Articulated robot

• US 6,279,413 B1
• Filed: 11/04/1999
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Hisashi, Hase, Takahiro, Tamura, Toshinari, Terada, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Herrmann, Allan D.
• Application Number:
  US09/434,160
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 744/900.2, 744/900.3, 744/900.5, 414/917, 414/918, 901/15, 901/28, 901/50
• US Class Current: 74/490.02
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/0029 arranged within the different robot elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/13 Handlers utilizing parallel links
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/131 Transmission-line guide for a shiftable handler
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20311 including power cable or connector
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20317 including electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20329 Joint between elements

Abstract

A first arm (3) of a articulated robot has a double arm structure composed of a first arm piece (3a) and a second arm piece (3b). The first arm piece (3a) transmits a drive force, and a housing (4a) of a second arm (4) is rotatably mounted to the first arm piece (3a) at the end thereof. The second arm piece (3b) houses cables and pipes or the like, and a cover (4b) of the housing (4a) is rotatably mounted to the second arm piece at the end thereof. The cover (4b) is fixed to the housing (4a) through a fixing tool (6). The housing (4a) is permitted to be opened by separating the housing (4a) and the cover (4b) from each other by causing the second arm piece (3b) to rotate relatively to the first arm piece (3a) after the removal of the fixing tool (6).

Claims

1. A articulated robot, comprising:

a first robot arm of double arm structure in which a first arm piece formed as an endoskeletal arm to transmit a drive force is installed parallel to a second arm piece to house cables and/or pipes; and

a second robot arm which is rotatably supported, at its one end, by said first robot arm at the end thereof;

wherein a housing of said second robot arm is rotatably supported by said first arm piece at the end thereof, a cover of the housing of said second robot arm is rotatably supported by said second arm piece at the end thereof, said cover is fixed to the housing through a fixing tool, and said housing is permitted to be opened by separating said housing and said cover from each other in the manner of causing said second arm piece to rotate relatively to said first arm piece after the removal of said fixing tool.

2. A articulated robot according to claim 1, wherein each of said housing and said cover is composed of upper and lower right-angled triangular plates, and two rectangular side plates each having one side equal to one of sides making a right angle of each right-angled triangular plate, and said housing and said cover take the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole when said housing is covered with said cover.