TW202140228A - Industrial robot - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an industrial robot that is capable of reducing the risk of interference between an object to be transported, which is housed in a housing part, and forks of a hand inserted into the housing part, when the object to be transported is removed from the housing part, even if the object to be transported is significantly warped. An industrial robot removes a plurality of objects to be transported from a housing part in which the objects to be transported are housed so as to be stacked at intervals in the up-down direction. In the industrial robot, a hand comprises a plurality of forks onto which the objects to be transported are mounted. Attached at the tips of the plurality of forks are reflective-type optical sensors for sensing the end surfaces of the objects to be transported housed in the housing part. In the industrial robot, before the objects to be transported are removed from the housing part, the hand, being in a state where the tips of the forks are pointing toward the housing part, is raised and lowered so that the end surfaces of the objects to be transported housed in the housing part are sensed by the optical sensors.

Description

Industrial robot

The present invention relates to an industrial robot for conveying a conveying object formed in a rectangular shape or a square shape.

Conventionally, there is known an industrial robot that conveys rectangular workpieces such as glass substrates for liquid crystal displays (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, for example, unloads a workpiece from a storage box, and transports the workpiece to a predetermined processing device. A plurality of workpieces are housed in the storage box so as to be stacked in a state of being spaced apart in the vertical direction. A plurality of racks on which workpieces are placed are formed inside the storage box.

The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 includes a hand on which a workpiece is mounted, an articulated arm that rotatably connects the hand to the distal end side, and a base that rotatably connects the proximal end of the articulated arm. In addition, the industrial robot includes an arm drive mechanism that expands and contracts the multi-joint arm, an elevating mechanism that raises and lowers the hand and the arm, a rotation mechanism that turns the base, and a moving mechanism that moves the base in the horizontal direction. The hand includes two forks (placement section) on which the workpiece is placed. A mapping sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the workpiece contained in the containing box is installed at the front end of one of the two forks. The mapping sensor is a reflective optical sensor.

Regarding the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, before unloading the workpiece contained in the storage box, the hand is raised and lowered on the front surface of the storage box, and the mapping sensor is scanned along the front surface of the storage box. It specifies which rack of the plurality of racks formed inside the storage box to place the workpiece. In addition, regarding this industrial robot, two forks are inserted into the lower side of the workpiece placed on the specified shelf, and the workpiece is placed on the upper surface side of the fork. That is, regarding this industrial robot, based on the detection result of the mapping sensor, the hand is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism while extending the arm to the storage box, and the fork is inserted into the lower side of the workpiece contained in the storage box. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-272526

[The problem to be solved by the invention]

In recent years, the process of arranging a large number of chips on a large rectangular or square-shaped panel to manufacture multiple semiconductor packages at once (Panel Level Packaging (PLP)) has become popular. In the manufacturing line of semiconductor packages using PLP Started to use industrial robots. PLP includes a step of coating (sealing) the upper surface of a panel on which a large number of wafers are placed with a resin, and the panel processed by a semiconductor package manufacturing line using PLP is prone to large warpage.

The inventor of the present application carried out an industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 that a transport object that has a large warpage like a panel processed by a semiconductor package manufacturing line using PLP, for example, is carried out from a storage box and carried into a processing device. Researched. However, according to the research of the inventor of the present application, when the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 unloads the object to be transported from the storage box, if the object to be transported in the storage box produces a large warp When the hand is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism based on the detection result of the mapping sensor, and the arm is extended to the storage box, the object to be transported in the storage box interferes with the inserted fork Worries become higher.

Specifically, according to the research of the inventor of the present application, when the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 unloads the object to be transported from the storage box, if the object to be transported in the storage box is large When the hand is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism based on the detection result of the mapping sensor and the arm is extended to the storage box, the object to be conveyed interferes with the inserted fork, or is arranged There is a high possibility that the object to be transported below the object to be transported will interfere with the inserted fork.

Therefore, the subject of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot that carries out a conveyed object from a housing portion in which a plurality of pieces of the conveyed object formed in a rectangular or square shape are separated in the vertical direction. The industrial robot is housed in an overlapped manner in a spaced apart state. With this industrial robot, even if the conveyed object has a large warpage, when the conveyed object is carried out from the accommodating section, the conveyed object and the object housed in the accommodating section can be reduced. There is a concern that the fork of the hand inserted into the receiving part may interfere. [Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the industrial robot of the present invention is a person who unloads a conveyed object from a storage section in which a plurality of pieces of the conveyed object formed in a rectangular or square shape are separated in the vertical direction. The industrial robot is housed in an overlapping manner. The industrial robot is characterized by including: a hand, which carries the object to be conveyed; an arm, which connects the hand; and a lifting mechanism to lift the hand and the arm, and the hand includes: multiple Forks, which carry the object to be conveyed; and a reflective optical sensor for detecting the end surface of the object to be conveyed contained in the accommodating part, and the optical sensor is installed on at least two of the plurality of forks The front end of the fork rack is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism with the front end of the fork toward the side of the accommodating section by the lifting mechanism before the object to be conveyed is carried out from the accommodating section, and the optical sensor is used to detect and accommodate the object in the accommodating section. The end face of the object to be transported.

In the industrial robot of the present invention, the front ends of at least two of the plurality of forks are equipped with a reflective optical sensor for detecting the end surface of the conveying object contained in the receiving portion. Furthermore, in the present invention, before the object to be conveyed is carried out from the storage section, the hand with the front end of the fork frame facing the storage section is raised and lowered by the lift mechanism, and the optical sensor is used to detect the storage in the storage section. The end surface of the object to be conveyed in the section. Therefore, for example, if the direction in which the fork is inserted in the horizontal direction is set to the front-rear direction, and the direction orthogonal to the vertical and front-rear directions is set to the left-right direction, in the present invention, an optical sensor can be used to detect The end surface of the object to be conveyed is arranged at the height of at least two parts of the position where the fork is inserted in the left-right direction.

Therefore, in the present invention, even if the object to be transported has a large warpage, when the object to be transported is carried out from the storage section, the height of the hand is corrected based on the detection result of the optical sensor and the fork is inserted into the storage. In the storage section, it is also possible to reduce the possibility of interference between the object to be conveyed stored in the storage section and the fork of the hand inserted into the storage section. Furthermore, in the present invention, even if the object to be transported has a large warpage, when the object to be transported is carried out from the storage section, the height of the hand is corrected based on the detection result of the optical sensor and the fork is inserted into the storage. In the accommodating part, the fork frame may be inserted into the accommodating part at an appropriate height with respect to the conveyance object carried out from the accommodating part.

Furthermore, in the present invention, since the height of at least two parts of the end surface of the conveyed object in the left-right direction of the end face of the conveyed object can be detected by the optical sensor, the height of at least two parts arranged at the position where the fork is inserted is based on the optical sensor. As a result of the detection, it is easy to determine whether there is a gap between the two pieces of conveyed objects that overlap in the vertical direction in the receiving portion, and the fork can be inserted into the gap. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to reduce the fear of inserting the fork into the accommodating portion when a gap into which the fork can be inserted is not formed between the two conveyed objects overlapping in the vertical direction in the accommodating portion.

In the present invention, the optical sensor is preferably installed at the front end of all the forks of the plurality of forks. In this case, the hand includes, for example, two forks. That is, in this case, for example, optical sensors are attached to the front ends of the two forks included in the hand.

According to the configuration described above, the optical sensor can detect the height of all parts of the end surface of the conveyed object arranged in the position where the fork is inserted in the left-right direction. Therefore, even if the object to be transported has a large warpage, when the object to be transported is removed from the storage section, the height of the hand is corrected based on the detection result of the optical sensor and the fork is inserted into the storage section. Prevents interference between the object to be conveyed stored in the accommodating part and the fork of the hand inserted in the accommodating part. In addition, with the above-mentioned structure, even if the conveying object is greatly warped, when the conveying object is carried out from the storage section, the height of the hand is corrected by the detection result of the optical sensor, and the fork is moved. By inserting into the accommodating section, the fork may be inserted into the accommodating section at a more appropriate height with respect to the object to be transported from the accommodating section.

Furthermore, with the above-mentioned configuration, the optical sensor can detect the height of all parts of the end face of the conveyed object arranged in the position where the fork is inserted in the left-right direction. Therefore, the detection based on the optical sensor As a result of the measurement, it can be judged whether there is a gap between the two pieces of conveying objects that overlap in the vertical direction in the receiving portion, which allows the fork to be inserted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the fork frame from being inserted into the accommodating part when a gap into which the fork frame can be inserted is not formed between the two pieces of conveyed objects overlapping in the vertical direction in the accommodating part. [Effects of the invention]

As described above, in the present invention, the industrial robot unloads the object to be transported from the accommodating portion in which the objects to be transported are multiple pieces of rectangular or square shaped in a state of being spaced apart in the vertical direction. The industrial robot is housed in a bottom overlapping manner. Even if the conveying object has a large warpage, when the conveying object is carried out from the accommodating section, the conveying object stored in the accommodating section can be lowered and inserted into the accommodating section. There is a concern about interference with the fork of his hand.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Structure of industrial robot) Fig. 1 is a plan view of an industrial robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the industrial robot 1 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front view for explaining the structure of the storage cassette 3 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the structure of the industrial robot 1 shown in Fig. 1.

The industrial robot 1 of this form (hereinafter referred to as "robot 1") is a horizontal articulated robot for conveying a predetermined conveying object 2. The conveyance object 2 of this form is a large-scale panel processed by the manufacturing line of the semiconductor package using PLP. The conveying object 2 is formed in a rectangular or square flat plate shape. The robot 1 conveys the conveyance target 2 from the storage cassette 3 which is a accommodating section for storing a plurality of conveyance targets 2 to the processing device 4 that performs predetermined processing on the conveyance target 2. That is, the robot 1 unloads the transport target object 2 from the storage cassette 3 piece by piece, and also transports the transport object 2 unloaded from the storage cassette 3 into the processing device 4. In the storage box 3, a plurality of transport objects 2 are stored so as to overlap with each other while being spaced apart in the vertical direction.

The robot 1 includes: two hands 5, 6, which carry the object 2; an arm 7, which is rotatably connected to the hand 5 on the front end; an arm 8, which is connected to the hand 6 on the front end; and a main body 9, with The base end sides of the arm 7 and the arm 8 are connected in a rotatable manner; the housing 10 accommodates the lower part of the main body 9; the base 11 supports the main body 9 and the housing 10 in a horizontal direction The main body 9 and the housing 10.

The hand 5 and the hand 6 include a hand base 12 rotatably connected to the front end side of the arm 7 and the arm 8, and a plurality of linear forks 13 on which the conveyed object 2 is placed on the upper surface side. The hand 5 and the hand 6 of this form include two forks 13. The two forks 13 protrude in the same horizontal direction from the hand base 12. In addition, the two forks 13 are arranged in parallel in a state of being spaced apart from each other. The fork 13 of the hand 5 and the fork 13 of the hand 6 protrude in the same direction. In addition, the fork 13 of the hand 5 and the fork 13 of the hand 6 are shifted in the vertical direction. The two forks 13 are inserted into the storage box 3 when the conveying object 2 is carried out from the storage box 3.

In addition, the hand 5 and the hand 6 include a reflective optical sensor 14 and a reflective optical sensor 15 (hereinafter referred to as " Sensor 14, sensor 15"). The sensor 14 and the sensor 15 include a light-emitting part 18 and a light-receiving part 19. The sensor 14 and the sensor 15 are installed at the front ends of the two forks 13. The light emitting unit 18 emits light in the horizontal direction from the front end of the fork 13. In this form, the sensor 14 is installed at the front end of one of the two forks 13, and the sensor 15 is installed at the front end of the other of the two forks 13. That is, the sensor 14 or the sensor 15 is attached to the front end of all the forks 13 of the two forks 13.

The arm 7 and the arm 8 are multi-joint arms that extend and contract in the horizontal direction. The arm 7 and the arm 8 include two arm parts, a first arm part 16 and a second arm part 17. The base end side of the first arm portion 16 is rotatably connected to the main body portion 9. The base end side of the second arm portion 17 is rotatably connected to the front end side of the first arm portion 16. The hand 5 and the hand 6 are rotatably connected to the front end side of the second arm 17.

The first arm portion 16 is arranged above the main body portion 9. The second arm portion 17 is arranged above the first arm portion 16. The hand 5 and the hand 6 are arranged above the second arm 17. The base end side of the first arm portion 16 of the arm 7 and the base end side of the first arm portion 16 of the arm 8 are connected to the main body portion 9 in a state of being adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction. In addition, the arm 7 and the arm 8 are arranged in a state of being adjacent to each other, and are arranged at the same position in the vertical direction.

The distance between the center of rotation of the first arm portion 16 relative to the body portion 9 and the center of rotation of the second arm portion 17 relative to the first arm portion 16 in the horizontal direction and the second arm portion 17 relative to the first arm portion 16 The center of rotation of is equal to the distance of the center of rotation of the hand 5 and the hand 6 with respect to the second arm portion 17. The arm 7, the arm 8 can be extended at the position where the arm 7, the arm 8 is separated from the body 9 with the hand 5, the front end of the hand 6 (the front end of the fork 13) and the arm 7, the arm 8 with the hand 5, The position where the front end of the hand 6 is close to the main body 9 retracts and contracts in the horizontal direction. When the expansion and contraction amounts of the arm 7 and the arm 8 are equal, the fork 13 of the hand 5 and the fork 13 of the hand 6 overlap in the vertical direction. Also, at this time, when viewed from the vertical direction, the arm 7 and the arm 8 are arranged line-symmetrically.

The main body 9 can be rotated relative to the housing 10 in the up and down direction as the axis of rotation. In addition, the main body 9 can be raised and lowered relative to the housing 10. The housing 10 can move linearly in a horizontal direction relative to the base 11. In the following description, the moving direction of the housing 10 relative to the base 11 (the Y direction in FIG. 1 etc.) is referred to as the "left and right direction", and the X direction in FIG. "Fore and aft direction." Moreover, the X1 direction side of FIG. 1 etc. which is one side of the front-rear direction shall be the "front" side, and the X2 direction side of FIG. 1 etc. which are the opposite sides shall be the "rear" side.

In this aspect, for example, the storage box 3 is arranged on one side of the robot 1 in the front-rear direction, and the processing device 4 is arranged on the other side of the robot 1 in the front-rear direction. For example, the storage box 3 is arranged on the front side of the robot 1, and the processing device 4 is arranged on the rear side of the robot 1. As described above, in the storage cassette 3, a plurality of conveyance objects 2 are stored in a state of being overlapped with an interval in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 3, in the storage box 3, a plurality of placement portions 3 a on which both ends of the conveying object 2 in the left-right direction are placed are formed.

The end surface of the object to be conveyed 2 housed in the storage box 3 is substantially parallel to the front-rear direction or the left-right direction. In addition, the end surface of the conveying object 2 mounted on the hand 5 and the hand 6 is substantially parallel to the front-rear direction or the left-right direction. When the hand 5 and the hand 6 receive the conveyed object 2 from the storage box 3, the two forks 13 are substantially parallel to the front-rear direction. At this time, the space between the two forks 13 in the left-right direction is narrower than the width of the transport target 2 contained in the storage box 3 in the left-right direction.

That is, at this time, the distance between the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 in the left-right direction is narrower than the width of the conveyed object 2 contained in the storage box 3 in the left-right direction. In addition, the space between the two forks 13 in the left-right direction at this time is narrower than the space in the left-right direction of the two placing parts 3a on which one piece of the conveying object 2 is placed. That is, the distance in the left-right direction between the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 at this time is narrower than the distance in the left-right direction of the two placing parts 3a on which one piece of the conveying object 2 is placed.

In addition, the robot 1 includes an arm drive mechanism 20 that expands and contracts the arm 7, an arm drive mechanism 21 that expands and contracts the arm 8, a rotation mechanism 22 that rotates the main body 9, an elevating mechanism 23 that raises and lowers the main body 9, and the main body 9 and The horizontal movement mechanism 24 that moves the housing 10 in the horizontal direction together, and the control unit 25 that controls the robot 1. The sensor 14 and the sensor 15 are electrically connected to the control unit 25.

The arm drive mechanism 20 includes a motor serving as a drive source, and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the arm 7 and the hand 5. The arm drive mechanism 20 can extend and retract the arm 7 in a linear manner with the hand 5 facing a certain direction with respect to the main body 9. The arm drive mechanism 21 is similar to the arm drive mechanism 20 and includes a motor as a drive source and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the arm 8 and the hand 6. The arm drive mechanism 21 expands and contracts the arm 8 so as to move linearly with respect to the main body 9 in a state where the hand 6 faces a certain direction. The arm driving mechanism 20 and the arm driving mechanism 21 are electrically connected to the control unit 25. Specifically, the arm drive mechanism 20 and the motor of the arm drive mechanism 21 are electrically connected to the control unit 25.

As described above, the arm 7 and the arm 8 can be extended at the position where the arm 7 and the arm 8 are extended so that the front end of the hand 5 and the hand 6 are separated from the body 9 and the arm 7 and the arm 8 can be extended by the hand 5 and the hand 6. The front end is close to the main body 9 and retracts in the horizontal direction between the retracted positions. In this aspect, when the robot 1 receives the conveyed object 2 from the storage box 3 and when the robot 1 delivers the conveyed object 2 to the processing device 4, the arms 7 and 8 are in an extended state.

The rotation mechanism 22 rotates the main body 9 with respect to the housing 10 in the vertical direction as a rotation axis direction. That is, the rotating mechanism 22 rotates the hand 5, the hand 6, the arm 7, and the arm 8 together with the main body 9 in the vertical direction as the axis direction of rotation. The rotation mechanism 22 includes a motor serving as a drive source and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the main body 9. The rotating mechanism 22 is housed in the housing 10. The rotating mechanism 22 is electrically connected to the control unit 25. Specifically, the motor and the like of the rotating mechanism 22 are electrically connected to the control unit 25.

The elevating mechanism 23 raises and lowers the main body 9 with respect to the housing 10. That is, the raising and lowering mechanism 23 raises and lowers the hand 5, the hand 6, the arm 7, and the arm 8 together with the main body 9. Furthermore, the elevating mechanism 23 raises and lowers the rotation mechanism 22 together with the main body 9. The lifting mechanism 23 is housed in the housing 10. The lifting mechanism 23 includes a motor serving as a drive source and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the main body 9. The lifting mechanism 23 is electrically connected to the control unit 25. Specifically, the motor and the like of the rotating mechanism 23 are electrically connected to the control unit 25.

The horizontal movement mechanism 24 linearly moves the housing 10 in the left-right direction with respect to the base 11. That is, the horizontal movement mechanism 24 linearly moves the hand 5, the hand 6, the arm 7, the arm 8, and the main body 9 together with the housing 10 in the left-right direction. The horizontal movement mechanism 24 includes a motor serving as a drive source, and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the housing 10. The horizontal movement mechanism 24 is electrically connected to the control unit 25. Specifically, the motor and the like of the horizontal movement mechanism 24 are electrically connected to the control unit 25.

In this form, before starting to unload the conveying object 2 from the storage box 3, the arm 7 is expanded and contracted in the front-rear direction by the arm drive mechanism 20, and the hand 5 in the state where the front end of the fork 13 faces the front side is moved to In front of the containment box 3. Or before starting to unload the conveyed object 2 from the storage box 3, the arm 8 is extended and retracted in the front-rear direction by the arm drive mechanism 21, and the hand 6 in the state where the front end of the fork 13 faces the front side is moved to the front of the storage box 3. .

In this state, the hand 5 or the hand 6 is raised and lowered, and the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 are used to detect the end surface (rear end surface) of the conveying object 2 contained in the storage box 3. That is, in this aspect, before the conveyance target 2 is unloaded from the storage cassette 3 (more specifically, in order to mount the conveyance target 2 contained in the storage cassette 3 on the hand 5 and the hand 6, the fork 13 Before inserting the storage box 3), the hand 5 or the hand 6 in the state where the front end of the fork 13 is facing the side of the storage box 3 is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 23, and the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 are used to detect the conveyance. The end face of the object 2.

If the hand 5 or the hand 6 is raised and lowered with the front end of the fork 13 facing the front side, when viewed from the front-rear direction, the sensor 14 follows a virtual passing line on the inner side of the mounting portion 3a in the left-right direction PL1 (refer to FIG. 3) linearly moves in the vertical direction, and the sensor 15 moves linearly in the vertical direction along a virtual passage line PL2 (refer to FIG. 3) on the inner side of the placement portion 3 a in the left-right direction. In addition, the sensor 14 detects the vertical position of the rear end surface of each of the left and right ends of the multiple conveyed objects 2 accommodated in the storage box 3, and the sensor 15 detects The position in the up-down direction of the rear end surface of the other end part of the left-right direction of each of the several conveyance target object 2 in the cassette 3.

The output signals of the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 (specifically, the output signal of the light receiving unit 19) are input to the control unit 25. The control unit 25 corrects the height of the hand 5 and the hand 6 based on the detection results of the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 and inserts the two forks 13 into the storage box 3 when the conveying object 2 is unloaded from the storage box 3 middle. That is, when the control unit 25 unloads the transport object 2 from the storage box 3, it controls the lifting mechanism 23 based on the detection results of the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 to correct the height of the hand 5 and the hand 6, and then adjust the arm 7 , The arm 8 expands and contracts to insert the two forks 13 into the storage box 3.

(The main effect of this form) As explained above, in this form, sensors 14 and 15 are installed at the front ends of the two forks 13 of the hand 5 and the hand 6, and the sensors 14 and 15 are used for The rear end surface of the multi-piece conveyed object 2 contained in the storage box 3 is detected. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, before unloading the conveying object 2 from the storage box 3, the hand 5 or the hand 6 in the state where the front end of the fork 13 faces the side of the storage box 3 is raised and lowered, and the sensor 14 and the sensor are used. The detector 15 detects the vertical position of the rear end surface of each of the plurality of transport objects 2 contained in the storage cassette 3.

That is, in the present embodiment, the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 detect the height of all parts of the rear end surface of the conveyed object 2 in the left-right direction that are arranged at the position where the fork 13 is inserted. Moreover, in the present embodiment, when the object 2 to be transported is carried out from the storage box 3, the heights of the hands 5 and 6 are corrected based on the detection results of the sensor 14 and the sensor 15, and then the two forks 13 is inserted into the receiving box 3.

Therefore, in this aspect, even if the transport target 2 contained in the storage cassette 3 is greatly warped, the transport target 2 stored in the storage cassette 3 can be prevented when the transport target 2 is unloaded from the storage cassette 3 2 Interference with the fork 13 inserted into the receiving box 3.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5(A), even if the conveying target 2 has a large warpage, the rear end surface of the conveying target 2 is arranged on the two forks 13 inserted into the hand 5 and the hand 6 in the left-right direction. A difference Δh between the height of the part at the position of one of the forks 13 and the left-right direction of the rear end surface of the conveyed object 2 at the position where the other forks 13 is inserted is carried out and transported from the storage box 3 In the case of the object 2, it is also possible to prevent interference between the transport object 2 stored in the storage box 3 and the fork 13 inserted into the storage box 3.

Furthermore, for example, when the hand 5 and the hand 6 only include the sensor 14 but not the sensor 15, if the height of the hand 5 and the hand 6 is corrected based on the detection result of the sensor 14 Inserting the two forks 13 into the storage box 3 may cause the two forks 13 to be inserted into the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5(A), and one of the forks 13 and the conveying object 2 Interference situation.

In contrast, in this form, based on the detection results of the sensor 14 and the sensor 15, the hand can be corrected by inserting the two forks 13 into the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 5(A). Since the height of the part 5 and the hand part 6 is high, even if the conveying object 2 produces a large warp, the interference of the two forks 13 and the conveying object 2 can be prevented. In addition, in this embodiment, even if the transport target 2 contained in the storage cassette 3 has a large warpage, when the transport target 2 is carried out from the storage cassette 3, it can be compared to the transport target 2 carried out from the storage cassette 3. Insert the fork 13 into the receiving box 3 at a more appropriate height.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 detect the height of all parts of the rear end surface of the conveyed object 2 in the left-right direction that are arranged at the position where the fork 13 is inserted. Therefore, it can be based on sensing The detection result of the device 14 and the sensor 15 determines whether there is a gap between the two conveying objects 2 overlapping in the vertical direction in the storage box 3 to insert the fork 13.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5(B), when the upper and lower intervals of the conveying object 2 contained in the storage box 3 are relatively narrow, if the conveying object 2 has a large warpage, the Correct the height of the hand 5 and hand 6 by inserting the fork 13 into the position shown by the two-dot chain line, or correct the height of the hand 5 and hand 6 by inserting the fork 13 into the position shown by the solid line , There is also a case where the object 2 to be transported in the storage box 3 interferes with the fork frame 13, and there is a case where the fork frame 13 is not formed between the two objects to be transported 2 that overlap in the vertical direction in the storage box 3 In the case of a gap, in this case, in this case, it can be determined based on the detection results of the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 between the two conveying objects 2 overlapping in the vertical direction in the storage box 3 A gap into which the fork 13 can be inserted is not formed. Therefore, in the present aspect, it is possible to prevent the fork 13 from being inserted into the storage cassette 3 when a gap into which the fork 13 can be inserted is not formed between the two conveying objects 2 overlapping in the vertical direction in the storage cassette 3.

(Other implementation forms) The above-mentioned aspect is an example of a preferable aspect of the present invention, but it is not limited to this, and various modifications can be implemented within a range that does not change the gist of the present invention.

In the above configuration, the number of forks 13 included in the hand 5 and the hand 6 may be three or more. In this case, it is preferable to install the sensor 14 or the sensor 15 on the front end of all the forks 13 of the three or more forks 13, but at least two of the three or more forks 13 A sensor 14 or a sensor 15 can be installed on the front end of the sensor. If a sensor 14 or a sensor 15 is installed on the front end of at least two of the three or more forks 13, the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 can be used to detect the movement of the object 2 The rear end surface is arranged at the height of at least two parts of the position where the fork 13 is inserted in the left-right direction.

Therefore, even if the conveying object 2 contained in the storage box 3 is greatly warped, when the conveying object 2 is carried out from the storage box 3, the hand is corrected based on the detection result of the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 Inserting the fork 13 into the storage box 3 after the height of the portion 5 and the hand 6 can also reduce the possibility of interference between the transport object 2 stored in the storage box 3 and the fork 13 inserted into the storage box 3. In addition, even if the transport target 2 contained in the storage box 3 has a large warpage, when the transport object 2 is carried out from the storage box 3, the hand is corrected based on the detection results of the sensor 14 and the sensor 15. The fork 13 is inserted into the storage cassette 3 after the height of the portion 5 and the hand 6, and the fork 13 may be inserted into the fork 13 at an appropriate height with respect to the conveyance object 2 carried out from the storage cassette 3.

In addition, if the sensor 14 or the sensor 15 is installed on the front end of at least two of the three or more forks 13, it is easy to determine the storage based on the detection result of the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 Is there a gap in which the fork 13 can be inserted between the two conveying objects 2 overlapping in the vertical direction in the cassette 3? Therefore, it is possible to reduce the fear of inserting the fork 13 into the storage cassette 3 when a gap into which the fork 13 can be inserted is not formed between the two conveyed objects 2 overlapping in the vertical direction in the storage cassette 3.

In the above-mentioned form, the hand 5 in a state where the front end of the fork 13 faces the side of the storage box 3 can be raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 23 before the transport target 2 is carried out from the storage box 3, and the sensor 14, The sensor 15 detects the rear end surface of the conveyed object 2, and the hand 6 in the state where the front end of the fork 13 faces the storage box 3 side is raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 23, and the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 are used. Detect the rear end of the conveyed object 2.

In this case, for example, when the object 2 is carried out from the storage box 3 by the hand 5, the detection result is based on the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 mounted on the front end of the fork 13 of the hand 5 The height of the hand 5 is corrected. When the object 2 is carried out from the storage box 3 by the hand 6, the detection is obtained by using the sensor 14 and the sensor 15 mounted on the front end of the fork 13 of the hand 6 As a result, the height of the hand 6 is corrected.

In the above-mentioned form, the arm 7 and the arm 8 are arranged at the same position in the vertical direction and are adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction. 8 are arranged at positions shifted from each other in the up and down direction. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned form, the arm 7 and the arm 8 may include more than three arm parts. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned form, the number of hands and arms included in the robot 1 may be one. In addition, in the above-mentioned aspect, the conveyance target 2 may be something other than a large panel processed by a manufacturing line of a semiconductor package using PLP.

1: Robot (industrial robot) 2: Transport objects 3: Containment box (containment section) 3a: Placement part 4: Processing device 5, 6: hands 7, 8: arm 9: Body part 10: Shell 11: Pedestal 12: Hand base 13: Fork 14, 15: Sensor (optical sensor) 16: first arm 17: second arm 18: Light-emitting part 19: Light receiving part 20, 21: Arm drive mechanism 22: Rotating mechanism 23: Lifting mechanism 24: Horizontal movement mechanism 25: Control Department PL1, PL2: virtual pass line

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the industrial robot shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front view for explaining the structure of the storage cassette shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the structure of the industrial robot shown in Fig. 1. 5(A) and 5(B) are diagrams for explaining the effect of the industrial robot shown in FIG. 1.

1: Robot (industrial robot)

2: Transport objects

3: Containment box (containment section)

4: Processing device

5, 6: hands

7, 8: arm

9: Body part

10: Shell

11: Pedestal

12: Hand base

13: Fork

14, 15: Sensor (optical sensor)

16: first arm

17: second arm

Claims (3)

An industrial robot that carries out a conveyed object from a storage section in which a plurality of the conveyed objects formed in a rectangular shape or a square shape are stored so as to overlap with each other with an interval in the vertical direction , The industrial robot includes: A hand that carries the object to be conveyed; an arm that connects the hand; and an elevating mechanism that raises and lowers the hand and the arm, The hand includes: a plurality of forks on which the object to be conveyed is placed; and a reflective optical sensor for detecting the end surface of the object to be conveyed contained in the accommodating portion, The optical sensor is installed at the front end of at least two of the plurality of forks, Before unloading the object to be conveyed from the accommodating section, the hand with the front end of the fork frame toward the side of the accommodating section is raised and lowered by the elevating mechanism, and the optical sensor is used. The detector detects the end surface of the object to be conveyed accommodated in the accommodating part. The industrial robot described in claim 1, wherein The optical sensor is installed at the front ends of all the forks of the plurality of forks. The industrial robot described in claim 2, wherein The hand includes two forks.

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