JP4324849B2 - Article gripping device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention includes an actuator that moves a pair of gripping members facing each other in an approaching and separating direction;
A pressing operation state in which the pair of gripping members are moved to the approach side to press and grip the article from both sides, and a press release operation state in which the pair of gripping members are moved to the separation side to release the pressing of the article. The present invention relates to an article gripping apparatus provided with a control means for controlling the operation of the actuator so as to be switched.

In this article gripping device, the actuator is operated by the control means so as to move the pair of gripping members to the close side, and the article is gripped by pressing and gripping the article from both sides. In order to determine that the article is being gripped, it is determined by the control means that the state is the pressing operation state.
In such an article gripping device, conventionally, the actuator is constituted by a fluid pressure cylinder, and the pressure of the fluid for operating the pneumatic cylinder to move the pair of gripping members to the approach side is set pressure set in advance. A pressure switch is provided that is activated when the working pressure is reached, and based on the pressure switch being actuated, the controller is configured to determine that it is in the pressing operation state (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-26668

However, conventionally, as described below, there is a case where it is erroneously determined that it is in the pressing operation state, even though it is not in a state of pressing and gripping an article with the pair of gripping members. There is a problem that it is difficult to appropriately determine that the state is the pressing operation state.
That is, the pressure of the fluid that operates the pneumatic cylinder to move the pair of gripping members to the close side is not necessarily in a state where the gripping members abut against the article and press the article. This can occur even when the gripping member is not pressing the article.
For example, normally, the gripping member is supported by a base frame so as to be movable in the approaching / separating direction, and the gripping member supported by the base frame is moved by the actuator. Thus, when a mechanical trouble occurs in the structure that supports the gripping member on the base frame, and the gripping member becomes difficult to move or stops moving, the pair of gripping members are moved to the close side. The pressure of the fluid that activates the pressure cylinder rises and the pressure switch is activated. In such a case, the article is not in a state where the pair of gripping members press and hold the article. Regardless, it is erroneously determined that the state is the pressing operation state.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide an article gripping apparatus capable of appropriately determining a pressing operation state in which an article is pressed and gripped from both sides by a pair of gripping members. There is.

The article gripping device of the present invention includes an actuator that moves a pair of gripping members facing each other in an approaching and separating direction;
A pressing operation state in which the pair of gripping members are moved to the approach side to press and grip the article from both sides, and a press release operation state in which the pair of gripping members are moved to the separation side to release the pressing of the article. Control means for controlling the operation of the actuator to be switched, and
In the first characteristic configuration, a group of articles in which a plurality of rectangular articles in a plan view are arranged in a horizontal direction is an article to be grasped,
At least one of the pair of gripping members is moved to the moving member that is linearly moved in the approaching / separating direction by the actuator, and is slidably movable in the approaching / separating direction, and the other gripping member by the elastic biasing means. Supported in the state of being biased to the approaching approach,
A pressing state in which it is detected that the gripping member has retreated against the urging force of the elastic urging means with respect to the moving member up to a pressing state determination position for determining the pressing operation state in the approaching / separating direction. Detection means are provided,
The control means is configured to determine that the pressing member is in the pressing operation state based on detection by the pressing state detection means that the gripping member has been retracted to the pressing state determination position .
The actuator is supported by a base frame so as to be slidable in the approaching / separating direction,
The pair of gripping members are linked to the actuator so as to be moved in the approaching / separating direction .
That is, the control unit operates the actuator so as to move the pair of gripping members to the approach side, and the gripping member supported by the moving member is moved by the pressing state detection unit to the elastic biasing unit. When it is detected that the actuator has moved back to the pressing state determination position against the urging force, the pressing state is determined.
That is, when the actuator is operated to move the pair of gripping members to the approach side in a state where the gripping member supported by the moving member is in contact with the article, the moving member is biased by the elastic means. The gripping member moves backward against the urging force of the elastic urging means with respect to the moving member, and the gripping member moves in the movement direction. When the member retreats to the pressing state determination position against the urging force of the elastic urging unit with respect to the member, the retreat is detected by the pressing state detecting unit, and based on the detection, the control unit Therefore, it is determined that the state is the pressing operation state.
Therefore, in a state where the gripping member supported by the moving member is in contact with the article, the actuator is operated to move the gripping member to the approaching side and presses the article with the gripping member. As long as it does not appear, the gripping member does not move back to the pressing state determination position and is not determined to be in the pressing operation state. Although it is not in the gripping state, it is possible to suppress erroneous determination as the pressing operation state.
As a result, it is possible to provide an article gripping apparatus that can appropriately determine a pressing operation state in which an article is pressed and gripped from both sides by a pair of gripping members.

Further , when the actuator is operated so as to bring the pair of gripping members closer to each other while the article to be gripped is located on one side of the pair of gripping members in an open state, the one gripping member is When the first abutting against the article, the gripping member is stationary, the actuator moves in the approaching / separating direction so that the other gripping member moves to the article side, and the pair of gripping members moves to both sides of the article. Will be pressed against both sides.
In other words, when the pair of gripping members approach in a state where the article to be gripped is located on one side of the pair of gripping members that are in the open state, one of the pair of gripping members comes first. The pair of gripping members approach and press the article from both sides in a state where the article comes into contact with the article and the other moves to the article side. Forcibly pushing the article with the member and moving it toward the other gripping member does not occur, and damage to the article can be suppressed.
Further, even when the pressing state detection means is provided only in one of the pair of gripping members, the pair of gripping members are in contact with both sides of the article and are pressed from both sides. When the gripping member supported by the moving member retreats to the pressing state determination position against the urging force of the elastic urging unit, the retreating state is detected by the pressing state detecting unit, and Since it is determined by the control means that the state is the pressing operation state, it is possible to suppress erroneous determination that the state is the pressing operation state.
Accordingly, the article can be gripped while suppressing damage to the article, and the pressing state detecting means is provided in only one of the pair of gripping members, and the pair of gripping members is made inexpensive. Thus, it is possible to appropriately determine the pressing operation state in which the article is pressed from both sides and held.

The second characteristic feature, in addition to the first feature structure,
The pressing state detection means is provided for each of the pair of gripping members,
The control means is configured to determine that both of the pair of pressing state detection means are in the pressing operation state based on detecting that the gripping member has moved back to the pressing state determination position. It is characterized by that.
That is, the control means detects that the gripping member has been retracted to the pressing state determination position by any of the pair of pressing state detection means provided to be distributed to each of the pair of gripping members. Based on this, it is determined that the pressing operation state is present.
That is, when each of the pair of gripping members comes into contact with the side of the article and presses the article, and retreats to the pressing state determination position against the urging force of the elastic urging means, It is detected by the pressing state detecting means corresponding to each of the pair of gripping members that the gripping member has moved back to the pressing state determination position. When it is detected that the actuator has moved back to the pressing state determination position, the control means determines that the pressing operation state is established.
Therefore, when only one of the pair of gripping members is in contact with the article, for example, a mechanical trouble occurs in a structure in which one of the pair of gripping members is supported on the base frame so as to be movable in the approaching / separating direction. And the gripping member is not in contact with the article and only the other gripping member is in contact with the article, the gripping member is moved to the pressed state determination position by both of the pair of pressing state detection means. Is not detected as being in the pressing operation state by the control means, and is not in a state in which the pair of gripping members press and hold the article. Nevertheless, it is possible to further suppress erroneous determination that the state is the pressing operation state.
As a result, it has become possible to more appropriately determine the pressing operation state in which the pair of gripping members press and grip the article from both sides.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a case will be described in which a group of articles each having a plurality of rectangular articles W arranged in a horizontal direction in a plan view is gripped.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 9, the gripping device A includes a pair of gripping members 1 facing each other in the horizontal direction and a pneumatic cylinder 2 as an actuator that moves the pair of gripping members 1 in the approaching and separating directions. The two gripping portions A1 that are configured to include the two gripping portions A1, and the pair of gripping members 1 of the two gripping portions A1 are moved to the approaching side to press and grip the group of articles from both sides. A pressing state detection unit A2 that detects a pressing operation state in which the pressure cylinder 2 is operating, a controller 34 as a control unit that performs various controls of the gripping device A, and the like are provided.
Then, the controller 34 moves the pair of gripping members 1 of the two gripping portions A1 to the approaching side and presses and grips the article group from both sides, and the pair of gripping members 1. The operation of the pneumatic cylinder 2 is controlled so as to switch to a press release operation state in which the product group is moved to the separated side to release the press of the article group.
The two gripping portions A1 are provided so that the approaching / separating directions of the pair of gripping members 1 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as approaching / separating directions) are orthogonal to each other. The article group is configured to be pressed and gripped from its four sides.

  The two gripping portions A1 are configured in substantially the same manner except that one of the pair of gripping members 1 of the one gripping portion A1 is provided so as to be movable up and down. 1, which shows a plan view of the gripping device A, the left-right direction of the drawing is the left-right direction X of the gripping device A, the up-down direction of the drawing is the front-back direction Y of the gripping device A, and the pair of gripping members 1 are in the left-right direction X A gripping part A1 positioned opposite to the gripping part A1 is referred to as a gripping part A1 for the left-right direction, and a gripping part A1 where the pair of gripping members 1 are positioned facing the front-rear direction is referred to as a gripping part A1 for the front-rear direction. In the description, when the gripping portion A1 is described separately in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction, the gripping portion A1 for the left-right direction, and the gripping member 1 and the pneumatic cylinder 2 of the gripping portion A1 for the left-right direction are respectively described. The subscript of x indicating the left-right direction A suffix “y” indicating the front-rear direction is added to the reference numerals indicating the front-rear direction gripping part A1 and the gripping member 1 and the pneumatic cylinder 2 of the front-rearward direction gripping part A1. I will explain. In the drawings, a subscript x indicating the left-right direction and a subscript y indicating the front-rear direction are added.

The grip part A1 will be further described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each gripping portion A1 basically includes a pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 and a pair of connecting members 3 with the cylinder rod tips facing in the same direction. By connecting both ends of the tube, they are connected together and supported by a frame 4 as a base frame so that the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 that are integrally connected can be moved in the approaching and separating directions, The pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 are integrally connected with the pair of gripping members 1 in a state where the pair of gripping members 1 are supported by the frame 4 so as to be movable separately in the approaching and separating directions. The rod tip and the cylinder tube rear end are distributed and connected.
That is, the pair of gripping members 1 are linked to the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 so as to be moved in the approaching / separating direction by the contraction operation.
Both end portions in the longitudinal direction of each gripping member 1 are formed in a concavo-convex shape so as to be able to intersect with the gripping members 1 approaching so that the approaching and separating directions are orthogonal to each other.

Hereinafter, the gripping part A1x for the left-right direction and the gripping part A1y for the front-rear direction will be further described.
First, the front-rear direction gripping portion A1y will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 y assembled together are supported by a pair of guide rails 5 attached to the frame 4 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction Y, and the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 y is supported. The pair of pneumatic cylinders 2y are integrally connected to the pair of gripping members 1y in a state in which each of the gripping members 1y is supported by a linear guide 6 attached to the frame 4 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction Y. Are distributed and connected to the front end of the cylinder rod and the rear end of the cylinder tube.

Based on FIGS. 4 to 6, a description will be given of a configuration in which the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2y is guided by the pair of guide rails 5. Each of the pair of guide rails 5 has a substantially cross-sectional shape. And are attached to the frame 4 in a state where the respective opening sides are directed inward and are spaced apart from each other.
A pair of guide rollers 7 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the pair of connecting members 3 that connect the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2y.
Then, the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2y assembled together are supported so as to be slidably guided by the pair of guide rails 5 by using the guide rollers 7 provided at the upper and lower pairs at four locations as described above. It is.

Next, a description will be given of the gripping part A1x for the left-right direction.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 x that are integrally assembled are supported by a pair of guide rails 8 attached to the frame 4 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction X.
Of the pair of gripping members 1x, the gripping member 1x connected to the cylinder tube rear end side is supported by a linear guide 9 attached to the frame 4 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction X.
On the other hand, with respect to the gripping member 1x on the tip side of the cylinder rod, the left and right direction moving gantry 11 is supported by a linear guide 10 attached to the frame 4 so as to be movable in the left and right direction X, and the left and right direction moving gantry 11 is linearly supported. The guide 12 is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Further, the left-right moving base 11 is provided with a gripping member lifting and lowering portion 13 that lifts and lowers the gripping member 1x between a gripping position located at the same height as the other gripping member 1x and a retracted position above it. is there.
Then, the left and right moving frame 11 is connected to the rear ends of the cylinder tubes of the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2x that are integrally connected, and the gripping member 1x is connected to the tip of the cylinder rod. The pneumatic cylinder 2x is contracted to move the pair of gripping members 1x closer to and away from each other.

  The configuration in which the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2x of the gripping part A1x for the left-right direction is guided by the pair of guide rails 8 is configured such that the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2y of the gripping part A1y for the front-back direction is the pair of guide rails. 5, the detailed description and illustration are omitted, and a simple description based on FIG. 5 shows that each of the pair of connecting members 3 that connect the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2x. On the other hand, a pair of guide rollers 14 are provided vertically on both the left and right sides, and the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2x that are integrally assembled are used with the guide rollers 14 that are provided with a pair of upper and lower ones as described above. The pair of guide rails 8 are slidably guided.

The gripping member lifting and lowering unit 13 retracts the gripping member 1 so that the gripping member 1 does not interfere when taking out a group of articles gripped by the gripping device A in a fork device D (see FIG. 11), which will be described in detail later. It raises to a position and is configured as follows. In the gripping device A, the gripping member 1 that can be moved up and down is positioned, and a portion for taking out the article group to the outside may be referred to as an article takeout gate Ag.
That is, a rack 15 is attached to the gripping member 1 along the vertical direction, and the gripping member elevating part 13 is interlocked and connected to the pinion 16 by a belt 17 and the pinion 16. A gripping member lifting / lowering motor 18 that rotationally drives the pinion 16 is provided.

By configuring each gripping part A1 as described above, when the cylinder rod of the pneumatic cylinder 2 is contracted, the gripping member 1 on the tip side of the cylinder rod comes into contact with the article group first, and the tip side of the cylinder rod With the gripping member 1 stationary, the cylinder tube of the pneumatic cylinder 2 moves by the guide rails 5 and 8 so that the gripping member 1 on the cylinder tube side moves closer to the article group, The group of articles is pressed from both sides by the pair of gripping members 1.
That is, when the pneumatic cylinder 2 is operated so as to bring the pair of gripping members 1 close to each other, when one of the pair of gripping members 1 comes into contact with the article group first, Is configured so that the pair of gripping members 1 approach each other.

Next, a configuration for connecting the gripping member 1 to the pneumatic cylinder 2 and the pressing state detection unit A2 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 7, and 8, the structure in which the gripping member 1 is connected to the pneumatic cylinder 2 is either the left-right gripping part A1x or the front-rearward gripping part A1y. Similarly, the pair of gripping members 1 of the gripping portions A1 can be moved in the approaching / separating direction to the moving member 19 moved in the approaching / separating direction by the pneumatic cylinder 2. Further, the coil spring 20 is supported in a state of being biased toward the approaching side approaching the other gripping member 1. FIG. 8 shows in detail an example of a configuration in which the gripping member 1 on the tip side of the cylinder rod of the gripping part A1y in the front-rear direction is connected to the pneumatic cylinder.
As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, the pressing state detection part A2 includes the cylinder rod tip side and the cylinder tube rear side of the holding part A1x for the left-right direction and the holding part A1y for the front-rear direction. A total of four are provided, one at the end side, and the four pressed state detection units A2 are similarly configured to detect the pressed operation state.
That is, the pressing state detection unit A2 is configured so that the gripping member 1 is in the approaching / separating direction as illustrated in FIG. 8 by a pressing state detection unit A2 provided on the front end side of the cylinder rod of the gripping unit A1y in the front-rear direction. A proximity sensor 28 is provided as a pressing state detecting unit that detects that the coil spring 20 has moved backward against the biasing force of the coil spring 20 to a pressing state determination position for determining the pressing operation state.

The moving member 19 will be further described.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the moving member 19 connected to the front end side of the cylinder rod of the grip portion Ay in the front-rear direction, the rear end side of the cylinder tube, and the rear end side of the cylinder tube of the grip portion Ax in the left-right direction is The mounting plate 21 and the receiving plate 22 connected to the pneumatic cylinder 2 are connected by two shaft bodies 23 in a state of facing each other with a predetermined interval. Although not shown in the drawings, the moving member 19 connected to the cylinder rod tip side of the gripping part Ax in the left-right direction is provided as the shaft body 23 by distributing the four shaft bodies 23 by two in the front-rear direction. Other than that, the configuration is the same as that of the other moving member 19.
Then, as shown in FIG. 8, each shaft body 23 is provided with urethane washers 25 at both ends, and the total length including the urethane washers 25 is set to be greater than the distance between the mounting plate 21 and the receiving plate 22. A linear bushing 24 having a short length is slidably fitted, a gripping member connection plate 26 is attached to the two linear bushings 24, and two compressions are provided between the gripping member connection plate 26 and the receiving plate 22. The coil springs 20 in the state are arranged in the vertical direction, and the gripping member connection plate 26 is biased toward the mounting plate 21 by the two coil springs 20. However, although not shown in the drawings, in the moving member 19 connected to the cylinder rod tip side of the gripping part Ax in the left-right direction, the two coil springs 20 are respectively positioned in the front-rear direction as described above. They are arranged according to the installation position of the body 23.
7 and 8 is a shock absorber provided corresponding to each coil spring 20.

In the gripping part A1y for the front-rear direction, the moving member 19 configured as described above is connected to the connecting member 3 although the detailed illustration is omitted on the cylinder tube rear end side. As shown in FIG. 8, the attachment plate 21 is attached by connecting the tip of the cylinder rod of the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 y to grip each moving member 19. The gripping member 1y is connected to the member connection plate 26.
That is, each of the pair of gripping members 1y is supported by the moving member 19 in a state of being movable in the approaching / separating direction and being biased toward the approaching side by the coil spring 20.

Although the detailed illustration of the left and right gripping part A1x is omitted, the moving member 19 is mounted on the rear end side of the cylinder tube by connecting the mounting plate 21 to the connecting member 3, and the cylinder. On the rod tip side, the attachment plate 21 is attached by connecting it to the tip of the cylinder rod of the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2x.
Then, the gripping member 1x is connected to the gripping member connection plate 26 of the moving member 19 on the rear end side of the cylinder tube, and the left-right moving platform 11 is connected to the gripping member connection plate 26 of the moving member 19 on the tip side of the cylinder rod. It is.
That is, each of the pair of gripping members 1x is connected to the moving member 19 while being movable in the approaching / separating direction and biased toward the approaching side by the coil spring 20.

When the cylinder rod of the pneumatic cylinder 2 is contracted to operate the pair of gripping members 1 so that at least one of the pair of gripping members 1 is not in contact with the article group, the gripping During the state in which the member 1 does not act on the article group, the urethane washer 25 on the article group side of the linear bush 24 and the attachment are applied by the biasing force of the coil spring 20 as shown in FIG. When the cylinder rod of the pneumatic cylinder 2 contracts against the urging force of the coil spring 20 with the plate 21 in contact with the pair of gripping members 1 in contact with both sides of the article group, As shown in FIG. 8B, each moving member 19 moves to the approaching side, and the receiving plate 22 of each moving member 19 is urethane on the side opposite to the article group side of the linear bush 24. The abutting state Ssha 25.
That is, as described above, the cylinder rod of the pneumatic cylinder 2 contracts against the biasing force of the coil spring 20 in a state where the pair of gripping members 1 are in contact with both sides of the article group. As shown in (b), the movement of the moving members 19 toward the approaching side means that the holding members are supported by the moving members 19 so as to be movable in the approaching / separating direction. 1 is that the moving member 19 moves backward against the urging force of the coil spring 20, and the receiving plate 22 of each moving member 19 is urethane on the side opposite to the article group side of the linear bush 24. The state in contact with the washer 25 is a state in which each gripping member 1 is retracted against the urging force of the coil spring 20 to the pressed state determination position.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the detected plate 29 is attached to the receiving plate 22, and the proximity sensor 28 is moved from the article group side of the linear bush 24 by moving the moving member 19 to the article group side. When the gripping member 1 comes into contact with the opposite urethane washer 25, that is, when each of the gripping members 1 moves back to the pressing state determination position against the urging force of the coil spring 20, the detection plate 29 performs a detection operation. It is provided.
That is, the pressed state detection unit A2 is configured by the moving member 19, the coil spring 20, the linear bush 24, the urethane washer 25, the proximity sensor 28, the detection plate 29, and the like.

Next, a configuration for moving the pair of gripping members 1 between the approaching side and the separating side in the pneumatic cylinder 2 in order to switch between the pressing operation state and the pressing release operation state will be described.
As shown in FIG. 9, the left-right control valve 30 that switches the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2x of the left-right gripping portion A1x simultaneously between the expansion operation state and the contraction operation state, and the left-right control valve 30 A pressure regulator 31 for adjusting the pressure of the air to be supplied and a control valve 32 for the front / rear direction that switches the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2y of the gripping part A1y for the front / rear direction simultaneously between the expansion operation state and the contraction operation state. And a front-rear direction pressure regulator 33 that adjusts the pressure of the air supplied to the front-rear direction control valve 32.
Then, the controller 34 controls the operation of the pneumatic cylinder 2 of each of the two gripping portions A1 so as to switch between the pressing operation state and the pressing release operation state. The operation of each of the pressure controller 31 for the left-right direction, the control valve 32 for the front-rear direction, and the pressure regulator 33 for the front-rear direction is controlled.
In the following description, in the left-right control valve 30 and the front-rear direction control valve 32, the operation state for switching the pneumatic cylinder 2 to the expansion operation state is referred to as the expansion operation state, and the pneumatic cylinder. An operation state for switching 2 to the contraction operation state is referred to as a contraction operation state.

In other words, the main air passage 36 that guides the compressed air supplied from the air source 35 such as a compressor is branched into two gripping air passages 37, and the left and right direction air passages 37 are placed in the middle of one gripping air passage 37. A pressure regulator 31 is provided, the left-right control valve 30 is connected to the tip, the front-rear pressure regulator 33 is provided in the middle of the other gripping air passage 37, and the front-rear control valve 32 is provided at the tip. The left and right control valve 30 and the pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x, and the front and rear direction control valve 32 and the pair of front and rear pneumatic cylinders 2y, respectively. A switching air passage 38 is connected.
The gripping air passage 37 for the left-right direction pneumatic cylinder 2x is provided with a pressure increasing valve 39 for increasing the pressure of the supply air to the left-right direction pneumatic cylinder 2x.

The main air passage 36 is provided with an air tank 40, an air filter 41, a pressure switch 42 that operates when the pressure of the air flowing through the main air passage 36 becomes a predetermined pressure or more, and a residual pressure discharge valve 43.
In FIG. 9, reference numeral 44 denotes a transfer pneumatic cylinder for a transfer device E of an article processing facility, the details of which will be described later, and reference numeral 45 denotes an extension operation state and a contraction operation state of the transfer pneumatic cylinder. This is a transfer control valve for switching to.

Next, the controller 34 will be described.
When a gripping command for gripping an article group is instructed, the controller 34 is configured with the alignment pressing force lower than the gripping pressing force pressed to grip the article group with the pair of gripping members 1. Alignment in which the pneumatic cylinders 2 of the two gripping portions A1 are simultaneously operated in the pressing operation state, and then the pneumatic cylinders 2 of the two gripping portions A1 are simultaneously operated in the pressing release operating state. The process is executed, and subsequently, the gripping process of simultaneously operating the pneumatic cylinders 2 of the two gripping portions A1 to the pressing operation state with the gripping pressing force is performed.
Incidentally, although not shown in the figure, the grip command indicates whether or not there is an article group placement position where the article group to be gripped is located, that is, whether or not there is an article group to be gripped in the inner space of the four gripping members 1 in the open state. Detection information of the article detection means to be detected, control information of a transfer device (for example, an elevating device C described later) for transferring an article group to be grasped to the article group arrangement position, or command information of an artificially operated command means, etc. Will be commanded based on

  Further, the controller 34 turns on both of the pair of proximity sensors 28 provided for the left-right pneumatic cylinder 2x, that is, the pair of proximity sensors 28 causes the gripping member 1x for the left-right direction to be When it is detected that the retracted position has reached the pressing state determination position, it is determined that the left-right pneumatic cylinder 2x is in the pressing operation state, and a pair provided for the front-rear pneumatic cylinder 2y. When the proximity sensor 28 is turned on, that is, when it is detected by the pair of proximity sensors 28 that the holding member 1y for the front-rear direction has moved back to the pressed state determination position, the front-rear direction sensor 28 is used. The pneumatic cylinder 2y is configured to be determined to be in the pressing operation state.

The controller 34 stores in advance a set gripping air pressure for gripping an article group by the pair of gripping members 1 and a set alignment air pressure lower than the set gripping air pressure.
Then, the controller 34 switches the left-right control valve 30 to the contracting operation state, and adjusts the left-right pressure regulator 31 so that the pressure of the discharged air becomes the set alignment air pressure. Then, the air pressure-adjusted and discharged from the left-right pressure regulator 31 is increased by the pressure-increasing valve 39, and air having a pressure higher than the set alignment air pressure passes through the left-right direction control valve 30. When the pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x are supplied to the pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x, the pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x contract, and the pair of left and right gripping members 1x approach, The pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x are pressed in the left and right direction, which is lower than the left and right gripping pressure that is pressed to grip the article group by the pair of left and right gripping members 1x. It will operate in the pressing operation state at.
Further, the controller 34 switches the front-rear direction control valve 32 to the contracting operation state, and adjusts the front-rear direction pressure regulator 33 so that the pressure of the discharged air becomes the set alignment air pressure. Then, the air of the set alignment air pressure is supplied to the pair of front and rear pneumatic cylinders 2y through the front and rear direction control valve 32, and the pair of front and rear pneumatic cylinders 2y contracts, The pair of front-rear direction gripping members 1y approach, and the pair of front-rear direction pneumatic cylinders 2y press to grip the group of articles with the pair of front-rear direction gripping members 1y. The pressing operation state is activated with a longitudinal alignment pressing force lower than the longitudinal gripping pressure.

Further, the controller 34 switches the left / right direction control valve 30 to the contracting operation state, and adjusts the left / right direction pressure regulator 31 so that the pressure of the discharged air becomes the set gripping air pressure. Then, the air pressure-adjusted and discharged from the left-right pressure regulator 31 is increased by the pressure-increasing valve 39, and air having a pressure higher than the set gripping air pressure passes through the left-right direction control valve 30. The pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x are supplied to the pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x to be contracted, so that the pair of gripping members 1x approach, and the pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x The pneumatic cylinder 2x for operation is operated in the pressing operation state by the pressing force for gripping in the left-right direction.
Further, the controller 34 switches the front-rear direction control valve 32 to the contracting operation state, and adjusts the front-rear direction pressure regulator 33 so that the pressure of the discharged air becomes the set gripping air pressure. Then, the set gripping air pressure air is supplied to the pair of front-rear direction pneumatic cylinders 2y through the front-rear direction control valve 32, and the pair of front-rear direction pneumatic cylinders 2y contracts, The pair of gripping members 1y approach each other, and the pair of front-rear direction pneumatic cylinders 2y operate in the pressing operation state by the front-rear direction gripping pressing force.

When the controller 34 switches the left / right control valve 30 to the extension operation state, the pair of left / right pneumatic cylinders 2x extend and the pair of gripping members 1x separate. Thus, the pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x operate in the pressing release operating state.
Further, when the controller 34 switches the front / rear direction control valve 32 to the extension operation state, the pair of front / rear direction pneumatic cylinders 2y are extended, and the pair of gripping members 1y are separated. Thus, the pair of front and rear pneumatic cylinders 2y are operated in the pressing release operating state.

Based on FIG. 10, the control operation of the controller 34 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 10 (a), the controller 34, when the article group to be grasped is positioned at the article group arrangement position and the grip command is instructed, The front-rear direction control valve 32 is simultaneously switched to the contracting operation state, and the left-right direction pressure regulator 31 and the front-rear direction pressure regulator 33 are set so that the discharge air pressure becomes the set alignment air pressure. By adjusting the pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x with the pressing force for alignment in the left and right direction and the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2y with the pressing force for alignment in the front and rear direction. Each of the four proximity sensors 28 is turned on at the same time in the pressing operation state, and the left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x and the front and rear pneumatic cylinders 2y are turned on. When it is determined that both are in the pressing operation state, the pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders are switched by simultaneously switching the left and right direction control valve 30 and the front and rear direction control valve 32 to the extension operation state. 2x and the pair of front and rear pneumatic cylinders 2y are simultaneously operated to the pressing release operating state to execute the alignment process.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, the front and back of the article group is moved by the pair of holding members 1x for the left and right direction at the pressing force for alignment in the left and right direction lower than the pressing force for holding in the left and right direction. After being simultaneously pressed by the pair of holding members 1y for direction with the pressing force for alignment in the front-rear direction lower than the pressing force for holding in the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. The pair of gripping members 1x and the pair of gripping members 1y for the front-rear direction are opened, and the articles are aligned even if they are in an irregular state.

In the alignment process, the controller 34 simultaneously activates the pair of left-right pneumatic cylinders 21x and the pair of front-rear pneumatic cylinders 2y in the pressing release operation state, thereby When all of the sensors 28 are turned off, the left-right control valve 30 and the front-rear direction control valve 32 are simultaneously switched to the extension operation state, and the left-right pressure regulator 31 and the front-rear direction control valve 32 are switched. By adjusting the pressure regulator 33 so that the pressure of each discharge air becomes the set gripping air pressure, the pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x is moved by the left and right gripping pressure. The pneumatic cylinders 2y for the front and rear direction are simultaneously operated to the pressing operation state by the pressing force for the front and rear direction gripping, and the gripping process is executed.
In the gripping process, all of the four proximity sensors 28 are turned on, and both the pneumatic cylinder 2x for the left and right direction and the pneumatic cylinder 2y for the front and rear direction are used in the controller 34. Is determined to be in the pressing operation state, it is determined that the gripping of the article group is completed, and the gripping of the article is released when the reception preparation on the side of receiving the gripping article group is completed. The following processing is executed.

  In the gripping process, as shown in FIG. 10D, the group of articles aligned in the previously performed alignment process is pressed by the pair of gripping members 1x for the left-right direction. Thus, the pair of gripping members 1y for the front-rear direction are simultaneously pressed by the pressing force for gripping in the front-rear direction, and the group of articles is properly gripped without damaging each article W.

Next, based on FIG. 11, an article processing facility that includes the gripping device A configured as described above and takes out a group of articles stacked in a plurality of stages on the pallet P in a horizontal direction in units from the highest order. Will be described.
This article processing facility includes an elevating device C that lifts and lowers an article group conveyed via a pallet P on the carry-in conveyor B, the gripping apparatus A that holds the uppermost article group, and the gripping apparatus A. A fork device D for placing the article group to be gripped and taking it out in the lateral direction; and a transfer device E for extruding the article group placed on the fork device D in the lateral direction and transferring it onto the carry-out conveyor F; And the controller 34 of the gripping device A is configured to control various types of article processing equipment.

The elevating device C includes an elevating platform 52 supported by the mast 51 so as to be movable up and down, and an elevating drive unit 53 including an elevating electric motor 53m that elevates and lowers the elevating platform 52.
The gripping device A is attached to a stand 50 erected around the lifting platform 52 using the frame 4 while being positioned above the lifting platform 52 of the lifting device C.

  The fork device D and the carry-out conveyor F are arranged on the side of the article take-out gate Ag of the gripping device A so that the placement surfaces of the article groups are at the same height from the article take-out gate Ag side. The fork device D and the carry-out conveyor F are arranged in the left-right direction X in this order, and the transfer device E is arranged above the fork device D and the carry-out conveyor F arranged as described above. is there.

  The fork device D receives a group of articles from the gripping device A and takes them out to the carry-out conveyor F side. The fork device D receives the position below the gripping device A and the take-out gate Ag of the gripping device A. The fork member 54 is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction X over the outside take-out position, and a fork drive unit 55 provided with a fork electric motor 55m for moving the fork member 54. .

  The transfer device E transfers an article group on the fork member 54 located at the take-out position onto the carry-out conveyor F, and the fork whose forward-facing tip is located at the take-out position is used. A pushing action position located below the upper surface of the article group on the member 54 and above the upper face of the fork member 54 and a retreat position where the tip is located above the upper surface of the article group on the fork member 54 A pressing member 56 that can be moved up and down, and the transfer pneumatic cylinder 44 that moves the pressing member 56 in the up and down direction, and the pressing member 56 and the transfer pneumatic cylinder 44 are supported. The pushing start position where the pushing member 56 is located between the take-out gate Ag and the tip of the fork member 54, and the pushing member 56 is the transfer conveyor F. A transfer device provided with a left-right direction moving member 57 that can be moved in the left-right direction X over the push end position located above, and a transfer electric motor 58m that moves the left-right direction moving member 57 in the horizontal direction For example, the drive part 58 etc. are provided.

Next, the control of the controller 34 in a series of article processing in which a group of articles stacked in a plurality of stages on the pallet P is taken out in the horizontal direction in order from the top one and transferred to the carry-out conveyor F. The operation will be described.
As shown in FIG. 12, at the start of article processing, the controller 34 activates the lifting electric motor 53m so that the uppermost article group is positioned below the article group arrangement position. The gripping member raising / lowering motor 18 is operated so as to position the gripping member 1 of the take-out gate Ag at the gripping position, and the left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x so as to open the two pairs of gripping members 1. And the fore-and-aft pneumatic cylinder 2y is actuated, the fork electric motor 55m is actuated to position the fork member 54 at the take-out position, and the push member 56 is located at the retracted position. The transfer pneumatic cylinder 44 is operated, and the transfer electric motor 5 is positioned so that the left-right moving member 57 is positioned at the pushing start position. m is in a state that has been operated.

  Then, when there is an article processing start command, the controller 34 operates the lifting electric motor 53m of the lifting device C so as to raise and lower the uppermost article group to the article group arrangement position as shown in FIG. When the signal indicating that the uppermost article group is positioned at the article group arrangement position is received from the lifting device C, the alignment process and the gripping process are performed as described above, assuming that the grip command is instructed. Are operated in order, the left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x and the front and rear pneumatic cylinders 2y are operated, and in the gripping process, all the four proximity sensors 28 are turned on. The left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x and the front and rear pneumatic cylinders 2y are both determined to be in the pressing operation state, and the pressing operation state is maintained. Waiting for the location D to a signal indicating that said fork member 54 is positioned at the receiving position is transmitted.

Subsequently, when the controller 34 causes the pneumatic cylinder 2x for the left-right direction and the pneumatic cylinder 2y for the front-rear direction to execute the gripping process, all the four proximity sensors 28 are turned on. When it is determined that it is in the pressing operation state, as shown in FIG. 14, the lifting electric motor 53m is operated to lower the lifting platform 52, and then the fork member 54 is moved to the The fork electric motor 55m is operated so as to be positioned at the receiving position.
Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the fork member 54 is inserted into the gap between the article group gripped by the gripping device A and the uppermost article group on the lifting platform 52.

Subsequently, when the controller 34 receives a signal indicating that the fork member 54 has been positioned at the receiving position from the fork device D, as shown in FIG. 15, as shown in FIG. The front and rear pneumatic cylinders 2y are simultaneously operated to the grip release operation state.
Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the group of articles gripped by the article gripping device A is placed on the fork member 54.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 15, the controller 34 operates the gripping member raising / lowering motor 18 so as to raise the gripping member 1 of the article take-out gate Ag to the retracted position. As shown, the fork electric motor 55m is operated so that the fork member 54 is positioned at the take-out position.
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 16, the controller 34 operates the transfer pneumatic cylinder 44 so as to position the pushing member 56 at the pushing action position, and holds the article take-out gate Ag. The gripping member lifting / lowering motor 18 is operated so as to lower the member 1 to the gripping position, and then, as shown in FIG. 17, the left and right direction moving member 57 is positioned at the pushing end position. The transfer electric motor 58m is operated.
Then, as shown in FIG. 17, the group of articles on the fork member 54 is pushed by the pushing member 56 and transferred onto the carry-out conveyor F.
Subsequently, the controller 54 operates the transfer pneumatic cylinder 44 so as to position the push member 56 at the retracted position, and positions the left-right moving member 57 at the push start position. Then, the transfer electric motor 58m is operated, and thereafter, every time there is an article processing start command, the above-described series of processing is repeated.

[Another embodiment]
Next, another embodiment will be described.
(A) The specific configuration of the gripping portion A1 is not limited to the configuration illustrated in the above embodiment, and can be variously changed.
For example, in the above embodiment, two pneumatic cylinders 2 are connected by the connecting member 3, but three or more pneumatic cylinders 2 may be connected by the connecting member 3, or one empty cylinder may be connected. You may make it comprise with the pressure cylinder 2. FIG.
In addition, two pneumatic cylinders 2 may be integrally connected with the cylinder lot tip side facing each other, and the gripping member 1 may be connected to the cylinder lot tip of each pneumatic cylinder 2. .

( B ) The specific configuration of the pressing state detection means is not limited to the proximity sensor 28 exemplified in the above embodiment.
For example, a limit switch may be provided as the pressing state detection means so that the limit switch is turned on when the gripping member 1 moves back to the pressing state determination position against the biasing force of the coil spring 20.
Further, as the pressing state detecting means, a reflection type or photo interrupter type photo sensor is provided so as to detect when the gripping member 1 moves back to the pressing state determination position against the urging force of the coil spring 20. May be.

( C ) In the above embodiment, the case where the pressing detection means is provided for each of the pair of gripping members 1 of each gripping part A1 is illustrated. However, only one of the pair of gripping members 1 performs the pressing. Detection means may be provided.

( D ) In the above-described embodiment, the case where two units are provided as the gripping portion A1 is illustrated, but only one unit may be provided.

(E) above in the embodiments, a plurality of articles W of each rectangular shape in plan view is exemplified for the case of grasping a group of articles arranged in the horizontal direction, the article states that multiple article W is arranged in a line A group may be held.

(To) specific configuration of the actuator of the gripping portion A1 it is not limited to the pneumatic cylinder 2 illustrated in the above embodiments, and a hydraulic cylinder, or an electric motor.

( G ) The article gripping apparatus A of the present invention can be used in article processing facilities having various configurations other than the article processing facility having the configuration exemplified in the above embodiment.
For example, the frame 4 supporting the two gripping portions A1 can be reciprocated freely between a receiving position for gripping and receiving the article group and a transfer position for transferring the article group gripped at the receiving position. After supporting and gripping the article group at the receiving position, the frame 4 may be moved to the transfer position to release the grip of the article group.
In this case, it is possible to omit the configuration in which one of the four gripping members 1 is moved up and down by the gripping member lifting and lowering unit 13, the fork device D, and the transfer device E.

Plan view of a gripping device according to an embodiment Right side view of the gripping device according to the embodiment in a partially cutaway state The front view in the partially notched state of the holding | grip apparatus which concerns on embodiment The top view which shows the holding part of the front-back direction of the holding apparatus which concerns on embodiment The right view in the partially notched state which shows the holding part of the holding apparatus which concerns on embodiment The rear view in the partially notched state which shows the holding part of the front-back direction of the holding | gripping apparatus which concerns on embodiment The rear view in the partially notched state which shows the press state detection part of the holding part of the front-back direction of the holding apparatus which concerns on embodiment The top view in the partially notched state which shows the press state detection part of the holding | gripping apparatus which concerns on embodiment The figure which shows the control structure of the holding | gripping apparatus which concerns on embodiment. The figure explaining the effect | action of the holding | grip apparatus which concerns on embodiment Schematic front view of article processing equipment provided with a gripping device according to an embodiment The figure explaining the effect | action of the article processing equipment which concerns on embodiment The figure explaining the effect | action of the article processing equipment which concerns on embodiment The figure explaining the effect | action of the article processing equipment which concerns on embodiment The figure explaining the effect | action of the article processing equipment which concerns on embodiment The figure explaining the effect | action of the article processing equipment which concerns on embodiment The figure explaining the effect | action of the article processing equipment which concerns on embodiment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Holding member 2 Actuator 4 Base frame 19 Moving member 20 Elastic biasing means 28 Pressing state detection means 34 Control means

Claims (2)

An actuator for moving a pair of gripping members facing each other in the approaching and separating direction;
A pressing operation state in which the pair of gripping members are moved to the approach side to press and grip the article from both sides, and a press release operation state in which the pair of gripping members are moved to the separation side to release the pressing of the article. An article gripping device provided with a control means for controlling the operation of the actuator so as to switch,
An article group in which a plurality of rectangular articles in a horizontal view are arranged in a horizontal direction is an article to be grasped,
At least one of the pair of gripping members is moved to the moving member that is linearly moved in the approaching / separating direction by the actuator, and is slidably movable in the approaching / separating direction, and the other gripping member by the elastic biasing means. Supported in the state of being biased to the approaching approach,
A pressing state in which it is detected that the gripping member has retreated against the urging force of the elastic urging means with respect to the moving member up to a pressing state determination position for determining the pressing operation state in the approaching / separating direction. Detection means are provided,
The control means is configured to determine that the pressing member is in the pressing operation state based on detection by the pressing state detection means that the gripping member has been retracted to the pressing state determination position .
The actuator is supported by a base frame so as to be slidable in the approaching / separating direction,
The article gripping apparatus in which the pair of gripping members are linked to the actuator so as to be moved in the approaching / separating direction . The pressing state detection means is provided for each of the pair of gripping members,
The control means is configured to determine that both of the pair of pressing state detection means are in the pressing operation state based on detecting that the gripping member has moved back to the pressing state determination position. The article gripping apparatus according to claim 1 .

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