Vacuum arm

Abstract

A vacuum arm is used for connecting a hand to a main body part in a robot arm, the hand is used for grabbing a part, the main body part is used for driving the vacuum arm and the hand to move, and the vacuum arm comprises a driving source, a driving part and a driving part, a first belt wheel and a second belt wheel which are driven by the driving source to rotate; the belt part is arranged between the first belt wheel and the second belt wheel in an expanding manner; and a frame body which fixes the first pulley, the second pulley, and the belt part inside, and which holds the first pulley on one end side and the second pulley on the other end side. The belt portion is composed of a first belt portion wound around the first pulley, a second belt portion wound around the second pulley, and a connecting plate sandwiched between the first belt portion and the second belt portion, and the frame body thermally expands in a high-temperature environment without causing the belt portion to generate tension.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a vacuum arm. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a robot arm for replacing manual handling of parts is known, comprising: a hand capable of grasping a part to be handled; an arm to which the hand is rotatably mounted; and a main body to which the arm is rotatably mounted.

[0003] In order to drive the arm to rotate relative to the hand and the main body, a driving mechanism is arranged inside the frame of the arm, and the driving mechanism includes a motor; a first pulley and a second pulley for transmitting power from the motor and installed at both ends of the frame of the arm; and a belt portion, which is arranged between the first pulley and the second pulley.

[0004] In the past, generally, the belt portion was constructed so that the entire portion was made of a material such as rubber or stainless steel, or half of it was made of rubber and the other half was made of stainless steel, and the frame of the arm was made of a metal material having a larger thermal expansion coefficient than that of the belt portion. In this way, when the arm is in a high temperature environment, the thermal expansion of the frame of the arm is larger than the thermal expansion of the belt portion. Since the two ends of the belt portion are fixed to the inside of the frame of the arm, as the frame of the arm is deformed due to thermal expansion, the two ends of the belt portion will also be pulled and deformed. In this way, the tension of the belt portion will increase, and the friction between the first pulley and the second pulley will increase, and the movement accuracy of the arm relative to the hand and the main body will be adversely affected. Utility Model Content

[0005] The utility model is completed in view of the above-mentioned technical problems, and its purpose is to provide a vacuum arm, which can prevent the tension of the belt part from increasing even in a high temperature environment, thereby avoiding the movement accuracy of the vacuum arm relative to the hand and the main body from being adversely affected.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the first aspect of the utility model provides a vacuum arm, which is used to connect a hand to a main body in a robot arm, the hand is used to grasp a component, and the main body is used to drive the vacuum arm and the hand to move, and is characterized in that the vacuum arm includes: a driving source; a first pulley and a second pulley, the first pulley and the second pulley are driven by the driving source to rotate; a belt portion, the belt portion is stretched between the first pulley and the second pulley; and a frame, the frame fixes the first pulley, the second pulley and the belt portion inside, and keeps the first pulley on one end side and the second pulley on the other end side; the belt portion is composed of a first belt portion wound around the first pulley, a second belt portion wound around the second pulley and a connecting plate sandwiched between the first belt portion and the second belt portion.

[0007] According to the above structure, compared with the conventional structure of a single belt portion, when the frame is heated and expanded in a high temperature environment, the belt portion composed of the first belt portion, the second belt portion and the connecting plate generates tension in the belt portion, and the tension can be absorbed by the connecting plate. Thus, it is possible to avoid the movement accuracy of the vacuum arm relative to the hand and the main body being adversely affected by the tension in the belt portion.

[0008] The vacuum arm of the second aspect of the utility model is based on the vacuum arm of the first aspect of the utility model, and is characterized in that the frame and the connecting plate are made of the same metal material, the first belt portion and the second belt portion are made of rubber material, and the thermal expansion coefficient of the metal material of the frame is greater than the thermal expansion coefficient of the rubber material of the first belt portion and the second belt portion.

[0009] According to the above structure, since the entire frame is made of a metal material with a relatively large thermal expansion coefficient, the belt portion is composed of a first belt portion made of a rubber material with a relatively small thermal expansion coefficient, a second belt portion, and a connecting plate made of a metal material with the same thermal expansion coefficient as the frame. Therefore, compared with the prior art in which the belt portion is entirely formed of a rubber material with a relatively small thermal expansion coefficient, the thermal expansion coefficient of the entire belt portion can be made closer to the thermal expansion coefficient of the frame. In this way, it is possible to avoid excessive thermal expansion of the frame to cause tension in the belt portion and thereby affect the movement accuracy of the vacuum arm relative to the hand and the main body.

[0010] The vacuum arm of the third aspect of the utility model is based on the vacuum arm of the second aspect of the utility model, and is characterized in that the frame and the connecting plate are made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, and the first belt portion and the second belt portion are made of fluorinated rubber.

[0011] According to the above structure, since the frame is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy with a relatively large thermal expansion coefficient, the belt portion is composed of the first belt portion made of fluorinated rubber with a relatively small thermal expansion coefficient, the second belt portion, and the connecting plate made of aluminum or aluminum alloy with the same thermal expansion coefficient as the frame. Therefore, compared with the case in which the belt portion is formed of a rubber material with a relatively small thermal expansion coefficient in the prior art, the thermal expansion coefficient of the belt portion as a whole can be made closer to the thermal expansion coefficient of the frame. In this way, it is possible to avoid excessive thermal expansion of the frame to cause tension in the belt portion and thereby affect the movement accuracy of the vacuum arm relative to the hand and the main body.

[0012] The vacuum arm of the fourth aspect of the utility model is based on the vacuum arm of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect of the utility model, and is characterized in that the ratio of the length of the connecting plate to the sum of the lengths of the first belt portion and the second belt portion is 1 to 1.5.

[0013] According to the above structure, by setting the ratio of the length of the connecting plate to the sum of the lengths of the first belt portion and the second belt portion to 1 to 1.5, it can be ensured that the belt portion including the connecting plate and the first belt portion and the second belt portion arranged in the above ratio can achieve thermal expansion of the frame in a high temperature environment in a manner that does not cause tension in the belt portion.

[0014] The vacuum arm of the fifth aspect of the utility model is based on the vacuum arm of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect of the utility model, and is characterized in that the first belt portion is connected to the connecting plate via a first connecting component, and the second belt portion is connected to the connecting plate via a second connecting component, and the first connecting component can adjust the distance between the first belt portion and the connecting plate and / or the second connecting component can adjust the distance between the second belt portion and the connecting plate.

[0015] According to the above structure, since the first connecting component can adjust the distance between the first belt part and the connecting plate, and the second connecting component can adjust the distance between the second belt part and the connecting plate, even if the length of the frame after thermal expansion is too large to the extent that the belt part generates tension, by increasing the distance between the first belt part and the connecting plate to increase the overall length of the belt part, the difference between the overall length of the belt part and the overall length of the frame can be reduced to avoid the length of the frame causing tension in the belt part. Thus, it is further avoided that the movement accuracy of the vacuum arm relative to the hand and the main body is adversely affected by the tension generated by the belt part.

[0016] According to the utility model, since the belt portion is composed of a first belt portion wound around a first pulley, a second belt portion wound around a second pulley, and a connecting plate sandwiched between the first belt portion and the second belt portion, and the first belt portion and the second belt portion are fixedly supported on a frame via the first pulley and the second pulley respectively, the frame and the connecting plate are made of the same metal material, the first belt portion and the second belt portion are made of rubber material, and the thermal expansion coefficient of the material of the first belt portion and the second belt portion is smaller than the thermal expansion coefficient of the material of the frame and the connecting plate, the frame will not thermally expand to cause tension in the belt portion even in a high temperature environment. Thus, it is possible to avoid adverse effects on the accuracy of the movement of the vacuum arm relative to the hand and the main body due to tension in the belt portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the implementation of the utility model or the technical solution in the prior art, the drawings required for the implementation or the prior art are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some implementations of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing a schematic structure of a vacuum arm according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 Yes means Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the schematic structure of the belt portion of the vacuum arm is shown.

[0020] (Explanation of symbols)

[0021] 1 Vacuum arm;

[0022] 11 frame;

[0023] 12 driving mechanism;

[0024] 121 first pulley;

[0025] 122 second pulley;

[0026] 123 belt;

[0027] 1231 first belt;

[0028] 1232 connecting plate;

[0029] 1233 Second belt;

[0030] 124 first connecting member;

[0031] 1241 First Connection Division;

[0032] 12411 fastening holes;

[0033] 12412 Fastening bolts;

[0034] 12413 Connecting bolts;

[0035] 1242 2nd Connection Division;

[0036] 12421 Parallel Section;

[0037] 124211 Length adjustment hole;

[0038] 124212 Length adjustment bolt;

[0039] 12422 vertical part;

[0040] 124221 vertical portion connection hole;

[0041] 1243 Third Connection Division;

[0042] 12431 Front end of parallel portion;

[0043] 12432 front end fastening hole;

[0044] 12433 Front end fastening bolt;

[0045] 12434 front end fastening plate;

[0046] 125 second connecting member;

[0047] 1251 second fastening hole;

[0048] 1252 second fastening bolt;

[0049] 1253 Second fastening plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] Below, refer to Figures 1-2 Each embodiment of the vacuum arm of the present invention will be described. The vacuum arm of the present invention is used in a robot arm that can automatically transport components instead of manual operation by an operator.

[0051] In the following, in order to facilitate the description of the structure of the vacuum arm 1, the longitudinal direction of the vacuum arm 1 is set as the X direction, one side of the X direction is set as the X1 side, and the other side is set as the X2 side, the direction perpendicular to the X direction is set as the Z direction, one side of the Z direction is set as the Z1 side, and the other side is set as the Z2 side, the direction perpendicular to both the X direction and the Z direction is set as the Y direction, one side of the Y direction is set as the Y1 side, and the other side is set as the Y2 side.

[0052] Overall structure of vacuum arm 1

[0053] The vacuum arm 1 of the utility model is used to connect the hand and the main body of the robot arm. The robot arm can automatically carry the parts on the assembly line instead of manual operation. The hand is used to grasp the parts, and the main body is used to drive the hand and the vacuum arm to move. Here, the illustration of the hand and the main body of the robot arm is omitted.

[0054] like Figure 1 As shown, the vacuum arm 1 of the embodiment of the utility model comprises:

[0055] The frame 11 is made of aluminum (or aluminum alloy) and is substantially in the shape of an oblong, with semicircular ends at both ends and a straight middle portion in the middle;

[0056] The driving mechanism 12 is accommodated in the frame 11, and includes a motor (i.e., a driving source not shown), a first pulley 121 driven to rotate by the motor, a second pulley 122, and a belt portion 123 stretched between the first pulley 121 and the second pulley 122. The diameter of the first pulley 121 is smaller than the diameter of the second pulley 122.

[0057] The belt portion 123 is as follows Figure 1 The structure shown includes a first belt portion 1231 wound around the first pulley 121, a second belt portion 1233 wound around the second pulley 122, and a connecting plate 1232 located between the first belt portion 1231 and the second belt portion 1233, the first belt portion 1231 is connected to the connecting plate 1232 via a first connecting component 124, and the second belt portion 1233 is connected to the connecting plate 1232 via a second connecting component 125.

[0058] In this embodiment, the first belt portion 1231 and the second belt portion 1233 are made of fluorinated rubber, and the connecting plate 1232 is made of aluminum (or aluminum alloy). The thermal expansion coefficients of the first belt portion 1231 and the second belt portion 1233 are greater than the thermal expansion coefficient of the connecting plate 1232.

[0059] In this way, when the vacuum arm 1 is in a high temperature environment, heat enters the belt portion 123 of the driving mechanism 12 via the frame 11. In this case, the frame 11 and the connecting plate 1232 in the belt portion 123 are both made of aluminum (or aluminum alloy), so the thermal expansion coefficients of the two are the same and the thermal expansion amounts are the same. The thermal expansion coefficients of the first belt portion 1231 and the second belt portion 1233 are smaller than the thermal expansion coefficients of the connecting plate 1232, so the thermal expansion amounts of the first belt portion 1231 and the second belt portion 1233 are smaller than the thermal expansion amounts of the connecting plate 1232.

[0060] In addition, after many experiments, the designers designed the length D3 of the connecting plate 1232 in the X direction, the length D1 of the first belt portion 1231 in the X direction, and the length D2 of the second belt portion 1233 in the X direction to satisfy the following relationship: (D1+D2) / D3=1~1.5.

[0061] Thus, even in a high temperature environment, the length of the frame 11 after thermal expansion relative to the total length of the first belt portion 1231, the second belt portion 1233 and the connecting plate 1232 after thermal expansion (i.e., the total length of the belt portion 123 after thermal expansion) will not be so large as to increase the tension of the first belt portion 1231, the second belt portion 1233 and the connecting plate 1232 and thus adversely affect the relative motion accuracy of the vacuum arm 1 relative to the hand and the main body. Compared with the prior art, the motion accuracy of the vacuum arm 1 relative to the hand and the main body in a high temperature environment can be improved.

[0062] In order to further ensure that the length of the frame body 11 after thermal expansion is not so large as to increase the tension of the belt portion 123 configured as described above, in this embodiment, Figure 2 As shown, the first connecting member 124 connecting the first belt portion 1231 and the connecting plate 1232 is formed so as to be able to appropriately adjust the length of the belt portion 123 by adjusting the distance between the first belt portion 1231 and the connecting plate 1232 .

[0063] Specifically, as a length adjustment component, the first connecting component 124 is configured to include: a first connecting section 1241, which includes a main body formed with five rows and two columns of fastening holes 12411, ten fastening bolts 12412 are fastened to the connecting plate 1232 through the ten fastening holes 12411, and a second connecting section 1242 on the X1 side is extended with a connecting bolt 12413, and the extension amount of the connecting bolt 12413 to the X1 side can be adjusted; a second connecting section 1242, which includes a parallel portion 12421 formed in a notch at the front end portion on the X1 side of the connecting plate 1232, and a portion of the parallel portion 12421 located within the notch is formed with five rows and two columns of ten length adjustment holes 124211, and the ten length adjustment bolts 12412 are correspondingly formed. 212 is fixed in the notch via these length adjustment holes 124211, and also includes a vertical portion 12422, which is formed with a vertical portion connecting hole 124221, and the vertical portion connecting hole 124221 is for the connecting bolt 12413 to pass through and tighten; and a third connecting section 1243, which includes a parallel portion front end portion 12431 of the parallel portion 12421 located outside the notch range, and ten front end portion fastening holes 12432 are formed through and staggered in the parallel portion front end portion 12431, and the parallel portion front end portion 12431 together with the front end portion fastening plate 12434 clamps the X2 side end portion of the first belt portion 1231 in the middle. Although not shown in the figure, ten fastening holes are also formed through the X2 side end portion of the first belt portion 1231 and the front end portion fastening plate 12434. In this way, by inserting each of the ten front end fastening bolts 12433 into the ten front end fastening holes 12432 of the parallel portion front end 12431, the X2 side end of the first belt portion 1231 and the ten fastening holes of the front end fastening plate 12434 in sequence and fastening them, the X2 side end of the first belt portion 1231 can be easily connected to the connecting plate 1232.

[0064] According to the above structure, even when the belt portion 123 is configured to include the first belt portion 1231 made of fluorinated rubber, the second belt portion 1233, and the connecting plate 1232 sandwiched between the first belt portion 1231 and the second belt portion 1233, and the ratio of the sum of the lengths of the first belt portion 1231 and the second belt portion 1233 to the length of the connecting plate 1232 is set to 1 to 1.5, the difference between the length of the frame 11 after thermal expansion and the length of the belt portion 123 after thermal expansion in a high temperature environment still unexpectedly causes tension in the belt portion 123. In this case, by moving the connecting bolt 12413 further toward the X1 side relative to the first connecting segment 1241 and then tightening it, and moving the length adjustment bolt 124212 further toward the X1 side in the length adjustment hole 124211 and then tightening it, the first connecting member 124 as a whole can be moved toward the X1 side relative to the X1 side end of the connecting plate 1232 to increase the distance between the connecting plate 1232 and the first belt portion 1231.

[0065] In this way, it is possible to further ensure that tension is generated in the belt portion 123 due to the difference between the length of the frame body 11 after thermal expansion and the length of the belt portion 123 after thermal expansion.

[0066] In addition to the first connecting member 124, Figure 2 As shown, a second connecting member 125 is also formed on the X2 side of the vacuum arm 1. The second connecting member 125 is used to connect the second belt portion 1233 with the X2 side end portion of the connecting plate 1232, and is composed of a notch at the X2 side end portion of the connecting plate 1232, ten second fastening holes 1251 penetrating the notch and arranged in a staggered manner, and a second fastening plate 1253 that sandwiches the X1 side end portion of the second belt portion 1233 together with the notch. Although not shown in the figure, ten fastening holes are also formed at the X1 side end portion of the second belt portion 1233 and the second fastening plate 1253 corresponding to the ten second fastening holes 1251.

[0067] According to the above structure, the X1 side end of the second belt portion 1233 can be easily connected to the connecting plate 1232 by passing the ten second fastening bolts 1252 through the ten second fastening holes 1251, the ten fastening holes at the X1 side end of the second belt portion 1233 and the ten fastening holes of the second fastening plate 1253 in sequence and fastening them.

[0068] Above, combined with the utility model Figure 1 to Figure 2 The above embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described, but the above embodiments are obviously only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments.

[0069] However, in addition to the above-mentioned embodiments, various modifications of the present invention may be obtained by combining the elements of the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention of the present invention.

[0070] In the above embodiment, only aluminum or aluminum alloy is listed as the metal material for making the connecting plate, and only fluorinated rubber is listed as the resin material for making the first belt portion and the second belt portion, but the utility model is not limited to this. The metal material for making the connecting plate may be other metal materials besides aluminum or aluminum alloy, and the resin material for making the first belt portion and the second belt portion may be other resin materials besides fluorinated rubber, as long as the thermal expansion coefficient of the material of the connecting plate and the frame is greater than the thermal expansion coefficient of the first belt portion and the second belt portion.

[0071] In the above-mentioned embodiment, only the first connecting component is constructed to be able to adjust the distance between the first belt portion and the X1 side end portion of the connecting plate, but the utility model is not limited to this. Only the second connecting component can be constructed to be able to adjust the distance between the second belt portion and the X2 side end portion of the connecting plate. The first connecting component can also be constructed to be able to adjust the distance between the first belt portion and the X1 side end portion of the connecting plate, and the second connecting component can be constructed to be able to adjust the distance between the second belt portion and the X2 side end portion of the connecting plate.

[0072] In the above embodiment, as the material with relatively small thermal expansion coefficient for the first belt portion and the second belt portion, only fluorinated rubber among rubber materials is listed, but the present invention is not limited to this. As long as the entire belt portion will not generate tension due to thermal expansion of the frame, a specific type of stainless steel or resin among stainless steel materials and resin materials may also be used.

Claims

1. A vacuum arm, used in a robot arm to connect a hand to a main body, the hand is used to grasp a component, and the main body is used to drive the vacuum arm and the hand to move, It is characterized in that The vacuum arm comprises: Driving source; a first pulley and a second pulley, wherein the first pulley and the second pulley are driven to rotate by the driving source; a belt portion, the belt portion being stretched between the first pulley and the second pulley; and a frame body, wherein the frame body fixes the first pulley, the second pulley, and the belt portion inside, and holds the first pulley at one end side and holds the second pulley at the other end side; The belt portion includes a first belt portion wound around the first pulley, a second belt portion wound around the second pulley, and a connecting plate interposed between the first belt portion and the second belt portion.

2. The vacuum arm according to claim 1, characterized in that The frame and the connecting plate are made of the same metal material. The first belt portion and the second belt portion are made of rubber material, The thermal expansion coefficient of the metal material of the frame is greater than the thermal expansion coefficient of the rubber material of the first belt portion and the second belt portion.

3. The vacuum arm according to claim 2, characterized in that The frame and the connecting plate are made of aluminum or aluminum alloy. The first belt portion and the second belt portion are made of fluorinated rubber.

4. The vacuum arm according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The ratio of the length of the connecting plate to the sum of the lengths of the first belt portion and the second belt portion is 1 to 1.

5.

5. The vacuum arm according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first belt portion is connected to the connecting plate via a first connecting member. The second belt portion is connected to the connecting plate via a second connecting member. The first connecting member can adjust the distance between the first belt portion and the connecting plate and / or, The second connecting member can adjust the distance between the second belt portion and the connecting plate.

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