Electricity: motive power systems – Positional servo systems – Program- or pattern-controlled systems
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-15
2001-09-11
Ip, Paul (Department: 2837)
Electricity: motive power systems
Positional servo systems
Program- or pattern-controlled systems
C318S568110, C318S568120, C414S730000, C414S680000, C414S918000, C191S01200C
Reexamination Certificate
active
06288512
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a robot with cables extending at least partially on the outside, in particular operation cables for robot tools such as a welding tool.
A robot has a plurality of components which can pivot relative to each other, in particular robot arms. Changes in the separation between individual points of the robot thereby occur. This must be taken into consideration when guiding the operation cables for robot elements, in particular robot tools. They must be able to accommodate changes in length while being loaded to as little an extent as possible during motion of the robot so that they have high durability and are not prematurely damaged.
It is therefore the underlying purpose of the invention to further improve a robot of this kind to effect an improved guiding of the cable which does not load the cable itself while having a large amount of reserve length and thereby good length compensation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above mentioned purpose is achieved in accordance with the invention in a robot of the above mentioned kind in that the cables are substantially guided in a circular shaped loop at the height of a robot arm which can pivot about an axis of the robot.
A preferred embodiment provides that a cable separation location is disposed on that robot arm which can pivot about an axis of the robot, with the cables extending therefrom being guided in a substantially circular-shaped fashion. This improvement avoids the need to exchange the entire cables extending from the base of the robot to the elements supplied by a cable, such as motors or a robot tool, when an exchange is necessary, e.g. when the robot tool is exchanged. Rather it is completely sufficient to only exchange that portion of the cable between the cable separation location and the tool or the other elements whose operation cables are separated via the cable separation location.
A further improved configuration provides that the circular-shaped cable loop extends through more then 270°. The cable is preferentially guided in a circular fashion through a circumference angle of at least 300°.
An improvement provides that the cables are guided in a protected tube, with the cables being guided in collars at the beginning and at the end of the circular cable guide. The circular-shaped loop is thereby reliably maintained as a reserve length. In order to prevent the cables from drooping in the region between the second forward guiding collar and their supply end, e.g. at the tool, a further preferred embodiment provides that the cables are surrounded, in their circular-shaped loop region, by a helical spring under compression, with the helical spring preferentially abutting on the collar.
The invention facilitates an economical energy supply, in particular to tools, while requiring little space, wherein components subject to wear are separated so that in the event of wear a separate exchange is possible.
Additional advantages and features of the invention can be extracted from the claims and from the subsequent description in which a preferred embodiment of a robot configured in accordance with the invention is described in detail.
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Berninger Alwin
Hartmann Georg
Ip Paul
Kuka Roboter GmbH
Vincent Paul
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