Robot

Abstract

The present invention provides a robot (100) comprising: a base (110) that is fixed to an installation surface; a rotating drum (120) that is supported so as to be capable of rotating with respect to the base (110) on a predetermined first axis (A); an arm (130) that is supported so as to be capable of rotating with respect to the rotating drum (120) on a second axis (B) disposed at a skewed position offset forward with respect to the first axis (A); a linear body (L) that is laid on the arm (130) from the base (110) via the rotating drum (120); a first fixing member (10) for fixing an intermediate position along the longitudinal direction of the linear body to the rotating drum at a location rearward from the first axis (A); and a second fixing member (20) for fixing another intermediate position along the longitudinal direction of the linear body to the arm, wherein the linear body protrudes obliquely forward or parallel to the second axis (B) from the first fixing member (10) outward in the radial direction of the revolving drum and extends toward the second fixing member (20) along a direction obliquely intersecting the second axis (B) while curving.

Description

Robot

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a robot.

[0002] There is a robot including a revolving part whose rotation axis is a predetermined vertical axis, an arm supported to be rotatable around a horizontal axis positioned forward of the vertical axis relative to the revolving part, and a linear member routed outside both of them (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). In this robot, in order to improve the durability of the linear member against the rotational motion of the arm around the horizontal axis, the linear member drawn out from the revolving part side along the vertical axis is curved toward the horizontal axis, and then arranged to obliquely intersect the horizontal axis.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-175188

[0004] In the robot as described above, when the distance between the vertical axis and the horizontal axis is short, the bending radius of the curved portion of the linear member formed for obliquely intersecting the horizontal axis becomes small, which may deteriorate the durability of the linear member. Accordingly, it is desired that the linear member routed to the rotary joint of the robot can be wired so as to obliquely intersect the axis of the rotary joint while preventing the bending radius of the linear member from becoming excessively small.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a robot including: a base fixed to an installation surface; a revolving barrel supported to be rotatable relative to the base around a predetermined first axis; an arm supported to be rotatable relative to the revolving barrel around a second axis arranged at a twisted position offset forward relative to the first axis; a linear member laid from the base to the arm via the revolving barrel; a first fixing member that fixes an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction of the linear member to the revolving barrel at a position rearward of the first axis; and a second fixing member that fixes another intermediate position in the longitudinal direction of the linear member to the arm, wherein the linear member projects radially outward of the revolving barrel from the first fixing member along a diagonally forward direction or a direction parallel to the second axis, and extends toward the second fixing member along a direction that obliquely intersects the second axis while being curved.

[0006] This is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a robot according to one of the present disclosures. This is an enlarged side view of a part of the robot shown in Figure 1. This is an enlarged top view of a part of the robot shown in Figure 1. This is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the first fixing member of the robot shown in Figure 1. This is an enlarged top view of a modified example of the robot shown in Figure 1.

[0007] A robot 100 according to one embodiment of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The robot 100 is, for example, a six-axis vertical articulated robot as shown in Figure 1.

[0008] The robot 100 comprises a base 110 installed on a horizontal surface such as a floor, and a slewing body 120 rotatably supported relative to the base 110 around a vertical first axis A. The robot 100 also comprises a first arm 130 rotatably supported relative to the slewing body 120 around a horizontal second axis B. Furthermore, the robot 100 comprises a second arm 140 rotatably supported relative to the tip of the first arm 130 around a third axis C parallel to the second axis B, and a three-axis wrist unit 150 attached to the tip of the second arm 140. In other words, the robot 100 has six rotational joints.

[0009] Furthermore, the robot 100 is equipped with a linear body L that extends from the base 110 to the tip of the wrist unit 150 and transmits power and control signals for operating motors provided at each rotary joint. In addition, as shown in Figure 2, the robot 100 is equipped with a first fixing member 10 and a second fixing member 20 that fix intermediate positions in the longitudinal direction of different linear bodies L to the swivel body 120 and the first arm 130, respectively. In this embodiment, the robot 100 is also equipped with a balancer 160 positioned between the swivel body 120 and the first arm 130.

[0010] As shown in Figure 2, the base 110 is a box-shaped member with a hollow section 111 formed inside. A distribution board 112 is attached to one side of the base 110 (in this case, the side facing the rear of the robot 100). One end of an external cable (not shown) extending from an externally installed power supply unit and control unit (not shown) is connected to the distribution board 112. In addition, a through hole 110h is provided on the upper surface of the base 110, which includes the first axis A and extends along the first axis A.

[0011] The slewing drum 120 is supported on the upper surface of the base 110 so as to be rotatable about the first axis A, with a reduction gear 115 having a hollow hole that penetrates along the first axis A interposed therebetween. The slewing drum 120 also includes a main body portion 121 that includes the first axis A and has a through hole 120h extending along the first axis A. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the slewing drum 120 includes a pair of wall-shaped support portions 122 and 123 that extend vertically upward from both ends of the main body portion 121 in the direction of the second axis B, and face each other parallel to one another.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, a motor M and a reduction gear 125 positioned between the motor M and the first arm 130 are fixed to the support portion 122. In this case, the reduction gear 125 reduces the rotation of the motor M's rotating shaft and transmits it to the first arm 130, thereby supporting the first arm 130 so that it can rotate around the second axis B relative to the slewing drum 120. That is, the first arm 130 is cantilevered to the support portion 122 of the slewing drum 120 with the reduction gear 125 in between.

[0013] As shown in Figure 2, the support portion 123 is formed in a shape that significantly avoids the front side, that is, the first arm 130. Therefore, the side of the first arm 130 on the support portion 123 side is largely exposed to the outside. On the other hand, a through hole 123h is formed on the rear side of the support portion 123, penetrating in the direction of the wall thickness. Two screw holes (not shown) for fixing the first fixing member 10, which will be described later, are formed in the portion of the peripheral edge of the through hole 123h that is located behind the first axis A.

[0014] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, through holes 125h are formed on the rear side of the support portions 122 and 123, through which shafts 165 pass, each supporting a balancer 160 positioned between them so as to be rotatable around an axis B1 parallel to the second axis B. Here, the balancer 160 is a so-called spring balancer, comprising a housing 161, a coil spring (not shown) housed within the housing 161, and a piston (not shown) pressably connected to one end of the coil spring. The balancer 160 also includes a rod 162, one end of which is fixed to the piston within the housing 161, and the other end of which protrudes outside the housing 161.

[0015] As shown in Figure 2, the first arm 130 is a long arm member having a longitudinal axis. Furthermore, a pair of flanges 131 are formed at the base end of the first arm 130, spaced apart in the direction of the second axis B, and each projecting radially outward from the second axis B. The tip of the rod 162 of the balancer 160 is inserted between the pair of flanges 131, and this tip is rotatably supported around an axis B2 parallel to the second axis B relative to the pair of flanges 131. In other words, by applying the elastic force of the coil spring of the balancer 160 to the base end of the first arm 130, the torque (load) around the second axis B acting on the motor M due to the weight of the first arm 130 is reduced.

[0016] Furthermore, two screw holes (not shown) for fixing the second fixing member 20, which will be described later, are formed on the side of the first arm 130 on the base end side of the support portion 123. In the example shown in Figure 2, these two screw holes are located on the tip side of the first arm 130 relative to the second axis B.

[0017] The first fixing member 10 includes, for example, a first member 11 and a second member 12 that are detachably assembled to each other by a plurality of bolts s1, as shown in Figure 4.

[0018] The first member 11 is an elongated plate-shaped member made of a metal such as an aluminum alloy, and is formed in a shape in which it is bent in the thickness direction by an angle of less than 90° at an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction. A fixing portion 11a is formed on one end of the first member 11 in the longitudinal direction, which can be in close contact with the surface on which the screw holes are formed at the periphery of the through hole 123h. Two through holes 10h that penetrate in the thickness direction are formed in the fixing portion 11a at positions corresponding to the two screw holes on the periphery of the through hole 123h. On the other end of the first member 11 in the longitudinal direction, a guide portion (first guide portion) 11b is formed, which allows the wire body L to be routed along it. The guide portion 11b is provided with four screw holes (not shown) into which bolts s1 for attaching the second member 12 are fastened.

[0019] The second member 12 is formed by bending a metal plate, such as an aluminum alloy, which has been punched into a roughly rectangular shape, in the thickness direction. Specifically, the second member 12 comprises a roughly U-shaped holding portion 12a and a pair of flanges 12b extending outward from both ends of the holding portion 12a. Each flange 12b has two through holes (not shown) that penetrate in the thickness direction of the plate. The four through holes formed in both flanges 12b are positioned to correspond to the four screw holes formed in the guide portion 11b of the first member 11.

[0020] Furthermore, a wire support member (not shown) made of an elastic material such as rubber may be arranged inside the holding portion 12a to support the wire L. This wire support member has a groove formed in it that allows the wire L to fit snugly when, for example, the second member 12 is assembled to the first member 11 and the wire L is sandwiched at an intermediate position in its longitudinal direction between the guide portion 11b and the holding portion 12a. This ensures that the intermediate position in the longitudinal direction of the wire L between the guide portion 11b and the holding portion 12a is securely fixed to the first fixing member 10.

[0021] The first fixing member 10, configured in this way, is fixed to the slewing body 120 by fastening a bolt that passes through the through hole of the fixing part 11a to a threaded hole on the periphery of the through hole 123h. In this state, as shown in Figure 3, the guide part 11b extends radially inward from the support part 123 through the through hole 123h. Therefore, the wire body L is fixed to the guide part 11b by placing the holding part 12a over the wire body L which is aligned with the guide part 11b and fixing both flanges 12b to the guide part 11b with four bolts s1. In other words, since an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction of the wire body L is fixed along the guide part 11b, the wire body L passes through the through hole 123h in the direction toward the second axis B (diagonally forward).

[0022] The second fixing member 20 is a member configured in the same way as the first fixing member 10, and as shown in Figure 2, comprises a first member 21 and a second member 22 that is detachably attached to the first member 21.

[0023] In other words, the first member 21, like the first member 11 of the first fixing member 10, is a long, slender metal plate that has been bent at an angle less than 90° at an intermediate position in its longitudinal direction. One end of the first member 21 is provided with a fixing portion 21a that can be closely attached to the side surface of the first arm 130 on the support portion 123 side. This fixing portion 21a has two through holes (not shown) at positions corresponding to the two screw holes provided on the side surface of the first arm 130 on the support portion 123 side, so that the two can be fixed together with bolts. The other end of the first member 21 is formed with a guide portion (second guide portion) 21b along which the linear body L follows. This guide portion 21b, like the guide portion 11b, is provided with four screw holes (not shown) for fixing the second member 22.

[0024] The second member 22 has the same shape as the second member 12 of the first fixing member 10, and is fixed to the guide portion 21b, thereby fixing the wire body L by sandwiching it. In other words, as shown in Figure 2, the second member 22 has a holding portion 22a and a flange 22b that correspond to the holding portion 12a and flange 12b of the first fixing member 10. Furthermore, a wire body support member similar to the holding portion 12a may be arranged inside the holding portion 22a.

[0025] In other words, the second fixing member 20 is fixed with its fixing portion 21a to the side of the first arm 130 on the support portion 123 side, so that the guide portion 21b is positioned at an angle away from the side of the first arm 130 on the support portion 123 side. That is, the wire L fixed along the guide portion 21b of the second fixing member 20 is wired diagonally across the second axis B.

[0026] The operation of the robot 100 configured in this embodiment will be described below. The wire body L, which is drawn out from inside the base 110 of the robot 100 according to this embodiment and extends upward from the slewing body 120, is fixed at an intermediate position in its longitudinal direction along the guide portion 11b of the first fixing member 10. That is, as shown in Figure 3, the wire body L is wired in a manner that it passes through the through hole 123h of the support portion 123, diagonally forward and radially outward. The wire body L that has passed through the support portion 123 then extends toward the second axis B while curving in an arc shape and is fixed to the second fixing member 20.

[0027] This allows the filament L to intersect the second axis B at an angle. Therefore, when the first arm 130 rotates around the second axis B relative to the swivel cylinder 120, the filament L between the first fixing member 10 and the second fixing member 20 can be deformed not only in the bending direction but also in the torsional direction around the second axis B. In other words, the bending load on the filament L between the first fixing member 10 and the second fixing member 20 is reduced by the amount of torsional deformation that occurs. Consequently, when the first arm 130 rotates around the second axis B, the bending durability of the filament L can be improved compared to when the filament L deforms only in the bending direction.

[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the first fixing member 10 is fixed to the slewing body 120 behind the first axis A, the distance between the first fixing member 10 and the second fixing member 20 is greater than the distance between the first axis A and the second axis B. Therefore, the length of the portion of the filament L between the first fixing member 10 and the second fixing member 20 can be made longer, and the bending radius of that portion can be prevented from becoming excessively small. As a result, the bending durability of the filament L between the first fixing member 10 and the second fixing member 20 can be improved.

[0029] Furthermore, in this case, the guide portion 11b of the first fixing member 10 extends diagonally forward, that is, toward the second axis B. As a result, the wire body L, which is pulled upward from the base 110, passes through the through hole 123h and is routed radially outward along the direction toward the second axis B. Therefore, the portion of the wire body L between the first fixing member 10 and the second fixing member 20 can be curved toward the second axis B more smoothly.

[0030] Furthermore, in this case, the guide portion 11b is positioned in a region radially inward from the support portion 123. This has the advantage of allowing the linear body L to be guided toward the second axis B without causing any metal components that could potentially injure surrounding objects or people to protrude outward from the outermost edge of the rotating body 120.

[0031] Furthermore, as described above, the filament L drawn out from within the base 110 passes through the through hole 123h provided in the support portion 123 and extends toward the second axis B. This eliminates the need for the filament L drawn out from within the base 110 to make a large detour around the outside of the rotating body 120. Therefore, the length of the filament L can be kept to the minimum necessary length.

[0032] In this embodiment, the filamentous body L pulled out from inside the base 110 was passed through the through hole 123h diagonally forward, but the direction in which the filamentous body L passes through the through hole 123h is not limited to this.

[0033] For example, as shown in Figure 5, the wire body L pulled out from inside the base 110 may be wired so that it passes through the through hole 123h in a direction parallel to the second axis B. In this case, the angle between the fixing portion 11a and the guide portion 11b of the first fixing member 10 should be 90°, and the guide portion 11b should be positioned parallel to the second axis B, so that the fixing portion 11a is in close contact with the outer surface of the support portion 123.

[0034] This allows the tip of the guide portion 11b to be brought closer to the through hole 120h of the main body portion 121 of the rotating body 120. Therefore, even if the distance between the through hole 120h and the through hole 123h of the support portion 123 is relatively short, the filament L pulled out from the through hole 120h can be easily fixed along the guide portion 11b. Thus, even if the robot 100 is relatively small, the bending durability of the filament L on the base end side of the first fixing member 10 can be avoided.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2 and other figures, the case in which the first fixing member 10 and the second fixing member 20 fix a single wire L has been described as an example. Alternatively, the first fixing member 10 and the second fixing member 20 may each fix multiple wires L together. In this case, for example, the wire support member, which is arranged inside the holding portions 12a and 22a of the first fixing member 10 and the second fixing member 20, should have enough grooves to support all of the wires L to be fixed.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a wiring method for the filament L in the rotary joint between the swivel body 120 and the first arm 130 of the robot 100 has been illustrated. Alternatively, the filament L can be wired to other rotary joints of the robot 100 in the same manner as described above by arranging the first fixing member 10 and the second fixing member 20 in the same manner.

[0037] Although embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above, this disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. These embodiments can be added, replaced, modified, partially deleted, etc., in any way that does not depart from the gist of the invention or from the spirit and intent of the invention derived from the claims and their equivalents. For example, the order of operations and processes in the embodiments described above are shown as examples only and are not limited thereto.

[0038] With respect to the above embodiments and modifications, the following additional notes are disclosed. (Addendum 1) A robot comprising: a base fixed to a surface to be installed; a slewing body rotatably supported with respect to the base around a predetermined first axis; an arm rotatably supported with respect to the slewing body around a second axis positioned at a twisted position offset forward with respect to the first axis; a wire laid from the base through the slewing body to the arm; a first fixing member that fixes the wire at an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction to the slewing body behind the first axis; and a second fixing member that fixes another intermediate position in the longitudinal direction to the arm, wherein the wire extends radially outward from the slewing body from the first fixing member in a direction diagonally forward or parallel to the second axis, and curves toward the second fixing member in a direction diagonally intersecting the second axis. (Note 2) The robot according to Note 1, wherein the first fixing member comprises a first guide portion that guides the wire in a direction diagonally forward or parallel to the second axis. (Note 3) The robot according to Note 2, wherein the first guide portion is arranged to extend radially inward from the outermost edge of the slewing cylinder. (Note 4) The robot according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein the second fixing member comprises a second guide portion that guides the wire in a direction diagonally intersecting the second axis. (Note 5) The robot according to any one of Notes 1 to 4, wherein a balancer is provided between the slewing cylinder and the arm to reduce the load on the arm when it rotates around the second axis, the slewing cylinder comprises a pair of wall-shaped support portions that support the balancer from both sides in the direction of the second axis, and the wire passes through a through hole extending in the wall thickness direction provided in one of the support portions. (Note 6) The robot according to Note 5, wherein the first fixing member is fixed to the periphery of the through hole.

[0039] 10 First fixing member 11b Guide section (first guide section) 21b Guide section (second guide section) 20 Second fixing member 100 Robot 110 Base 120 Swivel body 122 Support section 123 Support section 123h Through hole 130 First arm (arm) 160 Balancer A First axis B Second axis L Linear body

Claims

1. A robot comprising: a base fixed to a surface to be installed; a slewing body rotatably supported with respect to the base around a predetermined first axis; an arm rotatably supported with respect to the slewing body around a second axis positioned at a twisted position offset forward with respect to the first axis; a wire laid from the base through the slewing body to the arm; a first fixing member fixing the wire at an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction to the slewing body behind the first axis; and a second fixing member fixing another intermediate position in the longitudinal direction to the arm, wherein the wire extends radially outward from the slewing body from the first fixing member in a direction diagonally forward or parallel to the second axis, and curves toward the second fixing member in a direction diagonally intersecting the second axis.

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the first fixing member comprises a first guide portion that guides the linear body diagonally forward or in a direction parallel to the second axis.

3. The robot according to claim 2, wherein the first guide portion is arranged to extend radially inward from the outermost edge of the rotating drum.

4. The robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second fixing member comprises a second guide portion that guides the wire body in a direction that intersects the second axis at an oblique angle.

5. The robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a balancer is provided between the slewing body and the arm to reduce the load on the arm when it rotates around the second axis, the slewing body is provided with a pair of wall-shaped support parts that support the balancer from both sides in the direction of the second axis, and the wire body passes through a through hole extending in the wall thickness direction provided in one of the support parts.

6. The robot according to claim 5, wherein the first fixing member is fixed to the peripheral edge of the through hole.

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