JP2020183318A - Article loading device - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem that it is required to enhance conveyance efficiency by improving work, conventionally performed manually by workers, for transferring baggage from a conveyance passage at an upstream side to a conveyance passage at a downstream side on the way, in work for loading the baggage from a make conveyor in a backyard into a container in which the baggage checked at a check-in counter in an airport is loaded into the container in the backyard in a terminal building and then conveyed to a cargo compartment of an airplane.SOLUTION: A tip of a robot arm is equipped with an article holding hand that adsorbs and holds baggage by vacuum adsorption. When impact in an X-axis direction is applied to baggage adsorbed and held, a mechanical opening-closing valve 63 is turned on by displacing a slide body 56 to supply air to a vacuum bonding part 47, and bonding of the article-holding hand to the robot arm is released, to protect the baggage. When impact in a Y-axis direction and in a Z-axis direction is applied to the baggage, similarly bonding of the article holding hand by the vacuum bonding part 47 is released to protect the baggage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to, for example, in an airport terminal building, a loading device for loading an article such as baggage of an aircraft passenger into a container for carrying it to the cargo hold of an aircraft.

For example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a transport device for unloading a large number of box-shaped articles loaded in a truck luggage compartment one by one according to the application of the applicant of the present application. According to this transport device, a large number of articles can be unloaded from the truck luggage compartment by the operation of the robot arm while using the image processing means, and this kind of unloading work can be labor-saving.

JP-A-2017-206318

However, in order to save labor by applying the above-mentioned conventional transport device to the transport route from the make-up conveyor to loading the passenger's baggage on the aircraft, for example, in an airport terminal building, it is necessary to make various improvements. is there.

An object of the present invention is to make various improvements to a conventional transport device so that, for example, in an airport transport route, baggage can be safely loaded into a container while avoiding damage to baggage.

According to one feature of the present disclosure, it is a loading device that is arranged between an upstream transport path and a downstream transport path to load articles from an upstream transport path into a container on a downstream transport path. The loading device includes an article holding hand for holding the article and a robot arm for moving the article holding hand between the upstream transport path and the downstream transport path. The article holding hand is coupled to the robot arm via a vacuum coupling portion and a magnetic coupling portion. The air supply to the vacuum coupling portion releases the coupling of the article holding hand to the robot arm by the vacuum coupling portion, and the external force applied to the article holding hand releases the coupling of the article holding hand to the robot arm by the magnetic coupling portion. It has become.

Therefore, the loading operation from the upstream side transport path to the downstream side transport path to the container is performed by the loading device, and the conventional manpower can be omitted to save labor and unmanned the transport device.

Further, since the article holding hand is maintained in a bonded state with respect to the robot arm by both the vacuum coupling portion and the magnetic coupling portion, the magnetic coupling portion of the article holding hand is maintained even when the suction force of the vacuum coupling portion disappears. The suction force maintains the state of connection of the article holding hand to the robot arm. If the bonding state of the article holding hand to the robot arm is achieved only by the suction force of the vacuum coupling portion, when the attraction force disappears, the article holding hand is separated from the robot arm by the moment due to its own weight and falls. To do. According to the present disclosure, since the adsorption force of the magnetic coupling portion acts in addition to the adsorption force of the vacuum coupling portion, for example, even if the adsorption force of the vacuum coupling portion disappears due to a power failure or air leakage, the magnetic force is applied. The suction force of the joint portion maintains the bonded state of the article holding hand with respect to the robot arm. From this, for example, in the baggage transportation route at the airport, even when the evacuation to the vacuum coupling portion is stopped as a result of the nighttime power supply being cut off, the article holding hand is supported by the tip of the robot arm. It can be maintained and the subsequent loading work can be resumed quickly.

Furthermore, when the adsorbed article collides with the container wall or the like at the stage of loading the article into the container, the article holding hand is displaced with respect to the robot arm due to an impact (external force), and as a result, air is supplied to the vacuum coupling portion. This is done, and the magnetic force of the magnetic coupling portion does not act, so that the coupling state of the article holding hand with respect to the robot arm is released and separated. When the article collides with the wall surface of the container or the like, the article holding hand is separated from the robot arm, so that the impact received by the article can be suppressed, and the article can be protected.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, a vacuum coupling portion and a magnetic coupling portion are provided between the base base provided on the robot arm and the coupling base provided on the article holding hand.

Therefore, the base base and the coupling base are attracted to each other by the attractive force of the vacuum coupling portion and the magnetic coupling portion, and the article holding hand is coupled to the robot arm. By releasing the attractive force between the vacuum coupling portion and the magnetic coupling portion, the coupling state of the article holding hand with respect to the robot arm is released.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, a stopper is provided between the base base and the coupling base to regulate the displacement of one to the other in the plane direction.

Therefore, by tilting the coupling base with respect to the base base with the stopper portion as a fulcrum, air is supplied to the vacuum coupling portion, and the suction force does not act on the magnetic coupling portion, so that the coupling base and the base base do not act. The suction force between the two is released, the coupling base can be separated from the base base, and the coupling state of the article holding hand with respect to the robot arm is released.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, the article holding hand is provided with a vacuum suction portion that comes into contact with the article so that it can be displaced relative to the hand body in the X-axis direction. When the vacuum suction portion is displaced relative to the X-axis direction, air is supplied to the vacuum coupling portion, and the coupling state of the article holding hand by the vacuum coupling portion with respect to the robot arm is released.

Therefore, when the article collides with another part and is relatively displaced in the X-axis direction while the article is attracted and held by the vacuum suction portion, an external force in the X-axis direction is applied to the article holding hand and the robot arm is coupled to the robot arm. Is released. The state of connection of the article protection hand to the robot arm is released, and the article is protected against an external force in the X-axis direction.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, a plunger for holding a relative position of the vacuum suction part in the X-axis direction between the vacuum suction part and the hand body, and a detection means for detecting a change in the relative position. Was placed.

Therefore, while the normal position of the vacuum suction part is held by the plunger, the vacuum suction part is displaced in the X-axis direction with respect to the hand body against the holding force of the plunger in an emergency such as when an impact is received. .. When the vacuum suction portion is displaced relative to the hand body in the X-axis direction against the holding force of the plunger, this relative displacement is detected by the detecting means. Based on the detection of the relative displacement by the detecting means, the vacuum coupling portion is supplied with air, and therefore the coupling state of the article holding hand with respect to the robot arm can be released.

According to another feature of the present disclosure, air is supplied to the vacuum coupling portion by using a mechanical on-off valve as a detection means.

Therefore, air is reliably supplied to the vacuum coupling portion by utilizing the relative displacement of the suction portion with an inexpensive and simple configuration.

It is a schematic plan view of the whole of the transport apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a tip portion of a loading device, and is a side view of an article holding hand. It is a top view which looked at the article holding hand from the direction of arrow (III) in FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line (IV)-(IV) in FIG. 2 and is a front view of the base base. The article holding hand is a view taken along the line (V)-(V) in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line (VI)-(VI) in FIG. 3, which is a vertical cross-sectional view of the article holding hand. FIG. 2 (VII) is a plan view of the suction portion and the slide mechanism in FIG. FIG. 2 (VIII) is a plan view of the suction portion in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line (IX)-(IX) in FIG. This figure is a vertical cross-sectional view of the suction portion and the slide mechanism, and is a view of the cross section passing through the plunger from the front. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line (X)-(X) in FIG. This figure is a vertical cross-sectional view of the suction portion and the slide mechanism, and is a view of the cross section passing through the hose connection portion as viewed from the front. It is an air circuit diagram of a hand support part.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11. In the present embodiment, the transport device 1 used for the transport route for transporting the passenger's baggage W from the boarding procedure counter to the cargo compartment of the aircraft 4 at the airport is illustrated. In the present embodiment, a carrier case (travel bag) with casters is illustrated as an article to be loaded, and the baggage of an aircraft passenger is illustrated. Hereinafter, it is simply referred to as baggage W. As shown in FIG. 1, the transport device 1 of the present embodiment includes a make conveyor 2 corresponding to a transport path on the upstream side, and a transport path on the downstream side from a plurality of containers 3 to the cargo compartment of the aircraft 4. .. A picking device 10, a size-specific conveyor 30, a return conveyor 39, and a loading device 40 are arranged between the make-up conveyor 2 as the upstream transfer path and the container 3 as the downstream transfer path.

The picking device 10 includes an article holding hand that sucks and holds the baggage W by vacuum suction, and a moving device 6 that displaces the article holding hand in the transport width direction and the vertical direction orthogonal to the transport direction and the transport direction of the baggage W. There is. The baggage W on the make conveyor 2 is transferred to the transport path on the downstream side by the picking device 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, a large number of baggage Ws are carried on the make conveyor 2. A large number of baggage Ws are sequentially transported onto the make-up conveyor 2 from a boarding procedure counter (not shown in the figure) via a transport conveyor. The make conveyor 2 has an oval loop shape, and the transport direction thereof is a counterclockwise direction as shown by a white arrow in FIG. Therefore, on the right side of FIG. 1 of the make conveyor 2, the baggage W is transported to the upper side in the drawing (front side in the transport direction).

In FIG. 1, the transport state recognition means 5 is arranged on the upper right side of the loop shape of the make conveyor 2. A 2D camera or a 3D camera is used as the transport state recognition means 5. The transport state recognizing means 5 can obtain information on the size (width, length, height (thickness)) of the baggage W transported on the make conveyor 2, the transport posture, and the like. The information about the baggage W obtained by the transport state recognition means 5 is provided to the picking device 10 side. As a result, the picking device 10 brings the article holding hand closer to the baggage W while advancing it in the transport direction in synchronization with the baggage W, and the picking device 10 is sucked and held.

As shown in FIG. 1, the baggage W is transferred onto the swivel conveyor 31 by the picking device 10. The swivel conveyor 31 can swivel within a range of about 90 °, and has a function of switching the baggage W to the size-specific conveyor 30 side or the return conveyor 39 side for transportation. When the transport direction of the swivel conveyor 31 is switched to the size-specific conveyor 30 side, the baggage W is transported to the size-specific conveyor 30 side. A lift conveyor 32a is arranged on the downstream side of the swivel conveyor 31 via an extension conveyor 32. The curve conveyor 33 is arranged on the downstream side of the lift conveyor 32a via an extension conveyor 33a arranged across the make conveyor 2. The carry-in conveyor 34 is arranged on the downstream side of the curve conveyor 33. The baggage W is conveyed to the size-specific conveyor 30 via the carry-in conveyor 34. A traverser 20 with a conveyor is arranged on the downstream side of the size-based conveyor 30. The baggage W transferred from the size-specific conveyor 30 onto the traverser 20 is loaded into the container 3 by the loading device 40 in which the article holding hand 50 is mounted on the articulated robot arm 45. The baggage W loaded in the container 3 is loaded in the cargo compartment of the aircraft 4.

The baggage W is distributed to the size-based conveyor 30 mainly according to its size. The size-specific conveyor 30 is determined by the stop position of the carry-in conveyor 34. From the upper side in FIG. 1, the size-based conveyors 30 are an S size conveyor 35 for small baggage W, an M1 size conveyor 36 for medium and slightly smaller baggage W, and a medium and slightly larger baggage W. It is divided into four stages, an M2 size conveyor 37 and an L size conveyor 38 for a large baggage W. The carry-in conveyor 34 stops at the rear side of the arbitrary size conveyors 35, 36, 37, 38 in the transport direction, and the baggage W received from the curve conveyor 33 is accommodated in the size of the size conveyors 35, 36, 37, 38. Carry in to.

Retention stoppers 35a, 36a, 37a, 38a are provided at the front portions of the size conveyors 35, 36, 37, 38 in the transport direction. A plurality of baggage Ws are stored on the respective size conveyors 35, 36, 37, and 38 in a substantially uniform size. A traverser 20 with a conveyor moves in a direction crossing the front of each size conveyor 35, 36, 37, 38, and receives baggage W from each size conveyor 35, 36, 37, 38. When the baggage W on the tip side of each size conveyor 35, 36, 37, 38 in the transport direction is transported onto the traverser 20, it is attracted and held by the article holding hand 50 of the loading device 40 and sequentially loaded into the container 3. The container 3 full of baggage W is loaded as it is into the cargo compartment of the aircraft, or the baggage W is manually transferred to the cargo compartment.

When the transport direction of the swivel conveyor 31 is switched to the return conveyor 39 side, the baggage W transferred by the picking device 10 is carried onto the return conveyor 39. The baggage W carried onto the return conveyor 39 is determined to be priority baggage or the like and is returned to the make-up conveyor 2 again for manual loading, for example. The present embodiment is characterized by a loading device 40 for loading the baggage W into the container 3 as a transport route on the downstream side.

The loading device 40 is arranged along the ceiling of the backyard building. The loading device 40 is supported by the moving base 41 in a suspended state. The moving base 41 includes an X-axis frame 42 that moves the loading device 40 in the X-axis direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) and a Y-axis frame 43 that moves the loading device 40 in the Y-axis direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 1). It is equipped with a slide table mechanism that connects the above. The moving base 41 moves the loading device 40 in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, or the combined direction thereof, and the baggage W is loaded into the container 3.

The loading device 40 includes an articulated robot arm 45 and an article holding hand 50. A robot arm 45 having three joints parallel to each other and a plurality of joints orthogonal to the three axes is used. From FIG. 2 onward, only the joints around the X-axis and the Y-axis on the distal end side are shown.

A base base 46 having a rectangular flat plate shape is attached to the front portion of the robot arm 45. A coupling base 51, which also has a rectangular flat plate shape, is attached to the rear portion of the article holding hand 50. By integrating the coupling base 51 with the base base 46 in a superposed state, the article holding hand 50 is coupled to the tip of the robot arm 45.

The article holding hand 50 includes a hand body 52 and a vacuum suction unit 53. The above-mentioned coupling base 51 is provided on the rear portion of the hand body 52 so as to project vertically and horizontally. A vacuum coupling portion 47 and a magnetic coupling portion 48 are provided between the coupling base 51 and the base base 46. The vacuum coupling portion 47 has a configuration in which the vacuum drawing area 47a provided on the base base 46 side is evacuated to generate an adsorption force (bonding force) with respect to the coupling base 51. A seal ring 47b is attached to the entire circumference of the evacuation area 47a. When the coupling base 51 is brought into contact with the seal ring 47b, the evacuation area 47a is hermetically sealed. One evacuation hole 47c is provided in the evacuation area 47a. A vacuum generator 60 is connected to the vacuum hole 47c. The evacuation area 47a is evacuated by the vacuum generator 60 through the evacuation hole 47c. As shown in FIG. 5, the vacuum generator 60 is attached to the rear surface of the base base 46.

A magnetic coupling portion 48 is provided on the upper portion of the base base 46. In this embodiment, a magnet (permanent magnet) is attached as the magnetic coupling portion 48. A pair of magnetic coupling portions 48 are attached to the left and right. Due to the magnetic force of the magnetic coupling portion 48, the coupling base 51 of the article holding hand 50 is attracted and held in a superposed state with respect to the base base 46. The magnetic force of the magnetic coupling portion 48 maintains the superposed state of the coupling base 51 with respect to the base base 46 even if the suction force of the vacuum coupling portion 47 disappears in a stationary state in which the article holding hand 50 is not impacted from the outside. The magnetic force is set to be sufficient to be used. Therefore, as will be described later, when an external impact is applied to the article holding hand 50, the magnetic force of the magnetic coupling portion 48 causes the coupling base 51 and the base base 46 to be attracted (superposed state). It is not maintained, so the coupling base 51 is separated from the base base 46 and the article holding hand 50 is discoupled to the robot arm 45.

As shown in FIG. 4, stopper portions 46a, 46b, 46c, and 46d are provided on the upper, lower, left, and right side portions of the base base 46. The stopper portions 46a, 46b, 46c, and 46d project forward, respectively, and reach the sides of the respective side portions of the coupling base 51 in the superposed state. The upper stopper portion 46a regulates the upward relative displacement of the coupling base 51. The lower stopper portion 46b regulates the downward relative displacement of the coupling base 51. The stopper portion 46c on the left side regulates the relative displacement of the coupling base 51 to the left. The stopper portion 46d on the right side regulates the relative displacement of the coupling base 51 to the right.

The baggage W adsorbed and held by the vacuum suction unit 53 interferes with other parts to apply an impact, and as a result, external forces from above and below and left and right are applied to the article holding hand 50 to apply external forces to the vacuum coupling unit 47 and the magnetic coupling unit 47. When the suction force of 48 is released, the article holding hand 50 is displaced vertically and horizontally with respect to the robot arm 45 to release the coupled state. When an external force in the Z-axis direction from above to downward is applied to the article holding hand 50, the article holding hand 50 rotates downward with the lower stopper portion 46b as a fulcrum and rotates downward to the robot arm 45. The combined state with respect to is released. When an external force in the Z-axis direction from the lower side to the upper side is applied to the article holding hand 50, the article holding hand 50 rotates upward with the upper stopper portion 46a as a fulcrum to the robot arm 45. The combined state is released.

When an external force in the Y-axis direction from the left to the right is applied to the article holding hand 50, the article holding hand 50 rotates to the right with the stopper portion 46d on the right side as a fulcrum, and the robot The coupling state with respect to the arm 45 is released. When an external force in the Y-axis direction from the right to the left is applied to the article holding hand 50, the article holding hand 50 rotates to the left with the stopper portion 46c on the left side as a fulcrum, and the robot The coupling state with respect to the arm 45 is released. In this way, when the baggage W sucked and held receives an impact in the Y-axis (horizontal direction) or Z-axis direction (vertical direction), the article holding hand 50 presses the stopper portion 46a (or 46b, 46c, 46d). It rotates with the fulcrum as a fulcrum, and as a result, the airtightness of the vacuum coupling portion 47 is released and air is forcibly supplied, and the suction state of the magnetic coupling portion 48 is released by an impact (external force) to hold the article. The hand 50 is separated from the robot arm 45, thereby protecting the baggage W.

Further, it is detected by another means such as a proximity sensor that the coupling base 51 is separated from the base base 46 and the superposition state (coupling state) is released, and the operation of the robot arm 45 is based on this detection result. By stopping the baggage W, the baggage W is surely protected.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the vacuum suction portion 53 is supported on the lower surface side of the hand body 52. A slide mechanism 54 is interposed between the hand body 52 and the vacuum suction portion 53. The vacuum suction portion 53 is supported by the slide mechanism 54 so as to be displaceable in the X-axis direction (front-back direction) with respect to the hand body 52. The support 55 of the slide mechanism 54 is screwed to the lower surface side of the hand body 52. The slide body 56 of the slide mechanism 54 is screwed to the upper surface of the vacuum suction portion 53. A linear motion bearing 54a with a rolling element interposed is interposed between the left and right side portions of the support body 55 and the left and right side portions of the slide body 56. The left and right linear motion bearings 54a support the slide body 56 so as to be slidable back and forth with almost no rattling or backlash with respect to the support 55.

Two hose connecting portions 57 are provided on the upper surface of the vacuum suction portion 53. As shown in FIG. 6, each of the two hose connecting portions 57 is integrally provided with a nozzle portion 57a for evacuation. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, the two nozzle portions 57a extend downward from the hose connecting portion 57 and communicate with the vacuum drawing area 53a of the vacuum suction portion 53. The vacuum suction unit 53 includes a rectangular box-shaped frame 53b that is opened downward and a suction pad 53c that is attached along the opening on the lower surface side of the frame 53b. The inside of the frame body 53b and the suction pad 53c is a vacuuming area 53a.

The nozzle portion 57a is immovably fixed to the frame body 53b of the vacuum suction portion 53 by tightening the fixing nut 57b. The hose connecting portion 57 coupled to the upper portion of the nozzle portion 57a is located on the upper surface of the hand body 52. As shown in FIG. 3, the hand body 52 and the support 55 of the slide mechanism 54 have relief window portions 52a and 55a for allowing the nozzle portion 57a to be displaced as the vacuum suction portion 53 moves in the X-axis direction. It is provided.

A vacuum hose 58 is connected to each of the two hose connection portions 57. The two vacuum hoses 58 are respectively connected to relay ducts 59 provided at the left and right corners on the upper side of the base base 46. As shown in FIG. 3, the piping paths of the two vacuum hoses 58 from the hose connecting portion 57 to the relay duct 59 intersect each other in an X shape and are laid on the opposite sides. As a result, as will be described later, when the vacuum suction portion 53 slides back and forth with respect to the hand body 52, the vacuum hose 58 is prevented from being unreasonably stretched or bent, and is arranged so as to smoothly stretch back and forth. There is.

The two vacuum hoses 58 are piped to the robot arm 45 side via the relay duct 59. The left and right corners on the upper side of the coupling base 51 are missing in an arc shape in order to allow the hose connecting portion 57 to escape. The two vacuum hoses 58 are connected to a vacuum generator 44 for holding the suction of articles, which is provided separately from the vacuum generator 60. The relatively small vacuum generator 60 evacuates the vacuum coupling portion 47, while the relatively large vacuum generator 44 evacuates the vacuum drawing area 53a of the vacuum suction portion 53. The vacuum generator 44 for the vacuum suction unit 53 is installed on a moving base 41 that supports the robot arm 45.

A plunger 61 is interposed between the support 55 of the slide mechanism 54 and the slide 56. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, in the present embodiment, three plungers 61 are attached to the slide body 56 by tightening the nuts 61a. A ball plunger having a steel ball spring-loaded at the tip is used for each plunger 61. The tip (steel ball) of each plunger 61 is elastically fitted into the engaging recess 55b provided on the lower surface of the support 55.

The tips of the three plungers 61 are elastically fitted into the engaging recesses 55b of the support 55, so that the vacuum suction portion 53 is elastically held at the forward end position in the X-axis direction with respect to the hand body 52. To. The vacuum suction unit 53 is always held at the forward end position, and the baggage W is sucked and held and loaded into the container 3.

When an external force in the X-axis direction from the front to the rear is applied to the baggage W during the loading operation, the tips of the three plungers 61 are simultaneously disengaged from the engaging recess 55b against the elastic force. The vacuum suction unit 53 is displaced rearward with respect to the hand body 52 as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIGS. 2 and 3.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a detection body 62 is attached to the rear portion of the slide body 56 of the slide mechanism 54. The detector 62 extends long rearward. An on-off valve 63 is arranged behind the detector 62. As the on-off valve 63, a roller lever type mechanical on-off valve, which is a constantly closed air on-off valve, is used. The on-off valve 63 functions as a detecting means for detecting the rearward relative displacement of the vacuum suction portion 53 with respect to the hand body 52. As shown in FIG. 11, an air compressor P as a compressed air supply source is connected to the input side of the on-off valve 63. The output side of the on-off valve 63 is connected to the evacuation area 47a via the air supply hole 47d. When the on-off valve 63 is turned on, air is supplied from the air compressor P to the vacuum drawing area 47a, and the suction force of the vacuum coupling portion 47 is released.

When the vacuum suction unit 53 is displaced rearward due to the impact applied to the baggage W that has been sucked and gripped as described above, the detector 62 is integrally displaced rearward. The detection lever 63a is pushed by the detector 62 that is displaced rearward, and the on-off valve 63 is turned on to switch to the open side. When the on-off valve 63 is switched to the open side, compressed air is supplied from the air compressor P, which is a compressed air supply source, to the vacuum coupling portion 47. By supplying air to the vacuum coupling portion 47, the suction force with respect to the coupling base 51 is released. By applying an impact in the X-axis direction to the baggage W during suction holding, the suction force of the vacuum coupling portion 47 is released, and at the same time, the suction force of the magnetic coupling portion 48 is also released, so that the article holding hand 50 is the robot arm. It is separated from 45 to protect the baggage W.

When the attractive force of the vacuum coupling portion 47 and the magnetic coupling portion 48 is released and the coupling state of the article holding hand 50 with respect to the robot arm 45 is released, the article holding hand 50 has a stopper portion on the lower side of the coupling base 51. It is placed on 46b, and the baggage W is separated from the collision part by rotating downward due to its own weight with the resting part as a fulcrum. Further, when the vacuum coupling portion 47 is supplied with air and the coupling state of the article holding hand 50 with respect to the robot arm 45 is released, the robot arm 45 is stopped to protect the baggage W.

As shown in FIG. 6, the vacuum suction unit 53 is provided with a detection rod 65 for detecting suction holding of the baggage W. The detection rod 65 is a vertically long rod material, and is supported on the upper portion of the frame body 53b so as to be vertically displaceable. The detection rod 65 is urged by a compression spring to the side protruding downward. The lower side of the detection rod 65 reaches the inner peripheral side of the suction pad 53c. When the suction pad 53c is not in contact with the baggage W, the lower end of the detection rod 65 is urged to protrude slightly downward from the suction pad 53c. When the suction pad 53c is brought into contact with the baggage W, the detection rod 65 is abutted against the baggage W, so that the detection rod 65 is displaced relatively upward against the spring-forced force. The upward displacement of the detection rod 65 is detected by the proximity magnetic sensor 66. When the magnetic sensor 66 detects the upward displacement of the detection rod 65, it is determined that the suction pad 53c has come into contact with the baggage W. At this point, the operation of the robot hand 45 is stopped, and the article suction hand 50 The descent operation is stopped. Since the vacuuming area 53a is constantly evacuated by the vacuum generator 44 during operation, the baggage W is sucked and held by the article holding hand 50 by the vacuum suction force when the suction pad 53c is brought into contact with the vacuuming area 53a.

According to the transport device 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above, since the loading work of the baggage W on the upstream side transport route into the container 3 is performed by the loading device 40, the conventional manpower is omitted. It is possible to save labor and unmanned the transport device 1.

Further, the article holding hand 50 of the loading device 40 is coupled to the robot arm 45 via the vacuum coupling portion 47 and the magnetic coupling portion 48. The suction force of the vacuum coupling portion 47 is released by supplying air to the vacuum coupling portion 47, and the suction force of the magnetic coupling portion 48 is eliminated by the external force (impact) applied to the article holding hand 50, and the robot arm of the article holding hand 50. The bond to 45 is released.

From this, for example, even when the attractive force of the vacuum coupling portion 47 disappears due to a power failure or air leakage, the magnetic coupling portion 48 is permanently in a state where no special external force (impact) is applied to the article holding hand 50. By using a magnet, the bonded state of the article holding hand 50 is maintained. Therefore, even in the hibernation state of the loading device 40 in which the nighttime power supply is cut off in the baggage transportation route of the airport, the state of being coupled to the tip of the robot arm 45 of the article holding hand 50 can be maintained. Subsequent loading work can be resumed quickly.

Further, according to the illustrated loading device 40, for example, when the baggage W sucked and gripped by the vacuum suction unit 53 is loaded into the container 3, if the baggage W comes into contact with another portion and an impact is applied, the vacuum coupling is performed. The attractive force between the portion 47 and the magnetic coupling portion 48 is released, the coupling of the article holding hand 50 to the robot arm 45 is released, and damage to the baggage W is reduced or avoided, and the protection thereof is achieved.

Regarding the release of the coupling state of the article holding hand 50 with respect to the robot arm 45 when an impact is applied to the baggage W, the opening / closing valve 63 is turned on for the impact in the X-axis direction to supply air to the vacuum coupling portion 47. This is achieved, and the article holding hand 50 is relatively displaced with respect to the impact in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction, and the coupling base 51 is separated from the base base 46, whereby the airtightness of the vacuum coupling portion 47 is lost. It is achieved by forcibly supplying air. The article holding hand 50 is separated from the robot arm 45 and the baggage W is released to protect the impact from any direction in the XYZ axes.

Further, according to the illustrated loading device 40, the base base 46 of the robot arm 45 is provided with stopper portions 46a, 46b, 46c, 46d for regulating the displacement of the coupling base 51 in the surface direction (vertical direction and horizontal direction). Has been done. As a result, the separation operation of the article holding hand 50 with respect to the robot arm 45 is performed by rotating (tilting) the article holding hand 50 with the contact portion of the coupling base 51 with respect to the stopper portions 46a, 46b, 46c, 46d as a fulcrum. To. Since the structure is such that the article holding hand 50 is released from the coupled state with respect to the robot arm 45 by tilting rather than being translated in parallel, the engagement state with the robot arm 45 is surely released with a relatively small displacement of the article holding hand 50. Will be done.

Various changes can be made to the embodiments described above. For example, the magnetic coupling portion 48 may be omitted. When the suction force of the vacuum coupling portion 47 is not generated even when the power supply is cut off at night, the base base 46 and the base base 46 are separately used by using a coupling means such as a clamping means or a screw coupling means that does not require electric power. The overlapped state of the coupling base 51 (the coupling state of the article holding hand 50 with respect to the robot arm 45) can be maintained. In this case, the clamp means and the screw coupling means can be removed at the stage where the coupling state is maintained by the suction force of the vacuum coupling portion 47 (when the loading device 40 is in operation).

Further, in the article holding hand 50, the vacuum suction unit 53 that holds the baggage W as an article by vacuum suction is illustrated as a means for holding the baggage W as an article, but instead of this, the article is held by another holding means such as a clamp arm. It may be configured.

Further, although the configuration in which the three plungers 61 are used to hold the position of the vacuum suction portion 53 with respect to the hand body 52 in the X-axis direction is illustrated, for example, a magnet can be used instead of the plunger to hold the position. .. Further, the position holding force of the vacuum suction portion can be adjusted by changing the number of plungers and magnets used, which is a condition for releasing the coupling state of the article holding hand 50 with respect to the robot arm 45. The reference external force can be appropriately set for the external force in the X-axis direction so that the baggage W can be protected more reliably.

In addition, although a suitcase with casters (baggage W) of an aircraft passenger is illustrated as an item to be transported, a box-shaped item such as a cardboard box or a plastic case, and a ski bag or a golf bag having no box shape are illustrated. Alternatively, vegetables, foodstuffs, etc. can be transported. Therefore, although the transport route for loading the passenger's baggage W into the cargo compartment of the aircraft 4 in the airport terminal building is illustrated, the transport device illustrated for the transport route in the parcel delivery area or the like can be applied.

W ... Baggage (goods)
P ... Air compressor 1 ... Conveyor device 2 ... Make conveyor (conveyor path on the upstream side)
3 ... Container (downstream transport route)
4 ... Aircraft 5 ... Transport status recognition means (3D camera)
6 ... Moving device 10 ... Picking device 20 ... Traverser 30 ... Size-specific conveyor 31 ... Swivel conveyor 32 ... Extension conveyor 32a ... Lift conveyor 33 ... Curve conveyor 33a ... Extension conveyor 34 ... Carry-in conveyor 35 ... S size conveyor 36 ... M1 size conveyor 37 ... M2 size conveyor 38 ... L size conveyor 35a-38a ... Retention stopper 39 ... Return conveyor 40 ... Loading device 41 ... Moving base 42 ... X-axis frame 43 ... Y-axis frame 44 ... Vacuum generator 45 ... Robot arm 46 ... Base base 46a ... Stopper part (top), 46b ... Stopper part (bottom)
46c ... Stopper part (left), 46d ... Stopper part (right)
47 ... Vacuum coupling part 47a ... Vacuum drawing area, 47b ... Seal ring, 47c ... Vacuum drawing hole, 47d ... Air supply hole 48 ... Magnetic coupling part (magnet)
50 ... Article holding hand 51 ... Bonding base 52 ... Hand body 52a ... Relief window 53 ... Vacuum suction area 53a ... Vacuum drawing area, 53b ... Frame, 53c ... Suction pad 54 ... Slide mechanism 55 ... Support 55a ... Relief window Part, 55b ... Engagement recess 56 ... Slide body 57 ... Hose connection part 57a ... Nozzle part, 57b ... Fixed nut 58 ... Vacuum hose 59 ... Relay duct 60 ... Vacuum generator 61 ... Plunger 61a ... Nut 62 ... Detector 63 ... Open / close valve 63a ... Detection lever 65 ... Detection rod 66 ... Magnetic sensor

Claims (6)

A loading device that is arranged between an upstream transport path and a downstream transport path to load articles from the upstream transport path into a container on the downstream transport path.
It is provided with an article holding hand for holding the article and a robot arm for moving the article holding hand between the upstream transport path and the downstream transport path.
The article holding hand is coupled to the robot arm via a vacuum coupling portion and a magnetic coupling portion, and the air supply to the vacuum coupling portion releases the coupling of the article holding hand to the robot arm by the vacuum coupling portion. The loading device is configured so that the magnetic coupling portion releases the coupling of the article holding hand to the robot arm by an external force applied to the article holding hand. The loading device according to claim 1, wherein a vacuum coupling portion and a magnetic coupling portion are provided between a base base provided on the robot arm and a coupling base provided on the article holding hand. .. The loading device according to claim 2, wherein a stopper portion is provided between the base base and the coupling base to regulate a displacement in the plane direction relative to one of the other. The loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the article holding hand can displace the vacuum suction portion abutting on the article in the X-axis direction relative to the hand body. A loading device in which air is supplied to the vacuum coupling portion based on the relative displacement of the vacuum suction portion in the X-axis direction. The loading device according to claim 4, wherein a plunger for holding a relative position of the vacuum suction part in the X-axis direction between the vacuum suction part and the hand body and a relative position of the vacuum suction part A loading device in which a detection means for detecting a change in vacuum is arranged. The loading device according to claim 5, wherein a mechanical on-off valve is used as the detection means.

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