Control device

Abstract

This control device (10) comprises: a box-shaped housing (20) that houses a control unit for controlling an industrial machine; a plurality of leg parts (30) that protrude downward from a bottom surface (22) of the housing (20) and support the housing (20); a wire body (40) that connects the control unit to the industrial machine or an external device; and a cable guide (50) that is attached to an intermediate position in the width direction of the bottom surface (22) and guides a part of the wire body (40), drawn out from a front surface (21) of the housing (20), to the rear of the housing (20) through a space below the bottom surface (22).

Description

Control device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device.

[0002] There is known a robot control device including a box-shaped housing that houses various control boards for controlling a robot, and a plurality of cables that connect the various control boards inside the housing and the robot (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this robot control device, a notch through which a cable is passed is provided on the side of the housing in order to guide the cable pulled out from the front of the housing to the rear of the housing without interfering with surrounding objects.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2023-111737

[0004] If a notch large enough to allow a plurality of cables to be inserted is provided on the side surface of the housing as in the above robot control device, the internal space of the housing will be reduced by the amount of the notch. Alternatively, in order to compensate for the internal space lost due to the notch, the housing itself has to be enlarged. Therefore, it is desired to be able to guide the cable pulled out from the front of the housing to the rear without interfering with surrounding objects or the like while preventing a reduction in the internal space of the housing and enlargement of the housing.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a control device including a box-shaped housing that houses a control unit for controlling an industrial machine, a plurality of legs that project downward from the bottom surface of the housing and support the housing, a linear body that connects the control unit and the industrial machine or an external device, and a cable guide that is attached at an intermediate position in the width direction of the bottom surface and guides a part of the linear body pulled out from the front of the housing to the rear of the housing through a space below the bottom surface.

[0006] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of a control device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. This is an enlarged view showing the wiring configuration of the wire body of the control device shown in Figure 1. This is a partial perspective view showing the bottom surface of the control device shown in Figure 1. This is a perspective view illustrating the insertion of forklift forks into the control device shown in Figure 1. This is a partial cross-sectional view of the control device shown in Figure 1 when it is lifted by a forklift. This is a partial cross-sectional view of a first modified example of the control device shown in Figure 1 when it is lifted by a forklift. This is a partial cross-sectional view of a second modified example of the control device shown in Figure 1 when it is lifted by a forklift.

[0007] A control device 10 according to one embodiment of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0008] The control device 10 is a control device for controlling industrial machinery such as a robot (not shown). The control device 10 comprises, for example, a housing 20 and four casters (legs, wheels) 30 attached to the bottom surface of the housing 20, as shown in Figure 1. The control device 10 also comprises a control unit (not shown) housed within the housing 20, a group of cables (wires) 40 connecting to the industrial machinery to be controlled, and a cable guide 50 that guides the group of cables 40 to the rear of the housing 20. Furthermore, the control device 10 comprises a pair of fork guides 60 attached to the bottom surface 22 of the housing 20. In this case, the control unit is a general term for a plurality of electronic devices and a plurality of circuit boards, etc., for controlling the industrial machinery.

[0009] The housing 20 is a component formed in the shape of a roughly rectangular box by combining metal plates such as steel. The front surface 21 of the housing 20 is provided with an opening (not shown) that opens the internal space of the housing 20 to the outside, and a door 25 is attached that can be opened and closed to close the opening.

[0010] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, a sloping surface 21c is formed on the portion of the front 21 below the door 25, sloping toward the rear of the housing 20. The sloping surface 21c is provided with various connectors 21a to which cables of external equipment (not shown) are connected, and an outlet 21b for drawing out a group of cables 40 connected to the control unit inside the housing 20 to the outside. The outlet 21b is located in the center of the width direction near the lower end of the front 21.

[0011] The casters 30 are positioned one at each of the four corners of the bottom surface 22 of the housing 20, and support the housing 20 so that it can move relative to the floor or other surface it is placed on. In other words, a gap (space) s equal to the height of the casters 30 is secured between the bottom surface 22 of the housing 20 and the floor.

[0012] The cable group 40 comprises multiple cables for transmitting power and signals output from, for example, a control unit inside the housing 20 to a drive motor or the like installed in an industrial machine. Each cable in the cable group 40 has one end connected to the control unit inside the housing 20. On the other hand, each cable in the cable group 40 that is pulled out from the outlet 21b of the inclined surface 21c curves toward the gap s below the bottom surface 22 of the housing 20.

[0013] The cable guide 50 is a trough-shaped member made by bending a strip of metal plate of uniform thickness in the width direction, resulting in a roughly U-shaped cross-section. The longitudinal dimension of the cable guide 50 is set to be the same size as the depth dimension of the bottom surface 22, that is, the distance between the front 21 and the rear surface of the housing 20. The cable guide 50 is mounted at the center of the width direction of the bottom surface 22, with its concave inner surface facing the bottom surface 22 and its longitudinal direction aligned with the depth direction of the bottom surface 22.

[0014] In other words, the cable guide 50 has a roughly rectangular cross-sectional shape and defines a space extending from the front 21 side to the rear of the housing 20, directly below the outlet 21b in the gap s below the bottom surface 22. The cable group 40, which is pulled out from the outlet 21b of the housing 20 and curved toward the rear, passes through this space. That is, the cable guide 50 has the function of maintaining the wiring configuration of the cable group 40 that is pulled out from the outlet 21b and guided toward the rear along the bottom surface 22.

[0015] As shown in Figure 3, the fork guide 60 is a member formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate of constant thickness in the width direction to create a transverse U-shape. In the example shown in Figure 3, the longitudinal dimension of the fork guide 60 is set to be shorter than the longitudinal dimension of the cable guide 50. One fork guide 60 is placed on each side of the bottom surface 22, approximately midway in the depth direction of the areas on either side of the cable guide 50. This pair of fork guides 60 are positioned with their concave inner surfaces facing each other.

[0016] More specifically, each fork guide 60 includes a fixed surface 61 fixed to the bottom surface 22, a wall surface (outer wall) 62 extending downward from one end edge of the fixed surface 61, and a parallel surface 63 extending horizontally from the lower end edge of the wall surface 62. The fixed surface 61 is fixed to the bottom surface 22 by any method, such as welding or screwing. As a result, the pair of wall surfaces 62 are positioned at a distance greater than the distance between the outer surfaces Fo of the forks F of the forklift (not shown) used to transport the control device 10, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. In addition, each parallel surface 63 is positioned parallel to the fixed surface 61 at a distance greater than the thickness of the forks F.

[0017] The operation of the control device 10 configured in this embodiment will be described below. In the following description, we will use the case where the control device 10 installed at a predetermined work site is transported to another work site by a forklift as an example.

[0018] First, the cables connected to the various connectors 21a provided on the inclined surface 21c of the front 21 of the housing 20 are removed. Also, the ends of the cable group 40 extending to the rear of the housing 20 are removed from the industrial machine, thereby separating the control device 10 from the industrial machine. Then, the ends of the removed cable group 40 are bundled together, for example, and pushed into the space formed by the cable guide 50 and the bottom surface 22 from the rear side of the housing 20. In other words, the control device 10 is separated from the peripheral equipment and industrial machine as shown in Figure 1, and the cable group 40 extending from the front 21 side is not hanging down on the floor.

[0019] Next, as shown in Figure 4, the forklift is moved closer to the front of the housing 20, and the forks F are oriented parallel to the depth direction of the housing 20. The height of the forks F is then adjusted to the height between the fixed surface 61 and the parallel surface 63 of the fork guide 60. In this state, by moving the forklift straight forward, the forks F are inserted into the space on both sides of the cable guide 50 in the gap s below the bottom surface 22. Once the tips of the forks F protrude from the rear of the housing 20, the forward movement of the forklift is stopped.

[0020] In this state, by raising the fork F, the upper surface of the fork F abuts against the fixed surface 61 of the fork guide 60 fixed to the bottom surface 22, as shown in Figure 5. Then, by raising the fork F further, the bottom surface 22 is pushed up by the fork F, and the housing 20 is lifted off the floor.

[0021] In this way, by moving the forklift while the control device 10 is still mounted on the fork F, the control device 10 can be moved to a desired location (another work area).

[0022] In this embodiment, by positioning the cable guide 50 at the center of the width direction of the bottom surface 22 of the housing 20, a wide space can be secured on both sides of the gap s below the bottom surface 22 in the width direction. As a result, the space on both sides of the cable guide 50 in the gap s can be used as space for inserting the forks F when transporting the control device 10 with a forklift. Therefore, since there is no need to attach a special jig for transporting the control device 10 with a forklift or to lift the control device 10 to place it on the forks F, the transport of the control device 10 can be made easier.

[0023] Furthermore, the cable group 40, while connected to the housing 20, is housed inside the cable guide 50. That is, the cable group 40 can be bundled together and stored in the space between the pair of forks F inserted into the gap s below the bottom surface 22 of the housing 20. Therefore, when the forks F are inserted into the gap s below the bottom surface 22, or when the forks F are raised from that position, it is possible to prevent the forks F from interfering with the cable group 40 and damaging the cable group 40.

[0024] Thus, in this embodiment, the small gap s between the bottom surface 22 of the housing 20 formed by the casters 30 and the floor surface can be used to temporarily store the cable group 40 when transporting the control device 10. This prevents a reduction in the internal space of the housing 20 or an increase in the size of the housing 20 itself, while protecting the cable group 40 during transport of the control device 10.

[0025] Furthermore, the cable guide 50 in this embodiment is formed to surround the entire circumference of the cable group 40 guided to the underside of the bottom surface 22. Therefore, it has the advantage of more reliably preventing the cable group 40 from coming into contact with the fork F or surrounding objects during transport.

[0026] Furthermore, since fork guides 60 are installed in the spaces on both sides of the cable guide 50 in the gap s, the control device 10 placed on the fork F can be moved to the destination more reliably. For example, as shown in Figure 5, when the control device 10 is lifted and transported by a forklift, the control device 10 on the fork F may shift from side to side. However, even if the control device 10 on the fork F shifts from side to side, the wall surface 62 of one of the fork guides 60 abuts against the outer surface Fo of the fork F located inside it, preventing further side-to-side shifting. As a result, the control device 10 can be moved to the destination reliably without falling from the fork F.

[0027] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the parallel surface 63 of the fork guide 60 is positioned to cover the area below the fork F that lifts the control device 10. As a result, even if the control device 10 on the fork F lifts upward due to unevenness in the road surface during transport, the parallel surface 63 acts as a stopper, preventing the control device 10 from falling off the fork F.

[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the outlet 21b is provided on the inclined surface 21c. Therefore, the curvature angle when the cable group 40 pulled out from the outlet 21b is curved toward the cable guide 50 can be reduced by the inclination angle of the inclined surface 21c. Also, since the various connectors 21a are provided on the inclined surface 21c, the mating connector connected to the connector 21a protrudes diagonally downward. Therefore, it is not necessary to make the mating connector protrude significantly forward, which has the advantage of preventing a substantial increase in the size of the control device 10.

[0029] In this embodiment, wall surfaces 62 are arranged on the widthwise outer side of a pair of forks F inserted into the gap s below the bottom surface 22. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6, wall surfaces (inner walls) 64 may be arranged inside each inner surface Fi of the pair of forks F. In this case, the wall surfaces 64 function as stoppers, preventing the control device 10 mounted on the forks F from shifting in the left-right direction.

[0030] In this embodiment, the cable guide 50 and the pair of fork guides 60 are attached separately to the bottom surface 22 of the housing 20. Alternatively, the cable guide 50 and the fork guides 60 may be formed as a single integrated unit.

[0031] For example, a guide member 70 may be formed by bending a single strip-shaped metal plate at multiple points in the width direction, and having a cable guide 50 as shown in Figure 7, with one fork guide 60 on each side thereof, attached to the bottom surface 22. In this case, the number of parts of the control device 10 can be reduced, which has the advantage of improving the manufacturability and assembly of the control device 10.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, casters 30 are exemplified as legs attached to the bottom surface 22 of the housing 20, but the legs are not limited to this. For example, height-adjustable adjusters may also be used.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the multiple cables of the cable group 40 are wired independently. Alternatively, the multiple cables of the cable group 40 may be wired together using a sheath member made of rubber material or the like.

[0034] The following further notes are disclosed regarding the above embodiments and modifications. (Note 1) A control device comprising: a box-shaped housing for housing a control unit for controlling an industrial machine; a plurality of legs protruding downward from the bottom surface of the housing and supporting the housing; a wire connecting the control unit to the industrial machine or external equipment; and a cable guide attached to an intermediate position in the width direction of the bottom surface, which guides a part of the wire extending from the front of the housing to the rear of the housing through a space below the bottom surface. (Note 2) The control device according to claim 1, wherein the cable guide surrounds the outer circumference of the wire passing through the space. (Note 3) The control device according to note 1 or note 2, wherein a pair of outer walls protruding downward from the bottom surface are provided in areas on both sides of the bottom surface flanking the cable guide, and the pair of outer walls are arranged at a distance wider than the distance between the outer surfaces of the forks of a forklift. (Note 4) The control device according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein a pair of inner walls protruding downward from the bottom surface are provided in the areas on both sides of the bottom surface flanking the cable guide, and the pair of inner walls are arranged at a distance narrower than the distance between the inner surfaces of the forks of the forklift. (Note 5) The control device according to Note 3 or claim 4, wherein a pair of parallel surfaces parallel to the bottom surface are arranged in the areas on both sides of the bottom surface flanking the cable guide, at a distance greater than the thickness of the forks. (Note 6) The control device according to any one of Notes 1 to 5, wherein the front surface is an inclined surface that slopes toward the rear of the housing as it approaches the lower end, and the linear body is drawn out from the inclined surface. (Note 7) The control device according to any one of Notes 1 to 5, wherein the legs are wheels.

[0035] 10 Control device 20 Housing 22 Bottom surface 30 Casters (legs, wheels) 40 Cable group (wires) 50 Cable guide 62 Wall surface (outer wall) 63 Parallel surface 64 Wall surface (inner wall) s Gap (space)

Claims

1. A control device comprising: a box-shaped housing for housing a control unit for controlling industrial machinery; a plurality of legs protruding downward from the bottom surface of the housing and supporting the housing; a wire connecting the control unit to the industrial machinery or external equipment; and a cable guide attached to an intermediate position in the width direction of the bottom surface, which guides a portion of the wire extending from the front of the housing to the rear of the housing through the space below the bottom surface.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the cable guide surrounds the outer circumference of the linear body passing through the space.

3. The control device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a pair of outer walls are provided in the areas on both sides of the bottom surface flanking the cable guide, and the pair of outer walls are arranged at a distance wider than the distance between the outer surfaces of the forks of the forklift.

4. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a pair of inner walls are provided in the areas on both sides of the bottom surface flanking the cable guide, and the pair of inner walls are arranged at a distance narrower than the distance between the inner surfaces of the forks of the forklift.

5. The control device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a pair of parallel surfaces parallel to the bottom surface are arranged in areas on both sides of the bottom surface, flanking the cable guide, with a spacing greater than the thickness of the fork.

6. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the front surface is an inclined surface that slopes toward the rear of the housing as it approaches the lower end, and the linear body is drawn out from the inclined surface.

7. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the leg portion is a wheel.

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