JP2012086311A - Cargo conveying robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cargo conveying robot capable of supporting stably a cargo.SOLUTION: A body 16 of the cargo conveying robot is provided with a pair of right and left arms 17, and is provided with a pedestal part 25 for supporting an under face of the cargo, to be projected. The arm 17 includes a shoulder 18 rotatable around two rotary axes with respect to the body 16, a middle arm 20 rotatable around one rotary axis with respect to the shoulder 18, and a front arm 21 rotatable around one rotary axis with respect to the middle arm 20. A hand terminal part 30 for abutting-supporting the cargo is provided in a tip of the front arm 21. The arm 17 moves the cargo to be drawn near to the body 16, by displacing the hand terminal part 30 via the shoulder 18, an upper arm 19, the middle arm 20 and the front arm 21, and positions an upper face of the pedestal part 25 in the under face of the cargo. The cargo conveying robot abuts on and supports the cargo by the hand terminal part 30, and supports the under face of the cargo by the pedestal part 25, and the cargo is stably supported thereby.

Description

  The present invention relates to a load transport robot.

  In transporting packages, the transport equipment and transport mode are selected according to the size and weight of the packages to be transported and the transport application. It has been broken. For the purpose of avoiding a burden on a person in the transfer work by a person and further improving the transfer efficiency, a robot that performs the transfer work by a person as in Patent Document 1 has been developed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses that in a transfer robot provided with a plurality of arm portions that lift and transfer an object, how to hold the object is changed according to the weight of the object. When lifting an object, select whether to use an arm with a hook or an arm with a gripping means with a non-slip, and if the object is heavy or large, the arm and the torso It is held in contact with the part and conveyed.

JP 2007-260837 A

  However, since the transport robot of Patent Document 1 grips the handle of an object with a hook or holds it with an arm part and a torso part and lifts the object, the object is stably transported. Adjustment of conveyance speed was necessary.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a load transport robot that can stably support a load.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a load carrying robot for carrying a load, wherein the load carrying robot includes a main body portion, a plurality of arms provided on at least both sides of the main body portion, and protruding from the arms. A load support portion, a base portion protruding from the main body portion so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the load, a contact portion supporting the lower surface of the load, a sensor for measuring a physical quantity related to the position of the load, and a load of the load obtained by the sensor The height of the lower surface of the load is obtained from the physical quantity related to the position, and the arm is driven to raise and lower the pedestal to a position equal to or lower than the lower surface height based on the lower surface height of the load and to support the load support portion against the load. And a control means for making it possible.

  Thereby, while supporting a load with a load support part, a load can be supported stably by supporting the undersurface of a load with a base part.

  Further, in the load transport robot, the arm can be extended and retracted, and the control means abuts the load support portion on a side surface opposite to the side surface facing the main body portion of the load and moves the load in a direction away from the main body portion. You may control an arm so that a movement may be controlled and supported. As a result, the side of the load can be supported by the load support portion, the lower surface of the load can be supported by the pedestal portion, and the load can be supported from both sides of the side opposite to the side of the load by the load support portion and the main body. It is possible to support the luggage more stably.

  Also, the arm of the load carrying robot has a rotating shaft, the main body can tilt to the side opposite to the side from which the pedestal protrudes, and the control means abuts the load support and pedestal against the lower surface of the load. While supporting, you may control by tilting a main-body part and contact | abut one side of a load with the main-body part above a base part, and may support it.

  Furthermore, the sensor of the load transport robot measures the lower surface height and the upper surface height of the load, the main body is provided so that the pedestal can be raised and lowered with respect to the load, and the control means measures the upper surface height of the load by the sensor. Based on the above, it is possible to perform control for raising and lowering the main body so that the movement range of the load support portion by the arm is located within the height range between the upper surface and the lower surface of the load. The load carrying robot further includes a hydraulic drive source and a hydraulic control valve for controlling the hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic drive source by the control means, and the pedestal is driven up and down by switching the hydraulic control valve using the hydraulic pressure as a drive source. Also good.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transfer robot that can stably support a load.

It is a perspective view showing an outline of a load transportation robot according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the load conveyance robot and the load W of FIG. It is a hydraulic circuit diagram concerning the raising / lowering drive of a base part. It is a side view which shows the outline | summary of the measurement by the area sensor 26 in FIG. 3 is a flowchart of measurement by an area sensor 26. 3 is a graph showing measured values by an area sensor 26. It is the graph which converted the measured value of FIG. It is a side view which shows the cargo handling work by a load conveyance robot. It is a side view which shows the cargo handling work by a load conveyance robot. It is a top view which shows the cargo handling work by a load conveyance robot. It is a top view which shows the cargo handling work by the load conveyance robot which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a side view in the state of FIG.11 (b). It is a perspective view which shows the outline | summary of the load conveyance robot which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the outline | summary of the load conveyance robot which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the cargo handling work by a load conveyance robot. It is a side view which shows the cargo handling work by a load conveyance robot. It is a side view which shows the outline | summary of the load conveyance robot which concerns on the example of a change of this invention. It is a side view which shows the outline | summary of the load conveyance robot which concerns on the example of a change of this invention. It is a side view which shows the outline | summary of the load conveyance robot which concerns on the example of a change of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the outline | summary of the load conveyance robot which concerns on the example of a change of this invention.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the load carrying robot according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
The load carrying robot can travel by a plurality of wheels 11 provided on the lower surface of the vehicle body 10 as a vehicle unit, and a travel motor (not shown) and a controller 12 which is a control means are provided in the rear part of the vehicle body 10. It has been. The controller 12 drives the traveling motor to control the traveling of the vehicle body 10 and controls the entire load transport robot. A cargo handling portion 15 for handling cargo is supported in front of the vehicle body 10 so as to be tiltable back and forth around the lower end thereof. The cargo handling portion 15 includes a main body 16 (main body portion) extending upward from the front portion of the vehicle body 10 and a pair of arms 17 provided on the side surface of the main body 16 so as to sandwich the main body 16 therebetween.

  A mast 16A is provided on the rear surface of the main body 16 in the vertical direction, and the main body 16 and the arm 17 can be moved up and down along the mast 16A. A cylinder rod of the hydraulic cylinder 14 extending obliquely forward from the rear upper part of the vehicle body 10 is connected to the rear surface of the mast 16A, and the mast 16A and the main body 16 tilt as the hydraulic cylinder 14 expands and contracts. The main body 16 is provided so as to be movable up and down along the mast 16A. The mast 16A is also provided with a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) so that the main body 16 is moved up and down.

  A front surface, which is one side surface of the main body 16, is provided with a pedestal portion 25 that protrudes horizontally toward the front of the vehicle body 10 below the body 16, and the pedestal portion 25 holds the baggage W to be transported by the arm 17. The lower surface of the luggage W can be supported. The upper surface of the pedestal 25 is a flat surface, for example, a 10 cm × 20 cm rectangle. The pedestal portion 25 is gradually made thinner toward the front side than the main body 16, but is not limited to this shape as long as it has strength to support the load W to be transported.

  The pedestal portion 25 can be raised and lowered by hydraulic drive from the lower side to the vicinity of the center of the main body 16, and is raised and lowered by expansion and contraction of the hydraulic cylinder 24 as shown in FIG. 3. Oil is sent from the hydraulic pump 23 to the hydraulic cylinder 24 by switching the hydraulic control valve 22 provided in the hydraulic circuit to the communication position or the cutoff position. The hydraulic control valve 22 is connected to the controller 12 and is switched by a signal from the controller 12 to control expansion / contraction of the hydraulic cylinder 24, that is, raising / lowering of the pedestal portion 25.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the present embodiment, one laser range finder is provided as an area sensor 26 at the center of the upper front end of the main body 16. The area sensor 26 can inspect a predetermined range with a laser from the front lower side of the main body 16 to the horizontal direction and further in the left-right direction. A physical quantity related to the position of the load W such as a distance to the load W positioned in front of the vehicle body 10 and a lateral width of the load W can be measured by the area sensor 26.

  The main body 16 is widened from the center to the left and right, and a pair of arms 17 are connected to both left and right ends of the main body 16. Each arm 17 includes a shoulder 18, an upper arm 19, a middle arm 20, and a forearm 21. The shoulder 18 is connected to the main body 16 and has two rotation shafts with respect to the main body 16. The shoulder 18 has a rotational movement that opens and closes the arm 17 left and right with the axis extending in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the left-right direction of the main body 16 as well as the front-rear arm 17 as the rotation axis. Can be rotated. The upper arm 19 is fixed to the shoulder 18 and can rotate with the shoulder 18.

  The middle arm 20 is connected to the upper arm 19 and performs a rotational movement with an axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the upper arm 19 as a rotation axis. A rotation shaft extending in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the middle arm 20 is provided at the tip of the middle arm 20, and the forearm 21 is connected to be rotatable. At the tip of the arm 17 (the forearm 21), a columnar hand portion 30 is provided as a load supporting portion so as to protrude toward the inside where the left and right arms 17 face each other. Note that the pair of arms 17 are symmetrical and arranged so that the arms having the same structure are opposed to each other. In the present embodiment, the pair of arms 17 are controlled to operate in synchronization. The arm 17 is arranged with the forearm 21 facing the front of the vehicle body 10 and protrudes in the same direction as the pedestal portion 25.

  The arm 17 according to the present embodiment can be operated with a plurality of degrees of freedom by a rotational movement of the shoulder 18 by two rotational axes, a rotational movement of the middle arm 20 by one rotational axis, and a rotational movement of the middle arm 20 by the rotational axis. The hand portion 30 provided at the tip of the arm 17 can be displaced to an arbitrary position by each operation of the arm 17. In this embodiment, the operating range of the arm 17 is set so that the hand portion 30 can be displaced forward from the front surface of the main body 16 from which the pedestal portion 25 protrudes. Each operation of the arm 17 is such that the amount of movement is controlled by the controller 12. In the present embodiment, the rotational movement of the arm 17 is driven by a hydraulic device.

Next, cargo handling work by the load transport robot will be described.
When cargo handling is performed by the cargo transport robot, a transport instruction is input to the controller 12, and the cargo transport robot travels to the position of the table R on which the target cargo W is placed. As shown in FIG. 2, when the load transport robot arrives at a predetermined stop position in front of the platform R, the height of the platform R is measured by the area sensor 26 and the front side of the load W, that is, the load transport. Measurement is performed on the base end face W1, which is the side face closest to the robot. The area sensor 26 measures the height of the load W, the width of the load W, and the distance to the load W, and the measurement result is sent to the controller 12.

Here, details of the measurement by the area sensor 26 will be described.
FIG. 4 shows an outline of inspection by the area sensor 26 when the load W is placed on the table R, and FIG. 5 shows a measurement flow by the area sensor 26. When measurement is started by the load carrying robot, the area sensor 26 is first swung up and down from the main body 16 toward the load W as shown in FIG. 4 in step 1 (S1) of FIG. At this time, the height of the table R from the floor (the height of the lower surface of the load W) is h, the height of the load W is H, the horizontal distance from the area sensor 26 to the base end surface of the table R is D1, and the load from the area sensor 26 is The horizontal distance of W to the base end face W1 is D2, the rotation angle of the area sensor 26 from the vertical direction is θ, and the distance of the area sensor 26 to the measurement object is d. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the value of the distance d with respect to the rotation angle θ of the area sensor 26 is obtained. In FIG. 6, the horizontal axis is the rotation angle θ, and the vertical axis is the distance d.

  From the measurement result of FIG. 6, next, in step 2 (S2), the acquired data is converted into an orthogonal coordinate system. The value of the distance d with respect to the rotation angle θ obtained by the area sensor 26 is converted into an orthogonal coordinate system as shown in FIG. 7, and is expressed with the horizontal distance X of the detection object as the horizontal axis and the vertical distance Y as the vertical axis. The Next, in step 3 (S3), the distance and height between the platform R and the luggage W are extracted from the graph after coordinate conversion. In the graph, when the table R and the baggage W exist, the detection value by the area sensor 26 changes greatly. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the horizontal distance on the horizontal axis includes the distance D1 of the table R and the base end surface W1 of the baggage W. The distance D2 appears in order, and the height h of the platform R and the upper surface height H of the luggage W can be extracted on the vertical axis.

  Here, the details of the height measurement of the table R and the baggage W by the area sensor 26 have been described. However, when the area sensor 26 is swung in the left-right direction according to the height position of the baggage W, the width of the baggage W is the same. It can be measured by the procedure.

  Next, the controller 12 moves the main body 16 up and down along the mast 16 </ b> A according to the height of the table R, the height of the load W, and the width of the load W obtained by measurement by the area sensor 26. At this time, the main body 16 moves up and down so that the range in which the pedestal portion 25 on the front surface of the main body 16 can be moved up and down matches the height position of the base R. Further, the pedestal portion 25 is raised and lowered to the same height position as the height of the base R or a slightly lower height position. In the hydraulic circuit shown in FIG. 3, the hydraulic control valve 22 is switched from the shut-off position to the communication position, and oil is sent from the hydraulic pump 23 in the direction of contracting the hydraulic cylinder 24 to raise the pedestal portion 25. When the pedestal 25 reaches a slightly lower position, the hydraulic control valve 22 is switched to the cutoff position. At the same time, the controller 12 adjusts the distance between the pair of arms 17 according to the width of the load W. The controller 12 adjusts the distance between the arms 17 so that the arms 17 are respectively positioned at the side surfaces of the luggage W, and the hand portion 30 provided on the arm 17 is opposed to the left and right sides of the luggage W with a slight distance. To do.

  When the positions of the pedestal 25 and the arm 17 are adjusted, the controller 12 then extends the arm 17 toward the far end surface W2 that is the side surface opposite to the base end surface W1 of the load W. 8 and 10A, when the hand portion 30 provided at the tip of the forearm 21 exceeds the far end surface W2, the extension of the arm 17 is stopped, and then the hand portion 30 is moved to the far end surface W2. The distance between the pair of arms 17 is narrowed so as to abut against each other. Then, the arm 17 is contracted (bent) toward the main body 16 while the hand portion 30 is in contact with the far end surface W2 of the luggage W, and the luggage W is moved toward the main body 16 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10B. Move to attract. In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, it is good for the hand part 30 to contact | abut to the position slightly above from the up-down direction of the far end surface W2.

  When pulling the load W, it may be pulled to a position where a slight gap remains between the base end face W1 and the main body 16, as shown in FIG. When the luggage W is drawn, the upper surface of the pedestal 25 is in a state of facing a part of the lower surface of the luggage W on the base end face W1 side. Then, when the main body 16 (the pedestal portion 25) is lifted upward from the state of FIG. 9, the pedestal portion 25 is supported while supporting the far end face W2 so that the luggage W does not tilt away from the main body 16 by the hand portion 30. By supporting the lower surface of the luggage W, the luggage W can be supported and lifted at three points. The load transfer robot moves backward from the stopped loading position and transfers the load W to the transfer destination specified in the transfer instruction.

According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the load transport robot supports the far end surface W2 of the load W at the hand portion 30 and supports the load W from the lower surface at the pedestal portion 25, the load transport robot can stably support the load W. .
(2) Since the main body 16 and the pedestal portion 25 of the load transport robot are provided so as to be able to move up and down, they move up and down in accordance with the lower surface height of the load W (the height of the table R) and the upper surface height of the load W. Cargo handling work can also be performed on platforms and loads of different heights.

(3) Since the pedestal portion 25 is driven up and down by hydraulic pressure and controlled by switching the hydraulic control valve, the position of the pedestal portion 25 can be fixed and the load can be lifted simply by setting the hydraulic control valve to the cutoff position. There is no need to keep the current flowing.
(4) The arms 17 of the present embodiment are provided in a pair of left and right, hold the luggage W from the side of the luggage W, and at the far end surface of the luggage W by the pair of hand portions 30 provided in the left and right arms 17. Since W2 is supported, the luggage W can be lifted stably.

(5) The arm 17 of the present embodiment has two rotation axes at the shoulder 18, the middle arm 20 also has one rotation axis, and the connecting member of the middle arm 20 and the forearm 21 also has a rotation axis. Thus, it is provided to be operable with a plurality of degrees of freedom. Therefore, the hand portion 30 can be displaced to an arbitrary position, can reliably contact the far end surface W2 of the load W, and can easily pull the load W toward the main body 16 side.
(6) Since the load carrying robot includes the area sensor 26 and can measure the height h of the table R, the pedestal 25 can be moved up and down according to the table R. In the present embodiment, the pedestal 25 is mounted on the table R. By moving up and down to a position slightly lower than the height, the load W is not caught on the base portion 25 even if the load W is pulled.

(7) Since the base end surface W1 of the package W leaves the gap in the main body 16 and stops the pulling with the arm 17, the package W is not crushed with the package W interposed therebetween.
(8) Since the lower surface of the load W is supported by the pedestal portion 25 and the distal end surface W2 of the load W is supported by the hand portion 30 of the arm 17, the arm 17 can be The output can be suppressed.

(9) Since the distal end surface W2 which is the side surface of the load W is supported by the hand portion 30 of the arm 17, the strength for lifting the load W is not required only by the pair of arms 17, and thus the arm 17 is reduced in weight and size. it can. In addition, the hydraulic device for driving each rotary motion of the arm 17 does not require a large output and can be miniaturized.
(10) Since the hand portion 30 is brought into contact with the vertical direction of the far end surface W2 and slightly above when the load W is pulled, when the load W is pulled and the main body 16 is raised, the far end is left as it is. The position slightly above the surface W2 can be stably supported by the hand portion 30. Further, when lifting the load W, there is no need to adjust the position of the hand portion 30 in the vertical direction of the far end surface W2.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the second embodiment, the method for supporting the load W is changed using the load carrying robot having the same structure as that of the first embodiment.

The operation of the second embodiment will be described.
When cargo handling is performed by the cargo transport robot, a transport instruction is input to the controller 12, and the cargo transport robot travels to the position of the table R on which the target cargo W is placed. When the load transport robot arrives at a predetermined stop position in front of the platform R, the height of the platform R is measured by the area sensor 26, and the front side of the load W, that is, the side surface closest to the load transport robot. Measurement is performed on the base end face W1. The area sensor 26 measures the height of the load W, the width of the load W, and the distance to the load W, and sends the measurement results to the controller 12.

  Next, the controller 12 moves the main body 16 up and down along the mast 16 </ b> A according to the height of the table R, the height of the load W, and the width of the load W obtained by measurement by the area sensor 26. At this time, the main body 16 is raised and lowered so that the upper surface of the pedestal portion 25 is located at the same height as the height of the pedestal R, and the pedestal portion 25 is raised and lowered from the height of the pedestal R to a slightly lower height position. At the same time, the distance between the pair of arms 17 is adjusted according to the width of the load W. The controller 12 moves the arm 17 so that the arm 17 is located at the side surface position of the luggage W, and the hand portion 30 provided on the arm 17 faces the left and right ends of the luggage W at a distance from each other. Adjust the 17 interval.

  When the positions of the pedestal 25 and the arm 17 are adjusted, the controller 12 then extends the arm 17 toward the far end surface W2 that is the side surface opposite to the base end surface W1 of the load W. Then, when the hand portion 30 provided at the tip of the forearm 21 exceeds the far end surface W2 as in the state shown in FIG. 10A of the first embodiment, the extension of the arm 17 is stopped, and then the hand portion 30 is moved. The distance between the arms 17 is narrowed and adjusted so as to come into contact with the far end face W2. Then, the arm 17 is contracted (bent) toward the main body 16 while the far end surface W2 of the load W is brought into contact with the hand portion 30, and the position shown in FIG. 11A is the same as FIG. 10B. The baggage W is drawn to the main body 16 side. When the luggage W is attracted and the center of gravity of the luggage W passes the end surface of the table R, the luggage W is tilted, and the center of the lower surface on the base end surface W1 side is placed on the upper surface of the pedestal 25.

  After pulling the load W to the main body 16, the load transport robot moves backward slightly. Here, the far end face W2 of the luggage W is prevented from falling on the table R, and a gap is secured between the table R and the pedestal portion 25 (main body 16). Then, as shown in FIGS. 11B and 12, the arm 17 is moved to bring the hand portion 30 into contact with the lower surface of the luggage W between the base R and the base portion 25 (main body 16). At this time, the hand portion 30 may support the load W while being in contact with both left and right ends of the lower surface of the load W, and may be positioned close to the far end surface W2. As a result, the lower surface of the luggage W is supported at the three points of the base portion 25 and the pair of hand portions 30.

  Next, the positions of the arm 17 and the pedestal portion 25 are fixed, and the main body 16 is raised along the mast 16A to lift the load W. By lifting the load W and running the vehicle body 10, the load W is transferred to a designated transfer destination.

In the second embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (3) and (5) to (8) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(11) Since the load W is abutted and supported by the lower surface of the left and right arms 17 and the pedestal 25, the load W can be lifted stably.
(12) Since the load transport robot moves backward to a position where the far end surface W2 does not fall from the table R after the package W is drawn from the table R to the main body 16, the hand 30 is placed between the table R and the pedestal 25. It is possible to secure a gap for entering.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
In this embodiment, the arm 17 is changed to a single-axis arm that can be expanded and contracted.

  The main body 56 has a substantially T-shape as a whole having shoulder portions extending left and right. A pair of arms 57 are juxtaposed directly below the shoulder portion of the main body 56 with a space left and right, and each arm 57 is supported by a connecting portion 56B extending from the main body 56 to the left and right. Yes. The connecting portion 56B can be expanded and contracted in the left-right direction by an internal hydraulic cylinder (not shown), and the interval between the pair of left and right arms 57 can be adjusted within a predetermined range. The pair of left and right arms 57 includes a fixed portion 57A fixed to the connection portion 56B and a movable portion 57B provided to be extendable on the fixed portion 57A. Each of the pair of arms 57 is an arm having the same structure arranged in parallel.

  The fixed portion 57A has a rectangular cross section, and a movable portion 57B having a rectangular cross section that is slightly smaller than the fixed portion 57A is fitted in an extendable manner. A hydraulic cylinder is housed inside the fixed portion 57A and the movable portion 57B and is driven to extend and contract. Note that the controller 12 drives the hydraulic circuit to control the amount of expansion and contraction of the arm 57. In addition, a potentiometer (not shown) is provided inside the fixed portion 57A and the movable portion 57B to measure the amount of expansion / contraction of the movable portion 57B. The length of the arm 57 is calculated based on the length and the amount of expansion / contraction of the fixed portion 57A and the movable portion 57B. Is controlled by the controller 12.

  Near the front end of the movable portion 57B, a hand portion 60 is provided as a load support member. The hand portion 60 is formed on a plate-like member so as to protrude to the inner (side) surface where the pair of arms 57 face each other. The tip end surface is processed into a curved surface. The dimensions of the hand portion 60 and the attachment position to the movable portion 57B are registered in the controller 12, and the controller 12 performs control so that the position of the hand portion 60 is appropriately displaced with respect to the load.

  The arm 57 provided with the hand portion 60 extends horizontally to the front of the vehicle body 10 with respect to the main body 16, and the pedestal portion 25 is set so as to be raised to the same height as the arm 57 and the connection portion 56B. ing.

The operation of the third embodiment will be described.
When cargo handling is performed by the cargo transport robot, a transport instruction is input to the controller 12, and the cargo transport robot travels to the position of the table R on which the target cargo W is placed. When the load transport robot arrives at a predetermined stop position in front of the platform R, the height of the platform R is measured by the area sensor 26, and the front side of the load W, that is, the side surface closest to the load transport robot. Measurement is performed on the base end face W1. At this time, the load carrying robot raises the main body 56 along the mast 16 </ b> A by the hydraulic cylinder as shown in FIG. 14 in order to widen the measurement range by the area sensor 26. Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the height position of the area sensor 26 can ensure a sufficient measurement range for the table R and the load W. Then, the height of the load W, the width of the load W, and the distance to the load W are measured by the area sensor 26, and the measurement result is sent to the controller 12.

  Next, the controller 12 raises and lowers the main body 56 along the mast 16A again in accordance with the height of the table R, the height of the load W, and the width of the load W obtained by measurement by the area sensor 26. At this time, the controller 12 adjusts the height position of the arm 57 (hand portion 60) provided in the main body 56 so as to be higher than the height of the table R and lower than the height of the luggage W. Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the arm 57 is positioned at the height of the side surface of the luggage W. The height position of the arm 57 may be on the side surface of the luggage W, and may be set to the height of the center of the side surface of the luggage W. Further, when the load W is heavy, it may be adjusted to a lower position.

  Next, the controller 12 raises and lowers the main body 16 so that the upper surface of the pedestal 25 is at the same height as the height of the base R. At this time, the pedestal 25 may be raised and lowered from the height of the table R to a slightly lower height position. At the same time, the distance between the pair of arms 17 is adjusted according to the width of the load W. The distance between the arms 57 is adjusted to a position where the hand portion 60 faces the left and right end portions of the luggage W with a slight distance at the side surface position of the luggage W.

  When the positions of the pedestal portion 25 and the arm 57 are adjusted, the controller 12 then extends the movable portion 57B toward the far end surface W2, which is the side surface opposite to the base end surface W1 of the load W. Then, when the hand portion 60 exceeds the far end surface W2, the extension of the movable portion 57B is stopped, and then the distance between the arms 17 is narrowed and adjusted so that the hand portion 60 contacts the far end surface W2. Then, the arm 57 is contracted while the hand portion 60 is in contact with the far end surface W2, and the load W is moved toward the main body 16 side.

  After the base end surface W1 of the luggage W is moved until it is positioned on the pedestal portion 25, when the main body 56 is raised along the mast 16A, the upper surface of the pedestal section 25 supports and supports the lower surface of the luggage W. The hand portion 60 can lift the load W while supporting the far end surface W <b> 2 so that W does not tilt in a direction away from the main body 16. After the main body 56 is raised until the load W leaves the table R, the load transfer robot moves backward from the table R and transfers the load W to the transfer destination designated by the transfer instruction.

In this embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (4) and (6) to (8) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(13) Since the arm 57 is a single-axis arm that can be expanded and contracted back and forth, the configuration is simple and the control by the controller 12 is easy.
(14) Since the pedestal portion 25 can be raised to the vicinity of the height position of the horizontally extending arm 57, even when the height of the load W is low, the load W is stably contacted and supported by the hand portion 60 and the pedestal portion 25. Can be lifted.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications of the present invention will be described below.
The load carrying robot may tilt the main bodies 16 and 56 backward after lifting the load W. The main bodies 16 and 56 can be tilted backward by expanding and contracting the hydraulic cylinder 14 connected to the mast 16A. By lifting the luggage W and tilting backward as shown in FIG. In addition, the main body 16 can support the luggage W. Thereby, the load W can be stably supported and the load W can be stably conveyed. In FIG. 17, the hand portion 30 supports and supports the lower surface of the luggage W, but the distal end surface W2 may be supported and supported.

○ When the load carrying robot brings the hand portions 30 and 60 into contact with the far end surface W2 of the load W and draws the load W toward the main body 16 or 56, the load transfer robot is positioned at the tip of the pedestal 25. When pulled, the pedestal 25 may be slightly raised to a position higher than the height of the base R. By raising the pedestal 25 with the load W positioned at the tip of the pedestal 25, the lower surface of the load W comes into contact with the pedestal R at the far end surface W2 as shown in FIG. Abutted and supported. The arm 17 is contracted (bent) to draw the load W to the main body 16. As a result, the lower surface of the luggage W can reduce the contact surface with the table R, reduce frictional resistance, reduce damage to the lower surface of the luggage W, and peel off the adhesive tape for packing provided on the lower surface. Can be suppressed.

The load carrying robot may be capable of tilting the pedestal 25 with respect to the main bodies 16 and 56. As shown in FIG. 19, the pedestal portion 25A is tilted forward in accordance with the lower surface of the luggage W, so that the contact surface is increased when the luggage W is lifted, and the pedestal 25A is positioned higher than the height of the platform R. Can be stabilized even in the state of lifting. Further, when placing the load W on the table R or the like, the far end surface W2 of the load W is first grounded to the table R by tilting the pedestal portion 25 from the horizontal state, and then the main body 16 is lowered. Thus, it is possible to suppress an impact when the luggage W is placed on the table R.
The load carrying robot may be provided with a plurality of pedestals. By providing a plurality of pedestal portions 25, the lower surface of the luggage W can be supported at more positions, and the luggage W can be supported at more surfaces, and the lifting of the luggage W can be further stabilized. .

The load carrying robot may be provided with a pedestal portion that can rotate. As shown in FIG. 20, by providing the two pedestal portions 25B on the front surface of the main body 16 so as to be rotatable, it is possible to stably lift an annular load such as roll paper. The outer peripheral surface of the annular load is a curved surface, and can be lifted so as to be held by the hand portion 30 of the arm 17 while being in contact with and supported by rotating the two pedestal portions 25B according to the curved surface. At this time, the upper surface of the pedestal portion may be curved.
The base 25 of the load transport robot is not limited to hydraulic drive. Further, the rotating shaft provided in the arm 17 is not limited to hydraulic drive, and an electric motor or the like can be used.

In each embodiment, the laser range finder is used as the area sensor 26. However, the area sensor 26 is not limited to one using a laser. For example, a contact type sensor may be used. In the contact type, the detection target can be reliably detected without being disturbed by the use environment.
In each embodiment, the lower surface height (the height of the platform R) of the luggage W is measured by the area sensor 26, but the lower surface height (the height of the platform R) may not be directly measured. For example, the upper surface height of the luggage W may be measured, and the lower surface height of the luggage W (the height of the table R) may be calculated from the height of the luggage W acquired in advance. The height of the load W may be obtained from the host controller at the same time as the conveyance instruction, or a tag including the height information of the load W is attached to the load W, and the height of the upper surface of the load W is measured with the tag. You may read at the same time. Further, the lower surface height of the luggage W (the height of the table R) may be calculated using the distance and angle with the luggage W.

The controller 12 in each embodiment controls the entire load transport robot in addition to the pedestal 25 and the arm 17, but the controller 12 controls the pedestal 25 and the arm 17 is controlled by another controller. May be. That is, one control device (controller 12) may be used as the control means, or a plurality of control devices may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Body 12 Controller 14 Hydraulic cylinder 16 Main body 17 Arm 18 Shoulder 19 Upper arm 20 Middle arm 21 Forearm 22 Hydraulic control valve 23 Hydraulic pump 24 Hydraulic cylinder 25 Base part 26 Area sensor 30 Hand part 56 Main body 57 Arm 57A Fixed part 57B Movable part W Baggage

Claims (5)

In a load transport robot that transports packages,
The main body of the load carrying robot;
A plurality of arms provided on at least both sides of the main body,
A load supporting portion provided protruding from the arm;
A pedestal that protrudes from the main body and is provided so as to be movable up and down with respect to the load, and abuts and supports the lower surface of the load;
A sensor for measuring a physical quantity related to the position of the luggage;
The lower surface height of the load is obtained from a physical quantity relating to the position of the load obtained by the sensor, the pedestal is moved up and down to a position equal to or lower than the lower surface height of the load, and the load support portion is moved to the load. And a control means for driving the arm so as to contact and support the load. The arm is extendable;
The control means is configured such that the load supporting portion abuts on a side surface opposite to the side surface facing the main body portion of the load, and the load is restricted and supported in a direction away from the main body portion. The load carrying robot according to claim 1, wherein the arm is controlled. The arm has a rotation axis;
The main body can tilt to the side opposite to the side from which the pedestal projects.
The control means controls the load supporting portion and the pedestal portion to contact and support the lower surface of the load and tilts the main body portion, so that one side surface of the load is above the pedestal portion. The load carrying robot according to claim 1, wherein the load carrying robot is in contact with and supported by the load. The sensor measures the lower surface height and the upper surface height of the luggage,
The main body is provided so that the pedestal can be raised and lowered with respect to the luggage,
Based on the measurement of the height of the upper surface of the load by the sensor, the control means is configured such that the movement range of the load support portion by the arm is located within a height range between the upper surface and the lower surface of the load. The load carrying robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein control for raising and lowering is performed. The load carrying robot further includes:
A hydraulic drive source;
A hydraulic control valve for controlling hydraulic pressure from a hydraulic drive source by the control means;
5. The load carrying robot according to claim 1, wherein the pedestal is driven up and down by switching a hydraulic control valve using hydraulic pressure as a drive source. 6.

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