JPS6240154B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a battery gripping hand for an industrial robot, and more particularly to an improvement in a battery gripping hand necessary for automating the battery mounting process, which is one of the automobile assembly lines.

The inventors of the present application have previously proposed an automatic battery loading system as shown in FIG. This is done by positioning a car 2 being transferred by a conveyor 1 at a battery mounting position on an automobile assembly line, and installing a robot R having an articulated arm 3 in an insulated manner in a work area close to the conveyor 1. A battery gripping hand H is attached to the end attachment part of the multi-joint arm 3, and based on the teaching information of the robot R, the batteries B that are being conveyed in an orderly line without any gaps on the pallet 4 are handled by the battery gripping hand H. After being grasped, it is automatically transported and loaded into the engine compartment E of the automobile 2.

In this system, the battery gripping hand H is attached to a robot arm 3 as shown in FIG.
a base member 5 fixed to the base member 5;
It has a pair of gripping mechanisms 7 for gripping a pair of terminals (hereinafter referred to as battery terminals) 6 provided at the lower part of the battery B and protruding from the upper surface of the battery B, and the gripping mechanisms 7 are connected to the base via a connecting member 8. It is fixed to the member 5 and operated by an actuator such as an air cylinder 9. Note that an insulator 10 is attached to the lower surface of the base member 5. Therefore, according to the above-mentioned battery gripping hand,
Even if the batteries B are conveyed on the pallet 4 in an orderly line without gaps, it is possible to directly grasp the batteries B, which is necessary, for example, when using a hand to grasp the side of the battery B. work, i.e. battery B to be loaded
This eliminates the need for manual labor such as separating the battery B from the other battery B groups to secure a space for holding the battery B, thereby making it possible to automate the entire battery B mounting process.

However, since such a battery gripping hand is only equipped with a gripping mechanism 7 for gripping a pair of battery terminals 6, it has a structure in which the battery B is supported at two points. As shown in FIG. 3, the battery terminal 6 has a substantially truncated conical shape that is difficult to grasp, and is located on the top surface of the battery B, which is offset by a distance m from the center of gravity of the battery B, which is a heavy object. Therefore, a moment will inevitably act on the gripping portion of the battery terminal 6. For example, if the gripping mechanism 7 is not fully gripping the battery terminal 6, the moment will inevitably act on the gripping portion of the battery terminal 6. ,
There is a possibility that an unexpected accident may occur in which the battery terminal 6 separates from the gripping mechanism 7 and the battery B falls, and the above-mentioned automatic battery B mounting system is therefore insufficient in terms of safety. I was getting used to it.

The present invention has been made based on the above-mentioned viewpoints, and its purpose is to completely avoid falling accidents of batteries during the battery transport process without impairing the functions of the batteries.
To provide a battery gripping hand for an industrial robot that improves the safety of an automatic battery loading system.

The gist of the present invention is to provide a type equipped with a gripping mechanism that grips a pair of battery terminals while preventing short circuits between the battery terminals.
In addition to this gripping mechanism, this battery gripping hand for an industrial robot is provided with a support mechanism that supports the side or bottom surface of the battery in order to ensure that the battery is gripped during the battery transport process. Specifically, a pair of gripping mechanisms each having a finger for gripping the battery terminal and a drive means for driving the finger in the gripping and releasing direction is provided on a base member fixed to the robot arm, and the robot arm is provided with a pair of gripping mechanisms each having a finger for gripping the battery terminal and a driving means for driving the finger in the gripping and releasing direction. An insulating member is interposed in the middle of the electric path formed between the pair of battery terminals, and a support mechanism is removably engaged with the battery case on the base member, and a support mechanism is provided on the basis of the gripping and releasing operations of the fingers. It is provided with a position converting means for driving to an engagement position and a disengagement position.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the basic structure of the battery gripping hand H is as follows:
and a gripping mechanism 7 which is provided at the lower part of the base member 5 and grips a pair of battery terminals 6 protruding from the upper surface of the battery B, and a gripping mechanism 7 which is provided on both sides of the base member 5 so as to be movable in the up and down direction, and when protruding downward. It consists of a pair of support mechanisms 11 that support the bottom surface of the case of battery B.

In this embodiment, the base member 5 includes a flat plate-shaped top base 5a fixed to the tip attachment part of a robot arm (not shown), and a ladder-shaped support 5b attached to the lower part of the top base 5a and extending downward. , and a flat lower base 5c attached to the lower end of the support column 5b, and an insulator 10 such as epoxy resin or insulating rubber is adhered to the lower part of the lower base 5c.

The pair of gripping mechanisms 7 are shown in FIGS. 4 to 7.
As shown in the figure, it includes a finger 16 that grips the battery terminal 6, and a drive means that drives the finger 16 in the gripping and releasing directions, which is comprised of an annular cam 13, a drive cylinder 43, etc., which will be described later. Each of the gripping mechanisms 7 has a cylindrical fixed body 12, and each of the fixed bodies 12 is formed with a through hole 12a penetrating in the vertical direction. A stepped cylindrical portion 12b having a reduced diameter is formed. And the above-mentioned cylindrical part 1
An annular cam 13 is rotatably fitted into the fixed body 12, and the annular cam 13 is connected to the stepped portion 1 of the fixed body 12.
2c and a presser plate 14 fixed to the lower surface of the fixed body 12
As shown in FIG. 7, the inner circumferential surface of the annular cam 13 has a circumferential surface inscribed in the cylindrical portion 12b, and three arcuate cams are provided on this circumferential surface. Grooves 13a are recessed at equal angular intervals.
Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, three guide grooves 15 are formed extending in the radial direction at equal angular intervals on the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 12b. A finger 16 that is slidable in the radial direction of the cylindrical portion 12b is mounted between the presser plate 14 and the cylindrical portion 12b. The finger 16 includes a guide portion 16a that fits into the guide groove 15, and a presser plate 14 that is bent downward at the inner end of the guide portion 16a and that corresponds to the through hole portion 12a of the fixed body 12. opening 14a of
The guide portion 16a has a built-in spring 18, one end of which is locked to a stopper 17 fixed to the fixed body 12.
The chuck 16 is always urged to contact the annular cam 13, while the inner end surface of the terminal contact portion 16b becomes a tapered surface 19 with an arcuate cross section that contacts the circumferential surface of the battery terminal 6. ing.

Further, the pair of gripping mechanisms 7 are each connected to the moving mechanism 2.
It is provided at the lower part of the lower base 5c so as to be relatively movable via the lower base 5c. That is, the moving mechanism 20 is
As shown in FIG. 9, it consists of a plate-shaped inner case 21 that extends in the left-right direction, and an outer case 24 that is slidably mounted along the longitudinal direction of the inner case 21 via balls 22 and rails 23. The inner case 21 is configured such that the inner case 21 is connected to the lower base 5.
c is fixed to the lower part of the inner case 21 by a bolt 27 and a nut 28 via an insulating cylinder 25 and an insulating washer 26, and is insulated from the lower base 5c, while one end of the outer case 24 is connected to the stopper wall ( (not shown), and the gripping mechanism 7 is fixed to the lower part of the outer case 24 via a connecting member 33. Then, a pair of such moving mechanisms 2
Position adjustment cylinders 29, 30 that operate 0
are provided in a pair at the lower part of the lower base 5c so as to be offset in the front-rear direction, and are attached via brackets 31 which are insulated and fixed to the lower base 5c. On the other hand, the other position adjustment cylinder 30 is a two-stage cylinder consisting of a first cylinder 30a and a second cylinder 30d connected to the tip of the piston rod 30b of the first cylinder 30a via a connecting plate 30c. It has become operational. Also, the position adjustment cylinders 29, 3
The tip mounting portion 32a of each piston rod 32 (for the position adjustment cylinder 30, the piston rod of the second cylinder 30d) is attached to the connecting piece 33 of the connecting member 33 fixed to the lower part of the outer case 24.
a, and the position adjustment cylinder 2
Reference numerals 9 and 30 make the relative position between the fingers 16 of the gripping mechanism 7 provided at the lower part of the connecting member 33 variable. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, each gripping mechanism 7 moves from one point to the position shown by a solid line as the moving mechanism 20 moves in accordance with the operation of the respective position adjustment cylinders 29 and 30. It is designed to be set at the position shown by the chain line or the position shown by the two-dot chain line. That is, when both position adjustment cylinders 29 and 30 are inactive, the distance between the fingers 16 takes the maximum dimension lmax, and
When one position adjustment cylinder 29 operates one step, the distance between the fingers 16 is the dimension l ₁ (l ₁ <
lmax), and when both position adjustment cylinders 29 and 30 are operated in one step, the distance between the fingers 16 takes the dimension l ₂ (l ₂ < l ₁ ), and one position adjustment cylinder 29 When the position adjustment cylinder 30 operates in one stage and the other position adjustment cylinder 30 operates in two stages, the distance between the fingers 16 is the minimum dimension lmin (lmin<
l ₂ ), and four dimensions can be taken as the relative distance between the 16 parts of the fingers. Therefore, the distance between the 16 fingers, lmax, l ₁ ,
If the four dimensions l ₂ and lmin are set as four different pitches between the battery terminals 6, the gripping mechanism 7 can grip four types of batteries B with different pitches between the battery terminals 6. . In addition, the above-mentioned position adjustment cylinders 29 and 30 are as follows:
It is activated by a command signal from a control device (not shown), and it is determined whether the position between the fingers 16 has reached the desired position or not by the lower base 5.
This is done by detecting the position of the piece 37 provided on the connecting member 33 with a position sensor 36 which is fixed via a bracket 34 to a nut 35 so that its position can be adjusted.

Furthermore, the tip mounting portion 32a of the piston rod 32 of the position adjustment cylinders 29, 30 passes through the insertion hole 38 of the connecting piece 33a of the connecting member 33, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 11. and an adjustment nut 39 provided at its tip.
The connecting piece 33a is connected to the connecting piece 33a by interposing springs 41 and 42, respectively, between the connecting piece 33a and a flat washer 40 provided at the base end of the flat washer 40 and the connecting piece 33a. Therefore, due to the elastic force of the springs 41 and 42, the connecting member 33 and the moving mechanism 20
The outer case 24 has a relative movement range of approximately ±3 mm with respect to the tip attachment portion 32a of the piston rod 32, and the set position of the gripping mechanism 7 can also be displaced by that amount. As a result, even if the pitch between the battery terminals 6 includes an allowable tolerance (±3 mm), the gripping mechanism 7 can hold the battery terminals 6
It is moved to an appropriate position depending on the position, and the above-mentioned allowable tolerance is effectively absorbed.

Further, a drive cylinder 43 for driving the gripping mechanism 7 is attached to the lower part of each of the connecting members 33 via a support bracket 44, and a shaft is connected to the tip of the piston rod 43a of the drive cylinder 43 by an adjuster nut 45. A connector 46 whose position is adjustable with respect to the direction is provided, and this connector 46 is joined by a pin 48 to a mounting piece 47 protruding radially outward of the annular cam 13.
The linear movement of the piston rod 43a is controlled by the connector 46.
The rotational movement of the annular cam 13 is converted into rotational movement via the annular cam 13. And the drive cylinder 43
is adapted to operate in response to a command signal from a control device (not shown) based on teaching information of the robot R, and when the piston rod 43a of the drive cylinder 43 protrudes, the finger 1
6 reaches the position where it contacts the cam groove 13a of the annular cam 13, while when the piston rod 43a of the drive cylinder 43 moves backward, the annular cam 13
As the fingers 16 rotate, the fingers 16 move centripetally. Note that an appropriate play is provided at the engaging portion of the pin 48 so that the mounting piece 47 moves smoothly when it is rotated by the drive cylinder 43.

Further, in this embodiment, the support mechanism 11 that is removably engaged with the case of the battery B is offset in the left-right direction in the front and back of the lower part of the upper base 5a of the base member 5, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 8. The basic structure of each support mechanism 11 is a drive cylinder 50 disposed vertically between an upper base 5a and a lower base 5c.
and the piston rod 50 of this drive cylinder 50.
a connector 51 provided at the tip of a, a support plate 52 with an L-shaped cross section integrally provided inside this connector 51, and a leaf spring 53 attached to the bottom surface of this support plate 52 and elastically deformed in the vertical direction. Consists of.

In this support mechanism 11, the drive cylinder 50 is mounted so as to be relatively movable in the front-back direction via a moving mechanism 54 that is movable in the front-back direction. That is, the moving mechanism 54 has the same configuration as the moving mechanism 20 of the gripping mechanism 7, and
It is composed of a plate-shaped inner case 55 fixed to the lower part of the Atsupa base 5a, and an outer case 56 slidably attached to the inner case 55. A connecting member 5 is attached to the lower part of the outer case 56.
The upper end of the drive cylinder 50 is fixed via 7. Adapters 58 and 59 are attached to the lower surface of the connecting member 57, respectively.
Joint portions 61 and 62 provided at the main body of a position adjusting cylinder 60 as a position converting means and the tip of its piston rod 60a are connected to the respective adapters 58 and 59 by clevis pins 63 and 64, respectively. Therefore, the pair of drive cylinders 50
can move relative to each other in response to the operation of the position adjustment cylinder 60, and when the piston rod 60a of the position adjustment cylinder 60 is operated to protrude, the end of the outer case 56 moves against the stopper wall (not shown) of the inner case 55. ), the drive cylinder 50 moves outward until it comes into contact with the
However, when the piston rod 60a of the position adjustment cylinder 60 is moved backward, a part of one connecting member 57 is connected to the lower base 5c.
While contacting the stopper 65 provided at the bottom of the
Both drive cylinders 50 are adapted to move in a direction toward each other. The drive cylinder 50 and the position adjustment cylinder 60 are operated by command signals from a control device not shown.
In terms of the position adjustment cylinder 60, the control device issues command signals at predetermined times before the gripping operation and the release operation of the fingers 16 of the support mechanism 11, so that the position adjustment cylinder 60 moves the support mechanism 11 toward the battery B. These drive the case to an engagement position and a disengagement position, respectively.

Further, in this embodiment, the drive cylinder 50
There is a holding plate 66 on the piston rod 50a side.
is fixed by a nut 67 and a lock screw 68, and a bush 6 is attached to this holding plate 66.
A slidable guide rod 70 is mounted through the piston 9, and the lower end of the guide rod 70 is connected to the connector 51, so that the piston rod 50a of the drive cylinder 50 maintains a linear trajectory. It's summery. The tip of the piston rod 50a of the drive cylinder 50 is located above the gripping mechanism 7 of the battery terminal 6 during the backward operation, and when the battery B is gripped by the gripping mechanism 7 during the protrusion operation, the tip of the piston rod 50a of the drive cylinder 50 is It is positioned below the bottom surface. When the distance between the drive cylinders 50 is maximum, the piston rod 50a of the drive cylinder 50 moves forward and backward at a position away from the front and rear surfaces of the battery B held by the gripping mechanism 7, and at this time, The support plate 52 does not come into contact with the battery B.

Therefore, if the automatic battery B loading system using the battery gripping hand according to this embodiment is explained based on FIGS. 4 to 12, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, first, based on the teaching information of the robot R, the battery gripping hand H is placed above the battery B to be mounted on the pallet 4. In this state, a specification selection command signal is issued from a control device (not shown), and in response to this specification selection command signal, the position adjustment cylinders 29 and 30 of the gripping mechanism 7 are operated as appropriate, and the moving mechanism 20 is appropriately moved. The distance between the fingers 16 of the gripping mechanism 7 is the battery terminal 6 of the battery B to be mounted.
It is set to correspond to the pitch in between. At this time, since the piston rod 43a of the drive cylinder 43 of the gripping mechanism 7 is operating in a protruding manner, the finger 16 comes into contact with the cam groove 13a of the annular cam 13, and the finger 16 portion is set in the open state, and the gripping mechanism When the position setting in step 7 is completed, a signal from the position sensor 36 shown in FIG. 7 is detected and a feedback signal is sent from the control device to the robot R, and the robot R grasps the battery as shown in FIG. 12b. The hand H is lowered and the gripping mechanism 7 is moved to the battery terminal 6 gripping position.

In this state, the piston rod 50a of the drive cylinder 50 constituting the support mechanism 11 is always operating backward and is located at the highest position, and the piston rod 60a of the position adjustment cylinder 60 of the support mechanism 11 is always operating protruding. The pair of drive cylinders 50 are located at the outermost position. Therefore, even if the battery gripping hand H is lowered, the piston rod 50a of the drive cylinder 50 will not collide with the battery B on the pallet 4, and the gripping mechanism 7 will be set at the battery terminal 6 gripping position. Become. In this state, even if the pitch between the battery terminals 6 includes an allowable tolerance, the gripping mechanism 7 is supported by the lower base 5c so as to absorb the above-mentioned allowable tolerance.
As the position of the fingers 16 descends, the fingers 16 of the gripping mechanism 7 are guided by the tapered circumferential surface of the battery terminal 6 and move relative to each other in a self-centripetal manner, so that the terminal abutting portion 16b of each finger 16 moves toward the battery terminal 6. It comes into contact with the circumferential surface of the terminal 6. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7, the piston rod 43a of the drive cylinder 43 moves backward in response to a command signal from the control device. The terminal abutting portion 13b further moves centripetally while sliding inside the battery terminal 13a, and as a result, the terminal abutting portion 13b comes into pressure contact with the circumferential surface of the battery terminal 6, and grips the battery terminal 6 by its tightening force. It is.
At this stage, the clamping operation of the fingers 16 is completed.

After that, when the operating pressure of the drive cylinder 43 is detected and a feedback signal (clamp operation completion signal of the finger 16) is sent from the control device to the robot R, the robot R grasps the battery as shown in FIG. 12c. Raise hand H and lift battery B from above pallet 4, and the bottom of the lifted battery B will be on battery B on pallet 4.
It will stop once it reaches above the top surface. At this time, a command signal is issued from the control device based on the teaching information of Robot R, and
As shown in FIG. 2, the piston rod 50a of the drive cylinder 50 constituting the support mechanism 11 is operated to protrude downward. In this state, the driving cylinder 50 is located at the outermost position by the position adjusting cylinder 60, so that the piston rod 50a that is protruding does not interfere with the battery B being held. When the piston rod 50a of the drive cylinder 50 reaches the maximum protrusion position, the piston rod 50a
The support plate 52 provided at the tip of the battery B is located slightly below the bottom surface of the case of the battery B being held and at a position spaced apart from the front and rear sides.

In this state, as shown in Figure 12e,
In response to a command signal from the control device, the piston rod 60a of the position adjustment cylinder 60 moves backward, driving the support mechanism 11 to the engagement position. As a result, when the drive cylinders 50 move toward each other, the connecting member 57 that supports one of the drive cylinders 50 comes into contact with the stopper 65, and the piston rod 50 of each drive cylinder 50 comes into contact with the stopper 65.
The rising surface of the support plate 52 provided at a comes into contact with the front and rear sides of the case of the battery B. At this time, as the piston rod 60a of the position adjustment cylinder 60 continues to move backward, the support plate 52 will clamp the front and rear sides of the case of the battery B, but the clamping force is set to be weak. If this is done, a large rotational moment will not be applied to the battery B, so there is no concern that the battery terminal 6 will be strained by the gripping mechanism 7 portion. Also, at this time, if the forward and backward stroke of the piston rod 60a of the position adjustment cylinder 60 is set to a certain degree, even if there are multiple front and rear width dimensions of the battery B to be installed, it can be adjusted according to the front and rear width dimensions of the battery B. It is possible to set the supporting plate 52 at a position that is similar to that shown in FIG. After that, as shown in FIG. 12f, when the operating pressure of the position adjustment cylinder 60 is detected and a command signal is issued from the control device, the piston rod 50a of the drive cylinder 50 will move backward. The leaf spring 53 portion of the support plate 52 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the case of the battery B being held, and the battery B is supported by the pair of support mechanisms 11.

In this state, when the operating pressure of the drive cylinder 50 is detected and a feedback signal (clamping operation completion signal of the support mechanism 11) is sent from the control device to the robot R, the robot R operates as shown in FIG. 12g. Based on the teaching information, the battery gripping hand H is moved toward the upper part of the engine room E of the automobile 2, and the battery B is transported. In the process of transporting the battery B, the pair of gripping mechanisms 7 of the battery gripping hands H are attached to the battery terminal 6.
At the same time, the pair of support mechanisms 11 support the front and rear bottom surfaces of the case of the battery B, so even if the battery terminal 6 is not fully gripped by the gripping mechanism 7, the battery B will not fall. There is no such concern at all, and the state in which the battery B is gripped by the battery gripping hand H is extremely safe. Furthermore, in the process of transporting the battery B, if the operating pressure of the drive cylinder 43 of the gripping mechanism 7 is reduced due to a breakage of the air hose, etc., the fingers 16 of the gripping mechanism 7 are automatically opened. Therefore, the battery B separates from the gripping mechanism 7 due to its own weight, but a pair of support mechanisms 11 are attached to the front and rear of the bottom of the case of the battery B.
Since it is supported by the support plate 52 of
Even if the piston rod 50a of the drive cylinder 50 constituting the support mechanism 11 moves down to the maximum protrusion position by the movement stroke of the piston rod 50a (up to about 5 mm), it will not fall over. . In such a case, a drop in the operating pressure of the drive cylinder 43 of the gripping mechanism 7 is detected by a detection device (not shown), and the operation of the robot R is brought to an emergency stop.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12g, the robot R
stops when the battery B reaches a position above the battery support in the engine room E. At this time, a stop signal is issued from the control device, and the clamping operation of the support mechanism 11 is released. That is, the piston rod 50a of the drive cylinder 50 constituting the support mechanism 11 is operated to protrude, and then the piston rod 60a of the position adjustment cylinder 60 is operated to protrude so as to move the drive cylinder 50 to the outermost position. 11 to the release position. Thereafter, the piston rod 50a of the drive cylinder 50 moves backward. In this state, the battery B is supported only by the gripping mechanism 7.

After that, when a feedback signal (clamp operation release completion signal of the support mechanism 11) is sent from the control device to the robot R, the robot R moves to the position shown in FIG.
As shown in , the battery gripping hand H is lowered toward the battery support 71 position based on the teaching information. When the battery B comes into contact with or comes close to the battery support 71, the piston rod 4 of the drive cylinder 43 of the gripping mechanism 7 is moved in response to a command signal from the control device.
3a is projected, and at this time, the gripping state of the battery terminal 6 by the finger 16 is released, and the battery B is mounted on the battery support 71 by its own weight, and the gripping operation of the battery B by the battery gripping hand H is completed. do. After this, the robot R returns the battery gripping hand H to its original position in preparation for the next battery loading process, and one step of the battery loading process is completed.

Further, according to the battery gripping hand H, the insulator 1 is disposed between the lower base 5c and the pair of gripping mechanisms 7.
0 or the like, even if the battery terminal 6 is held by the pair of gripping mechanisms 7, the insulator 10 will exist in the middle of the electric path formed between the pair of battery terminals 6. , there is no short circuit between battery terminals 6, and battery B
There is no concern that battery B will be over-discharged when installed. Further, when the support mechanism 11 is holding the battery B, since the case of the battery B is an insulator, no electric path is formed between the battery terminals 6 via the support mechanism 11.

In the above embodiments, the specific shape of the base member 5 is not particularly limited, and the design may be changed as appropriate. Further, the gripping mechanism 7 is not limited to that shown in the above embodiment, and for example, as shown in FIG. Place this clamp arm 7
7 can be opened and closed by an air cylinder 79, and the battery terminal 6 can be clamped by a clamp arm 77. For example, the design may be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a moving mechanism 20 is provided that changes the relative position of the gripping mechanism 7 according to the pitch between the battery terminals 6.
The moving mechanism 20 is not limited to the one shown in the embodiment, but can be modified as appropriate, such as using a shift actuator or a step motor as the actuator. If the pitch is constant, there is no need for the moving mechanism 20. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a pair of support mechanisms 11 are provided and are configured to support the bottom surface of the battery B, but the structure is not limited to this. Alternatively, one support mechanism 11 may support the bottom surface of the case of the battery B, and the support plate 52 may be rotatable. Further, in the above embodiment, the lower base 5c and the gripping mechanism 7
The insulator 10 or the like is used to insulate the
As shown in FIG.
0 may be applied and the finger 16 portion may be insulated. In this case, at least if the finger 16 that grips the positive terminal of the battery terminal 6 is covered with the insulating cover 80,
Even if the battery gripping hand H in operation while gripping the battery B comes into contact with another device or the like, sparks due to discharge will not fly at the contact portion, and safety in the workplace can be ensured.

As described above, according to the battery gripping hand for an industrial robot according to the present invention, the base member includes a gripping mechanism for gripping a pair of battery terminals protruding from the top surface of the battery, and a gripping mechanism that grips a pair of battery terminals protruding from the top surface of the battery, and a gripping mechanism that grips a pair of battery terminals protruding from the top surface of the battery, and A support mechanism for supporting the batteries and a position conversion means for driving the support mechanisms to the engagement position and disengagement position of the battery case are provided, so that the batteries that are conveyed in an orderly line without any gaps on the pallet can be directly handled by the gripping mechanism. In addition, the battery gripped by the gripping mechanism during the battery transport process can be supported by the support mechanism, making it possible to securely hold the battery. Therefore, unexpected accidents such as batteries falling during the battery transport process can be completely prevented, and the safety of the automatic battery loading system can be improved accordingly. Further, according to the present invention, since the insulating member is interposed in the middle of the electric path formed between the pair of battery terminals via the gripping mechanism and the base member, the battery terminals are not short-circuited and damaged when the battery is gripped. It is possible to prevent such situations from occurring.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective explanatory diagram showing an example of an automatic battery loading system, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a battery gripping hand used in the system shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an external view showing an example of the battery. , FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a battery gripping hand of an industrial robot according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway front view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4.
6 is a right side view thereof, FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway bottom view thereof, FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line in FIG. The figure is an explanatory diagram showing the position adjustment relationship of the gripping mechanism.
The figures are an enlarged sectional view of section XI in Figure 7, and Figures 12 a to h.
Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing each step of the battery mounting process.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a modification of the gripping mechanism, and FIG. 14 is an explanatory view of main parts showing a modification of the insulation structure of the battery gripping hand. B...Battery, H...Battery gripping hand, R...
Robot, 3... Robot arm, 4... Palette,
5...Base member, 5a...Upper base, 5c...Lower base, 6...Battery terminal, 7...Gripping mechanism, 1
0... Insulator (insulating member), 11... Support mechanism, 60
...Position adjustment cylinder (position conversion means).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pair of gripping mechanisms each having a finger for gripping a battery terminal and a drive means for driving the finger in the gripping and releasing direction is provided on a base member fixed to the robot arm, and a pair of gripping mechanisms are provided through the pair of gripping mechanisms and the base member. An insulating member is interposed in the middle of the electric path formed between the battery terminals, and a support mechanism is removably engaged with the battery case on the base member, and the support mechanisms are respectively engaged based on the gripping and opening operations of the fingers. A battery gripping hand for an industrial robot, characterized in that it is provided with a position converting means for driving the battery to an engagement position and a detachment position.