JP7234591B2 - gripping unit - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a gripping mechanism for gripping a product from the left and right sides, and more particularly to a gripping unit capable of gripping the product along its shape.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a gripping mechanism for gripping products such as products in cans, PET bottles, bottles, paper packs, and bags sold by vending machines. there is The gripping mechanism described in Patent Document 1 includes a pair of left and right finger bases arranged to face each other in the left and right direction, and capable of moving in the left and right direction. A pair of constant load springs composed of a constant load spring belt portion and a constant load spring body portion that unwinds and winds the constant load spring belt portion with a constant load, and is wound around a pair of left and right pulleys. a timing belt driven by a drive motor, wherein the constant force spring bodies of the pair of constant force springs are connected to the timing belt so that the pair of constant force springs translate in opposite directions; By translating the pair of constant force springs so that the pair of left and right finger bases move toward each other, the fingers provided on each of the pair of left and right finger bases grip the product in a state of sandwiching it from the left and right sides. It is In order to detect the translational positions of the pair of constant force springs, a translation start position detection sensor for detecting that the constant force spring main body of the constant force spring is positioned at the standby position before being gripped, and A translation stop position detection sensor for stopping translation of the constant force spring main body is provided, and a signal from the translation stop position detection sensor stops the rotation of the drive motor that drives the timing belt to complete gripping of the product, and a predetermined After the product is transported to the unloading position, the driving motor is reversely rotated to translate the pair of constant force springs, thereby moving the pair of left and right finger bases in the direction away from each other to release the grip of the product, and then the translation start position is detected. A drive motor for driving the timing belt stops rotating in response to a signal from the sensor to enter a standby state.

Japanese Patent No. 5056108

In the gripping mechanism described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, a timing belt is driven by a drive motor to translate a pair of constant force springs so that a pair of left and right finger bases move in a direction toward each other. A pair of finger bases are respectively provided with fingers to pinch the product from the left and right, and at that time, the constant load spring band portion is kept unwound from the constant load spring main body portion with a constant load, so that the product is evenly gripped. It is excellent in that it can be grasped by force.

By the way, the gripping mechanism needs to stably hold the gripped merchandise while transferring the gripped merchandise to a predetermined unloading position. However, as in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the finger is made of a strip-shaped plate material, for example, when the product is a PET bottle product having a cylindrical body, the contact between the finger and the product is a line contact. Therefore, it cannot be denied that the contact area is reduced. In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to provide a plurality of fingers in the vertical direction (the height direction of the product). In this way, if a plurality of fingers are provided in the vertical direction (the height direction of the product), the contact area can be increased for cylindrical products, but for example, products in PET bottles with constrictions, or products in the shape of barrels. In such a case, there is a problem that a necessary contact area cannot be obtained because fingers do not come into contact with the product.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to solve the above problems and to provide a gripping unit capable of stably gripping a product along its shape.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 provides a pair of left and right arm members in which a plurality of gripping plates provided in the front-rear direction are arranged in a manner facing each other, and the plurality of gripping plates are brought closer to each other. A gripping mechanism consisting of an arm driving means for moving a pair of left and right arm members so as to be separated from each other, and the plurality of gripping plates are connected to shaft members held by the arm members via coupling means, respectively. It comprises independent upper and lower gripping plates and a link member connecting the upper and lower gripping plates, wherein the connecting means moves the upper and lower gripping plates of the gripping plates about at least a vertical axis . It is characterized in that it is rotatably connected to the shaft member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the gripping unit according to the first aspect, a suction mechanism having a suction pad which is positioned in the center of the pair of left and right arm members and reciprocates in the front-rear direction is provided, and the suction mechanism includes , a cylindrical cam having a right-handed spiral groove and a left-handed spiral groove crossing the right-handed spiral groove formed on the peripheral surface, and a sliding piece that slides in the right-handed spiral groove or the left-handed spiral groove of the cylindrical cam. a rotating body, a driving unit for driving the rotating body, and an air pump for generating a negative pressure on the suction pad .

According to the gripping unit according to claim 1 of the present invention, the pair of left and right arm members in which the plurality of gripping plates provided in the front-rear direction are arranged facing each other, and the plurality of gripping plates are brought closer to each other. and arm drive means for moving a pair of left and right arm members so as to be separated from each other. The plurality of gripping plates are connected to the shaft members held by the arm members via coupling means and are independent of each other. and a link member connecting the upper gripping plate and the lower gripping plate, and the connecting means rotates the upper gripping plate and the lower gripping plate of the gripping plates at least about a vertical axis. Since it is possible to connect with the shaft member, when the gripping plate comes into contact with the product, the gripping plate is displaced from the shaft member held by the arm member by the contact means following the shape of the product and comes into contact with the product. Therefore, there is an effect that the product can be accurately gripped according to the shape of the product.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the grasping unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, viewed obliquely from the upper front left. 2 is a right side cross-sectional view of the grasping unit of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing the grasping unit of FIG. 1 in an exploded manner; Fig. 10(a) is a perspective view of the gripping mechanism as seen obliquely from the front left upper side, and (b) is a perspective view of the gripping mechanism seen from the rear left obliquely upper side. 5 is an exploded view of the gripping mechanism of FIG. 4; FIG. The arm member of FIG. 4 is shown, (a) is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the arm member, and (b) is an exploded view of a gripping plate. The drive unit is shown, (a) is a perspective view of the drive unit, and (b) is an exploded view of the housing of the drive unit. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the drive unit of FIG. 7 and a partially omitted base body; 1 is an exploded perspective view of a drive unit, an attachment connected to the drive unit, and a torque limiter and a gear connected to the drive unit via the attachment; FIG. An attachment, a gear, and a torque limiter are shown disassembled, (a) is a perspective view seen from the front side, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the rear side. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a partly disassembled adsorption mechanism, showing the adsorption mechanism viewed obliquely from the upper rear left. 11 is an exploded perspective view of main parts of the adsorption mechanism of FIG. 10; FIG. It is an exploded view of an adsorption mechanism and a base body. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state in which some of the component parts of the adsorption mechanism are attached to the base body; FIG. 10 shows a state in which a gripping unit holds a commodity having a cylindrical body, (a) being a perspective view thereof, and (b) being a plan view thereof. Fig. 10 shows a state in which a gripping unit holds a product having upward and downward inclined surfaces with a projecting portion sandwiched between the outer peripheral surfaces of a rectangular container, (a) being a perspective view thereof, and (b) being a front view thereof.

Preferred embodiments of a grasping unit according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 4 show a gripping unit 1 which is an embodiment of the invention. The gripping unit 1 exemplified here corresponds to, for example, a robot hand installed at the tip of an arm of a robot that automatically travels in a store such as a convenience store. For products determined to be past their use-by date based on the expiration date management described in , the robot moves to the front of the product display shelf where the relevant product is placed, measures (determines) the shape and size of the product, and expands and contracts the arm. Then, the gripping unit 1 picks up the corresponding product and discards it. In the following description, "front (front)" and "left and right" refer to the case where the products displayed in the showcase are viewed from the robot (that is, when viewed from the customer service side of the showcase).

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the gripping unit 1 includes a pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 in which a plurality of gripping plates 24, 24 provided in the front-rear direction are arranged to face each other; A gripping mechanism 2 having a drive unit 27 as an arm driving means for moving the pair of left and right arm members 21 so as to move the gripping plates 24 and 24 toward and away from each other, and the pair of left and right arm members 21. , 21 and attached to the tip of a shaft member 33 that reciprocates in the front-rear direction, and a drive unit 37 as slide drive means for sliding the shaft member 33 in the front-rear direction. It comprises a suction mechanism 3 and a base body 4 to which the holding mechanism 2 and the suction mechanism 3 are assembled. The gripping mechanism 2 grips the product by driving the drive unit 27 to bring the opposed gripping plates 24 , 24 closer to each other via the pair of left and right arm members 21 , 21 . The suction mechanism 3 sucks and holds the product by advancing the suction pad 32 attached to the shaft member 33 by driving the drive unit 37, and assists the gripping mechanism 2 to grip the product. The base body 4 holds the components of the gripping mechanism 2 and the suction mechanism 3, and includes mounting slots 40 for the driving units 27 and 37 of the gripping mechanism 2 and the suction mechanism 3, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the gripping mechanism 2 includes a pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 movable in the left-right direction, gripping plates 24 provided on the pair of arm members 21, 21, and the above-described gripping plate 24. A drive unit 27 for moving the pair of arm members 21, 21 in the left-right direction and a gear 277 (see FIGS. 3 and 5) driven by the drive unit 27 are provided.

The pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 has a gripping frame 22 and a connecting frame 23. The connecting frame 23 is made of synthetic resin (for example, polyacetal) and formed in an L-shape in which the connecting frame 23 is substantially perpendicular to the gripping frame 22. )become. The pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 are made of the same member, and the arm member 21 on the right side (the left side in FIG. 4(b)) will be described here. As shown in FIG. 6, the gripping frame 22 of the arm member 21 has a thin box-like shape protruding upward from the upper edge of the frame portion 221, which has an elongated U-shaped cross section. A wide plate holding portion 222 is provided. The plate holding portion 222 holds the gripping plate 24 via the shaft member 25 . The structure of the plate holding portion 222 will be left to the explanation of the gripping plate 24 to be described later.

The connecting frame 23 is in the form of a hollow quadrangular prism as a whole, and has teeth 230 extending in the left-right direction on its upper side. The tooth 230 provided on the connecting frame 23 is formed at a position one step lower than the upper edge of the upper side of the connecting frame 23 . Further, a sliding portion 231 (see FIG. 6) is provided at the tip of the upper side of the connecting frame 23 so as to protrude upward. Further, a stopper 232 projecting downward is provided at the tip of the lower side of the connecting frame 23 . The left arm member 21 (right side in FIG. 4(b)) is a 180-degree inversion of the right arm member 21 described above, that is, the teeth 230 provided on the connecting frame 23 face downward, and the plate holding portion of the grip portion 22 222 is reversed 180 degrees so that it faces the plate holding portion 222 of the left gripping portion 22 .

The pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 are arranged vertically in such a manner that the connecting frames 23, 23 have teeth 230, 230 formed on the respective connecting frames 23, 23 opposed to each other and sandwich a gear 277 (see FIG. 3). They are arranged so that they are parallel to each other. In this case, the connecting frame 23 of the right arm member 21 is positioned at the upper stage, and the connecting frame 23 of the left arm member 21 is positioned at the lower stage, and the teeth 230, 230 provided on the respective connecting frames 23, 23 are attached to the gear 277. Sliding portions 231, 231 provided at the ends of the respective connecting frames 23, 23 are configured to mesh from above and below, and the upper edges of the teeth 230 on the sides forming the teeth 230 of the mating connecting frame 23 are one step higher. is configured to slidably contact the The connecting frames 23, 23 with said teeth 230, 230 and the gear 277 form a rack and pinion. As will be described later, the gear 277 is connected to the drive unit 27 together with the torque limiter 28 via the attachment 29 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, the rotation of the gear 277 driven by the drive unit 27 causes the connecting frames 23, 23 to move in opposite directions. In this way, by arranging the connecting frames 23, 23 of the pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 so as to be parallel to each other with the gear 277 interposed therebetween, the positions of the pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 are displaced vertically. The plate holding portions 222, 222 of the holding frames 22, 22 of 1 face each other.

The gripping plate 24 held by the plate holding portion 222 reliably grips the product by being displaced following the shape of the product. In this embodiment, the gripping plate 24 comprises an upper gripping plate 241, a lower gripping plate 242, and a link member 243 connecting the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242, as shown in FIG. The upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 are held by the plate holding portion 222 via the shaft members 25 , 25 .

The upper gripping plate 241 is formed in a thin box shape with a part of the peripheral wall opened (the lower wall is removed), and is made of synthetic resin (for example, Long holes 2412, 2412 elongated in the vertical direction are provided in the extending portions of the front and rear side walls 2411, 2411. As shown in FIG.

A columnar socket 2410 is formed in the central portion of the upper grip plate 241 on the back side (the inside of the box). A through-hole 2410a is formed through the cylindrical socket 2410 along the axis, and a spherical inner portion (not shown) is provided in the intermediate portion of the through-hole 2410a. A spherical portion 251 provided at the end of the shaft member 25 is press-fitted into the inner cavity of the socket 2410 .
In order to press-fit the spherical portion 251 into the inner cavity of the socket 2410, a slit (not shown) communicating with the inner cavity is formed in a part of the cylindrical peripheral wall of the socket 2410. As shown in FIG. A socket 2410 having a spherical bore forming a joint and a spherical portion 251 provided at the end of the shaft member 25 are called a "ball joint", and constitute a joint means. This "ball joint" allows the upper gripping plate 241 to freely rotate around the spherical portion 251 of the shaft member 25 as a fulcrum. A hook-shaped engaging pawl 252 is formed at the end of the shaft member 25 opposite to the spherical portion 251 , and a stretchable coil spring 26 is wound around the shaft member 25 .

The lower gripping plate 242 has the same shape as the upper gripping plate 241 and is the inverse of the upper gripping plate 241 .

The link member 243 is made of synthetic resin (for example, polyacetal) and has a thin box shape with the top and bottom of the peripheral wall opened (the top and bottom walls are removed), and the front and rear side walls are formed in an elliptical shape elongated in the vertical direction. ing. Shafts 2430, 2430 protruding from the front and rear side walls in the front-rear direction are provided in the vicinity of the upper and lower ends of the front and rear side walls, respectively. The front and rear side walls of the link member 243 are appropriately reinforced by providing crosspieces or the like that cross the front and rear sides of the box.

The connection between the upper gripping plate 241 and the link member 243 is achieved by bending the extending portions of the front and rear side walls 2411 , 2411 of the upper gripping plate 241 so as to expand outward, and then extending the shafts of the upper end sides of the front and rear side walls of the link member 243 . 2430 , 2430 are fitted into long holes 2412 , 2412 formed in the extending portions of the front and rear side walls 2411 , 2411 of the upper grip plate 241 . The connection between the link member 243 and the lower gripping plate 242 is similarly performed.

A bearing 223 is provided in the plate holding portion 222 of the holding portion 22 of the arm member 21 to hold the holding plate 24 . The bearings 223 slidably hold the shaft members 25. In this embodiment, four shaft members 25 for the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 of the two gripping plates 24 are supported in the longitudinal direction. Correspondingly, they are provided at the four corners. 6A, the bearing 223 includes a bearing portion 224 in which a slit-like groove is formed in the axial direction so as to partially open the shaft insertion hole 224a. and a stopper portion 225 formed to face the groove. The width of the groove provided in the bearing portion 224 is formed wider than the hook-shaped engaging claw 252 of the shaft member 25 . Further, the stopper portion 225 is formed with a hook 225a formed in a manner projecting toward a groove provided in the bearing portion 224. As shown in FIG. The hook 225a has a shape opposite to the engaging claw 252 of the shaft member 25. As shown in FIG. The shaft insertion hole 221a is bored through the rectangular surface (thin box-shaped bottom surface) of the plate holding portion 222, and its shape is that of the shaft member 25 when viewed from one side in the axial direction. It is formed in a shape that matches the contour shape, that is, allows the hook-shaped engaging claw 252 of the shaft member 25 to pass therethrough.

The mounting of the shaft member 25 to the bearing 223 of the plate holding portion 222 is performed by inserting the end portion of the shaft member 25 on the engaging claw 252 side into the shaft insertion hole 224 a from the rectangular surface side of the plate holding portion 222 . will be In this case, the spherical portion 251 on the opposite side of the engaging claw 252 of the shaft member 25 is press-fitted into the socket 2410 of the upper gripping plate 241 (or the lower gripping plate 242). It is installed. When the engaging claw 252 of the shaft member 25 inserted from the shaft insertion hole 224 a opened in the rectangular surface of the plate holding portion 222 passes through the rectangular surface of the plate holding portion 222 , the engaging claw 252 moves toward the bearing portion 224 . It faces the stopper portion 225 in a manner of being positioned within the groove of the . When the engaging claw 252 of the shaft member 25 contacts the hook 225a provided on the stopper portion 225, the stopper portion 225 bends outward to allow the passage of the engaging claw 252. When the engaging claw 252 passes through, the stopper portion 225 is restored to its original state, and the hook 225a becomes engageable with the engaging claw 252. As shown in FIG. As a result, when the shaft member 25 moves in the direction opposite to the insertion direction, the engaging claw 252 of the shaft member 25 engages with the hook 225a of the stopper portion 233 to prevent the shaft member 25 from coming off. Thus, the shaft member 25 is slidably held by the bearing 223 .

In this way, with the shaft member 25 assembled to the bearing 223 of the plate holding portion 222, the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 are separated from the plate holding portion 222 by the biasing force of the coil spring 26, and the coil It is movable between a position approaching the plate holding portion 222 against the biasing force of the spring 26 . At the position where the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 are separated from the plate holding portion 222 by the biasing force of the coil spring 26, the engaging claw 252 of the shaft member 25 engages with the hook 225a of the stopper portion 233 of the bearing 223. Needless to say, the shaft member 25 is prevented from coming off.

4 and 5, 200 covers and holds the respective connection frames 23, 23 of the pair of left and right arm members 21, 21, which are arranged with their positions shifted vertically across the gear 277. It is a holding member that is locked and fixed to the drive unit 27 and the base body 4 in a manner. As shown in FIG. 5, the holding member 200 includes a flat substrate 201, engaging arms 202 provided at both upper and lower ends of the substrate 201 and having hooks 202a at their ends facing outward, and the substrate 201. Positioning pieces 203 are provided at the upper and lower ends of the left and right side edges of the housing and have boss holes 203a formed at the ends of the bent portions facing outward. The lengths of the locking arms 202, 202 are set such that the lower locking arm 202 is shorter than the upper locking arm 202. As shown in FIG. A circular hole 201 a concentric with the axis of the gear 277 is formed in the substrate 201 . The size of the round hole 201a is determined to be larger than the diameter of the shaft member 33 of the adsorption mechanism 3 and smaller than the diameter of the gear 277 forming the pinion.
The holding of the connecting frames 23, 23 by the pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 by the holding member 200 is left to the description of the drive unit 27 and the base member 4 configured to lock the holding member 200. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the drive unit 27 includes a housing 270 having a rectangular box shape with a base member 271 and a cover member 272 . Engaging claws 272a (see FIG. 8) projecting toward the base member 271 are formed at the four corners of the cover member 272, while engaging claws provided on the cover member 272 are formed on the upper and lower walls of the base member 271. A locking hole 271a (see FIG. 8) for locking the 272a is formed, and the housing 270 is constructed by locking the engaging claw 272a in the locking hole 271a. Inside the housing 270, a motor 273, a gear mechanism 274, a rotor 275, and a code plate 279 constituting an encoder 276 are accommodated.

A worm (screw gear) 273 a is fixed to the rotating shaft of a motor 273 housed inside a housing 270 of the drive unit 27 . The gear mechanism 274 is a transmission mechanism (reduction mechanism) for transmitting the rotation of the motor 273 to the rotating body 275. The gear mechanism 274 is a worm wheel (helical gear) 274a that meshes with the worm gear 273a and a driven gear that meshes with the worm wheel 274a. It is composed of a transmission gear 274b that rotates and a transmission gear 274c (see FIG. 8) that is provided integrally with the transmission gear 274b and drives the rotor 275 to rotate.

The rotating body 275 includes a large-diameter gear portion 2751 that meshes with the transmission gear 274c, and a mounting portion 2752 that is formed in a cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter than the gear portion 2751 and extends in the front-rear direction. Groove portions 2752a are formed in the front and rear inner peripheral edge portions of the cylindrical mounting portion 2752 along the circumferential direction. In addition, a plurality of projections 2752b (three projections every 120 degrees in this embodiment) are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical mounting portion 2752 of the rotor 275 .

The encoder 276 consists of a code plate 279 and a photosensor section 278 . The code plate 279 includes an opening 2791 to be fitted into the cylindrical mounting portion 2752 of the rotating body 275, and a plurality of detection pieces 277a projecting at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface. be done. The photosensor section 278 incorporates a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element which are arranged opposite to each other with a predetermined gap so as to sandwich the detection piece 277a of the code plate 279, and includes a mounting piece 2781 having a screw insertion hole 2781a. I have. A plurality of recesses 2791a (three recesses every 120 degrees in the illustrated example) are formed in the periphery of the opening 2791 of the code plate 279 . This concave portion 2791a is fitted with a convex portion 2752b formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical mounting portion 2752 of the rotating body 275, and the opening portion 2791 of the code plate 279 is fitted into the mounting portion 2752 of the rotating body 275. When it is mounted in this mode, it is fitted to the convex portion 2752b formed on the mounting portion 2752 of the rotating body 275. As shown in FIG. In this manner, the code plate 279 attached to the rotating body 275 is integrally connected to the rotating body 275 in such a manner that the concave portion 2791a of the code plate 279 is fitted to the convex portion 2752b formed on the mounting portion 2752 of the rotating body 275. and rotates together with the rotating body 275 .

The photosensor section 278 is externally attached to the housing 270 (base member 271) in such a manner that the light emitting element and the light receiving element sandwich the detection piece 277a of the code plate 279 as follows. That is, a mounting groove 2712 for the photosensor portion 278 is formed in the base member 271 . When the motor 273, the gear mechanism 274, the rotating body 275 and the code plate 279 are installed in the housing 270 as will be described later, the mounting groove 2712 of the base member 271 is located on the rotation locus of the detection piece 277a of the code plate 279. is located in The photosensor portion 278 is arranged such that the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of the photosensor portion 278 sandwich the detection piece 2772 of the code plate 279 through the mounting groove 2712 of the base member 271, and the mounting piece 2781 is screw-inserted. It is fixed to the base member 271 by screws through the holes 2781a.

A storage portion for storing the motor 273 and a bearing for the gear shaft of the gear mechanism 274 are formed on the inner walls of the base member 271 and the cover member 272 that constitute the housing 270 . The base member 271 is formed with a through hole 2710 into which a cylindrical mounting portion 2752 of the rotating body 275 is fitted. It is rotatably housed inside the housing 270 . The rotating body 275 is prevented from coming off by a cover member 272 , and a round hole 2720 concentric with the through hole 2710 of the base member 271 is bored in the cover member 272 .

Further, the upper part of the base member 271 is formed with a locking slit 271b into which the hook 202a formed on the locking claw 202 provided on the upper side of the holding member 200 is inserted. are formed with circular bosses 271c, 271c. Further, fitting holes 271d, 271d are formed on the lower side of the base member 271. As shown in FIG.

The drive unit 27 is assembled by disposing a motor 273 having a worm (screw gear) 273a fixed to a base member 271, disposing a gear mechanism 274 so as to mesh with the worm gear 273a, and then setting the code of an encoder 276. The rotating body 275 with the plate 279 attached to the cylindrical mounting portion 2752 is engaged with the gear mechanism 274 by the large-diameter gear portion 2751 , and the cylindrical mounting portion 2752 is fitted in the through hole 2710 of the base member 271 . Engagement claws 272a provided at the four corners of the cover member 272 are engaged with engagement holes 271a provided in the base member 271 to form the housing 270. As shown in FIG. After that, the photosensor portion 278 constituting the encoder 276 is attached to the base member 271 via the attachment groove 2712 of the base member 271 in such a manner that the light emitting element and the light receiving element sandwich the detection piece 277a of the code plate 279, thereby driving the drive unit. 27 is completed.

The drive unit 27 is detachably mounted in the mounting slot 40 of the base body 4 . In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the base body 4 is provided with ribs 40a, 40a on the inner walls of the left and right side walls forming the mounting slot 40. The ribs 40a, 40a and the rear wall form the drive unit 27. It is configured to sandwich the housing 270 of the. The front wall and the rear wall (partition wall 400 of the mounting slot 40) of the mounting slot 40 of the base member 4 can be elastically deformed by notching the outer periphery excluding the proximal end, and the distal end (free end) protrudes inside the slot. (In FIG. 8, one of the locking arms 40b formed on the partition wall 400 is visible, while the other is formed on the partition wall 400.) The locking arm 40b is hidden behind the left side wall and cannot be seen). The claws 40c, 40c of the locking arms 40b, 40b formed on the front wall of the mounting slot 40 (hidden by the locking arms 40b, 40b in FIG. , fit into the fitting holes 271d, 271d of the base member 271 to maintain the mounted state of the drive unit 27 and prevent the drive unit 27 from unexpectedly falling off. Further, on the surface side of the front wall of the mounting slot 40, a locking projection 40d having upward locking projections and circular bosses 40e, 40e are formed on the left and right sides of the locking projection 40d. The reason why the front wall of the mounting slot 40 is notched in an arc shape is to avoid interference with an attachment 29 (disk portion 291) externally attached to the drive unit 27, which will be described below.

A gear 277 and a torque limiter 28 that constitute a pinion externally attached to the drive unit 27 and an attachment 29 that is connected to the drive unit 27 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. A gear 277 forming a pinion has a through hole 2771 through which the shaft member 33 of the adsorption mechanism 3 penetrates in the center. Square holes 2772 and 2772 are formed on the rear surface of the gear 277 so as to sandwich the through hole 2771 . The torque limiter 28 has a through hole 281 through which the shaft member 33 penetrates in the center. In addition, the torque limiter 28 has two engagement projections 282, 282 formed on the front surface with a through hole 281 interposed therebetween. Each engaging projection 282, 282 is in the form of a quadrangular prism that fits into square holes 2772, 2772 formed on the rear surface of the gear 277. As shown in FIG. Further, the torque limiter 28 is formed with engaging grooves 283, 283 extending radially from the through hole 281 on the front side.

The attachment 29 consists of a disc portion 291 and a hollow cylindrical portion 292 . The cylindrical portion 292 has a size that allows it to be fitted into the hollow interior of the cylindrical mounting portion 2752 of the rotating body 275 and to accommodate the torque limiter 28. A partition wall 2921 is formed at a portion where the rear surface of 28 abuts. The partition wall 2921 has a through hole 2921a through which the shaft member 33 penetrates in the central part thereof, and the partition wall 2921 is formed with two engaging projections 2921b, 2921b protruding forward adjacent to the through hole 2921a. It is Each of the engagement projections 2921b, 2921b is formed to have a size to fit into the locking grooves 283, 283 provided in the torque miter 28. As shown in FIG. A pair of elastically deformable engaging arm portions 2922, 2922 are formed in the cylindrical portion 292 by axially cutting the cylindrical portion 292 while leaving the base end side (disc portion 291 side) thereof. Stopper pieces 2922a, 2922a projecting in the direction of the outer shape are formed at the ends of the connecting arm portions 2922, 2922, respectively. The stopper pieces 2922a, 2922a are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion 2752 of the rotating body 275. The stepped portion (not shown) is formed by cutting the circumferential surface by the protrusion of the stopper piece 2922a. Engage. A plurality of semi-cylindrical projections 2923 are formed along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 292 on the base end side (disk portion 291 side). These protrusions 2923 are sized to fit into grooves 2752 a provided in the inner peripheral edge of the cylindrical mounting portion 2752 of the rotating body 275 .

The attachment 29 is integrally attached to the drive unit 27 by inserting the cylindrical portion 292 into the hollow interior of the cylindrical mounting portion 2752 of the rotating body 275 facing the through hole 2710 of the base member 271 of the drive unit 27 . In this case, the attachment 29 holds the disk portion 291 and inserts the cylindrical portion 292 into the cylindrical mounting portion 2752 of the rotor 275 . During this insertion, the stopper pieces 2922a, 2922a provided at the tips of the engaging arms 2922, 2922 come into contact with the inner peripheral edge of the mounting portion 2752 of the rotating body 275, but the engaging arms 2922, 2922 approach each other. insertion of the cylindrical portion 292 into the mounting portion 2752 is permitted. After that, when the protrusion 2923 of the cylindrical portion 292 of the attachment 29 is fitted into the groove 2752a provided in the inner peripheral edge of the mounting portion 2752 of the rotating body 275, the stopper pieces provided at the tips of the engaging arms 2922, 2922 are engaged. Since 2922a, 2922a fall into the stepped portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion 2752 of the rotating body 275, the engaging arm portions 2922, 2922 are restored to their original state, and the stopper pieces 2922a, 2922a are engaged with the stepped portion. state is maintained. By attaching the attachment 29 to the attachment portion 2752 of the rotating body 275 in this manner, the attachment 29 is integrated with the rotating body 275 .

After that, the torque limiter 28 is stored in the cylindrical portion 292 of the attachment 29 . In this case, the torque limiter 28 is attached in such a manner that the locking grooves 283, 283 provided on the front side of the torque limiter 28 are fitted to the two engagement projections 2921b, 2921b provided on the partition wall 2921 of the cylindrical portion 292. The attachment 29 and the torque limiter 28 are connected by being stored in the cylindrical portion 292 of the attachment 29 . Next, by attaching the gear 277 in such a manner that square holes 2772, 2772 provided on the rear side of the gear 277 are fitted into the two engaging protrusions 282, 282 provided on the front surface of the torque limiter 28, the torque limiter 28 and the gear are mounted. 277 are connected. Thus, by attaching the gear 277 to the rotating body 75 via the torque limiter 28 and the attachment 29, the gear 277 rotates together with the rotating body 75, and when an external force exceeding the rating of the torque limiter 28 is applied to the gear 277, the torque limiter 28 disconnects the rotor 275 from the gear 277 .

As described above, the drive unit 27 with the gear 277 externally attached via the attachment 29 and the torque limiter 28 is mounted in the mounting slot 40 (see FIG. 8) of the base body 4 . In this case, the drive unit 27 is restrained from moving in the front-rear direction by the ribs 40a and 40a of the mounting slot 40 and the front wall. Although the claws 40c, 40c of the locking arms 40b, 40b provided on the front wall are not visible, they correspond to the claws 40c, 40c of the locking arms 40b, 40b provided on the partition wall 400.) are fitted into the fitting holes 271d, 271d of the base member 271 of the drive unit 27, thereby restricting upward movement. In addition, the disk portion 291 of the attachment 29 externally attached to the drive unit 27 does not interfere with the base body 4 due to the arc-shaped notch provided in the front wall of the mounting slot 40, and the front surface of the disk portion 291 It is flush with the surface of the front wall of the mounting slot 40 . A gear 277 externally attached to the driving unit 27 protrudes forward from the front wall of the mounting slot 40 .

In this manner, the connecting frames 23, 23 of the pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 are vertically displaced with respect to the gear 277 projecting forward from the front wall of the mounting slot 40 of the base body 4 with the gear 277 interposed therebetween. A pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 are arranged in parallel. In this case, the connecting frame 23 of the left arm member 21 is positioned at the upper stage, and the connecting frame 23 of the right arm member 21 is positioned at the lower stage, and the teeth 230, 230 provided on the respective connecting frames 23, 23 are attached to the gear 277 from above and below. arranged to mesh. When the connecting frames 23, 23 of the pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 are arranged parallel to each other with the gear 277 interposed therebetween, the sliding portions 231, 231 provided at the ends of the respective connecting frames 23, 23 contacts the upper edge of the side of the mating connecting frame 23 on which the teeth 230 are formed.

In this manner, the holding member 200 is arranged in such a manner as to cover the gear 277 and the connecting frames 23, 23 of the pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 arranged with the gear 277 interposed therebetween so as to be displaced vertically. It is locked and fixed to the base body 4 . In this case, the outward hook 202a of the locking arm 202 above the holding member 200 faces the locking slit 271b provided in the base member 271 of the drive unit 27, and the locking arm 202 below the holding member 200 faces the locking slit 271b. The hook 202a facing outward of the base body 4 overcomes the upward locking projection of the locking projection 40d provided on the front wall of the mounting slot 40 of the base body 4, and the upper and lower locking arms 202, 202 approach each other. , the boss holes 203a of the positioning pieces 203, 203 provided at the upper ends of the left and right side edges of the substrate 201 of the holding member 200 face the circular bosses 271c, 271c provided on the base member 271 of the drive unit 27. On the other hand, the boss holes 203a of the positioning pieces 203 provided at the lower ends of the left and right side edges of the substrate 201 of the holding member 200 face the circular bosses 40e provided on the front wall of the mounting slot 40 of the base body 4. As shown in FIG. Then, the boss holes 203a of the upper and lower positioning pieces 203, 203 are fitted into circular bosses 271c, 271c provided on the base member 271 of the drive unit 27 and circular bosses 40e, 40e provided on the front wall of the mounting slot 40 of the base body 4. Then, the hook 202a of the locking arm 202 on the upper side of the holding member 200 passes through the locking slit 271b provided in the base member 271 of the drive unit 27, and the locking arm 202 on the lower side of the holding member 200 is inserted. hook 202a facing outward overcomes the upward engaging projection of the engaging projection 40d provided on the front wall of the mounting slot 40 of the base body 4. When the external force is released from the engaging arms 202 , 202 , the upper and lower engaging arms 202 , 202 are restored to their original state, and the outwardly facing hooks 202 a of the upper engaging arms 202 of the holding member 200 are attached to the drive unit 27 . A hook 202a is provided on the front wall of the mounting slot 40 of the base body 4 so as to be engaged with the edge of the engaging slit 271b provided in the base member 271 and directed outward from the lower engaging arm 202 of the holding member 200. It engages with the upward locking projection of the locking projection 40d. As a result, the holding member 200 is locked and fixed to the drive unit 27 (base member 271) and the base body 4. As shown in FIG.

When the holding member 200 is locked and fixed to the drive unit 27 (base member 271) and the base body 4, the forward movement of the gear 277 constituting the pinion is prevented, and the connection state between the gear 277 and the torque sitter 28 is maintained. The torque miter 28 and the attachment 29 are guaranteed to be connected.

Further, when the holding member 200 is locked and fixed to the driving unit 27 (base member 271) and the base body 4, the connecting frames 23, 23 of the pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 are connected to the left and right substrates 201 of the holding member 200. Positioned between the positioning pieces 203, 203 provided at the upper and lower ends of the side edge, and in the right arm member 21, the lower side of the connecting frame 23 is the left and right positioning pieces 203, 203 (hereinafter referred to as the holding member) below the holding member 200. 200, of the left and right positioning pieces 203, 203, the left positioning piece is also called "203DL", and the right positioning piece is also called "203DR"). are the left and right positioning pieces 203, 203 above the holding member 200 (hereinafter, of the left and right positioning pieces 203, 203 above the holding member 200, the left positioning piece is "203UL" and the right positioning piece is "203UR"). ) is held in abutting manner. That is, in the right arm member 21 , the tooth 230 formed on the upper side of the connecting frame 23 is meshed with the gear 277 and the connecting frame 23 is horizontally arranged, and the lower side of the connecting frame 23 is positioned as a positioning piece of the holding member 200 . 203DL and 203DR. As a result, the right arm member 21 tries to rotate clockwise around the gear 277, but the lower side of the connecting frame 23 abuts against the positioning pieces 203DL and 203DR of the holding member 200, preventing the rotation. and the connecting frame 23 is held in a horizontal state. On the other hand, in the left arm member 21, the tooth 230 formed on the lower side of the connecting frame 23 is meshed with the gear 277, and the upper side of the connecting frame 23 is positioned horizontally. 203UL and 203UR. As a result, the left arm member 21 tries to rotate counterclockwise about the gear 277, but the upper side of the connecting frame 23 abuts against the positioning pieces 203UL and 203UR of the holding member 200, thereby preventing the left arm member 21 from rotating. By being blocked, the connecting frame 23 is held in a horizontal state.

The gripping mechanism 2 of the gripping unit 1 configured in this way drives the motor 273 of the drive unit 27, and the rotation of the motor 273 is transmitted to the gear 277, and the left and right arm members 21 are driven by the action of the rack and pinion mechanism. , 21 move in opposite directions, and the plate holding portions 222, 222 provided at the ends of the gripping frames 22 of the left and right arm members 21, 21 approach and separate from each other. In this case, the plate holding portions 222, 222 of the left and right arm members 21, 21 are formed with a wide width so as to protrude from the elongated frame portion 221 that constitutes the gripping frame 22. The connecting frames 23, 23 are arranged with the gear 277 interposed therebetween so as to face each other. Therefore, the plurality of gripping plates 24 provided on the respective plate holding portions 222, 222 also face each other.

Next, the adsorption mechanism 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the adsorption mechanism 3, FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the adsorption mechanism 3, FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the adsorption mechanism 3 before assembly to the base body 4, 4 is a perspective view of a state in which an air pump 34 and a slide guide 6 are attached to the base body 4; FIG.

The adsorption mechanism 3 is generally composed of a negative pressure adsorption mechanism 30 and a slide movement mechanism 31 . The negative pressure adsorption mechanism 30 comprises a suction pad 32, a hollow shaft member 33 to which the suction pad 32 is attached at the tip, and an air pump (vacuum pump) 34 for generating negative pressure inside the shaft member 33. be done. The suction pad 32 has a bellows shape and is made of elastic rubber. The suction pad 32 is airtightly attached to the tip of the shaft member 33 via a suction pad support member 321 . The rear end of the shaft member 33 is notched in a semicircular shape and is connected with the cylindrical cam 35 together with the slider 5 of the slide movement mechanism 31 described below.

The slide movement mechanism 31 slides in the front-rear direction a shaft member 33 having a suction pad 32 attached to its tip. It is composed of the drive unit 37 and the slider 5 . The cylindrical cam 35 is a so-called "Napier thread" in which a right-handed spiral groove 351 and a left-handed spiral groove 352 intersecting the right-handed spiral groove 351 are formed on the peripheral surface. Further, the cylindrical cam 35 has an insertion hole 35a passing therethrough along the axis. The shaft member 33 of the negative pressure adsorption mechanism 30 is inserted through the insertion hole 35 a , and the diameter thereof is determined to be larger than the diameter of the shaft member 33 . Further, the rear end of the cylindrical cam 35 has a prismatic fitting portion 353, and the fitting portion 353 is formed with a screw hole 353a. The following slider 5 is attached to the prismatic fitting portion 353 .

The slider 5 is made of synthetic resin and has a pipeline connecting portion 51 at its rear end, and has a rectangular tubular cam mounting portion 52 in front of the pipeline connecting portion 51 . The pipeline connecting portion 51 is connected to a rubber pipeline 341 connected to the air pump 34 . The cam mounting portion 52 has a rectangular tube-shaped groove (not shown, but a groove into which the fitting portion 353 is inserted that matches the contour shape of the fitting portion 353) that is open on the front side. The groove of the cam mounting portion 52 communicates with the pipeline connecting portion 51 . Further, a screw insertion hole 52a is provided in the upper portion of the cam mounting portion 52. As shown in FIG. Further, the slider 5 has a pair of left and right engaging arm portions 521, 521 extending downward from the left and right walls of the cam mounting portion 52. At the tips of the engaging arm portions 521, 521 are hooks 521a facing outward. , 521a are formed. A standby position detector 7 made of synthetic resin is screwed to the upper wall of the cam mounting portion 52 of the slider 5 . The standby position detection body 7 includes a substrate portion 71 mounted on the cam mounting portion 52 and a detection piece 72 facing rearward. A plate surface of the substrate portion 71 of the standby position detector 7 is formed with a screw insertion hole 71a.

The rotating body 36 has a cylindrical through hole 361 through which the cylindrical cam 35 penetrates, a bridge hole 362 opened in a direction perpendicular to the through hole 361, and a pair of engaging pieces extending rearward. 363. Made of synthetic resin with 363. An engaging piece 38 having a protrusion 381 that engages with the right-handed spiral groove 351 or the left-handed spiral groove 352 of the cylindrical cam 35 is inserted into the bridge hole 362 . Locking pieces 362a, 362a are formed in a manner along the bridge hole 362. These locking pieces 362a, 362a are elastically deformable by notching the outer periphery while leaving the base end side, and the ends face each other. Equipped with hooks protruding (inner diameter direction). The locking pieces 362a, 362a prevent the engaging piece 38 inserted into the piece hole 362 from coming off, and engage the projection 381 of the engaging piece 38 with the right-handed spiral groove 351 or the left-handed spiral groove 352 of the cylindrical cam 35. It has a function to maintain the combined state. A pair of engaging pieces 363, 363 engage with the next attachment 39 to connect the engaging piece 38 to the attachment 39, and are provided with long engaging holes 363a, 363a, respectively.

The attachment 39 connects the rotating body 36 with the drive unit 37 . Here, the structure of the drive unit 37 is the same as that of the drive unit 27 described above. 11 and 12, a hollow mounting portion 3752 of the rotating body and a plurality of grooves 3752a formed along the inner periphery of the mounting portion 3752 along the circumferential direction are visible. . The drive unit 37 is mounted in the mounting slot 40 (see FIG. 13) of the base body 4. As shown in FIG. In this case, the drive unit 37 is mounted in the rear region of the drive unit 27 of the gripping mechanism 2 mounted in the mounting slot 40 of the base body 4 in the same manner as the mounting slot 40 of the drive unit 27 .

The attachment 39 has a configuration in which a hollow rectangular tubular portion 392 and a hollow cylindrical portion 393 are provided on both sides of the disk portion 391 . The rectangular tubular portion 392 has a rectangular shape, and engaging claws 392a, 392a (one engaging claw 392a is visible in FIG. 12) are formed on one facing surface thereof. These engaging claws 392a, 392a are fitted into engaging long holes 363a, 363a of a pair of engaging pieces 363, 363 provided on the rotating body 36, respectively. The cylindrical portion 393 has a size that fits into the cylindrical mounting portion 3752 of the rotating body of the drive unit 37 . A plurality of semi-cylindrical projections 3931 are formed along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 393 on the base end side (disk portion 391 side). These protrusions 3931 are formed in sizes to fit into grooves 3752a provided in the inner peripheral edge of the mounting portion 3752 of the drive unit 37. As shown in FIG. Further, a pair of elastically deformable engaging arms 3932, 3932 (see FIG. 12) is provided in the cylindrical portion 393 by notching it in the axial direction while leaving the base end side (disc portion 391 side) of the cylindrical portion 393. 12), and stopper pieces 3932a, 3932a projecting in the outer direction are formed at the ends of these engaging arms 3932, 3932. As shown in FIG. The stopper pieces 3932a, 3932a are engaged with stepped portions (not shown) provided on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion 3752, which are formed in such a manner that the circumferential surface is shaved by the protrusion of the stopper piece 3932a. is. A hollow rectangular tube 3933 is integrally formed on the distal end side of the cylindrical portion 393 . The tip side of the rectangular tube 3933 is formed as a closed surface, and a shaft hole (not shown) through which the shaft member 33 of the negative pressure adsorption mechanism 30 is inserted is formed in the closed surface.

The attachment 39 is integrally attached to the drive unit 37 by inserting the cylindrical portion 393 into the mounting portion 3752 of the rotating body facing the through hole 3720 of the cover member 372 of the drive unit 37 . In this case, the attachment 39 holds the disk portion 391 and inserts the cylindrical portion 393 into the mounting portion 3752 of the rotating body. At the time of this insertion, the stopper pieces 3932a, 3932a provided at the tips of the engaging arms 3932, 3932 come into contact with the inner peripheral edge of the mounting portion 3752 of the rotating body, but the engaging arms 3932, 3932 approach each other. The bending allows the cylindrical portion 393 to be inserted into the mounting portion 3752 . After that, when the protrusion 3933 of the cylindrical portion 393 of the attachment 39 is fitted into the groove 3752a provided in the inner peripheral edge of the mounting portion 3752 of the rotating body, the stopper piece 3932a provided at the tip of the engaging arm 3932, 3932 is engaged. , 3932a fall into the stepped portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the mounting portion 3752 of the rotating body, the engaging arm portions 3932, 3932 are restored to their original state, and the engagement state of the stopper pieces 3932a, 3932a with the stepped portion is restored. maintained. By mounting the attachment 39 to the mounting portion 3752 of the rotating body in this manner, the attachment 39 is integrated with the rotating body of the drive unit 37 .

In this way, the rotating body 36 is attached to the square tubular portion 392 of the attachment 39 assembled integrally with the rotating body of the drive unit 37 . In this case, the rotating body 36 is pushed after being arranged so that the opposing surfaces of the square tubular portion 392 of the attachment 39 on which the engaging claws 392a, 392a are formed are sandwiched between the pair of engaging pieces 363,363. When the leading ends of the pair of engaging pieces 363, 363 reach the engaging claws 392a, 392a of the square tubular portion 392 during this pushing, the pair of engaging pieces 363, 363 climb over the engaging claws 392a, 392a. When the tip side edges of the long engagement holes 363a, 363a provided in the pair of engagement pieces 363, 363 get over the engagement claws 392a, 392a, they are restored to their original state. As a result, the engaging claws 392a, 392a provided on the square tubular portion 392 are fitted into the engaging long holes 363a, 363a provided in the pair of engaging pieces 363, 363, and the rotating body 36 is rotated through the attachment 39. It is connected to the drive unit 37 .

The connection between the cylindrical cam 35 integrally connected to the drive unit 37 via the attachment 39 and the rotating body 36 and the shaft member 33 of the negative pressure adsorption mechanism 30 is achieved by connecting the fitting portion 353 of the cylindrical cam 35 to the slider 5 . The shaft member 33 of the negative pressure adsorption mechanism 30 is exposed from the base member 371 of the drive unit 37 from the front side of the drive unit 37 in a state where the slider 5 is mounted on the cylindrical cam 35 in such a manner that the slider 5 is fitted into the groove of the cam mounting portion 52 . It is inserted into the insertion hole 35 a of the cylindrical cam 35 through the shaft hole (not shown) opened at the tip of the rectangular tube 3933 of the attachment 39 until the rear end of the shaft member 33 reaches the fitting portion 353 of the cylindrical cam 35 . (Actually, the shaft member 33 is inserted into the round hole of the holding member 200 from the front side of the holding member 200 locked and fixed to the driving unit 27 of the gripping mechanism 2 attached to the base body 4 and the base body 4. 201a, and through the through hole 2771 of the gear 277 constituting the gripping mechanism 2, the through hole 281 of the torque limiter 28, etc., and into the shaft hole opened at the tip of the square tube 3933 of the attachment 39. ). In this case, the shaft member 33 is inserted with the semicircular notch formed at the rear end facing upward. Then, while the rear end of the shaft member 33 is inserted until it reaches the fitting portion 353 of the cylindrical cam 35, the substrate portion 71 of the standby position detection body 7 is superimposed on the cam mounting portion 52 of the slider 5, and then waits. A screw is inserted into a screw hole 353a provided in the fitting portion 353 of the cylindrical cam 35 through the screw insertion hole 71a provided in the substrate portion 71 of the position detector 7 and the screw insertion hole 52a provided in the cam mounting portion 52 of the slider 5. Tighten by screwing. In this case, since the shaft member 33 is installed so that the semicircular notch formed at the rear end faces upward, the cylindrical cam 35 is press-contacted with the inner wall of the insertion hole 35a of the cylindrical cam 35 by fastening the screw. It is connected with cam 35 . The shaft member 33 is also integrally connected to the slider 5 which is tightened together by fastening the screws, so that the hollow portion of the shaft member 33 communicates with the pipeline connection portion 51 of the slider 5 .

Here, the slider 5 is slidably and non-rotatably guided in the front-rear direction by the slider guide 6 as described below. The slider guide 6 is locked and fixed to the base body 4. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 13, the slider guide 6 is made of synthetic resin and has a generally concave cross section. The slider guide 6 is provided with a storage slot 60 defined in a central portion of a base 61 by left and right side walls 62, 62 in such a manner that the top and bottom are open. A storage slot 60 is for storing the cylindrical cam 35 and the slider 5 . Further, shoulder portions 621, 621 on which the wing pieces 711, 711 of the standby position detector 7 are placed are provided on the upper edges of the left and right side walls 62, 62 defining the storage slot 60. As shown in FIG. A top plate 65 is provided on the rear end side of the storage slot 60 so as to straddle the left and right side walls 62, 62. A photosensor having a built-in light emitting element and a light receiving element which are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap on the top plate 65 is provided. 66 is attached. This photosensor 66 detects the detection piece 72 of the standby position detection body 7 which is fastened together with the slider 5 .

The width of the left and right side walls 62 , 62 defining the storage slot 60 is set slightly larger than the pair of left and right locking arms 521 , 521 of the slider 5 . Therefore, when the slider 5 is stored in the storage slot 60, the hooks 521a, 521a provided at the ends of the pair of left and right locking arms 521, 521 of the slider 5 come into contact with the edges of the shoulders 621, 621. When the slider 5 is pushed further, the pair of left and right locking arms 521, 521 bends toward each other. In this case, the pair of left and right locking arms 521, 521 of the slider 5 and the wing pieces 711, 711 of the standby position detector 7 are connected to the left and right side walls 62 by the hooks 521a, 521a of the pair of left and right locking arms 521, 521. , 62, the wing pieces 711, 711 of the stand-by position detector 7 are placed on the shoulders 621, 621. As shown in FIG. As a result, the slider 5 (cylindrical cam 35) can be moved vertically by the hooks 521a, 521a of the pair of left and right locking arms 521, 521 of the slider 5 and the wing pieces 711, 711 of the standby position detector 7. It is stored in the storage slot 60 of the slider guide 6 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction in a restricted and unrotatable state. Accordingly, the cylindrical cam 35 is also restricted from moving in the vertical direction and is stored in the storage slot 60 of the slider guide 6 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction.

The slider guide 6 also has leg pieces 63, 63 extending downward from the front edge of the base 61. As shown in FIG. Further, the slider guide 6 is provided with a pair of front and rear U-shaped locking members 64, 64 extending downward on both left and right sides of the base 61. As shown in FIG. These locking tools 64, 64 are formed in a manner projecting outward from the base 61 and have engagement holes 64a, 64a.

As shown in FIG. 13, the base body 4 for engaging and fixing the slider guide 6 has mounting slots 41 and 42 partitioned forward and backward by a partition wall 401 behind a mounting slot 40 in which the motor drive units 27 and 37 are mounted. It is made of box-shaped synthetic resin with The mounting slot 41 is a region for housing the air pump 34 , and the mounting slot 42 is a region for housing a pipe line 341 connected to the air pump 34 . The mounting slot 41 is provided with elastically deformable locking arms 41a, 41a and locking arms 41b, 41b that are curved and conform to the contour of the air pump 34. The locking arms 41a, 41a and the locking arms The free ends of the portions 41b, 41b are opposed to each other with a gap smaller than the diameter of the air pump 34 therebetween. The locking arms 41a, 41a and the locking arms 41b, 41b are locked when the air pump 34 is pushed from the free end sides of the locking arms 41a, 41a and the locking arms 41b, 41b facing each other. 41a, 41a and locking arms 41b, 41b flex outward to allow air pump 34 to pass through, and the central portion of air pump 34 allows locking arms 41a, 41a and locking arms 41b, 41b to face freely. After passing the end position, it returns to its original state to hold the air pump 34 in place. In this case, the pipe line 341 connected to the air pump 34 is housed in the mounting slot 42 through the notch 401a of the partition wall 401 .

The width of the left and right side walls 421, 421 defining the mounting slots 41, 42 of the base body 4 is equal to the width of the base 61 of the slider guide 6, and the legs are formed by cutting out part of the mounting slot 41 region. A locking portion 422 is formed. The leg locking portion 422 is a raised edge of a recess formed by a notch. Further, hook-shaped locking claws 421a, 421a are formed on the left and right side walls 421, 421 on the rear side of the leg piece locking portions 422, 422 and on the outside thereof. These locking pawls 421a, 421a are formed in a manner of swelling so that the amount of protrusion outward from the side wall 421 gradually increases as it goes downward. The engaging claws 421a, 421a are arranged so that the interval between them coincides with the interval between the engaging holes 64a, 64a of the pair of front and rear engaging tools 64, 64 provided in the base 61 of the slider guide 6, and A pair of front and rear locking members 64 provided on the base 61 of the slider guide 6 when the leg pieces 63, 63 provided on the slider guide 61 are arranged along the leg piece locking portions 422, 422 of the left and right side walls 421, 421. , 64 are fitted into engagement holes 64a, 64a.

That is, with the air pump 34 housed in the mounting slot 41 of the base body 4 in the manner described above (see FIG. 14), the slider guide 6 is mounted from the upper side of the left and right side walls 421 , 421 . In this case, the legs provided on the base 61 of the slider guide 6 are positioned outside the left and right side walls 421 , 421 with a pair of front and rear locking members 64 provided on the left and right sides of the base 61 of the slider guide 6 . The slider guide 6 is moved downward while keeping the pieces 63, 63 along the leg piece engaging portions 422 of the left and right side walls 421, 421. As shown in FIG. Due to the downward movement of the slider guide 6, the pair of front and rear locking members 64 provided on the left and right sides of the base 61 of the slider guide 6 reach the positions of the locking claws 421a provided on the left and right side walls 421, 421. Then, the locking tools 64, 64 bend to open outward while riding on the locking claws 421a, 421a. state is restored, the locking claws 421a, 421a engage with the edges of the engaging holes 64a, 64a in the locking tools 64, 64, respectively. As a result, the slider guide 6 is mounted on the left and right side walls 421, 421 of the base body 4 (see FIG. 14).

As shown in FIG. 14, the suction mechanism 3 is attached to the base body 4 after the air pump 34 is attached to the attachment slot 41 of the base body 4, and then the slider guide 6 is attached to the base body 4. The drive unit 27 of the gripping mechanism 2 (the gear 277 and the torque limiter 28 are connected to the rotating body 275 of the driving unit 27 via the attachment 29) is mounted in the mounting slot 40, and the pair of left and right gripping mechanisms 2 are mounted. The holding member 200 is locked and fixed to the drive unit 27 and the base body 4 in such a manner as to hold the arm members 21, 21. As shown in FIG. Next, the slider 5 is fitted to the rear end of the cylindrical cam 35 while the rotating body 36 and the cylindrical cam 35 are connected to the rotating body 375 of the drive unit 37 of the adsorption mechanism 3 via the attachment 39 . The standby position detector 7 is arranged and a screw (the screw insertion hole 71a provided in the substrate portion 71 of the standby position detector 7 and the cylindrical cam 35 through the screw insertion hole 52a provided in the cam mounting portion 52 of the slider 5 is inserted). After temporarily fixing with a screw to be screwed into a screw hole 353a provided in the fitting portion 353, the tip of the pipe line 341 of the air pump 34 is connected to the pipe line connection portion 51 of the slider 5, and then the drive unit 37 is attached to the base body. 4 is mounted on the rear side of the drive unit 27 in the mounting slot 40 of FIG. At the same time, the cylindrical cam 35 and the slider 5 are mounted in the storage slot 60 of the slider guide 6 . After that, the shaft member 33 of the negative pressure adsorption mechanism 30 is moved to the front side of the holding member 200 that is locked and fixed to the drive unit 27 and the base body 4 so as to hold the pair of left and right arm members 21 of the gripping mechanism 2 . , and the rear end of the shaft member 33 is inserted into the round hole 201a of the holding member 200 until it reaches the fitting portion 353 of the cylindrical cam 35. By tightening the screw that is screwed into the screw hole 353a of the cylindrical cam 35 through the hole 52a, the attachment of the adsorption mechanism 3 to the base body 4 is completed.

In the suction mechanism 3 of the gripping unit 1 configured in this manner, the slider 5 mounted on the rear end of the cylindrical cam 35 is positioned at the rear end of the mounting slot 41 of the slider guide 6 in the standby state. A detection piece 72 of the standby position detection body 7 is positioned between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the photosensor 66 . When the motor 373 of the drive unit 37 is driven (for example, forwardly rotated) from this state, the rotating body 36 rotates via the attachment 39, and accordingly the projection 381 of the engaging piece 38 of the rotating body 36 moves to the cylindrical cam. By sliding the right-handed spiral groove 351 of 35, the cylindrical cam 35 and the suction pad 32 provided at the front end of the shaft member 33 move forward. The advance distance of the cylindrical cam 35 (suction pad 32) is fed back by an encoder provided inside the drive unit 37 and is controlled. In this case, the forward movement of the cylindrical cam 35 (suction pad 32) is such that after the bellows-shaped suction pad 32 is brought into contact with the product, the bellows are contracted so that the suction pad 32 closely follows the shape of the product. It is designed to be a form. The air pump 34 is driven at the same time as the motor 373 is driven, and when the suction pad 32 advances by a predetermined distance and comes into contact with the product, the negative pressure of the air pump 34 attracts and holds the product. In this case, for the product sucked by the suction pad 32, a plurality of gripping plates provided on the plate holding portions 222, 222 of the left and right arm members 21, 21 of the gripping mechanism 2 constituting the gripping unit 1 together with the suction mechanism 3 24 , and the suction pad 32 complements the holding of the product by the gripping mechanism 2 .

When releasing the holding of the product by the suction pad 32 (for example, the gripping unit 1 is a robot hand of a robot that automatically travels in the store, and the product placed on the product display shelf of the showcase is consumed based on the expiration date management). When the product determined to be expired is moved to the front of the product display shelf on which the product is placed, the robot expands and contracts the arm, and the grip unit 1 picks up and discards the product. The drive is stopped and the holding of the product by the suction pad 32 is released. At the same time, when the motor 373 of the drive unit 37 is driven (for example, reversed), the protrusion 381 of the engaging piece 38 of the rotating body 36 rotating via the attachment 39 slides in the left-hand spiral groove 352 of the cylindrical cam 35 . As a result, the cylindrical cam 35 and the suction pad 32 provided at the front end of the shaft member 33 retreat. The driving of the motor 373 is stopped when the photosensor 66 provided on the slider guide 6 detects the detection piece 72 of the standby position detection body 7 . As a result, the cylindrical cam 35 and the suction pad 32 provided at the front end of the shaft member 33 return to the standby position.

A state in which a product is held by the gripping unit 1 having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. FIG. FIG. 15 shows a case of a product G1 containing a PET bottle having a shape in which the upper part of the cylindrical body part is tapered, as a product, and FIG. 15A is a perspective view of the gripping unit 1 gripping the product G1, FIG. 16B is a plan view of FIG. 16A, and FIG. 16A is the product G2. It is a perspective view of the gripping unit 1 that has been gripped, and (b) is a front view of (a). A case where the grasping unit 1 corresponds to a robot hand attached to the tip of an arm of an automatically traveling robot will be described.

Here, in the standby state of the gripping unit 1, as shown in FIG. The suction pad 32 is in a retracted state with the detection piece 72 of the standby position detector 7 of the suction mechanism 3 positioned between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the photosensor 66 at the separated standby position. In this case, the shape and size of the product G1 are measured by an automatically traveling robot. The front and rear gripping plates 24, 24 of the mutually opposing gripping plates 24, 24 provided in the plate holding portions 222 of the members 21, 21 are perpendicular to the advancing direction of the gripping plate 1, and the maximum diameter cylindrical body of the product G1. It stops in a state adjusted so that it is positioned in front and behind with the part in between.

15 by the gripping unit 1 from this standby state, the motor 273 of the drive unit 27 of the gripping mechanism 2 is driven so that the rotation of the motor 273 is transmitted to the gear 277 and the rack and pinion mechanism. , the connecting frames 23, 23 of the left and right arm members 21, 21 move toward each other, and the gripping plates 24, 24, 24 provided at the plate holding portions 222, 222 of the gripping frame 22 of the left and right arm members 21, 21 move. 24 approach each other. Then, when the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 of the front and rear gripping plates 24, 24 come into contact with the product G, the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 are pivotally supported by the plate holding portion 222. The spherical portion 251 (see FIG. 6) is displaced along the shape of the product G, and the front and rear gripping plates 24, 24 follow the shape of the product G. As shown in FIG.

Subsequently, when the gripping plates 24, 24 provided in the plate holding portions 222, 222 in the gripping frame 22 of the left and right arm members 21, 21 approach each other, the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 are supported and the plate holding plate is held. The shaft member 25 slidably held by the bearing 223 provided in the portion 222 moves so that the end opposite to the spherical portion 251 protrudes outward from the plate holding portion 222 . The wound coil spring 26 is compressed. Compression of the coil spring 26 increases the gripping force of the product G by the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 of the gripping plate 24 and increases the load on the motor 273 . When the load of the motor 273 exceeds the rating of the torque limiter 28, the driving force of the motor 273 to the gear 277 is cut off by the torque limiter 28, so that the product G1 is gripped by the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 of the gripping plate 24. force becomes constant. Therefore, by setting the rating of the torque limiter 28 corresponding to the container strength of the product G1, the outer shape of the product G1 will not be deformed unexpectedly. Also, when the torque limiter 28 is activated, the motor 273 idles under a load and the number of output pulses from the encoder 276 is reduced. When this state continues for a predetermined time, the driving of the motor 273 is stopped. In this way, the gripping plates 24, 24 provided in the plate holding portions 222, 222 of the gripping frame 22 of the left and right arm members 21, 21 are displaced along the shape of the product G1, thereby securely holding the product G1. can do.

The motor 373 of the drive unit 37 in the adsorption mechanism 3 is driven (for example, rotates forward) while the product G1 is held by the gripping mechanism 2 in this manner. When the motor 373 is driven, the rotating body 36 rotates through the attachment 39 as described above, and accordingly the protrusion 381 of the engaging piece 38 of the rotating body 36 engages the right-hand spiral groove 351 of the cylindrical cam 35. By sliding, the cylindrical cam 35 and the suction pad 32 provided at the front end of the shaft member 33 move forward by a predetermined distance. In this case, since the predetermined distance is determined so that the bellows-like suction pad 32 contacts the product in a contracted state, the suction pad 32 is deformed to conform to the shape of the product G1. In this state, the vacuum of the air pump 34 driven at the same time as the motor 373 causes the suction pad 32 to adhere to the product G1. In this manner, the suction pad 32 is suctioned to the product G1 by the negative pressure of the air pump 34 to hold the product G1.

When the gripping unit 1 holds a product G2 shown in FIG. 16 (a product having upward and downward sloping surfaces with a protruded portion sandwiched between the outer peripheral surfaces of a rectangular container), the gripping unit 1 is designed to adjust the shape and size of the product G2. The upper gripping plate 241 and the upper gripping plate 241 of the gripping plates 24, 24 provided on the plate holding portions 222 of the pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 of the gripping mechanism 2 and facing each other. The link member 243 that connects the lower gripping plate 242 stops after being adjusted so as to be positioned on the protrusion on the outer peripheral surface of the product G1.
By driving the motor 273 of the drive unit 27 of the gripping mechanism 2 in this state, the rotation of the motor 273 is transmitted to the gear 277 and the action of the rack and pinion mechanism causes the product G1 to be held as shown in FIG. The connecting frames 23, 23 of the left and right arm members 21, 21 move toward each other, and the gripping plates 24, 24 provided in the plate holding portions 222, 222 of the gripping frame 22 of the left and right arm members 21, 21 move toward each other. approach. Then, when the link member 243 that connects the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 of the front and rear gripping plates 24, 24 comes into contact with the protruding portion of the product G2, the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 move to the plate holding portion. The spherical portion 251 (see FIG. 6) of the shaft member 25 pivotally supported by 222 is displaced following the inclination of the product G2, and the front and rear gripping plates 24, 24 follow the shape of the product G2.

Subsequently, when the gripping plates 24, 24 provided in the plate holding portions 222, 222 in the gripping frame 22 of the left and right arm members 21, 21 approach each other, the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 are supported and the plate holding plate is held. The shaft member 25 slidably held by the bearing 223 provided in the portion 222 moves so that the end opposite to the spherical portion 251 protrudes outward from the plate holding portion 222 . The wound coil spring 26 is compressed. Compression of the coil spring 26 increases the gripping force of the product G2 by the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 of the gripping plate 24 and increases the load on the motor 273 . When the load of the motor 273 exceeds the rating of the torque limiter 28, the driving force of the motor 273 to the gear 277 is cut off by the torque limiter 28, so that the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 of the gripping plate 24 grip the product G2. force becomes constant. Therefore, by setting the rating of the torque limiter 28 corresponding to the container strength of the product G2, the outer shape of the product G2 will not be deformed unexpectedly. In this way, the gripping plates 24, 24 provided in the plate holding portions 222, 222 of the gripping frame 22 of the left and right arm members 21, 21 are displaced along the shape of the product G2, so that the product G2 is securely held. can do.

When the motor 373 of the drive unit 37 in the adsorption mechanism 3 is driven (for example, rotates forward) while the product G2 is held by the gripping mechanism 2, the cylindrical cam is rotated as in the case of holding the product G1 shown in FIG. 35 and the suction pad 32 provided at the front end of the shaft member 33 move forward by a predetermined distance, the suction pad 32 deforms to conform to the shape of the product G2, and the vacuum of the air pump 34 suctions the product G2. In this manner, the suction pad 32 is suctioned to the product G2 by the negative pressure of the air pump 34 and holds the product G2.

In the above embodiment, the gripping plate 24 is composed of the upper gripping plate 241, the lower gripping plate 242, and the link member 243 that connects the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242. However, as shown in FIG. When goods are held from a cylindrical container, the holding plate 24 can be made of a single plate, and the form of the gripping plate 24 is not limited to the embodiment.

As described above, according to the gripping unit 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of gripping plates 24 provided in the front-rear direction and the pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 arranged in a manner facing each other. , and an arm driving means (driving unit 27) for moving a pair of left and right arm members 21, 21 so that the plurality of gripping plates 24 approach and separate from each other, and the plurality of gripping plates 24 are Joint means for the shaft member 25 held by the arm member 21 (a ball joint consisting of a spherical portion 251 provided on the shaft member 25 and a socket 2410 provided on the grip plate 24 in such a manner that the spherical portion 251 is loosely fitted) and a link member 243 connecting the upper gripping plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242. The connecting means is the upper gripping plate 24 . By connecting the plate 241 and the lower gripping plate 242 to the shaft member 25 so as to be rotatable about at least the vertical axis, the gripping plate 24 can move the arm member 21 when the gripping plate 24 comes into contact with the product (G1, G2). Since the shaft member 25 held by the joint means is displaced according to the shape of the product (G1, G2) and contacts the product (G1, G2), the product This provides an effect that (G1, G2) can be accurately grasped.

In the embodiment, it is installed at the tip of an arm of a robot that automatically travels in a store such as a convenience store, and it is determined that the expiration date has passed based on the expiration date management of the product placed on the product display shelf of the showcase. Regarding the product, the robot moves to the front of the product display shelf on which the relevant product is placed, measures (determines) the shape and size of the product, expands and contracts the arm, and picks up the relevant product with the gripping unit 1. Although an explanation has been given of a discarded item, it can also be applied to a vending machine such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to those shown in the embodiments.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 grasping unit 2 grasping mechanism 3 adsorption mechanism 4 base body 5 slider 6 slider guide 21 arm member 24 grasping plate 25 shaft member 26 coil spring 27 , 37... drive unit, 28... torque limiter, 30... negative pressure adsorption mechanism, 31... slide movement mechanism, 32... adsorption pad, 33... shaft member, 34... air pump, 35... cylindrical cam, 36... rotating body, 273, 373... Motor, 275, 375... Rotating body.

Claims (2)

A pair of left and right arm members in which a plurality of gripping plates provided in the front-rear direction are arranged in a manner facing each other, and an arm drive for moving the pair of left and right arm members so as to move the plurality of gripping plates toward and away from each other. means, wherein the plurality of gripping plates are connected to the shaft member held by the arm member via coupling means and are independent of each other; It is characterized by comprising a link member that connects the lower gripping plate and the connecting means that connects the upper gripping plate and the lower gripping plate of the gripping plate to the shaft member so as to be rotatable about at least a vertical axis. gripping unit. 2. The gripping unit according to claim 1, further comprising a suction mechanism having a suction pad which is positioned in the center of the pair of left and right arm members and reciprocates in the front-rear direction, wherein the suction mechanism has a right-hand spiral groove formed on the peripheral surface thereof. A cylindrical cam having a left-handed spiral groove that intersects with the right-handed spiral groove, a rotating body having a sliding piece that slides in the right-handed spiral groove or the left-handed spiral groove of the cylindrical cam, and the rotating body. A gripping unit comprising a driving unit for driving and an air pump for generating a negative pressure on a suction pad .

Images