Patent ID: 8454486

Claim:
A tool-changing system for an industrial robot having a robot arm, comprising: a robot-side coupling device provided on said robot arm; a tool having a tool-side coupling device thereon; a tool storage device having thereon a securing means configured for fixedly holding said tool with said tool-side coupling device thereto; and a feed slide mounted on said tool storage device and said feed slide being configured to support said tool with said tool-side coupling device thereon; said feed slide providing movement of the tool-side coupling device in a coupling direction; said movement being provided such that the tool-side coupling device is moved toward the robot-side coupling device and such that the tool-side coupling device and robot-side coupling device are brought into engagement with each other; said tool-side coupling device and said robot-side coupling device each being configured for coupling together in response to said tool-side coupling device and said robot-side coupling device being brought into engagement with each other; said securing means securely holding said robot-side coupling device stationary as the tool-side coupling device is moved by said feed slide to cause said engagement to occur between said tool-side coupling device and said robot-side coupling device to thereby facilitate coupling together of said robot-side coupling device and said tool-side coupling device; and said securing means comprising a support block and two fixing pins, the two fixing pins extending from a surface of the support block in a perpendicular direction toward the robot-side coupling device when the robot-side coupling device is engaged with the tool-side coupling device fixedly held in the tool storage device, with the perpendicular direction being perpendicular to the coupling direction, thereby preventing a force acting on the robot-side coupling device in response to said engagement by said tool-side coupling device to said robot-side coupling device from being introduced into the robot arm.