robot
By setting multiple through holes in the lubrication chamber, the functions of oil drainage, ventilation, and oil supply can be flexibly configured according to the robot's posture changes, solving the problem of difficult replacement of lubricating materials and realizing convenient replacement and accurate replenishment of lubricating materials.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- FANUC LTD
- Filing Date
- 2021-11-26
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-21
AI Technical Summary
When the robot moves from the ground to the sidewall, the change in the orientation of the lubrication chamber causes old lubricating material to remain, making it difficult to effectively replace with new lubricating material.
The lubrication chamber is equipped with three or more through holes, any one of which can be used as an oil drain hole, vent hole, or oil supply hole. The configuration can be flexibly adjusted according to the posture changes to ensure smooth replacement of lubricating materials under different postures.
It enables convenient replacement of lubricating materials in multiple postures, avoids the residue of old lubricating materials, and ensures accurate replenishment of lubricating materials in the lubrication chamber.
Smart Images
Figure CN116472149B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This disclosure relates to a robot. Background Technology
[0002] The following robot is known: a lubrication chamber storing lubricating material for lubricating a gear mechanism; and a reducer disposed in the lubrication chamber, having an oil inlet and an oil outlet for injecting and discharging the lubricating material (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
[0003] The robot in Patent Document 1 is provided with an end face oil drain port and a side oil drain port. The end face oil drain port is used to discharge the old lubricating material in the lubrication chamber when the lubricating material is replaced while the robot is set on the ground. The side oil drain port is used to discharge the portion of the new lubricating material injected into the lubrication chamber that exceeds the predetermined amount.
[0004] Existing technical documents
[0005] Patent documents
[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-34383 Summary of the Invention
[0007] The problem the invention aims to solve
[0008] When the robot in Patent Document 1 is mounted on the side wall, the orientation of the lubrication chamber differs by 90° from when it is mounted on the ground. Therefore, both the end face oil drain and the side oil drain are positioned higher than the lowest point of the lubrication chamber. Consequently, if the lubrication material is replaced while the robot is mounted on the side wall, some of the old lubrication material will remain inside the lubrication chamber, making the replacement with new lubrication material difficult.
[0009] Therefore, it is desirable to be able to easily replace the old lubricating material in the lubrication chamber with the new lubricating material even when the orientation of the lubrication chamber is changed during oil supply and drainage.
[0010] Solution for solving the problem
[0011] One aspect of this disclosure is a robot having a lubrication chamber capable of storing a fluid lubricating material. The lubrication chamber has three or more through holes penetrating its wall. In two or more orientations of the lubrication chamber, one through hole is positioned at the lowest point of the lubrication chamber to function as an oil drain hole. Another through hole is positioned at a position equal to or higher than the level of the lubricating material when the lubrication chamber contains a required amount of lubricating material. The remaining through hole is positioned to function as an oil supply hole for supplying the lubricating material to the lubrication chamber. Attached Figure Description
[0012] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of a robot according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0013] Figure 2 This indicates that it is configured in Figure 1 A longitudinal sectional view of an example of the internal structure of the joint between the first and second arms of a robot.
[0014] Figure 3 This indicates that it is set in Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the configuration of the through holes in the lubrication chamber of the joint.
[0015] Figure 4 It means Figure 3 The lubrication chamber is configured to be compatible with Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the configuration of each through hole in different postures.
[0016] Figure 5 It means Figure 3 The lubrication chamber is configured to be compatible with Figure 3 and Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the configuration of each through hole in different postures.
[0017] Figure 6 It means Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the first modified example of the lubrication chamber.
[0018] Figure 7 It means Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a second modified example of the lubrication chamber.
[0019] Figure 8 It means Figure 1 The overall structural diagram of a variant of the robot.
[0020] Figure 9 yes Figure 8 The robot is configured to be compatible with Figure 8 The overall structure diagram when the posture is different.
[0021] Figure 10 It means Figure 2 A longitudinal sectional view of a deformed joint.
[0022] Figure 11 It means Figure 10 A schematic diagram showing the relationship between the posture of the articulated arm and the configuration of each through hole. Detailed Implementation
[0023] The robot 1 of one embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0024] The robot 1 in this embodiment is, for example, as follows: Figure 1 The vertical multi-joint robot shown includes: a base 2 disposed on the surface to be mounted; and a rotating body 3 supported on the base 2 in a manner that enables it to rotate about a first axis J1, the first axis J1 extending in a direction orthogonal to the surface to be mounted.
[0025] Furthermore, the robot 1 includes: a first arm (first component) 4, which is supported on the rotating body 3 in a manner capable of rotating about a second axis J2, the second axis J2 extending in a direction orthogonal to the first axis J1; and a second arm (second component) 5, which is supported on the first arm 4 in a manner capable of rotating about a third axis J3 parallel to the second axis J2. Moreover, the robot 1 has a three-axis wrist unit 6 at the front end of the second arm 5.
[0026] The structure of the joint of the robot 1 in this embodiment will be described using joint A between the first arm 4 and the second arm 5 as an example.
[0027] like Figure 2 As shown, joint A has a servo motor 10 that drives the second arm 5 relative to the first arm 4 and a reducer 20.
[0028] A servo motor 10 is fixed to the first arm 4, and a reducer 20 is fixed between the first arm 4 and the second arm 5. A lubrication chamber 40 is provided in the first arm 4. The lubrication chamber 40 stores a fluid lubricating material 41 such as oil, which is used to lubricate the gear 11 that transmits power to the servo motor 10, the bearing 12 that rotatably supports the gear 11 on the first arm 4, and the reducer 20.
[0029] Figure 2 This illustrates a robot 1 that uses a vertically extending cutter to cut through surfaces. Figure 1 An example of a longitudinal sectional view of the lubrication chamber 40 in the orientation of the lubrication chamber 40. The lubrication chamber 40 is defined by a cylindrical peripheral wall (wall surface) 40a and a pair of end walls (wall surfaces) 40b, 40c at both ends of the peripheral wall 40a in the axial direction.
[0030] The lubrication chamber 40 is provided with three through holes 43a, 43b, and 43c that connect the interior of the lubrication chamber 40 with the external space.
[0031] Both through holes 43a and 43b are formed radially through the peripheral wall 40a of the lubrication chamber 40. When robot 1 is in... Figure 1 When the lubrication chamber 40 is in the desired orientation, the through hole 43a is positioned at the lowest point of the lubrication chamber 40. Additionally, the through hole 43b is positioned at a predetermined angle θ relative to the through hole 43a in the circumferential direction (refer to...). Figure 3 The position of ).
[0032] Furthermore, the through hole 43c is formed by penetrating the end wall 40b of the lubrication chamber 40 in the thickness direction. The through hole 43c is positioned at the same level as the liquid level 41a when the lubrication chamber 40 stores the required amount of lubricating material 41.
[0033] The required amount refers to the amount sufficient to adequately lubricate the gears 11, bearings 12, and reducer 20 inside the lubrication chamber 40, for example, 70-80% of the volume of the lubrication chamber 40. The remaining 30-20% is filled with air or an inert gas. Additionally, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the position equal to the liquid level 41a refers to the position where the lower edge of the through hole 43c coincides with the liquid level 41a of the required amount of lubricating material 41.
[0034] For ease of explanation, such as Figures 3 to 5 As shown, the internal space of the lubrication chamber 40 is designed to have a simple cylindrical shape.
[0035] When robot 1 is in Figure 1 When in the posture shown, such as Figure 3 As shown, three through holes 43a, 43b, and 43c are respectively located at the above positions.
[0036] When robot 1 from Figure 1 When the posture causes the first arm 4 to rotate relative to the rotating body 3 around the second axis J2 by a predetermined angle θ, as... Figure 4 As shown, the orientation of the lubrication chamber 40 changes, and the through hole 43b moves to the lowest position of the lubrication chamber 40. At this time, the through hole 43c also moves by a predetermined angle θ, but after moving, it remains at the same position as the liquid level 41a when the lubrication chamber 40 stores the required amount of lubricating material 41.
[0037] Furthermore, when robot 1 is installed on a vertical wall and used as a so-called wall-mounted device, such as Figure 5As shown, the lubrication chamber 40 can be positioned with the through hole 43c at its lowest position. In this case, at least one of the two through holes 43a and 43b located on the peripheral wall 40a can be positioned at the same level as the liquid level 41a when the lubrication chamber 40 contains the required amount of lubricating material 41.
[0038] In addition, internal threads (not shown) are formed in each of the through holes 43a, 43b, and 43c to detachably fasten the plug 44 or a threaded joint with a check valve for oil supply (not shown).
[0039] The through holes 43a, 43b, and 43c are sealed by tightening the plug 44 or the threaded joint. On the other hand, the lubrication chamber 40 can be opened to the atmosphere by removing the plug 44 or the threaded joint.
[0040] The replacement operation of the lubricating material 41 sealed in the lubrication chamber 40 of the robot 1 of this embodiment will be described.
[0041] When replacing the lubricating material 41 in the lubrication chamber 40 of joint A of robot 1 in this embodiment, robot 1 is set as follows: Figure 1 The plug 44, fastened to the through holes 43a and 43c, is removed from the position shown. Since the through hole 43a is located at the lowest point of the lubrication chamber 40, it functions as an oil drain hole after the plug 44 is removed. Because the portion of the through hole 43c, excluding its lower edge, is positioned above the level 41a of the lubricating material 41, it functions as a vent hole for drawing external gas into the lubrication chamber 40 after the plug 44 is removed.
[0042] That is, by simply removing the plug 44 through the two through holes 43a and 43c, external gas can be drawn into the lubrication chamber 40 through the through hole 43c, while the old lubricating material 41 in the lubrication chamber 40 is smoothly discharged through the through hole 43a by gravity. Furthermore, almost all the lubricating material 41 stored in the lubrication chamber 40 can be easily discharged through the through hole 43a, which is located at the lowest position of the lubrication chamber 40.
[0043] Next, after almost all the lubricating material 41 in the lubrication chamber 40 has been discharged, with the through hole 43c, which serves as a vent, open, the plunger 44 is installed into the through hole 43a, which serves as an oil drain hole, and then sealed. In this state, the plunger 44 installed in the through hole 43b is replaced with a threaded connector for oil supply, and an oil supply device such as an oil gun is connected to the replaced threaded connector to supply new lubricating material 41 into the lubrication chamber 40.
[0044] When new lubricating material 41 begins to fill the lubrication chamber 40, the air filling the lubrication chamber 40 is pushed by the lubricating material 41 and discharged to the outside through the through hole 43c. Furthermore, when the required amount of lubricating material 41 has been filled into the lubrication chamber 40, the lubricating material level 41a reaches the position of the through hole 43c, and a small amount of lubricating material 41 overflows from the through hole 43c. At this time, the operator performing the lubrication supply can confirm that the required amount of lubricating material 41 has been filled into the lubrication chamber 40.
[0045] Furthermore, even if more than the required amount of lubricating material 41 is supplied into the lubrication chamber 40, the excess lubricating material 41 will be discharged to the outside through the through hole 43c. Thus, it is possible to fill the lubrication chamber 40 with exactly the right amount of new lubricating material 41.
[0046] The robot 1 according to this embodiment has the following advantages: even when the first arm 4 is moved from... Figure 1 Even when the posture has rotated by a predetermined angle θ, the lubricating material 41 can still be replaced.
[0047] That is, in this case, since the lubrication chamber 40 becomes Figure 4 As shown in the posture, the through hole 43b, which is located at the lowest position of the lubrication chamber 40, can be used as an oil drain hole, the through hole 43c as a vent hole, and the through hole 43a as an oil supply hole.
[0048] Therefore, almost all the lubricating material 41 stored in the lubrication chamber 40 can be easily discharged by gravity alone, and new lubricating material 41 can be filled into the lubrication chamber 40 precisely. That is, the robot 1 according to this embodiment can perform the replacement operation of the lubricating material 41 in multiple different postures. Therefore, even if it is difficult to adopt a posture for the replacement operation due to interference between the robot 1 or the installed tools and surrounding parts, the replacement operation can be performed smoothly in other postures.
[0049] Furthermore, when the robot 1, which was originally placed on the ground, is instead placed on a wall and used thereafter, the lubrication chamber 40 can take... Figure 5 The posture shown can achieve the same effect as described above by using the through hole 43c as an oil drain hole, using one of the through holes 43a and 43b as a vent hole, and using the other as an oil supply hole.
[0050] That is, by changing the posture of the lubrication chamber 40 due to changes in the posture of the robot 1's arm or the robot 1's setup method, and by changing the function of each through hole 43a, 43b, and 43c, the oil supply hole, oil drain hole, and vent hole can be positioned appropriately. Therefore, under multiple postures where the posture of the lubrication chamber 40 changes, the lubricating material 41 in the lubrication chamber 40 can be reliably and adequately discharged, and the required amount of oil can be supplied.
[0051] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the through holes used as vents are all positioned at the same level as the liquid level 41a when the required amount of lubricating material 41 is stored. Alternatively, the through holes used as vents may also be positioned higher than the liquid level 41a when the required amount of lubricating material 41 is stored.
[0052] In addition, in this embodiment, when the through hole used as an oil drain hole is positioned at the lowest position of the lubrication chamber 40, the through hole used as an oil supply hole can be positioned at a higher position than the through hole used as a vent hole.
[0053] With this configuration, during oil supply, since the level 41a of the lubricating material 41 stored in the lubrication chamber 40 will not exceed the height of the vent hole, the level 41a of the lubricating material 41 will not reach the height of the oil supply hole, which is located above the vent hole.
[0054] Therefore, it is possible to supply oil to the oil supply port that is in the open state after the plunger 44 is removed without installing threaded joints with check valves, etc., which can improve the operability of oil supply operation.
[0055] In addition, in this embodiment, the lubrication chamber 40 is set to be approximately cylindrical, but it can also be otherwise. Figure 6 and Figure 7 It can be roughly rectangular or any other arbitrary shape.
[0056] exist Figure 6 In the example shown, through holes 43a, 43b, and 43c are respectively provided on three mutually orthogonal surfaces of the lubrication chamber 40. In addition, when any one of the through holes 43a, 43b, and 43c is arranged in the lowest position, at least one of the remaining through holes is arranged at a position equal to the liquid level when the lubrication chamber 40 stores the required amount of lubricating material 41.
[0057] In addition, Figure 7 In the example shown, through holes 43a and 43c are provided on a pair of parallel sidewalls 40a' and 40c' respectively, and two through holes 43b and 43b' are provided on a sidewall (bottom) 40b' orthogonally arranged between the sidewalls 40a' and 40c'.
[0058] With the through hole 43c positioned at the lowest point of the lubrication chamber 40, the through hole 43b is positioned at the same level as the liquid level 41a when the lubrication chamber 40 contains the required amount of lubricating material 41. Furthermore, with the through hole 43a positioned at the lowest point of the lubrication chamber 40, the through hole 43b' is positioned at the same level as the liquid level 41a when the lubrication chamber 40 contains the required amount of lubricating material 41.
[0059] Therefore, when the through hole 43a is used as an oil drain hole and when the through hole 43c is used as an oil drain hole, the through hole used as a vent hole can be changed, and the configuration freedom of the through holes 43b and 43b' provided on the side wall 40b' can be increased.
[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the required amount of lubricating material 41 stored in the lubrication chamber 40 can vary depending on the orientation in which any one of the through holes 43a, 43b, and 43c is positioned at the lowest position.
[0061] In this case, the required amount of lubricating material 41 stored in the lubrication chamber 40 can be set according to the orientation of the lubrication chamber 40 to the amount that can fully lubricate the gear 11, bearing 12 and reducer 20 in the lubrication chamber 40.
[0062] Furthermore, while this embodiment exemplifies joint A, which allows the second arm 5 to rotate relative to the first arm 4, the same structure can be applied to other joints. In particular, it is preferable to apply the same structure to each axis of the wrist unit 6, which is capable of assuming various postures.
[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a vertical multi-joint robot is described as robot 1, but it can also be applied to robots such as... Figure 8 The tool (robot) 50 shown is installed at the front end of the wrist unit 6 of robot 1.
[0064] In such Figure 8 In the example shown, tool 50 includes: a cuboid base 51, a pair of guide rails 52 fixed to the base 51, a slider 53 supported in a manner that allows it to move along the guide rails 52, and a drive mechanism 60 for driving the slider 53. The slider 53 is detachably mounted on the front end of the wrist unit 6 of robot 1.
[0065] The drive mechanism 60 includes: a rack 54 fixed to the base 51, a pinion 61 meshing with the rack 54, a servo motor 62 that generates driving force, and a reducer 63 that reduces the rotation of the servo motor 62 and transmits it to the pinion 61.
[0066] The servo motor 62 is fixed to a cuboid housing 64 that forms a lubrication chamber (not shown), and the reducer of the reducer 63 is housed in the lubrication chamber within the housing 64.
[0067] The housing 64 is provided with through holes 65a, 65b, and 65c that connect the lubrication chamber inside the housing 64 with the external space. Each through hole 65a, 65b, and 65c is configured in any one of the following positions, which can be used as an oil supply hole, an oil drain hole, and a vent hole, depending on the orientation of the tool 50.
[0068] For example, when tool 50 is in Figure 8 In the shown configuration, the through hole 65a, located at the lowest position of the housing 64, is used as an oil drain hole, one of the remaining through holes 65b and 65c is used as a vent hole, and the other is used as an oil supply hole. This allows for the replacement of the lubricating material (not shown) within the lubrication chamber.
[0069] Additionally, in tool 50 Figure 9 In the shown posture, since a through hole 65c is provided at the lowest position of the housing 64, the through hole 65c can be used as an oil drain hole, the through hole 65a as a vent hole, and the through hole 65b as an oil supply hole. Therefore, even when the tool 50 is installed on the wrist unit 6 of the robot 1, or when it is removed from the wrist unit 6 and stored in a storage location, the tool 50 can be configured in different postures, and the lubricating material can be easily changed.
[0070] In addition, in this embodiment, the lubrication chamber 40 is provided on the first arm 4, but instead, as shown below, Figure 10 As shown, the lubrication chamber 40 can also be arranged across the first arm 4 and the second arm 5.
[0071] exist Figure 10 In the middle, through holes 43b and 43c are provided on the side of the first arm 44, and through hole 43a is provided on the side of the second arm 5. Therefore, as Figure 11 As shown, when the posture of the second arm 5 relative to the first arm 4 changes by 90° around the third axis J3, the through holes 43b and 43c do not move, only the through hole 43a moves. Furthermore, the through hole 43a before and after the movement is positioned at the same level as the liquid level 41a when the lubrication chamber 40 contains the required amount of lubricating material 41.
[0072] Therefore, even if the orientation of the lubrication chamber 40 changes due to the movement of a portion of the lubrication chamber 40, the lubrication material 41 can be appropriately replaced for multiple different orientations of the lubrication chamber 40.
[0073] In addition, in this embodiment, besides the through hole 43a which can be used as an oil drain hole and the through hole 43c which can be used as a vent hole, a through hole 43b is also provided in a position that can be used as an oil supply hole. Alternatively, the through hole 43a which can be used as an oil drain hole can also be used as an oil supply hole by installing a threaded joint with a check valve after oil draining. In this case, there can be more than two through holes 43a and 43c provided in the lubrication chamber 40.
[0074] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:
[0075] 1: Robot
[0076] 4: First arm (first component)
[0077] 5: Second arm (second component)
[0078] 40: Lubrication Chamber
[0079] 40a: Peripheral wall (wall surface)
[0080] 40b, 40c: End wall (wall surface)
[0081] 40a', 40c': Side wall surfaces
[0082] 40b': Side wall (bottom)
[0083] 41: Lubricating materials
[0084] 41a: Liquid level
[0085] 43a, 43b, 43b', 43c: Through holes
[0086] 50: Tools (Robots)
[0087] 65a, 65b, 65c: Through holes
Claims
1. A robot, characterized in that, The robot is equipped with a lubrication chamber capable of storing fluid lubricating material. The lubrication chamber has three or more through holes penetrating its wall. Regarding the through hole, in two or more orientations of the lubrication chamber, one through hole is positioned at the lowest point of the lubrication chamber to function as an oil drain hole; another through hole is positioned at a position equal to or higher than the level of the lubricating material when the required amount of lubricating material is stored in the lubrication chamber, to function as a vent hole; and the remaining through hole is positioned to function as an oil supply hole for supplying lubricating material to the lubrication chamber. Each of the aforementioned through holes can be used as any one of the oil drain hole, oil supply hole, and vent hole. When the lubrication chamber is configured such that any one of the through holes is located at the lowest position of the lubrication chamber and serves as an oil drain hole, Another through hole is also positioned to serve as an oil supply port. Any of the other through holes is also positioned to serve as a vent.
2. The robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The other through hole is positioned at the same level as the lubricant level when the required amount of lubricant is stored in the lubrication chamber.
3. The robot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The lubrication chamber has a pair of parallel side walls and a bottom surface orthogonal to the side walls. One or more through holes are formed on each of the pair of sidewalls. Two or more through holes are formed on the bottom surface.
4. The robot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The other through hole is positioned higher than any of the other through holes.