WO2019155885A1

WO2019155885A1 - Gripping device

Info

Publication number: WO2019155885A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/002105
Authority: WO
Inventors: 英有蒲池; 伸大小佐々; 高志金谷
Original assignee: 本田技研工業株式会社
Priority date: 2018-02-07
Filing date: 2019-01-23
Publication date: 2019-08-15
Also published as: JP6808857B2; JPWO2019155885A1

Abstract

The present invention provides a gripping hand 10 which grips a workpiece 6, the gripping hand 10 being provided with: a plurality of barrels 1 which are disposed in parallel and deformable in conformity with the shape of the workpiece 6; a base part 2 which supports the plurality of barrels 1; and a vacuum device which hardens the plurality of deformed barrels 1, wherein the plurality of barrels are joined to each other in a region ranging from the base part 2 to a location corresponding to at least half of the entire length in the axial direction of the barrels 1. Accordingly, the present invention can enhance the gripping force of the gripping hand that allows tip sections to be adapted to the workpiece in a free form, and can stably grip heavier articles or articles having various shapes.

Description

Gripping device

The present invention relates to a gripping device that can grip an arbitrary object.

In recent years, in the production line in the manufacturing industry, automation of all operations including processing, assembly, conveyance, inspection, etc. is progressing. Production line automation is indispensable for the development of many manufacturing industries in terms of reducing labor costs, reducing the incidence of defective products, and improving work speed.

Conventionally, in a production line for automobiles, machine parts, and the like, a gripping device that grips a target article with a hand attached to the arm tip of a general-purpose robot is used to automate operations such as assembly, packing, and conveyance.

When working with the above gripping device, it is necessary to prepare a dedicated device corresponding to the shape or size of the target article or to change the hand each time, and a plurality of devices must be prepared. . Furthermore, the work of replacing the dedicated device is time consuming and complicated, and it is an unavoidable problem that an operation error occurs and the operating rate is lowered.

Recently, a gripping device equipped with a gripping hand that can be freely adapted to a target article has been used. For example, a gripping hand that employs a flexible bag portion in which a tip portion is filled with a particulate substance has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). According to this gripping hand, it can be adapted to the shape of the target article by the flow of particles inside. Further, by operating the suction machine in that state to make the accommodation space have a negative pressure, each granular body is made into one lump that does not lose its shape along the outer shape of the object to be gripped, and the object to be gripped is gripped. It is supposed to be possible.

JP-A-9-128302 Japanese Patent No. 4469110

However, the conventional gripping hand that adapts the shape of the tip to the target article can not be stably gripped when the gripping force is weak due to its structure and the workpiece is heavy or has a small gripping allowance. was there.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and by increasing the gripping force of a gripping device (grip hand) that adapts the tip portion to a workpiece freely in shape, heavier articles and articles of various shapes can be obtained. An object of the present invention is to provide a gripping device capable of stably gripping.

(1) The present invention is a gripping device (for example, gripping

hands

10, 20, 30 described later) for gripping a workpiece (for example, workpiece 6 described later), and a plurality of the devices are arranged side by side and come into contact with the workpiece. A cylindrical body that can be deformed in accordance with the shape of the workpiece (for example, a cylindrical body 1 to be described later), a base that supports the plurality of cylindrical bodies (for example, a base 2 to be described later), and the plurality of deformed cylindrical bodies that are cured Curing means (e.g., a vacuum line 3 and a vacuum device, which will be described later), and at least a part (e.g., a joint 4 described later) of the plurality of cylinders at an intermediate position in the axial direction of the cylinder. Provides a gripping device wherein the two are joined together.

According to the invention of (1), when the plurality of cylindrical bodies come into contact with the workpiece, they are deformed in accordance with the shape of the workpiece. Therefore, high adaptability (followability) to the workpiece shape can be obtained, such as being able to deal with fine irregularities of the workpiece. In addition, by curing the cylindrical body by the curing means in a state where the cylindrical body follows the workpiece shape, strong catching occurs between the cylindrical body and the workpiece, and a strong gripping force can be exhibited.
In addition, when the cylinders are cured while maintaining the followability to the workpiece when contacting the workpiece, the cylinders are bonded to each other because the cylinders are partially bonded to each other. Since the coating is thicker and more durable at the part, the change in shape is small, and the outer cylinder (for example, outer cylinder 1a described later) that is freely movable without being joined is a central cylinder (for example, the central cylinder described later) that is disposed in the center. 1b) is pulled toward the side. As a result, the workpiece that is in contact with and gripped by the central cylinder is supported so as to be gripped by the pulled outer cylinder, so that the gripping force on the workpiece is improved.

(2) In the invention of (1), the plurality of cylinders have a granular material (for example, a granular material 12 described later) enclosed therein, and the curing means is provided from the inside of the plurality of cylindrical bodies. A suction device that discharges gas (for example, a vacuum device described later) is preferable.

According to the invention of (2), the cylindrical body made of a flexible film and a granular material receives a force pushed from the workpiece when contacting the workpiece, deforms according to the shape of the workpiece, and adapts freely to the workpiece. can do. Further, by reducing the pressure inside the cylinder with the suction device, the cylinder can be cured while maintaining its shape, so that the workpiece can be stably held.

(3) In the invention of (1) or (2), among the plurality of cylinders, an outer cylinder (for example, an outer cylinder 1a to be described later) is arranged at a central cylinder (for example, It is preferable that more granular materials are enclosed than in the later-described center tube 1b).

According to the invention of (3), since the central cylinder contracts more greatly at the time of decompression, the outer cylinder is strongly attracted to the central cylinder, so that a large force can be applied inward so as to sandwich the workpiece, and the gripping force is further increased. improves.

(4) In any one of the inventions of (1) to (3), the length of the outer cylinder arranged outside from the base portion of the plurality of cylinders is the center cylinder arranged in the center. It is preferably longer than the length from the base.

According to the invention of (4), when the outer cylinder is drawn to the center cylinder side during decompression, there is a large support margin at the tip of the long outer cylinder, so that the support force contributing to gripping the workpiece is improved. Furthermore, the gripping force is improved.

(5) In any one of the inventions of (1) to (4), it is preferable to have a pressure device (for example, a pressure device described later) that pressurizes the inside of the cylindrical body before gripping the workpiece.

According to the invention of (5), since the swelled film can grip the workpiece with a large contact area due to the wide grip width, the friction due to the elastic force applied to the contraction of the material is increased, and the gripping force is further improved.

(6) In any one of the inventions (1) to (5), an outer cylinder disposed outside of the plurality of cylinders has elasticity, and an outer portion of the outer cylinder (for example, described later) It is preferred that the elasticity of the outer part 5) is lower than the elasticity of the inner part.

According to the invention of (6), when the cylinder is depressurized while the gripping part and the workpiece are in contact with each other, the inner part of the outer cylinder contracts and is drawn into the central part. Since the strength of the outer portion of the outer cylinder is high, the workpiece that is in contact with and gripping at the center is supported by the drawn outer cylinder, and as a result, the gripping force is further improved.

According to the present invention, a gripping device capable of gripping heavier articles and articles of various shapes is provided by improving the gripping force of a gripping apparatus (grip hand) that adapts the tip portion to a workpiece freely. .

It is a figure showing a grasping robot provided with a grasping hand concerning one embodiment of the present invention. However, the gripping hand is shown in a simplified diagram. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the holding | grip hand which concerns on the said embodiment. However, the base is shown in a simplified diagram, and the description of the tilting device is omitted. It is front sectional drawing which shows the structure of the holding | grip hand which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure of the holding | grip hand which concerns on the said embodiment. However, the description of the vacuum line is omitted. It is a figure which shows the holding | grip effect | action by pressure reduction in the holding hand which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows holding | grip of the workpiece | work of various shapes. It is a figure which shows the structure of the holding | grip hand which concerns on the modification 1 of the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the holding | grip effect | action in the holding hand which concerns on the modification 1 of the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure (at the time of pressurization) of the holding | grip hand which concerns on the modification 2 of the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the holding | grip action (at the time of pressure reduction) of the holding hand which concerns on the modification 2 of the said embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a gripping robot 100 including a gripping hand 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the gripping hand 10 according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the configuration of the gripping hand 10 according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of the gripping hand 10 according to the embodiment.
A gripping hand 10 according to the present embodiment is a gripping device that grips a workpiece 6 and is used in a production / processing line in a factory.

As shown in FIG. 1, a gripping robot 100 according to the present embodiment includes a movable arm 101 and a gripping hand 10 attached to the tip of the movable arm 101 and corresponding to the gripping device of the present invention. The gripping robot 100 grips the workpiece 6 by the gripping hand 10 after the gripping hand 10 is brought close to and in contact with the workpiece 6 to be gripped by a movable arm.

3 is composed of a plurality of cylinders 1, a base 2 that supports the cylinders 1, and a vacuum device (not shown) having a vacuum line 3. The gripping hand 10 is attached to the distal end of the movable arm 101 via a bracket 102 with a bolt 103.

The plurality of cylinders 1 are each composed of a soft coating (bag) 11 having airtightness and flexibility, and a granular material 12 included therein.
As the coating 11, rubber, cloth, polyurethane or the like is used. As the granular material 12, sand, salt, sugar, pellets (fine resin), beans, beads, rice, pachinko balls, and the like are used.

The cylindrical body 1 has, for example, a cylindrical shape, and is arranged in a row. The arrangement of the cylinders 1 is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, five cylinders 1 may be arranged in the horizontal direction when viewed from the front, and the cylinders 1 may be arranged in two rows when viewed from the side as shown in FIG. By arranging a plurality of cylinders 1 in this manner, the gripping force is improved and the workpiece 6 can be gripped more stably.

The plurality of cylinders 1 are composed of a plurality of outer cylinders 1a arranged on the outside and a plurality of center cylinders 1b arranged in the center so as to be sandwiched between the outer cylinders 1a.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cylindrical body 1 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, four outer cylinders 1a and six central cylinders 1b.

The cylinder 1 has a joint 4 in which a plurality of cylinders are joined to each other at at least a part of an intermediate position in the axial direction. The joining portion only needs to be joined at least at a part of the intermediate position, and includes, for example, a case where the vicinity of the base portion is not joined. On the other hand, only the outer part of the outer cylinder 1a is in a freely movable state without being joined. In addition, it does not specifically limit about the method of joining, For example, it joins by sewing, adhesion | attachment by an adhesive material, welding, etc.

The plurality of cylinders 1 are all connected to a vacuum device (not shown) via a vacuum line 3 provided in the base 2. Thereby, it is possible to harden the cylinder 1 so as not to be deformed by reducing the pressure inside the cylinder 1. The vacuum device includes a flow meter and a vacuum control unit (both not shown), and the driving of the vacuum device is controlled by the vacuum control unit based on the flow rate detected by the flow meter.

About the connection part of the cylindrical body 1 and the base part 2, an opening part of the dimension which cannot pass the granular material 12 using a filter, a mesh, etc. is provided, and only air can enter and exit by the intake / exhaust through the vacuum device Is set. By sucking and exhausting only air through the vacuum device, the cylinder expands and contracts and is soft-cured. Thereby, before the workpiece 6 is gripped, the inside of the cylindrical body 1 can be pressurized and can be gripped.

When gripping the workpiece 6 with the gripping hand 10, the cylindrical body 1 receives a force pushed from the workpiece 6, the coating 11 is deformed, and the granular material 12 flows inside the bag so as to follow the shape of the workpiece 6. Transforms into As a result, the gripping hand 10 can be adapted to the workpiece 6 so as to be freely shaped. The cylindrical body 1 having a shape suitable for the workpiece 6 can be cured while maintaining the shape by reducing the pressure inside the coating.

Further, when the cylinder 1 is depressurized, the joint 4 where the cylinders are joined to each other has a thick and durable coating, so the change in shape is small, and the outer part 5 of the outer cylinder 1a that is freely joined without being joined is formed. It is drawn to the center tube 1b. As a result, the workpiece 6 that is in contact with and gripped by the central cylinder 1b is supported so as to be gripped by the pulled outer cylinder 1a, so that the gripping force on the workpiece 6 is improved.

In the gripping hand 10, when the granular material is enclosed in the outer cylinder 1a more than the central cylinder 1b, the gripping force is further improved. Since there is a large space inside the central cylinder 1b, the central cylinder 1b contracts more greatly during decompression. At this time, since the cylinders are joined together, the outer cylinder 1a is strongly attracted to the central cylinder 1b, and an inward force is applied so as to sandwich the workpiece 6.

In the gripping hand 10, if the length from the base 2 of the outer cylinder 1a is longer than the length from the base 2 of the central cylinder 1b, the gripping force is further improved. This is because, when the outer cylinder 1a is pulled into the central portion during decompression due to the above-described action, there is a large support margin at the distal end of the long outer cylinder 1a, so that the support force that contributes to gripping the workpiece 6 is improved.

Note that the gripping hand 10 according to the present embodiment includes a pressurizing device (not shown). As a result, when the pressure is reduced after contact with the workpiece 6 in a pressurized state, the gripping force is further improved. The coating 11 of the cylindrical body 1 swells by pressurization, contacts the workpiece 6 with a wide grip width, and when the cylindrical body is decompressed with the cylindrical body 1 and the workpiece 6 in contact with each other, a large contact area is obtained due to the wide grip width. This is because the friction due to the elastic force applied to the shrinkage of the material increases.

In the gripping hand 10, if the stretchability of the outer portion 5 of the outer cylinder 1a is lower than the stretchability of the inner portion, the gripping force is further improved. When the cylinder 1 is depressurized while the cylinder 1 and the work 6 are in contact with each other, the outer cylinder 1a is contracted at the inner part thereof and is drawn into the central cylinder 1b side. Since the strength of the outer portion 5 of the outer cylinder 1a is high, the work 6 that is in contact with and gripped by the central cylinder 1b is supported by the drawn outer cylinder 1a, and as a result, the gripping force is further improved.

Hereinafter, the action mechanism of the gripping hand 10 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
Here, FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a gripping action by decompression in the gripping hand 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating gripping of the elongated workpiece 6 in the gripping hand 10 according to the present embodiment.

The gripping hand 10 is brought into contact with the cylinder 1 so as to press it against the workpiece 6. At this time, the cylindrical body 1 is deformed so as to follow the shape of the workpiece 6 by receiving the force pushed from the workpiece 6 and causing the granular material 12 to flow inside the coating 11.

In this state, the inside of the cylinder 1 is depressurized from the vacuum line 3 so that the cylinder 1 can be cured in a shape adapted to the workpiece 6. At this time, the contact portion between the hardened cylindrical body 1 and the work 6 is caught, and when lifting in the vertical direction, friction is generated against the gravity applied to the work 6 so that the work 6 can be gripped.

Further, when the cylinder 1 is depressurized, the change in shape is small at the joint 4 where the cylinders are joined together, and the outer part of the outer cylinder 1a that is freely joined without being joined is pulled by the central cylinder 1b to move greatly. To do. As a result, the workpiece 6 that is in contact with and gripped by the central cylinder 1b is supported so as to be gripped by the pulled outer cylinder 1a, so that the gripping force on the workpiece 6 is improved (see FIG. 5).

The above action is also effective when the workpiece 6 is small or has a vertically long shape. Since the cylinders are joined to each other, the outer cylinder 1a that does not directly contact the workpiece 6 is also drawn toward the center cylinder 1b by decompression, so that an inward force is applied so as to sandwich the outer cylinder 1a. All the cylinders can contribute to gripping the workpiece 6 (see FIG. 6).

According to this embodiment, the following effects are produced.
(1) According to the present embodiment, when the plurality of cylinders 1 come into contact with the workpiece 6, they are deformed in accordance with the shape of the workpiece 6. Therefore, high adaptability (followability) to the shape of the workpiece 6 is obtained, such as being able to deal with fine irregularities of the workpiece 6. In addition, when the cylinder 1 is in a state of following the shape of the workpiece 6, the cylinder 1 is cured by a vacuum device as a curing unit, thereby causing a strong catch between the cylinder 1 and the workpiece 6 and a strong gripping force. Can be demonstrated.
(2) According to the present embodiment, when the cylindrical body is cured, the joint 4 where the cylindrical bodies are bonded to each other has a thick and strong coating, so that the change in shape is small and the outer part that is freely bonded without being bonded. The outer portion 5 of the cylinder 1a is drawn toward the central cylinder 1b. As a result, the workpiece 6 that is in contact with and gripped by the central cylinder 1b is supported so as to be gripped by the pulled outer cylinder 1a, so that the gripping force on the workpiece 6 is improved.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the gripping hand 20 according to the first modification of the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an improvement in gripping force due to the gripping hand 20 according to the first modification of the present embodiment in which a larger amount of particulate matter is enclosed in the outer cylinder 1a than in the central cylinder 1b.
The gripping hand 20 shown in FIG. 7 has a length from the base of the outer cylinder 1a that is longer than a length from the base of the central cylinder 1b among the plurality of cylinders of the cylinder 1 of the gripping hand 10. The cylinder 1a has the same configuration and operation mechanism as the gripping hand 10 except that a larger amount of particulate matter is enclosed than the center cylinder 1b.

In the gripping hand 20, the length of the outer cylinder 1 a from the base 2 is longer than the length of the central cylinder 1 b from the base 2, and when the outer cylinder 1 a is pulled toward the central cylinder 1 b during decompression, The lower part can be supported, and the workpiece 6 can be gripped more stably.

Further, in the gripping hand 20, since there is a larger space in the central cylinder 1b than in the outer cylinder 1a, the central cylinder 1b contracts more greatly during decompression. At this time, since the cylinders are joined to each other, the outer cylinder 1a is strongly attracted to the central cylinder 1b, and an inward force is applied so as to sandwich the workpiece 6, so that the gripping force is improved (see FIG. 8). .

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a gripping hand 30 according to the second modification of the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an improvement in gripping force due to the gripping hand 30 according to the second modification of the present embodiment having a structure in which only the outer portion of the outer cylinder 1a is difficult to expand and contract.
The gripping hand 30 shown in FIG. 9 has a length from the base of the outer cylinder 1a out of the cylinders of the cylinder 1 of the gripping hand 30 is longer than the length from the base of the central cylinder 1b. It has the same configuration and operation mechanism as the gripping hand 10 except that it is long and has a structure in which only the surface of the outer side of the outer cylinder 1a is difficult to expand and contract.

In the gripping hand 30, the outer cylinder 1 a swells at the stretchable portion when pressed, so that the inner part of the outer cylinder 1 a is greatly expanded and contacts the workpiece 6 with a wide grip width. Thereafter, when the cylinder 1 is depressurized in a state where the cylinder 1 and the work 6 are in contact with each other, the outer cylinder 1a is pulled by the central cylinder 1b and at the same time the inner portion thereof contracts. Since the cylindrical body 1 and the workpiece 6 have a large contact area due to the wide grip width of the cylindrical body 1, the effect of increasing the friction due to the elastic force applied to the shrinkage of the material and the strength of the outer portion 5 of the outer cylinder 1a are high. The gripping force is further improved by the effect that the work 6 that is in contact with and gripped by the central cylinder 1b is supported by the pulled outer cylinder 1a (FIG. 10).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cylindrical body 1a ... Outer cylinder 1b ... Center pipe | tube 11 ... Coating 12 ... Granules 2 ... Base 3 ... Vacuum line (hardening means)
4 ... Joining part 5 ... Outer part 6 ...

Work

10, 20, 30 ... Gripping hand (gripping device)
100: gripping robot 101 ... movable arm

Claims

A gripping device for gripping a workpiece,
A plurality of cylinders arranged side by side and deformable in accordance with the shape of the workpiece when in contact with the workpiece,
A base for supporting the plurality of cylinders;
Curing means for curing the plurality of deformed cylindrical bodies,
A gripping device in which the plurality of cylinders are joined to each other at at least a part of an intermediate position in the axial direction of the cylinder.
The plurality of cylinders have a granular material enclosed therein,
The gripping device according to claim 1, wherein the curing unit is a suction device that discharges gas from the inside of the plurality of cylinders.
The gripping device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein among the plurality of cylindrical bodies, an outer cylinder disposed outside is filled with more granular material than a central cylinder disposed in the center.
The length of the outer cylinder arranged outside from the base of the plurality of cylinders is longer than the length from the base of the central cylinder arranged in the center. The gripping device described.
The gripping device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a pressurizing device that pressurizes the inside of the cylindrical body before gripping the workpiece.
Out of the plurality of cylinders, the outer cylinder arranged outside has elasticity.
6. The gripping device according to claim 1, wherein the stretchability of the outer portion of the outer cylinder is lower than the stretchability of the inner portion.