Battery holders and electric machines

Abstract

A battery holder (15): retains a backup battery (14) for an encoder of an electric machine driven by a servo motor; and is removably fixed to an inner surface (4a) in an internal space (4) of the electric machine, the internal space being sealed by a cover (11) that can open and close an opening section (8) of an outer wall (5) of the electric machine. The battery holder (15) comprises: a battery accommodation section (16) that accommodates the battery (14) and allows the battery (14) to be removed when the opening section (8) is open; and a partition wall (17) disposed outside the battery accommodation section (16). The partition wall (17) blocks an access route that passes through the opening section (8) and reaches components (6, 7, 13) which can be put into an active state by energization of the servo motor.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery holder and an electric machine. [Background technology]

[0002] An electric device driven by a servomotor is equipped with a rotary encoder that detects and stores rotation angle position information of the servomotor shaft. The electric device is equipped with a backup battery to prevent the loss of position information when the power is off (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The battery is housed in a battery holder with a lid and inserted into the interior space of the electric device through an opening in the outer wall of the electric device. The battery holder inserted into the opening is fixed to the outer wall on which the opening of the electric device is provided, thereby closing the opening.

[0004] When replacing a battery, if the battery is removed while the power to the electrically-powered device is turned off, the rotary encoder's position information will be lost. For this reason, the battery is usually replaced while the electrically-powered device is still powered. During this process, the worker must avoid contact with energized components. If the battery holder has a structure that closes the opening, the battery can be replaced while avoiding contact with energized components.

[0005] On the other hand, in order to facilitate the assembly or maintenance of components in the interior space, an opening that allows for wide access to the interior space is sometimes provided on the outer wall of the electric device. The large opening is generally provided separately from a small opening for the battery holder, and is opened and closed by attaching and detaching a larger cover. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 5-67490 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] When two separate openings are provided on the exterior wall of an electric device, it is necessary to create a seat for attaching the cover and lid to the exterior wall, as well as threaded holes. Furthermore, a sealing structure must be adopted for sealing the internal space at both openings, making the structure more complicated. Therefore, there is a need for a simple structure that facilitates assembly and maintenance and allows battery replacement while avoiding contact with components that may be activated by energization. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure is a battery holder that holds a backup battery for an encoder of an electric machine driven by a servo motor, and is removably fixed to the inner surface of the internal space of the electric machine, an opening in the outer wall of which is sealed by an openable cover, and includes a battery storage section that stores the battery and allows the battery to be removed when the opening is open, and a partition wall provided outside the battery storage section, the partition wall blocking an access path via the opening to components that can be activated by applying electricity to the servo motor. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of an dynamoelectric machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. [Figure 2] 2 is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a battery holder according to one embodiment of the present disclosure mounted on the electric machine of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the dynamoelectric machine of FIG. 2 with the cover removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a side view showing the battery holder of FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the battery holder of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 4 is a partial side view showing the state in which the battery holder is removed from the electric machine of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of the electric machine of FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A battery holder and an electric machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, an electric machine 1 according to this embodiment is a robot (hereinafter also referred to as robot 1).

[0011] The robot 1 according to this embodiment includes a base 2 that is placed on an installation surface A such as a floor, and one or more movable parts 3 such as arms that are movable relative to the base 2. The base 2 and each movable part 3 are hollow, and include an outer wall 5 that defines an internal space 4, as shown in FIG.

[0012] The robot 1 is equipped with one or more servo motors (not shown) for driving the movable parts 3. The servo motors are arranged in the internal space 4 of the base 2 or each movable part 3, or outside the outer wall 5. The internal space 4 of the base 2 and each movable part 3 also accommodates mechanical parts such as a reducer 6 that slows down the rotation of the shaft of the servo motor. The internal space 4 also accommodates a cable 7 that supplies power and signals to the servo motor.

[0013] The servo motor rotates a shaft by receiving power from a control device (not shown), and generates heat when energized. Furthermore, mechanical components such as the reducer 6 may move within the internal space 4 due to the operation of the servo motor. Furthermore, a current flows through the cable 7 when the servo motor is driven.

[0014] That is, the states of the servo motor, mechanical components such as the reducer 6, and the cable 7 may change depending on whether or not power is supplied to the servo motor. Therefore, the servo motor, mechanical components such as the reducer 6, and the cable 7 are components that can be activated by energizing. In addition to the reducer 6, all components that can be operated by the servo motor within the internal space 4 are also components that can be activated by energizing.

[0015] 2 and 3, an example will be described in which an opening 8 that connects the internal space 4 to the outside is formed in the outer wall 5 of the movable part 3. The opening 8 is opened as large as the outer shape of the reducer 6, for example, to enable fastening of a bolt 9 that fixes the reducer 6 to the internal space 4.

[0016] 3, a seat 10 is formed around the entire periphery of the opening 8, and a plurality of screw holes 10a are formed in the seat 10 along the circumferential direction. The robot 1 is provided with a cover 11 that closes the opening 8 in an openable and closable manner.

[0017] The cover 11 can be detachably attached to the outer wall 5 by means of bolts 12 fastened to the screw holes 10a of the seat 10. A sealing member (not shown) is disposed between the seat 10 and the cover 11. By fixing the cover 11 to the seat 10 of the outer wall 5 by means of the bolts 12, the opening 8 can be sealed in a liquid-tight state.

[0018] The reducer 6 has, for example, a hollow hole 6a that penetrates along the central axis near the axis C. The cable 7 is routed into the internal space 4 of the movable part 3 from the adjacent base 2 or another movable part 3, for example, by passing through the hollow hole 6a.

[0019] A resin cylinder 13 is placed inside the hollow hole 6a, and the cable 7 passes through the cylinder 13 to protect the cable 7 from contact with the reducer 6. The cylinder 13 is fixed to the movable part of the reducer 6, for example, and rotates relative to the movable part 3 when a servo motor is activated. Therefore, the cylinder 13 is also a part that can be activated when electricity is applied.

[0020] 2, the reducer 6 is disposed outside the internal space 4, and therefore most of it is not a component that can be activated by energizing. The movable portion of the reducer 6 that is exposed to the internal space 4 via the through-hole 4b that penetrates the cylindrical body 13 is a component that can be activated by energizing.

[0021] The cable 7 is fixed to a guide plate (not shown) by a nylon band (not shown) or the like so as to have a desired wiring path within the internal space 4. The servo motor is equipped with a rotary encoder (hereinafter referred to as the encoder, not shown) that detects and stores rotation angle position information of the shaft. When the control device is powered on, the encoder receives power sent via cable 7 and retains the rotation angle position information without loss.

[0022] On the other hand, when the control device is not powered on, the power supply to the encoder via the above-mentioned cable 7 is stopped. In this case, the encoder continues to hold the rotation angle position information by receiving power from the backup battery 14.

[0023] The robot 1 according to this embodiment includes a battery holder 15 that is accommodated and disposed within the internal space 4 of the movable part 3, as shown in FIGS. The battery holder 15 according to this embodiment includes a battery storage section 16 and a partition wall 17, as shown in FIGS.

[0024] The battery storage section 16 is formed in a box shape having a bottom surface 16a and four side walls 16b connected to the bottom surface 16a, and stores one or more batteries 14 inside. The partition wall 17 includes a flat plate portion 17a extending from the outer surface of the side wall 16b of the battery housing portion 16 in a direction extending along the bottom surface 16a of the battery housing portion 16. The partition wall 17 also includes a peripheral wall portion 17b extending from the outer peripheral edge of the flat plate portion 17a in a direction intersecting the flat plate portion 17a.

[0025] The battery storage section 16 and the partition wall 17 are integrally manufactured, for example, by injection molding an electrically insulating resin material. The peripheral wall section 17b has an attachment section 17c that is brought into close contact with a seat surface 18 provided on the inner surface 4a of the internal space 4 of the movable section 3. The attachment section 17c has a through-hole 17d.

[0026] The seat surface 18 is provided on the inner surface 4a of the internal space 4 at a position opposite the opening 8, and has a plurality of screw holes 18a. To fix the battery holder 15 to the movable part 3, the mounting part 17c is brought into close contact with the seat surface 18, and a bolt 19 is passed through the through hole 17d and fastened to the screw hole 18a.

[0027] When the battery holder 15 is fixed to the movable part 3, the bottom surface 16a and the partition wall 17 of the battery storage part 16 cover the through hole 4b and the cable 7 of the movable part 3. As a result, the battery storage part 16 and the partition wall 17 block the worker's access path to the hollow hole 6a and the cable 7 via the opening 8. Here, blocking the access path means closing or narrowing the space so that the worker's hand cannot pass through when inserting it via the opening 8.

[0028] FIG. 6 shows a state in which the battery holder 15 is not fixed in the internal space 4. In this state, the bolts 9, cylindrical body 13, and cable 7 that assemble the reducer 6 are exposed in positions where they can be freely touched by an operator. Therefore, an operator can use the wide opening 8 to easily attach and detach the bolts 9 for the reducer 6 or route the cable 7.

[0029] When the battery holder 15 is fixed to the inner surface 4a, the battery storage section 16, the partition wall 17, and the inner surface 4a define an isolated space 20, as shown in Fig. 2. The isolated space 20 is located on the opposite side of the opening 8, with the battery storage section 16 and the partition wall 17 in between. The hollow hole 6a, the cylindrical body 13, and the cable 7 are arranged within the isolated space 20. As a result, the partition wall 17 of the battery holder 15 blocks a path of access to these components via the opening 8.

[0030] As described above, according to this embodiment, the battery holder 15 is fixed to the inner surface 4a of the internal space 4 of the robot 1, which is opened and closed by the cover 11. This eliminates the need to provide an opening in the outer wall 5 specifically for the battery holder 15, and also eliminates the need for a dedicated sealing structure, allowing for a simple configuration. Because only one cover 11 is required, the number of parts can be reduced, and the amount of processing required on the seat 10 can be reduced, resulting in cost savings.

[0031] Furthermore, when the cover 11 is removed, the battery storage section 16 is located closer to the front than the isolated space 20 when viewed from the opening 8. Simply by removing the cover 11 from the outer wall 5 of the movable section 3, the battery 14 can be exposed while concealing the components 6, 7, and 13 that can be activated by energizing them.

[0032] That is, the cover 11 is removed to open the opening 8, exposing the battery storage section 16, making it easy to replace the battery 14. At this time, the access path is blocked by the battery holder 15, preventing the worker from accidentally touching the components 6, 7, and 13 that may become activated when energized.

[0033] Furthermore, the isolated space 20 and the battery housing 16 are positioned so as to overlap in the direction of the axis C of the movable part 3. This prevents the isolated space 20 from being narrowed by the battery housing 16, and ensures a wide isolated space 20 through which the cables 7 are routed. As a result, the area of ​​the inner surface 4a required for installing the battery holder 15 is reduced, enabling the robot 1 to be made more compact.

[0034] Furthermore, when assembling or maintaining the components 6, 7 that may be activated by current, the power supply is cut off to stop the current flow, so that the battery holder 15 can be removed to form an access path and work can be easily performed through the same opening 8.

[0035] In this embodiment, the reducer 6, the cable 7, and the cylindrical body 13 are exemplified as components that can be activated by energizing. The reducer 6 has a stationary part that does not move relative to the inner surface 4a of the movable part 3, and a part that moves relative to the stationary part. The stationary part does not need to be covered by the partition wall 17 of the battery holder 15. Furthermore, components that can be activated by energizing may include a servo motor that generates heat when energized, or a gear that is rotated by a servo motor.

[0036] In addition, in this embodiment, the robot 1 is used as an example of an electric machine, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The present disclosure can be applied to any electric machine 1 driven by a servo motor equipped with an encoder. In this embodiment, the isolated space 20 and the battery housing 16 are arranged to overlap in the direction of the axis C. Alternatively, the isolated space 20 and the battery housing 16 may be arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the axis C. This reduces the dimension of the battery holder 15 in the direction along the axis C, and makes it possible to make the robot 1 smaller in size in the direction of the axis C.

[0037] In addition, in this embodiment, the partition wall 17 has the peripheral wall portion 17b as an example. Alternatively, the peripheral wall portion may be provided on the inner surface 4a side of the movable part 3, and the partition wall 17 may have only the flat plate portion 17a.

[0038] Also, the example has been given in which the partition wall 17 is integrally molded with the battery housing portion 16. Alternatively, the partition wall 17 and the battery housing portion 16 may be molded separately and then fixed to each other by adhesive, screws, or the like.

[0039] Furthermore, although the case where the battery holder 15 is disposed inside the internal space 4 of the movable part 3 has been exemplified, it may be disposed inside the internal space of the base 2. 7, the battery storage section 16 may be provided with a lid 21 that can be detachably attached thereto. The lid 21 is preferably detachable by a simple mechanism such as a snap fit. By closing the battery storage section 16 with the lid 21, it is possible to more reliably prevent the battery 14 from falling off while the robot 1 is operating.

[0040] Any other means for preventing the cover from falling off, such as a fixing belt (not shown), may be provided instead of the cover 21. The fixing belt is preferably detachable by a simple mechanism such as a hook.

[0041] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. Various additions, substitutions, modifications, partial deletions, etc. are possible in these embodiments without departing from the gist of the disclosure or the idea and intent of the present disclosure derived from the content described in the claims and their equivalents. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the order of each operation and the order of each process are shown as examples and are not limited to these. The same applies when numerical values ​​or mathematical expressions are used in the description of the above-described embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1. Robots (electric machines) 4. Interior space 4a Inner surface 5. Exterior Walls 6. Reducers (parts, mechanical parts) 7 Cables (components) 8 Openings 11 Cover 13 Cylinder (part) 14 Battery 15 Battery holder 16 Battery compartment 17 Bulkhead 21 Lid

Claims

1. A battery holder that holds a backup battery for an encoder of an electric machine driven by a servo motor, and is detachably fixed to an inner surface of an internal space of the electric machine, the internal space being sealed by an openable cover that has an opening in an outer wall of the electric machine, a battery storage section that stores the battery and from which the battery can be removed when the opening is open; a partition wall provided outside the battery housing portion, The partition of the battery holder blocks an access path through the opening to components that may be activated by energizing the servo motor.

2. 2. The battery holder according to claim 1, wherein the part that can be activated by energization is a cable that supplies power to the servo motor.

3. 2. The battery holder according to claim 1, wherein the part that can be activated by energization is a mechanical part that is driven by the servo motor.

4. 4. The battery holder according to claim 1, wherein the space in which the components that can be activated by energization are disposed is located on the opposite side of the battery storage section and the partition wall from the opening.

5. 4. A battery holder according to claim 1, wherein the space in which the components that can be activated by energization are arranged is located on the opposite side of the partition wall surrounding the battery accommodating section from the opening.

6. The battery holder according to claim 1 , further comprising a lid for opening and closing the battery storage portion.

7. An exterior wall that forms an interior space; a cover that can open and close an opening provided in the outer wall; a component that is at least partially disposed within the interior space and that can be activated by energizing; An electric machine comprising the battery holder according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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