JP3180056U - Parallel link robot system - Google Patents

Abstract

A parallel link robot system capable of efficiently exchanging tools for a parallel link robot regardless of the location of the replacement tool is provided.
A parallel link robot system 10 includes a parallel link robot 1 that performs a predetermined operation on a product S using a tool, and a conveyor 51 that conveys the product S to the parallel link robot 1. . The conveyor 51 unloads the tool removed from the parallel link robot 1 and loads a tool to be attached to the parallel link robot 1 in response to a tool replacement request in the parallel link robot 1.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a parallel link robot system.

  As an industrial robot, a parallel link robot in which three sets of link mechanisms are spanned in parallel between a base portion and an end portion is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). In such a parallel link robot, the position and posture of the end portion with respect to the base portion are adjusted by three sets of link mechanisms, and a predetermined work is performed on the work target by a tool attached to the end portion.

JP 2011-56661 A

  In the parallel link robot as described above, it is necessary to change tools according to changes in the type of work object or changes in work contents. There are various considerations such as securing the location of the tool within the movable range.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a parallel link robot system capable of efficiently exchanging tools for a parallel link robot regardless of the location of the replacement tool.

  A parallel link robot system of the present invention includes a parallel link robot that performs a predetermined work on a work target using a tool, and a transport mechanism that transports the work target to the parallel link robot. In response to a tool exchange request in the parallel link robot, the tool removed from the parallel link robot is unloaded and a tool to be attached to the parallel link robot is unloaded.

  In this parallel link robot system, a tool is carried into and out of the parallel link robot using a transfer mechanism that transfers a work object to the parallel link robot. Therefore, it is not necessary to secure a tool placement location within the movable range of the parallel link robot. Therefore, according to this parallel link robot system, it is possible to efficiently replace the tool with respect to the parallel link robot regardless of the location of the replacement tool.

  The parallel link robot system further includes a camera disposed on the transport mechanism on the upstream side of the parallel link robot, and the parallel link robot is based on the image of the work object captured by the camera. A controller for controlling the operation of the parallel link robot, and when the controller carries in a tool to be attached to the parallel link robot, based on the image of the tool imaged by the camera, The state information of the tool may be acquired to control the operation of the parallel link robot. According to this configuration, the state information (position, orientation, type, etc.) of the replacement tool is obtained using the camera for obtaining the state information (position, orientation, type, etc.) of the work object. Therefore, it is possible to reliably perform the tool exchange for the parallel link robot.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the parallel link robot system which can implement | achieve the replacement | exchange of a tool with respect to a parallel link robot efficiently irrespective of the arrangement | positioning place etc. of the tool for replacement | exchange.

It is a top view of the parallel link robot system of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the parallel link robot applied to the parallel link robot system of FIG. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the parallel link robot of FIG. 2. It is a top view at the time of tool exchange of the parallel link robot system of FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same or an equivalent part, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the parallel link robot 1 chucks a product (work object) S conveyed by a conveyor (conveying mechanism) 51, and a box ( Work object) An industrial robot that packs products S inside C. A camera 53 is installed on the conveyor 51 so as to be positioned upstream of the parallel link robot 1. The controller 2 included in the parallel link robot 1 acquires state information (position, orientation, type, etc.) of the product S based on the image of the product S captured by the camera 53, and controls the operation of the parallel link robot 1. To do. When a predetermined number of products S are packed in the box C by the parallel link robot 1, the conveyor 52 carries out the box C. In the present embodiment, the parallel link robot system 10 includes the parallel link robot 1, the conveyors 51 and 52, and the camera 53.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the parallel link robot 1 includes a base portion 3 fixed at a predetermined position above the conveyor 51, an end portion 4 moved with respect to the base portion 3, and a base portion 3 and the link mechanism 5 spanned between the end portion 4 and the end portion 4. The parallel link robot 1 employs a parallel mechanism having three degrees of freedom, and the three sets of link mechanisms 5 are arranged on the base 3 while maintaining the end 4 in a predetermined posture (horizontal in the present embodiment). In contrast, the end portion 4 is translated in three axes. The end portion 4 has a configuration such as a tool changer, and various tools T can be attached and detached to perform various operations on the product S and the box C. In the present embodiment, a tool T for sucking and chucking the product S is attached to the end portion 4.

  Each link mechanism 5 includes a drive motor 6 disposed on the base portion 3, a first arm 7 coupled to the drive motor 6, and a pair of first arms coupled to the first arm 7 and coupled to the end portion 4. 2 arms 8. In each link mechanism 5, the drive motor 6 is fixed to a bracket 3 a provided on the base portion 3. A base end portion 7 a on the base portion 3 side in the first arm 7 is fixed to a rotation shaft 6 a of the drive motor 6. As a result, the first arm 7 is swung by the drive motor 6. In addition, the center line of the rotating shaft 6a of each drive motor 6 is located on the same plane P1 (horizontal plane in this embodiment), and has a positional relationship that intersects each other.

  In each link mechanism 5, the distal end portion 7 b on the second arm 8 side of the first arm 7 is located between the base end portions 8 a and 8 a on the first arm 7 side of the pair of second arms 8, The proximal end portion 8a of the second arm 8 is connected to the distal end portion 7b of the first arm 7 from both sides via a ball joint 9a. On the other hand, a part of the end portion 4 is located between the end portions 8b and 8b on the end portion 4 side of the pair of second arms 8, and the end portions 8b of the second arms 8 are connected to the ball joint 9b. It is connected to the said part of the end part 4 via both sides. Further, the pair of second arms 8 includes a first link portion 11 spanned between the base end portions 8a and 8a and a second link portion 12 spanned between the distal end portions 8b and 8b. It constitutes a parallelogram link.

  In the parallel link robot system 10 described above, the conveyor 51 conveys the product S to the parallel link robot 1, and the parallel link robot 1 performs a predetermined operation on the product S using the tool T. When the tool T needs to be replaced in accordance with the change in the type of the product S or the change in the work content, the conveyor 51 responds to the tool T replacement request in the parallel link robot 1 as shown in FIG. Then, the tool T removed by the parallel link robot 1 is carried out to the downstream side of the parallel link robot 1. The unloaded tool T is collected by an operator, for example. Subsequently, the conveyor 51 carries in the tool T to be attached to the parallel link robot 1 from the upstream side of the parallel link robot 1 in response to the exchange request for the tool T in the parallel link robot 1. At this time, the controller 2 acquires state information (position, orientation, type, etc.) of the tool T based on the image of the tool T imaged by the camera 53, controls the operation of the parallel link robot 1, The tool T is attached to the parallel link robot 1. For example, the controller 2 makes the end unit 4 accessible to the tool T being conveyed or the type of the tool T according to the position of the tool T in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 51 and the direction of the tool T. Is not correct, and if it is incorrect, the access of the end unit 4 to the tool T is stopped.

  As described above, in the parallel link robot system 10, the tool T is carried into and out of the parallel link robot 1 using the conveyor 51 that conveys the product S to the parallel link robot 1. Therefore, it is not necessary to secure an arrangement place of the tool T within the movable range of the parallel link robot 1. Therefore, according to the parallel link robot system 10, the tool T can be efficiently exchanged for the parallel link robot 1 regardless of the location of the exchange tool T.

  Further, when the controller 2 carries in the tool T to be attached to the parallel link robot 1, the controller 2 acquires the state information of the tool T based on the image of the tool T captured by the camera 53, and the parallel link robot 1 operation is controlled. Thereby, since the status information of the tool T for exchange is acquired using the camera 53 for acquiring the status information of the product S, the tool T can be reliably replaced with respect to the parallel link robot 1. .

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the parallel link robot 1 is not limited to the one provided with three sets of link mechanisms 5, and may include four or more sets of link mechanisms 5. Further, the drive source of the link mechanism 5 is not limited to the drive motor 6 and may be another actuator.

  In the above embodiment, the tool T is carried in and out of the parallel link robot 1 by using the conveyor 51 that conveys the product S that is the work target to the parallel link robot 1. Is not limited to this. For example, the tool T may be carried in and out of the parallel link robot 1 by using a conveyor 52 that conveys a box C that is a work target. Alternatively, the tool T is carried into the parallel link robot 1 by using the conveyor 51 that conveys the product S that is the work target to the parallel link robot 1, and the work target is sent to the parallel link robot 1. The tool T may be carried out from the parallel link robot 1 using the conveyor 52 that conveys the box C. Alternatively, the tool T is carried into the parallel link robot 1 using the conveyor 52 that conveys the box C that is the work target to the parallel link robot 1, and the work target is sent to the parallel link robot 1. The tool T may be carried out from the parallel link robot 1 using the conveyor 51 that conveys the product S. Also in these cases, it is not necessary to secure the place where the tool T is disposed within the movable range of the parallel link robot 1, so that the tool for the parallel link robot 1 is independent of the place where the replacement tool T is located. T can be exchanged efficiently.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Parallel link robot, 2 ... Controller, 10 ... Parallel link robot system, 51, 52 ... Conveyor (conveyance mechanism), 53 ... Camera.

Claims (2)

A parallel link robot that performs a predetermined work on a work object using a tool;
A transport mechanism that transports the work object to the parallel link robot,
The transport mechanism unloads the tool removed from the parallel link robot and loads the tool to be attached to the parallel link robot in response to a request for replacement of the tool in the parallel link robot. Robot system. Further comprising a camera disposed on the transport mechanism upstream of the parallel link robot;
The parallel link robot has a controller that acquires state information of the work object based on an image of the work object imaged by the camera and controls the operation of the parallel link robot;
When the controller carries in the tool to be attached to the parallel link robot, the controller acquires state information of the tool based on the image of the tool imaged by the camera, and operates the parallel link robot. The parallel link robot system according to claim 1, wherein:

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