Transfer robot

Abstract

To provide a conveyance robot which does not need to discard all workpieces even when a defective product is included in a plurality of workpieces to be conveyed.SOLUTION: The end effector includes a base body, a connection part provided at a central part of the base body and configured to connect the base body to the arm, and a plurality of holding parts configured to hold a workpiece. The holding portions are arranged in one row or multiple rows along the longitudinal direction of the base. Each of the holding portions passes through the center portion, and is line-symmetrical with respect to a first virtual line extending in the longitudinal direction and a second virtual line extending in the lateral direction when viewed in the thickness direction of the substrate. When the controller acquires information for identifying a defective workpiece among the plurality of workpieces before holding the plurality of workpieces, the controller identifies the first holding part located at a position for holding the defective workpiece. The controller makes the respective holding parts except the first holding part and the second holding part at a position point-symmetrical to the first holding part with respect to the center part when viewed in the thickness direction of the base body hold the workpiece and convey the workpiece.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, a transport robot is known that grips a workpiece with an end effector and transports it to a predetermined position. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2019-116332 (Patent Document 1) discloses an article alignment device as such a transport robot. In this article alignment device, a gripping head grips multiple containers transported on a supply conveyor and moves them to an alignment conveyor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-116332 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When multiple workpieces are transported simultaneously by an end effector, the following problem occurs: If the multiple workpieces contain even one defective product, and the defective product is discarded and not transported, the center of gravity of the end effector and the remaining multiple workpieces as a unit will shift from the center of gravity when there are no defective products.

[0005] If the center of gravity is misaligned, the transport robot may lose its posture and be unable to transport the workpiece, or the user may be forced to set the transport speed to be slower than desired. Therefore, misalignment of the center of gravity leads to a decrease in production efficiency. Therefore, if even one defective workpiece is found among multiple workpieces, all of the workpieces must be discarded.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a transport robot that does not require discarding all of the workpieces even if defective workpieces are included among the multiple workpieces to be transported. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a transfer robot includes an arm, an end effector connected to the arm and configured to simultaneously hold multiple workpieces, and a controller for controlling the posture of the arm and the operation of the end effector. The end effector includes a base, a connection portion provided in a central portion of the base on one side of the base in a thickness direction and connecting the base to the arm, and multiple holders each provided on the opposite side of the base from the connection portion and configured to hold one workpiece. The multiple holders are arranged in a single row or multiple rows along the longitudinal direction of the base, which is perpendicular to the thickness direction. The multiple holders are arranged to be line-symmetrical when viewed in the thickness direction of the base with respect to a first imaginary line passing through the center and extending in the longitudinal direction, and a second imaginary line passing through the center and extending in a lateral direction of the base, which is perpendicular to both the thickness direction and the longitudinal direction. When the controller acquires information identifying a defective workpiece from an external device before the workpieces are held, it identifies a first holding unit among the multiple holding units that is located at a position to hold the defective workpiece. The controller causes each of the multiple holding units, excluding at least the first holding unit and a second holding unit that is located point-symmetrically to the first holding unit with respect to the center when viewed in the thickness direction of the base, to hold a workpiece, and causes the arm to transport the held workpiece to a predetermined position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, even if defective products are included among the multiple workpieces to be transported, there is no need to discard all of the workpieces. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a top view of the transport system. [Figure 2]It is a view of the conveying system as seen in the direction of arrow II in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a view of the end effector shown in FIG. 2 as seen in the direction of arrow III. [Figure 4] It is a view of the end effector shown in FIG. 3 as seen in the direction of arrow IV. [Figure 5] It is a view of the end effector shown in FIG. 3 as seen in the direction of arrow IV. [Figure 6] It is a view showing a configuration for realizing the grouping of 16 suction parts. [Figure 7] It is a view showing a specific example of the conveyance of product W by the conveyance robot. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart showing the flow of the process executed by the conveyance robot.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] The conveyance robot in the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments described below, the same parts and corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions may not be repeated. In the drawings, the ratios of the actual dimensions are not shown according to the actual ratios, and in order to facilitate the understanding of the structure, there are parts where the ratios are changed so that the structure becomes clear. Each modification example described later can be combined as appropriate. In the following, each of "grasp" and "suction" is an example of "holding".

[0011] <A. Overall Configuration> FIG. 1 is a top view of the conveyance system. As shown in FIG. 1, the conveyance system 1000 includes a conveyance robot 1, a conveyance device 600, a conveyance device 700, and a waste box 800.

[0012] In this example, the conveying devices 600 and 700 are belt conveyors. The conveying devices 600 and 700 have conveying surfaces 601 and 701, respectively. The conveying surfaces 601 and 701 are the outer circumferential surfaces of the belts. A plurality of products W are supplied to the conveying surface 601. As the conveying surface 601 moves, the products W are conveyed in the positive direction of the X-axis (from the upstream side to the downstream side). The products W are an example of a "workpiece" in the present disclosure. Note that in this example, the conveying devices 600 and 700 are arranged parallel to each other, but this is not limiting.

[0013] The transport robot 1 simultaneously holds (in this example, picks up) multiple products W on the transport surface 601 and places them on the transport surface 701 of the transport device 700. In this example, the transport robot 1 can simultaneously pick up a total of 16 products W arranged in two rows along the transport direction. The transport robot 1 picks up the top surfaces of the products W. Each product W placed on the transport surface 701 is transported downstream.

[0014] The transport robot 1 is a robot that transports a lightly loaded product W at high speed. The transport robot 1 is, for example, a parallel link robot. The transport robot 1 is fixed to a support (not shown) located above the transport robot 1.

[0015] The waste box 800 stores the products W (defective products) that have not been moved onto the transport surface 701, among the multiple products W on the transport surface 601.

[0016] Fig. 2 is a view of the transfer system 1000 shown in Fig. 1 as viewed in the direction of arrow II in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the transfer system 1000 further includes an inspection device 900 in addition to the transfer robot 1.

[0017] The inspection device 900 inspects the quality of each product W in a pre-process before transport by the transport robot 1. The inspection device 900 sends the inspection results to the transport robot 1 (more specifically, the controller 40 described below) before each product W is picked up (before each product W is transported using the arm 20). The inspection results include information identifying a defective product W among multiple products W. For example, the inspection results include information indicating the position of the defective product W. The inspection results include, as information indicating the position, one of 16 identification numbers associated with each product W. The inspection device 900 is an example of an "external device" in the present disclosure.

[0018] The transfer robot 1 includes a main body 10, an arm 20, an end effector 30, and a controller 40.

[0019] The main body 10 is fixed to the support body described above. The main body 10 includes a plurality of servo motors (not shown) that operate the arm 20. Each servo motor operates based on a command from the controller 40.

[0020] The arm 20 is rotatably attached to the main body 10. The arm 20 has three base ends 21 and one tip end 23. The three base ends 21 are connected to the main body 10. An end effector 30 is connected to the arm 20. More specifically, the end effector 30 is attached to the tip end 23.

[0021] More specifically, the arm 20 includes three link mechanisms 210, 220, and 230 arranged in parallel to one another. Each of the link mechanisms 210, 220, and 230 has links 251 and 252 and joints 253 and 254. The link 252 has two pipes 2521 and 2522 that are parallel to one another.

[0022] Each link 251 includes the base end portion 21 described above. Link 252 is rotatably connected to link 251 via joint 253. Each joint 254 is connected to tip portion 23.

[0023] The controller 40 acquires the inspection results from the inspection device 900 before picking up each product W. The controller 40 sends an operation command based on the inspection results from the inspection device 900 to the main body 10. The controller 40 sends commands to drive each servo motor. In this example, the controller 40 sends separate operation commands to each of the three servo motors.

[0024] When each servo motor in the main body 10 is driven based on an operation command, each link 251 rotates. The position of the tip 23 moves based on the posture (rotation angle) of each link 251. When the tip 23 moves, the end effector 30 also moves.

[0025] The link mechanism 210 has a tilt mechanism 219 that tilts the end effector 30. In this example, the transport robot 1 transports multiple products W without using the function of tilting the end effector 30. The end effector 30 transports the products W while maintaining a horizontal posture.

[0026] The end effector 30 simultaneously holds multiple products W. Specifically, the end effector 30 picks up each of the multiple products W. The controller 40 controls the end effector 30 to pick up and release the products W. In this example, the product W is a container containing contents. For example, the product W is a yogurt container. In this case, the pick-up location is the lid (typically the seal) of the product W.

[0027] The posture of the arm 20 is changed under the control of the controller 40, and the end effector 30 conveys (moves) the multiple products W from the conveying surface 601 onto the conveying surface 701.

[0028] As described above, the transport robot 1 comprises (i) an arm 20, (ii) an end effector 30 connected to the arm 20 and capable of simultaneously holding multiple products W, and (iii) a controller 40 that controls the posture of the arm 20 and the operation of the end effector 30.

[0029] <B.エンドエフェクタ> Fig. 3 is a view of the end effector 30 shown in Fig. 2 as viewed in the direction of arrow III in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a side view of the end effector 30. Fig. 4 is a view of the end effector 30 shown in Fig. 3 as viewed in the direction of arrow IV in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view of the end effector 30 shown in Fig. 3 as viewed in the direction of arrow V in Fig. 3.

[0030] 3 and 4, the end effector 30 includes a base 310, a connection portion 320, and a plurality of suction portions 330. The suction portions 330 are portions that suction the product W to the end effector (more specifically, the suction portions 330 themselves) by air suction. The suction portions are an example of the "holding portion" of the present disclosure.

[0031] 3, the base 310 has a rectangular shape in a side view. When the product W is transported from the transport device 600 to the transport device 700, the X-axis direction of the base 310 is the longitudinal direction, and the Y-axis direction is the lateral direction. The longitudinal direction is a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the base 310. The lateral direction is a direction perpendicular to both the thickness direction and the longitudinal direction.

[0032] 3 and 4, the connecting portion 320 is provided at a center portion C (center position) of the base body 310 on one side in the thickness direction of the base body 310. The connecting portion 320 connects the base body 310 to the arm 20. In this example, the connecting portion 320 has a shape in which two overlapping columns (or cylinders) with different radii are formed. The central axis Ax of the connecting portion 320 passes through the center portion C and extends in the thickness direction of the base body 310.

[0033] 5, the end effector 30 has, in this example, eight suction portions 331a to 338a and eight suction portions 331b to 338b as the plurality of suction portions 330. In this example, the plurality of suction portions 330 are arranged in two columns along the longitudinal direction of the base body 310. The plurality of suction portions 330 are arranged in eight rows and two columns.

[0034] 3 and 4, each of the plurality of suction portions 330 is provided on the opposite side of the base 310 from the connection portion 320. Each of the plurality of suction portions 330 holds one product W. In this example, each of the plurality of suction portions 330 is capable of suctioning one product W.

[0035] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the multiple suction portions 330 are arranged so as to be line-symmetrical when viewed in the thickness direction of the base 310 (Figure 5) with respect to each of an imaginary line Q1 that passes through the central portion C and extends in the longitudinal direction and an imaginary line Q2 that passes through the central portion C and extends in the lateral direction.

[0036] 5, in this example, the suction portion 331a is line-symmetric to the suction portion 331b with respect to the imaginary line Q1 when viewed in the thickness direction of the base 310. Similarly, the suction portions 332a to 338a are line-symmetric to the suction portions 332b to 338b with respect to the imaginary line Q1 when viewed in the thickness direction of the base 310.

[0037] The suction portion 331a is symmetrical to the suction portion 338a about the imaginary line Q2 when viewed in the thickness direction of the base 310. Similarly, the suction portions 332a, 333a, and 334a are symmetrical to the suction portions 337a, 336a, and 335a about the imaginary line Q2 when viewed in the thickness direction of the base 310, respectively.

[0038] The suction portion 331b is symmetrical to the suction portion 338b about the imaginary line Q2 when viewed in the thickness direction of the base 310. Similarly, the suction portions 332b, 333b, and 334b ​​are symmetrical to the suction portions 337b, 336b, and 335b about the imaginary line Q2 when viewed in the thickness direction of the base 310, respectively.

[0039] The suction portion 331a is point-symmetrical to the suction portion 338b with respect to a central portion C when viewed in the thickness direction of the base 310. The suction portion 331a is point-symmetrical to the suction portion 338b with respect to a central portion C which is the intersection of the virtual line Q1 and the virtual line Q2 when viewed in the thickness direction of the base 310. Similarly, the suction portions 332a to 338a are point-symmetrical to the suction portions 337b, 336b, ..., 331b with respect to the central portion C when viewed in the thickness direction of the base 310.

[0040] In the transfer robot 1, in the thickness direction view of the base body 310, 16 suction portions 330 that are equidistantly spaced in one and the other longitudinal directions from the virtual line Q2 are grouped so as to form one group in which the operations of holding and releasing the product W are synchronized.

[0041] In this example, the suction portions 334a, 334b, 335a, 335b form the group G1. The suction portions 333a, 333b, 336a, 336b form the group G2. The suction portions 332a, 332b, 337a, 337b form the group G3. The suction portions 331a, 331b, 338a, 338b form the group G4. Thus, in the transfer robot 1, the 16 suction portions 330 are divided into four groups.

[0042] <C. Details of Grouping> FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration for realizing the grouping of the 16 suction portions 330. As shown in FIG. 6, the transfer robot 1 includes, in addition to the controller 40 and the 16 suction portions 330 (specifically, suction portions 331a to 338a, 331b to 338b), an air suction device 50, a branch joint 60, a plurality of control valves 71 to 74, a plurality of branch joints 81 to 84, an air tube 90, a plurality of air tubes 91a to 91d, a plurality of air tubes 92a to 92d, and a plurality of air tubes 93a to 93d. In FIG. 6, each white arrow indicates the flow of air during suction.

[0043] Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, any one of the plurality of control valves 71 to 74 is referred to as "control valve 70". Similarly, any one of the plurality of branch joints 81 to 84 is referred to as "branch joint 80". Any one of the plurality of air tubes 91a to 91d is referred to as "air tube 91". Any one of the plurality of air tubes 92a to 92d is referred to as "air tube 92". Any one of the plurality of air tubes 93a to 93d is referred to as "air tube 93".

[0044] The controller 40 controls the operation of the air suction device 50 and the opening and closing operations of each control valve 70. The controller 40 causes the air suction device to suck in air by operating the air suction device 50. The controller 40 can control each control valve 70 to an open state or a closed state.

[0045] For example, when each control valve 70 receives an operation command from the controller 40, it closes the valve, thereby transitioning from an open state to a closed state. Specifically, when electricity is applied to each control valve 70, it transitions from a steady open state to a closed state. However, this is not limiting, and each control valve 70 may be in a closed state in its steady state.

[0046] The air tube 90 connects the air suction device 50 and the branch joint 60. Each air tube 91 connects the branch joint 60 and the control valve 70. Specifically, the air tubes 91a to 91d are connected to different control valves 71 to 74, respectively. In this way, each control valve 70 is connected to the air suction device 50 via the air tubes 90, 91 and the branch joint 60.

[0047] Each air tube 92 connects a control valve 70 and a branch joint 80. Specifically, the air tubes 92a to 92d are connected to different branch joints 81 to 84, respectively. In this manner, each branch joint 80 is connected to a different control valve 70 via the air tube 92.

[0048] Each air tube 93 connects a branch joint 80 and a suction unit 330. Specifically, the air tubes 93a to 93d are connected to the suction units 330 that belong to different groups G1 to G2. For example, the four air tubes 93a are connected to the four suction units 334a, 334b, 335a, and 335b that belong to group G1. In this way, each branch joint 80 is connected to the four suction units 330 that belong to different groups via the four air tubes 93.

[0049] For example, when the control valve 71 is open, the four suction units 330 (334a, 334b, 335a, 335b) included in group G1 communicate with the air suction device 50. Similarly, when each of the control valves 72 to 74 is open, the four suction units 330 included in groups G2 to G4 communicate with the air suction device 50. In this way, each of the control valves 70 allows air to be sucked from the branch joint 80 when it is open.

[0050] In a configuration having an air flow path as described above, when the controller 40 sends a command to the air suction device 50 to start suction, the air suction device 50 starts suction. The controller 40 controls the operation of each control valve 70 based on the inspection results received from the inspection device 900. If the inspection results of all 16 products W are pass (OK), the controller 40 opens all control valves 70.

[0051] In this case, the end effector 30 uses all of the suction units 330 to suck up the 16 products W. Specifically, the 16 products W are sucked up by generating an air flow (indicated by the open arrows in the figure) from the 16 suction units 330 toward the air suction device 50. Thereafter, the controller 40 changes the posture of the arm 20 to transport the 16 products W that have been sucked up by all of the suction units 330 to predetermined positions on the transport surface 701 of the transport device 700.

[0052] If even one of the 16 products W is defective, the controller 40, as described above, acquires information identifying the defective product W as the inspection result from the inspection device 900. In this case, the controller 40, based on the information, identifies the suction unit 330 that is located at the position to pick up the defective product W from among the multiple suction units 330.

[0053] For example, when there is one defective product W and thus one specified suction part 330, the controller 40 causes the remaining 12 suction parts 330, excluding the specified suction part 330 and the four suction parts 330 included in the same group as the specified suction part 330, to adsorb the product W respectively.

[0054] Specifically, the controller closes the control valve 70 connected to the four suction parts 330 belonging to the group including the specified suction part 330 among the plurality of control valves 70, and operates the air suction device 50, so as to cause the remaining 12 suction parts 330, excluding the four suction parts 330 belonging to the group including the specified suction part 330, to adsorb the product W respectively.

[0055] In this case, the controller 40 conveys the 12 products W adsorbed by the 12 suction parts 330 to the above-mentioned predetermined position by changing the posture of the arm 20.

[0056] <D. Specific Example of Processing> FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a specific example of conveyance of the product W by the conveyance robot 1. As shown in FIG. 7, when it is shown that only the inspection result of the product W7b among a total of 16 products W (W1a to W8a, W1b to W8b) arranged in two rows along the conveyance direction is NG (non-conforming), the controller 40 acquires, from the inspection device 900, information specifying the product W7b, which is the defective product W, as the inspection result.

[0057] In this case, the controller 40 specifies the suction part 337b located at the position adsorbing the defective product W7b among the plurality of suction parts 330 based on the information. The controller 40 causes each of the remaining 12 suction parts 330, excluding the specified suction part 337b and the four suction parts 332a, 332b, 337a, 337b included in the same group G3 as the suction part 337b, to hold the product W, and conveys the held product W to the above-mentioned predetermined position by the arm 20.

[0058] In this way, in this example, the suction units 332a, 332b, 337a, and 337b do not suction the products W2a, W2b, W7a, and W7b. Therefore, the products W2a, W2b, W7a, and W7b remain on the conveying surface 601 of the conveying device 600. The products W2a, W2b, W7a, and W7b are then discarded by the conveying device 600 into the disposal box 800 (FIG. 1).

[0059] As described above, when there is only one defective product W as described above and therefore only one suction unit 330 is identified, the controller 40 does not allow the identified suction unit 330 and the four suction units 330 included in the same group as the identified suction unit 330 to pick up the product W. In other words, the controller 40 does not allow the identified suction unit 330 (in the above example, suction unit 337b) and the four suction units 330 (in the above example, 332a, 332b, 337a, and 337b) included in the same group (in the above example, group G3) as the suction unit 330 (in the above example, suction unit 332a) that is point-symmetrical to the identified suction unit 330 with respect to the center C to pick up the product W.

[0060] Furthermore, if the controller 40 identifies two suction sections 330 that belong to the same group based on the inspection results from the inspection device 900, the controller 40 causes each of the remaining 12 suction sections 330, excluding the total of four suction sections 330 included in that group (one group), to adsorb the product W.

[0061] If the controller 40 identifies two suction sections 330 that belong to different groups based on the inspection results from the inspection device 900, the controller 40 causes each of the remaining eight suction sections 330, excluding the total of eight suction sections 330 included in each group (two groups), to suction the product W.

[0062] If the controller 40 identifies three suction sections 330 that belong to different groups based on the inspection results from the inspection device 900, the controller 40 causes each of the remaining four suction sections 330 to pick up the product W, excluding the total of 12 suction sections 330 included in each group (three groups).

[0063] <E. Advantages> By configuring the transfer robot 1 as described above, the following advantages are achieved. As described above, even when the 16 products W include defective products W (defective items), the end effector 30 does not suck all the products W (4 products W) in the group to which the defective product W belongs.

[0064] Therefore, when the end effector 30 and the remaining products W to be sucked are regarded as an integral body, the center of gravity position does not deviate from the center of gravity position when there is no defective product W (the center of gravity position when 16 products W are adsorbed). Since there is no deviation in the center of gravity position, a situation where the transfer robot loses its posture and cannot transfer the product W does not occur.

[0065] Therefore, according to the transfer robot 1, even when one of the plurality of products W to be transferred (transfer unit) includes a defective product W, the remaining products W excluding all the products W in the group to which the defective product W belongs can be transferred. Therefore, according to the transfer robot 1, it is not necessary to discard all the products W (16 products W).

[0066] In addition, since there is no deviation in the center of gravity position as described above, a situation where the user has to set the transfer speed lower than the desired transfer speed does not occur. Therefore, according to the transfer robot 1, a decrease in production efficiency can be suppressed.

[0067] In this example, the transfer robot 1 is a parallel link robot. A parallel link robot can transfer the product W at high speed. On the other hand, the rigidity of the arm 20 is weaker than that of a serial link robot. Therefore, compared with a serial link robot, it is more vulnerable to the above-described fluctuations in the center of gravity position. Therefore, according to the transfer robot 1, the above-described adsorption control based on the group unit is particularly effective.

[0068] <F. Processing Flow> Fig. 8 is a flow diagram showing the flow of processing executed by the transport robot 1. As shown in Fig. 8, when the controller 40 acquires information indicating a defective product W from the inspection device 900 (YES in step S1), in step S2, it identifies the suction part 330 that is in a position to pick up the defective product W from among the 16 suction parts 330.

[0069] In step S3, a control valve 70 corresponding to the identified suction unit 330 is identified from among the plurality of control valves 70 (FIG. 6). In step S4, the identified control valve 70 among the plurality of control valves 70 is closed, and the remaining control valves 70 are opened, and suction of some of the 16 products W is started.

[0070] In step S5, while the controller 40 is sucking the part of the products W, it changes the posture of the arm 20 to transport the part of the products W from the suction start position on the transport surface 601 to a predetermined position on the transport surface 701. In step S6, when the controller 40 determines that the products W have been transported to the predetermined position, it ends suction of the products sucked by the end effector 30. That is, the controller 40 causes the end effector 30 to release all of the products W that it has sucked. Specifically, the controller 40 stops suction by the air suction device 50. Thereafter, the controller 40 switches the control valve 70, which was closed, to an open state.

[0071] In step S7, the controller 40 changes the posture of the arm 20 to move the end effector 30 from a predetermined position to a suction start position.

[0072] Note that when the controller 40 does not acquire information indicating a defective product W from the inspection device 900 (NO in step S1), in step S8, the controller 40 opens all of the plurality of control valves 70 and starts sucking all of the products W (16 products). Thereafter, the controller 40 advances the process to step S5. In this case, with all of the products W sucked, the controller 40 changes the posture of the arm 20 to convey all of the products W from the suction start position on the conveyance surface 601 to a predetermined position on the conveyance surface 701.

[0073] <G. Modified Example> (1) The controller 40 may be configured such that, among the plurality of suction portions 330, a product W is adsorbed to each of the suction portions 330 excluding at least the suction portion 330 specified as described above and the suction portion 330 located at a position point-symmetrical to the specified suction portion 330 with respect to the central portion C in the thickness direction view of the substrate 310, and the adsorbed product W is conveyed to a predetermined position by the arm 20.

[0074] Specifically, for example, as described based on FIG. 7, when the controller 40 acquires information specifying the product W7b which is a defective product W, as described above, based on this information, the controller 40 specifies the suction portion 337b located at the position where the defective product W7b is adsorbed among the plurality of suction portions 330.

[0075] In this case, the controller 40 adsorbs a product W to each of the 10 suction portions 330 excluding the suction portion 337b specified as described above and the suction portion 332a located at a position point-symmetrical to the suction portion 337b with respect to the central portion C in the thickness direction view of the substrate 310, and conveys the adsorbed product W to a predetermined position by the arm 20.

[0076] According to such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the number of products W to be discarded compared to discarding the products W in a group unit each consisting of 4 suction portions 330. For example, when only the product W7b is defective, the number of products W to be discarded can be made 2 instead of 4.

[0077] In this configuration, the number of control valves 70 needs to be eight. That is, a control valve 70 is required for at least eight groups, each group consisting of two adsorption sections 330 that are point-symmetric to each other.

[0078] (2) The end effector 30 may be configured to grip a plurality of products W instead of suctioning a plurality of products W. In this case, the end effector 30 has a plurality of gripping portions instead of a plurality of suction portions 330. In this case, the gripping portions may grip the side portions of the products W, for example.

[0079] Each gripping part may be operated by air or by an electric actuator. When operated by air, an air supplying device is required instead of an air suction device.

[0080] (3) A Syrian link robot may be used instead of a parallel link robot. (4) In the above, a product is used as an example of a workpiece, but it may also be a work in progress that is being processed. Note that a product includes a finished product that is about to be boxed or bottled. A product also includes a product that has not yet undergone the required inspection.

[0081] (5) In the above, an example was described in which the end effector 30 is capable of simultaneously suctioning 16 products W arranged in 8 rows and 2 columns, but the number of rows and columns is not limited to this. For example, the number of columns may be 1 or 3 or more. When multiple columns are used, the end effector 30 may be configured so that the suction sections 330 are arranged in m rows (m is a natural number equal to or greater than 3) and n columns (n ​​is a natural number equal to or greater than 2 and less than m).

[0082] (6) In the above, as shown in Fig. 6, an example of a configuration in which one control valve 70 is provided for four adsorption units 330 in the same group has been described. However, this is not limitative. An individual control valve 70 may be provided for each adsorption unit 330.

[0083] <Additional Notes> When the controller acquires information identifying a defective workpiece from an external device before the plurality of workpieces are held, the controller identifies a first holding unit among the plurality of holding units that is located at a position to hold the defective workpiece; a step in which the controller causes each of the plurality of holding units, excluding at least the first holding unit and a second holding unit that is positioned point-symmetrical to the first holding unit with respect to the central portion when viewed in the thickness direction of the base, to hold the workpiece; and a step in which the controller causes the arm to transport the held workpiece to a predetermined position.

[0084] The embodiments disclosed herein are merely examples and are not limited to the above. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1 transport robot, 10 main body, 20 arm, 21 base end, 23 tip end, 30 end effector, 40 controller, 50 air suction device, 60, 80, 81, 84 branch joint, 70, 71 to 74 control valve, 90, 91, 91a to 91d, 92, 92a to 92d, 93, 93a to 93d air tube, 210, 220, 230 link mechanism, 219 tilt mechanism, 251, 252 link, 253, 254 joint, 310 base, 320 connection part, 330, 331a to 338a, 331b to 338b suction part, 600, 700 transport device, 601, 701 transport surface, 800 waste box, 900 inspection device, 1000 Conveying system, 2521, 2522 pipe, Ax central axis, C central part, G1, G2, G3, G4 group, Q1, Q2 virtual line, W, W1a~W8a, W1b~W8b product.

Claims

1. Arm and an end effector connected to the arm and configured to simultaneously hold a plurality of workpieces; a controller that controls the posture of the arm and the operation of the end effector, The end effector a substrate; a connecting portion provided at a central portion of the base on one side in a thickness direction of the base and connecting the base to the arm; a plurality of holding portions each provided on the opposite side of the base body from the connection portion, and each holding one of the workpieces; The plurality of holding portions include: are arranged in one or more rows along the longitudinal direction of the substrate perpendicular to the thickness direction, the first and second imaginary lines are arranged to be line-symmetrical with respect to a first imaginary line that passes through the central portion and extends in the longitudinal direction, and a second imaginary line that passes through the central portion and extends in a lateral direction of the base that is perpendicular to both the thickness direction and the longitudinal direction, when viewed in the thickness direction of the base; The controller When information identifying a defective workpiece among the plurality of workpieces is acquired from an external device before the plurality of workpieces are held, a first holding unit that is located at a position to hold the defective workpiece among the plurality of holding units is identified, A transport robot that causes each of the plurality of holding portions, excluding at least the first holding portion and a second holding portion that is positioned point-symmetrically to the first holding portion with respect to the center portion when viewed in the thickness direction of the base, to hold the workpiece, and transports the held workpiece to a predetermined position by the arm.

2. The plurality of holding portions include: The pixels are arranged in m rows and n columns (where m is a natural number equal to or greater than 3), and 2n holding portions spaced at equal distances from the second virtual line in one and the other directions in the longitudinal direction when viewed in the thickness direction of the base are grouped to form one group in which operations of holding and releasing the workpiece are synchronized, 2. The transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the controller causes each of the holding units, excluding the 2n holding units belonging to the group including the first and second holding units, to hold the workpiece, and causes the arm to transport the held workpiece to the predetermined position.

3. each of the plurality of holding portions attracts the workpiece to the end effector by air suction; An air suction device, first, second, and third air tubes; a plurality of control valves each connected to the air suction device via the first air tube; a plurality of branch joints each connected to a different one of the control valves via the second air tube; each of the plurality of branch joints is connected to the 2n holding portions belonging to the groups different from one another via the third air tube; the controller controls the operation of the air suction device and the opening and closing operations of the control valves; Each of the control valves allows the air to be sucked from the branch joint side when in an open state, 3. The transport robot according to claim 2, wherein the controller closes the control valves connected to the 2n holding units belonging to the group including the first and second holding units among the plurality of control valves and operates the air suction device, thereby causing each of the holding units excluding the 2n holding units belonging to the group including the first and second holding units to hold the workpiece.

4. The transport robot according to claim 1 , wherein the transport robot is a parallel link robot.

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