Reinforcement binding device

Abstract

To provide a reinforcement binding device which can enhance followability of traveling, even if traveling on a plurality of reinforcements having mutually different pitches.SOLUTION: A reinforcement binding device which is configured to be capable of traveling on a plurality of reinforcements R10 arrayed at a first pitch and to be capable of traveling on a plurality of reinforcements R20A arrayed at a second pitch larger than the first pitch includes: roller parts 122a and 122c which are rotated on the reinforcements R10, and have widths that are larger than a difference between the second pitch and the first pitch and smaller than a difference between 1.5 times of the second pitch and 0.5 time of the first pitch; roller parts 122b and 122d which are rotated on the reinforcements R10 different from the roller parts 122a and 122c, and have widths that are larger than a difference between the second pitch and the first pitch and smaller than a difference between 1.5 times of the second pitch and 0.5 time of the first pitch; and a wheel driving motor for rotationally driving the roller parts 122a and 122c and the roller parts 122b and 122d.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13A

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rebar binding device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there have been considered techniques for automating reinforcing bar binding work in which, for example, a reinforcing bar extending in a vertical direction and a reinforcing bar extending in a horizontal direction are bound together at their intersections by means of a wire or the like. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a V-shaped tapered drive wheel has a valley portion that contacts a vertically extending reinforcing bar, thereby allowing the drive wheel to run on the reinforcing bar. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-39174 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 had the problem that it was not possible to run diagonally in a direction that intersects with the extension direction of the reinforcing bars, and it was necessary to adjust the tread width of the drive wheels in advance to match the pitch of the reinforcing bars to be installed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a rebar binding device that can run on multiple rebars with different pitches without the need for prior adjustment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a rebar binding device configured to be able to run on multiple rebars arranged at a first pitch and also configured to be able to run on multiple rebars arranged at a second pitch larger than the first pitch, comprising: a first wheel that rotates on the rebars and has a width that is greater than the difference between the second pitch and the first pitch and smaller than the difference between 1.5 times the second pitch and 0.5 times the first pitch; a second wheel that rotates on a different rebar than the first wheel and has a width that is greater than the difference between the second pitch and the first pitch and smaller than the difference between 1.5 times the second pitch and 0.5 times the first pitch; and a drive unit that drives and rotates the first wheel and the second wheel. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, even when running over reinforcing bars with different pitches, it is possible to run over multiple reinforcing bars with different pitches without the need for prior adjustment. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a rebar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed obliquely from above. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a rebar binding robot according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, as viewed obliquely from below. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the rebar binding robot 100 as viewed from above (above in the Z direction). [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the rebar binding robot 100 as viewed from below (below in the Z direction). [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 with the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 removed, as viewed obliquely from above. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 with the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 removed, as viewed obliquely from below. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the functional block configuration of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100. As shown in FIG. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 traveling along the first reinforcing bar R10, viewed from the Y direction. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 traveling along the first reinforcing bar R10, seen from the X direction. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100, which has stopped traveling and is performing binding work, as viewed from the Y direction. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 performing binding work, viewed from the X direction. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 performing the binding work, seen from below in the Z direction. [Figure 13A] FIG. 13A is a front view of the rebar binding robot 100 as seen from the Y direction. [Figure 13B] FIG. 13B is a front view of the rebar binding robot 100 as seen from the Y direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same components in each drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and duplicated description will be omitted.

[0010] The configuration of the binding device 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In this embodiment, the binding device is a rebar binding device that binds a plurality of rebars arranged crossing each other, and may be, for example, a rebar binding robot. In the following, the binding device 100 will be described as a rebar binding robot, and the binding device 100 will also be referred to as a rebar binding robot 100. In addition, each drawing may show an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis. The X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis form a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system of a right-handed system. Hereinafter, the arrow direction of the X-axis may be referred to as the X-axis forward, the +X direction, the right side of the X-direction, or the right side of the X-axis, and the direction opposite to the arrow may be referred to as the X-axis backward, the -X direction, the left side of the X-direction, or the left side of the X-axis. The same applies to the other axes. In addition, the Z-axis forward and the Z-axis backward may be referred to as the "upper side" or "upper side" and the "lower side" or "lower side", respectively. In addition, the planes perpendicular to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis may be called the YZ plane, ZX plane, and XY plane, respectively. However, these directions are used for the sake of convenience to explain the relative positional relationship. Therefore, these directions do not define the absolute positional relationship.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a rebar bundling robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as viewed from diagonally above. FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a rebar bundling robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as viewed from diagonally below. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rebar bundling robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a rebar bundling unit 110, a traveling unit 121, and a sensor unit 130. The rebar bundling robot 100 may further include other components such as a main unit 140, a support bar 150, a control unit 160, a reel 180 (first reel 180a and second reel 180b), a battery 182 (first battery 182a and second battery 182b), a lateral movement unit 146, and a memory device 198 (not shown).

[0012] 1 and 2 also show a reinforcing bar group R including multiple reinforcing bars R10 (also referred to as "first reinforcing bars" or "vertical reinforcing bars" in this embodiment) extending in the Y direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 is placed on the reinforcing bar group R so as to run along the first reinforcing bars R10. In addition to the multiple reinforcing bars R10, the reinforcing bar group R may also include multiple reinforcing bars (also referred to as "second reinforcing bars R20" or "horizontal reinforcing bars" in this embodiment) extending in the X direction.

[0013] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first reinforcing bar R10 is arranged so that the first direction, which is the direction in which it extends, is parallel to the Y direction. The second reinforcing bar R20 is arranged so that the second direction, which is the direction in which it extends, is parallel to the X direction. Therefore, in the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 are arranged so that they are perpendicular to each other. Furthermore, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 are arranged so that the plane formed by the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 (also referred to as the "reinforcing bar surface" in this embodiment) is parallel to the XY plane. Therefore, the plane formed by the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 is a horizontal plane in this embodiment. The arrangement of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 is not limited to this. For example, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 may be arranged so that they are non-perpendicular to each other. For example, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 may be arranged so that the angle between the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 is, for example, 30°, 45°, 60°, or other angles. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 are arranged so as to be perpendicular to each other, but they do not necessarily have to be perpendicular to each other depending on the intersection point, and may be arranged so as to form an angle of, for example, 85° or more and less than 90°.

[0014] Also, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 may have a finite length, and the first reinforcing bars R10 or the second reinforcing bars R20 may be connected via joints in a first direction or a second direction, respectively. Furthermore, the first reinforcing bars R10 and the second reinforcing bars R20 may have ends.

[0015] The reinforcing bar fastening unit 110 is configured to fasten the intersection c12 (FIG. 6) between the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20. The fastening operation of the reinforcing bar fastening unit 110 at the intersection c12 between the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 will be described in detail later.

[0016] 1 and 2, the traveling unit 121 may have four traveling units 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d (in this embodiment, these are also referred to as the "first traveling unit," the "second traveling unit," the "third traveling unit," and the "fourth traveling unit," respectively). In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the traveling units 121 are disposed on the group of rebars R so that the rebar binding robot 100 moves in the Y direction. The first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d each have a first roller portion 122a, a second roller portion 122b, a third roller portion 122c, and a fourth roller portion 122d, and the first roller portion 122a, the second roller portion 122b, the third roller portion 122c, and the fourth roller portion 122d are configured to run on any one of the multiple first reinforcing bars R10 along the Y direction (first direction), which is the extension direction of the first reinforcing bars R10.

[0017] In this embodiment, the traveling unit 121 is an example of a moving unit (moving unit 120 described later). Instead of the traveling unit 121, or in addition to the traveling unit 121, the moving unit 120 may have the configuration of a moving unit other than the traveling unit 121.

[0018] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first traveling unit 121a, the second traveling unit 121b, the third traveling unit 121c, and the fourth traveling unit 121d are configured to travel in the Y direction, but the first traveling unit 121a, the second traveling unit 121b, the third traveling unit 121c, and the fourth traveling unit 121d may be configured to travel in a direction other than the Y direction. For example, they may travel in a direction at an angle of several degrees to several tens of degrees from the Y direction. Even if the orientation of the rebar binding robot 100 is tilted due to the presence of a foreign object on the traveling first rebar R10, for example, the rebar binding unit 110 of the rebar binding robot 100 can perform the binding operation of the intersection c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 by moving so as to almost follow the first rebar R10. Furthermore, for example, even in a construction site where the first reinforcing bar R10 is arranged in a curved shape, the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d may be configured to move in a curved shape to follow the curved first reinforcing bar R10, and in this case, the first direction, which is the extension direction of the first reinforcing bar R10, may be different for each point that constitutes the curve.

[0019] 1 and 2, and FIG. 3 described later, the sensor unit 130 has a sensor 130a, a sensor 130b, a sensor 130c, and a sensor 130d (also referred to as a "first sensor", a "second sensor", a "third sensor", and a "fourth sensor" in this embodiment, respectively). The first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b are arranged apart from each other along the Y direction in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 (the direction in which the straight line connecting the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b extends is also referred to as a "third direction" in this embodiment). In addition, the fourth sensor 130d is arranged on the side opposite to the side on which the third sensor 130c of the rebar tying robot 100 is provided (the side on the far side of the paper in Figures 1 and 2), and the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other along a direction intersecting the Y direction in Figures 1 and 2 (the X direction in the example shown in Figures 1 and 2; in this embodiment, the direction in which the straight line connecting the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d extends is also referred to as the "fourth direction").

[0020] The first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d are configured to be capable of detecting the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20. For example, the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b may be configured to be capable of detecting the first rebar R10, and the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d may be configured to be capable of detecting the second rebar R20. Alternatively, the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d may all be configured to be capable of detecting the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20.

[0021] Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the rebar tying robot 100 seen from above (above in the Z direction), and Fig. 4 shows a plan view of the rebar tying robot 100 seen from below (below in the Z direction).

[0022] As can be seen from FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the first traveling unit 121a and the second traveling unit 121b may be disposed on one side and the other side of the fourth direction (X direction) with respect to the first sensor 130a (the left side and the right side in the X direction, respectively, in FIG. 3). Also, the third traveling unit 121c and the fourth traveling unit 121d may be disposed on one side and the other side of the fourth direction (X direction) with respect to the second sensor 130b. In other words, the first sensor 130a may be disposed between the first traveling unit 121a and the second traveling unit 121b in the fourth direction. Similarly, the second sensor 130b may be disposed between the third traveling unit 121c and the fourth traveling unit 121d in the fourth direction.

[0023] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the third sensor 130c may be arranged between the first running unit 121a and the third running unit 121c in the third direction (Y direction in Figures 3 and 4), and similarly, the fourth sensor 130d may be arranged between the second running unit 121b and the fourth running unit 121d in the third direction (Y direction).

[0024] Also, for example, the camera constituting the first sensor 130a may be disposed on a straight line passing through the rotation axis 128a of the first roller part 122a constituting the first traveling unit 121a and the rotation axis 128b of the second roller part 122b constituting the second traveling unit 121b, or in front of the straight line passing through the rotation axis 128a and the rotation axis 128b (+Y direction in FIG. 4). Similarly, the camera constituting the second sensor 130b may be disposed on a straight line passing through the rotation axis 128c of the third roller part 122c constituting the third traveling unit 121c and the rotation axis 128d of the fourth roller part 122d constituting the fourth traveling unit 121d, or behind the straight line passing through the rotation axis 128c and the rotation axis 128d (-Y direction in FIG. 4).

[0025] 3 and 4, the first sensor 130a is disposed in front of the main unit 140 in the Y-axis direction (+Y direction). Similarly, the second sensor 130b is disposed behind the main unit 140 in the Y-axis direction (-Y direction). The third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are disposed on the left and right sides of the main unit 140 in the X-direction in a top view in FIG. 3. That is, as can be seen from FIG. 4, for example, in this embodiment, the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d are disposed on the outer edge of a rectangle virtually formed by connecting the first traveling unit 121a, the second traveling unit 121b, the third traveling unit 121c, and the fourth traveling unit 121d near their centers in a plan view of the rebar binding robot 100, or inside the outer edge of the rectangle. The rectangle virtually formed by the first to fourth traveling units 121a to 121d may be a square, for example, when the distances between the traveling units in the X and Y directions are substantially equal, and in this case, the first to fourth sensors 130a to 130d may be arranged on the outer edge of the virtual square or inside the virtual square. Depending on the arrangement of the first to fourth traveling units 121a to 121d, the first to fourth traveling units 121a to 121d may virtually form a quadrangle other than a rectangle or a square, and even in this case, the first to fourth sensors 130a to 130d may be arranged on the outer edge of the virtual quadrangle or inside the virtual quadrangle.

[0026] 1 and 3, the main body unit 140 may have a main body upper surface 142. The main body upper surface 142 may have, for example, a circular hole 144 formed near the center, and the rebar binding unit 110 may be arranged to pass through the hole 144.

[0027] In this embodiment, the rebar tying robot 100 may include, for example, two support bars 150 (a first support bar 150a and a second support bar 150b, respectively). The first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b are bars extending in one direction, and are provided parallel to, for example, a fourth direction (the X direction in Figs. 1 to 4). Therefore, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b are provided parallel to, for example, the horizontal direction. Also, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b may be provided so as to be spaced apart from each other in the Y direction (the third direction). The first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b may be configured to support the main body unit 140, etc. of the rebar binding robot 100, for example, when the rebar binding robot 100 moves laterally (the X direction in Figures 1 to 4, the fourth direction in the rebar binding robot 100).

[0028] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 with the reinforcing bar tying unit 110 removed, as viewed from the diagonally right rear direction. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 with the reinforcing bar tying unit 110 removed, as viewed from the diagonally right front direction. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the reinforcing bar tying unit 110 may be provided so as to be movable in the up-down direction (Z direction in FIG. 1) while penetrating the hole 144. As a result, for example, when the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 reaches the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20, the reinforcing bar tying unit 110 is lowered to tie the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 has reels 180a and 180b. The reels 180a and 180b contain wires used for bundling reinforcing bars, and when the reinforcing bar bundling unit 110 bundles the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20, the wires contained in the reels 180a and / or 180b are pulled out to bundle the intersection c12. Although not described in detail, the reinforcing bar bundling unit 110 is provided with a wire twisting unit 114 (FIG. 5) at one end (the lower end in the Z direction in FIG. 5) of the reinforcing bar bundling unit 110, which has a wire guide or the like and is configured to perform reinforcing bar bundling work. The reinforcing bar bundling work of the wire twisting unit 114 may be realized, for example, by a function similar to that of a known reinforcing bar bundling machine.

[0029] Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating the functional block configuration of the rebar binding robot 100. As shown in Fig. 7, the rebar binding robot 100 may include a control unit 160, a lateral movement unit 146, and a storage device 198 in addition to the above-mentioned rebar binding unit 110, traveling unit 121, sensor unit 130, etc.

[0030] The control unit 160 is configured to control the movement and binding work performed by the rebar binding robot 100. The control unit 160 may include a sensor detection result acquisition unit 162, a determination unit 164, an intersection point calculation unit 166 (also referred to as an "intersection point estimation unit" or an "intersection point estimation unit" in this embodiment), a rebar binding unit control unit 168, a rebar tracking control unit 170, a stop control unit 172, a movement amount calculation unit 174, a posture control unit 176, a motor control unit 178, and a foreign object detouring control unit 179.

[0031] In the rebar binding robot 100 of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the control unit 160 is disposed on the opposite side of the rebar binding unit 110 to the reels 180a and 180b in the Y direction. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, the reels 180a and 180b are disposed in the -Y direction of the rebar binding unit 110, whereas the control unit 160 is disposed in the +Y direction of the rebar binding unit 110. The reel wound with wire becomes relatively heavy, particularly immediately after replacement, but by disposing the control unit 160 on the opposite side of the rebar binding unit 110, it is possible to balance the weight.

[0032] The lateral movement unit 146 (FIG. 7) is configured to control the movement of the main unit 140 of the rebar binding robot 100. In the rebar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the rebar binding robot 100 may be moved in the horizontal direction by the lateral movement unit 146. The lateral movement unit 146 may include a first lateral movement motor 146a and a second lateral movement motor 146b, and for example, when the rebar binding robot 100 moves laterally, the main unit 140 may be moved horizontally by the two motors 146a and 146b.

[0033] The storage device 198 may include, for example, a storage medium (e.g., a semiconductor memory device) or other media for non-transitoryly storing one or more computer programs executed in the control unit 160, data used to control the rebar tying robot 100, and the like. The storage device 198 may include, for example, a template database 198t. The template database 198t may store, for example, as described below, template images used when detecting the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 using template matching based on the detection results of the sensor unit 130, or data obtained by performing image processing such as frequency analysis on the template images. The control unit 160 may further include a template data creation unit, and may be configured to create template data based on images captured by the sensor unit 130 according to the site where the rebar tying work is to be performed, and store the template data in the template database 198t. The template data stored in the template database 198t may be accumulated, for example, when new template data is created, or may be deleted when the bundling work at each construction site is completed. Alternatively, the created template data may be configured to be stored in the template database 198t of the storage device 198 for a certain period of time and then deleted, for example, periodically.

[0034] The sensor detection result acquisition unit 162 acquires the detection results by the sensor unit 130. For example, the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d of the sensor unit 130 may be used to determine the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 by the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 of the determination unit 164 described later. In addition, the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d may be used to determine the position of the end of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the end of the second reinforcing bar R20 by the first reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b1 and / or the second reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b2 of the determination unit 164.

[0035] The determination unit 164 may include a first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1, a second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2, a first reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b1, a second reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b2, a posture determination unit 164c, an obstacle determination unit 164d, and a robot height calculation unit 164e. The first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 determine the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 using, for example, the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d acquired by the sensor detection result acquisition unit 162. As described later, the first rebar determination unit 164a1 and the second rebar determination unit 164a2 may determine the position of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 by performing template matching based on the captured images that are the detection results of the first sensor 130a to the fourth sensor 130d.

[0036] The first reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b1 and the second reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b2 determine the end of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the end of the second reinforcing bar R20, for example, using the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d acquired by the sensor detection result acquisition unit 162. The first reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b1 and the second reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b2 may also determine the position of the end of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the end of the second reinforcing bar R20 based on template matching, similar to the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2.

[0037] The robot height calculation unit 164e may calculate the height of the rebar binding robot 100 from the group of rebars R based on, for example, the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d. For example, when the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 are imaged by the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d (e.g., when an area including the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 is imaged), the robot height calculation unit 164e may calculate the height of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 from the group of reinforcing bars R by calculating the distance of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 from the group of reinforcing bars R based on the relative size of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 in the image of the imaged first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20.

[0038] The height of the rebar binding robot 100 from the group of rebars R may be calculated, for example, based on the angle of the traveling unit 121. As shown in Fig. 6, the traveling unit 121a has a first main body side link part 125a connected to the main body unit 140 and a first roller side link part 123a connected to the first roller part 122a, and the first main body side link part 125a and the first roller side link part 123a may form a link mechanism. At this time, the link angle formed by the first main body side link part 125a and the first roller side link part 123a may be detected by the first link angle detection sensor 134a (Fig. 7) of the sensor unit 130, and the height of the first traveling unit 121a may be calculated based on the link angle.

[0039] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 2, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d have the second body side link portion 125b and the second roller side link portion 123b, the third body side link portion 125c and the third roller side link portion 123c, and the fourth body side link portion 125d and the fourth roller side link portion 123d, and the heights of the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d may be calculated by detecting the link angles formed by the second body side link portion 125b and the second roller side link portion 123b, the third body side link portion 125c and the third roller side link portion 123c, and the fourth body side link portion 125d and the fourth roller side link portion 123d using the second link angle detection sensor 134b, the third link angle detection sensor 134c, and the fourth link angle detection sensor 134d, respectively.

[0040] The robot height calculation unit 164e may calculate the height of the rebar binding robot 100 from the group of rebars R based on the thus calculated heights (heights from the group of rebars R) of the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d. For example, the height of the rebar binding robot 100 may be calculated from the average value of some or all of the calculated heights of the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d. Also, for example, when the rebar binding robot 100 is positioned parallel or nearly parallel to a virtual plane formed by the group of rebars R, the height of the rebar binding robot 100 may be determined from any one of the heights of the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d.

[0041] 7, the sensor unit 130 may include an inclination detection sensor 132 in addition to the above-mentioned first sensor 130a to fourth sensor 130d. As the inclination detection sensor 132, a sensor capable of detecting the inclination angle of the rebar binding robot 100, such as a known inclination sensor or horizontal sensor, may be used. The sensor detection result acquisition unit 162 may also acquire the detection result of the inclination detection sensor 132. Based on the detection result of the inclination detection sensor 132, for example, the posture of the rebar binding robot 100 may be determined by the posture determination unit 164c of the determination unit 164, and based on the determination result of the posture determination unit 164c, the posture control unit 176 may drive the height changing motors 126 of the running units 121 (the first height changing motor 126a of the first running unit 121a, the second height changing motor 126b of the second running unit 121b, the third height changing motor 126c of the third running unit 121c, and / or the height changing motor 126d of the fourth running unit 121d) to adjust the posture of the rebar binding robot 100.

[0042] The rebar binding robot 100 may drive the height changing motor 126 based on the detection result of the inclination detection sensor 132 so that the main unit 140 is parallel to the surface formed by the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 (also referred to as the "rebar surface" in this embodiment). For example, if the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 are arranged so that the rebar surface extends horizontally, and the rebar binding robot 100 is tilted in the X direction, the height of the first running unit 121a and the third running unit 121c, or the second running unit 121b and the fourth running unit 121d, among the first running unit 121a to the fourth running unit 121d, may be changed to adjust the posture of the rebar binding robot 100.

[0043] The intersection point calculation unit 166 estimates the intersection point c12 by calculating the intersection point c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20. For example, as described below, the intersection point calculation unit 166 may calculate the position of the intersection point c12 based on the positions of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 determined by the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2. Based on the calculated position of the intersection point c12, the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 may perform binding work using the reinforcing bar binding unit 110. Based on the estimated position of the intersection point c12, the motor control unit 178 may adjust the position of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 by the first traveling unit 121a, the second traveling unit 121b, the third traveling unit 121c, and / or the fourth traveling unit 121d so that the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 is on the intersection point c12.

[0044] The reinforcing bar binding unit control unit 168 controls the movement of the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 by controlling the reinforcing bar binding unit moving unit 168m. The reinforcing bar binding unit 110 can take a binding position where the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 performs a binding operation to bind the intersection c12 where the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 intersect, and a retreat position where the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 retreats after the completion of the binding operation while moving to the intersection c12 where the next binding operation is performed. The reinforcing bar binding unit 110 moves in the -Z direction when moving from the retreat position to the binding position, and moves in the +Z direction when moving from the binding position to the retreat position. Such movement of the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 in the Z direction is realized by the reinforcing bar binding unit moving unit 168m composed of, for example, a motor. The reinforcing bar binding unit control unit 168 controls the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 in the Z direction by the reinforcing bar binding unit moving unit 168m.

[0045] The rebar binding unit control unit 168 also controls the binding operation of the rebar binding unit 110 at the intersection c12 after the rebar binding unit 110 moves to the binding position. For example, the binding work by the rebar binding unit 110, which is performed using a wire drawn out from the wire reel 180 by a wire drawing unit described later, is controlled by the rebar binding unit control unit 168. For example, after moving the rebar binding robot 100 by the first traveling unit 121a, the second traveling unit 121b, the third traveling unit 121c, and / or the fourth traveling unit 121d so that the rebar binding unit 110 is positioned above the intersection c12, the rebar binding unit control unit 168 may control the rebar binding unit moving unit 168m to lower the rebar binding unit 110 to the binding position so as to approach the intersection c12, and perform binding at the intersection c12.

[0046] The rebar following control unit 170 may, for example, control the traveling unit 121 by the motor control unit 178 so that the rebar binding robot 100 follows the first rebar R10 while traveling, based on information such as the position of the first rebar R10 determined by the first rebar determination unit 164a1. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, when the rebar binding robot 100 travels over the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14, the drive motors of the traveling unit 121 (the first wheel drive motor 124a that drives the first roller unit 122a, the second wheel drive motor 124b that drives the second roller unit 122b, the third wheel drive motor 124c that drives the third roller unit 122c, and / or the fourth wheel drive motor 124d that drives the fourth roller unit 122d) may be driven so that the rebar binding robot 100 does not come off the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14.

[0047] For example, among the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and the fourth wheel drive motor 124d, the first wheel drive motor 124a and the third wheel drive motor 124c which are the drive motors of the first running unit 121a and the third running unit 121c which are arranged at the same position or approximately the same position in the X direction, may be accelerated or decelerated relative to the second wheel drive motor 124b and the fourth wheel drive motor 124d which are the drive motors of the second running unit 121b and the fourth running unit 121d which are arranged on the other side in the X direction, thereby adjusting the position of the rebar binding robot 100 and making the rebar binding robot 100 run to follow the first rebar R10.

[0048] Alternatively, the rebar following control unit 170 may adjust the rotation speed of the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and / or the fourth wheel drive motor 124d, for example, to cause the rebar binding robot 100 to travel so as to follow the first rebar R10. For example, by setting one or more rotation speeds of the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and the fourth wheel drive motor 124d to different rotation speeds from the rotation speeds of the other wheel drive motors, or by setting all of the rotation speeds of the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and the fourth wheel drive motor 124d to different rotation speeds from each other, the rebar binding robot 100 can be made to flexibly follow the first rebar R10.

[0049] The stop control unit 172 is configured to control the stopping operation of the rebar binding robot 100. For example, as described below, when the rebar binding robot 100, which has traveled over the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14, is determined by the first rebar end determination unit 164b1 and / or the second rebar end determination unit 164b2 to be in the vicinity of the end of the first rebar R13 or approaching the end, based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d, the stop control unit 172 may control the motor control unit 178 to drive and stop the first wheel drive motor 124a to the fourth wheel drive motor 124d, thereby stopping the rebar binding robot 100. In addition, the rebar tying robot 100 may be stopped not only at the end of the first rebar R13, but also when it is determined that the rebar tying robot 100 is near the end of the first rebar R12 and / or the end of the first rebar R14, or is approaching the end, instead of or in addition to the end.

[0050] In addition, the stop control unit 172 may stop the rebar binding robot 100, for example, when the intersection point c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 is calculated by the above-mentioned intersection point calculation unit 166, in order to bind the intersection point c12 with the rebar binding unit 110.

[0051] The movement amount calculation unit 174 may be configured to calculate the amount of movement when the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 moves laterally (in the X direction), for example. For example, as described above, when the first reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b1 and / or the second reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b2 determine that the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 is near or approaching the end of the first reinforcing bar R12 and the end of the first reinforcing bar R14, the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 completes the reinforcing bar binding work at the intersection c12 on the first reinforcing bar R13 located between the first reinforcing bar R12 and the first reinforcing bar R14, moves to another first reinforcing bar R10, and starts the reinforcing bar binding work at the intersection c12.

[0052] For example, when the rebar binding robot 100 completes the rebar binding work at the intersection c12 on the first rebar R13 and then performs the rebar binding work at the intersection c12 on the first rebar R14, the rebar binding robot 100 moves in the X direction by one interval for the interval in the X direction between the first rebars R10. At this time, the movement amount calculation unit 174 may calculate the movement amount based on the interval in the X direction between adjacent first rebars R10 based on the information on the position of the first rebars R10 determined by the first rebar determination unit 164a1. Similarly, when the rebar binding robot 100 performs the rebar binding work at the intersection c12 on first rebars R10 that are separated by two or more in the X direction, the movement amount may be calculated based on the interval between the first rebars R10. In addition, the lateral movement unit 146 may perform the lateral movement (e.g., horizontal movement) of the main unit 140 during the lateral movement based on the calculated movement amount. The movement amount calculation unit 174 may calculate the amount of movement in a direction other than the horizontal movement amount. For example, the movement amount calculation unit 174 may calculate the amount of vertical movement (movement in a first direction, Y direction) of the rebar binding robot 100 based on the detection results of the sensors 130a to 130d, the determination results by the rebar end determination unit 164b1 and / or the rebar end determination unit 164b2, etc.

[0053] As the sensor unit 130, for example, a camera capable of taking two-dimensional or three-dimensional images may be used, and the position of the foreign object may be determined, for example, by the obstacle determination unit 164d of the determination unit 164 based on the detection result of the sensor unit 130. At a construction site where reinforcing bars are assembled, for example, tools or the like may be left on the surface of the reinforcing bars, or workers may be working on the reinforcing bars. These may be detected as foreign objects based on the detection result by the sensor unit 130, and the foreign object detouring control unit 179 may be configured to drive the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and / or the fourth wheel drive motor 124d by the motor control unit 178 to detouring the foreign object based on the detection result of the foreign object. Alternatively, the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 may be configured to detouring the foreign object by performing a lateral movement described later.

[0054] The control unit 160 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that corresponds to a calculation unit, and is a control unit that controls the execution of computer programs stored in the storage device 198 and calculates and processes data. The processor is a calculation unit that executes programs that execute the operations of the rebar tying robot 100 (rebar tracking and traveling, lateral movement (e.g., horizontal movement), rebar tying work, etc.) using each detection data, etc. Each unit of the control unit (for example, the sensor detection result acquisition unit 162, etc.) is realized by the processor executing the programs stored in the storage device 198.

[0055] The storage device 198 may have, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The RAM is a memory section in which data can be rewritten, and may be composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory element. The RAM may store programs executed by the processor and data required for executing the programs (for example, template data used to determine the position of rebar based on the detection results of the sensor unit 130, as described below). Note that these are merely examples, and the RAM may store data other than these, or some of these data may not be stored.

[0056] The ROM is a storage unit from which data can be read, and may be configured, for example, with a semiconductor memory element. The ROM may store, for example, programs executed by the control unit 160 and data that is not rewritten.

[0057] The program executed by the control unit 160 may be provided by being stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a memory device 198 (e.g., a RAM or a ROM), or, if the rebar binding robot 100 of this embodiment has a communication unit (not shown), the program may be provided via a communication network connected by the communication unit.

[0058] The above physical configuration is merely an example, and in the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 160 and the storage device 198 do not necessarily have to be independent. For example, the rebar tying robot 100 may be equipped with an LSI (Large-Scale Integration) that integrates a processor and memory. The rebar tying robot 100 may also be equipped with a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit) as the control unit 160, and the GPU may execute a program to realize the various operations described above.

[0059] Next, the running operation of the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 on the reinforcing bar will be described with reference to Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. Fig. 8 is a view of the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 running along the first reinforcing bar R10 as viewed from the Y direction (-Y direction). Fig. 9 is a view of the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 running along the first reinforcing bar R10 as viewed from the X direction (+X direction). In Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 runs in a first direction (Y direction). As shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 runs such that the third roller part 122c of the third running unit 121c is on the first reinforcing bar R12 and the fourth roller part 122d of the fourth running unit 121d is on the first reinforcing bar R14. As shown in Fig. 9, the second roller part 122b of the second running unit 121b also runs on the first rebar R14, similar to the fourth roller part 122d of the fourth running unit 121d. Although not shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the first roller part 122a of the first running unit 121a also runs on the first rebar R12, similar to the third roller part 122c of the third running unit 121c. In this way, when the rebar tying robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure runs along the first rebar R10, it runs, for example, between a certain first rebar R10 (first rebar R12) and a first rebar R10 (first rebar R14) that is located two bars away from the certain first rebar R12, and ties the intersection c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 that is located on the first rebar R13, which is the first rebar R10 that is located between the running first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14.

[0060] Next, the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 during reinforcing bar bundling work will be described with reference to Figs. 10, 11, and 12. Fig. 10 is a view of the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 performing bundling work, seen from the Y direction (-Y direction) after stopping its travel. Fig. 11 is a view of the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 performing bundling work, seen from the X direction (+X direction). Fig. 12 is a view of the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 performing bundling work, seen from below in the Z direction (-Z direction). Figs. 10, 11, and 12 show an example in which the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 bundles the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R13 and the second reinforcing bar R20. When performing bundling work, the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 stops its travel (Fig. 10) and lowers the reinforcing bar bundling unit 110 to perform bundling (Figs. 11 and 12).

[0061] Next, the arrangement and configuration of the first roller portion 122a (an example of a "first wheel"), second roller portion 122b (an example of a "second wheel"), third roller portion 122c (an example of a "third wheel"), and fourth roller portion 122d (an example of a "fourth wheel") of the rebar binding robot 100 in this embodiment will be described.

[0062] The inventors of the present application focused on the fact that the pitch of the first rebar R10 along which the rebar tying robot 100 runs may vary depending on the type of reinforced concrete structure, and devised a wheel arrangement and configuration for running on multiple types of rebars arranged at different pitches. 13A and 13B are front views of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 traveling on a plurality of first reinforcing bars R10 arranged at a pitch of 130 mm (an example of the "first pitch P1") and a pitch of 220 mm (an example of the "second pitch P2"), as examples of the pitch of the first reinforcing bars R10, as viewed from the +Y direction, which is the traveling direction of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100. The arrangement and configuration of the wheels will be described in detail below.

[0063] The first roller portion 122a is configured to be able to run on one first rebar R10 (e.g., the first rebar R12) by rotating while in contact with the first rebar R10. As described above, the first roller portion 122a is rotationally driven by the first wheel drive motor 124a (FIG. 7) of the first traveling unit 121a.

[0064] Here, the first roller portion 122a is formed in a cylindrical shape having a central axis extending in a direction (eg, X direction) perpendicular to the traveling direction (eg, +Y direction). With this configuration, the first roller part 122a and the rebar binding robot 100 are configured to be able to run on the first rebar R10 regardless of where the first rebar R12 is in contact with the first roller part 122a in the width direction (X direction).

[0065] As shown in the figure, a pair of flanges 122aX protruding in the vertical direction when viewed from the front in the +Y direction may be formed on both ends of the first roller portion 122a in the width direction (X direction). By forming the flanges 122aX, it is possible to prevent the first roller portion 122a from coming off the first reinforcing bar R12 and running off.

[0066] [Roller width] Here, the width W1 of the first roller part 122a (the width of the area in the X direction, which is perpendicular to the traveling direction, in which the first roller part 122a can run by rotating while in contact with the first rebar R10) is formed to be larger than the difference between the two pitches in which the rebar tying robot 100 is expected to run, i.e., the difference between the second pitch P2 and the first pitch P1. For example, when the second pitch P2 is 220 mm and the first pitch P1 is 130 mm, the difference between the second pitch P2 and the first pitch P1 is 90 mm. Therefore, the width of the first roller portion 122a is formed to be greater than 90 mm.

[0067] The interval between any first reinforcing bar R10 arranged at the first pitch P1 (FIG. 13A) and any first reinforcing bar R10 arranged at the second pitch P2 (FIG. 13B) is equal to or less than the difference between the two pitches. For example, as shown in FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B, when a first reinforcing bar R13, which is a first reinforcing bar R10 tied to a second reinforcing bar R20, is present between the first roller part 122a and the second roller part 122b in the width direction (X direction), the interval between the first reinforcing bar R12 adjacent to the first reinforcing bar R13 in FIG. 13A and the first reinforcing bar R12 adjacent to the first reinforcing bar R13 in FIG. 13B is 90 mm, which is the difference between the two pitches. Therefore, by forming the width W1 of the first roller portion 122a to be greater than 90 mm, the first roller portion 122a is capable of running over the first reinforcing bar R12 adjacent to the first reinforcing bar R13 to be bundled, even when the reinforcing bars are arranged at the first pitch P1 (Figure 13A), even when the reinforcing bars are arranged at the second pitch P2 (Figure 13B), and even when the reinforcing bars are arranged at any pitch greater than the first pitch P1 and less than the second pitch P2.

[0068] More specifically, when the first reinforcing bars R10 are arranged with a first pitch P1, the first roller portion 122a is capable of running over the first reinforcing bars R12 with an area inside the widthwise center of the first roller portion 122a in contact with the first reinforcing bars R12, and when the first reinforcing bars R10 are arranged with a second pitch P2, the first roller portion 122a is capable of running over the first reinforcing bars R12 with an area outside the widthwise center of the first roller portion 122a in contact with the first reinforcing bars R12.

[0069] Here, the second pitch P2 may be, for example, set in the specifications as the pitch of rebars that the rebar tying robot R100 can tie, or may be the maximum value at which the rebar tying robot R100 can reasonably travel, and the first pitch P1 may be set in the specifications as the pitch of rebars that the rebar tying robot R100 can tie, or may be the minimum value at which the rebar tying robot R100 can reasonably travel. For example, the second pitch P2 may be greater than 1.5 times and less than 2.5 times the first pitch P1.

[0070] On the other hand, the width W1 of the first roller portion 122a is configured to be smaller than the difference between 1.5 times the second pitch P2 and 0.5 times the first pitch P1. For example, when the second pitch P2 is 220 mm and the first pitch P1 is 130 mm, the difference between 1.5 times the second pitch P2 (330 mm) and 0.5 times the first pitch P1 (65 mm) is 265 mm. Therefore, the width W1 of the first roller portion 122a is formed to be smaller than 265 mm. According to this configuration, in either case where the first reinforcing bars R10 are arranged at the first pitch P1 or the second pitch P2, when the first reinforcing bar R13, which is the first reinforcing bar R10 to be tied to the second reinforcing bar R20, is present at the intermediate position between the first roller part 122a and the second roller part 122b in the width direction (X direction), the first roller part 122a can run on one reinforcing bar, the first reinforcing bar R12 adjacent to the first reinforcing bar R13 to be tied. This makes it possible to run on reinforcing bars with different pitches P1 and P2 without requiring prior adjustment.

[0071] Here, the width W1 of the first roller part 122a may be less than twice the first pitch P1 (i.e., less than 260 mm in this embodiment). According to this configuration, even if the first reinforcing bars R10 are arranged at the first pitch P1, when the first reinforcing bar R13, which is the first reinforcing bar R10 to be tied to the second reinforcing bar R20, is present at the intermediate position between the first roller part 122a and the second roller part 122b in the width direction (X direction), the first roller part 122a can run on one (single) first reinforcing bar R12 adjacent to the first reinforcing bar R13 to be tied at the center in the width direction.

[0072] The second roller portion 122b, the third roller portion 122c, and the fourth roller portion 122d may have the same configuration as the first roller portion 122a, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. That is, the second roller portion 122b, the third roller portion 122c, and the fourth roller portion 122d are configured to be able to run on the first rebar R14, the first rebar R12, and the first rebar R14, respectively, by rotating on the first rebar R10 while in contact with the first rebar R10, and the width of each roller portion, including the width W2 (FIGS. 13A and 13B) of the second roller portion 122b, is configured to be larger than the difference between the two pitches on which the rebar binding robot 100 is expected to run, that is, the difference between the second pitch P2 and the first pitch P1, and smaller than the difference between 1.5 times the second pitch P2 and 0.5 times the first pitch P1.

[0073] The first roller part 122a and the third roller part 122c arranged in the front-rear direction each rotate and run on the same reinforcing bar (for example, the first reinforcing bar R12), and the second roller part 122b and the fourth roller part 122d arranged in the front-rear direction each rotate and run on the same reinforcing bar (for example, the first reinforcing bar R14). Also, a configuration including the first wheel drive motor 124a that drives the first roller part 122a and the second wheel drive motor 124b that drives the second roller part 122b may be collectively referred to as a drive part.

[0074] [Spacing between rollers] Next, the interval SP between the first roller portion 122a and the second roller portion 122b will be described. The interval SP between the first roller portion 122a and the second roller portion 122b is preferably larger than the first pitch P1.

[0075] With this configuration, it is possible to run the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 so that at least one first reinforcing bar R10 (the first reinforcing bar R13 in Figs. 13A and 13B) is present in the region between the region where the first roller unit 122a is provided and the region where the second roller unit 122b is provided in the X direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction. Therefore, the first sensor 130a (an example of a "detection unit") and the second sensor 130b (an example of a "detection unit") provided between the first roller unit 122a and the second roller unit 122b are able to detect the first reinforcing bar R13 located between the first reinforcing bar R12 with which the first roller unit 122a comes into contact and the first reinforcing bar R14 with which the second roller unit 122b comes into contact.

[0076] Therefore, the rebar binding robot 100 is configured such that the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b detect the first rebar R13, which is the middle one of the three adjacent first rebars R10, and the first roller unit 122a runs while rotating on the adjacent first rebar R12 on the one hand, and the second roller unit 122b runs while rotating on the adjacent first rebar R14 on the other hand. Then, the drive unit including the first wheel drive motor 124a and the second wheel drive motor 124b is configured to rotate and drive the first roller unit 122a and the second roller unit 122b based on the position of the middle first rebar R13 detected by the first sensor 130a and / or the position of the middle first rebar R13 detected by the second sensor 130b.

[0077] With this configuration, it is possible for the sensor unit 130 to detect the first rebar R10 immediately adjacent to the first rebar R10 across which the two rollers, the first roller part 122a and the second roller part 122b, run, and for the first roller part 122a and the second roller part 122b to be driven to rotate based on the detection results, making it possible to run the rebar binding robot 100 with high accuracy. In addition, the first rebar R10 detected by the sensor unit 130 is bound using the rebar binding unit 110 (an example of a "binding part"), making it possible to detect the binding position with high accuracy.

[0078] Moreover, the interval SP between the first roller portion 122a and the second roller portion 122b (the distance between the inner end of the first roller portion 122a and the inner end of the second roller portion 122b) is preferably smaller than twice the first pitch P1.

[0079] If the distance SP between the first roller portion 122a and the second roller portion 122b were to be greater than twice the first pitch P1, there would be a possibility that the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b would detect two or more first reinforcing bars R10. However, by making the distance SP smaller than twice the first pitch P1, it is possible to identify that the first reinforcing bar R10 detected by the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b is the middle first reinforcing bar R13. In this embodiment, since the first pitch P1 is 130 mm, it is preferable that the interval SP between the first roller portion 122a and the second roller portion 122b is greater than 130 mm and smaller than 260 mm.

[0080] In addition, when each roller part including first roller part 122a has an inner surface as in this embodiment, it can be said that the distance between the inner surface (the side facing inward) of first roller part 122a and the inner surface (the side facing inward) of second roller part 122b is preferably greater than 130 mm and less than 260 mm.

[0081] On the other hand, it is preferable that the distance between the outer end of the first roller portion 122a and the outer end of the second roller portion 122b in a direction (e.g., X direction) perpendicular to the traveling direction (e.g., +Y direction) is greater than twice the second pitch P2, i.e., 440 mm, and less than three times the second pitch P2, i.e., 660 mm.

[0082] When the distance between the outer end (outer surface) of the first roller portion 122a and the outer end (outer surface) of the second roller portion 122b is greater than 440 mm and less than 660 mm, when arranged at the second pitch P2, there will always be three first reinforcing bars R10 between the outer end (outer surface) of the first roller portion 122a and the outer end (outer surface) of the second roller portion 122b.

[0083] Therefore, in the rebar binding robot 100, the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b detect the first rebar R13, which is the middle one of the three adjacent first rebars R10, and the first roller unit 122a runs while rotating on the adjacent first rebar R12, and the second roller unit 122b runs while rotating on the other adjacent first rebar R14. Therefore, the drive unit including the first wheel drive motor 124a and the second wheel drive motor 124b can rotate and drive the first roller unit 122a and the second roller unit 122b based on the position of the middle first rebar R13 detected by the first sensor 130a and / or the position of the middle first rebar R13 detected by the second sensor 130b.

[0084] The above-described arrangement and configuration of the first roller portion 122a and the second roller portion 122b are the same as those of the third roller portion 122c and the fourth roller portion 122d, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. However, the first roller unit 122a and the second roller unit 122b of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 do not have to have the same configuration as the third roller unit 122c and the fourth roller unit 122d. For example, the reinforcing bar binding robot may have any of the configurations of the first roller unit 122a and the second roller unit 122b described above as the third roller unit 122c and the fourth roller unit 122d, but may not have configurations corresponding to the first roller unit 122a and the second roller unit 122b. For example, this reinforcing bar binding robot may have a tricycle configuration equipped with a third roller unit that runs on the first reinforcing bar R13, which is the single middle first reinforcing bar R10, instead of the first roller unit 122a and the second roller unit 122b.

[0085] As shown in Figures 13A and 13B, the rebar binding robot 100 configured as described above is configured to be able to run on multiple first rebars R10 arranged at a pitch of 130 mm (first pitch P1), and is also configured to be able to run on multiple first rebars R10 arranged at a pitch of 220 mm (second pitch P2), which is larger than the 130 mm pitch.

[0086] The rebar binding robot 100 having the above-mentioned configuration can also travel continuously between a first travel area where the multiple first rebars R10 are arranged at a first pitch P1 of 130 mm and a second travel area where the multiple first rebars R10 are arranged at a second pitch P2 of 220 mm. Here, the rebar binding robot 100 can also travel over multiple first rebars R10 arranged at any pitch larger than the first pitch P1 and smaller than the second pitch P2, so it can travel while binding even in an area where the arrangement pitch varies to connect the first travel area and the second travel area.

[0087] The above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified / improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and equivalents are also included in the present invention. That is, those in which a person skilled in the art appropriately changes the design of each embodiment are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the characteristics of the present invention. For example, the elements and their arrangements, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, etc. of each embodiment are not limited to those exemplified, and can be appropriately changed. In addition, each embodiment is an example, and it goes without saying that partial replacement or combination of the configurations shown in different embodiments is possible, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they include the characteristics of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 100...rebar tying robot (rebar tying device), 110...rebar tying unit (tying section), 122a...first roller section (first wheel), 122b...second roller section (second wheel), 122c...third roller section (first wheel), 122d...fourth roller section (second wheel), 124a...first wheel drive motor (drive section), 124b...second wheel drive motor (drive section), 124c...third wheel drive motor (drive section), 124d...fourth wheel drive motor (drive section), 130a, 130b...sensor (detection section).

Claims

1. A reinforcing bar binding device configured to be capable of running on a plurality of reinforcing bars arranged at a first pitch and configured to be capable of running on a plurality of reinforcing bars arranged at a second pitch larger than the first pitch, a first wheel that rotates on the reinforcing bar and has a width that is greater than a difference between the second pitch and the first pitch and smaller than a difference between 1.5 times the second pitch and 0.5 times the first pitch; A second wheel that rotates on a reinforcing bar different from the first wheel and has a width larger than the difference between the second pitch and the first pitch and smaller than the difference between 1.5 times the second pitch and 0.5 times the first pitch; A drive unit that rotates the first wheel and the second wheel; Equipped with Rebar tying device.

2. The second pitch is less than 2.5 times the first pitch. The rebar binding device according to claim 1.

3. A distance between the first wheel and the second wheel is greater than the first pitch and smaller than twice the first pitch. The rebar binding device according to claim 1.

4. Further, a detection unit configured to detect a reinforcing bar located between a reinforcing bar in contact with the first wheel and a reinforcing bar in contact with the second wheel is provided. The rebar binding device according to claim 1.

5. The driving unit drives and rotates the first wheel and the second wheel based on the position of the reinforcing bar detected by the detection unit. A reinforcing bar binding device according to claim 4.

6. The driving unit drives and rotates the first wheel and the second wheel so that the first wheel and the second wheel move in a width direction based on the position of the reinforcing bar detected by the detection unit. A reinforcing bar binding device according to claim 5.

7. The reinforcing bar binding device is configured to be capable of continuously traveling through a first running area in which a plurality of reinforcing bars are arranged at the first pitch and a second running area in which a plurality of reinforcing bars are arranged at the second pitch. The rebar binding device according to claim 1.

8. The width of the first wheel and the width of the second wheel are greater than 90 mm and less than 265 mm; The rebar binding device according to claim 1.

9. The distance between the outer surface of the first wheel and the outer surface of the second wheel is greater than 440 mm and less than 660 mm, and A distance between an inner surface of the first wheel and an inner surface of the second wheel is greater than 130 mm and smaller than 260 mm. The rebar binding device according to claim 1.

10. The first wheel and the second wheel have a columnar shape extending in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the reinforcing bar binding device. The rebar binding device according to claim 1.

11. The vehicle further includes a bundling unit provided between the first wheel and the second wheel and configured to bundling a reinforcing bar detected by the detection unit with another reinforcing bar that intersects with the reinforcing bar. A reinforcing bar binding device according to claim 4.

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