Industrial robot

• US 4,187,454 A
• Filed: 05/01/1978
• Issued: 02/05/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tokico Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Tokico Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Junichi, Ito, Yoshimasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Dobeck, B.
• Application Number:
  US05/901,841
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 318/568, 364/107, 219/80
• US Class Current: 318/568.14
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/122 responsive to presence or shape of target B05B12/124 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0093 co-operating with conveyor means
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4182 manipulators and conveyor only
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/425 Teaching successive positions by numerical control, i.e. commands being entered to control the positioning servo of the tool head or end effector
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36512 Select by a selector, dip switch
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/42186 Master slave, motion proportional to axis
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45013 Spraying, coating, painting
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An industrial robot comprises a robot structure having a movable part, driving means for driving said movable part, detection means for detecting substantially a displacement of said movable part and for generating a position detection signal, memory means for memorizing the signal from said detection means and reading out the signal thus memorized, control means for controlling a memorizing operation and reading out operation of said memory means and for controlling said driving means responsive to the signal read out from the memory means, workpiece conveying means for conveying a workpiece through a space in which said movable part of said robot structure moves, allowing working to said workpiece at a predetermined working place, and workpiece detection means disposed near entrance to the working place in a conveying path of said conveying means, and adapted to detect the workpiece conveyed to the working place and thereby to send out a detection signal to said control means, said control means undergoing operation in response to the work detection signal supplied thereto.

Claims

1. An industrial robot comprising:

a robot structure having a movable part;

driving means for driving said movable part;

detection means for detecting a substantial displacement of said movable part and for generating a position detection signal;

memory means for memorizing the signal from said detection means and reading out the signal thus memorized, said memory means being capable of a plurality of operation programs corresponding to kinds of workpieces;

control means adapted to control a memorizing operation and read out operation of said memory means and control of said driving means responsive to the signal read out from the memory means;

program number selection means for selecting a pre-determined program connected to the control means, whereby a program corresponding to the program number thus selected by said program number selection means is read out from said memory means;

workpiece conveying means for conveying a workpiece through a space in which said movable part of said robot structure moves, allowing working to said workpiece at a predetermined working place; and

workpiece detection means disposed near entrance to the working place in a conveying path of said conveying means, for detecting the workpiece conveyed to the working place and to thereby send out a detection signal to said control means, said control means undergoing operation in response to the work detection signal supplied thereto.

2. An industrial robot as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

teaching mode operation means, said operation means is manipulated to assume a teaching operation mode and applies a teaching mode signal to said control means;

said control means, responsive to said teaching mode signal, produces a signal to cause said memory means to memorize and signal for controlling said driving means to be no-load with respect to said movable part;

playback mode manipulation means, said manipulation means is manipulated so as to assume a playback operation mode and applies a playback mode signal to said control means;

said control means responsive to said playback signal, produces a signal to cause said memory means to perform a read out operation and a signal for causing said driving means to become operational, and said control means includes a coincidence circuit for making coincidence between the workpiece detection signal from the workpiece detection means and the teaching mode signal from said teaching mode operation means or the playback mode signal from said playback mode operation means;

said control means being adapted to control said memory means in the teaching mode, to initiate the memorizing operation, whereupon the teaching mode signal coincides with the workpiece detection signal, and, in the playback mode initiates a read out operation whereupon the playback mode signal coincides with the workpiece detection signal.

3. An industrial robot as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises:

conveying speed detection means comprising a disc having slits provided in a mechanism for driving said conveying means, and a photo-coupler for generating digital signals in response to rotations of said disc, said digital signals being used as clock signals for both writing in and reading out for said memory means.

4. An industrial robot as claimed in claim 1, in which said program selection means is provided remote from said control means as a separate means, and includes transfer means for transferring the program number selected to said control means.