Abstract: A gearbox arrangement for an industrial robot comprises a flange element, a pivoting element and a rotating element adapted to move independently of each other, and having two trains of gears, comprising drive-shafts for connection to respective drive means, for separately driving the said flange element and pivoting element. Reduction gears are inserted between the two gear-trains and the flange and pivoting elements. The trains of gears in the rotating element are branched through the intermediate shafts and lateral shafts arranged with their axes in parallel with the axes of the drive-shafts. Such a structure permits the use of small diameter shafts and gears for a compact arrangement. In addition, it permits the use of spur gears at appropriate locations which are inexpensive and relatively easy to install, maintain and service to keep the low tolerances needed for industrial robots.

Abstract: Mechanical rotary drive, preferably a gear reduction drive, particularly for industrial robots, for example a manipulator arm rotary drive, comprising a driving side and a power take-off side, a drive shaft, and at least two gears, preferably reduction gears, situated on the drive shaft and biased against one another, the gear biasing at the driving side being executed via a torsionally stiff coupling and the gear biasing at the power take-off side being executed via a torsionally elastic coupling.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for operating an industrial robot, for the accurate processing of workpieces, especially during spot-welding, wherein coordinates of processing points or lines are preselected according to a program and an actual position of a processing point is detected by a sensor carried by the robot hand, the difference between the actual position and a desired position being determined, and the correction of all coordinates of the operating points by the difference in position being carried out in accordance with this determination.

Abstract: Overload safety device, particularly for an industrial robot having a robot arm and a robot tool and preferably arrangeable between the robot arm and the robot tool, with a robot flange, and a tool flange, the latter being movable relative to the former, wherein the robot flange and the tool flange sealingly cooperate in a sealing area subject to the action of a pressure medium and that a safety cut-out can be triggered by a pressure drop in the pressure medium.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for driving the two axes (11, 30) of the hand element of an industrial robot in which the casing (12) of the hand element is pivoted around the first axis while resting between two fork arms on the end of the boom (1, 10). Two reduction gears (19, 20) which can be separately driven are provided in the casing (12) and are arranged coaxially to the first axis, the reduction gears being arranged to drive coaxial bevel gears (24, 25)which, in their turn, are engaged with additional bevel gears (28, 29) supported by the casing (12) and extended at a right angle to the previous bevel gears (24, 25), the shaft of one of the bevel gears (28, 29) supporting a flange (31) which rotates around a second rotary axis (30) running at a right angle to the first axis (11).