JP2021094662A - Transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a transfer device which prevents interference with a cargo when an object cargo is sucked by a suction device and is lifted to insert a support plate into a lower side of the cargo.SOLUTION: A transfer table 27 of a hand 23 supports a bottom surface of a cargo W. A transfer table drive device 29 moves the transfer table 27 in a longitudinal direction with respect to a hand base 25. A suction device 31 sucks a side surface of the cargo W. A vertical drive device 33 moves the suction device 31 in a vertical direction with respect to the hand base 25. In inclination control, a controller 51 makes the suction device 31 suck the side surface of the cargo W, makes the vertical drive device 33 move the suction device 31 upward, and makes the transfer table 27 take an inclined posture with a front side end turned downward with respect to a rear side end. In lifting control, the controller 51 moves the hand base 25 in a state where the inclined posture of the transfer table 27 is maintained in a direction including at least an upper side from a suction position while placing the cargo W on the transfer table 27 by moving the transfer table 27 in the inclined posture to a front side with respect to the hand base 25.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 19

Description

The present invention relates to a transfer device, in particular a transfer device for removing one or more articles from a stacked article.

Currently, there is a demand to solve the labor shortage in the logistics industry, and robot motion technology and image recognition technology are advancing to achieve that purpose, and the movement to make robots perform heavy labor palletizing and depalletizing work is spreading. There is.
The operation of palletizing and depalletizing is generally carried out by adsorbing air on the upper surface of the load with a hand (a mechanism attached to the tip of the robot to actually grip the load).
For example, there is a picking system that picks articles one by one from the top by a picking robot for a group of articles composed of a plurality of stacked articles (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2019-5871

In the conventional picking robot, the upper surface of the luggage is adsorbed by air and transferred. However, in the case of a corrugated cardboard box having an open top surface, it is difficult to transfer it by adsorbing the top surface.
On the other hand, a picking robot that sucks the side surface of a cardboard box has also been developed. Such a device has a base, a suction device, and a support plate. The base is attached, for example, to the tip of a robot arm. The suction device can move up and down with respect to the base. The support plate is movable in the front-rear direction under the base.
In the depalletizing operation, the suction device first sucks the side surface of the cargo, and then the suction device is raised with respect to the base while the base is moved to the rear side by the robot arm. As a result, the side surface of the load is lifted and a gap is formed between the load and the lower member. Then, the support plate is inserted into the gap on the lower side of the cardboard box.
However, in the past, there was a possibility that the gap could not be sufficiently secured. Therefore, there is a possibility that interference with the adsorbed luggage or the luggage below it may occur.

An object of the present invention is to prevent interference with the load when the target load is sucked and lifted by the suction device and the support plate is inserted into the lower side of the load in the transfer device.

Hereinafter, a plurality of aspects will be described as means for solving the problem. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as needed.

The transfer device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a device for transferring a load by moving it in the front-rear direction, and is a base, a support plate, a front-back movement device, a suction device, and a vertical movement. It is equipped with a device and a controller.
The support plate supports the bottom surface of the luggage.
The front-back moving device moves the support plate in the front-back direction with respect to the base.
The suction device sucks the side surface of the load.
The vertical movement device moves the suction device in the vertical direction with respect to the base.
The controller performs tilt control and lift control.
In the tilt control, the controller sucks the side surface of the load by the suction device, moves the suction device upward with respect to the base by the vertical movement device, and the front end of the support plate becomes the lower side with respect to the rear end. Make them lean.
In the lifting control, the controller moves the support plate in the inclined posture to the front side with respect to the base to place the load on the support plate, and at least tilts the support plate in the direction including the upper side from the suction position. Move it while keeping it.
In this device, the support plate is tilted after the suction device sucks the load by tilt control. Since the support plate can be tilted to the front side in this way, a wide clearance between the support plate and the luggage below can be obtained. As a result, it is difficult for the support plate to come into contact with the lower luggage.
Further, in the lifting control, since the base portion is moved upward from the suction position, the load to be sucked can be easily separated from the load on the lower side. As a result, the luggage can be smoothly placed on the support plate.

Before executing the lifting control, the controller may execute the insertion control of inserting the load below the load by moving the support plate in the inclined posture with respect to the base located at the suction position.
In this device, by performing the insertion control, the support plate can be lifted in the oblique direction in the load-supported state in the next lifting control. As a result, the load on the suction device can be reduced. Specifically, since the load of the load can be supported by the support plate, it is possible to prevent the load from being peeled off from the suction device.

The transfer device may further include a slide belt that is wound around a support plate and that deforms along the moving position of the support plate when the support plate moves in the front-rear direction with respect to the base.
In this device, the portion of the slide belt that comes into contact with the load moves in the front-rear direction with respect to the support plate together with the load. That is, when the support plate pulls in the load, the slide belt slides with respect to the support plate, but the load is pulled onto the support plate without sliding with the slide belt. Therefore, the load of the load when moving the load adsorbed on the side surface in the vertical direction is less likely to act on the suction device.

In the operation of moving the base portion upward from the suction position in the lifting control, the base portion may be moved diagonally upward on the rear side.
The moving tilt angle of the base may be larger than the tilt angle of the support plate in the tilted posture determined at the time of tilt control.
In this device, in the lifting control, the base is moved to the rear side at an inclination angle larger than the inclination angle of the support plate, so that the load is less likely to be caught by the lower load. As a result, the luggage can be smoothly placed on the support plate.

The transfer device may further include a holding mechanism. The holding mechanism may have a cam that fixes the suction device so as not to swing in the lowered position and holds the suction device swingably in the raised position.
After executing the lifting control, the controller may put the load on the support plate by lowering the suction device, and then put the support plate in the horizontal posture.
In this device, since the suction device can swing in the raised position, a large load does not act on the suction device. This is because it is possible to prevent the load from being peeled off from the suction device by tilting the suction device along the load when the suction device is raised and when the tilt control is executed.
Further, since the suction device cannot swing at the lowered position, the load can be stably held. As a result, the luggage is stably placed on the support plate and is stably transported thereafter.

In the transfer device according to the present invention, interference with the load is unlikely to occur when the support plate is inserted into the lower side of the load by sucking and lifting it with the suction device.

The schematic plan view of the picking system of 1st Embodiment. A perspective view from diagonally above the hand. A perspective view from diagonally below the hand. Top view of the hand. Side view of the hand. Schematic side view of the hand. Schematic side view of the hand. The schematic diagram which shows the relationship between the hand base of a hand, and the vertical drive device. Schematic diagram of the holding mechanism. Schematic diagram of the holding mechanism. A block diagram showing a control configuration of a hand. Flowchart of depalletization control operation. Flowchart of depalletization control operation. The schematic diagram which shows one state of the deparating operation by a hand. The schematic diagram which shows one state of the deparating operation by a hand. The schematic diagram which shows one state of the deparating operation by a hand. The schematic diagram which shows one state of the deparating operation by a hand. The schematic diagram which shows one state of the palletizing operation by a hand. The schematic diagram which shows one state of the palletizing operation by a hand. The schematic diagram which shows one state of the palletizing operation by a hand. The schematic diagram which shows one state of the palletizing operation by a hand. The schematic diagram which shows one state of the baggage return operation by a hand. The schematic diagram which shows one state of the baggage return operation by a hand. The schematic diagram which shows one state of the baggage return operation by a hand.

1. 1. First Embodiment (1) Overall Configuration of Picking System The picking system 1 will be described as the first embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the picking system of the first embodiment.

The picking system 1 is a device for picking the requested article. Specifically, the operation of stacking the luggage W on the pallet P (palletizing) and the operation of taking out the luggage W from the stacked luggage W (depalletizing). ) Do the operation.
The picking system 1 has a palletizing unit 3 and a depalletizing unit 5. In the palletizing section 3, luggage W is stacked. In the depalletizing section 5, the luggage W is taken. The luggage W is, for example, stacked on the pallet P in an aligned state in the vertical, front, rear, left, and right directions.

The picking system 1 has a carry-in conveyor device 7. The carry-in conveyor device 7 is a device that carries the luggage W to the picking position.
The picking system 1 has a carry-out conveyor device 9. The carry-out conveyor device 9 is a device for carrying out the luggage W from the picking position.
The carry-in conveyor device 7 and the carry-out conveyor device 9 are arranged adjacent to each other, and extend in one horizontal direction and are arranged in parallel.
The picking system 1 has a picking robot 15 (an example of a transfer device). The picking robot 15 is a device for performing a palletizing operation and a depalletizing operation. The picking robot 15 is arranged between the palletizing section 3 and the depalletizing section 5.

(2) Picking Robot The picking robot 15 has a robot arm 21. The robot arm 21 is a known technique.
The picking robot 15 has a hand 23 (an example of a transfer device). The hand 23 is a device for transferring by moving the luggage W in the front-rear direction (the side approaching the luggage W is the front side and the side away from the luggage W is the rear side), and is attached to the tip of the robot arm 21. Has been done.

The hand 23 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. FIG. 2 is a perspective view from diagonally above the hand. FIG. 3 is a perspective view from diagonally below the hand. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the hand. FIG. 5 is a side view of the hand.
The hand 23 has a hand base 25 (an example of a base). The hand base 25 is rotatably connected to the lower tip of the arm of the robot arm 21. The hand 23 is swiveled with respect to the robot arm 21 by the swivel device 26 (FIG. 1).
The hand 23 has a transfer table 27 (an example of a support plate). The transfer table 27 is provided on the lower surface of the hand base 25 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and can support the bottom surface of the luggage W. Specifically, the transfer table 27 is movably supported by a guide portion (not shown) on the lower surface of the hand base 25. The transfer table 27 has a rectangular shape formed longer in the front-rear direction than the hand base 25, and can project to any side of the hand base 25 in the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the hand 23 has a transfer table drive device 29 (an example of a front-rear drive device). The transfer table drive device 29 is a device that drives the transfer table 27 in the front-rear direction with respect to the hand base 25.
The transfer table drive device 29 includes a motor 30 provided on the hand 23, a plurality of pulleys (not shown) provided on the transfer table 27, and a belt (not shown) hung on the pulleys. The transfer table drive device may be a chain mechanism, a rack & pinion mechanism, an electric cylinder, or an air cylinder.
The transfer table driving device 29 has a first position (for example, FIG. 7) whose front end is on the front side in the front-rear direction from the suction device 31 (described later) and a front end is rearward in the front-rear direction from the suction device 31. It is movable to and from a second position on the side (eg, FIG. 2).

The structure of the transfer table 27 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of the hand. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the hand.
A slide belt 47 is wound around the transfer table 27. Both ends of the slide belt 47 are fixed to the lower part of the hand base 25, and the slide belt 47 is wound so as to cover the upper surfaces and the lower surfaces of both sides of the transfer table 27. When the transfer table 27 moves in the front-rear direction with respect to the hand base 25, the slide belt 47 is deformed along the moving position of the transfer table. Therefore, when the luggage W is transferred to the transfer table 27, when a load in the front-rear direction is applied from the luggage W to the slide belt 47, the portion of the slide belt 47 in contact with the luggage W is transferred together with the luggage to the transfer table 27. Moves back and forth with respect to. That is, the slide belt 47 slides with respect to the transfer table 27, but the luggage W is drawn onto the transfer table 27 without sliding with the slide belt 47. Therefore, the luggage W is not easily damaged.

The hand 23 has a suction device 31 (an example of a suction device). The suction device 31 is provided on the hand base 25 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and can suck the side surface of the luggage W. The suction device 31 is sucked and released by the suction device 49 (FIG. 11). The suction device 31 has a suction pad 31a (FIG. 8) that actually comes into contact with the load W.

The hand 23 will be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the relationship between the hand base of the hand and the vertical drive device.
The hand 23 has a vertical drive device 33 (an example of a vertical drive device). The vertical drive device 33 and the suction device 31 are driven in the vertical direction with respect to the hand base 25.
The vertical drive device 33 has an air cylinder 35. The air cylinder 35 drives the suction device 31 in the upward direction with respect to the hand base 25. The air cylinder 35 can be detached from the suction device 31 in the downward direction. The air cylinder 35 has a piston 35a, and the piston 35a can come into contact with the receiving portion 31b of the suction device 31 from below to push up the suction device 31. As shown in FIG. 4, the air cylinder 35 is arranged in the middle in the width direction near the suction device 31 of the hand base 25.

The vertical drive device 33 has a spring member 37 that urges the suction device 31 downward. Specifically, one end of the spring member 37 is fixed to the hand base 25, the other end is fixed to the suction device 31, and the suction device 31 is pulled downward with respect to the hand base 25. By using the spring member 37, the luggage W can be reliably lowered and placed on the transfer table 27 even after the air cylinder 35 is separated downward from the suction device 31 (described later). The spring members 37 are arranged at two locations on both outer sides in the width direction, for example, near the suction device 31 of the hand base 25. In FIG. 8, the spring member 37 is arranged in the vicinity of the air cylinder 35, but this is only schematically drawn and does not limit the actual arrangement. Further, the fixing destination of the spring member 37 is not particularly limited. More specifically, when the piston 35a of the air cylinder 35 is lowered downward, the suction device 31 continues to follow the piston 35a by being pulled by its own weight and the spring member 37, and the luggage W is the lower device or the luggage. When it is placed on, it stops moving downward. After that, the piston 35a separates from the suction device 31.
The vertical drive device 33 can lower the suction device 31 to a position where it overlaps the transfer table 27 in the height direction (see FIG. 14). At this time, the transfer table 27 is on the rear side (the above-mentioned second position) of the suction device 31 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, even a short luggage W can be picked. The above is possible when the suction device 31 is at the lowermost position with respect to the hand base 25 and the transfer table 27 when the air cylinder 35 is most contracted, but at this time, the lower surface of the suction device 31 is the transfer table. This is because it is below the upper surface of 27. However, the above structure is not essential.
As shown in FIG. 3, the hand 23 further has a contact member 39 on the lower surface of the suction device 31. The contact member 39 is partially formed on the lower surface of the suction device 31. The contact member 39 is an elastic member such as rubber. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the contact member 39 is provided near both ends on the outer side in the width direction of the suction device 31, and has a band shape extending in the front-rear direction. The shape, number, position, and material of the contact members are not particularly limited. Moreover, the contact member may be omitted.

The hand 23 has a suction device holding mechanism 43 (hereinafter, referred to as a holding mechanism 43). The holding mechanism 43 fixes the suction device 31 so as not to swing at the lowered position, and holds the suction device 31 swingably at the raised position.
The holding mechanism 43 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. 9 and 10 are schematic views of the holding mechanism.
The holding mechanism 43 has a cam member 53 and a roller 55. The cam member 53 is fixed to the main body of the hand base 25. The cam member 53 has a hollow portion 54 for supporting the roller 55. The hollow portion 54 has a locking surface 54a extending linearly in the vertical direction at the lower part of the side surface on the suction device 31 side. The hollow portion 54 further has a curved surface 54b that is continuous from the locking surface 54a and smoothly curved on the side surface on the suction device 31 side. The curved surface 54b is recessed from the locking surface 54a to the rear side in the front-rear direction. The hollowed out portion 54 has a second locking surface 54c facing the locking surface 54a and the curved surface 54b. The second locking surface 54c extends in the vertical direction. The cam member 53 is arranged at two locations on both outer sides in the width direction, for example, near the suction device 31 of the hand base 25.

The roller 55 is rotatably provided on the cam member 53 side of the lower part of the suction device 31. The rotation axis of the roller 55 is parallel to the width direction of the hand 23. The roller 55 is in contact with or in close proximity to the locking surface 54a and the curved surface 54b of the cam member 53.
The suction device 31 has a fulcrum 31c as a rotation center on the upper cam member 53 side. The rotation axis of the fulcrum 31c is parallel to the width direction of the hand 23. The fulcrum 31c is, for example, a pin, and the pin is movably guided in an elongated hole (not shown) formed in a plate (not shown) of the hand base 25 and extending in the vertical direction.
The suction device 31 cannot be rotated clockwise from the state shown in FIG. 9 by a stopper (not shown). That is, the suction device 31 is rotatable with respect to the hand base 25 only counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG.

When the suction device 31 is located below as shown in FIG. 9, the roller 55 is in contact with the locking surface 53a of the cam member 53, so that the suction device 31 cannot rotate counterclockwise.
As shown in FIG. 10, when the suction device 31 rises, the roller 55 slides on the curved surface 53b of the cam member 53, whereby the suction device 31 tilts with respect to the hand base 25 according to the posture of the luggage W. be able to. When the suction device 31 tries to rotate clockwise in this state, the roller 55 comes into contact with the second locking surface 54c to limit the rotation of the suction device 31.
As described above, by using the cam member 53, locking and unlocking of the swing of the suction device 31 can be switched by the ascending / descending operation of the suction device 31.

As shown in FIG. 18, the picking system 1 has a gap sensor 36 (an example of a grasping unit). The gap sensor 36 is provided on the hand 23, for example, and detects a gap below the luggage W during the luggage depalletizing operation described later (described later). Specifically, the gap sensor 36 is a laser distance sensor and can measure the distance to an object.
As shown in FIG. 1, the picking system 1 further includes a camera 38 (an example of an imaging device) that images the luggage W. The camera 38 captures, for example, a plurality of luggage Ws placed on the pallet P. The image data of the camera 38 is used to identify the position and shape of the luggage W (described later).
The number, position, type, etc. of cameras are not particularly limited.

(3) Hand Control Configuration The control configuration of the hand 23 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the hand.
The hand 23 has a controller 51.
The controller 51 is a computer having a processor (for example, a CPU), a storage device (for example, ROM, RAM, HDD, SSD, etc.) and various interfaces (for example, an A / D converter, a D / A converter, a communication interface, etc.). It is a system. The controller 51 performs various control operations by executing a program stored in the storage unit (corresponding to a part or all of the storage area of the storage device).

The controller 51 may be composed of a single processor, or may be composed of a plurality of independent processors for each control.
Some or all of the functions of each element of the controller 51 may be realized as a program that can be executed by the computer system constituting the controller 51. In addition, a part of the function of each element of the controller 51 may be configured by a custom IC.

The controller 51 controls the swivel device 26, the transfer table drive device 29, the suction device 49, and the air cylinder 35.
Although not shown in FIG. 11, the controller 51 also controls the entire robot arm 21.
A detection signal from the gap sensor 36 (an example of the grasping unit) is transmitted to the controller 51.

An image signal is transmitted to the controller 51 as image pickup data from the camera 38. The controller 51 can determine the position, shape, size, etc. of the luggage W based on the image signal. The controller 51 has a processing range for performing image processing. This is to reduce the amount of image processing calculation.
Although not shown, the controller 51 is connected to a sensor for detecting the size, shape, and position of the luggage W, a sensor and a switch for detecting the state of each device, and an information input device.

(4) Deparating operation (4-1) Basic operation Using FIGS. 12 to 21, an operation of taking out one or more of the stacked luggage Ws (deparating operation) will be described. 12 and 13 are flowcharts of the depalletization control operation. 14 to 21 are schematic views showing one state of the depalletizing operation by the hand.
The control flowchart described below is an example, and each step can be omitted or replaced as necessary. Further, a plurality of steps may be executed at the same time, or some or all of them may be executed in an overlapping manner.
Further, each block of the control flowchart is not limited to a single control operation, and can be replaced with a plurality of control operations represented by a plurality of blocks.
The following control operation is performed by the controller 51 transmitting a control signal to each device.

In step S1 of FIG. 12, image processing is performed based on the image signal from the camera 38, and the position and shape of the target baggage W are recognized. Specifically, the image processing unit (not shown) of the controller 51 executes the above operation.
In step S2 of FIG. 12, as shown in FIG. 14, the robot arm 21 moves the hand 23 to a position corresponding to the target luggage W. At this time, the transfer table 27 is in a horizontal posture.
In step S3, as shown in FIG. 15, the robot arm 21 advances the hand 23.

In step S4, as shown in FIG. 15, the suction device 31 is applied to the side surface of the load W with the lower reference of the load W to be sucked. Specifically, just before the suction device 31 comes into contact with the luggage W, the suction device 49 starts suction, and the robot arm 21 moves the entire hand 23 to push the suction device 31 toward the luggage W side.
In step S5, as shown in FIG. 16, the robot arm 21 moves the entire hand 23 to the rear side. At this time, the suction device 31 rises with respect to the hand base 25 to lift the luggage W. Specifically, the air cylinder 35 raises the suction device 31 with respect to the hand base 25. Therefore, the luggage W is lifted by the suction device 31 and tilted together with the suction device 31. As a result, the target luggage W is less likely to interfere with the luggage W in the back.
As described above, since the suction device 31 can be swung by the holding mechanism 43 at the raised position, a large load does not act on the suction device 31.

In step S6, as shown in FIG. 17, the robot arm 21 tilts the posture of the hand 23. As a result, the transfer table 27 is in an inclined posture in which the front end is on the lower side with respect to the rear end.
In step S7, as shown in FIG. 18, the gap is detected by the gap sensor 36 after the load W is raised. Specifically, a laser beam is emitted from the gap sensor 36, and the distance to an object ahead of the laser beam is measured. The laser beam is emitted below the luggage W.
In step S8, it is determined whether or not there is a space for inserting the transfer table 27 between the target luggage W and the lower luggage W. If there is space, the process proceeds to step S9, and if there is no space, the process proceeds to step S13. After step S13, the process returns to step S1.

In step S9, as shown in FIG. 19, the transfer table driving device 29 moves the transfer table 27 in the inclined posture forward and inserts it into the gap under the luggage W. As the transfer table 27 moves further forward, it slightly contacts the bottom surface of the luggage W. During the above operation, the robot arm 21 moves the hand base 25 from the suction position diagonally upward on the rear side along the inclination direction of the transfer table 27 (at this time, the position in the front-rear direction of the transfer table 27 does not change). ). As a result, the suction device 31 and the luggage W are pulled onto the transfer table 27. The insertion amount of the transfer table 27 is appropriately changed depending on the size of the luggage.
Since the hand base 25 is moved upward from the suction position during the above operation, the transfer table 27 catches the lower luggage W even if the transfer table 27 and the hand base 25 are not completely synchronized. Hateful.

By tilting the hand 23 as described above, as shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the luggage W adsorbed to the transfer table 27 becomes parallel or substantially parallel to the transfer table 27. It is difficult for the luggage to interfere. Further, the transfer table 27 does not move in the direction of being stuck in the luggage W.
Further, by inserting the transfer table 27 at an angle, if the amount of insertion is as shown in FIG. 19, it does not interfere with the lower luggage W.
Further, as shown in FIG. 18, since the hand 23 is in an inclined posture and the gap is confirmed by the gap sensor 36, the attracted luggage W and the optical axis are parallel or substantially parallel. Therefore, the possibility of detecting the lower end of the suction surface of the sucked luggage W is reduced.
Even if the suction position is close to the lower end side of the luggage W, the transfer table 27 is moved only to the extent that it is inserted a little after the tilted posture. Therefore, the possibility that the transfer table 27 and the load W below the suctioned load W interfere with each other is reduced. In other words, when the hand 23 is not tilted, if the suction position is close to the lower end side of the luggage W, there is a high possibility that the luggage W below the sucked luggage W and the transfer table 27 interfere with each other.

In the above operation, the moving tilt angle of the hand base 25 may be larger than the tilt angle of the transfer table 27 in the tilted posture. The reason is that the retreat of the transfer table 27 and the retreat of the hand base 25 by the robot arm 21 may not be completely synchronized with each other. This is because it is preferable to let the transfer table 27 escape upward so as not to interfere with the transfer table 27.

In step S10, as shown in FIG. 20, the vertical drive device 33 lowers the suction device 31 downward. Specifically, the piston 35a descends. Then, when the piston 35a of the air cylinder 35 moves downward from the suction device 31, the suction device 31 also descends together with the load W. At this time, the suction device 31 is surely lowered by the urging force of the spring member 37 in addition to the own weight of the suction device 31 and the luggage W. As a result of the above, the luggage W is placed on the transfer table 27.
Further, since the suction device 31 cannot swing at the lowered position by the holding mechanism 43, the load W can be stably held. As a result, the luggage W is stably placed on the transfer table 27 and is stably transported thereafter.

In step S11, as shown in FIG. 21, the robot arm 21 puts the hand 23 in a horizontal posture. As a result, the transfer table 27 is also in a horizontal position. In this way, the luggage W is stably placed on the transfer table 27 and is stably transported thereafter.
In step S12, the robot arm 21 carries out the luggage W to the carry-out conveyor device 9. The process then returns to step S1.

The effects of the above operations of the hand 23 will be described in order.
(A) As shown in FIG. 20, the load of the luggage W can be deposited on the transfer table 27 while the suction device 31 has sucked the luggage W. Therefore, a large load does not act on the suction device 31. As a result, the safety of the hand 23 is improved.
(B) As shown in FIG. 18, since the presence or absence of interference is grasped by the gap sensor 36, it is unlikely that the luggage W will be damaged when the transfer table 27 is brought close to the luggage W.
(C) Since the transfer table 27 is tilted as shown in FIG. 17 after the suction device 31 sucks the load W, the transfer table 27 can be tilted and put out to the front side. By tilting the transfer table 27 to the front side in this way, the tilt angle of the suction device 31 with respect to the hand base 25 becomes smaller. Therefore, a large load does not act on the connecting portion between the suction device 31 and the hand base 25.
(D) As shown in FIG. 19, the transfer table 27 moves in an inclined posture with respect to the hand base 25 located at the suction position and is inserted below the luggage. Therefore, when the load W is lifted, the transfer table 27 is lifted in the diagonal direction while the load is supported, so that the load on the suction device 31 can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to prevent the luggage from falling off from the suction device 31.

(E) When lifting the luggage W, as shown in FIG. 19, at the same time, the hand base 25 is moved to the rear side along the inclination direction of the transfer table 27. Therefore, the luggage W can be smoothly placed on the transfer table 27.
(F) Since the presence or absence of a gap is grasped in a state where the transfer table 27 is tilted, the transfer table 27 is unlikely to collide with the target luggage W.

(4-2) Luggage return operation In step S12, a baggage return operation is performed. The baggage return operation will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 13 and 22 to 24. 22 to 24 are schematic views showing one state of the baggage return operation by the hand. The baggage return operation is to return the baggage that has failed to be transferred to its original position for retry.
In step S21 of FIG. 13, the robot arm 21 returns the entire hand 23 to the horizontal posture. As a result, as shown in FIG. 22, the transfer table 27 is also in the horizontal posture.
In step S22, as shown in FIG. 23, the robot arm 21 moves the luggage W forward by advancing the hand base 25. The movement amount of the hand base 25 at this time is preferably the same as or slightly different from the movement amount of the retreat of the hand base 25 in step S5. It is more preferable that the movement amount of the hand base 25 is slightly larger than the movement amount of the retreat of the hand base 25. This is because it is necessary to move the luggage W to the front side of the image processing range Q (described later).

In step S23, as shown in FIG. 24, the vertical drive device 33 lowers the suction device 31.
In step S24, the suction device 49 releases the suction of the suction device 31. By releasing the suction after performing step S22 and step S23, the luggage W can be reliably returned to the original position. The reason is that if the suction of the luggage W is released before the hand base 25 is advanced, the luggage W may move away from the suction device 31 when the suction is released. Further, since the suction pad 31a has elasticity, the movement amount of the hand 23 may not match the movement amount of the luggage W after the suction is released.
In step S25, the robot arm 21 moves the hand 23 to the rear side.

As a result of the above, the luggage W returns to its original position. The luggage W may be in contact with or away from the luggage W on the front side.
In this hand 23, by returning the luggage W to the original position when there is interference, it is unlikely that the luggage W will be placed in a place where picking is not possible. As a result, it becomes possible to reliably retry the baggage transfer.

Here, an example of the "original position" is preferably a position where the rear side surface, which is the suction surface of the luggage W, is located within the image processing range Q of FIG. 24. For example, unlike the present embodiment, when the operation of step S22 (FIG. 23) is not performed, the position of the luggage W is shifted to the rear side from the original position, and the rear side surface of the luggage W is It may be out of the image processing range Q. In that case, the image processing by the controller 51 is not properly performed, and therefore, the retry operation of the depalletization of the robot arm 21 by the image recognition may not be executed. Further, when the robot arm 21 is designed to be safe to move when the suction surface of the luggage W is present in the image processing range Q, the rear side surface of the luggage W is from the image processing range Q. If the robot arm 21 is outside, there is a possibility that the robot arm 21 may collide with another device or the like during operation.
In the above example, the image processing range Q that the controller 51 can process an image coincides with the camera field of view area, but the range may be narrower than the camera field of view range.
The image processing range Q may be set so that the robot arm 21 and the robot mount do not interfere with each other when the hand 23 accesses the luggage W within the image processing range Q. Further, in the above case, the image processing range Q is determined based on a place where the robot arm 21 should not pass (a position where it interferes with another device) and a place where the robot arm 21 cannot pass due to the configuration of the robot arm 21. ..
In this hand 23, the transfer table 27 is returned to the horizontal posture by moving the hand base 25 as shown in FIG. 22 before the step of returning the luggage W to the original position. Therefore, the luggage W can be reliably returned to the original position.

2. Features of the Embodiment The above embodiment can also be described as follows.
The hand 23 (an example of a transfer device) is a device for transferring by moving the luggage W (an example of a luggage) in the front-rear direction, and is a hand base 25 (an example of a base) and a transfer table. 27 (an example of a support plate), a transfer table drive device 29 (an example of a front-back moving device), a suction device 31 (an example of a suction device 31), a vertical drive device 33 (an example of a vertical movement device), and a controller. It is equipped with 51 (an example of a controller).
The transfer table 27 supports the bottom surface of the luggage W.
The transfer table drive device 29 moves the transfer table 27 in the front-rear direction with respect to the hand base 25.
The suction device 31 sucks the side surface of the luggage W.
The vertical drive device 33 moves the suction device 31 in the vertical direction with respect to the hand base 25.
The controller 51 executes tilt control and lift control.
In the tilt control, the controller 51 sucks the side surface of the luggage W by the suction device 31, moves the suction device 31 upward with respect to the hand base 25 by the vertical drive device 33, and the front end of the transfer table 27 is rearward. Have them take a tilted posture that is downward with respect to the side edge.
In the lifting control, the controller 51 moves the transfer table 27 in the inclined posture to the front side with respect to the hand base 25 to place the luggage W on the transfer table 27, and at least raises the hand base 25 from the suction position. The transfer table 27 is moved in the direction including the above while maintaining the inclined posture.
In this hand 23, after the suction device 31 sucks the load W by tilt control, the transfer table 27 is tilted. Since the transfer table 27 can be tilted and put out to the front side in this way, the clearance between the transfer table 27 and the lower luggage W can be widened.
Further, in the lifting control, the luggage W is raised by moving the hand base 25 upward from the suction position. Therefore, the luggage W can be smoothly placed on the transfer table 27.

3. 3. Other Embodiments Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. In particular, the plurality of embodiments and modifications described herein can be arbitrarily combined as needed.
In the first embodiment, the hand is fixed to the robot arm, but it may be used for other transfer machines as long as it is a device that can move back and forth.

The belt does not have to be wrapped around the transfer table.
The suction method of the suction device is not limited to air suction. An electrostatic adsorption method may be used.
In the first embodiment, the vertical drive device is a combination of an air cylinder and a spring member, but the vertical drive device may be only a cylinder. In that case, the suction device is lowered by its own weight. A motor may be used to lower the suction device.
In the first embodiment, the non-swingable and the swingable are switched by the cam depending on the height position of the suction device, but the above operation may be realized by other means such as an electric lock device.

The present invention is widely applicable to transfer devices for extracting one or more articles from stacked articles.

1: Picking system 3: Palletizing unit 5: Depalletizing unit 7: Carry-in conveyor device 9: Carry-out conveyor device 15: Picking robot 21: Robot arm 23: Hand 25: Hand base 26: Swivel device 27: Transfer table 29: Transfer Table drive device 30: Motor 31: Suction device 31a: Suction pad 31b: Receiving part 31c: Support point 33: Vertical drive device 35: Air cylinder 35a: Piston 36: Gap sensor 37: Spring member 38: Camera 39: Contact member 43: Suction device holding mechanism 47: Slide belt 49: Suction device 51: Controller 53: Cam member 53a: Locking surface 53b: Curved surface 54: Hollowed out portion 54a: Locking surface 54b: Curved surface 54c: Second locking surface 55: Roller P: Pallet Q: Image processing range W: Luggage

Claims (5)

It is a transfer device for transferring by moving the luggage in the front-back direction.
At the base,
A support plate that supports the bottom of the luggage and
A front-back moving device that moves the support plate in the front-rear direction with respect to the base,
An adsorption device that adsorbs the side surface of the luggage,
A vertical movement device that moves the suction device in the vertical direction with respect to the base,
With a controller,
The controller
The suction device sucks the side surface of the load, the vertical movement device moves the suction device upward with respect to the base portion, and the support plate is tilted so that the front end is downward with respect to the rear end. Tilt control to take a posture and
By moving the support plate in the inclined posture to the front side with respect to the base portion, the load is placed on the support plate, and the inclined posture of the support plate is maintained in the direction including at least the upper side from the suction position. A transfer device that performs lifting control and movement in a state of being. Before executing the lifting control, the controller executes an insertion control of inserting the support plate in the inclined posture toward the front side with respect to the base located at the suction position to insert the support plate into the lower part of the load. Item 1. The transfer device according to item 1. Claim 1 or 2, further comprising a slide belt that is wound around the support plate and deforms along the moving position of the support plate when the support plate moves in the front-rear direction with respect to the base portion. The transfer device described. In the operation of moving the base portion upward from the suction position in the lifting control, the base portion is moved diagonally upward on the rear side.
The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the moving inclination angle of the base portion is larger than the inclination angle of the support plate in an inclination posture determined at the time of inclination control. The suction device is further provided with a holding mechanism having a cam for fixing the suction device so as not to swing in the lowered position and holding the suction device swingably in the raised position.
The controller according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the controller puts the load on the support plate by lowering the suction device after executing the lifting control, and then puts the support plate in a horizontal posture. Transfer device.

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