JP7578486B2 - Industrial Robots - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an industrial robot for transporting objects in a vacuum.

Conventionally, industrial robots that transport glass substrates in a vacuum are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 comprises two hands on which glass substrates are mounted, two hand support members to which the hands are fixed, an arm that holds the two hand support members, and a main body to which the arms are connected. The arm is formed in a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction. The hand support member is capable of linearly reciprocating in the front-rear direction relative to the arm. In the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, the hand and arm are disposed in a vacuum chamber (in a vacuum).

JP 2019-25587 A

The present inventors are considering attaching a sensor to the hand of an industrial robot that transports objects such as glass substrates in a vacuum, such as the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, to detect the objects. In this case, it is necessary to run wiring between the arm and the hand. Therefore, the present inventors have considered installing a Cablebear (registered trademark) between the arm and the hand to guide and protect the wiring between the arm and the hand.

However, a Cableveyor (registered trademark) is made up of many link members that are rotatably connected to one another, and has many moving parts. Therefore, if a Cableveyor (registered trademark) is installed between an arm and a hand, when the hand moves relative to the arm, many moving parts become sliding points, making it easy for dust to be generated. In other words, if a Cableveyor (registered trademark) is installed between an arm and a hand, dust is likely to be generated in a vacuum, and as a result, dealing with dust in a vacuum becomes a problem.

The objective of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot that transports an object in a vacuum, has a hand on which an object is placed and that moves back and forth linearly in the forward and backward directions relative to an arm, and that is capable of properly guiding and protecting the wiring between the arm and the hand, even if the wiring is routed between the arm and the hand, and is capable of suppressing the generation of dust.

In order to solve the above problems, an industrial robot of the present invention is an industrial robot that transports an object to be transported in a vacuum, the industrial robot comprising: a hand on which the object to be transported is mounted, a hand support member to which the hand is fixed, an arm that holds the hand support member so that the hand support member can move back and forth linearly in a horizontal direction, a main body to which the arm is connected, and a drive mechanism that moves the hand support member back and forth relative to the arm, and the industrial robot further comprises: a link support member fixed to a rear end of the arm, a link mechanism having one end rotatably connected to the link support member and the other end rotatably connected to the rear end of the hand, and wiring that is routed between the link support member and the hand along the link mechanism, the link mechanism having a base end rotatably connected to the link support member. and a second link member having a tip end rotatably connected to a rear end of the hand and a base end rotatably connected to the tip end of the first link member, the first link member being rotatable about its axial direction in the vertical direction relative to the link support member, the second link member being rotatable about its axial direction in the vertical direction relative to the hand and the first link member, the first link member and the second link member being formed in an elongated rectangular groove shape, wiring routed along the link mechanism is housed inside the first link member and the second link member which are formed in the rectangular groove shape, and wiring holding members are fixed to the first link member and the second link member for holding a portion of the wiring housed inside the first link member and a portion of the wiring housed inside the second link member .

The industrial robot of the present invention is equipped with a link mechanism having one end rotatably connected to a link support member fixed to the rear end of the arm and the other end rotatably connected to the rear end of the hand, and wiring is routed between the link support member and the hand along the link mechanism. Therefore, in the present invention, the link mechanism makes it possible to properly guide the wiring between the arm and the hand, and to properly protect the wiring.

In addition, in the present invention, the link mechanism includes a first link member having a base end rotatably connected to the link support member, and a second link member having a tip end rotatably connected to the rear end of the hand and a base end rotatably connected to the tip of the first link member. Therefore, in the present invention, the sliding points when the hand moves relative to the arm can be limited to the connection part between the base end of the first link member and the link support member, the connection part between the tip end of the second link member and the rear end of the hand, and the connection part between the tip end of the first link member and the base end of the second link member. Therefore, in the present invention, even if wiring is routed between the arm and the hand, it is possible to suppress the generation of dust.
In addition, in the present invention, the first link member and the second link member are formed in an elongated rectangular groove shape, and the wiring routed along the link mechanism is housed inside the first link member and the second link member which are formed in a rectangular groove shape, and wiring holding members are fixed to the first link member and the second link member for holding a portion of the wiring housed inside the first link member and a portion of the wiring housed inside the second link member. Therefore, with a relatively simple configuration, it is possible to properly guide the wiring between the arm and the hand and to properly protect the wiring.

In the present invention, for example, the link mechanism includes a first fulcrum portion that is a connecting portion between the base end of the first link member and the link support member, a second fulcrum portion that is a connecting portion between the tip end of the second link member and the rear end of the hand, and a third fulcrum portion that is a connecting portion between the tip end of the first link member and the base end of the second link member, the first fulcrum portion includes a first fixed shaft fixed to either the base end of the first link member or the link support member, and a first bearing that rotatably supports the first fixed shaft, the second fulcrum portion includes a second fixed shaft fixed to either the tip end of the second link member or the rear end of the hand, and a second bearing that rotatably supports the second fixed shaft, and the third fulcrum portion includes a third fixed shaft fixed to either the tip end of the first link member or the base end of the second link member, and a third bearing that rotatably supports the third fixed shaft.

In the present invention, if the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction is defined as the left-right direction, it is preferable that the base end of the first link member is connected to the link support member on one side of the arm in the left-right direction, the tip end of the second link member is connected to one end of the hand in the left-right direction, and the connection between the tip end of the first link member and the base end of the second link member is located on the other side in the left-right direction than the connection between the base end of the first link member and the link support member and the connection between the tip end of the second link member and the hand. With this configuration, the movement distance of the hand relative to the arm is longer, and as a result, even if the lengths of the first link member and the second link member are longer, it is possible to reduce the external shape of the industrial robot when the link mechanism is bent and contracted.

In the present invention, the industrial robot includes, for example, a first hand and a second hand as hands, a first link mechanism as a link mechanism having one end rotatably connected to a link support member and the other end rotatably connected to a rear end of the first hand, and a second link mechanism as a link mechanism having one end rotatably connected to the link support member and the other end rotatably connected to a rear end of the second hand, the first hand and the second hand overlap in the vertical direction when viewed from the front-to-rear direction, and one end of the first link mechanism connected to the link support member and one end of the second link mechanism overlap in the vertical direction.

In this case, one end of the first link mechanism and one end of the second link mechanism are connected to a common link support member, so the configuration of the industrial robot can be simplified compared to a case in which the link support member to which one end of the first link mechanism is connected and the link support member to which one end of the second link mechanism is connected are provided separately. Also, in this case, one end of the first link mechanism and one end of the second link mechanism connected to the link support member overlap in the vertical direction, so even if two link mechanisms, the first link mechanism and the second link mechanism, are installed on the industrial robot, the two link mechanisms can be arranged compactly.

As described above, in the present invention, in an industrial robot that transports an object in a vacuum, which is equipped with a hand on which an object to be transported is mounted and which moves back and forth linearly in the forward and backward directions relative to an arm, even if wiring is routed between the arm and the hand, it is possible to properly guide and protect the wiring between the arm and the hand, and it is also possible to suppress the generation of dust.

1 is a plan view of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a side view of the industrial robot shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the industrial robot shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining the configuration of the industrial robot shown in FIG. 1 . 5 is a side view for explaining the configuration of the drive mechanism and the guide mechanism shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a rear view for explaining the configuration of the guide mechanism shown in FIG. 4 . 2A is a plan view for explaining the configuration of the link mechanism shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a side view for explaining the configuration of the link mechanism shown in FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of a portion E in FIG. 7A, and FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of a portion F in FIG. FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of a portion G in FIG. FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of a portion H in FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion J in FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line K--K in FIG. 7A, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line L--L in FIG.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

(Overall configuration of industrial robots)
Fig. 1 is a plan view of an industrial robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the industrial robot 1 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the industrial robot 1 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view for explaining the configuration of the industrial robot 1 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side view for explaining the configurations of the drive mechanism 18 and the guide mechanism 20 shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a rear view for explaining the configurations of the guide mechanisms 19, 20 shown in Fig. 4.

The industrial robot 1 (hereinafter referred to as "robot 1") of this embodiment is a robot for transporting a transport object 2 (hereinafter referred to as "workpiece 2") in a vacuum. The weight of the workpiece 2 transported by the robot 1 is relatively heavy. For example, the weight of the workpiece 2 is about 270 kg. The workpiece 2 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape. The robot 1 includes two hands 5, 6 on which the workpiece 2 is mounted, a hand support member 7 (see FIG. 6) to which the hand 5 is fixed, a hand support member 8 to which the base end of the hand 6 is fixed, an arm 9 that holds the hand support members 7, 8, and a main body 10 to which the arm 9 is connected. In this embodiment, the hand 5 is the first hand, and the hand 6 is the second hand.

The main body 10 includes a rotating shaft 11 to which the arm 9 is fixed, a rotating mechanism 12 for rotating the rotating shaft 11, a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the rotating shaft 11 and the rotating mechanism 12, and a case body 13 in which these components are housed. The rotating shaft 11 is formed in an elongated cylindrical shape. The rotating shaft 11 is arranged so that the axial direction of the rotating shaft 11 coincides with the vertical direction, and is rotatable with the vertical direction as the axial direction of the rotation. The rotating mechanism 12 includes, for example, a motor for rotating the rotating shaft 11, and a pulley and a belt for transmitting the power of the motor to the rotating shaft 11. The case body 13 is formed in an approximately cylindrical shape with a bottom. A flange 14 formed in a disk shape is fixed to the upper end of the case body 13. A through hole is formed in the flange 14 in which the upper end portion of the rotating shaft 11 is disposed.

The hands 5, 6, hand support members 7, 8, and arm 9 are disposed on the upper side of the main body 10. As described above, the robot 1 transports the workpiece 2 in a vacuum. In this embodiment, the part of the robot 1 above the lower end surface of the flange 14 is disposed in the vacuum region VR, and the hands 5, 6, hand support members 7, 8, and arm 9 are disposed in a vacuum chamber (in a vacuum). Meanwhile, the part of the robot 1 below the lower end surface of the flange 14 is disposed in the atmospheric region AR (in the atmosphere).

The arm 9 holds the hand support members 7, 8 so that the hand support members 7, 8 can move back and forth linearly in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the arm 9 holds the hand support members 7, 8 so that the hand support members 7 and 8 can move back and forth linearly in the same horizontal direction (i.e., the hand 5 and the hand 6 can move back and forth linearly in the same horizontal direction). In this embodiment, the movement distance of the hand support members 7, 8 relative to the arm 9 is relatively long. For example, the movement distance of the hand support members 7, 8 relative to the arm 9 is 4700 mm.

In the following description, the direction of reciprocating movement of the hand support members 7, 8 relative to the arm 9 (X direction in Fig. 1, etc.) is referred to as the "front-rear direction", and the Y direction in Fig. 1, etc., which is perpendicular to the up-down direction (vertical direction) and the front-rear direction is referred to as the "left-right direction". In addition, the X1 direction in Fig. 1, etc., which is one side of the front-rear direction, is referred to as the "front" side, the X2 direction in Fig. 1, etc., which is the opposite side, is referred to as the "rear" side, the Y1 direction in Fig. 1, etc., which is one side of the left-right direction, is referred to as the "right" side, and the Y2 direction in Fig. 1, etc., which is the opposite side, is referred to as the "left" side.

The robot 1 includes a drive mechanism 17 that moves the hand support member 7 back and forth relative to the arm 9, a drive mechanism 18 that moves the hand support member 8 back and forth relative to the arm 9, a guide mechanism 19 that guides the hand support member 7 in the forward and backward directions, and a guide mechanism 20 that guides the hand support member 8 in the forward and backward directions.

The robot 1 also includes a link support member 21 fixed to the rear end of the arm 9, a link mechanism 22 having one end rotatably connected to the link support member 21 and the other end rotatably connected to the rear end of the hand 5, a link mechanism 23 having one end rotatably connected to the link support member 21 and the other end rotatably connected to the rear end of the hand 6, and a wiring (cable) 24 routed between the link support member 21 and the hands 5 and 6 along the link mechanisms 22 and 23. In this embodiment, the link mechanism 22 is a first link mechanism, and the link mechanism 23 is a second link mechanism.

The arm 9 is disposed below the hands 5 and 6. The arm 9 is formed in a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction. The arm 9 includes a block-shaped arm body 27 (see FIG. 4) that constitutes the center of the arm 9, and a plurality of flat plate members 28 that are fixed to the arm body 27. The arm body 27 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction. The flat plate members 28 are disposed on both sides of the arm body 27 in the front-rear direction and on both sides in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the heights of both ends of the arm 9 in the left-right direction are higher than the height of the center of the arm 9 in the left-right direction.

The arm body 27 is fixed to the rotating shaft 11. Specifically, the center portion of the arm body 27 in the left-right direction is fixed to the upper end surface of the rotating shaft 11. A through hole 27a that passes through the arm body 27 in the up-down direction is formed in the arm body 27 at the position where the rotating shaft 11 is fixed (see FIG. 4). The through hole 27a is formed in a circular shape centered on the axis of the rotating shaft 11, which is formed in a cylindrical shape.

The hand 5 has a plurality of forks 40 on which the workpiece 2 is mounted, and a hand base 41 to which the base ends of the plurality of forks 40 are fixed. Like the hand 5, the hand 6 has a plurality of forks 40 on which the workpiece 2 is mounted, and a hand base 42 to which the base ends of the plurality of forks 40 are fixed. The hands 5 and 6 in this embodiment have four forks 40. The forks 40 are formed in a long and thin straight line in the front-rear direction. The rear ends of the forks 40 are fixed to the hand bases 41 and 42. The hand base 41 constitutes the rear end of the hand 5, and the hand base 42 constitutes the rear end of the hand 6.

The hand bases 41, 42 are formed in the shape of flat, generally rectangular plates that are elongated in the left-right direction. The length (left-right length) of the hand base 41 is shorter than the length (left-right length) of the hand base 42. The hand bases 41 and 42 are arranged so as to overlap in the vertical direction when viewed from the front-to-back direction. In other words, the hands 5 and 6 overlap in the vertical direction when viewed from the front-to-back direction. In this embodiment, the hand 6 is arranged on the upper side and the hand 5 is arranged on the lower side when viewed from the front-to-back direction.

The width of the hands 5 and 6 in the left-right direction is wider than the width of the arm 9 in the left-right direction. As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the hands 5 and 6 are arranged so that the center of the hands 5 and 6 coincide in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-to-back direction. The hands 5 and 6 are also arranged so that the center of the hands 5 and 6 coincide in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-to-back direction.

The tips (front ends) of the forks 40 are positioned forward of the main body 10 even when the hands 5, 6 are moved all the way to the rear relative to the arm 9 (see FIG. 1). In other words, the tips of the hands 5, 6 are positioned forward of the main body 10 even when the hand support members 7, 8 are moved all the way to the rear relative to the arm 9. Therefore, the tips of the hands 5, 6 move away from the main body 10 as the hand support members 7, 8 move forward relative to the arm 9.

The hand support member 7 is composed of two slide members 43 arranged below the hand base 41 (see FIG. 6). The two slide members 43 are arranged with a gap between them in the left-right direction. In the left-right direction, the two slide members 43 are arranged between both left-right ends of the arm 9, which has a higher height. When viewed from the front-rear direction, the slide members 43 have a substantially L-shape. The hand base 41 is fixed to the upper end surface of the slide members 43.

The hand support member 8 is composed of two slide members 44 arranged below the hand base 42. The two slide members 44 are arranged with a gap between them in the left-right direction. The two slide members 44 are also arranged outside the arm 9 in the left-right direction. The slide members 44 have a substantially L-shape when viewed from the front-back direction. The hand base 42 is fixed to the upper end surface of the slide members 44.

The drive mechanism 17 includes a motor 46 and a power transmission mechanism 45 for transmitting the power of the motor 46 to the hand support member 7. The motor 46 is housed in a motor housing member 56 fixed to the rear surface of the arm 9. As shown in FIG. 4, the power transmission mechanism 45 includes pulleys 47, 48, 51 and belts 53, 55. The belt 55 is stretched between a pulley 51 arranged on the upper surface side of the rear end of the arm 9 and rotating with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation, and a pulley arranged on the upper surface side of the front end of the arm 9 and rotating with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation. The hand support member 7 is fixed to the belt 55. The belt 55 is arranged between the two slide members 43 in the left-right direction.

The drive mechanism 18 includes a motor 61 and a power transmission mechanism 60 for transmitting the power of the motor 61 to the hand support member 8. The motor 61 is housed in a motor housing member 71 fixed to the right end of the rear surface of the arm 9. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the power transmission mechanism 60 includes pulleys 62-64, 66, 67 and belts 68-70. The belt 70 is stretched between pulleys 66, which are arranged on both left and right sides of the rear end of the arm 9 and rotate with the left and right direction as the axis of rotation, and pulleys 67, which are arranged on both left and right sides of the front end of the arm 9 and rotate with the left and right direction as the axis of rotation. The hand support member 8 is fixed to the belt 70. The belt 70 is arranged on the outside of the arm 9 in the left and right direction.

The guide mechanism 19 is disposed on the upper surface side of the arm 9. The guide mechanism 19 is disposed below the slide member 43. The guide mechanism 19 includes four guide rails 76 whose longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction, and a number of guide blocks 77 that engage with the guide rails 76 from above. The guide rails 76 are fixed to the upper surface of the arm 9. The guide blocks 77 are fixed to the lower end surface of the slide member 43. A cover 78 that covers the guide mechanism 19 and the belt 55 from above is fixed to the arm 9 (see FIG. 6).

The guide mechanism 20 is disposed on both sides of the arm 9 in the left-right direction. The guide mechanism 20 includes four guide rails 80 with the longitudinal direction being the front-rear direction, and a number of guide blocks 81 that engage with the guide rails 80 from the outside in the left-right direction. Two of the four guide rails 80 are disposed on the right side of the arm 9, and the remaining two guide rails 80 are disposed on the left side of the arm 9. On both sides of the arm 9 in the left-right direction, a belt 70 is disposed between the two guide rails 80. The guide blocks 81 are fixed to the inner surface of the slide member 44 in the left-right direction. A cover 82 is fixed to the arm 9, covering the guide mechanism 20 and the belt 70 from the outside in the left-right direction and from both sides in the up-down direction (see FIG. 6).

(Configuration of link support member and link mechanism, wiring layout)
Fig. 7(A) is a plan view for explaining the configuration of the link mechanism 23 shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 7(B) is a side view for explaining the configuration of the link mechanisms 22, 23 shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 8(A) is an enlarged view of a portion E in Fig. 7(A), and Fig. 8(B) is an enlarged view of a portion F in Fig. 7(A). Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion G in Fig. 7(B). Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion H in Fig. 7(B). Fig. 11 is an enlarged view of a portion J in Fig. 7(B). Fig. 12(A) is a cross-sectional view of the K-K section in Fig. 7(A), and Fig. 12(B) is a cross-sectional view of the L-L section in Fig. 7(A).

The link support member 21 is fixed to the rear surface of the arm 9. The link support member 21 is composed of a first support portion 21a extending rearward from the rear surface of the arm 9, a second support portion 21b extending rightward from the rear end of the first support portion 21a, and a third support portion 21c extending upward from the right end of the second support portion 21b. The first support portion 21a, the second support portion 21b, and the third support portion 21c are formed in a square prism shape. The third support portion 21c is located to the right of the arm 9.

When viewed from the front-rear direction, the link mechanism 22 is disposed below the link mechanism 23. The link mechanisms 22 and 23 include a link member 85 whose base end is rotatably connected to the link support member 21, and a link member 86 whose tip end is rotatably connected to the rear end of the hands 5 and 6. The link members 85 and 86 are formed in a straight line. The base end of the link member 86 is rotatably connected to the tip end of the link member 85. In this embodiment, the link member 85 is the first link member, and the link member 86 is the second link member.

The link mechanisms 22 and 23 also include a fulcrum 87 that connects the base end of the link member 85 to the link support member 21, a fulcrum 88 that connects the tip end of the link member 86 to the rear end of the hands 5 and 6, and a fulcrum 89 that connects the tip end of the link member 85 to the base end of the link member 86. In this embodiment, the fulcrum 87 is the first fulcrum, the fulcrum 88 is the second fulcrum, and the fulcrum 89 is the third fulcrum.

The base end of the link member 85 is connected to the link support member 21 so that the link member 85 can rotate with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation relative to the link support member 21. That is, the link member 85 can rotate with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation relative to the link support member 21. In addition, the base end of the link member 85 is connected to the rear side of the third support portion 21c. As described above, the third support portion 21c is disposed to the right of the arm 9, and therefore the base end of the link member 85 is connected to the link support member 21 on the right side of the arm 9.

The base end of the link member 85 of the link mechanism 22 connected to the rear side of the third support portion 21c and the base end of the link member 85 of the link mechanism 23 connected to the rear side of the third support portion 21c are disposed at the same position in the front-rear and left-right directions and overlap in the vertical direction. In other words, one end of the link mechanism 22 connected to the link support member 21 and one end of the link mechanism 23 connected to the link support member 21 overlap in the vertical direction.

The tip of the link member 86 is connected to the rear end of the hands 5 and 6 (specifically, the rear side of the hand bases 41 and 42) so that the link member 86 can rotate with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation relative to the hands 5 and 6. In addition, the base end of the link member 86 is connected to the tip of the link member 85 so that the link member 86 can rotate with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation relative to the link member 85. In other words, the link member 86 can rotate with the vertical direction as the axis of rotation relative to the hands 5 and 6 and the link member 85.

The tip of the link member 86 is rotatably connected to the right end of the hand bases 41 and 42. That is, the tip of the link member 86 is connected to the right end of the hands 5 and 6. The tip of the link member 86 of the link mechanism 22 connected to the rear side of the hand base 41 and the tip of the link member 86 of the link mechanism 23 connected to the rear side of the hand base 42 are disposed at the same position in the left-right direction and overlap in the vertical direction when viewed from the front-rear direction. That is, the other end of the link mechanism 22 connected to the hand 5 and the other end of the link mechanism 23 connected to the hand 6 overlap in the vertical direction when viewed from the front-rear direction.

The fulcrum 89 (i.e., the connection between the tip of the link member 85 and the base of the link member 86) is located to the left of the fulcrum 87 (i.e., the connection between the base of the link member 85 and the link support member 21) and the fulcrum 88 (i.e., the connection between the link member 86 and the hand bases 41, 42). As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, when the hands 5, 6 move forward relative to the main body 10, the link mechanisms 22, 23 extend. On the other hand, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, when the hands 5, 6 move backward relative to the main body 10, the link mechanisms 22, 23 bend and contract.

The link members 85, 86 are formed in a long, narrow rectangular groove shape (see FIG. 12). Specifically, the link members 85, 86 are formed in a long, narrow rectangular groove shape that opens on one horizontal side, and are composed of a flat bottom surface portion parallel to the vertical direction, and two flat side portions extending from both the upper and lower ends of the bottom surface portion to one horizontal side. In this embodiment, when the link mechanisms 22, 23 are extended, the right side of the link members 85, 86 is open. The vertical width (height) of the link member 85 is wider than the vertical width (height) of the link member 86.

The fulcrum part 87 includes a fixed shaft 90 fixed to the base end of the link member 85 and a bearing 91 that rotatably supports the fixed shaft 90. The fulcrum part 88 includes a fixed shaft 92 fixed to the tip of the link member 86 and a bearing 93 that rotatably supports the fixed shaft 92. The fulcrum part 89 includes a fixed shaft 94 fixed to the tip of the link member 85 and a bearing 95 that rotatably supports the fixed shaft 94. The bearings 91, 93, and 95 are rolling bearings. Specifically, the bearings 91, 93, and 95 are ball bearings for a vacuum environment. In this embodiment, the fixed shaft 90 is the first fixed shaft, the bearing 91 is the first bearing, the fixed shaft 92 is the second fixed shaft, the bearing 93 is the second bearing, the fixed shaft 94 is the third fixed shaft, and the bearing 95 is the third bearing.

The fixed shafts 90 are fixed to both the top and bottom of the base end of the link member 85. That is, two fixed shafts 90 are fixed to the base end of the link member 85. The fixed shafts 90 protrude from both the top and bottom of the base end of the link member 85. The bearings 91 are attached to the rear surface of the third support portion 21c. The fixed shafts 90 fixed to the base end of the link member 85 of the link mechanism 22 and the fixed shafts 90 fixed to the base end of the link member 85 of the link mechanism 23 are located at the same position in the front-rear and left-right directions.

The fixed shafts 92 are fixed to both the top and bottom of the tip of the link member 86. That is, two fixed shafts 92 are fixed to the tip of the link member 86. The fixed shafts 92 protrude from the tip of the link member 86 on both the top and bottom sides. The bearings 93 are attached to the rear surfaces of the hand bases 41, 42. The fixed shafts 92 fixed to the tip of the link member 86 of the link mechanism 22 and the fixed shafts 92 fixed to the base end of the link member 86 of the link mechanism 23 are located at the same position in the left-right direction.

The fixed shafts 94 are fixed to both the top and bottom of the tip of the link member 85. That is, two fixed shafts 94 are fixed to the tip of the link member 85. The fixed shafts 94 are disposed inside the tip of the link member 85. The bearing 95 is attached to the base end of the link member 86.

The wiring 24 is routed from inside the main body 10 to the hands 5 and 6. One end of the wiring 24 is connected to a sensor installed in the hands 5 and 6. A part of the wiring 24 is disposed on the inner periphery of the rotating shaft 11 and in the through hole 27a of the arm main body 27. As shown in FIG. 4, the wiring 24 drawn out from the through hole 27a is routed toward the rear along the upper surface of the arm 9, and then routed along the upper surface of the first support part 21a, the front surface of the second support part 21b, and the front surface of the third support part 21c to the upper end side of the third support part 21c.

A connector is attached to the inner periphery of the upper end of the rotating shaft 11 to prevent air from flowing into the vacuum region VR, and the wiring 24 is divided at this connector. In addition, a terminal block 96 is attached to the upper surface of the arm body 27 near the through hole 27a (specifically, behind the through hole 27a) and to the rear end of the upper surface of the first support part 21a, and the wiring 24 is also divided at the terminal block 96.

The wiring 24 that has been routed up to the upper end side of the third support portion 21c is routed along the link mechanisms 22, 23 to the hand bases 41, 42. The wiring 24 routed along the link mechanisms 22, 23 is housed inside the link members 85, 86 that are formed in a rectangular groove shape. A wiring holding member 97 is fixed to the link member 85 for holding a portion of the wiring 24 housed inside the link member 85. Similarly, a wiring holding member 97 is fixed to the link member 86 for holding a portion of the wiring 24 housed inside the link member 86.

As shown in FIG. 7B, a plurality of wiring holding members 97 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the link members 85 and 86. As shown in FIG. 12, the wiring holding member 97 is fixed to the bottom surface of the link members 85 and 86. The wiring holding member 97 is formed by bending a thin metal plate into a predetermined shape, and is composed of a holding portion that holds a part of the wiring 24 between the bottom surface of the link members 85 and 86 and a fixed portion that is fixed to the bottom surface of the link members 85 and 86. Note that a part of the wiring 24 routed along the upper surface of the arm 9, the upper surface of the first support portion 21a, the front surface of the second support portion 21b, and the front surface of the third support portion 21c is also held by a wiring holding member similar to the wiring holding member 97.

A guide member 98 is provided near the fulcrum 87 to guide the wiring 24 drawn from the third support 21c to the base end of the link member 85. The guide member 98 is fixed to the third support 21c. Guide members 99 and 100 are provided near the fulcrum 88 to guide the wiring 24 drawn from the tip of the link member 86 to the hand bases 41 and 42. The guide member 99 is fixed to the hand bases 41 and 42, and the guide member 100 is fixed to the tip of the link member 86. A guide member 101 is provided near the fulcrum 89 to guide the wiring 24 at the fulcrum 89. The guide member 101 is fixed to the link member 85 and the link member 86. That is, two guide members 101 are provided near the fulcrum 89. The guide members 98 to 101 are leaf springs formed of thin metal plates. Note that the guide member 100 is not shown in FIG. 8(B).

In this embodiment, when the hands 5, 6 are moved all the way to the rear relative to the main body 10 (as shown by the solid lines in FIG. 1), the pivot shaft 11 rotates, causing the hands 5, 6 and the arm 9 to rotate. That is, the hands 5, 6 and the arm 9 rotate with the link mechanisms 22, 23 bent. The maximum turning radius R1 (see FIG. 1) at this time is approximately equal to the maximum turning radius when the robot 1 does not have the link mechanisms 22, 23. Note that when the hands 5, 6 are moved all the way to the rear relative to the main body 10 and bent, the link mechanisms 22, 23 are located in the space above the motor housing members 56, 71, which is dead space.

(Main effects of this embodiment)
As described above, the robot 1 of this embodiment includes the link mechanism 22 having one end rotatably connected to the link support member 21 fixed to the rear end of the arm 9 and the other end rotatably connected to the rear end of the hand 5, and the wiring 24 is routed between the link support member 21 and the hand 5 along the link mechanism 22. The robot 1 also includes the link mechanism 23 having one end rotatably connected to the link support member 21 and the other end rotatably connected to the rear end of the hand 6, and the wiring 24 is routed between the link support member 21 and the hand 6 along the link mechanism 23. Therefore, in this embodiment, the link mechanisms 22, 23 make it possible to appropriately guide the wiring 24 between the arm 9 and the hands 5, 6 and to appropriately protect the wiring 24.

In this embodiment, the link mechanisms 22, 23 are mainly composed of a link member 85 whose base end is rotatably connected to the link support member 21, and a link member 86 whose tip end is rotatably connected to the rear end of the hands 5, 6 and whose base end is rotatably connected to the tip end of the link member 85. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to limit the sliding points when the hands 5, 6 move relative to the arm 9 to only the three fulcrum parts 87-89. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the wiring 24 is routed between the arm 9 and the hands 5, 6, it is possible to suppress the generation of dust.

In this embodiment, the moving distance of the hands 5 and 6 relative to the arm 9 is relatively long, and the length of the wiring 24 is relatively long. Therefore, if a Cablebear (registered trademark) is installed to route the wiring 24 between the arm 9 and the hands 5 and 6, the installation space for this Cablebear (registered trademark) may become large. In contrast, in this embodiment, the wiring 24 is routed along the two link members 85 and 86, so even if the length of the wiring 24 is relatively long, the installation space for the link members 85 and 86 can be reduced.

In this embodiment, the wiring 24 routed along the link mechanisms 22, 23 is housed inside the link members 85, 86, which are formed in a long, narrow rectangular groove shape. Also, in this embodiment, a wiring holding member 97 for holding a part of the wiring 24 housed inside the link members 85, 86 is fixed to the link members 85, 86. Therefore, in this embodiment, with a relatively simple configuration, it is possible to appropriately guide the wiring 24 between the arm 9 and the hands 5, 6, and also to appropriately protect the wiring 24.

In this embodiment, the base end of link member 85 is connected to link support member 21 to the right of arm 9, and the tip end of link member 86 is connected to the left end of hands 5 and 6. Also, in this embodiment, fulcrum portion 89 is located to the left of fulcrum portions 87 and 88. Therefore, in this embodiment, the movement distance of hands 5 and 6 relative to arm 9 is longer, and as a result, even if the length of link members 85 and 86 is longer, it is possible to reduce the external shape of robot 1 when link mechanisms 22 and 23 are bent and contracted.

For example, compared to a case in which the base end of the link member 85 is connected to the link support member 21 at the left-right center of the arm 9 and the tip end of the link member 86 is connected to the left-right center of the hands 5 and 6, it is possible to make the external shape of the robot 1 smaller when the link mechanisms 22 and 23 are bent and contracted. Therefore, in this embodiment, as described above, it is possible to make the maximum turning radius R1 approximately equal to the maximum turning radius when the robot 1 does not have the link mechanisms 22 and 23.

In this embodiment, one end of the link mechanism 22 and one end of the link mechanism 23 are connected to a common link support member 21. Therefore, in this embodiment, the configuration of the robot 1 can be simplified compared to a case in which a link support member to which one end of the link mechanism 22 is connected and a link support member to which one end of the link mechanism 23 is connected are provided separately. Also, in this embodiment, one end of the link mechanism 22 connected to the link support member 21 and one end of the link mechanism 23 overlap in the vertical direction, so even if two link mechanisms 22, 23 are installed on the robot 1, the two link mechanisms 22, 23 can be arranged compactly.

Other Embodiments
The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the fixed shaft 90 may be fixed to the third support portion 21c of the link support member 21, and the bearing 91 may be attached to the base end of the link member 85. Also, in the above embodiment, the fixed shaft 92 may be fixed to the rear surface of the hand bases 41, 42 (i.e., the rear end of the hands 5, 6), and the bearing 93 may be attached to the tip end of the link member 86. Also, in the above embodiment, the fixed shaft 94 may be fixed to the base end of the link member 86, and the bearing 95 may be attached to the tip end of the link member 85.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the link members 85, 86 may be formed in a groove shape other than a square groove shape, or may be formed in a shape other than a groove shape. Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the number of hands provided to the robot 1 may be one. In this case, the link mechanism 22 or the link mechanism 23 is not required. Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the hand support members 7, 8 may be moved in the forward and backward directions using a ball screw.

1. Robots (industrial robots)
2 Work (transport object)
5th Hand (1st Hand)
6 Hand (2nd Hand)
Reference Signs List 7, 8 Hand support member 9 Arm 10 Main body 17, 18 Drive mechanism 21 Link support member 22 Link mechanism (first link mechanism)
23 Link mechanism (second link mechanism)
24 Wiring 85 Link member (first link member)
86 Link member (second link member)
87 Fulcrum part (first fulcrum part)
88 Fulcrum part (second fulcrum part)
89 Fulcrum part (third fulcrum part)
90 Fixed axis (first fixed axis)
91 Bearing (first bearing)
92 Fixed axis (second fixed axis)
93 Bearing (second bearing)
94 Fixed axis (third fixed axis)
95 Bearing (third bearing)
97 Wiring holding member X Front-rear direction Y Left-right direction

Claims (4)

In an industrial robot that transports objects in a vacuum,
the transport device includes a hand on which the transport object is placed, a hand support member to which the hand is fixed, an arm that holds the hand support member so that the hand support member can move back and forth linearly in a horizontal direction, a main body to which the arm is connected, and a drive mechanism that moves the hand support member back and forth relative to the arm;
If the direction of reciprocating movement of the hand support member relative to the arm is defined as a front-rear direction,
a link support member fixed to a rear end of the arm, a link mechanism having one end rotatably connected to the link support member and the other end rotatably connected to a rear end of the hand, and wiring routed between the link support member and the hand along the link mechanism,
the link mechanism includes a first link member having a base end portion rotatably connected to the link support member, and a second link member having a tip end portion rotatably connected to a rear end portion of the hand and a base end portion rotatably connected to the tip end portion of the first link member,
The first link member is rotatable with respect to the link support member about an axial direction of the first link member,
the second link member is rotatable with respect to the hand and the first link member about an axial direction of rotation in the up-down direction ,
The first link member and the second link member are formed in an elongated rectangular groove shape,
The wiring routed along the link mechanism is accommodated inside the first link member and the second link member, which are formed in a rectangular groove shape,
an industrial robot, characterized in that a wiring holding member is fixed to the first link member and the second link member for holding a portion of the wiring that is housed inside the first link member and a portion of the wiring that is housed inside the second link member . the link mechanism includes a first fulcrum portion that serves as a connection portion between a base end portion of the first link member and the link support member, a second fulcrum portion that serves as a connection portion between a tip end portion of the second link member and a rear end portion of the hand, and a third fulcrum portion that serves as a connection portion between the tip end portion of the first link member and a base end portion of the second link member,
the first fulcrum portion includes a first fixed shaft fixed to one of a base end portion of the first link member and the link support member, and a first bearing rotatably supporting the first fixed shaft,
the second fulcrum portion includes a second fixed shaft fixed to either one of a tip end portion of the second link member or a rear end portion of the hand, and a second bearing rotatably supporting the second fixed shaft,
2. The industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein the third fulcrum portion comprises a third fixed shaft fixed to either a tip end portion of the first link member or a base end portion of the second link member, and a third bearing that rotatably supports the third fixed shaft. If the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-back direction is the left-right direction,
A base end portion of the first link member is connected to the link support member on one side of the arm in the left-right direction,
A tip end of the second link member is connected to one end of the hand in the left-right direction,
3. The industrial robot according to claim 1, wherein a connection portion between a tip end of the first link member and a base end of the second link member is located on the other side in the left-right direction of a connection portion between the base end of the first link member and the link support member and a connection portion between the tip end of the second link member and the hand. the hand includes a first hand and a second hand; a first link mechanism as the link mechanism, one end of which is rotatably connected to the link support member and the other end of which is rotatably connected to a rear end of the first hand; and a second link mechanism as the link mechanism, one end of which is rotatably connected to the link support member and the other end of which is rotatably connected to the rear end of the second hand;
The first hand and the second hand overlap each other in the up-down direction when viewed from the front-rear direction,
4. The industrial robot according to claim 1 , wherein one end of the first link mechanism and one end of the second link mechanism connected to the link support member overlap in the vertical direction.

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