WO2015029143A1 - Packaging device and packaging method - Google Patents

Abstract

　The present invention addresses the problem of automating tasks pertaining to packaging articles. A packaging device (100) according to an aspect of an embodiment is provided with a robot (1), a work device (5), and a control unit (91) in order to address the problem. The robot (1) has robot hands (14, 15) and is provided in a manner that enables an article (M) and a bag (P) to be conveyed using the robot hands (14, 15). The work device (5) includes a mechanism for holding the article (M) and the bag (P) conveyed by the robot (1). The control unit (91) causes the robot (1) to perform work to introduce the article (M) held by the work device (5) into the bag (P).

Description

Packing apparatus and packing method

The disclosed embodiment relates to a packing apparatus and a packing method.

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of robot systems have been proposed that improve the efficiency of work by causing a robot to perform predetermined work that has been done by a person on a product production line.

For example, the unpacking device disclosed in Patent Document 1 causes a robot to hold a plastic bag containing a plastic bag accommodated in a box or the like to pull out the plastic bag and to take out the plastic bag using its own weight. Is.

By the way, contrary to such unpacking work, a packing work for packing a finished product in a production line for shipping is known. In such packing work, not only is the finished product packed in a box, but the finished product is stored in a plastic bag before packing, packaged with accessories such as an instruction manual, and a product identification seal is affixed to the box. Various operations such as attaching are required.

For example, even if the work related to packing of goods is taken as an example of the work of storing a finished product in a plastic bag, it is required to be fine enough to carefully wrap the finished product before shipping in a plastic bag. Often it is done only through

JP 2013-100118 A

However, the above-described conventional packing work has many problems due to manual intervention. For example, results vary depending on the experience level and fatigue level of the worker, so the work quality is not stable. Also, for example, costs such as labor costs were easily bulky.

Because of these problems, there is an increasing need for automating work related to packaging of goods.

One aspect of the embodiment has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a packing apparatus and a packing method capable of automating work related to packing of an article.

The packaging device according to one aspect of the embodiment includes a robot, a work device, and a control unit. The robot has a robot hand, and is provided so that articles and bags can be conveyed using the robot hand. The working device includes a mechanism that holds the article and the bag conveyed by the robot. The control unit causes the robot to perform an operation of accommodating the article held by the working device in the bag body.

According to one aspect of the embodiment, work related to packing of articles can be automated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating the overall configuration of the packaging device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the packaging device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3A is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the robot. FIG. 3B is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the robot. FIG. 3C is a schematic side view illustrating the configuration of the robot. FIG. 4A is a schematic perspective view illustrating the configuration of the right hand. FIG. 4B is a schematic perspective view illustrating the configuration of the left hand. FIG. 4C is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the operation of determining the workpiece position. FIG. 4D is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of the operation of determining the workpiece position. FIG. 4E is an explanatory diagram (part 3) of the operation for determining the workpiece position. FIG. 5A is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configuration of a seal supply unit. FIG. 5B is a schematic perspective view of a seal member and a mount. FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram as viewed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5B. FIG. 5D is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of a series of operations relating to the supply of the seal member. FIG. 5E is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of a series of operations relating to the supply of the seal member. FIG. 5F is an explanatory diagram (part 3) of a series of operations relating to the supply of the seal member. FIG. 5G is an explanatory diagram (part 4) of a series of operations relating to the supply of the seal member. FIG. 5H is an explanatory diagram (No. 5) of a series of operations relating to supply of the seal member. FIG. 5I is an explanatory diagram (part 6) of a series of operations relating to the supply of the seal member. FIG. 6A is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of a cardboard unfolding operation. FIG. 6B is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of the cardboard unfolding operation. FIG. 6C is an explanatory diagram (part 3) of the cardboard unfolding operation. FIG. 6D is an explanatory diagram (part 4) of the cardboard unfolding operation. FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the operation of fixing the cardboard using the fixing device. FIG. 7B is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of the operation of fixing the cardboard using the fixing device. FIG. 7C is an explanatory diagram (part 3) of the operation of fixing the cardboard using the fixing device. FIG. 8A is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the operation of bending the inner flap. FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of the operation of bending the inner flap. FIG. 8C is an explanatory diagram (part 3) of the operation of bending the inner flap. FIG. 9A is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the operation of bending the outer flap. FIG. 9B is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of the operation of bending the outer flap. FIG. 9C is an explanatory diagram (part 3) of the operation of bending the outer flap. FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of an operation of attaching an adhesive tape. FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of the operation of attaching the adhesive tape. FIG. 10C is an explanatory diagram (part 3) of the operation of attaching the adhesive tape. Drawing 10D is an explanatory view (the 4) of operation which sticks an adhesive tape. FIG. 10E is an explanatory diagram (part 5) of the operation of attaching the adhesive tape. FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of an operation of rotating a cardboard. FIG. 11B is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of the operation of rotating the cardboard. FIG. 12A is a schematic perspective view illustrating the configuration of the accommodating work device. FIG. 12B is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the operation of housing the motor in the plastic bag. FIG. 12C is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of the operation of housing the motor in the plastic bag. FIG. 12D is an explanatory diagram (part 3) of the operation of housing the motor in the plastic bag. FIG. 12E is an explanatory diagram (part 4) of the operation of housing the motor in the plastic bag. FIG. 12F is an explanatory diagram (part 5) of the operation of housing the motor in the plastic bag. FIG. 12G is an explanatory diagram (No. 6) of the operation of housing the motor in the plastic bag. FIG. 12H is an explanatory diagram (part 7) of the operation of housing the motor in the plastic bag. FIG. 13A is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the boxing operation. FIG. 13B is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of the boxing operation.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a packaging apparatus and a packaging method disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by embodiment shown below.

For example, in the following, a case where an article is packed in a box (corrugated cardboard box) assembled from corrugated cardboard in a state of being folded flatly is taken as an example, but the packaging material is not limited to corrugated cardboard and can be folded flatly. Any other material may be used.

Further, in the following, a case where an article before packing is accommodated in a bag body is taken as an example, and the bag body is assumed to be a plastic bag, but the bag body is not limited to a plastic bag and may be other materials. . The plastic bag is denoted by the symbol “P”.

In the following, a case where an article to be packed is a motor will be described as an example, and the motor is denoted by a symbol “M”. Hereinafter, an end effector (that is, a robot hand) attached to the tip of the arm of the robot is referred to as a “hand”.

[1. overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating the overall configuration of the packaging device 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system including the Z axis with the vertical upward direction as the positive direction for easy understanding. Such an orthogonal coordinate system may be shown in other drawings used in the following description.

Also, in the following, for a component composed of a plurality of components, only a part of the plurality of components may be provided with a reference numeral, and the provision of a reference numeral may be omitted for the others. In such a case, it is assumed that a part with the reference numeral and the other have the same configuration.

As shown in FIG. 1, the packaging device 100 according to the embodiment includes a robot 1. The robot 1 is a double-armed multi-axis robot having two arms, and is provided so as to be able to turn around an axis SW. The robot 1 has a right hand 14 at the tip of the right arm and a left hand 15 at the tip of the left arm.

The robot 1 is provided so that the motor M and the plastic bag P can be conveyed using the right hand 14 and the left hand 15. Specific configurations of the robot 1, the right hand 14, the left hand 15, and the like will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3C.

The robot 1 is accommodated in a cell CL formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and operates in response to an operation instruction from the control device 9 described later, with the internal space of the cell CL as a work space.

In addition, the packaging device 100 includes a corrugated board supply base 2, a packaging work table 3, a seal and motor supply base 4, a storage work device 5, a plastic bag supply base 6, and an accessory supply inside the cell CL. A stand 7 and a delivery mechanism 8 are further provided.

The accommodation work device 5 is an example of a work device. Moreover, the packing apparatus 100 is further provided with the control apparatus 9 outside the cell CL.

The cardboard supply stand 2 is a place where the folded cardboard 20 is placed. The placement of the cardboard 20 on the cardboard supply table 2 may be performed by an operator or may be performed by a transport device such as a belt conveyor.

The corrugated cardboard 20 is a general corrugated cardboard that becomes a rectangular parallelepiped box by molding. Specifically, the cardboard 20 includes a side surface portion 21, an inner flap 22, and an outer flap 23. The side surface portion 21 is a portion that becomes a side wall of the cardboard 20 formed into a box shape.

The inner flap 22 and the outer flap 23 are provided at an edge portion that is not connected to the other side surface portion 21 of each side surface portion 21. The outer flap 23 is a flap that becomes the bottom surface or top surface of the cardboard 20 by molding. The inner flap 22 is a flap that is folded inside the cardboard 20 rather than the outer flap 23 during molding.

The packing work table 3 is a place where work related to packing of articles such as “assembly work” for assembling the cardboard 20 and “boxing work” for packing the motor M in a box is performed.

The packing work table 3 includes a fixing device 30 and a work table 30a. The fixing device 30 fixes the corrugated cardboard 20 in a suspended state by supporting the side surface portion 21 of the corrugated cardboard 20 developed three-dimensionally from the X-axis direction in the figure. The work table 30a is a work space used when the cardboard 20 is developed three-dimensionally.

In the packing work table 3, in order to form the bottom surface of the cardboard 20, the inner flap 22 and the outer flap 23 are folded, and adhesive tape TP (described later) is attached to both ends of the folded outer flap 23 to corrugate the cardboard. An “assembly operation” for closing the bottom surface of the robot 20 is performed by the robot 1.

In the packing work table 3, the cardboard 20 having the bottom surface is placed with the bottom surface facing downward, and the motor M and its accessories stored in the plastic bag P are boxed. A “boxing operation” for closing the upper surface with the adhesive tape TP is performed by the robot 1.

The specific contents of the “assembly work” in the packing work table 3 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 6A to 11B.

The specific contents of the “boxing work” in the packing work table 3 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 13A and 13B.

The seal and motor supply base 4 is a place where a product identification seal member SL (described later) and a finished product motor M are mounted on the side surface 21 of the cardboard 20 and the like. The seal and motor supply base 4 includes a seal supply unit 40.

The seal supply unit 40 holds the seal member SL in a state of being partially lifted from the mount SM (described later). The configuration of the seal supply unit 40 and the specific contents of a series of operations related to the supply of the seal member SL will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5I.

The setting of the seal member SL with respect to the seal supply unit 40 may be performed by an operator or the robot 1. Similarly, the mounting of the motor M on the seal and the motor supply base 4 may be performed by an operator or a transport device such as a belt conveyor.

The accommodating work device 5 is a device including a mechanism for holding the motor M and the plastic bag P conveyed by the robot 1. The accommodating work device 5 includes a slide part 51 and an article table 52. A plastic bag P is held on the slide portion 51. The article table 52 holds the motor M.

The robot 1 performs an operation of accommodating the motor M held in the accommodation work device 5 in the plastic bag P based on an instruction from the control device 9 described later. The details of the configuration of the accommodating work device 5 and the operation of the robot 1 accommodating the motor M in the plastic bag P will be described later with reference to FIGS. 12A to 12H.

The plastic bag supply stand 6 is a place where the plastic bag P is prepared and placed in advance. The placement of the plastic bag P on the plastic bag supply base 6 may be performed by an operator or a dedicated supply device.

The accessory supply stand 7 is a place where various accessory items included in the motor M are prepared and placed in advance. Examples of the accessory include silica gel 71 bundled with the plastic bag P together with the motor M, an insole 72 accommodated in the cardboard 20, and an instruction manual 73 for the motor M. The placement of such various accessories may also be performed by a transport device such as a belt conveyor.

The delivery mechanism 8 is a mechanism that is formed in a slope shape and delivers the cardboard 20 that has been packed in the packing work table 3 from the inside of the cell CL to the outside.

The control device 9 is a controller that is connected to various devices such as the robot 1, the fixing device 30, and the accommodating work device 5 described above so as to be able to transmit information, and controls the operation of these connected devices. It includes a processing device, a storage device, and the like. Details of the control device 9 will be described later with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 1, the control device 9 with one housing is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control device 9 is composed of a plurality of housings associated with various devices to be controlled. Also good. Moreover, the arrangement | positioning location of the control apparatus 9 of FIG. 1 is an example to the last, Comprising: An arrangement | positioning location is not limited. For example, it may be provided in a lower part of the tool holder TH and accommodated in a control panel (not shown). Moreover, you may arrange | position inside the cell CL.

Further, the packaging device 100 further includes a tool holder TH. The tool holder TH is a storage unit for various tools used by the robot 1 as necessary. For example, a tape cartridge 156 that is a sticking tool including the main body of the adhesive tape TP is accommodated in the tool holder TH.

Then, the robot 1 takes out the tape cartridge 156 from the tool holder TH and uses it in the above-described “assembly work” or “boxing work”. Details of the configuration and usage of the tape cartridge 156 will be described later.

The packaging device 100 is configured as described above, and the robot 1 which is a double-arm robot first combines the multi-axis motion of both arms and the turning motion around the axis SW, and first the cardboard 20 in a flat folded state. It is moved from the corrugated board supply table 2 to the packing work table 3 while being developed three-dimensionally.

Then, the robot 1 performs an “assembly operation” in which the inner flap 22 and the outer flap 23 are bent in the packing work table 3 and the adhesive tape TP is attached to the bent outer flap 23. Further, the robot 1 performs a “boxing operation” in which the motor M is boxed on the cardboard 20 in the packing work table 3.

In addition, the robot 1 also performs “ancillary work” such as attaching a product identification seal member SL to the cardboard 20 and housing the motor M in the plastic bag P.

As described above, in the packing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the robot 1 performs a series of operations related to packing of articles. In the following, the configuration of the above-described various devices used in each of the operations related to the packaging of the article, various operations performed by the robot 1, and the like will be specifically described sequentially.

[2. Block configuration]
First, the block configuration of the packing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the packaging device 100 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 2, only the components necessary for the description of the present embodiment are shown, and the description of the other components is omitted.

In the description using FIG. 2, the internal configuration of the control device 9 will be mainly described, and the description of the various devices already shown in FIG. 1 may be simplified.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 9 includes a control unit 91 and a storage unit 92. The control unit 91 further includes a workpiece position determination unit 91a, a workpiece identification unit 91b, and an instruction unit 91c.

The storage unit 92 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive or a nonvolatile memory, and stores work identification information 92a and teaching information 92b.

Note that not all of the constituent elements of the control device 9 shown in FIG. For example, both or either of the work identification information 92a and the teaching information 92b stored in the storage unit 92 may be stored in an internal memory of the robot 1 or an external device arranged outside the packing device 100.

The control unit 91 performs overall control of the control device 9. The work position determination unit 91a determines the position of a work (corrugated cardboard 20 or the like) that is a work target of the robot 1 based on the detection result detected by the detection unit 1b.

Here, the detection unit 1b is a detection device that is provided in the robot 1 or in the vicinity thereof and detects information related to the workpiece. For example, the detection unit 1b is configured as an imaging device that images the workpiece. For example, the pressure sensor is configured to detect that the robot 1 is in contact with the workpiece.

An example of the workpiece position determination process in the workpiece position determination unit 91a will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4C to 4E.

The workpiece identification unit 91b matches the detection result (for example, imaging data of the workpiece) received by the detection unit 1b via the workpiece position determination unit 91a with the workpiece identification information 92a, and determines the type of workpiece to be worked. Identify.

Here, the workpiece identification information 92a is information for identifying the type of workpiece, such as the appearance, dimensions, and identification number of the workpiece. Such work identification information 92 a is registered in the storage unit 92 in advance.

Then, the instruction unit 91c generates an operation signal for operating the robot 1 and the accommodating work device 5 based on the identified workpiece and the teaching information 92b corresponding thereto, and outputs the operation signal to the robot 1 and the accommodating work device 5. To do.

The teaching information 92b is information including a “job” which is a specific program for actually operating the robot 1 in accordance with a specific workpiece, and is previously stored via an input device (not shown) (for example, a programming pendant). be registered.

“Job” includes a mode of operation performed by the robot 1 in accordance with a workpiece (specifically, where the cardboard 20 is held and conveyed, how each hand 14, 15 is moved and the seal member For example, information on how to separate the SL from the mount SM or how to accommodate the motor M held in the accommodation work device 5 in the plastic bag P).

And the instruction | indication part 91c produces | generates the operation signal which operates the robot 1, the accommodation work apparatus 5, etc. based on this "job". The operation signal is generated, for example, as a pulse signal to the servo motor mounted on each joint of the robot 1.

As an example, the instruction unit 91c takes out the seal member SL from the clamp mechanism 41 included in the seal supply unit 40, and performs an operation of attaching the seal member SL to the corrugated cardboard 20 in which the motor M already accommodated in the plastic bag P is boxed. The robot 1 is instructed to use the hands 14 and 15.

Also, as an example, the instruction unit 91c causes the suction mechanism 511a and the air blowing mechanism 511b included in the storage work device 5 to inhale or blow air so as to be locked in a state where the plastic bag P is opened. The suction mechanism 511a and the air blowing mechanism 511b constitute a locking mechanism 511.

In addition, as an example, the instruction unit 91c causes the robot 1 to slide the slide unit 51 included in the accommodation work device 5 using the hands 14 and 15 in a state where the poly bag P is locked to the locking mechanism 511. To direct.

The actual operation of the robot 1 based on the instructions of the instruction unit 91c will be described in detail in the description using FIG.

[3. Robot configuration]
Next, a configuration example of the robot 1 that operates based on an instruction from the control unit 91 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3C. FIG. 3A is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the robot 1, FIG. 3B is a schematic top view showing the configuration of the robot 1, and FIG. 3C is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the robot 1.

As described in the explanation of FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 3A, the robot 1 is a double-armed multi-axis robot. Specifically, the robot 1 includes a base part 10, a body part 11, a right arm part 12, and a left arm part 13.

The base part 10 is fixed to the floor surface or the like, and supports the body part 11 at the tip part so as to be able to turn around the axis SW (see double arrows around the axis SW).

The trunk portion 11 is supported by the base portion 10 at the base end portion, and supports the base end portion of the right arm portion 12 at the right shoulder so as to be rotatable around the axis S. Similarly, the base end portion of the left arm portion 13 is supported at the left shoulder so as to be rotatable about the axis S (see both arrows around the axis S).

Each of the right arm portion 12 and the left arm portion 13 is composed of a plurality of links and joint portions, and can rotate around the axes S, E, and T at each joint portion from the proximal end portion to the distal end portion. (See double arrows around the axis S, the axis E, and the axis T).

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the right arm portion 12 and the left arm portion 13 can rotate about the axis L, the axis U, the axis R, and the axis B, respectively (the axis L, the axis U, the axis R, and (See double arrow around axis B). That is, the robot 1 has 7 axes per arm.

Then, the robot 1 performs various multi-axis operations combining the two 7-axis arms and the turning around the axis SW based on the operation instruction from the control device 9.

A right hand 14 (described later) is attached to the tip of the right arm 12 around the axis T, and a left hand 15 (described later) is attached to the tip of the left arm 13 around the axis T.

The cables for the robot routed to the right hand 14 and the left hand 15 are collected as shown in FIG. 3C. That is, as shown in FIG. 3C, the robot cables 1a are routed while being rotatably suspended from the ceiling portion of the cell CL in a state of being bundled above the body portion 11, for example (see FIG. 3C). (See arrow 301).

Thereby, it is possible to prevent the cables 1a from being entangled by the turning operation of the robot 1 or the like. In other words, it is possible to prevent the operation of the robot 1 from being restricted by the cables 1a.

[4. Hand configuration]
Next, configurations of the right hand 14 and the left hand 15 included in the robot 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B.

First, the configuration of the right hand 14 will be described with reference to FIG. 4A. FIG. 4A is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the right hand 14.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the right hand 14 is provided with respect to the arm tip 121 of the right arm 12. The arm tip 121 of the right arm 12 supports the right hand 14 so as to be rotatable around an axis T (see FIG. 3A).

As shown in FIG. 4A, the right hand 14 includes two suction portions 141, a sandwiching portion 142, and a camera 143. The camera 143 is an example of the detection unit 1b illustrated in FIG.

The suction part 141 is provided substantially parallel to the axis T of the right arm part 12. As will be described later, the suction portion 141 is used when the cardboard 20 is transported, the seal member SL (described later) is peeled off from the mount SM (described later), or the cardboard 20 is rotated. The suction unit 141 sucks an object using a suction force generated by a suction device such as a vacuum pump.

The clamping unit 142 is a clamping mechanism and is used when the motor M is transported, as will be described later. The camera 143 is an imaging device having a predetermined imaging area, and performs imaging for confirming the state of a workpiece such as the cardboard 20.

Next, the configuration of the left hand 15 will be described with reference to FIG. 4B. FIG. 4B is a schematic perspective view illustrating the configuration of the left hand 15. FIG. 4B shows a state in which the tape cartridge 156 is attached to the left hand 15.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the left hand 15 is provided with respect to the arm tip 131 of the left arm 13. The arm tip 131 of the left arm 13 supports the left hand 15 so as to be rotatable about the axis T.

The left hand 15 includes a tape cartridge 156, a clamping unit 157, and two suction units 158. The tape cartridge 156 includes a tape main body 156a, a casing 156b, a roller 156c, a cutting portion 156d, and a sandwiched portion 156e.

The tape main body 156a is a member obtained by wrapping an adhesive tape TP (described later) around the annular core 160 in multiple layers. The tape body 156a is rotatably mounted on the casing 156b by holding the core portion 160 with respect to the casing 156b.

The casing 156b is a member that covers, for example, the peripheral surface and the side surface of the tape main body 156a. The casing 156b is formed with an opening that is substantially the same shape as the core 160 of the tape body 156a.

The roller 156c is a columnar member that is rotatably attached to the casing 156b. The roller 156c presses the adhesive tape TP drawn from the tape main body 156a to the corrugated cardboard 20 that is the object to be adhered. The cutting part 156d is a cutter that is provided in the casing 156b and cuts the adhesive tape TP drawn out from the tape main body part 156a.

The sandwiched portion 156e is a portion that is sandwiched by the sandwiching portion 157. When the sandwiched portion 156e is sandwiched by the sandwiching portion 157, the tape cartridge 156 is attached to the left hand 15.

The clamping part 157 is a clamping mechanism. Specifically, the clamping part 157 includes a first claw part 157a, a second claw part 157b, a drive part 157c, and a shaft 157d.

The clamping part 157 moves the shaft 157d along the extending direction using the driving part 157c, so that the second claw part 157b connected to the shaft 157d moves toward the first claw part 157a. Thereby, the object located between the 1st nail | claw part 157a and the 2nd nail | claw part 157b is pinched | interposed by the 1st nail | claw part 157a and the 2nd claw part 157b, and is supported.

As described above, in the packing device 100 according to the embodiment, the tape cartridge 156 is detachably attached to the left hand 15. For this reason, according to the packing apparatus 100 which concerns on embodiment, the exchange operation | work etc. of the tape main-body part 156a can be performed easily, for example.

The suction part 158 is provided substantially parallel to the axis T of the left arm part 13. The suction unit 158 is used when the cardboard 20 is rotated or the plastic bag P is transported as in the suction unit 141 provided in the right hand 14.

The suction portion 158 is inserted into the core portion 160 of the tape main body portion 156a via an opening formed in the casing 156b of the tape cartridge 156. Thus, the enlargement of the left hand 15 can be suppressed by arranging the suction portion 158 at a position where the core portion 160 of the tape main body portion 156a is inserted.

Here, the operation in which the robot 1 according to the embodiment determines the workpiece position will be described. 4C to 4E are explanatory views (No. 1) to (No. 3) of the operation for determining the workpiece position. Here, as an example, the robot 1 transports the folded cardboard 20 from the cardboard supply table 2 (see FIG. 1) to the work table 30a (see FIG. 1) of the packing work table 3.

As shown in FIG. 4C, the robot 1 drives the right arm unit 12 to lower the right hand 14 until the suction unit 141 of the right hand 14 comes into contact with the cardboard 20 on the uppermost surface of the cardboard supply base 2. Thereafter, the right hand 14 is raised to the original position (see arrows 401 and 402 in the figure).

Then, the above-described workpiece position determination unit 91a calculates the distance d to the cardboard 20. The calculation of the distance d is based on the detection result of the detection unit 1b, which is a pressure sensor, for example.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4D, the robot 1 rotates the right hand 14 about 180 degrees around the axis T (see arrow 403 in the figure), and this is also performed by the camera 143 which is an example of the detection unit 1b. To image. Based on the imaging result, the work identification unit 91b identifies the cardboard 20 and checks the state.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4E, the robot 1 again rotates the right hand 14 about the axis T by about 180 degrees (see arrow 404 in the figure), and the cardboard is based on the identification result and the confirmation result of the workpiece identification unit 91b. The operation of transporting 20 to the work table 30a is performed.

Specifically, the robot 1 drives the right arm portion 12 to lower the right hand 14 and sucks the cardboard 20 to the suction portion 141 (see arrow 405 in the figure). Then, the robot 1 further drives the right arm portion 12 to lift the cardboard 20 and conveys the cardboard 20 toward the work table 30a (see arrow 406 in the figure).

Then, the adsorption by the adsorption unit 141 is released on the work table 30a, and the cardboard 20 is placed on the work table 30a. In this example, the case where the cardboard 20 is transported from the cardboard supply table 2 to the work table 30a is taken as an example. However, the robot 1 can move from the accessory supply table 7 to the silica gel 71, the insole 72, the instruction manual 73 (all The above-described procedure may be used when transporting the image of FIG. Alternatively, the left arm unit 13 and the left hand 15 may be used.

[5. Configuration of seal supply unit]
Next, the seal supply unit 40 will be described in detail. FIG. 5A is a schematic perspective view illustrating the configuration of the seal supply unit 40. FIG. 5B is a schematic perspective view of the seal member SL and the mount SM. FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the seal supply unit 40 includes a clamp mechanism 41. The clamp mechanism 41 includes a first clamp 41a and a second clamp 41b. The second clamp 41b is connected to the first clamp 41a so as to be movable around the axis AXr (see a double arrow around the axis AXr).

The clamp mechanism 41 is a mechanism that clamps the mount SM in a state where a part of the seal member SL shown in FIG. 5B is floated from the mount SM. The first clamp 41a holds one end of the mount SM. The second clamp 41b holds the other end of the mount SM in a state where it can be extracted.

Next, specific operations in the seal supply unit 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5D to 5I. In each of these drawings, the seal member SL and the mount SM are very schematically illustrated as shown in FIG. 5C. I will show you. In accordance with this, the clamp mechanism 41 is also shown schematically.

[6. Series of operations related to supply of seal member]
5D to 5I are explanatory views (No. 1) to (No. 6) of a series of operations related to the supply of the seal member SL.

As shown in FIG. 5D, the mount SM is first fixed at one end with the first clamp 41a (see arrow 501 in the figure). Further, the other end of the mount SM is fixed by the second clamp 41b (see arrow 502 in the figure). At this time, the second clamp 41b fixes the other end of the mount SM in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first clamp 41a.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5E, the clamp mechanism 41 moves the second clamp 41b around the axis AXr (see an arrow 503 in the figure), thereby bending the mount SM around the axis AXr to remove the seal member from the mount SM. The end of SL is floated (see the portion surrounded by the closed curve 504 in the figure).

Then, as shown in FIG. 5F, the clamp mechanism 41 unfastens the mounting of the mount SM by the second clamp 41b (see an arrow 505 and a part surrounded by a closed curve 506 in the figure).

When the sealing member SL is attached to the cardboard 20, as shown in FIG. 5G, the robot 1 drives the right arm portion 12 to attract the suction portion 141 of the right hand 14 to the sealing member SL. SL is held (see arrow 507 in the figure).

Then, as shown in FIG. 5H, the robot 1 further drives the right arm portion 12 to separate the seal member SL from the mount SM while extracting the mount SM from the second clamp 41b (see arrow 508 in the drawing). . At this time, since one end of the mount SM is in a fixed state and the other end is in a free state, the mount SM moves greatly following the movement of the right arm portion 12, and thus the seal member SL is easily peeled off from the mount SM. Can do.

Then, the robot 1 further drives the right arm unit 12 to convey the seal member SL to the work table 30a on which the cardboard 20 is placed (see arrow 509 in the figure).

Then, as shown in FIG. 5I, the robot 1 drives the right arm portion 12 and presses the glue surface of the seal member SL, thereby sticking the seal member SL to the side surface portion 21 of the cardboard 20 (in the drawing). (See arrow 510).

That is, in a series of operations related to the supply of the seal member SL, the instruction unit 91c of the control unit 91 takes out the seal member SL from the seal supply unit 40 and transfers it to the cardboard box in which the motor M already accommodated in the plastic bag P is packed. For example, the robot 1 is instructed to perform the operation of attaching the seal member SL according to the procedure shown in FIGS. 5G to 5I, for example.

As described above, in the packaging device 100 according to the embodiment, the clamp mechanism 41 of the seal supply unit 40 is in a state where a part of the seal member SL is lifted from the mount SM, one end of the mount SM is fixed, and the other end is fixed. Hold free.

Therefore, according to the packaging device 100 according to the embodiment, the robot 1 can easily peel off the seal member SL and attach it to the cardboard 20. That is, it is possible to automate work related to packing of articles.

[7. Assembly work]
Next, “assembly work” in the packing work table 3 will be described. First, the unfolding operation of the cardboard 20 on the packing work table 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6D. 6A to 6D are explanatory views (part 1) to (part 4) of the unfolding operation of the corrugated cardboard 20. FIG.

The robot 1 moves the folded cardboard 20 in a three-dimensional manner by driving either or both of the right arm portion 12 and the left arm portion 13 with the suction portions 141 and 158 sucking both sides of the cardboard 20. To expand.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the robot 1 first drives the left arm unit 13 to move the cardboard 20 so that the shape of the cardboard 20 when viewed from the X-axis direction in the figure becomes a substantially parallelogram. It occurs three-dimensionally (see arrow 601 in the figure).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6B, the robot 1 drives the right arm unit 12 and the left arm unit 13 to rotate the cardboard 20 by, for example, approximately 90 degrees (see an arrow 602 in the figure).

Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6C, the longitudinal direction of the corrugated cardboard 20 can be along the XY plane (that is, the horizontal direction). Then, the robot 1 further expands the cardboard 20 in a three-dimensional manner until the shape of the cardboard 20 when viewed from the X-axis direction in the drawing is substantially rectangular by further driving the right arm portion 12 and the left arm portion 13. (See arrow 603 in the figure).

That is, as shown in FIG. 6B, even if the cardboard 20 is large in size, it is possible to easily develop the cardboard 20 in a three-dimensional manner by adding an operation that causes the longitudinal direction of the cardboard 20 to follow the horizontal direction. It becomes.

Moreover, it is possible to meet the variety of sizes of the cardboard 20 without increasing the size of the packaging device 100. That is, space saving of the packing apparatus 100 can be achieved.

Thus, the packaging device 100 according to the embodiment uses the right arm portion 12 and the left arm portion 13 to perform the three-dimensional deployment of the cardboard 20.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6D, the robot 1 drives the right arm unit 12 and the left arm unit 13 with the adsorbing units 141 and 158 adsorbing both surfaces of the cardboard 20, so that the opening of the cardboard 20 is vertical. The cardboard 20 is rotated along the direction (see arrow 604 in the figure).

Then, the robot 1 moves the cardboard 20 to the fixing device 30 using the right arm unit 12 and the left arm unit 13. The robot 1 may start the operation of moving the cardboard 20 to the fixing device 30 after the operation of expanding the cardboard 20 is completed, or the operation of expanding the cardboard 20 and the cardboard 20 to the fixing device 30. The movement operation may be performed in parallel.

Next, the assembly operation of the cardboard 20 will be described. In such an assembling operation, the fixing device 30 is used to fix the cardboard 20, the inner flap 22 and the outer flap 23 on the bottom surface side of the cardboard 20 are bent, and the tips of the outer flaps 23 are joined to each other with an adhesive tape TP. The operation of forming the bottom surface of the cardboard 20 is performed.

First, the operation of fixing the cardboard 20 using the fixing device 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7C. 7A to 7C are explanatory views (No. 1) to (No. 3) of the operation of fixing the cardboard 20 using the fixing device 30. FIG.

7A, the fixing device 30 includes a first support part 31, a second support part 32, a drive part 33, and a detection part 34.

The 1st support part 31 is provided with two adsorption parts 31a and 31b. The second support portion 32 is disposed so as to face the first support portion 31, and includes two adsorption portions 32 a and 32 b as with the first support portion 31. The adsorbing units 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b adsorb an object using a suction force generated by a suction device such as a vacuum pump.

The drive part 33 is provided between the 1st support part 31 and the 2nd support part 32, for example. The drive unit 33 moves the shaft 33a along the extending direction of the shaft 33a using a drive device such as a motor. The distal end portion of the shaft 33 a is connected to the second support portion 32. Therefore, the second support part 32 moves toward the first support part 31 by the drive part 33 driving the shaft 33 a.

The detection unit 34 is a proximity sensor that detects an object using, for example, light or ultrasonic waves. When the cardboard 20 is detected by the detection unit 34, the fixing device 30 drives the drive unit 33 to move the second support unit 32 toward the first support unit 31.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7A, the robot 1 positions the three-dimensionally deployed cardboard 20 in the space between the first support part 31 and the second support part 32 of the fixing device 30. At this time, the robot 1 positions the cardboard 20 so that the side surface portion 21 provided with the outer flap 23 faces the first support portion 31 and the second support portion 32.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7B, the robot 1 moves the cardboard 20 to a position where the side surface portion 21 of the cardboard 20 contacts the suction portions 31 a and 31 b of the first support portion 31.

Then, when the side surface portion 21 of the cardboard 20 comes into contact with the suction portions 31 a and 31 b of the first support portion 31, the detection unit 34 detects the cardboard 20. When the detection unit 34 detects the cardboard 20, the drive unit 33 moves the second support unit 32 toward the first support unit 31.

And the fixing device 30 adsorb | sucks the side part 21 of the cardboard 20 using the adsorption | suction part 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b, after moving the 2nd support part 32. FIG. As a result, the cardboard 20 is fixed by the fixing device 30 as shown in FIG. 7C.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7C, the corrugated cardboard 20 is fixed in a state where the side surface portion 21 of the corrugated cardboard 20 provided with the outer flap 23 is slightly bent inward by the pressing force received from the second support portion 32. 30 is fixed.

Next, the operation of bending the inner flap 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8C. FIGS. 8A to 8C are explanatory views (part 1) to (part 3) of the operation of bending the inner flap 22. FIG. In the following description with reference to FIGS. 8A to 11B, it is assumed that the robot 1 has already attached the tape cartridge 156 to the left hand 15, but the attachment timing of the tape cartridge 156 is not limited.

First, prior to bending the inner flap 22, the robot 1 drives the right arm portion 12 and the left arm portion 13 to contact the right hand 14 and the left hand 15 as shown in FIG. Is opened outward (see arrow 801 in the figure).

Thus, when the inner flap 22 is bent, the inner flap 22 can be prevented from colliding with the side end portion of the outer flap 23. Therefore, it can contribute to the assembly of the high quality cardboard 20. That is, a high quality packing operation can be performed.

8B, the robot 1 bends the inner flap 22 toward the inside of the cardboard 20 using the right arm portion 12 and the left arm portion 13 (see an arrow 802 in the figure).

For example, the robot 1 bends one of the inner flaps 22 toward the inside of the cardboard 20 by driving the right arm portion 12 with the right hand 14 in contact with one of the inner flaps 22. Further, the robot 1 bends the other side of the inner flap 22 toward the inside of the cardboard 20 by driving the left arm portion 13 with the left hand 15 in contact with the other side of the inner flap 22.

Here, as already described with reference to FIG. 7C, the corrugated cardboard 20 is fixed to the fixing device 30 with the side surface portion 21 of the corrugated cardboard 20 provided with the outer flap 23 being bent inward. Therefore, since the inner flap 22 bent to the inside of the cardboard 20 is in a state of being caught by the side surface portion 21 of the cardboard 20, it is possible to easily suppress the inner flap 22 from bouncing back to the outside of the cardboard 20.

In order to prevent the inner flap 22 from rebounding more reliably, the robot 1 uses the left arm portion 13 and the left hand 15 to press both inner flaps 22 from above as shown in FIG. 8C. I do.

Next, the operation of bending the outer flap 23 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9C. 9A to 9C are explanatory views (No. 1) to (No. 3) of the operation of bending the outer flap 23. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the robot 1 first uses the right arm portion 12 to bring the right hand 14 into contact with one of the outer flaps 23 and bends one of the outer flaps 23 halfway (see arrow 901 in the figure). ).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9B, the robot 1 moves the left arm portion 13 and the left hand 15 that pressed the inner flap 22 from above, and brings the left hand 15 into contact with the other of the outer flaps 23. An operation is performed (see arrow 902 in the figure). At this time, since one of the outer flaps 23 has already been bent halfway by the right hand 14, it is possible to prevent the inner flap 22 from bouncing back.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9B, the robot 1 bends one of the outer flaps 23 bent halfway to the end using the right arm portion 12 (see arrow 903 in the drawing).

Then, as shown in FIG. 9C, the robot 1 bends the other side of the outer flap 23 to the end using the left arm portion 13 (see an arrow 904 in the figure). As a result, as shown in FIG. 9C, both outer flaps 23 are in a state in which the tip portions are in contact with each other.

Subsequently, the robot 1 proceeds to an operation of joining the joint of the outer flap 23 with the adhesive tape TP while holding the left hand 15 placed at the position shown in FIG. 9C at the same position as it is.

The operation of joining the seam of the outer flap 23 with the adhesive tape TP will be described with reference to FIGS. 10A to 10E. 10A to 10E are explanatory views (No. 1) to (No. 5) of the operation of attaching the adhesive tape TP.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the corrugated cardboard 20 is in a state where the outer flap 23 is bent. The robot 1 presses the outer flap 23 with the first claw portion 157a included in the holding portion 157 of the left hand 15 in order to prevent the outer flap 23 in the bent state from rebounding.

Note that the pressing position is preferably the position where the left hand 15 is finally placed in FIG. 9C. Thereby, the robot 1 can be efficiently transferred to the next operation without driving the left arm portion 13 unnecessarily. Further, the first claw portion 157a is formed in a curved shape at a portion that comes into contact with the outer flap 23 so as not to damage the outer flap 23.

Then, as shown in FIG. 10A, the robot 1 holds the adhesive tape TP of the tape cartridge 156 included in the left hand 15 while holding the outer flap 23 with the first claw portion 157a, for example, the holding portion 142 of the right hand 14. And pulling out while applying tension.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 10B, the robot 1 uses the tension applied by pulling out the adhesive tape TP by the holding part 142 of the right hand 14 and uses the left hand 15 as a cardboard with the first claw part 157a as a fulcrum. Tilt to 20.

Then, the robot 1 attaches the adhesive tape TP to the joint of the outer flap 23 and attaches the adhesive tape TP sandwiched by the sandwiching portion 142 to the side surface portion 21 of the cardboard 20.

Thus, in the packaging device 100 according to the embodiment, the right arm unit 12 of the robot 1 pulls out the adhesive tape TP with respect to the corrugated cardboard 20 while holding the adhesive tape TP with the holding unit 142 and applying tension. And stick.

Thereby, the robot 1 can stick the adhesive tape TP to the cardboard 20 more neatly. That is, the robot 1 can stick the adhesive tape TP from the side surface portion 21 of the cardboard 20 so as not to be turned over.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 10C, the robot 1 drives the left arm portion 13 to stick the adhesive tape TP from the position shown in FIG. 10B through the outer flap 23 to the side surface portion 21 (in the drawing). Arrow 1001). Further, the robot 1 drives the right arm portion 12 and presses the adhesive tape TP adhered to the side surface portion 21 of the cardboard 20 while using, for example, the distal end portion of the clamping portion 142 (see arrow 1002 in the figure). ).

Then, as shown in FIG. 10D, the robot 1 drives the right arm portion 12 and presses the adhesive tape TP adhered to the outer flap 23 while using, for example, the distal end portion of the clamping portion 142 (in the drawing). Arrow 1003).

As shown in FIG. 10E, the robot 1 drives the left arm portion 13 to use the first claw portion 157a of the left hand 15, for example, and uses the adhesive tape TP attached to the side surface portion 21 of the cardboard 20. Is pressed (see arrow 1004 in the figure). Thereby, the edge part of the adhesive tape TP stuck to this side part 21 can be finished hard to turn.

Thus, by pressing the adhesive tape TP attached to the cardboard 20 using the right hand 14 and the left hand 15, the adhesive tape TP can be reliably attached to the cardboard 20.

Subsequently, the robot 1 moves the corrugated cardboard 20 on which the bottom surface is formed by sticking the adhesive tape TP before the motor M shifts to the boxing operation for packing the motor M. Rotate to face upward.

Such a case will be described with reference to FIGS. 11A and 11B. FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B are explanatory views (No. 1) and (No. 2) of the operation of rotating the cardboard 20.

That is, as shown in FIG. 11A, the robot 1 sucks the side surface portion 21 of the cardboard 20 using, for example, the suction portion 141 of the right hand 14 and the suction portion 158 of the left hand 15 before the boxing operation. The cardboard 20 is supported from the Y-axis direction.

Then, the packaging device 100 releases the fixing of the cardboard 20 by the fixing device 30, and the robot 1 drives the right arm portion 12 and the left arm portion 13 to lift the cardboard 20 from the fixing device 30.

Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, the robot 1 rotates the cardboard 20 so that the outer flap 23 on the upper surface side of the cardboard 20 faces upward by rotating the right hand 14 and the left hand 15 about the axis T, respectively. (See arrow 1101 in the figure).

11B, the robot 1 drives the right arm portion 12 and the left arm portion 13 to return the cardboard 20 to the fixing device 30, and the packaging device 100 fixes the cardboard 20 again by the fixing device 30. To do. After that, for example, the insole 72 may be conveyed from the accessory supply stand 7 and accommodated in the cardboard 20 by causing the robot 1 to adsorb to the adsorbing portion 141 of the right hand 14 to reinforce the bottom surface. Good.

[8. Contained work equipment configuration]
Next, the structure of the accommodation work apparatus 5 is demonstrated using FIG. 12A. FIG. 12A is a schematic perspective view illustrating the configuration of the accommodating work device 5.

As shown in FIG. 12A, the accommodating work device 5 includes a slide part 51 and an article table 52. The slide portion 51 includes a locking mechanism 511 that locks the plastic bag P conveyed by the robot 1 and is slidable (see arrow 1201 in the figure).

Further, the slide part 51 includes a pull part 51a formed to have a shape that can be held using the left hand 15. That is, the slide portion 51 can be slid by the robot 1 by driving the left arm portion 13 to bring the left hand 15 into contact with the pull portion 51a and pushing it up (see an arrow 1202 in the figure).

In addition, the slide part 51 shall return in the reverse direction to the arrow 1201 in a figure in a free state.

The locking mechanism 511 includes an adsorption mechanism 511a and a blower mechanism 511b. The suction mechanism 511a sucks the plastic bag P conveyed by the robot 1. The blowing mechanism 511b opens the plastic bag P by blowing air toward the inside of the plastic bag P.

The article table 52 is fixed to the inner wall of the cell CL (see FIG. 12B) and holds the motor M in the sliding direction of the slide part 51.

[9. Operation to house motor in plastic bag]
Next, the operation of accommodating the motor M held in the accommodating work device 5 in the plastic bag P will be described with reference to FIGS. 12B to 12H. 12B to 12H are explanatory views (No. 1) to (No. 7) of the operation of accommodating the motor M in the plastic bag P. FIG.

When the motor M is accommodated in the plastic bag P, the robot 1 first drives the right arm portion 12 to hold the motor M by the holding portion 142 of the right hand 14 as shown in FIG. 52 to be placed (see arrow 1203 in the figure).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12C, the robot 1 drives the left arm portion 13 to suck the plastic bag P prepared in advance on the plastic bag supply base 6 by the suction portion 158 of the left hand 15. And the robot 1 drives the left arm part 13, conveys the plastic bag P to the slide part 51, and mounts it on the slide part 51 (refer arrow 1204 in the figure).

And as shown to FIG. 12D, the instruction | indication part 91c of the control part 91 adsorb | sucks the plastic bag P by the suction | inhalation of the adsorption | suction mechanism 511a (refer the arrow 1205 in a figure). At the same time, the robot 1 drives the left arm unit 13 to lift the plastic bag P by the left hand 15 (see arrow 1206 in the figure), and the instruction unit 91c further blows the plastic bag by blowing air from the blowing mechanism 511b. P is opened (see arrow 1207 in the figure).

Thus, the plastic bag P is locked on the slide portion 51 in an open state toward the motor M.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12E, the robot 1 drives the left arm unit 13 to adsorb the silica gel 71 prepared in advance on the accessory supply stand 7 by the adsorbing unit 158 of the left hand 15.

Then, the robot 1 drives the left arm portion 13 to convey the silica gel 71 to the opening of the plastic bag P (see the arrow 1208 in the figure), and then removes the suction by the suction portion 158 to place the silica gel 71 in the plastic bag. It is accommodated in P (see arrow 1209 in the figure).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12F, the robot 1 drives the left arm portion 13 to slide the slide portion 51 while holding the handle portion 51a in the left hand 15 (see FIG. 12A) (see FIG. 12F). (See arrow 1210).

Then, as shown in FIG. 12G, the robot 1 drives the right arm portion 12 to hold the motor M from above the plastic bag P in the holding portion 142 of the right hand 14 (see arrow 1211 in the drawing). Then, the holding part 51a by the left hand 15 is released and the slide part 51 is brought into a free state, and the slide part 51 is returned to the direction of the arrow 1212 in the figure.

Then, as shown in FIG. 12H, the robot 1 drives the right arm unit 12 to lift the motor M together with the plastic bag P from the article table 52 and pull it out (see arrow 1213 in the figure). Then, the right arm unit 12 is further driven to convey the motor M to the cardboard 20.

As described above, in the packaging device 100 according to the embodiment, the instruction unit 91c of the control unit 91 performs an operation on the robot 1 to slide the slide unit 51 and cover the plastic bag P on the motor M while holding the handle 51a. Instruct.

Further, at this time, the instruction unit 91c causes the plastic bag P to be adsorbed to the adsorption mechanism 511a and causes the robot 1 to slide the slide unit 51 in a state where the plastic bag P is opened by air blowing by the air blowing mechanism 511b.

Therefore, according to the packaging device 100 according to the embodiment, the robot 1 can easily accommodate the motor M in the plastic bag P. That is, it is possible to automate work related to packing of articles.

[10. Boxing work]
Next, the “boxing work” in the packing work table 3 will be described. First, the operation of accommodating the motor M and other accessory items accommodated in the plastic bag P in the cardboard 20, that is, the boxing operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 13A and 13B. 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams (part 1) and (part 2) of the boxing operation.

As shown in FIG. 13A, the motor M housed in the plastic bag P causes the robot 1 to drive the right arm portion 12 to cause the right hand 14 to enter the cardboard 20 and release the pinching by the pinching portion 142. (See arrow 1301 in the figure).

Further, as shown in FIG. 13B, the robot 1 causes the insole 72 to be conveyed from the accessory supply stand 7 and accommodated in the cardboard 20 by adsorbing it to the adsorbing portion 141 of the right hand 14, for example (see FIG. 13B). (See arrow 1302).

Similarly, the robot 1 causes the instruction manual 73 to be conveyed from the accessory supply stand 7 and accommodated in the corrugated cardboard 20, for example, by adsorbing it to the adsorbing portion 158 of the left hand 15 (arrow 1303 in the figure). reference).

Subsequently, in the packing device 100, the robot 1 performs an operation of closing the lid on the upper surface side of the cardboard 20, that is, a sealing operation of the cardboard 20. The sealing operation of the corrugated cardboard 20 is the same as the operation of bending the inner flap 22 and the outer flap 23 and sticking the joint of the outer flap 23 with the adhesive tape TP described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 10E. The description here is omitted.

In the packaging device 100, if the upper cover of the cardboard 20 is closed by the robot 1, the cardboard 20 is fed out of the cell CL by sliding the slope of the feed mechanism 8.

As described above, the packaging device according to the embodiment includes a robot, a storage work device (work device), and a control unit. The robot has a robot hand, and is provided so that a motor (article) and a plastic bag (bag) can be conveyed using the robot hand. The accommodation work device includes a mechanism for holding the motor and the plastic bag conveyed by the robot. The said control part makes the said robot perform the operation | movement which accommodates the said motor hold | maintained at the said accommodation work apparatus in the said plastic bag.

Therefore, according to the packaging device according to the embodiment, work related to packaging of articles can be automated.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where an article to be packed is a motor is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the type of article to be boxed is not questioned.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the plastic bag is opened by the blowing of the blowing mechanism is taken as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the robot may hold the article in the plastic bag by pinching the opening of the plastic bag and opening the slide portion with an independent drive source without providing the air blowing mechanism.

In the embodiment described above, the case where two suction units are provided in each of the right hand and the left hand has been described as an example, but the number of suction units is not limited. Similarly, the numbers of the air outlets of the air blowing mechanism and the suction holes of the adsorbing mechanism are not limited.

In the above-described embodiment, a multi-axis robot having seven axes per arm is illustrated, but the number of axes is not limited. For example, a 6-axis robot may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, the dual-arm robot is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a multi-arm robot having three or more arms may be used. Two or more single-arm robots having one arm may be provided.

Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Thus, the broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Robot 1a Cables 1b Detection part 2 Corrugated board supply stand 3 Packing work stand 4 Seal and motor supply stand 5 Storage work apparatus 6 Polybag supply stand 7 Accessory supply stand 8 Feeding mechanism 9 Control device 10 Base part 11 Body part 12 Right arm portion 121 Arm tip portion 13 Left arm portion 131 Arm tip portion 14 Right hand 141 Suction portion 142 Holding portion 143 Camera 15 Left hand 156 Tape cartridge 156a Tape body portion 156b Casing 156c Roller 156d Cutting portion 156e Holding portion 157 Holding portion 157a 1st claw part 157b 2nd claw part 157c Drive part 157d Shaft 158 Adsorption part 160 Core part 20 Corrugated cardboard 21 Side face part 22 Inner flap 23 Outer flap 30 Fixing device 30a Work table 31 1st support part 31a, 31b Suction part 32 2nd support part 32a, 32b Suction part 33 Drive part 33a Shaft 34 Detection part 40 Seal supply part 41 Clamp mechanism 41a 1st clamp 41b 2nd clamp 51 Slide part 51a Pulling part 511 Locking mechanism 511a Adsorption mechanism 511b Blowing mechanism 52 Article base 71 Silica gel 72 Insole 73 Instruction manual 91 Control part 91a Work position determination part 91b Work identification part 91c Instruction part 92 Storage part 92a Work identification information 92b Teaching information 100 Packing Equipment AXr Axis B Axis CL Cell E Axis L Axis M Motor P Plastic Bag R Axis S Axis SL Seal Member SM Mount SW Axis T Axis TH Tool Holder TP Adhesive Tape U Axis

Claims (11)

A robot hand, and a robot provided so that articles and bags can be conveyed using the robot hand;
A working device including a mechanism for holding the article and the bag conveyed by the robot;
And a control unit that causes the robot to perform an operation of accommodating the article held by the working device in the bag. The working device is:
Having a locking mechanism for locking the bag conveyed by the robot, and a slide portion provided slidably;
An article table for holding the article in the sliding direction of the slide part;
A handle portion having a shape that can be held using the robot hand and formed on the slide portion, and
The controller is
The packing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the robot is instructed to slide the sliding portion while holding the pulling portion to cover the bag with the article. The locking mechanism includes an adsorption mechanism and a blower mechanism,
The controller is
The slide body is slid by the robot in a state in which the bag body conveyed by the robot is adsorbed by the adsorption mechanism and the bag body is opened by air blowing by the air blowing mechanism. 2. The packaging device according to 2. A seal supply unit for supplying the seal member;
The controller is
4. The robot is instructed to take out the seal member from the seal supply unit and affix the seal member to a box in which the articles already contained in the bag are boxed. The packaging device described in 1. The seal supply unit includes:
The packaging apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a clamp mechanism that clamps the mount in a state where a part of the seal member is floated from the mount. The clamping mechanism is
A first clamp for holding one end of the mount;
A second clamp for holding the other end of the mount,
The second clamp is
The packaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the mount is held in a state where it can be extracted. The controller is
The robot is instructed to move the seal member from the mount while holding the seal member with the robot hand and pulling out the mount from the second clamp. Packing equipment. The clamping mechanism is
After folding the mount by moving the second clamp while keeping one end and the other end of the mount fixed with the first and second clamps respectively, and floating a part of the seal member from the mount, The packing device according to claim 7, wherein the mounting of the mount by the second clamp is detachable. A cell having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and containing the robot therein;
The robot cables are:
The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the packaging device is rotatably suspended from a ceiling portion of the cell in a state of being bundled above a body portion of the robot. The packaging apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a slope-like delivery mechanism that delivers the packed box from the inside of the cell to the outside. A transport process for transporting articles and bags using a robot hand;
A holding step for holding the article and the bag conveyed by the conveying step;
A control step of causing a robot to perform an operation of accommodating the article held by the holding step in the bag body.

Images