JP2012201502A - Product transfer system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a product transfer system that secures safety of operators, and speedily transfers a product to a pallet, carries in the pallet, and carries out the pallet mounted with the product.SOLUTION: A product transfer system 1 includes a product carry-in base 2 installed in a carry-in area A1, a plurality of transfer rooms 5 formed in a transport area A3, and a transfer device 3 installed in a transfer area A2. The product transfer system 1 is configured such that when manned transport means 6 transports a pallet 7 in one of the transfer rooms 5A by opening the front-side shutter 52 of the transfer room 5A, the transfer device 3 transfers a product 8 to the pallet 7 transported to the other transfer room 5B by closing the inner-side shutter 51 of the transfer room 5A, closing the front-side shutter 52 of the other transfer room 5B, and also opening the inner-side shutter 51.

Description

  The present invention relates to a product transfer system for carrying out a pallet on which a product is transferred by manned transport means.

  When transferring products such as automobile parts to a pallet for shipping, an operator transfers the product to the pallet by a robot, in addition to transferring the product to the pallet using a hoist. . The pallet on which the product is transferred is conveyed outside the operation area of the robot by a conveyance conveyor or the like. Then, the worker uses a forklift or the like to carry the pallet on which the product is placed to the shipping area. As a result, the worker works outside the operation area of the robot, thereby ensuring the safety of the worker.

  As an apparatus for loading and unloading a load onto a pallet using a robot, there is an automatic transfer apparatus using a robot disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses that a robot in an activated state is fixed by a fixing mechanism, so that parts and the like can be manually transported within the operation range of the robot.

Japanese Patent No. 2668730 JP 2000-3950 A

  However, after the transfer of the product to the pallet by the robot is completed, a transport device that performs the transport is separately required to transport the pallet to the outside of the robot work area. Also, it takes time to perform this conveyance. On the other hand, it is conceivable that an operator transports a product from the work area of the robot without using the transport device. However, in this case, the operation of the robot must be temporarily stopped in order to ensure the safety of the worker.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and ensures the safety of the worker, and quickly transfers the product to the pallet, loads the pallet, and unloads the pallet on which the product is loaded. It is intended to provide a product transfer system that can be used.

The present invention includes a product loading table installed in a loading area where products are loaded;
A plurality of transfer chambers formed by dividing a transport area where pallets are transported by manned transport means by side walls;
A transfer device that is installed in a transfer area on the back side with respect to the plurality of transfer chambers, and that transfers the product from the product carry-in base to the pallet in each of the transfer chambers;
Each transfer chamber has a side wall located on the back side and a side wall located on the near side formed by an openable / closable shutter, and the remaining side walls located on the left and right sides are formed by a fixed wall,
When the front-side shutter in any of the transfer chambers is opened and the manned transporting means transports the pallet in any of the transfer chambers, the rear side of the transfer chamber in any of the transfer chambers Close the shutter and close the near-side shutter in the transfer chamber other than the one of the transfer chambers and open the back-side shutter in the other transfer chamber to transfer the transfer device However, in the product transfer system, the product can be transferred to the pallet transported to the other transfer chamber.

In the product transfer system of the present invention, a transport area where pallets are transported by manned transport means is provided on the front side of the transfer area where the transfer device is installed, and the transport area is partitioned by side walls. Thus, a plurality of transfer chambers are formed.
And by devising the timing of opening and closing of the rear shutter and the front shutter in each transfer chamber, the transportation of the pallet in one of the transfer chambers and the product to the pallet in the other transfer chamber Can be performed at the same timing.

Specifically, when a worker carries a pallet using any of the manned transportation means in any of the transfer chambers, the front shutter and the rear shutter in each of the transfer chambers are closed. . On the other hand, when the pallet is transported in any of the transfer chambers, in the other transfer chambers, the front shutter can be closed and the rear shutter can be opened.
Then, during the time when the worker is carrying the pallet in one of the transfer chambers where the front shutter is opened, the transfer device is moved to the other transfer chamber where the rear shutter is opened. Products can be transferred to a transported pallet. Therefore, the waiting time of the transfer device can be shortened.

Also, an operator who works in any of the transfer chambers is in contact with the transfer device that works in an adjacent transfer chamber, particularly by using the rear shutter and the left and right fixed walls in any of the transfer chambers. Can be protected from. Also, the operator can be protected from contact with the transfer device by the front shutter in the adjacent transfer chamber.
And, without stopping the operation of the transfer device, the worker can carry out the pallet transportation work, ensure the safety of the worker, and can continue the transfer of the product to the pallet by the robot. .

Furthermore, the pallet after the product is transferred by the transfer device can be directly carried out from the transfer chamber in which the pallet is placed by manned transport means. Therefore, it is not necessary to transport the pallet on which the product is placed to a different place by a transport device or the like in order to ensure the safety of the worker before the worker carries out the pallet using the manned transporting means.
Therefore, according to the product transfer system of the present example, it is possible to ensure the safety of the operator, and to quickly transfer the product to the pallet, carry in the pallet, and carry out the pallet on which the product is placed.

The top view which shows the product transfer system in an Example. The front view which shows the product transfer system in an Example. The perspective view which shows the pallet in an Example. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing FIG. 1 and showing a state in which a pallet is carried into one of transfer chambers in the embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the state which transfers the product to the pallet in one of the transfer chambers typically, and shows FIG. 1 in an Example. Explanatory drawing which shows typically the structure of the product transfer system in an Example. The perspective view which shows the hand part of the robot in an Example. The front view which shows the hand part of the robot in an Example by arrow view D1. The side view which shows the hand part of the robot in an Example by arrow view D2. The side view which shows the hand part of the robot in an Example by arrow view D3. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the product transfer system in an Example.

A preferred embodiment of the above-described product transfer system of the present invention will be described.
In the present invention, an operation panel for instructing opening / closing of the shutter on the front side of each of the transfer chambers is provided at a front side position with respect to the plurality of transfer chambers, and the front side of each of the transfer chambers. The shutter on the side can be opened and closed in response to an instruction from the operation panel, the shutter on the near side of each transfer chamber can be opened when the shutter on the back side is closed, and It is preferable that the rear shutter cannot be opened when the shutter is open.
In this case, the shutter on the near side that allows the operator to enter the transfer chamber opens and closes after waiting for an instruction from the operation panel by the operator, thereby preventing the operator from coming into contact with the transfer device. It can be protected more safely. In addition, since the front shutter can be opened only when the rear shutter is closed, the operator can be protected from contact with the transfer device.

Further, the shutter on the back side of each transfer chamber is configured to open after the pallet is loaded into each transfer chamber and the front shutter of each transfer chamber is closed, In addition, the transfer device is configured to close after transferring a predetermined number of the products to the pallets in the transfer chambers, and the transfer device has the transfer chamber in which the rear shutter is opened. It is preferable that the product is transferred from the product carry-in stand to the pallet in (Claim 3).
In this case, the rear shutter can be opened after the front shutter is closed, thereby protecting the operator from contact with the transfer device. In addition, the timing at which the rear shutter is opened and closed is appropriate, and the transfer device can transfer the product to the pallet while ensuring the safety of the worker appropriately.

The product or the product pallet on which the product is placed is provided with an information storage unit that stores model information of the product, and the product carry-in stand is configured to monitor the model information read from the information storage unit. An apparatus is provided, and the transfer device is preferably configured to distribute the transfer chambers to which the product is transferred based on the model information of the product read by the monitoring device ( Claim 4).
In this case, the model of the product loaded on the pallet can be sorted for each transfer chamber. Thereby, the operator can carry out the pallet loaded with the required number of products of the required model from the transfer chamber using the manned transportation means.

In addition, the transfer device is configured using a robot that can change its position and posture in three dimensions and a robot moving device that moves the robot to the back side with respect to the plurality of transfer chambers. The end effector is attached with a hand portion for gripping the product, and the robot moving device is configured so that the robot grips the product carried into the product carry-in table by the hand portion, and then It is preferable that the robot is configured to move to the back side with respect to the transfer chamber to be distributed based on the model information of the product received from the monitoring device.
In this case, the robot can be moved to the back side of each transfer chamber by the robot moving device, and the product transfer from the product loading table to each transfer chamber can be efficiently performed for each model. it can.

The information storage unit stores quality information indicating whether the product is a non-defective product or a defective product, together with the model information, and the monitoring device receives the model information from the information storage unit. The product loading table is configured to read the quality information, and the product loading table is sequentially loaded with a mixture of products of a plurality of models, and sequentially loaded to the gripping position where the loaded product is gripped by the hand unit of the robot. A transport conveyor that delivers the quality information from the monitoring device, and the product whose quality information indicates a defective product is sent to a collection position for collection instead of the gripping position It is preferable to be configured as described above (claim 6).
In this case, when the product carried into the transport conveyor as the product carry-in table is a defective product, it can be sent to the collection position for collection and not transferred to the pallet.
The quality information stored in the information storage unit is information indicating a result of inspecting a manufactured product and determining a non-defective product / defective product before being carried into the product transfer system.

  Further, the hand portion includes a plurality of support clamps provided with locking portions for locking the locked portions formed on the product, and the locking portions of the plurality of support clamps include the locked portion of the product. When the locking part is locked, the product is pressed to measure the distance between the hand part and the product, and a holding clamp that prevents the locked state from coming off and prevents the product from swinging. A distance sensor and a camera for measuring the position and orientation of the pallet in the horizontal direction with respect to the hand part are provided, and the distance sensor corrects the position of the locking part with respect to the locked part, and Preferably, the camera is configured to correct the position and orientation of the product with respect to the pallet.

In this case, when the product carried into the product carry-in stand is gripped by the hand portion of the robot, the distance of the product with respect to the hand portion can be measured by the distance sensor, and the position of the robot can be corrected. Thereby, the position of the latching | locking part in the hand part with respect to the to-be-latched part of a product can be correct | amended, and the holding | grip of the product by a hand part can be performed stably.
Further, when the product gripped on the hand portion of the robot is loaded on the pallet, the position and orientation of the pallet in the horizontal direction relative to the hand portion can be measured by the camera, and the position and orientation of the hand portion can be corrected. Thereby, the position and orientation of the product gripped by the hand unit with respect to the pallet can be corrected, and the product can be stably loaded on the pallet by the hand unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the product transfer system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the product transfer system 1 of the present example is a product carrying table 2 installed in a carry-in area A <b> 1 into which a product 8 is carried in, and transport in which a pallet 7 is transported by manned transport means 6. It is installed in a plurality of transfer chambers 5 formed by dividing the area A3 by side walls and a transfer area A2 on the back side of the plurality of transfer chambers 5, and from the product loading table 2 to the pallet 7 in each transfer chamber 5. And a transfer device 3 for transferring the product 8.

In each transfer chamber 5, a side wall located on the back side and a side wall located on the near side are formed by shutters 51 and 52 that can be opened and closed, and the remaining left and right side walls are formed by a fixed wall 53. It is.
As shown in FIG. 4, the product transfer system 1 opens the front shutter 52 in any transfer chamber 5A, and when the manned transport means 6 transports the pallet 7 in this transfer chamber 5A, The rear shutter 51 in the transfer chamber 5A is closed, the front shutter 52 in the transfer chamber 5B other than the transfer chamber 5A is closed, and the rear shutter 51 in the other transfer chamber 5B is opened. Thus, the transfer device 3 is configured to be able to transfer the product 8 to the pallet 7 conveyed to the other transfer chamber 5B.

In any one of the transfer chambers 5A, the worker uses the manned transport means 6 to carry out the pallet 7 on which the product 8 has been transferred from the transfer chamber 5A and to empty the transfer chamber 5A. Carry in the pallet 7.
4 and 5 schematically show FIG. 1, FIG. 4 shows a state in which the pallet 7 is carried into any of the transfer chambers 5A, and FIG. 5 shows the state of any of the transfer chambers 5A. The state where the product 8 is transferred to the pallet 7 is shown.

Hereinafter, the product transfer system 1 of this example will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the product transfer system 1 of this example loads a product 8 as a finished product on a pallet 7, and the manned transport means 6 (in this example) is used as a place for placing the pallet 7. Is a transportation area (space) A3 that can be transported by a forklift 6). Then, the pallet 7 on which the product 8 is loaded in the transport area A3 is transported to a predetermined shipping place by maneuvering the manned transport means 6 by the operator.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the product 8 of this example is a vehicle part or the like. The pallet 7 has a portion into which the fork (claw portion) 61 of the forklift 6 can be inserted, and is formed with a plurality of placement portions 71 for placing the products 8 in alignment. The pallet 7 is provided with a column receiving portion 72 for receiving the pallet 7 loaded on the upper side at four corners in order to stack the pallets 7 vertically. The support column 72 can be folded with respect to the pallet main body 70, and is in a folded state when transported to the transfer chamber 5 of the product transfer system 1 (in FIG. Show.) Each support column 72 is set up vertically by the transfer device 3 after the pallet 7 is transported to the transfer chamber 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer device 3 of the present example includes a robot (articulated robot) 31 that can change the position and posture in three dimensions, and a robot that moves the robot 31 to the back side with respect to a plurality of transfer chambers 5. The moving device 32 is used. The robot moving device 32 moves the carriage unit 321 on which the robot 31 is mounted by a power source such as a motor. The robot moving device 32 is configured to move the carriage unit 321 on a rail 322 laid along the left-right direction of the product transfer system 1.
The transfer chambers 5 in this example are formed in a row in the horizontal direction, and three transfer chambers 5 in this example are formed adjacent to each other. The fixed walls 53 constituting the left and right side walls include a fixed wall 53 that partitions the transfer chambers 5 and fixed walls 53 that are positioned on both the left and right sides.

When the product 8 is transferred and when the column receiving portion 72 of the pallet 7 is set up, the arm portion of the robot 31 installed on the carriage portion 321 of the robot moving device 32 enters each transfer chamber 5. . Therefore, each fixed wall 53 is formed with a strength that can withstand the collision of the robot 31.
The shutters 51 and 52 provided on the back side and the near side of each transfer chamber 5 are for protecting workers working in each transfer chamber 5 from contact with the robot 31. The shutters 51 and 52 can have various structures. Each of the shutters 51 and 52 may have a structure that moves upward to avoid interference with the robot 31 and the worker, and moves downward to prevent contact between the robot 31 and the worker.

As shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 55 for instructing opening / closing of the shutter 52 on the front side of each transfer chamber 5 is provided at the front side position with respect to the plurality of transfer chambers 5. The operation panel 55 can be provided on an operation table installed independently of the plurality of transfer chambers 5, and can also be provided on the front side of each transfer chamber 5. The operation panel 55 may be a remote control box that can be carried. The operation panel 55 can be provided with a switch for opening the shutter 52 on the front side of each transfer chamber 5 and a switch for closing the shutter 52 on the front side of each transfer chamber 5.
The shutter 52 on the front side of each transfer chamber 5 can be opened and closed in response to an instruction from the operation panel 55. The front shutter 52 of each transfer chamber 5 can be opened when the back shutter 51 is closed, and cannot be opened when the back shutter 51 is open. Yes.

Further, the shutters 51 on the back side of the transfer chambers 5 are opened after the pallet 7 is carried into the transfer chambers 5 and the shutters 52 on the near side of the transfer chambers 5 are closed. Further, the shutter 51 on the back side of each transfer chamber 5 is closed after the robot 31 transfers a specified number of products 8 to the pallet 7 in each transfer chamber 5. The robot 31 transfers the product 8 from the product carry-in table 2 to the pallet 7 in the transfer chamber 5 in which the rear shutter 51 is opened.
Each transfer chamber 5 is provided with sensors for detecting the open state and the closed state of the rear shutter 51 and the front shutter 52. The product transfer system 1 receives the input from the sensor and controls the opening and closing of the shutters 51 and 52.

Each transfer chamber 5 is provided with an intrusion monitoring device 56 (safety laser scanner) for detecting that a person has entered the transfer chamber 5. When the intrusion monitoring device 56 detects the intrusion of a person into the transfer chamber 5, the shutter 52 on the near side of the transfer chamber 5 cannot be closed. The intrusion monitoring device 56 can monitor a position higher than this height with a height obtained by adding a slight margin height to the height of the pallet 7 in a state in which the support column 72 is folded.
Thereby, the safety | security at the time of an operator working in the transfer chamber 5 can be improved more.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the product 8 of this example is carried into the product carry-in table 2 while being placed on the product pallet 75. The product carry-in table 2 of this example receives the product pallet 75 on which the product 8 is placed from the previous process, and places the product pallet 75 in the left-right direction of the product transfer system 1 that is the moving direction of the robot 31 by the robot moving device 32. It is the conveyance conveyor 2 comprised so that it might send out. The conveyor 2 of this example is configured by installing an upstream conveyor 2A and a downstream conveyor 2B in parallel in the left-right direction. The product pallet 75 flows on the upstream conveyor 2A (to the right in the figure), and is sent from the end to the downstream conveyor 2B, and then moves on the downstream conveyor 2B (to the left in the figure). Flowing. The conveyor 2 positions the product pallet 75 and sends out the product pallet 75 at a predetermined interval. Further, a plurality of types of products 8 are mixed and sequentially carried into the conveyor 2.

Further, the product pallet 75 is provided with an information storage unit (not shown) for storing the model information of the product 8 placed on the product pallet 75. The information storage unit stores information when the manufactured product 8 is inspected.
A monitoring device 21 that reads the model information of the product 8 from the information storage unit is disposed at the upstream end of the conveyor 2B on the downstream side of the conveyor 2. In this example, different types of products 8 are transferred to the pallet 7 in each transfer chamber 5. Then, based on the model information of the product 8 read by the monitoring device 21, each product 8 is transferred to each pallet 7 for each model.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the robot 31 grips the product 8 placed on the product pallet 75 that has been transported to the gripping position 201 with the appropriate position on the downstream side of the transport conveyor 2 as the gripping position 201. The robot moving device 32 grips the product 8 sent to the gripping position 201 on the transport conveyor 2 by the robot 31, and then moves to the back side with respect to the transfer chamber 5 that sorts based on the model information of the product 8 read by the monitoring device 21. The robot 31 is moved.

In the information storage unit of this example, quality information indicating whether the product 8 is a non-defective product or a defective product is stored together with model information. The monitoring device 21 reads quality information together with model information from the information storage unit. The quality information is information indicating a result of inspecting a manufactured product 8 in a process before being carried into the product transfer system 1 and determining a non-defective product or a defective product.
According to the quality information read by the monitoring device 21, the transport conveyor 2 is configured to send the product 8 whose quality information indicates a defective product to the collection position 202 for collection instead of the gripping position 201. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the defective product 8 from being transferred to the pallet 7.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, when the transfer device 3 stops at a position adjacent to the downstream end of the downstream conveyor 2 </ b> B in the transport conveyor 2, the transport conveyor 2 moves to the pallet 7. A backup hoist 33 for transferring the product 8 is installed. The backup hoist 33 is obtained by attaching a hoist portion 332 for lifting the product 8 to an arm portion 331 that is movable in the horizontal direction at the upper portion of the support column. And by the operation of an operator, the arm part 331 and the hoist part 332 can be moved, and the product 8 on the conveyor 2 can be transferred to the pallet 7.
The backup hoist 33 can also be used to transfer the product 8 stored as defective in the quality information of the information storage unit from the transport conveyor 2 to the pallet 7.

FIG. 6 schematically shows the configuration of the product transfer system 1.
As shown in the figure, the product transfer system 1 includes operations of the rear and front shutters 51 and 52 in each transfer chamber 5, input from the operation panel 55, input from the intrusion monitoring device 56, and the robot 31. A control computer 11 is provided for controlling and managing the operation, the operation of the robot moving device 32, the operation of the transfer conveyor 2, the operation of the monitoring device 21, and the like. The operation of each component in the product transfer system 1 is controlled and managed by the control computer 11.
Based on the model information of the product 8 received from the monitoring device 21, the control computer 11 transmits an operation signal indicating to which transfer chamber 5 the product 8 is to be transferred to the robot moving device 32 and the robot 31. Based on the model information of the product 8, the transfer chamber 5 to which the product 8 is distributed is determined by the robot 31 and the robot moving device 32.

  As shown in FIG. 2, on the front side of each transfer chamber 5, display of work contents being performed in each transfer chamber 5 and display of the model of the product 8 to be transferred to the pallet 7 in each transfer chamber 5. A display device 54 for performing the above is provided. The control computer 11 changes the content displayed on the display device 54 based on the operation status of each component in the product transfer system 1, the model information read by the monitoring device 21, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the hand unit 4 for gripping the product 8 placed on the product pallet 75 is attached to the end effector 311 of the robot 31. The hand unit 4 of this example moves the end effector 311 of the robot 31 in a state of facing downward.
The hand portion 4 is provided with a plurality of support clamps 41 provided with locking portions 411 for locking the locked portions 81 formed on the product 8. The locked portion 81 of the product 8 of this example is a locking hole 81, and the locking portion 411 of the support clamp 41 of this example is a locking pin 411 inserted into the locking hole 81.

The support clamp 41 of this example is provided downward at three locations of the hand portion 4 and has a spring 412 for swinging the locking pin 411 provided at the lower end portion in the vertical direction. In each support clamp 41, the locking pin 411 is provided in the same direction so as to be directed to one side in the horizontal direction when the product 8 is gripped.
When the product 8 is gripped by the hand portion 4 of the robot 31, the end effector 311 of the robot 31 is moved in the horizontal direction so that the support clamps against the plurality of locking holes 81 formed in the upper part of the product 8. Each of the 41 locking pins 411 is inserted.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, when the locking pins 411 of the plurality of support clamps 41 are inserted into the locking holes 81 of the product 8, the hand 8 is pressed against the product 8, A presser clamp 42 is provided to prevent the product 8 from swinging and preventing the product 8 from swinging when the locking pin 411 is inserted into the locking hole 81. The holding clamp 42 of this example is provided facing the direction in which the locking pin 411 of the support clamp 41 protrudes. The holding clamp 42 is configured to be operated by a cylinder.
The holding clamp 42 is retracted from the product 8 when the locking pins 411 of the plurality of support clamps 41 are inserted into the locking holes 81 of the product 8. After the end effector 311 of the robot 31 is moved in the horizontal direction, the holding clamp 42 is moved by the cylinder after each locking pin 411 of the support clamp 41 is inserted into the plurality of locking holes 81 in the product 8. . Accordingly, the product 8 can be sandwiched between the support clamps 41 and the holding clamps 42 in a state where the locking pins 411 are inserted into the locking holes 81.

The hand portion 4 is also provided with a holding clamp 43 that holds the product 8 in a state where the locking pin 411 of each support clamp 41 is inserted into each locking hole 81 from above to prevent the product 8 from shaking.
In addition, the hand unit 4 is provided with a pallet clamp 44 that holds the support column 72 when the support column 72 in the pallet 7 transported to the transfer chamber 5 is erected from the collapsed state. It is. The pallet clamp 44 is configured such that a pair of clamp portions 441 opposed to each other are brought close to each other by a cylinder, and a column receiving portion 72 is sandwiched between the pair of clamp portions 441.
The end effector 311 of the robot 31 is moved so that the pair of clamp parts 441 are arranged on both sides of the support column 72, and the end effector 311 is moved in a state where the support unit 72 is clamped by the pair of clamp units 441. By doing so, the support column 72 can be erected (see FIG. 3).

  Further, the hand unit 4 is provided with a distance sensor 45 for measuring the distance between the hand unit 4 and the product 8 and a camera 46 for measuring the horizontal position and orientation of the pallet 7 with respect to the hand unit 4. . The distance sensor 45 measures the distance from the distance sensor 45 to a flat surface formed on the top of the product 8 using a laser beam or the like. The camera 46 measures the horizontal position and orientation of the pallet 7 placed in the transfer chamber 5 by photographing the periphery of the pallet 7 and performing image processing.

  When the product 8 carried into the transport conveyor 2 is gripped by the hand unit 4 of the robot 31, the distance sensor 45 detects the distance of the product 8 with respect to the hand unit 4, so that the height of the robot 31 relative to the product 8 is increased. The position can be corrected. Thus, even if the position error in the height direction of the product 8 occurs with respect to the teaching position of the robot 31 due to the position error generated between the transport conveyor 2, the product pallet 75, and the product 8, the transport conveyor 2. The position of the hand unit 4 moved to the holding position 201 can be corrected appropriately. Therefore, the product 8 can be stably held by the hand unit 4.

  Further, when the product 8 held by the hand unit 4 of the robot 31 is loaded on the pallet 7 placed in the transfer chamber 5, the horizontal position and orientation of the pallet 7 with respect to the hand unit 4 are measured by the camera 46. Thus, the horizontal position and orientation of the hand unit 4 with respect to the horizontal position and orientation of the pallet 7 can be corrected. As a result, even when the position and orientation of the pallet 7 placed in the transfer chamber 5 vary, the position and orientation of the product 8 gripped by the hand unit 4 with respect to the pallet 7 can be corrected. Thus, it is possible to stably load the product 8 on the pallet 7.

  The carry-in area A1, the transfer area A2, and the transport area A3 can be formed by performing various layouts. For example, the transport area A3 can be formed on both sides of the carry-in area A1 and the transfer area A2. In this case, it is possible to transfer the product 8 by the transfer device 3 and transport the pallet 7 by the forklift 6 using the plurality of transfer chambers 5 formed in the transport areas A3 on both sides.

Next, the operation of the product transfer system 1 of this example will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In the following flowchart, an operator carries a pallet 7 into one of the transfer chambers 5A, and after the robot 31 transfers the product 8 to the pallet 7, the pallet 7 on which the product 8 is loaded. Will be described.
In a state where the pallet 7 is not transported to the transfer chamber 5, the display device 54 provided on the front side of the transfer chamber 5 indicates that the empty pallet 7 is not transported to the transfer chamber 5. Display the palette waiting.

  Then, the operator confirms the display of waiting for the pallet, operates the forklift 6 as the manned transport means 6, transports the empty pallet 7 from the empty pallet storage area to the front of the transfer chamber 5, and controls the operation panel 55. A shutter open switch is pressed (step S1 in FIG. 11, and so on). At this time, the front shutter 52 is opened under the control of the control computer 11 (S2). Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the operator operates the forklift 6 to place the pallet 7 at a specific prescribed place in the transfer chamber 5 (S3). When the front shutter 52 is opened, the display device 54 displays a lift operation. When the front shutter 52 is opened, a rotating lamp provided on the front side of the transfer chamber 5 is turned on.

Thereafter, the operator goes out of the transfer chamber 5 and presses a shutter close switch on the operation panel 55 (S4). At this time, after detecting whether or not a person has entered the transfer chamber 5 by the intrusion monitoring device 56 (S5), the front shutter 52 is closed under the control of the control computer 11 (S6). When the front shutter 52 is closed, the rotating lamp provided on the front side of the transfer chamber 5 is turned off.
Next, after the front shutter 52 is closed, the back shutter 51 is opened under the control of the control computer 11 (S7). Then, in the display device 54 provided on the front side of the transfer chamber 5, a display in progress of the robot 31 indicating that the robot 31 is working in the transfer chamber 5 is performed.

Thus, when the front shutter 52 is closed and the rear shutter 51 is opened, the robot 31 starts work on the pallet 7 in the transfer chamber 5A. At this time, first, the robot 31 erects the four support columns 72 in the pallet 7 placed in the transfer chamber 5. Then, when the product 8 of the model to be transferred to the transfer chamber 5A is sent to the holding position 201 in the transfer conveyor 2, the robot 31 holds the product 8 by the hand unit 4 and the pallet of the transfer chamber 5 7 (S8).
Then, as shown in FIG. 5, while the robot 31 transfers the product 8 in the transfer chamber 5A (time zone), the operator carries an empty pallet 7 into another transfer chamber 5B. Moreover, the pallet 7 loaded with the product 8 can be carried out from the other transfer chamber 5B.

Thereafter, when the robot 31 transfers a specified number of products 8 to the pallet 7 in the transfer chamber 5A, the rear shutter 51 is closed under the control of the control computer 11 (S9). At this time, in the display device 54 provided on the front side of the transfer chamber 5A, a transfer completion display indicating that the transfer of the product 8 to the pallet 7 in the transfer chamber 5A is completed is performed.
Then, the operator confirms the transfer completion display and presses the shutter close switch on the operation panel 55 (S10). At this time, the front shutter 52 is opened under the control of the control computer 11 (S11). When the front shutter 52 is opened, the display device 54 displays a lift operation. When the front shutter 52 is opened, a rotating lamp provided on the front side of the transfer chamber 5 is turned on.

  Then, the operator operates the forklift 6 to carry out the pallet 7 loaded with the specified number of products 8 from the transfer chamber 5 and transport it to a predetermined shipping place (S12). When the operator carries the pallet 7 out of the transfer chamber 5, the worker goes out of the transfer chamber 5 and presses a shutter close switch on the operation panel 55 (S13). At this time, the front shutter 52 is closed under the control of the control computer 11 (S14). When the front shutter 52 is closed, the rotating lamp provided on the front side of the transfer chamber 5 is turned off.

After that, in the transfer chamber 5A, the display device 54 displays the pallet waiting again, and waits until the empty pallet 7 is transported again by the operation of the forklift 6 by the operator. Thereafter, the above-described operations (S1 to S14) are repeated.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, while waiting for the empty pallet 7 to be transported in the transfer chamber 5A (time zone), in the other transfer chamber 5B, the robot 31 is a product of another model. 8 can be transferred to the pallet 7.

As described above, in the product transfer system 1 of this example, the transport area A3 in which the pallet 7 is transported by the forklift 6 is provided on the front side of the transfer area A2 where the robot 31 and the robot moving device 32 are installed. In this transport area A3, a plurality of transfer chambers 5 are formed by partitioning with side walls.
Then, by devising the timing at which the shutter 51 on the back side and the shutter 52 on the near side in each transfer chamber 5 are opened and closed, the transportation of the pallet 7 in one of the transfer chambers 5A and the other transfer chambers The transfer of the product 8 to the pallet 7 in 5B can be performed at the same timing.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, when an operator transports the pallet 7 using a forklift 6 in any transfer chamber 5A, the shutter 52 on the near side in any transfer chamber 5A. And the shutter 51 on the back side are closed. At this time, the front shutter 52 is opened after confirming that the rear shutter 51 is closed. On the other hand, when the pallet 7 is transported in any one of the transfer chambers 5A, in the other transfer chamber 5B, the front shutter 52 can be closed and the rear shutter 51 can be opened. At this time, the rear shutter 51 is opened after confirming that the front shutter 52 is closed.

  And in the time zone when the worker is carrying the pallet 7 loaded with the product 8 of a specific model and the empty pallet 7 in any transfer chamber 5A where the front shutter 52 is opened, The robot 31 can transfer the product 8 of another model to the pallet 7 transported to the other transfer chamber 5B in which the rear shutter 51 is opened. Therefore, the waiting time of the robot 31 can be shortened.

Further, a worker who works in any one of the transfer chambers 5 </ b> A uses the rear shutter 51 and the left and right fixed walls 53 in any one of the transfer chambers 5 </ b> A to work in the adjacent transfer chamber 5 </ b> B. It can be protected from contact with 31. The operator can also be protected from contact with the robot 31 by the front shutter 52 in the adjacent transfer chamber 5B.
Then, the operator can carry the pallet 7 without stopping the operation of the robot 31, ensuring the safety of the worker, and continuing the transfer of the product 8 onto the pallet 7 by the robot 31. be able to.

Further, the pallet 7 after the robot 31 has transferred the product 8 can be directly carried out by the forklift 6 from the transfer chamber 5A in which the pallet 7 is placed. Therefore, before the worker carries out the pallet 7 using the forklift 6, it is not necessary to transport the pallet 7 on which the product 8 is placed to a different place by a transport device or the like in order to ensure the safety of the worker.
Therefore, according to the product transfer system 1 of this example, the safety of the worker is ensured, the product 8 is transferred to the pallet 7, the empty pallet 7 is carried in, and the pallet 7 on which the product 8 is loaded is taken out. Can be done quickly.

1 Product transfer system 2 Product loading table (conveyor)
201 Gripping Position 202 Recovery Position 21 Monitoring Device 3 Transfer Device 31 Robot 32 Robot Moving Device 4 Hand Unit 41 Support Clamp 42 Pressing Clamp 45 Distance Sensor 46 Camera 5 Transfer Chamber 51 Back Shutter 52 Front Shutter 53 Fixed Wall 54 display device 55 operation panel 6 manned transportation means (forklift)
7 Pallet 8 Product A1 Loading area A2 Transfer area A3 Transport area

Claims (7)

A product loading table installed in a loading area where products are loaded;
A plurality of transfer chambers formed by dividing a transport area where pallets are transported by manned transport means by side walls;
A transfer device that is installed in a transfer area on the back side with respect to the plurality of transfer chambers, and that transfers the product from the product carry-in base to the pallet in each of the transfer chambers;
Each transfer chamber has a side wall located on the back side and a side wall located on the near side formed by an openable / closable shutter, and the remaining side walls located on the left and right sides are formed by a fixed wall,
When the front-side shutter in any of the transfer chambers is opened and the manned transporting means transports the pallet in any of the transfer chambers, the rear side of the transfer chamber in any of the transfer chambers Close the shutter and close the near-side shutter in the transfer chamber other than the one of the transfer chambers and open the back-side shutter in the other transfer chamber to transfer the transfer device However, the product transfer system can transfer the product to the pallet transported to the other transfer chamber. In the product transfer system according to claim 1, an operation panel for instructing opening / closing of the shutter on the front side of each transfer chamber is provided at a front side position with respect to the plurality of transfer chambers,
The front shutter of each transfer chamber can be opened and closed in response to an instruction from the operation panel,
The front shutter of each transfer chamber can be opened when the back shutter is closed and cannot be opened when the back shutter is open. Product transfer system characterized by 3. The product transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the shutter on the back side of each transfer chamber has the pallet carried into each transfer chamber, and the shutter on the near side of each transfer chamber. Is opened after being closed, and the transfer device is configured to close after transferring a specified number of the products to the pallets in the transfer chambers,
The product transfer system, wherein the transfer device is configured to transfer the product from the product carry-in base to the pallet in the transfer chamber in which the rear shutter is opened. . In the product transfer system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the product or the product pallet on which the product is placed is provided with an information storage unit that stores model information of the product,
The product loading table is provided with a monitoring device that reads the model information from the information storage unit,
The product transfer system, wherein the transfer device is configured to distribute the transfer chamber to which the product is transferred based on the model information of the product read by the monitoring device. 5. The product transfer system according to claim 4, wherein the transfer device includes a robot capable of changing a position and a posture in a three-dimensional manner, and a robot moving device that moves the robot to the back side with respect to the plurality of transfer chambers. It is composed using
A hand portion for holding the product is attached to the end effector of the robot,
The robot moving device is configured to store the product loaded into the product loading table with the hand unit and then distribute the product based on the product model information received from the monitoring device. A product transfer system configured to move the robot to the side. In the product transfer system according to claim 5, quality information indicating whether the product is a non-defective product or a defective product is stored together with the model information in the information storage unit.
The monitoring device is configured to read the quality information together with the model information from the information storage unit,
The product carry-in stand is a transport conveyor that a plurality of models of products are mixed and sequentially loaded, and the loaded products are sequentially sent to a gripping position to be gripped by the hand portion of the robot,
The transport conveyor is configured to receive the quality information from the monitoring device, and to send the product whose quality information indicates a defective product to a collection position for collection instead of the gripping position. Product transfer system characterized by The product transfer system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the hand portion includes a plurality of support clamps provided with a locking portion for locking a locked portion formed on the product,
When the locking portions of the plurality of support clamps lock the locked portion of the product, the pressing clamp presses the product to prevent the locked state from coming off and to prevent the product from swinging. When,
A distance sensor for measuring the distance between the hand part and the product;
A camera for measuring the horizontal position and orientation of the pallet with respect to the hand part;
The product is configured to correct the position of the locking part with respect to the locked part by the distance sensor and to correct the position and orientation of the product with respect to the pallet by the camera. System.

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