Workpiece picking device and workpiece picking method

Abstract

To provide a technique for efficiently taking out a workpiece group composed of a plurality of sheet-like workpieces from a box body.SOLUTION: A workpiece picking device that picks up a workpiece group including a plurality of sheet-shaped workpieces from a box that is open at the top, the workpiece picking device including a pair of housing members that support both end portions of the workpiece group, are separable from each other, and are housed in the box, a suction unit 24 that engages with the pair of housing members in a state of supporting the workpiece group, and a control unit that moves the pair of housing members relative to the box via the suction unit 24. A piston cylinder 26 and a slider 28 for taking out the work group from the box body and positioning it on a predetermined placing surface, and a piston cylinder 22 for releasing the work group from the pair of housing members so as to be placed on the placing surface by separating the pair of housing members from each other together with the suction part 24 are provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a technique for removing a workpiece group consisting of a plurality of sheet-shaped workpieces from a box. [Background technology]

[0002] A known example of this type of device is a sheet-like material take-out device as disclosed in Patent Document 1. This take-out device is a sheet-like material take-out device that sequentially takes out, starting from the edge, multiple sheets that are stacked and stored in a storage unit, and is equipped with a pressing unit that presses multiple points on the peripheral edge of the endmost sheet, a pair of holding units that hold the sheet by suction or adhesion, and a drive unit that moves the storage unit or the holding units, and is characterized in that the force with which one of the pair of holding units peels the sheet away is weaker than the force with which the other sheet away is peeled away, and at least the holding unit with the weaker peeling force is configured to be stretchable by an elastic body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-218399 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a technique for efficiently removing a group of workpieces made up of a plurality of sheet-like workpieces from a box. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an embodiment of the present invention is a work removal device that removes a work group consisting of multiple sheet-like works from a box body that is open at the top, and is characterized by comprising: a pair of storage members that support both ends of the work group, are separable from each other, and can be stored in the box body; an engagement portion that engages with the pair of storage members that are in a state of supporting the work group; a removal portion that removes the work group from the box body and positions it on a predetermined loading surface by moving the pair of storage members relative to the box body via the engagement portions; and a release portion that releases the work group from the pair of storage members so that it can be placed on the loading surface by moving the pair of storage members away from each other together with the engagement portions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a technique can be provided for efficiently removing a workpiece group consisting of a plurality of sheet-shaped workpieces from a box. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a workpiece removal system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a workpiece removal system according to an embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a transport holder according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining a workpiece holding state of the transport holder according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of an acquisition device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining removal of a work group from a container by the acquisition device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a pinching and conveying device according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a feeder according to an embodiment. [Figure 9]10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the transfer of a work group from an acquisition device to a clamping and conveying device according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the transfer of a work group from an acquisition device to a clamping and conveying device according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the transfer of a work group from an acquisition device to a clamping and conveying device according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the transfer of a work group from an acquisition device to a clamping and conveying device according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the transfer of a work group from an acquisition device to a clamping and conveying device according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the transfer of a work group from an acquisition device to a clamping and conveying device according to an embodiment. [Figure 15] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the pickup of a workpiece by a feeder according to an embodiment. [Figure 16] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the pickup of a workpiece by a feeder according to an embodiment. [Figure 17] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the pickup of a workpiece by a feeder according to an embodiment. [Figure 18] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the pickup of a workpiece by a feeder according to an embodiment. [Figure 19] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the pickup of a workpiece by a feeder according to an embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of an acquisition device according to an application example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0009] (Device configuration) Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a workpiece picking system according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the workpiece picking system according to this embodiment. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the workpiece picking system 1 according to this embodiment includes a carry-in / out device 10, an acquisition device 20, a clamping and conveying device 30, a feeder 40, and a control device 50 (not shown in Fig. 1).

[0010] (Control device 50) The control device 50 is configured as an information processing device operable by an operator, and includes a central processing unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), and a storage device such as a flash memory. The CPU and RAM cooperate to control various operations of the loading / unloading device 10, the acquiring device 20, the clamping / transporting device 30, and the feeder 40, as described below. Specifically, the control device 50 is controllably connected to actuators such as pumps and motors for operating various cylinders, such as hydraulic and pneumatic piston cylinders and swing cylinders, as well as a vacuum pump, as drive sources for the elements of each device, and controls their operation. Control is performed based on various setting information stored in the storage device. The control device 50 includes a control panel (not shown), and an operator can operate the control panel to turn the above devices on / off and change various settings. A laptop or desktop personal computer (PC) may be used as the control device 50.

[0011] Reference symbol C shown in FIG. 1 indicates a container that stores a workpiece group W according to this embodiment. The container C according to this embodiment is a so-called box container formed in a box shape with an open top, such as a lightweight, thin plastic box container or a foldable box container. The container C stores a workpiece group W, which is made up of sheet-like workpieces W1 (see the upper surface of the discharge conveyor 46 of the feeder 40 in FIG. 1, etc.) aligned so as to be stacked in one direction, specifically, horizontally, via a transport holder 70, the details of which will be described later.

[0012] The workpiece W1 in this embodiment is a bag, such as a pouch for enclosing food, folded into a sheet. In this embodiment, the workpiece W1 is a pouch without a spout. When the pouch is folded into a sheet, only a portion, i.e., a portion corresponding to the bottom of the pouch, becomes thicker than the other portions. The symbol Wt in FIG. 1 indicates that multiple thick portions are aligned in one direction. As shown in FIG. 1, a predetermined number of works W1 are aligned horizontally in the container C, and then another predetermined number of works W1 are aligned in a flipped state. Here, "aligned horizontally" refers to a state in which the bottom of the pouch faces horizontally rather than vertically. In this way, when some of the works are thick, stacking them by flipping them every certain number of times effectively utilizes the internal space of the container C, allowing more works to be accommodated in the container C.

[0013] In this embodiment, the container C accommodates the workpiece group W via a bag body P made of a soft plastic sheet such as polyvinyl chloride. In other words, the workpiece group W is accommodated in the bag body P, and the container C accommodates the bag body P. The bag body P is intended to prevent dust and dirt from adhering to the workpiece group W2, and when the workpiece group W2 is supplied to the workpiece removal system 1, the top is open, exposing the workpiece group W when viewed from above the container C. The edge of the open part of the bag body P is folded back to the outside of the edge of the container C, and is engaged with the container C by a band made of an elastic material such as rubber (not shown).

[0014] Next, the configurations of the above-mentioned loading / unloading device 10, acquiring device 20, pinching and conveying device 30, and feeder 40 will be described in detail.

[0015] (Loading / unloading device 10) As shown in FIG. 1 , the loading / unloading device 10 includes a supply conveyor 12 and a discharge conveyor 14. The supply conveyor 12 and the discharge conveyor 14 each have a plurality of cylindrical free rollers, which are arranged in series along the horizontal X direction. The X-direction ends of the supply conveyor 12 and the discharge conveyor 14 are preferably positioned approximately at the same position in the X direction. Drive rollers may be disposed between a certain number of free rollers. Each drive roller is preferably driven to rotate by an actuator, such as a motor (not shown), that is controllably connected to the control device 50. The supply conveyor 12 does not necessarily need to include a drive roller. In this case, the container C may be biased from the upstream side in the X direction, which is the transport direction, toward the downstream side in the X direction by any device or operator.

[0016] When a container C with its top open is placed on the upstream side of the supply conveyor 12 by an operator or a device not shown, the supply conveyor 12 transports the container C downstream in the X direction. In this embodiment, the container C transported downstream is slid onto the upstream end of the discharge conveyor 14 together with the workpiece group W and the transport holder 70 by the acquisition device 20. Note that the container C may also be slid onto the discharge conveyor 14 by being pushed in the Y direction, which is perpendicular to the X direction and the up-down direction, by an operator or a push-out device not shown.

[0017] At the upstream end of the discharge conveyor 14, the workpiece group W1 in the container C is acquired by the acquisition device 20. The container C from which the workpiece group W has been removed is transported downstream, that is, in the opposite direction from the upstream side in the X direction, by the discharge conveyor 14 with the transport holder 70 attached. The upstream end of the discharge conveyor 14 is preferably close to the transport conveyor 32 of the clamping and transporting device 30. By being close to the upstream end, the workpiece group W can be quickly placed on the transport conveyor 32 after being removed by the acquisition device 20 via the transport holder 70. Therefore, in this case, the downstream end of the supply conveyor 12 is also close to the transport conveyor 32 of the clamping and transporting device 30.

[0018] (Transport holder 70) Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the transport holder according to this embodiment, and Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the workpiece holding state thereof. Fig. 4 shows a vertical cross section of the container C and the transport holder 70 as viewed from the X direction.

[0019] First, the transport holder 70 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the transport holder 70 is composed of a first frame 71 and a second frame 72 configured separately from the first frame. The first frame 71 has a flat wall portion 711, and the second frame 72 similarly has a flat wall portion 721. The walls 711, 721 are arranged so that their respective planes face each other in the X direction. A peripheral wall portion 712 that uniformly protrudes toward the second frame 72 is provided on the edge of the plane of the wall portion 711 of the first frame 71 except for the upper edge. In other words, the peripheral wall portion 712 is formed in a generally U-shape with an open upper portion. The wall portion 711 and the peripheral wall portion 712 form a holder portion 713 that can support one end of the workpiece group W in the X direction.

[0020] Similarly, a peripheral wall 722 that uniformly protrudes toward the first frame 71 is provided on the flat surface of the wall 721 of the second frame 72 except for the upper edge, i.e., the peripheral wall 722 is formed in a generally U-shape with an open upper portion. The wall 721 and the peripheral wall 722 form a holder 723 that can support the other end of the workpiece group W in the X direction.

[0021] The holder portions 713, 723 are formed so that the upper surface and the surfaces facing each other are open, and therefore, in a state where they are spaced apart as shown in Fig. 4(a), the workpiece group W can be held between the holder portions 713, 723. Specifically, the peripheral wall portions 712, 722 abut against the lower surfaces at both ends of the workpiece group W in the X direction, the side surfaces extending in the Y direction, and both side surfaces perpendicular to the Y direction, respectively, and can support the workpiece group W so that it cannot fall off.

[0022] 3, the first frame 71 has a substantially rectangular pillar-shaped fixing portion 714 extending in the Y direction on the opposite side of the holder portion 713, i.e., on the opposite side in the X direction from the holder portion 713. The fixing portion 714 is connected to the upper end of the wall portion 711 via a flat adjusting plate 715 extending in the X direction. Specifically, the upper surface of the fixing portion 714 is connected to the lower surface of the adjusting plate 715 at the end on the opposite side in the X direction. The fixing portion 714 has a fitting groove 716 formed therein, which extends uniformly in the Y direction and is recessed upward. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4(a), the fitting groove 716 can be fitted into the upper edge of one of two side surfaces of the container C that are perpendicular to the X direction. With the fitting groove 716 fitted in this manner, the holder portion 713 can be fixed to the container C via the fixing portion 714 and the adjusting plate 715.

[0023] On the opposite side of the holder portion 723, the second frame 72 has an L-shaped fixing portion 724 that extends in the Y direction and bends downward, and is connected to the upper end of the wall portion 721. A fitting groove 725 that functions the same as the fitting groove 716 is formed between the fixing portion 724 and the wall portion 721. In other words, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4(a), the fitting groove 725 can be fitted into the upper edge portion of the other of the two side surfaces of the container C that are orthogonal to the X direction, and in this fitted state, the holder portion 723 can be fixed to the container C.

[0024] The adjustment plate 715 is changed appropriately depending on the size of the workpiece group W. For example, if the workpiece group W is approximately half the size of the container C in the X direction, a plate that extends significantly in the X direction is used, as shown in FIG. 4(a). The adjustment plate 715 may not be configured as a single piece, but may be configured from multiple members and be flexible in the X direction. On the other hand, if the workpiece group W is approximately the same size as the entire container C in the X direction, the adjustment plate 715 may be removed from the first frame 71, and a transport holder may be configured by arranging two second frames 72 with their holder portions 723 facing each other, as shown in FIG. 4(b). Similarly, a transport holder may be configured by arranging two first frames 71 with their holder portions 713 facing each other.

[0025] (Acquisition device 20) Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the acquisition device according to this embodiment. Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the removal of a workpiece group from a container by the acquisition device according to this embodiment. Note that Fig. 6 shows a vertical cross section of the container C and the transport holder 70 as viewed from the X direction.

[0026] 5, the acquisition device 20 according to this embodiment has a box-shaped piston cylinder 22. The piston cylinder 22 moves piston rods 222a and 222b, whose axes are oriented in the X direction, back and forth along the X direction by fluid pressure such as hydraulic or pneumatic pressure. For example, when hydraulic pressure is used, a hydraulic pump that can be fluidly connected to the piston cylinder 22 is controlled by the control device 50.

[0027] The piston rods 222a are adjacent to each other in the Y direction and are exposed from one of the side surfaces of the piston cylinder 22 facing in the X direction so as to be able to move forward and backward. On the other hand, the piston rod 222b is adjacent to each other in the Y direction and is exposed from the other of the side surfaces of the piston cylinder 22 facing in the X direction so as to be able to move forward and backward.

[0028] An adsorption part 24 is provided at the tip of each of the piston rods 222a and 222b via a support 224. The adsorption part 24 corresponding to the piston rod 222a can abut against the upper surface of the adjusting plate 715 of the first frame 71 in the transport holder 70, and can support the first frame 71 so as to be immovable by adsorbing the adjusting plate 715 in the abutting state. On the other hand, the adsorption part 24 corresponding to the piston rod 222b can abut against the upper surface of the fixing part 724 of the second frame 72 in the transport holder 70, and can support the second frame 72 so as to be immovable by adsorbing the fixing part 724 in the abutting state.

[0029] For example, an electromagnetic magnet can be used as the attraction unit 24. In this case, the first frame 71 and the second frame 72 are preferably made of a magnetic material, which may be either a hard or soft magnetic material, with soft magnetic materials such as iron or nickel being particularly preferred. Alternatively, the attraction unit 24 may be, for example, an attraction pad that attracts the first frame 71 and the second frame 72 by vacuuming using a vacuum pump, or a robot hand capable of grasping the first frame 71 and the second frame 72. When an electromagnetic magnet is used as the attraction unit 24, the control device 50 controls the power supply. When an attraction pad is used as the attraction unit 24, the control device 50 controls the vacuum pump. Furthermore, when a robot hand is used as the attraction unit 24, the control device 50 controls various motors for the robot hand.

[0030] A piston cylinder 26 is provided above the piston cylinder 22. The piston cylinder 26 moves a plurality of piston rods 262 (two in this case) whose axes are oriented in the vertical direction back and forth along the vertical direction by fluid pressure such as hydraulic or pneumatic pressure. For example, when hydraulic pressure is used, a hydraulic pump that can be fluidly connected to the piston cylinder 26 is controlled by the control device 50.

[0031] The multiple piston rods 262 are arranged adjacent to each other in the X direction and are exposed from the underside of the piston cylinder 26 so as to be movable forward and backward. A piston cylinder 22 is provided at the tip of the piston rod 262 via a support 264, and therefore the piston cylinder 22 is supported by the piston cylinder 26 so as to be movable up and down. According to the acquisition device 20 configured in this manner, as shown in FIG. 6 , one suction unit 24 suctions the first frame 71, and the other suction unit 24 suctions the second frame 72, and then the piston cylinder 26 lifts the piston cylinder 22, thereby making it possible to remove the workpiece group W together with the transport holder 70 from the container C.

[0032] 1, the acquisition device 20 includes a slider 28 that supports the piston cylinder 26 so that the piston cylinder 26 can move back and forth along the X direction. The slider 28 extends in the X direction, with one end located above the upstream end of the discharge conveyor 14 and the other end reaching above the upstream ends of at least one of the pair of transfer conveyors 32. Therefore, the piston cylinder 26 can move at least from above the upstream end of the discharge conveyor 14 to above the upstream ends of the pair of transfer conveyors 32.

[0033] (Nip-and-transport device 30) Fig. 7 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the clamping and conveying device according to this embodiment, in which the clamping and conveying device 30 is viewed from a direction horizontally orthogonal to the Y direction, which is the conveying direction of the workpiece group W by the clamping and conveying device 30.

[0034] 1, the clamping and conveying device 30 includes a pair of conveyors 32 spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the X direction. Each of the pair of conveyors 32 extends in the Y direction, and an endless belt formed in a ring shape is wound around a pair of drive rollers (not shown) and moves in a circular motion to convey the conveyed object on the belt, in this case, the workpiece group W taken out from the container C by the acquisition device 20. The drive rollers are preferably rotationally driven by a drive source such as a motor (not shown) that is controllably connected to the control device 50.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 7 , a pair of elongated clamp plates 34 extending vertically are inserted and erected between the pair of conveyors 32. The pair of clamp plates 34 are configured so as to be spaced apart from each other in the Y direction and can be moved toward and away from each other by an actuator (not shown). The pair of clamp plates 34 are supported movably along the Y direction by a slider 36 located below the pair of conveyors 32. The slider 36 extends in the Y direction by a distance approximately equal to the distance of the pair of conveyors 32. As a result, the pair of clamp plates 34 clamp the workpiece group W placed on the pair of conveyors 32 and can move in this state to the workpiece separation section 44 of the feeder 40 located downstream or to the upstream side of the workpiece group W already positioned in the workpiece separation section 44. The slider 36 may be configured by any actuator capable of sliding the pair of clamp plates 34, and the actuator is controllably connected to the control device 50. For example, a linear guide or the like can be used as such an actuator.

[0036] 7, reference numeral 444 denotes a feed roller of the work separating unit 44 provided in the feeder 40, and reference numeral 446 denotes a bottom roller provided in the work separating unit 44. When the work group W is not being transported to the feeder 40, the work group W will be transported until it hits these rollers.

[0037] The slider 36 is configured to be able to move up and down by being connected to an actuator such as a piston cylinder that uses fluid pressure such as hydraulic or pneumatic pressure. Therefore, the pair of clamp plates 34 can be moved up and down via the slider 36. At the highest position, the pair of clamp plates 34 are in a state where most of them protrude from the upper surfaces of the pair of transfer conveyors 32. On the other hand, at the lowest position, the pair of clamp plates 34 are in a state where they are recessed below the upper surfaces of the pair of transfer conveyors 32. The actuators that move the pair of clamp plates 34 and the slider 36 up and down are preferably controllably connected to the control device 50.

[0038] The clamping and conveying device 30 also includes a sensor 38. The sensor 38 is located below the conveying surface of the pair of conveyors 32 and is capable of detecting the workpiece group W passing above through the gap between the pair of conveyors 32. The sensor 38 detects the presence or absence of the workpiece group W at a predetermined detection position. The sensor 38 may be installed to the side or above the pair of conveyors 32 in the X direction. The detection result is sent to the control device 50, which drives the acquisition device 20 and the clamping and conveying device 30 based on the detection result. For example, if the sensor 38 no longer detects the workpiece group W, the acquisition device 20 and the clamping and conveying device 30 will convey additional workpiece group W to the feeder 40. In other words, in this embodiment, a certain number of workpieces W1 are always maintained at the pickup position of the workpiece separation unit 44. The sensor 38 is sufficient as long as it can at least detect the presence or absence of the workpiece group W. A non-contact type sensor is preferable to a contact type sensor in terms of preventing dust and dirt from adhering to and damaging the workpieces W1.

[0039] (Feeder 40) Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a feeder according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, feeder 40 includes a pair of guide bars 41, a tilt prevention unit 42, a sensor 43 (see Figs. 9 to 19), a workpiece separation unit 44, a gate plate 45 (see Figs. 9 to 19), a carry-out conveyor 46, a camera 47, and a workpiece rotation unit 48.

[0040] The pair of guide bars 41 are provided above the downstream side of the pair of transport conveyors 32, extend in the Y direction, reach the vicinity of the work separation section 44, and are a pair of rod-shaped members spaced apart in the X direction. The work group W transported to the feeder 40 by the pair of transport conveyors 32 passes between the pair of guide bars 41, thereby preventing tilting in the X direction and reliably guided to the work separation section 44 located downstream. The pair of guide bars 41 are inclined so that their upstream ends in the Y direction gradually move apart from each other. This makes it easy to introduce the work group W between the pair of guide bars 41, and even if any of the work pieces in the work group W is misaligned in the X direction, it can be accepted and realigned.

[0041] The tilt prevention unit 42 is provided on the upstream side of the pair of guide bars 41 in the Y direction and above the pair of guide bars 41, and has an abutment plate 421 that abuts against the upstream side of the Y direction of the group of workpieces W transported by the pair of transport conveyors 32 to prevent tilting. The abutment plate 421 is composed of a plate-shaped member extending in the vertical direction and is supported by multiple piston rods 423 via a connecting block 422 provided at the upper end of the abutment plate 421. The piston cylinder 424 is provided above the connecting block 422, and by moving the multiple piston rods 423 forward and backward in the vertical direction using fluid pressure such as hydraulic or pneumatic pressure, the abutment plate 421 is moved forward and backward in the vertical direction via the connecting block 422. If hydraulic pressure is used for the piston cylinder 424, for example, a hydraulic pump fluidly connected to the piston cylinder 424 is controlled by the control device 50.

[0042] The piston cylinder 424 is supported by a slider 425 so as to be movable forward and backward along the Y direction. The slider 425 extends in the Y direction, with one end located upstream of the upstream end of the workpiece group W transported to the work separation unit 44 in the Y direction, and the other end located above the workpiece separation unit 44. The slider 425 can position the abutment plate 421 at an initial position where the abutment plate 421 abuts against the upstream end face of the workpiece group W in the Y direction immediately after the workpiece group W is transported to the work separation unit 44. The slider 425 can move the abutment plate 421 downstream in the Y direction from the initial position in accordance with the transport of the workpiece group W on the pair of transport conveyors 32. It is preferable that the slider 425 can move the abutment plate 421 to a final position where the abutment plate 421 can abut against the upstream end face of the workpiece W1 in the Y direction when the last workpiece W1 is picked up by the work separation unit 44. The slider 425 may be configured by any actuator that can slide the piston cylinder 424, and the actuator is controllably connected to the control device 50. For example, a linear guide or the like can be used as such an actuator.

[0043] If the sensor 38 does not detect the workpiece group W, that is, if the control device 50 determines that the stock of workpieces has decreased, the contact plate 421 is positioned so that it comes into contact with the upstream end face in the Y direction of the additionally transported workpiece group W. Specific operations such as the movement timing of the contact plate 421 will be described later.

[0044] The sensor 43 detects whether the workpiece group W has been positioned at a desired position, in this case, the pick-up position of each workpiece W1 by the workpiece separation unit 44. The detection result is sent to the control device 50, which drives the workpiece separation unit 44 based on the detection result. The sensor 43 is sufficient as long as it can at least detect whether the workpiece group W has been positioned at the pick-up position, and a non-contact type sensor is preferable to a contact type sensor in terms of preventing adhesion of dust and dirt to the workpiece W1 and scratches.

[0045] The workpiece separation unit 44 separates, i.e., picks up, individual workpieces W1 from the workpiece group W transported by the pair of transport conveyors 32 and transports them downstream. The workpiece separation unit 44 has a pair of suction pads 441 that contact and adsorb the workpieces W1 located on the downstream end face of the workpiece group W in the Y direction. The pair of suction pads 441 are spaced apart from each other in the X direction and are connected to hoses (not shown) and vacuumed by a vacuum pump to adsorb the workpieces W1 that are in contact with them. The position where the workpiece W1 on the downstream side of the workpiece group W in the Y direction contacts the pair of suction pads 441 is the pickup position described above. The suction pads 441 may be any type capable of adsorbing the workpieces W1. For example, the suction pads 441 may be formed into a bowl shape using a flexible plastic member, and the tilt prevention unit 42 may press the workpiece W1 to physically adsorb it to the suction pad 441, or a pad made of a low-adhesion material may be used.

[0046] Each of the pair of suction pads 441 is connected to one end of a rod 442 that is L-shaped in plan view and is connected to a rotating block 443 via the rod 442. Each of the two rotating blocks 443 is L-shaped when viewed from the X direction. One end of a rotating shaft 443a, whose axial direction faces the X direction, is connected to the outer side of one end in the X direction, and the other end of the rod 442 is connected to the inner side of the other end in the X direction. For illustrative purposes, FIG. 8 shows only the rotating shaft 443a connected to one of the rotating blocks 443. The other end of the rotating shaft 443a is connected to a swing cylinder (not shown), which rotates, i.e., swings, the rotating shaft 443a within a predetermined angular range. Alternatively, the rotating blocks 443 may be rotated by an actuator such as a motor (not shown). When a motor is used, it is preferable that the two rotating blocks 443 rotate synchronously. Therefore, it is preferable that the rotational driving force of one motor is transmitted to each of the two rotating shafts 443a via multiple gears or the like.

[0047] By being connected to the rotating block 443, the pair of suction pads 441 can rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 443a via the rod 442 and the rotating block 443 while adsorbing one workpiece W1. At this time, a portion of the rotated workpiece W1 is positioned at a predetermined winding position. The rotation angle of the rotating shaft 443a is preferably approximately 90 degrees, but is not limited to this. Any rotation angle may be used as long as a portion of the workpiece W1 is positioned at the predetermined winding position in response to the rotation and can be wound up by the swinging roller 448, which will be described later.

[0048] To ensure that the workpiece group W is reliably positioned at the pickup position, the workpiece separation unit 44 is provided with a feed roller 444, two side rollers 445, and a bottom roller 446, which come into contact with the workpiece group W when the workpiece group W is positioned at the pickup position. The workpiece group W is transported by the pair of transport conveyors 32 until it comes into contact with these various rollers, and is then positioned at the pickup position, where the workpiece W1 on the downstream side in the Y direction can be adsorbed by the pair of suction pads 441.

[0049] The feed roller 444 is disposed so that its rotation axis faces the X direction and is located approximately in the center of the pair of transport conveyors 32 in the X direction. In this embodiment, the winding position of the workpiece W1 is a position close to the upper part of the circumferential surface of the feed roller 444, preferably on this surface. In other words, a portion of the workpiece W1 rotated together with the pair of suction pads 441 is located at the upper part of the circumferential surface of the feed roller 444. Therefore, the vertical position and diameter of the feed roller 444 are preferably set according to the size and position of the rod 442 and the rotating block 443. The feed roller 444 is preferably driven to rotate by an actuator such as a motor (not shown) controllably connected to the control device 50. For example, an endless belt may be wound around the rotation shaft of the feed roller 444 and the rotation shaft of the motor, so that the rotational driving force of the motor is transmitted to the feed roller 444.

[0050] The two side rollers 445 are arranged so that their rotation axes face the X direction and the feed roller 444 is located between them, and the bottom roller 446 is arranged so that its rotation axis faces the X direction and is located below the feed roller 444. These rollers are so-called free rollers, and can rotate together when the workpiece W1 moves in accordance with the rotation of the feed roller 444. Note that even if the two side rollers 445 and the bottom roller 446 are eliminated, it is possible to position the pickup position of the workpiece group W and move the workpiece W1. However, by providing at least one of these rollers, the rollers can come into contact with not only the feed roller 444 but also the workpiece W1 at multiple points, which reduces the load on the workpiece W1 and ensures reliable movement when positioning the pickup position and moving the workpiece W1.

[0051] The feed roller 444, the two side rollers 445, and the bottom roller 446 may be supported by any suitable means, and in this embodiment, they are supported by support frames 447a to 447c so as to be rotatable relative to one another. The two support frames 447a are vertically elongated plate-like members located near the downstream ends of the pair of transport conveyors 32 and spaced apart from one another in the X direction. The rotation shaft 446a of the bottom roller 446 is supported at both ends by the support frames 447a so as to be rotatable relative to one another. The support frame 447b is a plate-like member elongated in the X direction, located between the feed roller 444 and the bottom roller 446, and has both ends in the X direction connected to the pair of support frames 447a. The multiple support frames 447c are plate-like members erected on the support frame 447b, and the rotation shaft of the feed roller 444 is supported by the two support frames 447c so as to be rotatable relative to one another. The rotation shafts of the two side rollers 445 are supported on the outer side in the X direction by the support frame 447a so as to be relatively rotatable, and on the inner side by the support frame 447c so as to be relatively rotatable.

[0052] The swing roller 448 is a so-called free roller whose rotation axis faces the X direction and is swingably disposed above the feed roller 444. The swing roller 448 sandwiches the workpiece W1 picked up by the rotation of the suction pad 441 between itself and the feed roller 444, and rotates in accordance with the rotation of the feed roller 444 to place the workpiece W1 on the discharge conveyor 46. The swing roller 448 has a rotation axis that is rotatably supported by a pair of rod-shaped bearings 448a (see FIG. 15). The pair of bearings 448a are connected to a swing cylinder (not shown), which rotates, i.e., swings, the swing roller 448 within a predetermined angle range. Alternatively, the swing roller 448 may be rotated by an actuator such as a motor (not shown). In its initial position, the swing roller 448 is positioned above the feed roller 444 so as to be spaced apart from it, and swings to approach the feed roller 444 when pickup begins.

[0053] The gate plate 45 (see FIG. 7 ) is a rectangular flat plate member extending in the Y direction and disposed above the workpiece group W positioned at the pickup position. The gate plate 45 is slightly spaced from the upper surface of the workpiece group W. When the workpiece W1, which is sucked onto the suction pad 441, is picked up by the rotation of the suction pad 441 and positioned at the predetermined winding position, the upper end of the workpiece W1 to be picked up slides against the lower surface of the gate plate 45. Because multiple workpieces W1 are closely packed together in the workpiece group W, an adjacent workpiece W1 (hereinafter referred to as an “adjacent workpiece”) may also be picked up in a state where it adheres to the workpiece W1 being picked up. Even if such an unintended pickup of an adjacent workpiece occurs, the adjacent workpiece can be separated from the workpiece W1 by sliding against the lower surface of the gate plate 45. Gate rollers may be used instead of the gate plate 45.

[0054] The discharge conveyor 46 extends in the Y direction, and its circularly formed endless belt is wound around a drive roller (not shown) and moves in a circular motion, thereby transporting the workpiece W1 placed on the belt in the Y direction and discharging it to a downstream external device, work site, etc. The upstream end of the discharge conveyor 46 is preferably located close to the feed roller 444, and its upper surface is preferably positioned flush with or lower than the upper end of the circumferential surface of the feed roller 444. This positioning allows the picked-up workpiece W1 to be reliably placed on its upper surface. Each drive roller constituting the discharge conveyor 46 is rotated by a motor (not shown) that is controllably connected to the control device 50.

[0055] The camera 47 is positioned above the discharge conveyor 46 and captures an image of the workpiece W1 to detect its orientation. In this embodiment, the workpiece W1 is a pouch and therefore has a tubular portion to which a spout is attached. The image of the workpiece W1 captured by the camera 47 is sent to the control device 50. The control device 50 determines the orientation of the workpiece W1 by performing image processing such as image matching and determines whether to operate the workpiece rotation unit 48 located downstream. Note that if the workpiece W1 is a pouch, the bottom is thick. Therefore, a contact-type thickness sensor may be provided instead of the camera 47 to detect the thickness of the workpiece W1 and determine the orientation of the workpiece W1. Alternatively, a non-contact thickness sensor may be used if it is possible to detect the thickness of the workpiece W1.

[0056] The workpiece rotating unit 48 rotates the workpiece W1 facing in the other direction so that the orientation of the workpiece W1 on the discharge conveyor 46 is aligned in one direction. The workpiece rotating unit 48 has a pair of suction pads 482 that are spaced apart from each other. The suction pads 482 come into contact with the workpiece W1 and adsorb it. The suction pads 482 adsorb the workpiece W1 that they are in contact with by drawing a vacuum using a hose and a vacuum pump (not shown). The suction pads 482 may be any pad that is capable of adsorbing the workpiece W1.

[0057] The pair of suction pads 482 are provided on the lower surface of a rectangular rotating plate 484. A rotating mechanism 486 is attached to the upper surface of the rotating plate 484 so as to be relatively rotatable around an axis facing in the vertical direction, and the rotating plate 484 is supported so as to be relatively rotatable by the rotating mechanism 486. The rotating mechanism 496 is controllably connected to the control device 50, and is supported so as to be able to move up and down by an elevating device (not shown) that is also controllably connected to the control device 50.

[0058] The rotation mechanism 486 is a rotation drive device such as a motor or a swing cylinder, and rotates the workpiece W1, in this embodiment, by 180° in response to a control signal from the control device 50. This rotation causes the bottoms of all the workpieces W1 transported downstream to face in one direction.

[0059] (device operation) Next, the operation of the workpiece picking system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. First, the transfer of the workpiece group from the acquisition device to the clamping and conveying device will be described. FIGS. 9 to 14 are diagrams for explaining the transfer of the workpiece group from the acquisition device according to this embodiment to the clamping and conveying device. Note that FIGS. 9 to 14 only show the essential parts of the acquisition device 20, the clamping and conveying device 30, and the feeder 40 as viewed from the X direction. Here, the workpiece group W has been conveyed to the pickup position in advance on the feeder 40, and the operation of the device after the sensor 38 detects a shortage of the workpiece group W will be described as an example.

[0060] First, the acquisition device 20 removes the workpiece group W together with the transport holder 70 from the container C placed on the upstream end of the discharge conveyor 14 and positions them above the upstream ends of the pair of transport conveyors 32. Specifically, the piston cylinder 26 is positioned above the container C by the slider 28, and the suction unit 24 is lowered by the piston cylinder 26 to adsorb the first frame 71 and the second frame 72 of the transport holder 70. The lowering distance of the suction unit 24, i.e., the distance from the lower surface of the suction unit 24 at the highest position to the upper surface of the transport holder 70, is set in advance in the control device 50. Furthermore, during the descent, it is preferable that the spacing between the two suction units 24 is adjusted in advance by the piston cylinder 22 so that it corresponds to the spacing between the first frame 71 and the second frame 72. After adsorption, the suction unit 24 is raised by the piston cylinder 26 and positioned above the upstream ends of the pair of transport conveyors 32 by the slider 28.

[0061] After positioning, as shown in FIG. 9 , the suction unit 24 is lowered by the piston cylinder 26, and the transport holder 70 approaches the upper surfaces of the pair of transport conveyors 32. The distance by which the suction unit 24 is lowered, i.e., the distance from the lower surface of the transport holder 70 at its highest position to the vicinity of the upper surfaces of the pair of transport conveyors 32, is preset in the control device 50. When the transport holder 70 approaches the upper surfaces of the pair of transport conveyors 32, the transport holder 70 is positioned between the pair of clamp plates 34 waiting in their initial positions. After approaching, as shown in FIG. 10 , the pair of clamp plates 34 are moved toward each other to clamp the exposed workpiece group W between the first frame 71 and the second frame 72. At this time, slight gaps may be formed between the workpiece group W and each of the first frame 71 and the second frame 72. After clamping, the two suction portions 24 are moved in directions away from each other by the piston cylinder 22, and in response to this movement, the first frame 71 and the second frame 72 also move in directions away from each other.

[0062] 11, the workpiece group W is released from the transport holder 70 and placed by slightly dropping onto the upper surface of the pair of transport conveyors 32. After the workpiece group W is placed, the suction part 24 maintains the state of adsorbing the transport holder 70, and the transport holder 70 is lifted by the piston cylinder 26, moved onto the container C by the slider 28, and lowered by the piston cylinder 26, and then placed again in the container C. After placement, the discharge conveyor 14 removes the workpiece group W, and the container C with the transport holder 70 placed in it is transported downstream. After transport, the acquisition device 20 waits above the container C, which has been moved from the downstream end of the supply conveyor 12 to the upstream end of the discharge conveyor 14, in order to remove the next workpiece group W.

[0063] Meanwhile, the workpiece group W placed on the pair of conveyors 32 and clamped by the pair of clamp plates 34 is transported downstream by the pair of conveyors 32 and slider 36, as shown in FIG. 12. At this time, the transport is preferably stopped at a position where the downstream of the pair of clamp plates 34 approaches the workpiece group W already at the pickup position. For the workpiece group W already at the pickup position, the workpieces W1 may be sequentially picked up, or pickup may be temporarily stopped. Therefore, the stop position of the workpiece group W may be calculated, for example, based on a calculation of the current Y-direction length of the workpiece group W (e.g., by subtracting the thickness of the number of workpieces W1 corresponding to the time when the workpieces W1 were picked up from the known Y-direction length of the workpiece group W immediately after removal), or based on the position of the slider 425 of the abutment plate 421. Alternatively, the stop position may be determined based on the position of the sensor 38 without calculating the stop position.

[0064] 13, after the transport of the workpiece group W has stopped, the contact plate 421 is raised by the piston cylinder 424, positioned above the vicinity of the upstream end face in the Y direction of the newly transported workpiece group W by the slider 425, and then lowered again by the piston cylinder 424. At this time, a small gap may be formed between the end face and the contact plate 421. Thereafter, the pair of clamp plates 34 are slightly separated from each other to release the workpiece group W, and the workpiece group W is lowered by the lifting device.

[0065] 14, the pair of clamp plates 34 are positioned below the initial position by the slider 36 to clamp the next group of workpieces W, and are then raised by the lifting device and positioned again at the initial position. In synchronization with the movement of the pair of clamp plates 34, the contact plate 421 is moved in the Y direction by the slider 425, and the workpiece group W is urged by the contact plate 421, preventing the workpiece group W from tilting.

[0066] Next, the pickup of the workpiece W1 by the feeder 40 will be described. Figures 15 to 19 are diagrams for explaining the pickup of the workpiece by the feeder according to this embodiment. Note that in Figures 15 to 19, only the main part of the feeder 40 as viewed from the X direction is shown schematically.

[0067] When the control device 50 determines from the detection result of the sensor 43 that the work group W2 has been positioned at the pickup position, the work W1 is adsorbed by a pair of suction pads 441 of the work separation unit 44, as shown in FIG.

[0068] After suction, as shown in Fig. 16, the rotation shaft 443a of the workpiece separating unit 44 is rotated in the clockwise direction CW as viewed in the drawing. This rotation causes the upper end of the workpiece W1 to be pulled away from the workpiece group W in a curved manner along the circumferential surface of the feed roller 444 via the rotating block 443, the rod 442, and the pair of suction pads 441, and the workpiece W1 is positioned at the winding position. Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 17, the pair of bearing units 448a are rotated in the counterclockwise direction CCW as viewed in the drawing by the swinging cylinder, causing the swinging roller 448 to swing in the same direction and come into contact with the upper end of the workpiece W1 on the feed roller 444. As a result, the workpiece W1 is sandwiched between the feed roller 444 and the swinging roller 448.

[0069] After the swinging, as shown in Fig. 18, the feed roller 444 is rotated in a clockwise direction CW as viewed in the drawing, which causes the swing roller 448, which is a free roller, to rotate in a counterclockwise direction CCW as viewed in the drawing. Due to this rotation, the workpiece W1 is peeled off from the suction pad 441 and gradually placed on the discharge conveyor 46, as shown in Fig. 19. At this time, the side rollers 445 and bottom roller 446, which are free rollers, rotate in the same direction as the feed roller 444 in accordance with the movement of the workpiece W1. Note that, prior to the rotation of the feed roller 444, it is preferable that the suction by the pair of suction pads 441 is released, that is, the vacuum pump is released and the workpiece is opened to the atmosphere.

[0070] When the workpiece W1 is discharged from the feed roller 444 and the oscillating roller 448 and completely placed on the discharge conveyor 46, the rotational drive of the feed roller 444 is stopped. In synchronization with or before or after this stop, the pair of bearing portions 448a are rotated in the clockwise direction CW as viewed in the drawing by the oscillating cylinder, causing the oscillating roller 448 to oscillate in the same direction, and the oscillating roller 448 is separated from the feed roller 444 and returned to its initial position. Also, in synchronization with or before or after this oscillation, the rotating shaft 443a is rotated in the counterclockwise direction CCW, and the rotating block 443, the rod 442, and the pair of suction pads 441 are returned to their initial positions. Thereafter, suction and pickup of the workpiece W1 are performed again, and this is repeated until all of the workpieces W1 in the workpiece group W have been picked up.

[0071] If the feed rollers 444 continue to rotate until the workpiece W1 is completely placed on the discharge conveyor 46, the downstream end of the circumferential surface of the feed rollers 444 in the Y direction may come into contact with the next workpiece W1, potentially causing the next workpiece W1 to shift upward in position as the feed rollers 444 rotate. Therefore, the feed rollers 444 may not be rotated until the workpiece W1 is completely placed on the discharge conveyor 46, and the rotation of the feed rollers 444 may be stopped when the lower end of the workpiece W1 separates from the downstream end of the circumferential surface of the feed rollers 444 in the Y direction. Even if the rotation of the feed rollers 444 is stopped, since most of the workpiece W1 is already placed on the discharge conveyor 46, the workpiece W1 can be transported downstream without any problems. In this case, it is preferable to have the pair of suction pads 441 suction and rotate the next workpiece W1 so that the next workpiece W1 can be immediately wound onto the feed rollers 444.

[0072] On the other hand, when the workpiece W1 is completely placed on the carry-out conveyor 46, the upper surface of the carry-out conveyor 46 moves in the Y direction, and the workpiece W1 is transported below the camera 47. The image captured by the camera 47 is sent to the control device 50, which determines the orientation of the workpiece W1.

[0073] For example, if the control device 50 determines from the captured image that the orientation of the workpiece W1 is reversed, it determines that the bottom of the workpiece W1 is facing backward in the X direction. If the state in which the bottom is facing backward in the X direction is incorrect, that is, if the bottom needs to be facing forward in the X direction, the workpiece rotation unit 48 located downstream of the camera 47 is lowered, a pair of suction pads 482 is attached to the target workpiece W1, and the workpiece W1 is rotated 180° by the rotation mechanism 486, so that the bottom of the workpiece W1 is facing forward in the X direction. On the other hand, if the state in which the bottom is facing forward in the X direction is correct, the workpiece rotation unit 48 does not descend but waits at the reference position, and the workpiece W1 passes below the workpiece rotation unit 48. This allows all of the workpieces W1 to be transported to an external workplace or device downstream in the Y direction with their bottoms facing in one direction.

[0074] According to the present embodiment described above, the workpiece group W can be removed all at once from the container C, which allows for efficient removal of the workpieces without manual intervention, thereby reducing costs and improving work efficiency. Furthermore, it is also possible to pick up the workpieces W1 individually from the workpiece group W and transport them to the outside, further improving work efficiency. Furthermore, when transporting them to the outside, the orientation of the workpieces W1 can be aligned, which is extremely convenient. Furthermore, the transport holder 70 for removing the workpiece group W all at once can be reused, which also helps reduce costs.

[0075] In this embodiment, the workpieces W1 are described as pouches, but this is not limited thereto, and various sheet-like objects can be taken out. When workpieces to be taken out have no difference in thickness, unlike pouches, the camera 47 and the workpiece rotating unit 48 may be omitted. Furthermore, although the container C is described as having a bag body P attached thereto, it goes without saying that even if the container C does not have a bag body P attached thereto, the workpiece group W can be taken out at once.

[0076] Furthermore, although the workpieces W1 have been described as being stored in the container C in a horizontally aligned state, if the size of the transport holder 70 is changed, the workpieces W1 can be successfully removed and positioned at the pickup position even if they are stored in the container C in a vertically aligned state. Naturally, the subsequent pickup operation can also be performed without any problems.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the swing roller 448 is described as being swingable by a swing cylinder, but it may be configured to be able to reciprocate in one direction relative to the feed roller 444. In this case, the swing roller 448 may be reciprocated by, for example, a piston cylinder.

[0078] Furthermore, even if the workpieces W1 are stored in a vertically stacked state in the transport holder 70, the acquisition device 20 can place the workpiece group W on the pair of transport conveyors 32 at one time. In this case, it is preferable that the workpieces W1 be picked up from the workpiece group W by a worker or another existing pickup device.

[0079] Furthermore, it is preferable that the acquisition device 20 is also capable of transporting a container C. For example, an acquisition device 20A according to an application example of this embodiment shown in FIG. 20 is newly provided with a container transport unit 29. The container transport unit 29 includes a chuck hand 294a that can be moved back and forth in the X direction by a piston cylinder 292a, a chuck hand 294b that can be moved back and forth in the Y direction by a piston cylinder 292b, and a horizontally extending support plate 296 that is connected to and supports the piston cylinders 292a and 292b. The support plate 296 is supported by being interposed between the support body 264 and the piston cylinder 22. The lower end of each of the chuck hands 294a and 294b is bent inward of the container CA that is the object of transport by the container transport unit 29, and therefore is formed in an L-shape when viewed from the side. In the container CA according to the application example of this embodiment, recesses C1 that can be engaged by being hooked onto the lower ends of the chuck hands 294a and 294b are formed on the surfaces perpendicular to the X and Y directions.

[0080] With such a container CA, the chuck hands 294a, 294b can be engaged with the recessed portion C1 by the acquisition device 20A, allowing the container CA to be transported. Therefore, the container CA on the supply conveyor 12 can be reliably moved onto the discharge conveyor 14. Furthermore, by arranging the slider 28 in a rectangular shape, for example, the acquisition device 20 can be moved in the X and Y directions. By providing at least a first container pallet loaded with containers CA from which no workpiece groups W have been removed and a second container pallet for empty containers CA within the range of movement, it becomes possible to remove the workpiece groups W from the containers CA on the first container pallet and sequentially transfer the empty containers CA to the second container pallet. In this case, the worker only needs to use a forklift or the like to load and unload the first container pallet and dramatically improve work efficiency.

[0081] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pair of transport conveyors 32 extend horizontally and the tilt prevention unit 42 is used to prevent the workpiece group W from tilting, but this is not limited to this. The rear ends of the pair of transport conveyors 32 in the Y direction may be positioned higher than the front ends thereof to tilt the pair of transport conveyors 32, thereby preventing the workpiece group W from tilting. By tilting the pair of transport conveyors 32, the workpiece group W on the pair of transport conveyors 32 can be tilted toward the workpiece separation unit 44, preventing the workpiece group W from tilting. In this case, the tilt prevention unit 42 may be eliminated.

[0082] The present invention can be embodied in various other forms without departing from the spirit or main characteristics thereof. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted as limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and is not limited to the text of the specification. Furthermore, all modifications, improvements, substitutions, and alterations within the scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 22 Piston cylinder (release section) 24 Adsorption part (engaging part) 26 Piston cylinder (removal part) 28 Slider (removal part) 294 Chuck hand (box support part) 32 Pair of conveyors (pair of conveyors) 34 Pair of clamp plates (prevention part) 41 Pair of guide bars (prevention part) 42 Tilt prevention part (prevention part) 44 Work separation section (separation and transport section) 441 Suction pad (suction part) 443 Rotating block (swinging part) 443a Rotating shaft (swinging part) 444 Feed Roller 448 Oscillating Roller 46 Discharge conveyor (second conveyor) 48 Workpiece rotating part (rotating part) 50 control device (determination unit) 70 Transport holder (pair of storage members) 714,724 Fixed part C, CA container (box) C1 recess Double Work Group W1 Work

Claims

1. A workpiece removal device that removes a group of workpieces made up of a plurality of sheet-like workpieces from a box body that is open at the top, a pair of accommodating members that support both ends of the work group, are separable from each other, and can be accommodated in the box body; an engaging portion that engages with the pair of accommodation members that are in a state of supporting the workpiece group; a take-out unit that takes out the workpiece group from the box body and positions it on a predetermined placement surface by moving the pair of storage members relative to the box body via the engaging unit; a release portion that separates the pair of storage members together with the engagement portion, thereby releasing the workpiece group from the pair of storage members so that the workpiece group can be placed on the placement surface; A workpiece removal device comprising:

2. Each of the pair of housing members has a magnetic body, The engaging portion is magnetically attracted to the magnetic body to engage with the pair of housing members. The workpiece removal device according to claim 1.

3. The pair of housing members have fixing portions that are detachably fixed to the edge portions of the box body. The workpiece removal device according to claim 1.

4. a prevention portion that abuts against the workpiece group placed on the placement surface and prevents the workpiece group from tilting; The workpiece removal device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

5. a pair of conveyors whose upper surfaces serve as the placement surfaces and which transport the workpieces placed on the placement surfaces in one direction; a separation and transport unit located downstream in the transport direction of the pair of conveyors, which separates individual workpieces from the group of workpieces placed on the placement surface and transports the separated individual workpieces downstream in the transport direction; The workpiece removal device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

6. The separating and conveying unit includes: a suction unit that sucks an opposing workpiece from among a group of works placed on the placement surface that is positioned at a predetermined position by the pair of conveyors; a swinging unit that swings at least a portion of the workpiece sucked by the suction unit to a predetermined winding position; two rollers that sandwich at least a part of the workpiece swung to the winding position between them, and at least one of the rollers rotates to separate the workpiece from the suction portion; 6. The workpiece removal device according to claim 5, further comprising:

7. One of the two rollers is movable toward and away from the other roller. The workpiece removal device according to claim 6.

8. a second conveyor that conveys the workpieces conveyed by the separating and conveying unit in one direction; a determination unit that determines whether or not to rotate the workpiece based on an orientation of the workpiece transported by the second conveyor; a rotation unit that rotates the detected workpiece when the determination unit determines that the detected workpiece should be rotated; The workpiece removal device according to claim 5 , further comprising:

9. The box body has a recess formed therein, The ejection portion has a box support portion that supports the box by engaging with the recess portion. The workpiece removal device according to claim 1.

10. A workpiece removal method for a workpiece removal device that removes a workpiece group consisting of a plurality of sheet-like workpieces from a box body that is open at the top, comprising: engaging portions with a pair of accommodating members that support both ends of the work group and are separable from each other and can be accommodated in the box body; The pair of storage members are moved relative to the box via the engaging portions, thereby removing the workpiece group from the box and positioning it on a predetermined placement surface; The pair of accommodation members are moved away from each other together with the engaging portion, thereby placing the workpieces on the placement surface. How to remove the workpiece.

Images