Control device of robot hand

Abstract

To provide a control device of a robot hand that can handle a case where a target direction of an object to be conveyed varies.SOLUTION: A control device of a robot hand, which controls the robot hand that is mounted on a robot mechanism, comprises a detecting part that detects a target direction of an object to be conveyed at a predetermined position, and a control part that controls the robot hand so that the object to be conveyed which has been conveyed by the robot hand is placed in the target direction at the predetermined position, by adjusting an attitude of the robot hand in accordance with the target direction detected by the detecting part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a hand control device for a robot. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an article filling device that controls the angle of a robot's hand holding an article with a directional property to make the article face in a fixed direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 2681722 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the article filling device of Patent Document 1 controls the orientation of the article to be in a constant direction, and cannot handle cases where the target orientation of the article is not constant but changes.

[0005] Therefore, in one aspect, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a robot hand control device that can also handle cases where the target orientation of a transported object changes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, A robot hand control device that controls a robot hand attached to a robot mechanism, A detection unit that detects a target orientation of a transported object at a predetermined location; a control unit that controls the robot hand so that the object transported by the robot hand is placed at the predetermined location in the target orientation by adjusting the posture of the robot hand in accordance with the target orientation detected by the detection unit; and A hand control device for a robot is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect, the present disclosure can provide a robot hand control device that can also handle a change in the target orientation of a transported object. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a working system to which a robot hand according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a robot mechanism. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a robot hand. [Figure 3A] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating the shape of a first restricting member. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the rod is retracted. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 5A] FIG. [Figure 5B] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 6A] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a top view showing how the sushi rice is transported by a conveyor. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a front view showing the operation of placing the transported object on the shari. [Figure 8A] FIG. 11 is a front view showing the operation of placing the transported object on the shari. [Figure 8B] FIG. 11 is a front view showing the operation of placing the transported object on the shari. [Figure 8C] FIG. 11 is a front view showing the operation of placing the transported object on the shari. [Figure 8D]FIG. 11 is a front view showing the operation of placing the transported object on the shari. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a front view showing an example in which an insertion member is inserted into two pieces of rice from different directions. [Figure 9A] FIG. 13 is a front view showing an example in which an insertion member is inserted into two pieces of rice from different directions. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the hand. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing the shape of an insertion member in the example of FIG. 10. [Figure 11A] 11 is a diagram showing the shape of a first restricting member in the example of FIG. 10. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a work system to which the robot hand of this embodiment is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a robot mechanism, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the robot hand, and FIG. 3A is a diagram showing the shape of a first regulating member.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the work system includes a main control device 10, a robot control device 20 that controls a robot mechanism 2 (FIG. 2) based on commands from the main control device 10, and a transport control device 30 that controls a transport device 3 based on commands from the main control device 10.

[0011] 2, the robot mechanism 2 is an arm-shaped articulated robot having a plurality of rotary joints, and is installed near a conveyor 31 constituting a transfer device 3. In FIG. 2, an arrow 31A indicates the movement direction of the conveyor 31.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, a hand 50 (FIG. 3) can be attached to the tip of the robot mechanism 2.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the main control device 10 is connected to a plurality of cameras 11 including a camera 11 attached to the robot mechanism 2 and a camera 11 (described later) that photographs the conveyor 31 from above, an image processing device 12 that performs image processing based on images photographed by the camera 11, a display device 15 that displays the operating status of the cooking system, etc., and an operation unit 16 that accepts user operations for the cooking system.

[0014] The robot control device 20 is connected to a plurality of electric actuators 23 that drive each joint of the robot mechanism 2, a plurality of sensors 24 that detect the posture, etc. of the robot mechanism 2, a pump 21 that supplies compressed air to an actuator (e.g., actuator 52 in FIG. 3) that serves as the driving source for the robot mechanism 2 and the hand 50 (FIG. 3), and a plurality of solenoid valves 22 that control each of the actuators.

[0015] To the transport control device 30, a plurality of electric motors 30a for driving the transport device 3 and a plurality of sensors 30b for detecting the state of each part of the transport device 3 are connected.

[0016] The main control device 10, the camera 11, and the image processing device 12 function as a detection unit that detects the target orientation and the target center-of-gravity position of the transported object 40 (FIG. 4). The main control device 10 and the robot control device 20 function as a control unit that controls the hand 50 (robot hand) so as to place the transported object 40 in the target orientation at a position corresponding to the target center-of-gravity position.

[0017] 3, the hand 50 includes a mounting member 51 attached to the arm tip of the robot mechanism 2, an actuator 52 attached to the mounting member 51, a driving member 53 driven by the actuator 52, a flat-plate-shaped insertion member 6 attached to the driving member 53, a flat-plate-shaped first regulating member 7 attached to the mounting member 51, and a flat-plate-shaped second regulating member 8 attached to the mounting member 51. The materials of the insertion member 6, the first regulating member 7, and the second regulating member 8 are arbitrary, and may be, for example, a polymeric material such as polypropylene resin.

[0018] The actuator 52 includes rods 52a (three rods 52a in FIG. 3) extending horizontally, and the rods 52a are driven in their extending direction (approximately left-right direction in FIG. 3). As shown in FIG. 3, the driving member 53 is attached to the tip of the rod 52a (the left end in FIG. 3), and the rods 52a are driven to reciprocate together with the insertion member 6 in their extending direction.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the insertion member 6 is formed in a rectangular plate shape, and has an inclined surface 61 that descends toward the first restricting member 7 in the state shown in FIG.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, the first regulating member 7 and the second regulating member 8 are both attached so that their surfaces (surfaces of the flat plates) are oriented in the direction in which the rod 52a extends, i.e., perpendicular to the driving direction of the insertion member 6. Also, as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 3A, a rectangular notch 71 is formed on the lower end side of the first regulating member 7, extending upward from the lower end of the first regulating member 7. In Fig. 3A, a pair of protrusions 72 protruding downward are formed on both sides of the notch 71.

[0021] 3 shows a state in which the rod 52a is protruded. At this time, the insertion member 6 is located at a position separated from the first restricting member 7 in the horizontal direction.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the rod is retracted.

[0023] 4, when rod 52a of actuator 52 is retracted, insertion member 6 is positioned so as to overlap first restricting member 7 in the horizontal direction. At this time, insertion member 6 is accommodated in notch 71 of first restricting member 7, thereby preventing interference between insertion member 6 and first restricting member 7.

[0024] In the state shown in FIG. 4, the transported object 40 sandwiched between the first regulating member 7 and the second regulating member 8 is supported from below by the insertion member 6 and can be transported by the hand 50.

[0025] Next, the operation of the work system will be described.

[0026] The following is an example of the operation of performing a series of tasks to place nigiri sushi toppings on rice. The application of the operation system is arbitrary, and the type of transported object is also arbitrary. For example, the operation system of the present disclosure can be applied to the manufacturing process of any product.

[0027] Fig. 5 to Fig. 5B are front views showing the operation of scooping up the transported object, and Fig. 6 to Fig. 6A are top views showing the operation of scooping up the transported object. Fig. 6 corresponds to the state of Fig. 5, and Fig. 6A corresponds to the states of Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B.

[0028] In the state shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the transported object 40 (ingredients) is placed on the surface 45 (placement surface) of the tray.

[0029] An image of the transported object 40 placed on the surface 45 of the tray is acquired by a predetermined camera 11 under the control of the main controller 10, and is analyzed by the image processing device 12 under the control of the main controller 10. For example, the contour of the transported object 40 is acquired, and based on the acquired contour, the coordinates of the center of gravity in the image of the transported object 40 (the area within the contour) and the longitudinal direction of the transported object 40 (the up-down direction in FIG. 6) are calculated.

[0030] Based on this information (center of gravity position and longitudinal direction), the position and angle of the hand 50 are controlled.

[0031] 6, in this state, the position of the hand 50 is adjusted so that the transported object 40 is positioned between the first regulating member 7 and the second regulating member 8. Also, the angle of the hand 50 is adjusted so that the surfaces of the first regulating member 7 and the second regulating member 8 are aligned along the longitudinal direction (the up-down direction in FIG. 6) of the transported object 40. Also, at this time, the lower ends of the first regulating member 7 and the second regulating member 8 are positioned slightly above the surface 45, as shown in FIG.

[0032] 5, the lower end of the tip of the insertion member 6 is in contact with the surface 45 of the tray. In this case, the insertion member 6 may be pressed against the surface 45 and elastically deformed. This allows the entire lower end of the tip of the insertion member 6 to be stably in contact with the surface 45, making it possible to easily insert the insertion member 6 between the bottom surface of the transported object 40 and the surface 45.

[0033] Next, while maintaining the position and angle of the mounting member 51, the actuator 52 drives the insertion member 6, and the state of the hand 50 is shifted to the state shown in FIG.

[0034] When the insertion member 6 is driven, the insertion member 6 is inserted between the bottom surface and the surface 45 of the transported object 40, as shown in Figures 5A and 6A. In addition, while the insertion member 6 is driven, the position of the transported object 40 is regulated between the first regulating member 7, particularly the protruding portion 72, and the second regulating member 8. Therefore, the transported object 40 can be reliably placed on the insertion member 6. By moving the hand 50 in this state, the transported object 40 can be transported as shown in Figure 5B.

[0035] Next, the operation of placing the transported object 40 on the sushi rice transported by the conveyor 31 will be described.

[0036] FIG. 7 is a top view showing how the sushi rice is transported by a conveyor.

[0037] 7, two sushi rice balls 32, 32A are placed on a tray 33 and transported by a conveyor 31. Because it is difficult to align the angles of the trays 33 on the conveyor 31, the angles of the sushi rice balls 32, 32A tend to vary for each tray 33. However, in this embodiment, the angle of each sushi rice ball 32, 32A is detected, so it is possible to place the transported object 40 in the correct orientation relative to the orientation of the sushi rice balls 32, 32A.

[0038] 7 together with the current time (image acquisition time) under the control of the main control device 10. The camera 11 acquires the image upstream of the conveyor 31 from the work range where the hand 50 is used.

[0039] The image captured by the camera 11 is analyzed in the image processing device 12 under the control of the main control device 10. For example, the outline of the sushi rice dish 32 is acquired, and based on the acquired outline, the coordinates of the center of gravity of the image of the sushi rice dish 32 (the area within the outline) and the longitudinal direction 32X of the sushi rice dish 32 are determined. The position of the center of gravity of the sushi rice dish 32 corresponds to the target center of gravity position of the transported object 40 to be placed on the sushi rice dish 32. Furthermore, the longitudinal direction 32X of the sushi rice dish 32 corresponds to the target orientation of the transported object 40 to be placed on the sushi rice dish 32. The same applies to the sushi rice dish 32A.

[0040] The center of gravity of the sushi rice 32 may be shifted from the target center of gravity of the transported object 40. For example, if the transported object 40 is a shrimp topping, the target center of gravity of the transported object 40 may be set at a position shifted from the center of gravity of the sushi rice 32, taking into account the direction of the tail.

[0041] The sushi rice 32 placed on the plate 33 is transported by the conveyor 31, whose transport speed is a known value (a set value). Therefore, the robot control device 20 can grasp the current position and angle of the center of gravity of the sushi rice 32 based on information from the main control device 10 (the image acquisition time, and the position and orientation of the center of gravity of the sushi rice 32 at the image acquisition time).

[0042] 8 to 8D are front views showing the work of placing the transported objects on the rice, in which the plate 33 is omitted.

[0043] In this embodiment, the work of placing the transported object 40 on the rice 32 is performed while moving the robot hand 50 at the same speed (speed vector) as the transport speed (speed vector) of the conveyor 31 .

[0044] First, as shown in Fig. 8, the object 40 is positioned above the sushi rice 32, and the position and angle of the hand 50 (attachment member 51) are controlled so that the longitudinal direction of the object 40 (the up-down direction in Fig. 6) coincides with the longitudinal direction 32X of the sushi rice 32. At this time, since the sushi rice 32 is transported so as to move in a parallel manner by the conveyor 31, the position of the hand 50 (attachment member 51) in the horizontal plane moves in a parallel manner in accordance with the movement of the sushi rice 32. In other words, during the operations shown in Figs. 8 to 8D, the position of the hand 50 (attachment member 51) in the horizontal plane is controlled to follow the position of the sushi rice 32. This makes it possible to prevent the object 40 placed on the sushi rice 32 from shifting in position, and to prevent the hand 50 from interfering with the sushi rice 32.

[0045] Furthermore, because the position of the hand 50 (mounting member 51) in the horizontal plane follows the flow of the conveyor 31, it is possible to place the transported object 40 in an accurate position on the shari 32 regardless of the insertion direction of the insertion member 6. For example, even if the insertion direction of the insertion member 6 coincides with the transport direction of the conveyor 31, is reversed, or intersects with the transport direction of the conveyor 31, the same positional accuracy is maintained in all cases. The same is true for the task of placing the transported object 40 on the shari 32A.

[0046] Next, as shown in Figs. 8A and 8B, the hand 50 (attachment member 51) is lowered to a predetermined height. Next, when the insertion member 6 is moved leftward in Figs. 8A and 8B, the transported object 40 moves leftward while attached to the insertion member 6. However, when the transported object 40 comes into contact with the first regulating member 7, the movement of the transported object 40 to the left is thereafter regulated, and the position of the transported object 40 (the position in the left-right direction in Fig. 8B) is determined by the first regulating member 7. At this time, the transported object 40 is supported on both sides in the longitudinal direction by the pair of protrusions 72 of the first regulating member 7. Therefore, the orientation (longitudinal orientation) of the transported object 40 is also correctly adjusted.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 8C, when the inserting member 6 is moved to a position away from the transported object 40, the transported object 40 is released from the hand 50 and placed at a predetermined position (a position determined by the first regulating member 7). That is, the transported object 40 is placed on the rice 32. Note that the entire hand 50 may be rotated so that the first regulating member 7 is positioned below the transported object 40 during the period from when the transported object 40 is scooped up by the inserting member 6 to when it is placed on the rice 32. For example, by rotating the hand 50 counterclockwise in FIG. 5B, the transported object 40 can be slid leftward on the inserting member 6 and brought into contact with the first regulating member 7. This allows the transported object 40 to be reliably positioned at the position determined by the first regulating member 7.

[0048] Next, as shown in Fig. 8D, the hand 50 (attachment member 51) is withdrawn from the position of the rice sack 32, and the operation of Figs. 5 to 5B is performed to scoop up the next transported object 40. Furthermore, after the hand 50 (attachment member 51) is moved to above the rice sack 32A, the operation of Figs. 8 to 8D is performed, whereby the transported object 40 can be placed on the rice sack 32A.

[0049] 8 to 8D, the position of the hand 50 (attachment member 51) in the horizontal plane is controlled to follow the position of the sushi rice 32A. This makes it possible to prevent the position of the transported object 40 placed on the sushi rice 32A from shifting, and also to prevent the hand 50 from interfering with the sushi rice 32A or the sushi rice on the plate 33 (the transported object 40 placed on the sushi rice 32).

[0050] In addition, in Figs. 8 and 9, the longitudinal direction of the transported object 40 placed on the shari 32, 32A is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the shari 32, 32A, but the relationship between the two directions is arbitrary. For example, depending on the type of transported object 40 (neta), the longitudinal directions of the two may be perpendicular to each other. That is, the longitudinal direction of the shari 32, 32A can be set as the "target direction" of the neta as it is, but it is also possible to set a direction shifted by a predetermined angle from the longitudinal direction of the shari 32, 32A as the "target direction". As described above, for example, it is also possible to intentionally place the neta in a direction rotated 90 degrees from the longitudinal direction of the shari (the short side direction of the shari). In addition, in this embodiment, the direction in which the insertion member 6 is pulled out (first direction) and the direction in which it is inserted (second direction) are opposite to each other, but the relationship between the two directions is not limited to this.

[0051] By carrying out the above operations while the sushi rice 32 and the sushi rice 32A are being transported within the working range of the hand 50, the transported object 40 can be placed on each of the two sushi rice 32 and the sushi rice 32A.

[0052] Thus, according to this embodiment, when the insert member 6 is pulled out in the left direction in Figs. 8 to 8D, the transported object 40 on the insert member 6 is prevented from moving in that direction together with the insert member 6 by the first regulating member 7. Therefore, the position of the transported object 40 can be accurately controlled. For example, in the example of Figs. 8 to 8D, the position of the left end of the transported object 40 in Figs. 8 to 8D is regulated by the first regulating member 7. If the first regulating member 7 did not exist, it would be difficult to accurately control the position at which the transported object 40 stuck to the insert member 6 is released. In contrast, in this embodiment, the position of the left end of the transported object 40 in Figs. 8 to 8D is regulated by the first regulating member 7, so that the transported object 40 can be released at an accurate position. In addition, the orientation of the transported object 40 is also adjusted by the first regulating member 7. Therefore, for example, the center of the rice ribs 32, 32A and the center of the transported object 40 are substantially aligned, and the transported object 40 can be disposed at a desired position and angle such that their longitudinal directions are also substantially aligned.

[0053] Incidentally, the position of the transported object 40 scooped up by the hand 50 is restricted by the first restricting member 7 and the second restricting member 8. However, in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction in FIG. 6) of the transported object 40 along the first restricting member 7 and the second restricting member 8, there is a risk that the transported object 40 may slip and move on the insertion member 6. For this reason, when transporting the transported object 40, it is preferable to drive the hand 50 so as not to generate a large acceleration in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction in FIG. 6) of the transported object 40. In other words, by controlling the orientation of the hand 50 so that acceleration is applied in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the transported object 40 (horizontal direction in FIG. 6), it is possible to increase the transport speed of the transported object 40. This allows the operation time to be shortened.

[0054] In this embodiment, the insertion member 6 is in the form of a flat plate, and is inclined so that its inclined surface 61 (the upper surface of the insertion member 6) slopes downward toward the right in Figs. 8B to 8C. Therefore, compared with the case where the insertion member 6 is in the form of a plate along a horizontal plane, the force such as frictional force that the insertion member 6 receives from the surface 45 is suppressed, and the insertion member 6 can be moved smoothly. In addition, the inconvenience of the insertion member 6 sticking to the surface 45 due to moisture can be avoided.

[0055] In addition, since the insertion member 6 is provided at an angle, as shown in Figures 8B to 8C, a space is easily formed between the shirring 32A and the insertion member 6, thereby preventing the insertion member 6 from interfering with the shirring 32A.

[0056] Furthermore, when the insertion member 6 is pulled out, it is possible to smoothly drop the transported object 40 without applying excessive shear force to the transported object 40 adhering to the insertion member 6. If the upper surface of the insertion member 6 and the surface of the first regulating member 7 (the surface that abuts against the transported object 40) are perpendicular to each other, there is a possibility that excessive shear force will be applied to the transported object 40 adhering to the insertion member 6 when the insertion member 6 is pulled out.

[0057] 9 to 9A are front views showing an example in which the insertion members are inserted into two rice balls from different directions.

[0058] The robot hand 50 has two postures that can be selected when placing the load 40 on the shuri 32, 32A at a predetermined position and angle. The robot controller 20 selects the posture instructed by the main controller 10 from the two postures, and controls the movement of the robot hand 50 so that the load 40 is placed on the shuri 32, 32A in the selected posture.

[0059] In the example shown in Figs. 9 and 9A, the robot control device 20 selects different postures of the robot hand 50 for the sushi rice 32 and the nigiri 32A. That is, as shown in Fig. 9, the insertion member 6 is inserted into the sushi rice 32 from the right side in Figs. 9 and 9A, and is removed to the right side. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 9A, the insertion member 6 is inserted into the sushi rice 32A from the left side in Figs. 9 and 9A, and is removed to the left side. In this way, by rotating the orientation of the hand 50 by 180 degrees and reversing the position of the insertion member 6, the insertion member 6 is disposed on the opposite side of the sushi rice 32A in Fig. 9, and on the opposite side of the sushi rice 32 in Fig. 9A. This makes it possible to prevent the insertion member 6 from interfering with the sushi rice 32A or the nigiri sushi (the transported object 40 on the sushi rice 32) that is not the object on which the transported object 40 is placed.

[0060] Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the hand, in which the same elements as those in Fig. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0061] 10, a third regulating member 85 is provided which is located above the transported object 40 placed on the insertion member 6 and regulates the upward movement of the transported object 40. The third regulating member 85 may be a member fixed to the mounting member 51. The third regulating member 85 may also be a member movable in the up and down direction relative to the mounting member 51. In the latter case, the third regulating member 85 may be drivable by an actuator attached to the mounting member 51.

[0062] By providing a third restricting member 85 and pressing down on the transported object 40 from above, it is possible to suppress deformation of the transported object 40. For example, when the transported object 40 is a shrimp or a small fish that has been opened (opened from the back or belly), by pressing down the transported object 40 from above and sandwiching the transported object 40 between the insertion member 6A, it is possible to suppress deformation such as curling of the transported object 40.

[0063] 10, an actuator 81 is attached to the mounting member 51, and the second regulating member 8 can be driven by the actuator 81. The driving direction of the second regulating member 8 is the same as the driving direction of the insertion member 6A. This makes it possible to change the distance between the first regulating member 7A and the second regulating member 8.

[0064] In this way, by making the second regulating member 8 drivable, it is possible to press the transported object 40 scooped by the insertion member 6A in the direction of the first regulating member 7A. This makes it possible to expand the range of application of the second regulating member 8 to transported objects 40 having different widths (material widths) in the driving direction. For example, by pushing a narrow transported object 40 with the second regulating member 8 and pressing the transported object 40 against the first regulating member 7A, it is possible to move the transported object 40 to a position where it contacts the first regulating member 7A. In other words, even if the width of the transported object 40 differs, the transported object 40 can be aligned based on the position of the first regulating member 7A.

[0065] Incidentally, instead of or in addition to making the second regulating member 8 drivable, the first regulating member 7A may be made drivable, thereby making it possible to vary the distance between the first regulating member 7A and the second regulating member 8. Incidentally, in the example of FIG. 10 as well, an operation of rotating the entire hand 50 so that the first regulating member 7 is positioned below the transported object 40 during the period from when the transported object 40 is scooped up by the inserting member 6 to when it is placed on the rice 32 may be added. In this case, by performing this operation simultaneously with the operation of narrowing the distance between the first regulating member 7A and the second regulating member 8, the transported object 40 can be more reliably brought into contact with the first regulating member 7.

[0066] In the example of FIG. 10, the shapes of the insertion member 6A and the first restricting member 7A are different from the shapes of the insertion member 6 and the first restricting member 7, respectively.

[0067] 11 is a diagram showing the shape of the insertion member in the example of FIG. 10, and FIG. 11A is a diagram showing the shape of the first restricting member in the example of FIG.

[0068] 11, a pair of notches 71A are formed in the plate-shaped first restricting member 7A by cutting the lower end of the plate-shaped first restricting member 7A upward. As a result, three protrusions 72A extending downward are formed between the notches 71A.

[0069] 11A, a pair of protrusions 63 corresponding to the pair of notches 71A is formed on the plate-shaped insertion member 6A. With the pair of protrusions 63 housed in the pair of notches 71A, the load 40 is placed on the insertion member 6A.

[0070] In this way, the first restricting member 7A is formed with three protrusions 72A, and these three protrusions 72A support the center of the transported object 40 in the longitudinal direction in addition to both ends of the transported object 40 in the longitudinal direction. This makes it possible to prevent deformation and damage to the transported object 40 when the insertion member 6A is pulled out. This is particularly suitable for handling the transported object 40 that is soft and easily broken.

[0071] In the above embodiment, any other function may be added to the hand 50. For example, the tray on which the transported object 40 is placed may be moved by using the hand 50. In this case, for example, a member driven by an actuator may be provided in the hand 50, and the tray may be moved by moving the hand 50 with the member in contact with the tray. For example, the member may be driven by an actuator to move downward (below the first regulating member 7 and the second regulating member 2), so that the tray can be moved by the member. During a series of operations to scoop up the transported object 40 and place it on the rice 32, 32A, the member may be lifted by an actuator and withdrawn from the working space. Note that, before gripping the transported object 40 with the hand 50, the hand 50 (at least the insertion member 6) may be moved into a container containing water or an alcoholic disinfectant, and the hand 50 may be washed by driving or moving the insertion member 6, etc. in the water or the alcoholic disinfectant.

[0072] As described above, according to this embodiment, when the insertion member 6 is pulled out, the first regulating members 7, 7A regulate the movement of the transported object 40 on the insertion member 6 in the pulling direction. Therefore, the position of the transported object 40 placed on the rice 32, 32A can be regulated by the first regulating members 7, 7A. This embodiment is particularly effective for transported object 40 that tends to stick to the insertion member 6 due to viscosity, moisture, etc.

[0073] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the orientation of the sushi rice 32, 32A is detected, and the posture of the hand 50 is adjusted according to the detected orientation. This allows the transported object 40 to be placed on the sushi rice 32, 32A in an orientation (target orientation) according to the detected orientation. This makes it possible to handle cases where the target orientation changes according to the orientation of the sushi rice 32, 32A.

[0074] Although each embodiment has been described above in detail, it is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims. It is also possible to combine all or a plurality of the components of the above-mentioned embodiments. In addition, in the above embodiment, an embodiment in which sushi toppings are placed on rice is described, but as described above, the scope of application of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the present disclosure is not limited to food, but can also be applied to general objects. For example, it can be applied to the task of placing a product in a container. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 6 Insertion parts 6A Insertion Parts 7 First Regulating Member 7A First Regulating Member 8 Second Regulating Member 10 Main Control Unit 11 Camera 12 Image processing device 20 Robot control device 40 Transported goods 50 hands 61 Slope 71 Notch 71A Notch 81 Actuator 85 Third Regulatory Member

Claims

1. A robot hand control device that controls a robot hand attached to a robot mechanism, a detection unit that detects a target orientation of the transported object at a predetermined location; a control unit that controls the robot hand so that the object transported by the robot hand is placed in the predetermined location in the target orientation by adjusting the posture of the robot hand in accordance with the target orientation detected by the detection unit; and A robot hand control device comprising:

2. the detection unit detects a target center of gravity position of the transported object at the predetermined location, 2. The robot hand control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the robot hand so that the object transported by the robot hand is placed at a position where the center of gravity of the object coincides with the target center of gravity position by adjusting the posture of the robot hand in accordance with the target center of gravity position detected by the detection unit.

3. The object to be placed at the predetermined location is transported from the upstream side in the transport direction by a transport device, the detection unit detects the target orientation on the upstream side, The robot hand control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit places the transported object at the predetermined location by adjusting the posture of the robot hand based on the transport speed of the transport device.

4. The target to be placed at the predetermined location is transported by a transport device, The robot hand control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit places the transported object at the predetermined location while moving the robot hand at a transport speed of the transport device.

5. the robot hand has a plurality of postures that can be selected when placing the object at the predetermined location, 2. The robot hand control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit selects a predetermined posture from the plurality of postures and controls the robot hand so as to place the transported object at the predetermined location in the selected posture.

6. The robot hand includes: an insertion member that is inserted along a bottom surface of the transported object and pulled out along the bottom surface; a first restricting member that restricts the object on the insertion member from moving in the first direction when the insertion member is pulled out in the first direction; Equipped with 6. The robot hand control device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of postures include a first posture in which the first direction coincides with a predetermined direction, and a second posture in which the first direction is opposite to the predetermined direction.

Images