JP7548801B2 - Hand, robot device, and robot system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to robot technology, and in particular to a hand, a robot device, and a robot system for transporting an item enclosed in a workpiece to a specified position.

Many raw materials for food, medicines, cosmetics, cement, etc. consist of powders, liquids, and other fluids. These raw materials are often supplied sealed in an inner bag, which is then placed in an outer box such as a cardboard box. The process of transferring these raw materials to another container involves opening the outer box or inner bag, putting the raw materials into another container, and discarding the outer box or inner bag, but doing these tasks manually for many different types of raw materials is extremely labor-intensive. In addition, when switching between different types of raw materials, cleaning and replacement are also required to prevent contamination. If there are many areas where raw materials are attached, the number of places to clean increases, and it takes time to switch between types. For this reason, efforts are being made to automate the process of transferring raw materials using machines such as industrial robots.

Incidentally, when cutting and opening a workpiece using an industrial robot or the like, in addition to mechanical cutting tools such as cutters and electric saws, hands equipped with gas cutting tools, plasma cutting tools, laser cutting tools, etc. may be used. However, in the case of workpieces that contain raw materials, the surface of the workpiece is often uneven, making it difficult for existing hands to open the workpiece along the unevenness. On the other hand, in the transfer of raw materials, the opened workpiece is tilted to pour the raw materials into another container, so a hand that can securely hold the opened workpiece is also desired. The following technologies are known as technologies related to this application.

Patent Document 1 discloses a pick-and-place device that picks and places multiple items stored in a storage container. The pick-and-place device includes an imaging device that captures an image of the top opening of the storage container, a robot that acquires position information of the items based on the image, a distance sensor that acquires vertical position information of the topmost item in the storage container, and a lifting means that maintains a constant vertical distance between the topmost item in the storage container and the imaging device based on the position information.

Patent Document 2 discloses a powder extraction device that receives bags containing powder, opens them, extracts the powder, and processes the empty bags. The powder extraction device includes a vertical articulated robot with a gripping hand, a cassette that stores bags while holding the bag by the edge with the gripping hand, a cutting unit that cuts off the edge of the bag in the cassette, an edge container that stores the cut edge, a powder extraction unit that extracts powder from the bag by a suction nozzle, and an empty bag container that stores the empty bags in the cassette.

JP 2019-181600 A Utility Model Registration No. 3161402

In consideration of the problems inherent in the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a robot technology that can transport an item enclosed within a workpiece to a specified position.

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a system comprising a first hand having a distance sensor that measures a distance to a workpiece and a cutting tool that cuts the workpiece to a depth according to the measured distance , and a second hand having a hand portion that removes the workpiece and a rod-shaped body that is to be inserted into the workpiece, wherein the hand portion is configured to remove an item from the workpiece with the rod-shaped body inserted into the workpiece that has been cut and opened by the cutting tool.
Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a robot device comprising a first robot to which a first hand of the system of the one aspect is attached, and a first control device that controls at least one of a position and an attitude of the first robot, wherein the first control device controls the depth of a cutting tool based on a measured distance .
Yet another aspect of the present disclosure provides a robot device including a second robot having a second hand of the system of the first aspect attached thereto, and a second control device that controls at least one of a position and an attitude of the second robot, wherein the second control device controls the second robot to tilt the workpiece while a rod-shaped body is inserted into the workpiece.
Yet another aspect of the present disclosure provides a robot system comprising: a first robot attached to a first hand equipped with a distance sensor that measures the distance to the workpiece and a cutting tool that cuts the workpiece to a depth according to the measured distance; a first control device that controls at least one of a position and attitude of the first robot; a second robot attached to a second hand equipped with a hand unit that removes the workpiece and a rod-shaped body that pierces the workpiece; and a second control device that controls at least one of a position and attitude of the second robot , wherein the hand unit is configured to remove an item from the workpiece with the rod-shaped body pierced into the workpiece that has been cut and opened by the cutting tool.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a robotic technology can be provided that transfers an item enclosed within a workpiece to a specified position.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a robot system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a hand according to an embodiment. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a workpiece illustrating an example of hand position control. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a workpiece showing an example of depth control of a cutting tool. 11A and 11B are cross-sectional views of a workpiece showing a modified example of depth control of a cutting tool. 1A to 1C are plan views of a hand illustrating an example of posture control of the hand. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a first robot illustrating an example of measuring the size of a workpiece. FIG. 11 is a plan view of a hand illustrating an example of measuring the inclination of a workpiece. FIG. 11 is a geometric diagram of a workpiece showing an example of measuring the inclination of the workpiece. FIG. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a hand according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of a hand showing an example of a rod-shaped body. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a workpiece showing an example of an outer container and an inner container. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a separation tool. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of a temporary placement tool. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a first robot that cuts a workpiece using a temporary tool. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a folding tool. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a second robot folding a workpiece using a folding tool. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a visual sensor. FIG. 13 is an image diagram showing an example of a normal cutting tool. FIG. 13 is an image diagram showing an example of a broken cutting tool. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the robot system.

The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the same or similar components are given the same or similar reference numerals. Furthermore, the embodiments described below do not limit the technical scope of the invention described in the claims and the meaning of the terms.

Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of a robot system 1 according to one embodiment. The robot system 1 is a robot system that transfers an item A enclosed in a workpiece W to a predetermined position 32. The workpiece W is a container that encloses various items A. The workpiece W may be any container that can be opened by cutting it with a cutting tool described below. The workpiece W may also include an outer container and an inner container. The outer container is, for example, a box-shaped container such as cardboard, and the inner container is, for example, a bag-shaped container such as a plastic bag. The item A is, for example, enclosed in the inner container. The item A is, for example, a fluid such as powder or liquid. For example, the item A is a raw material for food, medicine, cosmetics, cement, etc. The predetermined position 32 to which the item A is transferred is, for example, a container into which various raw materials are poured.

The robot system 1 is equipped with a robot device 10 that measures and cuts the workpiece W. The robot system 1 may further be equipped with a robot device 20 that detects, removes, transports, and discards the workpiece W, and transports the item A enclosed in the workpiece W. For example, the robot device 20 detects the workpiece W on the pallet 30, removes the workpiece W from the pallet 30, and transports the workpiece W to the cutting table 31. On the other hand, the robot device 10 cuts and opens the workpiece W placed on the cutting table 31. If the workpiece W has an outer container and an inner container, the robot device 10 may cut and open the outer container W1 and the inner container W2 together. The robot device 20 also tilts the opened workpiece W to transport the item A enclosed in the workpiece W to a predetermined position 32. After the item A is transported, the robot device 10 further cuts the empty workpiece W to completely open it, and the robot device 20 folds the completely opened workpiece W. The robot device 20 discards the folded workpiece W in a disposal location. If the workpiece W has an outer container and an inner container, the robot device 20 may separate the outer container and the inner container of the emptied workpiece W and separate them into separate waste disposal locations 33 and 34.

The robot device 10 includes a hand 11 that measures, cuts, etc. the workpiece W, a first robot 12 to which the hand 11 is attached, and a first control device 13 that controls the first robot 12. The robot device 20 includes a hand 21 that detects, removes, and dispenses the workpiece W, a second robot 22 to which the hand 21 is attached, and a second control device 23 that controls the second robot 22. The first robot 12 and the second robot 22 are, for example, vertical multi-joint robots, but may be other industrial robots such as horizontal multi-joint robots and parallel link robots. Alternatively, the first robot 12 and the second robot 22 may be other types of robots such as humanoids.

The first control device 13 and the second control device 23 are computer devices equipped with, for example, a processor, a memory, an input/output unit, and the like. The processor may be, for example, a CPU (central processing unit) or an MPU (micro-processing unit) that executes a program. The memory may be, for example, a RAM (random access memory) or a ROM (read only memory), and stores the programs executed by the processor and various data used or generated by the processor. The input/output unit inputs or outputs various data used or generated by the processor.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a hand 11 in one embodiment. The hand 11 is equipped with a distance sensor 14 that measures the distance to the workpiece, and a cutting tool 15 that cuts the workpiece at a depth according to the measured distance. The hand 11 may further include a base portion 16 that supports the distance sensor 14 and the cutting tool 15. The base portion 16 is connected to the tip of the first robot 12. Please note that in this document, the term "depth" refers to the cutting tip position in the measurement direction of the distance sensor 14.

The distance sensor 14 is an optical sensor such as a TOF (time of flight) sensor, but may be another type of distance sensor such as a radio wave sensor or ultrasonic sensor. For example, if the workpiece is a dark brown or transparent material, a radio wave sensor or ultrasonic sensor may be used. For example, in the case of a TOF sensor, the distance sensor 14 irradiates the workpiece with intensity-modulated reference light R, receives the reflected light from the workpiece, and measures the distance to the workpiece based on the phase difference between the reference light and the reflected light. The measured distance is sent to the first control device 13 (see Figure 1). The first control device 13 controls the depth of the cutting tool 15 based on the measured distance.

The cutting tool 15 is, for example, a mechanical cutting tool such as a cutter or a saw, but other types of cutting tools such as a laser cutting tool, a gas cutting tool, or a plasma cutting tool may also be used. For example, if the workpiece W is metal, a laser cutting tool, a gas cutting tool, or a plasma cutting tool may also be used. For example, if the cutting tool 15 is a cutter, the cutter blade tip position (depth) of the cutting tool 15 is controlled by the first control device 13.

The distance sensor 14 and the cutting tool 15 are spaced apart by an offset Ox in the cutting direction X of the workpiece. The distance sensor 14 is preferably positioned forward of the cutting tool 15 by an offset Ox in the cutting direction X of the workpiece. This allows the distance sensor 14 to measure the unevenness of the workpiece surface before cutting the workpiece. In other words, even if the workpiece surface is uneven, the depth of the cutting tool 15 can be controlled before cutting the workpiece, and the workpiece can be cut along the unevenness.

The distance sensor 14 and the cutting tool 15 are spaced apart by an offset Oz in the measurement direction of the distance sensor 14. It is preferable that the distance sensor 14 is positioned behind the cutting tool 15 by an offset Oz. This makes it difficult for the distance sensor 14 to interfere with the workpiece even if the workpiece surface is uneven.

Figure 3A is a cross-sectional view of the workpiece W showing an example of position control of the hand 11. The first control device 13 adjusts the position of the hand 11, i.e., the depth D of the cutting tool 15, based on the measured distance M of the distance sensor 14. In the drawing, the cuttable length of the cutting tool 15 is L, the cutting depth of the workpiece W is Dc, the X-direction offset between the distance sensor 14 and the cutting tool 15 is Ox, and the Z-direction offset is Oz.

The cutting depth Dc of the cutting tool 15 may be specified by the user. In this case, the first control device 13 may be provided with a cutting depth specification unit (not shown) that specifies the cutting depth Dc. The cutting depth specification unit may be a user interface (UI) such as a touch panel or a keyboard, but may also be a communication unit capable of communicating with an external device if the first control device 13 receives the cutting depth Dc from an external device via wired or wireless communication. The cutting depth Dc may specify a target cutting depth of 20 mm, which is a constant value, for example, or may specify a target cutting range of 10 mm to 30 mm, which is a range value, for example. In the latter case, it is preferable to automatically set the target cutting depth of 20 mm, which is the median value, for example.

For example, the first control device 13 adjusts the depth D of the cutting tool 15 based on the measured distance M, the cuttable length L, the specified cutting depth Dc, the offsets Ox and Oz, etc. The first control device 13 may control the depth of the cutting tool 15 in real time or at a predetermined update interval U based on the measured distance M at the offset Ox in the cutting direction X of the workpiece. This allows the workpiece to be cut along the unevenness of the workpiece surface even if the workpiece surface is uneven.

The update interval U of the depth D is, for example, a distance interval, but may also be a time interval. Since only the measured distance M to the offset Ox is known, when the update interval U is a distance interval, the update interval U is set to a value equal to or less than the offset Ox. When the update interval U is a time interval, the update interval U is set to a value equal to or less than the offset Ox/cutting speed. The update interval U of the depth D may also be specified by the user. In this case, the first control device 13 may further include an update interval designation unit (not shown) that designates the update interval U of the depth D. The update interval designation unit may be, for example, a UI such as a touch panel or a keyboard, but when the first control device 13 receives the update interval U of the depth D from an external device via a wired or wireless connection, it may be a communication unit that can communicate with the external device. When the workpiece surface has many irregularities, the update interval U of the depth D may be specified finely, and when the workpiece surface has many irregularities, the update interval U of the depth D may be specified widely. This allows the depth of the cutting tool 15 to be adjusted precisely or coarsely according to the amount of unevenness on the workpiece surface. If the update interval U for the depth D is set to 0, real-time control will be used, and the cutting tool 15 will move smoothly along the unevenness of the work surface.

Figure 3B is a cross-sectional view of the workpiece W showing an example of depth control of the cutting tool 15. In this example, the cutting length L of the cutting tool 15 is 40 mm, the X-direction offset Ox between the distance sensor 14 and the cutting tool 15 is designed to be 30 mm, and the Z-direction offset Oz is designed to be 10 mm. In addition, the update interval U of the depth D is set to 30 mm, the same as the offset Ox, the specified cutting depth is set to 10 mm to 30 mm, and the target cutting depth is set to 20 mm.

When the cutting depth Dc at the current position is the target cutting depth of 20 mm, the update interval U of the depth D is 30 mm, so while the cutting tool 15 advances 30 mm in the cutting direction (i.e., during the update interval), the first control device 13 maintains the depth D of the cutting tool 15 constant. When the workpiece surface is convex as shown in FIG. 3B, the cutting depth Dc gradually increases while the cutting tool 15 advances 30 mm in the cutting direction.

If the measured distance M 30 mm ahead at the current position is 20 mm, then the cutting depth Dc 30 mm ahead from the current position will be 30 mm (cutting depth Dc 30 mm ahead = L + Oz - M = 40 mm + 10 mm - 20 mm = 30 mm). In other words, because the cutting depth Dc 30 mm ahead is 10 mm greater than the target cutting depth of 20 mm, the first control device 13 reduces the depth D of the cutting tool 15 by 10 mm (D = D - 10 mm) so that the cutting depth Dc 30 mm ahead will be the target cutting depth of 20 mm. In this example, the first control device 13 can always store the depth D 30 mm ahead in memory.

3C is a cross-sectional view of the workpiece W showing a modified example of the depth control of the cutting tool 15. In this example, the update interval U of the depth D is set to 10 mm. Note that the other settings are the same as those described above. If the measured distance M 30 mm ahead from the current position is 20 mm, the first control device 13 reduces the depth _D3 of the cutting tool 15 30 mm ahead from the current position by 10 mm ( _D3 = _D3 - 10 mm), as in the above calculation example.

Furthermore, if the measured distance M measured 10 mm ahead from the current position is 22 mm, then the cutting depth Dc from 10 mm ahead to 30 mm ahead (i.e., 20 mm ahead from the current position) will be 28 mm (cutting depth Dc at 20 mm ahead = L + Oz - M = 40 mm + 10 mm - 22 mm = 28 mm). In other words, since the cutting depth Dc at 20 mm ahead is 8 mm larger than the target cutting depth of 20 mm, the first control device 13 reduces the depth _D2 of the cutting tool 15 by 8 mm ( _D2 = _D2 - 8 mm) so that the cutting depth Dc at 20 mm ahead will be the target cutting depth of 20 mm.

Furthermore, if the measured distance M measured 20 mm before the current position is 21 mm, the cutting depth Dc from 20 mm before to 30 mm ahead (i.e., 10 mm ahead from the current position) will be 29 mm (cutting depth Dc at 10 mm ahead = L + Oz - M = 40 mm + 10 mm - 21 mm = 29 mm). In other words, since the cutting depth Dc at 10 mm ahead is 9 mm larger than the target cutting depth of 20 mm, the first control device 13 reduces the depth _D1 of the cutting tool 15 by 9 mm ( _D1 = _D1 - 9 mm) so that the cutting depth Dc at 10 mm ahead will be the target cutting depth of 20 mm.

In this embodiment, the first control device 13 only needs to store in the memory three depths, namely, the depth _D3 of 30 mm ahead, the depth _D2 of 20 mm ahead, and the depth _D1 of 10 mm ahead. In other words, the first control device 13 stores one or more depths D in the memory according to the update interval U.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the hand 11 showing an example of controlling the attitude of the hand 11. The first control device 13 may control the attitude of the hand 11, i.e., the attitude A of the cutting tool 15, based on the measured distance M of the distance sensor 14. Note that in this document, the term "attitude" means the same direction as the measurement direction of the distance sensor 14.

In general, when cutting a workpiece, the cutting start point and the cutting end point of the cutting tool 15 are taught to the first robot 12 in advance, but when the cutting tool 15 approaches the cutting end point, the distance sensor 14 outputs a large measured distance M beyond the end of the cut surface of the workpiece W. In this way, when the measured distance M of the distance sensor 14 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the first control device 13 may determine that the hand 11 has reached the end of the cut surface of the workpiece W and rotate the posture A of the cutting tool 15 by a predetermined angle. For example, when the workpiece W is a box-shaped container, the first control device 13 may rotate the posture A of the cutting tool 15 by 90°. When the shape of the workpiece W is unknown, the control of determining whether the measured distance M is equal to or greater than the threshold value after rotating the posture A of the cutting tool 15 by 10° may be repeated. The drawing shows the posture A of the cutting tool 15 rotated by 90°.

The threshold value of the measurement distance M may be specified by the user. In this case, the first control device 13 may further include a threshold value specification unit (not shown) that specifies the threshold value of the measurement distance M. The threshold value specification unit may be, for example, a UI such as a touch panel or a keyboard, but may also be a communication unit capable of communicating with an external device if the first control device 13 receives the threshold value of the measurement distance M from an external device via wired or wireless communication. This allows the workpiece to be cut using only the information from the distance sensor 14 from the cutting start point to the cutting end point, even if the workpieces are of different sizes. The size of the workpiece W may also be measured using the distance sensor 14. In other words, the cutting start point and the cutting end point may be automatically set based on the information from the distance sensor 14. In this case, teaching the first robot 12 itself is also unnecessary.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the first robot 12 showing an example of measuring the size of the workpiece W. The first robot 12 may measure the size of the workpiece W based on the on and off of the distance sensor 14. For example, if the workpiece W is a rectangular parallelepiped, the first robot 12 may move in the X, Y, and Z directions, and measure the lengths of the three sides of the workpiece W (X-direction size, Y-direction size, and Z-direction size) based on the on and off of the distance sensor 14 at that time. After measuring the size of the workpiece W, the cutting start point S and the cutting end point E may be automatically set based on the size of the workpiece W. By controlling the posture of the cutting tool 15 based on the measured distance M of the distance sensor 14, the first robot 12 can automatically search for a cutting path from the cutting start point S to the cutting end point E (for example, an arrow path from point S to point E). If the workpiece W is inclined with respect to the moving direction (X-direction, Y-direction, and Z-direction) of the first robot 12, the inclination of the workpiece W may be further measured.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the hand 11 showing an example of measuring the inclination of the workpiece W, and FIG. 7 is a geometric diagram of the workpiece showing an example of measuring the inclination of the workpiece W. The first robot 12 may measure the inclination of the workpiece W based on the measured distance M when the distance sensor 14 is on and off. For example, when the X-direction size S _x (e.g., 400 mm) of the workpiece W from the end point W _A to W _B as shown in FIG. 6 is measured, the measured distance M when the distance sensor 14 is on is 180 mm, and the measured distance M when the distance sensor 14 is off is 200 mm. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, since the difference between the measured distance M when the distance sensor 14 is on and when it is off is 20 mm, it can be seen that the inclination angle θ Y of the workpiece W around the Y-axis is θ _Y = arctan (20 mm/400 mm) ≒ 3°. The inclination angle θ _X of the workpiece W around the X-axis and the inclination angle θ _Z of the workpiece W around the Z-axis may also be calculated by a similar calculation method.

Figure 8 is a plan view of the repositioned workpiece W. The second robot 22 (see Figure 1) can reposition the workpiece W based on the inclination of the workpiece W. This aligns the orientation of the workpiece W with the robot coordinate system. Also, the cutting tool 15 is perpendicular to the cutting surface of the workpiece W, allowing the workpiece W to be cut deeply. Note that instead of using the second robot 22 to reposition the workpiece W, the robot coordinate system can be aligned with the inclination of the workpiece W.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the hand 21 in one embodiment. The hand 21 includes a hand portion 24 for picking up the workpiece W, and a rod-shaped body 25 for piercing the workpiece W. The hand 21 may also include a visual sensor 26 for detecting the workpiece W, etc. The visual sensor 26 may be, for example, a two-dimensional sensor that outputs a two-dimensional image, but may also be a three-dimensional sensor that outputs a three-dimensional image. The hand 21 may also include a base portion 27 for supporting the hand portion 24, the rod-shaped body 25, and the visual sensor 26. The base portion 27 is connected to the tip of the second robot 22.

The hand unit 24 is, for example, a vacuum suction type hand unit, but may be a multi-finger grip type, a magnetic suction type, a Bernoulli type, or other type of hand unit. When the hand unit 24 is a vacuum suction type, the hand unit 24 is provided with one or more suction pads 24a.

The rod-shaped body 25 preferably has a sharp tip that can be pierced into the workpiece W. FIG. 10 is a side view of the hand 21 showing an example of the rod-shaped body 25. The rod-shaped body 25 is preferably inclined with respect to the removal direction Y of the workpiece W (see FIG. 9). For example, the rod-shaped body 25 has a cylinder 25a and a pin 25b that can move within the cylinder 25a. After the hand unit 24 removes the workpiece W, the pin 25b advances from the cylinder 25a and pierces the workpiece W (see the position of the pin 25b' after the movement). This allows the workpiece W to be securely held even when the opened workpiece W is tilted to transfer the items in the workpiece W. In other words, the workpiece W is prevented from falling.

Figure 11 is a front perspective view of a workpiece W showing an example of an outer container W1 and an inner container W2. When the workpiece W has an outer container W1 and an inner container W2, it is advisable to pierce the rod-shaped body 25 into the outer container W1 and the inner container W2 together. This makes it possible to prevent the inner container W2 from falling even when the outer container W1 and the inner container W2 are cut and opened along the cutting line C and the outer container W1 is tilted toward the front of the drawing to transfer the items in the inner container W2.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the second robot 22 may pierce the rod-shaped body 25 into the workpiece W when using the hand 21 to remove the workpiece W from the pallet 30, or while transporting the workpiece W to the cutting table 31, or before tilting the opened workpiece W to transfer the item A in the workpiece W.

When the emptied workpiece W has an outer container and an inner container, the second robot 22 separates the outer container from the inner container. In this case, the robot system 1 may further include a separation tool 40 that separates the workpiece W into an outer container and an inner container. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an example of the separation tool 40. The separation tool 40 is, for example, T-shaped, but may also be L-shaped. For example, the separation tool 40 is connected to the cutting table 31. The separation tool 40 includes a hook portion 40a that hooks the inner container and a support portion 40b that supports the hook portion 40a. For example, the hook portion 40a extends from the support portion 40b on both sides. The second robot 22 turns the emptied workpiece upside down, inserts the hook portion 40a into the opening of the workpiece, and moves the workpiece so as to scrape out the inner container from the outer container. As a result, the hook portion 40a hooks onto the inner container, and the workpiece can be separated into the outer container and the inner container.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the second robot 22 discards the emptied workpiece W in a disposal location. If the workpiece W has an outer container and an inner container, the second robot 22 separates the outer container and the inner container into separate disposal locations 33, 34. Before disposal, the first robot 12 may further cut the emptied workpiece to completely open it. When completely opening it, the robot system 1 may further include a temporary placement tool for temporarily placing the workpiece.

Figure 13 is a perspective view showing an example of the temporary placement tool 41. The temporary placement tool 41 is, for example, in the shape of a table, but may also be in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. For example, the temporary placement tool 41 includes a spacer portion 41a that forms a gap between the temporary placement tool 41 and the workpiece, a table portion 41b on which the spacer portion 41a is arranged, and a support portion 41c that supports the table portion 41b. The spacer portion 41a includes, for example, a plurality of spacers, but may also include only one spacer. The spacer portion 41a may be a suction pad that adsorbs the workpiece. When the second robot 22 (not shown) temporarily places the emptied workpiece upside down on the temporary placement tool 41, a gap is formed between the workpiece and the table portion 41b by the spacer portion 41a.

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the first robot 12 cutting the workpiece W using the temporary placement tool 41. The first robot 12 uses the hand 11 to further cut the workpiece W temporarily placed on the temporary placement tool 41 to completely open it. At this time, a gap is formed between the workpiece W and the table portion 41b, making it difficult for the cutting tool 15 to interfere with the temporary placement tool 41. In other words, damage to the cutting tool 15 is suppressed. However, since the cutting tool 15 may break down, it is recommended that the cutting tool 15 be inspected periodically. The inspection of the cutting tool 15 will be described later.

Before disposal, the second robot 22 may fold the completely opened workpiece W. In this case, the robot system 1 may further include a folding tool for folding the workpiece W. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing an example of the folding tool 42. The folding tool 42 is, for example, L-shaped, but may also be T-shaped. The folding tool 42 includes a hook portion 42a for hooking the workpiece and a support portion 42b for supporting the hook portion 42a. For example, the hook portion 42a extends laterally from the support portion 42b. The folding tool 42 may also have the function of a separation tool 40 for separating the outer container from the inner container.

Figure 16 is a perspective view of the second robot 22 folding the workpiece W using the folding tool 42. The second robot 22 folds the workpiece W by hooking the completely opened workpiece W onto the hook portion 42a using the hand 21. The second robot 22 then discards the folded workpiece W in a disposal location (see Figure 1). This completes the transfer operation of the items enclosed in the workpiece W.

The robot system 1 may inspect the cutting tool 15 for malfunctions after the transfer operation is completed or during the transfer operation. FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing an example of a visual sensor 26. The visual sensor for inspecting the cutting tool 15 may be a visual sensor 26 provided on the hand 21 for detecting the workpiece, etc. Alternatively, the cutting tool 15 may be inspected using a visual sensor installed in a fixed position separate from the hand 21.

Figure 18 is an image diagram showing an example of a normal cutting tool 15, and Figure 19 is an image diagram showing an example of a faulty cutting tool. Inspection of the cutting tool 15 can be performed using known image processing. For example, a template image of a normal cutting tool 15 may be prepared in advance, and a matching process may be performed to inspect the cutting tool 15 for faults. For example, preprocessing and feature extraction are performed on the acquired image, and a similarity evaluation is performed between the acquired image and the template image. If the similarity is higher than a threshold value, the cutting tool 15 is determined to be normal, and if the similarity is lower than the threshold value, the cutting tool 15 is determined to be abnormal (faulty).

Below, an example of the operation of the robot system 1 will be described. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the robot system 1. Please note that the program that executes this flowchart is executed by the processors of the first control device 13 and the second control device 23, for example.

First, the robot device 20 (hereinafter referred to as "R1") detects the workpiece W on the pallet 30 using the visual sensor 26 (step S10). R1 removes the detected workpiece W from the pallet 30 and transports it to the cutting table 31 (step S11). Next, the robot device 10 (hereinafter referred to as "R2") measures the size and inclination of the workpiece W using the distance sensor 14 (step S12). R2 cuts and opens the workpiece W based on the size and inclination of the workpiece W (step S13). If the workpiece W has an outer container W1 and an inner container W2, it is recommended that the outer container W1 and the inner container W2 are cut together.

Next, R1 tilts the opened work W to transfer item A in the work W to a predetermined position 32, such as an input container (step S14). At this time, if the work W has an outer container W1 and an inner container W2, the rod-shaped body 25 can be pierced into the outer container W1 and the inner container W2 together to prevent the inner container W2 from falling. After transferring item A, R1 can use the separation tool 40 to separate the emptied work W into the outer container W1 and the inner container W2 (step S15).

R1 discards the emptied workpiece W in a disposal location (step S16). If the workpiece W has an outer container W1 and an inner container W2, it is recommended that the outer container W1 and the inner container W2 be separated and disposed of in separate disposal locations 33, 34. In addition, before disposal, R2 may further cut the workpiece W using a temporary placement tool to completely open it, and R1 may fold the workpiece W using a folding tool. Furthermore, R1 may use a visual sensor 26 to check whether the cutting tool 15 of R2 is broken.

Please note that the configurations and operations of the robot system and hands in the above embodiments are merely examples, and other configurations may be adopted. For example, the two hands 11, 21 may be configured as a single hand that combines the functions of both. Accordingly, the two robot devices 10, 20 may be a single robot device that combines the functions of both. In other words, the robot system 1 may be configured as a single robot device. Furthermore, the first control device 13 and the second control device 23 may be provided with semiconductor integrated circuits such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) that do not execute programs, instead of or in addition to having a processor that executes a program.

The robot system 1 in the above embodiment can provide a robot technology that transfers an item enclosed in a workpiece to a predetermined position.

The program executed by the aforementioned processor, other semiconductor integrated circuits, etc., or the program executing the aforementioned flowchart may be provided by recording it on a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium, such as a CD-ROM, or may be provided by distributing it from a server device on a WAN (wide area network) or LAN (local area network) via wired or wireless communication.

Although various embodiments have been described herein, it should be recognized that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and that various modifications may be made within the scope of the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Robot system 10 Robot device 11 Hand 12 First robot 13 First control device 14 Distance sensor 15 Cutting tool 16 Base section 20 Robot device 21 Hand 22 Second robot 23 Second control device 24 Hand section 25 Rod-shaped body 25a Cylinder 25b, 25b' Pin 26 Visual sensor 30 Pallet 31 Cutting table 32 Predetermined position 33, 34 Disposal location 40 Separation tool 40a Hook section 40b Support section 41 Temporary placement tool 41a Spacer section 41b Table section 41c Support section 42 Folding tool 42a Hook section 42b Support section R Reference light M Measurement distance D, _D1 , _D2 , _D3 Depth L Cuttable length Dc Cutting depth Ox X-direction offset Oz Z-direction offset U Update interval A, A' Posture W Workpiece W1 Outer container W2 Inner container

Claims (19)

A first hand including a distance sensor for measuring a distance to a workpiece and a cutting tool for cutting the workpiece at a depth corresponding to the measured distance;
A second hand having a hand part for removing the workpiece and a rod-shaped body for piercing the workpiece,
The system is configured such that the hand unit is configured to remove an item from within the workpiece while piercing the rod-shaped body into the workpiece that has been cut and opened by the cutting tool. The system of claim 1 , wherein the distance sensor is disposed forward of the cutting tool in a cutting direction of the workpiece. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the workpiece comprises an outer container and an inner container, and the cutting tool cuts the outer container and the inner container together. A first robot to which the first hand of the system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is attached;
A first control device that controls at least one of a position and a posture of the first robot;
Equipped with
The first controller controls the depth of the cutting tool based on the measured distance. The robot device according to claim 4, wherein the first control device is provided with a cutting depth designation unit that designates the cutting depth of the workpiece. The robot device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the first control device updates the depth at a predetermined update interval. The robot device according to claim 6, wherein the first control device includes an update interval designation unit that designates the update interval of the depth. The robotic device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the first control device maintains the depth of the cutting tool constant during the update interval. The robot device according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein if the measured distance is equal to or greater than a threshold, the first control device determines that the cutting tool has reached the end of the workpiece and controls the attitude of the cutting tool. The robot device according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the first control device measures the size of the workpiece based on whether the distance sensor is on or off. The robot device according to claim 10, wherein the first control device measures the inclination of the workpiece relative to the cutting direction of the workpiece based on the size of the workpiece and the measured distance when the distance sensor is on and off. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the rod-shaped body is inclined with respect to a direction in which the workpiece is removed. The system according to claim 1 or 12 , wherein the workpiece comprises an outer container and an inner container, and the rod-shaped body is pierced into the outer container and the inner container together. A second robot to which the second hand of the system according to any one of claims 1, 12 and 13 is attached;
A second control device that controls at least one of a position and a posture of the second robot;
Equipped with
The second control device controls the second robot to tilt the workpiece while the rod-shaped body is pierced into the workpiece. a first robot having a first hand attached thereto, the first hand having a distance sensor for measuring a distance to a workpiece and a cutting tool for cutting the workpiece at a depth corresponding to the measured distance;
A first control device that controls at least one of a position and a posture of the first robot;
a second robot having a second hand attached thereto, the second hand having a hand portion for removing the workpiece and a rod-shaped body for piercing the workpiece;
A second control device that controls at least one of a position and a posture of the second robot;
Equipped with
A robot system , wherein the hand portion is configured to pierce the rod-shaped body into the workpiece that has been cut and opened by the cutting tool, and then remove an item from the workpiece . The robot system of claim 15 , wherein the workpiece comprises an outer container and an inner container, and further comprising a separation tool that separates the outer container and the inner container. The robot system according to claim 15 or 16 , further comprising a temporary placement tool for temporarily placing the workpiece, the temporary placement tool comprising a spacer portion for forming a gap between the temporary placement tool and the workpiece. The robot system according to claim 15 , further comprising a folding tool for folding the workpiece. 19. The robotic system of claim 15 , further comprising a visual sensor for inspecting the cutting tool for faults.

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