JP6741544B2 - robot - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a robot provided with a first hand, a second hand, and an arm on the tip of which the first hand and the second hand are replaceably mounted.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a device that performs a specific work using a robot, for example, there is a transfer device and an assembling device of Patent Document 1. The transport device is provided with a plurality of transport units. Each transport unit includes a rotary index, a SCARA robot arranged in front of the rotary index, and a work table arranged between adjacent SCARA robots.

The work supplied on the rotary index is transferred to the front of the SCARA robot by the rotary index. Then, the work is transferred to the work table by the SCARA robot and transferred to the adjacent rotary index by the adjacent SCARA robot. Subsequently, the work is transferred by a rotary index to an operator or an automatic assembly robot, where parts are supplied and assembled.

JP2012-197175A

In the transfer device and the assembly device of Patent Document 1, a rotary index and a SCARA robot are provided to transfer the work, and in addition to this, an operator or an automatic assembly robot is used to supply the parts. Therefore, the device becomes large.

On the other hand, it is conceivable that the work is conveyed and the parts are supplied by one robot. In order to quickly convey the work and the parts regardless of their shapes and sizes, a method of previously attaching a hand for holding each of the work and the parts can be adopted.

In this case, a work hand is attached to the arm and the work is conveyed in front of the worker. Then, the arm replaces the hand of the work with the hand of the part and supplies the part to the work. After the parts are assembled to the work, the arm replaces the part hand with the work hand and conveys the work with the parts assembled.

As described above, when the hand of the work is replaced with the hand of the component and the hand is not removed from the work, it is necessary to return the arm to the position where the hand of the work is removed after supplying the component. However, when the parts are assembled to the work, the work may move and the position of the hand may change accordingly. In this case, since the position of the hand deviates from the removed position, the hand cannot be attached to the arm even if the arm is returned to the removed position.

On the other hand, when the hand of the work is replaced with the hand of the component, the hand is removed from the work and placed at a predetermined place, and then the hand can be attached to the arm by returning the hand to the predetermined place. However, a place for mounting the hand is required, and the device becomes large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to reduce the size of a robot and improve work efficiency.

A robot according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first hand, a second hand, and an arm that replaceably mounts the first hand and the second hand at a tip thereof, and the first hand is a floor. Of the first hand, the arm mounts the first hand, fixes the positioning unit at a predetermined position of the floor, and replaces the first hand with the first hand. Two hands are attached, and the first hand is attached instead of the second hand.

According to the above configuration, since it is only necessary to control the arm for a specific work, the size can be reduced. Further, when the first hand is replaced with the second hand, for example, if the first hand is left attached to the work, a place for mounting the first hand is unnecessary, and the size can be reduced. Further, by fixing the positioning portion to a predetermined position on the floor, the positional relationship with the predetermined position is regulated, so that the arm can be returned to the removed position and the first hand can be attached to the arm, resulting in work efficiency. Can be improved.

In the robot, the positioned portion provided at a predetermined position on the floor is a protrusion provided on the floor, and the positioning portion is a recess provided on the lower surface of the first hand and fitted into the protrusion. It may be. According to the above configuration, by disposing the first hand on the positioned portion, the recessed portion of the first hand fits into the protrusion of the positioned portion, and the positioning portion can be easily fixed at a predetermined position.

In the robot, the first hand has a pair of support members that are inserted into a mounting portion of a workpiece and that can change a distance between them. One hand may hold the work. According to the above configuration, the work and the first hand can be fixed and the positional relationship can be defined by inserting the pair of support members into the mounting portion and widening the gap. Therefore, the positional relationship between the work and the floor is fixed via the first hand fixed to the predetermined position on the floor.

According to the present invention, a robot can be miniaturized and work efficiency can be improved.

It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the robot which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2A is a view of a state in which the work is held by the first hand as viewed from below. 2B is a side view of FIG. 2A. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of a control apparatus roughly. It is a figure which shows the state which attached the 2nd hand to the arm. It is a figure which shows the state which is supplying the components by the arm. It is a figure which shows the state which attached the arm to the 1st hand.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In the following, the same or corresponding elements will be denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings, without redundant description.

The robot 20 according to the first embodiment is a device that can perform a specific work. In particular, the robot 20 is a device capable of carrying the work 11 and performing another work. As another work, a work for holding the component 12 and supplying the work 11 will be described below, but other work may be performed. For example, a work of holding the nozzle and spraying the liquid onto the work 11 from the nozzle may be performed.

The robot 20 according to the present embodiment is a 6-axis vertical articulated robot. However, the present invention is not limited to the above, and can be widely applied to a robot provided with an articulated arm regardless of whether it is a horizontal multi-joint type or a vertical multi-joint type, or regardless of the number of axes.

The robot 20 includes a base 21, an articulated arm (hereinafter, simply referred to as “arm”) 22 supported by the base 21, a first hand 23 or a second hand 24 attached to the tip of the arm 22, and an arm. 22 and the first hand 23, and a control device 25 for controlling the operation of the second hand 24.

The arm 22 is formed by connecting a plurality of links in series. Specifically, in the arm 22, each of the first link 221, the second link 222, the third link 223, the fourth link 224, the fifth link 225, and the sixth link 226 is linked from the base end portion to the tip end portion. It will be connected in this order toward.

The first link 221 is connected to the base 21 via a pivot joint JT1 so as to be pivotable about a vertical axis. The base end of the second link 222 is connected to the first link 221 via the rotary joint JT2. The tip end of the second link 222 and the base end of the third link 223 are connected via a rotary joint JT3. The rotary joints JT2 and JT3 are joints that connect the links so as to rotate vertically about a horizontal axis. The tip end of the third link 223 and the base end of the fourth link 224 are connected via a torsion joint JT4.

The tip end of the fourth link 224 and the base end of the fifth link 225 are connected via a rotary joint JT5. The tip end portion of the fifth link 225 and the base end portion of the sixth link 226 are connected via a torsion joint JT6. The connecting body of the fourth link 224, the fifth link 225, and the sixth link 226 including the rotary joint JT5 and the twisted joint JT6 constitutes the wrist part of the arm 22.

A mechanical interface 227 is provided at the tip of the sixth link 226. The first hand 23 and the second hand 24 are attached to the mechanical interface 227 so as to be exchangeable with each other.

The first hand 23 has a first mounting surface 231, a first holding portion 232, and a positioning portion 233. The first mounting surface 231 is a surface to which the mechanical interface 227 is attached, and is provided horizontally on the upper surface of the first hand 23, for example. The first holding unit 232 is a holding unit that holds the work 11 and may be attached to the work 11 in advance, or may be attached before the work 11 is first conveyed.

The positioning part 233 is a part for defining the positional relationship between the floor 13 and the first hand 23, and for removably attaching the first hand 23 to a predetermined position (first predetermined position) on the floor 13. The positioning portion 233 is attached to the positioned portion 13 a of the first hand 23, and is formed by a recess provided on the lower surface of the first hand 23, for example. The position-determined portion 13a determines the target position of the first hand 23, and is formed by a protrusion such as a pin protruding from the floor 13, for example.

The second hand 24 has a second mounting surface 241 and a second holding portion 242. The second mounting surface 241 is a surface on which the mechanical interface 227 is mounted, and is provided horizontally on the upper surface of the second hand 24, for example. The second holding unit 242 is a holding unit that holds the component 12 attached to the work 11, and is attached to the component 12 in advance.

The arm 22 includes a joint drive unit corresponding to each joint JT1 to JT6 (axis). Each joint drive unit includes a servo driver, a servo motor, a rotation angle detector, a speed reducer, and the like. The rotation of the servo motor is servo-controlled by the controller 25.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 25 includes an arithmetic unit 25a such as a CPU, a storage unit 25b such as ROM and RAM, and a servo control unit 25c. The control device 25 is a robot controller including a computer such as a microcontroller. The control device 25 may be configured by a single control device 25 that performs centralized control, or may be configured by a plurality of control devices 25 that perform distributed control in cooperation with each other.

The storage unit 25b stores information such as a basic program as a robot controller and various fixed data. The arithmetic unit 25a controls various operations of the robot 20 by reading and executing software such as a basic program stored in the storage unit 25b. For example, the control device 25 controls the operation of the arm 22 and the attachment/detachment of the mechanical interface 227 based on a program stored in advance in the storage unit 25b or an operation input by an operator.

That is, the calculation unit 25a generates a control command for the robot 20 and outputs this to the servo control unit 25c. The servo control unit 25c is configured to control the drive of the servo motors corresponding to the joints JT1 to JT6 of the arm 22 based on the control command generated by the calculation unit 25a.

Next, the first holding portion 232 of the first hand 23 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. The 1st holding part 232 is comprised by a pair of support members 23a and 23b, for example, and holds work 11 by this. For example, the support members 23a and 23b are plate-shaped members, and extend long from below the center of the first mounting surface 231 to the side. The pair of support members 23a and 23b are arranged in parallel with each other. Of the side surfaces of the pair of support members 23a and 23b, the side surfaces facing each other are referred to as inner side surfaces, and the side surfaces facing the inner side surfaces are referred to as outer side surfaces.

A linear motion device such as a linear motion actuator is attached to the pair of support members 23a and 23b. As a result, the pair of support members 23a and 23b move in the arranging direction and change the distance between them.

Next, the operation of the robot 20 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. This operation is controlled by the controller 25. For example, the work 11 is a cart assembly in which constituent members such as a controller are previously incorporated in the cart. The component 12 is, for example, an arm assembly in which a link and a joint are combined in advance. However, the work 11 is not limited to the cart assembly, and the component 12 is not limited to the arm assembly.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the mechanical interface 227 at the tip of the arm 22 is attached to the first attachment surface 231 of the first hand 23, and the first hand 23 is attached to the tip of the arm 22. As a result, the first hand 23 moves and operates according to the movement of the arm 22.

The first hand 23 holds the work 11 by the first holding portion 232. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the pair of support members 23 a and 23 b of the first holding portion 232 are arranged on the lower part of the work 11 so that their alignment direction is parallel to the lower surface of the work 11. It is inserted into the mounting portion 11a provided. The attachment portion 11a has a cylindrical shape attached to the lower surface of the work 11. For example, the mounting portion 11a has a rectangular tube shape with a rectangular cross section, and has a rectangular parallelepiped internal space, and this internal space communicates with the outside through a mounting port. The mounting portion 11a extends linearly from one side of the work 11 to the vicinity of the other side opposite to the one side. The attachment port is provided on one side of the work 11.

The pair of support members 23a and 23b are inserted into the mounting portion 11a through the mounting ports. The positions of the supporting members 23a and 23b in the longitudinal direction are detected by a sensor (not shown) and are arranged at predetermined positions of the mounting portion 11a. Then, the pair of support members 23a and 23b are moved so that the interval is widened in the arrangement direction. As a result, the outer surface of the support member 23a contacts the inner surface of the mounting portion 11a that faces it, and the outer surface of the support member 23b contacts the inner surface of the mounting portion 11a that faces this. In this way, the pair of support members 23a and 23b are bulged against the inner surface of the mounting portion 11a, and the pair of support members 23a and 23b are fixed to the mounting portion 11a in the arrangement direction. The pair of support members 23a and 23b are fixed to the mounting portion 11a in the longitudinal direction by the frictional force between the outer surfaces of the support members 23a and 23b and the inner surface of the mounting portion 11a.

Further, the height of the support members 23a and 23b in the vertical direction is equal to the height of the inner surface of the mounting portion 11a. Therefore, the support members 23a and 23b are fixed to the mounting portion 11a even in the vertical direction. In this way, the pair of support members 23a and 23b are fixed to the mounting portion 11a in any of the arranging direction, the longitudinal direction, and the vertical direction, and the positional relationship between the first hand 23 and the work 11 is fixed.

As shown in FIG. 1, each drive unit of the arm 22 is driven to convey the work 11 held by the first hand 23 to the front of the worker. A positioned portion 13a is provided on the floor 13 in front of the worker. Therefore, the first hand 23 is arranged on the floor 13 so that the positioning portion 233 is located on the positioned portion 13a. As a result, the positioned portion 13a fits into the positioning portion 233, and the first hand 23 is fixed to the first predetermined position on the floor 13.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first hand 23 is removed from the tip of the arm 22. However, the first hand 23 is not removed from the work 11 but is kept attached to the work 11. Then, the arm 22 is moved to the second hand 24 arranged at the predetermined position (second predetermined position). Then, the mechanical interface 227 of the arm 22 is attached to the second attachment surface 241 of the second hand 24, and the second hand 24 is attached to the arm 22. As a result, the second hand 24 and the component 12 held in advance by the second hand 24 move according to the movement of the arm 22.

As shown in FIG. 5, the component 12 held by the second hand 24 is transported onto the work 11 by driving the arm 22. Here, the work 11 is not directly positioned with respect to the floor 13. However, the positional relationship between the first hand 23 and the first predetermined position of the floor 13 is fixed by the positioning portion 233 and the positioned portion 13a, and the work 11 and the first hand 23 are fixed by the first holding portion 232 and the mounting portion 11a. The positional relationship with is fixed. Therefore, by these, the work 11 is positioned on the floor 13 and arranged at a predetermined position (third predetermined position). Therefore, by moving the second hand 24 to the third predetermined position, the component 12 held by the second hand 24 is placed on the work 11.

Then, the worker performs the work of assembling the component 12 to the work 11. The work 11 may move from the third predetermined position by such an assembly work by the worker. However, since the first hand 23 is fixed at the first predetermined position by the positioning portion 233 and the positioned portion 13a, the first hand 23 does not move from the first predetermined position.

As shown in FIG. 6, the second hand 24 is removed from the tip of the arm 22. Then, the arm 22 is moved to the first hand 23. At this time, the work 11 may be displaced from the position where the work 11 is conveyed due to the assembly work of the component 12, but the first hand 23 is fixed by the positioning portion 233 to the positioned portion 13a arranged at the first predetermined position. ing. Therefore, when the tip portion of the arm 22 is moved based on the first predetermined position, the mechanical interface 227 of the arm 22 is arranged at the position facing the first mounting surface 231 of the first hand 23. Therefore, the mechanical interface 227 is attached to the first attachment surface 231 and the first hand 23 is attached to the arm 22. As a result, the arm 22 is driven to convey the work 11.

According to the above configuration, the arm 22 mounts the first hand 23 to convey the work 11, fixes the positioning portion 233 to a predetermined position, and mounts the second hand 24 instead of the first hand 23 to mount the component. 12 is supplied to the work 11, and the first hand 23 is attached instead of the second hand 24 to convey the work 11.

In this way, the first hand 23 is fixed at the first predetermined position by the positioning portion 233 that defines the positional relationship with the first predetermined position on the floor 13. Therefore, even if the work 11 is moved by the work of assembling the component 12 to the work 11, the first hand 23 is detached from the arm 22 and then attached to the first hand 23 again based on the first predetermined position. By arranging the tip of the arm 22 at the position where the first hand 23 is removed, the first hand 23 can be reliably attached to the arm 22 and the working efficiency can be improved.

Further, since the robot 10 can carry the work 11 and supply the parts 12, the apparatus can be downsized. Furthermore, since the first hand 23 remains attached to the work 11 while the arm 22 is attached to the second hand 24, there is no need to place a place for placing the first hand 23, and the size of the apparatus can be reduced. ..

The positioned portion 13a is a protrusion provided on the floor 13, and the positioning portion 233 is a recess provided on the lower surface of the first hand 23 and fitted into the protrusion. Therefore, by simply lowering the first hand 23 onto the floor 13 so that the positioning portion 233 is positioned on the positioned portion 13a, the positioned portion 13a is fitted into the positioning portion 233 and the first hand 23 is moved to the first predetermined position. Fixed.

Further, the first hand 23 has a pair of support members 23a and 23b that are inserted into the mounting portion 11a of the work 11 and can change the distance between them, and the pair of support members 23a and 23b within the mounting portion 11a. The first hand 23 holds the work 11 by widening the space between them. In this way, by fixing the positional relationship between the first hand 23 and the work 11, the first hand 23 fixed by the positioning portion 233 and the positioned portion 13a and the first predetermined position of the floor 13, The work 11 is fixed to the third predetermined value on the floor 13.

From the above description, many modifications and other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the above description should be construed as illustrative only and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode for carrying out the present invention. Details of its structure and/or function may be changed substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful as a robot that can be downsized and work efficiency can be improved.

11: Work 11a: Mounting part 13: Floor 13a: Positioned part 20: Robot 22: Arm 23: First hand 23a: Support member 23b: Support member 24: Second hand 227: Mechanical interface 233: Positioning part

Claims (4)

First hand,
Second hand,
An arm for attaching the first hand and the second hand to the tip in a replaceable manner,
And a control device ,
The first hand has a positioning portion that defines a positional relationship with a predetermined position on the floor,
Wherein the control device, the said first hand the second hand in place of the first hand of the positioning portion from the fixed to a predetermined position of the floor in a state of being mounted on said arm for holding a workpiece arms A robot configured to be attached to a . The positioned portion provided at a predetermined position on the floor is a protrusion provided on the floor,
The robot according to claim 1, wherein the positioning portion is a recess provided on the lower surface of the first hand and fitted into the protrusion. The first hand has a pair of support members that are inserted into the attachment portion of the work and that can change the distance between them.
Said control device, wherein in the mounting portion to expand the mutual spacing of the pair of the support members being configured to hold the workpiece on the first hand, the robot according to claim 1 or 2. The control device is configured to supply the component held by the second hand to the work and then mount the first hand on the arm instead of the second hand. The robot according to any one of 3 above.

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