JP6979688B2 - Goods transfer device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article transfer device.

There is an article transfer device that grips a part of a group of articles such as foods stored in a tray with a robot hand and transfers the articles in the gripped portion to another container or the like. A robot hand used for such an article transfer device is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-47481

In such an article transfer device, a predetermined amount of articles is grasped by a robot hand and transferred to another container or the like. However, as the amount of articles in the tray decreases, the insertion depth of the robot hand into the article group decreases, and it becomes difficult for the robot hand to grip a predetermined amount of articles.

Therefore, one aspect of the present invention is to provide an article transfer device capable of stably transferring a certain amount of articles.

The article transfer device according to one aspect of the present invention has a grip portion for gripping an article, and a part of the article is inserted into an article group which is an aggregate of a plurality of articles placed on the mounting portion. A robot hand that grips and transfers the article of the gripped part to the position of the transfer destination, and a height detection unit that detects the height of the article in the insertion direction of the grip portion in the article group placed on the mounting portion. And, based on the article height detected by the height detection unit, the insertion depth calculation unit that calculates the insertion depth of the gripping portion with respect to the article group so as to be equal to or less than the detected article height, and the insertion depth calculation unit in advance. An opening amount calculation unit that calculates the opening amount of the gripping portion based on the insertion depth calculated by the target gripping amount and insertion depth calculation unit of the set article, and a robot control that controls the operation of the robot hand. In the robot control unit, the opening amount of the grip portion is the opening amount calculated by the opening amount calculation unit, and the insertion depth of the grip portion with respect to the article group is calculated by the insertion depth calculation unit. The operation of the robot hand is controlled so as to be the insertion depth, and the robot hand is further controlled so that the article is gripped by the grip portion inserted into the article group and the article is transferred to the transfer destination.

In this article transfer device, the insertion depth of the grip portion is calculated based on the article height detected by the height detecting portion. Further, in this article transfer device, the opening amount of the gripping portion is calculated based on the preset target gripping amount and the calculated insertion depth. That is, the article transfer device controls the insertion depth and the opening amount of the gripping portion based on the article height to grip the article. As a result, the article transfer device can stably transfer a certain amount of articles even if the article height changes.

When the height of the article detected by the height detection unit is high, the insertion depth calculation unit has a deeper insertion depth and the opening amount calculation unit has an opening amount of the grip portion as compared with the case where the article height is low. May be reduced. In this case, the article transfer device can insert the grip portion deeper into the article group when the article height is high than when the article height is low. Here, in general, the robot hand has a slower operating speed when closing the grip portion (grasping the article) than the moving speed of the grip portion (insertion speed into the article group). Therefore, when the article height is high, the article transfer device can reduce the opening amount of the grip portion by increasing the insertion depth. That is, the operation time for the gripping portion to grip the article is shortened. As a result, when the height of the article is high, the article transfer device can shorten the time required for inserting the gripping portion into the article and gripping the article.

The article transfer device includes a mass calculation unit that calculates the mass of the article based on the force and acceleration acting on the article when the robot hand moves the article, and includes the calculation result of the mass calculation unit and the target gripping amount. At least one of the opening amount calculation unit adjusting the opening amount of the grip portion and the insertion depth calculation unit adjusting the insertion depth may be performed based on the above. In this case, the article transfer device can correct the gripping amount of the article based on the calculation result of the mass calculation unit.

According to various aspects of the present invention, a certain amount of articles can be stably transferred.

It is a figure which shows the schematic structure of the article transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 2A is a side view of the grip portion. FIG. 2B is a view of the grip portion as viewed from below. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing how the grip portion is inserted into the food group. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the amount of foodstuffs gripped by the gripping portion. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are cross-sectional views showing the insertion depth of the grip portion with respect to the food group. It is a top view which shows the plurality of insertion positions set in the mounting range. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the transfer process performed by the article transfer apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted. The terms "upper" and "lower" correspond to "upper" and "lower" in the vertical direction, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, a foodstuff group (article group) B, which is an aggregate of a plurality of foodstuffs (articles) B1 (see FIG. 3A), is placed on the tray (placement unit) 2. .. The article transfer device 1 takes out a preset amount of the food material B1 from the tray 2 and transfers it to a container 3 such as a lunch box case. Specifically, the article transfer device 1 includes a robot hand 10, a leveling mechanism 20, a control unit 30, and a notification unit 40.

The robot hand 10 is provided in the vicinity of the tray 2 and the container 3 placed on the work table 5. A plurality of containers 3 are arranged on the work table 5. The tray 2 and the container 3 are box bodies having an open upper portion, respectively. The robot hand 10 takes out the target gripping amount (predetermined amount) of the food material B1 from the tray 2 and sequentially transfers it to a plurality of containers 3. The robot hand 10 includes an arm portion 11, a grip portion 12, a camera 13, and a measuring portion 14.

The grip portion 12 is attached to the tip end portion of the arm portion 11. The arm portion 11 has a plurality of joints. The arm portion 11 can move the grip portion 12 to a desired position by turning and bending the joint. The operation of the arm unit 11 is controlled by the control unit 30. The arm unit 11 operates based on the control signal output from the control unit 30.

The grip portion 12 grips a part of the food material B1 from the food material group B. In the present embodiment, the grip portion 12 includes a main body portion 12a, three grip members 12b, and a drive portion 12c, as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). The main body portion 12a is a housing having a central axis C. The main body portion 12a has, for example, a columnar outer shape. The main body 12a is made of metal, for example. The main body portion 12a is attached to the tip end portion of the arm portion 11.

The grip member 12b is a rod-shaped member. The grip member 12b is made of, for example, resin, metal, or the like. The gripping member 12b is attached to the main body portion 12a so as to project downward from the main body portion 12a. Each of the three gripping members 12b is arranged on a virtual circle centered on the central axis C. The three gripping members 12b are arranged at equal intervals (120 ° intervals) in the circumferential direction of the virtual circle.

Further, the gripping member 12b is movably provided on the main body portion 12a. Specifically, the gripping member 12b moves by being driven by the driving unit 12c. The drive unit 12c moves the grip member 12b in a direction approaching the central axis C and a direction away from the central axis C. The drive unit 12c moves the three gripping members 12b in synchronization with each other. As a result, the three gripping members 12b move in the direction toward each other and in the direction away from each other. The drive unit 12c includes, for example, a motor and a link mechanism. The operation of the drive unit 12c is controlled by the control unit 30. The drive unit 12c operates based on the control signal output from the control unit 30.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the arm portion 11 moves the grip portion 12 from above to below, so that the grip member 12b of the grip portion 12 is inserted into the food group B. .. Subsequently, the driving unit 12c moves the three gripping members 12b in directions toward each other, so that the gripping member 12b grips the food material B1.

Here, the gripping amount of the food material B1 gripped by the gripping portion 12 (mass of the gripped food material B1) will be described. The gripping amount of the food material B1 gripped by the gripping portion 12 is expressed by the following equation (1).
Grasp amount of food B1 = density P x volume of food B1 (1)
The density P is the density of the food material B1 in the food material group B. The volume of the food material B1 is the volume of the food material B1 gripped by the grip portion 12.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the range gripped by the gripping member 12b when the gripping member 12b is inserted on the upper surface of the food group B is defined as the gripping range R. In the present embodiment, the gripping range R is an inner portion of a circle inscribed in the three gripping members 12b, as shown in FIG. 2B. The size (diameter) of the gripping range R is determined by the positions of the three gripping members 12b when they are inserted into the food group B. The size of the gripping range R becomes smaller when the three gripping members 12b are moved to a position close to the central axis C, and the three gripping members 12b are moved to a position away from the central axis C. It grows in the state. When the food group B is viewed from above, the grip portion 12 grips the food B1 within the grip range R.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the volume of the food material B1 gripped by the grip portion 12 is represented by the following formula (2).
Volume of foodstuff B1 = π × (radius of gripping range R) ² × insertion depth L (2)
When the diameter of the gripping range R is D, the radius of the gripping range R is represented by (D / 2). As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the insertion depth L is the tip portion of the gripping member 12b from the upper surface of the foodstuff group B when the gripping member 12b is inserted into the foodstuff group B. Up to.

As described above, the volume of the food material B1 gripped by the gripping portion 12 is the opening amount (grip range R) of the gripping member 12b when inserted into the food material group B and the insertion depth of the gripping member 12b into the food material group B. It depends on L. That is, the larger the gripping range R of the gripping member 12b when it is inserted into the foodstuff group B, the larger the amount of the foodstuff B1 gripped by the gripping portion 12. As the insertion depth L of the gripping member 12b into the food material group B becomes deeper, the amount of the food material B1 gripped by the gripping portion 12 increases.

As shown in FIG. 1, the camera 13 captures the food group B in the tray 2. The camera 13 is provided so that the mounting range of the food group B on the tray 2 can be imaged. The camera 13 is provided, for example, at the tip of the arm portion 11. However, the position where the camera 13 is provided is not limited to the tip end portion of the arm portion 11, and may be provided at an appropriate position. The image pickup information of the camera 13 is output to the control unit 30.

The measuring unit 14 measures the force and acceleration acting on the food material B1 when the arm unit 11 moves the gripping unit 12 in the state where the food material B1 is gripped. The measuring unit 14 is provided, for example, between the tip end portion of the arm portion 11 and the grip portion 12. The measuring unit 14 outputs the measured result to the control unit 30.

As described above, the robot hand 10 inserts the gripping member 12b of the gripping portion 12 into the foodstuff group B in the tray 2 and grips a part of the foodstuff B1 from the foodstuff group B. Subsequently, the robot hand 10 moves the grip portion 12 above the transfer destination container 3 by operating the arm portion 11. Then, the robot hand 10 transfers the food material B1 to the transfer destination container 3 by releasing the food material B1 from the grip portion 12.

The leveling mechanism 20 is provided in the vicinity of the tray 2 placed on the work table 5. The leveling mechanism 20 smoothes the upper surface (surface) of the food group B in the tray 2. The leveling mechanism 20 includes an arm portion 21 and a leveling portion 22. The leveling portion 22 is attached to the tip end portion of the arm portion 21. The leveling portion 22 has, for example, a comb shape. The arm portion 21 has a plurality of joints. The arm portion 21 can move the leveling portion 22 to a desired position by turning and bending the joint. The operation of the arm unit 21 is controlled by the control unit 30. The arm unit 21 operates based on the control signal output from the control unit 30. The leveling mechanism 20 abuts the leveling portion 22 on the upper surface of the food group B, and moves the leveling portion 22 in a state of being in contact with the food group B to level the upper surface of the food group B.

The control unit 30 controls the operation of the robot hand 10 and the operation of the leveling mechanism 20. The control unit 30 may be housed in the robot hand 10 or the leveling mechanism 20, or may be provided outside the robot hand 10 and the leveling mechanism 20. The control unit 30 is an electronic control unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The control unit 30 outputs a control signal to the robot hand 10 and the leveling mechanism 20. The control unit 30 includes an article range detection unit (height detection unit) 31, an insertion depth calculation unit 32, an opening amount calculation unit 33, an insertion position setting unit 34, a robot control unit 35, a notification control unit 36, and a leveling unit. It includes a control unit 37 and a mass calculation unit 38.

The article range detection unit 31 detects the placement range S (see FIG. 5) of the food group B in the tray 2. This placement range S is a range in which the food material group B can be placed (accommodated) when the tray 2 is viewed from above. In the present embodiment, the tray 2 has a rectangular mounting range S when viewed from above. The shape and size of the mounting range S differ depending on the type of the tray 2.

The article range detection unit 31 detects the placement range S based on the image pickup information of the camera 13. For example, the article range detection unit 31 may extract the tray 2 or the food material group B from the captured image of the camera 13 based on a well-known image processing technique, and detect the placement range S based on the extraction result.

Further, the article range detecting unit 31 detects the article height H (see FIG. 4A) of the food material group B placed on the tray 2. Here, the article height H of the food group B is a length along the vertical direction (the direction in which the grip portion 12 is inserted into the food group B) from the upper surface of the bottom 2a of the tray 2 to the upper surface of the food group B. be.

The article range detection unit 31 detects the article height H based on the image pickup information of the camera 13. For example, the article range detection unit 31 detects the height position of the upper surface of the food group B with respect to the upper surface of the work table 5 from the captured image of the camera 13 based on a well-known image processing technique. The article range detecting unit 31 may detect the article height H based on the height position of the upper surface of the detected food group B and the thickness of the bottom portion 2a of the tray 2 set in advance.

The insertion depth calculation unit 32 calculates the insertion depth L when the grip member 12b of the grip unit 12 is inserted into the food group B. The insertion depth calculation unit 32 calculates the insertion depth L so as to be equal to or less than the detected article height H based on the article height H detected by the article range detection unit 31. Further, the insertion depth calculation unit 32 lengthens the insertion depth L as much as possible. That is, the insertion depth calculation unit 32 calculates the maximum insertion depth L at which the grip portion 12 can be inserted into the food group B as the insertion depth L. Here, as shown in FIG. 4A, the length of the gripping member 12b that can be inserted into the food group B is defined as the insertable length LM. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the article height H is longer than the insertable length LM, the article range detection unit 31 calculates the insertable length LM as the insertion depth L. do. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the article height H is equal to or less than the insertable length LM, the article range detection unit 31 calculates the article height H as the insertion depth L. In the case shown in FIG. 4B, the article range detection unit 31 may calculate the length obtained by subtracting a predetermined margin from the article height H as the insertion depth L. As described above, in the range in which the tip end portion of the gripping member 12b does not abut on the bottom portion 2a of the tray 2, the article range detection unit 31 has a high article height H as compared with a low article height H. Increase the insertion depth L.

The opening amount calculation unit 33 calculates the opening amount of the gripping member 12b when the gripping member 12b is inserted into the food group B. That is, the opening amount calculation unit 33 calculates the size of the gripping range R in which the food material B1 is gripped by the gripping member 12b when the gripping member 12b is inserted. Specifically, the opening amount calculation unit 33 obtains the volume of the food material B1 to be gripped by the gripping unit 12 based on the preset target gripping amount of the food material B1 and the above formula (1). The density P is set in advance according to the type of the food material B1 to be gripped. Subsequently, the opening amount calculation unit 33 includes the obtained volume of the food material B1, the insertion depth L calculated by the insertion depth calculation unit 32 (maximum insertion depth L), and the above equation (2). Based on the above, the size of the gripping range R is calculated.

As described above, when the insertion depth L is long, the opening amount calculation unit 33 reduces the size of the gripping range R (opening amount of the gripping member 12b) as compared with the case where the insertion depth L is short. .. The gripping portion 12 grips the food material B1 with the gripping range R calculated by the opening amount calculation unit 33 and the insertion depth L calculated by the insertion depth calculation unit 32, whereby the food material B1 having the target gripping amount is held. Can be grasped.

The insertion position setting unit 34 sets the insertion position when the grip member 12b of the grip portion 12 is inserted into the food group B and gripped. The insertion position may be represented by, for example, the position of the central axis C of the grip portion 12 when the grip member 12b is inserted into the upper surface of the food group B. The insertion position setting unit 34 sets a plurality of insertion positions within the mounting range S detected by the article range detection unit 31. As shown in FIG. 5, the insertion position setting unit 34 has a gripping range by the gripping unit 12 on a plane on which the food material B1 is placed, based on the size of the gripping range R calculated by the opening amount calculation unit 33. A plurality of insertion positions are set within the mounting range S so that R do not overlap with each other. That is, the insertion position setting unit 34 sets a plurality of insertion positions within the mounting range S so that the gripping ranges R do not overlap each other when the mounting range S is viewed from above. The insertion position setting unit 34 sets the maximum number of insertion positions that can be set so that the gripping ranges R do not overlap each other when setting a plurality of insertion positions within the mounting range S.

As shown in FIG. 5, the insertion position setting unit 34 sets the insertion position so that the gripping range R is arranged in a grid pattern along the long side and the short side of the mounting range S when viewed from above. Set. Further, the insertion position setting unit 34 is not limited to setting the insertion position so that the gripping range R is arranged in a grid pattern as shown in FIG. 5, for example, the gripping range R is arranged in a houndstooth pattern. The insertion position may be set so that is arranged.

The robot control unit 35 controls the operation of the robot hand 10 by outputting a control signal to the robot hand 10. The robot control unit 35 is a robot so that the food material B1 is grasped and the food material B1 is sequentially transferred to the transfer destination container 3 for each of the plurality of insertion positions set by the insertion position setting unit 34. Controls the operation of the hand 10.

Specifically, the robot control unit 35 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 12c to move the grip member 12b so as to have a gripping range R calculated by the opening amount calculation unit 33. Subsequently, the robot control unit 35 outputs a control signal to the arm unit 11 so that the grip unit 12 is positioned above the insertion position set by the insertion position setting unit 34. 11 is operated. The operation of moving the gripping member 12b so as to be within the gripping range R and the operation of the arm portion 11 for locating the gripping portion 12 above the insertion position may be performed at the same time, whichever comes first. It may be done.

Subsequently, the robot control unit 35 outputs a control signal to the arm unit 11, so that the gripping member 12b is inserted into the food group B by the insertion depth L calculated by the insertion depth calculation unit 32. As described above, the arm portion 11 is operated. Subsequently, the robot control unit 35 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 12c to move the grip member 12b to the central axis C side and grip the food material B1 by the grip member 12b. Subsequently, the robot control unit 35 outputs a control signal to the arm unit 11 to operate the arm unit 11 so that the grip portion 12 is located above the container 3 to be transferred. Subsequently, the robot control unit 35 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 12c to move the grip member 12b to the side away from the central axis C, and releases the food material B1 from the grip unit 12. As a result, the robot hand 10 can transfer the food material B1 having a preset target gripping amount from the tray 2 to the transfer destination container 3.

The notification control unit 36 notifies the operator of the article transfer device 1 by outputting a control signal to the notification unit 40. The notification unit 40 may be, for example, a display, a lamp, or a speaker. The notification control unit 36 notifies through the notification unit 40 when the food material B1 in the tray 2 is exhausted (less than a predetermined amount) due to the transfer of the food material B1 by the robot hand 10. The case where the food material B1 in the tray 2 is exhausted (less than a predetermined amount) may be a case where the gripping portion 12 cannot grip the food material B1 having a target gripping amount because the insertion depth L is short. The notification control unit 36 can determine that the food material B1 in the tray 2 has disappeared based on the detection result of the product height H of the food material group B in the product range detection unit 31. As a result, the operator can recognize the replacement timing of the tray 2.

The leveling control unit 37 controls the operation of the leveling mechanism 20. The leveling control unit 37 outputs a control signal to the arm unit 21 to operate the arm unit 21 so as to level the upper surface of the food material B1 by the leveling unit 22. Further, the leveling control unit 37 reaches a predetermined number of insertion positions in which the food material B1 is gripped and transferred among the plurality of insertion positions set in the placement range S. In this case, the upper surface of the food group B at the insertion position where the food B1 is gripped and transferred is leveled. In the present embodiment, when the leveling control unit 37 grips and transfers the food material B1 to all the insertion positions set in the placement range S, the leveling mechanism 20 causes the food material group B to be held. Smooth the entire top surface of the.

After the entire upper surface of the food group B is leveled by the leveling control unit 37, the food material B1 in the tray 2 is transferred, so that the article height H of the food material group B in the tray 2 becomes low. Therefore, the article range detection unit 31 detects the article height H again. The insertion depth calculation unit 32 calculates the insertion depth L again. The opening amount calculation unit 33 calculates the gripping range R again. The insertion position setting unit 34 resets a plurality of insertion positions within the mounting range S based on the gripping range R recalculated by the opening amount calculation unit 33. Then, the robot hand 10 transfers the food material B1 based on the insertion position set again. In this way, the article transfer device 1 repeatedly transfers the food material B1 from the tray 2 to the container 3 until the food material group B in the tray 2 is exhausted (until the amount becomes less than a predetermined amount).

The mass calculation unit 38 calculates the mass of the food material B1 gripped by the gripping unit 12 by a well-known method based on the measurement result (force and acceleration acting on the food material B1) of the measuring unit 14. The insertion depth calculation unit 32 determines whether or not the mass of the food material B1 calculated by the mass calculation unit 38 matches the preset target gripping amount. If they do not match, the insertion depth calculation unit 32 adjusts the insertion depth L so that the mass of the food material B1 calculated by the mass calculation unit 38 matches the target gripping amount. Further, the opening amount calculation unit 33 determines whether or not the mass of the food material B1 calculated by the mass calculation unit 38 matches the preset target gripping amount. If they do not match, the opening amount calculation unit 33 adjusts the size of the gripping range R so that the mass of the food material B1 calculated by the mass calculation unit 38 matches the target gripping amount. Both adjustments may be made for the adjustment of the insertion depth L in the insertion depth calculation unit 32 and the adjustment of the size of the gripping range R in the opening amount calculation unit 33, and one of them may be adjusted. Only may be done. The insertion depth calculation unit 32 and the opening amount calculation unit 33 adjust the insertion depth L and the size of the gripping range R, and set the insertion position after the leveling operation by the leveling mechanism 20 is completed. This is performed before the insertion position is set again by the unit 34. However, the insertion depth calculation unit 32 and the opening amount calculation unit 33 adjust the insertion depth L and the size of the gripping range R every time the food material B1 is transferred from the tray 2 to the container 3. You may go.

Next, the flow of the transfer process of the food material B1 from the tray 2 to the container 3 performed by the article transfer device 1 will be described. The process shown in FIG. 6 is started when the tray 2 on which the food group B is placed is installed at a predetermined position on the work table 5. Further, the process shown in FIG. 6 ends when the food group B in the tray 2 is exhausted (less than a predetermined amount) or when the operator gives an instruction to stop the transfer process.

When the tray 2 is placed at a predetermined position on the work table 5, the article range detection unit 31 detects the placement range S of the food group B in the tray 2. Further, the article range detection unit 31 detects the article height H of the food group B (S101). The insertion depth calculation unit 32 calculates the insertion depth L when the grip member 12b of the grip unit 12 is inserted into the food group B (S102). The opening amount calculation unit 33 calculates the size of the gripping range R in which the food material B1 is gripped by the gripping member 12b when the gripping member 12b is inserted (S103). The insertion position setting unit 34 sets a plurality of insertion positions within the mounting range S (S104).

By controlling the operation of the robot hand 10, the robot control unit 35 grips the food material B1 and transfers the food material B1 to the container 3 to which the food material B1 is transferred for each of the plurality of insertion positions set in the mounting range S. Reprint (S105). The robot control unit 35 grips and transfers the food material B1 until the food material B1 is gripped and transferred to all the insertion positions.

After the food material B1 is gripped and transferred at all the insertion positions, the leveling control unit 37 smoothes the upper surface of the food material group B by controlling the operation of the leveling mechanism 20 (S106). After the upper surface of the food group B is leveled, the article range detection unit 31 again detects the article height H of the food group B (S107). The notification control unit 36 determines whether or not the food material B1 in the tray 2 is exhausted (less than a predetermined amount) based on the detection result of the article height H in the article range detecting unit 31 (S108). When the foodstuff B1 in the tray 2 is exhausted (S108: YES), the notification control unit 36 notifies through the notification unit 40 that the foodstuff B1 in the tray 2 is exhausted (S109). After the notification, the article transfer device 1 ends the transfer process.

On the other hand, when the food material B1 remains in the tray 2 (when a predetermined amount or more remains) (S108: NO), the insertion depth calculation unit 32 is based on the article height H calculated in S107. The insertion depth L when the grip member 12b of the grip portion 12 is inserted into the food group B is calculated (S102). After that, the article transfer device 1 executes the above-mentioned processes after S103. After the upper surface of the food group B was leveled in S106, when the gripping range R was calculated again in S103, the insertion depth calculation unit 32 and the opening amount calculation unit 33 were calculated by the mass calculation unit 38. The size of the insertion depth L and the gripping range R may be adjusted based on the mass of the food material B1.

As described above, in the article transfer device 1, the insertion depth L of the grip portion 12 is calculated based on the article height H detected by the article range detection unit 31. Further, in the article transfer device 1, the gripping range R of the gripping portion 12 is calculated based on the preset target gripping amount and the calculated insertion depth L. That is, the article transfer device 1 controls the insertion depth L and the gripping range R of the gripping portion 12 based on the article height H to grip the food material B1. As a result, the article transfer device 1 can stably transfer a certain amount of articles even if the article height H changes due to repeated transfer.

When the article height H is high, the insertion depth calculation unit 32 makes the insertion depth L deeper and the opening amount calculation unit 33 makes the gripping range R smaller than when the article height H is low. In this case, when the article height H is high, the article transfer device 1 can insert the grip member 12b of the grip portion 12 deeper into the food group B than when the article height H is low. Here, in general, the robot hand 10 has an operating speed when closing the grip portion 12 (grasping the food B1) rather than the moving speed of the grip portion 12 (the speed at which the grip member 12b is inserted into the food group B). Is slower. Therefore, when the article height H is high, the article transfer device 1 can reduce the gripping range R of the gripping portion 12 by increasing the insertion depth L. That is, the operation time for the gripping portion 12 to grip the food material B1 is shortened. As a result, when the article height H is high, the article transfer device 1 can shorten the time required for inserting the grip member 12b of the grip portion 12 into the food group B and gripping the food group B.

The insertion depth calculation unit 32 adjusts the insertion depth L based on the mass of the food material B1 gripped by the grip unit 12 calculated by the mass calculation unit 38 and the target gripping amount. The opening amount calculation unit 33 adjusts the gripping range R of the gripping unit 12 based on the mass of the food material B1 gripped by the gripping unit 12 calculated by the mass calculating unit 38 and the target gripping amount. In this case, the article transfer device 1 can correct the gripping amount of the food material B1 based on the calculation result of the mass calculation unit 38.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the leveling control unit 37 grips and transfers the food material B1 to all the insertion positions set in the placement range S, and then uses the leveling mechanism 20 to cover the entire upper surface of the food material group B. Not limited to leveling. When the number of insertion positions where the food material B1 is gripped and transferred reaches a predetermined number among the plurality of insertion positions set in the placement range S, the leveling control unit 37 is used. In addition, the upper surface of the food group B at the insertion position where the food B1 is gripped and transferred may be leveled by the leveling mechanism 20.

The leveling portion 22 of the leveling mechanism 20 may have a shape other than a comb shape, such as a plate shape. The leveling mechanism 20 is not limited to the provision of the arm portion 21 and the leveling portion 22. The leveling mechanism 20 may be another mechanism as long as it can level the upper surface of the food group B. For example, the leveling mechanism 20 may be a mechanism provided with a vibration source and leveling the upper surface of the food group B by vibrating the tray 2.

The article transfer device 1 does not have to include the leveling mechanism 20 and the leveling control unit 37. For example, the upper surface of the food group B in the tray 2 may be leveled by the operator of the article transfer device 1. In this case, the notification control unit 36 notifies through the notification unit 40 when the food material B1 is gripped and transferred to all the insertion positions set in the mounting range S. As a result, the operator can recognize that the food material B1 has been gripped and transferred to all the insertion positions set in the placement range S. The notification control unit 36 is not limited to notifying through the notification unit 40 when the food material B1 is gripped and transferred to all the insertion positions set in the placement range S. For example, when the notification control unit 36 reaches a predetermined number of insertion positions in which the food material B1 is gripped and transferred among the plurality of insertion positions set in the placement range S. In addition, notification may be performed through the notification unit 40. In this case, the operator can recognize that the number of insertion positions where the food material B1 has been gripped and transferred has reached a predetermined number. In this way, the notification control unit 36 and the notification unit 40 function as a notification unit that notifies when the number of insertion positions where the food material B1 is gripped and transferred reaches a predetermined number. After the top surface of the food group B in the tray 2 is leveled by the operator, the article transfer device 1 moves the food transfer device 1 from the tray 2 to the container 3 in the same manner as when the top surface of the food group B is leveled by the leveling mechanism 20. Resume the transfer of foodstuff B1.

Further, the article transfer device 1 determines the presence or absence of the food material B1 in the tray 2 based on the detection result of the article height H in the article range detection unit 31, and when the food material B1 in the tray 2 is exhausted, the food material B1 The transfer process of is completed. The article transfer device 1 is not limited to terminating the transfer process based on the detection result of the article height H. For example, the article transfer device 1 may end the transfer process after executing the transfer of the food material B1 from the tray 2 to the container 3 a predetermined number of times.

The article range detection unit 31 is not limited to detecting the mounting range S based on the image pickup information of the camera 13. For example, the article range detection unit 31 may use the information of the mounting range S input by the operator.

The article range detection unit 31 is not limited to detecting the article height H based on the image pickup information of the camera 13. For example, the article range detection unit 31 may detect the article height H using a distance sensor or the like.

In the above embodiment, the embodiment in which the grip portion 12 has three grip members 12b has been described as an example. However, the grip portion 12 may have at least two grip members. The grip portion 12 may have any configuration as long as it grips the food material B1.

In the above embodiment, the article transfer device 1 grips the food material B1 in the tray 2 and transfers it to the container 3. However, the article transfer device 1 can transfer various articles other than the food material B1 as a transfer target. Further, the article transfer device 1 is not limited to transferring the food material B1 from the tray 2 to the container 3, and can be used for various purposes.

1 ... article transfer device, 2 ... tray (mounting section), 10 ... robot hand, 12 ... grip section, 31 ... article range detection section (height detection section), 32 ... insertion depth calculation section, 33 ... Opening amount calculation unit, 35 ... Robot control unit, 38 ... Mass calculation unit, B ... Foodstuff group (article group), B1 ... Foodstuff (article), H ... Article height, L ... Insertion depth, S ... Placement range.

Claims (3)

The grip portion has a grip portion for gripping an article, and the grip portion is inserted into an article group which is an aggregate of a plurality of the articles mounted on the mounting portion to grip a part of the article and the gripped portion. A robot hand that transfers goods to the transfer destination position,
A height detection unit that detects the height of the article in the insertion direction of the grip portion in the article group placed on the above-mentioned placement unit, and a height detection unit.
Insertion depth calculation unit that calculates the insertion depth of the grip portion with respect to the article group so as to be equal to or lower than the detected article height based on the article height detected by the height detection unit. When,
An opening amount calculation unit that calculates the opening amount of the gripping portion based on a preset target gripping amount of the article and the insertion depth calculated by the insertion depth calculation unit.
A robot control unit that controls the operation of the robot hand,
Equipped with
The robot control unit
The opening amount of the grip portion is the opening amount calculated by the opening amount calculation unit, and the insertion depth of the grip portion with respect to the article group is the insertion depth calculated by the insertion depth calculation unit. By controlling the movement of the robot hand so as to
Further, an article transfer device that grips the article by the grip portion inserted into the article group and controls the robot hand so that the article is transferred to the transfer destination. When the height of the article detected by the height detection unit is high, the insertion depth calculation unit increases the insertion depth and the opening amount calculation unit as compared with the case where the height of the article is low. Is the article transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the opening amount of the grip portion is reduced. A mass calculation unit for calculating the mass of the article based on the force and acceleration acting on the article when the robot hand moves the article is provided.
Based on the calculation result of the mass calculation unit and the target gripping amount, the opening amount calculation unit adjusts the opening amount of the gripping unit, and the insertion depth calculation unit adjusts the insertion depth. The article transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the above is performed.

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