JP4470869B2 - Robot controller - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a robot control apparatus.

  Conventionally, an industrial robot and a robot control device are electrically connected by a connection cable such as a power cable or a signal cable. The robot control apparatus transmits an arbitrary operation signal to the industrial robot, so that the industrial robot performs a specific operation (see Patent Document 1).

When an abnormality occurs in such a robot control device, all cables connected to the control device are disconnected and replaced with a new control device for maintenance. As another method, maintenance was performed by removing all the cables connected to the control device, removing the screws on the side surface of the control device, and opening the side panel.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-188686

  However, the former method has a problem that the cost is increased because the controller is replaced with a new controller every time an abnormality occurs in the controller. In the latter method, in order to perform maintenance such as repair, it is necessary to remove the cable and the screw. Therefore, there is a problem that the maintenance takes time and the stop time of the production line becomes long.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a robot control apparatus with improved maintainability.

The robot control device of the present invention is an actuator that controls an actuator provided in the industrial robot in a robot control device that is electrically connected to the industrial robot via a connection cable and controls the operation of the industrial robot. An openable and closable open / close panel is provided on one side of a housing housing the control device, and the connection cable is connected to the front surface of the open / close panel, and the connection cable and the actuator control device are electrically connected to the back surface of the open / close panel. it has an internal wiring connected to the inner surface of the housing exposed to the outside by the opening of the closing panel, it is disposed an electronic terminal for supplying an external power source in the housing, the open-close panel The notch which the said electronic terminal penetrates was provided in the position facing the said electronic terminal .

According to the robot control apparatus of the present invention, the connection cable is connected to the surface of the open / close panel that is connected to the casing so as to be openable / closable. Then, having internal wiring to electrically connect the connection cable and the actuator control unit in the rear surface of the opening panel, the inner surface of the housing exposed to the outside by releasing the opening of the opening and closing panel, is disposed a power supply terminal. In addition, when the open / close panel was closed, the power terminal penetrated the notch in the open / close panel. As a result, even when the open / close panel is opened, it is possible to maintain a state in which the internal wiring extending inside the housing is connected to the back surface of the open / close panel. Therefore, the open / close panel can be opened and closed while the connection cable and the internal wiring are connected. As a result, it is not necessary to remove the connection cable from the open / close panel when performing maintenance, so that the time for removal is eliminated and the maintainability can be improved. In addition, the power supply terminal does not move in conjunction with the opening and closing of the open / close panel, and the cable extending from the power supply terminal into the housing can be formed short, so noise that increases as the cable length increases. Can be reduced. Furthermore, the open / close panel can be opened and closed without removing the power supply terminal.

  In this robot control device, a connector is provided on the open / close panel, the connection cable is electrically connected to the connector on the front surface of the open / close panel, and the internal wiring is connected to the back surface of the open / close panel via the connector. You may make it electrically connect to the said connection cable.

  According to this robot control apparatus, the connection cable and the internal wiring are electrically connected via the connector provided on the open / close panel. As a result, the connection cable and the internal wiring can be easily detached. Therefore, cable wiring can be easily performed.

In this robot control apparatus, the connector may be provided at one end of the opening / closing panel on the rotation center side.
According to this robot control apparatus, since the connector is provided near the rotation center, the rotation radius of the connector is shortened. Therefore, the length that does not hinder the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing panel in the internal wiring connected to the connector can be shortened. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the complexity of the inside of the housing due to the internal wiring.

In this robot control device, one side surface of the housing may be the front surface of the housing.
According to this robot control device, the openable / closable surface is the front surface of the housing. As a result, cable wiring and maintenance inside the housing can be performed from the front.

  In this robot control device, an insertion / removal surface of an actuator driver constituting the actuator control device may be disposed on an inner surface of the casing exposed to the outside by opening the opening / closing panel.

  According to this robot control device, the actuator driver can be exchanged by opening the open / close panel because the actuator driver has an insertion / removal surface on the inner surface of the casing exposed to the outside when the open / close panel is opened.

In this robot control device, the open state of the open / close panel may be held by a locking member.
According to this robot control apparatus, since the open state of the open / close panel can be held by the locking member, maintenance can be performed using both hands. Therefore, maintainability is improved.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view for explaining wiring between the robot RB and the robot controller 1, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining a housing 2 of the robot controller 1.

In FIG. 1, a robot RB is a four-axis controlled horizontal articulated industrial robot, and is driven and controlled by a robot controller 1. Case 2 of robot controller 1
Is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box body whose front surface can be opened and closed, and includes a base portion 3 having a front surface mounting surface 3a and a top plate 6 arranged opposite to each other via left and right side plates 4 and 5. A square frame that is open in the front-rear direction is formed, and the back of the square frame is closed with a back plate 7 to form a box that is open on the front side. An open / close panel 8 is disposed on the front surface as one side surface of the square frame. Specifically, the upper side of the open / close panel 8 is connected to the top plate 6 via a hinge H. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the open / close panel 8 rotates around the hinge H to open and close the opening of the housing 2. When the opening / closing panel 8 is opened by a predetermined angle or more, one end is attached to the front surface of the left side plate 4 in the housing 2 and the other end is opened by the stopper 9 attached to the rear left side portion of the opening / closing panel 8. Is to be maintained.

  A motor driver 10 as an actuator driver in which various circuit elements for driving each motor constituting the actuator of the robot RB are mounted in the housing 2 configured as described above is incorporated for each motor. More specifically, a rack 11 as an insertion / removal surface for arranging and fixing the motor drivers 10 is formed on the left side in the housing 2, and the motor drivers 10 are arranged vertically on the rack 11. It is arranged to be removable with a predetermined interval in the direction. Each motor driver 10 is electrically connected to a drive control board (not shown) constituting an actuator control device provided in the housing 2 when being arranged and fixed on the rack 11.

  Further, a terminal fixing plate 14 as an inner surface is provided on the right side in the housing 2, and a power input terminal 16 is attached to the terminal fixing plate 14. The power input terminal 16 is electrically connected to the base end of the power cable 18 so that power is supplied from an external power source (not shown) electrically connected to the tip of the power cable 18.

  A panel-side power connector 20 is attached to the open / close panel 8. The panel-side power connector 20 is attached to the upper portion of the surface of the open / close panel 8 so that the longitudinal direction thereof is horizontal, and the distal end of the power-side connection cable 22 connected to the robot RB is on the cable side. It is electrically connected to the power connector 24.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the panel-side power connector 20 has an internal power supply wiring 26 that is electrically connected to the drive control board (not shown) provided in the housing 2 from the back surface of the open / close panel 8. It is connected. The internal power supply wiring 26 is set to a length that does not hinder the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing panel 8 when the opening / closing panel 8 is opened / closed. Therefore, when the open / close panel 8 is opened, the internal power supply wiring 26 is pulled to connect the connection portion between the internal power supply wiring 26 and the panel-side power connector 20 and the connection portion between the internal power supply wiring 26 and the drive control board. This prevents damage and poor connection. In addition, since the panel-side power connector 20 is attached to the upper part of the surface of the open / close panel 8 close to the rotation center (hinge H), the panel-side power connector 20 is attached to the lower part of the open / close panel 8 (2 Compared to the dotted line), the turning radius of the panel-side power connector 20 when opening and closing the open / close panel 8 is short. As a result, the length of the internal power supply wiring 26 that does not hinder the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing panel 8 can be shortened. Therefore, the inside of the housing 2 is reduced from being complicated by the internal power supply wiring 26.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a panel signal connector 30 is attached to the right side of the panel power connector 20. The panel-side signal connector 30 is attached to the upper portion of the surface of the open / close panel 8 so that its longitudinal direction is horizontal, and the distal end of the signal-side connection cable 32 connected to the robot RB is on the cable side. It is electrically connected to the signal connector 34.

As shown in FIG. 3, the panel-side signal connector 30 is connected with an internal signal wiring 36 that is electrically connected from the back surface of the open / close panel 8 to the drive control board (not shown) in the housing 2. Yes. The internal signal wiring 36 is set to a length that does not hinder the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing panel 8 when the opening / closing panel 8 is opened / closed. Therefore, when the open / close panel 8 is opened, the internal signal wiring 36 is pulled, and the connection portion between the internal signal wiring 36 and the panel-side signal connector 30 and the connection portion between the internal signal wiring 36 and the drive control board are connected. This prevents damage and poor connection. In addition, the panel-side signal connector 30 is attached to the upper part of the surface of the open / close panel 8 close to the rotation center (hinge H), so that the panel-side signal connector 30 is attached to the lower part of the open / close panel 8. Thus, the turning radius of the panel-side signal connector 30 when opening and closing the open / close panel 8 is short. As a result, the length of the internal signal wiring 36 that does not hinder the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing panel 8 can be shortened. Therefore, the inside of the housing 2 is reduced from being complicated by the internal signal wiring 36.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a cover case 40 that protects the power input terminal 16 is provided on the right side of the panel-side signal connector 30. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the open / close panel 8 has a terminal through hole 42 a through which the power input terminal 16 is penetrated and a cable through hole 42 b through which the power cable 18 is communicated, and is substantially L-shaped. A through-hole 42 is formed. And as shown in FIG. 2, the substantially cup-shaped cover case 40 is attached to the terminal through-hole 42a. A concave portion 40a is formed on the right side surface of the cover case 40, and the power cable 18 is fitted into the concave portion 40a when the open / close panel 8 is closed.

  Thus, since the power input terminal 16 and the power cable 18 pass through the through hole 42, the power input terminal 16 and the power cable 18 do not have to be removed when the open / close panel 8 is opened and closed. Therefore, the power input terminal 16 and the power cable 18 are always fixed to the terminal fixing plate 14. Therefore, the internal input wiring 16a that is electrically connected to the power input terminal 16 and electrically connected to the noise filter or the like can be shortened. As a result, noise depending on the cable length can be suitably reduced. Furthermore, the cover case 40 provided on the open / close panel 8 improves the safety because the power input terminal 16 is not exposed to the outside during normal operation.

  A through hole 44 is formed below the cover case 40 (through hole 42). A power switch S for turning on / off the power of the robot controller 1 formed in the terminal fixing plate 14 is passed through the through hole 44.

  As shown in FIG. 1, base-side interface connectors 50 and 51 are attached to the front surface mounting surface 3 a of the base portion 3. The base-side interface connectors 50 and 51 are attached so that the longitudinal direction thereof is horizontal, and the cable-side interface connectors at the base ends of the connection cables 53 and 54 whose front ends are connected to the personal computer PC and the teaching pendant TP. 55 and 56, respectively. The base side interface connectors 50 and 51 are electrically connected to a CPU board (not shown) provided in the housing 2, and information signals from the personal computer PC and the teaching pendant TP are sent to the CPU board. To be transmitted to.

Next, the operation of the robot controller 1 configured as described above will be described.
The operation at the time of failure occurrence and periodic maintenance will be described.
First, the power switch S of the robot controller 1 is operated to turn off the power. Next, the open / close panel 8 of the robot controller 1 is opened at a predetermined angle or more, and the open state is maintained by the stopper 9. At this time, the cable-side power connector 24 and the cable-side signal connector 34 can open the open / close panel 8 while being connected to the panel-side power connector 20 and the panel-side signal connector 30. In the present embodiment, since all the cables are arranged on the front surface of the housing 2 (the open / close panel 8, the front mounting surface 3a, and the terminal fixing plate 14), the cable wiring can be easily performed.

  Next, maintenance inside the housing 2 is performed. For example, when an abnormality is found in the motor driver 10, the motor driver 10 indicating the abnormality is extracted from the rack 11 and replaced with a new motor driver 10.

  As described above, the maintenance of the robot controller 1 can be performed only by opening and closing the open / close panel 8 while the power connection cable 22 and the signal connection cable 32 connected to the open / close panel 8 are connected. Thus, the maintenance can be performed in a shorter time compared to the case where the maintenance is performed with all the connectors removed as in the prior art. Further, the cost can be suitably reduced as compared with the case where the robot controller 1 main body is replaced.

Next, the effect of this embodiment is described below.
(1) According to the present embodiment, the open / close panel 8 can be opened and closed with respect to the housing 2 by the hinge H. Further, the open / close panel 8 can be opened and closed while the cable side power connector 24 and the cable side signal connector 34 are connected to the panel side power connector 20 and the panel side signal connector 30. Accordingly, the maintenance can be performed in a shorter time compared to the case where the maintenance is performed after the power connection cable 22, the signal connection cable 32, and the screw are removed as in the prior art. Further, erroneous connection that may occur by removing the connectors 24 and 34 can be suitably suppressed.

  (2) According to the present embodiment, all cables (connection cables 22, 32, 53, 54 and power cable 18) are connected to the front surface (opening / closing panel 8, front mounting surface 3a and terminal fixing plate 14) of the housing 2. Was arranged. Accordingly, cable wiring can be easily performed during maintenance. Furthermore, since the opening / closing panel 8 is provided on the front surface of the casing 2 that is normally accessible, maintenance inside the casing 2 is easy.

  (3) According to the present embodiment, the panel-side power connector 20 and the panel-side signal connector 30 are attached to the upper part of the surface of the open / close panel 8 close to the rotation center (hinge H). Therefore, compared with the case where the panel-side power connector 20 and the panel-side signal connector 30 are attached to the lower part of the open / close panel 8 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3), the panel-side power when the open / close panel 8 is opened and closed. The turning radius of the connector 20 and the panel signal connector 30 is short. As a result, the length of the internal power supply wiring 26 and internal signal wiring 36 that does not hinder the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing panel 8 can be shortened. Therefore, the inside of the housing 2 is reduced from being complicated by the internal power supply wiring 26 and the internal signal wiring 36.

  (4) According to the present embodiment, when the opening / closing panel 8 is opened by a predetermined angle or more, the open state is maintained by the stopper 9 even if the opening / closing panel 8 is released. Therefore, since maintenance can be performed using both hands, maintainability can be improved.

  (5) According to this embodiment, the power input terminal 16 and the power cable 18 are fixed to the terminal fixing plate 14 in the housing 2. Further, a through hole 42 through which the power input terminal 16 and the power cable 18 pass is formed in the open / close panel 8. Accordingly, the open / close panel 8 can be opened and closed while the power input terminal 16 and the power cable 18 are fixed to the terminal fixing plate 14. Accordingly, the internal input wiring 16a electrically connected to the power input terminal 16 can be shortened. As a result, noise depending on the cable length can be suitably reduced.

  (6) According to the present embodiment, the cover case 40 is provided in the terminal through hole 42 a of the open / close panel 8 in order to protect the power input terminal 16. Therefore, when the open / close panel 8 is closed, that is, during normal operation, the power input terminal 16 is not exposed to the outside by the cover case 40, so that safety is improved.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment into the following aspects.
In the above-described embodiment, the opening / closing panel 8 is provided on the front surface of the housing 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the opening / closing panel 8 may be provided on another side surface that facilitates maintenance. In addition to the front surface, an open / close panel may be provided on another side surface.

  In the above embodiment, the power connection cable 22 and the signal connection cable 32 are connected to the open / close panel 8, and the connection cables 53 and 54 are connected to the front mounting surface 3 a of the base portion 3. For example, the connection cables 53 and 54 may be connected to the open / close panel 8.

  In the above embodiment, the upper side of the open / close panel 8 and the top plate 6 are connected by the hinge H. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the open / close panel 8 may be connected by the hinge H so as to be opened and closed. For example, the open / close panel 8 and the right side plate 5 may be connected by a hinge H. In this case, the panel-side power connector 20 and the panel-side signal connector 30 are preferably attached to the right side of the open / close panel 8 close to the rotation center (hinge H). Further, the open / close panel 8 may be configured to be openable / closable with screws or the like instead of the hinge H.

  Alternatively, a rail mechanism as a guide mechanism may be provided on the front surface of the housing 2, and the open / close panel 8 may be slid on the rail mechanism to open and close. In this case, it is preferable to secure a passage so that the internal power supply wiring 26 and the internal signal wiring 36 in the housing 2 can be moved in conjunction with the movement of the open / close panel 8.

  In the above embodiment, the panel-side power connector 20 and the panel-side signal connector 30 are attached to the upper part of the open / close panel 8 close to the rotation center (hinge H). For example, the panel-side power connector 20 and the panel-side signal connector 30 may be attached to the lower portion of the open / close panel 8. In this case, it is necessary to form the internal power supply wiring 26 and the internal signal wiring 36 longer than in the above-described embodiment so that the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing panel 8 is not hindered.

In the above embodiment, the stopper 9 can be used to maintain the open state of the open / close panel 8, but the stopper 9 may be omitted.
In the above embodiment, the power connection cable 22 and the signal connection cable 32 are specifically configured to be individually configured. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the power connection cable 22 and the signal connection cable 32 are bundled, for example. You may make it connect to a common connector.

  In the above embodiment, the power connection cable 22 and the internal power supply wiring 26 may be directly connected without using the panel-side power connector 20 and the cable-side power connector 24. Further, the signal connection cable 32 and the internal signal wiring 36 may be directly connected without using the panel-side signal connector 30 and the cable-side signal connector 34.

  In the above embodiment, the cover case 40 is provided on the open / close panel 8 in order to protect the power input terminal 16, but the cover case 40 may be modified to be omitted.

  In the above embodiment, the power input terminal 16 and the power cable 18 are fixed to the terminal fixing plate 14. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a power cable 61 and a power input terminal 62 may be attached to the open / close panel 60. In this case, it is necessary to form the internal input wiring 63 extending from the power input terminal 62 into the housing 2 to a length that does not hinder the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing panel 8.

  In the above embodiment, the motor driver 10 and the like can be replaced by opening the open / close panel 8. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is sufficient that a failure or the like can be confirmed by opening the open / close panel 8.

  In the above embodiment, the robot RB is embodied as a 4-axis controlled horizontal articulated industrial robot, but is not limited to this, for example, a single-axis to 3-axis controlled industrial robot or an industrial robot with 4 or more axes. It may be changed to a robot (for example, a 6-axis control vertical articulated industrial robot). In this case, the robot controller is changed to a robot controller that can incorporate the motor driver 10 corresponding to the motor mounted on the robot RB.

The perspective view for demonstrating the wiring of the robot and robot controller in this embodiment. Similarly, the perspective view for demonstrating the housing | casing of a robot controller. Similarly, the schematic for demonstrating an opening-and-closing panel. Similarly, the top view for demonstrating an opening-and-closing panel. The perspective view for demonstrating arrangement | positioning of the power input terminal and power cable in another example.

Explanation of symbols

  H ... Hinge, RB ... Robot, 1 ... Robot controller as robot control device, 2 ... Housing, 3 ... Base part, 3a ... Front mounting surface, 8, 60 ... Open / close panel, 9 ... Stopper, 10 ... Actuator control device A motor driver as an actuator driver, 11 a rack as an insertion / removal surface, 14 a terminal fixing plate as an inner surface, 16, 62 a power input terminal constituting a power terminal, and 61, 61 a power source constituting a power terminal Cable, 20 ... Panel side power connector, 22 ... Power connection cable, 24 ... Cable side power connector, 26 ... Internal power supply wiring, 30 ... Panel side signal connector, 32 ... Signal connection cable, 34 ... Cable side Signal connector, 36 ... internal signal wiring, 42 ... through hole as a notch, 53, 54 ... connection cable.

Claims (6)

In a robot controller that is electrically connected to an industrial robot via a connection cable and controls the operation of the industrial robot,
An open / close panel that can be opened and closed is provided on one side of a housing that houses an actuator control device that controls an actuator provided in the industrial robot, and the connection cable is connected to the front surface of the open / close panel, and the back surface of the open / close panel And having an internal wiring for electrically connecting the connection cable and the actuator control device, and supplying power from the external power supply to the inner surface of the casing exposed to the outside by opening the opening / closing panel. And a notch through which the electronic terminal penetrates at a position facing the electronic terminal of the open panel . The robot control device according to claim 1,
A connector is provided on the open / close panel, and the connection cable is electrically connected to the connector on the front surface of the open / close panel, and the internal wiring is electrically connected to the connection cable via the connector on the back surface of the open / close panel. A robot controller characterized by being connected to. The robot control device according to claim 2, wherein
A robot control apparatus, wherein the connector is provided at one end of the opening / closing panel on the rotation center side. The robot control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A robot control apparatus characterized in that one side surface of the housing is the front surface of the housing. In the robot control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A robot control apparatus comprising: an actuator driver that constitutes the actuator control apparatus; and an insertion / extraction surface disposed on an inner surface of the casing that is exposed to the outside when the opening / closing panel is opened. In the robot controller according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A robot control apparatus, wherein the open / close panel is held open by a locking member.

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