robot

Abstract

The present invention provides a robot comprising: a forearm; a wrist connected to the forearm in such a way that the base side is rotatable about a first axis, and a working tool is mounted on the front end side; a flexible conduit disposed along the first axis from the forearm to the front end of the wrist, and having openings at both ends; and an introduction cable body disposed in such a way that it passes through the interior of the conduit in the axial direction of the conduit, and can be pulled out from at least the opening on the forearm side of the conduit, the two ends of the introduction cable body being detachably fixed to a position that can be accessed from the outside of the conduit.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a robot. [Previous Technology]

[0002] A robot is currently known to have a plurality of working tools mounted on the front end of its wrist, the base of which is connected to the forearm in a manner rotatable about a first axis (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This robot has a flexible first conduit and a flexible second conduit arranged along the first axis extending from the forearm to the front end of the wrist, with the flexible second conduit disposed within the first conduit. Furthermore, one of the working tools is wired to the second conduit using a first cable system, while the other working tools are wired to the space between the first and second conduits using second cables. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-185603 [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] Not all work tools are installed when the robot is manufactured; there are also cases where the robot is delivered to the user and then installed by the user. For example, if the first cable system is wired when the robot is manufactured, but the second cable is wired later at the user's location, the user must perform the difficult-to-operate wiring work of the second cable in the narrow gap between the first and second conduits.

[0005] Depending on the situation, it may be necessary to remove the tools, first wiring, and conduits installed during robot manufacturing before wiring the second cable, which would significantly increase the workload. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to easily install the cable after the robot is installed at the user's location without requiring laborious work.

[0006] One embodiment of the present invention is a robot, comprising: a forearm; a wrist connected to the forearm in such a way that the base end side is rotatable about a first axis, and a working tool is mounted on the front end side; a flexible conduit disposed along the first axis from the front end of the forearm to the wrist, and having openings at both ends; and an insertion cable disposed in such a way that it passes through the interior of the conduit in the axial direction of the conduit, and is pullable from the opening at least on the forearm side of the conduit, wherein the two ends of the insertion cable are detachably fixed to positions that can be accessed from the outside of the conduit.

Implementation Method

[0008] Regarding a robot 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the following description will be made with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG1, the robot 1 of this embodiment includes: a robot body 2, a working tool 100 mounted on the robot body 2, and a working tool control machine 200. Furthermore, the robot 1 includes: a first cable body (cable body) 3 connecting the working tool 100 and the working tool control machine 200, and an introduction rope (introduction cable body) 4.

[0009] The robot body 2 includes a forearm 6 supported at the anterior end of the upper arm 5 in a manner capable of rotating about a horizontal axis P, a wrist 7 supported at the forearm 6 in a manner capable of rotating about a first axis A, and a flexible conduit 8 disposed along the first axis A from the rear of the forearm 6 to the front of the wrist 7. The wrist 7 includes a first wrist element 9 that rotates about the first axis A, a second wrist element 10 that rotates about a second axis B orthogonal to the first axis A, and a third wrist element 11 that rotates about a third axis C orthogonal to the second axis B. Figure 1 shows the state in which the first axis A and the third axis C are arranged on the same straight line.

[0010] The forearm 6, the first wrist element 9, the second wrist element 10, and the third wrist element 11 are disposed in the through path 12, which is located near the first axis A and extends along the first axis A from the rear of the forearm 6 to the front of the third wrist element 11. A flexible conduit 8, such as a metal coil or a resin-molded tubular component, can be easily bent. The conduit 8 is housed within the through path 12 extending from the rear of the forearm 6 to the front of the third wrist element 11.

[0011] The working tool 100, such as a welding torch, is fixed to the flange face at the front end of the third wrist element 11. The working tool control machine 200 is a wire supply device that controls the wires supplied to the welding torch 100 and is fixed to the rear part of the forearm 6.

[0012] The first cable body is a linear component that is guided within a conduit 8 from the wire supply device 200 at the rear of the forearm 6 to the welding torch 100 at the front of the wrist 7. The first cable body 3 includes a gas hose for supplying auxiliary gas, a wire conduit for supplying welding wire, and a power cord for supplying power to the welding torch 100.

[0013] The cross-sectional area of ​​the first cable body 3 is much smaller than that of the conduit 8. It is configured such that the conduit 8 runs through it in the longitudinal direction, and a welding torch 100 and a wire supply device 200 are respectively connected to the openings at both ends of the conduit 8 facing outward. A sufficiently large gap is formed between the inner surface of the conduit 8 and the outer surface of the first cable body 3 for the placement of the second cable body (later installed cable body) 13, which will be described later.

[0014] The rope 4 for introduction is made of a flexible material and includes a rope body (cable body) 14, which is made of wire with an outer diameter much smaller than that of the second cable body 13 described later; and a connecting member 15, which is installed at one end of the rope body 14. The rope body 14, for example, is made of a single-core conductor with a diameter of less than 2 mm.

[0015] As shown in FIG2, the connecting member 15 has an opening (accommodation opening) 15a at one end for receiving the end of the second cable body 13, and a mounting portion 16 for mounting to the rope body 14 at the other end. The connecting member 15 is, for example, made of a flexible and soft material such as resin, and is formed in a manner that gradually tapers from the opening 15a toward the mounting portion 16.

[0016] Therefore, as shown in FIG3, the connecting member 15, with the end of the second cable body 13 housed within the opening 15a, is tightened from the radial outward using a nylon strap 17 or the like, and can then be contracted from the radial inward. In this way, the second cable body 13 can be easily connected to the lead rope 4 while one end of the second cable body 13 is covered by the connecting member 15.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 4, the guide rope 4 passes through the gap between the inner surface of the guide tube 8 and the outer surface of the first cable body 3 in the longitudinal direction and is arranged therethrough. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the guide rope 4 is detachably fixed at both ends of the guide tube 8 to the first cable body 3, the welding torch 100, or the wire supply device 200 by means of, for example, nylon straps 18, at the positions where the openings at both ends of the guide tube 8 are pulled outward.

[0018] The connecting member 15 installed at one end of the lead-in rope 4, for example, as shown in FIG1, is fixed to the welding torch 100 by means of a nylon strap 18. In addition, the other end of the lead-in rope 4 has an extension portion having a sufficient length to extend outward from the opening of the conduit 8. In addition to being fixed to the first cable body 3 by means of a nylon strap 18, the extension portion is housed in the wire supply device 200 in a slightly curled state or is fixed in a detachable manner.

[0019] The second cable (post-installed cable) 13, for example, is a cable connected to a sensor (working tool) 150, which can detect the welding state caused by the welding torch 100. The second cable 13, for example, includes a transmission cable for transmitting power and detection signals to the sensor 150, and piping for purifying the gas supplied to the sensor 150. The sensor 150 and the second cable 13 are typically installed on the robot 1 after it has been installed at the user's location.

[0020] The following explains the function of the robot 1 configured as described in this embodiment. According to the robot 1 of this embodiment, when the wrist 7 of the robot 1 moves, each wrist element 9, 10, and 11 rotates. The movable guide tube 8 can follow the movements of each wrist element 9, 10, and 11 by bending or twisting within the through path 12. The first cable body 3 deforms along with the deformation of the guide tube 8, but since the space within the guide tube 8 has been ensured, the first cable body 3 can be protected.

[0021] Furthermore, when the first cable body 3 deforms, the insertion rope 4 will also deform accordingly. However, the insertion rope 4 has a sufficiently small diameter, and the gap between the conduit 8 and the first cable body 3 is also ensured, so excessive friction will not occur between the insertion rope 4 and the first cable body 3. In addition, the insertion rope 4 is fixed to a position further outward than the openings at both ends of the conduit 8, so the first cable body 3 will not undergo significant deformation at the fixed position of the insertion rope 4 corresponding to the first cable body 3. Therefore, even at the fixed position of the insertion rope 4, the first cable body 3 will not be subjected to excessive force, so the first cable body 3 can maintain its intact state.

[0022] Next, the following will describe the operation of installing other working tools, namely sensors 150, at the front end of the robot 1 in this embodiment, and wiring the second cable 13 connected to the sensors 150 into the conduit 8. First, the fixation is released by cutting the nylon tape 18 at both ends of the fixed guide rope 4. Since the two ends of the guide rope 4 are fixed at positions further outward than the opening of the conduit 8, the nylon tape 18 can be contacted from the outside, thereby easily performing cutting and other actions.

[0023] Next, as shown in FIG. 5, one end of the second cable 13 to be wired is connected to the connecting member 15 at one end of the welding torch 100 installed on the lead-in rope 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the installation of the second cable 13 on the connecting member 15 is performed by accommodating the end of the second cable 13 within the opening 15a of the connecting member 15, and then tightening the nylon strap 17 from the outside of the connecting member 15. The tightening force of the nylon strap 17 causes the connecting member 15 to contract radially inward, thereby tightening the connecting member 15 and the second cable 13 together. This connects one end of the lead-in rope 4 to one end of the second cable 13.

[0024] In this state, as shown in FIG6, the other end of the guide rope 4 located at the rear of the forearm 6 is pulled along the length direction. Since the other end of the guide rope 4 is provided with an extension, the operator can grasp the extension by hand without using tools, so the traction force of the guide rope 4 can be easily applied.

[0025] Accordingly, the guide rope 4, which is subjected to traction, moves towards the forearm 6 within the conduit 8, and the second cable 13, connected to the connecting member 15 at one end, is pulled into the conduit 8 from the opening at the front end. Furthermore, by pulling the guide rope 4, as shown in FIG7, the connecting member 15 at the front end of the guide rope 4 extends out from the opening at the rear end of the conduit 8. This allows the second cable 13 to penetrate the interior of the conduit 8. The second cable 13, having penetrated the interior of the conduit 8, is then pulled outwards from the openings at both ends of the conduit 8, and its two ends are respectively secured to the first cable 3, the welding torch 100, or the wire supply device 200 in a detachable manner using nylon straps 19.

[0026] At this time, since the connecting part 15 covers one end of the second cable body 13, the operator can perform the operation without one end of the second cable body 13 getting stuck inside the conduit 8 during the period from the beginning of its insertion into the conduit 8 until it is removed from the outside of the conduit 8. Furthermore, since the connecting part 15 is formed in a manner that gradually tapers towards the insertion rope 4, the connecting part 15 itself can be prevented from getting stuck when it is inserted into and moved into the conduit 8, thereby allowing it to move smoothly.

[0027] Therefore, by simply pulling the introduction rope 4 to extend it from the conduit 8, one end of the second cable 13 can be smoothly introduced into the conduit 8 and pass smoothly through the conduit 8. This has the advantage of being easily configured so that the second cable 13 passes through the conduit 8. That is, according to this embodiment of the robot 1, after it is installed at the user's location, the wiring of the second cable 13 for the user's prepared work tool, i.e., the sensor 150, can be performed without wiring the conduit 8 during the manufacturing of the robot 1. The user can then perform the desired wiring of the second cable 13.

[0028] Furthermore, the wiring operation of the second cable body 13 only includes the connection operation between the lead-in rope 4 and the second cable body 13, and the operation of pulling it out from the conduit 8 of the lead-in rope 4, so even an unskilled user can easily carry it out.

[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first cable body 4 is secured with nylon straps 18 at the points where the guide rope 4 protrudes from the openings at both ends of the conduit 8. However, instead of this, as shown in FIG8, an adapter 20 can also be installed between the flange face of the third wrist element 11 and the working tools 100, 150. By providing an opening 20a in the adapter 20 for pulling the guide rope 4 radially outward from inside the conduit 8, the guide rope 4 pulled out from the opening 20a can be secured to the working tools 100, 150, etc.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second cable body 13 connected to the sensor 150 is used as an example, but the second cable body 13 connected to any other working tool can also be used. In addition, the rope 4 is fixed to the first cable body 3 in a detachable manner using nylon tape 18, but it can also be fixed in a detachable manner using any other means such as hook and loop fasteners.

[0031] Furthermore, the connecting member 15 and the second cable body 13 are tied together using nylon strap 17, thereby connecting the lead-in rope 4 to the second cable body 13. Alternatively, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, it can also be constructed from a cylindrical member that is installed in a manner that allows the connecting member 15 to move in the length direction of the lead-in rope 4, and the connecting member 15 is covered by the connecting portion that connects the rope body 14 to the second cable body 13.

[0032] At this time, the connection between the rope 4 and the second cable body 13 is achieved by binding the rope body 14 to the second cable body 13, or by using nylon tape 17 to tightly bind the rope body 14 to the second cable body 13. This prevents the nylon tape 17 from protruding outside the connecting member 15, making it easier to introduce the second cable body 13 into the conduit 8.

[0033] Furthermore, the connecting member 15 is exemplified by a deformable resin component, but it can also be, for example, made of a foldable bag-shaped component and fixed to the first cable body 3 in a folded state. In addition, the connecting member 15 can also be a metal component that can be plastically deformed in the radial direction, thereby breaking the connecting member 15 that houses the second cable body 13 in the opening 15a in the radial direction, thereby connecting the lead rope 4 to the second cable body 13.

[0034] Furthermore, this embodiment is illustrated by having a single guide rope 4, but multiple guide ropes 4 may also be provided. Alternatively, a single guide rope 4 may be provided, and when the second cable body 13 is introduced into the conduit 8, it may be introduced together with other guide ropes 4, so that the introduced guide rope 4 may be used for the introduction of other second cable bodies 13.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the welding torch 100 and the sensor 150 are used as examples of working tools, but this is not limited to them. Also, the number of working tools is not limited to two. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0007] [Fig. 1] shows a longitudinal sectional view of the forearm and wrist of a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Fig. 2] shows a longitudinal sectional view of an example of the guide rope of the robot of Fig. 1. [Fig. 3] shows a longitudinal sectional view of the state in which the guide rope of Fig. 2 is connected to the second cable body. [Fig. 4] shows a cross sectional view of the flexible conduit, the first cable body and the guide rope of the robot of Fig. 1. [Fig. 5] shows a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the wiring operation of the second cable body in the robot of Fig. 1. [Fig. 6] shows a sectional view of the state in which the second cable body is introduced to approximately the middle position of the conduit in the robot of Fig. 1. [Fig. 7] shows a longitudinal sectional view of the state in which the second wire wired in the conduit is connected to the sensor in the robot of Fig. 1. [Fig. 8] shows a longitudinal sectional view of a modified example of the robot of Fig. 1. [Fig. 9] shows a longitudinal sectional view of a modified example of the guide rope of Fig. 2. [Figure 10] shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the state in which the end of the second cable body is covered by the connecting member of the introduction rope in Figure 9.

Claims

1. A robot, comprising: forearm; wrist The forearm is connected in a manner that allows the base end to rotate about a first axis, and a working tool is mounted on the front end. A flexible conduit is disposed along the first axis from the front end of the forearm to the wrist and has openings at both ends; And an introduction cable body, configured to pass through the interior of the conduit in the axial direction of the conduit, and capable of being pulled out from the opening at least on the forearm side of the conduit; The cable body for introduction includes: the cable body itself; The cable body includes a connecting component that allows the end of the cable body on the working tool side to be connected to the end of the cable body installed inside the conduit; both ends of the cable body are detachably fixed to positions accessible from the outside of the conduit.

2. The robot as described in claim 1, wherein, The two ends of the cable are fixed to the outside of the openings at both ends of the conduit.

3. The robot as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The working tool is fixed to the front end of the wrist and is connected to a cable body for the working tool, which passes through the inside of the conduit in the axial direction.

4. The robot as described in claim 1, wherein, The connecting component has a receiving opening at one end for receiving the end of the rear-installed cable body, and a mounting portion at the other end for mounting on the cable body body, and is formed such that the receiving opening gradually tapers toward the mounting portion.

5. The robot as described in claim 4, wherein, The connecting component is a bag-shaped piece made of a foldable material.

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