Method of producing an industrial robot arm

• US 4,529,460 A
• Filed: 03/30/1983
• Issued: 07/16/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Hiroshi, Hasegawa, Junzo, Ando, Michinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Spar, Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Underwood, Donald W.
• Application Number:
  US06/480,352
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 901/27, 901/28, 901/29, 901/50, 901/14-18, 414/722, 414/786, 414/729, 414/735, 403/266, 403/267, 403/265, 29/526 R, 29/460, 156/92, 384/441, 384/439
• US Class Current: 156/92
• CPC Class Codes: B21J 13/10 Manipulators in general B25J
• CPC Class Codes: B21J 15/02 Riveting procedures
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 18/00 Arms
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/007 Means or methods for designing or fabricating manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0012 making use of synthetic construction materials, e.g. plastics, composites
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 11/006 by gluing gluing of plastics material B29C65/48
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/04 by means of riveting rivets F16B19/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1057 Subsequent to assembly of laminae
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49888 Subsequently coating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/471 And independent connection

Abstract

To mount rotatably supporting members such as a rotary shaft to an arm body of an industrial robot arm, the former and the latter are solidly secured to each other by fastening members such as rivets after a bonding agent is applied to spaces formed between the arm body and the rotatably supporting members, whereby necessity for the stage of assembling work by the welding is eliminated, shearing forces are supported by the bonding agent and tensile forces are supported by the fastening members, so that the robot arm being high in precision and mechanical strength can be obtained.

Claims

1. A method of producing an industrial robot arm, comprising the steps of:

producing an arm body and rotatably supporting members such as a rotary shaft and a bearing separately of each other;

mounting the arm body and rotatably supporting members on an assembling jig in a predetermined positional arrangement;

filling a bonding agent into spaces formed between said arm body and said rotatably supporting members;

forming through-holes in said arm body and said rotatably supporting members in a state of being secured to said assembling jig, after the solidification of said bonding agent; and

solidly securing said arm body to said rotatably supporting members through said through-holes by means of fastening means.

2. A method of producing an industrial robot arm as set forth in claim 1, wherein spaces of small values may be provided between said arm body and said rotatably supporting members in a state of being secured to said assembling jig, and a bonding agent is filled into said spaces.

3. A method of producing an industrial robot arm as set forth in claim 2, wherein clay is secured to said arm body in opposed relationship to portions to which said bonding agent is applied so as to prevent said bonding agent from flowing away.

4. A method of producing an industrial robot arm as set forth in claim 1, wherein said rotatably supporting members include a rotary shaft to be inserted into a hole formed in said arm body and a bonding agent and fastening means are applied to a space formed between a collar portion of said rotary shaft and said arm body.

5. A method of producing an industrial robot arm as set forth in claim 4, wherein clay blocks are secured to said arm body in opposed relationship to the outer periphery of the collar portion of said rotary shaft so as to prevent the bonding agent from flowing away before the solidification.

6. A method of producing an industrial robot arm as set forth in claim 4, wherein the rotary shaft projecting from said arm body is inserted into a positioning hole formed in said assembling jig.

7. A method of producing an industrial robot arm as set forth in claim 1, wherein said rotatably supporting members include a reinforcing frame formed therein with a hole for receiving a wrist of a mechanical hand.

8. A method of producing an industrial robot arm as set forth in claim 7, wherein a rod projecting from said jig is inserted into said hole for receiving the wrist, formed in said reinforcing frame, for positioning.

9. A method of producing an industrial robot arm as set forth in claim 8, wherein leg plates projecting from opposite sides of said reinforcing frame are opposed to opposite side portions of said arm body and a bonding agent and fastening means are applied to portions thus opposed to each other.

10. A method of producing an industrial robot arm as set forth in claim 9, wherein clay blocks are mounted to spaces formed between the end portion of the reinforcing frame and the leg plates of said arm body so as to prevent the bonding agent from flowing away before the solidification.