Repeater for composite cable

Abstract

The present invention relates to a relay device (1) for a composite cable, wherein each wiring of the composite cable is connected to two or more motor-side connectors provided on a motor, wherein the relay device (1) for the composite cable comprises: two or more relay-side connectors (2, 3, 4) connected to each motor-side connector; a plurality of hollow shells (5, 6) fixed to at least one relay-side connector (2, 4); and a relay cable (7) having flexibility and connecting the hollow shells (5, 6) and other relay-side connectors (2, 4), wherein any hollow shell (5) is provided with a connection portion (53) for connecting the composite cable, and within the hollow shell (5), wiring (11) connected to the relay-side connector (4) fixed to the hollow shell (5) and wiring (12, 13) connected to the relay cable (7) are branched.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a relay device for a composite cable. Background Art

[0002] Generally, the servo motor of the industrial robot is provided with a connector capable of connecting a power cable, a brake cable, and an encoder cable. On the other hand, in order to reduce the number of cable wiring steps and reduce the wiring space, a composite cable that integrates the power cable, the brake cable, and the encoder cable is used (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-193760 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] If an integrated connector that can be connected to power, brake, and encoder terminals at one time is used as the connector installed at the end of the composite cable, the number of wiring steps can be reduced to the maximum. However, if an integrated connector is also provided on the motor side, the internal wiring of the motor becomes complicated. It is difficult to connect a composite cable with an integrated connector at the end to an existing motor that does not have an integrated connector.

[0008] A method can be considered to use a composite cable to route near the motor, and then make the cable into a loose wire and route it in each connector. However, in the state of loose wire, there will be a problem that the waterproof performance of the connector cannot be ensured. Another method can be considered to route the composite cable near the motor, and then configure a distribution box with a waterproof port that can make the thick rubber insulated cable waterproof, and branch it to each thick rubber insulated cable, so as to route it in each connector. However, in this case, it is necessary to fix the distribution box, for example, to the motor.

[0009] Means used to solve problems

[0010] One aspect of the present application is a relay device for a composite cable, wherein each wiring of the composite cable is connected to two or more motor-side connectors of a motor, wherein the relay device includes: a relay-side connector, wherein there are two or more relay-side connectors connected to each of the motor-side connectors; a hollow shell, wherein there are multiple hollow shells fixed to at least one of the relay-side connectors; and a relay cable, wherein the relay cable is flexible and connects the hollow shell and the other relay-side connectors, wherein any one of the hollow shells is provided with a connection portion for connecting the composite cable, and within the hollow shell, the wiring connected to the relay-side connector fixed to the hollow shell and the wiring connected to the relay cable are branched.

[0011] Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to the present application, even if all the connectors are of the same type but the motor-side connectors are arranged differently, the wiring work can be performed only by connecting the composite cable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is a front view showing a relay device for a composite cable according to one embodiment of the present application.

[0014] Figure 2 To express Figure 1 A longitudinal sectional view of the structure of a repeater device for a composite cable.

[0015] Figure 3 For the use of Figure 1 An exploded view of a relay device for a composite cable illustrating the operation of connecting the composite cable to a motor.

[0016] Figure 4 To express that Figure 1 The repeater for composite cable is installed in Figure 3 An exploded view of the state of the motor.

[0017] Figure 5 To indicate the connection of the composite cable to Figure 4 A diagram of a state of a relay-side composite connector of a relay device for a composite cable.

[0018] Figure 6 To express Figure 1 A front view of a modified example of a repeater device for a composite cable. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Hereinafter, a relay device 1 for a composite cable according to an embodiment of the present application will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] like Figure 3 As shown, the relay device 1 for the composite cable according to the present embodiment is a device that relays the various wirings of the composite cable 30 to the power connector (motor side connector) 21, the brake connector (motor side connector) 22, and the encoder connector (motor side connector) 23 provided in the motor 20.

[0021] That is, Figure 3 As shown, the composite cable 30 is a single unbranched cable, including all power wiring, brake wiring, and encoder wiring, and is covered by an outer insulating sheath 31 .

[0022] like Figure 3 As shown, in the relay device 1 for a composite cable according to the present embodiment, a case where the composite cable 30 has a composite connector (cable-side composite connector: connecting portion) 32 is shown.

[0023] The power connector 21, the brake connector 22, and the encoder connector 23 have external threads 21a, 22a, and 23a on the outer circumference, respectively. The power connector 21, the brake connector 22, and the encoder connector 23 have a well-known fastening structure as follows: the internal threads of the fastening rings rotatably mounted on the first to third connectors 2, 3, and 4 described later are engaged with the external threads 21a, 22a, and 23a and tightened, thereby fixing the connectors 2, 3, 4, 21, 22, and 23 to each other in a state where the terminals of the connectors 2, 3, 4, 21, 22, and 23 are connected to each other.

[0024] like Figure 1 As shown, the relay device 1 for the composite cable includes: first to third connectors (relay side connectors) 2, 3, 4 that can be connected to the power connector 21, the brake connector 22, and the encoder connector 23 of the motor 20, respectively. The relay device 1 for the composite cable also includes: a first housing (hollow housing) 5, a second housing (hollow housing) 6, and a first relay cable 7 and a second relay cable (relay cable) 8 that are flexible and have an appropriate length.

[0025] For example, Figure 2 As shown, the first housing 5 and the second housing 6 respectively include a box-shaped housing body 51, 61 opened in one direction and a cover body 52, 62, the cover body 52, 62 can open and close the opening 51a, 61a of the housing body 51, 61 and is installed on the housing body 51, 61 by, for example, screws. A third connector 4 connected to the encoder connector 23 of the motor 20 in an attachable or detachable manner is fixed to the bottom surface of the housing body 51 of the first housing 5.

[0026] The relay-side composite connector (connection portion) 53 is fixed to the cover 52 of the first housing 5, and one end of the first relay cable 7 is fixed to the cover 52 of the first housing 5 by a cable clamp 54. An external thread 53a capable of fastening the internal thread of the fastening ring of the composite connector 32 of the composite cable 30 is also provided on the outer periphery of the relay-side composite connector 53.

[0027] Furthermore, only the encoder wiring (wiring) 11 is connected between the terminal (not shown) of the relay-side composite connector 53 fixed to the first housing 5 and the terminal of the third connector 4 .

[0028] The other terminal of the relay-side composite connector 53 is connected to the power wiring (wiring) 12 and the brake wiring (wiring) 13 included in the first relay cable 7 .

[0029] A first connector 2 is fixed to the bottom surface of the housing body 61 of the second housing 6 so as to be attachable or detachable to the power connector 21 of the motor 20. The other end of the first relay cable 7 is fixed to the cover 62 of the second housing 6 by a cable clamp 63, and one end of the second relay cable 8 is fixed to the cover 62 of the second housing 6 by a cable clamp 64.

[0030] The terminals of the first connector 2 fixed to the second housing 6 are connected to the power wiring 12 in the first relay cable 7. The brake wiring 13 in the first relay cable 7 is connected to the wiring 14 drawn from one end of the second relay cable 8 into the second housing 6.

[0031] The wiring 14 of the second relay cable 8 is connected to the second connector 3 fixed to the other end of the second relay cable 8 .

[0032] Hereinafter, the operation of the thus configured repeater device 1 for a composite cable according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0033] In order to install the relay device 1 for the composite cable according to the present embodiment on the motor 20, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, the third connector 4 fixed to the first housing 5 needs to be connected to the encoder connector 23 of the motor 20 .

[0034] Then, the first connector 2 fixed to the second housing 6 is connected to the power connector 21 of the motor 20. Then, the second connector 3 provided at the other end of the second relay cable 8 is connected to the brake connector 22 of the motor 20. Thus, the relay device 1 for the composite cable is mounted on the motor 20.

[0035] In this state, if Figure 5As shown, the composite connector 32 of the composite cable 30 is fastened to the relay-side composite connector 53 provided in the first housing 5. Thus, the power wiring, the brake wiring, and the encoder wiring included in the composite cable 30 are connected to the motor 20.

[0036] Specifically, the encoder wiring included in the composite cable 30 is connected to the encoder connector 23 of the motor 20 via the composite connector 32 of the composite cable 30, the relay-side composite connector 53, the encoder wiring 11, and the third connector 4. The power wiring included in the composite cable 30 is connected to the power connector 21 of the motor 20 via the composite connector 32 of the composite cable 30, the relay-side composite connector 53, the power wiring 12 included in the first relay cable 7, and the first connector 2.

[0037] The brake wire included in the composite cable 30 is connected to the brake connector 22 of the motor 20 via the composite connector 32 of the composite cable 30 , the relay-side composite connector 53 , the brake wire 13 included in the first relay cable 7 , the wire 14 of the second relay cable 8 , and the second connector 3 .

[0038] The relay device 1 for the composite cable according to the present embodiment thus constructed can bend the two relay cables 7 and 8 to adjust the positions of the first to third connectors 2, 3, and 4. That is, even if the positions of the power connector 21, the brake connector 22, and the encoder connector 23 on the motor 20 side are different, the position change can be absorbed by the deformation of the flexible relay cables 7 and 8.

[0039] By simply connecting the composite connector 32 of the composite cable 30 to the relay-side composite connector 53 provided on the first housing 5, the power wiring 12, the brake wiring 13, and the encoder wiring 11 can all be connected to the motor 20. This has the advantage that even for a motor 20 in which all the connectors 2, 3, 4, 21, 22, and 23 are of the same type but the arrangements of the connectors 21, 22, and 23 are different, wiring work can be performed simply by connecting the composite cable 30.

[0040] According to the present embodiment, by fastening the third connector 4 to the encoder connector 23 of the motor 20, the first housing 5 to which the third connector 4 is fixed can be easily fixed to the motor 20. By fastening the first connector 2 to the power connector 21 of the motor 20, the second housing 6 to which the first connector 2 is fixed can be easily fixed to the motor 20.

[0041] Since the two relay cables 7 and 8 are mounted on the first housing 5 and the second housing 6, the free movement of the relay cables 7 and 8 can be restricted when the relay device 1 for a composite cable is mounted on the motor 20. That is, when the motor 20 is mounted on a movable part of a robot, the relay cables 7 and 8 can be prevented from being exposed due to the movement of the movable part.

[0042] Since the front end of the composite cable 30 does not need to be branched and only a single composite connector 32 is installed, the structure of the composite cable 30 can be simplified, the cost can be reduced, and the manufacturability can be improved. Since the front end of the composite cable 30 does not need to be branched, the shielding, liquid resistance, dust resistance and other performances can be improved.

[0043] In the relay device 1 for composite cables according to the present embodiment, the first housing 5 or the second housing 6 has a structure that improves shielding, liquid resistance, dust resistance, etc., so there is no need to separately provide a distribution box. Therefore, there is no need to fix the distribution box to the main body of the motor 20 as in the case of providing a distribution box.

[0044] That is, according to the relay device 1 for composite cables of the present embodiment, by connecting the connectors 2 and 4 to the power connector 21 and the encoder connector 23 of the motor 20, respectively, the housings 5 ​​and 6 can be freely fixed to the motor 20 within the length of the relay cables 7 and 8 in the above-mentioned connection portion regardless of the size of the motor 20. Therefore, it is not easy to cause the problem of where to set the housings 5 ​​and 6 in the motor 20, and it is not necessary to provide a space, a screw thread, etc. for fixing the housings 5 ​​and 6 in the main body of the motor 20, and the housings 5 ​​and 6 can be easily fixed to the existing motor without any processing on the existing motor.

[0045] In this embodiment, the case of the relay device 1 for composite cables for connecting the composite cable 30 to the motor 20 having three motor-side connectors 21, 22, 23 is exemplified, but it can also be applied to the case of connecting to the motor 20 having two or more motor-side connectors 21, 22, 23. In any case, the number of hollow housings 5, 6 and relay cables 7, 8 is one less than the number of motor-side connectors 21, 22, 23.

[0046] In this embodiment, the composite cable 30 with the composite connector 32 installed at the front end is illustrated. However, the present application is not limited to this. Figure 6As shown, the composite cable 30 may be mounted on the first housing 5 using a cable clamp (connecting portion) 55. In this case, each wiring of the composite cable 30 may be connected to the first relay cable 7 and the terminals of the third connector (relay side connector) 4 by soldering or the like in the first housing 5.

[0047] Description of Reference Numerals

[0048] 1: Relay device for composite cable

[0049] 2: First connector (relay side connector)

[0050] 3: Second connector (relay side connector)

[0051] 4: The third connector (relay side connector)

[0052] 5: First shell (hollow shell)

[0053] 6: Second shell (hollow shell)

[0054] 7: First relay cable (relay cable)

[0055] 8: Second relay cable (relay cable)

[0056] 11: Encoder wiring (wiring)

[0057] 12: Power wiring (wiring)

[0058] 13: Braking wiring (wiring)

[0059] 20: Motor

[0060] 21: Power connector (motor side connector)

[0061] 22: Brake connector (motor side connector)

[0062] 23: Encoder connector (motor side connector)

[0063] 30: Composite cable

[0064] 32: Composite connector (cable side composite connector, connection part) 53: Relay side composite connector (connection part)

[0065] 55: Cable clamp (connection part)

Claims

1. A relay device for a composite cable, wherein each wiring of the composite cable is connected to two or more motor-side connectors provided in a motor, wherein the relay device is characterized in that it comprises: A relay side connector, wherein there are two or more relay side connectors connected to each of the motor side connectors; A hollow shell, wherein the hollow shell is multiple and fixed to at least one of the relay-side connectors; as well as a relay cable having flexibility and connecting the hollow housing and the other relay-side connectors, Any one of the hollow shells is provided with a connection portion for connecting the composite cable, The wiring connected to the relay-side connector fixed to the hollow housing and the wiring connected to the relay cable are branched inside the hollow housing.

2. The relay device for composite cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting portion is a relay-side composite connector that can be connected to a cable-side composite connector provided at a terminal end of the composite cable.

3. The relay device for composite cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting portion is a cable clamp for fixing the end of the composite cable to the hollow housing.

4. The relay device for a composite cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The hollow housing is fixed to two or more of the relay-side connectors.

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