Parallel link robot and parallel link robot system

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to realize a parallel link robot having a simple structure with fewer places to be waterproofed. A parallel link robot 2 of an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a plurality of arm units 10, and a movable part 40 commonly connected to the leading ends of the plurally of arm units 10. The arm units each have: a pedestal 20; a first arm 31 rotatably supported by the pedestal; a second arm 33 rotatably connected to the first arm; a motor 21 installed in the pedestal; and a speed reducer 23 that is installed in the pedestal and transmits the motor rotation to the first arm. The pedestal is provided with a mounting structure 25 for individually mounting the arm units to an external frame. The pedestal is equipped with a cable connector 27 for ensuring direct connection with an external control device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a parallel link robot and a parallel link robot system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, with the advancement of robotics technology, various types of robots have been proposed and put to use. For example, parallel link robots are known as robots suitable for moving and handling workpieces in three-dimensional space. Parallel link robots use multiple arm mechanisms to drive and control the movement of their movable parts relative to their base parts, allowing them to move the movable parts at high speed and precision. For this reason, parallel link robots are used in food factories and other places where high speed and precision are required.

[0003] Parallel link robots used in food factories need to be washed regularly to prevent the growth of bacteria. For this reason, various methods have been proposed for waterproofing robots so that they can withstand washing (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 63-166389 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, parallel link robots are often made up of multiple units, such as a base unit, motor unit, and base cover, and many parts require waterproofing. Therefore, there is a demand for parallel link robots with a simple structure that requires fewer parts to be waterproofed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A parallel link robot according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a plurality of arm units and a movable part commonly connected to the tips of the arm units. Each arm unit includes a base, a first arm rotatably supported on the base, a second arm rotatably connected to the first arm, a motor installed on the base, and a reducer installed on the base for transmitting rotation of the motor to the first arm. The base is provided with a mounting structure for individually mounting the arm units to an external stand. The base is equipped with a cable connector for ensuring direct connection with an external control device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this aspect, a parallel link robot with few locations requiring waterproofing can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a parallel link robot system including a parallel link robot according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1, showing the connection portion between the parallel link robot and the base. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 1, showing another example of the mount. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the mounting position of the arm unit relative to the pedestal is changed in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view of FIG. 1, showing another example of the mount. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a supplementary diagram for explaining the effect of using the mount shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view showing another example of the parallel link robot according to this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A parallel link robot system including a parallel link robot according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions and configurations will be given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be given only when necessary.

[0010] 1 and 2, a parallel link robot system 1 has a parallel link robot 2 and a base 3 on which the parallel link robot 2 can be mounted. The parallel link robot 2 has multiple, here three, arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C, a movable plate (movable part) 40 commonly connected to the tips of the three arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C, and an adapter 50 fixed to one side of the movable plate 40. An end effector (not shown), such as a robot hand or a suction pad, is mounted to the adapter 50.

[0011] The three arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C have the same configuration, so only the arm unit 10A will be described here, and descriptions of the arm units 10B and 10C will be omitted. The arm unit 10A includes a base 20A, which is a rectangular box-shaped base, a rod-shaped first arm 31A rotatably supported by the base 20A, and two thin, rod-shaped second arms 33A rotatably supported by the first arm 31A. The base 20A includes a drive mechanism including a motor 21A that generates power for driving the first arm 31A and a reducer 23A that reduces the rotation of the motor 21A and transmits it to the first arm 31A. The first arm 31A is connected to the output shaft of the drive mechanism (reduction gear 23A). The first arm 31A and the two second arms 33A are connected to each other via two spherical bearings 35A. The two second arms 33A are connected to a movable plate 40 via two spherical bearings 37A. The arm unit 10A is configured such that two spherical bearings 35A on one end side of the second arm 33A and two spherical bearings 37A on the other end side, totaling four spherical bearings 35A, 37A, are positioned at the vertices of a parallelogram.

[0012] The base 20A is provided with a cable connector 27A for ensuring direct connection of an external control device to the motor 21A housed in the base 20A or to a control board that controls the motor 21A. By connecting a cable extending from the control device to the cable connector 27A provided on the base 20A, the control device can control the rotation of the motor 21A housed in the base 20A. Typically, the cable connector 27A is provided on one side surface of the base 20A. The first arm 31A is rotatably supported on the other side surface of the base 20A.

[0013] The base 20A has an attachment structure for attaching the arm unit 10A to the mount 3. Typically, the base 20A is connected to an attachment block 25A having a bolt insertion hole into which a bolt 60 can be screwed, as an attachment structure. Typically, the attachment block 25A having a rectangular parallelepiped shape is integrally formed on the upper surface of the base 20A having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a bolt insertion hole is provided in the upper surface of the attachment block 25A.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pedestal 3 has a top plate 13 and multiple (here, four) support columns 11 that support the top plate 13. The top plate 13 corresponds to a mounting member to which the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C are attached, and the support columns 11 correspond to support members that support the mounting members. The top plate 13 has multiple holes that communicate with the bolt insertion holes of the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C. The arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C are attached to the top plate 13 with bolts 60, with the bolt insertion holes of the mounting blocks 25A, 25B, and 25C aligned with the holes in the top plate 13. The three arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C are attached to the top plate 13 so that the planes formed by the rotation axes RA11, RA21, and RA31, which are the rotation axes of the three first arms 31A, 31B, and 31C, respectively, are horizontal.

[0015] One feature of the parallel link robot 2 according to this embodiment is that each of the three motor units of a conventional parallel link robot can be individually attached to the base 3. This feature is achieved by accommodating the three motor units of a conventional parallel link robot in three bases 20A, 20B, and 20C, respectively, and providing each of the bases 20A, 20B, and 20C with a cable connector and a structure that enables attachment to the base 3. Due to this feature, the parallel link robot 2 according to this embodiment has the following effects.

[0016] The parallel link robot 2 according to this embodiment has a simple structure, which reduces the number of locations requiring waterproofing. Specifically, in the parallel link robot 2 according to this embodiment, components requiring waterproofing, such as the motor 21A and the reducer 23A, are concentrated in the base 20A, and therefore waterproofing is required for the base 20A. For example, waterproofing is performed between the housing and cover of the base 20A and at the connection between the base 20A and the first arm 31A. However, the parallel link robot 2 according to this embodiment does not have a base unit to which multiple motor units are commonly connected, as in conventional parallel link robots. Therefore, there are no locations requiring waterproofing, such as between the housing and cover of the base unit or between the base unit and the motor units, due to the presence of the base unit. Furthermore, when attaching the arm unit 10A to the pedestal 3, rather than attaching the pedestal 20A directly to the pedestal 3 with the bolts 60, a structure is adopted in which the mounting block 25A is connected to the pedestal 20A and the mounting block 25A is attached to the pedestal 3 with the bolts 60. This means that the bolts 60 do not penetrate a part of the housing of the pedestal 20A, and therefore there is no need to apply waterproofing between the pedestal 3 and the arm unit 10A. In this way, with the parallel link robot 2 according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of locations that require waterproofing compared to conventional parallel link robots.

[0017] The parallel link robot 2 according to this embodiment has a high degree of freedom in installation because the three arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C can be individually attached to the pedestal 3. Because of this high degree of freedom in installation, the parallel link robot system 1, which includes the parallel link robot 2 according to this embodiment and the pedestal 3, can be installed even in locations where the installation height is limited. This effect will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 5. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C are attached to positions near the center of the tabletop 13. FIG. 1 is a front view of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C are attached to positions far from the center of the tabletop 13. FIG. 5 is a front view of FIG. 4. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tabletop 13 has a plurality of holes 14 formed therein so that the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C can be attached to any position on the tabletop 13 (pedestal 3).

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , by positioning the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C farther from the center of the tabletop 13 relative to the base 3, i.e., by increasing the distance between the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C, the vertical movable range of the movable plate 40 can be physically narrowed. This reduces the height of the base 3 supporting the parallel link robot 2. As described above, with the parallel link robot system 1 including the parallel link robot 2 according to this embodiment, a parallel link robot system 1 of any height can be constructed simply by changing the mounting positions of the three arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C that make up the parallel link robot 2 relative to the base 3, without changing the physical configuration of the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C themselves. As described above, the parallel link robot system 1 including the parallel link robot 2 according to this embodiment can be installed even in locations where the installation height is limited.

[0019] In FIGS. 3 and 4 , the gantry 3 includes a top plate 13 and four support columns 11 supporting the top plate 13. However, the configuration of the gantry 3 is not limited to this, as long as the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C can be attached. For example, the gantry can be configured so as not to impede the operation of the first arms 31A, 31B, and 31C. As shown in FIG. 6 , the gantry 5 includes four support columns 11 arranged at the four vertices of a rectangle, four connecting members 15 for connecting adjacent two support columns 11 at the tips of the four support columns 11, and three rod-shaped mounting members 17A, 17B, and 17C for mounting the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C, respectively. The mounting members 17A, 17B, and 17C have a plurality of holes 18 formed therein that communicate with the bolt insertion holes of the mounting blocks 25A, 25B, and 25C of the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C. As shown in FIG. 6, the mounting members 17A, 17B, 17C are positioned in positions that do not overlap with the first arms 31A, 31B, 31C in a plan view (positions that do not cover the first arms 31A, 31B, 31C) so as to prevent interference with the first arms 31A, 31B, 31C.

[0020] 1 to 5, when the member to which arm units 10A, 10B, 10C are attached is plate-shaped top panel 13, the rotation angle of first arms 31A, 31B, 31C is limited to approximately ±90 degrees, with 0 degrees being the vertical direction, so that first arms 31A, 31B, 31C do not collide with top panel 13. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 6, the members to which arm units 10A, 10B, 10C are attached are rod-shaped mounting members 17A, 17B, 17C, and by arranging mounting members 17A, 17B, 17C so as not to hinder the rotation of first arms 31A, 31B, 31C, the rotation angle of first arms 31A, 31B, 31C is not limited by the mounting members. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the first arms 31A, 31B, and 31C can be rotated above the frame of the base 5 defined by the support 11, the connecting member 15, and the mounting member 17, thereby expanding the range of motion of the parallel link robot 2.

[0021] The arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C constituting the parallel link robot 2 according to this embodiment have an attachment structure for attachment to the base 3. However, the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C may have a connecting structure for connecting them to each other. Furthermore, the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C may have a structure that allows the relative positions of the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C to be fixed. For example, the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C are configured so that the relative positions of the arm units 10A, 10B, and 10C can be fixed, and the bases 20A, 20B, and 20C have butting surfaces that butt against each other. As shown in FIG. 8 , the base 20A has a triangular prism-shaped butting block 29A that allows it to butt against the other bases 20B and 20C. Similarly, the bases 20B and 20C each have a triangular prism-shaped butting block 29B and 29C. The butting blocks 29A, 29B, and 29C are integrally formed on one side of the bases 20A, 20B, and 20C. The arm units 10A, 10B, 10C can be attached to the base 3 with the butt blocks 29A, 29B, 29C provided on the bases 20A, 20B, 20C butted together and their positional relationship fixed, thereby improving the positional accuracy of the arm units 10A, 10B, 10C.

[0022] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 1...Parallel link robot system, 2...Parallel link robot, 3...Base, 11...Support column, 13...Top plate, 10...Arm unit, 20...Base, 21...Motor, 23...Reduction gear, 25...Mounting block, 27...Cable connector, 31...First arm, 33...Second arm, 35, 37...Spherical bearing, 40...Moving plate, 50...Adapter

Claims

1. A plurality of arm units; a movable part commonly connected to the tips of the plurality of arm units, Each of the arm units comprises: With a base, a first arm rotatably supported on the base; a second arm rotatably connected to the first arm; a motor installed on the base; a reducer that is installed on the base and that transmits rotation of the motor to the first arm, the base is provided with a mounting structure for individually mounting the arm units to an external pedestal, and the mounting structure allows the bases of the plurality of arm units to be mounted to the external pedestal independently of one another; The base is equipped with a cable connector for ensuring direct connection with an external control device.

2. 2. The parallel link robot according to claim 1, wherein each of the arm units has a connecting structure for connecting to other arm units.

3. The parallel link robot according to claim 1 , wherein each of the bases has an abutment surface that abuts against another base.

4. A parallel link robot system including a base and a parallel link robot detachably attached to the base, The parallel link robot is A plurality of arm units; a movable portion commonly connected to the tips of the plurality of arm units; Each of the arm units comprises: With a base, a first arm rotatably supported on the base; a second arm rotatably connected to the first arm; a motor installed on the base; a reducer that is installed on the base and that transmits rotation of the motor to the first arm, the base is provided with a mounting structure for individually mounting the arm units to the pedestal, and the mounting structure allows the bases of the plurality of arm units to be mounted to the pedestal independently of one another; The base is equipped with a cable connector for ensuring direct connection to an external control device. Parallel link robot system.

5. 5. The parallel link robot system according to claim 4, wherein a mounting block having insertion holes through which fastening members can be inserted is connected to the base as the mounting structure, and the frame has a plurality of holes that communicate with the insertion holes of the mounting block.

6. 6. The parallel link robot system according to claim 5, wherein the base has a mounting member to which the arm unit is attached and a support member that supports the mounting member, and the plurality of holes are formed in the mounting member.

7. The parallel link robot system according to claim 6 , wherein the mounting member is configured so as not to interfere with the first arm.

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