Article conveying device

Abstract

To switch feeding modes of articles to a rotating conveyor depending on the characteristics of the articles.SOLUTION: A first conveying surface 12A is provided on the central side of a disc-shaped rotating conveying body 12, and a second conveying surface 12B is provided on the outer periphery side of the rotating conveying body 12. A first feeding part 18 that drops articles M1 from a chute 26B onto the first conveying surface 12A, and a second feeding part 20 that moves articles of a different kind from the articles M1 in a horizontal direction and transfers it to the second conveying surface 12B are provided. The articles conveyed on the rotating conveying body 12 are photographed by a camera 32, and the conveyed articles are sequentially picked up by a robot 14 and transferred to a discharge conveyor 16. A rolling prevention member that prevents articles M1 from rolling is provided on the first conveying surface 12A, and the second conveying surface 12B is flat without a rolling prevention member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for picking up and discharging an article supplied onto a disk-shaped rotating conveyor. [Background technology]

[0002] A device is known in which a bag carried by an inclined belt is dropped onto a rotating table that rotates around a vertical axis, and the bag on the rotating table is picked up by a parallel link robot based on an image from an imaging device and handed over to a conveyor belt (Patent Document 1).In addition, a configuration has been proposed for a device that drops parts from a hopper onto a rotating stage and picks up the parts on the rotating stage with a transfer robot, in which the surface of the rotating stage is roughened by planting grooves, protrusions, and naps that are set to a size and density that do not tilt the parts (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6921673 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6453980 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is preferable for an article transport device to be able to handle lots of different workpieces (articles), and in this case it is desirable to transport the workpieces in a way that matches their characteristics. However, in the configurations of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the articles are dropped onto a rotating transport body, and although the processing capacity is high, it is not possible to handle articles for which aesthetics are important, such as articles with mirror-finished surfaces.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide an article conveying device that can switch the method of supplying articles to a rotating conveyor depending on the characteristics of the articles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The item transport device of the present invention comprises a disk-shaped rotating transport body, a supply means for supplying items onto the rotating transport body, an imaging means for imaging items transported on the rotating transport body, a discharge means arranged adjacent to the rotating transport body, a transfer means for picking up items transported on the rotating transport body and transferring them to the discharge means, and a control means for controlling the transfer means based on the imaging results of the imaging means, wherein the rotating transport body is composed of a first transport surface located on the central side and provided with a rolling prevention member to prevent the items from rolling, and a flat second transport surface located on the outer periphery and not provided with the rolling prevention member, and the supply means is composed of a first supply section that drops items onto the rotating transport body via a drop supply section arranged at a predetermined position above the first transport surface, and a second supply section that moves the items horizontally and transfers them onto the second transport surface. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article transport device that can switch the method of supplying articles to a rotating transport body depending on the characteristics of the articles. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing the arrangement of an article transport apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention in a first operation mode. [Diagram 2] 4 is a plan view showing the arrangement of an article transport apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention in a second operating mode. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the periphery of a second supply section of the rotary transport body. [Figure 4] 11A to 11C are perspective views showing various types of anti-rolling members provided on a first conveying surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 are plan views showing the arrangement of an article transport device according to one embodiment of the present invention, with Figure 1 showing article transport in a first operation mode in which a first type of article is handled, and Figure 2 showing article transport in a second operation mode in which a second type of article is handled.

[0010] In the article conveying device 10 of this embodiment, articles supplied onto a disk-shaped rotating conveyor 12 that rotates at a constant speed around a vertical axis are sequentially picked up by a robot (transfer means) 14 such as a SCARA robot, and transferred to a discharge conveyor (discharge means) 16 adjacent to the rotating conveyor 12. The article conveying device 10 handles, for example, a first type of article M1 and a second type of article M2 that have different characteristics. The first type of article M1 is, for example, an article that is relatively resistant to impact or does not cause a problem even if it is slightly scratched, and the second type of article M2 is, for example, an article that is relatively weak against impact or has a mirror-finished surface, for which aesthetics are important. Note that in Figs. 1 to 3, the articles M1 and M2 are depicted assuming that they are containers.

[0011] The article conveying device 10 includes a first supply unit 18 that drops an article M1 from above the rotating conveyor 12 and supplies it onto the rotating conveyor 12 in a first operating mode, and a second supply unit 20 that pushes an article M2 from the side of the rotating conveyor 12 and supplies it onto the rotating conveyor 12 in a second operating mode. The rotating conveyor 12 is provided with a center guide 22 around the rotation axis, and is provided with a circular first conveying surface 12A around the center guide 22 for conveying the article M1, and further outside the center guide 22, is provided with a circular second conveying surface 12B for conveying the article M2.

[0012] The first supply section 18 includes a supply conveyor 26 that continuously picks up and transports the articles M1 stored in the hopper 24 with random orientations and intervals. On both sides of the supply conveyor 26, side guides 26A are provided to prevent the articles M1 from falling from the supply conveyor 26, and at the downstream end of the supply conveyor 26, a chute (drop supply section) 26B is provided to guide the articles M1 to the first transport surface 12A of the rotary transport body 12. The chute 26B drops the articles M1, for example, near the outer periphery of the first transport surface 12.

[0013] The second supply section 20 includes a dead plate 28 that is adjacent to the rotary conveyor 12 and is disposed at approximately the same height as the second conveying surface 12B of the rotary conveyor 12. The article M2 supplied onto the dead plate 28 is moved horizontally toward the outer periphery of the rotary conveyor 12 using a pusher 20B that is moved forward and backward by a pusher drive device 20A configured with various electric actuators such as a servo cylinder or a ball screw, or a fluid actuator, and is pushed out and transferred to the second conveying surface 12B. The rotation of the rotary conveyor 12 and the drive of the pusher drive device 20A are controlled by a control device (control means) 30.

[0014] The articles M2 are supplied onto the dead plate 28 in units of M rows and N columns by, for example, a container C, and are pushed onto the second conveying surface 12B in units of columns by the pusher 20B. Side guides 20C are provided on both sides of the dead plate 28 to prevent the articles M2 in M ​​rows and N columns pushed out by the pusher 20B from falling off the dead plate 28. In addition, a side guide 12C is provided on the outer periphery of the rotating conveyor 12, i.e., the outer periphery of the second conveying surface 12B, except for the portion adjacent to the second supply unit 20, to prevent the articles M2 on the second conveying surface 12B from falling off the rotating conveyor 12. In this embodiment, the articles M2 are pushed onto the second conveying surface 12B in units of one row, and the second conveying surface 12B has a width corresponding to one row of the articles M2. However, when pushing out in units of multiple rows, the second conveying surface 12B has a width corresponding to multiple rows of the articles M2.

[0015] In this embodiment, the chute 26B is disposed so that the article M1 falls along the circumferential direction of the rotary conveyor 12. The robot 14 is disposed, for example, on the substantially opposite side of the chute 26B across the rotation axis of the rotary conveyor 12, adjacent to the discharge conveyor 16 disposed adjacent to the rotary conveyor 12 along its tangential direction. The second supply section 20 is disposed downstream of the robot 14 and upstream of the chute 26B. A camera (imaging means) 32 is disposed above the rotary conveyor 12 downstream of the chute 26B and upstream of the robot 14.

[0016] The camera 32 captures an image of an area A including the first and second conveying surfaces 12A and 12B, which are located downstream of the first and second supply units 18 and 20 and upstream of the robot 14, and an image of the item M1 or item M2 being conveyed through the imaging area A is sent to the control device 30. The control device 30 recognizes the position and posture of each item (M1, M2) within the imaging area A from the image captured by the camera 32, and controls the operation of the robot 14 in accordance with the first or second operation mode.

[0017] Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the periphery of the second supply section 20 of the rotary conveyor 12. As shown in Fig. 3, a rolling prevention member 34 is laid across the entire area constituting the first conveying surface 12A. The rolling prevention member 34 is a member for preventing the rolling of the article M1 that has fallen from the chute 26B of the first supply section 18, and various forms are possible, as shown in Figs. 4(a) to (d).

[0018] Fig. 4(a) shows a round-tipped cylindrical (bullet) type, Fig. 4(b) shows a prismatic type, Fig. 4(c) shows a cylindrical type, and Fig. 4(d) shows a brush type. Note that the brush type in Fig. 4(d) may have brushes uniformly planted over the entire first conveying surface 12A instead of being arranged in a lattice pattern as in Fig. 3.

[0019] The anti-rolling members 34 are made of an elastic material such as resin (engineering plastic) or rubber, and the hardness of the anti-rolling members 34 may be selected according to the properties of the article. Each anti-rolling member 34 may be screwed or fitted to the rotary conveyor 12 so as to be replaceable as needed.

[0020] On the other hand, the second conveying surface 12B is a flat area in which no anti-rolling member 34 is provided, and the boundary between the first conveying surface 12A and the second conveying surface 12B may be defined by the presence or absence of the anti-rolling member 34 as in this embodiment, but may also be more clearly separated by installing a circular ring-shaped member.

[0021] Next, the article transport operation in article transport apparatus 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0022] 1, articles M1 are supplied by being randomly dropped onto the first conveying surface 12A from the chute 26B of the first supply section 18. Most of the articles M1 that drop onto the first conveying surface 12A roll over on the first conveying surface 12A and are maintained in a constant lying state by the anti-rolling member 34.

[0023] The articles M1, whose posture is maintained by the anti-rolling members 34, are transported by the rotation of the rotary transport body 12 toward the discharge conveyor 16, i.e., the robot 14. During this time, the articles M1 scattered on the first transport surface 12A are photographed by the camera 32 in the imaging area A, and the positions and postures of the articles M1 are detected by the control device 30.

[0024] The control device 30 controls the robot 14 based on the detection result, and the robot 14 picks up one of the detected articles M1 and transfers it to the discharge conveyor 16. The hand of the robot 14 is replaceable depending on the type of articles M1, M2, such as a gripping type, a suction type, etc., and is lowered by a hand lifting mechanism (not shown) to sequentially pick up the target article M1 from the first conveying surface 12A. Since the article M1 is in a lying position on the first conveying surface 12A, the robot 14 rotates the hand by 90 degrees to make the article M1 stand up, and sequentially aligns it on the discharge conveyor 16. Note that the configuration for rotating the hand of the robot 14 by 90 degrees is not essential, and the article M1 may be transferred onto the discharge conveyor 16 while remaining in a lying position.

[0025] 2, the articles M2 aligned in M ​​rows and N columns on the dead plate 28 of the second supply section 20 are pushed out row by row onto the second conveying surface 12B by the pusher 20B. Each article M2 is supplied, for example, in an upright position, and transferred to the second conveying surface 12B while maintaining the upright position. The articles M2 are conveyed on the second conveying surface 12B along the outer periphery of the rotating conveying body 12, and the position of each article M2 in the imaging area A is confirmed through the camera 32. The robot 14 lowers its hand based on the position above, picks up the articles M2 on the second conveying surface 12B in sequence, and aligns them on the discharge conveyor 16.

[0026] As described above, according to the item conveying device of this embodiment, the method of supplying items to the rotating conveying body can be switched depending on the characteristics of the items, making it possible to more appropriately handle multiple types of items having different characteristics.

[0027] In this embodiment, a container is used as an example of the article, but the article is not limited to a container such as a cap. The anti-rolling member given in this embodiment is merely illustrative, and is not limited to this embodiment as long as it can prevent the article from rolling. For example, the configuration described in Patent Document 2 may also be adopted.

[0028] The first supply section and the second supply section are not limited to the present embodiment, and it is sufficient that the first supply section supplies the articles to the first conveying surface, for example, from above, and the second supply section sequentially supplies the articles to the second conveying surface from the side. The second supply section may be, for example, a conveyor consisting of a belt conveyor or a top chain conveyor that transports the articles toward the second conveying surface. Alternatively, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a conveyor may be disposed between the dead plate 28 and the rotary conveyor 12, and the articles may be pushed from the dead plate 28 to this conveyor by the pusher 20B, and then transferred to the rotary conveyor 12. It is also possible to transfer the articles to the rotary conveyor 12 via a section where the articles are conveyed on the dead plate by the pusher, a section where the articles are conveyed on a conveyor disposed downstream of the dead plate, and a dead plate disposed at the end of the conveyor, and these may be disposed in an appropriate order.

[0029] In this embodiment, a SCARA robot is used as the transfer robot (transfer means), but it is not limited to this embodiment as long as it is a device that can pick up a specific item on the rotating transport body and transfer it to the discharge device, such as a parallel link or multi-axis robot. Also, in this embodiment, a discharge conveyor is used as an example of the discharge device (discharge means), but the discharge device is not limited to a conveyor, and is not limited to this embodiment as long as it can transport items, such as a transport wheel. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 10. Item transport device 12 Rotating conveyor 12A First conveying surface 12B Second conveying surface 14 Robot (transfer means) 16 Discharge conveyor (discharge means) 18 1st supply section 20 2nd supply section 26B Chute (drop supply section) 30 Control device (control means) 32 Camera (imaging means) 34 Anti-rolling member M1 1st class item M2 Second class of goods

Claims

[Claim 1] An article transport device comprising a disk-shaped rotating transport body, a supply means for supplying an article onto the rotating transport body, an imaging means for imaging an article transported on the rotating transport body, a discharge means disposed adjacent to the rotating transport body, a transfer means for picking up an article transported on the rotating transport body and transferring it to the discharge means, and a control means for controlling the transfer means based on an imaging result of the imaging means, The rotating conveyor is A first conveying surface is located on the central side and is provided with a rolling prevention member for preventing the article from rolling; a flat second conveying surface located on the outer circumferential side and not provided with the anti-rolling member; The supply means is a first supply unit that drops an article onto the rotary conveyor via a drop supply unit that is disposed at a predetermined position above the first conveying surface; a second supply section for moving the article horizontally onto the second conveying surface; An article transport device comprising:

Images