JP7753870B2 - Parts disassembly device and foreign matter removal method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a parts disassembly device and a foreign object removal method.

Patent Document 1 describes a vibration transfer device that transfers powder and granular materials by vibrating a transfer trough supported by multiple spring legs using a vibration motor. In this type of vibration transfer device, the vibration motor is composed of two reference motors and one offset motor, and by individually controlling these three vibration motors, it is possible to impart vibrations in a certain direction to the transfer trough.

Registered Utility Model No. 3175501

However, with this type of vibration transfer device, foreign matter such as dirt, dust, and broken parts easily accumulates in the trough, and the accumulated foreign matter must be removed periodically. This poses the problem of the time-consuming and labor-intensive removal process. Furthermore, since the device cannot be used while the removal process is in progress, work must be interrupted, resulting in reduced work efficiency.

The component disassembly device of the present invention comprises: a trough having a mounting surface on which a workpiece is placed;
a vibration generating device that vibrates the trough and moves the workpiece;
a recess having an opening that opens onto the placement surface and that collects foreign matter on the placement surface through the opening;
The container has a lid portion that overlaps the opening when viewed in a vertical plane.

The foreign matter removal method of the present invention includes: a trough having a mounting surface on which a workpiece is placed;
a vibration generating device that vibrates the trough and moves the workpiece;
a recess having an opening that opens onto the mounting surface;
a cover portion overlapping the opening in a plan view from a vertical direction, the cover portion including a part separating device and a part placing surface of the part separating device;
The trough is vibrated by driving the vibration generator, and the vibration moves foreign matter on the placement surface toward the recess, and the foreign matter is removed by being collected into the recess through the opening.

1 is an overall view of a pickup system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device as viewed from the horizontal direction. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the component disassembly device as seen from above. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which the lid portion is removed. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which the workpieces are aligned along the guide wall. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the component disassembly device shown in FIG. 2 . 4 is a flowchart showing a foreign object removal method for the part disassembly device. 4 is a flowchart showing a foreign object removal method for the part disassembly device. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the second embodiment as viewed from the horizontal direction. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the third embodiment as viewed from the horizontal direction. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the fourth embodiment as viewed from the horizontal direction. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the configuration shown in FIG. 11 . FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the configuration shown in FIG. 11 . FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the fifth embodiment as viewed from the horizontal direction.

Below, preferred embodiments of the component disassembly device and foreign matter removal method of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment
Fig. 1 is an overall view of a pickup system according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the component sorting device as viewed from the horizontal direction. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the component sorting device as viewed from above. Fig. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the lid portion has been removed. Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which workpieces have been aligned along a guide wall. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the component sorting device shown in Fig. 2. Figs. 7 and 8 are flowcharts each showing a foreign object removal method for the component sorting device.

For ease of explanation, each figure illustrates three mutually perpendicular axes: the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. Below, the direction along the X-axis will be referred to as the X-axis direction, the direction along the Y-axis will be referred to as the Y-axis direction, and the direction along the Z-axis will be referred to as the Z-axis direction. The arrow side of each axis will also be referred to as the positive side, and the opposite side as the negative side. The Z-axis runs vertically, with the positive side being the upper vertical side and the negative side being the lower vertical side.

The pickup system 100 shown in Figure 1 includes a part separation device 200 that aligns multiple workpieces W in a predetermined shape, a vision 300 that captures images of the workpieces W on the part separation device 200, a robot 400 that picks up the aligned workpieces W on the part separation device 200, a stage 500 on which the picked-up workpieces W are placed, and a control device 600 that controls the operation of each of these components.

To briefly explain the flow of this pickup system 100, first, a worker or the like loads multiple workpieces W into the part disassembly device 200. However, the method for loading the workpieces W into the part disassembly device 200 is not particularly limited, and may be done by, for example, a robot, conveyor, etc. Next, the part disassembly device 200 is driven to align the multiple workpieces W in a predetermined orientation and line them up in a predetermined position. Next, the robot 400 picks up the workpieces W and transports them to the stage 500.

The workpiece W to be picked up is disk-shaped. Hereinafter, as shown in Figure 2, the orientation in which the main surface faces vertically will be referred to as the lying orientation Wa, the orientation in which the main surface faces horizontally will be referred to as the standing orientation Wb, and the orientation in which one workpiece W is stacked on top of another will be referred to as the stacking orientation Wc. The height of the workpiece W in the lying orientation Wa will also be referred to as Dw, and the height Dw is lower than the height of the workpiece W in the standing orientation Wb or the stacking orientation Wc. However, the configuration of the workpiece W is not particularly limited.

[Parts disassembly device 200]
As shown in FIG. 2, the component separation device 200 has a plate-shaped base 210, a vibration generator 260, a trough 250 connected to the base 210 via the vibration generator 260, and a gap forming section 240 and a foreign matter removal section 280 arranged in the trough 250.

The vibration generator 260 has four voice coil motors 263. Each voice coil motor 263 has a main body 263a and a vibration shaft 263b that vibrates in the Z-axis direction relative to the main body 263a when power is applied. The main body 263a is fixed to the base 210, and the vibration shaft 263b is fixed to the trough 250. As shown in FIG. 3, these four voice coil motors 263 are arranged in a balanced manner at the four corners of the base 210. The vibration generator 260 configured in this manner can generate various vibrations by independently controlling the magnitude and timing of the vibration of each voice coil motor 263. Note that, for ease of explanation, vibration that moves the workpiece W toward the positive side of the X-axis will be referred to as X-axis positive side movement vibration, and vibration that moves the workpiece W toward the negative side of the X-axis will be referred to as X-axis negative side movement vibration.

As shown in Figure 2, the trough 250 is box-shaped and opens upward, and has a mounting surface 251 on which multiple workpieces W are placed, and a frame-shaped wall portion 252 extending upward from the outer edge of the mounting surface 251.

The trough 250 is also provided with a gap forming unit 240 that eliminates overlapping of workpieces W within the trough 250. Workpieces W are piled up haphazardly on the trough 250. In this state, highly accurate image recognition is required to detect workpieces W that can be picked up and to determine the position and orientation of the detected workpieces W. Furthermore, because the approach direction of the robot 400 differs for each workpiece W, control tends to become complicated and it is not possible to improve the cycle time. Therefore, the part disassembly device 200 uses the gap forming unit 240 to eliminate overlapping of workpieces W and place each workpiece W in a lying position Wa, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem and improving the pickup cycle time.

As shown in FIG. 2, the gap forming section 240 is disposed above the placement surface 251. The gap forming section 240 is rod-, column-, or plate-shaped and spans the wall section 252 like a beam. In a vertical plan view, the gap forming section 240 divides the interior of the trough 250 into a first area S1 located on the negative side of the X-axis direction and a second area S2 located on the positive side of the X-axis direction. At the start of work, multiple workpieces W are casually placed into the first area S1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower surface 241 of the gap forming portion 240 is a flat surface parallel to the placement surface 251 and is disposed opposite the placement surface 251 across a gap G. The height Dg (vertical length) of the gap G is set in the range Dw < Dg < 2Dw. As a result, only workpieces W in a lying position Wa placed on the placement surface 251 can pass through the gap G and move from the first area S1 to the second area S2, while workpieces W in other positions, i.e., workpieces W in an overlapping position Wc and an upright position Wb, cannot pass through the gap G and are restricted from moving from the first area S1 to the second area S2.

However, the gap forming portion 240 may be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the trough 250 is also provided with a foreign object removal unit 280 that removes foreign objects D from the trough 250. As previously mentioned, multiple workpieces W are randomly placed into the trough 250, and various foreign objects D, such as dirt, dust, scum, and fragments of the workpieces W, can get mixed into the trough 250. If foreign objects D are present on the placement surface 251, they may impede the movement of the workpieces W or cause the workpieces W to shift position, hindering smooth pickup operations. Therefore, by removing foreign objects D from the placement surface 251 using the foreign object removal unit 280, smooth pickup operations can be performed continuously for extended periods of time. Furthermore, the placement surface 251 requires less frequent cleaning, thereby reducing the effort and time required. Furthermore, a reduced cleaning frequency reduces the amount of time the pickup operation must be interrupted, thereby extending the operating time of the component disassembly device 200 and improving the efficiency of the pickup operation.

As shown in FIG. 2, the foreign matter removal unit 280 is disposed in the second region S2. The foreign matter removal unit 280 also has an opening 281a that opens to the mounting surface 251, a recess 281 recessed from the mounting surface 251, a discharge hole 282 that connects the inside of the recess 281 to the outside of the trough 250, a collection box 289 disposed directly below the discharge hole 282, and a lid 283 that closes part of the opening 281a.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the recess 281 is formed along the outer edge of the mounting surface 251, extending in the Y-axis direction on the positive side of the X-axis direction, in a plan view from the vertical direction. Therefore, when the vibration generator 260 vibrates the trough 250 in the positive X-axis direction, moving the foreign object D on the mounting surface 251 toward the positive X-axis direction, the foreign object D is collected in the recess 281 and removed from the mounting surface 251. With this configuration, the foreign object D can be easily removed from the mounting surface 251.

As shown in FIG. 2, the discharge hole 282 extends vertically and connects the bottom surface of the recess 281 with the underside of the trough 250. Therefore, foreign matter D contained in the recess 281 is discharged to the outside of the recess 281 through the discharge hole 282 due to its own weight. With this configuration, foreign matter D is naturally removed from the recess 281, reducing the frequency with which the recess 281 needs to be cleaned. This reduces the effort and time required to clean the recess 281. Furthermore, a reduced cleaning frequency reduces the amount of time the pickup operation must be interrupted, thereby extending the operating time of the component disassembly device 200 and improving the efficiency of the pickup operation.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the discharge hole 282 extends in the Y-axis direction and is formed over almost the entire length of the bottom surface of the recess 281. This allows foreign matter D in the recess 281 to be more reliably discharged out of the trough 250, making it less likely for foreign matter D to accumulate in the recess 281. This further reduces the frequency with which the recess 281 needs to be cleaned. However, the configuration of the discharge hole 282 is not particularly limited as long as it can discharge foreign matter D in the recess 281 out of the trough 250.

As shown in FIG. 2, the collection box 289 is disposed directly below the discharge hole 282 and collects foreign matter D discharged from the discharge hole 282. This prevents foreign matter D from scattering outside the trough 250. The collection box 289 is removably attached to the base 210. Therefore, the foreign matter D inside the collection box 289 can be easily disposed of by removing the collection box 289. However, the configuration of the collection box 289 is not particularly limited, and it may be removably attached to the underside of the trough 250, for example.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the lid portion 283 covers a portion of the opening 281a of the recess 281 in a plan view from the vertical direction. By covering a portion of the opening 281a with the lid portion 283 in this way, the opening area is reduced, effectively preventing backflow of foreign matter D due to vibration of the trough 250, i.e., preventing foreign matter D collected in the recess 281 from being discharged onto the mounting surface 251. This improves the efficiency of removing foreign matter D.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the width Q of the portion of the opening 281a exposed from the lid portion 283 in a vertical plan view is sufficiently smaller than the diameter of the workpiece W. Therefore, the lid portion 283 also functions as a stopper that prevents the workpiece W from falling into the recess 281. This allows the workpiece W to be picked up more reliably.

This lid portion 283 is detachable from the trough 250, and in this embodiment is attached with screws. This configuration allows the lid portion 283 to be removed from the trough 250, making it easier to clean the recess 281. However, the configuration of the lid portion 283 is not particularly limited; for example, it may be formed integrally with the trough 250 and not be removable.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lid portion 283 has guide walls 284 for aligning multiple workpieces W that have been moved from the first area S1 to the second area S2 in a predetermined position. The guide walls 284 are formed by the side surfaces of the lid portion 283. The guide walls 284 also have V-shaped unit guide walls 284a, with multiple unit guide walls 284a lined up along the Y-axis direction. The term "V-shaped" refers to two straight lines that form an angle smaller than two right angles when viewed from a vertical plane. By having multiple unit guide walls 284a in this way, the length of the lid portion 283 in the X-axis direction can be shortened compared to, for example, a single large V-shape. This allows for the component disassembly device 200 to be made more compact. However, the number of unit guide walls 284a is not particularly limited.

Furthermore, each unit guide wall 284a faces the first region S1. This makes it easier for the workpiece W moving from the first region S1 to be guided into each unit guide wall 284a, allowing the workpiece W to be aligned more reliably and smoothly along the guide wall 284. However, the orientation of each unit guide wall 284a is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the orientation of at least one unit guide wall 284a may be different from the orientation of the other unit guide walls 284a.

The V-shaped angle θ of each unit guide wall 284a is 60°. Therefore, multiple workpieces W are aligned in a close-packed manner at a predetermined position along each unit guide wall 284a. Close-packed means an arrangement in which the centers of three adjacent workpieces W form an equilateral triangle. In this way, by using the guide walls 284 to align multiple workpieces W in a predetermined position and in a predetermined shape, the workpieces W can be picked up efficiently thereafter.

In this embodiment, the lid portion 283 covers a portion of the opening 281a when viewed vertically in a plan view, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the lid portion 283 may cover the entire opening 281a when viewed vertically in a plan view. In this case, the lower surface of the lid portion 283 may be positioned above the opening 281a, forming a vertical gap between them.

[Vision 300]
1 , the vision 300 is a device that captures an image of the workpiece W in the trough 250 from above the part disassembly device 200 and detects the position and orientation of the workpiece W based on the captured image. The vision 300 includes a camera 310 and a detection unit 320 that detects the position and orientation of the workpiece W based on the image captured by the camera 310. In this embodiment, the detection unit 320 is incorporated into the control device 600.

In addition, each pixel of the camera 310 is associated with world coordinates by the detection unit 320, and if a workpiece W is present within the field of view of the camera 310, the coordinates of the workpiece W can be identified based on the position of the workpiece W in the image data.

However, the configuration of the vision 300 is not particularly limited. For example, a 3D camera capable of detecting depth may be used as the camera 310. It may also be a configuration that combines a 2D camera and a depth sensor, or a configuration that uses a measurement device that measures three-dimensional shapes using a phase shift method.

[Robot 400]
The robot 400 is a SCARA robot (horizontally articulated robot). As shown in Fig. 1, the robot 400 has a base 410 fixed to the floor surface and a robot arm 420 connected to the base 410. The robot arm 420 has a first arm 421 whose base end is connected to the base 410 and which rotates around a first rotation axis J1 that is vertical to the base 410, and a second arm 422 whose base end is connected to a tip end of the first arm 421 and which rotates around a second rotation axis J2 that is vertical to the first arm 421.

A work head 430 is also provided at the tip of the second arm 422. The work head 430 has a spline nut 431 and a ball screw nut 432 that are coaxially arranged at the tip of the second arm 422, and a spline shaft 433 that is inserted through the spline nut 431 and the ball screw nut 432. The spline shaft 433 is rotatable around a third rotation axis J3 that is perpendicular to the second arm 422, and can be raised and lowered along the third rotation axis J3.

An end effector 440 is attached to the lower end of the spline shaft 433. The end effector 440 is detachable and can be selected appropriately for the intended task. In this embodiment, the end effector 440 is a hand that sucks and holds the workpiece W.

The robot 400 has been described above, but the robot 400 is not particularly limited and may be, for example, a six-axis robot equipped with a robot arm having six rotation axes.

[Control device 600]
The control device 600 controls the operation of the part disassembly device 200 and the robot 400. Such a control device 600 is configured, for example, by a computer, and has a processor (CPU) for processing information, a memory communicatively connected to the processor, and an external interface for connecting to external devices. Various programs executable by the processor are stored in the memory, and the processor can read and execute the various programs stored in the memory. Some or all of the components of the control device 600 may be located inside the housing of the robot 400. Furthermore, the control device 600 may be configured by multiple processors.

The pickup system 100 has been described above. Next, the foreign object removal method of the part disassembly device 200 will be described with reference to Figure 7.

First, in step S101, the vision 300 captures an image of the inside of the trough 250, and based on the image obtained, it is determined whether there are a predetermined number or more of workpieces W in the trough 250. If there are not a predetermined number or more of workpieces W, in step S102, workpieces W are placed in the first area S1 of the trough 250, and the process returns to step S101. On the other hand, if there are a predetermined number or more of workpieces W, in step S103, it is determined based on the image obtained in step S101 whether there are any workpieces W that can be picked up.

If there are any workpieces W that can be picked up, in step S104, one of the workpieces W that can be picked up is selected, and the selected workpiece W is picked up by the robot 400. On the other hand, if there are no workpieces W that can be picked up, there is a high possibility that a foreign object D is interfering with image recognition of the workpiece W by the vision 300, or that the workpiece W is in an abnormal position. Therefore, in step S105, the trough 250 is vibrated in the positive direction of the X axis to move the foreign object D on the placement surface 251 toward the recess 281, and an attempt is made to collect it in the recess 281. Next, in step S106, the vision 300 captures an image of the inside of the trough 250, and based on the obtained image, it is determined whether there is any workpiece W that can be picked up. If there is any workpiece W that can be picked up, the process proceeds to step S104; if there is no workpiece W that can be picked up, the process returns to step S105.

This method allows foreign matter D to be removed from the mounting surface 251 in a simple manner.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, foreign matter D can also be removed using another method. First, in step S201, the trough 250 is moved and vibrated in the positive direction of the X-axis to move the workpieces W from the first region S1 to the second region S2, and aligned in a close-packed manner along the guide wall 284. At this time, foreign matter D on the placement surface 251 moves toward the recess 281 and is collected in the recess 281. Next, in step S202, one workpiece W is selected from the aligned workpieces W, and the selected workpiece W is picked up by the robot 400. Next, in step S203, the trough 250 is moved and vibrated in the negative direction of the X-axis to temporarily release the aligned state of the workpieces W, and the process returns to step S201.

With this method, foreign matter D is removed each time a workpiece W is picked up, allowing for more reliable removal of foreign matter D. It also makes it easier to keep the placement surface 251 clean and free of foreign matter D. While the above-described method removes foreign matter D each time a workpiece W is picked up, this is not limiting. For example, foreign matter D may be removed each time a predetermined number of workpieces W, such as 10 or 20, are picked up. This improves the efficiency of the pick-up process.

The above describes the part disassembly device 200 and the foreign object removal method for the part disassembly device 200. As described above, the part disassembly device 200 includes a trough 250 having a placement surface 251 on which the workpiece W is placed, a vibration generator 260 that vibrates the trough 250 and moves the workpiece W, a recess 281 that has an opening 281a that opens to the placement surface 251 and that collects foreign objects D on the placement surface 251 through the opening 281a, and a lid 283 that overlaps the opening 281a in a vertical plan view. With this configuration, foreign objects D can be easily removed from the placement surface 251.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, the recess 281 extends along the outer edge of the mounting surface 251 in a plan view from the vertical direction. Therefore, by moving the foreign object D toward the outer edge of the mounting surface 251, the foreign object D on the mounting surface 251 can be removed. This makes it easy to remove the foreign object D.

As mentioned above, the lid portion 283 also has a guide wall 284 that aligns multiple workpieces W that move due to vibration on the placement surface 251. This makes it easier to pick up the workpieces W.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, when viewed vertically in a plan view, the guide wall 284 has two straight lines that form an angle smaller than two right angles. In other words, it has a V-shape. This makes it easier to align the workpiece W along the guide wall 284, allowing multiple workpieces W to be aligned with greater precision.

In addition, as mentioned above, the recess 281 has a discharge hole 282 that connects the recess 281 to the outer surface of the trough 250 and discharges foreign matter D from the recess 281 to the outside of the trough 250. This makes it easy to discharge foreign matter D from the recess 281.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, the vibration generator 260 has multiple voice coil motors 263. With this configuration, various vibrations can be generated by independently controlling the magnitude and timing of the vibration of each voice coil motor 263.

As described above, the foreign matter removal method is a method for removing foreign matter D from the placement surface 251 of a part disassembly device 200, which includes a trough 250 having a placement surface 251 on which the workpiece W is placed, a vibration generator 260 that vibrates the trough 250 to move the workpiece W, a recess 281 having an opening 281a that opens to the placement surface 251, and a lid 283 that overlaps the opening 281a in a vertical plan view. The trough 250 is vibrated by driving the vibration generator 260, and the foreign matter D on the placement surface 251 is moved toward the recess 281 by the vibration, and the foreign matter D is removed by collecting it from the opening 281a into the recess 281. This configuration allows foreign matter D to be easily removed from the placement surface 251.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the second embodiment as viewed from the horizontal direction.

The pickup system 100 of this embodiment is similar to the pickup system 100 of the first embodiment described above, except for the different configuration of the part disassembly device 200. Therefore, the following explanation will focus on the differences between this embodiment and the first embodiment described above, and will omit a description of similar points. Furthermore, in the drawings of this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to designate similar components to those in the previously described embodiment.

As shown in Figure 9, in the component separation device 200 of this embodiment, the discharge hole 282 is located on the positive side of the recess 281 in the X-axis direction. The discharge hole 282 also extends horizontally, connecting the side of the recess 281 with the side of the trough 250.

This second embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the first embodiment described above.

Third Embodiment
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the third embodiment as viewed from the horizontal direction.

The pickup system 100 of this embodiment is similar to the pickup system 100 of the first embodiment described above, except for the different configuration of the part disassembly device 200. Therefore, the following explanation will focus on the differences between this embodiment and the first embodiment described above, and will omit a description of similar points. Furthermore, in the drawings of this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to designate similar components to those in the previously described embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10 , in the part disassembly device 200 of this embodiment, the discharge hole 282 opens to a portion of the bottom surface of the recess 281. The bottom surface of the recess 281 is sloped downward toward the discharge hole 282. Therefore, foreign matter D that has accumulated in the recess 281 is guided to the discharge hole 282 by the slope of the recess 281 and is discharged through the discharge hole 282 to the outside of the trough 250. With this configuration, the collection box 289 can be made smaller than in the first embodiment described above.

As described above, in the part disassembly device 200 of this embodiment, the discharge hole 282 is connected to the bottom surface of the recess 281. Furthermore, the bottom surface of the recess 281 is inclined toward the discharge hole 282. Therefore, foreign matter D that has accumulated in the recess 281 is guided to the discharge hole 282 by the inclination of the recess 281 and is discharged out of the trough 250 through the discharge hole 282. With this configuration, for example, it is possible to reduce the size of the collection box 289 that collects foreign matter D that is discharged out of the trough 250 through the discharge hole 282.

This third embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the first embodiment described above.

Fourth Embodiment
Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the fourth embodiment as seen from the horizontal direction, and Figs. 12 and 13 are cross-sectional views showing modifications of the configuration shown in Fig. 11, respectively.

The pickup system 100 of this embodiment is similar to the pickup system 100 of the first embodiment described above, except for the different configuration of the part disassembly device 200. Therefore, the following explanation will focus on the differences between this embodiment and the first embodiment described above, and will omit a description of similar points. Furthermore, in each figure of this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to designate similar components to those in the previously described embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11 , in the component separation device 200 of this embodiment, the wall 252 doubles as the lid 283. This simplifies the configuration of the component separation device 200 compared to the first embodiment, which has the lid 283 separate from the wall 252. In the trough 250 of this embodiment, the bottom 250A having the mounting surface 251 and the portion of the wall 252 that doubles as the lid 283 are formed separately, and these are detachably fixed with screws. Therefore, removing the wall 252 makes it easy to clean the inside of the recess 281.

In this embodiment, the lid portion 283 covers a portion of the opening 281a when viewed vertically in a plan view, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the lid portion 283 may cover the entire opening 281a when viewed vertically in a plan view. In this case, the lower surface of the lid portion 283 may be positioned above the mounting surface 251 to form a gap in the vertical direction.

As described above, in the component separation device 200 of this embodiment, the trough 250 has a wall portion 252 that stands upright from the outer edge of the placement surface 251, and the wall portion 252 also serves as the lid portion 283. This simplifies the configuration of the component separation device 200 compared to a configuration that has the lid portion 283 separate from the wall portion 252.

This fourth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the first embodiment described above. However, the configuration of the recesses 281 is not particularly limited, and for example, as shown in FIG. 13, they may be formed along each side of the outer edge of the mounting surface 251. With this configuration, the foreign matter D can be collected by the recesses 281 regardless of the direction in which it is moved. This increases the efficiency of removing the foreign matter D. The recesses 281 may also be formed along two or three sides of the outer edge of the mounting surface 251. For example, the recesses 281 may also be formed at the four corners of the mounting surface 251.

Fifth Embodiment
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the fifth embodiment as viewed from the horizontal direction.

The pickup system 100 of this embodiment is similar to the pickup system 100 of the first embodiment described above, except for the different configuration of the part disassembly device 200. Therefore, the following explanation will focus on the differences between this embodiment and the first embodiment described above, and will omit a description of similar points. Furthermore, in the drawings of this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to designate similar components to those in the previously described embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 14 , the component separation device 200 of this embodiment has four legs 220 connecting the base 210 and the trough 250. Each of the four legs 220 has a coil spring 221 and is elastically deformable. Although not shown, these four legs 220 are arranged in a balanced manner at the four corners of the base 210, similar to the four voice coil motors 263 of the first embodiment described above. As these legs 220 elastically deform, the vibrations of the vibration motors 261, 262 are amplified and transmitted to the trough 250, allowing the trough 250 to vibrate significantly relative to the base 210. Therefore, the position and orientation of the workpiece W on the trough 250 can be easily changed.

The vibration generator 260 also has two vibration motors 261, 262 arranged on the underside of the trough 250. The vibration motors 261, 262 are eccentric motors with eccentric weights 261b, 262b attached to the motor's rotation shafts 261a, 262a, respectively. When the vibration motors 261, 262 are driven, centrifugal vibrations are generated in the rotation shafts 261a, 262a due to the action of the eccentric weights 261b, 262b. This vibration is transmitted to the trough 250, causing the trough 250 to vibrate, changing the position and orientation of the workpiece W within the trough 250. However, the configuration of the vibration generator 260 is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of generating vibrations.

In addition, the vibration motors 261 and 262 are arranged separately on both sides of the center of the trough 250 when viewed vertically in a plan view. In the illustrated configuration, the vibration motor 261 is arranged on the negative X-axis side of the center, and the vibration motor 262 is arranged on the positive X-axis side. The rotation axes 261a and 262a are parallel to each other and both extend in the Y-axis direction. In other words, the rotation axes 261a and 262a are both parallel to the mounting surface 251. The rotation axes 261a and 262a are located on the same horizontal plane. This arrangement makes it easier to generate vibrations that move the workpiece W on the trough 250 in a predetermined direction, particularly in the X-axis direction. However, the arrangement of the vibration motors 261 and 262 is not particularly limited.

For example, as shown in Figure 14, when the vibration motors 261 and 262 are driven to rotate in opposite directions from a state in which the eccentric directions H1 and H2 are both pointing diagonally downward to the right, these vibrations cancel each other out and are superimposed, elastically deforming the leg 220 and applying a diagonal vibration B1 to the trough 250. This causes the workpiece W on the trough 250 to move in the positive direction of the X axis. This drive can move the foreign object D toward the recess 281. Therefore, the foreign object D on the mounting surface 251 can be more reliably removed.

As described above, in the component disassembly device 200 of this embodiment, the vibration generating device 260 has two vibration motors 261, 262 whose rotation axes 261a, 262a are parallel to each other and to the mounting surface 251. Furthermore, a recess 281 is open at the end of the mounting surface 251 in the direction in which the two vibration motors 261, 262 are aligned, i.e., in the X-axis direction. This makes it easy to generate vibrations that move foreign matter D on the mounting surface 251 in the X-axis direction, and more reliably removes foreign matter D into the recess 281.

This fifth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the first embodiment described above.

The above describes the parts disassembly device and foreign matter removal method of the present invention based on the illustrated embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of each part can be replaced with any configuration that has a similar function. Furthermore, other optional components may be added to the present invention. Furthermore, each embodiment may be combined as appropriate.

100...Pickup system, 200...Part separation device, 210...Base, 220...Leg, 221...Coil spring, 240...Gap forming portion, 241...Underside, 250...Trough, 250A...Bottom, 251...Placement surface, 252...Wall portion, 260...Vibration generating device, 261...Vibration motor, 261a...Rotating shaft, 261b...Eccentric weight, 262...Vibration motor, 262a...Rotating shaft, 26 2b...eccentric weight, 263...voice coil motor, 263a...main body, 263b...vibration shaft, 280...foreign matter removal section, 281...recess, 281a...opening, 282...discharge hole, 283...lid section, 284...guide wall, 284a...unit guide wall, 289...recovery box, 300...vision, 310...camera, 320...detection section, 400...robot, 410...base, 420...robot arm, 421...first arm, 422...second arm, 430...work head, 431...spline nut, 432...ball screw nut, 433...spline shaft, 440...end effector, 500...stage, 600...control device, B1...vibration, D...foreign matter, Dg...height, Dw...height, G...gap, H1...eccentric direction, H2...eccentric direction, J1...first rotation axis, J2 ...second rotation axis, J3...third rotation axis, Q...width, S1...first region, S2...second region, S101...step, S102...step, S103...step, S104...step, S105...step, S106...step, S201...step, S202...step, S203...step, W...workpiece, Wa...lying position, Wb...standing position, Wc...position, θ...V-angle

Claims (10)

a trough having a placement surface on which a workpiece is placed;
a vibration generating device that vibrates the trough and moves the workpiece;
a recess having an opening that opens onto the placement surface and that collects foreign matter on the placement surface through the opening;
a lid portion overlapping the opening when viewed in a plan view from the vertical direction. The trough has a wall portion extending from an outer edge of the placement surface,
2. The component disassembly device according to claim 1, wherein the wall portion also serves as the lid portion. A component disassembly device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the recess extends along the outer edge of the placement surface when viewed vertically in a plan view. A part disassembly device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lid portion has a guide wall that aligns the multiple workpieces that move due to the vibration on the placement surface. The component separation device according to claim 4, wherein the guide wall has two straight lines that form an angle smaller than two right angles when viewed in a vertical plane. A part disassembly device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a discharge hole that connects the recess with the outer surface of the trough and discharges foreign matter from within the recess to the outside of the trough. the discharge hole communicates with a bottom surface of the recess;
7. The component separating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a bottom surface of the recess is inclined toward the discharge hole. the vibration generating device has two vibration motors whose rotation axes are parallel to each other and parallel to the placement surface;
8. The component separating device according to claim 1, wherein the recess is open at an end of the mounting surface in a direction in which the two vibration motors are aligned. A part disassembly device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the vibration generator has multiple voice coil motors. a trough having a placement surface on which a workpiece is placed;
a vibration generating device that vibrates the trough and moves the workpiece;
a recess having an opening that opens onto the mounting surface;
a cover portion overlapping the opening in a plan view from a vertical direction, the cover portion including a part separating device and a part placing surface of the part separating device;
A foreign matter removal method characterized by vibrating the trough by driving the vibration generating device, moving foreign matter on the placement surface toward the recess by the vibration, and removing the foreign matter by collecting it through the opening into the recess.