JP3852166B2 - PTP sheet clamping device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an article holding apparatus, and more particularly to an article holding apparatus that holds a large number of articles arranged in a row from the front and back by a pair of openable and closable holding plates.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art An article holding device that holds a large number of articles at the same time by a pair of holding plates that can be opened and closed has been widely known. When the article held by such an article holding device is constant and stable like a small box, a large number of articles are arranged in a row, and the articles at both ends thereof are pressed by the holding plates. By doing so, it can be stably held.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the article to be held is, for example, a PTP sheet or the like in which a large number of pharmaceutical tablets are packed into a sheet shape, because the article itself has elasticity, the shape is not necessarily constant, Moreover, since it deforms when a force is applied, when an article located at both ends is pressed and held by each holding plate in a state where a large number of such articles are stacked, the article located in the middle is placed sideways. There was a risk of slipping off.
[0004]
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an article holding apparatus that can reliably hold an article having an unstable shape such as a PTP sheet.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A PTP sheet clamping apparatus according to the present invention includes a pair of holding plates that can move toward and away from each other by moving at least one of them, and clamps a plurality of stacked PTP sheets from both sides by these holding plates. In particular, the support plate is disposed on the side of the two holding plates, and the distance between the PTP sheet contact surfaces of the two holding plates on the support plate side of the two holding plates is far from the support plate. the Rukoto is inclined to be greater than the distance between the ends of the side sandwiched by bending a PTP sheet in a fan shape, when pinching the PTP sheet, moving at least one of the two holding plates that the inclined Thus, the PTP sheet is sandwiched in a state where the central portion of the PTP sheet that curves and protrudes in a fan shape is supported by the support plate.
[0006]
In the article holding apparatus according to the present invention, when a plurality of articles are held from both sides by a pair of holding plates, the distance between the end portions of both holding plates is different. It is pushed out to the side and spreads like a fan. Since the support plate is arranged on the side on which the article is extruded, the protruding center-side article is supported by the support plate, and the entire article is stably held.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a boxing robot 4 to which a robot hand 1 having an article holding device according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached. FIGS. 2 to 4 are enlarged views of the robot hand 1. They are a plan view, a right side view, and a left side view, respectively. This robot hand 1 is provided with an article holding means 2 having parallel three-stage article holding portions 6, 7, and 8, and a rotary actuator 3 as a reversing means for inverting the article holding means 2, and a work conveyor 10, the workpiece 12 (PTP sheet in which a large number of tablets are packed in a sheet shape in this embodiment) is gripped by the holding units 6, 7, and 8, and then conveyed by the case conveyor 14. The case 16 has been filled simultaneously.
[0008]
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the article holding means 2 provided in the robot hand 1 has three stages of holding parts, a first holding part 6, a second holding part 7, and a third holding part 8. Each of the holding portions 6, 7, and 8 includes two plates 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, and 8b as holding plates on both sides. One plate (the plate located on the left side in FIG. 2) 6a, 7a, 8a is fixed to the main body 18 of the robot hand 1 via the bracket 16 (hereinafter, the plates 6a, 7a, 8a are referred to as fixed plates). The other plates 6b, 7b, and 8b can be moved forward and backward by air cylinders 6c, 7c, and 8c (hereinafter, the plates 6b, 7b, and 8b are referred to as movable plates). When the movable plates 6b, 7b, and 8b approach or separate from the fixed plates 6a, 7a, and 8a, the holding portions 6, 7, and 8 open and close, respectively.
[0009]
When the movable plates 6b, 7b, 8b located on the right side of FIG. 2 approach the fixed plates 6a, 7a, 8a located on the left side of the same figure by the air cylinders 6c, 7c, 8c (FIG. The fixed quantity of the workpiece | work 12 conveyed by the said work conveyor 10 is pinched | interposed from both sides, and it hold | maintains. Further, when the movable plates 6b, 7b, 8b are retracted by the cylinders 6c, 7c, 8c and away from the fixed plates 6a, 7a, 8a (positions indicated by solid lines in FIG. 2), the held workpiece 12 is released. To do.
[0010]
Between the first stage 6 and the second stage 7 of the three stages of holding parts 6, 7, 8 included in the article holding means 2 of the robot hand 1, a partition plate that partitions the both holding parts 6, 7 20 is provided. Since each holding part 6,7,8 of this embodiment opens and closes the plates 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b on both sides to hold the workpiece 12, this partition plate 20 When the first stage holding part 6 tries to newly grip the work 12 in a state where the second stage holding part 7 has already held the work 12, the first stage work 12 and the second stage holding part 6 It is provided to prevent interference with the second stage workpiece 12.
[0011]
As will be described later, the robot hand 1 opens and closes both plates 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, and 8b of the holding portions 6, 7, and 8 to hold and release the workpiece 12, and The work 12 can be reversed by the operation of the actuator 3, and the work 12 can be held in all of the first to third holding parts 6, 7, 8 by opening and closing and reversing them in a predetermined order. it can. And in order to hold | maintain the workpiece | work 12 to all the holding parts 6,7,8, the temporary placement stand 22 on which the workpiece | work 12 once grasped is temporarily separated and mounted is provided near the workpiece conveyor 10. FIG. .
[0012]
Auxiliary devices necessary for sequentially holding the workpiece 12 on all of the temporary holding table 22 and the three stages of holding portions 6, 7, and 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. The temporary placement table 22 is fixed to the upper end of the frame 10 a of the work conveyor 10 via an attachment plate 24. As described above, the PTP sheet (work 12) cannot be stably set up, and is compressed when pressed from both sides in a stacked state, and conversely, when the pressing force is released, the original is released. Since it spreads to the state, if the work 12 held by the holding portions 6, 7, 8 is placed on the temporary placement table 22 as it is, it spreads and falls down. Therefore, holding claws 22 a are provided at both ends of the temporary table 22 so as to stably hold the workpiece 12 placed on the temporary table 22. Further, the temporary mounting table 22 has a front side (left side in FIG. 5) inclined slightly upward, and a support portion 22b bent upward is formed on the rear end side thereof. The workpiece 12 placed by the holding unit 6 is prevented from dropping or shifting.
[0013]
On the rear side of the temporary table 22 (the right side in FIG. 5), a slide plate 26 that can move forward and backward is provided. The slide plate 26 is attached to an operating rod 28a of an advancing / retreating cylinder 28 that is disposed substantially horizontally (having a slight inclination equal to the inclination of the temporary table 22). Is moved forward and backward between a forward position overlapping with (a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 5) and a retracted position (a position indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. 5) deviated from above the temporary table 22.
[0014]
The forward / backward movement cylinder 28 for moving the slide plate 26 back and forth is mounted on a base 30, and the base 30 is fixed to a vertical mounting plate 31. A slider 33 is fixed to the upper end of the frame 10 a of the work conveyor 10, and the vertical mounting plate 31 can be moved up and down along the slider 33. The base 30 to which the advancing / retreating cylinder 28 is fixed is connected to an operating rod 32a of an elevating cylinder 32 disposed vertically below the base 30. The elevating cylinder 32 is fixed to an operating rod 37a of a mold changing cylinder 37 fixed to the side surface of the frame 10a of the work conveyor 10 via a bracket 35 via a bracket 39. The slide plate 26 is moved up and down by the operation of the lift cylinder 32.
[0015]
The slide plate 26 holds the work 12 on which the third-stage holding part 8 is placed on the temporary placement table 22 in a state where the second-stage holding part 7 has already held the work 12. In order to prevent these workpieces 12 from interfering with each other, they are inserted between the workpieces 12 and 12 at each stage. However, if the slide plate 26 is moved forward onto the temporary placement table 22 on which the workpiece 12 is placed with the same height, the tip of the slide plate 26 interferes with the workpiece 12 on the temporary placement table 22. It is made to advance in the state slightly raised by the raising / lowering cylinder 32.
[0016]
Here, the order of operation of the advance / retreat cylinder 28 and the lift cylinder 32 will be described. First, the slide plate 26 and the advance / retreat cylinder 28 are raised by the lift cylinder 32, and then the slide plate 26 is moved by the advance / retreat cylinder 28. The slide plate 26 is lowered by the elevating cylinder 32 and is then put on the workpiece 12 on the temporary table 22 as shown by the solid line in FIG. To do. Subsequently, the robot hand 1 already holding the workpiece 12 by the second stage holding unit 7 moves onto the temporary table 22 and the third stage holding unit 8 moves the workpiece 12 on the temporary table 22. Then, the slide plate 26 is moved backward by the advancing / retreating cylinder 28, and the slide plate 26 separating the two stages (second stage and third stage) of the workpiece 12 is extracted.
[0017]
The mold changing cylinder 37 is used to change the position of the elevating cylinder 32 when handling workpieces 12 having different heights.
[0018]
On the base 30 to which the advancing / retreating cylinder 28 is fixed, a presser plate 34 extending above the support portion 22b provided at the rear end of the temporary placing table 22 is provided. The holding plate 34 holds the work 12 on the temporary placement table 22 while the second stage holding part 7 of the robot hand 1 already holds the work 12. After that, when the slide plate 26 is moved backward, the end portion is supported so that the workpiece 12 held by the second stage holding portion 8 is not displaced.
[0019]
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first stage holding part 6 and the second stage holding part 7 arranged on both sides of the partition plate 20 are plates 6a as holding plates provided on both sides. 6b, 7a, and 7b are not parallel, but are attached in a slightly inclined state. That is, as shown in FIG. 20, in the first holding portion 6, the distance between the end 6an of the fixed plate 6a near the partition plate 20 and the end 6bn of the movable plate 6b near the partition plate 20 is the fixed plate 6a. The distance between the end 6af far from the partition plate 20 of 6a and the end 6bf far from the partition plate 20 of the movable plate 6b is larger. Similarly, in the second holding portion 7, the distance between the end portion 7an of the fixed plate 7a near the partition plate 20 and the end portion 7bn of the movable plate 7b near the partition plate 20 is equal to the partition plate 20 of the fixed plate 7a. It is larger than the distance between the end portion 7af on the far side from the partition plate 20 and the end portion 7bf on the side far from the partition plate 20 of the movable plate 7b.
[0020]
Therefore, when the work 12 is held between the fixed plates 6a and 7a and the movable plates 6b and 7b, the work 12 is held in a fan shape with the side close to the partition plate 20 projected. Acts as a support plate for supporting the workpiece 12, and there is no possibility that these workpieces 12 will fall off between the fixed plates 6a, 7a and the movable plates 6b, 7b. FIG. 20 shows the configuration in which the plates 6a, 6b, 7a, and 7b of the first holding unit 6 and the second holding unit 7 are inclined as described above to hold the workpiece 12, but the third holding unit is shown. Similarly, both plates 8a and 8b of the portion 8 hold the workpiece 12 in an inclined state. Although the partition plate 20 is not provided on the side of the third support portion 8, the workpiece 12 held by the holding portion 8 is supported by the workpiece 12 held by the adjacent second holding portion 7. The
[0021]
The operation of the robot hand 1 according to the above configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, a case conveyor 14 that continuously conveys the case 16 and a work conveyor 10 that conveys the workpiece 12 (PTP sheet in this embodiment) inserted into the case 16 are arranged in parallel. The workpiece holding unit 2 of the robot hand 1 has the workpiece 12 conveyed by the workpiece conveyor 10 by the operation of the robot 4 and the operation of the article holding unit 2 and the rotary actuator (reversing unit) 3 of the robot hand 1. A predetermined number of sheets are respectively held in the stage holding parts 6, 7, and 8 and simultaneously inserted into the case 16. In this embodiment, a plurality of workpieces 12 (for example, 10) are bundled and conveyed in a state where they are stacked one above the other, are raised before being gripped by the robot hand 1 and stacked in front and back, Each holding part 6, 7, 8 of the robot hand 1 grips these from the front and rear by a plurality of bundles (for example, 10 bundles).
[0022]
The steps for holding the plurality of bundles of workpieces 12 by the three stages of holding parts 6, 7, 8 of the robot hand 1 will be sequentially described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 19. First, a predetermined number of workpieces 12 (for example, 10 bundles × 10 totals 100) are conveyed as a group to the workpiece holding position P (see FIGS. 9 and 10). The robot hand 1 moves the first holding part 6 downward and moves the movable plates 6b, 7b, 8b of the holding parts 6, 7, 8 with the cylinders 6c, 7c, 8c back to open. It moves to the holding position P (see FIG. 10).
[0023]
The robot hand 1 moved to the workpiece holding position P descends with the first holding unit 6 facing downward, and grips the group of workpieces 12 (12A) on the workpiece conveyor 10 from the front and rear. As described above, the workpiece 12 is a bundle in which a large number of PTP sheets are stacked. When the movable plate 6b is moved to the fixed plate 6a side and is gripped between the plates 6a and 6b, the workpiece 12 is shown in FIG. From this state, compression is performed as shown in FIG. When the workpiece 12 is held by the plates 6a and 6b of the first holding part 6 as described above, the plates 6a and 6b are inclined in opposite directions as shown in the upper part of FIG. ) Since the distance on the 20 side is large, the workpiece 12 is curved in a fan shape toward the partition plate 20 and is stably supported by the partition plate 20.
[0024]
The robot hand 1 holding the workpiece 12 (12A) by the first holding unit 6 ascends as it is and moves above the temporary table 22, then opens the movable plate 6b and places the workpiece 12 (12A) on the temporary table 22. ) Is placed (see FIG. 12). In the robot hand 1 in which the holding units 6, 7, and 8 do not hold the workpiece 12, the holding units 6, 7, and 8 are then turned upside down by the operation of the rotary actuator 3. 6 is located above and the third holding part 8 is located below (see FIG. 13).
[0025]
The robot hand 1 that is reversed as described above and the third holding portion 8 faces downward is lowered as it is, and the workpiece 12 (on the temporary table 22 by the intermediate second holding portion 7) ( 12A) (see FIG. 14). While the workpiece is held by the second holding unit 7, the next group of workpieces 12 (12 </ b> B) is conveyed to the workpiece holding position P of the workpiece conveyor 10. The robot hand 1 holding the workpiece 12 (12A) on the second holding portion 7 moves from the temporary placement table 22 to the workpiece holding position P and reverses again to point the first holding portion 6 downward. . In this state, the robot hand 1 is lowered, and the first holding unit 6 holds the next group of workpieces 12 (12B) that have been transported to the workpiece holding position P (see FIG. 15).
[0026]
Since the partition plate 20 is provided between the first holding part 6 and the second holding part 7, the movable plate 6b of the first holding part 6 approaches the fixed plate 6a side, and the workpiece 12 (12B) is moved. When gripping and compressing, the workpiece 12 (12B) on the workpiece conveyor 2 can be prevented from interfering with the workpiece 12 (12A) held by the upper second holding portion 7. Further, as described above, since both the plates 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b are inclined in the opposite directions in both the first holding part 6 and the second holding part 7, the work held by the holding parts 6, 7 12 (12A, 12B) is supported by a partition plate (support plate) 20 at a center portion that curves and protrudes in a fan shape, and is held in a stable state.
[0027]
The robot hand 1 holding the workpiece 12 (12A, 12B) on both the first and second holding portions 6 and 7 moves above the temporary placement table 22, and moves the movable plate 6b of the first holding portion 6 backward. Then, both plates 6a and 6b are opened, and the workpiece 12 (12A) held by the first holding unit 6 is placed on the temporary placement table 22 (see FIG. 16). When the workpiece 12 (12B) held by the lower first holding unit 6 is released and only the intermediate second holding unit 7 holds the workpiece 12 (12A), the robot hand 1 After ascending, it is inverted to bring the first holding part 6 upward and the third holding part 8 downward (see the robot hand 1 shown in the upper part of FIG. 17).
[0028]
Subsequently, the slide plate 26 is advanced over the work 12 (12B) placed on the temporary placement table 22 and is placed on the work 12 (12B) (see FIG. 17). At this time, if the slide plate 26 is moved forward from the retracted position as it is, the tip of the slide plate 26 interferes with the upper end portion of the work 12 (12B) placed on the temporary placement table 22. The slide plate 26 and the advancing / retreating cylinder 28 are slightly raised by the lifting / lowering cylinder 32, and the advancing / retreating cylinder 28 is operated at this height to advance the slide plate 26 above the workpiece 12 (12B). The slide plate 26 is moved to a position indicated by a solid line in FIG.
[0029]
After the slide plate 26 is positioned in contact with the upper end of the workpiece 12 (12B) placed on the temporary placement table 22, the robot hand 1 is lowered, and the temporary holding is performed by the third holding portion 8 located at the lowest position. The workpiece 12 (12B) on the table 22 is gripped (see FIG. 18). The workpiece 12 (12B) on the temporary table 22 is compressed when gripped, but is gripped by the workpiece 12 (12A) already gripped by the second holding portion 7 and the third holding portion 8 this time. Since the slide plate 26 is interposed between the workpiece 12 (12B) and the workpiece 12 (12B), the upper and lower workpieces 12 (12A, 12B) can be smoothly gripped without interference. After the third holding portion 8 grips the workpiece 12 (12B) and compresses it in the same manner as the workpiece 12 (12A) held by the second holding portion 7, the slide plate 26 is moved backward by the advance / retreat cylinder 28. Then, it is extracted from between the upper and lower workpieces 12 (12A, 12B). When the slide plate 26 is removed, the workpiece 12 (12B) on the temporary placement table 22 held by the third-stage holding unit 8 is moved by the support portion 22b at the rear end of the temporary placement table 22 and the second stage. Since the workpieces 12 (12A) held by the second-stage holding unit 7 are supported by the presser plates 34, the postures of these workpieces 12 (12A, 12B) are not collapsed.
[0030]
While the work 12 (12B) is held by the third holding unit 8, the next group of works 12 (12C) is conveyed to the work holding position P of the work conveyor 10. The robot hand 1 holding the workpiece 12 (12A, 12B) is reversed by the second and third holding portions 7 and 8, and the first holding portion 6 not holding the workpiece 12 is directed downward, The robot hand 1 is moved to the workpiece holding position P. At this position, the robot hand 1 is lowered and the work 12 (12C) is gripped by the first holding unit 6 (see FIG. 19).
[0031]
When the workpiece 12 (12A, 12B, 12C) is held by all of the three holding units 6, 7, 8 by the above-described operation of the robot hand 1, the robot hand 1 is moved toward the case conveyor 14, and this conveyor The workpiece 12 (12A, 12B, 12C) is inserted into the empty case 16 transported by 14 at a time, and the holding portions 6, 7, 8 are opened to accommodate the workpiece 12 in the case 16. By repeating the above steps, a predetermined number of workpieces 12 are inserted into the case 14 that is continuously conveyed. In this embodiment, even an unstablely shaped workpiece 12 such as a PTP sheet can be securely held and smoothly stored in the case 14. In addition, since there is no need for stacking and stacking, the structure of the entire apparatus is simple and the cost can be reduced. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, since the robot hand 1 can be replaced to cope with the workpieces 12 of various sizes, the compatibility is extremely high.
[0032]
In the above embodiment, the article holding means 2 of the robot hand 1 has the three-stage holding parts 6, 7, 8, of which the first-stage holding part 6 and the second-stage holding part 7 The example in which the partition plate 20 is provided between them (see FIG. 20) has been described, but it is not always necessary to have a plurality of stages of holding parts 6, 7, and 8. As shown in FIG. In addition, a partition plate (support plate) 120 provided adjacent to the holding unit 106 may be provided. Also in this case, the distance between the end 106an of the fixed plate 106a near the partition plate 120 and the end 106bn of the movable plate 106b near the partition plate 120 is set to the end 106af far from the partition plate 120 of the fixed plate 106a. If the workpiece 112 is sandwiched between the fixed plate 106a and the movable plate 106b if the distance between the movable plate 106b and the end portion 106bf on the side far from the partition plate 120 is larger, the workpiece 112 becomes the partition plate. Since it is held in a fan shape with the side close to 120 protruding, it can be reliably held without the possibility of falling off between the fixed plate 106a and the movable plate 106b.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention as mentioned above, closer together by moving at least one, comprises a pair of holding plates can be separated, PTP sheet clamping for clamping the PTP sheet having a plurality of stacked by these two holding plates from both sides In the apparatus, a support plate is disposed on the side of the both holding plates, and the distance between the PTP sheet contact surfaces of the both holding plates on the support plate side of the both holding plates is far from the support plate. the Rukoto is inclined to be greater than the distance between the ends of the side sandwiched by bending a PTP sheet in a fan shape, when pinching the PTP sheet, moving at least one of the two holding plates that the inclined it makes by the central portion of the PTP sheet projecting curved fan was set to sandwich the PTP sheet while supported by the support plate, the shape Unstable, it can be reliably held to a state which is stable even deformable PTP sheet.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a boxing robot equipped with an article holding device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the robot hand.
FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG. 2;
4 is a left side view of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a side view showing an auxiliary device for gripping a temporary placement table and a workpiece.
6 is a plan view of FIG. 5. FIG.
7 is a right side view of FIG. 5. FIG.
8 is a left side view of FIG.
FIG. 9 is a plan view for explaining the arrangement of a work conveyor and a case conveyor.
FIG. 10 is a diagram for sequentially explaining the operation of a robot hand provided with the article holding device.
FIG. 11 is a diagram for sequentially explaining the operation of a robot hand provided with the article holding device.
FIG. 12 is a diagram for sequentially explaining the operation of the robot hand including the article holding device.
FIG. 13 is a diagram for sequentially explaining the operation of a robot hand provided with the article holding device.
FIG. 14 is a diagram for sequentially explaining the operation of a robot hand provided with the article holding device.
FIG. 15 is a diagram for sequentially explaining the operation of the robot hand including the article holding device.
FIG. 16 is a diagram for sequentially explaining the operation of a robot hand provided with the article holding device.
FIG. 17 is a diagram for sequentially explaining the operation of the robot hand including the article holding device.
FIG. 18 is a diagram for sequentially explaining the operation of a robot hand provided with the article holding device.
FIG. 19 is a diagram for sequentially explaining the operation of the robot hand including the article holding device.
FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an article holding device.
FIG. 21 is a diagram showing another example of the article holding device.
[Explanation of symbols]
6a Holding plate (fixed plate)
6af End portion 6an of the holding plate far from the support plate Support plate side end portion 6b of the holding plate Holding plate (movable plate)
6bf End 6bn of the holding plate far from the support plate 6bn Support plate side end 7a of the holding plate Holding plate (fixed plate)
7af End portion 7an of the holding plate far from the support plate Support plate side end portion 7b of the holding plate Holding plate (movable plate)
7bf End portion of the holding plate far from the support plate 7bn End portion of the holding plate on the support plate side 12 Article (PTP sheet)
20 Support plate (partition plate)

Claims (1)

In a PTP sheet sandwiching device that includes a pair of holding plates that can move and move away from each other by moving at least one of them, and sandwiching a plurality of stacked PTP sheets from both the holding plates,
A support plate is disposed on the side of the two holding plates, and the PTP sheet abutment surface of the two holding plates is located at the end on the side far from the support plate. the Rukoto is inclined to be greater than the distance between the parts, sandwiched by bending a PTP sheet in a fan shape, when pinching the PTP sheet, by moving at least one of the two holding plates that the inclined, PTP sheet clamping apparatus characterized by pinching the PTP sheet in a state where the central portion of the PTP sheet supported by the support plate protruding curved fan

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