# US 2019/0168379 A1 · Industrial robot for material processing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0168379 A1 - Document ID: US20190168379A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/268,740 - Filed: 2019-02-06 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-08-10 - Assignees: TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Co. KG - Applicants: TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Co. KG - Inventors: Wolfgang Bartel; Maximilian Merk - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190168379A1 ## CPC - B25J 9/046: {Revolute coordinate type} - B23K 26/21: by welding - B25J 11/005: {Manipulators for mechanical processing tasks} - B25J 19/0025: {Means for supplying energy to the end effector} - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM ## Abstract An industrial robot for material processing includes a manipulator with a base, a link, an arm and a hand. A processing device of the industrial robot is movable by the manipulator and is attached to the hand of the manipulator, and is supplied with a medium via a medium line. Provided for the medium line is a drag chain subjected to a traction directed away from a connection of the drag chain close to a processing location by a tensioning device. The tensioning device has a tensioning lever and a restoring device. The tensioning lever is attached to a partial length of the drag chain. The tensioning lever is deflectable, counter to an action of a restoring force generated by the restoring device, towards the connection of the drag chain close to the processing location such that the tensioning lever performs a pivoting movement about a lever pivot axis. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A material processing industrial robot, comprising: a manipulator that has a base, a link, an arm, and a hand, the link being mounted on the base so as to be pivotable about a link axis, the arm being mounted on the link so as to be spaced apart from the link axis and so as to be pivotable about an arm axis that extends in parallel with the link axis, and the hand being movable at least uniaxially relative to the arm; a processing apparatus that can be moved by the manipulator, is attached to the hand of the manipulator and can be supplied with a medium by at least one media line; and a drag chain for the media line, the drag chain comprising a connection close to a processing location, on the processing apparatus, and a connection remote from the processing location that is spaced apart from the processing apparatus, and the connection of the drag chain that is close to the processing location being movable relative to the connection remote from the processing location, owing to movements of at least one of the manipulator and the processing apparatus, and the drag chain being retained on the manipulator, between the connection close to the processing location and the connection remote from the processing location, by a plurality of retainers, one retainer of which is provided for the drag chain, as a link-side retainer, on the link of the manipulator; wherein the drag chain is subjected, by a tensioning element, to a traction that is oriented away from the connection close to the processing location, by a tensioning lever of the tensioning element being attached to a partial length of the drag chain extending between the link-side retainer and the connection close to the processing location, and being mounted on the manipulator so as to be pivotable about a lever pivot axis that extends in parallel with the link axis and the arm axis, and by the partial length of the drag chain that extends between the link-side retainer and the connection close to the processing location and moves in a direction counter to the traction, in a longitudinal direction of the drag chain being able to deflect the tensioning lever towards the connection of the drag chain close to the processing location, counter to an action of a restoring force generated by a restoring member of the tensioning element, such that the tensioning lever performs a pivot movement about the lever pivot axis. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The industrial robot of claim 1, wherein an arm-side retainer is provided on the arm of the manipulator, between the link-side retainer and the connection close to the processing location, and in that the partial length of the drag chain extending between the link-side retainer and the arm-side retainer is provided as the partial length of the drag chain that extends between the link-side retainer and the connection close to the processing location. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The industrial robot of claim 2, wherein the drag chain is retained by the arm-side retainer so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the drag chain. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The industrial robot of claim 1, wherein the link-side retainer forms a chain pivot axis for the partial length of the drag chain that extends between the link-side retainer and the connection close to the processing location, which pivot axis is coaxial with the lever pivot axis of the tensioning lever of the tensioning element. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The industrial robot of claim 1, wherein the drag chain is retained by the link-side retainer so as to be immovable in the longitudinal direction of the drag chain. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The industrial robot of claim 1, wherein the link-side retainer forms a chain pivot axis for the partial length of the drag chain that extends between the link-side retainer and the connection close to the processing location, which pivot axis is coaxial with the link axis. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The industrial robot of claim 1, wherein the restoring member of the tensioning element comprises a tension spring which is arranged between the tensioning lever of the tensioning element and the link of the manipulator, and which can be tensioned, by the partial length of the drag chain that extends between the link-side retainer and the connection close to the processing location and that moves in the direction counter to the traction in the longitudinal direction of the drag chain, while generating the restoring force that acts on the tensioning lever. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The industrial robot of claim 7, wherein the tension spring of the restoring member is designed as a pneumatic tension spring and comprises a piston-cylinder unit that comprises a cylinder and a piston that is displaceable in the cylinder, along a cylinder axis, one element out of the piston and the cylinder being connected to the tensioning lever of the tensioning element, and the other element being connected to the link of the manipulator, a cylinder chamber filled with a gaseous medium being provided inside the cylinder, on one side of the piston, and it being possible for the gaseous medium in the cylinder chamber to be resiliently compressed, by the partial length of the drag chain that extends between the link-side retainer and the connection close to the processing location and that moves in the direction counter to the traction in the longitudinal direction of the drag chain, via the tensioning lever, while generating the restoring force that acts on the tensioning lever. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The industrial robot of claim 7, wherein the restoring member comprises a damper for the tension spring of the restoring member. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The industrial robot of claim 9, wherein the damper for the tension spring of the restoring member is a pneumatic damper. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The industrial robot of claim 1, wherein a magnitude of the restoring force acting on the tensioning lever of the tensioning element is adjustable. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The industrial robot of claim 1, wherein a retaining arm that faces the drag chain is provided on the tensioning lever of the tensioning element, between the lever pivot axis and the drag chain, which retaining arm comprises a tensioning lever-side retainer by which the drag chain is retained. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The industrial robot of claim 1, wherein the drag chain forms a radius of curvature of a limited magnitude. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The industrial robot of claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus comprises a laser processing apparatus, and the media line comprises an optical fiber cable.