Lubricant injection system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10605404-B2
Application number	US-201615576324-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2016
Priority date	May 22, 2015
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

A lubricant injection system is provided, which includes a pedestal, a robotic arm including a plurality of arm bodies sequentially coupled from pedestal, lubricant injecting hand having a discharge part configured to be sequentially coupled to each of a plurality of filler ports of a target machine, robot control device configured to control operation of robotic arm, a lubricant pumping device in which pumping of lubricant is controlled, a lubricant pumping channel configured to lead lubricant from the lubricant pumping device to the discharge part, and a flow rate sensor provided to the lubricant pumping channel and configured to send the detected flow rate information to the robot control device. Robot control device calculates an injection quantity based on the flow rate information sent from flow rate sensor, and when calculated injection quantity reaches target injection quantity, robot control device controls to stop pumping of lubricant.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lubricant injection system configured to inject lubricant into a target machine having a plurality of filler ports, comprising:
a pedestal;
a robotic arm including a plurality of arm bodies sequentially coupled from the pedestal;
a lubricant injecting hand, having a discharge part configured to be sequentially coupled to each of the plurality of filler ports and discharge lubricant, and attached to a tip-end part of the robotic arm so as to be attachable thereto and detachable therefrom;
a robot control device configured to control operation of the robotic arm;
a lubricant pumping device, of which pumping of lubricant is controlled by the robot control device;
a lubricant pumping channel configured to lead lubricant from the lubricant pumping device to the discharge part; and
a flow rate sensor provided to the lubricant pumping channel and configured to send the detected flow rate information to the robot control device,
wherein the robot control device stores a target injection quantity corresponding to each of the plurality of filler ports,
wherein, when the discharge part is connected to any one of the plurality of filler ports, the robot control device controls the lubricant pumping device to start the pumping of lubricant,
wherein the robot control device calculates an injection quantity of lubricant injected from the filler port connected to the discharge part based on the flow rate information sent from the flow rate sensor, and
wherein, when the calculated injection quantity reaches the target injection quantity corresponding to the filler port connected to the discharge part, the robot control device controls the lubricant pumping device so as to stop the pumping of lubricant.

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yamane Hideshi
• Takebayashi Jun
• Kuraoka Shuhei
• UTO Tatsuhiro
• Fujisawa Shinichi
• Mizumoto Hiroyuki

Classifications

• F16N7/14

  the lubricant being conveyed from the reservoir by mechanical means (by pumping devices F16N7/36, F16N7/38; adaptations for lubrication of machines or engines in general, of internal-combustion engines F01M) · CPC title

• B25J13/087

  for sensing other physical parameters, e.g. electrical or chemical properties · CPC title

• B25J19/0066

  Means or methods for maintaining or repairing manipulators · CPC title

• B25J19/0062

  Lubrication means · CPC title

• F16N7/38 Primary

  with a separate pump; Central lubrication systems · CPC title