JP6707853B2 - Device for picking up piled parts and method for picking up piled parts - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a take-out device and a take-out method of piled-up parts for picking up parts stacked in an open container for the next step after finishing the previous process in a factory or the like.

As this type of take-out device, there is conventionally known a take-out device that picks up a pile of metal parts by electromagnetic force. In the take-out device that can move the three-dimensional space by holding the suction tool at the tip of the robot arm, many stop positions of the suction tool are set in advance in the open container and the space above it, and this is set in the robot controller. The suction operation is performed by sequentially moving the suction tool to each stop position. However, in this case, when the piled state changes, there is a problem that there is a lot of dead time because a so-called idling occurs in which the suction operation is performed by stopping each time even when there is no component at all.

In addition, in Patent Document 1, by three-dimensionally recognizing the position and posture of a component in a container and moving the movable container bottom, the component is always present at a predetermined position in a predetermined posture. There has been proposed a device adapted to take out.

JP2012-41139A

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a stacking part take-out device and a stacking part take-out method capable of reducing the dead time when taking out parts and enabling the parts to be taken out efficiently. And

In order to achieve the above object, in the device for picking up piled parts according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a suction means (2) having a suction surface (21) capable of sucking the stacked parts (P) in a certain range from above. , A height detecting means (3) capable of detecting the height of each of the parts (P), and the suction means (2) and the height detecting means (3) are held at the tips and moved in a three-dimensional space. The robot holding arm (1) is moved within a horizontal plane in which the robot arm (1) can move, the suction range (D1) of the suction means (2) and a predetermined range (D2, D3) adjacent thereto. The part (P) at the highest position below the locus (t1) is specified, and the suction surface (21) of the suction means (2) is positioned so as to include the position where the part (P) exists. And a control means (4) for controlling the robot arm (1) so as to suck the component (P) at the highest position, and the shape of the suction surface (21) is defined as the component (P). The opening surface of the container (5) housed therein is made into the same shape as the regions (D1 to D4, D) equally divided, and the control means (4) controls the adsorption means (2) to the respective regions (D1 to D4). , D) are moved along a trajectory (t1 to t3) along the diagonal line, and the sucked component (P) is taken out of the container (5) .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the height of the piled up parts is detected by the height detecting means, and the parts at the highest position are adsorbed and taken out by the adsorbing means. The parts can be taken out efficiently without being generated, and the parts are sucked by the suction means having the suction surface capable of sucking in a certain range. Therefore, the highest position below the movement locus of the movement holding means. In addition to the parts in FIG. 1 and the parts around the parts, the parts in the highest position outside the movement track can be taken out more efficiently. Further, it is possible to sequentially and reliably take out the piled up parts in the container from the upper position. Furthermore, since there is no waste in the movement of the suction means and a short distance movement is sufficient, it is possible to more efficiently take out the components.

In the device for picking up piled parts according to the second aspect of the present invention, the control means (4) moves the suction means (2) so as to be folded back on the diagonal line of each of the adjacent regions (D1 to D4), and sucks the suction parts. It is set to repeat taking out the above-mentioned component (P) to the outside of the container (5) .

According to the third aspect of the present invention , there is provided a method for picking up piled parts, wherein the opening surface of a container accommodating the piled parts is equally divided into respective areas, and the suction means is provided with a suction surface having the same shape as each area. The tip of a robot arm that holds the height detecting means capable of detecting the height of each component at the tip and is movable in a three-dimensional section is a trajectory along the diagonal line of each area, and the suction range of the suction means. By moving in a horizontal plane within a predetermined range adjacent to this, the part at the highest position below the movement track is specified, and the suction surface of the suction means is positioned so as to include the position where the part exists. Then, the component at the highest position is sucked and taken out of the container .

In the method for taking out piled parts according to the fourth aspect of the present invention , the tip of the robot arm is moved along a diagonal line of each area so as to be folded back on a diagonal line intersecting with each other in each of the adjacent areas .

In the method of taking out the piled parts of the fifth aspect of the present invention , the tip of the robot arm is moved so as to be folded back on the diagonal line of each of the adjacent regions, and the parts are taken out of the container repeatedly .

The reference numerals in the parentheses refer to corresponding relationships with specific means described in the embodiments described later.

As described above, according to the pile-up component taking-out device and the pile-up component taking-out method of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the dead time at the time of taking out the components and to take out the components efficiently.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the picking-up apparatus of the piled components. It is a perspective view of the piled components stored in the container. It is a top view of the container which accommodated the piled components. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of a control apparatus. It is a graph which shows an example of the height change of a pile component.

The embodiments described below are merely examples, and various design improvements made by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the take-out device of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a magnet hand 2 as an attracting means and a one-dimensional distance meter 3 as a height detecting means are mounted downward at the tip of a robot arm 1 which is a movable holding means capable of freely moving in a three-dimensional space. Has been done. The magnet hand 2 attracts a metal component by an electromagnetic force generated when electricity is applied.

Further, the one-dimensional distance meter 3 measures the vertical distance to the component in the case of the present embodiment by utilizing the reflection of the laser beam on the component. The attraction surface 2a of the magnet hand 2 has a rectangular shape as described later. The magnet hand 2, the one-dimensional distance meter 3 and the robot arm 1 are respectively connected to the control device 4, and the control device 4 operates the magnet hand 2 and controls the component height position based on the distance signal from the one-dimensional distance meter 3. Calculation and driving of the robot arm 1 (movement of the arm tip) are performed as described later.

In the present embodiment, the component P is a metal ring as shown in FIG. 2, and the component P is accommodated in a pile in a rectangular container 5 that opens upward. A plan view of the container 5 is shown in FIG. The container 5 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and the rectangular shape of the attracting surface 21 of the magnet hand 2 is divided into vertical and horizontal equal parts by forming a small gap around the opening surface of the container 5 (in the present embodiment, divided into three equal parts vertically). , And the area is divided into 10 equal parts), and the areas D and D1 to D5 have the same size.

The control/calculation procedure in the control device 4 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in step 101, the tip of the robot arm 1 is moved above the container 5 along a locus t1 shown by a solid arrow in FIG. Then, during this movement, the height of each component P stacked in the container 5 immediately below the movement locus t1 is calculated based on the distance signal from the one-dimensional distance meter 3.

In the present embodiment, the movement locus t1 of the tip of the robot arm 1 has three adjacent regions along the diagonal line of each region D of the container opening 5 that is equally divided, that is, the rectangle of the attraction surface 21 of the magnet hand 2. The locus is such that D1, D2, and D3 are folded back. FIG. 5 shows an example of the height change of each component P below the movement trajectory t1.

When the control device 4 identifies the position of the component P (the point x in FIG. 5) showing the highest point below the movement trajectory t1 (step 102), the magnet hand is placed in any of the areas D1 to D3 where the component P exists. The tip of the robot arm 1 is controlled so that the positions of the two suction surfaces 21 coincide with each other. Then, the suction surface 21 of the magnet hand 2 is lowered to a predetermined height above which the component P at the highest point can be attracted, and the magnet hand 2 is energized to attract the component P thereto (step 103). ).

At this time, the suction surface 21 exerts a suction force on the entire surface, so that the surrounding component P located at a position near the highest point P below the movement trajectory t1 and the component P outside the movement trajectory t1. The electromagnetic force also acts on the parts P located at a higher position, and these parts P are also attracted to the magnet hand 2.

In this way, the one-dimensional distance meter 3 provided at the tip of the robot arm 1 is moved on the diagonal line of three adjacent regions D1 to D3 having the same shape as the rectangle of the suction surface 21 to adjust the height of each part P. Since the suction surface 21 is aligned with any of the areas D1 to D3 where the measured and highest-positioned part P exists, the parts P in this area are adsorbed by the magnet hand 2, so that the parts are piled up in the container 5. The removed component P can be efficiently adsorbed from above and taken out of the container 5.

The part P taken out of the container 5 is conveyed to the next process by the robot arm 1 while being attracted to the magnet hand 2, and is released in the next process by stopping the power supply to the magnet hand 2 (step 104). ..

The robot arm 1 returned to the upper part of the container 5 has a predetermined height at its tip, and this time, along a locus t2 indicated by a broken line arrow in FIG. 3, from the region D2 adjacent to the region D1 to the two regions D3 adjacent thereto. , D4 so as to be folded back on the diagonal line of these regions (from step 105 to step 101 and thereafter), the position of the component P having the highest point below the movement trajectory t2 is specified. Then, as described above, the tip of the robot arm is controlled to move so that the attracting surface of the magnet hand coincides with any one of the areas D2 to D4 in which the parts P exhibiting the highest points are present, and the piles in the area are piled up. The parts P at the top of the parts group and the position close to the top are sucked.

Hereinafter, the same operation as described above is repeated to take out the part P from the container 5, and these operations are also performed on the moving locus t3 indicated by the chain line arrow in FIG. The same operation is repeated in the region D, and the stacked components P in the container 5 are sequentially taken out from above. This is repeated until there are no parts in the container 5 (step 105).

By doing so, the tip of the robot arm 1 can be moved on two diagonal loci intersecting each other in the entire area D except the left and right ends of the container 5 in FIG. 3, and the highest point to be taken out. The probability of a so-called missed movement, in which the part P is not taken out, is reduced.

The movement locus of the tip of the robot arm 1, that is, the movement locus of the one-dimensional range finder 3 does not necessarily have to be on the diagonal line as in the above-described embodiment, and needs to be a locus that folds in three adjacent regions. However, by doing so, it is possible to take out the parts efficiently and with less idling. Further, the attracting surface 21 of the magnet hand 2 does not necessarily have to have the same planar shape as the area obtained by equally dividing the inside of the container 5 as shown in the above-described embodiment, but this makes it more efficient. Parts can be taken out. The component is not limited to be attracted by electromagnetic force, but may be attracted by negative pressure air or the like. Also, the piled components do not necessarily have to be contained in a container.

1... Robot arm (moving and holding means), 2... Magnet hand (adsorption means), 21... Adsorption surface, 3... One-dimensional distance meter (height detection means), 4... Control device (control means), 5... Container, D1 to D5, D... area,

Claims (5)

Adsorption means having an adsorption surface capable of adsorbing a pile of components in a certain range from above, height detection means capable of detecting the height of each of the components, and the adsorption means and the height detection means at the tip. A robot arm that can hold and move in a three-dimensional space, and move within a suction plane of the suction means and a predetermined range adjacent to it, move the holding means in a horizontal plane, and move it to the highest position below the movement track. A control unit that specifies a certain component, positions the suction surface of the suction unit so as to include the position where the component exists, and controls the robot arm to suck the component at the highest position. Then, the shape of the suction surface is made the same as the shape of each area obtained by equally dividing the opening surface of the container accommodating the component, and the control means moves the suction means in a trajectory along a diagonal line of each area. At the same time, a stacking component take-out device that is set so as to take out the adsorbed components to the outside of the container . The control unit is set to repeat the movement of the suction unit so as to be folded back on a diagonal line of each of the adjacent regions, and to take out the suctioned component to the outside of the container. Device for picking up piled parts. An opening surface of a container accommodating a pile of parts is equally divided into respective areas, and suction means having a suction surface having the same shape as each area and height detection capable of detecting the height of each of the parts The robot arm, which is movable in a three-dimensional section while holding the means at the tip, is moved in a horizontal plane within a locus along the diagonal line of each area, and within the suction range of the suction means and a predetermined range adjacent thereto. by to identify the component in the highest position under the movement trajectory, and by the positions the suction surface of the suction unit so as to include a position where the component is present adsorbs a component in the highest position A method for taking out piled parts, which is taken out of the container . 4. The method for picking up piled components according to claim 3 , wherein the tip of the robot arm is moved along a diagonal line of each area so as to be folded back on a diagonal line that intersects with each other in the adjacent areas . The method for taking out piled parts according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein the tip of the robot arm is moved so as to be folded back on a diagonal line of each of the adjacent regions and the parts are taken out of the container .