Robot and linear body processing structure of robot

Abstract

The present invention provides a robot (100) comprising: a turning drum (20) supported on a base (10) so as to be rotatable about a first axis (A); a first arm (30) which extends in a plane perpendicular to the first axis and which is supported on the turning drum so as to be rotatable about a second axis (B) located at a position offset from the first axis; a motor (M1) which is secured to a mounting surface (20a) of the turning drum at a position between the first axis and the second axis and which rotationally drives the turning drum; and a balancer (25) which is located on the opposite side from the second axis, with the motor therebetween, and which assists with a drive torque of the first arm, wherein a linear body (60) is drawn out toward the mounting surface from inside the base through a through hole (20h) in the turning drum, farther on the first-axis side than the motor, and the drawn-out linear body is secured to the turning drum by a first clamp (71) after being pulled around the side of the motor to the second-axis side, is given extra length necessary for the movement of the first arm, and is secured to the first arm by a second clamp (72).

Description

Robots and their striatal processing structures

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a robot and a filamentous processing structure for the robot.

[0002] There is known a robot in which a cable for transmitting power supplied from an external power supply or the like is pulled out from inside the base above the rotating body and then wired along the arm to the tip of the wrist (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-129185

[0004] In the above case, since the motor for rotating the rotating body is located on the mounting surface of the rotating body, it is necessary to prevent the cable drawn out above the rotating body from coming into contact with the motor when it swings with the robot's movement. Therefore, the cable must be sufficiently separated from the motor by making a large detour around the outside of the rotating body, which results in a long cable and increases the manufacturing cost of the robot. In addition, care must be taken to ensure that the detoured cable does not interfere with the robot's peripheral equipment, etc.

[0005] Therefore, even when components such as a motor are placed on the mounting surface of the rotating body, as in the robot described above, it is desirable to be able to minimize the cable length while preventing interference between the cable and the component.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a rotating shaft drive system including: a base; a rotating body supported on the base so as to be rotatable about a first axis; a first arm supported on the rotating body so as to be rotatable about a second axis extending in a plane perpendicular to the first axis and disposed at a position offset from the first axis; a motor fixed to a mounting surface of the rotating body on the opposite side from the base at a position between the first axis and the second axis and configured to rotationally drive the rotating body; and a balancer disposed on the opposite side of the second axis across the motor and configured to assist the drive torque of the first arm, the wire is pulled out from within the base toward the mounting surface via a through-hole that penetrates the base and the rotating body in a direction along the first axis, closer to the first axis than the motor, and a midpoint in the length direction of the pulled-out wire is fixed to the rotating body by a first clamp at a position where it is pulled around the side of the motor toward the second axis, and the midpoint in the length direction of the wire extending from the first clamp is given an excess length necessary for the operation of the first arm and is fixed to the first arm by a second clamp.

[0007] 1A and 1B are side and cross-sectional views of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively;

[0008] A robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and a filament processing structure 1 for the robot 100 will be described below with reference to the drawings. The robot 100 according to this embodiment is, for example, a four-axis vertical articulated robot, as shown in FIG.

[0009] The robot 100 includes a base 10 installed on a horizontal installation surface such as a floor, and a rotating body 20 supported rotatably relative to the base 10 about a vertical first axis A. The robot 100 also includes a first arm 30 supported rotatably relative to the rotating body 20 about a horizontal second axis B, and a second arm 40 supported at the tip of the first arm 30 rotatably about a third axis C parallel to the second axis B. The robot 100 also includes a wrist unit 50 supported at the tip of the second arm 40 rotatably about an axis D parallel to the third axis C. The wrist unit 50 is a single-axis unit that rotates a mounting flange 50f at its tip about a fourth axis E. In other words, the robot 100 has four joints.

[0010] Furthermore, the robot 100 is equipped with a wire 60 for transmitting power and control signals supplied from an external power supply and control device to the four joints and a tool (not shown) attached to the tip of the wrist unit 50 (see FIG. 2).

[0011] In the following, when the robot 100 is in the basic posture, the tip side of the first arm 30 is defined as the upward direction, and the tip side of the second arm 40 is defined as the forward direction. In this case, the basic posture is a posture in which a line perpendicular to the second axis B and the third axis C extends vertically, and a line perpendicular to the third axis C and the axis D extends horizontally, as shown in FIG.

[0012] 2, the base 10 is a box-shaped member having a hollow portion 11 formed therein. A distribution board 12 is attached to one side of the base 10. One end of an external cable 61 extending from an externally installed power supply device and control device (not shown) is connected to the distribution board 12.

[0013] The base 10 is provided with a through hole 10h that includes the first axis A and extends along the first axis A. In addition, a hollow reducer 15 having a through hole 15h that is connected to the through hole 10h is fixed between the base 10 and the rotating body 20.

[0014] 2 and 3, a first motor (motor) M1 for rotating the rotating body 20 about the first axis A relative to the base 10 is disposed on the upper surface 20a of the rotating body 20 (hereinafter also referred to as the mounting surface). The first motor M1 is mounted on the mounting surface 20a at a position offset forward from the first axis A, with its rotation shaft extending vertically downward. A drive gear attached to the rotation shaft of the first motor M1 is engaged with an input gear (not shown) of the reducer 15 via one or more gears (not shown).

[0015] The rotating body 20 is provided with a through hole 20h that connects to the through hole 15h of the reducer 15. The through hole 20h opens to the mounting surface 20a behind the first motor M1. That is, the hollow portion 11 of the base 10 communicates with the space above the mounting surface 20a of the rotating body 20 via the through hole 10h of the base 10, the through hole 15h of the reducer 15, and the through hole 20h of the rotating body 20.

[0016] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the rotating body 20 has a pair of wall-shaped support portions (wall portions) 22, 23 that face each other parallel to each other and extend vertically upward on both sides of the through hole 20h in the direction of the second axis B.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 3, a reducer 35 is attached between the support portion 22 and the first arm 30. The reducer 35 supports the first arm 30 rotatably about the second axis B with respect to the rotating body 20. A second motor M2 that inputs a rotational force to the reducer 35 is attached to the side surface of the support portion 22 opposite the reducer 35. The first arm 30 is also supported between the support portion 23 by a bearing 30b so as to be rotatable about the second axis B. In other words, the first arm 30 is supported by the support portions 22, 23 in a doubly supported beam shape along the second axis B.

[0018] A drive link 31 (described later) is supported on the support part 23 by a reducer 36 so as to be rotatable about a second axis B. Similarly to the support part 22, a third motor M3 is attached to the side of the support part 23 opposite to the reducer 36, which inputs a rotational force to the reducer 36. As shown in FIG. 1 , the drive link 31 extends horizontally backward when the robot 100 is in the basic posture.

[0019] 1, one end of a connecting link 32 is attached to the rear end of the second arm 40 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the second axis B. The other end of the connecting link 32 is attached to the tip of the drive link 31 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the second axis B. The first arm 30, the second arm 40, the drive link 31, and the connecting link 32 form a parallel four-joint link (link mechanism) that drives the second arm 40 to rotate about the third axis C relative to the first arm 30 by the third motor M3.

[0020] A balancer 25 is attached between the rotating body 20 and the first arm 30 to generate a torque that counteracts the load due to gravity acting on the first arm 30 and thereby assists the drive torque of the second motor M2. As shown in Fig. 2, the balancer 25 is, for example, a well-known so-called spring-type balancer that includes a cylinder 25a and a rod 25b biased by a compression spring. The cylinder 25a is supported by the rotating body 20 behind the first arm 30 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the second axis B, and the tip of the rod 25b is supported by the first arm 30 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the second axis B.

[0021] In this way, the first motor M1 is arranged in front of the through hole 20h of the rotating body 20, and the space above the through hole 20h is occupied by the cylinder 25a of the movable balancer 25, the drive link 31, and the connecting link 32.

[0022] The wrist unit 50 includes a first member 51 supported at the tip of the second arm 40 so as to be rotatable about axis D, and an attachment flange 50f supported by a reducer 55 relative to the first member 51 so as to be rotatable about a fourth axis E. The wrist unit 50 also includes a fourth motor (not shown) fixed to the first member 51 and inputting a rotational force to the reducer 55.

[0023] The robot 100 also includes a parallel four-bar link for maintaining the fourth axis E in the vertical direction so that the mounting flange 50f of the wrist unit 50 faces vertically downward. This parallel four-bar link includes a first link 41 supported at the tip of the first arm 30 so as to be rotatable about the third axis C, and a first connecting link 52 whose ends are connected to the first member 51 and the first link 41 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the third axis C. This parallel four-bar link also includes a second connecting link 42 whose ends are connected to the first link 41 and the rotating body 20 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the third axis.

[0024] A plurality of screw holes (not shown) are provided in the mounting surface 20a of the rotating body 20 forward of the first motor M1. By using these screw holes, a first clamp 71 (described later) can be attached to the rotating body 20 below the second axis B. The first arm 30 is a hollow member, and an inner surface 30i thereof close to the second axis B is provided with a plurality of screw holes (not shown) to which a second clamp 72 (described later) can be attached.

[0025] The umbilical member 60 is a bundle of cables wrapped in a covering material such as a sheath, which transmits power and control signals supplied from an external power supply and control device to the motors and other components that drive the four joints of the robot 100. One end of the umbilical member 60 is connected to the distribution board 12 from the hollow section 11 side of the base 10, and the other end is routed through each joint of the robot 100 to the wrist unit 50 at the tip.

[0026] 2 and 3, the wire body processing structure 1 according to this embodiment pulls out the wire body 60 from inside the hollow portion 11 of the base 10 through the through-holes 10h, 15h, and 20h to above the mounting surface 20a of the rotating body 20. The wire body 60 pulled out from the through-hole 20h is curved along the mounting surface 20a of the rotating body 20, bypassing the side of the first motor M1 and wrapping around to the front side.

[0027] The wire body 60 routed in front of the first motor M1 is bent upward by approximately 90° and fixed to the rotating body 20 by the first clamp 71. The first clamp 71 is, for example, a member formed by bending a metal flat plate into a substantially L-shape, and includes a mounting surface that is attached with bolts to threaded holes provided in the mounting surface 20a, and a support surface that extends perpendicular to the mounting surface. The mounting surface of the first clamp 71 is provided with a plurality of mounting holes for passing bolts therethrough, and the support surface is provided with a plurality of through-holes for passing fasteners that secure the wire body 60 therethrough. In other words, the first clamp 71 is fixed to the rotating body 20 so that the support surface rises vertically upward below the second axis B by fastening bolts that have passed through the plurality of mounting holes to the plurality of threaded holes in the mounting surface 20a of the rotating body 20.

[0028] Furthermore, the portion of the wire 60 distal to the portion fixed to the first clamp 71 is stretched upward so as to pass through the second axis B. The portion of the wire 60 distal to the portion fixed to the first clamp 71 is given an excess length necessary for rotation of the first arm 30 about the second axis B, and is fixed to the inner surface 30i of the first arm 30 by the second clamp 72. In this case, the second clamp 72 is also a substantially L-shaped member having an attachment surface and a support surface, similar to the first clamp 71. Furthermore, the second clamp 72 is fixed to the inside of the first arm 30 by fastening bolts into a plurality of screw holes provided on the inner surface of the first arm 30.

[0029] The following describes the operation of the robot 100 and the wire body processing structure 1 according to this embodiment configured as described above. In this embodiment, the first motor M1 is preferably disposed forward of the through-hole 20h to avoid interference with the balancer 25 and the drive link 31. Therefore, the front of the through-hole 20h is blocked by the first motor M1.

[0030] According to this embodiment, the wire body 60 is pulled out from inside the base 10 through the through holes 10h, 15h, and 20h into the space on the mounting surface 20a side of the rotating body 20. Then, the pulled-out wire body 60 is raised upward from a region further forward of the first motor M1, which is disposed in front of the through hole 20h, toward the first arm 30.

[0031] In this case, the umbilical member 60 is routed around the side to the front of the first motor M1 without passing above the first motor M1, and therefore does not have to pass through the space occupied by the balancer 25 and the drive link 31. This makes it possible to avoid interference between the umbilical member 60 and the balancer 25 or the drive link 31. Furthermore, unlike the conventional case in which the umbilical member 60 is routed to the tip end side through the rear of the rotating body 20 and the first arm 30, the umbilical member 60 can be routed along a relatively short path. This makes it possible to shorten the length required for wiring the umbilical member 60, thereby realizing a reduction in the manufacturing cost of the robot 100.

[0032] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the portion of the wire body 60 that crosses the second axis B between the first clamp 71 and the second clamp 72 becomes a movable portion (movable cable) that moves when the first arm 30 is actuated. However, one end of the movable portion of the wire body 60 is fixed to the rotating body 20 by the first clamp 71. Therefore, when the first arm 30 is actuated, the portion of the wire body 60 that is closer to the base end than the first clamp 71, i.e., the portion that is wired along the mounting surface 20a of the rotating body 20, does not swing around. This allows the wire body 60 to be wired near the first motor M1.

[0033] Furthermore, by fixing the wire 60 that has wrapped around in front of the first motor M1 to a support surface of the first clamp 71 that extends along the first axis A, the wire 60 can be maintained in an upwardly curved shape in front of the first motor M1. That is, the portion of the wire 60 that is distal to the first clamp 71 can be positioned near the second axis B, and the wire 60 can be reliably maintained in a state in which it crosses the second axis B. In addition, the second clamp 72 can fix the position of the wire 60 to the first arm 30 immediately after it has passed the second axis B. This makes it possible to minimize the length of the excess length (movable portion) provided in the wire 60 to allow it to follow the rotation of the first arm 30 about the second axis B.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first clamp 71 is disposed vertically below the second axis B, but the first clamp 71 may be disposed at a position that is shifted rearward from the vertically below the second axis B, as long as the position is in front of the first motor M1. For example, depending on the shapes of the rotating body 20 and the first motor M1, the first clamp 71 may be disposed at a position that is shifted rearward from the vertically below the second axis B.

[0035] In this case, for example, the interior angle between the mounting surface and the support surface of the first clamp 71 is formed to be an obtuse angle. That is, when the mounting surface of the first clamp 71 is fixed to the mounting surface 20a of the rotating body 20, the support surface is formed to extend obliquely upward and forward, with the tip of the support surface facing the second axis B. As a result, the wire 60 that has wrapped around the front side of the first motor M1 is fixed to the first clamp 71 and guided toward the second axis B. Therefore, similar to the above, the wire 60 can be routed along a path that crosses the second axis B.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the tip of the support surface of the second clamp 72 that secures the wire 60 may be formed to face the second axis B when the second clamp 72 is secured to the inner surface 30i of the first arm 30. This allows the wire 60 to be more reliably routed along a path that passes through the second axis B.

[0037] Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the second clamp 72 is attached to the inner surface 30i of the first arm 30. Alternatively, the second clamp 72 may be attached to the outer surface of the base end side of the first arm 30. In this case, the umbilical cord 60 is routed along the outer surface of the first arm 30, which makes the wiring easier than when the umbilical cord 60 is routed inside the first arm 30.

[0038] In this embodiment, the rotating body 20 of the robot 100 includes a pair of support members 22, 23, which support the first arm 30 in a cantilevered manner. Alternatively, the rotating body 20 may omit one of the support members and support the first arm 30 in a cantilevered manner. In addition, this embodiment illustrates the robot 100 having a parallel four-bar link for driving the second arm 40 by the third motor M3 disposed at the position of the second axis B. Alternatively, the filament handling structure of this embodiment may be applied to a robot that does not have a parallel four-bar link. In other words, this filament handling structure is effective even when the space above the mounting surface 20a of the rotating body 20 is occupied only by the balancer 25.

[0039] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example is given of a processing structure for the filament 60 drawn out from the through-hole 20h of the rotating body 20 arranged in the region including the first axis A. Alternatively, the present invention may be applied to the filament 60 drawn out to the mounting surface 20a of the rotating body 20 via a portion other than the through-hole 20h.

[0040] Although the illustrated structure routes the wire 60 along the mounting surface 20a and to the side of the first motor M1, the path of the wire 60 may be at any position as long as it is below the upper end surface of the first motor M1. Since the balancer 25 and the drive link 31 do not interfere with the first motor M1, interference with the wire 60 can be avoided if the wiring path of the wire 60 is below the upper end surface of the first motor M1.

[0041] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. Various additions, substitutions, modifications, partial deletions, etc. are possible to these embodiments without departing from the gist of the invention or the concept and spirit of the present invention derived from the content of 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.

[0042] The following supplementary notes are further disclosed regarding the above-described embodiment and modified examples. (Supplementary Note 1) A rotating drum is provided, comprising: a base; a rotating drum supported on the base so as to be rotatable about a first axis; a first arm supported on the rotating drum so as to be rotatable about a second axis extending in a plane perpendicular to the first axis and positioned at a position offset from the first axis; a motor fixed to a mounting surface of the rotating drum on the opposite side from the base at a position between the first axis and the second axis, and rotating the rotating drum; and a balancer disposed on the opposite side of the second axis across the motor, and assisting the drive torque of the first arm, a robot in which, on the first axis side, the umbilical cord is pulled out from within the base to the mounting surface side via a through-hole that penetrates the base and the rotating body in a direction along the first axis, and a midpoint in the length direction of the pulled-out umbilical cord is fixed to the rotating body by a first clamp at a position where it is pulled around the side of the motor to the second axis side, and a midpoint in the length direction of the umbilical cord extending from the first clamp is fixed to the first arm by a second clamp, with an extra length necessary for operation of the first arm. (Supplementary Note 2) The robot described in Supplementary Note 1, in which the through-hole is provided at a position that includes the first axis. (Supplementary Note 3) The robot described in Supplementary Note 1 or Supplementary Note 2, in which the umbilical cord pulled out from the base to the mounting surface side is pulled along the mounting surface to the second axis side, bypassing the side of the motor. (Supplementary Note 4) The robot according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, wherein the first clamp bends the filament toward the first arm along the first axis. (Supplementary Note 5) The robot according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4, wherein the rotating body includes a pair of wall portions arranged parallel to each other with a gap in the second axis direction, and the first arm is supported by the pair of wall portions so as to be rotatable about the second axis.(Supplementary Note 6) The robot according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5, comprising: a second arm rotatably supported relative to the first arm about a third axis parallel to the second axis, an arm motor that generates a rotational drive force about the second axis, and a link mechanism for rotationally driving the second arm about the third axis relative to the first arm by the arm motor. (Supplementary Note 7) A wire body processing structure for a robot, wherein the robot comprises: a base, a rotating body rotatably supported relative to the base about a first axis, a first arm rotatably supported on the rotating body about a second axis that extends in a plane perpendicular to the first axis and is positioned offset from the first axis, a motor that is fixed to a mounting surface of the rotating body on an opposite side to the base at a position between the first axis and the second axis and that rotationally drives the rotating body, and a balancer that is positioned on the opposite side of the motor from the second axis and that assists the drive torque of the first arm, a wire body processing structure for a robot, wherein the wire body is pulled out from within the base toward the mounting surface side, on the first axis side of the motor, through a through hole that penetrates the base and the rotating body in a direction along the first axis, a midpoint in the longitudinal direction of the pulled-out wire body is fixed to the rotating body by a first clamp at a position where it is pulled around the side of the motor toward the second axis side, and a midpoint in the longitudinal direction of the wire body extending from the first clamp is fixed to the first arm by a second clamp, with an excess length necessary for the operation of the first arm being provided.

[0043] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Wire body processing structure 10 Base 10h Through-hole 20 Rotating body 20a Mounting surface 20h Through-hole 25 Balancer 30 First arm 60 Wire body 71 First clamp 72 Second clamp 100 Robot A First axis B Second axis M1 First motor (motor)

Claims

1. A device comprising: a base; a rotating body supported on the base so as to be rotatable about a first axis; a first arm supported on the rotating body so as to be rotatable about a second axis extending in a plane perpendicular to the first axis and positioned offset from the first axis; a motor fixed to a mounting surface of the rotating body opposite the base at a position between the first axis and the second axis and driving the rotating body to rotate; and a balancer positioned on the opposite side of the second axis across the motor and assisting the drive torque of the first arm, wherein a wire is drawn out from within the base to the mounting surface side on the first axis side of the motor through a through hole provided through the base and the rotating body in a direction along the first axis, and a midpoint in the length direction of the drawn wire is fixed to the rotating body by a first clamp at a position where it is drawn around the side of the motor to the second axis side, a longitudinal intermediate position of the filament extending from the first clamp is provided with an extra length necessary for operation of the first arm, and the filament is fixed to the first arm by a second clamp.

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the through-hole is provided at a position including the first axis.

3. A robot as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the wire member pulled out from the base toward the mounting surface is routed along the mounting surface, bypassing the side of the motor and toward the second axis.

4. A robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first clamp bends the filament toward the first arm along the first axial direction.

5. A robot as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rotating body has a pair of wall portions arranged parallel to each other with a gap in the second axis direction, and the first arm is supported by the pair of wall portions so as to be rotatable around the second axis.

6. A robot as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: a second arm supported rotatably relative to the first arm about a third axis parallel to the second axis; an arm motor that generates a rotational drive force about the second axis; and a link mechanism for driving the second arm to rotate about the third axis relative to the first arm by the arm motor.

7. A wire processing structure for a robot, comprising: a base; a rotating body supported on the base so as to be rotatable about a first axis; a first arm supported on the rotating body so as to be rotatable about a second axis extending in a plane perpendicular to the first axis and positioned offset from the first axis; a motor fixed to a mounting surface of the rotating body opposite the base at a position between the first axis and the second axis and driving the rotating body to rotate; and a balancer positioned on the opposite side of the second axis across the motor and assisting the drive torque of the first arm, wherein the wire is pulled out from within the base toward the mounting surface on the first axis side of the motor through a through-hole that penetrates the base and the rotating body in a direction along the first axis, and a midpoint in the length direction of the pulled-out wire is fixed to the rotating body by a first clamp at a position where it has been pulled around the side of the motor toward the second axis side, A wire handling structure for a robot, in which the wire extending from the first clamp is fixed to the first arm at a midpoint in the longitudinal direction by a second clamp, with an extra length required for the operation of the first arm.

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