JP2010000561A - Deformable thin object spreading device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spreading device simplifying a gripping work compared with conventional ones when manually performing the gripping work of a cloth or the like and relatively reducing processes until gripping the cloth or the like when performing the gripping work of the cloth or the like by an automatic control. <P>SOLUTION: The spreading device 1 and 2 is provided with a spreading mechanism 2A and a control device 4. The spreading mechanism includes a plurality of hand sections 21 and a second approach/separation mechanism 22. The hand section has a pair of finger portions 21A and a first approach/separation mechanism 21B. The first approach/separation mechanism allows the pair of finger portions to approach/separate along a face (hereinafter, referred to as "a first face") including the facing direction of the pair of finger portions. The second approach/separation mechanism allows the hand sections to approach/separate along the direction orthogonally crossing with the first face on the same line. The control device allows the hand sections to approach to each other to a first distance and then, with the finger portions brought close to each other to an eleventh distance, allows the hand sections to separate by a longer distance than the first distance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic deployment device for deformable thin objects such as fabrics, films, and papers.

  In recent years, robots that can automatically handle fabric handling, for example, transporting fabric, stacking fabric, folding fabric, etc. from the apparel industry, cleaning industry, linen supply industry, welfare industry, medical industry, etc. The voice that awaits the development of is heard.

  By the way, in order to realize such fully automatic handling of the fabric, it is necessary to establish an automatic deployment technology for the fabric. Various proposals have been made so far for the automatic deployment technology of the fabric.

  For example, in the past, “two clamps that grip the corners of the fabric, a clamp movement mechanism that can move the clamps to the left and right so that the center of the fabric is at the specified position, and the detection of the cloth deployment state. A fabric unfolding device (hereinafter, referred to as “first conventional device”) having a sensor to perform is proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the first conventional apparatus, after the fabric is manually sandwiched between two clamps arranged close to each other, the fabric is developed by sliding the two clamps to the left and right. At this time, the clamp moving mechanism moves the clamp so that the center of the fabric coincides with the specified position. In the first conventional apparatus, a light emitting element and a light receiving element are arranged at a position slightly lower than the clamp so as to sandwich a surface including the moving direction of the clamp, and light emitted from the light emitting element (hereinafter referred to as “sensor light”). When the light receiving element cannot detect the sensor light, the cloth development is completed. In another aspect, the remaining movement distance of the clamp is calculated at the moment when the cloth being unfolded switches the sensor switch, and the unfolding of the cloth is completed when the clamp moves the movement distance since the switch is switched.

  In the past, “first clamp that grips one corner of the fabric, second clamp that grips the other portion of the fabric, and the second clamp moves to the other corner of the fabric while the second clamp holds the fabric. A fabric unfolding device (hereinafter referred to as “second conventional device”) including a clamp moving mechanism is proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2).

Further, in the past, “a roller mechanism for taking out a corner of the fabric, a first corner holding mechanism for holding the corner taken out by the corner taking-out device, and a corner held by the first corner holding mechanism” A cloth unfolding device (hereinafter referred to as “first”), which includes a second corner gripping mechanism that grips the corners of the first corner portion, and a corner portion gripping mechanism moving mechanism that moves the first corner portion gripping mechanism and the second corner portion gripping mechanism in the left-right direction. 3 Conventional device ”) is proposed (for example, refer to Patent Document 3).
JP 2004-89473 A JP 2002-321869 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-231999

  However, in the first conventional apparatus, before the cloth unfolding operation, after one person grips one corner with one clamp, the other corner that is not diagonally related to the previous corner is moved to the other. It is necessary to perform the work of gripping the clamp. That is, the first conventional apparatus has a problem that a person has to perform a relatively complicated work when there are a lot of fabrics to be developed.

  Further, in the second conventional apparatus and the third conventional apparatus, the cloth gripping mechanism is caused to grip the corners of the fabric by automatic control of the cloth gripping mechanism. However, these conventional apparatuses have a problem that the mechanism itself is quite complicated, and there are many steps until the fabric gripping mechanism grips the fabric.

  The subject of the present invention is that when gripping work of deformable thin objects such as fabric, film, paper, sheet etc. is performed manually, the gripping work can be simplified as compared with the conventional, and the automatic control of the deformable thin objects is possible. An object of the present invention is to provide a deformable thin object developing device capable of relatively reducing the number of steps required to grip a deformable thin object when a gripping operation is performed.

  A deformable thin object deployment device according to a first aspect includes a deformable thin object deployment mechanism and a control device. Here, the “deformable thin object” is, for example, a cloth, a film, paper, a sheet, or the like. In the present invention, the shape of the deformable thin object is not particularly limited, but if it is a rectangle, the deformable thin object developing device can be easily controlled. In the present invention, a thick portion (for example, a folded portion) needs to be formed at the edge of the deformable thin object. This is because when there is no thick portion, the deformable thin object falls with a considerable probability during the unfolding operation. The deformable thin object deployment mechanism includes at least two hand portions and a second approach / separation mechanism. The hand portion has a pair of finger portions and a first approach / separation mechanism. The pair of finger portions each have a substrate, a first protrusion, and a second protrusion. The first protrusion extends from the base end of the substrate to the first side in the thickness direction of the substrate. The second protrusion extends from the tip of the substrate to the first side in the thickness direction of the substrate. In addition, the second protrusion has a chamfered corner on the side facing the first protrusion. The chamfered surface of the second protrusion may be a flat surface or a curved surface. The pair of finger portions are arranged such that the first protrusions and the second protrusions oppose each other. The first approaching / separating mechanism can move the pair of finger parts relative to each other along a surface including the opposing direction of the pair of finger parts (hereinafter referred to as “first surface”) to approach and separate the pair of finger parts. It is. The finger portion may be configured to slide along the first surface, or may be configured to open and close like a claw around a fulcrum. Further, the “relative movement” referred to here is to change the relative positional relationship between one finger part and the other finger part by moving at least one finger part along the first surface. . The second approaching / separating mechanism can move the hand part relatively on the same straight line along a direction orthogonal to the first surface (hereinafter referred to as “first direction”) to approach and separate the hand part. Note that “relative movement” herein refers to changing the relative positional relationship between one or more hand units and other hand units by moving at least one hand unit along the first direction. It is. As the first approach / separation mechanism and the second approach / separation mechanism, specifically, mechanisms such as a ball screw mechanism, an air cylinder mechanism, a motor cylinder mechanism, an electric slider mechanism, a belt slider mechanism, a linear slider mechanism, and a rack and pinion mechanism Is mentioned. These mechanisms are mainly composed of a drive source, a feed member, and a guide member. The ball screw mechanism is a slide moving mechanism that uses a motor as a drive source, a ball screw or a trapezoidal screw as a feed member, and an LM guide material or the like as a guide member, and moves by transmitting the rotation of the motor to the ball screw or the trapezoidal screw. This is a mechanism for sliding an object along a guide member such as an LM guide. The air cylinder mechanism is a slide movement mechanism that uses an air compressor as a drive source and a piston rod as a feed member and a guide member, and uses a direct movement of the piston rod to move a moving object attached to the piston rod. It is a mechanism for sliding. The motor cylinder mechanism is a slide moving mechanism that uses a motor as a drive source and a piston rod as a feed member and a guide member, and transmits the rotation of the motor to a ball screw to slide a moving object attached to the piston rod. It is a mechanism to make. The electric slider mechanism is a slide moving mechanism that uses a motor as a drive source, a ball screw or the like as a feed member, and an LM guide material or the like as a guide member, and transmits the rotation of the motor to the ball screw to move the moving object to the LM. It is a mechanism for sliding along a guide member such as a guide material. The belt slider mechanism is a slide movement mechanism that uses a motor as a drive source, a belt or a wire as a feed member, and an LM guide material or the like as a guide member, and transmits the rotation of the motor to the belt or wire to be moved. This is a mechanism for sliding an object along a guide member such as an LM guide material. The linear slider mechanism is a slide moving mechanism that uses a magnet as a drive source, the same feed member as a magnet, and an LM guide material or the like as a guide member. The linear slider mechanism slides and moves a moving object using the principle of a linear motor. It is a mechanism to make. The rack and pinion mechanism is a slide moving mechanism that uses a motor as a drive source, uses the rack and pinion as a feed member, and uses an LM guide material or the like as a guide member, and rotates the pinion by the rotation of the motor and is attached to the rack. This is a mechanism for sliding the moving object along a guide member such as an LM guide material. The control device performs first control and second control. In the first control, the control device controls the second approach / separation mechanism so that the hand unit approaches the first distance. In the second control, the second control unit causes the hand unit to be separated by a distance longer than the first distance (hereinafter referred to as “second distance”) in a state where the finger unit is approached to the eleventh distance after the first control. Control the approach and separation mechanism. The eleventh distance is preferably “a distance that allows the thin deformable object to be gripped and does not apply excessive stress to the thin deformable object”.

  First, the case where the deformable thin object is manually gripped in the deformable thin object developing device will be described.

  In such a case, the person first separates all the finger portions of the plurality of hand portions in a state where the plurality of hand portions are adjacent to each other (realized by the first control). The person then inserts any edge of the deformable thin object between the fingers. And a person makes a finger part approach and makes all the hand parts hold | grip the edge of a deformable thin object. In addition, separation and approach of the finger part may be executed by a control button, or when the thin deformable object approaches the finger part by an optical sensor or the like, the finger part is automatically separated and the deformable thin object is inserted inside the finger part. Then, the finger portion may automatically approach and the deformable thin object may be gripped. When the gripping operation is completed and the unfolding operation is started, the deformable thin object deploying device deploys the deformable thin object by separating the hand portion to the second distance.

  That is, in the deformable thin object deployment device according to the present invention, a person can grip an easily searchable edge portion by a plurality of hand portions at a time. Therefore, a person can easily complete the gripping operation as compared with searching for corners that are difficult to search and gripping the corners one by one with a clamp (a hand portion in the present application).

  Next, a case where the deformable thin object is gripped by automatic control in the deformable thin object developing device will be described.

  In such a case, before the first control, the operation of the deformable thin object deployment device is controlled as follows to cause the deformable thin object deployment device to grip the deformable thin object.

  First, the hand part is moved away by the 21st distance, and the deformable thin object unfolding mechanism is moved to a position where the lower surface of the lower finger part contacts the edge of the deformable thin object (hereinafter referred to as “first position”). Next, the hand unit is moved closer to a distance shorter than the 21st distance (hereinafter referred to as “the 22nd distance”). At this time, if the friction between the lower surface of the lower finger part and the upper surface of the deformable thin object is sufficiently high, or the lower finger part presses the deformable thin object downward. For example, the deformable thin object is deformed into a mountain shape (in side view) by the approach of the hand portions. In this case, the deformable thin object needs to have residual deformability (the property of maintaining its shape once it is deformed). That is, a mountain-shaped space (hereinafter referred to as “yamagata space”) is formed under the mountain-shaped portion of the deformable thin object. Subsequently, the deformable thin object unfolding mechanism is moved to a position above and below the first position (hereinafter referred to as “second position”), and the hand unit is shorter than the 22nd distance (hereinafter referred to as “23rd distance”). To approach. That is, at this time, the deformable thin object unfolding mechanism is located at the upper position in front of the mountain-shaped portion of the deformable thin object with the hand portions approaching each other. At this time, the deformable thin object keeps its deformed shape due to its properties. In addition, the 23rd distance at this time, that is, the approach distance of the hand part, must be such a distance that the lower finger part can be inserted into the mountain space. The second position is preferably “a height position at which the lower finger portion is inserted into the mountain space when the deformable thin object unfolding mechanism is advanced as it is”. Thereafter, the deformable thin object deploying apparatus moves the deformable thin object deploying mechanism to a position ahead of the second position (hereinafter referred to as “third position”) with the fingers spaced apart by the 31st distance. In addition, the 31st distance must be a distance where the chevron portion of the deformable thin object enters. Further, the third position must be “a position where the pair of finger portions are in a state of sandwiching the mountain-shaped portion of the deformable thin object”. And a finger part is made to approach to the 11th distance. That is, at this time, the hand portion grips the deformable thin object.

  In other words, when the deformable thin object is gripped by the deformable thin object deployment device by automatic control, the deformable thin object deployment device forms a grippable part by residually deforming the edge of the deformable thin object, and the grippable part is It will be gripped. For this reason, the deformable thin object developing device can grip the deformable thin object with a relatively small number of steps.

  Moreover, in this deformable thin object expansion | deployment apparatus, the projection part is provided before and behind the finger part. That is, in this deformable thin object deploying device, if the deformable thin object is gripped by the finger part so that the thick part of the edge of the deformable thin object is between the protrusions on the front and rear of the finger part, the deformable thin object is deployed. It can prevent falling during operation. Moreover, in this finger part, the corner | angular part inside a 2nd projection part, ie, the part which contacts the thick part of the edge of a deformable thin object, is chamfered. For this reason, in this deformable thin object expansion | deployment apparatus, it can prevent that a finger part is caught in the thick part of the edge of a deformable thin object during expansion | deployment operation | movement. Therefore, in this deformable thin object deployment device, a smooth deployment operation can be realized without damaging the deformable thin object.

  A deformable thin object developing device according to a second invention is the deformable thin object developing device according to the first invention, wherein the second projecting portion is a first projecting portion from the front end portion of the substrate to the first thickness direction side of the substrate. Extends to a lower height. That is, when the first protrusions come into contact with each other in the pair of finger portions, a certain gap is generated between the second protrusions.

  For this reason, this deformable thin object expansion | deployment apparatus can weaken grip force with respect to the deformable thin object which has the thickness of a fixed range. Therefore, the deformable thin object spreading device does not apply excessive stress to the deformable thin object having a certain range of thickness. Therefore, the deformable thin object spreading device does not unnecessarily damage the deformable thin object having a certain range of thickness.

  A deformable thin object deployment device according to a third invention is the deformable thin object deployment device according to the first invention or the second invention, wherein a pressure sensor is attached to the opposing surface of the finger portion. And a control apparatus controls the approach distance of finger parts based on the output value of a pressure sensor.

  For this reason, this deformable thin object expansion | deployment apparatus can make constant the gripping force of a deformable thin object irrespective of the thickness of a deformable thin object. Therefore, this deformable thin object spreading device does not apply extra stress to the deformable thin object. Therefore, this deformable thin object developing device does not unnecessarily damage the deformable thin object.

  A deformable thin object deployment device according to a fourth invention is the deformable thin object deployment device according to any one of the first to third inventions, and further includes a deformable thin object deployment mechanism moving mechanism. The deformable thin object deployment mechanism moving mechanism is capable of moving the deformable thin object deployment mechanism at least in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction. The control device further performs third control and fourth control. In the third control, after the second control or during the second control, the control device moves the deformable thin object deployment mechanism to the lower front or lower rear while keeping the deformable thin object deployment mechanism in a state where the first direction is parallel to the horizontal plane. The deformable thin object unfolding mechanism moving mechanism is controlled so as to move toward the. In the fourth control, after the third control, the control device controls the first approach / separation mechanism so that the fingers are separated from each other by a distance longer than the eleventh distance (hereinafter referred to as “the twelfth distance”). Note that the twelfth distance must be “a distance at which the hand unit can no longer hold the deformable thin object”.

  For this reason, this deformable thin object expansion | deployment apparatus can leave a deformable thin object still after pinching and deforming a deformable thin object. Therefore, this deformable thin object deployment device greatly contributes to the full automation of the handling of deformable thin objects.

  A deformable thin object deployment device according to a fifth invention is the deformable thin object deployment device according to the fourth invention, wherein the deformable thin object deployment mechanism moving mechanism moves the deformable thin object deployment mechanism in the up-down direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction. It is possible to move.

  For this reason, in this deformable thin object expansion | deployment apparatus, the freedom degree of the place of a deformable thin object can be raised.

  A deformable thin object deployment device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the deformable thin object deployment device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, further comprising a deformable thin object deployment mechanism turning mechanism. The deformable thin object deployment mechanism turning mechanism can turn the deformable thin object deployment mechanism.

  For this reason, in this deformable thin object expansion | deployment apparatus, the freedom degree of the place of a deformable thin object can be raised.

  The deformable thin object deployment device according to the first aspect of the present invention is capable of simplifying the gripping work more easily than the conventional one when the work of gripping a deformable thin object such as fabric, film, paper, or sheet is performed manually. When the gripping operation of the deformable thin object is performed by the control, the process until the deformable thin object is gripped can be relatively reduced. Moreover, in this deformable thin object expansion | deployment apparatus, the projection part is provided before and behind the finger part. That is, in this deformable thin object deploying device, if the deformable thin object is gripped by the finger part so that the thick part of the edge of the deformable thin object is between the protrusions on the front and rear of the finger part, the deformable thin object is deployed. It can prevent falling during operation. Moreover, in this finger part, the corner | angular part inside a 2nd projection part, ie, the part which contacts the thick part of the edge of a deformable thin object, is chamfered. For this reason, in this deformable thin object expansion | deployment apparatus, it can prevent that a finger part is caught in the thick part of the edge of a deformable thin object during expansion | deployment operation | movement. Therefore, in this deformable thin object deployment device, a smooth deployment operation can be realized without damaging the deformable thin object.

  The deformable thin object deployment device according to the second invention can weaken the gripping force with respect to the deformable thin object having a certain range of thickness. Therefore, the deformable thin object spreading device does not apply excessive stress to the deformable thin object having a certain range of thickness. Therefore, the deformable thin object spreading device does not unnecessarily damage the deformable thin object having a certain range of thickness.

  The deformable thin object deployment device according to the third aspect of the invention can make the gripping force of the deformable thin object constant regardless of the thickness of the deformable thin object. Therefore, this deformable thin object spreading device does not apply extra stress to the deformable thin object. Therefore, this deformable thin object developing device does not unnecessarily damage the deformable thin object.

  In the deformable thin object deployment device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the deformable thin object can be allowed to stand after the deformable thin object is pinched and unfolded. Therefore, this deformable thin object deployment device greatly contributes to the full automation of the handling of deformable thin objects.

  In the deformable thin object deployment device according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the degree of freedom of the place where the deformable thin object is placed can be increased.

  In the deformable thin object deployment device according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the degree of freedom of the place where the deformable thin object is placed can be increased.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention grasps a fabric placed on the first placement table 5A, then unfolds the grasped fabric and statically places it on the second placement table 5B. This apparatus is mainly composed of a fabric processing robot 2, a digital stereo camera 3, and a computer 4. In the present embodiment, the digital stereo camera 3 is connected to the computer 4 via a USB cable (not shown), and the fabric processing robot 2 is also connected to the computer 4 via an RS-232C cable (not shown). Connected.

  Hereinafter, the fabric processing robot 2, the digital stereo camera 3, and the computer 4 will be described in detail.

<Cloth processing robot>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the fabric processing robot 2 mainly includes a robot hand 2 </ b> A and a robot arm 2 </ b> B. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the robot hand 2A is rotatably attached to the tip side portion of the robot arm 2B. Hereinafter, the robot hand 2A and the robot arm 2B will be described in detail.

(1) Robot Hand 2 A of robot hands are mainly comprised from the hand mechanism 21 and the 1st slide mechanism 22, as FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the hand mechanism 21 mainly includes a pair of finger portions 21 </ b> A and a second slide mechanism 21 </ b> B.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 12, the finger portion 21 </ b> A is classified into an upper finger portion 21 a and a lower finger portion 21 b.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, the upper finger portion 21 a is mainly formed from a base portion 211, a distal end protruding portion 212, and a proximal end protruding portion 213. The base portion 211 is a block body portion that has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape (or thick plate shape). 9-12, the front-end | tip protrusion part 212 is extended toward the thickness direction one side of the base part 211 from the longitudinal direction front end side part of the base part 211. As shown in FIG. Note that, as is apparent from FIGS. 9 to 12, the end protrusion 212 has a flat end surface in the protrusion direction. Further, as is apparent from FIG. 11, the distal protrusion 212 has a semi-cylindrical curved surface facing the proximal protrusion 213. The proximal end protrusion 213 extends from the longitudinal direction proximal end portion of the base portion 211 in the same direction as the protrusion direction of the distal end protrusion 212. In addition, as is apparent from FIGS. 9 to 12, the base end protrusion 213 has a flat end surface in the protrusion direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, the lower finger portion 21 b is mainly formed from a base portion 211, a distal end protruding portion 212, a proximal end protruding portion 213, and a fastening portion 214. The base part 211 is a block body part having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A rubber sheet is affixed to the bottom surface of the base portion 211 (the surface in contact with the fabric CL). 9-12, the front-end | tip protrusion part 212 is extended toward the thickness direction one side of the base part 211 from the longitudinal direction front end side part of the base part 211. As shown in FIG. Note that, as is apparent from FIGS. 9 to 12, the end protrusion 212 has a flat end surface in the protrusion direction. Further, as is apparent from FIG. 11, the distal protrusion 212 has a semi-cylindrical curved surface facing the proximal protrusion 213. The proximal end protrusion 213 extends from the longitudinal direction proximal end portion of the base portion 211 in the same direction as the protrusion direction of the distal end protrusion 212. In addition, as is apparent from FIGS. 9 to 12, the base end protrusion 213 has a flat end surface in the protrusion direction. The fastening portion 214 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped (or thick plate-like) block body portion extending in the longitudinal direction from the base end surface of the base portion 211.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 12, the upper finger portion 21 a and the lower finger portion 21 b are formed so that end surfaces in the protruding direction of the base end protruding portion 213 and end surfaces in the protruding direction of the distal end protruding portion 212 are mutually connected. Arranged to oppose. In the upper finger portion 21a and the lower finger portion 21b, the height of the proximal projection 213 (length in the projection direction) is 0.2 mm higher than the height of the distal projection 212 (length in the projection direction). Designed to be Therefore, when the end surface in the protrusion direction of the base end protrusion portion 213 of the upper finger portion 21a and the end surface in the protrusion direction of the base end protrusion portion 213 of the lower finger portion 21b are in surface contact, the front end protrusion portion of the upper finger portion 21a. A gap of 0.4 mm is generated between the end surface in the protruding direction of 212 and the end surface in the protruding direction of the tip protruding portion 212 of the lower finger portion 21b. The upper finger portion 21a is fastened to a slider 21e (described later) of the second slide mechanism 21B so as to be slidable. The lower finger portion 21b is provided below the hand mechanism 21 via a fastening portion 214. And is fixedly fastened. That is, the upper finger portion 21a and the lower finger portion 21b can be separated or approached (including contact) by the computer 4 controlling the second slide mechanism 21B.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the second slide mechanism 21B mainly includes a ball screw 21c, a small electric motor 21d, a slider 21e, a coupling 21f, and an LM guide material (not shown). In the second slide mechanism 21B, when the small electric motor 21d starts to rotate, the rotational power is transmitted to the ball screw 21c, and as a result, the ball screw 21c rotates about its own axis. Then, the slider 21e slides linearly along the LM guide material by the rotational power of the ball screw 21c, and as a result, the upper finger portion 21a connected to the slider 21e slides. When the small electric motor 21d is driven in reverse, the traveling direction of the slider 21e is opposite to the moving direction of the slider 21e when the small electric motor 21d is driven forward. The small electric motor 21d is connected to the computer 4 via an RS-232C cable, and rotates forward, reverses, or stops according to a control signal transmitted from the computer 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the first slide mechanism 22 slides one hand mechanism 21 in the left-right direction, and the other hand mechanism 21 similarly slides in the left-right direction. And a twelfth slide mechanism 22B. The eleventh slide mechanism 22A and the twelfth slide mechanism 22B are mechanically completely independent. The eleventh slide mechanism 22A and the twelfth slide mechanism 22B are mainly composed of a ball screw (not shown), a small electric motor 22d, a slider (not shown), and an LM guide, as shown in FIGS. It is comprised from the material (not shown). In the first slide mechanism 22, when the small electric motor 22d begins to rotate, the rotational power is transmitted to the ball screw, and as a result, the ball screw rotates about its own axis. Then, the slider slides linearly along the LM guide material by the rotational power of the ball screw, and as a result, the hand mechanism 21 connected to the slider slides. When the small electric motor 22d is driven in reverse, the moving direction of the slider is opposite to the moving direction of the slider when the small electric motor 22d is driven forward. That is, the two hand mechanisms 21 can be separated or approached (including contact) by controlling the first slide mechanism 22 by the computer 4. The small electric motor 22d is connected to the computer 4 via an RS-232C cable, and rotates forward, reverses, and stops according to a control signal transmitted from the computer 4.

(2) Robot Arm As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the robot arm 2B mainly includes a pedestal 25a, a rotary table 25b, a first connecting portion 25c, a first arm portion 25d, a second connecting portion 25e, and a second. It is comprised from the arm part 25f.

  The pedestal 25a is provided with a turntable 25b on the top plate. The pedestal 25a accommodates a rotation mechanism (not shown) that rotates the rotary table 25b.

  The first connecting portion 25c is fixedly fastened to the rotary table 25b. And the 1st arm part 25d is connected with this 1st connection part 25c.

  The first arm portion 25d is a substantially columnar member, and a proximal end portion is connected to the first connecting portion 25c, and a distal end side portion is connected to the second connecting portion 25e. And this 1st arm part 25d rotates in the surface (henceforth a "1st surface") orthogonal to the surface containing the rotation direction of the turntable 25b centering | focusing on the connection point with the 1st connection part 25c. Can do.

  The second connecting part 25e is connected to the first arm part 25d and the second arm part 25f. And this 2nd connection part 25e can rotate in the 1st surface centering | focusing on the connection point with the 1st arm part 25d.

  The second arm portion 25f is a substantially columnar member, and has a proximal end portion connected to the second connecting portion 25e and a distal end portion connected to the robot hand 2A. The second arm portion 25f can rotate about its own axis. Further, as described above, the tip side portion of the second arm portion 25f is connected to the robot hand 2A so that the robot hand 2A can rotate in the first plane around the connection point.

  Such a robot arm 2B is commercially available and can be easily obtained by those skilled in the art.

<Digital stereo camera>
The digital stereo camera 3 has two imaging units, and each imaging unit can generate digitized grayscale images, color images, and edge images before and after distortion correction by modules attached to the camera. it can. The digital stereo camera 3 transmits these images to the computer 4 via the USB cable every time an image is generated.

  In the present embodiment, the digital stereo camera 3 is focused on the top plate of the first mounting table 5A. The digital stereo camera 3 is fixedly installed so that the top plate of the first mounting table 5A is entirely included in the shooting range.

  In addition, as such a digital stereo camera 3, for example, a Bumbee 2 manufactured by Digicrops can be used.

<Computer>
As shown in FIG. 1, the computer 4 mainly includes a main body, a display, a keyboard, and a mouse.

  The main body includes a motherboard, a CPU, a main memory, a hard disk, a USB interface board, an RS-232C interface board, and the like. Software such as distance determination software, camera calibration software, and cloth processing robot control software is installed in the hard disk, and these software are executed by the CPU, main memory, and the like. The cloth processing robot control software includes a cloth position detection routine and a cloth processing robot operation control routine.

  When the digital stereo camera 3 simultaneously generates images in the two imaging units, the computer 4 collects data of these images from the digital stereo camera 3 by the distance determination software. Next, in the computer 4, the correspondence relationship between the pixels of both images is converted into data by the distance determination software. Subsequently, in the computer 4, the distance to the two-dimensional image coordinate point in the image is obtained based on the stereo camera function and the pixel correspondence data. Thereafter, in the camera module, the most similar object in both images is associated while moving horizontally between the pixels. When the search is completed for all the pixels, the distance to the object in the image is obtained.

  In addition, since such a method is a method well-known to those skilled in the art, it does not carry out detailed description any more.

  In the computer 4, camera coordinates are converted into robot coordinates by camera calibration software. In the present embodiment, camera calibration means a process for obtaining internal variables (such as focal length) and external variables (such as camera posture) of the camera.

  In the present embodiment, this camera calibration is performed as follows.

  First, the marker is moved to a position where the robot coordinates are known in advance. Next, the periphery of the marker is photographed by the digital stereo camera 3. Subsequently, a marker is extracted from an image around the marker by an estimated circle method. The estimated circle method will be described in detail below.

  In the estimation circle method, first, an HSV (color space composed of three components of hue, saturation, and brightness) color system is used for an image, and a color similar to a marker (white) designated in advance and other colors are selected. To binarize. In the present embodiment, the color similar to the marker is white and the other colors are black. Next, a circle with a radius r is drawn for an arbitrary pixel at the two-dimensional image coordinates C (u, v) from the binarized image. Subsequently, the pixel values p of all the pixels included inside the circle are scanned, and when the pixel value p is white, +1 is added, and when the pixel value p is black, -0.5 is added (the following expression) (See (2)). When the total number of pixels included inside the circle is M, the result value F is expressed by the following equation (2). Then, the circle center coordinate when the result value F is maximum is obtained, and the circle center coordinate is set as the marker position in the image, that is, the specified robot coordinate.

  Then, a set (x, w) of the robot coordinate x and the camera coordinate w is measured N times, and coordinate conversion between the two coordinates is performed. The coordinate transformation is expressed by a combination of a linear transformation A and a translation vector t. Specifically, the linear transformation A and the translation vector t are obtained, and the estimated robot coordinate x ′ is obtained by substituting the linear transformation A and the translation vector t into the following equation (3).

  In the present embodiment, a method of minimizing the evaluation value D (see the following expression (4)) is used in order to obtain a combination of the deformation transformation A and the translation vector t.

  Then, the absolute error value diff between the actual robot coordinate x and the estimated robot coordinate x ′ obtained by the above equation (3) is obtained from the following equation (5), and x and x when diff exceeds the threshold value After the pair with 'is removed, the combination of the linear transformation A and the translation vector t is obtained again using the above equation (4).

  In addition, since such a method is a method well-known to those skilled in the art, it does not carry out detailed description any more.

  Further, in the computer 4, the cloth CL is controlled by the cloth processing robot control software, and the control signal for realizing a series of operations from the cloth CL gripping process of the cloth processing robot 2 to the stationary process of the cloth CL. Is generated, and the control signal is sequentially transmitted to the fabric processing robot 2. The determination of the grip location of the fabric CL will be described in detail below.

  In the present embodiment, “a part of the edge of the cloth CL that is in contact with the first mounting table 5A is as close as possible to the robot hand 2A and is a straight line having a certain length or more. "Is defined as the grip location. First, in order to determine whether or not the edge of the fabric CL is in contact with the first mounting table 5A, the height data of the fabric CL from the first mounting table 5A is required. This height data can be easily calculated if the three-dimensional position of the first mounting table 5A is obtained in advance. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a marker sheet is installed on the first mounting table 5A, and the three-dimensional position of the first mounting table 5A is obtained from the three-dimensional coordinates of the marker sheet.

  Specifically, background difference processing is performed from the image of the first mounting table 5A on which the marker sheet is installed and the image of the first mounting table 5A on which the marker sheet is not installed. As a result, the binarized image is obtained. Is derived. Next, a parallax image of the marker sheet region is derived from the parallax image and the binary image, and camera coordinates and robot coordinates are obtained from the parallax image. Thereafter, the three-dimensional coordinates (robot coordinates) of each point on the first mounting table 5A are collected, and the plane equation that best matches the point group is obtained. This plane equation is incorporated in the fabric position detection routine in advance.

  In the cloth position detection routine, the contour extraction process, the straight line part extraction process, and the gripping part determination process of the cloth CL are executed. Hereinafter, the contents of each process will be described in detail. In addition, the outline extraction process of the fabric CL will be described with reference to FIGS. The grip location determination process will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the contour extraction process, a difference process is performed from an image of only the first mounting table 5A prepared in advance and an image of the cloth CL placed on the first mounting table 5A (see FIG. 13). As a result, a binarized image is derived. In the present embodiment, the cloth CL is set to be white and the background portion including the first mounting table 5A is set to be black. In FIG. 14 to FIG. 19, for convenience of explanation, the white pixels are shaded or hatched, and the black pixels are not hatched. Next, it is determined whether the pixel is white or black sequentially from the end pixel (pixel corresponding to the background portion) in the binarized image (see FIG. 14). Then, when it is determined that the pixel next to the pixel determined to be black is white, the white pixel is defined as a first contour pixel (a pixel that is hatched in FIG. 15) ( FIG. 15). Subsequently, while the pixels adjacent to the first contour pixel are scanned counterclockwise, it is determined whether the pixels are white or black (see FIG. 16). Similarly to the above, when it is determined that the pixel next to the pixel determined to be black is white, the white pixel is set as the second contour pixel (see FIG. 17). Thereafter, the n-th contour pixel is detected in the same manner as the detection of the second contour pixel, and this detection is repeated until the first contour pixel is detected again (see FIGS. 18 and 19). As a result, a closed curve, that is, a contour image (see FIG. 20) of the fabric CL is formed.

In the straight line portion extraction process, k-curvature is calculated for each pixel constituting the contour image of the fabric CL. The k-curvature is an amount representing the degree of curve steepness at a certain point on the curve. The larger the value, the steeper the curve is, and the closer this value is to 0. This indicates that the curve is loose, that is, the linearity is good. In the present embodiment, a pixel group whose k-curvature is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold is determined as a straight line portion. When the curve is expressed as a function of y = f (x), the k-curvature k is expressed by the following equation (6). In the present embodiment, k-curvature takes k points to the left and right of the point (x ₀ , y ₀ ) for which k-curvature is to be obtained, and the point (x _−k , y _−k ). To the point (x ₀ , y ₀ ) and the angle θ formed by the vector from the point (x ₀ , y ₀ ) to the point (x _k , y _k ).

  In the gripping part determination process, first, a straight line part whose height from the first mounting table 5A is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold is selected from the straight line parts extracted by the straight line part extraction process. This straight line portion selection process is performed in order to realize that the gripping operation of the robot hand 2A is performed at the portion where the robot cloth CL is in contact with the first mounting table 5A. Further, the height of the straight portion from the first mounting table 5A can be easily obtained from the equation of the plane and the coordinates of the straight portion. Next, a process of connecting the straight line parts selected in the straight line part selection process whose angles with the y-axis of the robot coordinate system are approximate (that is, those whose angle difference is within a predetermined threshold) is connected. Performed (see FIG. 21). In this connection process, in the straight line part extraction process, a part that actually looks straight may not be extracted as one straight line part but may be divided and extracted as two or more straight line parts. Has been done to positively correct. Subsequently, the length of the straight line portion subjected to the connection processing is calculated from the robot coordinates, and a length whose length is equal to or greater than a threshold value is selected. This length regulation selection process is performed based on the idea that it is desirable that the straight line portion held by the robot hand 2A is as long as possible. Finally, a straight line portion having the smallest angle with the robot coordinate system y-axis is selected from the straight line portions selected in the length regulation selection process. This angle regulation selection process is performed due to the fact that the robot hand 2A has a shape extending in the y-axis direction, and that the gripping operation is more easily performed as the angle is smaller.

  Then, the information on the straight line portion selected in the angle defining selection process is written in the main memory, and the information on the end point of the straight line portion is defined as the robot coordinates. If no straight line portion is detected in the grip location determination process, a warning message is displayed on the display. If no straight line portion having a length equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value is detected in the length regulation selection process, the straight line portion having the maximum length is selected, and the cloth dropping operation described below is performed.

<Operation control of fabric processing device>
As described above, when the straight line portion is selected in the angle regulation selecting process, the computer 4 sequentially transmits control signals to cause the cloth processing robot 2 to perform the cloth processing operation. If no straight line portion having a length equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is detected in the length regulation selection process, the computer 4 sequentially transmits control signals after the straight line portion having the maximum length is selected. The cloth processing robot 2 is caused to perform a cloth dropping operation. Hereinafter, the cloth processing operation and the cloth dropping operation will be described in detail. In addition, since the person skilled in the art can realize the operation of the following fabric processing operation and fabric dropping operation without undue burden if the operation mode can be understood, what kind of control signal is generated in the computer 4? Is not detailed.

(1) Fabric Processing Operation In the fabric processing operation, first, the robot arm 2B is operated so that the robot hand 2A is positioned at the initial position (see FIG. 22). At this time, in the robot hand 2A, the hand mechanism 21 is operated so that the hand mechanisms 21 are separated from each other by a predetermined distance, and a predetermined gap (cloth CL) is provided between the upper finger portion 21a and the lower finger portion 21b. The upper finger portion 21a is operated so that a gap in which the edge portion of the second finger portion can be inserted is generated.

  Next, the bottom surface of the lower finger portion 21b comes into contact with a predetermined point (for example, a point 6 cm away from an end point on one side and a point further 6 cm away from that point) selected in the angle regulation selection process. Thus, the hand mechanism 21 and the robot arm 2B are operated (see FIG. 23).

  Next, the hand mechanism 21 is moved closer so that the hand mechanism 21 is contracted to a predetermined distance (see FIG. 24). At this time, the portion between the gripped portions of the fabric CL is deformed into a mountain shape.

  Subsequently, the robot arm 2B is operated so that the robot hand 2A is positioned above and behind the previous position (see FIG. 25). At this time, the tip of the finger portion 21A must be behind the edge of the fabric CL in a top view. In order to operate the robot arm 2B in this way, the length in the longitudinal direction of the finger portion 21A is measured in advance and stored in the hard disk of the computer 4 as a control parameter. At this time, the hand mechanisms 21 are operated so that they are closer to each other. This operation is performed in order to insert the two lower finger portions 21b into the lower space of the mountain-shaped portion of the fabric.

  Subsequently, after the robot arm 2B is operated so that the robot hand 2A is positioned below the previous position, the robot arm 2B is operated so that the robot hand 2A is positioned forward from the previous position (FIG. 26). Note that the position in the vertical direction (that is, the height position) of the robot hand 2A at this time is the distance between the hand mechanisms 21 immediately before the cloth CL is deformed into a mountain shape, or the hand mechanism after the cloth CL is deformed into a mountain shape. It can be defined in advance by the distance between the two or the approach distance of the hand mechanism 21 when the fabric CL is deformed into a mountain shape. This is because these distances strongly depend on the height of the mountain-shaped portion of the fabric CL.

  Subsequently, the upper finger portion 21a is moved closer to the lower finger portion 21b until the proximal end projection portion 213 of the upper finger portion 21a and the proximal end projection portion 213 of the lower finger portion 21b come into surface contact. As a result, the finger portion 21A grips the fabric CL (see FIG. 26). At this time, a gap of 0.4 mm is generated between the tip protrusions 212. If the cloth CL has a thickness of 0.4 mm to 0.06 mm, the finger portion 21A does not damage the cloth CL. Can be gripped.

  Subsequently, the robot arm 2B is operated so as to move the robot hand 2A to a position above the second mounting table 5B (see FIG. 27).

  Subsequently, the hand mechanism 21 is operated so that the hand mechanism 21 is separated by a predetermined distance, and the fabric CL is developed (see FIGS. 27 to 29). Note that the separation distance of the hand mechanism 21 at this time is defined in advance by the size of the fabric CL.

  By the way, when there is no thick part such as a fold on the edge of the cloth CL, the cloth CL may fall off the finger portion 21A and fall on the second mounting table 5B during the cloth unfolding operation. For this reason, this operation | movement will be performed suitably for the fabric CL in which thick edge parts, such as folding, exist.

  Then, while the robot hand 2A moves forward, the robot arm 2B is operated so as to approach the second mounting table 5B, and the fabric CL is left standing in a state of being developed on the second mounting table 5B (FIGS. 30 to 33). reference). When the robot hand 2A reaches the specified position, the upper finger portion 21a is raised, and the fabric CL is released from the finger portion 21A.

(2) Cloth drop operation In the fabric drop operation, the same operation as the fabric processing operation is performed until the cloth CL is gripped by the finger portion 21A. When the fabric CL is gripped by the finger portion 21A, the robot arm 2B is operated so as to pull the robot hand 2A upward, and then the upper finger portion 21a is raised, and the fabric CL is released from the finger portion 21A. The That is, the fabric CL is dropped from above toward the first mounting table 5A. Thereafter, the fabric position detection routine is executed again.

<Features of fabric processing device>
(1)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the edge of the fabric CL is basically deformed into a chevron by a series of five operations of the fabric processing robot 2, and the chevron is a pair of finger portions. It is gripped by 21A. For this reason, the fabric treatment apparatus 1 can grip the fabric CL with a relatively small number of steps before the unfolding process.

(2)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the fabric processing apparatus 1 automatically grips the cloth CL by the robot hand 2A before the cloth CL is developed by the robot hand 2A. Therefore, this fabric processing apparatus 1 greatly contributes to the full automation of the handling of the fabric CL.

(3)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the fabric processing apparatus 1 performs an operation of allowing the cloth CL to stand after the cloth CL is developed by the robot hand 2A. Therefore, this fabric processing apparatus 1 greatly contributes to the full automation of the handling of the fabric CL.

(4)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the finger portion 21 </ b> A that opposes the proximal projection 213 of the distal projection 212 is a semi-cylindrical curved surface. For this reason, even when there is a thick portion such as a folded edge at the edge of the fabric CL, the fabric processing device 1 can smoothly pinch and unfold.

(5)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the height of the proximal projection 213 (the length in the projection direction) is the height of the distal projection 212 (projection) in the upper finger portion 21a and the lower finger portion 21b. It is designed to be 0.2 mm higher than the length in the direction). Therefore, when the end surface of the upper finger portion 21a in the protrusion direction of the base end protrusion portion 213 and the end surface of the lower finger portion 21b in the protrusion direction of the base end protrusion portion 213 are in surface contact, the distal end protrusion of the upper finger portion 21a. A gap of 0.4 mm is generated between the end surface in the protruding direction of the portion 212 and the end surface in the protruding direction of the tip protruding portion 212 of the lower finger portion 21b. For this reason, this fabric processing apparatus 1 can weaken the gripping force with respect to the fabric CL having a certain range of thickness. Therefore, this fabric processing apparatus 1 does not need to apply excessive stress to the fabric CL having a certain range of thickness. Therefore, this fabric processing apparatus 1 does not damage the fabric CL having a certain range of thickness.

(6)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, a rubber sheet is affixed to the bottom surface (the surface in contact with the fabric CL) of the base portion 211 of the lower finger portion 21b. For this reason, this fabric processing apparatus 1 can deform the fabric CL into a mountain shape without increasing the pressing force.

<Modification>
(A)
Although the digital stereo camera 3 is employed in the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, a digital monocular camera may be employed. In such a case, it takes time and effort to measure the distance from the camera manually in advance.

(B)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the computer 4 is employed as the control device, but a microcomputer may be employed as the control device.

(C)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the grip location of the fabric CL is specified using the digital stereo camera 3, but the digital stereo camera 3 is removed and the fabric installation position and its installation state in advance. You may prescribe. In such a case, it is preferable to attach a marker so that the installation position is clear and attach an instruction note or the like indicating the installation state in the vicinity of the installation position.

(D)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the fabric CL is the processing target. However, a film, paper, or other sheet-like material may be the processing target.

(E)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the ball screw mechanism is adopted as the first slide mechanism 22 and the second slide mechanism 21B, but an air cylinder mechanism and a motor cylinder are used as the first slide mechanism 22 and the second slide mechanism 21B. A mechanism such as a mechanism, an electric slider mechanism, a belt slider mechanism, a linear slider mechanism, or a rack and pinion mechanism may be employed.

(F)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the robot arm 2B as shown in FIG. 1 is employed. However, a rail-type robot arm that moves back and forth, right and left, and up and down may be employed.

(G)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the lower finger portion 21b is fixed and the upper finger portion 21a is slidable. However, both the upper finger portion 21a and the lower finger portion 21b are slidable. It may be configured as described above.

(H)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the clearance between the end surface in the protrusion direction of the tip protrusion 212 of the upper finger portion 21a and the end surface in the protrusion direction of the tip protrusion 212 of the lower finger portion 21b is 0.4 mm. However, the gap is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately changed depending on the thickness of the cloth CL to be processed. In such a case, the finger portion 21A may be removable, and the finger portion 21A may be appropriately selected and attached depending on the thickness of the fabric CL.

(I)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the digital stereo camera 3 is connected to the computer 4 via the USB cable. However, the digital stereo camera 3 may be connected to the computer 4 via another communication cable. Alternatively, the computer 4 may be wirelessly connected.

(J)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the fabric processing robot 2 is connected to the computer 4 via the RS-232C cable. However, the fabric processing robot 2 may be connected to the computer 4 via another communication cable. Alternatively, the computer 4 may be wirelessly connected.

(K)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, camera calibration is performed by marker extraction by the estimation circle method. However, as a camera calibration method, other known methods (for example, JP-A-11-37721, JP-A-2005-186193, JP-A-2006-145419, JP-A-10-221066) may be used.

(L)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the straight portion having a length equal to or greater than the threshold is determined as the grip location by the fabric grip position determination routine, but the corner portion of the fabric CL is determined as the grip location. Good. In such a case, the Robotics Society of Japan Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. It can be realized by using the technique described in 275-283, 1997.

(M)
Although not particularly mentioned in the previous embodiment, a pressure sensor may be attached to the tip protrusion 212 of the finger portion 21A to grip the fabric CL with a specified pressure. In this way, regardless of the thickness of the cloth CL, the gripping force of the finger portion 21A with respect to the cloth CL can be kept constant, and it is not necessary to apply extra stress to the cloth CL.

(N)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the robot hand 2A is moved downward while being advanced by the robot arm 2B during the stationary operation of the fabric. However, as shown in FIG. The robot arm 2B may be moved forward while being moved backward after being moved forward by the robot arm 2B.

(O)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, when the robot hand 2A is positioned at the initial position, the upper finger portion 21a operates such that a predetermined gap is generated between the upper finger portion 21a and the lower finger portion 21b. I was allowed to. However, the upper finger portion 21a may be in contact with the lower finger portion 21b at the initial position. In this case, the upper finger portion 21a is raised before the cloth CL is gripped, and a predetermined gap (a gap through which the edge portion of the cloth CL can be inserted) is formed between the upper finger portion 21a and the lower finger 21b. ) Must be operated so that the upper finger portion 21a is operated.

(P)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, after the hand mechanism 21 is approached so that the distance of the hand mechanism 21 is reduced to a specified distance and the fabric CL is deformed into a mountain shape, the robot hand 2A is The robot arm 2B is moved so as to be positioned above and behind the position, but after the hand mechanism 21 is approached so that the distance of the hand mechanism 21 is reduced to a specified distance and the fabric CL is deformed into a mountain shape. The hand mechanism 21 may be slightly separated to stabilize the chevron shape of the fabric CL.

(Q)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the separation distance of the hand mechanism 21 when the hand mechanism 21 is operated and the cloth CL is deployed so that the hand mechanism 21 is separated by a predetermined distance is the size of the cloth CL. For example, when a light emitting element is attached to the outer surface of the upper finger part 21a and a light receiving element is attached to the outer surface of the lower finger part 21b, and the light receiving element receives light from the light emitting element. The sliding movement of the hand mechanism 21 may be stopped when the light emitting element is exposed from the cloth CL. Of course, the light receiving element may be attached to the outer surface of the upper finger portion 21a, and the light receiving element may be attached to the outer surface of the lower finger portion 21b. If it does in this way, the fabric processing apparatus 1 can respond | correspond to the cloth CL of arbitrary magnitude | sizes.

(R)
Although not particularly mentioned in the previous embodiment, the digital stereo camera 3 is set to the continuous shooting mode, and the cloth position detection routine is executed from the time when the white pixel is detected in the binarized image. Good. In such a case, the binarized image derivation process of the contour extraction process can be omitted. In such a case, after the white pixel is detected, it is preferable to stop photographing of the first mounting table 5A by the digital stereo camera 3 until the cloth processing operation or the cloth dropping operation is completed. Further, in such a case, after the fabric processing operation or the fabric dropping operation is completed, the digital stereo camera 3 may be set to resume the shooting of the first mounting table 5A.

(S)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the development process of the fabric CL is performed while the first slide mechanism 22 is kept horizontal. However, as shown in FIG. 35, the first slide mechanism 22 is in the vertical direction. The cloth CL may be unfolded in a state where the cloth CL is directed to the cloth. In this way, the cloth CL can be deployed without any problem even if there is no thick part such as a fold at the edge of the cloth CL. In such a case, the lower hand mechanism 21 is slid downward, the direction of the robot hand 2A is reversed, and the lower hand mechanism 21 is slid downward. Further, the hand mechanism 21 may be moved to one side before the cloth CL is gripped, and the corners of the cloth CL may be gripped by the finger portion 21A. In such a case, it is necessary to introduce the technique shown in the modification (L). In such a case, when the first slide mechanism 22 is oriented in the vertical direction, the robot hand 2A needs to be rotated so that the finger portion 21A comes up.

  The same effect can be obtained even when the first slide mechanism 22 intersects the horizontal plane. In such a case, it is necessary to rotate the robot hand 2A so that the tip of the finger portion 21A faces obliquely upward.

(T)
Although not particularly mentioned in the previous embodiment, a rotation mechanism that rotates the robot hand 2A so that the first slide mechanism 22 rotates in the vertical direction may be incorporated in the robot arm 2B. In this way, the fabric processing apparatus 1 can hold the fabric CL even when the fabric CL is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

(U)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the surface of the finger portion 21A that opposes the proximal end protrusion 213 of the distal end protrusion 212 is a semi-cylindrical curved surface, but this surface is an elliptical curved surface. Alternatively, it may be a refracting surface.

(V)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the finger part 21A is configured such that the upper finger part 21a slides, but at least one of the upper finger part 21a and the lower finger part 21b is the finger part. You may comprise so that it may rotate using a base end part as a fulcrum.

(W)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the two hand mechanisms 21 are slidable together, but one hand mechanism may be fixed and the other hand mechanism may be slidable.

(X)
In the fabric processing apparatus 1 according to the previous embodiment, the grip processing of the fabric CL is automatically performed by the robot hand 2A. However, the grip of the fabric CL may be performed manually. In such a case, the person first places the robot hand 2A in a state in which the two hand mechanisms 21 are adjacent to each other, raises the upper finger portion 21a of the two hand mechanisms 21, and moves the upper finger portion 21a and the lower finger portion 21b. Create a gap between them. Next, a person inserts the edge of the fabric CL into the gap of the finger portion 21A. Then, the person lowers the upper finger portion 21a and causes the hand mechanism 21 to grip the edge portion of the fabric CL. The upper finger portion 21A may be raised and lowered by a control button, or when the fabric CL approaches the finger portion 21A by an optical sensor or the like, the upper finger portion 21A automatically rises, and the inside of the finger portion 21A. When the fabric CL is inserted, the upper finger portion 21A may be automatically lowered to grip the fabric CL. When the gripping operation is completed and the unfolding operation is started, the fabric processing apparatus 1 unfolds the fabric CL by separating the hand mechanism 21.

  The deformable thin object unfolding device according to the present invention is capable of simplifying the gripping work more easily than the conventional one when automatic gripping of a deformable thin object such as fabric, film, paper, sheet, etc. is performed automatically. When the gripping operation of the deformable thin object is performed, the process until the deformable thin object is gripped can be relatively reduced, and even if there is a thick part of the edge of the deformable thin object, the fabric etc. It is possible to prevent the finger part from being caught by the thick part of the edge of the deformable thin object during the unfolding operation of the apparel, for the apparel industry, the cleaning industry, the linen supply industry, the welfare industry, the medical industry, etc. It is useful as a fabric processing device.

1 is an external perspective view of a fabric processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 is an external perspective view of a robot hand according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the robot hand concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a side view of the robot hand concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a bottom view of the robot hand concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is an external appearance perspective view of the finger part which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the finger part concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a top view of the lower finger part which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the lower finger part concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is an image of the fabric used as the process target of the fabric processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 1st figure explaining the outline extraction process in the computer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 2nd figure explaining the contour extraction process in the computer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 3rd figure explaining the outline extraction process in the computer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 4th figure explaining the outline extraction process in the computer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 5th figure explaining the outline extraction process in the computer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the 6th figure explaining the outline extraction processing in the computer concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is the outline image of the fabric obtained as a result of the outline extraction process in the computer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the grip location determination process in the computer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 1st figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 2nd figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 3rd figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 4th figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 5th figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 6th figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 7th figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an 8th figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 9th figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 10th figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an 11th figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a 12th figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on a modification (N). It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the fabric processing robot which concerns on a modification (S).

Explanation of symbols

1 Fabric processing device (deformable thin material developing device)
2 Fabric processing robot (deformable thin object unfolding device)
2A Robot hand (deformable thin object deployment mechanism)
2B Robot arm (deformable thin object deployment mechanism moving mechanism, deformable thin object deployment mechanism turning mechanism)
4 Computer (control device)
21 Hand mechanism (hand part)
21A Finger part 21B Second slide mechanism (first approach / separation mechanism)
22 First slide mechanism (second approach / separation mechanism)
211 Base part (substrate)
212 Tip protrusion (second protrusion)
213 Base end protrusion (first protrusion)
CL fabric (deformable thin material)

Claims (6)

A substrate, a first protrusion extending from the base end of the substrate to the first side in the plate thickness direction of the substrate, and a first protrusion extending from the tip of the substrate to the first side of the plate in the plate thickness direction. A pair of finger portions each having a second projection portion whose corners facing one projection portion are chamfered and arranged so that the first projection portions and the second projection portions oppose each other And moving the pair of finger portions relative to each other along a plane including the opposing direction of the pair of finger portions (hereinafter referred to as a “first surface”) to allow the pair of finger portions to approach and separate from each other. At least two hand portions having a first approaching / separating mechanism, and the hand portions by relatively moving the hand portions on the same straight line along a direction orthogonal to the first surface (hereinafter referred to as “first direction”). Can be moved closer and away A deformable thin deployment mechanism and a second approach separation mechanism is,
A first control for controlling the second approaching / separating mechanism so that the hand portion approaches the first distance; and the hand portion is moved to the eleventh distance after the first control. A deformable thin object deployment device comprising: a control device that performs a second control for controlling the second approaching / separating mechanism so as to be separated by a distance longer than one distance. 2. The deformable thin object deployment device according to claim 1, wherein the second protrusion extends from the front end of the substrate to the first side of the substrate in the plate thickness direction to a height lower than the first protrusion. 3. A pressure sensor is attached to the opposing surface of the finger portion,
The deformable thin object deployment device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device controls an approach distance between the finger portions based on an output value of the pressure sensor. A deformable thin object deployment mechanism moving mechanism capable of moving the deformable thin object deployment mechanism at least in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction;
The control device moves the deformable thin object deployment mechanism to the lower front or lower rear while the deformable thin object deployment mechanism is in a state where the first direction is parallel to the horizontal plane after the second control or during the second control. A third control for controlling the moving mechanism for moving the deformable thin object so as to move toward the first position, and the first approaching / separating mechanism for separating the finger portion by a distance longer than the eleventh distance after the third control. The deformable thin object deployment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further performing a fourth control for controlling. The deformable thin object deployment mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the deformable thin object deployment mechanism moving mechanism is capable of moving the deformable thin object deployment mechanism in the vertical direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction. The deformable thin object deployment device according to claim 4, further comprising a deformable thin object deployment mechanism pivoting mechanism capable of pivoting the deformable thin object deployment mechanism.

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