JP2019084656A - Article storage device and article storage method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an article storage device and an article storage method which can surely store a plurality of articles held by the hand of a robot in a tiled-roof shape in which the articles are overlapped in good order, while making the structure and control of the hand simple, when storing the articles into a storage body so that respective parts of the articles overlap with one another.SOLUTION: An article storage device 1 comprises a robot 3 that integrally holds a plurality of articles XA1 using a hand 7. The hand 7 has a holding part 8 that can hold respective upper parts of the articles XA1 arranged at intervals in the same direction, and an outer guide member 12 provided adjacently to the article XA1 positioned at the outside, of the plurality of articles XA1. The robot 3 tilts the hand 7 so that the plurality of articles XA1 are lined in a tiled-roof shape, releases respective holding of the articles XA1 while supporting the article adjacent to the outer guide member 12 from below, and then lines the plurality of articles XA1 in the tiled-roof shape in the storage body YA1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an article storage device and an article storage method for storing an article in a box by a robot.

  Conventionally, a plurality of articles are collectively held as a boxing apparatus for accommodating articles in a box or the like by means of article holding means of a robot, and a part of the plurality of articles overlap (hereinafter referred to as "tile roof") An apparatus for housing in a box (e.g. Patent Document 1) is known. According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, by holding the suction tool of the article holding means (picking head) on a point biased to one side in the direction of the line of the package articles, the package article is held so as to hang diagonally from the suction tool. The packing articles are configured to overlap with each other by reducing the distance between the suction tools.

JP, 2011-32089, A

  However, as shown in FIG. 9, particularly when the packaging material (eg, packaging film etc.) for packaging the article XA1 is flexible and the weight of the article XA1 is large etc. When the product XA1 (package YA1) is dropped when it is applied to a position biased to one side in the direction of arrangement of the products XA1. For this reason, it can not hold | maintain diagonally so that overlapping may arise in packages YA1 comrades from the stage at the time of conveyance, and it will be accommodated in a tile roof shape (the state of perfect overlapping) which is reliable even if boxing is performed as it is It was difficult.

  In addition, the technology described in Patent Document 1 requires a mechanism or control to reduce the distance between the suction tools of the article holding means (picking head), which complicates the apparatus and control, increases the cost, and further, There is also a problem that the possibility of detachment or dropping of the article is increased because the distance between the adsorbing tools is narrowed after holding.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when a plurality of articles held by the hand of a robot are accommodated in a container with parts of each overlapping, the structure and control of the hand are It is an object of the present invention to provide an article storage device and an article storage method that enable storage with a simple tiled roof shape with a well-formed overlapping state.

  The present invention is an article storage apparatus including a robot that holds a plurality of articles together by a hand, and stores the plurality of articles in a storage body, wherein the hand shifts the plurality of articles in the same direction. And an outer guide member provided adjacent to the article positioned on the outside of the plurality of articles. The robot tilts the hand such that the plurality of articles are arranged in a tiled roof, and the holding of the articles is released in a state where the outer guide member supports the articles adjacent thereto from the bottom, and the accommodation is performed. The article storage device is characterized in that the plurality of articles are arranged in a tiled roof shape in a body.

  Further, according to the present invention, a plurality of articles arranged to be mutually offset in the same direction are collectively held by a robot hand so as to hold the upper portions of the respective articles, and the robot hand is inclined by tilting the robot hand. A plurality of articles are arranged in a tiled roof shape, and the robot hand is adjacent to an outer guide member provided adjacent to at least one of the articles positioned outside of the plurality of articles. An article storage method characterized in that the articles are supported from the bottom, and in this state, the plurality of articles are arranged in a tiled roof shape by releasing the holding of the articles. .

  According to the present invention, when a plurality of articles held by the hand of the robot are accommodated in the container in such a manner that parts of them overlap each other, the state of the overlap is improved while simplifying the structure and control of the hand. It is possible to provide an article storage device and an article storage method that enable storage in a secure tiled roof shape.

It is a top view of the articles | goods storage apparatus (boxing apparatus) in embodiment of this invention. It is an (A) side view showing a part of box packing device in an embodiment of the present invention, a (B) side view, and a (C) rear view. It is a side view which shows the boxing operation | movement of the box packing apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is the (A) top view which shows the conveyance means in embodiment of this invention, (B) Top view, (C) It is a front view. The (A) front view which shows the pushing means in embodiment of this invention, (B) Side view, (C) Side view, (D) It is a side view. The (A) top view which shows the other example of the conveying apparatus in embodiment of this invention, (B) Side view, (C) It is a side view. It is a side view showing other examples of a hand in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the other example of the box packing apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a front view explaining a prior art.

  Hereinafter, an article storage device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The article storage device 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that the plurality of articles XA1 are partially overlapped by the hand 7 of the robot 3 (the state in which the respective articles are partially overlapped as in the arrangement of sashimi). This is referred to as "tile-like roof", and is a device housed in one container YA1. In the following embodiment, the case of the box packing apparatus 1 which accommodates several articles | goods XA1 in tile roof shape in one box YA1 is demonstrated to an example.

  For convenience of explanation, as a definition of various directions in the box packing apparatus 1, a first direction which is a direction in which the box YA1 is conveyed from the upstream toward the downstream (left and right direction in FIG. The second direction, which is the direction orthogonal to the direction, is the transport width direction W, and the third direction, which is the height direction of the box YA1 (the transport direction T and the direction orthogonal to the transport width direction W, up and down direction in the figure) The transport height direction is H.

<Overall configuration>
FIG. 1 is a schematic top view illustrating the configuration of an article storage device (boxing device) 1 of the present embodiment. In the drawings and the subsequent drawings, a part of the configuration is appropriately omitted to simplify the drawings. And in this figure and each subsequent figure, the size, shape, thickness, etc. of a member are exaggerated and expressed suitably.

  As shown to the same figure, the box packing apparatus 1 of this embodiment has the robot 3 which gathers and hold | maintains several articles | goods XA1 collectively, the conveyance means 2 by which box body YA1 is conveyed, etc., for example. The robot 3 is capable of moving the three-dimensional space arbitrarily, and has at least a robot arm 5 that can be used for various operations by replacing the end effector provided at the tip according to the application. . Here, although the example of the robot arm 5 shows one robot 3 (single arm robot), the robot arm 5 may be a plurality of robots 3 (double arm robot etc.). The robot arm 5 has a hand 7 capable of collectively holding a plurality of articles XA1 as an end effector.

  The article XA1 is conveyed, for example, in a standing state, with a plurality (four in this example) aligned in the conveyance direction T along the conveyance width direction W of the conveyance means 2 and aligned. In the following description, a plurality of articles XA1 (XA11, XA12, XA13, XA14) aligned along the transport width direction W will be referred to as an article group XB1 (indicated by a broken line). One hand 7 of the robot 3 collectively holds one article group XB1 at a time at the article supply position P1 of the transport means 2.

  In addition, the robot 3 controls the hand 7 so as to arrange at least a part of the plurality of articles XA1 so as to overlap each other in the group of articles XB1 to be held (that is, in a tiled roof) and housed in the box YA1. For example, in the example of the figure, the article XA11 disposed at one end T1 side (lower side in the figure) in the conveyance width direction W of the article group XB1 is located on the top surface and one of the articles XA12 adjacent thereto The parts are disposed below the article XA11 and overlap the parts XA11 and XA13, and a portion of the articles XA13 and XA14 adjacent to each other are sequentially disposed below the articles XA12 and XA13 sequentially toward the other end T2 side in the transport width direction W They are placed on top of each other to form a tiled roof.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described on the premise of the tiled roof shape of FIG. 1 for convenience of description. That is, when the article XA11 in which no article XA1 is disposed at the upper side (upper layer) is a tiled roof, the article XA1 is the uppermost layer and the article XA14 is not disposed at the lower side (lower layer) When it is made into a shape, it is referred to as an article XA1 to be the lowest layer. In addition, the end T1 in the transport width direction W in which the uppermost article XA11 is conveyed in the case of tiled roof is referred to as the upper layer side end T1, and the article XA14 which becomes the lowermost layer in the case of the tile roof is conveyed The end T2 in the transport width direction W is referred to as the lower layer end T2.

<Hand and transport means>
The configurations of the hand 7 and the transport means 2 of the robot 3 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. 2A is a side view of the hand 7 and the transport means 2 before holding the article XA1 as viewed from, for example, the downstream side in the transport direction T. FIG. 2B is a hand 7 that holds the article XA1. 2C is a side view of the transport unit 2 as viewed from the downstream side in the transport direction T, for example. FIG. 2C is a hand 7 and transport as viewed from the lower end T2 in the transport width direction W of FIG. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the hand 7 has a holding portion 8 and a guide member 12. The holding unit 8 can hold the individual articles XA1 (XA11, XA12, XA13, XA14) that constitute one article group XB1. That is, the plurality of holding portions 81, 82, 83, 84 are provided corresponding to the plurality of articles XA11, XA12, XA13, XA14. The holding unit 8 (81, 82, 83, 84) is, for example, configured by an adsorption unit, and adsorbs and holds each of the plurality of articles XA1 (XA11, XA12, XA13, XA14). Note that the holding unit 8 may be configured by, for example, a holding (or holding) unit, and may hold (hold) each of the plurality of articles XA1.

  The holding portions 8 (81, 82, 83, 84) hold the articles XA1 (XA11, XA12, XA13, XA14) by making the heights of the respective holding surfaces (adsorption surfaces) 10 in the transport height direction H different. It is configured to be possible.

  Further, the transport means 2 of the present embodiment has a plurality of transport paths, and the transport surfaces R of the respective transport paths differ in height at least at the article supply position P1. In detail, the conveyance means 2 conveys the conveyance surface such that the heights of the mounting surfaces of the plurality of articles XA1 constituting a certain article group XB1 to be conveyed differ at least at the article supply position P1 along the conveyance width direction W. It has R. Specifically, the transport surface R1 for transporting the article XA1 (XA11) which is the uppermost layer in the tiled roof shape is the lowest, and the transport surface R4 for transporting the article XA1 (XA14) which is the lowermost layer is the highest. As such, the height of the transport surface is sequentially increased. That is, the conveyance surface R (R1 to R4) of the conveyance means 2 has the lowest conveyance surface R1 at the upper layer side end T1, and conveys stepwise in correspondence to the width of each article XA1 toward the lower layer side end T2. It becomes high in order of surface R2, R3, and it is comprised so that conveyance surface R4 of lower layer side edge part T2 may become the highest.

  The holding unit 8 is configured to be movable up and down in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveyance surface R (in the conveyance height direction H) at least near the article supply position P1 shown in FIG. Then, it descends at the article supply position P1 and holds the article XA1 on the transport surface R. For this reason, the holding portions 8 (81, 82, 83, 84) have different heights, as shown in FIG. 7B, by making the heights of the respective holding surfaces 10 in the transport height direction H different. A plurality of arranged articles XA1 (XA11, XA12, XA13, XA14) can be held at one time.

  Further, the holding unit 8 can hold the upper portions (the upper portions in the transport height direction H) of the plurality of articles XA1 in a state where the plurality of articles XA1 are arranged in the same direction so as to be offset. In addition, the heights of the surfaces of the holding portions 8 for holding the respective items XA1 differ from each other.

  A specific example of the configuration will be described. The holding portions 8 have the same configuration, and the lower surface of the base 9 supporting the holding portions 8 (the surface facing the transport means 2 and to which the holding portions 8 are attached) is The upper end portion T1 side is the lowest, and the lower end portion T2 side is formed in a step-like shape that becomes higher in order toward the lower end portion T2. As a result, the holding surface 10 of the holding portion 81 (the holding portion 81 holding the uppermost article XA11) located at the upper layer side end T1 is the lowest, and the holding portions 82, 83, and so on toward the lower layer side T2. In the order of 84, the holding surface 10 becomes higher in order according to the level difference of the base 9.

  Further, in the transport means 2, in order to support the standing state of the article XA1, partition means (partition plates) 13 are provided on both sides in the transport width direction W of each of the transport surfaces R1 to R4. That is, during the conveyance of the conveyance means 2, the articles XA1 of a certain article group XB1 are spaced apart from each other and arranged upright (the illustration of the partition plate 13 is omitted in FIG. 1).

  With such a configuration, the hand 7 is such that at least a portion thereof overlaps in the transport width direction W while keeping the plurality of articles XA1 (XA11, XA12, XA13, XA14) constituting a certain article group XB1 apart from each other. (When viewed along the transport width direction W (for example, viewed from the upper layer side end T1) in the state of being arranged in a row (as shown in FIG. 2C), the respective portions are arranged side by side so as to overlap Hold them all at once).

  The guide member 12 (12A) is provided along the surface direction of the surface on which a plurality of articles XA1 overlap (the TH surface consisting of the transport direction T and the transport height direction H in FIG. 2), and the robot 3 controls the hand 7 When the plurality of articles XA1 are accommodated in the box YA1, the articles XA1 are supported from below. That is, the guide member 12 is an outer layer (lower layer side) which is a lower layer of the holding portion 8 for holding the article XA1 (in this example, the article XA14 in this example) which becomes the lowest layer at least in the tiled roof among the plurality of articles XA1. It is provided at the end T2 side).

  FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of an operation of accommodating the article XA1 in the box YA1 by the hand 7. As shown in FIG. Here, although an example in which one guide member 12 is provided is shown in FIG. 2, more preferably, as shown in FIG. 2A, the guide member 12 includes the respective holding parts 8 (81 to 84). It is good to provide in the outer side of lower layer side end T2 direction.

  More specifically, the guide member 12 is an outer guide adjacent to the article XA1 (the article XA1 (in this example, the article XA14 in this example) which is the lowermost layer when tiled) among the plurality of articles XA1. It has a member 12A and an inner guide member 12B provided between the articles XA1.

  Although not shown, the holding unit 8 finely adjusts the height of the holding surface 10 with an air cylinder or the like according to the state (posture) of the article XA1 to be conveyed in any of FIGS. 2 and 3. May be configured to be possible.

  The robot 3 first holds a plurality of articles XA1 by the hand 7 at the article supply position P1 of the transport means 2 as shown in FIG. More specifically, in a state where the articles XA11, XA12, XA13, XA14 respectively placed on the transport surfaces R1 to R4 are arranged such that at least a part thereof overlaps in the transport width direction W while keeping away from each other Hold them all together.

  And as shown to the figure (B) and the figure (C), the robot 3 inclines the guide member 12 (outside guide member 12A, inside guide member 12B) relatively to bottom B of box YA1. In the state where each guide member 12 (the outer guide member 12A and the inner guide member 12B support the adjacent articles XA1 from below), the hand 7 is controlled such that the holding unit 8 opens the plurality of articles XA1.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7B, the hand 7 holding a plurality of articles XA1 is moved to the upper side of the box YA1, and the guide member 12 is relative to the bottom surface B of the box YA1. The hand 7 is inclined so as to incline (refer to a broken circle), and is moved obliquely downward (in a direction in which the surface of the guide member 12 is pushed in) as shown by the arrow. In this example, the holding portion 8 and the guide member 12 are inclined such that the upper end portion attached to the base portion 9 is in the tile lower layer lower side direction and the tip end (lower end) is in the upper layer side.

  The box YA1 is conveyed, for example, by another conveying means (not shown), and in this example, a spacer SP or the like corresponding to a tile roof shape is disposed in the inside, but the spacer SP is not disposed. It is also good.

  When the guide member 12 is inclined relative to the bottom surface B of the box YA1 in this manner, the guide member 12 supports the adjacent articles XA1 (the articles XA1 adjacent to the upper layer side of the tiled roof) from below. It becomes. And as shown to the figure (C), the robot 3 accommodates the articles XA1 in the box YA1 in this state, and releases the holding of the plurality of articles XA1 by the holding unit 8.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6D, after the article XA1 is released or while the article XA1 is released, the hand 7 is moved obliquely upward (in a direction along the surface of the guide member 12) as shown by the arrow. Or, turn it diagonally upward. By such control of the hand 7, the plurality of articles XA1 are accommodated in the tiled roof shape in the box YA1.

  Thus, the robot 3 controls the hand 7 so that the guide member 12 provided on the outermost side of the holding portion 8 (the lower end T2 side in the transport width direction W) becomes the bottom layer of the tile roof. Then, the article XA1 is accommodated in the box YA1.

  That is, the robot 3 inclines the hand 7 such that the plurality of articles XA1 are arranged in a tiled roof, and releases the holding of the articles XA1 while supporting the articles XA14 adjacent to the outer guide member 12A from below. A plurality of articles XA1 are arranged in a tiled roof shape in the body YA.

  The transport means 2 will be further described with reference to FIG. 4A is a top view of the transport means 2, FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the downstream of the transport means 2 (around the article supply position P1), and FIG. FIG.

  For example, the transport unit 2 is, for example, a transport table, and as described above, the transport surfaces R1 to R4 corresponding to the plurality of articles XA1 (XA11 to XA14) constituting a certain article group XB1 Have. Partition means (partition plate) 13 extending in the transport direction T is provided on both sides in the transport width direction W of the transport surfaces R1 to R4, and it can be said that the transport surfaces R1 to R4 are partitioned by the partition plate 13. The height in the transport height direction H of the partition plate 13 is higher than the height in the transport height direction H of the article XA1 during transport (see FIG. 2A).

  As shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 4B, the partition plate 13 is a plate-like body, but is configured such that each partition plate 13 is branched into two with a predetermined space S at the article supply position P1. It is done. In the space S, when the hand 7 holding the article XA1 descends from above the transport surface R at the article supply position P1 to place the article XA1 on the transport surface R, the tip of the guide member 12 (lower end portion And the guide member 12 and the partition plate 13 are provided in order to avoid buffering (see FIG. 2A).

  Although FIG. 6B shows an example in which the guide members 12 are provided corresponding to the respective holding portions 8, the partition is provided when the guide members 12 are provided only at the lower layer side end T2. The branching of the plate 13 may be unnecessary.

  In the present embodiment, the plurality of articles XA1 are conveyed in the upright state by the partition plate 13 without any change in posture, and the partition plate 13 is branched at the article supply position P1 to secure the space S. Even if a plurality of guide members 12 are provided at 7, the hand 7 can hold the plurality of articles XA1 collectively without buffering on the partition plate 13.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6C, the conveyance surfaces R1 to R4 are stepped at least at the article supply position P1 along the conveyance width direction W (from the upper layer end T1 toward the lower layer end T2). Its height is getting higher sequentially. As a result, at least at the article supply position P1, the plurality of articles XA1 to XA4 are positioned at different heights. In addition, illustration of the partition plate 13 is abbreviate | omitted in the figure (C).

  More specifically, at the upstream end of the transport means 2 (left side in FIG. 6C), the heights of the transport surfaces R1 to R4 in the transport height direction H are on the same plane, and the transport surface R4 is The height is maintained (substantially horizontal) to the downstream end (right side of the figure (C)). On the other hand, the transport surfaces R1 to R3 are inclined in the middle of the transport direction T so that they become lower toward the downstream end (the upstream side of the transport direction T is higher and the downstream side is lower). Further, the angle of inclination (the angle formed with the transport surface R4) in the transport direction T of the transport surfaces R1 to R3 is the largest at the transport surface R1 at the upper end portion T1, and decreases in the order of the transport surface R2 and the transport surface R3. . That is, the height difference between the upstream end and the downstream end is configured to decrease in the order of the transport surfaces R1, R2, R3, and R4.

  As a result, the articles XA11, XA12, XA13, and XA14 conveyed on the same plane on the upstream side of the conveying means 2 are displaced by different amounts of displacement as the heights of the mounting surfaces go downstream. At the article supply position P1, the uppermost article XA11 is located at the lowermost position, the articles XA12 and X13 are higher in the order, and the lowermost article XA14 is located at the uppermost position (see FIG. 2). .

<Transporting means>
FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the pushing means 15, and FIG. 5 (A) is a front view corresponding to FIG. 4 (C), and FIG. 5 (B) to FIG. It is a side view seen from the upper stream side of T.

  It is preferable to provide a pushing means 15 above the conveying means 2. The pusher 15 is, for example, a pusher (pusher unit) including a plurality of pushers 16 (for example, pushers 16A to 16C) for pushing the articles XA1 in the downstream direction.

  The pushing device 15 has a predetermined number (four in the present embodiment) of articles XA1 on the conveying means 2 by a well-known box motion that revolves along a predetermined locus (indicated by an arrow) including movement in the conveyance direction T. Are collectively sent toward the article supply position P1 and thereafter returned to the position where the pushing of the article XA1 is started. The plurality of pushing members 16 are fixed to the base 17 and move together with the base 17 in a box motion.

  The pushing member 16 is a plate-like body provided substantially perpendicularly to the conveying surface R (upstream end or conveying surface of the article supply position P1), and one of them (for example, the pushing member 16A) Are disposed on the upstream side of the transport direction T with respect to the transport members (for example, transport members 16B and 16C). Further, at least the other pushing members 16B and 16C are configured such that the lower end position is displaced along the transport width direction W, and the displacement amount of the lower end position is the lower end along the transport width direction W of the pushing member 16A. It is larger than the displacement amount of the position.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, in the pushing device 15, pushing members 16A, 16B, 16C are provided at predetermined intervals in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction T. ing. And as shown to the same figure (B), 16 A of pushing members are the whole shapes, for example, substantially rectangular shape, and are divided | segmented into the comb-tooth shape corresponding to conveyance surface R1-R4 by slit SL. In the same figure (B)-the same figure (D), conveyance side R1-R4 corresponding to each comb tooth is appended. The slit SL is provided to pass the partition plate 13. The lower end positions of the respective comb teeth of the pushing member 16A are at the same position (the positions of the conveying surface R1 to R4 in the conveying height direction H are the same), that is, they are not displaced along the conveying width direction W (conveying) The displacement of the lower end position along the width direction W is 0 (zero)).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6C, the pushing member 16B has, for example, a substantially trapezoidal shape as a whole, and is divided into comb teeth similarly to the pushing member 16A. The length of the corresponding comb teeth is increased by a predetermined displacement amount ΔH1 from the upper layer side end T1 to the lower layer side end T2 in the transport width direction W (displacement amount of lower end position along the transport width direction W ΔH1> 0 (zero)).

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6D, the pushing member 16C also has, for example, a substantially trapezoidal shape as a whole, and is divided into comb teeth like the pushing members 16A and 16B. The length of the corresponding comb teeth is increased by a predetermined displacement amount ΔH2 as it goes from the upper layer end T1 in the transport width direction W to the lower layer end T2. Further, this displacement amount ΔH2 is set larger than the displacement amount ΔH1 of the pushing member 16B located on the upstream side (displacement amount ΔH2> ΔH1> 0 (zero) of the lower end position along the transport width direction W) .

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6A, the most upstream pusher 16A pushes the article XA1 (XA11 to XA14) in the first section PT1 in the transport direction T of the transport means 2 by box motion. The downstream pushing member 16B pushes the article XA1 in the second zone PT2, and the most downstream pushing member 16C pushes the article XA1 in the third zone PT3.

  That is, the lower end position of the pushing member 16A is set such that the articles XA11 to XA14 in the first section PT1 can be fed and not buffered on the transport surfaces R1 to R4 in the section.

  Further, the displacement amount ΔH1 of the lower end position of the pushing member 16B is an amount corresponding to the level difference of the conveyance surfaces R1 to R4 in the second section PT2, and further the articles XA11 to XA14 in the second section PT2 are pushed It is possible to set an amount that does not buffer the transport surfaces R1 to R4 in the section.

  Similarly, the displacement amount ΔH2 of the lower end position of the pushing member 16C corresponds to the difference in level of the conveyance surfaces R1 to R4 in the third section PT3, and further the articles XA11 to XA14 in the third section PT3. An amount which can be transported and which does not buffer the transport surfaces R1 to R4 in the section is set.

  In this example, the displacement amount along the transport width direction W of the lower end position of the most upstream pushing member 16A is 0 (zero), but the displacement amount ΔH0 along the transport width direction W of the lower end position of the pushing member 16A. It is good also as> 0. Even in this case, the displacement amount ΔH2 of the lower end position of the pushing member 16C> the displacement amount ΔH1 of the lower end position of the pushing member 16B> the displacement amount ΔH0> 0 of the lower end position of the pushing member 16A. Further, the displacement amount ΔH0 of the lower end position of the pushing member 16A is an amount corresponding to the difference in level of the transport surfaces R1 to R4 in the first section PT1, and further pushes the articles XA11 to XA14 in the first section PT1. It is possible to set an amount that does not buffer the transport surfaces R1 to R4 in the section.

  In the above example, the case where the article XA11 is the uppermost layer of tiled roof and the article XA14 is the lowermost layer of tiled roof is described. However, the article XA11 is the lowermost layer of tiled roof, the article XA14 is the tiled roof In the case of the uppermost layer, the height order of the positions of the transport surfaces R1 to R4 (height in the transport height direction H) and the positions of the holding surfaces 10 of the holders 81 to 84 (height in the transport height direction H) If it reverses to the above, it can implement similarly and the same effect is acquired.

<Modification>
Modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a view showing a modification of the transport means 2. FIG. 6 (A) is a top view of the transport means 2, FIG. 6 (B) and FIG. 6 (C) are downstream side (right side of FIG. It is the side view seen from). In addition, the reduced scale of FIG. 6 (A), the figure (B), and the figure (C) is different.

  In this example, the transport surface R of the transport means 2 is divided into the upstream transport area RU and the downstream transport area RL including at least the article supply position P1 in the transport direction T. Then, in the downstream side conveyance region RL, the conveyance surface R is divided into four corresponding to the plurality of articles XA1 along the conveyance width direction W, and conveyance surfaces R1 to R4 independent of one another are configured.

  As shown to the same figure (B), below each conveyance surface R1-R4, drive mechanism C1-C4 which moves each conveyance surface R1-R4 up and down (raising and lowering) is provided. The driving mechanisms C1 to C4 are, for example, air cylinders, and the conveying surfaces R1 to R4 are moved relative to each other by vertically moving the adjacent conveying surfaces R as shown in FIG. Step-like as shown in FIG. 4 (B).

  In this case, the air cylinders C1 and C4 for driving the transport surface R1 having a large amount of movement from the reference position shown in FIG. 5B and the transport surface R4 having a large amount of movement in the reverse stacking order are movable. The air cylinders C2 and C3 for driving the transport surfaces R2 and R3 having a large range (stroke) and a small amount of movement from the reference position may be used with a small movable range (stroke).

  According to such a configuration, since the heights of the transport surfaces R1 to R4 can be easily changed, it is easy when there is a change in the product XA1 (change in external size) or a change in the tiled roofing order. It can correspond to

  FIG. 7 is a view showing a modified example of the hand 7, and is a side view seen from the downstream side in the transport direction T. As shown in FIG. In the figure (A), the bottom of the base portion 9 of the holding portion 8 is substantially horizontal, and the length of the holding portion 8 (the height of the holding surface 10 in the transport height direction H) is the height of the conveyance surfaces R1 to R4. Depending on the configuration. Specifically, the holding portion 81 of the upper layer side end portion T1 (the holding portion 81 holding the uppermost article XA11) is the longest in length, and the holding portions 82, 83, 84 are moved toward the lower layer side end portion T2. The height of the holding surface 10 in the transport height direction H may be sequentially increased by decreasing the length stepwise in the order of. In this case, the lower end positions of the guide members 12 disposed on both sides in the transport width direction W of the holding portions 81 are all at the same position. Then, the articles XA11 to XA14 placed on the conveyance surfaces R1 to R4 configured in a step shape are held. In this example, as in the configuration shown in FIG. 3A, the base portion 9 is formed in a step shape in accordance with the heights of the transport surfaces R1 to R4, and the holding portions 8 have the same configuration (the same length). It is also good. Further, the lower end position of the guide member 12 may be different in height depending on the position of the article XA1 supported from the lower side (next to the left in the figure).

  In the figure (B), the bottom of the base 9 of the holding portion 8 is substantially horizontal, and the holding portion 8 also has the same configuration (the height of the holding surface 10 in the transport height direction H is the same). The two conveyance surfaces R1 to R4 are configured to have the same height (on the same plane) even at the article supply position P1.

  In this case, the lower end positions of the guide members 12 disposed on both sides in the conveyance width direction W of the respective holding portions 81 differ depending on the heights of the conveyance surfaces R1 to R4, and the upper layer side end T1 to the lower layer side end The lower end position gradually rises toward the portion T2 (the height in the transport height direction H increases), that is, the length in the transport height direction H of the guide member 12 is shortened. And the conveyance means 2 provides the slit which penetrates conveyance surface R in the conveyance height direction H, for example in the position of the space S shown to FIG. 4 (B), and it becomes so that the guide member 12 can be penetrated. Do.

  In this example, the articles XA11 to XA14 are supplied to the box YA1 while being held at the same height. Since the length of the guide member 12 is shortened from the upper layer side to the lower layer side when the tiled roof is formed, the guide member 12 is inclined with respect to the bottom surface B of the box YA1 as shown in FIG. Even in this case, it can be supported by the guide member 12 and housed in a tiled roof shape.

  In the case of FIG. 6B, each holding portion 8 can be moved up and down (lifting) relative to the base 9 by driving means such as an air cylinder, and when holding the articles XA11 to XA14. , The holding unit 8 is moved up and down (lifting) according to the height of the transport surfaces R1 to R4, and the articles XA11 to XA4 mounted on the transport surfaces R1 to R4 configured in a step shape as illustrated in FIG. The XA 14 may be held.

  Further, the hand 7 of the present embodiment is moved in the direction of the holding portion 84 (the direction of the holding portion 8 which holds the article XA1 which is the lowermost layer in the tiled roof shape) while the holding portion 81 of the hand 7 The suction may be released in the order of 82, 83, 84, and the article XA1 may be accommodated in the container YA1. Without replacing the hand 7, the overlapping length with the adjacent article XA1 can be changed to form a tiled roof and accommodated in the container YA1.

  Further, the guide member 12 may support the plurality of articles XA1 from below.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing another modified example of the article storage device (boxing device) 1, and is a top view around the article supply position P1.

  The article storage device 1 is configured such that the plurality of articles XA1 are mutually offset in the same direction of the transport direction T at the article supply position P1 on the transport means 2 (downstream of the respective articles XA11 to XA14, as shown in FIG. It may be configured to be placed in a state in which the positions of the end portions are arranged side by side so as to be different along the transport direction T. In this case, the hand 7 moves along the transport direction T (approximately horizontally with respect to the transport surface R) as shown in FIG. As shown, each article XA1 may be held by suction from the downstream end side of the transport means 2.

  In this case, the pushing member 16 of the pushing means 15 is disposed to be shifted in the conveyance direction T. Specifically, for example, the pushing surface for pushing article XA14 is positioned most downstream so that the pushing surfaces for pushing articles XA11 to XA14 are at different positions along the transport direction T. A pushing member 16 is arranged such that a pushing surface for pushing 11 is positioned on the upstream side in this order. Further, in this case, the downstream end of the space S provided by branching of the partition plate 13 is open, and when the hand 7 holds the article XA 1, the guide member 12 of the downstream side of the transport means 2 is Accept the insertion of the tip. The hand 7 adsorbs and holds the plurality of articles XA1, moves to the transport direction T side, and then separates. In this case, the hand 7 adsorbs and holds the plurality of articles XA1 at the article supply position P1 and then pivots the article XA1 so as to lift the downstream side of the article XA1 to change the direction of the article XA1 by 90 °. It is preferable that the article XA1 held on the lower side be separated from the conveying means 2 in a suspended state. The article XA1 can be held securely. As described above, in the case where the article XA1 is held by suction from the side, the article XA1 is conveyed, for example, by the pushing means 15 with the top portion facing sideways.

  As described above, the article storage device 1 according to the present embodiment includes the robot 3 that holds the plurality of articles XA1 collectively by the hand 7 and stores the plurality of articles XA1 in the container YA1. A plurality of articles XA1 are arranged in the same direction so as to be shifted in the same direction, and a holding portion 8 capable of holding the upper part of each article XA1 and a plurality of articles XA1 adjacent to an article located outside A state in which the robot 3 inclines the hand 7 so that the plurality of articles XA1 are arranged in a tiled roof, and the article XA1 supported by the outside guide members 12A is supported from below Then, the holding of the articles XA1 is released, and the articles XA1 are arranged in a tiled roof shape in the container YA1. Further, the inner guide member 12B may be provided between the articles XA1.

  In addition, the article storage device 1 has the transport means 2 by which the plurality of articles XA1 are transported, and the transport means 2 has the plurality of transport paths, and the transport surface R of the transport path is at least at the article supply position P1. The heights of the holding units 8 are different from each other, and the holding unit 8 may be configured to hold the plurality of articles XA1 collectively at the article supply position P1. Further, the transport surface R may be displaced in height along the transport width direction W, and the holding portions 8 may have different heights of the surfaces for holding the articles XA1.

  Moreover, the conveyance means 2 may be provided with the partition means which partitions off each of the said some articles | goods in the articles | goods supply position P1 at least.

  Further, a pushing unit 15 may be provided above the conveying unit 2 to push the plurality of articles XA1 in the downstream direction. The pushing means 15 includes one pushing member 16A and another pushing member 16B. The pushing member 16A is disposed upstream of the other pushing members 16B in the transport direction T, and at least the other pushing members 16B are The lower end position is displaced along the transport width direction W, and the displacement amount of the lower end position of the other pushing member 16B is higher than the displacement amount of the lower end position along the transport width direction W of one pushing member 16A. It may be large.

  Further, in the article storage method of the present embodiment, the plurality of articles XA1 aligned in the same direction so as to be mutually shifted are collectively held by the robot hand (hand 7) so as to hold the upper portions of the articles XA1. And by tilting the hand 7, the plurality of articles XA1 are arranged in a tiled roof shape, and the hand 7 is provided adjacent to at least one of the articles XA1 positioned outside among the plurality of articles XA1. Adjacent articles XA1 are supported from below on the outer guide member 12A, and in this state, the plurality of articles XA1 are arranged in a tiled roof shape in the container YA1 by releasing the holding of the respective articles XA1. It is a thing.

  Further, the plurality of articles XA1 are arranged so that the heights of the upper portions are different from each other, and the plurality of articles XA1 are collectively held by the hand 7 in which the heights of the surfaces holding the respective articles XA1 are different from each other. You may

  The article storage apparatus 1 according to the present invention is the article storage apparatus 1 including the robot 3 that holds the plurality of articles XA1 together with the hand 7 and stores the plurality of articles XA1 (XA11 to XA14) in the container YA1. The hand 7 is provided at least on the outside of the holding portion 8 along the surface direction of the holding portion 8 which holds the plurality of articles XA1 side by side so as to at least partially overlap and the surface of the plurality of articles XA1 overlaps. The robot 3 has the guide member 12 (12A) inclined relative to the bottom surface of the container YA1 and supports the adjacent article XA1 (XA14) from the lower side. In the state, the hand 8 is controlled such that the holding unit 8 opens the plurality of articles XA1, and at least a part of the plurality of articles XA1 are lined up and accommodated in the container. That is intended.

  In addition, the guide member 12 (12B) may be provided between each of the plurality of articles XA1.

  Moreover, it has the conveyance means 2 by which several articles | goods XA1 are conveyed, and conveyance surface R (R1-R4) of the conveyance means 2 locates each of several articles | goods XA1 in different height at least in article supply position P1. As described above, the holding unit 8 may hold the plurality of articles XA1 collectively at the article supply position P1.

  Further, the transport surfaces R1 to R4 may be sequentially displaced in height along the transport width direction W.

  Further, the article holding position of the holding unit 8 may be provided at different heights corresponding to the plurality of articles XA1 at the article supply position P1.

  Further, the transport means 2 may be provided with partitioning means 13 for partitioning each of the plurality of articles XA1 at least at the article supply position P1.

  Further, a pushing unit 15 may be provided above the conveying unit 2 to push the plurality of articles XA1 in the downstream direction.

  Further, the pushing means 15 includes one pushing member 16A and another pushing member 16B, and the pushing member 16A is disposed upstream of the other pushing members 16B in the transport direction T, and at least another pushing member. 16B is configured such that the lower end position is displaced along the transport width direction W, and the displacement amount of the lower end position of the other pushing member 16B is the displacement amount of the lower end position along the transport width direction W of one pushing member 16A. It may be larger than that.

  Further, the present invention is an article storage method for storing the plurality of articles YA1 in the storage body YA1 using the robot 3 that holds the plurality of articles XA1 (XA11 to XA14) collectively by the hand 7, and the hand 7 And a guide member provided at the outermost side of at least the plurality of articles XA1 along the surface direction of the holding portion 8 which holds the plurality of articles XA1 side by side so as to at least partially overlap, and the surface on which the plurality of articles XA1 overlap. 12 (12A), and the hand 7 is in a state where the guide member 12 (12A) is inclined relative to the bottom surface of the container YA1 and supports the adjacent article XA1 (XA14) from below The plurality of articles XA1 are supplied to the container YA1, and arranged so that at least a part of the plurality of articles XA1 overlap, to be accommodated in the container YA1; It is the law.

  Further, the plurality of articles XA1 are conveyed such that at least the plurality of articles XA1 are located at different heights at the article supply position P1, and the holding unit 8 is located at different heights at the article supply position P1. It may hold XA1 collectively.

  According to the present embodiment, since the article XA1 can be accommodated in the box YA1 while being supported from below by the guide member 12 when the article XA1 is accommodated, the packaging material (eg, a packaging film etc.) to be packaged has flexibility. Even in the case where the weight of the article XA1 is heavy (heavy) or the like, it can be accommodated in a solid tiled roof (in a state of overlapping).

  In addition, since the conveyance surface R (R1 to R4) of the conveyance means 2 is stepped at the article supply position P1, a mechanism or control for reducing the distance between the articles XA1 after holding the article XA1 by the hand 7 becomes unnecessary. And control complexity can be avoided, contributing to cost reduction. Furthermore, since the movement of the article XA1 after holding the article XA1 can be minimized, separation and falling of the article XA1 can be prevented compared to a configuration in which the interval is adjusted after holding the article XA1. It will be possible to house it with a solid tiled roof.

  The partition plate 13 disposed in the transport width direction W of the transport surface R may support a part of the side portion of the article XA1 (the side surface of the upper portion of the article XA1).

  Further, after the articles XA11 to XA14 are arranged at the same height at the article supply position P1 and held at the same height by the hand 7 (see FIG. 7B), the articles XA11 to XA14 are The position (height) may be displaced so as to be stair-like and be accommodated in the box YA1 in the state shown in FIG. However, if the movement amount in the state of holding the article is large, the possibility that the article XA1 is separated and dropped is also high. Therefore, if the position of each article XA1 is stepped at the stage of holding at the article supply position P1 Is preferred.

  Moreover, when accommodating in box YA1, you may make it incline the bottom face B of box YA1 with respect to a conveyance surface.

  Moreover, in said embodiment, although box YA1 was demonstrated to an example as container YA1 of articles | goods XA1, it may be not only this but container YA1 comprised with a film with a bottom, for example, Further, if the spacer SP as shown in FIG. 3 is used, even the bag-like container YA1 can be similarly implemented, and the same effect can be obtained.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide an article storage device and an article storage method that enable storage in a tiled roof shape with a clear overlapping state while simplifying the structure and control of the hand. Can.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 Article storage device (boxing device)
2 Transporting Means 3 Robot 5 Robot Arm 7 Hand 8 Holding Part 9 Base 10 Holding Surface 12 Guide Member 15 Pushing Means (Press Feeding Device)
16 pushing members 81 to 84 holding parts R, R1 to R4 conveyance surface T conveyance direction T1 upper layer side end T2 lower layer side end XA1 article XB1 article group YA1 container (YA1)

Claims (10)

An article storage apparatus comprising: a robot that holds a plurality of articles together by a hand, wherein the storage body stores the plurality of articles,
The hand is
A holding unit capable of holding the upper part of each of the plurality of articles in a state where the plurality of articles are aligned in the same direction;
And an outer guide member provided adjacent to the article positioned outside of the plurality of articles.
The robot tilts the hand such that the plurality of articles are arranged in a tiled roof, and the holding of the articles is released in a state where the outer guide member supports the articles adjacent thereto from the bottom, and the container Arranging the plurality of articles in a tiled roof,
An article storage device characterized in that. An inner guide member is provided between the articles,
The article storage device according to claim 1, It has a transport means by which the plurality of articles are transported,
The transport means has a plurality of transport paths, and the transport surfaces of the transport paths differ in height at least at an article supply position, and the holding unit collectively holds the plurality of articles at the article supply position. Configured to
The article storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The transport surface is sequentially displaced in height along the width direction.
The article storage device according to claim 3, The holding portions have different heights of surfaces holding the articles, respectively.
The article storage device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein The transport means includes partitioning means for partitioning each of the plurality of articles at least at the article supply position.
The article storage device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The feeding means is provided above the feeding means for feeding the plurality of articles in the downstream direction.
The article storage device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that: The pushing means includes one pushing member and another pushing member,
The one pushing member is disposed upstream of the other pushing members in the transport direction,
At least the other pushing member is configured to be displaced at the lower end position along the transport width direction,
The displacement amount of the lower end position of the other pushing member is larger than the displacement amount of the lower end position along the transport width direction of the one pushing member.
The article storage device according to claim 7, wherein A plurality of articles aligned in the same direction so as to be offset from each other are collectively held by a robot hand so as to hold the upper portions of the respective articles;
By tilting the robot hand, the plurality of articles are arranged in a tiled roof, and
In the robot hand, the article adjacent to the outer guide member provided adjacent to at least one of the articles positioned outside of the plurality of articles is supported from below;
In this state, the plurality of articles are arranged in a tiled roof shape by releasing the holding of the articles.
An article storage method characterized in that. The plurality of articles are arranged so that the heights of the upper portions are different from one another, and the plurality of articles are collectively held by the robot hand in which the heights of the surfaces holding the respective articles are different from one another.
An article storage method according to claim 9, characterized in that:

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