APPARATUS FOR MONITORING JOINTS OF ARTICULATED ROBOT

• US 20090179766A1
• Filed: 06/22/2006
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kashio, Eiji, Sugita, Yoshinobu
• Granted Patent: US 7,602,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/686.100
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 17/00 Joints
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/06 Safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1674 characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic

Abstract

An apparatus for monitoring the operation of a robot joint in which a second member (43) is displaceably mounted on a first member (41). The distance to a measurement plate provided to the second member (43) is measured by a range finder (42) provided to the first member (41). A monitoring unit (71) compares the distance data measured by the range finder with a reference distance stored in advance, and generates an abnormality signal when the difference between the distance data and the reference distance exceeds an allowable value.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring joints of an articulated robot in which a second member is displaceably mounted on a first member, and the joints are monitored for normal or abnormal operation, said apparatus comprising:

a range finder provided on the first member;

a measurement plate provided on the second member, the distance between the range finder and the measurement plate measured by the range finder; and

a monitoring unit for comparing the measured distance between the range finder and the measurement plate with a reference distance stored in advance, and for producing an abnormality signal when the difference between the measured distance and the reference distance exceeds an allowable value.

2. The monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the range finder comprises an eddy-current range finder.

3. The monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit comprises an observation monitor for displaying warning information when the abnormality signal is produced.

4. The monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit comprises a warning light that lights up when the abnormality signal is produced.