Robot

Abstract

To provide a robot which can achieve downsizing and weight reduction of the robot and inhibit occurrences of accidents associated with driving of a plurality of drive object parts even when having the plurality of drive object parts.SOLUTION: A robot includes: a base part; a pillar part which is provided extending from the base part in a vertical direction; arm parts movably assembled along an extending direction of the pillar part; and drive guide parts which are stretched in substantially parallel with the pillar part along the vertical direction. Each arm part includes: a power transmission member configured to engage with the drive guide part; and a lifting drive part which applies a drive force to the power transmission member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, in retail stores such as department stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, and electronics retailers, various products are displayed on shelves for sale. Consumers pick up the products they want from these shelves and purchase them. As consumers purchase products in this way, the number of products displayed on the shelves decreases, so it is necessary to replenish the shelves with products as necessary.

[0003] This type of stock replenishment work used to be done manually by store employees, but in recent years, automated guided vehicles have come into use, which can travel between the warehouse and the shelves where products are kept and display products on the shelves without the involvement of employees.

[0004] Various forms of automated guided vehicles for such work are known, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a system is known that includes an automated guided vehicle (AGV), a loading platform on the AGV that is configured and sized to hold two or more storage containers, a frame extending from the AGV, and a robotic arm mounted to the frame.

[0005] With such a system, the robot arm has a high degree of freedom that makes it easy for AGVs to pick up and place products, improving work efficiency without the involvement of employees. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2018-535163 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in warehouses and near product shelves, the spacing between shelves is usually not as wide as necessary, and there are many products in the warehouse, so there is not enough space for work, and so there has been a demand for smaller and lighter AGVs. In addition, the provision of multiple arms for the AGV is also being considered to improve the work efficiency.

[0008] Here, a lifting mechanism using an actuator is used to drive the conventional arm, and specifically, it is necessary to combine three components: an actuator that supplies power, a transmission mechanism that transmits the actuator's power, and a guide member that guides the lifting movement of the arm. With this type of lifting mechanism, when multiple drive targets such as arms and work tables are provided and driven independently, a lifting mechanism corresponding to each drive target is required, which poses the problem that it is difficult to make the AGV smaller and lighter.

[0009] In addition, AGVs working as service robots have the problem of needing to avoid accidents such as the driven part getting the limbs of an employee caught between the arm and the robot body as it rises and falls.

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a robot that can be made smaller and lighter even when it has multiple drive targets, and that reduces the occurrence of accidents associated with driving the drive targets. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The robot of the present invention which solves the above problems comprises a base, a pillar extending vertically from the base, an arm assembled so as to be movable along the extension direction of the pillar, and a drive guide stretched along the vertical direction approximately parallel to the pillar, wherein the arm comprises a power transmission member which meshes with the drive guide, and a lifting drive unit which applies a driving force to the power transmission member. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the robot of the present invention, the arm is equipped with a power transmission member that engages with a drive guide section that is stretched along the vertical direction approximately parallel to the pillar section, and a lifting drive section that applies a driving force to the power transmission member.Therefore, even if multiple arms are provided on a single drive guide section, these can be driven independently and the robot can be made smaller and lighter. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing a lifting mechanism of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining a drive guide unit of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a power transmission member of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a robot according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiment does not limit the invention according to each claim, and all combinations of features described in the embodiment are not necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0015] FIG. 1 is an oblique view of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing the lifting mechanism of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a drive guide section of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of a power transmission member of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the operation of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the operation of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a view for explaining the operation of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] 1, the robot 1 according to this embodiment includes a cart section (base section in the claims) 10 having a traveling function, a pillar section 20 having a pair of pillar sections 21, 21 extending vertically from the cart section 10 and a connecting section 22 connecting the upper ends of the pair of pillar sections 21, 21, and a pair of arms 30 and a table section 40 assembled so as to be movable along the extending direction of the pillar section 21. The pillar section 20 is covered with a cover member 2. Thus, the robot 1 according to this embodiment includes the pair of arms 30 and the table section 40 as drive target sections.

[0017] The cart unit 10 has a plurality of wheels 11, and is configured to be self-propelled by a traveling device having a drive motor, a control device, a braking device, etc. (not shown). The robot 1 according to this embodiment is self-propelled by the cart unit 10, and can move by itself to a position up to a product shelf to be replenished with products, or within a warehouse where products are stocked.

[0018] The cart section 10 has a flat box-shaped cart body 12, and the above-mentioned drive motor, control device, braking device, etc. are housed in the cart body 12. In addition, the upper surface 13 of the cart body 12 is formed flat, and can be used as a mounting space on which products and cases can be placed.

[0019] A gatepost 20 stands upright in the vertical direction (up-down direction) on the upper surface 13 of the cart body 12. The gatepost 20 is formed in a gate shape having a pair of pillars (pillar bodies) 21, 21 standing upright in the vertical direction from the upper surface 13 of the cart body 12 and a connecting portion 22 that connects the upper ends of the pillars 21, 21 to each other.

[0020] Arms 30 are attached to the front side surfaces of the pillars 21. The arms 30 are provided with a movement mechanism 70, which will be described later, and are assembled so that the arms 30 can be moved up and down on the pillars 21 by the movement mechanism 70.

[0021] Moreover, a storage section 60 is formed on the opposing side surfaces of the pillar sections 21, and multiple stages of slope members 61 are arranged at predetermined intervals so as to protrude from one pillar section 21 toward the other pillar section 21. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, the slope members 61 are arranged so as to be inclined downward with respect to the pillar sections 21.

[0022] The arm 30 comprises a base end 31 which is movably assembled to the pillar 21, a first arm 33 which is rotatably assembled to the tip of the base end 31 via a first joint 32, a second arm 35 which is rotatably assembled to the tip of the first arm 33 via a second joint 34, and a third arm 37 which is rotatably assembled to the tip of the second arm 35 via a third joint 36, and the tip of the third arm 37 comprises a gripping portion 39 which is rotatably assembled to the tip of the third arm 37 via a fourth joint 38.

[0023] The base end portion 31 is attached to the pillar portion 21 at its base end so as to be movable up and down, and a first joint portion 32 is attached above the tip end portion. The base end portion of the first joint portion 32 is attached to the base end portion 31 so as to be rotatable in the yaw direction, and a first arm portion 33 is attached to the tip end portion so as to be rotatable in the pitch direction. The first joint portion 32 rotates in the yaw direction and pitch direction described above by a motor (not shown).

[0024] The first arm portion 33 and the second arm portion 35 are long box-shaped members of roughly the same shape, and the tip side of the first arm portion 33 and the base end side of the second arm portion 35 are assembled to the second joint portion 34 and are attached so as to be freely rotatable relative to each other in the pitch direction.

[0025] The third arm 37 is a long box-shaped member, and has a third joint 36 attached to its base end, the third joint 36 having a shape similar to that of the above-mentioned first joint 32. The third joint 36 has a base end attached to the second arm 35 so as to be rotatable in the pitch direction, and a tip end attached to the third arm 37 so as to be rotatable in the yaw direction.

[0026] A gripper 39 is attached to the tip of the third arm 37 via a fourth joint 38. The base end side of the fourth joint 38 is assembled to the tip side of the third arm 37 so as to be rotatable in the pitch direction, and the tip side is assembled to the gripper 39 so as to be rotatable in the roll direction. In addition, the gripper 39 is assembled to the fourth joint 38 so as to be rotatable in the yaw direction.

[0027] The gripping section 39 has a pair of gripping claws 39a, 39a that rotate around the base end and are assembled so that the tip ends can move toward and away from each other. By rotating the tips of the gripping claws 39a in a direction in which they approach each other, an object to be operated such as a product B or a case C can be gripped, and by rotating them in a direction in which they move away from each other, the gripped object to be operated can be released.

[0028] 5, a claw portion 45 may be attached to the fourth joint portion 38 instead of the grip portion 39. The grip portion 39 and the claw portion 45 are configured to be detachable, and are configured to allow a selection of whether to use the grip portion 39 or the claw portion 45 so that an appropriate operation can be performed depending on the object to be operated.

[0029] 1, a table 40 is attached to the column 21 below the arm 30. A case C, which is an object to be operated, can be placed on the table 40, and is attached to the column 21 by a movement mechanism 70 similar to that of the arm 30 so as to be movable in the up-down direction.

[0030] Next, the moving mechanism 70 of the robot 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 4. As shown in Fig. 2, the moving mechanism 70 includes an arm moving mechanism 70a, a table moving mechanism 70b, and a drive guide unit 50 that guides the arm moving mechanism 70a and the table moving mechanism 70b. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the drive guide unit 50 is a member stretched across the vertical direction substantially parallel to the pillar 21, with its lower end folded back upward via a folded-back portion 52 and attached to its tip via an elastic force imparting means 51. The base end side of the drive guide unit 50 is fixed to the pillar 21.

[0031] The drive guide 50 is preferably a belt-shaped toothed belt such as a timing belt. A pair of drive guides 50 is provided for each pair of columns 21. The drive guide 50 is not limited to a timing belt, and may be, for example, a rack. In this case, the lower end of the rack may be fixed to the elastic force imparting means 51 without the folded-back portion 52. In this way, when the drive guide 50 is configured as a timing belt, if it is folded back upward through the folded-back portion 52, it can absorb the impact of the collision when it collides with a worker or the like as the arm 30 or the table 40 descends. That is, it is possible to absorb the above-mentioned impact by pulling the drive guide 50 without using the elastic force imparting means 51.

[0032] Since the base end side (the upper end side of the pillar 21) of the drive guide 50 is fixed to the pillar 21, a downward tension is applied by the weight of the arm moving mechanism 70a and the table moving mechanism 70b. The elastic force applying means 51 gives the drive guide 50 a predetermined elasticity, and as described below, when the drive guide 50 collides with a worker or the like as the arm 30 or the table 40 descends, it is configured to be able to absorb the impact of the collision. The elastic force applying means 51 may be made of any material as long as it can absorb the above-mentioned impact, but a coil spring is preferably used.

[0033] Moreover, one arm moving mechanism 70a is provided for each pair of arms 30, and the table moving mechanism 70b is provided on one of the pillars 21, with the table 40 being held in a so-called cantilevered state by the pillar 21. The table moving mechanism 70b is attached so as to be located lower than the arm moving mechanism 70a along the vertical direction of the pillar 21.

[0034] In this way, since the table moving mechanism 70b is held in a cantilevered state and attached lower than the arm moving mechanism 70a, multiple moving mechanisms can be attached to one drive guide section 50, multiple operations can be driven independently, and it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the robot 1. Also, since only the arm moving mechanism 70a is attached to the pillar section 21 to which the table moving mechanism 70b is not attached, the arm 30 can be moved lower than the table section 40 without interfering with the table moving mechanism 70b, allowing access to areas further downward.

[0035] Next, the configurations of the arm moving mechanism 70a and the table moving mechanism 70b will be explained. However, since the arm moving mechanism 70a and the table moving mechanism 70b have similar configurations, in the following explanation, the configuration of the table moving mechanism 70b will be explained in detail, and a detailed explanation of the arm moving mechanism 70a will be omitted.

[0036] The table moving mechanism 70b includes a moving mechanism main body 71 to which the base end side of the table portion 40 (or the base end portion 31 of the arm portion 30) is attached, a power transmission member 73 that engages with the drive guide portion 50, and a lifting drive portion 72 that applies a driving force to the power transmission member 73.

[0037] As shown in Figure 4, the moving mechanism main body 71 has a lifting drive unit mounting portion 75 for mounting the lifting drive unit 72, and a power transmission member 73 and a pair of guide rollers 74 arranged on both ends of the extension direction of the drive guide portion 50 of the power transmission member 73 are rotatably assembled to the lifting drive unit mounting portion 75.

[0038] The power transmission member 73 can be of various conventionally known configurations as long as it can transmit the driving force of the lift drive unit 72 to the drive guide unit 50, but for example, a pulley is preferably used.

[0039] The lift drive unit 72 may be of any of various known configurations as long as it can impart a predetermined driving force to the power transmission member 73. For example, an electric motor is preferably used.

[0040] Next, the operation of the robot 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0041] First, the robot 1 according to this embodiment performs image processing on images captured by cameras (not shown) attached to the cart unit 10 and gatepost unit 20, and moves by itself to a designated warehouse shelf in a warehouse. When it arrives at the designated warehouse shelf, it grasps product B (such as plastic bottles) stored on the warehouse shelf as an operation object with the gripper unit 39, carries out a predetermined number of products to case C placed on the table unit 40, and stores the case C in the storage unit 60. At this time, the designated product is recognized by image processing the images captured by a camera (not shown) attached to the arm unit 30, and carries out the required number of products to case C placed on the table unit 40.

[0042] At this time, since the table portion 40 is held in a cantilevered state by the pillar portion 21, the arm portion 30 attached to the pillar portion 21 on the side not held can move up and down along the pillar portion 21 without interfering with the table portion 40. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily grasp even products stored on the lower levels of the warehouse shelves.

[0043] When the designated quantity of the designated product has been taken out, the table portion 40 is raised or lowered to a position corresponding to any of the slope members 61 in the storage portion 60, and the arm portion 30 pushes the case C placed on the table portion 40 into the storage portion 60 to store it. At this time, since the slope member 61 has a predetermined inclination, it is possible to store the case C in the storage portion 60 by its own weight by simply pushing it slightly with the arm portion 30.

[0044] In addition, when the removed goods are to be displayed on the product shelf, the table portion 40 is raised and lowered to the slope member 61 in which the case C containing the specified goods is housed, and by hooking the outer edge of the case C with the gripping portion 39, the case C is moved from the storage portion 60 to the table portion 40, and the goods inside the case C can be displayed on the product shelf by the gripping portion 39.

[0045] In this way, according to the robot 1 of this embodiment, the space along the vertical direction of the pillar portion 21 can be utilized as the storage section 60, and product B and case C can be easily handled, so that the quantity that can be carried out at one time can be increased, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0046] Furthermore, even if the worker's limbs become caught between the arm 30 or table 40 and the cart 10 as a result of the arm 30 or table 40 descending, or if the worker collides with an obstacle, the lower end of the drive guide 50 is fixed and made elastic by the elastic force imparting means 51, so that it is possible to absorb the impact even in the event of such a collision, thereby further improving safety.

[0047] Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, by attaching a claw portion 45 to the arm portion 30, handling of the case C can be made easier.

[0048] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, when pulling out case C stored in storage section 60 onto table section 40, case C can be moved onto table section 40 by hooking claw section 45 onto the edge of case C, and as shown in FIG. 7, case C can be carried out by lifting the edge of case C with a pair of arms 30.

[0049] The robot 1 according to the present embodiment has been described above with the gripping unit 39 at the tip of the arm 30. However, the member attached to the tip of the arm 30 is not limited to the gripping unit 39. For example, a suction unit capable of adsorbing a commodity by suction of air or the like may be used. In addition, in the robot 1 according to the present embodiment, a pair of arms 30 are attached to each of the pillars 21 of the gatepost 20. However, the arms 30 may be attached to only one of the pillars 21, or multiple arms 30 may be attached to one pillar 21. In addition, the cart 10 does not have to have a traveling function, and may be configured as, for example, a stationary pedestal. It is clear from the claims that such modified or improved forms are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 robot, 10 cart section, 21 pillar section, 22 connecting section, 30 arm section, 39 gripping section, 40 table section, 45 claw section, 50 drive guide section, 51 elastic force imparting means, 60 storage section.

Claims

1. A base and A column portion extending vertically from the base portion; An arm portion assembled so as to be movable along an extension direction of the column portion; A drive guide portion is provided that is stretched across the column portion in a vertical direction substantially parallel to the column portion, The arm portion of the robot is characterized in that it includes a power transmission member that meshes with the drive guide portion, and a lift drive portion that imparts a driving force to the power transmission member.

2. 2. The robot according to claim 1, A robot according to claim 1, wherein a lower end of the drive guide portion is folded back upward via a folding portion.

3. The robot according to claim 1 or 2, The robot according to claim 1, wherein the drive guide portion includes an elastic force applying means for applying an elastic force in the vertical direction.

4. 2. The robot according to claim 1, The robot is characterized in that the drive guide portion is a toothed belt.

5. 2. The robot according to claim 1, The post includes a pair of post bodies, A robot comprising a connecting portion that connects the tips of the column bodies to each other.

6. 2. The robot according to claim 1, The robot is characterized in that the drive guide portion is provided with a table portion that is assembled to be movable along the extending direction of the column portion.

7. 2. The robot according to claim 1, The robot is characterized in that the platform is a cart having a running function.

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