To provide an improved cable guide for an articulated joint of a robot or
the like that allows a compact design of the articulated joint while
minimizing the length of the cable, a substantially circular outer
peripheral wall (16) of a hollow center drum (13) fixedly attached to the
first link member is formed with a hole (28) at a first angular position
substantially aligning with the first link and a slot (17) formed at a
second angular position and elongated circumferentially over an angle
substantially corresponding to a range of angular movement of the second
link member relative to the first link member in such a manner that the
cable member is passed into the center drum from the hole and out of the
center drum from the slot. Thereby, the cable member can pass through the
interior of the articulated joint along the shortest path, and the
necessary length of the cable can be minimized.