Robot

{
  "publication_number": "US10654170B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Robot",
  "abstract": "A robot includes a robot arm having a first joint part and a second joint part located closer to a distal end side than the first joint part, an optical fiber the performs optical communications within the first joint part, and a first optical space transmission section that performs optical space transmission within the second joint part. The robot arm has a plurality of joint parts, and the second joint part is the joint part located on the most distal end side of the plurality of joint parts.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A robot comprising: a robot arm having a joint therein, the joint including a first joint part and a second joint part, the second joint part being located closer to a distal end side of the robot arm than the first joint part, and the second joint part being rotatable relative to the first joint part; an optical fiber that performs optical communications within the first joint part; and a first optical space transmission section that performs optical space transmission to the optical fiber within the first joint part, wherein the first optical space transmission section includes a light source disposed within a reflective housing in the second joint part and a light receiver disposed within a reflective housing in the first joint part, the first reflective housing and the second reflective housing defining a light guide path from the light source to the light receiver, and the first optical space transmission section is configured to perform optical space transmission from the light source to the light receiver as the second joint part rotates relative to the first joint part.",
    "2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein a joint part on the most distal end side of the robot arm is the second joint part.",
    "3. The robot according to claim 1, further comprising an end effector connected to a distal end of the robot arm.",
    "4. The robot according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor provided on a side closer to a distal end of the robot arm than the second joint part.",
    "5. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the robot arm has a third joint part located between the first joint part and the second joint part, and a second optical space transmission section that performs optical space transmission within the third joint part is provided.",
    "6. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the robot arm has two arms rotatably provided via the second joint part, the light source is provided on a first arm side of the two arms and outputs light, and the light receiver is provided on a second arm side of the two arms and receives light from the light source.",
    "7. The robot according to claim 6, wherein the first optical space transmission section has: a first lightguide part provided on the first arm side and guiding the light from the light source to the second arm side; and a second lightguide part provided on the second arm side and guiding light from the first lightguide part to the light receiver."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a robot.\n\nRobots including optical fibers provided inside of robot arms having joint parts are known (for example, Patent Document 1 (JP-A-62-199380)).\n\nIn an industrial robot system described in Patent Document 1, an optical cable for control signal provided from a robot main body over a robot arm to a hand device is divided in the placement direction and the divided cables are relayed by rotary joints. Here, the rotary joints are provided on respective drivers (joint parts) of the robot arm.\n\nHowever, in the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, the rotary joints are provided on all of the joint parts of the robot arm, and there is a problem that light loss in the rotary joints is larger and communication performance is lower.\n\nAn advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a robot that may realize better communication performance with a smaller and lighter-weight joint part.\n\nThe invention can be implemented as the following application examples or embodiments.\n\nA robot according to this application example includes a robot arm having a first joint part and a second joint part located closer to a distal end side than the first joint part, an optical fiber that performs optical communications within the first joint part, and a first optical space transmission section that performs optical space transmission within the second joint part.\n\nAccording to the robot, the optical fiber performs optical communications within the first joint part, and thereby, communication characteristics with low loss by the optical fiber may be utilized.",
  "cpc": [
    "B25J 13/00",
    "B25J 13/088",
    "B25J 17/00",
    "B25J 19/025",
    "B25J 9/0009",
    "H04B 10/25",
    "H04B 10/80",
    "Y10S 901/28"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B25J 13/00",
    "B25J 13/08",
    "B25J 19/02",
    "H04B 10/25",
    "H04B 10/80"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Seiko Epson Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Tatsuya Hara"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2018-03-27",
  "publication_date": "2020-05-19",
  "grant_date": "2020-05-19",
  "priority_date": "2017-03-30",
  "application_number": "US-201815936981-A",
  "family_id": "63672043",
  "cited_by_count": 5,
  "citations": [
    "US4818174A",
    "US4816728A",
    "US4808064A",
    "US4767257A",
    "JPS62199380A",
    "FR2664525A1",
    "US5712552A",
    "US20040170363A1",
    "US7687768B2",
    "US20090067074A1",
    "JP2009171536A",
    "US20160091117A1"
  ]
}