JP2006082157A - Manipulator and container aligning device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manipulator which exerts high rigidity, carries out work at a high speed, and facilitates operation control thereof. <P>SOLUTION: According to the structure of the manipulator, two out of three links each having both ends thereof rotatably connected to an interval between a proximal end support portion 4 and a terminal portion 5, function as a first power transmission axis L1 and a second power transmission axis L2 which are in parallel with each other, have the same length, and cooperatively form a first parallel link mechanism PL1. The other one of the links functions as a drive arm A which is in parallel with the first and second power transmission axes L1, L2, has the same length as those of the first and second power transmission axes L1, L2, and forms a second parallel link mechanism PL2 in a plane orthogonal to a plane F0 of the first parallel link mechanism PL1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a work manipulator that performs operations such as conveyance and processing, and a container alignment device that uses the manipulator.

Conventional work manipulators include a serial link type shown in Patent Document 1 in which arms are connected in series, and a parallel link type in Patent Document 2 in which arms are connected in parallel.
Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 6-411117 (FIG. 3) JP 2000-130535 A (FIG. 1)

  The serial link manipulator shown in Patent Document 1 has a wide work area, but since a plurality of arms are connected in series, a large load is applied to the base end side of the arm, and the base end side has a higher rigidity and a larger rigidity. A driving force is required, and there is a problem that the rigidity is lower than that of the parallel link manipulator and the operation speed is low.

  The parallel link manipulator shown in Patent Document 2 is supported by at least three or more links, so that high rigidity can be secured and high-speed operation is possible, but the work area is narrow and the length of the link is long. It is difficult to determine the sheath arrangement. In addition, when an image pickup device is arranged near the base end of the link to obtain an image of a work target that works on the hand tip, any link remains in the field of view of the image pickup device even when the hand tip is away from the work target. There is a problem that image processing tends to be difficult because of the reflection.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide a work manipulator and a container alignment device that have high rigidity, high work speed, and easy operation control.

  The manipulator according to claim 1 is configured such that two link members are parallel to each other and have the same length among three link members in which both end portions are rotatably connected between the proximal end support portion and the hand end portion. The first parallel link mechanism is formed, and the remaining one link member is formed in parallel with the components of the first parallel link mechanism to have the same length so that the first parallel link mechanism operates. A second parallel link mechanism that is operated in a plane orthogonal to the plane to be formed, and one of the three link members is configured as a drive arm that moves the hand portion, and the remaining two are A first power transmission shaft and a second power transmission shaft that drive the driving mechanism of the hand portion from the base end support portion are used.

  The manipulator according to claim 2 has a turning drive mechanism for turning a work device provided at the hand portion around the first axis at a hand portion, and an exit / retreat drive mechanism for moving the work device along the first axis. And a swing drive mechanism for swinging the working device around a second axis orthogonal to the first axis, and each of the drive mechanisms is respectively connected to the base end support portion via each power transmission shaft. Two driving devices for driving are provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container aligning device using the manipulator according to the first or second aspect, wherein an image measuring means for picking up an image of the container is provided at a proximal end support portion of the manipulator, and a hand as a work device. A container holding tool is provided in the section, and the container carried in by the container carrying-in means is configured to hold the container with the holding tool based on the data detected by the image measuring means, change the posture, and align the container with the container carrying-out means. It is a thing.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, of the three link members, one is a drive arm that moves the hand portion, the remaining two are power transmission shafts, and these three link members are orthogonal to each other. Since the parallel link mechanism that operates on each of the two surfaces is configured, the movement of the hand can be easily controlled by translating the hand, and the hand is supported with high strength by three link members. A highly rigid structure can be obtained. Furthermore, since a drive device is provided in the base end support part and the drive mechanism of a hand part can be driven via two power transmission shafts, the weight of the hand part can be reduced. Further, by operating with one drive arm, high-speed operation is possible in addition to weight reduction.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the three driving mechanisms provided in the hand portion can increase the degree of freedom of the hand portion and ensure a wide working range, and the two drive devices of the base end support portion can provide two. The two drive mechanisms can be respectively driven via the power transmission shafts, and the degree of freedom by the hand portion can be ensured, enabling high-speed and high-speed work.

  According to the container alignment device of claim 3, by moving the hand portion sideward by the drive arms and the two power transmission shafts parallel to each other, the image measuring means disposed in the vicinity of the proximal end support portion, The container on the container carrying-in means can be detected over a wide range without the drive arm and the two power transmission shafts being reflected, and the container can be aligned at high speed and accurately.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Embodiment 1]
As shown in FIG. 1, this container aligning apparatus sequentially holds containers B, which are blow-molded, for example, by a carry-in conveyor device (container carrying means) 51 and carried in an irregular lying posture by means of a manipulator 1. Are changed from a lying posture to an upright posture, and are sequentially aligned and carried out on a carry-out conveyor device 52 arranged somewhat higher on one side. The manipulator 1 is provided on the base end support portion 4 which is a ceiling portion supported via a plurality of support columns 53.

  In the vicinity of the manipulator 1 in the ceiling portion 54, an imaging device (image measuring means) 55 for imaging the container B on the carry-in conveyor device 51 is provided, and this imaging signal is input to the bottle detection unit 50a of the controller 50. Thus, the position and angle of the target container B are calculated.

  The manipulator 1 includes three link members as shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, and these three link members are provided on the upper base end support portion 4 and on the first plane F <b> 1 whose base end side is the ceiling side. Hand end connecting portions 3a to 3c that are rotatably supported via base end connecting portions 2a to 2c arranged on the top and that have free end sides arranged on a second plane F2 parallel to the first plane F1. Are respectively connected to the hand portion 5 so as to be rotatable, and are arranged in parallel with each other in the same length. Of these three link members, one is a drive arm A that drives the hand portion 5, and the remaining two are the first drive device 6A and the second drive device 6B provided on the base end support portion 4. These are a first power transmission shaft L1 and a second power transmission shaft L2 that transmit power to the turning drive mechanism 31 and the lift drive mechanism 32 of the hand portion 5, respectively.

Further, the first power transmission shaft L1 and the second power transmission shaft L2 constitute a first parallel link mechanism PL1 that operates in a plane F0 including the Y axis and the Z axis. Further, the surface F0 (constituting part of the first parallel link mechanism) and the drive arm A constitute a second parallel link mechanism PL2 that is operated on a plane including the Y axis and the X axis orthogonal to the plane F0. (Here, the second parallel link mechanism PL2 can also be composed of the drive shaft A and the first power transmission shaft L1, or the drive shaft A and the second power transmission shaft L2.)
Details will be described below.

  The base end support portion 4 is provided with a main drive device 8 that rotates the drive arm A around the base end connection portion 2a. As shown in FIG. 4, the main drive device 8 comprises an X-axis rotation device (motor with a speed reducer) 8x and a Z-axis rotation device (motor with a speed reducer) 8z, and the base end connecting portion 2a is X The shaft support portion 11X and the Z-axis support portion 11Z are configured. In the Z-axis support portion 11Z, the base end portion of the drive arm A is supported by the U-shaped first support body 11b via the first horizontal shaft 11a in the Z-axis direction so as to be rotatable around the Z-axis center, An output shaft 11c orthogonal to the first horizontal shaft 11a in the X-axis direction of the X-axis rotation device 8x is connected and fixed to the first support 11b. Accordingly, the drive arm A is supported so as to be rotatable around the Z axis, and can be rotated around the X axis via the first support 11b by the X axis rotating device 8x.

  Also, a U-shaped second support 11e is attached to the upper end of a spline shaft 11d that is slidably projected along the axial direction from the base end of the drive arm A via a spline nut 11k, and the second support A slider 11g is supported by the body 11e so as to be rotatable around the X axis via a second horizontal axis 11f in the X axis direction. On the other hand, an output shaft 11h in the Z-axis direction is disposed on the Z-axis rotation device 8z on the same plane as the output shaft 11c of the X-axis rotation device 8x, and the swing arm 11i extends upward from the output shaft 11h. A sliding shaft 11j is projected in the Z-axis direction via The slider 11g is slidably fitted on the sliding shaft 11j, thereby absorbing a positional deviation when the Z-axis support portion 11Z rotates around the output shaft 11.

  Therefore, the drive arm A is rotated around the X axis via the first support 11b by the X axis rotation device 8X. At this time, the swing of the second support 11e at the upper end of the spline shaft 11d and the slider 11g around the first horizontal shaft 11a is absorbed by expansion and contraction of the spline shaft 11d and sliding of the slider 11g on the slide shaft 11j. . Further, the drive arm A is rotated around the first horizontal axis 11a via the swing arm 11i, the slide axis 11j, the slider 11g and the spline axis 11d by the Z-axis rotation device 8z. Further, the drive arm A is restrained and supported by the X-axis support portion 11X by a spline nut 11k and a spline shaft 11d provided on the drive arm A so as not to twist around the longitudinal axis. As described above, of the three free rotation axes of the drive arm A, the rotation is permitted around the X axis and the Z axis, and the rotation is driven while the rotation around the longitudinal axis is constrained. Has been. In response to this, the hand portion 5 is independently translated in the Z-axis direction by the rotational drive around the X-axis of the drive arm A and in the X-axis direction by the rotational drive around the Z-axis. On the other hand, it does not rotate in the XZ plane. With this structure, when viewed in the local coordinate system (X ′, Y ′, Z ′) of the hand portion 5 and the overall coordinates (X, Y, Z), there is no parallelism between the XX ′ axis and the ZZ ′ axis. It will be held without control.

  Further, the first drive device 6A and the second drive device 6B provided on the base end support portion 4 are connected to the first power transmission shaft L1 via base end connection portions 2b and 2c formed of universal joints on the output shafts 6a and 6b, respectively. And the 2nd power transmission shaft L2 is connected so that bending is possible. Further, on the hand portion 5 side, the drive arm A, the first power transmission shaft L1 and the second power transmission shaft L2 which are parallel to each other are respectively connected to the second plane F2 via hand joint portions 3a to 3c formed of universal joints. The operating arm 21, the first input shaft 22, and the second input shaft 23 are connected to each other so as to be bent.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the hand portion 5 includes a turning gear box 20A having a first input shaft 22, an exit / retreat gear box 20B having a second input shaft 23, a turning gear box 20A, and A connecting frame 20C for connecting the withdrawing / retracting gear box 20B, and a swing for supporting the turning spline shaft 26 to be freely withdrawn / retracted by the turning gear box 20A via the turning shaft 24 so as to be rotatable about the Z axis. The moving gear box 20D is provided, and the distal end portion of the operation arm 21 is fixed and supported by the connecting frame 20C. Further, a suction pad 30 as a work tool is provided at the tip of the exit / retreat spline shaft 26. The hand portion 5 includes a turning drive mechanism 31 that rotates the suction pad 30 around the vertical axis through the retracting spline shaft 26 in the turning gear box 20A, and an exiting / retracting gear box 20B. An elevating drive mechanism (retracting drive mechanism) 32 that moves the retracting spline shaft 26 back and forth in the axial direction thereof to raise and lower the suction pad 30 and a swinging gear box 20D rotate around the turning shaft 24 in the Z-axis direction. Thus, a swing drive mechanism 33 that swings the suction pad 30 is provided.

  In other words, the turning drive unit 31 includes a turning input miter gear 25A, 25B interposed between the first input shaft 22 and the turning shaft 24 in the Z-axis direction in the turning gear box 20A, and the swinging gear box 20D. There are provided turning output miter gears 28A and 28B interposed between the turning shaft 24 and a spline cylinder 27 which is externally fitted to the retractable spline shaft 26 so as to be slidable only in the axial direction.

  Accordingly, the first power transmission shaft L1 is rotated by the output shaft 6a of the first drive device 6A via the proximal end connecting portion 2b, and the first input shaft 22 is further rotationally driven via the hand connecting portion 3b. In the turning drive mechanism 31, the rotational force is sequentially transmitted from the first input shaft 22 to the exit / retreat spline shaft 26 via the turning input miter gears 25A and 25B, the turning shaft 24 and the turning output miter gears 28A and 28B. The suction pad 30 is turned through the retreating spline shaft 26.

  The elevating drive mechanism 32 is a miter gear for egress / retreat between the second input shaft 23 and an egress / retreat shaft 35 rotatably supported on the same axis as the turning shaft 24 in the egress / retreat gear box 20B. 36A and 36B are interposed and linked. Further, exit / retreat link mechanisms 37A and 37B are interposed between the exit / retreat shaft 35 and the tip of the exit / retreat spline shaft 26. The exit / retreat link mechanisms 37A and 37B are provided on a passive sleeve 38 having a link arm 37A fixed to the exit / retraction shaft 35 in the radial direction and externally fitted to the lower part of the exit / retraction spline shaft 26 so as to be rotatable only around the axis. The link arm 37B is rotatably connected via a pin in the Z-axis direction, and the two link arms 37A and 37B are connected in a foldable manner via a connection pin 39 in the Z-axis direction. .

  Accordingly, the second drive device 6B rotates the second power transmission shaft L2 from the output shaft 6b through the proximal end hand connecting portion 2c, and further rotates the second input shaft 23 through the hand connecting portion 3c. In the lifting drive mechanism 32, the retracting shaft 35 is rotated from the second input shaft 23 via the retracting miter gears 36A and 36B, and the retracting and retracting spline shaft 26 is pivoted via the retracting and retracting link arms 37A and 37B. The suction pad 30 is moved up and down in the direction of the heart.

  The swing drive mechanism 33 is provided with a swing actuator (fluid pressure cylinder) 41, which is a third drive device, standing on a turning gear box 20A via a bracket, and a cam is connected to an output rod 41a that is retracted downward. A cam member 42 in which a groove is formed is attached. Further, a cam roller 44 that is movably fitted in a cam groove of the cam member 42 is rotatably supported at a tip end portion of a receiving arm 43 protruding from the swinging gear box 20D.

  Therefore, by extending / contracting the swinging actuator 41, the swinging gear box 20D is rotated around the turning shaft 24 via the cam member 42 and the cam roller 44, and the suction pad 30 is swung over at least 90 °. be able to.

The container alignment operation in the above configuration will be described.
The container B on the carry-in conveyor device 51 is imaged by the imaging device 55 in a state where the hand portion 5 of the manipulator 1 moves to the side and the lower side is opened, and the image signal of the imaging device 55 is the bottle detection unit of the controller 50. The position and orientation of the target container B are calculated by inputting to 50a. The operation command value is input to the operation control unit 50b, and the operation controller 50b operates the first and second drive devices 6A and 6B, the X-axis and Z-axis rotation devices 8x and 8z, and the swing actuator 41 to operate the swing actuator 41. An operation signal is output to the actuator operation valve and the suction pad operation valve that turns the suction pad 30 on and off, and the manipulator 1 is operated.

  First, the X-axis rotation device 8x and the Z-axis rotation device 8z of the main drive device 8 are driven to rotate the drive arm A, and the first and second power transmission shafts L1 and L2 are the first and first. Following the drive arm A via the two parallel link mechanisms PL1 and PL2, the hand portion 5 is thereby translated.

  When the hand portion 5 is stopped above the target container B placed in a lying posture on the carry-in conveyor device 51, the lift drive mechanism 32 is driven by the second drive device 6B via the second power transmission shaft L2. Then, the suction pad 30 is lowered via the exit / retreat spline shaft 26, the suction pad 30 is applied to the container B, and the suction pad operation valve is operated to hold the container B by the suction pad 30.

  Next, the lift drive mechanism 32 is driven by the second drive device 6B, the suction pad 30 is raised and the container B is lifted, and the turning drive mechanism 31 is driven by the first drive device 6A via the first power transmission shaft L1. The suction pad 30 is rotated via the exit / retreat spline shaft 26 so that the container B is directed in the X-axis direction.

  Further, the drive arm A is swung by the main drive device 8 and the container B is conveyed to the carry-out conveyor device 52 side, and the swing drive mechanism 33 is advanced by the swing drive mechanism 33 so that the first input shaft 22 is centered. The exit / retreat spline shaft 26 is rotated to bring the container B into an upright posture. When the hand part 5 reaches a predetermined position on the carry-out conveyor device 52, the lifting drive mechanism 32 is driven by the second drive device 6B, the suction pad 30 is lowered, and the container B is in the upright posture on the carry-out conveyor device 52. Aligned.

  According to the above embodiment, one of the two link members is the drive arm A, the other two are the first and second power transmission shafts L1 and L2, and the first and second power transmission shafts. The first parallel link mechanism PL1 translated on the vertical plane F0 including the Z axis is formed by L1, L2 and the base end connecting portions 2b, 2c, and the vertical plane F0 (the first power transmission shaft L1 or the second Since the power transmission shaft L2) and the drive arm A form a second parallel link mechanism PL2 that is translated in a vertical plane including the X axis, the hand portion 5 is translated, so that it is compared with a serial link manipulator. And can be formed with high rigidity. Further, since the hand portion 5 is driven by one drive arm A, the hand portion 5 can be operated at high speed.

  The first drive device 6A drives the turning drive mechanism 31 of the hand portion 5 via the first power transmission shaft L1, and the second drive device 6B drives the hand portion 5 to move up and down via the second power transmission shaft L2. Since the mechanism 32 is configured to be driven, the hand portion 5 can be significantly reduced in weight compared to a manipulator having all the driving devices mounted on the hand portion, and high-speed operation is possible.

  Furthermore, by providing the imaging device 55 on the ceiling portion 54, when the drive arm A moves to the side, the drive arm A and the first and second power transmission shafts L1, L2 do not interfere with the lower imaging range. The container B, which is the object, can be detected accurately in a wide range, and the object can be detected easily and accurately in comparison with a parallel link manipulator in which the lower part of the hand is difficult to confirm. B can be held and an efficient alignment operation can be expected.

It is a whole perspective view showing an embodiment of a container alignment device concerning the present invention. It is a whole perspective view of the manipulator used for the container alignment device. It is a whole block diagram of the manipulator. It is the I section enlarged view shown in FIG. It is the II section enlarged view shown in FIG. It is a partially notched perspective view which shows the structure of the hand part of the manipulator. It is front sectional drawing which shows the structure of the hand part of the manipulator. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the turning drive mechanism of the manipulator. It is a side view which shows the raising / lowering drive mechanism of the manipulator. It is a side view which shows the rocking | fluctuation drive mechanism of the manipulator. It is a structural diagram showing operation of the manipulator.

Explanation of symbols

F1 1st plane F2 2nd plane A Drive arm L1 1st power transmission shaft L2 2nd power transmission shaft PL1 1st parallel link mechanism PL2 2nd parallel link mechanism 1 Manipulator 2a-2c Base end connection part 3a-3c Hand connection part 4 Proximal End Supporting Section 5 Hand Part 6A First Driving Device 6a Output Shaft 6B Second Driving Device 6b Output Shaft 8 Main Driving Device 8x X-Axis Rotating Device 8z Z-Axis Rotating Device 20A Turning Gear Box 20B Retracting Gear Box 20C Connecting frame 20D Oscillating gear box 21 Input arm 22 First input shaft 23 Second input shaft 25A, 25B Turning input miter gear 26 Retracting spline shaft 27 Ball spline cylinder 28A, 28B Turning output miter gear 30 Suction pad 31 Rotation drive mechanism 32 Elevation drive mechanism 33 Oscillation drive mechanism 41 Oscillation actuator Over motor 50 controller 50a bottle detector 51 input conveyor device 52 discharge conveyor device 53 pillar 54 ceiling 55 imaging device

Claims (3)

Of the three link members whose both end portions are rotatably connected between the proximal end support portion and the hand end portion, two link members are formed in parallel with each other to have the same length. In-plane perpendicular to the surface on which the first parallel link mechanism is operated by forming a mechanism and forming the remaining one link member in parallel with the components of the first parallel link mechanism in the same length Forming a second parallel link mechanism operated at
Of the three link members, one is configured as a drive arm that moves the hand portion, and the remaining two are driven by the first power transmission shaft that drives the drive mechanism of the hand portion from the base end support portion and the first power transmission shaft. Manipulator with two power transmission shafts. At the hand portion, a turning drive mechanism for turning the work device provided at the hand portion around the first axis, a retracting drive mechanism for moving the work device along the first axis, and the work device at the first position. A swing drive mechanism that swings around a second axis orthogonal to the axis;
2. The manipulator according to claim 1, wherein the base end support portion is provided with two drive devices that respectively drive one of the drive mechanisms via the power transmission shafts. A container alignment device using the manipulator according to claim 1 or 2,
In the base end support portion of the manipulator, an image measuring means for imaging the container is provided, and a container holder is provided in the hand portion as a working device,
A container alignment apparatus configured to hold a container with the holder and change the posture of the container carried in by the container carry-in means based on data detected by the image measurement means, and align the container with the container carry-out means.

Images