JP2021070068A - Container transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a container transfer device capable of preventing damage of a head part with a simple structure.SOLUTION: A container transfer device 3 includes a robot body 31 for moving a head part 32 in at least vertical and lateral directions, and moves a container C while holding both ends of the container C. The head part 32 includes a base part 34, movable parts 35, and nail parts 36. The base part 34 is connected to the robot body 31. The movable parts 35 are movable to a restrain position restrained by the base part 34 and a retreat position separated upward from the base part 34. The nail parts 36 are provided in each of the movable parts 35 and hold the container C.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a container transfer device.

As a container transfer device, a stacking and stacking device using a robot is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The container transfer device grabs and lifts the container from both sides after the robot head moves to a predetermined position where the container is placed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-12406

By the way, the container may be displaced from the predetermined position for some reason. At that time, the head portion cannot grasp the container, which may lead to damage to the head portion. Therefore, it is conceivable to install a sensor that can monitor a wide area and detect the displacement of the container, but this will lead to an increase in cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container transfer device capable of preventing damage to a head portion with a simple structure.

The container transfer device of the present invention includes a robot body capable of moving the head portion at least in the vertical and horizontal directions, and holds and moves both ends of the container. The head portion includes a base portion, a movable portion, and a claw portion. The base portion is connected to the robot body. The movable portion can be moved to a restrained position constrained by the base portion and a retracted position separated upward from the base portion. Claws are provided on each movable portion to hold the container.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a container transfer device capable of preventing damage to the head portion with a simple structure.

The above and other objectives, features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention as understood in connection with the accompanying drawings.

The front view which shows typically the container transfer system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The plan view which shows typically the container transfer system which concerns on this embodiment. The perspective view which shows typically the head part of the container transfer apparatus which concerns on the same embodiment. The front view which shows a part of the head part of the container transfer apparatus which concerns on this embodiment schematically.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

The container transfer system 10 of the present embodiment supplies an empty container C toward a case packer (not shown) on the downstream side. The container transfer system 10 includes a transfer device 1, a container preparation device 2, and a container transfer device 3.

The transport device 1 transports the container C. The transport device 1 is connected to a case packer. The case packer automatically stores a predetermined number of egg packs (not shown) in an empty container C. The container C is, for example, a storage container made of synthetic resin having an outer rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open upper surface.

In the container preparation device 2, the container C temporarily stands by in a state where the container C is stacked in a plurality of stages on the carriage 21.

The container transfer device 3 moves the container C from the container preparation device 2 to the transfer device 1. The container transfer device 3 holds both ends of the top container C among the stacked in a plurality of stages, and moves the containers C one by one. The container transfer device 3 includes a robot main body 31, a head unit 32, and a control unit 33.

The robot body 31 is a conventional articulated robot (for example, a 6-axis vertical articulated robot) in which the head portion 32 operates arbitrarily. The robot body 31 may be any as long as the head portion 32 can be moved at least in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the head portion 32 can be arbitrarily moved with respect to the X, Y, and Z axes. Various things such as robots or devices that can be used can be adopted.

The head portion 32 is attached to the robot main body 31. The head portion 32 includes a base portion 34, a movable portion 35, and a claw portion 36.

The base portion 34 is connected to the robot main body 31. The base unit 34 includes a detection unit 37 that detects the movement of the movable unit 35 to the retracted position. The detection unit 37 is, for example, a regression reflection type photoelectric sensor. The light of the photoelectric sensor is shown by a thick alternate long and short dash line in FIG. The base portion 34 moves according to the movement of the tip portion of the robot main body 31.

The movable portion 35 is movable to a restraint position constrained by the base portion 34 and a retracted position away from the base portion 34 upward. In FIG. 4, the restraint position is indicated by a solid line, and the retracted position is indicated by a chain double-dashed line. The movable portions 35 are provided in pairs. The movable portion 35 rotates with respect to the base portion 34. That is, the base end side of the movable portion 35 is connected to the base portion 34 via a shaft. The movable portion 35 forms a straight line with the base portion 34 at the restraint position, and is located above the base portion 34 at the retracted position with the shaft at the lower end. The movable portion 35 is in a restraint position when the container C on the container preparation device 2 is in a predetermined position. On the other hand, when the container C on the container preparation device 2 is deviated from a predetermined position, the claw portion 36 hits the container C when the head portion 32 approaches the container C from above. When the head portion 32 further approaches the container C from this state, the movable portion 35 is lifted with respect to the base portion 34 via the claw portion 36. In this way, the movable portion 35 moves to the retracted position.

Further, the movable portion 35 includes a drive portion 38 that reciprocates the claw portion 36. The drive unit 38 is, for example, an air cylinder. The drive unit 38 brings the claw portion 36 closer to the center of the head portion 32 in order to engage the claw portion 36 with the container C from the outside of the container C, or removes the claw portion 36 from the container C to the outside. Move 36 away from the outside of the head portion 32.

The claw portion 36 holds the container C. The claw portion 36 is provided on each movable portion 35, respectively. The claw portion 36 includes a reflector 39. The reflector 39 reflects the light wave of the photoelectric sensor, and is, for example, a mirror. When the movable portion 35 is in the restrained position, the signal light is reflected by the mirror and reaches the light receiving element without being interrupted. On the other hand, when the movable portion 35 is in the retracted position, the signal light is blocked between the detection unit 37 and the reflector 39. Further, even if the claw portion 36 is incorrectly attached, the signal light is not reflected well by the reflector 39, so that the desired signal light may not reach the light receiving element. The claw portion 36 is removable to each movable portion 35, and a plurality of different types of claw portions 36 may be prepared according to the size and shape of the container C.

The control unit 33 is composed of a dedicated or general-purpose computer such as a CPU, an internal memory, an input / output interface, and an AD conversion unit. The function as the control unit 33 is exhibited by the cooperation of the CPU and other peripheral devices according to the program stored in the internal memory. The control unit 33 of the present embodiment mainly controls the movement of the robot body 31 and the movement of the drive unit 38.

As described above, the container transfer device 3 according to the present embodiment includes a robot body 31 capable of moving the head portion 32 at least in the vertical and horizontal directions, and holds and moves both ends of the container C. The head portion 32 includes a base portion 34, a movable portion 35, and a claw portion 36. The base portion 34 is connected to the robot main body 31. The movable portion 35 can move to a restraint position constrained by the base portion 34 and a retracted position away from the base portion 34 upward. The movable portions 35 are provided in pairs. The claw portion 36 is provided on each movable portion 35 and holds the container C. Therefore, when an unexpected situation occurs, the head portion 32 deforms by itself (the movable portion 35 retracts), so that damage to the head portion 32 can be avoided.

When the container C is displaced, the portion of the head portion 32 that first collides with the container C is the claw portions 36 located near both end portions of the container C. The claw portion 36 is switched on / off for detection by the detection unit 37 depending on whether or not the claw portion 36 is retracted together with the movable portion 35. Therefore, it is not necessary for the sensor to be capable of monitoring a wide range or to be installed outside the container C, and the head portion 32 can be made into a simple and compact configuration.

The movable portion 35 includes a drive portion 38 that reciprocates the claw portion 36. Therefore, the container C can be reliably held from both sides according to the size of the container C.

The base unit 34 includes a detection unit 37 that detects the movement of the movable unit 35 to the retracted position. Therefore, the deformation of the head portion 32 (the movable portion 35 is retracted) can be detected with a simple configuration, and the mounting state of the claw portion 36 can be confirmed at the same time. In particular, since the base portion 34 is provided with the detection portion 37 and the claw portion 36 is provided with the reflector 39, it is also preferable when the claw portion 36 is replaced in response to various containers C.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

For example, a plurality of containers C may be moved at one time, or the container C in which the contents are contained in the storage space may be moved.

The movable portion 35 is not limited to the one that rotates. The claw portion 36 may hold both ends from the accommodation space side of the container C.

The embodiments disclosed this time are examples and are not limited thereto. The present invention is shown by the scope of claims, not the scope described above, and is intended to include all modifications in the sense and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

The present invention can be used in a container transfer device for disassembling stacked containers.

3 ... Container transfer device 31 ... Robot body 32 ... Head unit 34 ... Base unit 35 ... Movable unit 36 ... Claw unit 37 ... Detection unit 38 ... Drive unit C ... Container

Claims (3)

Equipped with a robot body that can move the head part at least in the vertical and horizontal directions
A container transfer device that holds and moves both ends of a container.
The head part
The base part connected to the robot body and
A movable part that can be moved to a restrained position constrained by the base part and a retracted position away from the base part,
A container transfer device characterized in that each movable portion is provided with a claw portion for holding a container. The container transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the movable portion includes a drive portion that reciprocates the claw portion. The container transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the base unit includes a detection unit that detects the movement of the movable unit to the retracted position.

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