JP6570036B2 - Robot hand for picking up bulk goods and system for automatically picking up bulk goods - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a robot hand for picking up bulk goods and an automatic picking system for bulk goods.

Some types of production lines include work processes such as taking out articles to be taken out (hereinafter also referred to as “workpieces”) one by one and moving them to a predetermined place. There is a robot hand and its working device that are used in the case of performing automation by using the.
Conventionally, for example, what is exemplified below is known as a robot hand configured to be able to perform an extraction operation corresponding to the posture of a workpiece before the extraction, or an operation device thereof.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a robot hand in which a vacuum chuck is fixedly attached to one end of a connecting member, the connecting member is held by a holder member via a spherical bearing, and the holder member is attached to a holder arm. A robot hand equipped with a locking spherical vacuum mechanism that locks the entire vacuum chuck at the other end of the connecting member is shown.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, in a workpiece handling apparatus that supports and transports a workpiece at the tip of a robot arm, a support attached to the tip of the robot arm, and a predetermined position of the workpiece attached to the support. A pin that can be fitted into an engagement hole formed in the pin, a movable mechanism that is disposed between the support and the pin, and that movably supports the pin within a predetermined range in the radial direction from the original position, and engagement of the workpiece Engagement means for maintaining a state in which the pin is fitted to the hole, and when the pin of the support is inserted and fitted into the engagement hole of the workpiece by operation of the robot arm, the movable mechanism is engaged with the pin. A handling device adapted to absorb misalignment with the joint hole is shown.

  Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a posture control device for a work work device that is attached to a robot arm and works on a work, and includes a fixed plate that is fixed to the robot arm, a support plate that supports the work work device, The posture detection device includes an elastic mechanism that is mounted between the support plate and the fixed plate and elastically supports the support plate with respect to the connection plate, and a posture detection device that detects a posture of the work working device with respect to the workpiece. As the apparatus, there is shown a posture control device of a work work device provided with a support shaft to be brought into contact with the work and a contact detection means for detecting that the support shaft is in contact with the work.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-156679 JP 2004-9192 A JP 2013-94869 A

On the other hand, in recent years, there are also production lines that require a work process to automatically perform the work of taking out randomly stacked articles one by one while holding the holes provided in the articles by using a robotic device. It is increasing.
The work process is attached to the robot arm of the robot apparatus and the tip of the robot arm based on information obtained by an identification device such as a vision system that identifies the posture, position, etc. of a plurality of stacked items. In some cases, by operating the working part of the robot hand, the holding claw in the working part of the robot hand is inserted and held in the hole of the article, and then the article is taken out.

  However, when performing the operation of taking out such stacked articles one by one while holding the holes provided in the articles, there are the following problems.

That is, in the work, the stacked articles are not stacked in an orderly manner and may be randomly stacked in different inclined postures, so that the identification device is particularly inclined in the hole of the article. The angle cannot be measured accurately, and a slight measurement error (misrecognition) may occur.
At this time, when the robot arm of the robot apparatus is operated using the identification information that has been mismeasured, the holding claw in the working part of the robot hand is inserted with an inclination angle slightly shifted from the hole of the article. Therefore, unless the article to be taken out changes its posture depending on the approach angle of the holding claw in the middle, the holding claw is in strong contact with the inner surface of the hole part during the insertion and interferes. Eventually, the robot arm may be overloaded and the robot apparatus may stop working.

  Such a phenomenon occurs when an adjacent article exists in a state where it is in strong contact with a single article that is determined as the object to be taken out, or is present in a state where it is partially overlaid. Since the matching article hardly displaces during the take-out operation, it tends to occur when the take-out target article cannot change its posture. In addition, this phenomenon is caused when an article stacked in bulk is made up of an uneven outer shape or an indeterminate shape, or a surface state (material) having a relatively high frictional resistance. Tend to occur easily.

The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and the object of the invention is to take out the stacked articles one by one while holding the holes provided in the articles one by one. If the robot is automated by using a robotic device, even if there is a misrecognition of the angle of inclination of the hole of the article to be taken out of the stacked articles, the taking out of the article is stopped. An object of the present invention is to provide a robot hand for picking up bulk goods and a system for automatically picking up bulk goods using the same.
As another object, even when there is an adjacent article that makes it difficult to change the posture of the article to be taken out, it is possible to carry out the work of taking out the article while rejecting the adjacent article. The object is to provide an automatic article removal system.

The robot hand for taking out bulk goods of this invention (A1) is:
A robot hand that is used by being attached to a robot arm and takes out the stacked articles one by one while holding the holes provided in the articles,
A mounting portion fixed to the robot arm and fixed;
A working part having a holding claw that is inserted into the hole part of the article and operates to hold the hole part by pressing against the inner surface of the hole part;
A swing support portion capable of supporting the working portion in a state of swinging freely at a required swing angle around a reference center line when in a reference posture with respect to the mounting portion;
Actuating to enable the swing support of the swing support portion to make the working portion swing freely with respect to the mounting portion, while disabling the swing support of the swing support portion A state switching unit that operates to bring the working unit back into a reference posture with respect to the mounting unit and fix the working unit ;
The working unit includes a plurality of holding claws that move toward the outside, and a drive device that moves the plurality of holding claws,
The swing support portion is configured using a spherical plain bearing,
The state switching portion has a cylindrical body embedded with an opening at one end exposed in the inner ring body of the spherical plain bearing, and a conical slope portion that can contact an edge of the opening of the cylindrical body. Thus, the moving body is configured to move forward and backward, and a drive device that moves the moving body forward and backward .

Moreover, the bulk pick-up article automatic take-out system of this invention (B1)
A robot hand for taking out bulk goods according to the invention A1 or A2,
A robot apparatus having a robot arm that is attached to the robot hand and operates to take out a bulked article;
An identification device that measures and identifies the state of the stacked articles,
A hand driving device for driving a working part of the robot hand and a part for operating the state switching part;
A control device that operates the robot arm of the robot device based on information such as identification information of the identification device, and operates the hand drive device;
With at least,
The control device is
When the robot arm is actuated and inserted to a predetermined depth into a hole of one article that is determined as a target for taking out the holding claws in the working part of the robot hand, the hand drive device is actuated to activate the robot hand. An operation of enabling the swing support of the swing support portion of
When the robot arm is operated and the holding claw in the working part of the robot hand is inserted to a depth that can be held in the hole of the article, the hand driving device is operated and the holding part is held by the holding claw. Action to start work,
When the time required to complete the holding operation of the hole of the article by the holding claws is completed within a predetermined threshold time, the hand driving device is operated to swing the swing support portion of the robot hand. Disabling dynamic support and returning the working unit to a standard posture;
When the time required to complete the holding of the hole of the article by the holding claw does not end within the threshold time, the robot arm is operated so that the robot arm is supported by the swing support part of the robot hand. The robot arm is tilted downward by a required angle, and when the tilting of the robot arm is completed, the hand drive device is operated to invalidate the swing support of the swing support portion of the robot hand, and the working portion is used as a reference. To return to the posture of
It is configured to perform a plurality of operations including .

According to the robot hand for taking out loose articles according to the invention A1, the work for taking out the stacked articles one by one with the holes provided in the articles being held one by one is automated by using the robot apparatus. In this case, the swing support of the swing support part in the robot hand is effective at the required time even if the angle of inclination of the hole part of the article to be taken out is misrecognized. And since it can be used in a disabled state, it can be carried out without stopping the work of taking out the article. Moreover, according to this robot hand, said effect can be acquired by the robot hand which can operate | move smoothly with a simpler structure.

According to the above-described bulk stacked article automatic take-out system of the invention B1, when the work of taking out the stacked articles one by one while holding the holes provided in the articles is performed automatically by the robot apparatus, Even if there is a misrecognition of the angle of inclination of the hole of the article to be taken out of the stacked articles, the swing support of the swing support part in the robot hand is enabled and disabled at the required time. Therefore, the work for taking out the article can be performed without stopping.
Further, according to this automatic take-out system, even if there is an adjacent article that makes it difficult to change the posture of the article to be taken out of the stacked articles, the swing support part of the robot hand In addition to enabling and disabling the swing support at the required time, in addition to tilting the robot arm at a specified time, the robot hand working unit is returned to the standard posture according to the tilted robot arm. Therefore, it is possible to take out the article while rejecting the adjacent article.
Furthermore, according to this automatic take-out system, since a simpler and appropriate operation is incorporated and performed, it is possible to easily and accurately obtain the above-described effect relating to the take-out operation of an article while dismissing an adjacent article. it can.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematically the structure of the bulk goods automatic pick-up system concerning Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a side view which shows roughly the external appearance when the robot hand for bulk goods taking-out used for the automatic pick-up system of FIG. 1 is seen from a certain direction. It is a side view which shows the external appearance when it sees from the different direction of the robot hand of FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a partial cross section of the appearance when the robot hand of FIG. 3 is in a different state (a state where swing support is effective). FIG. 2 shows a configuration related to the holding claw in the working part of the robot hand of FIG. 2 and the holding operation of the hole portion of the article by the holding claw, (a) is a bottom view showing the closed state of the holding claw and the holding claw of the article Explanatory drawing which shows the state which is not hold | maintaining a hole, (b) is a bottom view which shows the state which the holding nail opened, and explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the holding nail hold | maintained the hole of an article | item. It is a partial cross section explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the rocking | fluctuation support part and state switching part in the robot hand of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other structural part of the robot hand of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the control system of the automatic pick-up system of FIG. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of operation | movement in the one part process at the time of the taking-out operation | work of the bulk goods by the automatic pick-up system (a robot hand is included) of FIG. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of operation | movement in the other process at the time of the taking-out operation | work of the bulk goods by the automatic pick-up system (a robot hand is included) of FIG. It is a timing chart figure which shows the example of a normal operation | movement at the time of the taking-out operation | work of the bulk goods by the automatic pick-up system (a robot hand is included) of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the main operation states of the robot hand in the normal operation example of FIG. It is a timing chart figure which shows the example of a special operation | movement at the time of the taking-out operation | work of the bulk goods by the automatic pick-up system (a robot hand is included) of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the main operation states of the robot hand in the special operation example of FIG. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows one operation state peculiar to the robot hand in the special operation example of FIG. 13, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the next operation state peculiar to the robot hand in the special operation example of FIG. It is.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention (simply referred to as “embodiments”) will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Embodiment 1]
FIGS. 1 to 4 show an unloading article automatic picking system 10 using the unloading robot hand 1 for unloading articles according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of the automatic pick-up system 10, FIG. 2 schematically shows the appearance of the robot hand 1 when viewed from a certain direction, and FIG. 3 shows the robot hand 1 from different directions. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the robot hand 1 when it is in a state different from that of FIG. 3.

<Configuration of automatic unloading system for bulk goods>
As shown in FIG. 1, the bulk article automatic retrieval system 10 includes a robot hand 1 for picking up bulk goods and a robot arm that is attached to the robot hand and operates to take out a bulked article 90. The robot device 11 having 12, the identification device 13 for measuring and identifying the state of the stacked articles 90, and the working unit (3) and the state switching unit (6) described later of the robot hand 1 are operated. And a control device 14 for operating the robot arm 12 of the robot device 11 and operating the hand drive device 70 based on information such as identification information of the identification device 13.

Of these, a part of the loosely stacked articles 90 to be taken out may be accommodated in a state of being randomly stacked in the accommodation box 95. That is, most of the articles 90 are stacked in a posture parallel to the bottom surface of the storage box 95, but some of the articles 90 are different from each other in the storage box 95 because the posture is not parallel. It is housed in a state (posture in different directions).
For the sake of convenience, for example, the article 90 in the first embodiment exemplifies a main body such as a circular cylinder cut out and a hole 91 provided in the approximate center of the main body. The hole 91 is a hole provided in the article 90. From the viewpoint of performing this take-out operation, the holding claw (4) in the work part (3) of the bulk-loading article take-out robot hand 1 is inserted. It is a hole that can be held and can be held by pressing the holding claw (4) against the inner surface. The hole 91 in the first embodiment exemplifies a penetrating cylindrical hole.
The actual article 90 has, for example, a body with an uneven outer shape, or an inner surface of the hole 91 having an uneven surface. In FIG. 1 and the like, an alternate long and short dash line drawn so as to penetrate the center portion (hole 91) of each article 90 indicates the degree of inclination of each article 90 or its hole 91.

  Further, the robot apparatus 11 is an industry having an articulated robot arm 12 that is equipped with a robot hand 1 for picking up bulk goods and capable of performing an operation of picking up the bulk goods 90 one by one. Robots are applied. In FIG. 1 and the like, reference numerals 12A to 12C denote respective arm portions obtained by dividing the robot arm 12 by respective joint portions, 121 denotes a base portion that is also a main body portion of the robot, and 122 denotes a joint portion. The arm portion 12C is a tip portion of the robot arm 12 and corresponds to a so-called wrist portion, and is also a portion to which the robot hand 1 is attached. The robot arm 12 is operated by the power of a plurality of servo motors (not shown) disposed at the joints 122.

  Furthermore, the identification device 13 is configured using, for example, a camera 131 for imaging the stacked articles 90 and a laser measuring instrument 132 for measuring the distance of the stacked articles 90. In addition, the identification device 13 performs image processing, arithmetic processing, and the like based on information obtained by scanning with the camera 131 and the laser measuring instrument 132, so that the positions of the stacked articles 90 (including the holes 91) Attitude information is identified. The control device 14 is configured using, for example, a machine control computer or a personal computer. The robot hand 1 for picking up loose articles, the hand drive device 70, and the control device 14 will be described later.

<Configuration of robot hand for picking up bulk goods>
The robot hand 1 for picking up bulk goods is used by being attached to the robot arm 12 of the robot apparatus 11, and holds the holes 91 provided in the goods 90 one by one. It is a robot hand that can be taken out.

  The robot hand 1 according to the first embodiment includes, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and the like, a work unit 30 having a mounting portion 20 and a holding claw 40 that operates to hold the hole 91 of the article 90. A swing support portion 50 that can support the working portion 30 in a state of freely swinging with respect to the mounting portion 20, and a state of freely swinging the working portion 30 with respect to the mounting portion 20 or returning to a reference posture. And at least a state switching unit 60 for fixing the state.

  The attachment portion 20 is a portion that is attached to and fixed to the distal end portion 12 </ b> C (attachment surface thereof) of the robot arm 12. The attachment portion 20 is formed in a required shape corresponding to the attachment surface at the tip portion 12C of the robot arm 12, and is fastened and fixed to the tip portion 12C of the robot arm 12 by means such as a bolt. The attachment part 20 in Embodiment 1 is comprised with the member of the column-shaped form which has a flange part.

  The working unit 30 is a tip side portion having a holding claw 40 for holding at least the hole 91 of the article 90. The working unit 30 according to the first embodiment is a part in which an impact absorbing unit 35 is provided on the upper side of the holding claw 40.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 and the like, the holding claw 40 moves three holding claws 40A, 40B, and 40C that can move toward the outside during holding, and the three holding claws 40A to 40C, respectively. The driving device 41 is configured to be provided. Each of the holding claws 40A to 40C has a substantially L-shaped appearance, and the lower end (tip) of the elongated portion 40a that extends linearly below it has a tapered tip shape throughout the holding claw. The outer surface of the elongated portion 40a is formed as a curved surface forming a part of a cylindrical surface. The holding claws 40A, 40B, and 40C are made of a material such as carbon steel for machine structure, for example.

  Further, the holding claws 40A to 40C are directed toward the outer three directions in which the base portion 40d extending in the lateral direction at the upper side extends radially from the center portion of the lower surface of the holding claw movable support 42 constituting a part of the driving device 41. It is attached in a state where it can freely reciprocate while being guided by the guide groove 43. The holding claw 40 and the drive device 41 are configured by applying a so-called chuck device mechanism. For this reason, the holding claws 40A, 40B, and 40C are formed into three claws (chucks) of an inwardly expanding chuck that holds the inside of the hole 91 of the article 90 so as to expand from the inside (center part) to the outside. It has become. Reference numeral 44 in FIG. 2 and the like denotes a stopper provided in a state of protruding outward on the lower side of each of the holding claws 40A to 40C. The stopper 44 is for stopping the article 90 from moving beyond the holding area on the lower side of the holding claws 40A to 40C to the upper side more than necessary.

  Further, the holding claws 40 </ b> A to 40 </ b> C are arranged inside the holding claw movable support 42 in the three directions outward from the center on the lower surface of the holding claw movable support 42 by an actuator that operates using air supplied and exhausted. The mechanism is configured to reciprocate in the directions indicated by the double arrows D along each. For this reason, the driving device 41 (the holding claw movable support 42) of the holding claw 40 is provided with a driving device 71 (FIG. 1) and an air tube 72 having a configuration capable of supplying and exhausting air as an example of the hand driving device 70. Connected through.

  Then, as illustrated on the right side of FIG. 5, the holding claws 40 </ b> A to 40 </ b> C move to the center portion of the holding claw movable support 42 and close (unchucked state) when taking out the article 90. After entering the hole 91 of the article 90, the outer surfaces of the holding claws 40 </ b> A to 40 </ b> C are moved in an open state (chucked state) so as to expand in the outer three directions inside the hole 91. By contacting the inner surface of the hole 91 and pressing the inner surface, the hole 91 of the article 90 is held.

  For example, when the holding claws 40 </ b> A to 40 </ b> C accidentally collide with the article 90 during the work, the impact absorbing section 35 in the working unit 30 receives the impact, thereby causing the robot hand 1 or the robot such as the article 90 or the holding claw 40. In order to prevent the device 11 from being damaged or broken, it is a portion (buffer portion) that can absorb the impact at the time of the collision.

As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the impact absorbing portion 35 in the first embodiment is connected to two support plates 36 and 37 that are spaced apart from each other via two coil springs 38. The lower support plate 36 can be elastically displaced in a direction approaching the upper support plate 37. The displacement distance at this time is set to a required value (for example, several tens of millimeters). The lower support plate 36 is fixed to the upper surface of the holding claw movable support 42. The upper support plate 37 is fixed to the lower part of the part (the swing support part 50) on the attachment part 20 side. The two coil springs 38 are supported in the space inside the coil portion by inserting a columnar column shaft 39 fixed to the lower support plate 36 and penetrating and attached to the upper support 37. ing. The upper portion of the support shaft 39 is supported so as to be freely movable in the through hole of the upper support 37.
When the holding claws 40 </ b> A to 40 </ b> C in the robot hand 1 accidentally collide with a portion other than the hole portion 91 of the article 90 to be taken out or another article 90 that is not to be taken out, When the coil spring 38 is temporarily contracted in response to the force, the lower support plate 36 is displaced in a direction approaching the upper support 37, thereby absorbing the impact at the time of the collision.

  The swing support part 50 is a part that can support the working part 30 in a state of freely swinging around the reference center line VL at a required swing angle θ when the working part 30 is in a reference posture. . Here, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, and the like, the reference posture is that the long portion 40 a of the holding claws 40 </ b> A to 40 </ b> C is substantially the center of the tip end portion 12 </ b> C of the robot arm 12 and the attachment portion. The posture which will be in a state of being arranged in a straight line along an imaginary straight line (a chain line) that passes through almost the center of 20 in common. Further, the reference center line VL when in the reference posture refers to the virtual straight line.

  The swing support portion 50 in the first embodiment is configured using a spherical plain bearing 51. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 6, and the like, the disc-shaped outer ring body 52 having a spherical support surface provided therein and the support surface of the outer ring body 52 are slidably supported. A spherical plain bearing 51 comprising a spherical inner ring body 53 is used. The swing support portion 50 uses the spherical plain bearing 51 to fix the holding body 54 holding the outer ring body 52 to the lower side of the mounting portion 20 via the upper support plate 55, while the inner ring A columnar fixed shaft 56, which is inserted and fixed to the body 53 so as to penetrate the central portion thereof in a substantially horizontal direction, is connected to the working portion 30 (actually the upper support body 37) via a connecting plate 57. The structure fixed in the state is adopted.

  As a result, the swing support portion 50 is supported by the spherical plain bearing 51 so that the inner ring body 53 can slide freely on the support surface of the outer ring body 52, so that the working unit 30 connected to the inner ring body 53 is supported. The whole is supported so as to freely swing around the reference center line VL at a required swing angle θ with the center point P of the inner ring body 53 as a fulcrum (swing fulcrum for swing support). . The swing angle θ is an angle formed with the reference center line VL. The swing angle θ is set as appropriate, but in this example, it is set to 10 °.

  The state switching unit 60 operates to enable the swing support of the swing support unit 50 to make the working unit 30 swing freely with respect to the mounting unit 20, and the swing of the swing support unit 50. This is a part for switching the operation unit 30 to be ineffective and returning the working unit 30 to the reference posture with respect to the mounting unit 20 to be fixed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 6, and the like, the state switching unit 60 in the first embodiment is in a state in which the opening 62 at one end is exposed on the inner ring body 53 of the spherical plain bearing 51 in the swing support unit 50. , A moving body 63 having a conical inclined surface 64 that can come into contact with the edge of the opening 62 of the cylindrical body 61, and moving the moving body 63 back and forth. It is comprised with the drive device 65. FIG.

  Of these, the cylindrical body 61 is actually fitted into and fixed to the end of the columnar fixed shaft 56 of the swing support portion 50 opposite to the end of the connecting plate 57 on the fixed side. The opening 62 is attached in a state of being exposed toward the substantially horizontal direction in FIG.

  The moving body 63 is configured by a tapered pin provided with a tapered surface (slope portion) 64 having a conical surface shape. The moving body 63 is connected to a moving support 66 fixed to the lower surface of the support body 55 in the swing support section 50 and one surface of the holding body 54 in the swing support section 50. It is attached so that it can move within a required range in the direction approaching and separating from the direction (the direction indicated by the double arrow M). The movable support body 66 includes a cylindrical non-lubricated bush 66a driven in a horizontal direction (a direction perpendicular to the reference center line VL) at the center of the movable support body 66, and the movable body 66 moves within the cylinder of the non-lubricated bush 66a. 63 is guided so as to be movable in the axial direction. A dotted line HL in FIGS. 3 and 4 indicates a horizontal straight line orthogonal to the reference center line VL, and is a straight line parallel to the reciprocating direction M of the moving body 63.

  The driving device 65 is configured by a cylinder mechanism (air cylinder) that operates by air pressure. The piston 67 in the driving device 65 is disposed so as to face the rear end portion of the moving body 63 on the side opposite to the inclined surface portion 64. The driving device 65 moves the piston 67 in the cylinder, thereby moving the moving body 63 connected to the piston 67 with respect to the opening 62 of the cylindrical body 61 within the oil-free bush 66 a driven into the moving support body 66. The mechanism moves in the approaching and separating directions (M1, M2). For this reason, the driving device 65 of the state switching unit 60 is connected via an air tube 74 to a driving device 73 (FIG. 1) having a configuration capable of supplying and exhausting air as an example of the hand driving device 70. The driving device 73 may be configured as one driving device that is shared with the driving device 71 that drives the operation of the holding claws 40A to 40C described above.

  As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the state switching unit 60 moves the moving body 63 in the direction indicated by the arrow M2 by the driving device 65 so that the inclined surface portion 64 is separated from the edge 62a of the opening 62 of the cylindrical body 61. As a result, the swing support of the swing support portion 50 is made effective, whereby the working portion 30 is freely swingable with respect to the mounting portion 20 by the swing support portion 50 at the swing angle θ (hereinafter referred to as “ Also called “unlocked state”.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the state switching unit 60 moves the moving body 63 in the direction indicated by the arrow M1 by the driving device 65, and moves a part of the inclined surface portion 64 (circumference passing through one point on the inclined surface). Portion) is pressed against the opening edge 62a of the cylindrical body 61, thereby invalidating the swing support of the swing support portion 50, whereby the working portion 30 is swung with respect to the mounting portion 20. The state can be returned to the reference posture and fixed at 50 (hereinafter also referred to as “locked state”).

  Further, in the robot hand 1 for picking up loose articles, as shown in FIG. 7, the holding claws 40 </ b> A to 40 </ b> C in the working unit 30 are either closed (unchucked) or opened (chucked). A state where the chuck detection unit 76 detects whether or not the operation unit is in a state, a state where the state switching unit 60 swings the working unit 30 (unlocked state), and a state where the working unit 30 is returned to the reference posture and fixed (locked state). And a swing detection unit 77 for detecting which of the operating states is provided.

The chuck detection unit 76 is configured by using, for example, a magnetic switch, and detects by the magnetic force of the magnet that the holding claws 40A to 40C are moved to a position where the movement to the center is completed so as to be in a closed state. The chucking detection part 76A and the chucking detection part 76B that moves to the position where the holding claws 40A to 40C are moved outward to reach the position where the holding is completed are detected by the magnetic force. It is configured by being provided at a predetermined portion of the support 42 (drive device 41).
In addition, the swing detection unit 77 is configured by using, for example, a magnetic switch, and the moving body 63 is separated from the opening edge 62a of the cylindrical body 61 so that the working unit 30 swings. And the unlocking detection unit 77A for detecting the movement by the magnetic force of the magnet 78 provided in a part of the cylinder 67 of the driving device 65 and the working unit 30 returned to the standard posture and fixed. A lock detection unit 77B that detects that the body 63 has moved to a position pressed by the opening edge 62a of the cylindrical body 61 by the magnetic force is provided at a required portion of the drive device 65.

<Configuration of control system of automatic unloading system for bulk goods (including robot hand 1)>
As shown in FIG. 8, the control device 14 in the automatic bulk pick-up system 10 has the following various control units connected to the general control unit 140 that comprehensively controls the overall operation of the system 10. It is configured.

  That is, the general control unit 140 includes a robot control unit 141 that exclusively controls the operation of the robot apparatus 11 (actually the robot arm 12) and a vision system control that exclusively controls the operation of the vision system as the identification apparatus 13. 142 and a robot hand control unit 143 that exclusively controls the operation of the robot hand 1 are connected to each control unit based on a control program and various data stored in the storage unit of the general control unit 140 and the like. Necessary control signals are transmitted to 141-143. Among these control units, the robot hand control unit 143 is software configured by a ladder and is in the control program of the general control unit 140. However, the robot control unit 141 and the vision system control unit 142 are different from the general control unit 140, respectively. It is a unit composed of independent hardware and software. The general control unit 140 is also connected to an operation unit that performs necessary operations for operating the automatic take-out system 10 and a display unit that displays an operation state thereof. It should be noted that a bulk loading station control unit 145 that exclusively controls the operation of a work process unit (bulk stacking station) that stacks the articles 90 is connected to the general control unit 140 as necessary. .

The robot controller 141 is connected to a plurality of servo motors 125 that drive the robot arm 12 and various sensors (not shown), and transmits a current output signal for driving necessary for the servo motor 125 and the like. Information signals from various sensors are received, and part of the information is transmitted to the general control unit 140.
The vision system control unit 142 is connected to the camera 131 and the laser measuring instrument 132, and transmits a control signal for driving necessary for the camera 131 and the laser measuring instrument 132, and the camera 131 and the laser measuring instrument 132. The information signal obtained by 132 is received, and a part of the information signal is transmitted to the robot controller 141 directly or via the general controller 140.
The robot hand control unit 143 includes a driving device 65 of the state switching unit 60 and a driving device 73 that drives the driving device 65 (hereinafter also referred to as “cylinder driving unit of the state switching unit”) and the holding claws 40 in the working unit 30. Are connected to a driving device 41 and a driving device 71 that drives the driving device 41 (hereinafter also referred to as “a driving portion of the holding claw of the working portion”), and the driving devices 73 and 71 are required for driving air supply and exhaust. Sending control signals.
The robot hand control unit 143 is directly or indirectly connected to the swing detection unit 77 and the chuck detection unit 76, and the detection signals obtained by the detection units 77 and 76 (ON / OFF of the fulcrum lock signal). OFF and chuck signal ON / OFF), and a part thereof is transmitted directly to the robot controller 141 or via the general controller 140.

The control device 14 stores various control programs and data in its storage unit, and is particularly necessary when using the robot hand 1 for picking up loose articles as a part of the control program 14 and FIG. A control program and data for performing a control operation corresponding to the sequence shown in FIG. 10 and the timing shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 are also stored. Such control programs and data may be stored in a required storage medium, and are used by being stored in a storage unit or the like in the control device 14 in practical use.
In addition, the control device 14 has a function of a sequence timer that functions as a timer, for example, in the general control unit 140.

<Main operations of automatic unloading system for bulk goods>
Hereinafter, the main operation of this bulk article automatic take-out system 10 will be described.

  In the following description, it is assumed that the article (work) 90 to be taken out is a disc-shaped article having an inner diameter of φj (mm), a depth of d (mm), and a weight of, for example, about 300 g. doing. The inner diameter φj is about 30 mm, for example, and the depth d is about 33 mm, for example.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12 and the like, the robot hand 1 for picking up loose articles has a length L1 from the upper end of the mounting portion 20 to the swing fulcrum P of the swing support portion 50 of about 70 mm. It is assumed that a length L2 from the swinging fulcrum P of the dynamic support portion 50 to the tip end portion of the holding claw 40 of the working portion 30 is about 262 mm. In addition, as shown in FIG. 12 and the like, the robot hand 1 has an outer shape φk of about 26 mm in the lower holding region when the three holding claws 40A to 40C are closed (unlocked). Is assumed.

  Furthermore, one article (work) 90 </ b> A determined as an object to be taken out, including the hole 91, is stacked in a state of being inclined at an inclination angle of “30 °” with respect to the bottom surface of the storage box 95. And

Normal Operation Example First, the main operation of the automatic pickup system 10 will be described based on a normal operation example.
In the normal operation example, when the vision system as the identification device 13 correctly recognizes the inclination angle of the article (work) 90A to be taken out as “30 °” (case 1), the vision system Erroneously recognizes the inclination angle as, for example, “20 °”, but there is no adjacent disturbing article (work) 90B that makes it difficult to change the posture of the article (work) 90A (case 2). This is an example of operation with the above as a prerequisite.

  First, in the automatic take-out system 10, as shown in FIG. 9, the vision system as the identification device 13 is activated by the control command of the control device 14 to identify a group of articles (workpieces) 90 stacked in bulk. A scan is executed (step 10; hereinafter, this will be referred to as “ST10”. The same applies to other steps). Subsequently, the vision system control unit 142 determines the work 90A that is most likely to be picked up (ST11), and then detects the position and orientation (tilt angle) of the work 90A to be picked up (ST12).

  Subsequently, when information regarding the position and orientation of the workpiece 90A determined (recognized) by the vision system control unit 142 is transmitted to the robot control unit 141, the robot apparatus 11 is exemplified as the operation state No. 1 in FIG. Further, after the robot arm 12 is actuated based on the obtained information to move the robot hand 1 to the vicinity of the hole 91 of the workpiece 90A, the holding claws 40A to 40C in the working unit 30 of the robot hand 1 are 3 The tip of the nail chuck is set in a state of being directed toward the entrance of the hole 91 of the workpiece 90A (ST13).

At this time, the position where the upper surface of the mounting portion 20 of the robot hand 1 is present is set as a reference start position (Q) for the operation of entering the hole 91 of the robot hand 1 (the tip of the holding claw 40) (FIG. 12). The time point at which the start reference position (Q) is reached is set as the start time point (t0) of the approach operation (FIG. 11). Further, at the start of this approaching operation, the state switching unit 60 in the robot hand 1 is in a locked state in which the swinging support of the swinging support unit 50 is disabled and the working unit 30 is fixed to the reference posture (FIG. 3). , FIG. 11).
FIG. 12 illustrates the case 1 described above in which the vision system misrecognizes the tilt angle of the workpiece 90A (hole 91). In addition, a one-dot chain line GL in FIG. 12 or the like indicates a vertical line substantially parallel to the direction of gravity. Since the reference center line VL described above is determined by the posture of the robot arm 12, it may coincide with the vertical line GL, but is often different.

  Subsequently, by the operation of the robot arm 12, the robot hand 1 causes the tip of the three claw chucks of the holding units 40 </ b> A to 40 </ b> C in the working unit 30 of the work 90 </ b> A to be illustrated as the operation state No. 2 in FIG. 12. It is made to approach until it becomes predetermined depth e1 (mm) with respect to the hole part 91 (ST14). The depth e1 at this time is set with reference to, for example, the depth when the tips of the three claw chucks of the holding claws 40A to 40C are in contact with part of the inner surface of the hole 91. The depth e1 in this operation example is set to about 15 mm, for example.

At time t1 when the insertion is made up to the depth e1, the hand driving device 7 (73) is driven to move the moving body 63 in the state switching unit 60 away from the cylindrical body 61, as shown in FIG. Is moved by a required distance to enable the swing support of the swing support portion 50 in the robot hand 1 to change the working portion 30 from the locked state to the unlocked state (ST15).
As a result, the working unit 30 (holding claws 40A to 40C) in the robot hand 1 can swing freely within the touch angle θ with respect to the mounting unit 20 by the swing support of the swing support unit 50. (FIGS. 4 and 6).

Subsequently, by the operation of the robot arm 12, the robot hand 1 causes the holding claws 40 </ b> A to 40 </ b> C in the working unit 30 to be the holes of the work 90 </ b> A as illustrated in the operation states No. 3 to No. 6 of FIG. It is made to approach until it becomes the depth e5 (mm) which can be hold | maintained to 91 (ST16).
The holdable depth e <b> 5 is, for example, that the holding claws 40 </ b> A to 40 </ b> C move to a position where the chucking state is completed and are pressed against the inner surface of the hole 91, thereby reliably holding the hole 91. In this state, the depth is such that the workpiece 90A to be taken out can be lifted and taken out. The depth e5 in this operation example is set to about 31 mm, for example.

  At this time, in the case 1 described above, the robot hand 1 (holding claws 40A to 40C) is inserted into the hole 91 of the workpiece 90A at an accurately recognized inclination angle (30 ° in this example). In particular, it smoothly enters the inside of the hole 91 without receiving a large frictional resistance due to contact with the inner surface of the hole 91, and easily reaches the holdable depth e5.

On the other hand, in the case 2 described above, the robot hand 1 (holding claws 40A to 40C) is inserted into the hole portion 91 of the workpiece 90A at an erroneously recognized inclination angle (20 ° in this example). Due to the contact with the inner surface of the portion 91, it gradually receives a large frictional resistance and becomes difficult to enter the hole portion 91.
However, this robot hand 1 is in a state in which the working unit 30 is freely swayed by the swing support unit 50 in this stage (FIG. 11), so that No. 4 to No. 6 in FIG. As illustrated, the holding claws 40 </ b> A to 40 </ b> C in the working unit 30 advance inside the hole 91 while slightly changing the approach angle (posture) so as to match the inclination angle of the hole 91 of the work 90 </ b> A. In this example, as the amount of entry of the robot hand 1 (the tips of the holding claws 40A to 40C) into the hole 91 gradually increases from e1 to e2, e3, e4, and e5, the holding claws 40A to 40C as shown in FIG. The approach angle is gradually changed from the initial 20.0 ° to 20.3 °.
For this reason, since the increase of the frictional resistance due to the contact with the inner surface of the hole 91 is reduced, the holding claws 40A to 40C can reach the holdable depth e5 relatively smoothly. Become.

On the other hand, in the case 2 described above, when a robot hand that is not supported so that the working unit 30 can freely swing at this stage is used, the holding claws 40A to 40C are erroneously recognized initially. The inside of the hole 91 of the workpiece 90A is pushed forward with the inclination angle (20 ° in this example) remaining (without changing the approach angle).
For this reason, in this case, the holding claws 40A to 40C gradually come into strong contact with the inner surface of the hole portion 91 and interfere with each other, and receive a large frictional resistance in proportion thereto. It becomes difficult to enter the inside of 91. In the worst case, as described above, the operation of the robot arm 12 becomes overloaded (in this example, a servo error occurs), and the robot apparatus 11 stops working.
In this regard, when the robot hand 1 according to the first embodiment is used, there is almost no possibility that the operation of the robot arm 12 is overloaded and the robot apparatus 11 stops working.

Subsequently, when the robot hand 1 (holding claws 40A to 40C) is inserted into the hole 91 to the depth e5 (t2), the control from the control device 14 is performed as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. In response to the command, the sequence timer in the overall control unit 140 starts timing, and the hand drive device 70 (71) is driven to drive the three holding claws 40A to 40C (three-claw chucks) by the drive device 41 in the working unit 30. The holding claws 40A to 40C are moved from the center portion to the outer three directions to shift from the unchucked state to the chucked state (ST17).
As a result, the holding claws 40A to 40C of the working unit 30 in the robot hand 1 start to move in the three directions from the center to the inside of the hole 91 of the workpiece 90A as illustrated in FIG. 5B. Then, the holding operation of the holding claws 40A to 40C is started.

  Thereafter, the robot hand controller 143 waits for the chuck signal ON to be generated from the chuck detector 76 (actually the chuck detector 76B) (ST18). The operation in step 18 is continued until a time less than a threshold time Tx described later has elapsed.

  When the robot hand control unit 143 receives the chuck signal ON from the chuck detection unit 76 in step 18, the chuck signal ON is output and transmitted to the general control unit 140 (ST19). In the robot hand control unit 143, the time measured by the sequence timer is equal to or longer than the maximum time (threshold time) Tx of the required time T until the holding operation of the hole 91 of the workpiece 90A by the holding claws 40A to 40C is completed. It is determined whether or not (ST20). The threshold time Tx can be appropriately set in advance through experiments or the like, or can be changed and set to suit the actual situation of work. The threshold time Tx in this operation example is set to about 0.6 sec (seconds), for example.

In the case 1 described above, the holding claws 40A to 40C are inserted into the hole 91 of the workpiece 90A in a normal posture with almost no deviation of the tilt angle, and therefore the holding claws 40A to 40C are held by the holding claws 40A to 40C. Work goes smoothly. For this reason, the required time T until the holding work by the holding claws 40A to 40C is completed is shorter than the maximum time (threshold time) Tx as shown by the straight line indicated by (1) in FIG. t3a is enough.
In the case 2 described above, the holding claws 40A to 40C are inserted into the hole 91 of the workpiece 90A in a state (posture) in which the tilt angle is slightly shifted, so that the holding claws 40A to 40C It takes a little time for the holding work. In addition, since the holding operation (moving in the outer three directions) of the holding claws 40A to 40C slightly contributes to the work for correcting the posture of the workpiece 90A, the holding operation of the holding claws 40A to 40C (in the outer three directions) is accordingly made. It takes time to complete (movement). Therefore, the required time T (t3b-t2) until the holding operation by the holding claws 40A to 40C is completed is the case of the case 1 as shown by the straight line indicated by (2) in FIG. It takes longer than the required time T (t3a-t2). However, the required time T (t3b-t2) at this time is shorter than the maximum time (threshold time) Tx.

Subsequently, the robot hand control unit 143 uses the holding claws 40A to 40C of the working unit 30 in the robot hand 1 at the time (t4) when it is confirmed that the time measured by the sequence timer is equal to or greater than the threshold time Tx. Assuming that the holding operation has been completed within the threshold time Tx, as shown in FIG. 11, the hand driving device 70 (73) is driven to move the moving body 63 in the state switching unit 60 in the direction M1 approaching the cylindrical body 61. The movement unit 30 is moved to invalidate the swing support of the swing support unit 50 in the robot hand 1, and the working unit 30 is changed from the unlocked state to the locked state (ST21).
Thereby, in the working part 30 (holding claws 40A to 40C) of the robot hand 1, the inclined surface part 64 of the moving body 63 comes into contact with a part of the opening edge part 62a of the cylindrical body 61 of the swing support part 50. Then, the cylindrical body 61 is completely pressed against the opening edge 62a of the cylindrical body 61. As a result, the working portion 30 (holding claws 40A to 40C) has a reference posture arranged in a straight line substantially along the reference center line VL in the mounting portion 20, as exemplified by the operation state No. 7 in FIG. Returned to the state of being fixed (FIG. 3).

Subsequently, the robot hand control unit 143 waits for a rocking fulcrum lock signal ON to be generated from the rocking detection unit 77 (actually the lock detection unit 77B) (ST22). In step 22, when the robot hand control unit 143 receives the lock signal ON from the swing detection unit 77, in the normal operation example, the holding claws 40A to 40C of the working unit 30 in the robot hand 1 are moved to the workpiece 90A. It is assumed that the hole 91 is securely held.
At this time, the posture of the workpiece 90A at the stage held by the holding claws 40A to 40C of the robot hand 1 is changed by the holding operation of the holding claws 40A to 40C as illustrated as the operation state No. 7 in FIG. Thus, the inclination angle is in a state close to about 20 ° of the approach angle based on erroneous recognition of the robot hand 1 from 30 ° at the time of bulk stacking.

  Finally, the robot apparatus 11 operates the robot arm 12 to take out the work 90A held by the holding claws 40A to 40C of the robot hand so as to be lifted from the bulk storage box 95 and move it to another predetermined place. .

As described above, the take-out operation (operation) of one article (work) 90A of the automatic bulk take-out system 10 in the normal operation example is completed.
According to the unloading article automatic take-out system 10, as shown in the normal operation example, the angle of inclination of the hole 91 of the article 90 </ b> A to be taken out among the articles 90 that are stacked in bulk is erroneously set. Even if it is recognized, the swing support of the swing support portion 50 in the robot hand 1 is used while being enabled and disabled at a required time (for example, the times shown as elapsed times t1 and t4 in FIG. 11). The take-out operation of the article 90A can be performed without stopping.

Special Operation Example Next, the main operation of the automatic take-out system 10 will be described based on a special operation example.
The special operation example is that the vision system as the identification device 13 misrecognizes the inclination angle of, for example, “20 °” for the article (work) 90A to be taken out, and is illustrated in FIG. 15A. As described above, the operation example is based on the precondition that there is an interfering article (work) 90B that makes it difficult to change the posture of the article (work) 90A (case 3).

This special operation example is characterized in that the automatic take-out system 10 executes each operation shown after step 31 in FIG. 10 at each timing shown in the right half of FIG. 13 (contents after elapsed time t2).
For this reason, the previous operations in the special operation example are the same as those in the normal operation example described above (the operations from Steps 10 to 16 shown in FIG. 9 and Steps 17 to 18 shown in FIG. This is the same as the content up to half the elapsed time t2. Further, the progress state of the previous operation in the special operation example (the operation state shown as the operation state No. 1 to 6 in FIG. 14) is also the progress state in the normal operation example (the operation state No. 1 to 1 in FIG. 12). (The operation state shown as 6).

  In the special operation example, first, as in the case of the normal operation, as shown in FIG. 10, after the holding claws 40A to 40C of the robot hand 1 are shifted from the unchucked state to the chucked state (ST17). However, the robot hand control unit 143 waits for the chuck signal ON to be generated from the chuck detection unit 76 (ST18). At this time, the robot hand control unit 143 starts when the chuck signal ON is not received.

In this case, the robot hand control unit 143 determines whether or not the time measured by the sequence timer is equal to or greater than the threshold time Tx (ST31).
At this time, in the case 3, the holding claws 40A to 40C are inserted into the hole portion 91 of the workpiece 90A in a state (posture) in which the tilt angle is slightly shifted, and next to the workpiece 90A to be taken out. As a result, the holding work by the holding claws 40A to 40C does not proceed as scheduled and does not end within the threshold time Tx. .

  Subsequently, in the automatic take-out system 10, the holding work by the holding claws 40A to 40C does not end within the threshold time Tx when it is confirmed that the time measured by the sequence timer has exceeded the threshold time Tx (t4). And the following two operations are executed.

That is, one is that the robot control unit 141 uses the tip 12C of the robot arm 12 in the robot apparatus 11 as a fulcrum for the swing support unit 50 of the robot hand 1 as exemplified by the operation state No. 8 in FIG. Then, an operation of inclining downward by a required angle (β °) is performed (ST32).
As a result, the distal end portion 12C of the robot arm 12 is inclined by an angle (β °) with the swing support portion 50 of the robot hand 1 as a fulcrum. As the tip 12C of the robot arm 12 is tilted, the reference center line VL is changed to the reference center line VL2 tilted at an angle (β °) as shown in the operation state No. 8 of FIG. The Further, when the distal end portion 12C of the robot arm 12 is tilted, the posture of the working unit 30 of the robot hand 1 is hardly changed.

  Here, the downward side when the distal end portion 12C of the robot arm 12 is tilted is, for example, a direction that is below the tilt angle of the workpiece 90A recognized by the vision system. In other words, the lower side when tilted is, in other words, the side necessary for the tip portion 12C of the robot arm 12 to be in a tilted posture approaching the tilt angle (30 ° in this example) when the workpiece 90A is stacked. Direction. The operation of inclining the distal end portion 12C of the robot arm 12 is a preparation for moving a disturbing work 90B by the robot hand 1 described later. The angle of inclination (β °) is set to an angle that is substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the touch angle θ in the swing support portion 50. The angle of inclination (β °) in this example is about 10 °, for example.

  The other is that when the tilting of the robot arm 12 is completed (t6), the robot hand control unit 143 drives the hand drive device 70 (73) to bring the moving body 63 in the state switching unit 60 closer to the cylindrical body 61. In the moving direction M1, the swing support of the swing support part 50 in the robot hand 1 is disabled, and the working unit 30 is changed from the unlocked state to the locked state (ST33).

  Thereby, in the working part 30 (holding claws 40A to 40C) in the robot hand 1, the inclined surface part 64 of the movable body 63 is the cylinder of the swinging support part 50, as in the case described in Step 21 of the normal operation example. It advances so that it may contact a part of opening edge part 62a of the body 61, and the slope part 64 will be in the state which pressed the opening edge part 62a of the cylindrical body 61 completely finally. As a result, the working unit 30 (holding claws 40A to 40C) in the robot hand 1 is set so that the working unit 30 (holding claws 40A to 40C) has the previous angle (β In the reference posture aligned in a straight line substantially along the reference center line VL2 after tilting in the mounting portion 20 that is integrally tilted by the same angle (β °) with the distal end portion 12C of the robot arm 12 tilted by only. It is returned and fixed (FIG. 15b).

Then, the working unit 30 (holding claws 40A to 40C) in the robot hand 1, especially when performing the second operation (operation of step 33), as illustrated as operation state No. 9 in FIG. The lower end moves so as to be swung up obliquely from below to above. By this movement operation, as illustrated in FIG. 15B, the workpiece 90A to be taken out held by the holding claws 40A to 40C of the robot hand 1 flips the adjacent disturbing workpiece 90B around. Can be rejected.
Moreover, the working unit 30 (holding claws 40A to 40C) in the robot hand 1 performs the second operation (the operation of step 33) in particular, so that the tilt angle of the robot hand 1 (holding claws 40A to 40C) can be increased. The state becomes close to the tilt angle when the workpiece 90A to be taken out is stacked. For this reason, the holding operation of the holding claws 40A to 40C at this time proceeds smoothly and surely in combination with the fact that the adjacent disturbing work 90B is retracted almost simultaneously and does not exist.

  Subsequently, the robot hand controller 143 waits for the chuck signal ON to be generated from the chuck detector 76 (actually the chuck detector 76B) (ST34). When the robot hand control unit 143 receives the chuck signal ON from the chuck detection unit 76 in step 34 (t7), the robot hand control unit 143 continues the swing detection unit 77 (actually the lock detection unit 77B). ) To wait for the rocking fulcrum lock signal ON to be generated (ST35).

  When the robot hand control unit 143 receives the lock signal ON from the swing detection unit 77 in step 35, the holding claws 40A to 40C of the working unit 30 in the robot hand 1 are moved to the workpiece 90A even in a special operation example. It is assumed that the hole 91 is securely held.

  Thereafter, also in the special operation example, as in the case of the normal operation example described above, the robot apparatus 11 operates the robot arm 12 to hold the workpiece 90A held by the holding claws 40A to 40C of the robot hand. The material is taken out from the bulk storage box 95 and moved to another predetermined place. At this time, the work 90A is taken out easily and stably because there is no adjacent disturbing work 90B.

Thus, the take-out operation (operation) of one article (work) 90A of the bulk stacked article automatic take-out system 10 in the special operation example is completed.
According to this automatic take-out system 10, as shown in the above-described special operation example, the adjacent disturbing article 90B that makes it difficult to change the posture of the article 90A to be taken out, among the articles 90 that are stacked in bulk, is provided. Even if it exists, in addition to using the swing support of the swing support portion 50 in the robot hand 1 by making it valid and invalid at a required time (for example, times shown as elapsed times t1 and t6 in FIG. 13). Then, after the robot arm 12 is tilted at a predetermined time (for example, the time shown as elapsed time t4 in FIG. 13), the working unit 30 of the robot hand 1 is returned to the standard posture and used in accordance with the tilted robot arm 12. Therefore, it is possible to perform the operation of taking out the article 90A while dismissing the adjacent disturbing article 90B.

[Other embodiments]
The working unit 30 in the robot hand 1 may have a configuration in which the impact absorbing unit 35 exemplified in the first embodiment is omitted. Further, the holding claws 40 in the working unit 30 are not limited to the three holding claws 40A to 40C exemplified in the first embodiment, and if necessary, holding claws having other configurations (number, shape, etc.) are applied. It may be a thing.

The swing support portion 50 in the robot hand 1 is not limited to the one configured using the spherical plain bearing 51 illustrated in the first embodiment, and may have other configurations as long as the swing support described above is possible. May be applied.
Further, the state switching unit 60 in the robot hand 1 is not limited to the one configured by the cylindrical body 61, the moving body 63, and the driving device 65 illustrated in the first embodiment, but the swing support of the swing support unit 50 described above. Any other configuration may be applied as long as it is possible to switch to each state in which is enabled or disabled.

  In addition, the article 90 to be taken out by the robot hand 1 or the automatic take-out system 10 has a recessed shape that does not penetrate as long as the hole 91 can be held by the holding claw 40 in the robot hand 1. It may be a hole.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Robot hand for picking up loose articles 10 ... Automatic picking system for bulk goods 11 ... Robot device 12 ... Robot arm 13 ... Identification device 14 ... Control device 20 ... Mounting portion 30 ... Working portion 40 ... Holding claws 40A, 40B, 40V ... 3-jaw chuck (multiple holding claws)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 41 ... Drive device 50 which moves holding nail ... Swing support part 51 ... Spherical plain bearing 60 ... State switching part 61 ... Cylindrical body 62 ... Opening 63 ... Moving body 64 ... Slope part 65 ... Air cylinder (moving body is reciprocated) Drive device)
70 ... Hand drive device 90 ... Bulk-laden article 90A ... One article 91 determined to be taken out ... Hole VL ... Reference center line

Claims (2)

A robot hand that is used by being attached to a robot arm and takes out the stacked articles one by one while holding the holes provided in the articles,
A mounting portion fixed to the robot arm and fixed;
A working part having a holding claw that is inserted into the hole part of the article and operates to hold the hole part by pressing against the inner surface of the hole part;
A swing support portion capable of supporting the working portion in a state of swinging freely at a required swing angle around a reference center line when in a reference posture with respect to the mounting portion;
Actuating to enable the swing support of the swing support portion to make the working portion swing freely with respect to the mounting portion, while disabling the swing support of the swing support portion A state switching unit that operates and puts the working unit back into a reference posture and fixed to the mounting unit;
With at least,
The working unit includes a plurality of holding claws that move outward, and a driving device that moves the plurality of holding claws,
The swing support portion is configured using a spherical plain bearing,
The state switching portion has a cylindrical body embedded with an opening at one end exposed in the inner ring body of the spherical plain bearing, and a conical slope portion that can contact an edge of the opening of the cylindrical body. Then, a robot hand for picking up bulk goods , comprising: a moving body that moves forward and backward, and a drive device that moves the moving body forward and backward . The robot hand for taking out bulk goods according to claim 1,
A robot apparatus having a robot arm that is attached to the robot hand and operates to take out a bulked article;
An identification device that measures and identifies the state of the stacked articles,
A hand driving device for driving a working part of the robot hand and a part for operating the state switching part;
A control device that operates the robot arm of the robot device based on information such as identification information of the identification device, and operates the hand drive device;
Comprising at least
The controller is
When the robot arm is actuated and inserted to a predetermined depth into a hole of one article that is determined as a target for taking out the holding claws in the working part of the robot hand, the hand drive device is actuated to activate the robot hand. An operation of enabling the swing support of the swing support portion of
When the robot arm is operated and the holding claw in the working part of the robot hand is inserted to a depth that can be held in the hole of the article, the hand driving device is operated and the holding part is held by the holding claw. Action to start work,
When the time required to complete the holding operation of the hole of the article by the holding claws is completed within a predetermined threshold time, the hand driving device is operated to swing the swing support portion of the robot hand. Disabling dynamic support and returning the working unit to a standard posture;
When the time required to complete the holding of the hole of the article by the holding claw does not end within the threshold time, the robot arm is operated so that the robot arm is supported by the swing support part of the robot hand. The robot arm is tilted downward by a required angle, and when the tilting of the robot arm is completed, the hand drive device is operated to invalidate the swing support of the swing support portion of the robot hand, and the working portion is used as a reference. To return to the posture of
A system for automatically picking up bulk articles, wherein the system is configured to perform a plurality of operations including:

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