JP5574831B2 - Auxiliary work tool - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention attaches to a robot hand in a robot that holds and conveys food products, places an accessory on top of the food products, and presses, for example, uneven portions on the food products In particular, the present invention relates to an auxiliary work tool that can be easily attached to and detached from a robot hand.

  Conventionally, after producing a food product with an appropriate food production apparatus such as a wrapping machine, an uneven pattern is formed on the upper surface of the food product, or another food material such as sesame is appropriately added. Auxiliary work such as mounting on the camera may be performed. In the auxiliary operation, when food products are conveyed by a conveying means such as a belt conveyor, the auxiliary operations are usually performed on individual food products at an auxiliary operation station.

  By the way, food products conveyed by the conveying means are carried into a container such as a tray, for example, by a transfer head that is detachably attached to a robot band (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-124149

  The patent document only describes a configuration in which a work tool is attached to and detached from a robot band. That is, the configuration described in Patent Document 1 is a configuration in which the dough transported by one transport belt is placed side by side on a shallow bread on the other transport belt by a transport robot.

  By the way, after a plurality of food products such as bread dough are accommodated in a container such as a tray, for example, an accessory is placed on each food product or a concavo-convex pattern is formed on the top of the food product using a robot. It is desired to perform appropriate auxiliary work such as batch processing (batch processing).

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and is an auxiliary work tool for performing an auxiliary operation by attaching a food product to a robot hand capable of holding the food product, and performs the auxiliary operation on the food product. Provided at the other end of the auxiliary work tool main body provided with an auxiliary work part at one end is a gripped part gripped by a plurality of holding members provided at the robot hand, and provided at the upper surface of the gripped part at the robot hand. It is characterized by having an air connection portion that can be connected to the air outlet .

  According to the present invention, since the gripping portion constituted by the elastic member is provided at the other end portion of the auxiliary work tool body provided with the auxiliary work portion on one end side, when gripping the gripped portion by the robot hand, It can be gripped regardless of directionality. That is, the auxiliary work tool can be easily attached to and detached from the robot hand, and the batch process of the auxiliary work can be quickly performed.

It is plane explanatory drawing which showed notionally and schematically the whole structure of the food conveyance system. It is a left side explanatory view of the principal part in FIG. It is action explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a robot hand. It is action explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a robot hand. It is action explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a robot hand. It is an isometric view explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a food product holding member. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a food product holding member. It is explanatory drawing of an auxiliary | assistant work tool exchange part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state holding the auxiliary | assistant working tool with the robot hand.

  As conceptually and schematically shown in the plan view of FIG. 1, the food transport system 1 includes a food product manufacturing apparatus 3 such as a wrapping machine and a food product 5 manufactured by the food product manufacturing apparatus 3. Food product conveying means 7 such as a belt conveyor for conveying in the axial direction (left and right direction) is provided. In addition, the food transport system 1 transports the food product by using a storage container 9 such as a cup for storing the food product 5 alone, or a storage case 11 or a tray (not shown) that stores a plurality of the storage containers 9. A storage case transporting means 13 for transporting in a direction parallel to or crossing the transport direction of the means 7 (in this example, the Y-axis direction) is provided.

  The storage case transport means 13 is composed of, for example, a belt conveyor, and the storage container 9 constitutes a case for storing the food product 5 even when the storage container 9 is transported alone. Therefore, it can be referred to as a storage case transport means. In the present specification, the “accommodating case” does not necessarily refer to a box-shaped object, and may be, for example, a simple plate shape when it is configured to be able to place and transport an appropriate number of food products 5. Even in this case, it is referred to as a “storage case”.

  Further, the food product transport system 1 transports the food product 5 from the food product transport means 7 to a separate transport means, in this case, the storage case 11 on the storage case transport means 13. A robot 15 is provided. Since the transfer robot 15 has a configuration well known as an industrial robot, a detailed description of the transfer robot 15 is omitted. A food product detection sensor 17 for detecting the food product 5 transported by the food product transport means 7 is provided. The food product detection sensor 17 comprises a CCD camera, and repeats imaging at time intervals corresponding to the transport speed of the food product transport means 7. That is, the food product detection sensor 17 serves to detect the transport speed and position of each food product 5 transported at a substantially constant speed by the food product transport means 7.

  The operation of the robot hand 19 of the transport robot 15 is controlled under the control of the control means 23 based on the transport speed and position data of the food product 5 detected by the food product detection sensor 17. is there. That is, the transport robot 15 holds and lifts the food product 5 continuously transported by the food product transport means 7 in accordance with the transport speed of the food product transport means 7, and moves it to the storage case 11. It has the function of conveying.

  In addition, the food product conveyance system 1 is provided with an imaging means 21. The image pickup means 21 picks up an image of the storage case 11 at a position close to the transfer robot 15 when the transfer of the storage case transfer means 13 is temporarily stopped, and is stored in the storage case 11 and the storage case 11. For detecting the positions of the plurality of storage containers 9 in the X and Y axis directions, for example, a CCD camera is used. The image pickup means 21 is provided above the storage case transfer means 13 at a position close to the transfer robot 15. Furthermore, the food product transport system 1 is provided with the control means 23 for controlling the operations of the food product manufacturing apparatus 3, the food product transport means 7, the storage case transport means 13 and the transport robot 15.

  In the above configuration, when the food product 5 manufactured by the food product manufacturing apparatus 3 is transferred to a position close to the transfer robot 15 by the food product transfer means 7, a time corresponding to the transfer speed of the food product transfer means 7. Imaging of the food product 5 by the food product detection sensor 17 is repeated at intervals, and the conveyance speed and position of the food product 5 are detected. And the detected food 5 is hold | maintained by the robot hand 19 of the robot 15 for conveyance, and is conveyed to the storage case 11 of a predetermined position. Note that when the food product 5 is held (gripped) by the robot hand 19, the transport operation of the food product transport means 7 may be temporarily stopped every time the food product 5 is transported to a predetermined position.

  When the food 5 is carried into the storage case 11 by the transfer robot 15, the storage case 11 stopped at a predetermined position is imaged by the imaging means 21, and the storage case 11 and the plurality of storage cases 11 in the storage case 11 are captured. The coordinate position of the storage container 9 in the X and Y axis directions with respect to the origin position is detected in advance. And the food product 5 is carried in with respect to each said storage container 9. As shown in FIG.

  The robot hand 19 for holding (gripping) the food product 5 is configured as follows. That is, the robot hand 19 is attached to the tip of the robot arm in the transfer robot 15. More specifically, a ring-shaped base plate 27 is integrally attached to the tip of the robot arm 25 (see FIG. 3), and a hand support member 29 is attached to the base plate 27. The hand support member 29 includes an upper casing 31 that is integrally attached to the base plate 27, and a lower casing that is detachably and integrally attached to the lower side of the upper casing 31 by a plurality of attachments 33 such as bolts. 35.

  A ring-shaped support member 37 is integrally attached to the central portion of the upper casing 31, and a radial (radial) through-hole 37 </ b> H is formed at an appropriate position of the support member 37. A rotating plate 39 as a rotating member is rotatably disposed below the support member 37. A cylindrical rotation shaft 41 that is rotatably fitted to the support member 37 is integrally provided at the center of the rotation plate 39. A locking ring 43 that is rotatably engaged with an annular locking step 37K formed on the support member 37 is integrally attached. The rotation shaft 41 is formed with a communication hole 41H communicating with the through hole 37H so as to be long in the circumferential direction. In other words, the rotating plate 39 is rotatably supported by the support member 37.

  A pair of tube actuators 45A and 45B (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) are provided as an example of a turning actuator for reciprocatingly turning the turning plate (turning member) 39. The tube actuators 45A and 45B have a function of increasing the diameter when the pressure fluid (working fluid) such as air is supplied (the diameter changes thickly) and reducing the length. Therefore, the expansion / contraction operation of the tube actuators 45A and 45B can be controlled by controlling the supply amount of the working fluid to the tube actuators 45A and 45B. That is, the tube actuators 45A and 45B control the supply amount of the working fluid and keep the supply and discharge of the working fluid to the tube actuators 45A and 45B in a stopped state, so that the pre-controlled telescopic operation state is maintained. It can be maintained.

  In order to attach the tube actuators 45A and 45B, a support bracket 47 is horizontally attached to the upper casing 31. The support bracket 47 is provided at a position corresponding to the through hole 37 </ b> H formed in the support member 37. Further, joint members 49A and 49B provided at the outer ends of the tube actuators 45A and 45B are rotatably attached to the support bracket 47 via attachments 51 such as bolts.

  The inner end sides of the tube actuators 45A and 45B are inserted into the upper casing 31 through openings 53 formed in the upper casing 31. The tube actuators 45A and 45B detour around the opposite outer periphery of the support member 37. The joint members 55A and 55B provided at the inner ends of the tube actuators 45A and 45B On the opposite side of the support bracket 47 with the moving shaft 41 in between, the rotary plate 39 is connected to the rotary plate 39 via a fixture 57, respectively.

  In order to supply and discharge the working fluid to and from the tube actuators 45A and 45B, fluid supply tubes 59A and 59B are arranged in the robot arm 25. The fluid supply tubes 59A and 59B are connected to joint pipes 61A and 61B connected to the joint members 49A and 49B through the communication hole 41H of the rotating shaft 41 and the through hole 37H of the support member 37, respectively.

  3B, when the working fluid is supplied to one tube actuator 45A and the working fluid is discharged from the other tube actuator 45B, the length of one tube actuator 45A is reduced, and the rotating plate 39 is rotated in the clockwise direction. At this time, the other tube actuator 45B is pulled and extended. Thereafter, contrary to the above, when the working fluid is supplied to the tube actuator 45B and the working fluid is discharged from the tube actuator 45A, the rotating plate 39 is rotated counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. It becomes a state.

  As already understood, the rotating plate 39 is alternately repeated by supplying the working fluid to one of the tube actuators 45A and 45B and discharging the working fluid from the other of the other tube actuators 45A and 45B. Can be alternately rotated clockwise and counterclockwise. And the contraction amount of each tube actuator 45A, 45B from the extended state can be controlled by controlling the supply amount of the working fluid to each tube actuator 45A, 45B.

  That is, by controlling the amount of working fluid supplied to each of the tube actuators 45A and 45B, the rotation plate 39 is most rotated in the clockwise direction, most rotated in the counterclockwise direction, and an appropriate intermediate position. In this state, the rotation position of the rotation plate 39 can be controlled. In other words, by controlling the supply amount of the working fluid to each of the tube actuators 45A and 45B, the rotation plate 39 from the reference position of the rotation plate 39 (for example, the position in the most counterclockwise rotation state). The amount of rotation (rotation position) 39 can be controlled.

  The robot hand 19 includes a plurality of holding members 63 </ b> A to 63 </ b> F that are opened and closed by a reciprocating rotation operation of the rotation plate 39 as a rotation member to hold and release the food 5. .

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 (C), the inner space of the lower casing 35 includes a plurality of inner wall surfaces 65A, 65B, 65C, 65D, 65E, 65F, for example, a regular polygon such as a regular hexagon. It is formed in a square shape. And the inner flanges 67A-67F which protruded inwardly are provided in the lower end part of each said inner wall surface 65A-65F, respectively. The inner flanges 67A to 67F are formed as annular inner flanges 67 that are integrally connected to each other. In the inner flanges 67A to 67F, every other inner flange 67A, 67C, 67E has a linear guide portion 69 such as a long hole or a groove parallel to the inner wall surfaces 65A, 65C, 65E. Each is formed.

  The plurality of holding members 63A to 63F are individually slidably supported by the inner flanges 67A to 67F. The holding members 63A to 63F have opening / closing operation portions 71A to 71F, respectively. Is provided. The configuration of the holding members 63A to 63F will be described in detail. The holding members 63A, 63C, and 63E have the same configuration. The holding members 63B, 63D, and 63F have the same configuration, and the difference in configuration from the holding members 63A, 63C, and 63E is that the engaging portion with the guide portion 69 is not provided. Therefore, the configuration of the holding member 63A will be described in detail, and the same reference numerals are given to the constituent elements having the same function in the other holding members 63B to 63F, and the detailed description will be omitted.

  6 and 7, the holding member 63A includes the opening / closing operation unit 71A having a trapezoidal shape when viewed in plan. The opening / closing operation part 71 </ b> A is disposed between the rotating member 39 and the inner flange 67 and is slidably supported by the inner flange 67. The opening / closing operation portion 71A includes an inclined sliding contact surface 73A adjacent to the inner wall surface 65A, an outer contact surface 73B that can approach and move away from the inner wall surface 65F adjacent to the inner wall surface 65A, and the outer contact surface 73B. And an inclining sliding surface 73D inclined in a direction opposite to the inclined sliding contact surface 73A with respect to the outer contacting surface 73B and the inscribed surface 73C. is there.

  That is, the circumscribed surface 73B and the inscribed surface 73C are parallel to each other, and the inclined slidable contact surface 73A and the inclined slidable contact surface 73D are provided on both sides of the circumscribed surface 73B and the inscribed surface 73C with the inclined direction as the reverse direction. Thus, it is formed in a trapezoidal shape.

  Here, referring to FIG. 4C, in the opening / closing operation part 71A of the holding member 63A, the inclined sliding contact surface 73D is in sliding contact with the inscribed surface 73C of the adjacent opening / closing operation part 71F. . An inclined sliding contact surface 73D in an adjacent separate opening / closing operation portion 71B is in sliding contact with the inscribed surface 73C of the opening / closing operation portion 71A. In other words, in each of the opening / closing operation portions 71A to 71F adjacent to each other, the inclined sliding contact surface 73D is sequentially in sliding contact with the inscribed surface 73C of the opening / closing operation portions 71F and 71A to 71E adjacent to the inclined sliding contact surface 73D. In other words, the inclined sliding contact surfaces 73D of the adjacent opening / closing operation portions 71A to 71E are sequentially slidably contacted with the inscribed surfaces 73C of the opening / closing operation portions 71F and 71A to 71E.

  Accordingly, when the inclined sliding contact surfaces 73A of the opening / closing operation portions 71A to 71F are reciprocated along the inner wall surfaces 65A to 65F slidably contacted, the opening / closing operation portions 71A to 71F are opened / closed. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 (C), 4 (C), and 5 (C), the space surrounded by each inscribed surface 73C in each opening / closing operation unit 71A to 71F is opened / closed to reduce / enlarge. It will be done. This space forms a part of a holding space 83 to be described later.

  Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7 again, a linear shape that is slidably engaged with the guide portion 69 is provided on the base end portion side of the opening / closing operation portion 71A, that is, the lower surface on the inclined sliding contact surface 73A side. An engaging portion 75 is provided. A finger portion 79 having a holding surface 77 that is flush with the inscribed surface 73C is provided on the distal end side of the opening / closing operation portion 71A, that is, on the lower surface of the inscribed surface 73C on the inclined sliding contact surface 73D side. It is provided to protrude downward. In other words, the finger portion 79 protrudes in a direction intersecting with the opening / closing operation direction in which the opening / closing operation portion 71A is opened / closed, that is, in a direction orthogonal (vertical direction in FIG. 7B). The opening / closing operation parts 71B, 71D, 71F differ from the opening / closing operation parts 71A, 71C, 71E only in that the engagement part 75 is not provided.

  The finger 79 is provided with a sliding contact surface 81 formed on the same plane as the inclined sliding contact surface 73D of the opening / closing operation portion 71A. Therefore, the sliding contact surface 81 of the adjacent holding member 63B is in sliding contact with the holding surface 77 of the finger portion 79, and the sliding contact surface 81 of the finger portion 79 is slid on the holding surface 77 of the adjacent holding member 63F. Touch. Thus, the holding surface 77 of each finger part 79 formed integrally with each of the opening / closing operation parts 71A to 71F surrounds the holding space 83 (see FIG. 3C) for holding the food product 5. Will be formed. Therefore, as described above, by opening / closing each of the opening / closing operation parts 71A to 71F, the outer peripheral surface of the food product 5 is held (gripped) by the holding surface 77 of each finger part 79.

  As already understood, the food product 5 is pressed and held evenly by the holding surfaces 77 of the finger portions 79. Therefore, a part of the peripheral surface of the food product 5 is not pressed to form a recess.

  The inclined sliding contact surface 73D of the opening / closing operation portion 71A is formed with a recess 85 for accommodating a lubricant so that smooth sliding can be performed during the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing operation portion 71A. And in order to perform opening / closing operation | movement of each said opening / closing operation | movement part 71A-71F, the upper surface in each opening / closing action | operation part 71A-71F cross | intersects each said slanting slidable contact surface 73A slidably contacting each said inner wall surface 65A-65F. A guide portion 87 such as a guide hole or a guide groove is formed. Each guide roller 89 that is rotatably provided at equal intervals on the same circle on the lower surface of the rotating plate 39 is movably engaged with the guide portion 87 (see FIG. 4).

  Note that the guide portion 87 and the guide roller 89 are provided in a relative manner. The guide rollers 89 are provided on the upper surfaces of the opening / closing operation portions 71A to 71F, and the guide portions 87 are provided on the lower surface of the rotating plate 39. A formed configuration is also possible.

  In the above configuration, when the opening / closing operation parts 71A to 71F are housed in the lower casing 35 of the hand support member 29 as shown in FIG. 3C, the inclined sliding contact surfaces 73A of the opening / closing operation parts 71A to 71F are provided. Are in sliding contact with the corresponding inner wall surfaces 65A to 65F. The inclining slidable contact surfaces 73D of the adjacent open / close operating portions 71B to 71F and 71A are in sliding contact with the inscribed surfaces 73C of the open / close operating portions 71A to 71F. Further, by combining the plurality of opening / closing operation parts 71A to 71F, a polygonal holding space 83 surrounded by the holding surface 77 of each finger part 79 provided in each opening / closing operation part 71A to 71F is formed.

  Then, by holding an elastic member 93 such as an O-ring in an appropriate number of locking grooves 91 formed on the outer surface of each finger portion 79, each holding member 63A to 63F is held in the holding space 83. Is biased in the direction of reducing (closing direction).

  In the above configuration, when an appropriate amount of working fluid is supplied to the tube actuator 45A in the state shown in FIG. 3B and the working fluid is discharged from the tube actuator 45B, the rotating plate 39 rotates clockwise in FIG. 3B. Rotated in the direction. Therefore, the guide roller 89 provided on the rotating plate 39 is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. Accordingly, the holding members 63A to 63F are slid along the inner wall surfaces 65A to 65F, and the holding space 83 is gradually closed and reduced.

  Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of the food product 5 positioned in the holding space 83 is uniformly held by the surface contact by the holding surface 77 in each finger portion 79. And the state corresponding to the magnitude | size of the foodstuff 5 as shown in FIG.4 (C) by controlling the supply amount of the working fluid with respect to the said tube actuator 45A according to the magnitude | size of the said foodstuff 5 Further, the holding space 83 can be closed and the food product 5 can be held without being crushed.

  Further, when the food product 5 is not present in the holding space 83, the length of the tube actuator 45A is reduced to the minimum state, and the length of the tube actuator 45B is extended to the maximum state. As shown in FIG. 5B, the edge portions 95 of the respective inscribed surfaces 73C and the inclined sliding contact surfaces 73D in the opening / closing operation portions 71A to 71F can be converged to the central portion. That is, the area of the holding space 83 can be almost zero. The edge portion 95 is formed on the same plane as the holding surface 77 (formed on the same plane as the inscribed surface 73) and the sliding surface 81 (inclined sliding contact surface 73D). ) And an intersecting edge portion.

  As already understood, when the inclined sliding contact surface 73D slides on the inscribed surface 73C of each of the opening / closing operation portions 71A to 71F and moves so as to reduce the holding space 83, as described above, the holding members 63A to 63A. The edge portion 95 in 63F has an action of wiping off (striking off) deposits adhering to each inscribed surface 73C and the holding surface 77. Therefore, for example, deposits such as hand powder and adhesive substances of the food product 5 attached to the holding surface 77 of each finger part 79 are gradually scraped (collected) to the central part.

  As described above, in order to blow off the deposits wiped off from each inscribed surface 73C and the holding surface 77 by the respective edge portions 95 and scraped to the central portion, Is provided with a nozzle member 99 provided with an air outlet 97 (see FIG. 3A). An air pipe 101 disposed in the robot arm 25 is connected to the air jet port 97. Therefore, when the deposits on the inscribed surface 73C and the holding surface 77 are collected in the central portion, the deposits can be removed by ejecting air from the air outlet 97.

  As can be understood from the above configuration, the holding surfaces 77 of the adjacent finger portions 79 are always cleaned by the edge portions 95 of the adjacent finger portions 79.

  In the configuration as described above, the food products 5 manufactured by the food product manufacturing apparatus 3 are successively transferred by the food product transfer means 7, and the transfer speed and position of the food product 5 are detected by the food product detection sensor 17 as described above. When detected, the food products 5 are successively stored in the storage case 11 by the robot hand 19 in the transport robot 13.

  As described above, when the food product 5 is carried into the housing case 11 from the food product transporting means 7 and returned, the deposits can be removed from the holding surfaces 77 of the finger portions 79 as described above. Is. The removal of the adhering matter may be performed every time the food product 5 is carried into the housing case 11 or every time an appropriate number of times are carried in.

  As described above, since the deposits can be removed from the holding surfaces 77 of the finger portions 79, sticking of the food product 5 to the holding surfaces 77 can be prevented. Therefore, when each finger part 79 releases the holding of the food product 5, the food product 5 can be accurately placed at a predetermined position without being moved by adhesion.

  As described above, after the plurality of food products 5 are stored in the storage case 11, for example, an uneven pattern is pressed on the upper surface of each food product 5, or an accessory such as sesame is provided on the upper surface of each food product 5. There is a case where an auxiliary work of placing the is carried out. Therefore, within the movement range of the robot hand 19 in the transfer robot 15, an auxiliary work tool exchanging unit 105 including a plurality of auxiliary work tools 103A, 103B, and 103C for attaching and detaching the robot hand 19 is provided. Is provided.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the auxiliary work tool exchanging unit 105 has a support bracket 107 horizontally supporting the auxiliary work tools 103 </ b> A, 103 </ b> B, and 103 </ b> C through a support column 109. Is provided. The support bracket 107 is provided with openings 107A, 107B, and 107C that are open in the horizontal direction at appropriate intervals. Positioning pins 111 are provided to project upward at appropriate positions around the openings 107A, 107B, and 107C.

  Each of the auxiliary work tools 103A, 103B, and 103C includes a pipe-like auxiliary work tool body 113, and the support work tool body 113 has an intermediate height position corresponding to the openings 107A to 107C. A flange 115 that can be placed on the bracket 107 is provided. The flange 115 is provided with an engagement hole 115H that is detachable from the positioning pin 111.

  Each of the auxiliary work tools 103 </ b> A, 103 </ b> B, 103 </ b> C includes a gripped portion 117 held by the plurality of holding members 63 </ b> A to 63 </ b> F provided in the robot hand 19 at the upper end portion of the auxiliary work tool main body 113. The gripped portion 117 is composed of an elastic member such as a rubber body, and a seal member 119 such as an O-ring is provided on the outer peripheral surface. An air connection portion 121 that can be connected to the air outlet 97 provided in the robot hand 19 is provided on the upper surface of the gripped portion 117 so as to protrude.

  Therefore, when the gripped portion 117 of each auxiliary work tool 103A, 103B, 103C is gripped (held) by the robot hand 19, the air outlet 97 provided in the robot hand 19 and the air connection provided in the gripped portion 117 are provided. The unit 121 is connected. Therefore, air can be supplied to each auxiliary work tool 103A, 103B, 103C. At this time, air leakage is prevented by the seal member 119.

  In order to stabilize the gripped portion 117 by the plurality of holding members 63A to 63F and to prevent the auxiliary work tools 103A, 103B, and 103C from falling, the internal parts of the holding members 63A to 63F are inscribed. It is desirable that the surface 73C and the holding surface 77 have an engagement groove for engaging the seal member 119 at a position corresponding to the seal member 119.

  103 A of auxiliary | assistant work tools attract | suck hold | maintain attachments, such as sesame, for example, and make | form the effect | action which mounts sesame etc. on each food product 5 in the said storage case 11, The lower end part of the said auxiliary | assistant work tool main body 113 In addition, an auxiliary working part 123A that can suck and hold sesame and the like is provided.

  The auxiliary work tool main body 113 is provided with an ejector pump mechanism 125 for causing the auxiliary work part 123A to perform a suction action by the action of air supplied from the air outlet 97. Therefore, by supplying air to the auxiliary work tool 103A, a negative pressure is generated in the auxiliary work unit 123A, and for example, sesame or the like can be sucked. Then, by stopping the supply of air, the negative pressure disappears, and for example, suction of sesame or the like can be released.

  Therefore, sesame or the like can be sucked and held by the auxiliary work tool 103A from the sesame or the like supply unit arranged around the transfer robot 15 and placed on each food product 5 in the storage case 11. .

  The auxiliary work tool 103B is capable of sucking solid materials such as peanuts, for example, and the object to be sucked and held is different from the auxiliary work tool 103A. Therefore, only the structure of the auxiliary work part 123B is different. Has the same configuration as that of the auxiliary work tool 103A.

  Since the auxiliary work tool 103C is for, for example, pressing and forming a concavo-convex pattern on the upper surface of the food product 5, an appropriate concavo-convex portion 127 is provided on the lower surface of the auxiliary work portion 123C. A small air jet for preventing the food product 5 from adhering is provided on the lower surface of the auxiliary working unit 123C. The auxiliary working unit 123C is preferably made of a porous material such as a saddle-bonded gold.

  With the above configuration, each auxiliary work tool 103A, 103B, 103C is attached to and detached from the robot hand 19 of the transfer robot 15, and the auxiliary work is repeated for each of the plurality of food products 5 in the storage case 11, or the whole food product. For example, it is possible to perform appropriate auxiliary work such as placing sesame or the like in a lump on 5.

  As can be understood from the above description, the robot hand 19 of the transport robot 15 surrounds the food product 5 with the holding surface 77 of the finger portion 79 and holds the outer peripheral surface uniformly.

  Further, the robot hand 19 has a deposit removing means for removing deposits adhering to the holding surface 77 in the finger portion 79 (a configuration in which the edge portion 95 wipes off the holding surface 77, and air is ejected from an air outlet 97. Means including the structure) In other words, since the cleaning means for cleaning the holding surface 77 of the finger portion 79 is provided, the holding surface 77 can always be maintained in a good state.

  The configuration of the cleaning means (adherent removal means) is not limited to the above-described configuration, and the following configuration is also possible. That is, for example, a rotating brush that can be relatively inserted into the holding space 83 of the robot hand 19 is provided at a position close to the auxiliary work tool exchanging unit 105, and at least the holding surface 77 of the finger unit 79 is provided by the rotating brush. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that removes (cleans) the adhering matter adhering to the surface.

  Moreover, in the said structure, various auxiliary | assistant work tools 103A, 103B, 103C can be attached or detached with respect to the robot hand 19, and various auxiliary | assistant work can be performed with respect to each foodstuff 5 in the storage case 11. FIG. Therefore, the number of auxiliary work stations for performing various auxiliary works can be reduced, and the overall configuration can be reduced in space and simplified.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in other forms by making appropriate changes. For example, as a configuration for rotating the rotation plate 39, a small air cylinder may be used instead of the tube actuators 45A and 45B. Moreover, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the rotation plate 39 is rotated using a rotation actuator such as a small servo motor.

  In addition, a flat plate-like protruding portion protruding from the holding surface 77 toward the holding space 83 is provided at the lower end portion of each finger portion 79, and the lower peripheral surface of the food product 5 held in the holding space 83 is viewed from below. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that supports it. And depending on the form and property of the food product 5, the intermediate height position of the food product 5 can be sandwiched and held (gripped) from the periphery in a slightly biting manner with the protrusions.

  Further, the opening / closing operation unit 71 is configured such that each opening / closing operation unit 71 reciprocates around an axis that is arranged at equal intervals on the same circle and reciprocally rotates. Then, a finger part 79 provided with a holding surface 77 on the front end side of each opening / closing operation part 71 is provided so as to protrude downward, and the front end sides of the finger parts 79 are in contact with each other and surrounded by the holding surface 77. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which 83 is opened and closed so as to reduce and enlarge.

  In the above description, the holding members 63A to 63F have been described as a single member in which the square root operating portions 71A to 71F and the finger portion 79 are integrally formed. However, the opening / closing operation parts 71A to 71F and the finger part 79 may be configured by separate members so that they can be attached and detached with each other.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Food conveyance system 3 Food product manufacturing apparatus 5 Food product 7 Food product conveyance means 9 Storage container 11 Storage case 13 Storage case conveyance means (separate conveyance means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Robot for conveyance 17 Food product detection sensor 19 Robot hand 21 Imaging means 29 Hand support member 31 Upper casing 35 Lower casing 37 Support member 39 Rotating plate (rotating member)
45A, 45B Tube actuator 47, 107 Support bracket 63A-63F Holding member 65A-65F Inner wall surface 67 Annular inner flange 67A-67F Inner flange 69 Guide portion 71A-71F Opening / closing operation portion 73A, 73D Inclined sliding contact surface 73B Surface 73C Inscribed surface 75 Engaging portion 77 Holding surface 79 Finger portion 81 Sliding contact surface 83 Holding space 87 Guide portion 89 Guide roller 95 Edge portion 97 Air outlet 103A, 103B, 103C Auxiliary work tool 105 Auxiliary work tool replacement portion 107 Support bracket 113 Auxiliary work tool body 117 Grasped part 119 Seal member 121 Air connection part 123A, 123B, 123C Auxiliary work part

Claims (1)

Auxiliary work tool for carrying out auxiliary work by attaching a food product to a robot hand that can hold the food product, the other end of the auxiliary work tool body having an auxiliary work part at one end for carrying out auxiliary work on the food product A gripping portion that is gripped by a plurality of holding members provided in the robot hand, and an air connection portion that can be connected to an air outlet provided in the robot hand on the top surface of the gripping portion. Auxiliary work tool characterized by.

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