JPWO2008023560A1 - Double arm robot - Google Patents

Abstract

Each is equipped with a double arm that can move up and down independently, and by controlling the distance between the upper and lower support members to an appropriate range, the column is made compact, the installation area and turning radius are kept small, and the upper and lower support members are operated. Provided is a double arm type robot capable of suppressing adverse effects on the accompanying work. Two support members (101) and (102) for supporting two articulated arms arranged vertically, and a moving mechanism for connecting the two support members so as to be movable in the vertical direction along the column (12). In the double arm robot (1) provided with (11), one or both of the two support members (101) and (102) move up and down to move the two support members (101) and (102) up and down. When the interval in the direction increases and the interval reaches the first predetermined value, the vertical movement of the support members (101) and (102) is stopped.

Description

  The present invention relates to a robot provided with an arm for taking a thin plate-like workpiece such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer into and out of a stocker, and more particularly to a double arm type robot provided with two arms.

Conventionally, robots are often used for transporting thin plate-like workpieces such as glass substrates and semiconductor wafers. In particular, in recent years, as the glass for liquid crystal panels and PDPs (plasma display panels) increases in size, the tendency to increase the size of robots that transport them is also remarkable.
Under these circumstances, in order to save the space of the robot and increase the transfer efficiency and improve the throughput, a double arm type robot having two arms for placing and transferring a workpiece is employed.
In particular, by adopting a double-arm robot with two arms installed at different heights in the vertical direction, one arm carries workpieces into the stocker while the other arm carries workpieces from another shelf in the stocker. The transfer efficiency can be improved, and the two arms can be arranged so as to overlap each other in the vertical direction, thereby reducing the area required for installing the robot and saving space (for example, patents). Reference 1).

FIG. 7 shows a double arm type robot disclosed in Patent Document 1. In FIG. The double arm robot of Patent Document 1 has a mechanism in which two arms are connected to one support member to move up and down. Therefore, the vertical distance between the two arms is constant and the two arms move up and down at the same time. Done. Therefore, there is a problem in that the vertical distance between the two arms cannot be changed or the vertical movement cannot be performed independently of each other.
That is, when the pitch (vertical interval) of the shelf such as the stocker does not coincide with the vertical interval between the two arms, the work stored in the shelf with the stocker is first carried out with one arm, and then 2 One arm is moved in the vertical direction, and the other arm performs an operation of unloading the workpiece from another shelf, and the transfer cycle time becomes long even though the two arms are provided.

In order to solve such a problem, there has been one in which two arms can be individually moved up and down (for example, Patent Document 2).
A double arm type robot described in Patent Document 2 is shown in FIG. Since the vertical spacing between the two horizontal articulated arms 45A, 45B can be freely changed, the two arms are simultaneously adjusted to match the vertical spacing of the arms with the pitch of a shelf such as a stocker. It is possible to carry in and out. As a result, the conveyance efficiency can be improved by taking advantage of the double arm.
Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the double arm type robot arm described in Patent Document 2 has two arms formed by alternately projecting the side portions of the two support members 44A and 44B that support the respective arms. The vertical distance is not set to be less than a predetermined minimum distance.
JP 2001-274218 A JP 2005-150575 A

However, the double arm robot of Patent Document 2 has the following problems.
Since the contact surfaces of the side portions of the upper and lower support members 44A and 44B are exposed to the outside, particles may be generated at the time of contact, which may adversely affect a work requiring high cleanliness. Further, since the supporting members having larger masses are in contact with each other, there is a possibility that the workpiece on the hand (48A, 48B) is displaced due to the impact at that time, and in the worst case, it is dropped from the hand.
Further, since the side portions of the support members 44A and 44B protrude greatly, the mass increases, and accordingly, the drive mechanism such as a motor and a power transmission mechanism for moving the arms 45A and 45B and the support members 44A and 44B up and down is also increased. There was a problem.

Further, although not described in detail in Patent Document 2, each arm, support member, and column (41A, 41B) each has a drive source for each arm or support member or the position of each arm or support member. Cables for the purpose and sensors are provided for the purpose of detecting a workpiece placed on the hand.
In the case where the two arms individually move up and down, the cables also move up and down in the column as the arms move up and down, so that a sufficient space is required inside the column. As a result, the column becomes larger as the stroke of the vertical movement of the arm increases, leading to an increase in installation area and turning radius. For example, in the double arm type robot of Patent Document 2, there are two columns (41A and 41B) for holding the support member. As a result, a large installation area is required, or the turning radius by the turning mechanism of the pedestal 50 is increased. There was a problem that became larger.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, each of which includes a double arm that can be independently moved up and down, and improves the conveyance efficiency by controlling the interval between the upper and lower support members within an appropriate range. It is another object of the present invention to provide a double-arm robot capable of reducing the installation area and turning radius by reducing the size of the column and suppressing adverse effects on the workpiece caused by the operation of the upper and lower support members.

  In order to solve the above problem, the present invention is configured as follows.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there are provided a hand unit on which a transported article is placed, a hand unit connected to the hand unit, having at least two rotary joints, and extending and contracting to move the hand unit in one direction. Two joint arms are arranged up and down, two support members for supporting the two multi-joint arms, a column to which the two support members are attached, and the two support members are vertically moved along the column. In a double arm type robot provided with a moving mechanism coupled to the column so as to be movable in the direction, the vertical distance between the two support members is expanded by moving one or both of the two support members up and down, When the interval reaches the first predetermined value, the vertical movement of the support member is stopped.

  In the invention according to claim 2, when one or both of the two support members moves up and down, the interval between the two support members becomes narrow, and when the interval reaches a second predetermined value, The vertical movement of the support member is stopped.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the two support members each have a protrusion portion installed in the column toward the other support member, the protrusion portion including a limit switch, and the limit switch is The two support members are actuated by the protrusions of the other support member when the vertical interval between the two support members reaches the first predetermined value or the second predetermined value.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, one or both of the two support members each include a distance sensor installed toward the other support member, and the distance sensor is in the vertical direction of the two support members. It is characterized by measuring the interval of.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, there are provided a hand unit on which a transported article is placed, a hand unit that is connected to the hand unit, has at least two rotary joints, and is extended and retracted to move the hand unit in one direction. Two joint arms are arranged up and down, two support members for supporting the two multi-joint arms, a column to which the two support members are attached, and the two support members are vertically moved along the column. In a double arm type robot having a moving mechanism that is connected to the column so as to be movable in the direction, a cable disposed in the first multi-joint arm disposed above the two multi-joint arms is The second support member after being disposed outside the first support member via the inside of the first support member that supports the first articulated arm of the two support members. Inside And the cable disposed in the second articulated arm, together with the cable accommodated from the first support member, goes into the column via the second support member. The cable is housed, and the cable inside the column is arranged to the lower end of the column and then arranged to the outside of the double arm type robot.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the cable disposed between the first support member and the second support member changes when one or both of the two support members move up and down. The distance between the two support members in the vertical direction is longer than a preset upper limit value, and after going out of the first support member, it is stored in the second support member in a substantially U shape. It is characterized by this.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the two support members protrude in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the hand part to support the articulated arm, and are orthogonal to the moving direction of the hand part of the column. The cable attached to the surface to be mounted and disposed between the first support member and the second support member is provided on the opposite side of the protruding direction of the two support members. It is.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the cable disposed in the column is disposed to the lower end of the column via a cable mooring portion provided at a substantially central portion in the height direction of the column. It is characterized by.

  The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that the articulated arm is a horizontal articulated arm in which the rotary joint rotates about a vertical axis.

  The invention described in claim 10 is characterized in that the two articulated arms are supported by the support members so as to face each other in the vertical direction.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the interval between the two support members can be made to correspond to the pitches of shelves such as various stockers, thereby improving the work transfer efficiency.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, even when the distance between the two support members is reduced, the vertical movement is stopped without the support members being in direct contact with each other. Can be suppressed.
According to the third to fourth aspects of the invention, when the distance between the two support members is controlled within a certain range, it is possible to suppress the generation of particles and vibrations that adversely affect the workpiece.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the two articulated arms can be independently moved up and down while the cables arranged in the two arms can be integrated into the column. Can be made compact.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the cable disposed between the two support members can flexibly cope with a change in the vertical distance between the two support members, and no tension is applied.
According to the invention described in claim 7, when the cable disposed between the two support members can be disposed as far as possible from the hand portion, and particles are generated from the cable as the support member moves up and down. However, adverse effects on the work placed on the hand part can be eliminated as much as possible.
According to the eighth aspect of the invention, the configuration in the column can be simplified while the cable in the column corresponds to the vertical movement of the support member, and the column can be made compact.
According to the ninth to tenth aspects of the present invention, the minimum distance between the two arms in the vertical direction can be reduced, and it is possible to deal with stockers having various pitches, and the installation area and turning radius of the double arm robot can be reduced. Can be suppressed.

The perspective view of the double arm type robot of the present invention Three views of the double arm type robot of the present invention Side view showing an operation example of the present invention Sectional drawing explaining operation | movement of a stopper mechanism when the space | interval between support members becomes large Sectional drawing explaining operation | movement of a stopper mechanism when the space | interval between support members becomes small. 3 views showing the state of cable wiring of the double arm type robot of the present invention The perspective view of the double arm type robot of patent document 1 The perspective view of the double arm type robot of patent document 2 The perspective view which shows operation | movement of the supporting member of the double arm type robot of patent document 2

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Double arm type robot 2 Horizontal articulated arm 3 Shoulder joint part 4 Elbow joint part 5 Hand joint part 6 Upper arm 7 Forearm 8 Hand part 9 Work 10 Support member 11 Vertical movement mechanism 12 Column 13 Base 14 Base 16 Column block 17 External Cable 18 Internal cable 19 Bracket 21 Upper arm 22 Lower arm 31, 32 Stopper mechanism 33, 34 Stopper mechanism 101 Upper support member 102 Lower support member 41A Left column 41B Right column 44A Lower arm support member 44B Upper arm support member 45A Horizontal articulated arm 45B Upper horizontal articulated arm 48A Lower hand 48B Upper hand 50 Base 51 Lower fastening plate 52 Upper fastening plate

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a double arm type robot according to the present invention. The double-arm robot 1 of the present invention includes a horizontal articulated arm 2 that is rotatably connected by a shoulder joint part 3, an elbow joint part 4, and a hand joint part 5 and transmits a rotational force from a rotational drive source to perform a desired operation. 2 sets. Further, the hand unit 8 mounted on the tip of the arm 2 for placing the workpiece is linearly operated by the arm 2 in the expansion / contraction direction (X-axis direction of the orthogonal coordinate system) shown in the drawing, Carry out the unloading operation.
Reference numerals 101 and 102 denote arm support members, 101 is configured to suspend one arm, and 102 is configured to support the other arm. The arms 2 are respectively connected to the support member 101 or 102 by the shoulder joint portion 3, and as a result, the two arms are arranged so as to face each other in the vertical direction.
Further, the double arm type robot 1 of the present invention includes a vertical movement mechanism 11 that individually moves the support members 101 and 102 up and down along the column 12 so that the vertical position of the arm 2 can be adjusted.
By arranging the two arms 2 so as to face each other as described above, the vertical distance between the two hand portions 8 when the support members 101 and 102 are brought closest to each other can be made as small as possible. It becomes possible to deal with stockers.

FIG. 2 is a trihedral view showing details of the operation of the double arm robot of the present invention.
FIG. 2A is a top view and corresponds to a view looking down from the Z-axis direction to the origin direction in the orthogonal coordinate system of FIG. FIG. 2B is a side view and corresponds to a view seen from the origin of the orthogonal coordinate system of FIG. 1 in the Y-axis direction. FIG. 2C is a front view, which corresponds to a view seen from the origin of the orthogonal coordinate system of FIG. 1 in the X-axis direction. In FIG. 2, the hand portion 8 is omitted.
FIG. 2A shows the expansion / contraction operation range of the arm 2. In the figure, the state in which the arm 2 is folded so that the upper arm 6 and the forearm 7 overlap each other is indicated by a solid line, and the maximum stroke of the expansion / contraction operation is indicated by a dotted line.
The pedestal 13 is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the base 14, and the column 12 can be turned together with the arm 2 and the supporting member so that the direction thereof can be changed. This turning function makes it possible to perform work transfer work on a plurality of stockers arranged around the double-arm robot 1 and improve work efficiency per unit area.

On the other hand, FIG. 2B and FIG. In the figure, the state where the arm 2 is positioned at the upper end of the lifting operation is indicated by a solid line, and the state where the arm 2 is positioned at the lower end of the lifting operation is indicated by a dotted line.
As shown in FIG. 2A, the vertical movement mechanism 11 is arranged in the same direction as the extension direction of the hand portion 8 with respect to the column 12, and the support members 101 and 102 are moved from the vertical movement mechanism 11 to the movement direction of the hand portion 8. The shoulder joint 3 of the arm 2 is connected to the tip thereof. With such an arrangement, the column 12 does not get in the way when the arm 2 expands and contracts.

As can be seen from FIG. 2A, the rotation center axes of the shoulder joint portions 3 of the two arms 2 are not collinear, and the shoulder joint portion 3 of the lower arm 22 is relative to the shoulder joint portion 3 of the upper arm 21. The hand portion 8 is arranged offset in the extending direction.
Further, since the support member 102 connected to the lower arm 22 is also offset in the extending direction of the hand portion 8 with respect to the support member 101, it interferes with the base 13 when the support member 102 moves downward by the vertical movement mechanism 11. Therefore, it is possible to increase the lifting / lowering operation range. Moreover, the vertical movement mechanism 11 is covered with a protective cover (not shown) having a shielding function, and suppresses particles generated inside the column 12 from scattering to the outside.

In the double arm type robot according to the present invention, the support members 101 and 102 individually move up and down along the column 12 to adjust the vertical distance between the two arms according to the pitch of the stocker. The carrying efficiency can be improved by carrying out unloading at the same time.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, first, at a height of 1000 [mm] from the installation surface, workpieces are simultaneously carried out from the stocker A (not shown) by the respective arms, and then the pedestal 13 is turned to change the direction of the column 12. The support members 101 and 102 are raised while the arms simultaneously carry workpieces to a stocker B (not shown) having a height of 3000 [mm] from the installation surface (the stocker A and the shelf have different pitches). Can be done.
Here, if the pitch of the shelf of stocker B is larger than the pitch of the shelf of stocker A, and the distance between the support members 101 and 102 needs to be increased by 50 [mm] from the case of stocker A in order to match the stocker B, The vertical movement distance of the support member 101 is 2050 [mm], and the movement distance of the support member 102 is 2000 [mm]. In this case, since the ratio of the movement distance between the support member 101 and the support member 102 is 2050: 2000 = 1.005: 1, the movement speed of the support member 101 is 2.5 [% with respect to the movement speed of the support member 102. It is possible to match the pitch of the shelf of Stocker B by setting it fast, starting the movement of the two support members simultaneously, and stopping them simultaneously.
That is, even when the vertical movement amounts of the support members 101 and 102 are different, the movement speeds of both are appropriately adjusted according to the difference, and the movement is started and stopped at the same time to move to a desired position in a short time. be able to.
Further, when the stocker A and the stocker B have the same shelf pitch, the movement speeds of the support members 101 and 102 may be the same, and the two support members may be moved simultaneously and stopped simultaneously.

On the other hand, the support members 101 and 102 are configured such that the distance between them does not fall outside a certain range. As a result, it is possible to simplify the movement control of the support members 101 and 102 as described above, and to make the intervals correspond to the pitches of various shelves. As in the case of a double arm type robot in which two arms move up and down as one body, it can be made compact.
Below, the mechanism which restrict | limits the space | interval of the supporting members 101 and 102 to a fixed range is demonstrated.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a partial cross section of the support members 101 and 102 and the vertical movement mechanism 11 when viewed from the same direction as FIG. A part of the vertical movement mechanism 11 is stored in the column 12.
As described above, the two support members 101 and 102 individually move up and down along the column 12, but the stopper mechanisms 31 and 32 are configured so that the distance between them does not exceed a certain value. The stopper mechanism 31 is L-shaped and moves up and down in the column 12 integrally with the support member 101, and the stopper mechanism 32 is T-shaped and moves in the column 12 integrally with the support member 102. Move up and down.
When the distance between the support members 101 and 102 is small, the state is as shown in FIG. 4A. However, when either or both of the support members 101 and 102 are moved up and down to increase the distance, FIG. As shown in b), the T-shaped stopper mechanism 32 is hooked on the L-shaped stopper mechanism 31. With this mechanism, the distance between the support members 101 and 102 does not exceed a predetermined size. Further, when a certain load is applied to the drive mechanism that moves the support members 101 and 102 up and down, a robot controller (not shown) that detects this stops the operation of the drive mechanism. There is no overload.
Further, even if the support member 102 falls along the column 12 due to gravity due to a failure of the vertical movement mechanism 11 or the like, the support member 102 stops in a state of hanging from the support member 101 by this mechanism, so that the support member 102 is lowered by the lower arm 22. It can prevent falling to the base 13 together.
Since the stopper mechanisms 31 and 32 are housed in the column 12, particles generated when the stopper is brought into contact are not directly scattered on the workpiece, and adverse effects on the workpiece can be suppressed. Further, by using an elastic body for the contact portions of the stopper mechanisms 31 and 32, the impact applied to the support member when the stopper mechanisms 31 and 32 are in contact can be alleviated, and the displacement of the workpiece placed on the hand portion 8 can be reduced. Can be suppressed.

Next, a stopper mechanism that functions when the distance between the support members 101 and 102 is reduced will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of a part of the support members 101 and 102 and the vertical movement mechanism 11 when viewed from the same direction as FIG. In this embodiment, the stopper mechanisms 33 and 34 shown in FIG. 4 are arranged in front of the stopper mechanisms 31 and 32 shown in FIG.
When either or both of the support members 101 and 102 move up and down and the interval between them becomes small, the state shown in FIG. 5A changes to the state shown in FIG. Touch. As a result, the distance between the support members 101 and 102 is not further reduced. Similarly to the case of FIG. 4, when a load exceeding a certain level is applied to the drive mechanism that moves the support members 101 and 102 up and down, a robot controller (not shown) that detects the load stops the operation of the drive mechanism. The drive mechanism is not overloaded.
Since the stopper mechanisms 33 and 34 are also housed in the column 12, particles generated when the stopper is in contact are not directly scattered on the workpiece, and adverse effects on the workpiece can be suppressed. Further, by using an elastic body for the contact portions of the stopper mechanisms 33 and 34, the impact applied to the support member when the stopper mechanisms 33 and 34 are in contact can be alleviated, and the displacement of the workpiece placed on the hand portion 8 can be reduced. Can be suppressed.

In the above description, a simple mechanical mechanism is used as a mechanism for limiting the distance between the support members 101 and 102 within a certain range. However, this is merely an example, and other methods may be used. For example, a switch may be provided in one or both of the stopper mechanisms in FIGS. 4 and 5, and the switch may be pressed when the other stopper mechanism comes into contact. If the ON / OFF of the switch is detected by a robot controller (not shown) and the drive mechanism for moving the support members 101 and 102 up and down is stopped, the distance between the support members 101 and 102 is limited to a certain range. be able to.
Further, a distance sensor is provided on one or both of the support members 101 and 102 toward the other support member, and the distance between the support members 101 and 102 is similarly detected by the robot controller. If necessary, the support members 101 and 102 are provided. You may make it stop the drive mechanism which moves up and down. When the distance sensor is used, the contact between the support members 101 and 102 can be avoided, which is effective in suppressing the occurrence of particle and workpiece displacement. Furthermore, these methods may be used in combination.
Furthermore, by using such a configuration, the mass of the support member can be suppressed because there is no need to project the side portion of the support member significantly as in Patent Document 2, and the drive mechanism of the support member can be made compact accordingly. Can do.

  The length of the external cable 17 connecting the support members 101 and 102 is determined based on a predetermined maximum distance between the support members. Specifically, when the distance between the support members 101 and 102 is long enough so that no tension is applied, and when the distance between the support members 101 and 102 is minimized, a margin is provided. The length is long enough not to be excessive. Furthermore, it arrange | positions so that a substantially U shape may be drawn so that it can respond to the change of the space | interval of the supporting members 101 and 102 smoothly. The external cable 17 will be described later.

Next, cable wiring inside the double arm type robot of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 6 is a three-sided view showing a state of cable wiring inside the double arm type robot 1.
FIG. 6A is a top view similar to FIG. 2A and shows a state of cable wiring in the arm 2. In FIG. 6A, the cable wiring in the pedestal portion 13 is omitted.
FIG. 6B is a side view similar to FIG. 2B and shows the state of cable wiring in the support members 101 and 102 and in the column 12.
FIG. 6C is a front view similar to FIG. 2C, showing cable wiring in the arm 2, a part in the column 12, and the pedestal 13. In FIG. 5, the hand portion 8 is omitted.
In the support member 101, a drive mechanism for extending and retracting the upper arm 21 and a sensor cable for detecting the position of the workpiece placed on the hand unit 8 are housed. Similarly, in the support member portion 102, there are housed a drive mechanism for expanding and contracting the lower arm 22, and an internal cable 18 for a sensor for detecting the position of the workpiece placed on the hand portion 8. The cables in the support member 101 are collectively arranged as the external cable 17 so as to be exposed to the outside of the support member 101, and then stored in the support member 102. The lower arm passes through the support member 102. The two internal cables are collected in the column 12.
As shown in FIG. 6, the external cable 17 is arranged so as to be exposed on the back side of the connecting portion between the support members 101 and 102 and the arm 2. By disposing the external cable far from the hand portion 8 in this way, it is possible to eliminate as much as possible the adverse effects on the workpiece caused by particles generated from the external cable 17 when the distance between the support members 101 and 102 changes.

As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the internal cable 18 in the column 12 is arranged in a form that is anchored to the center of the column 12 by a bracket 19 and the S-shape is laid sideways. By mooring the internal cable 18 at the center, no tension is applied to the internal cable 18 when the support members 101 and 102 are moved up and down. Furthermore, the internal cable 18 can be made to follow the vertical movement of the support members 101 and 102 with a simple configuration, and the column can be made compact.
The internal cable 18 passes through the inside of the pedestal 13 from the lower end of the column 12 and then goes out of the double arm robot 1. The cable that goes out is connected to a robot controller (not shown).

Assuming that cables are individually arranged from the support members 101 and 102 into the column 12, facilities and spaces for appropriately routing the cables in the column 12 corresponding to the vertical movement of the support members. Is required. That is, the column 12 becomes larger and the mass increases, so that the installation area becomes larger, or a large drive device is required to turn the pedestal 13.
On the other hand, the cable in the support member 101 is accommodated in the support member 102 and is accommodated in the column 12 from the support member 102, so that the cables in the column 12 are combined into one and the column 12 is compact and The weight can be reduced, and the installation area of the double arm type robot can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the conveyance application of a thin plate-like workpiece such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer has been described as an example, but it goes without saying that the mechanism of the present invention can be widely used for other conveyance applications.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there are provided a hand unit on which a transported article is placed, a hand unit connected to the hand unit, having at least two rotary joints, and extending and contracting to move the hand unit in one direction. Two articulated arms are arranged above and below, a first supporting member that supports a first articulated arm arranged above the two articulated arms, and a position below the first supporting member. A second support member arranged to support a second multi-joint arm disposed below the two multi-joint arms and to overlap the first support member; and the two support members In a double arm type robot having a column to be attached and a moving mechanism for connecting the two support members to the column so as to be movable in the vertical direction along the columns, the two support members are arranged in the vertical direction. Interval Coupled with variability within said column within a range of said one or both of the two support members is wider vertical spacing of the two support members by vertical movement, that interval the first predetermined When the value is reached, the vertical movement of the support member is stopped.

The invention according to claim 5, wherein the two cables disposed within the first articulated arm which is arranged above of an articulated arm, of the two support members, said first stored into the second support member via the inside of the supporting member after being disposed outside of said first support member, the second interior disposed cable articulated arm And the cable housed from the first support member and housed in the column via the inside of the second support member, and the cable inside the column is disposed to the lower end of the column and then It is arranged outside the double arm type robot.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there are provided a hand unit on which a transported article is placed, a hand unit connected to the hand unit, having at least two rotary joints, and extending and contracting to move the hand unit in one direction. Two articulated arms are arranged above and below, a first supporting member that supports a first articulated arm arranged above the two articulated arms, and a position below the first supporting member. A second support member arranged to support a second multi-joint arm disposed below the two multi-joint arms and to overlap the first support member; and the two support members In a double arm type robot comprising a column to be attached and a moving mechanism for connecting the two support members to the column so as to be independently movable in the vertical direction along the columns, the two support members are Up and down The distance between the two supporting members is increased by moving one or both of the two supporting members up and down, and the distance between the two supporting members is increased. When the predetermined value of 1 is reached, the vertical movement of the support member is stopped , and one or both of the two support members move up and down to narrow the vertical distance between the two support members. When the value reaches the second predetermined value, the vertical movement of the support member is stopped .

The invention according to claim 2, wherein the two support members have the protruding portions respectively in the column was established toward the other support member, the protrusion is provided with a limit switch, the limit switch The two support members are actuated by the protrusions of the other support member when the vertical interval between the two support members reaches the first predetermined value or the second predetermined value.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, one or both of the two support members each include a distance sensor installed toward the other support member, and the distance sensor is in the vertical direction of the two support members. It is characterized by measuring the interval of.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the cable disposed inside the first multi-joint arm disposed above the two multi-joint arms is the first support arm of the two support members. A cable disposed inside the second support member after being disposed outside the first support member via the interior of the support member, and disposed inside the second articulated arm, And the cable housed from the first support member and housed in the column via the inside of the second support member, and the cable inside the column is disposed to the lower end of the column and then It is arranged outside the double arm type robot.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the cable disposed between the first support member and the second support member changes when one or both of the two support members move up and down. The distance between the two support members in the vertical direction is longer than a preset upper limit value, and after going out of the first support member, it is stored in the second support member in a substantially U shape. It is characterized by this.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the two support members protrude in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the hand part to support the articulated arm, and are orthogonal to the moving direction of the hand part of the column. The cable attached to the surface to be mounted and disposed between the first support member and the second support member is provided on the opposite side of the protruding direction of the two support members. It is.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the cable disposed in the column is disposed to the lower end of the column via a cable mooring portion provided at a substantially central portion in the height direction of the column. It is characterized by.

The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that the articulated arm is a horizontal articulated arm in which the rotary joint rotates about a vertical axis.

The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that the two articulated arms are supported by the support members so as to face each other in the vertical direction.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the interval between the two support members can be made to correspond to the pitches of shelves such as various stockers, thereby improving the work transfer efficiency.
Further, even when the distance between the two support members is reduced, the vertical movement is stopped without the support members being in direct contact with each other, so that generation of particles or vibrations that adversely affect the workpiece can be suppressed.
According to the second to third aspects of the invention, when the distance between the two support members is controlled within a certain range, generation of particles and vibrations that adversely affect the workpiece can be suppressed.
According to the invention described in claim 4 , the two articulated arms can be independently moved up and down, and the cables arranged in the two arms can be integrated into the column, Can be made compact.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the cable disposed between the two support members can flexibly cope with a change in the vertical distance between the two support members, and no tension is applied.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the cable disposed between the two support members can be disposed as far as possible from the hand portion, and particles are generated from the cable as the support member moves up and down. However, adverse effects on the work placed on the hand part can be eliminated as much as possible.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the configuration in the column can be simplified while the cable in the column corresponds to the vertical movement of the support member, and the column can be made compact.
According to the invention described in claims 8 to 9 , the minimum distance between the two arms in the vertical direction can be reduced, so that it can cope with stockers of various pitches, and the installation area and turning radius of the double arm type robot can be reduced. Can be suppressed.

Claims (10)

Two hand-jointed arms, which are connected to the hand part for placing the object to be conveyed, and have at least two rotary joints and extend and contract so as to move the hand part in one direction, are arranged up and down. ,
Two supporting members that respectively support the two articulated arms;
A column to which the two support members are attached;
A double arm type robot having a moving mechanism for connecting the two support members to the column so as to be movable in the vertical direction along the column;
When one or both of the two support members move up and down, an interval in the vertical direction of the two support members increases, and when the interval reaches a first predetermined value, the up and down operation of the support member is stopped. A double-arm robot characterized by   When one or both of the two support members move up and down, the vertical interval between the two support members becomes narrow, and when the interval reaches a second predetermined value, the vertical movement of the support member is stopped. The double arm type robot according to claim 1.   The two support members each have a protrusion that is installed in the column toward the other support member, the protrusion includes a limit switch, and the limit switch includes a vertical direction of the two support members. 3. The double arm robot according to claim 1, wherein when the distance between the first and second predetermined values becomes the first predetermined value or the second predetermined value, the double arm type robot is actuated by the protrusion of the other support member.   One or both of the two support members each include a distance sensor installed toward the other support member, and the distance sensor measures a vertical interval between the two support members. The double arm type robot according to claim 1 or 2. Two hand-jointed arms, which are connected to the hand part for placing the object to be conveyed, and have at least two rotary joints and extend and contract so as to move the hand part in one direction, are arranged up and down. ,
Two supporting members that respectively support the two articulated arms;
A column to which the two support members are attached;
A double arm type robot having a moving mechanism for connecting the two support members to the column so as to be movable in the vertical direction along the column;
The cable disposed inside the first multi-joint arm disposed above the two multi-joint arms is a first cable that supports the first multi-joint arm among the two support members. After being disposed outside the first support member via the inside of the support member, the second support member is housed.
The cable disposed inside the second articulated arm is housed inside the column via the inside of the second support member together with the cable housed from the first support member, The double-arm robot is characterized in that a cable inside the column is disposed outside the double-arm robot after being disposed at the lower end of the column.   The cable disposed between the first support member and the second support member changes in the vertical direction of the two support members that changes when one or both of the two support members move up and down. 6. The interval is longer than a preset upper limit value, and is stored in the second support member in a substantially U shape after going out of the first support member. Double arm robot.   The two support members project in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the hand part to support the articulated arm, and are attached to a surface of the column perpendicular to the moving direction of the hand part. 6. The double-arm robot according to claim 5, wherein a cable disposed between the support member and the second support member is provided on a side opposite to a protruding direction of the two support members.   6. The cable disposed in the column is disposed to a lower end of the column via a cable mooring portion provided at a substantially central portion in the height direction of the column. Double arm robot.   6. The double-arm robot according to claim 1, wherein the multi-joint arm is a horizontal multi-joint arm in which the rotary joint rotates about a vertical axis.   6. The double-arm robot according to claim 1, wherein the two articulated arms are supported by the support member so as to face each other in the vertical direction.

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