WO2019102906A1

WO2019102906A1 - Disposing mechanism, and robot system provided with same

Info

Publication number: WO2019102906A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/042014
Authority: WO
Inventors: 賢二坂東; 和範平田; 橋本　猛; 恵太笹木
Original assignee: 川崎重工業株式会社
Priority date: 2017-11-27
Filing date: 2018-11-13
Publication date: 2019-05-31
Also published as: JP6470825B1; TWI673221B; JP2019094202A; TW201925056A

Abstract

A disposing mechanism for disposing a plurality of foods in aligned positions, wherein the disposing mechanism is characterized in that: each of the plurality of foods is formed in a flat shape that includes a pair of main surfaces extending parallel to each other and a side surface that links the pair of main surfaces together; and the disposing mechanism comprises a placement part on which each of the plurality of foods is placed in the aligned positions in a state in which the side surfaces of the plurality of foods are in contact with each other, and a contacting part that brings at least any one of the pair of main surfaces of each of the plurality of foods into contact in the aligned positions, the contact part being provided on the placement part.

Description

Arrangement mechanism and robot system provided with the same

The present invention relates to an arrangement mechanism for arranging a plurality of food products in an alignment position and a robot system including the same.

BACKGROUND Conventionally, an arrangement mechanism for arranging a plurality of food products in an alignment position is known. As such an arrangement mechanism, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes an alignment assisting device.

In the alignment assisting device of Patent Document 1, when the movable supporting member is reciprocated in the left and right direction by operating the reciprocating device, the plurality of alignment plates reciprocate in the horizontal direction, and the food on the transport surface of the food transport tool To be transported to the next process in an appropriately spread state.

JP 2017-43450 A

The alignment assisting device of Patent Document 1 is directed to processed food such as minced fish meat. However, according to Patent Document 1, a flat food product including a pair of main surfaces extending in parallel to each other and a side surface connecting the pair of main surfaces to each other is aligned so as to facilitate post-processing. No mention is made as to the placement. Further, the alignment assisting device of Patent Document 1 has a problem that the device configuration is complicated.

Therefore, the present invention has an object to provide an arrangement mechanism and a robot system including the same, which can arrange flat food products in an alignment position so that post-processing can be easily performed with a simple device configuration. I assume.

In order to solve the above problems, the arrangement mechanism according to the present invention is an arrangement mechanism for arranging a plurality of food products in an alignment position, wherein each of the plurality of food products is a pair of main members extending in parallel with each other A mounting portion formed in a flat shape including a surface and a side surface connecting the pair of main surfaces with each other and the plurality of food products being placed in a state where the side surfaces are in contact at the alignment position And a contact part provided on the placement part, and in which the plurality of food products are brought into contact with at least one of the pair of main surfaces at the alignment position.

According to the above configuration, the arrangement mechanism according to the present invention can arrange the flat-shaped food at the alignment position so that the post-process can be easily performed with a simple device configuration.

The placement portion is configured as a transport portion that transports the food by contacting the side surface of the food, and the contact portion is in contact with at least one of a pair of main surfaces of the food. It may be configured as a guide unit for guiding the food to the alignment position.

According to the above configuration, the arrangement mechanism according to the present invention can align the flatly formed food with a simple device configuration.

The guiding portion includes a first guiding portion and a second guiding portion in which the inner surfaces face each other in the width direction of the conveying portion, and the first and second guiding portions are each in the conveying direction of the conveying portion And may have longitudinal dimensions extending in the same direction.

According to the above configuration, the flatly formed food can be reliably aligned with a simple device configuration.

Even if any one of the first and second guide portions is provided with an inclined plate extending so as to incline outward from the upper end of the rear portion upward from the alignment position. Good.

According to the above configuration, the food can be easily introduced into the arrangement mechanism according to the present invention.

The transport unit may be a transport roller of a roller conveyor that inclines downward as it proceeds in the transport direction.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to make the arrangement mechanism according to the present invention a simpler device configuration.

In order to solve the above problems, a robot system according to the present invention transports the placement mechanism according to any of the above, a plurality of food items placed in an alignment position by the placement mechanism, and the plurality of food items A robot arm comprising: a robot arm; an end effector attached to the robot arm; and a robot control unit for controlling the robot arm and the end effector. The end effector is characterized by collectively holding a plurality of food items placed in the alignment position by the placement mechanism.

According to the above configuration, after the plurality of food items are arranged at the alignment position using any of the above-described arrangement mechanisms, it is possible to perform the post-process using the robot.

Each of the plurality of food products is composed of an edible body and a package in which the edible body is pillow-packaged, and the end seal portion of the package is along the edge of the pair of main surfaces on the side surface of the food , And the end effector holds the end seals of each of the plurality of food items arranged in the alignment position by the arrangement mechanism in the thickness direction, thereby squeezing the plurality of food items at one time You may hold it.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily convey the plurality of pillow-packaged food products without being damaged by the robot.

The end effector may have a plurality of sandwiching portions corresponding to the end seal portions of each of the plurality of food products.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to hold each of the plurality of food products more reliably.

The edible body of the package is accommodated at a position where the plurality of sandwiching portions are inclined downward from the one end toward the other end in the longitudinal direction and shifted to the one end side in the longitudinal direction. It is also possible to hold the portion that is not cut in the thickness direction.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to more reliably hold each of the plurality of food products.

The robot arm includes a first robot arm and a second robot arm, and the end effector is a first end effector attached to the first robot arm, and a second end effector attached to the second robot arm. And the first end effector holds and conveys the food to the placement mechanism, and the second end effector collectively holds a plurality of foods placed at the alignment position by the placement mechanism. You may

According to the above configuration, by providing the first robot arm and the first end effector, it is possible to easily transport the plurality of food items to the arrangement mechanism.

The first end effector loads each of the plurality of food items into the arrangement mechanism from the rear part with respect to the alignment position, and the arrangement mechanism is configured as a transport unit that abuts the side surface of the food to transport the food And a contact portion configured as a guide portion for guiding the food to the alignment position while being in contact with at least one of the pair of main surfaces of the food. Each of the plurality of food items input by the end effector may be transported to the alignment position.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to efficiently arrange the plurality of food items at the alignment position using the robot and the arrangement mechanism.

The first end effector may transport and arrange each of the plurality of food products to the alignment position.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to make the arrangement mechanism a simpler device configuration.

The first end effector has a cylindrical suction portion axially expandable by being formed in a bellows shape, and sucks one of the pair of main surfaces of the food into the suction portion. May hold the food.

According to the above configuration, when the food is sucked, the food is lifted from the placement surface by the suction portion being contracted. This eliminates the need for the operation of lifting the food from the placement surface, and thus the food can be more easily transported to the placement mechanism using the first end effector.

The first robot arm and the second robot arm may be included in one robot.

According to the above configuration, the robot system according to the present embodiment can be made compact.

The rotation axes of the proximal ends of the first robot arm and the second robot arm may be located on the same straight line.

According to the above configuration, the robot system according to the present embodiment can be made more compact.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an arrangement mechanism and a robot system including the same, which can arrange flat food products in an alignment position so that post-processing can be easily performed with a simple device configuration. It becomes.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a robot system including an arrangement mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the robot in the robot system provided with the arrangement mechanism concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows a mode that food is aspirated and hold | maintained by the 1st end effector in the robot system provided with the arrangement | positioning mechanism which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (A) is the figure which made the suction part position above food. (B) is a view immediately after bringing the suction part into contact with the main surface of the food, and (C) is a view showing the suction part being contracted by bringing the main surface of the food into contact. It is a top view showing the arrangement mechanism concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the inclination plate of the arrangement | positioning mechanism which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and its vicinity part. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a robot system when a plurality of food items are aligned using an arrangement mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of a robot system when hold | maintaining the several foodstuff aligned using the arrangement | positioning mechanism which concerns on embodiment of this invention using a 2nd end effector. It is a front view which shows the 2nd end effector which shows the modification at the time of holding a plurality of foodstuffs aligned using the arrangement mechanism concerning the embodiment of the present invention using the 2nd end effector, and its neighborhood part. It is a perspective view showing the modification of the robot system concerning the embodiment of the present invention.

(overall structure)
Hereinafter, an arranging mechanism and a robot system including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the present embodiment. Also, in the following, the same or corresponding elements will be denoted by the same reference symbols throughout all the drawings, and redundant description will be omitted.

(Robot system 10)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a robot system provided with an arrangement mechanism according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the robot system 10 includes an arranging mechanism 30 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of foods 130 aligned by the arranging mechanism 30, a robot 11 for transporting the plurality of foods 130, and a plurality of robots 130. It comprises a belt conveyor 110 which sequentially transports the food 130 to the position where the placement mechanism 30 and the robot 11 are placed, and a stack 120 for containing the plurality of food items 130 aligned by the placement mechanism 30.

The robot system 10 is applied to a food manufacturing site, and aligns the handpick 140 wrapped with a package 142 such as a plastic film as the food 130 by the placement mechanism 30. Therefore, each of the plurality of food products 130 is constituted by the rice ball 140 (edible body) and the package 142 in which the rice ball 140 is packaged by pillow. Then, each of the plurality of food products 130 mutually connects the first main surface 132a and the second main surface 132b (a pair of main surfaces) extending in parallel with each other, and the first main surface 132a and the second main surface 132b. And the side surface 134 is formed flat. As illustrated, in the present embodiment, each of the first main surface 132a and the second main surface 132b is formed in a rectangular shape.

(Robot 11)
The robot 11 will be described mainly based on FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a front view of the robot in the robot system provided with the arrangement mechanism according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a view showing how the first end effector in the robot system sucks and holds food.

The robot 11 according to the present embodiment includes a base 12 fixed to a carriage and a first robot arm 13a and a second robot arm 13b supported by the base 12 (hereinafter referred to simply as "a pair of

robot arms

13a and 13b" And the first end effector 20a connected to the tip of the first robot arm 13a, the second end effector 20b connected to the tip of the second robot arm 13b, and the base 12 And a robot control unit 28. The robot 11 can be installed, for example, in a limited space (for example, 610 mm × 620 mm) equivalent to one person.

Hereinafter, the direction in which the pair of

robot arms

13a and 13b is expanded will be referred to as the left and right direction, the direction parallel to the axial center of the base shaft 16 will be referred to as the up and down direction, and the direction orthogonal to the left and right direction and the up and down direction will be referred to as the front and back direction.

(A pair of

robot arms

13a, 13b)
The first robot arm 13a (the robot arm on the right side in the figure) and the second robot arm 13b (the robot arm on the left side in the figure) are horizontally articulated joints configured to be movable relative to the base 12 respectively. Robot arm. Each of the pair of

robot arms

13 a and 13 b includes an arm unit 15 and a wrist unit 17. Further, the first end effector 20a is attached to the tip of the first robot arm 13a, and the second end effector 20b is attached to the tip of the second robot arm 13b.

The arm part 15 is comprised by the 1st link 15a and the 2nd link 15b in this example. The first link 15 a is connected to the base shaft 16 fixed to the upper surface of the base 12 by the rotary joint J 1, and is rotatable around a rotation axis L 1 passing through the axial center of the base shaft 16. The second link 15b is connected to the tip of the first link 15a by the rotary joint J2 and is rotatable around a rotation axis L2 defined at the tip of the first link 15a.

The wrist unit 17 has a mechanical interface 19 to which the first end effector 20a or the second end effector 20b is attached, and is connected to the tip of the second link 15b via the linear joint J3 and the rotary joint J4. The wrist unit 17 can move up and down with respect to the second link 15b by means of the linear motion joint J3. The wrist unit 17 is rotatable about a rotation axis L3 perpendicular to the second link 15b by the rotary joint J4.

The pair of

robot arms

13a and 13b configured as described above have joints J1 to J4, respectively. The pair of

robot arms

13a and 13b are provided with a driving servomotor (not shown) and an encoder (not shown) for detecting the rotation angle of the servomotor, respectively, so as to correspond to the joints J1 to J4. There is. Further, the rotation axis L1 of the first link 15a of the first robot arm 13a and the rotation axis L1 of the first link 15a of the second robot arm 13b are provided on the same straight line, and the first link of the first robot arm 13a The first link 15a of the second robot arm 13b and the first link 15a of the second robot arm 13b are arranged with a difference in height between the upper and lower sides.

(First and

second end effectors

20a, 20b)
FIG. 3 is a view showing how a food is sucked and held by the first end effector in the robot system according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 (A) is a view where the suction portion is positioned above the food; B) is a figure immediately after bringing the aspiration part into contact with the main surface of the food, and (C) is a diagram showing the aspiration part being shrunk by coming into contact with the main surface of the food.

As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the first end effector 20a is connected to the mechanical interface 19 of the first robot arm 13a and extends horizontally to the base 21 and the tip of the base 21 downward. And a suction portion 22 attached so as to extend. The suction portion 22 is formed in a bellows shape, and is formed in a cylindrical shape that can be expanded and contracted in the axial direction.

In order to suck and hold the food 130 by the first end effector 20a, first, as shown in FIG. 3A, the first main surface 132a is brought into contact with the transport surface, and the second main surface 132b is directed upward. The suction unit 22 is positioned above the food 130 conveyed on the belt conveyor 110. Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the first end effector 20a is lowered to bring the tip of the suction portion 22 into contact with the second main surface 132b of the food 130. Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, the suction portion 22 is contracted in the axial direction by being formed in a bellows shape. Thereby, the food 130 is lifted from the conveyance surface of the belt conveyor 110. In this embodiment, the first end effector 20a thus sucks and holds the food 130.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the second end effector 20b is connected to the mechanical interface 19 of the second robot arm 13b to extend the shaft member 24 extending in the front and back direction in FIG. 2 and the shaft member 24 extends. And five holding portions 25 provided so as to extend downward from the bottom of the shaft member 24 at equal intervals in the direction. Each of the five sandwiching portions 25 sandwiches the end seal portion 148 of the food 130 in the thickness direction by causing the pair of sandwiching

pieces

26a and 26b arranged side by side in the left and right direction in FIG. Can be held. Each of the five holding units 25 may be operable independently. That is, for example, it may be possible to shift the timing at which the pair of sandwiching

pieces

26a and 26b expand and contract the interval in the same left-right direction.

(Placement mechanism 30)
As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the placement mechanism 30 according to the present embodiment is placed along the robot 11 between the belt conveyor 110 and the layoff 120. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the arrangement mechanism according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the arrangement mechanism 30 is configured such that the conveyance roller 42 (the placement unit or conveyance unit) of the roller conveyor 40 inclines downward as it proceeds in the conveyance direction, and the conveyance roller 42 A first guide plate 50a (a contact portion, a guide portion, or a first guide portion) for guiding the food 130 to the alignment position while being in contact with the first main surface 132a of the food 130; And a second guide plate 50b (a contact portion, a guide portion, or a second guide portion) for guiding the food 130 to the alignment position while in contact with the two main surfaces 132b.

The roller conveyor 40 is formed by arranging a plurality of rollers in the conveyance direction with the respective axes extending in the width direction of the arrangement mechanism 30, and the width direction of the conveyance roller 42. A first side portion 44a provided along one edge and a second side portion 44b provided along the other edge in the width direction of the transport roller 42.

The first guide plate 50 a and the second guide plate 50 b are provided such that the inner surfaces thereof face each other in the width direction of the transfer roller 42. The first guide plate 50a and the second guide plate 50b respectively have longitudinal dimensions extending in the same direction as the conveyance direction of the roller conveyor 40, and have the same shape and dimensions as each other. The arrangement mechanism 30 further includes a front end plate 55 provided to connect the front end of the first guide plate 50a and the front end of the second guide plate 50b.

The first guide plate 50 a is provided to extend in the front-rear direction at a central portion in the width direction of the arrangement mechanism 30. The first guide plate 50a is connected to the upper end portion of the first side portion 44a of the roller conveyor 40 at four connecting portions 52 provided to extend downward and as it goes outward from the outer surface of the first guide plate 50a. As a result, the bottom portion is disposed in a state of being separated from the transport roller 42.

The second guide plate 50 b is provided to extend in the front-rear direction in the vicinity of the other edge in the width direction of the arrangement mechanism 30. The second guide plate 50b is connected to the upper end portion of the second side portion 44b of the roller conveyor 40 by four connecting portions 52 provided so as to extend obliquely downward as going outward from the outer surface of the second guide plate 50b. As a result, the bottom portion is disposed in a state of being separated from the transport roller 42.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the inclined plate of the arrangement mechanism according to the present embodiment and the vicinity thereof. As shown in FIG. 5, the first guide plate 50a is provided with an inclined plate 60 extending so as to be inclined outward from the upper end of the rear end (rearward than the alignment position) upward from the upper end Be The inclined plate 60 is connected to the upper end portion of the first side portion 44 a of the roller conveyor 40 by two connecting portions 54 provided so as to extend downward and as it goes outward from the bottom surface thereof. And maintain the inclined state as described above.

(An example of arranging a plurality of food products 130 and performing post-processing)
An example which arranges a plurality of foodstuffs 130 using arrangement mechanism 30 concerning the above-mentioned embodiment, and performs a post process is explained.

First, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the second main surface 132b (one of the pair of main surfaces) of the food 130 transported to the downstream side by the belt conveyor 110 is shown by the robot 11 in FIG. The food 130 is held by suctioning to the suction portion 22 of the first end effector 20a provided in

Next, the food 130 held by the first end effector 20 a is conveyed above the inclined plate 60 provided at the rear end of the arrangement mechanism 30. At this time, the end seal portion 148 of the food 130 is extended in the front-rear direction along the first side portion 44 a side of the roller conveyor 40 in plan view above the inclined plate 60. Then, the food 130 is dropped by releasing the negative pressure of the suction part 22 there. Then, the dropped food 130 slides down the upper surface of the inclined plate 60 while bringing the first main surface 132 into contact with the upper surface of the inclined plate 60, and the first guide plate 50 a on the transfer roller 42 and the second guide It is placed between the plate 50b. At this time, between the first guide plate 50a and the second guide plate 50b, with the side surface 134 of the food 130 opposite to the side where the end seal portion 148 is provided in contact with the transfer roller 42. The food 130 is placed on the

The food 130, which slides down on the upper surface of the inclined plate 60 and is placed between the first guide plate 50a and the second guide plate 50b, inclines downward as the roller conveyor 40 advances in the transport direction. Thus, the sheet is conveyed on the conveyance roller 42 in the conveyance direction (the direction from the rear end of the arrangement mechanism 30 toward the front end). At this time, while the first guide plate 50a is in contact with the first main surface 132a of the food 130, and the second guide plate 50b is in contact with the second main surface 132b of the food 130, the food 130 is guided to the alignment position. And transport. Here, the alignment position is a portion from the inner surface of the front end plate 55 provided on the transport roller 42 toward the rear end along the front-rear direction between the first guide plate 50a and the second guide plate 50b. Among the plurality of foods 130, the food 130 initially introduced into the placement mechanism 30 abuts one of a pair of side surfaces orthogonal to the side surface on which the end seal portion 148 is provided on the inner surface of the front end plate 55 It is arranged in the alignment position by doing.

After loading the first food 130 from the inclined plate 60 into the placement mechanism 30, the first end effector 20a is moved so that the suction portion 22 is again positioned on the downstream side of the belt conveyor 110. Thereafter, the food product 130 is held by suctioning the second major surface 132 b of the food 130 transported to the downstream side by the belt conveyor 110 to the suction portion 22 of the first end effector 20 a. Note that the operation performed on the food 130 after that is the same as that performed on the food 130 input to the placement mechanism 30 first, so the description thereof will not be repeated here.

Among the plurality of food products 130, the food product 130 introduced second to the placement mechanism 30 is one of a pair of side surfaces orthogonal to the side surface provided with the end seal portion 148 of the food product 130 introduced first, It is arranged at the alignment position by bringing one of its pair of side surfaces into contact.

A state in which the five food products 130 are aligned by the placement mechanism 30 by performing the same operation on a plurality of food products 130 transported on the belt conveyor 110 is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the robot system when a plurality of food items are aligned using the arrangement mechanism according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the arrangement mechanism 30 according to the present embodiment aligns five food products 130 in the width direction orthogonal to the thickness direction with the side surface provided with the end seal portion 148 upward. .

Then, in the second end effector 20b, the five seal portions 25 corresponding to the end seal portions 148 of the five food products 130 respectively have the end seal portions 148 of the five food products 130 aligned by the arrangement mechanism 30 in the thickness direction Hold by holding together at once. The state at this time is shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a robot system when a plurality of food items aligned using the arrangement mechanism according to the present embodiment are held using the second end effector.

Finally, the five food products 130 collected and held at one time by the second end effector 20 b are conveyed to the weight 120 and stored in a predetermined position of the weight 120.

As described above, the post-process of aligning the plurality of food products 130 using the arrangement mechanism 30 according to the embodiment and carrying the plurality of aligned food products 130 and storing the plurality of food products 130 in the lay 120 is performed it can.

(effect)
The arrangement mechanism 30 according to the present embodiment is placed on the transfer roller 42 (placement unit or transfer unit) of the roller conveyor 40 in a state where each of the five food products is in contact with the side surface 134 at the alignment position. Each of the five food products 130 abuts the first main surface 132a on the first guide plate 50a (the contact portion or the guide portion), and each of the five food products 130 on the second guide plate 50b (the same) By bringing the second major surface 132b into contact, it is possible to place the five food products 130 in the aligned position. Therefore, the arrangement mechanism 30 according to the present embodiment is arranged at the alignment position so that the step (post-step) of holding, transporting and conveying the flat food products 130 all at once can be easily performed with a simple device configuration. can do.

The arrangement mechanism 30 according to the present embodiment includes a roller conveyor 40 including a conveyance roller 42 (a placement unit or a conveyance unit), and a first guide plate 50a and a second guide plate 50b (a contact unit or a guide unit). And the flat food product 130 can be aligned with a simple device configuration.

In the present embodiment, the first guide plate 50a and the second guide plate 50b face each other in the width direction of the transport roller 42, and the first guide plate 50a and the second guide plate 50b respectively By having the longitudinal dimension extending in the same direction as the conveyance direction of the roller conveyor 40, the flatly formed food 130 can be reliably aligned with a simple device configuration.

In the present embodiment, the first guide plate 50a is provided with the inclined plate 60 at a portion rearward of the alignment position. As a result, the food 130 can be easily introduced into the arrangement mechanism 30 according to the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the conveyor is configured as a roller conveyor 40 which inclines downward as the conveyance direction proceeds. As a result, since it is not necessary to provide an electric motor or the like for rotating the transport roller 42, the arrangement mechanism 30 according to the present embodiment can be made into a simpler apparatus configuration.

The robot system 10 according to the present embodiment aligns the five food products 130 using the arrangement mechanism 30, and then uses the second end effector 20b of the robot 11 to flatten the food products 130 formed at one time. It is possible to carry out the step of holding, transporting and collecting (post-process). Thus, for example, while the arrangement mechanism 30 conveys the food 130 introduced by the first end effector 20a of the robot 11 to the alignment position, the first end effector 20a conveys the food 130 from the belt conveyor 110. Thus, it is possible to load the placement mechanism 30 again. Therefore, the plurality of food products 130 can be efficiently arranged at the alignment position using the robot 11 and the arrangement mechanism 30.

In the present embodiment, the second end effector 20b holds the end seal portions 148 of the five food items 130 arranged at the alignment position by the arrangement mechanism 30 by holding them together in the thickness direction at one time. This makes it possible to easily convey the five pillow packaged food products 130 without damaging them.

In the present embodiment, the second end effector 20 b has five sandwiching portions 25 corresponding to the end seal portions 148 of each of the five food products 130. This makes it possible to hold each of the five food products 130 more reliably.

In the present embodiment, by providing the robot system 10 with the first robot arm 13 a and the first end effector 20 a, it becomes possible to easily convey each of the five food products 130 to the arrangement mechanism 30.

The first end effector 20 a has a cylindrical suction portion 22 which can be expanded and contracted in the axial direction by being formed in a bellows shape. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, when the food 130 is suctioned, the suction portion 22 contracts so that the food 130 is lifted from the mounting surface of the belt conveyor 110. Therefore, the operation of lifting the food 130 from the mounting surface is not necessary. As a result, the food 130 can be more easily transported to the placement mechanism 30 using the first end effector 20a.

The robot system 10 according to the present embodiment can be made compact by including the first robot arm 13 a and the second robot arm 13 b in one robot 11. This makes it easy to adapt to the limited installation space.

The robot system 10 according to the present embodiment can be further miniaturized by the rotation axes of the base ends of the first robot arm 13a and the second robot arm 13b being positioned on the same straight line.

(Modification)
From the above description, many modifications and other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description should be taken as exemplary only, and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the present invention. The structural and / or functional details may be substantially altered without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the direction in which the end seal portion 148 of each of the five food products 130 extends and the direction in which each of the five sandwiching sections 25 extends coincide with each other. Using the second end effector 20b, five food products 130 are put together at a time, with the central portions in the direction in which the seal portion 148 extends and the central portions in the direction in which the five sandwiching portions 25 extend. The case of holding and holding is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this case, and may be held by holding together five food items 130 at one time in a mode as shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a second end effector and its vicinity showing a modification when holding a plurality of food products aligned using the arrangement mechanism according to the above embodiment using the second end effector. . As shown in FIG. 8, each of the five sandwiching portions 25 is in a state of being inclined downward from the one end toward the other end in the longitudinal direction and at a position shifted to one end side in the longitudinal direction The portion where the grip is not accommodated may be held in the thickness direction. As a result, the package 142 of the five food products 130 is in a state in which the upper right portion is not pinched as shown in FIG. By so doing, when each of the five food products 130 is nipped by the nipping portions 25 corresponding to each, the air in the package 142 existing in the nipped portion can be released to the upper right portion. . As a result, the food 130 can be held by the holding portion 25 while suppressing the resistance by air in the package 142, so that the food 130 can be reliably held by the second end effector 20b.

Although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the inclination plate 60 was provided in the rear end of the 1st guide plate 50a extended along the front-back direction at the center part in the width direction of the arrangement | positioning mechanism 30, it is not limited to this. For example, the inclined plate 60 may be provided at the rear end of the second guide plate 50b, or the upper end portion of either the first guide plate 50a or the second guide plate 50b in the rear portion of the other alignment position. May be provided.

In the above embodiment, the first end effector 20 a holds and transports the food 130 to load the food 130 into the arrangement mechanism 30, and the five end effectors 20 b are aligned by the arrangement mechanism 30. Although the case of collectively holding 130 was described, it is not limited to this. For example, the robot 11 may include only one of the first end effector 20a and the second end effector 20b, and may manually perform the work performed by the other of the first end effector 20a and the second end effector 20b. As a result, the device configuration of the robot system 10 can be simplified, and the introduction cost can be reduced.

Although the said 1st end effector 20a has the attraction | suction part 22 and demonstrated the case where it hold | maintains by attracting | sucking the foodstuff 130 to the said attraction | suction part 22 in the said embodiment, it is not limited to this. For example, the first end effector 20a may hold by holding the food 130, or may hold it in other manners.

In the above embodiment, although the case where the placement mechanism 30 is used in the robot system 10 has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the input of the food 130 into the arrangement mechanism 30 and the conveyance (post process) of the aligned plurality of food products 130 from the arrangement mechanism 30 may be performed manually or the like instead of the robot 11.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, although the case where arrangement mechanism 30 aligns five food products 130 was explained, it is not limited to this. That is, the placement mechanism 30 may be configured to align two to four food products 130, or may be configured to align six or more food products 130. As a result, the device configuration of the robot system 10 can be simplified, and the introduction cost can be reduced.

Although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the foodstuffs 130 were comprised by the bag 142 which stuffed the rice ball 140 and the said rice ball 140 by pillow packaging, it is not limited to this. That is, the food 130 may be composed of an edible body other than the rice ball 140 and a package in which the edible body is packaged with a pillow, or may be composed only of the rice ball 140 or other edible body (ie, , Do not have to be packaged). Further, each of the first main surface 132a and the second main surface 132b of the food 130 is not limited to the square shape, and may be another shape such as a circular shape or a triangular shape.

Although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where a guide part was comprised as the 1st guide plate 50a and the 2nd guide plate 50b, it is not limited to this. The guide portion may be configured by, for example, a first rod-shaped member and a second rod-shaped member extending in the transport direction with a predetermined interval in the width direction of the transport roller 42. The first rod-shaped member and the second rod-shaped member may each be configured to have a plurality of rod-shaped members.

Although the said mounting part of the arrangement | positioning mechanism 30 was demonstrated as a case where it was comprised as the conveyance roller 42 of the roller conveyor 40 in the said embodiment, it is not limited to this. For example, the placement unit may be configured as a belt of a belt conveyor, or may be configured in other manners.

The arrangement mechanism 30 according to the embodiment has described the case where each of the plurality of food products 130 introduced by the robot 11 is transported to the alignment position. Specifically, in the arrangement mechanism 30 according to the above-described embodiment, the placement portion is configured as the transport roller 42 of the roller conveyor 40 of the food 130, and the contact portion is the first guide plate 50a and the second The case where it was constituted as guidance board 50b (guidance part) was explained.

However, the present invention is not limited to this case, and as shown in FIG. 9, the first end effector 20a of the robot 11 may transport and arrange each of the plurality of food products 130 to the alignment position. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the robot system according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, the placement unit on which the plurality of food products 130 are placed with the side surfaces 134 in contact at the alignment position is configured as the transport roller 42 of the roller conveyor 40, and placed The contact portions provided on the portion and configured to contact at least one of the pair of

main surfaces

132a and 132b with the plurality of food products 130 in the alignment position are configured as the first guide plate 50a and the second guide plate 50b Ru.

The first end effector 20a shown in FIG. 9 sucks the second main surface 132b of the food 130 extending in the horizontal direction on the belt conveyor 110 by the suction portion 22, and the second main surface 132b is vertical. It is necessary to turn it so as to extend in the direction and then to place it in the alignment position of the placement mechanism 30.

Therefore, the base portion 21 for attaching the suction portion 22 according to the present embodiment is rotatable to the first portion to which the base end portion is attached to the mechanical interface 19 of the first robot arm 13a, and to the tip portion of the first portion And a second portion attached to the Then, by attaching the suction portion 22 to the tip of the second portion, as described above, the food 130 is arranged at the alignment position of the arrangement mechanism 30 after changing the direction of the second main surface 132 b of the food 130. It becomes possible.

In this case, the mounting portion of the arrangement mechanism 30 may be formed in a flat plate shape. This makes it possible to further simplify the device configuration of the arrangement mechanism 30 as compared to the case where the placement unit is configured as the transfer roller 42 of the roller conveyor 40 as in the above-described embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 robot system 11 robot 12 base 13a 1st robot arm 13b 2nd robot arm 15 arm part 15a 1st link 15b 2nd link 16 base axis 17 list part 19 mechanical interface 20a 1st end effector 20b 2nd end effector 21 base 22 suction Part 24 Shaft member 25 Clamping part 28 Robot control part 30 Arrangement mechanism 40 Roller conveyor 42 Roller for conveyance 44 Side 50

Guide plate

52, 54 Connection part 55 Front end plate 60 Inclined plate 110 Belt conveyor 120 weight 120 Food 132 Main surface 134 Side 140 grip 142 package 148 end seal section

Claims

An arrangement mechanism for arranging a plurality of food items in an alignment position,
Each of the plurality of food products is formed in a flat shape including a pair of main surfaces extending in parallel to each other and a side surface connecting the pair of main surfaces to each other,
A placement unit on which the plurality of food products are placed with their side surfaces in contact at the alignment position;
An arrangement part provided on the setting part, wherein each of the plurality of food products abuts at least one of the pair of main surfaces at the alignment position.
The placement unit is configured as a transport unit that transports the food by contacting a side surface of the food, and
The arrangement mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion is configured as a guide portion which guides the food to an alignment position while being in contact with at least one of a pair of main surfaces of the food.
The guiding portion includes a first guiding portion and a second guiding portion whose inner surfaces face each other in the width direction of the transporting portion,
The arrangement mechanism according to claim 2, wherein each of the first and second guides has a longitudinal dimension extending in the same direction as the conveyance direction of the conveyance unit.
In any one of the first and second guide portions, an inclined plate is provided which extends outward and inclines upward from the upper end of the rear portion beyond the alignment position. Item 3. The arrangement mechanism according to Item 3.
The arrangement mechanism according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the conveyance unit is a conveyance roller of a roller conveyor that inclines downward as it proceeds in the conveyance direction.
A robot system comprising: the arrangement mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a plurality of food items arranged in an alignment position by the arrangement mechanism, and a robot for conveying the plurality of food items.
The robot includes a robot arm, an end effector attached to the robot arm, and a robot control unit that controls the robot arm and the end effector.
The robot system, wherein the end effector holds together a plurality of food items arranged at an alignment position by the arrangement mechanism at one time.
Each of the plurality of food products is composed of an edible body and a package in which the edible body is pillow-packaged,
The end seal portion of the package is formed to extend along the edge of the pair of main surfaces on the side surface of the food, and
The said end effector holds together the several foodstuffs at once by holding the end seal part of each of the several foodstuffs arrange | positioned by the said arrangement | positioning mechanism in the thickness direction, and holding them at once. Robot system.
The robot system according to claim 7, wherein the end effector has a plurality of sandwiching portions corresponding to the end seal portion of each of the plurality of food products.
The edible body of the package is accommodated at a position where the plurality of sandwiching portions are inclined downward from the one end toward the other end in the longitudinal direction and shifted to the one end side in the longitudinal direction. The robot system according to claim 8, wherein the portion not being clamped is held in the thickness direction.
The robot arm includes a first robot arm and a second robot arm,
The end effector includes a first end effector attached to the first robot arm, and a second end effector attached to the second robot arm.
The first end effector holds and conveys the food to the placement mechanism, and the second end effector collectively holds a plurality of foods placed at the alignment position by the placement mechanism. The robot system according to any one of 9.
The first end effector loads each of the plurality of food products into the arrangement mechanism from a rear part of the alignment position;
The placement mechanism aligns the food while in contact with at least one of a placement unit configured as a transport unit that transports the food by contacting the side surface of the food and a pair of main surfaces of the food The robot system according to claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of food items introduced by the first end effector is transported to an alignment position by including an abutment portion configured as a guide portion that guides up to the end.
The robot system according to claim 10, wherein the first end effector conveys each of the plurality of food items to the alignment position and arranges the food in the arrangement mechanism.
The first end effector has a cylindrical suction portion axially expandable by being formed in a bellows shape, and sucks one of the pair of main surfaces of the food into the suction portion. The robot system according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the food is held.
The robot system according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the first robot arm and the second robot arm are included in one robot.
The robot system according to claim 14, wherein rotation axes of proximal ends of the first robot arm and the second robot arm are located on the same straight line.