Human-Robot Collaboration Workstation With A Mounting Device

Abstract

A human-robot collaboration (HRC) workstation includes a robot having a robot controller and a robot arm comprising a plurality of joints and links connecting the joints. The joints are automatically adjusted by the controller to move or hold in space a tool or workpiece held by the robot arm by adjusting the joints. The (HRC) workstation further comprises a mounting device having a stationary base frame and a fixing device configured to hold in place a workpiece or a tool such that the workpiece and/or tool held on the mounting device may be assembled and/or machined in interaction with the robot arm. The mounting device includes a mechanical adjusting device and a triggering device controlled by the robot controller and the adjusting device is configured to automatically adjust the fixing device relative to the base frame from an operating position to a safety position when the triggering device is activated.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A human-robot collaboration (HRC) workstation, comprising: a robot comprising a robot controller and a robot arm including a plurality of joints and links connecting the joints, the joints of which can be automatically adjusted by the robot controller to hold and/or move a tool or workpiece held by the robot arm in a space by adjusting the joints of the robot arm; and a clamping device with a stationary base frame and a fixing device configured to hold in place the workpiece or the tool, such that at least one of the workpiece or tool being held at the clamping device can be at least one of assembled or machined in interaction with the robot arm; the clamping device comprising: a mechanical adjusting device, and a triggering device that is controllable by the robot controller, wherein the mechanical adjusting device is configured to automatically move the fixing device relative to the base frame from an operating position into a safe position when the triggering device is activated.

12. The HRC workstation of claim 11, wherein: the robot further comprises a collision detection device; and the robot controller activates the triggering device in response to the detection of a collision of the robot arm with an obstacle.

13. The HRC workstation of claim 11, wherein: the robot further comprises a collision detection device configured to detect the trapping of an obstacle between one of the workpiece or tool being held by the clamping device, and the other of the tool or workpiece being held or moved by the robot arm, or the trapping of an obstacle between a link of the robot arm and a workpiece or tool being held by the clamping device; and the robot controller activates the triggering device in response to the detection of the trapping of an obstacle.

14. The HRC workstation of claim 13, wherein the collision detection device is configured to detect the trapping of a person or a human body part.

15. The HRC workstation of claim 11, wherein the mechanical adjusting device is configured to move the fixing device in a vertical direction relative to the base frame in the direction of gravity.

16. The HRC workstation of claim 15, wherein the mechanical adjusting device is configured to move the fixing device in the vertical direction from the operating position into the safe position.

17. The HRC workstation of claim 11, wherein the mechanical adjusting device is configured to move the fixing device in a horizontal direction relative to the base frame.

18. The HRC workstation of claim 11, wherein the mechanical adjusting device is mounted on the base frame by a bearing in such a way that the fixing device moves automatically into the safe position by gravity when the triggering device is activated.

19. The HRC workstation of claim 18, wherein the mechanical adjusting device is mounted on the base frame by a linear guide.

20. The HRC workstation of claim 11, wherein the mechanical adjusting device is mounted on the base frame by a spring-biased bearing in such a way that the fixing device moves automatically into the safe position by a bias force when the triggering device is activated.

21. The HRC workstation of claim 20, wherein spring-biased bearing is a spring-biased linear guide.

22. The HRC workstation of claim 11, wherein the triggering device comprises at least one of a mechanical holding device, a pneumatic holding device, or an electromagnetic holding device; wherein the holding device is configured, in a non-activated state of the triggering device, to keep the fixing device in the operating position.

23. The HRC workstation of claim 22, wherein the holding device is an actuatable latch.

24. The HRC work station of claim 22, wherein the holding device is configured, in an activated state of the triggering device, to release the fixing device so that the fixing device can automatically move from the operating position to the safe position.

25. The HRC workstation of claim 22, wherein the holding device is an electromagnetic holding device and comprises at least one electromagnet attached to the base frame and configured, in a non-activated state of the triggering device, to hold an anchor plate connected to the fixing device in the operating position of the fixing device by means of magnetic force.

26. The HRC workstation of claim 25, wherein the electromagnetic holding device comprises four electromagnets.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] One specific design example of the invention is explained in more detail in the following description with reference to the accompanying figures. Specific features of this design example can represent universal features of the invention independently of the actual context in which they are mentioned, and, as the case may be, can be considered individually or in combination.

[0031] The figures show:

[0032] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary HRC workstation with a robot guiding a tool, a workpiece stationarily disposed on an inventive mounting device and a worker guiding an additional manual tool,

[0033] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the inventive mounting device according to FIG. 1 standing alone in its operating position,

[0034] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the inventive mounting device according to FIG. 1 standing alone in its lowered safe position after the triggering device has been activated, and

[0035] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the inventive mounting device according to FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] FIG. 1 schematically shows an HRC work station with a robot 1 in an exemplary design as a so-called lightweight robot. The robot 1 comprises a robot arm 2 and a robot controller 3. The robot arm 2 comprises a plurality, in the case of the present design example eight, links 5 to 12, which are arranged one after another and rotatably connected by means of seven joints 4.

[0037] The robot controller 3 of the robot 1 is configured or equipped to execute a robot program, via which the joints 4 of the robot arm 2 can be adjusted or rotated in an automated manner in accordance with the robot program or automatically in a manual operation. For this purpose, the robot controller 3 is connected with actuatable electric drives, which are configured to adjust the joints 4 of the robot 1.

[0038] An end link 12 of the robot arm 2, which is also referred to as the robot flange, carries a tool 14a. In the case of the present design example, the tool 14a is configured for the automatic machining of a workpiece 14b.

[0039] At the exemplary HRC workstation, a worker 13 collaborates with the robot 1. For this purpose the worker 13 operates a manual tool 14c, which he holds in his hand 15 and can move with his arm 16.

[0040] The HRC workstation of the present design example further includes a clamping device 17. The clamping device 17 comprises a stationary base frame 19 and a fixing device 18. In the case of the present design example, the fixing device 18 is configured to hold the workpiece 14b in such a way that the workpiece 14b, which is being held on the mounting device 17 and is shown in FIG. 1 with dashed lines, can be mounted and/or machined in an interaction of the robot arm 2 and the worker 13. The base frame 19 is fixedly installed. The base frame 19 can be mounted on the floor of a workshop, for example, or on a gantry connected to the floor of the workshop. To be able to temporarily attach a wide variety of workpieces 14b to the fixing device 18, for example by means of clamping claws, the fixing device 18 can, for example, exhibit bores, grooves and/or dovetail guides. The fixing device 18 can thus generally be configured like a machine table.

[0041] As shown standing alone in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the clamping device 17 includes a mechanical adjusting device 20 and a triggering device 21 that can be actuated by the robot controller 3.

[0042] The adjusting device 20 is configured to automatically move the fixing device 18 in relation to the base frame 19, as illustrated by the arrow P, from an operating position, as shown in FIG. 2, to a safe position, as shown in FIG. 3, when the triggering device 21 is activated.

[0043] The fixing device 18 exhibits a base plate 22. The base plate 22 can cover a cavity 23 of the base frame 19. The base plate 22 can exhibit a skirt-like downturned edge section 22.1, by means of which engagement into the cavity 23 is prevented when the fixing device 18 is in the operating position shown in FIG. 2. In the safe position according to FIG. 3, the cavity 23 is configured to accommodate the fixing device 18 in its lowered position.

[0044] To be able to move the fixing device 18 from the operating position to the lowered safe position, the fixing device 18 is mounted on the base frame 19 by means of a bracket 24, in particular a linear track 24a, in a linearly adjustable manner. By means of the bracket 24, in particular the linear track 24a, the mechanical adjusting device 20 in the case of the present design example is configured to move the fixing device 18 in a vertical direction (arrow P) relative to the base frame 19, i.e. in the direction of gravity, from the operating position into the safe position.

[0045] If, by means of its collision detection device, which can be integrated at least partially or completely into the robot controller 3 (FIG. 1), the robot 1 detects a collision—for example, as schematically illustrated in FIG. 2, the robot arm 2 traps the hand 15 or arm 16 of the worker 13 between the robot arm 2 and the workpiece 14b—the triggering device 21 is activated by the robot controller 3.

[0046] Due to the mechanical and automatic adjusting device 20 or by means of the bracket 24, in particular the linear track 24a, the fixing device 18 is automatically moved into the safe position, as shown in FIG. 3, by means of gravity when the robot controller 3 activates the triggering device 21.

[0047] The fixing device 18 therefore falls downward into the safe position as a result of gravity. To prevent the fixing device 18 from striking the base frame 19 hard, an elastic buffer 30 can be provided to cushion the fixing device 18 that is falling into the safe position.

[0048] In the safe position then, as shown schematically in FIG. 3, the clamping effect has been removed, i.e. in the case of the illustrated example, the hand 15 or the arm 16 of the worker 13 is no longer trapped between the robot arm 2 and the workpiece 14b, but has instead been released.

[0049] At least one position transducer 25, in particular two in this respect redundantly configured position transducers 25, can include a Hall sensor, for example, and, on a crosspiece 26 that is connected to the lowerable fixing device 18 and which can be a metal strip, detect whether the fixing device 18 is in the safe position, as shown in FIG. 3, or in the operating position, as shown in FIG. 2. The position transducer 25 can be electrically connected to the robot controller 3 and integrated into the control system in such a way that automatic actuation of the robot arm 2 is only possible, if it has been determined automatically via the position transducer 25 that the fixing device 18 is in the operating position.

[0050] In the case of the present design example, the triggering device 21 includes an electromagnetic holding device 27. The electromagnetic holding device 27 is configured, in a non-activated state of the triggering device 21, to keep the fixing device 18 in the operating position.

[0051] The electromagnetic holding device 27 is configured, in an activated state of the triggering device 21, to release the fixing device 18, so that the fixing device 18 can automatically move from the operating position according to FIG. 2 into the safe position according to FIG. 3.

[0052] FIG. 4 shows clearly that, in the case of the present design example, the electromagnetic holding device 27 exhibits four electromagnets 28.1, 28.2, 28.3, 28.4, which are attached to the base frame 19 and configured, in a non-activated state of the triggering device 21, to hold an anchor plate 29 connected to the fixing device 18 in the operating position according to FIG. 2. of the fixing device by means of magnetic force.

[0053] While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of various embodiments, and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. The various features shown and described herein may be used alone or in any combination. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative example shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit and scope of the general inventive concept.