Hand device and control method for hand device

Abstract

To provide a hand device with high convenience.SOLUTION: A hand device 1 is capable of gripping an object 900 placed on a placement surface 911 in a manner that the object can be lifted from the placement surface 911. The hand device 1 comprises a first hand 10 and a second hand 20 which are both structured such that a front-rear direction becomes a longitudinal direction and can be arranged so as to be arrayed side by side with the object 900 held therebetween in a left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The second hand 20 includes a gripping section 22 which has a gripping surface facing a side of the object 900 and a protruding section 25 which is provided so as to protrude from a lower part of the gripping section 22 toward the direction where the first hand 10 is located. A position of at least one of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 is changed such that the first hand 10 relatively gets closer to the second hand 20 in a state where the first hand 10 comes into contact with the side of the object 900, and the object 900 can be gripped between the first hand 10 and the gripping surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hand device capable of holding an object between two hands and a method for controlling the hand device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are robot systems used for transporting objects in manufacturing sites, warehouses, etc., and devices such as robots that handle objects on manufacturing lines. These types of devices may be provided with a hand device that is configured to be able to clamp the object.

[0003] The following Patent Document 1 describes a hand device that has clamping claws that can extend from one vertical arm to the other vertical arm and is operated by the biasing force of a coil spring. This makes it easy to stack and unstack parts boxes.

[0004] The following Patent Document 2 describes a robot hand that has a first claw portion and a second clamping portion for clamping an article, and a drive device for moving them closer to or apart, and that can be inserted into a gap between articles. This makes it possible to easily remove adjacent articles.

[0005] The following Patent Document 3 describes a loading and unloading device that has a device that sucks up the top and sides of a load and moves them, and a processor that controls them, and moves the suction part upwards while sucking up the top and sides of the load. This enables efficient unloading of the load.

[0006] The following Patent Document 4 describes a linear telescopic mechanism that has multiple aligned structures, a member that rotatably connects them, and a member that fixes and releases them, and that extends and retracts the structures through these. This makes it possible to prevent an increase in the number of parts and to reduce the size and weight. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-200806 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-172358 A [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2021-066578 [Patent Document 4] JP 2017-057929 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] There are various situations in which actual hand devices are used and situations in which they are expected to be used in the future. There is a demand for highly convenient hand devices that can be used particularly effectively in one situation, and highly convenient hand devices that can be used effectively in multiple situations.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a highly convenient hand device and a method for controlling the hand device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The hand device of the first invention is a hand device configured to be able to clamp an object placed on a supporting surface so as to be able to lift it from the supporting surface, and is equipped with a first hand and a second hand which are configured so that the front-to-rear direction is the longitudinal direction of each hand and which can be arranged side by side in a left-to-right direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction so as to sandwich the object between them, the second hand having a clamping portion having a clamping surface facing the side of the object, and a protrusion portion which is arranged to protrude from the lower part of the clamping portion in a direction in which the first hand is located, and is configured to be able to clamp the object between the first hand and the clamping surface with a portion of the bottom surface of the object and the top surface of the protrusion portion facing each other.

[0011] With this configuration, the object can be reliably maintained in a lifted state from the placement surface, and the convenience of the hand device can be increased. When clamping an object placed on a placement surface that is located above a floor or the like, even if the height dimension between the floor or the placement surface is small, the second hand can be disposed at an appropriate position so that the object can be clamped in a state of contact with the clamping surface.

[0012] In addition, the hand device of the second invention is a hand device in which, compared to the first invention, the second hand is formed so that the clamping portion and the protrusion portion form an approximately L-shape in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

[0013] With this configuration, even if the height dimension between the floor or the like and the placement surface is small, the second hand can be positioned in an appropriate position so that the object can be clamped in contact with the clamping surface.

[0014] In addition, the hand device of the third invention is a hand device in which, compared to the first or second inventions, the dimension of the protruding portion in the left-right direction from the clamping surface to the end closest to the first hand is smaller than the dimension of the clamping surface in the up-down direction.

[0015] With this configuration, when the object is shifted and clamped so that part of the object protrudes from the placement surface towards the second hand, the amount of protrusion of the object in the horizontal direction can be reduced.

[0016] Furthermore, the hand device of the fourth invention is a hand device in which, compared to any of the first to fourth inventions, a plate-shaped portion having a small thickness in the left-right direction is provided near the longitudinal end of the first hand.

[0017] With this configuration, when the gap between the target object and another object in the left-right direction is small, it is easier to position the first hand so as to come into contact with the side surface of the target object in the left-right direction.

[0018] Furthermore, a control method for a hand device of the present fifth invention is a control method for a hand device including a first hand and a second hand each configured so that the longitudinal direction is in the front-to-rear direction, and configured so that the positions of the first hand and the second hand can be changed using a power source, wherein the second hand has a clamping portion having a clamping surface facing a side surface of an object, and a protruding portion provided so as to protrude from a lower portion of the clamping portion in a direction in which the first hand is located, and the control method includes the steps of: positioning the second hand to the side of the placement surface in a left-to-right direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction so that an upper surface of the protruding portion is located lower than a placement surface on which the object is placed and the clamping surface faces the side surface of the object; and, with the first hand in contact with the side surface of the object that is away from the second hand in the left-to-right direction, changing the position of at least one of the first hand and the second hand so that the first hand comes relatively closer to the second hand, and bringing the object into contact with the clamping surface to clamp the object between the first hand and the second hand.

[0019] With this configuration, an object placed on a placement surface that is located above a floor or the like can be easily and reliably lifted off the placement surface and maintained thereon, making the hand device more convenient to use. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the hand device and the method for controlling the hand device according to the present invention, the convenience of the hand device can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a robot system using a hand device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the first hand and the second hand. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a first diagram showing an example of use of the hand device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing an example of use of the hand device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the use of the hand device in a disassembly operation. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing an example of use of the hand device in a disassembly task. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the hand device will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] The coordinates shown in the following drawings indicate directions and are common to each drawing. The Z direction of the coordinate system is perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The X direction is perpendicular to the Z direction, and the Y direction is perpendicular to the Z direction and perpendicular to the X direction. The Z direction is sometimes called the up-down direction (the positive direction on the Z axis when viewed from the origin of the illustrated coordinate system is up), the Y direction is sometimes called the left-right direction (the positive direction on the Y axis when viewed from the origin of the illustrated coordinate system is right), and the X direction is sometimes called the front-back direction (the positive direction on the X axis when viewed from the origin of the illustrated coordinate system is back or front).

[0024] In the following description, the shapes and positional relationships of the various parts may be explained by indicating each direction in this way, but the specified directions are merely for the convenience of explanation and do not limit the orientation or posture of each device, etc., according to the present invention when used. Furthermore, expressions indicating directions and expressions indicating states such as horizontal, vertical, orthogonal, etc., only indicate that they can be roughly understood as such and should not necessarily be interpreted strictly as such expressions.

[0025] (Embodiment)

[0026] The outline of this embodiment is as follows. The hand device includes a first hand and a second hand arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The second hand of the hand device has a clamping portion that is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane and a protruding portion that extends from the lower end of the clamping portion toward the first hand, and has a substantially L-shape in cross section perpendicular to the direction extending forward and backward. The hand device 1 is configured to be able to clamp an object between the clamping portions of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20.

[0027] The hand device can be particularly effectively used to grip and lift an object placed on a placement surface that is above a floor such as a pallet. That is, with the second hand placed beside the placement surface, the object can be shifted by the first hand so that a part of the object is positioned above the protruding portion of the second hand, and then the object can be gripped between the first and second hands.

[0028] The configuration of the hand device thus constructed and the configuration of a robot system, which is one example of the use of the hand device, will be described below.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a robot system 100 using a hand device 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0030] The robot system 100 includes a hand device 1, a first moving section 110, a second moving section 120, a third moving section 130, and a carriage 140.

[0031] 1 shows the robot system 100 in a state in which an object 900 is held by the hand device 1. The hand device 1 used in this embodiment is used particularly for holding a transport object (hereinafter, referred to as the object 900).

[0032] The object 900 is not particularly limited. For example, the object 900 may be a baggage to be transported, but may also be an object used at a manufacturing site, such as a plasma power source or a welding jig. The weight of the object 900 is not particularly limited, but may be a weight that is difficult for a person to carry, for example, 30 kg or more, or 50 kg or more.

[0033] 1 shows, as an example, a case where an object 900 having a substantially rectangular box shape is clamped. The object 900 may have a three-dimensional shape or may be a plate-like member. The shape of the object 900 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and may be a columnar shape, a pyramid shape, or the like. The object 900 may be able to rest on the placement surface and may have an outer shape that allows a member to be clamped to come into contact with a part of its side surface.

[0034] In this embodiment, the hand device 1 has two hands 10, 20 (a first hand 10 and a second hand 20). The two hands 10, 20 are arranged apart from each other in a first direction in a horizontal plane. In the following, the left-right direction is described as the first direction. The two hands 10, 20 are arranged apart from each other in the left-right direction. The two hands 10, 20 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. In the following description, the first hand 10 is arranged to the left of the second hand 20. The second hand 20 is arranged to the right of the first hand 10. That is, the first hand 10 is on the left side, and the second hand 20 is on the right side. Note that the left-right positional relationship of the two hands 10, 20 is not limited to this, and may be reversed, or may be configured to be appropriately changeable.

[0035] The hand device 1 is attached so as to be movable relative to the cart 140, for example, by the moving units 110, 120, and 130. The hand device 1 is movable in a first direction and a second direction in a horizontal plane, and is movable in the vertical direction. The second direction is a direction perpendicular to the first direction, i.e., the X direction. The hand device 1 is moved in each of the three axial directions in a Cartesian coordinate system. The configuration of the hand device 1 may be understood as including any one of the moving units 110, 120, and 130 in the hand device 1. At least one of the moving units 110, 120, and 130 may not be provided.

[0036] The first moving unit 110 supports the hand device 1. The first moving unit 110 displaces the hand device 1 in a first direction. In addition, the robot system 100 can move the object 900 held by the hand device 1 in the first direction by moving the hand device 1 by the first moving unit 110. As an example, the first moving unit 110 has a first support unit 111 that supports the hand device 1 and a linear actuator that moves the hand device 1 in the first direction relative to the first support unit 111. More specifically, for example, a guide along the first direction may be provided on the bottom surface of the first support unit 111 extending in the first direction, and a slider may be assembled to the guide so as to be slidable in the first direction. Then, the hand device 1 may be fixed to the slider.

[0037] The second moving part 120 supports the first moving part 110 and moves the first moving part 110 in the second direction. Therefore, the hand device 1 is moved in the second direction by the second moving part 120. As an example, the second moving part 120 has a second support part 121 that supports the first support part 111 of the first moving part 110, and a linear actuator that moves the first support part 111 in the second direction relative to the second support part 121. More specifically, for example, a guide along the second direction may be provided on the bottom surface of the second support part 121 extending in the second direction, and a slider may be assembled to the guide so as to be slidable in the second direction. Then, the upper surface of the first support part 111 may be fixed to the slider.

[0038] The third moving section 130 supports the second moving section 120 and moves the second moving section 120 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the hand device 1 is moved in the vertical direction by the third moving section 130. As an example, the third moving section 130 has a pair of support columns 131, 132 arranged at a distance in the first direction, an upper surface plate 133 connecting the upper end sides of the support columns 131, 132, a lifting section 134 whose end is supported by the pair of support columns 131, 132 and supports the second support section 121 of the second moving section 120, and a pair of linear actuators that move the lifting section 134 in the vertical direction in synchronization with the pair of support columns 131, 132. More specifically, guides along the vertical direction are provided on the surfaces of the lifting section 134 side of the vertically extending support columns 131, 132, and a slider may be assembled to the guides so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. Both ends of the lifting section 134 in the first direction may be fixed to sliders.

[0039] In the moving parts 110, 120, and 130, for example, the slider may be assembled to two or more guides provided in parallel. Also, the linear actuators of the moving parts 110, 120, and 130 may each independently have, for example, a rack-and-pinion mechanism and a driving means for rotating the pinion, a ball screw mechanism and a driving means for rotating the screw shaft of the ball screw mechanism, a pair of pulleys, an endless belt stretched over the pair of pulleys, and a driving means for rotating the pulleys, a sprocket and a chain may be used instead of the pulleys and the belt, or other configurations may be used. Note that a mechanism for moving a support object in a linear direction using a guide, a slider, a linear actuator, and the like is already known, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 1, illustration of the guide, slider, and linear actuator is omitted.

[0040] The third moving part 130 is fixed to the cart 140. The base end side of the third moving part 130, i.e., the end on the lower side, may be fixed to the cart 140. The cart 140 may have, as an example, a base 141 to which the base end side of the third moving part 130 is fixed, and a plurality of running means 142 fixed to the base 141 and capable of running on a running surface such as a floor surface. The base 141 may be, as an example, a plate-shaped member. The running means 142 are usually wheels, but may be rollers other than wheels, caterpillars, ball casters having balls, etc. In addition, the cart 140 may or may not have a driving means for driving the running means 142. In the latter case, the cart 140 may be moved manually. Furthermore, the manually moved dolly 140 may have a fixing means for fixing the traveling means 142 so that the dolly 140 does not move when the moving units 110, 120, 130 locally transport the object 900. The fixing means may be, for example, a wheel stopper. While the moving units 110, 120, 130 locally transport the object 900, the dolly 140 transports the object 900 over a larger area.

[0041] The robot system 100 includes a reception unit (not shown) for receiving operations and instructions from a user, and a system control unit (not shown) for controlling the operations of the moving units 110, 120, and .

[0042] The reception unit may, for example, receive operations and instructions related to the moving units 110, 120, and 130, or may receive operations and instructions related to the cart 140. It may also receive operations and instructions related to the hand device 1. The reception may be, for example, reception of information input from an input device (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc.), or reception of information transmitted via a wired or wireless communication line. The reception unit may or may not include a device for performing reception (for example, an input device, a communication device, etc.). The reception unit may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software such as a driver that drives a specific device.

[0043] The system control unit controls the first moving unit 110, the second moving unit 120, and the third moving unit 130. By the control by this system control unit, for example, local transportation such as moving or positioning the object 900 held by the hand device 1 is performed. In addition, for example, when the cart 140 has a driving means, the system control unit may also perform movement control of the cart 140. These controls may be performed, for example, in response to an operation or instruction accepted by the reception unit. The movement control of the cart 140 may be, for example, movement control regarding a movement direction or a movement speed in response to an operation accepted by the reception unit, or may be autonomous movement control from a predetermined starting point to a destination. The system control unit may be configured to function as a hand control unit 90 of the hand device 1, as described later.

[0044] Next, the configuration of the hand device 1 will be described.

[0045] In the present embodiment, the hand device 1 includes a first hand 10, a second hand 20, a base 50, a power source 80, and a hand control unit 90.

[0046] The base 50 supports the first hand 10 and the second hand 20. The base 50 is attached to a first support portion 111. Note that the base 50 may be the portion grasped as the first support portion 111.

[0047] The first hand 10 and the second hand 20 are each attached to the base 50 such that the second direction is the longitudinal direction. In other words, the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 are provided so as to protrude forward from the base 50. The first hand 10 and the second hand 20 are each formed in a columnar shape extending forward (rearward) from a base end portion attached to the base 50. It may be said that the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 are each configured to form a beam shape as a whole.

[0048] The first hand 10 has a plate-like portion 12 having a relatively small thickness in the left-right direction. The plate-like portion 12 is disposed near the tip of the first hand 10 in the longitudinal direction. That is, the plate-like portion 12 is disposed near the front end of the first hand 10. In this embodiment, the plate-like portion 12 is disposed near the tip of the beam portion 11 extending from the base 50 so that the front-rear direction is the longitudinal direction.

[0049] The plate-shaped portion 12 is arranged so as to be exposed on the right side surface of the first hand 10, i.e., the surface facing the second hand 20. The plate-shaped portion 12 is arranged so as to have a surface facing the second hand 20. The surface facing the second hand 20 is approximately perpendicular to the first direction. When the object 900 is clamped, the plate-shaped portion 12 is configured to mainly come into contact with the side surface of the object 900.

[0050] A front edge 12a of the plate-like portion 12 protrudes forward from the front end of the beam portion 11. In other words, the front edge 12a at the front end of the first hand 10 may be said to be the plate-like portion 12 that protrudes forward.

[0051] The second hand 20 includes a clamping portion 22 and a protruding portion 25. In this embodiment, the clamping portion 22 and the protruding portion 25 are integrally formed as a clamping member 22b. The clamping member 22b is disposed near the tip of the beam portion 21 extending from the base 50 so that the longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction. The clamping member 22b is disposed so as to be exposed on the left side surface of the second hand 20, i.e., the surface facing the first hand. The clamping member 22b is disposed so as to have a surface facing the first hand 10.

[0052] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20. As shown in FIG.

[0053] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 when they are clamping an object 900. The beam portion 11 of the first hand 10 and the beam portion 21 of the second hand 20 are omitted from the illustration.

[0054] 2, the clamping member 22b is substantially L-shaped in a cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction. That is, the second hand 20 has a plate-like clamping portion 22 having a relatively small thickness in the left-right direction, and a substantially horizontal plate-like protruding portion 25. It can be said that the clamping portion 22 and the protruding portion 25 are formed to form a substantially L-shape in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the second hand 20.

[0055] The clamping portion 22 has a clamping surface 23 that faces the side surface of the object 900 when clamping the object 900. In the present embodiment, the clamping surface 23, i.e., the surface facing the first hand 10, is approximately perpendicular to the first direction. The clamping surface 23 and the plate-shaped portion 12 are approximately parallel. The clamping surface 23 is configured to mainly come into contact with the side surface of the object 900 when clamping the object 900.

[0056] The protruding portion 25 is a portion that protrudes from the lower portion of the clamping surface 23 to the left, i.e., in the direction toward the first hand 10. The protruding portion 25 is provided at the lower end portion of the second hand 20. An upper surface 26 of the protruding portion 25 is a substantially horizontal plane.

[0057] Here, the dimension of the protruding portion 25 from the clamping surface 23 to the end portion 25b close to the first hand 10 in the left-right direction is configured to be smaller than the dimension of the clamping surface 23 in the up-down direction. That is, the clamping member 22b is formed to be generally vertically elongated, with the dimension in the up-down direction being longer than the dimension in the left-right direction as a whole.

[0058] 2, the object 900 is sandwiched between the plate-shaped portion 12 and the opposing clamping surface 23, and is sandwiched between the first hand 10 and the second hand 20. In other words, the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 are capable of sandwiching the object 900 by contacting the left and right side surfaces of the object 900.

[0059] In this manner, in the present embodiment, the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 are configured to mainly clamp the object 900 between the plate-shaped portion 12 and the clamping member 22b, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first hand 10 may be configured such that, when clamping the object 900, a portion other than the plate-shaped portion 12 mainly contacts the side surface of the object 900. That is, the plate-shaped portion 12 may be formed only in a portion near the tip end of the first hand 10 in the longitudinal direction. Also, for example, the second hand 20 may be configured such that, when clamping the object 900, a portion other than the clamping member 22b mainly contacts the side surface of the object 900. For example, the second hand 20 may be configured such that a portion of the beam portion 21 of the second hand 20 serves as a clamping surface, and a portion of the beam portion 21 or another member attached to the beam portion 21 serves as a protruding portion.

[0060] Returning to FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 each have a force sensor 5. In the first hand 10, the force sensor 5 is provided between the beam portion 11 and the plate-like portion 12. In the second hand 20, the force sensor 5 is provided between the beam portion 21 and the clamping member 22b. That is, the plate-like portion 12 and the clamping member 22b, which are members for clamping the object 900, are attached to the beam portions 11, 21 of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20, respectively, indirectly via the force sensor 5.

[0061] The force sensor 5 can detect a force acting on the plate-shaped portion 12 or the clamping member 22b attached to the force sensor 5. Each force sensor 5 may be, for example, a sensor for detecting an external force, or may be a weight sensor. The sensor for detecting an external force may be, for example, a three-axis or six-axis force sensor. When each force sensor 5 is a sensor for detecting an external force, it is preferable that the sensor is disposed so as to be able to measure the weight of the object 900 clamped between the first hand 10 and the second hand 20. It may be said that the force sensor 5 is a sensor for detecting a force acting on the plate-shaped portion 12 or the clamping member 22b.

[0062] The mounting position of the force sensor 5 is not limited to the above. The force sensor 5 may be disposed, for example, between each beam 11, 21 and a structure supporting the beam 11, 21. The beam 11, 21 may be composed of a plurality of members, and the force sensor 5 may be disposed between any of the members. The force sensor 5 may be attached to a member constituting the beam 11, 21, etc., and may be a sensor (e.g., a strain gauge) capable of detecting distortion of the member. One or both of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 may not have the force sensor 5.

[0063] The first hand 10 and the second hand 20 are each independently movable in a first direction. That is, the hand device 1 is configured to, for example, hold an object 900 between the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 and release the hold by moving the first hand 10 and the second hand 20. In addition, the hand device 1 can also move the object 900 held by the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 in the first direction by, for example, simultaneously moving the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 in the same direction.

[0064] In this embodiment, in order to move the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 independently in the first direction, the hand device 1 is provided with, for example, a linear actuator for moving the first hand 10 and a linear actuator for moving the second hand 20. Each actuator is driven by a power source 80. Each linear actuator may be independent of the others, for example, and may have a rack and pinion mechanism and a driving means for rotating the pinion, a ball screw mechanism and a driving means for rotating the screw shaft of the ball screw mechanism, a pair of pulleys, an endless belt stretched around the pair of pulleys, and a driving means for rotating the pulleys, a sprocket and a chain may be used instead of the pulleys and the belt, or another configuration may be used. Note that a mechanism for moving a support object in a linear direction using a guide, a slider, a linear actuator, or the like is already known, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 1, illustration of the linear actuator, etc. is omitted.

[0065] It may be said that the power source 80 is a drive unit. The power source 80 is, for example, but is not limited to, a motor. Any type of motor may be used. There may be one power source 80, or two or more power sources. The power source 80 is configured to be driven based on the control of the hand control unit 90. The power source 80 is used as a power source when moving the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 in the left-right direction or when changing the strength with which the object 900 is clamped.

[0066] In the present embodiment, the linear actuator uses a transmission mechanism that transmits the force of the power source 80 to the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 together with the power source 80. The transmission mechanism is configured using gears, for example, but the type of mechanism is not important. For example, the transmission mechanism may be a mechanism using a belt or a mechanism using a ball screw or the like.

[0067] The hand control unit 90 is configured to control the operation of the power source 80. For example, the control by the hand control unit 90 causes the object 900 to be clamped by the first hand 10 and the second hand 20, or the clamping is released. This control also causes local transportation, such as positioning of the object 900, to be performed. The hand control unit 90 may be configured to perform control according to an operation accepted by a accepting unit, or may be configured to perform autonomous control to perform a predetermined task.

[0068] In this embodiment, the hand control unit 90 is configured to be able to control the up-down and front-rear positions of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 in cooperation with the system control unit. Note that the control of these positions may be regarded as being performed by the hand control unit 90 or may be regarded as being performed by the system control unit.

[0069] In this embodiment, the hand control unit 90 is configured to control the power source 80 based on the detection result of the force sensor 5. For example, when the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 pinch the object 900, the hand control unit 90 determines that the pinching force has reached a predetermined magnitude based on the detection result of the force sensor 5 of each of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 while moving at least one of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20. Then, the hand control unit 90 stops the movement of at least one of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 according to the determination result. In this way, the object 900 can be pinched so that the magnitude of the force with which the hand device 1 pinches the object 900 becomes a desired magnitude.

[0070] The force sensor 5 does not necessarily have to be used for the control of the operation of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 by the hand control unit 90. For example, when an object 900 having a predetermined shape and size is clamped, the positional relationship between the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 may be controlled to be a positional relationship preset according to the size of the object 900. In addition, a sensor using a camera or laser light or the like provided on the hand device 1 or the robot system 100 may be provided, and control may be performed so that the positional relationship between the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 is appropriate according to the detection result. By performing such control, the object 900 can be reliably clamped. Such control may be performed by the hand control unit 90.

[0071] In this embodiment, the hand device 1 configured as described above can clamp the object 900 and move the object 900. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the object 900 is clamped, and the object 900 is held so as not to fall off due to friction between the object 900 and the first hand 10 and the second hand 20. In this state, the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 are moved in the same direction, so that the object 900 can be moved. Furthermore, the moving units 110, 120, and 130 are operated, so that the object 900 can be displaced up and down, forward and backward, and left and right. Furthermore, the cart 140 is driven, so that the object 900 can be moved over a wide area.

[0072] When the object 900 is clamped in this manner, the bottom surface of the object 900 is located above the protruding portion 25. That is, the object 900 can be clamped in a state in which a portion of the bottom surface of the object 900 close to the second hand 20 in the left-right direction and the upper surface 26 of the protruding portion 25 face each other. Since a part of the second hand 20 is located below the bottom surface of the object 900 in this manner, downward movement of the clamped object 900 relative to the second hand 20 is restricted. Therefore, the state in which the object 900 is clamped by the hand device 1 can be more reliably maintained, and it can be said that the hand device 1 is highly convenient.

[0073] Fig. 3 is a first diagram showing an example of use of the hand device 1. Fig. 4 is a second diagram showing an example of use of the hand device 1.

[0074] 3 and 4, illustrations are made in a schematic manner similar to that of FIG.

[0075] In this embodiment, the hand device 1 can reliably maintain an object 900, particularly an object placed on a placement surface 911 that is located above a floor or the like, while lifted from the placement surface 911. Here, for example, when the object 900 is placed on the placement surface 911 on a transportation pallet 910, a method of using the hand device 1 in picking up the object 900 from the pallet 910 will be described.

[0076] Note that using the hand device 1 in this manner can be achieved, for example, by the hand control unit 90 controlling the hand device 1 using a predetermined control method. The control of moving the first hand 10 or the second hand 20 to an appropriate position without contacting the target object 900 or the like may be achieved, for example, by storing preset values ​​related to the position or the like in the hand control unit 90 or the like in advance, or may be achieved using the detection results of a sensor using a camera or laser light or the like provided in the hand device 1 or the robot system 100. In addition, the hand device 1 may be operated as follows in response to instructions, information, and the like received by the receiving unit each time.

[0077] (Step S11) First, the hand control unit 90 sets the hand device 1 around the target object 900. For example, the first hand 10 is disposed on the left side of the target object 900, and the second hand 20 is disposed on the right side of the target object 900 and the pallet 910.

[0078] Here, in this scene, the hand control unit 90 controls the positioning of the second hand 20 to the side of the pallet 910 in the left-right direction so that the upper surface 26 of the protrusion 25 is positioned below the placement surface 911 and the clamping surface 23 faces the side of the target object 900.

[0079] (Step S12) Next, the hand control unit 90 brings the first hand 10 into contact with the side surface of the object 900 that is farther away from the second hand 20 in the left-right direction. Then, while the first hand 10 is in contact, the position of at least one of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 is changed so that the first hand 10 approaches the second hand 20 relatively. Here, the first hand 10 comes into contact with the left side surface of the object 900. Then, control is performed so that the first hand 10 moves to the right. As a result, the object 900 is pushed to the right by the first hand 10, and moves to the right on the placement surface 911.

[0080] (Step S13) The hand control unit 90 changes the position of at least one of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 so that the first hand 10 approaches the second hand 20 relatively until the target object 900 comes into contact with the clamping surface 23. Whether the target object 900 has come into contact with the clamping surface 23 can be determined based on the detection result of the force sensor 5, but is not limited to this. For example, the determination may be made based on the fact that the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 have moved a predetermined distance, or may be made using the detection result of a sensor using a camera, laser light, or the like provided in the hand device 1 or the robot system 100.

[0081] After the object 900 comes into contact with the clamping surface 23, the hand control unit 90 changes the position of at least one of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 so that the object 900 is clamped with an appropriate clamping force. Whether the object 900 is clamped with an appropriate clamping force can be determined based on the detection result of the force sensor 5, but is not limited to this. For example, as described above, the determination may be made based on the moving distance of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20, or may be made using the detection results of various sensors.

[0082] This allows the object 900 to be sandwiched between the first hand 10 and the second hand 20.

[0083] (Step S14) The hand control unit 90 cooperates with the system control unit to lift the hand device 1 upward while still holding the object 900. This allows the object 900 to be lifted upward from the placement surface 911 and moved to any desired location.

[0084] By performing the control as described above, the object 900 can be moved while the clamped state is reliably maintained. In this embodiment, the first hand 10 has the plate-shaped portion 12 at the front end, so that the first hand 10 can be easily positioned near the left side surface of the object 900 even when the gap between the left side surface of the object 900 and another object is narrow. In addition, in this embodiment, the protrusion 25 is provided at the lower end of the clamping portion 22 of the second hand 20, which is particularly advantageous in applications such as moving the object 900 placed on a pallet 910 or the like. That is, even when the height dimension between the floor or the like and the placement surface 911 is small, the second hand 20 can be easily positioned so that the upper surface of the protrusion 25 is located below the placement surface 911.

[0085] In addition, in the above-mentioned step S11 or step S12, it is preferable that the hand control unit 90 positions the second hand 20 so that the end 25b of the protruding portion 25 is close to the right end of the pallet 910. In other words, it is preferable that the clamping surface 23 is located as close to the object 900 as possible. This makes it possible to clamp the object 900 more quickly. In addition, when the object 900 is shifted so that a part of the object 900 protrudes from the placement surface 911 toward the second hand 20 and then clamped, the amount of protrusion of the object 900 in the horizontal direction can be reduced. In this embodiment, the dimension of the protruding portion 25 in the left-right direction from the clamping surface 23 to the end 25b is smaller than the dimension of the clamping surface 23 in the up-down direction, so that such an effect can be obtained more effectively.

[0086] In this embodiment, the hand device 1 can be used for a disassembly operation for removing some of the objects 900 when multiple objects 900 are closely arranged on a pallet 910 or a shelf. An example of such a use will be described below.

[0087] Fig. 5 is a first diagram showing an example of use of the hand device 1 in a disassembly work, and Fig. 6 is a second diagram showing an example of use of the hand device 1 in a disassembly work.

[0088] 5 and 6, the transition of the operations of the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 in a state in which a plurality of objects 900 are closely lined up in the left-right direction on a pallet 910 is shown typically in a plan view.

[0089] The following operations can be executed, for example, by a control performed by a predetermined control method using the hand control unit 90. The control for moving the first hand 10 and the second hand 20 to an appropriate position without contacting the target object 900 or the like may be performed, for example, by storing preset values ​​related to the position or the like in the hand control unit 90 or the like in advance, or may be performed using the detection results of a sensor.

[0090] (Step S21) First, the hand control unit 90 sets the hand device 1 in front of the target object 900. For example, the first hand 10 is placed in front of the target object 900 on the left, and the second hand 20 is placed near the right end 913 of the pallet 910.

[0091] Here, the hand control unit 90 detects a boundary 905 between the rightmost object 900 and the object 900 adjacent thereto on the left. The detection can be performed, for example, by monitoring the detection results of the force sensor 5 of the first hand 10 while contacting the front end edge 12a of the first hand 10 with the rear side surface of each object 900. That is, when the object 900 and the object 900 adjacent thereto on the left are lined up, their side surfaces have an uneven portion in the front-rear direction at least at the boundary 905. When the front end edge 12a of the first hand 10 is moved in the first direction while contacting the side surface, the detection result of the force sensor 5 at the boundary 905 fluctuates greatly. In this embodiment, when the detection result of the force sensor 5 fluctuates greatly, the hand control unit 90 detects the position of the boundary 905 based on the detection result.

[0092] The position of the boundary 905 may be determined using a setting value related thereto that is stored in advance in the hand control unit 90 or the like, or may be determined using the detection results of a camera or other sensor.

[0093] (Step S22) The hand control unit 90 changes the position of the first hand 10 so that the front end edge 12a fits into the detected boundary portion 905.

[0094] (Step S23) The hand control unit 90 changes the position of the first hand 10 so as to push the plate-shaped portion 12 into the boundary portion 905. By pushing the plate-shaped portion 12 into the boundary portion 905, a gap is created between the rightmost object 900 and the object 900 adjacent to it on the left. This makes it possible to move the first hand 10 to the right and move the object 900 on the pallet 910.

[0095] (Step S23) Thereafter, in the same manner as described above, the hand control unit 90 displaces the first hand 10 to the right while keeping the first hand 10 in contact with the left side surface of the object 900, and moves the object 900 until it comes into contact with the second hand 20. This allows the object 900 to be sandwiched between the first hand 10 and the second hand 20.

[0096] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to realize a highly convenient hand device 1 with a simple configuration.

[0097] The processing in this embodiment may be realized by software. This software may be distributed by software download or the like. This software may be recorded on a recording medium such as an optical disk and distributed. The software for executing the control method by the hand control unit or the like in this embodiment is a program as follows. That is, this program is executed by a computer used with a robot system or a hand device, and causes the computer to execute the steps of: positioning the second hand to the side of the placement surface in a left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction so that the upper surface of the protruding portion is located below the placement surface on which the object is placed and the clamping surface faces the side surface of the object; and changing the position of at least one of the first hand and the second hand so that the first hand approaches the second hand relatively while the first hand is in contact with the side surface of the object that is away from the second hand in the left-right direction, and bringing the object into contact with the clamping surface to clamp the object between the first hand and the second hand.

[0098] (others)

[0099] In the above-described embodiments, two or more components present in one device may be physically realized on one medium.

[0100] In the above embodiment, the components of the hand control unit 90 that controls the hand device 1 may be configured with dedicated hardware, or the components that can be realized by software may be realized by executing a program. For example, each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. During execution, the program execution unit may execute the program while accessing a storage unit or a recording medium. The program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, or may be executed by reading a program recorded on a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, etc.). The program may be used as a program constituting a program product. The computer that executes the program may be a single computer or a plurality of computers. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

[0101] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, each process (each function) may be realized by centralized processing by a single device (system), or may be realized by distributed processing by multiple devices (in this case, the entire system made up of multiple devices performing distributed processing can be considered as a single "device").

[0102] In addition, in the above embodiments, the transfer of information between each component may be performed, for example, by one component outputting information and the other component receiving information if the two components transferring the information are physically different, or, if the two components transferring the information are physically the same, by shifting from a processing phase corresponding to one component to a processing phase corresponding to the other component.

[0103] In the above embodiment, information related to the processing performed by each component, such as information accepted, acquired, selected, generated, transmitted, or received by each component, and information such as thresholds, formulas, and addresses used by each component in processing, may be temporarily or long-term stored in a recording medium (not shown) even if not specified in the above description. Furthermore, each component or a storage unit (not shown) may store information in the recording medium (not shown). Furthermore, each component or a reading unit (not shown) may read information from the recording medium (not shown).

[0104] In the above embodiment, if the information used by each component, such as the thresholds, addresses, and various setting values ​​used by each component in processing, may be changed by the user, the user may or may not be able to change the information as appropriate, even if not specified in the above description. If the information is changeable by the user, the change may be realized, for example, by a reception unit (not shown) that receives a change instruction from the user, and a change unit (not shown) that changes the information in response to the change instruction. The reception unit (not shown) may receive the change instruction from an input device, may receive information transmitted via a communication line, or may receive information read from a predetermined recording medium.

[0105] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible, which are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0106] The components of the above-described embodiment and modified examples may be replaced with or combined with other components as appropriate. In addition, some of the components or functions of the above-described embodiment and modified examples may be omitted.

[0107] The robot system is not limited to the above-mentioned conveying device. The robot system may not have a dolly. For example, the robot system may be fixed to a fixed base or the like. [Industrial Applicability]

[0108] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the hand device according to the present invention is highly convenient and useful as a hand device, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0109] 1 hand device, 10 first hand, 40 second hand, 43 clamping surface, 45 protrusion, 80 power source, 90 hand control unit, 100 robot system, 900 object, 910 pallet, 911 placement surface

Claims

1. A hand device capable of clamping an object placed on a placement surface so as to be able to lift the object from the placement surface, a first hand and a second hand each configured such that a front-to-rear direction is a longitudinal direction and capable of being arranged side by side with the object therebetween in a left-to-right direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction, The second hand is A clamping unit having a clamping surface facing a side surface of the object; a protruding portion provided so as to protrude in a certain direction from a lower portion of the clamping portion, A hand device configured to be able to clamp the object between the first hand and the clamping surface with a portion of a bottom surface of the object and an upper surface of the protrusion facing each other.

2. The hand device according to claim 1 , wherein the second hand is configured such that the clamping portion and the protruding portion form a substantially L-shape in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

3. The hand device according to claim 1 , wherein a dimension of the protruding portion in a left-right direction from the clamping surface to an end portion closer to the first hand is smaller than a dimension of the clamping surface in a top-bottom direction.

4. The hand device according to claim 1 , wherein the first hand is provided, in the vicinity of a longitudinal tip thereof, with a portion formed in a plate shape having a small thickness in a left-right direction.

5. A method for controlling a hand device including a first hand and a second hand each configured such that a front-rear direction is a longitudinal direction, and configured to be able to change positions of the first hand and the second hand using a power source, the method comprising: The second hand is A clamping unit having a clamping surface facing a side surface of the object; a protruding portion provided so as to protrude in a certain direction from a lower portion of the clamping portion, The control method is positioning the second hand to the side of the placement surface in a left-right direction perpendicular to a front-rear direction such that an upper surface of the protruding portion is located below a placement surface on which the object is placed and the clamping surface faces a side surface of the object; a step of changing a position of at least one of the first hand and the second hand so that the first hand comes relatively closer to the second hand while the first hand is in contact with a side of the object that is away from the second hand in the left-right direction, and bringing the object into contact with the clamping surface to clamp the object between the first hand and the second hand.

Images