JP2023177809A - robot system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a robot system which can achieve space saving of a working space.SOLUTION: A robot system 1 includes: a housing 10; a drive device 20 which is disposed in an upper space of the housing 10 and has a state that a part of the drive device 20 protrudes from the upper space in a horizontal direction; and an enclosure which is provided at the outer side of a range in which the drive device 20 is located so as to enclose the drive device 20. In the enclosure 25, an opening 27 is provided in a vertically downward direction of a portion in which at least the drive device 20 protrudes from the upper space. The drive device 20 is driven in a manner that the drive device 20 can act on an object existing in a downward direction of the portion protruding from the upper space through the opening 27.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a robot system used for work automation.

In factories that perform mass production, it is common to introduce robot systems for packaging and boxing in order to automate the work, and the robot systems are often large. On the other hand, in recent years, there has been a demand for smaller robot systems in order to improve the efficiency of work space on factory lines.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a stacked robot line for effectively utilizing installation space. In the stacked robot line described in Patent Document 1, the line components are integrally supported by a frame structure for each set line to form a unit, and each frame structure is connected to each other at corresponding positions above and below in the vertical direction. A connecting part is provided to detachably connect to the. As a result, the frame structures are connected in multiple stages above and below through the mutual connecting portions, thereby configuring the production line so that they can be stacked.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-36071

Industrial robot arms are required by law (industrial safety and health regulations) to take measures such as installing fences or enclosures for safety. In the line component described in Patent Document 1, a frame structure is provided around a small robot. However, when a fence such as the frame structure described in Patent Document 1 is provided, the entire device becomes large and takes up a lot of space in the factory. There is a risk that this will become a barrier to the introduction of robots.

Further, because the robot line described in Patent Document 1 is configured as a loading type, it is difficult to apply it to a factory line that performs horizontal flow work using a conveyor or the like.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a robot system and a frame structure that can realize space saving in the working space.

A robot system according to the present invention includes a housing, a driving device that is disposed in a space above the housing and has a portion protruding horizontally from the space above the housing, and a drive device that is located outside the range where the driving device is located. An enclosure is provided to surround the drive device, and the enclosure is provided with an opening vertically downward at least in the portion where the drive device protrudes from the upper space, and the drive device is provided with an opening vertically downward in the portion where the drive device protrudes from the upper space. It is characterized in that it is driven so as to be able to act on an object located below through an opening.

A frame structure according to the present invention is disposed in an upper space of a housing, and is provided outside a range in which a drive device having a portion protruding horizontally from the upper space so as to surround the drive device. A frame structure consisting of a plurality of frames, which are formed perpendicularly to the space above the casing from a height above the top surface of the casing to a position exceeding the height of the drive device at predetermined intervals. A vertical frame provided on the outside of the drive device and having a protruding state includes a plurality of vertical frames and a plurality of horizontal frames formed to connect adjacent vertical frames. It is characterized in that it is formed to be connected and supported by a horizontal frame.

According to the present invention, it is possible to save work space.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of an embodiment of a robot system according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing another configuration example of the robot system according to the present invention. It is an explanatory view showing an example of connection of frame structures. 1 is an orthographic view showing an example of the structure of a robot system. FIG. It is an explanatory view showing an example of arrangement of peripheral equipment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of a robot system including an adjuster pad. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an interface.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of an embodiment of a robot system according to the present invention. The robot system 1 of this embodiment includes a housing 10, a driving device 20 disposed in a space above the housing 10, and an enclosure 25 provided so as to surround the driving device 20.

The space above the housing 10 means a space that exists vertically upward with respect to the upper surface of the housing 10. Therefore, the drive device 20 may be placed so as to be in contact with the top surface of the housing 10, or may be placed at a position away from the top surface of the housing 10 via a frame or the like connected to the housing 10.

The drive device 20 is a device whose position can be changed under the control of a computer. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the drive device 20 is arranged so as to be in contact with the upper surface of the housing 10. In this case, the drive 20 is changed in position, for example via the shaft 21. The drive device 20 illustrated in FIG. 1 is, for example, a picking device.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing another configuration example of the robot system according to the present invention. The example shown in FIG. 2 shows an example in which the drive device 20 is disposed in a space above the housing 10 at a position away from the top surface of the housing 10. Specifically, the example shown in FIG. 2 shows an example in which the drive device 20 is arranged so as to be suspended from a ceiling plate 26 connected to the frame structure 30. The drive device 20 illustrated in FIG. 2 is, for example, a six-axis robot. Note that the drive device 20 configured as illustrated in FIG. 2 is not limited to a six-axis robot, and may be, for example, a parallel link robot.

Here, in the drive device 20 used in the robot system 1 of the present embodiment, there is a state in which at least a portion of the drive device 20 protrudes horizontally from the space above the housing 10 . A portion of the drive device 20 may be permanently protruded or may be temporarily protruded according to control. Moreover, the protruding portion may be in one direction or may be in multiple directions.

Other examples of the drive device 20 include a box packing device, a packing device, a device for serving lunch boxes, and the like. Note that since methods for controlling these devices are widely known, detailed explanations will be omitted here.

The enclosure 25 is a member provided so as to surround the drive device 20, as described above. Here, the enclosure 25 is provided with an opening 27 extending vertically downward at least in a portion where the drive device 20 protrudes from the above-mentioned upper space. By providing such an opening 27, the drive device 20 can act through the opening 27 to drive an object present below the portion protruding from the upper space.

The enclosure 25 is made of, for example, a transparent plate such as an acrylic plate or a polycarbonate plate. However, the opening 27 is not provided with a transparent plate. Note that in order to increase the strength of the enclosure 25, it is preferable that the enclosure 25 includes a frame structure 30 made up of a plurality of frames.

The frame structure 30 is connected to a plurality of frames provided like a fence at a distance (about several centimeters to several tens of centimeters) to the extent that the drive device 20 does not collide with the drive device 20 outside the range where the drive device 20 is located. Become. Specifically, the frame structure 30 is formed in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the casing 10 from a height above the top surface of the casing 10 to a position exceeding the height of the drive device 20 at predetermined intervals. It includes a plurality of longitudinal frames 31. Further, the frame structure 30 includes a plurality of horizontal frames 32 formed to connect adjacent vertical frames 31. As a result, the vertical frame 31 provided on the outside of the protruding drive device 20 is formed to be connected to and supported by the horizontal frame 32.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates a case where the horizontal frames 32 are connected in a polygonal shape, the shape of the horizontal frames 32 is not limited to a straight line. For example, the horizontal frames 32 may be curved, or the shape connecting the horizontal frames 32 may be elliptical.

Further, the frame structure 30 is connected to the housing 10 by a frame formed in an inverted L shape. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how the frame structures 30 are connected. Device 2a and device 3a illustrated in FIG. 3 show the state before the frame structures 30 are connected, and devices 2b and device 3b show the state after the frame structures 30 are connected. Further, devices 2a and 2b, and devices 3a and 3b respectively show the states of the devices viewed from the same direction. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the frame structure 30 is connected to the housing 10 in an inverted L-shape at a connecting portion 4 surrounded by a dotted line.

Note that since the frame structure 30 is provided so as to surround the drive device 20, the frame structure 30 may also be referred to as a fence in the following description. Further, the number and spacing of the vertical frames 31 and the horizontal frames 32 may be determined depending on safety and the like. Further, when the drive device 20 can change its position, the range in which the drive device 20 is located means the range in which the drive device 20 can move.

FIG. 4 is an orthographic view showing an example of the structure of a robot system according to the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 4(a) shows an example of a front view of the robot system, FIG. 4(b) shows an example of a rear view of the robot system, and FIG. 4(c) shows an example of a side view of the robot system. The protruding portion 33 illustrated in FIG. 4(c) is a part of the drive device 20 that protrudes from the upper space in the horizontal direction.

In this way, since the drive device 20 can be located at a position protruding from the space above the housing 10, peripheral equipment such as a conveyor or a container can be arranged below the protruding portion. This makes it possible for the drive device 20 to act on the object that exists below the protruding portion through the opening 27.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which peripheral equipment is arranged below the protruding portion. In the example shown in FIG. 5, a container 40 and a conveyor 50 are placed on the front and side surfaces of the robot system, respectively. Note that these peripheral equipment may be housed inside the enclosure 25 or may protrude from the enclosure 25.

With such a structure, while providing a fence (enclosure 25, frame structure 30) within the range where the drive device 20 is located, the container 40 and the conveyor 50 can be placed in the downward direction of the part where the drive device 20 protrudes from the housing 10. It can save space in the work space.

For example, it is assumed that the drive device 20 is implemented as a picking device and has a function of picking up an object that exists downward. It is also assumed that bulk objects are stored in a container 40 installed under the enclosure 25 (more specifically, the frame structure 30). In this case, the drive device 20 can perform tasks such as picking objects from the container 40 and conveying them to the conveyor 50 in a space-saving manner.

Similarly, for example, work such as the drive device 20 picking objects flowing from the conveyor 50 and packing the picked objects into the container 40 (or a box such as a cardboard box) can be realized in a space-saving manner.

Although FIG. 5 shows an example in which the containers 40 are arranged only in one direction, the direction in which the containers 40 and boxes such as cardboard boxes are arranged is not limited to one direction, and may be two or more directions. For example, in one container 40, a robot packs and picks boxes, and in the other container 40, a human places empty cardboard boxes and replenishes them. This allows robots and humans to work together in a space-saving manner.

Here, in order to eliminate the instability of the robot system 1 due to the connection of the enclosure 25 (more specifically, the frame structure 30), as illustrated in FIG. A pad 11 is provided. Further, in order to further eliminate instability, it is preferable to arrange heavy parts or weights at the bottom of the casing 10. This makes it possible to prevent the robot system 1 from falling over.

Furthermore, in order to further increase the stability in the direction in which the drive device 20 protrudes, the robot system 1 may have a configuration in which the position of the adjuster pad 11 can be extended and installed in the direction in which the drive device 20 protrudes. .

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of a robot system having a configuration in which the position of the adjuster pad is extended and installed in the direction in which the drive device protrudes. The example shown in FIG. 6 shows that a slide rail 13 is provided at the bottom of the housing 10 to extend the position of the adjuster pad 11 in the direction in which the drive device 20 projects. This makes it possible to increase the stability in the direction in which the drive device 20 projects.

Furthermore, casters 12 may be provided at the bottom of the housing 10. This allows the robot system 1 to be easily moved.

Furthermore, a computer that controls the drive device 20 may be stored inside the casing 10. With such a configuration, the drive device 20 and the computer can be integrated, making it possible to easily move the robot system 1. This allows for easy layout changes within the factory.

Furthermore, in order to operate the computer stored inside the housing 10, an interface for operating the computer may be provided outside the housing 10. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an interface.

The example shown in FIG. 7 shows that an operation screen 14 is provided on the top surface of the housing 10 as an interface for controlling the drive device 20. Via this operation screen 14, it becomes possible to operate the drive device 20 and give instructions such as task switching. The operation screen 14 is realized by, for example, a touch panel.

As described above, the robot system 1 of the present embodiment has an enclosure 25 (more specifically, a The frame structure 30) has a surrounding configuration. The enclosure 25 is provided with an opening 27 vertically downward at least in the portion where the drive device 20 protrudes from the upper space, and the drive device 20 is configured to prevent objects existing below the portion that protrudes from the upper space. operably driven through opening 27 . Therefore, the work space can be saved.

Further, the enclosure 25 of this embodiment includes a frame structure 30 made up of a plurality of frames, and the side surface of the protruding portion is also surrounded by the vertical frame 31 and the horizontal frame 32, and the lower side of the protruding portion A space is provided in which a container 40 and a conveyor 50 can be placed.

For example, in a field where a stacked robot line as described in Patent Document 1 is used, it is not assumed that the line will be recombined in the first place. Moreover, many of the general frame structures described in Patent Document 1 are rectangular parallelepipeds. On the other hand, in the present invention, since the fence (frame structure 30) is designed to float in the air, devices and articles suitable for the purpose, such as general conveyors, containers, and cardboard, can be installed at the bottom of the fence. This allows for flexible insertion and installation.

In addition, for example, packaging machines, boxing machines, and robot systems installed in general factories are large machines dedicated to mass production, so they are difficult to move and have to perform multiple tasks and switch between multiple types. That was difficult. On the other hand, in the present invention, in addition to the design of the enclosure 25 (more specifically, the frame structure 30), the driving device 20 and the control computer are integrated, so that the movement of the robot system and the line Recombination can also be easily performed. Furthermore, since the tasks of the drive device 20 can be switched via the computer, switching of multiple tasks and multiple types can be realized by software. Therefore, high-mix, low-volume production can be easily achieved, and lines can be reconfigured flexibly.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention is suitably applied to the robot system used for automation of work. Specifically, the present invention is suitably applied to a robot system that automates packaging work (loading into a special machine), boxing, non-defective product inspection, plating, etc. in food factories, cosmetic factories, pharmaceutical factories, etc.

1 Robot system 10 Housing 11 Adjuster pad 12 Caster 13 Slide rail 14 Operation screen 20 Drive device 21 Axis 25 Enclosure 26 Ceiling plate 27 Opening 30 Frame structure 31 Vertical frame 32 Horizontal frame 40 Container 50 Conveyor

Claims (6)

A casing and
a drive device that is disposed in an upper space of the housing and has a portion protruding from the upper space in a horizontal direction;
an enclosure provided outside a range where the drive device is located so as to surround the drive device;
The enclosure is provided with an opening vertically downward at least in a portion where the drive device protrudes from the upper space,
The robot system is characterized in that the drive device is operable to act on an object that exists below the portion protruding from the upper space through the opening. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein the enclosure provided to surround the drive device is composed of a transparent plate. The enclosure provided to surround the drive device includes a frame structure consisting of a plurality of frames,
The frame structure is
a plurality of vertical frames formed in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the casing from a height above the top surface of the casing to a position exceeding the height of the drive device at predetermined intervals;
a plurality of horizontal frames formed to connect adjacent vertical frames,
3. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein a vertical frame provided outside the driving device having the protruding state is formed to be connected and supported by the horizontal frame. The robot system according to claim 3, wherein the frame structure is connected to the housing by a frame formed in an inverted L shape. The robot system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a slide rail is provided at the bottom of the housing to extend the position of the adjuster pad in the direction in which the drive device protrudes. A frame consisting of a plurality of frames provided to surround the drive device, which is placed in the upper space of the casing and has a portion horizontally protruding from the upper space. A structure,
a plurality of vertical frames formed in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the casing from a height above the top surface of the casing to a position exceeding the height of the drive device at predetermined intervals;
a plurality of horizontal frames formed to connect adjacent vertical frames,
A frame structure characterized in that a vertical frame provided outside the driving device having the protruding state is formed so as to be connected to and supported by the horizontal frame.