JP2019072779A - Adsorber and industrial robot - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an adsorber that easily can adsorb a variety of work-pieces and an industrial robot.SOLUTION: The adsorber comprises: a bag-like hand main body 32 that has a palm part 33 and a plurality of finger parts 34, provided protrudingly around the palm part 33, which falls toward the palm part 33 by deforming the palm part 33 in a thickness direction; and a shape holding part 46 for preventing an outer periphery of the palm part 33 from shrinking. The plurality of finger parts 34 is provided with a suction port 52 having an opening and an adsorption pad 50 arranged in the suction port 52.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a suction device and an industrial robot.

  As a robot hand aiming to hold a work, a five-finger type holding device having a mechanism close to the shape of a human hand has been studied (for example, Patent Document 1). However, in order to realize a complex motion close to human hands, the operation and control mechanism of the five-finger type gripping device are very complicated, and these complexity is a factor that makes introduction difficult. .

  On the other hand, a two-finger type gripper (for example, Patent Document 2) and a suction hand are used as industrial robots because their operations are relatively simple.

  For example, in a food factory, a suction hand mainly provided with a suction pad is disposed on a robot arm and provided with a suction pad for suctioning and holding a work, and a bag-like work containing powder or granular material is suctioned An adsorption device is disclosed (e.g., Patent Document 3).

JP 2012-192496 A JP, 2009-125851, A JP, 2013-107174, A

  However, in the case of the patent documents 2 and 3 mentioned above, there is a case where a workpiece having different size or shape can not generally be attracted due to the mechanism. For this reason, there is a problem that production efficiency is reduced because replacement work by a person or a tool changer is required at a work site where there are many types of workpieces, such as high-mix low-volume production.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an adsorption device and an industrial robot capable of easily adsorbing various works.

  An adsorption apparatus according to the present invention includes a palm portion, and a bag having a plurality of finger portions provided protruding around the palm portion and which falls toward the palm portion by deforming the palm portion in a thickness direction. Hand body and a shape holding portion for preventing contraction of the outer periphery of the palm portion, the plurality of finger portions being provided with a suction port having an opening and a suction pad disposed in the suction port It is characterized by

  An industrial robot according to the present invention is characterized in that the suction device is provided.

  According to the present invention, since the finger can be deformed so as to fall from the proximal end toward the palm portion and the suction pad can be reliably brought into contact with the work surface, various works can be easily adsorbed.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the industrial robot which applied the adsorption | suction apparatus. It is a perspective view showing a suction device. It is a partial end elevation showing a suction device. It is a partial end elevation showing the condition of use of a suction device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(overall structure)
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an industrial robot 12 to which a suction device 10 according to the present embodiment is applied. The industrial robot 12 is an orthogonal robot, and includes a rail 14, a moving body 16 moving along the rail 14, and an air cylinder 18 fixed to the moving body 16. The rail 14 is provided movably in the Y-axis direction in the drawing.

  The air cylinder 18 has a cylinder tube 19 and a piston rod 20 provided so as to be movable back and forth relative to the cylinder tube 19. Air cylinder pipes 21 and 22 are provided in the cylinder tube 19. The piston rod 20 can be advanced and retracted with respect to the cylinder tube 19 by supplying and discharging gas through the air cylinder pipes 21 and 22. The suction device 10 is attached to the end of the piston rod 20.

  The industrial robot 12 can suction the work W placed on the horizontal base 23 with the suction device 10 and move the work W in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions. The work W is not particularly limited, but in the present drawing, a bag containing a powder or a granular material is shown.

  The suction device 10 includes a case 30 connected to the piston rod 20 and a hand body 32 fixed to the case 30. The case 30 side is the upper side (the Z direction side in the figure), and the hand main body 32 side is the lower side (the side opposite to the Z direction in the figure). The hand body 32 has a plurality of finger portions 34. Each finger portion 34 is provided with a suction pad 50. The details of the adsorption device 10 will be described later using another drawing.

  The case 30 is connected to one end of a first pipe 24 communicating with the inside of the hand main body 32 and a second pipe 25 communicating with the suction pad 50. The other end of the first pipe 24 is connected to the pressure pump and the three-way valve (not shown), for example, via a switching valve. The second pipes 25 are provided in the same number as the finger portions 34 corresponding to the suction pads 50 of the finger portions 34. In the drawing, only one second pipe 25 is shown for simplification of the drawing, and the other second pipes 25 are omitted. One end of the second pipe 25 is connected to the suction pad 50, and the other end is connected to the manifold 29 via the valve 27. The valve 27 may be an open / close valve, a flow control valve, or the like. The manifold 29 collectively connects the second pipes 25 to the collective pipe 31. The collecting pipe 31 is connected to, for example, a three-way valve (not shown). The three-way valve connected to the first pipe 24 and the three-way valve connected to the collecting pipe 31 are separate.

  Each three-way valve has a vacuum port, an air supply / exhaust port, an air release port (all not shown), and the vacuum port is connected to a vacuum pump, the air supply / discharge port is connected to the adsorption device 10, and the air release port is connected to the outside . Although not shown, the pressure pump, the vacuum pump, the three-way valve, and the switching valve are electrically connected to, for example, a controller, and are controlled by the controller. The circulation of the gas into the first pipe 24 deforms a palm portion 33 described later. The work W is adsorbed by the adsorption pad 50 by exhausting the gas through the second pipe 25.

  The hand body 32 is provided below the case 30. The hand body 32 is formed of a material having air tightness and elasticity. The hand body 32 is preferably formed of a material having a restoring force. As a material of the hand main body 32, natural rubber, a synthetic rubber, etc. are used, for example. The hardness of the hand body 32 may be appropriately designed according to the application. The hardness of the hand body 32 is measured by a type A durometer in accordance with Japanese Industrial Standard JIS K6253. In the present embodiment, the hardness of the hand main body 32 is 60.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the hand main body 32 has a palm portion 33 and a plurality of finger portions 34 provided to protrude around the palm portion 33. The palm portion 33 has a disk shape. The fingers 34 are columnar. The finger portion 34 is integrally formed with the palm portion 33. A predetermined interval is provided between the finger portions 34. In the present embodiment, five fingers 34 are provided. The external shape of the finger portion 34 can be appropriately selected, and may be, for example, a cylinder, a triangular prism, a quadrangular prism, a cone, a triangular pyramid, a quadrangular pyramid, a truncated cone, a quadrangular pyramid, a plate shape, or the like. The outer diameter shape of each finger 34 may be all the same, or some or all may be different.

  The adsorption device 10 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the finger portion 34 extends in the vertical direction for convenience of explanation. The hand main body 32 is in the form of a bag whose upper side is opened, and the opening is closed by the case 30. The thickness of the hand main body 32 is 1 mm in this embodiment, but may be appropriately designed.

  The case 30 is connected to the piston rod 20 and integrated with the support 38. The case 30 shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and may be designed as appropriate.

  The case 30 has a case main body 36 and a support 38. The case main body 36 has a disk shape, and has a first joint portion 42 to which the first pipe 24 is connected, and a second joint portion 43 into which the second pipe 25 is inserted. The first joint portion 42 and the second joint portion 43 are respectively provided in a plurality of through holes (not shown) formed in the case main body 36. One end of a first pipe 24 is connected to the first joint portion 42. In the present embodiment, although not shown, the first joint portion 42 and the five second joint portions 43 are provided so as to surround the piston rod 20.

  The support body 38 has a support portion 38a for supporting the hand main body 32, a flange portion 38b provided at the upper end of the support portion 38a, and a disk portion 38c provided at the lower end of the support portion 38a. In the present embodiment, the support 38 is one in which the support portion 38a, the flange portion 38b, and the disk portion 38c are integrally formed. The support 38 may be formed by bonding the support 38a, the flange 38b, and the disc 38c, which are separately formed, with an adhesive or the like. The support 38 is formed of a rigid material which is not deformed by pressure or pressure. As a material of the support 38, for example, hard resin, metal or the like is used.

  The support portion 38 a is housed in the hand main body 32 and supports the hand main body 32 on the outer peripheral surface. As a method of attaching the hand main body 32 to the support portion 38a, for example, a method of applying an adhesive to the entire circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the support portion 38a and adhering the hand main body 32 to the support portion 38a via the adhesive Is used. This prevents the falling off of the hand main body 32 from the support portion 38a and the flow of gas between the outer peripheral surface of the support portion 38a and the inner surface of the hand main body 32. The outer diameter of the support portion 38a may be slightly larger than the opening diameter of the hand main body 32, and the elasticity of the hand main body 32 may be used to attach the outer peripheral surface of the support portion 38a to the inner surface of the hand main body 32 . Although the shape of the support portion 38 a is cylindrical in the present embodiment, the shape is not limited to this and may be appropriately designed. In the case of using the attachment method utilizing the elasticity of the hand main body 32, it is preferable that the support portion 38a be formed in a cylindrical shape.

  The flange portion 38b protrudes outward in the radial direction of the support portion 38a, and is fixed to the lower surface of the case main body 36 via a packing (not shown) using fastening means (not shown), for example, a screw.

  An opening 41 is formed at the center of the disc 38c. The opening 41 is for circulating a gas between the support 38 a and the hand body 32. The second pipe 25 is passed through the opening 41. The position at which the opening 41 is formed is not limited to the center of the disk portion 38c, and may be appropriately designed.

  Below the case 30, a shape holding portion 46 for holding the shape of the outer periphery of the palm portion 33 is provided. The shape holding portion 46 is disposed in an internal space 44 formed between the disk portion 38 c and the palm portion 33. The shape holding portion 46 permits deformation of the palm portion 33 in the thickness direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3), and restricts deformation of the palm portion 33 in the direction orthogonal to the thickness direction. The shape holding portion 46 is formed of a material that is hard enough not to be deformed by pressure or pressure reduction. As a material of the shape holding portion 46, for example, a hard resin, a metal or the like is used. The material of the shape holding portion 46 does not necessarily have to be one type of material, and may be a composite material in which different types of materials are combined.

  The shape holding portion 46 is a frame-like member having a guide hole 48 for receiving the palm portion 33 deformed upward. The guide hole 48 is provided at the center of the shape holding portion 46 corresponding to the palm portion 33. The size of the guide hole 48 may be appropriately designed, but is preferably approximately the same size as the palm portion 33. In the case of the present embodiment, the shape holding portion 46 is a cylindrical member having a holding surface 49 for holding the outer peripheral surface of the palm portion 33. The holding surface 49 is an outer peripheral surface of the shape holding portion 46. The holding surface 49 is formed in a size capable of holding the outer circumferential surface of the palm portion 33. The holding surface 49 is tapered toward the tip end of the shape holding portion 46 in the axial direction of the finger portion 34 and is curved so as to be convex outward. The tip of the shape holding portion 46 has a curved surface, for example, by chamfering.

  The shape holding portion 46 has a plurality of ring bodies arranged concentrically. The plurality of ring bodies are axially movable and removable. Among the plurality of ring bodies, the hole of the innermost ring body is the guide hole 48. The shape holding portion 46 can change the size of the guide hole 48 and the size of the outer shape by combining a plurality of ring bodies as appropriate. Therefore, the size of the outer peripheral surface of the hand main body 32 and the size of the palm portion 33 can be adjusted to a desired size by appropriately selecting the ring body. In the present embodiment, the shape holding portion 46 has two ring bodies 46a and 46b, and the ring body 46a is disposed inside the ring body 46b. Although a curved surface is formed at the tip of the ring body 46a in FIG. 3, a curved surface may be formed at the tip of the ring body 46b.

  In the finger portion 34, an elastic portion 35 is provided. The material of the elastic portion 35 is preferably resin or rubber. The material of the elastic portion 35 is not necessarily uniform, and may be a composite material in which different materials are combined. The elastic portion 35 may contain an additive such as a filler. The elastic portion 35 is preferably disposed so as to have no gap with the inner surface of the finger portion 34. The second pipe 25 penetrates the elastic portion 35 in the longitudinal direction. The shape of the base end of the elastic portion 35 can be appropriately designed, for example, a curved surface shape or a planar shape, and in the present embodiment, it is a shape that matches the curved surface of the shape holding portion 46. The proximal end of the elastic portion 35 may be in surface contact with the holding surface 49. Therefore, no space is generated between the shape holding portion 46 and the inner surface of the hand main body 32 when the pressure in the hand main body 32 is reduced.

  The suction pad 50 is disposed at a suction port 52 provided in the finger portion 34. In the case of this figure, the suction port 52 is provided at the tip of the finger portion 34. The suction port 52 is a cylindrical member having an opening, and is fitted in a hole penetrating in the thickness direction of the finger portion 34. The suction port 52 is a resin or metal member, and airtightness between the suction port 52 and the hole of the finger portion 34 is maintained, one end is disposed outside the finger portion 34 and the other end is disposed inside the finger portion 34 In the state, it is fixed to the hole. One end of a second pipe 25 is connected to the other end of the suction port 52.

  The suction pad 50 includes a deformation portion 54 having a contact surface 55 in contact with the workpiece W, and a fixing portion 56 integrally formed with the deformation portion 54. The deformation portion 54 is a cylindrical member made of resin, and can extend and contract in the direction perpendicular to the contact surface 55. In the case of this figure, the deformation portion 54 is a bellows-like tube, which is stretchable in the direction perpendicular to the contact surface 55 and elastically deformable in the radial direction. The fixing portion 56 is fixed to one end side of the suction port 52 by a fastening means. The fastening means is, for example, an internal thread provided on the fixing portion 56 and an external thread provided on one end side of the suction port 52. The fixing portion 56 is fixed to the tip of the finger portion 34 via the suction port 52 by being screwed into the suction port 52.

(Operation and effect)
The operation and effects of the industrial robot 12 provided with the suction device 10 configured as described above will be described. In the industrial robot 12, the piston rod 20 is retracted into the cylinder tube 19, and the air cylinder 18 is contracted as an origin. In the adsorption device 10, in the initial state, the first pipe 24 and the second pipe 25 are connected to the atmosphere release port via the three-way valves, and the pressure in the internal space 44 of the hand main body 32 is atmospheric pressure.

  The industrial robot 12 positions the suction device 10 on the vertical line of the workpiece W placed on the base 23 as the movable body 16 moves along the rail 14 (FIG. 1). Next, the industrial robot 12 extends the air cylinder 18 until the finger 34 reaches the side surface of the work W by the piston rod 20 advancing from the cylinder tube 19.

  Each three-way valve is then switched to the state where the air release port is shut off and the air supply and exhaust port is in communication with the vacuum port. In the adsorption device 10, the gas in the internal space 44 is drawn through the first pipe 24, and the pressure in the internal space 44 is reduced to, for example, -0.03 MPa or less.

  The hand main body 32 maintains a state in which the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the palm portion 33 is held by the shape holding portion 46. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the palm portion 33 is deformed in the thickness direction so as to be sucked into the guide hole 48 of the shape holding portion 46. The finger portion 34 is pulled to the center of the palm portion 33, and is deformed so as to fall from the proximal end toward the palm portion 33, starting from the contact portion between the tip of the shape holding portion 46 and the proximal end of the finger portion 34.

  In the adsorption device 10, the gas in the vicinity of the contact surface of the adsorption pad 50 is drawn through the second pipe 25. Then, the contact surface 55 and the work W surface are attracted to each other, the contact surface 55 and the work W surface are in close contact, and the pressure in the suction pad 50 becomes vacuum, whereby the suction pad 50 sucks the work W. In the case of the present embodiment, the five fingers 34 are in close contact with the surface of the bag-like workpiece W, whereby the workpiece W is adsorbed.

  Subsequently, the industrial robot 12 retracts the piston rod 20 into the cylinder tube 19 and contracts the air cylinder 18 to lift the workpiece W from the base 23. Furthermore, the industrial robot 12 moves the work W in the horizontal direction by the movement of the movable body 16 and the movement of the rail 14.

  Thereafter, the industrial robot 12 extends the air cylinder 18 until the workpiece W contacts the base 23 by the piston rod 20 advancing from the cylinder tube 19. Each three-way valve is then switched to the state where the vacuum port is shut off and the air supply and exhaust port is in communication with the air release port. The gas flows into the internal space 44 through the first pipe 24 and the pressure in the internal space 44 returns to the atmospheric pressure. The palm portion 33 is pushed out of the guide hole 48 and returns to the original state. As the palm portion 33 returns to its original state, the fingers 34 rise up from the proximal end.

  The gas flows into the adsorption pad 50 through the second pipe 25 and the pressure in the adsorption pad 50 returns to the atmospheric pressure. Then, the contact surface 55 and the surface of the workpiece W are separated, and as a result, the finger portion 34 releases the workpiece W.

  Next, the industrial robot 12 retracts the piston rod 20 into the cylinder tube 19 and contracts the air cylinder 18 to release the suction device 10 from the work W. As described above, the industrial robot 12 can adsorb the work W placed on the base 23 by the suction device 10 and move it to a desired position.

  As described above, the suction pad 50 can reliably contact the surface of the work W by evacuating the inside of the hand main body 32 and deforming the finger portion 34 from the base end toward the palm portion 33 from the base end. That is, since the suction device 10 can contact the suction pad 50 more reliably with the work W, it is possible to easily suction various work W more easily.

  By appropriately closing the valve 27, the suction pad 50 to be suctioned is selected. Therefore, by selecting the suction pad 50 to suction according to the size of the work W, the suction device 10 can easily suck the work W having a different size.

  For example, even if various workpieces having different shapes and sizes coexist on the same line, the suction device 10 may select the suction pad 50 to deform the finger portion 34 or suction according to each workpiece. By carrying out, it can adsorb | suck appropriately.

  The valve 27 may use a control valve that adjusts the flow rate by the flow of gas drawn from the adsorption pad 50. For example, the valve 27 has an orifice (not shown) and an open / close valve which is always open. The on-off valve is normally open by the spring. If the suction pad 50 is not in intimate contact with the work W, the on / off valve is closed by the flow of gas, so the flow rate is reduced to the amount that passes the orifice. When the suction pad 50 is in close contact with the work W, the open / close valve is opened by the spring. By using the adjusting valve, the operation of switching the valve 27 in accordance with the different work W can be omitted. Even if there is a suction pad that is not in close contact with the work W among the plurality of suction pads 50, a drop in vacuum pressure can be prevented, so the work W can be reliably sucked.

  In the adsorption device 10, when the first pipe 24 is connected to the pressure pump via the switching valve, the internal space 44 is pressurized. In this case, the hand body 32 is elastic such that the palm portion 33 is pulled in the peripheral direction, that is, toward the outside of the palm portion 33, and each finger 34 falls from the proximal end toward the outside of the palm portion 33. Deform. As described above, since the suction device 10 can open the finger portions 34 in accordance with the size of the work W, the versatility can be further improved.

  The suction device 10 can perform deformation of the finger portion and suction in a stepwise manner by controlling the timing of changing the pressure in the internal space 44 and the timing of suction from the suction pad 50, so that the suction device 10 is excellent in versatility.

  The suction device 10 may be in a sideways or upward state as well as in a state where the tip of the finger 34 is downward. Therefore, the adsorption device 10 is excellent in versatility because it can not only lift the work W on the base 23, but also adsorb the work W suspended on a vertical wall surface or a ceiling.

  The finger portion 34 is deformed in the thickness direction while the palm portion 30 contacts the tip end of the shape holding portion 46 because the tip end of the shape holding portion 46 is curved, so that the finger portion 34 is continuous and Gently deform. Therefore, the suction device 10 can contact the suction pad 50 more reliably with the work W by deforming the finger portion 34 in accordance with the shape of the work W. Incidentally, in the gripping device in which the curved portion is not formed in the shape holding portion, the finger portion is deformed so as to be buckled.

  By filling the space between the shape holding portion 46 and the inner surface of the hand main body 32 at the base end of the elastic portion 35, it is possible to prevent a partial dent of the hand main body 32 at the time of pressure reduction. Therefore, the suction device 10 can elastically deform the finger portion 34 more stably, and can improve the durability of the hand main body 32.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present invention.

  The suction port 52 is not limited to the case where it is provided at the tip of the finger 34, and may be provided inside or outside the finger 34.

  The case 30 may be provided with a camera for photographing the workpiece W, a weight scale for measuring the weight of the held workpiece W, a proximity sensor for measuring the distance between the workpiece W and the hand main body 32, or the like.

  The size of the palm portion 33, the length and the number of the finger portions 34, and the like may be appropriately changed in accordance with the application.

  The shape holding portion 46 may have one ring body or may have three or more ring bodies. The shape holding portion 46 is not limited to a cylindrical member, and may be a polygonal pillar having a guide hole 48.

  In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment, although a case where shape maintenance part 46 was a cylindrical member was explained, the present invention is not limited to this, For example, frame shape, such as oval shape, polygon, and an ellipse in planar view It may be a member. The shape holding portion can appropriately change the outer shape according to the shape of the hand main body. The guide hole of the shape holding portion is not limited to a circular shape, and may be a polygonal shape.

  The shape holding portion 46 preferably has a ratio of an outer diameter to an inner diameter of the guide hole 48 of 1.0: 0.98 to 1.0: 0.6. For example, when the outer diameter of the shape holding portion 46 is 80 mm, the finger portion 34 elastically deforms more reliably toward the center of the palm portion 33 when the inner diameter is in the range of 48 to 78 mm.

  It is preferable that the finger-side end of the shape holding portion 46 be located radially outside the center position of the elastic portion 35 in a plan view. Thus, the contact portion between the tip of the shape holding portion 46 and the base end of the elastic portion 35 is located outside the central position of the base end of the elastic portion 35 in the radial direction of the shape holding portion 46. As a result, the finger portion 34 is easily elastically deformed toward the center of the palm portion 33 with the above contact portion as a fulcrum. When the tip end of the shape holding portion 46 on the finger portion 34 contacts the base end of the elastic portion 35 at the inner side in the radial direction than the center position of the elastic portion 35, the finger portion 34 is elastic toward the center of the palm portion 33 It becomes difficult to deform.

  Although the example of the orthogonal robot was shown as the industrial robot 12 in the said embodiment, this invention can be applied not only to this but to a SCARA robot, a vertical articulated robot, etc. FIG. That is, even if the suction device 10 rotates about the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis by the industrial robot, it can hold the workpiece W and can maintain the held state.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 adsorption apparatus 12 industrial robot 24 first piping 25 second piping 27 valve 30 case 31 collective piping 32 hand main body 33 palm part 34 finger part 46 shape holding part 50 suction pad 52 suction port 54 deformation part 55 contact surface W work surface W

Claims (5)

Palm part,
A bag-like hand main body provided projecting around the palm portion, and having a plurality of finger portions which are tipped toward the palm portion by deforming the palm portion in the thickness direction;
And a shape holding portion for preventing contraction of the outer periphery of the palm portion,
A suction apparatus characterized in that the plurality of finger portions are provided with a suction port having an opening and a suction pad disposed in the suction port. The hand body is fixed to the case,
The adsorption apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the case holds a first pipe communicating with the inside of the hand body and a plurality of second pipes communicating with the suction port. The adsorption apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of second pipes are connected to the collective pipe via a valve. The suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the suction pad has a deformation portion which can be expanded and contracted in a vertical direction with respect to a contact surface in contact with a work. An industrial robot provided with the adsorption device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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