ROBOT ASSEMBLY AND CORRESPONDING ASSEMBLY METHOD

Abstract

A robot assembly having an exchangeable application device is provided. The application device is connected and exchangeable via an intermediate flange, with the respective construction lengths of the application device and the intermediate flange being matched to each other as a pair such that an exchange of the application device together with the associated and individually matched intermediate flange maintains the tool center point.

Claims

1.-14. (canceled)

15. A robot assembly comprising: an application robot with a robot flange, the robot flange having a robot connection configuration, the application robot defining a tool center point, the application robot having a robot length from the robot flange to the tool center point; a robot controller operably coupled to the application robot, the robot controller storing the robot length; a first application device including a first applicator flange with a first applicator connection configuration, the application device having a first applicator length; and a first intermediate flange with a first intermediate length, the first intermediate flange configured to couple the robot flange and the first applicator flange, the first intermediate flange configured to couple corresponding portions of the first applicator connection configuration and the robot connection configuration, respectively, wherein a sum of the first intermediate length and the first applicator length is substantially equal to the robot length.

16. The robot assembly according to claim 15, wherein the first intermediate flange is configured to couple the first application device to the robot flange with a first lateral offset to laterally align the first application device with the tool center point.

17. The robot assembly according to claim 15, wherein the first intermediate flange is tubeless.

18. The robot assembly according to claim 15, wherein the first intermediate flange has at least an end-to-end light guide channel configured to receive a light guide fed therethrough.

19. The robot assembly according to claim 18, wherein the first intermediate flange has a base body and the light guide channel has a cladding, the cladding of the light guide channel having a different material than the base body.

20. The robot assembly according to claim 18, wherein the light guide is fastened into the first intermediate flange.

21. The robot assembly according to claim 18, wherein the light guide is .

22. The robot assembly according to claim 18, wherein the light guide has an overall light guide length, and the assembly defines an installed light guide distance between a robot-side connection of the light guide and an application device-side connection of the light guide, the light guide length being less than 300% of the installed light guide distance.

23. The robot assembly according to claim 19, wherein at least one of the intermediate flange, the robot flange and the cladding of the light guide channel is at least partially manufactured by a generative manufacturing process.

24. The robot assembly according to claim 15, wherein each of the robot connection configuration and the first applicator connection configuration includes: at least one compressed air connection, at least one coating agent connection for feeding through a coating agent, at least one first flushing agent connection for feeding through a flushing agent to the first application device, at least one second flushing agent connection for withdrawing flushing agent from the first application device, at least one electric connection, and at least one light guide connection to connect a light guide.

25. The robot assembly according to claim 15, wherein the robot connection configuration has more connections than the first applicator connection configuration.

26. The robot assembly according to claim 15, wherein the first intermediate length is less than 24 cm.

27. The robot assembly according to claim 15, further comprising: a second application device including a second applicator flange with a second applicator connection configuration, the second application device having a second applicator length; and a second intermediate flange with a second intermediate length, the second intermediate flange configured to couple the robot flange and the second applicator flange, the second intermediate flange configured to couple corresponding portions of the second applicator connection configuration and the robot connection configuration, respectively, wherein a sum of the second intermediate length and the second applicator length is substantially equal to the robot length, and wherein the first applicator length is different than the second applicator length.

28. The robot assembly according to claim 27, wherein the second applicator connection configuration is different than the first applicator connection configuration.

29. A method for assembling application devices to an application robot comprising: coupling a first intermediate flange to a robot flange of the application robot, the first intermediate flange having a first intermediate length; coupling a first application device to the first intermediate flange, the first application device having a first applicator length defined between a first applicator flange and a tool center point of the application robot; and storing in a robot control a robot length between the robot flange and the tool center point, wherein a sum of the first intermediate length and the first applicator length is equal to the robot length.

30. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first intermediate flange couples the first application device to the robot flange with a first lateral offset to laterally align the first application device with the tool center point

31. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: removing the first application device and the first intermediate flange from the application robot; and coupling a second intermediate flange to the robot flange, the second intermediate flange having a second intermediate length; and coupling a second application device to the second intermediate flange, the second application device having a second applicator length defined between a second applicator flange and the tool center point of the application robot; wherein a sum of the second intermediate length and the second applicator length is equal to the robot length.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0033] Details of this disclosure are illustrated in the following drawings, in which:

[0034] FIG. 1A shows a robot assembly according to the present disclosure with a robot wrist axis, an intermediate flange and a rotary atomizer,

[0035] FIG. 1B shows only the robot wrist axis from FIG. 1A,

[0036] FIG. 1C shows only the rotary atomizer from FIG. 1A,

[0037] FIG. 1D shows only the intermediate flange from FIG. 1A,

[0038] FIG. 2A shows the robot assembly from FIG. 1A with a different intermediate flange and a different atomizer,

[0039] FIG. 2B shows only the robot wrist axis from FIG. 2A,

[0040] FIG. 2C shows only the atomizer from FIG. 2A,

[0041] FIG. 2D shows only the intermediate flange from FIG. 2A,

[0042] FIG. 3A shows the robot assembly from FIG. 1A with a different intermediate flange and a different rotary atomizer,

[0043] FIG. 3B shows only the robot wrist axis from FIG. 3A,

[0044] FIG. 3C shows only the rotary atomizer from FIG. 3A,

[0045] FIG. 3D shows only the intermediate flange from FIG. 3A,

[0046] FIG. 4 shows a light guide which runs through the intermediate flange,

[0047] FIG. 5 shows the light guide from FIG. 4 in a curved state,

[0048] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary intermediate flange with a light guide assembled therein,

[0049] FIG. shows a cross-section view through an intermediate flange according to the present disclosure with a light guide channel and a light guide assembled therein,

[0050] FIGS. 8A-8D show a robot assembly according to the prior art.

DESCRIPTION

[0051] FIGS. 1A-1D, 2A-2D and 3A-3D show a robot wrist axis 5, on which said robot wrist axis 5 various types of application devices are assembled, for each of which an intermediate flange 4 is provided. These robot assemblies partially correspond to the robot assembly already described at the beginning and presented in FIGS. 8A-8D so that, to avoid repetitions, reference is made to the preceding description, with the same reference numbers being used for the corresponding details.

[0052] In the robot assembly according to FIG. 1A, the atomizer 1 is a rotary atomizer without external electrostatic charge. In the robot assembly according to FIG. 2A, the atomizer 1 is an air atomizer. Finally, FIG. 3A shows a robot assembly with a further type of atomizer 1 assembled on the robot wrist axis 5.

[0053] In such arrangements, it is important that the robot flange 7 provides all connections on the robot wrist axis 5, which are necessary for the different types of atomizer 1. As a result, for example, in a connection of the air atomizer according to FIG. 2A, the connections for shaping air remain unused on the robot flange 7 because the shaping air is provided for other types of the atomizer 1. The intermediate flange 4 then selects from the connections provided on the robot side of the robot flange 7 those connections which are necessary for the corresponding type of atomizer 1. These connections are then provided on the atomizer-side flange face 8 of the intermediate flange 4 in that connection configuration which is necessary for the corresponding type of atomizer 1. The intermediate flange 4 thus forms an adapter for matching the connection configuration required on the atomizer side.

[0054] Moreover, the intermediate flange 4 also compensates for the differing construction lengths LZ of the various types of atomizers 1 so that replacing the atomizer 1 with another type of atomizer 1 does not lead to a shift in the actual position of the tool center point TCP. Thus, the construction length LF of the intermediate flange 4 is matched pair-wise each time to the construction length LZ of the atomizer so that the overall construction length LG between the robot flange 7 and the tool center point corresponds to that construction length which is stored in the central robot control. This has the advantage that a changeover of the atomizer 1 does not lead to an offset in the actual position of the tool center point so that the tool center point TCP in operation travels along the track that was programmed in advance.

[0055] FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show a modification of an intermediate flange 4 with a light guide 10, which is partially wrapped around the intermediate flange 4 in a circumferential direction, as is visible in FIG. 6.

[0056] FIG. 7 shows another construction of the intermediate flange 4, which is manufactured here by means of a generative manufacturing process and which has a light guide channel 11 in which the light guide 10 is fed. This permits a substantially shorter light guide length between the light connections 12, as the light guide 10 does not have to be curved in the circumferential direction, as illustrated in FIG. 6.

[0057] The disclosure is not restricted to the implementations described above. Rather, a plurality of alternatives and modifications are possible, which also make use of the inventive concepts and thus fall within the scope.