Reinforcing bar binding robot, and method of binding reinforcing bar intersecting part by reinforcing bar binding device

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of achieving complicated movements of a reinforcing bar binding device in a motion process of a lifting apparatus.SOLUTION: A reinforcing bar binding robot disclosed in the present description can perform, with respect to a plurality of first reinforcing bars and a plurality of second reinforcing bars intersecting with the plurality of first reinforcing bars, a motion of moving on the plurality of first reinforcing bars and the plurality of second reinforcing bars, and a motion of binding a reinforcing bar intersecting part where the plurality of first reinforcing bars and the plurality of second reinforcing bars intersect with each other. The reinforcing bar binding robot comprises a reinforcing bar binding device which binds the reinforcing bar intersecting part by using a wire, a pedestal on which the reinforcing bar binding device is placed, a moving device which moves the pedestal, and a lifting device which is supported by the pedestal directly or indirectly, and lifts or lowers the reinforcing bar binding device with respect to the pedestal. The lifting device changes an attitude of the reinforcing bar binding device with respect to the pedestal in a process of lifting or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 22

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed herein relates to a rebar tying robot and a method for tying rebar intersections using a rebar tying device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a rebar tying robot capable of performing the following operations for a plurality of first rebars and a plurality of second rebars intersecting with the plurality of first rebars: moving over the plurality of first rebars and the plurality of second rebars, and tying rebar intersections where the plurality of first rebars and the plurality of second rebars intersect. The rebar tying robot includes a rebar tying device that ties the rebar intersections using a wire, a pedestal on which the rebar tying device is installed, a moving device that moves the pedestal, and a lifting device that is directly or indirectly supported on the pedestal and that raises or lowers the rebar tying device relative to the pedestal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-076253 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The lifting device of Patent Document 1 raises or lowers the rebar binding device while maintaining a constant posture of the rebar binding device relative to the base (or the rebar intersection point). For this reason, the movement of the rebar binding device during the operation process of the lifting device is relatively monotonous. However, there are cases where it is desired to realize complex movements of the rebar binding device during the operation process of the lifting device (for example, movements of the rebar binding device when held by a user for use). This specification provides technology that can realize complex movements of the rebar binding device during the operation process of the lifting device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The reinforcing bar tying robot disclosed in this specification is capable of performing the following operations: moving over a plurality of first reinforcing bars and a plurality of second reinforcing bars intersecting with the plurality of first reinforcing bars; and tying a reinforcing bar intersection point where the plurality of first reinforcing bars intersect with the plurality of second reinforcing bars. The reinforcing bar tying robot includes a reinforcing bar tying device that ties the reinforcing bar intersection point using a wire, a base on which the reinforcing bar tying device is installed, a moving device that moves the base, and a lifting device that is directly or indirectly supported by the base and that raises or lowers the reinforcing bar tying device relative to the base. The lifting device changes the attitude of the reinforcing bar tying device relative to the base in the process of raising or lowering the reinforcing bar tying device.

[0006] The method of tying a rebar intersection using a rebar tying device disclosed in this specification includes a lowering step in which a lifting device capable of raising or lowering the rebar tying device lowers the rebar tying device relative to the rebar intersection; a tying step in which the rebar tying device ties the rebar intersection using a wire; an ascending step in which the lifting device raises the rebar tying device relative to the rebar intersection; and a posture changing step in which, during at least one of the lowering step and the ascending step, the lifting device changes the posture of the rebar tying device relative to the rebar intersection.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the lifting device can change the attitude of the reinforcing bar binding device relative to the base (or the reinforcing bar intersection point) in the process of raising or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device. This allows the movement of the reinforcing bar binding device during the operation process of the lifting device to be relatively complex. Therefore, complex movement of the reinforcing bar binding device can be realized during the operation process of the lifting device. Furthermore, according to the above configuration, if there is an obstacle on the lifting trajectory of the reinforcing bar binding device, a collision between the reinforcing bar binding device and the obstacle can be avoided by changing the attitude of the reinforcing bar binding device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to a first embodiment, seen from above and behind on the left. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view of a reinforcing bar binding device 2 used in a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to a first embodiment, viewed from above and behind on the left. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view of the internal structure of a reinforcing bar binding device 2 used in a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to a first embodiment, viewed from above and to the rear right. [Diagram 5] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a front portion of a reinforcing bar binding device 2 used in a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic view of a reinforcing bar binding device 2 used in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment, cutting a wire W by a cutting mechanism 18. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the surroundings of a reinforcing bar intersection RC immediately after a reinforcing bar binding device 2 used in a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to Example 1 has bound the reinforcing bar intersection RC. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a perspective view of the internal structure of a reinforcing bar binding device 2 used in a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to a first embodiment, viewed from above on the front left. [Figure 9] 1 is a perspective view of a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to a first embodiment, as viewed from below and to the front right. [Figure 10] 1 is a perspective view of a side stepper 196 of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment, seen from above and to the rear right. FIG. [Figure 11] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a front crank mechanism 276 of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment as viewed from the rear (or a cross-sectional view of a rear crank mechanism 277 as viewed from the front). FIG. [Figure 12] 1 is a perspective view of a rear portion of a side stepper 196 of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment, as viewed from above on the front right. [Figure 13]FIG. 2 is a front view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which the step bars 272, 274 are raised. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a front view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which step bars 272, 274 are lowered, as viewed from the front. [Figure 15] 2 is a perspective view of the internal structure of the power transmission mechanism 402 in the rebar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment, as viewed from above on the front right. FIG. [Figure 16] 1 is a perspective view of a lifting device 130 of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment, as viewed from above and in the front. [Figure 17] 2 is a diagram showing the configuration around a rotation pin 150 of a lifting device 130 of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a view from the front right showing how the lifting device 130 holds the reinforcing bar binding device 2 at the upper limit position in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a view from the front right showing how the lifting device 130 lowers the reinforcing bar binding device 2 in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a view from the front right showing how the lifting device 130 holds the reinforcing bar binding device 2 in the lower limit position in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 2 is a view from the front right showing how the lifting device 130 lifts the reinforcing bar binding device 2 in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 1 is a view from the front right showing how the lifting device 130 changes the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 while lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 2 in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 23] 1 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between a cam 166, a first photosensor 168, and a second photosensor 170 provided in a lifting device 130 in a rebar binding robot 100 according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 24]4 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a robot control device 126 in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 25] 1 is a top view illustrating an outline of the operation of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 26] 10 is a top view illustrating another operation of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 27] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to a second embodiment, as viewed from above and behind on the left. [Figure 28] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to a second embodiment. [Figure 29] 11 is a perspective view of a reinforcing bar binding device 602 used in a reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to a second embodiment, as viewed from above and behind on the left side. FIG. [Diagram 30] 10 is a perspective view of the internal structure of a reinforcing bar binding device 602 used in a reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to a second embodiment, as viewed from above and to the rear right. FIG. [Diagram 31] 10 is a perspective view of the internal structure of a reinforcing bar binding device 602 used in a reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to a second embodiment, viewed from above on the front left. FIG. [Diagram 32] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to a second embodiment, as viewed from below and on the front right. [Diagram 33] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a side stepper 796 of the reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to the second embodiment, as viewed from above and behind on the right. [Diagram 34] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a front crank mechanism 876 of a reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to a second embodiment, as viewed from the rear (or a cross-sectional view of a rear crank mechanism 877 as viewed from the front). [Diagram 35] 11 is a perspective view of a rear portion of a side stepper 796 of a reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to a second embodiment, as viewed from above on the front right. FIG. [Diagram 36] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a lifting device 730 of a reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to a second embodiment, as viewed from above and behind on the left. [Figure 37] 11 is a perspective view of a gripping device 950 of a reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to a second embodiment, as viewed from below and rear right. FIG. [Figure 38] FIG. 11 is a view from the front left showing how the lifting device 730 holds the reinforcing bar binding device 602 at the upper limit position in the reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 39] FIG. 11 is a view from the front left showing how the lifting device 730 lowers the reinforcing bar binding device 602 in the reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to the second embodiment. [Diagram 40] FIG. 11 is a view from the front left showing how the lifting device 730 holds the reinforcing bar binding device 602 in the lower limit position in the reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to the second embodiment. [Diagram 41] FIG. 11 is a view from the front left showing how the lifting device 730 lifts the reinforcing bar binding device 602 in the reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to the second embodiment. [Diagram 42] FIG. 11 is a view from the front left showing how the lifting device 730 changes the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 while lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 602 in the reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to the second embodiment. [Diagram 43] FIG. 11 is a view from the front left showing how the lifting device 730 returns the reinforcing bar binding device 602 to its basic position while raising the reinforcing bar binding device 602 in the reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to the second embodiment. [Diagram 44] 13 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by a robot control device 726 in the reinforcing bar binding robot 700 according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Representative and non-limiting examples of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the drawings. This detailed description is intended simply to provide those skilled in the art with details for implementing the preferred examples of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Additionally, the additional features and inventions disclosed can be used separately or together with other features and inventions to provide further improved rebar tying robots and methods for tying rebar intersections with rebar tying devices.

[0010] In addition, the combinations of features and steps disclosed in the following detailed description are not essential for implementing the present invention in the broadest sense, but are specifically described only to illustrate representative embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the various features of the following representative embodiments and the various features described in the claims do not have to be combined in the exact manner of the embodiments described herein or in the order listed in order to provide additional and useful embodiments of the present invention.

[0011] All features described in the specification and / or claims are intended to be disclosed individually and independently of one another as limitations to the specific features described in the original disclosure and claims, apart from the configuration of features described in the examples and / or claims. Furthermore, all numerical ranges and group or aggregate descriptions are intended to disclose intermediate configurations thereof as limitations to the specific features described in the original disclosure and claims.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device may change the posture of the rebar tying device during the process of raising or lowering the rebar tying device without interrupting the raising or lowering of the rebar tying device.

[0013] In a configuration in which the lifting device interrupts the lifting operation of the reinforcing bar binding device every time the lifting device changes the position of the reinforcing bar binding device, the time it takes for the lifting device to complete the lifting operation of the reinforcing bar binding device increases. With the above configuration, the lifting device changes the position of the reinforcing bar binding device without interrupting the lifting operation of the reinforcing bar binding device. This reduces the time it takes for the lifting device to complete the lifting operation of the reinforcing bar binding device.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, the reinforcing bar binding device may include a feeding mechanism that feeds out the wire, and a guide member having a guide groove for guiding the wire fed by the feeding mechanism and winding it around the reinforcing bar intersection. The lifting device may change the attitude of the reinforcing bar binding device in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device so as to move the guide member in a direction opposite to the direction in which the guide groove opens.

[0015] Usually, after the reinforcing bar binding device binds the reinforcing bar intersection, the lifting device lifts the reinforcing bar binding device so as to move the reinforcing bar binding device away from the reinforcing bar intersection. Here, in the process of binding the reinforcing bar intersection by the reinforcing bar binding device, the end of the cut wire (also called the cut end) may remain in the guide groove. If the lifting device is configured to lift the reinforcing bar binding device without changing the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device, the cut end remaining in the guide groove may be dragged to the bottom of the guide groove or the like. In some cases, the cut end may get caught on the guide member. According to the above configuration, in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device, the lifting device changes the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device so as to move the guide member in the direction opposite to the direction in which the guide groove opens. In other words, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device changes so that the cut end remaining in the guide groove moves out of the direction in which the guide groove opens. This makes it possible to prevent the cut end remaining in the guide groove from being dragged against the bottom of the guide groove, etc., and to prevent the cut end from getting caught on the guide member.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device may not change the attitude of the rebar tying device in the process of lowering the rebar tying device.

[0017] From the viewpoint of preventing the cut end from getting caught on the guide member, it is sufficient to change the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device. Furthermore, if the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device is changed without reason, an unnecessary load may be placed on the lifting device and the reinforcing bar binding device. According to the above configuration, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device is changed in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device, but is not changed in the process of lowering the reinforcing bar binding device. This prevents unnecessary load from being placed on the lifting device and the reinforcing bar binding device.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device may raise or lower the rebar tying device by linearly moving the rebar tying device relative to the base. The lifting device may change the attitude of the rebar tying device by rotating the rebar tying device about a device rotation axis that is fixed in position relative to the rebar tying device.

[0019] From the viewpoint of shortening the time required for the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device, it is preferable to move the reinforcing bar binding device linearly. According to the above configuration, the reinforcing bar binding device can be lifted and lowered linearly. If necessary, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device can be changed by rotating the reinforcing bar binding device. Therefore, the time required for the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device can be minimized while complex movements of the reinforcing bar binding device can be realized.

[0020] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device may include a first actuator, a holding member that holds the reinforcing bar binding device rotatably around the device rotation axis, and a linear motion mechanism that is operated by power from the first actuator and linearly raises or lowers the holding member relative to the base. In the process in which the linear motion mechanism operates to raise or lower the reinforcing bar binding device, the power of the linear motion mechanism may be transmitted to the reinforcing bar binding device as a rotational force around the device rotation axis, causing the reinforcing bar binding device to rotate around the device rotation axis.

[0021] In the lifting device, an actuator for raising or lowering the rebar binding device and an actuator for changing the posture of the rebar binding device may be provided separately. However, if the number of actuators provided in the lifting device increases, the manufacturing cost of the lifting device may increase. According to the above configuration, the power from the first actuator is not only used as the power for raising or lowering the rebar binding device, but also as the power for changing the posture of the rebar binding device. Therefore, since it is not necessary to provide separately an actuator for raising or lowering the rebar binding device and an actuator for changing the posture of the rebar binding device, the number of actuators provided in the lifting device can be reduced. This can reduce the manufacturing cost of the lifting device.

[0022] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device may include a biasing member that biases the reinforcing bar binding device in a circumferential direction around the device rotation axis relative to the holding member. The reinforcing bar binding device may rotate against the biasing force of the biasing member.

[0023] When the reinforcing bar binding device is rotated, there is a risk that the reinforcing bar binding device will rotate too much due to inertia. According to the above configuration, the biasing member biases the reinforcing bar binding device in a direction against the rotation of the reinforcing bar binding device. Therefore, the reinforcing bar binding device can be prevented from rotating too much due to inertia.

[0024] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device may include an interference member fixed to the reinforcing bar binding device. The linear motion mechanism may be a slider crank mechanism including a crankshaft rotated by power from the first actuator, a slider corresponding to the holding member, and a link mechanism connecting the crankshaft and the slider to each other. In the process in which the slider crank mechanism operates to raise or lower the reinforcing bar binding device, the link mechanism may swing to push the interference member in the circumferential direction of the device rotation axis, thereby rotating the reinforcing bar binding device around the device rotation axis.

[0025] According to the above configuration, in a lifting device that uses a slider crank mechanism to lift and lower a reinforcing bar binding device, the attitude of the reinforcing bar binding device with respect to the base (or the reinforcing bar intersection) can be changed. Furthermore, according to the above configuration, since there is no need to separately provide an actuator for lifting or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device and an actuator for changing the attitude of the reinforcing bar binding device, the manufacturing cost of the lifting device can be reduced.

[0026] In one or more embodiments, the crankshaft may be rotated in a predetermined rotational direction by power from the first actuator. The interference member may be disposed within a swing range of the link mechanism when the slider rises and outside the swing range of the link mechanism when the slider descends, or may be disposed outside the swing range of the link mechanism when the slider rises and within the swing range of the link mechanism when the slider descends.

[0027] If the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device is changed without reason, an extra load may be applied to the lifting device and the reinforcing bar binding device. For this reason, there are cases where it is desired to change the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device only during one of the processes of raising the reinforcing bar binding device and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device. According to the above configuration, in one of the processes of raising the reinforcing bar binding device and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device, the link mechanism presses the interference member, thereby changing the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device. In the other of the processes of raising the reinforcing bar binding device and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device, the link mechanism does not interfere with the interference member, so the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device does not change. This allows the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device to be changed only during one of the processes of raising the reinforcing bar binding device and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device.

[0028] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device may include a first abutment member provided on the reinforcing bar binding device and a second abutment member provided on the base. In the process of the linear motion mechanism operating to raise or lower the reinforcing bar binding device, the first abutment member and the second abutment member may abut against each other, and the first abutment member may be pushed in the circumferential direction of the device rotation axis by the second abutment member, thereby rotating the reinforcing bar binding device around the device rotation axis.

[0029] According to the above configuration, the mechanism for rotating the reinforcing bar binding device is relatively simple, so that the device can be applied to various conventional lifting devices. Therefore, the existing lifting devices can be used, and the manufacturing cost of the lifting devices can be reduced.

[0030] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device may include a second actuator that moves one of the first abutment member and the second abutment member between a first position where the one of the first abutment member and the second abutment member can abut against the other of the first abutment member and the second abutment member and a second position where the one of the first abutment member and the second abutment member cannot abut against the other of the first abutment member and the second abutment member. When the reinforcing bar binding device is raised, the one of the first abutment member and the second abutment member may be held in one of the first position and the second position by the second actuator. When the reinforcing bar binding device is lowered, the one of the first abutment member and the second abutment member may be held in the other of the first position and the second position by the second actuator.

[0031] If the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device is changed without reason, an extra load may be applied to the lifting device and the reinforcing bar binding device. For this reason, there are cases where it is desired to change the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device only during one of the processes of raising the reinforcing bar binding device and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device. According to the above configuration, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device changes during one of the processes of raising the reinforcing bar binding device and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device, as the first abutment member and the second abutment member abut. During the other of the processes of raising the reinforcing bar binding device and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device, the first abutment member and the second abutment member do not abut, so the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device does not change. As a result, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device can be changed only during one of the processes of raising the reinforcing bar binding device and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device.

[0032] (Example 1; Rebar tying robot 100; Figures 1 to 26) As shown in FIG. 1, the rebar binding robot 100 is a robot that moves over a plurality of first rebars R1 arranged parallel to each other along the horizontal direction and second rebars R2 arranged parallel to each other along the horizontal direction, and binds the intersections of the first rebars R1 and the second rebars R2 using a rebar binding device 2. When the first rebars R1 and the second rebars R2 are viewed from above, the direction in which the second rebars R2 extend is perpendicular to the direction in which the first rebars R1 extend. The second rebars R2 are arranged above the first rebars R1. The first rebars R1 are arranged at intervals of, for example, 100 mm to 300 mm, and the second rebars R2 are arranged at intervals of, for example, 100 mm to 300 mm. The rebar binding robot 100 has a front-rear dimension of, for example, about 900 mm, and a left-right dimension of, for example, about 600 mm.

[0033] 1 and 2, the rebar tying robot 100 mainly comprises a rebar tying device 2, a power supply unit 102, a transport device 106, a lifting device 130, a robot control device 126, a chassis 190, an independent reel 500, and a wire relay mechanism 550. For the sake of simplification, the power supply unit 102 and the robot control device 126 are omitted from illustrations in the figures other than Fig. 2. For this reason, although not shown, the power supply unit 102 and the robot control device 126 are installed, for example, on the chassis 190.

[0034] (Configuration of power supply device 102) 2 is electrically connected to each electrical component of the rebar tying robot 100. For example, multiple battery packs (not shown) are detachably attached to the power supply device 102. Therefore, the power supply device 102 can supply power from the multiple battery packs to each electrical component.

[0035] (Configuration of robot control device 126) The robot control device 126 includes a CPU, a memory, a communication interface, and the like. The robot control device 126 is configured to control the operation of each electrical component of the rebar binding robot 100. For example, the memory of the robot control device 126 stores map information (called a "rebar map" in this embodiment) showing the positional relationship between the multiple first rebars R1 and the multiple second rebars R2. The robot control device 126 also uses a rebar detection sensor (e.g., a TOF sensor) (not shown) installed on the chassis 190 so as to face downward to acquire distance image data showing the distance from the rebar detection sensor to the subject (the multiple first rebars R1 and the multiple second rebars R2). Based on this distance image data, the robot control device 126 can identify the current position of the rebar binding robot 100 in the rebar map. The robot control device 126 can also store the rebar intersection point RC that coincides with the current position of the rebar binding robot 100 as a tied point every time a binding operation is performed by the rebar binding device 2. This allows the robot control device 126 to distinguish between tied rebar intersection points RC and untied rebar intersection points RC on the rebar map.

[0036] (Configuration of the independent reel 500 and the wire relay mechanism 550) As shown in FIG. 1, the independent reel 500 is fixed to the chassis 190. The wire W used for rebar binding work is wound on the independent reel 500 in advance. The maximum length of the wire W that can be wound on the independent reel 500 of this embodiment is within a range of 600 m to 1000 m, for example, 800 m. The wire relay mechanism 550 includes a base part 552, a guide roller 554, feed rollers 556 and 557, and an insertion member 558. The wire relay mechanism 550 is fixed to the chassis 190 via the base part 552. The wire W pulled out from the independent reel 500 passes through the insertion member 558, is clamped between the feed rollers 556 and 557, and is guided by the guide roller 554 toward the rebar binding device 2. The independent reel 500 can be said to be a supply source of the wire W in the rebar binding robot 100.

[0037] (Configuration of rebar binding device 2) The configuration of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 will be described below with reference to Figures 3 to 8. Note that the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction in the description of Figures 3 to 8 do not refer to the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction with respect to the reinforcing bar binding robot 100, but refer to the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction with respect to the reinforcing bar binding device 2.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 3, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 binds reinforcing bar intersections RC with a wire W. The reinforcing bar binding device 2 includes a housing 3. The housing 3 includes a fitting portion 3a for fitting with a base member 154 (see Fig. 16) of the lifting device 130. As shown in Fig. 4, a through hole 3b for receiving the wire W pulled out from the independent reel 500 is provided at the rear of the housing 3. As shown in Fig. 1, the through hole 3b opens toward the wire relay mechanism 550.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 4, a guide reel 10 is accommodated in the upper rear portion of the housing 3. The guide reel 10 is rotatably held relative to the housing 3. The wire W guided into the housing 3 through the through hole 3b is wound around the guide reel 10 several times and then supplied toward the front of the guide reel 10.

[0040] As shown in Figures 4 to 8, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 includes a feed mechanism 12, a guide mechanism 14, a brake mechanism 16, a cutting mechanism 18, a twisting mechanism 20, and a control device 80. The control device 80 includes a CPU, a memory, a communication interface, etc. The control device 80 controls the operation of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 according to a predetermined program stored in the memory.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 4, the feed mechanism 12 feeds the wire W supplied from the guide reel 10 to the guide mechanism 14 in front. The feed mechanism 12 includes an insertion member 21, a feed motor 22, a driven roller 24, and a driven roller 26. The wire W supplied from the guide reel 10 passes through the insertion member 21 and is sandwiched between the driven roller 24 and the driven roller 26. The feed motor 22 is, for example, a DC brush motor. The operation of the feed motor 22 is controlled by a control device 80 (see FIG. 8). The feed motor 22 rotates the driven roller 24. When the feed motor 22 rotates the driven roller 24, the driven roller 26 rotates in the reverse direction, and the wire W sandwiched between the driven roller 24 and the driven roller 26 is fed to the guide mechanism 14. When the wire W is fed, the wire W slides along the outer circumferential surface of the guide reel 10. At this time, a force that rotates the guide reel 10 is generated due to sliding friction between the guide reel 10 and the wire W. The guide reel 10 is configured to rotate as the wire W is let out.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 5, the guide mechanism 14 guides the wire W fed from the feed mechanism 12 in a circular shape. The guide mechanism 14 includes a guide pipe 28, an upper curl guide 30, and a lower curl guide 32. The rear end of the guide pipe 28 opens toward the space between the driven roller 24 and the driven roller 26. The wire W fed from the feed mechanism 12 is fed into the inside of the guide pipe 28. The front end of the guide pipe 28 opens toward the inside of the upper curl guide 30. The upper curl guide 30 is provided with a first guide passage 34 for guiding the wire W fed from the guide pipe 28 and a second guide passage (not shown) for guiding the wire W fed from the lower curl guide 32.

[0043] The upper curl guide 30 has a guide groove 38 that guides the wire W so as to curl the wire W downward. A cutter 40 of the cutting mechanism 18, which will be described later, is disposed behind the guide groove 38. Both the cutter 40 and the guide groove 38 constitute a part of the first guide passage 34. Therefore, the wire W fed from the guide pipe 28 passes through the cutter 40 and the guide groove 38, and is sent out from the front end of the upper curl guide 30 toward the lower curl guide 32.

[0044] The lower curl guide 32 is provided with a return plate 42. The return plate 42 guides the wire W fed from the front end of the upper curl guide 30, and returns the wire W toward the rear end of the second guide passage of the upper curl guide 30.

[0045] The second guide passage of the upper curl guide 30 is disposed adjacent to the first guide passage 34. The second guide passage guides the wire W fed from the lower curl guide 32 and feeds it from the front end of the upper curl guide 30 toward the lower curl guide 32.

[0046] The wire W fed from the feeding mechanism 12 is wound in an annular shape around the rebar intersection RC (see FIG. 3) by the upper curl guide 30 and the lower curl guide 32. The number of turns of the wire W around the rebar intersection RC can be set in advance by the user. When the feeding mechanism 12 has fed out an amount of wire W corresponding to the set number of turns, it stops the feed motor 22 to stop feeding out the wire W.

[0047] The brake mechanism 16 shown in FIG. 4 stops the rotation of the guide reel 10 in conjunction with the feed mechanism 12 stopping the feed of the wire W. The brake mechanism 16 includes a pull solenoid 46, a link 48, and a brake arm 50. The operation of the pull solenoid 46 is controlled by a control device 80 (see FIG. 8). The guide reel 10 is formed with engagement portions 10a with which the brake arm 50 engages at predetermined angular intervals in the circumferential direction. When the pull solenoid 46 is not energized, the brake arm 50 is separated from the engagement portion 10a of the guide reel 10. When the pull solenoid 46 is energized, the brake arm 50 is driven via the link 48, and the brake arm 50 engages with the engagement portion 10a of the guide reel 10. When the feed mechanism 12 is feeding out the wire W, the control device 80 does not energize the pull solenoid 46, and causes the brake arm 50 to move away from the engaging portion 10a of the guide reel 10. This allows the guide reel 10 to rotate freely. On the other hand, when the feed mechanism 12 stops feeding out the wire W, the control device 80 energizes the pull solenoid 46, and causes the brake arm 50 to engage with the engaging portion 10a of the guide reel 10. This prohibits the guide reel 10 from rotating. This prevents the guide reel 10 from continuing to rotate due to inertia after the feed mechanism 12 stops feeding out the wire W, and prevents the wire W from becoming loose between the guide reel 10 and the feed mechanism 12.

[0048] The cutting mechanism 18 shown in Fig. 5 cuts the wire W while the wire W is wound around the rebar intersection RC. The cutting mechanism 18 includes a cutter 40 and a link 52. The cutter 40 includes a fixed cutter member 40a and a movable cutter member 40b. The fixed cutter member 40a is fixed to the upper curl guide 30. The movable cutter member 40b is connected to the link 52 and is rotatably provided around the fixed cutter member 40a. The link 52 rotates the movable cutter member 40b in conjunction with the twisting mechanism 20 described below.

[0049] The fixed cutter member 40a includes a fixed wire passage 40c. The movable cutter member 40b includes a movable wire passage 40d. The fixed wire passage 40c and the movable wire passage 40d form a part of the first guide passage 34. The movable cutter member 40b also includes a wire retaining wall 40e facing the movable wire passage 40d.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 6, when the movable cutter member 40b rotates, the wire W is sheared by the fixed cutter member 40a and the movable cutter member 40b. In the process of shearing the wire W, the wire W is bent by shearing force acting on the wire W. The wire holding wall 40e of the movable cutter member 40b pushes the bent wire W upward. At this time, the wire W is pressed against the bottom wall 38a of the guide groove 38. In this state, the wire W is restrained by the reaction force received from the wire holding wall 40e and the reaction force received from the bottom wall 38a of the guide groove 38. That is, the wire W is held by the wire holding wall 40e and the bottom wall 38a. As shown in FIG. 7, when the movable cutter member 40b returns to the initial position, the wire W held by the wire holding wall 40e and the bottom wall 38a is released.

[0051] 8 twists the wire W wound around the rebar intersection RC to bind the rebar intersection RC with the wire W. The twisting mechanism 20 includes a twisting motor 54, a speed reducing mechanism 56, a screw shaft 58 (see FIG. 5), a sleeve 60, a push plate 61, and a pair of hooks 62.

[0052] The torsion motor 54 is, for example, a DC brushless motor. The operation of the torsion motor 54 is controlled by the control device 80. The rotation of the torsion motor 54 is transmitted to the screw shaft 58 via the reduction mechanism 56. The torsion motor 54 can rotate in the forward and reverse directions, and accordingly, the screw shaft 58 can also rotate in the forward and reverse directions. The sleeve 60 is arranged to cover the periphery of the screw shaft 58. In a state in which the rotation of the sleeve 60 is prohibited, when the screw shaft 58 rotates in the forward direction, the sleeve 60 moves forward, and when the screw shaft 58 rotates in the reverse direction, the sleeve 60 moves backward. The push plate 61 moves forward and backward together with the sleeve 60 in accordance with the forward and backward movement of the sleeve 60. In addition, when the rotation of the sleeve 60 is permitted, when the screw shaft 58 rotates, the sleeve 60 rotates together with the screw shaft 58. A pair of hooks 62 are provided at the front end of the sleeve 60 and open and close depending on the position of the sleeve 60 in the front-rear direction.

[0053] The control device 80 rotates the twisting motor 54 in a state where the wire W is wound around the rebar intersection RC. At this time, the rotation of the sleeve 60 is prohibited, and the sleeve 60 advances due to the rotation of the screw shaft 58, and the push plate 61 and the pair of hooks 62 advance. When the sleeve 60 advances from the initial position to the first predetermined position, the push plate 61 drives the link 52 of the cutting mechanism 18 to rotate the movable cutter member 40b (see FIG. 6). As a result, the wire W is cut, and the end of the cut wire W is held by the wire holding wall 40e and the bottom wall 38a (see FIG. 6). When the sleeve 60 advances to a second predetermined position forward of the first predetermined position, the pair of hooks 62 close and grip the wire W. Thereafter, the rotation of the sleeve 60 is permitted, and the sleeve 60 rotates due to the rotation of the screw shaft 58, and the pair of hooks 62 rotate. As a result, the wire W is twisted and the rebar intersection RC is bound together. The rebar intersection RC in the state bound together by the wire W is as shown in FIG.

[0054] When the twisting of the wire W is completed, the control device 80 shown in FIG. 8 rotates the twisting motor 54 in the reverse direction. At this time, the rotation of the sleeve 60 is prohibited, and the sleeve 60 retreats due to the rotation of the screw shaft 58, and the pair of hooks 62 open and the wire W is released. Thereafter, the sleeve 60 further retreats due to the rotation of the screw shaft 58, and the push plate 61 and the pair of hooks 62 retreat. As the push plate 61 retreats, the link 52 and the movable cutter member 40b return to their initial positions. As a result, the end of the wire W held by the wire holding wall 40e and the bottom wall 38a (see FIG. 6) is released. Thereafter, when the sleeve 60 retreats to the initial position, the rotation of the sleeve 60 is permitted, and the sleeve 60 and the pair of hooks 62 rotate due to the rotation of the screw shaft 58, and return to their initial angles.

[0055] The rebar tying robot 100 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with an operation panel (not shown) equipped with switches, buttons, and the like. For example, the operation panel is provided on the transport device 106. A user can set the number of turns of the wire W at the rebar intersection RC, the torque threshold value when twisting the wire W, and the like via the operation panel. The operation panel is provided with setting switches (not shown) for setting the number of turns of the wire W at the rebar intersection RC and the torque threshold value when twisting the wire W, a display LED (not shown) for displaying the current setting contents, and the like. The operation panel is electrically connected to a control device 80 shown in FIG. 8.

[0056] The control device 80 is electrically connected to the robot control device 126 (see FIG. 2) and is capable of receiving signals transmitted from the robot control device 126. When the control device 80 receives a bundling instruction signal from the robot control device 126, it executes a series of operations, such as winding the wire W around the rebar intersection RC using the feed mechanism 12, the guide mechanism 14, and the brake mechanism 16, cutting the wire W using the cutting mechanism 18 and the twisting mechanism 20, and twisting the wire W wound around the rebar intersection RC.

[0057] (Configuration of chassis 190) As shown in FIG. 9, the chassis 190 includes a base plate 204, a right plate 210, a left plate 212, a plurality of base frames 214, a front connecting frame 215, and a rear connecting frame 216. The base plate 204 is arranged along the front-rear direction and the left-right direction (i.e., the horizontal direction). The base plate 204 is formed with a through hole 204a through which the reinforcing bar binding device 2 can pass along the approximately up-down direction. The plurality of base frames 214 are fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 204. The right plate 210 is fixed to the right surface of one of the plurality of base frames 214 that extends in the front-rear direction along the right end of the base plate 204. The right plate 210 is arranged along the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. The left plate 212 is fixed to the left surface of one of the plurality of base frames 214 that extends in the front-rear direction along the left end of the base plate 204. The left plate 212 is arranged along the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. In the vertical direction, the upper end of the right plate 210 and the upper end of the left plate 212 are at the same position as the lower surface of the base plate 204. In the front-rear direction, the front end of the right plate 210 and the front end of the left plate 212 protrude forward from the front end of the base plate 204, and the rear end of the right plate 210 and the rear end of the left plate 212 protrude rearward from the rear end of the base plate 204. The front connecting frame 215 connects the vicinity of the front end of the right plate 210 to the vicinity of the front end of the left plate 212 forward of the front end of the base plate 204. The rear connecting frame 216 connects the vicinity of the rear end of the right plate 210 to the vicinity of the rear end of the left plate 212 rearward of the rear end of the base plate 204. The front connecting frame 215 and the rear connecting frame 216 extend in the left-right direction. In the vertical direction, the front connecting frame 215 and the rear connecting frame 216 are disposed below the multiple base frames 214.

[0058] (Configuration of the conveying device 106) 1 and 9, the transport device 106 includes a right crawler 192, a left crawler 194, a side stepper 196, a dual-purpose motor 400, and a power transmission mechanism 402. The right crawler 192, the left crawler 194, the side stepper 196, the dual-purpose motor 400, and the power transmission mechanism 402 are each supported by the chassis 190.

[0059] (Right Crawler 192 Configuration) As shown in Fig. 9, the right crawler 192 includes a front pulley 218, a rear pulley 220, a plurality of auxiliary pulleys 222, a tensioner pulley 224, a rubber belt 226, a right crawler motor 228, and a gear box 230. Teeth that mesh with the rubber belt 226 are formed on the outer surface of the front pulley 218, the outer surface of the rear pulley 220, the outer surfaces of the plurality of auxiliary pulleys 222, and the outer surface of the tensioner pulley 224. The rubber belt 226 is wound around the front pulley 218, the rear pulley 220, the plurality of auxiliary pulleys 222, and the tensioner pulley 224. The front pulley 218 is rotatably supported by the right plate 210 via a bearing 232 in the vicinity of the front end of the right plate 210. The rear pulley 220 is rotatably supported by the right plate 210 via a bearing 234 near the rear end of the right plate 210. The multiple auxiliary pulleys 222 are rotatably supported by the right plate 210 between the front pulley 218 and the rear pulley 220 via corresponding bearings 236. The multiple auxiliary pulleys 222 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. The outer diameter of the front pulley 218 and the outer diameter of the rear pulley 220 are approximately the same, and the outer diameter of the multiple auxiliary pulleys 222 is smaller than the outer diameters of the front pulley 218 and the rear pulley 220. In the vertical direction, the lower end of the front pulley 218, the lower end of the rear pulley 220, and the lower ends of the multiple auxiliary pulleys 222 are located at approximately the same position. The tensioner pulley 224 is rotatably supported by a movable bearing 237. The movable bearing 237 is supported by the right plate 210 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. With the rubber belt 226 stretched around the tensioner pulley 224, the tension of the rubber belt 226 can be adjusted by adjusting the vertical position of the movable bearing 237 relative to the right plate 210. The right crawler motor 228 is supported by the right plate 210 via a bearing 232 and a gear box 230. The right crawler motor 228 is, for example, a DC brushless motor. The right crawler motor 228 is connected to the front pulley 218 via a reduction gear (not shown) built into the gear box 230.When the right crawler motor 228 rotates in a forward or reverse direction, the front pulley 218 rotates in a forward or reverse direction, which causes the rubber belt 226 to rotate in a forward or reverse direction around the front pulley 218, the rear pulley 220, the multiple auxiliary pulleys 222, and the tensioner pulley 224.

[0060] (Configuration of left crawler 194) The left crawler 194 includes a front pulley 244, a rear pulley 246, a plurality of auxiliary pulleys 248, a tensioner pulley 250, a rubber belt 252, a left crawler motor 254, and a gear box 256. Teeth that mesh with the rubber belt 252 are formed on the outer surface of the front pulley 244, the outer surface of the rear pulley 246, the outer surfaces of the plurality of auxiliary pulleys 248, and the outer surface of the tensioner pulley 250. The rubber belt 252 is stretched around the front pulley 244, the rear pulley 246, the plurality of auxiliary pulleys 248, and the tensioner pulley 250. The front pulley 244 is rotatably supported by the left plate 212 near the front end of the left plate 212 via a bearing 258. The rear pulley 246 is rotatably supported by the left plate 212 via a bearing 260 near the rear end of the left plate 212. The multiple auxiliary pulleys 248 are rotatably supported by the left plate 212 between the front pulley 244 and the rear pulley 246 via corresponding bearings 262. The multiple auxiliary pulleys 248 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. The outer diameter of the front pulley 244 and the outer diameter of the rear pulley 246 are approximately the same, and the outer diameter of the multiple auxiliary pulleys 248 is smaller than the outer diameters of the front pulley 244 and the rear pulley 246. In the vertical direction, the lower end of the front pulley 244, the lower end of the rear pulley 246, and the lower ends of the multiple auxiliary pulleys 248 are located at approximately the same position. The tensioner pulley 250 is rotatably supported by a movable bearing 264. The movable bearing 264 is supported by the left plate 212 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. With the rubber belt 252 stretched around the tensioner pulley 250, the tension of the rubber belt 252 can be adjusted by adjusting the vertical position of the movable bearing 264 relative to the left plate 212. The left crawler motor 254 is supported by the left plate 212 via a bearing 258 and a gear box 256. The left crawler motor 254 is, for example, a DC brushless motor. The left crawler motor 254 is connected to the front pulley 244 via a reduction gear (not shown) built into the gear box 256.When the left crawler motor 254 rotates forward or reverse, the front pulley 244 rotates forward or reverse, which causes the rubber belt 252 to rotate forward or reverse around the front pulley 244, the rear pulley 246, the multiple auxiliary pulleys 248, and the tensioner pulley 250.

[0061] (Configuration of Side Stepper 196) As shown in Fig. 10, the side stepper 196 includes step bars 272 and 274, a front crank mechanism 276, and a rear crank mechanism 277. The step bars 272 and 274 are rod-shaped members having a substantially rectangular cross section and extend in the front-rear direction. As shown in Fig. 9, in the left-right direction, the step bar 272 is disposed between the center and the right end of the base plate 204, and the step bar 274 is disposed between the center and the left end of the base plate 204.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 10, the front crank mechanism 276 includes a support plate 278, pulleys 280 and 282, a tensioner pulley 283, a belt 284, crank arms 286 and 288, crank pins 290 and 292 (see FIG. 11), a crank plate 294, rollers 296 and 298, and a guide plate 300. The support plate 278 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 204 near the front end of the base plate 204. The support plate 278 is arranged along the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The pulley 280 is arranged near the right end of the support plate 278 and behind the support plate 278. The pulley 282 is arranged near the left end of the support plate 278 and behind the support plate 278. The pulleys 280 and 282 are each rotatably supported by the support plate 278. The diameter of the pulley 280 is approximately the same as the diameter of the pulley 282. The belt 284 is stretched around the pulleys 280 and 282. Therefore, when one of the pulleys 280 and 282 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the other also rotates in the forward or reverse direction at approximately the same rotation speed. The tensioner pulley 283 is rotatably supported by the base plate 204 (see FIG. 9) via a movable bearing (not shown) that is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The tensioner pulley 283 is disposed so as to abut against the belt 284 from above. Therefore, the tension of the belt 284 can be adjusted by adjusting the vertical position of the movable bearing that supports the tensioner pulley 283 with respect to the base plate 204.

[0063] The crank arms 286, 288, the crank pins 290, 292 (see FIG. 11), the crank plate 294, the rollers 296, 298, and the guide plate 300 are disposed forward of the support plate 278. As shown in FIG. 11, the crank arms 286, 288 have fitting holes 286a, 288a into which the shafts 280a, 282a of the pulleys 280, 282 are fitted, and long holes 286b, 288b extending in the longitudinal direction of the crank arms 286, 288. When the pulleys 280, 282 rotate, the crank arms 286, 288 rotate integrally with the pulleys 280, 282 around the shafts 280a, 282a. The crank pins 290, 292 are slidably inserted into the long holes 286b, 288b. The crank pins 290, 292 are fixed to the crank plate 294 in a state where they penetrate the crank plate 294. The crank plate 294 is disposed forward of the crank arms 286, 288. The crank plate 294 extends in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The rollers 296, 298 (see FIG. 10) are attached to the crank pins 290, 292 forward of the crank plate 294. As shown in FIG. 10, the rollers 296, 298 are inserted into guide grooves 302, 304 formed in the rear surface of the guide plate 300. The guide plate 300 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 204 forward of the crank plate 294. The guide plate 300 extends in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 11, the guide grooves 302, 304 of the guide plate 300 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners. The guide grooves 302 and 304 define a side step trajectory S1, which is indicated by a dashed line in Fig. 11. The side step trajectory S1 has a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners, and has upper and lower sides extending in the left-right direction and right and left sides extending in the up-down direction.

[0064] In the front crank mechanism 276, when the pulleys 280, 282 rotate, the crank arms 286, 288 rotate, causing the crank pins 290, 292 to move in the rotational direction of the crank arms 286, 288. At this time, because the rollers 296, 298 are inserted into the guide grooves 302, 304, the crank pins 290, 292 slide inside the long holes 286b, 288b and move along the side step trajectory S1 defined by the guide grooves 302, 304. As a result, the crank plate 294 to which the crank pins 290, 292 are fixed also moves along the side step trajectory S1 defined by the guide grooves 302, 304.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 12, the rear crank mechanism 277 includes a support plate 306, pulleys 308 and 310, a tensioner pulley 311, a belt 312, crank arms 314 and 316, crank pins 318 and 320 (see FIG. 11), a crank plate 322, rollers 324 and 326, and a guide plate 328. The support plate 306 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 204 near the rear end of the base plate 204. The support plate 306 is arranged along the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The pulley 308 is arranged near the right end of the support plate 306 and forward of the support plate 306. The pulley 310 is arranged near the left end of the support plate 306 and forward of the support plate 306. The pulleys 308 and 310 are each rotatably supported by the support plate 306. The diameter of the pulley 308 is approximately the same as that of the pulley 310, and is approximately the same as that of the pulleys 280 and 282 of the front crank mechanism 276. The belt 312 is stretched around the pulleys 308 and 310. Therefore, when one of the pulleys 308 and 310 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the other also rotates in the forward or reverse direction at approximately the same rotation speed. The tensioner pulley 311 is rotatably supported by the base plate 204 (see FIG. 9) via a movable bearing (not shown) that is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The tensioner pulley 311 is disposed so as to abut against the belt 312 from above. Therefore, the tension of the belt 312 can be adjusted by adjusting the vertical position of the movable bearing that supports the tensioner pulley 311 relative to the base plate 204.

[0066] The crank arms 314, 316, the crank pins 318, 320 (see FIG. 11), the crank plate 322, the rollers 324, 326, and the guide plate 328 are disposed rearward of the support plate 306. As shown in FIG. 11, the crank arms 314, 316 have fitting holes 314a, 316a into which the shafts 308a, 310a of the pulleys 308, 310 are fitted, and long holes 314b, 316b extending in the longitudinal direction of the crank arms 314, 316. When the pulleys 308, 310 rotate, the crank arms 314, 316 rotate integrally with the pulleys 308, 310 around the shafts 308a, 310a. The crank pins 318, 320 are slidably inserted into the long holes 314b, 316b. The crank pins 318, 320 are fixed to the crank plate 322 in a state where they penetrate the crank plate 322. The crank plate 322 is disposed on the rear side of the crank arms 314, 316. The crank plate 322 extends in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The rollers 324, 326 (see FIG. 12) are attached to the crank pins 318, 320 on the rear side of the crank plate 322. As shown in FIG. 12, the rollers 324, 326 are inserted into guide grooves 330, 332 formed on the front surface of the guide plate 328. The guide plate 328 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 204 behind the crank plate 322. The guide plate 328 extends in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 11, the guide grooves 330, 332 of the guide plate 328 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners. The guide grooves 330 and 332 define a side step trajectory S1 shown by a dashed line in Fig. 11. The side step trajectory S1 has a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners, with upper and lower sides along the left-right direction and right and left sides along the up-down direction. The side step trajectory S1 defined by the guide grooves 330 and 332 is the same as the side step trajectory S1 defined by the guide grooves 302 and 304.

[0067] In the rear crank mechanism 277, when the pulleys 308, 310 rotate, the crank arms 314, 316 rotate, causing the crank pins 318, 320 to move in the rotational direction of the crank arms 314, 316. At this time, because the rollers 324, 326 are inserted into the guide grooves 330, 332, the crank pins 318, 320 slide inside the long holes 314b, 316b and move along the side step trajectory S1 defined by the guide grooves 330, 332. As a result, the crank plate 322 to which the crank pins 318, 320 are fixed also moves along the side step trajectory S1 defined by the guide grooves 330, 332.

[0068] As shown in Fig. 9, the step bars 272, 274 have their front ends fixed to the crank plate 294 of the front crank mechanism 276 and their rear ends fixed to the crank plate 322 of the rear crank mechanism 277. As shown in Fig. 10, the pulley 282 of the front crank mechanism 276 and the pulley 310 of the rear crank mechanism 277 are each connected to a rotation transmission shaft 428 of the power transmission mechanism 402. For this reason, when the rotation transmission shaft 428 rotates, the pulleys 280, 282 of the front crank mechanism 276 and the pulleys 308, 310 of the rear crank mechanism 277 rotate synchronously with each other, and the crank plate 294 of the front crank mechanism 276 and the crank plate 322 of the rear crank mechanism 277 operate synchronously with each other. That is, when the rotation transmission shaft 428 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the pulleys 280, 282, 308, 310 rotate in the forward or reverse direction, whereby the crank plates 294, 322 move clockwise or counterclockwise along the side step trajectory S1, and the step bars 272, 274 also move clockwise or counterclockwise along the side step trajectory S1. A zero point detection sensor (not shown) is provided on one of the front crank mechanism 276 and the rear crank mechanism 277 (for example, the front crank mechanism 276). The zero point detection sensor includes, for example, a permanent magnet (not shown) fixed to the crank plate 294 and a Hall element (not shown) fixed to the guide plate 300. The zero point detection sensor can detect whether the crank plates 294, 322 are at the zero point position, with the center in the left-right direction of the upper side of the side step trajectory S1 being the zero point position.

[0069] As shown in Fig. 13, when the crank plates 294, 322 are on the upper side of the side step track S1 (see Fig. 11) and the step bars 272, 274 are moving upward, the crank plates 294, 322 and the step bars 272, 274 are separated from the first reinforcing bar R1 and the second reinforcing bar R2. In this state, the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194 are in contact with the first reinforcing bar R1 and the second reinforcing bar R2, so the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 can drive the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194 to move the chassis 190 in the front-rear direction. In addition, the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 can change the orientation of the chassis 190 with respect to the first reinforcing bar R1 and the second reinforcing bar R2 by imparting a speed difference between the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194.

[0070] When the rotation transmission shaft 428 (see FIG. 10) rotates from the state shown in FIG 13, the crank plates 294, 322 move along the side step trajectory S1 (see FIG. 11), and the step bars 272, 274 move downward accordingly, causing the crank plates 294, 322 and the step bars 272, 274 to come into contact with the second rebar R2. When the rotation transmission shaft 428 rotates further from this state, the crank plates 294, 322 and the step bars 272, 274 move further downward, causing the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194 to move away from the second rebar R2, as shown in FIG 14. As the rotation transmission shaft 428 continues to rotate, the chassis 190 moves to the right or left by a step width equivalent to the left-right width of the side step track S1, and then the crank plates 294, 322 and the step bars 272, 274 move upward, and the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194 again come into contact with the first rebar R1 or the second rebar R2, while the crank plates 294, 322 and the step bars 272, 274 move away from the second rebar R2. As described above, the rebar binding robot 100 can move the chassis 190 to the right or left by a predetermined step width by driving the side stepper 196.

[0071] The side step track S1 defined by the guide grooves 302, 304, 330, 332 (see FIG. 11) is not limited to the above-mentioned substantially rectangular shape, and may have various shapes. The side step track S1 may have any shape as long as the lower ends of the step bars 272, 274 move downward below the lower ends of the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194 when the step bars 272, 274 move along the side step track S1, the lower ends of the step bars 272, 274 then move in the left-right direction, and the lower ends of the step bars 272, 274 then move upward above the lower ends of the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194. For example, the side step track S1 may be circular, elliptical, triangular with a base at the bottom, or polygonal with pentagons or more.

[0072] (Configuration of power transmission mechanism 402) 15, the power transmission mechanism 402 includes a planetary gear mechanism 406, a first output shaft 414, a second output shaft 416, a first spur gear 418, a second spur gear 420, a third spur gear 422, a worm shaft 424, a worm wheel 426, a rotation transmission shaft 428, a universal joint 430, and a switching actuator 432. The planetary gear mechanism 406, the first output shaft 414, the second output shaft 416, the first spur gear 418, the second spur gear 420, the third spur gear 422, the worm shaft 424, and the worm wheel 426 are housed in a gear box 438 (see FIG. 10).

[0073] A dual-purpose motor 400 is connected to the planetary gear mechanism 406 from the left. The dual-purpose motor 400 is connected to a sun gear (not shown) of the planetary gear mechanism 406. The dual-purpose motor 400 is, for example, a DC brushless motor. A planetary carrier 410 of the planetary gear mechanism 406 is connected to a worm shaft 136 (see FIG. 16) of the lifting device 130 via a first output shaft 414 and a universal joint 430. An internal gear 412 of the planetary gear mechanism 406 is connected to a side stepper 196 via a first spur gear 418, a second output shaft 416, a second spur gear 420, a third spur gear 422, a worm shaft 424, a worm wheel 426, and a rotation transmission shaft 428 in this order.

[0074] An inner engagement recess 440 is formed on the outer surface of the planetary carrier 410. The inner engagement recess 440 is arranged in a line in the circumferential direction and has a plurality of inner recessed grooves 440a recessed from the radially outer side to the radially inner side. Also, an outer recessed groove 442a is formed on the inner surface of the internal gear 412. The outer recessed groove 442a is arranged in a line in the circumferential direction and has a plurality of outer recessed grooves 442a recessed from the radially inner side to the radially outer side.

[0075] The switching actuator 432 includes a locking member 434, a position detection mechanism 436, a pull solenoid 452, and a cap 456. The locking member 434 includes a locking pin 446 disposed near the front end so as to extend in the left-right direction. The locking member 434 is held by the cap 456 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The locking member 434 is connected to the output shaft of the pull solenoid 452 inside the cap 456. A compression spring (not shown) is also provided inside the cap 456 for biasing the output shaft of the pull solenoid 452 forward. The robot control device 126 (see FIG. 2) can switch the pull solenoid 452 between an energized state and a non-energized state.

[0076] In the state shown in FIG. 15, the pull solenoid 452 is in an energized state. The output shaft of the pull solenoid 452 is moved rearward against the biasing force of the compression spring by the attractive force of the pull solenoid 452. The locking member 434 is moved rearward in conjunction with the output shaft of the pull solenoid 452. At this time, the locking pin 446 of the locking member 434 engages with the outer engagement recess 442 of the internal gear 412, inhibiting the rotation of the internal gear 412. In this state, the power of the dual-purpose motor 400 is transmitted to the lifting device 130 (see FIG. 16) via the planetary gear mechanism 406, the first output shaft 414, and the universal joint 430 in this order. In this embodiment, the state in which the power of the dual-purpose motor 400 is transmitted to the lifting device 130 may be referred to as the "first transmission state."

[0077] When the pull solenoid 452 is switched from the state shown in FIG. 15 to the non-energized state, the locking member 434 is moved forward by the biasing force of the compression spring. The locking member 434 is moved forward in conjunction with the output shaft of the pull solenoid 452. As a result, the locking pin 446 of the locking member 434 engages with the inner engagement recess 440 of the planetary carrier 410. When the locking pin 446 is engaged with the inner engagement recess 440, the rotation of the planetary carrier 410 is prohibited. In this state, the power of the dual-purpose motor 400 is transmitted to the side stepper 196 via the planetary gear mechanism 406, the first spur gear 418, the second output shaft 416, the second spur gear 420, the third spur gear 422, the worm shaft 424, the worm wheel 426, and the rotation transmission shaft 428 in this order. In this embodiment, the state in which the power of the dual-purpose motor 400 is transmitted to the side stepper 196 may be referred to as a "second transmission state."

[0078] The position detection mechanism 436 is attached above the cap 456. The position detection mechanism 436 is a slide switch that is linked to the movement of the locking member 434, and can detect the position of the locking member 434. Therefore, the robot control device 126 (see FIG. 2) can detect that the power transmission mechanism 402 is in the first transmission state or the second transmission state, based on the signal transmitted from the position detection mechanism 436.

[0079] (Configuration of lifting device 130) As shown in Fig. 16, the lifting device 130 includes a worm gear case 132, a lifting arm 134, and a slider crank mechanism 138. The worm gear case 132 is fixed to a base plate 204 (see Fig. 9). The lifting arm 134 is fixed to the worm gear case 132 by a screw. The lifting arm 134 extends from the worm gear case 132 toward the front left and upper side. The worm gear case 132 includes a worm shaft 136. The slider crank mechanism 138 includes a crank shaft 142, a crank arm 144, a crank pin 146, a crank rod 148, a rotating pin 150, a slider 152, a rail 153, and a base member 154. In this embodiment, the crank arm 144, the crank pin 146, and the crank rod 148 may be collectively referred to as the "link mechanism 140."

[0080] The crankshaft 142 is connected to the worm shaft 136 via a worm gear (not shown) built into the worm gear case 132. The crank arm 144 is fixed to the crankshaft 142. The crank pin 146 is rotatably held by each of the crank arm 144 and the crank rod 148. The rotation pin 150 is rotatably held by the crank rod 148. The rotation pin 150 is fixed to a slider 152. The slider 152 is slidably held by a rail 153 provided on the lifting arm 134. The base member 154 is rotatably provided on the rotation pin 150. The base member 154 is fixed to the housing 3 by a screw (not shown) in a state where it is fitted into a fitting portion 3a (see FIG. 3) of the housing 3 of the reinforcing bar binding device 2. That is, the slider 152 of the lifting device 130 rotatably holds the reinforcing bar binding device 2 via the rotating pin 150 and the base member 154 .

[0081] When the worm shaft 136 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the crankshaft 142 and the crank arm 144 rotate in the forward or reverse direction, and the crank pin 146 moves on a circumference centered on the rotation axis of the crankshaft 142. At this time, the crankshaft 142 and the crank rod 148 rotate relatively around the central axis of the crank pin 146. Also, the crank rod 148 and the slider 152 rotate relatively around the central axis of the rotating pin 150. As a result, the slider 152 slides upward or downward along the rail 153, and the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is raised or lowered relative to the chassis 190. That is, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is raised or lowered relative to the first reinforcing bar R1 and the second reinforcing bar R2.

[0082] In this embodiment, the rotation axis of the crankshaft 142 is called the "rotation axis A1." The axis of relative rotation between the crankshaft 142 and the crank rod 148 (i.e., the central axis of the crank pin 146) is called the "rotation axis A2." The axis of relative rotation between the crank rod 148 and the slider 152 (i.e., the central axis of the rotation pin 150) is called the "rotation axis A3." In addition, the position of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 when the slider crank mechanism 138 is at the top dead center position is called the "upper limit position." The position of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 when the slider crank mechanism 138 is at the bottom dead center position is called the "lower limit position."

[0083] The robot control device 126 (see FIG. 2) of this embodiment rotates the crankshaft 142 in the third circumferential direction CD3 of the rotation axis A1 both when the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is raised and when the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is lowered. Therefore, when the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is raised, the link mechanism 140 swings so that the crank pin 146 passes below the crankshaft 142. When the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is lowered, the link mechanism 140 swings so that the crank pin 146 passes above the crankshaft 142.

[0084] The slider 152 has a first interference pin 156 that protrudes toward the base member 154 along the rotation axis A3, and an elongated hole 158 that is defined along the circumferential direction of the rotation axis A3. The base member 154 has a second interference pin 160 that protrudes toward the slider 152 along the rotation axis A3 and is inserted into the elongated hole 158. The elongated hole 158 receives the second interference pin 160 so that it can slide in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis A3. The elongated hole 158 defines a movable range when the second interference pin 160 (i.e., the base member 154 and the rebar binding device 2) rotates around the rotation axis A3. In addition, a torsion spring 162 is attached to the rotation pin 150. The torsion spring 162 biases the second interference pin 160 (i.e., the base member 154 and the reinforcing bar binding device 2) relative to the first interference pin 156 (i.e., the slider 152) in a first circumferential direction CD1 of the rotation axis A3. Usually, the second interference pin 160 is held in contact with the end side of the long hole 158 by the biasing force of the torsion spring 162 or the like. This causes the reinforcing bar binding device 2 to be held in a basic position as shown in, for example, FIG. 18. The basic position here is a position in which the forward direction (see FIG. 3, etc.) based on the reinforcing bar binding device 2 faces downward based on the reinforcing bar binding robot 100.

[0085] When the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is in its basic position, the upper curl guide 30 is curved so as to gradually approach the horizontal direction (rear and right) as it approaches the tip. The lower curl guide 32 extends in a substantially straight line toward the tip. Furthermore, when the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is in its basic position, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is capable of rotating in a second circumferential direction CD2, which is the opposite direction to the first circumferential direction CD1, against the biasing force of the torsion spring 162 (see FIG. 16).

[0086] As shown in FIG. 17, the crank rod 148 has a protruding portion 148a that protrudes in the width direction. The protruding portion 148a is provided so as to face the second interference pin 160. By providing the protruding portion 148a, the second interference pin 160 is disposed within the swing range of the link mechanism 140 when the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is raised. Therefore, during the process of raising the reinforcing bar binding device 2, the protruding portion 148a and the second interference pin 160 abut against each other so as to be able to slide. As a result, the second interference pin 160 (i.e., the reinforcing bar binding device 2) is pushed in the second circumferential direction CD2, and the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 may change from the basic posture. However, the second interference pin 160 is disposed outside the swing range of the link mechanism 140 when the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is lowered. For this reason, while the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is being lowered, the protruding portion 148a and the second interference pin 160 do not come into contact with each other, and the second interference pin 160 (i.e., the reinforcing bar binding device 2) is not pushed in the second circumferential direction CD2. As a result, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 does not change unless an external disturbance interferes with the reinforcing bar binding device 2. Interference by an external disturbance here refers, for example, to the reinforcing bar binding device 2 colliding with an obstacle. In this embodiment, interference by an external disturbance is not taken into consideration unless otherwise specified.

[0087] The behavior of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 when the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is raised and lowered by the lifting device 130 will be described in detail below with reference to Figs.

[0088] In the state shown in FIG. 18, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is in the upper limit position. In this state, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is held in a position away from the first reinforcing bar R1 and the second reinforcing bar R2. In this state, the protruding portion 148a (see FIG. 17) and the second interference pin 160 (see FIG. 17) are in a position where they do not abut against each other, so the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is in a basic position. The lifting device 130 lowers the reinforcing bar binding device 2 from the state shown in FIG. 18 to the state shown in FIG. 20 via the state shown in FIG. 19. In the process of lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2, the protruding portion 148a (see FIG. 17) and the second interference pin 160 (see FIG. 17) do not abut against each other. Therefore, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is in a basic position.

[0089] In the state shown in FIG. 20, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is in the lowest position. In this state, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is held in a position that allows binding of the reinforcing bar intersection RC. Also, in this state, the protruding portion 148a (see FIG. 17) and the second interference pin 160 (see FIG. 17) are in positions where they do not abut each other, so the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is in a basic posture. As will be described in detail later, in this state, binding of the reinforcing bar intersection RC is performed by the reinforcing bar binding device 2. Thereafter, the lifting device 130 raises the reinforcing bar binding device 2 from the state shown in FIG. 20, through the states shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 22, to the state shown in FIG. 18.

[0090] During the process of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 being raised, from the state shown in FIG. 20 to the state shown in FIG. 21, the overhanging portion 148a (see FIG. 17) and the second interference pin 160 (see FIG. 17) do not come into contact with each other. Therefore, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 rises while maintaining the basic posture. When the state shown in FIG. 21 is reached, the overhanging portion 148a (see FIG. 17) comes into contact with the second interference pin 160 (see FIG. 17). Then, from the state shown in FIG. 21 to the state shown in FIG. 22, the overhanging portion 148a moves so as to push the reinforcing bar binding device 2 in the second circumferential direction CD2 via the second interference pin 160. As a result, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 rotates in the second circumferential direction CD2 as it rises. That is, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 gradually changes from the basic posture. From the state shown in Fig. 22 to the state shown in Fig. 18, the overhanging portion 148a moves away from the second interference pin 160. At this time, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is supported by the overhanging portion 148a via the second interference pin 160 and is pushed back in the first circumferential direction CD1 by the biasing force of the torsion spring 162 and the like. As a result, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 rotates in the first circumferential direction CD1 as it rises. That is, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 gradually returns to the basic posture. In addition, after the second interference pin 160 abuts against the end side surface of the long hole 158 (that is, after the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 becomes the basic posture), the reinforcing bar binding device 2 rises while maintaining the basic posture.

[0091] 16, the slider crank mechanism 138 of this embodiment is a so-called offset crank in which the rotation axis A1 of the crankshaft 142 is offset from the line of movement of the slider 152. As a result, the stroke of the crank arm 144 when raising the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is greater than the stroke of the crank arm 144 when lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2.

[0092] When the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is raised, the crankshaft 142 is rotated against the gravity acting on the reinforcing bar binding device 2, so the load torque on the dual-purpose motor 400 becomes relatively large. In this embodiment, when the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is raised, which places a relatively large torque load on the dual-purpose motor 400, the stroke of the crank arm 144 is increased to reduce the load torque on the dual-purpose motor 400. Furthermore, when the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is lowered, which places a relatively small load on the dual-purpose motor 400, the stroke of the crank arm 144 is reduced to improve the descent speed of the reinforcing bar binding device 2.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 23, the lifting device 130 further includes a cam 166 fixed to the crankshaft 142 (see FIG. 16). The cam 166 rotates around the rotation axis A1 together with the crankshaft 142. The cam 166 includes a first fin 163 and a second fin 164 protruding radially outward from the crankshaft 142. One end of the first fin 163 and one end of the second fin 164 overlap each other in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis A1. Meanwhile, the other end of the first fin 163 and the other end of the second fin 164 are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis A1. Therefore, a gap having a width in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis A1 is formed between the other end of the first fin 163 and the other end of the second fin 164. The lifting device 130 further includes a first photosensor 168 and a second photosensor 170, each of which has a light-emitting portion and a light-receiving portion. Each of the first photosensor 168 and the second photosensor 170 transmits an ON signal to the robot controller 126 (see FIG. 2) when the light-emitting section and the light-receiving section are not blocked, and transmits an OFF signal to the robot controller 126 when the light-emitting section and the light-receiving section are blocked. The first photosensor 168 and the second photosensor 170 are fixed to the worm gear case 132 in a state of being aligned along the rotation axis A1.

[0094] Although not shown, when the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (see FIG. 3) is at the lower limit position, the first fin 163 blocks the space between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the first photosensor 168, and the second fin 164 blocks the space between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the second photosensor 170. Therefore, an OFF signal is sent from both the first photosensor 168 and the second photosensor 170 to the robot control device 126 (see FIG. 2). Also, when the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is at the upper limit position, the space between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the first photosensor 168 is not blocked, and the space between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the second photosensor 170 is not blocked. Therefore, an ON signal is sent from both the first photosensor 168 and the second photosensor 170 to the robot control device 126. Furthermore, when the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is ascending, the space between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the first photosensor 168 is not blocked, but the space between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the second photosensor 170 is blocked by the second fin 164. When the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is descending, the space between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the first photosensor 168 is blocked by the first fin 163, but the space between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the second photosensor 170 is not blocked. For this reason, when the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is ascending or descending, an ON signal is sent to the robot control device 126 from one of the first photosensor 168 and the second photosensor 170, and an OFF signal is sent from the other of the first photosensor 168 and the second photosensor 170. Based on the signals transmitted from the first photosensor 168 and the second photosensor 170, the robot control device 126 can detect when the rebar tying device 2 has reached an upper limit position, when the rebar tying device 2 has reached a lower limit position, etc.

[0095] (A series of processes executed by the robot control device 126) When an instruction to execute an operation of the rebar tying robot 100 (see FIG. 1) is given via an operation execution button (not shown) or the like, the robot control device 126 (see FIG. 2) executes the process shown in FIG. 24. In the following, for the sake of simplicity, the movement of the chassis 190 (see FIG. 1) of the rebar tying robot 100 is considered to be the movement of the rebar tying robot 100. Also, of all the rebar intersection points RC, the rebar intersection point RC that is the target of the rebar tying work by the rebar tying robot 100 is described as "rebar intersection point RC'".

[0096] In S2, the robot controller 126 executes a movement switching process. In the movement switching process, if the pull solenoid 452 (see FIG. 15) is in a powered state, the robot controller 126 switches the pull solenoid 452 from a powered state to a non-powered state. This places the power transmission mechanism 402 (see FIG. 15) in the second transmission state, and enables the side stepper 196 (see FIG. 9) to be driven by the dual-purpose motor 400 (see FIG. 15). After S2, the process proceeds to S4.

[0097] In S4, the robot controller 126 drives at least one of the right crawler 192 (see FIG. 9), the left crawler 194 (see FIG. 9), and the side stepper 196 (see FIG. 9) to move the rebar binding robot 100 (see FIG. 1) over the multiple first rebars R1 and the multiple second rebars R2. The robot controller 126 moves the rebar binding robot 100 to a target point, which is a rebar intersection point RC' that is the target of the rebar binding work. At this time, the robot controller 126 controls the operation of the right crawler 192, the left crawler 194, and the side stepper 196 based on the relative positions of the first rebar R1 and the second rebar R2 detected by a rebar detection sensor (not shown) and on the rebar map. After S4, the process proceeds to S6.

[0098] In S6, the robot control device 126 judges whether or not the position of the rebar intersection RC' detected by the rebar detection sensor (not shown) is within a predetermined position range with respect to the reference position. The reference position here refers to a position where the rebar intersection RC' should be when the rebar binding device 2 (see FIG. 20) at the lower limit position performs rebar binding work. For example, the reference position is the center position of the base plate 204 (see FIG. 1) in the front-rear and left-right directions. The predetermined position range here is, for example, a range equivalent to a circle with the reference position as the center and the step width of the side stepper 196 (see FIG. 9) as the radius. If the position of the rebar intersection RC' is not within the predetermined position range (if NO), the process returns to S4. If the position of the rebar intersection RC' is within the predetermined position range (if YES), the process proceeds to S8.

[0099] In S8, the robot controller 126 executes the rebar tracing process. When the rebar tracing process is started, as shown in FIG. 25, the robot controller 126 moves the rebar binding robot 100 forward or backward while applying a speed difference between the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194. In this way, the robot controller 126 brings the angle of the first rebar R1 detected by the rebar detection sensor (not shown) closer to the reference angle. The reference angle here refers to the angle that the first rebar R1 should take when the rebar binding device 2 (see FIG. 3) at the lower limit position performs rebar binding work. In this embodiment, when the angle of the first rebar R1 matches the reference angle, the front-rear direction of the rebar binding robot 100 is configured to match the extension direction of the first rebar R1. Furthermore, when the angle of the first rebar R1 coincides with the reference angle, as shown in FIG. 26, the robot controller 126 moves the rebar binding robot 100 forward or backward without causing a speed difference between the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194. As a result, the robot controller 126 moves the position of the rebar intersection point RC' closer to the reference position while maintaining the angle of the first rebar R1 at the reference angle. When the position of the rebar intersection point RC' coincides with the reference position, the rebar tracing process ends. Note that in FIG. 25 and FIG. 26, the reference position and reference angle of the rebar binding robot 100 are represented by a cross cursor C. As shown in FIG. 24, after S8, the process proceeds to S10.

[0100] In S10, the robot controller 126 performs a lift switching process. In the lift switching process, if the pull solenoid 452 (see FIG. 15) is in a non-energized state, the robot controller 126 switches the pull solenoid 452 from a non-energized state to an energized state. This places the power transmission mechanism 402 (see FIG. 15) in the first transmission state, and enables the lift device 130 (see FIG. 16) to be driven by the dual-purpose motor 400 (see FIG. 15). After S10, the process proceeds to S12.

[0101] In S12, the robot control device 126 drives the lifting device 130 (see FIG. 16) to lower the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (see FIG. 3) to the lowest position. This sets the reinforcing bar binding device 2 at the reinforcing bar intersection RC'. After S12, the process proceeds to S14.

[0102] In S14, the robot control device 126 transmits a binding instruction signal to the control device 80 (see FIG. 8) of the reinforcing bar binding device 2. This causes the reinforcing bar binding device 2 to perform the binding work at the reinforcing bar intersection location RC'. After S14, the process proceeds to S16.

[0103] In S16, the robot control device 126 drives the lifting device 130 (see FIG. 16) to raise the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (see FIG. 3) to the upper limit position. This moves the reinforcing bar binding device 2 away from the reinforcing bar intersection point RC'. After S16, the process proceeds to S18.

[0104] In S18, the robot control device 126 refers to the rebar map and determines whether all rebar intersections RC have been tied together. If all rebar intersections RC have been tied together (YES), the process in FIG. 24 ends. If there are any rebar intersections RC that have not been tied together (NO), the process proceeds to S20.

[0105] In S20, the robot control device 126 changes the rebar intersection RC' that is the target of the rebar tying work to another rebar intersection RC where the rebar tying work has not yet been completed. After S20, the process returns to S2.

[0106] (Correspondence) In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying robot 100 can perform the following operations for a plurality of first rebars R1 and a plurality of second rebars R2 that intersect with the plurality of first rebars R1: moving over the plurality of first rebars R1 and the plurality of second rebars R2, and tying a rebar intersection point RC where the plurality of first rebars R1 and the plurality of second rebars R2 intersect. The rebar tying robot 100 includes a rebar tying device 2 that ties the rebar intersection point RC using a wire W, a chassis 190 (an example of a base) on which the rebar tying device 2 is installed, a transport device 106 (an example of a moving device) that moves the chassis 190, and a lifting device 130 that is directly or indirectly supported on the chassis 190 and that raises or lowers the rebar tying device 2 relative to the chassis 190. The lifting device 130 changes the attitude of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 relative to the chassis 190 in the process of raising or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2.

[0107] In one or more embodiments, a method of tying a rebar intersection RC with a rebar tying device 2 includes a lowering step in which a lifting device 130, capable of raising or lowering the rebar tying device 2, lowers the rebar tying device 2 relative to the rebar intersection RC; a tying step in which the rebar tying device 2 ties the rebar intersection RC using a wire W; an ascending step in which the lifting device 130 raises the rebar tying device 2 relative to the rebar intersection RC; and a posture change step in which, during at least one of the lowering step and the ascending step, the lifting device 130 changes the posture of the rebar tying device 2 relative to the rebar intersection RC.

[0108] According to the above configuration, the lifting device 130 can change the attitude of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 relative to the chassis 190 (or the reinforcing bar intersection point RC) in the process of raising or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2. This makes it possible to make the movement of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 relatively complex during the operation process of the lifting device 130. Therefore, complex movement of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 can be realized during the operation process of the lifting device 130. Furthermore, according to the above configuration, if there is an obstacle on the lifting and lowering trajectory of the reinforcing bar binding device 2, it is possible to avoid a collision between the reinforcing bar binding device 2 and the obstacle by changing the attitude of the reinforcing bar binding device 2.

[0109] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device 130 changes the posture of the rebar tying device 2 during the process of raising or lowering the rebar tying device 2 without interrupting the raising or lowering of the rebar tying device 2.

[0110] In a configuration in which the lifting device 130 interrupts the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 every time it changes the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2, it takes a long time for the lifting device 130 to complete the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device 2. With the above configuration, the lifting device 130 changes the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 without interrupting the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device 2. This makes it possible to shorten the time it takes for the lifting device 130 to complete the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device 2.

[0111] In one or more embodiments, the rebar binding device 2 includes a feeding mechanism 12 that feeds out the wire W, and an upper curl guide 30 (an example of a guide member) in which a guide groove 38 is defined for guiding the wire W fed by the feeding mechanism 12 and winding it around the rebar intersection point RC. In the process of lifting the rebar binding device 2, the lifting device 130 changes the attitude of the rebar binding device 2 so as to move the upper curl guide 30 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the guide groove 38 opens.

[0112] Usually, after the reinforcing bar binding device 2 binds the reinforcing bar intersection RC, the lifting device 130 lifts the reinforcing bar binding device 2 so as to move the reinforcing bar binding device 2 away from the reinforcing bar intersection RC. Here, in the process of binding the reinforcing bar intersection RC by the reinforcing bar binding device 2, the cut end of the wire W may remain in the guide groove 38. If the lifting device 130 is configured to lift the reinforcing bar binding device 2 without changing the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2, the cut end remaining in the guide groove 38 may be dragged to the bottom of the guide groove 38 or the like. In some cases, the cut end may get caught in the upper curl guide 30. According to the above configuration, in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 2, the lifting device 130 changes the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 so as to move the upper curl guide 30 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the guide groove 38 opens. That is, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 changes so that the cut end remaining in the guide groove 38 slips out in the direction in which the guide groove 38 opens. This makes it possible to prevent the cut end remaining in the guide groove 38 from being dragged to the bottom of the guide groove 38, and to prevent the cut end from getting caught in the upper curl guide 30.

[0113] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device 130 does not change the attitude of the rebar tying device 2 in the process of lowering the rebar tying device 2.

[0114] From the viewpoint of preventing the cut end from getting caught in the upper curl guide 30, it is sufficient to be able to change the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 2. Furthermore, if the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is changed without reason, an unnecessary load may be placed on the lifting device 130 and the reinforcing bar binding device 2. According to the above configuration, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is changed in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 2, but the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is not changed in the process of lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2. This makes it possible to prevent an unnecessary load from being placed on the lifting device 130 and the reinforcing bar binding device 2.

[0115] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device 130 raises or lowers the rebar tying device 2 by linearly moving the rebar tying device 2 relative to the chassis 190. The lifting device 130 changes the attitude of the rebar tying device 2 by rotating the rebar tying device 2 about a rotation axis A3 (an example of an apparatus rotation axis) whose position is fixed relative to the rebar tying device 2.

[0116] From the viewpoint of shortening the time required for the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device 2, it is preferable to move the reinforcing bar binding device 2 linearly. According to the above configuration, the reinforcing bar binding device 2 can be raised and lowered linearly. If necessary, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 can be changed by rotating the reinforcing bar binding device 2. Therefore, the time required for the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 can be minimized while the complex movement of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 can be realized.

[0117] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device 130 includes a dual-purpose motor 400 (an example of a first actuator), a slider 152 (an example of a holding member) that holds the reinforcing bar binding device 2 rotatably around a rotation axis A3, and a slider crank mechanism 138 (an example of a linear motion mechanism) that is operated by power from the dual-purpose motor 400 and linearly raises or lowers the slider 152 relative to the chassis 190. In the process in which the slider crank mechanism 138 operates to raise or lower the reinforcing bar binding device 2, the link mechanism 140 pushes the reinforcing bar binding device 2 in the second circumferential direction CD2 of the rotation axis A3 via the second interference pin 160 (an example of the power of the linear motion mechanism being transmitted to the reinforcing bar binding device as a rotational force around the device rotation axis), causing the reinforcing bar binding device 2 to rotate around the rotation axis A3.

[0118] In the lifting device 130, an actuator for raising or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2 and an actuator for changing the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 can be provided separately. However, if the number of actuators provided in the lifting device 130 increases, the manufacturing cost of the lifting device 130 may increase. According to the above configuration, the power from the dual-purpose motor 400, which is an actuator, is not only used as the power for raising or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2, but also as the power for changing the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2. Therefore, since it is not necessary to separately provide an actuator for raising or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2 and an actuator for changing the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2, the number of actuators provided in the lifting device 130 can be reduced. This allows the manufacturing cost of the lifting device 130 to be reduced.

[0119] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device 130 includes a torsion spring 162 (an example of a biasing member) that biases the rebar tying device 2 in a first circumferential direction CD1 about the rotation axis A3 relative to the slider 152. The rebar tying device 2 rotates in a second circumferential direction CD2 against the biasing force of the torsion spring 162.

[0120] When rotating the reinforcing bar binding device 2, there is a risk that the reinforcing bar binding device 2 will rotate too much due to inertia. With the above configuration, the torsion spring 162 biases the reinforcing bar binding device 2 in a direction against the rotation of the reinforcing bar binding device 2. This makes it possible to prevent the reinforcing bar binding device 2 from rotating too much due to inertia.

[0121] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device 130 includes a second interference pin 160 (an example of an interference member) fixed to the rebar binding device 2. The slider crank mechanism 138 includes a crankshaft 142 that rotates by power from the dual-purpose motor 400, a slider 152, and a link mechanism 140 that connects the crankshaft 142 and the slider 152 to each other. In the process in which the slider crank mechanism 138 operates to raise or lower the rebar binding device 2, the link mechanism 140 swings to push the second interference pin 160 in the second circumferential direction CD2 of the rotation axis A3, causing the rebar binding device 2 to rotate around the rotation axis A3.

[0122] According to the above configuration, in the lifting device 130 that raises and lowers the reinforcing bar binding device 2 using the slider crank mechanism 138, the attitude of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 relative to the chassis 190 (or the reinforcing bar intersection point RC) can be changed. Furthermore, according to the above configuration, since there is no need to separately provide an actuator for raising or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2 and an actuator for changing the attitude of the reinforcing bar binding device 2, the manufacturing cost of the lifting device 130 can be reduced.

[0123] In one or more embodiments, the crankshaft 142 rotates in a third circumferential direction CD3 (an example of a predetermined rotational direction) by power from the dual-purpose motor 400. The second interference pin 160 is disposed within a swing range of the link mechanism 140 when the slider 152 ascends and outside a swing range of the link mechanism 140 when the slider 152 descends.

[0124] If the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is changed without reason, an unnecessary load may be applied to the lifting device 130 and the reinforcing bar binding device 2. For this reason, there are cases where it is desired to change the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 only during one of the processes of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 2 and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2. According to the above configuration, in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (an example of one of the processes of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device), the link mechanism 140 presses the second interference pin 160, thereby changing the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2. In the process of lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (an example of the other of the processes of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device), the link mechanism 140 does not interfere with the second interference pin 160, so the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 does not change. This makes it possible to change the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 only during one of the processes of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 2 and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2.

[0125] (Example 2; Rebar tying robot 700; Figures 27 to 43) The reinforcing bar binding robot 700 is used by being placed on a plurality of first reinforcing bars R1 and a plurality of second reinforcing bars R2, similar to the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 of the first embodiment. The dimensions of the reinforcing bar binding robot 700 are approximately the same as those of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100.

[0126] 27 and 28, the rebar tying robot 700 mainly includes a rebar tying device 602, a power supply unit 702, a transport device 706, a lifting device 730, a robot control device 726, a chassis 790, and a gripping device 950. For the sake of simplification, the power supply unit 702 and the robot control device 726 are omitted from illustrations in the drawings other than Fig. 28. For this reason, although not shown, the power supply unit 702 and the robot control device 726 are installed, for example, on the chassis 790.

[0127] (Configuration of power supply device 702) 28 is electrically connected to each electrical component of the rebar tying robot 700. For example, multiple battery packs (not shown) are detachably attached to the power supply device 702. Therefore, the power supply device 702 can supply power from the multiple battery packs to each electrical component.

[0128] (Configuration of robot control device 726) The robot control device 726 includes a CPU, a memory, a communication interface, and the like. The robot control device 726 is configured to control the operation of each electrical component of the rebar binding robot 700. For example, the memory of the robot control device 726 stores map information (called a "rebar map" in this embodiment) showing the positional relationship between the multiple first rebars R1 and the multiple second rebars R2. The robot control device 726 also uses a rebar detection sensor (e.g., a TOF sensor) (not shown) installed on the chassis 790 so as to face downward to acquire distance image data showing the distance from the rebar detection sensor to the subject (the multiple first rebars R1 and the multiple second rebars R2). Based on this distance image data, the robot control device 726 can identify the current position of the rebar binding robot 700 in the rebar map. The robot control device 726 can also store the rebar intersection point RC that coincides with the current position of the rebar binding robot 700 as a tied point every time the rebar binding device 602 performs a binding operation. This allows the robot control device 726 to distinguish between tied and untied rebar intersections RC on the rebar map.

[0129] (Configuration of rebar binding device 602) The configuration of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 will be described below with reference to Figures 29 to 31. Note that the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction in the description of Figures 29 to 31 do not refer to the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction with respect to the reinforcing bar binding robot 700, but refer to the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction with respect to the reinforcing bar binding device 602.

[0130] As shown in FIG. 29, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 binds reinforcing bar intersections RC with wires W. The reinforcing bar binding device 602 can be removed from the reinforcing bar binding robot 700 (see FIG. 27) and held by a user for use, or can be attached to the reinforcing bar binding robot 700 for use. The reinforcing bar binding device 602 includes a housing 603. The housing 603 includes a main body 604, a gripping portion 606 provided at the bottom of the main body 604, and a battery attachment portion 608 provided at the bottom of the gripping portion 606. The main body 604, the gripping portion 606, and the battery attachment portion 608 are integrally formed. A battery pack B can be attached to the bottom of the battery attachment portion 608. The battery pack B includes a secondary battery cell (not shown), such as a lithium-ion battery cell, and can be charged by a charger (not shown). In addition, a battery adapter 708 can be attached to the bottom of the battery attachment portion 608, as shown in FIG. 27. The battery adapter 708 is an adapter for electrically connecting the rebar binding device 602 and the power supply device 702 .

[0131] As shown in Fig. 30, a reel 610 around which wire W is wound is detachably housed in the upper rear portion of the main body 604. The reel 610 can be said to be a supply source of wire W for the rebar tying robot 700. As shown in Fig. 29, the housing 603 is provided with a reel cover 605 shaped to cover the upper part of the reel 610. The reel cover 605 is rotatably held by the main body 604. The reel cover 605 opens and closes by rotating relative to the main body 604.

[0132] As shown in Fig. 30 and Fig. 31, the rebar binding device 602 includes a feed mechanism 12, a guide mechanism 14, a brake mechanism 16, a cutting mechanism 18, a twisting mechanism 20, and a control device 680. The control device 680 controls the operation of the rebar binding device 602 according to a predetermined program stored in a memory. The feed mechanism 12, the guide mechanism 14, the brake mechanism 16, the cutting mechanism 18, and the twisting mechanism 20 are the same as the feed mechanism 12, the guide mechanism 14, the brake mechanism 16, the cutting mechanism 18, and the twisting mechanism 20 of the first embodiment. For this reason, please refer to the first embodiment for a detailed description of the feed mechanism 12, the guide mechanism 14, the brake mechanism 16, the cutting mechanism 18, and the twisting mechanism 20.

[0133] 29, a first operation unit 664 is provided on the upper part of the main body 604. The first operation unit 664 is provided with a main switch 674 for switching the main power supply on / off, a main power supply LED 676 for displaying the on / off state of the main power supply, and the like. The first operation unit 664 is connected to a control device 680.

[0134] A second operation unit 690 is provided on the front upper surface of the battery attachment unit 608. A user can set the number of turns of the wire W at the rebar intersection RC, the torque threshold value when twisting the wire W, and the like via the second operation unit 690. The second operation unit 690 is provided with a setting switch 698 for setting the number of turns of the wire W at the rebar intersection RC and the torque threshold value when twisting the wire W, a display LED 696 for displaying the current setting content, and the like. The second operation unit 690 is connected to the control device 680.

[0135] When the reinforcing bar tying device 602 is detached from the reinforcing bar tying robot 700 (see FIG. 27), a user can use the reinforcing bar tying device 602 while holding the gripper 606. A trigger 684 that can be pulled by a user is provided at the front upper portion of the gripper 606. As shown in FIG. 31, a trigger switch 686 that detects whether the trigger 684 is on or off is provided inside the gripper 606. The trigger switch 686 is connected to a control device 680. When a user pulls the trigger 684 and the trigger switch 686 is turned on, the reinforcing bar tying device 602 executes a series of operations, including winding the wire W around the reinforcing bar intersection RC by the feed mechanism 12, the guide mechanism 14, and the brake mechanism 16, cutting the wire W by the cutting mechanism 18 and the twisting mechanism 20, and twisting the wire W wound around the reinforcing bar intersection RC.

[0136] (790 chassis configuration) As shown in FIG. 32, the chassis 790 includes a base plate 804, a right plate 810, a left plate 812, a plurality of base frames 814, a front connecting frame 815, and a rear connecting frame 816. The base plate 804 is arranged along the front-rear and left-right directions (i.e., horizontal direction). The base plate 804 is formed with a through hole 804a through which the reinforcing bar binding device 602 can pass along the approximately vertical direction. The plurality of base frames 814 are fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 804. The right plate 810 is fixed to the right surface of one of the plurality of base frames 814 that extends in the front-rear direction along the right end of the base plate 804. The right plate 810 is arranged along the front-rear and up-down directions. The left plate 812 is fixed to the left surface of one of the plurality of base frames 814 that extends in the front-rear direction along the left end of the base plate 804. The left plate 812 is arranged along the front-rear and up-down directions. In the vertical direction, the upper end of the right plate 810 and the upper end of the left plate 812 are at the same position as the lower surface of the base plate 804. In the front-rear direction, the front end of the right plate 810 and the front end of the left plate 812 protrude forward from the front end of the base plate 804, and the rear end of the right plate 810 and the rear end of the left plate 812 protrude rearward from the rear end of the base plate 804. The front connecting frame 815 connects the vicinity of the front end of the right plate 810 to the vicinity of the front end of the left plate 812 forward of the front end of the base plate 804. The rear connecting frame 816 connects the vicinity of the rear end of the right plate 810 to the vicinity of the rear end of the left plate 812 rearward of the rear end of the base plate 804. The front connecting frame 815 and the rear connecting frame 816 extend in the left-right direction. In the vertical direction, the front connecting frame 815 and the rear connecting frame 816 are disposed below the multiple base frames 814.

[0137] (Configuration of the conveying device 706) The transfer device 706 includes a right crawler 792, a left crawler 794, and a side stepper 796. The transfer device 706 does not include components equivalent to the dual-purpose motor 400 and the power transmission mechanism 402 of the first embodiment.

[0138] (Right Crawler 792 Configuration) The right crawler 792 includes a front pulley 818, a rear pulley 820, a plurality of auxiliary pulleys 822, a tensioner pulley 824, a rubber belt 826, a right crawler motor 828, and a gear box 830. Teeth that mesh with the rubber belt 826 are formed on the outer surface of the front pulley 818, the outer surface of the rear pulley 820, the outer surfaces of the plurality of auxiliary pulleys 822, and the outer surface of the tensioner pulley 824. The rubber belt 826 is stretched around the front pulley 818, the rear pulley 820, the plurality of auxiliary pulleys 822, and the tensioner pulley 824. The front pulley 818 is rotatably supported by the right plate 810 via a bearing 832 in the vicinity of the front end of the right plate 810. The rear pulley 820 is rotatably supported by the right plate 810 via a bearing 834 near the rear end of the right plate 810. The multiple auxiliary pulleys 822 are rotatably supported by the right plate 810 between the front pulley 818 and the rear pulley 820 via corresponding bearings 836. The multiple auxiliary pulleys 822 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. The outer diameter of the front pulley 818 and the outer diameter of the rear pulley 820 are approximately the same, and the outer diameter of the multiple auxiliary pulleys 822 is smaller than the outer diameters of the front pulley 818 and the rear pulley 820. In the vertical direction, the lower end of the front pulley 818, the lower end of the rear pulley 820, and the lower ends of the multiple auxiliary pulleys 822 are approximately at the same position. The tensioner pulley 824 is rotatably supported by a movable bearing 837. The movable bearing 837 is supported by the right plate 810 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. With the rubber belt 826 stretched around the tensioner pulley 824, the tension of the rubber belt 826 can be adjusted by adjusting the vertical position of the movable bearing 837 relative to the right plate 810. The right crawler motor 828 is supported by the right plate 810 via a bearing 832 and a gear box 830. The right crawler motor 828 is, for example, a DC brushless motor. The right crawler motor 828 is connected to the front pulley 818 via a reduction gear (not shown) built into the gear box 830.When the right crawler motor 828 rotates forward or reverse, the front pulley 818 rotates forward or reverse, causing the rubber belt 826 to rotate forward or reverse around the front pulley 818, rear pulley 820, multiple auxiliary pulleys 822, and tensioner pulley 824.

[0139] (Left Crawler 794 Configuration) The left crawler 794 includes a front pulley 844, a rear pulley 846, a plurality of auxiliary pulleys 848, a tensioner pulley 850, a rubber belt 852, a left crawler motor 854, and a gear box 856. Teeth that mesh with the rubber belt 852 are formed on the outer surface of the front pulley 844, the outer surface of the rear pulley 846, the outer surfaces of the plurality of auxiliary pulleys 848, and the outer surface of the tensioner pulley 850. The rubber belt 852 is stretched around the front pulley 844, the rear pulley 846, the plurality of auxiliary pulleys 848, and the tensioner pulley 850. The front pulley 844 is rotatably supported by the left plate 812 via a bearing 858 in the vicinity of the front end of the left plate 812. The rear pulley 846 is rotatably supported by the left plate 812 via a bearing 860 in the vicinity of the rear end of the left plate 812. The multiple auxiliary pulleys 848 are rotatably supported by the left plate 812 between the front pulley 844 and the rear pulley 846 via corresponding bearings 862. The multiple auxiliary pulleys 848 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. The outer diameter of the front pulley 844 and the outer diameter of the rear pulley 846 are approximately the same, and the outer diameter of the multiple auxiliary pulleys 848 is smaller than the outer diameters of the front pulley 844 and the rear pulley 846. In the vertical direction, the lower end of the front pulley 844, the lower end of the rear pulley 846, and the lower ends of the multiple auxiliary pulleys 848 are approximately at the same position. The tensioner pulley 850 is rotatably supported by a movable bearing 864. The movable bearing 864 is supported by the left plate 812 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. With the rubber belt 852 stretched around the tensioner pulley 850, the tension of the rubber belt 852 can be adjusted by adjusting the vertical position of the movable bearing 864 relative to the left plate 812. The left crawler motor 854 is supported by the left plate 812 via a bearing 858 and a gear box 856. The left crawler motor 854 is, for example, a DC brushless motor. The left crawler motor 854 is connected to the front pulley 844 via a reduction gear (not shown) built into the gear box 856.When the left crawler motor 854 rotates forward or reverse, the front pulley 844 rotates forward or reverse, causing the rubber belt 852 to rotate forward or reverse around the front pulley 844, the rear pulley 846, the multiple auxiliary pulleys 848, and the tensioner pulley 850.

[0140] (Configuration of Side Stepper 796) As shown in Fig. 33, the side stepper 796 includes step bars 872, 874, a front crank mechanism 876, a rear crank mechanism 877, a stepper motor 879, a gear box 881, a worm gear case 883, and a rotation transmission shaft 885. The step bars 872, 874 are rod-shaped members having a substantially rectangular cross section and extend in the front-rear direction. As shown in Fig. 32, in the left-right direction, the step bar 272 is disposed between the center and the right end of the base plate 804, and the step bar 274 is disposed between the center and the left end of the base plate 804.

[0141] As shown in FIG. 33, the front crank mechanism 876 includes a support plate 878, pulleys 880 and 882, a belt 884, crank arms 886 and 888, crank pins 890 and 892 (see FIG. 34), a crank plate 894, rollers 896 and 898, and a guide plate 900. The support plate 878 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 804 near the front end of the base plate 804. The support plate 878 is arranged along the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The pulley 880 is arranged near the right end of the support plate 878 and behind the support plate 878. The pulley 882 is arranged near the left end of the support plate 878 and behind the support plate 878. The pulleys 880 and 882 are each rotatably supported by the support plate 878. The diameter of the pulley 880 is approximately the same as the diameter of the pulley 882. The belt 884 is stretched around the pulleys 880 and 882. Therefore, when one of the pulleys 880 and 882 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the other also rotates in the forward or reverse direction at approximately the same rotation speed.

[0142] The crank arms 886, 888, the crank pins 890, 892 (see FIG. 34), the crank plate 894, the rollers 896, 898, and the guide plate 900 are disposed forward of the support plate 878. As shown in FIG. 34, the crank arms 886, 888 have fitting holes 886a, 888a into which the shafts 880a, 882a of the pulleys 880, 882 are fitted, and long holes 886b, 888b extending in the longitudinal direction of the crank arms 886, 888. When the pulleys 880, 882 rotate, the crank arms 886, 888 rotate integrally with the pulleys 880, 882 around the shafts 880a, 882a. The crank pins 890, 892 are slidably inserted into the long holes 886b, 888b. The crank pins 890 and 892 are fixed to the crank plate 894 in a state in which they penetrate the crank plate 894. The crank plate 894 is disposed forward of the crank arms 886 and 888. The crank plate 894 extends in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The rollers 896 and 898 (see FIG. 33) are attached to the crank pins 890 and 892 forward of the crank plate 894. As shown in FIG. 33, the rollers 896 and 898 are inserted into guide grooves 902 and 904 formed in the rear surface of the guide plate 900. The guide plate 900 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 804 forward of the crank plate 894. The guide plate 900 extends in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 34, the guide grooves 902 and 904 of the guide plate 900 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners. The guide grooves 902, 904 define a side step trajectory S2 shown by a dashed line in Fig. 34. The side step trajectory S2 has a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners, and has upper and lower sides along the left-right direction and right and left sides along the up-down direction.

[0143] In the front crank mechanism 876, when the pulleys 880, 882 rotate, the crank arms 886, 888 rotate, causing the crank pins 890, 892 to move in the rotational direction of the crank arms 886, 888. At this time, because the rollers 896, 898 are inserted into the guide grooves 902, 904, the crank pins 890, 892 slide inside the long holes 886b, 888b and move along the side step trajectory S2 defined by the guide grooves 902, 904. As a result, the crank plate 894 to which the crank pins 890, 892 are fixed also moves along the side step trajectory S2 defined by the guide grooves 902, 904.

[0144] As shown in FIG. 35, the rear crank mechanism 877 includes a support plate 906, pulleys 908 and 910, a belt 912, crank arms 914 and 916, crank pins 918 and 920 (see FIG. 34), a crank plate 922, rollers 924 and 926, and a guide plate 928. The support plate 906 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 804 near the rear end of the base plate 804. The support plate 906 is disposed along the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The pulley 908 is disposed near the right end of the support plate 906 and forward of the support plate 906. The pulley 910 is disposed near the left end of the support plate 906 and forward of the support plate 906. The pulleys 908 and 910 are each rotatably supported by the support plate 906. The diameter of pulley 908 is approximately the same as the diameter of pulley 910, which is also approximately the same as the diameters of pulleys 880, 882 of the front crank mechanism 876. A belt 912 is stretched around pulleys 908, 910. Therefore, when one of pulleys 908, 910 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the other also rotates in the forward or reverse direction at approximately the same rotation speed.

[0145] The crank arms 914, 916, the crank pins 918, 920 (see FIG. 34), the crank plate 922, the rollers 924, 926, and the guide plate 928 are disposed rearward of the support plate 906. As shown in FIG. 34, the crank arms 914, 916 have fitting holes 914a, 916a into which the shafts 908a, 910a of the pulleys 908, 910 are fitted, and long holes 914b, 916b extending in the longitudinal direction of the crank arms 914, 916. When the pulleys 908, 910 rotate, the crank arms 914, 916 rotate integrally with the pulleys 908, 910 around the shafts 908a, 910a. The crank pins 918, 920 are slidably inserted into the long holes 914b, 916b. The crank pins 918, 920 are fixed to the crank plate 922 in a state in which they penetrate the crank plate 922. The crank plate 922 is disposed on the rear side of the crank arms 914, 916. The crank plate 922 extends in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The rollers 924, 926 (see FIG. 35) are attached to the crank pins 918, 920 on the rear side of the crank plate 922. As shown in FIG. 35, the rollers 924, 926 are inserted into guide grooves 930, 932 formed on the front surface of the guide plate 928. The guide plate 928 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 804 behind the crank plate 922. The guide plate 928 extends in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 34, the guide grooves 930, 932 of the guide plate 928 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners. The guide grooves 930 and 932 define a side step trajectory S2 shown by a dashed line in Fig. 34. The side step trajectory S2 has a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners, and has upper and lower sides along the left-right direction and right and left sides along the up-down direction. The side step trajectory S2 defined by the guide grooves 930 and 932 is the same as the side step trajectory S2 defined by the guide grooves 902 and 904.

[0146] In the rear crank mechanism 877, when the pulleys 908, 910 rotate, the crank arms 914, 916 rotate, causing the crank pins 918, 920 to move in the rotational direction of the crank arms 914, 916. At this time, because the rollers 924, 926 are inserted into the guide grooves 930, 932, the crank pins 918, 920 slide inside the long holes 914b, 916b and move along the side step trajectory S2 defined by the guide grooves 930, 932. As a result, the crank plate 922 to which the crank pins 918, 920 are fixed also moves along the side step trajectory S2 defined by the guide grooves 930, 932.

[0147] As shown in Fig. 33, the step bars 872, 874 have their front ends fixed to a crank plate 894 of a front crank mechanism 876 and their rear ends fixed to a crank plate 922 of a rear crank mechanism 877. A pulley 880 of the front crank mechanism 876 and a pulley 908 of the rear crank mechanism 877 are connected by a rotation transmission shaft 885. Therefore, the pulleys 880, 882 of the front crank mechanism 876 and the pulleys 908, 910 of the rear crank mechanism 877 rotate in synchronization with each other, and the crank plate 894 of the front crank mechanism 876 and the crank plate 922 of the rear crank mechanism 877 operate in synchronization with each other. A zero point detection sensor (not shown) is provided in one of the front crank mechanism 876 and the rear crank mechanism 877 (for example, the front crank mechanism 876). The zero point detection sensor includes, for example, a permanent magnet (not shown) fixed to the crank plate 894 and a Hall element (not shown) fixed to the guide plate 900. The zero point detection sensor can detect whether or not the crank plates 894, 922 are at the zero point position, with the center in the left-right direction of the upper side of the side step track S2 being the zero point position.

[0148] As shown in FIG. 33, the worm gear case 883 is disposed rearward of the pulley 882 of the front crank mechanism 876. The worm gear case 883 is fixed to a support plate 878 of the front crank mechanism 876. The gear box 881 is disposed to the right of the worm gear case 883 and is fixed to the worm gear case 883. The stepper motor 879 is disposed to the right of the gear box 881 and is held by the gear box 881. The stepper motor 879 is, for example, a DC brushed motor. The stepper motor 879 is connected to the pulley 882 via a reduction gear (not shown) built into the gear box 881 and a worm gear (not shown) built into the worm gear case 883. When the stepper motor 879 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the pulleys 880, 882, 908, 910 rotate in the forward or reverse direction, whereby the crank plates 894, 922 move clockwise or counterclockwise along the side step trajectory S2, and the step bars 872, 874 also move clockwise or counterclockwise along the side step trajectory S2. As shown in FIG. 27, the base plate 804 is formed with a through hole 804b for avoiding interference with the stepper motor 879, the gear box 881, and the worm gear case 883.

[0149] Similar to the side stepper 196 of the first embodiment, the side stepper 796 shown in FIG. 33 can move the rebar binding robot 700 to the right or left by a predetermined step width.

[0150] (Configuration of lifting device 730) 36, the lifting device 730 includes a feed screw mechanism 732, a lower base member 734, an upper base member 736, a motor connector 746, a lifting motor 748, a sensor support member 750, an upper limit detection sensor 752, and a lower limit detection sensor 754. The feed screw mechanism 732 includes support pipes 738, 740, a lifting platform 742, and a screw shaft 744.

[0151] The lower base member 734 is fixed to a base plate 804 (see FIG. 27). The lower ends of the support pipes 738 and 740 are fixed to the lower base member 734. The upper ends of the support pipes 738 and 740 are fixed to the upper base member 736. The support pipes 738 and 740 are arranged parallel to each other. The support pipes 738 and 740 are arranged at an incline in the front-rear and left-right directions with respect to the up-down direction of the rebar binding robot 700. The lifting platform 742 has through holes 742a and 742b through which the support pipes 738 and 740 pass, respectively. Members (e.g., linear bushings) that slidably hold the support pipes 738 and 740 are fixed to the through holes 742a and 742b. The lifting platform 742 is slidably supported between the lower base member 734 and the upper base member 736 by the support pipes 738 and 740.

[0152] The screw shaft 744 is disposed between the support pipes 738 and 740. The lower end of the screw shaft 744 is rotatably held by the lower base member 734. The vicinity of the upper end of the screw shaft 744 is rotatably held by the upper base member 736. The screw shaft 744 is disposed parallel to the support pipes 738 and 740. A male screw (not shown) is formed on the outer surface of the screw shaft 744 between the lower base member 734 and the upper base member 736. The lift table 742 is formed with a through hole 742c through which the screw shaft 744 passes. A nut 760 is fixed to the through hole 742c. The nut 760 is formed with a female screw (not shown) corresponding to the male screw of the screw shaft 744. The screw shaft 744 passes through the lift table 742 with the male screw threaded into the female screw of the nut 760. The upper end of the screw shaft 744 is connected to a lift motor 748 via a motor connection portion 746. The lift motor 748 is, for example, a DC brushed motor. When the lift motor 748 rotates in the forward direction, the lift platform 742 descends from the upper base member 736 toward the lower base member 734 due to the rotation of the screw shaft 744. On the other hand, when the lift motor 748 rotates in the reverse direction, the lift platform 742 ascends from the lower base member 734 toward the upper base member 736 due to the rotation of the screw shaft 744.

[0153] The sensor support member 750 has a lower end fixed to the lower base member 734 and an upper end fixed to the upper base member 736. The upper limit detection sensor 752 and the lower limit detection sensor 754 are each fixed to the sensor support member 750. The upper limit detection sensor 752 is normally off, and when the lift platform 742 rises to the vicinity of the upper base member 736, it abuts against the lift platform 742 and turns on. The lower limit detection sensor 754 is normally off, and when the lift platform 742 descends to the vicinity of the lower base member 734, it abuts against the lift platform 742 and turns on. When the robot control device 726 (see FIG. 28) lowers the rebar binding device 602, it rotates the lift motor 748 in the forward direction, and when the lower limit detection sensor 754 turns on, it stops the lift motor 748. The robot control device 726 also stops the lift motor 748 if the reinforcing bar binding device 602 collides with the first reinforcing bar R1, the second reinforcing bar R2, or another obstacle when lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 602, causing a sudden increase in the load on the lift motor 748. The load on the lift motor 748 can be identified, for example, from the current value of the lift motor 748. When raising the reinforcing bar binding device 602, the robot control device 726 rotates the lift motor 748 in the reverse direction, and stops the lift motor 748 when the upper limit detection sensor 752 turns on.

[0154] In this embodiment, the position of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 when the upper limit detection sensor 752 is turned on is called the "upper limit position." The position of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 when the lower limit detection sensor 754 is turned on is called the "lower limit position."

[0155] As shown in Fig. 37, the lifting device 730 further includes a first support plate 762, a second support plate 764, a third interference pin 762b, connecting shafts 766, 768, a rotation pin 770, a torsion spring 772, and a fourth interference pin 774. The first support plate 762 is disposed facing one outer surface of the gripping portion 606 of the reinforcing bar binding device 602. The second support plate 764 is disposed facing the other outer surface of the gripping portion 606 of the reinforcing bar binding device 602. The first support plate 762 and the second support plate 764 are fixed to each other via the connecting shafts 766, 768 while clamping the gripping portion 606 of the reinforcing bar binding device 602. A surface of the first support plate 762 facing the gripping portion 606 and a surface of the second support plate 764 facing the gripping portion 606 are each formed with a plurality of protrusions 764a (see FIG. 36) that fit into a plurality of recesses 606a (see FIG. 29) formed on the outer surface of the gripping portion 606 of the reinforcing bar binding device 602. Therefore, the position of the gripping portion 606 of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is fixed relative to the first support plate 762 and the second support plate 764.

[0156] The first support plate 762 is connected to the lifting platform 742 (see FIG. 36) of the lifting device 730 via a rotating pin 770. One end of the rotating pin 770 is fixed to the lifting platform 742. The other end of the rotating pin 770 is rotatably held by the first support plate 762. Therefore, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 held by the first support plate 762 and the second support plate 764 rises and falls in response to the rise and fall of the lifting platform 742, and can rotate around the central axis of the rotating pin 770 relative to the lifting platform 742. In this embodiment, the axis of rotation of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 relative to the lifting platform 742 (i.e., the central axis of the rotating pin 770) is called the "rotation axis A4."

[0157] The fourth interference pin 774 is fixed to the lifting platform 742 and extends from the lifting platform 742 toward the first support plate 762. The first support plate 762 is formed with an elongated hole 762a into which the fourth interference pin 774 is inserted, and a third interference pin 762b protruding toward the lifting platform 742. The elongated hole 762a defines the movable range of the first support plate 762 and the rebar binding device 602 when they rotate around the rotation axis A4. The torsion spring 772 is attached to the rotation pin 770. The torsion spring 772 biases the third interference pin 762b (i.e., the first support plate 762 and the rebar binding device 602) toward the fourth interference pin 774 in a fifth circumferential direction CD5 of the rotation axis A4. The reinforcing bar binding device 602 is held in a basic position as shown in Fig. 38 by the biasing force of the torsion spring 772 or the like. The basic position here refers to a position in which the forward direction (see Fig. 29, etc.) based on the reinforcing bar binding device 602 faces downward based on the reinforcing bar binding robot 700.

[0158] When the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is in the basic position, the upper curl guide 30 is curved so as to approach the horizontal direction (rear left) as it approaches the tip. The lower curl guide 32 extends in a substantially straight line toward the tip. In addition, when the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is in the basic position, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is rotatable in a sixth circumferential direction CD6, which is the opposite direction to the fifth circumferential direction CD5, against the biasing force of the torsion spring 772.

[0159] As shown in FIG. 36, a guide groove 782 is provided on the outer surface (the surface facing the lifting platform 742) of the first support plate 762. The guide groove 782 includes an upper parallel groove 782a, an upper inclined groove 782b, an upper abutment wall 782c, a lower abutment wall 782d, a lower inclined groove 782e, and a lower parallel groove 782f. The upper end of the upper parallel groove 782a opens above the first support plate 762. The upper parallel groove 782a extends approximately parallel to the lifting direction of the reinforcing bar binding device 602. The upper inclined groove 782b extends downward from the lower end of the upper parallel groove 782a, inclined upward with respect to the lifting direction of the reinforcing bar binding device 602. The upper abutment wall 782c is a portion corresponding to the lower wall surface of the upper inclined groove 782b. The lower inclined groove 782e extends downward from the lower end of the upper inclined groove 782b, inclining downward with respect to the lifting and lowering direction of the rebar binding device 602. The lower abutment wall 782d is a portion corresponding to the lower wall surface of the lower inclined groove 782e. The lower parallel groove 782f extends downward from the lower end of the lower inclined groove 782e, approximately parallel to the lifting and lowering direction of the rebar binding device 602. The lower end of the lower parallel groove 782f opens below the first support plate 762.

[0160] The lifting device 730 further includes a pull solenoid 776, a link 778, and a slide pin 780. The pull solenoid 776 and the link 778 are disposed on a support base 734a which is a part of the lower base member 734. The support base 734a is disposed substantially parallel to both the rotation axis A4 and the rotation axis of the screw shaft 744. The pull solenoid 776 is fixed to the support base 734a. The link 778 has an L-shape. The link 778 is supported at a bent portion of the L-shape so as to be swingable relative to the support base 734a. The slide pin 780 is supported by the support base 734a so as to be slidable in a direction along the rotation axis A4. The output shaft of the pull solenoid 776 and the slide pin 780 are connected via the link 778.

[0161] When the pull solenoid 776 is energized, the slide pin 780 is pushed outward from the support base 734a. In this state, the slide pin 780 is in a position where it can enter the guide groove 782 (specifically, the upper parallel groove 782a and the lower parallel groove 782f) during the process of the rebar binding device 602 being raised or lowered. The position of the slide pin 780 at this time is called the "entry position." On the other hand, when the pull solenoid 776 is not energized, the slide pin 780 is pulled back to the inside of the support base 734a. In this state, the slide pin 780 is in a position where it cannot enter the guide groove 782 during the process of the rebar binding device 602 being raised or lowered. This position of the slide pin 780 is called the "retract position."

[0162] The robot control device 726 (see FIG. 28) energizes the pull solenoid 776 and holds the slide pin 780 in the advanced position while the rebar binding device 602 is being raised. The robot control device 726 de-energizes the pull solenoid 776 and holds the slide pin 780 in the retracted position while the rebar binding device 602 is being lowered.

[0163] The behavior of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 when the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is raised and lowered by the lifting device 730 will be described in detail below with reference to Figs.

[0164] In the state shown in FIG. 38, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is at the upper limit position. The lifting device 730 lowers the reinforcing bar binding device 602 from the state shown in FIG. 38 through the state shown in FIG. 39 to the state shown in FIG. 40. In the process of lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 602, the slide pin 780 (see FIG. 36) is held in the retracted position, so the slide pin 780 and the first support plate 762 (see FIG. 36) do not come into contact with each other. Therefore, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 takes the basic posture except when an external disturbance interferes with the reinforcing bar binding device 602. The interference of an external disturbance here means, for example, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 colliding with an obstacle. In this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, the interference of an external disturbance is not considered.

[0165] In the state shown in Fig. 40, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is in the lowest position. Although details will be described later, in this state, the reinforcing bar intersection portion RC is bound by the reinforcing bar binding device 602. Thereafter, the lifting device 730 raises the reinforcing bar binding device 602 from the state shown in Fig. 40 through the states shown in Figs. 41, 42, and 43 to the state shown in Fig. 38. During the process in which the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is raised, the slide pin 780 (see Fig. 36) is held in the advanced position.

[0166] In the process of raising the reinforcing bar binding device 602, the first support plate 762 (see FIG. 36) rises relative to the slide pin 780 (see FIG. 36). The upper end (i.e., the upper end of the upper parallel groove 782a) of the guide groove 782 (see FIG. 36) provided in the first support plate 762 is aligned with the slide pin 780 at the entry position. Therefore, the slide pin 780 enters the upper parallel groove 782a. The slide pin 780 passes through the upper parallel groove 782a from above to below without abutting against the wall surface of the upper parallel groove 782a. Therefore, while the slide pin 780 passes through the upper parallel groove 782a, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 rises while maintaining the basic posture. In the state shown in FIG. 41, the slide pin 780 is located at the lower end of the upper parallel groove 782a (i.e., the upper end of the upper inclined groove 782b). Thereafter, when the slide pin 780 enters the upper inclined groove 782b, the upper abutment wall 782c abuts against the slide pin 780. The slide pin 780 passes through the upper inclined groove 782b from above to below while sliding along the upper abutment wall 782c. Since the slide pin 780 is fixed in position relative to the chassis 790, the upper abutment wall 782c (i.e., the first support plate 762) is pushed out in the sixth circumferential direction CD6 by the reaction force received from the slide pin 780. As a result, as shown in FIG. 42, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 fixed to the first support plate 762 rotates in the sixth circumferential direction CD6 as it rises. That is, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 gradually changes from the basic posture. In the state shown in FIG. 42, the slide pin 780 is located in the middle of the upper inclined groove 782b. 42, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 further rotates in the sixth circumferential direction CD6. When the slide pin 780 reaches the lower end of the upper inclined groove 782b (i.e., the upper end of the lower inclined groove 782e), the rotation of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 stops. Thereafter, the slide pin 780 enters the lower inclined groove 782e. In this state, the lower abutment wall 782d abuts against the slide pin 780 due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 772, etc. The slide pin 780 passes through the lower inclined groove 782e from above to below while sliding along the lower abutment wall 782d.At this time, the first support plate 762 is pushed back in the fifth circumferential direction CD5 by the biasing force of the torsion spring 772 while being supported by the slide pin 780 at the lower abutment wall 782d. As a result, as shown in FIG. 43, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 fixed to the first support plate 762 rotates in the fifth circumferential direction CD5 as it rises. That is, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 gradually returns to the basic posture. In the state shown in FIG. 43, the slide pin 780 is located in the middle part of the lower inclined groove 782e. Therefore, after the state shown in FIG. 43, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 further rotates in the fifth circumferential direction CD5. When the slide pin 780 reaches the lower end of the lower inclined groove 782e (i.e., the upper end of the lower parallel groove 782f), the rotation of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 stops. Although not shown, at this time, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is in the basic position. After that, the slide pin 780 enters the lower parallel groove 782f. The slide pin 780 passes through the lower parallel groove 782f from above to below without coming into contact with the wall surface of the lower parallel groove 782f. Therefore, while the slide pin 780 passes through the lower parallel groove 782f, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 rises while maintaining the basic position. Furthermore, even after the slide pin 780 comes out of the lower parallel groove 782f, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 rises while maintaining the basic position.

[0167] (Configuration of gripping device 950) As shown in FIG. 37, the gripping device 950 includes a link 952, a plunger 954, an actuator 956, and a torsion spring 958.

[0168] The link 952 is held by the second support plate 764. The link 952 is rotatable around an axis parallel to the rotation axis A4 with respect to the second support plate 764. The link 952 includes a pressing portion 952a and an operating portion 952b. The pressing portion 952a is disposed facing the trigger 684 of the rebar binding device 602. The operating portion 952b is connected to an actuator 956 via a plunger 954. The actuator 956 is, for example, a pull solenoid. The operation of the actuator 956 is controlled by the robot control device 726 (see FIG. 28). The torsion spring 958 biases the link 952 against the second support plate 764 in a direction in which the pressing portion 952a moves away from the trigger 684. When the actuator 956 is off, the pressing portion 952a moves away from the trigger 684 due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 958. When the actuator 956 is turned on, the link 952 rotates in a direction in which the operating portion 952b approaches the actuator 956, causing the pressing portion 952a to press the trigger 684. As a result, the trigger 684 of the rebar binding device 602 is pulled.

[0169] (A series of processes executed by the robot control device 726) When an instruction to execute an operation of the rebar tying robot 700 (see FIG. 27) is given via an operation execution button (not shown) or the like, the robot control device 726 (see FIG. 28) executes the process shown in FIG. 44. In the following, for the sake of simplicity, the movement of the chassis 790 (see FIG. 27) of the rebar tying robot 700 is considered to be the movement of the rebar tying robot 700. Also, of all the rebar intersection points RC, the rebar intersection point RC that is the target of the rebar tying work by the rebar tying robot 700 is described as "rebar intersection point RC'".

[0170] In S52, the robot controller 726 drives at least one of the right crawler 792 (see FIG. 32), the left crawler 794 (see FIG. 32), and the side stepper 796 (see FIG. 32) to move the rebar binding robot 700 (see FIG. 27) over the first rebars R1 and the second rebars R2. The robot controller 726 moves the rebar binding robot 700 to a target point, which is a rebar intersection point RC' that is the target of the rebar binding work. At this time, the robot controller 726 controls the operation of the right crawler 792, the left crawler 794, and the side stepper 796 based on the relative positions of the first rebars R1 and the second rebars R2 detected by a rebar detection sensor (not shown) and the rebar map. After S52, the process proceeds to S54.

[0171] In S54, the robot control device 726 judges whether or not the position of the rebar intersection RC' detected by the rebar detection sensor (not shown) is within a predetermined position range with respect to the reference position. The reference position here refers to the position where the rebar intersection RC' should be when the rebar binding device 602 (see FIG. 40) at the lower limit position performs rebar binding work. For example, the reference position is the center position of the base plate 804 (see FIG. 27) in the front-rear and left-right directions. The predetermined position range here is, for example, a range equivalent to a circle with the reference position as the center and the step width of the side stepper 796 (see FIG. 32) as the radius. If the position of the rebar intersection RC' is not within the predetermined position range (in the case of NO), the process returns to S52. If the position of the rebar intersection RC' is within the predetermined position range (in the case of YES), the process proceeds to S56.

[0172] In S56, the robot controller 726 executes a rebar tracing process. When the rebar tracing process is executed, the robot controller 726 adjusts the position and angle of the rebar binding robot 700 with respect to the rebar intersection RC' so that the rebar binding device 602 (see FIG. 29) can bind the rebar intersection RC'. After S56, the process proceeds to S58.

[0173] In S58, the robot control device 726 drives the lifting device 730 (see FIG. 36) to lower the reinforcing bar binding device 602 (see FIG. 29) to the lowest position. This sets the reinforcing bar binding device 602 at the reinforcing bar intersection RC'. After S58, the process proceeds to S60.

[0174] In S60, the robot control device 726 drives the gripping device 950 (see FIG. 37) to pull the trigger 684 (see FIG. 37) of the rebar binding device 602. This causes the rebar binding device 602 to perform the binding work at the rebar intersection point RC'. After S60, the process proceeds to S62.

[0175] In S62, the robot control device 726 drives the lifting device 730 (see FIG. 36) to raise the rebar binding device 602 (see FIG. 29) to the upper limit position. This moves the rebar binding device 602 away from the rebar intersection point RC'. After S62, the process proceeds to S64.

[0176] In S64, the robot control device 726 refers to the rebar map and determines whether all rebar intersections RC have been tied together. If all rebar intersections RC have been tied together (YES), the process in FIG. 44 ends. If there are any rebar intersections RC that have not been tied together (NO), the process proceeds to S66.

[0177] In S66, the robot control device 726 changes the rebar intersection RC' that is the target of the rebar tying work to another rebar intersection RC where the rebar tying work has not yet been completed. After S66, the process returns to S52.

[0178] (Correspondence) In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying robot 700 can perform the following operations for a plurality of first rebars R1 and a plurality of second rebars R2 intersecting with the plurality of first rebars R1: moving over the plurality of first rebars R1 and the plurality of second rebars R2, and tying a rebar intersection RC where the plurality of first rebars R1 and the plurality of second rebars R2 intersect. The rebar tying robot 700 includes a rebar tying device 602 that ties the rebar intersection RC using a wire W, a chassis 790 (an example of a base) on which the rebar tying device 602 is installed, a transport device 706 (an example of a moving device) that moves the chassis 790, and a lifting device 730 that is directly or indirectly supported on the chassis 790 and that raises or lowers the rebar tying device 602 relative to the chassis 790. The lifting device 730 changes the attitude of the rebar binding device 602 relative to the chassis 790 in the process of raising or lowering the rebar binding device 602.

[0179] In one or more embodiments, the method of tying the rebar intersection RC with the rebar tying device 602 includes a lowering step in which a lifting device 730, capable of raising or lowering the rebar tying device 602, lowers the rebar tying device 602 relative to the rebar intersection RC; a tying step in which the rebar tying device 602 ties the rebar intersection RC using a wire W; an ascending step in which the lifting device 730 raises the rebar tying device 602 relative to the rebar intersection RC; and a posture change step in which, during at least one of the lowering step and the ascending step, the lifting device 730 changes the posture of the rebar tying device 602 relative to the rebar intersection RC.

[0180] According to the above configuration, the lifting device 730 can change the attitude of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 with respect to the chassis 790 (or the reinforcing bar intersection point RC) in the process of raising or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 602. Therefore, the movement of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 in the operation process of the lifting device 730 can be made relatively complex. Therefore, the complex movement of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 can be realized in the operation process of the lifting device 730. Furthermore, according to the above configuration, if there is an obstacle on the lifting track of the reinforcing bar binding device 602, it is possible to avoid a collision between the reinforcing bar binding device 602 and the obstacle by changing the attitude of the reinforcing bar binding device 602.

[0181] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device 730 changes the position of the rebar tying device 602 during the process of raising or lowering the rebar tying device 602 without interrupting the raising or lowering of the rebar tying device 602.

[0182] In a configuration in which the lifting device 730 interrupts the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 every time the lifting device 730 changes the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602, it takes a long time for the lifting device 730 to complete the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device 602. With the above configuration, the lifting device 730 changes the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 without interrupting the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device 602. This makes it possible to shorten the time it takes for the lifting device 730 to complete the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device 602.

[0183] In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying device 602 includes a feeding mechanism 12 that feeds out the wire W, and an upper curl guide 30 (an example of a guide member) in which a guide groove 38 is defined for guiding the wire W fed by the feeding mechanism 12 and winding it around the rebar intersection RC. In the process of lifting the rebar tying device 602, the lifting device 730 changes the attitude of the rebar tying device 602 so as to move the upper curl guide 30 in a direction opposite to the direction in which the guide groove 38 opens.

[0184] Usually, after the rebar binding device 602 binds the rebar intersection RC, the lifting device 730 lifts the rebar binding device 602 so as to move the rebar binding device 602 away from the rebar intersection RC. Here, in the process of binding the rebar intersection RC by the rebar binding device 602, the cut end of the wire W may remain in the guide groove 38. If the lifting device 730 is configured to lift the rebar binding device 602 without changing the posture of the rebar binding device 602, the cut end remaining in the guide groove 38 may be dragged to the bottom of the guide groove 38 or the like. In some cases, the cut end may get caught in the upper curl guide 30. According to the above configuration, in the process of lifting the rebar binding device 602, the lifting device 730 changes the posture of the rebar binding device 602 so as to move the upper curl guide 30 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the guide groove 38 opens. That is, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 changes so that the cut end remaining in the guide groove 38 slips out in the direction in which the guide groove 38 opens. This makes it possible to prevent the cut end remaining in the guide groove 38 from being dragged to the bottom of the guide groove 38, and to prevent the cut end from getting caught in the upper curl guide 30.

[0185] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device 730 does not change the orientation of the rebar tying device 602 in the process of lowering the rebar tying device 602.

[0186] From the viewpoint of preventing the cut end from getting caught in the upper curl guide 30, it is sufficient to be able to change the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 602. Also, if the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is changed without reason, an unnecessary load may be applied to the lifting device 730 and the reinforcing bar binding device 602. According to the above configuration, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is changed in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 602, but the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is not changed in the process of lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 602. This makes it possible to prevent an unnecessary load from being applied to the lifting device 730 and the reinforcing bar binding device 602.

[0187] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device 730 raises or lowers the rebar tying device 602 by linearly moving the rebar tying device 602 relative to the chassis 790. The lifting device 730 changes the attitude of the rebar tying device 602 by rotating the rebar tying device 602 about a rotation axis A4 (an example of an apparatus rotation axis) whose position is fixed relative to the rebar tying device 602.

[0188] From the viewpoint of shortening the time required for the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device 602, it is preferable to move the reinforcing bar binding device 602 linearly. According to the above configuration, the reinforcing bar binding device 602 can be lifted and lowered linearly. If necessary, the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 can be changed by rotating the reinforcing bar binding device 602. Therefore, the complex movement of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 can be realized while minimizing the time required for the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding device 602.

[0189] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device 730 includes a lifting motor 748 (an example of a first actuator), a lifting platform 742 (an example of a holding member) that holds the rebar binding device 602 rotatably around a rotation axis A4, and a feed screw mechanism 732 (an example of a linear motion mechanism) that is operated by power from the lifting motor 748 and linearly raises or lowers the lifting platform 742 relative to the chassis 790. In the process in which the feed screw mechanism 732 operates to raise or lower the rebar binding device 602, the upper abutment wall 782c is pushed in a sixth circumferential direction CD6 by a reaction force received from the slide pin 780 (an example of the power of the linear motion mechanism being transmitted to the rebar binding device as a rotation force around the device rotation axis), causing the rebar binding device 602 to rotate around the rotation axis A4.

[0190] In the lifting device 730, an actuator for raising or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 602 and an actuator for changing the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 can be provided separately. However, if the number of actuators provided in the lifting device 730 increases, the manufacturing cost of the lifting device 730 may increase. According to the above configuration, the power from the lifting motor 748, which is an actuator, is not only used as the power for raising or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 602, but also as the power for changing the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602. Therefore, since it is not necessary to separately provide an actuator for raising or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 602 and an actuator for changing the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602, the number of actuators provided in the lifting device 730 can be reduced. This allows the manufacturing cost of the lifting device 730 to be reduced.

[0191] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device 730 includes a torsion spring 772 (an example of a biasing member) that biases the rebar binding device 602 in a fifth circumferential direction CD5 about the rotation axis A4 relative to the lifting platform 742. The rebar binding device 602 rotates in a sixth circumferential direction CD6 against the biasing force of the torsion spring 772.

[0192] When rotating the reinforcing bar binding device 602, there is a risk that the reinforcing bar binding device 602 will rotate too much due to inertia. With the above configuration, the torsion spring 772 biases the reinforcing bar binding device 602 in a direction against the rotation of the reinforcing bar binding device 602. This makes it possible to prevent the reinforcing bar binding device 602 from rotating too much due to inertia.

[0193] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device 730 includes a first support plate 762 (an example of a first abutment member) provided on the reinforcing bar binding device 602, and a slide pin 780 (an example of a second abutment member) provided on the chassis 790. In the process of the feed screw mechanism 732 operating to raise or lower the reinforcing bar binding device 602, the first support plate 762 (specifically, an upper abutment wall 782c or a lower abutment wall 782d of the first support plate 762) abuts against the slide pin 780, and the first support plate 762 is pushed in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis A4 by the slide pin 780, causing the reinforcing bar binding device 602 to rotate around the rotation axis A4.

[0194] According to the above configuration, the mechanism for rotating the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is relatively simple, so it can be applied to various conventional lifting devices. Therefore, since an existing lifting device can be used, the manufacturing cost of the lifting device 730 can be reduced.

[0195] In one or more embodiments, the lifting device 730 includes a pull solenoid 776 (an example of one of the first and second abutment members) that moves a slide pin 780 (an example of the first and second abutment members) between an approach position (an example of a first position) where the slide pin 780 can abut against the first support plate 762 (an example of the other of the first and second abutment members) and a retracted position (an example of a second position) where the slide pin cannot abut against the first support plate 762. When the rebar binding device 602 is raised, the slide pin 780 is held in the approach position (an example of one of the first and second positions) by the pull solenoid 776. When the rebar binding device 602 is lowered, the slide pin 780 is held in the retracted position (an example of the other of the first and second positions) by the pull solenoid 776.

[0196] If the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 is changed without reason, an unnecessary load may be applied to the lifting device 730 and the reinforcing bar binding device 602. For this reason, there are cases where it is desired to change the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 only during one of the processes of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 602 and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 602. According to the above configuration, in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 602 (an example of one of the processes of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device), the first support plate 762 and the slide pin 780 come into contact with each other, so that the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 changes. In the process of lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 602 (an example of the other of the processes of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device and lowering the reinforcing bar binding device), the first support plate 762 and the slide pin 780 do not come into contact with each other, so that the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 does not change. This allows the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 to be changed only during either the process of raising the reinforcing bar binding device 602 or the process of lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 602.

[0197] (Modification) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the rebar intersections RC are bound while the rebar binding device 2 (602) and the lifting device 130 (730) are moved over the multiple first rebars R1 and multiple second rebars R2 by the transport device 106 (706). In another embodiment, the rebar intersections RC may be bound while the rebar binding device 2 (602) and the lifting device 130 (730) are fixed in a predetermined position and the multiple first rebars R1 and multiple second rebars R2 are moved by, for example, a roller conveyor.

[0198] In the above embodiment, the power supply device 102 (702) and the robot control device 126 (726) may not be supported by the chassis 190 (790). Also, in the above embodiment, the robot control device 126 (726) may be provided so as to be capable of wireless communication with each of the rebar binding device 2 (602), the power supply device 102 (702), and the transport device 106 (706). In this case, the robot control device 126 (726) may be provided in an external controller (for example, a dedicated controller, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal) operated by a user.

[0199] In the above embodiment, the rebar tying robot 100 (700) may be provided with a power cord for supplying power from an external power source instead of the power supply device 102 (702). In this case, power may be supplied from the external power source to each of the rebar tying device 2 (602), the transport device 106 (706), and the robot control device 126 (726).

[0200] In the above embodiment, the rebar tying robot 100 (700) may be equipped with a so-called robot arm instead of the lifting device 130 (730). In this case, the rebar tying device 2 (602) may be configured to take various postures by the robot arm. Also, the rebar tying robot 700 does not need to be equipped with the gripping device 950. The robot arm may pull the trigger 684 of the rebar tying device 602 to operate it.

[0201] In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 changes as the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is pushed by the link mechanism 140 via the second interference pin 160. In another embodiment, the lifting device 130 may be equipped with an actuator (e.g., a solenoid, a servo motor) that applies a rotational force around the rotation axis A3 to the reinforcing bar binding device 2, instead of the second interference pin 160. The posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 may be changed as the robot control device 126 (726) drives the actuator.

[0202] In the above embodiment, the lifting device 130 (730) changes the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (602) so as to move the upper curl guide 30 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the guide groove 38 opens. That is, the lifting device 130 (730) rotates the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (602) in the second circumferential direction CD2 (sixth circumferential direction CD6) around the rotation axis A3 (A4). In another embodiment, the lifting device 130 (730) may change the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (602) in various different ways. For example, the lifting device 130 (730) may rotate the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (602) in the first circumferential direction CD1 (fifth circumferential direction CD5). Alternatively, the lifting device 130 (730) may rotate the rebar binding device 2 (602) around a rotation axis (eg, an axis along the up-down direction) different from the rotation axis A3 (A4).

[0203] In the above embodiment, the arrangement and shape of each component of the slider crank mechanism 138 may be changed as appropriate. As a result, the timing at which the rotational movement of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is started and stopped relative to the lifting and lowering movement of the reinforcing bar binding device 2, and the amount of rotation of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 when the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 is changed, may be changed as appropriate. For example, the width of the overhanging portion 148a in the width direction of the crank rod 148 may be increased or decreased.

[0204] In the above embodiment, the shape of the guide groove 782 may be appropriately changed. This allows the timing at which the rotational movement of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 starts and stops relative to the lifting and lowering movement of the reinforcing bar binding device 602, and the amount of rotation of the reinforcing bar binding device 602 when the reinforcing bar binding device 602 changes its posture, to be appropriately changed. For example, the guide groove 782 may have a curved shape as well as a straight shape.

[0205] In the above embodiment, the lifting device 130 (730) changes the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (602) only in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (602). In another embodiment, the lifting device 130 (730) may change the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (602) both in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (602) and in the process of lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2 (602). Specifically, the lifting device 130 may rotate the crankshaft 142 in the third circumferential direction CD3 when lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 2, and may rotate the crankshaft 142 in the fourth circumferential direction CD4 when lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 2. The lifting device 730 may hold the slide pin 780 at the entrance position both in the process of lifting the reinforcing bar binding device 602 and in the process of lowering the reinforcing bar binding device 602. In yet another embodiment, the lifting device 130 (730) may change the posture of the reinforcing bar tying device 2 (602) only in the process of lowering the reinforcing bar tying device 2 (602). Specifically, the lifting device 130 may rotate the crankshaft 142 in the fourth circumferential direction CD4 both when lifting the reinforcing bar tying device 2 and when lowering the reinforcing bar tying device 2. The lifting device 730 may hold the slide pin 780 in the retracted position when lifting the reinforcing bar tying device 602, and may hold the slide pin 780 in the advanced position when lowering the reinforcing bar tying device 602.

[0206] In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the lifting device 730 uses the pull solenoid 776 to move the slide pin 780 between a position (entry position) where the slide pin 780 can enter the guide groove 782 and a position (retracted position) where the slide pin 780 cannot enter the guide groove 782. In another embodiment, the lifting device 730 may include an actuator for moving the guide groove 782 (first support plate 762) instead of the pull solenoid 776. The lifting device 730 may use the actuator to move the guide groove 782 (first support plate 762) between a position where the slide pin 780 can enter and a position where the slide pin 780 cannot enter.

[0207] In the above embodiment, the torsion spring 162 (772) does not have to be attached to the rotation pin 150 (770) of the lifting device 130 (730). [Explanation of symbols]

[0208] 2: Rebar binding device 3: Housing 3a: Fitting part 3b: Through hole 10: Guide reel 10a: Engagement part 12: Feed mechanism 14: Guiding mechanism 16: Brake mechanism 18: Cutting mechanism 20:Torsion mechanism 21: Insertion member 22: Feed motor 24: Driven roller 26: Driven roller 28: Guide pipe 30: Upper curl guide 32: Lower curl guide 34: First guide aisle 38: Guide groove 40: Cutter 40a: Fixed cutter member 40b: Movable cutter member 40c: Fixed wire passage 40d: Movable wire passage 40e: Wire retaining wall 42: Return board 46: Pull solenoid 48: Link 50: Brake arm 52: Link 54: Torsion motor 56: Reduction mechanism 58: Screw shaft 60: Sleeve 61: Push plate 62: Pair of hooks 80: Control device 100: Rebar tying robot 102: Power supply 106: Transport device 126: Robot control device 130: Lifting device 132: Worm gear case 134: Lifting arm 136: Worm shaft 138: Slider crank mechanism 140: Link mechanism 142: Crankshaft 144: Crank arm 146: Crank pin 148: Crank rod 148a: Overhang 150: Rotating pin 152: Slider 153: Rail 154: Base material 156: First interference pin 158: Long hole 160: Second interference pin 162: Torsion spring 163: First Fin 164: 2nd fin 166: Cam 168: First photosensor 170: Second photosensor 190: Chassis 192: Right side crawler 194: Left crawler 196: Side Stepper 204: Base plate 204a: Through hole 210: Right side plate 212: Left side plate 214: Base frame 215: Front connecting frame 216: Rear connecting frame 218: Front pulley 220: Rear pulley 222: Auxiliary pulley 224: Tensioner pulley 226: Rubber belt 228: Right crawler motor 230: Gearbox 232: Bearing 234: Bearing 236: Bearing 237: Movable bearing 244: Front pulley 246: Rear pulley 248: Auxiliary pulley 250: Tensioner pulley 252: Rubber belt 254: Left crawler motor 256: Gearbox 258: Bearing 260: Bearing 262: Bearing 264: Movable bearing 272: Step bar 274: Step bar 276: Front crank mechanism 277: Rear crank mechanism 278: Support plate 280: Pulley 280a: Axis 282: Pulley 282a: Axis 283: Tensioner pulley 284: Belt 286: Crank arm 286a: Fitting hole 286b: Long hole 288: Crank arm 288a: Fitting hole 288b: Long hole 290: Crank pin 292: Crank pin 294: Crank plate 296: Laura 298: Laura 300: Guide plate 302: Guide groove 304: Guide groove 306: Support plate 308: Pulley 308a: Axis 310: Pulley 310a: Axis 311: Tensioner pulley 312: Belt 314: Crank arm 314a: Fitting hole 314b: Long hole 316: Crank arm 316a: Fitting hole 316b: Long hole 318: Crank pin 320: Crank pin 322: Crank plate 324: Laura 326: Laura 328: Guide plate 330: Guide groove 332: Guide groove 400: Dual-purpose motor 402: Power transmission mechanism 406: Planetary gear mechanism 410: Planet carrier 412: Internal gear 414: 1st output shaft 416: 2nd output shaft 418: 1st spur gear 420: 2nd spur gear 422: 3rd spur gear 424: Worm shaft 426: Worm wheel 428: Rotation transmission shaft 430: Universal joint 432: Switching actuator 434:Locking member 436: Position detection mechanism 438: Gearbox 440: Inner engagement recess 440a: Internal recessed groove 442:Outer engagement recess 442a: Lateral recessed groove 446: Locking pin 452: Pull solenoid 456: Cap 500: Independent reel 550: Wire relay mechanism 552: Base part 554: Guide roller 556: Feed roller 557: Feed roller 558: Insertion member 602: Rebar binding device 603: Housing 604: Main body 605: Reel cover 606:Gripping part 606a: Recess 608: Battery mounting part 610: Reel 664: 1st operation section 674: Main switch 676: Main power LED 680: Control device 684: Trigger 686: Trigger switch 690:Second operation section 696:Display LED 698: Setting switch 700: Rebar tying robot 702: Power supply 706:Transportation equipment 708: Battery adapter 726: Robot control device 730: Lifting device 732: Lead screw mechanism 734: Lower base member 734a: Support stand 736: Upper base member 738: Support pipe 740: Support pipe 742: Lift platform 742a: Through hole 742b :Through hole 742c: Through hole 744: Screw shaft 746: Motor connection part 748: Lifting motor 750: Sensor support member 752: Upper limit detection sensor 754: Lower limit detection sensor 760: Nut 762: First support plate 762a: Long hole 762b: 3rd interference pin 764: Second support plate 764a:Protrusion 766: Connecting shaft 768: Connecting shaft 770: Rotating pin 772: Torsion spring 774: 4th interference pin 776: Pull solenoid 778: Link 780: Slide pin 782: Guide groove 782a: Upper parallel groove 782b: Upper inclined groove 782c: Upper abutment wall 782d: Lower abutment wall 782e: Lower inclined groove 782f: Lower parallel groove 790: Chassis 792: Right side crawler 794: Left crawler 796: Side Stepper 804: Base plate 804a: Through hole 804b :Through hole 810: Right side plate 812: Left side plate 814: Base frame 815: Front connecting frame 816: Rear connecting frame 818: Front pulley 820: Rear pulley 822: Auxiliary pulley 824: Tensioner pulley 826: Rubber belt 828: Right crawler motor 830: Gearbox 832: Bearing 834: Bearing 836: Bearing 837: Movable bearing 844: Front pulley 846: Rear pulley 848: Auxiliary pulley 850: Tensioner pulley 852: Rubber belt 854: Left crawler motor 856: Gearbox 858: Bearing 860: Bearing 862: Bearing 864: Movable bearing 872: Step bar 874: Step bar 876: Front crank mechanism 877: Rear crank mechanism 878: Support plate 879: Stepper motor 880: Pulley 880a: Axis 881: Gearbox 882: Pulley 882a :axis 883: Worm gear case 884: Belt 885: Rotation transmission shaft 886: Crank arm 886a: Fitting hole 886b: Long hole 888: Crank arm 888a: Fitting hole 888b: Long hole 890: Crank pin 892: Crank pin 894: Crank plate Chapter 896: Laura 898: Laura 900: Guide plate 902: Guide groove 904: Guide groove 906: Support plate 908: Pulley 908a: Axis 910: Pulley 910a :Axis 912: Belt 914: Crank arm 914a: Fitting hole 914b: Long hole 916: Crank arm 916a: Fitting hole 916b: Long hole 918: Crank pin 920: Crank pin 922: Crank plate 924: Laura 926: Laura 928: Guide plate 930: Guide groove 932: Guide groove 950: Gripping device 952: Link 952a: Pressing part 952b:Operation unit 954: Plunger 956: Actuator 958: Torsion spring B: Battery pack R1: First rebar R2: Second rebar RC: Rebar intersection W: Wire

Claims

1. A rebar tying robot capable of performing the following actions with respect to a plurality of first rebars and a plurality of second rebars intersecting with the plurality of first rebars: moving over the plurality of first rebars and the plurality of second rebars; and tying rebar intersections where the plurality of first rebars and the plurality of second rebars intersect, a reinforcing bar binding device that binds the reinforcing bar intersections using a wire; A base on which the reinforcing bar binding device is installed; a moving device that moves the base; and a lifting device that is directly or indirectly supported on the base and that raises or lowers the reinforcing bar binding device relative to the base, The lifting device changes the attitude of the reinforcing bar tying device relative to the base in the process of raising or lowering the reinforcing bar tying device.

2. The reinforcing bar tying robot according to claim 1, wherein the lifting device changes the posture of the reinforcing bar tying device during the process of raising or lowering the reinforcing bar tying device without interrupting the raising or lowering of the reinforcing bar tying device.

3. The reinforcing bar binding device is a feeding mechanism that feeds out the wire; a guide member having a guide groove defined therein for guiding the wire fed by the feeding mechanism and winding it around the rebar intersection, The reinforcing bar tying robot of claim 1, wherein the lifting device changes the posture of the reinforcing bar tying device so as to move the guide member in a direction opposite to the direction in which the guide groove opens during the process of lifting the reinforcing bar tying device.

4. The reinforcing bar binding robot according to claim 3 , wherein the lifting device does not change the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device in the process of lowering the reinforcing bar binding device.

5. The lifting device is The reinforcing bar binding device is raised or lowered by linearly moving the reinforcing bar binding device relative to the base; The reinforcing bar binding robot according to claim 1 , wherein the posture of the reinforcing bar binding device is changed by rotating the reinforcing bar binding device around a device rotation axis whose position is fixed relative to the reinforcing bar binding device.

6. The lifting device is A first actuator; A holding member that holds the reinforcing bar binding device rotatably around the device rotation axis; a linear motion mechanism that is operated by power from the first actuator and linearly moves the holding member up or down relative to the base, The reinforcing bar tying robot of claim 5, wherein, during the process in which the linear motion mechanism operates to raise or lower the reinforcing bar tying device, the power of the linear motion mechanism is transmitted to the reinforcing bar tying device as a rotational force around the device rotation axis, causing the reinforcing bar tying device to rotate around the device rotation axis.

7. The lifting device includes a biasing member that biases the reinforcing bar binding device in a circumferential direction around the device rotation axis relative to the holding member, The reinforcing bar binding robot according to claim 6, wherein the reinforcing bar binding device rotates against the biasing force of the biasing member.

8. The lifting device includes an interference member fixed to the reinforcing bar binding device, the linear motion mechanism is a slider crank mechanism including a crankshaft that rotates by power from the first actuator, a slider that corresponds to the holding member, and a link mechanism that connects the crankshaft and the slider to each other, The reinforcing bar tying robot of claim 6, wherein, during the process in which the slider crank mechanism operates to raise or lower the reinforcing bar tying device, the link mechanism swings to push the interference member in the circumferential direction of the device rotation axis, thereby rotating the reinforcing bar tying device around the device rotation axis.

9. the crankshaft is rotated in a predetermined rotational direction by power from the first actuator, 9. The rebar tying robot of claim 8, wherein the interference member is positioned within the swing range of the link mechanism when the slider rises and outside the swing range of the link mechanism when the slider descends, or outside the swing range of the link mechanism when the slider rises and within the swing range of the link mechanism when the slider descends.

10. The lifting device is A first abutment member provided in the reinforcing bar binding device; a second abutment member provided on the base, 7. The reinforcing bar tying robot of claim 6, wherein, during the process of the linear motion mechanism operating to raise or lower the reinforcing bar tying device, the first abutment member and the second abutment member abut, and the first abutment member is pushed in the circumferential direction of the device rotation axis by the second abutment member, thereby rotating the reinforcing bar tying device around the device rotation axis.

11. the lifting device includes a second actuator that moves one of the first abutment member and the second abutment member between a first position where the one of the first abutment member and the second abutment member can abut against the other of the first abutment member and the second abutment member and a second position where the one of the first abutment member and the second abutment member cannot abut against the other of the first abutment member and the second abutment member, When the reinforcing bar binding device is raised, one of the first abutment member and the second abutment member is held at one of the first position and the second position by the second actuator, The rebar tying robot of claim 10, wherein when the rebar tying device is lowered, the one of the first abutment member and the second abutment member is held at the other of the first position and the second position by the second actuator.

12. A method for tying rebar intersections using a rebar tying device, comprising: A lowering step in which a lifting device capable of raising or lowering the reinforcing bar binding device lowers the reinforcing bar binding device to the reinforcing bar intersection location; a bundling step in which the rebar bundling device uses a wire to bundling the rebar intersections; a lifting step in which the lifting device lifts the rebar binding device relative to the rebar intersection; and a posture changing step in which the lifting device changes the posture of the rebar binding device relative to the rebar intersection during at least one of the lowering step and the raising step.

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