TWI610872B - Parts supply apparatus, parts supply method and robot system - Google Patents

Abstract

The component supply equipment includes: a supply tray stacking portion at which the supply trays accommodating components are stacked; a tray up / down unit for separating one of the supply trays from the supply tray stacking portion; a tray holding unit, The tray raising / lowering unit is provided with a tray holding unit; and an empty tray stacking portion at which the empty trays are stacked, the empty trays being supply trays that are emptied after the parts are supplied. The empty tray stacking portion is arranged above the supply tray stacking portion in a vertical direction.

Description

Component supply device, component supply method, and robot system

The present invention relates to a component supply apparatus and a component supply method for supplying components to a robot performing an assembly operation, and a robot system including the component supply apparatus.

In summary, as a component supply device for supplying components to a robot performing an assembly operation, a configuration is known in which components are accommodated in and removed from a tray so that the robot performs an assembly operation.

In recent years, with the development from manual assembly to assembly by robots, there is a need for a component supply device and a component supply method that can reduce costs and reduce the installation area so that installation can be completed in a limited space and can be performed in a short time Manufacturing to achieve good productivity.

The component supplying apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H09-208057 is configured so that the robot is arranged to take out a component from a tray at the uppermost height of a plurality of trays stacked and containing the components, the tray that has been emptied, and then Pallets moved and emptied by a removable device are stacked.

However, the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H09-208057 has a problem in that in order to remove a part from a tray that is stacked and contains the parts, an empty tray needs to be moved and then stacked to increase the installation area because The empty tray stacking section is arranged in another place. Moreover, there is a problem in that it is necessary to provide a driving mechanism for releasing the stack, a driving mechanism for moving the empty tray, and a driving mechanism for stacking the empty tray, resulting in higher equipment cost.

The component supply apparatus and the assembly system disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2011-240456 include a receiving rack for receiving a tray and a mechanism for taking out the tray from the receiving rack, and assembly is performed on the receiving rack to reduce the installation area .

However, the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2011-240456 has a problem in that, because the empty tray is accommodated in the receiving rack, and then a new tray is taken out, it is necessary to drive the horizontal movable mechanism and the vertical movable mechanism. Two axes, so it takes some time to change the pallet and the productivity is low.

An object of the present invention is to provide a component supplying apparatus and a component supplying method that prevent an increase in the mounting area of a supply tray stacking portion and an empty tray stacking portion, eliminates a driving source for stacking empty trays at the empty tray stacking portion, and can reduce costs.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, the component supply device of the present invention includes: A supply tray stacking section in which one or more supply trays accommodating parts are stacked; a tray raising / lowering unit for separating one of the supply trays from the supply tray stacking section; a tray holding unit; The tray holding unit is provided in the tray up / down unit; and an empty tray stacking section in which one or more empty supply trays that are emptied after parts are supplied are stacked, wherein the empty trays are stacked The sections are arranged vertically above the supply tray stacking section.

Further, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the component supply method of the present invention utilizes a component supply device including a supply tray stacking portion in which one or more supply trays accommodating components are stacked A tray up / down unit for separating one of the supply trays from the supply tray stacking section; and a tray moving unit for moving a separate supply tray, the method including the following steps: at the supply tray stacking section The one or more supply trays accommodating parts are stacked; one supply tray is separated from the supply tray stacking portion by the tray raising / lowering unit and the one supply tray is held; the divided supply trays are supplied by the tray raising / lowering unit To supply parts; and stack one or more empty supplies to be emptied at the empty tray stacking section A tray in which an empty tray stacking portion is arranged above a supply tray stacking portion in a vertical direction.

Further, in order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, the robot system of the present invention includes: a robot; and a component supply device, wherein the component supply device includes: a supply tray stacking portion, and in the supply tray stacking portion, one or more of the components are accommodated. The supply trays are stacked; a tray up / down unit for separating one of the supply trays from the supply tray stacking section; a tray holding unit, the tray holding unit is provided in the tray up / down unit; and an empty tray stacking section, in the empty In the tray stacking section, one or more empty supply trays that are emptied after the parts are supplied are stacked, wherein the empty tray stacking section is arranged above the supply tray stacking section in a vertical direction, wherein the robot is provided with a mechanism capable of being positioned in the x-axis direction. The gripping device moving up and in the y-axis direction does not have a drive unit in the z-axis direction.

Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1‧‧‧ parts supply equipment

3‧‧‧ Supply tray stacking section

4‧‧‧Tray Up / Down Unit

5‧‧‧ Pallet moving unit

6‧‧‧Tray holding unit

7‧‧‧ Empty pallet stacking section

8‧‧‧ empty pallet stacking unit

9‧‧‧Part removal robot

10‧‧‧Part holding device

11‧‧‧Tray holding anti-return mechanism

12‧‧‧ Empty pallet stacking anti-return mechanism

21‧‧‧Supply tray

21a‧‧‧Main body

21b‧‧‧Maintained

21c‧‧‧Side surface part

22‧‧‧ empty tray

22a‧‧‧Main part

22b‧‧‧Maintained

22c‧‧‧side surface part

101‧‧‧Part supply equipment

103‧‧‧Supply tray stacking section

104‧‧‧Tray Up / Down Unit

105‧‧‧Tray moving unit

106‧‧‧Tray holding unit

107‧‧‧ Empty pallet stacking section

108‧‧‧ empty pallet stacking unit

109‧‧‧Robot

110‧‧‧Part holding device

111‧‧‧Tray positioning section

112‧‧‧Tray holding anti-return mechanism

112a‧‧‧ protrusion

113‧‧‧ Empty pallet stacking anti-return mechanism

113a‧‧‧ protrusion

114‧‧‧ parts

118‧‧‧Chuck section

121‧‧‧ supply tray

124a‧‧‧ peripheral edge

122‧‧‧ empty tray

122a‧‧‧ peripheral edge

130‧‧‧ base

131‧‧‧ par

132‧‧‧y-axis moving unit

133‧‧‧x-axis moving unit

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a component supply apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, and 2E are schematic diagrams illustrating a method for separating one supply tray from a supply tray stacking portion according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, and 3F are schematic diagrams illustrating a method for accommodating and stacking empty trays at a stacking portion of a supply tray according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view illustrating an empty tray stacking portion according to the first embodiment of the present invention, at which a plurality of empty trays are stacked.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation flow according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a component supplying apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, and 7E are schematic diagrams illustrating a method for separating one supply tray from a supply tray stacking portion according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E, and 8F are schematic front and side views illustrating a process according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a supply tray is moved from a supply tray stacking portion, and a supply The pallet is positioned and passed to the part removal robot.

9A, 9B, 9C, 9D and 9E are schematic front views, A method for accommodating and stacking empty trays at an empty tray stacking portion according to a second embodiment of the present invention is explained.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a robot for a robot system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First Embodiment]

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a component supply apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The component supply device 1 includes a supply tray stacking section 3 and an empty tray stacking section 7, at which each supply tray 21 containing components (members) is stacked, and in the empty tray stacking section, empty trays 22 are stacked, The empty tray 22 is a supply tray 21 that is emptied. The empty tray stacking section 7 is arranged above the supply tray stacking section 3 in the vertical direction.

The component supply apparatus 1 includes a tray raising / lowering unit 4 and a tray moving unit 5. The tray raising / lowering unit separates one (stage) supply tray 21 from the supply tray stacking section 3, and the tray moving unit 5 moves the separated supply tray 21 To the component gripping device 10, the component taking-out robot 9 is provided with the component gripping device. The component supply apparatus 1 further includes a tray holding unit 6 and an empty tray stacking unit 8, and the tray raising / lowering unit 4 is provided with The tray holding unit 6 and the empty tray stacking unit hold the empty tray 22, which is a supply tray 21 in which the contained components are emptied.

Although the supply tray 21 and the empty tray 22 are denoted by different reference numerals for convenience of explanation, they are the same tray. The supply tray 21 includes a main body portion 21a whose four sides are surrounded by side surface portions 21c. At the upper portion of the side surface portion 21c, the holding portion 21b extends outward and is formed in a flange shape to be held by the tray holding mechanism as described below. Similarly, the empty tray 22 includes a main body portion 22a whose four sides are surrounded by side surface portions 22c. At the upper portion of the side surface portion 22c, the holding portion 22b extends outward and is formed in a flange shape to be held by the tray holding mechanism as described below. The side surface portions 21c and 22c may have a tapered shape narrowed toward the bottom of the supply tray 21, but may be shaped to rise vertically.

Hereinafter, the following operation will be explained: One supply tray 21 is separated from the supply tray stacking section 3 by the tray raising / lowering unit 4, and then moved to the part taking-out robot 9, where the empty tray 22 is stacked at the empty tray stacking section 7, and the empty The tray 22 is a supply tray 21 which is emptied by the supply of parts.

In FIG. 1, a tray raising / lowering unit 4 provided with a tray holding unit 6 is lowered or raised relative to the supply tray stacking portion 3 to separate the one supply tray 21. The separation method will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, and 2E (FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, and 2E are schematic diagrams viewed from the direction shown by the arrow A of FIG. 1). In FIG. 2A, a plurality of supply trays 21 are stacked at the supply tray stacking portion 3. For convenience It is clear that only two supply trays 21 are illustrated in Figs. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D and 2E.

FIG. 2A illustrates a state in which the tray holding unit 6 including the tray holding anti-return mechanism (or one-way mechanism) 11 is supplied in a vertical direction with respect to the supply tray 21 of the storage part and arranged at the highest level. Prepare above the tray stacking section 3. FIG. 2B illustrates a state where the tray raising / lowering unit 4 is lowered from the state illustrated in FIG. 2A and the lower surface of the tray holding anti-retraction mechanism 11 is in contact with the upper surface of the holding portion 21 b of the supply tray 21. As described below, the tray holding anti-return mechanism 11 and the empty tray stacking anti-return mechanism (or one-way mechanism) 12 provided on the empty tray stacking unit 8 are configured in a single (upward) direction with respect to the horizontal axis and not in the opposite direction ( (Down) direction.

Subsequently, when the tray raising / lowering unit 4 is further lowered, the tray holding anti-retraction mechanism 11 is rotated to follow the holding portion 21 b of the supply tray 21. This state is illustrated in FIG. 2C. The tray raising / lowering unit 4 is further lowered, and the tray holding unit 6 reaches a state for lifting up the supply tray 21. This state is illustrated in FIG. 2D. In the state illustrated in FIG. 2D, the tray raising / lowering unit 4 is sufficiently lowered to a position where the tray holding anti-return mechanism 11 is positioned at a predetermined gap below the holding portion 21 b of the supply tray 21. The lowering of the tray raising / lowering unit 4 is stopped in this state.

Then, the tray raising / lowering unit 4 rises from the state illustrated in FIG. 2D, the tray holding anti-return mechanism 11 of the tray holding unit 6 abuts on the lower surface of the holding portion 21b of the supply tray 21, and the one The supply trays 21 may be separated from the supply tray stacking portion 3 as illustrated in FIG. 2E.

Subsequently, a method for moving the divided supply tray 21 to the component taking-out robot 9 will be explained below. As illustrated in FIG. 1, in a state where the separate supply tray 21 is held by the tray holding unit 6, the tray raising / lowering unit 4 moves upward to the height at which the supply tray 21 moves to the component taking-out robot 9. The tray holding prevention mechanism 11 of the tray holding unit 6 is provided at two positions at both ends of the tray holding unit 6 in the x-axis direction, or at a total of four positions as illustrated in FIG. 1. The supply tray 21 is held by four tray holding anti-return mechanisms 11. The holding back mechanism 11 extends inside the tray holding unit 6.

The tray moving unit 5 advances in the x-axis direction to move the divided supply tray 21 held by the tray holding unit 6 to a range where the parts removal robot 9 can take out parts from the divided supply tray 21. This state is illustrated by the dotted line in FIG. 1. In this state, the component holding unit 10 provided with the component extraction robot 9 takes out components (not illustrated) from the separate supply tray 21. When all the components are taken out from the supply tray 21 to empty the supply tray 21, the tray moving unit 5 is retracted in the x-axis direction to return to a predetermined position in the component supply apparatus 1. This is the tray moving method.

A method for stacking the empty tray 22 at the empty tray stacking portion 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, and 3F (schematic views viewed from the direction shown by the arrow B of FIG. 1). 22 is a supply tray 21 that has been emptied after the supply of all components is completed. In the figure In the state illustrated in 3A, the tray holding unit 6 holding the empty tray 22 is prepared vertically below the empty tray stacking unit 8 including the empty tray stacking prevention mechanism 12. In the state illustrated in FIG. 3A, one empty tray 22 has been held at the empty tray stacking portion 7.

Subsequently, in the state illustrated in FIG. 3B, the tray raising / lowering unit 4 is raised so that the lower empty tray 22 abuts the lower surface of the upper empty tray 22. When the tray raising / lowering unit 4 further rises, this state becomes a state where the upper surface of the holding portion 22 b of the empty tray 22 is in contact with the lower surface of the empty tray stacking prevention mechanism 12. This state is illustrated in FIG. 3C. From FIG. 3C, the illustration of the overhead tray 22 is omitted to facilitate the view.

Note that at this time, the tray holding unit 6 and the tray holding anti-retraction mechanism 11 holding the empty tray 22 and the empty tray stacking unit 8 and the empty tray preventing mechanism 12 have a positional relationship that does not interfere with each other in space. In this embodiment, a nesting relationship in which the empty tray stacking unit 8 is fitted into the inside of the tray holding unit 6 is established. Further, the tray holding unit 6 and the tray holding anti-return mechanism 11 holding the overhead tray 22 are omitted in FIGS. 3C, 3D, 3E, and 3F to facilitate viewing of the drawings.

FIG. 3D illustrates a state in which the tray raising / lowering unit 4 is further raised from the state illustrated in FIG. 3C when the empty tray stacking prevention mechanism 12 rotates to follow the holding portion 22b of the empty tray 22. Subsequently, the tray raising / lowering unit 4 further rises, and the empty tray stacking unit 8 reaches a state (a state illustrated in FIG. 3E) for holding the empty tray 22 from below. FIG. 3F illustrates the tray ascending / descending unit 4 finally descending and the empty tray A state in which the stacking unit 8 stacks the one empty tray 22. This is the empty pallet stacking method.

FIG. 4 illustrates a state in which the empty tray stacking unit 8 holds the empty trays 22 stacked one above the other. The empty trays 22 raised from below by the tray raising / lowering unit 4 are stacked, and the empty tray stacking unit 8 holds the lowermost empty tray 22. In FIG. 4, five empty trays 22 are stacked, but the number of stacked empty trays 22 is not limited, for example.

The tray holding prevention mechanism 11 of the tray holding unit 6 and the empty tray stacking prevention mechanism 12 of the empty tray stacking unit 8 are sized to be longer in the horizontal direction than the length of the holding portion 21b of the supply tray and the holding portion 22b of the empty tray 22. length. Therefore, in a state where the supply tray 21 or the empty tray 22 is held, the vertical portion of the tray holding unit 6 and the vertical portion of the empty tray stacking unit 8 and the outer edge portion of the holding portion 21b and the outer edge of the holding portion 22b There is a predetermined gap between the sections, as illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, and 2E and FIG. 4, respectively. Due to the existence of the gap, the tray holding anti-retraction mechanism 11 and the anti-retraction mechanism 12 can rotate.

As understood from the above description, the empty tray stacking unit 8 does not rise or fall, and is positioned above the supply tray stacking portion 3 in the vertical direction in a fixed state. Therefore, the empty tray 22 is stacked by the tray raising / lowering unit 4 and a separate driving source is not required to stack the empty tray 22 at the empty tray stacking portion 7.

Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the empty tray stacking portion 7 is arranged above the supply tray stacking portion 3 in the vertical direction so that it is possible Prevent increase in installation area.

As described above, the supply of parts is completed by separating one supply tray 21 from the supply tray stacking section 3, taking out the one supply tray 21 for the component taking out robot 9, and then stacking it at the empty tray stacking section 7. Empty tray 22. This operation is repeatedly performed the same number of times as the number of (stages) of the supply trays 21 stacked at the supply tray stacking section 3.

The above operation will be explained with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation flow according to the first embodiment of the present invention. When the operation is started, the tray raising / lowering unit 4 is lowered to a height at which one supply tray 21 is divided (taken out) in step S1. The states are illustrated in Figs. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, and 2E.

When the tray holding unit 6 holds the supply tray 21, in step S2, the tray raising / lowering unit 4 rises to a height at which the component can be moved to the component taking-out robot 9. When the ascent is completed, in step S3, the tray moving unit 5 advances from the initial position to the second position where the component taking-out robot 9 can take out the components (illustrated by a dotted line in FIG. 1).

In step S4, the component take-out robot 9 takes out all the plurality of components accommodated in the supply tray 21, and the supply tray 21 becomes empty. In step S5, a sensor (not illustrated) determines whether one or more components are present or absent in the supply tray 21. If the part does not exist, the process proceeds to the next step, and if the part exists, the process returns to step S4.

In step S5, if it is determined that the component does not exist, in step S5, In step S6, the tray moving unit 5 is retracted to return to the initial position. After the parts are supplied, in step S7, the empty tray 22 that has returned to the upper part of the supply tray stacking section 3 is raised to the height at which the empty tray 22 is stacked and the empty tray 22 is raised by the ascent of the tray ascending / descending unit 4. It is stacked at the empty tray stacking unit 8. Subsequently, the supply tray 21 of the next stage is repeatedly separated from the supply tray stacking section 3. In step S8, it is determined whether the supply tray 21 exists or does not exist, and if no supply tray 21 exists, the process is completed. If the supply tray 21 still exists, the process returns to step S1 to repeat the above-mentioned operation.

In the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the tray moving unit 5 is provided to move the divided supply tray 21 to the component taking-out robot 9. However, it is not necessary to provide the tray moving unit 5, and the parts supply apparatus may be configured such that the parts removal robot 9 directly takes out parts from the supply tray 21 positioned at the uppermost stage of the supply tray stacking section 3. In this configuration, the empty tray stacking section 7 is arranged above the supply tray stacking section 3 in the vertical direction.

According to the first embodiment, the empty tray stacking portion is arranged above the supply tray stacking portion so that an increase in the installation area can be prevented. Moreover, the empty tray 22 is stacked at the empty tray stacking portion 7 by the tray raising / lowering unit 4 so that the driving source can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

Further, after the empty tray 22 has been stacked at the empty tray stacking section 7 by the tray raising / lowering unit 4, the new tray 21 is taken out from the supply tray stacking section 3 so that the tray 21 can be produced in a short time Change, and productivity can be improved.

[Second Embodiment]

A second embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the second embodiment, the "supply tray" and the "empty tray" are the same tray and are limited in function as follows. The “supply tray” means a tray in each state where the parts are accommodated in the tray, the trays are stacked at the supply tray stacking section 3, and the parts are supplied to the robot 109. Moreover, "empty tray" means a tray in which all parts are supplied, so the tray is empty.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a component supplying apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The second embodiment relates to a robot system including the component supply device of the first embodiment and a robot which will be described later.

The component supply apparatus 101 includes a supply tray stacking section 103 and an empty tray stacking section 107 at which each supply tray 121 accommodating a component 114 (not illustrated in FIG. 6) is stacked, and at the empty tray stacking section 107 Empty trays 122 are stacked everywhere, and the empty trays 122 are empty supply trays 121. The empty tray stacking section 107 is arranged above the supply tray stacking section 103 in the vertical direction.

The component supply apparatus 101 includes a tray raising / lowering unit 104 and a tray holding unit 106. The tray raising / lowering unit 104 separates the primary supply tray 121 from the supply tray stacking portion 103. The tray raising / lowering unit 104 is provided with a tray holding unit 106. Component supply equipment 101 It also includes a tray moving unit 105 and a tray positioning portion 111. The tray moving unit 105 moves the separate supply tray 121 to an area where the robot 109 can take out parts, and after the supply tray 121 is moved by the tray moving unit 105, the tray positioning portion 111 Positions the supply tray 121 in the x-axis direction and in the y-axis direction in accordance with the ascending / descending operation of the pallet ascending / descending unit 104 (during ascent in this embodiment). The tray positioning portion 111 may be provided at the tray moving unit 105.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the y-axis moving unit 132 is provided on the base 130 through a rod 131 in the robot 109. The x-axis moving unit 133 is mounted on a guide rail of the y-axis moving unit 132 and is movable in the x-axis direction. The component holding device 110 is mounted on a guide rail of the x-axis moving unit 133 and is movable in the y-axis direction.

The robot 109 includes a tray positioning portion 111 that positions the supply tray 121 transferred from the component supply apparatus 101 on the base 130. The robot 109 includes a component holding device (hand) 110, and the robot 109 is provided with the component holding device. The component holding device 110 includes a chuck portion 118 that holds a component (not shown).

In this manner, the robot 109 includes an x-axis actuator and a y-axis actuator to supply parts to a predetermined position on the x-y plane. Moreover, this configuration can increase the degree of freedom in the layout of the device, such as the arrangement of the units. Moreover, the robot 109 does not include a driving unit in the z-axis direction. Therefore, the weight of the robot 109 can be reduced compared with a robot including a driving unit in the z-axis direction.

Further, in FIG. 6, the part 114 (not shown) is made of a machine The person 109 takes out the supply tray 121, and then the empty tray 122 is stacked at the empty tray stacking portion 107 by the empty tray stacking unit 108, and the empty tray 122 is the supply tray 21 that has been emptied.

One supply tray 121 is separated from the supply tray stacking section 103 by the tray moving unit 105 and is transferred to the robot 109. Hereinafter, operations after this will be explained until the stacking is completed at the empty tray stacking portion 107.

The tray raising / lowering unit 104 including the tray holding unit 106 is lowered with respect to the supply tray stacking portion 103 to separate one supply tray 121. The separation method will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, and 7E (FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, and 7E are diagrams viewed from the direction shown by the arrow A of FIG. 6). 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, and 7E are schematic front views illustrating a method for separating one supply tray from a supply tray stacking portion. The supply tray 121 (similarly, the empty tray 122) is a box that accommodates a part 114 (not shown) and includes a peripheral edge 121a that protrudes outward from a side surface of the box around an upper portion of the box.

FIG. 7A illustrates a state in which the tray holding unit 106 including the tray holding anti-return mechanism 112 is prepared above the supply tray stacking section 103 with respect to the supply tray 121 arranged at the uppermost stage of the supply tray stacking section 103. Next, in FIG. 7B, the tray raising / lowering unit 104 is lowered, and the tray holding anti-retraction mechanism 112 is in contact with the upper surface of the outer peripheral edge 121 a of the supply tray 121. FIG. 7C illustrates a state where the tray raising / lowering unit 104 is further lowered, and the tray holding anti-retraction mechanism 112 is rotated to follow the outer peripheral edge 121 a of the supply tray 121.

In FIG. 7D, the tray raising / lowering unit 104 is further lowered, and the tray holding unit 106 reaches a state where it can hold the supply tray 121 from below. In this state, the protrusion 112 a of the tray holding anti-return mechanism 112 is positioned below the outer peripheral edge 121 a of the supply tray 121. Finally, when the tray raising / lowering unit 104 is raised from the state illustrated in FIG. 7D and the protrusion 112a of the tray holding anti-retraction mechanism 112 is in contact with the lower surface of the outer peripheral edge 121a of the supply tray 121, the tray holding unit 106 can reach A state where one (stage) supply tray 121 is separated from the supply tray stacking portion 103. FIG. 7E illustrates a state where the supply tray 121 is completely separated. Therefore, one supply tray 121 is separated.

A method for transferring the divided supply tray 121 to the robot 109 by the tray moving unit 105 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E, and 8F (viewed from the direction shown by the arrow B in FIG. 6). (Schematic) description. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E, and 8F are schematic front and side views illustrating operations in which the supply tray 121 is moved from the supply tray stacking portion 103 and the supply tray 121 is positioned and transferred to the robot 109. In FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E, and 8F, a view from the front of the component supply device 101 is illustrated on the left side of the figure and a view from the side of the component supply device 101 is illustrated on the right side of the figure.

The state illustrated in FIG. 8A is a state where the tray holding unit 106 holds the separate supply tray 121 and the tray raising / lowering unit 104 rises to the tray take-out height.

In the state illustrated in FIG. 8B, the tray moving unit 105 advances in the x-axis direction (see FIG. 6) so that the tray holding unit 106 Takes out the supply tray 121 to the take-out range of the robot 109. Next, in the state illustrated in FIG. 8C, after the supply tray 121 has been taken out, the supply tray 121 is raised by the tray up / down unit 104 to a height at which the supply tray 121 is positioned by the tray positioning unit 111. In the state of FIG. 8D, the supply tray 121 is positioned and then the supply tray 121 is further raised to a height at which the robot 109 can perform taking out.

In the state of FIG. 8D, the component gripping device 110 provided on the robot 109 grips the component 114 in the supply tray 121. In the state of FIG. 8E, after the component 114 has been grasped, the supply tray 121 is lowered by the tray raising / lowering unit 104 to the take-out height of the supply tray 121.

In the state of FIG. 8F, the tray moving unit 105 retreats with the empty tray 122 in the x-axis direction, and moves the empty tray 122 to a position where the empty tray 122 can be stacked at the empty tray stacking portion 107. The empty tray is The supply tray 121 of all parts 114 is emptied. This completes the method for transferring the supply tray 121 to and from the robot 109. Subsequently, the robot 109 moves while grasping the part 114 to start an automatic assembly operation.

Next, a method for stacking and accommodating the empty tray 122 at the empty tray stacking portion 107 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D, and 9E (schematic diagrams viewed from the direction shown by the arrow C of FIG. 6). 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D, and 9E are schematic front views illustrating a method for accommodating and stacking the empty tray 122 at the empty tray stacking portion 107.

FIG. 9A illustrates a tray holding an empty tray 122 emptied The holding unit 106 is prepared in a vertical direction under the empty tray stacking unit 108 including the empty tray stacking prevention mechanism 113.

In FIG. 9B, the tray raising / lowering unit 104 is raised, and the upper surface of the outer peripheral edge 122a of the empty tray 122 is in contact with the lower surface of the protrusion 113a of the empty tray holding anti-retraction mechanism 113. In FIGS. 9B, 9C, 9D, and 9E, the illustration of the tray holding unit 106 that holds the empty tray 122 is omitted to facilitate viewing.

In FIG. 9C, the tray raising / lowering unit 104 further rises, and the protrusion 113 a of the empty tray stacking prevention mechanism 113 rotates to follow the outer peripheral edge 122 a of the empty tray 122. Moreover, FIG. 9D illustrates a state where the tray raising / lowering unit 104 is further raised and the empty tray stacking unit 108 is located at a position where the empty tray 122 is received.

FIG. 9E illustrates a state where the tray raising / lowering unit 104 is lowered and the empty tray stacking unit 108 is stacking the empty tray 122. In the case where a plurality of empty trays 122 are stacked, the plurality of empty trays 122 are stacked on the empty tray 122 in FIG. 9E. However, illustration is omitted here and only one empty tray 122 is illustrated for convenience of explanation. This is how to stack and hold empty pallets.

One supply tray 121 is separated from the supply tray stacking section 103 explained above, and the one supply tray 121 is taken out to the robot 109. When the supply of the parts 114 is completed, the emptied supply tray 121 is stacked as the empty tray 122 at the empty tray stacking portion 107. The above operation is repeatedly performed the same number of times as the number of (stages) of the supply trays 121 stacked at the supply tray stacking section 103 and is completed.

Tray holding anti-return mechanism 112 and empty tray stacking anti-return machine The mechanism 113 is the same mechanism, and the protrusions 112a and 113a of each of the tray holding anti-retraction mechanism and the empty tray stacking anti-retraction mechanism are configured to be able to rotate upward but not downward with respect to the horizontal axis.

The second embodiment can be used for a component supply device of an automatic assembly device, and can also be used for supplying a component to another device.

According to the component supply apparatus and the component supply method of the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. The tray moving unit is raised or lowered so that the supply tray is raised or lowered to supply parts to the robot. With this arrangement, the moment of inertia of the moving joint is smaller than the moment of inertia of the conventional component extraction robot including the ascending / descending unit. Therefore, the vibration when transmitting the components can be minimized. Moreover, even in the case where the x-axis linear kinematic joint and the y-axis linear kinematic joint move at a high speed, the vibration of the component holding device for holding the component can be minimized because the inertia moment of the robot is small.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a component supply apparatus which reduces the number of moving shafts at a low cost, and can prevent a grasping error of a component to be grasped, and a scratch caused by a friction of the component and the claw due to vibration.

The above-mentioned robot does not necessarily require a raising / lowering unit, so it may not be necessary to provide a guide for an actuator at the upper part of the component. This arrangement can reduce the concern that grease is spread and deposited on the component during the raising or lowering operation of the actuator.

Since the supply tray is raised by the ascending / descending unit, the ascending / descending unit divides one supply tray from the supply tray stacking section On, the number of shafts can be reduced, so that the component supply equipment can be provided at a low cost.

When the supply tray moves up and down, the positioning portion of the supply tray can be arranged on the trajectory of the supply tray up and down, and the supply tray can be positioned by using the up and down movement of the tray to reduce the number of axes and provide component supply at low cost device.

Although the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following patent application scope is to be interpreted most broadly to encompass all such modifications, as well as equivalent structures and functions.

1‧‧‧ parts supply equipment

3‧‧‧ Supply tray stacking section

4‧‧‧Tray Up / Down Unit

5‧‧‧ Pallet moving unit

6‧‧‧Tray holding unit

7‧‧‧ Empty pallet stacking section

8‧‧‧ empty pallet stacking unit

9‧‧‧Part removal robot

10‧‧‧Part holding device

11‧‧‧Tray holding anti-return mechanism

12‧‧‧ Empty pallet stacking anti-return mechanism

21‧‧‧Supply tray

22‧‧‧ empty tray

Claims (14)

A robot system including: a robot; and a component supply device including: a supply tray stacking portion in which one or more supply trays accommodating components are stacked; a tray raising / lowering unit, the tray The raising / lowering unit is used to separate one of the supply trays from the supply tray stacking portion; a tray holding unit, the tray holding unit is provided in the tray rising / falling unit; and an empty tray stacking portion, in In the empty tray stacking section, one or more empty supply trays emptied after the parts are supplied are stacked, wherein the empty tray stacking section is arranged above the supply tray stacking section in a vertical direction, and Wherein, the robot is provided with a gripping device capable of moving in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, and is not provided with a driving unit in the z-axis direction. The robot system according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, further comprising a tray moving unit for moving a separate one of the supply trays to a part removal robot. The robot system according to item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the one or more empty supply trays are stacked at the empty tray stacking portion by the tray raising / lowering unit. The robot system according to item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the tray holding unit includes a one-way mechanism that separates and moves the one or more supply trays. The robot system according to item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the robot is provided on a base, and wherein the robot includes a supply tray positioning portion that positions the one or more supply trays on the base . A component supply method for supplying a component by a component supply device including a supply tray stacking section in which one or more supply trays accommodating components are stacked; a tray is raised / Lower unit for separating one of the supply trays from the supply tray stacking section; and a tray moving unit for moving a separate one of the supply trays The method includes the steps of: stacking the one or more supply trays accommodating parts at the supply tray stacking portion; and stacking one of the supply trays from the supply tray by the tray up / down unit Partially separate and hold one of the supply trays; supply the divided supply trays to supply the parts by the tray up / down unit; stack one or more empty supply trays emptied at the empty tray stacking section ; And supplying the parts to the robot, Wherein, the empty tray stacking portion is arranged above the supply tray stacking portion in a vertical direction, and wherein the robot is provided with a gripping device capable of moving in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, and With a drive unit in the z-axis direction. The component supplying method according to item 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein the step of stacking at the empty tray stacking portion includes stacking the one or Multiple empty trays. The parts supply method according to item 6 of the patent application scope, wherein the step of supplying the parts to the robot includes raising the tray moving unit by the tray raising / lowering unit and supplying the parts To the robot. The component supply method according to item 8 of the scope of patent application, wherein the robot includes a supply tray positioning portion, and the component is supplied to the robot at a predetermined position on the supply tray. A robot system includes: a robot; and a component supply device including: a supply tray stacking portion in which one or more supply trays accommodating components to be supplied are stacked; a vertical moving mechanism, said A vertical moving mechanism that separates one of the supply trays from the supply tray stacking portion, the vertical moving mechanism having a tray holder that holds the divided supply trays; and An empty tray stacking section in which one or more empty supply trays that are emptied after the parts are supplied are stacked, wherein, in the parts supplying equipment, the empty tray stacking sections are along A vertical direction is arranged above the supply tray stacking portion, and wherein the robot is provided with a gripping device capable of moving in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, but there is no driving unit in the z-axis direction. The robot system according to item 10 of the scope of patent application, further comprising a horizontal moving mechanism tray that moves the divided supply tray to the robot along a horizontal plane, and the robot moves the part from the The separate supply tray is removed. The robot system according to item 10 of the patent application scope, wherein the one or more empty trays are stacked at the empty tray stacking portion by the vertical moving mechanism. The robot system according to item 10 of the patent application scope, wherein the tray holder includes a unidirectional mechanism that separates and supports the supply tray. The robot system according to item 10 of the scope of patent application, wherein the robot is provided on a base, and wherein the robot includes a supply tray positioning mechanism for positioning the supply tray on the base.