JPH09123080A - Robot hand - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To hold a vegetable or a fruit stably by gripping softly, by providing plural finger form bodies to grasp the vegetable or the fruit surrounding from its upper part to the lower side of the maximum diameter part, and a suction nozzle to suck and hold the vegetable or the fruit. SOLUTION: A pressurized air is fed from the first pump to the inside of the cylinder chamber 8 of an air communication passage C, a piston 9 receives an air pressure directing to the opposite side from the fingertip side, a support shaft 6 moves to the inner side of a supporting member against the weight of a weight 14, a suction nozzle N lifts up an orange at a specific amount, and the grips 1b of finger form bodies are made in the condition surrounding to the lower side of the maximum diameter part R of the orange. The piston 9 reaches to the stroke end and is made in the retreating condition, a hose H and an air feed and exhaust port 10 communicate, and the finger form bodies 1 are bent to the stem side by the pressurized air, and grasp the lower side of the maximum diameter part R of the orange.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot hand.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the above-mentioned robot hand, as shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-203287, only the finger-formed body holds the object to be grasped.

[0003]

According to the conventional configuration,
Since only the finger-formed body was used to hold the object to be grasped, when vegetables and fruits were held softly, they were not held sufficiently, and when the position was changed while holding them, the vegetables and fruits were dropped by inertia. There was an occasion.

An object of the present invention is to hold vegetables and fruits stably while holding them softly, and to prevent vegetables and fruits from falling even if the position is changed while holding them.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

[Structure] A characteristic structure of the invention according to claim 1 is that a plurality of finger-formed bodies that grips vegetables and fruits by wrapping around them from above to below the maximum diameter portion, and vegetables and fruits held by the finger-formed bodies. A suction member for suction-holding the upper surface of the fruit on the inner side of the plurality of finger-formed bodies is supported by a support member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the finger-forming body is capable of descending from the upper side toward the vegetable or fruit side, and the supporting member is supported by a supporting arm so as to be vertically movable. Then, in a state where the suction nozzle is located on the fingertip side, the suction nozzle is supported by the support member so that the suction nozzle can be retracted and displaced, and with the lowering of the finger forming body, the suction nozzle and the upper surface of the vegetables or fruits. Moves backward due to contact,
The grip portion of the finger formation surrounds the underside of the maximum diameter portion of the vegetable or fruit, and in that state, each finger formation grips the vegetable or fruit, and the suction nozzle is the vegetable or fruit. The upper surface of the device is configured to be suction-held.

[Operation] According to the structure of claim 1, the plurality of finger-formed bodies wrap around vegetables and fruits from above to the lower side of the maximum diameter portion and grasp them, and further, they are grasped by the finger-formed bodies. The upper surface of the vegetables and fruits is sucked and held by the suction nozzle on the inner side of the multiple finger-formed bodies, so even if the fingers are softly gripped, the vegetables and fruits do not easily fall and are held stably. it can.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, as the finger forming body is lowered toward the vegetable or fruit side, the suction nozzle is moved backward due to contact with the upper surface of the vegetable or fruit, whereby the finger forming body of each finger forming body is displaced. The gripping part wraps around to the lower side of the maximum diameter part of the vegetable or fruit, and in that state, each finger formation grips the vegetable or fruit, and the suction nozzle sucks and holds the upper surface of the vegetable or fruit. hand,
The same operation as the operation according to the configuration of the above-mentioned claim 1 can be achieved.

[Effect] Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to hold vegetables and fruits softly and stably,
Vegetables and fruits will no longer drop even if the position is changed while holding.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, four finger forming bodies 1 made of a long and thin tubular rubber material having a base end opened and a free end closed are suspended and supported by a supporting member 2 in a vertical posture. Is a four-fingered robot hand configured to be supported by a support arm 5 so as to be driven up and down. This robot hand wraps each finger formation 1 from above the mandarin orange as an object to be gripped to below the maximum diameter portion R (see FIG. 5) and grips the finger-shaped structure 1 according to grades such as size. It is for sorting and storing in a basket, and the position changing mechanism (not shown) horizontally changes the position of the support arm 5 to drive and elevate the support member 2 to move the finger forming body 1 close to and away from the basket side. It is configured as follows.

The support member 2 is provided with a flange 2a at the lower end thereof, and four connecting members 4 are attached to the connecting member 4 in a cantilever manner in a state where the four connecting members 4 are dispersedly arranged on the peripheral portion of the flange 2a. The downwardly formed round boss 11 is attached to the finger forming body 1.
The base end portion on the side of the opening portion 1a is externally fitted and fixed by a ring-shaped clip 19. As shown in FIG. 3, the round boss 11
A vertical groove 20 and an annular groove 22 are formed on the inner surface of the finger forming body 1, and a vertical projection 21 and a horizontal projection 23 are formed on the inner surface of the base end portion of the finger forming body 1, respectively. The finger forming body 1 is provided with the functions of slipping off, positioning in the vertical direction, and detent.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connecting member 4 and the flange 2a are connected so that the position of the finger member 1 can be adjusted in the radial direction of the supporting member 2 so that the distance between the finger members 1 is increased. It is configured so that it can be changed and adjusted to suit the size of the object to be grasped. That is, the bolt insertion slot 12 is formed in the connecting member 4,
The support member 2 is formed along the radial direction of the support member 2, an internal thread portion is formed on the flange 2a, and the connecting member 4 is connected to the flange 2a by a bolt 13.

The opening 1a of the finger forming body 1 is connected to the upper and lower intermediate portions of the air flow passage C formed in the supporting member 2 through a hose H so as to communicate with each other. And the air flow passage C
The first pump 3 is communicatively connected to the air supply / exhaust port 10 on the front end side of the support member 2 in FIG. By forming the bellows 15 that is higher than that (see FIG. 4), by supplying and discharging pressurized air from the first pump 3, each finger forming body 1 has a gripping posture bent toward the abdomen side and a return extension toward the back side. The posture can be freely switched to the grip release posture.

In the air flow passage C, the air flow passage C
In a state where both ends in the longitudinal direction of the are blocked from the outside air, the hollow support shaft 6 is inserted from the front end side of the support member 2, and the bellows-like suction nozzle N capable of sucking mandarin orange is positioned on the fingertip side for support. It is supported by the protruding tip of the shaft 6.

The support shaft 6 is formed as a piston shaft by bulging the intermediate portion of the support shaft 6 on the piston 9, while the air flow passage C is reduced in diameter in the intermediate portion of the support member 2 to reduce the diameter. The tip side portion of the support member 2 with respect to the diameter portion is formed in the cylinder chamber 8 capable of exerting a pressure on the piston 9 from the tip side of the support shaft 6 toward the base side. Furthermore, the suction nozzle N
A weight 14 on the back side of the cylinder chamber 8 is urged in a direction of projecting outward from the tip of the two-finger forming body 1 so that the cylinder chamber 8
By supplying and discharging pressurized air to and from the suction nozzle N, the suction nozzle N can be sucked onto the mandarin orange so that the suction nozzle N can be sucked onto the mandarin orange in a protruding state outward from the fingertip portion of each finger formation 1 in the grip release posture. It is configured such that it can be switched to a retracted state in which the mandarin oranges are gripped by each finger forming body 1 inward of the fingertips. The support shaft 6 and the cylinder chamber 8
And constitute a piston mechanism A.

The hollow portion 6a of the support shaft 6 and the suction nozzle N
The hollow portion 6a of the support shaft 6 is communicated with the negative pressure forming space therein.
The air in the negative pressure forming space in the suction nozzle N from the second
The pump 16 is configured to be sucked and adsorbed to mandarin orange, and air is discharged from an air supply / discharge port (not shown) communicating with the hollow portion 6a of the support shaft 6 so that the adsorption action can be released.

The hose H branches off before the first stroke end on the side farther from the suction nozzle N in the cylinder chamber 8. As shown in FIG. 5, the pressurized air from the air supply / discharge port 10 is a piston. 9 is pushed to the first stroke end to cause the suction nozzle N to lift a certain amount of mandarin orange, and after the suction nozzle N is in the retracted state, the hose H communicates with the air supply port 10, whereby the finger forming body 1 Is bent to the abdomen side and is configured to hold a mandarin orange.

The reduced diameter portion is formed to have a diameter larger than the base end side portion of the support shaft 6, and a gap S is formed between the reduced diameter portion and the support shaft 6, and the base end side wall of the support member 2 is formed. When the air discharge port 17 is formed and the grip of the finger formation body 1 is released, the pressurized air in the finger formation body 1 is first discharged a little from the air supply / discharge port 10, and then the air discharge port is released. It is configured to be discharged from 17. That is, as the pressurized air is discharged from the air supply / discharge port 10 and the weight of the weight 14 causes the piston 9 to move from the first stroke end side to the other second stroke end side, the piston 9 moves toward the hose. When H is cut off from the air supply / discharge port 10 and the piston 9 is further moved to the finger tip side,
The opening 1a and the hose H communicate with the air outlet 17, and the pressurized air in the finger body 1 is discharged from the gap S and the air outlet 17. The weight 14,
A mechanism for ejecting the pressurized air from the cylinder chamber 8 constitutes a protrusion actuating means B for moving the support shaft 6 in a direction in which the suction nozzle N protrudes from the support member 2.

A control device 18 capable of controlling the drive device, the first pump 3 and the second pump 16 is provided,
The robot hand having the above configuration operates as follows by the execution of control by the control device 18.

[1] The support member 2 is close to the side of the harvest basket.
When the suction nozzle N adsorbs one mandarin orange, the proximity drive of the support member 2 to the mandarin orange side is stopped (see FIG. 1. As a means for stopping the driving of the support member 2, for example, the suction nozzle N
(There is a means for controlling the drive device to stop by the control device 18 based on the amount of contraction).

[2] Pressurized air is supplied from the first pump 3 into the cylinder chamber 8 of the air flow passage C, the piston 9 receives the air pressure toward the side opposite to the fingertip side, and the support shaft 6 receives the weight 14 The inward direction of the support member 2 against the weight of the manipulator, the suction nozzle N lifts a certain amount of mandarin orange, and the gripping portion 1b of the finger forming body 1 wraps around to the lower side of the maximum diameter part R of mandarin orange. It becomes a state.

[3] As shown in FIG. 5, the piston 9 reaches the stroke end and enters the retracted state, and the hose H
And the air supply / exhaust port 10 communicate with each other, the finger forming body 1 is bent to the abdominal side by the pressurized air and grips the lower side of the maximum diameter portion R of the mandarin orange. When the gripping force becomes constant, the supply of pressurized air stops,
The air pressure in the finger forming body 1 becomes constant and the bending operation stops. In this state, the support member 2 is separated from the harvest basket side and one mandarin orange is taken out.

[4] The finger forming body 1 is located above a predetermined position in a box to be newly accommodated, and pressurized air is discharged from the air supply / exhaust port 10 so that the finger forming body 1 releases its grip. start. As the pressurized air is discharged, the weight of the weight 14 moves the support shaft 6 toward the tip of the finger, and the piston 9 immediately disconnects the hose H from the air supply / discharge port 10. When the support shaft 6 further moves to the tip side of the finger, the hose H communicates with the air outlet 17, and the pressurized air in the finger forming body 1 passes through the gap S and the air outlet 1
It is ejected from 7, and the finger formation body 1 returns to the grip release posture and extends. When this grip is released, the suction nozzle N projects to the fingertip side to place the mandarin orange at a predetermined position in the box. The air in the suction nozzle N is discharged from the air discharge port that communicates with the hollow portion 6a of the support shaft 6 to release the suction of mandarin oranges.

[Other Embodiments] Although not shown in the drawing, the support member 2 is provided with the suction nozzle N positioned on the fingertip side.
Supported by a spring via a spring so that the suction nozzle N abuts against the upper surface of the mandarin orange as the finger forming body 1 descends, and the gripping portion 1b causes the gripping portion 1b to have the largest diameter part of the mandarin orange. It may be configured to wrap around to the lower side of R, and in that state, each finger formation 1 holds the mandarin orange and the suction nozzle N sucks and holds the upper surface of the mandarin orange.

In this case, since the four finger-formed bodies 1 are provided, for example, when tangerines are accommodated in a plurality of rows arranged vertically and horizontally with their side portions in contact with each other, the four fingers formed around each tangerine. Each finger formation 1 can be easily inserted into the gap.

As shown in FIG. 6, the base end portion of the finger gripping body 1 for a large object to be grasped is made to have substantially the same shape at predetermined intervals, and the base end having a predetermined length from the end face on the base end side. When the side portion is cut, the finger-formed body 1 can be used for the medium-sized object to be grasped, and further cut by a predetermined length to be used for the small object to be grasped. According to this structure, it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of finger-molding materials having different sizes, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of bellows 15 may be arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction, and further, the hollow portion of the finger body 1 is configured to have a smaller diameter on the fingertip side. May be. That is, the grip force is reduced toward the fingertip side so that the proximal end portion side of the finger forming body 1 does not deform abnormally even when the fluid pressure increases, and the finger forming body 1 bends in a desired curve. In this way, gripping is ensured.

The finger forming body 1 may be formed of another soft material such as vinyl urethane instead of the rubber material.

The object to be grasped may be fruits or vegetables other than mandarin oranges. The number of finger formations 1 is not limited to four, and may be three.

Instead of the pressurized air, the posture of the finger forming body 1 may be switched with a liquid such as pressurized hydraulic oil.

It should be noted that reference numerals are given in the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the accompanying drawings by this entry.

[Brief description of the drawings]

[Fig. 1] Vertical front view of robot hand

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a robot hand

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a finger formation body.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional front view of the robot hand in a gripping state.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a finger assembly according to another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a finger assembly according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Finger Forming Body 1b Gripping Part 2 Supporting Member 5 Supporting Arm N Nozzle R Maximum Diameter

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of finger-formed bodies (1) for gripping vegetables and fruits by wrapping around them from the upper side to the lower side of the maximum diameter portion (R), and vegetables and fruits held by the finger-formed bodies (1). A robot hand in which a support member (2) supports an adsorption nozzle (N) that adsorbs and holds the upper surface of the fruit on the inner side of the plurality of finger-formed bodies (1). 2. The suction member (N) is configured such that the finger forming body (1) can descend from the upper side to the vegetable or fruit side, and the supporting member (2) is vertically movable by a supporting arm (5).
In the state of being located on the fingertip side, the support member (2) supports the movable member backwardly so that the suction nozzle (N) causes the vegetables and fruits to move as the finger forming body (1) descends. The finger forming body (1) is displaced backward by contact with the upper surface of the finger forming body (1).
The gripping part (1b) is the maximum diameter part (R) of the vegetable or fruit.
Around the lower side, and in that state, each finger formation (1) grips the vegetables and fruits, and the suction nozzle (N)
The robot hand according to claim 1, wherein the robot hand is configured to adsorb and hold upper surfaces of the vegetables and fruits.