Material or article handling – Vertically swinging load support
Patent
1985-08-06
1989-02-07
Werner, Frank E.
Material or article handling
Vertically swinging load support
414 8, 901 15, 901 28, B25J 1700
Patent
active
048028150
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an industrial robot adapted for use in factories which have to be kept away from dust, such as factories for manufacturing semiconductors, optical parts and other precise parts.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In general, an industrial robot has many dust generating parts such as bearings of articulates, brushes of servomotors and so forth. When such an industrial robot is used in a factory where air has to be kept extremely clean, it is necessary to take a suitable measure for preventing dust from being scattered into the air from the robot.
For instance, conventional industrial robots for use under such clean conditions are equipped with bellows-type covers 2 which surround respective articulates 1a which constitute dust sources, in order to prevent dust from being scattered into the ambient air.
This known dust prevention measures, however, involves problems in that the covers 2 acts as pumps upon expansion and contraction thereof to discharge dust together with air from the articulations through gaps between the covers 2 and the robot 1. In addition, the covers which are large in size disadvantageously increase the size of the robot as a whole. Moreover, a laborius work is required for demounting and mounting the covers 2 before and after repair or maintenance.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a compact size industrial robot which does not require a bellows type cover and which is easy to repair and maintain. It includes a plurality of arms, one or more articulation members or sliding articulation members each connected to each of said plurality of arms, bearings for rotatably or slidably supporting said articulation members or said sliding articulation members, drive source means for relatively rotating, swiveling or sliding said plurality of arms through said articulation members or said sliding articulation members, the end of the arm attached to the tip end of said plurality of arms being adapted to be positioned at any position in a space, internal air spaces substantially closed by said arms, said articulation members, said bearings or cover means or the combination thereof in a manner to separate the rotating, sliding and contacting portions of said arms, said articulation members and said drive sources from the outside air, and negative pressure generating means for sucking air contained in the internal air spaces to make the air pressure therein lower than that of the outside air. The latter serves to produce pressure gradients in the small clearances connecting the inside of the substantially closed robot to the outside thereof. This makes the air pressure inside of the robot lower than that of the outside air, and prevents dust in the robot from being scattered to the outside air.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior industrial robot having a means for preventing scattering of dust;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of an essential part of an industrial robot of an embodiment of the invention having a means for preventing scattering of dust;
10 FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an air passage taken along the line A--A of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the general constitution of an industrial robot embodying the invention; and
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a connection between substantially closed internal air spaces of the industrial robot and a negative pressure generator.
THE BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment according to the invention will be described hereinbelow with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.
FIG. 2 shows an articulation of an industrial robot provided with a dust scattering prevention means in accordance with the invention. A reference numeral 3 denotes a stationary arm of the articulation arm, while 4 denotes a driven arm of the articulation. A numeral 5 designates a main shaft 5. A servomotor 6 is fixed to the stationary arm 3 to drivingly rotate the main shaft 5 thereby driving the driven arm 4. Numerals 7 and 8 denote bearings through whi
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G. J. Horky, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 26, No. 7B, Dec. 1983.
Funabashi Takanori
Nakada Akiyoshi
Tada Haruo
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Underwood Donald W.
Werner Frank E.
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