Assembling or processing system

An assembling or processing system comprising:

• an industrial robot whose end has at least three degrees of freedom for movement in horizontal and vertical planes;
• a balancer provided at its end with a chuck for clamping a part to be handled, said end having said chuck being adapted to be driven in the vertical direction by a power derived from a driving power source but movable freely in the horizontal directions;
• connecting means for connecting the end of said industrial robot to the end of said balancer;
• a sensor provided on said connecting means and adapted to sense the difference of vertical position between said end of said robot and said end of said balancer;
• and a controller adapted to control the operation of said industrial robot and said balancer;
• wherein the movement of said balancer in the horizontal plane is caused by the force produced and transmitted from said industrial robot, while the verticlal movement of said balancer is achieved by making said balancer follow-up the vertical movement of said industrial robot by calculating a balancer speed instruction using both of a vertical speed command delivered by a vertical speed command generator provided in said controller and the difference of vertical position between said ends of said industrial robot and said balancer derived from said sensor, and then delivering said balancer speed instruction to a driving control circuit for said balancer, thereby to move said balancer vertically following-up the vertical movement of said industrial robot.

An assembling or processing system comprising:

• an industrial robot movable in horizontal and vertical planes and provided at its end with a wrist rockable around a horizontal axis, said robot thus having at least four degress of freedom;
• a balancer provided at its end with a chuck for holding a part to be handled, said end having said chuck being freely movable in the horizontal plane but being adapted be driven in the vertical direction by a power derived from a driving power source, said balancer having at its end with an input shaft for generating an instruction for activating said driving power source;
• connecting means for connecting the end of said industrial robot and said end of said balancer;
• a sensor provided on said connecting means and adapted to sense the difference of vertical position between said ends of said industrial robot and said balancer;
• and a controller adapted to control the operation of said industrial robot and said balancer;
• wherein the horizontal movement of said balancer is achieved by the force produced and transmitted from said industrial robot, while the vertical movement of said balancer is caused by making said balancer follow-up the vertical movement of said industrial robot by calculating a speed instruction for said balancer using both of a vertical speed command delivered by a vertical speed command generator provided in said controller and the difference in the vertical position between said ends of said industrial robot and said balancer sensed by said sensor, and driving said wrist of said industrial robot in accordance with said speed instruction to twist said input shaft on said balancer to cause a vertical movement of said balancer following-up the vertical movement of said industrial robot;
• whereby a part of a large weight carried by said balancer is handled by said industrial robot.