Robot

Abstract

To provide a robot that can simplify internal wiring of a link member.SOLUTION: A robot 100 includes: a first actuator 11 for driving a first joint 81; a link member 30 disposed closer to the base side than the first joint 81; and a first battery 41 for supplying power to the first actuator 11. The link member 30 includes a first battery disposition part in which the first battery 41 is disposed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a robot equipped with a robot arm that is configured by connecting a plurality of links and joints. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a robot device that has a plurality of links and joints that connect the links, and the drive mechanisms of the joints are distributed among the links. In this device, each of the links and the drive mechanisms is made into a unit, and the device is configured by connecting a plurality of these units. The unit is provided with a means for supplying power to the electric motor, the encoder, and the storage means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-019985 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventionally, in a multi-joint robot in which a plurality of joints and a plurality of link members are connected in order from a base part to a tip, a battery is mounted on the base part to supply power to a storage means that stores the multi-rotation information of each encoder of each joint. When a battery is mounted on the base part, there is a problem that the number of cables that supply power to each joint increases, and the cable wiring becomes complicated. In this background, Patent Document 1 does not provide sufficient disclosure from the viewpoint of simplifying the wiring in the link members.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a robot capable of simplifying the wiring within the link members. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention is a robot including a first actuator that drives a first joint portion, a link member that is arranged on the base end side of the first joint portion, and a first battery that supplies power to the first actuator, and the link member has a first battery placement portion for placing the first battery.

[0007] Any combination of the above components, or mutual substitution of the components or expressions of the present invention between methods, systems, etc. are also valid aspects of the present invention. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, a robot capable of simplifying the wiring within the link member can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a robot according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view showing a link member and a first joint unit of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a link member shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a front view showing the link member of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 2 is a side view showing the link member of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of wiring within the robot of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments and modified examples, the same or equivalent components and members are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions are omitted as appropriate. The dimensions of the members in each drawing are enlarged or reduced as appropriate for ease of understanding. Some of the members that are not important for explaining the embodiments are omitted in each drawing.

[0011] In addition, terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, but these terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component, and the components are not limited by these terms.

[0012] [Embodiment] The configuration of a robot 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the robot 100. Hereinafter, for convenience, as shown in FIG. 1, the front-rear direction of the robot 100 may be referred to as "front" and "rear", the width direction as "right" and "left", and the height direction as "upper" and "lower". Such directional notations do not limit the posture in which the robot 100 is used, and the robot 100 may be used in any posture depending on the application. As shown in FIG. 1, the robot 100 is a so-called articulated robot that can be suitably used as an industrial robot or a collaborative robot.

[0013] The robot 100 includes a first joint unit J1, a first link member 30, a second joint unit J2, a second link member 28, a third joint unit J3, a base portion 78, and a support member 76. In the embodiment, the first link member 30 and the second link member 28 are a robot arm. The first joint unit J1, the first link member 30, the second joint unit J2, the second link member 28, the third joint unit J3, and the base portion 78 are connected in this order from the tip side. The base end side of the third joint unit J3 is connected to the base portion 78, and the lower portion of the base portion 78 is connected to the support member 76. The first joint unit J1, the second joint unit J2, and the third joint unit J3 are partially or entirely covered by unit covers 71, 72, 73, and 74.

[0014] In the embodiment, the support member 76 is a rectangular plate-shaped member fixed to a mounting base (not shown). In the embodiment, the base unit 78 houses the power supply device 50 and other electronic devices described later. The power supply device 50 generates and supplies power used in the robot 100 from a commercial power source or other external power sources. The third joint unit J3 moves the second link member 28 relative to the support member 76. The third joint unit J3 has joints 85 and 86 that rotate around rotation axes that intersect with each other. The joint 86 is provided on the upper part of the base unit 78. The base end side of the second link member 28 is connected to the third joint unit J3, and the tip side of the second link member 28 is connected to the second joint unit J2.

[0015] The second joint unit J2 moves the first link member 30 relative to the second link member 28. The second joint unit J2 has joints 83 and 84 that rotate about rotation axes that intersect with each other. A base end side of the first link member 30 is connected to the second joint unit J2, and a tip end side of the first link member 30 is connected to the first joint unit J1.

[0016] The first joint unit J1 moves a hand (not shown) connected to the first joint unit J1. The first joint unit J1 has joints 81 and 82 that rotate around rotation axes that intersect with each other. The joints 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, and 86 are collectively referred to as a joint 8.

[0017] The joints 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, and 86 have actuators 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 that drive the joints. The actuators 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 are collectively referred to as actuator 1. The actuator 1 has a motor 91 that rotates a motor shaft 92, a reducer 93 that reduces the rotation of the motor shaft 92 and outputs it, and a control unit (not shown) that controls the rotation of the motor shaft 92.

[0018] The actuators 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 each have an encoder 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56 that detects the rotational position of the motor shaft 92. The encoders 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56 are collectively referred to as an encoder 5.

[0019] The second link member 28 and the first link member 30 have similar technical features. The following description will be given taking the first link member 30 as an example. The following description of the first link member 30 also applies to the second link member 28 to the extent that there is no contradiction.

[0020] The first link member 30 and the first joint unit J1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the first link member 30 and the first joint unit J1. The first link member 30 exemplifies a link member in the claims. The first joint unit J1 is connected to a tip side connecting portion 35 of the link member 30. The first joint unit J1 of the embodiment has a first joint portion 81 provided on the tip side of the first link member 30 and a second joint portion 82 provided on the tip side of the first joint portion 81.

[0021] The first joint portion 81 has a first actuator 11. The first actuator 11 rotates the second joint portion 82 about the first output axis L1. The first joint portion 81 changes the attitude of the second joint portion 82 with respect to the first link member 30 about the first output axis L1 by the action of the first actuator 11.

[0022] The second joint portion 82 has a second actuator 12. The second actuator 12 rotates a driven body (not shown) around the second output axis L2 by its output rotation. The second joint portion 82 changes the attitude of the driven body with respect to the first joint portion 81 around the second output axis L2 by the action of the second actuator 12.

[0023] The link member 30 will be described with reference to Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5. Figures 3, 4, and 5 are a perspective view, a front view, and a side view of the link member 30. These figures show a state in which the cover member 38 and the batteries 41, 42 have been removed. The first link member 30 has a link member main body 33, a tip-side connecting portion 35, a base-side connecting portion 36, and a cover member 38.

[0024] The link member body 33 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped outer contour extending from the base end side to the tip end side, and is a box-shaped portion with one front surface open. The cover member 38 has a shape that covers the opening of the link member body 33. The cover member 38 of the embodiment is a band-like plate member that extends generally vertically, with an upper side recessed in an arc shape and a lower side bulging in an arc shape. The cover member 38 has a concave curved surface that conforms to the shape of the opening of the link member body 33. A plurality of (e.g., six) mounting holes 382 are provided around the cover member 38, penetrating it in the thickness direction. The link member body 33 has a plurality of (e.g., six) female screws 332 provided at positions corresponding to the plurality of mounting holes 382.

[0025] The tip side connecting portion 35 is a generally circular portion in a front view provided on the tip side of the link member main body 33. A first joint portion 81 is connected to the tip side connecting portion 35. The base side connecting portion 36 is a generally circular portion in a top view provided on the base side of the link member main body 33. A joint portion 83 is connected to the base side connecting portion 36.

[0026] As an example, the link member main body 33, the distal end connecting portion 35, and the proximal end connecting portion 36 are integrally formed from a resin material or a metal material.

[0027] The cover member 38 is attached to the link member body 33 using a fastener (not shown). In an embodiment, the cover member 38 is attached to the link member body 33 by threading a fastener for attachment into the female threads 332 through the attachment holes 382. The fastener may be, for example, a screw. The cover member 38 can be removed from the link member body 33 by removing the fastener for attachment.

[0028] In the embodiment, a first battery placement section 31 for placing a first battery 41 and a second battery placement section 32 for placing a second battery 42 are provided in the space between the link member body 33 and the cover member 38. Therefore, by removing the cover member 38 from the link member 30, the front faces of the first battery placement section 31 and the second battery placement section 32 are opened, making it possible to attach and detach the first battery 41 and the second battery 42.

[0029] The first battery mounting section 31 and the second battery mounting section 32 are provided on the base end side relative to the center of the link member 30. In this case, since the masses of the first battery 41 and the second battery 42 are on the base end side, the moment load of the joint section 83 when the first link member 30 is operated can be reduced compared to when the masses are on the tip end side.

[0030] The first battery 41 supplies power to the first actuator 11. The second battery 42 supplies power to the second actuator 12. In the embodiment, the first battery 41 supplies power to the encoder 51 of the first actuator 11, and the second battery 42 supplies power to the encoder 52 of the second actuator 12.

[0031] In the embodiment, the robot 100 is configured such that, when the power supply of the robot 100 is stopped, the first battery 41 and the second battery arrangement unit 32 supply power to the encoders 51 and 52. In this case, power is supplied to a storage means (not shown) that stores the multiple rotation information of the encoders 51 and 52, so that loss of the multiple rotation information due to the power supply being stopped can be prevented.

[0032] In the embodiment, the first battery 41 and the second battery 42 are a single battery. In this case, it is more advantageous in terms of reducing the number of steps and costs than installing or replacing two batteries individually. Therefore, the first battery arrangement section 31 and the second battery arrangement section 32 are integrated.

[0033] The wiring inside the robot 100 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 6. Figure 6(A) shows an example of the wiring inside the robot 100 of the embodiment. Figure 6(B) shows an example of the wiring inside a robot 200 of a comparative example. The robot 200 of the comparative example was created by the present inventor for comparison purposes in the process of creating the robot 100 of the embodiment, and has the same configuration as the robot 100 other than the wiring.

[0034] First, the wiring in the robot 200 of the comparative example will be described. In the robot 200, a power supply device 50 and a centralized battery 48 are provided on a base unit 78 on the base end side of the robot 200. The power supply device 50 supplies power to the actuators 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 of the joint units J1, J2, and J3, respectively, via a first wiring 61. Specifically, the power supply device 50 supplies driving power for driving the actuators 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, and storage power for storing multiple rotation information to the encoders 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56 of the actuators 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. The storage power drives a storage means (not shown) that stores the multiple rotation information of the encoder 5.

[0035] When the power supply device 50 is turned off, the concentrated battery 48 supplies storage power to the encoders 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56 via the second wiring 62. In other words, when the power supply device 50 is turned off or when the power supply device 50 stops due to a power outage or the like, the concentrated battery 48 supplies backup power and maintains storage of the multi-rotation information of the encoders.

[0036] However, in the robot 200 of the comparative example, the first wiring 61 and the second wiring 62 are each wired from the base end side to the tip end side of the robot 200 via the joint units, which increases the amount of wiring cables and causes the wiring to become messy.

[0037] The wiring in the robot 100 of the embodiment will be described in light of the comparative example. The robot 100 differs from the comparative example in that it does not have a concentrated battery 48 and a second wiring 62, but has batteries 41, 42, 43, and 44 that are distributed and wiring 63, 64, and 65 that are local wiring. The batteries 41 and 42 are disposed on the first link member 30, the battery 43 is disposed on the second link member 28, and the battery 44 is disposed on the base part 78.

[0038] Wiring 63 connects the batteries 41, 42 arranged on the first link member 30 to the encoders 51, 52 of the actuators 11, 12. Wiring 64 connects the battery 43 arranged on the second link member 28 to the encoders 53, 54 of the actuators 13, 14. Wiring 65 connects the battery 44 arranged on the base portion 78 to the encoders 55, 56 of the actuators 15, 16.

[0039] In this way, the robot 100 of the embodiment can reduce the amount of wiring cables and simplify the wiring compared to the comparative example. The first batteries 41, 42, 43, and 44 are charged in a predetermined case. In the embodiment, these batteries are charged while removed from the placement unit, and are attached to the original placement unit after charging.

[0040] The features of the robot 100 of the embodiment will be described. The robot 100 is a robot including a first actuator 11 that drives a first joint portion 81, a link member 30 that is disposed on the base end side of the first joint portion 81, and a first battery 41 that supplies power to the first actuator 11. The link member 30 has a first battery mounting portion 31 in which the first battery 41 is mounted.

[0041] According to this configuration, it is possible to simplify the wiring inside the robot 100, as shown in Fig. 6. Furthermore, when wiring cables are passed through the hollow portion of the actuator 1, the occupancy rate of the hollow portion caused by the wiring cables can be reduced.

[0042] The above is a description of the embodiment.

[0043] The above describes in detail examples of the embodiments of the present invention. The above-described embodiments merely show specific examples of implementing the present invention. The contents of the embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and many design changes such as changing, adding, and deleting components are possible within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. In the above-described embodiments, the contents for which such design changes are possible are described with the notation "of the embodiment" or "in the embodiment", but design changes are also permitted for contents without such notation.

[0044] (Modification) The following describes the modified examples. In the drawings and description of the modified examples, the same or equivalent components and members as those in the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Descriptions that overlap with the embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on configurations that differ from the embodiment.

[0045] In the description of the embodiment, an example has been shown in which the first battery 41 supplies power to the encoder 51 of the first actuator 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first battery 41 may supply power to a portion (e.g., an electronic circuit) other than the encoder 51 of the joint unit J1.

[0046] In the description of the embodiment, an example has been shown in which the first battery 41 and the second battery 42 are integrated into a single battery, but the present invention is not limited to this. The first battery 41 and the second battery 42 may each be an individual battery. In this case, the first battery placement section 31 and the second battery placement section 32 may each be an independent space or may be an integrated space.

[0047] In the description of the embodiment, an example has been shown in which the battery 43 is disposed on the second link member 28 and the battery 44 is disposed on the base portion 78, but the present invention is not limited to this. The battery 43 and the battery 44 may be disposed on a single mounting portion, and the mounting portion may be the second link member 28 or the base portion 78. In this case, the battery 43 and the battery 44 may be a single battery.

[0048] In the description of the embodiment, an example was shown in which the first batteries 41, 42, 43, and 44 are charged while removed from the placement unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. Some or all of these batteries may be charged while placed in the placement unit.

[0049] Each of these modified examples provides the same effects as the embodiment.

[0050] Any combination of the above-described embodiments and modifications is also useful as an embodiment of the present invention. A new embodiment resulting from the combination has the combined effects of the respective embodiments and modifications. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 11 first actuator, 12 second actuator, 30 first link member, 31 first battery arrangement portion, 32 second battery arrangement portion, 38 cover member, 41 first battery, 42 second battery, 51, 52 encoder, 81 first joint portion, 82 second joint portion, 100, 200 robot.

Claims

1. A robot including a first actuator that drives a first joint portion, a link member that is disposed closer to a base end than the first joint portion, and a first battery that supplies power to the first actuator, The link member is a robot having a first battery placement portion for placing the first battery.

2. The robot according to claim 1 , wherein the first battery placement portion is provided closer to a base end than a center of the link member.

3. 2. The robot according to claim 1, further comprising: a second joint portion located further distal than the first joint portion; a second actuator that drives the second joint portion; and a second battery that supplies power to the second actuator, wherein the link member has a second battery placement portion in which the second battery is placed.

4. The robot of claim 3 , wherein the first battery and the second battery are a single battery.

5. The robot according to claim 1 , wherein the first battery supplies power to an encoder of the first actuator when a power source of the robot is stopped.

6. The robot according to claim 1 , wherein the first battery is detachable from the first battery mounting portion by removing a cover member of the link member.

Images