JP4045503B2 - Article gripping device - Google Patents

Description

According to the present invention, a pair of gripping members positioned opposite to each other in the horizontal direction are approached and separated by an actuator, and a plurality of rectangular articles arranged in a horizontal direction in a plan view are pressed from both sides. Two gripping means configured to be switchable between a pressing operation state for gripping and a pressing release operation state for releasing the pressing of the article group are provided so that the approaching and separating directions of the pair of gripping members are orthogonal to each other. ,
The present invention relates to an article gripping apparatus provided with control means for controlling the operation of the actuators of the two gripping means to switch the two gripping means between the pressing operation state and the pressing release operation state.

  In such an article gripping device, two gripping means are operated in a pressing operation state, and a pair of gripping members of one gripping means are used to press one pair of opposite sides of an article group, while the other gripping means is gripped. The pair of gripping members of the means is configured to press the other pair of opposite sides of the group of articles to grip the group of articles.

In such an article gripping device, conventionally, the two gripping means are simultaneously operated in the pressing operation state with a pressing force for pressing to grip the group of articles with the pair of gripping members, Some were configured to grip an article.
However, since the gripping pressing force is set strongly to securely grip the group of articles, if the two gripping means are simultaneously operated to the pressing operation state by the gripping pressing force, the article Since the group is pressed from the four sides with a strong force such as the pressing force for gripping, if there is an article that is oblique or protrudes from other articles and is in an irregular state, the irregular article is The other three gripping members make it difficult to move by being pushed and aligned, and there is a problem that the article is easily pressed without being aligned and the article is easily damaged.
Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, conventionally, after one of the gripping means is first operated to the pressing operation state by the pressing force for gripping, it is once operated to the pressing release operation state, and subsequently The other gripping means is operated to the pressing operation state with the gripping pressing force, and then the gripping means that has been previously operated to the pressing operation state is again operated to the pressing operation with the gripping pressing force. Some have been configured to operate in a state to grip an article.
That is, the pair of opposing sides of the article group is opened without being pressed, and the pair of opposing sides of the article group is pressed by the gripping pressing force by the pair of gripping members. Thus, when the side of the article group to be pressed is in an irregular state, the irregular article is pressed and aligned with the gripping member (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-26668

  However, in the conventional article gripping device, the other pair of opposite sides of the article group is opened without pressing, but the one pair of opposite sides of the article group is opened by a pair of gripping members. Since pressing is performed with a strong force such as the pressing force for gripping, if the side of the group of articles to be pressed is in an uneven state, the unevenly aligned articles are pushed and aligned by the gripping member. Since it is difficult to move by other gripping members pressing the other side opposite to the side with a strong force, it is difficult to move until it is aligned, in terms of suppressing damage to the article, There was still room for improvement.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an article gripping apparatus that can grip an article group while suppressing damage to the article.

In the article gripping device of the present invention, a pair of gripping members positioned opposite to each other in the horizontal direction are approached and separated by an actuator, and a group of articles each having a rectangular shape in a plan view are arranged on both sides. Two gripping means configured to be able to switch between a pressing operation state in which the pair of gripping members are pressed and a press release operation state in which the pressing of the article group is released, make the approaching and separating directions of the pair of gripping members orthogonal to each other. Provided as
Control means for switching the two gripping means between the pressing operation state and the pressing release operation state by controlling the operation of the actuators of the two gripping means, respectively,
In the first characteristic configuration, when the control unit is instructed to hold the article group, the control unit uses an alignment pressing force that is lower than a holding pressing force that is pressed to hold the article group by the pair of gripping members. , After the two gripping means are simultaneously operated to the pressing operation state, an alignment process for simultaneously operating the two gripping means to the press release operation state is performed, and subsequently the gripping pressing force is applied. The gripping process for simultaneously operating the two gripping means to the pressing operation state is performed.
That is, when the gripping of the article group is instructed, the two gripping means are operated after the two gripping means are simultaneously operated in the pressing operation state with the alignment pressing force lower than the gripping pressing force. Are simultaneously operated in the pressing release operation state, and subsequently, a gripping process is performed in which the two gripping means are simultaneously operated in the pressing operation state with the gripping pressing force.
That is, in the alignment process, although the four sides of the article group are simultaneously pressed by the gripping member, each side is pressed by an alignment pressing force that is weaker than the gripping pressing force. In the state in which the uneven article is pressed, the other three sides are pressed with a weak force, so the uneven article is easy to move so as to be aligned, and the uneven article is After moving to align and being aligned, the pressure from the four sides of the article group is once released.
And, in the gripping process executed subsequent to the alignment process, after aligning the irregularly shaped articles by the previous alignment process, the four sides of the article group are simultaneously pressed by the gripping pressing force. The four sides will be pressed with a strong force in a sufficiently aligned state, and even if a slightly irregular state remains, the slight irregular state will be resolved, the four sides will be Since it is pressed with a strong force, it becomes possible to grip the group of articles while sufficiently suppressing damage to the articles.
Accordingly, it is possible to provide an article gripping apparatus that can grip a group of articles while suppressing damage to the articles.

In addition to the first feature configuration, the second feature configuration is
When each of the two gripping means operates in the pressing operation state, when one of the pair of gripping members comes into contact with the article group first, it is in a stationary state, and the other is on the article group side. In a moving form, the pair of gripping members are configured to approach each other.
That is, when each of the two gripping means operates in the pressing operation state, when one of the pair of gripping members comes into contact with the article group first, it is stationary, and the other is on the article group side. The pair of gripping members approach and press the group of articles from both sides.
In other words, when the pair of gripping members approaches in a state where the group of articles to be gripped is biased to one side of the pair of gripping members that are in the open state, Even if they come into contact with each other, the gripping member remains stationary and the other gripping member moves to the article group side, so that the pair of gripping members approach each other. Forcibly pushing and moving it toward the other gripping member does not occur.
Incidentally, when each gripping means is configured to approach the pair of gripping members in a synchronized state, when the pair of gripping members approach, one gripping member comes into contact with the article group first. Since the gripping member continuously moves to the other gripping member side, the article group is forcibly moved to the other gripping member side, and the article is easily damaged. In particular, when a group of articles stacked in a plurality of stages are gripped by the article gripping device in order from the top stage, when the topmost group of articles is gripped by the article gripping apparatus, If the article group is forcibly moved as described above, the articles in the lower article group are easily damaged.
Therefore, it has become possible to further suppress damage to the article.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 and FIG. 9, the gripping device A has a pair of gripping members 1 that are opposed to each other in the horizontal direction and are approached and separated by a pneumatic cylinder 2 as an actuator. It is configured to be switchable between a pressing operation state in which a plurality of rectangular articles W are arranged in a horizontal direction (see FIG. 10) and pressed from both sides and a pressing release operation state in which the pressing of the article group is released. The two gripping portions A1 as the gripping means, the pressing state detection portion A2 for detecting that the gripping portion A1 is operating in the pressing operation state, and the pneumatic cylinders 2 of the two gripping portions A1. The control part A3 etc. are comprised as a control means which controls the operation | movement of these, and switches each of the said 2 holding | gripping part A1 to the said press operation state and the said press release operation state.
The two gripping portions A1 are provided so that the approaching / separating directions of the pair of gripping members 1 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as approaching / separating directions) are orthogonal to each other. The article group is configured to be pressed and gripped from its four sides.

  The two gripping portions A1 are configured in substantially the same manner except that one of the pair of gripping members 1 of the one gripping portion A1 is provided so as to be movable up and down. In FIG. 1 showing a plan view of the gripping device A, the left-right direction of the drawing is the left-right direction X of the gripping device A, the vertical direction of the drawing is the front-back direction Y of the gripping device A, and the pair of gripping members 1 are the left-right direction. A gripping part A1 positioned facing X is referred to as a gripping part A1 for the left-right direction, and a gripping part A1 positioned with a pair of gripping members 1 facing the front-rear direction is referred to as a gripping part A1 for the front-rear direction. In the following description, when the gripping portion A1 is described by distinguishing the left-right direction and the front-rear direction, the gripping portion A1 for the left-right direction, the gripping member 1 of the gripping portion A1 for the left-right direction, and the pneumatic cylinder 2 are used. A subscript of x indicating the left-right direction on the sign indicating each A suffix “y” indicating the front-rear direction is added to the reference numerals indicating the front-rear direction gripping part A1 and the gripping member 1 and the pneumatic cylinder 2 of the front-rearward direction gripping part A1. I will explain. In the drawings, a subscript x indicating the left-right direction and a subscript y indicating the front-rear direction are added.

The grip part A1 will be further described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each gripping portion A1 basically includes a pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 and a pair of connecting members 3 with the cylinder rod tips facing in the same direction. By connecting both ends of the tube, they are integrally connected, and the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 so integrally connected is supported on the frame 4 so as to be movable in the approaching / separating direction, and the pair of grips In a state where the member 1 is supported by the frame 4 so as to be movable separately in the approaching / separating direction, the cylinder rod tips and cylinder tubes of the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 integrally connected to the pair of gripping members 1 It is distributed and connected to the rear end.
The pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 are contracted to make the pair of gripping members 1 approach and separate. Both end portions in the longitudinal direction of each gripping member 1 are formed in a concavo-convex shape so as to be able to intersect with the gripping members 1 approaching so that the approaching and separating directions are orthogonal to each other.

Hereinafter, the gripping part A1x for the left-right direction and the gripping part A1y for the front-rear direction will be further described.
First, the front-rear direction gripping part A1y will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 y assembled together are supported on a pair of guide rails 5 attached to the frame 4 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction Y, and the pair The pair of pneumatic cylinders 2y are integrally connected to the pair of gripping members 1y in a state in which each of the gripping members 1y is supported by a linear guide 6 attached to the frame 4 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction Y. Are distributed and connected to the front end of the cylinder rod and the rear end of the cylinder tube.

Based on FIGS. 4 to 6, a description will be given of a configuration in which the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2y is guided by the pair of guide rails 5. Each of the pair of guide rails 5 has a substantially cross-sectional shape. And are attached to the frame 4 in a state where the respective opening sides are directed inward and are spaced apart from each other.
A pair of guide rollers 7 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the pair of connecting members 3 that connect the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2y.
Then, the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2y assembled together are supported so as to be slidably guided by the pair of guide rails 5 by using the guide rollers 7 provided at the upper and lower pairs at four locations as described above. It is.

Next, the left and right direction gripping part A1x will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 x that are integrally assembled are supported by a pair of guide rails 8 attached to the frame 4 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction X.
Of the pair of gripping members 1x, the gripping member 1x connected to the cylinder tube rear end side is supported by a linear guide 9 attached to the frame 4 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction X.
On the other hand, with respect to the gripping member 1x on the tip side of the cylinder rod, the left and right direction moving gantry 11 is supported by a linear guide 10 attached to the frame 4 so as to be movable in the left and right direction X, and the left and right direction moving gantry 11 is linearly supported. The guide 12 is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Further, the left-right moving base 11 is provided with a gripping member lifting and lowering portion 13 that lifts and lowers the gripping member 1x between a gripping position located at the same height as the other gripping member 1x and a retracted position above it. is there.
Then, the left and right moving frame 11 is connected to the rear ends of the cylinder tubes of the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2x that are integrally connected, and the gripping member 1x is connected to the tip of the cylinder rod. The pneumatic cylinder 2x is contracted to move the pair of gripping members 1x closer to and away from each other.

  The configuration in which the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2x of the gripping part A1x for the left-right direction is guided by the pair of guide rails 8 is configured such that the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2y of the gripping part A1y for the front-back direction is the pair of guide rails. 5, the detailed description and illustration are omitted, and a simple description based on FIG. 5 shows that each of the pair of connecting members 3 that connect the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2x. On the other hand, a pair of guide rollers 14 are provided vertically on both the left and right sides, and the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2x that are integrally assembled are used with the guide rollers 14 that are provided with a pair of upper and lower ones as described above. The pair of guide rails 8 are slidably guided.

The gripping member lifting and lowering unit 13 retracts the gripping member 1 so that the gripping member 1 does not interfere when taking out a group of articles gripped by the gripping device A in a fork device D (see FIG. 11), which will be described in detail later. It raises to a position and is configured as follows. In the gripping device A, the gripping member 1 that can be moved up and down is positioned, and a portion for taking out the article group to the outside may be referred to as an article takeout gate Ag.
That is, a rack 15 is attached to the gripping member 1 along the vertical direction, and the gripping member elevating part 13 is interlocked and connected to the pinion 16 by a belt 17 and the pinion 16. A gripping member lifting / lowering motor 18 that rotationally drives the pinion 16 is provided.

By configuring each gripping part A1 as described above, when the cylinder rod of the pneumatic cylinder 2 is contracted, the gripping member 1 on the tip side of the cylinder rod comes into contact with the article group first, and the tip side of the cylinder rod With the gripping member 1 stationary, the cylinder tube of the pneumatic cylinder 2 moves by the guide rails 5 and 8 so that the gripping member 1 on the cylinder tube side moves closer to the article group, The group of articles is pressed from both sides by the pair of gripping members 1.
That is, when each of the two gripping portions A1 operates in the pressing operation state, when one of the pair of gripping members 1 comes into contact with the article group first, it is in a stationary state, and the other is The pair of gripping members 1 are configured to approach each other in the form of moving to the article group side.

Next, a configuration for connecting the gripping member 1 to the pneumatic cylinder 2 and the pressing state detection unit A2 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 7, and 8, the structure in which the gripping member 1 is connected to the pneumatic cylinder 2 is either the left-right gripping part A1x or the front-rearward gripping part A1y. The same holds true for each of the pair of gripping members 1 of each gripping part A in a state of being freely movable in the approaching / separating direction by the moving member 19 moved in the approaching / separating direction by the pneumatic cylinder 2. Further, the coil spring 20 is supported in a state of being biased toward the approaching side approaching the other gripping member 1. FIG. 8 shows in detail an example of a configuration in which the gripping member 1 on the tip side of the cylinder rod of the gripping part A1y in the front-rear direction is connected to the pneumatic cylinder.
As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, the pressing state detection part A2 includes the cylinder rod tip side and the cylinder tube rear side of the holding part A1x for the left-right direction and the holding part A1y for the front-rear direction. A total of four are provided, one at the end side, and the four pressed state detection units A2 are similarly configured to detect the pressed operation state.
In other words, the pressing state detection unit A2 is configured so that the gripping member 1 is in the approaching / separating direction as illustrated in FIG. A proximity sensor 28 is provided as a pressing state detecting unit that detects that the coil spring 20 has moved backward against the biasing force of the coil spring 20 to a pressing state determination position for determining the pressing operation state.

The moving member 19 will be further described.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the moving member 19 connected to the front end side of the cylinder rod of the grip portion Ay in the front-rear direction, the rear end side of the cylinder tube, and the rear end side of the cylinder tube of the grip portion Ax in the left-right direction is The mounting plate 21 and the receiving plate 22 connected to the pneumatic cylinder 2 are connected by two shaft bodies 23 in a state of facing each other with a predetermined interval. Although not shown in the drawings, the moving member 19 connected to the cylinder rod tip side of the gripping part Ax in the left-right direction is provided as the shaft body 23 by distributing the four shaft bodies 23 by two in the front-rear direction. Other than that, the configuration is the same as that of the other moving member 19.
Then, as shown in FIG. 8, each shaft body 23 is provided with urethane washers 25 at both ends, and the total length including the urethane washers 25 is set to be greater than the distance between the mounting plate 21 and the receiving plate 22. A linear bushing 24 having a short length is slidably fitted, a gripping member connection plate 26 is attached to the two linear bushings 24, and two compressions are provided between the gripping member connection plate 26 and the receiving plate 22. The coil springs 20 in the state are arranged in the vertical direction, and the gripping member connection plate 26 is biased toward the mounting plate 21 by the two coil springs 20. However, although not shown in the drawings, in the moving member 19 connected to the cylinder rod tip side of the gripping part Ax in the left-right direction, the two coil springs 20 are respectively positioned in the front-rear direction as described above. They are arranged according to the installation position of the body 23.
7 and 8 is a shock absorber provided corresponding to each coil spring 20.

In the gripping part A1y for the front-rear direction, the moving member 19 configured as described above is connected to the connecting member 3 although the detailed illustration is omitted on the cylinder tube rear end side. As shown in FIG. 8, the attachment plate 21 is attached by connecting the tip of the cylinder rod of the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2 y to grip each moving member 19. The gripping member 1y is connected to the member connection plate 26.
That is, each of the pair of gripping members 1y is supported by the moving member 19 in a state of being movable in the approaching / separating direction and being biased toward the approaching side by the coil spring 20.

Although the detailed illustration of the left and right gripping part A1x is omitted, the moving member 19 is mounted on the rear end side of the cylinder tube by connecting the mounting plate 21 to the connecting member 3, and the cylinder. On the rod tip side, the attachment plate 21 is attached by connecting it to the tip of the cylinder rod of the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2x.
Then, the gripping member 1x is connected to the gripping member connection plate 26 of the moving member 19 on the rear end side of the cylinder tube, and the left-right moving platform 11 is connected to the gripping member connection plate 26 of the moving member 19 on the tip side of the cylinder rod. It is.
That is, each of the pair of gripping members 1x is connected to the moving member 19 while being movable in the approaching / separating direction and biased toward the approaching side by the coil spring 20.

When the cylinder rod of the pneumatic cylinder 2 is contracted to operate the gripping portion A1 so that the pair of gripping members 1 approach each other, at least one of the pair of gripping members 1 is not in contact with the article group. In the state where the gripping member 1 is not pressed against the article group, the urethane washer on the article group side of the linear bush 24 by the biasing force of the coil spring 20 as shown in FIG. 25 and the mounting plate 21 are in contact with each other, and the cylinder rod of the pneumatic cylinder 2 resists the urging force of the coil spring 20 with the pair of gripping members 1 in contact with both sides of the article group. 8 (b), each moving member 19 moves to the approaching side, and the receiving plate 22 of each moving member 19 is opposite to the article group side of the linear bush 24. The abutting state of the urethane washer 25.
That is, as described above, the cylinder rod of the pneumatic cylinder 2 contracts against the biasing force of the coil spring 20 in a state where the pair of gripping members 1 are in contact with both sides of the article group. As shown in (b), the movement of the moving members 19 toward the approaching side means that the holding members are supported by the moving members 19 so as to be movable in the approaching / separating direction. 1 is that the moving member 19 moves backward against the urging force of the coil spring 20, and the receiving plate 22 of each moving member 19 is urethane on the side opposite to the article group side of the linear bush 24. The state in contact with the washer 25 is a state in which each gripping member 1 is retracted against the urging force of the coil spring 20 to the pressed state determination position.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the detected plate 29 is attached to the receiving plate 22, and the proximity sensor 28 is moved from the article group side of the linear bush 24 by moving the moving member 19 to the article group side. When the gripping member 1 comes into contact with the opposite urethane washer 25, that is, when each of the gripping members 1 moves back to the pressing state determination position against the urging force of the coil spring 20, the detection plate 29 performs a detection operation. It is provided.
That is, the pressed state detection unit A2 is configured by the moving member 19, the coil spring 20, the linear bush 24, the urethane washer 25, the proximity sensor 28, the detection plate 29, and the like.

Next, the control unit A3 will be described.
When the grip command for gripping the article group is instructed, the control unit A3 uses an alignment pressing force lower than the gripping pressing force to press the pair of gripping members 1 to grip the article group. After the two gripping portions A1 are simultaneously actuated to the pressing operation state, an alignment process is performed to simultaneously actuate the two gripping portions A1 to the press releasing operation state. The gripping process for simultaneously operating the two gripping portions A1 in the pressing operation state is performed.
Incidentally, although not shown in the figure, the grip command indicates whether or not there is an article group placement position where the article group to be gripped is located, that is, whether or not there is an article group to be gripped in the inner space of the four gripping members 1 in the open state. Detection information of the article detection means to be detected, control information of a transfer device (for example, an elevating device C described later) for transferring an article group to be grasped to the article group arrangement position, or command information of an artificially operated command means, etc. Will be commanded based on

As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit A3 includes a left-right control valve 30 that switches a pair of pneumatic cylinders 2x of the left-right gripping part A1x between an expansion operation state and a contraction operation state at the same time. The left-right pressure regulator 31 for adjusting the pressure of the air supplied to the direction control valve 30 and the pair of pneumatic cylinders 2y of the front-rear gripping part A1y are simultaneously switched between the expansion operation state and the contraction operation state. A front-rear direction control valve 32, a front-rear direction pressure regulator 33 for adjusting the pressure of air supplied to the front-rear direction control valve 32, the left-right direction control valve 30, the left-right direction pressure regulator 31, A controller 34 for controlling the operation of each of the front-rear direction control valve 32 and the front-rear direction pressure regulator 33 is provided.
In the following description, in the left-right control valve 30 and the front-rear direction control valve 32, the operation state for switching the pneumatic cylinder 2 to the expansion operation state is referred to as the expansion operation state, and the pneumatic cylinder. An operation state for switching 2 to the contraction operation state is referred to as a contraction operation state.

In other words, the main air passage 36 that guides the compressed air supplied from the air source 35 such as a compressor is branched into two gripping air passages 37, and the left and right direction air passages 37 are placed in the middle of one gripping air passage 37. A pressure regulator 31 is provided, the left-right control valve 30 is connected to the tip, the front-rear pressure regulator 33 is provided in the middle of the other gripping air passage 37, and the front-rear control valve 32 is provided at the tip. The left and right control valve 30 and the pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x, and the front and rear direction control valve 32 and the pair of front and rear pneumatic cylinders 2y, respectively. A switching air passage 38 is connected.
The gripping air passage 37 for the left-right direction pneumatic cylinder 2x is provided with a pressure increasing valve 39 for increasing the pressure of the supply air to the left-right direction pneumatic cylinder 2x.

The main air passage 36 is provided with an air tank 40, an air filter 41, a pressure switch 42 that operates when the pressure of the air flowing through the main air passage 36 becomes a predetermined pressure or more, and a residual pressure discharge valve 43.
In FIG. 9, reference numeral 44 denotes a transfer pneumatic cylinder for a transfer device E of an article processing facility, the details of which will be described later, and reference numeral 45 denotes an extension operation state and a contraction operation state of the transfer pneumatic cylinder. This is a transfer control valve for switching to.

The controller 34 stores in advance a set gripping air pressure for gripping an article group by the pair of gripping members 1 and a set alignment air pressure lower than the set gripping air pressure.
Then, the controller 34 switches the left-right control valve 30 to the contracting operation state, and adjusts the left-right pressure regulator 31 so that the pressure of the discharged air becomes the set alignment air pressure. Then, the air pressure-adjusted and discharged from the left-right pressure regulator 31 is increased by the pressure-increasing valve 39, and air having a pressure higher than the set alignment air pressure passes through the left-right direction control valve 30. The pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x are supplied, the pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x contract, and the pair of gripping members 1x come close to each other. The pressing operation is performed with a pressing force for alignment in the left-right direction lower than a pressing force for holding in the left-right direction for pressing the gripping part A1x to hold the group of articles with the pair of holding members 1x in the left-right direction. It will operate in.
Further, the controller 34 switches the front-rear direction control valve 32 to the contracting operation state, and adjusts the front-rear direction pressure regulator 33 so that the pressure of the discharged air becomes the set alignment air pressure. Then, the air of the set alignment air pressure is supplied to the pair of front and rear pneumatic cylinders 2y through the front and rear direction control valve 32, and the pair of front and rear pneumatic cylinders 2y contracts, The pair of gripping members 1y approach each other, and the front-rear direction gripping portion A1y presses to grip the article group with the pair of front-rear direction gripping members 1y. The pressing operation state is operated with a lower pressing force for alignment in the front-rear direction.

Further, the controller 34 switches the left / right direction control valve 30 to the contracting operation state, and adjusts the left / right direction pressure regulator 31 so that the pressure of the discharged air becomes the set gripping air pressure. Then, the air pressure-adjusted and discharged from the left-right pressure regulator 31 is increased by the pressure-increasing valve 39, and air having a pressure higher than the set gripping air pressure passes through the left-right direction control valve 30. The pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x are supplied, the pair of left and right pneumatic cylinders 2x contract, and the pair of gripping members 1x come close to each other. The gripping part A1x is operated in the pressing operation state by the pressing force for gripping in the left-right direction.
Further, the controller 34 switches the front-rear direction control valve 32 to the contracting operation state, and adjusts the front-rear direction pressure regulator 33 so that the pressure of the discharged air becomes the set gripping air pressure. Then, the set gripping air pressure air is supplied to the pair of front-rear direction pneumatic cylinders 2y through the front-rear direction control valve 32, and the pair of front-rear direction pneumatic cylinders 2y contracts, The pair of gripping members 1y approach each other, and the gripping part A1y for the front-rear direction is operated in the pressing operation state by the pressing force for gripping in the front-rear direction.

When the controller 34 switches the left / right control valve 30 to the extension operation state, the pair of left / right pneumatic cylinders 2x extend and the pair of gripping members 1x separate. Thus, the left and right gripping part A1x operates in the pressing release operating state.
Further, when the controller 34 switches the front / rear direction control valve 32 to the extension operation state, the pair of front / rear direction pneumatic cylinders 2y are extended, and the pair of gripping members 1y are separated. Thus, the front-rear direction gripping portion A1y is operated in the pressing release operating state.

Based on FIG. 10, the control operation of the controller 34 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 10 (a), the controller 34, when the article group to be grasped is positioned at the article group arrangement position and the grip command is instructed, The front-rear direction control valve 32 is simultaneously switched to the contracting operation state, and the left-right direction pressure regulator 31 and the front-rear direction pressure regulator 33 are set so that the discharge air pressure becomes the set alignment air pressure. By adjusting the gripping part A1x for the left-right direction with the pressing force for alignment in the left-right direction and the gripping part A1y for the front-rear direction with the pressing force for alignment in the front-rear direction, respectively. In this state, when it is determined that all the four proximity sensors 28 are turned on and are in the pressing operation state, the left-right control valve 30 and the front-rear direction control valve 32 are turned on. By occasionally switched to the extension for operating state, said actuated gripper A1x and gripper A1y for the longitudinal direction for the left and right directions at the same time in the pressing release operation state, executing the alignment process.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, the front and back of the article group is moved by the pair of holding members 1x for the left and right direction at the pressing force for alignment in the left and right direction lower than the pressing force for holding in the left and right direction. After being simultaneously pressed by the pair of holding members 1y for direction with the pressing force for alignment in the front-rear direction lower than the pressing force for holding in the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. The pair of gripping members 1x and the pair of gripping members 1y for the front-rear direction are opened, and the articles are aligned even if they are in an irregular state.

In the alignment process, the controller 34 simultaneously activates the left and right gripping portions A1x and the front and rear gripping portions A1y to the press release operation state, thereby turning off all four proximity sensors 28. In this state, the left-right direction control valve 30 and the front-rear direction control valve 32 are simultaneously switched to the extending operation state, and the left-right direction pressure regulator 31 and the front-rear direction pressure regulator 33 are respectively switched. By adjusting the pressure of the discharged air so as to become the set gripping air pressure, the gripping part A1x for the left-right direction is used with the pressing force for gripping the left-right direction, and the gripping part A1y for the front-rear direction is The gripping process is executed by simultaneously operating the pressing operation state by the direction gripping pressing force.
When the controller 34 determines that all the four proximity sensors 28 are in the on state and is in the pressing operation state, the controller 34 determines that the gripping of the article group is completed, When the receiving preparation on the side of receiving the group of articles being gripped is completed, the next processing such as releasing the gripping of the articles is executed.

  In the gripping process, as shown in FIG. 10D, the group of articles aligned in the previously performed alignment process is pressed by the pair of gripping members 1x for the left-right direction. Thus, the pair of gripping members 1y for the front-rear direction are simultaneously pressed by the pressing force for gripping in the front-rear direction, and the group of articles is properly gripped without damaging each article W.

Next, based on FIG. 11, an article processing facility that includes the gripping device A configured as described above and takes out a group of articles stacked in a plurality of stages on the pallet P in a horizontal direction in units from the highest order. Will be described.
This article processing facility includes an elevating device C that lifts and lowers an article group conveyed via a pallet P on the carry-in conveyor B, the gripping apparatus A that holds the uppermost article group, and the gripping apparatus A. A fork device D for placing the article group to be gripped and taking it out in the lateral direction; and a transfer device E for extruding the article group placed on the fork device D in the lateral direction and transferring it onto the carry-out conveyor F; And the controller 34 of the gripping device A is configured to control various types of article processing equipment.

The elevating device C includes an elevating platform 52 supported by the mast 51 so as to be movable up and down, and an elevating drive unit 53 including an elevating electric motor 53m that elevates and lowers the elevating platform 52.
The gripping device A is attached to a stand 54 erected around the lifting platform 52 using the frame 4 while being positioned above the lifting platform 52 of the lifting device C.

  The fork device D and the carry-out conveyor F are arranged on the side of the article take-out gate Ag of the gripping device A so that the placement surfaces of the article groups are at the same height from the article take-out gate Ag side. The fork device D and the carry-out conveyor F are arranged in the left-right direction X in this order, and the transfer device E is arranged above the fork device D and the carry-out conveyor F arranged as described above. is there.

  The fork device D receives a group of articles from the gripping device A and takes them out to the carry-out conveyor F side. The fork device D receives the position below the gripping device A and the take-out gate Ag of the gripping device A. The fork member 54 is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction X over the outside take-out position, and a fork drive unit 55 provided with a fork electric motor 55m for moving the fork member 54. .

  The transfer device E transfers an article group on the fork member 54 located at the take-out position onto the carry-out conveyor F, and the fork whose forward-facing tip is located at the take-out position is used. A pushing action position located below the upper surface of the article group on the member 54 and above the upper face of the fork member 54 and a retreat position where the tip is located above the upper surface of the article group on the fork member 54 A pressing member 56 that can be moved up and down, and the transfer pneumatic cylinder 44 that moves the pressing member 56 in the up and down direction, and the pressing member 56 and the transfer pneumatic cylinder 44 are supported. The pushing start position where the pushing member 56 is located between the take-out gate Ag and the tip of the fork member 54, and the pushing member 56 is the transfer conveyor F. A transfer device provided with a left-right direction moving member 57 that can be moved in the left-right direction X over the push end position located above, and a transfer electric motor 58m that moves the left-right direction moving member 57 in the horizontal direction. For example, the drive part 58 etc. are provided.

Next, the control of the controller 34 in a series of article processing in which a group of articles stacked in a plurality of stages on the pallet P is taken out in the horizontal direction in order from the top one and transferred to the carry-out conveyor F. The operation will be described.
As shown in FIG. 12, at the start of article processing, the controller 34 activates the lifting electric motor 53m so that the uppermost article group is positioned below the article group arrangement position. The gripping member lifting / lowering motor 18 is operated so that the gripping member 1 of the take-out gate Ag is positioned at the gripping position, and the left and right gripping portions A1x and the two gripping members 1 are opened so that the two pairs of gripping members 1 are opened. The front-rear direction gripping portion A1y is operated, the fork electric motor 55m is operated so as to position the fork member 54 in the take-out position, and the transfer member is positioned so as to position the push member 56 in the retracted position. When the mounting pneumatic cylinder 44 is operated, the transfer electric motor 58m is operated so that the left-right moving member 57 is positioned at the pushing start position. It has become a state.

  Then, when there is an article processing start command, the controller 34 operates the lifting electric motor 53m of the lifting device C so as to raise and lower the uppermost article group to the article group arrangement position as shown in FIG. When the signal indicating that the uppermost article group is positioned at the article group arrangement position is received from the lifting device C, the alignment process and the gripping process are performed as described above, assuming that the grip command is instructed. The left and right gripping parts A1x and the front-rear gripping part A1y are actuated so that all four proximity sensors 28 are turned on in the gripping process. Confirming that it is in an operating state, maintaining its pressing operation state, and receiving a signal from the fork device D indicating that the fork member 54 has been positioned at the receiving position. One.

Subsequently, when the controller 34 causes the gripping part A1x for the left-right direction and the gripping part A1y for the front-rear direction to execute the gripping process, all of the four proximity sensors 28 are turned on. When it is determined that the pre-air gripping has been completed, as shown in FIG. 14, the lifting electric motor 53m is operated so as to lower the lifting platform 52, and then the fork member 54 is positioned at the receiving position. The fork electric motor 55m is operated as described above.
Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the fork member 54 is inserted into the gap between the article group gripped by the gripping device A and the uppermost article group on the lifting platform 52.

Subsequently, when the controller 34 receives a signal indicating that the fork member 54 has been positioned at the receiving position from the fork device D, as shown in FIG. 15, the left and right gripping portions A1x and The grip portion A1y for the front-rear direction is simultaneously operated to the grip release operation state.
Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the group of articles gripped by the article gripping device A is placed on the fork member 54.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 15, the controller 34 operates the gripping member raising / lowering motor 18 so as to raise the gripping member 1 of the article take-out gate Ag to the retracted position. As shown, the fork electric motor 55m is operated so that the fork member 54 is positioned at the take-out position.
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 16, the controller 34 operates the transfer pneumatic cylinder 44 so as to position the push member 56 at the push action position, and holds the grasping member of the article take-out gate Ag. The gripping member raising / lowering motor 18 is operated so as to lower 1 to the gripping position, and then, as shown in FIG. 17, the shifting member 57 is positioned so that the left / right moving member 57 is positioned at the pushing end position. The mounting electric motor 58m is operated.
Then, as shown in FIG. 17, the group of articles on the fork member 54 is pushed by the pushing member 56 and transferred onto the carry-out conveyor F.
Subsequently, the controller 54 operates the transfer pneumatic cylinder 44 so as to position the push member 56 at the retracted position, and positions the left-right moving member 57 at the push start position. Then, the transfer electric motor 58m is operated, and thereafter, every time there is an article processing start command, the above-described series of processing is repeated.

[Another embodiment]
Next, another embodiment will be described.
(A) The specific configuration of the gripping portion A1 is not limited to the configuration illustrated in the above embodiment, and can be variously changed.
For example, in the above embodiment, two pneumatic cylinders 2 are connected by the connecting member 3, but three or more pneumatic cylinders 2 may be connected by the connecting member 3, or one empty cylinder may be connected. You may make it comprise with the pressure cylinder 2. FIG.
In addition, two pneumatic cylinders 2 may be integrally connected with the cylinder lot tip side facing each other, and the gripping member 1 may be connected to the cylinder lot tip of each pneumatic cylinder 2. .

(B) In the above embodiment, when each gripping portion A1 is operated in the pressing operation state, when one of the pair of gripping members 1 comes into contact with the article group first, it is in a stationary state. The other is moved to the article group side, and the pair of gripping members 1 are configured to approach each other. However, the pair of gripping members 1 may be configured to approach and separate in a synchronized state.

(C) In the above embodiment, the two gripping portions A1 are illustrated as being configured so that the pressing forces (holding pressing force and alignment pressing force) for pressing the article group are different from each other. You may comprise so that pressing force may become the same.

(D) The specific configuration of the actuator of the gripping part A1 is not limited to the pneumatic cylinder 2 illustrated in the above embodiment, but may be a hydraulic cylinder or an electric motor.

(E) The article gripping apparatus A of the present invention can be used in article processing facilities having various configurations other than the article processing facility having the configuration exemplified in the above embodiment.
For example, the frame 4 supporting the two gripping portions A1 can be reciprocated freely between a receiving position for gripping and receiving the article group and a transfer position for transferring the article group gripped at the receiving position. After supporting and gripping the article group at the receiving position, the frame 4 may be moved to the transfer position to release the grip of the article group.
In this case, it is possible to omit the configuration in which one of the four gripping members 1 is moved up and down by the gripping member lifting and lowering unit 13, the fork device D, and the transfer device E.

Plan view of a gripping device according to an embodiment Right side view of the gripping device according to the embodiment in a partially cutaway state The front view in the partially notched state of the holding | grip apparatus which concerns on embodiment The top view which shows the holding part of the front-back direction of the holding apparatus which concerns on embodiment The right view in the partially notched state which shows the holding part of the holding apparatus which concerns on embodiment The rear view in the partially notched state which shows the holding part of the front-back direction of the holding | gripping apparatus which concerns on embodiment The rear view in the partially notched state which shows the press state detection part of the holding part of the front-back direction of the holding apparatus which concerns on embodiment The top view in the partially notched state which shows the press state detection part of the holding | gripping apparatus which concerns on embodiment The figure which shows the structure of the control part of the holding | gripping apparatus which concerns on embodiment. The figure explaining the effect | action of the holding | grip apparatus which concerns on embodiment Schematic front view of article processing equipment provided with a gripping device according to an embodiment The figure explaining the effect | action of the article processing equipment which concerns on embodiment The figure explaining the effect | action of the article processing equipment which concerns on embodiment The figure explaining the effect | action of the article processing equipment which concerns on embodiment The figure explaining the effect | action of the article processing equipment which concerns on embodiment The figure explaining the effect | action of the article processing equipment which concerns on embodiment The figure explaining the effect | action of the article processing equipment which concerns on embodiment

Explanation of symbols

1 Gripping member 2 Actuator A1 Gripping means A3 Control means

Claims (2)

A pressing operation in which a pair of gripping members positioned opposite to each other in the horizontal direction are approached and separated by an actuator, and a group of articles each having a rectangular shape in a plan view are pressed and gripped from both sides. Two gripping means configured to be switchable between a state and a press release operation state for releasing the pressing of the article group are provided so that the approaching and separating directions of the pair of gripping members are orthogonal to each other,
An article gripping device provided with control means for controlling the operation of each of the two gripping means and switching the two gripping means between the pressing operation state and the pressing release operation state,
When the gripping of the article group is instructed, the control means grips the two units with an alignment pressing force lower than the gripping pressing force pressed to grip the article group with the pair of gripping members. After the means are simultaneously operated to the pressing operation state, an alignment process is performed to simultaneously operate the two gripping means to the pressing release operation state, and then the two gripping devices are operated with the gripping pressing force. An article gripping device configured to execute a gripping process for simultaneously actuating means in the pressing operation state.   When each of the two gripping means operates in the pressing operation state, when one of the pair of gripping members comes into contact with the article group first, it is in a stationary state, and the other is on the article group side. The article gripping apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of gripping members are configured to approach each other in a moving form.

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