JP2021049640A - Holding device, flight body, and conveyance system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a holding device capable of improving the reliability of suction and holding operation, a flight body, and a conveyance system.SOLUTION: According to an embodiment, a holding device includes a suction device, an adsorption part, a light quantity sensor, a control device. The suction device sucks gas. The adsorption part communicates with the suction device, and adsorbs an object by suction of the suction device. The light quantity sensor two-dimensionally detects light quantity of the object. The control device controls the suction device on the basis of information detected by the light quantity sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to holding devices, flying objects, and transport systems.

A holding device including a suction device and a suction portion is known.
By the way, the holding device is expected to improve the reliability of the suction holding operation.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-193330

An object to be solved by the present invention is to provide a holding device, an air vehicle, and a transport system capable of improving the reliability of the suction holding operation.

The holding device of the embodiment includes a suction device, a suction unit, a light amount sensor, and a control device. The suction device sucks gas. The suction unit communicates with the suction device and sucks an object by suction of the suction device. The light amount sensor two-dimensionally detects the amount of light from the object. The control device controls the suction device based on the information detected by the light amount sensor.

The figure which shows the transport system of 1st Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the holding device of 1st Embodiment. The front view which shows the holding device of 1st Embodiment. The side view which shows the holding device of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F5-F5 of the holding device shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows the support member and the image sensor substrate of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the proximity determination of a suction pad and an object using the image sensor of 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the system structure of the holding device of 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the detail of the system configuration of the holding device of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the operation example of the holding device of 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the operation flow from approaching an object by the flying object of 1st Embodiment to holding an object. The flowchart which shows the operation flow from the transportation of an object by the flying object of 1st Embodiment to release. The figure which shows the 1st example of the image sensor of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the 2nd example of the image sensor of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the 3rd example of the image sensor of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the 4th example of the image sensor of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the holding device of 2nd Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the system structure of the holding device of 3rd Embodiment. The cross-sectional view which shows the holding device of 4th Embodiment.

Hereinafter, the holding device, the flying object, and the transport system of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

The same or similar components are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and the description thereof will be omitted. The drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the relationship between the thickness and width of each part, the ratio of the sizes between the parts, and the like are not necessarily the same as the actual ones. Further, even when the same parts are represented, the dimensions and ratios may be different from each other depending on the drawings. Further, "based on XX" in the present application means "based on at least XX", and includes a case where it is based on another element in addition to XX. Further, "based on XX" is not limited to the case where XX is directly used, but also includes the case where it is based on the case where calculation or processing is performed on XX. "XX" is an arbitrary element (for example, arbitrary information).

(First Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a transport system (also referred to as an object transfer system) 1 using a holding device (also referred to as a holding mechanism) 20 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the transport system 1 includes a flying object 10, a recognition device 12, a flying object control device 14, and a transport device 16. The "transport system" or "object transfer system" broadly means a system for moving an object P. The flying object 10 is an example of a "moving mechanism". The flying object control device 14 is an example of a “movement mechanism control device”.

The transport system 1 recognizes a plurality of objects P placed on the loading area 18 by the recognition device 12. The flying object control device 14 controls the flying object 10 based on the result of recognition by the recognition device 12. As a result, the flying object 10 holds the object P to be transferred and carries the object P onto the transport device 16. Conversely, the flying object 10 may be controlled to transfer the object P from the transport device 16 to the loading area 18. The object P may be referred to as a luggage, an article, a work, an object, a moving object, or the like. The object P can be, for example, a product contained in a cardboard box, a packaged product, the product itself, or the like.

First, the flying object 10 will be described.
The flying object 10 can move freely in the three-dimensional space. The flying object 10 has a holding device 20 configured to hold the object P. The holding device 20 has at least one holding portion capable of holding the object P. The holding device 20 is arranged so that the holding portion faces outward with respect to the flying object 10. The holding portion includes, for example, a suction pad that holds the object P by suction. Further, the holding portion may be of a type that magnetically attracts the object P by the magnetic force generated by the electromagnet. The holding device 20 will be described in detail later.

The aircraft body 10 includes rotary wings (or propellers) for flying. The aircraft body 10 can, for example, hover to maintain a constant altitude. The rotary joints of the rotor include, for example, motors, encoders and reducers. The joint portion is not limited to rotation in the uniaxial direction, and may be rotatable in the biaxial direction. The flying object 10 can move itself to an arbitrary position in the three-dimensional space by driving the motor. As a result, the holding device 20 provided on the flying object 10 can be moved. The aircraft body 10 is, for example, a so-called drone. The aircraft body 10 may be a wired type or a wireless type. When the air vehicle 10 is wireless, the air vehicle 10 is usually equipped with a battery as a power source for flight.

Next, the recognition device 12 will be described.
The recognition device 12 recognizes a plurality of objects P placed on the loading area 18. The recognition device 12 includes an external image sensor 12a and a computer 12b connected to the external image sensor 12a. The "image sensor" means a sensor that acquires an image of an object based on light from the object (for example, reflected light, not limited to visible light). The external image sensor 12a is located, for example, directly above or diagonally above the plurality of objects P placed in the loading area 18. The position of the external image sensor 12a may be fixed or may be movable. As the external image sensor 12a, a camera capable of measuring a three-dimensional position such as a distance image sensor or an infrared dot pattern projection camera can be used. The infrared dot pattern projection method camera projects an infrared dot pattern onto an object and captures an infrared image of an object P placed on the loading area 18 in that state. It is possible to obtain three-dimensional information of the object P by analyzing the infrared image. The infrared dot pattern projection camera may be capable of capturing color or monochrome images. Further, the external image sensor 12a may include an optical sensor such as a camera that acquires a color image or a monochrome image in addition to the infrared dot pattern projection type camera. The image may be acquired as image data in commonly used formats such as jpg, gif, png and bmp.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, three external image sensors 12a are provided, but the number of external image sensors 12a may be one, two, or four or more. Further, at least one of the external image sensors 12a may be arranged on the flying object 10. The image acquired by the external image sensor 12a arranged on the aircraft body 10 is transmitted to the computer 12b by wire or wirelessly.

The computer 12b calculates the three-dimensional position and orientation of the object P based on the image data output from the external image sensor 12a. The "three-dimensional position / orientation" means the position and orientation of the object P in the three-dimensional space, and may include information regarding the shape of the object P. The calculated position / attitude information indicating the position / attitude is output to the flying object control device 14. The flying object control device 14 controls the flying object 10 based on the position / attitude information. The computer 12b includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, and an auxiliary storage device. The function of the computer 12b, for example, the function of calculating the three-dimensional position and orientation of the object P is realized by executing a program by one or more processors such as a CPU. Note that some or all of the functions of the computer 12b are performed by using hardware such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), PLD (Programmable Logic Device) and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) (for example, circuit unit; circuitry). It may be realized.

Next, the transfer device 16 will be described.
The transport device 16 transports the object P transferred onto the transport device 16 by the flying object 10. The transfer device 16 includes, for example, a belt conveyor 16a and a transfer control device 16b. The belt conveyor 16a includes a plurality of rollers arranged in a predetermined direction and a belt wound around the plurality of rollers. The belt conveyor 16a drives the belt by rotating a plurality of rollers and conveys the object P. The transport device 16 may include a roller conveyor or a sorter as an alternative to the belt conveyor 16a.

The transport control device 16b controls the drive of the belt conveyor 16a. The transport control device 16b controls, for example, the transport speed and the transport direction. The transport control device 16b is, for example, a computer including a CPU, a memory, and an auxiliary storage device. The transport control device 16b executes a preset program by a processor such as a CPU, and controls the operation of the belt conveyor 16a according to the program. The operation of the belt conveyor 16a may be controlled by the operator manually operating the transport control device 16b.

The loading area 18 is a place where the object P is loaded or placed. The loading area 18 may be a basket trolley, a steel trolley, a box pallet, a pallet, a shelf, or the like.

Next, the holding device 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.
2 to 4 are a perspective view, a front view, and a side view showing the holding device 20, respectively. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the holding device 20 along the line F5-F5 of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the holding device 20 includes a housing 22, a support member 24, a suction pad (also referred to as a suction cup) 26, a suction device 28, a pressure sensor 30, a switching valve 32, an image sensor substrate 34, and An image sensor 36 is provided. In this example, the number of image sensors 36 is one, but it may be two or more. Further, a plurality of suction pads 26 may be provided. The holding device 20 may be able to operate autonomously and independently by including a control device and a power supply unit. The suction pad 26 is an example of a “suction portion”. The image sensor 36 is an example of a “light amount sensor”. The "light amount sensor" is a sensor that detects the amount of incident light, and includes an image sensor such as a camera. The image sensor 36 can detect the amount of light two-dimensionally. Here, "to detect two-dimensionally" means to perform detection at at least two points in each direction in a plane defined by two spatial directions intersecting each other. For example, shooting with a general camera corresponds to detecting a two-dimensional light amount distribution. The image capture by the image sensor 36 is an example of "two-dimensional detection of the amount of light".

The housing 22 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the length direction X, and accommodates elements such as a control device 60 and a power supply unit 62, which will be described later, in addition to the suction device 28. The shape of the housing 22 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and may be a three-dimensional shape capable of accommodating contents such as a cylindrical shape. On one side of the housing 22, a mounting portion 38 to be attached to the main body of the flying object 10 is provided.

The support member 24 is a cylindrical member provided on the housing 22 on the opposite side of the mounting portion 38 and extending in the length direction X. A suction pad 26 is attached to the tip of the support member 24. As shown in FIG. 5, at the tip portion 24a of the support member 24, the inner diameter of the support member 24 is small, and an air hole 24b is formed. Here, the "air hole" means a hole through which a fluid such as air can pass between both sides of the hole (here, between the inside and the outside of the housing 22). Further, at the tip portion 24a of the support member 24, the outer edge 24c of the support member 24 projects in the length direction X and surrounds the suction pad 26. Further, in order to fix the suction pad 26 to the support member 24, a ring-shaped suction pad fixing member 40 is provided. The suction pad 26 is sandwiched between the support member 24 and the suction pad fixing member 40 and fixed to the support member 24. The shape of the support member 24 is not limited to the cylindrical shape. The shape of the air hole 24b is also not limited to a circular shape. Further, a ring-shaped lighting device 42 is provided around the connection portion between the housing 22 and the support member 24. The lighting device 42 is arranged outside the suction pad 26, and irradiates light from the housing 22 toward the support member 24 and the suction pad 26 (or toward the object P). The lighting device 42 is, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or a fluorescent lamp. The position of the lighting device 42 is not limited to the above example, and may be provided at any place on the housing 22 or the support member 24 or on the flying object 10.

The suction pad 26 is attached to the support member 24 as described above. The suction pad 26 has a deformable bellows shape. Here, the "bellows shape" means a tubular shape with folds formed so as to be stretchable by alternately repeating mountain folds and valley folds. The shape of the suction pad 26 is not limited to the bellows shape, and may be any shape capable of sucking the object P. The suction pad 26 can suck the object P on one surface and hold the object P. The suction pad 26 can be deformed when the object P is sucked. The suction pad 26 has a cavity 26a through which air or the like can pass, and communicates with the suction device 28 inside the housing 22 through the air hole 24b of the support member 24. In the present embodiment, the suction pad 26 and the support member 24 are collectively referred to as a “suction unit 27”. Further, the cavity 26a of the suction pad 26 and the air hole 24b of the support member 24 are collectively referred to as a “cavity 27a”.

The suction device 28 is provided inside the housing 22. The suction device 28 communicates with the suction pad 26 via the first tube 50 extending from the suction device 28 toward the support member 24 and the air hole 24b of the support member 24. The first tube 50 extends to one surface of the housing 22 provided with the support member 24, and forms a flow path through which a fluid (for example, gas) flows between the suction device 28 and the suction pad 26. As the suction device 28, for example, a vacuum pump can be used. Alternatively, a suction device or the like that generates a negative pressure by combining a pressurizing device and a vacuum generator may be used. Considering that the holding device 20 is mounted on the flying object 10, it is desirable that the suction device 28 is small. It is desirable that the first tube 50 is not crushed by suction by the suction device 28.

The pressure sensor 30 is attached to the first tube 50. The pressure sensor 30 detects the pressure of the gas inside the first tube 50.

The switching valve 32 is provided inside the second tube 52 (for example, the tip of the second tube 52) that branches off from the first tube 50 and extends to the side surface of the housing 22. The second tube 52 forms a flow path through which gas flows between the suction device 28 and the atmospheric pressure space. In other words, the first tube 50 connected to the suction pad 26 and the second tube 52 connected to the switching valve 32 merge and are connected to the suction device 28. The first tube 50 connected to the suction pad 26 and the second tube 52 connected to the switching valve 32 communicate with each other in the suction device 28. The switching valve 32 is in an open state in which the valve is completely opened and the inside of the second tube 52 communicates with the atmospheric pressure space by the switching valve drive circuit 66 described later, and the valve is completely closed and the second tube 52 is closed. It can be switched between the closed state where the inside of the space and the atmospheric pressure space do not communicate. The switching valve 32 may be held in a state in which the valve between the open state and the closed state is partially opened, in addition to the open state and the closed state. As the switching valve 32, for example, a combination of an electromagnetic solenoid and a shutoff plate member or a combination of an electromagnetic rotary motor and a flow path cutoff plate member can be used, but the function of the valve for switching between the open state and the closed state. Any mechanism may be used as long as it can fulfill the above.

The image sensor board 34 is a circuit board of the image sensor 36. The image sensor substrate 34 is supported by the support member 24 via a plurality of elastic members 44. The image sensor 36 is mounted on the main surface (also referred to as the detection surface) of the image sensor substrate 34. The image sensor substrate 34 is arranged behind the suction pad 26. Here, "arranged behind the suction pad" means that it is arranged downstream of the suction pad 26 in the suction direction. That is, the image sensor substrate 34 is arranged inside the support member 24. However, the image sensor substrate 34 may be arranged inside the suction pad 26 upstream of the support member 24 in the suction direction. In other words, the image sensor substrate 34 and the image sensor 36 are located inside a closed space that will be formed by the housing 22, the support member 24, the suction pad 26, and the object P. That is, the image sensor substrate 34 and the image sensor 36 are located inside the suction unit 27. More specifically, the image sensor substrate 34 and the image sensor 36 are arranged in the cavity portion 27a of the suction unit 27. The image sensor substrate 34 has, for example, a rectangular shape, but may have any shape as long as a flow path between the suction pad 26 and the suction device 28 is secured. The main surface of the image sensor substrate 34 faces the suction pad 26 side. The elastic member 44 is four columns made of an elastic material (for example, rubber), and connects the image sensor substrate 34 to the support member 24. The number and configuration of the elastic members 44 are not limited to this.

The image sensor 36 is mounted on the image sensor board 34. The image sensor substrate 34 and the image sensor 36 are provided at positions where the image sensor 36 can be visually recognized from the outside through the cavity 26a of the suction pad 26. That is, the image sensor 36 is provided at a position where the outside of the suction pad 26 can be photographed through the cavity 26a of the suction pad 26. The image sensor 36 is, for example, a passive image sensor (for example, a camera). Here, the "passive type sensor" is a sensor that reads a signal from an object (for example, reflected light from the object) without actively acting on the object (for example, irradiating the object with light). Means. The image sensor 36 includes, for example, an aggregate of extremely small-sized elements such as a CCD element and a CMOS element that read light, and a lens that collects incident light. Light from the object to be photographed forms an image on the element through an optical system such as a lens. The image sensor 36 can detect the amount of light formed on each element and convert it into an electric signal. The image sensor 36 generates image data based on this electric signal. Further, for example, by identifying a discontinuous change in the brightness of the image in the obtained image, a feature portion in the image can be extracted. Specifically, by detecting the edge of the object in the image, it is possible to calculate the feature amount such as the size, area, position, and center of gravity of the object. Further, by the same image processing, it is possible to extract the size and position of feature portions (for example, patterns, prints, labels, tapes, protrusions, recesses, etc.) on the surface of the object. In this way, it is possible to measure the feature amount of the object in a non-contact manner based on the image data acquired by the image sensor 36. The image sensor 36 may perform such image processing, or a control device 60 or the like described later may perform such image processing.

The image sensor 36 can be used to detect that the object P is in close proximity to the suction pad 26. The suction pad 26 and the image sensor 36 are located on the main surface side of the image sensor substrate 34, and the approach of the object P to the image sensor 36 can be regarded as the approach of the object P to the suction pad 26. The arrangement of the image sensor 36 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 5, and may take various forms.

FIG. 6 shows an arrangement example of the image sensor 36. It is desirable that the image sensor 36 is installed in the center of the suction pad 26 in a plane substantially orthogonal to the suction direction of the suction pad 26 in order to secure the angle of view of the image sensor substrate 34. In FIG. 6, the image sensor substrate 34 is installed on the flow path in the suction pad 26. The four corners of the image sensor board 34 are supported by elastic members 44 so that the image sensor board 34 does not block the flow path, and a distance is provided between the support member 24 having the air holes 24b and the image sensor board 34. There is. The air sucked from the external environment into the suction pad 26 by the suction device 28 passes through the air hole 24b, and then passes between the elastic member 44 from the space between the air hole 24b and the image sensor substrate 34 and is sucked. Head towards device 28. The method of fixing the image sensor substrate 34 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 6, and may be any configuration in which the flow path is secured. Further, when the wiring from the image sensor 36 arranged inside the suction pad 26 extends to the outside of the suction pad 26, for example, the inside of the suction pad 26 (closed space to which negative pressure is applied) and the outside (atmosphere). The support member 24 is provided with a through hole for communicating with the support member 24. By passing the wiring or the like through the through hole, the wiring or the like can extend from the inside to the outside of the suction pad 26. In such a case, in order to prevent air leakage from the through hole, it is desirable to apply an adhesive or the like to fill the through hole.

FIG. 7 shows an example of proximity determination between the suction pad 26 and the object P using the image sensor 36. FIG. 7A shows a state in which the suction pad 26 is separated from the object P, and FIG. 7B shows an image sensor inside the suction pad 26 in the state shown in FIG. 7A. The schematic diagram of the image acquired by 36 is shown. (C) in FIG. 7 shows a state in which the suction pad 26 is approaching the object P, and (d) in FIG. 7 is acquired by the image sensor 36 in the state shown in (c) in FIG. The schematic diagram of the image is shown. FIG. 7 (e) shows a state in which the suction pad 26 is in contact with the object P, and FIG. 7 (f) is acquired by the image sensor 36 in the state shown in FIG. 7 (e). The schematic diagram of the image is shown.

As shown in FIG. 7, as the suction pad 26 approaches the object P, the ratio of the area occupied by the object P within the angle of view of the image sensor 36 increases. That is, the ratio of the area of the object P to the entire image acquired by the image sensor 36 increases. Based on this, it is possible to estimate the distance between the suction pad 26 and the object P.
Specifically, the distance between the suction pad 26 and the object P in the height direction when the flying object 10 is located above the object P with respect to the objects P of various sizes, and the image sensor 36. A reference table is created in advance that lists the correspondence with the ratio of the area of the object P to the entire image of. This reference table is stored in advance in the control device 60 or the holding device 20. At the time of actual transfer, the size of the object P to be transferred is estimated by the recognition device 12. The control device 60 refers to the suction pad 26 and the object P based on the size of the object P estimated by the recognition device 12 and the ratio of the area of the object P to the entire image of the image sensor 36. Can be estimated.
Alternatively, the information regarding the distance between the suction pad 26 and the object P acquired by the recognition device 12 at the first timing is associated with the image of the image sensor 36 at substantially the same first timing. Further, the information regarding the distance between the suction pad 26 and the object P acquired by the recognition device 12 at the second timing different from the first timing is associated with the image of the image sensor 36 at substantially the same second timing. Based on these two correspondences, the control device 60 can estimate the relationship between the distance between the suction pad 26 and the object P and the ratio of the area of the object P to the entire image of the image sensor 36. Based on the relationship estimated in this way (for example, by extrapolation or interpolation), the control device 60 includes the suction pad 26 and the object P from the ratio of the area of the object P to the entire image of the image sensor 36 at an arbitrary timing. The distance between can be estimated.
The suction pad 26 is based on a change in the size (for example, length or width) of all or part of the object P, or a change in the size of a feature portion on the surface of the object P, instead of the area of the entire object P. The distance between the object P and the object P may be estimated.

Further, when the suction pad 26 is sucked on the object P, the inside of the suction pad 26 becomes a closed space and the outside light is attenuated or blocked by the suction pad 26, so that the amount of light detected by the image sensor 36 changes before and after the suction. .. Therefore, the suction state between the suction pad 26 and the object P can be determined based on the change in the amount of light detected by the image sensor 36. When the amount of light received by the photodetector element of the image sensor 36 is equal to or greater than the first light amount threshold value, it can be determined that the adsorption pad 26 is not adsorbed on the object P. When the amount of light received by the light detection element of the image sensor 36 is equal to or less than the second light amount threshold value, it can be determined that the suction pad 26 is in a state of being sucked by the object P. The second light intensity threshold is substantially equal to or smaller than the first light intensity threshold.
Further, when the object P is held by the suction pad 26, if the holding state of the object P changes, the amount of light detected by the image sensor 36 inside the suction pad 26 may change. For example, when the amount of light detected by the image sensor 36 changes to be equal to or greater than the first light amount threshold value, it can be determined that the object P held by the suction pad 26 does not exist. In this case, it is possible to determine that the object P has fallen. In this way, it is also possible to detect the fall of the object P during transportation of the object P. Further, for example, even when the time change of the amount of light detected by the image sensor 36 is large, it is possible to determine that some change has occurred in the holding state of the object P.

In this embodiment, only one image sensor 36 is provided, but two or more image sensors are provided in order to realize a wider field of view or to enable stereoscopic viewing of the object P. You may.

Next, the control of the holding device 20 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a control system of the holding device 20. The holding device 20 further includes a control device (also referred to as a control unit) 60, a power supply unit 62, a DCDC converter 64, a switching valve drive circuit (switching valve driver circuit) 66, and a suction device drive circuit (suction device driver circuit) 68. .. These are housed inside the housing 22. These may be arranged outside the housing 22.

The control device 60 controls the suction device 28 and the switching valve 32. Specifically, the control device 60 transmits a drive command for selectively instructing the drive and stop of the suction device 28 to the suction device drive circuit 68. Similarly, the control device 60 transmits a drive command instructing switching between the open state and the closed state of the switching valve 32 to the switching valve drive circuit 66.

In order to supply gas from the atmosphere to the flow path and make the pressure inside the suction pad 26 substantially equal to the atmospheric pressure, the control device 60 opens the switching valve 32 and sets the inside of the first tube 50 and the atmospheric pressure space. To communicate. On the other hand, in order for the suction pad 26 to suck the gas, the control device 60 closes the switching valve 32. In this state, the suction device 28 sucks the gas from the suction pad 26 through the first tube 50.

The control device 60 determines whether to continue the suction by the suction device 28 based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 30 provided in the first tube 50. For example, when the pressure inside the first tube 50 detected by the pressure sensor 30 is lower than the first pressure threshold value, the control device 60 determines that the pressure inside the first tube 50 is sufficiently low, and the suction device. The drive of 28 can be stopped. Further, the control device 60 determines whether or not the holding of the object P by the suction pad 26 is successful based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 30. For example, if the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 30 is higher than the second pressure threshold value after the holding operation is performed, or if the pressure change before and after the holding operation is equal to or less than the pressure change threshold value, the control device. 60 can determine that the holding of the object P has failed. Here, the first pressure threshold is substantially equal to or higher than the first pressure threshold. A flow rate sensor may be provided in place of the pressure sensor 30 or in addition to the pressure sensor 30. The flow rate sensor may detect the flow rate of the gas inside the first tube 50, and the control device 60 may determine whether to continue the suction by the suction device 28 based on the flow rate detected by the flow rate sensor.

The control device 60 wirelessly or wiredly transmits a sensor signal from the pressure sensor 30, information indicating the driving state of the suction device 28 and the switching valve 32, and the like to the host controller 70. The host controller 70 includes, for example, a flying object controller 14 and / or a controlling device 60 within the flying object 10. The holding device 20 may be used as an IoT (Internet of Things) device.

The power supply unit 62 is, for example, a rechargeable battery. The power supply unit 62 supplies electric power to the control device 60, the pressure sensor 30, the switching valve drive circuit 66, and the suction device drive circuit 68. The DCDC converter 64 transforms the electric power supplied from the power supply unit 62. The pressure sensor 30, the switching valve drive circuit 66, and the suction device drive circuit 68 are supplied with electric power from the power supply unit 62 via the DCDC converter 64. The power supply unit 62 may be shared by the holding device 20 with the flying object 10, or may be provided with a power supply unit 62 dedicated to the holding device 20.

Next, the control of the holding device 20 by the control device 60 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing details of control of the holding device 20 by the control device 60. As shown in FIG. 9, the control device 60 includes a command generation unit 74, an operation mode storage unit 76, a target command value generation unit 78, a drive control unit 80, a determination unit 82, and a signal processing unit 84. The control device 60 receives the input from the input unit 72 and outputs the output to the drive unit 86. The drive unit 86 includes a switching valve drive circuit 66 and a suction device drive circuit 68 shown in FIG.

The input unit 72 sends an operation command to the command generation unit 74. The command generation unit 74 generates an operation procedure required in each work process as an operation command according to the operation command. The command generation unit 74 sends operation mode information according to the operation command to be executed to the operation mode storage unit 76. The operation mode storage unit 76 stores the operation mode information. The operation mode storage unit 76 further stores attribute data such as the shape, weight, and flexibility of the object P to be transferred. The operation mode includes, for example, an operation of opening the switching valve 32, an operation of closing the switching valve 32, an operation of driving the suction device 28, an operation of stopping the drive of the suction device 28, and the like. Further, the operation command generated based on the detection result of the image sensor 36 may be changed. For example, in order to prevent the suction pad 26 from accidentally sucking another object P when the object P is mixed with another object, the image acquired by the image sensor 36 and the pre-registered object The command generation unit 74 may generate an operation command so that the suction operation is started when the image of P matches the image to some extent.

The operation command from the input unit 72 is a command related to a series of operations of the holding device 20, and is held in the control device 60 in the form of a program, for example. The operation command may be generated by the operator touching the command command displayed on the panel by the input unit 72, or may be generated by the voice of the operator. The input unit 72 may be integrated with the flying object 10, or may be capable of transmitting a command to the flying object 10 by wire or wirelessly.

The target command value generation unit 78 receives an operation command for the switching valve 32 or the suction device 28 from the command generation unit 74. The target command value generation unit 78 calculates the target value of the switching valve 32 or the suction device 28, and generates the target command value related to the drive of the switching valve 32 or the suction device 28.

The drive control unit 80 receives the target command value of the switching valve 32 or the suction device 28 from the target command value generation unit 78, and generates a drive instruction for driving the switching valve 32 or the suction device 28 according to the target command value. ..

The drive unit 86 receives a drive instruction of the switching valve 32 or the suction device 28 from the drive control unit 80, and generates a drive output of the switching valve 32 or the suction device 28. The switching valve 32 receives a drive output from the drive unit 86 and adjusts the amount and characteristics of the supplied gas (communication with the negative pressure side and communication with the atmospheric pressure).

The suction device 28 receives a drive output from the drive unit 86, and starts or stops suction according to the drive output.

The pressure sensor 30 senses the suction operation of the suction pad 26 and generates a sensor signal. The sensor signal is, for example, a voltage signal. The image sensor 36 senses the intensity and wavelength of the light incident on the image sensor 36, and generates a sensor signal corresponding to the image data based on these. The sensor signal is, for example, a voltage signal. In the present embodiment, the control device 60 estimates the distance between the suction pad 26 and the object P and determines the proximity of the suction pad 26 and the object P based on the image data acquired by the image sensor 36. The image sensor 36 may make such an estimation or determination instead of the control device 60.

The signal processing unit 84 receives the sensor signal from the pressure sensor 30 and the image sensor 36, and performs signal processing including signal amplification and analog-digital conversion on the sensor signal.

The determination unit 82 receives the sensor signal converted from the signal processing unit 84. The determination unit 82 determines the necessity of adjusting the gas supply and the presence / absence of holding of the object P according to the sensor signal. The determination unit 82 receives operation mode information from the command generation unit 74 according to the determination result. The determination unit 82 extracts the operation of the switching valve 32 corresponding to the operation mode information from the operation mode storage unit 76. The determination unit 82 generates a command such as switching between the open state and the closed state of the switching valve 32. The determination unit 82 generates a return value command for modifying the target value for the command generation unit 74. By the return value command, the command generation unit 74 can execute the corresponding processing operation suitable for the current operation, and secures the reliability and certainty of the operation of the holding device 20.

A part or all of the functions of the control device 60 described above may be realized by the flying object control device 14, or may be realized by the control device 60 in the flying object 10.

Next, an operation example of the holding device 20 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation example of the holding device 20. FIG. 10A shows a state in which the suction pad 26 is approaching the object P, and FIG. 10B shows a state in which the suction pad 26 is in contact with the object P. FIG. (C) in the inside shows a state in which the suction pad 26 holds and carries the object P. In FIG. 10, the object P is an object to be transferred and is placed on the loading platform B.

(1) Approaching The flying object 10 moves toward the object P. Specifically, the flying object 10 moves above the object P and then descends. When the approach of the object P is detected based on the image acquired by the image sensor 36 of the holding device 20, the control device 60 drives the suction device 28 in advance to suck the object P inside the suction pad 26. Start vacuuming. The control device 60 drives the suction device 28 when the distance from the suction pad 26 estimated based on the image from the image sensor 36 to the object P becomes less than the distance threshold value.

The distance threshold value can be calculated from the change in the area occupied by the object P in the image of the image sensor 36. For example, the distance threshold is set so that the drive of the suction device 28 is started immediately before the object P comes into contact with the suction surface of the suction pad 26. The distance threshold is, for example, about 10 cm to 1 m. The distance threshold is set so that, for example, the suction device 28 is driven from 1 second to 2 seconds before the suction pad 26 comes into contact with the object P. The distance threshold value may or may not be a variable value. For example, the distance threshold can be adjusted according to the moving speed of the flying object 10, that is, the moving speed of the suction pad 26. Specifically, the distance threshold value is set to a large value when the moving speed of the flying object 10 is high, and a small value when the moving speed of the flying object 10 is slow. The distance threshold may be adjusted continuously with respect to the moving speed, or may be adjusted stepwise with respect to the moving speed. The moving speed of the flying object 10 may be acquired from the host controller 70, and is calculated based on a sensor signal output from an acceleration sensor 94 provided in the holding device 20 as described later in the third embodiment. You may.

(2) The contact / suction control device 60 detects the contact of the object P with the suction pad 26 based on the sensor signal from the image sensor 36, continues the suction operation, and monitors the pressure. For example, when the brightness of the image acquired by the image sensor 36 falls below a certain value, the control device 60 can determine that the object P has come into contact with the suction pad 26. The control device 60 may stop driving the suction device 28 when the pressure becomes lower than a predetermined pressure threshold value (a preset degree of vacuum). When the non-breathable object P is sucked, the degree of vacuum of the suction pad 26 is maintained for a long time even if the driving of the suction device 28 is stopped. On the other hand, when the breathable object P is sucked, when the driving of the suction device 28 is stopped, air enters the suction pad 26, so that the vacuum degree of the suction pad 26 is maintained for a short time. Therefore, the control device 60 intermittently drives the suction device 28 while monitoring the pressure.

(3) The transport control device 60 controls the movement of the flying object 10 in order to transport the object P while monitoring the degree of vacuum and intermittently driving the suction device 28. For example, the flying object 10 ascends and then moves laterally. The control device 60 transmits information including sensor signals output from the image sensor 36 and the pressure sensor 30 to the host controller 70, if necessary. The host controller 70 confirms the holding state based on the information received from the holding device 20. The host controller 70 manages the schedule of the entire transfer work, manages the operation of the flying object 10, and the like.

(4) Release When the flying object 10 transports the object P to the destination (for example, the transport device 16 shown in FIG. 1), the control device 60 opens the switching valve 32 to communicate the atmospheric pressure space with the suction pad 26. As a result, the vacuum inside the suction pad 26 is broken, and the object P is released from the suction pad 26. At this time, the suction device 28 is stopped. Whether or not the object P has been released can be determined based on the sensor signals output from the image sensor 36 and the pressure sensor 30, if necessary. For example, when the brightness of the image acquired by the image sensor 36 exceeds a constant value, or when the pressure acquired by the pressure sensor 30 increases to a constant value (for example, a value of about atmospheric pressure), the control device 60 may perform the control device 60. , It can be determined that the object P has been released.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, an operation example by the flying object 10 will be described in more detail using an operation flow.
FIG. 11 shows an operation flow from the approach of the flying object 10 to the object P to the holding of the object P. First, the flying object 10 moves to the target position under the control of the flying object control device 14 (S101). The flying object control device 14 controls the movement of the flying object 10 based on the position / attitude information of the object P generated by the recognition device 12. The operator may visually confirm the object P and input the position / orientation information of the object P.

After moving to the target position, the flying object 10 approaches the object P (S102). Along with this, the suction pad 26 of the holding device 20 approaches the object P. Next, the control device 60 determines whether or not the suction pad 26 is sufficiently close to the object P (S103). Specifically, the control device 60 determines whether or not the distance to the object P is equal to or less than the distance threshold value based on the sensor signal from the image sensor 36. When it is determined that the suction pad 26 is not sufficiently close to the object P (S103: NO), the process returns to S102, and the control device 60 instructs the flying object 10 to further approach the object P.

When the control device 60 determines that the suction pad 26 is sufficiently close to the object P (S103: YES), the control device 60 drives the suction device 28 (S104). Next, the control device 60 determines whether or not the degree of vacuum of the suction pad 26 has reached the target pressure value (S105). When it is determined that the degree of vacuum of the suction pad 26 has reached the target pressure value (S105: YES), the flying object 10 starts carrying the object P under the control of the flying object control device 14. When it is determined that the degree of vacuum of the suction pad 26 has not reached the target pressure value (S105: NO), the control device 60 instructs the flying object 10 to approach the object P further (S102).

The control device 60 may drive the suction device 28 only when it is determined that the suction pad 26 has come into contact with the object P. In this case, if it is determined that the pressure inside the suction pad 26 detected by the pressure sensor 30 has not reached the target pressure value, the flying object control device 14 rises away from the object P and moves to a position. Instruct the flying object 10 to make corrections. After that, the flying object control device 14 instructs the flying object 10 to approach the object P again.

FIG. 12 shows an operation flow from the transportation of the object P to the release by the flying object 10. Under the control of the flying object control device 14, the flying object 10 separates from the loading platform B while holding the object P by the suction pad 26 (S201). While the flying object 10 is moving while holding the object P, the control device 60 intermittently drives the suction device 28 (S202). As a result, the pressure inside the suction pad 26 is kept below the target pressure value. After that, when the flying object 10 moves to the target position (S203), the object P is released (S204). For example, the control device 60 stops the suction device 28 and opens the switching valve 32. Next, the control device 60 determines whether or not the pressure inside the suction pad 26 has reached the target pressure value based on the sensor signal from the pressure sensor 30 (S205). When it is determined that the pressure inside the suction pad 26 has not reached the target pressure value (S205: NO), the flying object control device 14 flies until the pressure inside the suction pad 26 reaches the target pressure value. Do not move body 10. When it is confirmed that the degree of vacuum of the suction pad 26 has dropped to the target pressure value (that is, the pressure inside the suction pad 26 has exceeded the target pressure value) (S205: YES), the flying object control device 14 moves the flying object 10 (S206). In order to further improve the certainty of the release operation, whether or not the object P has been released may be determined based on the sensor signal from the image sensor 36 in addition to the sensor signal from the pressure sensor 30. .. For example, when the brightness of the image acquired by the image sensor 36 exceeds a certain value, the control device 60 can determine that the object P has been released from the suction pad 26.

Next, an application example of the image sensor 36 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 16.
FIG. 13 shows an application example of the image sensor 36. FIG. 13A shows a state in which the suction pad 26 is trying to suck the object P placed on the loading platform B from above in a state where the length direction X of the holding device 20 substantially coincides with the vertical direction. Shown. FIG. 13B shows a schematic view of an image acquired by the image sensor 36 in the state of FIG. 13A. In FIG. 13C, the suction pad 26 is placed on the loading platform B in a state where the suction pad 26 is tilted so that the suction surface of the holding device 20 is substantially parallel to the suction surface of the object P. It shows a state of trying to adsorb the object P from above. FIG. 13D shows a schematic view of an image acquired by the image sensor 36 in the state of FIG. 13C.

In FIG. 13, the object P is inclined with respect to the loading platform B. In this way, when there is a difference between the position and orientation of the suction surface of the suction pad 26 and the position and orientation of the suction surface of the object P, the suction surface of the suction pad 26 comes into contact with the suction surface of the object P without any gap. As described above, the flying object control device 14 can instruct the flying object 10 to approach while correcting the position and orientation of the suction pad 26 according to the position and orientation of the object P. Specifically, the image acquired by the image sensor 36 in a state where the length direction X of the holding device 20 substantially coincides with the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 13 (a) is shown in FIG. 13 (b). Includes the edge E of the object P, as in. In this case, the control device 60 can determine that the suction surface of the object P is tilted with respect to the suction surface of the suction pad 26. As shown in (c) in FIG. 13 and (d) in FIG. 13, the vehicle control device 14 moves the suction pad 26 in the vertical direction until such an edge E becomes invisible from the image sensor 36. The aircraft 10 can be instructed to tilt. The suction surface of the suction pad 26 tilted in this way can be substantially parallel to the suction surface of the object P. Here, the tilting operation of the suction pad 26 may be performed by tilting the flying object 10 itself, or is performed by a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the suction pad 26 with respect to the flying object 10. May be good. Instead of the edge E of the object P, for example, when the two long sides S and S of the object P are not substantially parallel to each other in the image acquired by the image sensor 36, the control device 60 is attracted to the object P. It may be determined that the surface is tilted with respect to the suction surface of the suction pad 26. Alternatively, by focusing on a plurality of portions of the suction surface of the object P while the depth of field of the image sensor 36 is narrow, the suction surface of the object P is relative to the suction surface of the suction pad 26. It may be determined whether or not the object is tilted. Further, such a determination may be made based on a feature portion on the surface of the object P. Further, in the transport system 1, the external shape information of the object P to be transferred is acquired by the image recognition process or the like using the external image sensor 12a of the recognition device 12, so that the above determination is acquired by the image sensor 36. In addition to the image, it may be performed based on the external shape information.

FIG. 14 shows an application example of the image sensor 36. FIG. 14A is a side view of the suction pad 26 that sucks the corner portion of the object P. FIG. 14B is a bottom view of the suction pad 26 and the object P in the state of FIG. 14A. FIG. 14C shows a schematic view of an image acquired by the image sensor 36 in the state of FIG. 14A.
As shown in (a) in FIG. 14 and (b) in FIG. 14, the upper surface of the object P is sufficiently wider than the suction surface of the suction pad 26. Therefore, if the holding device 20 holds the object P at an appropriate position, the image of the image sensor 36 should be occupied by the object P. However, as shown in (a) in FIG. 14 and (b) in FIG. 14, only a part of the suction pad 26 is in contact with the object P, and the rest of the suction pad 26 is floating in the air. , The image of the image sensor 36 is not occupied by the object P (see (c) in FIG. 14). When the amount of light received by the photodetector element of the image sensor 36 is equal to or greater than a predetermined light amount threshold value, the control device 60 can determine that the holding device 20 does not hold the object P at an appropriate position. In this case, the flying object control device 14 instructs the flying object 10 to redo the holding operation. Further, there is a difference between the object P detected by the image sensor 36 while the object P is being held and the object P to be transferred that is detected in advance by image recognition processing such as the external image sensor 12a of the recognition device 12. If there is, the control device 60 can determine that the holding device 20 is holding an erroneous object (that is, an object different from the object P to be transferred). For example, when the recognition device 12 has previously recognized that the object P to be transferred is an elongated object, the image from the image sensor 36 is not an elongated object but an object that occupies the entire image. , The control device 60 can determine that the holding device 20 may erroneously hold another object.

FIG. 15 shows an application example of the image sensor 36. FIG. 15A is a side view of the suction pad 26 that sucks the object P having a convex portion. FIG. 15B shows a schematic view of an image acquired by the image sensor 36 in the state of FIG. 15A.
As shown in FIG. 15A, a convex portion is formed on the upper surface of the object P, so that a gap is formed between the suction surface of the suction pad 26 and the suction surface of the object P. In such a case, air flows into the suction pad 26 through the gap, and the degree of vacuum inside the suction pad 26 does not increase, so that the suction force tends to decrease. As shown in FIG. 15B, the light amount distribution in the image acquired by the image sensor 36 when external light (for example, light from the lighting device 42 or natural light) enters the suction pad 26 from the gap. There is a bias in (also called light / darkness distribution). Here, the "light amount distribution" means a distribution indicating the magnitude of the light amount of each pixel in the image. “Bias of light intensity distribution” means that the light intensity distribution is non-uniform, and for example, the light intensity distribution may be asymmetric with respect to the center of the image or a straight line passing through the center. When such a bias of the light amount distribution is within a predetermined range, the control device 60 determines that there is no gap between the suction surface of the suction pad 26 and the suction surface of the object P, and sets the suction device 28. Can be driven. On the other hand, when such a bias of the light amount distribution exceeds a predetermined range, the control device 60 can determine that there is a gap between the suction surface of the suction pad 26 and the suction surface of the object P. .. In this case, the flying object control device 14 instructs the flying object 10 to ascend away from the object P and correct the position. After that, the flying object control device 14 instructs the flying object 10 to approach the object P again and perform adsorption at a place where no gap is formed.

FIG. 16 shows an application example of the image sensor 36. FIG. 16A is a side view of the suction pad 26 that sucks the object P in a state where the center of gravity of the object P is located near the suction pad 26. FIG. 16B shows a schematic view of an image acquired by the image sensor 36 in the state of FIG. 16A. FIG. 16C is a side view of the suction pad 26 that sucks the object P in a state where the center of gravity of the object P is largely deviated from the position of the suction pad 26. FIG. 16D shows a schematic view of an image acquired by the image sensor 36 in the state of FIG. 16C.
In (a) in FIG. 16, the object P is held substantially horizontally by the holding device 20. On the other hand, in FIG. 16B, the object P is held by the holding device 20 in a state of being tilted with respect to the horizontal plane.
In the bellows-shaped suction pad 26, the suction pad 26 contracts while holding the object P. When the material of the suction pad 26 is a translucent material such as a silicon material, the inside of the suction pad 26 at the time of suction is maintained at a constant brightness. When the object P is tilted with respect to the horizontal plane as shown in FIG. 16B, the bellows shape of the suction pad 26 may have dense parts and sparse parts. In this case, since more external light enters the suction pad 26 from a portion where the bellows shape is sparse than when the bellows shape is dense, the image acquired by the image sensor 36 may have a bias in the light amount distribution. Therefore, when the image acquired by the image sensor 36 is biased in the light amount distribution while the object P is being held and lifted, the control device 60 tilts the held object P with respect to the horizontal plane. It can be determined that it is. Further, the control device 60 can calculate the degree of inclination of the object P based on the amount of light detected by the image sensor 36. In this case, in order to avoid a situation in which the inclined object P comes into contact with the external environment and is damaged, the flying object control device 14 once separates from the object P, corrects the position, and then sucks the object P again. Instruct the flying object 10 to do so. When changing the suction position, the flying object control device 14 flies so that the suction pad 26 moves in the direction in which the bellows shape is sparse, that is, in the bright direction (closer to the center of gravity of the object P) in the light amount distribution. Instruct body 10. By performing the holding operation of the object P again based on the calculated light amount distribution, the holding device 20 can stably hold the object P. The suction pad 26 may be provided with a pattern (for example, vertical lines or grid lines) so that a change in the amount of light can be detected more easily. The external light may be the illumination light from the lighting device 42 or natural light.

According to the configuration of the first embodiment as described above, the reliability of the suction holding operation can be improved.

In the logistics industry, the expansion of the mail-order market has led to a rapid increase in the amount of luggage handled, while securing a labor shortage due to the declining birthrate and aging population has become an issue. Currently, the construction of a large distribution center is being actively promoted. Logistics companies are working on the automation of logistics systems by introducing automation equipment for various tasks.

A stationary manipulator is known as a device for performing transfer work (also called unloading, deparating, picking, etc.) for moving a load to another place. With such a manipulator, the working range is limited. In addition, a mobile manipulator device that combines a mobile trolley and a manipulator is also assumed, but when moving to a work place other than a flat area, it is necessary to overcome three-dimensional obstacles such as stairs, and when moving in a passage, the surroundings The work range is also limited due to the need to take measures such as expanding the width of the passage on the environment side to prevent contact with the environment.

Under the above circumstances, it is expected to utilize an air vehicle (for example, a drone) that can freely move in the air over a wide range. In order to realize an air vehicle that performs the transfer work, an object holding mechanism applicable to the air vehicle is required.

In the holding device 20 according to the present embodiment, since the image sensor 36 can detect the amount of light from the object P in two dimensions, the position and orientation of the object P can be detected, the fall of the object P can be detected, and an appropriate adsorption region can be detected. And the state where the object P is not adsorbed can be detected. Further, as compared with the case of using a sensor that detects the amount of light one-dimensionally, when the amount of light sensor that performs two-dimensional detection is used, information on the shape of the object P can also be acquired, so that adsorption fails. In some cases, it is easy to determine the direction of subsequent position correction. Further, the light amount sensor that performs one-dimensional detection may make an erroneous determination when the object P has a hole or a mesh structure, but if the light amount sensor that performs two-dimensional detection is used, such an object P can also be determined. It is possible to perform object recognition more accurately.

Further, the holding device 20 according to the present embodiment is made into a component including a suction device 28 and a power supply unit 62. As a result, the holding device 20 can be easily attached to the flying object 10. Further, the holding device 20 includes the image sensor 36, and autonomously starts the suction operation immediately before the holding portion comes into contact with the object P based on the sensor signal from the image sensor 36. As a result, energy saving can be realized. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress unexpected clogging of dust in the vacuum system and improve durability. Since the holding device 20 according to the present embodiment is made into a component, it can be easily connected and used not only to an air vehicle but also to a manipulator, a mobile carriage, or the like.

Further, when the holding device 20 is provided with an image sensor 36 or the like and is integrated into a component, the wiring of the sensors can be reduced and the tube pipe length can be shortened, so that the suction operation time can be shortened. The suction device 28 needs to suck gas not only from the inside of the suction pad 26 but also from the entire inside of the tube. If the tube pipe length is short, the volume that needs to be sucked is small by that amount, which leads to a reduction in the suction operation time.

In the transport system 1, the distance information from the flying object 10 to the upper surface of the uppermost object P is acquired by the image recognition process, and the flying object 10 is controlled to descend based on the distance information. However, when the distance information is erroneously detected, especially when a distance larger than the actual distance is detected, the holding device 20 (specifically, the suction pad 26) of the flying object 10 pushes the object P. This may cause damage or deformation of the object P.

Therefore, by providing the image sensor 36 having the above configuration on the image sensor substrate 34 inside the suction pad 26, it is possible to stop the descent of the flying object 10 before the suction pad 26 comes into contact with the object P. Become. Further, it is possible to estimate the amount of descent of the flying object 10 from the amount of change in the area ratio of the object P to the image detected by the image sensor 36. This makes it possible to prevent the object P from being damaged or deformed due to excessive pushing of the holding device 20. Further, since such pushing is performed evenly over the entire suction pad 26 of the holding device 20, it is sufficient to use at least one image sensor 36 arranged on the image sensor substrate 34. Therefore, by arranging at least one image sensor 36 in the center of the image sensor substrate 34, it is possible to prevent pushing with the minimum necessary sensor.

In this embodiment, the image sensor 36 is arranged on the image sensor substrate 34. As a result, when the image recognition by the recognition device 12 fails, the object P is held and lifted by the suction pad 26, and the suction state and inclination with the object P are based on the detection result of the image sensor 36 in the lifted state. Is possible to recognize. As a result, it is possible to set an appropriate holding mode by the suction pad 26 based on the recognized suction information and inclination of the object P, and the object P can be held again in the set mode. In this way, even if the object P to be transferred is erroneously recognized, the transfer work can be continuously executed without causing the object P to fall or stop the operation due to an error. ..

In the present embodiment, the control device 60 controls the suction device 28 so that suction is performed when the result of detection of the light amount distribution by the image sensor 36 satisfies a predetermined condition. According to such a configuration, the success or failure of adsorption can be determined based on the light amount distribution, so that the reliability of the adsorption holding operation can be improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the image sensor 36 is arranged inside or behind the suction pad 26. Further, the suction pad 26 has a cavity 26a, and the image sensor 36 is arranged at a position where it can be seen from the outside through the cavity 26a. According to such a configuration, since the image sensor 36 can take a picture from the inside of the holding device 20, the holding device 20 can be miniaturized. As a result, the reliability of the suction operation can be improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the control device 60 sucks the object P when it is detected that the object P is close to the suction pad 26 based on the information acquired by the image sensor 36. To control. With such a configuration, further energy saving is possible, and the battery of the power supply unit 62 can be further saved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the control device 60 estimates the distance to the object P based on the change in the size of at least one of the object P and the feature portion on the surface of the object P in the image acquired by the image sensor 36. The control device 60 controls the suction device 28 so that suction is performed when the distance is equal to or less than the distance threshold. According to such a configuration, since the suction device 28 is driven only when the suction pad 26 approaches the object P, the energy consumption of the power supply unit 62 can be suppressed. This leads to an improvement in the operating time of the flying object 10.

Further, in the present embodiment, the control device 60 sets the distance threshold value to the first value when the moving speed of the suction pad 26 is the first speed, and the moving speed of the suction pad 26 is higher than the first speed. When the second speed is fast, the distance threshold is set to a second value larger than the first value. With such a configuration, further energy saving is possible, and the battery of the power supply unit 62 can be further saved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the adsorption pad 26 is further provided with an illumination device 42 that irradiates the adsorption pad 26 with illumination light, and the control device 60 has a light amount distribution acquired by the image sensor 36 while the illumination device 42 is irradiating the light. The suction device 28 is controlled so that suction is performed when the detection result satisfies a predetermined condition. With such a configuration, it becomes more reliable and easy to determine the success or failure of adsorption based on the light amount distribution.

Further, in the present embodiment, the image sensor 36 is arranged at the center of the suction pad 26 in a plane substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the suction pad 26 is sucked on the object P. With such a configuration, it becomes more reliable and easy to determine the success or failure of adsorption based on the light amount distribution.

Further, the holding device 20 according to the present embodiment has a first state in which the flow path between the suction device 28 and the suction pad 26 can communicate with the atmospheric pressure space, and communication between the flow path and the atmospheric pressure space. A switching valve 32 for switching between the second state in which the gas is shut off, a driving device for driving the suction device 28 and the switching valve 32, and a pressure sensor 30 for detecting the pressure of the gas inside the flow path are further provided. .. With such a configuration, since it is possible to detect the pressure inside the suction pad 26, it is possible to obtain more reliable information regarding the holding state and the like together with the detection result by the image sensor 36. Further, when the object P is transported, the operating state of the suction device 28 can be switched based on the degree of vacuum (pressure value) of the suction pad 26. This also leads to suppression of energy consumption of the power supply unit 62.

Further, in the present embodiment, the control device 60 stops driving the suction device 28 when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 30 is lower than the first pressure threshold, and the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 30 is the second. When the pressure threshold is higher than the pressure threshold of 2, the suction device 28 is started to be driven, and the second pressure threshold is substantially equal to or higher than the first pressure threshold. With such a configuration, further energy saving is possible, and the battery of the power supply unit 62 can be further saved.

Further, the holding device 20 according to the present embodiment further includes a support member 24 for supporting the suction pad 26, and the support member 24 has an air hole 24b communicating with the suction pad 26 and the suction device 28, and the image sensor 36. Are arranged apart from the air hole 24b of the support member 24 toward the suction device 28. According to such a configuration, the image sensor 36 and the image sensor substrate 34 do not block the flow path between the suction pad 26 and the suction device 28, and the suction device 28 can smoothly suck air.

Further, in the present embodiment, the image sensor 36 is supported by the elastic member 44 with respect to the support member 24. According to such a configuration, it is possible to impart anti-vibration characteristics to the image sensor 36 against vibrations of the flying object 10 and the holding device 20.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the proximity sensor 90 is provided. The configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a holding device 20 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17C shows a cross section of the holding device 20 shown in FIG. 17A along the line F17C-F17C. As shown in FIG. 17, the proximity sensor 90 is arranged inside the suction pad 26. In other words, the proximity sensor 90 is located inside a closed space that will be formed by the housing 22, the support member 24, the suction pad 26, and the object P. The proximity sensor 90 is mounted on the proximity sensor board 92 and fixed to the housing 22 via the proximity sensor board 92. The proximity sensor substrate 92 is, for example, a ring-shaped member. Eight proximity sensors 90 are arranged on a circumference concentric with the support member 24 and the suction pad 26 at a distance of 45 degrees. The proximity sensor 90 may be one, two to seven, or nine or more. For example, when the proximity sensor 90 is a photoelectric sensor, the proximity sensor 90 is arranged so that the light emitted by the proximity sensor 90 intersects the plane including the suction surface of the suction pad 26 substantially vertically. The arrangement of the proximity sensor 90 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 17, and may take various forms.

The proximity sensor board 92 mounts the proximity sensor 90 on its main surface (also referred to as a detection surface). The proximity sensor substrate 92 is provided on the suction pad fixing member 40. The proximity sensor substrate 92 has a ring shape. The proximity sensor 90 detects that the object P is in close proximity to the proximity sensor 90. The suction surface of the suction pad 26 and the proximity sensor 90 are located on the main surface side of the proximity sensor substrate 92, and the approach of the object P to the proximity sensor 90 can be regarded as the approach of the object P to the suction pad 26. it can.
The proximity sensor 90 and the proximity sensor substrate 92 may be arranged behind the suction pad 26. For example, the proximity sensor 90 may be provided adjacent to the image sensor 36. In this case, the proximity sensor board 92 may be omitted, and the image sensor board 34 may also serve as the board for the proximity sensor 90.

As the proximity sensor 90, for example, a distance sensor can be used. The distance sensor measures the distance to an object in a non-contact manner. Examples of distance sensors include active optical distance measurement sensors, reflective photosensors, optical TOF (Time-Of-Flight) type optical distance measurement sensors, and the like. Here, the "active sensor" means a sensor that actively works on an object (for example, irradiates an object with light).
The active optical distance measurement sensor irradiates an object with light from a light source such as an LED, detects the reflected light in the object with a photodetector, and outputs a signal according to the distance to the object. An example of an active optical distance measuring sensor is a PSD (Position Sensitive Detector). The PSD is an optical triangulation type optical distance measurement sensor that can easily measure the distance to an object.

Reflective photosensors include LEDs and photodiodes. The LED emits a predetermined amount of detection light based on a drive signal supplied from an analog circuit. When the object is located near the reflective photosensor, the detected light is reflected by the object. The reflected light from the object is detected by the photodiode. The photodiode generates a detection current corresponding to the amount of received light (light intensity of reflected light). Since the intensity of the reflected light increases as the distance between the object P and the photodiode decreases, a detection signal indicating the distance to the object can be obtained. The analog circuit controls the amount of detection light of the LED to be constant, generates a detection signal corresponding to the detection current obtained from the photodiode, and supplies the detection signal to the control device 60. The control device 60 can calculate the distance to the object P based on the received detection signal.

The optical TOF type optical distance measurement sensor measures the distance by measuring the time until the reflected light is returned. In the TOF method, pulsed light is emitted from a light source toward an object, and the pulsed light reflected by the object is detected by a photodetector, thereby measuring the time difference between the emission timing and the detection timing of the pulsed light. This time difference (Δt) is the time required for the pulsed light to fly at the speed of light (= c) at a distance (2 × d) that is twice the distance d to the object, so d = (c × Δt). / 2 holds. The time difference (Δt) can be rephrased as the phase difference between the emission pulse from the light source and the detection pulse. By detecting this phase difference, the distance d to the object can be obtained. The TOF method enables more precise distance measurement than the method of measuring distance by the intensity of reflected light. Furthermore, it is resistant to the influence of the surface condition of the object and enables stable measurement.

In addition, as the proximity sensor 90, a sensor that determines the presence or absence of an object may be used. An example of this sensor is a reflective photoelectric sensor. This photoelectric sensor includes a light source and a photodetector. The photoelectric sensor projects light such as infrared rays from a light source onto an object, and the light detection element receives the reflected light whose light amount is reduced by being reflected by the object. The photoelectric sensor detects that an object exists within a certain distance from the photoelectric sensor when the amount of light received by the photodetector is equal to or greater than a predetermined light amount threshold value. Then, when the object is separated from the photoelectric sensor within a certain distance range, the amount of light reflected from the object is greatly attenuated, the amount of light received by the photodetector becomes less than the predetermined light amount threshold, and the photoelectric sensor is used. Detects that there is no object within a certain distance. For example, the photoelectric sensor outputs a detection signal while the object is within a certain distance, and does not output a detection signal when the object is not within a certain distance.

The proximity sensor 90 is not limited to the photoelectric type sensor, and may be another type of sensor such as a capacitance type or an ultrasonic type.

The proximity sensor 90 can be used as a load sensor for detecting the presence of the object P adsorbed on the adsorption pad 26. The proximity sensor 90 can measure a distance in a range to a position separated by a predetermined distance from the tip of the suction pad 26. Then, the proximity sensor 90 detects whether or not the object P exists within a certain distance from the main surface of the proximity sensor substrate 92. By arranging such proximity sensors 90 in an in-plane direction of the proximity sensor substrate 92, the external shape information (that is, dimensions) of the object P held by the suction pad 26 is based on the distance information from the proximity sensor 90. And shape) can be recognized.

Further, while the object P is held by the suction pad 26, the proximity sensor 90 located in the region corresponding to the outer shape of the object P detects the presence of the object P (that is, the measured distance becomes a short distance). ) Should be. Therefore, if it is detected by all the proximity sensors 90 that the object P does not exist (that is, the measured distance becomes a long distance) while the object P is being held, it can be considered that the object P has fallen. .. In this way, it is also possible to detect the fall of the object P.

In the transport system 1, the external shape information of the object P to be transferred is acquired by image recognition processing or the like, so that the flying object control device 14 detects the detection results of the proximity sensor 90 (for example, eight) based on the external shape information. It is possible to predict which of the proximity sensors 90 will detect the presence of the object P (that is, the measured distance will be a short distance). For example, as shown in FIG. 14, it is assumed that the object P placed on the loading platform B is held. Here, as shown in FIG. 14, the upper surface of the object P is sufficiently wider than the suction surface of the suction pad 26. Therefore, if the holding device 20 holds the object P at an appropriate position, the object P should be detected by all the proximity sensors 90. However, in the state shown in FIG. 14, the object P is not detected by three-quarters of the proximity sensors 90. If at least a part of the plurality of proximity sensors 90 does not detect the presence of the object P, the control device 60 can determine that the holding device 20 does not hold the object P at an appropriate position. Further, when there is a difference between the actual detection result by the proximity sensor 90 while the object P is being held and the prediction of the detection result of the proximity sensor 90 by the flying object control device 14, the control device 60 holds the object P. It can be determined that the device 20 holds an erroneous object (that is, an object different from the object P to be transferred). For example, when the recognition device 12 has previously recognized that the object P to be transferred is an elongated object, not only a pair of facing proximity sensors 90 but all proximity sensors corresponding to the elongated object. When 90 detects the presence of an object, the control device 60 can determine that the holding device 20 may erroneously hold another object.

In the bellows-shaped suction pad 26, the suction pad 26 contracts while holding the object P. Thereby, when the flying object 10 is lowered and the proximity sensor 90 and the upper surface of the object P are closer than a predetermined distance, it is possible to determine that the suction pad 26 has successfully sucked the object P.

In the transport system 1, distance information from the flying object 10 to the upper surface of the uppermost object P is acquired by image recognition processing, and the flying object control device 14 controls the flying object 10 so as to descend based on the distance information. To do. However, when the distance information is erroneously detected, especially when a distance larger than the actual distance is detected, the holding device 20 (specifically, the suction pad 26) of the flying object 10 pushes the object P. This may cause damage or deformation of the object P.

Therefore, by providing the proximity sensor 90 having the above configuration on the proximity sensor substrate 92 inside the suction pad 26, the descent of the flying object 10 can be stopped before the proximity sensor substrate 92 approaches the object P. It will be possible. This makes it possible to prevent the object P from being damaged or deformed due to excessive pushing of the holding device 20. Further, since such pushing is performed evenly over the entire suction pad 26 of the holding device 20, it is sufficient to use at least one proximity sensor 90 arranged on the proximity sensor substrate 92. Therefore, by arranging at least one proximity sensor 90 along the contour of the proximity sensor substrate 92, it is possible to prevent pushing with the minimum necessary sensor.

Further, the proximity sensor 90 can be used for confirming the oversize of the object P to be sucked by the suction pad 26.

According to the configuration of the second embodiment as described above, the proximity sensor 90 makes it possible to detect the fall of the object P, detect an appropriate suction region, and prevent the suction pad 26 from being excessively pushed. Further, even when the detection failure or erroneous detection by the image sensor 36 occurs in the configuration of the first embodiment, the contact with the object P is detected by the proximity sensor 90 in the configuration of the second embodiment. , It becomes possible to reliably detect the object P. In particular, the proximity sensor 90 is useful when it is difficult to detect the distance only with the image sensor 36, such as when the object P is transparent.

Further, in the present embodiment, the proximity sensor 90 is arranged inside the suction pad 26. According to such a configuration, the holding device 20 can be miniaturized. As a result, the reliability of the suction operation can be improved.

(Third Embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The third embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that the acceleration sensor 94 is provided. The configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 18, the holding device 20 according to the third embodiment has an acceleration sensor 94 in addition to the proximity sensor 90. The acceleration sensor 94 is connected to the control device 60. For example, the acceleration sensor 94 is housed inside the housing 22. The acceleration sensor 94 is an inertial sensor for the purpose of measuring acceleration. Unlike the vibration sensor, the acceleration sensor 94 can detect direct current (DC) acceleration, so it can also detect gravity. By performing appropriate signal processing on the acceleration signal representing the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor 94, various information such as inclination, movement, vibration, and impact can be obtained. As a result, it is possible to monitor the moving speed and the acceleration state of the flying object 10, so that the driving timing of the suction device 28 can be adjusted according to the moving speed of the flying object 10. More specifically, the drive timing of the suction device 28 is adjusted by changing the distance threshold value with respect to the proximity sensor 90 or the image sensor 36 according to the acceleration state. For example, when it is determined that the moving speed of the flying object 10 is high based on the signal from the acceleration sensor 94, the control device 60 sets the distance threshold for detecting the approach of the object P to a large value. It is possible to drive the suction device 28 immediately before the object P comes into contact with the suction pad 26. On the contrary, when it is determined that the moving speed of the flying object 10 is small based on the signal from the acceleration sensor 94, the control device 60 sets the above distance threshold value to a small value, so that the object P is attracted to the suction pad 26. It is possible to drive the suction device 28 immediately before contacting with.

According to the configuration of the third embodiment as described above, since the holding device 20 is provided with the acceleration sensor 94, the drive timing of the suction device 28 is adjusted according to the moving speed of the flying object 10. Therefore, further energy saving can be realized, unexpected clogging of dust in the vacuum system can be suppressed, and durability can be further improved.

(Fourth Embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to (a) in FIG. 19 and (b) in FIG. The fourth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the actuator 96 is provided. The configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment.

FIG. 19 shows the holding device 20 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 19A is a cross-sectional view showing a holding device 20 in a state where the actuator 96 is not extended. FIG. 19A is a cross-sectional view showing a holding device 20 in a state where the actuator 96 is extended.
As shown in FIG. 19, the actuator 96 is attached to the image sensor 36. The actuator 96 can project the image sensor 36 with respect to the suction surface of the suction pad 26 by linearly moving the image sensor 36 with respect to the support member 24, the suction pad 26, and the like. That is, the actuator 96 has a cavity between the first position where the entire image sensor 36 is located inside the cavity 27a and the second position where at least a part of the image sensor 36 is located outside the cavity 27a. The image sensor 36 can be moved through 27a. As the actuator 96, for example, a pneumatic type or an electric type actuator can be used. The pneumatic actuator can change the position of the image sensor 36 by inflowing and discharging air into the bellows shape shown in FIG. Further, as the pneumatic actuator, a cylinder type actuator or the like may be used. The pneumatic actuator may be operated by the suction device 28. In this case, for example, a valve mechanism (for example, a solenoid valve) may be provided for switching between a mode in which the suction device 28 sucks the suction pad 26 and a mode in which the suction device 28 operates the pneumatic actuator. When an electric actuator is used, for example, the electric actuator can realize linear motion by combining a motor and a feed screw.

According to the configuration of the fourth embodiment as described above, it is possible to use a fisheye lens or a wide-angle lens as the lens of the image sensor 36. This makes it possible to secure a wide field of view. As a result, information on the outside of the suction pad 26 can be obtained, so that it is possible to prevent the suction pad 26 from colliding with the surrounding environment while the flying object 10 is flying. Further, when an obstacle exists in the movement path while the holding device 20 is moving (moving downward or laterally), the protruding image sensor 36 can detect the obstacle and prevent a collision. Is.

The flying object 10 is an example of a robot to which the holding device 20 can be applied. The holding device 20 according to each of the above-described embodiments can also be applied to a manipulator or a mobile carriage.

In each embodiment, it is assumed that the suction device 28 is driven when the distance from the suction pad 26 to the object P is less than the distance threshold, but regardless of such a distance, the entire image of the image sensor 36 The suction device 28 may be driven when the ratio of the area of the object P to the object P exceeds a certain level.

In each embodiment, it is assumed that the processing in the control device 60 is realized by the program software in the external storage device such as a memory by using one or more processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). It may be realized by hardware that does not use a CPU (for example, a circuit unit; circuitry). Further, the process may be executed via the cloud server.

The instructions given in the processing procedures shown in each embodiment can be executed based on a program that is software. It is also possible for a general-purpose computer system to store this program in advance and read this program to obtain an effect similar to the effect of the above-mentioned processing procedure. The instructions described in each embodiment are, as a program that can be executed by a computer, a magnetic disk (flexible disk, hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD ±). It is recorded on an R, DVD ± RW, Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc, etc.), a semiconductor memory, or a similar recording medium. The storage format may be any form as long as it is a recording medium that can be read by a computer or an embedded system. The computer can realize the same operation as the above-described processing procedure by reading the program from the recording medium and executing the instruction described in the program based on the program on the CPU. Of course, if the computer acquires or loads the program, it may acquire or load it through the network.

The OS (operating system) running on the computer, database management software, MW (middleware) such as the network, etc. execute a part of the processing procedure based on the instructions of the program installed on the computer or embedded system from the recording medium. You may. Further, the recording medium in each embodiment is not limited to a medium independent of a computer or an embedded system, but also includes a recording medium in which a program transmitted by a LAN, the Internet, or the like is downloaded and stored or temporarily stored. Further, the recording medium is not limited to one, and when the process is executed from a plurality of media, the recording medium is included and the medium may have any configuration.

The computer or embedded system in each embodiment is for executing each process in each embodiment based on a program stored in a recording medium, and is a device including one such as a personal computer and a microcomputer, and a plurality of devices. The device may have any configuration such as a system connected to a network. In addition, the computer in each embodiment is not limited to a personal computer, but also includes an arithmetic processing unit, a microcomputer, etc. included in an information processing device, and is a general term for devices and devices capable of realizing functions in all embodiments by a program. are doing.

According to at least one embodiment described above, it is possible to improve the reliability of the adsorption holding operation by having the light amount sensor that detects the light amount two-dimensionally.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, as well as in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

The inventions described in the claims at the time of filing the patent application of the original application of the present application are added below.
[1] A suction device that sucks gas and
A suction unit that communicates with the suction device and sucks an object by suction of the suction device.
A light amount sensor that two-dimensionally detects the amount of light from the object,
A control device that controls the suction device based on the information detected by the light amount sensor, and
Holding device equipped with.
[2] The control device controls the suction device so that suction is performed when the result of detection of the light amount distribution by the light amount sensor satisfies a predetermined condition.
The holding device according to [1].
[3] The control device controls the suction device so as to perform suction when it is detected that the object is close to the suction portion based on the information detected by the light amount sensor.
The holding device according to [1] or [2].
[4] A suction unit including the suction portion and a support member that supports the suction portion is provided.
The light amount sensor is arranged inside the suction unit.
The holding device according to any one of [1] to [3].
[5] The light amount sensor is an image sensor.
The holding device according to any one of [1] to [4].
[6] The control device estimates the distance to the object based on the change in the size of at least one of the object and the feature portion on the surface of the object in the image acquired by the image sensor, and the distance is the distance. Control the suction device to perform suction when it is below the threshold value.
The holding device according to [5].
[7] The control device sets the distance threshold value to the first value when the moving speed of the suction unit is the first speed, and the moving speed of the suction unit is faster than the first speed. When the speed is 2, the distance threshold is set to a second value larger than the first value.
The holding device according to [6].
[8] Further equipped with an acceleration sensor
The control device sets the distance threshold value based on the signal output from the acceleration sensor.
The holding device according to [7].
[9] A suction unit including the suction portion and a support member that supports the suction portion, and a suction unit.
An actuator that moves the image sensor between a first position in which the entire image sensor is located inside the suction unit and a second position in which at least a part of the image sensor is located outside the suction unit. ,
With,
The holding device according to any one of [5] to [8].
[10] A proximity sensor for detecting that the object is close to the suction portion is further provided.
Regardless of the result of detection by the light amount sensor, the control device performs suction when it is detected that the object is close to the suction portion based on the information detected by the proximity sensor. Control the suction device,
The holding device according to any one of [1] to [9].
[11] A suction unit including the suction portion and a support member that supports the suction portion is provided.
The holding device according to [10], wherein the proximity sensor is arranged inside the suction unit.
[12] Further equipped with a lighting device
The control device controls the suction device so as to perform suction when the detection result of the light amount distribution acquired by the light amount sensor satisfies a predetermined condition while the lighting device is irradiating light.
The holding device according to any one of [1] to [11].
[13] The light amount sensor is arranged at substantially the center of the suction portion in a plane substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the suction portion is attracted to the object.
The holding device according to any one of [1] to [12].
[14] A first state in which the flow path between the suction device and the suction portion communicates with the atmospheric pressure space, and a second state in which communication between the flow path and the atmospheric pressure space is cut off. A switching valve that can be switched between
The drive device that drives the suction device and the switching valve, and
A pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the gas in the flow path,
With more
The holding device according to any one of [1] to [13].
[15] The control device stops driving the suction device when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is lower than the first pressure threshold, and the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is the second pressure threshold. When it is higher than, the driving of the suction device is started, and the second pressure threshold is substantially equal to or higher than the first pressure threshold.
The holding device according to [14].
[16] A support member for supporting the suction portion is further provided.
The support member has an air hole communicating with the suction portion and the suction device.
The light amount sensor is arranged so as to be separated from the air hole toward the suction device.
The holding device according to any one of [1] to [15].
[17] An elastic member that supports the light amount sensor is further provided with respect to the support member.
The holding device according to [16].
[18] A suction device that sucks gas and
A suction unit that communicates with the suction device and sucks an object by suction of the suction device.
A light amount sensor that two-dimensionally detects the amount of light from the object,
A control device that controls the suction device based on the information acquired by the light amount sensor, and
Aircraft equipped with.
[19] A suction device that sucks gas, a suction unit that communicates with the suction device and sucks an object by suction of the suction device, a light amount sensor that two-dimensionally detects the amount of light from the object, and the light amount. A holding device having a control device that controls the suction device based on the information acquired by the sensor, and a holding device.
A moving mechanism for moving the holding device and
A recognition device that recognizes the object and
A movement mechanism control device that controls the movement mechanism based on the output from the recognition device, and
Conveyance system with.

1 ... transport system, 10 ... flying object (moving mechanism), 12 ... recognition device, 14 ... flying object control device (moving mechanism control device), 20 ... holding device, 24 ... support member, 24b ... air hole, 26 ... suction Pad (suction unit), 27 ... suction unit, 28 ... suction device, 30 ... pressure sensor, 32 ... switching valve, 36 ... image sensor (light amount sensor), 42 ... lighting device, 44 ... elastic member, 60 ... control device ( Control unit), 90 ... proximity sensor, 94 ... acceleration sensor, 96 ... actuator.

Claims (19)

A suction part that sucks an object and has a cavity,
A suction device that communicates with the suction part and sucks the gas inside the suction part so as to suck the object on the suction part.
A light amount sensor that detects light incident through the cavity and detects the amount of light from the object,
A control device that determines the adsorption state of the adsorption portion based on the amount of light acquired by the light amount sensor, and
A holding device comprising. The control device controls the suction device so that suction is performed when the result of detection of the light amount by the light amount sensor satisfies a predetermined condition.
The holding device according to claim 1. The control device controls the suction device so as to perform suction when it is detected that the object is close to the suction portion based on the light amount detected by the light amount sensor.
The holding device according to claim 1 or 2. A suction unit including the suction portion and a support member that supports the suction portion is provided.
The light amount sensor is arranged inside the suction unit.
The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The light amount sensor is an image sensor.
The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The control device estimates the distance to the object based on the change in the size of at least one of the object and the feature portion on the surface of the object in the image acquired by the image sensor, and the distance is equal to or less than the distance threshold value. Control the suction device to perform suction in certain cases,
The holding device according to claim 5. The control device sets the distance threshold value to the first value when the moving speed of the suction unit is the first speed, and the moving speed of the suction unit is faster than the first speed. If, the distance threshold is set to a second value larger than the first value.
The holding device according to claim 6. Equipped with an accelerometer
The control device sets the distance threshold value based on the signal output from the acceleration sensor.
The holding device according to claim 7. A suction unit including the suction part and a support member supporting the suction part, and
An actuator that moves the image sensor between a first position in which the entire image sensor is located inside the suction unit and a second position in which at least a part of the image sensor is located outside the suction unit. ,
With,
The holding device according to any one of claims 5 to 8. Further equipped with a proximity sensor for detecting that the object is in close proximity to the suction portion,
Regardless of the result of detection by the light amount sensor, the control device performs suction when it is detected that the object is close to the suction portion based on the information detected by the proximity sensor. Control the suction device,
The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. A suction unit including the suction portion and a support member that supports the suction portion is provided.
The holding device according to claim 10, wherein the proximity sensor is arranged inside the suction unit. With more lighting equipment
The control device controls the suction device so that suction is performed when the detection result of the light amount acquired by the light amount sensor satisfies a predetermined condition while the lighting device is irradiating light.
The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. The light amount sensor is arranged at substantially the center of the suction portion in a plane substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the suction portion is attracted to the object.
The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 12. Switching between a first state in which the flow path between the suction device and the suction portion communicates with the atmospheric pressure space and a second state in which communication between the flow path and the atmospheric pressure space is cut off. Possible switching valve and
The drive device that drives the suction device and the switching valve, and
A pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the gas in the flow path,
With more
The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 13. The control device stops driving the suction device when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is lower than the first pressure threshold, and the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is higher than the second pressure threshold. If the suction device is started to be driven, the second pressure threshold is substantially equal to or higher than the first pressure threshold.
The holding device according to claim 14. Further provided with a support member for supporting the suction portion,
The support member has an air hole communicating with the suction portion and the suction device.
The light amount sensor is arranged so as to be separated from the air hole toward the suction device.
The holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 15. An elastic member that supports the light amount sensor is further provided with respect to the support member.
The holding device according to claim 16. A suction part that sucks an object and has a cavity,
A suction device that communicates with the suction part and sucks the gas inside the suction part so as to suck the object on the suction part.
A light amount sensor that detects light incident through the cavity and detects the amount of light from the object,
A control device that determines the adsorption state of the adsorption portion based on the amount of light acquired by the light amount sensor, and
Aircraft with. An object is adsorbed, a suction device having a cavity, a suction device that communicates with the suction part, and sucks a gas inside the suction part so as to suck the object to the suction part, and an incident through the cavity. A holding device having a light amount sensor that detects light and detects the amount of light from the object, and a control device that determines the suction state of the suction portion based on the light amount acquired by the light amount sensor.
A moving mechanism for moving the holding device and
A recognition device that recognizes the object and
A movement mechanism control device that controls the movement mechanism based on the output from the recognition device, and
Conveyance system with.

Images