JP7576826B2 - Hand for storage device, storage device, and storage system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a storage device hand, a storage device, and a storage system that stores open trays containing eggs in a shipping container such as cardboard.

As a container for storing eggs, there is an open tray that does not have a lid and has an open top. Known examples of open trays include molded trays, paper trays, and PET trays. Molded trays and paper trays are made, for example, from paper or pulp, and PET trays are made, for example, from plastic. These open trays are used for commercial purposes and the like to store a large number of eggs. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an open tray that can hold 32 eggs in 4 rows and 8 columns.

However, when both ends of an open tray containing a large number of eggs are lifted, the weight of the eggs can cause the open tray to bend. For this reason, it is difficult to automate the process mechanically in order to store the open tray containing the eggs in a shipping container such as cardboard, and this has generally been done manually.

In response to this, the technology of Patent Document 2 discloses a device that lifts eggs and open trays separately and stores them in a transport container in order to automate the transport of open trays containing eggs. Specifically, the head of the device has suction members in the same number as the eggs to be stored, and a pair of gripping members, each suction member suctions an egg, and the pair of gripping members grip both ends of the open tray. The head moves into the transport container while maintaining suction by the suction members and grip by the gripping members. The gripping members release their grip on the open tray and place the open tray in the transport container. Each suction member releases its suction on the eggs and places the eggs on the open tray placed in the transport container.

JP 2009-202948 A International Publication No. 2019/004198

As described above, in the technology of Patent Document 2, the pair of gripping members move into the transport container while gripping both ends of the open tray, and then release the grip (i.e., widen the gap between the pair of gripping members) to place the open tray inside the transport container. Therefore, it was necessary to make the width inside the transport container significantly larger than the width of the open tray so that the pair of gripping members could sufficiently widen the gap inside the transport container. As a result, there was a problem of a gap being created between the transport container and the stored open tray.

Such gaps are undesirable as they prevent the open trays from being transported safely. In particular, since eggs tend to be easily damaged, it is desirable to store the open trays in the transport container with as few gaps as possible.

The present invention aims to provide a technology that can reduce the gap between an open tray containing eggs and the inner wall of a transport container when the open tray is stored in the transport container, thereby preventing damage to eggs on the open tray.

The hand for a storage device of the present invention comprises:
an egg adsorption unit that adsorbs a plurality of eggs contained in an open tray having no lid;
and a lifting part for lifting the open tray. The lifting part is a tray suction part having the egg adsorption part provided inside, and the tray suction part lifts a part of the upper surface of the open tray by suction (preferably, a part or all of the upper surface excluding the peripheral upper surface and the egg placement part).

A part or all of the tray suction portion may or may not be in contact with the upper surface of the open tray.

According to the above configuration, since the eggs are adsorbed by the egg adsorption unit, the weight of the suction target of the tray suction unit can be reduced by the weight of the eggs. Therefore, the tray suction unit can lift the open tray with a relatively small suction force. In this way, the egg adsorption unit adsorbs the eggs contained in the open tray, and the tray suction unit adsorbs the open tray, so that the eggs and the open tray can be stored in the transport container. As a result, when an open tray containing eggs is stored in the transport container, the gap between the open tray and the inner wall of the transport container can be made smaller than before, and damage to the eggs on the open tray can be suppressed.

The eggs adsorbed by the egg adsorption section may float (i.e., be separated) from the open tray. The distance between the floating eggs and the upper surface of the open tray may be relatively small. This makes it possible to prevent damage to the eggs even if they fall from the egg adsorption section.

The tray suction part may be located in a cutout provided on the outer periphery of the open tray in a position that does not interfere with the egg adsorption part, does not extend beyond the outer edge of the open tray when viewed in the lifting direction of the tray suction part, and may have a hook part that hooks onto the end of the cutout to grip the open tray.

When viewed in the lifting direction, the hook portion is inserted and positioned within the opening area of a cutout portion provided on the outer periphery of the open tray without extending beyond the outer edge of the open tray, and may be moved toward the center of the tray or in a direction perpendicular to the center of the tray to hook it, and may perform a return-to-origin (opening) operation when opened.
The hook portion may have a leg including a claw, and the leg may be hooked onto the notch portion toward the center of the tray to grip the open tray.
The hook portion may have a pair of legs including a claw arranged back to back, and the legs may be spread apart in a direction perpendicular to the center of the tray within the cutout portion for hooking.

According to the above configuration, the open tray is attracted to the tray suction portion and is also gripped by the hook portion. This allows the open tray to be stored more reliably in the transport container.

The tray suction section may have a hole-blocking section that blocks at least a portion of a cutout section provided on the outer periphery of the open tray.

According to the above configuration, at least a portion of the cutout portion provided on the outer periphery of the open tray (generally a cutout portion for inserting fingers provided on the open tray so that the tray can be held by hand) is blocked by the hole blocking portion. This makes it possible to more stably attract the open tray by the tray suction portion.

The tray suction portion may have an outer edge that conforms to the outer shape of the open tray.

The tray suction portion may have an outer edge that follows the contour of the rectangular open tray.

The above configuration can prevent gaps from occurring between the tray suction unit and the open tray. This makes it possible to more stably adsorb the open tray by the tray suction unit.

The lifting unit has a pressure sensor that detects a pressure in a space formed by the tray suction unit and the open tray,
a first detachment mechanism that performs suction and detachment of the open tray by the tray suction unit;
The apparatus may further include a control unit that controls the first detachment mechanism so as to detach the open tray into the transport container when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined value.

According to the above configuration, the pressure in the space formed by the tray suction unit and the open tray is detected by a pressure sensor, and if the detected pressure is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, it is determined that the suction by the tray suction unit has been sufficient (i.e., the open tray has been adsorbed to the tray suction unit), and the control unit controls the first detachment mechanism to detach the open tray into the transport container. This ensures that the open tray can be adsorbed by the tray suction unit.

The first detachment mechanism may further perform egg attachment and detachment by the egg attachment section.

According to the above configuration, the egg adsorption and detachment by the egg adsorption unit and the open tray adsorption and detachment by the tray suction unit can be achieved by a single attachment/detachment mechanism. This allows the cost of the storage device hand to be reduced compared to when the storage device hand has multiple attachment/detachment mechanisms.

The storage device hand may further include a second attachment/detachment mechanism that performs attachment and detachment of eggs by the egg attachment section.

According to the above configuration, the first attachment/detachment mechanism performs adsorption and detachment of the open tray using the tray suction unit, and the second attachment/detachment mechanism performs adsorption and detachment of the eggs using the egg adsorption unit. This makes it possible to individually control the adsorption and detachment of the open tray and the adsorption and detachment of the eggs, making it possible to more steadily transport the eggs and the open tray.

The hand for a storage device of the present invention comprises:
an egg adsorption unit that adsorbs a plurality of eggs contained in an open tray having no lid;
a lifting portion for lifting the open tray;
The lifting portion has a pair of gripping members that grip both sides of the open tray, and when the open tray is placed in a transport container and then removed, the widthwise length of the pair of gripping members is longer than the widthwise length of the open tray and shorter than the widthwise length of the inner wall of the transport container.

According to the above configuration, the egg adsorption section adsorbs the eggs contained in the open tray, and the lifting section lifts the open tray. Furthermore, when the lifting section places the open tray in the transport container and then detaches the open tray, the widthwise length of the lifting section is longer than the widthwise length of the open tray and shorter than the widthwise length of the transport container. Therefore, even if the difference between the width of the transport container and the width of the open tray is relatively small, when the lifting section detaches the open tray, the open tray can be placed in the transport container without damaging the transport container. In other words, when the open tray is stored in the transport container, the gap between the open tray and the inner wall of the transport container can be made smaller than before, and damage to the eggs on the open tray can be suppressed.

The lifting portion is
A hand body connected to the storage device;
The hand may further include a first actuator that is installed on the hand body and is capable of rotating the pair of gripping members about an axis that is parallel to a depth direction of the hand body and perpendicular to a width direction of the hand body.

According to the above configuration, each of the pair of gripping members rotates toward the inside of the hand body about an axis parallel to the depth direction perpendicular to the width direction of the hand body, thereby coming into contact with the open tray and being able to grip both sides of the open tray.

The lifting portion is
A hand body connected to the storage device;
The hand may further include a second actuator that is installed on the hand body and is capable of increasing or decreasing the distance between the pair of gripping members in the width direction of the hand body.

The egg adsorbing section may have adsorbing members each capable of adsorbing one egg, the number of which is equal to the number of eggs that can be accommodated in the open tray.
The suction member may be a bellows-shaped suction pad.

According to the above configuration, one egg is adsorbed by one adsorption member. This makes the transfer of eggs more stable.

The storage device of the present invention comprises:
A robot arm;
and a hand for the storage device provided at the tip of the robot arm.

The robot arm may be a vertical articulated robot or a horizontal articulated robot.

The storage system of the present invention comprises:
The storage device as described above;
A first loading section that loads the empty transport container into the storage device;
a second receiving section for receiving the open tray containing the eggs into the storage device;
and an unloading section that unloads the transport container in which the open trays containing eggs are stored.

When an open tray containing eggs is stored in a transport container, the gap between the open tray and the inner wall of the transport container can be made smaller than before, preventing damage to the eggs on the open tray.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a storage system. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a storage device hand of the first embodiment. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the back side of the storage device hand of the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an open tray. 13 is a flow chart showing the adsorption and desorption operations of an open tray containing eggs. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a hook portion of a storage device hand of a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the hook portion and the open tray when viewed in the −z direction. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a hook portion of a storage device hand of a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an egg adsorption portion adsorbs an egg (not shown) in the storage device hand of the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a pair of gripping members grip an open tray in the storage device hand of the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the cylinder of the second actuator in the storage device hand of the third embodiment is extended. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the cylinder of the first actuator is contracted in the storage device hand of the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a hole closing portion included in a tray suction portion in a storage device hand of another embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an outer edge portion of an open tray in a hand for a storage device according to another embodiment, the outer edge portion being aligned with the outer shape of the open tray. FIG.

(Overview of the containment system)
An overview of a storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a storage system according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the storage system 1 includes a storage device 11, a first loading section 13, an intermediate conveyor 15, a second loading section 17, a first conveyor 19, an unloading section 21, a second conveyor 23, and a third conveyor 25.
The storage system 1 is controlled by a main controller 10 provided in a management system that comprehensively manages the storage system 1. The storage system 1 may also be controlled by an individual controller provided separately. The main controller 10 and the individual controllers may be realized, for example, by a dedicated circuit, firmware, or a combination of hardware such as a processor and memory with a program that defines a control procedure.

The storage device 11 includes a robot arm 12 and a storage device hand 14. The storage device hand 14 is provided at the tip of the robot arm 12. The storage device 11 stores an open tray containing eggs (hereinafter referred to as an open tray containing eggs) in the transport container 100. The open tray is a tray that does not have a lid and has an open top, and examples of such a tray include a molded tray made of pulp, a paper tray made of paper, and a PET tray made of plastic. In this embodiment, the transport container 100 is a cardboard box, but is not limited to this and may be any container, such as a plastic container. The storage device hand 14 will be described in detail later.

The first carrying-in section 13 includes a roller conveyor or the like, and transports the empty transport container 100 to the storage device 11. Although not shown, in this embodiment, a box-making machine is disposed upstream of the first carrying-in section 13, and the first carrying-in section 13 continues to the box-making machine. The first carrying-in section 13 transports empty cardboard boxes assembled by the box-making machine to waiting positions 13a, 13b below the storage device 11. After transporting the cardboard boxes to the waiting positions 13a, 13b, the first carrying-in section 13 transports the cardboard boxes to the intermediate conveyor 15.

The intermediate conveyor 15 is adjacent to the first carry-in section 13 and includes a first detection sensor 15b. The first detection sensor 15b detects whether the transport container 100 has arrived on the intermediate conveyor 15. The first detection sensor 15b may be, for example, a load sensor or an optical sensor, but is not limited thereto.
The intermediate conveyor 15 includes a pressing portion 15a. The pressing portion 15a contacts the flap of the transport container 100a to suppress the movement of the transport container 100a. Although not shown, the intermediate conveyor 15 further includes one pressing portion on the opposite side of the pressing portion 15a (at a position facing the pressing portion 15a in the y direction). This pressing portion contacts the flap of the transport container 100b located upstream of the transport container 100a to suppress the movement of the transport container 100b.
The second carry-in section 17 includes a belt conveyor or the like, and transports the open trays containing eggs to the storage device 11. Although not shown, in this embodiment, an egg-packing device that packs eggs into open trays is disposed upstream of the second carry-in section 17, and the second carry-in section 17 continues to the egg-packing device. A first conveyor 19 is disposed downstream of the second carry-in section 17. The second carry-in section 17 transports the open trays containing eggs to the first conveyor 19.

The first conveyor 19 includes a second detection sensor (not shown). The second detection sensor (not shown) detects whether an open tray containing eggs has arrived on the first conveyor 19. The second detection sensor (not shown) may be, for example, a load sensor or an optical sensor, but is not limited to these.
When the second detection sensor (not shown) detects that the open tray containing eggs has reached the first conveyor 19, the control unit 10 determines whether the open tray containing eggs is defective. As an example, the control unit 10 uses a third detection sensor (not shown) to determine whether the eggs in the open tray are not damaged and whether all the rows of the open tray are filled with eggs (or whether several rows of the open tray are filled with eggs). As an example, the third detection sensor (not shown) may be, but is not limited to, a load sensor, an optical sensor, an image sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor. When the control unit 10 determines that the open tray containing eggs is defective, it controls the storage device 11 to lift the open tray containing eggs and store it in the transport container 100 on the intermediate conveyor 15.

The second conveyor 23 normally (initial state) faces upward (z direction). In FIG. 1, the second conveyor 23b faces upward. When the control unit 10 determines that the open tray containing eggs is defective, it lowers the second conveyor 23. In FIG. 1, the second conveyor 23a is in the lowered state. When the second conveyor 23 is lowered, the control unit 10 operates the first conveyor 19 and the second conveyor 23 to transport the open tray containing eggs to the third conveyor 25. When the open tray containing eggs has been transported to the third conveyor 25, the control unit 10 raises the second conveyor 23 again.

The control unit 10 detects whether a predetermined number of open trays containing eggs have been stored in the transport container (i.e., whether the transport container is full). As an example, the control unit 10 counts the number of times stacked by the storage device 11, and when the count reaches a predetermined number, it determines that the transport container is full, and when the count does not reach the predetermined number, it determines that the transport container is not full. The storage device 11 stores open trays containing eggs in the transport container 100 until the control unit 10 detects that the transport container is full. When the control unit 10 detects that the transport container is full, the intermediate conveyor 15 conveys the transport container to the discharge unit 21. Note that the storage device 11 may place an empty open tray that does not contain eggs on the open tray containing eggs at the top surface in the transport container. The empty open tray functions as a lid for the open tray containing eggs at the top surface, and suppresses damage to the eggs.
The discharge section 21 is adjacent to the intermediate conveyor 15 and includes a roller conveyor or the like. Although not shown in the figures, in this embodiment, a scale is arranged downstream of the discharge section 21, and the weight of the transport container storing the open trays containing eggs is measured and the weight is adjusted as necessary. A sealing machine is arranged downstream of the scale, and a palletizer is arranged downstream of the sealing machine. The discharge section 21 continues to the scale and transports the transport container storing the open trays containing eggs to the scale.

First Embodiment
Next, a first embodiment of the storage device hand 14 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the storage device hand of the first embodiment.
The storage device hand 14 includes an arm connection portion 140 , an egg adsorption portion 141 , a lifting portion 143 , a tool changer 146 , a first detachment mechanism 145 , and a second detachment mechanism 147 .
The robot arm 12 is attached to the arm connection portion 140 .

The egg adsorption part 141 and the lifting part 143 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the back side of the storage device hand 14 of the first embodiment (i.e., when viewed in the z direction of the storage device hand 14). The lifting part 143 includes a box-shaped tray suction part 149 that does not have a bottom surface (i.e., is open), and a pressure sensor 151. The tray suction part 149 includes a rectangular outer edge part 153. The tray suction part 149 is dimensioned so that the outer edge part 153 can contact the outer edge of the open tray. The open tray will be described in detail later. The pressure sensor 151 detects the pressure in the tray suction part 149. The installation location of the pressure sensor 151 is not limited to the example of FIG. 3.
A plurality of egg adsorption sections 141 are provided inside tray suction section 149. Each egg adsorption section 141 includes a bellows-shaped adsorption pad, and one egg adsorption section 141 adsorbs one egg. The same number of egg adsorption sections 141 are provided as the number of eggs that can be accommodated in the open tray. Egg adsorption sections 141 are arranged so as to correspond to the positions at which the eggs are arranged on the open tray. In this embodiment, as an example, an open tray is used that can arrange eight eggs in the x direction and five eggs in the y direction, and 40 egg adsorption sections 141 are provided.

The open tray will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows an example of an open tray in this embodiment. The open tray 102 includes an egg placement section 104, a peripheral section 106, and a cutout section 108. The open tray 102 does not have a lid. The egg placement section 104 includes a plurality of recesses, and one egg is placed in each recess. The peripheral section 106 is provided to surround the egg placement section 104 and includes a flat section. The outer edge section 153 of the tray suction section 149 contacts the flat section of the peripheral section 106 of the open tray 102. The cutout section 108 is a recess that faces the direction toward the center of the open tray 102 (toward the tray center) relative to the peripheral section 106, and forms a space into which a person's finger can be inserted. The open tray 102 can be carried by a person by inserting a finger into the cutout section 108. As an example, the open tray 102 has two cutouts 108 on one short side and one cutout 108 on the other short side. Note that the open tray shown in FIG. 4 is merely an example, and the number of recesses in the egg placement section 104 and the locations and/or number of the cutouts 18 are not limited to this.

2 , the tool changer 146, the first detachment mechanism 145, and the second detachment mechanism 147 will be described. The egg adhesive part 141 and the lifting part 143 are attached to the robot arm 12 via the tool changer 146. The tool changer 146 makes it possible to attach another set of egg adhesive parts 141. This makes it possible to realize a storage device hand 14 that can accommodate various open trays each having a different number of eggs that can be stored therein.
The first detachment mechanism 145 performs suction and detachment of the open trays among the open trays containing eggs. The first detachment mechanism 145 includes a first pipe 155 and a first pipe connection part 157. The first pipe 155 is connected to a first vacuum blower (not shown). The first pipe connection part 157 connects the first pipe 155 to the tray suction part 149. The first vacuum blower (not shown) has a switching valve and switches between suction and exhaust of air in the first pipe 155 and the tray suction part 149. When the first vacuum blower (not shown) sucks air, the pressure in the tray suction part 149 decreases, and the open tray 102 is sucked to the tray suction part 149. When the first vacuum blower (not shown) exhausts air, the pressure in the tray suction part 149 increases, and the open tray 102 is detached from the tray suction part 149.

The second detachment mechanism 147 performs adsorption and detachment of eggs from an open tray containing eggs. The second detachment mechanism 147 has the same configuration as the first detachment mechanism 145, so only the differences from the first detachment mechanism 145 will be described. The second detachment mechanism 147 includes a second pipe 161 and a second pipe connection part 163. The second pipe 161 is connected to a second vacuum blower (not shown), and the second pipe connection part 163 connects the second pipe 161 to the egg adsorption part 141. The second vacuum blower (not shown) has a switching valve and switches between suction and exhaust of air in the second pipe 161. When the second vacuum blower (not shown) sucks air while the egg adsorption part 141 is in contact with the egg, the egg is adsorbed to the egg adsorption part 141. When the second vacuum blower (not shown) exhausts air, the egg is detached from the egg adsorption part 141.

(Adsorption/Desorption Action of Open Tray with Eggs)
The description of the adsorption and detachment operations of the open tray containing eggs will be continued with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing the adsorption and detachment operations of the open tray containing eggs. As an example, the control unit 10 starts the process of Fig. 5 in response to a start-up instruction from an administrator of the storage system 1.
When the control unit 10 starts the process of Fig. 5, it starts suction of air by the first vacuum blower (not shown) and the second vacuum blower (not shown) (S10). Next, the control unit 10 detects that the transport container 100 has arrived on the intermediate conveyor 15 by the first detection sensor 15b (S12). Next, the control unit 10 detects that the open tray containing eggs has arrived on the first conveyor 19 by the second detection sensor (not shown) (S14). Next, the control unit 10 judges whether the open tray containing eggs has any defects by the third detection sensor (not shown) (S16). When the control unit 10 judges that the open tray containing eggs has any defects (S16: No), it lowers the second conveyor 23 and transports the defective open tray containing eggs to the third conveyor 25 (S20), and returns to S14. On the other hand, if the control unit 10 determines that the open tray containing eggs is not defective (S16: Yes), it moves the storage device hand 14 above the open tray containing eggs and starts suctioning the eggs and the open tray (S18).

Next, the control unit 10 judges whether the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 151 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (S22). If it is judged that the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 151 is equal to or lower than the predetermined value (S22: Yes), it judges that the eggs are adsorbed to the egg adsorption unit 141 and the open tray is adsorbed to the tray suction unit 149, and proceeds to S24. On the other hand, if it is judged that the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 151 is not equal to or lower than the predetermined value (S22: No), it judges that at least one of the eggs and the open tray is not adsorbed to the egg adsorption unit 141 or the tray suction unit 149, and notifies an error by, for example, sounding an alarm (S26), and ends the process. When the control unit 10 proceeds to S24, it moves the storage device hand 14 above the transport container 100 on the intermediate conveyor 15, and stores the eggs and the open tray in the transport container 100 (S24). Specifically, the control unit 10 switches between suction of air and exhaust of air using the switching valves of the first vacuum blower (not shown) and the second vacuum blower (not shown).

Next, the control unit 10 judges whether the transport container 100 is full (S28). As an example, the control unit 10 counts the number of times the open trays containing eggs are stacked, judges whether the count has reached a predetermined value, and judges that the transport container 100 is full if the count has reached the predetermined value (S28: Yes), and judges that the transport container 100 is not full if the count is less than the predetermined value (S28: No). If it is judged that the transport container 100 is not full (S28: No), the process returns to S14, and the adsorption and detachment operations (S14 to S24) of the open trays containing eggs are repeated until it is judged that the transport container 100 is full. If it is judged that the transport container 100 is full (S28: Yes), the control unit 10 transports the transport container 100 to the discharge unit 21 and counts up the box counter by 1 (S30). Next, the control unit 10 judges whether the count of the box counter is a predetermined value (S32). If it is determined that the box counter count is not the predetermined value (S32: No), the process returns to S12 and repeats S12 to S30 until the count reaches the predetermined value. If the control unit 10 determines that the box counter count is the predetermined value (S32: Yes), the process ends.

In S22, the control unit 10 determines whether the egg and open tray are adsorbed to the egg adsorption unit 141 and the tray suction unit 149 based on the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 151, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the pressure inside the second pipe 161 may be detected by a pressure sensor (not shown), and it may be determined whether the egg is adsorbed to the egg adsorption unit 141 based on the pressure value.

(Action and Effect)
According to the first embodiment, since the eggs are adsorbed by the egg adsorption unit 141, the tray suction unit 149 does not need to adsorb the eggs, and it is sufficient to adsorb the open tray 102. Since the open tray 102 is lighter than the eggs, the tray suction unit 149 can be sucked by a relatively small suction force. Furthermore, since the first detachment mechanism 145 performs adsorption and detachment of the open tray 102 and the second detachment mechanism 147 performs adsorption and detachment of the eggs, the suction force of the first detachment mechanism 145 can be adjusted to a value suitable for the weight of the open tray, and the suction force of the second detachment mechanism 147 can be adjusted to a value suitable for the weight of the eggs. This allows the open tray 102 and the eggs to be stored more reliably in the transport container 100.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the storage device hand will be described. The storage device hand 14a of the second embodiment differs from the storage device hand 14 of the first embodiment in that the tray suction part 149 has a hook part 200. The other configurations of the storage device hand 14a are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the description will be omitted.

The hook part 200 will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 8. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the hook part 200 in the storage device hand 14a of the second embodiment. In Figure 6, the egg E is in a state of being adsorbed to the egg adsorption part 141 (similar to Figure 8). The hook part 200 is installed inside the tray suction part 149. For convenience of explanation, the tray suction part 149 is not shown in Figure 6, and a portion of the tray suction part 149 is shown when viewed in the -x direction.
The hook 200 is positioned inside the tray suction part 149 so as to fit inside the cutout part 108 of the open tray 102. A detailed description will be given with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows the positional relationship between the hook 200 and the open tray 102 when viewed in the -z direction. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 7 omits the illustration of the configuration (tray suction part 149, etc.) other than the hook 200 of the storage device hand 14a. As shown in FIG. 7, the hook 200 is disposed so as to fit within the opening area of the cutout part 108 of the open tray 102, and does not protrude outside the outer edge D of the peripheral part 106 of the open tray 102. In other words, the hook 200 does not protrude outside the outer edge D of the open tray 102 when viewed in the lifting direction of the tray suction part 149 (when the tray suction part 149 is viewed in the z direction).

Returning to FIG. 6 for further explanation, the hook portion 200 has a pair of legs (202a, 202b) and a solenoid valve 204. Each leg (202a, 202b) includes a claw (206a, 206b), and is arranged so that the claws (206a, 206b) face each other (i.e., back to back). The solenoid valve 204 opens and closes the legs (202a, 202b) by switching the power supply ON/OFF. Note that FIG. 6 omits the illustration of wiring and the like for powering the solenoid valve 204. FIG. 6 shows the legs (202a, 202b) in an open state, and FIG. 8 shows the legs (202a, 202b) in a closed state. As shown in FIG. 6, the legs (202a, 202b) move away from each other in a direction parallel to the direction (y direction) perpendicular to the direction (-x direction) toward the center of the open tray 102 from the state shown in FIG. 8 (closed state), so that the claws (206a, 206b) hook into the notch 108 and the hook portion 200 grips the open tray 102.

(Action and Effect)
According to the second embodiment, the open tray 102 is sucked by the tray suction portion 149 and gripped by the hook portion 200. That is, the open tray 102 is transported into the transport container 100 by both the tray suction portion 149 and the hook portion 200. This allows the open tray 102 to be stored in the transport container 100 more stably.

Third Embodiment
Next, the third embodiment of the hand for a storage device will be described with respect to differences from the first embodiment. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a hand for a storage device 14b of the third embodiment. The hand for a storage device 14b has a lifting part 300 and an egg adsorption part 303. The lifting part 300 includes an arm connection part 301, a support part 305, a hand body 307, a tool changer 308, a first actuator 309, a second actuator 311, a joint member 313, a pair of gripping members 315, and a slide base 317.
The arm connection part 301 is installed on the upper surface of the hand body 307, and the robot arm 12 is attached thereto. The egg adsorption part 303 is attached to a support part 305. The support part 305 includes an axis 306, which is attached to the lower surface of the hand body 307. In FIG. 9, as an example, 54 egg adsorption parts 303 are installed, with 9 egg adsorption parts 303 arranged in the x direction and 6 egg adsorption parts 303 arranged in the y direction (not shown). A tool changer 308 is attached to the upper surface of the hand body 307. The tool changer 308 makes it possible to attach another set of egg adsorption parts 303. This makes it possible to realize a storage device hand 14b that can accommodate various open trays that can accommodate different numbers of eggs.
The first actuator 309 is attached to the joining member 313 and the gripping member 315 by fitting bolts or the like into joining holes A and B. The joining member 313 is attached onto a slide base 317, and the slide base 317 is attached to the second actuator 311. The gripping member 315 is attached to the slide base 317 by fitting bolts or the like into joining hole C. The gripping member 315 includes two flat plates 315a, 315b that form an angle greater than 90° and less than 180° (e.g., 160°). Instead of the flat plates 315a, 315b, a single flat plate may be folded.

The operation of the storage device hand 14b will be further described with reference to Figures 9 to 12. For ease of explanation, eggs are not shown in Figures 9 to 12. The storage device hand 14b first adsorbs an egg. Figure 9 shows the state in which the egg adsorption section 303 has adsorbed an egg. As shown in Figure 9, when adsorbing an egg, the flat plates 315a of the pair of gripping members 315 face outward (away from the open tray 102) in the direction (z direction) perpendicular to the hand body 307.

When the egg adsorption is completed, the storage device hand 14b grips the open tray 102. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the pair of gripping members 315 grip the open tray 102. As shown in FIG. 10, the cylinder 309a of the first actuator 309 extends, and the gripping member 315 on the right side of the paper rotates clockwise around the joining hole C as the rotation axis, and the gripping member 315 on the left side of the paper rotates counterclockwise around the joining hole C as the rotation axis. As a result, each flat plate 315a faces inward (toward the center of the hand body 307) in the direction perpendicular to the hand body 307 (z direction). As a result, each flat plate 315a comes into contact with the peripheral portion 106 of the open tray 102 and grips the open tray 102. In this way, the first actuator 309 can rotate the pair of gripping members 315 about an axis parallel to the depth direction (y direction) of the hand body 307 perpendicular to the width direction (x direction) of the hand body 307 .
Since the open tray 102 is soft and easily compressed when force is applied, in Fig. 10, the flat plate 315a of the gripping member 315 compresses the peripheral portion 106 of the open tray 102 inward (toward the center of the hand body 307). Also, in Fig. 10, the open tray 102 is curved in the bending -z direction. However, Fig. 10 is merely an example, and the flat plate 315a of the gripping member 315 may grip the peripheral portion 106 (outer edge) of the open tray 102 without compressing the peripheral portion 106 of the open tray 102, and the open tray 102 may not be curved.

When the storage device hand 14b has finished gripping the open tray 102, it moves into the transport container and places the open tray 102 into the transport container. Next, the storage device hand 14b extends the cylinder 311a of the second actuator 311. Figure 11 shows the state in which the cylinder 311a of the second actuator 311 is extended. As described above, the second actuator 311 is joined to the slide base 317, and the slide base 317 is joined to the gripping member 315. When the cylinder 311a of the second actuator 311 extends, the slide base 317 and gripping member 315 on the right side of the page move in the -x direction, and the slide base 317 and gripping member 315 on the left side of the page move in the x direction, widening the gap between the pair of gripping members 315. As shown in FIG. 11, each flat plate 315a of each gripping member 315 is maintained facing inward (toward the center of the hand body 307) in the direction (z direction) perpendicular to the hand body 307.

Next, the storage device hand 14b contracts the cylinder 309a of the first actuator 309. FIG. 12 shows the state in which the cylinder 309a of the first actuator 309 is contracted. As shown in FIG. 12, the first actuator 309 contracts the cylinder 309a until each flat plate 315a of each gripping member 315 is parallel to the direction (z direction) perpendicular to the hand body 307. When the contraction of the cylinder 309a is completed, the storage device hand 14b releases the suction by the egg suction part 303, places the egg on the open tray 102, and moves it outside the transport container. However, FIG. 12 is only one example, and the flat plate 315a of the gripping member 315 may be oriented inward (toward the center of the hand body 307) by a predetermined angle rather than parallel to the direction (z direction) perpendicular to the hand body 307.

(Action and Effect)
According to the third embodiment, a pair of gripping members 315 grip the open tray 102 by driving the first actuator 309 and the second actuator 311. In addition, the length of the storage device hand 14b in the width direction (the longitudinal direction of the hand body 307, the x direction) can be adjusted to be smaller than the length of the transport container in the width direction. More specifically, the interval between the gripping members 315 (d1 in FIG. 10, d2 in FIG. 11, d3 in FIG. 12) can be made smaller than the width of the inner wall of the transport container. This allows the open tray to be placed without damaging the transport container when the storage device hand 14b moves into the transport container and when it moves out of the transport container.

(Another embodiment)
(1) In the first embodiment, the storage device hand 14 has the first detachment mechanism 145 and the second detachment mechanism 147, but may have a single detachment mechanism for adsorbing and detaching the open tray 102 and the eggs.

(2) In the first embodiment, the tray suction unit 149 may have a hole blocking unit 400 that blocks at least a part of the cutout 108 provided on the outer periphery of the open tray 102. An example of the hole blocking unit 400 is shown in Fig. 13. The hole blocking unit 400 is provided inside the tray suction unit 149 so as to correspond to the position of the cutout 108 of the open tray 102. As an example, the hole blocking unit 400 may be formed of a sponge. Note that, in Fig. 13, the hole blocking unit 400 is provided when the storage device hand has one detachment mechanism 401, but the hole blocking unit 400 may be provided in a storage device hand 14 having two detachment mechanisms 145, 147.
As described above, the open tray 102 is formed with the cutout portion 108. Therefore, when the outer edge portion 153 of the tray suction portion 149 is brought into contact with the peripheral portion 106 of the open tray 102, a gap is generated between the outer edge portion 153 and the cutout portion 108, which may cause a weakening of the suction force. In response to this, by providing the hole blocking portion 400 in the tray suction portion 149, the gap caused by the cutout portion 108 can be reduced, and more stable suction by the tray suction portion 149 can be achieved.

(3) In the first embodiment, the tray suction unit 149 has a rectangular outer edge 153, but this is not limited thereto, and may have an outer edge 500 that follows the outer shape of the open tray, as shown in FIG. 14. Note that in FIG. 14, the outer edge 500 is provided when the storage device hand has one detachment mechanism 401, but the tray suction unit 149 may be provided with the outer edge 500 in a storage device hand 14 that has two detachment mechanisms 145, 147. By providing the outer edge 500, the gap caused by the cutout portion 108 can be reduced, and more stable suction by the tray suction unit 149 can be achieved.

(4) In the second embodiment, the hook portion 200 has one leg including a claw, and the leg may be moved in a direction toward the center of the open tray 102 (toward the center of the tray) to hook onto the notch portion 208 and grip the open tray.

(5) In the third embodiment, the storage device hand 14b has both the first actuator 309 and the second actuator 311, but it is also possible to have one of them and not the other. In this case, it is preferable that the distance between the gripping members 315 is smaller than the width of the inner wall of the transport container when the storage device hand 14b moves into the transport container and when it moves out of the transport container.
In the third embodiment, the flat plate 315 a of the gripping member 315 may move to the cutout portion 108 of the open tray 102 and contact the cutout portion 108 to grip the open tray 102 .

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 storage system 10 control unit 12 robot arm 13 first loading unit 14 hand for storage device 17 second loading unit 21 unloading unit 102 open tray 108 cutout unit 141 egg suction unit 143 lifting unit 145 first detachment mechanism 147 second detachment mechanism 149 tray suction unit 151 pressure sensor 153 outer edge unit 200 hook unit 300 lifting unit 303 egg suction unit 307 hand body 309 first actuator 311 second actuator 315 gripping member 400 hole blocking unit 500 outer edge unit

Claims (9)

an egg adsorption unit that adsorbs a plurality of eggs contained in an open tray having no lid;
a lifting portion for lifting the open tray;
The lifting part is a tray suction part in which the egg adsorption part is provided, the tray suction part having an outer edge part that follows the outline of the open tray, and a hand for a storage device having the tray suction part that abuts the outer edge part against the upper surface of the open tray and lifts it by suction. an egg adsorption unit that adsorbs a plurality of eggs contained in an open tray having no lid;
a lifting portion for lifting the open tray;
The lifting part is a tray suction part in which the egg adsorption part is provided, and the tray suction part lifts a part of the upper surface of the open tray by suction,
The tray suction portion is located in a position that does not interfere with the egg adsorption portion, does not extend outside the outer edge of the open tray when viewed in the direction of lifting the tray suction portion, and is located in a cutout portion provided on the outer periphery of the open tray, and has a hook portion that hooks onto the end of the cutout to grasp the open tray. The hand for a storage device according to claim 1, wherein the tray suction part has a hole blocking part that blocks at least a part of a cutout part provided on the outer periphery of the open tray. The lifting unit has a pressure sensor that detects a pressure in a space formed by the tray suction unit and the open tray,
a first detachment mechanism that performs suction and detachment of the open tray by the tray suction unit;
The hand for storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising: a control unit that controls the first detachment mechanism so as to detach the open tray into a transport container when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. The hand for storage device according to claim 4 , wherein the first detachment mechanism further performs attachment and detachment of an egg by the egg attachment portion. The hand for storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 further comprises a second attachment/detachment mechanism that performs attachment and detachment of eggs by the egg attachment part. The hand for a storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the egg adsorption section has adsorption members for adsorbing one egg, the number of which is the same as the number of eggs that can be accommodated in the open tray. A robot arm;
A storage device comprising: a storage device hand according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , which is provided at the tip of the robot arm. A storage device according to claim 8 ;
A first loading section that loads an empty transport container into the storage device;
a second loading section for loading an open tray containing eggs into the storage device;
and an output section for outputting the transport container in which the open trays containing the eggs are stored.

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