JPH0768486A - Robot device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a robot device where the number of wirings led to an arm is reduced as much as possible. CONSTITUTION:A robot device is provided with a robot device body 12, a control device 14 which is provided outside and controls the operation of the robot device body 12, and a transmission/reception device 14 to achieve the communication of the control signal by radio with the control device 14 and the robot device body 12. Thus, only two power cables are sufficient for the wiring to the hand.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a robot device used in, for example, an automatic assembly line, and more particularly to a robot device in which wiring and piping for driving a hand are reduced as much as possible.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a multi-joint type robot apparatus having a plurality of arms used in an automatic assembly line or the like, a drive source for driving a hand attached to the end of the arm, that is, a solenoid is driven. The compressed air for driving the power supply and the air cylinder has been supplied to the hand through electric wiring, piping, etc. that are routed from the base supporting the arm through the plurality of arms in sequence.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned conventional example has some problems as described below. (1) Since the above electric wiring and piping are routed from the base via a plurality of arms in order, it takes time and effort for wiring and piping, and the cost of the wiring and piping itself increases. In addition, a cable bear for protecting wiring and the like is required to be long, resulting in high cost. (2) Wiring tools such as cable bears complicate the appearance and increase the size of the robot apparatus. (3) The movement range of the robot is restricted by the cable bear or the like. (4) If it is desired to add the number of wirings or pipes later, it is necessary to disassemble and assemble the cable bear and the like, which requires labor.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a robot apparatus in which the number of wires routed to an arm is reduced as much as possible.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, a robot apparatus of the present invention is provided with a robot apparatus main body and a control which controls the operation of the robot apparatus main body. And a transmission / reception unit that wirelessly communicates control signals between the control unit and the robot apparatus main body.

Further, in the robot apparatus according to the present invention, the robot apparatus main body has a base, a plurality of arms attached to the base, and a hand provided at a tip portion of the arm, It is characterized in that the transmitting / receiving means communicates a control signal between the control means and the hand. Further, in the robot apparatus according to the present invention,
The hand has a wireless transmission / reception unit forming a part of the transmission / reception means, and an electromagnetic valve, and the hand is supplied from the wireless transmission / reception unit by using a power source and compressed air supplied to the hand as drive sources. It is characterized in that it operates based on a control signal.

In the robot apparatus according to the present invention, the power source and the compressed air are supplied to the hand through a power line and an air line extended from the base. Further, in the robot apparatus according to the present invention, the power source is supplied from a battery built in the hand.

Further, in the robot apparatus according to the present invention, the compressed air is supplied from a gas tank built in the hand.

[0009]

As described above, since the robot apparatus according to the present invention is configured, two signals for powering the robot apparatus, specifically the hand, are wirelessly transmitted and received to connect two power lines to the hand. It becomes possible to do it only. Also, since the compressed air piping is equipped with a solenoid valve in the hand, only one original piping is required. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of wires and pipes routed to the arm.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a robot apparatus according to an embodiment, particularly a hand portion thereof.

In FIG. 1, the robot apparatus 10 comprises a robot apparatus body 12 and a controller 14 for controlling the robot apparatus body 12. The robot apparatus main body 12 includes a base (not shown), a plurality of articulated arms rotatably attached to the base, and a hand 18 attached to an arm tip 16 of the arm. Has been done. The hand 18 has a flat plate-shaped hand body 20, and the hand body 20 is attached to the arm tip portion 16 via a flange 22. Air cylinders 22, 24 are provided on the upper part of the hand body 20.
A first solenoid valve 30 and a second solenoid valve 32 for opening and closing the air pipes 26, 28 connected to the are arranged.
An air pipe 34, which is a passage for compressed air supplied to the air cylinders 22 and 24, is connected to rear portions of the first and second solenoid valves 30 and 32. The air pipe 34 is routed from the base of the robot to the position of the arm tip 16 through the plurality of arms in sequence.

An air pipe 26 for supplying compressed air supplied from an air pipe 34 to the air cylinder 22 is connected to the first solenoid valve 30, and a second solenoid valve 32 is supplied from the air pipe 34. An air pipe 28 for supplying compressed air to the air cylinder 24 is connected. Cylinder rod 22a from the air cylinder 22
Is projected, and a finger 36 is attached to the tip of the cylinder rod 22a. When the cylinder rod 22a is pushed and pulled with respect to the main body of the air cylinder 22, the fingers 36 are driven in the closing direction and the opening direction (arrow A direction). A cylinder rod 24a projects from the air cylinder 24, and a finger 38 is attached to the tip of the cylinder rod 22a. Then, as in the case of the fingers 36, the cylinder rod 24a is pushed and pulled with respect to the main body of the air cylinder 24 to drive the fingers 38 in the closing direction and the opening direction (arrow A direction). Finger 36,
The work is gripped and released by the opening / closing operation of the arrow 38 in the direction of arrow A.

A sensor 40 for detecting a work is attached to the finger 38, and the sensor 40 detects the presence or absence of the work held by the fingers 36 and 38. Also, the hand body 2
A radio transmitter / receiver 42 is arranged on the front side of 0, and a radio transmitting / receiving antenna 42a is arranged in the radio transmitter / receiver 42. The wireless transceiver 42 includes
A DC power supply line 44 for supplying electric power for driving this is connected. The DC power line 44 is connected to the arm tip 16 from the base of the robot through the plurality of arms in sequence.
Has been routed to the position.

The wireless transmitter / receiver 42 has wirings 43,
One end of 45 is connected, and the other ends of the wirings 43 and 45 are connected to the sensor 40 and the first and second solenoid valves 30 and 3, respectively.
Connected to 2. On the other hand, the control device 16 is provided with a control unit for controlling the robot device and a transmission / reception unit for communicating with the wireless transmission / reception device 42 on the hand 18 side. The control device 16 includes the antenna 14 of the transmitting / receiving unit.
a is provided.

Next, FIG. 2 shows a controller 16 and a hand 18.
It is the figure which showed the structure of the wireless transmission / reception apparatus 42 of the side. Figure 2
In the control device 16, the robot device main body 12
A controller 46 for controlling the
And a wireless transmission / reception device 4 for transmitting to
A receiving unit 50 for receiving the signal from the 2 is provided.

On the other hand, in the radio transmitter / receiver 42, a receiving unit 52 for receiving the signal transmitted from the transmitting unit 48 and a transmitting unit 54 for transmitting the signal to the receiving unit 50 are provided. There is. An OUT signal unit 56 is connected to the receiving unit 52, and an IN signal unit 58 is connected to the transmitting unit 54. The first and second solenoid valves 30 and 32 are connected to the OUT signal unit 56. Further, the sensor 40 is connected to the IN signal unit 58.

Next, the operation of the robot apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described. The controller 46 in the control device 16 controls the operation of the robot device 10 and the hand 18.
Has a program to control the opening and closing movements of
The operations of the robot device 10 and the hand 18 are controlled according to this program. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the contents of the above program.

When the program is started, first, in step S2, the controller 20 causes the robot unit 10 to operate.
The arm is moved to move the hand 18 to the position of the work to be held. A control signal for this operation is sent to the robot apparatus 10 via a signal line (not shown) that connects the control apparatus 16 and the robot apparatus 10. Then step S
At 4, the controller 46 outputs a signal to the transmission unit 48 to close the fingers 36, 38.

In step S6, the transmitting unit 48 wirelessly transmits the finger closing signal output from the controller 46 to the receiving unit 52. In step S8,
The receiving unit 52 receives the finger closing signal transmitted from the transmitting unit 48. In step S10,
The finger close signal is sent to the OUT signal unit 56.

Then, in step S12, the signal for operating the first and second solenoid valves 30, 32 is output from the OUT signal unit 56, and in step S14 the finger 3 is output.
6 and 38 move in the closing direction to grip the work.
Next, in step S16, the presence or absence of a work is detected by the non-contact detection sensor 40 (ON if there is a work),
This work presence / absence detection signal is input to the IN signal unit 58.

In step S18, the IN signal unit 5
A work presence / absence detection signal is sent from 8 to the transmission unit 54, and the transmission unit 54 wirelessly transmits the work presence / absence detection signal to the reception unit 50. In step S20, the receiving unit 50 receives the work presence / absence detection signal transmitted from the transmitting unit 54.

In step S22, the controller 46
Determines whether or not the work can be grasped based on the work presence / absence detection signal sent from the receiving unit 50. In step S22, if the workpiece cannot be gripped, the process proceeds to step S24 and an alarm is output. if,
If it is confirmed in step S22 that the workpiece is grasped, the process proceeds to step S26, and the controller proceeds to the next operation.

With the above, the work gripping operation by the hand 18 is completed. As described above, in the robot apparatus according to the embodiment, since the control signal for the operation of the hand is wirelessly exchanged between the transmission / reception apparatus on the hand side and the transmission / reception apparatus on the control apparatus side, the robot apparatus arm is Since it is not necessary to route the signal line for control, it is possible to reduce the wiring routed to the arm.

The present invention can be applied to modifications or variations of the above embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the control signal is transmitted and received wirelessly, but a power line is used to mix another signal of high frequency with the DC power source, and the frequency signal is used as a command of the controller. Is also good.

Although the power supply is supplied from the base of the robot apparatus to the hand through the conductive wire, the power supply line can be eliminated by mounting a battery on the hand. Further, although it has been described that the compressed air is supplied to the hand from the base of the robot apparatus by the air pipe, if the air tank or the like is mounted on the hand, the piping of the air pipe can be eliminated.

[0026]

As described above, according to the robot apparatus of the present invention, the signal for operating the robot apparatus, specifically, the hand is wirelessly transmitted and received, so that the wiring to the hand is only two power supply lines. It becomes possible to do it.
Also, since the compressed air piping is equipped with a solenoid valve in the hand, only one original piping is required. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of wires and pipes routed to the arm.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a robot apparatus according to an embodiment, particularly a hand portion thereof.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a control device and a wireless transmission / reception device on the hand side.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a work gripping operation of the robot apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Robot device 12 Robot device main body 14 Control device 16 Arm tip part 18 Hand 20 Hand main body 22,24 Air cylinder 26,28 Air pipe 30 First solenoid valve 32 Second solenoid valve 34 Air pipe 36,38 Finger 40 Sensor 42 Wireless transceiver 44 DC power line 43, 45 Wiring 46 Controller 48, 54 Transmission unit 50, 52 Reception unit 56 OUT signal unit 58 IN signal unit

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A robot apparatus main body, a control means externally provided for controlling the operation of the robot apparatus main body, and a transmitting / receiving means for wirelessly communicating a control signal between the control means and the robot apparatus main body. A robot apparatus comprising: 2. The robot apparatus main body has a base, a plurality of arms attached to the base, and a hand provided at a tip of the arm, and the transmitting / receiving means is the control means. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, which communicates a control signal with the hand. 3. The hand has a wireless transmission / reception unit forming a part of the transmission / reception means and an electromagnetic valve, and the hand uses the power supply and compressed air supplied to the hand as drive sources. The robot apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the robot apparatus operates based on a control signal supplied from the wireless transmission / reception unit. 4. The robot apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the power source and the compressed air are supplied to the hand through a power line and an air line extended from the base. 5. The robot apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the power is supplied from a battery built in the hand. 6. The robot apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the compressed air is supplied from a gas tank built in the hand.