Machine element or mechanism – Mechanical movements – Reciprocating or oscillating to or from alternating rotary
Patent
1987-06-11
1989-05-09
Herrmann, Allan D.
Machine element or mechanism
Mechanical movements
Reciprocating or oscillating to or from alternating rotary
744115, 744248R, 188161, 901 15, 901 21, B25J 1800, F16H 2520, F16D 6518
Patent
active
048277827
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
CROSS-REFERENCE TO REATED APPLICATIONS
The subject matter of the present invention is related to that of U.S. Application Ser. No. 050,302, filed June 11, 1987.
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to an industrial robot brake apparatus for braking a mechanism that drives a support shaft supporting an arm in a freely extendable manner.
BACKGROUND ART
A variety of industrial robots have recently come into wide use in various fields. FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating one example of a horizontal articulated industrial robot installed on a floor and provided with a swiveling post.
In FIG. 3, numeral 1 denotes the post supported on a base 2 and capable of being swiveled within a predetermined rotational range (.theta.). Provided within the base 2 is a swiveling mechanism 21 for swiveling the post 1. Numeral 3 denotes a first arm (working arm) supported at the upper portion of the post 1 by a support shaft 4. A second arm 5 capable of being swiveled in the horizontal direction is attached to the distal end of the first arm 3, and the distal end of the second arm 5 is provided with a wrist 51.
Provided in the post 1 is a drive mechanism 6 for moving the support shaft 4 up and down within a predetermined range (Z) to control the height of the first arm 3.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the post 1, in which numeral 7 denotes a drive motor having a motor pulley 71 for rotating a screw rod 61 of the drive mechanism 6 via the motor pulley 71, a belt 72 and a drive pulley 63, whereby a nut 62 threadedly engaged with the screw rod 61 is moved up and down to raise and lower the support shaft 4 and, hence, position the working plane of the arm. A movable brake element 81 is fixedly secured to the lower end of the screw rod 61. Attached to the bottom 11 of the post 1 is a fixed brake element 82 for braking rotation of the screw rod 61 by attracting the movable brake element 81 through the use of electromagnetism.
In order to prevent the support shaft 4 from being moved out of position by an external force or the like when the drive motor 7 has been stopped to hold the support shaft 4 at a prescribed height, the braking mechanism in the drive mechanism of the aforementioned kind is so adapted that the fixed brake element 82 attracts the movable brake element 81 to brake the rotation of the screw rod 61, thereby positioning the arms 3, 5 in a prescribed working plane.
In the above-described industrial robot, exchanging the belt 72 between the motor pulley 71 of drive motor 7 and the drive pulley 63 involves a difficult operation in terms of mounting the new belt since the movable brake element 81 is fixedly secured to the lower end of the screw rod 61. Inspecting the contact surfaces of the movable brake element 81 and fixed brake element 82 is a troublesome operation since the movable brake element 81 is fixedly secured to the screw rod 61 and the clearance between the two contact surfaces is small.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been devised in view of the foregoing problems of the prior art and its object is to provide an industrial robot brake apparatus in which belt replacement and brake mechanism inspection can be carried out with ease.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an industrial robot brake apparatus for positioning a working plane of an arm supported by a support shaft in a freely extendable manner, the apparatus characterized by having a screw rod for driving the support shaft to extend and retract the same, a fixed brake element for halting rotation of the screw rod, a power transfer belt stretched between a motor for rotatively driving the screw rod and a drive pulley on an end portion of the screw rod, and a movable brake element freely slidably splined on the end portion of the screw rod, on the side of the drive pulley engaged by the belt, to provide a clearance between the movable brake element and fixed brake element through which at least the belt can be passed.
With the industrial robot brake apparatus of the present i
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patent: 3543598 (1970-12-01), Lanzenberger
patent: 3549182 (1970-12-01), Bogue et al.
patent: 3559499 (1971-02-01), Profet
patent: 4149430 (1979-04-01), F'Geppert
patent: 4466769 (1984-08-01), Inaba et al.
patent: 4466770 (1984-08-01), Peroutky
patent: 4588057 (1986-05-01), Weich et al.
Nihei Ryo
Torii Nobutoshi
Fanuc Ltd.
Herrmann Allan D.
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