JP6904864B2 - Actuator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to, for example, an actuator equipped on an industrial robot, which feeds a slider on which a processing device or the like is mounted and moves the slider along an arm member.

Generally, an actuator equipped in an industrial robot or the like that linearly moves the processing device or the like has a structure in which the processing device or the like can be attached to a slider provided on an arm member, and power is supplied to the processing device or the like via the slider. While doing so, the slider is moved along the arm member.

A flexible, two-fold power supply cable is interposed between the arm member and the slider, and this power supply cable allows relative movement between the arm member and the slider while changing the position of the folded portion. Following this, power is often supplied to the slider from the power supply unit provided on the arm member.

Both ends of the power supply cable are connected to the arm member and slider, and the power supply cable is arranged inside a flexible cable protection tube, and both ends thereof are attached to the arm member and slider to loosen or entangle the power supply cable. Is prevented.

Further, in Patent Document 1, the power feeding cable 102 is housed in a guide frame 101 having a hollow box-shaped cross section, and traveling is prevented from being released to the outside of the guide frame 101 such as sliding contact sound and dust of the power feeding cable 102. The mobile device is disclosed (see FIG. 8).

The power supply cable 102 is arranged in the guide frame 101 in a folded state, is supported by the cable guide surface 103 integrally formed with the guide frame 101, and has a power supply unit arranged on the guide frame 101 and a slider. It is connected to the work device mounted on the 104.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-318972 (paragraphs 0035, 0039, 0043, FIG. 1)

By the way, the conventional power supply cable follows the relative movement of both ends of the power supply cable while changing the position of the curved portion as the folded portion. In order to reduce the size of the actuator, the power supply is folded in half. The cable needs to be crushed thinner as a whole, with the curved part curved smaller.

However, if you simply try to crush the double-folded power supply cable, the entire range of the curved part will not be curved uniformly, and the bending moment due to the force to crush will increase. May concentrate and damage the power cable. Moreover, damage to the power supply cable due to the concentration of curvature on the tip of the folded back can be avoided even if the power supply cable is arranged inside the cable protection tube or housed in the guide frame of Patent Document 1. Can not.

An object of the present invention is to provide an actuator that can be miniaturized without damaging the power feeding cable.

In order to achieve the above object, the actuator according to the present invention includes an arm member, a guide portion provided on the arm member, a slider movable along the guide portion, and a drive mechanism for moving the slider. , A power supply unit fixed to the arm member and a power supply cable interposed between the power supply unit and the slider are provided, and the power supply cable can be applied to the belt body made of a non-conductive material. It is a belt made by burying a simple core wire.

According to the above configuration, the power supply cable is a belt having a structure in which a core wire that can be energized is embedded in the belt body. Therefore, a part of the core wire that can be energized is curved excessively small by the belt body that covers the core wire. When the power supply cable is bent slightly, it is possible to prevent damage to the power supply cable due to the concentration of the curvature.

Further, the non-conductive material constituting the belt body may be a non-conductive thermoplastic elastomer.

According to this configuration, since the belt body has excellent flexibility and mechanical strength, the bending diameter of the power supply cable itself can be reduced, and the actuator can be further miniaturized.

Further, the non-conductive material constituting the belt body may be a non-conductive thermoplastic urethane elastomer or a non-conductive thermoplastic polyester elastomer.

According to this configuration, the belt body is composed of a non-conductive thermoplastic urethane elastomer having excellent wear resistance and durability or a non-conductive thermoplastic polyester elastomer among the non-conductive thermoplastic elastomers. Therefore, the durability of the actuator can be improved accordingly.

Further, the core wire may be a steel cord.

According to this configuration, since the core wire is a steel cord with overwhelmingly better bending fatigue than the copper wire cord, the bending diameter of the power supply cable itself can be reduced, the actuator can be further miniaturized, and the actuator can be made smaller. The durability of the

Further, the core wires may be oriented in the longitudinal direction of the belt, and the plurality of core wires may be arranged side by side so as to be separated from each other and form a line in the width direction of the belt.

According to this configuration, inside the belt body made of non-conductive material, the core wires are separated from each other in the belt width direction and aligned in a row, so that the bending diameter of the power supply cable itself can be reduced to reduce the size of the actuator. At the same time, it is possible to supply a large amount of electricity while preventing a short circuit between the core wires that can be energized.

Further, the core wire may be covered with a non-conductive material without exposing the core wire from the front and back surfaces of the belt body.

According to this configuration, the core wires are completely covered with a non-conductive material and are not exposed on the surface of the belt body, so that short circuits between the core wires that can be energized are prevented and rusting of the core wires is prevented. , It is possible to prevent the core wire from breaking due to stress concentration on the exposed portion of the core wire.

Further, the power supply cable may be a transmission belt to which a slider is attached to form a part of the drive mechanism.

According to this configuration, the power supply cable can be used as the transmission belt of the drive mechanism for moving the slider, the number of actuator parts can be reduced, and space can be saved.

In addition, the drive mechanism is provided with a power supply cable as a transmission belt, a pair of pulleys around which the power supply cable is wound, and a driving unit that moves this pulley in a direction parallel to the movement direction of the slider. May be fixed to the power feeding unit to form a double speed mechanism that moves the slider at double speed of the movement of the pulley by the driving unit.

According to this configuration, a power supply cable is wound around a pair of pulleys, and the power supply cable is fixed to a power supply unit fixed to an arm member. By moving the slider to the power supply cable, the slider can be moved at double speed of the movement of the pulley by the driving part. As a result, the amount of movement by the prime mover can be reduced, the space occupied by the prime mover can be reduced, and the actuator can be made smaller. Moreover, since the power supply cable is fixed to the power supply unit and the slider, the power supply unit and the slider can be electrically connected with a simple structure.

Further, the power feeding cable may be a toothed belt, and the pair of pulleys may be a toothed pulley.

According to this configuration, the positioning accuracy of the slider can be improved by engaging the toothed belt and the toothed pulley.

Further, the power feeding cable may be a toothed belt or a flat belt, the pair of pulleys may be a flat pulley, and a position detecting means for detecting the position of the slider may be provided.

According to this configuration, the positioning accuracy of the slider can be controlled by using a position detecting means such as a sensor or an encoder, and the cost can be reduced by adopting a toothed belt or a combination of a flat belt and a flat pulley. Can be done.

Further, a second actuator may be attached to the slider.

According to this configuration, the slider of the first actuator can be moved to move the entire second actuator, and the slider of the moving second actuator can be further moved. As a result, the first and second actuators are arranged so as to intersect each other, and the sliders of the second actuator are moved in the XY directions intersecting each other, or the first and second actuators are arranged in parallel and the telescopic arm. Can be configured. Further, the third and subsequent actuators can be sequentially attached to the second actuator.

Further, at least a part of the arm member may be made of a conductive material, and the power feeding cable may be covered with a portion made of the conductive material.

According to this configuration, since the power supply cable is covered with a portion made of a conductive material, the influence of signal noise due to electromagnetic waves received from the outside can be reduced. Examples of the conductive material include aluminum and stainless steel, and aluminum is particularly preferable.

As described above, according to the present invention, a belt having a structure in which a core wire capable of energizing the belt body is embedded is used as a power feeding cable, and the power feeding cable is interposed between the power feeding unit and the slider in the actuator. As a result, when the power supply cable is folded thinly to reduce the size of the actuator, the belt body that covers the core wire prevents a part of the core wire from bending excessively small, and the power supply cable is damaged due to the concentration of curvature. Can be prevented.

Perspective view of the actuator according to the present invention Horizontal cross section of actuator Perspective view of power supply belt Diagram showing the movement of the slider Perspective view of another form of actuator Longitudinal section of yet another form of actuator Longitudinal section of yet another form of actuator Side view of conventional power supply cable

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the actuator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the actuator 1 is equipped on, for example, an industrial robot and linearly moves a processing device or the like, and is an arm member 2 and a guide portion provided on the arm member 2. 3, a slider 4 that can move along the guide unit 3, a drive mechanism 5 that moves the slider 4, a power supply unit 6 fixed to the arm member 2, and an interposition between the power supply unit 6 and the slider 4. A processing device is attached to the slider 4, and the slider 4 is moved along the arm member 2 while supplying power to the processing device via the slider 4. ing.

The arm member 2 has a long box shape made of, for example, stainless steel having a rectangular opening 8 formed on the upper surface thereof, and the opening edge forming the long side of the opening 8 serves as a guide portion 3 for guiding the slider 4. The opening 8 of the arm member 2 is covered with a sheet 8a or the like that follows the movement of the slider 4 to prevent dust or the like from entering the inside of the actuator 1.

The slider 4 is made of stainless steel, for example, and has a quadrangular plate whose upper surface side is set to the same width as the arm member 2 and whose lower surface side is set to the same width as the opening 8, and the lower surface side thereof is fitted into the opening 8. It is attached to the arm member 2 so as to be inserted, and moves linearly while sliding along the guide portion 3.

On the lower surface side of the slider 4, two power receiving portions 9 are arranged side by side in the width direction of the arm member 2, different power feeding cables 7 are attached to each, and two power feeding portions are arranged side by side on the bottom surface of the arm member 2. It is connected to the unit 6. As a result, power is supplied to the slider 4 from the power feeding unit 6 connected to the power cord 10, and the function of the power feeding belt 7 as a transmission belt constitutes a part of the drive mechanism 5.

The drive mechanism 5 is a pulley 11 composed of two rows of power supply cables 7 arranged side by side in the width direction of the arm member 2 and attached to the slider 4 and the power supply unit 6, and a pair of flat pulleys around which the power supply cables 7 are wound. , 12 and a driving unit 13 that moves the pulleys 11 and 12 in a direction parallel to the moving direction of the slider 4. The drive mechanism 5 constitutes a double speed mechanism in which the pulleys 11 and 12 are used as moving pulleys, and the driving unit 13 moves the pulleys 11 and 12 to move the slider 4 at the double speed. Further, a position detecting means such as a sensor or an encoder is provided, and the power supply signal from the power receiving unit 9 is used to electrically position the slider 4. By providing the position detecting means, the positioning accuracy of the slider 4 can be electrically controlled.

The driving unit 13 includes a motor (not shown) housed in an input unit 14 located at one end of the arm member 2, and a ball screw 15 that converts the rotation of the motor into movement of the pulleys 11 and 12. The ball screw 15 is screwed to the screw shaft 17 spanned by the input portion 14 and the bearing 16 located at the other end of the arm member 2 via a plurality of small-diameter balls (not shown). It is composed of a screw 18 which has been made. By rotating the screw shaft 17 of the ball screw 15 by a motor, the nut 18 moves along the screw shaft 17, and the pulleys 11 and 12 rotatably supporting the pulley shafts 19 and 20 are moved by the nut 18. ..

As shown in FIG. 3, the power feeding cable 7 is a toothed belt in which a conductive core wire 22 such as a steel cord is embedded in a belt body 21 made of a non-conductive material such as a flexible synthetic resin. , The structure is designed to prevent a part of it from being excessively curved. The core wires 22 are oriented in the longitudinal direction of the belt, and a plurality of the core wires 22 are arranged side by side so as to be separated from each other and form a line in the width direction of the belt, and are made of a non-conductive material without being exposed from the front and back surfaces of the belt body 21. It is covered. Examples of the non-conductive material constituting the belt body 21 include non-conductive thermoplastic elastomers, and non-conductive thermoplastic urethane elastomers and non-conductive thermoplastic polyester elastomers are more preferable.

Next, a state in which the slider 4 of the actuator 1 moves will be described with reference to FIG. First, in the state shown in FIG. 4A, the slider 4 is located near the input unit 14, and is wound around the pulleys 11 and 12 to function as a transmission belt. Is connected to the power feeding unit 6 on the bottom surface of the arm member 2, and power is supplied to the power receiving unit 9 of the slider 4.

As shown in FIG. 4B, by rotating the screw shaft 17 of the ball screw 15 by the motor of the driving unit 13, the nut 18 of the ball screw 15 moves toward the bearing 16 along the screw shaft 17. The pulleys 11 and 12 move together with the nut 18.

Since the power feeding belt 7 wound around the pulleys 11 and 12 is attached to the power receiving portion 9 of the slider 4 and the feeding portion 6 on the bottom surface of the arm member 2, the pulleys 11 and 12 function as moving pulleys and the pulleys. When 11 and 12 move by the moving distance (L), the slider 4 moves twice the moving distance (2L). At this time, since the power feeding belt 7 connects the power receiving unit 9 of the slider 4 and the power feeding unit 6 on the bottom surface of the arm member 2, power supply to the power receiving unit 9 of the slider 4 is continued.

According to the above configuration, since the toothed belt is used as the power supply cable 7, it is possible to prevent damage due to a part thereof being locally and excessively curved, and the annular power supply cable 7 is made thin as a whole. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the actuator 1.

Further, since the power feeding belt 7 wound around the pulleys 11 and 12 is attached to the power receiving portion 9 of the slider 4 and the feeding portion 6 on the bottom surface of the arm member 2 so that the pulleys 11 and 12 function as moving pulleys, they are relative to each other. The power receiving portion 9 of the slider 4 and the feeding portion 6 on the bottom surface of the arm member 2 can be connected by a simple structure.

Further, although the drive mechanism 5 for moving the slider 4 is a double speed mechanism whose positioning accuracy tends to decrease, the slider 4 can be electrically positioned by using the power supply signal from the power receiving unit 9 by a sensor or an encoder. Therefore, the positioning accuracy of the slider 4 can be sufficiently improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications can be made as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. For example, the power supply cable 7 is not limited to the toothed belt.
Flat belts, etc., but it may also be other kinds of belts.

Further, the arm member 2 may be made of a highly conductive material such as aluminum, and the opening 8 may be covered with a protective cover made of aluminum or the like instead of the sheet 8a. As a result, the power feeding cable 7 can be completely covered with a highly conductive material, and the influence of signal noise due to electromagnetic waves received from the outside can be reduced.

Further, the driving unit 13 is not limited to the one composed of the motor and the ball screw 15, and may be any one such as an air cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder. When an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder is used as the driving unit 13, since the drive mechanism 5 for moving the slider 4 is a double speed mechanism, the stroke of the cylinder can be shortened, the input unit 14 can be made smaller, and the actuator 1 can be made smaller. Can be achieved.

As shown in FIG. 5, a second actuator 23 may be attached to the slider 4 to move the processing device attached to the slider 24 in the (X, Y) direction. In this case, power can be supplied from the power receiving unit 9 of the slider 4 of the actuator 1 to the driving unit and the power receiving unit of the second actuator 23.

As shown in FIG. 6, an independent power supply cable 26 may be provided separately from the drive mechanism 25 for moving the slider 4 to form the actuator 27. The drive mechanism 25 is configured by hooking a transmission belt 30 around pulleys 28 and 29 that do not move in position, and the power supply cable 26 is configured to be folded in half as a whole and has a power supply unit provided on the arm member 2. It is interposed between the slider 4 and follows the movement of the slider 4 while changing the position of the folded portion.

As shown in FIG. 7, by winding the power supply cable 31 around pulleys 28 and 29 whose positions do not move a plurality of times, a drive mechanism for moving the slider 4 while increasing or decreasing the number of windings is configured to transmit the power supply cable 31. It may also be used as a belt. The pulley 28 is also connected to the power cord 32 and also serves as a power feeding unit, and power is supplied to the slider 4 by attaching the end of the power feeding cable 31 to the pulley 28.

1 Actuator 2 Arm member 3 Guide part 4 Slider 5 Drive mechanism 6 Power supply part 7 Power supply cable 8 Opening 8a Sheet 9 Power receiving part 10 Power cord 11 Pulley 12 Pulley 13 Driving part 14 Input part 15 Ball screw 16 Bearing 17 Screw shaft 18 Nut 19 Pulley shaft 20 Pulley shaft 21 Belt body 22 Core wire 23 Second actuator 24 Slider 25 Drive mechanism 26 Power supply cable 27 Actuator 28 Pulley 29 Pulley 30 Transmission belt 31 Power supply cable 32 Power cord

Claims (8)

An arm member, a guide portion provided on the arm member, a slider movable along the guide portion, a drive mechanism for moving the slider, a feeding portion fixed to the arm member, and the feeding portion. It is an actuator equipped with a power supply cable interposed between the slider and the slider.
The power feeding cable is formed by embedding a core wire that can be energized in a belt body made of a non-conductive material, and is a toothed belt or a flat belt to which a slider is attached to form a part of the drive mechanism.
The drive mechanism includes the power supply cable as a transmission belt, a pair of pulleys around which the power supply cable is wound, and a driving unit that moves the pulley in a direction parallel to the movement direction of the slider. Is fixed to the feeding part, and a double speed mechanism that moves the slider at double speed of the movement of the pulley by the driving part is configured.
An actuator characterized in that the pair of pulleys are flat pulleys and a position detecting means for detecting the position of the slider is provided. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the non-conductive material constituting the belt body is a thermoplastic elastomer having non-conductive property. The actuator according to claim 2, wherein the non-conductive material constituting the belt body is a non-conductive thermoplastic urethane elastomer or a non-conductive thermoplastic polyester elastomer. The actuator according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the core wire is a steel cord. The actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the core wires are oriented in the longitudinal direction of the belt, and a plurality of the core wires are arranged side by side so as to be separated from each other and form a line in the width direction of the belt. .. The actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the core wire is covered with a non-conductive material without being exposed from the front and back surfaces of the belt body. The actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a second actuator is attached to the slider. Any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the arm member is made of at least a part of a conductive material, and the power feeding cable is covered with a portion made of the conductive material. Actuator described in Crab.

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