JPH0366584A - Adapter with centering mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize a high centering accuracy with an extremely simple structure by composing it so as to perform the movement and fixture in an adjusting direction by each pair of screw members. CONSTITUTION:The movement in each adjusting direction is performed by each pair of screw members 40, 50 moved in the respective adjusting directions between an intermediate member 20 and a base member 10, and a mounting member 30 and the intermediate member 20. In the case of only one adjusting direction being sufficient, those which are equipped with the two main elements of the base member 10 and mounting member 30 are taken in the state of the intermediate member 20 being omitted and the movement in the adjusting direction is performed by a pair of screw members 40, 50 moved in the adjusting direction between the both.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an adapter with a centering mechanism for inserting an operating member such as a manipulator into the tip of a movable arm of a robot or automatic device.

Conventional technology and its problems Operating members such as manipulators inserted into the tip of the movable arm of robots and automatic machines are required to operate or approach the target position with high precision. Centering work is required. In many traditional cases,
This centering work involved moving the robot and the entire device so that the manipulator at the end of the arm matched the target position, which was time-consuming and labor-intensive. After replacing parts, it was necessary to move the robot and the entire device again to perform centering work. Alternatively, there were some that had a dovetail groove at the tip of the movable arm to help center the actuating member.
In order to achieve high centering accuracy using the dovetail mechanism, the length of the contact area between the dovetail member and the dovetail groove must be increased, which results in an increase in the size of the entire mechanism, an increase in the weight of the arm tip, and an increase in the weight of the arm. This had the disadvantage of reducing operational performance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art and provide an adapter with a centering mechanism that is small and lightweight and can achieve high centering accuracy.

Means for Solving the Problems The object of the present invention is to provide an adapter with a centering mechanism for attaching an actuating member to a distal end of a movable arm, the adapter comprising: a fixing portion fixed to the distal end of the movable arm; , a base member having a pair of support parts extending from the fixed part at a distance from each other, an insertion part located between the support parts, and an insertion part integrally coupled to the insertion part to attach the actuating member. The mounting includes a mounting member having a portion, each of the pair of bearing portions having a
A female threaded hole is provided that penetrates perpendicularly to the extending direction of the support part and whose axes coincide with each other, and the insertion part is provided with a hole that is concentric with the female threaded hole at a position corresponding to the female threaded hole. A pair of convex or concave guide portions extending in a shape is provided, and the adapter is further screwed into the female threaded holes of the pair of support portions, and is engaged with a side surface of the guide portion. (a pair of screw members that move the insertion section in the forward and backward movement directions by forward and backward movement; and a pair of screw members that are coupled to one of the support section and the mount member and contact the other and that rotate the mount member around the guide section. This is achieved by an adapter with a centering adjustment mechanism, which is characterized by being equipped with a rotation preventing member that prevents rotation.

The object of the present invention is also an adapter with a centering mechanism for attaching an actuating member to a distal end of a movable arm, the adapter comprising: a fixing part fixed to the distal end of the movable arm; a pair of first portions extending from the fixed portion at intervals of
a base member having a bearing portion, a first insertion portion located between the first bearing portions, and a first insertion portion spaced from the insertion portion in a second direction transverse to the first direction; an intermediate member including a pair of second support parts extending in the extending direction of the support parts; a second insertion part located between the second support parts; and integrally coupled to the insertion part. and a mounting member having a mounting portion for mounting the actuating member, and each of the pair of first and second supporting portions has a first supporting portion penetrating perpendicularly to the extending direction. and a female threaded hole is provided between each pair of the second support portions with their axes aligned with each other, and the first and second insertion portions are provided with a female threaded hole at a position corresponding to the female threaded hole. a pair of convex or concave guide portions extending concentrically in the female threaded holes are provided, and the adapter is further screwed into the female threaded holes of each of the first and second pairs of bearing portions; a pair of screw members that move the first and second insertion portions in the forward and backward movement directions based on the screw engagement while engaged with a side surface of the guide portion; the first support portion; a first rotation preventing member that is coupled to one of the intermediate members and contacts the other and prevents rotation of the intermediate member about the guide portion; and a first rotation preventing member that is coupled to one of the second support portion and the mount member and is coupled to the other of the intermediate members; This is achieved by an adapter with a centering adjustment mechanism, characterized in that it includes a second rotation preventing member that is in contact with and prevents rotation of the guide portion opening of the mount member.

Preferably, the guide part is a bottle that passes through the insertion part perpendicularly to the extending direction and projects from the insertion part to both sides, and the screw member is provided with a through hole for passing the pin. A set screw is installed in the insertion portion, and is screwed into the insertion portion perpendicularly to the axial direction of the bottle and comes into contact with the pin.

The guide portion may be a recessed portion perpendicular to the extending direction with respect to the insertion portion, and the screw member may include a guided surface in contact with a side surface of the recessed portion at a distal end portion.

The direction stopping member may be a nut that is screwed onto the mount member between the mounting portion of the mount member and the distal end surface of the support portion, and is in close contact with the distal end surface of the support portion based on a screw action. can.

Preferably, the first rotation preventing member is screwed onto the intermediate member between the second support portion of the intermediate member and the first support portion distal end surface of the base member, and the first rotation prevention member The nut is in close contact with the distal end surface of the part based on a threaded action, and the second locking member is screwed onto the mount member between the part and the distal end surface of the second supporting part. This is a socket that is attached to the support part and comes into close contact with the tip end surface of the support part based on a screw action.

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

Figures S1 to 4 show an adapter with a centering mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a manipulator. In FIG. 1, the central axis of operation of the manipulator (hereinafter referred to as the operating axis) is indicated by a dashed line, and the movable arm is indicated by a chain double-dashed line.

As shown in the figure, the centering mechanism adapter has a movable arm (A
) and an intermediate member (2) attached to the distal end of the base member (10) in sequence along the operating axis.
0) and a mount member (30), and a manipulator (B) is attached to the distal end side of the mount member (30).

The base member (10) has a shank-shaped fixing part (11) that is inserted into a hole and fixed at the end of the movable arm (A).
) and a cylindrical part (1) integrally connected to the distal end side of the fixed part.
2). A pair of internally threaded holes (13) are provided in the mutually facing side walls of the cylindrical part (12), perpendicular to the operating axis and with mutually coincident axes. In this example, the pair of internally threaded holes are provided so that their axes are horizontal. The bored portions of the pair of female threaded holes in the cylindrical member (12) serve as supporting portions for supporting the intermediate member (20), as described below.

The intermediate member (20) is inserted into a first insertion part (21) located in the central hole of the cylindrical part (12) and a second cylindrical part (22) integrally connected to the distal end side of the insertion part. A pin (23) extending through the portion (21). The first insertion part (21) has a cylindrical shape with an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical part (12), and there is a moving opening for centering between the two.

The bottle (23) has a narrow diameter part (230) in the center and a second
The tip of a set screw (25) screwed into the insertion portion (21) abuts the narrow diameter portion to fix the bottle (23). In this state, both ends of the pin (23) are connected to the second insertion portion (
21) on both sides in the radial direction, and serves as a guide portion during movement by the screw member described below. In addition, in order to operate the set screw (25), the first cylindrical part (
A through hole (14) is provided in the side wall of 12). The second cylindrical part (22) has the same shape as the first cylindrical part (12), but the axes of the pair of female threaded through holes (24) are provided to extend in the vertical direction. . A pair of female threaded tag perforations in the cylindrical portion (22) form a second support portion for supporting the mount member described below.

A screw member (40) is screwed into each of the pair of female threaded holes (13) of the base member (11). Screw member (40)
has a cylindrical shape with a through hole in the axial direction, and the diameter of the through hole is determined to allow the bottle (23) to pass through it tightly in order to guide the bottle (23) in the axial direction. Intermediate member (20
A male thread is formed at the transition part from the insertion part (21) of the cylindrical part (12) to the cylindrical part (22). By coming into contact with the tip surface, it serves to prevent the intermediate member from rotating around the bottle (23).

The mount member (30) includes a second insertion portion (31) located within the cylindrical portion of the intermediate member, and a mounting portion (32) integrally coupled to the distal end side of the insertion portion. A bottle (33) extending perpendicularly to the operating axis and the axis of the bottle (23) passes through the insertion portion (31).
Like the bottle (23), it is fixed to the second insertion part (31) by a narrow diameter part (33) and a set screw (35). Also, for operating the set screw (35), a second
A through hole (24) is provided in the side wall of the cylindrical portion (22).

A threaded member (50) is screwed into each of the pair of female threaded holes (24) of the intermediate member (20). Screw member (50)
has the same cylindrical shape as the screw member (40), and its through hole has a diameter determined to allow the bottle (33) to pass through it tightly.

The mounting portion (32) has a substantially rectangular plate shape extending perpendicular to the operating axis, and is provided with two mounting holes (36) so that the manipulator CB) can be mounted on the distal end side. In addition, since a sensor such as a proximity switch (C) is often attached to the rear end of the manipulator (B), a notch (37) is provided in the part (32) for passing the connection wire.
) is provided. A male screw is provided at the transition portion of the mount member (30) from the insertion portion (31) to the attachment portion (32), and a locking nut (70) is screwed onto the male screw. The anti-rotation nut (70) is attached to the mount member (3) in contact with the distal end surface of the cylindrical portion (22) of the intermediate member.
0) from rotating around the bottle (33).

This adapter is assembled as follows. First, the insertion portion (21) of the intermediate member (20) is inserted into the cylindrical portion of the base member (10). At this time, the locking nut (60) is attached to the cylindrical portion (1) of the male threaded portion of the intermediate member (20).
2) Screw it fully into the side. Next, the bottle (23) is inserted from the hole (13) of the cylindrical part (12) into the through hole of the insertion part (21). Insert the narrow diameter part (230) of the bottle (23) into the insertion part (
21) and the hole (14) in the cylindrical part (12).
Then screw the set screw (25) into the insertion portion (21) to fix the bottle (23). Next, attach the screw member (40) to the cylindrical part (
12) into the female threaded hole (13). At this time, the side protruding end of the bottle (23) is inserted into the through hole of the screw member (40). The pair of bottles (40) each have a distal end surface attached to the insertion portion (2).
1) is screwed in until it comes into contact with the peripheral surface. In this state, turn the locking nut (60) so that it lightly contacts the tip surface of the cylindrical portion (12). Next, with the locking nut (70) fully screwed into the male threaded portion of the mount member (30), insert the insertion portion (31) of the mount member into the cylindrical portion (22) of the intermediate member, The bottle (33) is fixed to the insertion portion (31) i in the same manner as described above, and the pair of screw members (50) are screwed into the female threaded hole of the cylindrical portion (22). Furthermore, turn the anti-rotation lug (70) to advance it toward the intermediate member and bring it into light contact with the distal end surface of the cylindrical part (22). This completes the assembly of the adapter.

To attach the manipulator (B) to the tip of the arm (A) using this adapter and perform centering, proceed as follows. First, attach the adapter assembled as described above to the arm (
A) Fix it to the tip. This is normally attached at the tip of the arm (A) according to the form. Next, attach the mount member (30) to the part (32) using the manipulator (B).
). If the manipulator (B) is equipped with a sensor such as a proximity switch (C), its connection line (
D) can be installed by passing it through the notch (37) of the part (32) and extending it along the arm (A) as appropriate. Next, the arm (A) is moved to cause the manipulator (B) to reach the target position. In this state, use the manipulator (B
) is shifted horizontally from the target position, operate the screw member screwed onto the base member (10). That is, turn the screw member (40) on the side closer to the target position and pull it out from the cylindrical part (12), and then pull out the screw member (40) on the opposite side (
40) and insert it into the cylindrical part (12). As a result, the intermediate member (20) moves in the horizontal direction toward the target position together with the mount member (30) and the manipulator (B). If the manipulator (B) is vertically displaced from the target position, operate the screw member (50) screwed onto the intermediate member. That is, in the same way as the horizontal adjustment, the mount member (30) is moved in the vertical direction together with the manipulator (B) by pulling out and inserting the pair of screw members (50). Screw members (40) and (50)
, the intermediate member (20) and the mount member (30
), the bottles (23) and (33) are in close contact with the through holes of the screw members (40) and (50), so that they are accurately aligned in the axial direction of each screw member, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the operating axis. be moved. Repeat these operations as necessary,
When the manipulator is in the target position, tighten the locking nuts (60) and (70). The above operations complete the installation and centering work.

In the above example, the insertion parts (21) and (31) are used as guide parts.
Although the bottles (23) and (33) are shown protruding from
As shown in the figures, each insertion portion can also be provided with a recess that is recessed in the direction of movement required for centering. In this case, the screw members (40) and (50) have a diameter that allows them to slide into the recess (23') with their tips in close contact with the side surfaces of the recess (23'). The through hole can be omitted.

In addition, a nut for preventing rotation of the intermediate member and the mount member (
60) and (70), a structure shown in FIG. 6 may be used. That is, the insertion part (21') of the intermediate member has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the central hole of the cylindrical part (12') has a rectangular cross section. This rectangular center hole has a pair of internally threaded holes (13
) is wider than the insertion section (21'), and the side surface perpendicular thereto is in close contact with the side surface of the insertion section (21'). As a result, the insertion part (21') becomes the cylindrical part (12')
There is a gap for centering between the drilled part (supporting part) of the internally threaded hole in the hole. In this example, the cylindrical part (12'
) in the insertion part (61) that connects the support part (
21') to prevent rotation of the intermediate member about the threaded member (13). It plays the role of a rotation prevention member. Similarly, the insertion part (31') of the mount member is shaped like a rectangular parallelepiped, the cylindrical part (22') of the intermediate member is provided with a central hole with a rectangular cross section, and the female threaded hole in the cylindrical part (22) The part (71) that connects the (supporting part) is the insertion part (31'
) serves as a rotation prevention member.

In addition, if the movement of the manipulator for centering is limited to one direction, such as only in the horizontal direction or only in the vertical direction, the intermediate member (20) in the example shown in FIG. 1 may be omitted, The insertion portion (31) of the mount member (32) can be inserted into the cylindrical portion (12) of the base member (11). For example, if the manipulator only needs to be adjusted in the vertical direction, the base member (11) would be coupled to the mount member (30) after being rotated 90'' around the operating axis from the position shown in Figure 1. .

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an adapter with a centering mechanism that has the following effects. That is, the adapter is provided with a base member for attachment to the distal end of the movable arm, an intermediate member for movement in the head direction (e.g. horizontal direction), and movement in other adjustment directions (e.g. vertical direction). It is equipped with three main elements: a mount member for mounting the operating member, and movement in each adjustment direction is performed by moving forward and backward in the respective adjustment directions between the base member and the intermediate member, and between the intermediate member and the mount member. This was done by each pair of screw members. In addition, if only one adjustment direction is sufficient, the intermediate member may be omitted and two main elements, a base member and a mount member, are provided, and a pair of screw members that move forward and backward in the adjustment direction are provided between the two main elements. Therefore, we decided to move in the adjustment direction. Therefore, movement and fixation in each adjustment direction can be performed using each pair of screw members, and high centering accuracy can be achieved with an extremely simple structure. In addition, the centering function of the adapter also increases the width between the ends of the pair of screw members that protrude from the insertion section to both sides. The size of the entire adapter is sufficient as long as it has enough dimensions to allow movement, and in particular, the guide part for movement is formed in a convex or concave shape in the insertion part so that it does not require any special space. Can be made extremely compact. Therefore, even if the manipulator is accompanied by various sensors, the connection wires should be passed through the notches provided in the mount member and extend linearly along the sides of the intermediate member and base member behind it. It is extremely convenient.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an adapter together with a manipulator, Fig. 2 is a vertical side view of the adapter, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line P-P in Fig. 2. ,
4 is a sectional view taken along the line Q-Q in FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional front view of another example of the adapter, and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of still another example of the adapter. . (10)...Base member, (11)...Fixing part, (12), (12')...Cylindrical part (comprising the first support part), (13)...Femally threaded tag , (20)... intermediate member, (21), (21')... first insertion part, (22
), (22')...Cylindrical part (with second support part), (23)...Bin (guide part), (23'')...Recessed part (guide part) (30)...・Mount member, (31), (31')...Second insertion part, (32)
...Installation is done by the part, (33)...Bin (guide part), (33')...Recessed part (guide part) (40), (50)...Screw member, (60), (70 )... Rotating member, (A)...
Movable arm, (B)...manipulator (actuating part), (and above)

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) An adapter with a centering mechanism for attaching an actuating member to a distal end of a movable arm, comprising a fixed part fixed to the distal end of the movable arm, and a fixed part extending from the fixed part at a distance from each other. a base member having a pair of support parts; a mount member having an insertion part located between the support parts; and a mounting part integrally coupled to the insertion part to which the actuation member can be attached; Each of the pair of supporting parts includes:
A female threaded hole is provided that penetrates the support part perpendicularly to the extending direction and has axes aligned with each other, and the insertion part is provided with a female threaded hole that is concentric with the female threaded hole at a position corresponding to the female threaded hole. A pair of convex or concave guide portions extending in a shape is provided, and the adapter is further screwed into the female threaded holes of the pair of support portions, and is engaged with a side surface of the guide portion. a pair of screw members that move the insertion section in the forward and backward movement direction by forward and backward movement based on the above; An adapter with a centering adjustment mechanism, characterized in that it is equipped with a rotation preventing member. (2) An adapter with a centering mechanism for attaching an actuating member to a distal end of a movable arm, wherein a fixed part fixed to the distal end of the movable arm and a fixed part are spaced apart from each other in a first direction. a pair of first portions extending from the fixed portion;
a base member having a first insertion portion located between the first bearing portions, and a base member having a first insertion portion located between the first bearing portions and a second insertion portion spaced apart from the insertion portion in a second direction transverse to the first direction. an intermediate member including a pair of second support parts extending in the extending direction of the support parts; a second insertion part located between the second support parts; and integrally coupled to the insertion part. and a mounting portion to which the actuating member can be attached, and each of the pair of first and second support portions has a first support portion and a second support portion that penetrate perpendicularly to the extending direction. A female threaded hole is provided between each pair of the two supporting portions with their axes aligned with each other, and the first and second insertion portions are provided with the female threaded hole at a position corresponding to the female threaded hole. A pair of convex or concave guide portions extending concentrically in the hole is provided, and the adapter further screws into the female threaded hole of each of the first and second pairs of support portions, and the guide portion a pair of screw members that move the first and second insertion portions in the respective forward and backward movement directions by forward and backward movement based on the screw engagement while engaged with the side surfaces of the screw members; the first supporting portion and the intermediate member; a first rotation preventing member that is coupled to one of and in contact with the other and prevents rotation of the intermediate member around the guide portion, and a first rotation preventing member that is coupled to one of the second support portion and the mount member and in contact with the other; An adapter with a centering adjustment mechanism, comprising a second rotation preventing member that prevents rotation of the mount member around the guide portion. (3) The guide portion is a pin that passes through the insertion portion perpendicularly to the extension direction and projects from the insertion portion to both sides, and the screw member is provided with a through hole for passing the pin. 3. The centering adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the inserting portion is provided with a set screw that is screwed in perpendicularly to the axial direction of the pin and comes into contact with the pin. adapter. (4) The guide portion is a recess that is recessed perpendicularly to the extending direction with respect to the insertion portion, and the screw member has a guided surface in contact with a side surface of the recess at the distal end. The adapter with a centering adjustment mechanism according to claim 1 or 2. (5) The locking member is a nut that is screwed onto the mount member between the mounting portion of the mount member and the tip end surface of the support portion, and is in close contact with the tip surface of the support portion based on a screw action. The adapter with a centering adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, 3, or 4. (6) The first rotation prevention member is screwed onto the intermediate member between the second support portion of the intermediate member and the first support portion distal end surface of the base member, and the first rotation prevention member The second locking member is screwed onto the mount member between the mounting portion of the mount member and the second support portion end surface. 5. The adapter with a centering adjustment mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the adapter is a nut that is in close contact with the distal end surface of the support portion based on a screw action.