Lock type brake release method and lock type brake release system

Abstract

This lock type brake release method releases a lock type brake including: a motor shaft that supplies rotational drive force; a blade fixed to the motor shaft and having an engagement part formed thereon; and a lock member movable between a lock position for locking rotation of the motor shaft by engaging with the engagement part with a gap in a rotation direction, and a lock release position for releasing the engagement, the method comprising moving the lock member from the lock position to the lock release position while relatively moving the engagement part and the lock member so as to narrow the gap.

Description

Locking brake release method and locking brake release system

[0001] The present invention relates to a locking brake release method and a locking brake release system.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a locking brake configuration for applying a brake by locking the rotation of a rotor in a rotary actuator used in a robot joint.

[0003] In the rotary actuator of JP 2017-189081 A, multiple protrusions are provided around the rotor, and a regulating part that regulates the movement of a fixed-side regulating member is inserted between a pair of protrusions to regulate the rotation of the rotor, and the regulating part is moved to a position where it is no longer between the protrusions to release the regulation.

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, when a force in the rotational direction due to gravity or the like acts on the rotor with the restricting portion inserted between the pair of protrusions, the load applied to the restricting portion from one of the pair of protrusions increases, making it difficult for the restricting portion to come off when the brake restriction is released. In order to increase the force required to release the restricting portion, it is necessary to increase the output of the brake mechanism itself, which moves the restricting portion in the direction of release.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a lock-type brake release method and a lock-type brake release system that can easily release the lock of a lock-type brake.

[0006] A first aspect of the locking brake release method of the present disclosure is a locking brake release method for releasing a locking brake that includes a drive unit that supplies a rotational drive force, a blade fixed to a rotating shaft and having an engagement unit formed thereon, and a locking member that is movable between a locked position where it engages with the engagement unit with a gap in the rotational direction to lock the rotation of the rotating shaft, and an unlocked position where it releases the engagement, and the locking member is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position while the engagement unit and the locking member are moved relative to each other so that the gap narrows.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the locking brake release method, when the locking member is placed in the locked position, the engagement portion and the locking member are moved relative to each other so as to narrow the gap, and during this relative movement the locking member can be moved from the locked position to the unlocked position, making it possible to easily unlock the locking brake.

[0008] In the locking brake release method according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the relative movement is performed by vibrating the engaging portion or the locking member.

[0009] According to the second aspect of the locking brake release method, the relative movement between the engaging portion and the locking member is achieved by vibrating the engaging portion or the locking member, so that the relative movement between the engaging portion and the locking member can be easily achieved without detecting the direction of the gap.

[0010] In the locking brake release method according to a third aspect of the present disclosure, the relative movement is performed by vibrating the rotating shaft portion around the axis using the drive portion.

[0011] According to the third aspect of the locking brake release method, the relative movement between the engagement portion and the locking member can be easily performed by vibration using the drive portion, without detecting the direction of the gap or without adding any additional parts.

[0012] A locking type brake release system according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure includes a drive unit that supplies a rotational drive force to a rotating unit that rotates around an axis; a blade that is fixed to the rotating shaft unit and has an engagement unit formed thereon; a locking member that is movable between a locked position where it engages with the engagement unit with a gap in the rotational direction to lock the rotation of the rotating shaft unit and an unlocked position where it releases the engagement; relative movement means that moves the engagement unit and the locking member relative to each other so as to narrow the gap; and a movement control unit that controls the locking member to move from the locked position to the unlocked position while the relative movement is being performed.

[0013] According to the fourth aspect of the locking type brake release system, when the locking member is placed in the locked position, the relative movement means moves the engagement portion and the locking member relative to each other so as to narrow the gap, and during this relative movement the movement control portion can easily move the locking member from the locked position to the unlocked position.

[0014] In a locking type brake release system according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the manual relative movement means vibrates the engaging portion or the locking member.

[0015] According to the locking type brake release system of the fifth aspect, the relative movement between the engaging portion and the locking member is achieved by vibrating the engaging portion or the locking member, so that the relative movement between the engaging portion and the locking member can be easily achieved without detecting the direction of the gap.

[0016] In a locking type brake release system according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the relative movement manual means vibrates the rotation shaft portion in the rotation direction using the drive portion.

[0017] According to the locking type brake release system of the sixth aspect, the relative movement of the engaging portion and the locking member can be easily performed by vibration using the drive portion without detecting the direction of the gap.

[0018] According to the present disclosure, the locking brake can be easily unlocked.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a robot. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a locking brake portion of a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a large load from the blade is acting on the pin. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the load from the blade is reduced on the pin. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an unlocking process. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a locking brake portion of a second embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a reducer of a second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a locking brake portion of a second embodiment.

[0020] An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, identical or equivalent components and parts are designated by the same reference numerals. Also, the dimensional proportions of the drawings may be exaggerated for the sake of explanation and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0021] <First embodiment> Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a robot 10 to which a locking brake release system according to the first embodiment is applied. As shown in Fig. 1, the robot 10 includes a robot main body 12, a robot arm 14 extending from the robot main body 12, and a robot hand 16 provided at the tip of the robot arm 14.

[0022] The robot arm 14 is supported by the robot body 12 via a first joint 14A, and is capable of rotating and tilting relative to the robot body 12. The robot arm 14 also has a second joint 14B and a third joint 14C, and is capable of tilting in any direction at each of the joints 14B and 14C. The robot hand 16 is supported by the robot arm 14 via a fourth joint 14D, and is capable of tilting in any direction relative to the robot arm 14.

[0023] The robot hand 16 has a first finger 20 and a second finger 22 arranged opposite to each other, and can hold an object 24 between the fingers 20 and 22.

[0024] A controller 50 is connected to the robot body 12. The robot body 12 outputs drive signals to various actuators based on control signals from the controller 50, thereby driving the robot arm 14 and the robot hand 16.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the fourth joint portion 14D is provided with a motor 30 as a drive portion, a blade 36, and a locking member 40.

[0026] The motor 30 includes a motor body 32 and a motor shaft 34. The motor 30 rotates the motor shaft 34, which serves as a rotation shaft, at the fourth joint 14D to supply a rotational driving force that rotates the robot hand 16 relative to the robot arm 14 around the motor shaft 34.

[0027] The blade 36 is disk-shaped, its center is fixed to the motor shaft 34, and rotates together with the motor shaft 34. A plurality of engaging portions 38 (12 in this embodiment) are formed at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the blade 36. The engaging portions 38 are configured so that a pin 42 of a locking member 40 (described later) can be inserted into a recessed space between adjacent protruding portions that protrude radially outward. The side wall surfaces that form the recessed space, i.e., the side wall surfaces of the protruding portions, are referred to as "wall surfaces 38A."

[0028] The locking member 40 has a pin 42 that is movable in the axial direction. Specifically, the pin 42 of the locking member 40 is movable between a locked position P1 where it is inserted between adjacent wall surfaces 38A of the blade 36 and engaged with the engaging portion 38, and an unlocked position P2 where it is retracted radially outward of the blade 36 and disengaged from the engaging portion 38, thereby disengaging from the engaging portion 38. As an example, a solenoid can be used as the locking member 40.

[0029] When the pin 42 is positioned at the lock position P1, the robot hand 16 is restricted from rotating relative to the robot arm 14, and when the pin 42 is positioned at the unlock position P2, the robot hand 16 is allowed to rotate relative to the robot arm 14. The restriction on the rotation of the robot hand 16 relative to the robot arm 14 functions as a lock brake, and releasing the rotation restriction releases the lock brake. In this embodiment, the blade 36 and the lock member 40 form a lock brake, and the blade 36, the lock member 40, the motor shaft 34, and the controller 50 form a lock brake release system.

[0030] The motor 30 and the lock member 40 are connected to a controller 50. The controller 50 is also connected to an input unit 48 through which a user inputs instructions. As shown in FIG. 4 , the controller 50 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 51, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 52, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 53, an input / output interface (I / O) 54, and a storage unit 55.

[0031] The CPU 51, ROM 52, RAM 53, and I / O 54 are connected to each other via a bus 56. The I / O 54 is connected to various functional units including a storage unit 55. These functional units are capable of communicating with the CPU 51 via the I / O 54.

[0032] The storage unit 55 may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory. The storage unit 55 stores a control program for controlling each part of the robot arm 14 and various data such as the vibration angle θ1 described below. The control program and various data may be stored in the ROM 52.

[0033] In this embodiment, an unlock program and the like are stored as part of the control program.

[0034] The vibration angle θ1 is the angle at which the motor shaft 34 is vibrated back and forth in the rotational direction when the restriction on the rotation of the robot hand 16 relative to the robot arm 14 is released (unlocked). The vibration angle θ1 is set to the angle between adjacent engagement portions 38 (30° in this embodiment).

[0035] When the robot hand 16 is stopped relative to the robot arm 14, the pin 42 of the locking member 40 is located at the locked position P1 (between the adjacent wall surfaces 38A of the engagement portion 38). At this time, due to the weight of the robot hand 16 (in the direction of the arrow X), a force acts on the pin 42 from one wall surface 38A, as shown in FIG. 3A , creating a gap between the other wall surface 38A and the pin 42. In this state, a load is applied to the pin 42, and the robot hand 16 is locked relative to the robot arm 14. However, because a load is applied to the pin 42, a large output is required to move the pin 42 from the locked position P1 to the unlocked position P2.

[0036] Therefore, when the restriction on the rotation of the robot hand 16 relative to the robot arm 14 is released (unlocked), the motor shaft 34 is vibrated back and forth in the rotational direction at a vibration angle θ1. By performing this vibration process, the pin 42 can be moved from the locked position P1 to the unlocked position P2 with a small load on the pin 42 (a state in which the load on the pin 42 from the wall surface 38A is small) (see FIG. 3B ).

[0037] Next, the operation of the robot hand 16 will be described. When the drive of the robot hand 16 relative to the robot arm 14 is stopped, the pin 42 of the locking member 40 is located at the lock position P1, and a force acts on the pin 42 from one wall surface 38A due to the weight of the robot hand 16, creating a gap between the other wall surface 38A and the pin 42. When the user issues an instruction via the input unit 48 to have the robot hand 16 perform a predetermined task, the CPU 51 reads out an unlock program from the storage unit 55, expands it into the RAM 53C, and executes it, thereby executing the unlock process shown in FIG.

[0038] In step S10, an instruction to vibrate the motor shaft 34 is output to the motor 30. This causes the motor shaft 34 to vibrate back and forth in the rotational direction at a vibration angle θ1. In step S12, an instruction to move the pin 42 from the locked position P1 to the unlocked position P2 is output to the locking member 40. This causes the pin 42 to move from the locked position P1 to the unlocked position P2 while the motor shaft 34 is vibrating. In step S14, the process waits until the pin 42 is positioned at the unlocked position P2. If it is determined that the pin 42 is positioned at the unlocked position P2, an instruction to stop the vibration of the motor shaft is output in step S16, and the process ends.

[0039] In this embodiment, when the locking brake is released, the pin 42 located at the lock position P1 is vibrated, so that the pin 42 can be moved to the unlock position P2 with a reduced load from the wall surface 38A. This reduces the output required to move the pin 42, allowing the locking member 40 to be made smaller.

[0040] In addition, in this embodiment, the motor shaft 34 is vibrated back and forth in the rotational direction, so the load from the wall surface 38A can be easily reduced without detecting the movement direction to release the load from the wall surface 38A on the pin 42.

[0041] In addition, if the rotation direction that will release the load from the wall surface 38A on the pin 42 (the direction in which the pin 42 moves toward the wall surface 38A where there is a gap, the direction in which the gap narrows) can be determined from the relative positions of the robot hand 16 and the robot arm 14, the arrangement of sensors, etc., the motor shaft 34 may be rotated in that direction instead of vibrating.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the motor shaft 34 is used, so that the pin 42 can be moved with low output without adding any additional members.

[0043] Second Embodiment Next, a locking type brake release system according to a second embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment mainly in that it includes a reducer 60.

[0044] 6 and 7 , the reducer 60 includes a first gear 62, a second gear 62, a third gear 63, and a fourth gear 64. The first gear 62 is fixed to the motor shaft 34. The second gear 62 meshes with the first gear 62 to reduce the rotational speed. The third gear 63 is fixed coaxially with the second gear 62. The fourth gear 64 meshes with the third gear 63 to reduce the rotational speed. The fourth gear 64 is disposed coaxially (non-fixed) with the first gear 61. The rotation axis of the fourth gear 64 outputs a rotational driving force to the robot hand 16. A blade 36 is fixed to the motor shaft 34. In this embodiment, the blade 36 and the locking member 40 also constitute a locking brake, and the blade 36, the locking member 40, the motor shaft 34, and the controller 50 constitute a locking brake release system.

[0045] If the reduction ratio of the reducer 60 is 1 / N, the vibration angle θ2 is set to 1 / N of the angle between adjacent engagement portions 38 (30° / N in this embodiment).

[0046] In this embodiment, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0047] In this embodiment, the blade 36 is fixed to the motor shaft 34 , but the blade 36 may be fixed to the rotation shaft of the fourth gear 64 .

[0048] Third Embodiment Next, a locking type brake release system according to a third embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, parts that are the same as those in the first and second embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. This embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in that the motor shaft 34 is not vibrated, but the pin 42 of the locking member 40 is vibrated.

[0049] 8 , this embodiment is provided with a solenoid body 70 and a solenoid pin 72 that vibrate the pin 42. The solenoid pin 72 vibrates the locking member 40 back and forth in the rotational direction of the blade 36. In this embodiment, the blade 36 and the locking member 40 form a locking brake, and the blade 36, the locking member 40, the solenoid pin 72, and the controller 50 form a locking brake release system.

[0050] In this embodiment, too, when the locking brake is released, the pin 42 located at the lock position P1 is vibrated by the solenoid pin 72, so that the pin 42 can be moved to the unlock position P2 with a reduced load from the wall surface 38A. This reduces the output required to move the pin 42, allowing the locking member 40 to be made more compact.

[0051] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-086573 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All publications, patent applications, and technical standards mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent application, and technical standard was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A locking brake release method for releasing a locking brake comprising: a drive unit that supplies a rotational drive force to a rotating unit that rotates around an axis; a blade that is fixed to the rotating shaft and has an engagement unit formed thereon; and a locking member that is movable between a locked position where it engages with the engagement unit with a gap in the rotational direction to lock the rotation of the rotating shaft, and an unlocked position where it releases the engagement, wherein the locking member is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position while the engagement unit and the locking member are moved relative to each other so that the gap narrows.

2. A locking brake release method according to claim 1, wherein the relative movement is performed by vibrating the engaging portion or the locking member.

3. A lock-type brake release method as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the relative movement is performed by vibrating the rotating shaft portion in the rotational direction by the drive portion.

4. A locking brake release system comprising: a drive unit that supplies a rotational drive force to a rotating unit that rotates around an axis; a blade fixed to the rotating shaft unit and formed with an engagement unit; a locking member that is movable between a locked position that engages with the engagement unit with a gap in the rotational direction to lock the rotation of the rotating shaft unit, and an unlocked position that releases the engagement; relative movement means that moves the engagement unit and the locking member relative to each other so that the gap narrows; and a movement control unit that controls the locking member to move from the locked position to the unlocked position while the relative movement is being performed.

5. A locking type brake release system according to claim 4, wherein the relative movement means vibrates the engaging portion or the locking member.

6. A locking type brake release system as set forth in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the relative movement means vibrates the rotating shaft portion in the rotational direction using the drive portion.

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