JP2021020265A - Container conveying system, container conveying method - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve distribution efficiency without generating an extra space in a storage box in storing a container stack with a plurality of containers stacked in the storage box.SOLUTION: A robot arm 4 includes a first holding part 21, a second holding part 22, and a third holding part 23 arranged sequentially from one end side of a longitudinal member, and lifts a first container group WG11 by holding an uppermost container of the first container group WG11, which is stacked vertically and is delivered from an upstream side in a conveying direction, by the first holding part 21, and holding a lowermost container by the second holding part 22. The robot arm 4 stacks the lifted first container group WG11 vertically on a second container group WG12, holds a lowermost container of the second container group WG12 by the third holding part 23, holds at least the uppermost container out of the stacked container groups by the first holding part 21, and conveys with the lowermost container held by the third holding part 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a container transport system and a container transport method for transporting a container stack in which a plurality of containers are stacked to a desired position.

A technique has been proposed in which containers are stacked one above the other to form a container stack, which is then conveyed by a transfer robot (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to the disclosure technique 1 of this patent document, a technique of grasping a container stack stored in a storage box by a transfer robot and sequentially transporting the container stack to a filling machine is disclosed.

Japanese Patent No. 3827553

By the way, contrary to the above-mentioned disclosure technique of Patent Document 1, a container manufactured in a factory may be conveyed via a belt conveyor in a state of a container stack in which a plurality of stages are stacked. When the transported container stack is stored in the storage box and shipped, the length of the container stack may be shorter than the inner diameter of the storage box. When such a container stack is stored in a storage box, an extra space is created in the storage box, and the distribution efficiency is lowered. For this reason, it is necessary to stack the container stacks on top of each other to a height that exactly matches the inner diameter of the storage box to control so that no extra space is formed in the storage box and improve the distribution efficiency. However, when the container stacks are stacked and transported, the stability of the container stack becomes worse as the number of stacked containers increases, and the container stack tends to tilt or fall down.

Therefore, the present invention has been devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to store an extra container stack in which a plurality of containers are stacked in a storage box. An object of the present invention is to provide a container transport system and a container transport method capable of improving distribution efficiency without creating space.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have moved up and down from the upstream side in the transport direction by a robot arm having a first grip portion, a second grip portion, and a third grip portion. Of the stacked first container group and second container group, the uppermost container of the first container group is gripped by the first grip portion, and the lowermost container is gripped by the second grip portion. , The first container group lifted up and down is stacked on the second container group, and the lowermost container of the second container group is gripped by the third gripping portion, and at least the most of the stacked container groups. We have invented a container transport system and a container transport method in which the upper container is gripped by the first grip and the bottom container is gripped by the third grip and then transported.

The container transport system according to the first invention has a first grip portion, a second grip portion, and a third grip portion provided in order from one end side of the longitudinal member, and is delivered from the upstream side in the transport direction. Of the first container group and the second container group stacked vertically, the uppermost container of the first container group is gripped by the first gripping portion, and the lowermost container is held by the second. A robot arm for lifting the first container group by gripping the first container group is provided, and the robot arm stacks the lifted first container group up and down on the second container group, and the above-mentioned The bottom container of the second container group is gripped by the third grip portion, and at least the top container of the stacked container group is gripped by the first grip portion, and the bottom container is gripped by the first grip portion. It is characterized in that it is conveyed in a state of being gripped by a third grip portion.

In the first invention, the container transport system according to the second invention is such that the robot arm causes the third grip portion to come into contact with a part of the second container group, so that the position of the second container group is displaced. It is characterized by modifying.

The container transport system according to the third invention is the second container group according to the first invention or the second invention, when the robot arm stacks the first container group lifted on the second container group. It is characterized in that the first container group is stacked while being tilted with respect to the stacking direction.

In any of the first to third inventions, the container transport system according to the fourth invention sets the stop positions of the first container group and the second container group sent from the upstream side in the transport direction. It is characterized by further including a positioning unit for adjustment.

The container transport system according to the fifth invention has first to nth (n is an integer of 4 or more) grip portions provided in order from one end side of the longitudinal member, and is sent up and down from the upstream side in the transport direction. Among the first to n-1 container groups stacked in the above, the uppermost container of the first container group is gripped by the first grip portion, and the lowermost container is gripped by the second grip portion. The robot arm is provided with a robot arm that lifts the first container group by grasping the container group, and the robot arm stacks the lifted k-2 container group up and down on the k-1 container group and the first. The operation of gripping the lowermost container of the k-1 container group by the k-th grip portion is repeatedly executed from k = 3 to k = n, and at least the uppermost container of the stacked container groups is the first container. It is characterized in that the container is gripped by the grip portion of 1 and the bottom container is transported in a state of being gripped by the nth grip portion.

The container transport method according to the sixth invention is delivered from the upstream side in the transport direction by a robot arm having a first grip portion, a second grip portion, and a third grip portion provided in order from one end side of the longitudinal member. Of the first container group and the second container group stacked vertically, the uppermost container of the first container group is gripped by the first gripping portion, and the lowermost container is gripped. The lifting step of lifting the first container group by gripping with the second gripping portion, and the first container group lifted in the lifting step are stacked up and down on the second container group, and the said Of the stacking step of gripping the lowermost container of the second container group by the third gripping portion and the container group stacked in the stacking step, at least the uppermost container is gripped by the first gripping portion. It is characterized by having a transporting step of transporting the bottommost container in a state of being gripped by the third gripping portion.

In the sixth aspect of the invention, the container transport method according to the seventh invention is such that in the stacking step, the third grip portion is brought into contact with a part of the second container group, so that the position of the second container group is displaced. It is characterized by modifying.

The container transport method according to the eighth invention is the second container group according to the sixth invention or the seventh invention, when the first container group lifted on the second container group is stacked in the gripping step. It is characterized in that the first container group is stacked while being tilted with respect to the stacking direction.

The container transport method according to the ninth invention is the first container group and the second container group sent from the upstream side in the transport direction before the lifting step in any of the sixth to eighth inventions. It is characterized by further having a positioning step for adjusting each stop position of the container group.

The container transport method according to the tenth invention is delivered from the upstream side in the transport direction by a robot arm having first to nth (n is an integer of 4 or more) grip portions provided in order from one end side of the longitudinal member. Of the first to n-1 container groups stacked vertically, the uppermost container of the first container group is gripped by the first gripping portion, and the lowermost container is gripped by the second gripping portion. A lifting step of lifting the first container group by gripping with a gripping portion, and a k-2 container group lifted in the lifting step are stacked up and down on the k-1 container group, and the k-th Of the stacking step of repeatedly executing the operation of gripping the lowermost container of the container group of -1 by the k-th gripping portion from k = 3 to k = n, and the container group stacked in the stacking step, at least the uppermost stage. The container is gripped by the first gripping portion, and the bottom container is transported in a state of being gripped by the nth gripping portion.

According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the uppermost container of the first container group sent out from the upstream side in the transport direction is gripped by the first gripping portion, and the lowermost container is gripped by the second gripping portion. Grip by the part. Next, the lifted first container group is stacked up and down on the second container group, and the lowermost container of the second container group is gripped by the third gripping portion in the state of the stacked container group. Is transported and stored in a storage box. At this time, the lengths (heights) of the first container group and the second container group are set in advance so that the length (height) of the stacked containers is exactly the size corresponding to the inner diameter of the storage box. I will do it. As a result, by storing the stacked container group in the storage box, it is possible to prevent an extra space from being generated in the storage box, and it is possible to further improve the distribution efficiency. Further, by separately transporting the containers into a plurality of container groups such as the first container group and the second container group, it is possible to prevent the height of each container group from increasing, so that the container stack can be made. It can be stably transported.
At this time, in the stage before gripping the lowermost container of the second container group by the third grip portion, the third grip portion is brought into contact with a part of the second container group, so that the second container group is seconded. It is possible to correct the misalignment of the container group.
Further, when stacking the first container group lifted into the second container group, the first container group is tilted with respect to the stacking direction of the second container group, thereby stacking the third grip portion. It is possible to prevent the second container group from coming into contact with the second container group, and thus to prevent the second container group from being knocked down.
Further, the position adjustment can be performed by guiding the positions of the first container group and the second container group sent out from the upstream side in the transport direction through the notch provided in the positioning member. It will be possible. It should be noted that the same effect can be obtained not only when the number of stacking containers is two, but also when the number of stacking containers is three or more.

It is an overall view of the transport system to which this invention is applied. It is a schematic plan view of a transport system. It is a figure for demonstrating the positioning member. It is a figure for demonstrating the container to be transported. It is a figure for demonstrating a robot. It is a figure which shows the detail of the gripping mechanism of a robot. It is a block diagram of a robot. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure for transporting a container group. It is a figure for demonstrating the positioning process. It is a figure which shows the outline of the procedure of stacking a group of containers. It is a figure for demonstrating the correction of the misalignment of a container group. It is a figure for demonstrating the process of transporting a container group to a storage box. It is another figure which shows the outline of the procedure of stacking a group of containers.

Hereinafter, the container transport system to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 show an overall view of the container transport system 100 of the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is an overall view (perspective view) of the container transport system 100, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the container transport system 100. The container transport system 100 includes a robot 1 and a supply mechanism 50. By using the container transport system 100, a plurality of containers W to be transported can be sequentially stored in the storage box 70.

The supply mechanism 50 includes an upper supply mechanism 51, a lower supply mechanism 52, a delivery device 53, and a positioning member 60.

The upper supply mechanism 51 is located on the upper side of the supply mechanism 50, and includes, for example, a conveyor that sequentially conveys the container W. The upper supply mechanism 51 supplies the containers W supplied from a supply source (not shown) one by one from the upstream side in the transport direction to the downstream side in the transport direction. The upper supply mechanism 51 guides the container W to be supplied to the downstream side in the transport direction to the supply positions P1 and P2, respectively. The supply positions P1 and P2 are mark positions for delivering the container W to the lower supply mechanism 52 side by the delivery device 53.

The delivery device 53 sequentially delivers or lowers the container W guided to the supply positions P1 and P2 to the lower supply mechanism 52 side. The delivery device 53 delivers, for example, 10 containers W from the supply positions P1 and P2 to the stacking positions P1'and P2'in the lower supply mechanism 52. The supply position P1 and the stacking position P1'are substantially coincident in the vertical direction in a plan view, and the supply position P2 and the stacking position P2'are substantially coincident in the vertical direction in a plan view. As a result, the first container group WG11 in which the containers W are stacked is formed at the stacking position P1', and the second container group WG12 in which the containers W are stacked is formed at the stacking position P2'. The number of stacking stages of the containers W constituting the first container group WG11 and the second container group WG12 is determined in advance according to the size of the inner diameter of the storage box 70 as described later. The number of stacking stages of the containers W constituting the first container group WG11 and the second container group WG12 may be different from each other.

The lower supply mechanism 52 is located on the lower side of the supply mechanism 50, and includes a conveyor that sequentially conveys the above-mentioned first container group WG11 and second container group WG12 from the upstream side in the transport direction to the downstream side in the transport direction. Ru. The timing at which the lower supply mechanism 52 sends the first container group WG11 and the second container group WG12 from the stacking position P1'P2' toward the transport reference position Q may be the same, or may be the same as the first container group WG11. It may be different from each other with the second container group WG12. Further, the container groups WG11 and WG12 to be transported are not limited to the case where they are composed of two rows, and may be three or more rows.

A positioning member 60 is provided at the transport reference position Q in the lower supply mechanism 52. As shown in FIG. 3A, the positioning member 60 is formed, for example, in a U-shaped cross section, and is set so as to sandwich the conveyor of the lower supply mechanism 52 from above and below. The positioning member 60 may be, for example, a metal member, but is not limited to this, and may be made of any material. The positioning member 60 includes an upper plate 60-1 that covers the conveyor of the lower supply mechanism 52 from above, a lower plate 60-2 that covers the conveyor of the lower supply mechanism 52 from below, and an upper plate 60-1 and a lower plate 60-. It has a connection plate 60-3 for connecting to 2.

A notch 60a and a notch 60b are formed side by side on the upper plate 60-1. The notch 60a and the notch 60b are notched in a concave shape in the transport direction and gradually narrowed in the transport direction. The opening widths of the notch 60a and the notch 60b are both larger than the maximum diameter of the container W. The shape of the cutout portion 60a and the cutout portion 60b may be any shape as long as it has a concave shape capable of correcting the positional deviation in the first container group WG11 and the second container group WG12.

FIG. 3B is a plan view of the positioning member 60 viewed from above. The positioning member 60 is configured to be rotatable back and forth with respect to the lower supply mechanism 52 in the transport direction and the reverse transport direction in the drawing. The front-rear shift of the positioning member 60 may be driven, for example, via a cylinder (not shown).

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the container W to be transported. The container W has a circular bottom portion W1, a side wall W2 whose diameter increases from the bottom portion W1 toward the upper side, and an opening W3 formed at the upper end portion of the side wall W2. A flange W4 projecting outward in the radial direction is formed around the opening W3. That is, in the container W, the flange W4 is located on the outermost circumference. When the container W is transported in the transport direction by the supply mechanism 50, as shown in FIG. 1, the container W may be transported so that the opening W3 faces downward, but the container W may be transported with the opening W3 facing upward. It may be. The container W is formed of a multilayer structure of PP (polypropylene), EVOH (ethylene / vinyl alcohol copolymer), and PP, but is not limited to these, and is not limited to these, such as metal such as aluminum, paper, resin, and the like. It may be formed of other materials. The shape and size of the container W are not particularly limited.

FIG. 5 shows an overall view of the robot 1. As shown in the figure, the robot 1 includes a base 2, a turntable 3 provided on the base 2, a robot arm 4 provided on the turntable 3, and a gripping mechanism 20 connected to the robot arm 4. And have. The base 2 is arranged on the floor surface of a factory or the like, and supports the turntable 3. The turntable 3 is attached to the base 2 so that the rotation shaft X1 is in the vertical direction. When the turntable 3 rotates about the rotation axis X1 with respect to the base 2, the robot arm 4 provided on the turntable 3 is similarly clockwise (R1 direction in FIG. 2) or counterclockwise (FIG. 2). It is possible to rotate in any direction (R2 direction in 2).

The robot arm 4 includes a first arm 11, a second arm 12 connected to the first arm 11, a third arm 13 connected to the second arm 12, and a connecting portion 14 connected to the third arm 13. And have. The first arm 11 is attached to the turntable 3 so that the rotation axis X2 is in the horizontal direction (paper surface depth direction). The first arm 11 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the turntable 3 in either a clockwise direction (R3 direction) or a counterclockwise direction (R4 direction) with respect to the rotation axis X2. The second arm 12 is attached to the first arm 11 so that the rotation axis X3 is in the horizontal direction (paper surface depth direction). The second arm 12 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the first arm 11 in either a clockwise direction (R5 direction) or a counterclockwise direction (R6 direction) with respect to the rotation axis X3. The third arm 13 is attached to the second arm 12 so that the rotation axis X4 is in the horizontal direction (paper surface depth direction). The third arm 13 rotates about the rotation axis X4 with respect to the second arm 12 in either a clockwise direction (R7 direction) or a counterclockwise direction (R8 direction).

The connecting portion 14 is attached to the third arm 13 so that the rotation axis X5 is in the horizontal direction (paper surface depth direction). The connecting portion 14 rotates about the rotation axis X5 with respect to the third arm 13 in either a clockwise direction (R9 direction) or a counterclockwise direction (R10 direction).
The robot arm 4 having the above configuration can rotate in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the base 2, and can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise with the rotation axis X1 as the central axis.

The gripping mechanism 20 is attached to the connecting portion 14 so that the rotation axis X6 is in the horizontal direction (left-right direction on the paper surface). As described above, the gripping mechanism 20 can be similarly swiveled as the robot arm 4 swivels in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and further clockwise or counterclockwise with the rotation axis X1 as the central axis.

Details of the gripping mechanism 20 are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6A, the gripping mechanism 20 rotates about the rotation axis X6 with respect to the connection portion 14 in either a clockwise direction (R11 direction) or a counterclockwise direction (R12 direction). ..

As shown in FIG. 6A, the gripping mechanism 20 has a support member 20-1. The support member 20-1 is formed of, for example, a plate-shaped member extending in the longitudinal direction. The support member 20-1 has a first grip portion 21, a second grip portion 22, and a third grip portion 23. In the following, when the side where the first grip portion 21 is located is the upper side and the side where the third grip portion 23 is located is the lower side in the vertical direction of the paper surface, the surface 20-1a of the support member 20-1 The first grip portion 21, the second grip portion 22, and the third grip portion 23 are attached in this order from the upper side to the lower side.

The first grip portion 21, the second grip portion 22, and the third grip portion 23 are arranged on the surface 20-1a of the support member 20-1 at substantially equal intervals. The distance between the first grip portion 21 and the second grip portion 22 corresponds to the height between the lowermost container W and the uppermost container W in the first container group WG11, and the second grip portion The distance between the 22 and the third grip portion 23 is designed to correspond to the height between the lowermost container W and the uppermost container W in the second container group WG12. The mounting positions of the first grip portion 21, the second grip portion 22, and the third grip portion 23 with respect to the support member 20-1 depend on the number of stacking stages of the first container group WG11 or the second container group WG12. It will be designed from time to time.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the first grip portion 21 has a pair of grip claws 21-1 and 21-2. Similarly, the second grip portion 22 has a pair of grip claws 22-1, 22-2, and the third grip portion 23 has a pair of grip claws 23-1, 23-2.

FIG. 6B is a plan view of the first grip portion 21 of the grip portions 21 to 23. The gripping claws 21-1 and 21-2 in the first gripping portion 21 are members formed in a circular arc shape in a plan view. The gripping claws 21-1 and 21-2 operate so as to be close to each other to grip the side wall W2 of the container W toward the inside. The first grip portion 21 can release the grip of the container W by separating the grip claws 21-1 and 21-2 that grip the container W from each other. Since the gripping claws 22-1 and 22-2 and the gripping claws 23-1 and 23-2 have the same shape and function as the gripping claws 21-1 and 21-2, detailed description thereof will be omitted. To do.

The support member 20-1 has a light emitting unit 24a and a light receiving unit 24b. In the example in the figure, an example is shown in which the light emitting portion 24a and the light receiving portion 24b are arranged between the second grip portion 22 and the third grip portion 23. The light emitting unit 24a irradiates light toward the first container group WG11 or the second container group WG12. The light receiving unit 24b detects the presence or absence of reflected light reflected from the container W of the first container group WG11 or the second container group WG12.

The control block of the robot 1 is shown in FIG. The robot 1 has a main control unit 30, a light emitting unit 24a connected to each of the main control units, a light receiving unit 24b, a memory 31, and an input unit 32. Further, the robot 1 has a grip control motor 33 connected to the main control unit 30 and an arm control motor 34.

The main control unit 30 is, for example, an arithmetic processing unit formed by a microcomputer (CPU: Central Processing Unit), and includes a grip control unit 30a, an arm control unit 30b, and a light emission control unit 30c. The grip control unit 30a controls the grip control motor 33, and controls the opening and closing of the first grip parts 21 to the third grip parts 23. The arm control unit 30b controls the arm control motor 34, and controls the vertical movement and turning of the robot arm 4. The light emitting control unit 30c controls the light emitting unit 24a. Further, the main control unit 30 determines the stacking height, the current position, and the like of the first container group WG11 and the second container group WG12 based on the electric signal photoelectrically converted in the light receiving unit 24b.

The memory 31 summarizes storage areas such as non-volatile memories such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) used by the main control unit 30 for various controls. Is shown.

The input unit 32 is a terminal for an operator who operates the transfer system 100 to input transfer conditions such as the number of stacking stages of the containers W to be transferred and the size of the storage box 70, and these information are mainly controlled. It is sent to the part 30. The input unit 32 may be configured by a touch panel, or may be configured by an operation key, a remote controller, or the like.

The grip control motor 33 includes a motor 33a, a motor 33b, and a motor 33c. The motor 33a drives the opening and closing of the first grip portion 21, the motor 33b drives the opening and closing of the second grip portion 22, and the motor 33c drives the opening and closing of the third grip portion 23.

The arm control motor 34 controls the motor 34a, the motor 34b, the motor 34c, the motor 34d, the motor 34e, and the motor 34f, respectively. The motor 34a is centered on the rotating shaft X1, the motor 34b is centered on the rotating shaft X2, the motor 34c is centered on the rotating shaft X3, the motor 34d is centered on the rotating shaft X4, and the motor 34e is centered on the rotating shaft X5. The motor 34f is driven to rotate around the rotation axis X6.

Next, an example of the processing procedure of the transport system 100 in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing various processes executed by the main control unit 30 of the transfer system 100.

<Positioning process: S110>
In the transfer system 100, the first container group WG11 and the second container group WG12 are positioned in the positioning step S110 before the first container group WG11 is stacked on the second container group WG12.

As shown in FIG. 9, the center line in the radial direction of the first container group WG11 is La, the center line in the radial direction of the second container group WG12 is Lb, and the center line in the width direction of the notch 60a is a reference line. Let L1 be, and let the center line in the width direction of the cutout portion 60b be the reference line L2. In the example shown in FIG. 9A, both the first container group WG11 and the second container group WG12 have been accurately conveyed. In this case, the center line La of the first container group WG11 and the reference line L1 coincide with each other, and the center line Lb of the second container group WG12 and the reference line L2 coincide with each other.

On the other hand, either one or both of the first container group WG11 and the second container group WG12 may be transported so as to be displaced in the left-right direction. FIG. 9B shows an example in which the second container group WG12 is accurately conveyed and the first container group WG11 is displaced to the right. As shown in the figure, the center line La and the reference line L1 of the first container group WG11 do not coincide with each other, and the center line La is biased to the right with respect to the reference line L1. Even in this case, the center line La and the reference line L1 coincide with each other by guiding the lowermost container W of the first container group WG11 to the notch 60a, and the misalignment of the first container group WG11 is corrected. Will be done. As a result, the first container group WG11 and the second container group WG12 can be accurately positioned at the transport reference position Q.

At the end of the positioning step S110, the positioning member 60 may be shifted in the transport direction in the drawing as shown in FIG. 3 (b). As a result, the first container group WG11 and the second container group WG12, and the notch portion 60a and the notch portion 60b in the positioning member 60 can be separated from each other. Thereby, when the first container group WG11 and the second container group WG12 are lifted, it is possible to prevent them from being caught by the notch 60a and the notch 60b in the positioning member 60 and hindering the lifting. After completing the positioning step S110, the process proceeds to the lifting step S120. The positioning member 60 shifted in the transport direction in the drawing is controlled to return to the original position by the next positioning step S110.

<Lifting process: S120>
As shown in FIG. 10A, the first grip portion 21 is located at the height of the uppermost container W of the first container group WG11, and the second grip portion 22 is the lowermost stage of the first container group WG11. The arm control unit 30b controls the arm control motor 34 so as to be located at the height of the container W of the robot arm 4, and adjusts the height of the gripping mechanism 20 attached to the robot arm 4.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, the arm control unit 30b controls the arm control motor 34 and brings the gripping mechanism 20 closer to the first container group WG11. At this time, the longitudinal direction of the support member 20-1 in the gripping mechanism 20 is controlled to be the vertical direction. As a result, the first grip portion 21 and the second grip portion 22 can be brought close to the first container group WG11 from a substantially vertical direction. Further, the grip control unit 30a drives the grip control motor 33, causes the first grip portion 21 to grip the uppermost container W of the first container group WG11, and causes the second grip portion 22 to grip the first container group WG11. The bottom container W is gripped.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10C, the arm control unit 30b drives the arm control motor 34 and controls the gripping mechanism 20 to be lifted while being separated from the supply mechanism 50. At this stage, since the first container group WG11 is gripped via the first grip portion 21 and the second grip portion 22, the container W constituting the first container group WG11 does not fall.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10D, the robot arm 4 is controlled so that the lowermost container W of the first container group WG11 is at a higher position than the uppermost container W of the second container group WG12. ..

<Stacking process: S130>
Next, the process proceeds to the stacking step S130, and by controlling the robot arm 4 as shown in FIG. 10 (e), the uppermost container W of the second container group WG12 is moved to the lowermost container W of the first container group WG11 lifted. Stack the containers W. At this time, by slightly inclining the longitudinal direction of the support member 20-1 in the gripping mechanism 20 from the vertical direction under the control of the arm control unit 30b, the first container group with respect to the stacking direction of the second container group WG12. The WG11 may be stacked while being tilted. This makes it possible to prevent the third grip portion 23 from coming into contact with the second container group WG12 so as not to tilt the second container group WG12.
Next, as shown in FIG. 10 (f), after returning the support member 20-1 in the gripping mechanism 20 so that the longitudinal direction is the vertical direction, the gripping control unit 30a drives the gripping control motor 33, and the gripping control motor 33 is driven. The grip portion 23 of 3 is made to grip the container W of the lowermost layer of the second container group WG12. As a result, the container group WG20 stacked by all the first grip portions 21, the second grip portions 22, and the third grip portions 23 is gripped, and the first container group WG11 is stacked on the second container group WG12. The container group WG20 in which both are integrated is formed, and the stacking step S130 is completed.

At the stage when the container group WG20 is gripped by the third gripping portion 23, at least the container group WG20 may be gripped by the first gripping portion 21 and the third gripping portion 23, and the second gripping portion WG20 may be gripped. The grip of the portion 22 may be released. Even when the container group WG20 is gripped only by the first grip portion 21 and the third grip portion 23, it is possible to prevent a part of the container W from falling off from the container group WG20.

Before entering the stacking step S130, as shown in FIG. 11, the misalignment of the second container group WG12 is corrected by bringing the third grip portion 23 into contact with a part of the second container group WG12. It may be. For example, the uppermost container W of the second container group WG12 is brought into contact with the outer circumference of the container W by operating the third grip portion 23 in the direction of closing the arrow in the drawing, and then the third grip portion 23 is gripped. Separate the portions 23. As a result, the second container group WG12 can be accurately arranged at the transport reference position Q. The positioning step S110 can be omitted.

<Transport process: S140>
In the transfer step, as shown in FIG. 12, the robot arm 4 is driven via the arm control unit 30b in a state where at least the first grip portion 21 and the third grip portion 23 grip the container group WG20. The container group WG20 is transported to the storage box 70 side. As shown in FIG. 12, the robot arm 4 sequentially stores the container group WG20 in the storage box 70. Actually, in this storage box 70, the storage direction is set in advance as shown in FIG. At the time of storage, the robot arm 4 is controlled so that the stacking direction of the container group WG20 coincides with this storage direction. Finally, by releasing the grip by the first grip portions 21 to the third grip portions 23, the container group WG20 gripped by these is stored in the storage direction of the storage box 70. .. From the above, the transfer step S140 is completed. When the transfer step S140 is completed, the process returns to the positioning step of step S110, and the same operation is repeatedly executed.

At the stage of storing the container group WG 20 in the storage box 70, the surface 20-1a on which the first grip portion 21, the second grip portion 22, and the third grip portion 23 of the support members 20-1 are arranged is It will be in a downward facing state. As described above, even when the longitudinal direction of the support member 20-1 in the gripping mechanism 20 is rotated from the substantially vertical direction to the substantially horizontal direction, at least the first gripping portion 21 is the uppermost container W of the container group WG20. Since the third grip portion 23 grips the lowermost container W of the container group WG20, it is possible to prevent the container W from falling off.

According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the uppermost container W of the first container group WG11 sent out from the upstream side in the transport direction is gripped by the first gripping portion 21, and the lowermost container W is gripped. It is gripped by the grip portion 22 of 2. Next, the lifted first container group is stacked up and down on the second container group WG12, and the lowermost container W of the second container group WG12 is gripped by the third grip portion 23 in the state of the container group WG20. Transport and store in storage box 70. At this time, the length (height) of the first container group WG11 and the second container group WG12 is set so that the length (height) of the container group WG20 is exactly the size corresponding to the inner diameter of the storage box 70. .. As a result, by storing the stacked container group WG20 in the storage box 70, it is possible to prevent an extra space from being generated in the storage box 70, and it is possible to further improve the distribution efficiency. ..

Further, the longitudinal direction of the support member 20-1 is aligned with the stacking direction of the stacked container group WG20, and the first grip portions 21 to 3 provided in order along the longitudinal direction of the support member 20-1. The container group WG20 can be gripped through the portion 23. The support member 20-1 is movable in the vertical direction, and a fine transfer operation can be controlled via a robot arm 4 that is free to rotate around the rotation axis X1. Therefore, the fine transfer operation of the container group WG20 gripped by the support member 20-1 can be freely controlled via the robot arm 4, and this can be stored in the desired storage box 70 in the desired direction. It becomes possible to make it.

In the above-mentioned example, the number of stacked container group WGs is two, and the number of gripping portions of the gripping mechanism 20 is three, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 13A, the first grip portion 21 grips the uppermost container W of the first container group WG11, and the second grip portion 22 grips the lowermost container W of the first container group WG11. The container W is gripped, and the third grip portion 23 grips the lowermost container W of the second container group WG12. In this state, the containers W are not stacked in the k-2 container group WG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13 (b), the lifted first container group WG11, the second container group WG12, ... Are stacked vertically on the k-2 container group WG, and the k-2 container group WG is stacked. The operation of gripping the bottommost container by the gripping portion 25 of the k-1 is repeatedly executed from k = 3 to k = n. In the example shown in the figure, since at least three or more container group WGs are targeted, the third container group WG, that is, the lifting and stacking process from k = 5 to k = n is repeatedly executed. However, according to the present invention, the lifted k-2 container group is stacked up and down on the k-1 container group, and the lowermost container of the k-1 container group is gripped by the k-th grip portion. The operation may be repeatedly executed from the first container group WG11, that is, from k = 3 to k = n. Then, as a result of repeatedly executing this process, as shown in FIG. 13 (c), the n-2 container group WG is stacked on the n-1 container group WG, and the n-2 container group WG is stacked on the k-1 container group WG. The k-2 container group WG is stacked in the container group WG, and the container group WG in a state in which the first container group WG11 is stacked on the second container group WG12 is obtained.

In FIG. 13C, the first grip portion 21 grips the uppermost container W of the first container group WG11, and the second grip portion 22 grips the lowermost container W of the first container group WG11. The third grip portion 23 grips the lowermost container W of the second container group WG12, and the third grip portion 25 grips the lowermost container W of the k-2 container group WG. Then, the k-th grip portion 25 grips the lowermost container W of the k-1 container group WG, and the n-1 grip portion 25 grips the lowermost container W of the n-2 container group WG. Then, the state where the nth gripping portion 25 grips the lowermost container W of the n-1th container group WG is shown. When transporting the container group WG, at least the first grip portion 21 grips the uppermost container W of the first container group WG11, and the nth grip portion 25 is the lowermost stage of the n-1 container group WG. It suffices to hold the container W of. However, if the number of containers W constituting the container group increases, the container group may become unstable when being transported. Therefore, even when it becomes necessary to tilt the container group in the transporting process, in consideration of the stability of the container group, for example, the odd-numbered number of the second grip portion 22 to the n-1 grip portion 25. Alternatively, the container W may be gripped only by a part of the gripping portions, such that the container W is gripped only by the even-numbered gripping portions.

1 Robot 2 Base 3 Rotating table 4 Robot arm 11 1st arm 12 2nd arm 13 3rd arm 14 Connection part 20 Gripping mechanism 20-1 Support member 21 1st gripping part 21-1 Gripping claw 21-2 Gripping claw 22 Second grip 22-1 Grip claw 22-2 Grip claw 23 Third grip 23-1 Grip claw 23-2 Grip claw 24a Light emitting part 24b Light receiving part 25 Grip part 30 Main control unit 30a Grip control unit 30b Arm control unit 30c Light emission control unit 31 Memory 32 Input unit 33 Grip control motor 33a Motor 33b Motor 33c Motor 34 Arm control motor 34a Motor 34b Motor 34c Motor 34d Motor 34e Motor 34f Motor 50 Supply mechanism 51 Upper supply mechanism 52 Lower supply mechanism 53 Delivery device 60 Positioning member 60-1 Upper plate 60-2 Lower plate 60-3 Connection plate 60a Notch 60b Notch 70 Storage box 100 Container transport system L1 Reference line L2 Reference line La Center line Lb Center line P1 Supply position P2 Supply position P1'Stacking position P2' Stacking position Q Transport reference position W Container W1 Bottom W2 Side wall W3 Opening W4 Flange WG Container group WG11 First container group WG12 Second container group WG20 Container group X1 Rotation axis X2 Rotation axis X3 Rotation axis X4 Rotating axis X5 Rotating axis X6 Rotating axis

Claims (10)

A first container having a first grip portion, a second grip portion, and a third grip portion provided in order from one end side of the longitudinal member, and stacked vertically, which is sent out from the upstream side in the transport direction. Among the group and the second container group, the uppermost container of the first container group is gripped by the first grip portion, and the lowermost container is gripped by the second grip portion. Equipped with a robot arm that lifts the first container group
The robot arm
The lifted first container group is stacked up and down on the second container group, and the lowermost container of the second container group is gripped by the third grip portion.
Among the stacked container groups, at least the uppermost container is gripped by the first gripping portion, and the bottommost container is gripped by the third gripping portion and then transported. system. The container according to claim 1, wherein the robot arm corrects the misalignment of the second container group by bringing the third grip portion into contact with a part of the second container group. Transport system. When stacking the first container group lifted on the second container group, the robot arm stacks the first container group while tilting it with respect to the stacking direction of the second container group. The container transport system according to claim 1 or 2. The container transport according to claims 1 to 3, further comprising a positioning unit for adjusting the stop positions of the first container group and the second container group sent from the upstream side in the transport direction. system. The first to nth (n is an integer of 4 or more) grips provided in order from one end side of the longitudinal member, and the first to nths stacked vertically are sent from the upstream side in the transport direction. Of the 1 container group, the uppermost container of the first container group is gripped by the first gripping portion, and the lowermost container is gripped by the second gripping portion, whereby the first container is gripped. Equipped with a robot arm that lifts the swarm
The robot arm
The operation of stacking the lifted k-2 container group up and down on the k-1 container group and gripping the lowermost container of the k-1 container group by the k-th grip portion is k. Repeatedly from = 3 to k = n,
Among the stacked container groups, at least the uppermost container is gripped by the first gripping portion, and the bottommost container is gripped by the nth gripping portion and then transported. Transport system. A first stacked vertically delivered from the upstream side in the transport direction by a robot arm having a first grip portion, a second grip portion, and a third grip portion provided in order from one end side of the longitudinal member. Of the container group and the second container group, the uppermost container of the first container group is gripped by the first grip portion, and the lowermost container is gripped by the second grip portion. The lifting process for lifting the first container group and
In the stacking step of stacking the first container group lifted in the lifting step up and down on the second container group and gripping the lowermost container of the second container group by the third grip portion. ,
Among the group of containers stacked in the stacking step, at least the uppermost container is gripped by the first gripping portion, and the lowermost container is gripped by the third gripping portion, and the container is transported. A container transport method characterized by having. The container according to claim 6, wherein in the stacking step, the misalignment of the second container group is corrected by bringing the third grip portion into contact with a part of the second container group. Transport method. In the gripping step, when stacking the first container group lifted on the second container group, the first container group is stacked while being tilted with respect to the stacking direction of the second container group. The container transport method according to claim 6 or 7. The claim is characterized in that, before the lifting step, a positioning step of adjusting the stop positions of the first container group and the second container group sent out from the upstream side in the transport direction is further provided. The container transport method according to 6 to 8. The first to first nths stacked vertically are sent from the upstream side in the transport direction by a robot arm having first to first nth (n is an integer of 4 or more) grips provided in order from one end side of the longitudinal member. Among the container groups of -1, the first container in the first container group is gripped by the first gripping portion, and the bottom container is gripped by the second gripping portion. The lifting process to lift the container group of
The k-2 container group lifted in the lifting step is vertically stacked on the k-1 container group, and the lowermost container of the k-1 container group is gripped by the k grip portion. A stacking process in which the operation is repeatedly executed from k = 3 to k = n,
Among the containers stacked in the stacking step, at least the uppermost container is gripped by the first gripping portion, and the bottommost container is gripped by the nth gripping portion, and the container is transported. A container transport method characterized by having.

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