JPH044841Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Field of industrial application] This invention is a work tool for selectively using one of a plurality of work tools designed to perform different types of work. The present invention relates to a switching mechanism, and particularly relates to a technique for keeping the position of a working tool constant.

[Prior Art] Generally, when an industrial robot is installed and used on a factory line, one industrial robot may be used to perform multiple types of work. In such cases, conventionally, a plurality of working tools are attached to the arm of the industrial robot. For example, when an industrial robot is installed and used on a painting line, the color of the paint may be changed depending on the specifications of the workpiece. Two spray guns designed to blow out paint are arranged parallel to each other, the spray gun to be used is selected according to the color of the paint, and painting is performed using one of the spray guns.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, when the spray guns are arranged parallel to each other as described above, the positions of the nozzles differ depending on the spray guns used. Therefore, it is necessary to change the software in the control mechanism of the industrial robot to correct the position of the nozzle, which complicates the operation of the industrial robot.
Further, when painting in a narrow space such as a deep part of a workpiece, there was a problem that the spray gun that was not being used became jammed, which hindered the painting process.

This invention solves the above problems, and by making it possible to position the spray gun in use at a fixed working position, it facilitates the operation of industrial robots, and furthermore, it is possible to evacuate the spray gun when it is not in use. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a spray gun rotating device that enables smooth painting work on industrial robots.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a first pin that is attached to a base attached to the tip of an arm of an industrial robot in a plane parallel to the base surface. a first link plate that is rotatably supported by the base, and a first link plate that is rotatably supported by the base via a second pin in a plane parallel to the base surface and parallel to the first link plate; a second link plate disposed; a first spray gun rotatably supported at one end of each of the first link plate and the second link plate via third and fourth pins; a second spray gun rotatably supported at the other end of the first link plate and the second link plate via fifth and sixth pins; a first notch for avoiding interference between the second pin and any pin provided at both ends of the second link plate; It is characterized by comprising: a second notch that avoids interference between any of the pins provided at both ends of the plate; and a motor that is disposed on the arm and rotates the first link plate.

[Function] According to the present invention, when performing painting work with the first spray gun, the motor is driven to rotate the first link plate and move the first spray gun to the working position on the tip side of the base. The second spray gun is moved to the retracted position on the proximal end side of the base by the rotation of the second link plate in conjunction with the rotation of the first link plate. On the other hand, when performing painting work with the second spray gun, the motor is driven to rotate the first link plate and move the first spray gun to the retracted position on the proximal end side of the base. The rotation of the second link plate accompanying the rotation moves the second spray gun to the working position on the distal end side of the base.

[Example] Figures 1 to 5 are diagrams showing an example of the present invention, in which the present invention is applied to an industrial robot (for painting).
This is applied to the rotating device of a spray gun. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the rotating device of the spray gun of this embodiment. The rotating device shown in this figure is attached to the tip of arm A of an industrial robot, with the spray gun (working tool) _B1 on the tip side in the working position and the spray gun _B2 on the rear end side in the retracted position. A moving mechanism C is provided for moving the spray guns B ₁ and B ₂ to change their positions.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a frame. The frame 1 is in the form of a plate whose rear end is bent at right angles to the front end, and is attached to the arm A with its longitudinal direction facing forward and backward.
A shaft 2 protruding from the upper and lower surfaces of the frame 1 is rotatably inserted into the midrange portion of the frame 1 in the longitudinal direction. The lower end of the shaft 2 is fixed to the pulley 3, and the upper end is fixed to the center of the first link plate 4.
Note that the reference numeral 5 is a thrust bearing for supporting the first link plate 4.

The first link plate 4 has a rectangular plate shape, and includes an air motor 6 attached to the arm A, a pulley 6a of this air motor 6, and the above-mentioned pulley 3.
By means of the chain 7 wound around the chain 7, it is possible to rotate 180 degrees counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 2, or reverse 180 degrees clockwise from the state after rotation. On the other hand, a shaft 8 protruding from the upper surface of the frame 1 is rotatably inserted at a location spaced a predetermined distance from the center of rotation of the first link plate 4 toward the distal end side of the frame 1 . The upper end of this shaft 8
It is fixed to the center of a second link plate 9 located above the link plate 4. In addition, the reference numeral 10 in the figure
is a thrust bearing for supporting the second link plate 9.

The second link plate 9 is a rectangular plate having the same length as the first link plate 4, and one end of the mounting plate 11 is connected to the tip of the second link plate 9 via a short pin 12 and a thrust bearing 13. Rotatably connected. On the other hand, at the tip of the first link plate 4,
The other end of the mounting plate 11 is rotatably connected via a long pin 14 and a thrust bearing 15. Similarly, short pins are attached to both ends of the mounting plate 11 at the rear ends of the first and second link plates 4 and 9.
2, long pin 14 and thrust bearing 13,
They are rotatably connected via 15. Also,
Spray guns B ₁ and B ₂ are installed on the top surface of each mounting plate 11.
is attached with the nozzle facing toward the tip.
Based on such a configuration, the second link plate 9 rotates in the same direction as the first link plate 4 about the shaft 8 by rotating the first link plate 4, and the second link plate 9 rotates in the same direction as the first link plate 4. 11 is designed so that its longitudinal direction remains oriented in the front-rear direction and its front-rear position can be switched. The second link plate 9 includes a thrust bearing 5 at the center of the first link plate 4 and a thrust bearing 1 provided at both ends of the first link plate 4.
Notches 9a, 9 to avoid interference with 5, 15.
(the cutout 9a corresponds to the second cutout in the claims of the utility model registration). Also,
The first link plate 4 also has notches 4a, 4a to avoid interference between the thrust bearing 10 in the center of the second link plate 9 and the thrust bearings 13, 13 provided at both ends of the second link plate 9. (The notch 4a corresponds to the first notch in the scope of the utility model registration claim).

Next, in the rotating device, the spray gun B ₁ ,
This section describes the procedure for switching and using B ₂ . First, set the spray gun in the condition shown in Figure 2.
Perform painting work using B ₁ . Next, when changing the paint color, start the air motor 6 and move the first link plate 4 counterclockwise (in the direction of arrow R in the figure).
Rotate 180° to Then, the second link plate 9 also rotates 180° counterclockwise. At this time, mounting plate 1
1 and 11 move with their longitudinal directions facing forward and backward, and spray gun B ₁ in the working position moves to the retracted position, while spray gun B ₂ in the retracted position
comes into working position. Therefore, the spray gun
The position of the nozzle of B ₂ corresponds to the original position of the nozzle of spray gun B ₁ . Also, spray gun
To return the positions of B ₁ and B ₂ to their original positions, the first link plate 4 may be rotated 180° clockwise.

In such a rotating device, the spray guns B ₁ and B ₂ arranged side by side in the front-rear direction are moved and swapped with each other, so the spray guns B ₁ (B ₂ ) are always kept at a constant working position. Therefore, there is no need to change the software of the control mechanism of the industrial robot, and its operation can be facilitated. In addition, since the spray gun B ₁ (B ₂ ) that is not in use can be moved to the rear, it is possible to easily paint in narrow spaces such as deep spots on the workpiece, making the painting process smoother. can. Additionally, spray gun
If switching between B ₁ and B ₂ is not performed, as shown in Fig. 3, rotate the first and second link plates 4, 9 90° counterclockwise from the state shown in Fig. 2 and stop. By doing so, it is possible to perform painting using the two spray guns B ₁ and B ₂ at the same time, and the work efficiency of painting can be greatly improved.

The moving mechanism C of the spray guns B ₁ and B ₂ is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration. For example, the longitudinal center portion of the plate body may be rotatably supported by a frame, and the movement mechanism C of the spray guns B 1 and B 2 may be rotatably supported at both ends of the plate body. Spray gun B ₁ ,
Any method may be used as long as the spray gun B ₁ (B ₂ ) is positioned at a fixed working position, such as by attaching B ₂ with its nozzles facing in the front and rear directions. Also, in this case three or more spray guns may be arranged. In addition, in the above embodiment, spray gun B ₁
(B ₂ ) are used in a state where they are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction, but depending on the usage conditions, they may be configured to be used in various states such as in the left-right direction or in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to switching between spray guns as in the above embodiment, but can also be applied to switching between various other work tools, such as welding tools and handling chucks, with the same effects as described above. Of course.

[Effects of the invention] As explained above, according to the invention, the base attached to the tip of the arm of an industrial robot,
a first link plate rotatably supported in a plane parallel to the base surface via a first pin; and a first link plate rotatably supported in a plane parallel to the base plane via a second pin; a second link plate movably supported and arranged parallel to the first link plate; third and fourth pins connected to one end of each of the first link plate and the second link plate; a first spray gun that is rotatably supported by the user; and fifth and sixth spray guns at the ends of the other of the first link plate and the second link plate, respectively.
a second spray gun rotatably supported via a pin; and a second spray gun provided on the first link plate, the second pin, and either pin provided on both ends of the second link plate. a first notch for avoiding interference; and a second notch provided in the second link plate to avoid interference between the first pin and any pin provided at both ends of the first link plate. and a motor disposed on the arm to rotate the first link plate, so that each spray gun can be moved to the tip position of the base (working position) depending on when each spray gun is in use or not in use. ) and the base end position (retracted position), it is possible to keep the nozzle position of the spray gun used constant at all times, and the control mechanism of industrial robots can be changed to correct the nozzle position as in the past. This not only makes it unnecessary to change the software of the industrial robot and facilitates the operation of the industrial robot, but also provides the following unique effects.

The first link plate is rotated by the motor and the first
Each spray gun can be connected in series by overlapping the first and second link plates in the longitudinal direction, positioning one spray gun in the working position on the distal end of the base and positioning the other spray gun in the retracted position on the proximal end of the base. Because it can be placed in the state
If both sides are bent, the spray gun can be inserted smoothly even into narrow spaces. As a result, even when painting in a narrow space such as a deep part of a workpiece to be painted, the painting work can be performed smoothly, so that the efficiency of the painting work can be improved.

In addition, during painting work, the spray gun used for painting work is moved to the working position on the tip side of the base, and the spray gun not used for painting work is moved to the retracted position on the base end side of the base. The paint sprayed from
The nozzle of the spray gun that is not in use can prevent such a phenomenon, thereby making it possible to prevent the problem of clogging of the spray gun that is not in use.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 5 are views showing one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a rotating device of a spray gun, FIG. 2 is a view taken in the direction of FIG. The figure is a plan view showing the state in which the first link plate is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from the state shown in Fig. 2, and the fourth
The figure is a view taken in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1... Frame (base), 2... Axis (first pin), 4... First link plate, 4a... Notch (first notch), 6... Air motor (motor), 8
...Axis (second pin), 9 ...Second link plate, 9
a... Notch (second notch), 12, 12... Short pin (4th pin, 6th pin), 14, 14...
Long pin (3rd pin, 5th pin), A... arm, B ₁ ... spray gun (1st spray gun),
B ₂ ... Spray gun (second spray gun).

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A first link plate supported rotatably in a plane parallel to the base surface via a first pin on a base attached to the tip of an arm of an industrial robot; , a second link plate rotatably supported by the base via a second pin in a plane parallel to the base surface and arranged parallel to the first link plate; and the first link. a first spray gun rotatably supported at one end of the plate and the second link plate via third and fourth pins; and the other end of the first link plate and the second link plate, respectively. a second spray gun rotatably supported by the second pin via fifth and sixth pins; a second spray gun provided on the first link plate and provided on both ends of the second pin and the second link plate; a first notch provided on the second link plate to avoid interference between the first pin and any pin provided at both ends of the first link plate; A rotating device for a spray gun, comprising: a second notch for avoiding the above-described problems; and a motor disposed on the arm and rotating the first link plate.