JP6202095B2 - Control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device.

  Control devices are attached to electrically controlled devices such as robots. The control device includes a driver for driving an actuator such as a motor, and a housing that houses the driver (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-114875 A

  The control device is connected to the controlled object via a cable outside the housing. In order to simplify this wiring, in many conventional control devices, a connector for connection to be controlled is provided on the housing, and a plurality of connection terminals of the driver are connected to the housing connector via cables inside the housing. To be aggregated.

  In recent years, miniaturization of control devices has been desired. For this purpose, it is effective to reduce the number of cables inside the casing.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a control device that can reduce the number of cables inside the housing.

  A control device according to the present invention includes a driver having a board, a housing for housing the driver, a connector body provided on the board, an opening provided in the housing and exposing the connector body to the outside, and a connector body. A connector shell provided at the peripheral edge of the opening so as to surround, and a metal cover member provided so as to cover at least a part of the outer periphery of the connector main body and interposed between the connector main body and the connector shell. .

  With the control device according to the present invention, the number of cables inside the housing can be reduced.

It is a mimetic diagram of a robot system concerning this embodiment. It is a perspective view of the robot controller which abbreviate | omitted the side plate of the housing | casing. It is a disassembled perspective view of a motor driver, a receptacle shell, and a plug. It is an enlarged view of a connector main body. It is a rear view of a connector main body. It is a perspective view of a receptacle shell. It is a rear view which shows the modification of a connector main body. It is an enlarged view which shows the modification of a cover member. It is a perspective view which shows the state which pulled out the connector main body from the receptacle shell.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description, the same elements or elements having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  First, a robot system 100 including the robot controller 1 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the robot system 100 includes a robot controller 1 and an articulated robot 2. The articulated robot 2 holds a tool 3 such as a robot hand or a welding torch and executes various operations. The robot controller 1 is a control device for the articulated robot 2, and is connected to the articulated robot 2 via an external cable 5.

  Around the multi-joint robot 2, a fence 6 that partitions the inside and outside of the work area of the multi-joint robot 2 is provided. In the robot controller 1, the connection portion of the external cable 5 is arranged so as to be close to the fence 6. This facilitates wiring from the articulated robot 2 to the robot controller 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the robot controller 1 includes a driver 10, a power supply unit 20, a central processing unit 50, and a housing 60 that accommodates these. The driver 10 is connected to the articulated robot 2 via the external cable 5 and drives the actuators of each joint of the articulated robot 2. The power supply unit 20 supplies power to the driver 10, the central processing unit 50, and the like. The central calculation unit 50 is a computer that calculates the drive amount of each actuator necessary for causing the articulated robot 2 to perform a desired operation.

  The housing | casing 60 is a rectangular parallelepiped storage box comprised, for example with metal plates, such as iron, stainless steel, or an aluminum alloy. On one side of the housing 60, an input switch such as a power switch 74 and various displays are provided. Hereinafter, the surface on which the input switch and various indicators are provided is referred to as “front”, and the opposite surface is referred to as “back”. “Front / Right / Left / Right” means a direction in which the “front” side is the front side and the “back” side is the rear side.

  The power supply unit 20 is housed in the lower region Ab in the housing 60, the central processing unit 50 is housed in the upper region At in the housing 60, and the intermediate region Am between the lower region Ab and the upper region At. The driver 10 is accommodated. The lower region Ab and the intermediate region Am are partitioned by a partition wall (not shown).

  In addition, the casing 60 is equipped with devices for appropriately cooling the driver 10, the power supply unit 20, the central processing unit 50, and the like by outside air, such as a fan, a slit, and a heat exchanger. FIG. Is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the driver 10 includes substrates 11 </ b> A and 11 </ b> B, a protection plate 12, and a heat dissipation plate 13. The substrate 11A is disposed horizontally in the housing 60. The substrate 11A is provided with a plurality of drive elements (not shown) that respectively drive a plurality of actuators. The plurality of driving elements are arranged in the horizontal direction below the substrate 11A.

  As an example, the driver 10 can drive a 9-axis actuator, and corresponding to this, the substrate 11A is provided with nine drive elements. For example, when the multi-joint robot 2 has a six-axis actuator, six of the nine drive elements are allocated for driving the actuator of the multi-joint robot 2. The remaining three drive elements can be used for driving other actuators (hereinafter referred to as “external shaft actuators”). Examples of the external shaft actuator include an actuator of the tool 3 and an actuator of a workpiece transfer device.

  The substrate 11B is parallel to the substrate 11A and is fixed on the substrate 11A via the spacers 14. The substrate 11B is provided with a command circuit that outputs a command signal to each drive element of the substrate 11A.

  The protection plate 12 extends so as to cover the upper surfaces of the substrates 11A and 11B, and protects elements and wiring on the substrates 11A and 11B. The protection plate 12 is fixed on the substrate 11B via the spacer 14.

  The heat sink 13 is made of a metal material such as aluminum and is disposed under the substrate 11A. The heat radiating plate 13 spreads so as to cover the lower surface of the substrate 11A, and is fixed to the substrate 11A in close contact with each drive element of the substrate 11A. A plurality of fins 13 a that are parallel to each other are provided below the heat radiating plate 13. The plurality of fins 13a respectively extend along the front-rear direction and protrude downward, and enter the lower region Ab. Heat generated by each drive element of the substrate 11A is transferred to the heat radiating plate 13 and released. Therefore, each drive element is efficiently cooled.

  A back plate 61 forming the back surface of the housing 60 is provided with a multi-axis receptacle CN1 and three single-axis receptacles CN2. The multi-axis receptacle CN1 is a connector for connecting all the actuators of the articulated robot 2. The single axis receptacle CN2 is a connector for connecting an external axis actuator.

  The single-axis receptacle CN2 has a sensor connector 72 and a power connector 73. The sensor connector 72 and the power connector 73 are connected to a driving element or the like on the substrate 11A via a cable (not shown) in the housing 60.

  The multi-axis receptacle CN1 includes a connector main body 15, a cover member 16, an opening 61a, and a receptacle shell (connector shell) 71. That is, the robot controller 1 includes a connector main body 15, a cover member 16, an opening 61 a, and a receptacle shell 71.

  The connector main body 15 is provided on the substrate 11A. More specifically, the connector main body 15 is fixed to the rear side on the board 11A and protrudes rearward from the rear edge 11a of the board 11A. The connector main body 15 is made of a resin and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape opened rearward. The inside of the connector main body 15 is partitioned into a plurality of cells 17 along the front-rear direction. The cell 17A on the outer peripheral side of the connector body 15 accommodates a power terminal Tp for supplying power. A signal terminal Ts for signal transmission is accommodated in the cell 17B surrounded by the cell 17A (see FIG. 5). Although detailed illustration is omitted, the power terminal Tp and the signal terminal Ts are connected to a driving element or the like by wiring on the substrate 11A.

  The cover member 16 is a thin plate made of metal such as copper or aluminum, and has an inverted U-shaped cross-sectional shape to cover the upper surface and the left and right side surfaces of the connector body 15. That is, the cover member 16 is provided so as to cover at least a part of the outer periphery of the connector main body 15. The rear edge 16d of the cover member 16 projects rearward from the rear end face 15a of the connector body 15 (see FIG. 4).

  Leg portions 16a projecting downward from the substrate 11A are provided at the left and right lower end portions of the cover member 16, and connection pieces 16b projecting outward in the left-right direction are provided at the lower end portions of the leg portions 16a. Below the connector body 15, the heat sink 13 protrudes rearward from the rear edge 11 a of the substrate 11 </ b> A, and the connection piece 16 b is in contact with the upper surface of the heat sink 13. A fixing hole 16c is formed in the connection piece 16b. For example, a fixing screw (not shown) is inserted into the fixing hole 16c. By fixing this screw to the heat sink 13, the connection piece 16 b is fixed to the heat sink 13.

  The opening 61a is provided in the back plate 61 at a position corresponding to the connector body 15, and exposes the connector body 15 to the outside. The opening 61 a has a rectangular shape corresponding to the back surface shape of the connector main body 15.

  The receptacle shell 71 has a holding portion 71A and a shell main body 71B, and is attached to the peripheral portion of the opening 61a. The receptacle shell 71 is preferably made of metal in order to suppress the temperature rise of the connector main body 15 to be described later. The holding portion 71 </ b> A is a plate-like body parallel to the back plate 61 and is attached to the outer surface of the back plate 61. The holding portion 71A is formed with a recess 71a that opens rearward. A pair of guide protrusions 71b are provided on the left and right portions of the bottom of the recess 71a. The guide protrusion 71b has a plate shape that extends rearward and along the vertical direction. The guide protrusion 71b may have a rod shape protruding rearward.

  An opening 71c corresponding to the opening 61a is formed between the guide protrusions 71b. A pair of mounting holes 71d are formed in the holding portion 71A on the left and right sides of the recess 71a. The attachment hole 71d has a vertically long elliptical shape. For example, a screw is inserted into the mounting hole 71d. By fixing this screw to the back plate 61, the holding portion 71 </ b> A is attached to the back plate 61. The screw is fixed to the back plate 61 in a state where the holding portion 71A is not completely tightened. Accordingly, the receptacle shell 71 is attached to the back plate 61 with a backlash along the back surface of the housing 60 with respect to the opening 61a. As described above, the mounting hole 71d has a vertically long elliptical shape, and therefore the backlash width in the up and down direction is larger than the backlash width in the left and right direction.

  The shell body 71B protrudes forward from the upper edge portion and the left and right side edge portions of the opening 71c, and exhibits an inverted U-shaped cross-sectional shape. A guide surface 71e is formed on the front portion of the inner peripheral surface of the shell main body 71B so as to spread outward as it goes forward (board 11A side) (see FIG. 6).

  By passing the shell body 71B from the outside of the back plate 61 through the opening 61a and attaching the holding portion 71A to the back plate 61, the receptacle shell 71 is provided on the peripheral edge of the opening 61a. The shell main body 71B is located in the housing 60 and surrounds the upper surface and the left and right side surfaces of the connector main body 15. Since the cover member 16 is provided on the outer periphery of the connector main body 15, the cover member 16 is interposed between the connector main body 15 and the shell main body 71B.

  A plug 80 provided at the end of the external cable 5 is connected to the multi-axis receptacle CN1. The plug 80 includes a connector main body 82, a plug shell 81, and a plug cover 83.

  The connector main body 82 has a plurality of cylindrical portions 84 that are respectively inserted into the plurality of cells 17 of the connector main body 15. Each cylindrical portion 84 accommodates a terminal (not shown) connected to the external cable 5. The terminal of the cylindrical portion 84A disposed on the outer peripheral side of the connector main body 82 is connected to the power terminal Tp of the cell 17A. The terminal of the cylindrical portion 84B surrounded by the cylindrical portion 84A is connected to the signal terminal Ts of the cell 17B.

  The plug shell 81 is a container that is provided on the outer periphery of the external cable 5 and opens forward, and accommodates the connector main body 82. The plug cover 83 is a lid member that partially closes the opening of the plug shell 81 and holds the connector body 82 in the plug shell 81.

  In the center of the plug cover 83, a rectangular opening 83a that exposes the connector body 82 to the front is formed. On the peripheral edge of the opening 83a, a convex portion 83b protruding forward is formed over the entire circumference. The convex portion 83b fits into the concave portion 71a of the holding portion 71A. By this fitting, the holding portion 71 </ b> A holds the plug 80.

  Guide openings 83c that receive the guide protrusions 71b are formed in the left and right portions of the protrusion 83b. The guide opening 83c has a slit shape corresponding to the guide protrusion 71b having a plate shape. When the guide protrusion 71b has a rod shape, the guide opening 83c has a hole shape. By fitting the guide protrusion 71b and the guide opening 83c, the insertion direction of the plug 80 with respect to the multi-axis receptacle CN1 is guided along the front-rear direction. For this reason, the cylindrical part 84 can be smoothly inserted into the cell 17.

  At the four corners of the plug cover 83, attachment holes 83d are formed. For example, a screw is inserted into the mounting hole 83d. By fixing this screw to the plug shell 81, the plug cover 83 is attached to the plug shell 81. The screw is fixed to the plug shell 81 without completely tightening the plug cover 83. Thus, the plug cover 83 is attached to the plug shell 81 with a backlash along the front end surface of the plug shell 81.

  According to the robot controller 1 described above, since the connector main body 15 provided on the board 11A of the driver 10 is exposed to the outside through the opening 61a provided in the housing 60, the plug 80 of the external cable 5 is connected to the connector main body. 15 can be directly connected. For this reason, it is not necessary to interpose a cable between the plug 80 and the board 11 </ b> A in the housing 60. Therefore, the cables inside the housing 60 can be reduced.

  Here, in order to simplify the external wiring that connects the controlled object and the control device, it is desirable to consolidate many terminals into the connector body. For example, in the robot controller 1, terminals for connecting all the actuators of the articulated robot 2 are collected in the connector body 15. When many terminals are concentrated in the connector main body 15, heat generation in the connector main body 15 increases. On the other hand, a receptacle shell 71 is provided at the peripheral edge of the opening 61a, and the connector main body 15 is surrounded by the receptacle shell 71. Further, a metal cover member 16 is interposed between the connector main body 15 and the receptacle shell 71. As a result, the heat generated in the connector main body 15 can be dispersed in the housing 60 and the temperature rise of the connector main body 15 can be suppressed. If the receptacle shell 71 is also made of metal, the heat generated in the connector body 15 can be more efficiently distributed to the housing 60. In this way, suppressing the temperature rise of the connector main body 15 greatly contributes to the realization of a configuration in which the plug 80 is directly connected to the connector main body 15.

  The connector body 15 has a plurality of power terminals Tp and a plurality of signal terminals Ts, and the plurality of power terminals Tp are arranged on the outer peripheral side of the connector body 15. The power terminal Tp tends to generate heat more easily than the signal terminal Ts. For this reason, by arranging the power terminal Tp on the outer peripheral side of the connector main body 15 and bringing it close to the cover member 16 and the receptacle shell 71, the heat generated in the connector main body 15 can be more efficiently dispersed in the housing 60. Therefore, the temperature rise of the connector main body 15 can be suppressed more reliably.

  A partition wall 18 made of a metal such as copper or aluminum may be provided between the cell 17A that houses the power terminal Tp and the cell 17B that houses the signal terminal Ts (see FIG. 7). Due to the shielding effect of the partition wall 18, noise propagation from the power terminal Tp to the signal terminal Ts is suppressed, so that it is easy to collect many terminals in the connector body 15.

  The edge 16d on the rear side (opening 61a side) of the cover member 16 protrudes from the rear end surface (end surface on the opening 61a side) 15a of the connector body 15. When the driver 10 is installed in the housing 60, the connector body 15 is inserted from the inside of the housing 60 toward the shell body 71B of the receptacle shell 71, that is, from the front to the back. By adopting a configuration in which the edge 16d protrudes from the end surface 15a, the rear end portion of the connector body 15 can be protected when the connector body 15 is inserted into the receptacle shell 71.

  A guide surface 71e is formed on the front portion (the portion on the substrate 11A side) of the inner peripheral surface of the shell main body 71B. For this reason, the connector main body 15 can be smoothly inserted into the shell main body 71B.

  Instead of forming the guide surface 71e, a guide surface 16e may be formed on the rear portion (portion on the opening 61a side) of the outer peripheral surface of the cover member 16 so as to shrink toward the rear side (inward). (See FIG. 8). Also in this case, the connector main body 15 can be smoothly inserted into the shell main body 71B. Both the guide surface 71e and the guide surface 16e may be formed.

  The receptacle shell 71 is attached to the housing 60 with a backlash along the back surface of the housing 60 with respect to the opening 61a. For this reason, the position of the receptacle shell 71 can be adapted to variations in the position of the connector body 15. Thereby, the connector main body 15 can be more smoothly inserted into the receptacle shell 71. Note that, as described above, the mounting hole 71d has a vertically long elliptical shape, so that the vertical rattling width is larger than the lateral rattling width. For this reason, it is easy to adapt the position of the receptacle shell 71 to variations in the position of the connector body 15 in the thickness direction of the board 11A.

  The plug cover 83 is attached to the plug shell 81 with a backlash. For this reason, even if the convex part 83b is fitted in the concave part 71a, the connector main body 82 is held with a backlash relative to the opening 83a. Thereby, the position of the connector main body 82 can be adapted to the variation in the position of the connector main body 15. Therefore, the cylindrical portion 84 can be inserted into the cell 17 more smoothly.

  The receptacle shell 71 has a holding portion 71A for holding the plug 80. When the connector main body 15 is used as a connector for connecting the plug 80, when the driver 10 is pulled out in the front direction and taken out from the housing 60 for replacement, there is no connection destination of the plug 80. For this reason, it is necessary to remove the plug 80 from the robot controller 1 in order to replace the driver 10, and the replacement work of the driver 10 becomes complicated. On the other hand, by providing the receptacle shell 71 with the holding portion 71A for holding the plug 80, the driver 10 can be replaced while the plug 80 is attached to the robot controller 1 (see FIG. 9). That is, it is possible to achieve both reduction of the cable inside the housing 60 and simplification of the replacement work of the driver 10.

  In particular, when the connection portion of the external cable 5 in the robot controller 1 is disposed in the fence 6, the effectiveness of being able to replace the driver 10 without removing the plug 80 from the robot controller 1 becomes significant.

  In order to more reliably prevent the plug 80 from falling off during the replacement work of the driver 10, a lock mechanism for fixing the plug 80 to the holding portion 71A with a screw or the like may be further provided.

  The cover member 16 is fixed to the heat radiating plate 13. Thereby, the temperature rise of the connector main body 15 can be suppressed more reliably.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the cover member 16 may cover the entire circumference of the connector body 15 or may partially cover only one surface of the connector body 15. The receptacle shell 71 may surround the entire circumference of the connector body 15.

  The multi-axis receptacle CN1 for the actuator of the multi-joint robot 2 and the single-axis receptacle CN2 for the external axis actuator need not necessarily be separated. For example, a terminal for an external shaft actuator may be included in the receptacle CN1.

  The number of actuators controlled by the driver 10 is not limited to nine axes, and may be a single axis.

  The control target may be anything as long as it is electrically controlled, and is not limited to the articulated robot 2. Examples of the control target include a machine tool and a transport device.

  The present invention can be used for a control device attached to an electrically controlled device.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Robot controller (control apparatus), 10 ... Driver, 11A ... Board | substrate, 15 ... Connector main body, 15a ... End surface on the opening side, 16 ... Cover member, 16d ... Edge on the opening side, 60 ... Housing | casing, 61a ... Opening, 71 ... Receptacle shell (connector shell), 71A ... Holding part, 71e ... Guide surface, 80 ... Plug, Tp ... Power terminal, Ts ... Signal terminal.

Claims (7)

A driver having a substrate;
A housing for housing the driver;
A connector body provided on the substrate;
An opening provided in the housing and exposing the connector body to the outside;
A connector shell provided at the periphery of the opening so as to surround the connector body;
A control device comprising: a metal cover member provided so as to cover at least a part of the outer periphery of the connector main body and interposed between the connector main body and the connector shell.   The connector body has a plurality of power terminals for supplying power to the actuator and a plurality of signal terminals for signal transmission, and the plurality of power terminals are arranged on an outer peripheral side of the connector body. Item 2. The control device according to Item 1.   The control device according to claim 1, wherein an edge of the cover member on the opening side protrudes from an end surface on the opening side of the connector body.   The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a guide surface is formed on a portion of the inner peripheral surface of the shell on the substrate side so as to spread outward toward the substrate side. .   The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a guide surface is formed on the opening side portion of the cover member so as to shrink inwardly toward the opening side. .   The control device according to claim 1, wherein the connector shell is attached to the housing with a backlash relative to the opening.   The said connector shell is a control apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-6 which has a holding | maintenance part for hold | maintaining the plug connected to the said connector main body from the outer side of the said housing | casing.

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