JP7363100B2 - Pick-up device and workpiece transport method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pickup device and a method for transporting a workpiece.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a pickup device is known that picks up workpieces placed at arbitrary positions on a workpiece placement section, such as the upper surface of a tray, one by one.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-121465

When a plurality of workpieces are placed at arbitrary positions on the workpiece placement section as described above, there is still room for improvement in the efficiency of carrying out the plurality of workpieces in an aligned state.
The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and its purpose is to make it possible to efficiently carry out a plurality of workpieces placed at arbitrary positions on the workpiece placement section in an aligned state. An object of the present invention is to provide a pick-up device and a method for transporting a workpiece.

A pickup device that solves the above problem is a pickup device that picks up a plurality of workpieces placed at arbitrary positions on a workpiece placement section, and includes a pickup operation section and a pickup device placed on the workpiece placement section. The pickup operation section includes a detection section that detects the positions of the plurality of works, and an operation control section that controls the pickup operation section based on the results detected by the detection section, and the pickup operation section detects the positions of the plurality of works. The apparatus includes a plurality of holding parts that are respectively held, a holding head to which the plurality of holding parts are attached, and a head moving mechanism that moves the holding head.

According to this configuration, the positions of a plurality of workpieces placed at arbitrary positions on the workpiece placement section can be specified by the detection section. Moreover, the plurality of holding parts in the pick-up operation part allows the plurality of works to be carried out from the workpiece placement part in an aligned state.

In the above pickup device, it is preferable that the plurality of holding parts are a plurality of suction nozzles.
According to this configuration, unnecessary external force is hardly applied to the work when holding the work. Therefore, even when holding a workpiece made of a brittle material (for example, a tablet containing an inorganic material), damage to the workpiece can be suppressed.

In the above pickup device, the plurality of holding parts are arranged in a line on the holding head, and the operation control part is configured to arrange the plurality of workpieces held by the plurality of holding parts in a line on a workpiece unloading part. It is preferable to control the placing operation.

According to this configuration, for example, it becomes easy to inspect a plurality of works carried out to the work carrying out section one by one.
In the above pickup device, it is preferable that the operation control section controls an operation of carrying out the plurality of works to a workpiece unloading section after all of the plurality of holding sections hold the plurality of works.

According to this configuration, it is possible to efficiently utilize the plurality of holding parts in the pickup device, so that it is possible to carry out the plurality of works more efficiently.
The pickup device further includes an imaging section that captures images of the plurality of works on the workpiece mounting section, and the detection section detects the positions of the plurality of works based on the images acquired from the imaging section. is preferred.

According to this configuration, by using an image including a plurality of workpieces, the positions of the plurality of workpieces can be detected in a short time.
The pickup device further includes an imaging section moving mechanism that moves the imaging section along the workpiece placement section, and the imaging section moving mechanism and the head moving mechanism are configured to be able to be driven independently of each other. Preferably.

According to this configuration, for example, even when the holding head is moving, the image capturing section can capture an image. Further, for example, even when the imaging section is moving, the holding head can be stopped at a predetermined position and the workpiece can be held by the holding section. In this way, by operating the imaging section and the holding head independently, it is possible to shorten the time it takes to transport a plurality of works.

Preferably, the pickup device further includes a light irradiation unit that irradiates light to the workpiece placement unit from a side opposite to the imaging unit across the workpiece placement unit .
According to this configuration, the contour shape of the workpiece can be more clearly captured in the image, so that the accuracy of identifying the workpiece, that is, the accuracy of detecting the position of the workpiece, can be easily improved.

The pickup device further includes a selection unit that selects a group of works that can be simultaneously held by the plurality of holding units from among the plurality of works included in the image captured by the imaging unit, and the operation control unit It is preferable that the pick-up operation section is controlled so as to give priority to the group of works selected by the selection section among the plurality of works and hold them at the same time.

According to this configuration, a plurality of workpieces can be efficiently held by the plurality of holding parts. This makes it possible to shorten the time it takes to unload a plurality of workpieces.
In the above-mentioned pickup device, it is preferable that the selection section selects the workpiece group from a plurality of partial images formed by dividing the workpiece placement section into a plurality of regions.

According to this configuration, the selection section can sequentially select the work group using a plurality of partial images, so that, for example, the accuracy of selecting the work group can be improved.
In the above-mentioned pickup device, the operation control unit is configured to carry out all of the plurality of works in the first divided area out of divided areas in which the partial image is divided into a first divided area and a second divided area. It is preferable that the pickup operation section is controlled so that the imaging section acquires a new partial image consisting of a second divided area and a third divided area adjacent to the second divided area. .

According to this configuration, when detecting the positions of a plurality of workpieces on the workpiece placement section using a partial image, before all of the plurality of workpieces in the partial image are unloaded as described above, the next part By acquiring the images, continuous positional information about the plurality of works on the workpiece placement section can be obtained. Thereby, for example, the holding section can perform the operation of holding the workpiece continuously, so that the time required to carry out the workpiece can be shortened.

In the above pickup device, the workpiece placement section has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and the imaging section moves the imaging area in a stroke from an initial position that is a corner of the workpiece placement section to image the partial image. It is preferable to obtain them sequentially.

According to this configuration, since the imaging section can be moved efficiently, it is possible to shorten the time required for imaging.
A workpiece transport method that solves the above-mentioned problem uses the pickup device to transport the plurality of works from the workpiece placement section to the workpiece unloading section.

In the workpiece transport method, the workpiece may be a tablet containing an inorganic material.

According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently carry out a plurality of works placed at arbitrary positions on the work placement part in an aligned state.

(a) is a schematic plan view showing a pickup device in an embodiment, and (b) is a schematic front view showing the pickup device. (a) is a schematic plan view showing the relationship between a plurality of works and the holding section, and (b) is a schematic front view showing the relationship between the plurality of works and the holding section. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view illustrating the operation of the pickup operation section. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view illustrating the operation of the pickup operation section. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view illustrating the operation of the pickup operation section. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view illustrating the operation of the pickup operation section. (a) to (d) are schematic plan views illustrating acquisition of partial images. It is a perspective view showing a tablet. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view illustrating acquisition of images of a plurality of tablets.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of a pickup device and a method for transporting a workpiece will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings, a part of the configuration may be exaggerated or simplified for convenience of explanation. Furthermore, the dimensional ratio of each part may also differ from the actual size.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the pickup device 11 is a device that picks up a plurality of works W placed at arbitrary positions on the work placement section T1. The pickup device 11 includes a pickup operation section 12, and a control section of the pickup device 11 includes a detection section 13 that detects the positions of the plurality of works W placed on the workpiece placement section T1, and a detection section 13 that detects the positions of the plurality of works W placed on the workpiece placement section T1. and an operation control section 14 that controls the pickup operation section 12 based on the results.

The pickup operation unit 12 of the pickup device 11 includes a plurality of holding parts 15 that each hold a plurality of works W, a holding head 16 to which the plurality of holding parts 15 are attached, and a head movement unit that moves the holding head 16. A mechanism 17 is provided. The plurality of holding parts 15 (suction nozzles) are arranged in a line on the holding head 16.

As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), the holding parts 15 of the pickup operation unit 12 include a first holding part H1, a second holding part H2, a third holding part H3, a fourth holding part H4, and a fifth holding part H5. Each holding section 15 is configured to hold a different workpiece W by operating as an independent manipulator.

Each holding section 15 in this embodiment is a suction nozzle. The suction nozzle has a suction port that opens downward, and can suction and hold the workpiece W in contact with the suction port. The pickup operation unit 12 includes a regulator connected to each suction nozzle, an on-off valve provided corresponding to each suction nozzle, and the like. The configuration of the pickup operation unit 12 is just an example, and a well-known configuration in which each suction nozzle can perform suction operation can be adopted. For example, as a device for generating suction force, a vacuum pump or the like may be connected to each suction nozzle.

The holding head 16 of the pickup operation section 12 is configured to be movable along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, that is, the horizontal direction, shown in FIG. 1(a) by a head moving mechanism 17 of the pickup operation section 12. The head moving mechanism 17 includes, for example, a motor, a drive shaft, and the like. The head moving mechanism 17 may be, for example, a robot arm. The head moving mechanism 17 may include a rotation mechanism that rotates the holding head 16 about a vertical axis. Thereby, the arrangement direction of the plurality of holding parts 15 attached to the holding head 16 can be changed.

Each holding portion 15 is movable independently with respect to the holding head 16 in the Z-axis direction shown in FIG. 1(b), that is, in the vertical direction. When the holding part 15 adsorbs the workpiece W, it moves downward to approach the workpiece W. The operation control section 14 of the pickup device 11 controls the movement of the above-mentioned holding head 16 and the independent holding operation of each holding section 15.

As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the pickup device 11 includes an imaging section 18 that captures images of a plurality of works W on a workpiece placement section T1, and an imaging section moving mechanism that moves the imaging section 18. 19. The detection unit 13 of the pickup device 11 detects the positions of the plurality of works W based on the images acquired from the imaging unit 18. To be more specific, the detection unit 13 of this embodiment calculates the position coordinates of each workpiece W by image processing of an image including a plurality of works W on the workpiece placement part T1, and shows this as position information in the diagram. is stored in the omitted memory. Note that as the imaging unit 18 of the pickup device 11, for example, a camera equipped with an imaging device such as a CCD or a CMOS can be used. The pickup device 11 may include a display unit that displays an image captured by the imaging unit 18.

The pickup device 11 can move the imaging section 18 along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction shown in FIG. 1(a), that is, along the horizontal direction, using the imaging section moving mechanism 19. The imaging unit moving mechanism 19 includes, for example, a motor, a drive shaft, and the like. The imaging unit moving mechanism 19 of the pickup device 11 and the head moving mechanism 17 are configured to be able to be driven independently of each other.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the pickup device 11 further includes a light irradiation section 20 that irradiates light onto the workpiece mounting section T1 from the side opposite to the imaging section 18. The light from the light irradiation section 20 passes through the workpiece mounting section T1 and enters the imaging section 18. When capturing an image with the image capturing section 18, by irradiating light from the light irradiating section 20 toward the workpiece mounting section T1, it is possible to obtain an image in which the plurality of works W can be easily identified. The light irradiation unit 20 can be composed of, for example, an LED or the like.

The imaging section 18, the imaging section moving mechanism 19, and the light irradiation section 20 of the pickup device 11 are controlled by an imaging control section 21 in the control section of the pickup device 11.
As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the operation control unit 14 of the pickup device 11 allows one of the plurality of holding parts 15 to hold the position on the workpiece placement part T1. The operation of holding one workpiece W and the operation of simultaneously holding a plurality of works W on the workpiece mounting part T1 by the plurality of holding parts 15 are controlled.

Further, the operation control unit 14 controls the operation of aligning and placing the plurality of works W held by the plurality of holding parts 15 on the workpiece unloading part T2. Further, the operation control unit 14 controls the operation of carrying out the plurality of workpieces W to the workpiece carrying-out unit T2 after all the plurality of holding units 15 have held the plurality of workpieces W. Note that when the number of remaining workpieces W on the workpiece placement part T1 is smaller than the number of holding parts 15, the operation control part 14 moves the workpieces W to the workpiece unloading part in a state where there are holding parts 15 in which no workpieces W are held. It is also possible to control the operation of unloading to T2.

As shown in FIG. 1(a), the control unit of the pickup device 11 selects a group of works that can be simultaneously held by the plurality of holding units 15 from among the plurality of works W included in the image captured by the imaging unit 18. It further includes a selection section 22 for selection.

As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 2(a), the selection unit 22 first selects a group of workpieces from a partial image MA formed by dividing the workpiece mounting portion T1 into a plurality of regions. . The selection unit 22 gives top priority to the workpiece W arranged in the direction shown by arrow A shown in FIG. 2(a) in the partial image MA, and gives second priority to the workpiece W arranged in the direction shown by arrow B. Then, the workpiece W to be picked up is determined. That is, the pick-up priority is the first work W1, the second work W2, the third work W3, the fourth work W4, and the fifth work W5.

The selection unit 22 first determines whether the first work W1 in the partial image MA can be a work that can be held simultaneously by a plurality of holding units 15. If the first workpiece W1 cannot be held simultaneously by the plurality of holding parts 15, the selection unit 22 similarly determines the second workpiece W2. Further, if the second workpiece W2 cannot be held simultaneously by the plurality of holding parts 15, the selection unit 22 similarly determines the third workpiece W3. In this manner, the selection unit 22 selects the work group by sequentially performing determination.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2(a) and FIG. The case where the work group WG can be held simultaneously in section H2) will be explained as an example.

The operation control unit 14 of the pickup device 11 controls the pickup operation unit 12 so as to prioritize and simultaneously hold the work group WG selected by the selection unit 22 among the plurality of works W. Note that the maximum number of works W included in the work group WG selected by the selection section 22 is equal to the number of holding sections 15 of the pickup device 11.

When the selection unit 22 of the pickup device 11 determines that there is no work group WG that can be simultaneously held by the plurality of holding units 15 in the partial image MA, the operation control unit 14 of the pickup device 11 determines that there is no work group WG that can be held simultaneously by the plurality of holding units 15. One of the holding sections 15 controls the operation of holding the workpiece W on the workpiece mounting section T1. The operation control unit 14 of the pickup device 11 of this embodiment controls the pickup operation unit 12 to hold the workpieces W one by one according to the priority order indicated by arrows A and B.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the operation control section 14 of the pickup device 11 controls the pickup operation section 12 so as to hold the first workpiece W1 in the third holding section H3. Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation control section 14 controls the pickup operation section 12 to hold the second workpiece W2 in the fourth holding section H4. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6, the operation control section 14 controls the pickup operation section 12 to hold the fifth workpiece W5 in the fifth holding section H5. After the work W is held in all the holding sections 15 in this way, the operation control section 14 controls the pickup operation section 12 to carry out the work W from the work placement section T1 toward the work transfer section T2. .

Note that even if there is a workpiece group WG that can be held simultaneously by a plurality of holding sections 15, if the number of holding sections 15 to hold the workpiece group WG is insufficient, the operation control section 14 The pick-up operation unit 12 is controlled to hold the workpieces W other than the workpieces W included in the group WG one by one in the priority order shown by arrows A and B. In this way, the operation control unit 14 of the present embodiment controls the pickup operation unit 12 with priority given to carrying out the work W after all the holding units 15 hold the work W.

Next, details of setting partial images will be explained.
As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 7(a), a partial image MA that captures a part of the workpiece placement part T1 is divided into two parts, a first divided area M1 and a second divided area M2. ing.

The operation control unit 14 of the pickup device 11 is configured to carry out all the plurality of works W in the first divided area M1 after completing carrying out the work group WG selected by the selection unit 22 during the partial image MA. Controls the pickup operating section 12. In the workpiece placement section T1 shown in FIGS. 7(a) to 7(d), the parts where the workpiece W has been completely unloaded are shown in white, and the parts where the workpiece W has not been unloaded are shown with hatching. There is.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the imaging unit 18 of the pickup device 11 creates a new divided area M2 consisting of a second divided area M2 and a third divided area M3 adjacent to the second divided area M2. Obtain partial image MB. Subsequently, the selection unit 22 selects a work group WG based on the partial image MB.

As shown in FIG. 7(c), after completing unloading of the workpiece group WG selected by the selection unit 22 in the partial image MB, the operation control unit 14 moves the plurality of workpieces WG in the second divided area M2. The pickup operation unit 12 is controlled so that all of the items are taken out.

As shown in FIG. 7D, the selection unit 22 of the pickup device 11 selects a new partial image MC consisting of a third divided area M3 and a fourth divided area M4 adjacent to the third divided area M3. is acquired, and a work group WG is selected based on this partial image MC.

Here, the workpiece mounting portion T1 of this embodiment has a rectangular shape in plan view. The imaging unit 18 of the pickup device 11 sequentially acquires partial images by moving the imaging area in a stroke-like manner from the initial position, which is a corner of the workpiece placement part T1. The imaging unit 18 of the pickup device 11 moves along a direction (Y-axis direction) orthogonal to the arrangement direction (X-axis direction) of the holding units 15 and acquires a partial image.

Examples of the workpiece W include tablets containing inorganic materials. The tablet is used, for example, as a sealing member that seals a predetermined location. Examples of the inorganic material contained in the tablet include glass or ceramics.

As shown in FIG. 8, for example, a tablet 23 used for sealing electronic components such as semiconductor elements has a pair of through holes 23a, 23a through which electrical wiring is inserted. The outer diameter of the tablet 23 used for sealing electronic components is, for example, in the range of 0.3 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the tablet 23 on the workpiece placement section T1 is imaged by the imaging section 18, the light irradiation section 20 that irradiates light onto the workpiece placement section T1 from the side opposite to the image pickup section 18 is activated. By using this, it is possible to image the light passing through the through holes 23a, 23a of the tablet 23.

Here, for example, when detecting the position of the tablet 23 at the outer periphery of the tablet 23, as shown in FIG. 9, if adjacent tablets 23 are in contact, the identification accuracy (position detection accuracy) of the tablet 23 will decrease. There is a risk of Therefore, in the tablet 23 having the through holes 23a, 23a, the identification accuracy of the tablet 23 can be improved by imaging the light passing through the through holes 23a, 23a using the light irradiation section 20 described above. Note that the identification accuracy of the workpiece is not limited to the tablet 23 having a pair of through holes 23a, 23a, but any workpiece having at least one through hole can be improved by using the light irradiation unit as described above. .

Next, a method of transporting the workpiece W will be explained together with the main functions of the pickup device 11.
As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the method for transporting the workpieces W is to transport a plurality of workpieces W from the workpiece placement section T1 to the workpiece unloading section T2 using the pickup device 11. At this time, since the pickup device 11 includes the detection section 13, the detection section 13 can specify the positions of the plurality of works W placed at arbitrary positions on the workpiece placement section T1. In addition, since the pickup operation section 12 of the pickup device 11 includes a plurality of holding sections 15 that each hold a plurality of works W, it is possible to carry out a plurality of works W in an aligned state from the workpiece placement section T1. can.

In the workpiece unloading section T2, for example, dimensional inspection such as thickness inspection of the workpiece W, appearance inspection of the workpiece W, etc. can be performed. Note that the workpiece W can also be packed in the workpiece unloading section T2 by arranging a packaging container. Furthermore, although the workpiece unloading section T2 in this embodiment is configured by a belt conveyor, it may also be a turntable, a sliding table, or the like, for example.

Next, the functions and effects of this embodiment will be explained.
(1) The pickup device 11 includes a pickup operation section 12, a detection section 13 that detects the positions of the plurality of works W placed on the workpiece placement section T1, and a pickup based on the results detected by the detection section 13. An operation control section 14 that controls the operation section 12 is provided. The pickup operation unit 12 of the pickup device 11 includes a plurality of holding parts 15 that each hold a plurality of works W, a holding head 16 to which the plurality of holding parts 15 are attached, and a head movement unit that moves the holding head 16. A mechanism 17 is provided.

According to this configuration, as described above, the positions of the plurality of workpieces W placed at arbitrary positions on the workpiece placement section T1 can be specified, and the plurality of workpieces W can be placed on the workpiece placement section T1. They can be carried out in a lined state. Therefore, it becomes possible to efficiently carry out the plurality of works W placed at arbitrary positions on the workpiece placement part T1 in an aligned state.

(2) When the plurality of holding parts 15 in the pick-up operation part 12 of the pick-up device 11 are a plurality of suction nozzles, unnecessary external force is not easily applied to the work W when holding the work W. Therefore, even when a workpiece W made of a brittle material (for example, a tablet 23 containing an inorganic material) is held, damage to the workpiece W can be suppressed.

(3) The plurality of holding parts 15 of the pickup device 11 are arranged in a line on the holding head 16. The operation control unit 14 of the pickup device 11 controls the operation of aligning and placing the plurality of works W held by the plurality of holding parts 15 on the workpiece unloading part T2.

In this case, for example, it becomes easy to inspect the plurality of works W carried out to the workpiece carry-out section T2 one by one. That is, it is possible to provide a pickup device 11 that can be suitably used upstream of an inspection process in which all of the plurality of workpieces W are inspected.

(4) The operation control unit 14 of the pickup device 11 controls the operation of carrying out the plurality of works W to the workpiece unloading part T2 after all the plurality of holding parts 15 hold the plurality of works W. In this case, since the plurality of holding parts 15 in the pickup device 11 can be used efficiently, it becomes possible to carry out the plurality of works W more efficiently.

(5) The pickup device 11 further includes an imaging section 18 that images the plurality of works W on the workpiece mounting section T1. The detection unit 13 of the pickup device 11 detects the positions of the plurality of works W based on images acquired from the imaging unit 18. In this case, by using an image including the plurality of works W, the positions of the plurality of works W can be detected in a short time.

(6) The pickup device 11 further includes an imaging section moving mechanism 19 that moves the imaging section 18 along the workpiece placement section T1. The imaging unit moving mechanism 19 and the head moving mechanism 17 that moves the holding head 16 are configured to be able to be driven independently of each other. In this case, for example, even while the holding head 16 is moving, the imaging section 18 can take an image. Further, for example, even when the imaging section 18 is moving, the holding head 16 can be stopped at a predetermined position and the holding section 15 can hold the workpiece W. By operating the imaging unit 18 and the holding head 16 independently in this way, it is possible to shorten the time it takes to transport the plurality of works W.

(7) The pickup device 11 further includes a light irradiation section 20 that irradiates light onto the workpiece placement section T1 from the side opposite to the imaging section 18. In this case, at least part or all of the contour shape of the workpiece W can be more clearly captured in the image, so that the identification accuracy of the workpiece W, that is, the detection accuracy of the position of the workpiece W can be easily improved. Note that the contour shape referred to here includes not only the outer peripheral shape of the work W but also the inner peripheral shape of a through hole formed in the work W.

(8) The pickup device 11 further includes a selection unit 22 that selects a work group WG that can be simultaneously held by the plurality of holding units 15 from among the plurality of works W included in the image captured by the imaging unit 18. There is. The operation control unit 14 of the pickup device 11 controls the pickup operation unit 12 so as to prioritize and simultaneously hold the work group WG selected by the selection unit 22 among the plurality of works W. In this case, the plurality of workpieces W can be efficiently held by the plurality of holding parts 15. Thereby, it becomes possible to shorten the time for carrying out the plurality of works W.

(9) The selection unit 22 of the pickup device 11 selects the work group WG from a plurality of partial images (partial images MA, MB, etc.) formed by dividing the workpiece placement portion T1 into a plurality of regions. ing. In this case, since the selection unit 22 can sequentially select the work group WG using a plurality of partial images, it is possible to improve the accuracy of selecting the work group WG, for example.

(10) The operation control unit 14 of the pickup device 11 divides the partial image MA into two divided regions, a first divided region M1 and a second divided region M2. The pickup operation section 12 is controlled so that all the W is taken out. The imaging unit 18 of the pickup device 11 acquires a new partial image MB consisting of a second divided area M2 and a third divided area M3 adjacent to the second divided area M2.

In this case, when detecting the positions of the plurality of workpieces W on the workpiece placement section T1 using the partial images (partial images MA, MB, etc.), all of the plurality of workpieces in the partial image are carried out as described above. By acquiring the next partial image before the workpiece placement section T1, continuous positional information can be obtained for the plurality of workpieces W on the workpiece placement section T1. Thereby, for example, the holding section 15 can continuously perform the operation of holding the workpiece W, so that the time for carrying out the workpiece W can be shortened. Therefore, it becomes possible to more efficiently carry out the plurality of works W placed at arbitrary positions on the workpiece placement part T1 in an aligned state.

(11) The workpiece placement section T1 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and the imaging section 18 moves the imaging area in a single stroke from the initial position, which is a corner of the workpiece placement section T1, to capture a partial image (partial image). images MA, MB, etc.) are acquired sequentially. In this case, since the imaging unit 18 can be moved efficiently, the time required for imaging can be shortened.

(Example of change)
This embodiment can be modified and implemented as follows. This embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.

- The shape of the work W to be picked up by the pick-up device 11 and the use of the work W are not particularly limited, and for example, the pick-up device 11 may be applied as an object to pick up a work other than the tablet 23.

- The shape of the workpiece mounting portion T1 is not limited to a rectangular shape in a plan view, and may be, for example, a circular shape in a plan view.
- The movement of the imaging section 18 of the pickup device 11 is not limited to a single stroke, and the imaging section 18 may be moved so as to acquire a partial image at an arbitrary position on the workpiece placement section T1.

- The operation control unit 14 of the pickup device 11 controls the pickup operation unit 12 based on divided regions (first divided region M1, second divided region M2, etc.) obtained by dividing a partial image (partial image MA, etc.) into two. However, the pickup operation unit 12 may be controlled without using the divided areas.

- The selection unit 22 of the pickup device 11 may be changed so that the selection unit 22 of the pickup device 11 selects the work group WG using the entire image of the work placement unit T1 instead of using partial images.
- The selection section 22 of the pickup device 11 can also be omitted. That is, the operation control section 14 of the pickup device 11 may be changed so that only the operation of holding the workpiece W on the workpiece mounting section T1 by any one of the holding sections 15 is repeated.

- The light irradiation section 20 of the pickup device 11 may be omitted. That is, the images of the plurality of works W can also be acquired by irradiating light from the imaging section 18 side to the workpiece mounting section T1 and capturing the images.

- The imaging unit moving mechanism 19 of the pickup device 11 can also be omitted. That is, one or more imaging units 18 fixed at a predetermined position may be used.
- The imaging unit 18 of the pickup device 11 may be omitted, and the positions of the plurality of works W may be detected by a detection unit equipped with a position sensor such as an optical sensor.

- The operation control unit 14 of the pickup device 11 controls the operation of carrying out the plurality of workpieces W to the workpiece unloading part T2 after all the plurality of holding parts 15 hold the plurality of works W. The control may be changed to one in which the two holding parts 15 are used as spare holding parts 15 and do not hold the workpiece W.

- The plurality of holding parts 15 of the pickup device 11 may be arranged in a plurality of rows on the holding head 16.
- As the holding part 15 of the pickup device 11, a suction device other than a suction nozzle, such as a suction device equipped with a magnet, may be used, or a chuck device for gripping the workpiece W, etc. may be used.

- The entire holding head 16 may be configured to be movable in the Z-axis direction. In this case, it is suitable for transporting workpieces W stacked in multiple stages in the Z-axis direction.
- The number of holding parts 15 of the pickup device 11 can also be changed as appropriate. However, it is preferable that the number of holding parts 15 is three or more.

- The pickup device 11 may include a plurality of holding heads 16 and a plurality of head moving mechanisms 17.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11...Pickup device, 12...Pickup operation section, 13...Detection section, 14...Operation control section, 15...Holding section, 16...Holding head, 17...Head moving mechanism, 18...Imaging section, 19...Imaging section moving mechanism , 20... Light irradiation section, 22... Selection section, 23... Tablet, H1 to H5... First to fifth holding sections, MA, MB, MC... Partial image, M1 to M4... First to fourth divided areas, T1...Work placement section, T2...Work unloading section, W...Work, WG...Work group, W1 to W5...First to fifth works.

Claims (10)

A pickup device that picks up a plurality of works placed at arbitrary positions on the same plane serving as a work placement part,
a pickup operating section;
a detection unit that detects the positions of the plurality of workpieces arranged on the same plane serving as the workpiece mounting unit;
an operation control section that controls the pickup operation section based on the result detected by the detection section;
an imaging unit that captures images of the plurality of works on the same plane serving as the work placement unit;
a light irradiation unit that irradiates light to the workpiece placement unit from a side opposite to the imaging unit with the workpiece placement unit in between,
The pickup operation unit includes a plurality of holding parts that each hold the plurality of works, a holding head to which the plurality of holding parts are attached, and a head moving mechanism that moves the holding head,
The detection unit detects the positions of the plurality of workpieces based on the image acquired from the imaging unit,
The plurality of holding parts are arranged in one row or multiple rows on the holding head,
The operation control section is a pickup device that controls an operation of aligning and placing the plurality of works held by the plurality of holding sections on a workpiece unloading section in one row or in a plurality of rows. The pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of holding parts are a plurality of suction nozzles. The pickup device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the operation control section controls an operation of carrying out the plurality of works to a workpiece unloading section after all of the plurality of holding sections hold the plurality of works. . further comprising an imaging unit moving mechanism that moves the imaging unit along the workpiece mounting unit,
The pickup device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the imaging unit moving mechanism and the head moving mechanism are configured to be able to be driven independently of each other. further comprising a selection unit that selects a group of works that can be simultaneously held by the plurality of holding units from among the plurality of works included in the image captured by the imaging unit,
Any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the operation control unit controls the pickup operation unit so as to prioritize and simultaneously hold the work group selected by the selection unit among the plurality of works. The pickup device according to item 1. The pickup device according to claim 5 , wherein the selection section selects the workpiece group from a plurality of partial images formed by dividing the workpiece placement section into a plurality of regions. The operation control unit controls the pickup so that all of the plurality of workpieces in the first divided area of the divided area in which the partial image is divided into a first divided area and a second divided area are carried out. Controls the operating part,
The pickup device according to claim 6 , wherein the imaging unit acquires a new partial image consisting of a second divided area and a third divided area adjacent to the second divided area. The workpiece mounting section has a rectangular shape in plan view,
8. The pickup device according to claim 7 , wherein the imaging section sequentially acquires the partial images by moving the imaging region in a single stroke from an initial position that is a corner of the workpiece placement section. A method for transporting a workpiece, comprising transporting the plurality of workpieces from a workpiece placement part to a workpiece unloading part using the pickup device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 . The method for transporting a workpiece according to claim 9 , wherein the workpiece is a tablet containing an inorganic material.