JPH06155367A - Industrial robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable working in an atmosphere of very high relative humidity or in a working environment where steam is formed or water drop is splashed, or in the water or liquid. CONSTITUTION:A driving source for a hand 6, a rotary encoder for measuring the actual working condition of the hand 6 are provided on the region other than in the working region of the hand of an industrial robot provided with a hand or arm, and a sealing material such as a labyrinth packing 22 for preventing intrusion of water or a seal ring 23 as a sealing material is provided on a joint part 17 of the hand 6.

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 an atmosphere having a very high relative humidity (for example, a humidity of 85).
% Or more) or work environment where water droplets are scattered, or in water,
The present invention relates to a robot that can work even in liquid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, industrial robots have been used which have been developed for various purposes in various fields. In this conventional industrial robot, all devices for driving and controlling have a mechanism that is most easily controlled. Therefore, the relative humidity of the working area is specified to be 80% or less as a use environment condition. . In recent years, automation has been demanded in fields where the work environment tends to deteriorate due to lack of manpower or improvement of the work environment.For example, cleaning and cutting, deburring and peeling work, painting work and humidity, dust, There is an urgent need to use various work robots in an atmosphere where solvent vapor is generated and there is a danger.

[0003]

For the cleaning, cutting, deburring and peeling operations, it is possible to use a high pressure water jet which has been remarkably developed in recent years. However, this conventional industrial robot does not have both water resistance and precision, and no matter how the water shield is attached, it is not possible to prevent water and water vapor from entering the wrist joints, resulting in rust and scale. However, the durability is extremely poor due to the occurrence of the above phenomenon, and there is a problem that it cannot be used for industrial purposes. On the other hand, it is generally considered to use a sliding seal material as a method of preventing water from entering, but since it causes an increase in load torque due to an increase in sliding resistance,
There is a problem in that it is difficult to protect the joints of the hands and the like of the industrial robot by using this sealing material because the accuracy of the robot is inevitable.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to reduce the accuracy in an atmosphere where high humidity and water droplets are scattered, or in water and liquid. It is to provide an industrial robot that can be used without any need.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the industrial robot according to claim 1 of the present invention is an industrial robot having a hand or an arm, wherein the drive source for the hand or arm and the hand. Alternatively, the detection unit for measuring the actual operation state of the arm is arranged outside the work area of the hand or arm, and the joint portion of the hand or arm is provided with a seal material for preventing water from entering.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the industrial robot according to the first aspect, the tool attached to the hand or arm is a nozzle for ejecting a fluid.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the industrial robot according to the first or second aspect, the flow path of the fluid supplied to the tool is provided via the axis of the rotary shaft of the joint. The structure extends to the hand or arm.

[0008]

In the industrial robot according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the drive source and the detecting portion are attached to portions other than the hand or the arm portion, an actuator having a sufficient output can be used regardless of the weight. Moreover, since the weight of the hand or arm can be reduced, the inertia is reduced and the control becomes easier. Moreover, since the drive source and the detection unit are arranged outside the work area of the hand or arm, it is possible to protect the generation of water vapor and the scattering of water droplets. The joint portion arranged in the work area can prevent water from entering by the seal material. In this case, even if the driving load torque of the joint portion is increased by the seal material, the detection unit can realize the full-closed-loop control, so that it is possible to prevent the deterioration of accuracy.

In the industrial robot according to the second aspect of the present invention, the high-pressure water jet is used to easily and safely perform cleaning, cutting, deburring, and various other operations without disturbing the drive source and the detector. It can be carried out.

According to another aspect of the industrial robot of the present invention, the flow path of the fluid supplied to the tool is extended through the axis of the rotary shaft of the indirect portion, so that the hose or the like is irrespective of the working position and posture. Does not hang down and interfere with work, and its appearance is also sophisticated.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a sectional view showing a lower arm of an industrial robot of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an upper arm, FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing one of wrist joints, and FIG. 4 is a side view showing the industrial robot. It is a figure. It should be noted that FIG. 1 is continuous with FIG. 2 in a state in which the line BB coincides with the line CC in FIG. First, the configuration of the embodiment will be described. Industrial robot A of this embodiment
Is a base 1, a Y-axis saddle 2, an X-axis saddle 3, a column 4, an arm 5, a hand 6, a hand motor 7, a hand driving wire 8, and a hand rotary encoder 9. , And the rotary encoder connecting wire 10 are the main components.

The base 1 forms a work area a for deburring inside and serves as a mounting frame for each part, and is fixed to the ground.

The Y-axis saddle 2 moves the arm 5 in the vertical and horizontal directions, and is movably mounted on the upper surface of the base 1.

The X-axis saddle 3 moves the arm 5 in the horizontal and horizontal direction, and is movably mounted on the upper surface of the Y-axis saddle 2.

The column 4 is for moving the arm 5 in the Z-axis direction, and is erected on the X-axis saddle 3. In the figure, 4a is a guide rail.

The arm 5 guides the hand 6 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, and is formed of an upper arm 5a and a lower arm 5b. The upper arm 5a has a hollow structure and is mounted on the column 4 so as to be able to move up and down. The upper arm 5a includes a rotating shaft 11 driven by a motor (not shown). 1 in the figure
Reference numeral 2 is an upper bearing portion, and 13 is a lower bearing portion. Also, 14
Is a shoe attached to the guide rail 4a.

On the upper part of the rotary shaft 11, a hand motor 7 is provided.
And a rotary encoder 9 for hands, and a lower arm 5b is connected to the lower part.

The hand 6 is mounted with a rotary nozzle 16, and a horizontal shaft 18 forming a joint part 17 of the hand is provided so as to project in both directions. The horizontal axis 18 is the lower arm 5b.
Is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 15 of the horizontal shaft 18, and a swivel joint 20 is connected to one end of the horizontal shaft 18.
A flow path 19 for supplying high-pressure water to the rotary nozzle 16 through the axis of the is provided. Reference numeral 21 in the drawing denotes a pipe for supplying high-pressure water to the swivel joint 20.

As shown in FIG. 3, the horizontal shaft 18 of the hand 6 is provided with a labyrinth packing 22 for sealing between the inner surface of the lower arm 5b and a seal ring 23 on the contact surface with the shaft hole. It is provided. A space 2 for performing air purging is provided inside the labyrinth packing 22.
4 is provided, and air is press-fitted into the space 24 through the flow path 25 to increase the internal pressure as compared with the surroundings. 25 in the figure
Reference numeral a is an air hose communicated with the flow path 25.

A sheave 27 having a plurality of grooves is fixed to the other shaft end of the hand 6. The hand driving wire 8 is composed of a pair of wires. One end is fixed to the sheave 27 and the hand driving wire 8 is stretched through the inside of the arm 5 to the hand motor 7 above the rotary shaft 11 and the other end is handed. Motor 7
It is fixed to a pulley 28 fixed to the rotating shaft of the. In the figure, 29 is a wire receiver for changing the direction of the hand wire 8. Two rotary encoder connecting wires 10 are fixed to the sheave 27 in parallel with the wire 8 and are stretched to the hand rotary encoder 9 above the rotary shaft 5 through the inside of the arm 5 and each other. The end is fixed to a pulley 30 fixed to the rotary shaft of the manual rotary encoder 9. In the figure, 31 and 32 are pulleys for changing the direction of the rotary encoder connecting wire 10. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 33 denotes a through hole for mounting a tool (a rotary nozzle in the embodiment), which is fixed by tightening with a bolt 34. Further, 35 is a water supply pipe that forms a refraction type extension water channel using a swivel joint, 36 is a drive unit for the hand 6, a measuring unit, with the lower arm 5b having a closed structure.
It is a moisture-proof and waterproof cover in which a supply unit and the like are installed.

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described. This industrial robot A has a Y-axis saddle 2, a X-axis saddle 3, and a column 4
Because the arm 5 moves up and down, left and right in the base 1 by
The work area a of the hand 6 is within the base 1. Then, in the rotary nozzle 16, the pair of hand wires 8 are relatively moved by the driving of the hand motor 7 to rotate the sheave 27. At this time, the pair of rotary encoder connecting wires 10 are relatively moved by the sheave 27, so that the pulley 30 is rotated to rotate the manual rotary encoder 9.
Is rotated at the same angle as the hand 6. Further, high-pressure water is supplied to the rotary nozzle 16 through the flow paths 21 and 19, and deburring work is performed in the work area a. At this time, since the space 24 has a higher pressure than the surroundings via the flow path 25, it acts to prevent water or the like from entering from the outside.

As described above, since the rotation angle of the hand 6 can be accurately measured by the rotary encoder 9 for the hand, even if a seal material that considers water resistance and waterproofness of the joint portion 17 is provided, the accuracy is improved. It does not cause any problems. Further, in this case, the hand rotary encoder 9 is arranged outside the work area a of the hand 6 by using the rotary encoder connecting wire 10, and the hand motor 7 also has the hand wire 8
Since it is placed outside the work area a of the hand 6 by using, it is possible to prevent the drive source and the detection device from malfunctioning or failing due to moisture or humidity. Further, since it is not necessary to attach a motor or a rotary encoder to the arm 5 or the hand 6, it is possible to form each of them with a light weight. Further, for this reason, the movement can be made more accurate. Since the hand motor 7 can use a motor having a sufficient output regardless of its weight, the work efficiency can be improved. Further, since a pipe or a cord for supplying high-pressure water to the rotary nozzle can be arranged through the inside of the arm 5, the cord or the like does not hang down and hinder the work, and the appearance can be made clean.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above.
The specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the present invention includes a design change and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the invention.

For example, in the embodiment, the hand motor 7 transmits power by the hand wire 8, but power may be transmitted via a ball screw, a sheave, a belt or a bevel gear.

Further, the angle detection is not limited to the rotary encoder, and a linear scale, a resolver, a pulse coder, a potentiometer, etc. can be adopted.

Further, the shapes of the base 1, the Y-axis saddle 2, the X-axis saddle 3, the column 4, etc. are arbitrary, and the shapes may be omitted if unnecessary. Further, the XY movement axis may be provided on the base side.

Further, the shapes of the arm 5 and the hand 6 can be set arbitrarily.

Further, the structure is not limited to the vertical orthogonal type as in the above-mentioned embodiment, but it may be a horizontal orthogonal type or an articulated type. Further, the tool to be attached to the hand is not limited to the nozzle, and various tools can be used. Further, by using oil or a hydraulic drive motor as a drive means for driving the tool, it is possible to further prolong the service life when working in oil or water.

[0029]

As described above, in the industrial robot according to the first aspect of the present invention, the drive source for driving the wrist is arranged outside the work area and is remotely driven, so that water droplets associated with the work can be prevented. The drive can be protected from water vapor. Furthermore, even if it becomes difficult to operate the wrist according to the output of the drive unit by mounting the seal material on the bearing that supports the rotary shaft of the joint, a detection means for remotely detecting the actual operating state of the wrist is provided. By providing the robot, it is possible to avoid a decrease in accuracy as a robot. In addition, by separating the detection unit from the work area, the detection unit can be protected from water.

Further, in the industrial robot according to the second aspect of the present invention, high-pressure water jets are used to perform cleaning, cutting, deburring, peeling work, etc. without interfering with the drive source and the detection unit. The effect that it can be performed easily and safely is obtained.

Further, in the industrial robot according to a third aspect of the present invention, since the flow path of the fluid supplied to the tool is extended through the axis of the rotary shaft at the joint, it has flexibility. Even if you do not use a high-pressure hose, it will not hinder your work on your hands or arms, and the hose will not hang down from your arm, etc., ensuring work safety and a clean appearance. It is possible to obtain an effect such as being able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a lower arm of an industrial robot of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an upper arm.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing one of the wrist joint portions.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an industrial robot.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Industrial Robot 5 Arms 5a Upper Arm 5b Lower Arm 6 Hand 7 Hand Motor (Drive Source) 9 Hand Rotary Encoder 17 Hand Joint 19 Flow Path 22 Labyrinth Packing (Seal Material) 23 Seal Ring (Seal Material)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An industrial robot having a hand or an arm, the drive source for the hand or the arm, and a detection unit for measuring an actual operation state of the hand or the arm are provided outside a work area of the hand or the arm. An industrial robot that is arranged and provided with a sealing material for preventing water from entering the joint part of the hand or arm. 2. The industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein the tool attached to the hand or arm is a nozzle for ejecting a fluid. 3. The industrial robot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a flow path of a fluid supplied to the tool is extended to a hand or an arm via an axis of a rotary shaft of the joint. And industrial robots.