Abstract: Provided is a method of regenerating a bearing branch in dwarfing cultivation of fruits, including step (1) through the step (10); and including repeating: cutting back a mother bearing branch having short bearing branches, among plural branches having grown from a bud, from which the grown fruits have been harvested, so that a bud is formed at a root end of the same mother bearing branch, and cutting back a terminal portion of a new branch by a length of one third to one fourth of the entire length of the same new branch.

Abstract: An apparatus for holding a plurality of workpieces (W) in a stack on a pallet (22), supporting the workpieces (W) in place on the pallet (22) by a plurality of workpiece support rods (26), and transporting and transferring the uppermost workpiece by a workpiece gripping hand (50) provided with gripping fingers (54) to a desired position, is provided with elastic lifting springs (32) for continuously biasing the workpiece support rods (26) upward to support the workpieces (W) stably in place by the upright work support rods (26). The workpiece gripping hand (50) grips the uppermost workpiece (W) with the gripping fingers (54) without interference, after depressing the workpiece support rods (26) with a depressing plate (56) provided on the back side of the gripping fingers (54) so that the uppermost workpiece (W) is exposed above the upper ends of the workpiece support rods (26), and then transports the workpiece (W) to a desired position.

Abstract: An industrial robot comprises a robot body having an operating portion (13), a driving motor (19) for driving the operating portion (13) and the a handle (29). A casing (21) of the driving motor (19) is secured to an outer wall of the robot body by bolts (25), and an output shaft (26) of the driving motor (19) is connected to the operating portion (13). An inner brake device of the driving motor (19) secures the output shaft (26) to the casing (21) when the driving motor (19) is stopped. If the driving motor (19) is stopped by a malfunction or the like, the bolts (25) are taken out and the handle (29) is attached to the casing (21) of the driving motor (19). By operating the handle (29), the output shaft (26) of the driving motor (19) is rotated together with the casing (21) and the operating portion (13) of the robot is moved.

Abstract: The cable supporting arrangement inside the base body of an industrial robot supports at least a cable (14) led through the interior of the base body (10) having a cylindrical inner surface (11) into the movable body (13) provided atop the base body pivotably about the axis (X) of the base body. An inner cylinder (15) is provided and fixed concentrically inside the base body. An annular space is defined between the inner cylinder and the base body. The resilient strip members (19, 20) have one end (21, 30) thereof fixed to the inner surface of the base body, and the other end (22, 31) fixed to the cylindrical outer face (16) of the inner cylinder. The strip member is curved at a selected portion such that the strip member sections before and after the curved portion are opposite to each other, and is forced under its own resilience onto the inner surface of the base body and the outer face of the inner cylinder when the movable body is in a selected pivoting position.

Abstract: A method and a device for determining the reference positions of an industrial robot, in which datum surfaces (1a, 1b) are formed in the fixed base (1) of an industrial robot having a plurality of degrees of freedom of motion. The reference positions with respect to directions corresponding to the degrees of freedom of motion of the wrist base (5) and the wrist front section (7) are determined relatively to the fixed base (1) by means of a jig body (11) located fixedly on the datum surfaces, and measuring instruments (14 to 19) attached to the fixed base (1) at predetermined reference positions thereon, and the determined reference positions are given and taught to the NC unit of the industrial robot.

Abstract: A compact industrial robot for mounting on a lathe includes a traveling body transported along an axis (Z axis) parallel to the axis of a spindle provided on a lathe, a column provided on the traveling body for extending and retracting in a vertical direction (Y axis), a first rotating mechanism provided on the column for rotation about an axis (C axis) parallel to the spindle axis, and a second rotating mechanism provided on the rotary shaft of the first rotating mechanism and having a hand. The hand, having a double-hand configuration, is swung by the first rotating mechanism in a plane orthogonal to the spindle axis, and is swiveled by the second rotating mechanism about the longitudinal axis (.alpha. axis) of the second rotating mechanism.

Abstract: A wrist mechanism interposed between the robot arm (20) of an industrial robot and a robot hand, comprising: an outer wrist (34) joined to the free end of the robot arm (20); an inner wrist (36) pivotally supported by bearings (100, 102) within the outer wrist (34) and adapted to be pivoted by a driving force transmitted thereto through the robot arm (20); a robot hand holding part (38) supported by bearings (104, 106) within the inner wrist (36) and adapted to be turned by a rotative force transmitted thereto from the outside of the inner wrist (36) coaxially with the driving force; a bevel gear mechanism set having bevel gears (96a, 96b) and disposed within the inner wrist (36) to transmit the rotative force to the robot hand holding part (38); and a reduction gear (94) provided within the inner wrist (36) to transmit the rotative force at a reduced revolving rate to the driving bevel gear (96a) of the bevel gear mechanism.

Abstract: A wrist mechanism of an industrial robot provided at the extremity of the robot arm (20) and having two degrees of freedom of motion enabling a wrist unit (30) to perform a tilting motion and a swivel motion about two substantially perpendicular intersecting axes respectively. Either a motion transmitting mechanism for the tilting motion of the wrist unit or a motion transmitting mechanism for the swivel motion of the wrist unit (80, 82, 90, 92, 96) is provided with a bevel gear mechanism (96) to change the direction of motion transmission through an angle of 90.degree.. Overtravel detecting means (110a, 110b, 120a, 120b) for detecting the overtravel of both the above-mentioned motions and datum position of motion detecting means (112a, 112b, 122a, 122b) are coaxially arranged about one of the above-mentioned perpendicular intersecting axes.

Abstract: A swivel device for supporting a swivel unit thereon, including a hollow main frame and a comparatively slender rotatable shaft disposed upright within the hollow frame, connectable to the swivel unit at the upper end thereof and connected to a driving source at the lower end thereof through a transmission mechanism. All control cables and conduits for controlling the mechanisms mounted on the swivel unit are accommodated in the space formed within the hollow frame around the upright shaft.

Abstract: A robot wrist of an industrial robot having a wrist housing supporting two orthogonally arranged rotating output shafts therein, each of the shafts being connected to a robot hand, and a built-in fluid conveying means provided for distributing pressurized air introduced from the outside of the robot wrist toward the robot hand attached to one of the rotating cutput shafts. An output end of each of the two rotating output shafts may either be plugged by a plug element or closed by a stop valve when the output end is not connected to the robot hand.

Abstract: An industrial robot having a trunk mounted for vertical and rotational movement on a stationary base is provided with two arm members extensible from the said trunk having a robot wrist mechanism attached to their ends. The extending and contracting movements of the arm members, rotational movement of the wrist and swinging movement of the wrist are controlled, respectively, by three electric servo motors mounted in a mounting compartment positioned on the side of the trunk opposite to the extensible arms.

Abstract: A system for controlling an industrial robot having a wrist (1) driven to rotate by a direct-current motor (2) having a servomechanism, wherein stroke-limit position control (6) of the wrist and rotational control (7) of the wrist can be selectively carried out.

Abstract: An industrial robot, mountable on a machine tool for carrying a workpiece to a spindle of the machine tool, and having an arm, one end of which is equipped with a wrist having a gripping device for gripping a workpiece. The robot further includes a main body having first and second rods with perpendicular spanning plates movably mounted on the machine tool rotatably connected to the second rod, first driving means provided on the main body for moving the arm axially of the spindle on the machine tool, and second driving means for allowing movement axially of the spindle for rotating the arm in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the spindle, with the other end of the arm serving as the center of rotation about the first rod.

Abstract: An industrial robot having a robot hand attached to a robot arm, a rotary motion unit supporting therein the robot arm, a vertical motion unit on which the rotary motion unit is disposed, and a vertical hollow structure extending through the vertical and rotary motion units and defining therein a vertically extending wiring and piping space.

Abstract: An industrial robot, having a manipulative robot hand for mounted on a vertically movable portion thereof moved by a vertical drive, provided with a load reducing pneumatic cylinder for applying a constant upward force to the vertically movable portion during the vertical movement of the portion and an air storage tank or tanks directly connected to the pneumatic cylinder for continuously supplying air under a desired fixed pressure. The upward force contributes to reducing a load applied to the vertical drive. The air storage tank or tanks contributes to ensuring mechanical rigidity of the industrial robot.

Abstract: An industrial robot having a hollow arm rotatable in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of a spindle of a machine tool, a wrist mechanism attached for rotation at one end of the arm, the wrist mechanism having a rotary shaft, and a gripper connected to the rotary shaft of the wrist mechanism for being rotated thereby. There are provided first and second air cylinders colinearly disposed within the arm, the first cylinder being fixed and the second cylinder being movable longitudinally of the arm. A piston rod interconnects the first and second air cylinders, the piston rod having a first piston at one end received in the first cylinder and a second piston at the other end received in the second cylinder. The piston rod is moved longitudinally of the arm by introducing air selectively into the first and second air cylinders. A pulley is affixed to the first cylinder, and a tension member such as a wire or belt is connected between the rotary shaft of the wrist mechanism and the pulley.

Abstract: A wrist mechanism for an industrial robot having a robot casing, robot arms capable of extending from and contracting to the robot casing, a robot hand for gripping a workpiece, and a wrist arranged between the robot arms and the robot hand, comprises: two reduction gears with a high reduction ratio connected respectively to each of two high speed rotational driving motors, the two reduction gears cooperating with one another for generating two individual reduced rotational outputs, and; two transmitting mechanisms, connectable to the hand, for transmitting respectively the two reduced rotational outputs to the hand, thereby causing respectively rotational motion and swinging motion of the hand.

Abstract: An industrial robot having two rotative mechanisms that are adapted to rotate two arms relative to the axial directions thereof and which are interconnected such that their longitudinal axes intersect at right angles. An arm which belongs to the first rotative mechanism is secured to the base of the robot, and a gripping member is attached to the end of a free arm which belongs to the second rotative mechanism. This permits the gripping member to be moved in a plane which is parallel to the X-Z plane, and then in a plane which is parallel to the Y-Z plane, so that a workpiece or tool replacement can be moved along the perpendicular side walls of a machine tool frame.

Abstract: A manipulator corresponding to the human hand is generally attached to the end of an arm of an industrial robot or remote control apparatus. The improved manipulator herein includes two spaced-apart, rotatable sprockets and a chain which is connected in the form of an endless loop and stretched between the sockets to form two parallel linear segments which move in mutually opposing directions when the chain is rotated. Two fingers for gripping a workpiece are arranged to move in a direction which is parallel to the linear segments by means of guide members, one finger being coupled to one of the linear segments of the chain and the other finger being coupled to the other linear segment. A cylinder is provided for accommodating a piston having piston rods secured to either side thereof. The other ends of the piston rods pass hermetically through both side walls of the cylinder and are secured in blocks located outside the cylinder, the blocks forming the walls of the manipulator.

Abstract: An automated device comprising an arm, a wrist which is rotatably held by the arm at predetermined angles and a hand which is rotatably held by the wrist, wherein the wrist includes an apparatus for varying the angle of the axis of the wrist with respect to the axis of the arm, and the varying apparatus has a device for adjusting the angle. In the above device, the wrist may be bent in all directions.