JPH10316109A - Product transferring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a product transferring apparatus capable of preventing trouble from occurring for a long period of time and capable of improving a handling speed and an operating efficiency. SOLUTION: A hand unit 13 of this product transferring apparatus has an arm 18 extending in a horizontal direction, two chucks 19 for holding bottles B, an inclination amplifying plate 23 fixed above a flange 21, etc. Further, the hand unit 13 is hung in a swingable manner relative to a robot main body 12 which is three-dimensionally moved, and two tactile sensors 25, which are brought into contact with the inclination amplifying plate 23 when the hand unit 13 is inclined, is set to, the robot main body 12. Furthermore, a control unit 26 is provided which receives a signal to be generated when the tactile sensors 25 detect the contact with the hand unit 13 and which stops the operation of the robot main body 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing
For example, a part of the equipment of a filling line that fills containers with liquid products or granular products such as liquid detergents, and from a conveyor line to packing equipment that collectively packs multiple filled containers. The present invention relates to a product transport device that transports these containers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a factory that manufactures a liquid detergent and the like, a filling line for these products usually includes, in addition to a filling machine for filling the products into the containers, a device for removing the containers delivered in boxes from the boxes, It is composed of various devices such as a device for supplying the container to the filling line, a device for packing a certain number of containers filled with the product together, and the like. And usually,
These devices operate independently in each block.

In order to start the filling line, packing materials from the upstream are stocked, the processing speed of each device in the filling line is adjusted, and then the starting is performed sequentially from the downstream side. At this time, the processing speed is adjusted so that the downstream side becomes faster after the filling machine. In addition, since packing materials from upstream are stocked in the filling machine, there is no problem by sequentially starting them from downstream. In such a filling line, the product sometimes stays or becomes clogged in each block.In this case, the operator operates the start / stop button of the corresponding device until the upstream device stops. This has been addressed by stopping individual devices. Then, products, materials, and the like at trouble locations were manually removed.

In a filling line, a robot caser is often installed for the purpose of speeding up a filling operation, particularly in a packing machine for packing a fixed number of containers filled with a product, for example, a bottle containing a liquid detergent. . As shown in FIG. 2, the robot caser includes a robot body 1 and a hand unit 2 for grasping the bottle B. When the bottle B is pushed up from below, the chuck 3 of the hand unit 2 holds the bottle B. After being grasped, the robot body 1 moves three-dimensionally to move the bottle from the conveyor line on which the bottle is mounted onto the packing case.

[0005]

As shown in FIG. 2, in the conventional robot caser, the joint structure between the robot body 1 and the hand section 2 is such that the robot body 1 and the hand section 2 are firmly connected at the flange portion. It had a fixed structure. Therefore, for example, when the hand unit grips the bottle in an unstable manner, the line cannot be stopped unless the bottle B is crushed and the robot itself is overloaded. Then, if it was discovered after the robot overload trouble, it would require time-consuming and labor-intensive work, such as processing the scattered liquid cleaning agent and returning to the robot origin, which is one of the factors that hinder labor saving. I was

If the bottle is not grasped and the specified number of bottles are not inserted into the case, it can be checked and automatically discharged by a final calibration machine in a later process. If the specified number enters the case and the robot does not overload, it will be found as a normal product after entering the product warehouse and leaking the contents or as a product without a cap. There was a defect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is intended to prevent quality problems due to crushing of bottles and long-term troubles such as scattered liquid processing work, and to reduce the processing speed and operating rate. It is an object of the present invention to provide a suitable product transfer device that can be improved and is incorporated in a filling line or the like in a liquid detergent manufacturing plant.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a product transport apparatus comprising: a hand section for holding a container containing a product; A product transfer device having a robot body for transferring to another place, wherein the hand unit has a horizontally extending arm and a container holding unit for holding a plurality of containers,
A plurality of tactile sensors are installed on the robot body so that the hand unit is swingably suspended with respect to the robot body, and at least touches at least a part of the hand unit when the hand unit swings and tilts, A control unit is provided which receives a signal emitted when the tactile sensor detects contact with the hand unit and stops the operation of the robot body.

That is, in the product transfer device of the present invention, the hand portion swings with respect to the robot main body, and a plurality of tactile sensors which contact when the hand portion swings are installed on the robot main body. Accordingly, if the hand unit cannot hold the container well when holding the container, the balance of the hand unit is lost, and the hand unit swings and tilts, and comes into contact with the tactile sensor. At that time, the tactile sensor emits a signal, and the control unit receiving the signal stops the operation of the robot body. In this way, the device itself detects that the container could not be held securely, and the robot body automatically stops, so that there is no need for the operator to stop the device.

[0010] In the above-mentioned product transport apparatus, the container holding portion may be a plurality of container holding portions, and may be provided at a position where a line connecting the container holding portions with the center of the arm as the center of gravity forms a rectangle. . In such a case, if each of the plurality of container holders grasps the container normally, the balance is obtained at the center of the arm, and when any of the container holders fails to grasp the container, the balance of the arm is lost, and the arm is broken. Tilts and touches the tactile sensor.

Further, in the above-mentioned product transport apparatus, a tilt amplifying member extending in the horizontal direction may be provided on the upper portion of the hand portion, and an end of the tilt amplifying member may be in contact with the tactile sensor. . In this case, that is, when the tilt amplifying member is present, the movement distance at the end of the member increases even if the member is tilted by the same angle. Therefore, the tactile sensor detects the imbalance of the hand portion more reliably, and the robot body stops.

Further, in the above-mentioned product transfer apparatus, a swing absorbing member for absorbing the swing of the hand unit may be inserted between the robot body and the hand unit. In this case, the action of the swing absorbing member suppresses unnecessarily swinging of the hand unit, thereby preventing erroneous detection of the tactile sensor due to natural shaking when the hand unit holds the container normally. it can.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a product transport apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. The apparatus is installed in a filling line in a liquid detergent manufacturing plant and packs a bottle (container) after the liquid detergent is filled. It is used in the process of transporting to the use case.

FIG. 1 shows a product transfer apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in the figure, a robot body 12 (only one set is shown) installed at an arbitrary position on the circumference of the circular top 11;
And a hand unit 13 suspended from each robot body 12. The robot main body 12 is three-dimensionally movable by the rotational movement of the top 11 and the vertical movement of the central axis 14, and is also capable of rotating by connecting a motor 15 to the central axis 14. A sensor mounting portion 16 protruding in the horizontal direction is provided at an upper portion of the robot body 12, and a disk 17 having a bolt through hole 17a at a peripheral portion is fixed on a central shaft 14 therebelow.

On the other hand, the hand section 13 has an arm section 18 extending in the horizontal direction and two chucks 19 (container holding sections) provided at equal intervals from the center of the arm section 18 and directly holding the bottle B. A flange 21 is fixed to a shaft 20 extending upward from each chuck 19. Above the flange portion 21, the disk 1 below the robot body 12 is placed.
The tilt amplification plate 23 (member for tilt amplification) is fixed by bolts 22 penetrating through the 7 bolt through holes 17a.
The inclined amplification plate 23 is provided with a flange portion 2 located thereunder.
1 and a hole 23a is provided in the center, and the central axis 14 of the robot body 12 is inserted with a clearance.

A spring 24 (oscillation absorbing member) is inserted between the disk 17 under the robot body 12 and the flange 21 of the hand unit 13. Further, a bolt 22 for connecting the tilt amplification plate 23 of the hand portion 13 and the flange portion 21 is provided.
There is a clearance between the bolt 17 and the bolt through hole 17a of the disk 17, and the bolt 22 and the disk 17 are not screwed. Therefore, the hand unit 1 is
3 is suspended with a degree of freedom,
When the hand unit 13 holds the bottle B, the hand unit 13 descends by its weight, the spring 24 contracts, and the hand unit 1
Support 3 If the hand unit 13 is balanced in the horizontal direction (left and right in the figure), the hand unit 13
The hand unit 13 descends while maintaining a parallel state with respect to the robot body 12, but if the balance is lost, the hand unit 13 swings with respect to the robot body 12 and tilts.

Two tactile sensors 25 are mounted on the sensor mounting portion 16 of the robot body 12 in a direction in which the two chucks 19 are arranged. The detection unit 25a of the tactile sensor 25 is disposed so as to be located above the end of the tilt amplification plate 23.
When 3 is tilted along the direction in which the chucks 19 are arranged, the end of the tilt amplification plate 23 comes into contact with the detection unit 25 a of one of the tactile sensors 25. The output of the tactile sensor 25 is connected to the control unit 26. The control unit 26 has a function of stopping the operation of the robot body 12 in response to a signal generated when the tactile sensor 25 detects contact with the hand unit 13.

By using the product transfer device 10 having the above-described structure, the bottle B after the liquid detergent is filled can be transferred from the bottle conveyor to the packing case.
At that time, first, the bottle B is pushed up from below with the bottle B positioned below each chuck 19, and each chuck 19 grips the bottle B. Thereafter, the hand unit 13 moves three-dimensionally by the combination of the rotation of the top 11 and the vertical movement and rotation of the central shaft 14, and conveys the bottle B to a desired position in the packing case.

At this time, if the two chucks 19 securely grip the bottle B and the hand unit 13 is balanced, the hand unit 13 descends while maintaining the parallel state with respect to the robot body 12, and tilts. Since the amplification plate 23 does not come into contact with the tactile sensor 25, normal conveyance is performed without any problem. However, for example, one of the chucks 19
When the user fails to grasp the bottle B or grasps the bottle B in an unstable manner, the balance of the hand unit 13 is lost, and the entire hand unit 13 is inclined, and the tilt amplification plate 23 contacts the tactile sensor 25. Then, the control unit 26 receives the output signal from the tactile sensor 25 and stops the operation of the robot body 12.

As described above, in the product transfer apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, when the hand unit 13 cannot hold the bottle B accurately due to, for example, a poor push-up of the bottle B, the robot body 12 automatically stops. It has a configuration. As a result, a trouble is discovered after the bottle is crushed and the robot itself is overloaded as in the conventional apparatus, and the operator does not need to carry out the processing of the scattered liquid or the work of returning to the robot origin. Prevention can improve the processing speed and operating rate of the entire filling line. Further, if the hand unit 13 cannot hold the bottle B accurately, the apparatus stops immediately in this transport process, so that it is possible to prevent defective products from flowing to the subsequent process.

In the case of the present embodiment, the hand unit 13
Is provided at the upper portion of the tactile sensor 23, the moving distance at the end of the tilt amplifying plate 23 becomes large when the hand unit 13 is tilted.
5 can more reliably detect the imbalance of the hand unit 13 and stop the movement of the device. Furthermore, since the spring 24 is inserted into the joint between the robot body 12 and the hand unit 13, the shaking of the hand unit 13 is absorbed to some extent, and the natural shaking when the hand unit 13 normally grasps the bottle B. This can prevent erroneous detection of the tactile sensor 25 from occurring.

Further, by using the tactile sensor 25 as a sensor for detecting the inclination of the hand unit 13, it is possible to eliminate such a problem that the sensor does not detect or the sensor is damaged depending on the direction and degree of the inclination.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in this embodiment, an example of the hand unit having two chucks has been described. However, a plurality of containers are held at equal intervals on an arbitrary rectangle, and when all the containers are normally grasped, the balance of the hand unit is adjusted. If it can be obtained, for example, one hand unit has four chucks at four corners on a rectangle, and further has six chucks with two chucks added at the middle point of the longitudinal side of the rectangle The number of container holders such as a container can be arbitrary. In addition, the number of tactile sensors can be changed accordingly.

Further, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which the robot main body is installed on the circumference of the top portion. However, the number of the robot main bodies can be appropriately changed. Although a detailed description is omitted in the present embodiment, specific structures such as a mechanism for actually holding the bottle by the chuck and a mechanism for horizontally moving the robot body are the same as those of the conventional apparatus. , Various configurations can be adopted. Further, it is needless to say that this product transfer device can be applied to various fields other than the filling line in the liquid detergent manufacturing plant.

[0025]

As described above in detail, in the product transport apparatus of the present invention, when the hand unit cannot hold the container when holding the container, or when the hand unit holds the container in an unstable manner, The tactile sensor detects the swing of the main body, and the controller stops the operation of the robot main body. in this way,
The device itself detects that the container could not be held securely, and the robot body automatically stops. This eliminates the need for the operator to perform the work of handling scattered products or the return to the robot origin, as in the case of conventional equipment, and to improve the processing speed and operating rate of the entire equipment by preventing trouble for a long time. Can be planned. Further, if the hand unit cannot hold the bottle accurately, the apparatus is immediately stopped in this transport process, so that it is possible to prevent defective products from flowing to the subsequent process.

In the above-described product transport apparatus, when the plurality of container holding portions are provided at positions where the lines connecting the respective container holding portions with the center of the arm as the center of gravity are rectangular, each of the plurality of container holding portions is If the container is grasped normally, the balance is obtained at the center of the arm, and when any of the container holders fails to grasp the container, the balance of the arm is lost, and the arm tilts and comes into contact with the tactile sensor. In addition, when the tilt amplifying member is provided in the hand portion, the swing width of the swing increases at the end of the member due to the presence of the tilt amplifying member. Upon detection, the robot body can be stopped. In addition, when a swing absorbing member is inserted between the robot body and the hand unit, unnecessary swinging of the hand unit is suppressed, and a tactile sensor due to natural shaking when the hand unit holds the container normally. Erroneous detection can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a configuration of a main part of a product transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a configuration of a main part of a conventional product transport device.

[Description of Signs] 10 Product transfer device 12 Robot main body 13 Hand unit 18 Arm unit 19 Chuck (container holding unit) 23 Inclined amplification plate (inclined amplification member) 24 Spring (oscillation absorption member) 25 Tactile sensor 26 Control unit B Bottle (container)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A product transfer device comprising: a hand unit for holding a container containing a product; and a robot body that moves three-dimensionally and transfers the container from one place to another. Has a horizontally extending arm portion and a container holding portion for holding a plurality of containers, and the hand portion is swingably suspended from the robot body, and the hand portion is A plurality of tactile sensors are installed on the robot body so as to contact at least a part of the hand unit when the robot swings and tilts, and a signal generated when the tactile sensor detects contact with the hand unit is provided. A product transfer device, comprising: a control unit for receiving and stopping the operation of the robot body. 2. The product transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the container holding unit includes a plurality of container holding units, and a line connecting the container holding units with a center of gravity of the arm as a center of gravity is a rectangle. A product transfer device, which is provided at a position to be formed. 3. The product conveying device according to claim 1, wherein a tilt amplifying member extending in a horizontal direction is provided on an upper portion of the hand portion, and an end of the tilt amplifying member is tactile. A product transport device configured to contact a sensor. 4. The product transfer device according to claim 1, wherein a swing absorbing member that absorbs swing of the hand unit is inserted between the robot main body and the hand unit. A product transfer device characterized by the following.