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EP-4658456-B1 - GUIDE DEVICE FOR GUIDING AT LEAST ONE LINE WHICH IS LAID IN A PROTECTIVE TUBE, COMPRISING A SENSOR DEVICE WITH AN ULTRASONIC TRANSMITTER, AND RETROFIT SET AND METHOD FOR MONITORING THE MOVEMENT OF SUCH A PROTECTIVE TUBE

EP4658456B1EP 4658456 B1EP4658456 B1EP 4658456B1EP-4658456-B1

Inventors

  • KABIR, Asraful
  • LIN, WEI
  • OEZEL, Fatih

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240227

Claims (15)

  1. Guide apparatus (20) for guiding at least one cable (14), in particular of an articulated-arm robot (2), which is placed in a protective hose (16), having a guide unit (28), wherein the guide unit (28) has a static support (24) and a fastening element (34) for fastening the protective hose (16), wherein the fastening element (34) can travel along the support (24) in a longitudinal direction (L) in order to enable a compensating movement of the protective hose (16) and of the at least one cable (14) placed therein, wherein the guide apparatus (20) has a sensor device (26) for measuring the movement of the fastening element (34) relative to the support (24), characterized in that the sensor device (26) has a transmitter (38A), configured as an ultrasound transmitter, as a first sensor component for delivering a sensor signal (S), as well as a second sensor component (38B) which lies opposite in the longitudinal direction (L), with a signal path (LS) extending in the longitudinal direction between the two sensor components (38A, 38B), wherein a reflector surface (52) for the sensor signal (S) is arranged laterally next to the signal path (LS) so that at least a part of the sensor signal (S) is reflected at the reflector surface (52) on its way from the transmitter (38A) to the second sensor component (38B) during operation.
  2. Guide apparatus (20) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the transmitter (38A) is connected to the static support (24), and the second sensor component is configured as a reflector (38B) for the sensor signal (S) and is connected to the fastening element (34).
  3. Guide apparatus (20) according to either of the preceding claims, characterized in that a non-reflective region is formed opposite the reflector surface (52) in such a way that a part of the sensor signal (S) reflected at the reflector surface (52) is not reflected multiple times.
  4. Guide apparatus (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor device (20) is integrated inside a sensor housing (40), which is arranged next to the support (24) and has an inner side that forms the reflector surface (52).
  5. Guide apparatus (20) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the sensor housing has at least one opening (54), or is completely open, on the opposite side from the reflector surface (52), wherein the opening (54) preferably has an opening width (b1) - of at least 10%, and in particular at least 20%, of a width (b2) of the sensor housing (40), and/or - of at least 15 mm or at least 25 mm.
  6. Guide apparatus (20) according to the preceding claim, wherein the second sensor component (38B) is connected to the fastening element (34) via a connecting element (43) and the connecting element (43) is fed through the opening (54), the opening width (b1) being selected to be greater than a thickness of the connecting element (43), so that a free opening gap (58) is formed between the opening (54) and the connecting element, the opening width (b1) preferentially corresponding to a multiple of the thickness of the connecting element (43) and/or the opening gap (58) preferentially being more than 15 mm.
  7. Guide apparatus (20) according to any one of Claims 4 to 6, wherein a distance (a) of the second sensor component (38B) from the reflector surface (52) is less than 8 mm, in particular less than 5 mm and preferentially less than 3 mm.
  8. Guide apparatus (20) according to any one of Claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the sensor housing (40) has, at least on the opposite side from the reflector surface (52), a surface (56) that absorbs the sensor signal (S).
  9. Guide apparatus (20) according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the support (24) has, or can be connected to, a support housing (30), and in that the sensor device (26) is arranged next to the support housing (30), an outer wall of the support housing (30) having the reflector surface (52).
  10. Guide apparatus (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmitter (38A) has an emission angle (α) for the sensor signal (S) which is greater than or equal to 20° or greater than or equal to 30°, preferably at most 50°, and which in particular lies in the range of between 25° and 35°.
  11. Guide apparatus (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the distance between the transmitter (38A) and the second sensor component (38B) is at most 45 cm, preferentially at most 40 cm and more preferentially at most 35 cm.
  12. Guide apparatus (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second sensor component (38B) has a sensor area (F) which is less than 25 cm 2 , in particular less than 15 cm 2 or less than 10 cm 2 .
  13. Guide apparatus (20) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the guide apparatus (20) has an evaluation unit (48), which are evaluated to evaluate movement data (M) recorded during the measurement in respect of at least one of the following aspects: a. damage to the protective hose (16), b. interference in the movement sequence of the guide unit (28), c. a change of a movement pattern of the guide unit (28).
  14. Retrofit kit (50) for forming a guide apparatus (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the retrofit kit has a sensor device (26) which can be mounted on the guide unit (28) and is configured to measure the movement of a protective hose (16) of the guide unit (28).
  15. Method for monitoring the movement of a protective hose (16) of a guide apparatus (20) that serves to guide at least one cable (14) which is placed in the protective hose (16), wherein the guide apparatus (20) has a guide unit (28) with a fastening element (34) for fastening the protective hose (16) and with a static support (24), wherein the fastening element (34) can travel along the support (24) in a longitudinal direction (L) in order to enable a compensating movement of the protective hose (16) and of the at least one cable (14) placed therein, wherein the guide apparatus (20) has a sensor device (26) for measuring the movement of the fastening element (34) relative to the support (24), characterized in that the sensor device (26) has a transmitter (38A), configured as an ultrasound transmitter, as a first sensor component for delivering a sensor signal (S), as well as a second sensor component (38B) which lies opposite in the longitudinal direction (L), with a signal path (LS) extending in the longitudinal direction (L) between the two sensor components (38A, 38B), wherein a reflector surface (52) for the sensor signal (S) is arranged laterally next to the signal path (LS) so that at least a part of the sensor signal (S) is reflected at the reflector surface (52) on its way from the transmitter (38A) to the second sensor component (38B).

Description

The invention relates to a guide device for guiding at least one cable embedded in a protective sleeve, as well as a retrofit kit and a method for monitoring the movement of such a protective sleeve. The guide device is used primarily to guide a so-called hose assembly in a multi-axis articulated robot, especially in a multi-axis industrial robot. In today's multi-axis industrial robots, the foremost articulated arm, also known as the robot hand, is typically supplied with several individual cables to power a tool mounted on the robot hand, such as a welding tool. These cables include, for example, electrical power cables, electrical control cables, data cables, and media lines for gases or liquids. These cables are bundled together in a so-called hose assembly and are usually loosely guided within a protective sleeve. Such a hose assembly is subjected to high stresses, both due to the relative movements of the articulated arms and, in particular, due to the often harsh environmental conditions (high temperatures, aggressive media such as weld spatter, etc.). The protective sleeve, in particular, is subjected to high stress. A corrugated tube is frequently used as the protective sleeve. To ensure reliable guidance of the hose assembly, a guide device with a return mechanism is typically used, which is designed in such a way that a compensating movement of the hose assembly is prevented. a relative movement between two articulated arms is enabled. Such a guide device in an industrial robot is, for example, from the EP 2 956 277 A1 to be taken. The high stresses placed on the protective conduit can lead to damage, impairing its protective function. If a damaged protective conduit is not replaced or repaired in time, this can result in the failure of the cables running inside it, leading to downtime and a shutdown of operations. In highly automated production facilities and industrial environments, a defective protective conduit often cannot be detected in time because accessibility for, for example, visual inspection is limited or nonexistent. In the version that was unpublished at the time of registration DE 10 2023 201 837 A method for monitoring the movement of a protective hose using a sensor device is described. Out of EP 3 768 471 B1 The method for monitoring a robot's supply system is described, in which a sensor formed by a conductor element of the supply line is arranged in the supply line to be monitored, and a special measurement signal is fed into and evaluated by the sensor. Additionally, a further external sensor is arranged, which detects the movement of a compensating mechanism of the supply system. DE 10 2019 108 152 A1 describes a return device for a robot hose with a housing in which a laser measuring device is arranged, via which a distance measurement from the housing to a connecting element attached to the hose is carried out. Based on this, the invention aims to design such a sensor device in a cost-effective and reliable manner. The problem is solved according to the invention by a guide device with the features of claim 1, by a retrofit kit for forming such a guide device, and by a method with the features of claim 15. The advantages and preferred embodiments mentioned with regard to the guide device can also be transferred analogously to the retrofit kit and to the method, and vice versa. The guide device generally serves to guide at least one cable enclosed in a protective sleeve, and in particular a cable of a multi-axis articulated robot arm, specifically a multi-axis industrial robot, to which the guide device is attached during operation. Generally, the guide device, in its assembled state, is attached to a machine tool that has at least two machine parts movable relative to each other. The at least one cable, preferably several cables, and the protective sleeve form a hose assembly. The cable and the protective sleeve are not necessarily, but preferably, part of the guide device. In the assembled state and during operation, the protective sleeve is mounted on the guide device and is, at least then, part of the guide device. The guide device comprises a longitudinally extending guide unit, which includes a mounting element to which the protective hose is attached during operation. Furthermore, the guide unit includes a stationary support, which is preferably fixed to the articulated robot arm in its assembled state. The guide unit is, in particular, a self-contained, compact component that can be mounted on a machine, especially an articulated robot arm, for example, by means of the support. For example, the support is a base plate of a support housing for the guide unit. In principle, it is also possible for the support itself to be part of the machine. The guide unit is, for example, a known guide unit such as the one mentioned above. EP 2 956 277 A1 is described. During operation, the protective conduit attached to the mounting element moves along the support relative to it.