JP6963897B2 - Article grip transfer device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article gripping and transferring device for recognizing, gripping and transferring an object. In particular, the present invention relates to an article gripping device having a robot arm for automatic article transfer in refilling and transferring a delivery box or the like of a wide variety of products at a distribution collection / delivery base.

At product distribution bases, robots and the like are used to transfer products to shipping containers for sorting and packaging a large number of high-mix products that are received by destination. In this case, only the designated product is identified and recognized from the products having various shapes of other types, and the robot arm is operated to grip the product. For this purpose, a product box is used by using a camera image recognition device or the like. The inside is imaged, only a specific product is recognized, and the robot arm moves to the specified position according to the data such as the outer shape of the product to grasp the specified product, and then moves to the shipping container to place the product (transfer). To be listed).

However, since this work requires identification of the product by image recognition and confirmation of the shape, robot operation by a very detailed program such as holding operation according to the outer shape of the product by the arm is required, and a large amount is efficiently performed as soon as possible. At distribution bases where it is required to transfer the products of the above, the work is too slow and expensive robots are required due to careful program control. I haven't reached the work yet.

In the actual holding of products by a robot arm, the main technology is to apply a vacuum suction pad to the product and hold the product by vacuum suction, but for articles with a uniform flat surface, suction by the vacuum suction pad However, it has not yet reached a technology that exhibits a function of sequentially sucking and gripping products having a wide variety of appearance shapes. In addition, it requires a very difficult program and technique to properly adsorb and grip the last one remaining in the corner of the container from the container containing a large amount of products.

For example, in Patent Document 1, in an automated system for gripping an article using a robot or the like, a vision system that replaces the human eye is used to calculate a workpiece gripping position for each movement, and the article is gripped by suction suction using a suction head. The technical idea of is disclosed. However, in this example, since the technical idea is to grip the article only by the method of suction, the technique of recognizing and gripping the article having various shapes has not been reached. It is not suitable for gripping articles by searching for and recognizing articles of various shapes and selecting the method that is easiest to grip.

Further, in other conventional techniques, in an automated system for gripping an article using a robot or the like, a vision system instead of the human eye is used to calculate a workpiece gripping position for each movement and issue a movement instruction to the robot. In this method, when the work is gripped by using the robot system, the position information of the case and the work must be measured and the robot must be instructed to operate. This processing time is a number that is always included in each operation, which leads to an increase in cycle time. In addition, a general vision system is composed of a camera, lighting equipment, and a controller, which leads to system complexity and high cost.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-169640

Searching articles that can recognize and identify products with various sensor functions, safely grasp articles in the most suitable way, and transfer them quickly, without using expensive robots that operate based on precise programs. It is possible to provide a gripping device having a gripping function and having an article finding function capable of properly gripping the last one remaining in the corner of the container from a container containing a large amount of products. This is a subject of the present invention.

In order to solve such a problem, the article hunting article gripping transfer device according to the present invention is used.
An article gripping transfer mechanism provided with a confirmation means for confirming the existence of an article for gripping,
A container cradle that can vibrate and / or tilt the container containing the article to move the article to a fixed position in the container, and / or blow air into the container to move the article. An air discharge mechanism that can be moved to a fixed position inside the container,
A control mechanism that controls the article gripping transfer mechanism, the container cradle, and the air discharge mechanism, and
It is characterized by having.

Further, the article gripping / transferring device according to the present invention is characterized by having a sensing sensor for detecting an article, a gripping mechanism for gripping an article, and an article finding function.

The article gripping and transferring device according to the present invention grips and transfers a large amount of articles in a container containing articles one by one while checking with a sensing sensor, but when the amount of articles becomes small, a corner in the container. A container in which the container containing the article can be vibrated and / or tilted to move the article to a certain position in the container, for example, the center of the container, in order to detect and easily grasp the article remaining in the container. Has a cradle.

The container cradle can move and collect the articles in the container to a certain position by vibrating the article container by vibrating the article container at a constant frequency according to the instruction of the control mechanism. These vibration modes such as frequency can be programmed in advance in the control mechanism according to individual specifications such as the weight size of the article and the weight size of the parts container. Articles scattered in all directions in the article container are moved and collected at least at a certain position in the container by constant vibration.

Further, the container cradle of the article gripping transfer device according to the present invention can be tilted in a certain direction according to the instruction of the control mechanism while the article container is placed on the container cradle. As a result, the articles scattered in all directions in the article container can be moved and gathered at a fixed position in the container. These article moving sets can reduce the workload of the gripping mechanism that senses and grips the article, and can significantly reduce the error in detecting and gripping the article. Similarly, when the article gripping transfer device according to the present invention has an air blowing nozzle, the number of products in the container is reduced and the remaining products are scattered in the four corners of the container. By ejecting air in a certain direction from the air nozzle, the products in the container can be moved and assembled at a certain position. This makes it easier for the gripping mechanism to find and detect the remaining products.

The air nozzle may be laid on a robot arm that can be easily moved, or may be laid on a gripping mechanism. In either case, according to the instructions of the control mechanism, the nozzle can be directed in the required direction inside the container to eject air and collect the residual products at a fixed position. This makes it easier for the gripping mechanism to find and detect the remaining products. It is possible to detect, grasp, and transfer all the residual products remaining in the four corners of the container.

In the article gripping transfer device according to the present invention, the sensing sensor is a negative pressure sensor and / or a laser sensor and / or an ultraviolet sensor and / or an infrared sensor and / or a visible light sensor and / or a microwave sensor and / or an ultrasonic wave. It is characterized by being a sensor.

Further, the article gripping / transferring device according to the present invention is characterized in that the sensing sensor is a limit switch and / or a temperature sensor (thermistor) and / or a conductive probe and / or a phototube and / or a pressure-sensitive sensor and / or a magnetic sensor. Has.

The article finding and gripping device according to the present invention receives article information whose position is recognized by the sensing sensor, and the control mechanism controls the article grasping and transferring mechanism to search for, confirm, and grip the article. It has characteristics. In general, most of the methods for recognizing an article in the article gripping work are mainly based on image recognition, but the article hunting and gripping device according to the present invention does not use expensive image recognition and is used for an article in a container. Then, the article in the container is searched for and detected according to a program according to a pre-assembled algorithm (for example, the movement as shown in FIG. 13) in which order and how to grip and transfer the article. Can be done.

In the article gripping transfer device according to the present invention according to the present invention, the sensing sensor is a negative pressure (air pressure) sensor and / or a laser sensor and / or an ultraviolet sensor and / or an infrared sensor and / or a visible light sensor and /. Or it is a microwave sensor and / or an ultrasonic sensor, and / or the above-mentioned sensor is a limit switch and / or a temperature sensor (thermista) and / or a conductive probe and / or a photoelectric tube and / or a pressure sensor and / or magnetic. It is a sensor.

A plurality of these article detection sensors are installed in the gripping mechanism (article gripping portion) substantially uniformly or randomly, and can detect the presence of the article while approaching the article according to the movement of the gripping mechanism. The installation direction of the sensing sensor is not limited, and the sensor may be installed over the entire surface of the gripping mechanism. It is well known that each sensing sensor has a unique sensing function. In addition, it does not exclude the addition of image recognition.

Many methods are already known as well-known techniques and conventional techniques for recognizing an article. For example, there are recognition techniques using various methods such as suction air negative pressure, light (ultraviolet, visible, infrared), electromagnetic waves, contact, electricity, sound waves, and temperature. These choices need to consider both the use of the sensing sensor as a mechanism and the perceived physical properties of the actually perceived article.

For example, when the temperature of an article is sensed and recognized in comparison with other temperatures, the sensing sensor (thermistor) recognizes the article as a temperature difference by electrically sensing the difference in electrical resistance with respect to conductivity. In ultrasonic recognition, the presence of an article is detected by irradiating the article with ultrasonic waves and capturing the return sound wave. Depending on the sensing level, even the size and shape of the article can be recognized.

The vacuum is an adsorption method for grasping and is not involved in the sensing and recognition of the article, but can also be used as a means for sensing and recognizing the article by detecting the weight of the article adsorbed by the vacuum. .. The change in air negative pressure in vacuum also functions as a detection sensor. The article gripping and transferring device according to the present invention can move the article as a content to a position easily detected by, for example, a vacuum suction pad of the gripping mechanism by vibration by the container cradle and tilting of the container.

The article gripping / transferring device according to the present invention is characterized in that the gripping mechanism operates to search for an article according to a program of the control mechanism that receives article information from the sensing sensor.

The action of searching for an article is an action in which the article moves while approaching a container in which the article is randomly placed, for example, so as to rotate clockwise from the outer shell to the center, for example, from the center. It is an operation that moves so as to rotate while drawing an arc counterclockwise to the outside, and gradually approaches the article. When the gripping mechanism performs this operation, the article sensing sensor installed in the gripping mechanism sequentially senses the article and transmits the information to the control unit.

The article gripping / transferring device according to the present invention determines the operation to be performed next by the article gripping / transferring mechanism based on the above-mentioned transmission information. These operations are performed according to the instructions of the control mechanism programmed according to a predetermined algorithm. At what point in time, which article is to be gripped may be determined based on a determination algorithm such as the ease of gripping the article, the approach distance to the article, or whether or not the article is limited.

In the article finding and gripping device according to the present invention, the article gripping and transferring mechanism has a vacuum suction suction mechanism and / or an electrostatic suction pad mechanism and / or an electromagnet mechanism and / or a pick hand mechanism (28 in FIG. 11) and /. Alternatively, it is characterized by being a substantially finger-shaped hand using air and an electric actuator.

The method of gripping the article includes suction suction gripping with a suction pad, electrostatic suction suction gripping using an electrostatic suction pad, magnetic force suction gripping using an electromagnet, and an operation of pinching and gripping an article like a pick hand. There is. The detailed parts of these gripping mechanisms can be installed on substantially the entire surface of the gripping mechanism as well as the sensing sensor.

In the article gripping and transferring device according to the present invention, the gripping mechanism grips and transfers the article according to the information instructed by the control mechanism based on the article sensing information from the sensing sensor. The gripping mechanism is selected according to the mode of the article to be gripped. For example, if the base material of the gripping mechanism is a flexible member, the suction pad can be surrounded from the outside so as to wrap the article having an irregular shape, and can be gripped by suction and suction. For example, a finger-shaped hand (flexible microactuator) using air and an electric actuator has a finger-shaped structure in which a plurality of hollow thin tube-shaped flexible members are bundled to control the air pressure in the hollow. By doing so, the finger-shaped tip can be freely bent, so that the plurality of substantially finger-shaped tips can be freely adjusted to grip the article as if it were a human finger. Therefore, by using a substantially finger-shaped hand using the air and the electric actuator, it is possible to grasp and transfer the article in the container recognized by the sensing sensor. Similarly, by using a substantially finger-shaped hand using air and an electric actuator, it is easy to detect and grip the article remaining in the corner of the container when the amount of the article becomes small, as in the above-mentioned air discharge mechanism. Therefore, it can be moved to a fixed position or a central part in the container. A substantially finger-shaped hand (flexible microactuator) using an air and an electric actuator is a technical idea included in the article gripping transfer mechanism in the present invention, and is a container similar to the above-mentioned container cradle and air discharge mechanism. It also has a function of moving internal goods.

The article gripping / transferring device according to the present invention can also selectively grip only articles selected according to the characteristics of the articles. For example, when a magnetic article is sensed, magnetic force adsorption gripping may be performed. For example, when gripping only a frozen article, the article may be selected using a thermistor sensor. For example, when the bag-shaped air-packed article is gripped and transferred, it may be gripped by suction suction or a pick hand.

The article gripping transfer device according to the present invention does not limit the details of the sensing sensor and the gripping mechanism to be installed in the gripping mechanism, and the gripping mechanism having the same article gripping mechanism, which is the details of the gripping mechanism of a plurality of types of sensors and a plurality of methods. It may be installed in. The smaller each part is, the better the gripping ability is. It is freely possible to select a limited dedicated gripping mechanism according to the type of the article, or to include a plurality of gripping functions according to the type of the article in one gripping mechanism.

The container cradle of the article gripping / transferring device according to the present invention can vibrate and / or tilt the container containing the article to move and collect the article at a certain position in the container. Articles scattered at the four corners of the container can be eliminated, and article detection omissions and gripping mistakes can be eliminated. That is, the workload of the gripping mechanism for detecting and gripping the article can be reduced, and the error in detecting and gripping the article can be significantly reduced.

The article gripping / transferring device according to the present invention is for performing a gripping / transferring operation having a function similar to an operation in which a human hand enters a container, searches for an article, and grabs and takes it out. It is also a technical idea to maximize the work effect by making a movement to supplement this.

According to the present invention, scattered articles (commodities) in a container can be accurately sensed and selected up to the last one, and can be quickly and efficiently gripped and transferred. In addition, it can be gripped and transferred without being restricted by properties such as the size, weight, outer shape, and surface condition of the article. According to the present invention, an article gripping and transferring device capable of remarkably improving the safety and workability of sorting and transferring a wide variety of articles at a distribution base and also remarkably improving economic efficiency is realized.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the outline of the article holding transfer apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which showed the detail of the suction head part of the gripping mechanism of the article gripping transfer device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which showed the container pedestal of the article gripping transfer device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which showed the container pedestal of the article gripping transfer device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which showed the air nozzle injection of the container pedestal of the article gripping transfer device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the detection outline using the optical sensor of the article grasping transfer apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the detection outline using the contact switch of the article grasping transfer apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the detection outline using the thermistor of the article grasping transfer apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the outline of suction using the electrostatic suction board of the article gripping transfer device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the outline of gripping using the electromagnet of the article gripping transfer device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the outline of the gripping mechanism using the pick hand of the article gripping transfer device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram in the case where the article detection function of the article grasping transfer apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is a light-emitting type phototube. It is a conceptual diagram which showed the movement of the gripping mechanism part of the article gripping transfer device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which showed the movement of the gripping mechanism of the article gripping transfer device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention in the operation flow diagram. It is a conceptual diagram which showed the movement of the gripping mechanism of the article gripping transfer device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention in the operation flow diagram.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, the range necessary for the explanation for achieving the object of the present invention will be schematically shown, and the range necessary for the explanation of the relevant part of the present invention will be mainly described. It shall be based on known technology.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an overall image of an article gripping transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, the raw material BOX 2 containing the goods for shipping and the collection BOX 1 for shipping move on the conveyor line toward the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Products are randomly contained in the raw material BOX2. As shown in FIG. 1, the manipulator 5 of the article gripping transfer device 4 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a suction head 7 equipped with a suction device at its tip. The shape of the suction head 7 is smaller than or equivalent to the inner area of the raw material BOX 2, and the product enters the raw material BOX and sucks and grips one product that has come into contact earlier. The suction device is an air cylinder device or the like capable of supplying or sucking air, and does not limit the air control method.

The manipulator 5 can then move the gripped product to the inspection shelf, and the inspection sensor can inspect whether the product is a product to be gripped. The inspection method may be weight measurement or the like. For example, after the inspection is completed, the manipulator 5 again adsorbs the product and transfers it to the collection BOX (collection BOX) 1 to finish the inspection.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing details of a suction head portion of the gripping mechanism of the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention. This figure is a conceptual diagram showing the outline of detection using the vacuum suction sensor of the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The inside of the broken line in the figure shows a conceptual diagram of the function of the article detection and gripping mechanism 12 using the vacuum suction sensor 10. As shown in the figure, the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an arm 9 of a robot mechanism and a gripping mechanism 12. In FIG. 2, only the tip end portion of the arm 9 is shown, and the arm 9 connected to the robot system or the like is connected to the gripping mechanism 12 via the rotation drive mechanism. By rotationally driving the rotary drive mechanism, the gripping mechanism 12 can be oriented in any direction. The arm 9 is a system capable of moving in three-dimensional directions of the X, Y, and Z axes.

The article (commodity) 3 in contact with the suction pad 13 sucked by the air 11 is vacuum sucked and gripped by the gripping mechanism 12. At this time, the vacuum suction sensor 10 that acts as a sensor senses (detects) the decompression generated by grasping the article 3. At the same time, the weight or the like may be detected. This information is sent to the control mechanism 19. Then, according to the instruction of the control mechanism 19, the air suction of the suction pad 13 on which the article is not adsorbed is stopped, and the arm 9 of the article gripping transfer mechanism works to move and place the article.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a container cradle of the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the container cradle 8 can vibrate by placing and fixing the container, which is the raw material BOX 2, on the shaking table 14 above the container cradle 8. The product 3 in the raw material BOX 2 can be moved and assembled at a fixed position by vibration. As described with reference to FIG. 2, when the vacuum is detected by the gripping mechanism 12 and the gripping transfer proceeds to some extent, the number of products in the container decreases, and the remaining products are scattered at the four corners and the like in the container. .. This makes it difficult for the gripping mechanism 12 to find the product 3. In such a case, the control mechanism 19 vibrates the shaking table 14 of the container cradle 8 at a specific frequency.

The frequency and amplitude can be set in advance to some extent according to the specifications of the contents. The products 3 remaining due to the vibration gather at the substantially central portion of the container 2, for example, and the gripping mechanism 12 makes it easier to find and detect the remaining products.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a container cradle of the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the shaking table described with reference to FIG. 3 can also function as an inclined table 15. When the number of products in the container decreases and the remaining products are scattered at the four corners of the container, the control mechanism 19 tilts the tilting table 15 of the container cradle 8 in a predetermined direction. , The product 3 in the container can be moved and assembled at a fixed position. The gripping mechanism 12 makes it easier to find and detect the remaining products.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing air nozzle injection of a container cradle of an article gripping transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, when the number of products in the container decreases and the remaining products are scattered at the four corners of the container, the control mechanism 19 is constant with respect to the air nozzle 20 of the container cradle 8. It is possible to instruct to blow air in the direction. By ejecting air in a predetermined direction in the container, the products 3 in the container can be moved and assembled at a fixed position. The gripping mechanism 12 makes it easier to find and detect the remaining products.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an outline of detection using an optical sensor of an article finding and gripping mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows the concept of the function including the inside of FIG. 2, which is a conceptual diagram. As shown in the figure, the optical sensors 40 (phototubes 40A in the drawing) are arranged substantially evenly in the gripping mechanism 12, and the suction pads 13 are installed substantially evenly in the gaps between them. As described with reference to FIG. 2, the article sensed by the optical sensor 40 is vacuum-sucked by the suction pad 13. The vacuum degassing system 41 is performed through the air pipe 16.

As shown in the figure, for example, a plurality of phototubes 40A are installed in the gripping mechanism 12, and a plurality of suction pads 13 are provided in the gaps between the phototubes 40A. The phototube 40A has a sensor function of transmitting detection light to an article at the lower part to detect and detect the presence of the article.

As shown in FIG. 6, since the phototubes are evenly distributed, the overall shape of the sensed article can be recognized. The recognized article information is transmitted to the control mechanism 19, and the suction pad 13 sucks and grips the article according to the instruction of the control mechanism 19. Since the suction pads 13 are also evenly distributed in the same manner as the phototube 40A, the suction and grip by the plurality of suction pads 13 may be specified so that only the suction pads instructed by the control mechanism 19 operate. Of course, there is no problem in adsorption because the portion of the article that does not come into contact does not participate in the adsorption operation.

The means for recognizing the existence of an article is not limited to the phototube. For example, the reflection may be detected by irradiating a laser beam or irradiating an infrared ray, an ultraviolet ray, or a microwave. It is not a matter of definition as optical, but the same applies to sound waves such as ultrasonic sensors. In other words, it means that a type of sensor called an optical sensor can be used. The structure is the same as that of the article sensing by the phototube. In the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention, such various optical sensors can be arbitrarily arranged.

The control mechanism 19 not only controls the movement of the article gripping / transferring device according to the embodiment of the present invention, but also has a pre-programmed algorithm for searching for and gripping / transferring any article, and is one of the present inventions. The specific operation of the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment is only one operation extracted from the operation.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an outline of detection using the contact switch of the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, a contact switch 42 is used instead of an optical sensor inside the gripping mechanism 12 of the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention. A typical contact switch 42 includes a limit switch 43 and the like. A conceptual diagram of the limit switch 43 is shown in the broken line of FIG. It has a function of electrically sensing an article by contact with the plunger 44.

As shown in the figure, the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention can also use an article recognition mechanism using a contact switch 42 instead of an optical sensor such as a phototube in the case of FIG. .. A typical contact type sensor is a limit switch 43. The limit switches 43, which are evenly distributed and installed on the gripping mechanism 12, push up the plunger 44 by contact with an article to exert a contact sensing function.

The limit switch 43 sequentially comes into contact with the surface of the article as the gripping mechanism 12 moves downward. That is, the shape of the article is recognized by directly interlocking the sensed information of the contact plunger 44 with the control mechanism 19. The control mechanism 19 may analyze the article shape information and grip the article using the most suitable suction pad 13. The limit switch 43 and the suction pad 13 can perform a moving operation suitable for gripping the article together with the gripping mechanism 12. Here, the direction in which the limit switch 43 is installed does not have to be limited to the downward direction as shown in FIG. It is added that the direction in which the limit switch 43 faces can be set arbitrarily. These directions need only be effectively set in the direction in which the gripping mechanism operates based on the search function.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing an outline of detection using a thermistor of an article gripping transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the sensor mechanism for detecting an article is composed of a thermistor (temperature detection sensor) 23. The thermistor 23 can recognize the article by detecting the temperature difference by contact with the article. There is no change in sensing the article as in FIGS. 6 and 7. However, the most characteristic feature of the thermistor 23 is the characteristics of the article to be sensed.

The thermistor 23 recognizes the shape of the article at the same time as the contact with the article, but it may have a function of selecting a necessary article from various articles by giving the thermistor 23 a constant detection temperature and limiting it. can. That is, it is effective when, for example, only a frozen product is to be searched for, recognized, and picked from a large number of articles. The sensing function using the thermistor 23 of the article finding and gripping device according to the embodiment of the present invention can selectively select and grip an article.

The thermistor 23 instructed by the control mechanism 19 to detect a constant temperature touch-senses only an article having a constant temperature, and the control mechanism 19 operates the suction pad 13 to grip and move the article based on the article information. It will be posted.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing an outline of suction using an electrostatic suction plate of an article gripping transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the specifications of the suction pad 13 up to the above are changed to the electrostatic suction board 24. For example, if the surface of the electrostatic adsorption board 24 is a flexible member, when it comes into contact with an article, the adsorption force due to the electrostatic attraction also functions, and the electrostatic adsorption board 24 makes contact over a large area so as to cover the surface of the article, and is softened instead of air suction. It has a function of flexibly gripping an article.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an outline of gripping using an electromagnet of the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, a conductive probe 25 having an electrode at the tip is used for the sensor function of detecting an article. Further, the specification for suction gripping is an electromagnet 26 instead of the suction pad 13. The inside of the broken line shows the outline of the function of the conductive probe 25. The article is electrically sensed when the article comes into contact with the probe at the tip.

For example, if the article to be gripped and transferred has a magnetic material specification, the magnetism of the magnetic article can be aroused by passing a constant current from the conductive probe 25 at the same time as detecting the contact of the article with the conductive probe 25. The magnetic material is gripped by magnetic force by a gripping plate which is an electromagnet 26.

If the gripping specification uses the electromagnet 26 of the article search and gripping device according to the embodiment of the present invention, only the magnetic article can be selectively detected and gripped and transferred, as in the thermistor detection in FIG. That is, the article gripping / transferring device according to the embodiment of the present invention makes it possible to freely utilize the sensor function to search for an article and sort / grip / transfer according to the characteristics of the article.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing an outline of a gripping mechanism using a pick hand of an article gripping transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the pick hand 28 is used instead of the suction pad for the article gripping mechanism. The pick hand 28 has a plurality of gripping claws 29 at its tip, and has a function of sandwiching and gripping the surface of an article by opening and closing the gripping claws 29. It is effective for gripping articles with a soft surface, cloth articles, bag-shaped articles, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 11, for example, the article is detected by the plunger 44 (shown by the broken line in FIG. 7) of the limit switch 43, and the article is a soft article, a cloth article, or a bag-shaped article together with information such as the outer shape of the article. The article gripping mechanism can also be selected as the pick hand 28 by being able to obtain the sensing information of. A large number of evenly arranged pick hands 28 are effective in effectively gripping and transferring soft articles, cloth articles, amorphous articles, and the like.

FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram in the case where the article detection function of the article gripping / transferring device according to the embodiment of the present invention is a light receiving / receiving phototube. As shown by the broken line portion in the figure, the tip of the light emitting / receiving phototube 30 is divided into two, one of which is composed of the floodlight 32 and the other of which is composed of the light receiver 31, and the light 33 running through the gap. Detects decay. Since the surface of the article is sensed by the light receiving / receiving phototube 30, the article can be gripped and transferred by the pick hand 28 as in FIG. 11 based on the article recognition information as described above. Further, as one of the article gripping transfer mechanisms having the article gripping function similar to the pick hand 28, there is a substantially finger-shaped hand (flexible microactuator or the like) using an air and an electric actuator (the figure is omitted). A finger-shaped hand using an air and an electric actuator is composed of a finger-shaped flexible member formed by bundling thin hollow tubes, and the hollow portion of the finger-shaped tip is closed. The finger-shaped tip can be freely bent by filling the hollow with air and controlling the height of each tube air pressure. Therefore, by freely adjusting the air pressure of each of the plurality of bundled substantially finger-shaped tips, it is possible to freely bend and move them as if they were human fingers. By controlling a plurality of the finger-shaped portions, the article can be gripped like a human hand. Therefore, by using a substantially finger-shaped hand using the air and the electric actuator, it is possible to grasp and transfer the article in the container recognized by the sensing sensor. Similarly, using a substantially finger of the hand with the air and the electric actuator, as described above in the air discharging mechanism, when the article becomes small quantity, to facilitate sensing gripping the articles remaining in the corner of the container Therefore, it can be moved to a fixed position or a central part in the container. A substantially finger-shaped hand (flexible microactuator) using an air and an electric actuator is included in the article gripping and transferring mechanism in the present invention, and has the same in-container article moving function as the above-mentioned container cradle and air discharge mechanism. Also has.

FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing the movement of the gripping mechanism portion of the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, for example, the manipulator 5 of the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention has a gripping mechanism, for example, as shown in the figure when the gripping mechanism 12 enters the raw material BOX 2. The product inside can be sucked and gripped while moving (searching) in the order of B, C, D, E, and F from the position of A.

The gripping mechanism 12 can suck and grip the first product, sense the sensor, grip it, and transfer it. For example, in the case of a spherical gripping mechanism, even if the size of the raw material BOX is changed, the movement of the manipulator 5 can be programmed according to the internal shape of the raw material BOX, for example, as in the operation of A to F above. be able to. This function will be referred to as the "finding function" hereafter.

When the gripping mechanism, which is the tip device of the article gripping / transferring device according to the embodiment of the present invention, is used in a transport line, it has a suction head (probably a rectangular shape) or a substantially spherical shape having an area corresponding to the size of the loading port of the transport box. For example, 30 suction ports are provided on the suction head of the above, and these suction ports can independently control the suction of air, and when the suction plate is put into the transport box, it first contacts the product. Only the suction port that has been sucked reacts with the sensor to perform a suction operation (other suction ports stop), and it sticks to the product and is taken out.

The above-mentioned method is a method of quickly and efficiently taking out only one product from among the boxes containing the same product in the transport box on the transport line. Conventionally, the tip device attached to this type of robot arm is equipped with a large number of sensors such as a camera at the tip even if the suction method is the same as that of the present invention, and the position of the product can be accurately positioned by using these. It was stipulated that the three main processes of "image recognition", "position detection", and "extraction" of indexing and then gripping the product should be performed according to strict program control.

However, if the product is being transported at a reasonable speed and the product is gripped while checking the location one by one in this way, it is inefficient and cannot cope with the speed.

The article gripping / transferring device according to the embodiment of the present invention is a short-axis type in which the suction head is lowered from a rail provided on the transport line even if the robot itself is a manipulator type placed next to the transport line. Either can be handled. It will be possible to handle with an extremely simple mechanical device.

FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram showing the movement of the gripping mechanism of the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention in an operation flow diagram. This figure shows a specific example of the piece gripping transfer robot in an operation flow, and shows an example of the operation of the gripping mechanism and a programmatic judgment system in each operation.

In FIG. 14, the operation flow of gripping the product 3 in the raw material BOX 2 by the suction pad 13 of the gripping mechanism is shown in the order of process A to process H. In process B, the gripping mechanism is close to the product, in process C, one product is sucked and gripped, and in process D, the weight and the like are inspected while rising. If the inspection passes, the goods are put into the pickup BOX 1 in the process E.

For example, when a plurality of products are adsorbed and gripped as in process F, which is the same stage as process C, in the weight inspection of process G, the adsorption of excess products is removed so that the products become one. Process E is reached when the weight inspection is passed. The inspection NG course shows a repeating process. The order in which the air pressure of the suction pad is released and the excess product is dropped may be arbitrarily set, for example, the product is removed from the product outside the head. Further, it may be performed by inspecting from the number of suction plates sucked by suction air pressure instead of the weight inspection and releasing the suction of excess products.

FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram showing the movement of the gripping mechanism of the article gripping transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention in an operation flow diagram. As shown in the broken line in the figure, the gripping mechanism having a substantially spherical or substantially polyhedral shape has a so-called finding function of detecting a product while moving in the supplied product BOX. The search function 6 is as described in FIG. Since the individual suction pads are arranged on a substantially spherical surface, the product can be detected in a direction other than the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 15, the operation flow of gripping the product 3 in the raw material BOX 2 by the suction pad 13 of the gripping mechanism is shown in the order of process A to process H. In process B, the head is close to the product, in process C, one product is sucked and gripped, and in process D, the weight and the like are inspected while rising. If the inspection passes, the goods are put into the pickup BOX 1 in the process E.

For example, when a plurality of products are adsorbed and gripped at the stage of process C as in process F, in the weight inspection of process G, the adsorption of excess products is removed so that the products become one. Process E is reached when the weight inspection is passed. The inspection NG course shows a repeating process. The order in which the suction pad is opened and the excess product is dropped may be arbitrarily set, for example, the product is removed from the product on the outside of the head.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 15, the gripping mechanism has a function of searching for an article to be gripped by itself, a so-called “finding function” 6.

Finding is the continuation of the work of recognizing and detecting the article through the contact of the gripping mechanism sensing part with the article or product to be searched, and repeating the work of determining whether or not the article is the object until the object can be recognized. It means that. For example, image recognition and determination by IR or UV electromagnetic waves and ultrasonic waves are non-contact detection, but recognition by sensors such as temperature, pressure, suction pressure, and weight is contact recognition. Although the present invention is a work by a gripping mechanism, the contact or non-contact is not particularly limited in the recognition of an article. This is because if an article or a product can be recognized, it can still be grasped.

The article gripping and transferring device according to the present invention can detect, grip, and transfer all the residual products remaining in the four corners and the like in the container. As described above, the article gripping and transferring device according to the present invention is provided with a sensing sensor, a plurality of vacuum suction pads, and the like, and can simultaneously grip and transfer the first contacted product, and can receive the container. Even products remaining in the inner corner of the container due to vibration / tilt of the table or air injection can be collected in one place and completely sensed / gripped / transferred.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. The differences in the specifications of the individual parts of the sensor mechanism and the gripping mechanism in the above description are not allowed outside the technical scope of the present invention, but are included in the technical concept of the present invention. In other words, these are all part of this technical idea.

As described above, according to the invention of the present application, in the refilling and transferring of delivery boxes and the like of other kinds of goods at a distribution collection and delivery base, the residue remains in the corner of the container without using an expensive program-controlled robot arm. Even products can be easily selected, gripped, and transferred. In addition, since the article can be gripped and transferred without being restricted by the size, weight, outer shape, surface condition, etc. of the article, it is possible to transfer the article safely and with good workability, and the economic efficiency is significantly improved. A possible distribution collection and delivery base will be realized.

The present invention can be used not only for the gripping and transferring process of goods at a distribution collection and delivery base, but also for the gripping and transferring of all goods. For example, it can also be used for selective transfer of assembled parts in a manufacturing process. Therefore, the present application brings great benefits to various industries.

1 Collection BOX
2 Raw material BOX
3 Goods (goods)
4 Goods grasping transfer device 5 Manipulator 6 Searching function 7 Suction head 8 Container cradle 9 Arm 10 Vacuum suction sensor 11 Air 12 Gripping mechanism 13 Suction pad 14 Vibration table 15 Tilt table 16 Air piping 17 Vacuum suction 19 Control mechanism 20 Air nozzle 21 Air 23 Thermista 24 Electrostatic suction board 25 Conductive probe 26 Electromagnetic magnet 27 Conductive probe overview 28 Pick hand 29 Gripping claw 30 Projectile light receiving type photoelectric tube 31 Receiver 32 Floodlight 33 Light 40 Optical sensor 40A Photoelectric tube 41 Vacuum degassing system 42 Contact switch 43 Limit Switch 44 Plunger

Claims (5)

A sensor that detects an article as a confirmation means for confirming the existence of an article for gripping from a raw material box containing the same article, a gripping mechanism for gripping the article, and an operation predetermined by a program. An article gripping and transferring mechanism having an article locating function that moves so as to follow the positions related to the above in order , wherein the sensing sensor moves after the article grabbing and transferring mechanism has entered the raw material box and moved by the article locating mechanism. An article gripping / transferring mechanism in which the article gripping / transferring mechanism searches for the article by sensing the first article, and the article is gripped and transferred by the gripping mechanism .
A container cradle that can vibrate and / or tilt the container containing the article to move the article to a fixed position in the container, and / or blow air into the container to move the article. An air discharge mechanism that can be moved to a fixed position inside the container,
An article gripping / transferring device including the article gripping / transferring mechanism and a control mechanism for controlling a container cradle and / or an air discharge mechanism. The article finding function is an operation of moving the article gripping and transferring mechanism so as to rotate clockwise from the outer shell to the center while approaching the container in which the articles are randomly stored, or One of the movements that moves to rotate while drawing an arc counterclockwise from the center to the outside, or the movement that follows the inner circumference of the container along the inner wall of the container and moves inward after the final inner wall. The article gripping and transferring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of them is to be performed. A claim characterized in that the sensing sensor is a negative pressure sensor and / or a laser sensor and / or an ultraviolet sensor and / or an infrared sensor and / or a visible light sensor and / or a microwave sensor and / or an ultrasonic sensor. The article gripping transfer device according to 1 or 2. The article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sensing sensor is a limit switch and / or a temperature sensor (thermistor) and / or a conductive probe and / or a phototube and / or a pressure-sensitive sensor and / or a magnetic sensor. Grip transfer device. The article gripping and transferring mechanism is a substantially finger-shaped hand using a vacuum suction suction mechanism and / or an electrostatic suction pad mechanism and / or an electromagnet mechanism and / or a pick hand mechanism and / or an air and an electric actuator. The article gripping transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which has a feature.

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