Material or article handling – Vertically swinging load support
Patent
1995-01-11
1997-06-17
Underwood, Donald W.
Material or article handling
Vertically swinging load support
901 50, B25J 906
Patent
active
056392044
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a positioning device for positioning an industrial articulated robot at an origin position, and to a method of positioning a multi-articulate industrial robot at an origin position by using the above-mentioned positioning device.
PRIOR ART
In an industrial robot constituted by a robot unit, and a robot controller, a plurality of movable robot elements accommodated in the robot unit are positioned at reference positions corresponding to reference positions registered on the robot controller, respectively, to enable the robot unit to perform desired robot motions accurately in conformity to a predetermined program taught to the industrial robot. Accordingly, positioning work is carried out to position the movable robot elements of the robot unit at predetermined reference positions corresponding to reference positions registered on the robot controller, respectively, at the end of manufacture and assembly of the robot unit and prior to shipping of the robot unit from the factory, at the time of installing the robot unit in a job site and prior to the start of using the robot unit, and after changing the movable parts and the drive motors of the robot unit during maintenance work.
As shown in FIG. 4, in one of the most typical prior art methods for positioning movable robot elements of the robot unit of an industrial robot at reference positions, a mastering jig 16, having a plurality of reference surfaces, is positioned with positioning pins on, and fastened with bolts to, the end effector mounting end of a robot wrist 15 of the robot unit 10 of, for example, a multi-articulated type industrial robot. Further, a gage jig 18 provided with a plurality of dial gages G1 through GN at predetermined positions thereon is positioned with positioning pins on, and fastened with bolts to, a stationary base 11 of the robot unit. A revolving robot body 12, a robot upper arm 13, a robot forearm 14 and the robot wrist 15 of the robot unit are then moved to their reference positions so that the reference surfaces of the mastering gage 16 are brought into engagement with the corresponding dial gages G1 through GN and the pointers of the dial gages G1 through GN indicate predetermined reference readings, such as 0 indications, respectively, and subsequently, a reference position setting button of a robot controller, not shown, is pushed by an operator for matching the reference positions of the movable robot elements of the robot unit with the reference positions registered in the robot controller.
As shown in FIG. 5, in another typical prior art method of positioning the movable robot elements of an industrial robot at reference positions, a jig base 26 provided with a female jig 27 having a conical hole is attached to a stationary part of a robot unit 20 including a fixed base 21, a robot body 22, a robot upper arm 23, a robot forearm 24 and a robot wrist 25, and a mastering jig 28 provided with a male jig 29 having a conical projection complementary to the conical hole of the female jig 27 is attached to the robot wrist 25. The robot unit 20 is operated to place the robot unit 20 at an origin position with the male jig 29 of the mastering jig 28 in exact engagement with the female jig 27 held on the jig base 26, and then the reference positions of the movable robot elements of the robot unit 20 match the reference positions registered on a robot controller, not shown.
The former prior art method, however, requires minute operations of the movable robot elements including the robot arm and the robot wrist to bring the reference surfaces of the mastering jig 16 into engagement with the dial gages G1 to GN, the number of which is equal to the number of the robot joints, so that the pointers of the dial gages G1 to GN give the predetermined readings on the dial gages G1 to GN, which is considerably troublesome.
The latter prior art method requires that the movable robot elements are driven by drive sources for driving the movable robot elements to move the male jig 29 to a p
REFERENCES:
patent: 4552502 (1985-11-01), Harjar
patent: 4892457 (1990-01-01), Bartlett et al.
Iwasaki Kyozi
Nihei Ryo
Terada Akihiro
Yamashiro Hikaru
Fanuc Ltd.
Underwood Donald W.
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