End effector exchange device

Abstract

To provide an end effector exchanger that can exchange an end effector manually, without any risk that the end effector comes off unexpectedly.SOLUTION: A slide part 18 of a first adaptor 12 is fitted to a slot 42 of a second adaptor 34, and a ball 32 is arranged between a cam member 22 provided in the slide part and an opening edge part 36b constituting the slot. When the cam member moves, the ball can advance toward an engagement groove 44 provided in the opening edge part or can retreat. The ball is retreated by operating a release button 24 integrated with the cam member and by sliding the first adaptor and the second adaptor relatively, so that the first adaptor separates from the second adaptor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an end effector exchange device for manually exchanging components such as tools, jigs, chucks, grippers, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "end effectors") attached to a robot arm or a transport device (hereinafter referred to as "robot arm, etc."). [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a technique for detachably attaching an end effector to the tip of a robot arm so that various end effectors can be attached to the tip of a robot arm depending on the work performed by an industrial robot.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a connector that connects a first part that is connected to a robot and a second part that is connected to a gripper with a separable hinge and has a push button that releases the engagement between the first part and the second part. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 114895 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In such an end effector replacement device, when the end effector is manually removed from the robot arm, etc., there is a risk that the end effector may come off unexpectedly. In particular, when the end effector is heavy, it is necessary to consider the safety of the operator.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide an end effector exchanging device in which there is no risk of the end effector coming off unexpectedly when exchanging the end effector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The end effector exchange device according to the present invention includes a first adaptor and a second adaptor, one of the first adaptor and the second adaptor is attached to a robot arm or the like, an end effector is attached to the other, and a slide part of the first adaptor fits into a slot of the second adaptor. A ball is disposed between a cam member provided on the slide part and an opening edge part constituting the slot, and the ball can advance toward or retreat from an engagement groove provided on the opening edge part by movement of the cam member, and the ball retreats by operating a release button integrated with the cam member and sliding the first adaptor and the second adaptor relatively, and the first adaptor and the second adaptor are separated.

[0008] According to the end effector exchange device, the first adapter and the second adapter can be separated by sliding the first adapter and the second adapter relative to each other after operating the release button, and the first adapter and the second adapter cannot be separated by simply pressing the release button. Therefore, the adapter with the end effector attached will not come off unexpectedly, improving the safety of the operator. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The end effector exchange device of the present invention is configured so that the first adapter and the second adapter can be separated by operating the release button and sliding the first adapter and the second adapter relative to each other, thereby preventing the adapter with the end effector attached from accidentally coming off, improving the safety of the operator. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an external view of an end effector exchange device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] 2A to 2C are diagrams illustrating an example of use of the end effector exchange device of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3]2 is an external view of a first adapter of the end effector exchange apparatus of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is an external view of a second adapter of the end effector exchange device of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the end effector exchange device of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Figure 12] 9 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 8 when the release button is operated. FIG. [Figure 13] 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the second adaptor is separated from the first adaptor in the usage example of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 14] 8 for explaining an end effector exchange device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 15] 15 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10 for explaining an engagement groove of the end effector exchange device of FIG. 14. FIG. [Figure 16] 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 15. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The end effector exchange device according to the present invention will be described with reference to several preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, when words related to the up and down directions are used, they refer to the directions on the drawings for convenience, and do not limit the actual arrangement of each component.

[0012] (First embodiment) An end effector exchanging device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 13. As shown in Fig. 1, the end effector exchanging device 10 includes a first adaptor 12 and a second adaptor 34 having the same disk shape in a plan view. As shown in Fig. 2, the end effector exchanging device 10 is used by connecting the second adaptor 34, to which a desired end effector 48 is attached, to the first adaptor 12 attached to a robot arm 46, for example.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 3, the first adapter 12 has a disk-shaped main body 14 and a slide portion 18 that protrudes downward from the main body 14. The slide portion 18, which has a T-shaped cross section, extends in a direction along the diameter of the main body 14. As shown in Figs. 6 and 8, a guide rod 20 is disposed inside the slide portion 18. One end and the other end of the guide rod 20 are disposed in a first guide groove 18a and a second guide groove 18b, respectively, provided inside the slide portion 18, and the guide rod 20 is supported so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the slide portion 18.

[0014] A cam member 22 is connected to the center of the guide rod 20 by a first screw 26a, and a release button 24 is connected to the end of the guide rod 20 by a second screw 26b. The first adapter 12 is provided with a concave surface 12a having a shape in which part of its outer periphery is cut out in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the slide portion 18, and the release button 24 is exposed to the outside from this concave surface 12a.

[0015] A spring receiver 22c is integrally formed at the end of the cam member 22, rising upward and extending into the main body 14. A coil spring 28 is disposed between a spring receiver 30 provided inside the main body 14 and the spring receiver 22c of the cam member 22. The cam member 22, guide rod 20 and release button 24, which are integrally connected to one another, are subjected to the biasing force of the coil spring 28, and the release button 24 is biased in a direction protruding outward from the concave surface 12a.

[0016] Cam portions 22a are formed on both side surfaces of the cam member 22, and ball receiving grooves 22b are formed at positions closer to the release button 24 than the cam portions 22a. The cam portions 22a are composed of an inclined portion 22a1 inclined at an angle α with respect to the moving direction (X direction) of the guide rod 20, and a parallel portion 22a2 parallel to the moving direction of the guide rod 20, and the parallel portion 22a2 is formed between the inclined portion 22a1 and the ball receiving groove 22b (see FIG. 9). The slide portion 18 is provided with a pair of ball grooves 18c at positions adjacent to the cam member 22. A ball (steel ball) 32 is arranged in each ball groove 18c.

[0017] A circular fitting portion 14a protrudes from the upper portion of the main body portion 14, and a circular cover member 16 that covers the guide rod 20, the cam member 22, and the coil spring 28 from above is attached to the fitting portion 14a. The fitting portion 14a serves as a positioning element when the first adaptor 12 is attached to the robot arm 46. Note that reference symbol 14b denotes a bolt insertion hole for attaching the first adaptor 12 to the robot arm 46.

[0018] 4, the second adapter 34 includes an upper plate portion 36 having an opening 36a and a lower plate portion 38 having a circular hole 38a. A U-shaped opening edge portion 36b of the upper plate portion 36 is connected to the lower plate portion 38 via a vertical wall portion 40. The opening edge portion 36b, the vertical wall portion 40, and the lower plate portion 38 form a T-shaped slot 42.

[0019] The slide portion 18 of the first adapter 12 fits into the slot 42 of the second adapter 34, so that the second adapter 34 is supported so as to be horizontally slidable relative to the first adapter 12. At this time, the upper surface of the upper plate portion 36 of the second adapter 34 is parallel to the lower surface of the main body portion 14 of the first adapter 12, and the two face each other with a small gap between them or are in contact with each other. Note that reference numeral 34a denotes a bolt insertion hole for attaching the end effector 48 to the second adapter 34.

[0020] When the sliding portion 18 of the first adapter 12 is inserted all the way into the slot 42 of the second adapter 34, the central axis of the second adapter 34 coincides with the central axis of the first adapter 12, and the side surface of the second adapter 34 becomes flush with the side surface of the first adapter 12 (see FIG. 2). When the sliding portion 18 is completely removed from the slot 42, the second adapter 34 is separated from the first adapter 12 (see FIG. 13).

[0021] 8, the ball 32 disposed in the ball groove 18c of the slide portion 18 of the first adaptor 12 is located between the cam member 22 disposed on the slide portion 18 and the opening edge portion 36b of the upper plate portion 36 of the second adaptor 34. The opening edge portion 36b is provided with an engagement groove 44 having a wall surface against which the ball 32 can come into contact. When the slide portion 18 of the first adaptor 12 is inserted all the way into the slot 42 of the second adaptor 34, the ball 32 faces the engagement groove 44.

[0022] 7 and 10, the line connecting the deepest points of the engagement grooves 44, i.e., the valley line 44a, is inclined at an angle β with respect to the upper surface of the upper plate portion 36 when viewed from the direction along the movement direction of the cam member 22 so as to move further away from the opening 36a the further downward. In other words, the valley line 44a of the engagement groove 44 is inclined at an angle β with respect to the advancing / retracting direction of the ball 32 (Y direction).

[0023] 11 shows the outline of the engagement groove 44 when cut by a plane that includes the center of the ball 32 and is perpendicular to the valley line 44a with the ball 32 in contact with the wall surface of the engagement groove 44. This outline is a symmetrical combination of two circular arcs 44b, 44c, each having a radius larger than the radius of the ball 32.

[0024] Specifically, the wall shape of the engagement groove 44 is formed by joining two identical cylindrical surfaces cut within the range of a central angle θ smaller than 90 degrees at their generatrix, with the joining line becoming a valley line 44a of the engagement groove 44. The ball 32 abuts against the wall surface of the engagement groove 44 consisting of the two cylindrical surfaces at two points, points P1 and P2. The point indicated by reference sign O1 is the center of a circle that constitutes the arc 44b, and the point indicated by reference sign O2 is the center of a circle that constitutes the arc 44c.

[0025] The end effector exchange device 10 according to this embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described below. In the initial state, the slide portion 18 of the first adapter 12 is inserted all the way into the slot 42 of the second adapter 34, and the release button 24 protrudes from the concave surface 12a of the first adapter 12 (see FIG. 8).

[0026] In the above initial state, the cam member 22 receives the biasing force of the coil spring 28, and the inclined portion 22a1 of the cam member 22 presses the ball 32, and the ball 32 protrudes from the ball groove 18c of the slide portion 18 and abuts against the wall surface of the engagement groove 44. Therefore, the second adaptor 34 is in a state of being engaged with the slide portion 18 of the first adaptor 12 via the ball 32 in the engagement groove 44, and the second adaptor 34 cannot be slid relative to the first adaptor 12.

[0027] In this case, the ball 32 abuts against the wall surface of the engagement groove 44 that is inclined at angle β with respect to the advancing and retracting direction of the ball 32, so a force is applied that brings the upper surface of the second adaptor 34 into close contact with the lower surface of the main body 14 of the first adaptor 12, and the second adaptor 34 is supported by the first adaptor 12 without any rattling. Also, since the ball 32 abuts against the wall surface of the engagement groove 44 which is a cylindrical surface at two points, points P1 and P2, the surface pressure can be reduced compared to when the ball 32 abuts against the wall surface of the engagement groove 44 which is a flat surface, and the second adaptor 34 will not rattle even if a large external force is applied.

[0028] In addition, since the inclined portion 22a1 of the cam member 22 is connected to the ball receiving groove 22b via the parallel portion 22a2, if an external force acts to slide the second adaptor 34 while the release button 24 is not pressed, even if the ball 32 tries to move, the ball 32 remains in the parallel portion 22a2 and does not move to the ball receiving groove 22b. Therefore, unless the release button 24 is operated, the second adaptor 34 cannot be slid.

[0029] When an operator presses the release button 24, the guide rod 20 and the cam member 22, which are integral with the release button 24, move against the biasing force of the coil spring 28. This allows the ball 32 to move backward from the engagement groove 44 toward the ball receiving groove 22b. Then, when an operator applies force to the second adapter 34 in a direction to pull the slide portion 18 of the first adapter 12 out of the slot 42 of the second adapter 34, the ball 32 falls into the ball receiving groove 22b and moves backward to a position where it does not protrude from the slide portion 18 (see FIG. 12). Therefore, the operator can slide the second adapter 34 to separate the second adapter 34 from the first adapter 12 (see FIG. 13).

[0030] When connecting the second adapter 34 to the first adapter 12 after replacing the end effector 48 attached to the separated second adapter 34 with another end effector, the following procedure may be performed, for example.

[0031] First, while supporting the second adapter 34 with both hands, the worker fits the slide portion 18 of the first adapter 12 into the slot 42 of the second adapter 34, and slides the second adapter 34 relative to the first adapter 12 until the opening edge 36b at the entrance of the slot 42 hits the ball 32 protruding from the slide portion 18. In this state, the slide portion 18 has fitted into the slot 42 by a predetermined length, so that the second adapter 34 will not fall even if the worker releases his or her hands from the second adapter 34.

[0032] Next, while pressing the release button 24 with one hand, the operator slides the second adapter 34 with the other hand until the sliding portion 18 of the first adapter 12 is inserted deep into the slot 42 of the second adapter 34. Then, when the operator releases the release button 24, the ball 32 comes into contact with the wall surface of the engagement groove 44 due to the biasing force of the coil spring 28, and returns to the initial state.

[0033] According to the end effector exchange device 10 of this embodiment, the first adapter 12 and the second adapter 34 can be separated by operating the release button 24 and sliding the first adapter 12 and the second adapter 34 relative to one another. This prevents the second adapter 34, to which the end effector 48 is attached, from suddenly detaching and falling, improving the safety of the operator.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first adapter 12 is attached to the robot arm 46, and the end effector 48 is attached to the second adapter 34 for use. However, the second adapter 34 can also be attached to the robot arm 46, and the end effector 48 can be attached to the first adapter 12 for use.

[0035] Second embodiment Next, an end effector exchanging device 50 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 14 to 16. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the shape of the engagement groove. Note that the same components as those in the end effector exchanging device 10 described above are given the same reference symbols, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 14, the ball 32 disposed in the ball groove 18c of the slide portion 18 of the first adaptor 12 is located between the cam member 22 disposed on the slide portion 18 and the opening edge portion 36b of the upper plate portion 36 of the second adaptor 34. The opening edge portion 36b is provided with an engagement groove 52 having a wall surface against which the ball 32 can come into contact. As shown in Fig. 15, the valley line 52a of the engagement groove 52 is inclined by an angle β with respect to the advancing / retracting direction of the ball 32 (Y direction) so as to move further away from the opening 36a the further downward.

[0037] FIG. 16 shows the outline of the engagement groove 52 when cut by a plane including the center of the ball 32 and perpendicular to the valley line 52a in a state where the ball 32 abuts against the wall surface of the engagement groove 52. This outline is V-shaped including two straight line parts 52b and 52c. The wall surface shape of the engagement groove 52 is such that two planes intersect at an angle of approximately 90 degrees and the intersection is rounded, and the valley line 52a of the engagement groove 52 is a line passing through the deepest part of the rounded area. The ball 32 abuts against the wall surface of the engagement groove 52 including the two planes at two points, points P3 and P4. In this embodiment, the two planes constituting the wall surface shape of the engagement groove 52 intersect at an angle of approximately 90 degrees, but they may intersect at an angle greater than 90 degrees or less than 90 degrees.

[0038] When release button 24 is not operated, cam member 22 receives the biasing force of coil spring 28, and its inclined portion 22a1 presses ball 32, and ball 32 abuts against the wall surface of engagement groove 52. Therefore, second adapter 34 is in a state of being engaged with slide portion 18 of first adapter 12 via ball 32 in engagement groove 52, and second adapter 34 cannot be slid relative to first adapter 12.

[0039] On the other hand, when the operator presses the release button 24, the cam member 22 moves against the biasing force of the coil spring 28, allowing the ball 32 to move back from the engagement groove 52 toward the ball receiving groove 22b. Then, when the operator applies a force in a predetermined direction to the second adapter 34, the ball 32 moves back to a position where it does not protrude from the sliding portion 18, and the operator can slide the second adapter 34 to separate the second adapter 34 from the first adapter 12. Therefore, the second adapter 34 to which the end effector 48 is attached will not suddenly come off and fall, improving the safety of the operator.

[0040] Since the balls 32 abut against the wall surfaces of the engagement groove 52 which are inclined at an angle β with respect to the advancing and retracting directions of the balls 32, a force is applied which brings the upper surface of the second adaptor 34 into close contact with the lower surface of the main body 14 of the first adaptor 12, and the second adaptor 34 is supported by the first adaptor 12 without any rattling. Also, since the balls 32 abut against the wall surfaces of the engagement groove 52 which include two flat surfaces at two points, points P3 and P4, there is no rattling even if a large external force is applied to the second adaptor 34. Also, since the wall surface shape of the engagement groove 52 is a combination of two flat surfaces, the machining of the engagement groove 52 is easy.

[0041] The end effector exchanging device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various configurations can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 10, 50...End effector exchange device 12...First adapter 18...Slide section 20... Guide rod 22... Cam member 22a... cam portion 22a1... inclined portion 22a2...Parallel portion 22b...Ball receiving groove 24…Release button 32…Ball 34... Second adapter 36b... Opening edge portion 42: Slot 44, 52: Engagement groove 44a, 52a...valley line 46...robot arm 48…End effector

Claims

1. An end effector exchange device including a first adaptor and a second adaptor, one of the first adaptor and the second adaptor being attached to a robot arm or the like, and an end effector being attached to the other adaptor, a slide portion of the first adapter fits into a slot of the second adapter, a ball is disposed between a cam member provided on the slide portion and an opening edge portion constituting the slot, the ball can advance toward or retreat from an engagement groove provided on the opening edge portion by movement of the cam member, and the ball retreats by operating a release button integrated with the cam member and sliding the first adapter and the second adapter relative to each other, and the first adapter and the second adapter are separated, The cam member is connected to a guide rod supported movably in the longitudinal direction of the slide portion.

2. The end effector exchange device according to claim 1, An end effector exchange device in which the slide portion having a T-shaped cross section fits into the T-shaped slot.

3. The end effector exchange device according to claim 1, An end effector exchange device in which a cam portion and a ball receiving groove are formed in the cam member, the cam portion consisting of an inclined portion inclined with respect to the moving direction of the guide rod and a parallel portion parallel to the moving direction of the guide rod, the parallel portion being formed between the inclined portion and the ball receiving groove.

4. The end effector exchange device according to claim 1, An end effector exchange device, wherein the wall shape of the engagement groove is such that two cylindrical surfaces cut within a range of a predetermined central angle are joined together at their generatrix, and the joining line becomes a valley line.

5. The end effector exchange device according to claim 1, An end effector exchange device, wherein the wall shape of the engagement groove is formed by intersecting two planes with a radius at the intersection.

6. The end effector exchange device according to claim 4 or 5, An end effector exchange device, wherein a valley line of the engagement groove is inclined with respect to the advancing / retracting direction of the ball.

Images