Control device

Abstract

To provide a robot controller which can install a drive circuit baseboard without highly accurately and relatively aligning a control circuit baseboard and a power supply circuit baseboard.SOLUTION: A control device comprises a signal output connector 51 having an output terminal for making a control circuit baseboard 50 output a control signal, a DC-voltage input connector 54 to which a power supply created by a power supply circuit baseboard is inputted, and a power supply output connector 52 having an output terminal for outputting the power supply. The control device also comprises a signal input connector 81 having an input terminal to which a drive circuit baseboard 80 inputs a control signal, a power supply input connector 82 having an input terminal for inputting the power supply therein, and a power supply output part to which the power supply circuit baseboard outputs the power supply. The drive circuit baseboard 80 is held by the control circuit baseboard 50 in a posture rising from a baseboard face of the control circuit baseboard 50 by the connection of the signal input connector 81 and the signal output connector 51, and the connection of the power supply input connector 82 and the power supply output connector 52.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device such as a robot controller. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a control device that includes a drive circuit board having a drive circuit for driving a motor, a control circuit board having a control circuit that generates a control signal to be sent to the drive circuit board, and a power supply circuit board having a power supply circuit that generates power that is the source of the motor drive power supplied to the motor and supplies the power to the drive circuit board.

[0003] For example, the robot controller described in Patent Document 1 includes a drive circuit board, and a control circuit board and a power supply circuit board arranged in such a manner that their board surfaces are aligned along the surface of the bottom plate of the housing. The drive circuit board includes a signal input connector and a power supply input connector fixed at one end of the board surface in a posture facing the side of the board. The control circuit board also includes a signal output connector fixed on the board surface in a posture facing upward. The power supply circuit board also includes a power supply output connector fixed on the board surface in a posture facing upward. The drive circuit board is mounted on the control circuit board and the power supply circuit board in a posture standing up from the board surfaces of the control circuit board and the power supply circuit board. The mounting is realized by connecting the signal input connector of the drive circuit board to the signal output connector of the control circuit board, and by connecting the power supply input connector of the drive circuit board to the power supply output connector of the power supply circuit board.

[0004] According to Patent Document 1, a robot controller having such a configuration is capable of simplifying the internal structure of various circuit boards arranged inside the housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5803213 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the robot controller described in Patent Document 1, the control circuit board and the power supply circuit board need to be aligned relative to each other in the housing. If the relative alignment is not performed, the connection between the signal input connector of the drive circuit board and the signal output connector of the control circuit board and the connection between the power supply input connector of the drive circuit board and the power supply output connector of the power supply circuit board cannot be properly performed at the same time. In particular, in the robot controller described in Patent Document 1, since a plurality of drive circuit boards are provided to be mounted on the control circuit board and the power supply circuit board in order to drive a plurality of motors individually, the above-mentioned relative alignment needs to be performed with high accuracy. There was a problem that the productivity of the robot controller was reduced due to the high accuracy of the relative alignment.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a control device that can properly install a drive circuit board without having to align the control circuit board and the power supply circuit board relative to each other with high precision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a motor drive circuit board including a drive circuit for driving a motor, a control circuit board including a control circuit for generating a control signal to be sent to the drive circuit board, and a power supply circuit board including a power supply circuit for generating a power source that is a source of a motor drive power source to be supplied to the motor and supplying the power source to the drive circuit board, the drive circuit board, the control circuit board, and the power supply circuit board are formed separately,The control circuit board is provided with a signal output connector having an output terminal for outputting the control signal, and the drive circuit board is provided with a signal input connector having an input terminal for inputting the control signal and a power supply input connector having an input terminal for inputting the power supply generated by the power supply circuit, wherein the power supply circuit board is provided with a power supply output section for outputting power, the control circuit board is provided with a power supply input section to which the power supply generated by the power supply circuit is input and a power supply output connector having an output terminal for outputting the power supply, and the drive circuit board is held on the control circuit board in a position that rises above the surface of the control circuit board by the connection between the signal input connector and the signal output connector of the control circuit board, and the connection between the power supply input connector and the power supply output connector of the control circuit board. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a control device in which a drive circuit board can be appropriately installed without having to align the control circuit board and the power supply circuit board with high accuracy relative to each other. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of the robot controller according to the embodiment, viewed obliquely from above. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a control circuit board and a drive circuit board of the robot controller. [Diagram 3] 2 is a perspective view showing various circuit boards of the robot controller from a different angle than that shown in FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a robot controller as a control device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the following drawings, the actual structure, the scale and the number of each structure may be different in order to make each configuration easier to understand.

[0012] First, a basic configuration of a robot controller according to an embodiment will be described. The robot controller according to the embodiment individually controls the driving of a plurality of motors mounted on an industrial robot.

[0013] 1 is a perspective view showing the main parts of a robot controller 1 according to an embodiment from an obliquely upward direction. The robot controller 1 includes a bottom plate 2 and a front panel 3 of a housing, a power supply device mounting section 4, a second communication circuit board 5, a noise eliminator 6, a power supply circuit board 10, a power supply control board 20, a control circuit board 50, four drive circuit boards 80, etc.

[0014] The power supply device mounting section 4 is equipped with a power supply device that converts an external power supply into a 5V power supply for a control signal and outputs the power. An AC power supply that is the source of the motor drive power supply is input to a power supply circuit board 10 via a noise remover 6 and a power supply control board 20. The power supply circuit board 10 includes a power supply circuit that converts the AC power supply into a DC power supply and outputs the DC power supply as a motor drive power supply to be supplied to the motor. The power supply circuit includes a plurality of electrolytic capacitors 11.

[0015] A plurality of through openings are arranged on the front panel 3, and an external connector 98 for communication connection with an external device passes through each through opening. The plurality of external connectors 98 are mounted on a second communication circuit board 5 or a first communication circuit board, which will be described later.

[0016] An exhaust port 4a1 is provided on the rear panel 4a of the power supply unit mounting portion 4. An exhaust fan that exhausts air inside the housing to the outside of the housing through the exhaust port 4a1 is fixed to the rear panel 4a.

[0017] The robot controller 1 can be equipped with multiple drive circuit boards 80, and in the illustrated example, only four drive circuit boards 80 are equipped. The drive circuit boards 80 include a drive circuit for driving a motor. The control circuit board 50 also includes a control circuit that individually generates a control signal to be sent to each of the multiple mounted drive circuit boards 80.

[0018] In FIG. 1, the direction of arrow B indicates the front-rear direction of the housing, and the direction of arrow C indicates the left-right direction of the housing (the same applies to FIGS. 2 and 3 described later).

[0019] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the control circuit board 50 and the drive circuit board 80. Fig. 2 shows only one drive circuit board 80, which is removed from the control circuit board 50. The control circuit board 50 is fixed to the bottom plate (2 in Fig. 1) with the back surface of the board facing the bottom plate of the housing and with the longitudinal direction of the board aligned with the left-right direction of the housing (the direction of arrow C).

[0020] The control circuit board 50 has a six-layer structure in which six layers are stacked. A wiring pattern is provided at the boundaries between the layers. The power supply circuit board 10 has a two-layer structure in which two layers are stacked.

[0021] The control circuit board 50 includes a power supply relay area A2 and a control circuit mounting area A1 arranged in the front-rear direction of the housing (the direction of the arrow B). A control circuit that generates control signals to be transmitted to the drive circuit board 80 is provided in the control circuit mounting area A1.

[0022] The control circuit board 50 has eight connector sets. Each connector set includes a signal output connector 51 having an output terminal for outputting a control signal, and a power output connector 52 having an output terminal for outputting DC power output from a power circuit of the power circuit board (10 in FIG. 1), and these connectors are arranged along the front-rear direction (arrow B direction) of the housing. The signal output connector 51 of the connector set is provided in the control circuit mounting area A1, and the power output connector 52 is provided in the power relay area A2. Both the signal output connector 51 and the power output connector 52 are mounted on the front surface of the control circuit board 50 with the tips of the output terminals facing upward perpendicular to the board surface. The signal output connector 51 also includes a control power terminal for outputting a control power supply for controlling the drive circuit of the drive circuit board 80.

[0023] The control circuit board 50 includes a DC voltage input connector 54 as a power input section to which DC power generated by the power supply circuit board (10 in FIG. 1) is input. The control circuit board 50 also includes a high-speed serial communication connector 53 and an encoding connector 55. The DC power input to the DC voltage input connector 54 is distributed to a plurality of branch wiring patterns in the power supply relay area A2 of the control circuit board 50, and input to each output terminal of a plurality of power supply output connectors 52.

[0024] In the robot controller 1 according to the embodiment, a power supply circuit for generating a DC voltage is not provided in the power supply relay area A2 of the control circuit board 50, so that an increase in the area of ​​the control circuit board 50 due to the provision of a power supply circuit can be avoided.

[0025] The drive circuit board 80 includes a signal input connector 81, a power input connector 82, a drive power output connector 83, and a heat sink 84. The signal input connector 81 and the power input connector 82 are arranged in the front-rear direction of the housing at one end of the board in the short side direction, and are mounted on the front surface of the board in a manner that the input terminal faces from the center side of the board surface to the outside of the board. As shown by the dashed line in the figure, the signal input connector 81 of the drive circuit board 80 is connected to the signal output connector of the control circuit board 50, and is connected to a power input connector 82hs of the drive circuit board 80 and a power output connector 52 of the control circuit board 50. By these connections, the drive circuit board 80 is held by the control circuit board 50 in a posture in which it stands up from the front surface of the control circuit board 50 while the board longitudinal direction is aligned with the front-rear direction of the housing (arrow B direction).

[0026] In the robot controller 1 having such a configuration, the drive circuit board 80 is not mounted on the power supply circuit board (10 in FIG. 1) and the control circuit board 50, but is held only by the control circuit board 50 out of the power supply circuit board 10 and the control circuit board 50. By holding the drive circuit board 80 in this manner, it is possible to appropriately install the drive circuit board 80 without having to align the control circuit board 50 and the power supply circuit board 10 relative to each other with high accuracy.

[0027] The drive circuit of the drive circuit board 80 converts the DC power sent from the power output connector 52 of the control circuit board 50 into a motor drive power supply consisting of a polyphase AC voltage. The motor drive power supply is supplied to an external motor through a drive power supply output connector 83 of the drive circuit board 80.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing various boards from a different angle than FIG. 1. For convenience, the second communication circuit board (5 in FIG. 1) is omitted from FIG. 3. The power supply circuit board 10 includes a DC voltage output connector 13 as a power supply output section for outputting DC power. The DC voltage input connector 54 of the control circuit board 50 and the DC voltage output connector 13 of the power supply circuit board 10 are electrically connected by a power cable 93 with a connector. With this configuration, DC power generated by the power supply circuit of the power supply circuit board 10 can be supplied to the power supply relay area A2 of the control circuit board 50 without highly accurately aligning the relative positions of the power supply circuit board 10 and the control circuit board 50.

[0029] The power supply circuit board 10 and the power supply control board 20 are arranged in a two-story configuration. The power supply control board 20 includes a circuit for turning on / off the output of DC power from the power supply circuit of the power supply circuit board 10, a circuit for detecting the input of AC power, and the like. The power supply control board 20 has a four-layer structure in which four layers are stacked.

[0030] The robot controller 1 includes a first communication circuit board 7 and a host control board 100 equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101.

[0031] The first communication circuit board 7 includes a high-speed serial communication connector 7a and an encoding connector 7c. The upper control board 100 performs periodic communication with the control circuit board 50 by high-speed serial communication via the first communication circuit board 7. To enable the periodic communication, the high-speed communication connector 7a of the first communication circuit board 7 and the high-speed communication connector 53 of the control circuit board 50 are electrically connected via a communication cable 92 with a connector. The first communication circuit board 7 and the upper control board 100 are also electrically connected to each other via a coupling connector (not shown).

[0032] The first communication circuit board 7, the upper control board 100, and the second communication circuit board (5 in FIG. 1) are arranged in a three-story configuration. The upper control board 100 is located above the first communication circuit board 7. The second communication circuit board 5 is located above the upper control board 100 and is fixed onto the front surface of the first communication circuit board 7.

[0033] The upper control board 100, which includes a CPU 101 that executes arithmetic processing to control various devices in the robot controller 1, has a 10-layer structure. The control circuit board 50, which includes a plurality of connector sets, tends to have a large surface area. If such a control circuit board 50 includes a CPU, it becomes an expensive CPU electronic board with a large surface area and many layers (for example, 10 layers) stacked on top of each other. Therefore, in the robot controller 1, the upper control board 100 including the CPU 101 is provided separately from the control circuit board 50. In this configuration, the surface area of ​​the CPU-mounted electronic board (the upper control board 100 in the embodiment) can be reduced compared to when the CPU is disposed on the control circuit board 50, thereby reducing costs.

[0034] In the robot controller 1 according to the embodiment, as described above, the first communication circuit board 7 and the second communication circuit board 5, which communicate with the outside, are separate from the upper control board 100, and these three boards are arranged in a three-story configuration. With this configuration, the area of ​​the upper control board 100 can be made smaller, thereby reducing costs, compared to a configuration in which communication circuits are arranged on the expensive upper control board 100.

[0035] The encode connector 7c of the first communication circuit board 7 and the encode connector 55 of the control circuit board 50 are electrically connected by a flat harness 91. The flat harness 91 is routed below the first communication circuit board 7, the power supply control board 20, and the control circuit board 50.

[0036] An industrial robot is equipped with a plurality of motors. Rotational angular velocity signals (or rotational position signals) output individually from the rotary encoders of the motors are input to the first communication circuit board 7 via external wiring. The rotational angular velocity signals (or rotational position signals) are then input to the drive circuit board 80 via a flat harness 91 and a signal output connector (51 in FIG. 2) of the control circuit board 50.

[0037] For convenience, FIG. 1 shows only a part of the entire area of ​​the front panel 3 in the surface direction. An air intake port for taking in outside air is arranged in an unillustrated area of ​​the front panel 3. In the robot controller 1 according to the embodiment, the front panel 3 corresponds to a wall on one side in a predetermined direction of the housing (front side in the front-rear direction). In the robot controller 1, the rear panel 4a of the power supply device mounting unit 4 corresponds to a wall on the other side in the predetermined direction of the housing (rear side in the front-rear direction), and an exhaust port 4a1 for exhausting air from inside the housing is arranged in the rear panel 4a. The drive circuit board 80 is held by the control circuit board 50 in a position where a heat sink 84a as a radiator extends in a direction parallel to the front-rear direction (predetermined direction) of the housing.

[0038] In such a configuration, air is drawn into the housing through the intake port of the housing, moved smoothly along the extension direction of the heat sink 84a while in contact with the heat sink 84a, and then smoothly exhausted from the exhaust port of the housing, thereby efficiently cooling the drive circuit board 80.

[0039] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. The embodiments are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

[0040] The present invention exhibits unique effects for each of the following aspects. [First aspect] The first aspect is a power supply circuit board (e.g., power supply circuit board 10) having a power supply circuit that generates a power supply (e.g., DC power supply) that is the source of the motor drive power supplied to the motor and supplies it to the drive circuit board, the control circuit board having a signal output connector (e.g., signal output connector 51) having an output terminal for outputting the control signal, the drive circuit board having a signal input connector (e.g., signal input connector 81) having an input terminal for inputting the control signal, and a power supply circuit board (e.g., power supply circuit board 12) having an input terminal for inputting the power supply generated by the power supply circuit. The present invention relates to a control device (e.g., a robot controller 1) having an input connector (e.g., a power input connector 82), wherein the power supply circuit board has a power output section (e.g., a DC voltage output connector 13) for outputting power, the control circuit board has a power input section (e.g., a DC voltage input connector 54) to which the power generated by the power supply circuit is input, and a power output connector (e.g., a power output connector 52) having an output terminal for outputting the power, and the drive circuit board is held on the control circuit board in a position that stands up from the board surface of the control circuit board by the connection between the signal input connector and the signal output connector of the control circuit board, and the connection between the power input connector and the power output connector of the control circuit board.

[0041] In the first aspect, the drive circuit board is not supported on the power supply circuit board and the control circuit board, but is supported only on the control circuit board. By supporting the drive circuit board in this manner, the drive circuit board can be appropriately installed without the need to align the control circuit board and the power supply circuit board with high accuracy.

[0042] [Second aspect] The second aspect has the configuration of the first aspect, and is characterized in that the power output unit and the power input unit are connected by a cable (for example, a power cable 93 with a connector).

[0043] According to the second aspect, power generated by the power circuit of the power supply circuit board can be supplied to the control circuit board without highly accurately aligning the relative positions of the power supply circuit board and the control circuit board.

[0044] [Third aspect] The third aspect has the configuration of the second aspect, and is characterized in that a host control board (for example, host control board 100) having a CPU (for example, CPU 101) is provided separately from the control circuit board.

[0045] According to the third aspect, the area of ​​the electronic board equipped with the CPU can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced, compared to the case where the CPU is arranged on the control circuit board. Even if the design of the peripheral circuit connected to the CPU is changed, the board connected to the control board can be changed to the board equipped with the peripheral circuit after the design change, and the expensive upper control board can be shared.

[0046] [Fourth aspect] The fourth aspect comprises the configuration of the third aspect and a housing that houses the upper control board, the power supply circuit board, and the control circuit board, the drive circuit board comprises a heat sink (e.g., heat sink 84), one wall (e.g., front panel 3) in a predetermined direction (e.g., front-to-rear direction) of the housing comprises an intake port for drawing in outside air, the other wall (e.g., rear panel 4a) in the predetermined direction of the housing comprises an exhaust port (e.g., exhaust port 4a1) for exhausting air from within the housing, and the drive circuit board is held on the control circuit board in an orientation in which the heat sink (e.g., heat sink 84a) of the heat sink extends in a direction parallel to the predetermined direction.

[0047] According to the fourth aspect, the air is drawn into the housing through the air intake port of the housing, moved smoothly along the extension direction of the heat sink while in contact with the heat sink of the heat sink, and then smoothly exhausted from the exhaust port of the housing, thereby enabling efficient cooling of the drive circuit board. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1: robot controller (control device), 2: bottom plate, 3: front panel (wall on one side in a specified direction), 4a: rear panel (wall on the other side in a specified direction), 4a1: exhaust port, 10: power supply circuit board, 13: DC voltage output connector (power supply output section), 50: control circuit board, 51: signal output connector, 52: power supply output connector, 54: DC voltage input connector (power supply input section), 80: drive circuit board, 81: signal input connector, 82: power supply input connector, 83: drive power supply output connector, 84: heat sink (heat sink), 84a: heat sink, 93: power supply cable with connector, 100: upper control board, 101: CPU

Claims

1. a drive circuit board having a drive circuit for driving a motor, a control circuit board having a control circuit for generating a control signal to be sent to the drive circuit board, and a power supply circuit board having a power supply circuit for generating a power source that is a source of a motor drive power supply supplied to the motor and supplying the power source to the drive circuit board, the drive circuit board, the control circuit board, and the power supply circuit board are formed separately, the control circuit board includes a signal output connector having an output terminal for outputting the control signal; A control device, wherein the drive circuit board includes a signal input connector having an input terminal for inputting the control signal, and a power input connector having an input terminal for inputting the power generated by the power supply circuit, the power supply circuit board includes a power supply output unit for outputting power, the control circuit board includes a power input section to which the power generated by the power supply circuit is input, and a power output connector having an output terminal for outputting the power, a control device characterized in that the drive circuit board is held on the control circuit board in a position that rises above the surface of the control circuit board by connection between the signal input connector and the signal output connector of the control circuit board, and connection between the power input connector and the power output connector of the control circuit board.

2. The power output unit and the power input unit are connected by a cable. The control device according to claim 1 .

3. 3. The control device according to claim 2, further comprising a host control board having a CPU separate from said control circuit board.

4. a housing that houses the upper control board, the power supply circuit board, and the control circuit board; the drive circuit board includes a heat sink; a wall on one side in a predetermined direction of the housing is provided with an air intake port for taking in outside air, a wall on the other side in the predetermined direction of the housing includes an exhaust port for exhausting air from within the housing; The drive circuit board is held by the control circuit board in a position in which the heat sink of the heat sink extends in a direction parallel to the predetermined direction.

4. The control device according to claim 3.

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