Industrial robot

Abstract

Provided is an industrial robot that transports an object to be transported, said industrial robot being capable of transporting the object to be transported from or into a storage unit even if the vertical spacing of a plurality of objects to be transported stacked and stored in the storage unit in a state of being spaced apart in the vertical direction is narrow. This industrial robot is provided with: a first hand (5) having an engagement section (23) that engages with an end of an object to be conveyed (2); a second hand (6) having a placement part (30) on which the object to be conveyed (2) is placed; an arm to which the first hand (5) and the second hand (6) are rotatably connected on the tip side; and a main body part to which the base end side of the arm is rotatably connected. The first hand (5) performs at least one of a pull-out operation in which the object to be conveyed (2) housed in the housing section is pulled out from the housing section in which the object to be conveyed (2) is housed to a position at which the object to be conveyed can be placed on the placement section (30), and a push-in operation in which the object to be conveyed (2) placed on the placement section (30) is pushed to a position at which the object to be conveyed is housed in the housing section.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an industrial robot for carrying a transport object. Background Art

[0002] In the past, an industrial robot for carrying semiconductor wafers was known (for example, see Patent Document 1). The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 is assembled into a semiconductor manufacturing system for use. The industrial robot includes: two hands for carrying semiconductor wafers; an arm to which the two hands are rotatably connected at the front end; and a main body to which the base end of the arm is rotatably connected. The hand includes a wafer carrying portion having a thin plate-like shape in the vertical direction, and the semiconductor wafer is carried on the wafer carrying portion.

[0003] The industrial robot described in Patent Document 1 carries semiconductor wafers between a storage box (FOUP) storing a plurality of semiconductor wafers and a semiconductor wafer processing device. That is, the industrial robot carries out semiconductor wafers from a storage box and carries out semiconductor wafers into a storage box. A plurality of semiconductor wafers are stored in a storage box in an overlapping manner with intervals in the vertical direction. When carrying out semiconductor wafers from the storage box, a wafer carrier of a hand is inserted between semiconductor wafers stored in the storage box in an overlapping manner in the vertical direction (that is, the wafer carrier enters the inner side of the storage box), and the semiconductor wafer is lifted and carried out. In addition, when carrying a semiconductor wafer into a storage box, a wafer carrier carrying the semiconductor wafer enters the inner side of the storage box, and the semiconductor wafer is placed in the storage box. Prior art literature Patent Literature

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-89739 Summary of the invention

[0005] Technical problem to be solved by the invention In the case of the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, when the spacing (pitch) in the vertical direction of the semiconductor chips stored in the storage box becomes narrow, the chip loading part of the hand cannot be inserted into the inner side of the storage box, and there is a possibility that the semiconductor chips cannot be moved out of the storage box or cannot be moved into the storage box.

[0006] Therefore, the technical problem of the present invention is to provide an industrial robot for transporting a transport object, wherein even if the vertical interval between a plurality of transport objects that are overlapped and stored in a storage section with a gap in the vertical direction is narrow, the transport object can be transported out of the storage section or moved into the storage section. Technical solutions adopted to solve technical problems

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the industrial robot of the present invention is an industrial robot for transporting a transport object, comprising: a first hand, which has an engaging portion engaged with the end of the transport object; a second hand, which has a loading portion for loading the transport object; an arm, whose front end side is rotatably connected to the first hand and the second hand; and a main body, which is rotatably connected to the base end side of the arm, and the arm is a multi-joint arm composed of multiple arm portions that can rotate with each other, and the first hand performs at least one of a pulling-out action and a pushing-in action. In the pulling-out action, the transport object stored in the storage portion is pulled out from the storage portion where the transport object is stored to a position where it can be loaded on the loading portion, and in the pushing action, the transport object loaded on the loading portion is pushed into the position where it is stored in the storage portion.

[0008] In the industrial robot of the present invention, the first hand having an engaging portion that engages with the end of the transported object performs at least one of a pulling action and a pushing action. In the pulling action, the transported object stored in the storage portion is pulled out from the storage portion to a position where it can be placed on the loading portion of the second hand. In the pushing action, the transported object placed on the loading portion of the second hand is pushed into a position where it is stored in the storage portion.

[0009] Therefore, in the present invention, even if the first hand and the second hand are not inserted into the inner side of the storage section, the object pulled out from the storage section can be placed on the placing section of the second hand by the pulling-out action of the first hand with the engaging section engaging with the end of the object to be transported, and the object placed on the placing section can be moved into the storage section by the pushing action of the first hand with the engaging section engaging with the end of the object to be transported. Therefore, in the present invention, even if the interval in the vertical direction of the objects to be transported that are stacked and stored in the storage section with a gap in the vertical direction is narrow and the first hand and the second hand cannot be inserted into the inner side of the storage section, the object to be transported can be moved out of the storage section or moved into the storage section.

[0010] In the present invention, the industrial robot, for example, comprises: an arm driving mechanism for extending and retracting the arm; an arm lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the arm; a first hand driving mechanism for rotating the first hand relative to the arm; and a second hand driving mechanism for rotating the second hand relative to the arm, and the second hand comprises: a hand main body for mounting a carrying part so that it can be lifted and lowered; and a carrying part lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the carrying part relative to the hand main body.

[0011] In the present invention, it is preferred that the engaging portion has a holding mechanism for holding an end of the transported object. According to this structure, the end of the transported object can be held by the holding mechanism during the pulling-out action or the pushing-in action, so that the state of the transported object can be stabilized during the pulling-out action or the pushing-in action. In addition, according to this structure, when the transported object placed on the loading portion is transported, the end of the transported object can be held by the holding mechanism, so that when the transported object placed on the loading portion is transported, the state of the transported object can be stabilized.

[0012] In the present invention, for example, the first hand performs a pulling action, and during the pulling action, it moves linearly in the horizontal direction relative to the storage portion, one side of the moving direction of the first hand relative to the storage portion is set as the near-front side, the side opposite to the near-front side is set as the inner side, the surface of the loading portion on which the transport object is loaded is set as the loading surface, and the industrial robot is arranged on the near-front side of the storage portion. During the pulling action, the first hand performs: a first moving action, moving toward the inner side until the end of the near-front side of the transport object stored in the storage portion can be held by the holding mechanism; a holding action, after the first moving action, holding the end of the near-front side of the transport object by the holding mechanism; and a second moving action, after the holding action, moving toward the near-front side until the end of the inner side of the transport object is loaded on the end of the near-front side of the storage portion. The second hand performs: a first rotational movement relative to the arm to a position where the second hand does not interfere with the storage portion when the first hand performs the first moving movement; a second rotational movement relative to the arm during or after the second moving movement until the loading portion in a state where the loading surface is lowered to a position lower than the lower surface of the transported object is arranged at a position below the transported object; and a loading portion ascending movement, after the second rotational movement, the loading portion is ascended until the loading surface contacts the lower surface of the transported object, and the arm performs: an arm ascending movement, after the loading portion ascending movement, the loading portion is ascended to a position where the lower surface of the end of the inner side of the transported object floats from the storage portion; and a first arm telescopic movement, during or after the arm ascending movement, the first hand and the second hand are moved toward the near front side. In this case, a smooth pulling action can be performed.

[0013] In the present invention, for example, the first hand performs a pushing action, and during the pushing action, it moves linearly in the horizontal direction relative to the storage portion, one side of the moving direction of the first hand relative to the storage portion is set as the near-front side, the side opposite to the near-front side is set as the inner side, the surface of the loading portion on which the transport object is loaded is set as the loading surface, and the industrial robot is arranged on the near-front side of the storage portion. Before the pushing action, the arm performs: a second arm telescopic action, so that the first hand and the second hand move toward the inner side until the inner end of the transport object placed on the loading portion and held by the holding mechanism at the near-front end enters a position inside the near-front side of the storage portion; and an arm lowering action, during the second arm telescopic action or the second arm telescopic action After the arm is lowered, the second hand is lowered to a position where the end of the inner side of the transported object is placed on the near-front end of the storage section, and the second hand performs: a lowering action of the loading section, after the arm is lowered, the loading section is lowered to a position where the loading surface is separated from the lower surface of the transported object; and a third rotation action, after the loading section is lowered, the second hand is rotated relative to the arm by a predetermined amount, and in the pushing action, the first hand performs a third moving action, during or after the third rotation action, the first hand moves to the inner side until the end of the near-front side of the transported object is placed on the near-front end of the storage section, and in the third rotation action, the second hand is rotated to a position where the second hand does not interfere with the storage section when the first hand performs the third moving action. In this case, a smooth pushing action can be performed.

[0014] In the present invention, for example, as an arm portion, the arm comprises: a first arm portion, whose base end side is rotatably connected to the main body portion; a second arm portion, whose base end side is rotatably connected to the front end side of the first arm portion; and a third arm portion, whose base end side is rotatably connected to the front end side of the second arm portion, and the front end side is rotatably connected to the first hand and the second hand.

[0015] In the present invention, it is preferred that the first hand performs a pulling out action and a pushing in action, and moves linearly in a horizontal direction relative to the storage portion during the pulling out action and the pushing in action, a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the first hand relative to the storage portion and the up-down direction is set as a first direction, and the placement portion is formed with a guide portion, and the guide portion restricts movement of the transported object in the first direction at least immediately after the pulling out action and immediately before the pushing in action. According to this structure, when the transported object placed on the placement portion is transported, the state of the transported object can be stabilized. Effects of the Invention

[0016] As described above, in the industrial robot of the present invention, even if the vertical pitch of a plurality of objects stacked and stored in a storage section at intervals in the vertical direction is narrow, the objects can be carried out of the storage section or carried into the storage section. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1It is a perspective view of an industrial robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is used Figure 1 A schematic top view of the industrial robot manufacturing system shown. Figure 3 It is used to illustrate Figure 1 A block diagram of the structure of an industrial robot is shown. Figure 4 It is used to illustrate Figure 1 The diagram shown is a diagram of the operation of the industrial robot when it transports an object to be transported to a storage unit. Figure 5 It is used to illustrate Figure 1 The diagram shown is a diagram of the operation of the industrial robot when it transports an object to be transported to a storage unit. Figure 6 It is used to illustrate Figure 5 (B) is a schematic diagram of the movement of the placement part and the movement of the arm after the pulling-out movement of the first hand and before the pushing-in movement. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] (Overall structure of industrial robot) Figure 1 It is a perspective view of an industrial robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is used Figure 1 A schematic top view of a manufacturing system 4 of an industrial robot 1 is shown. Figure 3 It is used to illustrate Figure 1 The block diagram of the structure of the industrial robot 1 is shown.

[0020] An industrial robot 1 (hereinafter referred to as “robot 1”) of the present embodiment is used to transport a predetermined transport object 2 (see Figure 4 The robot 1 is a horizontal multi-jointed robot (such as a robot 1 for carrying objects 2). The object 2 to be carried is formed into a rectangular flat plate shape, for example. In addition, the object 2 to be carried is formed into a thin flat plate shape. The robot 1 is used in a predetermined manufacturing system 4, in which a storage box 3 is provided as a storage portion for storing a plurality of objects to be carried 2. The robot 1 carries out the object 2 to be carried from the storage box 3, and carries the object 2 to be carried into the storage box 3.

[0021] The thickness direction of the transport object 2 stored in the storage box 3 is consistent with the vertical direction (vertical direction). In the storage box 3, a plurality of transport objects 2 are stored in an overlapping manner with intervals in the vertical direction. A plurality of box side loading portions 3a (see FIG. 1 ) for loading the transport objects 2 are formed inside the storage box 3. Figure 6 ). The vertical intervals (pitch) of the transport objects 2 stored in the storage box 3 are relatively narrow.

[0022] In the following description, the vertical direction is Figure 2 The Y direction in the above is called the "left-right direction", and the Figure 2 The X direction in the diagram is referred to as the "front-rear direction". Figure 2 The X1 direction side is referred to as the "front" side or the "near front" side, and the opposite side is referred to as Figure 2 The X2 direction side in the above is called the "rear" side or the "inside" side. In the present embodiment, for example, two storage boxes 3 are arranged in a state where they are spaced apart in the left-right direction. In addition, the storage box 3 is arranged on the rear side of the robot 1. That is, the robot 1 is arranged on the near front side of the storage box 3. When the transport object 2 formed into a rectangular flat plate is stored in the storage box 3, the long side direction of the transport object 2 is roughly consistent with the front-back direction, and the short side direction of the transport object 2 is roughly consistent with the left-right direction.

[0023] The robot 1 includes two hands 5 and 6, an arm 7, the hands 5 and 6 are rotatably connected to the front end side of the arm 7, and a main body 8, the base end side of the arm 7 is rotatably connected to the main body 8. The main body 8 includes a lifting body 9, the base end side of the arm 7 is rotatably connected to the lifting body 7, and a housing 10, which holds the lifting body 9 so that it can be raised and lowered. The hand 5 of this embodiment is the first hand, and the hand 6 is the second hand.

[0024] The arm 7 is a multi-joint arm that can be extended and retracted in the horizontal direction. The arm 7 is composed of three arm parts: a first arm part 11, a second arm part 12, and a third arm part 13. The second arm part 12 can rotate relative to the first arm part 11, and the third arm part 13 can rotate relative to the second arm part 12. That is, the arm 7 is composed of three arm parts that can rotate relative to each other. The base end side of the first arm part 11 is rotatably connected to the main body 8. Specifically, the base end side of the first arm part 11 is rotatably connected to the upper end part of the lifting body 9. The base end side of the second arm part 12 is rotatably connected to the front end side of the first arm part 11. The base end side of the third arm part 13 is rotatably connected to the front end side of the second arm part 12.

[0025] The first arm portion 11 is arranged on the upper side of the main body portion 8. The second arm portion 12 is arranged on the upper side of the first arm portion 11. The third arm portion 13 is arranged on the upper side of the second arm portion 12. In the horizontal direction, the distance between the rotation center of the first arm portion 11 relative to the main body portion 8 and the rotation center of the second arm portion 12 relative to the first arm portion 11 is equal to the distance between the rotation center of the second arm portion 12 relative to the first arm portion 11 and the rotation center of the third arm portion 13 relative to the second arm portion 12.

[0026] The hands 5 and 6 are rotatably connected to the front end side of the third arm portion 13. Specifically, the base ends of the hands 5 and 6 are rotatably connected to the front end side of the third arm portion 13. The hands 5 and 6 are arranged on the upper side of the third arm portion 13. In addition, the hand 5 is arranged on the upper side of the hand 6. The rotation center of the hand 5 relative to the third arm portion 13 coincides with the rotation center of the hand 6 relative to the third arm portion 13. The hands 5 and 6 can each rotate independently relative to the third arm portion 13.

[0027] In addition, the robot 1 includes: a hand driving mechanism 16 as a first hand driving mechanism for rotating the hand 5 relative to the arm 7; a hand driving mechanism 17 as a second hand driving mechanism for rotating the hand 6 relative to the arm 7; an arm driving mechanism 18 for rotating the first arm portion 11 and the second arm portion 12 to extend and retract a portion of the arm 7 formed by the first arm portion 11 and the second arm portion 12; and a third arm driving mechanism 19 for rotating the third arm portion 13 relative to the second arm portion 12. In the present embodiment, the arm driving mechanism 18 and the third arm driving mechanism 19 constitute an arm driving mechanism 20 for extending and retracting the arm 7. In addition, the robot 1 includes: an arm lifting mechanism 21 for lifting and lowering the arm 7 relative to the housing 10 together with the lifting body 9; and a control unit 22 for controlling the robot 1.

[0028] The hand drive mechanism 16 includes: a motor as a drive source; and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the hand 5. Similar to the hand drive mechanism 16, the hand drive mechanism 17 includes: a motor as a drive source; and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the hand 6. The motors of the hand drive mechanisms 16 and 17 are arranged inside the third arm 13. The hand drive mechanisms 16 and 17 are electrically connected to the control unit 22. Specifically, the motors of the hand drive mechanisms 16 and 17 are electrically connected to the control unit 22.

[0029] The arm driving mechanism 18 includes: a motor as a driving source; and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the first arm 11 and the second arm 12. The arm driving mechanism 18 rotates the first arm 11 and the second arm 12 so that the third arm 13 moves linearly in the left-right direction relative to the rotation center of the second arm 12. The motor of the arm driving mechanism 18 is arranged inside the lifting body 9. The arm driving mechanism 18 is electrically connected to the control unit 22. Specifically, the motor of the arm driving mechanism 18 and the like are electrically connected to the control unit 22.

[0030] The third arm driving mechanism 19 includes: a motor as a driving source; and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the third arm 13. The motor of the third arm driving mechanism 19 is arranged on the base end side of the second arm 12. The third arm driving mechanism 19 is electrically connected to the control unit 22. Specifically, the motor of the third arm driving mechanism 19 and the like are electrically connected to the control unit 22.

[0031] The arm lifting mechanism 21 includes a motor as a driving source and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the lifting body 9. The arm lifting mechanism 21 is accommodated in the housing 10. The arm lifting mechanism 21 is electrically connected to the control unit 22. Specifically, the motor and the like of the arm lifting mechanism 21 are electrically connected to the control unit 22.

[0032] When the arm driving mechanism 20 carries out the transport object 2 from the storage box 3 or carries the transport object 2 into the storage box 3 (hereinafter referred to as "when carrying the transport object 2 relative to the storage box 3"), the arm 7 is extended and retracted, so that the hands 5 and 6 move linearly in the horizontal direction relative to the main body 8. That is, when the transport object 2 is carried relative to the storage box 3, the hands 5 and 6 move linearly in the horizontal direction.

[0033] Specifically, when the object 2 is carried relative to the storage box 3, the hands 5 and 6 move linearly in the front-to-back direction relative to the storage box 3. In addition, when the object 2 is carried relative to the storage box 3, the hand drive mechanism 16 rotates the hand 5 so that the hand 5 moves linearly in the front-to-back direction while facing a fixed direction relative to the main body 8. That is, when the object 2 is carried relative to the storage box 3, the hand 5 moves linearly in the front-to-back direction relative to the storage box 3 while facing a fixed direction. The front-to-back direction (X direction) of this embodiment is the movement direction of the hands 5 and 6 relative to the storage box 3.

[0034] As described above, when the transport object 2 is transported relative to the storage box 3, the hand 5 moves linearly in the front-to-back direction relative to the storage box 3. In addition, as described later, when the robot 1 takes the transport object 2 out of the storage box 3, the hand 5 performs a pulling action, and when the robot 1 moves the transport object 2 into the storage box 3, the hand 5 performs a pushing action. That is, during the pulling action and the pushing action, the hand 5 moves linearly in the front-to-back direction relative to the storage box 3. The left-right direction (Y direction) of this embodiment is a first direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the hand 5 relative to the storage box 3 and the up-down direction.

[0035] (Hand structure) The hand 5 includes an engaging portion 23 that engages with an end portion of the conveyed object 2. The engaging portion 23 constitutes a distal end portion of the hand 5. The base end portion of the hand 5 is connected to the arm 7. The engaging portion 23 includes a gripping mechanism 24 for gripping the end of the conveyed object 2. The gripping mechanism 24 includes, for example, an upper gripping member 25 and a lower gripping member 26 for gripping the end of the conveyed object 2 by clamping it in the vertical direction; and a gripping member lifting mechanism 27 for lifting the upper gripping member 25 (see Figure 3The upper holding member 25 is arranged above the end of the transport object 2 held by the holding mechanism 24, and the lower holding member 26 is arranged below the end of the transport object 2 held by the holding mechanism 24. The end of the transport object 2 is placed on the upper surface of the lower holding member 26.

[0036] The holding component lifting mechanism 27 lifts the upper holding component 25 between a holding position and a retreat position. At the holding position, the upper holding component 25 contacts the upper surface of the end of the conveyed object 2 and the holding mechanism 24 holds the conveyed object 2. At the retreat position, the upper holding component 25 retreats away from the upper surface of the end of the conveyed object 2. The holding component lifting mechanism 27 includes: a driving source such as a motor, a solenoid or a cylinder; and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the driving source to the upper holding component 25. The holding component lifting mechanism 27 is electrically connected to the control unit 22. Specifically, the driving source of the holding component lifting mechanism 27 is electrically connected to the control unit 22. In addition, the holding component lifting mechanism 27 can also lift two holding components, the upper holding component 25 and the lower holding component 26.

[0037] As described above, when the object 2 is carried relative to the storage box 3, the hand 5 moves linearly in the front-to-back direction relative to the storage box 3 while being oriented in a fixed direction. When the object 2 is carried relative to the storage box 3, the engaging portion 23 constitutes the rear end portion of the hand 5 and engages with the front end portion (the end near the front side) of the object 2. That is, when the object 2 is carried relative to the storage box 3, the holding mechanism 24 holds the front end portion of the object 2. When the object 2 is carried relative to the storage box 3, the width of the upper holding member 25 and the lower holding member 26 in the left-right direction is narrower than the width of the short side direction of the object 2. When the object 2 is carried relative to the storage box 3, the upper holding member 25 and the lower holding member 26 hold the center portion of the front end portion of the object 2 in the left-to-right direction.

[0038] The hand 6 includes: a loading portion 30 for loading the conveyed object 2; a hand body 31 on which the loading portion 30 is mounted so as to be able to be raised and lowered; and a loading portion lifting mechanism 32 for lifting the loading portion 30 relative to the hand body 31 (see Figure 3 ). The hand body 31 is formed into a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape with a relatively thin thickness in the vertical direction. In addition, the hand body 31 is formed into an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the shape of the hand body 31 when viewed from the vertical direction is a rectangle. In the following description, the long side direction of the hand body 31 having a rectangular shape when viewed from the vertical direction is referred to as the "hand long side direction", and the short side direction of the hand body 31 is referred to as the "hand short side direction".

[0039] The base end of the hand body 31, that is, one end of the hand body 31 in the hand length direction, is connected to the arm 7. The placing portion 30 is attached to the upper surface side of the front end of the hand body 31, that is, the other end of the hand body 31 in the hand length direction. The placing portion 30 is arranged on the upper side of the hand body 31. The horizontal distance from the rotation center of the hands 5 and 6 relative to the arm 7 to the placing portion 30 is longer than the horizontal distance from the rotation center of the hands 5 and 6 relative to the arm 7 to the front ends of the upper gripping member 25 and the lower gripping member 26.

[0040] When the object 2 is placed on the placing portion 30 after the pulling-out operation described later and before the pushing-in operation described later, the hand body 31 is arranged so that the long side direction of the hand is consistent with the front-back direction and the short side direction of the hand is consistent with the left-right direction. At this time, the center of the placing portion 30 in the left-right direction and the center of the engaging portion 23 in the left-right direction are arranged at the same position in the left-right direction. In addition, at this time, the placing portion 30 constitutes the rear end of the hand 6.

[0041] The placing section 30 has a placing surface 30 a on which the object 2 to be conveyed is placed. The ends of the short side direction of the transport object 2 are placed on the placement surface 30a. The placement surface 30a is formed at two positions on both ends of the short side direction. That is, the placement surfaces 30a on which the ends of the short side direction of the transport object 2 are placed are formed on both ends of the short side direction of the placement portion 30. The placement surface 30a is a plane perpendicular to the up-down direction. The lower surface of the transport object 2 is in contact with the placement surface 30a.

[0042] The loading surface 30a is formed into a rectangular shape elongated in the hand-long side direction. The length of the loading surface 30a in the hand-long side direction is shorter than the length of the long side direction of the transported object 2. The portion between the two loading surfaces 30a in the hand-short side direction of the upper surface 30b of the loading portion 30, that is, the loading portion upper surface 30b is a plane arranged on the lower side of the loading surface 30a. That is, the portion of the upper surface of the hand 6 located between the two loading surfaces 30a in the hand-short side direction is arranged on the lower side of the loading surface 30a. The loading portion upper surface 30b is a plane orthogonal to the up-down direction.

[0043] In addition, the loading portion 30 is formed with a guide portion 30c, which restricts the movement of the transported object 2 in the short-side direction (that is, restricts the movement of the transported object 2 in the short-side direction of the transported object 2). The guide portion 30c is formed at two locations at both ends of the loading portion 30 in the short-side direction. In addition, the guide portion 30c is formed on the outside of the loading surface 30a in the short-side direction. The guide portion 30c protrudes upward. The end surface of the transported object 2 parallel to the long side can contact the guide portion 30c. The guide portion 30c plays the role of restricting the movement of the transported object 2 in the left and right directions at least immediately after the pulling-out action described later and immediately before the pushing-in action.

[0044] The placing section lifting mechanism 32 moves the placing section 30 to the placing position (see Figure 6 (B)) and the retreat position (refer to Figure 6 The loading part lifting mechanism 32 is raised and lowered between (A) and (B). At the loading position, the loading surface 30a contacts the lower surface of the conveying object 2, and the conveying object 2 is placed on the loading part 30. At the retreat position, the loading surface 30a retreats downward to be separated from the lower surface of the conveying object 2. The loading part lifting mechanism 32 includes: a driving source such as a motor, a solenoid or a cylinder; and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the driving source to the loading part 30. The loading part lifting mechanism 32 is electrically connected to the control part 22. Specifically, the driving source of the loading part lifting mechanism 32 is electrically connected to the control part 22.

[0045] (Industrial robot movements) Figure 4 and Figure 5 It is used to illustrate Figure 1 The diagram shows the operation of the robot 1 when conveying the conveyance object 2 with respect to the storage box 3 . Figure 6 It is used to illustrate Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the movement of the placing portion 30 and the movement of the arm 7 after the pulling-out movement and before the pushing-in movement shown in FIG. Figure 4 and Figure 5 The storage box 3 is omitted in the figure, but Figure 4 The state where the transport object 2 is entirely stored in the storage box 3 is shown. Figure 5 A state in which only the rear end portion of the conveyance object 2 is stored in the storage box 3 is shown.

[0046] When the robot 1 carries out the transport object 2 from the storage box 3, the hand 5 performs a pulling action to pull the transport object 2 stored in the storage box 3 out of the storage box 3 to a position where it can be placed on the placement portion 30 of the hand 6. In the pulling action, the hand 5 pulls out the transport object 2 with the front end engaged with the engagement portion 23 from the storage box 3.

[0047] In the pulling action, the hand 5 first performs a first moving action, from Figure 4 The predetermined standby position shown in (A) is moved to the rear side (inner side) until the front end (end near the front side) of the conveying object 2 stored in the storage box 3 can be grasped by the grasping mechanism 24 (see Figure 4 That is, the arm 7 is extended and retracted to a position where the gripping mechanism 24 can grip the front end of the object 2. After the first moving action, the hand 5 performs a gripping action to grip the front end of the object 2 through the gripping mechanism 24 (see Figure 4 That is, the engaging portion 23 engages with the end portion of the conveyed object 2 on the near side during the pulling operation.

[0048] After the grasping action, the hand 5 performs a second moving action, moving forward (near side) until the rear end (end on the back side) of the transported object 2 is placed on the front end (end on the near side) of the storage box 3 (see Figure 5 That is, the arm 7 is extended to a position where the rear end of the transport object 2 is placed on the front end of the storage box 3. When the second moving action is completed, Figure 6 As shown in (A), the rear end of the transport object 2 is placed on the front end of the cassette side placement portion 3a. When the second moving operation is completed, the pulling operation of the hand 5 is completed.

[0049] The hand 6 performs a first rotational motion, and rotates relative to the arm 7 to a position where the hand 6 does not interfere with the storage box 3 when the hand 5 performs a first movement motion (see Figure 4 (B)). The hand 6 performs the first rotational motion before or during the first movement motion. In addition, the hand 6 performs the second rotational motion during or after the second movement motion, and the placement portion 30a is arranged at a position below the lower surface of the object 2 with respect to the arm 7 rotated until the placement surface 30a is lowered to a position below the lower surface of the object 2 (see Figure 5 When the hand 6 performs the second rotational motion, the upper end of the guide portion 30c (that is, the upper end of the hand 6) is arranged on the lower side of the lower surface of the conveyed object 2.

[0050] Figure 6 (A) shows the state when the second rotation action is completed. When the second rotation action is completed, the loading section 30 is arranged on the lower side of the conveyed object 2 in a state where the rear end portion is placed on the front end portion of the box-side loading section 3a. In addition, when the second rotation action is completed, the hand 6 is arranged on the front side of the storage box 3. After the second rotation action, the hand 6 performs the loading section ascending action to raise the loading section 30 to a position where the loading surface 30a contacts the lower surface of the conveyed object 2 (see Figure 6 (B)). Before the placing part ascends, the second moving action is completed.

[0051] After the loading section ascends, the arm 7 performs an arm ascending action and ascends to a position where the lower surface of the rear end of the transported object 2 floats from the storage box 3 (specifically, the position where it floats from the upper surface of the front end of the box side loading section 3a) (see Figure 6 (C)). At this time, the gripping mechanism 24 grips the front end of the transport object 2. In addition, the arm 7 performs the first arm extension and retraction operation to move the hands 5 and 6 to the front side during or after the arm raising operation. In addition, thereafter, the robot 1 transports the transport object 2 taken out of the storage box 3 to a predetermined position by performing the lifting and lowering operation of the lifting body 9, the extension and retraction operation of the arm 7, etc. At this time, the gripping mechanism 24 grips the end of the transport object 2.

[0052] Furthermore, when the robot 1 carries the transport object 2 into the storage box 3, the hand 5 performs a pushing action to push the transport object 2 placed on the placement portion 30 to a position where it is stored in the storage box 3. In the pushing action, the hand 5 pushes the transport object 2, the front end of which is gripped by the gripping mechanism 24, into the storage box 3. That is, the engaging portion 23 engages with the end of the transport object 2 near the front side during the pushing action.

[0053] Before the pushing action, the arm 7 performs a second telescopic action to move the hands 5 and 6 inward until the rear end of the transport object 2 placed on the placement portion 30 and held by the holding mechanism 24 at the front end enters the position inside the front side of the storage box 3 (see Figure 6 (C)). In addition, during or after the second arm extension and retraction operation, the arm 7 performs an arm lowering operation and is lowered to a position where the rear end of the transported object 2 is placed on the front end of the storage box 3 (specifically, the position where the front end of the box side placement portion 3a is placed) (see Figure 6 (B)).

[0054] After the arm lowering operation, the hand 6 performs the placing section lowering operation to lower the placing section 30 to a position where the placing surface 30a is separated from the lower surface of the conveyed object 2 (see Figure 6 (A)). In addition, after the placing part descends, the hand 6 performs a third rotational movement to rotate the hand 6 relative to the arm 7 by a predetermined amount. In the third rotational movement, the hand 6 rotates to a position where the hand 6 does not interfere with the storage box 3 when the hand 5 performs the third moving movement described later (see Figure 5 (A) Figure 4 (B)).

[0055] During the pushing action, during or after the third rotation action, the hand 5 performs a third movement action to move inward to a position where the front end of the transport object 2 is placed on the front end of the storage box 3. (See Figure 5 (A) Figure 4 That is, in the third moving action, the hand 5 pushes the transport object 2 to the inner side until the transport object 2 is stored in the storage box 3. After the third moving action, the hand 5 releases the gripping state of the transport object 2 by the gripping mechanism 24. When the gripping state of the transport object 2 is released, the pushing action of the hand 5 is completed. Thereafter, the hands 5 and 6 move, for example, to the front side.

[0056] (Main Functions of the Present Embodiment) As described above, in the present embodiment, the hand 5 having the engaging portion 23 engaged with the front end portion of the transported object 2 performs a pulling action and a pushing action. In the pulling action, the transported object 2 stored in the storage box 3 is pulled out from the storage box 3 to a position where it can be placed on the loading portion 30 of the hand 6. In the pushing action, the transported object 2 placed on the loading portion 30 is pushed into a position where it is stored in the storage box 3.

[0057] Therefore, in the present embodiment, even if the hands 5 and 6 are not inserted into the inner side of the storage box 3, the object 2 pulled out from the storage box 3 can be placed on the placement portion 30 by the pulling-out action of the hand 5 with the engagement portion 23 being engaged with the front end of the object 30, and the object 2 can be moved out from the storage box 3, and the object 2 placed on the placement portion 30 can be moved into the storage box 3 by the pushing action of the hand 5 with the engagement portion 23 being engaged with the front end of the object 30. Therefore, in the present embodiment, even if the intervals between the objects 2 stored in the storage box 3 in the vertical direction are narrow and the hands 5 and 6 cannot be inserted into the inner side of the storage box 3, the object 2 can be moved out from the storage box 3 and can be moved into the storage box 3.

[0058] In the present embodiment, the engaging portion 23 includes a gripping mechanism 24 for gripping the end of the transported object 2, and when the hand 5 performs a pulling-out action or a pushing-in action, the gripping mechanism 24 can grip the end of the transported object 2. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the state of the transported object 2 when the pulling-out action or the pushing-in action is performed can be stabilized. In addition, in the present embodiment, even when the transported object 2 placed on the placing portion 30 is transported, the gripping mechanism 24 grips the end of the transported object 2, and therefore, the state of the transported object 2 when the transported object 2 placed on the placing portion 30 is transported can be stabilized.

[0059] In the present embodiment, the placing portion 30 is formed with the guide portion 30c that restricts the movement of the object 2 in the short-side direction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the state of the object 2 placed on the placing portion 30 can be stabilized when the object 2 is being conveyed.

[0060] (Other embodiments) Although the above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0061] In the above embodiment, if the object 2 placed on the placement portion 30 can be held in a more stable state by the holding mechanism 24, the guide portion 30c may not be formed on the placement portion 30. In addition, in the above embodiment, the ends of the object 2 are held by clamping the two holding members, the upper holding member 25 and the lower holding member 26, in the vertical direction. However, for example, when the width of the object 2 in the short side direction is narrow, the ends of the object 2 may be held by clamping the two holding members in the short side direction.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the engaging portion 23 may not include the gripping mechanism 24. In this case, for example, an engaging hole is formed at the end of the transport object 2, and the engaging portion 23 includes an engaging claw inserted into and engaged with the engaging hole. In this case, when the hand 5 performs a pulling action and a pushing action, the engaging claw of the engaging portion 23 engages with the engaging hole of the transport object 2. In addition, in the above embodiment, the hand 5 may perform only a pulling action or only a pushing action.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the arm 7 may be composed of two arm parts, the first arm part 11 and the second arm part 12. In this case, the hands 5 and 6 are rotatably connected to the front end side of the second arm part 12. In this case, the robot 1 has, for example, a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the main body part 8 in the left-right direction. In addition, in the above embodiment, the transport object 2 may also be formed into a flat plate shape other than a rectangular shape. For example, the transport object 2 may be formed into a square flat plate shape or a circular plate shape.

[0064] (Structure of this technology) Note that the present technology can adopt the following structures. (1) An industrial robot that carries an object to be carried. The transport device comprises: a first hand having an engaging portion engaged with an end portion of the transport object; a second hand having a placing portion for placing the transport object; an arm having a front end side for rotatably connecting the first hand and the second hand; and a main body for rotatably connecting the base end side of the arm, The arm is a multi-jointed arm consisting of a plurality of arm parts that can rotate relative to each other. The first hand performs at least one of a pulling action and a pushing action. In the pulling action, the transport object stored in the storage section is pulled out from the storage section storing the transport object to a position where it can be placed on the loading section. In the pushing action, the transport object placed on the loading section is pushed into a position where it is stored in the storage section. (2) The industrial robot according to (1), comprising: an arm driving mechanism that causes the arm to extend and retract; an arm lifting mechanism that causes the arm to rise and fall; a first hand driving mechanism that causes the first hand to rotate relative to the arm; and a second hand driving mechanism that causes the second hand to rotate relative to the arm, The second hand includes: a hand body to which the placing portion is mounted so as to be liftable; and a placing portion lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the placing portion relative to the hand body. (3) The industrial robot according to (2), wherein the engaging portion includes a gripping mechanism that grips an end portion of the transport object. (4) The industrial robot according to (3), wherein: The first hand performs a pulling action, and during the pulling action, moves linearly in a horizontal direction relative to the storage portion. The side of the first hand relative to the moving direction of the storage unit is defined as the near side, the side opposite to the near side is defined as the back side, and the surface of the placement unit on which the transported object is placed is defined as the placement surface. The industrial robot is arranged on the front side of the storage portion. In the pulling-out action, the first hand performs: a first moving action of moving inward until the end of the near-front side of the transported object stored in the storage portion is in a position where it can be gripped by the gripping mechanism; a gripping action of gripping the end of the near-front side of the transported object by the gripping mechanism after the first moving action; and a second moving action of moving inward after the gripping action until the end of the inner side of the transported object is placed on the end of the near-front side of the storage portion. The second hand performs: a first rotational movement, rotating relative to the arm to a position where the second hand does not interfere with the storage portion when the first hand performs the first moving movement; a second rotational movement, rotating relative to the arm during or after the second moving movement until the loading portion, in a state where the loading surface is lowered to a position lower than the lower surface of the transported object, is arranged at a position below the transported object; and a loading portion raising movement, after the second rotational movement, raising the loading portion to a position where the loading surface contacts the lower surface of the transported object. The arm performs: an arm raising action, which rises to a position where the lower surface of the inner end of the transported object floats from the storage portion after the loading portion rises; and a first arm telescopic action, which moves the first hand and the second hand toward the near front side during or after the arm raising action. (5) The industrial robot according to (3) or (4), wherein: The first hand performs the pushing action and moves linearly in a horizontal direction relative to the storage portion during the pushing action. The side of the first hand relative to the moving direction of the storage unit is defined as the near side, the side opposite to the near side is defined as the back side, and the surface of the placement unit on which the transported object is placed is defined as the placement surface. The industrial robot is arranged on the front side of the storage portion. Before the pushing action, the arm performs: a second arm telescopic action, so that the first hand and the second hand move inward until the inner end of the transported object placed on the placing portion and the near-front end held by the holding mechanism enters a position inside the near-front side of the storage portion; and an arm descending action, during or after the second arm telescopic action, the arm descends to a position where the inner end of the transported object is placed on the near-front end of the storage portion. The second hand performs: a loading section lowering action, after the arm lowering action, the loading section is lowered to a position where the loading surface is separated from the lower surface of the transported object; and a third rotation action, after the loading section lowering action, the second hand is rotated by a predetermined amount relative to the arm, During the pushing action, the first hand performs a third moving action, and during or after the third rotating action, the first hand moves inward until the end of the near side of the transported object is placed on the end of the near side of the storage portion. In the third rotation action, the second hand rotates to a position where the second hand does not interfere with the storage portion when the first hand performs the third movement action. (6) The industrial robot according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein: As the arm portion, the arm comprises: a first arm portion, whose base end side is rotatably connected to the main body portion; a second arm portion, whose base end side is rotatably connected to the front end side of the first arm portion; and a third arm portion, whose base end side is rotatably connected to the front end side of the second arm portion, and the front end side is rotatably connected to the first hand and the second hand. (7) The industrial robot according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein: The first hand performs the pulling-out action and the pushing-in action, and moves linearly in a horizontal direction relative to the storage portion during the pulling-out action and the pushing-in action. A direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the first hand relative to the storage unit and the up-down direction is defined as a first direction, The placing portion is formed with a guide portion that restricts movement of the transport object in the first direction at least immediately after the pulling-out operation and immediately before the pushing-in operation. Explanation of symbols

[0065] 1Robot (industrial robot) 2Transportation Objects 3 Storage Box (Storage Section) 5 lots (first lot) 6th hand (second hand) 7 arms 8 Main body 11 First arm (arm) 12 Second arm (arm) 13Third arm (arm) 16-hand drive mechanism (first hand drive mechanism) 17. Hand drive mechanism (second hand drive mechanism) 20 Arm drive mechanism 21-arm lifting mechanism 23. Engagement part 24 Control mechanism 30 Loading unit 30a Loading surface 30c Guide 31 hands main part 32 Loading part lifting mechanism X The moving direction of the first hand relative to the storage part X1 near front X2 inside Y first direction.

Claims

1. An industrial robot for transporting an object, characterized in that: The transport device comprises: a first hand having an engaging portion engaged with an end portion of the transport object; a second hand having a placing portion for placing the transport object; an arm having a front end side for rotatably connecting the first hand and the second hand; and a main body portion for rotatably connecting the base end side of the arm, The arm is a multi-jointed arm consisting of a plurality of arm parts that can rotate relative to each other. The first hand performs at least one of a pulling-out action and a pushing-in action, wherein the first hand pulls the transport object stored in the storage section out of the storage section storing the transport object to a position where the transport object can be placed on the placement section, and the first hand pushes the transport object placed on the placement section to a position where the transport object is placed on the storage section.

2. The industrial robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device is provided with: an arm driving mechanism, which extends and retracts the arm; an arm lifting mechanism, which lifts and lowers the arm; and a first hand driving mechanism, which rotates the first hand relative to the arm; and a second hand drive mechanism that causes the second hand to rotate relative to the arm, The second hand comprises: a hand body part, on which the placing part is mounted so as to be liftable; and a placing portion lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the placing portion relative to the hand body.

3. The industrial robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The engaging portion includes a gripping mechanism that grips an end portion of the conveyance object.

4. The industrial robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first hand performs the pulling action and moves linearly in a horizontal direction relative to the storage portion during the pulling action. The side of the first hand relative to the moving direction of the storage unit is defined as the near side, the side opposite to the near side is defined as the back side, and the surface of the placement unit on which the transported object is placed is defined as the placement surface. The industrial robot is arranged on the front side of the storage portion. During the pulling-out action, the first hand performs: a first moving action, in which the first hand moves inward until the end of the near-front side of the transport object stored in the storage portion can be held by the holding mechanism; a holding action, in which after the first moving action, the first hand holds the end of the near-front side of the transport object through the holding mechanism; and a second moving action, in which after the holding action, the first hand moves inward until the end of the inner side of the transport object is placed on the end of the near-front side of the storage portion. The second hand performs: a first rotation action, wherein the second hand rotates relative to the arm to a position where the second hand does not interfere with the storage portion when the first hand performs the first movement action; a second rotational motion, during or after the second moving motion, the second hand rotates relative to the arm until the loading portion, in a state where the loading surface is lowered to a position below the lower surface of the object being transported, is arranged at a position below the object being transported; and a loading portion ascending motion, after the second rotational motion, the second hand ascends the loading portion until the loading surface contacts the lower surface of the object being transported, The arm performs: an arm raising action, in which, after the loading section rises, the arm rises to a position where the lower surface of the inner end of the transported object floats from the storage section; and a first arm telescopic action, in which, during or after the arm raising action, the arm moves the first hand and the second hand toward the near front side.

5. The industrial robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first hand performs the pushing action and moves linearly in a horizontal direction relative to the storage portion during the pushing action. The side of the first hand relative to the moving direction of the storage unit is defined as the near side, the side opposite to the near side is defined as the back side, and the surface of the placement unit on which the transported object is placed is defined as the placement surface. The industrial robot is arranged on the front side of the storage portion. Before the pushing action, the arm performs: a second arm telescopic action, wherein the arm moves the first hand and the second hand inwardly until the inner end of the transported object placed on the placing portion and held by the holding mechanism at the near-front end enters a position inside the near-front side of the storage portion; and an arm descending action, wherein during or after the second arm telescopic action, the arm descends to a position where the inner end of the transported object is placed on the near-front end of the storage portion. The second hand performs: a lowering action of the loading section, and after the arm lowering action, the second hand lowers the loading section to a position where the loading surface is separated from the lower surface of the transported object; and a third rotation operation, wherein after the placing portion descends, the second hand rotates a predetermined amount relative to the arm, During the pushing action, the first hand performs a third moving action, and during or after the third rotating action, the first hand moves inward until the end of the near side of the transported object is placed on the end of the near side of the storage portion. In the third rotation action, the second hand rotates to a position where the second hand does not interfere with the storage portion when the first hand performs the third movement action.

6. The industrial robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: As the arm portion, the arm includes: a first arm portion whose base end side is rotatably connected to the main body portion; and a second arm portion whose base end side is rotatably connected to the front end side of the first arm portion; and a third arm portion having a base end side rotatably connected to a front end side of the second arm portion and having a front end side to which the first hand and the second hand are rotatably connected.

7. The industrial robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first hand performs the pulling out action and the pushing in action, and moves linearly in a horizontal direction relative to the storage portion during the pulling out action and the pushing in action. A direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the first hand relative to the storage unit and the up-down direction is defined as a first direction, The placing portion is formed with a guide portion that restricts movement of the transport object in the first direction at least immediately after the pulling-out operation and immediately before the pushing-in operation.

Images