JPH0615153B2 - Finger device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a finger device used in, for example, an assembling robot.

[Prior Art] In order to improve the effect by changing the assembly robot, the structure is such that the fingers can be replaced in the shortest possible time, and in consideration of workability, the entire finger including the connector is replaced. It should be as small as possible.

However, in the conventional finger device of the assembling robot, as a means for connecting the pneumatic circuit and the signal circuit necessary for the finger, for example, it is usually provided separately from the finger mounting portion and connected using respective connectors. Is. In this case, if the number of circuits increases, it takes time to connect the connector, and the connector becomes large, which makes it difficult to handle.

Furthermore, in the finger device, when the finger shifts to the next operation after the article gripping operation, the finger gripping operation is performed after confirming the article gripping. Confirmation of gripping. However, as a means for gripping the article of the finger device, gripping with finger members such as jaws,
There are various methods such as grasping by vacuum suction, and it is necessary to use it properly depending on the target of the article to be grasped, but it is also possible to share the wrist part of the robot that replaces the finger device, so it is not possible to confirm the article with the conventional micro switch. There was a problem that only specific methods could be applied. Also,
In the case of the conventional detection means such as a micro switch, when the finger body and the joint of the robot wrist are used as electric signal terminals, the amount of electricity is a minute current, so the accuracy of signal transmission due to dirt on the terminals and poor contact. However, there is a drawback in that the gripping signal is not output even though the article is gripped and the reliability is poor.

[Object of the Invention] An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to reliably detect gripping of an article by using article detection means based on an optical signal, and particularly between the optical joint and the detection end. An object of the present invention is to provide a finger device in which the structure of a signal transmission system is simplified because the connection is made by a single optical fiber for projecting light and optical fiber for receiving light.

[Summary of the Invention] A finger device according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object includes a finger body configured to be attachable / detachable to / from a robot body having an optical joint via an attaching / detaching portion, and an article holding jaw. An optical joint for projecting and receiving an optical signal with the optical joint of the robot body, and a detection end for projecting light toward the article and receiving reflected light from the article, and the optical joint for the finger body The light-receiving optical fiber and the light-receiving optical fiber are connected to each other by a single optical fiber for projecting light and optical fiber for receiving light.

Embodiments of the Invention The present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows a finger mounting portion provided on the wrist of the assembling robot, and FIG. 2 shows the finger. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a wrist portion of an assembling robot, and a finger mounting portion 3 is supported via a support metal fitting 2. A main reference hole 5 and a sub reference hole 6 for positioning the finger are formed side by side on the finger mounting surface 4 on the lower surface of the finger mounting portion 3. The main reference hole 5 is bored in the cylindrical portion 7, and a short cylindrical attachment / detachment device 8 is attached to the top of the cylindrical portion 7, and the inner diameter portion of the main reference hole 5 has a taper that expands toward the inside. A portion 9 is provided, and the tapered portion 9 is attached so as to push the steel ball 10 fitted in the hole on the side surface of the tubular portion 7 inward. A compression spring 11 is interposed between the attachment / detachment device 8 and the attachment portion 3, and the attachment / detachment device 8 is pushed upward along the tubular portion 7. A plurality of air connection holes 12 for connecting a pneumatic circuit are provided in the inner part of the main reference hole 5 of the finger mounting portion 3 and the finger mounting surface 4, and each connection hole 12 has an O ring, a Y packing, or the like. The packing material 13 is attached by a packing pressing plate 14 for preventing it from falling off. An air joint 15 is connected to each of these air connection holes 12, and compressed air is supplied from an air supply source (not shown) on the assembly robot main body side via a tube 16.

Further, an optical joint 17 for an optical fiber sensor is attached to the finger attachment portion 3 on substantially the same surface as the attachment surface 4.
A light projecting optical fiber 18 and a light receiving optical fiber 19 are embedded in the optical joint 17, and are connected through a tube 20 to an amplifier unit of an optical fiber sensor (not shown) on the assembly robot body side.

Next, the structure of the finger shown in FIG. 2 will be described.
Is a finger main body, and a jaw 31 is provided at a lower portion thereof, and an attaching / detaching portion 32 to / from the finger attaching portion 3 is provided at an upper portion. Three
Reference numeral 3 denotes a mounting surface to the finger mounting portion 3, and a main reference shaft 34 and a sub reference shaft 35 for determining a relative position with respect to the finger mounting surface 3 are projected upward, and a main reference hole 5 of the finger mounting portion 3 is provided. , Are fitted in the secondary reference holes 6, respectively. An undercut portion 36 is formed on the head of the main reference shaft 34 so as to correspond to the steel ball 10 described above. The finger mounting surface 3 is provided on the upper end of the main reference shaft 34 and the mounting surface 33.
Is provided with an air port 37 opposed to the air connection hole 12, and an insertion pipe 38 for connecting a pneumatic circuit is projected therefrom. These insertion tubes 38 are arranged so as to match the positions of the air connection holes 12 provided on the finger mounting surface 4 when the finger body 30 is inserted and positioned in the finger mounting portion 3, and the packing material is also used. It is manufactured to have a length such that it can be sealed by 13 so as to prevent air leakage and an outer diameter that matches the inner diameter of the packing material 13.
Further, an air joint 39 is connected to each insertion pipe 38, and compressed air is supplied to each pneumatic device connected to the finger body 30 via the tube 40.

Further, the optical joint 41 for the optical fiber sensor is attached so as to match the position of the optical joint 17 on the finger attaching portion 3 side. A light projecting fiber 42 and a light receiving fiber 43 are projected from the joint 41 for the optical fiber sensor, and these fibers 42 and 43 are tubes 44.
And is connected to the detection end 45 in the finger body 30.

To attach the finger body 30 to the finger mounting portion 3,
With the attachment / detachment device 8 pushed up against the compression spring 11 by hand, the main reference shaft 34 is inserted into the main reference hole 5, and the sub reference shaft 35 is inserted into the sub reference hole 6. When the tip of the main reference shaft 34 pushes the steel ball 10 outward, and when the hand is released from the attaching / detaching device 8 when the steel ball 10 is sufficiently inserted into the main reference hole 5, the attaching / detaching device 8 causes the compression spring 11 to move.
Since the steel ball 10 is pushed up by the tapered portion 9 and pushed into the main reference hole 5, the finger body 30 is fixed by engaging with the undercut portion 36 of the main reference shaft 34. At the same time, the respective insertion tubes 38 are fitted into the corresponding air connection holes 12, and the optical joint 4 on the finger body 30 side is fitted.
1 is connected to the optical joint 17 on the mounting portion 3 side.

Here, when compressed air is sent to the tube 16 from a drive source (not shown), the compressed air drives the jaw 31 via the insertion tube 38, the air connection hole 12 and the main reference shaft 34 to grip an article (not shown). After gripping the article, the optical signal transmitted from the signal generation source (not shown) to the light projecting fiber 18 in the tube 44 through the optical joints 17 and 41 is transmitted to the detection end 45.
The light is emitted from the detection end 45, reflected by the gripped article, and again sent to the light receiving fiber 19 in the tube 44 through the detection end 45 to confirm the grip of the article by the jaw 31.
When the jaw 31 fails to grip the article or there is no article, no signal is transmitted to the light-receiving fiber 19, so that the end-of-article grip is confirmed.

Further, when the finger body 30 is removed, if the attaching / detaching device 8 is pushed down, the steel ball 10 is pushed into the inner diameter portion of the attaching / detaching device 8 by the undercut portion 36, and the main reference shaft 34 can be pulled out from the main reference hole 5. it can.

As described above, in the finger replacement work of the assembling robot, the operation of pushing the attachment / detachment device 8 to insert / pull out the finger main body 30 into / from the finger mounting portion 3 can be completed with one touch, and a plurality of pneumatic circuits can be connected. And, the connection of the optical signal circuit can be completed at the same time.

When the drive source used in the finger body 30 requires not only compressed air but a power source, electrical contacts are attached to the finger attachment part 3 and the finger body 30 side, and the electrical circuit is attached at the same time when the finger body 30 is attached. Connection can be made. Also, when the necessary information in the finger body 30 is an electric circuit, it can be dealt with by the same method.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can also be used as a replacement device for various tooling units of a robot, for example, a fastening unit such as a screw tightener or an ultrasonic welding machine, an oil applicator, an adhesive applicator, a head inspection device or other head replacement device. It can also be used as Further, the present invention can be applied to finger devices such as fingers and jaws and finger devices having different types of article gripping such as vacuum suction.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the finger device according to the present invention confirms an article by irradiating the article with an optical signal from the detection end at the same time as grasping the article. It is possible to shift, and it is possible to avoid performing the next operation even when gripping the end of the article.
In this case, since the optical signals entering and exiting the detection end use the single optical fiber for projection and the optical fiber for light reception, the assembly of the signal transmission system is easy and the maintainability is excellent.

Further, in the present invention, the optical signal guided from the optical joint of the finger body is projected toward the article held by the jaw, and the detection end for receiving the reflected light by the held article is arranged at the article holding position of the jaw. However, the confirmation of the article holding by the jaw is performed by the optical signal transmitted to the robot main body through the detection end and the optical joint, so that the confirmation of the article gripping is converted into an electric signal by the optical-electrical signal conversion, and thus the robot control can be performed at a high level. Higher precision and higher speed are possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the finger device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view of a finger attachment portion provided on a wrist portion of an assembling robot, and FIG. 2 is a side view of a finger body. . Reference numeral 1 is a wrist portion of the assembling robot, 3 is a finger mounting portion, 5 is a main reference hole, 6 is a sub reference hole, 7 is a cylindrical portion, 8 is an attaching / detaching device, 10 is a steel ball, 12 is an air connection hole, 17, 41 is an optical joint, 31 is a jaw, 34 is a main reference axis, 35 is a sub reference axis, 37 is an air connection hole, 38 is an insertion tube, 42 is a light projecting fiber, 43 is a light receiving fiber, and 44 is a tube. , 45
Is the detection end.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A 58-126087 (JP, A) JP-A 60-9690 (JP, A) JP-A 58-211875 (JP, A) JP-A 59- 59382 (JP, A) JP-A-56-109468 (JP, A) JP-A-53-4964 (JP, A) Actually developed Shou 63-79192 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An optical signal is projected between a jaw for holding an article and an optical joint of the robot main body on a finger main body which is configured to be detachable from a robot main body having an optical joint via a detachable portion. An optical joint for receiving light and a detection end for projecting light toward the article and receiving reflected light from the article are provided, and the projection joint light is integrated between the optical joint of the finger body and the detection end. A finger device comprising a fiber and an optical fiber for receiving light.