JP2000354991A - Article holding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To change a position of an article in a different direction from an extending and contracting direction with a simple mechanism to extend and contract an interval between the articles by setting the interval in the direction to extend and contract each of holding means by using a wire body and an interval setting member. SOLUTION: Inner and outer movable support members 28, 29 are supported respectively free to move on a guide shaft 24 extending to both sides to sandwich a fixed support member 25. Suction cups 26 to adsorb and hold articles 11 are arranged on lower ends of each of the support members 25, 28, 28. The fixed support member 25, the inside movable support member 28, the inside movable support member 28 and the outside movable support member 29 are connected to each other by a first chain 31 and a second chain 36 to set the interval at the time of extension. A first interval setting member 33 and a second interval setting member 38 to set the interval at the time of contraction are arranged on a guide shaft between the fixed support member 25, the inside movable support member 28, the inside movable support member 28 and the outside movable support member 29. Two vertical motion holding means are arranged on each of the support members 25, 28, 29 through parallel link mechanisms 41.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article holding apparatus capable of expanding / contracting an interval between a plurality of held articles in one direction and displacing articles arranged in a direction intersecting the expanding / contracting direction obliquely up and down. It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is known an article holding apparatus which has a plurality of holding means for holding articles, and which can change the interval between each article held by means for changing the interval between these holding means. This article holding device is used, for example, so as to shorten the interval when storing the held articles in a packaging box, and can compactly store the articles in the packaging box. Such an article holding device is disclosed in, for example,
Patent No. 63 "Flexible grip head"
Exists. The grip head disclosed in the publication is used to hold and convey articles arranged in a plurality of rows and columns vertically and horizontally, and the grip head includes a plurality of pickup cups for sucking and holding the articles. Is provided with a pitch adjusting device composed of a two-row vertical and horizontal pantograph. The pitch adjusting device is configured to adjust the interval between the plurality of pickup cups according to the size of the article.

[0003] In the invention "vacuum robot hand for packing" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-262572, four vertical tubes provided with a vacuum pad at the lower end are formed by:
Four vertical tubes (vacuum pads) are connected by a pantograph-shaped parallel link mechanism consisting of two pairs of first link bars and two pairs of second link bars, and the parallel link mechanism is operated by a pneumatic cylinder. Is configured to change the interval of

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional article holding apparatus, the interval between a plurality of holding means for holding an article is determined.
Each is configured to be changed by a pantograph-shaped parallel link mechanism. For this reason, the mechanism itself becomes complicated, and there is a problem that the apparatus itself is lengthened. Further, these article holding devices only change the position of each held article in a planar manner, and cannot change the position in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the article is transferred to the next processing step by the article holding device, the article held on the same plane is vertically displaced by a corresponding amount in accordance with the processing operation to reduce the height difference. I couldn't handle it if I needed to give it.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems inherent in the prior art, and has been proposed in order to suitably solve the problem. The mechanism for expanding and contracting the interval between articles is simple. It is another object of the present invention to provide an article holding device capable of changing the position of an article in a direction different from the enlargement / reduction direction.

[0006]

[MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS]
In order to appropriately achieve an intended purpose, an article holding device according to the present invention is an article holding device configured to expand and contract an interval between a plurality of held articles in one direction, and has a fixed position with respect to a base. A fixed support member, and a guide member that is disposed at a fixed position with respect to the base and extends in the direction of expansion and contraction,
A plurality of movable support members that are continuously arranged in one of the directions of expansion and contraction with respect to the fixed support member and that are movable along the guide member; A plurality of holding means for holding the article, arranged in a direction intersecting with the direction of expansion and contraction arranged on each of the support members, and the article held by the holding means, while maintaining its posture, one horizontal plane The position of the holding means is displaced between a state in which the holding means is substantially aligned with the upper part and a state in which the plurality of holding means are arranged obliquely up and down in a direction in which the plurality of holding means are arranged in each of the fixed and movable support members. A fixed holding member, a plurality of holding means disposed on the fixed supporting member, and a fixed gripping hand provided with the position changing means. And each movable support member, a movable holding means is composed of a plurality of holding means and a position changing means disposed on the movable support member, respectively, and the movable holding means furthest from the fixed holding means is The movable gripping means, which is operated in both directions of expansion and contraction by the expansion and contraction operating means and is adjacent to the fixed gripping means, is connected to the base or a member disposed at a fixed position with respect to the base by a first cord. When the distance between the movable gripping means adjacent to the fixed gripping means is increased, the first cable body is in a stretched state, so that the distance between the fixed gripping means and the movable gripping means is set. By connecting the movable gripping means to each other with a second cord, the distance between the two movable gripping means is set by setting the second cord to be in a stretched state when the distance between the two movable gripping means is increased, and Between adjacent movable gripping means and between fixed gripping hands And the space setting member facing between the movable gripping means adjacent thereto, that the movable gripping means abuts when the interval between the gripping means is reduced,
The present invention is characterized in that an interval between adjacent gripping means is set.

[0007]

In the state where the distance between the movable gripping means adjacent to the fixed gripping means and the movable gripping means arranged at a fixed position in the direction of expansion and contraction via the fixed support member with respect to the base is reduced, The first cord and the second cord are loose. In this state, after holding the article by a plurality of holding means provided in each holding means, when the movable holding means farthest from the fixed holding means is moved in the direction of increasing the interval by the expansion / contraction operation means, The movable gripping means connected to each other follow and move. When the first cable and the second cable connecting the movable gripping means adjacent to the fixed gripping means and the base or a member arranged at a fixed position with respect to the base are in a stretched state, The movement of the movable gripping means is regulated,
The distance between the articles held by each holding means increases in the moving direction of the movable gripping means according to the length of the first cord and the second cord.

Further, when the movable gripping means farthest from the fixed gripping means is moved in the direction of reducing the gap by the expansion / contraction operation means, the movable gripping means contacts the gap setting member facing between the adjacent movable gripping means. All the movable gripping means move in the contact state. When the movable gripping means comes into contact with the interval setting member disposed between the fixed gripping means and the movable gripping means adjacent thereto, the movement of each movable gripping means is regulated and held by each holding means. The distance between the articles is reduced in the moving direction of the movable gripping means according to the length or arrangement position of each distance setting member.

Next, by operating the position changing means with the position changing operation means, each article held by the plurality of holding means is arranged so as to substantially coincide with one horizontal plane while maintaining its posture. In each of the fixed and movable support members, and a state in which the plurality of holding means are arranged obliquely up and down in the direction in which they are arranged.

[0010]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an article holding apparatus according to the present invention. For the convenience of explanation, the direction parallel to the moving direction (article supply direction) of each conveyor for introduction and supply for transferring the articles held by the article holding apparatus, the direction of expanding and contracting the article interval by the article holding apparatus, horizontally with this The direction perpendicular to the direction is referred to as the front-back direction. In this front-back direction,
The downstream side (supply conveyor side) of the article holding device in the article transfer direction is the front side, and the upstream side (introduction conveyor side) is the rear side.

An article holding apparatus 10 according to the embodiment shown in FIG.
Is a front-to-rear direction between an introductory conveyor 12 for an article 11 whose transport direction coincides with the direction of expansion and contraction and an article transfer member 13 disposed adjacent to the conveyor 12 at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. (See FIG. 8). Further, the articles 11 are assembled in a required arrangement on the article transfer member 13 and then transferred in a stacked state to a supply conveyor 14 for supplying the articles 11 to a packaging machine (not shown). ing. Therefore, the article holding device 10
Prior to the description, a schematic configuration of another device will be described.

(Regarding the Introductory Conveyor and the Supply Conveyor) As shown in FIG. 7, the introductory conveyor 12 has a stopper (not shown) for the article 11 at its transport end, and is aligned from the upstream side. The plurality of articles 11 to be conveyed are stopped, and are assembled in a required arrangement (five rows in the transport direction and three columns in a direction intersecting the transport direction in the embodiment) at the gathering position. Then, the assembled 15 articles 11
Are transferred to the article transfer member 13 by the article holding device 10. The article 11 handled in the embodiment has a flange portion 11a protruding outward on the upper outer periphery.

The supply conveyor 14 has lugs (both not shown) attached at equal intervals to an endless chain, and defines an article accommodating section 14a between a pair of lugs adjacent in the traveling direction. , The article storage section 14a in the moving direction.
Are formed continuously at equal intervals. On a machine frame (not shown) supporting the supply conveyor 14, an article placing plate (not shown) is horizontally disposed along a horizontal moving portion of the endless chain, and each of the article placing plates is arranged upward from the placing plate. The lug is configured to extend and run, and the article mounting plate forms the bottom surface of the article storage section 14a. And the article transfer member 13
From the stack 11 placed on the article placing plate
(See FIG. 8) is supplied to a downstream packaging machine (body-wrap packaging machine) by a lug.

(About Article Transferring Member) The article transferring member 13 has a plurality of (five corresponding to the number of rows assembled by the introduction conveyor 12) a transfer path of the article 11 to the supply conveyor 14. The article storage spaces 15 are defined in parallel in the movement direction (direction of expansion and contraction) of the supply conveyor 14. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the article transfer member 13 includes a base 16 extending in the direction of expansion and contraction, and six pieces of the article transfer members 13 erected in parallel on the base 16 at predetermined intervals in the direction of expansion and contraction. And the guide plates 17 are formed basically, and the article storage spaces 15 are respectively defined between a pair of guide plates 17, 17 adjacent in the expanding and contracting direction. The space between the five article storage spaces 15 defined in the article transfer member 13 in the expanding and contracting direction is set to be substantially the same as the space between the article storage sections 14a defined in the supply conveyor 14. Further, the article storage space 15 of the embodiment is set to be longer than the length of the three articles 11 corresponding to the number of rows assembled on the introduction conveyor 12 in the front-rear direction so as not to overlap in the vertical direction. (See FIG. 8).

The upper support members 18, 18, the middle support members 19, 19, and the lower support member 20, which oppose each other in the direction of expansion and contraction, are provided on the opposing surfaces of the pair of guide plates 17, 17 which define the article storage spaces 15. , 20 are vertically arranged in three stages with an interval slightly larger than the height of the articles 11 (an interval at which the articles 11 can be stacked). The upper supports 18, 18, the middle supports 19, 19 and the lower supports 20, 2
The separation distance in each of the directions of expansion and contraction of 0 is set to a dimension that allows the article 11 to be placed via the flange portion 11a. Each of the supports 18, 19, and 20 is a bar having a rectangular cross section, and the length of each of the supports 18, 19, and 20 in the front-rear direction is the lower one. It is set so as to be longer by about one article than that arranged in the upper stage. That is, in a state where the front ends of the supports 18, 19, 20 close to the supply conveyor 14 are aligned at the same position, the rear end of the middle support 19 is one article relative to the rear end of the upper support 18. The rear end of the lower support 20 with respect to the rear end of the middle support 19 is located rearward by the amount that one article 11 can be mounted, while the rear end of the lower support 20 is positioned rearward by the amount that can be placed. It has become. Thereby, the middle supports 19, 19
The lower and upper supports 20, 20 are configured such that the article 11 can be placed from above without interfering with the support directly above (see FIG. 8).

Further, the articles 11 facing each article accommodating space 15 are supplied to the supply conveyor 14 in the vicinity of the article transfer member 13.
Pushing means (not shown) for pushing toward is provided movably in the front-back direction. That is, the upper supports 18,1
8. The articles 11 placed on the middle supports 19, 19 and the lower supports 20, 20 are pushed up and down by pushing means moving forward in each article storage space 15, and are vertically overlapped. It is configured to be transferred to each article storage section 14a of the conveyor 14.

The article holding apparatus 10 is attached via a base 22 to a hand 21 of a robot (not shown) disposed behind the introduction conveyor 12 so that the introduction conveyor 12 and the article It is configured to move between the transfer member 13. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the base 22 is a plate material formed so that the direction of expansion and contraction is horizontally long, and a plate-like support plate 23 is vertically provided at both ends in the direction of expansion and contraction. A guide shaft 24 as two guide members extending along the direction of expansion and contraction is provided between the two support plates 23, 23.
24 are erected at a distance from each other and fixed to a fixed position with respect to the base 22. And the article holding device 1 of the embodiment
At 0, a fixed support member 25 (to be described later), a plurality of vertical movement holding means 42 and a parallel link mechanism 41 disposed on the fixed support member 25 are provided at a fixed position substantially at the center of the base 22 in the expanding and contracting direction. The fixed gripping means M is disposed, and the fixed gripping means M
Movable holding members N ₁ and N ₂ each composed of movable support members 28 and 29, a plurality of vertical movement holding means 42 and a parallel link mechanism 41 provided on the movable support members 28 and 29, respectively, expand and contract by two. They are arranged side by side continuously in the direction.

A fixed support member 25 in the form of a flat plate, which constitutes the fixed holding means M, is fixed to the base 22 at a fixed position substantially at the center in the direction of expansion and contraction, and is fixed to the two guide shafts 24,2.
Reference numeral 4 extends through the fixed support member 25 on both sides in the direction of expansion and contraction with the support member 25 interposed therebetween. At the lower end of the fixed support member 25, as shown in FIG. 4, a suction cup 26 as a suction member formed of a flexible material such as rubber is provided with its open part directed vertically downward. ing.
A passage (not shown) having one end communicating with the inside of the suction cup 26 is formed inside the fixed support member 25, and the other end of the passage is connected to a suction means such as a vacuum pump by a vacuum hose.
(Both not shown), and the suction means is operated to operate the suction means to make the inside of the suction cup 26 into a negative pressure state.
Is configured to adsorb and hold the article 11. That is, in the embodiment, the fixed support member 25 and the suction cup 26 which are disposed at a fixed position with respect to the base 22 are used as fixed holding means (holding means).
The fixed support member 25 also serves as a holding means.

Two movable supporting members 2 are respectively provided on both sides of the base 22 in the direction in which the fixed supporting member 25 is
8, 29 are juxtaposed in the direction of expansion and contraction. For convenience of explanation, the movable support member 28 adjacent to the fixed support member 25 is referred to as an inner movable support member, and the movable support member 29 farthest from the fixed support member 25 is referred to as an outer movable support member to be distinguished. It shall be. Further, each of the movable gripping means provided with each of the movable supporting members 28 and 29 is also correspondingly distinguished from the inner movable gripping means N ₁ and the outer movable gripping means N ₂ .

The inner movable support member 28 constituting the inner movable holding means N ₁ is a plate material formed in an octagonal shape as shown in FIG. 5, and is movable to the two guide shafts 24, 24. It is arranged to move in the direction of expansion and contraction along the guide shafts 24, 24. At the lower end of the inner movable support member 28, a suction cup 26 similar to that described above is disposed with its open part directed vertically downward.
Further, the suction cup 26 provided on the inner movable support member 28 also has the same structure as the suction cup 26 of the fixed support member 25 described above,
By setting the inside of the suction cup to a negative pressure state, the suction cup 26 holds the article 11 by suction. That is, in the embodiment, the inner movable supporting member (holding means) 34 is constituted by the inner movable supporting member 28 and the suction cup 26 movably disposed with respect to the base 22, and the inner movable supporting member 28 They are also used.

A connecting body 30 is disposed and fixed on the upper portion of the fixed support member 25 in the front-rear direction, and the other end of a first chain 31 as a first cable body, one end of which is connected to the connecting body 30,
As shown in FIG. 6, the inner movable support member 28 is connected to a connecting body 32 which is disposed and fixed at an upper portion in the center in the front-rear direction. The first chain 31 is in a stretched state when the inner movable support member 28 is moved in the direction in which the interval increases with respect to the fixed support member 25, and the first chain 31 is fixed.
And the inner movable support member 28 (the inner movable gripping means N ₁ ). That is, in the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the distance between the fixed support member 25 (the fixed holding means 27) and the inner movable support member 28 (the inner movable holding means 34) at the time of enlargement is adjacent to that of the article transfer member 13. The length of the first chain 31 is set so as to substantially match the interval between the matching article storage spaces 15, 15. An opening 28a is formed in the inner movable support member 28 at a position facing between the two guide shafts 24, 24 to allow insertion of a first pneumatic cylinder 40 described later (see FIG. 6).

Each of the two guide shafts 24, 24 facing between the fixed support member 25 and the inner movable support member 28 has a first space setting member (space setting member) as shown in FIG.
33 is fixed so that positioning can be adjusted. When the inner movable support member 28 moves in the direction in which the distance between the inner movable support member 28 and the fixed support member 25 is reduced, the first interval setting member 33 comes into contact with the inner movable support member 28 to regulate the movement thereof. It functions to set an interval at the time of reduction between the support member 25 (the fixed gripping means M) and the inner movable support member 28 (the inner movable gripping means N ₁ ). That is, in the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the distance between the fixed support member 25 (the fixed holding means 27) and the inner movable support member 28 (the inner movable holding means 34) at the time of reduction is set at the gathering position of the introduction conveyor 12. The fixed position of the first gap setting member 33 is set so as to substantially match the gap (article size in the direction of expansion and contraction) between the articles 11 arranged in five rows in the contact state.

[0023] The said outer movable supporting member 29 constituting the outer movable gripping means N ₂ is a one having a basic same configuration as the inner movable support member 28 in the two guide shafts 24 and 24 The guide shaft 24,
It is configured to move in the direction of expansion and contraction along 24.
At the lower end of the outer movable support member 29, a suction cup 26 similar to that described above is disposed with its open portion directed vertically downward, and by setting the inside thereof to a negative pressure state, the suction cup 26 is turned off. The article 11 is held by suction.
That is, in the embodiment, the outer movable support member 29 and the suction cup 26 movably disposed with respect to the base 22 constitute the outer movable holding means (holding means) 35, and the outer movable support member 2
Reference numeral 9 also serves as the holding means.

A second cable body having one end connected to the connecting body 32 disposed on the inner movable support member 28
As shown in FIG. 6, the other end of the chain 36 is connected to and fixed to the upper part of the outer movable support member 29 at the center in the front-rear direction.
It is connected to. The second chain 36 is in a state of being stretched when the outer movable support member 29 is moved in the direction of increasing the distance with respect to the inner movable support member 28, and the inner movable support member 28 (the inner movable gripping means N _1). ) And the outer movable support member 29 (outer movable gripping means N ₂ ). And the length of the second chain 36 is
When the distance between the inner movable support member 28 (the inner movable holding means 34) and the outer movable support member 29 (the outer movable holding means 35) is enlarged, the distance between the fixed support member 25 (the fixed holding means 27) and the inner movable support member 28 ( It is set so as to be the same as the interval at the time of enlargement with the inner movable holding means 34) (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

Each of the two guide shafts 24, 24 facing between the inner movable support member 28 and the outer movable support member 29 has a second interval setting member (interval setting member) as shown in FIG. 38 are movably disposed. Then, when the outer movable support member 29 is moved in the direction in which the space is reduced with respect to the inner movable support member 28, the second gap setting member 38 abuts on the two support members 28, 29 to regulate the movement thereof. It functions to set the reduced distance between the inner movable support member 28 (the inner movable gripping means N ₁ ) and the outer movable support member 29 (the outer movable gripping means N ₂ ). The axial length dimension of the second interval setting member 38 is determined by the inner movable support member 28.
When the distance between the inner movable holding member 34 and the outer movable supporting member 29 (the outer movable holding member 35) is reduced, the distance between the fixed supporting member 25 (the fixed holding member 27) and the inner movable supporting member 28 (the inner movable holding member 34) is reduced. ) Is set to be the same as the interval at the time of reduction (see FIG. 6).

As shown in FIG. 6, on the lower surface of the base 22, a first pneumatic cylinder 40 as an expansion / contraction operation means is provided via a plurality of brackets 39 on both sides in the direction of expansion / contraction with the fixed support member 25 interposed therebetween. However, they are arranged facing each other. That is, each first pneumatic cylinder 4
Reference numeral 0 denotes a state in which the direction of expansion and contraction (axial center) of the piston rod 40a is parallel to the guide shaft 24, and the distal end of the rod 40a is connected to the corresponding outer movable support member 29. The first pneumatic cylinder 40 is inserted into the opening 28a with respect to the inner movable support member 28 so as to allow the inner movable support member 28 to move. Then, each first pneumatic cylinder 40 is connected to a piston rod 40
The outer movable support member 2 is urged in the direction in which
9 moves in the direction away from the fixed support member 25 (the direction in which the distance is enlarged), and the second movable support member 29
The inner movable support member 28 connected by the chain 36 also follows and moves in the same direction. Conversely, by urging each of the first pneumatic cylinders 40 in the direction in which the piston rod 40a contracts, the outer movable support member 29 moves in the direction approaching the fixed support member 25 (the direction in which the interval decreases), and The movable support member 29 is the second interval setting member 38
The two support members 28 and 29 are configured to move integrally by contacting the inner movable support member 28 via the. That is, by the first pneumatic cylinder 40 forward and reverse biasing, the stationary gripping means movable outer grip means N ₂ furthest from M is adapted to be moved to the expansion-contraction directions.

Each of the fixed support member 25 and the inner and outer movable support members 28 and 29 is provided with two vertical movement holding means via a parallel link mechanism 41 as a position changing means.
(Holding means) 42 is provided. Since the configuration of the parallel link mechanism 41 is the same, only the configuration of the parallel link mechanism 41 provided on the fixed support member 25 will be described, and the same members of the other parallel link mechanisms 41 will be assigned the same reference numerals. Will be shown.

As shown in FIG. 4, two arms 43, 43 extending in the front-rear direction are rotatably supported by the fixed support member 25 at vertical positions sandwiching the guide shafts 24, 24. At the same time, a vertically supporting member 44 extending vertically is pivotally supported on the fixed supporting member side at the front end and the rear end of the arms 43, 43, respectively. The two arms 43, 43 and the two vertically movable support members 44, 44 constitute a parallel link mechanism 41. At the lower end of each vertically moving support member 44, the suction cup 26 similar to that described above is positioned at the same position as the suction cup 26 of the fixed support member 25 in the expanding and contracting direction, and its opening is directed vertically downward. It is arranged in the state where it was. In addition, a passage (not shown) having one end communicating with the inside of the suction cup 26 is formed inside the vertical movement supporting member 44, and the other end of the passage is connected to a suction means such as a vacuum pump with a vacuum hose (both in FIG. (Not shown), and the suction device 26 is configured to suck and hold the article 11 on the suction cup 26 by operating the suction means to make the inside of the suction cup 26 into a negative pressure state. That is, the vertically moving supporting member 44 and the suction cup 26 constituting the parallel link mechanism 41 constitute the vertically moving holding means (holding means) 42, and the fixed supporting member 25 and the inner and outer movable supporting members 28, 29 are respectively provided. In
The holding means 27, 34, 35, 42 are arranged in a line in the front-rear direction. And the article holding device 10 of the embodiment
Then, fifteen suction cups 26 corresponding to the fifteen articles 11 assembled in three columns and five rows at the gathering position of the introduction conveyor 13 are described.
Are arranged so that 15 articles 11 can be sucked and held at one time.

A vertical movement shaft 45 parallel to the guide shaft 24 is fixed to a front vertical movement support member 44 provided on the fixed support member 25. The vertical movement shaft 45 is It extends on both sides of the support member 44 in the direction of expansion and contraction. The front vertical movement support members 44, 44 disposed on the inner and outer movable support members 28, 29 are movably supported with respect to the vertical movement shaft 45. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the bottom side of a second pneumatic cylinder 47 as a position changing operation means is pivotally supported on the base 22 via a bracket 46, and the tip of a piston rod 47a pointing downward from the cylinder 47. Are rotatably connected to the vertical movement shaft 45. In other words, by vertically biasing the second pneumatic cylinder 47 to expand and contract its piston rod 47a, each of the vertical movement holding members located before and after the fixed support member 25 and the inner and outer movable support members 28 and 29 is sandwiched. The means 42, 42 move up and down integrally in opposite directions to each other in rows parallel to the guide shaft 24. In the embodiment, the second
By extending the piston rod 47a of the pneumatic cylinder 47, the suction cups 26 of all the holding means 27, 34, 35, 42
Are arranged so as to substantially coincide with each other on one horizontal plane (see FIG. 4), and by contracting the piston rod 47a, the front side and the intermediate side disposed on the fixed support member 25 and the inner and outer movable support members 28 and 29 are arranged. And three holding means 27 on the rear side,
The suction cups 34, 35, 42 are set so as to be arranged obliquely up and down (see FIG. 1). And the fixed support member 2
The position of the suction cups 26 of the two vertical movement holding means 42, 42 on the front side and the rear side disposed on the inner and outer movable support members 28, 29 is displaced by the parallel link mechanism 41. The posture of the article 11 held by the suction cup 26 does not change.

The height difference given to the front, middle and rear suction cups 26 by the parallel link mechanism 41 is set so as to correspond to the height of substantially one article suction-held by each suction cup 26. Is done. That is, the article holding device 1
0, the arrangement of the article group transferred from the introduction conveyor 12 to the article transfer member 13 during the transfer is such that the upper supports 18, 18, the middle supports 19, 19, and the lower support 20 and 20 have been modified to correspond to the positions of the rear ends, and the respective supports 18, 18, 19, 1
It is configured such that the article 11 can be placed stepwise from above corresponding to 9, 20, and 20.

[0031]

Next, the operation of the article holding apparatus according to the above-described embodiment will be described. The articles 11 conveyed in three rows at predetermined intervals by the introduction conveyor 12,
When the article 11 is conveyed from the upstream side in the conveying direction to the rear side of the article transfer member 13, the leading article 11 is stopped by the stopper at the conveyance end portion, and the subsequent pieces come into contact with each other, so that the article 11 is brought to the collecting position on the introduction conveyor 12. The articles 11 (3 columns × 5 rows = 15 pieces) are arranged (see FIG. 7). In the article holding device 10, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the fifteen suction cups 26 are held so as to be substantially aligned on one horizontal plane, and the inner movable gripping means N ₁ (the inner movable support member 28) arranged in the expanding and contracting direction. Each of the outer movable holding means N ₂ (outer movable supporting member 29) is held close to the fixed holding means M (fixed supporting member 25), and the distance between them is reduced. In this state, the robot is operated, the article holding device 10 arrives at the gathering position of the introduction conveyor 12, the openings of the suction cups 26 abut on the upper surface of the corresponding articles 11, and the inside of the suction cups 26 is negative. The article 11 is sucked and held by the pressure state. Accordingly, the article 1 held by suction
1 is disposed so as to substantially coincide with one horizontal plane.

Next, the article holding device 10 holding the article 11 by suction is moved above the article transfer member 13. At the beginning of the movement or during the movement, the two first pneumatic cylinders 40 move their piston rods 40.
It is urged in the direction of extending a. That is, the outer movable support member 29 to which the piston rod 40a of the first pneumatic cylinder 40 is connected moves along the guide shafts 24, 24 in the direction in which the interval is enlarged, and the outer movable support member 29
After the second chain 36 is stretched, the inner movable support member 28 connected via the second chain 36 follows the second chain 36 and moves in the direction of increasing the distance. Then, the fixed support member 25
When the first chain 31 connecting the inner movable support member 28 and the inner movable support member 28 is stretched, the inner and outer movable support members 28,
The distance between the five support members 25, 28, 29 arranged in the direction of expansion and contraction, that is, the distance between the five gripping means M, N ₁ , N ₂ is restricted by the movement of the article transfer member 13. The space is substantially the same as the space between the matching article storage spaces 15 (see FIG. 2). Accordingly, the front-side vertical movement holding means 42 arranged in the expanding / contracting direction, the intermediate holding means 27, 34,
The distance between the vertical movement holding means 35 and the rear vertical movement holding means 42 is enlarged to substantially match the distance between the article storage spaces 15.

Further, the second pneumatic cylinder 47 is urged in a direction to contract its piston rod 47a. Accordingly, the parallel link mechanisms 41 provided on the fixed support member 25 and the inner and outer movable support members 28 and 29, respectively.
Is operated, as shown in FIG. 1, the corresponding front, middle and rear suction cups 26 are displaced so as to be arranged obliquely up and down. That is, the three articles 11 sucked and held by the three suction cups 26 are arranged obliquely vertically and side by side.
Upper support 18, middle support 19 and lower support 2 in
A height difference occurs according to each interval of 0. Since the positions of the front and rear suction cups 26 are displaced by the parallel link mechanism 41, the posture of the article 11 held by each suction cup 26 does not change.

As described above, the article holding device 10 that holds the article group having the height difference given in the front-rear direction while increasing the interval in the expanding / contracting direction, places each article 11 in the article accommodating space 15. After descending to the position where it faces, each suction cup 26
Is released, three articles 11 are transferred to each article accommodating space 15 while being separated in the front-rear direction. That is, the articles 11 in the front row are placed on the upper supports 18, 18 via the flanges 11 a, and the articles 11 in the middle row are placed on the rear ends of the middle supports 19, 19 via the flanges 11 a. Then, the articles 11 in the rear row are placed on the rear ends of the lower supports 20, 20 via the flange portions 11a. The three articles 11 facing each article storage space 15 are vertically stacked while being pushed toward the supply conveyor 14 by the pushing means, and the five article groups in the stacked state correspond to the supply conveyor 14. It is transferred to the article storage section 14a.

The article holding apparatus 10 in which the article group has been transferred to the article transfer member 13 is in an initial state in which the interval between the suction cups 26 is reduced and the height difference is eliminated while retreating toward the introduction conveyor 12. Is returned to. That is, the two first pneumatic cylinders 40 have their piston rods 40a.
, And the outer movable support member 29 is moved along the guide shafts 24, 24 in the direction in which the distance is reduced. When the outer movable support member 29 and the inner movable support member 28 come into contact with each other via the second interval setting member 38, the two movable support members 28 and 29 subsequently move in the direction of reducing the interval. When the inner movable support member 28 abuts on the first gap setting member 33, its movement is regulated, whereby the mutual spacing of the five support members 25, 28, 29, that is, the five gripping means M, N _1. , N ₂ are intervals substantially corresponding to the article size in the expanding and contracting direction.
(See FIG. 6). Accordingly, the spacing between the front-side vertical movement holding means 42, the middle holding means 27, 34, 35, and the rear-side vertical movement holding means 42 arranged in the expanding / contracting direction is reduced, so that they substantially match the article dimensions in the expanding / contracting direction. I do. Further, the second pneumatic cylinder 47 is urged in a direction to extend its piston rod 47a, and the respective parallel link mechanisms 41 provided on the fixed support member 25 and the inner and outer movable support members 28 and 29 operate. Then, the positions are displaced so that the fifteen suction cups 26 substantially coincide with one horizontal plane.

That is, the article holding device 10 according to the embodiment
Then, the spacing adjustment of the holding means 27, 34, 35, 42 in the expanding / contracting direction is performed by the chains 31, 36 and the spacing setting member 3.
Since the process is performed using 3, 38, the configuration is extremely simple, and the device itself can be made compact. In addition, each holding means 27, 34, 35 at the time of enlargement and contraction,
When changing the interval of 42, it can be easily performed by changing the length of the chains 31, 36 and the second interval setting member 38 and the position of the first interval setting member 33.
It can easily cope with the change of type (size). Further, since the holding means 27, 34, 35, 42 arranged in the front-rear direction can be displaced in the height direction, the present invention can be applied to a case where it is necessary to provide a height difference between articles in a later step. When a pantograph-like parallel link mechanism is used as a means for changing the interval as in the prior art, the interval between a plurality of articles is equal, but in the configuration of the embodiment, the chains 31, 36 and the second By changing the length of the interval setting member 38 and the position of the first interval setting member 33, the intervals between the plurality of articles can be made unequal.

[0037]

[Modification] The article holding device according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment, and the following modification described below can be appropriately adopted. (1) The number of movable holding means (movable support members) provided on one side in the direction of expansion and contraction with respect to the fixed holding means (fixed support member) may be three or more. The movable holding means (movable support member) may be provided only on one side in the direction of expansion and contraction with respect to the support member. (2) One end of the first chain for setting an enlarged interval between the fixed holding means (fixed support member) and the movable holding means (movable support member) adjacent thereto is limited to the fixed holding means (fixed support member). Instead, the base or a member disposed at a fixed position with respect to the base may be connected to the base. Also the first
The other end of the chain may be connected to a vertical holding unit (vertical support member) or a parallel link mechanism, instead of the movable holding unit (movable support member).
Further, as with the other end of the first chain, the vertical movement holding means (vertical movement supporting member) is also set at each end of the second chain for setting the distance between the adjacent movable holding means (movable support members) at the time of enlargement. ) Or a parallel link mechanism. (3) The second interval setting member for setting the interval at the time of reduction of each movable holding means (movable support member) does not need to be movably disposed with respect to the guide shaft. Means (movable support member), and the other movable holding means
(Movable support member). In addition, fixed holding means (fixed support member) and movable holding means adjacent thereto
The first interval setting member for setting the interval at the time of reduction with the (movable support member) is not fixed to the guide shaft, but a base or a member arranged at a fixed position with respect to the base (fixed). (Including holding means). Further, the first interval setting member may have the same structure as the second interval setting member, and the interval setting may be performed by abutting both holding means (support members). In addition, regarding the first and second interval setting members, instead of the movable holding means (movable support member),
It may be fixed to the vertical movement holding means (vertical movement support member) and the parallel link mechanism provided in the means so as to be in contact with them. (4) The number of vertically moving holding means moved up and down by the parallel link mechanism may be plural (two or more) on both sides of the fixed or movable holding means (support member), and may be fixed or A configuration in which the movable holding means (support member) is provided only on one of the front side and the rear side may be adopted. (5) The mechanism (position changing means) for displacing the vertical movement holding means in the vertical direction is not limited to the parallel link mechanism, but may be replaced with another mechanism. For example, fixed holding means
The vertical holding means is slidably supported up and down with respect to the (fixed support member) and the movable holding means (movable support member), and is fixed to the vertical holding means provided on the fixed holding means (fixed support member). With respect to the moving shaft, the vertically movable holding means provided on the movable holding means (movable support member) is supported so as to be movable in the direction of expansion and contraction. Then, the piston rod of the pneumatic cylinder arranged on the base is connected to the vertical movement shaft so that the expansion / contraction direction (axial center) of the piston rod coincides with the sliding direction of the vertical movement holding means, and forward / reverse biasing of the pneumatic cylinder is performed. Thus, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which all the vertical movement holding means fixedly or movably supported by the vertical movement shaft are vertically moved integrally. (6) The suction means and the like of the fixed holding means and the movable holding means may be omitted, and the holding means may function only as a fixed support member or a movable support member for supporting the vertically moving holding means. (7) As the rope body for setting the interval when each holding means is enlarged, a wire, a belt, or the like can be adopted instead of the chain. (8) Instead of a pneumatic cylinder, a motor and ball screw or rack
Means combining pinions and the like can be employed.

[0038]

As described above, in the article holding device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the spacing in the direction in which each holding means expands and contracts is performed by using the cord and the spacing member, so that the configuration is extremely high. It is simple and can make the device itself compact. Also, when changing the distance between the holding means at the time of enlargement and reduction, it can be easily performed by changing the length of the cord and the distance setting member, etc., so that the type (size) of the article to be held (size) can be changed. Can easily respond to changes. Further, since the holding means arranged in a direction intersecting with the expanding / contracting direction can be displaced in the height direction, the present invention can be applied to a case where it is necessary to provide a height difference between articles in a later step. When a pantograph-shaped parallel link mechanism is used as a means for changing the distance as in the conventional technique, the distance between the plurality of articles is equal, but in the present invention, the length of the cord and the distance setting member are set. Is changed, the intervals between the plurality of articles can be made unequal.

In the article holding apparatus according to the second aspect, since the height difference is provided between the plurality of holding means by the parallel link mechanism, the article holding posture before and after the height difference is provided is made the same. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an article holding device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
It is a side view which shows in the state which gave the height difference between the front and back holding means.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the article holding device according to the embodiment in a state where a height difference is given between front and rear holding means.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional front view showing fixed and movable holding means in the article holding device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view showing a fixed holding unit and a vertical movement holding unit of the article holding device according to the embodiment in a state where a height difference is not provided between front and rear holding units.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a movable holding unit and a vertical movement holding unit of the article holding device according to the embodiment in a state where a height difference is given between front and rear holding units.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional front view showing fixed and movable holding means of the article holding device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the article holding device according to the embodiment faces above the introduction conveyor.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which an article on an introduction conveyor is transferred to an article transfer member by the article holding device according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Article 22 Base 24 Guide shaft (guide member) 25 Fixed support member 28 Inner movable support member (movable support member) 29 Outer movable support member (movable support member) 31 First chain (first cord) 33 First interval Setting member (interval setting member) 36 Second chain (second cord) 38 Second interval setting member (interval setting member) 40 First pneumatic cylinder (expansion / reduction operating means) 41 Parallel link mechanism (position changing means) 42 Vertical movement Holding means (holding means) 47 Second pneumatic cylinder (position change operating means) M Fixed holding means N ₁ Inner movable holding means (movable holding means) N ₂ Outer movable holding means (movable holding means)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3F061 AA06 CA01 CB03 3F072 AA07 GC03 GD05 KA01 KA15 KD03 KD13 KD14 KD23 KD28 KE01 KE11

Claims (4)

[Claims] An article holding device configured to expand and contract the interval between a plurality of held articles (11) in one direction, comprising a fixed support member (15) disposed at a fixed position with respect to a base (22). twenty five)
A guide member (24) arranged in a fixed position with respect to the base (22) and extending in the direction of expansion and contraction; and a contraction and expansion on one side in the direction of expansion and contraction with respect to the fixed support member (25). A plurality of movable support members (28, 29) which are arranged continuously in the direction of movement and are movably disposed along the guide member (24).
And, arranged in a direction intersecting with the direction in which the fixed support member (25) and the movable support members (28, 29) are arranged and expanded, respectively,
A plurality of holding means (42) for holding the article (11), and the article (11) held by the holding means (42) are arranged so as to substantially coincide on one horizontal plane while maintaining their posture. The fixed and movable support members (25, 2
(8, 29), a position changing means (41) capable of changing the position of the holding means (42) so that the plurality of holding means (42) are displaced obliquely up and down in the direction in which they are arranged. The position change operation means (4) for operating the position change means (41)
7), wherein the fixed support member (25), a plurality of holding means (42) and a position changing means (41) disposed on the fixed support member (25) constitute a fixed holding means (M). And each of the movable support members (2
8 and 29), the movable support member (28, 29) to be disposed a plurality of holding means (42) and the position changing means (41) movable gripping means (N _1,
N ₂ ), and the movable gripping means (N ₂ ) farthest from the fixed gripping means (M)
Is operated in both directions of expansion and contraction by the expansion and contraction operation means (40), and moves the movable gripping means (N ₁ ) adjacent to the fixed gripping means (M),
A movable gripping means connected to the base (22) or a member arranged at a fixed position with respect to the base (22) by a first cord (31), and adjacent to the fixed gripping means (M); When the interval of (N ₁ ) is enlarged, the first cable body (31) is in a stretched state, so that the fixed gripping means is provided.
(M) and the distance between the movable gripping means (N ₁ ) are set, and the adjacent movable gripping means (N ₁ , N ₂ ) are connected by a second cable body (36), and both movable gripping means When the distance between (N ₁ , N ₂ ) is enlarged, the second cable body (36) is in a stretched state, so that the distance between the two movable gripping means (N ₁ , N ₂ ) is set, during each movable gripping means (N _1, N _2), and the stationary gripping means movable gripping means (M) and adjacent thereto spacing member facing between the (N ₁₎ and (33 and 38), each gripping When the distance between the means (M, N ₁ , N ₂ ) is reduced, the movable gripping means (N ₁ , N ₂ ) abuts to reduce the distance between adjacent gripping means (M, N ₁ , N ₂ ). An article holding device configured to be set. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position changing unit is configured to:
The article holding device according to claim 1, further comprising a parallel link mechanism (41) disposed on each of the (25) and the movable support member (28, 29). 3. The article holding device according to claim 1, wherein the fixed support member and the movable support member have a function of holding the article, and also serve as holding means. 4. The fixed support member according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is a fixed support member.
The article holding device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the plurality of movable support members (28, 29) are provided on both sides in the expanding and contracting direction with the (25) interposed therebetween.