APPARATUS FOR SHIELDING AN ARTICULATED STRUCTURE

摘要

According to a first embodiment, an apparatus for shielding a movable articulated structure such as robot arm to be protected from a hard working environment comprises one or more shielding sections forming with the outer surface of the robot arm a cavity which is filled with pressurized air. Adjacent portions of the shielding sections are coupled through a rotary joint allowing escape of the pressurized air out of the cavity while maintaining within the cavity a positive pressure relative to the ambient environment pressure which is sufficient to substantially prevent contamination of the robot arm from the working environment. According to a second embodiment, the apparatus comprises a shielding cover comprised of one or more cover sections forming with the outer surface of the robot arm a cavity which is filled with pressurized air. A positive gas pressure relative to environment ambient pressure is maintained which is sufficient to substantially prevent contamination of the robot arm from the working environment. The cover section is essentially made of a substantially gastight and impermeable flexible material which is sufficiently stiff to provide the cover section with sufficiently smooth and stiff outer surface under the positive pressure, to substantially prevent physical contact between the robot arm outer surface and the cover section which could otherwise result in cover chafing.