CN115870957A - Drive unit and robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application provides a drive unit and a robot. When the drive unit is replaced, the replacement work can be easily performed by detaching and attaching signal lines. The first drive unit (2) includes a motor (20) having a rotating shaft (22) provided with a through hole (221) and a speed reducer (30). The reducer has an input part, a fixed part, and an output part. In addition, the first drive unit includes a first connector connected to a first wiring (53) connected to the outside, and a second connector (55) fixed to the output part and connected to a second wiring (57) connected to the outside. , a first optical communication part (52) connected to the first connector (51), and a second optical communication part (56) connected to the second connector. And, when a signal from the outside is input, one of the first optical communication part and the second optical communication part outputs an optical signal passing through the through hole of the rotation shaft, and the first optical communication part and the second optical communication part The other side receives the optical signal and outputs the signal to the outside.

Description

Drive unit and robot

technical field

The invention relates to a drive unit and a robot.

Background technique

Conventionally, in articulated robots and the like, a plurality of drive units equipped with reduction gears are used. In the actuator with a built-in reduction mechanism (equivalent to the drive unit) of Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that the signal lines connected to the hand on the front end side of the articulated robot, the actuator with a built-in reduction mechanism on the front end side, etc. are arranged so as to pass through the Each reduction mechanism incorporates the hollow portion of the output shaft of the actuator.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-2062

Contents of the invention

However, in Patent Document 1, when assembling an articulated robot using an actuator built in a reduction mechanism or when replacing the actuator built in a reduction mechanism of an articulated robot, since the signal line is arranged to pass through the hollow portion, it is necessary to route the signal line Insertion into and removal from the hollow portion of each reduction mechanism built-in actuator complicates assembly work and replacement work.

The driving unit includes: a motor having a rotating shaft provided with a through hole, a driving unit that rotates the rotating shaft, and a housing that covers at least a part of the driving unit; and a speed reducer having one end engaged with the rotating shaft. The input part of the part, the fixed part fixed so as not to deviate from the motor, and the output part that decelerates the rotation of the rotating shaft and outputs it; the first connector is fixed to the housing of the motor, and is connected with the The first wiring connected to the outside is connected; the second connector is fixed to the fixed part of the reducer and connected to the second wiring connected to the outside; the first optical communication part is arranged along the rotation axis The extended virtual straight line is connected to the first connector; and the second optical communication part is arranged on the virtual straight line and connected to the second connector, and when a signal from the outside is input, One of the first optical communication part and the second optical communication part outputs an optical signal passing through the through hole of the rotation shaft, and the first optical communication part and the second optical communication part The other one of them receives the optical signal and outputs the signal to the outside.

The robot includes: the drive unit; a first part having a first box and allowing the first wiring to pass inside the first part; and a second part having a second box and making the second wiring Passing inside the second member and relatively rotating with respect to the first member, the motor is fixed to the first member, and the output portion is fixed to the second member.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a robot according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a drive unit.

3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a drive unit according to a second embodiment.

Explanation of reference signs

1: robot; 2: first driving unit; 3: second driving unit; 10: base; 11: first arm; 12: second arm; 20: motor; 21: rotor as a driving part; 22: rotation shaft; 23: a stator as a driving part; 24: a first housing as a housing; 25: a second housing as a housing; 26: a third housing as a housing; 28: a rotation detector Encoder; 29: Encoder substrate as rotation detection substrate; 30: Reducer; 31: Wave generator as input part; 33: Flexible gear as output part; 35: Rigid gear as fixed part; 40: 45: mounting plate; 51: first connector; 52: first optical communication unit; 53: first wiring; 55: second connector; 56: second optical communication unit; 57: 2nd wiring; 101: Base box; 111: First arm box; 112: Opening; 115: Opening; 121: Second arm box; 221: Through hole of rotation shaft; 511: First transceiver Circuit board; 521: first light-emitting element; 522: first light-receiving element; 531: first connection portion as end of first wiring; 551: second transceiver circuit board; 561: second light-emitting element; 562: second Two light-receiving elements; 571: a second connection portion that is an end portion of the second wiring; L: a virtual straight line.

Detailed ways

Embodiments are described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that, for the convenience of description, the dimensions of each component in each drawing are appropriately enlarged for illustration as required, and the size ratio between the various components is not necessarily consistent with the actual size ratio.

1. First Embodiment

The configuration of the robot 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a robot 1 according to the present embodiment. The robot 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm: Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm) robot (horizontal articulated robot).

The robot 1 can perform operations such as feeding, removing, conveying, and assembling precision equipment and parts constituting the precision equipment. In addition, in the following description, an XYZ coordinate system is set, and the positional relationship of each member is demonstrated referring this XYZ coordinate system. At this time, let the vertical direction be the Z-axis direction, let the direction that is the horizontal direction and the longitudinal direction of the susceptor 10 be the Y-axis direction, and let the direction that is the horizontal direction and the width direction of the susceptor 10 be the X-axis direction. axis direction. In addition, in the Z-axis direction, the gravitational direction is referred to as the lower side and the lower side, and the direction opposite to the gravitational force direction is referred to as the upper side and the upper side.

The robot 1 includes a base 10 , a first arm 11 and a first drive unit 2 . The base 10 is a part for attaching the robot 1 to an arbitrary installation place. The base 10 is fixed to a floor surface (not shown) by bolts or the like, for example. In addition, the installation place of the base 10 is not specifically limited, For example, a floor, a wall, a ceiling, a movable trolley, etc. are mentioned.

The first arm 11 is coupled to the upper end of the base 10 via the first drive unit 2 mounted on the base 10 . The first arm 11 is rotatable about a first axis J1 along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) with respect to the base 10 . It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the rotation refers to the rotation in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction with respect to the rotation direction of the central axis as shown in FIG. 1 .

In addition, the robot 1 includes a second arm 12 and a second drive unit 3 . The second arm 12 is connected to the front end portion of the first arm 11 via the second drive unit 3 mounted on the second arm 12 . The second arm 12 is rotatable about the second axis J2 along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) with respect to the first arm 11 .

A work head 13 is arranged at the front end portion of the second arm 12 . The working head 13 includes a spline nut 14 and a ball screw nut 15 coaxially arranged at the front end portion of the second arm 12 , and a spline shaft 16 inserted through the spline nut 14 and the ball screw nut 15 . The spline shaft 16 is rotatable about the third axis J3 along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) with respect to the second arm 12 , and is movable (up and down) in the vertical direction.

An end effector (not shown) is coupled to a lower distal end portion 17 of the spline shaft 16 . The end effector is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include an end effector for grasping a conveyed object, an end effector for processing a workpiece, and the like.

Wiring (not shown) of a plurality of electric systems connected to each electronic component (such as the second drive unit 3 ) arranged in the second arm 12 is connected to the tubular wiring lead part connecting the second arm 12 and the base 10 . 18 and is guided into the base 10. In addition, the wires of a plurality of power systems are gathered in the base 10 and lead to the control device 19 provided in the base together with the wires connected to the first drive unit 2 . The control device 19 controls the robot 1 as a whole.

It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the wiring of the signal system for bidirectional optical communication via the first drive unit 2 and the second drive unit 3 is led to the control device 19 similarly to the wiring of the power system. The optical communication will be described later. The driving of the first driving unit 2 and the second driving unit 3 is controlled by the control device 19 .

In such a robot 1 , the first drive unit 2 transmits a driving force for rotating the first arm 11 relative to the base 10 from the side of the base 10 to the side of the first arm 11 . In addition, the second drive unit 3 transmits the driving force for rotating the second arm 12 relative to the first arm 11 from the second arm 12 side to the first arm 11 side.

Describes the drive unit.

Since the first drive unit 2 and the second drive unit 3 as drive units have the same configuration, only the first drive unit 2 will be described below.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a drive unit (first drive unit 2 ) according to the present embodiment. It should be noted that, in FIG. 2 , a cross section passing through the first axis J1 and parallel to the XZ plane is shown.

The first drive unit 2 roughly includes a motor 20 , a speed reducer 30 , a support member 40 , and a transmission and reception component 50 .

The support member 40 has a motor support portion 41 as a portion for supporting the motor 20 , a reduction gear support portion 43 as a portion for supporting the speed reducer 30 , and a motor 20 for attaching the first drive unit 2 to the base 10 in this embodiment. The mounting plate 45 at the position of the base box 101 . In addition, the motor support part 41 and the reduction gear support part 43 are integrally comprised by one member. The mounting plate 45 is configured as a separate body (formed separately) from the integrally formed motor support portion 41 and the reducer support portion 43 .

The motor support portion 41 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape centering on a central axis A on which a rotation shaft 22 of a motor 20 described later rotates. The reducer support portion 43 is formed to protrude radially outward from the motor support portion 41 in a flange shape. In addition, the reduction gear support portion 43 is formed with insertion holes 431 at predetermined intervals along the outer circumference, and the insertion holes 431 fix the mounting plate 45 of the support member 40 and the fixing portion 351 of the rigid gear 35 described later to the reduction gear. Machine supporting part 43.

The mounting plate 45 is formed in an annular shape centered on the central axis A, and has an inner region for fixing the reducer 30 together with the reducer support portion 43 of the supporting member 40, and a support portion 451 for fixing the motor 20 as the outer region. The mounting portion 453 of the base 10 of the first component. In addition, in the present embodiment, an insertion hole 452 is formed in the support portion 451 of the mounting plate 45 corresponding to the insertion hole 431 of the reducer support portion 43, and the insertion hole 452 is used to connect the mounting plate 45 and the rigid body. The fixing portion 351 of the gear 35 is fixed to the reducer supporting portion 43 of the supporting member 40 . In addition, in this embodiment, the mounting portion 453 of the mounting plate 45 is formed with insertion holes 454 at predetermined intervals along the outer periphery, and the insertion holes 454 are used to fix the first drive unit to the base case 101 constituting the base 10 . Motor 20 of unit 2.

The configuration and operation of the motor 20 will be described.

The motor 20 uses a so-called servo motor. Specifically, an AC servo motor is used. In addition, as the motor 20, a DC servo motor etc. are mentioned, for example. As shown in FIG. 2 , the motor 20 includes a rotor 21, a stator 23, a first housing 24, a second housing 25, a third housing 26, an optical encoder 28 as a rotation detector, and an optical encoder 28 as a rotation detection substrate. Encoder substrate 29 . In addition, the motor 20 includes bearings 271 and 272 .

In this embodiment, although the encoder 28 is used as the rotation detector, it is not limited thereto. For example, a resolver that outputs the rotation angle as a two-phase AC voltage (analog signal) can be used to detect a magnetic field and output its magnitude. proportional to the analog signal of the Hall sensor, etc.

The first case 24 , the second case 25 , the third case 26 , and the motor support portion 41 of the support member 40 also serve as a case surrounding the motor 20 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , bearings 271 and 272 are provided at the center of the motor support portion 41 and the second housing 25 . In addition, in this embodiment, the central axis A on which the rotating shaft 22 which comprises the rotor 21 rotates, and the 1st axis J1 which becomes the rotation center of the 1st arm 11 are made to be the same.

The bearings 271 and 272 are rolling bearings configured including an inner ring and an outer ring. Both ends of the rotating shaft 22 are respectively fixed to the inner rings of the bearings 271 and 272 by interference fit. The outer ring of one bearing 271 is supported by the motor support portion 41 of the support member 40 . In addition, the outer ring of the other bearing 272 is supported by the second housing 25 . It should be noted that the first housing 24 , the second housing 25 , and the third housing 26 are fixed to the motor support portion 41 .

The rotating shaft 22 of the motor 20 is supported by the motor support portion 41 and the second housing 25 via bearings 271 and 272 , and rotates around the central axis A. As shown in FIG. The end portion of the rotating shaft 22 on the side of the bearing 271 is connected to the speed reducer 30 and transmits the driving force to the speed reducer 30 . In addition, in the rotary shaft 22 , at the end portion on the side of the bearing 272 , an encoder 28 as a rotation detector that detects the rotation of the rotary shaft 22 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 22 . Therefore, the encoder 28 rotates in accordance with the rotation of the rotary shaft 22 .

It should be noted that the encoder substrate 29 that is a rotation detection substrate that acquires a signal from the encoder 28 is positioned closer to the lower end of the rotary shaft 22 than the portion where the encoder 28 is mounted so as to surround the outer periphery of the rotary shaft 22 . It is fixed to the substrate supporting part 261 in a flat manner. In addition, the encoder 28 and the encoder substrate 29 are surrounded by the third case 26 .

The rotor 21 includes a rotating shaft 22 and a magnet 211 . The rotating shaft 22 is formed in a cylindrical shape whose diameter decreases in the direction of the central axis A. As shown in FIG. In addition, a hollow through-hole 221 formed along the direction of the central axis A is formed in the rotating shaft 22 . The rotating shaft 22 is made of a soft magnetic material such as iron. It should be noted that the central axis A may also be referred to as a virtual straight line L extending along the rotation axis 22 .

The magnet 211 is fixed on the outer peripheral surface around the central axis A of the rotating shaft 22 . The magnet 211 is formed in a ring shape, and is arranged in a plurality in the circumferential direction, and has a multi-pole structure in which a plurality of magnetic poles are formed. The magnet 211 is composed of, for example, six magnet pieces, and its polarity is configured to be NSNSNS in the circumferential direction. The magnet 211 is surrounded by the stator 23 .

The stator 23 surrounds the rotor 21 (rotation shaft 22 , magnet 211 ) around the center axis A. As shown in FIG. The stator 23 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and includes coils 232 arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction and wound around iron cores 231 serving as cores.

In the motor 20 configured in this way, when an alternating current flows through the stator 23, the stator 23 becomes an electromagnet, and since it is an alternating current, the direction and magnitude of the current are alternately switched, and the stator 23 switches N poles and S poles. Along with this, the magnets 211 of the rotor 21 are pulled closer or pushed apart, and the rotor 21 (rotation shaft 22 ) rotates.

In addition, the stator 23 (iron core 231, the coil 232) functions as a drive part which rotates the rotating shaft 22. As shown in FIG. In addition, the first case 24 surrounds at least a part of the rotor 21 and the stator 23 , that is, the first case 24 covers at least a part of the drive unit.

The configuration and operation of the speed reducer 30 will be described.

The speed reducer 30 is a speed reducer using a wave gear mechanism commonly called a wave gear speed reducer. The speed reducer 30 decelerates and outputs the rotation of the driving force input from the rotating shaft 22 of the motor 20 . In addition, torque proportional to the reduction ratio can be obtained on the output side of the reduction gear 30 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the speed reducer 30 includes a wave generator 31 , a flexible gear 33 as a flexible external gear, and a rigid gear 35 composed of an internal gear. The wave generator 31 operates as an input unit engaged with one end of the rotating shaft 22 in the present embodiment. In addition, the flexible gear 33 operates as an output part which decelerates the rotation of the rotating shaft 22 and outputs in this embodiment. In addition, in the present embodiment, the rigid gear 35 functions as a fixing portion that fixes the speed reducer 30 so that the motor 20 does not deviate.

In this embodiment, the rigid gear 35 functions as a fixed portion, and the flexible gear 33 functions as an output portion. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the flexible gear 33 may function as a fixed portion, and the rigid gear 35 may function as an output portion.

The rigid gear 35 is a gear composed of a substantially inflexible rigid body in the radial direction of the center line A, and is a ring-shaped internal gear having internal teeth 352 . In this embodiment, the rigid gear 35 is a spur gear. That is, the internal teeth 352 have tooth lines parallel to the central line A. As shown in FIG. It should be noted that the tooth lines of the inner teeth 352 may also be inclined relative to the central line A. As shown in FIG. That is, the rigid gear 35 may be a helical gear or a double helical gear.

The rigid gear 35 is composed of two parts: a fixing part 351 that fixes the rigid gear 35 to the reducer support part 43 of the support member 40 and a connecting part 354 that connects to the arm of the robot 1 (the first arm 11 in FIG. 1 ).

The fixing portion 351 is formed to include the above-mentioned internal teeth 352 at the lower end portion on the inner side in the radial direction of the central axis A. As shown in FIG. Fixing screw holes 353 for fixing to the reduction gear supporting portion 43 of the supporting member 40 via the supporting portion 451 of the mounting plate 45 are formed in the fixing portion 351 . The fixing screw holes 353 are formed to face the insertion holes 431 and 452 . In the present embodiment, a fixing screw hole 355 for connecting to the first arm 11 is formed in the connecting portion 354 .

In addition, the fixed part 351 and the connection part 354 are connected by the bearing 356, and the connection part 354 is comprised rotatably with respect to the fixed part 351. As shown in FIG. It should be noted that the bearing 356 is a so-called crossed roller bearing, in which rollers are alternately arranged at angles of +45° and −45° with respect to the rotation axis, and can receive both radial and axial loads. .

The flexible gear 33 is inserted inside the rigid gear 35 . The flexible gear 33 is a gear having a flexible cylindrical portion 331 capable of flexural deformation in the radial direction of the center line A. As shown in FIG. In addition, the flexible gear 33 is an externally toothed gear including external teeth 332 meshing with the internal teeth 352 of the rigid gear 35 . In addition, the number of teeth of the flexible gear 33 is smaller than the number of teeth of the rigid gear 35 .

The flexible gear 33 is configured in a top hat shape including a flange portion 333 protruding radially outward from the center line A from the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 331 in addition to the cylindrical portion 331 . The external teeth 332 are formed radially outward of the center line A at the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion 331 . Insertion holes 334 for fixing the speed reducer 30 to the first arm 11 and to the connection portion 354 of the rigid gear 35 are formed in the flexible gear 33 at predetermined intervals along the outer periphery of the flange portion 333 . It should be noted that the insertion hole 334 is formed to face the fixing screw hole 355 .

The wave generator 31 includes a wave generating unit 311 and a fixing unit 318 . The fixing portion 318 is made of, for example, screws or bolts, and fixes the wave generating portion 311 and the rotating shaft 22 of the motor 20 in the radial direction from the center line A. As shown in FIG.

The wave generating unit 311 includes a main body 312 and a bearing 313 attached to the outer periphery of the main body 312 . When viewed from the direction of the centerline A, the outer circumference of the main body portion 312 is formed in an ellipse or an oblong shape.

The bearing 313 is a rolling bearing including a flexible inner ring 315 and an outer ring 316 and a plurality of balls 317 disposed therebetween. The inner ring 315 is embedded in the outer periphery of the main body part 312 and is elastically deformed in an elliptic or oblong shape along the outer peripheral surface of the main body part 312 . The outer ring 316 is also elastically deformed in an oval shape or an oval shape accordingly. In addition, the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 315 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 316 respectively serve as track surfaces that guide the plurality of balls 317 in the circumferential direction and roll the plurality of balls 317 . In addition, the plurality of balls 317 are held by a cage (not shown) such that the distance between them in the circumferential direction is kept constant.

With the above configuration, the wave generator 31 is located inside the flexible gear 33 and is rotatable around the center axis A. As shown in FIG. And, the wave generating part 311 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical part 331 of the flexible gear 33, and bends the cylindrical part 331 into an ellipse or an ellipse with a major axis and a minor axis, and makes the outer teeth 332 is partially meshed with the internal teeth 352 of the rigid gear 35 . Among them, the flexible gear 33 and the rigid gear 35 mesh with each other so as to be rotatable around the central axis A.

In such a speed reducer 30, if the driving force from the motor 20 is input to the wave generator 31, the flexible gear 33 and the rigid gear 35 move the meshing position with each other in the circumferential direction, while the difference in the number of teeth increases. And rotate around the central axis A relatively. Accordingly, the rotation of the driving force input to the wave generator 31 from the rotating shaft 22 of the motor 20 serving as a driving source is decelerated, and is output by the flexible gear 33 . Furthermore, torque proportional to the speed reduction ratio can be obtained on the output side. That is, it is possible to realize the speed reducer 30 in which the wave generator 31 is on the input side and the flexible gear 33 is on the output side.

In this embodiment, since the fixing portion 351 of the rigid gear 35 meshing with the flexible gear 33 is fixed to the support member 40 , the flexible gear 33 and the connecting portion 354 of the rigid gear 35 rotate together. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the driving force from the motor 20 is input to the wave generator 31 and the wave generator 31 rotates, the flexible gear 33 engages with the rigid gear 35 (fixed part 351 ) The position moves in the circumferential direction and relatively rotates around the central axis A due to the difference in the number of teeth. It should be noted that the rotation direction of the wave generator 31 is opposite to the rotation direction of the flexible gear 33 .

An example of a method of assembling the first drive unit 2 in this embodiment will be briefly described. It should be noted that the assembling of the motor 20 is omitted. In addition, the order of assembly is not limited to the following.

First, the motor 20 is assembled to the support member 40 (motor support portion 41 ). At this time, the first housing 24 of the motor 20 is in contact with the motor support portion 41 . In addition, the inner ring is previously fixed to the outer ring of the bearing 271 of the rotating shaft 22 of the motor 20 by interference fit, and is supported on the inner peripheral surface of the motor support portion 41 .

Then, in the support member 40 , a separate mounting plate 45 is provided on the upper side of the reducer support portion 43 . In this case, the position is adjusted so that the insertion hole 431 formed in the reduction gear support portion 43 overlaps with the insertion hole 452 formed in the support portion 451 of the mounting plate 45 .

Then, the main body portion 312 of the wave generator 31 of the speed reducer 30 and the rotating shaft 22 of the motor 20 are fixed from the radial direction of the center axis A by the fixing portion 318 . It should be noted that the fixing method is not particularly limited, and other than fixing with screws or bolts, fixing with an adhesive, welding, or the like may be used.

Then, as a subassembly, the flexible gear 33 is assembled to the rigid gear 35 . Specifically, the cylindrical portion 331 of the flexible gear 33 is inserted from above along the inner peripheral surface of the fixed portion 351 of the rigid gear 35 . Then, the flange portion 333 of the flexible gear 33 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the connection portion 354 . As a result, the external teeth 332 of the flexible gear 33 and the internal teeth 352 of the rigid gear 35 are in a cross-sectional state of facing each other.

Then, the subassembled rigid gear 35 and flexible gear 33 are engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the wave generator 31 from above. As a result, the cylindrical portion 331 of the flexible gear 33 elastically deforms and engages along the outer peripheral surface of the wave generator 31 (the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring 316 of the bearing 313 ), and the outer teeth 332 of the flexible gear 33 and the rigid A state where the internal teeth 352 of the gear 35 are partially meshed. At this time, the position is adjusted so that the fixing screw hole 353 formed in the fixing portion 351 of the rigid gear 35 overlaps with the insertion hole 452 of the mounting plate 45 .

Then, the bolt B1 is inserted through the insertion hole 431 of the reduction gear support portion 43 and the insertion hole 452 of the mounting plate 45 from the lower side of the reduction gear support portion 43 to be screwed into the fixing screw hole 353 of the rigid gear 35 . Thereby, including the mounting plate 45 , the fixing portion 351 of the rigid gear 35 is fixed to the supporting member 40 .

The motor 20 and the speed reducer 30 are fixed by this assembly.

It should be noted that, in the state where the motor 20 and the speed reducer 30 are fixed by the above assembly, the state where the transmission and reception component 50 described later is provided is the state where the assembly of the first drive unit 2 is completed. It should be noted that, in this state, the connection between the first wiring 53 (first connecting portion 531 ) described later and the first connector 51 and the second wiring 57 (second connecting portion 571 ) described later are not performed. ) to the status of the connection to the second connector 55.

The assembly of the first drive unit 2 to the robot 1 will be described.

In the present embodiment, the first drive unit 2 is a drive unit that relatively rotates the first arm 11 as the second member with respect to the base 10 as the first member.

In the first drive unit 2 , in this embodiment, the motor 20 is fixed to the base 10 as the first component. In detail, the mounting plate 45 of the support member 40 is fixed to the base case 101 constituting the base 10 in the first drive unit 2 .

The base case 101 has a shape (for example, a stepped portion 102 ) matching the outer diameter of the mounting plate 45 , and a fixing screw hole 103 is formed facing the insertion hole 454 . The support member 40 is fixed to the base 10 by placing the support member 40 (mounting plate 45 ) on the stepped portion 102 from above the base case 101 , and then inserting the bolt B2 from above to the inserting portion 102 . The through hole 454 is screwed with the screw hole 103 for fixing. As a result, the first wiring 53 is wired inside the base 10 as the first member.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the first drive unit 2 fixes the flexible gear 33 as the output portion to the first arm 11 as the second member. In detail, in the first drive unit 2 , the flexible gear 33 of the reduction gear 30 is fixed to the first arm case 111 constituting the first arm 11 .

In the first arm case 111 , in addition to the opening 112 described later, it has a shape matching the outer diameter of the flexible gear 33 (for example, a stepped portion 113 ), and is formed facing the insertion hole 334 . There are insertion holes 114 . The fixing of the flexible gear 33 to the first arm 11 is performed by placing the bolt B3 from above after positioning the flexible gear 33 (flange portion 333 ) on the stepped portion 113 from below the first arm case 111 . It is inserted into the insertion holes 114 and 334 and screwed into the fixing screw holes 355 . As a result, the second wiring 57 is wired inside the first arm 11 as the second member.

With this assembly, in this embodiment, when the driving force generated by the rotation of the motor 20 fixed to the base 10 is input to the wave generator 31 from the base 10 fixed to the floor surface or the like, and the wave generator 31 rotates , the first arm 11 fixed to the flexible gear 33 rotates around the central axis A (first axis J1 ) relative to the base 10 .

The configuration and operation of the transmission and reception configuration unit 50 will be described.

The transmission/reception configuration unit 50 is a part that configures the first drive unit 2 and is a part that leads wiring of a signal system. The transmission/reception component 50 is configured to enable optical communication at both ends of the rotation shaft 22 in the direction of the center axis A through the through-hole 221 provided in the rotation shaft 22 . The through hole 221 is hollow in the present embodiment, and light travels through the hollow portion. It should be noted that the inside of the through hole 221 may also be filled with quartz glass or plastic.

As the operation of the transmitting and receiving component 50, for example, when detecting the number of revolutions of the motor 20 in the first drive unit 2, a signal indicating the number of revolutions detected from the control device 19 is received through optical communication, and the first drive unit 2 is used to transmit the number of revolutions of the motor 20 through optical communication. The data on the number of revolutions of the motor 20 detected by the drive unit 2 is sent to the control device 19 . Thereby, the control device 19 can properly control the rotation of the first arm 11 and make it operate properly. In addition, in this embodiment, when the second drive unit 3 provided on the second arm 12 communicates with the control device 19 , it may also be performed by the transmission and reception component 50 of the first drive unit 2 .

In addition, when the end effector of the robot 1 shown in FIG. When the device 19 is sent, etc., it is carried out by the second drive unit 3 and the first drive unit 2 . In addition, when the camera is installed on the spline shaft 16 shown in FIG. of. It should be noted that, when the number of communication lines increases, it is only necessary to perform communication of the required number of lines by changing the wavelength of light.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the lower end portion 22a side of the rotating shaft 22, the first connector 51 of the transmitting and receiving component 50 is fixed on the lower surface side of the third housing 26 of the motor 20, and the first connector 51 has a The first transceiver circuit substrate 511 for transmitting and receiving electrical signals from the device substrate 29 . The first connector 51 has a first transceiver circuit board 511 , and transmits and receives electrical signals with the encoder board 29 .

It should be noted that the first transceiver circuit substrate 511 converts optical signals into electrical signals. Thus, when a signal indicating the rotation speed detection from the control device 19 is input to the first connector 51 through the first wiring 53 described later, the first transmitting and receiving circuit board 511 transmits the signal from the first wiring 53 to the first connector 51 . The optical signal is converted into an electrical signal for output, and operates the encoder substrate 29 . In addition, conversely, the first transceiver circuit board 511 converts the electrical signal from the encoder board 29 into an optical signal. Thereby, the data of the number of revolutions from the encoder substrate 29 is converted into an optical signal, and output to the first wiring 53 to be transmitted to the control device 19 . It should be noted that the first transceiver circuit substrate 511 can also transmit an optical signal as an optical signal.

The first connector 51 is connected to a first wiring 53 connected to the outside. However, "external" corresponds to the control device 19 in this embodiment. It should be noted that the first wiring 53 is formed of an optical fiber and includes a first connection portion 531 as an end of the first wiring 53 that is detachable from the first connector 51 . In addition, the first wiring 53 is connected to the control device 19 in this embodiment.

The transmitting and receiving component 50 is disposed on a virtual straight line L (central axis A) extending along the rotation shaft 22 inside the first housing 24 , the second housing 25 , and the third housing 26 and is connected to the first connector 51 . The first optical communication part 52. It should be noted that the first optical communication unit 52 has a first light emitting element 521 and a first light receiving element 522 .

The first optical communication unit 52 receives an optical signal input from the first wiring 53 , emits light from the first light emitting element 521 through the first transceiver circuit board 511 , and outputs an optical signal traveling inside the through hole 221 of the rotating shaft 22 . In addition, through the through hole 221, the first light-receiving element 522 receives and inputs an optical signal generated by light emission of the second light-emitting element 561 of the second optical communication part 56 described later, and passes through the first transceiver circuit board 511. The optical signal is output to the first wiring 53 .

And, as shown in FIG. 2, on the upper end portion 22b side of the rotating shaft 22, the second connector 55 having the second transceiver circuit board 551 of the transceiver component 50 is fixed to the support member 357, and the fixed portion of the speed reducer 30 is The fixed part 351 of the rigid gear 35 has the supporting member 357 .

In addition, the second connector 55 is disposed in a region of an opening 112 of a first arm case 111 described later of the first arm 11 formed on the output side where the first drive unit 2 is fixed.

The second connector 55 is connected to a second wiring 57 connected to the outside. However, "external" corresponds to the second connector 55 of the second drive unit 3 in this embodiment. The second wiring 57 is formed of an optical fiber similarly to the first wiring 53 , and includes a second connection portion 571 which is an end of the second wiring 57 and is detachable from the second connector 55 . In addition, the second wiring 57 is connected to the second connector 55 of the second drive unit 3 in this embodiment.

The transmission/reception configuration unit 50 is provided with a second optical communication unit arranged on a virtual straight line L (central axis A) extending along the rotation shaft 22 inside the rigid gear 35 (fixed unit 351 ) as a fixed unit and connected to the second connector 55 . Section 56. It should be noted that the second optical communication unit 56 has a second light emitting element 561 and a second light receiving element 562 .

The second optical communication unit 56 receives an optical signal input from the second wiring 57 , makes the second light emitting element 561 emit light through the second transceiver circuit board 551 , and outputs an optical signal traveling inside the through hole 221 of the rotating shaft 22 . In addition, through the through-hole 221, the second light-receiving element 562 receives and inputs the optical signal generated by the light emission of the first light-emitting element 521 of the first optical communication part 52, and transmits the optical signal to the second through the second transceiver circuit board 551. The wiring 57 outputs an optical signal.

During the operation of the first optical communication unit 52 and the second optical communication unit 56, when a signal from the outside is input, one of the first optical communication unit 52 and the second optical communication unit 56 outputs The optical signal passes through the hole 221, and the other of the first optical communication part 52 and the second optical communication part 56 receives the optical signal and outputs the signal to the outside.

A case where the first drive unit 2 is replaced will be briefly described.

When replacing the first driving unit 2 , the first driving unit 2 is removed from the base 10 and the first arm 11 .

First, in the first drive unit 2 , the first connection portion 531 connected to the first connector 51 is pulled out from the first connector 51 , whereby the first wiring 53 is removed from the first drive unit 2 . Similarly, in the first drive unit 2 , the second connection portion 571 connected to the second connector 55 is pulled out from the second connector 55 , whereby the second wiring 57 is removed from the first drive unit 2 .

Then, fixing of the base case 101 and the support member 40 is released by removing the bolt B2. In addition, the fixing of the first arm case 111 and the flexible gear 33 is released by removing the bolt B3.

Through the above, the first drive unit 2 can be removed from the base 10 and the first arm 11 .

According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

The first driving unit 2 of the present embodiment includes a rotating shaft 22 having a through hole 221, a driving part (rotor 21 and stator 23) that rotates the rotating shaft 22, and at least a part of the covering driving part (rotor 21 and stator 23). The housing (first housing 24) of the motor 20. In addition, the first drive unit 2 includes an input portion (wave generator 31 ) having one end engaged with the rotating shaft 22 , a fixing portion (a rigid gear 35 ) fixed so as not to deviate from the motor 20 , and a fixed portion (a rigid gear 35 ) that makes the rotating shaft 22 The speed reducer 30 of the output part (flexible gear 33) that decelerates the rotation of the motor and outputs it. In addition, the first drive unit 2 includes a first connector that is fixed to the case (third case 26 ) of the motor 20 and connected to the first wiring 53 (first connection portion 531 ) connected to the outside (control device 19 ). 51 and the second connection that is fixed to the fixed portion (rigid gear 35) of the reducer 30 and connected to the second wiring 57 (second connection portion 571) connected to the outside (the second connector 55 of the second drive unit 3). device 55. In addition, the first drive unit 2 includes a first connector 51 arranged on a virtual straight line L extending along the rotation axis 22 inside the first case 24 , the second case 25 , and the third case 26 and connected to the first connector 51 . An optical communication unit 52 and a second optical communication unit 56 are arranged on the imaginary straight line L extending along the rotation shaft 22 inside the fixed unit (the rigid gear 35 ) and connected to the second connector 55 . And, when a signal (optical signal) from the outside is input, one of the first optical communication part 52 and the second optical communication part 56 outputs an optical signal passing through the through hole 221 of the rotating shaft 22, and the first optical communication The other of the unit 52 and the second optical communication unit 56 receives an optical signal and outputs the signal (optical signal) to the outside.

With this configuration, when a signal from the outside is input, one of the first optical communication unit 52 and the second optical communication unit 56 can emit light passing through the through hole 221 of the rotation shaft 22 through the through hole 221 of the rotation shaft 22 . The other one of the first optical communication unit 52 and the second optical communication unit 56 can receive the optical signal and send the signal to the outside.

It should be noted that, when replacing the first drive unit 2 in the articulated robot, the first wiring 53 (first connecting part 531) connected to the first connector 51 is pulled out, and the second connecting part 531 is connected to the second connecting part. The second wiring 57 (second connection portion 571) of the device 55 is pulled out. Then, by removing the bolts B2 and B3, the fixation between the first drive unit 2 and the base 10 and the first drive unit 2 and the first arm 11 is released. Thereby, the replacement first drive unit 2 can be removed. Then, the new first drive unit 2 is fixed to the base 10 and the first arm 11, and the first wiring 53 (the first connection part 531) is inserted into the first connector 51, and the second wiring 57 (the second The second connecting portion 571) is inserted into the second connector 55, thereby enabling replacement. Therefore, when assembling the articulated robot using the first drive unit 2, or replacing the first drive unit 2 of the articulated robot, it is not necessary to introduce or pull out the signal line into or out of the through-hole of each drive unit as in the past. Assembly work and replacement work can be easily performed.

In the past, the robot did not conceive of replacing the drive unit, but a signal line from the base through the hollow part of the drive unit has been connected to the hand and the camera of the spline shaft. Therefore, even if the drive unit is to be replaced, the signal line cannot be replaced with the signal line attached to the hand, etc., and the work of removing the signal line from the hand, etc., and attaching the signal line to the hand, etc., are required. In addition, when the signal line passes through the hollow portion of another drive unit, the work of pulling the signal line out from the other drive unit and the work of threading the signal line are also required. In this way, compared with conventional drive units requiring troublesome work, by providing the first connector 51 and the second connector 55 on the first drive unit, the first drive unit 2 can be connected only by the above-mentioned wiring work. to replace.

It should be noted that in the case of optical communication, when only one of the light emitting element, the light receiving element, and the rotation axis is a different entity, when the drive unit is replaced, it is necessary to adjust the optical axis (position adjustment) so that the light is emitted. The process of aligning the element, light receiving element, and rotation axis on the straight line of the optical axis (in this embodiment, on the central axis A or on the imaginary straight line L) makes the installation work troublesome. In view of this, since the light-emitting element, the light-receiving element, and the rotating shaft of the first drive unit 2 of this embodiment are integrally formed, when the first drive unit 2 is replaced, the process of adjusting the optical axis (position adjustment) is not required, and the process is easy. Do the installation work.

In the first drive unit 2 of this embodiment, the first optical communication unit 52 has a first light emitting element 521 and a first light receiving element 522 , and the second optical communication unit 56 has a second light emitting element 561 and a second light receiving element 562 .

With this configuration, bidirectional optical communication can be performed using the first optical communication unit 52 and the second optical communication unit 56 .

The first drive unit 2 of the present embodiment has an encoder 28 as a rotation detector that detects the rotation of the rotary shaft 22 , and an encoder board that acquires a signal from the encoder 28 and is a rotation detection board connected to the first connector 51 . 29. In addition, the first connector 51 has a transmitting and receiving circuit substrate (first transmitting and receiving circuit substrate 511) for transmitting and receiving electrical signals with the encoder substrate 29, and the first transmitting and receiving circuit substrate 511 converts an optical signal into an electrical signal and converts the electrical signal for the light signal.

With this configuration, the first connector 51 converts an external optical signal into an electrical signal through the transmitting and receiving circuit board (first transmitting and receiving circuit board 511), thereby enabling the electrical signal to be transmitted and received with the encoder board 29, and the The electrical signal received from the encoder substrate 29 is converted into an optical signal and output to the outside.

In the first drive unit 2 of the present embodiment, the support member 40 serving as the case is fixed in the direction along the center axis A of the rotation of the rotation shaft 22 between the case (support member 40 ) of the motor 20 and the speed reducer 30 . There is a mounting plate 45 between the parts (the rigid gear 35 ), and the mounting plate 45 is mounted to other components (for example, the base 10 as the first component).

With this configuration, the first drive unit 2 can be fixed to other components (for example, the base 10 as the first component) by having the mounting plate 45 . It should be noted that the degree of freedom of attachment to other components to be fixed increases by matching the mounting plate 45 to the shape of other components.

The robot 1 of the present embodiment includes the first drive unit 2 described above, a base 10 as a first member, and a first arm 11 as a second member. The base 10 has a base case as a first case. 101, and let the first wiring 53 pass through the inside thereof, wherein the first arm 11 has the first arm box 111 as the second box, and let the second wiring 57 pass through the inside, the first arm 11 is opposite to the first arm box 111 A part rotates relative to one another. In addition, the motor 20 of the first drive unit 2 is fixed to the first member (base 10 ), and the output portion (flexible gear 33 ) is fixed to the second member (first arm 11 ).

With this configuration, it is possible to realize the robot 1 which has the easily replaceable first drive unit 2 and which relatively rotates the second member (first arm 11 ) with respect to the first member (base 10 ).

In the robot 1 of the present embodiment, the second member (first arm 11 ) has an opening 112 , and the second connector 55 is arranged in the area of the opening 112 .

With this configuration, since the second wiring 57 can pass from the second connector 55 through the inside of the second member (first arm 11 ) through the opening 112 , a separate connector or the like is not required, and the configuration can be simplified.

2. Second Embodiment

In this embodiment, assembling the second drive unit 3 into the robot 1 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a drive unit (second drive unit 3 ) according to the present embodiment. It should be noted that FIG. 3 shows a cross section parallel to the XZ plane passing through the second axis J2 .

As described in the first embodiment, since the second drive unit 3 has the same configuration as the first drive unit 2 , different parts will be mainly described below. In addition, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the same structural part.

The first drive unit 2 of the first embodiment is a drive unit that relatively rotates the first arm 11 as the second member with respect to the base 10 as the first member. The second drive unit 3 of the present embodiment is a drive unit that relatively rotates the first arm 11 as the second member with respect to the second arm 12 as the first member. It should be noted that the first arm 11 rotates around the first axis J1, and the second arm 12 rotates around the second axis J2.

Since the mutual rotation is thus performed, the second drive unit 3 is also the same as a drive unit that relatively rotates the second arm 12 as the first member with respect to the first arm 11 as the second member. In other words, the second arm 12 can rotate around the second axis J2 relative to the first arm 11 .

In this embodiment, the motor 20 is fixed to the second arm 12 as the first member. Specifically, in the second drive unit 3 , the mounting plate 45 of the support member 40 is fixed to the second arm case 121 constituting the second arm 12 .

The second arm case 121 has a shape matching the outer diameter of the mounting plate 45 (for example, a stepped portion 122 ), and is formed with a fixing screw hole 123 facing the insertion hole 454 . The fixing of the support member 40 to the second arm case 121 is performed by inserting the bolt B2 from below after positioning the support member 40 (mounting plate 45 ) on the stepped portion 122 from below the second arm case 121 . It passes through the insertion hole 454 and is screwed into the fixing screw hole 123 . As a result, the first wiring 53 is wired inside the second arm 12 as the first member.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the second drive unit 3 fixes the flexible gear 33 as an output part to the first arm 11 as a second member. Specifically, in the second drive unit 3 , the flexible gear 33 of the speed reducer 30 is fixed to the first arm case 111 constituting the first arm 11 .

The first arm case 111 has a shape matching the outer diameter of the flexible gear 33 (for example, a stepped portion 116 ) in addition to an opening 115 described later, and is formed opposite to the insertion hole 334 . There are through holes 117 . The fixing of the flexible gear 33 to the first arm 11 is performed by placing the bolt B3 from below after positioning the flexible gear 33 (flange portion 333 ) on the stepped portion 116 from above the first arm case 111 . It is inserted into the insertion holes 117 and 334 and screwed into the fixing screw holes 355 . As a result, the second wiring 57 is wired inside the first arm 11 as the second member.

With this assembly, in this embodiment, when the driving force generated by the rotation of the motor 20 fixed to the second arm 12 is input to the wave generator 31 and the wave generator 31 rotates, the motor fixed to the flexible gear 33 The first arm 11 rotates around the central axis A (second axis J2 ) relative to the second arm 12 . When the first arm 11 is fixed, the second arm 12 rotates around the center axis A (second axis J2).

The configuration and operation of the transmission and reception configuration unit 50 will be described.

The transmission and reception configuration unit 50 of the second drive unit 3 is also configured in the same manner as the transmission and reception configuration unit 50 of the first embodiment. In addition, the second connector 55 of the second drive unit 3 is disposed in a region of the opening 115 formed in the first arm case 111 that fixes the first arm 11 on the output side of the second drive unit 3 .

In addition, the second connector 55 is connected to a second wiring 57 connected to the outside. However, "external" corresponds to the second connector 55 of the first drive unit 2 in this embodiment. It should be noted that the second wiring 57 connected to the second connector 55 of the second driving unit 3 is connected to the second wiring 57 of the first driving unit 2 , and finally connected to the second connector 55 .

The first connector 51 of the second drive unit 3 is connected to a first wiring 53 connected to the outside. However, in the present embodiment, when a hand (not shown) or the like is provided as the end effector of the robot 1 , "external" corresponds to a circuit board (not shown) that transmits and receives force sensor information.

The second optical communication part 56 of the second driving unit 3 receives the optical signal input from the second wiring 57, and makes the second light emitting element 561 emit light through the second transceiver circuit board 551, and outputs the signal in the through hole 221 of the rotating shaft 22. Light signal traveling inside. In addition, the optical signal generated by the light emission of the first light emitting element 521 of the first optical communication part 52 is received and input by the second light receiving element 562 through the through hole 221, and is transmitted to the second wiring 57 through the second transceiver circuit board 551. Output optical signal.

During the operation of the first optical communication unit 52 and the second optical communication unit 56, when a signal from the outside is input, one of the first optical communication unit 52 and the second optical communication unit 56 outputs The optical signal passes through the hole 221, and the other of the first optical communication part 52 and the second optical communication part 56 receives the optical signal and outputs the signal to the outside.

A case where the second drive unit 3 is replaced will be briefly described.

When replacing the second driving unit 3 , the second driving unit 3 should be removed from the second arm 12 and the first arm 11 .

First, in the second drive unit 3 , the first connection portion 531 connected to the first connector 51 is pulled out from the first connector 51 , whereby the first wiring 53 is removed from the second drive unit 3 . Similarly, in the second drive unit 3 , the second connection portion 571 connected to the second connector 55 is pulled out from the second connector 55 , whereby the second wiring 57 is removed from the second drive unit 3 .

Then, the fixing of the second arm case 121 and the support member 40 is released by removing the bolt B2. In addition, the fixing of the first arm case 111 and the flexible gear 33 is released by removing the bolt B3.

Through the above, the second drive unit 3 can be removed from the second arm 12 and the first arm 11 .

According to this embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

3. Modification 1

In this embodiment, the first wiring 53 and the second wiring 57 are made of optical fibers, but they are not limited thereto, and may be made of ordinary wires to transmit electrical signals. It should be noted that in this case, In the first optical communication part 52 and the second optical communication part 56, it is necessary to convert the electrical signal input from the first wiring 53 and the second wiring 57 into an optical signal. In addition, when the optical signal is output to the first wiring 53, For the second wiring 57, it is necessary to convert an optical signal into an electrical signal.

4. Modification 2

In this embodiment, a horizontal multi-joint robot is proposed and described as a robot integrating drive units (first drive unit 2 , second drive unit 3 ). However, it is not limited thereto, and the robot integrated with the drive unit (first drive unit 2, second drive unit 3) may also be a vertical articulated robot, and the same effect can be obtained.

Claims (6)

1. A drive unit is characterized by comprising:

a motor having a rotating shaft provided with a through hole, a driving portion for rotating the rotating shaft, and a housing for covering at least a part of the driving portion;

a speed reducer having an input portion engaged with one end portion of the rotating shaft, a fixed portion fixed so as not to be deviated from the motor, and an output portion for reducing and outputting rotation of the rotating shaft;

a first connector fixed to the housing of the motor and connected to a first wire connected to the outside;

a second connector fixed to the fixing portion of the speed reducer and connected to a second wire connected to the outside;

a first optical communication unit disposed on a virtual straight line extending along the rotation axis and connected to the first connector; and

a second optical communication unit disposed on the virtual straight line and connected to the second connector,

when an external signal is input, one of the first optical communication unit and the second optical communication unit outputs an optical signal passing through the through hole of the rotary shaft, and the other of the first optical communication unit and the second optical communication unit receives the optical signal and outputs the signal to the outside.

2. Drive unit according to claim 1,

the first optical communication unit has a first light emitting element and a first light receiving element,

the second optical communication unit includes a second light emitting element and a second light receiving element.

3. Drive unit according to claim 1 or 2,

the drive unit has:

a rotation detector that detects rotation of the rotating shaft; and

a rotation detection substrate that acquires a signal from the rotation detector and is connected to the first connector,

the first connector has a transmission/reception circuit board for transmitting/receiving an electric signal to/from the rotation detection board,

the transceiver circuit substrate is configured to convert the optical signal into the electrical signal and to convert the electrical signal into the optical signal.

4. A robot is characterized by comprising:

the drive unit of any one of claims 1 to 3;

a first member having a first case and passing the first wiring inside the first member; and

a second member having a second housing, passing the second wiring inside the second member, and rotating relative to the first member,

the motor is fixed to the first member,

the output portion is fixed to the second member.

5. Robot according to claim 4,

the second member has an opening portion,

the second connector is disposed in a region of the opening.

6. Robot according to claim 4 or 5,

the robot has an attachment plate attached to the first member between the housing of the motor and the fixing portion of the speed reducer in a direction along a center axis of rotation of the rotary shaft.

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