US 4,642,021 AGranted

Manipulation arm mechanism for an industrial robot

AssigneeToyoda Koki Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorMakoto Kikuchi

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A manipulation arm mechanism for an industrial robot is provided with a pivotable arm in which a first shaft driven by a drive motor is carried for rotation about an axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the arm. The first shaft has secured to its front end a rear casing, on which a front casing is carried for rotation about an oblique axis slanted relative to the first shaft axis. A head mounting shaft capable of attaching thereto a working head such as, for example, a handling gripper is carried in the front casing to be rotable about an axis which extends in axial alignment with the first shaft axis only when the front casing is at a predetermined angular position about the oblique axis. Second and third shafts driven by respective drive motors pass through the first shaft and present into the rear casing their front ends, to which the front casing and the head mounting shaft are drivingly connected through gear trains respectively. Each axis of the second and third shafts is radially offset from the first shaft axis. This offset arrangement ensures a relatively large space reserved just behind the front casing, so that the working range of the working head about the oblique shaft can be broadened.

A manipulation arm mechanism for an industrial robot, said mechanism comprising:

(a) an arm (10) of said industrial robot;
(b) first to third drive means (50, 51, 52);
(c) a first shaft (11) rotatably carried within said arm (10) and connected to said first drive means (50) to be driven thereby around an axis (L1);
(d) a rear casing (15) fixedly mounted on a front end of said first shaft (11);
(e) a front casing (17) carried on said rear casing (15) for rotation about an oblique axis (L2) slanted relative to the axis (L1) of said first shaft (11);
(f) a head mounting shaft (18) rotatably carried by said front casing (17) for rotation about an axis (L3), said head mounting shaft being capable of having a working head mounted thereon;
(g) a second shaft (12) rotatably carried within said rear casing (15), with a front end thereof being offset from the axis (L1) of said first shaft (11) on a first side of the axis (L1) of said first shaft (11), said second shaft being connected to said second drive means (51) to be rotated thereby around an axis (m1);
(h) a third shaft (13) rotatably carried within said rear casing (15), with a front end thereof being offset from the axis (L1) of said first shaft (11) on the first side by the axis (L1) of said first shaft (11), said third shaft being connected to said third drive means (52) to be rotated thereby around an axis (n1);
(i) first motion transmission means (26, 27) provided between the front end of said second shaft (12) and said front casing (17) for transmitting rotation from said second shaft (12) to said front casing (17);
and
(j) second motion transmission means (30, 31, 16, 32, 33) provided between the front end of said third shaft (13) and said head mounting shaft (18) for transmitting rotation from said third shaft (13) to said head mounting shaft (18),
whereby said front casing (17) can be provided back closer to said rear casing (15) on the side of the axis (L1) of said first shaft (11) opposite to said first side thereof than if the front ends of said second and third shafts (12, 13) were not offset from the axis (L1) of said first shaft (11).

9 more elements

Abstract

Claims16