Piping arrangement for a laser robot wrist

Details Piping arrangement for a laser robot wrist Piping arrangement for a laser robot wrist

1992-09-30

1994-03-22

Albritton, C. L.

Electric heating

Metal heating

By arc

21912184, B23K 2608

Patent

active

052966712

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a piping arrangement for a laser robot wrist, and more particularly to a piping arrangement for the robot wrist of a laser robot in which pipe lines are arranged within and around the robot wrist to convey a liquid coolant for cooling laser beam reflecting mirrors disposed in the robot wrist of the laser robot, and to convey and supply an assist gas to a laser beam projecting device mounted on the robot wrist in such a compact manner that interference between the pipe lines and peripheral equipment is avoided, and that a reliable prevention of pipe line damage and liquid coolant leakage can be ensured.


BACKGROUND ART

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a laser robot in general using a high-energy laser beam requires flexible pipes 7a for conveying a liquid coolant so as to cool reflecting mirrors 6 which are arranged to deflect the laser beam and a flexible pipe 7b for conveying an inert gas serving as an assist gas in laser machining. The flexible pipes 7a and 7b are arranged around a robot wrist 4 holding a laser beam projecting device 5 thereon These flexible pipes 7a and 7b are sufficiently slack so that the flexible pipes 7a and 7b are able to absorb the twisting and pulling that act thereon when the movable components of the laser robot, including the robot body, the robot upper arm, which are not shown, the robot forearm 3 and the robot wrist 4, operate according to their respective degree of freedom of movement.
However, problems arise when the flexible pipes 7a and 7b are arranged slackly around the robot wrist 4, namely, it is possible that the flexible pipes 7a and 7b will interfere with peripheral equipment or other equipment when the laser robot performs an operation including laser machining, and the flexible pipes may be damaged or broken by debris and welding spatters from the workpiece during a laser welding operation or laser cutting operation.
If the pipes are extended in a sheathing pipe of the robot wrist so as to improve the piping arrangement, the robot wrist must be provided with a sheathing pipe of increased diameter, which conflicts with functional requirements suggesting that a robot working end must be formed in the smallest and the lightest possible construction. Furthermore, when the pipes extend in the sheathing pipe of the robot wrist, the liquid coolant will flow into the mechanism of the robot wrist if the liquid coolant leaks from the pipes. Thus, using a sheathing pipe for protecting the flexible pipes is not yet practical.


DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a piping arrangement for the robot wrist of a laser robot, thereby solving the problems resulting from slack flexible pipes arranged around the robot wrist, having a compact construction capable of arranging pipes for supplying an assist gas and a liquid coolant to a region between the robot wrist and the laser beam projecting device and returning the liquid coolant from the same region.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a piping arrangement for a laser robot wrist, capable of preventing the occurrence of problems owing to the leakage of the liquid coolant into the mechanism of the laser robot and the laser beam projecting device.
In light of the objects of the invention, the present invention employs a construction such that a plurality of annular chambers including annular liquid chambers for supplying and recovering a liquid coolant therethrough and annular gas chambers for supplying and recovering an assist gas therethrough are formed in the sheathing pipe of the robot wrist of a laser robot by using a plurality of sealing means, and fixedly arranges rigid metal pipes around and close to the robot forearm and the robot wrist. It is possible to use some of the annular chambers as pressure chambers for receiving compressed air through the inner pipe of the robot wrist to apply pressure to the sealing means so that the assist gas and the liquid coolant will not leak respectively from

REFERENCES:
patent: 4661681 (1987-04-01), Bannister
patent: 4695701 (1987-09-01), Monteith et al.
patent: 5208439 (1993-05-01), Arai
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 14, No. 450(M-1030), Sep. 27, 1990, & JP-A-21 79 380, Jul. 12, 1990.

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