JP2023018843A - Workpiece taking-out system and workpiece taking-out method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a workpiece taking-out system which can change at least one of a position and a height as seen in a horizontal direction of a workpiece while inhibiting damage of the workpiece, and to provide a workpiece taking-out method.SOLUTION: A workpiece taking-out system 1000 includes: a detection section 550; a holding device 100; a holding control unit 510; a spray device 300; a spray control unit 530; and a determination section 560. The detection section 550 detects at least one of a position and a height as seen in a horizontal direction of a workpiece 10 placed in bulk. The spray device 300 has a spray nozzle 310 which sprays air to the workpiece 10. When the determination section 560 determines that a spray operation by the spray device 300 is carried out, the spray control unit 530 controls the spray device 300 so that the spray device 300 blows air to the workpiece 10. When the determination section 560 determines that the spray operation by the spray device 300 is not carried out, the holding control unit 510 controls the holding device 100 so that the holding device 100 holds the workpiece 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a workpiece picking system and a workpiece picking method.

Conventionally, there has been known a work take-out system for taking out work that is randomly stacked in a container such as a tray. In such a work take-out system, it is generally difficult to stably take out, for example, the last work. Also, there is known a workpiece picking system that changes the position and attitude of a workpiece to make it possible to pick the workpiece when the position and attitude of the workpiece are such that it cannot be picked (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent Literature 1 describes a work picking device that includes a work position/orientation measuring device and a projecting portion. The workpiece position/orientation measuring device detects the positions and orientations of the workpieces that are randomly stacked in the container body. A plurality of holes are formed in the bottom surface of the container body. The protrusion can protrude into the container body through the hole in the bottom surface. In the work picking device of Patent Literature 1, for example, when there is no work that can be picked, the protruding portion is operated to change the state of bulk stacking of works. When the position and posture of the work change and it becomes possible to pick the work, the work is picked by the robot.

JP 2012-183616 A

However, in the work picking device described in Patent Literature 1, the position and attitude of the work are changed by pushing up the randomly stacked work from below with the projecting portion. Therefore, there is a problem that the work may be damaged due to the projecting portion coming into contact with the work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a workpiece unloading system capable of changing at least one of the horizontal position and height of a workpiece while suppressing damage to the workpiece. and to provide a workpiece picking method.

A workpiece extraction system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a detection section, a holding device, a holding control section, a spraying device, a spraying control section, and a determination section. The detection unit detects at least one of a horizontal position and a height of the randomly stacked workpieces. The holding device has a holding portion that holds the workpiece. The holding control section controls the holding device. The blowing device has an air blowing section for blowing air onto the work. The spray control section controls the spray device. The determination unit determines whether or not to perform a blowing operation of blowing air onto the work by the blowing device, based on the detection result detected by the detection unit. When the determining unit determines that the blowing operation is to be performed by the blowing device, the blowing control unit controls the blowing device to blow air onto the workpiece. The holding control unit controls the holding device to hold the workpiece when the determination unit determines that the spraying operation is not to be performed by the spraying device.

In the work picking system of the present invention, the holding section may hold the work by suction.

In the work extraction system of the present invention, the holding section may also serve as the air blowing section. The holding portion may suck air when sucking the work, and may blow air when blowing the air onto the work.

In the work take-out system of the present invention, the air blowing section may move integrally with the holding section.

In the workpiece removal system of the present invention, the air blowing section may blow air in a direction intersecting the vertical direction.

In the work picking system of the present invention, the detection unit may further detect the posture of the work. The determination unit may determine whether or not to perform the blowing operation based on at least one of a horizontal position and height of the work and a posture of the work.

In the work picking system of the present invention, when the posture of the work is a standing posture, the determination unit may determine that the blowing operation is to be performed.

In the work picking system of the present invention, the works may be randomly stacked in the tray. The blowing control section may blow air from the air blowing section while moving the air blowing section along the side wall of the tray.

The work picking system of the present invention may further include a storage unit. The storage unit may store work information including at least one of shape, size and weight of the work. The blowing control unit sets at least one of a blowing amount of air blown from the air blowing unit, a blowing speed, a blowing time, and a blowing position of the air blowing unit based on the workpiece information and the detection result. You may

In the workpiece picking system of the present invention, the determination section may determine whether or not the detection section has detected the workpiece. When the determination unit determines that the detection unit has not detected the work, the blowing control unit may control the blowing device to blow air onto the work.

A workpiece picking method according to another aspect of the present invention includes the step of detecting at least one of the horizontal position and height of randomly stacked workpieces with a detecting unit; and determining whether or not to perform a blowing operation of blowing air onto the workpiece. When the determining unit determines that the blowing device will perform the blowing operation, the blowing device blows air onto the workpiece. A holding device holds the workpiece when the determination unit determines that the spraying operation by the spraying device is not to be performed.

According to the present invention, the blowing device blows air onto the workpiece when the determination unit determines that the blowing device will perform the blowing operation. Therefore, unlike the case where the projecting portion pushes up the work from below, damage to the work can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a workpiece unloading system and a workpiece unloading method capable of changing at least one of the horizontal position and height of the workpiece while suppressing damage to the workpiece.

1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a work take-out system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows roughly the structure of the workpiece|work take-out system of 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 shows a state in which at least one workpiece can be taken out by the holding device; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which all workpieces cannot be taken out; FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a state after air is blown to the workpiece shown in FIG. 3B; It is a figure which shows the state which a workpiece|work is taken out by a holding|maintenance apparatus. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a work take-out system of this embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure around the holding|maintenance part of the holding|maintenance apparatus of the workpiece extraction system of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the other example of the structure around the holding|maintenance part of the holding|maintenance apparatus of the workpiece extraction system of this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining an example of the blowing operation of the work picking system of the present embodiment, and is a diagram showing the trajectory of the blowing nozzle. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of the blowing operation of the work take-out system of the present embodiment, and is a diagram for explaining the blowing direction by the blowing nozzle. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the shape of the workpiece|work which is hard to be adsorbed by the holding|maintenance part of this embodiment. 4 is a flow chart for explaining processing of the work picking system of the present embodiment; It is a figure which shows the structure around the holding|maintenance part of the holding|maintenance apparatus of the workpiece extraction system of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a blowout nozzle of a blowing device of a work picking system according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated.

(First embodiment)
A work take-out system 1000 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a workpiece picking system 1000 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the work picking system 1000 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a state in which at least one workpiece 10 can be taken out by the holding device 100. FIG. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a state in which all works 10 cannot be taken out. FIG. 3C is a diagram showing a state after air is blown onto the workpiece 10 shown in FIG. 3B. FIG. 3D is a diagram showing a state in which the workpiece 10 is taken out by the holding device 100. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the workpiece removal system 1000 includes a holding device 100 , a spraying device 300 , a holding control section 510 , a spraying control section 530 , a detection section 550 and a determination section 560 . For example, the holding control section 510 , the spray control section 530 , the detection section 550 and the determination section 560 are included in the control device 500 . The holding device 100 holds the workpiece 10 (see FIG. 2). The blowing device 300 blows air onto the workpiece 10 . The spray control unit 530 controls the spray device 300 . The detector 550 detects the work 10 . The determination unit 560 determines whether or not the spraying device 300 should perform the spraying operation.

The holding device 100 has a holding portion 110 . The holding part 110 holds the workpiece 10 (see FIG. 2). The configuration in which the holding portion 110 holds the workpiece 10 is not particularly limited. For example, the holding part 110 may hold the work 10 by sucking it, or may hold the work 10 by sandwiching it. In this specification, holding the work 10 means holding the work 10 by sucking or pinching the work 10 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the holding device 100 holds the workpieces 10 that are randomly stacked. Holding device 100 may include, for example, an articulated robot. The holding device 100 is a device for taking out the work 10 in the tray 20 to the outside of the tray 20 . The works 10 are, for example, randomly stacked in a tray 20 . That is, the works 10 are randomly accommodated in the tray 20 . The type of workpiece 10 is not particularly limited. The workpiece 10 may be, for example, a box having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, or a container having a substantially cylindrical shape. Moreover, the workpiece 10 may contain, for example, a tablet-like solid substance, or may contain a liquid. Also, the work 10 may be an empty box, for example.

The holding controller 510 controls the holding device 100 . The holding control unit 510 controls, for example, the operation of picking up the workpiece 10 by the holding device 100 . Specifically, the holding control unit 510 arranges the holding unit 110 at a predetermined horizontal position and height, for example. Further, the holding control unit 510 causes the holding unit 110 to suck the workpiece 10 by controlling a suction device, and clamps the workpiece 10 by the holding unit 110 by controlling an actuator such as a motor.

The spray device 300 has a blow nozzle 310 . Blow-out nozzle 310 is an example of the "air blow-out part" of the present invention. The blow nozzle 310 blows air onto the workpiece 10 . The blowing device 300 changes at least one of the horizontal position and height of the work 10 by blowing air onto the work 10 . In this manner, since the air blowing device 300 blows air onto the work 10, damage to the work 10 can be suppressed unlike the case where the work is pushed up from below by the projecting portion. Hereinafter, the “horizontal position” may be referred to as “horizontal position”. Moreover, unlike the case where the robot arm or the like is brought into contact with the workpiece 10 to change at least one of the horizontal position and height of the workpiece 10, for example, it is possible to suppress the load on the robot. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the robot from stopping due to an error.

In addition, the blowing device 300 may directly apply air to the work 10 from the blow nozzle 310 by blowing air toward the work 10 . Further, the blowing device 300 may blow air toward the inner surface (bottom surface or inner surface) of the tray 20 to indirectly apply air to the workpiece 10 from the blow nozzle 310 . In other words, "blowing air onto the work" in the present invention includes both direct blowing of air onto the work 10 from the blow nozzle 310 (air blowing portion) and blowing of air indirectly onto the work 10.

The blowing device 300 may be configured such that at least one of the horizontal position, height, and posture of the blowing nozzle 310 can be changed. Also, the blow nozzle 310 may be fixed at a predetermined position above, on the side of, or below the tray 20, for example. Also, the spraying device 300 may include only one blowing nozzle 310 or may include a plurality of blowing nozzles 310 .

The spraying control unit 530 controls the spraying operation by the spraying device 300, for example. The blowing operation means discharging compressed air from the blowing nozzle 310 and blowing the air onto the workpiece 10 . Specifically, the blowing control unit 530 may change the horizontal position, height, and orientation of the blowing nozzle 310 . Further, the blowing control unit 530 blows air from the blowing nozzle 310 to the workpiece 10 by controlling the compressor.

The detector 550 detects at least one of the horizontal position and height of the randomly stacked workpieces 10 . Specifically, the acquired information is transmitted from the work state acquisition device 50 to the detection unit 550 . Acquisition information is information acquired by the work state acquisition device 50 . Acquisition information is, for example, information necessary to detect at least one of the horizontal position and height of the workpiece 10 . Also, the acquired information may include, for example, information necessary for detecting the orientation of the workpiece 10 . That is, the detection unit 550 may detect the orientation of the workpiece 10 . Acquired information includes, for example, RGBD data and point cloud data of the entire tray 20 including the work 10, but if at least one of the horizontal position and height of the work 10 can be detected, data other than these can be used. good.

The detection unit 550 detects at least one of the horizontal position and height of the workpiece 10 based on the information acquired by the workpiece state acquisition device 50 . For example, the work state acquisition device 50 may be fixed above the tray 20 so as not to move, or may be fixed to an arm of the holding device 100 or the like. However, when the work state acquisition device 50 is fixed to the arm of the holding device 100, etc., the work state acquisition device 50 also moves (moves).

The determination unit 560 determines whether or not to perform the spraying operation by the spraying device 300 based on the detection result detected by the detection unit 550 . That is, the determination unit 560 determines whether or not to perform the spraying operation based on at least one of the horizontal position and height of the workpiece 10 . For example, when the workpiece 10 is at a horizontal position or height that cannot be taken out by the holding device 100, the determination unit 560 determines that the spraying operation by the spraying device 300 is to be performed. On the other hand, for example, when the workpiece 10 is at a horizontal position or height that can be taken out by the holding device 100, the determination unit 560 determines that the spraying operation by the spraying device 300 is not to be performed. As described above, by detecting the work 10 with the detection unit 550 and providing the determination unit 560 for determining whether or not to perform the spraying operation based on the detection result, the work 10 of various shapes, weights and sizes can be detected. can be taken out. Moreover, even a new work 10 can be taken out by the holding device 100 .

Note that the determination unit 560 determines not to perform the blowing operation when at least one work 10 in the tray 20 can be taken out by the holding device 100 . On the other hand, if all the workpieces 10 in the tray 20 cannot be taken out by the holding device 100, the determination unit 560 determines that the blowing operation is to be performed.

The determination unit 560 determines whether or not the workpiece 10 can be taken out by the holding device 100, and determines whether or not to perform the spraying operation, but the determination method by the determination unit 560 is not limited to this. For example, the determination unit 560 determines each item of the detection result of the work 10 (for example, horizontal position, height, posture) and work information (shape, size, weight of the work 10) to be described later. It may also be evaluated and scored based on the degree of resistance, and based on the total score, it may be determined whether or not to perform the spraying operation. For example, if the total score is equal to or greater than the threshold, the ejecting action is executed without executing the blowing action, and if the total score is less than the threshold, the blowing action is executed. In this way, it may be determined whether or not to perform the spraying operation by comprehensively evaluating the ease of picking up the workpiece 10 . Further, in this case, the information acquired by the work state acquisition device 50 may be scored by evaluating accuracy, and added to the total score. In addition, each item of information (size, shape, motion range) of the holding portion 110, the arm 130, or the mounting member 140 may also be scored and added to the total score.

Further, the determination unit 560 may determine whether or not the posture of the work 10 is the standing posture based on the detection result of the work 10 . Here, when the work 10 is, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, that is, when the work 10 has three substantially orthogonal sides, the standing posture is determined by the work state acquisition device 50 arranged above the work 10 to determine the longest side of the work 10 . contains the pose when is not detected. In other words, the standing posture includes the posture when the longest side of the workpiece 10 extends vertically. The standing posture includes the posture when the second longest side of the work 10 is not detected by the work state acquisition device 50 arranged above the work 10 . In other words, the standing posture includes the posture when the second longest side extends vertically. Also, in the standing posture, the longest side or the second longest side of the workpiece 10 may not be parallel to the vertical direction, and may be inclined with respect to the vertical direction. Even if the vertically extending side cannot be detected by the workpiece state acquisition device 50, the vertically extending side (the undetectable side) can be detected from the length of the three sides included in the workpiece information or the ratio of the lengths. It is possible to easily determine which of the three sides it is.

Also, the user may define (set) the standing posture for each type of work 10 . Specifically, the workpiece 10 may be formed only by curved surfaces (or a combination of curved and flat surfaces), such as a container for storing detergent or the like. In this case, the standing posture of the work 10 can be defined (set) by the user pre-registering the shape of the upper portion or upper end of the work 10 . The standing posture of the work 10 may be defined (set) when the work 10 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped.

In addition to the detection result of the work 10, the determination unit 560 determines whether or not to execute the spraying operation based on the posture of the work 10 taken out from the tray 20 and placed in another tray or storage box. It may be determined whether Specifically, when arranging the work 10 in another tray or storage box, the determination unit 560 determines whether the work 10 is placed in an upright state or in a horizontal state. may be determined whether to execute

Further, the determination unit 560 may determine whether or not to perform the spraying operation based on at least one of the horizontal position and height of the work 10 and the attitude of the work 10 . By further detecting the posture of the work 10 by the detection unit 550 in this way, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the work 10 can be taken out by the holding device 100 . In other words, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not to perform the blowing operation, making it easier to take out the workpiece 10 .

When the determining unit 560 determines that the spraying device 300 should perform the spraying operation, the spraying control unit 530 controls the spraying device 300 to spray air onto the randomly stacked workpieces 10 . Therefore, for example, when at least one of the horizontal position and height of the work 10 cannot be taken out, the horizontal position, height, attitude, etc. of the work 10 can be changed by executing the blowing operation.

On the other hand, when the determination unit 560 determines that the spraying device 300 does not perform the spraying operation, the holding control unit 510 controls the holding device 100 to hold the randomly stacked workpieces 10 . Therefore, for example, when the horizontal position, height and attitude of the work 10 are changed by the spraying operation, and the work 10 becomes ready to be taken out, the work 10 can be taken out by the holding device 100 .

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, for example, when at least one work 10 is positioned in the center of the tray 20 and the attitude of the work 10 is horizontal, the determining unit 560 determines that the spraying device It is determined that the blowing operation by 300 is not to be executed. In other words, the determination unit 560 determines that at least one workpiece 10 can be taken out by the holding device 100 . Then, the work 10 is taken out by the holding device 100 .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, for example, when all the works 10 are arranged along the side walls 21 of the tray 20 and the posture of the works 10 is vertical, the holding portion 110, the mounting member 140, or the arm 130 and the like come into contact with the tray 20 and the workpiece 10 cannot be held. Therefore, the determination unit 560 determines that the spraying operation by the spraying device 300 is to be performed. In other words, the determination unit 560 determines that all the workpieces 10 cannot be taken out.

In this case, air is blown against the work 10 by the blowing device 300 . Thereby, the horizontal position and attitude of the work 10 are changed. Then, as shown in FIG. 3C , for example, when at least one work 10 is separated from the side wall 21 of the tray 20 or the posture of the work 10 becomes horizontal, the determination unit 560 determines that the spraying operation by the spraying device 300 is determined not to be executed. In other words, the determination unit 560 determines that at least one workpiece 10 can be taken out by the holding device 100 .

Then, as shown in FIG. 3D , the work 10 is taken out by the holding device 100 .

The holding device 100 arranges the work 10 taken out from the tray 20 inside another tray or storage box, for example.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the determination unit 560 may determine whether or not the work 10 is present in the tray 20 . Specifically, for example, the determination unit 560 compares the number of works 10 randomly stacked in the tray 20 with the number of works 10 taken out by the holding unit 110 to determine whether the work 10 is in the tray 20. It may be determined whether there is In other words, the determination unit 560 may determine whether or not the same number of works 10 as the number of instructions to take out (transfer) the works 10 in the tray 20 has been taken out. Further, for example, a weight measuring device (not shown) that measures the weight of the tray 20 may be provided below the tray 20 . Then, the determination unit 560 may determine whether or not there is a workpiece 10 in the tray 20 by comparing the measurement result of the weight measuring device with the weight of the empty tray 20 measured in advance.

Next, the work picking system 1000 of this embodiment will be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the work picking system 1000 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4 , in this embodiment, the workpiece removal system 1000 includes a holding device 100 , a spraying device 300 and a control device 500 . Moreover, in the present embodiment, the work takeout system 1000 further includes a work state acquisition device 50 .

In this embodiment, the holding device 100 includes a holding portion 110 , an arm 130 and a suction device 150 . In this embodiment, the holding part 110 holds the workpiece 10 by suction. Therefore, for example, the holding portion 110 can be made smaller than in the case where the workpiece 10 is sandwiched and held. Specifically, when the holding portion 110 holds the work 10 by pinching it, the holding portion 110 needs to be opened wider than the work 10 , so that the work 10 and the tray 20 are likely to come into contact with the work 10 . On the other hand, when the holding part 110 holds the work 10 by suction, the holding part 110 does not need to be opened wider than the work 10 , so contact with the tray 20 or other works 10 can be suppressed.

The holding part 110 is, for example, a suction member such as a suction pad. The holding part 110 holds the upper surface of the work 10 by suction. The holding part 110 is attached to the tip of the arm 130 . Arm 130 is, for example, an articulated arm that can rotate about multiple axes. The holding device 100 includes, for example, a 6-axis robot or a 5-axis robot. The arm 130 can arrange the holding part 110 at any horizontal position, height and posture.

The suction device 150 includes, for example, a vacuum generator such as an ejector for sucking air or a suction pump. The suction device 150 is connected to the holding section 110 , and the holding section 110 can suck the workpiece 10 by driving the suction device 150 .

In this embodiment, the spray device 300 includes a blow nozzle 310 and a compressor 330 . In this embodiment, the blow nozzle 310 can change at least the horizontal position and height. Like the holding device 100, the blowing device 300 may include a robot arm that changes the horizontal position and height of the blowing nozzle 310. It is Thereby, the blow nozzle 310 moves integrally with the holding portion 110 . Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a robot arm for moving the blow nozzle 310 . As a result, it is possible to prevent the structure of the workpiece picking system 1000 from becoming complicated.

Compressor 330 compresses air and delivers compressed air. Compressor 330 is connected to blowout nozzle 310 , and the air compressed by compressor 330 is blown out from blowout nozzle 310 .

In this embodiment, the control device 500 includes a holding control section 510 , a spray control section 530 , a detection section 550 , a determination section 560 , a main control section 570 and a storage section 590 .

The control device 500 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor of the control device 500 executes computer programs stored in the storage device of the storage section 590 and functions as the holding control section 510 , the spray control section 530 , the detection section 550 , the determination section 560 and the main control section 570 .

The storage unit 590 includes a storage device and stores data and computer programs. Storage unit 590 is, for example, an example of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Specifically, the storage unit 590 includes a main storage device such as a semiconductor memory, and an auxiliary storage device such as a semiconductor memory, a solid state drive, and/or a hard disk drive. Storage unit 590 may include removable media. Further, the storage unit 590 stores information acquired by the workpiece state acquisition device 50, detection information detected by the detection unit 550, information on the workpiece 10, information on the holding device 100, information on the spraying device 300, and the like.

The holding control section 510 controls the arm 130 and the suction device 150 . The holding control section 510 controls the horizontal position and height of the holding section 110 by controlling the movement of the arm 130 . Further, specifically, the holding control unit 510 controls the operation of the arm 130 by controlling an actuator such as a motor.

Further, the holding control unit 510 controls driving (on/off) of the suction device 150 . Further, the holding control unit 510 controls opening and closing operations of a valve (not shown). The valve is arranged between the suction device 150 and the holding part 110 or in the suction device 150 . The holding control unit 510 controls the operation of sucking air by the holding unit 110 by controlling the suction device 150 and the valve.

The holding control unit 510 controls the operation of picking up the workpiece 10 by the holding device 100 by controlling the horizontal position and height of the holding unit 110 and the suction operation. Further, in this embodiment, the holding control section 510 controls the orientation of the work 10 in addition to the horizontal position and height of the holding section 110 .

Spray control unit 530 controls compressor 330 . The spray control unit 530 controls driving (on/off) of the compressor 330 . In addition, the spray control unit 530 controls opening and closing operations of a valve (not shown). The valve is located between the compressor 330 and the blow nozzle 310 or at the compressor 330 . The blowing controller 530 controls the air blowing operation of the blowing nozzle 310 by controlling the compressor 330 and the valve. When the blowing device 300 includes a robot arm that moves the blowing nozzle 310, the blowing control unit 530, like the holding control unit 510, controls the operation of the robot arm to adjust the horizontal position and height of the blowing nozzle 310. to control. In this case, the blowing controller 530 may control the attitude (blowing direction) of the blowing nozzle 310 in addition to the horizontal position and height.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the blowing control unit 530 controls the blowing amount, blowing speed, and blowing time of the air blown from the blowing nozzle 310 based on the workpiece information and the detection result detected by the detecting unit 550. set at least one of the blowing positions of Work information is provided for each type of work 10, for example. The work information includes, for example, information indicating at least one of the shape, size and weight of the work 10 . The blowing position of the blowing nozzle 310 includes, for example, the height at which the blowing is performed, but if the distance between the blowing nozzle 310 and the workpiece 10 or the blowing angle (orientation of the nozzle) can be adjusted, it includes other than the height at which the blowing is performed. It's okay. For example, the blowing position of the blowing nozzle 310 may include the horizontal position of the blowing nozzle 310 . Also, the blowing position of the blowing nozzle 310 may include the horizontal position and height of the blowing nozzle 310 .

Further, the blowing control section 530 may set the type of the blowing nozzle 310 based on the work information and the detection result detected by the detecting section 550 . For example, the blowing device 300 may include a plurality of types of blowing nozzles 310 and a tool changer for exchanging the blowing nozzles 310, and the blowing control unit 530 may control the tool changer so as to exchange the blowing nozzles 310. . Note that the spraying device 300 does not have to have a tool changer. In this case, the spray control unit 530 may control a notification unit (not shown) to prompt the user to replace the blow nozzle 310 .

The blowing control unit 530 sets at least one of the blowing amount, the blowing speed, the blowing time, and the blowing position of the blowing nozzle 310 of the air blown from the blowing nozzle 310 based on the work information, so that the work 10 is leveled. Position and height can be easily changed.

In this embodiment, the detector 550 detects the horizontal position and height of the randomly stacked workpieces 10 . Specifically, the detection unit 550 detects the horizontal position and height of the work 10 based on the information acquired by the work state acquisition device 50 . In this embodiment, the work state acquisition device 50 is fixed to the ceiling 60 (see FIG. 2) above the tray 20 . The work state acquisition device 50 may include, for example, an imaging device that takes an image of the inside of the tray 20 . Also, the work state acquisition device 50 may include an acquisition device that acquires 3D (three-dimensional) information in the tray 20, for example. Acquisition devices may include, for example, a 3D camera or a LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging).

The detection unit 550 detects the horizontal position of the work 10 based on the result obtained by the work state obtaining device 50, for example. Further, the detection unit 550 detects the height of the object based on the result obtained by the workpiece state obtaining device 50, for example. Therefore, the detector 550 can detect the upper surface 11 of the work 10 . The upper surface 11 of the work 10 is the upper surface 11 of the work 10 arranged in the tray 20 . For example, the upper surface 11 of the workpiece 10 is the surface of the workpiece 10 that is farthest from the bottom surface 22 of the tray 20 .

Specifically, the detection unit 550 calculates the holding position and the orientation of the work 10 when the work 10 is held using the holding device 100 based on the results obtained by the work state obtaining device 50 . The holding position and orientation of the workpiece 10 may be derived using a generally known calculation method. Here, as an example, a 3D camera fixed to the ceiling 60 above the tray 20 is used as the work state acquisition device 50, and an example in which the detection unit 550 calculates the holding position and orientation of the work 10 will be described.

The work state acquisition device 50 outputs acquisition information (two-dimensional color image and three-dimensional point cloud data) of the entire tray 20 . A transformation matrix capable of mutually transforming the image coordinate system of the two-dimensional color image and the three-dimensional coordinate system of the three-dimensional point cloud data is known from camera calibration. First, the workpiece state acquisition device 50 inputs the captured two-dimensional color image to the detection unit 550 . When a two-dimensional color image is input, the detector 550 detects the center coordinates of a circumscribing rectangle (also called a bounding box) surrounding the workpiece 10 on the two-dimensional color image and the size (vertical and horizontal lengths) of the circumscribing rectangle. Output in the camera coordinate system. That is, the position and size of the workpiece 10 within the tray 20 are detected. The method of detecting the position and size of the workpiece 10 by the detection unit 550 is not particularly limited. For example, a neural network generally used in recent years may be used, or other methods may be used. .

Next, the detection unit 550 uses information (camera coordinate system) on the center coordinates and size of the detected circumscribing rectangle and a transformation matrix to extract a three-dimensional area around the work 10 from the three-dimensional point cloud data of the entire tray 20 . to extract Furthermore, the detection unit 550 extracts point groups in which the three-dimensional gradient is moderately continuous from the extracted point group data of the three-dimensional region around the work 10 as three-dimensional point group data of the upper surface 11 of the work 10 . For example, when suction is used as a holding method, the center of the area (upper surface 11) where the three-dimensional gradient continues most slowly in the three-dimensional point cloud data of the workpiece 10 extracted in this way is output as the holding position. and outputs the vertical direction of the area as the orientation direction of the holding unit 110 .

Note that the work state acquisition device 50 may not include, for example, an imaging device, a 3D camera, and a LIDAR. As the work state acquisition device 50, for example, a plurality of imaging devices may be used to capture images of the inside of the tray 20 from a plurality of directions. Also in this case, the horizontal position and height of the workpiece 10 can be detected.

For example, the determination unit 560 determines whether or not the holding unit 110 can actually perform the take-out operation based on the holding position and orientation of the workpiece 10 calculated by the detection unit 550 , and determines whether the ejection operation by the spraying device 300 is possible. It is determined whether or not to execute

Specifically, first, a three-dimensional model for contact determination that describes the shapes of the holding device 100, the spraying device 300, and the tray 20 stored in the storage unit 590 is read. The model of the tray 20 may be created by the main control section 570 based on the information of the tray 20 acquired by the work state acquisition device 50 .

Next, when the holding part 110 is moved from its current position to the position where it holds the workpiece 10, the holding part 110 and its peripheral members (the arm 130 and the mounting member 140) move along the entire movement path of the holding part 110. It is determined whether or not the tray 20 is contacted. As a method of generating the movement path of the holding part 110, for example, a method commonly used in industrial robot arms may be used. When the determination unit 560 determines that the holding unit 110 or the like contacts the tray 20 when the take-out operation is to be executed for any work 10, the work 10 that can be held as it is (position and orientation). is not present in the tray 20. Therefore, determination unit 560 determines to perform the blowing operation. On the other hand, if the determining unit 560 determines that the holding unit 110 and the like do not contact the tray 20 when the ejecting operation is to be performed, the determining unit 560 determines that the ejecting operation is to be performed. For example, when the work 10 is positioned at the center of the tray 20 and the orientation of the work 10 is horizontal, the determination unit 560 determines that the holding unit 110 and the like do not contact the tray 20, and executes the take-out operation. judge. Further, for example, when the work 10 is arranged along the side wall 21 of the tray 20 and the posture of the work 10 is vertical, the determination unit 560 determines that the holding unit 110 or the like contacts the tray 20, It is determined to execute the blowing operation.

The determination unit 560 also determines whether or not the holding unit 110 or the like contacts another work 10, and determines to execute the take-out operation when it is determined that the holding unit 110 or the like does not contact the other work 10. good too.

The main controller 570 controls the holding controller 510 and the spray controller 530 . The main control section 570 executes the blowing action or the removing action based on the determination result of the determination section 560 . Specifically, when the determining unit 560 determines that the spraying operation is to be performed, the main control unit 570 does not perform the removal operation for the holding control unit 510, and instructs the spraying control unit 530 to perform the spraying operation. instruct it to run. In this embodiment, since the blow nozzle 310 of the blowing device 300 is provided in the holding portion 110 of the holding device 100, the holding control portion 510 controls the horizontal position and height of the arm 130 even when the blowing operation is executed. do. In addition, the main control unit 570 measures the timing of the movement and stop of the holding unit 110 and the blowing of the blowing nozzle 310 and instructs the holding control unit 510 and the blowing control unit 530 .

Further, the main control section 570 may perform the blowing operation when the holding section 110 fails to suck (take out) the workpiece 10 . For example, the determination unit 560 determines whether or not the holding unit 110 has failed to suck the work 10. When the determination unit 560 determines that the holding unit 110 has failed to suck the work 10, the main control unit 570 A spraying action may be performed. In addition, when the determination unit 560 does not determine whether or not the holding unit 110 has failed to adsorb the workpiece 10, for example, when the measurement result of the weight measuring device (not shown) does not change, the main control unit 570 , may perform a spraying action.

Next, referring to FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, the structure around the holding portion 110 will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the structure around the holding section 110 of the holding device 100 of the workpiece picking system 1000 of this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the structure around the holding section 110 of the holding device 100 of the workpiece picking system 1000 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the holding part 110 is detachably attached to the tip of the arm 130 . In this embodiment, the retaining device 100 comprises a mounting member 140. As shown in FIG. The holding part 110 is attached to the tip of the arm 130 via the attachment member 140 . Note that, for example, the mounting member 140 and the holding portion 110 may be integrally molded. Also, for example, the mounting member 140 and the arm 130 may be integrally molded.

As shown in FIG. 5, the holding portion 110 has a through hole 110a. The through-hole 110 a penetrates through the holding portion 110 . The through hole 110a is connected to the suction device 150 via a rubber hose or the like.

The holding portion 110 has a lower surface 110b that is a suction surface. The holding part 110 is arranged so as to extend perpendicularly to the surface of the work 10 when the picking operation is performed. Therefore, the take-out operation is performed with the lower surface 110b parallel to the surface of the workpiece 10. As shown in FIG.

Also, the lower end of the holding part 110 may have a larger diameter than the other parts. In other words, the holding part 110 may have a collar part 110c with a larger diameter than other parts. Further, the flange portion 110c may have a lower surface 110b that is a suction surface. In this case, since the area of the attracting surface (lower surface 110b) is increased, the ability of the holding part 110 to attract the workpiece 10 is stabilized.

Also, the blow nozzle 310 is arranged on the mounting member 140 . The blow nozzle 310 may be attached to the attachment member 140, for example. Also, the blow nozzle 310 and the mounting member 140 may be, for example, an integrally molded product.

The blow nozzle 310 has a through hole 310a. The through hole 310 a penetrates the blow nozzle 310 . The through hole 310a is connected to the compressor 330 via a rubber hose or the like.

Also, the inner diameter of the through hole 310 a may be larger than the inner diameter of the through hole 110 a of the holding portion 110 . In this case, the amount of air blown by the blow nozzle 310 can be easily increased. Also, a plurality of through holes 310a may be provided, and for example, the through holes 310a may be formed in a horizontally elongated shape or a slit shape instead of a circular shape.

Further, the blow nozzle 310 is arranged substantially parallel to the holding portion 110, for example. With this configuration, when the posture of the arm 130 is moved so that the tip portion 311 of the blow nozzle 310 faces vertically downward, air is blown vertically downward from the blow nozzle 310 . Further, for example, the tip portion 311 of the blow nozzle 310 may extend in a direction intersecting the holding portion 110 . In this case, the air can be blown out from the blowing nozzle 310 in a direction intersecting (inclined) with respect to the vertical direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 6 , the tip portion 311 of the blow nozzle 310 may extend in a direction perpendicular to the holding portion 110 . In this case, air can be blown horizontally from the blow nozzle 310 . This makes it easier to blow air onto the workpiece 10 from the side (horizontal direction). This configuration is particularly effective when it is desired to knock down the work 10 in a standing posture with air. For example, even if the tip 311 of the blowing nozzle 310 is arranged substantially parallel to the holding part 110, by changing the posture of the arm 130, the air from the blowing nozzle 310 is directed vertically. It is also possible to blow out in an intersecting (inclined or orthogonal) direction. However, the joint portion of the arm 130 has a limited movable range, and the arm 130 tends to come into contact with the tray 20 when the blow nozzle 310 is brought closer to the horizontal. , it becomes difficult to bring the blowing direction of the blowing nozzle 310 closer to the horizontal.

In addition, the blow nozzle 310 has a lower end 310b located farthest from the mounting member 140. As shown in FIG. The lower end 310b of the blow nozzle 310 is arranged above the lower surface 110b of the holding portion 110 while the holding portion 110 is arranged to extend vertically downward. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the blow nozzle 310 from coming into contact with the work 10 when the holding part 110 executes the take-out operation.

Next, the spraying operation by the spraying device 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view for explaining an example of the blowing operation of the workpiece picking system 1000 of the present embodiment, showing the trajectory of the blowing nozzle 310. FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of the blowing operation of the workpiece picking system 1000 of the present embodiment, and is a diagram for explaining the blowing direction by the blowing nozzle 310. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7 , when the workpiece 10 is arranged along the side wall 21 of the tray 20 , for example, while moving the blow nozzle 310 along the side wall 21 of the tray 20 over about one round, Air may be blown out. In this way, the blowing control section 530 may move the blowing nozzle 310 along a predetermined route. In this case, it is not necessary to control the position of the blowing nozzle 310 with high precision as compared with the case where the blowing nozzle 310 is moved to the vicinity of the target work 10 to blow air. In addition, air can be blown to the workpiece 10 in many situations (horizontal position and attitude) of the workpiece 10 regardless of the horizontal position and attitude of the workpiece 10 in the tray 20 . Therefore, even if the detection unit 550 fails to detect the work 10 (when the horizontal position and height of the work 10 are not detected), air can be blown to the work 10 .

The blowing control unit 530 causes the blowing nozzle 310 to blow air along the side wall 21 of the tray 20 while moving the blowing nozzle 310 along the side wall 21 of the tray 20 over about one turn. can. Therefore, the workpiece 10 can be easily kept away from the side wall 21. As shown in FIG. Specifically, the blowing control unit 530 moves the blowing nozzle 310 along the inner surface 21a of the side wall 21 of the tray 20 for about one round. In this case, by tilting the blowing direction of the blowing nozzle 310 toward the side wall 21 (that is, outside) by 5° to 25°, preferably 5° to 15°, the air is reflected on the side wall 21. It becomes easier to change the position and posture.

Further, since the blowing operation is likely to be performed when the workpiece 10 is arranged near the side wall 21, it is effective to move the blow nozzle 310 along the side wall 21 of the tray 20 for about one round.

Moreover, when the horizontal position and height of the work 10 are not detected by the detection unit 550 , the blow nozzle 310 may be moved along the side wall 21 of the tray 20 for about one round. Since it is difficult to detect the horizontal position and height of the work 10 when the work 10 is arranged in the vicinity of the side wall 21, it is effective to move the blow nozzle 310 along the side wall 21 of the tray 20 for about one round. be. In addition, when the workpiece 10 is arranged near the side wall 21, the workpiece 10 may be dark due to the shadow of the side wall 21, and the workpiece 10 may not be detected. Further, for example, when rectangular parallelepiped workpieces 10 are arranged without gaps, the boundaries between the workpieces 10 become unclear, and the positions of the workpieces 10 may not be detected.

In addition, when the side wall 21 of the tray 20 is formed, for example, in a grid pattern, that is, when the side wall 21 of the tray 20 has a plurality of openings (not shown), the blow nozzle 310 is directed from the outside of the tray 20 to the side wall 21. may be moved along about one full circle. In this case, the blow nozzle 310 may be arranged substantially horizontally to blow air from the outside of the side wall 21 toward the inside of the tray 20 .

When the work 10 is arranged along the side wall 21 of the tray 20, for example, the position of the blow nozzle 310 is moved to a predetermined position, and the work 10 is sprayed with air while the blow nozzle 310 is fixed at that position. may be sprayed. In this case, the spray control section 530 may set the position of the blow nozzle 310 based on the detection result of the detection section 550 .

In addition, the time for blowing air from the blowing nozzle 310 is not particularly limited. You can blow it out. Further, the blowing from the blowing nozzle 310 for a time shorter than 1 second (for example, several milliseconds to several tens of milliseconds) may be repeated. In other words, the air may be intermittently blown from the blow nozzle 310 . In this way, when air is intermittently blown from the blow nozzle 310, the horizontal position, height and attitude of the work 10 can be changed while suppressing the movement of the work 10 to the side wall 21 on the opposite side of the tray 20. can be done. Specifically, in order to move the workpiece 10, a certain amount of wind strength is required, but if the strong wind continues to hit the workpiece 10 that has started to move, the workpiece 10 will move to the side wall 21 on the leeward side. There is On the other hand, by intermittently blowing air against the work 10, the moving work 10 temporarily stops, that is, the dynamic friction returns to the static friction, so the movement of the work 10 to the side wall 21 on the leeward side can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 8, for example, when a work 10a having a shape of a PET bottle is standing, it is difficult for the holding part 110 to suck the work 10a. In this specification, among various works 10, a PET bottle-shaped work is described as a work 10a.

Specifically, it may be difficult to suck the workpiece 10a due to the curved upper surface 11 of the cap of the workpiece 10a. In this case, the determining unit 560 determines that the spraying device 300 should perform the spraying operation based on the detection result of the detecting unit 550, the workpiece information, and the like. In other words, the detection unit 550 detects the posture of the work 10a having the shape of a plastic bottle. Then, the determination unit 560 determines that the workpiece 10a is in the standing posture, and determines that the spraying operation by the spraying device 300 is to be performed. Therefore, when it is difficult to suck the upper surface 11 of the work 10a, the determination unit 560 determines that the work 10a needs to be laid down.

In this case, the air may be blown vertically downward from the blow nozzle 310, but it is preferable to blow the air from the blow nozzle 310 in a direction that intersects (inclines or is perpendicular to) the vertical direction, for example. The blowing nozzle 310 blows air in a direction intersecting the vertical direction, so that the standing workpiece 10a (the workpiece 10a in the standing posture) can be easily overturned. As a result, a part of the polygonal outer peripheral surface of the work 10a is horizontally arranged, so that the work 10a can be easily sucked by the holding portion 110 . It should be noted that laying down the work 10 in the standing posture is not limited to the case where the upper surface 11 of the work 10 is difficult to attract. For example, when arranging the work 10 in another tray or storage box, if the work 10 is laid down, the work 10 in the upright posture may be laid down.

When air is blown out from the blowing nozzle 310 in a direction intersecting (inclined or perpendicular to) the vertical direction, for example, using the blowing nozzle 310 shown in FIG. Air may be blown out from the blow-out nozzle 310 in a state of intersecting (inclined or orthogonal) with respect to them. Further, for example, air may be blown from the blow nozzle 310 using the blow nozzle 310 shown in FIG.

The spraying operation by the spraying device 300 is not limited to when the work 10 is arranged near the side wall 21 of the tray 20 or when the PET bottle-shaped work 10a is standing. For example, when the workpieces 10 overlap each other and cannot be taken out, or when the workpiece 10 is tilted with respect to the horizontal plane, the holding part can Even if the holder 110 or the arm 130 contacts the tray 20 or another work 10 when the work 110 is brought closer, the work cannot be taken out.

In FIG. 8, the PET bottle-shaped workpiece 10a is shown as an example in which the upper surface 11 of the workpiece 10 is difficult to be adsorbed. Sometimes.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of the shape of the work 10 that is difficult to be sucked by the holding section 110 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, for example, when a work 10b, which is a box with a header, stands upright, it may be difficult for the holding part 110 to suck the work 10b. In this specification, among the various works 10, a work that is a box with a header is referred to as a work 10b.

Specifically, the workpiece 10b has a main body 12 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and a header 13. As shown in FIG. The header 13 has, for example, a hole 13a for hanging and displaying the work 10b. For example, when the workpiece 10b is standing and the header 13 is laid down so as to cover the upper surface 11 of the workpiece 10b, it is difficult to attract the workpiece 10b. In this case, only the portion of the upper surface 11 of the workpiece 10b that is not covered with the header 13 is detected by the detection unit 550 as the upper surface. Then, the determining unit 560 determines that the spraying operation by the spraying device 300 is to be performed because the upper surface 11 of the work 10b is narrow.

Next, referring to FIG. 10, a work picking method of the work picking system 1000 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the processing of the workpiece picking system 1000 of this embodiment. The processing of the workpiece picking system 1000 includes steps S1 to S6.

As shown in FIG. 10 , in step S<b>1 , the workpiece state acquisition device 50 takes an image of the inside of the tray 20 and measures the height of the entire area inside the tray 20 . The work state acquisition device 50 transmits the acquired information (imaging result and distance measurement result) to the control device 500 .

Next, in step S<b>2 , the detection unit 550 detects the horizontal position and height of the work 10 based on the information received from the work state acquisition device 50 .

Next, in step S3, the determination unit 560 determines whether or not to perform the spraying operation by the spraying device 300 based on the result detected by the detection unit 550 and the workpiece information.

If the determining unit 560 determines in step S3 that the spraying device 300 will perform the spraying operation, the process proceeds to step S4.

Next, in step S4, the spraying control section 530 performs a spraying operation. In this embodiment, since the blow nozzle 310 is arranged in the holding portion 110, the horizontal position and height of the holding portion 110 are controlled by the holding control portion 510 when the blowing operation is performed. In step S4, since air is blown to the work 10, the horizontal position, height and attitude of the work 10 change. Then, the process returns to step S1.

On the other hand, if the determination unit 560 determines in step S3 that the spraying device 300 does not perform the spraying operation, the process proceeds to step S5.

Next, in step S5, holding control unit 510 executes a take-out operation. That is, the holding control unit 510 takes out the work 10 from the tray 20 by the holding unit 110 and arranges the taken out work 10 inside another tray or storage box. Then, the process proceeds to step S6.

Next, in step S6, the determination unit 560 determines whether or not the termination condition is satisfied. The end condition may be, for example, the condition that the same number of works 10 as the number of instructions to transfer the works 10 in the tray 20 to another tray or storage box have been transferred, or no works 10 remain in the tray 20. or another condition.

If the determination unit 560 determines that the end condition is not satisfied in step S6, the process returns to step S1. Note that if the holding unit 110 fails to adsorb the workpiece 10 in step S5, specifically, if the measurement result of the weight measuring device (not shown) does not change, the process may proceed to step S6. You may advance to step S4 and perform a blowing operation.

On the other hand, if the determination unit 560 determines that the end condition is satisfied in step S6, the process ends.

(Second embodiment)
A work picking system 1000 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the structure around the holding portion 110 of the holding device 100 of the workpiece picking system 1000 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, an example in which the holding portion 110 also serves as the blowout nozzle 310 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 11, a holding device 100 of this embodiment includes a holding portion 110 and a mounting member 140, like the first embodiment. On the other hand, unlike the first embodiment, the mounting member 140 is not provided with the blowout nozzle 310 . In this embodiment, the holding portion 110 also serves as the blowout nozzle 310 .

Specifically, for example, the connecting pipe 170 is connected to the through hole 110a. The connecting pipe 170 branches into a suction pipe 171 and a blowout pipe 172 . The suction tube 171 is connected to the suction device 150 . The blowout pipe 172 is connected to the compressor 330 . For example, the suction tube 171 and the blow-out tube 172 are provided with valves 171a and 172a, respectively. The valves 171a and 172a may be arranged inside the suction device 150 and inside the compressor 330, respectively.

The holding control unit 510 controls the opening/closing operation of the valve 171a. The blowing controller 530 controls opening and closing operations of the valve 172a.

In this embodiment, the holding part 110 sucks air when sucking the workpiece 10 and blows air when blowing the air onto the workpiece 10 . Therefore, since it is not necessary to provide the blow-out nozzle 310, the periphery of the holding portion 110 (that is, the periphery of the tip of the arm 130) can be miniaturized. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the holding portion 110 and the like from coming into contact with the tray 20 or other workpieces 10 . As a result, the number of workpieces 10 that can be taken out without performing the blowing operation increases. Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide the blow-off nozzle 310, the number of parts can be reduced.

Specifically, when the work 10 is sucked, air is sucked from the through hole 110a of the holding portion 110 by driving the suction device 150 with the valve 172a closed and the valve 171a opened. On the other hand, when air is blown onto the workpiece 10, the air compressed by the compressor 330 is blown out from the through hole 110a of the holding portion 110 by opening the valve 172a while the valve 171a is closed.

The rest of the configuration, workpiece picking method, and effects of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

(Third embodiment)
A work picking system 1000 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the blow nozzle 310 of the blowing device 300 of the workpiece picking system 1000 according to the third embodiment of the invention. 3rd Embodiment demonstrates the example which the blowing nozzle 310 of the blowing apparatus 300 does not move.

As shown in FIG. 12 , in this embodiment, for example, a plurality of blowout nozzles 310 may be arranged outside the tray 20 so as to face the side wall 21 of the tray 20 . In this case, an opening 21 b is formed at least in a portion of the side wall 21 that faces the tip of the blowout nozzle 310 .

In addition, for example, a plurality of blow-out nozzles 310 may be arranged outside the tray 20 so as to face the bottom surface 22 of the tray 20 . In this case, an opening 22 a is formed at least in a portion of the bottom surface 22 that faces the tip of the blow nozzle 310 .

In FIG. 12, in order to reduce the number of drawings, the case where the blow nozzle 310 is arranged facing the side wall 21 and the case where the blow nozzle 310 is arranged facing the bottom surface 22 are depicted in one drawing. .

In this embodiment, since the blowing nozzle 310 is not moved, the connecting pipe or hose that connects the blowing nozzle 310 and the compressor 330 can be thickened. That is, the inner diameter of the connecting pipe or hose can be increased. Therefore, compared with the structure which moves the blowing nozzle 310, the blowing amount of air can be increased. Therefore, even when it is difficult to change the position and posture of the work 10, for example, when the work 10 is heavy or when the work 10 is packed in the tray 20 without gaps, a large amount of air can be supplied to the work 10. By spraying, the position and orientation of the workpiece 10 can be changed.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, since the blowing nozzle 310 is not moved, the time required for the blowing operation can be shortened. Also, in this embodiment, when the work 10 is close to the side wall 21 or the bottom surface 22, a high pressure region can be formed between the work 10 and the side wall 21 or the bottom surface 22. FIG. That is, a high pressure region can be formed between the side wall 21 or the bottom surface 22 and the workpiece 10 like the hovercraft principle. Therefore, the horizontal position or posture of the workpiece 10 can be effectively changed even when the air blowing amount is small.

The rest of the configuration, workpiece picking method, and effects of this embodiment are the same as those of the first and second embodiments.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various aspects without departing from the gist of the present invention. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components across different embodiments may be combined as appropriate. In order to make the drawings easier to understand, the drawings mainly show each component schematically. may be different. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiment are examples and are not particularly limited, and various changes are possible without substantially departing from the effects of the present invention. be.

For example, in the first to third embodiments described above, the holding device 100 has one holding portion 110, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the holding device 100 may have multiple holding portions 110 . For example, when using the holding device 100 in which two or more holding parts 110 are arranged side by side, the work 10 having an elongated shape such as a PET bottle can be easily sucked.

Further, in the first to third embodiments described above, an example in which air is blown only to the workpieces 10 in the tray 20 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the work 10 is taken out from the tray 20 , the work 10 may drop from the holding section 110 . In this case, air may be blown onto the work 10 so that the work 10 can be sucked or held. Specifically, when the work 10 is taken out from the tray 20 , the work 10 may drop from the holding portion 110 and land on the side wall 21 of the tray 20 . In this case, air may be blown onto the work 10 by the blow nozzle 310 so that the work 10 returns (drops) into the tray 20 .

Further, in the above-described first to third embodiments, the blow nozzle 310 is moved along the side wall 21 of the tray 20 to blow air onto the work 10. Although an example in which air is blown with the nozzle 310 fixed at that position and an example in which the blowing nozzle 310 is not moved have been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the blow nozzle 310 may be moved to random horizontal positions and heights to blow air.

Moreover, although the case where the air blowing portion is a nozzle (blowing nozzle) has been described in the above-described first to third embodiments, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the air blowing portion may be a hollow member having a flat surface with one or more air blowing ports formed thereon, or may be the tip of a tube or hose that blows air.

Further, in the first to third embodiments described above, an example in which the workpieces 10 randomly stacked in the tray 20 are taken out by the workpiece picking system 1000 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the workpieces 10 that are randomly stacked on a predetermined flat area such as on the floor may be picked up by the workpiece picking system 1000 .

Further, in the above-described first to third embodiments, the air is blown out from the blow nozzle 310 having the through hole 310a through which the air passes, or from the holding part 110 having the through hole 110a to blow the air onto the workpiece 10. was shown, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a fan such as a duct fan and a turbo fan may be used to blow air onto the workpiece 10 .

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention provides a workpiece picking system and a workpiece picking method, and has industrial applicability.

10, 10a, 10b: Work 11: Upper surface 20: Tray 21: Side wall 100: Holding device 110: Holding part 300: Spraying device 310: Blowing nozzle (nozzle)
510: Holding control unit 530: Spraying control unit 550: Detecting unit 560: Judging unit 590: Storage unit 1000: Work take-out system

Claims (11)

a detection unit that detects at least one of the horizontal position and height of the randomly stacked workpieces;
a holding device having a holding portion that holds the workpiece;
a holding control unit that controls the holding device;
a blowing device having an air blowing section for blowing air onto the work;
A spraying control unit that controls the spraying device;
a determination unit that determines whether or not to execute a blowing operation of blowing air onto the work by the blowing device based on the detection result detected by the detection unit;
When the determining unit determines that the blowing operation is to be performed by the blowing device, the blowing control unit controls the blowing device to blow air onto the workpiece,
The workpiece picking system, wherein the holding control unit controls the holding device to hold the workpiece when the judgment unit judges that the blowing operation by the blowing device is not to be executed. 2. The workpiece unloading system according to claim 1, wherein said holding section holds said workpiece by suction. The holding portion also serves as the air blowing portion,
3. The work picking system according to claim 2, wherein said holding part sucks air when sucking said work, and blows air when blowing air on said work. 4. The workpiece pick-up system according to claim 1, wherein said air blowing portion moves integrally with said holding portion. 5. The workpiece picking system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said air blowing portion blows air in a direction intersecting with a vertical direction. The detection unit further detects the posture of the workpiece,
6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not to perform the blowing operation based on at least one of a horizontal position and height of the work and an orientation of the work. A work take-out system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 7. The work picking system according to claim 6, wherein when the posture of the work is a standing posture, the determination unit determines to perform the blowing operation. The workpieces are randomly stacked in a tray,
8. The workpiece picking system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said blowing control section blows air from said air blowing section while moving said air blowing section along a side wall of said tray. . further comprising a storage unit for storing work information including at least one of shape, size and weight of the work;
The blowing control unit sets at least one of a blowing amount of air blown from the air blowing unit, a blowing speed, a blowing time, and a blowing position of the air blowing unit based on the workpiece information and the detection result. The work take-out system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein The determination unit determines whether the detection unit has detected the workpiece,
10. The blowing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein when the determination unit determines that the detection unit has not detected the work, the blowing control unit controls the blowing device to blow air onto the work. 1. Work take-out system according to item 1 above. a step of detecting at least one of the horizontal position and height of the randomly stacked workpieces with a detection unit;
determining whether or not to execute a blowing operation of blowing air onto the work by a blowing device based on the detected detection result, and
When the determining unit determines that the spraying device will perform the spraying operation, the spraying device sprays air onto the workpiece,
A workpiece picking method, wherein a holding device holds the workpiece when the judgment unit judges that the blowing operation by the blowing device is not to be executed.

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