JP2024065921A - Picking and secondary packaging systems for stick-packaged goods - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a system that allows for a significant reduction in the size of secondary packaging equipment and can easily accommodate changes in the shape and number of stick-shaped packages. [Solution] A secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages, comprising: a U-shaped jig provided on each of a first hand provided on one of two articulated arms constituting the arms of a robot, and a second hand provided on the other of the two articulated arms, a stacking unit that roughly bundles a predetermined number of stick-shaped packages, a transport device that transports the predetermined number of stick-shaped packages roughly bundled by the stacking unit into a common working range of the first and second hands, a bag opening device that opens the opening of a secondary packaging bag and inserts into the bag a bundle of stick-shaped packages picked from the transport device by the U-shaped jig of the first and second hands, a weighing device that weighs the secondary package containing the bundle of stick-shaped packages and outputs the weighing result, and a discharging device that discharges the secondary package in accordance with the weighing result. [Selected Figure] Figure 1-a

Description

Application for application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act filed (1) Exhibition date: September 13, 2022 Exhibition name and location: International Logistics General Exhibition Kawada Kogyo Co., Ltd. booth (Address: 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Tokyo Big Sight East Exhibition Hall No. 1-101) (2) Website publication date: September 22, 2022 Website address: https://nextage. kawadarobot. co. jp/expand/package

This invention relates to a picking system that is configured by combining a general-purpose articulated robot with a simple jig and that automatically picks a predetermined number of stick-shaped packages that have a predetermined amount of packaging objects filled in a primary packaging bag, and a secondary packaging system that packs the stick-shaped packages picked by the picking system into secondary packaging bags.

A packaging format in which the product to be packaged is filled into a stick-shaped packaging bag is widely used when packaging granular foods such as sugar in small portions. Such stick-shaped packages are generally mass-produced by dedicated automated machines, namely stick filling and packaging machines. On the other hand, stick-shaped packages mass-produced by automated machines are bundled together in groups of several dozen and then secondary-packaged in bags or other packaging materials before being shipped.

The secondary packaging of stick-shaped packages is done by hand or with special-purpose large machinery. In Patent Document 1, stick-shaped workpieces are bundled and placed on a U-shaped device, and then inserted lengthwise into a cup-shaped secondary packaging material using a combination of a slide and a push-out mechanism.

On the other hand, as a method that does not use a dedicated large machine, Patent Documents 2 and 3 show, a general-purpose dual-arm robot with two articulated arms is combined with a simple device to pick and secondary pack items.

JP 2018-016336 A JP 2019-014003 A JP 2018-104004 A

However, automation using large, dedicated machines requires large-scale equipment modifications if the specifications of stick-shaped products (number of pieces or secondary packaging materials) change.

On the other hand, the method of combining a dual-arm robot with a simple device to pick and secondary package packaging targets mainly handles fixed-shaped items as packaging targets for secondary packaging, and for workpieces with an indefinite shape, such as a bundle of stick-shaped packaged items, the work efficiency is extremely poor due to the need to prevent items from falling out during picking and secondary packaging. In addition, it is difficult to accommodate changes in the amount of packaging targets in a stick-shaped package bag, changes in the number of stick-shaped packaged items in secondary packages, and changes in the type and shape of bags used as secondary packaging materials.

The present invention therefore aims to provide a picking system and secondary packaging system for stick-packaged products that allows for a significant reduction in the size of secondary packaging equipment for stick-packaged products by connecting it to an existing automated machine (stick filling packaging machine) and installing two general-purpose articulated arms and peripheral equipment, while also reducing equipment costs when changing the shape or quantity of stick-packaged products, and that can accommodate secondary packaging of different packaging patterns by changing the program.

The stick-shaped packaged product picking system of the present invention, which advantageously solves the above problems, is as follows:
Two articulated arms constituting a robot arm, each of which is controlled by a control device;
a first hand provided on one of the two articulated arms;
a second hand provided on the other of the two articulated arms; and
an accumulation unit that roughly accumulates a predetermined number of stick-shaped packaged products fed from the stick filling packaging machine;
a conveying device that conveys a predetermined number of stick-shaped packages roughly gathered by the stacking unit into a common working range of the first and second hands of the two articulated arms;
Equipped with
The first and second hands are each characterized in that they have a U-shaped jig that can be fitted inwardly into the other and that picks up a bundle of a predetermined number of the roughly bundled stick-shaped packages from the conveying device.

The secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages of the present invention, which advantageously solves the above problems, is as follows:
In addition to the stick-packed product picking system,
a bag opening device that is installed within a common working range of the first and second hands of the picking system, holds an empty secondary packing bag supplied by the other of the first and second hands, opens an opening of the secondary packing bag, and inserts the bundle of stick-shaped packing items into the secondary packing bag from the opening with the U-shaped tool of the first and second hands;
a weighing device that transfers the secondary package containing the bundle of stick-shaped packages from the bag opening device to one of the first and second hands, weighs the secondary package, and outputs the weighing result;
a discharge device that discharges the secondary package transferred from the weighing device by the transfer device to a branched discharge destination according to the weighing result;
The present invention is characterized by the following.

In the picking system for stick-shaped packages of the present invention, the stacking unit roughly bundles a predetermined number of stick-shaped packages fed from the stick filling packaging machine, the conveying device conveys the roughly bundled predetermined number of stick-shaped packages into a common working range of the first and second hands, and the two articulated arms constituting the arms of the robot, each controlled by a control device, fit the U-shaped jigs of the first and second hands inwardly to each other, thereby picking the roughly bundled predetermined number of stick-shaped packages conveyed into the common working range from the conveying device in a bundle.

Therefore, according to the stick-packaged product picking system of the present invention, by connecting it to an existing automated stick filling and packaging machine and installing two general-purpose articulated arms and an accumulation unit and conveying device as peripheral equipment, the stick-packaged products can be bundled with U-shaped jigs of the first and second hands that fit inwardly to each other, and can be picked efficiently while preventing them from falling out. Moreover, by changing the distance between the U-shaped jigs of the first and second hands when they are fitted together, it is possible to easily accommodate changes in the shape of the stick-packaged products to be picked and changes in the number of items in the bundle.

In the secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages of the present invention, the first and second hands of the two articulated arms of the stick-shaped package picking system introduce the bundle of stick-shaped packages picked by the U-shaped tool into a secondary packaging bag that is supplied to and held by the other of the first and second hands and has its bag mouth opened by a bag mouth opening device installed within the common working range of the first and second hands, while guiding the bundle along the inner surface of the U-shaped tool. Next, one of the first and second hands of the two articulated arms transports the secondary packaging bag containing the bundle of stick-shaped packages to a weighing device installed within the common working range and weighs it, while the other of the first and second hands supplies an empty secondary packaging bag to the bag mouth opening device to store the next bundle of stick-shaped packages.

The secondary packaged products weighed by the scale are then transferred to the discharge device by a transfer device, for example, composed of one of the first and second hands, and the discharge device discharges secondary packaged products that are found to be within a predetermined weight range by the scale as passing products to a predetermined discharge destination among the branched discharge destinations, while the discharge device discharges secondary packaged products that are found to be outside the predetermined weight range by the scale as failing products to a predetermined discharge destination different from the passing products among the branched discharge destinations.

Therefore, according to the secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages of the present invention, in addition to connecting with an existing automated stick filling and packaging machine and installing two general-purpose articulated arms, an accumulation unit, and a conveying device that constitute a picking system for stick-shaped packages, a bag opening device, a weighing device, a transfer device, and a discharge device, it is possible to significantly reduce the size of the secondary packaging equipment for stick-shaped packages, and also reduce equipment costs when changing the shape of the stick-shaped packages or the number of secondary packages, and by changing the program of the control device for the two articulated arms, it is possible to flexibly respond to secondary packaging of different patterns of packaging.

In the stick-packaged product picking system of the present invention, the two articulated arms may be the two arms of a dual-arm robot whose operation is controlled by a control device for the dual-arm robot. In this way, the installation, positioning, and control of the two articulated arms can be performed all at once.

In addition, in the picking system for stick-shaped packages of the present invention, the U-shaped jigs of the first and second hands may each be fork-shaped with multiple fingers extending side by side, and when they approach each other, the fingers of one jig may fit between the fingers of the other jig. Alternatively, the U-shaped jigs of the first and second hands may each be trough-shaped with two metal plates of different rigidity connected in the circumferential direction, and when they approach each other, the low-rigidity metal plate of one jig elastically deforms and enters the inside of the high-rigidity metal plate of the other jig, allowing them to fit inward. With such a trough-shaped jig, the spacing between the U-shaped jigs of the first and second hands can be easily changed when picking stick-shaped packages in a bundle.

Furthermore, in the stick-packaged product picking system of the present invention, the U-shaped jigs of the first and second hands may be moved from a position surrounding the roughly bundled stick-packaged products in a direction in which the jigs approach each other while aligning their edges with the conveying surface on which they are placed, thereby picking up the stick-packaged products by grasping them as a bundle. In this way, the stick-packaged products can be conveyed while preventing them from falling out of the U-shaped jigs, and by changing the spacing between the U-shaped jigs to adjust the amount of compression of the stick-packaged products, it is possible to easily accommodate changes in the amount of packaging items in each stick-packaged bag.

In addition, in the secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages of the present invention, the first and second hands may compress and squeeze the bundle of stick-shaped packages picked by the U-shaped tool, insert the tool into the opening of the secondary packaging bag, and after insertion, widen the gap between the U-shaped tools to open the secondary packaging bag and drop the bundle of stick-shaped packages into it. In this way, the gusset of the secondary packaging bag can be expanded in conjunction with the insertion of the bundle of stick-shaped packages, so that the bundle of stick-shaped packages can be securely contained in the secondary packaging bag.

Furthermore, in the secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages of the present invention, one of the first and second hands may have a chuck that can grip and release the secondary package by opening and closing control, and the other may have a suction pad that can suck and release the empty secondary packaging bag by ON-OFF control. In this way, while the secondary package is gripped by the chuck of one hand and transported from the bag opening device to the weighing device, a new secondary packaging bag can be held by the suction pad of the other hand and attached to the bag opening device, so that the secondary packaging equipment for stick-shaped packages can be made smaller while increasing the efficiency of secondary packaging work.

Furthermore, in the secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages of the present invention, the picking system for the stick-shaped packages may include a camera that captures the weighing results from the scale, and the control device for the two articulated arms may determine whether the weighing results from the scale are OK or NG from the image captured by the camera, and the discharge device may discharge the secondary package to a destination corresponding to the determination result. In this way, it is possible to easily and inexpensively determine the weighing results of the secondary package on the scale and control the discharge device based on the results.

On the other hand, in the secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages of the present invention, the two articulated arms of the picking system for stick-shaped packages are provided at their tips with weight sensors that measure the weight of the bundle of stick-shaped packages held by the U-shaped jigs of the first and second hands, and the control device of the two articulated arms determines whether the weight of the bundle of stick-shaped packages is OK or NG from the output data of the weight sensors, and if it is NG, the first and second hands do not feed the bundle of stick-shaped packages into the bag opening device, but rather discharge it into a specified space as the discharge device. In this way, it is possible to avoid the production of defective products before they are packed into secondary packaging bags, thereby improving the production quality of the secondary packages, and furthermore, it is possible to make the configuration of the secondary packaging system simple and inexpensive by eliminating the need for dedicated weighing devices and discharge devices.

and 1A and 1B are perspective and plan views illustrating a secondary packaging system for stick-packed items according to one embodiment of the present invention, the secondary packaging system including a picking system for stick-packed items according to one embodiment of the present invention. and 1A and 1B are side and front views illustrating a secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E are an oblique view, a side view, and a partially enlarged view of an end effector serving as a hand of the right arm of a dual-arm, articulated robot in a secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages in the above embodiment, and an operation explanatory diagram showing the open and closed states of the chuck of the end effector. 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D are an oblique view, a side view, a front view and a partially enlarged view showing an end effector as a hand of the left arm of a dual-arm, articulated robot of the secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages of the above embodiment. 4A and 4B are a plan view and an enlarged view showing an accumulation unit and a work conveyor of the stick-packed item picking system of the embodiment. FIG. 1A, 1B and 1C are a perspective view, a front view and a side view showing a bag stocker of the secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a bag opening device of the secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages of the embodiment. 1A, 1B and 1C are explanatory diagrams sequentially showing the operation of the bag opening device. 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams showing the action of two U-shaped jigs of the secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages in the above embodiment scooping up and gripping stick-shaped packages from a work conveyor, and 1C and 1D are explanatory diagrams showing the gripping state of the two U-shaped jigs when the number of stick-shaped packages in a bundle of stick-shaped packages is standard and when it is less than the standard number. FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the tips of two U-shaped jigs are inserted into the mouth of a bag held by a bag opening device together with a bundle of stick-shaped packaged items whose tips have been compressed and squeezed; FIG. 1B is the state of the bag before the two U-shaped jigs are inserted; FIG. 1C is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the tips of the two U-shaped jigs are opened to spread the folded gusset of the bag after the two U-shaped jigs have been inserted into the bag; and FIG. 1D is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the two U-shaped jigs are inserted into the bag as is. (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which a secondary packaged item is weighed using a weighing device and the weighed secondary packaged item is discharged to a destination for items that have been weighed OK, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which a secondary packaged item is weighed using a weighing device and the weighed secondary packaged item is discharged to a destination for items that have not been weighed OK.

The embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Here, Fig. 1-a and Fig. 1-b are perspective and plan views showing a secondary packaging system for stick-packaged items according to an embodiment of the present invention, which includes a picking system for stick-packaged items according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2-a and Fig. 2-b are side and front views showing a secondary packaging system for stick-packaged items according to the embodiment. Fig. 3(a), Fig. 3(b), Fig. 3(c), Fig. 3(d), and Fig. 3(e) are perspective, side, and partially enlarged views showing an end effector as a hand on the right arm of a dual-arm articulated robot in the secondary packaging system for stick-packaged items according to the embodiment, and an operation explanatory diagram showing the open and closed states of the chuck of the end effector. Fig. 4(a), Fig. 4(b), Fig. 4(c), and Fig. 4(d) are perspective, side, and front views showing an end effector as a hand on the left arm of a dual-arm articulated robot in the secondary packaging system for stick-packaged items according to the embodiment.

Furthermore, Fig. 5(a) and Fig. 5(b) are plan views and enlarged views showing the stacking unit and the work conveyor of the picking system for stick-packaged items of the above embodiment. Fig. 6(a), Fig. 6(b), and Fig. 6(c) are perspective views, front views, and side views showing the bag stocker of the secondary packaging system for stick-packaged items of the above embodiment. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the bag opening device of the secondary packaging system for stick-packaged items of the above embodiment. And Fig. 8(a), Fig. 8(b), and Fig. 8(c) are explanatory views sequentially showing the operation of the bag opening device.

9(a) and 9(b) are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of two U-shaped jigs of the secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages of the above embodiment scooping up and gripping stick-shaped packages from the work conveyor, and 9(c) and 9(d) are explanatory diagrams showing the gripping state with two U-shaped jigs when the number of stick-shaped packages in a bundle of stick-shaped packages is standard and when it is less than the standard number. Fig. 10(a) shows the state in which the tips of two U-shaped jigs are inserted into the mouth of a bag held by a bag mouth opening device together with a bundle of stick-shaped packages whose tips are compressed and squeezed, Fig. 10(b) shows the state of the bag before the two U-shaped jigs are inserted, Fig. 10(c) shows the state in which the tips of the two U-shaped jigs are opened after the two U-shaped jigs are inserted into the bag and the folded gusset of the bag is expanded, and Fig. 10(d) shows the state in which the two U-shaped jigs are inserted into the bag as is. FIG. 11(a) is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which a secondary packaged item is weighed using a scale and the weighed secondary packaged item is discharged to a destination for items that have been weighed, and FIG. 11(b) is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which a secondary packaged item is weighed using a scale and the weighed secondary packaged item is discharged to a destination for items that have not been weighed.

The secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages of this embodiment includes a double-arm articulated robot 1, an accumulation unit 9 that counts the number of stick-shaped packages 15, such as stick sugar for packaging powdered sugar, supplied from a stick filling packaging machine (not shown), roughly assembles and aligns them, and a work conveyor 12 as a conveying device that supplies the stick-shaped packages 15 aligned by the accumulation unit 9 within the working range of the double-arm articulated robot 1. The picking system for stick-shaped packages of this embodiment includes a bag stocker 10 that stocks bags 16a for secondary packaging, a bag opening device 11 that opens the vicinity of the opening of the bag 16a and holds it in that state, a weighing device 13 that measures the weight of the secondary packaged product 17, and a discharge device 14 that is located adjacent to the weighing device 13 and discharges the weighed secondary packaged product 17. The discharge device 14 can branch the discharge path to discharge passed (OK) products and rejected (NG) products to different discharge destinations. A stereo vision camera 1a is attached to the head of the dual-arm articulated robot 1 to determine whether an item is OK or NG based on the weighing results from the weighing device 13.

The double-armed articulated robot 1 has two articulated arms, a right arm 2a and a left arm 2b. An end effector 3a is attached to the tip of the right arm 2a as a first hand, and the end effector 3a has a U-shaped jig 4 that scoops up the stick-shaped packaged items 15 and a chuck 5 that grips the secondary packaged items 17 in which the stick-shaped packaged items 15 are packed in a bag. The chuck 5 is composed of an air cylinder 5a, a movable claw 5b, and a fixed claw 5c. When the rod of the air cylinder 5a expands and contracts due to the opening and closing control of the control device of the double-armed articulated robot 1, the movable claw 5b moves to grip and release the secondary packaged item 17. The U-shaped jig 4 is made in a gutter shape, for example, of a normal stainless steel sheet metal 4a with high rigidity and a thin plate 4b with low rigidity that has spring properties.

Attached to the tip of the left arm 2b is an end effector 3b serving as a second hand, which has a U-shaped jig 6 that scoops up stick-shaped packages 15, a suction pad 7 that sucks up and releases empty bags 16a through ON-OFF control by the control device of the dual-arm articulated robot 1, and a bag mouth opening and closing claw 8 that operates the bag mouth opening device 11. Like the U-shaped jig 4, the U-shaped jig 6 is made into a gutter shape from ordinary stainless steel sheet metal 6a and a thin plate 6b with spring properties. The shape of the side of the jig 6 that is inserted into the opening of the bag 16a has a pointed tip to make it easier to insert.

The accumulation unit 9 has a sensor 9a for counting the number of stick-shaped packaged products 15 supplied from the stick filling packaging machine, a metal plate 9b for chucking the stick-shaped packaged products 15 onto the work conveyor 12, and an alignment section 9c for abutting and aligning the ends of the chucking stick-shaped packaged products 15. The metal plate 9b is fixed at an angle to the work conveyor 12, and the gap at the exit on the work conveyor 12 side is narrower than the entrance.

The work conveyor 12 has a conveyor 12a that supplies stick-shaped packaged items 15 to the dual-arm, articulated robot 1, and a work table 12b on which a bag stocker 10, a bag opening device 11, a weighing device 13, and a discharge device 14 are installed. The accumulation unit 9 and the work conveyor 12 are linked, and when the count of the sensor 9a reaches a certain number, the work conveyor 12 intermittently drives the conveyor 12a to supply the stick-shaped packaged items 15 to the front of the dual-arm, articulated robot 1 within the common working range of the right arm 2a and the left arm 2b.

The bag stocker 10 has a lifting unit 10a that pushes out the bags 16a for secondary packaging to a fixed position, and a retaining plate 10b that prevents the pushed-out bags 16a from flying out. The lifting unit 10a is a mechanism consisting of a pulley 10c, a wire 10d, and a weight 10e, and always applies a constant force to the bags 16a regardless of the number of bags 16a.

The bag opening device 11 has a suction pad 11a for suctioning and holding the bag 16a for secondary packaging, a slide part 11b, and a handle 11c for the dual-arm, multi-joint robot 1 to perform the bag opening operation. The slide part 11b has a built-in spring mechanism and slides with the operation of the bag opening/closing claw 8 of the dual-arm, multi-joint robot 1, and has the function of returning to its original position when the bag opening/closing claw 8 is released.

The weighing device 13 is basically a normal commercially available product that outputs the weighing results by displaying them on a screen, but it may also be possible to set a range for the weighing results and display on a screen, for example, that results within the range are OK and results outside the range are NG. The discharge device 14 can selectively connect to different discharge destinations (not shown) for OK and NG products, for example by keeping the trough-shaped discharge path connected to the weighing device 13 as it is, or by performing operations such as tilting or lowering the side walls of the discharge path or rotating the discharge path itself horizontally to change its orientation, and the discharge destination can be selected from conveyors, chutes, etc. according to the actual process.

The operation of the secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages according to this embodiment will now be described.
(I) Stacking of Stick Packaged Products 15 (1) The stick packaged products 15 discharged from the stick filling packaging machine are supplied to the stacking unit 9.
(2) Because the metal plate 9b of the accumulation unit 9 is inclined, the supplied stick-shaped packaged products 15 slide down onto the work conveyor 12, but because the exit on the work conveyor 12 side is narrow at this time, the stick-shaped packaged products 15 slide down onto the work conveyor 12 in a roughly aligned bundle. In addition, when they hit the alignment section 9c, the ends of the bundle of stick-shaped packaged products 15 are aligned. The sensor 9a counts the number of supplied stick-shaped packaged products 15.
(3) When the count reaches the target number of packages preset by the operator, the work conveyor 12 is driven intermittently to send the stick-shaped packaged products 15 to the front of the dual-arm, articulated robot 1.

(II) Preparation of Bags (1) During (I), the dual-arm, articulated robot 1 sucks and removes an empty bag 16a from the bag stocker 10 with the suction pad 7 of the end effector 3b of the left arm 2b.
(2) The end effector 3b of the left arm 2b carries the empty bag 16a to a predetermined position of the bag opening device 11.
(3) The handle 11c is pressed down by the bag opening claws 8 of the end effector 3b until the suction pads 11a of the bag opening device 11 adhere to the front and rear surfaces near the opening of the bag 16a.
(4) The dual-arm, articulated robot 1 turns off the suction of the suction pad 7 of the end effector 3b of the left arm 2b, and pulls out the end effector 3b of the left arm 2b from the bag opening device 11. At this time, the pushed-in suction pad 11a is returned to its original position by the mechanism of the slide portion 11b, thereby opening the mouth of the bag 16a.

(III) Picking of Stick-shaped Packaged Item (1) The dual-arm, multi-jointed robot 1 uses the stereo vision camera 1a on its head to recognize whether a stick-shaped packaged item 15 has been supplied in front of the dual-arm, multi-jointed robot 1.
(2) The dual-arm, articulated robot 1 collects (picks) the supplied stick-shaped packaged items 15 by scooping them up from the work conveyor 12 using the U-shaped jig 4 of the end effector 3a of the right arm 2a and the U-shaped jig 6 of the end effector 3b of the left arm 2b.
(3) When scooping up and lifting the stick-shaped packaged items 15, the positional relationship between the U-shaped jig 4 of the end effector 3a of the right arm 2a and the U-shaped jig 6 of the end effector 3b of the left arm 2b is adjusted to appropriately compress the bundle of stick-shaped packaged items 15, thereby making it possible to grasp the stick-shaped packaged items 15 without dropping them during the operation.

The U-shaped jigs 4 and 6 used in this example are made of two types of plate material: ordinary stainless steel sheet metal and thin spring plate. This structure allows the same jigs to handle changes in the stick-shaped packaged products 15 to some extent. For example, when the number of stick-shaped packaged products 15 is small, or when the amount of packaging per stick has decreased, it is necessary to narrow the positional relationship of both hands compared to normal cases when it is desirable to moderately compress the bundle of collected stick-shaped packaged products 15. Therefore, by using an elastically deformable material for the thin plates 4b and 6b, the thin plates 4b and 6b, each of which has the properties of a spring, deform even when the positional relationship of the hands is narrowed, so that the bundle of stick-shaped packaged products 15 can be moderately compressed without the U-shaped jigs 4 and 6 hitting each other. In addition, in order to perform this collection work continuously, the U-shaped jigs 4 and U-shaped jigs 6 need to return to their original shape each time. Therefore, a spring material is used as a material that satisfies this requirement.

(IV) Packing the stick-shaped packages into bags (1) The collected bundle of stick-shaped packages 15 is inserted into a bag 16a together with the U-shaped jig 4 of the end effector 3a of the right arm 2a and the U-shaped jig 6 of the end effector 3b of the left arm 2b. At this time, the movements of the two arms 2a and 2b compress and squeeze the tips of the U-shaped jigs 4 and 6, making it easier to insert the U-shaped jigs 4 and 6 into the bag 16a.

(2) The bag 16a set in the bag opening device 11 is opened by suction near the opening of the bag with the suction pad 11a so that a wide variety of bags can be handled simply by adjusting the position of the suction pad 11a, but the back of the bag 16a is not completely open. If a bundle of stick-shaped packaged items 15 is inserted in this state, the stick-shaped packaged items 15 will come into contact with the gusset 16b of the bag 16a and pop out, resulting in an incorrect packaging state. Therefore, in the secondary packaging system of this embodiment, the bag 16a is opened from the inside with the U-shaped jig 4 and the U-shaped jig 6, opening the folded gusset 16b and reducing contact and friction between the inner surface of the bag 16a and the stick-shaped packaged items 15, allowing the bundle of stick-shaped packaged items 15 to be neatly packed into the secondary packaging bag 16.

(V) Weighing (1) The secondary packaged product 17 is grasped by the chuck 5 of the end effector 3a of the right arm 2a and removed from the bag opening device 11.
(2) The weighing result of the previously bagged secondary packaged item 17a placed on the scale 13 is confirmed using the stereo vision camera 1a on the head of the dual-arm articulated robot 1. Note that the first time, the previously bagged secondary packaged item 17a is not placed on the scale 13, so a secondary packaged item 17 in which a bundle of stick-shaped packaged items 15 has been previously bagged is placed on the scale 13, and the weighing result is confirmed before the next bagged secondary packaged item 17 is placed on the scale 13.
(3) The currently packed secondary packaged item 17 is moved to the weighing machine 13 by the end effector 3a of the right arm 2a, the chuck 5 is opened, and the currently packed secondary packaged item 17 is placed on the weighing machine 13. At the same time, the previously packed secondary packaged item 17a that has been weighed is pushed by the back surface of the chuck 5 of the end effector 3a of the right arm 2a, and moved from the weighing machine 13 onto the gutter-shaped discharge path of the discharge device 14. Therefore, the end effector 3a of the right arm 2a also functions as a transfer device.

(VI) Discharge of secondary packaged product From the weighing result confirmed by the stereo vision camera 1a on the head of the dual-arm articulated robot 1 in (V), the control device (not shown) of the dual-arm articulated robot 1 judges whether the secondary packaged product 17 is normal or NG based on a previously given program, and operates the discharge path of the discharge device 14 with the end effector 3a of the right arm 2a according to the judgment result to connect the discharge path to a predetermined discharge destination, and pushes the secondary packaged product 17 on the discharge path with the chuck 5 of the end effector 3a of the right arm 2a to discharge it to the predetermined discharge destination. Note that the weighing device 13 itself may judge whether the secondary packaged product 17 is normal or NG and output the judgment result by displaying it on a screen, etc. In that case, the control device of the dual-arm articulated robot 1 may confirm the judgment result by using the stereo vision camera 1a on the head, and may operate the discharge device 14 with the end effector 3a of the right arm 2a according to the judgment result and discharge the secondary packaged product 17 to the discharge destination.

As another example of the weighing process (V), a weighing sensor can be attached to the wrist of the right arm 2a or the end effector 3a of the dual-arm, articulated robot 1, so that weighing can be performed simultaneously with picking. In this way, if picking fails for some reason and the specified weight cannot be grasped, the bundle of stick-shaped packages 15 can be rejected to a specified error discharge location near the dual-arm, articulated robot 1, and the bagging work (IV) itself can be skipped, making it possible to configure a system that does not produce defective products before they are bagged.

The above explanation is based on the illustrated example, but the present invention is not limited to the above example and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims. For example, the two multi-joint arms may be configured as two independent multi-joint robots instead of the dual arms of the dual-arm multi-joint robot 1.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the transfer device that transfers the secondary packaged item to the discharge device is configured with the first hand, but it may also be configured with a slide member or the like that is provided on the weighing device or the discharge device and is operated, for example, by the first hand, to move the secondary packaged item from the weighing device to the discharge path.

Thus, according to the stick package picking system of this invention, by connecting it to an existing automated stick filling packaging machine and installing two general-purpose articulated arms and an accumulation unit and conveying device as peripheral equipment, the stick packaged products can be bundled with U-shaped jigs of the first and second hands that fit inwardly to each other, and can be picked efficiently while preventing them from falling out. Moreover, by changing the distance between the U-shaped jigs of the first and second hands when they are fitted together, it is possible to easily accommodate changes in the shape of the stick packaged products to be picked and changes in the number of items in the bundle.

Furthermore, according to the secondary packaging system for stick-packaged products of the present invention, in addition to connecting with an existing automated stick filling and packaging machine and installing two general-purpose articulated arms, an accumulation unit, and a conveying device that constitute a picking system for stick-packaged products, a bag opening device, a weighing device, a transfer device, and a discharge device are also installed, making it possible to significantly reduce the size of the secondary packaging equipment for stick-packaged products, and reducing equipment costs even when changing the shape of the stick-packaged products or the number of secondary packages, and by changing the program of the control device for the two articulated arms, it is possible to flexibly respond to secondary packaging of different patterns of packaging.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Dual-arm articulated robot 1a Stereo vision camera 2a Right arm 2b Left arm 3a End effector 3b End effector 4 U-shaped jig 4a Stainless steel sheet metal 4b Thin plate 5 Chuck 5a Air cylinder 5b Movable claw 5c Fixed claw 6 U-shaped jig 6a Stainless steel sheet metal 6b Thin plate 7 Suction pad 8 Bag mouth opening and closing claw 9 Accumulation unit 9a Sensor 9b Sheet metal 9c Alignment section 10 Bag stocker 10a Lifting section 10b Retaining plate 10c Pulley 10d Wire 10e Weight 11 Bag mouth opening device 11a Suction pad 11b Slide section 11c Handle 12 Work conveyor 12a Conveyor 12b Work table 13 Weighing scale 14 Discharge device 15 Stick-shaped package 16a Bag 16b Gusset 17 Secondary package 17a Secondary package previously packed in a bag

Claims (9)

Two articulated arms constituting a robot arm, each of which is controlled by a control device;
a first hand provided on one of the two articulated arms;
a second hand provided on the other of the two articulated arms; and
an accumulation unit that roughly accumulates a predetermined number of stick-shaped packaged products fed from the stick filling packaging machine;
a conveying device that conveys a predetermined number of stick-shaped packages roughly gathered by the stacking unit into a common working range of the first and second hands of the two articulated arms;
Equipped with
A stick-shaped package picking system characterized in that the first and second hands are each capable of fitting inwardly into each other and have a U-shaped jig that picks up a bundle of a predetermined number of the roughly bundled stick-shaped packages from the conveying device. The stick-shaped package picking system according to claim 1, characterized in that the two articulated arms are the two arms of a dual-arm robot whose operation is controlled by a control device for the dual-arm robot. The U-shaped jigs of the first and second hands each have a trough shape in which two metal plates with different rigidity are connected in the circumferential direction, and when they face each other and approach each other, the low-rigidity metal plate of one jig elastically deforms and enters the inside of the high-rigidity metal plate of the other jig, allowing them to fit inwardly into each other, according to claim 1. The U-shaped jigs of the first and second hands are moved from a position surrounding the roughly bundled stick-shaped packaged products in a direction in which the jigs approach each other while aligning their edges with the conveying surface on which they are placed, thereby picking up the stick-shaped packaged products by grasping them in a bundle, as described in claim 1. In addition to the stick-packaged product picking system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
a bag opening device that is installed within a common working range of the first and second hands of the picking system, holds an empty secondary packing bag supplied by the other of the first and second hands, opens an opening of the secondary packing bag, and inserts the bundle of stick-shaped packing items into the secondary packing bag from the opening with the U-shaped tool of the first and second hands;
a weighing device that transfers the secondary package containing the bundle of stick-shaped packages from the bag opening device to one of the first and second hands, weighs the secondary package, and outputs the weighing result;
a discharge device that discharges the secondary package transferred from the weighing device by the transfer device to a branched discharge destination according to the weighing result;
A secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages, comprising: The secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages according to claim 5, characterized in that the first and second hands compress and squeeze the bundle of stick-shaped packages picked by the U-shaped tool, insert the tool into the opening of the secondary packaging bag, and after insertion, widen the gap between the U-shaped tools to open the secondary packaging bag and drop the bundle of stick-shaped packages into the bag. The secondary packaging system for stick-shaped packages according to claim 5, characterized in that one of the first hand and the second hand has a chuck that can grip and release the secondary package by opening and closing control, and the other has a suction pad that can suck and release the empty secondary package bag by ON-OFF control. The stick-shaped packaged product secondary packaging system according to claim 5, characterized in that the stick-shaped packaged product picking system includes a camera that captures the weighing results of the scale, the control device of the two articulated arms determines whether the weighing results of the scale are OK or NG from the image captured by the camera, and the ejection device ejects the secondary packaged product to an ejection destination corresponding to the judgment result. The stick-packaged secondary packaging system according to claim 5, characterized in that the two articulated arms of the stick-packaged picking system are equipped at their tips with weight sensors that measure the weight of the bundle of stick-packaged items held by the U-shaped jigs of the first and second hands, and the control device of the two articulated arms determines whether the weight of the bundle of stick-packaged items is OK or NG from the output data of the weight sensors, and if NG, the first and second hands eject the bundle of stick-packaged items into a specified space as the ejection device without feeding it into the bag opening device.

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