Binding system and binding processing program

Abstract

This binding system binds a plurality of intersection points P with a binding body W by means of a binding device that moves with respect to a workpiece B in which a plurality of reinforcing bars S intersect to form the plurality of intersection points P. With respect to one reinforcing bar Sx and another reinforcing bar Sy forming an intersection point Po, another intersection point P, which differs from the intersection point Po formed by the one reinforcing bar Sx and the other reinforcing bar Sy at the one reinforcing bar Sx, and the other intersection point P, which differs from the intersection point Po formed by the one reinforcing bar Sx and the other reinforcing bar Sy at the other reinforcing bar Sy, are bound by the binding body W in a direction differing from the intersection point Po formed by the one reinforcing bar Sx and the other reinforcing bar Sy.

Description

Bundling system and bundling processing program

[0001] The present invention relates to a bundling system equipped with a bundling machine that binds reinforcing bars with wire, and a bundling processing program.

[0002] Reinforcing bars are used in concrete structures to increase their strength, and they are tied together with wire using a bundling machine to prevent them from shifting from their designated position during concrete pouring. At the intersection of crossed reinforcing bars, the wire can be tied along a diagonal direction relative to both reinforcing bars. For example, if one reinforcing bar running in the front-to-back direction intersects with another reinforcing bar running in the left-to-right direction, the wire can be tied along the diagonal front-left direction or along the diagonal front-right direction.

[0003] In a conventional bundling system, multiple bundling machines are arranged in a line with alternating bundling directions, and multiple intersections are simultaneously bundled (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Another conventional bundling system mounts a bundling machine on the head of a gantry-type moving device, and sequentially bundles multiple intersections of the workpieces (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-35052 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-219420

[0005] In all of the above conventional bundling systems, the wires are attached to the intersections of rebars in one direction in alternating directions, but the wires are attached to the intersections of rebars in the other direction in the same direction, which can result in a reduction in the bundling strength of the rebars.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and has an object to provide a bundling system and a bundling program that perform high-strength bundling.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the binding system of the present invention is a binding system that uses a moving binding device to bind multiple intersections of workpieces where multiple reinforcing bars intersect with each other, and is equipped with a control unit that binds at least one other intersection different from the intersection formed by the one reinforcing bar and the other reinforcing bar in one of the reinforcing bars and at least one other intersection different from the intersection formed by the one reinforcing bar and the other reinforcing bar in the other reinforcing bar with the binding element along a direction different from the intersection formed by the one reinforcing bar and the other reinforcing bar.

[0008] In addition, the binding processing program of the present invention enables a computer that controls a binding system that uses a moving binding device to bind multiple intersections of a workpiece in which multiple reinforcing bars intersect with each other to form multiple intersections, to perform the function of controlling the binding system to bind, for one reinforcing bar and the other reinforcing bar that form the intersections, at least one other intersection different from the intersection formed by the one reinforcing bar and the other reinforcing bar in the one reinforcing bar, and at least one other intersection different from the intersection formed by the one reinforcing bar and the other reinforcing bar in the other reinforcing bar, with the binding element along a direction different from the intersection formed by the one reinforcing bar and the other reinforcing bar.

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to avoid multiple intersections of each reinforcing bar that makes up the work being bound by a binding body in only the same direction, thereby reducing the gaps between the reinforcing bars and achieving a strong binding.

[0010] 1 is a perspective view of a device main body of a binding system according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic control configuration of the binding system according to an embodiment; FIG. 3 is a side view of the binding device in a posture when performing a binding operation; FIG. 4 is a schematic view of workpieces on a holding table of a work holding unit as viewed from above; FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an intersection where binding was performed in a first direction of the binding direction; FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an intersection where binding was performed in a second direction of the binding direction; FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the distinction between "intersections located at corners," "intersections located at outer edges," and other intersections; FIG. 8 is a plan view of workpieces subjected to a binding direction determination process according to condition (1); FIG. 9 is a plan view of workpieces subjected to a binding direction determination process according to condition (2); FIG. 10 is a plan view of workpieces subjected to a binding direction determination process according to condition (3); FIG. 11 is a plan view of workpieces subjected to a binding direction determination process according to condition (4); FIG. 12 is an enlarged plan view of an intersection of workpieces subjected to a binding direction determination process according to condition (4); FIG. 13 is a plan view of workpieces subjected to a binding direction determination process according to condition (5); FIG. 14 is a plan view of the binding device of FIG. 3 as viewed from one side of the pivot axis; It is a plan view in which a part of the configuration of the device main body is omitted.It is a flowchart which shows the procedure when the bundling system executes the bundling process.

[0011] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [Configuration of the bundling system] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus main body 10C provided in a bundling system 1D according to this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a general control configuration of the bundling system 1D. As shown in these figures, the bundling system 1D binds a workpiece B, in which a plurality of reinforcing bars S are arranged in a lattice pattern, with wire W at intersections P (see Fig. 4) where the plurality of reinforcing bars S intersect to form a bundling body. Specifically, the bundling system 1D includes an apparatus main body 10C and a control device 7D.

[0013] The device main body 10C includes a workpiece holding unit 2, an overall photography unit 3, a robot arm 4, an individual photography unit 5, and a binding device 6C. Of these, the workpiece holding unit 2 is disposed inside a base 11 of the device main body 10C, and the overall photography unit 3, robot arm 4, individual photography unit 5, and binding device 6C are mounted on the base 11. In the following description, the X, Y, and Z directions refer to the directions shown in FIG. 1. The X, Y, and Z directions are mutually orthogonal, the XY plane is a substantially horizontal plane, and the Z direction is a direction substantially along the vertical. For convenience, the X, Y, and Z directions are assumed to coincide with the directions of the robot coordinate system of the robot arm 4, which will be described later.

[0014] The platform 11 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the X direction, and includes four support columns 12 erected at the four corners in the X and Y directions, and four beams 13 that are bridged in the X and Y directions at the upper ends of the support columns 12. Of the area inside the platform 11, approximately half on one side in the X direction (the right side in FIG. 1) is an imaging area E1 where imaging is performed by the overall imaging unit 3, and the half on the other side (the left side in FIG. 1) is a binding area E2 where binding work is performed by the robot arm 4 and binding device 6C.

[0015] <Workpiece Holding Unit> The workpiece holding unit 2 holds the workpiece B and moves the held workpiece B between the photography area E1 and the binding area E2. Specifically, the workpiece holding unit 2 includes a holding table 21 that holds the workpiece B, rails 22 that movably support the holding table 21, and a drive motor 23 that drives the rails 22. The holding table 21 is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate with four sides aligned along the X and Y directions. Support plates 211 that support multiple reinforcing bars S that constitute the workpiece B are erected on the four sides of the holding table 21. The support plate 211 has multiple U-shaped grooves 211a that open upward, and the reinforcing bars S are inserted into the U-shaped grooves 211a. The multiple reinforcing bars S are arranged in a grid pattern along the X and Y directions with their ends inserted into the U-shaped grooves 211a of the support plate 211. The rails 22 are laid along the X direction and guide the holding table 21 in the X direction. The rails 22 in this embodiment are laid so that the holding table 21 (workpieces B) can be moved at least between the photography area E1 and the binding area E2. However, the rails 22 may be extended to the outside of the frame 11 so that the workpieces B can be moved to work processes before and after binding. The drive motor 23 is a drive source that moves the holding table 21. The drive motor 23 moves the holding table 21 between the photography area E1 and the binding area E2 based on a drive command from the control device 7D.

[0016] <Overall Photography Unit> The overall photography unit 3 photographs the entire workpiece B in the photography area E1. Specifically, the overall photography unit 3 includes a first camera 31 disposed above the photography area E1 and a moving mechanism 32 that movably supports the first camera 31. The first camera 31 is disposed facing downward and photographs the workpiece B held by the workpiece holder 2 in the photography area E1 from above, acquiring signal information including distance information from the rebar and image information of the workpiece. Specifically, the first camera 31 in this embodiment is a compound-eye (e.g., four-eye) stereo camera (RGB-D camera) that acquires distance information in the depth direction (up and down direction) along with image information in the XY plane, and outputs the information to the control device 7D. The first camera 31 is an example of a second information acquisition unit according to the present invention. Note that the sensor type of the first camera 31 is not particularly limited as long as it can acquire distance information (depth information) along with image information. For example, a TOF (Time of Flight) sensor may be used. Furthermore, sensors such as a 3D laser scanner or LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) may be used instead of a camera. The movement mechanism 32 includes a Y-direction slider 33 extending along the Y direction. The Y-direction slider 33 is suspended on a beam 13 aligned along the X direction and supported on the beam 13 so as to be movable in the X direction. The first camera 31 is suspended from the Y-direction slider 33 so as to be movable in the Y direction. The movement mechanism 32 drives a drive source (not shown) based on a control command from the control device 7D to move the first camera 31 to a predetermined position (XY coordinates). The movement mechanism 32 is used to photograph the entire workpiece B multiple times in order to obtain an image of the workpiece B with the desired resolution. Therefore, depending on the performance of the first camera 31 and the shape of the workpiece B, the movement mechanism 32 may include an X-direction slider that moves the Y-direction slider 33 in the X direction, or may move the first camera 31 in only one of the X and Y directions, or may not be provided. Furthermore, if the shooting range of the first camera 31 is such that the entire holding table 21 or workpiece B located in the shooting area E1 can be photographed in one go, the first camera 31 may be configured to be fixed and supported at a fixed point.

[0017] The robot arm 4 is an example of a moving body according to the present invention, and is equipped with an individual photographing unit 5 and a binding device 6C, and moves the individual photographing unit 5 and the binding device 6C to desired positions in the binding area E2. The robot arm 4 of this embodiment includes a movement mechanism 46, a robot arm main body 40, and a controller 49.

[0018] The moving mechanism 46 moves the robot arm main body 40. The moving mechanism 46 in this embodiment includes a Y-direction slider 461 suspended on the beam 13 of the base 11. The Y-direction slider 461 moves the robot arm main body 40 in the Y direction. However, the specific configuration of the moving mechanism 46 is not particularly limited, and may include, for example, a mechanism for moving the robot arm main body 40 in the X direction. Furthermore, if the operating range of the robot arm main body 40 can cover the entire binding area E2 without relying on the moving mechanism 46, the moving mechanism 46 may not be provided.

[0019] The robot arm body 40 is a ceiling-suspended vertical articulated robot, and is installed facing downward on a Y-direction slider 461 suspended on a beam 13 in the binding area E2. Specifically, the robot arm body 40 includes a base unit 41, a plurality of arms 42, an end effector 43, and a plurality of joint units 44. Note that the robot arm body 40 is not limited to a vertical articulated robot, as long as it can move the mounted individual photographing unit 5 and binding device 6C.

[0020] The multiple arms 42 are connected in series with a base unit 41 as a base end. The base unit 41 is mounted on a Y-direction slider 461 of the movement mechanism 46 and supported so as to be movable in the Y direction. The multiple joint units 44 rotatably connect the base unit 41, the multiple arms 42, and the end effector 43. Each joint unit 44 is provided with a motor 441 that drives the arm 42 (or end effector 43) connected to the tip side of the joint unit 44, and an encoder 442 that detects the position (speed) of the motor 441 and outputs the position (speed) to the controller 49. The end effector 43 is connected to the tips of the multiple arms 42. The end effector 43 is equipped with an individual photographing unit 5 and a binding device 6C. Note that the specific configuration of the tip of the robot arm main body 40 is not particularly limited as long as it is equipped with the individual photographing unit 5 and the binding device 6C. For example, the individual photographing unit 5 may be fixed to the joint unit 44 on the most distal end side, and the binding device 6C may be connected as an end effector via a tool changer.

[0021] The controller 49 controls the operation of each part of the robot arm 4 based on a control command from the control device 7D. Specifically, the controller 49 operates each motor 441 and the moving mechanism 46, and outputs information acquired by each encoder 442 to the control device 7D. Note that the controller 49 may locally control the operation of the mounted individual photographing unit 5 and binding device 6C based on a control command from the control device 7D.

[0022] <Individual Photography Unit> The individual photography unit 5 is mounted on the tip of the robot arm 4 and individually photographs the intersections P of the rebars S to be bundled in the binding area E2 with a higher resolution than that of the overall photography unit 3. Specifically, the individual photography unit 5 includes a second camera 51, an elevation motor 52, and a lighting unit 53. The second camera 51 is attached to the end effector 43 of the robot arm 4 facing downward and photographs the intersections P of the rebars S to be bundled from above. The second camera 51 is movable toward the tip (up and down) relative to the end effector 43. In this embodiment, the second camera 51 is, for example, an RGB camera that acquires image information (color images) of the intersections P to be bundled and outputs the image information to the control device 7D. The second camera 51 is an example of a second information acquisition unit according to the present invention. Note that the sensor type of the second camera 51 is not particularly limited as long as it can acquire an image of at least one intersection P (signal information of the rebar intersections including the image). The lifting motor 52 is a drive source that moves (lifts) the second camera 51 toward the tip (up and down) relative to the end effector 43. The lighting unit 53 is disposed slightly forward of the imaging direction of the second camera 51 and around the imaging range, and illuminates the object to be imaged by the second camera 51. The lighting unit 53 of this embodiment has multiple light sources (projectors, not shown) that can illuminate the object to be imaged by the second camera 51 from different angles. The lighting unit 53 may be configured to emit patterned light from multiple directions and to acquire three-dimensional information about the area around the intersection P in cooperation with the second camera 51.

[0023] 3 is a side view of the binding device 6C in a position when performing a binding operation. The binding device 6C is mounted on the tip of the robot arm 4. The binding device 6C includes a rebar binding machine 61C that binds the intersections P of the rebars S that constitute the workpiece B with wire W, a slack forming unit 62C that pulls out the wire W from a reel 63C and forms slack in the wire W between the binding machine 61C and the reel 63C, and a control unit 64C that controls the rebar binding machine 61C to perform the binding operation and the slack forming unit 62C to form slack in the wire W in accordance with an operation command from the control device 7D.

[0024] The rebar binding machine 61C has an entrance section 611C through which two wires W are fed from outside the housing along the feed direction F shown in the figure, and the two wires W fed into the interior from the entrance section 611C are wound around the rebar S, and the two wires W wound around the rebar S are fed in the reverse feed direction R to wrap around the rebar S and cut it, and then the wires W are twisted and the rebar S is bound with the wires W.

[0025] For this reason, the binding machine 61C is equipped with a wire feeding section that feeds the wire W, a wire guide 612C that guides the wire W, a curl guide 613C and a guide guide 614C that wind the wire W around the reinforcing bar S, a cutting section that cuts the wire W wound around the reinforcing bar S, and a binding section that twists the wire W wound around the reinforcing bar S.

[0026] The wire guide 612C is provided in front of the entrance 611C and guides the two wires W to enter the entrance 611C along the feed direction F.

[0027] The wire feeding unit is located inside the entrance portion 611C, and clamps two wires W between a pair of feed gears and feeds them in a feed direction F. The wire feeding unit is equipped with a feed motor 615C (see FIG. 2) that serves as a drive source. This feed motor 615C feeds the two wires W in the feed direction F by driving it in a forward rotation, and the wires W can be wound around the rebar S by the curl guide 613C and the induction guide 614C located at the end of the motor. In addition, the feed motor 615C feeds the two wires W in the reverse feed direction R by driving it in a reverse rotation, and the rebar S can be tightened by the wires W.

[0028] The cutting unit is located inside the entrance 611C, further back than the wire feed unit. The cutting unit has a movable blade and a fixed blade (not shown), and the movable blade shares a drive source with the bundling unit. The movable blade can be moved toward the fixed blade by a torsion motor 616C (see FIG. 2), which is the drive source for the bundling unit, to cut the two wires. The drive source for the cutting unit may be provided separately and independently.

[0029] 3 is supported by an end effector 43 at the tip of the robot arm 4, and performs the binding operation with the rotation axis Zr of the end effector 43 parallel to the Z direction (vertical up-down direction) described above. The binding device 6C is set so that the position where the wire W is bound to the rebar S is located on the axis of the rotation axis Zr, and during binding, the robot arm 4 positions the binding device 6C so that the intersection P of the rebar S is located on the axis of the rotation axis Zr.

[0030] The curl guide 613C and the leading guide 614C are located at the tip end (the lower end during the bundling operation) of the bundling machine 61C, and are arranged on both sides of the aforementioned pivot axis Zr. The base end of the curl guide 613C is located at the end of the inlet 611C in the feed direction F, and a guide path is formed inside the curl guide 613C to curl the wire W as it moves from the base end to the tip end.

[0031] The leading guide 614C is disposed opposite the curl guide 613C, and has a guide path formed inside that receives the wire W curled by the curl guide 613C from the tip end and guides the wire W to the base end while maintaining the curled state. The curl guide 613C and the leading guide 614C cooperate to deform the wire W into a loop and wind it around the reinforcing bar S.

[0032] The bundling unit has a locking member that captures the wire W wound around the reinforcing bar S between the base end of the induction guide 614C and the base end of the curl guide 613C. The locking member is rotatably supported inside the bundling machine 61C about a rotation axis that is concentric with the aforementioned pivot axis Zr, and a torque for rotational drive is applied to the locking member by the aforementioned torsion motor 616C. The locking member is rotationally driven by the torsion motor 616C after the wire W is cut by the cutting unit, and can twist both ends of the wire W to bind the reinforcing bar S.

[0033] Two reels 63C of the wire W are rotatably supported side by side on one side of the bundling machine 61C in the direction along the rotation axis Zr (the upper side during bundling operation). The two reels 63C are rotatable around an axis extending perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 3 and are arranged side by side in the same direction.

[0034] 3, the slack forming unit 62C is disposed on one side of the binding machine 61C and the two reels 63C in the orthogonal direction Xw that is perpendicular to the pivot axis Zr. The slack forming unit 62C has a first slack forming unit 621C and a second slack forming unit 622C that move past each other, and a slack forming motor 623C that serves as a drive source for these moving past each other.

[0035] The aforementioned feed direction F of the wire W is generally parallel to a plane parallel to the pivot axis Zr and the orthogonal direction Xw. Furthermore, the upstream side of the feed direction F of the wire W is inclined slightly upward in the plane of the paper in Figure 3 with respect to the orthogonal direction Xw. Both the first slack forming unit 621C and the second slack forming unit 622C hold rollers around which the two wires W are wound.

[0036] The first slack forming unit 621C and the second slack forming unit 622C pass each other generally along the feed direction F, thereby extending the path length of the wire W from the reel 63C to the inlet 611C of the binding machine 61C and pulling out the wire W from the reel 63C. Furthermore, the first slack forming unit 621C and the second slack forming unit 622C can impart slack to the wire W by the amount pulled out from the reel 63C by performing a return operation after the passing operation.

[0037] The two wires W are required to be fed into the entrance 611C of the binding machine 61C in a direction close to the feed direction F, i.e., at an incident angle close to the feed direction F. The feed direction F is a direction suitable for deforming the wire W into an appropriate loop shape using the curl guide 613C and the induction guide 614C located at the end of the wire W's travel direction. In order to supply the wire W to the entrance 611C of the binding machine 61C along the feed direction F, the slack forming unit 62C is disposed so that the path from the downstream second slack forming unit 622C to the entrance 611C of the binding machine 61C is along the feed direction F. During the passing operation, the second slack forming unit 622C moves away from the entrance 611C of the binding machine 61C along the feed direction F.

[0038] For this reason, the binding device 6C is disposed so that the slack forming portion 62C protrudes largely to one side (the right side of the paper in FIG. 3 ) in the direction Xw perpendicular to the binding machine 61C (swivel axis Zr). Note that the second camera 51 and the lighting unit 53 of the individual photographing unit 5 are disposed on the left side of the binding machine 61C of the binding device 6C in FIG. 3 .

[0039] <Control Device> The control device 7D is a computer that performs overall control of the bundling system 1D. Specifically, the control device 7D includes an operation unit 72, a display unit 73, a storage unit 76D, and a control unit 77D. The operation unit 72 is an operating means through which the user performs various operations to operate the control device 7D, and includes, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard. The display unit 73 is configured, for example, with a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or other display, and displays various information based on a display signal from the control unit 77D. Note that the display unit 73 may be a touch panel that also serves as part of the operation unit 72, or may output audio.

[0040] The storage unit 76D is a memory configured with RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc., and stores various programs and data, and also functions as a work area for the control unit 77D. The storage unit 76D, which serves as a recording device, stores image data 762D captured by the first camera 31 and the second camera 51, map data 763D in which information about the workpiece B is recorded, binding direction data 764D generated in a binding direction determination process described below, machine body information data 766D indicating the three-dimensional position of the entire surface of the binding device 6C, and surrounding information data 767D indicating the three-dimensional position of the entire surface of obstacles around the robot arm 4 deployed in the coordinate system of the robot arm 4.

[0041] The control unit 77D is configured by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls the operation of each unit of the control device 7D. Specifically, the control unit 77D operates each unit of the control device 7D based on the operation content of the operation unit 72, loads a program stored in advance in the storage unit 76D, and executes various processes in cooperation with the loaded program.

[0042] <Intersection Information Acquisition Process> The control unit 77D executes the bundling process program 761D described above to acquire information about the intersection P where the multiple reinforcing bars S of the workpiece B intersect. As described above, the control unit 77D controls the device main body 10C to perform bundling at the intersection P where the multiple reinforcing bars S of the workpiece B intersect with the wire W as a bundling body.

[0043] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of workpiece B held on the support plate 211 of the holder 21 of the workpiece holder 2, viewed from above in the Z direction. Note that in this schematic diagram, the number of reinforcing bars S on workpiece B is shown to be fewer than in Figure 1. Also, the multiple double circles in the figure are marks indicating the positions of intersections P, and do not represent objects that actually exist on workpiece B. Furthermore, because there are so many reinforcing bars S and intersections P in the figure, only some are labeled. The same applies to Figures 7 to 11 and 15.

[0044] The workpiece B has a grid-like configuration in which a plurality of rebars S arranged in the Y direction are arranged on top of a plurality of rebars S arranged in the X direction. The rebars S arranged in the X direction and the rebars S arranged in the Y direction may be arranged upside down. While the plurality of rebars S arranged in each direction are illustrated as being arranged at equal intervals, the rebars S may be spaced apart unevenly. Furthermore, their lengths may also be uneven. The positions where the center lines of the plurality of rebars S arranged in the X direction and the plurality of rebars S arranged in the Y direction intersect as viewed from the Z direction are intersection points P, and the bundling system 1D can target these intersection points P for bundling.

[0045] The control of the bundling operation by the control unit 77D requires information about the intersections P to identify the positions of the multiple intersections P where the multiple rebars S of the work B intersect. For this reason, the control unit 77D executes an intersection information acquisition process to acquire information about the intersections P to identify the positions of all of the intersections P of the work B. This intersection information acquisition process consists of a first acquisition process to acquire the positions of each intersection P from image data 762D captured by the first camera 31 or the second camera 51 functioning as the intersection information acquisition means, and a second acquisition process to acquire map data 763D from outside the bundling system 1D.

[0046] The control unit 77D may be configured to be capable of executing only one of the first acquisition process and the second acquisition process. For example, if the control unit 77D is configured to be capable of executing only the first acquisition process, the storage unit 76D may be configured not to store the map data 763D.

[0047] In the first acquisition process performed by the control unit 77D, when the image data 762D of the workpiece B on the support table 21 photographed by the first camera 31 or the second camera 51 is two-dimensional planar image data, the position of the outline of each rebar S in the image is extracted using well-known image processing, the center line passing through the center of each rebar S is determined, and the positions where the center lines of each rebar S intersect are identified and acquired as the positions of the intersection points P. Furthermore, height information of the intersection points P may be obtained by photographing the workpiece B on the support table 21 two or more times while changing the relative positions of the first camera 31 or the second camera 51 and the workpiece B, and calculating the height of each position in the image using parallax. This provides three-dimensional position data of all intersection points P of the rebars S of the workpiece B, which is then expanded into the coordinate system of the robot arm 4 to acquire information about the intersection points P for identifying the positions of the intersection points P.

[0048] Furthermore, if the image data 762D of the first camera 31 or the second camera 51 is image data that includes three-dimensional position information, information regarding the intersection P is obtained to identify the position of the intersection P by expanding the position information indicated by the image data into the coordinate system of the robot arm 4.

[0049] The second acquisition process performed by the control unit 77D is a process in which the control device 7D includes a communication device (not shown) that communicates with the outside of the bundling system 1D, requests and acquires the map data 763D from another external information processing terminal via a communication network, etc. Alternatively, the control device 7D may include a reading device (not shown) that reads a storage medium that stores the map data 763D, and acquires the map data 763D by reading from the storage medium.

[0050] The map data 763D records design information of the work B and includes basic dimensions and three-dimensional position information of each rebar S, as well as three-dimensional position information of each intersection P. Therefore, the control unit 77D that executes the second acquisition process acquires information about the intersection P for identifying the position of the intersection P by expanding the three-dimensional position information of each intersection P obtained from the map data 763D into the coordinate system of the robot arm 4.

[0051] <Binding Direction Determination Process> The control unit 77D executes the bundling processing program 761D described above to perform processing to determine the bundling direction for the intersections P of the reinforcing bars S of the workpiece B. The processing to determine the bundling direction for each intersection P of the workpiece B is performed for all intersections P of the workpiece B based on the intersections P for identifying the positions of all intersections P of the workpiece B acquired by the intersection information acquisition process. Below, a method used by the control unit 77D to determine the bundling direction for the intersections P of the reinforcing bars S of the workpiece B will be described.

[0052] The "binding direction" relative to the intersection P of the workpiece B will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIGS. 5 and 6 are plan views showing two types of binding directions relative to the intersection P. The wire W bound to the intersection P of the X-direction rebar S and the Y-direction rebar S is inclined at approximately 45 degrees relative to both the X and Y directions when viewed from above in the Z direction, either in the direction shown in FIG. 5 or in the direction shown in FIG. 6. Here, the binding direction extending diagonally upward to the right in FIG. 5 is defined as the first direction, and the binding direction extending diagonally upward to the left in FIG. 6 is defined as the second direction. In the process of determining the binding direction, the control unit 77D determines the "binding direction" for all intersections P of the workpiece B as either the first direction or the second direction. The "binding direction" here refers to the direction along which the wire W is aligned after binding when viewed perpendicular to the planar workpiece B.

[0053] The binding device 6C of the binding system 1D is designed to use two wires W in one binding operation, and the two wires W shown in Figures 5 and 6 are shown in a state after one binding operation. The same applies to the subsequent figures. After binding, both ends of each wire W are twisted to form a wound portion, but the wound portion is not shown in Figure 5 and subsequent figures.

[0054] In the bundling direction determination process, the control unit 77D determines the bundling direction of each intersection P in accordance with the following bundling direction conditions (1) to (5): [Condition (1)] For each of all intersections P of the workpiece B, at least one other intersection P different from the intersection P formed by one reinforcing bar S and the other reinforcing bar S in the one reinforcing bar S and at least one other intersection P different from the intersection P formed by one reinforcing bar S and the other reinforcing bar S in the other reinforcing bar S is bound with wire W in a direction different from the intersection P formed by the one reinforcing bar S and the other reinforcing bar S. [Condition (2)] Based on condition (1), for all intersections P within the work area for the workpiece B, for intersections P located at corners of the work area, the direction in which wire W is bound is set to be as close to parallel as possible to the line connecting the intersection P and the center of the work area. [Condition (3)] Assuming condition (2), of all intersections P within the working area for work B, for at least one of two intersections P adjacent to an intersection P located at a corner of the working area, the bundling direction is set to be the same as the bundling direction of the intersection P located at the corner of the working area. [Condition (4)] Assuming condition (2), of all intersections P within the working area for work B, for an intersection P located at the outer edge of the working area, the bundling direction is set to be closer to parallel to the line connecting the intersection P and the center of the working area of ​​work B. [Condition (5)] Assuming condition (1), for each of all intersections P of work B, the bundling direction is set to be different from the bundling direction of all other adjacent intersections P.

[0055] Here, when determining the bundling direction of each intersection P according to the bundling direction conditions (1) to (5), the control unit 77D needs to identify "intersections P located at corners" and "intersections P located on the outer edge" within the work area. Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram in which "intersections P located at corners" are labeled "A," "intersections P located on the outer edge" are labeled "B," and other intersections P are labeled "C."

[0056] First, the "working area" in the conditions (2) to (4) of the binding direction refers to the narrower of the outer edge of the range of motion (the range within which the binding device 6C can move) of the binding device 6C, which is set when the robot arm 4 holding the binding device 6C in the binding system 1D performs binding work on the workpiece B, and the outer edge of the area in which all of the intersection points P of the workpiece B exist. It may be assumed that both the range of motion of the binding device 6C and the area in which all of the intersection points P of the workpiece B exist are rectangular. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 , a case is illustrated in which the inside of the four support plates 211 of the holding table 21 is the rectangular range of motion, which coincides with the rectangular area in which all of the intersection points P of the workpiece B exist. In this case, the inside of the four support plates 211 of the holding table 21 is the rectangular "working area."

[0057] Within the above-described work area, as shown in FIG. 7 , the control unit 77D identifies, among all intersections P within the work area, an intersection P with two adjacent intersections P, such as the intersection P marked "A" in the area Ra surrounded by a two-dot chain line, as an "intersection P located at the corner of the work area." The control unit 77D also identifies an intersection P with three or fewer adjacent intersections P, such as the intersection P marked "B" in the area Rb surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7 , as an "intersection P located at the outer edge of the work area." The control unit 77D then identifies an intersection P with four adjacent intersections P, such as the intersection P marked "C" in the area Rc surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7 , as an intersection P other than an "intersection P located at the corner of the work area" and an "intersection P located at the outer edge of the work area."

[0058] Note that the above-mentioned "adjacent intersections P" refers to intersections adjacent via rebar S. In other words, it refers to intersections P adjacent in the X or Y direction, and does not include intersections P adjacent in a direction diagonal to either the X or Y direction. Furthermore, the "intersection P located on the outer edge of the work area" refers to an intersection with three or fewer other adjacent intersections P, and therefore also includes an "intersection P located at the corner of the work area" with two other adjacent intersections P.

[0059] The above-mentioned condition (1) will be explained based on Figure 8. As shown in the figure, one reinforcing bar S and the other reinforcing bar S that form an intersection P are designated Sx and Sy, respectively, and these intersections P are designated Po. This condition (1) requires that, with regard to the bundling direction of the wire W, at least one of the intersections P other than the intersection Po on one reinforcing bar Sx is in a direction different from the intersection Po, and at least one of the intersections P other than the intersection Po on the other reinforcing bar Sy is in a direction different from the intersection Po. Note that, since the bundling direction of the wire W can only be either the first direction or the second direction described above, "different bundling directions" means that one intersection P is in the first direction and the other intersection P is in the second direction.

[0060] Condition (1) requires that when bundling is performed at intersection Po along the second direction, the reinforcing bar Sx be bundled with the wire W along the first direction at any other intersection P other than intersection Po. Similarly, the reinforcing bar Sy is also required to be bundled with the wire W along the first direction at any other intersection P other than intersection Po. All intersections P of the workpiece B are required to be the same as intersection Po. Note that, in this embodiment, condition (1) exemplifies a case in which all intersections P of the workpiece B are required to be the same as intersection Po, but is not limited to this. For example, condition (1) may require only one intersection P or some intersections P of the workpiece B to be the same as intersection Po.

[0061] The aforementioned condition (2) will be explained with reference to FIGS. 9 and 12. This condition (2) is based on the premise that condition (1) is satisfied. Here, as shown in the figure, among all the intersection points P within the working area U relative to the workpiece B, the intersection points Pc located at the corners of the working area U are designated as Pc. The control unit 77D can identify the working area U according to the definition described above and determine the center C of the working area U. The center C of the working area U can be determined, for example, from the center of gravity (centroid) of the working area U. Furthermore, the control unit can identify all the intersection points P located at the corners of the working area U according to the definition described above in FIG. 7. In the example of FIG. 9, the intersection points P where the reinforcing bars S1 and S2 located at both ends of the working area U in the Y direction intersect with the reinforcing bars S3 and S4 located at both ends of the working area U in the X direction are the four intersection points Pc located at the corners of the working area U. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, a straight line Lc passing through the center C and each of the intersection points Pc located at the corners can be identified. As shown in FIG. 12 , the intersection angle between the wire W facing the first direction and the straight line Lc at an intersection point Pc located at a corner and the intersection angle between the wire W facing the second direction and the straight line Lc at the same intersection point Pc are calculated. The direction with the smaller intersection angle between the first direction and the second direction is determined as the “direction closer to being parallel” to the straight line Lc and is determined as the bundling direction at the intersection point Pc. Note that in both cases, the line of sight is assumed to be from the Z direction. In the above case, the intersection angle between the wire W and the straight line Lc can be either an acute angle or an obtuse angle, and the acute angle is used for comparison. Depending on the shape of the work area, the intersection angle between the wire W facing the first direction and the straight line Lc and the straight line Lc may both be equal. In such cases, the control unit 77D may select either the first direction or the second direction for the intersection point Pc. In this case, the control unit 77D may predetermine whether to decide on the "first direction" or the "second direction."

[0062] The above-mentioned condition (3) will be explained with reference to FIG. 10 . This condition (3) is based on the premise that condition (2) is satisfied. Here, as shown in the figure, the intersection Pn adjacent to the intersection Pc located at a corner of the work area U is designated as the intersection Pn on one side. The intersection Pn adjacent to the four intersections Pc located at the corners of the work area U is required to be bound with the wire W in the same direction as the intersection Pc. Therefore, in the case of FIG. 10 , the wire W is bound along the second direction at the intersection Pn adjacent to the intersection Pc located at the upper left corner of the drawing, the wire W is bound along the first direction at the intersection Pn adjacent to the intersection Pc located at the upper right corner of the drawing, the wire W is bound along the first direction at the intersection Pn adjacent to the intersection Pc located at the lower left corner of the drawing, and the wire W is bound along the second direction at the intersection Pn adjacent to the intersection Pc located at the lower right corner of the drawing. It should be noted that the intersection Pc located at the corner of the work area U has two adjacent intersections P, and both of these intersections P may be bound in the same direction as the intersection Pc located at the corner.

[0063] The above-mentioned condition (4) will be explained with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. This condition (4) is based on the premise that condition (2) is satisfied. The control unit 77D can identify the center C of the working area U and all of the intersection points P located on the outer edge of the working area U according to the above-mentioned definition, and can therefore identify the straight line Lc passing through the center C and each of the intersection points P located on the outer edge, as shown in FIG. 11. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 77D calculates the intersection angle between the wire W facing in the first direction and the straight line Lc at the intersection point P located on the outer edge, and the intersection angle between the wire W facing in the second direction and the straight line Lc at the same intersection point P. The direction with the smaller intersection angle between the first direction and the second direction is determined to be "more parallel" to the straight line Lc, and is determined as the bundling direction at the intersection point P. Note that in both cases, it is assumed that the line of sight is from the Z direction.

[0064] In the above case, the intersection angle between the wire W and the straight line Lc can be either an acute or obtuse angle, but the acute intersection angle will be compared. Furthermore, the intersection angle between the wire W facing the first direction and the straight line Lc and the wire W facing the second direction may both be equal. For example, a wire W that performs bundling at an intersection point P located on the outer edge of a rebar S that passes through the center C of the work area U and is parallel to the X direction, or a wire W that performs bundling at an intersection point P located on the outer edge of a rebar S that passes through the center C of the work area U and is parallel to the Y direction, has the same intersection angle in the first direction as the intersection angle in the second direction. In such a case, the control unit 77D may select either the first direction or the second direction for the intersection point P. In this case, the control unit 77D may predetermine whether to select the "first direction" or the "second direction."

[0065] The above-mentioned condition (5) will be explained with reference to Fig. 13. This condition (5) is based on the premise that condition (1) is satisfied. This condition (5) specifies that the wire W is bound to each of all intersections P of the workpiece B in a direction different from that of all other adjacent intersections P. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 13, the wire W bound to each intersection P is arranged in a so-called staggered configuration in which the first direction and the second direction are alternately arranged for all rows of intersections lined up in the X direction, and the first direction and the second direction are alternately arranged for all rows of intersections lined up in the Y direction.

[0066] The bundling direction of each intersection P that satisfies condition (5) may be the case shown in the example of FIG. 13 or the case where the bundling direction of the wire W at all intersections P in FIG. 13 is reversed between the first and second directions. Therefore, it is preferable for the control unit 77D to define a condition for selecting either the pattern shown in FIG. 13 or the reverse pattern of FIG. 13 for each intersection P of the workpiece B. For example, it is preferable to define a condition such that the bundling direction of the wire W at an intersection P located at a specific position of the workpiece B (e.g., an intersection P located at a specific corner) is the first direction (or the second direction). This allows the control unit 77D to uniquely determine the bundling direction of the wire W at all intersections P for the workpiece B. In this embodiment, the condition (5) is exemplified by a case where the bundling direction of the wire W at all intersections P of the workpiece B is required to be different from that at all neighboring intersections P, but is not limited thereto. For example, condition (5) may require that the direction in which the wire W is bound is different from that of all other adjacent intersections P only for one intersection P or some intersections P of the work B.

[0067] The binding system 1D may be configured so that the user can select some or all of the above-described conditions (1) to (5) from, for example, the operation unit 72. In this case, the control unit 77D determines the direction in which the wire W is bound for all intersections P with respect to the workpiece B based on any one of the conditions (1) to (5) selected by the user. Also, the binding system 1D may be configured so that the control unit 77D determines the direction in which the wire W is bound for all intersections P with respect to the workpiece B based on only one of the conditions (1) to (5).

[0068] Here, we will explain the usefulness of the bundling direction of the wire W relative to the intersection P of the workpiece B based on each of conditions (1) to (5). In the case of condition (1), if the control unit 77D determines the bundling direction of the wire W at each intersection P so as to satisfy this condition, all of the intersections P of all of the rebars S that make up the workpiece B will not be bundled in the same direction. If all of the intersections on a rebar S are bundled with other rebars S in the same bundling direction, stress will be applied in the same direction from each intersection P, making it more likely that gaps will occur between the rebars S and reducing the bundling strength. However, if the bundling direction for each intersection P of the workpiece B is determined according to condition (1), it is possible to avoid a reduction in bundling strength and achieve strong bundling of the workpiece B.

[0069] In the case of condition (5), when the control unit 77D determines the bundling direction of the wire W at each intersection P so as to satisfy this condition, bundling is performed alternately in the first direction and the second direction for multiple intersections P on a single rebar S. This distributes the direction of stress for each intersection P lined up along the rebar S, further reducing the gaps between the rebars S and enabling stronger bundling to the workpiece B more effectively.

[0070] The cases of conditions (2) to (4) will be described with reference to Figures 14 and 15 in addition to Figures 3 and 11. Figure 14 is a plan view of the binding device 6C in Figure 3 as seen from one side of the pivot axis Zr (for example, from above during the binding operation), and Figure 15 is a plan view with part of the configuration of the device main body 10C omitted.

[0071] As described above, the binding device 6C is configured such that the slack forming portion 62C is disposed on one side of the rebar binding machine 61C in the orthogonal direction Xw, which is the alignment direction of the curl guide 613C and the guiding guide 614C, in order to properly deform the wire W into a loop using the curl guide 613C and the guiding guide 614C. As shown in FIG. 14 , the binding device 6C protrudes most significantly from the pivot axis Zr toward the slack forming portion 62C in the orthogonal direction Xw. When binding the wire W in a predetermined binding direction, the robot arm main body 40 rotates the binding device 6C around the pivot axis Zr. In this case, if there is a portion protruding toward the orthogonal direction Xw around the pivot axis Zr, there is a risk of contact with an object standing in the Z direction around the binding device 6C or an object located higher than the workpiece B in the Z direction. 15, in the device main body 10C, there is a particular concern that the support columns 12 of the stand 11 may come into contact with the binding device 6C. The device main body 10C only has one support column 12 at each of the four corners, but if the overall weight of the device main body 10C increases, more support columns 12 may be provided along each beam 13. Furthermore, depending on the installation environment of the device main body 10C, obstacles other than the support columns may arise.

[0072] For this reason, when binding the wire W to the workpiece B, it is preferable that the protruding portions of the binding device 6C, particularly the slack forming portion 62C, do not protrude outside the working area U. In Fig. 11, the silhouette of the binding device 6C in a plan view is depicted by a two-dot chain line when the pivot axis Zr, which is the binding position of the binding device 6C, is positioned with respect to the multiple intersections P. In the silhouette of the binding device 6C in a plan view, the end that forms a semicircle in the longitudinal direction is the end on the individual photographing unit 5 side in the orthogonal direction Xw, and the end that forms a rectangle in the longitudinal direction is the end on the slack forming portion 62C side.

[0073] 11 , when conditions (2) to (4) are satisfied, a strapping direction that intersects with the outer edge of the work area U is selected at intersection P, which is a corner within the work area U. This allows the strapping operation to be performed with the slack forming portion 62C, which is the most protruding portion of the strapping device 6C, facing the inside of the work area U, reducing the possibility of contact between obstacles around the work area U and the slack forming portion 62C, which is the most protruding portion of the strapping device 6C. If a direction that does not satisfy conditions (2) to (4) is selected at intersection P, for example, the first direction, is selected at intersection P, which is the upper left corner of the page in FIG. 11 , the slack forming portion 62C will protrude outward from the work area U to the left or top of the page in FIG. 11 , potentially causing contact with obstacles around the work area U. If conditions (2) to (4) are met, it is possible to eliminate the selection of a binding direction that may unavoidably cause the slack forming portion 62C to protrude outside the working area U, thereby reducing the possibility of contact between the slack forming portion 62C and an obstacle.

[0074] Furthermore, in the case of condition (3), the binding operation is performed on the intersection P adjacent to the corner intersection P in the same direction as the corner intersection P. If the binding direction is not properly selected for an intersection P near a corner, there is a possibility that the slack forming part 62C will protrude outward outside the working area U, just like the corner. Therefore, even in the case of condition (3), it is possible to reduce the possibility of contact between the slack forming part 62C and an obstacle. Furthermore, since the binding operation is performed on the intersection P adjacent to the corner intersection P in the same direction as the corner intersection P, it is possible to reduce the frequency of pivoting operations of the binding device 6C and speed up the binding operation.

[0075] Furthermore, in the case of condition (4), the bundling direction at intersection P located on the outer edge including the corner is selected to be nearly parallel to the line connecting the center C of the working area U and intersection P, so that the bundling operation can be performed with the slack forming part 62C, which is the most protruding part of the bundling device 6C, facing the inside of the working area U, thereby reducing the possibility of contact between the slack forming part 62C and obstacles outside the working area U. In particular, among intersections P located on the outer edge, the closer to a corner one is, the more likely it is that the bundling direction will unavoidably cause the slack forming part 62C to protrude outside the working area U. However, if condition (4) is satisfied, this possibility can be reduced, and the possibility of contact between the slack forming part 62C and obstacles can be reduced.

[0076] If the bundling directions of all the intersections P of the workpiece B are determined only according to condition (1), the number of combinations will be extremely large, so it is preferable to determine the conditions for narrowing down the options in advance. The conditions for narrowing down the options include, for example, the ratio of the number of intersections P in the first direction to the number of intersections P in the second direction for each rebar S, the lower limit of the number of intersections P in the first direction or the lower limit of the number of intersections P in the second direction for each rebar S, the ratio of the number of intersections P in the first direction to the number of intersections P in the second direction for all the intersections P of the workpiece B, and the degree of dispersion of the intersections P in the first direction and the intersections P in the second direction in the arrangement of all the intersections P of the workpiece B (for example, dividing the area where all the intersections P of the workpiece B exist into multiple areas and making the number of intersections P in the first direction and the number of intersections P in the second direction in each divided area closer to equal). Furthermore, for intersections P for which the binding direction cannot be determined even when taking into consideration condition (1) and the narrowing down conditions, it is more preferable to decide in advance whether to make all of them the first direction, all of them the second direction, or to make the ratio of the first direction to the second direction more equal.

[0077] Furthermore, since the number of possible combinations for determining the binding directions of all intersections P of the workpiece B based solely on condition (2) is extremely large, it is preferable to predetermine narrowing-down conditions. For example, within the work area U, intersections P other than those located at each corner may be set to the same binding direction as the intersection P located at the nearest corner. Other narrowing-down conditions, such as those in condition (1), may also be added. Furthermore, for intersections P whose binding directions cannot be determined even after considering condition (2) and the narrowing-down conditions, it is more preferable to predetermine that all intersections P be in the first direction, all be in the second direction, or that the ratio of the first and second directions be more equal.

[0078] Furthermore, since the number of combinations is extremely large when determining the binding direction of all intersections P of the workpiece B according to condition (3) alone, it is preferable to predetermine narrowing-down conditions. For example, within the work area U, intersections P other than those located at each corner and their adjacent intersections P may be set to the same binding direction as the intersection P located at the nearest corner. Other narrowing-down conditions, such as those in condition (1), may also be added. Furthermore, for intersections P whose binding direction cannot be determined even after considering condition (3) and the narrowing-down conditions, it is more preferable to predetermine that all intersections P be in the first direction, all be in the second direction, or that the ratio of the first direction to the second direction be more equal.

[0079] Furthermore, since the number of possible combinations for determining the binding directions of all intersections P of the workpiece B based solely on condition (4) is extremely large, it is preferable to predetermine narrowing-down conditions. For example, within the work area U, intersections P other than those located at each corner and on the outer edge may be set to the same binding direction as the intersection P located at the nearest corner or on the outer edge. Other narrowing-down conditions, such as those in condition (1), may also be added. Furthermore, for intersections P whose binding directions cannot be determined even after considering condition (4) and the narrowing-down conditions, it is more preferable to predetermine that all intersections P be in the first direction, all be in the second direction, or that the ratio of the first and second directions be more equal.

[0080] Furthermore, when determining the binding direction of all intersections P of work B according to condition (5) alone, there are only two possible combinations, so as mentioned above, it is sufficient to predetermine whether a specific intersection P will be in the first direction or the second direction.

[0081] <Operation of the bundling system> Next, the operation of the bundling system 1D will be described. Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing the procedure when the bundling system 1D executes the bundling process. The CPU of the control unit 77D of the control device 7D executes the following bundling process in accordance with the bundling process program 761D.

[0082] By executing the bundling processing program 761D, the control unit 77D executes an intersection information acquisition process to acquire information about the intersection P where the multiple rebars S of the work B intersect. In this case, the control unit 77D determines whether or not the user has selected to use the map data 763D via the operation unit 72, for example (step S201).

[0083] When the use of the map data 763D is selected, the control unit 77D reads the map data 763D from the storage unit 76D (step S203). At this time, if the map data 763D is not prepared in the storage unit 76D, the control unit 77D acquires the map data 763D by external communication or by reading from a recording medium.

[0084] On the other hand, if the use of map data 763D is not selected, the control unit 77D photographs the entire work B on the holding table 21 of the work holding unit 2 arranged in the photographing area E1 of the stand 11 using the first camera 31 of the overall photographing unit 3 (step S205).

[0085] When the map data 763D is read or the workpiece B is photographed by the first camera 31, the control unit 77D obtains three-dimensional position data of all intersections P of the rebars S of the workpiece B from the map data 763D or image data 762D, and expands this data into the coordinate system of the robot arm 4. This makes it possible to identify the positions of all intersections P (step S207). Therefore, the control unit 77D functions as an intersection identification means.

[0086] Next, the control unit 77D drives the drive motor 23 of the workpiece holder 2 to move the holder 21 and the workpiece B to the bundling area E2 (step S209).

[0087] Next, the control unit 77D determines the bundling directions for the workpiece B or all of the intersections P within the work area U based on the determined bundling direction determination condition (any of the above-mentioned conditions (1) to (5)). In this case, the narrowing conditions described above for each of the conditions (1) to (5) may also be taken into consideration (step S211). After determining the bundling directions for the workpiece B or all of the intersections P within the work area U, the control unit 77D generates and records bundling direction data 764D in the storage unit 76D. This bundling direction data 764D may be used without performing the processing of step S211 when performing a bundling operation on another workpiece B with the same design conditions.

[0088] Then, the control unit 77D controls the robot arm 4 to position the second camera 51 at the photographing position of the intersection P where bundling will be performed first, and drives the lifting motor 52 to move the second camera 51 closer to the intersection P (step S213). Note that the bundling order for each intersection P is determined according to predetermined operating conditions, etc.

[0089] Next, the control unit 77D causes the second camera 51 to capture an image of the intersection P (step S215). By capturing an image of the intersection P closer to the intersection P than the first camera 31, the second camera 51 can determine the position of the intersection P with higher accuracy based on the image data 762D.

[0090] Therefore, the control unit 77D recalculates the position of the intersection P based on the image data 762D captured by the second camera 51 (step S217), and positions the binding position of the binding device 6C by moving it closer to the newly obtained position of the intersection P (step S219). At this time, the control unit 77D determines the orientation of the binding device 6C around the axis along the Z direction in accordance with the binding direction determined for the intersection P in step S211.

[0091] Then, the control unit 77D activates the binding device 6C to bind the intersection P with the wire W (step S221). Thereafter, the control unit 77D again controls the robot arm 4 to position the second camera 51 at the image capturing position of the intersection P, and drives the lift motor 52 to move the second camera 51 closer to the intersection P (step S223), thereby capturing an image (step S225).

[0092] The control unit 77D then determines whether the bundling is being performed in the same direction as determined in step S211 based on the captured image data 762D (step S227). If the result is that the bundling direction is not the direction determined in step S211, an error is reported (step S229) and the bundling operation is terminated. The error may be reported by a dedicated reporting device such as a reporting lamp or buzzer, or by displaying a report on the display unit 73. If the control unit 7D is equipped with a device for communicating with the outside, the error may be reported to the outside via communication.

[0093] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S227 that the binding has been performed in the binding direction determined in step S211, the control unit 77D determines whether the intersection P at which binding has been performed is the last intersection P or not, based on the information about the intersection P for identifying the position of the intersection P obtained in step S207 (step S231). If the intersection P at which binding has been performed is not the last intersection P, the control unit 77D identifies the next intersection P at which binding will be performed (step S233) and repeats the processes from step S213 to step S233. On the other hand, if the intersection P at which binding has been performed is the last intersection P, the control unit 77D ends the binding process for the work B.

[0094] As shown in step S229, an example of processing has been given in which an error is reported and the bundling operation is terminated if the bundling direction is not as determined, but it is also possible to report the occurrence of an error, record the error content, proceed to step S231, and continue the bundling operation for the subsequent intersection P.

[0095] <Technical Effects of the Embodiments of the Invention> The control device 7D of the binding system 1D is equipped with a control unit 77D that binds, with respect to one reinforcing bar S and the other reinforcing bar S that form an intersection P, at least one other intersection P different from the intersection P formed by one reinforcing bar S and the other reinforcing bar S in one reinforcing bar S and at least one other intersection P different from the intersection P formed by one reinforcing bar S and the other reinforcing bar S in the other reinforcing bar S, with wire W along a direction different from the intersection P formed by the one reinforcing bar S and the other reinforcing bar S. This reduces the gaps between the reinforcing bars S that make up the workpiece B, making it possible to bind the workpiece B firmly.

[0096] Furthermore, the control unit 77D binds the wire W at the intersections P located at the corners of all the intersections P within the working area U for the workpiece B along a direction nearly parallel to the straight line Lc connecting the intersections P and the center C of the working area U. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility of contact between the slack forming portion 62C, which is a protruding part of the binding device 6C, and an obstacle outside the working area U during the binding operation at the intersections P located at the corners.

[0097] Furthermore, the control unit 77D binds at least one of the intersections P adjacent to an intersection P located at a corner of the work area U with the wire W in the same direction as the intersection P located at the corner, among the multiple intersections P within the work area U for the work B. This makes it possible to reduce the possibility of contact between the slack forming portion 62C, which is a protruding portion of the binding device 6C, and an obstacle outside the work area U during the binding operation of the intersection P adjacent to the intersection P located at the corner. Furthermore, this reduces the frequency of the pivoting operation of the binding device 6C, making it possible to speed up the binding operation.

[0098] Furthermore, the control unit 77D binds the intersection P located on the outer edge of the working area U with the wire W in a direction more nearly parallel to the line Lc connecting the intersection P and the center of the working area U. This makes it possible to reduce the possibility of contact between the slack forming portion 62C, which is a protruding part of the binding device 6C, and an obstacle outside the working area U during the binding operation of the intersection P located on the outer edge.

[0099] Furthermore, the control unit 77D binds each of all intersections P of the workpiece B with wire W in a direction different from that of all other adjacent intersections P. This distributes the direction of stress at each intersection P aligned along the rebar S, further reducing the gaps between the rebars S and enabling the workpiece B to be bound more effectively and firmly.

[0100] In addition, the binding system 1D is provided with a second camera 51, which is installed next to the binding device 6C and serves as an intersection information acquisition means for acquiring information regarding the intersection P. Therefore, during the binding operation, it is possible to determine whether the binding direction of the bound wire W is appropriate, and to detect the occurrence of improper binding.

[0101] In addition, the control unit 77D of the control device 7D executes the binding processing program 761D to realize the function of controlling the binding of the wire W along a predetermined binding direction relative to the intersection P of the work B, so that this function can be obtained from an existing binding system without adding new hardware resources, making it possible to reduce the development burden of hardware resources and the manufacturing costs of the system.

[0102] <Use of Machine Information Data and Periphery Information Data> The memory unit 76D of the control device 7D of the binding system 1D stores machine information data 766D indicating the three-dimensional position of the entire surface of the binding device 6C and peripheral information data 767D indicating the three-dimensional position of the entire surface of obstacles around the robot arm 4. The control unit 77D may use these pieces of data 766D and 767D to determine whether or not the "binding direction" determined for each intersection P of the workpiece B is acceptable.

[0103] That is, since the machine information data 766D includes three-dimensional position data of the entire machine surface of the binding device 6C, it is possible to obtain each position on the surface of the binding device 6C when the binding device 6C is supported by the end effector 43 of the robot arm 4. In the binding operation of the binding device 6C, when the binding device 6C is rotated around the rotation axis Zr in accordance with the determination of the "binding direction," it is possible to determine the possibility of interference between the binding device 6C and an obstacle based on each position on the surface of the binding device 6C and the surrounding information data 767D that indicates the three-dimensional position of the entire surface of the obstacle around the robot arm 4. Therefore, when the control unit 77D determines the "binding direction," it determines the possibility of interference between the binding device 6C and an obstacle, and if there is a possibility of interference, the control unit 77D may perform processing such as notifying the user of the possibility of interference via the display unit 73 or the like, or automatically changing the currently determined "binding direction."

[0104] <Other Matters in the Present Embodiment> Each embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, in the embodiments, a component integrally formed from a single member may be replaced with a component divided into multiple members that are connected or fixed to each other. Furthermore, a component formed by connecting multiple members may be replaced with a component integrally formed from a single member. In addition, the details shown in the embodiments may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0105] For example, the control unit 77D performs processing to determine the binding direction for each intersection P of the workpiece B, but in addition to determining the binding direction, it may also determine in which direction the slack forming portion 62C, which is a protruding portion of the binding device 6C, faces relative to the pivot axis Zr. In this case, it is preferable to determine that the slack forming portion 62C, which is a protruding portion of the binding device 6C, faces toward the inside of the working area U (the side opposite to the outer edge of the working area U) relative to the pivot axis Zr.

[0106] In the above embodiment, when describing the conditions (1) to (5) under which the control unit 77D determines the bundling direction, the example was given in which the work area U is a rectangular area with no missing parts. However, the bundling direction can also be effectively determined for work area U with other shapes. For example, even if the work area U has a rectangular shape with missing parts in various parts, the bundling direction of each intersection P can be determined according to the conditions (1) to (5) by identifying "intersections P located at corners" and "intersections P located on the outer edge" according to the definitions shown in FIG. 7. Furthermore, if there is a missing part inside the work area U, such as a hole, the area around the hole is also recognized as the outer edge of the work area U, and the bundling direction of each intersection P can be determined according to the conditions (1) to (5).

[0107] It is also possible to determine which direction the slack forming portion 62C, which is a protruding portion of the binding device 6C, should face relative to the pivot axis Zr for the irregular working area U described above. For example, in the case of a working area U that has a missing portion such as a hole, the slack forming portion 62C can be determined to face the opposite side relative to the pivot axis Zr from the outer edge of the working area U around the hole, where the intersection point P is closest.

[0108] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the case has been exemplified where the outer edge of the range of motion of the binding device 6C, which is set when the robot arm 4 performs the binding operation on the workpiece B, coincides with the outer edge of the area in which all of the intersections P of the workpiece B exist, but these do not have to coincide. For example, if the area in which all of the intersections P of the workpiece B exist is larger than the range of motion of the binding device 6C, the area in which all of the intersections P of the workpiece B exist may be divided into multiple areas, and the robot arm 4 and the workpiece B may be moved hypothetically to perform the binding operation for each of the divided areas.

[0109] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the control unit 77D of the bundling system 1D performs the process of determining the bundling direction of the wire W for each intersection P of the workpiece B, but this is not limiting. For example, the control unit 77D may not make a determination as to the bundling direction of the wire W for each intersection P of the workpiece B, but may instead use bundling direction data created by a user using the operation unit 72 to determine a bundling direction for each intersection P of the workpiece B so as to satisfy any one of the bundling direction conditions (1) to (5) described above, and the control unit 77D may perform the bundling operation in accordance with the bundling direction data. Alternatively, the control unit 77D may obtain bundling direction data, in which the bundling direction for each intersection P of the workpiece B is determined so as to satisfy any one of the bundling direction conditions (1) to (5) described above, from outside the bundling system 1D via communication or the like, and the control unit 77D may perform the bundling operation in accordance with the bundling direction data. In addition, a recording medium reading device may read a recording medium containing bundling direction data in which the bundling direction is determined for each intersection P of the work B so as to satisfy one of the bundling direction conditions (1) to (5) described above using an information processing terminal or the like not included in the bundling system 1D, and the control unit 77D may perform the bundling operation in accordance with the bundling direction data.

[0110] Furthermore, the bundling system 1D may be configured to acquire information about the intersections P that identify each intersection P of the workpiece B from only the map data 763D. In that case, the first camera 31 and the second camera 51 are not essential to the bundling system 1D. However, since the second camera 51 can more accurately position the bundling device 6C with respect to the intersections P, the bundling system 1D may be configured to omit only the first camera 31 and include the second camera 51. If the first camera 31 is omitted from the configuration of the bundling system 1D, the moving mechanism 32 that moves the workpiece B between the photography area E1 and the bundling area E2 may also be unnecessary.

[0111] In addition, in the binding system 1D of this embodiment, a binding device 6C that binds reinforcing bars S with two wires W is exemplified, but this is not limited to this, and a binding device that binds reinforcing bars S with one or three or more wires W may also be used.

[0112] Furthermore, in the bundling system 1D, a configuration in which the bundling device 6C and the individual photographing unit 5 are moved by the robot arm 4 is exemplified, but this is not limiting. For example, the bundling device 6C and the individual photographing unit 5 may be mounted on the head of a gantry-type moving device in the XY directions, and the bundling device 6C and the individual photographing unit 5 may be made capable of moving up and down from the head in the Z direction and swiveling around an axis along the Z direction. Alternatively, the bundling device 6C and the individual photographing unit 5 may be mounted on a self-propelled moving device that moves relative to the workpieces B held in a lattice pattern.

[0113] Furthermore, the bundling system 1D of this embodiment is a stationary bundling system that is placed or fixedly installed in an indoor work space. Therefore, unlike outdoor work bundling systems, bundling work can be performed without being affected by weather or the outdoor environment. Furthermore, since there is no need for equipment that is waterproof, dustproof, high-temperature, low-temperature, or other measures to withstand harsh outdoor environments, it can be equipped with equipment for precision work indoors, and precise bundling work can be performed on the workpiece B. However, it is also possible to eliminate these advantages and configure a bundling system equipped with the features of this embodiment for an outdoor-use bundling system.

[0114] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2024-013045) filed on January 31, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0115] This prevents multiple intersections of each rebar that makes up the workpiece from being bound by the binding body in only the same direction, reducing the gaps between the rebars and achieving a strong binding.

[0116] 1D Binding system 31 First camera (intersection information acquisition means) 51 Second camera (intersection information acquisition means) 6C Binding device 7D Control device 72 Operation unit 76D Storage unit 761D Binding processing program 77D Control unit P Intersection S Reinforcing bar B Work W Wire (binding body)

Claims

1. A binding system for workpieces in which multiple reinforcing bars intersect with each other to form multiple intersections, which uses a moving binding device to bind the multiple intersections, and which is equipped with a control unit that binds at least one other intersection different from the intersection formed by the one reinforcing bar and the other reinforcing bar in one of the reinforcing bars and at least one other intersection different from the intersection formed by the one reinforcing bar and the other reinforcing bar in the other reinforcing bar with the binding element in a direction different from the intersection formed by the one reinforcing bar and the other reinforcing bar.

2. The binding system of claim 1, wherein the control unit binds the binding body along a direction that is closer to being parallel to a straight line connecting the intersection located at the corner of the working area and the center of the working area, when an intersection having two other adjacent intersections is located at the corner of the working area among all the intersections within the working area in which the binding device can move.

3. The binding system described in claim 2, wherein the control unit binds at least one of the two intersections adjacent to the intersection located at a corner of the work area, among the multiple intersections within the work area for the work, with the binding body along the same direction as the intersection located at the corner of the work area.

4. The binding system of claim 2, wherein the control unit, when determining that an intersection located on the outer edge of the work area is an intersection of the multiple intersections within the work area for the work that has three or fewer adjacent intersections, binds the intersection located on the outer edge of the work area with the binding body in a direction that is more nearly parallel to the straight line connecting the intersection and the center of the work area.

5. The bundling system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit binds the bundling body in a direction different from that of all other adjacent intersections with respect to the intersection.

6. A bundling system according to claim 1, comprising: a bundling device that binds the intersections with the bundling bodies; and an intersection information acquisition means that is attached to the bundling device and acquires information about the intersections.

7. A bundling processing program that causes a computer to control a bundling system that uses a moving bundling device to bundling multiple intersections of a workpiece where multiple reinforcing bars intersect with each other, to realize the function of controlling the bundling of at least one other intersection different from the intersection formed by the one reinforcing bar and the other reinforcing bar in one of the reinforcing bars and at least one other intersection different from the intersection formed by the one reinforcing bar and the other reinforcing bar in the other reinforcing bar, in a direction different from the intersection formed by the one reinforcing bar and the other reinforcing bar.

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