WO2015075779A1

WO2015075779A1 - Robot system and stretching method for annular member

Info

Publication number: WO2015075779A1
Application number: PCT/JP2013/081192
Authority: WO
Inventors: 亮介堤; 晃大塩田; 健一元永; 原田　敏行; 文章古賀
Original assignee: 株式会社安川電機
Priority date: 2013-11-19
Filing date: 2013-11-19
Publication date: 2015-05-28

Abstract

In order to automate stretching of an annular member, this robot system (1) comprises a plurality of robot arms (13R, 13L) and a control device (30). The control device (30) instructs the plurality of robot arms (13R, 13L) to perform an operation whereby the annular member is supported at a plurality of points, the annular member is spread from the inside towards the outside, tension is applied, and the annular member is conveyed.

Description

Robot system and annular member stretching method

The disclosed embodiment relates to a robot system and an annular member stretching method.

2. Description of the Related Art Various robot systems have been proposed that improve the efficiency of a production line by causing a robot to perform a predetermined operation that has been conventionally performed by a person in a product production line.

Such robot systems include, for example, a system in which a flexible part such as a rubber hose is assembled to a machine part using a robot (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 4249789

However, the above-described conventional technology has room for further improvement in that the work of stretching the annular member is automated.

For example, as one of the flexible parts described above, there is an annular member such as a belt stretched around a pulley. Such an annular member is made of a soft material and is often amorphous, and is known as a member that is difficult to handle by a robot. Further, since fine work such as tension adjustment is required, it is usually stretched by hand.

One aspect of the embodiments has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a robot system and an annular member stretching method that can automate the work of stretching the annular member.

A robot system according to an aspect of the embodiment includes a plurality of robot arms and a control device. The control device instructs the plurality of robot arms to carry the annular member while supporting the annular member at multiple points while spreading the annular member from inside to outside and applying tension.

According to one aspect of the embodiment, the work of stretching the annular member can be automated.

FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view illustrating a configuration of a robot system according to the embodiment. FIG. 1B is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the work station. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the robot system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3A is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the robot. FIG. 3B is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the robot. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the hand. FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram (part 1) illustrating a series of procedures for a stretching operation. FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram (part 2) illustrating a series of procedures of the stretching operation. FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram (part 3) illustrating a series of procedures of the stretching operation. FIG. 5D is a schematic diagram (part 4) illustrating a series of procedures of the stretching operation. FIG. 5E is a schematic diagram (part 5) illustrating a series of procedures of the stretching operation. FIG. 5F is a schematic diagram (part 6) illustrating a series of procedures for the stretching operation. FIG. 5G is a schematic diagram (part 7) illustrating a series of procedures for the stretching operation. FIG. 5H is a schematic diagram (part 8) showing a series of procedures for the tensioning operation. FIG. 5I is a schematic diagram (part 9) showing a series of procedures for the stretching operation. FIG. 5J is a schematic diagram (No. 10) showing a series of procedures for the stretching operation. FIG. 5K is a schematic diagram (part 11) illustrating a series of procedures for the stretching operation. FIG. 5L is a schematic diagram (No. 12) showing a series of procedures for the stretching operation. FIG. 5M is a schematic diagram (No. 13) showing a series of procedures for the stretching operation. FIG. 5N is a schematic diagram (No. 14) showing a series of procedures for the stretching operation. FIG. 5O is a schematic diagram (No. 15) showing a series of procedures for the stretching operation. FIG. 5P is a schematic diagram (No. 16) showing a series of procedures for the stretching operation. FIG. 5Q is a schematic diagram (No. 17) showing a series of procedures for the stretching operation. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure executed by the robot system. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of the guidance operation according to the embodiment. FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram (part 1) showing a series of procedures for guiding operations. FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram (part 2) illustrating a series of procedures of the guidance operation. FIG. 8C is a schematic diagram (part 3) illustrating a series of procedures of the guidance operation. FIG. 8D is a schematic diagram (part 4) illustrating a series of procedures of the guidance operation. FIG. 8E is a schematic diagram (part 5) showing a series of procedures of the guidance operation. FIG. 8F is a schematic diagram (part 6) illustrating a series of procedures of the guidance operation. FIG. 8G is a schematic diagram (part 7) illustrating a series of procedures of the guidance operation. FIG. 8H is a schematic diagram (part 8) showing a series of procedures of the guidance operation. FIG. 8I is a schematic diagram (No. 9) showing a series of procedures for the guide operation. FIG. 8J is a schematic diagram (No. 10) showing a series of steps of the guidance operation. FIG. 8K is a schematic diagram (part 11) showing a series of procedures of the guidance operation. FIG. 8L is a schematic diagram (No. 12) showing a series of steps of the guidance operation.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a robot system and a method for stretching an annular member disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by embodiment shown below.

In the following, for convenience of explanation, a robot system specialized in the process of stretching an annular member on a tension object (work) will be described as an example, but a partial process until one product is completed will be described. It may be regarded as an example of a simple process.

In the following, it is assumed that the workpiece is a pulley and the annular member is a belt. The “robot hand” that is the end effector of the robot is described as “hand”. The robot arm is described as “arm”.

FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the robot system 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 1B is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the work station 20.

1A and 1B show a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system including a Z-axis having a vertically upward direction as a positive direction for easy understanding. Such an orthogonal coordinate system may be shown in other drawings used in the following description.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the robot system 1 includes a cell 2 having a rectangular parallelepiped internal space. The robot system 1 includes a robot 10 and a work station 20 inside the cell 2.

In this embodiment, the robot 10 is arranged inside the cell 2, but the robot 10 is arranged outside the cell 2, and the right hand 14R and the left hand 14L are made to enter inside through the front door of the cell 2, etc. It is good also as a structure which makes work work in a state.

In addition, the robot system 1 includes a control device 30 outside the cell 2. The control device 30 is connected to the robot 10 so as to be able to transmit information. The connection form may be wired or wireless.

Here, the control device 30 is a controller that controls the operation of the connected robot 10, and includes various control devices, arithmetic processing devices, storage devices, and the like. A specific configuration of the control device 30 will be described later with reference to FIG. Note that the control device 30 may be disposed inside the cell 2.

The robot 10 is a double-armed manipulator that operates in response to an operation instruction from the control device 30, and includes a right hand 14R on the right arm and a left hand 14L on the left arm. Details of the configuration of the robot 10 including the right hand 14R and the left hand 14L will be described later with reference to FIG.

The work station 20 is a place where the robot 10 performs a series of work from conveying the belt 54 to stretching. As shown in FIG. 1B, the work station 20 includes a work table 21 and a supply unit 22.

The member 50 is transported and placed on the work table 21 in advance. In the present embodiment, the member 50 is assumed to be a machine part and includes

pulleys

51 and 52 and an inner wall 53 surrounding the

pulleys

51 and 52.

Further, a belt 54 is laid over the supply unit 22 in advance. At this time, the belt 54 may be loose.

In such a work station 20, the robot 10 operates the right arm 13R to which the right hand 14R is attached and the left arm 13L to which the left hand 14L is attached, respectively, to support the belt 54 at multiple points and from the inside to the outside. The belt 54 is transported while applying tension to the belt 54 (see the arrow in the figure).

Also, the robot 10 operates the right arm 13R and the left arm 13L, respectively, to stretch the belt 54 between the pulleys 51 and 52 (see the belt 54 drawn with a broken line in the figure). That is, according to this embodiment, the work of stretching an annular member such as the belt 54 can be automated.

In the following, a series of operations from the conveyance of the belt 54 by the robot 10 to the stretching is referred to as “stretching operation”. A detailed procedure of the “stretching operation” will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5Q.

Note that the operation of the robot 10 such as this “stretching operation” is based on a “job” which is a specific program for operating the robot 10. The “job” is registered in advance in the control device 30 or the like via an input device (not shown) (for example, a programming pendant).

Next, the configuration of the robot system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the robot system 1 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 2, only the components necessary for the description of the robot system 1 are shown, and descriptions of general components are omitted.

In the description using FIG. 2, the internal configuration of the control device 30 will be mainly described, and the description of the components already shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B may be simplified or omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 30 includes a control unit 31 and a storage unit 32. The control unit 31 further includes an instruction unit 31a, a haptic information acquisition unit 31b, and a tension information acquisition unit 31c.

The storage unit 32 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive or a non-volatile memory, and stores teaching information 32a.

It should be noted that all the components of the control device 30 shown in FIG. For example, the teaching information 32a stored in the storage unit 32 may be stored in an internal memory of the robot 10. Alternatively, the host device of the control device 30 may store the information, and the control device 30 may appropriately acquire from the host device.

The control unit 31 performs overall control of the control device 30. The instruction unit 31 a generates an operation signal for operating the robot 10 including the arm 13, the hand 14, and the force sensor 15 (described later) based on the previously registered teaching information 32 a and outputs the operation signal to the robot 10. The arm 13 refers to the right arm 13R and the left arm 13L. Similarly, the hand 14 refers to the right hand 14R and the left hand 14L.

Here, the teaching information 32a is information including the above-mentioned “job” which is a specific program for operating the robot 10. The instruction unit 31a takes various parameters such as information relating to a force sense passed from a force sense information obtaining unit 31b described later and information relating to a tension passed from a tension information obtaining unit 31c described later as parameters. However, the operation mode of the robot 10 is determined, and the above-described operation signal is generated.

The operation signal is generated as a pulse signal to the servo motor mounted on each joint portion of the robot 10, for example.

The force information acquisition unit 31b acquires the detection result regarding the external force applied to the hand 14 detected by the force sensor 15, and passes the detection result to the instruction unit 31a. In addition, in the instruction | indication part 31a, the fixed position of the pulley 52 is determined based on this detection result, for example.

The tension information acquisition unit 31c acquires the measurement result of the tension meter T2, which is a measuring instrument that measures the tension applied to the belt 54, and passes it to the instruction unit 31a. In addition, in the instruction | indication part 31a, this tension meter T2 is hold | gripped in the hand 14 (refer the arrow of the broken line in a figure), and the operation | movement which measures tension | tensile_strength is performed.

Therefore, the tension meter T2 has a shape that the hand 14 can grip. Further, the instruction unit 31a causes the arm 13 to perform an operation of finely adjusting the fixed position of the pulley 52, for example, based on the measurement result of the tension meter T2.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the robot 10 that operates based on an instruction from the instruction unit 31a and a series of procedures of the “stretching operation” in the robot system 1 will be sequentially described in detail.

First, a configuration example of the robot 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. FIG. 3A is a schematic front view illustrating the configuration of the robot 10, and FIG. 3B is a schematic plan view illustrating the configuration of the robot 10.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the robot 10 is a double-armed multi-axis robot. Specifically, the robot 10 includes a base part 11, a body part 12, a right arm 13R, and a left arm 13L.

The base portion 11 is fixed to the floor surface or the like inside the cell 2 (see FIG. 1A), and supports the trunk portion 12 at the tip so that it can turn around the axis SW (around the axis SW in FIG. 3A). (See the double arrow).

The trunk portion 12 is supported at the base end portion by the base portion 11, and supports the base end portion of the right arm 13R at the right shoulder so as to be rotatable around the axis S. Similarly, the base end portion of the left arm 13L is supported at the left shoulder so as to be rotatable around the axis S (see both double arrows around the axis S in the figure).

Each of the right arm 13R and the left arm 13L is composed of a plurality of links and joints, and can rotate around the axes S, E, and T at each joint from the base end to the tip. (See double arrows around the axes S, E and T in the figure).

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the right arm 13R and the left arm 13L can rotate about the axis L, the axis U, the axis R, and the axis B, respectively (the axis L, the axis U, the axis R in the figure). And double arrow around axis B). That is, the robot 10 has 7 axes per arm.

Then, the robot 10 performs various multi-axis operations combining the two 7-axis arms and the turning around the axis SW based on the operation instruction from the control device 30.

The right hand 14R is attached to the terminal movable part around the axis T, which is the tip of the right arm 13R, and the left hand 14L is attached to the terminal movable part around the axis T, which is the tip of the left arm 13L.

Next, configuration examples of the right hand 14R and the left hand 14L will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the right hand 14R and the left hand 14L are different only in the left and right. Therefore, when the right hand 14R and the left hand 14L are collectively referred to as “hand 14”. Similarly, the right arm 13R and the left arm 13L are collectively referred to as “arm 13”.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the hand 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the hand 14 includes a base portion 14a and a grip portion 14b. The gripping part 14b is an example of a gripping mechanism. The hand 14 is attached to the terminal movable portion of the arm 13 as described above.

The base portion 14a is a base member of the hand 14 and includes a slide mechanism that slides the grip portion 14b.

The gripping portion 14b is a pair of parallel open / close gripping claws provided so as to be slidable in a direction toward or away from each other by the slide mechanism (see an arrow 401 in the drawing).

The gripping part 14b can grip the gripping object by sandwiching the gripping object between the pair of gripping claws. Further, the gripping part 14b can be opened from the inside to the outside by being opened after being inserted in a state of being closed on the inner peripheral side of the annular member such as the belt 54, for example. .

The hand 14 is provided with a force sensor 15. The force sensor 15 is a force sensor that detects an external force applied to the hand 14, and is mounted between the arm 13 and the hand 14 as shown in FIG. 4, for example. For example, the force sensor 15 is configured as a six-axis sensor capable of measuring a force applied from a three-dimensional three direction and a force applied in a twist direction.

Next, a series of procedures for the stretching operation in the robot system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5Q. FIGS. 5A to 5Q are schematic views (No. 1) to (No. 17) showing a series of procedures of the stretching operation. As described above, the stretching operation is performed based on an instruction from the instruction unit 31a.

Prior to the description of the stretching operation, the member 50 will be schematically described. The member 50 has

pulleys

51 and 52. As shown in FIG. 5A, the

pulleys

51 and 52 each have a substantially circular outer periphery, and the relationship between the sizes of the two diameters is pulley 51> pulley 52.

In this embodiment, before the belt 54 is stretched, the pulley 51 is in a state of being rotatably fixed at a predetermined fixing position. Further, the pulley 52 is provided in a movable state.

In FIG. 5A, the pulley 52 is drawn at a position that is positioned when the belt 54 is stretched (that is, a position where a predetermined tension is applied), and the rotation center of the pulley 52 at this position is indicated by a point P2. It is said.

In performing the stretching operation, first, the instruction unit 31a grips the movable pulley 52 to the right hand 14R, for example, as shown in FIG. 5B. Then, the pulley 52 is moved to the right arm 13R to a position where the belt 54 is loosely hooked (see arrow 501 in the figure). The position where the belt 54 is loosely applied is a position where the rotation center of the pulley 52 is closer to the pulley 51 than the point P2.

Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 5C, the instruction unit 31 a moves the right arm 13 </ b> R and the left arm 13 </ b> L toward the supply unit 22. Then, the right arm 13R is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the belt 54 with the grip 14b of the right hand 14R closed. Further, the left hand 14L is positioned with respect to the left arm 13L so that the belt 54 is sandwiched between the gripping portions 14b.

And as shown to FIG. 5D, the instruction | indication part 31a closes the holding | grip part 14b with respect to the left arm 13L (refer the arrow 502 in a figure), and supports the belt 54 by clamping the belt 54. FIG. In addition, the instruction unit 31a supports the belt 54 by applying tension to the belt 54 by causing the right arm 13R to open the grip 14b that has been closed (see arrow 503 in the drawing).

That is, the belt 54 is in a state where tension is applied from the inside to the outside while being supported at multiple points. While maintaining this state, the instruction unit 31a causes the right arm 13R and the left arm 13L to lift the belt 54 from the supply unit 22 (see an arrow 504 in the drawing).

The state at this time is schematically shown in FIG. 5E in plan view. In the following description of the stretching operation, for convenience, the description will be given mainly using the schematic plan view as shown in FIG. 5E.

As shown in FIG. 5F, the instruction unit 31a applies the belt 54 to the member 50 while applying tension to the right arm 13R and the left arm 13L from the inside to the outside while supporting the belt 54 with the gripping portion 14b at multiple points. (See arrow 505 in the figure).

And with respect to the left arm 13L, the gripping portion 14b is positioned at a position away from between the

pulleys

51 and 52 on the positive direction side of the Y axis in the drawing. For the right arm 13R, the gripping portion 14b is positioned between the

pulleys

51 and 52 and at a position inside the inner wall 53.

And as shown to FIG. 5G, the instruction | indication part 31a makes the support by the holding part 14b be released with respect to the right arm 13R. Thereby, a part of the belt 54 that has been supported so far falls between the

pulleys

51 and 52.

Further, the instruction unit 31a allows the right arm 13R to be unsupported by the gripping portion 14b, and then contacts the gripping portion 14b with the pulley 51 on the inner peripheral side of the belt 54 (see an arrow 506 in the drawing).

Then, as shown in FIG. 5H, the instruction section 31a further moves the gripping section 14b away from between the

pulleys

51 and 52 in the direction of the arrow 507 in the drawing with respect to the left arm 13L while supporting the belt 54. Move away to position. Thus, the belt 54 is hung on the pulley 51.

At this time, since the gripping portion 14b of the right arm 13R is in contact with the pulley 51 on the inner peripheral side of the belt 54, the belt 54 can be prevented from coming off from the pulley 51. In addition, the instruction unit 31 a operates the left arm 13 </ b> L so that a predetermined tension is applied to the belt 54 even after the belt 54 is engaged with the pulley 51.

Further, by starting to hang the belt 54 from the pulley 51 having a large diameter, in other words, a large engagement portion that engages with the belt 54, it is possible to make the belt 54 difficult to come off and perform a stretching operation. It can be made easier.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5I, the instruction unit 31a operates the left arm 13L so as to draw a substantially arcuate locus around the point P1 that is the rotation center of the pulley 51 (see an arrow 508 in the drawing). Then, while applying a predetermined tension to the belt 54, the belt 54 starts to be reversed toward the pulley 52.

At this time, the instruction section 31a causes the gripping section 14b to press the engagement portion between the pulley 51 and the belt 54 that changes as the belt 54 reverses with respect to the right arm 13R from the outer peripheral side of the belt 54. . Thereby, it is possible to prevent the belt 54 from being detached from the pulley 51 due to the reversal of the belt 54.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5J, when the belt 54 is reversed by a predetermined rotation amount, the instruction unit 31a grips and supports the belt 54 with the gripping portion 14b with respect to the right arm 13R (in the drawing). (See arrow 509). The position to be supported is closer to the pulley 51 than the position supported by the left arm 13L.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5K, the instruction unit 31a operates the right arm 13R to draw a substantially arc locus around the point P1 (see an arrow 510 in the drawing). In response to this, the instruction unit 31a operates the left arm 13L to draw a substantially arc locus (see arrow 511 in the drawing).

In other words, the belt 54 is reversed while maintaining a state where the belt 54 is stretched from inside to outside between the pulley 51, the support position by the right arm 13R, and the support position by the left arm 13L. The instruction unit 31a operates the right arm 13R and the left arm 13L.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5L, the instruction unit 31a is configured to maintain the tension of the belt 54 while combining the operation of drawing a substantially arc locus and a substantially straight line locus according to the amount of rotation of the belt 54 reversed. The right arm 13R is operated (see

arrows

512 and 513 in the figure). In response to this, the left arm 13L is operated (see arrow 514 in the figure).

And the instruction | indication part 31a supports the belt 54 by the holding part 14b, maintaining tension | tensile_strength above the pulley 52 with respect to the right arm 13R.

Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 5M, the instruction unit 31a causes the belt 54 to be hung on the pulley 52 while twisting the right arm 13R with the right hand 14R (see an arrow 515 in the drawing). Since the pulley 52 is moved to a position where the belt 54 is loosely applied at the beginning of the tensioning operation (see FIG. 5B), the tension is once released.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5N, the instruction unit 31a causes the right arm 13R to grip the pulley 52 with the right hand 14R and move the pulley 52 so that a predetermined tension is applied to the belt 54 (arrow in the figure). 516).

Then, as shown in FIG. 5O, the instruction unit 31a causes the left arm 13L to grip the tool tool T1 or the like with the left hand 14L, and fixes the pulley 52 using the tool tool T1. The fixed position of the pulley 52 is determined based on the detection result of the force sensor 15 described above.

After fixing the pulley 52, as shown in FIG. 5P, the instruction unit 31a causes the left arm 13L to grip the tension meter T2 with the left hand 14L, and the tension meter T2 applies the tension of the belt 54. Perform the measurement operation. The measurement result of the tension meter T2 is sent to the control device 30 (see arrow 517 in the figure).

Then, after the tension is measured, as shown in FIG. 5Q, the instruction unit 31a sets the right position of the pulley 52 to the right arm 13R so that the tension is appropriate based on the measurement result of the tension meter T2. Fine adjustment is performed with the hand 14R (see an arrow 518 in the figure). Therefore, the procedure shown in FIGS. 5O to 5Q is repeated until the tension becomes appropriate.

Then, the pulley 52 is fixed at a position where the tension is appropriate, and a series of procedures for the stretching operation in the robot system 1 is completed.

Thus, in this embodiment, since the robot 10 is caused to perform the stretching operation, the work of stretching the annular member can be performed without manual intervention. That is, the work of stretching the annular member can be automated.

Next, a processing procedure executed by the robot system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure executed by the robot system 1. FIG. 6 mainly shows the procedure of the stretching operation described so far.

As shown in FIG. 6, the robot system 1 first moves the movable pulley 52 to a position where the belt 54 is loosely hooked (step S101). Then, while supporting the belt 54 at multiple points, the belt 54 is conveyed from the inside to the outside while applying tension (step S102).

Subsequently, a part of the multipoint support is released, and a part of the belt 54 is dropped between the pulleys 51 and 52 (step S103). Then, the belt 54 is pulled by the arm 13 with the belt 54 supported, and the belt 54 is hung on the pulley 51 (step S104).

Subsequently, the belt 54 is reversed (step S106) while the arm 13 is operated so as to draw a substantially arc locus around the pulley 51 on which the belt 54 is hung (step S105).

Then, the reversed belt 54 is hung on the pulley 52, and the pulley 52 is moved so that a predetermined tension is applied (step S107). Then, based on the detection result of the force sensor 15, the fixed position of the pulley 52 is determined (step S108).

Then, the pulley 52 is fixed by the arm 13 not having the pulley 52 (step S109), the hand 14 is held by the tension meter T2, and the tension of the belt 54 is measured (step S110).

Then, it is determined whether or not the tension is appropriate (step S111). If the tension is appropriate (step S111, Yes), the process ends.

On the other hand, if the tension is not appropriate (No at Step S111), the pulley 52 is unlocked and the fixing position is finely adjusted (Step S112). Then, the processing from step S109 is repeated until the tension becomes appropriate.

By the way, the tensioning operation for stretching the belt 54 between the

pulleys

51 and 52 has been mainly described so far. That is, they constitute a rotational force transmission mechanism. In such a case, either of the

pulleys

51 and 52 may be coupled to the drive shaft.

When either of the

pulleys

51 and 52 is connected to the drive shaft, before the belt 54 is stretched, it is necessary to dispose a drive source on the member 50 and to handle a cable extending from the drive source. Also comes out.

Such cable handling needs to be performed while appropriately guiding the cable according to the shape of the member 50, etc. However, since the cable guidance is a fine work, it has so far been entirely manual.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the “guide operation” for guiding the cable is also automated by causing the robot 10 to perform the operation. Specifically, in the robot system 1, the robot 10 performs a “guide operation” using four types of jigs. Hereinafter, the “guidance operation” will be described.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the guidance operation according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, first, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the pulley 52 described above is connected to a motor M as a drive source.

The member 50 has a bifurcated shape extending substantially in parallel when viewed from the X-axis direction in the figure, and has a storage chamber 55 in the internal space of the bifurcated connecting portion. And the motor M shall be arrange | positioned to this storage chamber 55 (refer arrow 701 in a figure).

Further, the cable C extending from the motor M is stored in the storage chamber 55 together with the motor M (see arrow 702 in the figure), and needs to be guided in the direction of the arrow 703 in the figure while following the motor M. To do. In FIG. 7 and subsequent figures, the inner wall 53 of the above-described member 50 is omitted for the sake of clarity.

Next, a series of procedures for guiding operation in the robot system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8L. FIGS. 8A to 8L are schematic views (No. 1) to (No. 12) showing a series of procedures of the guide operation. Note that the guidance operation is performed based on an instruction from the instruction unit 31a as in the above-described stretching operation.

In performing the guiding operation, the instruction unit 31a first causes the robot 10 to secure a path for guiding the cable C by using the first jig 60. The first jig 60 is shown in FIG. 8A.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the first jig 60 includes a passage forming portion 61 and a grip portion 62. The passage forming portion 61 has a shape that is substantially U-shaped in a cross-sectional view, and the inside thereof becomes a passage 61 a of the cable C.

The handle 62 has a pair of gripping blocks CB. These grip blocks CB have a shape common to at least the jig used for the guide operation, and the shape thereof is a shape that can be fitted to the grip portion 14 b of the hand 14.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the instruction unit 31 a causes the arm 13 to grip the first jig 60 with the hand 14 and store it in the storage chamber 55 of the member 50 before placing the motor M in the storage chamber 55. (See arrow 801 in the figure).

Subsequently, the second jig 70 shown in FIG. 8C is used. As shown in FIG. 8C, the second jig 70 has a funnel-shaped surface 70a formed in a funnel shape and a gripping block CB. The bottom of the funnel-shaped surface 70a becomes a communication path 70b. The communication path 70 b communicates with the passage 61 a of the first jig 60.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8D, when the first jig 60 is stored in the storage chamber 55, the instruction unit 31a causes the arm 13 to grip the second jig 70 with the hand 14 and communicate with the passage 61a. The first jig 60 and the second jig 70 are connected while communicating with the path 70b (see the arrow 802 in the figure).

Then, after the first jig 60 and the second jig 70 are connected, as shown in FIG. 8E, the instruction unit 31a causes the arm 13 to grip the motor M with the hand 14 and the direction of the arrow 803 in the figure. To move the motor M.

That is, the motor M is moved so that the cable C is received by the funnel-shaped surface 70a and accommodated in the passage 61a via the communication path 70b.

And as shown to FIG. 8F, the instruction | indication part 31a stores the motor M in the storage chamber 55 with respect to the arm 13 (refer arrow 804 in a figure). However, since the cable C is usually a flexible linear body, at this point in time, the cable C is often bent and remains in the passage 61a as shown in FIG. 8F.

When the motor M is stored in the storage chamber 55, as shown in FIG. 8G, the instruction unit 31a holds the arm 13 with the hand 14 and removes the second jig 70 (arrow in the figure). 805).

Subsequently, the third jig 80 shown in FIG. 8H is used. As shown in FIG. 8H, the third jig 80 includes an extruding part 81, a support part 82, and a handle part 83. The handle 83 has a grip block CB.

As shown in FIG. 8I, the instruction section 31a causes the arm 13 to grip the third jig 80 with the hand 14 and insert the pushing section 81 into the passage 61a (see the arrow 806 in the drawing). The cable C is pushed out from the opposite side of the member 50 by the portion 81 (see the arrow 807 in the figure). It should be noted that the control of the pushing force by the pushing portion 81 can be controlled based on the detection result by the force sensor 15 described above.

Subsequently, the fourth jig 90 shown in FIG. 8J is used. As shown in FIG. 8J, the fourth jig 90 includes a first member 91, a second member 92, and a compression spring 93. The first member 91 includes a handle portion 91a, a guide block 91b, and a guide plate 91c.

The guide block 91b and the guide plate 91c are connected in a substantially L shape, and a cable restricting portion 91d is formed inside the connecting portion. The cable restricting portion 91d restricts the direction of the cable C sandwiched between the guide block 91b and the guide plate 91c in a predetermined direction.

The second member 92 includes a handle portion 92a and a fitting pin 92b. The first member 91 and the second member 92 are coupled via a compression spring 93. Specifically, when the

grip portions

91a and 92a are clamped by the hand 14 (see the arrow 808 in the figure), the fitting pin 92b is connected so as to sink below the first member 91 (see FIG. Middle arrow 809). The member 50 is provided with a portion having a shape that can be fitted to the fitting pin 92b.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8K, the instruction section 31a sunk the fitting pin 92b downward while sandwiching the

grip sections

91a and 92a with the hand 14 with respect to the arm 13 (see arrow 808 in the figure). In the state (see arrow 809 in the figure), the fourth jig 90 is slid along the member 50 in the direction of the motor M from the side with the pulley 51 (see arrow 810 in the figure).

Then, by the slide of the fourth jig 90, as shown in FIG. 8L, the cable C is pushed while being sandwiched between the guide block 91b and the guide plate 91c, and the direction thereof is regulated in the direction of the arrow 811 in the figure. .

Then, the instruction section 31a causes the arm 13 to unpin the

grip sections

91a and 92a by the hand 14 at a position where the fitting pin 92b can be fitted to the member 50 (arrow 812 in the figure). Thereby, the fitting pin 92b floats by the action of the compression spring 93 (arrow 813 in the figure), and the fitting pin 92b is fitted to the member 50.

That is, the fourth jig 90 is fixed to the member 50, and the cable C is locked with its direction regulated.

In this state, if the above-described annular member is stretched, the cable C does not interfere with the stretching operation. Further, since the cable C can be guided in an appropriate direction, it is possible to manufacture a high-quality processed product.

As described above, the robot system according to the embodiment includes a plurality of robot arms and a control device. The control device instructs the plurality of robot arms to perform an operation of conveying the annular member while applying tension by spreading the annular member from the inside to the outside while supporting the annular member at multiple points.

Therefore, according to the robot system according to the embodiment, the work of stretching the annular member can be automated.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the robot is a double-arm robot has been described as an example. However, the number of robots and the number of arms are not limited. For example, two single-arm robots may be used. In such a case, the two single-arm robots convey the annular member while applying tension by spreading the annular member from the inside to the outside while coordinating the robot arms.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where one double-armed robot supports multiple points while applying tension to the annular member is described as an example, but multiple points may be supported by a plurality of robots.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where each arm of the robot has 7 axes is taken as an example, but the number of axes is not limited.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the workpiece is a pulley and the annular member is a belt has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a case where it is necessary to transport an annularly wound yarn in a system including a spinning machine or the like.

Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Thus, the broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Robot system 2 Cell 10 Robot 11 Base part 12 Trunk part 13 Arm

13L Left arm

13R Right arm 14 Hand 14L Left hand 14R Right hand 14a Base 14b Grasping part 15 Force sensor 20 Work station 21 Work table 22 Supply part 30 Controller 31 Control Unit 31a Instruction Unit 31b Force Information Acquisition Unit 31c Tension Information Acquisition Unit 32 Storage Unit 32a Teaching Information 50 Member 51 Pulley 52 Pulley 53 Inner Wall 54 Belt 55 Storage Chamber 60 First Jig 61 Passage Forming Unit 61a Passage 62 Handle 70 2nd jig 70a Funnel-like surface 70b Connection path 80 3rd jig 81 Extruding part 82 Strut part 83 Handle part 90 4th jig 91 1st member

91a Handle part

91b Guide block

91c Guide plate 91d Cable restriction portion 92 Second member

92a Handle portion

92b Fitting pin 93 Compression spring B axis C Cable CB Grabbing block E axis L axis M motor R axis S axis SW axis T axis T1 Tool tool T2 Tension meter U axis

Claims

Multiple robot arms,
And a control device for instructing the plurality of robot arms to perform an operation of conveying the annular member while applying tension to the annular member while expanding the annular member from the inside to the outside while supporting the annular member at multiple points. system.
The plurality of robot arms are:
Each includes a gripping mechanism that can be opened and closed,
The controller is
At least a part of the multi-point support of the annular member is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the annular member with the gripping mechanism closed, and tension is applied to the annular member by opening the gripping mechanism. The robot system according to claim 1.
The controller is
When the annular member is stretched between two workpieces each having a substantially circular outer periphery, a part of the annular member is dropped between the two workpieces by releasing the support by opening the gripping mechanism. In addition, the robot arm while supporting the annular member is placed on one of the workpieces by moving the robot arm while supporting the annular member away from the two workpieces, and then the robot arm while supporting the annular member is substantially arcuate. The robot system according to claim 2, wherein the robot system is operated so as to draw a trajectory and the annular member is reversed toward the other of the workpieces.
The controller is
4. The robot system according to claim 3, wherein the robot arm that has been unsupported by the gripping mechanism is brought into contact with one of the workpieces on which the annular member is hung on the inner peripheral side of the annular member.
The controller is
5. The robot system according to claim 4, wherein when the two workpieces have different diameters, the robot arm is operated so as to hang the annular member toward a larger one of the diameters.
The robot system according to claim 5, wherein the two workpieces are pulleys and are a part of a machine part having an inner wall surrounding the two pulleys.
The two pulleys are
Before the annular member is stretched, one is fixed, and the other is movably provided,
The controller is
Before stretching the annular member on the robot arm, the movable pulley is moved to the position where the annular member is loosely moved in advance and then the annular member is stretched. The robot system according to claim 6, wherein the other pulley is moved toward the outside of the annular member so that a predetermined tension is applied.
The controller is
The robot system according to claim 7, wherein the other pulley is moved to apply the predetermined tension to one of the robot arms, and the other pulley is fixed to the other pulley.
A force sensor,
The controller is
The robot system according to claim 8, wherein a position for fixing the other pulley is determined based on a detection result of the force sensor.
The gripping mechanism has a shape that can be gripped, and further comprises a measuring instrument that measures the tension applied to the annular member,
The controller is
Causing the robot arm to perform an operation of finely adjusting the position of the other pulley that can be moved based on the measurement result of the measuring instrument after the measuring instrument is gripped and the tension applied to the annular member is measured. The robot system according to claim 9.
A control step of instructing a plurality of robot arms to perform an operation of conveying the annular member while applying tension by extending the annular member from the inside to the outside while supporting the annular member at multiple points. Tension method.
The plurality of robot arms are:
Each includes a gripping mechanism that can be opened and closed,
In the control step,
At least a part of the multi-point support of the annular member is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the annular member with the gripping mechanism closed, and tension is applied to the annular member by opening the gripping mechanism. The method for stretching an annular member according to claim 11.
In the control step,
When the annular member is stretched between two workpieces each having a substantially circular outer periphery, a part of the annular member is dropped between the two workpieces by releasing the support by opening the gripping mechanism. In addition, the robot arm while supporting the annular member is placed on one of the workpieces by moving the robot arm while supporting the annular member away from the two workpieces, and then the robot arm while supporting the annular member is substantially arcuate. The method for stretching an annular member according to claim 12, wherein the annular member is operated to draw a trajectory and the annular member is inverted toward the other of the workpieces.