JP3354426B2 - Industrial robot equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an industrial robot that performs various types of processing on a workpiece in a factory,
In particular, the present invention relates to a technique for synchronizing a work conveyed by a hanger and a robot that processes the work.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a factory for processing a body of an automobile, as schematically shown in FIG. 8, a body 01 as a work is supported by a hanger 02, and the hanger 02 is hung on a transport rail 03, and The body 01 is configured to be transported by engaging a drive claw 06 provided on a chain 05 driven by a motor 04 along a transfer rail 03 with an engagement claw 07 of a hanger 02 to transmit the drive. And the body 0 conveyed in this way
The work such as welding and nut tightening is performed while moving the work means 09 at the tip of the robot 08 along 1. In the drawing, reference numeral 010 denotes a control unit for controlling the driving of the robot 08. In such a configuration, the control unit 010 detects a moving speed (position) of the hanger 02 by receiving a signal from the pulse generator 011 that generates a pulse in accordance with the driving of the motor 04,
The driving of the robot 08 is controlled accordingly. Further, as other conventional techniques, for example, an industrial robot described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-213985 or a tracking device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-111893 is known. The former industrial robot
A linear scale provided along the conveyor, an engaging body provided on the linear scale to engage with a hanger flowing through the conveyor, and an air cylinder for pushing the engaging body back from the end position to the start position; Are configured to magnetically detect the position of the engagement body. Then, in this industrial robot, when the hanger is conveyed, the engaging body disposed at the starting point engages with the hanger, and based on this engagement, the engaging body moves with the hanger,
When the end point is reached, the engaging body is pushed back to the starting point by the air cylinder, and while the engaging body moves from the starting point to the end point, the linear scale detects the position of the hanger by detecting the position of the engaging body. That is.
Further, the latter tracking device is provided with a plurality of optical sensors for detecting the position of the work to be conveyed as described above, and detects the position of the work three-dimensionally based on signals from these sensors. The drive of the robot is controlled based on the position.

[0003]

However, FIG.
In the prior art shown in (1), the speed of the body (work) 01 is detected by a signal from the pulse generator 011 and the movement of the body 01 and the operation of the robot 08 are synchronized based on this. Although there is an advantage that the configuration is simple and inexpensive, the work and the operation of the robot cannot be completely synchronized for the following reasons. In the configuration in which the hanger 02 is engaged with the chain 05 to move the hanger 02 and the body 01,
The drive claw 06 of the chain 05 and the engagement claw 07 of the hanger 02 are always engaged because the friction between the transfer rail 03 and the hanger 02 is not constant or the transfer rail 03 is inclined. Not something. That is, both claws 0
After the engagement of 6,07, the hanger 02 is pushed by the chain 05 and moves ahead of the chain 05 (go), then stops once (stop), and the claws 06,07 engage again to move. May be repeated such as starting (go), or if the hanger 02 collides with the preceding hanger 02 or if there is an inclination such that the transport rail 03 goes up in the traveling direction. In some cases, a go-back phenomenon occurs in which the vehicle goes back after the go (the hanger 02 once advances). Thus, at the time of go-stop or go-back, the engagement of the claws 06 and 07 is released, and the hanger 02 moves at the same speed as the chain 05 when the engagement is released. No longer. As described above, although the movement of the chain 05 and the movement of the hanger 02 are not always synchronized, in this technique, the signal of the pulse generator 011 synchronized with the motor 04 for driving the chain 05 is applied to the signal of the robot 08. Since the driving is synchronized, the movement of the robot 08 may not be synchronized with the movement of the body 01, and in this case, there is a possibility that a work defect may occur. Further, in the industrial robot described in the former publication, when the hanger performs the go-stop as described above, the engagement between the hanger and the engaging body is maintained, and the linear scale is based on the position of the engaging body. Can detect the position of the hanger, but when the above-mentioned go-back is performed, the hanger and the engaging body are disengaged when the hanger is backed, and the position of the hanger can be accurately determined from the position of the engaging body. Can no longer be detected. Therefore, also in this case, there is a possibility that a work defect occurs.

On the other hand, in the following apparatus described in the latter publication, the position of the work can be detected three-dimensionally, and the drive of the robot can be completely synchronized with the movement of the work. However, there is a problem that a plurality of optical sensors are required and the cost is high. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems,
It is an object of the present invention to accurately synchronize the operation of a robot with the movement of a workpiece by using inexpensive means to improve the operation accuracy of the robot.

[0005]

The above object is achieved.
Therefore , the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a working means for performing a predetermined work such as welding or nut tightening on a work to be worked, and a moving means for freely moving the working means, A robot capable of executing the work while moving the work means in accordance with a program, and a transfer routed over a work range where the robot is installed and the robot is movable. A rail, a hanger movable along the transfer rail and capable of supporting the work, a power chain driven endlessly along the transfer rail by a driving force provided by a driving unit, A drive claw provided on the chain and engageable with an engagement claw provided on the hanger, wherein the drive claw is engaged with the engagement claw. An industrial robot apparatus configured such that a driving force is applied to a hanger from a power chain and a work moves along with a hanger along a transfer rail, and the robot performs a predetermined operation on the moving work. Is provided within the working range of the above, a cylinder device that expands and contracts in the transport direction of the hanger is provided. A piston rod, and an engagement head provided at a distal end portion of the piston rod and capable of engaging and disengaging one of the hanger and the workpiece, and engaging two chambers defined by the piston. Pressure control means is provided for forming a pressure difference that moves the piston in a direction in which the head engages with the hanger, and a piston side with respect to the cylinder is provided. A position detection sensor for detecting a paired position is provided, and a control unit for inputting a signal from the position detection sensor to control the operation of the robot and the engagement head is provided. The control unit is provided with a hanger in a working range of the robot. And detecting that the workpiece has been sent, engaging the engagement head with one of the hanger and the workpiece, and operating the robot based on the detection value of the position detection sensor. Features. The invention according to claim 2 is the industrial robot device according to claim 1 , wherein the position detection sensor is a linear encoder built in the cylinder device and outputting a signal according to the position of the piston. And According to a third aspect of the invention, the industrial robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position detection sensor includes a movable member interlocked with the engagement head provided outside of the cylinder device, the position of the moving member And a pulse generator that outputs a pulse signal in accordance with

[0006]

[0007]

[0008]

The operation of the invention will be described. work
The target work is supported by the hanger and
Hanged. And along this transport rail
The drive pawl provided on the moving power chain
Engage with the engaging claw provided on the hanger to
Is transmitted to the hanger to support the workpiece.
The hanger moves along the transport rail. This hanger
When moving, the engaging hook of the hanger and the drive of the power chain
The pawl does not always maintain the engaged state.
When the driving force is transmitted from the driving claw to the
Or move away from the moving nails
Also, after this go, the driving force from the driving claw
The hanger may stop due to lack of input (the
And a transport rail after this stop.
Slope or hanger collides with preceding hanger
And then go back (this is called back)
In other words, go-stop and go-back movements
It is transported while returning. In this way,
When the hanger and the work are transported to the work area of the robot, the control unit detects it and
First, the engaging head of the cylinder device is engaged with a hanger or a work. Therefore, the engaging head moves together with the hanger and the work, and accordingly, the cylinder device extends or contracts. At this time, there is a pressure difference between the two chambers in the cylinder of the cylinder device,
The engagement between the engaging head and the hanger or the work is maintained by this pressure difference, that is, even if the hanger makes a go-stop or go-back movement, the cylinder device is caused by the pressure difference between the two chambers. The engagement head follows the movement of the hanger and the workpiece by the shortening or extension stroke of the work. In the cylinder device, a position on the piston side with respect to the cylinder (the piston side indicates a piston or a member connected to the piston rod and includes a piston rod and an engagement head) is detected by a position detection sensor. The control unit operates the robot based on the detection value of the position detection sensor. That is, as described above, the engagement head follows the movement of the hanger and the work, and the engagement head is connected to the piston via the piston rod. Therefore, the detection value of the position detection sensor indicates the positions of the hanger and the work. When the position detecting sensor detects the position on the piston side, a signal is output from the linear encoder according to the position of the piston in the invention described in claim 2 , and in the invention described in claim 3 , the signal is generated from the pulse generator. A signal is output according to the position of the member that moves in conjunction with the engagement head that is operated.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In describing the embodiments, a description will be given of an example of an automobile production line. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is an overall view showing an industrial robot apparatus according to a first embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a transport rail, which is routed along an upper part of a factory line. A hanger 3 is suspended from the transport rail 1.
The hanger 3 is a roller 3 that rolls on the transport rail 1.
b are provided, and a frame 3c for supporting the work 4 is provided. A power rail 5 is routed along the transport rail 1 above the transport rail 1. On the power rail 5, a roller 6a connected to a power chain 6 is provided so as to roll. That is, as shown in the figure, the rollers 6a are connected to the power chain 6 at predetermined intervals, and
The driving force can be transmitted by the motor 7, and the power chain 6 is configured to move endlessly along the power rail 5 when the first motor 7 is driven.
In the figure, the left direction in the figure is the traveling direction of the work 4. The power chain 6 has driving claws 6b projecting downward at predetermined intervals. The drive claw 6b is configured to be able to engage in the transport direction with an engagement claw 3e protruding upward at a front end of an arm 3d extending back and forth from the hanger 3. That is, when the power chain 6 is moved by the driving force of the first motor 7, the driving claw 6b and the engaging claw 3e are engaged, and the hanger 3 moves at the same speed as the power chain 6 along the transport rail 1. Thus, the work 4 supported by the hanger 3 moves along the factory line.

On the factory floor below the transfer rail 1,
A robot 8 is provided. The robot 8 is provided with a working means 8b at the tip of an arm 8a for performing, for example, welding or tightening a nut.
The robot 8 may be fixed to the floor surface or provided so as to be movable on the floor surface. In any case, based on the control of the control unit 9, the working unit 8b is transported. The work is performed while moving with the work 4. In the first embodiment, the robot 8 is fixed to the floor, and the work unit 8b
Moves within a range that can be moved by the arm 8a. The first motor 7 is provided with a pulse generator 10, and a signal synchronized with the driving of the first motor 7 is input to the control unit 9. The configuration described above is the same as in the related art.

Hereinafter, a characteristic configuration of the present invention will be described. A traveling device 11 is provided along a line in a work range in which the robot 8 works. The traveling device 11 uses the same device as that generally used to move the robot 8 from the past. The traveling device 11 is rotated by the second motor 12 as a driving source, Also, the shaft center is arranged in parallel with the line, a running shaft not shown in which the outer periphery is spirally threaded, and a screw which is screwed with the outer circumferential screw of the running shaft is provided on the inner periphery. And a traveling body 13 that moves in the transport direction with the rotation of the traveling shaft. Therefore, the second motor 1
When the vehicle 2 is driven, the traveling body 13 moves in the left-right direction in FIG. 1 in accordance with the rotation direction. An arm 14 is erected on the traveling body 13.
A pressure sensor 15 is provided at the upper end of the. The pressure sensor 15 has a contact 15a that makes surface contact with the rear surface of the lower end of the frame 3c of the hanger 3, and is configured to be able to detect the contact pressure of the contact 15a. Incidentally, in the first embodiment, the rails 1 and 5 are slightly curved at the right end portion in the drawing, and even if the hanger 3 moves from the right side in the drawing, the position shown in the drawing (this position is the origin position). And described later)
So that it does not collide with the pressure sensor 15 disposed in the first position. The detection value of the pressure sensor 15 is input to the control unit 9. In addition, the transport rail 1 includes:
When the hanger 3 arrives at the work start position in the work range of the robot 8, it is detected by the collision of the engaging claws 3 e (in the present embodiment, it is ON at the time of the collision and OFF at other times). Hanger arrival sensor 16,
When the hanger 3 arrives at the end point of the working range of the robot 8, it is detected by the collision of the engaging claws 3 e (in the present embodiment, it is ON at the time of collision and OFF at other times). A sensor 17 is provided, and detection signals from these sensors 16 and 17 are also input to the control unit 9.

The control unit 9 controls the robot 8 based on inputs from the sensors 15, 16 and 17.
The control flow of the control unit 9 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. Note that, regardless of the operation or non-operation of the robot 8, the first
When the motor 7 is driven to move the power chain 6, and when the engaging claw 3e is engaged with the driving claw 6b of the power chain 6, the hanger 3 is moved together with the work 4 from right to left in FIG. Before the start of the operation of the robot 8, the robot 8 and the traveling body 13 are located at predetermined origin positions. Hanger 3 as described above
Moves, and the front end of the hanger 3 is moved to the hanger arrival sensor 16.
, The output of the hanger arrival sensor 16 changes from OFF to ON, the process proceeds from step S1 to S2, and the control unit 9 starts driving the second motor 12. At this time, the control unit 9 drives the second motor 12 to move the traveling body 13 at a speed slightly higher than the speed of the power chain 6 obtained based on the signal obtained from the pulse generator 10. Therefore, the traveling body 13 started from behind the hanger 3 catches up with the hanger 3, and the contact 15 a of the pressure sensor 15 contacts the rear surface of the lower end of the hanger 3. And the control unit 9
Proceeds to step S3, and drives the second motor 12 by feedback control based on the detection value of the pressure sensor 15. That is, the feedback control is to control the driving of the second motor 12 so that the detection value of the pressure sensor 15 always falls within a predetermined range. For example, the traveling speed of the hanger 3 is set to be lower than the traveling speed of the traveling body 13. If the speed is too slow, the detection value of the pressure sensor 15 will be higher than the predetermined range. Therefore, the traveling speed of the traveling body 13 is reduced to fall within this range. If the speed is higher than the speed, the detection value of the pressure sensor 15 becomes lower than a predetermined range. Therefore, the second motor 1 increases the running speed of the running body 13 so as to fall within this range.
As a result of the feedback control, the traveling body 13 can accurately follow the movement of the hanger 3 even if the hanger 3 performs a go-stop or a go-back. become. This step S
In the step 3, the robot 8 is operated in synchronization with the drive of the second motor 12 at the same time as the feedback control of the second motor 12. That is, as a result of the feedback control, the traveling body 13 follows the movement of the hanger 3, and the operation of the robot 8 is synchronized with the driving of the second motor 12 that moves the traveling body 13, so that the robot 8 can work. The work is performed corresponding to the position 4 exactly.
Thereafter, in step S4, it is determined whether or not the operation of the robot 8 has been completed. If the operation has been completed, the process proceeds to step S5. If not, the process proceeds to step S6, and the overrun detection sensor 17 is ON or OFF. Is determined, the process returns to step S3 if OFF, and proceeds to step S7 if ON. That is, if the operation of the robot 8 is completed successfully, the process proceeds to step S5. If the hanger 3 moves to the end point before the operation of the robot 8 is completed, the process proceeds to step S7. Then, when the robot 8 finishes the work smoothly and proceeds to step S5, the control unit 9 returns the traveling body 13 of the traveling device 11 and the robot 8 to the origin position. On the other hand, if the hanger 3 overruns and moves to the end position before the work of the robot 8 is finished, work non-completion processing is performed (step S7). This work incomplete processing means, for example, that the work of the robot 8 is stopped and displayed, or the line is temporarily stopped (the drive of the first motor 7 is stopped). , Etc., until the process is completed. After completing the work incomplete processing, the process proceeds to step S5. As described above, in the first embodiment, by performing the feedback control based on the detection value of the pressure sensor 15, even if a movement such as a go-stop or a go-back occurs in the hanger 3, the traveling body 13 is moved. The hanger 3 is moved in synchronism with the hanger 3 by the feedback control of the pressure sensor 15, and further, the work of the robot 8 is performed in synchronism with the second motor 12 which is a driving source of the traveling body 13. Even if go-back occurs, the robot 8 can perform the work while accurately following the workpiece 4, and this can be performed without providing a plurality of expensive optical sensors and using the control unit 9 Control can be performed by simple feedback control and synchronous control. You can achieve the object of improving the.

In the first embodiment, the pressure sensor 15
Is made to contact the hanger and the work 4 from behind, but may be made to contact from the front. Further, in the first embodiment, the collision between the hanger 3 and the pressure sensor 15 at the origin position is avoided by the curved transfer rail 1, but the arm 14 is configured to be extendable and contractable. After passing through the arm 3, the arm 14 may be extended so that the pressure sensor 15 is arranged at a height at which the pressure sensor 15 comes into contact with the hanger 3. Incidentally, in the configuration in which the pressure sensor 15 comes into contact with the hanger 3 from the front, when the pressure sensor 15 is returned to the origin position, the arm 14 is contracted and returned to the origin position without interfering with the hanger 3. Although the pressure sensor 15 is configured to contact the hanger 3 in the first embodiment, the pressure sensor 15 may be configured to contact the work 4.

(Embodiment 2) Next, Embodiment 2 shown in FIGS. Note that the second embodiment
In describing, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted.
The transport rail 1, hanger 3, power rail 5, power chain 6, robot 8, hanger arrival sensor 16, and overrun detection sensor 17 have the same configuration as in the first embodiment.
The transport rail 1 is provided with an air cylinder 21 having a built-in linear encoder. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the inside of the air cylinder 21 is defined as a right chamber 21b and a left chamber 21c by a piston 21a slidably provided therein. A pressure control valve 28 for supplying and discharging air to slide the piston 21a is provided. A rotary actuator 21e is provided at the tip of a piston rod 21d connected to the piston 21a, and a rectangular plate-shaped hanger engaging head 21f is provided eccentrically to the drive shaft of the rotary actuator 21e. The hanger engagement head 21f is configured to be rotatable between an engagement position shown in FIG. 5A and a disengagement position shown in FIG. 5B. That is, the hanger engaging head 2
1f is capable of engaging with an engaging plate 3p projecting upward from the upper end of the hanger 3 in the engaging position of FIG. 5A in the traveling direction of the hanger 3 (see FIG. 4). , FIG. 5 (b)
In the disengaged position, the hanger 3 cannot swing and engage with the engaging plate 3p in the traveling direction of the hanger 3.
The pressure control valve 28 controls the air pressure of the left and right chambers 21 b and 21 c of the air cylinder 21 and the left chamber 21 c
In this state, the air cylinder 21 is automatically adjusted so as to always be higher than the pressure b by a predetermined pressure. Therefore, when no external force is applied to the hanger engaging head 21f of the air cylinder 21, the air cylinder 21 is shortened as shown in FIG. It is configured to be. A well-known linear encoder (not shown) is provided inside the air cylinder 21.
The position of the piston 21a can be detected, and this detection signal is input to the control unit 29 shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, the robot 8 is configured to be movable in the transport direction of the workpiece 4 by the robot traveling shaft 22 having the same configuration as the traveling device 11 described in the first embodiment.

The control unit 29 includes the pulse generator 10, the hanger arrival sensor 16,
A signal is input from a linear encoder in addition to the overrun detection sensor 17 to control the driving of the first motor 7 and the rotary actuator 21e. Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, at the start of operation, the air cylinder 21 is shortened as shown in FIG. 4, and the hanger engaging head 21f is arranged at the illustrated engaging position, which is set as the origin position. Also, the control unit 29
, A signal indicating the driving state of the first motor 7 is constantly input from the pulse generator 10. When the hanger 3 flows into the working range of the robot 8, the hanger 3
6 is switched from OFF to ON by tapping, and the engagement plate 3p provided at the upper end of the hanger 3 engages with the hanger engagement head 21f. Therefore, the pressure difference between the left and right chambers 21b and 21c caused by the air cylinder 21 shortens. The air cylinder 21 is extended with the movement of the hanger 3 against the operation, and the linear encoder incorporated with the movement of the piston 21a at this time moves the signal indicating the position of the piston 21a,
That is, a signal indicating the positions of the hanger 3 and the work 4 is output. At the time of arrival of the hanger 3, the control unit 29 proceeds from step S21 to step S22.
The operation of the robot 8 is executed based on the detected positions of the hanger 3 and the work 4 obtained based on the output of the linear encoder. At this time, as described above, the air cylinder 12 is loaded in the shortening direction based on the pressure difference between the two chambers 21b and 21c, and the hanger engaging head 21f
Acts to constantly push back the plate 3p of the hanger 3. Therefore, hanger 3 is a go stop or go
Even if it moves like a back, the hanger engagement head 21f
Is always kept in contact with the engaging plate 3p of the hanger 3, so that the positions of the hanger 3 and the work 4 are always accurately detected. Although omitted in the flowchart, when the hanger arrives, the vehicle type signal is determined, and the work content of the robot 8 set in advance according to the vehicle type is selected. During the operation of the robot 8, it is determined whether or not an overrun is detected before the end of the operation, as in the first embodiment (step S2).
3, S24). In this case, the robot 8 without overrun
Is completed, the process proceeds to step S26, and the rotary actuator 21e is driven to rotate the hanger engaging head 21f to the disengaging position (see FIG. 5B). When the hanger engagement head 21f is rotated to the disengagement position in this manner, the engagement with the engagement plate 3p is released,
The air cylinder 21 is automatically shortened based on the pressure difference between the two chambers 21b and 21c and returns to the home position. And
The control unit 29 performs control to return the robot 8 to the origin position (step S27). The robot 8
If the hanger 3 and the work 4 have moved to the overrun position before the work is completed, work non-completion processing is performed as in the first embodiment (step S25).

As described above, in the second embodiment, during the operation of the robot 8, the robot 8 is operated based on the position detected by the linear encoder built in the air cylinder 21. And an air cylinder 21 incorporating this linear encoder.
Is based on the pressure difference between the left and right chambers 21b and 21c.
However, the hanger engaging head 21f is always in contact with the plate 3p of the hanger 3 even if go-stop or go-back is performed, and the linear encoder always detects the hanger position accurately, which is expensive. The work accuracy of the robot 8 can be improved without providing an optical sensor.

In the second embodiment, the air cylinder 21 having a built-in linear encoder is used, but instead of the linear encoder, for example, as shown in FIG. A member that moves endlessly may be provided, a pulse generator 31 that generates a pulse based on the movement of the member (chain 30) may be provided, and the position of the hanger 3 may be detected based on the output of the pulse generator 31. . Incidentally, the air cylinder 21 includes the left and right chambers 21b,
A pressure difference of 21c is provided. Further, the air pressure of the left and right chambers 21b and 21c of the air cylinder 21 is controlled by the control unit 29, and when returning the air cylinder 21 to the home position, the pressure difference is instantaneously reduced as a pressure difference larger than a normal pressure difference. To return to the origin,
Alternatively, when disengaging the hanger engaging head 21f, the air cylinder 21 may be temporarily extended to separate the hanger engaging head 21f from the plate 3p. Further, in the second embodiment, the hanger engaging head 21f
Is engaged with the hanger 3, but can be engaged with the work 4.

[0018]

As described above, in the industrial robot device according to the first aspect, the engagement head that engages with the cylinder, the piston, the piston rod, the hanger, or the work within the working range of the robot. And a pressure control means for forming a pressure difference between the two chambers in the cylinder on the side where the engagement head is kept engaged with the work, and further, the position of the piston with respect to the cylinder is determined. A position detection sensor for detecting the position is provided, and the robot is operated based on the detection value of the position detection sensor.
Even when an operation such as backing is performed, the engagement head is kept in the engaged state following this, so that the detection value of the position detection sensor that detects the position of the piston connected to the engagement head is always In accordance with the position of the hanger and the work, the robot can always work accurately in accordance with the position of the work, and high machining accuracy can be obtained.The robot can be controlled by inexpensive means without using expensive optical sensors. There is an effect that the degree of configuration can be improved. In addition, the present invention only provides a cylinder device along the line and a position sensor for detecting the position of the cylinder device on the piston side, so that there are few changes to the existing line and the versatility is high, Investment amount can be reduced. According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the linear encoder is built in the cylinder device, the installation space can be reduced. In the invention according to claim 3 ,
Since the position detection sensor is constituted by a pulse generator that generates a pulse by moving a member linked to the engagement head, cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of an industrial robot apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a side.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow of a control unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an overall view of an industrial robot apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention as viewed from the side.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a main part of the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing the operation of the hanger engaging plate according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow of a control unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a main part of another mode of the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an overall view showing a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyor rail 3 Hanger 3b Roller 3c Frame part 3d Arm part 3e Engagement claw 3p plate 4 Work 5 Power rail 6 Power chain 6a Roller 6b Driving claw 7 First motor 8 Robot 8a Arm 8b Work means 9 Control unit 10 Pulse generation Container 11 Traveling device 12 Second motor 13 Traveling body 14 Arm 15 Pressure sensor 15a Contact 16 Hanger arrival sensor 17 Overrun detection sensor 21 Air cylinder 21a Piston 21b Right chamber 21c Left chamber 21d Piston rod 21f Hanger engaging head 22 Robot traveling axis 28 Pressure control valve 29 Control unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-7-125828 (JP, A) JP-A-7-157049 (JP, A) JP-A-61-44585 (JP, A) JP-A-62 236689 (JP, A) JP-A-62-123985 (JP, A) JP-A-61-243514 (JP, A) JP-A-63-82691 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B25J 13/00 G05D 3/00

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A work means for performing a predetermined work such as welding or nut tightening on a work to be worked, and a moving means for freely moving the work means, the work means being provided in accordance with a predetermined program. A robot capable of performing the work while moving the work means, a transfer rail routed over a work range in which the robot is installed and in which the robot can move, A hanger movable along a rail and capable of supporting the work, a power chain driven endlessly along the transport rail by a driving force provided by a driving means, and a power chain provided on the power chain. And a driving claw formed to be engageable with an engaging claw provided on the hanger, wherein the driving claw is engaged with the engaging claw to power the hanger. In an industrial robot apparatus configured such that a driving force is given from a chain and a work moves along with a hanger together with a hanger, and the robot performs a predetermined operation on the moving work, an operation range of the robot Inside, a cylinder device that expands and contracts in the direction of transport of the hanger is provided. This cylinder device includes a piston that defines the interior of the cylinder as two chambers, and a piston rod that has a base end connected to the piston and moves in and out of the cylinder. An engagement head provided at a distal end portion of the piston rod and capable of engaging and disengaging one of the hanger and the work; and an engagement head provided in two chambers defined by the piston. Pressure control means for forming a pressure difference to move the piston in the direction of engagement with the cylinder, the relative position of the piston side with respect to the cylinder A position detection sensor that outputs a signal, and a control unit that controls the operation of the robot and the engagement head by inputting a signal from the position detection sensor is provided. The control unit includes a hanger and a work in a working range of the robot. When detecting that it has been sent, the engagement head is engaged with one of the hanger and the work, and the robot is operated based on a detection value of the position detection sensor. Industrial robot equipment. Wherein said position detection sensor, according to claim 1, wherein said built into the cylinder device is a linear encoder that outputs a signal according to the position of the piston
The industrial robot apparatus according to the above. 3. The position detecting sensor includes a moving member provided outside the cylinder device and interlocked with the engaging head, and a pulse generator that outputs a pulse signal according to a position of the moving member. Claims characterized in that
2. The industrial robot device according to 1.