Item moving system

Abstract

An article moving system moves a portion of articles from an article group, and the amount of the moved articles is unlikely to deviate. The article moving system (100) moves a portion of articles (A) from an article group (A1). The article moving system comprises: a loading section (50) for loading the article group; a gripping member (32) for gripping the articles; and a robot (10). The robot moves the gripping member, inserts the gripping member into the article group loaded on the loading section, and separates the gripping member holding the article from the loading section toward a first direction (D1). When separating the gripping member holding the article from the loading section toward the first direction, the robot moves the gripping member toward a direction (D2) different from the first direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article moving system for moving a portion of articles from a group of articles. Background Art

[0002] As shown in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-3182), the following article moving system is known: a holding component is inserted into an article group placed on a loading portion, the holding component holds a portion of the articles in the article group, and the holding component holding the articles is separated from the loading portion, thereby moving the articles from the loading portion. Summary of the invention

[0003] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0004] In such an article moving system, there is a possibility of handling various articles. For example, in the article moving system, there are cases where articles that are easily connected to each other, such as sticky articles and long articles, are handled. With respect to such articles, if a part of the articles in the article group is held by a holding member, there is a possibility that the held article is connected to an article that is not fully held.

[0005] Therefore, for example, when a substantially fixed predetermined amount of articles is taken out from an article group and moved by a gripping member, there is a risk of moving more articles than the predetermined amount. Therefore, in the conventional article moving system disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-3182), the amount of articles moved from the loading portion by the gripping member is prone to deviation.

[0006] The technical problem of the present invention is to provide an article moving system which moves a part of articles from an article group and in which the amount of the moved articles is unlikely to vary.

[0007] Solutions for solving technical problems

[0008] The article moving system of the first viewpoint moves a part of articles from an article group. The article moving system comprises a loading portion, a holding component, a first driving portion, and a second driving portion. The article group is loaded on the loading portion. The holding component holds the article. The first driving portion moves at least one of the holding component and the loading portion, inserts the holding component into the article group loaded on the loading portion, and separates the holding component holding the article from the loading portion toward a first direction. The second driving portion moves the holding component in a direction different from the first direction when the first driving portion separates the holding component holding the article from the loading portion toward the first direction.

[0009] In the article moving system of the first aspect, when the holding member holds a part of the articles in the article group on the placement section and moves the articles from the article group, the holding member moves in a direction different from the first direction of separation from the placement section. Thus, in the article moving system, it is easy to separate the articles held by the holding member from the articles in the article group on the placement section connected to the articles, so that the amount of the articles moved by the holding member is unlikely to have a large deviation.

[0010] The article moving system of the second viewpoint is the article moving system of the first viewpoint, wherein the second driving unit causes the holding member holding the article to move in a direction different from the first direction by rotating the holding member around the rotation axis with the first direction as the rotation axis direction when the first driving unit causes the holding member to move away from the placing member in the first direction. Preferably, the second driving unit causes the holding member to move in a direction different from the first direction by rotating the holding member around the rotation axis by more than 45°.

[0011] In the article moving system of the second aspect, the holding member rotates more than 45 degrees around the rotation axis extending along the first direction, so that it is easy to separate the article held by the holding member from the article in the article group connected to the placing portion of the article. Therefore, in the article moving system, it is difficult for the amount of articles moved by the holding member to have a large deviation.

[0012] The article moving system of the third aspect is the article moving system of the first aspect or the second aspect, wherein the first driving unit moves at least one of the holding member and the placing portion and brings the holding member and the placing portion close to each other to a first distance, thereby inserting the holding member into the article group. The second driving unit moves the holding member holding the article in a direction different from the first direction after the first driving unit separates the holding member and the placing portion from each other to a second distance greater than the first distance.

[0013] In the article moving system of the third aspect, after the holding member is separated from the placing portion to a certain extent, the holding member moves in a direction different from the first direction. Therefore, in the article moving system, it is easy to separate the article held by the holding member from the articles in the article group connected to the placing portion of the article, so that the amount of articles moved by the holding member is unlikely to have a large deviation.

[0014] According to a fourth aspect, in the article moving system according to the third aspect, the first drive unit moves the holding member holding the article away from the placement portion by a third distance greater than the second distance after the second drive unit moves the holding member in a direction different from the first direction.

[0015] In the article moving system of the fourth aspect, after the holding member is moved in a direction different from the first direction, the holding member and the placing portion are further separated to a third distance. Therefore, after the holding member is separated to the third distance, it is difficult to cause the defect of the article accidentally falling from the holding member.

[0016] In the article moving system of the fifth aspect, in any one of the article moving systems of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, the second driving unit moves the holding member in a direction orthogonal to the first direction when the first driving unit separates the holding member holding the article from the placing portion in the first direction.

[0017] In the article moving system of the fifth aspect, it is easy to separate the article held by the holding member from the articles in the article group connected to the placement portion of the article, so that the amount of articles moved by the holding member is unlikely to vary greatly.

[0018] Effects of the Invention

[0019] In the article moving system of the present invention, it is easy to separate the article held by the holding member from the article group connected to the placement portion of the article, so that the amount of articles moved by the holding member is unlikely to vary greatly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an article moving system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Block diagram of the item movement system.

[0022] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic side view of a gripper of an article ejection device.

[0023] Figure 4A Viewed from the grip side Figure 3 A bottom view of a gripper of the present invention is shown, depicting a gripping component located at a remote position before gripping an object or after releasing the grip of the object.

[0024] Figure 4B Viewed from the grip side Figure 3 A bottom view of a gripper is shown depicting the gripping components in an approximate position when gripping an item.

[0025] Figure 4C Viewed from the grip side Figure 3 A bottom view of the gripper of the embodiment of FIG. 1 depicts the gripping member in a state where the object is held. Figure 4B The state depicted in the state of rotation.

[0026] Figure 5A It is used to illustrate Figure 1 Schematic side view of the main parts of the article moving system, depicting the initial state before the gripper grips the article.

[0027] Figure 5B It is used to illustrate Figure 1 The operation of the article moving system is a schematic side view of the main parts of the article moving system, depicting a state in which a gripping member of a gripper is moved to a first position and inserted into an article group in order to grip an article.

[0028] Figure 5C It is used to illustrate Figure 1 1 is a schematic side view of a main part of the article moving system showing the operation of the article moving system, and depicts a state in which a holding member for holding an article is moved to a second position.

[0029] Figure 5D It is used to illustrate Figure 1 The schematic side view of the main part of the article moving system depicts the state in which the holding component holding the article is moved to the third position after being rotated 90° around the rotation axis R (after the separation action).

[0030] Figure 5E It is used to illustrate Figure 1 The operation of the article moving system is a schematic side view of the main parts of the article moving system, depicting the state in which the gripper is moved onto the conveyor.

[0031] Fig. 5F It is used to illustrate Figure 1 The operation of the article moving system is a schematic side view of the main parts of the article moving system, depicting a state in which the gripping component releases the grip of the article and the article is placed on the conveyor.

[0032] Figure 6 It is used to illustrate Figure 1 A flowchart of an example of the operation of the article moving system.

[0033] Figure 7 This is a diagram for explaining another example of the separation operation of the gripping member of the article moving system according to Modification B.

[0034] Figure 8 This is a diagram for explaining still another example of the separation operation of the gripping member of the article moving system according to Modification B.

[0035] Fig. 9 This is a schematic side view of the main part of the article moving system of Modification C that moves a holding member that holds an article from a placing portion diagonally upward.

[0036] Fig. 10A This is a flowchart for explaining another example of the operation of the article moving system according to Modification D.

[0037] Fig. 10B This is a flowchart for explaining another example of the operation of the article moving system according to Modification D.

[0038] Fig. 10C This is a flowchart for explaining another example of the operation of the article moving system according to Modification D.

[0039] Fig. 10D This is a flowchart for explaining another example of the operation of the article moving system according to Modification D.

[0040] Fig.11 This is a schematic diagram of a combined weighing system as an example of an article moving system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Fig.12 yes Fig.11 Block diagram of the combined metering system.

[0042] Fig.13 This is a schematic diagram of the article moving system of variant example G.

[0043] Fig.14 yes Fig.13 Block diagram of the item movement system.

[0044] Fig.15 It is a schematic diagram of the article moving system of modification example H.

[0045] Fig.16 yes Fig.15 Block diagram of the item movement system.

[0046] Fig.17 It is used to illustrate Fig.15 A flowchart of an example of the operation of the article moving system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Hereinafter, an article moving system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0048] (1)Overview

[0049] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The outline of the article moving system 100 will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the article moving system 100 . Figure 2 is a block diagram of the item moving system 100 .

[0050] The article moving system 100 is a system that moves some articles A from an article group A1 that is a collection of articles A. In the present embodiment, the article moving system 100 moves some articles A taken out from the article group A1 into a container C conveyed by the conveyor 60 .

[0051] However, the destination of the movement of the article A by the article moving system 100 is not limited to the container C. The article moving system 100 may also move a portion of the articles A taken out from the article group A1 directly to the conveyor 60. In addition, the article moving system 100 may also put a portion of the articles A taken out from the article group A1 into a funnel-shaped discharge chute (not shown). The articles A discharged from the discharge chute are, for example, packaged in a bag or stored in a container in a subsequent process of the article moving system 100 and shipped as commodities.

[0052] The article moving system 100 mainly includes a robot 10, a movable member 20, a gripper 30, a placing unit 50, and a control unit 70 (see Figure 1 and Figure 2 ). The control unit 70 controls the operation of each unit of the article moving system 100. The following is a brief description of their structures.

[0053] The loading section 50 loads an article group A1 which is a collection of articles A. Article A is, for example, food, which is not a limited article. Although not limited, article A is, for example, a highly sticky food containing a large amount of sugar, gluten, etc. (for example, Tsukudani kelp). In addition, article A is a long food such as pasta. Highly sticky food and long food are articles that are easily connected to each other.

[0054] The movable member 20 is equipped with a gripper 30. The gripper 30 has a gripper 32 for gripping the article A. The robot 10 moves the movable member 20 to which the gripper 30 is mounted. The control unit 70 controls the operation of various components of the article moving system 100 including the gripper driving mechanism 34 and the robot 10. The gripper driving mechanism 34 drives the gripper 32 to grip the article A, and also to release the gripper 32 from gripping the article A.

[0055] The operation of the article moving system 100 will be briefly described.

[0056] The control unit 70 controls the operation of the robot 10 to move the movable member 20 on which the gripper 30 is mounted, so that the gripper 30 approaches the loading portion 50 on which the article group A1 is loaded, and the gripping member 32 of the gripper 30 is inserted into the article group A1 loaded on the loading portion 50. The control unit 70 controls the gripping member driving mechanism 34 of the gripper 30 to cause the gripping member 32 of the gripper 30 to grip a part of the article A in the article group A1 loaded on the loading portion 50. Next, the control unit 70 controls the operation of the robot 10 to move the movable member 20, so that the gripping member 32 of the gripper 30 gripping the article A is separated from the loading portion 50 in the first direction D1. At this time, the control unit 70 controls the operation of the robot 10 to cause the gripping member 32 to move in the second direction D2 different from the first direction D1. The gripping member 32 moves in the second direction D2, thereby facilitating the separation of the article A gripped by the gripping member 32 from the articles A in the article group A1. For the sake of simplicity, the action of the robot 10 moving the gripping member 32 in the second direction D2 (by moving the movable member 20) is sometimes referred to as a separation action. Furthermore, the control unit 70 controls the action of the robot 10 to move the movable member 20 on which the gripper 30 is mounted, thereby moving the gripper 30 gripping the article A toward the top of the container C placed on the conveyor 60. Then, the control unit 70 controls the gripping member driving mechanism 34 to release the gripping of the article A by the gripping member 32, thereby placing the article A in the container C. In this way, the article A of the article moving system 100 is moved.

[0057] (2) Detailed structure

[0058] Main reference Figure 1 to Figure 4C The detailed structure of the article moving system 100 will be described. Figure 3 It is a schematic side view of the gripper 30 . Figure 4A to Figure 4C This is a bottom view of the gripper 30 as viewed from below. In other words, Figure 4A to Figure 4C This is a bottom view of the gripper 30 as viewed from the gripping member 32 side. In particular, Figure 4A The gripping member 32 of the gripper 30 is depicted before gripping the article A or after gripping the article A is released. Figure 4B The gripping member 32 of the gripper 30 is depicted when gripping the article A (the article A is omitted from illustration). Figure 4C The holding member 32 (the article A is omitted in the illustration) holding the article A is depicted as being moved from Figure 4B The state depicted in the figure is a rotated state.

[0059] (2-1) Movable parts

[0060] The movable member 20 is a member to which the gripper 30 is attached (see Figure 1The movable member 20 is a frame that supports the gripper 30. The movable member 20 is a movable (movable) member that is moved by the robot 10.

[0061] Here, the description that the gripper 30 is attached to the movable member 20 is not limited to the form in which the gripper 30 is directly attached to the movable member 20. The description that the gripper 30 is attached to the movable member 20 includes the form in which the gripper 30 is attached to the movable member 20 via other members.

[0062] (2-2)Holder

[0063] The gripper 30 is a device for gripping the object A.

[0064] Each gripper 30 includes a gripping member 32 and a gripping member driving mechanism 34 (see Figure 1 and Figure 2 The gripping member driving mechanism 34 drives the gripping member 32 using, for example, a motor or fluid pressure as a driving source.

[0065] In this embodiment, the gripping member 32 is a rod-shaped or finger-shaped member (see Figure 3 The holder 30 has a plurality of ( Figure 3 (3 in total) holding parts 32. In addition, Figure 3 The number and shape of the gripping members 32 depicted in the drawings are merely examples and can be changed as appropriate.

[0066] When the gripper 30 is viewed from the gripping member 32 side, the gripper 30 is formed in a substantially circular shape (see Figure 4A In the present embodiment, when the gripper 30 is viewed from the gripping member 32 side, a plurality of gripping members 32 are arranged in a circumferential direction (see Figure 4A In particular, when the gripper 30 is viewed from the gripping member 32 side, a plurality of gripping members 32 are arranged at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction. When the gripper 30 is viewed from the gripping member 32 side, the gripping member 32 is movable in the radial direction. The gripper 30 is configured to hold the gripping members 32 (refer to FIG. 1 ) at positions separated from each other (referred to as remote positions). Figure 4A ) The holding member driving mechanism 34 moves radially inward and moves the holding member to a position close to each other (referred to as a close position) (refer to Figure 4B ), so that the plurality of gripping members 32 grip the article A. In addition, the gripper 30 causes the gripping members 32 (see Figure 4B ) by moving the holding member drive mechanism 34 outward in the radial direction and moving it to the remote position (refer to Figure 4A ), thereby releasing the grip of the holding component 32 on the object A.

[0067] (2-3) Robot

[0068] The robot 10 is a device that supports the movable member 20 and moves the movable member 20. Although not limited to this, the robot 10 is a multi-axis (for example, 6-axis) robot.

[0069] The robot 10 functions as a first driving unit. In other words, the robot 10 moves the movable member 20, thereby moving the gripping member 32 of the gripper 30 mounted on the movable member 20, so that the gripping member 32 is inserted into the article group A1 placed on the loading portion 50. Specifically, the robot 10 moves the movable member 20 disposed at a predetermined position toward vertically downward, thereby moving the gripping member 32 of the gripper 30 disposed above the article group A1 placed on the loading portion 50 toward vertically downward, thereby inserting the gripping member 32 into the article group A1. In addition, the robot 10 separates the gripping member 32 holding the article A from the loading portion 50 toward the first direction D1. Specifically, the robot 10 moves the movable member 20 disposed at a predetermined position toward vertically upward, thereby moving the gripping member 32 holding the article A toward vertically upward, thereby separating the gripping member 32 from the loading portion 50. Vertically upward is an example of the first direction D1.

[0070] In addition, the robot 10 functions as a second driving unit. In other words, when the robot 10 functions as a first driving unit and causes the gripping member 32 holding the article A to separate from the mounting portion 50 toward the first direction D1, the gripping member 32 moves in a second direction D2 that is different from the first direction D1. Specifically, when the robot 10 causes the gripping member 32 holding the article A to separate from the mounting portion 50 toward the first direction D1, the gripping member 32 moves about the rotation axis R (see FIG. 1 ) with the first direction D1 as the rotation axis direction. Figure 3 Specifically, the robot 10 rotates the gripping member 32 about a rotation axis R extending in the vertical direction through the approximate center of the gripper 30 which is substantially circular when viewed from above, so that the gripping member 32 moves in a second direction D2 which is different from the first direction D1. Figure 4B The grasping member 32 is depicted before being moved in the second direction D2. Figure 4C The gripping member 32 is depicted after being moved toward the second direction D2. The timing at which the robot 10 moves the gripping member 32 toward the second direction D2 will be described later.

[0071] In the present embodiment, the robot 10 is not limited to the above-mentioned six-axis multi-axis robot, and the robot 10 may be any device as long as it can move the gripping member 32 (movable member 20) in the manner described here.

[0072] In addition, the functions of the robot 10 described here may also be realized by a plurality of devices. For example, the article moving system 100 may also include a device for linearly moving the gripping member 32 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and a device for rotating the gripping member 32 around the rotation axis R instead of the robot 10. In addition, for example, the article moving system 100 may also include a device for linearly moving the gripping member 32 in the vertical direction, a device for linearly moving the movable member 20 in the horizontal direction, and a device for rotating the gripping member 32 around the rotation axis R instead of the robot 10.

[0073] (2-4) Loading section

[0074] The article group A1 is placed on the placement section 50. The placement section 50 includes an article group storage container 52 storing the articles A (article group A1). The article group A1 is placed on a placement surface 52a (here, the bottom surface of the article group storage container 52) of the placement section 50. The gripper 30 grips a portion of the articles A from the article group A1 stored in the article group storage container 52.

[0075] In the present embodiment, the article group storage container 52 is a rectangular parallelepiped container with an upper opening. In the present embodiment, the loading unit 50 is configured such that if the amount of articles A stored in the article group storage container 52 decreases, a person or a machine can replace the article group storage container 52 with a new one (which stores more articles A). In addition, the loading unit 50 may also include an article supply mechanism for supplying articles A to the article group storage container 52, instead of being configured so that the article group storage container 52 can be replaced.

[0076] (2-5) Control Unit

[0077] The control unit 70 includes a CPU (not shown) and memories such as ROM and RAM. The control unit 70 is electrically connected to the robot 10 and the gripping member driving mechanism 34 (see Figure 2 ). The control unit 70 controls the operation of various structures of the article moving system 100 including the robot 10 and the gripping member driving mechanism 34 by executing the program stored in the memory through the CPU. In addition, the control unit 70 can further control the operation of the conveyor 60 that conveys the container C containing the article A. However, the operation of the conveyor 60 can also be controlled by other control units.

[0078] In addition, various functions of the control unit 70 may not be implemented by software, but may be implemented by hardware, or by a combination of hardware and software.

[0079] (3) Operation of the object movement system

[0080] Reference Figure 5A to Figure 5F and Figure 6 The operation of the article moving system 100 controlled by the control unit 70 will be described. Figure 5A to Figure 5F It is used to illustrate Figure 1 A schematic side view of the main parts of the article moving system 100 showing the operation of the article moving system 100. Figure 5A to Figure 5F In FIG. 1 , the robot 10 that moves the movable member 20 is omitted from depiction. Figure 6 This is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the article moving system 100 .

[0081] Figure 5A The initial state before the gripper 30 grips the article A is depicted. To briefly describe the state of each component in the initial state, the movable member 20 is arranged at a predetermined position (initial position) in such a manner that the gripping member 32 of the gripper 30 is arranged above the article group storage container 52 of the placement section 50 and outside the article group storage container 52. Figure 4A Configuration shown in remote location.

[0082] When the article moving system 100 is in operation, the control unit 70 controls the robot 10 to move the movable member 20 from the initial position toward the vertical downward direction, so that the gripper 30 is close to the loading portion 50 (refer to step S1). Specifically, the control unit 70 controls the movement of the robot 10 to move the movable member 20 toward the vertical downward direction (refer to step S2). Figure 5B ) so that the gripping part 32 of the gripper 30 is arranged in a first position capable of gripping the article A in the article group storage container 52. In other words, the control unit 70 controls the movement of the robot 10 to move the movable part 20 vertically downward, so that at least a portion of the gripping part 32 is inserted into the article group A1. For example, the control unit 70 controls the movement of the robot 10 to move the movable part 20 vertically downward, so that the distance between the gripping part 32 and the loading part 50 is close to a prescribed distance, so that at least a portion of the gripping part 32 (for example, about half the length of the gripping part 32) is inserted into the article group A1. Specifically, the control unit 70 controls the movement of the robot 10 to move the movable part 20 vertically downward, so that the distance between the top end 32t of the gripping part 32 and the loading surface 52a of the article group storage container 52 of the loading part 50 is close to a first distance L1, so that at least a portion of the gripping part 32 is inserted into the article group A1 (refer to Figure 5B ).

[0083] Next, in step S2 , the control unit 70 controls the gripping member driving mechanism 34 of the gripper 30 so that the gripping member 32 grips the article A.

[0084] Next, the control unit 70 controls the robot 10 to move the movable part 20 while the gripping part 32 of the gripper 30 is holding the article A, thereby separating the gripping part 32 of the gripper 30 from the placing part 50 in the first direction D1 (refer to step S3). Here, the first direction D1 is vertically upward. In step S3, the control unit 70 controls the movement of the robot 10 to move the gripping part 32 vertically upward to the second position, thereby separating the distance between the top end 32t of the gripping part 32 and the placing surface 52a of the placing part 50 in the first direction D1 by the second distance L2 (refer to Figure 5C ). The second distance L2 is a distance greater than the first distance L1. Preferably, at the second position, the top end 32t of the holding member 32 is arranged at a position higher than the article group A1 placed on the placement portion 50. More preferably, at the second position, the top end 32t of the holding member 32 is arranged at a position higher than the article group A1 placed on the placement portion 50 and is arranged near the article group A1. If the holding member 32 is moved to the second position, the control unit 70 temporarily stops the vertical upward movement of the movable member 20 of the robot 10 (in other words, the movement of the holding member 32 in the first direction D1).

[0085] Next, the control unit 70 causes the robot 10 to perform a separation action. In other words, the control unit 70 controls the robot 10 to cause the holding component 32 to move toward a second direction D2 that is different from the first direction D1 (refer to step S4). Specifically, the control unit 70 controls the robot 10 to cause the movable component 20 to rotate around the rotation axis R extending in the vertical direction, thereby causing the holding component 32 to rotate around the rotation axis R by a predetermined angle, thereby causing the holding component 32 to move toward a second direction D2 that is different from the first direction D1. Here, since the holding component 32 rotates around the rotation axis R extending in the first direction D1, the second direction D2 is a direction orthogonal to the first direction D1. In step S4, the robot 10 causes the holding component 32 to rotate more than 45° around the rotation axis R. Preferably, the robot 10 causes the holding component 32 to rotate more than 90° around the rotation axis R. More preferably, the robot 10 causes the holding component 32 to rotate about the rotation axis R by about 180°.

[0086] In this way, the gripping member 32 moves in the second direction D2 different from the first direction D1, thereby making it easy to separate the article A gripped by the gripping member 32 from the article A1 placed on the placement unit 50. Therefore, when the gripping member 32 takes out the article A from the article group A1 and moves it, it is possible to suppress the article A that the gripping member 32 is not gripping from moving together with the article A that the gripping member 32 is gripping. In addition, when the gripping member 32 takes out the article A from the article group A1 and moves it, it is possible to suppress the article A that the gripping member 32 is gripping from being pulled by the article A that is not gripping and falling. For example, in an experiment conducted by the inventor of the present application, the gripping member 32 was rotated about the rotation axis R by 180° as the separation action of the robot 10, and the occurrence of the phenomenon that the article A accidentally falls from the gripping member 32 was suppressed to less than 1 / 4. In summary, in the article moving system 100 , the gripping member 32 moves in the second direction D2 different from the first direction D1 , so it is easy to take out and move a substantially fixed amount of articles A from the article group A1 using the gripping member 32 each time.

[0087] Furthermore, when the holding member 32 is stopped for a long time at, for example, the second position described above without moving the holding member 32 in the second direction D2, it is also possible to expect that the articles A not held by the holding member 32 will fall due to their own weight to a certain extent. With such a configuration, it is possible to achieve a certain degree of uniformity in the amount of articles A moved by the holding member 32. However, with such a configuration, the time required to move the articles A from the article group A1 to the container C will be prolonged, and the efficiency of the article moving system will be reduced. In contrast, in the article moving system 100, by moving the holding member 32 in the second direction D2, the efficiency of the article moving system 100 can be maintained at a high level.

[0088] After causing the robot 10 to perform the separation action (in other words, after causing the gripping member 32 to move toward the second direction D2), the control unit 70 controls the robot 10 to move the movable member 20 vertically upward, thereby causing the gripping member 32 holding the article A to move toward the third position in the first direction D1 (see step S5). When the gripping member 32 is arranged at the third position, in the first direction D1, the top end 32t of the gripping member 32 is separated from the placing surface 52a of the placing portion 50 by a third distance L3 (see step S4). Figure 5D ). The third distance L3 is a distance greater than the second distance L2.

[0089] Next, the control unit 70 controls the robot 10 to move the movable member 20, thereby moving the holding member 32 holding the article A toward the upper side of the container C of the conveyor 60 (see Figure 5E and step S6).

[0090] Next, the control unit 70 controls the gripping member driving mechanism 34 of the gripper 30 to cause the gripping member 32 to release the grip of the article A and place the article A in the container C (see Fig. 5F and step S7).

[0091] Then, the control unit 70 controls the robot 10 to move the movable member 20 toward the initial position ( Figure 5A The device moves to the position depicted in FIG. 1 (see step S8).

[0092] When the article moving system 100 is operating, the article moving system 100 repeatedly performs a series of actions (actions from step S1 to step S8 ).

[0093] (4) Features

[0094] (4-1)

[0095] The article moving system 100 of the above-mentioned embodiment moves a part of articles A from the article group A1. The article moving system 100 includes: a loading section 50 for loading the article group A1; a holding member 32 for holding the article A; and a robot 10. The robot 10 functions as a first drive section and a second drive section. The robot 10 moves the holding member 32, inserts the holding member 32 into the article group A1 loaded on the loading section 50, and separates the holding member 32 holding the article A from the loading section 50 toward the first direction D1. In the present embodiment, the first direction D1 is vertically upward. When the robot 10 separates the holding member 32 holding the article A from the loading section 50 toward the first direction D1, the robot 10 moves the holding member 32 in a direction different from the first direction D1.

[0096] In the article moving system 100, when the holding member 32 holds a part of the articles A in the article group A1 on the placement section 50 and moves the articles A from the article group A1, the holding member 32 moves in the second direction D2 which is different from the first direction D1 which separates the articles A from the placement section 50. Thus, in the article moving system 100, it is easy to separate the articles A held by the holding member 32 from the articles A in the article group A1 on the placement section 50 connected to the articles A, and it is difficult for the amount of the articles A moved by the holding member 32 to have a large deviation.

[0097] (4-2)

[0098] In the article moving system 100 of the above embodiment, when the robot 10 separates the holding member 32 holding the article A from the placing portion 50 toward the first direction D1, the robot 10 rotates the holding member 32 about the rotation axis R with the first direction D1 as the rotation axis direction, thereby causing the holding member 32 to move toward a direction different from the first direction D1. Preferably, the robot 10 rotates the holding member 32 about the rotation axis R by more than 45°, thereby causing the holding member 32 to move toward a second direction D2 different from the first direction D1. More preferably, the robot 10 rotates the holding member 32 about the rotation axis R by more than 90°, thereby causing the holding member 32 to move toward the second direction D2 different from the first direction D1.

[0099] In the article moving system 100, the holding member 32 rotates more than 45° around the rotation axis R extending along the first direction D1, so that the article A held by the holding member 32 can be easily separated from the articles A in the article group A1 connected to the placement portion 50 for the articles A. Therefore, in the article moving system 100, the amount of the articles A moved by the holding member 32 is unlikely to vary greatly.

[0100] (4-3)

[0101] In the article moving system 100 of the above-described embodiment, the robot 10 moves the gripping member 32 so that the gripping member 32 and the placing section 50 are close to each other by the first distance L1, thereby inserting the gripping member 32 into the article group A1. More specifically, the robot 10 moves the gripping member 32 so that the tip 32t of the gripping member 32 and the placing surface 52a of the placing section 50 are close to each other by the first distance L1, thereby inserting the gripping member 32 into the article group A1. After the gripping member 32 holding the article A is separated from the placing section 50 by the second distance L2 that is greater than the first distance L1, the robot 10 moves the gripping member 32 in a direction different from the first direction D1. More specifically, after the tip 32t of the gripping member 32 holding the article A is separated from the placing surface 52a of the placing section 50 by the second distance L2, the robot 10 moves the gripping member 32 in a direction different from the first direction D1.

[0102] In the article moving system 100, after the holding member 32 is separated from the placement section 50 to a certain extent, the holding member 32 moves in a direction different from the first direction D1. Therefore, in the article moving system 100, it is easy to separate the article A held by the holding member 32 from the article A in the article group A1 of the placement section 50 connected to the article A. Therefore, in the article moving system 100, the amount of the article A moved by the holding member 32 is unlikely to vary greatly.

[0103] (4-4)

[0104] In the article moving system 100 of the above embodiment, the robot 10 moves the gripping member 32 toward a direction different from the first direction D1, and then separates the gripping member 32 holding the article A from the placing portion 50 by a third distance L3 greater than the second distance L2. More specifically, the robot 10 moves the gripping member 32 toward a direction different from the first direction D1, and then separates the tip 32t of the gripping member 32 holding the article A from the placing surface 52a of the placing portion 50 by the third distance L3.

[0105] In the article moving system 100, after the holding member 32 is moved in a direction different from the first direction D1, the holding member 32 and the placing portion 50 are further separated to the third distance L3. Therefore, in the article moving system 100, after the holding member 32 is separated to the third distance L3, the defect of the article A accidentally falling from the holding member 32 is unlikely to occur.

[0106] (4-5)

[0107] In the article moving system 100 of the above embodiment, the robot 10 moves the holding member 32 toward the second direction D2 orthogonal to the first direction D1 when the holding member 32 holding the article A is separated from the placing portion 50 toward the first direction D1. Specifically, when the robot 10 moves the holding member 32 holding the article A toward the first direction D1, the robot 10 rotates the holding member 32 about the rotation axis R extending along the first direction D1, thereby moving toward the second direction D2 orthogonal to the first direction D1.

[0108] In the article moving system 100 , it is easy to separate the articles A held by the holding member 32 from the articles A in the article group A1 connected to the placement portion 50 for the articles A, so that the amount of articles A moved by the holding member 32 is unlikely to vary greatly.

[0109] (5) Modification

[0110] Modifications of the above-described embodiment are described below. In addition, part or all of the contents of each modification example may be combined with the contents of the above-described embodiment or the contents of other modifications within a range that does not contradict each other.

[0111] (5-1) Modification A

[0112] The type of the gripper 30 in the above embodiment is just an example, and various types of grippers can be used as the gripper of the present disclosure. For example, the gripper can grip the article A by moving a pair of gripping members in parallel so as to approach each other.

[0113] (5-2) Modification B

[0114] In the above embodiment, the robot 10 as the second driving unit rotates the movable member 20 around the rotation axis R extending in the first direction D1, thereby moving the holding member 32 in the second direction D2 different from the first direction D1. However, the form in which the robot 10 as the second driving unit moves the holding member 32 is not limited to the form in the above embodiment.

[0115] For example, it can also be Figure 6 In step S4 of the flowchart of FIG. 1 , the robot 10 as the second driving unit moves the movable member 20 linearly in a direction intersecting the first direction D1, thereby causing the holding member 32 to move in a third direction D3 intersecting the first direction D1. For example, the robot 10 may move the movable member 20 in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the first direction D1, thereby causing the holding member 32 to move from Figure 7 The position indicated by the solid line in the figure is oriented Figure 7 The first direction D1 moves toward a third direction D3 that is orthogonal to the first direction D1 from a position indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0116] Alternatively, for example, the robot 10 as the second driving unit may be Figure 6 In step S4 of the flowchart of FIG. 1 , the movable member 20 is rotated in the side view, so that the holding member 32 moves toward a fourth direction D4 different from the first direction D1. For example, the robot 10 may move in the following manner: Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , the movable member 20 is rotated about the rotation axis R1 extending in the horizontal direction, so that the holding member 32 is moved from Figure 8 The position indicated by the solid line in the figure is oriented Figure 8 The main body moves toward a fourth direction D4 different from the first direction D1, from a position indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0117] Alternatively, the robot 10 as the second driving unit may operate the holding member 32 in a manner in which the operations of the holding member 32 in the second direction D2 to the fourth direction D4 described above are combined.

[0118] (5-3) Modification C

[0119] In the above embodiment, the first direction D1 is vertically upward, but the first direction D1 is not limited to vertically upward. Fig. 9 As shown in FIG. 1 , the robot 10 as the first driving unit moves the movable member 20 obliquely upward, thereby moving the holding member 32 toward the first direction D1′ (obliquely upward). Fig. 9As shown, the robot 10 as the first driving unit moves the movable member 20 in a direction orthogonal to the placement surface 52a of the article group storage container 52 of the inclined placement unit 50, thereby moving the holding member 32 toward the first direction D1′. In addition, the robot 10 as the second driving unit may rotate the holding member 32 around the rotation axis R′ with the first direction D1′ as the rotation axis direction, thereby moving the holding member 32 toward the second direction D2′ different from the first direction D1′.

[0120] (5-4) Modification D

[0121] In the above embodiment, the robot 10 as the first driving unit moves the movable member 20 vertically upward and moves the holding member 32 toward the second position (see FIG. 1 ) in the first direction D1 so as to be separated from the placing portion 50. Figure 5C ) after the movement, the movement of the holding member 32 toward the first direction D1 is temporarily stopped. Thereafter, the robot 10 as the second driving unit moves the holding member 32 toward the second direction D2 different from the first direction D1.

[0122] However, when the robot 10 as the first drive unit moves the gripping member 32 holding the article A away from the placement unit 50 in the first direction D1 , the timing at which the robot 10 as the second drive unit moves the gripping member 32 in the second direction D2 is not limited to the above timing.

[0123] For example, it can also be Fig. 10A As shown in the flowchart, before the control unit 70 moves the holding member 32 from the first position toward the first direction D1, the control unit 70 controls the robot 10 to rotate the movable member 20, thereby causing the holding member 32 to move toward a second direction D2 that is different from the first direction D1. In other words, the control unit 70 may control the robot 10 to rotate the movable member 20 when the distance between the top end 32t of the holding member 32 and the loading surface 52a of the article group storage container 52 is the first distance L1, thereby causing the holding member 32 to move toward the second direction D2 that is different from the first direction D1. In short, Figure 6 In the flowchart of , the process of step S4 may also be performed before the process of step S3. In this case, after step S3, the holding member 32 remains stationary for a period of time (eg, several seconds) at the second position.

[0124] Furthermore, when the holding member 32 is moved toward the second direction D2 before being moved from the first position toward the first direction D1, Fig. 10A The process of step S3 is omitted in the flowchart of Fig. 10BAs shown in the flowchart, after controlling the robot 10 to move the holding part 32 toward the second direction D2, the control unit 70 further controls the robot 10 to move the movable part 20 vertically upward, thereby moving the holding part 32 from the first position toward the third position (without stopping at the second position).

[0125] In addition, for example, Fig. 10C As shown in the flowchart, the control unit 70 simultaneously executes Figure 6 The processing of step S3 and step S4 (see Fig. 10C In other words, the control unit 70 may control the movement of the robot 10 in such a manner that the gripping member 32 moves not only in the first direction D1 but also in the second direction D2, wherein the robot 10 moves the movable member 20 on which the gripper 30 is mounted. In addition, the timing of the start / completion of the movement of the gripping member 32 in the first direction D1 in step S3a may be inconsistent with the timing of starting / ending the movement of the gripping member 32 in the second direction D2. In this case, after step S3a, the gripping member 32 remains stationary at the second position for a period of time (e.g., several seconds).

[0126] In addition, for example, Fig. 10D As shown in the flowchart, the control unit 70 simultaneously executes Figure 6 The processing of step S4 and step S5 (see Fig. 10D In other words, the control unit 70 may control the movement of the robot 10 in such a manner that the holding member 32 moves not only in the first direction D1 but also in the second direction D2 after the holding member 32 is moved toward the second position and the movement of the holding member 32 toward the first direction D1 is temporarily stopped at the second position (for example, for several seconds), wherein the robot 10 moves the movable member 20 on which the gripper 30 is mounted. In addition, the timing of the start / completion of the movement of the holding member 32 toward the first direction D1 in step S5a may be inconsistent with the timing of starting / ending the movement of the holding member 32 toward the second direction D2.

[0127] That is, when the robot 10 as the first driving unit separates the gripping member 32 holding the article A from the placing unit 50 toward the first direction D1, the robot 10 as the second driving unit can select the following various timings to move the gripping member 32 toward the second direction D2. In addition, the robot 10 as the second driving unit can also move the gripping member 32 toward the second direction D2 at multiple timings among the timings shown below.

[0128] Before the holding member 32 holding the article A starts to separate from the placement portion 50 in the first direction D1

[0129] When the holding member 32 holding the article A moves in the first direction D1 from the first position to the second position

[0130] When the holding member 32 holding the article A moves toward the second position in the first direction D1 and then temporarily stops moving in the first direction D1

[0131] When the holding member 32 holding the article A moves from the second position to the third position in the first direction D1

[0132] (5-5) Modification E

[0133] Although a single gripping member 32 is mounted on the movable member 20 in the article moving system 100 of the above embodiment, a plurality of gripping members 32 may be mounted on the movable member 20 in the article moving system of the present invention.

[0134] At this time, the robot 10 as the second driving unit may rotate the movable member 20 so that the gripping members 32 of the plurality of grippers 30 simultaneously move in the second direction D2 different from the first direction D1. Alternatively, the article moving system may include a rotating device independent of the robot 10 in each of the plurality of grippers 30 that rotates the grippers 30 around a rotation axis R extending in the first direction D1. Furthermore, in the article moving system 100, each rotating device may rotate the corresponding gripper 30 so that the gripping member 32 of each gripper 30 moves in the second direction D2 different from the first direction D1.

[0135] <Example of using an article moving system in which a plurality of gripping parts are attached to a movable part>

[0136] For example, an article moving system in which a plurality of holding members 32 are mounted on a movable member 20 may also be used as Fig.11 and Fig.12 A combined metering system 200 is shown. Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of a combined metering system 200 . Fig.12 is a block diagram of a combined metering system 200 .

[0137] The combination metering system 200 is a system that moves a part of the articles A from the article group A1 and discharges the moved articles A. Specifically, the combination metering system 200 is a system that takes out a part of the articles A from the article group A1 so that the weight is within the target weight range and discharges the articles A. Although not limited to this, the articles A discharged by the combination metering system 200 are packaged in a bag or stored in a container in a subsequent process of the combination metering system 200 and shipped as a product.

[0138] The combined weighing system 200 mainly includes: a robot 10, a movable member 120, a plurality of grippers 30, a plurality of weight acquisition units 40, a loading unit 50, a loading unit driving unit 54, a discharge chute 160, and a control unit 170 (see Fig.11 and Fig.12 ). The control unit 170 performs various calculations and controls the operation of each unit of the combination metering system 200.

[0139] The robot 10 and the gripper 30 are the same as the robot 10 and the gripper 30 of the above-mentioned embodiment. The movable part 120 is the same as the movable part 20 of the above-mentioned embodiment except that a plurality of grippers 30 are installed. The only difference is that the loading part 50 moves between the holding position where the gripper 30 holds the article A in the article group A1 loaded on the loading part 50 and the retreat position where the gripper 30 does not hold the article A from the article group A1 loaded on the loading part 50 by the loading part driving part 54. The plurality of weight acquisition parts 40 are respectively provided corresponding to one gripper 30, and acquire the weight value of the article A gripped by the corresponding gripper 30. The discharge chute 160 is arranged directly below the gripper 30, and the gripper 30 receives the article A after releasing the grip and discharges it. The control unit 170 controls the operation of various components of the combination weighing system 200 including the robot 10 , the gripping member driving mechanism 34 , and the placing unit driving unit 54 , and performs combination calculation of the weight values ​​of the articles A acquired by the weight acquiring unit 40 .

[0140] The operation of the combination metering system 200 will be briefly described.

[0141] The control unit 170 controls the operation of the robot 10 to move the movable member 120 disposed at the initial position vertically downward, so that the gripper 30 approaches the placing portion 50 disposed at the holding position on which the article group A1 is placed. Then, the control unit 170 controls the gripper driving mechanism 34 of each gripper 30 to make the gripper 32 of each gripper 30 grip a part of the article A in the article group A1 placed on the placing portion 50.

[0142] Next, the control unit 170 controls the movement of the robot 10 to move the movable member 120 vertically upward, thereby causing the holding members 32 of the plurality of grippers 30 holding the article A to move from the placement unit 50 toward the first direction D1. Figure 6 The action of the robot 10 may be controlled as shown in steps S4 to S6 of the flowchart.

[0143] Next, the control unit 170 moves the placement unit 50 toward the retreat position that is offset from the position directly below the gripper 30. In this state, the placement unit 50 is not disposed between the gripper 30 and the discharge chute 160.

[0144] Next, the control unit 170 controls the movement of the robot 10 to move the movable part 120 vertically downward, so that the gripper 30 approaches the discharge chute 160. At this time, each weight acquisition unit 40 acquires the weight value of the article A held by the gripper 30 corresponding to the weight acquisition unit 40. Specifically, each weight acquisition unit 40 has a force sensor and an acceleration sensor, and acquires the mass of the article A being held by the gripper 30 based on the force and acceleration measured when the gripper 30 holding the article A moves along with the movement of the movable part 120. The control unit 170 performs a combined calculation based on the weight values ​​of the article A held by the gripper 30 acquired by each weight acquisition unit 40. The combined calculation is a process of finding a combination of weight values ​​whose total value is a target weight range based on the result obtained by adding the weight values ​​of the articles A held by the grippers 30 respectively.

[0145] Furthermore, based on the result of the combination calculation, the control unit 170 causes the gripping member 32 of the gripper 30 corresponding to the combination of weight values ​​that form the target weight range to release the grip of the article A above the discharge chute 160, thereby discharging the article A within the target weight range from the discharge chute 160. In the case where there are multiple combinations of weight values ​​that form the target weight range, the control unit 170 performs the following actions multiple times for all the combinations: causes the gripping member 32 of the gripper 30 corresponding to the combination of weight values ​​that form the target weight range to release the grip of the article A above the discharge chute 160, thereby discharging the article A within the target weight range from the discharge chute 160.

[0146] When the discharge of the articles A for all the combinations of weight values ​​that fall within the target weight range is completed, the control unit 170 controls the robot 10 to return the movable member 120 to the initial position. In addition, the control unit 70 controls the placement unit driving unit 54 to return the placement unit 50 from the retreat position to the holding position directly below the gripper 30. Furthermore, if there is a gripper 30 that still holds the article A, the control unit 170 controls the gripping member driving mechanism 34 of the gripper 30 to release the gripper 30 from holding the article A, thereby causing the article A to fall toward the article group storage container 52 of the placement unit 50.

[0147] The combined metering system 200 repeatedly performs the above-mentioned operations.

[0148] (5-6) Modification F

[0149] In the above embodiment, the article moving system 100 includes one movable member 20 and one robot 10 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. The article moving system 100 may include a plurality of movable members 20 to which the grippers 30 are attached and a plurality of robots 10 for moving the movable members 20 .

[0150] (5-7) Modification G

[0151] In the above embodiment, the movable member 20 to which the gripper 30 is attached moves, whereby the gripper 32 of the gripper 30 is inserted into the article group A1 placed on the placement portion 50 and the gripper 32 holding the article A is separated from the placement portion 50 in the first direction D1. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0152] For example, Fig.13 and Fig.14 As shown, the article moving system 300 may further include a placement unit driving unit 254 that moves the placement unit 50 in the up-down direction.

[0153] Furthermore, the robot 10 of the article moving system 300 may not move the gripping member 32 in order to insert the gripping member 32 into the article group A1 placed on the placing section 50 and separate the gripping member 32 holding the article A from the placing section 50 toward the first direction D1. Instead, the control unit 270 controls the placing section driving unit 254 as the first driving unit to move the placing section 50, thereby inserting the gripping member 32 into the article group A1 placed on the placing section 50 and separating the gripping member 32 holding the article A from the placing section 50 toward the first direction D1. The control unit 270 is the same as the control unit 70 of the above-described embodiment except that the control unit 270 controls the placing section driving unit 254 to insert the gripping member 32 into the article group A1 and separate the gripping member 32 from the placing section 50 toward the first direction D1, and therefore further description thereof is omitted.

[0154] (5-8) Modification H

[0155] In the above embodiment, the robot 10 moves the movable member 20 to which the gripper 30 is attached in the horizontal direction, thereby moving the article A toward the upper part of the conveyor 60 (on the container C). In short, in the above embodiment, the article A is horizontally moved toward the upper part of the conveyor 60 by the robot 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this form, and the article A may be moved toward the upper part of the conveyor 60 by the robot 10 without moving in the horizontal direction.

[0156] Reference Figure 15 to Figure 17 And take the article moving system 400 as an example to illustrate this type of article moving system. Fig.15 is a schematic diagram of an article moving system 400 . Fig.16 is a block diagram of an item moving system 400 . Fig.17 This is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of the article moving system 400 .

[0157] Furthermore, the article moving system 400 has many similarities with the above-mentioned article moving system 100, so in order to simplify the description, the differences between the article moving system 400 and the article moving system 100 will be mainly described here, and the description of the common points will be omitted.

[0158] In the article moving system 400 , the robot 310 moves the movable member 20 only in the up-down direction. In the article moving system 400 , the conveyor 60 is arranged directly below the movable member 20 .

[0159] The article moving system 400 has a configuration in which the placing unit 50 is in the holding position P1 (see Fig.15 The placement portion 50 drawn with a solid line in FIG. 1 and the retreat position P2 (see Fig.15 The placing section driving section 354 (see Fig.16 ). The holding position P1 is a position where the gripper 30 can hold the article A in the article group A1 placed on the placing section 50. Specifically, the placing section 50 arranged at the holding position P1 is arranged directly below the movable member 20 and directly above the conveyor 60. The retreat position P2 is a position where the gripper 30 does not hold the article A from the article group A1 placed on the placing section 50. Specifically, the placing section 50 arranged at the retreat position P2 is arranged at a position that deviates from directly below the movable member 20 and deviates from directly above the conveyor 60. In other words, when the placing section 50 is arranged at the retreat position P2, there is no placing section 50 between the movable member 20 and the conveyor 60.

[0160] The robot 310, the gripping member driving mechanism 34, and the placing unit driving unit 354 are electrically connected to the control unit 370 (see Fig.16 The operations of the robot 310 , the gripping member driving mechanism 34 , and the placing unit driving unit 354 are controlled by the control unit 370 .

[0161] Reference Fig.17 An example of the operation of the article moving system 400 is described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. Fig.17 Steps S1 to S5 and Figure 6 Steps S1 to S5 in the flowchart are the same, so the description is omitted. Fig.17 During the period of step S1 to step S5, the placement unit 50 is arranged at the holding position P1.

[0162] In step S406 , the control unit 370 moves the placement unit 50 toward the retreat position P2 .

[0163] Next, in step S407 , the control unit 370 controls the robot 310 to move the movable member 20 vertically downward, thereby moving the holding member 32 holding the article A toward the vicinity of the conveyor 60 (near the container C).

[0164] Next, in step S408 , the control unit 370 controls the gripping member driving mechanism 34 of the gripper 30 to cause the gripping member 32 to release the grip of the article A, thereby placing the article A in the container C.

[0165] Next, in step S409 , the control unit 370 controls the robot 310 to move the movable member 20 toward the initial position.

[0166] Next, in step S410 , the control unit 370 moves the placement unit 5 toward the gripping position P1 .

[0167] When the object moving system 400 is operating, the object moving system 400 repeatedly performs a series of actions.

[0168] <Remarks>

[0169] The article moving system described above is only a specific example of the article moving system and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. It is understood that various modifications can be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0170] Description of Reference Numerals

[0171] 10…robot (first drive unit, second drive unit); 32…gripping component; 50…loading unit; 100, 300…article moving system; 200…combined metering system (article moving system); A1…article group; A…article; D1, D1′…first direction; D2, D2′…second direction (a direction different from the first direction); D3…third direction (a direction different from the first direction); D4…fourth direction (a direction different from the first direction); L1…first distance; L2…second distance; L3…third distance.

[0172] Prior art literature

[0173] Patent Literature

[0174] Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-3182.

Claims

1. An article moving system for moving a portion of articles from an article group, characterized in that: The objects are sticky foods that are easily connected to each other, and the object moving system comprises: a loading portion for loading the article group; A holding component for holding the object; a first driving unit that moves at least one of the holding member and the placing portion, inserts the holding member into the group of articles placed on the placing portion, and separates the holding member holding the articles from the placing portion toward a first direction; a second driving unit for moving the holding member holding the article in a direction different from the first direction when the first driving unit causes the holding member holding the article to separate from the placing portion in the first direction, thereby promoting the separation of the article held by the holding member from the articles in the article group; as well as a control unit, which controls the first driving unit and the second driving unit, When the first driving unit causes the holding member holding the article to separate from the placing unit toward the first direction, the control unit causes the holding member to move a predetermined amount in a predetermined second direction different from the first direction, thereby promoting the separation of the article held by the holding member from the articles in the article group. When the first driving unit causes the holding member holding the article to separate from the loading portion toward the first direction, the second driving unit causes the holding member to rotate more than 45° around the rotation axis with the first direction as the rotation axis, thereby causing the holding member to move in a direction different from the first direction to take out a substantially fixed amount of the article.

2. The article moving system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first driving unit moves at least one of the holding member and the placing unit and brings the holding member and the placing unit close to each other to a first distance, thereby inserting the holding member into the article group. The second driving unit moves the holding member that holds the article in a direction different from the first direction after the first driving unit separates the holding member that holds the article from the placement portion by a second distance greater than the first distance.

3. The article moving system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first drive unit moves the gripping member gripping the article away from the placement portion by a third distance greater than the second distance after the second drive unit moves the gripping member in a direction different from the first direction.

4. The article moving system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The second driving unit moves the holding member that holds the article in a direction orthogonal to the first direction when the first driving unit separates the holding member that holds the article from the placement unit in the first direction.

Images