Installation method and supply system for a supply device

Abstract

To provide a method for installing multiple supply devices and a supply system that allows for the installation of multiple supply devices at low cost. [Solution] Install only one supply device 21, which has a gripping section 212 for gripping articles transported by the conveyor 3, and a moving mechanism 215 having a two-axis robot arm 217 for moving the gripping section 212. Operate the installed supply device 21 to set the movement of the moving mechanism 215. Add a supply device 22, which has a gripping section 222 for gripping articles and a moving mechanism 225 having a sliding mechanism 227 for moving the gripping section 222. Set the movement of the moving mechanism 225 of the added supply device 22 using the movement set for the moving mechanism 215 of the supply device 21.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for installing a supply device and a supply system.

Background Art

[0002] An article supply device including a robot hand having a holding part for gripping an article is disclosed. In this article supply device, by supplying an article with the robot hand, it is possible to reduce the number of workers for the supply work.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The movement of the robot hand varies depending on the environment of the installation site and the type of article. Therefore, in order to be able to handle all installation sites and articles, it is necessary to use an expensive robot hand that can perform various movements. Therefore, when installing a plurality of the above-described article supply devices, a plurality of expensive robot hands are required, which poses a cost problem.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a method for installing a supply device and a supply system that can install a plurality of supply devices at a low cost.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the method for installing a supply device and the supply system according to the present invention are characterized by the following [1] to [5]. [1] Installation step of installing only one first supply device (21) which includes a first gripping unit (212) for gripping articles transported by a conveyor (3), and a first moving mechanism (215) for moving the first gripping unit to move the gripped articles to the input unit (52a), A first setting step involves operating the installed first supply device to set a predetermined movement of the first moving mechanism, An expansion step of adding a second supply device (22) comprising a second gripping part (222) for gripping the article, and a second moving mechanism (225) different from the first moving mechanism for moving the second gripping part to move the gripped article to the input part, A second setting step involves setting the second movement mechanism of the additional second supply device using the movement set in the first setting step, The method of installing a supply device equipped with the necessary components. [2] In the method for installing the supply device described in [1], The first moving mechanism provided in the first supply device has a multi-axis first arm (217), The second moving mechanism provided in the second supply device has a second arm with fewer axes than the first arm, or it does not have an arm and has a sliding mechanism (227), In the second setting step, the movement set in the first setting step is converted for use with the second supply device, and the second movement mechanism is set. This refers to the installation method of the supply device. [3] A first supply device (21) comprising: a first gripping section (212) for gripping articles transported by a conveyor (3); and a first moving mechanism (215) for moving the first gripping section to supply the gripped articles to a input section (52a); A second supply device (22) comprising: a second gripping part (222) for gripping the item; a second moving mechanism (225) different from the first moving mechanism for moving the second gripping part to move the gripped item to the input part; and the second supply device (22) having been configured using the supply device installation method described in [1] or [2], It must be a supply system (2). [4] In the supply system described in [3], The items that have been put into the input section are then put into a container used in the combined weighing device (50). It is a supply system. [5] In the supply system described in [3], The conveyor comprises a main flow line (31) arranged in a straight line and a bypass line (32) that bypasses the main flow line. The first supply device and the second supply device grip the articles being transported by the bypass line. It is a supply system.

[0007] According to the installation method of the supply device configuration described in [1] above, the first expensive supply device is operated first to set the movement of the first moving mechanism. This allows it to be used in any installation site and for any type of material. A second supply device having a less expensive second moving mechanism, different from the first moving mechanism, can be added. Therefore, multiple supply devices can be installed at a low cost. According to the installation method of the supply device configured in [2] above, the first supply device is operated to set the movement of the first moving mechanism having a multi-axis first arm. This makes it possible to handle any installation site and any type of material. In addition, an inexpensive second supply device can be added, which has fewer axes than the first arm, or a sliding mechanism without an arm. Therefore, multiple supply devices can be installed at low cost. According to the supply system with the configuration described in [3] above, multiple supply devices can be installed at low cost. According to the supply system with the configuration described in [4] above, articles can be fed into a combined weighing device. According to the supply system with the configuration described in [5] above, if the first supply device or the second supply device breaks down, workers can be stationed to feed the goods flowing into the main line into the input section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the installation method of the supply device and the supply system of the present invention, there is an effect that a plurality of supply devices can be installed at low cost.

[0009] As described above, the present invention has been briefly described. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through the embodiments (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") for carrying out the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Explanation of Drawings

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a top view of a production line equipped with the supply system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the production line shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the supply device 21 shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a top view of the supply device 21 shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view of the supply device 22 shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a top view of the supply device 22 shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a top view of a production line equipped with the supply system during the installation process and the first setting process in the installation method of the supply device according to the present embodiment.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0011] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to each figure. FIG. 1 is a top view of a production line equipped with the supply system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the production line shown in FIG. 1. The left side in FIGS. 1 and 2 is the upstream side of the production line.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the production line 1 equipped with the supply system 2 according to this embodiment consists of a conveyor 3 for transporting goods, the supply system 2, and a weighing device 50. The production line 1 uses the supply system 2 to load the goods transported by the conveyor 3 into the cups (containers) 52 of the weighing device 50 (combination weighing device). The goods are mainly soft food ingredients, such as sliced ​​meat. In this embodiment, an example in which, for example, four weighing devices 50 are provided will be described.

[0013] The supply system 2 includes a first supply device 21, a second supply device 22, and a control device 23, with the first and second supply devices 21 and 22 positioned above each weighing device 50. In this example, the first supply device 21 is attached to one of the four weighing devices 50, and the second supply devices 22 are attached to two of them, and the first and second supply devices 21 and 22 automatically feed the goods into the cups 52a (also called the input section) of the weighing devices 50. A worker M is stationed at the remaining weighing device 50, and the worker M manually feeds the goods from the main line 31 onto the supply conveyor 12, and the goods are fed into the cups 52a of the weighing device 50.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the conveyor 3 has a main flow line 31 that is provided in a straight line and a bypass line 32 that bypasses the main flow line 31. In this embodiment, the first and second supply devices 21 and 22 are provided with the bypass line 32. A portion of the bypass line 32 is provided in a straight line parallel to the main flow line 31. Articles transported by the main flow line 31 are transported into the first and second supply devices 21 and 22 by the respective bypass lines 32. Articles that cannot be picked up by a given supply device are left to the next supply device. The reason why the final stage is to be loaded by a worker M is to ensure that all remaining articles transported by the main flow line 31 are loaded into the weighing device 50 at the final stage.

[0015] All weighing devices 50 are installed on one side (right side in the direction of line travel) of the main flow line 31. Three of these weighing devices 50 (the three excluding the rightmost one in Figures 1 and 2) are installed on one side of each of the three bypass lines 32. Then, in production line 1, the process of loading items into cups 52a is carried out in each work area where a weighing device 50 is located.

[0016] Next, the details of the weighing device 50 will be described. As shown in Figure 2, the weighing device 50 comprises a combined weighing unit 51 and an article discharge unit 55 provided at the bottom of the combined weighing unit 51.

[0017] The combined weighing unit 51 is equipped with multiple cups 52. Each cup 52 is hollow with openings at the top and bottom. A door-to-door plate 53 is provided at the bottom opening of each cup 52, and the bottom opening of the cup 52 is opened and closed when the door-to-door plate 53 is slid by a drive mechanism (not shown). Three cups 52 are arranged in a row in the vertical direction, and in this example, the row of cups 52 is arranged in 12 rows horizontally. The top row of cups 52 is a pool cup 52a (also called the input section 52a), the middle row is a weighing cup 52b, and the bottom row is a memory cup 52c. Each cup 52a, 52b, and 52c drops and discharges items to the lower row by the opening and closing operation of the door-to-door plate 53 by the drive mechanism.

[0018] The pool cup 52a stores a predetermined amount of the item before weighing and then discharges it. The weighing cup 52b weighs the stored item using a weighing device such as a load cell. The memory cup 52c temporarily stores the item after weighing.

[0019] In the combined weighing unit 51, the weights of the items stored in the memory cup 52c and the measuring cup 52b are combined and the memory cup 52c and measuring cup 52b are selected to perform combined weighing so that the combined weights fall within a desired target weight range.

[0020] The item discharge section 55 includes a pair of collective conveyors 56 located below a plurality of memory cups 52c, and a discharge chute 57 positioned below these collective conveyors 56. In the item discharge section 55, items discharged from the memory cups 52c are transported to the center by the collective conveyors 56 and fed into the discharge chute 57.

[0021] Next, the first supply device 21 described above will be explained with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a front view of the first supply device 21 shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a top view of the first supply device 21 shown in Figure 1. In this embodiment, the first supply device 21 is equipped with two supply mechanisms 21A and 21B. Supply mechanism 21A supplies articles to half (six in this example) of the pool cups 52a on the upstream side of the weighing device 50. Supply mechanism 21B supplies articles to the remaining half (six in this example) of the pool cups 52a on the downstream side of the weighing device 50.

[0022] Next, the supply mechanisms 21A and 21B described above include a gripping mechanism 211 for gripping an article, and a moving mechanism 215 (first moving mechanism) for moving the gripping mechanism 211 to move the gripped article to the pool cup 52a. The supply mechanisms 21A and 21B are supported by a frame 60. The frame 60 is constructed in a frame shape and is installed to surround the weighing device 50. The supply mechanisms 21A and 21B are suspended and fixed to the top of the frame 60, and are able to move between the bypass line 32 and the pool cup 52a above them.

[0023] The gripping mechanism 211 has a plurality of gripping parts 212 (first gripping parts) (six in this example) and a support plate 213 that supports the gripping parts 212. The support plate 213 is provided in a long, plate-like shape in the direction of article transport. The gripping parts 212 are arranged in a single row at intervals in the direction of transport below the support plate 213. The gripping parts 212 provided on the support plate 213 have the same pitch as the pool cup 52a. The gripping parts 212 have a plurality of claws that are driven by air, and these claws grip the article.

[0024] The moving mechanism 215 includes a support 216 fixed to the frame 60, a two-axis robot arm 217 (first arm) supported by the support 216, and a lifting unit 218 provided at the tip of the robot arm 217. The robot arm 217 is a horizontal articulated robot, for example, having multiple arms 217a, 217b. The base end of arm 217a is rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the support 216. The base end of arm 217b is rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the tip of arm 217a. As a result, the moving mechanism 215 is able to move the tip of arm 217b in the horizontal plane. The lifting unit 218 is provided at the tip of arm 217b. A lifting rod 218a is provided on the lifting unit 218 so as to be able to move up and down. A lifting rod 218a is provided in the lifting section 218 so as to be able to move up and down. A gripping mechanism 211 is attached to the lower end of the lifting rod 218a.

[0025] The supply mechanisms 21A and 21B move the gripping mechanism 211 in a horizontal plane while maintaining the support plate 213 of the gripping mechanism 211 in a position parallel to the arrangement direction of the pool cups 52a using the robot arm 217, and raise and lower the gripping mechanism 211 by raising and lowering the lifting rod 218a using the lifting unit 218. In addition, the supply mechanisms 21A and 21B grip and release articles by opening and closing the claws of the gripping unit 212 using air.

[0026] Next, the second supply device 22 described above will be explained with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is a front view of the second supply device 22 shown in Figure 1. Figure 6 is a front view of the second supply device 22 shown in Figure 1. In this embodiment, the second supply device 22 is equipped with two supply mechanisms 22A and 22B. Supply mechanism 22A supplies articles to half (six in this example) of the pool cups 52a on the upstream side of the weighing device 5. Supply mechanism 22B supplies articles to the remaining half (six in this example) of the pool cups 52a of the weighing device 50.

[0027] Next, the supply mechanisms 22A and 22B described above include a gripping mechanism 221 (second moving mechanism) for gripping an item, and a moving mechanism 225 for moving the gripping mechanism 221 to move the gripped item to the input section 12. The supply mechanisms 22A and 22B are supported by a frame 60. The frame 60 is constructed in a frame shape and is installed to surround the weighing device 50. The gripping mechanism 221 is suspended and fixed to the upper part of the frame 60, and is able to move the bypass line 32 and the pool cup 52a above it.

[0028] The gripping mechanism 221, like the gripping mechanism 211 of the first supply device 21, has a plurality (six in this example) of gripping parts 222 (second gripping parts) and a support plate 223 that supports the gripping parts 222. The support plate 223 is provided in a long, plate-like shape in the direction of article transport. The gripping parts 222 are arranged in a single row at intervals in the transport direction below the support plate 223. The gripping parts 222 provided on the support plate 223 have the same pitch as the pool cup 52a. The gripping parts 222 have a plurality of claws driven by air, and these claws grip the article.

[0029] The moving mechanism 225 includes a support portion 226 fixed to the frame 60, a sliding mechanism 227 supported by the support portion 226, and a lifting portion 228 provided at the tip of the sliding mechanism 227. The sliding mechanism 227 is provided so as to be movable in the width direction of the conveyor 3 relative to the support portion 226. The lifting portion 228 is provided at the tip of the sliding mechanism 227. A lifting rod 228a is provided on the lifting portion 228 so as to be able to move up and down. A gripping mechanism 221 is attached to the lower end of the lifting rod 228a.

[0030] The supply mechanisms 22A and 22B move the support plate 223 of the gripping mechanism 221 in the width direction of the conveyor 3 while maintaining it in a position parallel to the arrangement direction of the pool cups 52a by the slide mechanism 227, and raise and lower the gripping mechanism 221 by raising and lowering the lifting rod 228a by the lifting section 228. In addition, the supply mechanisms 22A and 22B grip and release articles by opening and closing the claws of the gripping section 222 with air. Note that the operating direction of the slide mechanism 227 does not have to be in a position parallel to the arrangement direction of the pool cups 52a (a direction perpendicular to the bypass line 32), but may be at an inclined angle.

[0031] The control device 23 has a computer that operates according to a program, and is composed of, for example, a personal computer. The control device 23 is connected to the first and second supply devices 21 and 22 and the weighing device 50.

[0032] Next, the control of the first and second supply devices 21 and 22 by the control device 23 will be described.

[0033] (Gripping action) The control device 23 positions the gripping mechanism 30 above the bypass line 32 using the robot arm 217 of the first supply device 21 and the sliding mechanism 227 of the second supply device 22. In this state, the lifting units 218 and 228 lower the gripping mechanisms 211 and 221 to directly above the bypass line 32, and the gripping units 212 and 222 grip the articles on the bypass line 32.

[0034] (rocking motion) Next, the control device 23 raises each gripping mechanism 211, 221 using each lifting unit 218, 228. When each gripping mechanism 211, 221 is raised, the control device 23 causes the robot arm 217 and the sliding mechanism 227 to perform a swinging motion above the bypass line 32. As a result, any items that were not properly gripped by each gripping unit 212, 222 are swung back onto the bypass line 32. In this swinging motion, each lifting rod 218a, 228a may be swung up and down at least once by each lifting unit 218, 228.

[0035] (Closing operation) Subsequently, the robot arm 217 and the sliding mechanism 227 move each gripping mechanism 211, 221 above the input section 12, positioning each gripping mechanism 211, 221 above the corresponding input section 12. In this state, the gripping by each gripping section 212, 222 is released, and the articles that were gripped by each gripping section 212, 222 are put into the pool cup 52a. At this time, the control device 23 releases the gripping of the articles by the gripping section 212, 222 corresponding to the pool cup 52a to which the command has been issued, based on the input command from the weighing device 50 to put articles into multiple pool cups 52a. As a result, the supply system 2 can properly put articles into only the input section 12 to which the command has been issued from the weighing device 50.

[0036] The control device 23 then supplies the items to the weighing device 50 by repeating the above-described gripping, swinging, and loading operations. In the case of gripping units 212 and 222 that did not release their grip during the loading operation because no loading command was received, the control device 23 does not drive the gripping units 212 and 222 in the next gripping operation, and maintains the grip of the items already being held.

[0037] Next, an installation method for installing the first and second supply devices 21 and 22 described above on the production line 1 described above using the installation method of the supply device of the present invention will be explained. First, as shown in Figure 7, only one first supply device 21 is installed (installation process). Since the first supply device 21 has an expensive robot arm 217, the gripping part 212 can be moved in the horizontal plane with an unrestricted and free movement trajectory. In the installation process, the first supply device 21 is assembled to one of the four weighing devices 50. Workers M are stationed at the remaining three weighing devices 50, and the workers M load items into the pool cup 52a via the supply conveyor 12.

[0038] Next, the conveyor belt 3 transports the goods, and the first supply device 21 is activated to set the movement of the moving mechanism 215 and the transport speed of the conveyor belt 3 to achieve the most efficient processing operation (first setting step). Because the robot arm 217 is freely configurable, various operations can be easily set and tested. The movement of the moving mechanism 215 is set to include, for example, the gripping position (position on the horizontal plane) when the gripping part 212 grips the goods, the release position (position on the horizontal plane) when the gripping part 212 releases the goods, the movement trajectory of the gripping part 212 from the gripping position to the release position, the height at which the gripping part 212 grips the goods, the height at which the gripping part 212 releases the goods, and the operating speed.

[0039] The movement settings for the moving mechanism 215 may be set by an operator M operating the control device 23 while observing the operation of the first supply device 21. Alternatively, sensors such as a height monitoring sensor, a 2D camera, or a 3D camera may be connected to the control device 23, and the control device 23 may automatically set the gripping position, the release position, and the height at which the gripping unit 212 releases the grip of the item. The control device 23 may also be automatically set so that the movement trajectory from the gripping position to the release position is the shortest possible.

[0040] The height of the pile of items transported by the conveyor 3 (the height when placed on the conveyor) can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the conveying speed of the conveyor 3, for example, if the raw material placement device (not shown) that places items on the conveyor 3 performs a stable placement operation. In addition, the gripping amount can be adjusted by the height at which the items are gripped. Therefore, the control device 23 may measure the gripping amount of the gripping unit 212 using sensors and the weighing results of the weighing device 50, and automatically adjust and set the conveying speed of the conveyor 3, the height at which the gripping unit 212 grips the items, and the operating speed so that the gripping amount reaches the target value.

[0041] In this way, the so-called best mode is found for the desired target object. The robot arm movements that constitute part of this best mode are implemented by a simplified arm when additional units are added, as described later. Since the arm movement conditions in the best mode (position conditions during gripping / releasing, movement speed from gripping position to release position, etc.) are known, there is no need to adopt an expensive robot arm with adjustable movement settings again. The selection of the simplified arm provided by the second supply device 22 may be performed by worker M, or the control device 23 may be configured to automatically select from several types of simplified arms that have been registered in advance, based on the movements set in the moving mechanism 215.

[0042] Subsequently, a second supply device 22 is added (addition process). In other words, at least one of the three devices where worker M is stationed is changed from manual supply to supply by the second supply device 22. The control device 23 sets the movement mechanism 225 of the added second supply device 22 using the movement set for the movement mechanism 215 of the first supply device 21 (second setting process). At this time, the control device 23 converts the movement set for the movement mechanism 215 of the first supply device 21 for use with the second supply device 22 and sets the movement mechanism 225.

[0043] According to the embodiment described above, the first supply device 21, which has a robotic arm 217 capable of various movements, is first operated to set the movement of the moving mechanism 215. This makes it possible to handle any installation site and any type of object. An inexpensive second supply device 22 having a sliding mechanism 227 that can set the movement of the moving mechanism 215 can be added. Therefore, multiple first and second supply devices 21 and 22 can be installed at low cost.

[0044] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, placement, etc. of each component in the embodiments described above are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0045] In the embodiment described above, the moving mechanism 225 of the second supply device 22 had a sliding mechanism 227 without a robot arm, but it is not limited to this. The moving mechanism 225 of the second supply device 22 may have a single-axis robot arm (second arm) with fewer axes than the two-axis robot arm 217. This robot arm may be used to perform a rocking motion.

[0046] According to the embodiment described above, since the movement trajectory between the gripping position and the release position is a straight line along the width direction, it was possible to use a second supply device 22 that does not use a robot arm, but this is not the only option. For example, if the movement trajectory is complex, it may be necessary to use a second supply device 22 that has a two-axis robot arm similar to that of the first supply device 21. Even in this case, it is also conceivable to use a second supply device 22 that has a two-axis robot arm with a narrower range of motion and is less expensive than the two-axis robot arm of the first supply device 21. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 Production Line 2. Supply System 3 Conveyor 21 1st supply device 22 Second supply device 31 Mainstream Line 32 Bypass Line 50 Weighing devices (combination weighing devices) 52 cups 52a Pool cup (inlet section) 52b Measuring cup 212 Gripping part (first gripping part) 222 Gripping part (second gripping part) 215 Moving mechanism (1st moving mechanism) 217 Robot arm (first arm) 225 Moving mechanism (second moving mechanism) 227 Slide mechanism

Claims

1. Installation step of installing only one first supply device (21) which includes a first gripping unit (212) for gripping articles transported by a conveyor (3), and a first moving mechanism (215) for moving the first gripping unit to move the gripped articles to the input unit (52a), A first setting step involves operating the installed first supply device to set a predetermined movement of the first moving mechanism, An expansion step of adding a second supply device (22) comprising a second gripping part (222) for gripping the article, and a second moving mechanism (225) different from the first moving mechanism for moving the second gripping part to move the gripped article to the input part, A second setting step involves setting the second movement mechanism of the additional second supply device using the movement set in the first setting step, A method for installing a supply device equipped with the following features.

2. In the method for installing the supply device described in claim 1, The first moving mechanism provided in the first supply device has a multi-axis first arm (217), The second moving mechanism provided in the second supply device has a second arm with fewer axes than the first arm, or it does not have an arm and has a sliding mechanism (227), In the second setting step, the movement set in the first setting step is converted for use with the second supply device, and the second movement mechanism is set. Installation method for the supply device.

3. A first supply device (21) comprises a first gripping section (212) for gripping articles being transported by a conveyor (3), and a first moving mechanism (215) for moving the first gripping section to supply the gripped articles to a input section (52a), The second supply device (22) comprises a second gripping part (222) for gripping the article, and a second moving mechanism (225) different from the first moving mechanism for moving the gripped article to the input part, wherein the second moving mechanism is set using the supply device installation method described in claim 1 or 2. Supply system (2).

4. In the supply system according to claim 3, The items that have been put into the input section are then placed into a container used in the combined weighing device (50). Supply system.

5. In the supply system according to claim 3, The conveyor comprises a main flow line (31) arranged in a straight line and a bypass line (32) that bypasses the main flow line. The first supply device and the second supply device grip the article being transported by the bypass line. Supply system.

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