Abstract:
A manipulator robot for industrial production lines including a support structure and two robot arms mounted to the support structure at declining and diverging angles from one another. In one example, each robot arm includes six robot body portions connected in series and rotatable relative to one another. The improved robot design provides significant advantages in the flexibility, movement and modality of the robot for exemplary use in industrial production lines.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to the field of robotic devices. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In industrial manufacturing and assembly, electro-mechanical robots are often used to manipulate and connect individual components and subassemblies to form large, complex devices, for example, motor vehicles. An example of a manipulator robot is described in the international patent application No. WO2007/037130. The robot in this example generally includes 
     A support structure, first and second robot arms each having several arm portions that are connected and are rotatable with respect to one another, the arms connected to the support structure so the arms define a first axis of rotation that extend in respective first and second directions with respect to the support structure. 
     An object of the present invention is to propose an improvement to prior designs by providing a manipulator robot in which the first and second arms are able to cooperate with each other in a more efficient and versatile way. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Disclosed is a manipulator robot for exemplary use in an industrial production line or plant facility. In one example of the invention, the robot includes a support structure having a first arm and a second arm which are connected to the support structure in an orientation in a first direction and a second direction respectively which provides improved flexibility, movement and modality in functional use of the robot. In a preferred example, the first and second directions are inclined toward the support structure, divergent downward away from the support structure and are angularly separated from one another. 
     In one example, each of the first and second robot arms include six body portions each connected in a series with one another and are rotatable about respective axes of rotation with respect to one another. 
     In another example, two of the body portions for each arm are at least 1½ times longer than at least one of the other body portions in the respective arm. 
     In another example, one of the arm portions comprises a first and second portion which are rotatable with respect to one another defining a seventh axis of rotation for the arm. 
     In one example, the support structure includes a first and a second inclined wall for connection of the respective first arm and second arm to the support structure in a cantilever-type orientation. The first and second inclined walls, and connection of the respective arm thereto, defines the respective first direction and the second direction for the arm. 
     In another example, the support structure is connected to an overhead support to suspend the robot from the support. 
     In another example, the overhead support or robot is connected to a vertical pillar or post to support the overhead support that is supporting the robot. 
     In one example, the manipulator robot is in electronic communication with a controller which includes preprogrammed instructions for selected movement of the robot. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described, purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the annexed representations, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of an example of working area equipped with a manipulator robot of the type described herein; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial perspective view of the manipulator robot in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the manipulator robot of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the manipulator robot of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a view from beneath the manipulator robot of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the manipulator robot described herein according to an alternate embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of the manipulator robot of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a top plan view of the manipulator robot of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the manipulator robot of  FIG. 6  in an operative configuration thereof; and 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of the manipulator robot of  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     In the ensuing description illustrated in  FIGS. 1-10 , various specific details are illustrated aimed at an in-depth understanding of the embodiments. The embodiments can be provided without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, or materials, etc. In other cases, known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to prevent the various aspects of the embodiments from being obscured. 
     The references used herein are exemplary and only provided for convenience and hence do not limit the sphere of protection or the scope of the embodiments. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-10 , designated by the reference number  10 , are examples of a manipulator robot designed to operate in the field of industrial production lines, for example, lines for the production of motor vehicles. 
     As best seen in  FIG. 3 , the robot  10  comprises a supporting structure  20  and a first arm  30  and a second arm  40 , mounted on said structure. As may be seen in said figures, in the manipulator robot described herein the supporting structure is such as to keep the arms suspended over the working area in which the manipulator robot is designed to operate. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the specific example illustrated, the supporting structure  20  is fixed to an overhead portion S of a column P set in a position corresponding to the working area. Said supporting structure can alternatively be fixed to an overhead structure S, which extends above the working area. 
     The two robot arms  30 , 40  mounted on the supporting structure are pre-arranged for co-operating with one another in the execution of one or more given operations on one or more components being processed (not shown). Control means (not shown) are operatively connected to the manipulator robot for controlling, according to pre-set instructions that are associated to each operation, the two arms, as well as possible further operating units of the robot  10 . For example, said control means can be set within the aforesaid column P. 
     Each arm  30 , 40  comprises a plurality of bodies set in series and rotatable with respect to one another and with respect to the supporting structure about respective axes of rotation. Each arm further respectively comprises a base portion  30 ′,  40 ′ designed to be fixed to the supporting structure  20  and designed to carry the series of rotatable bodies of its respective arm. 
     The structure of the arms will be described in detail hereinafter. It should in any case at once be noted that the type of the arms that come to make up the manipulator robot  10  are exemplary and take other structures, forms and orientations known by those skilled in the art. 
     The manipulator robot described herein envisages purposely provided means for mounting the two arms  30 , 40  on the supporting structure  20  according to a specific orientation in space. 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , said means are designed to orient the rotatable body of the first arm  30  that is closest to the supporting structure (designated by the reference number  31  in the example of the figures) in such a way that its respective axis of rotation is set in a first direction A 1 , and, likewise, to orient the rotatable body of the second arm  40  that is closest to the supporting structure (designated by the reference number  41  in the example of the figures) in such a way that its respective axis of rotation is set in a second direction A 2  different from the aforesaid first direction A 1 . The aforesaid means are such that the first A 1  and second A 2  directions are inclined and divergent downwards. 
     According to preferred embodiments, the first A 1  and second A 2  directions are both inclined with respect to a horizontal plane by an angle of between 0° and 90°, extremes excluded. Moreover, according to preferred embodiments, the first and second directions define between them an angle comprised between 90° and 180°, extremes excluded. Preferably, the first A 1  and second A 2  directions are symmetrical to one another with respect to an intermediate vertical geometrical plane. 
     The orientation of the two arms  30 , 40 , described above, represents an innovative configuration as compared to those proposed by the known art. In fact, it is to be noted that from the inclination of the first rotatable body of the arms there depends the configuration that these assume for reaching the various operative positions in space and, in this connection, the present applicant has found that the specific orientation described herein allows the arms  30 , 40  greater possibilities and modalities of coordinated intervention given the same amount of free space for movement thereof. As will be seen in what follows, the above and further advantages are even more evident in applications where the arms  30 , 40  each comprise at least six rotatable bodies, two of which are preferably elongated bodies. 
     The means for mounting the two arms  30 , 40  according to the orientation indicated above can be of any configuration suited for the purpose as known by those skilled in the art. Said means comprise purposely provided portions, which thanks to their specific configuration determine said orientation and which can be provided on the supporting structure, or alternatively, on the respective base portion  30 ′, 40 ′ of the arms  30 , 40  themselves. 
     A particularly advantageous embodiment of the supporting structure  20  and of the aforesaid means for mounting the arms on said structure will be illustrated hereinafter. 
     In various embodiments, as in the one illustrated, the supporting structure comprises a platform  21  mounted on which are the two arms  30 ,  40 . 
     In various embodiments, as in the one illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5 , the platform  21  is mounted so that it can turn, about a vertical axis V, on a fixed part of the supporting structure. In preferred embodiments, as in the one illustrated, said platform has a plate  22 , which is mounted so that it can turn about the aforesaid vertical axis V in a position corresponding to a connection portion thereof, and extends from said connection portion with a projecting part  23  on which the two arms of the manipulator robot are mounted in respective positions in cantilever fashion with respect to the aforesaid vertical axis. 
     In various embodiments, as in the one illustrated, the supporting structure further comprises a flange  29  for fixing said structure to an overhead wall or portion S, for example, as mentioned previously, or to an overhead structure set in a position corresponding to the working area. In addition, said same structure  20  carries the actuator or motor M designed to drive the platform  21  in rotation. 
     In various embodiments, as in the one illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5 , the platform  21  has a first plane and inclined wall  24  fixed on which is the base portion  30 ′ of the first arm and a second plane and inclined wall  25  fixed on which is the base portion  40 ′ of the second arm. Said walls are inclined in such a way that respective geometrical axes orthogonal thereto identify the aforesaid first A 1  and second A 2  directions. It is evident that in this case it is the specific configuration of the structure on which the arms are fixed that determines the specific orientation of the latter, and, consequently, the base portion or portion of attachment of the arms themselves can be of any type conventionally used in said field. For example, said portion can be provided with a flange suited for being fixed to said walls via bolts or equivalent fixing means. 
     In various embodiments, such as in the one illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5 , the first and second walls are defined by two opposite oblique sides of a half-shell structure  26  anchored to the bottom of the platform  21 . Said half-shell structure  26  moreover has a front side  27  substantially shaped like a triangle or trapezium set upside down, and a base side  28 , which is also shaped like a triangle or trapezium, substantially parallel to said plate and orthogonal to the front side, which bears upon the front side so as to turn its vertex or distal minor base (i.e., the one furthest from the vertical axis of rotation of the platform) towards the bottom vertex or minor base of the front side. Said sides connect the aforesaid opposite oblique sides together. It should be noted how, thanks to the specific configuration described above, the desired inclinations of the first  24  and second  25  walls can be obtained in a precise way simply via an appropriate construction of the aforesaid triangular (or trapezial) sides. 
     As a whole, the configuration described above enables a platform structure where the robot arms are to be anchored to be obtained that is resistant and at the same time far from cumbersome and is hence particularly suited for the applications where it is envisaged that said platform will turn about the vertical axis V. In addition, thanks to the fact that the platform structure itself determines, via the inclined walls  24 , 25 , the desired orientation of the arms  30 , 40 , it enables also use of conventional robot arms, for example of a type suitable also for being mounted in a condition turned upside down with respect to the one illustrated (like the arms of the example illustrated), with their base that rests in a horizontal plane. Consequently, the advantages that said structure affords in terms of line flexibility and of management of the magazine are evident. 
     As has been already emphasized, and may moreover be inferred from the foregoing, the specific type of robot arms may vary as compared to the main characteristics of the exemplary manipulator robot  10  described herein, which, it is recalled, regard the specific orientation of said arms in space. However, as has already been mentioned previously, the present applicant has found that the use, in the framework of such a solution, of robot arms  30 , 40  each provided with a series of at least six bodies rotatable with respect to one another, two of which are preferably elongated and set at a distance from each other by at least one of the other bodies of the series, enables a particularly versatile manipulator robot to be obtained, which is able to operate according to a wide range of modalities. In various embodiments, as in the one illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5 , the elongated bodies referred to above have a length that is at least one and a half times the length of each of the remaining bodies of the series. 
     There now follows a description, in the general terms that may be of interest herein, of a particularly preferred type of robot arm, which, in  FIGS. 2 to 5 , is illustrated in its first specific embodiment, whereas illustrated in the embodiments of  FIGS. 6 to 10  is an alternate second specific embodiment thereof. For convenience of treatment, specific reference will be made to the first arm  30 , taking into account the fact that in the embodiment illustrated in the figures the first  30  and second  40  arms are identical to one another. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 2 to 5 , starting from the base portion  30 ′ anchored to the supporting structure  20 , the robot arm  30  comprises a first rotatable body  31 , which is carried by said base  30 ′ and the axis of rotation of which (representing the first axis of rotation of the robot arm) is, for what has been said previously, set in the first direction A 1 . Preferably, mounted on said first body  31  are both the motor that is designed to drive it in rotation and the motor that is designed to drive in rotation a second body  32  of the robot arm  30 . Alternatively, the motor designed to drive the first body  31  can be carried by the base portion  30 ′. The second body  32  is mounted on the first body so that it can turn about a second axis II substantially orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the first body  31  (and hence also to the aforesaid first direction). Said second body  32  has an elongated shape and is rotatably connected to the first body  31  at one end thereof, whereas mounted on its opposite end is a third body  33 , in such a way that it can turn about a third axis of rotation III substantially parallel to the second axis II. Mounted in turn on the third body is a fourth body  34 , in such a way that it can turn about a fourth axis of rotation IV substantially orthogonal to the third axis III. Preferably, mounted on the third body  33  is the motor designed to drive the fourth body in rotation. It should be noted that said fourth body has an elongated shape and is connected to the third body  33  at one end thereof, whereas on its opposite end a fifth body  35  is mounted in such a way that it can turn about a fifth axis V substantially orthogonal to the fourth axis IV. Finally, on the fifth body  35  the sixth body  36  is mounted in such a way that it can turn about a sixth axis VI substantially orthogonal to the fifth axis V. Preferably, moreover mounted on said fourth body  34  are the motors designed to drive the fifth  35  and sixth  36  bodies in rotation. As may be seen in the figures, the second and the fourth bodies  32 ,  34  preferably have a length at least one and a half times the length of the other rotatable bodies of the series. 
     It should be noted that in the present description the condition of orthogonality between two axes or straight lines can refer both to straight lines or axes incident and perpendicular to one another and to straight lines or axes not incident with respect to one another but the projections of which in one and the same plane parallel thereto form an angle of approximately 90° with respect to one another. 
     An alternate example of manipulator robot  10  is shown in  FIGS. 6-10 , in the specific embodiment of  FIGS. 6 to 10 , the second body  32  of the arms illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 5  is replaced with two portions  32 ′ and  32 ″ that are able to turn with respect to one another about an axis of rotation II′, substantially orthogonal to both of the axes II and III. In the example, the portion  32 ′ is rotatably mounted on the first body  30 , about the axis II, and moreover carries the motor designed to drive in rotation the portion  32 ″, whereas the latter is preferably elongated, and mounted thereon so that it can turn about the axis of rotation III is the third body  33 . Thanks to the configuration described above, the robot arms  30  and  40  illustrated in  FIGS. 6 to 10  are, to all effects, provided with a seventh axis of rotation, which bestows thereon greater dexterity and a greater operating capacity. In this connection,  FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate a configuration of the arms  30  and  40  obtained starting from the configuration illustrated in  FIGS. 5 to 7 , as a result of rotation of their respective portions  32 ″ about the axes II′. 
     With specific reference to the two embodiments of robot arm discussed above, it should moreover be noted that their respective fourth, fifth, and sixth bodies  34 ,  35 ,  36  form together a robot wrist that is characterized in that it provides a passage for the cables and/or pipes C for supply and control of the tool (not shown) that is associated to the sixth body  36  of the robot arm, which is, at one end, substantially aligned to the fourth axis of rotation, and, at the opposite end, substantially aligned to the sixth axis of rotation. In this way, said cables and/or pipes are contained within the overall dimensions defined by the structure of the respective robot wrist, consequently preventing the risk of one of the two arms getting entangled in the cables carried by the other arm. It may once again be noted that the fourth body  34  comprises a substantially elbow portion  34 ′, which has, at its base, a first opening (not visible) that faces the fifth body  35  and the sixth body  36 . Said first opening is substantially aligned to the fourth axis IV. Moreover, the elbow portion  34 ′ carries a non-aligned portion  34 ″, which is substantially set alongside and at a distance from the axis of the aforesaid opening and rotatably mounted on which about the fifth axis V is the fifth body  35 . The fifth body  35  has, instead, a cantilever portion  35 ′, which has a second opening (not visible) substantially aligned with the sixth axis VI. In the condition where the robot is installed and equipped the first and second openings are both traversed by the aforesaid cables and/or pipes C. The non-aligned portion  34 ″ of the fourth body  34  has, on its end opposite to the elbow portion  34 ′, a fork portion  34 ′″. Said fork portion  34 ′″ is set alongside and at a distance from the axis of the aforesaid opening of the elbow portion and mounted thereon so that it can turn about the second axis V is the fifth body  35 . 
     The specific type of robot arm illustrated above is particularly advantageous in view of its compact structure, which enables the arms themselves of the manipulator robot to operate also in mutual positions where they are set close to one another. 
     Finally, it should be noted that, even though in the present description reference has always been made to a manipulator robot comprising two arms of one and the same type, it is also possible to envisage, in the cases and in the terms where this may be advantageous, arms of different types. 
     Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary, even significantly, with respect to what is illustrated herein purely by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the annexed claims.