Material or article handling – Vertically swinging load support – Grab
Patent
1992-07-01
1994-05-17
Huppert, Michael S.
Material or article handling
Vertically swinging load support
Grab
901 18, 901 26, B25J 902
Patent
active
053122208
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an industrial robot provided with a workpiece handling means capable of automatically carrying out operations for attaching a workpiece to the chucking device of a machine tool, particularly to the chucking device of a lathe, removing a workpiece from the chucking device, and transporting a workpiece according to instructions given thereto by a robot controller.
BACKGROUND ART
As is generally known, industrial robots have been used for attaching a workpiece to and removing a workpiece from machine tools. Industrial robots for such purposes include a gantry robot provided with a workpiece feed means spanning over a machine tool, a loading robot designed specially for a machine tool, and a general purpose articulated robot provided with robot arms having a plurality of degrees of freedom of motion, a robot wrist, and a robot hand.
The functional robot mechanism of the gantry robot, in general, has a large construction, and is not necessarily suitable for use in combination with a lathe. The loading robot is designed specially for a specific machine tool, and is unable to be applied generally to a desired machine tool. Teaching the articulated robot a series of robot actions, including feeding a workpiece and transporting the same, requires a complicated teaching procedure because the articulated robot has many axes about which the component parts operate, and it is difficult to install the articulated robot in combination with a machine tool. Thus the articulated robot is not satisfactory in this application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot capable of being installed on the bed of a machine tool, particularly a lathe, capable of being taught robot actions for attaching a workpiece to the chucking device of the lathe, removing a workpiece from the chucking device, and transporting a workpiece, by a simple teaching procedure. The robot of the present invention also has compact construction, to thus solve the problems encountered by conventional industrial robots.
In one aspect of the present invention, an industrial robot provided with a workpiece handling means for attaching a workpiece to and removing the same from the chucking device of a machine tool, according to instructions prestored in a robot controller by teaching, compromises:
a robot body means provided with a casing having a base means to be attached to a predetermined part of the machine tool, and two rotation drive means;
a first rotational output shaft projecting from the robot body means and connected to one of the two rotation drive means;
a rotational transmission shaft connected to the other rotation drive means and extended through the first rotational output shaft;
a second rotational output shaft interlocked with the rotational transmission shaft by a gear mechanism and extended perpendicularly to the first rotational output shaft;
a robot shoulder means holding the second rotational output shaft, connected to the first rotational output shaft and capable of stopping at a predetermined workpiece handling position, at a standby position away from the workpiece handling position, and at an optional position between the workpiece handling position and the standby position;
a suspended robot arm means having a base end connected to the second rotational output shaft so as to be able to move linearly in a predetermined range along the axis of the second rotational output shaft within the robot shoulder means; and
a plurality of workpiece gripping robot hand means attached to the front end of the robot arm means, and capable of being alternately located at a position opposite to the chucking device of the machine tool by the rotational action of the second rotational output shaft, when the robot shoulder means is located at the workpiece handling position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following d
REFERENCES:
patent: 3984009 (1976-10-01), Holroyd
patent: 4832563 (1989-05-01), Massmann
Nihei Ryo
Torii Nobutoshi
Fanuc Ltd.
Huppert Michael S.
Underwood Donald W.
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