JP2018115076A - Workpiece work device, workpiece system, method of ejecting work, method of providing work, and method of stocking work - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve space saving and manpower saving.SOLUTION: The workpiece device 3 performs at least either provision or ejection of a food tray 14 to or from the work transportation conveyer 11 that transports the food tray 14, and includes: a first storage 21 and a second storage 22 that store a container 16 for storing the food tray 14; a transportation device 48 that transports the container 16 between a certain work position 46 and the first storage 21 and the second storage 22; a work conveying robot 30 that transports the food tray 14 between the container 16 transported to the work position 46 and the work transportation conveyer 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The embodiment of the disclosure relates to a work work device, a work work system, a work discharge method, a work supply method, and a work stock method.

  For example, Patent Document 1 includes a parent box conveyor that conveys a parent box, a small box conveyor that conveys a small box, and a junction where the parent box conveyor and the small box conveyor merge. In addition, there is described a picking facility in which after a container in a small box is packed, a parent box is shipped and the empty small box is transported as it is by a small box conveyor and reused.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-172518

  In the above-described prior art, the parent box conveyor and the junction are installed in order to supply the parent box (work) to the small box conveyor, and the installation space of the facility for supplying the workpiece is likely to increase in size. Furthermore, since the shipping (discharge) of the parent box that has been stuffed is performed by an operator, there is a problem in that it requires manpower.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and provides a work work device, a work work system, a work discharge method, a work supply method, and a work stock method capable of saving space and manpower. For the purpose.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a work work device that performs at least one of supply and discharge of the work with respect to a first transport conveyor that transports the work, and stores the work. An accommodating portion for accommodating a container for carrying out, a conveying device for conveying the container between a predetermined working position and the accommodating portion, and between the container conveyed to the working position and the first conveying conveyor A work work device having a work transfer robot for transferring the work is applied.

  Moreover, according to another viewpoint of this invention, it has the 1st conveyance conveyor which conveys a workpiece | work, and the workpiece work apparatus which performs at least one of supply or discharge | emission of the said workpiece | work with respect to the said 1st conveyance conveyor, The work work device includes a storage unit that stores a container for storing the work, a transfer device that transfers the container between a predetermined work position and the storage unit, and the transfer unit that is transferred to the work position. A work work system having a work transfer robot for transferring the work between a container and the first transfer conveyor is applied.

  Moreover, according to another viewpoint of this invention, it is the workpiece | work discharge | emission method performed by the workpiece | work work apparatus which discharges | emits the said workpiece | work from the 1st conveyance conveyor which conveys a workpiece | work, Comprising: The empty for accommodating the said workpiece | work Housing the container in the first housing unit, transporting the container of the first housing unit to a working position, transferring the workpiece from the first transport conveyor to the container, and housing the workpiece. A work discharging method is applied, which includes transporting the container from the working position to the second storage unit.

  Moreover, according to another viewpoint of this invention, it is the workpiece | work supply method performed by the workpiece work apparatus which supplies the said workpiece | work to the 1st conveyance conveyor which conveys a workpiece | work, Comprising: The container in which the said workpiece | work was accommodated is 1st. 2 housing the container, transporting the container of the second housing part to a working position, transferring the workpiece from the container to the first transport conveyor, and removing the workpiece. A work supply method is applied which includes conveying the container from the work position to the first storage unit.

  Moreover, according to another viewpoint of this invention, it is the workpiece | work stock method performed by the workpiece | work work apparatus which stocks the said workpiece | work of the 1st conveyance conveyor which conveys a workpiece | work, Comprising: The empty for accommodating the said workpiece | work Housing the container in the first housing unit, transporting the container of the first housing unit to a working position, transferring the workpiece from the first transport conveyor to the container, and housing the workpiece. Transporting and storing the container from the work position to the second storage section, transporting the container of the second storage section to the work position, and from the container to the first transport conveyor A work stock method is applied, which includes transferring a work and transporting the container from which the work has been taken out from the work position to the first storage unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a work work device, work work system, work discharge method, work supply method, and work stock method that can save space and labor.

It is explanatory drawing showing an example of the whole structure of the work line provided with the workpiece | work work apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing showing an example of the unit structure of a workpiece | work work apparatus. It is a top view showing an example of composition of a work work device. It is a front view showing an example of composition of a work work device. It is a left view showing an example of composition of a work work device. It is a top view showing an example of the structure of a container. It is a bottom view showing an example of the structure of a container. It is explanatory drawing showing the state which piled up the some container in the direction where a stacking dimension becomes small. It is a side view showing the state which piled up the some container in the direction where a stacking dimension becomes small. It is explanatory drawing showing the state which piled up the some container in the direction from which a stacking dimension becomes large. It is a side view showing the state which piled up the some container in the direction from which a stacking dimension becomes large. It is explanatory drawing showing an example of the operation | movement at the time of food tray supply of a workpiece | work working apparatus. It is explanatory drawing showing an example of operation | movement at the time of the food tray discharge | emission of a workpiece | work working apparatus. It is explanatory drawing showing an example of the operation | movement which stocks a food tray in the modification which uses a workpiece | work work apparatus as a stock apparatus. It is explanatory drawing showing an example of the operation | movement which returns the stocked food tray to a workpiece conveyance conveyor in the modification which uses a workpiece | work work apparatus as a stock apparatus. It is explanatory drawing showing an example of the whole structure of the work line of the modification which conveys 2 rows of food trays with a workpiece conveyance conveyor. It is a top view showing an example of composition of a work work device concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is a front view showing an example of composition of a work work device. It is a left view showing an example of composition of a work work device. It is explanatory drawing showing an example of operation | movement at the time of the food tray discharge | emission of a workpiece | work working apparatus. It is explanatory drawing showing an example of the operation | movement at the time of food tray supply of a workpiece | work working apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, for convenience of description of the configuration of the work work device and the like, directions such as up and down, left and right, front and rear may be used as appropriate, but the positional relationship of each configuration of the work work device and the like is not limited.

<1. First Embodiment>
First, the first embodiment will be described.

(1-1. Overall configuration of work line)
With reference to FIG. 1, an example of the overall configuration of a work line 1 including a work work device 3 according to the present embodiment will be described. The work line 1 is a work line for performing, for example, a work of placing food 13 on the food container 12.

  The work line 1 includes a work transport conveyor 11 (an example of a first transport conveyor), a plurality (three in this example) of work robots 2, and a plurality (two in this example) of work work devices 3. The work robot 2 and the work work device 3 are disposed in the vicinity of the work transfer conveyor 11. In the example shown in FIG. 1, a plurality (two in this example) of workers 10 are also arranged in the vicinity of the work conveyor 11 together with the work robot 2 and the work work device 3. The work robot 2 may be arranged instead of the worker 10. The work transfer conveyor 11 and the work work device 3 constitute a work work system 8.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in this work line 1, the work work device 3 is first from the upstream side (left side in FIG. 1), the worker 10 is second, and the third to fifth is the work conveyor 11. The work robot 2, the sixth worker 10, and the seventh work work device 3 are arranged at appropriate intervals such as substantially equal intervals. Among these, the two work work apparatuses 3, the two workers 10, and the one work robot 2 are disposed on one side in the width direction of the work transfer conveyor 11 (upper side in FIG. 1), and the remaining 2 The platform work robot 2 is disposed on the other side in the width direction of the work conveyor 11 (lower side in FIG. 1). The arrangement shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and an arrangement other than the above may be used.

  The workpiece conveyance conveyor 11 conveys the food container 12 and the food tray 14 (an example of a workpiece). The work work device 3 performs at least one of supply and discharge of the food tray 14 with respect to the work transfer conveyor 11. The work robot 2 and the worker 10 arrange the food 13 on the food container 12.

  An empty food container 12 is supplied to the work conveyer 11 at an appropriate timing by a supply device (not shown) or manually on the upstream side of the first work work device 3 from the upstream side. In addition, a food tray 14 containing food 13 is supplied from the work work apparatus 3 on the upstream side to the work conveyor 11. Thereby, the workpiece conveyance conveyor 11 mixes the food container 12 and the food tray 14, and conveys them sequentially toward the downstream side (right side in FIG. 1). Details of the work work device 3 will be described later.

  The food tray 14 supplied by the first work work device 3 from the upstream side contains food 13 such as prepared dishes necessary for serving. A single food tray 14 contains a plurality of one type of food 13. There are a plurality of types of food 13 and each type is stored in a different food tray 14. In this example, there are five types of foods 13 to be arranged, for example, and each work robot 2 and each worker 10 arrange corresponding types of foods 13. A tray mounting table 15 for holding the food tray 14 is disposed at a position close to the work transfer conveyor 11 of each worker 10 and each work robot 2.

  The work robot 2 is, for example, a double-arm robot having two robot arms 18. However, it may be a single arm robot. As the work robot 2, for example, a horizontal articulated type (scalar type), a parallel link type, a direct acting type, a vertical articulated type or the like can be used. The two robot arms 18 protrude on the work transport conveyor 11 so as to be upstream and downstream of each other, and perform placement work while operating independently between the work transport conveyor 11 and the tray mounting table 15. Configured to be executable.

  The three work robots 2 and the two workers 10 place foods 13 of the type corresponding to the order from the upstream side on the food containers 12.

  Specifically, the second worker 10 from the upstream side draws and holds the food tray 14 containing the first type of food 13 flowing from the upstream by the work conveyor 11 on the tray mounting table 15. . In addition, the second worker 10 holds the food 13 in the food tray 14 held on the tray mounting table 15, and applies a predetermined amount to the empty food container 12 flowing in the vicinity of the worker 10. The food 13 is carried and arranged at the first arrangement position. In addition, in FIG. 1, the arrangement | positioning operation | movement of the foodstuff 13 by this worker 10 is shown with the black arrow (the same is true below).

  The third work robot 2 from the upstream side draws and holds the food tray 14 containing the second type food 13 flowing from the upstream by the work conveyor 11 on the tray mounting table 15 by the robot arm 18. In FIG. 1, the pull-in operation of the food tray 14 by the robot arm 18 is indicated by a white arrow (the same applies hereinafter). The third work robot 2 holds the food 13 on the food tray 14 held on the tray mounting table 15 by the robot arm 18 and flows in the vicinity of the work robot 2. With respect to the food container 12 in which 13 is arranged, the food 13 is carried and arranged in a predetermined second arrangement position. In FIG. 1, the food arm 13 serving by the robot arm 18 is also indicated by black arrows (the same applies hereinafter).

  The fourth work robot 2 from the upstream side draws and holds the food tray 14 containing the third type food 13 flowing from the upstream by the work conveyor 11 on the tray mounting table 15 by the robot arm 18. The fourth work robot 2 holds the food 13 on the food tray 14 held on the tray mounting table 15 by the robot arm 18, and flows in the vicinity of the work robot 2. With respect to the food container 12 in which the kind of food 13 is arranged, the food 13 is carried and arranged in a predetermined third arrangement position.

  The fifth work robot 2 from the upstream side draws and holds the food tray 14 containing the fourth type of food 13 flowing from the upstream by the work conveyor 11 on the tray mounting table 15 by the robot arm 18. The fifth work robot 2 holds the food 13 on the food tray 14 held on the tray mounting table 15 by the robot arm 18, and flows in the vicinity of the work robot 2. With respect to the food container 12 in which the kind of food 13 is arranged, the food 13 is carried and arranged in a predetermined fourth arrangement position.

  The sixth worker 10 from the upstream side draws and holds the food tray 14 containing the fifth type of food 13 flowing from the upstream by the work conveyor 11 on the tray mounting table 15. The fifth worker 10 holds the food 13 in the food tray 14 held on the tray mounting table 15 and flows through the first to fourth types of food 13 flowing in the vicinity of the worker 10. The food 13 is transported to the predetermined fifth serving position with respect to the food container 12 on which is placed.

  When the first to fifth five kinds of foods 13 are arranged in the food container 12, the operation of arranging the foods 13 is completed. The food container 12 for which the food 13 has been placed is flowed to a post-process facility (not shown) installed on the downstream side by the work conveyor 11, and post-processing such as covering the food container 12 is performed. Further, each worker 10 and each work robot 2, when the food 13 in the food tray 14 on the tray mounting table 15 is consumed and emptied, removes the empty food tray 14 from the tray mounting table 15 to the work conveyor 11. Return to the top. The returned empty food tray 14 is transported and discharged (also referred to as recovery) from the work transport conveyor 11 by the work work device 3 on the downstream side.

(1-2. Configuration of Work Work Device)
Next, an example of the configuration of the work work device 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. In order to facilitate understanding of the structure of each part, in FIGS. 3 to 5, a cover 56, a slider 63, a linear bush 64, and the like, which will be described later, are illustrated with appropriate perspective.

(1-2-1. Overall configuration)
As shown in FIG. 2, the work work device 3 is roughly divided into four parts: a first container transfer unit 5, a second container transfer unit 6, a work transfer unit 7, and a container transfer conveyor 40 (an example of a second transfer conveyor). It consists of units. Each unit is connected so as to be separable by a connecting member such as a bolt.

  The first container transfer unit 5 is, for example, on the downstream side (right side in FIG. 2) of the workpiece transfer unit 7 in the transfer direction of the workpiece transfer conveyor 11, and the second container transfer unit 6 is, for example, on the upstream side of the workpiece transfer unit 7 ( It is arranged on the left side in FIG. The workpiece transfer unit 7 is arranged between the first container transfer unit 5 and the second container transfer unit 6 so that a workpiece transfer robot 30 described later protrudes on the workpiece transfer conveyor 11. The transport path of the container transport conveyor 40 is the transport direction of the work transport conveyor 11 (in this example, the horizontal direction in this example) so as to extend between the first container transport unit 5 and the second container transport unit 6 while being inserted into the work transport unit 7. (Also referred to as the X-axis direction). The container transport conveyor 40 is supported on both ends in the transport direction by columns 47 having an adjuster 47a at the lower end, and is installed on the floor FL. The 1st container transfer unit 5 and the 2nd container transfer unit 6 are arrange | positioned so that the moving direction by the horizontal moving mechanism 60 mentioned later may become a direction (in this example, the front-back direction) substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the said workpiece conveyance conveyor 11. Is done.

  The first container transfer unit 5 and the second container transfer unit 6 are configured to have a mirror image relationship with each other, for example. However, these units may have the same configuration. Each of the first container transfer unit 5 and the second container transfer unit 6 includes a frame-shaped support frame 70R and a support frame 70L each having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The first container transfer unit 5 includes a first container 21 and a first container transfer robot 41 that are provided on the support frame 70 </ b> R and store the container 16 in which the food tray 14 is not stored. The second container transfer unit 6 includes a second container 22 that is provided on the support frame 70 </ b> L and that accommodates the container 16 in which the food tray 14 is accommodated, and a second container transfer robot 42. At the lower ends of the four corners of the support frames 70R and 70L, adjusters 71 with casters are provided, respectively.

  In addition, the 1st accommodating part 21 and the 2nd accommodating part 22 are good also as a structure by which a baseplate etc. are provided in support frame 70R, 70L, and the container 16 is mounted on it, a baseplate etc. are not provided, For example, it is good also as a space where the cart etc. in which the container 16 was mounted are inserted.

  The workpiece transfer unit 7 includes a frame-like support frame 31 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A work transfer robot 30 is provided on the support frame 31. The workpiece transfer robot 30 transfers the food tray 14 from the workpiece transfer conveyor 11 to the container 16 taken out from the first storage unit 21 when discharging the food tray 14 from the workpiece transfer conveyor 11. On the other hand, the workpiece transfer robot 30 transfers the food tray 14 from the container 16 taken out from the second storage unit 22 to the workpiece transfer conveyor 11 when supplying the food tray 14 to the workpiece transfer conveyor 11.

  The container transfer conveyor 40, the first container transfer robot 41, and the second container transfer robot 42 constitute a transfer device 48. The container transport conveyor 40 transports the containers 16 along a transport path including a work position 46 of the work transfer robot 30 (a position below the work transfer robot 30 shown in FIG. 3). The first container transfer robot 41 transfers the container 16 in which the food tray 14 is not stored between the first storage unit 21 and the container transport conveyor 40. The second container transfer robot 42 transfers the container 16 in which the food tray 14 is stored between the second storage unit 22 and the container transport conveyor 40.

(1-2-2. First container transfer unit, second container transfer unit)
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first container transfer robot 41 included in the first container transfer unit 5 and the second container transfer robot 42 included in the second container transfer unit 6 include a robot hand 43 that holds the container 16, The vertical movement mechanism 50 that moves the robot hand 43 in the vertical direction (also referred to as the Z-axis direction), and the robot hand 43 is moved in the horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the vertical direction (in this example, the front-rear direction, also referred to as the Y-axis direction). Horizontal movement mechanism 60. The vertical movement mechanism 50 is moved in the front-rear direction together with the robot hand 43 by the horizontal movement mechanism 60.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the vertical movement mechanism 50 includes a Z-axis motor 51, a belt 52, a drive pulley 53, and a plurality of driven pulleys 54. The vertical movement mechanism 50 has a cover 56 to which a hollow shaft 55 as two guide members is attached between the upper and lower ends. The two hollow shafts 55 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction, and are covered with a cover 56 together with the belt 52, the drive pulley 53, and the driven pulley 54. The cover 56 is open on the workpiece transfer unit 7 side. Each hollow shaft 55 is inserted through two upper and lower linear bushes 64 provided on the slider 63 of the horizontal movement mechanism 60, and is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the slider 63. The Z-axis motor 51 is attached to the slider 63 and drives a drive pulley 53 fixed to the output shaft of the Z-axis motor 51. The belt 52 is wound around a drive pulley 53 and a driven pulley 54 attached at two locations, an upper portion and a lower portion inside the cover 56.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the horizontal movement mechanism 60 includes a Y-axis motor 61, a guide rail 62, and a slider 63. The guide rail 62 is provided on a base 65 provided on the upper portions of the support frames 70R and 70L. The Y-axis motor 61 is, for example, a rotary motor, and moves the slider 63 in the front-rear direction along the guide rail 62 by, for example, a ball screw mechanism. A linear motor or an air cylinder (when the front and rear stop positions are determined) may be used as the Y-axis motor 61. As shown in FIG. 4, next to the guide rail 62 on the base 65, a linear encoder 66 (not shown in FIGS. 3 and 5) for detecting the amount of movement of the slider 63 by the Y-axis motor 61 is provided. Are provided substantially in parallel. A cable rack 67 (not shown in FIG. 3) for laying a wiring cable such as the Z-axis motor 51 is provided on the side of the base 65 opposite to the linear encoder 66 with respect to the guide rail 62. . A part of the slider 63, the guide rail 62, the cable rack 67, and the like are covered with a cover 68 (not shown in FIGS. 3 and 5).

  When the vertical movement mechanism 50 drives the belt 52 by the Z-axis motor 51, the cover 56 moves in the vertical direction while being guided by the hollow shaft 55 with respect to the slider 63, whereby the robot hand 43 moves in the vertical direction. . The driving method of the vertical movement mechanism 50 is not limited to the belt driving method, and may be a rack and pinion or a ball screw method, for example. Further, when the horizontal movement mechanism 60 drives the Y-axis motor 61, the slider 63 moves in the front-rear direction while being guided by the guide rail 62, and the cover 56 moves in the front-rear direction. As a result, the robot hand 43 moves in the front-rear direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the robot hand 43 is attached to a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction at the lower end of the cover 56 via a connecting member 49 and an air chuck 45. An air chuck cover 46a is attached to the lower end of the air chuck 45 to prevent oil and dust from dropping due to the θ-axis motor 44 and the like. The air chuck 45 opens and closes the robot hand 43 by air pressure, and grips and holds the container 16 from both sides. The θ-axis motor 44 (an example of a rotation mechanism) rotates the air chuck 45 and the robot hand 43 about an axis (Z axis) parallel to the vertical direction. Thereby, the first container transfer robot 41 and the second container transfer robot 42 can rotate the container 16 held by the robot hand 43 around the Z axis. The robot hand 43 is not limited to an air drive type, and may be an electric drive type hand. The rotating θ-axis motor 44 may be replaced by an air type rotary actuator or the like.

(1-2-3. Work transfer unit)
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the workpiece transfer unit 7 includes a support frame 31, a workpiece transfer robot 30, and a control box 32. The control box 32 accommodates a controller (not shown) that controls the operation of the workpiece transfer robot 30. As shown in FIG. 5, the support frame 31 connects the workpiece transfer robot 30 and the control box 32 so that a gap S through which the container transfer conveyor 40 is inserted is provided between the workpiece transfer robot 30 and the control box 32. To support. As a result, the control box 32 is disposed below the container transport conveyor 40, and the workpiece transfer robot 30 is disposed above the container transport conveyor 40. As shown in FIG. 5, a work detection camera 33 that detects the food tray 14 and the like on the work transport conveyor 11 is installed on the lower surface of the upper front portion of the support frame 31.

  The workpiece transfer robot 30 is a parallel link robot. A base portion 38 attached to the upper portion of the support frame 31 and a lower movable plate 34 are connected by three sets of link portions 35, and a workpiece gripping hand 36 is provided at the lower end of the movable plate 34. By individually controlling these three sets of link portions 35 with an actuator (not shown) of the base portion 38, the movable plate 34 can be freely moved in the three axial directions and positioned at a desired position. At the lower ends of the four corners of the support frame 31, adjusters 37 with casters for installation on the floor FL are provided. The workpiece transfer robot 30 is not limited to a parallel link robot, and for example, a horizontal articulated type (scalar type), a direct acting type, a vertical articulated type, or the like can be used.

(1-3. Structure of container for storing food tray)
Next, an example of the structure of the container 16 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The container 16 is a container for accommodating the food tray 14 as a workpiece, and is also called a container, a weight or the like. The container 16 is stacked and stored in the first storage portion 21 and the second storage portion 22 in the vertical direction. 6A is a plan view of the container 16 viewed from the opening side, and FIG. 6B is a bottom view of the container 16 viewed from the bottom side. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the container 16 is a substantially rectangular box, and includes a storage portion 81 in which the food tray 14 is stored, and a collar portion 80 formed around the opening of the storage portion 81. Have. The accommodating part 81 includes a bottom part 83. Two notched grooves 82a having a relatively large cross-sectional area perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the groove are provided on one short side (the left side in FIG. 6A) of the inner wall surface of the accommodating portion 81, and the other short side. (Right side in FIG. 6A) is provided with two notched grooves 82b having a relatively small cross-sectional area perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the grooves. The two cutout grooves 82 a and the two cutout grooves 82 b are disposed at positions that are substantially line symmetric with respect to the center line h along the longitudinal direction of the container 16. Further, the interval between the two notch grooves 82a is arranged to be longer than the interval between the two notch grooves 82b.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, on the short side (the left side in FIG. 6B) of the outer wall surface of the accommodating portion 81, two protrusions formed at positions and sizes corresponding to the notch grooves 82a. 84a is provided, and on the other short side (right side in FIG. 6B), two protrusions 84b formed at positions and sizes corresponding to the notch grooves 82b are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, when a plurality of containers 16 are stacked up and down in a direction in which the notch grooves 82a and the protrusions 84a and the notch grooves 82b and the protrusions 84b correspond, The two notches 82a of the upper container 16 (shown by broken lines) are fitted into the two notched grooves 82a of the lower container 16 (shown by solid lines), and the two notched grooves of the lower container 16 are fitted The two protrusions 84b of the upper container 16 are fitted to 82b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7B, the container 81 of the upper container 16 is inserted deeply into the container 81 of the lower container 16, and the stacking dimension H of the stacked containers 16 is reduced. Can do. Such stacking is performed when a plurality of containers 16 in which the food tray 14 is not accommodated are accommodated in the first accommodating portion 21.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8A, the plurality of containers 16 are placed in a direction in which the notch groove 82 a and the protrusion 84 b, and the notch groove 82 b and the protrusion 84 a correspond, in other words, from the state shown in FIG. 7A. When the containers 16 are stacked in a direction rotated by 180 ° around a direction (Z-axis direction) perpendicular to the paper surface, the following results. That is, the two protrusions 84b of the upper container 16 (shown by a broken line) are positioned and sized in the two notch grooves 82a of the lower container 16 (shown by a solid line) of the containers 16 adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. The two protrusions 84a of the upper container 16 are not fitted into the two notch grooves 82b of the lower container 16 because the positions and sizes thereof are different. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8B, the storage portion 81 of the upper container 16 is inserted shallowly into the storage portion 81 of the lower container 16, and the stacking dimension H of the plurality of stacked containers 16 increases. Therefore, a storage space for the food tray 14 can be secured in the storage portion 81 of each container 16. Such stacking is performed when the plurality of containers 16 in which the food trays 14 are stored are stored in the second storage unit 22.

  In addition, the said structure of the container 16 is an example, and the container 16 is good also as another structure, if it is a structure from which a stacking dimension changes according to the direction at the time of stacking. For example, in the above, the notch groove and the ridge are provided on the short side of the container 16, but instead of or in addition to this, the notch groove and the ridge having the same structure are provided on the long side of the container 16. It may be provided.

(1-4. Supply Operation of Work Work Device)
Next, an example of the supply operation of the work work device 3 arranged on the upstream side will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, in order to make an understanding of supply operation | movement easy, in FIG. 9, the container 16, the food tray 14, etc. are shown with the broken line.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the work tray 3 supplies the food tray 14 to the work transport conveyor 11, first, the food in which the second container 22 of the second container transfer unit 6 is filled with the food 13. A plurality of containers 16 in which the trays 14 are accommodated are stacked and accommodated in the vertical direction. At this time, as described above, the plurality of containers 16 are stacked in a direction in which the notch groove 82a and the protrusion portion 84b, and the notch groove 82b and the protrusion portion 84a correspond. In addition, this accommodation operation | work may be performed by the 2nd container transfer robot 42 or another robot, for example, and may be performed by the operator. Next, the Y-axis motor 61 and the Z-axis motor 51 of the second container transfer robot 42 are driven to operate the horizontal movement mechanism 60 and the vertical movement mechanism 50, and the robot hand 43 is the uppermost container of the second container 22. It moves above 16 and holds the container 16. Next, the robot hand 43 holding the container 16 moves forward, and the container 16 is transferred from the second storage portion 22 to the vicinity of one end portion (left end portion in FIG. 9) of the container transport conveyor 40 to release the holding. The container 16 is placed on the container transport conveyor 40. In this way, the second container transfer robot 42 transfers the container 16 of the second storage unit 22 to the container transport conveyor 40 at an appropriate timing.

  When the container 16 is placed, the container transfer conveyor 40 transfers the container 16 to the work position 46 of the work transfer robot 30 of the work transfer unit 7. The workpiece transfer robot 30 controls the operation of the link unit 35 and the workpiece gripping hand 36, grips the food tray 14 in the container 16 transported to the work position 46 with the workpiece gripping hand 36, and removes it from the container 16. Then, the workpiece transfer robot 30 moves the taken food tray 14 to the workpiece transfer conveyor 11, releases the grip, and supplies the food tray 14 to the workpiece transfer conveyor 11. When the supply of the food tray 14 from the container 16 is repeated and the container 16 becomes empty, the container transport conveyor 40 transports the empty container 16 from the working position 46 to the first container transfer unit 5, and the container 16 is transported to the container transport conveyor. It is located in the vicinity of the other end 40 (the right end in FIG. 9).

  In the first container transfer unit 5, the Y-axis motor 61 and the Z-axis motor 51 of the first container transfer robot 41 are driven to operate the horizontal movement mechanism 60 and the vertical movement mechanism 50, and the robot hand 43 is placed on the container transfer conveyor 40. The container 16 is held by moving above the container 16. Next, the robot hand 43 holding the container 16 moves backward to transfer the container 16 from the container transport conveyor 40 to the first storage unit 21, release the holding, and store the container 16 in the first storage unit 21. To do. The first container transfer robot 41 transfers the empty container 16 to the first container 21 every time the empty container 16 is conveyed to the first container transfer unit 5, and stacks a plurality of containers 16 in the first container 21 in the vertical direction. And accommodate. During the transfer of the container 16 to the first accommodating portion 21, the first container transfer robot 41 rotates every other container 16 by 180 ° around the Z axis by the θ-axis motor 44, and the notch described above. The groove 82a and the protrusion 84a, and the notch groove 82b and the protrusion 84b are in the corresponding directions. Thereby, the empty container 16 can be accommodated in the 1st accommodating part 21 by making a stacking dimension small.

  In the above description, the rotation of the container 16 is performed on the first container transfer unit 5 side, but may be performed on the second container transfer unit 6 side. That is, when the containers 16 are transferred from the second container 22 to the container conveyor 40, the second container transfer robot 42 rotates the containers 16 by 180 degrees around the Z axis by the θ-axis motor 44. Also good. In this case, rotation on the first container transfer unit 5 side becomes unnecessary.

(1-5. Discharge operation of work work device)
Next, an example of the discharging operation of the work work device 3 arranged on the downstream side will be described with reference to FIG. In order to facilitate understanding of the discharging operation, the container 16 and the food tray 14 are shown by broken lines in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the work tray 3 discharges the food tray 14 from the work transport conveyor 11, first, the food tray 14 is stored in the first storage portion 21 of the first container transfer unit 5. A plurality of empty empty containers 16 are stacked and accommodated in the vertical direction. At this time, as described above, the plurality of containers 16 are stacked in a direction in which the notch groove 82a and the protruding portion 84a, and the notched groove 82b and the protruding portion 84b correspond. In addition, this accommodation operation | work may be performed by the 1st container transfer robot 41 or another robot, for example, and may be performed by the operator. Next, the Y-axis motor 61 and the Z-axis motor 51 of the first container transfer robot 41 are driven to operate the horizontal movement mechanism 60 and the vertical movement mechanism 50, and the robot hand 43 is the uppermost container of the first container 21. It moves above 16 and holds the container 16. Next, the robot hand 43 holding the container 16 moves forward, and the container 16 is transferred from the first storage portion 21 to the vicinity of one end portion (right end portion in FIG. 10) of the container transport conveyor 40 to release the holding. The container 16 is placed on the container transport conveyor 40. Thus, the 1st container transfer robot 41 transfers the container 16 of the 1st accommodating part 21 to the container conveyance conveyor 40 at an appropriate timing.

  When the container 16 is placed, the container transfer conveyor 40 transfers the container 16 to the work position 46 of the work transfer robot 30 of the work transfer unit 7. The workpiece transfer robot 30 grips an empty food tray 14 in which the food 13 transported by the workpiece transport conveyor 11 is not stored with the workpiece gripping hand 36, and moves to and stores the container 16 in the work position 46. In this manner, the empty food tray 14 is collected and discharged from the work transfer conveyor 11. When the accommodation of the food tray 14 into the container 16 is repeated and the container 16 is filled with the food tray 14, the container transport conveyor 40 moves the container 16 containing the food tray 14 from the working position 46 to the second container transfer unit 6. The container 16 is transported and the container 16 is positioned at the other end (left end in FIG. 10) of the container transport conveyor 40.

  In the second container transfer unit 6, the Y-axis motor 61 and the Z-axis motor 51 of the second container transfer robot 42 are driven to operate the horizontal movement mechanism 60 and the vertical movement mechanism 50, and the robot hand 43 is placed on the container transfer conveyor 40. The container 16 is held by moving above the container 16. Next, the robot hand 43 holding the container 16 moves backward to transfer the container 16 from the container transport conveyor 40 to the second storage unit 22, release the holding, and store the container 16 in the second storage unit 22. To do. The second container transfer robot 42 transfers the container 16 containing the empty food tray 14 to the second container 22 every time the container 16 is transported to the second container transfer unit 6. The containers 16 are stacked and accommodated in the vertical direction. During the transfer of the container 16 to the second accommodating portion 22, the second container transfer robot 42 rotates every other container 16 by 180 ° around the Z axis by the θ-axis motor 44, and the notch described above. The groove 82a and the protrusion 84b, and the notch groove 82b and the protrusion 84a are in the corresponding directions. Thereby, the stacking dimension of the several container 16 in the 2nd accommodating part 22 can be enlarged, and the container 16 can be stacked, without pressing the food tray 14. FIG.

  In the above description, the container 16 is rotated on the second container transfer unit 6 side. However, the container 16 may be rotated on the first container transfer unit 5 side. That is, when the containers 16 are transferred from the first container 21 to the container conveyor 40, the first container transfer robot 41 rotates every other container 16 180 degrees around the Z axis by the θ-axis motor 44. Also good. In this case, rotation on the second container transfer unit 6 side becomes unnecessary.

(1-6. Effects of First Embodiment)
As described above, the work working device 3 performs at least one of supply and discharge of the food tray 14 with respect to the work transport conveyor 11 that transports the food tray 14, and includes the container 16 for housing the food tray 14. A storage unit (first storage unit 21 and second storage unit 22 in the above embodiment) for storage, a transport device 48 for transporting the container 16 between a predetermined work position 46 and the storage unit, and a work position 46. A work transfer robot 30 for transferring the food tray 14 between the transferred container 16 and the work transfer conveyor 11;

  In the work work device 3 of the present embodiment, when the food tray 14 is discharged from the work transfer conveyor 11, the food tray 14 is transferred from the storage unit (first storage unit 21 in the above embodiment) to the work position 46 by the transfer device 48. The food tray 14 is transferred from the workpiece transfer conveyor 11 to the empty container 16 by the workpiece transfer robot 30. Further, when the food tray 14 is supplied to the work transfer conveyor 11, the food tray 14 that has been transferred from the storage unit (second storage unit 22 in the above embodiment) to the work position 46 by the transfer device 48 is stored. The food tray 14 is transferred from the container 16 to the workpiece transfer conveyor 11 by the workpiece transfer robot 30. Thus, since supply and discharge | emission of the food tray 14 with respect to the workpiece conveyance conveyor 11 can be automated, work efficiency can be improved and manpower can be saved. In addition, the work work device 3 includes the storage unit, the transfer device 48, and the work transfer robot 30, and these can be centrally arranged as a single device, so that space can be saved. Furthermore, since the work work device 3 can function as a supply device and a discharge device, one work work device 3 can be used as each device.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the storage unit is configured by the first storage unit 21 and the second storage unit 22, and when the transport device 48 discharges the food tray 14, When the container 16 is transported to the work position 46 and transported from the work position 46 to the second storage unit 22 and the food tray 14 is supplied, the container 16 of the second storage unit 22 is transported to the work position 46. It is transported from the work position 46 to the first storage unit 21.

  In the present embodiment, the work work device 3 includes a first housing portion 21 and a second housing portion 22. Thereby, the empty container 16 can be accommodated in the first accommodating part 21, and the container 16 filled with the food tray 14 can be accommodated in the second accommodating part 22. As a result, when the food tray 14 is to be discharged, the food tray 14 is collected in the empty container 16 that has been transported from the first container 21 to the work position 46, and the container 16 is transported to the second container 22. Can be stored. When the food tray 14 is supplied, the food tray 14 is supplied from the container 16 filled with the food tray 14 transported from the second container 22 to the work position 46 to the work transport conveyor 11. The empty container 16 from which is taken out can be transported to and stored in the first storage unit 21. By doing in this way, compared with the case where there is only one storage part, the work efficiency of discharge | emission and supply of the food tray 14 can be improved significantly.

  In this embodiment, in particular, the transport device 48 includes a container transport conveyor 40 that transports the container 16 along the transport path including the work position 46, and a container between the first container 21 and the container transport conveyor 40. A first container transfer robot 41 that transfers the container 16, and a second container transfer robot 42 that transfers the container 16 between the second container 22 and the container transport conveyor 40.

  In this way, by using the robot to put the container 16 in and out of the first storage part 21 and the second storage part 22, for example, the container 16 is transported or rotated in a plurality of axial directions (Z-axis direction, Y-axis direction). In this way, it is possible to put in and out of the accommodating portions 21 and 22. Thereby, while the aspect of accommodation of the container 16 by the 1st accommodating part 21 and the 2nd accommodating part 22 can be expanded, the freedom degree of design of each accommodating part 21 and 22 can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the first container 21 and the first container transfer robot 41 are unitized as the first container transfer unit 5, and the second container 22 and the second container transfer robot 42 are Unitized as a two-container transfer unit 6.

  Thereby, the workpiece | work work apparatus 3 can be divided roughly and can be comprised by several units, such as the 1st container transfer unit 5, the 2nd container transfer unit 6, and the container conveyance conveyor 40. FIG. As a result, it is possible to improve workability when the work work device 3 is installed or moved. Moreover, since the accommodating parts 21 and 22 and the container transfer robot can be made compact as a single unit, further space saving can be achieved.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the first container transfer robot 41 and the second container transfer robot 42 include a robot hand 43 that holds the container 16, a vertical movement mechanism 50 that moves the robot hand 43 in the vertical direction, and a robot hand. And a horizontal movement mechanism 60 for moving 43 in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction (the front-rear direction in the above embodiment).

  Accordingly, the containers 16 can be stacked and stored in the first storage portion 21 and the second storage portion 22 in the vertical direction. Moreover, the accommodation capacity of the 1st accommodating part 21 and the 2nd accommodating part 22 can be improved by enlarging the up-down direction dimension of each accommodating part 21 and 22 and the stroke length of the up-and-down moving mechanism 50. FIG.

  In this embodiment, in particular, the container transport conveyor 40 is disposed such that the transport path is along the transport direction of the work transport conveyor 11, and the first container transport unit 5 and the second container transport unit 6 are configured as a horizontal movement mechanism. The movement direction by 60 is arranged so as to be substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the workpiece conveyance conveyor 11.

  Thereby, since the container conveyance conveyor 40 of a shape long in a conveyance direction can be arrange | positioned substantially parallel to the workpiece conveyance conveyor 11, the depth dimension (dimension of the front-back direction) of the workpiece work apparatus 3 can be suppressed. Further, since the first container transfer unit 5 and the second container transfer unit 6 which are substantially rectangular in the moving direction by the horizontal moving mechanism 60 can be arranged so that the long sides are substantially perpendicular to the work transfer conveyor 11, the work work device The width dimension 3 (the dimension in the left-right direction) can be suppressed. Therefore, further space saving is possible.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the first storage unit 21 and the second storage unit 22 stack and store the containers 16 in the vertical direction, and the containers 16 are configured to have different stacking dimensions according to the stacking direction. The first container transfer robot 41 and the second container transfer robot 42 have a θ-axis motor 44 (or an air rotation mechanism) that rotates the robot hand 43 about the Z axis parallel to the vertical direction.

  Thereby, in the 1st accommodating part 21 in which the empty container 16 is accommodated, since it becomes possible to accumulate and accommodate the container 16 in the direction in which a stacking dimension becomes small, accommodation of the container 16 of the 1st accommodating part 21 is possible. The number can be increased. On the other hand, in the 2nd accommodating part 22 in which the container 16 in which the food tray 14 was accommodated is accommodated, it accumulates and accommodates in the direction where a stacking dimension becomes large, ensuring the mounting space of the food tray 14 (crushing). Container 16 can be stacked. Then, when the containers 21 and 22 are put in and out, the orientation of the container 16 corresponds to the above by the θ-axis motor 44 (or an air rotation mechanism) of the first container transfer robot 41 or the second container transfer robot 42. Orientation.

  In this embodiment, in particular, the workpiece transfer robot 30 is unitized as the workpiece transfer unit 7, and the workpiece transfer unit 7 includes a control box 32 that houses a controller that controls the operation of the workpiece transfer robot 30, and a workpiece. The workpiece transfer robot 30 and the support frame 31 that supports the control box 32 are provided so that a gap S through which the container transfer conveyor 40 is inserted is provided between the transfer robot 30 and the control box 32.

  Thereby, in the workpiece transfer unit 7, the control box 32 is disposed below the container transport conveyor 40, and the workpiece transfer robot 30 is disposed above the container transport conveyor 40. Thereby, since the workpiece transfer robot 30 and the control box 32 can be arranged so as to overlap the container transfer conveyor 40 in a top view, the installation space of the workpiece working device 3 can be reduced, and further space saving can be achieved.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the workpiece transfer robot 30 is a parallel link robot. Thereby, since the food tray 14 can be transferred at high speed, high accuracy, and wide range, the work efficiency of the work work device 3 can be improved.

(1-7. Modification)
The disclosed embodiments are not limited to the above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and technical idea thereof. Hereinafter, such modifications will be described.

(1-7-1. When used as a stock device)
In the above embodiment, the case where the work work device 3 is used as a supply device and a discharge device has been described. However, the work work device 3 may be used as a stock device for stocking workpieces. The work line 1A of the present modification will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, in order to make an understanding of stock operation easy, in FIG.11 and FIG.12, the container 16, the food container 12, etc. are shown with the broken line.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the work line 1 </ b> A of the present modification includes a pre-process device 8, a post-process device 9, a work transfer conveyor 11, and a work work device 3. The pre-process device 8 is a device related to a process such as placing the food 13 on the food container 12, for example, and corresponds to, for example, the work line 1 in the above-described embodiment. Further, the post-process device 9 is a device that performs a process such as attaching a lid to the food container 12 in which the food 13 is completely arranged by the pre-process device 8.

  The work work device 3 according to the present modification is disposed in the vicinity of the transport conveyor 11, collects the food containers 12 transported by the work transport conveyor 11 and temporarily stocks them (also referred to as buffering). 12 is supplied to the conveyor 11. The configuration of the work work device 3 is the same as that of the work work device 3 shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 11, for example, when a trouble or the like occurs in the post-process device 9 and the food container 12 (an example of a workpiece) stays on the workpiece conveyance conveyor 11, the workpiece working device 3 operates as follows. First, a plurality of empty containers 16 in which the food containers 12 are not accommodated are stacked and accommodated in the first accommodating portion 21 of the first container transfer unit 5 in the vertical direction. At this time, as described above, the plurality of containers 16 are stacked in a direction in which the notch groove 82a and the protruding portion 84a, and the notched groove 82b and the protruding portion 84b correspond. In addition, this accommodation operation | work may be performed by the 1st container transfer robot 41 or another robot, for example, and may be performed by the operator.

  Next, the robot hand 43 of the first container transfer robot 41 grips the empty container 16 in which the food container 12 of the first storage unit 21 is not stored and transfers it to the container transport conveyor 40. The container transfer conveyor 40 transfers the containers 16 to the work position 46 of the work transfer robot 30 of the work transfer unit 7. The workpiece transfer robot 30 collects the food container 12 conveyed by the workpiece conveyance conveyor 11 with the workpiece gripping hand 36 and moves to and accommodates the container 16 at the work position 46. When the container 16 is filled with the food container 12, the container transport conveyor 40 transports the container 16 from the work position 46 to the second container transfer unit 6.

  In the second container transfer unit 6, the robot hand 43 of the second container transfer robot 42 transfers the container 16 from the container transport conveyor 40 to the second storage unit 22 and stores it. At the time of this transfer, the second container transfer robot 42 rotates every other container 16 by 180 ° around the Z axis by the θ-axis motor 44 (or may be an air-type rotation mechanism), and the notch groove described above. 82a and the protrusion part 84b, and the notch groove 82b and the protrusion part 84a are set to correspond directions. The rotation of the container 16 may be performed on the first container transfer unit 5 side. In this way, the work work device 3 temporarily stocks the food container 12 in the second storage unit 22 until the trouble of the post-process device 9 is resolved. In addition, when the 2nd accommodating part 22 is filled with the container 16, the container 16 is taken out from the 2nd accommodating part 22 suitably.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 12, when the trouble of the post-process device 9 is solved and the stay of the food container 12 on the work conveyor 11 is solved, the work work device 3 operates as follows. . That is, in the second container transfer unit 6, the robot hand 43 of the second container transfer robot 42 transfers the container 16 storing the food container 12 from the second storage unit 22 to the container transport conveyor 40.

  The container transfer conveyor 40 transfers the containers 16 to the work position 46 of the work transfer robot 30 of the work transfer unit 7. The work transfer robot 30 takes out the food container 12 from the transported container 16 by the work gripping hand 36, moves it to the work transport conveyor 11, and re-feeds the food container 12 to the work transport conveyor 11. When the container 16 at the work position 46 becomes empty, the container transport conveyor 40 transports the empty container 16 to the first container transfer unit 5.

  In the first container transfer unit 5, the robot hand 43 of the first container transfer robot 41 transfers the container 16 from the container transport conveyor 40 to the first storage unit 22 and stores it. At the time of this transfer, the first container transfer robot 41 rotates every other container 16 by 180 ° around the Z axis by the θ-axis motor 44 (or may be an air-type rotation mechanism), and the notch groove described above. 82a and the ridge part 84a, the notch groove 82b, and the ridge part 84b are returned to the corresponding directions. The rotation of the container 16 may be performed on the second container transfer unit 6 side.

  According to this modification, the following effects are produced. That is, in general, the process line is constructed by arranging devices related to each process along the work transport conveyor 11, but when a malfunction occurs in some of the devices, the supply of the food container 12 to the devices is stopped. It is preferable to do this. For this reason, when the process line cannot be stopped, for example, the worker 10 manually collects the food container 12 and temporarily stocks it in a container or the like. An emergency response such as returning to the conveyor 11 is performed.

  According to this modification, the work working device 3 can automatically supply the temporary stock of the food containers 12 and the work conveying conveyor 11. Thereby, it becomes unnecessary to secure personnel for the emergency response, so that further labor saving is possible. Further, since the work work device 3 can function not only as a supply device and a discharge device, but also as a stock device (also referred to as a buffering device), one work work device 3 can be used as each device.

(1-7-2. When transporting two rows of food trays on a work conveyor)
In the above-described embodiment, the food trays 14 are arranged in a row on the work transport conveyor 11 by the work work device 3 and transported. However, the food trays 14 are placed in two rows on the work transport conveyor using a wide work transport conveyor. You may arrange | position and convey. FIG. 13 shows an example of the configuration of the work line 1B of the modified example.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in the work line 1 </ b> B of the present modification, the work transfer conveyor 11 </ b> A has a larger width direction dimension than the work transfer conveyor 11 of the above embodiment. The food container 12 and the food tray 14 are mixed in a position near one side in the width direction (upper side in FIG. 13) and a position closer to the other side in the width direction (lower side in FIG. 13) on the work conveyor 11A. Arranged in two rows and conveyed.

  In the example shown in FIG. 13, two work work devices 3, three work robots 2, and two workers 10 are placed on the other side in the width direction on one side in the width direction of work conveyor 11 </ b> A (upper side in FIG. 13). Two work work devices 3, two work robots 2, and three workers 10 are respectively arranged on the lower side of FIG. 13. The two work work devices 3 on the one side in the width direction, the three work robots 2 and the two workers 10 are moved from the upstream side (left side in FIG. 13) to the downstream side (right side in FIG. 13). The work device 3, the work robot 2, the worker 10, the work robot 2, the worker 10, the work robot 2, and the work work device 3 are arranged in this order. Two work work devices 3 on the other side in the width direction, two work robots 2 and three workers 10 are arranged from the upstream side toward the downstream side, the work work device 3, the worker 10, the work robot 2, The worker 10, the work robot 2, the worker 10, and the work work device 3 are arranged in this order. Each work robot 2 and each worker 10 are arranged so as to face each other in the width direction of the transfer conveyor 11A, and each work work device 3 is arranged so as to face each other in the width direction.

  The work work device 3 on one side in the width direction on the upstream side of the work transfer conveyor 11A and the work work device 3 on the other side in the width direction are configured so that the food tray 14 containing the food 13 is placed on one side in the width direction of the work transfer conveyor 11A (see FIG. 13 so as to be arranged in two rows at a position closer to the upper side of 13 and a position closer to the other side in the width direction (lower side of FIG. 13). Each of the three work robots 2 and two workers 10 on one side in the width direction of the work conveyor 11A pulls in the food tray 14 flowing from the upstream side on one side in the width direction on the work conveyor 11A. For the food container 12 flowing in a mixed manner with the food tray 14, the corresponding type of food 13 is placed from the food tray 14 at a corresponding position. Each of the two work robots 2 and the three workers 10 on the other side in the width direction draws in the food tray 14 flowing from the upstream side on the other side in the width direction on the conveyor 11A, and is mixed with the food tray 14 Then, the corresponding type of food 13 is arranged from the food tray 14 to the corresponding position with respect to the food container 12 flowing. The work work device 3 on one side in the width direction on the downstream side of the work conveyor 11A and the work work device 3 on the other side in the width direction are empty foods returned to the work conveyer 11A by each worker 10 and each work robot 2. The tray 14 is collected and discharged from the conveyor 11A. Other configurations of this modification are the same as those in FIG.

  In this modification, compared with the said embodiment, the number of the food containers 12 conveyed by the conveyance conveyor 11A can be increased twice, and the number of processes can be increased without lengthening the conveyance conveyor 11A. Therefore, productivity can be improved by a factor of two. In addition, since the work robot 2 and the worker 10 are arranged to face each other, when a trouble or the like occurs in the work robot 2, for example, the facing worker 10 temporarily performs an arrangement work for two rows, etc. This makes it possible to avoid the stop of the process line.

(1-7-3. Others)
Although the case where the empty container 16 in which the food tray 14 is not accommodated is accommodated in the first accommodating part 21 and the container 16 in which the food tray 14 is accommodated is accommodated in the second accommodating part 22 has been described above, In addition, the empty container 16 may be accommodated in the second accommodating part 22, and the container 16 in which the food tray 14 is accommodated in the first accommodating part 21 may be configured. In this case, the flow of the container 16 at the time of supply and discharge described with reference to FIGS.

  In the above description, both the first container transfer robot 41 and the second container transfer robot 42 have the θ-axis motor 44 (or an air-type rotation mechanism), but only one of them has the θ-axis motor 44 ( Alternatively, an air-type rotation mechanism may be used.

  Moreover, although the case where the workpiece work apparatus 3 has the two accommodating parts 21 and 22 was demonstrated above, the number of accommodating parts is not limited to 2, and may be 1 or 3 or more. For example, when there is one storage unit, when the food tray 14 is discharged, the empty container 16 is transported from the storage unit to the work position 46, and the container 16 storing the food tray 14 is moved by the work transfer robot 30. What is necessary is just to return to an accommodating part again. Further, when the food tray 14 is supplied, the container 16 in which the food tray 14 is accommodated is transported from the accommodating portion to the work position 46, and the empty container 16 from which the food tray 14 has been taken out by the work transfer robot 30 is again removed. What is necessary is just to return to an accommodating part.

  In the above description, the case where the work performed on the work line 1 is a food placing work is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, assembly of mechanical parts and electrical parts to a housing of an industrial product The present invention is also applicable to a work line or the like where work or the like is performed. Further, the case where the work handled by the work work device 3 is the food tray 14 or the food container 12 has been described above. However, the work may be food itself (for example, a rice ball or a sandwich), or the above assembly work or the like is performed. It may be a mechanical part or an electrical part.

<2. Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In recent years, in order to cope with diversification of varieties and the like, there is a demand for further space saving in the work space in the factory. In order to respond to such a demand, this embodiment is a simplified work structure with a reduced size.

(2-1. Configuration of Work Work Device)
An example of the configuration of the work work apparatus 90 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, in order to prevent complication, in these FIGS. 14-16, the container 16 is illustrated with the broken line.

  As illustrated in FIG. 16, the work work device 90 includes a first storage unit 141 (an example of a storage unit) and a second storage unit 142 (a storage) that store a container 16 for storing the food tray 14 (an example of a work). An example of a part), a transport device 100 for transporting the container 16 between a predetermined work position 93 and the first storage part 141 and the second storage part 142, and the container 16 transported to the work position 93 and a work transport conveyor 11 and a workpiece transfer robot 30 that transfers the food tray 14 to and from the machine 11.

  When ejecting the food tray 14 from the work transport conveyor 11, the transport apparatus 100 transports the empty container 16 placed in the first storage unit 141 to the work position 93 and uses the work transport robot 30. The container 16 filled with the food tray 14 is transported from the work position 93 to the second storage unit 142. Further, when the food tray 14 is supplied to the work conveyance conveyor 11, the conveyance device 100 conveys the container 16 filled with the food tray 14 placed in the second storage unit 142 to the work position 93. At the same time, the container 16 that has been emptied by the workpiece transfer robot 30 is transported from the work position 93 to the first accommodating portion 141.

  The transport device 100 transports the container 16 between the first container transport mechanism 110 that transports the container 16 along the transport path in the vertical direction including the work position 93, and between the first container 141 and the first container transport mechanism 110. A second container transport mechanism 120 that transports along a substantially horizontal transport path, and is disposed above the second container transport mechanism 120, and the container 16 is placed between the second container 142 and the first container transport mechanism 110. A third container transport mechanism 130 that transports along a substantially horizontal transport path. The arrangement relationship between the second container conveyance mechanism 120 and the third container conveyance mechanism 130 may be reversed, and the second container conveyance mechanism 120 may be arranged above the third container conveyance mechanism 130.

  The work position 93 is located at the lower end of the vertical conveyance path by the first container conveyance mechanism 110 and at the front end of the conveyance path in the front-rear direction by the second container conveyance mechanism 120. The first storage unit 141 is positioned at the rear end of the transport path in the front-rear direction by the second container transport mechanism 120, and the second storage unit 142 is positioned at the rear end of the transport path in the front-rear direction by the third container transport mechanism 130. To do.

  The workpiece transfer robot 30, the first container transfer mechanism 110, the second container transfer mechanism 120, and the third container transfer mechanism 130 are unitized as a work work unit 95.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 16, the work work unit 95 includes a support frame 91 including an upper frame portion 91a, a main frame portion 91b, and a lower frame portion 91c. In the main frame portion 91b, the installation positions of the second container transport mechanism 120 and the third container transport mechanism 130 overlap when viewed from above and below (in this example, the second container transport mechanism 120 is on the lower side, the third container transport mechanism The second container transport mechanism 120 and the third container transport mechanism 130 are supported so that 130 is on the upper side.

  The upper frame portion 91a is a frame-like frame protruding forward from the upper portion of the main frame portion 91b, and the base portion 38 of the workpiece transfer robot 30 is attached to the upper frame portion 91a. A movable plate 34 having a work gripping hand 36 at the lower end is connected to the base portion 38 by three sets of link portions 35.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the lower frame portion 91c is a frame-like frame that protrudes forward in the lower portion of the main frame portion 91b, and the control box 32 is installed in the lower frame portion 91c. Yes. The support frame 91 supports the workpiece transfer robot 30 and the control box 32 so that a gap S1 into which one end of the container transfer conveyor 121 is inserted is provided between the workpiece transfer robot 30 and the control box 32. As a result, the control box 32 is disposed below the container transport conveyor 121, and the workpiece transfer robot 30 is disposed above the container transport conveyor 121. A work detection camera (not shown) that detects the food tray 14 and the like on the work transport conveyor 11 is installed on the upper frame portion 91a of the support frame 91. A plurality of adjusters 92 with casters for installation on the floor FL are provided at the lower end of the lower frame 91c.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the first container transport mechanism 110 includes a container support 112, a Z-axis motor 113, and a screw shaft 111 that constitutes a ball screw mechanism. The screw shaft 111 is provided along the vertical direction on each of the main frame portions 91 b on the left and right sides of the support frame 91. The container support 112 is a frame-shaped support member that supports the bottom surface of the container 16, and is attached to the left and right screw shafts 111 movably in the vertical direction via nuts (not shown). The Z-axis motor 113 is a rotary motor provided at the lower end of each screw shaft 111, and drives the container support 112 in the vertical direction by rotating the screw shaft 111. As a result, the first container transport mechanism 110 transports the container 16 supported by the container support base 112 along the transport path in the vertical direction including the work position 93.

  The first container transport mechanism 110 may be, for example, a belt drive or a rack and pinion drive mechanism in addition to the ball screw drive mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the second container transport mechanism 120 includes a container transport conveyor 121 (an example of a third transport conveyor), a conveyor motor 123, and a pair of guide rails 122.

  The container transport conveyor 121 extends along a transport path (in this example, the front-rear direction) substantially perpendicular to the transport direction of the work transport conveyor 11 so as to extend between the first storage unit 141 and the first container transport mechanism 110 (working position 93). It is arranged along. As shown in FIG. 16, the space on the rear side on the container transport conveyor 121 constitutes the first storage unit 141. Further, the front end of the container transfer conveyor 121 is disposed between the workpiece transfer robot 30 and the control box 32. The container conveyance conveyor 121 has a middle portion in the front-rear direction supported by the main frame portion 91 b of the support frame 91 and a rear end portion supported by the conveyor frame 124. At the lower end of the conveyor frame 124, an adjuster 124a with casters for installing the floor FL is installed.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the guide rail 122 is a rail member provided along the front-rear direction on both the left and right sides of the first housing portion 141 so as to contact the left and right side surfaces of the container 16. The front end portion of the guide rail 122 is attached to the inside of the main frame portion 91 b on the left and right sides of the support frame 91. The guide rail 122 is in contact with the middle portion in the vertical direction on both the left and right sides of the container 16 conveyed by the container conveying conveyor 121, and the first container 141 of the container 16 and the first container conveying mechanism 110 (working position 93). Guide the direction of movement between.

  The conveyor motor 123 is a rotary motor installed at the lower part of the container transport conveyor 121. The second container transport mechanism 120 drives the container transport conveyor 121 by the conveyor motor 123, thereby guiding the container 16 with the first rail 141 and the first container transport mechanism 110 (work) while guiding the container 16 with the guide rail 122. It is conveyed in the front-rear direction along a substantially horizontal conveyance path between the position 93).

  As shown in FIG. 16, the third container transport mechanism 130 includes a hook member 131, an actuator 132, and a pair of guide rails 133.

  The hook member 131 is attached to, for example, the front end (front end) of the movable portion 132 b of the actuator 132. The hook member 131 is configured to be able to engage with a collar portion 80 around the opening of the container 16. When the movable portion 132b is moved to the front end position (above the work position 93), the hook member 131 and the collar portion 80 are automatically engaged by the vertical movement of the container 16 by the first container transport mechanism 110. Or the engagement is released. In addition, when the movable portion 132b is moved to the rear end position (in other words, when the container 16 is moved to the second storage portion 142), the hook member 131 and the collar portion 80 are appropriately operated by the operator. Is engaged or disengaged.

  The actuator 132 includes a base part 132a attached to the main frame part 91b so as to extend in the front-rear direction above the second housing part 142, and a movable part 132b that moves along the base part 132a in the front-rear direction with a predetermined stroke. And have. The actuator 132 can move the container 16 engaged with the hook member 131 in the front-rear direction by moving the movable portion 132 b in the front-rear direction. The actuator 132 is not particularly limited, and includes, for example, an air cylinder, a ball screw drive mechanism, a belt drive mechanism, a rack and pinion drive mechanism, and the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, the guide rail 133 is a rail member that supports the left and right corners of the bottom surface of the container 16, and extends in the front-rear direction above the guide rail 122 of the second container transport mechanism 120. Is provided. The front end portion of the guide rail 133 is attached to the inside of the main frame portion 91 b on both the left and right sides of the support frame 91. The guide rail 133 contacts the left and right corners of the bottom surface of the container 16 conveyed by the hook member 131, and the second container 142 of the container 16 and the first container conveying mechanism 110 (above the working position 93) Guide the direction of travel between.

  The third container transport mechanism 130 drives the movable part 132 b by the actuator 132, thereby guiding the container 16 by the hook member 131 while guiding the container 16 by the guide rail 133, and the first container transport mechanism 110. It is conveyed in the front-rear direction along a substantially horizontal conveyance path between (a predetermined upper position of the work position 93). As shown in FIG. 16, the rear space on the guide rail 133 constitutes the second accommodating portion 142.

(2-2. Discharging operation of work work device)
Next, an example of the discharging operation of the work work device 90 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, in order to make an understanding of discharge operation | movement easy, in FIG. 17, the container 16 is illustrated with the broken line.

  As shown in FIG. 17, when the work tray 90 ejects the food tray 14 from the work transport conveyor 11, the operator first places an empty container 16 that does not contain the food tray 14 on the container transport conveyor 121. It is placed in a predetermined position on the rear side, that is, in the first accommodating portion 141. This placement operation may be performed by a robot, for example.

  Next, the conveyor motor 123 of the second container transport mechanism 120 is driven, and the container transport conveyor 121 transports the container 16 from the first storage unit 141 to the work position 93 by the workpiece transfer robot 30. At this time, the bottom surface of the container 16 transported to the work position 93 is supported by the container support base 112 of the first container transport mechanism 110.

  Note that the worker does not wait for the container 16 to be transported to the second storage unit 142 after the container 16 is transported to the work position 93 by the container transporting conveyor 121 (for example, the discharging operation by the work transfer robot 30). The empty container 16 may be placed in the first housing part 141. In this case, the container 16 is housed in the first housing portion 141 until the work position 93 is empty.

  The workpiece transfer robot 30 grips the empty food tray 14 in which the food 13 transported by the workpiece transport conveyor 11 is not stored with the workpiece gripping hand 36, and moves to and stores the container 16 in the work position 93. In this manner, the empty food tray 14 is collected and discharged from the work transfer conveyor 11. This discharge operation is repeated until the container 16 is filled with the food tray 14.

  Next, the Z-axis motor 113 of the first container transport mechanism 110 is driven to rotate the screw shaft 111, and the container support base 112 transports the container 16 upward from the work position 93. When the container 16 reaches a predetermined upper position, the hook member 131 of the third container transport mechanism 130 engages with the collar portion 80 of the container 16.

  Next, the actuator 132 of the third container transport mechanism 130 is driven, and the hook member 131 moves the container 16 rearward and transports the container 16 to a predetermined position on the rear side of the guide rail 133, that is, to the second storage part 142. When the container 16 is transported to the second storage unit 142, the operator releases the engagement of the hook member 131 and removes the container 16, and carries the container 16 filled with the food tray 14 out of the second storage unit 142.

(2-3. Supply operation of work work device)
Next, an example of the supply operation of the work work device 90 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, in order to make an understanding of supply operation | movement easy, in FIG. 18, the container 16 is illustrated with the broken line.

  As shown in FIG. 18, when the work tray 90 supplies the food tray 14 to the work transport conveyor 11, the operator first places the container 16 containing the food tray 14 filled with the food 13 on the guide rail. It is placed in a predetermined position on the rear side on 133, that is, in the second accommodating portion 142. Then, the operator engages the hook member 131 of the third container transport mechanism 130 with the collar portion 80 of the container 16. Note that this placement work and engagement work may be performed by, for example, a robot.

  Next, the actuator 132 of the third container transport mechanism 130 is driven, and the hook member 131 moves the container 16 forward and transports it from the second storage part 142 to a position above the work position 93. At this time, the bottom surface of the container 16 is supported by the container support 112 of the first container transport mechanism 110.

  Note that the operator does not wait for the container 16 to be transported to the first accommodating portion 141 after the container 16 is transported to the front position by the actuator 132 (for example, during a supply operation by the work transfer robot 30). Alternatively, the container 16 filled with the food tray 14 may be placed in the second storage unit 142. In this case, the container 16 is housed in the second housing portion 142 until the work position 93 is empty.

  Next, the Z-axis motor 113 of the first container transport mechanism 110 is driven, and the container support 112 moves the container 16 downward and transports it to the work position 93. At this time, the engagement of the hook member 131 is automatically released and removed from the container 16. The container 16 transported to the work position 93 is placed on the container transport conveyor 121 of the second container transport mechanism 120.

  The workpiece transfer robot 30 grips the food tray 14 in the container 16 transported to the work position 93 with the workpiece gripping hand 36, removes it from the container 16, and transfers it to the workpiece transport conveyor 11. In this manner, the food tray 14 filled with the food 13 is supplied from the container 16 to the work conveyor 11. This supply operation is repeated until the container 16 is empty.

  When the container 16 becomes empty, the conveyor motor 123 of the second container transport mechanism 120 is driven, and the container transport conveyor 121 transports the empty container 16 from the work position 93 to the first storage unit 141. The operator carries out the empty container 16 conveyed to the first storage unit 141.

(2-4. Stock operation of work work equipment)
Similar to the first embodiment described above, the work work device 90 collects the food containers 12 conveyed by the work conveyance conveyor 11 and temporarily stocks (buffers) them, and the stocked food containers 12 are transferred to the workpiece conveyance conveyor. 11 may be used as a stock device to be fed to 11.

  As shown in FIG. 11 described above, for example, when a failure or the like occurs in the post-process device 9 and the food container 12 (an example of a work) stays on the work transfer conveyor 11, the operator first stores the food container 12. An empty container 16 that has not been placed is placed in the first container 141 on the container conveyor 121.

  Next, the conveyor motor 123 of the second container transport mechanism 120 is driven, and the container transport conveyor 121 transports the containers 16 from the first storage portion 141 to the work position 93. The workpiece transfer robot 30 collects the food container 12 conveyed by the workpiece conveyance conveyor 11 with the workpiece gripping hand 36 and moves to and accommodates the container 16 at the work position 93.

  When the container 16 is filled with the food container 12, the first container transport mechanism 110 drives the Z-axis motor 113 to transport the container 16 to a position above the work position 93 by the container support 112. At this time, the hook member 131 of the third container transport mechanism 130 is engaged with the collar portion 80 of the container 16.

  And the actuator 132 of the 3rd container conveyance mechanism 130 drives, and the hook member 131 moves the container 16 back, and conveys it to the 2nd accommodating part 142. FIG. The operator removes the hook member 131 from the container 16 conveyed to the second storage unit 142, carries out the container 16 in which the food container 12 is stored from the second storage unit 142, and waits at an appropriate waiting place (container or the like). To accommodate and wait.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 12 described above, when the trouble or the like of the post-process device 9 is resolved and the stay of the food container 12 on the work transport conveyor 11 is resolved, The container 16 accommodated in the container 16 is taken out from the container or the like and placed on the second accommodating part 142, and the hook member 131 of the third container conveying mechanism 130 is engaged with the collar part 80 of the container 16. Next, the actuator 132 of the third container transport mechanism 130 is driven, and the hook member 131 moves the container 16 forward and transports it from the second storage part 142 to a position above the work position 93.

  Next, the Z-axis motor 113 of the first container transport mechanism 110 is driven, and the container support 112 moves the container 16 downward and transports it to the work position 93, on the container transport conveyor 121 of the second container transport mechanism 120. Placed on. The workpiece transfer robot 30 takes out the food container 12 from the container 16 transferred to the work position 93 and moves it to the workpiece transfer conveyor 11, and re-feeds the food container 12 to the workpiece transfer conveyor 11.

  When the supply of the food containers 12 from the containers 16 to the work transfer conveyor 11 is repeated and the containers 16 at the work position 93 become empty, the conveyor motor 123 of the second container transfer mechanism 120 is driven, and the container transfer conveyor 121 is empty. The container 16 is transported from the work position 93 to the first storage unit 141. The container 16 conveyed to the 1st accommodating part 141 is carried out by the operator.

(2-5. Effects of Second Embodiment)
According to the work work device 90 of the present embodiment described above, as in the first embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained as well as effects such as improvement of work efficiency and labor saving by automation.

  In other words, in the work work device 90 of the present embodiment, the transport device 100 includes the first container transport mechanism 110 that transports the container 16 along the transport path in the vertical direction including the work position 93, the first container 141, and the first container. The second container transport mechanism 120 that transports the container 16 between the first container transport mechanism 110 and the second container transport mechanism 120 is disposed between the second container 142 and the first container transport mechanism 110. And a third container transport mechanism 130 for transporting the container 16.

  As described above, the second container transport mechanism 120 and the third container transport mechanism 130 are juxtaposed in the vertical direction, and the container 16 is transported in the vertical direction near the work position 93 by the first container transport mechanism 110. It is not necessary to install transfer units (such as the container transfer units 5 and 6 of the first embodiment) on both sides of the work work unit 95 in the width direction. As a result, the width direction dimension of the work work device 90 can be greatly shortened, and the installation space can be greatly reduced.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the workpiece transfer robot 30, the first container transfer mechanism 110, the second container transfer mechanism 120, and the third container transfer mechanism 130 are unitized as a work work unit 95.

  Thereby, since the work work apparatus 90 can be comprised as a single unit, the workability | operativity at the time of installation and transfer of the work work apparatus 90 can be improved. Moreover, since the workpiece transfer robot 30 and the first to third container transport mechanisms 110 to 130 can be made compact as a single unit, further space saving can be achieved.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the work work unit 95 includes the second container transfer mechanism 120 and the third container transfer unit 120 so that the installation positions of the second container transfer mechanism 120 and the third container transfer mechanism 130 overlap when viewed from the top and bottom. A support frame 91 that supports the container transport mechanism 130 is provided.

  Thereby, the installation space of the work work apparatus 90 can be reduced, and further space saving can be achieved.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, the second container transport mechanism 120 includes a container transport conveyor 121 that transports the container 16 between the first storage unit 141 and the work position 93, and the support frame 91 is configured by the work transport robot 30. The workpiece transfer robot 30 and the control box 32 are supported so that a gap S1 into which the container transfer conveyor 121 is inserted is provided between the control box 32 that houses a controller that controls the operation of the workpiece transfer robot 30. To do. Thereby, there exists the following effect.

  That is, in the present embodiment, in the work work device 90, the control box 32 is disposed below the container transport conveyor 121 and the work transfer robot 30 is disposed above the container transport conveyor 121. Thereby, since the workpiece transfer robot 30 and the control box 32 can be arranged so as to overlap the container transfer conveyor 121 in a top view, the installation space of the workpiece working device 90 can be reduced, and further space saving can be achieved.

(2-6. Modification)
The disclosed embodiments are not limited to the above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and technical idea thereof. Hereinafter, such modifications will be described.

(2-6-1. When using a transport conveyor for the third container transport mechanism)
In the second embodiment, the container transport conveyor 121 is used for the second container transport mechanism 120 and the actuator 132 and the hook member 131 are used for the third container transport mechanism 130. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A transport conveyor may also be used for the third container transport mechanism 130.

(2-6-2. When using a long conveyor for the second or third container transport mechanism)
In the said 2nd Embodiment, the container conveyance conveyor 121 of the 2nd container conveyance mechanism 120 is comprised as a short conveyance conveyor of the length which can convey the container 16 between the 1st accommodating part 141 and the working position 93. FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, the container conveyor 121 is configured as a long conveyor having a longer rear than the first storage unit 141, and another line different from the work line 1 such as a line for filling the container 16 with the food tray 14 is configured. May be. Further, as described above, another circulating line different from the work line 1 may be configured by using a long conveyor for the third container transport mechanism 130 as well.

(2-6-3. When the work position is set to a different position)
In the second embodiment, the work position 93 by the workpiece transfer robot 30 is set to the position of the lower end of the vertical transfer path by the first container transfer mechanism 110 and the front end of the transfer path in the front-rear direction by the second container transfer mechanism 120. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the work position 93 may be the upper end of the vertical conveyance path by the first container conveyance mechanism 110 and the front end position of the conveyance path in the front-rear direction by the third container conveyance mechanism 130, or the first container conveyance mechanism 110. It is good also as a halfway position of the up-down direction conveyance path by.

(2-6-4. Others)
Although the case where the empty container 16 in which the food tray 14 is not accommodated is accommodated in the first accommodating part 141 and the container 16 in which the food tray 14 is accommodated is accommodated in the second accommodating part 142 has been described above, In addition, the empty container 16 may be accommodated in the second accommodating part 142, and the container 16 in which the food tray 14 is accommodated may be accommodated in the first accommodating part 141. In this case, the flow of the container 16 at the time of discharge and supply described with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18 may be in the opposite direction.

  Moreover, although the case where the workpiece work apparatus 90 has the two accommodating portions 141 and 142 has been described above, the number of accommodating portions is not limited to two and may be one or three or more. For example, when there is one storage section, when the food tray 14 is discharged, the empty container 16 is transported from the storage section to the work position 93 and the container 16 storing the food tray 14 is moved by the work transfer robot 30. What is necessary is just to return to an accommodating part again. Further, when the food tray 14 is supplied, the container 16 in which the food tray 14 is accommodated is transported from the accommodating portion to the work position 93, and the empty container 16 from which the food tray 14 has been taken out by the work transfer robot 30 is again removed. What is necessary is just to return to an accommodating part.

  Further, the case where the work handled by the work work device 90 is the food tray 14 has been described above. However, the work may be food itself (for example, a rice ball or a sandwich), for example, a mechanical part or an electrical part for a housing of an industrial product. In the case where the assembling work is performed, a mechanical part, an electric part, or the like may be used.

  In addition, in the above description, when there are descriptions such as “vertical”, “parallel”, and “plane”, the descriptions are not strict. That is, the terms “vertical”, “parallel”, and “plane” are acceptable in design and manufacturing tolerances and errors, and mean “substantially vertical”, “substantially parallel”, and “substantially plane”. .

  In the above description, when there is a description such as “same”, “same”, “equal”, “different”, etc., in terms of external dimensions, size, shape, position, etc., the description is not strict. That is, “same”, “same”, “equal”, and “different” are acceptable in terms of design tolerance and error, and are “substantially the same”, “substantially the same”, “substantially equal”, “ It means "substantially different".

  In addition to those already described above, the methods according to the above-described embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination. In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the above-mentioned embodiment and each modification are implemented with various modifications within a range not departing from the gist thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Work robot 3 Work work apparatus 4 Stock apparatus 5 1st container transfer unit 6 2nd container transfer unit 7 Work transfer unit 8 Work work system 11 Work conveyance conveyor (an example of 1st conveyance conveyor)
12 Food containers (example of workpiece)
14 Food tray (example of work)
16 container (example of container)
21 1st accommodating part (an example of an accommodating part)
22 2nd accommodating part (an example of an accommodating part)
31 Support Frame 30 Work Transfer Robot 32 Control Box 40 Container Conveyor (Example of Second Conveyor)
41 First container transfer robot 42 Second container transfer robot 43 Robot hand 44 θ axis motor (an example of a rotation mechanism)
46 Work position 48 Transport device 50 Vertical movement mechanism 60 Horizontal movement mechanism 90 Work work device 91 Support frame 93 Work position 95 Work work unit 100 Transport device 110 First container transport mechanism 120 Second container transport mechanism 121 Container transport conveyor (third An example of a conveyor
130 3rd container conveyance mechanism 141 1st accommodating part (an example of an accommodating part)
142 2nd accommodating part (an example of an accommodating part)
S gap S1 gap

In order to solve the above-described problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a work work device that performs at least one of supply and discharge of the work with respect to a first transport conveyor that transports the work, and stores the work. An accommodating portion for accommodating a container for carrying out, a conveying device for conveying the container between a predetermined working position and the accommodating portion, and between the container conveyed to the working position and the first conveying conveyor A workpiece transfer robot for transferring the workpiece, and the storage portion has a first storage portion and a second storage portion, and the transport device, when discharging the workpiece, When transporting the container of the first storage unit to the work position and transporting the work from the work position to the second storage unit and supplying the workpiece, the container of the second storage unit is brought to the work position. The above work Work Work device is applied to transport from a position in the first housing portion.

Moreover, according to another viewpoint of this invention, it has the 1st conveyance conveyor which conveys a workpiece | work, and the workpiece work apparatus which performs at least one of supply or discharge | emission of the said workpiece | work with respect to the said 1st conveyance conveyor, The work work device includes a storage unit that stores a container for storing the work, a transfer device that transfers the container between a predetermined work position and the storage unit, and the transfer unit that is transferred to the work position. A workpiece transfer robot that transfers the workpiece between a container and the first transfer conveyor, the storage unit includes a first storage unit and a second storage unit, and the transfer device includes: When discharging the workpiece, the container of the first accommodating portion is conveyed to the working position and also conveyed from the working position to the second accommodating portion, and when supplying the workpiece, the second The container of the container Work Work system for transporting the first container portion from the working position is applied conveys the work position.

Claims (17)

A work work device that performs at least one of supply or discharge of the work with respect to a first transport conveyor that transports the work,
An accommodating portion for accommodating a container for accommodating the workpiece;
A transport device for transporting the container between a predetermined work position and the storage unit;
A workpiece transfer robot that transfers the workpiece between the container transferred to the work position and the first transfer conveyor;
A work work apparatus comprising: The accommodating portion is
Having a first housing part and a second housing part,
The transfer device
When discharging the workpiece, the container of the first accommodating portion is conveyed to the working position and also conveyed from the working position to the second accommodating portion, and when supplying the workpiece, the second The work work device according to claim 1, wherein the container of the storage unit is transported to the work position and is transported from the work position to the first storage unit. The transfer device
A second transport conveyor for transporting the containers along a transport path including the work position;
A first container transfer robot for transferring the container between the first container and the second transport conveyor;
The work work apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a second container transfer robot that transfers the container between the second storage unit and the second transfer conveyor. The first container and the first container transfer robot are:
Unitized as the first container transfer unit,
The second container and the second container transfer robot are
The work work device according to claim 3, wherein the work work device is unitized as a second container transfer unit. The first container transfer robot and the second container transfer robot are:
A robot hand holding the container;
A vertical movement mechanism for moving the robot hand in the vertical direction;
The work work apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the robot hand in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The second conveyor is
The transport path is disposed along the transport direction of the first transport conveyor,
The first container transfer unit and the second container transfer unit are:
The work work device according to claim 5, wherein the work moving device is arranged such that a moving direction by the horizontal moving mechanism is perpendicular to a conveying direction of the first conveying conveyor. The first accommodating portion and the second accommodating portion are
Storing the containers stacked in the vertical direction;
The container is
The stacking dimensions are different depending on the direction of stacking,
At least one of the first container transfer robot and the second container transfer robot is
The work work apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a rotation mechanism that rotates the robot hand around an axis parallel to the vertical direction. The workpiece transfer robot is
It is unitized as a work transfer unit,
The workpiece transfer unit includes:
A control box containing a controller for controlling the operation of the workpiece transfer robot;
A support frame that supports the work transfer robot and the control box is provided so that a gap through which the second transfer conveyor is inserted is provided between the work transfer robot and the control box. The work work apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7. The transfer device
A first container transport mechanism for transporting the container along a transport path in the vertical direction including the work position;
A second container transport mechanism for transporting the container between the first container and the first container transport mechanism;
A third container transport mechanism that is disposed above or below the second container transport mechanism and transports the container between the second container and the first container transport mechanism. Item 3. The work work apparatus according to Item 2. The workpiece transfer robot, the first container transport mechanism, the second container transport mechanism, and the third container transport mechanism are:
The work work apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the work work unit is unitized as a work work unit. The work work unit is:
A support frame that supports the second container transport mechanism and the third container transport mechanism so that the installation positions of the second container transport mechanism and the third container transport mechanism overlap when viewed from the vertical direction; The work work apparatus according to claim 10, wherein The second container transport mechanism is
A third transport conveyor for transporting the container between the first storage section and the work position;
The support frame is
The workpiece transfer robot and the control box are provided such that a gap into which the third transfer conveyor is inserted is provided between the workpiece transfer robot and a control box that houses a controller that controls the operation of the workpiece transfer robot. The work work device according to claim 11, wherein the work work device is supported. The workpiece transfer robot is
The work work apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the work work apparatus is a parallel link robot. A first conveyor for conveying the workpiece;
A work work device that performs at least one of supply or discharge of the work with respect to the first transport conveyor,
The work work device includes:
An accommodating portion for accommodating a container for accommodating the workpiece;
A transport device for transporting the container between a predetermined work position and the storage unit;
A workpiece transfer robot that transfers the workpiece between the container transferred to the work position and the first transfer conveyor;
A work work system characterized by comprising: A work discharge method executed by a work work device for discharging the work from a first transfer conveyor for transferring a work,
Conveying an empty container for accommodating the workpiece, which is accommodated in the first accommodating part, from the first accommodating part to a working position;
Transferring the workpiece from the first conveyor to the container;
Conveying the container in which the workpiece is accommodated from the working position to a second accommodating portion;
A work discharging method characterized by comprising: A work supply method that is performed by a work work device, supplying the work to a first transport conveyor that transports the work,
Conveying the container accommodated in the second accommodating portion, in which the workpiece is accommodated, from the second accommodating portion to a working position;
Transferring the workpiece from the container to the first conveyor,
Transporting the container from which the workpiece has been removed from the working position to the first storage unit;
A workpiece supply method comprising: A work stock method executed by a work work device for stocking the work of the first transport conveyor for transporting a work,
Conveying an empty container for accommodating the workpiece, which is accommodated in the first accommodating part, from the first accommodating part to a working position;
Transferring the workpiece from the first conveyor to the container;
Conveying the container in which the workpiece is accommodated from the working position to a second accommodating portion;
Transporting the container of the second container to the working position;
Transferring the workpiece from the container to the first conveyor,
Transporting the container from which the work has been taken out from the working position to the first accommodating portion;
A work stock method characterized by comprising:

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