WO2024047927A1 - Système de prélèvement - Google Patents

Système de prélèvement Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024047927A1
WO2024047927A1 PCT/JP2023/015370 JP2023015370W WO2024047927A1 WO 2024047927 A1 WO2024047927 A1 WO 2024047927A1 JP 2023015370 W JP2023015370 W JP 2023015370W WO 2024047927 A1 WO2024047927 A1 WO 2024047927A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
article
suction pad
pad
suction
diameter
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/JP2023/015370
Other languages
English (en)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
翔太郎 森
幸起 廣田
雄太 山内
貴臣 西垣戸
Original Assignee
株式会社日立製作所
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by 株式会社日立製作所 filed Critical 株式会社日立製作所
Publication of WO2024047927A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024047927A1/fr

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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J15/00—Gripping heads and other end effectors
    • B25J15/06—Gripping heads and other end effectors with vacuum or magnetic holding means
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J15/00—Gripping heads and other end effectors
    • B25J15/08—Gripping heads and other end effectors having finger members

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a picking system equipped with a robot hand.
  • picking systems have been known in which items brought in from an upstream process are held by a transport robot and transported to a predetermined location. Further, the carry-out robot is provided with a robot hand that grips the article.
  • Patent Document 1 describes an article gripping mechanism (robot arm) in which three end effectors consisting of a first gripping part, a second gripping part, and a third gripping part can be replaced.
  • the first gripping section includes a gripping body and a plurality of suction pads.
  • the gripping body is detachably attached to the tip of the article gripping mechanism.
  • the plurality of suction pads are arranged on the grip main body at equal intervals.
  • the second gripping section includes a gripping body and two suction pads.
  • the gripping body is detachably attached to the tip of the article gripping mechanism. Two suction pads are provided on both sides of the grip body.
  • the third gripping section includes a gripping body and a pair of clamping hands.
  • the gripping body is detachably attached to the tip of the article gripping mechanism.
  • the clamping hand is configured to be able to contact the article from both sides. When the clamping hands are in contact with both sides of the article and the distance between the clamping hands is narrowed, the article is clamped by the clamping hands.
  • Patent Document 1 since the first gripping part or the second gripping part described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a plurality or two suction pads of one type, the types of articles that can be gripped are limited.
  • the present purpose is to provide a picking system that can grasp and transport a variety of articles in consideration of the above-mentioned problems.
  • the picking system includes a transport robot, a robot hand that is provided on the transport robot and grips an article, and a control unit that controls the robot hand and the transport robot.
  • the robot hand includes a suction section that suctions and grips an article, finger sections that grip the article by sandwiching it, and a finger driving section that drives the fingers.
  • the suction section has a plurality of types of suction pads lined up in a row, and the direction in which the plurality of types of suction pads are lined up is approximately perpendicular to the driving direction of the finger section.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a picking system according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a robot hand according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which the fingers of the robot hand according to one embodiment are opened.
  • FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which the finger portions of the robot hand according to one embodiment are closed.
  • FIG. 1 is a side view showing a robot hand according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second suction pad of the robot hand according to one embodiment is retracted.
  • FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the third suction pad of the robot hand according to one embodiment is retracted.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a picking system according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a robot hand according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which the fingers of the robot hand according to one embodiment are
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a pneumatic control device of a picking system and a pneumatic control device above a moving mechanism according to an embodiment.
  • A, B are diagrams illustrating a series of flows for transporting heavy articles stored in a carry-in container in a picking system according to an embodiment.
  • A, B are diagrams illustrating a series of flows for transporting heavy articles stored in a carry-in container in a picking system according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram showing how a heavy article is gripped using a first suction pad of a robot hand according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 7 is a diagram showing how a small article is gripped using a second suction pad of a robot hand according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 7 is a diagram showing how a first example of a bag-like article is gripped using a third suction pad of a robot hand according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 7 is a diagram showing how a second example of a bag-like article is gripped using a third suction pad of a robot hand according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating how a bottle-shaped article is gripped using fingers of a robot hand according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating how an irregularly shaped article is gripped by utilizing a retraction mechanism of a robot hand according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating how the robot hand grasps another article next to the article by utilizing the retracting mechanism according to one embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating how a robot hand grasps an article near a wall by utilizing a retraction mechanism according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating how a robot hand according to an embodiment grasps an article near a wall by closing the fingers.
  • A, B are diagrams illustrating how an article near a wall is brought to the center and then grasped and conveyed in a picking system according to an embodiment.
  • A, B are diagrams illustrating how an article near a wall is brought to the center and then grasped and conveyed in a picking system according to an embodiment. It is a control flowchart of article conveyance processing performed by the picking system concerning one embodiment.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the picking system of this example.
  • the picking system 50 includes a transport robot 51, a carry-in conveyor 52 that carries articles 100 into the transport robot 51, a movement mechanism 53, an imaging device 55, and a carry-out conveyor 54.
  • the picking system 50 uses the transport robot 51 to transport the articles 100 in the transport container 200 transported by the transport conveyor 52 to the transport container 56 on the transport conveyor 54 .
  • the transfer robot 51 is, for example, a vertical multi-joint robot having six axes of joints.
  • the arm of the transfer robot 51 is provided with a robot hand 1 that grips the article 100.
  • the transport robot 51 grips the article 100 by suction, or grips the article 100 by sandwiching it. Details of the robot hand 1 will be described later.
  • the picking system 50 includes a transfer robot 51, a carry-in conveyor 52, a movement mechanism 53, a control device 57, and an information storage device 58.
  • the control device 57 corresponds to a control section according to the present invention.
  • the control device 57 controls the driving of the imaging device 55.
  • the information storage device 58 is connected to the control device 57.
  • the information storage device 58 stores information regarding the article 100 such as the shape and size of the article 100 to be handled and the attitude placed on the carry-in conveyor 52.
  • the information stored in the information storage device 58 may lack some or all of the information about the article 100.
  • the imaging device 55 is arranged above the position where the transport robot 51 grips the article 100 using the robot hand 1.
  • the imaging device 55 photographs the article 100 placed in the loading container 200 transported by the loading conveyor 52 .
  • the imaging device 55 then outputs the captured image information to the control device 57.
  • the control device 57 determines information regarding the article 100, such as the position of the article 100 and the size of the article 100, based on the image information acquired from the imaging device 55. Then, the control device 57 controls the operations of the transport robot 51 and the robot hand 1 based on the information regarding the article 100.
  • the imaging device 55 is provided above the position where the article 100 is gripped, but the present invention is not limited to this.
  • the imaging device 55 may be provided on the transport robot 51 or the robot hand 1, or may be placed on the side of the position where the article 100 is gripped.
  • a configuration may be adopted in which the position of the imaging device 55 is changed.
  • an actuator for moving the imaging device 55 may be provided.
  • control device 57 determines the size, type, etc. of the article 100 based on information captured by the imaging device 55
  • the invention is not limited to this.
  • information regarding the size, type, etc. of the article 100 may be stored in advance in the information storage device 58, and the control device 57 may acquire information regarding the article 100 from the information storage device 58.
  • the transfer robot 51 is supported by a moving mechanism 53 so as to be movable in one axis direction.
  • the moving mechanism 53 is arranged between the carry-in conveyor 52 and the carry-out conveyor 54.
  • An incoming conveyor 52 is arranged on one side of the moving mechanism 53 in the moving direction, and an outgoing conveyor 54 is arranged on the other side of the moving mechanism 53 in the moving direction.
  • the carry-in conveyor 52 transports the carry-in container 200 containing the plurality of articles 100 from the upstream process of the picking system 50 to a predetermined position.
  • the article 100 carried out by the transport robot 51 and the robot hand 1 is stored in the carry-out container 56 provided on the carry-out conveyor 54 .
  • the carry-out conveyor 54 transports the carry-out container 56 containing the articles 100 to a predetermined position in the downstream process of the picking system 50.
  • all of the articles 100 stored in the carry-in container 200 may be the same article, or multiple types of articles may be mixed. Moreover, the articles 100 stored in each delivery container 200 may be different.
  • the picking system 50 also includes a pneumatic control device 61 that controls the vacuum of the transfer robot 51 and a moving mechanism upper pneumatic control device 62.
  • the moving mechanism upper pneumatic control device 62 is connected to the robot hand 1 . Therefore, the moving mechanism upper pneumatic control device 62 is installed on the moving mechanism 53 so as to be close to the robot hand 1.
  • the configurations of the pneumatic control device 61 and the moving mechanism top pneumatic control device 62 will be described later using FIG. 8.
  • the picking system according to the present invention is not limited to this, and the transport robot 51 itself may be provided with a moving mechanism, or the transport robot 51 may be fixed.
  • the picking system 50 may, for example, transport the article 100 gripped by the robot hand 1 of the transport robot 51 onto the carry-out conveyor 54 or store it in a storage shelf (not shown), and various other picking systems 50 may also be used. is applicable.
  • the present invention is not limited to this.
  • a two-axis robot that rotates in the horizontal direction and moves in the vertical direction may be used, or various other robots may be used.
  • control device 57 information storage device 58
  • pneumatic control device 61 and moving mechanism upper pneumatic control device 62
  • the present invention provides a system in which the functions of a control device 57, an information storage device 58, a pneumatic control device 61, and a pneumatic control device 62 for a moving mechanism are integrated into the same device, all of which are installed at a location away from the robot. It can also be applied to different systems such as
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the robot hand 1.
  • FIG. 3 is a front view of the robot hand 1 showing a state in which finger portions, which will be described later, are open.
  • FIG. 4 is a front view of the robot hand 1 showing a state in which finger portions, which will be described later, are closed.
  • FIG. 5 is a side view showing the robot hand 1.
  • FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a second suction pad (described later) of the robot hand 1 is retracted.
  • FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a third suction pad (described later) of the robot hand 1 is retracted.
  • the robot hand 1 includes a main body 2 attached to a transfer robot 51, a suction unit 3 that suctions an article 100, an extensible mechanism 4, a first finger 5A, and a second finger 5A. It has a finger portion 5B and a finger drive portion 7. Furthermore, the robot hand 1 includes a first driving force transmission mechanism 20A and a second driving force transmission mechanism 20B.
  • the members constituting the robot hand 1 are basically made of aluminum steel plates. Thereby, the weight of the robot hand 1 can be reduced.
  • the main body portion 2 is composed of a substantially T-shaped member.
  • the main body portion 2 includes a base portion 2a that is attached to the transfer robot 51, and a support portion 2b provided at the tip of the base portion 2a.
  • the direction in which the base portion 2a extends will be referred to as the Z direction.
  • the direction in which the support portion extends is defined as the X direction.
  • a direction substantially perpendicular to the X direction and the Z direction is defined as the Y direction.
  • the base portion 2a is connected to an intermediate portion of the support portion 2b in the X direction.
  • a telescopic mechanism 4 is connected to the support portion 2b of the main body portion 2.
  • FIG. 2 shows the telescopic mechanism 4 in a contracted state.
  • a suction unit 3 is connected to the tip of the telescopic mechanism 4 .
  • the expansion/contraction mechanism 4 moves the suction unit 3 in the Z direction.
  • the expansion/contraction mechanism 4 is restricted from rotating around an axis (Z-axis) extending in the Z direction by a guide mechanism (not shown), and prevents the suction unit 3 from rotating around the Z-axis.
  • the telescoping mechanism according to the present invention may be, for example, a linear actuator driven by pneumatic pressure or electric power, or various other telescoping mechanisms such as a gear, a motor, or a cylinder may be used if the same effect can be obtained. It's okay. Further, in this example, an example was described in which a telescoping mechanism 4 for expanding and contracting the suction unit 3 was provided, but the robot hand according to the present invention does not need to be provided with a telescoping mechanism.
  • a finger drive section 7 is installed at one end of the support section 2b in the X direction.
  • the finger drive unit 7 is, for example, a stepping motor, and can control the angle, angular velocity, maximum torque, etc. of its output shaft.
  • the finger drive unit according to the present invention may be another type of actuator such as a DC brushless motor.
  • a main driving force transmission section 8A is provided on the output shaft of the finger drive section 7.
  • the main driving force transmission section 8A is composed of, for example, a gear.
  • the main driving force transmitting section 8A meshes with a first driving force transmitting section 8B, which will be described later, and transmits the driving force of the finger driving section 7 to the first driving force transmitting section 8B.
  • the first driving force transmission mechanism 20A is arranged on one end side of the support part 2b in the X direction, and the second driving force transmission mechanism 20B is arranged on the other end side of the support part 2b in the X direction.
  • a suction unit 3 is arranged between the first driving force transmission mechanism 20A and the second driving force transmission mechanism 20B.
  • the first driving force transmission mechanism 20A is provided with a first finger portion 5A
  • the second driving force transmission mechanism 20B is provided with a second finger portion 5B.
  • the first finger portion 5A and the second finger portion 5B are arranged to face each other in the X direction.
  • the first driving force transmission mechanism 20A includes a first link 6A, a second link 6B, a third link 6C, and a first driving force transmission section 8B.
  • the first driving force transmission section 8B is rotatably supported at one end of the support section 2b in the X direction.
  • the first driving force transmitting section 8B is composed of gears similarly to the main driving force transmitting section 8A.
  • the first driving force transmitting section 8B meshes with a main driving force transmitting section 8A and a second driving force transmitting section 8C, which will be described later.
  • the main body 2 is provided with a gear cover 2c that covers the main driving force transmitting section 8A, the first driving force transmitting section 8B, and the second driving force transmitting section 8C (in FIG. (Cover 2c is omitted).
  • a gear cover 2c that covers the main driving force transmitting section 8A, the first driving force transmitting section 8B, and the second driving force transmitting section 8C (in FIG. (Cover 2c is omitted).
  • the rotating main driving force transmitting part 8A, first driving force transmitting part 8B, and second driving force transmitting part 8C can be prevented from coming into contact with the article 100 or the wall of the carrying-in container 200.
  • a link node 9A which is one end of the first link 6A, is fixed to the first driving force transmission section 8B. Then, as the first driving force transmission section 8B rotates, the first link 6A swings around the link node 9A.
  • a link node 9D which is one end of the second link 6B, is rotatably supported at one end of the support portion 2b in the X direction.
  • the first link 6A and the second link 6B are arranged parallel to each other.
  • a link node 9B, which is the other end of the first link 6A, and a link node 9C, which is the other end of the second link 6B, are rotatably connected to the third link 6C.
  • the third link 6C is provided with a first finger portion 5A.
  • the second driving force transmission mechanism 20B like the first driving force transmission mechanism 20A, includes a first link 6D, a second link 6E, a third link 6F, and a second driving force transmission section 8C. There is.
  • the second driving force transmission section 8C is rotatably supported at the other end of the support section 2b in the X direction.
  • the second driving force transmitting section 8C is composed of gears, similarly to the main driving force transmitting section 8A and the first driving force transmitting section 8B.
  • the second driving force transmitting part 8C meshes with the first driving force transmitting part 8B, and rotates together with the first driving force transmitting part 8B.
  • the invention is not limited to this.
  • various other transmission mechanisms such as a pulley, a belt, a chain, etc. may be applied.
  • a link node 9E which is one end of the first link 6D, is fixed to the second driving force transmission section 8C. Then, as the second driving force transmission section 8C rotates, the first link 6D swings around the link node 9E.
  • the link node 9H which is one end of the second link 6E, is rotatably supported by the other end of the support portion 2b in the X direction.
  • the first link 6D and the second link 6E are arranged parallel to each other.
  • a link node 9F, which is the other end of the first link 6D, and a link node 9G, which is the other end of the second link 6E, are rotatably connected to the third link 6F.
  • the third link 6F is provided with a second finger portion 5B.
  • the first driving force transmitting section 8B rotates counterclockwise
  • the second driving force transmitting section 8C rotates clockwise. Therefore, the first finger part 5A and the second finger part 5B move away from each other in the X direction, as shown in FIG. As a result, the first finger portion 5A and the second finger portion 5B are opened.
  • the first driving force transmitting part 8B and the second driving force transmitting part 8C are constituted by gears having the same number of teeth so that the first finger part 5A and the second finger part 5B open and close at the same speed. .
  • first finger portion 5A and the second finger portion 5B of this example are movably supported by a first driving force transmission mechanism 20A and a second driving force transmission mechanism 20B, which are made of parallel links. Therefore, the clamping surfaces 11A and 11B, which are opposing surfaces of the first finger section 5A and the second finger section 5B, move parallel to each other. That is, the finger parts 5A and 5B move symmetrically with respect to a plane perpendicular to the X direction while always maintaining the same posture.
  • the clamping surfaces 11A and 11B always face each other in the X direction. Thereby, the clamping surfaces 11A and 11B can be pressed against the article 100 from the X direction.
  • the link nodes 9A and 9E of the first links 6A and 6D that constitute the driving force transmitting mechanisms 20A and 20B are directly connected to the first driving force transmitting section 8B or the second driving force transmitting section 8C.
  • the driving force from the finger driving section 7 can be directly transmitted to the first links 6A, 6D via the first driving force transmitting section 8B and the second driving force transmitting section 8C.
  • the driving force from the finger driving section 7 can be reliably transmitted to the first finger section 5A and the second finger section 5B, and a sufficient force for gripping the article 100 can be ensured.
  • the lower end of the suction unit 3 protrudes further downward than the lower ends of the finger parts 5A and 5B (see FIG. 9B).
  • the fingers 5A and 5B can be prevented from interfering with the suction unit 3 suctioning the article 100.
  • the finger parts 5A, 5B are opened to a width greater than the width of the suction unit 3, as shown in FIG. 3, in order to prevent the telescopic mechanism 4 from coming into contact with the finger parts 5A, 5B.
  • the suction unit 3 includes a large-diameter pad base 31, a large-diameter suction pad 32, a large-diameter pad tube 33, a small-diameter pad base 34, a small-diameter suction pad 35, and a small-diameter pad tube guide 36. , a small-diameter pad tube 37 , a bag pad base 38 , a bag suction pad 39 , a bag pad tube guide 40 , and a bag pad tube 41 .
  • FIG. 5 shows the robot hand 1 with the telescopic mechanism 4 extended, except for the first finger portion 5A and the second finger portion 5B.
  • the large diameter pad base 31 is connected to the tip of the expansion and contraction mechanism 4.
  • the large-diameter pad base 31 is formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the Z direction.
  • a first support protrusion 311 is provided on one side of the large-diameter pad base 31 in the Y direction.
  • a small-diameter pad base 34 is rotatably connected to the first support protrusion 311 .
  • a second support protrusion 312 is provided on the other side of the large-diameter pad base 31 in the Y direction.
  • a bag pad base 38 is rotatably connected to the second support protrusion 312 .
  • a large-diameter suction pad 32 is attached to the lower surface of the large-diameter pad base 31.
  • the large-diameter suction pad 32 corresponds to the first suction pad according to the present invention.
  • the large-diameter suction pad 32 is formed in a bellows shape from a flexible member and has a certain degree of hardness.
  • the suction surface of the large-diameter suction pad 32 faces downward, which is one side of the Z direction.
  • a bellows suction pad made of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber can be used as the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • the large diameter pad tube 33 is attached to the large diameter pad base 31 via a bracket. One end of the large diameter pad tube 33 is connected to the large diameter suction pad 32, and the other end of the large diameter pad tube 33 is connected to the moving mechanism upper air pressure control device 62 (see FIG. 1).
  • the moving mechanism upper air pressure control device 62 sucks air from the large-diameter suction pad 32 via the large-diameter pad tube 33 . As a result, the large-diameter suction pad 32 can suction the article 100.
  • the small diameter pad base 34 is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape. One longitudinal end of the small-diameter pad base 34 is rotatably connected to the first support protrusion 311 via a rotation shaft 341 extending in the X direction. That is, the small-diameter pad base 34 is configured to be rotatable around an axis (X-axis) extending in the X direction.
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 is attached to the end of the lower surface of the small-diameter pad base 34 on the side opposite to the first support protrusion 311 side.
  • the small diameter suction pad 35 corresponds to the second suction pad according to the present invention.
  • the small diameter pad base 34 and the small diameter suction pad 35 correspond to the suction pad with a retraction mechanism according to the present invention.
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 is formed into a bellows shape from a flexible member and has a certain degree of hardness.
  • the suction surface of the small-diameter suction pad 35 faces in a direction substantially perpendicular to the lower surface of the small-diameter pad base 34 (downward in FIG. 5).
  • the diameter of the small diameter suction pad 35 is smaller than the diameter of the large diameter suction pad 32. That is, the small-diameter suction pad 35 has a smaller contact area with the article 100 than the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • a bellows suction pad made of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber can be used as the small-diameter suction pad 35.
  • the small diameter pad tube guide 36 is provided on the upper surface of the small diameter pad base 34.
  • the small diameter pad tube guide 36 is formed into a pair of plates facing each other in the X direction.
  • the small diameter pad tube guide 36 guides the small diameter pad tube 37 to the small diameter suction pad 35. Further, the small diameter pad tube guide 36 stops the movement of the small diameter pad tube 37 in the X direction. Thereby, when the small-diameter pad base 34 rotates about the rotating shaft 341, the small-diameter pad tube 37 can be prevented from coming off from the top of the small-diameter pad base 34.
  • the moving mechanism upper air pressure control device 62 sucks air from the small-diameter suction pad 35 via the small-diameter pad tube 37 .
  • the small diameter suction pad 35 can suction the article 100.
  • the bag pad base 38 is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape. One longitudinal end of the bag pad base 38 is rotatably connected to the second support protrusion 312 via a rotation shaft 381 extending in the X direction. That is, the bag pad base 38 is configured to be rotatable around an axis (X-axis) extending in the X direction.
  • the bag suction pad 39 is attached to the end of the lower surface of the bag pad base 38 on the opposite side to the second support protrusion 312 side.
  • the bag suction pad 39 corresponds to the third suction pad according to the present invention.
  • the bag pad base 38 and the bag suction pad 39 correspond to the suction pad with a retraction mechanism according to the present invention.
  • the suction pad 39 for bags is formed into a bellows shape from a flexible member, and is softer than the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • the suction surface of the bag suction pad 39 faces in a direction substantially perpendicular to the lower surface of the bag pad base 38 (downward in FIG. 5).
  • the bag suction pad 39 is a suction pad that can be deformed to follow the shape of the article 100.
  • a bellows suction pad made of silicone rubber can be used as the bag suction pad 39.
  • the bag pad tube guide 40 is provided on the upper surface of the bag pad base 38.
  • the bag pad tube guide 40 is formed into a pair of plates facing each other in the Y direction.
  • the bag pad tube guide 40 guides the bag pad tube 41 to the bag suction pad 39. Further, the bag pad tube guide 40 stops the bag pad tube 41 from moving in the Y direction. Thereby, when the bag pad base 38 rotates around the rotating shaft 381, the bag pad tube guide 40 can be prevented from coming off from the bag pad base 38.
  • One end of the bag pad tube 41 is connected to the bag suction pad 39, and the other end of the bag pad tube 41 is connected to the moving mechanism upper air pressure control device 62 (see FIG. 1).
  • the moving mechanism upper air pressure control device 62 sucks air from the bag suction pad 39 via the bag pad tube 41 .
  • the bag suction pad 39 can suction the article 100.
  • the large-diameter suction pad 32, the small-diameter suction pad 35, and the bag suction pad 39 are lined up along the Y direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the first finger section 5A and the second finger section 5B move in the X direction. Therefore, the X direction in which the first finger portion 5A and the second finger portion 5B move is approximately perpendicular to the Y direction in which the large diameter suction pad 32, the small diameter suction pad 35, and the bag suction pad 39 are arranged. Thereby, the suction unit 3 can be made compact, and the suction unit 3 can be housed between the first finger part 5A and the second finger part 5B. As a result, the robot hand 1 can be made smaller.
  • the large-diameter suction pad 32 protrudes further in the Z direction than the small-diameter suction pad 35 and bag suction pad 39. That is, in the robot hand 1 in a state where the vertical direction is parallel to the Z direction, the large diameter suction pad 32 protrudes more toward the article 100 than the small diameter suction pad 35 and the bag suction pad 39. Thereby, the article 100 attracted by the large-diameter suction pad 32 does not collide with the small-diameter suction pad 35 or the bag suction pad 39, or hardly collides with it.
  • the robot hand 1 of this example has three suction pads: the large-diameter suction pad 32, the small-diameter suction pad 35, and the bag suction pad 39, the invention is not limited to this.
  • Other suction pads can be used as the robot hand according to the present invention.
  • the number of suction pads provided in the suction unit is not limited to three, but may be two, four or more.
  • the suction unit according to the present invention may be configured to have two suction pads, for example, a large-diameter suction pad 32 and a small-diameter suction pad 35. In this case, although the types of objects that can be gripped are reduced, the robot hand can be made smaller.
  • the suction unit 3 is provided with a small-diameter pad locking mechanism 45 that locks the rotation of the small-diameter pad base 34.
  • the small-diameter pad lock mechanism 45 is composed of a magnet 451 and a magnetic piece 452.
  • the magnet 451 is fixed to the end of the lower surface of the small-diameter pad base 34 on the first support protrusion 311 side.
  • the magnetic piece 452 is made of a magnetic material such as iron or nickel, and a magnetic attraction force is generated between the magnetic piece 452 and the magnet 451 .
  • the magnetic piece 452 is fixed to the first support protrusion 311 . Note that in the adsorption unit according to the present invention, the magnet 451 may be fixed to the first support protrusion 311 and the magnetic piece 452 may be fixed to the small diameter pad base 34.
  • the lower surface of the small-diameter pad base 34 becomes approximately perpendicular to the Z direction.
  • the small-diameter pad base 34 is fixed by the magnetic attraction force with the suction surface of the small-diameter suction pad 35 facing downward.
  • the magnet 451 separates from the magnetic piece 452, and the small-diameter pad base 34 rotates around the rotating shaft 341.
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 small-diameter pad base 34
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 (small-diameter pad base 34) does not move.
  • the magnetic attraction force is applied to the small-diameter pad base 34 due to the interference. A force exceeding that is added.
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 (small-diameter pad base 34) can be retracted.
  • the small diameter pad tube guide 36 prevents the small diameter pad tube 37 from moving in the X direction. Therefore, the small-diameter pad tube 37 is retracted together with the small-diameter suction pad 35 (small-diameter pad base 34).
  • the suction unit 3 is provided with a bag pad locking mechanism 46 that locks the rotation of the bag pad base 38.
  • the bag pad lock mechanism 46 is composed of a magnet 461 and a magnetic piece 462.
  • the magnet 461 is fixed to the end of the lower surface of the bag pad base 38 on the second support protrusion 312 side.
  • the magnetic piece 462 is made of a magnetic material such as iron or nickel, and a magnetic attraction force is generated between the magnetic piece 462 and the magnet 461 .
  • the magnetic piece 462 is fixed to the second support protrusion 312. Note that, in the adsorption unit according to the present invention, the magnet 461 may be fixed to the second support protrusion 312 and the magnetic piece 462 may be fixed to the bag pad base 38.
  • the lower surface of the bag pad base 38 becomes approximately perpendicular to the Z direction.
  • the bag pad base 38 is fixed by the magnetic attraction force with the suction surface of the bag suction pad 39 facing downward.
  • the magnet 461 separates from the magnetic piece 462, and the bag pad base 38 rotates around the rotation shaft 381.
  • the bag suction pad 39 (bag pad base 38) moves away from the large diameter suction pad 32 and retreats upward.
  • the interference causes the bag pad base 38 to A force that exceeds the magnetic attraction force is applied.
  • the bag suction pad 39 (bag pad base 38) can be retracted.
  • the bag pad tube guide 40 stops the bag pad tube 41 from moving in the Y direction. Therefore, the bag pad tube 41 is retracted together with the bag suction pad 39 (bag pad base 38).
  • the robot hand 1 employs a mechanism (retraction mechanism) that retracts the small-diameter suction pad 35 and bag suction pad 39 by rotational movement.
  • a mechanism retraction mechanism
  • a linear motion mechanism or other link mechanism may be adopted.
  • a mechanism that actively performs an evacuating operation using a motor for example, may be adopted.
  • FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of the pneumatic control device 61 of the picking system 50 and the pneumatic pressure control device 62 above the moving mechanism.
  • the pneumatic control device 61 includes a pressure regulator 611, an air filter 612, and a manual valve 613.
  • a pressure regulator 611 For example, high-pressure compressed air of 0.8 MPa is input to the pressure regulator 611. Then, the pressure regulator 611 outputs low pressure compressed air of 0.6 MPa.
  • the air filter 612 removes moisture and dirt contained in the low-pressure compressed air.
  • Low pressure compressed air is input to the manual valve 613.
  • the downstream side of the manual valve 613 is connected to the moving mechanism upper pneumatic pressure control device 62. Further, the manual valve 613 is configured to be switchable between on and off.
  • the manual valve 613 is on, the input low-pressure compressed air is supplied to the moving mechanism upper air pressure control device 62.
  • the manual valve 613 is in the OFF state, air is discharged from the moving mechanism upper air pressure control device 62 to bring the moving mechanism upper air pressure control device 62 into a normal pressure (atmospheric pressure) state.
  • the moving mechanism upper pneumatic control device 62 includes a vacuum generator 621, a manual switch 622, a pneumatic valve 623A, a pneumatic valve 623B, and a pneumatic valve 623C.
  • the vacuum generator 621 uses the low pressure compressed air input from the air pressure control device 61 to output negative pressure air.
  • the manual switch 622 is a switch type 3-port manual valve. When the manual switch 622 is on, the input negative pressure air is output to the pneumatic valves 623A, 623B, and 623C. On the other hand, when the manual switch 622 is off, the pneumatic valves 623A, 623B, and 623C are opened to the atmosphere, causing vacuum breakdown.
  • the pneumatic valve 623A is connected to the large-diameter suction pad 32 via the large-diameter pad tube 33.
  • the pneumatic valve 623B is connected to the small-diameter suction pad 35 via the small-diameter pad tube 37.
  • the pneumatic valve 623C is connected to the bag suction pad 39 via the bag pad tube 41.
  • the pneumatic valve 623A, the pneumatic valve 623B, and the pneumatic valve 623C are normally open three-port solenoid valves.
  • the pneumatic valve 623A, the pneumatic valve 623B, and the pneumatic valve 623C can each be independently controlled, and any one of the pads can be selected and used. Furthermore, when the manual switch 622 is manually turned off, the pneumatic valves 623A, 623B, and 623C can be vacuum-destructed. This allows the article 100 to be safely separated from the large-diameter suction pad 32, the small-diameter suction pad 35, and the bag suction pad 39, for example, when a problem occurs.
  • the pneumatic pressure control device 61 and the moving mechanism upper pneumatic pressure control device 62 are not limited to the above-mentioned configurations, and it is also possible to adopt another configuration.
  • the pneumatic valve 623A, the pneumatic valve 623B, and the pneumatic valve 623C three vacuum generators 621 may be used. When three vacuum generators are used, the number of components can be reduced. Furthermore, if the pneumatic valve is expensive, the pneumatic pressure control device on the moving mechanism can be constructed at a lower cost by using three vacuum generators 621.
  • the moving mechanism upper pneumatic pressure control device outputs compressed air from the vacuum generator 621 to cause vacuum breakage, thereby controlling the pneumatic valves 623A, 623B, and 623C.
  • the article 100 may be separated.
  • FIGS. 9A and 9B and FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a series of flows for transporting heavy articles stored in a carry-in container.
  • the heavy article 100A shown in FIGS. 9A, B and 10A, B has a weight of 2 kg, for example, and is a rectangular parallelepiped long in the height direction.
  • the robot hand 1 is moved by the transfer robot 51 and placed directly above the heavy article 100A (see FIG. 9A).
  • the robot hand 1 extends the telescoping mechanism 4 to move the suction unit 3 downward. Then, negative pressure air is outputted to the large-diameter suction pad 32, and the robot hand 1 is lowered (see FIG. 9B). Thereby, the large-diameter suction pad 32 contacts and adsorbs the heavy article 100A.
  • the robot hand 1 contracts the telescopic mechanism 4 and moves the suction unit 3 upward (see FIG. 10A). As a result, the robot hand 1 lifts up the heavy article 100A that has been sucked by the large-diameter suction pad 32. Next, the robot hand 1 closes the finger parts 5A and 5B and holds the heavy article 100A (see FIG. 10B).
  • the transport robot 51 transports the robot hand 1 holding the heavy article 100A to above the carry-out container 56. Thereafter, the robot hand 1 performs an operation opposite to the operation of lifting the heavy article 100A, and places the heavy article 100A in the carrying-out container 56. This completes the conveyance of the heavy article 100A.
  • the heavy article 100A was held between the fingers 5A and 5B. Thereby, when the robot hand 1 is moved by the transport robot 51, it is possible to prevent or suppress the heavy article 100A from swinging laterally. As a result, the heavy article 100A can be transported stably and at high speed.
  • the fingers 5A and 5B may not be able to hold the heavy article 100A.
  • the robot hand 1 is moved upward by the transport robot 51 while the telescoping mechanism 4 is extended. Then, without holding the heavy article 100A between the fingers 5A and 5B, the heavy article 100A is grasped by suction only by the large-diameter suction pad 32, and is conveyed to the carrying-out container 56. At this time, the moving speed of the robot hand 1 by the transfer robot 51 is slowed down. Thereby, the heavy article 100A can be stably transported.
  • the robot hand 1 has a small-diameter suction pad 35 and a bag suction pad 39. Therefore, various gripping methods can be selected by changing the combination of the pad and the fingers, or the gripping of only the pad. As a result, the picking system 50 is capable of transporting various types of articles.
  • FIG. 11 is a diagram showing how the large-diameter suction pad 32 is used to grip the heavy article 100B.
  • the heavy article 100B shown in FIG. 11 has a weight of 2 kg, for example, and is a rectangular parallelepiped long in the width direction. Since the large-diameter suction pad 32 is hard to some extent and has a large diameter, it can adsorb to the heavy article 100B and grip the heavy article 100B.
  • the suction unit 3 is configured such that the large-diameter suction pad 32 protrudes further downward (toward the heavy article 100B side) than the small-diameter suction pad 35 and the bag suction pad 39. Therefore, the heavy article 100B attracted by the large-diameter suction pad 32 does not or hardly collides with the small-diameter suction pad 35 or the bag suction pad 39. Therefore, it is possible to stably grip the large heavy article 100B using only the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • FIG. 12 is a diagram showing how the small-diameter suction pad 35 is used to grip the small article 100C.
  • the small article 100C shown in FIG. 12 is formed into an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape with a small top surface area and long in the height direction.
  • the large-diameter suction pad 32 cannot grip a thin article (having a small top surface area) such as the small article 100C.
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 When transporting such a small article 100C, the small-diameter suction pad 35 is used to suction it.
  • the payload weight of the small-diameter suction pad 35 is smaller than that of the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • the small article 100C since a small article such as the small article 100C is light in weight, the small article 100C can be stably gripped only by the small diameter suction pad 35.
  • FIG. 13 is a diagram showing how a first example of a bag-like article is gripped using the bag suction pad 39.
  • a bag-like article 100D shown in FIG. 13 is a bag-like article that changes shape when pressed. Since the large-diameter suction pad 32 and the small-diameter suction pad 35 are made of a somewhat hard material, they do not follow the shape of a soft article like the bag-like article 100D. As a result, a vacuum leak occurs, so the large-diameter suction pad 32 and the small-diameter suction pad 35 cannot adsorb to the bag-like article 100D. Therefore, when transporting the bag-like article 100D, the bag suction pad 39 is used.
  • the bag suction pad 39 has a soft contact portion (suction portion) with the article and follows the shape of the bag-like article 100D. As a result, vacuum leakage is reduced, and the bag suction pad 39 can adsorb to the bag-like article 100D.
  • the bag suction pad 39 of the robot hand 1 is arranged above the large diameter suction pad 32. Therefore, when the bag suction pad 39 is attracted to the bag-like article 100D, there is a concern that the large-diameter suction pad 32 may interfere with the bag-like article 100D. However, as shown in FIG. 13, since the bag-like article 100D is soft, it deforms under its own weight with the portion suctioned by the bag suction pad 39 as the apex. As a result, it is expected that the large-diameter suction pad 32 will not interfere with the bag-like article 100D.
  • the large-diameter suction pad 32 comes into contact with the bag-like article 100D.
  • the bag-like article 100D deforms to some extent, even if the large-diameter suction pad 32 comes into contact with the bag-like article 100D, it does not interfere with the suction by the bag-like suction pad 39. Therefore, the bag-shaped article 100D can be stably gripped only by the bag suction pad 39.
  • FIG. 14 is a diagram showing how a second example of a bag-like article is gripped using the bag suction pad 39.
  • a bag-shaped article 100E shown in FIG. 14 is a harder bag-shaped article than the bag-shaped article 100D shown in FIG. 13. There is a concern that the bag-like article 100E is more difficult to be attracted by the bag-like suction pad 39 than the bag-like article 100D.
  • the robot hand 1 is slightly tilted so that the bag suction pad 39 protrudes downward the most.
  • the large-diameter suction pad 32 does not interfere with the bag-like article 100E.
  • the bag suction pad 39 can easily adsorb to the bag-like article 100E, and the bag-like article 100D can be stably gripped only by the bag suction pad 39.
  • the bag suction pad 39 is easily deformed even when it suctions a heavy article, the suction pad 39 may lose its suction and the heavy article may fall. Therefore, the weight capacity of the bag suction pad 39 is lower than that of the large-diameter suction pad 32. Therefore, the bag suction pad 39 is not suitable for gripping heavy articles 100A and 100B shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B and FIG. 11.
  • the X direction in which the finger parts 5A and 5B move is approximately perpendicular to the Y direction in which the large-diameter suction pad 32, the small-diameter suction pad 35, and the bag suction pad 39 are lined up (see FIG. 2). Therefore, no matter which of the large-diameter suction pad 32, the small-diameter suction pad 35, and the bag suction pad 39 is used to suction an article, the article can be held between the fingers 5A and 5B.
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 and the bag suction pad 39 are slightly apart from the finger parts 5A and 5B. Therefore, depending on the size of the article and the suction position, the article may not be able to be held between the fingers 5A and 5B. Therefore, by providing finger portions wider than the finger portions 5A and 5B shown in FIG. 2, a wider variety of articles can be held between the finger portions after suction. Note that there is a trade-off because wide fingers tend to collide with other articles or the loading container 200. Therefore, the fingers may be designed depending on the type of article to be conveyed.
  • FIGS. 12 to 14 Transportation using multiple suction pads
  • multiple suction pads may be used for one article.
  • an article whose upper surface (top surface) has a sufficiently large area may be suctioned by both the large-diameter suction pad 32 and the bag suction pad 39. Thereby, the article can be attracted with a larger force, so that the article can be stably gripped.
  • the position of the suction pads and the amount of shrinkage of the suction pads after suction are different, so the article may be tilted after suction. As a result, it becomes difficult to place the article in the desired position in the shipping container 56.
  • a plurality of suction pads are used during transportation, but when placing the article in the carry-out container 56, all but one suction pad may be vacuum-destructed and the article may be placed using only one suction pad.
  • FIG. 15 is a diagram showing how a bottle-shaped article is gripped using the finger parts 5A and 5B of the robot hand 1.
  • a bottle-shaped article 100F is an example of an article that has a small top surface area and is heavy. It is difficult to suction the top surface of the bottle-shaped article 100F with the large-diameter suction pad 32 or the small-diameter suction pad 35. In this case, the neck portion of the bottle-shaped article 100F is held between the fingers 5A and 5B. Thereby, the robot hand 1 can grasp the bottle-shaped article 100F and transport it to the carry-out container 56.
  • the large-diameter suction pad 32 or the bag suction pad 39 may It is also possible to adsorb it to the bottle-shaped article 100F using . Thereby, the robot hand 1 can grasp the bottle-shaped article 100F and transport it to the carry-out container 56. Furthermore, when using the large-diameter suction pad 32 or the bag suction pad 39, the bottle-shaped article 100F may be held between the fingers 5A and 5B.
  • FIG. 16 is a diagram showing how an irregularly shaped article is gripped by utilizing the retraction mechanism of the robot hand 1.
  • the upper surface of the irregularly shaped article 100G is formed with a surface higher than the surface to be suctioned by the large-diameter suction pad 32. Therefore, when attempting to suction the irregularly shaped article 100G with the large diameter suction pad 32, the bag suction pad 39 collides with the upper surface of the irregularly shaped article 100G. At this time, when the bag suction pad 39 receives a force exceeding the magnetic attraction force of the magnet 461 (see FIG. 7), the bag pad base 38 rotates and the bag suction pad 39 retreats. As a result, the robot hand 1 can safely grip the irregularly shaped article 100G using the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 collides with the top surface of the irregularly shaped article 100G
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 receives a force exceeding the magnetic attraction force of the magnet 451 (see FIG. 6)
  • the small-diameter pad base 34 rotates, and the small-diameter suction pad 35 evacuates.
  • the robot hand 1 can safely grip the irregularly shaped article 100G using the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • the irregularly shaped article 100G When the irregularly shaped article 100G is placed in the carry-out container 56, the irregularly shaped article 100G is separated from the small diameter suction pad 35.
  • the small diameter pad base 34 rotates due to its own weight. As a result, the suction unit 3 returns to the posture shown in FIG. 5 in which the small-diameter suction pad 35 faces downward.
  • the bag suction pad 39 may be deformed or the bag suction pad 39 may be placed higher. By doing so, it does not interfere with the irregular shaped article 100G.
  • the large-diameter suction pad 32 can suction the irregularly shaped article 100G.
  • the irregularly shaped article 100G may be crushed, or when the irregularly shaped article 100G is lifted, the posture of the irregularly shaped article 100G is changed due to being pushed by the bag suction pad 39. I end up doing it. Therefore, it becomes difficult to calculate the motion for placing the gripped amorphous article 100G in the carry-out container 56.
  • FIG. 17 is a diagram showing how the evacuation mechanism of the robot hand 1 is utilized to grasp another article next to the article.
  • An article 100I is placed next to the article 100H shown in FIG.
  • the height of article 100I is higher than the height of article 100H. Therefore, when attempting to suction the article 100H with the large-diameter suction pad 32, the bag suction pad 39 collides with the upper surface of the article 100I. At this time, if a force exceeding the magnetic attraction force of the magnet 461 (see FIG. 7) is applied, the bag pad base 38 rotates and the bag suction pad 39 retreats. As a result, the robot hand 1 can safely grip the article 100H using the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • the robot hand 1 can safely grip the irregularly shaped article 100G using the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • the bag-like article 100D When the bag-like article 100D is placed in the carry-out container 56, the bag-like article 100D is separated from the bag suction pad 39.
  • the small diameter pad base 34 rotates due to its own weight.
  • the suction unit 3 returns to the posture shown in FIG. 5 in which the small-diameter suction pad 35 faces downward.
  • the control device 57 calculates a trajectory to avoid collisions between the transfer robot 51 and the robot hand 1 and the article 100, the loading container 200, the loading container 56, etc. do.
  • a trajectory calculation may be performed that precisely simulates the movement of the retraction mechanism due to the force at the time of collision.
  • the time required for trajectory calculation becomes longer.
  • the position of the small-diameter suction pad 35 and the bag suction pad 39 may be ignored when calculating the trajectory.
  • the robot hand 1 approaches the article 100H from above. Therefore, when the bag suction pad 39 receives a force, the force is basically applied from below, and a force exceeding the magnetic attraction force of the magnet 461 (see FIG. 7) is applied. Therefore, even if the above-mentioned simple calculation is performed, the evacuation mechanism can be utilized.
  • the trajectory of the transport robot 51 may be calculated using the shape of the suction unit 3 when the small-diameter suction pad 35 and bag suction pad 39 are retracted.
  • the robot hand 1 includes a plurality of suction pads 32, 35, 39 and finger parts 5A, 5B.
  • the suction pads 32, 35, 39 and the finger portions 5A, 5B tend to interfere with the articles, the carrying-in container 200, and the like. Therefore, it is relatively difficult to grasp articles placed near the wall of the carrying-in container 200 or articles arranged randomly inside the carrying-in container 200.
  • the robot hand 1 according to this embodiment is capable of grasping an object even under the above-described circumstances.
  • FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating how the evacuation mechanism of the robot hand 1 is utilized to grasp an article near the wall of the carrying-in container 200.
  • the article 100J shown in FIG. 18 is placed near the wall of the loading container 200.
  • the large-diameter suction pad 32 is used to suction the article 100J
  • the robot hand 1 if the robot hand 1 approaches the article 100J from above and below (vertical direction), the small-diameter suction pad 35 (bag suction pad 39) collides with the wall of the loading container 200. In this case, even if the small-diameter suction pad 35 is retracted, the robot hand 1 cannot be lowered until the large-diameter suction pad 32 contacts the top surface of the article 100J.
  • the robot hand 1 is tilted and approaches the article 100J.
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 collides with the inner wall surface of the carrying-in container 200 and moves away.
  • the large-diameter suction pad 32 moves to the wall of the carrying-in container 200 and comes into contact with the upper surface of the article 100J.
  • the robot hand 1 can safely grip the article 100J using the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 separates from the inner wall surface of the carrying-in container 200.
  • the bag pad base 38 rotates due to its own weight.
  • the suction unit 3 returns to the position shown in FIG. 5 in which the bag suction pad 39 faces downward.
  • FIG. 19 is a diagram showing how the robot hand 1 grips an article 100J near a wall by closing the finger parts 5A and 5B.
  • the large-diameter suction pad 32 suctions the article 100J placed near the wall of the loading container 200, if the robot hand 1 approaches the article 100J from diagonally above with fingers 5A and 5B open. , the fingers 5A and 5B collide with the wall of the loading container 200.
  • the fingers 5A and 5B are closed as much as possible. Then, the robot hand 1 is tilted and approaches the article 100J. As a result, the large-diameter suction pad 32 moves to the wall of the carrying-in container 200 and comes into contact with the upper surface of the article 100J. As a result, the robot hand 1 can safely grip the article 100J using the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • the robot hand 1 when grasping an article at the four corners of the carrying-in container 200, there is a possibility that the large-diameter suction pad 32 collides with the wall on the near side of the paper in FIG. In this case, the robot hand 1 is tilted further toward the back of the paper surface of the article. Thereby, the large-diameter suction pads 32 can be moved to the four corners of the carrying-in container 200 while the small-diameter suction pads 35 are being retracted. As a result, the robot hand 1 can safely grip the article 100J using the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • FIGS. 20A and 20A and 21A and 21B are diagrams showing how an article near a wall is brought to the center and then gripped and conveyed.
  • the article 100K shown in FIGS. 20A, B and 21A, B has a suitable weight (for example, 1 kg), and even if it is suctioned by the small-diameter suction pad 35, there is a possibility that the suction may come off when lifted or during transportation. . Therefore, it is preferable that the article 100K is adsorbed by the large-diameter suction pad 32, which has a larger adsorption force than the small-diameter suction pad 35.
  • the area of the top surface of the article 100K is small. Therefore, even if the robot hand 1 is tilted diagonally, the entire suction surface of the large-diameter suction pad 32 cannot be brought into contact with the top surface of the article 100K.
  • the top surface of the article 100K is suctioned using the small-diameter suction pad 35 (see FIG. 20A).
  • the transfer robot 51 is operated to move the robot hand 1 above the center of the carry-in container 200 (see FIG. 20B).
  • the article 100K attracted to the small-diameter suction pad 35 is dragged over the carrying-in container 200 and moved to the approximate center of the carrying-in container 200.
  • the transfer robot 51 is operated to move the robot hand 1 to a position away from the loading container 200 (see FIG. 21A). Subsequently, the imaging device 55 takes another picture of the interior of the carrying-in container 200, and the position of the moved article 100K is re-recognized. Then, the transfer robot 51 is operated to bring the large-diameter suction pad 32 of the robot hand 1 into contact with the top surface of the article 100K (see FIG. 21B). Thereby, the robot hand 1 can safely grip the article 100J using the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • the robot hand 1 moves the article 100K to approximately the center of the carrying-in container 200, and then the imaging device 55 re-photographs the interior of the carrying-in container 200.
  • re-imaging by the imaging device 55 does not necessarily have to be performed. That is, after dragging the article 100K from the wall of the carrying-in container 200, the position and orientation of the article 100K may be predicted from the position of the robot hand 1, and the robot hand 1 may perform a suction operation for the article 100K based on the prediction.
  • the method of gripping the article 100K described above is not limited to the illustrated procedure, and another gripping method may be used.
  • the article 100K can be held between the fingers 5A and 5B.
  • the robot hand 1 can be tilted diagonally to approach a bottle-shaped article placed near a wall, and the bottle-shaped article can be held between the fingers 5A and 5B. .
  • the above-described grasping method is not limited to grasping articles near the wall of the carrying-in container 200, but can be utilized, for example, when grasping articles that are randomly arranged inside the carrying-in container 200.
  • the wall of the carry-in container 200 is exemplified as an obstacle, but if the articles are arranged in a disorderly manner in the carry-in container 200, articles other than the object to be grasped become obstacles. Therefore, it is possible to approach the object to be grasped diagonally while avoiding objects other than the object to be grasped, or to utilize the evacuation mechanism.
  • trajectory calculation is performed in several patterns, and the grasping method with the highest priority among the executable grasping methods (movements) is selected.
  • FIG. 22 is a control flowchart of article conveyance processing performed by the picking system.
  • control device 57 controls the imaging device 55 to photograph the inside of the loading container 200 (S11).
  • control device 57 performs image recognition processing on the image taken by the imaging device 55, and selects the article 100 to be gripped and the gripping method (S12).
  • step S12 when the control device 57 performs image recognition processing, it is possible to extract article arrangement information such as the shape, position, and orientation of each article in the delivery container 200.
  • the control device 57 collates the article arrangement information with data stored in the information storage device 58 to identify the type of each article. Then, the control device 57 selects one article 100 to be gripped from among the plurality of articles 100 in the carry-in container 200.
  • the article 100 to be gripped is selected from the specified types of articles 100. If the type of article 100 to be transported is not specified, for example, the tallest article 100 is selected. Thereby, the articles 100 that are likely to become obstacles can be transported to the unloading container 56 first. Furthermore, the priority of the types of articles 100 to be transported may be determined in advance. In this case, the items 100 are selected in order of priority.
  • control device 57 controls the gripping section (fingertip) used to grip the article 100 based on the article placement information obtained through the image recognition process and information specific to the type of article 100 stored in the information storage device 58. 5A, 5B, large-diameter suction pad 32, small-diameter suction pad 35, bag suction pad 39), and the gripping method such as which part of the article 100 is to be gripped.
  • the suction surface For example, if the article 100 is a rectangular parallelepiped, the surface whose normal line is most facing upward is the suction surface. Then, a suction point is set at the center of the suction surface, and if the width of the suction surface is a certain value or more, the large-diameter suction pad 32 is determined as the gripping portion to be used. If the width of the suction surface is less than a certain value and the weight is less than a predetermined value, the small-diameter suction pad 35 is determined as the gripping portion to be used. Further, if it is stored in the information storage device 58 that the selected article 100 is a bag-like article, the bag suction pad 39 is determined as the gripping section to be used. Note that there may be cases where a plurality of candidates for the gripping portion to be used are considered. In this case, a predetermined one with the highest priority, a combination of a plurality of gripping parts, etc. can be determined as the gripping part.
  • control device 57 performs a trajectory simulation for gripping the article 100 in the carry-in container 200 and transporting it to the carry-out container 56 (S13).
  • a trajectory is generated in which the robot hand 1 and the transport robot 51 do not collide with the carrying-in container 200, the carrying-out container 56, other articles, etc.
  • the trajectory of the robot hand 1 and the transfer robot 51 is to approach the article 100 from a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the article 100, grasp the article 100, and move the article 100 in a direction perpendicular to the placement surface of the carry-out container 56.
  • the first option is to place it in a horizontal position.
  • the robot hand 1 may be approached on a diagonal trajectory, or another trajectory may be used when placing the article in the carrying-out container 56. Attempt to generate .
  • the trajectory is calculated in order of priority, such as giving priority to an approach from a direction that avoids the wall. This makes it possible to reduce trajectory calculation time.
  • control device 57 determines whether or not the article 100 can be transported on the generated trajectory (S14). When it is determined in step S14 that it is possible to transport the article 100 on the generated trajectory (YES in S14), the control device 57 controls the drive of the robot hand 1 and the transport robot 51 to 100 gripping and conveying operations are performed (S15). After the process in step S15, the control device 57 ends the article conveyance process.
  • step S14 when it is determined that transporting the article 100 is not possible with the generated trajectory (NO determination in S14), that is, it is difficult to grasp the article 100 even if the trajectory that tilts the robot hand 1 is adopted.
  • the control device 57 adds a trajectory for shifting the position of the article 100 to the candidates and performs a trajectory simulation (S16).
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 can be used to shift the position of the article 100 to be gripped. By shifting the position of the object 100 to be gripped, the object 100 to be gripped may be able to be suctioned (grasped) by the large-diameter suction pad 32 .
  • control device 57 determines whether it is possible to move (position shift) the article 100 on the generated trajectory (S17). When it is determined in step S17 that it is possible to move (position shift) the article 100 on the generated trajectory (YES in S17), the control device 57 controls the driving of the robot hand 1 and the transfer robot 51. Then, the position of the article 100 is shifted (S18). After the processing in step S18, the control device 57 evacuates the robot hand 1 and the transfer robot 51 from the carrying-in container 200, and returns the processing to step S11.
  • the method (trajectory) for shifting the position of the object 100 to be gripped is set to have the lowest priority. Thereby, a decrease in conveyance efficiency can be suppressed.
  • step S17 When it is determined in step S17 that transporting the article 100 is not possible on the generated trajectory (NO determination in S17), the control device 57 excludes the article 100 to be grasped selected in step S12 (S19) . After the process in step S19, the control device 57 returns the process to step S12. That is, the control device 57 selects another article 100 as the article 100 to be gripped.
  • the currently carried-in carrying-in container 200 is replaced with another carrying-in container 200 containing the target article 100, and the above-mentioned control flow is executed. It is a good idea to do this. Further, the delivery container 200, which was difficult to hold, is moved to a place where a person changes the arrangement of the articles, and the article 100 is manually rearranged. Then, the carry-in container 200 in which the articles 100 have been rearranged is returned to the picking system 50 again.
  • the picking system 50 includes a transfer robot 51, a robot hand 1 that is provided on the transfer robot 51 and grips an article 100, and a control device 57 ( control unit).
  • the robot hand 1 includes a suction unit 3 (suction section) that suctions and grips the article 100, finger sections 5A and 5B that grip the article 100, and a finger drive section 7 that drives the finger sections 5A and 5B.
  • the suction unit 3 has a plurality of types of suction pads 32, 35, and 39 arranged in a line, and the direction in which the plurality of types of suction pads 32, 35, and 39 are lined up is approximately parallel to the driving direction of the finger parts 5A and 5B. Orthogonal.
  • the suction unit 3 can be made compact and can be housed between the first finger portion 5A and the second finger portion 5B. As a result, the robot hand 1 can be made smaller.
  • the plurality of types of suction pads according to the embodiment described above include a large-diameter suction pad 32 (first suction pad) and a small-diameter suction pad 35 whose contact area with the article 100 is smaller than that of the large-diameter suction pad 32. (second suction pad).
  • first suction pad a large-diameter suction pad 32
  • second suction pad a small-diameter suction pad 35 whose contact area with the article 100 is smaller than that of the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • the plurality of types of suction pads according to the embodiments described above include a bag suction pad 39 (third suction pad) that has a softer contact area with the article than the large-diameter suction pad 32 (first suction pad). include.
  • the suction pad can be changed depending on the shape and form of the article 100. As a result, various articles 100 can be gripped (adsorbed) and transported.
  • the large-diameter suction pad 32 (first suction pad) is more suitable for holding articles than the small-diameter suction pad 35 and the bag suction pad 39 (other suction pads). It is arranged so as to protrude toward the 100 side. Thereby, the article 100 attracted by the large-diameter suction pad 32 does not collide with the small-diameter suction pad 35 or the bag suction pad 39, or hardly collides with it. As a result, the article 100 can be stably gripped (adsorbed) only by the large-diameter suction pad 32 .
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 and the bag suction pad 39 are suction pads with a retraction mechanism. This allows the robot hand 1 to evacuate the small-diameter suction pad 35 and bag suction pad 39 even if the small-diameter suction pad 35 and bag suction pad 39 interfere with an obstacle such as a wall of the loading container 200. be able to. As a result, the robot hand 1 can grip objects in various postures.
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 and bag suction pad 39 can be retracted.
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 and bag suction pad 39 do not get in the way, and the article 100 can be safely gripped using the large-diameter suction pad 32.
  • the small-diameter suction pad 35 and the bag suction pad 39 (suction pad with retraction mechanism) according to the embodiments described above include magnets 451 and 461 that lock the retraction movement by magnetic attraction force. Then, when the force applied to the small-diameter suction pad 35 and the bag suction pad 39 is larger than the magnetic attraction force, the small-diameter suction pad 35 and the bag suction pad 39 are retracted. Thereby, when the small-diameter suction pad 35 or the bag suction pad 39 is used to suction and grip the article 100, the small-diameter suction pad 35 or the bag suction pad 39 can be prevented from retreating.
  • control device 57 controls the process of step S18 (first step) of rearranging the position or posture of the article 100 to a different state, and the process of rearranging the rearranged article 100.
  • step S15 of gripping (second step) and the process of step S15 of transporting the gripped article (third step) are executed.
  • the plurality of types of suction pads according to the embodiment described above include a large-diameter suction pad 32 (first suction pad) and a small-diameter suction pad 35 whose contact area with the article 100 is smaller than that of the large-diameter suction pad 32. (second suction pad).
  • the control device 57 uses the small-diameter suction pad 35 to rearrange the position or posture of the article 100 to a different state. Thereby, the position of the article 100 can be easily shifted. Further, when shifting the position of the article 100, the small diameter suction pad 35 that can easily approach the article 100 is used, so the trajectory of the robot hand 1 can be easily calculated. As a result, the time required to shift the position of the article 100 can be shortened.
  • the small-diameter pad locking mechanism 45 of the small-diameter suction pad 35 is composed of a magnet 451 and a magnetic piece 452.
  • the bag pad locking mechanism 46 of the bag suction pad 39 is composed of a magnet 461 and a magnetic piece 462.
  • the locking mechanism according to the present invention may include, for example, a spring member that elastically deforms when a predetermined force is applied, or an engaging portion and an engaged portion that engage removably. Note that when the locking mechanism is configured with a spring member, a spring force is always applied to the retracted suction pad, so that, for example, the suction pad is biased against the article. As a result, there is a fear that the gripped object may be damaged or the gripped object may come off. Therefore, it is preferable that the locking mechanism according to the present invention is composed of a magnet and a magnetic piece.
  • control device 57 that controls the entire picking system 50 is applied as the control device that controls the robot hand 1
  • present invention is not limited to this.
  • a dedicated control device or information storage device for controlling the robot hand 1 may be provided.
  • Pad base for bags 39... Suction pad for bags, 40... Pad tube guide for bags, 41... Pad tube for bags, 45... Small diameter pad lock mechanism, 46... Pad lock mechanism for bags, 50 ...picking system, 51...transport robot, 52...loading conveyor, 53...moving mechanism, 54...loading conveyor, 55...imaging device, 56...loading container, 57...control device, 58...information storage device, 100, 100A to 100K ...article, 200...carry-in container, 311...first support protrusion, 312...second support protrusion, 341, 381...rotating shaft, 451, 461...magnet, 452, 462...magnetic piece, 611...pressure regulator, 612... Air filter, 613...Manual valve, 621...Vacuum generator, 622...Manual switch 623A, 623B, 623C...Pneumatic valve

Abstract

L'invention concerne un système de prélèvement qui est capable de maintenir et de transporter divers types d'articles. Le système de prélèvement comprend : un robot de transport ; une main de robot qui est disposée sur le robot de transport et maintient un article ; et une unité de commande qui commande la main de robot et le robot de transport. La main de robot comprend : une partie d'aspiration qui aspire et maintient un article ; une partie doigt qui pince et maintient l'article ; et une partie d'entraînement de doigt qui entraîne la partie doigt. La partie d'aspiration comporte une pluralité de types de ventouses qui sont alignées en une rangée. La direction dans laquelle la pluralité de types de ventouses sont alignés est sensiblement orthogonale à la direction dans laquelle la partie doigt est entraînée.
PCT/JP2023/015370 2022-08-29 2023-04-17 Système de prélèvement WO2024047927A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2022135583A JP2024032115A (ja) 2022-08-29 2022-08-29 ピッキングシステム
JP2022-135583 2022-08-29

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WO2024047927A1 true WO2024047927A1 (fr) 2024-03-07

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JP (1) JP2024032115A (fr)
WO (1) WO2024047927A1 (fr)

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2010005736A (ja) * 2008-06-26 2010-01-14 Fuji Heavy Ind Ltd 危険物把持装置
JP2019104090A (ja) * 2017-12-13 2019-06-27 日本碍子株式会社 柱状ハニカム構造体の移載方法及び移載装置
JP2020044598A (ja) * 2018-09-18 2020-03-26 株式会社東芝 把持装置、及び搬送装置

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2010005736A (ja) * 2008-06-26 2010-01-14 Fuji Heavy Ind Ltd 危険物把持装置
JP2019104090A (ja) * 2017-12-13 2019-06-27 日本碍子株式会社 柱状ハニカム構造体の移載方法及び移載装置
JP2020044598A (ja) * 2018-09-18 2020-03-26 株式会社東芝 把持装置、及び搬送装置

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