JPH052474B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a hand structure for an assembly robot that can quickly and rationally perform assembly work by attaching a plurality of grips to a turret-type rotating head.

(Prior art) In assembly robots, there is a device in which a plurality of hands are attached to a turret-type rotating head, which enables the delivery and reception of various types of workpieces with different shapes and processing contents. 6 and 6, in the example shown in FIG. 5, a gripping shaft is attached to the hand attachment portion 14', which has a hexagonal cross-section perpendicular to the rotation axis, in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis. The six hands H, H are installed in an evenly distributed radial pattern, and the rotation axis is rotated at an integral multiple of 60°, and a compressed air supply port for hand opening/closing operation is installed.
By supplying compressed air through P ₁ and the compressed air supply port P ₂ for holding the hand gripping operation, it is possible to perform opening and closing operations related to workpiece processing at the vertically downward position, and gripping operations in preparation for transferring the workpiece at other positions. On the other hand, in the example shown in Fig. 6, a truncated quadrangular pyramid-shaped hand attachment part 14'' tilted at 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction is attached, and the above-mentioned After fixing the four hands H, which have gripping axes in the direction of 45° with respect to the rotating shaft, the rotating shafts are rotated at a rotation angle that is an integral multiple of 90°, and each hand H, H is gripped. , has a structure that allows an opening operation to be performed.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In both of the above-mentioned examples, there is a limit to the shape of the hand attachment portions 14' and 14'', and the shapes cannot be made too large, and each hand H is also designed for heavy weight. There is a problem in that the grip is limited to small parts because it cannot be attached.

If the object to be gripped, transported, and assembled by each of the above robots is a lightweight small part such as an electronic part, and the assembled product is not transported, a robot for small parts may be sufficient, but in the case of a robot used for the assembly process In this case, the weight of the target workpiece is often large, so the robots in both of the above examples cannot handle heavy workpieces, nor can they handle the transportation of assembled products, so they are not suitable for heavy-weight workpieces. There is a drawback that it is necessary to prepare a large hand.

Furthermore, when assembling parts, it is not possible to control the posture to arbitrarily change the rotation angle with respect to the gripping shaft, and it is not possible to control the rotation when screwing in, so there is the inconvenience that it is not possible to handle a variety of tasks.

The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional devices. The hand is designed to handle heavy weight, and two control valves enable the main hand and multiple sub-hands for gripping parts to perform gripping and releasing operations without interference between them. Therefore, the present invention aims to realize a multi-purpose composite hand that can be adapted to various tasks, especially assembly operations involving assembling multiple parts.

(Means for Solving the Problems) Therefore, the present invention provides a turret-shaped composite hand in which a main hand 1 operated by fluid pressure is arranged radially perpendicular to the axis at the rear thereof, and the main hand 1 is arranged at the base. A plurality of sub-hands 2A, 2 that are integrated with each other and capable of gripping operations using single-acting cylinders.
The main hand 1 and each of the sub hands 2A and 2B are connected to the rotation drive device 4 via the connection member 5 which rotatably supports the support member 3, and the main hand 1 and the sub hands 2A and 2B are
The support member 3 is integrally rotatable and indexable around the axis of the support member 3.
The shaft of the main hand 1 can be pivoted to two positions horizontally and vertically, while the operating part of the main hand 1, the single-acting cylinder of at least one sub-hand 2A, 2B, and the fluid having a control valve. A secondary hand 2 is provided with a rotary fluid coupling 7 on the connecting member 5 for connecting to a pressure line, and further has its axis positioned vertically downward when the axis of the main hand 1 is positioned horizontally.
Only A or 2B is characterized in that the support member 3 is provided with a flow path switching mechanism 8 that enables a switching operation between gripping and releasing.

(Function) The present invention allows the main hand 1 to face vertically downward to grip a heavy workpiece, without affecting each member due to the heavy weight, and furthermore, allows the main hand 1 to be rotated around the gripping axis while being gripped. The posture of the gripped workpiece can be controlled by rotating it by 90 degrees until it becomes horizontal.Also, the gripping and opening operations of the main hand 1 can be controlled by one sub hand 2A or 2.
B can independently grasp and release small objects such as assembled parts.

In particular, when one of the sub-hands 2A, 2B is gripping and releasing a workpiece, it is possible to use the other sub-hand to securely grip another workpiece and prepare it for the next work. .

(Example) Hereinafter, one example of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

1 to 4 show the structure of the main parts of an assembly robot according to one embodiment of the present invention, 1 is a main hand, and 120 mm is divided into three equal parts around its axis. It is provided at the tip of three chuck pieces 9 radially arranged at a phase angle of °, and each chuck piece 9
Two links 1 arranged parallel and close to each other
0 and 10 to form a four-bar linkage mechanism, which is connected to the connection part of the circular base plate 11 serving as the base, and furthermore, the middle part of the inner link 10 of the two links 10 and 10 is It is connected via a link 12 to a moving block 13 disposed at the center of the circular board 11.

The main hand 1 configured in this manner moves the chuck pieces 9 away from each other by moving the moving block 13 forward and backward in the hand axis direction (moving leftward and rightward in FIG. 3). It is possible to open the workpiece in the direction (workpiece release) and close it in the approaching direction (workpiece gripping).

On the other hand, 2A to 2F are all sub-hands having a single-acting cylinder as an operating mechanism, and the mounting member 14 is a short rectangular tube with a cylindrical hole in the center in the axial direction.
The mounting member 14 is attached to the circular base plate 1 of the main hand 1 through a cover member 15 that is hermetically fitted into the cylindrical hole.
1, each of the sub hands 2A to 2F has its base mutually integrated with the main hand 1, and is arranged radially at right angles to the axis at the rear of the main hand 1. It's summery.

A piston 16 is housed in the cylindrical hole of the mounting member 14 in an airtight and slidable manner, and a shaft integrally protruding from the front surface of the piston 16 is attached to the lid member 15. The mounting member 14, the cover member 15, and the piston 16 are coaxially connected to the moving block 13 through an airtight slidable manner.
The front end of the connecting member 5, which will be described later, forms a direct-acting cylinder operated by fluid pressure, for example, pneumatic pressure.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a connecting member, which has a coaxially integral flange portion at the front end of a shaft having an appropriate diameter, and this flange portion is fixed coaxially and integrally to the rear end surface portion of the mounting member 14 in an airtight manner, The portion is fitted into a cylindrical support member 3 so as to be rotatable about its own axis.

The support member 3 includes a main hand 1 and a sub-hand 2A.
This member serves as a base for supporting ~2F, and supports the shaft of the connecting member 5 with a bearing so as to be freely rotatable, and is fixed to the swing mechanism 17.

As shown in FIG. 2, the swing mechanism 17 is fixed to the tip R of the robot arm via a fixing member 18.

The output shaft 17A of this swing mechanism 17 is connected to the above-mentioned support member 3, and the swing movement of the output shaft 19A of the rack cylinder 19 is controlled by the gears 20A and 20A.
By transmitting the data through 0B, it is possible to swing the robot arm in a vertical plane with respect to the tip R, and also rotate the main hand 1 and each of the sub hands 2A to 2F connected to the support member 3 by 90 degrees. Although it is possible to swing the main hand 1 at the corner, the swing range can be adjusted using the stoppers 21 and 21'. It can be fixed to

In FIG. 4, 4 is a rotary drive device, and this device 4 includes a DC servo motor 22, a reducer 23 that decelerates the rotation of the motor 22 at a predetermined ratio, and a speed reducer that measures the rotation speed of the DC servo motor 22 and decelerates it. An encoder 24 that generates an electric signal proportional to the rotation angle of the output shaft of the machine 23 is coaxially integrated, and a bridge groove forming the integrated unit is fixed to the rear end of the support member 3 to connect the It is disposed coaxially with the shaft portion of the member 5, and the output shaft of the reducer 23 is coaxially connected to the shaft portion of the connecting member 5.

The composite hand configured as described above further includes a rotary fluid joint 7 for supplying pressurized fluid to each hand 1, 2A to 2D, and one of the sub hands 2A to 2D for gripping and gripping. A flow path switching groove 8 for performing an opening/opening switching operation is provided, and the rotary fluid coupling 7 and the flow path switching mechanism 8 are provided on the connecting member 5 and the supporting member 3, respectively.

The rotary fluid coupling 7 connects the connecting member 5 by communicating with ring grooves 25 and 26 provided in the circumferential direction on the circumferential surface of the connecting member 5 which is in sliding contact with the support member 3 at the shaft portion thereof.
Long holes 27, 28 cut in the axial direction from the front end surface,
Elongated holes 29 are cut perpendicularly to the axis from the circumferential surface of the flange portion of the connecting member 5, communicating with the elongated holes 27 and 28, respectively;
30, O-rings 31, 31 interposed around the shaft of the connecting member 5 to keep the ring grooves 25, 26 airtight
The supporting member 3 is provided with ports 32 and 33 which are formed from the annular grooves 25 and 26 and communicate with the annular grooves 25 and 26, respectively.
Ports 3 communicated with the elongated holes 29 and 30, respectively.
4 and 35 are provided on the connecting member 5.

With this configuration, the elongated hole 27,
The opening end of 28 is hermetically closed, and the port 3 is closed.
2 and 33 are respectively connected to fluid pressure line piping having control valves, and each port 34 and 35 and each port of the direct-acting cylinder of the main hand 1 are connected to each other by piping having a switching valve. Hand 2A~2
When the port of the single-acting cylinder in at least one of the cylinders F and one pressure port 34 are connected by a pipe having an on-off valve, the gripping operation of the main hand 1 and the gripping operation of each of the sub hands 2A to 2D can be controlled respectively. It can be done independently.

Next, the flow path switching mechanism 8 is bored straight to an appropriate depth in parallel to the axis of the support member 3 from the front end of the support member 3 and from the end face that is close to and opposite to the plane of the flange portion of the connection member 5. hole 36 and hole 3
Sleeve-shaped cylindrical member 3 slidably fitted into 6
7, and a spring 38 for pressing the cylindrical member 37 against the plane of the flange portion of the mating connecting member 5.

The hole 36 is provided at a location that is parallel to the central axis of the support member 3 and can be located vertically and directly below the support member 3 when the support member 3 is held horizontally.

Although this hole 36 is not shown, it communicates with a connection port for connecting a vacuum pressure source.

On the other hand, the mounting member 14 and the connecting member 5 integrally connected with the mounting member 14 include
L-shaped passages 39 are formed in the central part of each sub-hand mounting surface and in a part facing the hole 36 in the front plane of the flange part of the connecting member 5, respectively, and the shafts are oriented vertically downward. The port of the single-acting cylinder of the auxiliary hand is formed so as to be able to communicate with the flow path switching mechanism 8 via the passage 39.

Note that the passages 39 are formed in relation to each sub-hand mounting surface of the mounting member 14, but in the case of a passage 39 corresponding to a sub-hand that does not need to communicate with the flow path switching mechanism 8, The opening on the sub hand attachment surface side of the member 14 is closed.

In addition, in FIG. 4, 40 is a proximity switch, 41 is a detection member fixed to the mounting member 14 so as to be able to approach the detection surface of the proximity switch 40,
It is provided so that the index positions of the sub hands 2A to 2D can be accurately detected without contact.

In the composite hand having the above-mentioned configuration, only the secondary hand, which has its grip axis vertically downward while the axis of the main hand 1 is horizontal, has a flow path switching mechanism due to the indexing caused by the drive of the rotary drive device 4. 8, a fluid pressure line having a control valve communicates with a single-acting cylinder built in the sub hand to form a flow path, and only this sub hand exists in a position where it can grip the workpiece. .

Therefore, it is possible to handle the workpiece only in this position, and if, for example, a single-acting cylinder type hand is used as the secondary hand in which the claw is constantly moved toward the gripping side using spring force, fluid pressure can be supplied. After the opening operation is performed by the hand, the workpiece is gripped by stopping the fluid pressure supply, and even if the workpiece is gripped by another secondary hand by indexing, the previous gripping operation is maintained as it is. It is possible to grip a plurality of workpieces using all of the sub hands 2A to 2D.

On the other hand, the main hand 1 can be handled in the horizontal direction with its axis horizontal, and can also change its posture by rotating around the gripping axis by driving the rotation drive device 4.

Furthermore, by operating the two-position swing mechanism 6 so that the axis of the main hand 1 is vertical, it is possible to handle heavy workpieces with the main hand 1, and the posture can also be controlled by rotating around the axis. It is also possible to handle assembly work such as fitting workpieces with irregular cross sections together or screwing workpieces together.

Of course, while the main hand 1 is performing various operations, small workpieces such as assembly parts can be held by all of the sub arms 2A to 2D.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, which functions as described above,
The main hand 1 can be constructed as a hand that can handle heavy workpieces without increasing the size of the turret-type rotating head, and is also capable of gripping the workpiece and controlling the rotational posture of the workpiece, and furthermore, the gripping axis can be set horizontally. It can be easily swung to two vertical positions.

Immediately behind the main hand 1, a plurality of sub-hands 2A, 2B... can sequentially grip the workpiece, and the main hand 1 can handle the workpiece while each sub-hand 2A, 2B... holds the workpiece. When automatic assembly work is performed by a robot, each robot can operate efficiently to reduce lost time as much as possible, resulting in improved productivity.

In addition, the main hand 1 and the sub-hands 2A, 2B, etc. are capable of gripping and releasing operations without mutual interference, and in contrast to the conventional turret-type compound hand, which could only handle work transfers. It is possible to provide a multi-purpose composite hand that is capable of assembly work such as fitting and screw engagement.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1, 2, and 3 are a schematic front view of a robot hand according to an example of the present invention, a cross-sectional view taken along the line -1 in FIG. 1, and a left side view, and FIG. The front view, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 are a schematic side view and a schematic front view of each example of a conventional robot hand. 1...Main hand, 2A, 2B...Secondary hand, 3
. . . Support member, 4 .

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A main hand 1 operated by fluid pressure, and a plurality of sub-hands arranged radially at right angles to the axis at the rear thereof, and whose bases are integrated with the main hand 1, and each of which can be gripped by a single-acting cylinder. Hand 2A, 2B
are connected to the rotary drive device 4 via a connecting member 5 rotatably supported by the support member 3, so that the main hand 1 and each sub-hand 2A, 2B can be integrally rotated around the axis of the main hand 1. The supporting member 3 is connected to the two-position swinging mechanism 6 to allow the axis of the main hand 1 to swing between two positions, horizontal and vertical. The connecting member 5 is provided with a rotary fluid coupling 7 for connecting the single-acting cylinders of the two sub-hands 2A, 2B and a fluid pressure line having a control valve, and furthermore, when the axis of the main hand 1 is positioned horizontally, A composite hand characterized in that only the sub hand 2A or 2B, which has its axis vertically positioned downward, is provided with a flow path switching mechanism 8 on the support member 3, which enables switching operation between gripping and releasing.