JPH065886U - Head drive mechanism in manipulator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To reduce the weight load on the tip of the manipulator and obtain a compact manipulator drive mechanism. [Structure] A head is provided at the tip of a moving beam that advances in the axial direction from a guide beam having a fixed base end, and both a shift cylinder for moving the moving beam forward and backward and a rotating cylinder for rotating the head are provided on the guide beam side. .
Further, each of the shift cylinder and the rotating cylinder is provided with a braking mechanism for braking and locking the cylinder rod, and a lock mechanism for locking the turning operation of the connecting member between the cylinder rod of the rotating cylinder and the head is used as the moving beam. Prepare Even if the moving beam advances, only the load on the head at the tip and the robot arm attached to the moving beam is applied, and the weight of the drive mechanism for the turning operation is reduced.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a manipulator provided in, for example, an automatic tool changer, and more particularly to a mechanism for rotating / extending / contracting an arm provided at a tip thereof.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 A manipulator that holds a workpiece or a tool for machining is generally used as one form of a robot used in various machining and other fields. In order to give the manipulator a variety of movements, it is usual that the head provided at the tip of the manipulator can move in the axial direction and the posture can also rotate.

In order to enable the operation of such a manipulator, it is necessary to provide a moving member for moving the head forward and backward and a rotary drive mechanism for rotating the head. Among them, the rotary drive mechanism uses, for example, a cylinder that uses hydraulic pressure or pneumatic pressure as a drive source, and has a function of changing the posture of the head in conjunction with the movement of the moving member.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, the head is located at the tip of the manipulator when viewed from the whole, and since the manipulator itself is cantilevered and its base end is connected to the fixed side, the rotary drive mechanism is concentrated on the moving member. When arranged, the weight load on the tip side increases as the moving member advances. For this reason, the manipulator may be bent or deformed, which affects machining accuracy.

Further, for various cylinders of the rotating mechanism, it is necessary to connect a pipe for working fluid, a cable for control, and the like. For this reason, various piping and wiring tend to be complicated, and there are many obstacles during assembly and maintenance inspection.

The problem to be solved in the present invention is to reduce the weight load on the tip of the manipulator and to obtain a compact drive mechanism for the manipulator.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention comprises a moving beam that is connected to a guide beam whose base end is fixed so as to be movable in the axial direction, and a head that is provided at the tip of the moving beam so that it can swivel and that can mount a robot arm or the like. A shift cylinder that drives the moving beam in the axial direction thereof and a rotating cylinder that applies a rotational force to the head are provided on the guide beam side.

Further, each of the shift cylinder and the rotation cylinder may be provided with a braking mechanism for controlling and locking the cylinder rod.

Further, the moving beam may be provided with a lock mechanism for locking the turning operation of the connecting member between the cylinder rod of the rotating cylinder and the head.

[0010]

[Action]

 In addition to the shift cylinder for driving the moving beam, a rotating cylinder for rotating the head at the tip of the moving beam is also provided on the guide beam side, so that even if the moving beam advances. Since it does not itself have a head rotation drive mechanism, even if the manipulator is cantilevered, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of bending due to moving load.

Further, if each of the shift cylinder and the rotation cylinder is provided with a braking mechanism, the head can be stably held at the set position, and stable operation of the robot arm or the like can be performed.

Further, if the connecting member between the rotating cylinder and the head is locked by the lock mechanism provided on the moving beam, it is possible to prevent the turning posture from being collapsed even if an external force is applied to the head.

[0013]

【Example】

 FIG. 1 is a front view of a manipulator of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line BB and CC of FIG.

In the figure, a mount plate 1a is integrally provided at the right end of a guide beam 1 having a hollow quadrangular cross section, and the mount plate 1a causes the guide beam 1 to turn into a column (not shown) which can be swung, for example. It is connected. The guide beam 1 has its axis in a substantially horizontal posture, and guide blocks 1b are provided on the upper and lower inner walls of the distal end side and the substantially intermediate portion, respectively.

A moving beam 2 which is also hollow and has a rectangular cross section is coaxially incorporated in the hollow guide beam 1. Rails 2a, which are slidably held by the guide blocks 1b of the guide beam 1, are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the moving beam 2 over substantially the entire length in the axial direction.

At the tip of the moving beam 2, there is provided a support 3 that holds a head 4 so that the head 4 can rotate. As shown in FIG. 1, the support 3 is formed by projecting a block 3a for connecting the head 4 in the axial direction and raising a flange 3b upward. The head 4 has a vertical cross-sectional shape that vertically sandwiches the block 3a, and is rotatably connected to the block 3a by a pin 4a penetrating the block 3a. Then, the lower surface of the head 4 is provided with a connector 4b for connecting a robot arm (not shown).

On the upper surface of the guide beam 1, there is arranged a shift cylinder 5 for moving the moving beam 2, the support 3 and the head 4 integrally in the axial direction. The shift cylinder 5 has its base end connected to the mount plate 1a and its tip end fixed to the upper surface of the guide beam 1, and connects the cylinder rod 5a to the flange 3b.

A rotation cylinder 6 for rotating the head 4 is provided on the side of the shift cylinder 5. The rotating cylinder 6 is connected to the guide beam 1 by a bracket 1c, which is connected in the middle of the axial direction thereof, and is pivotally supported by a pivot in a substantially vertical posture. Further, one end of a link rod 7 is connected to the tip of the cylinder rod 6a of the rotating cylinder 6, and the other end of the link rod 7 is connected to a pin 4c of the head 4.

Further, the shift cylinder 5 and the rotation cylinder 6 are provided with braking elements 5b and 6b for braking and locking the stroke operation of the respective cylinder rods 5a and 6a. Each of these braking elements 5b and 6b provides resistance to the movement of the cylinder rods 5a and 6a in the axial direction so that braking is possible. Any device having a mechanism capable of locking the cylinder rods 5a and 6a by means of

The link rod 7 is provided with a lock mechanism 8 that locks the turning motion of the head 4. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an essential part of the lock mechanism 8 portion, and FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway view seen in the direction of arrows DD in FIG.

The lock mechanism 8 includes a lock cylinder 8a fixed to the flange 3b of the support 3, and a block 8c fixed to the upper surface of the link rod 7 and into which the rod 8b of the lock cylinder 8a fits. The block 8c is provided with a lock hole 8d, and the rod 8b of the lock cylinder 8a is fitted into the lock hole 8d, whereby the operation of the link rod 7 is restricted and the link rod 7 is locked at a fixed position.

In the above structure, when the shift cylinder 5 is operated from the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the cylinder rod 5a thereof is advanced, as shown in the schematic view of FIG. The moving beam 2 moves in the direction of exit, and the head 4 moves forward. At this time, the rotation cylinder 6 follows the movement of the head 4 and advances the rod 6a so that the head 4 has a designated posture when it advances.

By combining the operations of the shift cylinder 5 and the rotation cylinder 6 as described above, the posture of the head 4 is set at the same time when it reaches the advanced position, as shown in FIG. 7B. After that, the cylinder elements 5a and 6a are locked by the braking elements 5b and 6b, respectively. As a result, the head 4 is held in a fixed posture at the set advance position, and the robot hand or the like connected to the connector 4b can be stably supported.

Here, if the cylinder rod 5a is locked by the braking element 5b of the shift cylinder 5, the rotation cylinder 6 can give only the rotation operation to the head 4. Therefore, it is not necessary to operate the pneumatic or hydraulic circuit for the shift cylinder 5 each time the posture of the head 4 is changed, and the posture of the head 4 can be set only by operating the braking element 5b. Therefore, the circuits and piping of the shift cylinder 5 and the rotation cylinder 6 are simplified, and the equipment can be simplified.

Further, while the head 4 is not rotating, the rotation of the head 4 can be locked by the braking device 8 provided on the link rod 7. For example, when the head 4 is in the operating position, even if an external force is applied, the posture of the head 4 is prevented from changing due to the lock. Therefore, the set posture of the head 4 does not change during the work, and stable work can be performed.

Note that the braking elements 5b and 6b and the braking device 8 are not always necessary, and a structure in which only the shift cylinder 5 and the rotation cylinder 6 are connected to the head 4 excluding these may be used.

[0027]

[Effect of device]

 In the present invention, since the guide beam side is provided with the shift cylinder for moving the head forward and backward and the rotating cylinder for rotating the head, the tip of the manipulator is different from the conventional case where the rotation driving mechanism is provided on the head. The weight applied to the side is reduced. For this reason, bending deformation of the manipulator is prevented, and various operations can be performed with high accuracy.

Further, since it is not necessary to connect a pipe or cable to a driving cylinder to the head, assembly and maintenance / inspection are simple.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view showing a main part of a manipulator of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the manipulator shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a composite view taken along line BB and line CC in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a head portion showing an outline of a braking device.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway view showing the structure of the braking device as seen in the direction of arrows DD in FIG.

7A and 7B are schematic diagrams showing head advancement and posture change by a shift cylinder and a rotation cylinder, wherein FIG. 7A shows the time of advancement and FIG. 7B shows the time of rotation end.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Guide Beam 2 Moving Beam 3 Support 4 Manipulator Head 5 Shift Cylinder 6 Rotating Cylinder 7 Link Rod 8 Braking Device

Claims (3)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A moving beam connected to a guide beam whose base end is fixed so as to be movable in the axial direction, and a head which is provided at the tip of the moving beam so as to be pivotable and to which a robot arm or the like can be mounted. A head drive mechanism in a manipulator, comprising: a shift cylinder that drives the moving beam in an axial direction thereof; and a rotation cylinder that applies a rotational force to the head, on the guide beam side. 2. The head drive mechanism for a manipulator according to claim 1, wherein each of the shift cylinder and the rotation cylinder is provided with a braking mechanism for braking and locking a cylinder rod. 3. The moving beam is provided with a lock mechanism for locking the turning motion of a connecting member between the cylinder rod of the rotating cylinder and the head. Head drive mechanism for manipulators.