JP2009023030A - Linear moving device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively prevent interference between electric wiring and/or air piping from a base to a movable body, and the movable body or the like, and also to provide a configuration for that at a low cost. <P>SOLUTION: A Y-axis moving unit 12 freely moves the movable body along the base 15 extending in a Y-axis direction. The electric wiring and air piping for supplying electric power and air from the base 15 side to the movable body side are constituted as a flexible flat cable 21. The flat cable 21 extends on the upper face part of the base 15 along the moving direction of the movable body and is connected to the movable body side after the intermediate part is folded upward to make a U-turn. The upper face part of the base 15 is provided with a fixed guide 24 of recessed groove shape that holds the flat cable 21. The movable body is provided with a pair of movable guide members 25 for pushing (dropping) a shifted part into the fixed guide 24 with the movement of the movable body when the flat cable 21 shifts in a lateral direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a linear moving device that freely moves a moving body along a base.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a linear moving device, for example, there is a rectangular coordinate robot 1 having a configuration as shown in FIG. This rectangular coordinate robot 1 includes a base 2 extending in the Y-axis direction (left-right direction in the figure), a Y-axis moving body 3 moved along the base 2, and an X-axis direction (front-rear direction) attached to the moving body 3 A traverse 4 extending in the direction of the X axis, an X axis moving body (not shown) moved in the X axis direction along the traverse 4, and moving up and down (Z axis direction) relative to the X axis moving body and around the Z axis (T axis) ) And a wrist portion (not shown) that is rotated. A work tool such as a chuck is attached to the wrist so as to be replaceable.

  The base 2 has a rectangular box shape that is long in the Y-axis direction, and linear guides 5 that extend in the Y-axis direction are provided on both left and right wall surfaces. On the other hand, the Y-axis moving body 3 has a U-shape that is downward when viewed from the front, and is supported by the linear guide 5 so as to be slidable. Although not shown, the Y-axis moving body 3 is freely moved in the Y-axis direction by a Y-axis moving motor and a ball screw mechanism provided in the base 2 portion.

  Further, devices provided on the Y-axis moving body 3 (traverse 4) side from the base 2 side (for example, an X-axis moving motor, a Z-axis moving motor, a T-axis moving motor, an air cylinder for driving a chuck, etc.) Electrical wiring and air piping for supplying electricity (signal communication) and supplying compressed air are provided.

  At this time, when the moving stroke of the Y-axis moving body 3 is relatively large (for example, about 1 m or more), generally, the wiring and the air piping are for protection called a cable bear (registered trademark) 6 or the like. This member is provided so as to be bendable. This cable bearer 6 is constructed such that a large number of unit protective tubes are connected in order and can be bent freely at any position. In this case, one end side is fixed to the base 2 side, and the other end side is the traverse 4 side. In a state of being connected to the base 2, the base 2 is disposed so as to be folded back along the upper surface of the base 2.

Alternatively, when the moving stroke of the Y-axis moving body 3 is relatively small, a flexible flat in which a plurality of electric wirings are arranged in parallel and integrated by welding or bonding without using such a protective member. The cable is also arranged as it is (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-7-96489

  However, the conventional configuration in which the cable bear 6 is provided for protecting the wiring from the base 2 side to the Y-axis moving body 3 side has a drawback that it is quite expensive. Along with this, there is a problem that a relatively large space including the movable part of the cable bear 6 is required, and further, noise during operation is increased.

  On the other hand, in the flexible flat cable as described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is difficult to avoid some meandering in the flat cable due to the accuracy problem in the manufacturing stage. Therefore, when the flat cable is used as it is without using a protective member, the flat cable is displaced laterally with the movement of the Y-axis moving body 3 and interferes with the Y-axis moving body 3 to There is a risk that the movement may be hindered or the flat cable itself may be damaged.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to effectively prevent interference between the electric wiring and / or air piping from the base to the moving body and the moving body, It is an object of the present invention to provide a linear moving device that can be inexpensively configured.

  In order to achieve the above object, a linear moving device of the present invention is configured to move a moving body in a linear direction along a base, and a plurality of electric wires and / or air pipes are arranged in parallel. The base end portion is fixed to the base side, the base end side extends along the moving direction of the movable body, and the intermediate portion is folded upward so that the intermediate portion is U-turned. A flexible flat cable to be connected; a fixed guide that is provided in the base so as to extend along the moving direction, has a rising wall on both sides, and accommodates a portion of the flat cable up to its return; Provided in the movable body, and with the movement of the movable body, the portion until the flat cable is folded is pushed into the fixed guide by contacting the side portion of the flat cable. Characterized in place comprises a movable guide member that guides the writing (the invention of claim 1).

  According to the present invention, the flexible flat cable for performing energization (signal communication) and air supply from the base side to the moving body side is connected so that the intermediate portion is folded between the base side and the moving body side, The front end side is displaced while changing the folding position as the moving body moves. At this time, the portion of the flat cable up to the proximal end side is folded into the fixed guide, whereby interference between the flat cable and the moving body can be prevented. In addition, even if the flat cable is meandering and is displaced laterally from the fixed guide (it does not enter the fixed guide well), the movable guide member fixes the flat cable as the moving body moves. It is pushed into the guide.

  In this case, since the part of the flat cable up to the proximal end side can be always accommodated in the fixed guide, it is possible to prevent problems caused by the interference of the part with a moving body or the like. Therefore, an expensive protective member such as a cable bear can be dispensed with, and a relatively simple configuration in which only a groove-shaped fixed guide and a movable guide member are provided. As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively prevent the interference between the electric wiring and / or the air piping from the base to the moving body and the moving body, but the configuration for that can be made inexpensive. There is an excellent effect of being able to.

  In the present invention, a pair of the movable guide members are provided at the upper portions of the rising walls on both side portions of the fixed guide, and the distal end sides of the movable guide members can be configured to have a C-shaped open shape. (Invention of Claim 2). As a result, the flat cable is smoothly guided by the distal end portion of the movable guide member and is pushed into the fixed guide, which is more effective. The structure is not particularly complicated.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a rectangular coordinate robot will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 show the overall configuration of the main body 11 of the rectangular coordinate robot. This rectangular coordinate robot main body 11 includes a Y-axis movement unit 12, an X-axis movement unit 13, and a Z-axis unit (working head) 14 as linear movement devices according to this embodiment. Here, in the drawing, the left-right direction is the Y-axis direction, and the front-rear direction is the X-axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the Y-axis moving unit 12 is freely moved in a linear direction (Y-axis direction) along the base 15 extending in the Y-axis direction (left-right direction in the drawing). The moving body 16 is provided. The base 15 has a rectangular box shape (frame shape) that is long in the Y-axis direction, and linear guides 17 (shown only in FIG. 2) that extend in the Y-axis direction are provided at the upper side portions of the left and right side wall portions. It has been.

  The movable body 16 has a downward U-shape integrally having a rectangular plate-shaped main portion and wall portions that fall downward from both side portions of the main portion, and the left and right wall portions thereof are The linear guide 17 of the base 15 is slidably engaged and supported. At this time, a predetermined gap (a gap through which a flat cable described later can pass) is formed between the lower surface of the main portion of the moving body 16 and the upper surface of the base 15.

  Although not shown in detail, a ball screw shaft extending in the Y-axis direction is provided in the base 15 and is rotationally driven by a Y-axis drive motor 18 attached to the outer surface side of the base 15. ing. A ball screw nut is screwed onto the ball screw shaft, and the moving body 16 is connected to the ball screw nut. Thus, the movable body 16 is freely moved in the Y-axis direction by driving the Y-axis drive motor 18.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, one end of the X-axis moving unit 13 is attached to the upper surface of the moving body 16 so as to be orthogonal to the Y-axis moving unit 12 (extend in the X-axis direction). It has been. The X-axis moving unit 13 includes a traverse (base) 19 that extends in the X-axis direction and supports the Z-axis unit (moving body) 14 so as to be slidable in the X-axis direction, and the Z-axis unit (moving body) 14. An X-axis drive motor for moving in the X-axis direction and a ball screw mechanism (both not shown) are included. Incidentally, the moving stroke of the moving body 16 in the Y-axis moving unit 12 is about 900 mm, for example, and the moving stroke of the moving body (Z-axis unit 14) in the X-axis moving unit 13 is about 550 mm, for example. .

  The Z-axis unit 14 is configured to have a wrist portion 20 that is movable in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) and is rotatable about a vertical axis (T-axis). In addition, although not shown, a Z-axis driving motor for freely moving the wrist portion 20 in the Z-axis direction, a T-axis driving motor for freely rotating the wrist portion 20 and the like are incorporated. Further, although not shown in the figure, a work tool such as an air-driven chuck is replaceably attached to the wrist 20.

  Although not shown, the main body 11 (base 15) is provided with a connector to which a control device (controller) including a microcomputer or the like is connected. By this control device, a plurality of motors including the Y-axis driving motor 18 and an electromagnetic valve for driving the chuck are energized and controlled. Although not shown, an air tube from a compressed air supply source is connected to an air connector of the main body 11 (base 15) so that compressed air is supplied.

  In the main body 11 of this rectangular coordinate robot, power is supplied (and signal communication) from the base 15 side of the Y-axis movement unit 12 to the moving body 16 side (equipment provided on the X-axis movement unit 13 and the Z-axis unit 14). ) And supply of compressed air (connection with the connector and air connector described above) are provided with electrical wiring and air piping. In this embodiment, the electric wiring and the air piping are configured as a flexible flat cable 21 and are arranged as follows.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the flat cable 21 includes, for example, four cabtyre cables 22 as electrical wiring and one air tube 23 as air piping arranged in parallel. And integrated. Each of the cabtyre cables 22 is a multi-core type in which a plurality of (for example, 10) insulated wires are covered with a round sheath made of PVC, for example. Further, the outer periphery of the air tube 23 is covered with a circular sheath made of PVC having the same outer diameter. The flat cable 21 is configured by welding (or bonding) the adjacent sheaths of the cabtire cable 22 and the air tube 23 to each other.

  2, the base end portion of the flat cable 21 is fixed to the right end side in the drawing of the base 15, and then the upper surface portion of the base 15 is moved to the left (in the moving direction of the movable body 16). And the upper end is folded back so that the intermediate portion is U-turned, and the tip is connected to the moving body 16 side (X-axis moving unit 13). At this time, the base end side portion of the flat cable 21 is configured to pass through a gap between the lower surface of the main part of the moving body 16 and the upper surface of the base 15.

  Thus, as the moving body 16 (X-axis moving unit 13) is moved in the Y-axis direction, the flat cable 21 moves to the moving body 16 while sequentially changing the folding position by its flexibility. Follow. In this case, the flat cable 21 is provided with a sufficient length and, of course, does not hinder the movement of the moving body 16. Further, the flat cable 21 is arranged as it is without using a protective member such as a cable bear.

  At this time, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the portion of the upper surface of the base 15 where the flat cable 21 is disposed is connected to the folded portion on the base end side of the flat cable 21. A fixed guide 24 in which the part is accommodated is provided. In this case, the fixed guide 24 has a width and height (depth) that the flat cable 21 can accommodate by providing a pair of rising walls 24 a extending in the Y-axis direction on both sides of the upper surface of the base 15. It is configured in a concave groove shape.

  When the flat cable 21 is displaced laterally so as to protrude from the fixed guide 24, the movable body 16 comes into contact with the side portion of the flat cable 21 at the displaced portion as the movable body 16 moves. A movable guide member 25 that can be pushed (dropped) into the fixed guide 24 is provided. The movable guide member 25 has a vertical plate shape, and is positioned immediately above each rising wall 24a of the fixed guide 24 from the left and right portions of the distal end portion (left side in the drawing) of the movable body 16 and the other side (see FIG. A pair is provided so as to extend to the left). Further, in the present embodiment, the distal end sides of both the movable guide members 25 are configured to have a shape opened in a C shape when viewed from above.

  Note that, as shown in FIG. 2, a flexible flat cable 26 arranged so that a midway portion is also folded between the X-axis moving unit 13 and the Z-axis unit 14 that is moved in the X-axis direction. Is connected by. Although not shown, a fixed guide that performs the same function as the fixed guide 24 described above is also provided in the portion where the flat cable 26 is disposed on the X-axis moving unit 13 (traverse 19).

  Next, the operation and effect of the above configuration will be described. In the Y-axis moving unit 12 of the rectangular coordinate robot main body 11 described above, the flexible flat cable 21 for energizing (signal communication) and supplying air from the base 15 side to the moving body 16 side moves from the base 15 side. The intermediate portion is connected to the body 16 side so as to be folded back, and the distal end side thereof is displaced while changing the folding position as the movable body 16 moves in the Y-axis direction.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the portion of the flat cable 21 up to the turn-up side is in a recessed groove-shaped fixed guide 24 provided on the upper surface of the base 15 (between the rising walls 24a, 24a on both sides). ), It is possible to prevent interference between the flat cable 21 and the moving body 16 or the like. In this case, it is not necessary to use a cable protection member such as the cable bear 6 described in the conventional example.

  Here, in the flat cable 21 as described above, there is a situation in which it is difficult to avoid some meandering in the flat cable 21 due to a problem in accuracy at the manufacturing stage. For this reason, when the flat cable 21 is used as it is without using a protective member, the flat cable 21 is displaced laterally as the moving body 16 moves (it does not enter the fixed guide 24 well), There is a risk of protruding from the fixed guide 24 in the lateral direction (on the rising wall 24a).

  However, in the present embodiment, since the movable body 16 is provided with the movable guide member 25, the movable guide member 25 is connected to the flat cable 21 as the movable body 16 moves from right to left in the drawing. The flat cable 21 is pushed (dropped) into the fixed guide 24 by coming into contact with the side and guiding inward, that is, in a direction entering the fixed guide 24. At this time, since the distal end side of the movable guide member 25 is configured to have a C-shaped open shape, the portion protruding to the side of the flat cable 21 is smoothly guided and returned into the fixed guide 24. Become.

  As a result, the portion of the flat cable 21 up to the turn-up on the proximal end side can always be accommodated in the fixed guide 24, so that the movement of the movable body 16 caused by the interference with the movable body 16 or the like can be prevented. It is possible to prevent problems that hinder or damage the flat cable 21 itself.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to dispense with the use of an expensive protective member such as the cable bear 6, and only the concave groove-shaped fixed guide 24 and the movable guide member 25 are provided. A relatively simple configuration is sufficient. As a result, while it is possible to effectively prevent interference between the flat cable 21 constituting the electric wiring and air piping from the base 15 to the moving body 16 and the moving body 16 and the like, the configuration for that can be made inexpensive. It is possible to obtain an excellent effect of being able to.

  In the above embodiment, the fixed guide is provided on the upper surface of the base 15. However, when a flat cable is disposed on the side of the base, for example, an upward U-shaped (channel shape) fixed guide is provided. The movable guide member may be provided along the side portion of the base and provided on the side portion of the movable body. It is also possible to provide movable guide members on both sides of the moving body in the moving direction. Although not specifically described in the above embodiment, the flexible flat cable 26 connecting the X-axis moving unit 13 and the Z-axis unit 14 is also similar to the Z-axis unit 14 (moving body) side. A movable guide member may be provided.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the flat cable 21 was comprised by arrange | positioning the four cabtire cables 22 and the one air tube 23 in parallel, the total number of the cables which comprise a flat cable, Of course, the number of each of the electrical wiring and the air piping can be changed as necessary. Alternatively, a flat cable may be configured only from a plurality of electrical wires, or a flat cable may be configured only from a plurality of air pipes. A flat cable can be configured by arranging a plurality of single-core electric wires. The material of the sheath of each cable is not limited to PVC, and rubber or other insulating materials (resin materials) can also be employed.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the present invention is applied to a rectangular coordinate robot, but it can be applied to all linear movement apparatuses in which a moving body is linearly moved along a base, such as a single-axis robot. . In addition, the drive mechanism for moving the moving body linearly is not limited to the ball screw mechanism, and various modifications such as a rack / pinion mechanism, a belt / pulley mechanism, a linear motor, etc. can be adopted. The present invention can be implemented with appropriate modifications within a range that does not depart from the gist.

The perspective view which shows one Example of this invention and shows the principal part structure of a Y-axis movement unit The perspective view which shows roughly the whole structure of a rectangular coordinate robot A plan view schematically showing the overall configuration of a Cartesian coordinate robot Vertical section showing the configuration of the flat cable FIG. 2 equivalent diagram showing a conventional example

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawing, 11 is a rectangular coordinate robot body, 12 is an X-axis movement unit (linear movement device), 13 is a Y-axis movement unit, 14 is a Z-axis movement unit, 15 is a base, 16 is a moving body, 17 is a linear guide, 21 is a flat cable, 22 is a cabtyre cable (electrical wiring), 23 is an air tube (air piping), 24 is a fixed guide, 24a is a rising wall, and 25 is a movable guide member.

Claims (2)

In the linear moving device that moves the moving body in the linear direction along the base,
A plurality of electric wires and / or air pipes are arranged in parallel and integrated, the base end is fixed to the base side, the base end side extends along the moving direction of the moving body, and the intermediate part is U-turned. A flexible flat cable that is folded upward so that the tip is connected to the movable body side,
A fixed guide that is provided in the base so as to extend along the moving direction, has a rising wall on both sides, and that accommodates a portion of the flat cable up to the return;
A movable guide member provided on the movable body and guiding the portion until the flat cable is turned back into the fixed guide by contacting a side portion of the flat cable as the movable body moves. A linear movement device comprising:   The movable guide member is provided with a pair positioned at the upper part of the rising wall on both sides of the fixed guide, and the distal end side of the movable guide member is formed in a C-shape. The linear movement apparatus according to 1.

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