WO2022190478A1

WO2022190478A1 - Article transporting robot

Info

Publication number: WO2022190478A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/043760
Authority: WO
Inventors: 順亮上溝; 貴司上田; 智範北野; 晋伊尾瀬; 和好中谷; 良美江澤
Original assignee: 日本金銭機械株式会社
Priority date: 2021-03-11
Filing date: 2021-11-30
Publication date: 2022-09-15
Also published as: JP2022138986A; JP7101280B1; CA3199915A1; CN116963879A

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of providing an article transporting robot that is hardly restricted by the dimensions of shelves. The article transporting robot according to the present invention comprises a robot hand 100 and a hand moving mechanism. The robot hand includes an articulated flexible link mechanism 130 and gripping parts 140, 143. The articulated flexible link mechanism is formed so as to be capable of expanding and contracting due to the movement of a plurality of joints K1-14 along a first virtual surface Fp. The gripping parts are attached at the distal end side of the articulated flexible link mechanism. The hand moving mechanism is connected to the robot hand. Furthermore, the robot hand is set to an attitude in which a first virtual surface is parallel to a substantially vertical direction when at least the articulated flexible link mechanism is expanded.

Description

Article transport robot

The present invention relates to an article transport robot.

In the past, an ``article transport robot in which a robot arm with a robot hand whose suction part can be moved back and forth using a parallel link mechanism'' has been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-89719).

JP 2018-89719 A

By the way, in recent years, there has been a demand for a technology that automatically transports multiple items placed on a shelf or the like to a predetermined position. However, in the robot hand as described above, when the suction unit moves back and forth, it is accompanied by vertical movement. For this reason, such a robot hand can only be applied to a shelf having a distance between shelf plates longer than its vertical movement distance.

An object of the present invention is to provide an article transport robot that is less subject to restrictions on shelf dimensions than conventional article transport robots.

An article transport robot according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises a robot hand and a hand movement mechanism. The robot hand has an articulated telescopic link mechanism and a gripper. The articulated telescopic link mechanism is, for example, a rage tongs type (so-called magic hand-like telescopic pliers) link mechanism, which can be extended and retracted by moving a plurality of joints along the first virtual plane. The grasping part is attached to the distal end side of the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism. The hand moving mechanism is, for example, a robot arm or the like, and is connected to the robot hand. Then, the robot hand takes a posture in which the first virtual plane is substantially parallel to the vertical direction at least when the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism is extended and retracted. It should be noted that the robot hand may be attached to the robot arm so that it always takes the same posture, or by controlling the hand movement mechanism using the control unit, the posture can be maintained only when the multi-joint telescoping link mechanism is extended and retracted. may be taken.

As described above, in this article transport robot, a gripping part is attached to the tip side of the articulated telescopic link mechanism in the robot hand. That is, in this robot hand, the gripping portion is linearly moved by the multi-joint telescoping link mechanism, and is not accompanied by vertical movement. For this reason, this article-carrying robot is less likely to be restricted by the dimension of the shelf than the conventional article-carrying robot.

Also, in this article transport robot, the robot hand is in a posture in which the first virtual plane is substantially parallel to the vertical direction at least when the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism is extended and retracted. Therefore, in this article transport robot, the width dimension of the robot hand can be kept short at least when the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism is extended and retracted. Therefore, with this article transport robot, it is possible to automatically grasp a plurality of articles laid out on the shelf.

An article transport robot according to a second aspect of the present invention is the article transport robot according to the first aspect, wherein the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism has an telescopic structure. The elastic structure is composed of a plurality of joints. The robot hand further has a biasing section. The biasing section biases the telescopic structure of the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism toward the base end side of the articulated telescopic link mechanism.

As described above, in this article transport robot, the biasing section biases the telescopic structure of the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism toward the proximal end of the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism. Therefore, in this article transport robot, the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism can be easily returned from the extended state to the contracted state (initial state).

An article transport robot according to a third aspect of the present invention is the article transport robot according to the second aspect, further comprising a detachable structure. The detachable structure makes it possible to detach the biasing part.

As described above, in this article transport robot, the urging section is detachable due to the detachable structure. Therefore, for example, when the biasing portion deteriorates with use (for example, a spiral spring, etc.), the biasing portion can be easily replaced.

An article-conveying robot according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the article-conveying robot according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the multi-joint telescoping link mechanism comprises the first joint, the second joint, and the second joint. It has one connecting pin, a first slider, a support, a third node, a second connecting pin, a second slider, and a drive source. The second node intersects the middle of the first node at its midsection. A first connecting pin connects the first joint and the second joint so as to be rotatable around the intersection. The first slider is connected to the proximal end of the first node. The first slider is slidable in a direction parallel to the first virtual plane and orthogonal to the expansion/contraction direction. The support portion rotatably supports the proximal end portion of the second joint. The third node intersects the distal end of the first node at its proximal end. A second connecting pin connects the first and third joints so as to be rotatable around the intersection. The second slider is connected to the second connecting pin. This second slider is slidable along the extension/contraction direction. The drive source drives the second slider.

As described above, in this article transport robot, the first slider is connected to the base end of the first joint, the second slider is connected to the second connecting pin, and the second slider is driven by the drive source. be. Therefore, in this article transport robot, the load on the drive source can be increased when the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism is extended, and the load on the drive source can be decreased when the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism is contracted. That is, in this article transport robot, in the opposite case (when the load on the drive source is reduced when extending the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism, and when the load on the drive source is increased when the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism is contracted), It is possible to make it easier to pull out an article from a shelf or the like.

The article transport robot according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is the article transport robot according to the fourth aspect, in which the drive source drives the second slider via the ball screw.

As described above, in this article transport robot, the drive source drives the second slider via the ball screw. Therefore, in this article transport robot, the multi-joint telescoping link mechanism can be extended and retracted with a relatively simple structure.

An article transport robot according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the article transport robot according to the fourth or fifth aspect, wherein the gripping section is a suction section. A driving source is an electric motor. This article transport robot further comprises a control section and a load detection section. The control unit controls the motion of the robot hand. The load detector detects the load of the electric motor. Then, when the load detected by the load detection unit exceeds the threshold value, the control unit contracts the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism.

As described above, in this article transport robot, when the load detected by the load detection unit exceeds the threshold, the control unit contracts the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism. Therefore, in this article transport robot, the article can be pulled out from the shelf after the suction portion is sufficiently pressed against the article.

An article transport robot according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the article transport robot according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, and the robot hand further has a support member. The support member supports the grip. A pair of distance sensors are attached to the support member facing forward. This pair of distance sensors is for measuring the distance in the direction parallel to the expansion/contraction direction.

As described above, in this article transport robot, by utilizing the difference in the detection distance of a pair of distance sensors, etc., the robot hand can be made to face the shelf, article, etc.

An article transport robot according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the article transport robot according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, and the robot hand further has a support member. The support member supports the grip. A pair of rollers are attached to the support member, the rotation axes of which are parallel to the first imaginary plane and orthogonal to the expansion/contraction direction.

As described above, in this article transport robot, when a rail-shaped guide wall is formed on the shelf, the gripping part can be stably guided to the article by bringing the roller into contact with the guide wall.

An article conveying robot according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the article conveying robot according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein at least one of the tip portion and the gripping portion of the multi-joint telescoping link mechanism comprises: It has a pair of wheels having a rotation axis in a direction perpendicular to the first virtual plane.

Therefore, in this article transport robot, the expansion and contraction of the multi-joint expansion and contraction link mechanism can be performed smoothly.

An article transport robot according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the article transport robot according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the gripping section is a suction section for sucking a box having a handle. A plurality of them are arranged so as to sandwich the handle when facing the surface of the box on which the handle is arranged.

Therefore, in this article transport robot, the box can be sucked while the suction part avoids the handle. Therefore, this article transport robot can firmly suck the box having the handle.

1 is a perspective view of a robot hand according to an embodiment of the present invention when viewed obliquely from the upper left side of the front side; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the robot hand according to the embodiment of the present invention when viewed obliquely from the upper right side of the back side; 1 is a perspective view of a robot hand according to an embodiment of the present invention when viewed obliquely from the lower right side of the front side; FIG. 1 is a left side view of a robot hand according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a front view of a robot hand according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. 5; FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 5; FIG. 4 is a left side view of the robot hand according to the embodiment of the present invention in which the articulated telescopic link mechanism is extended; FIG. 4 is a left side view of the robot hand according to the embodiment of the present invention in which the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism is fully extended; 1 is a perspective view of a detachable mainspring unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a mobile shelf on which articles to be transported by the article transport robot according to the embodiment of the present invention are placed;

<Configuration of article transport robot according to embodiment of the present invention>
An article transport robot according to an embodiment of the present invention is mainly composed of a robot hand 100, a robot arm (not shown) and a control device. These constituent elements are described in detail below.

1. Robot Hand The robot hand 100, as shown in FIGS. It consists of a plate 170 and a distance sensor 180 . These constituent elements are described in detail below.

(1) Electric Motor The electric motor 110 is an electric motor capable of forward and reverse rotation, and is attached to the ball screw 115 so that its rotation axis coincides with the rotation axis of the ball screw 115 . That is, the ball screw 115 can switch the sliding direction of a horizontal slider (described later) SH by switching the rotating direction of the electric motor 110 . A load detection device (not shown) is connected to the electric motor 110 in this embodiment, and the load of the electric motor 110 is detected by the load detection device.

(2) Frame The frame 120 mainly consists of a top plate 121, a bottom plate 122, a rear plate 123, a rear side plate 124 and a front side L-shaped plate 125, as shown in FIGS. These constituent elements are described in detail below.

The top plate 121 is a substantially rectangular plate member and covers the upper side of the robot hand 100 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the electric motor 110 is fixed to the lower front portion of the top plate 121 so that the rotating shaft extends toward the rear end. Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a metal fitting 128 for attaching a robot arm is mounted slightly behind the central position of the top plate 121 in the longitudinal direction. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the like, a ball screw 115 is arranged on the back side (lower surface side) of the top plate 121 .

The bottom plate 122 is a substantially rectangular plate member and covers the lower side of the robot hand 100 as shown in FIG. A front portion 122A (see FIGS. 1 and 3) of the bottom plate 122 functions as a table for placing articles. Further, as shown in FIG. 3 and the like, a rectangular opening OP is formed in the approximate center of the bottom plate 122 . This opening OP is sized so that the detachable mainspring unit 150 can be attached. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, support claws 122B are provided at the edges on both sides of the opening OP of the bottom plate 122. As shown in FIG. The support claw 122B detachably supports the shaft 153 of the detachable spiral spring unit 150. As shown in FIG. A pair of left and right legs LG are attached to the front and rear ends of the back side of the bottom plate 122, respectively, and a sensor mounting plate 170 is attached to the back side of the bottom plate 122 slightly behind the opening OP. there is

The back plate 123 is a substantially rectangular plate member as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, and covers the back side of the robot hand 100. A rear vertical rail RVr and a rear support protrusion 123A are formed on the front surface of the rear plate 123. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a rear vertical slider SVr is attached to the rear vertical rail RVr so as to be vertically slidable. The rear support protrusion 123A is a protrusion extending forward from the front surface of the rear plate 123. As shown in FIG. As will be described later, the second joint K2 is rotatably attached to the rear support protrusion 123A at the proximal end thereof by means of the fourth link pin P4.

The rear side plates 124 function as supports for supporting the top plate 121 and the bottom plate 122, and are provided as a left and right pair behind the rear plate as shown in FIGS.

The front side L-shaped plate 125 is a plate member having a substantially L shape when viewed from the side, and covers the side surface of the front end of the robot hand 100 as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the front side L-shaped plate 125 is mainly formed of a vertical side wall portion 125A and a horizontal side wall portion 125B. The vertical side wall portion 125A, like the rear side plate 124, functions as a support for supporting the top plate 121 and the bottom plate 122. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, the horizontal side wall portion 125B is a side wall of the front portion 122A of the bottom plate 122 as shown in FIG. 1 etc., and functions as a guide wall that guides the suction head unit 140 forward. Specifically, the guide roller 145 of the suction head unit 140 contacts the inner surface of the horizontal side wall portion 125B and guides the suction head unit 140 forward while rolling. Further, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the front portion of the horizontal side wall portion 125B opens slightly outward in the width direction. This is to make it easier for the suction head unit 140 to receive the article that is drawn.

(3) Link Mechanism The link mechanism 130 is, for example, an extendable rage tongue type link mechanism used for magic hands, etc. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. Link) consists of K1-14, 21 link pins P1-23, rear vertical slider SVr and horizontal slider SH. These constituent elements are described in detail below.

The joints (links) K1-14 are plate-bar-shaped members, and the link pins P1-23 are members that form the link mechanism 130 by pivotally supporting the base ends, central parts, and tip ends of the joints K1-14. In the following description, the structure composed only of the joints (links) K1-14 and the link pins P1-23 may be referred to as a telescopic structure. Also, in this figure, this telescopic structure is indicated by the symbol KP.

Here, the first joint K1 is rotatably attached to the rear vertical slider SVr at the proximal end by the first link pin P1 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.). The first joint K1 is rotatably attached to the center of the second joint K2 by the second link pin P2, and is attached to the fourth joint K4 by the third link pin P3. is rotatably attached to the proximal end of the (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.). Incidentally, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 and the like, the horizontal slider SH is connected to the third link pin P3.

The second joint K2 is rotatably attached to the rear side support protrusion 123A at the proximal end by the fourth link pin P4 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.). The second joint K2 is rotatably attached to the central portion of the first joint K1 by a second link pin P2, and is attached to the third joint K3 by a fifth link pin P5. is rotatably attached to the proximal end of the (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.).

The third joint K3 is rotatably attached at its proximal end to the distal end of the second joint K2 by means of a fifth link pin P5, and is attached centrally to the fourth joint K4 by means of a sixth link pin P6. , and is rotatably attached to the base end of the sixth joint K6 at the distal end by the seventh link pin P7 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.). .

The fourth joint K4 is rotatably attached at its proximal end to the distal end of the first joint K1 by means of a third link pin P3, and is attached to the center of the third joint K3 by means of a sixth link pin P6. and is rotatably attached to the base end of the fifth joint K5 at the distal end by the eighth link pin P8 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.). .

The fifth joint K5 is rotatably attached to the distal end of the fourth joint K4 at its proximal end by an eighth link pin P8, and is attached to the center of the sixth joint K6 by a ninth link pin P9. and is rotatably attached to the base end of the eighth joint K8 at the distal end by a tenth link pin P10 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.). .

The sixth joint K6 is rotatably attached at its proximal end to the distal end of the third joint K3 by means of a seventh link pin P7, and is attached centrally to the fifth joint K5 by means of a ninth link pin P9. and is rotatably attached to the base end of the seventh joint K7 at the distal end by the eleventh link pin P11 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.). .

The seventh joint K7 is rotatably attached at its proximal end to the distal end of the sixth joint K6 by means of the eleventh link pin P11, and is attached centrally to the eighth joint K8 by means of the twelfth link pin P12. , and is rotatably attached to the base end of the tenth joint K10 at the distal end by the thirteenth link pin P13 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.). .

The eighth joint K8 is rotatably attached at its proximal end to the distal end of the fifth joint K5 by a tenth link pin P10, and is attached centrally to the seventh joint K7 by a twelfth link pin P12. and is rotatably attached to the proximal end of the ninth joint K9 at the distal end by the fourteenth link pin P14 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.). .

The ninth joint K9 is rotatably attached at its proximal end to the distal end of the eighth joint K8 by means of a 14th link pin P14, and is attached centrally to the tenth joint K10 by means of a 15th link pin P15. is rotatably attached to the part, and is rotatably attached to the proximal end of the 12th joint K12 at the distal end by the 16th link pin P16 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.). .

The tenth joint K10 is rotatably attached at its proximal end to the distal end of the seventh joint K7 by means of a thirteenth link pin P13, and is attached centrally to the ninth joint K9 by means of a fifteenth link pin P15. is rotatably attached to the part, and is rotatably attached to the base end of the 11th joint K11 at the distal end by the 17th link pin P17 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.). .

The 11th joint K11 is rotatably attached to the distal end of the 10th joint K10 at its proximal end by a 17th link pin P17, and is attached centrally to the 12th joint K12 by an 18th link pin P18. is rotatably attached to the part, and is rotatably attached to the base end of the 14th joint K14 at the distal end by the 19th link pin P19 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.). .

The 12th joint K12 is rotatably attached to the distal end of the 9th joint K9 at its proximal end by a 16th link pin P16, and is attached centrally to the 11th joint K11 by an 18th link pin P18. is rotatably attached to the part, and is rotatably attached to the base end of the 13th joint K13 at the distal end by the 20th link pin P20 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.). .

The 13th joint K13 is rotatably attached at its proximal end to the distal end of the 12th joint K12 by means of a 20th link pin P20, and is attached to the center of the 14th joint K14 by means of a 21st link pin P21. It is attached so as to be rotatable with respect to the part (see FIGS. 6 and 7, etc.). Also, the 13th joint K13 is rotatably attached to the front side support protrusion 146 of the suction head unit 140 at the tip by the 22nd link pin P22 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.).

The 14th joint K14 is rotatably attached at its proximal end to the distal end of the 11th joint K11 by means of a 19th link pin P19, and is attached centrally to the 13th joint K13 by means of a 21st link pin P21. It is attached so as to be rotatable with respect to the part (see FIGS. 6 and 7, etc.). Also, the 14th joint K14 is rotatably attached to the front vertical slider SVf of the suction head unit 140 at its tip by means of the 23rd link pin P23 (see FIGS. 6 to 9, etc.).

In the elastic structure KP configured as described above, the 14 nodes K1 to 14 are virtual vertical planes (virtual planes) Fp (see FIG. 5. The vertical planes Fp are shown in FIG. It becomes a plane that overlaps with the cross section.).

As described above, the rear vertical slider SVr can slide vertically on the rear vertical rail RVr of the back plate 123 (see FIGS. 6 and 7, etc.). The rear vertical slider SVr rises as the horizontal slider SH advances and descends as the horizontal slider SH retreats.

The horizontal slider SH meshes with the ball screw 115, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and moves forward when the ball screw 115 rotates forward, and retreats when the ball screw 115 rotates backward. Further, this horizontal slider SH is connected to the third link pin P3 as shown in FIGS. That is, the expansion/contraction structure KP expands/contracts as the horizontal slider SH moves back and forth.

(4) Suction Head Unit As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the suction head unit 140 mainly includes a front panel 141, a support plate 142, a suction pad unit 143, wheels 144, guide rollers 145, and a front vertical rail RVf. , a front vertical slider SVf and a front support protrusion 146. As shown in FIG. These constituent elements are described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 5, the front panel 141 is a plate member having an inverted convex shape when viewed from the front, and is mainly composed of a main plate portion 141a and a lower projection portion 141b. The main plate portion 141a is a substantially rectangular plate portion when viewed from the front as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, three suction pads 143b are fixed to the left and right ends of the lower portion of the main plate portion 141a when viewed from the front. The distance between the left and right suction pads 143b is such that the handle of the box body with the handle is not overlapped with the handle when the handle is oriented in the vertical direction. As shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, a front support projection 146 extends rearward from the upper portion of the back side surface of the main plate portion 141a. Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, support plates 142 extend rearward from both ends in the width direction of the rear side surface of the main plate portion 141a. Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a front vertical rail RVf is arranged along the vertical direction on the rear side surface of the main plate portion 141a. As shown in FIG. 5, the lower projecting portion 141b is a substantially square plate portion when viewed from the front, and extends downward from the center of the lower side of the main plate portion 141a. A fastening block 154 of the detachable spiral spring unit 150 is screwed to the lower protrusion 141b. The screw used at this time is a detachable screw.

The support plate 142 is a plate member for supporting the piping unit 143a of the suction pad unit 143 as shown in FIGS. It extends rearward from both ends of the direction. A pair of wheels 144 are pivotally supported on the front lower portion of the support plate 142 .

The suction pad unit 143, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is mainly composed of a piping unit 143a, a suction pad 143b and an elastic connecting pipe 143c. The piping unit 143a is composed of one main pipe MP and three branch pipes BP. The main pipe MP communicates with all three branch pipes BP. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a flexible tube 160 is joined to the main pipe MP on the proximal end side, and an elastic connecting pipe 143c is joined to each branch pipe BP. A suction pad 143b is joined to the tip side of each elastic connecting pipe 143c. An elastic portion such as a coil spring is provided in the elastic connecting pipe 143c. The elastic portion urges the distal end portion of the elastic connecting tube 143c forward. That is, the suction pad 143b is urged forward through the tip of the elastic connecting tube 143c. Therefore, when the suction pad 143b comes into contact with an article and a load is applied to the suction pad 143b, the distal end portion of the elastic connecting pipe 143c and the suction pad 143b are slightly retracted against the elastic force of the elastic portion, and the load is applied. When the force is no longer applied, it returns to its original position due to the elastic force of the elastic portion. The suction pad 143b is a stretchable member made of a flexible material.

The wheels 144 are pivotally supported on the lower front side of the support plate 142 as described above. That is, the rotation axis of this wheel 144 is along the direction parallel to the width direction. The wheel 144 rolls on the upper surface of the front portion 122A of the bottom plate 122 of the frame 120 and rolls on the shelf plate of the shelf after passing the front end of the front portion 122A of the bottom plate 122 of the frame 120.

The guide roller 145 is a columnar rotating body whose rotation axis is in the vertical direction. lead to Further, when a vertical guide wall is provided on the shelf board of the shelf, the guide roller 145 guides the suction head unit 140 forward while rolling in contact with the inner surface of the guide wall.

The front vertical rail RVf extends vertically along the back side of the front panel 141, as shown in FIGS. A front vertical slider SVf is attached to the front vertical rail RVf so as to be vertically slidable (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

As described above, the front vertical slider SVf can slide vertically on the front vertical rail RVf. The front vertical slider SVf rises as the horizontal slider SH advances and descends as the horizontal slider SH retreats. Further, as described above, the front vertical slider SVf has the 14th joint K14 rotatably attached to the front end by the 23rd link pin P23.

The front support protrusion 146 is a protrusion extending rearward from the back surface of the front panel 141 . As described above, the 13th joint K13 is rotatably attached to the front end support projection 146 by the 22nd link pin P22.

(5) Detachable Mainspring Unit The detachable mainspring unit 150 mainly consists of a mainspring 151, a holder 152, a shaft 153 and a fastening block 154, as shown in FIG. The spiral spring 151 has existed from before and is biased so as to wind around the holder 152 . That is, after the spiral spring 151 is extended by the human hand, the spiral spring 151 winds around the holder 152 due to its urging force when the human hand is released. The holder 152 is a cylindrical holding member (bobbin) that holds one end of the spiral spring 151 . The shaft 153 extends in both directions of the holder 152 along the axial direction of the holder 152 as shown in FIG. The shaft 153 is detachably supported by the support claws 122B shown in FIG. 3, as described above. The fastening block 154 is a member for fixing the other end of the spiral spring 151 to the lower projection 141b of the front panel 141 of the suction head unit 140. It is screwed to the side protrusion 141b.

(6) Flexible Tube The flexible tube 160 is joined to the outlet side of the original pipe SP as shown in FIGS. attached to the side. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pipe port MS is joined to the inlet of the original pipe SP, and the pipe port MS is provided at the rear end of the top plate 121 of the frame 120. . 8 and 9, the flexible tube 160 has a sufficient length to accommodate even the link mechanism 130 in its most extended state.

(7) Sensor Mounting Plate As described above, the sensor mounting plate 170 is mounted on the back side slightly behind the opening OP of the bottom plate 122 of the frame 120, and holds the distance sensors 180 on both ends thereof.

(8) Distance Sensor The distance sensor 180 is a sensor that detects the distance to an object positioned on the front side, and is held on both end sides of the sensor mounting plate 170 as described above.

2. Robot Arm The robot arm is not particularly limited, but is, for example, an existing six-axis robot arm or the like.

3. Control Device The control device is communicatively connected to the robot hand 100 and the robot arm, respectively, sends control signals to the robot hand and the robot arm, and receives various signals from the robot hand 100 and the robot arm. In particular, this control device is connected to the electric motor 110 of the robot hand 100 and the decompression pump, and controls the rotation direction of the electric motor 110 and the start/stop of the decompression pump.

<Example of control of article transport robot according to embodiment of the present invention>
Here, an example of control of the article transport robot when transporting the box body Bx with the handle placed on the movable shelf 200 shown in FIG. 11 will be described. In the figure, reference symbol TO indicates a handle.

Before explaining the control example, the mobile shelf 200 will be briefly explained. The movable shelf 200, as shown in FIG. 11, is composed of a bottom wall 210, a top wall 230, side walls 240, a shelf plate 220, a guide plate Wv and wheels Tr. The bottom wall 210 and the top wall 230 are rectangular plate members having the same dimensions. As shown in FIG. 11, a pair of left and right side walls 240 are present and extend from the left and right ends of the bottom wall 210 to the left and right ends of the top wall 230 . The shelf plate 220 is a rectangular plate member having approximately the same dimensions as the bottom wall 210 and the top wall 230, and as shown in FIG. I have multiple partitions. Also, as shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of guide plates Wv are attached to the bottom wall 210 and the shelf plate 220 . The guide plate Wv is a substantially rectangular wall member extending vertically upward from the upper surfaces of the bottom wall 210 and the shelf plate 220, and is arranged along the depth direction as shown in FIG. . Note that the movable shelf 200 is not provided with a front wall and a back wall. Therefore, in this movable shelf 200, the box body Bx with the handle can be placed on the bottom wall 210 and the shelf board 220 not only from the front side (see FIG. 11) but also from the rear side. Four wheels Tr are present, and each wheel Tr is attached to the four corners of the bottom wall 210 . This makes the movable shelf 200 movable.

First, the user of this article transport robot operates the article transport robot after fixing the mobile shelf 200 in a specified position and in a specified orientation. When the article transport robot starts to operate, the robot hand 100 waiting at the initial position is lifted to a specified height position and moved to a position in the width direction of the movable shelf 200 by the robot arm. Attitude control is performed so that the front of the hand 100 faces the front of the movable shelf 200 and the configuration plane (virtual vertical plane Fp) of the telescopic structure KP is parallel to the vertical direction. At this time, the pair of distance sensors 180 provided on the robot hand 100 face the side wall 240 of the movable shelf 200 and the guide plate Wv, or the adjacent guide plate Wv and the guide plate Wv. Next, the posture of the robot hand 100 is controlled by the robot arm so that the difference between the detected distances of the pair of distance sensors 180 falls within the allowable range (ideally, the difference between the detected distances becomes 0). At this time, the robot hand 100 is substantially facing the side wall 240 of the movable shelf 200 and the guide plate Wv, or the adjacent guide plate Wv and the guide plate Wv.). Next, the electric motor 110 of the robot hand 100 starts operating, and the link mechanism 130 extends. Then, when the suction head unit 140 reaches the movable shelf 200, the guide roller 145 contacts the side wall 240 of the movable shelf 200 and the guide plate Wv or the adjacent guide plate Wv and the guide plate Wv to move the suction head unit 140. It leads to the back of the moving shelf 200 . At this time, the wheels 144 roll on the bottom wall 210 of the movable shelf 200 or the shelf plate 220 . Then, when the load of the electric motor 110 detected by the load detection device exceeds the threshold value, the electric motor 110 is temporarily stopped and the decompression pump is operated to suck the handle-equipped box body Bx with the suction pad 143b. Thereafter, the electric motor 110 is reversed to contract the link mechanism 130 and finally return to the initial state (contracted state). At this time, the handle-equipped box Bx is placed on the front portion 122A of the bottom plate 122 of the robot hand 100 . In this state, the robot arm moves the robot hand 100 to the transfer destination. When the robot hand 100 reaches the transport destination by the robot arm, the electric motor 110 of the robot hand 100 starts operating, the link mechanism 130 extends, and the suction head unit 140 pushes the handle-equipped box Bx to the transport destination. All such operations of the robot arm and robot hand 100 are realized by a control device that is communicatively connected to the robot arm and robot hand 100 .

<Characteristics of the article transport robot and robot hand according to the present embodiment>
(1)
In the robot hand 100 according to this embodiment, a suction head unit 140 is attached to the tip side of the link mechanism 130 . That is, in this robot hand 100, the suction head unit 140 is linearly moved by the link mechanism 130, and does not move vertically. For this reason, this article-carrying robot is less likely to be restricted by the dimension of the shelf compared to the conventional article-carrying robot (which performs an operation involving vertical movement).

(2)
In the article transport robot according to the present embodiment, the posture of the robot hand 100 is controlled so that the configuration plane (virtual vertical plane Fp) of the telescopic structure KP is parallel to the vertical direction when the link mechanism 130 is extended and retracted. Therefore, in this article transport robot, the width dimension of the robot hand 100 can be kept short when the link mechanism 130 expands and contracts. Therefore, with this article transport robot, it is possible to automatically grasp a plurality of articles laid out on the shelf.

(3)
In the robot hand 100 according to the present embodiment, the spiral spring 151 biases the suction head unit 140 toward the base end. For this reason, in this article transport robot, the suction head unit 140 can be easily returned from the extended state to the contracted state (initial state). It is possible that the underside will not fully shrink, although it will shrink fully.).

(4)
A detachable mainspring unit 150 is provided in the robot hand 100 according to the present embodiment. Therefore, when the elastic force of the spiral spring 151 decreases due to use, the spiral spring 151 can be easily replaced.

(5)
In the robot hand 100 according to this embodiment, the rear vertical slider SVr is rotatably connected to the base end of the first joint K1 by the first link pin P1, and the front vertical slider SVf is connected to the 23rd link pin. It is rotatably connected to the tip side of the 14th joint K14 by P23, and the horizontal slider SH is further connected to the third link pin P3. Therefore, in this article transport robot, the load on the electric motor 110 can be increased when the link mechanism 130 is extended, and the load on the electric motor 110 can be decreased when the link mechanism 130 is contracted. In other words, in this article-carrying robot, compared to the opposite case (where the load on the electric motor 110 is reduced when the link mechanism 130 is extended and the load on the electric motor 110 is increased when the link mechanism 130 is contracted), the article is transported. It can be easily pulled out from a shelf or the like.

(6)
In the robot hand 100 according to this embodiment, the electric motor 110 drives the horizontal slider SH via the ball screw 115 . Therefore, in this robot hand 100, the link mechanism 130 can be expanded and contracted with a relatively simple structure.

(7)
In the robot hand 100 according to the present embodiment, when the load detected by the load detection device exceeds the threshold value, the electric motor 110 is temporarily stopped and the decompression pump is operated to suck the article by the suction pad 143b. By rotating the electric motor 110 in reverse, the link mechanism 130 is contracted and finally returned to the initial state (contracted state). Therefore, in the robot hand 100, the article can be pulled out from the shelf by suctioning the article after the suction pad 143b is sufficiently pressed against the article.

(8)
A pair of distance sensors 180 are provided in the robot hand 100 according to the present embodiment. Therefore, in this article transport robot, the robot hand 100 can face the movable shelf 200 directly.

(9)
A guide roller 145 is attached to the suction head unit 140 in the robot hand 100 according to the present embodiment. For this reason, when the movable shelf 200 as shown in FIG. 11 is used, the article transport robot according to the present embodiment moves the suction head unit 140 by bringing the guide roller 145 into contact with the guide plate Wv or the like. can be stably guided to the article.

(10)
In the robot hand 100 according to this embodiment, wheels 144 are attached to the suction head unit 140 . Therefore, in the robot hand 100, the link mechanism 130 can be expanded and contracted smoothly.

(11)
In the robot hand 100 according to the present embodiment, the distance between the left and right suction pads 143b is the distance that does not overlap the handle TO of the box body Bx with the handle and holds the handle TO when the handle TO is oriented in the vertical direction. It is Therefore, in the robot hand 100, the box Bx can be sucked while the suction pad 143b avoids the handle TO. Therefore, the robot hand 100 can firmly suck the box Bx having the handle TO.

<Modification>
(A)
Although the robot hand 100 was connected to the robot arm in the article transport robot according to the previous embodiment, the robot hand 100 may be connected to a frame-type movement mechanism. Also, the robot hand may be attached so that the configuration plane (virtual vertical plane Fp) of the telescopic structure KP is always parallel to the vertical direction.

(B)
In the robot hand 100 according to the previous embodiment, the electric motor 110 is employed as the driving source, and the mechanism comprising the ball screw 115 and the horizontal slider SH is employed as the mechanism for realizing the expansion and contraction of the telescopic structure KP. An air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or the like may be employed as the drive source and the telescopic mechanism; (iii) An electric motor may be employed as a drive source, and a Zip Chain Actuator (registered trademark) manufactured by Tsubakimoto Chain Co., Ltd. may be employed as a mechanism for realizing expansion and contraction of the telescopic structure KP. , (iv) An electric motor may be employed as a drive source, and a ROLLBEAM manufactured by SERAPID may be employed as a mechanism for realizing expansion and contraction of the expansion structure KP.

(C)
In the robot hand 100 according to the previous embodiment, the detachable spiral spring unit 150 is provided for the purpose of returning the fully stretched telescopic structure KP to the initial contracted state. As (i) a coil spring may be employed, or (ii) a mechanism consisting of an electric motor, wires, a clutch, or the like may be employed. In such a case, the wire is let out when the telescopic structure KP is extended, and the wire is wound by the electric motor when the telescopic structure KP is contracted.

(D)
In the robot hand 100 according to the previous embodiment, the suction pad unit 143 is employed as an article gripping means, but instead of this, a fingered hand unit such as a two-finger hand or a five-finger hand, a chuck unit, or the like is employed. good too.

(E)
In the robot hand 100 according to the previous embodiment, the electric motor 110, the front side support protrusion 146 and the rear side support protrusion 123A are arranged on the upper side, but the electric motor 110, the front side support protrusion 146 and the rear side support protrusion are arranged on the upper side. 123A may be arranged on the lower side (for example, the lower side of the bottom plate 122, etc.). In this case, the initial positions of the front vertical slider SVf and the rear vertical slider SVr (positions in the contracted state) are the upper end positions of the front vertical rail RVf and the rear vertical rail RVr, and the front vertical slider SVf and the rear vertical slider SVr The vertical slider SVr descends as the horizontal slider SH advances, and ascends as the horizontal slider SH retreats.

It should be noted that each of the above modifications may be applied alone or in combination.

100 robot hand 110 electric motor (driving source)
115 ball screw 122B support claw (detachable structure)
123A rear support projection (support)
130 link mechanism (multi-joint telescopic link mechanism)
140 suction head unit (grasping part)
141 front panel (support member)
142 support plate (support member)
143 suction pad unit (grasping part)
144 wheel 145 guide roller (roller)
151 spiral spring (biasing part)
180 distance sensor Fp virtual vertical plane (first virtual plane)
KP Telescopic structure K1 First joint K2 Second joint K4 Fourth joint (third joint)
K1-14 Multiple joints P2 Second link pin (first connecting pin)
P3 Third link pin (second connecting pin)
SH Horizontal slider (second slider)
SVr rear vertical slider (first slider)

Claims

a robot hand having an articulated telescopic link mechanism that can be expanded and contracted by moving a plurality of joints along a first virtual plane;
a hand moving mechanism coupled to the robot hand;
with
In the article transport robot, the robot hand has a posture in which the first virtual plane is substantially parallel to the vertical direction at least when the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism is extended and retracted.
The articulated telescopic link mechanism has a telescopic structure composed of the plurality of joints,
2. The article transport robot according to claim 1, wherein said robot hand further comprises a biasing section for biasing said telescopic structure of said multi-joint telescopic link mechanism toward the base end side of said multi-joint telescopic link mechanism.
3. The article transport robot according to claim 2, further comprising a detachable structure that enables detachment of the urging portion.
The articulated telescopic link mechanism includes:
Section 1;
a second node that intersects with the central portion of the first node;
a first connecting pin that connects the first joint and the second joint so as to be rotatable around an intersection;
a first slider connected to the base end of the first joint and slidable along a direction parallel to the first imaginary plane and perpendicular to the expansion/contraction direction;
a support portion that rotatably supports the base end portion of the second joint;
a third node that intersects the first node at its distal end and proximal end;
a second connecting pin that connects the first joint and the third joint so as to be rotatable about an intersection;
a second slider that is connected to the second connecting pin and is slidable along the extension/contraction direction;
4. The article transport robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a drive source for driving said second slider.
5. The article transport robot according to claim 4, wherein said drive source drives said second slider via a ball screw.
The gripping portion is a suction portion,
The drive source is an electric motor,
further comprising a control unit that controls the operation of the robot hand, and a load detection unit that detects the load of the electric motor,
6. The article transport robot according to claim 4, wherein the controller contracts the multi-joint telescopic link mechanism when the load detected by the load detector exceeds a threshold value.
The robot hand further has a support member that supports the gripping part,
7. The article transport robot according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a pair of distance sensors for measuring a distance in a direction parallel to the expansion/contraction direction is attached to the support member facing forward.
The robot hand further has a support member that supports the gripping part,
8. An article conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a pair of rollers is attached to said support member, and has a rotation axis in a direction parallel to said first imaginary plane and orthogonal to an expansion/contraction direction. robot.
9. The articulated telescopic link mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at least one of the distal end portion of the multi-joint telescoping link mechanism and the gripping portion has a pair of wheels having a rotation axis in a direction orthogonal to the first virtual plane. Goods transport robot.
2. The holding part is a suction part for sucking a box having a handle, and a plurality of the holding parts are arranged so as to sandwich the handle when facing a surface of the box on which the handle is arranged. 10. The article transport robot according to any one of items 9 to 9.