ROBOT WITH CABLE DISTRIBUTOR

Abstract

Robot (10), comprising: a base (12); a rotating portion (14) attached to the base (12) and configured to rotate; a lower arm (16) pivotally attached to the rotary portion (14) at a base end (16a) so that the lower arm (16) can be swung back and forth; an upper arm (18) attached to a tip end portion (16b) of the lower arm (16) located on the opposite side of the base end (16a); a joint portion (20) attached to a tip end of the upper arm (18); a plurality of lines (34a to 34f) each having connecting portions (40a to 40f) connected to an external device at end portions (30a, 30b); a first line distributor (50) and a second line distributor (52; 90), wherein the connecting sections (40a to 40f) of the plurality of lines (34a to 34f) are connected to the second line distributor (52; 90); and at least one second line (36a to 36c, 38a to 38c) which is different from the plurality of lines (34a to 34f), wherein the second line distributor (52; 90) comprises a plurality of line distributor elements (52A, 52B; 90A, 90B) which can be separated from one another and to which the connecting section of at least one line of the plurality of lines (34a to 34f) is connected, and wherein the first line distributor (50) is connected to the base (12) of the robot and the second line distributor (52; 90) is connected to the base end portion of the upper arm (18), and wherein the second line distributor (52; 90) has a holding portion (80; 94, 96) which can hold the second line (36a to 36c, 38a to 38c) at an intermediate portion of the second line (36a to 36c, 38a to 38c).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a robot having a piping manifold to which a plurality of pipings are connected to an external device.An industrial robot having a joint portion with a detachable external device such as a welding gun and a hand for holding a workpiece is provided depending on the application. The plurality of pipes necessary according to the type of the end effector, such as cables for supplying power or sending signals, or pipes for supplying cooling water or air for driving, are disposed in the robot. In many cases, these lines are connected to a single line distributor via connectors connected to end portions of the lines.JP 4349320 B discloses a technique for facilitating a replacement process of a supply unit and a wiring method necessary for the replacement process by selectively connecting an inner cable connected to the supply unit for supplying power, air or gas and an outer cable connected to an external device.According to the configuration in which the wires are connected to a single wire distributor, in the case where it is necessary to replace a wire due to changes in usage or the like, the wire distributor itself needs to be replaced. Therefore, even if some of the cables are not replaced, all the cables must be disconnected from the line distributor. After completion of the replacement process, these cables are again connected to the line distributor. Accordingly, due to the cable removal method and the cable connection method of insubstantial cables, the time required for the cable replacement method is increased and the cost is also increased.According to JP 4349320 B, a connector needs to be previously connected to each line distributor, resulting in increased cost. In addition, because the application of the robot is versatile, various types of external devices are used with the robot, and the cables used for such an external device are manufactured according to various standards. Accordingly, in order to enable the use of various applications without changing the wires such as cables, it is necessary to provide wires with high versatility. However, such lines are expensive, resulting in increased costs.Accordingly, there is a need for an industrial robot that facilitates the replacement of lines depending on the application.The publication DE 10 2012 207 060 A1 represents prior art under § 4(3) patent law and discloses an adapter element which is of modular design. Individual adapter modules having a cross section in the form of a ring segment, for example, can be exchanged, so that different adapter elements that can be easily adapted to the corresponding requirements can be assembled. The individual adapter modules then again have different plug connections. In this case, the feed lines to the adapter modules can be packed in one or more drapes.DE 36 36 462 A1 discloses a support arm consisting of at least two equal extruded single elements having the arm length joined symmetrically to the horizontal and / or vertical or an inclined longitudinal cross-sectional plane of the arm. The longitudinal bores of the individual elements run symmetrically to the horizontal and / or vertical or an inclined cross-sectional plane of the individual element.The document DE 100 18 773 A1 discloses a robot with a robot base and a carousel rotatable relative to the base about a vertical axis, as well as with a supply line guided in a U-loop from the base at least to the carousel in the base. A closable opening is provided which extends from the base to the carousel and through which the supply string can be inserted into the base with a U-shaped web of its U-shaped loop in the front path, wherein in particular the supply string is provided on the input side with a first plug plate and that the base has a receptacle which can be covered by the plug plate.Summary of the InventionAccording to the invention there is provided an apparatus according to the independent claim. Developments are set forth in the dependent claims.According to a first example, there is provided a robot, preferably comprising: a plurality of pipes each having connecting portions connected at end portions to an external device; and at least one pipe manifold to which the connecting portions of the plurality of pipes are connected, wherein the pipe manifold has a plurality of pipe manifold members separable from each other and to which the connecting portion of at least one of the plurality of pipes is connected.According to a second example, the robot according to the first example preferably includes at least one second line formed differently from the plurality of lines, wherein the line manifold includes a holding portion capable of holding the second line at an intermediate portion of the second line.According to a third example, in the robot according to the second example, the second line preferably includes a power line and a signal line connected to a servo motor for driving the robot.According to a fourth example, the robot according to any one of the first to third examples preferably has the piping manifold whose housing shape is formed by the plurality of piping manifold members when being connected to each other.These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in light of the detailed description of exemplary embodiments and the illustrations in the drawings.Brief Description of the DrawingsThe following are shown: FIG. 1 is a side view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a side view of the robot showing the leads connected within the robot of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a manifold of an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 shows an exemplary arrangement of the lines in the embodiment from FIG. 3 ; FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary arrangement of the lines in another embodiment; FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a manifold of another embodiment; FIG. 7 is a fragmentary exploded view of a manifold of FIG. 6; FIG. 8 shows an example power arrangement in the embodiment of FIG. 6.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONWith reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In the following drawings, for understanding the present invention, constituent elements may be changed in size and relationship to each other. The same or corresponding elements are provided with the same reference numerals.FIG. 1 is a side view of a robot 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The robot 10 includes: a base 12; a rotating portion 14 attached to the base 12 for rotating; a lower arm 16 pivotally attached to the rotating portion 14 at a base end 16 aso that the lower arm 16 can swing back and forth (left and right in FIG. 1 ); an upper arm 18 attached to a tip end portion 16 bof the lower arm 16 disposed at the opposite side of the base end 16 a; and a joint portion 20 attached to a tip end of the upper arm 18. The broken lines J 1, J 4, J 6 and the black dots J 2, J 3, J 5 in FIG. 1 represent the axes of rotation of the robot 10.FIG. 2 is a side view of the robot 10 in which the wires are arranged inside the robot 10 as illustrated in FIG. 10. In FIG. 2, only the following elements are shown with solid lines: a wire bundle 30 shown by hatching; a first wire manifold 50 and a second wire manifold 52 to each of which at least one wire of the wire bundle 30 is connected; a branch wire 32 branched from the wire bundle 30 and connected to a servo motor 22 for driving the upper arm and the joint portion 20; and fastening means 60, 62, and 64 for fixing the wire bundle 30. The first manifold 50 is connected to the base 12. The second manifold 52 is connected to the base end portion of the upper arm 18.The wire bundle 30 is a bundle of wires including a plurality of cables or pipes prepared for various external devices connected to the joint portion 20 of the robot 10. For example, the wire bundle 30 includes a first wire (hereinafter, option cable) for creating a supply path for supplying power, water, air, or other gas to the external device connected to the joint portion 20. The wire bundle 30 also includes a second wire including a cable for supplying current to the servomotor mounted on the drive shaft of the robot 10 (hereinafter, power cable), and a cable for transmitting signals regarding the position information of the servomotor (hereinafter, signal cable). However, the trunk group 30 is not limited to this specific example. As shown in the drawing, the wire bundle 30 is connected at its one end 30a to the first wire header 80 on the side of the base 12 and is connected to the other end 30b of the second wire header 52 on the side of the upper arm 18.FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial perspective view of a manifold of an embodiment of the present invention. By way of example only, the second manifold 52 connected to the base end portion of the upper arm 18 and the outer rim is shown in enlarged view. The second manifold 52 is formed by a first manifold member 52A and a second manifold member 52B. The first wiring member 52A and the second wiring member 52B are screwed to the main body of the robot 10 independently of each other. Although the second manifold 52 is illustrated as an example, it should be appreciated that the first manifold 50 may have the same configuration as the second manifold 52.FIG. 4 shows an exemplary arrangement of the wire bundle 30 of the embodiment of FIG. 3. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, the wire bundle 30 includes six option cables 34 ato 34 f, power cables 36 ato 36 cto supply power to the servomotor 22 (see FIG. 3 ), and signal cables 38 ato 38 cto transmit signals regarding the position information of the servomotor 22. The wire bundle 30 is held by the first holding member 70. The power cables 36 ato 36 cand the signal cables 38 ato 38 care held by the second holding member 72.Two option cables 34 aand 34 bbranch from the wire bundle 30 at positions between the first support member 70 and the second wire manifold 52. Round connectors 40 aand 40 bare provided at the end portions of the option cables 34 a, 34 b. The round connectors 34 aand 34 bare screwed to the first wiring board 52A and connected to the connector on the side of the corresponding external device. The remaining four option cables 34 cto 34 fbranch from the wire bundle 30 in the same manner, but the end portions are screwed to the second wire distribution member 52B via round connectors 40 cand 40 dand rectangular connectors 40 eand 40 f. These connectors 40 cto 40 fare connected to the connectors on the side of the corresponding external device in the same manner. In this regard, the manner in which the respective connectors 40 ato 40 fare connected to the first wiring member 52A and the second wiring member 52B is not limited to a particular embodiment as long as it provides sufficiently strong attachment at the time of the robot operation 10 and can be detached as necessary. Further, it may also be possible to provide a connector (not illustrated) at an end portion of the option cable and a board terminal type relay adapter (not illustrated) at a wiring board member. In this case, when the connector is fitted into the inside of the bus bar at an end portion of the relay adapter, the option cable is connected to the bus bar member. Outside the power distributor, the external device is connected to the other end of the relay adapter.The power cables 36 ato 36 cand the signal cables 38 ato 38 cextend between a first holding member 70 and a second holding member 72 separately from the option cables 34 ato 34 f. The power cables 36 ato 36 cand the signal cables 38 ato 38 care held in the intermediate position by the second holding member 72. The end portions of the power cables 36 ato 36 cand the signal cables 38 ato 38 care connected to the respective servomotors 22.The first retaining member 70 and the second retaining member 72 may be configured to fix the cable by screwing and clamping the cable between opposingly oriented plate members or by tying the cable with a tape. However, they are not limited to a particular type of holding means.The first wiring member 52A and the second wiring member 52B are attached to or detached from the main body of the robot 10 independently of each other. Accordingly, for example, when the option cables 34 aand 34 bneed to be replaced, only the first wiring member 52A needs to be detached from the robot 10 to replace the option cables 34 aand 34 b. During the replacement, the second wiring member 52B and the option cables 34 cto 34 fremain connected to the robot 10. The power cables 36 ato 36 cand the signal cables 38 ato 38 cconnected to the servomotor 22 are fixed to the robot 10 by the second holding member 72 provided separately from the wiring board 52. Therefore, there is no need to remove these parts at the time of changing the option cables. According to the present embodiment, in which the wiring board is formed of a plurality of wiring board members each independently connectable to and detachable from the robot, only the cables to be replaced can be detached to perform the replacement. This facilitates the replacement process and reduces the time required and thus the costs.FIG. 5 shows an exemplary arrangement of the lines in another embodiment. Features already explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 are omitted as appropriate. In this embodiment, instead of the second holding member 72 (see FIG. 4 ), a holding portion 80 for holding the power cables 36 ato 36 cand the signal cables 38 ato 38 cis provided in the first wiring member 52A.The power cables 36 ato 36 cand the signal cables 38 ato 38 care held by the holding portion 80 between the first holding member 70 and the end portions of these cables. A position at which the cables are held by the holding portion 80 is not particularly limited provided that it is sufficiently spaced from the end portions of the cables.The configuration of the holding portion 80 is not particularly limited. The holding portion 80 may have any configuration as long as the holding portion 80 is configured to prevent the wires from shifting at the time of robot operation. For example, as shown in the drawing, the cables may be tied together with a strap 82. Alternatively, the cables may be clamped between opposing plate elements, which are fixed to each other by screwing.According to the present embodiment in which the wiring board member is provided with the holding portion for holding the power cables and the signal cables are connected to the servomotor, it is not necessary to provide a special holding member for holding these cables. Thus, costs can be reduced. The cable held by the holding portion may also include an option cable.FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial perspective view of a manifold 90 of another embodiment. FIG. 7 is a partial exploded view of the manifold 90 of FIG. 6 In the present embodiment, the manifold member 90 has a housing shape formed by a first manifold member 90A and a second manifold 90B that are arranged with each other. The first wiring member 90A is provided with round connectors 40 aand 40 bconnected to the end portions of the two option cables, respectively. The second distribution member 90B is provided with round connectors 40 cand 40 dand rectangular connectors 40 eand 40 fconnected to the end portions of the two option cables, respectively. As seen in FIG. 7, the first wiring member 90A and the second wiring member 90B have shapes complementary to each other to form a housing of a rectangular parallelepiped shape when the bolts 92 are attached.According to the present invention, in which the manifold 90 has an outer housing shape when assembled, foreign objects such as dust or liquid can be prevented from entering the inside of the manifold 90. This avoids the occurrence of problems such as damage to the cables or short-circuiting of the cables in the wiring board 90, and moreover, by forming the wiring board members in the housing, it is possible to reduce unused space and make the wiring board 90 more compact. As compared with the plate-like header, the lead header 90 of a housing shape has a larger surface area, thereby providing more space for providing the connectors. Therefore, it is advantageous that the manifold 90 can be used in the application where different types of option cables and / or an increasing number of cables are required.In the present embodiment of FIG. 7, the first manifold member 90A is connected to the robot 10, and the second manifold member 90B is screwed on the first manifold member 90A. However, the shape of the manifold elements of the manifold is not limited to this specific example.Means for arranging the piping members are not limited to the illustrated screwing as long as a sufficiently high sealing effect for preventing intrusion of foreign objects is achieved. For example, a resin fastener may also be used.FIG. 8 shows an exemplary wiring arrangement in the embodiment of FIG. 6. the first wiring member 90A is provided with two option cables 34 aand 34 bconnected thereto via round connectors 40 aand 40 b, respectively. The second distribution member 90B is provided with four option cables 34 cto 34 fconnected thereto via round connectors 40 cand 4 dand the rectangular connectors 40 eand 40 f. Further, the power cables 36 ato 36 cand the signal cables 38 ato 38 cconnected to the servomotor 22 (see FIG. 6 or 7 ) are connected via the first wiring member 90A. The power cables 36 ato 36 cand the signal cables 38 ato 38 care held by a first holding portion 94 and a second holding portion 96 provided in the first wiring member 90A. Alternatively, a separate holding member for holding the power cables 36 ato 36 cand the signal cables 38 ato 38 cmay be provided in a similar manner as in the embodiment with reference to FIG. 4.In the present embodiment, the option cables, which are very likely and / or frequently subject to replacement, are preferably connected to the second routing member 90B, as the second routing member 90B can be removed more easily than the first routing member 90A. Accordingly, it is advantageous that the wiring of the option cables is implemented in consideration of how they can be removed from the respective wiring board members. In order to form the line distributor of a housing shape, the distributor can have an additional component element to which a cable is connected.In the above-described embodiment, the cables are installed as an example of the option cable. However, it is obvious that the advantageous effect of the present invention can be achieved also in the case of a conduit such as a pipe or the like for supplying fluid instead of a cable. Various conductivity types in combination with a predetermined ratio may also be used. The structure of the connection portion of the line connected to the line distribution member is not limited to the illustrated exemplary connector, but may be an interconnect or any other type of connector.The shape of the piping member is not limited to the illustrated example. The manifold is not limited to the type formed of two manifold elements as described above. Rather, the manifold may be formed from any number of manifold elements, e.g., three or more. For example, it is advantageous that the lines are divided into different groups according to the expected probability or exchange frequency, and that the line distribution elements are provided for each line group. In addition, only one line can be connected to a single line distribution element. Further, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment in which two manifolds are arranged at different positions, but it is also possible that any number of manifolds may be arranged at predetermined positions in the robot as needed. Further, the piping manifold according to the present invention can also be used together with a known piping manifold.Effect of the inventionIn the above configuration according to the present invention, only the line distribution member of the line distribution board to which the connection portion of the line to be changed is connected can be disconnected and selectively changed. This facilitates the process of replacing the pipe.

Claims

A robot (10) comprising: a base (12); a rotating portion (14) attached to the base (12) and configured to rotate; a lower arm (16) pivotally attached to the rotating portion (14) at a base end (16a) such that the lower arm (16) is pivotable back and forth; an upper arm (18) attached to a tip end portion (16b) of the lower arm (16) disposed at the opposite side of the base end (16a); a joint portion (20) attached to a tip end of the upper arm (18); a plurality of pipes (34a to 34f) each having connecting portions (40a to 40f) connected to an external device at end portions (30a, 30b); a first line manifold (50) and a second line manifold (52; 90), wherein the connection portions (40a to 40f) of the plurality of lines (34a to 34f) are connected to the second line manifold (52; 90); and at least one second line (36a to 36c, 38a to 38c) other than the plurality of lines (34a to 34f), wherein the second line manifold (52; 90) includes a plurality of line manifold members (52A, 52B; 90A, 90B) separable from each other and to which the connection portion of at least one line of the plurality of lines (34a to 34f) is connected, and wherein the first line manifold (50) is connected to the base (12) of the robot and the second line manifold (52; 90 ) is connected to the base end portion of the upper arm (18), and wherein the second piping manifold (52; 90) includes a holding portion (80; 94, 96) capable of holding the second piping (36a to 36c, 38a to 38c) at an intermediate portion of the second piping (36a to 36c, 38a to 38c).The robot (10) according to claim 1, wherein the second line (36a to 36c, 38a to 38c) includes a power line and a signal line connected to a servo motor (22) for driving the robot (10).The robot (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second manifold (90) has a housing shape formed of the plurality of manifold members (90A, 90B) when being connected to each other.

Images