JP2017087404A - Manipulator, robot for processing, and distributed cooperative processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide: a manipulator capable of processing works on cultivation shelves on both lateral sides, as well as easily passing processed fruits to robots for conveyance located on front and rear sides; and a distributed cooperative processing system using a robot for processing comprising the manipulator.SOLUTION: A manipulator can easily secure a wide movable range, be configured with less joints compared to conventional arm type manipulators, thereby, at low cost, and easily handle a heavy article, while consuming less energy. A robot for processing can process fruits on both sides across a path while moving along the narrow path sandwiched by cultivation shelves 60, and then, can pass the processed fruits to robots for conveyance located on front and rear sides without touching the cultivation shelves 60. Use of the robot for processing can realize a distributed cooperative processing system with a high operation efficiency.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a manipulator that processes objects to be processed such as fruits and vegetables cultivated in a cultivation facility.

  Conventionally, cultivation objects such as strawberries, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, etc. are cultivated by methods such as hydroponics and soil cultivation, and processing operations are all performed manually. Was common. However, in recent years, automation of processing operations has been desired due to labor shortages and rising labor costs in agricultural management.

  In order for the robot to automatically execute various operations such as picking of processing objects such as fruits and vegetables, the position of the processing object must first be recognized. In view of this, the inventors of the present invention disclosed a working robot capable of mechanically recognizing fruits from stems and leaves and automatically picking them out. This working robot is an autonomous traveling type robot that autonomously travels by a battery mounted inside without receiving power supply from the outside. In patent document 1, the mechanism of the manipulator of the processing robot was also disclosed together with the position recognition technology described above.

  A manipulator 101 disclosed in Patent Document 1 is shown in FIG. The manipulator 101 includes three links 101a, 101b, and a link 101c that can linearly reciprocate independently from each other in a three-dimensional direction, and a processing object, for example, a fruit can be picked by a work hand 103 attached to the link 101c at the tip. . The manipulator 100 can process the cultivation shelf on one side (left side in the figure) in the width direction orthogonal to the traveling direction, but on the cultivation shelf on the other side (right side in the figure). Therefore, the processing robot 1 has to go out of the path between the cultivation shelves and change the direction by 180 °.

  In addition, the conventional processing robot is a one-unit-complete system in which one processing robot performs a processing operation and a transporting operation, whereas a recent advanced agricultural robot system has high work efficiency. A processing system using a distributed cooperative robot is oriented. The distributed cooperative processing system delivers a processing object processed by the processing robot to a transfer robot that can move independently of the processing robot. The transfer robots are arranged in series in front of and behind the processing robot in the work path, and when a processing object picked up by the processing robot is delivered to one (tentatively forward) transfer robot by a predetermined amount. Next, a predetermined amount of the object to be processed is transferred to the other (provisionally backward) transfer robot. First, the front transfer robot to which the predetermined amount of processing object has been delivered is retracted from the work path, and the alternate transfer robot moves to the front of the processing robot and stands by. As described above, the manipulator included in the transport robot of the distributed cooperative system has at least the function of the link for picking and delivering and turning the direction through 180 ° and the length necessary for delivering the processed fruit. It is an indispensable condition to provide the link.

Japanese Patent No. 4961555 (FIGS. 9, 10, and 11)

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention is capable of performing processing operations on the cultivation shelves on both sides in the width direction in a distributed cooperative processing system, and for example, harvesting fruit or the like on the front and rear transfer robots. An object is to provide a manipulator that can be delivered without difficulty.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a distributed cooperative processing system and its operation method by using a processing robot including the manipulator.
In addition, the specific contents of the processing carried out by the processing robot include harvesting work that picks up fruits and vegetables that are harvested objects and passes them to the transport robot, etc., and grows unshaped fruit and flowers This includes thinning work to remove before and cutting work to cut off unnecessary leaves.

  The manipulator of the present invention that solves the above problems includes a first link having a moving component in a predetermined direction and capable of reciprocating along the axis J1, a second link rising upward from the first link, and a second link It is possible to rotate around the axis J2 perpendicular to the axis J1 together with the second link, or to the axis J2 that can be rotated about the second link and perpendicular to the axis J1 with respect to the first link. A third link that can be moved up and down, a fourth link that is connected to the third link and that can be rotated around an axis J3 that is parallel to the axis J2 around the connection portion with the third link, and a tip of the fourth link And a working hand provided.

The second link described above is preferably rotatable in the horizontal direction about an axis J2 orthogonal to the moving direction of the first link, and the third link is preferably movable up and down along the axis J2. It is preferable that the first link can be moved up and down along an axis J2 orthogonal to the moving direction of the first link, and the third link can be rotated around the axis J2.
Note that (J1, J2, J3, J4) used as a symbol representing an axis does not represent an axis as a mechanical part having a physical entity, but represents a virtual axis as a virtual straight line. In the description, for the sake of simplicity, the term “axis” is used consistently. Further, the term “link” is used to mean each part constituting the manipulator, that is, an element.

In the manipulator of the present invention, at least one of an H1 link that can be rotated around an axis J4 perpendicular to the axis J3 and an H2 link that can be twisted around an axis parallel to the fourth link is provided in the middle of the fourth link. Alternatively, it is preferable to provide both of them because the degree of freedom of the work hand is increased and the controllability is improved. In addition, it is preferable that the first link includes a moving component in a predetermined direction so as to be reciprocally linearly movable, so that the movable range with respect to the predetermined direction is expanded by the moving component.
Furthermore, the movable range is expanded along the X-shaped trajectory by enabling the first link to reciprocate the X-shaped trajectory including the moving component in the predetermined direction and the moving component in the predetermined direction. Therefore, it is more preferable.

The processing robot according to the present invention performs a process of picking up a processing object such as a fruit such as a strawberry, wherein the manipulator of the present invention is mounted on a traveling unit that travels in a predetermined direction and is movable. It is a processing robot.
In the processing robot according to the present invention, when the dimension in the width direction orthogonal to the traveling direction is W, the length of the third link is r1, and the length of the fourth link is r2, 1/2 × W> r1 , R2 so as to hold, and when the manipulator changes the direction by 180 °, the fourth link is swung and folded with respect to the third link when the manipulator changes the direction by 180 °. Since the fourth link does not protrude beyond the width W of the processing robot itself, the processing operation can be performed without interfering with the cultivation shelves on both sides, which is preferable.

  The distributed cooperative processing system of the present invention comprises the processing robot of the present invention and a transfer robot that is disposed at a predetermined position before and after the processing robot in the traveling direction and from which the processing object is transferred. While the processing robot and the transport robot travel along the path between the cultivation shelves provided on both sides in the width direction orthogonal to the traveling direction, the transport robot moves the delivered processing object to a predetermined collection location. A distributed cooperative processing system characterized by moving and transporting.

  In the distributed cooperative processing system according to the present invention, when the transfer robot that is provided in front of or behind the processing robot is moved to a predetermined collection place, the transfer robot is in a standby state. It is preferable to move to a predetermined position and perform the processing work while cooperating so as to continuously receive the processing object processed by the processing robot.

  In the distributed cooperative processing system according to the present invention, when the delivery of the processing object to the transfer robot arranged at a predetermined position in the forward direction is fixed, the manipulator of the transfer robot reverses the direction and proceeds. Since the delivery of the processing object to the transfer robot arranged at a predetermined position after the direction can be started, a processing operation with high operating efficiency can be realized. In addition, when the manipulator reverses the direction, the third link and the fourth link do not interfere with the cultivation shelf on which the object is cultivated, so it is extremely rare to hurt the object to be processed, and highly reliable dispersion. A collaborative processing system can be realized.

In the distributed cooperative processing system of the present invention, the width dimension of the passage sandwiched between the cultivation shelf and the cultivation shelf that are perpendicular to the traveling direction is W ′, the length of the third link of the manipulator provided in the processing robot is r1, When the length of the four links is r2, it is preferable to provide the length of each dimension so that 1/2 × W ′> r1, r2.
If it prepares in this way, even if a link may protrude from own width W of a processing robot, it can do processing work without interfering with a cultivation shelf at least, and is preferred.

  According to the processing robot of the present invention, the fruit on both sides of the passage can be processed while moving through a narrow passage sandwiched between the cultivation shelves 60, and the front and rear transfer robots can be contacted without contacting the cultivation shelf 60 or the like. The processed fruit can be handed over.

According to the manipulator of the present invention, it is easy to obtain a wide movable range, and since it can be configured with fewer joints compared to the existing arm-type manipulator (6-axis-6 joints), the cost is low, and the weight It is easy to handle things and is energy saving.
According to the processing robot system of the present invention, it is possible to realize a distributed cooperative processing system with high operating efficiency that does not require the processing operation to be interrupted in order to transport processed fruits.

The structure of the processing robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view. The typical perspective view which shows the structure of the manipulator which concerns on this embodiment, and a movable range are shown, (a) is a schematic perspective view of the manipulator of this invention, (b) is comprised with the rotating shaft shown for the comparison. (C) is a figure which shows the movable range of the manipulator of this invention, (d) is a figure which shows the movable range of the manipulator shown for the comparison. FIG. 2 is a layout diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a distributed cooperative processing system according to the present embodiment, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a diagram illustrating dimensions of the plan view. It is a figure which shows the operation method of the distributed cooperation type processing system of this embodiment. It is a typical perspective view which shows the different structure of the manipulator of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the movable range of the further different structure of the manipulator of this embodiment. It is a typical perspective view of the further different composition of the manipulator of this embodiment, (a) is a figure at the time of providing H1 link, (b) is a figure at the time of providing H2 link, (c ) Is a diagram when both the H1 link and the H2 link are provided. It is a typical perspective view which shows the structure of the manipulator of patent document 1. The structure of the manipulator comprised with a rotating shaft is shown, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view. (A) is a layout diagram showing the configuration of a distributed cooperative processing system shown for comparison, and (b) is a layout diagram showing the configuration of another distributed cooperative processing system shown for comparison.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[First Embodiment]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the processing robot 1 according to the first embodiment includes a manipulator unit 10 that picks up a strawberry 62 that is a processing target, and a traveling unit 30 that carries the manipulator unit 10 and autonomously travels. . As shown in FIG. 3, the processing robot 1 picks up the strawberry 62 from the cultivation shelf 60 while passing through the passage S <b> 1 between the adjacent cultivation shelves 60, and transfers it to the transport robot 40 that stands by before and after. The processing robot 1 and the transfer robot 40 constitute a distributed cooperative processing system 70.
Hereinafter, the configuration of the processing robot 1 will be described, and then the distributed cooperative processing system 70 using the processing robot 1 will be referred to.

[Manipulator unit 10]
When the manipulator unit 10 is placed on the traveling unit 30, the base 11 extends in the horizontal direction, and the manipulator unit 10 is provided on the base 11 and can linearly reciprocate along the axis J <b> 1 extending with a moving component in the front-rear direction (predetermined direction). The first link 12 and the second link 14 that rises upward in the vertical direction from the first link 12 and can be rotated in the horizontal direction about the axis J2 are provided. The axis J1 and the axis J2 are perpendicular to each other (the “axis” means an imaginary straight line representing a motion axis of linear motion or rotational motion, but in the following description, for the sake of simplicity, It will be written as “axis”).

Further, the manipulator unit 10 is connected to the second link 14 and is connected to the third link 16 that can be moved up and down along the axis J2, and the fourth link 18 that is connected to the third link 16 and can be turned in the horizontal direction around the axis J3. And comprising. The third link 16 and the fourth link 18 are connected by a joint 20 (connection portion), and the fourth link 18 can perform a turning motion around an axis J3 provided in the joint 20. A work hand 22 is attached to the tip of the fourth link 18.
A drive mechanism for linearly reciprocating the first link 12, a drive mechanism for rotating the second link 14, a drive mechanism for moving the third link 16 up and down, and a drive mechanism for rotating the fourth link 18 are optional. Yes, various known drive mechanisms can be used.

[Travel unit 30]
The traveling unit 30 includes a large wheel 32 having a large diameter, each composed of two wheels, and a small wheel 34 having a small diameter, and travels forward and backward (predetermined direction) through a passage S1 between the cultivation shelf 60 and the cultivation shelf 60. A system integration module such as a drive motor, a battery, and a control unit is incorporated in the lower storage unit 36. A CPU (Central Processing Unit) for image processing, a memory, a color image input device, a computer system for specifying a position, a computer system for controlling driving, and the like are housed in the lower portion of the mounting base 38. In addition, illustration of a system integration module, a computer system, etc. is omitted.

[Moveable range of manipulator unit 10]
The movable range of the manipulator unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the axis J <b> 2 also serves as the rotation axis of the second link 14 and the linear reciprocation axis of the third link 16.
First, as shown in FIG. 2A, the manipulator unit 10 has a first link 12 that can linearly reciprocate, so that the position of the rotation axis J2 of the second link 14 is a distance S from the front end C1 to the rear end C2. Can be moved. In this example, the distance between the rotation axis J2 and the rotation axis J3 and the distance from the rotation axis J3 to the tip of the work hand 22 are configured to be equal to r.
FIG. 2C shows the movable range of the manipulator unit 10 taking into account that the third link 16 performs a turning motion. As shown in FIG. 2 (c), since the first link 12 can move the distance S from the front end C1 to the rear end C2, the manipulator unit 10 has a track shape with a radius 2r as shown by a broken line. It can move along the trajectory.
For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, if the second link 14 is fixed at the center, the movable range is only a simple circular region having a radius 2r. On the other hand, the movable range of the manipulator unit 10 has a shape that is expanded by that amount and extended in the horizontal direction because the horizontal moving body 12 can move the distance S from the position C1 to the position C2.
Thus, the manipulator unit 10 has a wide movable range because the first link 12 can linearly reciprocate.

[Operation of processing robot 1]
The processing robot 1 includes a manipulator unit 10 and a traveling unit 40. The processing robot 1 performs a processing operation on both the left and right cultivation shelves 60 while the manipulator unit 10 rotates the first link 12 to freely change the direction of the hand 24 in the direction of the operation. Unlike the manipulator unit A described in Patent Document 1, it is not necessary to exit the passage one by one and change the direction by 180 ° for work on the other cultivation shelf 60. Further, since the first link 12 included in the manipulator unit 10 can freely move in the front-rear direction of the processing robot 1, the movable range is widened, and the fruit picked from the transport robot arranged in the front-rear direction can be easily obtained. Can pass. Therefore, it is suitable for constructing a distributed cooperative processing system.

  When the processing robot 1 performs a processing operation, the position and maturity of the strawberry 62 in the cultivation shelf 60 are determined, the position of the work hand 22 and the storage position of the strawberry 62 in the stocker 42 are determined. Or do it. In order to make this determination possible, as shown in FIG. 1, a digital camera 24 is attached to the upper portion of the fourth link 18, and the above determination can be made based on information photographed by the digital camera 24. Digital image data photographed by the digital camera 24 is sent to an image input device housed in the lower part of the mounting base 38, and the position and maturity level of the object are determined by the computer system. A specific method of determination and control is described in, for example, Patent Document 1, and thus description thereof is omitted here.

[Processing of the processing robot 1]
Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the operation | work which picks up the strawberry 62 by the manipulator unit 10 from the cultivation shelf 60 provided in the both sides of the width direction of the robot 1 for processing is demonstrated.
In this operation, as shown in FIG. 3A, the strawberries 62 are picked from a pair of cultivation shelves 60 provided on both sides in the width direction of the passage S1. The processing robot 1 arranged in the passage S1 stops in the process of traveling through the passage S1, and picks up the strawberries 62. Before and after the processing robot 1, one transfer robot 40 that receives the strawberries 62 picked by the processing robot 1 is arranged in a column. The distributed cooperative processing system 70 includes one processing robot 1 and a total of two transfer robots 40 arranged at predetermined positions in the front and rear. The transport robot 40 transports the received strawberry 62 to a predetermined collection place 100 in the cultivation area S0. The strawberry 62 grown on the cultivation shelf 60 may be within the range of the cultivation shelf 60 or may protrude to the side of the passage S1.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3B, the width of the passage S1 is W ′, and the widths of the processing robot 1 and the transfer robot 40 are both W. The width W ′ and the width W are defined in a direction orthogonal to the direction F in which the processing robot 1 moves. Needless to say, the width W ′ of the passage S1 is set larger than the width W of the processing robot 1.
Further, when the processing robot 1 and the transport robot 40 (distributed cooperative processing system 70) pass through the passage S1, the width W ′ is set so as not to interfere with and damage the strawberry 62 protruding from the cultivation shelf 60. Is set larger than the width W with a margin. In other words, assuming that the processing robot 1 and the transfer robot 40 are arranged in the center in the width direction of the passage S1, the distance g on both sides in the width direction of the distributed cooperative processing system 70, that is, 2g in total on the left and right. An empty space of equal distance is secured.
Further, the total length (length in the traveling direction) of the processing robot 1 is L, and the maximum reach required for passing the picked strawberry 62 to the transport robot 40 is R. The maximum reach R is obtained with the third link 16 and the fourth link 18 extending in a straight line.

[Distributed collaborative processing system 70]
Hereinafter, an example of the distributed cooperative processing system 70 using the processing robot 1 and the transfer robot 40 will be described using specific numerical values. The reach R has a depth L ′ in the traveling direction of the loading platform of the transport robot 40 and a necessary inter-vehicle distance G so that the processing robot 1 and the transport robot 40 do not come into contact with each other during operation. Yes.
[Numeric example]
The width W ′ of the passage S1 = 80 cm
The width W of the transfer robot 40 = 60 cm
Free space F width g = 10 cm
Relational expression of W ′, W, g W ′ = W + 2g
Width of processing robot 1 W = 60 cm
Total length L of the processing robot 1 = 90 cm
Required reach R = 85cm
The movable range S of the first link 12 = 60 cm (± 30 cm from the center of the length of the first link)

In the distributed cooperative processing system 70, for example, when the strawberry 62 is delivered to the front transfer robot 40 up to a fixed amount, then the strawberry 62 is delivered to the rear transfer robot 40. When changing the delivery target, the manipulator unit 10 needs to reverse the direction of the third link 16 and the fourth link 18 from the front side to the rear side, so that the second link 14 is rotated by about 180 °. At this time, the fourth link 18 is folded, but it is necessary to avoid that the portion of the joint 20 reaches the cultivation shelf 60, and preferably does not protrude into the free space F. This is because the strawberry 62 may be damaged. For that purpose, the lengths of the third link 16 and the fourth link 18 may be made equal to each other, and the length may be suppressed to half the width W of the transfer robot 40, that is, W / 2 or less.
Then, when the fourth link 18 is folded toward the third link 16 and the second link 14 is rotated, the joint 20 does not protrude into the free space F. In order to satisfy this condition, the length of the third link 16 = the length of the fourth link 18 = 1/2 of the width W of the transfer robot 40 = r = 30 cm.

However, the picked strawberry 62 cannot be transferred to the transport robot 40 by the operation of only the second link 16 and the third link 18. That is, since the distance from the turning axis J2 to the tip of the work hand 22 is W = 60 cm at the longest, the reach R = 85 cm necessary for delivering the strawberry 62 is used. The robot 40 does not reach.
However, the manipulator unit 10 moves the first link 12 from the position of the center C of the movable range (FIG. 3B) to the position C ′ so that the work hand 22 reaches the transfer robot 40. You can hand over the strawberry 62.

  According to the distributed cooperative processing system 70 according to the above-described embodiment, when the strawberry 62 picked by the processing robot 1 is transferred to the transport robot 40, the angle formed by the third link 16 and the fourth link 18 is set. The orientation of the work hand 22 is aimed at a target position in the stocker 42 provided in the transport robot 40 while appropriately adjusting. And if the 1st link 12 is advanced, the strawberry 62 can be delivered to the stocker 42.

  While the processing robot 1 is picking up the strawberries 62, for example, if all the stockers 42 of the transfer robot 40 arranged in front of the processing robot 1 are full, the transfer robot is set to the pickup location. Transport toward 100 is started. At the same time, another transfer robot 40 that has been in a standby state starts moving toward a predetermined position where the strawberry 62 can be received from the processing robot 1. On the other hand, the processing robot 1 can reverse the direction of the third link 16 and the fourth link 18 of the manipulator unit 10 to change the transfer partner to the transfer robot 40 at the rear. In this way, by configuring the distributed cooperative processing system 70 with one processing robot 1 and two transfer robots 40, processing operations with few breaks can be realized.

  As mentioned above, although the example which determines the dimension of the principal part of the distributed cooperation type processing system 70 was shown, it is desirable to determine these suitably according to the cultivation conditions including the space | interval of the cultivation shelf 60, the specification of the processing robot 1, etc. . Even in such a case, the reach R necessary for handing the strawberry 62 to the transport robot 40 arranged in the front and rear directions is ensured, and the orientation of the work hand 22 of the manipulator unit 10 is 180 °. Needless to say, the joint 20 should not protrude into the free space F and turn the strawberry 62 when turning. Moreover, the above-mentioned numerical value has shown only an example in the case of implementing the processing system of this invention, and should be suitably adjusted according to arrangement | positioning of the cultivation shelf 60 in cultivation area S0. is there.

[Comparison when equipped with manipulator unit B]
The manipulator unit B shown in FIG. 9 has the same link configuration as the manipulator unit 10 except that a portion corresponding to the first link 12 is not provided.
In this manipulator B, as shown in FIG. 10A, the length (30 cm) of the third link 16 and the length (30 cm) of the fourth link 18 are equal to each other, and the width W (60 cm) of the traveling unit 30. It is assumed that it is equal to 1/2. In this dimension, even if the length of the two links is added, the length is only 60 cm, so that the required reach R (85 cm) is not reached, so that the strawberry 62 cannot be delivered to the transport robot 40. .

  Next, FIG. 10B shows that the length of the third link 16 and the fourth link 18 is R / 2 (42.5 cm) in order to secure the required reach R (85 cm). This is an example. In this example, the reach of a necessary length can be secured by extending the third link 16 and the fourth link 18 in a straight line, so that the strawberry 62 can be delivered to the transport robot 40. However, when the lengths of the third link 16 and the fourth link 18 are set in this way, when the direction of the third link 16 and the fourth link 18 is to be reversed, the fourth link 18 is folded. Even so, the joint 20 may reach the cultivation shelf 60 beyond the free space F, and the strawberry 62 may be damaged.

  In order to avoid the links and joints interfering with the strawberry 62 and the cultivation shelf 60 when the manipulator B is rotated, the third link 16, the fourth link 18, the joint 20, the work hand 22, etc. are connected to the cultivation shelf 60. It can also be reversed after being retracted once above. However, if it does so, while working efficiency will deteriorate, energy will be wasted with raising / lowering. In addition, since the load weight at this time is several kg in total of the weight of the structure related to raising and lowering and the weight of the digital camera, energy is consumed every inversion, so that the battery is consumed heavily. Battery drain is undesirable because it reduces the time that can be worked on with a single charge, which in turn reduces the overall efficiency of the distributed collaborative processing system.

[Operation of distributed collaborative processing system]
Next, an operation method of the distributed cooperative processing system 70 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the distributed cooperative processing system 70 is operated in the cultivation area S0. In FIG. 4, time elapses according to (a) to (f).
FIG. 4A shows a state where all the stockers 42 are full when the processing robot 1 is handing the picked strawberries 62 to the right transport robot 40 toward the drawing. Hereinafter, the transporting robot 40 that is full will be displayed in black.
FIG. 4 (b) shows a strawberry handed over from the processing robot 1 to the pick-up place 100 provided at the corner of the cultivation area S0 after the full transfer robot 40 on the right side leaves the processing robot 1. While moving to the position 62, the processing robot 1 is turning the working hand 22 by 180 °. As soon as the processing robot 1 turns 180 °, the processing robot 1 picks up the strawberry 62 and starts delivery to the left transfer robot 40 as viewed in the drawing.

FIG. 4 (c) shows that the processing robot 1 continues to work until the right-hand side transfer robot 40 that has returned the strawberries 62 returns through the path R1. Is shown to the left transfer robot 40 and the stocker 42 is gradually filled.
FIG. 4D shows a state in which the right transport robot 40 drops the strawberry 62 and waits for return to the original position while switching to the left transport robot 40 and delivering the strawberry 62.

FIG. 4 (e) shows that the left side transport robot 40, which is full, leaves the processing robot 1 and heads down the strawberries 62 to the collection place 100 provided outside the cultivation area S0. The processing robot 1 represents a state where the direction of the work hand 22 is turned by 180 °.
FIG. 4 (f) shows that the processing robot 1 continues to work until the left transport robot 40 that has returned the strawberries 62 returns through the path R2, and the right transport robot 40 is moved to the right. On the other hand, the state in which the stocker 42 is gradually filled with the delivered strawberry 62 by passing the picked strawberry 62 is shown.

  In the distributed collaborative processing system 70 in which a plurality of robots are operated in cooperation in this way, the maximum carrying capacity that the carrying robot 40 can contain the strawberries 62 is provided to the collection place 100 by the other carrying robot 40. By providing at least a larger amount than can be picked up by the processing robot 1 before the transported strawberry 62 is lowered and returned, it becomes possible to realize a completely seamless processing operation.

  In the above description, it is assumed that one transfer robot 40 is arranged at the front and back. However, when the cultivation area S0 is large and the reciprocation time to the collection place 100 is considerably long, one transfer robot is used. There may be a situation in which the strawberry 62 that is picked up while the 40 is unloading can not be stacked by the other single transport robot 40 alone. In such a case, the number of transfer robots 40 on each of the front and rear sides is not limited to one, and a plurality of robots may be operated. In any case, it is desirable to realize a continuous processing operation.

[Effects of the manipulator unit 10]
Further, the manipulator unit 10 has a four-axis configuration and can be manufactured at a low cost compared to a commercially available six-axis and six-joint manipulator. At the same time, since the elements constituting the manipulator unit 10 do not have links inclined obliquely with respect to the vertical direction, they can be interfered with an object less than a general manipulator, thereby realizing a wide movable range.
When the manipulator unit 10 supports a heavy object, there are many places where energization for maintaining torque is not necessary, as in a general manipulator, for example, the total load applied to the first link 12 no matter where the first link is located. Since the guide rail that supports the first link is mechanically supported, power is not consumed in a stopped state. The same applies to the second link 14 and the fourth link 18. In this sense, the manipulator unit 10 of the present embodiment is a device that consumes less energy.

In the manipulator unit 10, the work hand 22 is guided to the position of the strawberry 62 that is the processing target within the movable range by a combination of linear reciprocating motion and rotational motion having a moving component in a predetermined direction, and the cultivation shelves 60 on both sides in the width direction are guided. Strawberries 62 can be processed.
That is, by rotating the second link 14 in the horizontal direction around the axis J2 orthogonal to the moving direction of the first link, the work hand 22 can be directed to the cultivation shelves 60 on both sides in the width direction. By raising and lowering the link 16, the work hand 22 can be aligned with the strawberry 62 of the cultivation shelf 60 in the height direction. Further, the fourth link 18 is swiveled and folded with respect to the third link 16, so that the third link 16 and the fourth link 18 can be rotated without causing interference between the cultivation shelves 60 on both sides. Further, by moving the first link 12 forward and backward, the picked processing object can be transferred to the transfer robot 40.

In addition to the above, as long as the gist of the present invention is not deviated, the configuration described in the above embodiment can be selected or changed to another configuration as appropriate.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the order of attaching the second link 14 and the third link 16 of FIG. 1 is changed, and the first link 12 (linear reciprocation is possible with a moving component along the axis J1 in a predetermined direction), The third link 16 (can be moved up and down along the axis J2 orthogonal to the axis J1 which is the moving direction of the first link), the second link 14 (can be rotated around the axis J2 in the horizontal direction), and the fourth link 18 Even if they are provided in the order of (the axis J3 can be rotated in the horizontal direction around the center), the manipulator unit 10 having the same movable range can be realized.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7A, an H1 link 18a that can be rotated in a vertical direction about an axis J4 perpendicular to the axis J3 may be provided in the middle of the fourth link 18. By providing the H1 link 18a, for example, even when fruits such as the strawberry 62 are hidden behind the leaves, the picking process can be facilitated by scraping the leaves up and down.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, an H2 link 18 b that can be twisted about an axis parallel to the fourth link 18 may be provided in the middle of the fourth link 18. By providing the H2 link 18b, for example, even if the direction in which the fruits such as the strawberry 62 are suspended from the cultivation shelf 60 is not the vertical direction, the picking process can be easily performed by giving the work hand 22 a twist. can do.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 7C, by providing both the H1 link and the H2 link in the middle of the fourth link 18, it becomes easy to cope with various situations such as the strawberry 62 and the processing capacity is further increased. Can be improved. The links (H1, H2) may be provided in the order of H1, H2 with respect to the joint 20, regardless of the order of connection, and conversely, the order of H2, H1 may be used. In any case, the same function can be obtained.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the first link 12 can reciprocate along an X-shaped trajectory (axis G1, axis G2) including a plurality of moving components in a predetermined direction (two straight lines intersect). It may be provided. By providing the first link 12 in this way, the movable range in the width direction can be expanded by a distance corresponding to Y in the drawing.

  Moreover, when the traveling unit 30 is not autonomously traveling, and a rail is provided in the passage S1 between the cultivation shelves 60 and travels on the rail, the axis J1 reciprocates on the rail. Even if the movable range S of the first link 12 of the manipulator unit 10 is provided so as to be comparable to the length of the cultivation shelf 60, the same effect as in the case of autonomous traveling can be obtained. In this case, even if the transfer robot 40 is not autonomously traveling but travels on the same rail, the same effect as that of autonomous traveling can be obtained.

  Moreover, arrangement | positioning of cultivation area S0 may differ with strawberry producers. For example, when the dimension of the width W ′ of the passage between the cultivation shelf 60 and the cultivation shelf 60 is greatly different from the dimension of the width W of the processing robot 1 (for example, the dimension g of the free space F is the first implementation). When it is provided at 35 cm or larger than 10 cm shown in the form, W '= 130 cm for W = 60 cm, and the difference between the two is greatly expanded). Unusable situations may occur. For this reason, in the distributed joint processing system 70 of the present invention, the length of the third link r1 and the length of the fourth link r2 of the manipulator unit 10 are set such that ½ × W ′> r1, r2. The dimensions of each part are provided. As a result, it is possible to easily process the strawberry 62 by the work hand 22. And it does not interfere with the cultivation shelf 60 with a 3rd link and a 4th link.

1 processing robot 10 manipulator unit 11 base 12 first link 14 second link 16 third link 18 fourth link 18a H1 link 18b H2 link 20 joint 22 work hand 24 digital camera J1, J2, J3, J4 axis 30 traveling unit 32 Large wheel 34 Small wheel 36 Lower storage part 38 Mounting base 40 Transfer robot 42 Stocker 60 Cultivation shelf 62 Strawberry 70 Distributed collaborative processing system 100 Collection place S0 Cultivation area S1 Path F Free space W 'Path width W The width of the processing robot Width L Length of robot for processing C Center position R of movable range of first link Required reach length S based on position C Movable range of first link Y Expanded movable range

Claims (12)

A first link having a moving component in a predetermined direction and capable of reciprocating along the axis J1,
A second link rising upward from the first link;
It is connected to the second link, and can be rotated around an axis J2 perpendicular to the axis J1 together with the second link, or can be rotated with respect to the second link and to the first link A third link that can be moved up and down along an axis J2 perpendicular to the axis J1;
A fourth link that is continuous with the third link and that can be rotated around an axis J3 parallel to the axis J2 around a connection portion with the third link;
A work hand provided at the tip of the fourth link;
A manipulator comprising: The second link can be rotated in a horizontal direction around the axis J2 orthogonal to the moving direction of the first link,
The third link can be moved up and down along the axis J2.
The manipulator according to claim 1. The second link can be moved up and down along an axis J2 orthogonal to the moving direction of the first link.
The third link can be rotated around the axis J2.
The manipulator according to claim 1. At least one or both of an H1 link that can be rotated about an axis J4 perpendicular to the axis J3 and an H2 link that can be rotated about an axis parallel to the fourth link is provided in the middle of the fourth link. Is provided,
The manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The first link is
A reciprocating linear motion is possible including only a moving component in a predetermined direction.
The manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The first link is
Including a moving component in a predetermined direction and a moving component in the predetermined direction, and can reciprocate along an X-shaped trajectory;
The manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A traveling unit that travels in a predetermined direction;
The manipulator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the manipulator is mounted on the traveling unit and travels together with the traveling unit.
The manipulator processes an object to be processed;
A processing robot characterized by that. The dimension in the width direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the processing robot is W,
If the length of the third link is r1, and the length of the fourth link is r2,
1/2 × W> r1, r2 holds,
The processing robot according to claim 7. The processing robot;
A transfer robot disposed at a predetermined position before and after the processing robot in the traveling direction and delivering the processing object from the processing robot;
The processing robot and the transfer robot travel through a path between cultivation shelves provided on both sides in the width direction orthogonal to the traveling direction,
The processing robot comprises the processing robot according to claim 7,
The transfer robot moves the transferred object to be moved to a predetermined collection place and conveys it,
A distributed cooperative processing system characterized by that. Including the transfer robot in a standby state;
When the transfer robot that has been arranged before or after the processing robot moves to the predetermined collection location, the transfer robot in a standby state moves to the predetermined position.
The distributed cooperative processing system according to claim 9. When the delivery of the processing object to the transfer robot arranged at a predetermined position in front of the traveling direction of the processing robot is quantitative,
The processing robot reverses the direction of the manipulator,
Starting delivery of the processing object to the transfer robot arranged at a predetermined position after the traveling direction,
When the manipulator reverses the direction, the third link and the fourth link do not interfere with a cultivation shelf for cultivating the processing object.
The distributed cooperative processing system according to claim 9 or 10. W ′ is the width dimension of the passage sandwiched between the cultivation shelf and the cultivation shelf that goes straight in the traveling direction of the processing robot,
When the length of the third link of the manipulator provided in the processing robot is r1, and the length of the fourth link is r2,
1/2 × W ′> r1, r2 holds,
The system for distributed cooperative processing according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

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