A line laying structure for a wrist of a robot capable of enhancing
durability of lines of cables/pipes for flowing electricity, air, water,
etc. to an end effector attached to the wrist, and reducing a restriction
of angle of rotation of a wrist axis by rotation of the other wrist axes.
First, second and third wrist elements of the wrist are rotatable around
fist, second and third axes, respectively. The first wrist element is
fixed to a distal end of a forearm of the robot, to be rotated on a
mounting base with the forearm as a unit. The lines are clamped on the
mounting base by a line retainer and laid inside the forearm and clamped
at a distal end of the forearm inside and outside thereof by line
retainers. The lines are then clamped by line retainers provided on the
second wrist element and introduced to the third wrist element. Then, the
lines are clamped by the line retainer provided on the third wrist
element and drawn outside thereof to be connected with the end effector.
Only limited sections S1 S3 of the lines between the line retainers are
subjected to bending, twisting and translation by the rotation of the
wrist elements and the other sections of the lines are not influence by
the rotation of the wrist elements, to enhance durability of the lines.