b are opposed to each other so as to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance, as in the above-described embodiment.

Here, outer flange portions 50c and 50d are integrally formed at the lower end of the first shaft member 50a and the upper end of the second shaft member 50b, respectively.

Moreover, this compliance mechanism 50
A plurality of support pins 50e are provided so as to simultaneously surround the opposing ends of the second shaft members 50a and 50b. Each support pin 50d is integrally provided with outer flanges 50f and 50g at its upper and lower ends, respectively.
In detail, each outer flange portion 50f, 50g of these support pins 50d is connected to the above-mentioned first and second outer flange portions.
It is formed from a cylindrical body having the same radius as the shaft members 50a and 50b, and the number thereof is set to six. These six support pins 50e are arranged so as to simultaneously surround the opposing ends of the first and second shaft members 50a and 50b without any gaps. Further, an annular cut groove 5 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer flanges 50f and 50g of each support pin 50d.
0h are formed respectively.

These support pins 50e are connected to both shaft members 50
an outer flange 5 integrally formed at the upper end of the support pin 50e in a state surrounding the support pins 50e and 50b.
0f is the outer flange portion 5 of the first shaft member 50a
0c from above, and is also formed integrally with the lower end of the support pin 50e.
The outer flange portion 50d of the second shaft member 50b is engaged from above. In this way, the hand body 16 is suspended from the attachment body 40 of the compliance mechanism 50 so as to be swingable around the central axis.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, in a state in which these support pins 50e surround both shaft members 50a and 50b, these support pins 50e are collectively surrounded as in the above-mentioned embodiment.
Each groove 50h is provided with a ring-shaped urging member that urges the support pins 50e to elastically press against the circumferential surfaces of the opposing ends of the first and second shaft members 50a and 50b. 50i are stored respectively.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7A, the first shaft member 5
Recesses 50j and 50k are formed in the lower surface of the shaft member 0a and the upper surface of the second shaft member 50b, facing each other.
are formed respectively. These recesses 50j, 50
A coil spring 50 is disposed with its upper end and lower end housed in k. This coil spring 50 has first and second shaft members 5
0a and 50b are provided to urge them in the direction of separating them from each other.

When the hand portion 14 is attached to the tip of the robot arm 10 via the alignment device 12 having the compliance mechanism 50 configured as described above, the hand portion 14 is attached to one fitting hole 28 formed in the substrate 30. , a fitting operation for fitting one pin 22 will be described below.

In this fitting operation, the pin 22 and the fitting hole 28
If the relative position on the x-y plane deviates, this insertion operation will be reliably executed without damage due to the ability to follow the positional deviation similar to that in the above-mentioned embodiment. Become.

On the other hand, since the above-mentioned coil spring 50 is provided, this compliance mechanism 50
will have compliance in the vertical direction (z-axis). Therefore, when the pin 22 is inserted into the innermost part of the fitting hole 28,
If the depth of the fitting hole 28 is shorter than the set value or if the pin 2
Even if the length of the coil spring 50 is long, deviations from these set values are reliably absorbed based on the elastic contraction of the coil spring 50, and due to the so-called compliance regarding the z-axis, the robot arm 10
It will fit in well without applying any impact.

Further, in such other embodiments, the fitting hole 28 may be formed in the substrate 30 in a state slightly inclined from the vertical axis, or there may be an error in the driving state of the robot arm 10, or a case where the fitting hole 28 is formed in a state slightly inclined from the vertical axis. Due to a formation error of the insertion hole 24 in the pin 20, the pin 22 may be lowered in a state slightly inclined from the vertical direction.

In such a case, in this compliance mechanism 50, the first and second shaft members 5
0a and 50b are set to be relatively movable around the central axis, and as a result, against the inclination of the fitting hole 28 and pin 22 from the central axis (z axis), Once the second shaft member 50b has compliance and becomes soft, the second shaft member 50b becomes the first shaft member 50a.
It is something that can be tilted against. In this way, in this compliance mechanism 50, the inclination (displacement) of the fitting hole 28 and pin 22 from the central axis is well absorbed, and the pin 22 is reliably fitted into the fitting hole 28. become.

As detailed above, in the alignment device 12 in other embodiments, in addition to the deviations in the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis directions, the tilt (α) with respect to the z-axis
When the deviation occurs in response with compliance, and the component forces based on these deviations are released, it is possible to reliably return to the original, consistent state.

Here, in the configuration of the other embodiments described above, the diameter of the main body portions of the first and second shaft members 50a and 50b (that is, the portions excluding the outer flange portions 50c and 50d) and the diameter of the support pin 50e are The diameters of the outer flange parts 50f and 50g are both set to the same value, and as a result, the diameter of the 7th
As shown in FIG. B, the support pins 50e have been described as being in contact with each other on each side surface of the adjacent support pins 50e. However, in other embodiments, the eighth embodiment is not limited to such a configuration.
As shown in FIG. A and FIG. 8B as a first modification, outer flange portions 50c and 50d at the respective ends of the first and second shaft members 50a and 50b are provided with holes corresponding to the number of support pins 50e. multiple Vs at equal intervals.
Grooves 50m are formed to extend in the vertical direction, and within each V-groove 50m, a corresponding support pin 50e is formed.
It may be configured so that they fit together.

In this way, by configuring the first modification of the other embodiments, the first and second shaft members 50
The relative angular positions at a and 50b are defined, and compliance occurs when the angle in the horizontal plane (xy plane) is deviated. As a result, in the other embodiments described above, the first and second shaft members 50
Since the relative angular positions of a and 50b were not regulated, it could only be applied to a uniaxial mating operation, whereas this first modification has the same effects as those of the other embodiments. In addition to being able to perform all of the following, it is also possible to apply it to multi-axis fitting operations.

In addition, in the other embodiments described above, the connection between the first shaft member 50a and the second shaft member 50b along the z-axis direction is achieved by using outer flanges formed at the ends of both shaft members 50a and 50b, respectively. parts 50c and 50d,
This is achieved by mutually engaging outer flanges 50f and 50g formed at both upper and lower ends of the support pin 50e. However, the other embodiments described above are not limited to this configuration, and may be configured as shown in FIGS. 8C and 8D as a second modification example.

That is, as shown in FIG. 8A, no outer flange portions are formed at the ends of the first and second shaft members 50a, 50b, and the lower surface of the first shaft member 50a has a lower A hanging member 50n is attached so as to protrude from the side. An outer flange portion 50o is integrally formed at the lower end of the suspension member 50n. On the other hand, the hand body 16 is formed with a stepped hole 50p into which the suspension member 50n is fitted in a complementary manner. As shown in the figure, a coil spring 50q is interposed between the upper surface of the stepped hole 50p and an outer flange portion 50o formed on the suspension member 50n.

In this way, in this second modification, the hand main body 16 is directly connected to the mounting main body 40 in an elastically suspended state. In this suspended state, the hand body 1
6 is allowed to swing about the central axis with respect to the mounting body 40.

On the other hand, these first and second shaft members 50a, 5
Three support pins 50e are arranged around the mutually opposing ends of 0b in the manner described above,
The first and second shaft members 50 are pressed by the biasing member 50i.
It is elastically abutted on the circumferential surfaces of the end portions a and 50b. Here, the first and second shaft members 5
The respective diameters of 0a and 50b and each support member 50i
The diameters of the two are set to be the same. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8D, the support pins 50e that are adjacent to each other come into contact with each other on their side surfaces, and their postures are well and elastically maintained.

Furthermore, as is clear from Fig. 8C, the hand body 1
Both upper and lower end surfaces of each support pin 50e are rounded in order to allow the support pin 50e to swing about the central axis relative to the mounting body 40 of the support pin 50e. The upper and lower ends of each support pin 50e are rotatably engaged with the lower surface of the attachment body 40 and the upper surface of the hand body 16 via ball bearings 50r and 50s, respectively.

In this way, in the second modification of the other embodiment, like the configuration of the other embodiment described above,
Rather than suspending the hand body 16 from the mounting body 40 via the support pin 50e, the first shaft member 5
0a and the second shaft member 50b are directly connected via the suspension member 50n and the coil spring 50q. Therefore, in this second modification, although there is no compliance in the z-axis direction, with respect to the tilt around the central axis,
It will be deflected with good followability and will return.

Furthermore, in a second modification of the other embodiments described above, the first and second shaft members 50a, 5
The diameter of the support pins 50e and the diameter of the support pins 50e are set to be the same value, and as a result, as shown in FIG. I explained that they should touch each other.

However, in other embodiments, without being limited to such a configuration, as shown in FIGS. 8E and 8F as a third modification, the first and second shaft members 50a and 50b may be Outer flange portions 50c and 50d are formed at the respective ends, and support pins 50e are attached to these outer flange portions 50c and 50d.
A plurality of V-grooves 50m are formed at regular intervals so as to extend along the vertical direction, corresponding to the number of V-grooves 50m. A corresponding support pin 50e is placed in each V-groove 50m.
It may be configured so that they fit together.

In this way, by configuring the third modification of the other embodiments, the first and second shaft members 5
The relative angular positions at 0a and 50b are defined, and compliance occurs when the angle in the horizontal plane (xy plane) is deviated. As a result, in the second modification of the other embodiments described above, the relative angular positions of the first and second shaft members 50a, 50b are not regulated, so that the second modification is applicable only to a single shaft fitting operation. However, in this third modification, all the effects of the second modification of the other embodiments can be achieved, and
It can also be applied to multi-axis fitting operations.

It goes without saying that various modifications of the above-described embodiment can be effectively applied to other embodiments.

[Effects of the invention] As detailed above, the alignment device according to the invention has a first alignment device extending along a predetermined axis.
a second shaft member disposed at a predetermined distance from the first shaft member along a predetermined axis of the first shaft member; ,
A plurality of support pins are arranged around mutually opposing ends so as to surround them, and these support pins are attached so as to surround these support pins all at once, and these support pins are connected to each other of the first and second shaft members. It is characterized by comprising a biasing member that biases the opposing end portions so as to come into elastic pressure contact with the circumferential surfaces of the opposing ends.

Therefore, according to this invention, the two shaft members are
It is possible to provide an alignment device that has a simple configuration and has compliance that allows the two shaft members to move freely in a plane perpendicular to both shaft members while setting a short distance from each other.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a partially sectional front view showing the configuration of an embodiment of the alignment device according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the - line in Fig. 1; The figure is a plan view showing a state of deviation in the x-y axis plane; FIG. 4A is a front view partially showing a state in which the first and second shaft members are aligned with each other;
FIG. 4B is a front view partially showing a state in which the first and second shaft members are shifted from each other in order to absorb the shift between the pin and the fitting hole; FIG. 5A is a first modification of one embodiment. Front view partially showing the configuration of the example; No. 5B
Figure 5C is a front view partially showing the configuration of a second modification of the embodiment; Figure 5C is a perspective view showing characteristic parts of the configuration of the third modification of the embodiment; Figure 5D
The figure is a top view showing the characteristic parts of the configuration of the fourth modification of the embodiment; FIG. 5E is a top view showing the characteristic parts of the configuration of the fifth modification of the embodiment; FIG. 5F The figure is a top view showing the characteristic parts of the structure of the sixth modification of one embodiment; FIG. 5G is a top view showing the characteristic parts of the structure of the seventh modification of one embodiment; FIG. 6A The figure is a top view showing the case where the deviation is parallel in the case of two axes; Figure 6B is a top view showing the case where the deviation is rotational in the case of two axes; A vertical cross-sectional view, a cross-sectional view, and a partially cutaway perspective view showing the configuration of the compliance mechanism of another embodiment of the alignment device according to the invention; FIGS. 8A and 8B are FIGS. 8C and 8D are longitudinal sectional views and cross-sectional views respectively showing the configuration of a first modification of another embodiment; FIGS. A cross-sectional view; FIG. 8E and FIG. 8F are a vertical cross-sectional view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, showing the configuration of a third modification of another embodiment;
9C are front views showing the configuration and operation of a conventional alignment device. In the figure, 10... Robot arm, 12... Alignment device, 14... Hand section, 16... Hand body, 18... Bolt, 20... Holder, 22...
Pin, 24...Insertion hole, 26...Suction tube, 28...
...Fitting hole, 30... Board, 32... Tapered surface, 3
4, 36... Compliance mechanism, 34a, 3
6a...first shaft member, 34b, 36b...second
shaft member, 34c, 36c... support pin, 34
d, 36d... Cut groove, 34e, 36e... Force member, 34f. 36f, 34g, 36g... Elastic rubber band, 34h, 36h... V groove, 38... Bolt, 40... Mounting body, 42 ...Bolt, 44...
...Support body, 44a...Cylindrical part, 44b...Flange part, 46...First ball bearing, 48
...Second ball bearing, 50...Compliance mechanism in another embodiment, 50a...
First shaft member, 50b...Second shaft member, 50
c, 50d...Outer flange part, 50e...Support pin, 50f, 50g...Outer flange part, 50
h...kerf, 50i...biasing member, 50j, 5
0k...Recess, 50...Coil spring, 5
0m...V groove, 50n...hanging member, 50o...
Outer flange part, 50p...Stepped hole, 50q...
...Coil spring, 50r, 50s...Ball bearing.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A first shaft member disposed extending along a predetermined axis; and a first shaft member extending from the first shaft member along the predetermined axis of the first shaft member. a second shaft member arranged at a predetermined distance apart; a plurality of support members arranged around mutually opposing ends of the first and second shaft members so as to surround them; a biasing member that is attached to surround the support member and urges the support member to elastically press against the circumferential surfaces of the opposing ends of the first and second shaft members; An alignment device characterized by comprising: (2) The first shaft member is attached to the robot arm, the second shaft member is attached to the robot hand, and the central axis of the first shaft member and the central axis of the second shaft member are The alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that the alignment device is held in an elastically aligned state. (3) The robot arm has one predetermined axis, and one first shaft member is provided so as to extend along the one predetermined axis. The alignment device according to claim 2 of the utility model registration claim. (4) The alignment device according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined axis is set to extend along the central axis of the robot arm. (5) A utility model registration characterized in that the robot arm has a plurality of predetermined axes, and a plurality of the first shaft members are provided so as to extend along each of these predetermined axes. An alignment device according to claim 2. (6) The alignment device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of predetermined axes are arranged on the same circumference centered on the central axis of the robot arm. (7) Utility model registration claim 6, characterized in that the plurality of predetermined axes are arranged at equal intervals.
The alignment device described in Section. (8) The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member is comprised of a spring.