Robot

Abstract

A robot 100 includes: a first actuator 11 for driving a first joint 81; a link member 30 disposed closer to the base side than the first joint 81; and a first battery 41 for supplying power to the first actuator 11. The link member 30 includes a first battery disposition part in which the first battery 41 is disposed. The robot 100 includes: a second joint 82 that is more on the tip side than the first joint part 81; a second actuator 12 for driving the second joint 82; and a second battery 42 for supplying power to the second actuator 12. The link member 30 may include a second battery disposition part in which the second battery 42 is disposed.

Description

robot

[0001] The present disclosure relates to robots.

[0002] Robots with robot arms constructed by connecting multiple links and joints are known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a robot device having multiple links and joints connecting the links, with joint drive mechanisms and the like distributed among the links. In this device, the links and drive mechanisms each form a unit, and multiple units are connected together. Each unit is provided with a motor, an encoder, and a means for supplying power to a storage means.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-019985

[0004] In a conventional articulated robot in which multiple joints and multiple link members are connected in order from a base to a tip, a battery is mounted on the base to supply power to a storage device that stores multiple rotation information from each encoder of each joint. When a battery is mounted on the base, the number of cables that supply power to each joint increases, which causes a problem of cumbersome cable wiring. In this context, Patent Document 1 does not provide sufficient disclosure from the perspective of simplifying the wiring within the link members.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such problems, and one of its objects is to provide a robot that can simplify the wiring within the link members.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a robot according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a robot including a first actuator that drives a first joint, a link member that is arranged closer to the base end than the first joint, and a first battery that supplies power to the first actuator, wherein the link member has a first battery arrangement portion in which the first battery is arranged.

[0007] Any combination of the above components, or mutual substitution of the components or expressions of the present disclosure between methods, systems, etc., are also valid aspects of the present disclosure.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a robot capable of simplifying the wiring within the link member can be provided.

[0009] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a robot according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a link member and a first joint unit of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the link member of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a front view showing the link member of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a side view showing the link member of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a diagram schematically showing wiring within the robot of Fig. 1.

[0010] The present disclosure will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments and modified examples, identical or equivalent components and members are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted where appropriate. Furthermore, the dimensions of the members in each drawing are enlarged or reduced as appropriate for ease of understanding. Furthermore, some members that are not important for explaining the embodiments are omitted from the drawings.

[0011] Furthermore, terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second are used to describe various components, but these terms are used only to distinguish one component from another and do not limit the components.

[0012] [Embodiment] The configuration of a robot 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a front view showing the robot 100. Hereinafter, for convenience, as shown in FIG. 1 , the front-to-rear direction of the robot 100 will be referred to as "front" and "rear," the width direction will be referred to as "right" and "left," and the height direction will be referred to as "up" and "down." These directional notations do not limit the usage orientation of the robot 100, and the robot 100 can be used in any orientation depending on the application. As shown in FIG. 1 , the robot 100 is a so-called articulated robot that can be suitably used as an industrial robot or a collaborative robot.

[0013] The robot 100 includes a first joint unit J1, a first link member 30, a second joint unit J2, a second link member 28, a third joint unit J3, a base 78, and a support member 76. In this embodiment, the first link member 30 and the second link member 28 form a robot arm. The first joint unit J1, the first link member 30, the second joint unit J2, the second link member 28, the third joint unit J3, and the base 78 are connected in this order from the tip side. The base end side of the third joint unit J3 is connected to the base 78, and a lower part of the base 78 is connected to the support member 76. Part or all of the first joint unit J1, the second joint unit J2, and the third joint unit J3 are covered by unit covers 71, 72, 73, and 74.

[0014] In the embodiment, the support member 76 is a rectangular plate-shaped member fixed to an installation stand (not shown). In the embodiment, the base unit 78 houses the power supply unit 50 (described later) and other electronic devices. The power supply unit 50 generates and supplies power used within the robot 100 from a commercial power source or other external power source. The third joint unit J3 moves the second link member 28 relative to the support member 76. The third joint unit J3 has joint units 85 and 86 that rotate around rotation axes that intersect with each other. The joint unit 86 is provided on the upper part of the base unit 78. The base end side of the second link member 28 is connected to the third joint unit J3, and the tip side of the second link member 28 is connected to the second joint unit J2.

[0015] The second joint unit J2 moves the first link member 30 relative to the second link member 28. The second joint unit J2 has joint portions 83 and 84 that rotate about rotation axes that intersect with each other. The base end side of the first link member 30 is connected to the second joint unit J2, and the tip side of the first link member 30 is connected to the first joint unit J1.

[0016] The first joint unit J1 moves a hand (not shown) connected to the first joint unit J1. The first joint unit J1 has joints 81 and 82 that rotate around rotation axes that intersect with each other. The joints 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, and 86 are collectively referred to as joints 8.

[0017] The joints 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, and 86 each have an actuator 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 that drive the joints. The actuators 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 are collectively referred to as actuator 1. The actuator 1 has a motor 91 that rotates a motor shaft 92, a reducer 93 that decelerates and outputs the rotation of the motor shaft 92, and a control unit (not shown) that controls the rotation of the motor shaft 92.

[0018] The actuators 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 have encoders 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56 that detect the rotational position of the motor shaft 92. The encoders 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56 are collectively referred to as encoders 5.

[0019] The second link member 28 and the first link member 30 have similar technical features. The following description will be given using the first link member 30 as an example. The following description of the first link member 30 also applies to the second link member 28 to the extent that it is not inconsistent.

[0020] The first link member 30 and the first joint unit J1 will be described with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the first link member 30 and the first joint unit J1. The first link member 30 exemplifies the link member in the claims. The first joint unit J1 is connected to the tip side connecting portion 35 of the link member 30. The first joint unit J1 of the embodiment has a first joint portion 81 provided on the tip side of the first link member 30, and a second joint portion 82 provided on the tip side of the first joint portion 81.

[0021] The first joint portion 81 has a first actuator 11. The first actuator 11 rotates the second joint portion 82 about the first output axis L1. The first joint portion 81 changes the orientation of the second joint portion 82 relative to the first link member 30 about the first output axis L1 by the action of the first actuator 11.

[0022] The second joint 82 has a second actuator 12. The second actuator 12 rotates a driven body (not shown) about the second output axis L2 by output rotation thereof. The second joint 82 changes the attitude of the driven body relative to the first joint 81 about the second output axis L2 by the action of the second actuator 12.

[0023] The link member 30 will be described with reference to Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5. Figures 3, 4, and 5 are a perspective view, a front view, and a side view of the link member 30. These figures show the state in which the cover member 38 and the batteries 41 and 42 have been removed. The first link member 30 has a link member main body 33, a distal connecting portion 35, a proximal connecting portion 36, and a cover member 38.

[0024] The link member main body 33 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped outer contour extending from the base end to the tip end, and is a box-shaped portion with one open front face. The cover member 38 has a shape that covers the opening of the link member main body 33. In this embodiment, the cover member 38 is a strip-shaped plate member that extends generally vertically, with an arc-shaped recess on the upper side and an arc-shaped bulge on the lower side. The cover member 38 has a concave curved surface that conforms to the shape of the opening of the link member main body 33. A plurality of (e.g., six) mounting holes 382 are provided around the periphery of the cover member 38, penetrating through the thickness direction. The link member main body 33 has a plurality of (e.g., six) female threads 332 at positions corresponding to the plurality of mounting holes 382.

[0025] The tip-side connecting portion 35 is a generally circular portion in a front view provided on the tip side of the link member main body 33. A first joint portion 81 is connected to the tip-side connecting portion 35. The base-side connecting portion 36 is a generally circular portion in a top view provided on the base end side of the link member main body 33. A joint portion 83 is connected to the base-side connecting portion 36.

[0026] As an example, the link member main body 33, the distal end connecting portion 35, and the proximal end connecting portion 36 are integrally formed from a resin material or a metal material.

[0027] The cover member 38 is attached to the link member body 33 using fasteners (not shown). In this embodiment, the cover member 38 is attached to the link member body 33 by threading a fastener through the mounting hole 382 and into the female threads 332. The fastener may be, for example, a screw. The cover member 38 can be removed from the link member body 33 by removing the fastener.

[0028] In this embodiment, a first battery placement section 31 for placing a first battery 41 and a second battery placement section 32 for placing a second battery 42 are provided in the space between the link member main body 33 and the cover member 38. Therefore, by removing the cover member 38 from the link member 30, the front surfaces of the first battery placement section 31 and the second battery placement section 32 are opened, making it possible to attach and detach the first battery 41 and the second battery 42.

[0029] The first battery mounting section 31 and the second battery mounting section 32 are provided closer to the base end than the center of the link member 30. In this case, since the mass of the first battery 41 and the second battery 42 is closer to the base end, the moment load on the joint section 83 when the first link member 30 is operated can be reduced compared to when the mass is closer to the tip end.

[0030] The first battery 41 supplies power to the first actuator 11. The second battery 42 supplies power to the second actuator 12. In this embodiment, the first battery 41 supplies power to the encoder 51 of the first actuator 11, and the second battery 42 supplies power to the encoder 52 of the second actuator 12.

[0031] In this embodiment, the robot 100 is configured such that, when the power supply to the robot 100 is stopped, the first battery 41 and the second battery arrangement unit 32 supply power to the encoders 51 and 52. In this case, power is supplied to a storage means (not shown) that stores the multi-rotation information of the encoders 51 and 52, thereby preventing the loss of the multi-rotation information due to a power outage.

[0032] In this embodiment, the first battery 41 and the second battery 42 are a single battery. This is advantageous in terms of reducing the number of steps and costs compared to installing or replacing two batteries separately. Therefore, the first battery mounting section 31 and the second battery mounting section 32 are integrated.

[0033] The wiring inside the robot 100 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 6. Figure 6(A) shows an example of the wiring inside the robot 100 of the embodiment. Figure 6(B) shows an example of the wiring inside a robot 200 of a comparative example. The robot 200 of the comparative example was created by the present inventor for comparison purposes during the process of creating the robot 100 of the embodiment, and its configuration other than the wiring is the same as that of the robot 100.

[0034] First, the wiring inside the robot 200 of the comparative example will be described. In the robot 200, a power supply unit 50 and a centralized battery 48 are provided on a base unit 78 on the base end side of the robot 200. The power supply unit 50 supplies power to the actuators 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 of the joint units J1, J2, and J3, respectively, via a first wiring 61. Specifically, the power supply unit 50 supplies drive power to drive the actuators 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, and storage power to store multi-rotation information in the encoders 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56 of the actuators 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. The storage power drives a storage means (not shown) that stores the multi-rotation information of the encoder 5.

[0035] When the power supply of the power supply device 50 is stopped, the concentrated battery 48 supplies storage power to the encoders 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56 via the second wiring 62. In other words, when the power supply device 50 is turned off or when the power supply device 50 stops due to a power outage or the like, the concentrated battery 48 supplies backup power and maintains the storage of the encoder multi-rotation information.

[0036] However, in the robot 200 of the comparative example, the first wiring 61 and the second wiring 62 are each wired from the base end side to the tip end side of the robot 200 via the joint unit, which increases the amount of wiring in the wiring cable and causes the wiring to become messy.

[0037] The wiring within the robot 100 of the embodiment will be described based on a comparative example. The robot 100 differs from the comparative example in that it does not have a centralized battery 48 or second wiring 62, but has dispersed batteries 41, 42, 43, and 44 and local wiring 63, 64, and 65. The batteries 41 and 42 are disposed on the first link member 30, the battery 43 is disposed on the second link member 28, and the battery 44 is disposed on the base 78.

[0038] Wiring 63 connects batteries 41, 42 arranged on first link member 30 to encoders 51, 52 of actuators 11, 12. Wiring 64 connects battery 43 arranged on second link member 28 to encoders 53, 54 of actuators 13, 14. Wiring 65 connects battery 44 arranged on base portion 78 to encoders 55, 56 of actuators 15, 16.

[0039] In this way, the robot 100 of the embodiment can reduce the amount of wiring cables and simplify the wiring compared to the comparative example. Note that the first batteries 41, 42, 43, and 44 are charged in a predetermined case. In the embodiment, these batteries are charged while removed from the placement unit, and then attached to the original placement unit after charging.

[0040] The following describes the features of the robot 100 of this embodiment. The robot 100 is a robot that includes a first actuator 11 that drives a first joint 81, a link member 30 that is disposed closer to the base end than the first joint 81, and a first battery 41 that supplies power to the first actuator 11. The link member 30 has a first battery mounting portion 31 in which the first battery 41 is disposed.

[0041] 6, this configuration simplifies the wiring within the robot 100. Furthermore, when wiring cables are passed through the hollow portion of the actuator 1, the occupancy rate of the hollow portion due to the wiring cables can be reduced.

[0042] The above is a description of the embodiment.

[0043] The above has described in detail examples of embodiments of the present disclosure. All of the above-described embodiments merely illustrate specific examples of implementing the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure. The content of the embodiments does not limit the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure, and many design changes, such as changing, adding, or deleting components, are possible within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure. In the above-described embodiments, content for which such design changes are possible is described using notations such as "in the embodiment" or "in the embodiment," but design changes are also permitted for content without such notation.

[0044] (Modifications) Modifications will be described below. In the drawings and descriptions of the modifications, the same components and members as those in the embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals. Explanations that overlap with the embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on the configurations that differ from the embodiment.

[0045] In the description of the embodiment, an example has been shown in which the first battery 41 supplies power to the encoder 51 of the first actuator 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first battery 41 may supply power to a portion of the joint unit J1 other than the encoder 51 (for example, an electronic circuit).

[0046] In the description of the embodiment, an example has been shown in which the first battery 41 and the second battery 42 are integrated into a single battery, but this is not limiting. The first battery 41 and the second battery 42 may each be separate batteries. In this case, the first battery placement section 31 and the second battery placement section 32 may each be independent spaces, or may be an integrated space.

[0047] In the description of the embodiment, an example has been shown in which the battery 43 is disposed on the second link member 28 and the battery 44 is disposed on the base 78, but this is not limiting. The battery 43 and the battery 44 may be disposed on a single mounting portion, and the mounting portion may be the second link member 28 or the base 78. In this case, the battery 43 and the battery 44 may be a single battery.

[0048] In the description of the embodiment, an example has been shown in which the first batteries 41, 42, 43, and 44 are charged while removed from the storage unit, but this is not limiting. Some or all of these batteries may be charged while placed in the storage unit.

[0049] Each of these modifications provides the same effects as the embodiment.

[0050] Any combination of the above-described embodiments and modifications is also useful as an embodiment of the present disclosure. A new embodiment resulting from the combination has the combined effects of the combined embodiments and modifications.

[0051] The present disclosure relates to robots.

[0052] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 11 First actuator, 12 Second actuator, 30 First link member, 31 First battery arrangement section, 32 Second battery arrangement section, 38 Cover member, 41 First battery, 42 Second battery, 51, 52 Encoder, 81 First joint section, 82 Second joint section, 100, 200 Robot.

Claims

1. A robot comprising a first actuator that drives a first joint, a link member that is arranged on the base end side of the first joint, and a first battery that supplies power to the first actuator, wherein the link member has a first battery placement portion in which the first battery is placed.

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the first battery placement portion is provided closer to the base end than the center of the link member.

3. A robot as described in claim 1 or 2, comprising a second joint portion located closer to the tip than the first joint portion, a second actuator that drives the second joint portion, and a second battery that supplies power to the second actuator, and the link member has a second battery placement portion in which the second battery is placed.

4. The robot of claim 3, wherein the first battery and the second battery are a single battery.

5. A robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first battery supplies power to an encoder of the first actuator when the power supply to the robot is stopped.

6. A robot as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first battery in the first battery mounting section can be detached by removing a cover member of the link member.

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