JPH0445836Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a safety device for industrial robots, particularly for preventing personal accidents caused by runaway robots.

(Prior art and its problems) Conventionally, in order to improve the actual operating rate of industrial robots, the operating range of one robot has been divided into multiple parts and a work station has been set in each work range. Ta. In this case, one work station performs the removal of processed workpieces and the installation of unprocessed workpieces. Therefore, in this type of industrial robot, if the robot goes out of control for some reason, there is a risk of personal injury even if the moving speed of the robot's movable parts is slow. Furthermore, when a robot's movable parts move back and forth between stations, it is necessary to carefully analyze the mechanical and electrical causes of runaway in order to determine whether the movement is normal according to the program or runaway. Therefore, it is technically very difficult, and providing the robot itself with such a judgment function requires a fairly sophisticated and complicated runaway judgment device.

(Means for solving the problem) A partition member swingably attached to the floor so as to divide the horizontal operating range of the robot into a plurality of work stations, and a swing detection device that detects the swing of the partition member. means, the movable part including the end effector of the robot is capable of moving back and forth between the work stations beyond the partition member in a specified station-to-station moving position apart from the normal working position, and the swing detecting means The present invention is characterized in that the operation of the robot is brought to an emergency stop when the vibration of the partition member is detected.

(Function) While the robot performs automatic machining work at one work station, the operator performs setup work such as mounting and removing the workpiece at another work station. When the robot finishes the automatic processing operation, it moves over the partition member to the next work station in a specific station-to-station moving posture that is significantly different from its normal working posture. If the robot runs out of control for some reason while in the working posture, the movable part of the robot comes into contact with the partition member and causes it to swing, so the swing detection means is activated.
Immediately bring the robot's operation to an emergency stop.

(Example) Hereinafter, the embodiments shown in the drawings will be described in detail.

Reference numeral 1 designates a known industrial robot, which in this embodiment is an articulated welding robot, having the following configuration. 2 is a base installed on the floor 3, 4 is a rotating table placed on the base 2 so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis (arrow α ₁ axis direction), and 5 is a rotating table with the base installed around the first horizontal axis (arrow α 1 axis direction). The first arm 6 is supported on the upper surface of the rotating table 4 so as to be swingable in the direction of the arrow α ₂ axis, and 6 is the tip of the first arm 5, the intermediate portion of which is swingable around the second horizontal axis (direction of the arrow α ₃ axis). 7 is a torch fixture attached to the tip of the second arm 6 so as to be swingable around the third horizontal axis (in the direction of the arrow _α4 axis); T is orthogonal to the third horizontal axis; This is a welding torch as an end effector that is attached to the torch fixture 7 so as to be swingable in the axis line (direction of the arrow _α5 axis).

In FIG. 1, the fan-shaped part surrounded by the broken line indicates a horizontal working range A, which is the spatial working range of the welding torch T projected onto three floors, and the horizontal working range A is divided into left and right halves, and a first and a first part, respectively, are divided into right and left parts. A partition member 8 is provided on the floor 3 to form second work stations S1 and S2.

The partition member 8 is made of a bent pipe, and a base block 9 is installed on the floor 3 at a distance from the center of the horizontal operating range A toward the side opposite to the robot 1. The vertical shaft portion 8a of the partition member 8 is located in the recess (not numbered).
The partition member 8 is supported so as to be horizontally swingable. The partition member 8 extends horizontally from the upper end of the vertical shaft portion 8a toward approximately the center of the base 2, rises vertically from slightly in front of the base 2, and extends vertically from the upper end of the vertical shaft portion 8a.
It again extends horizontally for a short distance from above, and then rises vertically to an appropriate height. Reference numeral 10 denotes a swing detecting means provided in connection with the partition member 8, which includes a limit switch 10a fixedly installed on the outer surface of the base block 9, and an engaged member 10b provided horizontally outwardly protruding from the vertical shaft portion 8a. The limit switch 10a is equipped with a contact roller _10a1 elastically biased in the horizontal direction toward the vertical shaft portion 8a, and the peripheral surface of the distal end of the roller _10a1 is connected to the engaged member 10b.
It is fitted into an arcuate recess _10b1 formed at the tip of the partition member 8, and also serves to position the partition member 8 in the horizontal direction. Numerals 11a and 11b are a pair of left and right vertical stoppers fixed to the inner surface of the base block 9, which are placed on the left and right sides of the horizontal part of the partition member 8, and serve as auxiliary stoppers to prevent the partition member 8 from swinging. It is provided in

Reference numerals 12a and 12b are workpiece mounting stands installed on the floor 3 of the first and second work stations S1 and S2, respectively, on which the workpiece W can be placed, positioned and fixed.

Further, in FIG. 2, the area surrounded by a broken line indicates the operating range B in the vertical direction of the welding torch T, and in particular, the hatched area with the broken line represents the working operating range B1 that is generally used for processing operations.

13 is a computer as a control means for comprehensively controlling the robot 1 and its peripheral devices;
Including CPU and memory. Servo systems Sα ₁ to _{Sα 5} for axes α 1 to _{α 5} of the robot 1 are connected to the bus line B of the computer 13, and each servo system Sα ₁ to
Sα ₅ includes power sources M ₁ to M ₅ and encoders E ₁ to _{E 5} that output position information. Furthermore, the bus line B includes a remote control panel 14 and a limit switch 1.
0a, the first and second work stations S1, S
Each work station S1 installed outside of 2,
Start switches 15a and 15b for S2 and an alarm buzzer 16 fixed to the base block 9 are connected.

The start switches 15a and 15b are activated by a push operation by the worker M when the setup work such as attaching and detaching the workpiece W to the workpiece mounting bases 12a and 12b is completed at the first and second work stations S1 and S2, respectively. The corresponding first or second work station S of the robot 1
1. It sends a signal to permit operation in S2.

Further, the remote control panel 14 has manual (MANU), test (TEST), and automatic (AUTO) modes.
mode selection switch 14 for selecting each mode of
a, manually operated snap switch group 14b corresponding to each axis α ₁ to _{α 5} , speed command rotary switch 14
c, a function selection switch 14d for linear/circular interpolation, etc., a start switch 14e used to import teaching information or to start the robot 1, an emergency stop button 14f, a button used when the robot 1 is brought to an emergency stop. It is equipped with a reset button 18g etc. to release the reset button.

Next, the effect will be explained.

At present, the robot 1 is not operating at the first work station S1 with the second arm 6 and welding torch T waiting at a remote position above the workpiece mounting base 12a (the state indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 2). The computer 18 also has information on each axis α 1 to _{α 5} for the inter-station movement posture of the robot 1 (double-dashed line in FIG. 2).
It is assumed that the position information and the moving route between the stations (actually defined by the rotation angle position of the rotating table 4) are stored as a system program.

From this state, the operator M places the unwelded workpiece W on the workpiece mount 12a, positions and fixes it. After completing this setup work, push the start switch 15a, and then press the remote control panel 1.
4, when the mode selection switch 14a is switched to the automatic mode and the start switch 14e is pressed, the robot 1 starts operating the computer 13.
Automatic welding work is performed on the work W at the first work station S1 according to a predetermined program based on instructions from the work station S1.

During this automatic welding work, the worker M performs the same setup work as described above on the workpiece mounting base 12b of the second work station S2, and after the work is completed, presses the start switch 15b.

When the robot 1 completes a series of operations at the first work station S1, the second arm 6 and welding torch T are lifted upward, and
It is reversed to the side opposite to the workpiece mount 12a, and the second arm 6 and the like take the above-mentioned station-to-station moving posture completely away from the work operating range B1 (the state indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2). While in this station-to-station movement posture, the rotating table 4 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1 according to the system program described above, and the first arm 5 and second arm 6 are
When the end vertical portion 8a of the partition member 8 has finished turning inside to the second work station S2 side, the second arm 6, etc. turns up and down to the workpiece mounting table 12b side, enters the work operation range B1, and returns to its original state. The second position becomes the working posture.
Workpiece mounting base 12 at work station S2
Perform automatic welding work on the workpiece W of b.

Now, whether the robot 1 is at the first or second work station S1 or S2, mechanical and/or electrical troubles may occur while operating in the above-mentioned work position (the position indicated by the solid line in Figure 2). When the first arm 5, second arm 6, or welding torch T comes into contact with the partition member 8, the partition member 8 horizontally swings around the vertical shaft portion 8a as shown in FIG. . At this time, since the engaged member 10b also swings together with the partition member 8, the limit switch 10
When the contact roller 10a ₁ separates from the arcuate recess 10b ₁ , the signal a is pushed inside and emitted. Then, the computer 13 receives the swing detection signal from the limit switch 10a, and outputs an emergency stop command to the robot 1, and also outputs an activation command to the alarm buzzer 16. Therefore, the robot 1 immediately stops operating and the alarm buzzer 16 sounds.

Furthermore, if the worker M, the workpiece W, or the loading machine for the workpiece W touches the partition member 8 during the aforementioned setup work, the limit switch 10a is activated, and the robot 1 comes to an emergency stop in the same manner as described above, and the alarm buzzer 16 is activated. Operate.

In addition to the above-described embodiments, the present invention can also be modified as described below.

() Although the partition member 8 was formed of a pipe,
It may be formed by combining a plate material or a plate material and a pipe.

() The mounting arrangement of the limit switch 10a and the engaged member 10b may be reversed. That is, the limit switch 10a is connected to the vertical shaft portion 9.
b ₁ , and the engaged member 10b is attached to the base block 9a.

() In the embodiment described above, the operating range is divided into two work stations, but it may be divided into three or more work stations.

() In the above embodiment, the workpiece mounting bases 12a, 1
Although 2b is shown as being fixed, it may also be a positioner that allows positioning by movement and rotation control.

() While the robot 1 moves between work stations, the alarm buzzer 16 may sound to alert the worker M etc. of danger.

() In the above embodiment, the robot 1 was described as an articulated welding robot, but it may be of other mechanical configurations such as an orthogonal type, and the end effector may include a welding torch, a fusing torch, a grinder,
Alternatively, it may be a handling manipulator.

(Effects of the invention) As explained above, according to the invention, the horizontal movement range of the robot is divided into a plurality of work stations using a partition member that can detect swinging, and the movable parts of the robot are moved outside the work movement range. Since it is possible to move between work stations by crossing the partition member in a specific moving posture between the stations, if the robot runs out of control while operating at the work station, the robot's movable part will come into contact with the partition member and swing. The robot will stop immediately to prevent accidents between the robot's movable parts and workers, etc. Also, if a worker accidentally touches a partition member while setting up a workpiece, the robot will come to an emergency stop and prevent contact. Accidents can be prevented and safety can be ensured in this type of robot divided into a plurality of work stations with a simple and inexpensive configuration.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings all show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a general plan view of an industrial robot including the safety device of the present invention, and FIG.
3 is an enlarged plan view of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the same operation as in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram. 1 is an industrial robot, 3 is a floor, 8 is a partition member,
10a is a limit switch, 12a and 12b are work mounting bases, A is a horizontal operating range, B is a vertical operating range, B1 is a working operating range, S1 and S2 are the first and second working stations, respectively, T is a welding torch, M is the worker and W is the work.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A partition member is installed on the floor to divide the horizontal operating range of the robot into a plurality of work stations, and the movable parts of the robot, including the end effector, are separated from the partitions in an inter-station movement posture specified separately from the normal working posture. In the partition member, which can be moved back and forth between the work stations across the members, the partition member is formed by bending a rod-like or band-like member, and one end is placed above the floor surface on the side opposite to the robot in the center of the horizontal operating range of the robot. A safety device for an industrial rocking robot, characterized in that the partition member is supported so as to be horizontally swingable on the upper surface of a block provided in the partition member, and the robot stops operating upon detecting the swinging of the partition member.