Object transfer device

Abstract

To provide an object transfer device for achieving height reduction in a device.SOLUTION: An object transfer system 1 includes: a holding part 52 for placing a container 50 where an object group is stored; grip units 30 for gripping some of the objects from the object group in the container 50 and discharging the objects for the portion of one package; a first conveyor 61 for receiving the objects discharged from the grip units 30, conveying the objects, and discharging the objects; and a third conveyer 63 arranged at a position to be lower than the first conveyer 61, so as to receive the objects discharged from the first conveyer 61, convey the objects, and discharge the objects.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article transfer device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses an item gripping device that grips and discharges items from a group of items stored in a container, the item gripping device comprising a plurality of gripping units that grip the items, a drive unit that moves at least one of the gripping units and the container relative to the other, and a chute that receives and discharges items that have been released from the gripping units. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-148621 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the article transfer device, highly sticky articles may be handled. Such articles are difficult to slide on the chute, so that the articles are not discharged or it takes time to discharge the articles. For this reason, in the conventional article transfer device, the inclination angle of the side of the chute is increased so that even sticky articles can be discharged without remaining on the chute. However, in a configuration in which the inclination angle of the side of the chute is increased, the height of the chute is inevitably increased (the total length in the height direction is increased). Here, the placement section on which the container containing the group of articles is placed is placed above the chute. Therefore, the height position of the placement section is inevitably high according to the height of the chute. For this reason, the worker needs to take in and out the container at a high position, and the work of setting a heavy container containing a group of articles is particularly burdensome for the worker. Therefore, in the article transfer device, it is desired to reduce the height of the device from the viewpoint of the worker's workability and the installation space of the device.

[0005] An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an article transfer device that can reduce the height of the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) An item transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a loading section for loading a container containing a group of items, a gripping section for gripping a portion of the items from the group of items in the container and discharging one package of items, a first conveyor for receiving the items discharged from the gripping section and transporting and discharging the items, and a second conveyor that is positioned at a lower height than the first conveyor, for receiving the items discharged from the first conveyor, and transporting and discharging the items.

[0007] In the article transfer device according to one aspect of the present invention, the first conveyor and the second conveyor receive and discharge the article discharged from the gripper. The first conveyor and the second conveyor can transport the article even if the article is, for example, highly sticky. The first conveyor receives the article discharged from the gripper, and the second conveyor receives the article below the first conveyor and can collect the articles. Therefore, the article transfer device can collect and discharge the articles. In addition, in the article transfer device, the relationship between the height positions of the first conveyor and the second conveyor is set to a height at which the second conveyor can receive the article discharged from the first conveyor (the dropped article). Therefore, in the article transfer device, it is not necessary to increase the distance between the first conveyor and the second conveyor in the height direction (up and down direction). In this way, the article transfer device can be made low-profile by adopting the first conveyor and the second conveyor instead of the chute. As a result, it is possible to reduce the burden on the operator and save space.

[0008] (2) In the article transfer device of (1) above, the second conveyor may transport and discharge the articles in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the first conveyor. In this configuration, the articles can be collected by transporting the articles in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the first conveyor.

[0009] (3) In the article transfer device of (1) or (2) above, one of the placement unit and the gripper may move relative to the other of the placement unit and the gripper. In this configuration, the placement unit on which the container is placed can be moved to a gripping position in the gripper, or the gripper can be moved to the position of the container on the placement unit. Therefore, the article transfer device can efficiently grip the article.

[0010] (4) In any one of the article transfer devices (1) to (3) above, the gripping section may be configured to include a plurality of gripping units, each of which may be arranged on a single plane. In this configuration, even if there is variation (bias) in the amount of articles at different positions in the container, the plurality of gripping units are arranged on a single plane, so that any of the gripping units can grip the article. Therefore, the article transfer device can avoid a situation in which the gripping section is unable to grip the article.

[0011] (5) In the article transfer device of (4) above, an acquisition unit may be provided that acquires the weight of the article gripped by each of the plurality of gripping units. In this configuration, the weight of the article gripped by each gripping unit can be acquired.

[0012] (6) The article transfer device of (5) above may further include a control unit that performs combination calculations based on the weights acquired by the acquisition unit, selects a combination of gripping units that will result in a preset target weight value, and causes the selected gripping unit to discharge the article. In this configuration, the gripping unit can discharge the article that has the target weight.

[0013] (7) The article transfer device of (2) above may include a removal member extending along the width direction of the first conveyor and removing articles attached to the first conveyor, and a guide member extending along the transport direction of the second conveyor and guiding articles transported on the second conveyor, and the removal member may be attached to the guide member. Since the space between the first conveyor and the second conveyor is narrow, it may be difficult to arrange a mounting member for attaching the removal member to a frame or the like, or the configuration may become complicated. In the above configuration, the guide member extends along the transport direction of the second conveyor, so that it extends along the width direction of the first conveyor. Therefore, in the article transfer device, the removal member can be arranged so as to be along the width direction of the first conveyor by attaching the removal member to the guide member. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the structure becoming complicated. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, the height of the device can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of an article transfer system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a plurality of gripping units. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a container is placed on the holder. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a conveyor device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the conveying direction in the conveyor device. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a conveyor device. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a part of the configuration of the second conveyor. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a part of the configuration of the second conveyor. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a part of the configuration of the second conveyor. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the second conveyor. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the second conveyor. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a scraper. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the article transfer system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0017] An article transfer system (article transfer device) 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. The article transfer system 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a system that removes and moves a portion (one package) of articles from a group of articles X contained in a container 50. The article transfer system 1 removes some of the articles from the container 50 so that the weight (mass) of the some of the articles falls within a target weight range, and discharges the articles to the outside. The articles discharged by the article transfer system 1 are, for example, packaged in a bag in a post-process of the article transfer system 1, or contained in another container, and shipped as a product. The articles are, for example, noodles such as spaghetti, foods containing a lot of sugar, etc. The articles may also be foods having high adhesiveness.

[0018] The article transfer system 1 includes a weighing device 120 for weighing articles. The weighing device 120 includes two robot hands (gripping sections) 15, each having a plurality of gripping units 30, two hand driving sections 10 for moving the robot hands 15 in a horizontal direction, a container 50 on which the group of articles X is placed, and a container driving section 54 for moving the container 50 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, respectively. The article transfer system 1 includes a control section 20 for controlling each section of the robot hand 15, the hand driving section 10, and the container driving section 54. The robot hands 15, the hand driving section 10, and the container driving section 54 are attached to a main body frame 121 of the weighing device 120, which is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped.

[0019] In the article transfer system 1, for example, a pair of robot hands 15 having the same configuration are arranged side by side on the left and right. In the following description, the robot hand 15 arranged on the left side as viewed from the front in FIG. 1 may be referred to as a first robot hand 15A, and the robot hand 15 arranged on the right side as viewed from the front may be referred to as a second robot hand 15B.

[0020] In this embodiment, in the robot hand 15, for example, three gripping units 30 arranged in the left-right direction are arranged in four rows in the front-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2, each gripping unit 30 has, for example, multiple gripping claws 30a, and grips an article by closing the gripping claws 30a. Each gripping unit 30 includes a gripping member driving mechanism 30b that drives the multiple gripping claws 30a.

[0021] The robot hand 15 has a plurality of weighing devices 40 that weigh the weight of an object held by each gripping unit 30. The robot hand 15 has, for example, a single plate-shaped connecting member 16. Each gripping unit 30 and each weighing device 40 are integrally assembled via a connecting portion 40a. The top surface of each weighing device 40 is fixed to the connecting member 16 via a mounting bracket 400. Each gripping unit 30 is fixed to the bottom surface of each weighing device 40. That is, each gripping unit 30 is arranged on one plane.

[0022] Each weighing device 40 includes a sensor unit housed within the housing of the weighing device 40 and an internal control unit (neither shown). The internal control unit of the weighing device 40 measures the weight of the item held by the gripping unit 30 based on the force measured by the sensor unit. Each weighing device 40 is an acquisition unit that calculates and acquires the weight of the item held by the gripping jaws 30a of each gripping unit 30. Each weighing device 40 outputs information (signals) related to the weight value of the item to the control unit 20.

[0023] In the article transfer system 1, for example, two hand driving units 10 having the same configuration are provided corresponding to the first robot hand 15A and the second robot hand 15B. In the following description, the hand driving unit 10 arranged on the left side as viewed from the front in Fig. 1 and moving the first robot hand 15A may be referred to as the first hand driving unit 10A, and the hand driving unit 10 arranged on the right side as viewed from the front and moving the second robot hand 15B may be referred to as the second hand driving unit 10B.

[0024] The hand driving unit 10 has two frames 12 extending in parallel, and a front-rear movement mechanism 11 that moves the robot hand 15 horizontally along the frames 12. The hand driving unit 10 can move a block 111 that holds the robot hand 15 forward or backward by the front-rear movement mechanism 11. The above-mentioned connecting member 16 is connected to the block 111 by, for example, screwing. In the article transfer system 1, the first hand driving unit 10A moves the first robot hand 15A in the front-rear direction (horizontally), and the second hand driving unit 10B moves the second robot hand 15B in the front-rear direction (horizontally).

[0025] The container 50 is a member on which the group of articles X is placed. The container 50 is held or placed on a holding section (placement section) 52 that moves horizontally and vertically. The container 50 can be moved, for example, by a container driving section 54, between a first position P1 located below the first robot hand 15A and a second position P2 located below the second robot hand 15B. The container 50 is a rectangular parallelepiped container that is open upward.

[0026] The holder 52 can be moved to a first position P1, a position closer to the first robot hand 15A than the first position P1, a second position P2, and a position closer to the second robot hand 15B than the second position P2 while maintaining a horizontal posture. This allows the relative position of the container 50 to the first robot hand 15A and the relative position of the container 50 to the second robot hand 15B to be freely adjusted. When the container 50 is located at the first position P1, the container 50 can be moved upward to approach the gripping unit 30 of the first robot hand 15A, so that the gripping unit 30 can grip an item from the group of items X in the container 50. When the container 50 is located at the second position P2, the container 50 can be moved upward to approach the gripping unit 30 of the second robot hand 15B, so that the gripping unit 30 can grip an item from the group of items X in the container 50.

[0027] The container driving unit 54 moves the container 50 in the up-down direction (vertical direction) and the left-right direction (horizontal direction). The container driving unit 54 has a driving box 55, a first main arm portion 56A and a second main arm portion 56B that can swing around two parallel axes, a first axis L1 and a second axis L2, respectively, provided on the driving box 55, and a first sub-arm portion 57A and a second sub-arm portion 57B that are rotatably connected to the tip of the first main arm portion 56A and the tip of the second main arm portion 56B, respectively.

[0028] The container driving unit 54 raises the holding unit 52 and the container 50, thereby bringing the container 50 and the group of articles X closer to the robot hand 15. The container driving unit 54 lowers the holding unit 52 and the container 50, thereby moving the container 50 and the group of articles X away from the robot hand 15. The container driving unit 54 inserts the gripping claws 30a into the group of articles X contained (placed) in the container 50, and moves the gripping claws 30a, which have gripped the articles, away from the container 50.

[0029] When the amount of the group of articles X contained inside the container 50 decreases, the container 50 with the reduced amount of the group of articles X inside is replaced by a new container 50 (containing a larger amount of the group of articles X) by a person or a machine. As shown in Fig. 3, the holding part 52 is provided with a stopper 52A and a sensor 52B.

[0030] The stopper 52A is a member that restricts the movement of the container 50 in the holding section 52. The stopper 52A is provided in a detachable manner in the holding section 52. When the container 50 is carried into the holding section 52, the stopper 52A is removed from the holding section 52, the container 50 is set in the holding section 52, and then the stopper 52A is attached to the holding section 52. The stopper 52A is provided with a reflector 52C. The sensor 52B is disposed at a position where the reflector 52C can be detected. The sensor 52B is, for example, a photoelectric sensor. The sensor 52B is disposed at a position where the reflector 52C can be detected when the stopper 52A is installed in the holding section 52. The sensor 52B outputs a detection result to the control section 20.

[0031] The article transfer system 1 includes a conveyor device 60. As shown in Fig. 4 to Fig. 6, the conveyor device 60 includes a first conveyor 61, a second conveyor 62, a third conveyor 63, guides (guide members) 64A and 64B, and scrapers (removal members) 65A and 65B. The first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62 correspond to the "first conveyor" in the claims, and the third conveyor 63 corresponds to the "second conveyor" in the claims.

[0032] The first conveyor 61 receives articles discharged from the multiple gripping units 30 of the first robot hand 15A, and transports and discharges the articles. The first conveyor 61 discharges the articles to the third conveyor 63. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the conveying direction D1 of the first conveyor 61 is a direction from left to right. The first conveyor 61 is disposed below the first robot hand 15A. In a plan view, the first conveyor 61 has a size larger than an area in which the multiple gripping units 30 of the first robot hand 15A are arranged. In a plan view, the first conveyor 61 has a shape and size that can surround the multiple gripping units 30.

[0033] The second conveyor 62 receives the articles discharged from the multiple gripping units 30 of the second robot hand 15B, and transports and discharges the articles. The second conveyor 62 discharges the articles to the third conveyor 63. In this embodiment, the conveying direction D2 of the second conveyor 62 is a direction from right to left. As shown in FIG. 1, the second conveyor 62 is disposed below the second robot hand 15B. In a plan view, the second conveyor 62 has a size larger than an area in which the multiple gripping units 30 of the second robot hand 15B are arranged. In a plan view, the second conveyor 62 has a shape and size that can surround the multiple gripping units 30.

[0034] The first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62 are disposed at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. The first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62 are disposed, for example, at the same height. That is, the transport surface of the first conveyor 61 and the transport surface of the second conveyor 62 are at the same height.

[0035] The third conveyor 63 receives the articles discharged from the first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62, and transports and discharges the articles. In this embodiment, the conveying direction D3 of the third conveyor 63 is a direction from the rear to the front. That is, in this embodiment, the conveying direction D3 is a direction perpendicular (intersecting) to the conveying direction D1 and the conveying direction D2. Note that perpendicular includes approximately perpendicular, and may include, for example, a range of about ±5°. The third conveyor 63 discharges the articles discharged from the first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62 to the article supply section 68. The third conveyor 63 collects the articles discharged from the first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62, and transfers them to the article supply section 68. The article supply section 68 supplies the articles to a container or the like.

[0036] The third conveyor 63 is disposed between the first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62. Parts (ends in the conveying direction) of the first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62 overlap with the third conveyor 63 in a plan view. In this embodiment, the overall length of the third conveyor 63 is longer than the widths of the first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62. The width of the third conveyor 63 is shorter than the widths of the first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62. The third conveyor 63 is disposed at a height position lower than the first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62. The third conveyor 63 has an area smaller than those of the first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62 in a plan view.

[0037] The first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62 have the same configuration. The configuration will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 7 to 11, taking the second conveyor 62 as an example.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 7 to 11, the second conveyor 62 includes a fixture 70, a support frame 71, a drive section 72, a roller unit 73, a conveyor belt 74, and guides 75A and 75B.

[0039] The fixing device 70 is a member for fixing the second conveyor 62 to a frame 76 (see FIG. 4). The frame 76 is fixed to the main body frame 121. The support frame 71 is provided on the fixing device 70. The support frame 71 is a member for supporting the roller unit 73. The support frame 71 is configured to include rod-shaped frame members 71A, 71B. The support frame 71 is supported at one end by the fixing device 70. The drive unit 72 uses a motor or the like as a drive source to drive a drive roller 73A (described later) of the roller unit 73.

[0040] The roller unit 73 drives the conveyor belt 74. The roller unit 73 has a drive roller 73A, three driven rollers 73B, 73C, and 73D, and a main body portion 68E in which the drive roller 73A and the three driven rollers 73B, 73C, and 73D are provided. The drive roller 73A is connected to the drive portion 72. The roller unit 73 is detachably provided on the support frame 71.

[0041] The conveyor belt 74 is an endless belt, and is stretched around the driving roller 73A and the three driven rollers 73B, 73C, and 73D of the roller unit 73. The surface of the conveyor belt 74 is preferably configured to prevent articles from adhering thereto. The conveyor belt 74 may be formed of a material to which articles do not easily adhere, may have an uneven surface, or may be coated. The guides 75A and 75B guide the articles conveyed by the second conveyor 62. The guides 75A and 75B are provided at both ends of the second conveyor 62 in the width direction. The guides 75A and 75B extend along the conveying direction of the second conveyor 62. The guides 75A and 75B are provided detachably on the roller unit 73.

[0042] A method of assembling the second conveyor 62 will be described. When assembling the second conveyor 62, first, the roller unit 73 is attached to the support frame 71 as shown in FIG. 8. The roller unit 73 is attached to the support frame 71 by sliding it from the front side to the rear side on the support frame 71. The drive roller 73A is connected to the drive section 72. Next, the conveyor belt 74 is attached to the roller unit 73 as shown in FIG. 9. Finally, the guide 75 is attached to the roller unit 73 as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11.

[0043] Similar to the first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62, the third conveyor 63 has a fixing device (not shown), a support frame (not shown), a drive unit (not shown), a roller unit (not shown), and a conveying belt 77 (see Figure 4).

[0044] The guides 64A and 64B guide the articles transported on the third conveyor 63. As shown in FIG. 6, the guides 64A and 64B are plate-shaped members. The guides 64A and 64B extend along the transport direction of the third conveyor 63. The guide 64A is disposed on the left side in the width direction of the third conveyor 63. The guide 64A is located below the first conveyor 61. The guide 64B is disposed on the right side in the width direction of the third conveyor 63. The guide 64B is located below the second conveyor 62.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 12, the scraper 65A removes objects attached to the first conveyor 61. The scraper 65A is disposed below the first conveyor 61 at the end of the first conveyor 61 in the conveying direction D1. The scraper 65A extends along the width direction of the first conveyor 61. The scraper 65A is attached to the guide 64A. The scraper 65A is attached to the guide 64A by a mounting fixture 66A fixed to the guide 64A. The scraper 65A is detachable from the mounting fixture 66A, and is supported by the mounting fixture 66A by being placed on the mounting fixture 66A. The scraper 65A is provided on the mounting fixture 66A so as to be able to swing freely around a rotating shaft 67A. The scraper 65A swings counterclockwise due to its own weight and comes into contact with the conveyor belt 74 of the first conveyor 61.

[0046] The scraper 65B removes objects adhering to the second conveyor 62. The scraper 65B is disposed below the second conveyor 62 at the end of the second conveyor 62 in the conveying direction D2. The scraper 65B extends along the width direction of the second conveyor 62. The scraper 65B is attached to the guide 64B. The scraper 65B is attached to the guide 64B by a mounting fixture 66B fixed to the guide 64B. The scraper 65B is detachable from the mounting fixture 66B, and is supported by the mounting fixture 66B by being placed on the mounting fixture 66B. The scraper 65B is provided on the mounting fixture 66B so as to be able to swing freely around the rotating shaft 67B. The scraper 65b swings counterclockwise due to its own weight and comes into contact with the conveyor belt 74 of the second conveyor 62.

[0047] 13 is a block diagram of the article transfer system 1. The control unit 20 controls the operation of various components of the article transfer system 1, such as the gripping member driving mechanism 30b, the container driving unit 54, and the conveyor device 60. The ideal weight value and the like are input to the control unit 20 via the operation panel 100.

[0048] The control unit 20 controls the operation of the article transfer system 1 based on the detection result of the sensor 52B. The control unit 20 operates the container driving unit 54 when the reflector 52C is detected by the sensor 52B. That is, when the stopper 52A is attached, the control unit 20 operates the container driving unit 54. The control unit 20 does not operate the container driving unit 54 when the reflector 52C is not detected by the sensor 52B. That is, when the stopper 52A is not attached, the control unit 20 does not operate the container driving unit 54. This makes it possible to prevent the stopper 52A from being left unattached, and to prevent the container 50 from falling.

[0049] The control unit 20 performs a combination calculation based on the weight values ​​of the articles gripped by the gripping units 30. Based on the results of the combination calculation, the control unit 20 selects the gripping units 30 corresponding to the combination of weight values ​​that is the target weight value, and performs control to release the grip of the selected gripping units 30. At this time, the control unit 20 releases the grip of the article by the gripping units 30 above the first conveyor 61 or the second conveyor 62, thereby causing the article to drop onto the first conveyor 61 or the second conveyor 62.

[0050] The control unit 20 operates the first conveyor 61 or the second conveyor 62 and the third conveyor 63 in accordance with the timing at which the gripping unit 30 releases the grip of the article. Specifically, the control unit 20 operates the first conveyor 61 and the third conveyor 63, for example, shortly before the gripping unit 30 of the first robot hand 15A releases the grip of the article. As a result, the article that has fallen from the gripping unit 30 is transported as soon as it reaches the first conveyor 61.

[0051] As described above, in the article transfer system 1 according to the present embodiment, the first conveyor 61, the second conveyor 62, and the third conveyor 63 receive and discharge the articles discharged from the gripping unit 30. The first conveyor 61, the second conveyor 62, and the third conveyor 63 can transport the articles, even if the articles are highly sticky. The first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62 receive the articles discharged from the gripping unit 30, and the third conveyor 63 receives the articles below the first conveyor 61 or the second conveyor 62 and transports them in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the first conveyor 61 or the second conveyor 62, thereby collecting the articles. Therefore, in the article transfer system 1, the articles can be collected and discharged.

[0052] In addition, in the article transfer system 1, the relationship between the height positions of the first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62 and the third conveyor 63 may be set to a height at which the third conveyor 63 can receive the articles (dropped articles) discharged from the first conveyor 61 or the second conveyor 62. Therefore, in the article transfer system 1, it is not necessary to increase the distance between the first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62 and the third conveyor 63 in the height direction (up and down direction). In this way, in the article transfer system 1, the first conveyor 61, the second conveyor 62 and the third conveyor 63 are adopted instead of the chute, thereby making it possible to reduce the height of the device. As a result, it is possible to reduce the burden on the worker and to save space.

[0053] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the robot hand 15 grasps an article by moving the container 50 (holding portion 52) close to the robot hand 15. However, unlike this configuration, the robot hand 15 or the gripping unit 30 may grasp an article by moving (e.g., lowering) the robot hand 15 or the gripping unit 30 close to the container 50. In other words, one of the holding portion 52 and the gripping unit 30 may move relative to the other of the holding portion 52 and the gripping unit 30. When the robot hand 15 or the gripping unit 30 is moved, an appropriate known movement mechanism is provided in the robot hand 15 or the gripping unit 30. The gripping claws 30a that grasp the article can be separated from the container 50 by moving (e.g., raising) the robot hand 15 or the gripping unit 30.

[0055] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the conveyor device 60 has the first conveyor 61, the second conveyor 62, and the third conveyor 63. However, in a configuration in which only one of the first robot hand 15A and the second robot hand 15B is provided, it is sufficient to provide only one of the first conveyor 61 and the second conveyor 62.

[0056] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the robot hand 15 includes a plurality of gripping units 30. However, the number of gripping units 30 may be one.

[0057] The article transfer system does not need to perform combination weighing. The article transfer system may not be provided with a weight calculation unit that calculates the weight of the article gripped by the gripping unit, and the weight may be calculated after the article is transferred.

[0058] In addition to the above embodiment, a sensor for detecting the position of the container 50 may be provided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1...article transfer system (article transfer device), 15...robot hand (gripping section), 20...control section, 30...gripping unit, 50...container, 52...holding section (placing section), 61...first conveyor, 62...second conveyor (first conveyor), 63...third conveyor (second conveyor), 64A, 64B...guide (guide member), 65A, 65B...scraper (removal member), D1, D2, D3...conveying direction, X...group of articles.

Claims

1. a placement section for placing a container containing a group of articles; A gripping unit that grips a portion of the articles from the group of articles in the container and discharges one package of the articles; a first conveyor that receives the object discharged from the gripping unit and conveys and discharges the object; An article transfer device comprising: a second conveyor that is positioned at a lower height than the first conveyor, receives the articles discharged from the first conveyor, and transports and discharges the articles.

2. The article transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the second conveyor transports and discharges the article in a direction intersecting a transport direction of the first conveyor.

3. The article transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one of the placement unit and the gripper moves relative to the other of the placement unit and the gripper.

4. The gripping portion includes a plurality of gripping units, The article transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the plurality of gripping units is arranged on one plane.

5. The article transfer device according to claim 4 , further comprising an acquisition unit that acquires a weight of the article gripped by each of the plurality of gripping units.

6. The item transfer device described in claim 5, further comprising a control unit that performs a combination calculation based on the weight acquired by the acquisition unit, selects a combination of the gripping units that results in a predetermined target weight value, and causes the selected gripping unit to discharge the item.

7. a removal member extending along a width direction of the first conveyor and removing the articles attached to the first conveyor; a guide member extending along a conveying direction of the second conveyor and guiding the article conveyed on the second conveyor, The article transfer device according to claim 2 , wherein the removal member is attached to the guide member.

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