JP2001150382A - Guide device of wiring member and/or piping member, and robot having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a guide device capable of preventing the interference of a wiring member and/or a piping member with a robot itself or a peripheral device. SOLUTION: This guide device for wiring member and/or piping member has a clamp device having supporting parts 1a, 2a, 3a and clamping parts 1b, 2b, 3b floatable to the supporting parts and locking the wiring member and/or piping members, and the clamping device is mounted on a robot in such a manner that the supporting parts are mounted on a robot part, and the floating direction of the clamp parts are determined in the direction intersecting the driving shaft direction of the robot part on which the supporting parts are mounted. By determining the relationship that the floating direction of the clamping parts intersects the driving shaft direction of the robot part on which the supporting part are mounted, the clamp parts are floated by the expansion and contraction when the wiring member and/or the piping member are expanded and contracted to an arm, whereby displacing the wiring member and/or the piping member corresponding to the motion of a wrist without brought into contact with the robot and a peripheral device to provide the smooth wrist motion.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an industrial robot, and more particularly, to a guide device for guiding pipes and wiring connected to an end effector at the tip of a wrist of the robot.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an industrial robot mounts an end effector suitable for various operations on a wrist at the tip of an arm, and connects a pipe member or a wiring member for supplying power, liquid supply, supply / exhaust, etc. to the end effector. I have. FIG. 7 shows a six-axis robot configuration as one configuration example of an industrial robot.
The robot main body is fixed to an installation surface, and a plurality of turning shafts or linear motion shafts are connected to an arm that is driven to rotate or drive linearly. The robot shown in FIG.
By J6, the arm 10 can be turned at turning angles of θ, W, U, γ, β, and α, and a wrist 20 is provided at the tip of the arm 10. An end effector is attached to the wrist 20. Conventionally, piping members and wiring members connected to the end effector are mounted using taps and holes for mounting devices provided at various locations on the robot body.

[0003] Fig. 8 is a view for explaining the attachment of a conventional piping member or wiring member, and shows the state of attachment of the piping member or wiring member to the arm and the wrist at the tip of the arm. The wrist 20 is provided with pivot shafts 21, 22, 23 having different pivot directions connected to each other, and the end effector 5 is exchangeably and pivotably attached to one end by the pivot shaft 23, and the other end. The arm is pivotally attached to the arm 10 by a pivot 21. The piping member and the wiring member are supported by a clamp portion 9 fixed to an arm 10 at an intermediate portion thereof, and a distal end portion is provided at an end effector 5.
It is attached by holding it on the clamp part 6 fixed to the.

[0004]

In the conventional mounting of a piping member or a wiring member, the wiring member and / or the piping member comes into contact with the robot itself or peripheral equipment, and the wiring member and / or the piping member are worn. There is a problem that regular maintenance is required. Generally, when the turning shaft of the wrist portion is driven to perform a wrist operation, the wiring member and / or the piping member expands and contracts with respect to the arm by the wrist operation. If there is no allowance for the length of the wiring member and / or the piping member, it is not possible to cope with the expansion and contraction, and a trouble occurs in the wrist operation. Therefore, conventionally, the wiring member and / or the piping member from the arm to the end effector has a slack to cope with expansion and contraction. FIG.
(A) has shown the installation state of the wiring member and / or piping member which gave slack.

[0005] However, when each of the turning axes turns and performs a wrist operation due to the slack provided in the wiring member and / or the piping member, the wiring member and / or the piping member comes into contact with the robot itself and peripheral devices. Further, depending on the history of the wrist operation, the wiring member and / or the piping member may be entangled with the wrist portion, which may hinder the wrist operation. Further, the slack provided in the wiring member and / or the piping member needs to be adjusted for each robot, and there is a problem that it takes time to attach the wiring member and / or the piping member. FIG.
(B) shows one operation state in which the turning shafts 21 and 23 are turned, and the slack portion of the wiring member and / or the pipe member 4 is in contact with the wrist portion.

Therefore, the present invention solves the conventional problems,
It is an object to prevent interference between a wiring member and / or a piping member and a robot itself or peripheral devices.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for guiding a wiring member and / or a piping member connected to an end effector at the tip of a wrist of a robot via an arm of the robot. Is attached to a robot, particularly an arm and a wrist. This cord can be a wiring member or a piping member only, or a bundle of a wiring member and a piping member, or a structure in which a wiring member and a piping member are housed in one pipe,
In addition, each wiring member and piping member is not limited to a single member, and may have a configuration in which a plurality of members are bundled, or a configuration in which the members are housed in one pipe. The wiring member and / or piping member guide device of the present invention includes a clamp device having a support portion and a clamp portion that is movable with respect to the support portion and locks the wiring member and / or the piping member. The mounting of the clamp device on the robot is such that the support portion is disposed on the robot portion and the direction of movement of the clamp portion is a direction intersecting with the drive axis direction of the robot portion on which the support portion is disposed.

In the guide device of the present invention, when the clamp device is mounted on the robot part, the arrangement is determined so that the floating direction of the clamp part and the drive axis direction of the robot part on which the support part is disposed intersect. . Thereby, when the wiring member and / or the piping member expands and contracts with respect to the arm, the expansion and contraction causes the clamp portion to float. When the clamp portion moves, the wiring member and / or the piping member are displaced in accordance with the wrist motion without contacting the robot or the peripheral device. Thereby, the robot can perform a smooth wrist motion. The robot portion on which the support portion is disposed may be an arm, a turning portion, or the like, and the free movement of the clamp portion may be direct motion and / or turning.
The guide device of the present invention can adopt an embodiment according to a robot part and a floating state. The crossing is not limited to the orthogonal relationship, but is a positional relationship having a predetermined angular relationship, whereby the force applied to the wiring member and / or the piping member by expansion and contraction is changed in the direction in which the clamp portion moves. It breaks down into components, thereby causing the clamp portion to float, thereby preventing interference between the wiring member and / or the piping member and the robot or peripheral device.

In a first embodiment of the present invention, the mounting portion is on the arm side, and the base is used as a supporting portion, and a clamp portion for fixing a wiring member and / or a piping member is formed in a straight line with respect to the base. And is rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the sliding direction. Then, the base is arranged on the arm such that the sliding direction of the clamp portion and the longitudinal direction of the arm substantially match. According to the first mode, the clamp unit performs a sliding operation and a turning operation with respect to the arm by expansion and contraction of the wiring member and / or the piping member, and the wiring member and / or the piping member and the robot and the surroundings according to the wrist operation. Move them to a position where they do not interfere with the device to prevent these interferences,
Enables smooth wrist movement.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, the mounting portion is on the arm side, a rotating unit which is freely movable on the circumference is used as a supporting portion, and a clamp portion for connecting a wiring member and / or a piping member is provided. Is rotatable around an axis connecting the rotation center of the rotation unit and the clamp portion. The rotation unit is arranged on the outer periphery of the arm and arranged on the arm. According to the second aspect, the clamping unit performs a rotating operation and a turning operation on the arm by expansion and contraction of the wiring member and / or the piping member, and the wiring member and / or the piping member and the robot and the peripheral device according to the wrist operation. Are moved to a position where they do not interfere with each other to prevent these interferences and enable a smooth wrist operation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the mounting portion is on the wrist side, the base is used as a support portion, and a clamp portion for locking a wiring member and / or a piping member is provided on a mounting surface of the base. To be rotatable about a vertical axis. The clamp is arranged on the wrist or the wrist casing, and the rotation axis of the clamp is arranged on the swing axis of the wrist or at a position parallel to the swing axis. According to the third mode, the clamping unit performs a turning operation with respect to the wrist due to the expansion and contraction of the wiring member and / or the piping member, and the wiring member and / or the piping member interfere with the robot and the peripheral device according to the wrist operation. The wrist is moved to a position where no wobbling occurs, preventing these interferences and enabling a smooth wrist operation.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the mounting portion is on the arm side, and a movable unit that makes the cylindrical surface rotatable and slidable is used as a support, and a wiring member and / or a piping member are connected. The clamp unit is rotatable around an axis connecting the rotation center of the movable unit and the clamp unit. The movable unit is arranged on the outer periphery of the arm and arranged on the arm. According to the fourth aspect, the clamp unit performs a rotational sliding operation and a turning operation on the arm by expansion and contraction of the wiring member and / or the piping member, and the wiring member and / or the piping member and the robot and the The device is moved to a position where it does not interfere with peripheral devices, thereby preventing such interference and enabling smooth wrist operation.

Further, the present invention includes a robot provided with the above-described guide device, and includes at least one of the above-described first to fourth embodiments, and a robot to which a combination thereof or all of them are applied. Can also. In addition, the guide device of the present invention can be applied not only to the arm and the wrist portion, but also to the linear motion axis and the turning axis of the robot.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent interference between a wiring member and / or a piping member and the robot itself and peripheral devices, reduce wear due to contact, and reduce maintenance of the robot and the wiring member and / or piping member. Can be. Further, the life of the robot, the wiring member and / or the piping member can be extended, and the running cost can be reduced. Further, the process of attaching the wiring member and / or the piping member can be shortened, and the cost required for changing the system including the robot can be reduced.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The robot provided with the guide device of the present invention can be applied to an industrial robot.
The industrial robot may have a robot configuration as shown in FIG. 7 for a robot having six axes, for example.
The robot body fixed to the installation surface is connected to an arm that is driven to rotate or linearly drive by a plurality of rotation axes or linear motion axes. An end effector can be exchangeably attached to the wrist 20 at the tip of the arm 10.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example in which the guide device of the present invention is applied to a wrist portion of a robot. In FIG.
The arm 10 has a wrist 2 having a plurality of pivot axes at its tip.
0 is provided. The illustrated wrist 20 includes a first turning shaft 21, a second turning shaft 22, and a third turning shaft 23 from the arm 10 side, and the end effector 5 is attached to the third turning shaft 23 in a replaceable manner. The first pivot 21 and the second pivot 21
The axial directions of the turning shaft 22 and the third turning shaft 23 are arranged so that the adjacent turning shafts are orthogonal to each other, and the wrist 20 performs a swing operation by the swing angle of the second turning shaft 22. FIG.
Is provided with a first guide device 1, a second guide device 2, and a third guide device 3, and a wiring member and / or a piping member attached to the end effector 5 attached to the tip of the wrist 20. 4 and guides by changing the positional relationship of the wiring member and / or the piping member according to the wrist movement.

The first guide device 1 includes a base 1a also serving as a sliding unit and a rotary clamp 1b, and is arranged on the arm 10. The second guide device 2 includes a rotation unit 2a and a rotation clamp 2b, and is disposed near the wrist 20 of the arm 10 and adjacent to the first pivot 21. The third guide device 3 includes a base 3a and a rotary clamp 3b, and is disposed on the third pivot 23. The wiring member and / or the piping member 4 are fixed by the respective clamp portions of the first guide device 1, the second guide device 2, and the third guide device 3 and supported movably, and the tip portion thereof Is fixedly supported by the clamp 6 of the end effector 5. Accordingly, each guide portion is displaced in accordance with a wrist motion by a swing motion or a linear motion of the guide portion.

FIG. 1B shows the first, second, and third pivot axes 21, 22, and 23 pivoted in the directions of arrows (a, b, c) in the figure. The state is shown. When each turning axis of the wrist 20 turns, each clamp portion of the first guide device 1, the second guide device 2, and the third guide device 3 performs a turning operation or a linear motion. Thereby, the wiring member and / or the piping member 4 are held in a stable state without winding around the arm 10 and the wrist 20.

Hereinafter, the first guide device 1, the second guide device 2, and the third guide device 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the first guide device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The first guide device 1 includes a base 1a and a rotary clamp 1b.
And The base 1a also serves as a sliding unit for directly moving the rotary clamp 1b. The linear motion can be performed by a guide such as a groove formed in the base 1a. In addition, the rotation clamp portion 1b locks the wiring member and / or the piping member 4 and rotates around the shaft. The linear motion and the rotary motion are performed by the force received from the wiring member and / or the pipe member 4 that is locked to the rotary clamp portion 1b.
The axial direction of the rotary shaft of the rotary clamp portion 1b and the linear motion direction of the sliding unit are disposed substantially orthogonally. With this arrangement, the force received from the pipe member 4 is decomposed in the translational direction and the rotational direction, and the wiring member and / or the pipe member 4 can be smoothly displaced. FIG. 2B shows the rotating clamp portion 1b.
Shows an operation example in which the rotary operation is performed in the direction indicated by the arrow A and the rotation is performed in the direction indicated by the arrow B. FIG. 3 shows an example of an operation of performing a linear motion in a direction indicated by an arrow and rotating in a direction indicated by an arrow B ′.

Next, the second guide device 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The second guide device 2 includes a rotation unit 2a and a rotation clamp unit 2b. The rotation unit 2a rotates the rotation clamp unit 2b around the outer periphery of the arm 10. The rotation operation can be performed by, for example, a bearing mechanism provided in the rotation unit 2a. Further, the rotating clamp portion 2b locks the wiring member and / or the piping member 4 and rotates the shaft. The rotating operation of the rotating unit 2a and the rotating clamp unit 2b is performed by the force received from the wiring member and / or the piping member 4 fixed to the rotating clamp unit 2b.

The rotating units 2a and the rotating clamps 2b are arranged so that their rotating shafts are substantially orthogonal to each other. With this arrangement, the force received from the pipe member 4 is applied to the rotating unit 2a.
And the rotating clamp portion 2b are disassembled in each rotational direction, and the wiring member and / or the piping member 4 can be smoothly displaced. FIG.
(B) shows an operation example in which the rotating unit 2a rotates in the direction shown by the arrow C, and the rotary clamp unit 2b rotates in the direction shown by the arrow D.

Next, the third guide device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The third guide device 3 includes a base 3a and a rotary clamp 3b. The base 3a is fixed on the wrist or the wrist casing 7, and rotatably supports the rotary clamp 3b. The rotation clamp portion 3b locks the wiring member and / or the piping member 4 and rotates the shaft. Rotary clamp part 3b
Is performed by the force received from the wiring member and / or the piping member 4 locked to the rotating clamp portion 3b.

The axial direction of each rotary shaft of the rotary clamp portion 3b is substantially orthogonal to the second rotary shaft 22,
2 on or parallel to the axis. With this arrangement, the force received from the pipe member 4 is
In each of the rotation directions, and allows the wiring member and / or the piping member 4 to be smoothly displaced. FIG. 4B shows the second turning shaft 22.
FIG. 4C shows a state in which the rotary clamp portion 3b is rotated by the rotation of the second rotary shaft 22. FIG.
Shows an operation example in which is rotated in the direction of arrow E.

Next, a fourth guide device of the present invention will be described. Like the first guide device, the fourth guide device has an attachment portion on the arm side, and the rotation operation on the outer periphery of the arm and the sliding operation in the length direction of the arm allow the wiring member and / or the piping member to smoothly move. Enables displacement.

The guide device of the present invention shown in FIG. 5 includes a fourth guide device 8 in addition to the second guide device 2 and the third guide device 3, and is provided with an end effector 5 attached to the tip of a wrist 20. Supporting the wiring member and / or the piping member 4 to be attached,
The guide changes the positional relationship between the wiring member and / or the piping member according to the wrist operation.

The second guide device 2 includes a rotary unit 2a and a rotary clamp 2b, and is disposed near the wrist 20 of the arm 10 and adjacent to the first pivot 21. Third
The guide device 3 includes a base 3a and a rotary clamp 3b, and is disposed on the third pivot shaft 23. On the other hand, the fourth guide device 8 includes a movable unit 8a and a rotary clamp 8b,
0.

The wiring member and / or the piping member 4 are locked by the clamps of the fourth guide device 8, the second guide device 2, and the third guide device 3, and are supported movably. The tip portion is fixed and supported by the clamp portion 6 of the end effector 5. Accordingly, each guide portion is displaced in accordance with a wrist motion by a swing motion or a linear motion of the guide portion.

FIG. 5B shows a state in which the first, second, and third pivot axes 21, 22, and 23 are respectively pivoted in the directions of arrows (a, b, c) in the figure. Is shown. When each of the turning axes of the wrist 20 turns, the clamp portions of the fourth guide device 8, the second guide device 2, and the third guide device 3 perform a turning operation (arrows C, D, E, and F, H) or a linear motion (arrow G in the figure). by this,
The wiring member and / or the piping member is held in a stable state without winding around the arm 10 or the wrist 20.

Hereinafter, the fourth guide device 8 will be described with reference to FIG. The fourth guide device 8 includes a movable unit 8a and a rotary clamp 8b. The movable unit 8a rotates the rotary clamp portion 8b around the outer periphery of the arm 10 (arrow F in the figure) and at the same time slides in the longitudinal direction of the arm (arrow G in the figure). The rotational sliding operation can be performed, for example, by rolling a ball provided on the movable unit 8a on the cylindrical surface of the arm. Further, the rotating clamp portion 8b locks the wiring member and / or the piping member 4 and rotates around the axis (arrow H in the figure). Rotational operation of the movable unit 8a and the rotating clamp unit 8b, and the movable unit 8
The sliding operation of “a” is performed by the force received from the wiring member and / or the piping member 4 locked to the rotary clamp portion 8b.

The axis directions of the rotating shafts of the movable unit 8a and the rotating clamp unit 8b are arranged to be substantially orthogonal. With this arrangement, the force received from the wiring member and / or the piping member 4 is disassembled into the respective rotating directions of the movable unit 8a and the rotating clamp portion 8b and the linear movement direction of the movable unit 8a, and the smooth displacement of the wiring member and / or the piping member is reduced. Make it possible.

FIG. 6B shows that the movable unit 8a has an arrow F
7 shows an example of an operation of rotating in the direction shown by the arrow, sliding in the direction shown by the arrow G, and rotating the rotary clamp portion 8b in the direction shown by the arrow H.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Interference between the wiring member and / or the piping member and the robot itself or peripheral devices can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example in which a guide device of the present invention is applied to a wrist portion of a robot.

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a first embodiment of the guide device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a second embodiment of the guide device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a third embodiment of the guide device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a configuration example in which the guide device of the present invention is applied to a wrist portion of a robot.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a fourth embodiment of the guide device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an industrial robot.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining attachment of a conventional piping member or wiring member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st guide apparatus 1a base 1b rotary clamp part 2 2nd guide apparatus 2a rotary unit 2b rotary clamp part 3 3rd guide apparatus 3a base 3b rotary clamp part 4 Wiring member and / or piping member 5 End effector 6 Clamp part 7 Wrist casing 8 Fourth guide device 8a Movable unit 8b Rotary clamp part 9 Clamp part 10 Arm 20 Wrist 21 First turning axis 22 Second turning axis 23 Third turning axis J1 to J6 Turning axis

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3F060 DA10 EB13 EC13 FA01 FA03 HA02 HA03 HA06 3H023 AA03 AA04 AB07 AC64

Claims (5)

[Claims] An apparatus for guiding a wiring member and / or a piping member connected to an end effector at a tip end of a wrist of a robot via an arm of the robot, wherein the device slides linearly with respect to the base. A clamp device that is guided and is rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the sliding direction and has a clamp unit that locks the wiring member and / or the piping member; and the sliding direction of the clamp unit and the longitudinal direction of the arm. A wiring member and / or a piping member guide device, wherein the clamp device is attached to the robot by arranging the base on the arm such that the base members are substantially aligned with each other. 2. An apparatus for guiding a wiring member and / or a piping member connected to an end effector at the tip of a wrist of a robot via an arm of the robot, the device being perpendicular to a base and a mounting surface of the base. A clamp device rotatable about an axis and having a clamp unit for locking a wiring member and / or a piping member, wherein the clamp unit is mounted on a wrist or a wrist casing, and the rotation axis of the clamp unit is set on the wrist axis. A wiring member and / or piping member guide device, wherein the clamp device is attached to a robot by being arranged on a position above or parallel to the swing axis. 3. A device for guiding a wiring member and / or a piping member connected to an end effector at a tip end of a wrist of a robot via an arm of the robot, wherein the movable unit has a cylindrical surface rotatable and slidable. By arranging the movable unit that is provided on the movable unit so as to be rotatable about an axis connecting the rotation center of the unit and the clamp unit and that connects the wiring member and / or the piping member to the outer periphery of the arm,
A wiring member and / or piping member guide device, wherein the clamp device is attached to a robot. 4. The guide device according to claim 1, a rotating unit that is freely movable on a circumference, and a shaft that connects a rotation center of the rotating unit and a clamp unit. A clamp device is provided on the rotation unit so as to be rotatable around and has a clamp unit for locking the wiring member and / or the piping member. By arranging the rotation unit on the outer periphery of the arm, the clamp device can be provided to the robot. A wiring member and / or piping member guide device, which is configured in combination with a guide device for performing attachment. 5. The provision of at least one of the wiring member and / or piping member guiding device according to claim 1 or the wiring member and / or piping member guiding device according to claim 4. A robot provided with a characteristic wiring member and / or piping member guiding device.