JP2001105378A - Handling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To execute handling of carried articles having various shapes. SOLUTION: In this handling device, the tips of a pair of arms are respectively provided with handling units 14, while each the handling unit 14 is provided with a contact array 16. The contact array 16 comprises plural contacts arranged and formed in a vertical plane. The contact includes a projecting pin, a spring energizing the pin, and a pressure-sensitive sensor detecting a pressure applied to the spring. A controller 20 executes grasp operation control, shape recognition, foreign matter decision, hardness measurement or the like on the basis of output signals of the sensors.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a handling device for picking up and transporting an object to be transported.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional handling apparatus has a handling unit that conforms to the outer shape of an object to be transported. For example, in handling a test tube, the side surface (cylindrical curved surface) of the test tube is grasped from both sides. A handling unit having a form capable of performing the following is used.

[0003] However, there are various types of test tubes, and the shape of each type is different. Further, when a rubber stopper or the like is provided on the head of the test tube, the head may be picked up.

In addition, there is a demand for a handling apparatus capable of performing accurate handling of a conveyed object having various forms, not limited to a test tube.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to reliably and stably pick up an object to be transported in various shapes.

Another object of the present invention is to realize various functions such as shape recognition, classification of a transferred object, foreign matter judgment, hardness judgment, and judgment of a non-holdable transferred object in handling. .

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a handling unit having a plurality of handling units for gripping an object to be transported, and a transport mechanism for transporting the handling unit. The handling unit has a contact array composed of a plurality of contacts, each of the contacts being a contact member protruding toward the conveyed object, a guide member for guiding the contact member in a protruding direction, and Urging means for urging the member in the protruding direction.

[0008] According to the above configuration, when the object to be conveyed is gripped by the plurality of handling units, the tips of all or some of the contact members constituting the contact array come into contact with the object. The contact member is elastically urged toward the object to be conveyed, so that when contacting the object to be conveyed, the contact member sinks in the retreating direction according to the contact pressure. Therefore, the protrusion amount of each contact member is adaptively changed according to the shape of each part of the transported object, and as a result, the gripping action of the transported object can be enhanced. That is, reliable handling can be realized by increasing the frictional force. The contact member is, for example, a pin, and the urging means is, for example, a spring that applies an urging force to the pin.

Preferably, the contact is provided with a sensor for detecting a contact pressure of the contact member. This sensor is provided on all or some of the contacts, and the contact mode and the contact area can be grasped by the output signal of the sensor.

Preferably, there is provided means for recognizing the shape of the object to be transferred based on the contact pressure of the contact. Preferably, there is provided means for determining foreign matter based on the contact pressure of the contact. Preferably, there is provided a means for measuring the hardness of the transferred object based on the contact pressure of the contact. Various functions are realized together with handling based on the output signal of the sensor.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pair of units facing each other for gripping an object to be transported, the unit comprising a contact array comprising a plurality of contacts protruding in the horizontal direction. It is characterized by including a pair of handling units, a lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the pair of handling units, and a rotating mechanism for rotating the pair of handling units.

According to the above construction, the pair of handling units are opposed to each other, and by grasping the object to be conveyed from both sides thereof using the contactor array, the shape in the direction can be recognized. Further, if a similar gripping operation is performed in a state of being moved in the vertical direction, the shape in the direction can be recognized. Therefore, it is possible to determine, for example, the direction that is most easy to grasp, and it is possible to easily recognize the shape of the transported object over the entire circumference or the entire length.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a handling device according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the configuration of a main part thereof.

The handling device according to the present embodiment is a device for picking up a transported object 8 having various forms and transporting it to a desired place. The transferred object 8 may be, for example, a test tube, and other various things can be transferred. The size of a later-described handling unit 10 may be determined according to the approximate shape of the transported object.

The handling device according to the present embodiment is roughly composed of a handling unit 10, a transport mechanism 12, and a controller 20. Transport mechanism 12
Is a mechanism for freely transporting the handling unit 10 in the three-dimensional direction. That is, it is configured by a mechanism for moving the handling unit 10 up and down, a mechanism for driving the handling unit 10 in the horizontal direction, and the like.

The handling unit 10 has two arms 18 that can be opened and closed, and a handling unit 14 is provided at the tip of each of the two arms 18. That is, a pair of handling units 14 are provided facing each other in order to grasp the transported object 8.
When the two arms 18 open and close, the distance between the pair of handling units 14 provided at the ends thereof changes.

Each handling unit 14 has a contact array 16. As will be described later, the contact array 16 is composed of a number of contacts arranged on a vertical plane. Each contact is individually provided with a pressure-sensitive sensor.

The controller 20 is means for controlling the gripping operation of the handling unit 10 and the transport operation of the transport mechanism 12 based on the sensor signals output from the respective contacts. A drive signal is supplied from the controller 20 to the transport mechanism 12.

By the way, various types of transport mechanisms 12 can be employed. For example, a mechanism capable of independently transporting the handling unit 10 in each of the X, Y, and Z directions may be employed. it can.

FIG. 2 shows a view of the handling unit 14 as viewed from above. As described above, the contact array 16 includes a plurality of contacts 2 arranged in a vertical plane.
2.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the contact 22. The contact 22 is provided with a case 24 as a guide member.
, A pin 26 that can move back and forth, a spring 27 that urges the pin 26 in the protruding direction, and a pressure-sensitive sensor 28 that detects the pressure applied to the spring 27. More specifically, an opening is formed at one end of the case 24, and the pin 26 protrudes toward the conveyed object through the opening. One end of a spring 27 is in contact with the base end of the pin 26, and the other end of the spring 27 is in contact with the pressure-sensitive sensor 28. Therefore, when a force is applied to the pin 26, the spring 27 is elastically deformed, and the force generated at that time is sensed by the pressure-sensitive sensor 28. An output signal from the pressure sensor 28 is input to the controller 20 described above.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 1, even if the transferred object 8 has a complicated shape,
The outer surface of the transported object can be accurately grasped by the plurality of contacts constituting the contact array 16, and more specifically, the transported object 8 can be grasped so as to surround it. For example, when a test tube is transported, even if a stopper having a special form is attached to the upper opening of the test tube, handling can be performed over the stopper and the test tube.

By the way, when the force detected by the pressure sensor is F, the constant of the spring is k [N / mm], and the moving amount of the pin is X [m], the force F is F = k · X [N]. Therefore, based on the output signal of the pressure-sensitive sensor 28, the pin stroke amount can be easily calculated from the above formula.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment.
In this embodiment, a rotation mechanism 30 is provided on the upper part of the arm 18 and can be moved up and down.
Thus, the entire handling unit 10 can be rotated at an arbitrary angle. According to such a configuration, the shape can be recognized over the entire outer periphery of the transferred object 8, and
It is also possible to position the handling unit 10 at a desired height and perform handling in the direction and height at which it is easy to grasp.

FIG. 5 shows a specific configuration example of the controller 20.

The input section 32 receives sensor signals from the contacts forming the contact array 16. The input unit 32 performs signal processing such as A / D conversion on each signal, and outputs the processed signal. Grasping operation control unit 34
Is a means for controlling the gripping operation in the handling unit 10 based on the sensor signal. For example, when a predetermined pressure is detected in any of the contacts, control is performed to stop the gripping operation. The three-dimensional transport control unit 36 is a unit that controls the transport mechanism 12 described above.

The shape recognizing section 38 is means for recognizing the outer shape of the transported object 8 based on the sensor signal. That is,
It is possible to recognize the shape of the transported object 8 using the contact pressure of each contact 22 within the contact range of at least one pair of contact arrays 16.

The foreign matter / error judging section 40 includes the shape recognizing section 3
Like the device 8, the device has a function of recognizing the shape of the transported object 8. If the recognized shape is other than a predetermined shape that can be grasped on the apparatus, it is determined as a foreign object. . The foreign matter / error determination unit 40 performs an error determination when a grasping operation is performed in spite of the absence of a conveyed object.

The hardness measuring section 42 is a means for measuring the hardness of the transported object 8 based on sensor signals from each contact. For example, it recognizes the hardness of the transported object 8 based on the inclination of the sensor signal and its pressure waveform.

Shape data output from each of the above means,
The alarm signal, the hardness signal, and the like are output to the outside, and are used for other controls as needed. For example, it is possible to classify the transported object based on the shape data. That is, it is possible to classify the transported objects while performing the handling, and to sort the transported objects according to the classification result.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to reliably and stably pick up conveyed objects of various shapes. Further, according to the present invention, various functions such as shape recognition of the transferred object can be realized at the same time as the handling.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a preferred embodiment of a handling device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a contact array.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a contact.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a modification.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a specific configuration example of a controller.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 handling unit, 12 transport mechanism, 20 controller, 16 contact array, 14 handling unit, 18 arm.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A handling unit having a plurality of handling units for gripping an object to be transported, and a transport mechanism for transporting the handling unit, wherein the handling unit has a contact array including a plurality of contacts. Each of the contacts has a contact member protruding toward the transported object, a guide member for guiding the contact member in the protruding direction, and an urging unit for urging the contact member in the protruding direction. A handling device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The handling device according to claim 1, wherein the contact is provided with a sensor for detecting a contact pressure of the contact member. 3. The handling apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: means for recognizing the shape of the transferred object based on the contact pressure of the contact. 4. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: means for determining a foreign substance based on a contact pressure of the contact. 5. The handling apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: means for measuring the hardness of the transferred object based on the contact pressure of the contact. 6. A pair of handling units having a contact array composed of a plurality of contacts protruding in a horizontal direction, the pair of handling units being a pair of units facing each other for gripping an object to be transported, and A handling device, comprising: an elevating mechanism that moves up and down; and a rotating mechanism that rotates the pair of handling units.