TWI771556B - Robot end effector mounting structure and robot end effector - Google Patents

Abstract

Improve the recovery accuracy of the end effector's installation position relative to the robot-side fixed part.

Provided is an end effector mounting structure for a robot, comprising: a robot-side fixing member having a mounting portion provided with a first protruding portion; an end effector having a mounted portion provided with a second protruding portion; wherein the One of the mounting portion and the mounted portion is provided with a phase determination portion, and the other is provided with a phase determination groove into which the phase determination portion is inserted, the phase determination groove having a high-hardness member, and the phase determination portion is inserted into the phase determination portion. When the mounted portion is rotated relative to the mounting portion in the state of the phase determining groove, the phase determining portion abuts on the high-hardness member, and engages with the second protruding portion via the first protruding portion The end effector is mounted on the robot side fixing member, and the hardness of the high-hardness member is higher than the hardness of the peripheral portion of the high-hardness member in the phase determination groove.

Description

Robot end effector mounting structure and robot end effector end effector

The present invention relates to a robot end effector attachment structure for attaching an end effector to a robot-side fixing member, and a robot end effector that can use the attachment structure.

In the production process of the product, various operations are performed on the workpiece, such as transferring the workpiece, changing the attitude of the workpiece, welding to the workpiece, and screwing. With the promotion of factory automation in recent years, factories where such operations are automated by robotic arms can be seen everywhere. At the tip of the robot arm, a part of the "end effector" that directly works on the manipulation object such as a workpiece is attached.

As the robot end effector, there are various types depending on the form or property of the operation object, and the mode of performing the operation on the operation object. For example, there are gripper-type end effectors capable of grasping an operation object (for example, refer to the symbol 1 (end effector) in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1.), and suction-type end effectors capable of sucking the operation object (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). 2 Symbol 3 in Figure 1 (Suction type end effector with a holder.) etc. Many end effectors for robots are attached so as to be detachable to and from the robot-side fixing member so that they can be replaced.

Patent Document 2 discloses a mounting structure of an end effector for a robot-side fixing member (for example, refer to page 3 of Patent Document 2, upper left column, line 9 to lower right column, line 14, and FIG. 4 ). The mounting structure described in Patent Document 2 is applied to a mounting portion of a camera body of a single-lens reflex camera as a mounting structure for an interchangeable lens. The operator can mount the end effector on the robot-side fixing member by a simple operation of pressing the end-effector relative to the robot-side fixing member and rotating it in the mounting direction. In addition, the operator can remove the end effector from the robot side fixing member by a simple operation of rotating the end effector in the opposite mounting direction to pull it out from the robot side fixing member.

Hereinafter, as in the above-described mounting structure, when the end effector is mounted on the robot-side fixing member, the operation of pressing the end effector into the robot-side fixing member is referred to as "press-in operation (of the mounting structure) at the time of mounting". In addition, the operation of rotating the end effector with respect to the robot-side stationary member is referred to as "rotation operation at the time of installation (of the installation structure)."

【Existing technical documents】

【Patent Documents】

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-074638

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-306891

However, in the conventional mounting structure of the end effector for a robot, the end effector is repeatedly attached and detached, and the rotation angle of the end effector changes during the rotation operation at the time of installation, and the end effector with respect to the robot-side fixing member is changed. The installation position of the device changes in the rotation direction of the rotation operation at the time of installation as described above.

Therefore, in the mounting structure of the end effector for a robot, in the above-mentioned pressing operation at the time of mounting, one of the robot-side fixing member and the end effector is provided with a phase setting pin, and the phase setting pin is inserted into the other one. The arc-shaped phase determination slot near one end. Then, in the rotation operation at the time of installation, the end effector is rotated so that the rotation phase determination pin changes from a state near one end of the phase determination groove to a state in close proximity to the other end of the phase determination groove.

Generally, the rotational mounting position of the end effector with respect to the robot-side fixing member (the mounting position in the rotational direction of the rotational operation at the time of the above-mentioned mounting. The same applies hereinafter) is the other end through the phase determination pin and the phase determination groove. The structure determined by the abutment position. Therefore, after the end effector is repeatedly attached and detached, and the phase determination pin repeatedly collides with the other end of the phase determination slot, the other end of the phase determination slot is worn and dented. When the phase determination groove becomes more worn or dented, the operator has to replace the end effector or peripheral parts.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to make it difficult to change the mounting position of the end effector with respect to the robot-side fixing member in the mounting structure of the end effector for robots (that is, to improve the end effector). The installation of the device relative to the robot side fixed part position recovery accuracy). Another object of the present invention is to provide an end effector for a robot that can be applied to the mounting structure.

According to the present invention, there is provided a mounting structure for an end effector for a robot, comprising: a robot-side fixing member having a mounting portion provided with a first protruding portion; an end effector having a mounted portion provided with a second protruding portion; wherein one of the mounting portion and the mounted portion is provided with a phase determining portion, and the other is provided with a phase determining groove into which the phase determining portion is inserted, the phase determining groove has a high hardness member, and the phase determining portion is When the mounted portion is rotated relative to the mounting portion in a state where the phase determining portion is inserted into the phase determining groove, the phase determining portion abuts on the high-hardness member, and communicates with the first protruding portion through the first protruding portion. 2. The protrusions are engaged so that the end effector is attached to the robot-side fixing member, and the hardness of the high-hardness member is higher than the hardness of the peripheral portion of the high-hardness member in the phase determination groove.

To provide a mounting structure for an end effector for a robot, preferably the phase determination groove extends in an arc shape, the phase determination groove has a first end portion and a second end portion, and the high-hardness member is provided at the second end When the mounting portion is pressed against the mounted portion, the phase determination portion is inserted into the first end portion side of the phase determination groove, and the mounted portion is made to be relatively When the attachment portion is rotated so that the phase determination portion moves from the first end portion side to the second end portion side of the phase determination groove, the phase determination portion abuts on the high-hardness member, and the first end portion is in contact with the high-hardness member. The end effector is attached to the robot-side fixing member by engaging the first protrusion with the second protrusion.

To provide a mounting structure, preferably one of the mounting portion and the mounted portion is provided with a bearing hole portion, the other is provided with a shaft center portion inserted into the bearing hole portion, and the phase determining portion is movable to the The first and second abutting positions on the phase determining groove, and the first abutting position is when the mounted portion is rotated relative to the mounting portion, and the phase determining portion and the high-hardness member abut for the first time. The second contact position is a position closer to the second end side than the first contact position in the direction from the first end side to the second end side. When the phase determination part is rotated to move the phase determination part from the first abutment position to the second abutment position, the phase determination part is moved from the first abutment part through the surface of the high hardness member to which the phase determination part abuts. The abutting position is guided to the second abutting position, and when the phase determining portion is located at the second abutting position, the inner peripheral surface of the bearing hole portion partially abuts the outer peripheral surface of the shaft center portion.

A mounting structure is provided, preferably further including a rotational biasing mechanism that biases the mounted portion so as to move the phase determination portion from a first abutting position to a second abutting position.

To provide a mounting structure, it is preferable that the high-hardness member is provided at the first end in addition to the second end.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an end effector for a robot including a mounted portion attachable to a mounting portion provided on a robot-side fixing member, wherein the mounted portion has a phase determination portion inserted into the mounting portion The phase determination groove has a high-hardness member, and when the mounted portion is rotated relative to the mounting portion in a state where the phase determination portion is inserted into the phase determination groove, the phase determination the determining portion is in contact with the high-hardness member, The first protrusion of the mounting portion is engaged with the second protrusion of the mounted portion, and the hardness of the high-hardness member is higher than the hardness of the peripheral portion of the high-hardness member in the phase determining groove .

To provide an end effector for a robot, it is preferable that the phase determination groove extends in an arc shape, the phase determination groove has a first end portion and a second end portion, and the high-hardness member is provided at the second end portion. When the mounting portion is pressed against the mounted portion, the phase determining portion is inserted into the first end portion side of the phase determining groove, and the mounted portion is placed relative to the mounting portion. When the phase determination portion is rotated so that the phase determination portion moves from the first end portion side to the second end portion side of the phase determination groove, the phase determination portion abuts on the high-hardness member, and the first protrusion The portion is engaged with the second protruding portion.

As described above, in the mounting structure of the robot end effector provided by the present invention, the end portion of the phase determination groove is formed of a high-hardness member with a higher hardness than the peripheral portion thereof, so even if the phase determination pin is repeated with the phase determination groove The ends of the phase determination grooves are not easily worn or dented. Therefore, the attachment position of the end effector with respect to the robot-side fixing member is not easily changed in the rotation direction of the rotation operation when the attachment structure is attached.

10‧‧‧Robot side fixing parts

10a‧‧‧Installation

10b‧‧‧First protrusion

10c‧‧‧Phase determination pin

10d‧‧‧Bearing hole

10e‧‧‧Rotary force application mechanism

10e1‧‧‧Pressing parts

10e2‧‧‧Forcing parts

10e3‧‧‧Shell parts

11‧‧‧Cylinder

11a‧‧‧Air Compression Space

12‧‧‧Cylinder head

12a‧‧‧Rotation limit pin

12b‧‧‧Hole

13‧‧‧Pistons

14‧‧‧Piston head

15‧‧‧Clamping ring

15b‧‧‧Hole

16‧‧‧Lock nut

20‧‧‧End effector

20a‧‧‧Installed part

20b‧‧‧Second protrusion

20c‧‧‧Phase determination slot

20d‧‧‧Shaft

20e‧‧‧Reinforcing pins (high hardness parts)

20f‧‧‧Reinforcing pins (high hardness parts)

21‧‧‧Inlay ring

22‧‧‧Intermediate Ring

23‧‧‧Piston head connection

24‧‧‧Operation base

25‧‧‧Operation Department

50‧‧‧Robot Arm

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an end effector is attached to a robot-side fixing member using an end-effector attachment structure for a robot, the cross-sectional view being cut along _a plane including a center line L1 of the robot-side fixing member .

2 is a cross-sectional view of a robot-side fixing member showing a mounting structure using an end effector for a robot, the cross-sectional view being taken on _a plane including the center line L1 of the robot-side fixing member.

3 is a diagram showing a robot-side fixing member using a mounting structure for a robot end effector, specifically a diagram showing a state viewed from the side where the mounting portion is mounted (the right side when facing the direction of the paper in FIG. 2 ).

4 is a cross-sectional view showing an end effector using the attachment structure of the robot end effector, which is cut along a plane including the end effector center line L ₂ .

5 is a diagram showing an end effector using the attachment structure of the robot end effector, specifically a diagram showing a state viewed from the side to which the attached part is attached (the left side when facing the direction of the paper in FIG. 4 ).

FIG. 6 shows a state in the middle of mounting the end effector to the robot side fixing member using the mounting structure of the end effector for a robot, specifically when the mounted part of the end effector with the A-A plane shown in FIG. 1 as the cross section is in the attaching and detaching position sectional view.

Fig. 7 shows a state in which the end effector is attached to the robot-side fixing member using the attachment structure of the end effector for a robot, specifically when the attached portion of the end effector with the A-A plane shown in Fig. 1 as the cross-section is at the second position sectional view.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a rotation urging mechanism applicable to a mounting structure of an end effector for a robot.

9 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the phase determination pin and the bearing hole of the robot-side fixing member, and the phase determination groove and the shaft center part of the end effector, in which FIG. 9A shows that the attached part of the end effector is in second contact As for the positional relationship at the time of position, FIG. 9B shows the positional relationship when the attached portion of the end effector is at the first contact position.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of a rotational biasing mechanism applicable to the attachment structure of the robot end effector.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another rotational force applying mechanism applicable to the attachment structure of the robot end effector.

Preferred embodiments of the mounting structure of the end effector for robots (hereinafter, simply referred to as "mounting structure" or "mounting structure of the present embodiment") are specifically described with reference to the drawings.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the end effector 20 is mounted on the robot-side fixing member 10 using the mounting structure, the cross-sectional view being taken on _a plane including the center line L1 of the robot-side fixing member 10 . In cross-sectional views following the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 , in order to easily distinguish the robot-side fixing member 10 and the end effector 20 , the cross-section of the robot-side fixing member 10 is indicated by hatching drawn with an upper right diagonal line. The cross-section of the end effector is represented by shading drawn with an upper left slash. The cross section of the robot arm 50 is represented by hatching drawn with straight lines that are not inclined (straight lines perpendicular to the center lines L ₁ and L ₂ ).

The installation structure of this embodiment refers to a snap-fit installation structure. As shown in FIG. 1 , in the attachment structure of the present embodiment, the robot-side fixing member 10 is fixed to the distal end portion of the robot arm 50 , and the end effector 20 is attached to the robot arm 50 via the robot-side fixing member 10 . The object (part of the robot) to which the robot-side fixing member 10 is fixed is not particularly limited, as long as it is a component of the robot, and may be a component of components other than the robot arm 50 .

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the robot-side fixing member 10 using the attachment structure, the cross-section being taken on _a plane including the center line L1 of the robot-side fixing member 10 . 3 is a diagram showing the robot-side fixing member 10 using the attachment structure, and specifically a diagram showing a state viewed from the side where the attachment portion 10a is attached (the right side when facing the paper direction of FIG. 2 ). In the mounting structure of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 , the robot-side fixing member 10 includes a cylinder 11 , a cylinder head 12 , a piston 13 , a piston head 14 , a crimp ring 15 , and a lock nut 16 .

The cylinder 11 is a bottomed cylindrical member having a compressed air space 11 a therein, and the open end of the cylinder 11 is closed by a cylinder head 12 . The piston 13 is accommodated in the compressed air space 11a in _a slidable state parallel to the center line L1. The piston head 14 is fixed to a portion of the piston 13 exposed to the outside from the air pressure space 11a. As a result, when the air pressure of the portion located on the left side of the piston 13 in the air pressure space 11a in the figure increases, the piston 13 slides to the right side in FIG. 2, and the piston head 14 protrudes a lot. Contrary to this, when the air pressure of the portion located on the right side of the piston 13 in the air pressure space 11a in the drawing increases, the piston 13 slides to the left side in FIG. 2 and the protruding amount of the piston head 14 decreases. The air pressure of the air pressure space 11a can be controlled by air pressure control means (not shown).

A screw portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder head 12 . The cylinder head 12 is screwed and fixed to a screwed portion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lock nut 16 . The bearing hole portion 10d is provided on the surface of the cylinder head 12 on which the end effector 20 is attached (the surface facing the right side in the direction of the drawing in FIG. 2 . Hereinafter, referred to as "end effector mounting surface"). The bearing hole portion 10d is formed so that the outer peripheral end surface thereof has _a circular shape centered on the center line L1. The inner peripheral surface of the bearing hole portion 10d is used as a positioning reference for the position of the end effector ₂₀ in the direction perpendicular to the center line L1. The peripheral portion of the bearing hole portion 10d on the end effector mounting surface of the cylinder head 12 serves as a positioning reference for the position of the end effector ₂₀ in the direction parallel to the center line L1.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the crimping ring 15 is an annular member, and a plurality of (three in the example in the figure) first protrusions 10b are provided inwardly on the inner peripheral portion thereof. Therefore, the crimping ring 15 has a petal-like inner peripheral shape. The crimping ring 15 is screwed to the cylinder head 12 via the lock nut 16 , and is in a state of being sandwiched by the cylinder head 12 and the lock nut 16 . The cylinder head 12 is provided with a rotation restricting pin 12a. The rotation restricting pin 12a acts to restrict the rotation of the clamping ring 15 when the lock nut 16 is screwed to the cylinder head 12 so that the clamping ring 15 does not follow the locking The nut 16 is rotated. A rotary biasing mechanism 10e is provided on the end effector mounting surface of the cylinder head 12 . The function of the rotational force applying mechanism 10e will be described later. As described below, the rotational biasing mechanism 10e may be provided on the inner peripheral portion of the crimping ring 15 . In addition, a phase determination pin 10c is provided on the end effector mounting surface of the cylinder head 12 . The phase determination pin 10c corresponds to the phase determination portion.

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the end effector 20 using the mounting structure, the cross-sectional view being taken _on a plane containing the centerline L2 of the end effector 20. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the end effector 20 using the attachment structure, specifically a diagram of a state viewed from the side to which the attached portion 20a is attached (the left side when facing the paper direction of FIG. 4 ). In the attachment structure of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 , the end effector 20 includes an inner ring 21 , an intermediate ring 22 , a piston head connecting portion 23 , an operation portion base 24 , an operation portion 25 , and the like.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the inner ring 21 is an annular member, and a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) second protrusions 20b are provided on the outer peripheral portion thereof toward the outside. Therefore, the insert ring 21 has a petal-like outer peripheral shape. The number of the second protrusions 20b is usually the same as the number of the first protrusions 10b. A phase determination groove 20c is provided on a surface of the inner ring 21 to which the robot-side fixing member is attached (the surface facing the left side in the direction of the drawing in FIG. 4 . Hereinafter, referred to as “the robot-side fixing member attaching surface”). Growing hole. The phase determination groove 20c is formed in an arc shape with the center line L2 of the end effector ₂₀ as the center. In addition, a shaft center portion 20d is provided on the robot-side fixing member mounting surface of the inner ring 21 . This axial center part 20d is formed so that the outer peripheral end surface may form a circle centering _on the center line L2.

Both end portions of the phase determination groove 20c are formed of a high-hardness member having a higher hardness than the peripheral portion thereof. In the mounting structure of the present embodiment, the first end (one end) and the second end (the other end) of the phase determining groove 20c are respectively fitted with a high-hardness member having a hardness higher than that of the peripheral portion of the phase determining groove 20c. The reinforcing pin 20e and the reinforcing pin 20f. In the present embodiment, the phase determination groove 20c and the reinforcing pins 20e and 20f are independent members, and the hardness of the reinforcement pins 20e and 20f is higher than that of the phase determination groove 20c. In the mounting structure of the present embodiment, the inner ring 21 is formed of anodized aluminum. Therefore, the reinforcing pin 20e and the reinforcing pin 20f are formed of a material whose hardness is higher than that of the aluminum. For example, the reinforcing pin 20e and the reinforcing pin 20f may be formed of carbon steel such as S45C. Both of these reinforcing pins 20e and 20f are formed in a cylindrical shape. Among the reinforcing pins 20e, 20f, at least the reinforcing pin 20f is provided at a distance d2 (as shown in FIG. 5, the distance from the center of the reinforcing pin 20f to the center line L2 of the end effector ₂₀ ) greater than the distance d1 (as shown in FIG. 3 ) , the position of the distance from the center of the phase determination pin 10c to the centerline L2 of the robot _- side fixing member 10).

An intermediate ring 22 is fixed to the surface on the opposite side to the mounting surface of the robot-side fixing member (the surface on the right side when facing the paper surface in FIG. 4 ) of the inner ring 21 . A plurality of operation part bases 24 are supported on the surface of the intermediate ring 22 on the opposite side to the fixed collar 21 side (the surface on the right side when facing the paper surface in FIG. 4 ), and each operation part base 24 is supported by a plurality of operation part bases 24 . The operation part 25 is fixed to the upper. The respective operation part bases 24 can be opened and closed in a direction perpendicular to the center line L ₂ via a cam mechanism or the like provided on the outer peripheral surface of the end portion of the piston head connecting part 23 (as indicated by arrow B in the figure). When the piston head connecting portion 23 moves in the direction parallel to the center line L ₂ , the operation portion base 24 performs the opening and closing operations as described above, and the operation portion 25 is also opened and closed accordingly. As shown in FIG. 1 , the piston head connecting portion 23 is connected to the piston head 14 . Therefore, by controlling the air pressure of the compressed air space 11a, the operation part 25 can be controlled to open and close.

In the attachment structure of the present embodiment, as described above, the end effector 20 is of a clamp type that opens and closes the plurality of claw-shaped operation portions 25 . However, the mounting structure is not only the clamp-type end effector 20, but can also be applied to the case where other types of end effectors such as suction-type end effectors are used.

Next, a method of attaching the end effector 20 to the robot-side fixing member 10 according to the attaching structure of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 shows a state in the middle of mounting the end effector 20 to the robot-side fixing member 10 using the mounting structure, specifically a cross section of the end effector 20 with the A-A plane shown in FIG. picture. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the end effector 20 is attached to the robot-side fixing member 10 using the attachment structure, and specifically a cross-section when the attached portion 20a of the end effector 20 with the A-A plane shown in FIG. 1 as the section is at the second position picture.

In the attachment structure of the present embodiment, the end effector 20 is attached through the following steps 1 to 5.

〔step 1〕

The end effector 20 is arranged so that the mounted portion 20a of the end effector 20 faces the mounting portion 10a of the robot-side fixing member 10, and the centerline L2 of the end effector ₂₀ is approximately the same as the centerline L1 _of the robot-side fixing member 10 Consistent.

[Step 2]

Adjust the direction of the end effector 20 (the direction around the center line L ₂ ) so that the second protrusion 20b of the mounted portion 20a is aligned with the center lines L ₁ and L ₂ with respect to the first protrusion 10b of the mounting portion 10a There is no overlap in the parallel direction, and the phase determination groove 20c is positioned at the extended position of the phase determination pin 10c of the mounting portion 10a in the direction parallel to the center lines L ₁ , L ₂ .

[Step 3]

The end effector 20 is pressed against the robot-side fixing member 10, and the shaft center portion 20d of the mounted portion 20a is inserted into the bearing hole portion 10d of the mounting portion 10a (FIG. 1), and as shown in FIG. 6, the mounting portion is The phase determination pin 10c of 10a is inserted into the vicinity of the first end portion of the phase determination groove 20c of the attached portion 20a. At this time, the to-be-mounted portion 20a is in the attaching and detaching position. The operation in this step 3 corresponds to the above-mentioned "pressing operation when mounting the mounting structure".

[Step 4]

The end effector 20 is rotated about the center line L ₂ in the mounting direction (ie, clockwise in FIG. 6 . As shown in the direction of arrow C in the drawing), as shown in FIG. The second end portion moves the phase determining pin 10c of the mounting portion 10a. At this time, the mounted portion 20a is at the first contact position. The first contact position is a position at which the phase determining pin 10c comes into contact with the reinforcing pin 20f for the first time when the mounted portion 20a is rotated relative to the mounting portion 10a. The operation in this step 4 corresponds to the above-mentioned "rotation operation when mounting the mounting structure".

[Step 5]

The lock nut 16 is rotated in the tightening direction (as shown in FIG. 1 ), and the second protrusion 20b of the mounted portion 20a is sandwiched by the cylinder head 12 and the crimp ring 15 of the mounting portion 10a.

After the above-mentioned step 5 is completed, the first protrusions 10b and the second protrusions 20b overlap each other (interfere with each other) in the directions parallel to the center lines L1 and L2. In other words, the first protruding portion 10b is engaged with the second protruding portion 20b. In this state, the operator cannot extract the mounted portion 20a from the mounting portion 10a. In addition, in this state, the second protrusion 20b of the attached portion 20a is sandwiched by the cylinder head 12 and the crimp ring 15 of the attached portion 10a. Therefore, the operator cannot rotate the end effector 20 in the removal direction about the centerline L ₂ (ie, the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7 . As in the direction of arrow D in this figure). Thereby, the operator can attach the end effector 20 to the robot-side fixing member 10 . In the attachment structure of the present embodiment, the end effector 20 can be attached to the robot-side fixing member 10 by the simple operation described above.

In addition, in the rotation operation at the time of installation in the above-mentioned step 4, the phase determination pin 10c of the attachment portion 10a collides with the second end portion on the phase determination groove 20c of the attached portion 20a. Here, since the reinforcing pin 20f (high-hardness member) formed of a high-hardness material is provided at the second end of the phase-determining groove 20c, wear and sinking occurring at the second end of the phase-determining groove 20c can be suppressed. Therefore, even if the end effector 20 is repeatedly attached and detached, the attachment position of the end effector 20 relative to the robot-side fixing member 10 is not easily changed in the rotation direction of the rotation operation at the time of attachment. Therefore, the restoration accuracy of the attachment position of the end effector 20 with respect to the robot-side fixing member 10 is improved.

However, even if the reinforcing pin 20f has a high hardness member, when the phase determination pin 10c is formed of a material that is prone to wear or dent, the operator repeatedly attaches and detaches the end effector 20, and the end effector 20 is fixed relative to the robot side member. The installation position of 10 still has the possibility to change in the rotational direction of the rotational operation during the above-mentioned installation. Therefore, the phase determination pin 10c is preferably formed of the same high-hardness material as the reinforcing pin 20f.

In the end effector 20 mounted on the robot-side fixing member 10 by the mounting structure according to the present embodiment, the operator can retrospectively operate the above-mentioned steps 3 to 5 (that is, perform steps 5, 4, and 3 in the order of steps 5, 4, and 3). It is removed from the robot side fixing member 10 . in step 5 above The rotation direction of the clamping ring 15 , the rotation direction of the end effector 20 in the above step 4 , and the movement direction of the end effector 20 in the above step 3 are all opposite to the direction when the end effector 20 is installed. With the attachment structure of the present embodiment, the end effector 20 can be removed from the robot-side fixing member 10 by this simple operation. Hereinafter, when the end effector 20 is removed from the robot-side fixing member 10, the operation corresponding to the above-mentioned step 4 is referred to as the "rotation operation during removal", and the operation corresponding to the above-mentioned step 3 is referred to as the "pulling operation during removal". ".

When removing the end effector 20 from the robot-side fixing member 10, the operator rotates the end effector 20 from the first abutting position to the attaching and detaching position near the first end in the rotation operation at the time of removal corresponding to step 4 above. Here, the first contact position refers to a position where the phase determination pin 10c of the mounting portion 10a abuts on the second end portion of the phase determination groove 20c of the mounted portion 20a. Therefore, the phase determination pin 10c collides with the first end portion of the phase determination groove 20c, and there is a possibility that wear and depression may occur in the first end portion of the phase determination groove 20c. In the attachment structure of this embodiment, the reinforcement pin 20e (high-hardness member) formed of the high-hardness material is provided in the 1st edge part of this phase determination groove|channel 20c. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wear and depression of the first end portion of the phase determination groove 20c.

In order to improve the restoration accuracy of the installation position of the end effector 20 relative to the robot-side fixing member 10 , not only the installation position of the end effector 20 relative to the robot-side fixing member 10 but also the rotation direction of the rotation operation during installation of the installation structure is changed. It is not easily changed, and preferably also is not easily changed in the direction of the centerline of rotation of the rotational operation at the time of installation perpendicular to the installation structure. In this regard, in the mounting structure of the present embodiment, the mounting position of the end effector 20 relative to the robot-side fixing member 10 is made perpendicular to the mounting structure through the rotational force applying mechanism 10e as shown in FIG. 8 . The direction of the rotation center line (center line L ₂ ) of the rotation operation is not easily changed at the time of installation. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the rotation biasing mechanism 10e applicable to the attachment structure.

The rotation biasing mechanism 10e shown in FIG. 8 is composed of a pressing member 10e ₁ , a biasing member 10e ₂ , and a case member 10e ₃ . The pressing member 10e ₁ presses the mounted portion 20a (the insert ring 21 in the mounting structure of the present embodiment) of the end effector 20 in the direction of rotation toward the mounting direction C side. In the mounting structure of this embodiment, the pressing member 10e ₁ has a spherical shape. The pressing member 10e ₁ is in contact with the inclined surface formed at the end of the insert ring 21 at a point P ₁ on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and is configured to apply a pressing force F _A to the insert ring 21 . In FIG. 8 , the pressing force _FA is directed to the upper right of the drawing, but the first protrusion 10b is provided on the right side of the drawing (as shown in FIG. 1 ). Therefore, the insert ring 21 hardly moves to the right side of the drawing, but moves to the upper side of the drawing (the side of the mounting direction C) by the component force f _A of the pressing force _FA that is parallel to the mounting direction C. In the state before the clamping ring 15 (as shown in FIG. 1 ) is completely locked with the lock nut 16 (as shown in FIG. 1 ), the inner ring 21 can rotate about the center line L ₂ .

The urging member 10e ₂ urges the pressing member 10e ₁ in a direction protruding from the attached portion 20a. _The pressing force FA by the pressing member 10e ₁ described above is generated by the urging force of the pressing member 10e ₁ . The biasing member 10e ₂ is not particularly limited as long as it has a structure capable of exhibiting this function. In the attachment structure of the present embodiment, a compression coil spring is used. The case member 10e ₃ has a function of accommodating the biasing member 10e ₂ and holding the pressing member 10e ₁ from falling out of the case member 10e ₃ when the first protrusion 10b is not present on the pressing side of the pressing member 10e ₁ . In the mounting structure of the present embodiment, the case member 10e ₃ is fixed to the hole portion 12b of the end effector mounting surface provided in the cylinder head 12 in a state of being embedded therein. As will be described later, through the rotational biasing mechanism 10e, the attachment position of the end effector 20 with respect to the robot-side fixing member 10 is in a direction perpendicular to the rotation center line (center line L ₂ ) of the rotational operation at the time of installation of the attachment structure Not easy to change.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show the case where the rotation biasing mechanism 10e shown in FIG. 8 is used in the mounting structure, that is, when the mounted portion 20a of the end effector 20 is at the first contact position or the second contact position, the robot side A diagram showing the positional relationship between the phase determination pin 10c and the bearing hole portion 10d of the stationary member 10, and the phase determination groove 20c of the end effector 20 and the shaft center portion 20d.

When the operator rotates the mounted portion 20a in the mounting direction C while the phase determining pin 10c is at the attaching and detaching position, the phase determining pin 10c approaches the first contact position. Here, the attachment direction C refers to the rotational direction from the first end side of the phase determination groove 20c to the second end side of the phase determination groove 20c. It should be noted that the removal direction is the opposite direction of rotation to the installation direction. That is, the removal direction refers to the rotation direction from the second end side of the phase determination groove 20c to the first end side of the phase determination groove 20c. FIG. 9B shows a state after the phase determination pin 10c abuts on the reinforcing pin 20f when the attached portion 20a is at the first contact position. As shown in FIG. 9B , when the mounted portion 20a is rotated with respect to the mounting portion 10a, the phase determination pin 10c is at the position where the reinforcing pin 20f first comes into contact.

As described above, by setting the distance _d2 from the center of the reinforcing pin 20f to the centerline L2 of the end effector ₂₀ to be greater _than the distance d1 from the center of the phase determination pin 10c to the centerline L2 of the robot-side fixing member ₁₀ , _The reinforcement pin 20f receives an external force having a component not parallel to the mounting direction C from the phase determination pin 10c at the tangent point P2 with the phase determination pin 10c. In addition to this, the insert ring 21 (attached portion 20a) at this time also receives an urging force in the direction of the attachment direction C generated by the rotational urging mechanism 10e of FIG. 8 . That is, the rotary urging mechanism 10e urges the inner ring 21 (the mounted portion 20a ) so that the phase determination pin 10c moves from the first contact position to the later-described second contact position. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 9B , the mounted portion 20a is further rotated in the mounting direction C while changing the tangent point _P2 between the phase determination pin 10c and the reinforcing pin 20f. In other words, the phase determination pin 10c on the side of the attachment portion 10a rotates in a direction opposite to the attachment direction C with respect to the attached portion 20a. Therefore, the urging force FB in the opposite direction to the mounting direction _C with respect to the mounted portion 20a is generated at the phase-determining pin 10c, but since the side facing the urging force FB on the phase _- determining pin 10c has the reinforcing pin 20f, _The phase determination pin 10c relatively moves with respect to the mounted portion 20a via a component force _fB parallel to the tangent line _LT at the tangent point P2 between the phase determination pin 10c and the reinforcing pin 20f of the _urging force FB. When the phase determining pin 10c moves relative to the mounted portion 20a, the bearing hole portion 10d on the mounting portion 10a moves integrally with the phase determining pin 10c.

When the operator further rotates the mounted portion 20a in the mounting direction C while the phase determining pin 10c is at the first contact position, the phase determining pin 10c also moves further. More specifically, when the outer peripheral surface of the phase determination pin 10c moves relative to the attached portion 20a while being guided to the outer peripheral surface of the reinforcing pin 20f, the state shown in FIG. 9A is obtained. The state shown in FIG. 9A is a state in which the attached portion 20a is at the second contact position. The second abutting position is a position closer to the second end side than the first abutting position in the mounting direction C. That is, in the phase determination slot The distance between the detachable position in the extending direction of the phase determination groove 20c and the second abutting position is longer than the distance between the attaching and detaching position in the extending direction of the phase determination groove 20c and the first abutting position.

When changing from the state of FIG. 9B to the state of FIG. 9A , not only the position of the tangent point _P2 but also the direction of the tangent line _LT changes continuously. In the state of FIG. 9A , the inner peripheral surface of the bearing hole portion 10d of the mounting portion 10a and the outer peripheral surface of the axial center portion 20d of the mounted portion 20a are partially in contact at the tangent point _P3 , so that the formation cannot be further directed in the direction of the component force _fB move. In other words, the outer peripheral surface of the shaft center portion 20d of the attached portion 20a is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the bearing hole portion 10d of the attached portion 10a via the urging force of the rotational biasing mechanism 10e. At this time, the mounted portion 20a cannot be rotated further in the mounting direction C relative to the mounting portion 10a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9B , even if there is a gap between the inner peripheral surface of the bearing hole portion 10d of the mounting portion 10a and the inner peripheral surface of the axial center portion 20d of the mounted portion 20a, the axial center portion 20d is relatively opposite to the bearing hole. The position of the portion 10d, that is, the mounting position of the end effector 20 relative to the robot-side fixing member 10 is uniquely determined in the direction perpendicular to the rotation center line (center line L ₂ ) of the rotational operation at the time of mounting of the mounting structure .

In the above, although the case where the distance _d2 from the center of the reinforcing pin 20f to the centerline L2 of the end effector ₂₀ is set to be larger _than the distance d1 from the center of the phase determination pin 10c to the centerline L2 of the robot-side fixing member ₁₀ has been described , but when the distance d ₂ is set to be smaller than the distance d ₁ , the installation position of the end effector 20 relative to the robot-side fixing member 10 is perpendicular to the rotation center line (center line L ₂ of the rotation operation during installation of the installation structure) ) can also be uniquely determined. In this case, the moving direction of the phase determining pin 10c with respect to the mounted portion 20a is opposite to that shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B , and the inner peripheral surface of the bearing hole portion 10d and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft center portion 20d are in the opposite direction. The position of the tangent point P ₃ is also on the opposite side (that is, on the opposite side across the center lines L ₁ and L ₂ ) from the case shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B . In addition, in the above description, the case where the reinforcement pin 20f and the phase determination pin 10c are formed in a cylindrical shape having a uniform outer diameter is explained, but the outer diameters of the reinforcement pin 20f and the phase determination pin 10c do not need a phase determination same. . In addition, as long as at least one of the reinforcement pin 20f and the phase determination pin 10c has a surface which can abut against the other in a direction not parallel to the mounting direction C, it does not necessarily need to be formed into a columnar shape.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the rotation biasing mechanism 10e applicable to the attachment structure. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of the rotary urging mechanism 10e applicable to the mounting structure. In the rotary urging mechanism 10e of FIG. 8 , the pressing member 10e ₁ abuts on the inclined surface formed at the end of the insert ring 21, but in the rotary urging mechanism 10e of FIG. 10 , the pressing member 10e ₁ is configured as It abuts on the inclined wall surface of the recess provided on the robot side fixing member mounting surface of the inner ring 21 . In addition, although the rotary urging mechanism 10e in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9 is provided in the hole portion 12b, and the hole portion 12b is provided on the end effector mounting surface of the cylinder head 12, the rotary urging mechanism 10e in FIG. 11 is provided with The hole portion 15b is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the crimping ring 15 . Accordingly, even if the form of the portion pressed by the pressing member 10e ₁ of the rotary urging mechanism 10e is changed, or the position where the rotary urging mechanism 10e is provided, the attachment position of the end effector 20 relative to the robot-side fixing member 10 is perpendicular to When the mounting structure is mounted, the direction of the rotation center line (center line L ₂ ) of the rotation operation can still be difficult to change.

As described above, by using the mounting structure of the present embodiment, even if the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the bearing hole portion 10d and the inner peripheral surface of the shaft center portion 20d is not kept small, the mounted portion 20a can be made to face each other. The mounting position on the mounting portion 10a is uniquely determined. Therefore, even if the dimensional accuracy of the bearing hole portion 10d or the shaft center portion 20d is not particularly high, the restoration accuracy of the attachment position of the end effector 20 with respect to the robot-side fixing member 10 can be improved. In addition, even if the bearing hole portion 10d and the shaft portion 20d are worn due to long-term use, there is no need to exchange parts, and the above recovery accuracy can be maintained by simple position correction by software or the like. In the attachment structure of the robot end effector, unlike the jig for lathes, which needs to center the stationary-side member and the attachment-side member (the center line is aligned), the end effector 20 can be secured relative to the robot-side stationary member 10. In order to restore the accuracy of the installation position, it is not necessary to completely align the center line L ₁ of the robot-side fixing member 10 and the center line L ₂ of the end effector 20 .

10‧‧‧Robot side fixing parts

10a‧‧‧Installation

10b‧‧‧First protrusion

10c‧‧‧Phase determination pin

10d‧‧‧Bearing hole

10e‧‧‧Rotary force application mechanism

11‧‧‧Cylinder

11a‧‧‧Air Compression Space

12‧‧‧Cylinder head

12a‧‧‧Rotation limit pin

13‧‧‧Pistons

14‧‧‧Piston head

15‧‧‧Clamping ring

16‧‧‧Lock nut

20‧‧‧End effector

20a‧‧‧Installed part

20b‧‧‧Second protrusion

20c‧‧‧Phase determination slot

20d‧‧‧Shaft

20e‧‧‧Reinforcing pins (high hardness parts)

21‧‧‧Inlay ring

22‧‧‧Intermediate Ring

23‧‧‧Piston head connection

24‧‧‧Operation base

25‧‧‧Operation Department

50‧‧‧Robot Arm

Claims (7)

An attachment structure for an end effector for a robot, comprising: a robot-side fixing member having an attachment portion provided with a first protruding portion; and an end effector having an attached portion provided with a second protruding portion, wherein the One of the mounting portion and the mounted portion is provided with a phase determining portion, and the other is provided with a phase determining groove into which the phase determining portion is inserted. In the state of the phase determination groove, when the mounted portion is rotated relative to the mounting portion, the phase determination portion abuts against the high-hardness member, and the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion are engaged with each other. so that the end effector is mounted on the robot-side fixing member, and the hardness of the high-hardness member is higher than the hardness of the peripheral portion of the high-hardness member in the phase determination groove. The mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the phase determination groove extends in an arc shape, the phase determination groove has a first end portion and a second end portion, and the high-hardness member is provided at the second end When the mounting portion is pressed against the mounted portion, the phase determination portion is inserted into the first end portion side of the phase determination groove, and the mounted portion is made to be relatively When the attachment portion is rotated so that the phase determination portion moves from the first end portion side to the second end portion side of the phase determination groove, the phase determination portion abuts on the high-hardness member, and the first end portion is in contact with the high-hardness member. The end effector is attached to the robot-side fixing member by engaging the first protrusion with the second protrusion. The mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein one of the mounting portion and the mounted portion is provided with a bearing hole portion, and the other is provided with a shaft center portion inserted into the bearing hole portion, and the phase is determined. The first abutting position is movable to the first and second abutting positions on the phase determining groove, and the first abutting position is when the mounted portion is rotated relative to the mounting portion, and the phase determining portion is in contact with the The position where the high-hardness member comes into contact for the first time, the second contact position is a position closer to the second end side than the first contact position in the direction from the first end side to the second end side, When the mounted portion is rotated to move the phase determining portion from the first abutting position to the second abutting position, the phase determining portion is abutted by the phase determining portion on the high-hardness member. The contact surface is guided from the first contact position to the second contact position, and when the phase determining portion is located at the second contact position, the inner peripheral surface of the bearing hole portion and the outer periphery of the shaft center portion face local contact. The mounting structure according to claim 3, further comprising: a rotational biasing mechanism that biases the mounted portion so that the phase determining portion moves from the first contact position to the second 2 The contact position moves. The mounting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the high-hardness member is provided at the first end in addition to the second end. An end effector for a robot, comprising: a mounted portion that can be mounted on a mounting portion provided on a robot-side fixing member, wherein the mounted portion has a phase determination groove into which the phase determination portion of the mounting portion is inserted, and The phase determination groove has high hardness components, When the mounted portion is rotated relative to the mounting portion in a state where the phase determining portion is inserted into the phase determining groove, the phase determining portion abuts on the high-hardness member, and the mounting The first protruding portion of the portion is engaged with the second protruding portion of the attached portion, and the hardness of the high-hardness member is higher than the hardness of the peripheral portion of the high-hardness member in the phase determining groove. The robot end effector according to claim 6, wherein the phase determination groove extends in an arc shape, the phase determination groove has a first end portion and a second end portion, and the high-hardness member is provided on the first end portion and the second end portion. 2 ends, when the mounting portion is pressed against the mounted portion, the phase determining portion is inserted into the first end portion side of the phase determining groove, and the mounted portion is When the phase determination part is rotated relative to the mounting part so that the phase determination part moves from the first end part side to the second end part side of the phase determination groove, the phase determination part abuts on the high hardness member, And the said 1st protrusion part is engaged with the said 2nd protrusion part.

Images