JPH0511985Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a hand changing device for a robot.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, when assembling work is performed using a robot, the utilization rate of the robot is increased by having the robot automatically change hands suitable for the shape of the workpiece.

However, the known hand exchange device has a problem in that when the hand side unit is detached, the pressure fluid supply channel of the robot side unit opens and the pressure fluid flows out.

To solve this problem, by connecting the hand side unit to the robot side unit, the flow passages provided in these units are sealed with a sealing member, and then the piston provided on the robot side unit is connected to a predetermined position. When the piston is returned, the valve bodies close the flow passages of both units by pressing the valve bodies disposed facing each other in the direction of the piston. JP-A-64-49791 proposes a robot hand exchange device that separates the hand side unit from the robot side unit after the robot side unit has been replaced.

This hand exchange device can prevent the pressure fluid from flowing out when the hand side unit is attached or detached, but the opposing valve body opens and closes the flow path by driving and returning the piston. However, the structure and operation are complicated and expensive, and there is a problem that the valve body closes the flow path when the fluid pressure for driving the piston is lost.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] The problems to be solved by the invention are to prevent pressure fluid from leaking to the outside when the robot side unit and hand side unit are attached and detached, and to be simple in structure and operation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a robot hand exchange device that is both achievable and inexpensive.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a robot hand exchange device in which a robot side unit and a hand side unit are configured to be detachable. a supply channel;
A valve seat in the supply flow path, a valve element that closes the valve seat from the upstream side of the supply flow path by the biasing force of a valve element return spring, and a valve element that closes the valve seat from the upstream side of the supply flow path by the urging force of a valve element return spring; It has a passage communicating with the flow path, is slidably inserted into the downstream side of the valve seat in the supply flow path, and its tip protrudes from the mounting surface of the robot side unit by the biasing force of the plunger return spring, and is connected to the hand side. The hand-side unit includes a plunger that presses the valve body to open the valve seat when the unit is attached, and the hand-side unit connects a flow path opposite to the passage of the plunger and a connecting portion between the passage and the flow path to the outside. the plunger presses the valve body after sealing the connection portion between the passage and the flow path by contacting the seal member; It is characterized by having a length that allows the seal to be released.

[Operation] When attaching the hand side unit to the robot side unit, first, the sealing member seals the connection between the plunger passage and the hand side unit flow passage from the outside, and then the plunger presses the valve body. to open the valve seat, thereby establishing communication between the supply flow path and the plunger passage.

In addition, when the hand side unit is detached from the robot side unit, the pressure on the valve body by the plunger is first released, and after the valve body closes the valve seat by the biasing force of the valve body return spring, the valve body is closed by the sealing member. The seal at the connection between the passage and the flow path is released.

Therefore, when the hand side unit is attached or detached, not only can pressure fluid be prevented from leaking to the outside, but the structure is simple, consisting of only a plunger with a passage and a sealing member, so that it can be easily attached to or removed from the piston. The structure and operation can be simpler and cheaper than when the valve bodies are opened and closed facing each other.

[Example] Figures 1 to 3 show examples of the present invention,
The robot in this embodiment has a wrist connection part 1.
The robot side unit 2 is attached to the robot side unit 2, and the hand side unit 3 is attached to and detached from the side opposite to the connection part 1 of the unit 2.

The unit body 5 of the robot side unit 2 includes a cylinder 6 that opens on the hand side unit 3 side, and an annular spring support 7 screwed into the opening of the cylinder 6. The cylinder 6 has a piston 8 that slides inside. The pressure chamber 9 is divided into a pressure chamber 9 on the side of the connection part 1 and a breathing chamber 10 on the opening side, a detachable port 11 is opened in the pressure chamber 9, and a return spring 12 of the piston 8 is contracted in the breathing chamber 10. .

Each of the hooks 14, 14 for attaching and detaching the hand side unit 3 is provided with a gripping portion 14a for gripping the hand side unit 3 at the tip portion protruding from the robot side unit 2, and a middle portion is provided on the protruding portion of the piston 8. The gripping portions 14a, 14 are pivoted on the fulcrum pin 15 and are compressed between the base end portions.
a are urged in a direction toward each other, and an opening pin 17 is attached to the spring support 7 for opening the gripping parts 14a, 14a.

Further, the unit main body 5 is provided with a plurality of through holes whose diameter is reduced at the tip, and a cylindrical body 19 having an axial fluid flow path 20 and a valve seat 21 in the flow path is installed in these through holes in an airtight manner. A hose fitting 23 to which a hose 22 for supplying compressed air is connected is screwed onto the entrance side of the through hole, and a valve element 24 that opens and closes the valve seat 21 is fitted between the hose fitting 23 and the hose fitting 23. The valve seat 21 is biased in the closing direction by the contracted valve body return spring 25.

The plunger 27 , which is airtightly and slidably attached to the fluid flow path 20 , has a flange 27 a that engages with the diameter-reducing step of the through hole and an axial passage 28 , and has a flange 27 a that engages with the diameter-reducing step of the through hole, and an axial passage 28 . Contracted plunger return spring 29
Due to this, the tip part is attached to the mounting surface 5 of the unit body 5.
Notches 28a, . . . are formed at the end on the valve body 24 side to communicate the passage 28 with the fluid flow path 20 (see FIG. 3).

On the other hand, the unit main body 31 of the hand side unit 3 has the grip portions 14a of the hooks 14, 14,
14a locks, and flow passages 33, 33 facing the passages 28 of each plunger 27, and sealing between the proximal end side of each flow passage 33 and the end face of the plunger 27. A seal ring 34 is fitted, and a discharge port 35 is formed on the distal end side.

Reference numerals 37 and 37 in FIG. 1 are positioning pins of the hand side unit.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which the compressed air in the pressure chamber 9 has been discharged, and the piston 8 moves upward in the figure due to the biasing force of the return spring 12, and the gripping parts 14a, 14a of the hooks 14, 14 are attached to the unit body 31. Locking part 3
2 and 32, and the hand side unit 3 is held by the robot side unit 2.

In this case, each plunger 27 is pressed by the seal ring 34 and slides upward in the figure, thereby causing the valve body 24 to open the valve seat 21. Therefore, the compressed air supplied from the hose 22 flows out from the discharge port 35 through the notch 28a of the plunger 27, the passage 28, and the flow path 33.

When compressed air is supplied from the attachment/detachment port 11 to the pressure chamber 9, the piston 8 and the hooks 14, 14 move downward in the figure, and the release pin 17 releases the grips 14a,
14a slide in the direction of separating from each other, and the locking portion 3
2 and 32 are released, the hand side unit 3 can be separated from the robot side unit 2.

When the hand side unit 3 is detached, the pressing force by the plunger 27 is released, the valve body 24 closes the valve seat 21, and at the same time the passage 2 of the plunger 27 is closed.
8 and the fluid flow path 20, the compressed air is prevented from flowing out to the hand side unit 3 (see FIG. 2A).

In this case, the protrusion length of each plunger 27 from the mounting surface 5a is the same as that of the mounting surface 31 of the hand side unit 3.
In other words, since the plunger 27 has a length that operates the valve body 24 after the seal member 31 comes into contact with the end face of the plunger 27 and the seal ring 34,
Before the seal between the valve body 24 and the valve seat 21 is released, the valve body 24
is closed, it is possible to completely prevent compressed air from leaking to the outside when the hand side unit 3 is removed.

When the hand side unit 3 approaches the robot side unit 2 for installation, first the seal ring 3
4 comes into contact with the end surface of the plunger 27, and the passage 28
The connection between the flow path 33 and the outside is cut off (see FIG. 2B), and then the plunger 27 connects to the valve body 24.
is pressed to open the valve seat 21, so the fluid passage 20 and the discharge port 35 communicate with each other via the notch 28a of the plunger 27, the passage 28, and the passage 33. Therefore, leakage of compressed air to the outside when the hand side unit 3 is attached can be completely prevented.

When the compressed air in the pressure chamber 9 is discharged to the outside, the piston 8 and the hooks 14, 14 move upward in the figure due to the urging force of the return spring 12, and the gripping parts 14a, 14
Since the parts a are locked to the locking parts 32, 32, the hand side unit 3 is attached to the robot side unit 2.

In the above embodiment, the fluid flow path 20 of the unit body 5
The simple configuration of a plunger 27 having a passage 28 therein and a seal ring 34 provided in the hand side unit 3 makes the configuration and operation simpler and less expensive than when valve bodies provided opposite each unit are pressed against or released by a piston to open or close the flow path.

[Effects of the invention] The robot hand exchange device according to the invention has the following features:
Since a plunger having a passage is slidably provided in the supply flow path of the robot side unit, and a sealing member that comes into contact with the plunger is provided on the hand side unit, the robot hand exchange device does not waste pressurized fluid. can be made simple and inexpensive to configure and operate.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2A to 2C are explanatory views of the operation, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the plunger. 2... Robot side unit, 3... Hand side unit, 20... Fluid flow path, 21... Valve seat, 24
... Valve body, 27 ... Plunger, 28 ... Passage,
33...Flow path, 34...Seal ring.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] In a robot hand changing device in which a robot-side unit and a hand-side unit are configured to be detachable, the robot-side unit has a pressure fluid supply channel and a valve in the supply channel. a valve body that closes the valve seat from the upstream side of the supply flow path by the biasing force of a valve body return spring; and a passage that communicates with the supply flow path when the valve seat is opened by the valve body. and is slidably inserted downstream of the valve seat in the supply flow path,
a plunger whose tip protrudes from the mounting surface of the robot-side unit by the biasing force of a plunger return spring, and a plunger that presses the valve element to open the valve seat by a device of the hand-side unit, and the hand-side unit a flow path facing the passage of the plunger; and a sealing member for sealing a connecting portion between the passage and the flow path from the outside, wherein the plunger connects the passage and the flow path through contact with the sealing member. A hand exchange device for a robot, characterized in that the device has a length such that the valve body is pressed after the valve body is sealed, and the seal between the passage and the flow path is released after the pressure on the valve body is released.