JPS62167660A - Mechanism of correcting grip attitude of object - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To correct the attitude of a magnetic tape cartridge by providing a stage correcting the grip attitude of an object gripped by a couple of hands and a drive mechanism moving the stage to a correction position correcting the attitude of the object and a receiving position receiving the object. CONSTITUTION:When a magnetic tape cartridge 3 is gripped by hands 9, 10, a carriage 6 is moved in the direction of arrow H and stopped. An accessor 1A or 1B is moved to the read/write station in this state and the magnetic tape cartridge 3 is set to the read/write station, then the distance between the hands 9 and 10 is extended and the magnetic tape cartridge 3 is fallen down to the position of the magnetic tape cartridge 3' shown in dotted lines. The magnetic tape cartridge 3' received on a stage 7' is returned to the position of a stage 3 by allowing an actuator 8 to raise the stage 3' in the direction of arrow F. Thus, the deviation of the attitude when the cartridge is extracted from a storage shelf or during carrying is corrected and gripped by a correct attitude by the hands 9, 10 again.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Summary] For example, in a mass storage device, when a rectangular magnetic tape cartridge is pinched and pulled out from a storage shelf or a read/write station and the magnetic tape cartridge is gripped and transported, the gripping posture is In order to prevent the situation where the device cannot be set in a read/write station or stored in a storage shelf due to deterioration, the gripping posture can be corrected with high precision using a simple mechanism.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a mechanical hand that grips an article, and more particularly to an article gripping posture correction mechanism that enables a mechanical hand that pinches and grips an article to correct the posture of a gripped article.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, mechanisms for handling articles have made remarkable progress, and are being actively used in the field of robots in particular. Such a handling mechanism is provided with a mechanical hand that grips the article, and the mechanical hand grips the article and takes out, transports, and stores the article.

For example, a large-capacity storage device used as an external storage device for a computer system has a storage shelf that stores a large number of magnetic tape cartridges, and the magnetic tape cartridges are stored in this storage shelf. The cartridge is taken out from the storage shelf, carried to the read/write station and set, the magnetic tape cartridge is glued and read/written, and after the read/write is completed, it is taken out from the read/write station, carried again and stored in the storage shelf. It consists of a type of automated warehouse.

The magnetic tape cartridges used in such large-capacity storage devices are rectangular magnetic tape cartridges, which have been used for video tapes in recent years, and the cost has been reduced.

Therefore, the mechanical hand grips and carries the oblate magnetic tape cartridge, and when setting the magnetic tape cartridge in the read/write station and storing it again in the storage shelf, it can be set or stored reliably. It is necessary.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mass storage device.

In the figure, LG and RG are a left garage and a right garage, respectively, which are installed at both ends of the device and are equipped with a main control circuit, an accessor drive circuit, etc., and HF is a honeycomb frame, with magnetic tape cartridges on both walls. 3 storage shelves 4 are provided, and guide rails RLU and RLL for accessors IA and IB, which will be described later, are provided at the upper and lower portions, and the magnetic tape cartridges 3 set in some honeycomb frames HF are provided. A read/write station (not shown) for reading/writing, an entry station CBS for inputting a new magnetic tape cartridge 3 from the outside, and an exit station CFS for discharging unnecessary magnetic tape cartridges 3 to the outside are provided. It is being

IA and IB are a left accessor and a right accessor, respectively, which drive the mechanical hand 2 in the vertical direction and in the rotational direction for accessing the storage shelves 4 on both sides, and also drive the left garage LG.

It moves within three honeycomb frames HF along upper and lower rails RLLJ and RLL with light garage RG as the home position.

The left or right 7 accessor IA or IB is driven by the accessor drive circuit according to a command from the main control circuit, moves on the rails RLU and RLL in the direction of arrow C-D, and further moves the mechanical hand 2 in the direction of arrow E-F. to position the mechanical hand 2 at the position of the magnetic tape cartridge 3 on the desired storage shelf 4, drive the mechanical hand 2 at that position to grasp and take out the magnetic tape cartridge 3, and then perform read/write operations. Move the accessor IA or IB to the station and attach the magnetic tape cartridge 3.
is conveyed, and the mechanical hand 2 is driven to set the magnetic tape cartridge 3 to the read/write station.

After the read/write is completed, the magnetic tape cartridge 3 is similarly gripped and taken out from the read/write station by the mechanical hand 2, conveyed in the same manner, and stored in the original storage shelf 4. The same applies when transporting the magnetic tape cartridge 3 from the entry station CES to the storage shelf 4 and from the storage shelf 4 to the exit station CFS.

Therefore, in the mass storage device, the accessors IA and IB take out the desired magnetic tape cartridge 3 housed in the housing 11114 in the honeycomb frame HF using the mechanical hands 2, transport it to the read/write station, and then remove the magnetic tape cartridge 3 from the storage 11114 in the honeycomb frame HF. Set the magnetic tape cartridge 3 and read/write the magnetic tape cartridge 3.
After writing, take out the magnetic tape cartridge 3 from the read/write station with the mechanical hand 2,
It operates so that the accessors LA and IB transport it and return it to the original storage shelf 4.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The mechanical hand 2 grips and conveys the magnetic tape cartridge 3 as described above, and is attached to the arms of the accessors LA and IB. The movement of this arm is a combination of linear movement, rotational movement, etc., and acceleration is applied to the magnetic tape cartridge 3 that it is gripping. Further, acceleration due to vibration when the accessors IA and 1B move is also applied.

Therefore, in order to prevent the posture of the magnetic tape cartridge 3 held by the mechanical hand 2 from shifting, the mechanical hand 2
However, since the structure is complicated, a method of gripping using only the frictional force between the mechanical hand 2 and the magnetic tape cartridge 3 or the negative pressure of a vacuum pad is often used. .

However, since the magnetic tape cartridge 3 is made of plastic, there is a limit even if the pressure can be increased. In the case of a structure in which the mechanical hand 2 grips the magnetic tape cartridge 3 by sandwiching it from the horizontal direction shown by the arrow C-D, as shown in the figure, vibrations in the vertical direction, that is, arrows E-F
There was a large deviation in the posture due to acceleration in the direction, so it was difficult to place the magnetic tape cartridge 3 in the read/write station.
There is a problem in that it gets caught when it is stored in the storage shelf 4 or when it is stored again in the storage shelf 4.

In view of these problems, the present invention provides a mechanical hand 2.
The present invention provides a mechanism that can correct the posture of the magnetic tape cartridge 3 that has been gripped and pulled out.

[Means for solving problems]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1(a) is a top view of the mechanical hand 2 viewed from the direction of arrow E in FIG. 2, and FIG. 1(b) is a side view.

3 is a magnetic tape cartridge, 5 is a base, 6 is a carriage, 7 is a stage, 8 is an actuator, 9. IO is a hand, 11 is a hand guide rod, 12 is a motor, 13 is a worm gear, 14 is a worm wheel, 15 is a screw shaft, and 16.1-7 is a carriage guide rod.

Stage 7 is lowered to the stage 7'' position shown by the dotted line,
When the hand 9.10 releases the magnetic tape cartridge 3 held by the hand 9.10, it receives the magnetic tape cartridge 3° indicated by the dotted line and rises to the position of the base 7 indicated by the solid line, thereby changing the attitude of the magnetic tape cartridge 3. The configuration is for correction.

[Effect]

With the above configuration, the magnetic tape cartridge 3
When the hand 9. is pulled out from the storage shelf or read/write station, and even if the gripping posture shifts due to acceleration during transportation, when setting it on the read/write station or storing it in the storage shelf, the hand 9. By once releasing the magnetic tape cartridge 3 held by the lO, correcting it to the correct posture by the stage 7, and then gripping it again by the hand 9.10, smooth setting or storage is always possible.

〔Example〕

In FIG. 1, the base 5 is the accessor 1 shown in FIG.
The magnetic tape cartridge 3 is gripped by a hand 9.10. That is, hand 9
．． 10 is carried by a carriage 6 that moves along guide rods 16 and 17 in the direction of arrow G-1. For example, when it is positioned in front of a magnetic tape cartridge at a target position on a storage shelf, it moves in the direction of arrow G. grip the magnetic tape cartridge 3 with.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1(a), the hand 9.10 is connected to a screw shaft 15 mounted on the carriage 6, and the screw shaft 15 rotates together with the worm wheel 14. This worm wheel 14 is the worm gear 13
This worm gear 13 is driven by the carriage 6
It is driven and rotated by a motor 12 mounted on the.

Therefore, as the motor 12 rotates, the worm wheel 14
rotates in the direction of arrow J- shown in FIG. 1(b), and the screw shaft 15 also rotates in the same manner. For example, when the screw shaft 15 rotates in the direction of the arrow J, and the hand 9 moves in the direction of the arrow C, the hand 10 moves in the direction of the arrow, so that the distance between the hands 9 and 10 increases.

Therefore, when the screw shaft 15 rotates in the direction of the arrow, the distance between the hands 9 and 10 is reduced, and the magnetic tape cartridge 3 can be gripped. In this case, the hands 9 and 10 move along a guide rod 11 fixed to the carriage 6.

When the magnetic tape cartridge 7 is gripped by hands 9 and 10, carriage 6 moves in the direction of arrow H and stops at the position shown. At this time, the stage 7 is moved in the direction of the arrow E by the actuator 8 and lowered to the stage 7' position shown by the dotted line, and there is no problem even if the magnetic tape cartridge 3 is held in a bad posture.

In this state, the accessor IA or IB moves to the read/write station and sets the magnetic tape cartridge 3 in the read/write station, but at this point, the distance between the hands 9 and 10 is widened, and the magnetic tape cartridge 3 is moved to the magnetic tape cartridge 3 as shown by the dotted line. Drop it into the tape cartridge 3' position.

The actuator 8 raises the stage 3'' in the direction of arrow F and returns it to the position of the stage 3, so that the magnetic tape cartridge 3'' received on the stage 7'' is removed from the storage shelf and during transportation. The resulting posture deviation is corrected, and the hand 9.10 holds the object in the correct posture again.

The gripping posture of the magnetic tape cartridge 3 is precisely corrected by the above operation, so that it can be correctly set in the read/write station.

Although the case where the magnetic tape cartridge 3 is transported from the storage shelf to the read/write station has been described above, the same applies to the case where the magnetic tape cartridge 3 is transported from the read/write station to the storage shelf.

Although this embodiment has been described using a mass storage device as an example, it is of course applicable to handling mechanisms such as robots.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the present invention has a relatively simple configuration and can correct the posture of an article held by a hand with high accuracy and reliability.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mass storage device. In the figure, ■ is an accessor, 2 is a mechanical hand, 3 is a magnetic tape cartridge, 4 is a storage shelf, 5 is a base, 6 is a carriage, 7 is a stage, 8 is an actuator, 9 and 10 are hands, 11.16.17 is a guide rod,
12 is the motor, 13 is the worm gear, 14 is the worm wheel, Kihiro B F4-1 → Min ¥1j

Claims (1)

[Claims] A pair of hands (9) (10) that sandwich and grip the article (3).
), and the hands (9) (10) are in a first position when the hands (9) (10) take out or store the article (3) and in a second position when the hands (9) (10) convey the article (3). ); a stage (7) for correcting the gripping posture of the article (3) held by the hands (9) and (10); An article gripping posture correcting mechanism comprising a drive mechanism (8) for moving the article to a correcting position for correcting the posture and a receiving position for receiving the article.