JP2006318698A - Flexible cable and industrial robot system - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible cable that can be applied to a cable for a high-power circuit such as a power line or a motor power line, and a flexible cable that is installed in a robot machine. An industrial robot system for predicting disconnection of a cable conductor is provided.
A bend-resistant cable is provided with two disconnection prediction detection conductors (6, 7), which are inferior in bending resistance to conductors (2, 3, 4, 5), in parallel with the conductors. Further, the industrial robot system 13 has two disconnection prediction detection conductors 6 and 7 in parallel with the conductors 2, 3, 4, 5, which are inferior in bending resistance to the conductors 2, 3, 4, 5, and Control including a bending resistant cable 1 installed in the robot 16 and a disconnection prediction means 14 for predicting disconnection of the conductors 2, 3, 4, 5 by detecting disconnection of the disconnection prediction detection conductors 6, 7. The apparatus 15 was provided.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a bend-resistant cable having a wire for predicting breakage, and an industrial robot system for predicting breakage of the wire of a bend-resistant cable installed in a robot machine.

  The disconnection prediction cable of the prior art includes one conductor for predicting disconnection, and the cable replacement timing detection system predicts disconnection of other conductors by detecting disconnection of the conductor for predicting disconnection (for example, patents). Reference 1).

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a disconnection prediction cable showing the prior art.
In FIG. 3, 31 is a disconnection prediction cable, 32 is a shield, 33a, 33b, 33c. Reference numerals 33d, 33e, 33f, and 33g denote conducting wires, and 34 denotes a disconnection predicting conducting wire.
As shown in FIG. 3, the disconnection prediction cable 31 of the prior art includes conductive wires 33 a, 33 b, 33 c. In addition to 33d, 33e, 33f, and 33g, one wire 34 for predicting disconnection is provided and covered with a shield 32.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the conventional disconnection prediction cable 31 is used in a control device.
In FIG. 4, reference numeral 35 denotes a disconnection detection circuit. In FIG. 4, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 3 denote the same components as those in FIG. 3, and the description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 4, since the disconnection prediction cable 31 has one disconnection prediction lead 34, the current that flows from the disconnection detection circuit 35 on the control device side to the controlled device side through the disconnection prediction lead 34 However, the ground, that is, the shield 32 is used as a return line for flowing back from the controlled device side to the control device side. Therefore, the ground (0 V) of the disconnection detection circuit 35 of the disconnection detection cable 31 is shared with the ground of the original target circuit of the disconnection prediction cable 31, that is, the shield 32.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of another use state in which the disconnection prediction cable 31 of the prior art is used in the control device.
In FIG. 5, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 4 indicate the same components as those in FIG.
Hereinafter, another use state of the conventional disconnection prediction cable 31, that is, a connection method when the ground is not used as the return line will be described with reference to FIG. 5.
When the ground is not used as the return line, as shown in FIG. 5, one of the conductors (33g in FIG. 5) and the disconnection prediction lead 34 are connected on the controlled device side, and this conductor 33g is used as the return line. May be used. If the disconnection detection circuit 35 is insulated from the original target circuit, the return line of the disconnection detection signal can be separated from the original target circuit.
JP 2002-56726 A (FIG. 1)

  However, since the disconnection prediction cable of the prior art has one conductor for predicting disconnection, the ground (0 V) of the circuit for detecting disconnection of the disconnection detection cable is the same as the ground of the original target circuit of this cable. If the ground is not used as the return line, the cable conductor must be applied to the cable. Especially, if the conductor is thick, it is difficult to connect with the conductor for predicting disconnection. It has been uneconomical to use a conductor as a return line for a conductor for predicting disconnection, and there has been a problem that the use is limited to a cable for a weak electric circuit.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and the return line of the disconnection detection signal can be separated from the original intended circuit, and the cable for high-power circuits such as the power line and the motor power line, the cable for large current It is another object of the present invention to provide a bend-resistant cable that can be applied to an industrial robot system, and an industrial robot system that predicts the breakage of a lead wire of a bend-resistant cable installed in a robot machine.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 has at least one conducting wire, and in a bending resistant cable used for wiring of a movable part, two disconnections having inferior bending resistance performance than the conducting wire. A predictive detection conductor is provided in parallel with the conductor.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the bend-resistant cable according to the first aspect, reinforced insulation or double insulation is provided between the conductor and the two disconnection prediction detection conductors. It is characterized by.

  The invention described in claim 3 is characterized by comprising a robot in which the bending-resistant cable according to claim 1 or 2 is installed in a machine, and a control device for controlling the robot.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the industrial robot system according to the third aspect, the control device is configured to disconnect the conductor based on a disconnection of a disconnection prediction detection conductor provided in the bending-resistant cable. It is characterized by having a disconnection prediction means for predicting.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the return of the disconnection detection signal can be separated from the original intended circuit, and disconnection of cables for all uses, such as cables for high power circuits such as power lines and motor power lines, cables for large currents, etc. Can be predicted in advance.

  In addition, according to the invention described in claim 2, it is possible to predict in advance a disconnection of a high voltage cable, such as a cable for a high power circuit such as a power line or a motor power line, or a cable for a large current.

  Further, according to the inventions of claims 3 and 4, the disconnection of the in-machine cable of the industrial robot can be predicted in advance, and by replacing the in-machine cable when the factory is closed until the disconnection is predicted. The industrial robot can be prevented from being stopped due to an in-machine cable disconnection.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a flex-resistant cable showing the present invention. In addition, although FIG. 1 is an example in case of four conducting wires, there is no restriction on the number as long as the number of conducting wires is one or more.
In FIG. 1, 1 is a flex-resistant cable, for example, an in-machine cable of a robot, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are conductors of the flex-resistant cable, for example, a motor power conductor, and 6 and 7 are conductors for detecting disconnection prediction. The bending resistance is lowered so that the conductors 2, 3, 4, 5 are disconnected before use.
Moreover, FIG. 2 is explanatory drawing which shows the state which used the bending resistant cable of this invention for the industrial robot system.
In FIG. 2, 8 is a motor, 9 is a conductor machine side connection part for disconnection prediction detection, 10 is a servo driver for driving a motor, 11 is a relay for detecting a disconnection prediction detection signal, 12 is a DC power supply for a disconnection prediction detection circuit, and 13 is An industrial robot system, 14 is a disconnection prediction means, 15 is a control device, and 16 is a robot. In FIG. 2, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 denote the same components as those in FIG.
The present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is different from the prior art in Patent Document 1 in that the bending resistant cable 1 of the present invention is provided with two conductors for detecting disconnection prediction, and the industrial robot system of the present invention has two. This is a point in which disconnection is detected by using the lead wire 6 and 7 for detecting disconnection prediction.

The configuration and operation of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
The bending resistant cable 1 includes two disconnection prediction detection conductors 6 and 7 in parallel with the conductors 2, 3, 4, and 5. Reinforced insulation or double insulation is applied between the conductors 2, 3, 4, 5 and the disconnection prediction detection conductors 6, 7. When the bending resistant cable 1 is used, the end of the two disconnection prediction detecting conductors 6 and 7 of the bending resistant cable 1 is connected and controlled at the machine-side connecting portion 9 for detecting the disconnection prediction in the robot 16. On the device 15 side, a disconnection prediction means 14 for detecting disconnection of the disconnection prediction detection conductors 6 and 7 such as a PLC and a relay is provided. The disconnection prediction detection conductors 6 and 7 have low bending resistance so that they are disconnected prior to the conductors 2, 3, 4, and 5 at the time of use. When either 6 or 7 is disconnected, the current does not flow through the winding of the relay 11 in the control device 15, so the cable normal signal is turned off, and a disconnection prediction detection state is entered. Thus, the disconnection of the conducting wires 2, 3, 4, and 5 can be predicted based on the disconnection of the conducting wires 6 and 7 for detecting the disconnection prediction.

  As described above, the bending-resistant cable 1 of the present invention includes the disconnection prediction detection conductors 6 and 7 in parallel with the conductors 2, 3, 4, and 5, and the industrial robot system uses the disconnection prediction detection conductor. Since the disconnection predicting means 14 detects the disconnection 6 and 7, the return of the disconnection detection signal can be separated from the ground and the original target circuit, and a cable for a heavy electric circuit such as a power line or a motor power line, It is possible to predict in advance the disconnection of cables for all applications, such as current cables.

  Because it is possible to predict cable breakage in advance, if a breakage prediction is detected, maintenance such as cable replacement can be performed when the machine is stopped on a factory holiday, etc., and machine stoppage due to sudden cable breakage should be avoided. Can do. Further, it is possible to allow only a direct current to flow through the cable disconnection prediction detection conductors 6 and 7, and problems such as crosstalk do not occur even when applied to an analog signal cable.

  The present invention is applicable not only to an in-machine cable of an industrial robot but also to a cable used for all movable parts.

Configuration diagram of flexible cable showing the present invention Explanatory drawing which shows the state which used the bending-resistant cable of this invention for the industrial robot system Sectional view of a disconnection prediction cable showing the prior art Explanatory drawing of a state where the disconnection prediction cable 31 of the prior art is used for a control device Explanatory drawing of another use condition which used the disconnection prediction cable 31 of a prior art for a control apparatus

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flex-resistant cable 2, 3, 4, 5, 33a, 33b, 33c, 33d, 33e, 33f, 33g Conductor 6, 7 Conductor for wire breakage prediction detection 8 Motor 9 Conductor machine side connection portion for breakage prediction detection 10 Motor Servo driver for drive 11 Relay for disconnection prediction detection signal output 12 DC power supply for disconnection prediction detection circuit 13 Industrial robot system 14 Disconnection prediction means 15 Controller 16 Robot 31 Disconnection prediction cable 32 Shield 34 Disconnection prediction lead 35 Disconnection detection circuit

Claims (4)

In a bending resistant cable that has at least one conducting wire and is used for wiring of a movable part,
A bend-resistant cable comprising two wire breakage detection detecting conductors having inferior bending resistance than the conductor wires in parallel with the conductor wires.   The bend-resistant cable according to claim 1, wherein reinforced insulation or double insulation is provided between the conductor and the two disconnection prediction detection conductors. A robot in which the bending-resistant cable according to claim 1 or 2 is installed in an aircraft;
A control device for controlling the robot;
An industrial robot system characterized by comprising:   4. The industrial robot according to claim 3, wherein the control device includes a disconnection prediction unit that predicts a disconnection of the conductor based on a disconnection of a disconnection prediction detection conductor provided in the flex-resistant cable. 5. system.

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