ROBOT WITH MULTIPLE COUPLING TRANSMISSION UNITS WITH A LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN

Abstract

The invention relates to a robot with a base (3), a pivoting arm (4) which is articulated to the base (3) and which is pivotable about a rotational axis (13), wherein at the free end of the pivot arm (4) a pivotable mounting for a possible support arm (5) may be provided, and at least one drive unit (6, 7) for driving the pivot arm (4) and the possible support arm (5). According to the invention, a first drive unit (6) is coupled to a first four-bar linkage (8), a second four-bar linkage (9) is coupled to the first four-bar linkage (8) in such a way that the pivot arm (4) can be pivoted by the first drive unit (6).

Claims

1. A robot, comprising: a base; a pivot arm, which is articulated on the base and is pivotable about a rotational axis, wherein a mount is provided at a free end of the pivot arm; at least one drive unit for driving the pivot arm, and a plurality of link elements for transmitting the movement of the at least one drive unit to the pivot arm; wherein a first drive unit is coupled to a first four-bar linkage, wherein a first link element in the form of a crank is coupled in a rotationally fixed manner to a first drive shaft which is mounted in the base and connected to the drive unit such that this first link element can be set into a rotational movement, in such a way, in that the pivot arm can be pivoted about the rotational axis, since a further free end of the first link element is coupled to a second link element as a coupling and its free end is coupled to a third link element as a swing arm, the free end of which in turn is arranged in a fixed position relative to the base or on the base and, thus, forms link elements of the first four-bar linkage, and wherein a second four-bar linkage is coupled to the first four-bar linkage such that the second four-bar linkage comprises a link element corresponding to the third link element of the first four-bar linkage, one free end of which is coupled relatively stationary to the base or mounted on the base, and its other end being coupled to a further link element, serving as a coupling, having an end opposite the first four-bar linkage coupled to a free end of the pivot arm; wherein the pivot arm is designed as a rocker, wherein at least the free end of a first section at a first side of the rocker, the further link element of the second four-bar linkage is arranged, and at a free end of a second section on a second side of the rocker, the mount is arranged.

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the link elements comprise rod-shaped and/or plate-shaped elements, each having a joint or a receptacle for a joint at their free ends.

3. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the base and/or the pivot arm and/or the support arm and/or one or more of the link elements are of plate-shaped and/or rod-shaped construction and are connected to one another via plate-shaped and/or rod-shaped connecting elements.

4. The robot according to claim 9, wherein one or more of the following elements consists of a lightweight construction material: the support arm, the pivot arm, the base, and the link elements.

5. The robot according to claim 9, wherein a four-bar linkage is provided for the kinematic movement of the support arm, which has a first link element coupled in a rotationally fixed manner to a drive shaft of a drive unit, wherein to the first link element, serving as a crank, a further link element is connected as a coupling at an end opposite to the drive shaft, and this further link element in turn is pivotally connected to the support arm, which represents the third link element in the form of a rocker arm.

6. The robot according to claim 9, wherein two four-bar linkages are provided for the kinematic movement of the support arm, and are constructed in such a way that two link elements are coupled to the drive shaft and form couplings of a first four-bar linkage and a second four-bar linkage, wherein a further pivotally connected link element extends from a pivotally articulated connection of these two link elements, which at the free end is pivotally coupled to the pivot arm and forms a rocker arm of the first four-bar linkage and a crank of the second four-bar linkage.

7. The robot according to claim 9, wherein three further four-bar linkages are provided for the kinematic movement of the support arm, wherein: a third four-bar linkage has a first link element that is coupled in a rotationally fixed manner to a drive shaft of a second drive unit, a further link element is connected as a coupling to the first link element, serving as a crank, at the end opposite the drive shaft and a third link element is connected to this further link element as a rocker arm, the free end of this third link element of the third four-bar linkage in turn being pivotably coupled to the pivot arm by its one end, the third link element of the third four-bar linkage is the first link element of a fourth four-bar linkage serving as a crank, coupled to an end of a second link element of the fourth four-bar linkage, and the second link element is in turn pivotally coupled to a third link element, the free end of which is in turn pivotally connected to the pivot arm, this third link element of the fourth four-bar linkage being the first link element of a fifth four-bar linkage, which serves as a crank, coupled to the end of a second link element of the fifth four-bar linkage, and this second link element in turn is pivotally coupled to a support arm, forming a third link in the form of a rocker arm.

8. The robot according to claim 7, wherein the second link element of the fifth four-bar linkage is spaced from the linkage of the pivot arm to the support arm.

9. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the mount is a pivotably articulated mount for a support arm, wherein a drive unit is provided for driving the support arm, and a plurality of link elements are provided for transmitting the movement of the drive unit to the support arm.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0044] Shown are:

[0045] FIG. 1 a schematic side view of the robot;

[0046] FIG. 2 a rear view of the robot according to FIG. 1, in arrow direction II, without the representation of a drive unit;

[0047] FIG. 3 a schematic representation of the first and second multi-link chain on the robot according to FIG. 1;

[0048] FIG. 4 a schematic representation of the third multi-link chain on the robot according to FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of the robot 1 according to the invention. This robot 1 consists of a base unit 2, which comprises a base 3, a pivot arm 4 and a support arm 5 articulated to this pivot arm 4, a handling unit H is provided at the free end of the support arm 5, for example, a gripper arm.

[0050] The robot shown here has six degrees of freedom. A first degree of freedom is represented by the rotation of the base 3 around a first rotational axis 3. The other degrees of freedom are achieved by pivoting the movements of the pivot arm 4 and the support arm 5, whereby the pivoting movement of the pivot arm 4 is achieved by the first drive unit 6 in conjunction with a first four-bar linkage and a second four-bar linkage 8, 9. The pivot movement of the support arm 5 is achieved by the second drive unit 7 in conjunction with the third four-bar linkage 10, the fourth four-bar linkage 15 and the fifth four-bar linkage 16. The pivot arm 4 pivots around a first pivot axis 13, and the support arm 5 around a second pivot axis 14, while the other degrees of freedom are achieved by the handling unit H.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 2, base unit 2 and thus the base 3 as well as the pivot arm 4 and the support arm 5 consist of plate-like elements. The plate-like elements are arranged at a distance from each other and connected to each other by one or more connecting elements 1. This results in a very light but very rigid construction. This symmetrical design means that there are hardly any bending and torsional loads in the support structure itself, as the structure supports each other.

[0052] The first four-bar linkage 8 starts from drive unit 6. This drive unit 6 is arranged at the base 3 and has a transmission or equivalent transmission on a drive shaft 6a mounted in the base 3. A first link 8a is provided as a crank that is torque-proof connected to this drive shaft 6a. A second link 8b is pivotally connected to this link 8a as a coupling, a third link 8c is pivotally connected with its first end at its free end as a pivot arm, whose free end in turn is fixedly yet pivotally coupled via a pivot joint 12, wherein the pivot joint 12 is arranged at the base 3. The third link can either be mounted directly at the base 3 or relatively fixed to the base 3, such that it can be rotated. This means that it is not necessary to place this link 8c directly at the base.

[0053] This link 8c also assumes the role of at least partially absorbing the forces transmitted by the pivot arm 4 via the second four-bar linkage 9, so that the first drive unit 6 is relieved.

[0054] The second four-bar linkage 9 is set in motion by the first four-bar linkage 8, and is therefore coupled to it.

[0055] The second four-bar linkage 9 consists of a further link 9a as a crank, one free end of which is connected to the base 3 (via the pivot joint 12) in a rotary manner and corresponds in itself to the rocker (marked with link 8c) of the first four-bar linkage 8. The other end is rotationally coupled to another link 9b (coupling), whereby the end opposite to the first four-bar linkage 8 is rotationally coupled to the free end 9c of the pivot arm 4. This part of the pivot arm 4 corresponds to the rocker of the second four-bar linkage 9, since the pivot arm 4 is coupled to a pivot joint axis 13 at the base 3 via a pivot joint. The pivot joint axis 13 corresponds to the axis of the drive shaft 7a of the second drive unit 7. Alternatively, the pivot joint axis 13 and the axis of the drive shaft 7a can be provided, such that they are spaced apart. The pivot arm 4 is designed as a rocker and has two sections, namely a first section at the free end of which the further link 9b of the second four-bar linkage 9 is arranged, and a second section at the free end of which the support arm 5 is hinged.

[0056] The second drive unit 7 has a drive shaft 7a, which is coupled to a first link 10a of the third four-bar linkage 10. This allows the support arm 5 in conjunction with the fourth four-bar linkage 5 and the fifth four-bar linkage 6 to be moved accordingly.

[0057] The first link (crank) is followed at the end opposite the drive shaft 7a by another link 10b as a coupling and a third link 10c as a rocker, the free end of this third link 10c of the third four-bar linkage 10 in turn being coupled to the pivot arm 4 by its one end.

[0058] This third link 10c of the third four-bar linkage 10 is the first link 15a of the fourth four-bar linkage 15, which serves as a crank. It is coupled to the end of a second link 15b of the fourth four-bar linkage 15, which in turn is coupled to a third link 15c, the free end of which in turn is pivotally connected to the pivot arm 4.

[0059] This third link 15c of the fourth four-bar linkage 15 is the first link 16a of the fifth four-bar linkage 6, which serves as a crank. It is coupled to the end of a second link 16b of the fifth four-bar linkage 16, which in turn is coupled in a rotating manner to support arm 5 and forms the third link element 6c in the form of a rocker arm. This link 16c can therefore correspond to the design of support arm 5.

[0060] This link of the second link 6b of the fifth four-bar linkage 6 is spaced from the link of the pivot arm 4 to the support arm 5.

[0061] Due to the design of the second drive unit, the design of the four-bar linkages 10, 15, 16 and the links 10c and 15c of the third and fourth four-bar linkage 10, 15, the loads arising from the load capacity are evenly distributed on the pivot arm 4, which in turn means that a lower drive power is required to pivot the pivot arm 4 and the support arm 5. The lightweight design of a pivot arm 4 and a possible support arm 5, and at least the use of a first four-bar linkage and second four-bar linkage 8, 9 for kinematic movement and the arrangement of drive units 6, 7 in the area of the base 3 have created a multi-axis robot in the form of an articulated robot that is very light, able to perform very fast movements with high rigidity, covers a large working area and can also be produced cost-effectively due to its design.

REFERENCE NUMBER LIST

[0062] Robot with multiple coupling transmission units with a lightweight design [0063] 1 Robot [0064] 2 Base unit [0065] 3 Base [0066] 3 First rotational axis [0067] 4 Pivot arm [0068] 5 Support arm [0069] 6 Drive unit [0070] 6a Drive shaft [0071] 7 Drive unit [0072] 7a Drive shaft [0073] 8 Four-bar linkage [0074] 8a Link [0075] 8b Link [0076] 8c Link [0077] 9 Four-bar linkage [0078] 9a Link [0079] 9b Link [0080] 9c Free end [0081] 10 Four-bar linkage [0082] 10a Link [0083] 10b Link [0084] 10c Link [0085] 11 Connecting element [0086] 12 Pivot [0087] 13 Pivot axis [0088] 14 Pivot axis [0089] 15 Four-bar linkage [0090] 15a Link [0091] 15b Link [0092] 15c Link [0093] 16 Four-bar linkage [0094] 16a Link [0095] 16b Link [0096] 16c Link [0097] H Handling unit