Holding system and holding member

Abstract

To reduce problems occurring when a plurality of holding members hold ingredients in a more effective manner.SOLUTION: A holding system 1 includes: a plurality of holding members 313; a robot arm 32; and a control unit 311. The plurality of holding members 313 hold ingredients independently. The robot arm 32 transports the holding members 313 to house a group of the ingredients and insert the holding members 313 into an ingredient storage part 10 having a substantially flat bottom surface at the same time. The control unit 311 causes the holding members 313 to hold the ingredients in a state that the holding members 313 are inserted into the ingredient storage part 10. Tips of the holding members 313 have different relative distances from the robot arm 32 and thus have different relative distances from the bottom surface of the ingredient storage part 10 when the holding members 313 hold the ingredients.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a gripping system and a gripping member.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, various operations have been performed by robots equipped with a gripping function. For example, when gripping food, the robot grips a predetermined amount of food stored in a storage container such as a vat and transfers it to a container or a discharge chute that is the release destination, and then executes the release. Techniques related to such robots equipped with a gripping function are disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses that a plurality of gripping members are arranged on one robot arm and simultaneously lowered, and each performs gripping. However, in such a case, adjacent gripping members may simultaneously grip the same object. Typically, it may be possible to simultaneously grip an object having a length (for example, a single noodle or a single bean sprout) with two gripping members. As a result, the weight held by each gripping member becomes unclear, and it becomes unclear which gripping member should be released to release this object. Such a state is not a preferable state when controlling the gripping member.

[0005] As described above, in the conventional technology, there is still room for improvement in gripping with a plurality of gripping members. Further, such problems are not limited to the case where the object to be gripped is food, but are common to all fields where gripping by a robot is performed, such as the industrial field.

[0006] The problem of the present invention is to further suppress the problems that occur when a plurality of gripping members perform gripping.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above problems, a gripping system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a plurality of gripping members each independently gripping an object; transfer means for transferring the plurality of gripping members and simultaneously inserting the plurality of gripping members into a container that accommodates a group of the objects and has a substantially horizontal bottom surface; control means for causing the plurality of gripping members to perform gripping while inserted into the container; and is characterized in that the tips of the plurality of gripping members have different relative distances from the transfer means, and thus also have different relative distances from the bottom surface of the container when performing the gripping.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to further suppress the problems that occur when a plurality of gripping members perform gripping.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [Embodiment] [Overall Configuration] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the configuration of the gripping system 1 according to the present invention. Here, the gripping system 1 is assumed to apply the present invention to a system that grips and releases food as an object. Therefore, in the following description, a case where the gripping system 1 grips ingredients such as prepared vegetables and loads the gripped ingredients into a container via a discharge chute will be described as an example.

[0011] However, this is merely an example for explanation and is not intended to limit the scope of application of the present invention. The present invention is applicable to various systems for gripping objects. For example, it is also possible to apply it to a system for gripping uncooked vegetables etc. (e.g., shredded cabbage, carrots, or bean sprouts). Further, for example, it is also possible to apply it to a system for gripping workpieces of industrial products such as electronic devices (e.g., screws, bolts, or components of products). That is, the present invention can be implemented for various gripping systems regardless of the object to be gripped or the field of application.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the gripping system 1 includes a material storage unit 10, a container supply unit 20, an articulated robot 30, a discharge chute 40, a shielding unit 50, and a control device 60. Among these, the container supply unit 20, the articulated robot 30, and the control device 60 are communicatively connected by wire or wirelessly and can communicate with each other.

[0013] Also, adjacent to the gripping system 1, a belt conveyor 2 for automatically transporting the container of mixed vegetables downstream is installed. The belt conveyor 2 has a transport surface for transporting the container, and the container is transported while being placed on this transport surface. In FIG. 1, as indicated by the dashed arrow, the right side of the paper surface is the downstream of the transport in the belt conveyor 2.

[0014] Also, in FIG. 1, only one gripping system 1 is shown, but it is not limited to this. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a plurality of gripping systems 1 are installed along the transport direction of one belt conveyor 2, and a plurality of articulated robots 30 cooperate to perform work.

[0015] The ingredient storage unit 10 has a storage space for storing ingredients such as vegetables to be served in the gripping system 1. The ingredient storage unit 10 is constituted by, for example, a general-purpose container such as a large vat or a tray. And in the storage space of the ingredient storage unit 10, for example, mashed salad such as potato salad (salad containing ingredients with viscosity or adhesiveness), okara, shredded daikon radish, namasu, hijiki, boiled beans, konjac, butter corn, noodles, croquettes, tempura, and other various ingredients that can be gripped by the gripping member are stored. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a plurality of servings (for example, dozens of servings to hundreds of servings) of one type of ingredient are stored in the ingredient storage unit 10. When the remaining amount of the stored ingredients decreases, the ingredient storage unit 10 can be manually replaced by an operator or automatically replaced by the articulated robot 30.

[0016] The container supply unit 20 supplies a container to a predetermined position (here, the serving position P1 in FIG. 1) where the ingredients are served in the gripping system 1. The container supply unit 20 stores a plurality of containers. When the gripping system 1 starts operating, the containers are supplied to the serving position P1 one by one. Next, when the articulated robot 30 releases the ingredients, the ingredients are served into the container supplied to the serving position P1 via the discharge chute 40. Then, by the pushing mechanism provided in the container supply unit 20, the container is pushed out onto the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 2. Thereby, the served container is conveyed downstream by the belt conveyor 2.

[0017] In addition, a container detection sensor 21 is arranged near the position where the container supply unit 20 pushes the container onto the belt conveyor 2. The container detection sensor 21 is a sensor that detects a container being conveyed on the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 2. The container supply unit 20 pushes the container with the ingredients onto the conveying surface at a timing when the container detection sensor 21 does not detect another container being conveyed on the conveying surface (a container that has been served by another articulated robot 30). Thereby, it is possible to prevent the containers from colliding with each other on the conveying surface. This is the reason why other containers are conveyed from upstream. As described above, in this embodiment, a plurality of gripping systems 1 are installed.

[0018] The articulated robot 30 is constituted by, for example, a horizontal articulated robot or a vertical articulated robot, etc., and includes a plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 capable of gripping the ingredients to be packed, and a robot arm 32 that moves the gripping mechanism 31 to an arbitrary position within the movable range.

[0019] The gripping mechanism 31 is disposed at the tip of the robot arm 32 and is supported by the robot arm 32 by being coupled by a coupling member. Then, the gripping mechanism 31 can move to an arbitrary position within the movable range along with the movement of the robot arm 32 based on the control of the control device 60. Furthermore, the joint that holds the gripping mechanism 31 is provided with a shaft that rotates the gripping mechanism 31 in the twisting direction with respect to the robot arm 32. Therefore, when the gripping mechanism 31 grips the ingredient, by changing the orientation of the gripping mechanism 31, the gripping direction of the gripping mechanism 31 can be adjusted. As a result, when the gripping mechanism 31 reaches near the inner wall surface of the container, it becomes possible to change the orientation of the gripping mechanism 31 in a direction parallel to the inner wall surface of the container supply unit 20, making it easier to grip the ingredient near the inner wall surface of the container. In addition, this gripping mechanism 31 not only has a gripping member for gripping the ingredient, but also has functions of measuring the weight of the gripped ingredient and measuring the reaction force from the ingredient. These data measured by the gripping mechanism 31 are output to the control device 60 as appropriate.

[0020] The discharge chute 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape having an inlet provided at one end and an outlet provided at the other end. After the discharge chute 40 receives the workpiece released by the articulated robot 30 from the inlet, it discharges the workpiece from the outlet, thereby loading the workpiece into the container supplied to the loading position P1. For this purpose, the discharge chute 40 is arranged such that the outlet is located on the vertical upper surface of the loading position P1, for example, by being fixed to the structure of the shielding part 50 or the wall surface of the container supply part 20, or by being supported by a dedicated support. Also, the opening surface of the inlet is configured to be large enough to receive all of them when the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 release simultaneously. On the other hand, the discharge chute 40 narrows as it approaches the outlet like a funnel, and the opening surface of the outlet is configured to be sized such that the discharged workpiece fits into the container. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the workpieces released by the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 from scattering outside the container.

[0021] The shielding part 50 is composed of a plate-like member that surrounds and encloses the area where the workpiece storage part 10, the container supply part 20, the articulated robot 30, and the discharge chute 40 are installed in the gripping system 1. The plate-like member constituting the shielding part 50 is made of a transparent material such as glass or resin, and it is possible to visually recognize the operating status of the gripping system 1 from the outside. Also, a door that can be opened and closed is installed on a part of the side wall formed by the shielding part 50. When replacing the workpiece storage part 10 or replenishing the workpiece, adding a container to the container supply part 20, or performing maintenance on the gripping system 1, etc., the operator can open the door of the shielding part 50 and perform various operations.

[0022] The control device 60 is composed of an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a programmable controller, and controls the entire gripping system 1 by executing various programs. For example, the control device 60 controls operations such as the operation of the container supply unit 20 to supply containers, and the operation of the articulated robot 30 to grip ingredients from the ingredient storage unit 10 and release them into the container via the discharge chute 40 to serve the ingredients. More specifically, for example, the control device 60 controls the driving of the robot arm 32 to move the gripping mechanism 31 to a preset position at a preset route and speed, and controls the driving of the actuator of the gripping mechanism 31 to realize the operation of gripping and releasing the ingredients by the gripping mechanism.

[0023] [Configuration of the gripping mechanism 31] Figs. 2 to 6 are diagrams showing the configuration of the gripping mechanism 31. More specifically, Fig. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the gripping mechanism 31 with the gripping member open. Fig. 3 is a front view showing the configuration of the gripping mechanism 31 with the gripping member closed. Further, Fig. 4 is a front view showing the internal configuration of the gripping mechanism 31. Further, Fig. 5 is a side view showing the arrangement of a plurality of gripping mechanisms 31. Further, Fig. 6 is a bottom view showing the arrangement of a plurality of gripping mechanisms 31.

[0024] As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the gripping mechanism 31 includes a control unit 311, a transmission unit 312, and a gripping member 313. In addition, in this embodiment, there are a plurality of gripping mechanisms 31, each of which is connected to the connecting portion 321. And further, the connecting portion 321 is attached to the robot arm 32. Thereby, the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 are supported by the robot arm 32 and move simultaneously along with the movement of the robot arm 32.

[0025] The control unit 311 controls the gripping operation and the releasing operation performed by the gripping member 313. For this purpose, the control unit 311 has a driving mechanism that moves forward and backward in a predetermined direction (the left-right direction in the plane of the paper) at the timing of executing gripping, and transmits that force to the gripping member 313 via the transmission unit 312.

[0026] The transmission unit 312 functions as a power transmission mechanism that transmits the force that advances and retreats in a predetermined direction in the control unit 311 as the force that opens and closes the gripping member 313.

[0027] The gripping member 313 includes a first gripping portion 313a and a second gripping portion 313b. The first gripping portion 313a moves so as to open and close in the same direction as the predetermined direction (left - right direction in the plane of the paper) in which the control unit 311 advances and retreats in response to the force transmitted from the transmission unit 312.

[0028] Then, as shown in FIG. 3, when the tip of the first gripping portion 313a and the tip of the second gripping portion 313b approach each other, the gripping member 313 is in a closed state and can grip the ingredient. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, when the tip of the first gripping portion 313a and the tip of the second gripping portion 313b move apart from each other, the gripping member 313 is in an open state and can release the gripped ingredient.

[0029] To realize the control of such a gripping operation, as shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 311 includes a pin cylinder 314 and a load cell 315 inside its housing. In FIG. 4, for the purpose of showing the pin cylinder 314 and the load cell 315, the housing of the control unit 311 is shown transparently.

[0030] The pin cylinder 314 is an air cylinder driven by compressed air supplied through a tube (not shown), and corresponds to the drive mechanism that advances and retreats in the predetermined direction (left - right direction in the plane of the paper) described above. Specifically, the pin cylinder 314 is pushed out by the supplied compressed air and moves so that its tip extends in a direction away from the housing of the control unit 311. On the other hand, when the supply of compressed air stops, the pin cylinder 314 moves so that its tip contracts in a direction approaching the housing of the control unit 311. This movement is realized by the elastic force of a spring disposed inside the pin cylinder 314. And, as described above, the force corresponding to these movements is transmitted to the first gripping portion 313a via the transmission unit 312, and the gripping operation and the releasing operation are realized by the gripping member 313.

[0031] The load cell 315 converts the measured force into an electrical signal proportional to its magnitude and detects it as weight. In the present embodiment, the load cell 315 measures the vertical weight acting on the gripping member 313. For this purpose, for example, the pin cylinder 314, the transmission part 312, and the gripping member 313 are attached to a single plate-like member (substrate), and the entire plate-like member is supported by the load cell 315.

[0032] The weight measured by the load cell 315 is used for two determinations: whether the gripping member 313 is receiving a reaction force from the workpiece and whether the gripping member 313 is gripping the workpiece. For this purpose, the weight measured in a state where the gripping member 313 is not gripping the workpiece and the gripping member 313 is not receiving a reaction force from the workpiece is measured and set as the reference weight.

[0033] When the measured current weight is smaller than the reference weight, it is determined that the gripping member 313 is receiving a reaction force from the workpiece in the accommodation space. In this case, the magnitude of the received reaction force can also be calculated based on the difference between the reference weight and the current weight. The magnitude of the received reaction force is used for detecting the timing at which the gripping member 313 executes gripping.

[0034] When the measured current weight is larger than the reference weight, it is determined that the gripping member 313 is gripping the workpiece. In this case, the weight of the gripped workpiece can also be calculated based on the difference between the reference weight and the current weight. The weight of the gripped workpiece is used for combined weighing. Since these determinations are made by the control device 60, the weight measured by the load cell 315 is sequentially output to the control device 60.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 are each connected to and supported by the connecting portion 321. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, when viewed from the bottom surface, the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 are arranged alternately so that their directions are different in the longitudinal direction of the connecting portion 321 (the left - right direction of the paper surface). In this example, four gripping mechanisms 31 are arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction. If all the gripping mechanisms 31 were arranged in the same direction, the weight balance applied to the connecting portion 321 would be biased, and the moment of inertia (inertia) would become large. However, by arranging them alternately so that their directions are different as in this embodiment, the weight balance applied to the connecting portion 321 becomes uniform, and the moment of inertia does not become larger than necessary. Therefore, the followability of the gripping mechanism 31 when the robot arm 32 moves the gripping mechanism 31 can be improved.

[0036] Also, by arranging them in this way, a pitch (interval) is provided between each gripping mechanism 31 and the adjacent gripping mechanism 31 located in the same row.

[0037] Returning to FIG. 5, the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 are connected to the plate - shaped connecting portion 321 via support portions. Also, a spacer is arranged between the connecting portion 321 and the support portion, and the distance between each gripping mechanism 31 and the connecting portion 321 is adjusted. The number of these spacers is different step - by - step. In FIG. 5, no spacer is arranged for the gripping mechanism 31 located on the far left side of the paper surface, and more spacers are arranged as it goes to the right side of the paper surface. And since the size (vertical length) of each gripping mechanism 31 itself is the same, the position of the tip of the gripping member 313 of each gripping mechanism 31 also differs step - by - step according to the number of spacers. That is, in this embodiment, the positions of the tips of the gripping members 313 of each gripping mechanism 31 are intentionally made different.

[0038] In this way, by providing a pitch (interval) between adjacent gripping mechanisms 31 and by varying the positions of the tips of the gripping members 313, it is possible to prevent adjacent gripping members 313 from gripping the same ingredient. For example, it is possible to suppress the simultaneous gripping of an object having a length (e.g., a single strand of noodles or a single strand of bean sprouts) by two gripping members 313. Along with this, problems such as the weight held by each gripping member becoming unclear and which gripping member to release to release this object becoming unclear can also be suppressed, making it possible to achieve a preferable state when controlling the gripping members.

[0039] Also, a spring is disposed inside the support portion, and it expands and contracts in the vertical direction (the up-and-down direction in the plane of the paper) due to its elastic force. Along with this, the relative positional relationship between the connecting portion 321 and the tips of the respective gripping members 313 of the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 becomes variable in the vertical direction. As a result, even if the tip of a part of the gripping members 313 (e.g., the gripping member 313 on the right side in the plane of the paper) comes into contact with the bottom surface of the ingredient storage portion 10 that stores the ingredient, this gripping member can be retracted in the direction in which it is inserted, allowing other gripping members to be inserted further into the ingredient stored therein. Therefore, the ingredient present on the bottom surface of the ingredient storage portion 10 can also be gripped without leaving any behind.

[0040] Furthermore, the first gripping part 313a and the second gripping part 313b are configured to form a closed loop shape when viewed from the side. Specifically, they are composed of two extending parts that are spaced apart from each other and extend in a predetermined direction (vertically downward in the state of the figure) from the main body side of the gripping member 313, and a tip part that couples the two extending parts at the tips of the extending parts. The first gripping part 313a and the second gripping part 313b can be created, for example, by bending a single wire. In this case, as the material, it is preferable to use a material with a wide elastic range such as spring steel that elastically deforms during gripping and returns to its shape before elastic deformation when not being gripped. Thereby, it elastically deforms according to the reaction force from the workpiece during gripping and becomes a shape suitable for gripping the workpiece, and excessive force does not act on the workpiece during gripping. Also, when not gripping, it returns to its shape before elastic deformation, so it can be used repeatedly.

[0041] [Hardware Configuration of Control Device 60] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of the control device 60. As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 60 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 711, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 712, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 713, a bus 714, an input unit 715, an output unit 716, a storage unit 717, a communication unit 718, and a drive 719.

[0042] The CPU 711 executes various processes according to the programs recorded in the ROM 712 or the programs loaded from the storage unit 717 to the RAM 713. In the RAM 713, data and the like necessary for the CPU 711 to execute various processes are also appropriately stored.

[0043] The CPU 711, ROM 712, and RAM 713 are interconnected via the bus 714. The input unit 715, output unit 716, storage unit 717, communication unit 718, and drive 719 are connected to the bus 714.

[0044] The input unit 715 includes an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and receives input of various information to the control device 60. Note that the input unit 715 may include a microphone and receive input of various information by voice input of an operator. The output unit 716 is composed of a display, a speaker, etc., and outputs an image and voice. The storage unit 717 is composed of a hard disk or a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), etc., and stores various data managed by each server. The communication unit 718 controls communication with other devices via a network.

[0045] A removable medium 731 made of a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, etc. is appropriately mounted on the drive 719. The program read from the removable medium 731 by the drive 719 is installed in the storage unit 717 as necessary. Note that the above hardware configuration is the basic configuration of the control device 60, and it is possible to have a configuration without some hardware, to have additional hardware, or to change the implementation form of the hardware.

[0046] [[ID=ID=17]] [Functional Configuration] Next, the functional configuration of the control device 60 will be described. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control device 60. As shown in FIG. 8, by executing a program for controlling the operation of the gripping system 1, in the CPU 711 of the control device 60, a sensor information acquisition unit 151, a reaction force determination unit 152, a gripping amount determination unit 153, a multi-joint robot control unit 154, a container supply control unit 155, and a recording control unit 156 function. Further, in the storage unit 717, a parameter storage unit 171 and a history database (history DB) 172 are formed.

[0047] The parameter storage unit 171 stores various parameters used when the gripping system 1 operates. For example, the parameter storage unit 171 stores the position and shape of the ingredient storage unit 10, the position and shape of the containers supplied from the container supply unit 20, the position of the area for loading the ingredients in the container, parameters defining the operation pattern of the articulated robot 30, and the like.

[0048] The history DB 172 stores, as history, the control-related parameters acquired when the gripping system 1 operates, or the measurement data of the weights of the ingredients loaded by the gripping system 1.

[0049] The sensor information acquisition unit 151 acquires sensor information, which is information detected by various sensors installed in the gripping system 1. For example, the sensor information acquisition unit 151 sequentially acquires the current weight data for each gripping member 313 measured by the load cell 315 of each gripping mechanism 31.

[0050] The reaction force determination unit 152 determines whether the gripping member 313 is receiving a reaction force from the ingredient based on the current weight data for each gripping mechanism 31 measured by the load cell 315. Specifically, as described above when explaining the load cell 315, when the measured current weight is smaller than the reference weight, it is determined that the gripping member 313 is receiving a reaction force from the ingredient in the accommodation space. In this case, the magnitude of the received reaction force is calculated based on the difference between the reference weight and the current weight. Then, when the gripping member 313 of any one of the gripping mechanisms 31 is receiving a reaction force of a predetermined magnitude or more, the reaction force determination unit 152 issues an instruction to execute gripping on the corresponding gripping member 313. Thereby, the gripping member 313 can be inserted into the ingredient in the accommodation space, and gripping can be executed after reaching an appropriate timing at which reliable gripping is possible.

[0051] The gripping amount determination unit 153 determines whether or not the gripping member 313 is gripping the material based on the data of the current weight of each gripping mechanism 31 measured by the load cell 315. Specifically, as described above when explaining the load cell 315, when the measured current weight is greater than the reference weight, it is determined that the gripping member 313 is gripping the material. In this case, the weight of the gripped material is calculated based on the difference between the reference weight and the current weight.

[0052] Then, when each gripping member 313 executes gripping, the gripping amount determination unit 153 performs combined weighing so as to conform to the specified amount, which is the weight of the material to be released, based on the weights of the materials gripped by the respective gripping members 313. Then, the gripping member 313 corresponding to the combination that conforms to the specified amount is made to release the material to the discharge chute 40, and the other gripping members 313 are not made to release the material to the discharge chute 40. Further, if there is no combination that conforms to the specified amount, the gripping amount determination unit 153 makes the gripping operation be performed again.

[0053] Here, an explanation of the combined weighing is provided. For example, assume that the weights of the materials gripped by the respective gripping members 313 are "gripping member A: 30 grams", "gripping member B: 17 grams", "gripping member C: 25 grams", and "gripping member D: 18 grams". In this assumption, when the specified amount is 35 grams, when performing combined weighing, the total weight of the materials gripped by the gripping member B and the gripping member D becomes 35 grams and conforms to the specified amount. Therefore, the gripping amount determination unit 153 causes the gripping members A and B to release the materials to the discharge chute 40, and does not cause the other gripping members C and D to release the materials to the discharge chute 40. Alternatively, in this assumption, when the specified amount is 50 grams, when performing combined weighing, there is no combination that conforms to the specified amount. Therefore, the gripping amount determination unit 153 makes the gripping operation be performed again. Note that a margin may be provided for the specified amount, and it may be allowed that there is a slight difference (for example, a difference of several percent) from the specified amount, and it may be determined that it conforms to the specified amount.

[0054] In this way, the reaction force determination unit 152 appropriately controls the execution timing of gripping for each of the plurality of gripping members, and on top of that, the gripping amount determination unit 153 performs combined weighing, so that the amount of the ingredient to be released can be accurately set to a specified amount. Note that the reference weights used by the reaction force determination unit 152 and the gripping amount determination unit 153 for determination are measured in advance and stored in the parameter storage unit 171 or the like.

[0055] The articulated robot control unit 154 controls the operation of the articulated robot 30 and causes the articulated robot 30 to execute a series of operations for loading the ingredient according to the operation pattern defined in the gripping system 1. For example, the articulated robot control unit 154 causes the articulated robot 30 to perform an operation of gripping the ingredient by the gripping mechanism 31 of the articulated robot 30 (gripping operation), an operation of transferring the gripped ingredient to the container (transfer operation), an operation of releasing the gripped ingredient (release operation), and the like.

[0056] The container supply control unit 155 controls the container supply unit 20 to supply a container for loading the ingredient to be loaded in the gripping system 1 to the loading position P1. Further, the container supply control unit 155 controls the container supply unit 20 to push out the container in which the ingredient has been loaded onto the transport surface at a timing when the container detection sensor 21 does not detect another container being transported on the transport surface (a container that has already been loaded by another articulated robot 30).

[0057] The recording control unit 156 stores in the history DB172 the control parameters obtained when the gripping system 1 performs a gripping operation, the measurement data of the weight of the ingredient loaded by the gripping system 1, and the like. These data are utilized as log data or the like for the administrator of the gripping system 1 or the like to analyze the operation of the gripping system 1.

[0058] [Gripping and releasing operations] Next, the details of the gripping and releasing operations performed by the articulated robot 30 and the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 based on the control of the articulated robot control unit 154 will be described. Figures 9 and 10 are diagrams showing the positional relationship between the ingredient storage unit 10 and the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 when the gripping operation is performed. Further, FIGS. 11 to 13 are schematic diagrams showing the states of the gripping and releasing operations executed by the articulated robot 30. In FIGS. 9 to 13, the states of the ingredient storage unit 10 and the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 observed from the side are illustrated. Note that, to clarify the state of each gripping mechanism 31, it is illustrated through the wall surface of the ingredient storage unit 10. Further, since a large amount of ingredients are stored in the storage space of the ingredient storage unit 10, these large amounts of ingredients are hereinafter referred to as a "group of ingredients".

[0059] As shown in FIG. 9, when the gripping and releasing operations are performed, the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 are first transferred above the ingredient storage unit 10 vertically by the robot arm 32 supported via the connecting portion 321. In this case, the connecting portion 321 is kept horizontal, and the tips of the gripping members 313 of each gripping mechanism 31 are each positioned vertically downward.

[0060] Here, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, spacers are arranged at the coupling portions between the connecting portion 321 and each gripping mechanism 31, and the distances between each gripping mechanism 31 and the connecting portion 321 are adjusted. The number of these spacers is different step by step. In FIG. 9, no spacer is arranged for the gripping mechanism 31 arranged on the leftmost side of the drawing sheet, and more spacers are arranged as going to the right side of the drawing sheet.

[0061] Therefore, as shown in the drawing, the third distance, which is the relative distance between the gripping mechanism 31 arranged on the rightmost side of the drawing sheet and the connecting portion 321, is longer by the amount of the spacer than the first distance, which is the relative distance between the gripping mechanism 31 arranged on the leftmost side of the drawing sheet and the connecting portion 321. Further, the configurations of each gripping mechanism 31 are common, and the sizes (vertical lengths) of each gripping mechanism 31 itself are the same.

[0062] Therefore, the fourth distance, which is the relative distance between the tip position of the gripping member 313 of the gripping mechanism 31 disposed on the far right side of the drawing and the bottom surface of the ingredient storage portion 10, is shorter than the second distance, which is the relative distance between the tip position of the gripping member 313 of the gripping mechanism 31 disposed on the far left side of the drawing and the bottom surface of the ingredient storage portion 10. Here, it is assumed that the bottom surface of the ingredient storage portion 10 is substantially horizontal. That is, this positional relationship does not change in any region of the ingredient storage portion 10.

[0063] Thus, in the present embodiment, the tip positions of the gripping members 313 of the respective gripping mechanisms 31 are deliberately made different stepwise. Therefore, when the respective gripping mechanisms 31 are simultaneously lowered and gripping is performed as it is, each of the gripping members 313 of each gripping mechanism 31 can grip ingredients at different heights within the ingredient storage portion 10. Therefore, in general techniques, there was a problem that a long object (for example, a single strand of noodles, a single strand of bean sprouts, etc.) was simultaneously gripped by two gripping members, but according to the present embodiment, such a problem can be suppressed. That is, according to the present embodiment, the problems that occur when a plurality of gripping members perform gripping can be more suppressed.

[0064] In addition, in order to ensure this effect more reliably, it is preferable that the height difference between the tips of adjacent gripping members 313 is a certain value or more. For example, it is conceivable to determine the heights of the tips of adjacent gripping members 313 so that the difference is equal to or greater than the average thickness of the ingredients to be gripped. Alternatively, for example, in the case of the wire-shaped gripping member 313 formed by a single wire as in the present embodiment, it is conceivable to determine the heights of the tips of adjacent gripping members 313 so that the difference is equal to or greater than the thickness of the wire forming the gripping member 313. In any case, it is preferable to appropriately determine the heights of the tips of adjacent gripping members 313 in consideration of the ingredients to be gripped and the shape or characteristics of the gripping member 313.

[0065] Figure 10 shows the state where each gripping mechanism 31 is simultaneously lowered to insert each gripping member 313 into the group of ingredients. First, as shown in Fig. 10(a), the tip of the gripping member 313 with the lowest tip (i.e., the closest distance from the bottom surface of the ingredient storage part 10) contacts the surface of the group of ingredients. Then, as shown in Fig. 10(b), after the tip of the gripping member 313 with the lowest tip is inserted into the group of ingredients, the gripping member 313 adjacent to this gripping member 313 and having the next lowest tip contacts the surface of the group of ingredients. That is, the tips of the respective gripping members 313 are inserted into the group of ingredients with a time difference. Finally, as shown in Fig. 10(c), in the same way with a time difference, they sequentially contact the surface of the group of ingredients, and the tips of all the gripping members 313 come into contact and are inserted.

[0066] In this way, since the tips of the respective gripping members 313 are at different heights, the timing of contacting and inserting into the surface of the group of ingredients accommodated in the ingredient storage part 10 also differs depending on the gripping member 313. Therefore, compared to the case where all the gripping members 313 simultaneously contact and are inserted into the surface of the group of ingredients, the contact area between the tip of the gripping member 313 and the ingredient surface is reduced, and the tip of the gripping member 313 is likely to pierce the ingredient surface (i.e., easily penetrate the group of ingredients). As a result, even though a plurality of gripping members 313 are used, there is no problem such as the tip being difficult to pierce the ingredient surface.

[0067] Next, the situation of the gripping and releasing operations executed by the articulated robot 30 will be sequentially described in chronological order. First, as shown in Fig. 11(a), a plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 are transferred vertically above the accommodation space of the ingredient storage part 10. Then, the robot arm 32 starts to lower a plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 simultaneously vertically downward.

[0068] As shown in Fig. 11(b), the robot arm 32 further lowers a plurality of gripping mechanisms 31. Along with this, a plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 are inserted into the group of ingredients in the accommodation space. Here, the surfaces of the group of ingredients are not necessarily flat. For example, the surface may be inclined or may have irregularities. Also, in the present embodiment, in order to prevent adjacent gripping members 313 from gripping the same ingredient, the positions of the tips of the gripping members 313 are made different. Furthermore, the individual ingredients included in the group of ingredients are not uniform in terms of their properties, shapes, and the density at which they are individually arranged (for example, the ingredients are concentrated only in some regions), and may be amorphous. That is, the situations when the gripping members 313 of each gripping mechanism 31 are inserted into the group of ingredients are various. Under such circumstances, if each gripping mechanism 31 is made to grip simultaneously, in some gripping mechanisms 31, it may not be possible to appropriately grip the ingredient. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the reaction force determination unit 152 determines that the gripping member 313 has received a reaction force of a predetermined magnitude or more during the insertion process, it issues an instruction to execute gripping to the corresponding gripping member 313. Then, the gripping members 313 of the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 grip the ingredients independently of each other.

[0069] For example, the gripping member 313 of the gripping mechanism 31 whose tip is at a high position has not yet received a reaction force less than the predetermined value during the insertion process, so it is not executing gripping. On the other hand, the gripping member 313 of the gripping mechanism 31 whose tip is at a low position has received a reaction force of a predetermined magnitude or more during the insertion process and is executing gripping. Thus, in the present embodiment, as described above, even if the state of the group of ingredients and the state of the ingredients are various, each gripping member 313 can be inserted into the ingredient in the accommodation space and gripping can be executed at an appropriate timing when reliable gripping is possible.

[0070] As shown in FIGS. 12(c1) and 12(c2), the robot arm 32 further inserts a plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 into the group of materials. However, for any of the gripping mechanisms 31, during the insertion process, since it has received a reaction force less than a predetermined value, gripping is not being executed. In this case, if the insertion continues further, the working time will become long. For example, in the area where the gripping mechanism 31 is inserted, there may not be many materials in the group of materials, and even if it is inserted to the bottom surface, there is a possibility that it will not receive a reaction force greater than or equal to the predetermined value from the materials.

[0071] Therefore, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the articulated robot control unit 154 forcibly executes gripping on the gripping member 313 of the gripping mechanism 31 that has received a reaction force less than a predetermined value. This can prevent the working time from being unnecessarily prolonged. Here, as the predetermined condition, for example, two conditions can be cited.

[0072] The first condition is, as shown in FIG. 12(c1), with the bottom surface of the material storage unit 10 as a reference, a position at a predetermined height from this bottom surface is set as the first reference position. Then, when the tip of the gripping member 313 is inserted to the first reference position, the articulated robot control unit 154 determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied and forcibly executes gripping. Note that the articulated robot control unit 154 can grasp the position of the bottom surface of the material storage unit 10 to be used as a reference from the data stored in the parameter storage unit 171.

[0073] The second condition is, as shown in FIG. 12(c2), with the surface of the group of materials in the material storage unit 10 as a reference, a position at a predetermined depth from this bottom surface is set as the second reference position. Then, when the tip of the gripping member 313 is inserted to the second reference position, the articulated robot control unit 154 determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied and forcibly executes gripping. Note that the articulated robot control unit 154 can grasp, based on the measurement result of the load cell 315, the position where the gripping member 313 first receives a reaction force from the group of materials as the position of the surface of the group of materials to be used as a reference position.

[0074] Although the positions of the tips of the gripping members 313 are different step by step, it can be arbitrarily determined which tip position of the gripping members 313 is to be compared with the reference position. It is possible to compare the gripping member 313 with the lowest tip position with the reference position, or to compare the gripping member 313 with the highest tip position with the reference position, or to compare a gripping member 313 other than these with the reference position. This is common whether the determination is made under the first condition or the second condition.

[0075] Also, although the determination may be made under any condition, it may also be made under both conditions. For example, when the group of ingredients in the ingredient storage section 10 is small, even if it is not inserted from the surface of the group of ingredients to a predetermined depth, it may be inserted to the bottom surface of the ingredient storage section 10. Therefore, in such a scenario, it may be appropriate to make a determination under the second condition. On the other hand, when there is a large amount of the group of ingredients in the ingredient storage section 10, it may be inserted deeper than necessary up to a predetermined height from the bottom surface of the ingredient storage section 10. Therefore, in such a scenario, it may be appropriate to make a determination under the first condition. Considering such various conditions, it can be arbitrarily determined whether to make a determination under any condition or to make a determination under both conditions.

[0076] As shown in Fig. 13(d), when all the gripping members 313 of all the gripping mechanisms 31 execute gripping, the robot arm 32 raises the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 and pulls them out from the group of ingredients. Here, as for the case where all the gripping members 313 of all the gripping mechanisms 31 execute gripping, there are "the case where all the gripping members 313 of all the gripping mechanisms 31 execute gripping after receiving a reaction force of a predetermined magnitude or more" and "the case where gripping is forcibly executed as shown in Fig. 12". Thus, in the present embodiment, by a series of processes, gripping is performed on all of the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31, so that all of the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 can be effectively utilized. In the figure, the ingredients gripped by each gripping member 313 are described as "gripped ingredients".

[0077] Subsequently, the gripping amount determination unit 153 performs combined weighing so as to conform to a specified amount, which is the weight of the material to be released. Further, the robot arm 32 transfers the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 above the vertical direction of the discharge chute 40.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 13(e), the articulated robot control unit 154 causes the gripping member 313 corresponding to the combination conforming to the specified amount to execute the release of the material to the discharge chute 40, and does not cause the other gripping members 313 to release the material to the discharge chute 40. Then, the released material discharged into the discharge chute 40 is filled into the container in an amount conforming to the specified amount via the discharge chute 40. In the figure, the material released by each gripping member 313 is described as the "released material".

[0079] According to the present embodiment described above, gripping can be executed using a plurality of gripping members 313 having different relative distances from the bottom surface of the material storage unit 10. That is, each of the gripping members 313 can grip materials at different heights within the material storage unit 10. Therefore, in a general technique, there has been a problem that an object having a length (for example, a single noodle or a single bean sprout) is simultaneously gripped by two gripping members, but according to the gripping system 1, such a problem can be suppressed. Along with this, problems such as the weight held by each gripping member becoming unclear and which gripping member should be released to release this object becoming unclear can also be suppressed, and it becomes possible to achieve a preferable state when controlling the gripping members. In addition, by taking advantage of the characteristics of this present embodiment, combined weighing is performed. Therefore, based on highly accurate measurement results, combined weighing can be carried out, and the material can be appropriately released to the gripping member 313 corresponding to the combination conforming to the specified amount. In addition, since the tips of the respective gripping members 313 are at different heights, the timing at which they are inserted into the surface of the group of ingredients stored in the ingredient storage section 10 will also differ depending on the gripping member 313. Therefore, compared to the case where all the gripping members 313 are inserted simultaneously, the contact area between the tip of the gripping member 313 and the ingredient surface is reduced, and an effect is produced such that the tip of the gripping member 313 easily pierces the ingredient surface (i.e., easily penetrates the group of ingredients). That is, according to the gripping system 1, the problems that occur when a plurality of gripping members perform gripping can be more effectively suppressed.

[0080] [Overall Operation] Next, the overall operation of the gripping system 1 will be described. FIGS. 14 and 15 are flowcharts showing the flow of the ingredient loading process executed by the gripping system 1. The ingredient loading process is started, for example, triggered by an operation to start the ingredient loading process by an operator.

[0081] When the ingredient loading process is started, in step S11 of FIG. 14, the articulated robot control unit 154 reads data for operations (for example, data on the operation pattern, data on the position and shape of the ingredient storage section 10, etc.) for executing a series of operations in the ingredient loading process from the parameter storage unit 171, thereby preparing to grip the ingredients.

[0082] In step S12, the articulated robot control unit 154 transfers each gripping mechanism 31 above the ingredient storage section 10 vertically according to the data on the operation pattern. In step S13, the articulated robot control unit 154 inserts each gripping mechanism 31 into the group of ingredients in the storage space of the ingredient storage section 10.

[0083] In step S14, the reaction force determination unit 152 determines whether there is a gripping member 313 that receives a reaction force of a predetermined magnitude or more during the insertion process. If there is a gripping member 313 that receives a reaction force of a predetermined magnitude or more, it is determined as Yes in step S14, and the process proceeds to step S15. On the other hand, if there is no gripping member 313 that receives a reaction force of a predetermined magnitude or more, it is determined as No in step S14, and the process proceeds to step S16.

[0084] In step S15, the reaction force determination unit 152 issues an instruction to execute gripping to the gripping member 313 that receives a reaction force of a predetermined magnitude or more. In step S16, the articulated robot control unit 154 determines whether all the gripping members 313 of all the gripping mechanisms 31 have executed gripping. If all the gripping members 313 of all the gripping mechanisms 31 have executed gripping, it is determined as Yes in step S16, and the process proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, if not all the gripping members 313 of all the gripping mechanisms 31 have executed gripping, it is determined as No in step S16, and the process proceeds to step S17.

[0085] In step S17, the articulated robot control unit 154 determines whether the tip of the gripping member 313 has been inserted to the reference position (the above-described first reference position or second reference position). If the tip of the gripping member 313 has been inserted to the reference position, it is determined as Yes in step S17, and the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if the tip of the gripping member 313 has not been inserted to the reference position, it is determined as No in step S17, and the process is repeated from step S13.

[0086] In step S18, the articulated robot control unit 154 forcibly executes gripping on the gripping member 313 of the gripping mechanism 31 that receives only a reaction force less than a predetermined value. In step S19, the articulated robot control unit 154 raises each gripping member 313 and pulls it out from the group of ingredients.

[0087] In step S20, the gripping amount determination unit 153 performs combined weighing so as to conform to a specified amount that is the weight of the material to be released. In step S21, the gripping amount determination unit 153 determines whether there is a combination of gripping members 313 that conforms to the specified amount. If there is a combination of gripping members 313 that conforms to the specified amount, it is determined Yes in step S21, and the process proceeds to step S23. On the other hand, if there is no combination of gripping members 313 that conforms to the specified amount, it is determined No in step S21, and the process proceeds to step S22.

[0088] In step S22, the gripping amount determination unit 153 causes the gripping members 313 of all the gripping mechanisms 31 to release the gripped material into the accommodation space of the material accommodation unit 10. Then, the process is repeated from step S13. That is, the gripping operation is done again from the beginning.

[0089] Moving to FIG. 15, in step S23, the articulated robot control unit 154 transfers each gripping mechanism 31 vertically above the discharge chute 40. In step S24, the articulated robot control unit 154 causes the gripping members 313 corresponding to the combination that conforms to the specified amount to release the material to the discharge chute 40, and does not cause the other gripping members 313 to release the material to the discharge chute 40. Then, the released material discharged into the discharge chute 40 is filled into the container in an amount that conforms to the specified amount via the discharge chute 40.

[0090] In step S25, the articulated robot control unit 154 transfers each gripping mechanism 31 vertically above the material accommodation unit 10 according to the data of the operation pattern. In step S26, the articulated robot control unit 154 causes the other gripping members 313 that do not correspond to the combination that conforms to the specified amount to release the gripped material into the accommodation space of the material accommodation unit 10.

[0091] In step S26, the recording control unit 156 stores in the history DB 172 the parameters related to control obtained in the ingredient loading process and the measurement data (history data) of the weight of the loaded ingredients.

[0092] In step S27, the articulated robot control unit 154 determines whether or not it meets the condition for ending the ingredient loading process. In this case, as the condition for ending the ingredient loading process, it can be defined that ingredients have been loaded into a predetermined number of containers, or an operation to end the ingredient loading process has been performed by an operator, etc. If it does not meet the condition for ending the ingredient loading process, it is determined as No in step S27, and the process moves to FIG. 14, and the process is performed again from step S12. On the other hand, if it meets the condition for ending the ingredient loading process, it is determined as Yes in step S27, and the ingredient loading process ends.

[0093] As described above, the gripping system 1 according to the present embodiment can execute gripping using a plurality of gripping members 313 having different relative distances from the bottom surface of the ingredient storage unit 10. That is, each of the gripping members 313 can grip ingredients at different heights within the ingredient storage unit 10. Therefore, in general technologies, there was a problem that an object with a certain length was simultaneously gripped by two gripping members, but according to the gripping system 1, such a problem can be suppressed. That is, according to the gripping system 1, the problems that occur when a plurality of gripping members perform gripping can be further suppressed.

[0094] [Modification Example 1] In the above-described embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, the first gripping part 313a and the second gripping part 313b were in a closed loop shape formed by a line like a wire when viewed from the side. And the gripping member 313 was realized by the loop-shaped first gripping part 313a and second gripping part 313b. Not limited to this, the gripping member 313 may be realized by the first gripping portion 313a and the second gripping portion 313b having various shapes.

[0095] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a deformed shape of the first gripping portion 313a and the second gripping portion 313b. For example, as shown in FIG. 16(A), the first gripping portion 313a and the second gripping portion 313b may not be in a closed loop shape formed by a wire-like line, but may each be in a plate shape. And they may be arranged such that their respective surfaces face each other, and by opening and closing the first gripping portion 313a in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, gripping and releasing may be performed as the gripping member 313.

[0096] Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 16(B), they may each be in a finger-like (rod-like) shape. And by opening and closing the first gripping portion 313a in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, gripping and releasing may be performed as the gripping member 313. In addition, for example, as shown in FIG. 16(C), the first gripping portion 313a and the second gripping portion 313b may be in a closed loop shape formed by a wire-like line, but when observed from the side surface (here, the front in the plane of the paper) in the opening and closing direction for gripping and releasing, the center may be in a bent shape. Also, for example, by combining these, they may be in a plate shape or a finger-like (rod-like) shape, and when observed from the side surface (here, the front in the plane of the paper) in the opening and closing direction for gripping and releasing, the center may be in a bent shape. In addition, for example, they may be in the shape of cooking tongs.

[0097] Also, the number of gripping portions is not limited to two. For example, three or more gripping portions may be arranged at substantially equal intervals on the same circumference, and these three or more gripping portions may be in a shape that opens and closes in the central direction of the circle. By providing a plurality of pin cylinders 314 according to the number of gripping portions, the same operation as in the above-described embodiment can be realized by the gripping member 313 having such three or more gripping portions.

[0098] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing another example of a modified shape of the first gripping portion 313a and the second gripping portion 313b. For example, as shown in FIGS. 17(D) and (E), the first gripping portion 313a and the second gripping portion 313b are closed loop shapes formed in a linear shape like a wire, and when observed from the side in the opening and closing direction for gripping and releasing (here, the front in the paper plane), they may have a bent shape.

[0099] In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 17(D), while the second gripping portion 313b has a linear shape, the central portion of the first gripping portion 313a may have a bent shape so as to be away from the second gripping portion 313b. Alternatively, for example, as shown in FIG. 17(E), the central portions of both the second gripping portion 313b and the first gripping portion 313a may have a bent shape so as to be away from each other. By adopting such a shape, depending on the shape and characteristics of the ingredients, more ingredients can be gripped in a single gripping operation.

[0100] In addition, for example, as shown in FIGS. 17(F) and (G), a plurality of gripping members 313 each composed of a combination of the first gripping portion 313a and the second gripping portion 313b may be arranged with respect to one transmission portion 312. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 17(F), when observed from the direction of opening and closing for gripping and releasing (here, the front in the paper plane), a second gripping member 313-2 configured in a loop shape that draws a larger arc may be arranged around the loop shape of the first gripping member 313-1.

[0101] Alternatively, for example, as shown in FIG. 17(G), when observed from the direction of opening and closing for gripping and releasing (here, the front in the paper plane), the first gripping member 313-1 and the second gripping member 313-2 may be arranged adjacent to each other. In this case, the sizes of the first gripping member 313-1 and the second gripping member 313-2 may be the same or different from each other. Also, in any case, three or more gripping members 313 may be arranged for one transmission part 312 instead of two.

[0102] With such a shape, for example, even for ingredients with a certain length such as noodles, each of the plurality of gripping members 313 arranged on one transmission part 312 can simultaneously perform gripping. Thereby, stable gripping can be realized. Also, even in this case, since gripping is still being performed on one transmission part 312, it does not hinder the calculation of the weight in combined weighing. Furthermore, by adopting a shape that allows simultaneous gripping by each of such a plurality of gripping members 313, the force for gripping the ingredient is dispersed, so that it is possible to suppress crushing or cutting of the ingredient.

[0103] As in this modified example, the gripping member 313 of the above-described embodiment can arbitrarily deform its shape and arrangement according to the shape, characteristics, weight to be gripped, etc. of the object to be gripped.

[0104] [Modified Example 2] In the above-described embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, by making the number of spacers different step by step, the positions of the tips of the gripping members 313 of each gripping mechanism 31 are also made different step by step in a predetermined direction (for example, the left - right direction of the drawing sheet). Not limited to this, the positions of the tips of the gripping members 313 of each gripping mechanism 31 may be made different by other arrangements. FIGS. 18 and 19 are diagrams showing an example of the arrangement of each gripping mechanism 31. In the drawings, for clarity of explanation, illustration of the control part 311 and the connecting part 321 of each gripping mechanism 31 is omitted. Note that any arrangement can be realized by adjusting the number of spacers as shown in FIG. 5.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 18(A), the tip of the gripping member 313 of the gripping mechanism 31 located at the center may be arranged to be high, and the tips of the gripping members 313 of the gripping mechanisms 31 located at both ends may be arranged to be low. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 18(B), the tips of the gripping members 313 of the gripping mechanisms 31 located at the center may be lowered, and the tips of the gripping members 313 of the gripping mechanisms 31 located at both ends may be raised. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 19(C), the heights may be repeated between the gripping members 313 of adjacent gripping mechanisms 31. Alternatively, as described with reference to FIG. 6, when four gripping mechanisms 31 are arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction of the connecting portion 321, as shown in FIG. 19(D), the heights may be different for each row.

[0106] [Modification Example 3] In the above-described embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. 6, the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 were arranged alternately (i.e., in a staggered arrangement) with different orientations in the longitudinal direction of the connecting portion 321. Also, four gripping mechanisms 31 were arranged in two rows. Not limited to this, the plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 may be arranged by other arrangements. That is, in the above-described Modification Example 2, a modification example of the arrangement regarding the vertical height was shown, but in this Modification Example 3, a modification example of the arrangement in the plane will be shown.

[0107] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of each gripping mechanism 31, and shows a state in which a plurality of gripping mechanisms 31 are viewed from the bottom surface, similar to FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 20(A), when making a staggered arrangement as in the above-described embodiment, the number of gripping mechanisms 31 arranged for each row may be made different. For example, the number may be made different for each row such that three gripping mechanisms 31 are arranged in one row and four gripping mechanisms 31 are arranged in another row. As shown in FIG. 20(B), instead of making a staggered arrangement, a two-row parallel arrangement in which the gripping mechanisms 31 of each row are lined up may be adopted. As shown in FIG. 20(C), the gripping members 313 may be arranged such that the opening and closing directions of the gripping members 313 of each gripping mechanism 31 are different. As in the example of the figure, the gripping members 313 arranged to open and close in the vertical direction on the paper surface and the gripping members 313 arranged to open and close in the left-right direction on the paper surface may be mixed.

[0108] In addition, the arrangement regarding the height in Modification 2 and the modification of the arrangement in the plane in Modification 3 may be appropriately combined. Also, although common to all the arrangement examples, the number of the gripping mechanisms 31 arranged and the number of columns are not limited and may be appropriately changed. In any case, it is preferable to appropriately determine the arrangement in consideration of the material to be gripped, the shape or characteristics of the gripping member 313, and the like.

[0109] [Modification 4] In the above-described embodiment, there is no particular limitation on in which region and in which direction the plurality of gripping members 313 are inserted into the horizontal plane of the material storage portion 10 for gripping. In particular, near the wall surface of the material storage portion 10, the plurality of gripping members 313 may be inserted and gripped as follows.

[0110] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the material storage portion 10 in the horizontal plane and the plurality of gripping members 313. FIG. 21 is a view looking down on the material storage portion 10 and the plurality of gripping members 313 from directly above. As shown in FIG. 21(A), when gripping the vicinity of the wall surface of the material storage portion 10, in the horizontal plane, the opening / closing direction of the gripping member 313 may be orthogonal to the direction of the wall surface of the material storage portion 10. Thereby, it is possible to grip the material near the wall surface without leaving the material. As shown in FIG. 21(B), when gripping the vicinity of the wall surface of the material storage portion 10, in the horizontal plane, the opening / closing direction of the gripping member 313 may be parallel to the direction of the wall surface of the material storage portion 10. Also by this, it is possible to grip the material near the wall surface without leaving the material.

[0111] Also, in either the case shown in FIG. 21(A) or the case shown in FIG. 21(B), the gripping member 313 closest to the wall surface should be the gripping member with the lowest height (i.e., closest to the bottom surface) among the plurality of gripping members 313. By doing so, it becomes possible to more reliably grip the material near the wall surface.

[0112] In this way, by gripping without leaving any ingredients near the wall surface, the amount of ingredients remaining in the ingredient storage unit 10 can be reduced. As a result, the time interval until an operator or the like replaces the ingredient storage unit 10 and replenishes the ingredients becomes longer. Therefore, the gripping system 1 can ensure a longer unmanned operation time regardless of the operator. Also, in a food factory or the like, there is a desire to plate the ingredients within a predetermined time (for example, within 30 minutes to 120 minutes) after storing the ingredients in the ingredient storage unit 10 from the viewpoints of maintaining the freshness of the ingredients and hygiene. In this way, since the gripping system 1 does not depend on the operator and grips all the ingredients near the wall surface without leaving any, it becomes possible to satisfy the desire to plate all the ingredients within this required time.

[0113] On the other hand, as a comparative example, a general technique that does not consider the positional relationship with the wall surface is shown in FIG. 21(C). In such a general technique, when gripping the vicinity of the wall surface of the ingredient storage unit 10, in the horizontal plane, the opening / closing direction of the gripping member 313 may be oblique to the direction of the wall surface of the ingredient storage unit 10. In this case, it is not possible to grip the ingredients near the wall surface without leaving any. Comparing with the comparative example by such a general technique, it can be seen that the above-described effects of this modified example are beneficial.

[0114] [Modified Example 5] In the above-described embodiment, the reaction force determination unit 152 has issued an instruction to execute gripping to the gripping member 313 that has received a reaction force of a predetermined magnitude or more, and the gripping has been sequentially executed from the instructed gripping member 313. However, it is not limited to this, and all the gripping members 313 of all the gripping mechanisms 31 may execute gripping simultaneously.

[0115] FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the flow of the ingredient loading process executed by the gripping system 1 of the present modification 5. When compared with the flowchart of FIG. 14 in the above-described embodiment, the processes from step S14 to step S18 are different in that they are replaced by step S51 and step S52. Since the processes in other steps are common to the above-described embodiment, duplicate explanations are omitted here. Also, as a premise, in step S13, each gripping mechanism 31 is inserted into the group of ingredients in the storage space of the ingredient storage unit 10.

[0116] In step S51, the articulated robot control unit 154 determines whether or not each gripping mechanism 31 has been inserted to a predetermined depth. If each gripping mechanism 31 has been inserted to the predetermined depth, it is determined as Yes in step S51, and the process proceeds to step S52. On the other hand, if each gripping mechanism 31 has not been inserted to the predetermined depth, it is determined as No in step S51, and the determination in step S51 is repeated.

[0117] Supplementary note: The articulated robot control unit 154 can grasp, based on the measurement result of the load cell 315, the position where the gripping member 313 first receives the reaction force from the group of ingredients as the position of the surface of the group of ingredients. Then, the predetermined depth from the position of the surface of the group of ingredients is set to a depth at which it is assumed that all of the gripping members 313 of each gripping mechanism 31 can perform gripping.

[0118] In step S52, the articulated robot control unit 154 causes the gripping member 313 of each gripping mechanism 31 to perform gripping. Then, the processes after step S19 are performed as described above. According to the present modification, since each gripping member 313 having a different tip height simultaneously performs gripping, it is possible to more reliably realize gripping of ingredients at different heights.

[0119] [Modification 6] In the above-described embodiment, when the gripping member 313 of any one of the gripping mechanisms 31 receives a reaction force of a predetermined magnitude or more, the reaction force determination unit 152 issues an instruction to execute gripping on the corresponding gripping member 313. This may be modified so that the reaction force of a predetermined magnitude or more varies for each gripping mechanism 31. That is, for a certain gripping mechanism 31, gripping may be executed when a reaction force of a first magnitude is received, and for another gripping mechanism 31, gripping may be executed when a reaction force of a second magnitude greater than the first magnitude is received. Further, the predetermined magnitude may be finely varied such as a third magnitude.

[0120] By doing so, variations will occur in the weight of the material to be gripped by the gripping members 313 of each gripping mechanism 31. For example, variations will occur in the weight of the material, such as a gripping member 313 that grips 35 grams, a gripping member 313 that grips only 10 grams, or a gripping member 313 that grips only 5 grams. However, in combined weighing, there is also an aspect that the options for combinations expand due to variations in the weight of the ingredients. For example, assume a case where all the gripping members 313 grip approximately 30 grams. In this assumption, when the specified amount is 50 grams, there is no combination that conforms to the specified amount when combined weighing is performed.

[0121] On the other hand, as in this modified example, when variations occur in the weight of the ingredients, such as a gripping member 313 that grips 35 grams, a gripping member 313 that grips only 10 grams, or a gripping member 313 that grips only 5 grams, when the specified amount is 50 grams, there will be a combination that conforms to the specified amount when combined weighing is performed. In this way, by deliberately causing variations in the weight of the ingredients, the possibilities for combined weighing can also be expanded.

[0122] Also, there may be cases where some error in the specified quantity is allowed. For example, when the sales mode of prepared foods is by weight and the selling price is determined in proportion to the weight, it is not a problem even if the weights of the ingredients packed in each container are different. In such cases, it is not necessarily the case that all the gripping members 313 of the gripping mechanism 31 perform the gripping. For example, the gripping may be performed only by some of the gripping members 313, such as some of the gripping members 313 that have received a reaction force greater than a predetermined value first, or only the predetermined gripping members 313. That is, the gripping members 313 that perform the gripping may be thinned out. As a result, some error from the specified quantity will occur, but it becomes possible to improve the working speed.

[0123] [Modification Example 7] In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 and the like, the gripping members 313 were arranged such that the opening and closing direction in the gripping and releasing of the gripping members 313 was the same as the short side direction of the gripping mechanism 31. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the gripping members 313 may be arranged such that the opening and closing direction in the gripping and releasing of the gripping members 313 is the same as the longitudinal direction of the gripping mechanism 31.

[0124] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing the configuration of the gripping mechanism 31 in this modification example. More specifically, FIG. 23(A) is a diagram observing the configuration of the gripping mechanism 31 from the same direction as FIG. 5 of the above-described embodiment. FIG. 23(B) is a diagram observing the configuration of the gripping mechanism 31 from the same direction as FIGS. 2 and 3 of the above-described embodiment.

[0125] Here, as shown in FIG. 23(A), in this modification example, the gripping members 313 are arranged such that the opening and closing direction in the gripping and releasing of the gripping members 313 is the same as the longitudinal direction of the gripping mechanism 31 (direction X in the figure). As shown in FIG. 23(A), when the control unit 311 is observed from the direction Y in the figure, the four gripping members 313 are arranged at intervals in the direction X in the figure. Then, as shown in FIG. 23(B), when the control unit 311 is observed from the X direction in the figure, the four gripping members 313 are also arranged in two rows with a gap therebetween. That is, in the present embodiment, the four gripping members 313 are arranged in two rows, and a total of eight gripping members 313 are arranged. Note that this is an example showing a suitable arrangement and is not necessarily limited thereto. Depending on the environment for implementing this modification example, etc., the arrangement and number of the gripping members 313 can be arbitrarily changed.

[0126] FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the gripping mechanism 31 in this modification example. As shown in FIG. 24, the control unit 311 includes a plurality of individual housings 316 and a plurality of support portions 317 inside thereof. In FIG. 24, in order to show these individual housings 316 and support portions 317, the control unit 311 is shown transparently. Each of the plurality of individual housings 316 incorporates the pinch cylinder 314 and the load cell 315 described above with reference to FIG. 4. Further, the transmission portion 312 and the gripping member 313 are coupled to each of the plurality of individual housings 316. And the transmission portion 312 is connected to the pinch cylinder 314 and transmits the advancing and retracting force of the pinch cylinder 314 to the gripping member 313. Thereby, the gripping member 313 opens and closes, and the gripping operation and the releasing operation are realized.

[0127] The support portion 317 is composed of a metal core material and an elastic body (for example, a spring) covering the periphery thereof, and expands and contracts in the vertical direction (the up-and-down direction in the drawing) by its elastic force. Along with this, the relative position between the upper end position of the support portion 317 and the tip of the gripping member 313 is made variable in the vertical direction.

[0128] FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram for explaining the action of the elastic body of the support portion 317 in this modification example. As shown in FIG. 25(A), when no reaction force acts on the gripping member 313 (that is, when it has not entered the group of ingredients), the elastic body is in a state of being stretched by the elastic force. Therefore, the tip position of the gripping member 313 moves away from the upper end position of the support portion 317.

[0129] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 25(B), when a reaction force acts on the gripping member 313 (i.e., when it enters the group of ingredients or comes into contact with the bottom surface of the ingredient storage portion 10), the reaction force acting on the gripping member 313 becomes stronger than the elastic force of the elastic body. As a result, the elastic body is in a contracted state due to the reaction force. Therefore, the tip position of the gripping member 313 and the upper end position of the support portion 317 relatively approach each other compared to the case of Fig. 25(A).

[0130] As the elastic body of the support portion 317 expands and contracts in this way, the tip position of the gripping member 313 variably positions up and down within this range with the length of the support portion 317 as the movable range. Thus, even if the tips of some of the gripping members 313 come into contact with the bottom surface of the ingredient storage portion 10 that houses the ingredients, etc., the gripping member 313 can contract in the direction of insertion, allowing other gripping members 313 to be further inserted. Therefore, the ingredients present on the bottom surface of the ingredient storage portion 10 can be gripped without leaving any. Also, since the momentum of contact is made gentle, damage to the gripping member 313 can be prevented.

[0131] Returning to Fig. 24, the description will be continued. In this modification, the lengths of the support portions 317a to d are intentionally made different. Here, as described above, the length of the support portion 317 corresponds to the range in which the tip position of the gripping member 313 can be variably positioned up and down. Therefore, in a state where the elastic body is extended, the positions of the tips of the respective gripping members 313 will be different step by step. That is, in this modification, similar to the above-described embodiment, the positions of the tips of the respective gripping members 313 can be intentionally made different. In this regard, the effect of making the positions of the tips of the respective gripping members 313 different is as described above.

[0132] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, by increasing the number of spacers, the positions of the tips of the respective gripping members 313 were made different. Therefore, the vertical size of the gripping mechanism 31 had increased by the number of spacers. In contrast, in this modified example, instead of adding a spacer, the length of the support portion 317 is made different for each to adjust the movable range, thereby making the positions of the tips of the respective gripping members 313 different. In this way, in this modified example, since it is not necessary to add a spacer, it is possible to reduce the size of the gripping mechanism 31 in the vertical direction as compared with the above-described embodiment. That is, the gripping mechanism 31 can be made compact, and the gripping mechanism 31 can be easily manipulated by the articulated robot 30.

[0133] FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing the detachable configuration of the transmission portion 312 and the gripping member 313 in this modified example. FIG. 26(a) shows the transmission portion 312, the gripping member 313, and the connecting member 318. The functions of the transmission portion 312 and the gripping member 313 are as described above. The connecting member 318 is a member for connecting the transmission portion 312 and the gripping member 313 to the individual housing 316. The connecting member 318 is also connected to the pin cylinder 314 inside the individual housing 316, and transmits the advancing and retreating force of the pin cylinder 314 to the gripping member 313. Thereby, the gripping member 313 opens and closes, and the gripping operation and the releasing operation are realized.

[0134] Here, as shown in FIG. 26(b), in this modified example, the transmission portion 312 and the gripping member 313 are configured to be detachable from the connecting member 318. For this purpose, the connecting member 318 has two shaft members. Correspondingly, the transmission portion 312 has two bearing members. Then, by inserting the two shaft members into the two bearing members from the axial direction, the transmission portion 312 and the gripping member 313 are connected to the connecting member 318. Further, the connecting member 318 is provided with a fitting portion for fitting the transmission portion 312 and the gripping member 313 when they are connected to the connecting member 318. This fitting portion is composed of an elastic body such as a leaf spring. Then, by the shaft member and the elastic force of this leaf spring, the transmission portion 312 and the gripping member 313 can be firmly locked. After the connection, the transmission part 312 and the gripping member 313 can be removed by pulling them in the axial direction of the shaft member.

[0135] Thus, in this modified example, the positions of the transmission part 312 and the gripping member 313 are fixed by the shaft member and the bearing member, and the transmission part 312 and the gripping member 313 are locked by utilizing the elastic force of the leaf spring. Therefore, the transmission part 312 and the gripping member 313 can be easily attached and detached. Specifically, with such a configuration, when attaching and detaching, there is no need to move the locking member or tighten the screw for fixing. That is, the transmission part 312 and the gripping member 313 can be attached and detached by only one procedure of inserting or pulling out the transmission part 312 and the gripping member 313 in the axial direction of the shaft member. Therefore, the operator can very easily perform the cleaning and maintenance of the transmission part 312 and the gripping member 313. Also, by using the shaft member and the bearing member, the transmission part 312 and the gripping member 313 can be fixed in a rotatable state. Therefore, even with the configuration as in this modified example, the opening and closing operations for gripping and releasing by the gripping member 313 are not hindered.

[0136] FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram showing the attachment / detachment support operation performed when the transmission part 312 and the gripping member 313 are attached and detached in this modified example. As described above, the operator can attach and detach the transmission part 312 and the gripping member 313, and the connecting member 318 by inserting or pulling out the shaft member from the axial direction (the left - right direction in the drawing) into the bearing member.

[0137] In this modified example, in order to make the attachment and detachment by the operator simpler, an attachment / detachment support operation is performed. For example, when this attachment / detachment support operation is started based on an instruction operation of the operator or the like, as shown in FIG. 27(a), the gripping mechanism 31 starts to move to a predetermined position based on the control by the multi - joint robot control unit 154. This predetermined position is a position suitable for an operator to attach and detach the transmission unit 312 and the gripping member 313. Here, when the door of the shielding unit 50 is opened and the shielding unit 50 is opened, it is assumed that the position at the center of this opening is the predetermined position.

[0138] Next, as shown in FIG. 27(b), based on the control by the articulated robot control unit 154, the gripping mechanism 31 that has moved to the predetermined position is adjusted to have a predetermined orientation. This predetermined orientation is an orientation suitable for an operator to attach and detach the transmission unit 312 and the gripping member 313. Here, when the operator faces the gripping mechanism 31 from the opening, it is assumed that the axial direction of the bearing member and the shaft member is the left - right direction of the operator as the predetermined orientation.

[0139] In this way, based on the control by the articulated robot control unit 154, the gripping mechanism 31 is at the predetermined position and has the predetermined orientation. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 27(c), the operator can easily attach and detach the transmission unit 312 and the gripping member 313 from the connecting members 318 on both side surfaces of the gripping mechanism 31. For example, the operator can use both hands to attach and detach the left and right transmission units 312 and gripping members 313 simultaneously in parallel. Also, in this case, by removing them in the order from the front side to the back side of the operator, the target transmission unit 312 and gripping member 313 can be removed without interfering with other transmission units 312 and gripping members 313. Also, by attaching them in the order from the back side to the front side of the operator, the target transmission unit 312 and gripping member 313 can be attached without interfering with other transmission units 312 and gripping members 313. In this way, by performing this attachment / detachment support operation, the attachment / detachment by the operator can be made more convenient.

[0140] Note that in this attachment / detachment support operation, the operation of moving to the predetermined position shown in FIG. 27(a) and the operation of adjusting to the predetermined orientation shown in FIG. 27(b) may be performed in the reverse order of the above description. Alternatively, these two operations may be performed simultaneously in parallel. Of course, depending on the environment in which this modification example is implemented, etc., the predetermined position and the predetermined orientation can be arbitrarily set.

[0141] [Configuration Example] As described above, the gripping system 1 in the present embodiment includes a plurality of gripping members 313, a robot arm 32, and a control unit 311. Each of the plurality of gripping members 313 independently grips a workpiece. The robot arm 32 transfers the plurality of gripping members 313, accommodates a group of workpieces, and simultaneously inserts the plurality of gripping members 313 into the workpiece accommodating portion 10 whose bottom surface is substantially horizontal. The control unit 311 causes the plurality of gripping members 313 to perform gripping in a state where they are inserted into the workpiece accommodating portion 10. Since the tips of the plurality of gripping members 313 have different relative distances from the robot arm 32, the relative distances from the bottom surface of the workpiece accommodating portion 10 when performing gripping are also different from each other. Thereby, gripping can be performed using a plurality of gripping members 313 having different relative distances from the bottom surface of the workpiece accommodating portion 10. That is, each of the gripping members 313 can grip workpieces at different heights within the workpiece accommodating portion 10. Therefore, in general technologies, there has been a problem that an object with a certain length (for example, a single strand of noodles, a single strand of bean sprouts, etc.) is simultaneously gripped by two gripping members, but according to the gripping system 1, such a problem can be suppressed. Along with this, problems such as the weight held by each gripping member becoming unclear, or which gripping member to release to release this object becoming unclear can also be suppressed, and it becomes possible to achieve a preferable state when controlling the gripping members. In addition, since the tips of the respective gripping members 313 are at different heights, the timing at which they are inserted into the surface of the group of ingredients stored in the ingredient storage section 10 will also differ depending on the gripping member 313. Therefore, compared to the case where all the gripping members 313 are inserted simultaneously, the contact area between the tip of the gripping member 313 and the ingredient surface is reduced, and an effect is produced such that the tip of the gripping member 313 easily pierces the ingredient surface (i.e., easily penetrates the group of ingredients). That is, according to the gripping system 1, the problems that occur when a plurality of gripping members perform gripping can be further suppressed.

[0142] The gripping system 1 further includes a load cell 315. The load cell 315 detects the weight of the ingredient being gripped by each of the plurality of gripping members 313. The control unit 311 performs combined weighing of the weights being gripped by the gripping members 313 based on the weight detected by the load cell 315, and determines the gripping member 313 that releases the ingredient based on the weighing result. Thereby, taking advantage of the characteristic of the gripping system 1 that it can also suppress problems such as the weight being gripped by each gripping member becoming unclear or the uncertainty of which gripping member to release to liberate this object, highly accurate measurement can be performed, and the ingredient corresponding to the combined weighing result can be appropriately released.

[0143] The tips of the respective plurality of gripping members 313 are stepwise different in the relative distance from the robot arm 32 in the direction in which they are arranged on the robot arm 32. Thereby, each of the gripping members 313 grips ingredients at stepwise different heights within the ingredient storage section 10, so that the problem of adjacent gripping members simultaneously gripping the same object can be suppressed.

[0144] The tips of the respective plurality of gripping members 313 are different from those of the other adjacent gripping members 313 in the relative distance from the robot arm 32. As a result, each gripping member 313 grips a material at a height different from that of other adjacent gripping members 313 within the material storage section 10, thereby suppressing the problem that adjacent gripping members grip the same object simultaneously.

[0145] When the gripping member 313 executes gripping, the tip of the gripping member 313 adjacent to the wall surface of the material storage section 10 has the closest relative distance from the bottom surface of the material storage section 10 compared to the tips of the other gripping members 313. As a result, it is possible to grip the material on the bottom surface near the wall surface of the material storage section 10 and prevent the material on the bottom surface near the wall surface from remaining during repeated gripping.

[0146] The gripping system 1 further includes a load cell 315. The load cell 315 detects that a reaction force has been received from the material during the insertion process for at least one of the plurality of gripping members 313. 4The control unit 311 causes the corresponding gripping member 313 to execute gripping in response to the physical quantity of the reaction force detected by the load cell 315 being equal to or greater than a reference, and sets different references for the plurality of gripping members 313. As a result, the weights of the materials to be gripped are intentionally varied, increasing the possibility of an appropriate combination existing in the combined weighing.

[0147] The control unit 311 causes the plurality of gripping members 313 to execute gripping simultaneously while the tips of the plurality of gripping members 313 have different relative distances from the bottom surface of the material storage section 10. As a result, each gripping member 313 more reliably grips materials at gradually different heights within the material storage section 10, thereby suppressing the problem that adjacent gripping members grip the same object simultaneously.

[0148] Each of the plurality of gripping members 313 is a pair of gripping members 313 that execute gripping by opening and closing. The control unit 311 causes the plurality of gripping members 313 to perform gripping such that the opening / closing direction is substantially parallel or substantially orthogonal to the direction of the wall surface of the ingredient storage unit 10 in the horizontal plane. Thereby, it is possible to grip the ingredients on the wall surface of the ingredient storage unit 10 without leaving any.

[0149] Note that the above-described embodiments and modifications are examples of embodiments of the present invention, and various embodiments for realizing the functions of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiments and modifications, the case where the present invention is applied to a gripping system for plating side dishes has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to systems for gripping various objects. For example, the present invention can be applied to a system for gripping materials having high viscosity or adhesiveness, such as kneaded mortar, concrete, plaster, and clay. The present invention is suitable for gripping an object having a viscosity of medium viscosity or higher (≥5000 mPa·s) at the working temperature or room temperature. In addition, the present invention can be implemented by appropriately combining the examples described in the above embodiments. The above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or by software. In other words, the functional configuration of FIG. 8 is merely illustrative and is not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient that the gripping system 1 is provided with a function capable of executing the above-described series of processes as a whole, and the functional blocks used for realizing this function are not particularly limited to the example of FIG. 8. In addition, one functional block may be configured by hardware alone, by software alone, or by a combination thereof.

[0150] When the series of processes are executed by software, the program constituting the software is installed in a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium. The computer may be a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware. Alternatively, the computer may be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, for example, a general-purpose personal computer.

[0151] The storage medium for storing the program is composed of a removable medium distributed separately from the device body, or a storage medium pre-installed in the device body, etc. The removable medium is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a flash memory. The optical disk is composed of, for example, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a Blu-ray Disc (registered trademark), etc. The magneto-optical disk is composed of an MD (Mini-Disk), etc. The flash memory is composed of, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or an SD card. Also, the storage medium pre-installed in the device body is composed of, for example, a ROM or a hard disk in which the program is stored.

[0152] Note that in this specification, the step of describing the program recorded on the recording medium includes not only the processing performed in chronological order according to the order, but also the processing that may not necessarily be processed in chronological order and is executed in parallel or individually. Also, in this specification, the term "system" shall mean the entire device composed of a plurality of devices, a plurality of means, etc.

[0153] The above embodiments show an example to which the present invention is applied and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. That is, the present invention can be variously modified such as omission and substitution without departing from the gist of the present invention, and various embodiments other than the above embodiments can be adopted. Various embodiments and their modifications that the present invention can adopt are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Explanation of Signs

[0154] 1 Gripping system, 2 Belt conveyor, 10 Material storage section, 20 Container supply section, 21 Container detection sensor, 30 Multi-joint robot, 31 Gripping mechanism, 311 Control section, 312 Transmission section, 313 Gripping member, 313a First gripping part, 313b Second gripping part, 314 Pinch cylinder, 315 Load cell, 316 Individual housing, 317 Support section, 318 Connecting member, 32 Robot arm, 321 Connecting section, 40 Discharge chute, 50 Shielding section, 60 Control device, 151 Sensor information acquisition section, 152 Reaction force determination section, 153 Gripping amount determination section, 154 Multi-joint robot control section, 155 Container supply control section, 156 Recording control section, 171 Parameter storage section, 172 History database (History DB), 711 CPU, 712 ROM, 713 RAM, 714 Bus, 715 Input section, 716 Output section, 717 Storage section, 718 Communication section, 719 Drive, 731 Removable media

Claims

1. A plurality of gripping members each independently gripping an object, transfer means for transferring the plurality of gripping members and simultaneously inserting the plurality of gripping members into a container that houses a group of the objects and has a substantially horizontal bottom surface, control means for causing the plurality of gripping members to perform gripping while inserted into the container, comprising: Since the tips of the plurality of gripping members have different relative distances from the transfer means, their relative distances from the bottom surface of the container when performing the gripping are also different from each other, A gripping system characterized by this.

2. Each of the plurality of gripping members further comprises weight detection means for detecting the weight of the object gripped by the gripping member, The control means performs combined weighing of the weights gripped by the gripping members based on the weights detected by the weight detection means, and determines the gripping members that release the object based on the weighing result. The gripping system according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The tips of each of the plurality of gripping members have different relative distances from the transfer means in a stepped manner in the direction in which they are arranged on the transfer means. The gripping system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by this.

4. The tip of each of the plurality of gripping members has a different relative distance from the transfer means compared to the other adjacent gripping members. The gripping system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by this.

5. When the gripping member performs gripping, the tip of the gripping member adjacent to the wall surface of the container has a relatively closer distance from the bottom surface of the container than the tips of the other gripping members. The gripping system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by this.

6. At least one of the plurality of gripping members further comprises reaction force detection means for detecting that a reaction force has been received from the object during the insertion process, The control means causes the corresponding gripping member to perform gripping in response to the physical quantity of the reaction force detected by the reaction force detection means being equal to or greater than a reference, and varies the reference among the plurality of gripping members. The gripping system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by this.

7. The control means causes the plurality of gripping members to perform gripping simultaneously while the tips of the plurality of gripping members have different relative distances from the bottom surface of the container. The gripping system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by this.

8. Each of the plurality of gripping members is a pair of gripping members that perform gripping by opening and closing. The control means causes the plurality of gripping members to perform gripping such that the opening and closing direction is substantially parallel or substantially orthogonal to the direction of the wall surface of the container in the horizontal plane. The gripping system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

9. A gripping member that grips an object independently of other gripping members, By being transferred by a transfer means, it is inserted into a container that houses the group of objects and has a substantially horizontal bottom surface at the same time as the other gripping members. While being inserted into the container, it performs gripping, Since the relative distance between the tip of the gripping member and the tip of the other gripping member from the transfer means is different, the relative distance from the bottom surface of the container when performing the gripping is also different from that of the other gripping members. A gripping member, characterized in that.

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