WO2004080666A1

WO2004080666A1 - Coupling system for coupling and decoupling a robot to and from a sealing element in a remote-controllable manner

Info

Publication number: WO2004080666A1
Application number: PCT/EP2004/002597
Authority: WO
Inventors: Karl-Heinz Konert; Berthold Kampen; Bernhard Oelerich; Heinrich Dropmann; Reinhard Nadicksbernd
Original assignee: Schlick Roto-Jet Maschinenbau Gesellschaft Mit Beschränkter Haftung
Priority date: 2003-03-12
Filing date: 2004-03-12
Publication date: 2004-09-23
Also published as: DE10311298B4; DE10311298A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a coupling system for the remote-controllable coupling of a robot hand to an opening in a working chamber. According to the invention, said coupling system is provided with at least one coupling element (162) that is connected to a feed-through ring element (160) of a sealing element in the opening. Bolt elements (144) connected to the robot hand (216) can be engaged with the coupling element (162) by means of a driving element (148). Said robot hand is connected to a terminal plate (150) on which an annular actuating element (140) is rotatably mounted. Said actuating element can be rotated by an angle (a) by means of the driving element (148), and at least one guiding groove (141) is provided in the actuating element, said groove extending from a first point, which is closer to the centre of motion, to a second outer point, at least over the angle (?). A bolt element (144) is respectively guided in the guiding grooves (141), said bolt element being radially displaceable with the rotation of the actuating element (140) and to be engaged with the coupling element (162).

Description

Coupling system for the remote-controlled coupling and uncoupling of a robot with a seal

The invention relates to a coupling system for the remotely operable coupling and uncoupling of a robot hand with a sealing element for sealing a recess in a working chamber wall with respect to the robot hand engaging therein, which comprises:

- At least two coupling elements which are connected to a bushing ring element of the sealing element, and

- At least one locking element which is connected to the robot hand and which can be brought into engagement with at least one of the coupling elements via at least one adjusting element. From DE 101 20 473 Cl a generic coupling device in a working chamber system is known, in which a robot hand or another manipulator arm engages through a recess in a working chamber. When the robot moves into the working chamber, it is automatically held by the robot hand with the flexible sealing element of the working chamber recess. couples. Such a working chamber system has proven itself. It is particularly advantageous that a secure seal of the robot hand in the leadthrough can be produced and released again automatically, that is to say without assembly activities or other manual interventions. The robot hand can be moved in several degrees of freedom during operation while maintaining the seal within the working chamber. After the work process in the chamber has been completed, the seal can be released remotely so that the robot hand can move freely and can be moved out of the chamber with the workpiece.

This working chamber system has proven itself. However, it has been shown that the coupling and locking elements are arranged in a punctiform manner so that the robotic hand can only be locked in a sealed manner with the working chamber at very precisely defined angular positions of the robotic hand in relation to the working chamber and that the required precise return to the specified locking positions at all acts delayed in the work process.

Another coupling device of the generic type is known from DE 101 62 780 C1, in which the coupling elements are formed by cantilevered edge elements which are fastened to the circumference of the lead-through ring element and have a cantilever edge aligned with the center of the lead-through ring element. The locking elements are to be brought into engagement with the at least one cantilever edge element in each case by insertion by means of adjusting elements under the cantilever edge. This enables a sealing locking of the robot hand with the working chamber in any rotational angular position, based on the level of the extension in the Chamber of Labor. However, it has been shown here that the separate actuation of each locking element by means of its own drive element, for example a pneumatic cylinder, is difficult to coordinate. Due to the different characteristics of the pneumatic cylinders, pressure differences within the system, etc., it can happen that the locking elements do not come into engagement with the coupling elements at the same time, so that tensions occur which lead to the locking elements that move somewhat later being engaged is no longer possible. In the event of a fault, all interlocks must be released and the coupling process repeated. This leads to downtimes of the robot and lower productivity of the system as a whole.

It is therefore the task of improving a coupling system of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that a quick and safe coupling of the robot hand to the seal is made possible. This object is achieved in that the robot hand is connected to a locking plate on which an annular actuating element is rotatably mounted, which can be rotated through an angle via an actuating element, and in that guide grooves are provided in the actuating element, which are closer to one another at the

The center of the actuating element lies at least over the angle up to a point further out and in each of which a locking element is guided, which can be moved radially with the rotation of the actuating element and brought into engagement with the coupling element. The robotic hand denotes those end axes of industrial robots and other manipulators on which, for example, a workpiece gripper or a processing tool is to be attached. Due to the joint and simultaneous actuation of all locking elements by the rotation of the annular actuating element, all locking elements move precisely into the coupling elements assigned to you. Malfunctions in locking are largely excluded. Process security and speed are increased. It is also advantageous that only one actuating element, for example a pneumatic cylinder, is required for the actuating element, as a result of which the coupling system can be manufactured more cost-effectively. The locking elements are preferably designed as sliding locking elements and have a run-on slope. You then slide under a cantilevered edge of the coupling elements, which also has a run-on slope on the coupling element, so that a positive connection is produced.

Instead of sliding bolt elements, the crescent-shaped swivel bolt elements known from DE 101 62 780 Cl can also be coupled to the actuating element in the coupling system according to the invention, in particular via connecting rods. For a more detailed description of the design and the functioning of the swivel bolt elements and the associated coupling elements, this document is referred to in full.

Since a central recess in the locking plate must have a relatively large diameter for receiving the robot hand, and the ring-shaped actuating element is still to be arranged outside of this recess, storage would be possible via appropriately sized rolling bearings, but costly. The actuating element therefore preferably has a chamfered outer edge and is rotatably mounted on at least three circumferentially arranged guide rollers which are mounted on the locking plate and which are profiled to be compatible with the profile of the outer edge. This represents a simple, easily accessible and sufficiently precise storage.

Further advantageous refinements of the clutch system according to the invention can be found in the further subclaims and are described in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment of the invention with reference to the drawing. The individual shows:

Figure 1 is a front view of a clutch system according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a detail on the outer edge of the coupling system from FIG. 1;

3 each a profiled locking and coupling element in a view from the front; and

Fig. 4 shows a detail of a blasting chamber with an industrial robot engaging from the outside in a side sectional view. 4, a known working chamber 100 is shown. An industrial robot 200 is arranged outside the working chamber 100. The industrial robot 200 has six axes of rotation 201 ... 206 and thus six degrees of freedom. The 6-axis kinematics enables inside of the working area to move to any point in space in any orientation of the last robot link, for example the robot hand 216 with a workpiece gripper 220. The vertical axis 201 is an axis of rotation about which the entire industrial robot 200 can be rotated relative to a foundation 130. In succession, two articulated axes 202, 203 are arranged, with which the so-called upper arm 212 and the lower arm 213 can be inclined. The so-called wrist 205, which is another articulated joint, can be positioned in this way in space. The orientation of the wrist 205 with respect to the forearm 213 can also be changed by an axis of rotation 204.

The robot hand 216 with the machining or clamping tool attached to it, for example the workpiece gripper 220, can be rotated via the rotary hand axis 206.

In the work situation shown in FIG. 1, the wrist 205 and the robot hand 216 with the workpiece gripper 220 are located within a lead-through ring element 160 which extends through the work chamber wall 110 and represents the rigid end edge of the sealing element 20, and are rigidly coupled thereto , The bushing ring element 160 is arranged on the central seal of the endless, flexible sealing element 20 as a rigid adapter and is thus connected to the working chamber wall 110 via sealing element 20.

Fig. 1 shows the clutch system according to the invention in a view from the front. It essentially consists of a locking plate 150; - An actuating element 140 with locking elements 144, an actuator 148, and a bushing ring element 160 with coupling elements 162.

The locking plate 150 is connected in a flange region 152 to the robot hand (not shown here) and is spaced apart from the outer lead-through ring element 160 by an air gap 2.

The actuating element 140 is rotatably mounted on the locking plate 150. For this purpose, it preferably has a V-shaped edge chamfered on both sides, which is guided and rotatably supported between at least three guide rollers 154 provided with a corresponding V-shaped notch.

The actuating element 140 has a plurality of guide grooves 141 which, starting from a point on a small radius, extend at least over the angle up to a point on a larger radius, ie the groove is oblique to an imaginary secant or a tangent to the circular arc of the actuating element 140 employed. In other words: the guide grooves 141 each extend from a point closer to the center of the actuating element at least over an angle at least corresponding to the necessary angle of rotation α of the actuating element 140 to a point lying further outwards, thereby causing a radial movement of the sliding therein stored bolt element 144 is generated. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the locking elements 144 guided in the grooves 141 are moved radially outward by a counterclockwise rotation and inserted into the corresponding coupling elements 162 on the lead-through ring element 160, so that the locking plate 150 is positively locked and lead-through ring element 160 is produced, whereby the robot hand 216 is coupled to the seal 20. The actuation element 140 is rotated via an eccentrically acting actuating element 148, for example a pneumatic cylinder.

As shown in FIG. 2 in particular, the locking elements 144 are preferably guided in a sliding guide 156 which is firmly connected to the locking plate 150, in order to be able to engage in an exact position in the coupling elements 162 located opposite the bushing ring element 160. This is particularly important so that radially extending profiles on the locking and coupling elements, which bring about a non-rotatable locking, interlock.

In order to also ensure a security against rotation with the coupling, it can be provided that the run-up bevels 145, 163 are provided with mutually compatible, radially extending profiles. 3 shows at a glance from the narrow side of the locking element 144 that it has a web 145.1 on its run-up slope 145, here with a trapezoidal cross section. The run-up slope 163 of the coupling element 162 has a compatible, in particular likewise trapezoidal groove 163.1.

The rear side 151 of the locking plate 150 is also the parting plane of the movable unit consisting of the robot hand, locking plate 150 and actuating element 140 with the associated add-on parts and the unit consisting of sealing element 20 and lead-through ring element 160 which is firmly connected to the working chamber wall and on the coupling elements 162 overrun bevels 145, 163 provided to facilitate the interlocking of the elements and to achieve an additional frictional bracing of the coupled components. When the coupling plate 150 is engaged, its rear side 151 is pressed against an elastomeric sealing strip 21 on the lead-through ring element 160 of the sealing element 20.

Claims

Claims:

1. Coupling system for the remotely operable coupling and uncoupling of a robot hand (216) with a sealing element (20) for sealing a recess (120) in a work chamber wall (110) with respect to the robot hand (216) engaging therein, which comprises: at least one coupling element ( 162), which is connected to a lead-through ring element (160) of the sealing element (20), and - at least two locking elements (144), which is connected to the robot hand (216) and which engages with the via at least one actuating element (148) at least one coupling element (162) is to be brought,

characterized in that the robot hand (216) is connected to a locking plate (150) on which an annular actuating element (140) is rotatably mounted, which can be rotated by an angle (cv) via an adjusting element (148), and in that Actuating element (140) at least one guide groove (141) is provided, which extends from a point closer to the pivot point of the actuating element at least over the angle (α) to a point further out and in which at least one locking element (144) is guided, which is radially displaceable with the rotation of the actuating element (140) and is to be brought into engagement with at least one coupling element (162).

2. Coupling system according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuating element (140) has a chamfered outer edge (142) and on at least three circumferentially arranged guide rollers (154) which are mounted on the locking plate (150) and which are compatible with

Profile of the outer edge (142) are profiled, is rotatably mounted.

3. Coupling system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the locking elements (144) are designed as sliding locking elements and a run-up slope

(145), which can be inserted at least partially under a cantilevered ramp (163) on the coupling element (162).

4. Coupling system according to claim 3, characterized in that the run-up slopes (145, 163) with mutually compatible, radially extending profiles

(145.1, 163.1) are provided.

5. Coupling system according to claim 4, characterized in that one of the ramp bevels (145) has a web (145.1) with a trapezoidal cross section and the other ramp ramp (163) has a groove (163.1) with a trapezoidal cross section.

6. Coupling system according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the coupling element (162) is formed by a circumferential ring element on the bushing ring element (160).

7. Coupling system according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that three coupling elements (162) on the bushing ring element (160) and three locking elements te (144), which are each guided in a guide groove (141) of the actuating element (148), are provided.

8. Coupling system according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuating element (148) is annular and its guide grooves (141) are arcuate.

9. Working chamber system consisting of a working chamber wall (110) with at least one recess (120), a robot hand (216) engaging through the recess (120) in the working chamber (100), and a sealing device, by means of which a sealing of the recess ( 120) relative to the engaging robot hand (216) can be produced and released remotely, with a coupling system according to one of claims 1 to 6.