JP2022124023A - Robot system for container and robot hand - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a robot system for a container which can vertically invert a container upside down, and a robot hand.SOLUTION: A robot system for a container for treating a container includes a robot hand mounted on a robot body, and a control part for controlling the robot hand, wherein the control part executes the steps of: gripping the container by the robot hand; vertically inverting the container gripped by the robot hand upside down by the gripping step; and releasing the container gripped by the robot hand by the gripping step. The robot hand includes a first support part for gripping a peripheral edge part of the container, and a second support part for supporting the container in a part separated from the part gripped by the first support part in a horizontal plane when viewed from above of the container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a container robotic system and a robotic hand.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a robot hand having a first engaging member, a second engaging member, and a finger member attached at predetermined intervals.

Japanese Patent No. 5064566

For example, when washing dishes in a dishwasher, there are cases where it is desired to turn the placed container upside down. However, Patent Literature 1 does not disclose a method for turning a container containing tableware upside down.

Accordingly, in one aspect, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a container robot system and a robot hand that can turn a container upside down.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a container robot system for handling a container, comprising: a robot hand attached to a robot body; a step of grasping by a robot hand; a step of turning upside down the container grasped by the robot hand in the grasping step; and a step of releasing the container grasped by the robot hand in the grasping step. A container robotic system is provided that executes.

In the above aspect, the control unit can grip the container facing upward with the robot hand in the step of grasping, and release the container facing downward in the step of releasing.

In the above aspect, in the releasing step, the controller can place the container facing downward inside the device for cleaning the container.

In the above aspect, a container position acquisition unit that acquires the position where the container is placed is provided, and in the gripping step, the control unit holds the container at the position acquired by the container position acquisition unit. It can be grasped by a robot hand.

In the above aspect, an inversion position acquiring unit that acquires a position at which the container should be inverted is provided, and in the step of inverting the container, the control unit rotates the container at the position acquired by the inversion position acquiring unit. Can be flipped upside down.

In the above aspect, a release position acquisition unit is provided for acquiring a position at which the container should be released, and in the releasing step, the control unit releases the container at the position acquired by the release position acquisition unit. be able to.

In the above aspect, the robot hand includes a first support that grips the peripheral edge of the container, a first drive that drives the first support, and a horizontal plane viewed from above the container. A second support portion that supports the container at a portion distant from the portion gripped by the first support portion, and a second drive portion that drives the second support portion may be provided.

In the above aspect, in the gripping step, the control section grips the peripheral edge portion of the container by the first support section via the first drive section, and then grips the peripheral edge section of the container via the second drive section. The container can be supported by the second support portion.

In the above aspect, in the releasing step, the control section releases the container from the second support section via the second drive section, and then releases the container from the first support section via the first drive section. The container can be released from its support.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a robot hand for handling a container, comprising: a first support for gripping a peripheral edge of the container; a first drive for driving the first support; a second support for supporting the container at a position apart from the position gripped by the first support in a horizontal plane viewed from above the container; and a second drive for driving the second support. A robot hand is provided comprising:

In the above aspect, the first support can grip the peripheral portion from the inside and outside of the container.

In the above aspect, the second support section can support the container from the outside of the container.

In the above aspect, the first support portions are a pair of first contact portions that contact the inner and outer surfaces of the container, respectively, and when driven by the first driving portion, the horizontal movement of the container is controlled. It may have a pair of first abutments that rotate relative to each other about a first axis of rotation extending in the direction.

In the above aspect, one of the pair of first contact portions has a first surface contact portion that makes surface contact with the outer surface of the container, and the other of the pair of first contact portions is the container. A clamping force in a first direction that intersects the first rotating shaft can be generated between the first surface contact portion and the first surface contact portion by contacting the inner surface.

In the above aspect, the other of the pair of first contact portions can contact within a range overlapping with the first surface contact portion on the inner surface of the container when viewed in the first direction.

In the above aspect, the second support portions are a pair of second contact portions that respectively contact the outer surface of the container, and are arranged in the vertical direction of the container when driven by the second driving portion. It has a pair of second contact portions that rotate about an extending second rotation shaft, and is driven by the second driving portion so that the pair of second contact portions move toward each other when viewed from above the container. Opposite rotating opening and closing motions are possible.

In the aspect described above, the first support portion may have a third contact portion that contacts the peripheral edge of the container from above the container.

In the above aspect, the second support portion may have a fourth contact portion that contacts the peripheral edge of the container from above the container.

In the above aspect, the fourth contact portion is continuous from the inner peripheral side of the container to the outer peripheral side of the container from the portion of the container that the second support portion contacts when viewed from above the container. can be extended.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a program applied to a container robot system having a robot hand attached to a robot body, wherein a computer stores a container in a step of gripping the container with the robot hand; A program is provided for executing a step of turning upside down the container gripped by the robot hand, and a step of releasing the container gripped by the robot hand by the gripping step.

In one aspect, the present disclosure can provide a container robot system and a robot hand that can turn a container upside down.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the robot system for containers. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a robot main body. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a robot hand. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a robot hand. 4 is a flowchart showing processing in a control unit; It is a front view which shows the state which hold|gripped the mounted tableware by the robot hand. It is a side view which shows the state which hold|gripped the mounted tableware by the robot hand. It is a sectional side view which shows the state which hold|gripped the mounted tableware by the robot hand. It is a front view which shows the state before holding|gripping tableware by a robot hand. It is a sectional side view which shows the state before holding|gripping tableware by a robot hand. It is a front view which shows the state which gripped the tableware turned upside down by the robot hand. It is a side view which shows the state which gripped the tableware turned upside down by the robot hand. It is a sectional side view which shows the state which gripped the tableware turned upside down by the robot hand. FIG. 10 is a front view showing a state in which the upside down tableware is released from the robot hand. FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the upside-down tableware is released from the robot hand. It is a perspective view which shows the state which gripped flat plate-shaped tableware by the robot hand. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which gripped flat plate-shaped tableware by the robot hand.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a container robot system for handling containers.

As shown in FIG. 1, the container robot system includes a controller 1 that controls each part of the container robot system, a program that defines processing in the controller 1, and a memory that stores data necessary for control in the controller 1. unit 11, camera 12 for imaging the surroundings of the dishwashing system, image recognition unit 12A for executing image recognition processing based on the image of camera 12, various sensors 13 provided in each unit of the container robot system, control A robot device 2 having a robot body 21 and a robot hand 3 controlled by a unit 1, and a dishwasher 6 and an electromagnetic valve 61 connected to the control unit 1 are provided. Note that the control unit 1 may be realized by one or more computers. In this case, one or more computers may comprise a server computer.

The container robot system can handle a wide variety of containers. Although the use of the container is not limited, it is more preferably a container for food and drink, and includes tableware, cooking utensils, storage containers, and the like. Tableware broadly includes containers for holding or placing food and drink, and includes, for example, bowl-shaped, flat plate-shaped, plate-shaped containers, cups, and the like. Cookware also broadly encompasses containers for holding food, beverages, compositions to be cooked, and includes, for example, bowls, pots, pans, and the like. Storage containers include bottles and barrel-like containers having relatively wide openings.

In the following description, container orientation is defined with reference to the normal state in which an object is placed or placed. For example, if the container is tableware with an opening, the opening faces upward. That is, it is defined based on the normal state in which food is placed in tableware. In other words, the surface (upper surface) of the tableware on which food is placed/stored is defined as the upper side, and the surface (lower surface) opposite to the surface on which the food is placed/stored is defined as the lower side.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 1 is connected to a display unit 16 that displays the operating state of the control unit 1 and the like, and an operation reception unit 17 that receives operations by a worker or the like. The control unit 1 may output advice or warnings to the user (operator) via the display unit 16 .

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the robot main body. Note that FIG. 2 shows the robot arm without a robot hand 3, which will be described later.

The robot main body 21 is an articulated robot having a plurality of rotary joints, and the base end portion 21a is attached to a wall surface or the like. As the robot main body 21, a robot having not only rotary joints but also prismatic joints can be used. The robot main body 21 is provided with an actuator (not shown) for driving each joint, and these actuators are connected to the control unit 1 and controlled. In this embodiment, a robot hand 3, which will be described later, is attached to the tip portion 21b of the robot main body 21. As shown in FIG. As the robot main body 21, another form of robot such as a two-axis robot can be applied.

3 and 3A are perspective views showing the configuration of the robot hand. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in FIGS. 3 and 3A correspond to the directions of the robot hand 3 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 3A, the robot hand 3 includes a base portion 31 attached to the distal end portion 21b of the robot body 21 via an attachment surface 31a, a frame 32 fixed to the base portion 31, and an actuator (non-contact). ), a second drive portion 34 having an actuator (not shown), a first support portion 40 driven by the actuator of the first drive portion 33, and a second and a second support portion 50 driven by the actuator of the drive portion 34 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 3A, when viewed from the Y-axis direction, the second support portion 50 is formed in a symmetrical shape with the first support portion 40 interposed therebetween.

The first support portion 40 has a pair of contact portions 41A and 41B that contact the inner and outer surfaces of the tableware 80 as a container. The contact portions 41A and 41B can be made of an elastic member such as silicone rubber or urethane resin. By forming the contact portions 41A and 41B with an elastic member, the contact portions 41A and 41B are deformed according to the shape of the tableware 80, so that the tableware 80 can be securely held and the frictional force at the contact portion can be secured. .

As shown in FIG. 3A, the rotation of the rotating shaft 43 of the actuator of the first driving section 33 is transmitted to the first rotating shaft 42 via the pulley 43A, the belt 43B and the pulley 43C. Therefore, when the actuator of the first driving portion 33 is driven, the contact portion 41A rotates around the first rotating shaft 42. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, the contact portion 41B is fixed to the frame 32. As shown in FIG. Accordingly, when the actuator of the first drive section 33 is operated, the pair of contact sections 41A and 41B can be rotated relative to each other around the first rotating shaft 42 extending in the horizontal direction.

The second support part 50 includes a pair of arms 51 that rotate around a second rotating shaft 52 extending in the vertical direction, and a pair of abutments attached to the tips of the arms 51 and respectively abutting on the outer surface of the tableware. It has contact portions 53A and 53B. The contact portions 53A and 53B can be made of an elastic member such as silicone rubber or urethane resin. By forming the contact portions 53A and 53B with an elastic member, the contact portions 53A and 53B deform according to the shape of the tableware 80, so that the tableware 80 can be reliably held and the frictional force at the contact portion can be secured. . In addition, a gap (space) is provided between the contact portions 53A and 53B, so that it is possible to flexibly cope with various shapes and angles of the periphery of the tableware. .

Rotation of the rotary shaft 54 of the actuator of the second driving section 34 is transmitted to the second rotary shaft 52 via the pulley 54A, the belt 54B and the pulley 54C. Therefore, when the actuator of the second drive section 34 is operated, the contact sections 53A and 53B can be rotated around the second rotation shaft 52 together with the arm 51 . At this time, the arm 51 and the contact portions 53A and 53B of the second support portion 50 forming a pair maintain symmetrical shapes with the first support portion 40 interposed therebetween when viewed in the Y-axis direction. It is driven to open and close. That is, when the actuator of the second drive section 34 is operated, the contact sections 53A and 53B open and close so that the distance between them changes. This makes it possible to accommodate containers of various sizes (diameters).

It should be noted that the actuator that drives the first support portion 40 and the second support portion 50, that is, the actuator of the first drive portion 33 and the second drive portion 34 may be configured as a common actuator. In this embodiment, separate actuators are provided for the first drive section 33 and the second drive section 34, so the mechanism can be simplified.

Next, an operation example of the container robot system will be described.

4 is a flowchart showing the processing in the control unit 1, FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state in which the placed tableware is gripped by the robot hand, and FIG. 5A is a state in which the placed tableware is gripped by the robot hand. 5B is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the placed tableware is gripped by the robot hand, FIG. 5C is a front view showing the state before the tableware is gripped by the robot hand, FIG. It is a sectional side view which shows the state before holding|gripping tableware by a robot hand. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in each drawing correspond to the directions of the robot hand 3 .

In step S1 of FIG. 4, the control unit 1 acquires the position of a container placed on a stand or the like, for example, a bowl-shaped tableware 80, and executes a series of processes until the tableware 80 is gripped by the robot hand 3. do.

Here, the control unit 1 is provided with a container position obtaining unit, and the container position obtaining unit obtains an image recognition result (the position of the tableware 80) based on the image of the camera 12 from the image recognition unit 12A. Next, the control unit 1 controls the robot body 21 and the robot hand 3 to set the posture of the robot hand 3 to the posture corresponding to the position of the tableware 80 acquired by the container position acquisition unit. 5C and 5D illustrate postures of the robot hand 3. FIG.

Note that the position of the tableware 80 may be specified in advance instead of recognizing the position of the tableware 80 by the image recognition unit 12A. In this case, the posture of the robot hand 3 (robot main body 21) when gripping the tableware 80 is set in advance by teaching, stored in the storage unit 11, and read out when the container position acquisition unit controls. can be realized. The control unit 1 can control the robot body 21 and the robot hand 3 so that the posture of the robot hand 3 acquired from the storage unit 11 is reproduced.

Next, the control section 1 operates the actuator of the first drive section 33 to rotate the contact section 41A of the first support section 40 shown in FIG. 5D counterclockwise in FIG. 5D. . Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5B, the contact portion 41A can be brought into contact with the inner surface of the side wall 81 of the tableware 80, and the contact portion 41B can be brought into contact with the outer surface of the side wall 81, respectively. At this time, the side wall 81 is gripped at a position where the contact portion 41A and the contact portion 45 of the contact portion 41B face each other across the side wall 81 of the tableware 80, and the contact portion 45 of the side wall 81 of the tableware 80 is held. It functions as a first surface contact portion that makes surface contact with the outer surface. In addition, the contact portion 41A is within a range in which it faces (overlaps) the contact portion 45 (first surface contact portion) with the side wall 81 interposed therebetween. A clamping force in the direction transverse to 81 is generated. In addition, you may rotate the contact part which contacts the outer side of the side wall 81 of the tableware 80. FIG. Alternatively, both of the two contact portions contacting the inner side and the outer side of the side wall 81 of the tableware 80 may be rotated.

The torque of the actuator of the first drive section 33 is adjustable so that the gripping state of the first support section 40 is appropriate.

It should be noted that when rotating the contact portion 41A, the tableware 80 can also be moved so as to be pulled toward the -Z direction by the contact portion 41A.

In addition, as an operation for changing the distance between the contact portions corresponding to the contact portion 41A and the contact portion 41B, the two contact portions contacting the inner side and the outer side of the tableware 80 are relatively moved instead of the rotating action. The tableware 80 may be slid in the radial direction. In this case, either one of the contact portions may be slid, or both may be slid.

As shown in FIG. 5B, when the contact portion 41A and the contact portion 41B are brought into contact with the inner and outer surfaces of the side wall 81, the contact portion 45 of the contact portion 41B comes into contact with the outer surface of the side wall 81. The contact portion 46 of the portion 41B contacts the peripheral edge 82 of the tableware 80 .

Thus, the contact portion 41A contacts the inner surface of the side wall 81, the contact portion 45 contacts the outer surface of the side wall 81, and the contact portion 46 contacts the peripheral edge 82, so that the tableware 80 is firmly held. Also, the posture of the tableware 80 is corrected to an accurate posture corresponding to the posture of the robot hand 3 (first support portion 40). That is, the tableware 80 is accurately positioned using the position of the robot hand 3 as a reference, including the centering of the tableware 80 .

Next, from the state shown in FIG. 5C, the control unit 1 operates the actuator of the second drive unit 34 to move the pair of contact portions 53A of the second support unit 50 from both left and right directions in FIG. 5C. It is brought into contact with the outside of the side wall 81 of the tableware 80 and shifted to the state shown in FIG. Moreover, at this time, the pair of abutment portions 53B of the second support portion 50 abut on the peripheral edge 82 of the tableware 80 . The torque of the actuator of the second drive part 34 can be adjusted so that the gripping condition of the second support part 50 is appropriate. In this embodiment, the pair of contact portions 53A are brought into contact with the outside of the side wall 81 of the tableware 80 from both left and right directions in FIG. Therefore, regardless of the size of the tableware 80, particularly the diameter, the second support portion 50 can grip the tableware 80. As shown in FIG.

In the state shown in FIG. 5, the contact portion 53A is pressed against the side wall 81 formed in a tapered shape, the diameter of which increases toward the top of the tableware 80. Therefore, the tableware 80 moves upward from the contact portion 53A. receive power. Therefore, the tableware 80 is firmly held in such a state that it is sandwiched between the contact portions 53A and 53B in the vertical direction in FIG.

Next, in step S2, the control unit 1 controls the robot body 21 to convey the tableware 80 to a predetermined position, that is, a position where the tableware 80 should be turned upside down while maintaining the orientation of the tableware 80 in the vertical direction. . The conveyed tableware 80 is in a state of being lifted in the air.

The position at which the tableware 80 should be turned upside down can be obtained by providing an inversion position acquisition section in the control section 1 . For example, the position where the tableware 80 should be turned upside down is defined in advance as a position (coordinates) that is physically allowed, stored in the storage unit 11, and read by the inversion position acquisition unit in the control unit 1. may be This position (coordinates) is such that, for example, when the container 80 or the maximum container assumed to be handled by the robot hand 3 is rotated, the robot body 21, the robot hand 3 and the tableware 80 come into contact with surrounding structures. It can be selected as a position where the container can be safely inverted without risk of overturning. In this case, for example, the posture of the robot hand 3 (robot body 21 ) when turning over the tableware 80 can be set in advance by teaching and stored in the storage unit 11 . The control unit 1 can control the robot body 21 and the robot hand 3 so that the posture of the robot hand 3 acquired from the storage unit 11 is reproduced. As another example, based on the information from the image recognition 12A and various sensors 13, the reversal position acquisition unit may calculate and acquire the position to be vertically reversed. For example, the reversing position acquisition unit acquires the size and shape of the container 80 as the result of image recognition by the image recognition unit 12A based on the image of the camera 12, and based on this information, the control unit 1 determines the size and shape. Accordingly, the operation of reversing the container 80 and the trajectory of moving the container 80 may be dynamically changed so as not to interfere with surrounding facilities.

Moreover, when there is enough space for rotating the container 80, the rotating operation may be performed at a predetermined timing during the process of transporting the tableware 80 without fixing the reversing position.

Next, in step S3, the control unit 1 controls the robot body 21 to rotate the robot hand 3 180 degrees around the axis in the Z direction via the rotation mechanism of the robot body 21, thereby moving the tableware 80 up and down. invert. The robot hand 3 is provided with a rotation mechanism for rotating the first support portion 40 and the second support portion 50 around the axis in the Z direction. The tableware 80 gripped by the hand 3 may be rotated 180 degrees around the axis in the Z direction.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a state in which the robot hand grips the upside-down tableware, FIG. 6A is a side view showing the state in which the robot hand grips the upside-down tableware, and FIG. A side sectional view showing a state in which the tableware is gripped by the robot hand, FIG. 6C is a front view showing a state in which the upside down tableware is released from the robot hand, and FIG. 6D is a state in which the upside down tableware is released from the robot hand. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing a folded state; The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in each drawing correspond to the directions of the robot hand 3 .

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 6B, when the tableware 80 is turned upside down, the peripheral edges 82 of the tableware 80 are aligned with the contact portion 41A of the first support portion 40, the contact portion 46 of the contact portion 41B, and the contact portion 46 of the contact portion 41B. 2 is supported from below (in the direction opposite to the direction of gravity) by the contact portion 53B of the support portion 50 of No. 2. Therefore, the tableware 80 is firmly held by the robot hand 3 .

Further, in the process of rotating the robot hand 3 by 180 degrees around the axis in the Z direction, for example, in a state where the robot hand 3 is rotated by about 90 degrees around the axis in the Z direction, the side wall 81 of the tableware 80 is downward (gravitational force). direction opposite to the orientation) by the second support portion 50 . Therefore, the tableware 80 can be reliably prevented from falling.

If the robot hand 3 were not provided with the second support 50 , the tableware 80 would be gripped only by the first support 40 . In this case, for example, when the robot hand 3 is rotated about 90° around the Z-axis, the tableware 80 is held only by the first support 40 at a position greatly deviated from the center of gravity. However, in that state, the tableware 80 rotates due to its own weight, and there is a possibility that the tableware 80 cannot be held by the first support portion 40 . However, in this embodiment, the contact portion 53A of the second support portion 50 located at the lower position (low position) supports the tableware 80 from below (in the direction opposite to the direction of gravity). The tableware 80 is prevented from rotating around the part gripped by the support part 40 of the one. Therefore, the tableware 80 can be reliably held.

Next, in step S4 of FIG. 4, the control unit 1 controls the robot body 21 so that the tableware 80 is moved to a predetermined position (the position where the tableware 80 is released) while maintaining a constant orientation of the tableware 80 in the vertical direction. to convey.

Note that the operations of steps S2 to S4 may be executed as a series of operations that proceed simultaneously. For example, the tableware 80 may be turned upside down while the tableware 80 is being transported.

Next, in step S5 of FIG. 4, the control unit 1 controls the robot body 21 and the robot hand 3 to release the tableware 80 in the upside down state (face down state). As a result, the tableware 80 is placed face down inside the dishwasher 6 (device for washing containers), for example, after which washing of the tableware 80 can be started. In this case, the control unit 1 retracts the robot hand 3 from the interior of the dishwasher 6 and controls the electromagnetic valve 61 and the dishwasher 6 to start washing the tableware 80 .

In step S<b>5 , the position at which the tableware 80 is to be released is acquired by the release position acquiring section provided in the control section 1 in advance. This position can be acquired as an image recognition result based on the image of the camera 12 or may be acquired as a predetermined position from the storage unit 11 . In the former case, for example, a predetermined position in the dishwasher 6 is recognized as the position where the tableware 80 should be placed based on the image of the camera 12, and is acquired by the release position acquisition unit as the image recognition result. In the latter case, the attitude of the robot hand 3 (robot body 21) when releasing the tableware 80 is set in advance by teaching, stored in the storage unit 11, and read out by the release position acquisition unit. can be done. The control unit 1 can control the robot body 21 and the robot hand 3 so that the posture of the robot hand 3 acquired from the storage unit 11 is reproduced.

Subsequently, the control section 1 operates the actuator of the second drive section 34 to drive the arm 51 of the second support section 50 to open. As a result, the contact portions 53A and 53B of the second support portion 50 move in both left and right directions from the position shown in FIG. 6 to the position shown in FIG.

Next, the control section 1 operates the actuator of the first drive section 33 to rotate the contact section 41A of the first support section 40 to retreat from the inside of the tableware 80 . As a result, the contact portion 41 shown in FIG. 6B rotates clockwise in FIG. 6B and moves to the position shown in FIG. 6D. The tableware 80 is released from the robot hand 3 and placed face down at a predetermined position.

When the tableware 80 that has been turned upside down is released from the robot hand 3, interference with the robot hand 3 is avoided, including a space for the contact portion 41A that rotates and retracts from the inside of the tableware 80 to pass through. environment is required. However, in this embodiment, since the radius of rotation of the contact portion 41A is kept small, interference with the robot hand 3 can be easily avoided. For example, a recess or the like for avoiding interference with the robot hand 3 may be provided on the table on which the upside down tableware 80 is placed.

In the operation of releasing the upside-down tableware 80 from the robot hand 3 , the tableware 80 may be released from the second support section 50 after the tableware 80 is released from the first support section 40 . In this case, while the tableware 80 is lifted by the second support section 50, the contact section 41A can be rotated to release the tableware 80 from the first support section 40. It is possible to easily secure a space, etc. for After that, the tableware 80 gripped by the second support part 50 is pulled down, placed in a predetermined position in an upside-down state, and furthermore, the arm 51 of the second support part 50 is driven to open. By doing so, the tableware 80 is released from the robot hand 3 .

Next, the control unit 1 controls the robot body 21 to move the robot hand 3 away from the tableware 80, for example, leftward in FIG. can be used for transporting Further, as described above, when the tableware 80 is placed inside the dishwasher 6 , washing by the dishwasher 6 is started under the control of the control section 1 .

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the tableware 8 is turned upside down by rotating the robot hand 3 with the robot body 21 while the tableware 80 is gripped by the robot hand 3, and placed in a predetermined position. The tableware 80 can be placed face down. Therefore, when the tableware 80 is to be placed face down, such as when the tableware 80 is to be washed in the dishwasher 6, the work of replacing the tableware 80 is performed using the robot device 2 without relying on human labor. be able to.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the peripheral portion of the tableware (near the peripheral edge 82) is gripped by the first support portion 40 while the contact portion 41A is rotated so as to contact the inner side of the tableware. is doing. Therefore, the peripheral portion of the tableware is gripped in a state where the contact portion 41A stops at an angle corresponding to the shape of the tableware, that is, in a state where the contact portion 41 stops in contact with the inner side of the tableware. Therefore, according to the 1st support part 40, it becomes possible to hold various tableware. For example, it can be applied to a cup whose side wall is formed at an angle close to vertical, a flat plate whose side wall is formed at an angle close to horizontal, tableware having a rectangular peripheral edge when viewed from above, and the like. In particular, although the shape of the peripheral portion of tableware varies, the angle of the contact portion 41A is automatically adapted according to the shape of the peripheral portion, so that it can be applied to tableware of a wide range of shapes.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the contact portions 53A and 53B of the second support portion 50 are shaped to surround the peripheral portion of the tableware 80 (near the peripheral edge 82) from above to the side of the tableware 80. The contact portion 53A and the contact portion 53B are in contact with the side wall 81 and the peripheral edge 82. As shown in FIG. 5, the contact portion 53B extends in the left-right direction (the radial direction of the tableware), and the contact portion 53B continuously extends in both the left and right directions from the portion of the container 80 with which the contact portion 53A contacts. deferred. Further, the tableware 80 can be held in contact with the peripheral edge 82 at any portion in the left-right direction of the contact portion 53B. Therefore, the second support portion 50 can support various tableware. For example, cups with side walls formed at an angle close to vertical, flat plates and plate plates with side walls formed at an angle close to horizontal, and tableware with rectangular peripheral edges when viewed from above can be handled. Furthermore, since a gap (space) is provided between the abutting portions 53A and 53B, the peripheral edge portion of the tableware 80 can be can be brought into contact with the contact portions 53A and 53B to more reliably bring the peripheral portions into contact with the contact portions 53A and 53B. In addition, since the contact portions 53A and 53B are made of an elastic member, the shape of the contact portions 53A and 53B changes according to the shape of the peripheral portion of the tableware 80, so that the peripheral portion can be brought into contact with the tableware 80 more securely. It becomes possible to abut against the portions 53A and 53B.

In addition, in order to handle various containers, as described above, the first support portion 40 grips the container using the rotatable contact portion 41 . Therefore, it tends to be difficult to hold the container with sufficient force only with the first support portion 40 . However, in this embodiment, the holding force of the container can be supplemented by the second support portion 50 .

Further, the second support portion 50 has a pair of relatively long arms 51, and by opening and closing the arms 51, the relative positions of the contact portions 53A and 53B can be greatly changed. Therefore, it is possible to correspond to containers of a wide range of sizes. It is desirable that the pair of contact portions 53A and 53B support the container at positions that efficiently assist the supporting force of the first support portion 40 in the circumferential direction around the center position of the container when viewed from above. For example, the pair of abutting portions 53A and 53B are preferably in the circumferential direction around the center position of the container in top view, in the range of about 90 to 150 degrees from the position of the first support portion 40 in mutually opposite directions. is two points separated by about 120 degrees, the container can usually be firmly held. For example, if there are two points separated by about 120 degrees from the position of the first support portion 40, three abutment portions by the first support portion 40 and the pair of abutment portions 53A and 53B are located on the container. Approximately 120 degrees in the circumferential direction are arranged substantially evenly, and the containers can be easily held. However, as long as the container can be sufficiently held by the first support portion 40 and the second support portion 50, the positions at which the contact portions 53A and 53B contact the container are not limited.

Further, in this embodiment, an example in which the pair of contact portions 53A and 53B are provided on the second support portion 50 is shown. direction) may be provided on the second support portion. Any configuration of the second support can be employed as long as the required holding force can be obtained through cooperation between the first support and the second support.

As an alternative to the second support portion 50, for example, an air tube may be used to adopt a configuration that can accommodate a wider range of tableware. In this case, regardless of the size and shape of the tableware, deformable air tubes are provided so as to wrap the tableware from both sides of the first support portion 40, and the air tubes are filled with air to wrap the tableware. , can hold a variety of tableware.

Further, another contact portion corresponding to the contact portions 53A and 53B may be added in the middle of the arm 51 of the second support portion 50 to correspond to small tableware. In this case, for small tableware that cannot be held by the contact portions 53A and 53B attached to the tip of the arm 51, the contact portion provided in the middle of the arm 51 is used to hold the small tableware. It becomes possible to hold.

By making the arm 51 expandable and contractable, various tableware may be held by the contact portions 53A and 53B. Various dishes can be held by contracting the arm 51 for small tableware and extending the arm for large tableware.

In the above embodiment, the tableware 80 is washed by the robot hand 3 after the tableware 80 is released in an upside down state, but it is also possible to wash the tableware 80 held in the air by the robot hand 3. In this case, the direction of the tableware 80 during washing is arbitrary, and the direction of the tableware 80 may be switched during washing by operating the robot body 21 . According to the robot hand 3 of this embodiment, the tableware 80 is firmly held by the first support section 40 and the second support section 50 . Therefore, even if water or the like accumulates on the tableware 80 during washing, the weight of the tableware 80 can be endured, and the robot hand 3 can continue to hold the tableware 80 . Water or the like accumulated in the tableware 80 can be discharged from the tableware 80 by rotating the tableware 80 as in the above-described upside-down operation.

Also, the orientation of the container when releasing the container is not limited to the downward orientation. For example, the container may be released in an upright position or may be released in an oblique position.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the robot hand 3 grips flat plate-shaped tableware, and FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the robot hand 3 holds the flat plate-shaped tableware. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in FIGS. 7 and 7A correspond to the directions of the robot hand 3 .

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 7A, the robot hand 3 can handle tableware of various shapes, and can also hold a flat plate-shaped tableware 90 and turn it upside down.

As shown in FIG. 7A, by operating the actuator of the first drive section 33 and rotating the contact section 41A of the first support section 40 counterclockwise, the inner surface of the side wall 91 of the tableware 90 is rotated. The contact portion 41A and the contact portion 41B can be brought into contact with the outer surface of the side wall 91, respectively. At this time, the side wall 91 can be gripped at a position where the contact portion 41A and the contact portion 45 of the contact portion 41B face each other across the side wall 91 of the tableware 90 . Incidentally, when rotating the contact portion 41A, the tableware 90 may be drawn in the -Z-axis direction by the contact portion 41A.

As shown in FIG. 7A, when the contact portion 41A and the contact portion 41B are brought into contact with the inner and outer surfaces of the side wall 91, the contact portion 45 of the contact portion 41B contacts the outer surface of the side wall 91, and the contact portion 41B contacts the outer surface of the side wall 91. contact portion 46 contacts the peripheral edge 92 of the tableware 90 .

Thus, the contact portion 41A contacts the inner surface of the side wall 91, the contact portion 45 contacts the outer surface of the side wall 91, and the contact portion 46 contacts the peripheral edge 92, so that the tableware 90 is firmly held. Also, the posture of the tableware 90 is corrected to an accurate posture corresponding to the posture of the robot hand 3 (first support portion 40). That is, the tableware 90 is accurately positioned, including the centering of the tableware 90 .

Also, by operating the actuator of the second drive section 34, the pair of contact sections 53A of the second support section 50 approach from both the upper and lower directions in FIG. . Also, at this time, the pair of abutment portions 53B of the second support portion 50 abut against the peripheral edge 92 of the tableware 90 .

As in the above embodiment, the tableware 90 can be turned upside down by rotating the robot hand 3 by 180 degrees around the Z-axis by operating the robot body 21 .

In addition, when the tableware 90 is turned upside down, the peripheral edge 92 of the tableware 90 is supported from below by the contact portions 41A and 53B. Therefore, the tableware 90 is reliably prevented from falling from the robot hand 3 .

Further, in the process of rotating the robot hand 3 by 180° around the Z-axis, for example, in a state where the robot hand 3 is rotated by about 90° around the Z-axis, the tableware 90 is supported by the second support section 50 from below. Supported. Therefore, the tableware 90 can be reliably prevented from falling.

Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, it is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope described in the claims. It is also possible to combine all or more of the constituent elements of the above-described embodiments.

Reference Signs List 1 control section 21 robot main body 3 robot hand 33 first drive section 34 second drive section 40 first support section 41A contact section 41B contact section 42 first rotating shaft 50 second support section 52 second rotation Shaft 53A Contact portion 53B Contact portion 80 Tableware 90 Tableware

Claims (20)

A container robot system for handling containers,
A robot hand attached to the robot body,
A control unit that controls the robot hand,
The control unit
grasping the container with the robot hand;
a step of turning upside down the container gripped by the robot hand in the step of gripping;
releasing the container gripped by the robot hand in the gripping step;
A container robot system that executes The control unit
In the gripping step, the robot hand grips the upward container,
2. The container robotic system of claim 1, wherein the releasing step releases the downwardly facing container. 3. The container robot system according to claim 2, wherein in the releasing step, the control unit places the container facing downward inside the device for cleaning the container. A container position acquisition unit that acquires the position where the container is placed,
The container robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the gripping step, the control unit grips the container with the robot hand at the position obtained by the container position obtaining unit. system. An inversion position acquisition unit that acquires a position at which the container should be inverted upside down,
The container robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in the upside down step, the control unit upsides down the container at the position acquired by the inversion position acquisition unit. A release position acquisition unit that acquires a position at which the container should be released,
The container robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein in the releasing step, the control unit releases the container at the position obtained by the release position obtaining unit. The robot hand is
a first support that grips the peripheral edge of the container;
a first drive unit that drives the first support unit;
a second support that supports the container at a location apart from the location gripped by the first support in a horizontal plane when viewed from above the container;
a second drive unit that drives the second support unit;
The container robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: In the gripping step, the control section grips the peripheral edge portion of the container by the first support section via the first drive section, and then grips the second peripheral edge section of the container via the second drive section. 8. The container robot system according to claim 7, wherein the container is supported by a support of the container. In the releasing step, the control section releases the container from the second support section via the second drive section, and then releases the container from the first support section via the first drive section. 9. A container robotic system according to claim 7 or 8, for releasing the container. A robot hand for handling a container,
a first support that grips the peripheral edge of the container;
a first drive unit that drives the first support unit;
a second support that supports the container at a location apart from the location gripped by the first support in a horizontal plane when viewed from above the container;
a second drive unit that drives the second support unit;
A robot hand with 11. The robot hand according to claim 10, wherein said first support part grips said peripheral part from inside and outside of said container. The robot hand according to claim 10 or 11, wherein said second support part supports said container from the outside of said container. The first support portions are a pair of first contact portions that contact respective inner and outer surfaces of the container, and extend horizontally in the container when driven by the first driving portion. 13. The robot hand according to any one of claims 10 to 12, comprising a pair of first contact portions that rotate relative to each other about said first rotation axis. one of the pair of first contact portions has a first surface contact portion that makes surface contact with the outer surface of the container;
The other of the pair of first contact portions contacts the inner surface of the container, and generates a clamping force in a first direction intersecting the first rotation axis with the first surface contact portion. 14. The robot hand according to claim 13. 15. The robot hand according to claim 14, wherein the other of the pair of first contact portions contacts within a range overlapping with the first surface contact portion on the inner surface of the container when viewed in the first direction. The second support portions are a pair of second contact portions that respectively contact the outer surface of the container, and each extend vertically in the container when driven by the second driving portion. Having a pair of second contact parts that rotate around two rotation axes,
16. The robot hand according to claim 15, wherein the pair of second abutting parts rotates in opposite directions when viewed from above the container by being driven by the second driving part. The robot hand according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the first support portion has a third contact portion that contacts the peripheral edge of the container from above the container. The robot hand according to any one of claims 10 to 17, wherein the second support part has a fourth contact part that contacts the peripheral edge of the container from above the container. When viewed from above the container, the fourth contact portion extends continuously from the inner peripheral side of the container to the outer peripheral side of the container from a portion of the container with which the second support portion abuts. 19. The robotic hand of claim 18, wherein the robot hand A program applied to a container robot system comprising a robot hand attached to a robot body,
to the computer,
grasping a container with the robot hand;
a step of turning upside down the container gripped by the robot hand in the step of gripping;
releasing the container gripped by the robot hand in the gripping step;
The program that causes the to run.

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