Teaching Apparatus for Industrial Robot Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current teaching apparatuses for industrial robots require operators to manually move the robot while changing welding parameters, necessitating the use of both hands and compromising safety due to the need to hold a welding protection mask, which is unfavorable in terms of operation ease and safety.
Innovation Solution
A teaching apparatus with a setting-manipulating portion, enabling switch, and robot-movement-manipulating portion positioned for easy one-handed operation, featuring a T-shaped design with buttons and switches accessible by the thumb and fingers, allowing for single-handed control of the robot's movement and parameter changes, including a sloping surface for the enabling switch and robot-manipulating portion to prevent accidental operation and reduce fatigue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the enabling switch is provided on the back face and operation buttons on the front face, then the teaching apparatus can be operated, but the operator must use both hands to press multiple buttons simultaneously, reducing ease of operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by moving the enabling switch from the back face to the front face of the teaching apparatus, creating a spatial arrangement where both the enabling switch and robot-movement buttons are accessible on the same surface. This allows the operator to access all critical controls from a single dimension (front face) rather than requiring hand coordination between two dimensions (front and back faces), thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining functional complexity.
2Reliability
If the operator holds a welding protection mask to protect from arc, then safety is improved, but the operator cannot easily operate the teaching apparatus as both hands are occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the control functions into two distinct groups: the enabling switch (power control) and the robot-movement-manipulating portion (movement control). This segmentation allows these functions to be positioned separately on the front face, enabling the operator to access them with different fingers of one hand. This resolves the contradiction by allowing safe operation with one hand while the other hand holds the welding protection mask.
3Ease of operation
If multiple buttons are positioned for easy access, then ease of operation is improved, but accidental operation may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the enabling switch and robot-movement buttons at asymmetric locations on the front face, specifically designed to be accessible by different fingers (thumb and index finger) of the same hand. This asymmetric arrangement allows easy access while reducing accidental operation because the buttons are not positioned in a way that would be naturally pressed together by inadvertent hand movements. The asymmetric layout optimizes both ease of operation and prevention of accidental activation.
Data Source
AI summary
A teaching apparatus that is connected to a control apparatus controlling a welding robot and outputs a command intended for the welding robot to the control apparatus is provided. The teaching apparatus includes a welding-parameter-manipulating portion provided on a front face and accepting an operation of changing a setting that defines a movement, of the welding robot, an enabling switch provided on a back face and accepting an operation of changing a state of electrification of the welding robot, and a robot-manipulating portion provided on the back face and accepting an operation of executing the movement of the welding robot. The welding-parameter-manipulating portion is positioned on a left side, in front view, with respect to the center, and the enabling switch and the robot-manipulating portion are positioned on a right side, in rear view, with respect to the center.