JP7545706B2 - Product transfer device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a product transfer device using a SCARA robot.

For example, when transferring products stored in a box or container onto a conveyor, or when transferring products moving in a container to a box or container, this can be done manually or with a product transfer device using a SCARA robot, such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1.

For example, if the conveyor is that of a packaging machine, it is necessary to transfer products in accordance with the processing speed of the packaging machine, and if that processing speed exceeds the processing capacity of a single SCARA robot, then, for example, two SCARA robots are placed side by side, and each SCARA robot performs the product transfer process in the same work area.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-183384

As mentioned above, for example, when two floor-mounted SCARA robots are placed side by side to perform the transfer process, it is necessary to secure the installation area for two robots. Also, in order for the SCARA robot to pick up products, it is necessary to photograph the area where the products are present with a camera, provide the photographed image data to a controller, and the controller recognizes the position of the product to be picked up and control the operation of the robot arm of the SCARA robot based on the recognized position. Therefore, it is necessary to provide such a camera and controller for each SCARA robot, which leads to an increase in the size and cost of the system. Furthermore, for example, in a system in which the products to be picked up are stacked one on top of the other and are picked up in order from the top, it is necessary to recognize the vertical position of the products. In such a case, it is necessary to use a camera that can detect the height difference by photographing from above, such as a 3D camera, and such a 3D camera is very expensive, so the above-mentioned cost problem becomes more pronounced.

The above-mentioned problems are described as being independent of each other, and the present invention does not necessarily have to solve all of the problems described, but it is sufficient if it can solve at least one of the problems. In addition, we intend to obtain rights to the configuration for solving this problem separately through divisional applications, amendments, etc.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the product transfer device of the present invention is (1) a product transfer device that transfers multiple products stored in a transport container to a conveyor of a packaging machine so that they are lined up in a row along the transport direction, and includes two SCARA robots that pick up products and transfer the products to a predetermined location, each of which has a single-arm robot arm and is arranged above and below so that the main axes of the robot arms of the two SCARA robots are positioned on the same line, the work area for picking up the products is divided into two, and the two SCARA robots are responsible for the two separate work areas .

In this way, the installation space can be reduced by placing two SCARA robots one above the other. The coordinate axes (X-Y) within the horizontal plane of the work area based on the main axes that serve as the base points of the robot arms of the two SCARA robots can be made the same, and the coordinate values that identify the position of a product in a specified position are also the same. This makes it easier to control the two SCARA robots.

(2) The two SCARA robots may be configured to operate based on image data captured by a single camera that captures the work area where the products are picked up. As described above, the coordinate axis for the work area of the two SCARA robots can be made common, so that the two SCARA robots can share a single camera, making it possible to make the system more compact.

(3) It is advisable to use one floor-mounted type and one ceiling-mounted type for the two SCARA robots. In this way, for example, by inverting the coordinates of one of the SCARA robots, the coordinates (X-axis and Y-axis) in the horizontal plane of the two SCARA robots can be made common, and the control algorithm for picking up a product at a desired position and placing it in a specified location can be made the same. Also, by making one of the SCARA robots a ceiling-mounted type, there is more freedom in the layout around the floor-mounted SCARA robot.

(4) It is advisable to use floor-mounted types for both SCARA robots. In this way, the coordinates (X-axis and Y-axis) in the horizontal plane of each robot can be used as common coordinates, and the control algorithm for picking up a product at a desired position and placing it in the specified position can be made the same.

(5) The two SCARA robots should be configured to operate based on commands from a single controller. This will allow the system to be made more compact.

The present invention provides at least one of the following advantages. For example, the installation area is reduced. The coordinate axes of the working areas for the spindles of the two SCARA robots can be made common, making it easier to control the robot arms. The system configuration can be simplified.

1 is a front view showing a preferred embodiment of a product transfer device according to the present invention; This is a perspective view. FIG. FIG. 11 is a front view showing another preferred embodiment of the product transfer device according to the present invention.

The following describes in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to this embodiment, and various changes, modifications, and improvements may be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The product transfer device 10 of this embodiment includes a first SCARA robot 11, a second SCARA robot 12, a camera 13 that photographs the work area, and a controller 14 that controls the operation of the first SCARA robot 11 and the second SCARA robot 12 based on image data captured by the camera 13.

The first SCARA robot 11 is a single-arm floor-mounted SCARA robot. The first SCARA robot 11 is equipped with a base 20 that is installed on the floor and extends in the up-down direction, i.e., vertical direction, a first arm 21 that is attached to the upper end side of the base 20 so as to be rotatable forward and backward within a predetermined angular range in a horizontal plane, a second arm 22 that is attached to the tip side (the side not connected to the base 20) of the first arm 21 so as to be rotatable forward and backward within a predetermined angular range in a horizontal plane, a support rod 24 that is attached to the tip side (the side not connected to the first arm 21) of the second arm 22 so as to be movable up and down, and a hand unit 25 that is attached to the lower end side of the support rod 24.

The base section 20 has a cylindrical body 20b that is formed to stand on the upper surface side of the pedestal 20a. A drive motor is built into a predetermined upper position inside the body 20b, and a rotating shaft that rotates directly or in conjunction with the output shaft of the drive motor is connected to the base end side of the first arm section 21. As a result, the first arm section 21 rotates forward and backward around the rotating shaft on the base end side (axis on the starting point side) as the drive motor rotates forward and backward.

The first arm portion 21 is in the shape of a flat band and is arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the vertical axis of the base portion 20. This allows the first arm portion 21 to rotate within a horizontal plane.

The second arm section 22 is formed in a flat band shape, and its base end is connected to the upper surface of the tip end of the first arm section 21, and is arranged so as to extend horizontally. A drive motor is arranged on one side of the connection between the first arm section 21 and the second arm section 22, and upon receiving rotation of the drive motor, the first arm section 21 and the second arm section 22 rotate relatively in a horizontal plane, changing the angle they form.

The support rod 24 moves up and down by receiving the output of a drive motor disposed, for example, at the tip side of the second arm portion 22. By operating the three drive motors described above, the first arm portion 21 and the second arm portion 22 can be rotated at a desired angle, the lower end position of the support rod 24 can be raised and lowered, and the hand portion 25 attached to the lower end of the support rod 24 can be positioned at any position in the three-dimensional space of the work area.

The hand unit 25 is capable of holding products waiting in the work area, and may be configured with various functions, such as using suction force or clamping and gripping the product. When the hand unit 25 is configured to clamp and grip the product, it may have a function of rotating the hand unit 25 on its own axis in a horizontal plane, and the orientation of the hand unit 25 may be adjusted to match the orientation of the product. A drive motor for rotating the hand unit 25 is provided.

The second SCARA robot 12 is a ceiling-mounted single-arm SCARA robot. The second SCARA robot 12 is suspended and fixed to an appropriate position such as the ceiling surface of the machine frame of the device, and includes a base section 30 extending in the up-down direction, i.e., vertical direction, a first arm section 31 attached to the lower end side of the base section 30 so as to be rotatable forward and backward within a predetermined angle range in a horizontal plane, a second arm section 32 attached to the tip side of the first arm section 31 (the side not connected to the base section 30) so as to be rotatable forward and backward within a predetermined angle range in a horizontal plane, a support rod 34 attached to the tip side of the second arm section 32 (the side not connected to the first arm section 31) so as to be movable up and down, and a hand section 35 attached to the lower end side of the support rod 34.

The base portion 30 has a cylindrical body 30b formed to stand on the underside of the pedestal 30a. A drive motor is built into a predetermined lower position within the body 20b, and a rotating shaft that rotates directly or in conjunction with the output shaft of the drive motor is connected to the base end side of the first arm portion 31. As a result, the first arm portion 31 rotates forward and backward around the rotating shaft on the base end side (axis on the starting point side) as the drive motor rotates forward and backward.

The first arm portion 31 is in the shape of a flat band and is arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the vertical axis of the base portion 30. This allows the first arm portion 31 to rotate within a horizontal plane.

The second arm section 32 is formed in a flat band shape, and its base end is connected to the upper surface of the tip end of the first arm section 31, and is arranged so as to extend horizontally. A drive motor is arranged on one side of the connection between the first arm section 31 and the second arm section 32, and when the drive motor rotates, the first arm section 31 and the second arm section 32 rotate relatively in a horizontal plane, changing the angle they form.

The support rod 34 moves up and down by receiving the output of a drive motor disposed, for example, at the tip side of the second arm portion 32. By operating the three drive motors described above, the first arm portion 31 and the second arm portion 32 can be rotated at a desired angle, the lower end position of the support rod 34 can be raised and lowered, and the hand portion 35 attached to the lower end of the support rod 34 can be positioned at any position in the three-dimensional space of the work area.

The hand unit 35 is capable of holding products waiting in the work area, and may be configured with various functions, such as using suction force or clamping and gripping the product. When the hand unit 35 is configured to clamp and grip the product, it may have a function of rotating the hand unit 35 on its own axis in a horizontal plane, and the orientation of the hand unit 35 may be adjusted to match the orientation of the product. A drive motor for rotating the hand unit 35 is provided.

In this embodiment, the second SCARA robot 12 is placed above the first SCARA robot 11, and the base points of the robot arms of the first SCARA robot 11 and the second SCARA robot 12, i.e., the base-side main axis L1 that serves as the center of rotation of each of the first arm sections 21, 31, are positioned on the same line. This makes the coordinate axes (X-Y) in the horizontal plane of the work area based on the main axis that serves as the base point of the robot arm of the first SCARA robot 11 the same (matching in an inverted state) as the coordinate axes (X-Y) in the horizontal plane of the work area based on the main axis of the robot arm of the second SCARA robot 12. In other words, the coordinate values (x, y) that identify a product at a certain position in the work area are common to the first SCARA robot 11 and the second SCARA robot 12.

Therefore, the coordinate values of the product present in the image data of the work area photographed by the camera 13 are common to the first SCARA robot 11 and the second SCARA robot 12, so there is no need to provide a camera for each individual SCARA robot, and the first SCARA robot 11 and the second SCARA robot 12 can be controlled based on image data photographed by a single camera 13. Furthermore, the controller 14 is capable of eight-axis control, making it possible to control the first SCARA robot 11 and the second SCARA robot 12 with a single controller 14.

In this embodiment, two SCARA robots are stacked one on top of the other, which requires less than half the installation space compared to arranging two robots side by side, and the camera and controller can be shared, resulting in a compact system configuration and reduced costs.

Furthermore, the first SCARA robot 11 and the second SCARA robot 12 do not necessarily have to be floor-mounted and ceiling-suspended versions of the same robot as long as their spindles are aligned on the same line, but using floor-mounted and ceiling-suspended versions of the same SCARA robot makes control easier and is more preferable.

Furthermore, for example, in the case of a dual-arm SCARA robot equipped with two robot arms, the driving force required to move the two robot arms is large, requiring a large drive motor, and the housing must also be large to support the two robot arms, resulting in an increase in size. In contrast, in this embodiment, since it is a single-arm SCARA robot, a small drive motor is sufficient, and the housing is small and compact.

The product transfer device 10 of this embodiment may be used, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, to sequentially transfer multiple products 3 stored in a transport container such as a food container 1 to a conveyor 2 of a packaging machine. That is, the food container 1 containing the products 3 is placed next to the product supply position of the conveyor 2. The camera 13 should be positioned so that at least the food container 1 is within its imaging area, and more preferably, the transport surface of the conveyor 2 to which the products 3 are supplied is also within its imaging area.

In this way, the image data captured by the camera 13 is sent to the controller 14. The controller 14 obtains the coordinate values of each product 3 from the acquired image data, identifies the products to be transferred by the first SCARA robot 11 and the second SCARA robot 12 from the multiple stored products 3, and sends a command to each of the first SCARA robot 11 and the second SCARA robot 12 to move their respective hand units 25, 35 onto the product 3 to be transferred based on the coordinate values of each identified product. This command causes each drive motor to rotate a predetermined amount in a predetermined direction. The first SCARA robot 11 then moves its own hand unit 25 onto the specified product 3, holds and picks up the product. Similarly, the second SCARA robot 12 moves its own hand unit 35 onto the specified product 3, holds and picks up the product.

After that, at an appropriate timing, the first SCARA robot 11 and the second SCARA robot 12 move their respective hand units 25, 35 to a predetermined position on the conveyor 2 in accordance with commands from the controller 14, and release the product 3 there. This completes the transfer of the product 3 to the desired position on the conveyor 2.

In this case, the first SCARA robot 11 and the second SCARA robot 12 may, for example, divide the work area into two and be responsible for each area, or they may each process within the same area without dividing it in this way. For example, when products are stored in a box in a row, it is more preferable to divide the work area into left and right, etc.

In the above-described embodiment, a floor-standing SCARA robot and a ceiling-mounted SCARA robot are arranged one above the other with their axes aligned, but as shown in FIG. 4, for example, a floor-standing third SCARA robot 41 and a floor-standing fourth SCARA robot 42 may be stacked one above the other with the main axes L2 of the respective robot arms aligned. This is particularly suitable for robots with thin bases 20 and 30. The fourth SCARA robot 42, which is arranged on the upper side, may be installed on a suitable mounting stand or the like so as not to interfere with the robot arm of the third SCARA robot 41.

The third SCARA robot 41 and the fourth SCARA robot 42 do not necessarily have to be the same as long as their main axes are arranged on the same line, but using the same SCARA robot is preferable as it makes control easier. The other configurations and operations are substantially the same as those of the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3 described above, so the same reference numerals are used for corresponding members and detailed descriptions are omitted.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the system is applied to transfer products stored in a transport container such as a food box to a conveyor, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to various systems, such as a system that picks up products flowing on a conveyor and transfers them to a transport container such as a food box, a cardboard box or other box or other container, or a system that transfers products between conveyors.

It is also advisable to use a 3D camera as the camera 13. In this way, the height coordinates can also be recognized, so that, for example, in cases where multiple products are stored stacked on top of one another in a box or the like, the hand units 25, 35 can be moved to an appropriate height position according to the height of the topmost product on the coordinates to be picked up, and the product can be picked up without being damaged. Even when such a 3D camera is used, it is advantageous because the two SCARA robots can share a single 3D camera.

Although various aspects of the present invention have been described above using embodiments and modifications, it should be noted that these embodiments and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are provided to aid in the understanding of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations and manufacturing methods explicitly described in the specification, but includes combinations of the various aspects of the present invention disclosed in this specification. Although the configurations of the present invention that are sought to be patented are specified in the appended claims, it is hereby reiterated that configurations disclosed in this specification that are not currently specified in the claims may be claimed in the future.

1: Box 2: Conveyor 3: Product 10: Product transfer device 11: First SCARA robot 12: Second SCARA robot 13: Camera 14: Controller 20: Base unit 21: First arm unit 22: Second arm unit 24: Support rod 25: Hand unit 30: Base unit 31: First arm unit 32: Second arm unit 34: Support rod 35: Hand unit 41: Third SCARA robot 42: Fourth SCARA robot L1: Spindle L2: Spindle

Claims (5)

A product transfer device that transfers a plurality of products stored in a transport container to a conveyor of a packaging machine so that the products are aligned in a line along a transport direction,
Two SCARA robots are provided to pick up the products and transfer them to a designated location,
Each of the two SCARA robots has a single robot arm.
the two SCARA robots are disposed one above the other so that the main axes of the robot arms are aligned on the same line ;
A product transfer device, characterized in that a work area for picking up the products is divided into two, and the two SCARA robots are responsible for the two separate work areas . 2. The product transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the two SCARA robots are operated based on image data captured by a single camera that captures an image of the work area where the products are picked up. The product transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the two SCARA robots are a floor-mounted type and a ceiling-suspended type. The product transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the two SCARA robots are both floor-mounted types. The product transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the two SCARA robots are operated based on commands from a single controller.

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