Wirebody management device, wirebody management method, and robot

Abstract

A wire body management device (10) is for laying a plurality of wire bodies (11) between a first member (3) and a second member (2) which are supported to be rotatable about a predetermined axis (O) with respect to each other, and comprises: a fixing unit (10c) for fixing to the second member (2); and a wire body securing part (14a, 14b) which secures the wire bodies (11) passing along the axis (O) through a hollow bore (6) provided in a space including the axis (O) of the first member (3) and the second member (2), wherein the wire bodies (11) are bent on one side of the second member (2) in directions intersecting the axis (O), wherein the plurality of wire bodies (11) are divided into a plurality of groups and are bent in different angular directions around the axis (O), and the wire body securing part (14a, 14b) secures the groups of wire bodies (11) at different circumferential positions around the axis (O).

Description

Technical FieldThe present disclosure relates to a wire body management device, a wire body management method, and a robot.Prior ArtAs is known, there is a robot including a base and an arm fixed to be rotatable about a first vertical axis with respect to the base (see, for example, PTL 1). A cable group of this robot extends vertically upward in the base, is then bent into a U-shape, extends vertically downward in the vicinity of the first axis, and enters the arm. The cable group entering the arm has a shape in which cables are lined up in a row in a radial direction, and is secured by a securing member in the arm while maintaining the lined-up shape.List of Known PapersPatent LiteraturePTL 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2018-140456Summary of the InventionTechnical ProblemBy rotating the arm with respect to the base, the securing member is moved in the arm and the cable group is rotated. When the cables are in an arrayed shape, the cross section of the cable group in the array direction is large. In order to prevent a cable group having a large size from rubbing around when the cable group is twisted and moved, there must be a large space for passing the cable group.Thus, there is a need for reducing the size of the space through which the cable group passes and reducing the friction between the cable group and the environment.Solution of the ProblemAccording to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a wire body management device for laying a plurality of wire bodies between a first member and a second member supported to be rotatable about a fixed axis with respect to each other, the device comprising: a fixing unit for fixing to the second member; A wire body securing part that secures the wire bodies passing along the axis through a hollow hole provided in a space including the axis of the first member and the second member, wherein the wire bodies are bent at a side of the second member in directions intersecting the axis, wherein the plurality of wire bodies are divided into a plurality of groups and bent in different angular directions about the axis, and the wire body securing part secures the groups of wire bodies at different circumferential positions about the axis.Brief Description of the Drawings[FIG. 1 ] FIG. 1 is a partial vertical sectional view of a robot including a wire body management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.[FIG. 2 ] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wire body management device illustrated in FIG. 1.[FIG. 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship among an example of the attachment surfaces of a base to which the wire body management device illustrated in FIG. 2 is attached, a pulley, and a belt.[FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the laying direction of wire bodies drawn out from a guide member in an upper plate of the wire body management device illustrated in FIG. 2.[FIG. 5 ] FIG. 5 is a partial vertical sectional view of a robot including a first modification of the wire body management device illustrated in FIG. 1.[FIG. 6 ] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another modification of the wire body management device illustrated in FIG. 2.DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTSNow, with reference to the drawings, a wire body management device 10, a wire body management method, and a robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.The robot 1 according to this embodiment is, for example, a horizontal articulated robot. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the robot 1 includes a base (a second member) 2 for installation on an installation surface (not illustrated) such as a ceiling. The robot 1 also includes a first arm (a first link) 3 supported to be rotatable about a vertical axis (fixed axis) O with respect to the base 2.The robot 1 includes a motor 4 that generates torque on the base 2 side. The robot 1 includes a reducer 5 that reduces rotations of a shaft 4 aof the motor 4 for driving the first arm 3 about the vertical axis O with respect to the base 2. The reducer 5 is disposed between the base 2 and the first arm 3 in the vertical direction.The base 2, the first arm 3, and the reducer 5 have a hollow bore 6 that penetrates the space including the vertical axis O in the vertical direction. The robot 1 includes a resin pipe 7 that extends through the hollow bore 6 from the first arm 3 side to the base 2 side and whose lower end is secured to the first arm 3.The reducer 5 includes an input cylindrical shaft 5 aarranged on the radially outer side of the tube 7 and protruding toward the base 2 side. The robot 1 includes pulleys (movable parts) 8 aand 8 bsecured to the shaft 4 aof the engine 4 and the input shaft 5 a, respectively. The robot 1 also includes a belt (a movable part) 9 laid over the pulleys 8 aand 8 b. Rotations of the shaft 4a of the engine 4 are transmitted to the input shaft 5a through the pulleys 8a and 8b and the belt 9 and input to the reducer 5.Furthermore, the robot 1 also includes a wire body management device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.As illustrated in FIG. 2, the wire body management device 10 according to this embodiment is largely a bent metal sheet having a certain thickness. As shown in FIG. 1, the wire body management device 10 includes a rectangular top plate 10 apositioned horizontally above the pipe 7, and there is a space vertically above the pipe 7.Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the wire body management device 10 includes three walls 10 bconnected to the three sides of the upper plate 10 a, respectively, and extending in a direction orthogonal to the upper plate 10 a. The corners at which the top plate 10a and the walls 10b meet are formed at obtuse angles, for example, by bending a metal sheet twice at an angle of 45°. As a result, the wire bodies 11 described below are prevented from being pressed to the corners of the boundaries between the top plate 10 aand the walls 10 b.Each of the walls 10 bhas, at the tip thereof, a flange (a fixing unit) 10 cto secure the wire body management device 10 to a fixing surface 2 aof the base 2 with bolts 12. The flange 10c has through holes 10d penetrating in the plate thickness direction. The screws 12 passing through the through-holes 10 din the flange 10 care screwed into screw holes (see FIG. 3 ) 2 bin the mounting surface 2 a. As a result, the wire body management device 10 can be secured to the base 2.As illustrated in FIG. 3, the fastening surfaces 2 aof the base 2 are located on the radially outer side of the pulley 8 bsecured to the input shaft 5 ain plan view. When the flanges 10 care fastened to the fastening surfaces 2 awith the bolts 12, the walls 10 bextend upward from the base 2 on the radially outer side of the pulley 8 b. That is, the pulley 8 bis disposed at such a position that the pulley 8 bsurrounds the radially outer side of the hollow bore 6, and the walls 10 bare disposed at such positions that the walls 10 bsurrounds the radially outer side of the pulley 8 b. As a result, the three walls 10 bseparate the space on the outer side of the walls 10 bfrom the inner space in which the pulley 8 band the belt 9 are disposed.As illustrated in FIG. 1, the wire body management device 10 has a round through hole 10 ethat penetrates the upper plate 10 ain the plate thickness direction. The wire body management device 10 further includes a cylindrical guide member 13 fitted into the through hole 10 e. The guide member 13 is disposed at a position offset from the end portion of the through hole 6 in the direction of the vertical axis O. The guide member 13 is made of a resin such as PTFE having excellent sliding ability. In a state where the wire body management device 10 is secured to the base 2, the through hole 10 ein the upper plate 10 ais located vertically above the tube 7.Each of the walls 10 bhas a plurality of through holes (wire body securing part) 14 athat penetrate in the plate thickness direction and notches (wire body securing part) 14 b. The notches 14b may be replaced by through holes. The wire bodies 11 laid along the outer surfaces of the wall 10 bin the vertical direction can be easily tied together with ties 15 and passed through the through-holes 14 aand the notches 14 b. As a result, the wire bodies 11 passed through the tube 7 can be secured to the base 2 side.As shown in FIG. 2, the through holes 14 aand the notches 14 b(hereinafter referred to as a wire body securing part 14) are provided in each of the three holes 10 b. As illustrated in FIG. 4, each wire body securing part 14 secures the wire bodies 11 at a position spaced apart by a distance D from a vertical line V extending from the vertical axis O to each wall 10 b. Thus, in a state where the wire body management device 10 is secured to the base 2, the die body securing parts 14 are located at different angular positions about the vertical axis O with respect to the hollow bore 6.The robot 1 includes the plurality of wire bodies 11 including air hoses and cables for a motor (not illustrated) etc. attached to the first arm 3. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, there are six wire bodies 11, and each of the wire bodies 11 passes through the tube 7 disposed in the hollow bore 6 in the vertical direction. Moreover, the wire bodies 11 are secured to the base 2 side and the first arm 3 side with respect to the tube 7.Next, a wire body management method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.By the wire body management method according to this embodiment, the plurality of wire bodies 11 passing through the pipe 7 are divided into a plurality of groups on the base 2 side. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the number of groups is 3. Thereafter, the wire bodies 11 are bent into a U-shape and secured to various wire body securing members 14 corresponding to the group.In other words, all the wire bodies 11 extend upward in the vertical direction in the tube 7 from the first arm 3 side to the base 2 side, and pass through the guide member 13. Above the guide member 13, the groups of the wire bodies 11 are aligned in different angular directions in the circumferential direction with respect to the vertical axis O. Then, the groups of wire bodies 11 are bent by 180° and extend vertically downward and are secured to various wire body securing parts 14 of the walls 10b.Under the tube 7, the wire bodies 11 are bent in any desired directions intersecting the vertical axis O and are secured to the first arm 3 by any method.When the first arm 3 is rotated about the vertical axis O with respect to the base 2, the position at which the wire bodies 11 are secured in the first arm 3 is displaced about the vertical axis O. The wire bodies 11 between the secured position in the first arm 3 and the wire body securing part 14 of the base 2 absorb the displacement by creating bends and twists. The wire bodies 11 are laid in the pipe 7 penetrating the hollow hole 6 including the vertical axis O along the vertical axis O, and are bent at both sides of the pipe 7. In this way, the bending and twisting occurring due to the rotation of the first arm 3 with respect to the base 2 can be reduced to a minimum.According to this embodiment, the plurality of wire bodies 11 that have been passed through the tube 7 are divided into a plurality of groups and are bent in different angular directions about the vertical axis O. Since the wire bodies 11 outside the tube 7 are not bent in the same direction, all the wire bodies 11 need not be arranged in a row when the wire bodies 11 pass through the tube 7. As a result, the maximum outer dimensions of the groups of wire bodies 11 passing through the tube 7 can be reduced. The inner diameter of the tube 7 through which the groups of wire bodies 11 pass and the diameter of the hollow bore 6 of the reducer 5, etc., can be reduced, and thus the size of the robot 1 can be reduced.Further, the wire bodies 11 which have just passed through the pipe 7 pass over the guide member 13 and emerge above the top plate 10a. Thus, the wire bodies 11 from the tube 7 to the guide member 13 do not come into contact with the pulley 8 band the belt 9 around the tube 7. Moreover, the portions of the wire bodies 11 protruding above the upper plate 10a from the guide member 13 can also be insulated from the movable parts such as the pulley 8b by the upper plate 10a and the walls 10b. As a result, interference between the movable parts and the wire bodies 11 in the base 2 can be prevented even if the space inside the base 2 is small.Further, in this embodiment, a cylindrical guide member 13 is disposed leaving a space above the upper end of the tube 7. In this manner, the outer surfaces of the wire bodies 11 bulging by being bent into the U shape come into contact with the inner surface of the guide member 13, and thus the curvature can be reduced. Consequently, the bent portions of the wire bodies 11 are corrected into a compact shape, and the intensive contact between the wire bodies 11 and the upper edge of the pipe 7 can be avoided. Furthermore, the wire bodies 11 can be laid in a space-saving manner.Further, since the guide member 13 is provided separately from the tube 7, the position of the guide member 13 can be adjusted according to the lengths of the wire bodies 11, and the curvature can be corrected accordingly.If a wider space is available in the base 2 and the wire bodies 11 are allowed to have bent portions having a large curvature, the guide member 13 can be omitted.In this embodiment, the positions of the wire body securing parts 14 on the plate-shaped walls 10 bare offset from the positions of the vertical lines V from the vertical axis O. In this manner, the radius of curvature of the U-shaped bends of the wire bodies 11 can be set larger than that of the wire body securing members 14 disposed at the positions of the vertical line V. As a result, in the compact-structured wire body management device 10, the radius of curvature of the wire bodies 11 can be increased, and the durability of the wire bodies 11 can be improved.In this embodiment, an example in which the wire body management device 10 is applied to a hinge part that rotates the first arm 3 with respect to the base 2 will be described. Alternatively, the device may be applied to any other joint, for example a joint that rotates a second arm (not shown) with respect to the first arm 3.Further, in this embodiment, an example of the wire body management device 10 in which the wire bodies 11 passing through the pipe 7 are managed on the base 2 side and a method thereof will be described. Alternatively, the same wire body management device 10 and method may be employed to perform management on the first arm 3 side. Alternatively, the same wire body management device 10 and method may be used for managing the wire bodies 11 on both sides of the pipe 7.Further, in this embodiment, the wire bodies 11 passed through the tube 7 are bent into a U-shape on the side of the base 2 and secured to the wire body securing parts 14. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the wire bodies 11 passed through the tube 7 may be bent into an L shape on the base 2 side and secured to the wire body securing parts 14. Also in such a case, the groups of the wire bodies 11 can be bent in different angular directions in the circumferential direction about the vertical axis O.In this embodiment, the walls 10 bthat have a plate shape will be described as an example. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 6, a cylindrical wall 10b may be employed.Furthermore, in this embodiment, six wire bodies 11 are divided into three groups each having two wire bodies. Alternatively, any desired number of wire bodies 11 may be divided into any number of groups greater than or equal to 2. Furthermore, the number of wire bodies 11 in each group may be arbitrary as long as the number is 1 or more, and different groups may include different numbers of wire bodies 11.In this embodiment, the resin pipe 7 is disposed in the hollow bore 6 of the reducer 5, etc., to prevent the wire bodies 11 from contacting the inner surface of the hollow bore 6. Alternatively, the tube 7 may be omitted if the hollow bore 6 has a sufficiently large inner diameter.List of reference characters1 Robot 2 Base (second link) 3 First arm (first link) 6 Hollow bore 8 a, 8 b Riemenscheibe (movable part) 9 Belt (movable part) 10 Wire body management device 10 bWall 10 c Flansch (fixing unit) 11 Wire body 13 Guide member 14 Wire body securing part 14 aThrough bore (wire body securing part) 14 b Kerbe (wire body securing part) O Vertical axis (axis) V Vertical lineReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedJP 2018-140456

[0003]

Claims

A wire body management device for laying a plurality of wire bodies between a first member and a second member supported to be rotatable relative to each other about a fixed axis, the device comprising: a fixing unit for fixing to the second member; and a wire body securing part that secures the wire bodies passing through a hollow hole provided in a space including the axis of the first member and the second member along the axis, wherein the wire bodies are bent at a side of the second member in directions intersecting the axis, wherein the plurality of wire bodies are divided into a plurality of groups and bent in different angular directions about the axis, and the wire body securing part secures the groups of wire bodies at different circumferential positions about the axis.The wire body management device according to claim 1, wherein the groups of wire bodies passing through the hollow bore are bent into a U-shape or an L-shape and secured to the wire body securing part.The wire body management device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a guide member disposed at a position offset from an end portion of the through hole in the direction of the axis, wherein the guide member contacts outer surfaces of the groups of the wire bodies passing through the hollow hole for regulating the curvature of bends of the wire bodies.The wire body management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a wall that isolates a space in which the wire bodies secured to the wire body securing part are disposed from a movable part that is disposed on the second member side and movable with respect to the second member.The wire body management device according to claim 4, wherein the movable part is disposed at such a position that the movable part surrounds a radial outer side of the hollow bore, and the wall is disposed at such a position that the wall surrounds a radial outer side of the movable part.The wire body management device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the wire body securing part is disposed on the wall.The wire body management device according to claim 6, wherein the wall has a plate shape and includes a plurality of walls at positions such that the walls surround the radially outer side of the movable part, and the wire body securing part is disposed at a position spaced from the axis to each of the walls with respect to a perpendicular line.A wire body management method for laying a plurality of wire bodies between a first member and a second member supported to be rotatable relative to each other about a fixed axis, the method comprising: allowing the plurality of wire bodies to pass along the axis through a hollow hole provided in a space including the axis of the first member and the second member; dividing the plurality of wire bodies passing to a side of the second member into a plurality of groups; and bending the groups of the wire bodies in different angular directions about the axis, the directions intersecting the axis, and securing the groups of the wire bodies to the second member at different circumferential positions about the axis.The wire body management method according to claim 8, wherein the groups of the wire bodies passing through the hollow bore to the second member side are bent into a U-shape or an L-shape and secured to the second member.The wire body management method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the curvature of bends of the wire bodies is regulated by causing a guide member to come into contact with outer surfaces of the wire bodies passing through the hollow bore to the second member side, the guide member being located at a position offset from an end portion of the hollow bore in a direction of the axis.A robot comprising: a first link and a second link supported to be rotatable about a fixed axis with respect to each other; the wire body management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the fixing unit is secured to the second link; and a plurality of wire bodies passing through the hollow bore along the axis, bent in directions intersecting the axis at the side of the second link, and secured to the wire body securing part.

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