Transport Robot System

Abstract

To realize a transport robot system capable of properly transporting storage boxes. [Solution] The transport robot system includes a robot equipped with a hand (29) that holds a rectangular parallelepiped returnable box (80) during transport. The returnable box (80) has a box body (81) that includes a rectangular bottom plate and four side plate portions that rise from each side of the bottom plate. The hand (29) is provided with a pair of claws (54, 64) that, when holding the returnable box (80), abut against the undersides of flanges formed on mutually perpendicular side plate portions (83, 84) of the four side plate portions to support the returnable box (80). The hand (29) also has a restriction unit (71) that, when holding the returnable box (80), abuts against the returnable box (80) from above, restricting rotation of the returnable box (80) about an imaginary line that passes through the claws (54, 64).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot hand and a transport robot system. [Background technology]

[0002] Between factories or processes, in order to protect objects such as workpieces and improve transport efficiency, objects may be handed over in a storage box (a so-called return box). In recent years, a technology has been proposed that uses a transport robot equipped with a robot hand capable of holding a storage box to build a transport robot system and automate the transport of the storage box, thereby reducing the workload and improving the work efficiency. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a transport robot that holds a storage box by hooking a pair of left and right claws onto opposite sides of the box. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-206634 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, for example, when a large number of storage boxes are delivered at once, the stacked storage boxes may be arranged vertically and horizontally without gaps or close to each other. Such an arrangement is preferable in terms of preventing load collapse. However, when one of the storage boxes is to be held by a transport robot, other storage boxes adjacent to the target storage box may get in the way, making it difficult for the robot hand to approach the target storage box. In particular, in the case of a top-open storage box, since a holding method such as suctioning the top surface cannot be applied, it is expected that the constraints on the approach will be even stronger. In this regard, if a preparatory operation is performed, such as hooking a claw on one side of a storage box and lifting one side of the storage box and then moving the storage box sideways, as in the robot described in the above Patent Document 1, a gap into which the claw can be inserted can be created between the storage box and the other adjacent storage box. However, it is concerned that the need for such a preparatory operation will be an obstacle to improving the transport efficiency. In addition, if only one side of a storage box is lifted and moved sideways, there is a possibility that the storage box and the storage box below it will get caught. This may cause the load to shift. As described above, there is still room for improvement in the configuration of the transport robot system in terms of properly transporting the storage boxes arranged side by side.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a main object of the present invention is to realize a transport robot system capable of properly transporting storage boxes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Means for solving the above problems will be described below.

[0007] A robot hand that is applied to a transport robot that transports a rectangular parallelepiped storage box and holds the storage box during the transport, The outer portions of the two side plate portions that form the outer periphery of the container box and are perpendicular to each other are each formed with a surface portion facing downward, A pair of claw portions that contact the respective surface portions and support the storage box when the storage box is held; The storage box is provided with a regulating mechanism that, when holding the storage box, contacts the storage box at least from above, thereby forming a state in which rotation of the storage box is restricted around an imaginary line passing through the set of claw portions.

[0008] Even when multiple storage boxes are lined up vertically and horizontally, at least the two mutually orthogonal side plate portions of a storage box located at a corner do not face other adjacent storage boxes. Therefore, as shown in this embodiment, when a return box is held by a robot hand, if a configuration is adopted in which the claw portions each abut against a downward-facing surface portion formed on the outer portions (outer surfaces) of the two side plate portions and the storage box is supported by the pair of claw portions, it is possible to preferably prevent the holding operation of the robot hand from being hindered by other adjacent storage boxes.

[0009] However, when a pair of claws are hooked onto the orthogonal side panels, an imaginary line passing through both claws is misaligned with the center of gravity of the storage box when viewed in the vertical direction, and the storage box rotates (changes in posture) around the imaginary line when the storage box is lifted. When such a rotation occurs, the hooking allowance of the claws on the surface becomes smaller, increasing the possibility that the storage box will fall off.

[0010] In this regard, according to the configuration shown in the present invention, such rotation is restricted by the restricting mechanism, and the falling off of the storage box is suppressed. The restricting mechanism abuts against the storage box at least from above, and this configuration can suitably suppress other adjacent storage boxes from interfering with the restricting operation. In addition, since there is no need to change the size of the storage box when transporting it, this contributes to shortening the transport cycle. Incidentally, even if the storage boxes are stacked, the storage box is simply lifted upward, so the balance of the lower storage box is not lost. For the above reasons, the storage boxes can be transported properly even when they are arranged side by side. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a transfer robot system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the transfer robot system. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] A schematic diagram comparing the supportable range of the sides of transport boxes. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing the relationship between a support position and a rotation restriction position. [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of transporting a returnable box. [Figure 9] (a) Schematic diagram showing the movement of the support unit. (b) Schematic diagram showing the movement of the regulating unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a restriction unit according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] Schematic diagram showing the movement of the regulation unit. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a hand according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the hand. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] <First embodiment> Hereinafter, a first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is embodied in a transport robot system that transports returnable boxes in a machine assembly factory.

[0013] 1, the transport robot system 10 includes a robot 11 (corresponding to a "transport robot") that is a vertical articulated industrial robot, and transports a number of returnable boxes 80 (corresponding to "storage boxes") that arrive from a supplier stacked on a pallet P, one by one, to a conveyor C. The returnable boxes 80 contain, for example, parts for assembly, and the parts are sequentially supplied to an assembly line by the conveyor C.

[0014] The robot 11 has a robot body 20 and a motion controller, and the robot body 20 and the motion controller are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other. The robot body 20 has a base portion 22 fixed to a floor or the like, a shoulder portion 23 supported by the base portion 22, a lower arm portion 24 supported by the shoulder portion 23, a first upper arm portion 25 supported by the lower arm portion 24, a second upper arm portion 26 supported by the first upper arm portion 25, a wrist portion 27 supported by the second upper arm portion 26, and a flange portion 28 supported by the wrist portion 27.

[0015] The base portion 22 and the shoulder portion 23 are formed with a first joint portion that connects the base portion 22 and the shoulder portion 23, and the shoulder portion 23 is rotatable in the horizontal direction around the connecting axis AX1 of the first joint portion. The shoulder portion 23 and the lower arm portion 24 are formed with a second joint portion that connects the shoulder portion 23 and the lower arm portion 24, and the lower arm portion 24 is rotatable in the vertical direction around the connecting axis AX2 of the second joint portion. The lower arm portion 24 and the first upper arm portion 25 are formed with a third joint portion that connects the lower arm portion 24 and the first upper arm portion 25, and the first upper arm portion 25 is rotatable in the vertical direction around the connecting axis AX3 of the third joint portion. The first upper arm section 25 and the second upper arm section 26 are formed with a fourth joint section that connects the first upper arm section 25 and the second upper arm section 26, and the second upper arm section 26 is rotatable in a twisting direction around a connecting axis AX4 of the fourth joint section. The second upper arm section 26 and the wrist section 27 are formed with a fifth joint section that connects the second upper arm section 26 and the wrist section 27, and the wrist section 27 is rotatable in a vertical direction around a connecting axis AX5 of the fifth joint section. The wrist section 27 and the flange section 28 are formed with a sixth joint section that connects the wrist section 27 and the flange section 28, and the flange section 28 is rotatable in a twisting direction around a connecting axis AX6 of the sixth joint section. Each joint section is provided with a motor (specifically, a servo motor) as a drive section that rotates the joint section.

[0016] The shoulder section 23, lower arm section 24, first upper arm section 25, second upper arm section 26, wrist section 27, and flange section 28 are arranged in a series to form an arm in the robot body 20, and a hand 29, which is an end effector, is attached to the flange section 28, which is the tip of the arm. The connecting axes AX1, AX4, and AX6 are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the arm, and the connecting axes AX2, AX3, and AX5 are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

[0017] Here, a supplementary explanation will be given of the electrical configuration of the transport robot system 10 with reference to Fig. 2. The transport robot system 10 includes a transport control device 12 which constitutes a "control device" or "control means" together with a motion controller 21, and a camera 13 which takes an image from above of the arrangement area where the received returnable boxes 80 are arranged. The camera 13 is connected to the transport control device 12 which is a higher-level controller, and an image taken by the camera 13 is sent to the transport control device 12.

[0018] The transport control device 12 is provided with an image analysis unit 18 that analyzes the image captured by the camera 13 to identify the position and orientation of the returnable box 80, and an operation command determination unit 19 that determines the returnable box 80 to be transported based on the analysis result by the image analysis unit 18 and determines an operation command that indicates the operation mode of the robot 11 when transporting the returnable box 80. The operation command determined by the operation command determination unit 19 is transmitted to the motion controller 21 of the robot 11. This operation command includes information that indicates a target operation position (hereinafter referred to as a target position) of the robot 11.

[0019] The motion controller 21 receives an operation command from the transport control device 12, reads an operation program corresponding to the operation command from the program storage unit, and specifies a target position from the read operation program. Thereafter, it generates a target trajectory that smoothly connects the specified target position and the current position of the arm (each movable part) of the robot 11, and sequentially transmits information indicating an interpolated position, which is a position obtained by subdividing the target trajectory, to a servo amplifier 31 attached to the robot body 20. The servo amplifier 31 is connected to motors 32 arranged at each joint and encoders 33 corresponding to each of the motors 32, and the servo amplifier 31 controls the drive of the motors 32 based on information received from the motion controller 21 and current position information specified from the encoder 33.

[0020] One of the features of the robot 11 shown in this embodiment is that it is devised to properly hold a returnable box 80. The structure of the returnable box 80 will be further explained below with reference to Fig. 3. The returnable box 80 is composed of a box body 81 that is open on the upper side, and a lid body 91 that covers the open part. Both the box body 81 and the lid body 91 are made of synthetic resin.

[0021] The box main body 81 has a rectangular (oblong) bottom plate portion 82, a set of side plate portions 83, 85 arranged along the long sides of the bottom plate portion 82, and a set of side plate portions 84, 86 arranged along the short sides of the bottom plate portion 82, and an opening 90 is formed by the side plate portions 83-86.

[0022] The side plate portions 83-86 are formed with a plurality of protruding portions so as to protrude from the outer surfaces of the side plate portions 83-86 to the outside of the shipping box 80. Specifically, a plurality of ribs 87 extending vertically and horizontally and a ring-shaped (single-stripe) opening flange 88 formed along the upper ends of the side plate portions 83-86 are provided, and the box body 81 is reinforced by the rib 87 and the opening flange 88. Note that an upper rib (horizontal rib) which is one of the ribs 87 and the opening flange 88 are both horizontal, and the horizontal rib and the opening flange 88 are connected by a plurality of vertical ribs which constitute the rib 87.

[0023] Incidentally, a bulging portion that bulges downward is formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate portion 82, and when the shipping box 80 is placed on the floor or the like, the bulging portion comes into contact with the floor surface or the like.

[0024] The lid body 91 has a rectangular cover portion 92 that covers the opening 90 of the box body 81, and an annular edge portion 93 formed along the outer periphery of the cover portion 92, and a recess 95 is formed on the upper surface of the lid body 91 by the edge portion 93 protruding upward from the cover portion 92.

[0025] When the returnable boxes 80 are stacked with the box body 81 and the lid body 91 combined, the bulge of the box body 81 (bottom plate portion 82) of the upper returnable box 80 engages with the recess 95 of the lid body 91 of the lower returnable box 80, thereby restricting misalignment of the upper and lower returnable boxes 80. This prevents the stacked returnable boxes 80 from collapsing. When the lid body 91 is not used, the bulge formed on the bottom plate portion 82 of the upper returnable box 80 engages with the opening 90 of the box body 81 of the lower returnable box 80.

[0026] The underside of the lid body 91 (covering portion 92) is formed with opposing portions 94 that face the side plate portions 83-86 of the box body 81 from the inside. When the lid body 91 is combined with the box body 81, the opposing portions 94 abut against the inner surfaces of the side plate portions 83-86, thereby preventing the lid body 91 from shifting or coming off.

[0027] In the returnable box 80 shown in this embodiment, the box body 81 and the lid 91 are not fixed to each other, and further, when the returnable box 80 is transported with parts or the like stored therein, the lid 91 may or may not be used. In consideration of such circumstances, it is specified that the object to be held when the returnable box 80 is held by the robot 11 is the box body 81.

[0028] 4(a), when there is no other transportable box 80 adjacent to the target transportable box 80, there is a high degree of freedom in the direction in which the hand 29 approaches the target transportable box 80. For example, since the opposite sides of the transportable box 80 can be grasped or supported at any position, it is easy to hold the transportable box 80 in a well-balanced manner.

[0029] On the other hand, when the transport boxes 80 arrive, the stacked transport boxes 80 may be arranged vertically and horizontally without any gaps or in close proximity to each other (see FIG. 1). In such a collection of transport boxes 80, the approach direction of the hand 29 to the target transport box 80 is limited by the other adjacent transport boxes 80. However, even when the transport boxes 80 are arranged vertically and horizontally to form a collection, for the transport box 80 located at the corner of the collection when viewed in the vertical direction, any two side plate parts perpendicular to each other among the four side plate parts 83 to 86 do not face the other adjacent transport boxes 80 and are exposed to the outside (side) of the collection. In other words, any one of the combination of the side plate parts 83 and 84, the combination of the side plate parts 84 and 85, the combination of the side plate parts 85 and 86, and the combination of the side plate parts 86 and 83 does not face the other adjacent transport boxes 80.

[0030] 4(b), for example, for a shipping box 80 located at a corner of the collection when viewed vertically, side plate portions 85 and 86 face adjacent shipping boxes 80, but side plate portions 83 and 84 connected via corner portion CNR1 do not face adjacent shipping boxes 80. In other words, the side plate portions 83 and 84 are allowed to be approached by hand 29, specifically, from the side.

[0031] The hand 29 shown in this embodiment is devised to utilize two perpendicular side surfaces to hold the returnable box 80. Hereinafter, the hand 29 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0032] The hand 29 has a flat base portion 41. The outer shape of the base portion 41 is a horizontally long rectangle similar to the upper surface of the returnable box 80 and is approximately the same size as the upper surface, and when holding the returnable box 80, one plate surface of the base portion 41 faces the upper surface of the returnable box 80. In the following description, the plate surface of the base portion 41 facing the upper surface of the returnable box 80 is referred to as the "lower surface" and the plate surface on the opposite side is referred to as the "upper surface" to specify the orientation of the hand 29.

[0033] A cylindrical shaft 42 is fixed to the center of the base 41 so as to stand upward from the base 41. A mounting portion 43 for mounting the hand 29 to the flange 28 of the robot body 20 is provided at the tip (upper end) of this shaft 42. When the hand 29 is mounted to the robot body 20, the central axis AX7 of the shaft 42 and the connecting axis AX6 coincide with each other, and the orientation of the hand 29 changes in accordance with the rotation of the flange 28.

[0034] On the underside of the base portion 41, two rail members 44, 45 extending in the short side direction of the base portion 41 are arranged side by side in the long side direction of the base portion 41. The rail members 44, 45 are attached to the base portion 41 so as to be slidable toward and away from each other. The rail members 44, 45 are arranged on either side of the central axis AX7 in a plan view, and the sliding ranges of the rail members 44, 45 are each defined so as not to straddle the central axis AX7.

[0035] An adjustment mechanism 46 that adjusts the relative distance between the rail members 44, 45 is mounted on the base unit 41. The robot 11 (robot body 20) is provided with a hand control unit 35 equipped with a pneumatic actuator that is the drive unit of the adjustment mechanism 46. The hand control unit 35 is connected to the motion controller 21, and controls the drive of the adjustment mechanism 46 in response to instructions from the motion controller 21.

[0036] Rail member 44 is disposed such that one end thereof protrudes from the long side of base portion 41. A support unit 51 that supports shipping boxes 80 is disposed on this protruding portion. Support unit 51 has a hook 53 that extends vertically (in the same direction as central axis line AX7), and hook 53 is fixed to rail member 44 via bracket 52.

[0037] A claw portion 54 is formed at the lower end of the hook 53, protruding toward the other end side of the rail member 44, i.e., toward the base portion 41 (inward). The thickness dimension of the claw portion 54 is smaller than the gap dimension between the opening flange 88 of the shipping box 80 and the horizontal rib, and when holding the shipping box 80, the claw portion 54 is inserted into the gap and the upper surface of the claw portion 54 abuts against the lower surface 89 of the opening flange 88 (see FIG. 6(a)).

[0038] Both ends of the rail member 45 protrude from each long side of the base part 41. That is, one end of the rail member 45 protrudes on the same side as the rail member 44 protrudes, and the other end of the rail member 45 protrudes on the opposite side. A support unit 61 that supports the shipping box 80 is disposed on the other end of the rail member 45. The support unit 61 is similar to the support unit 51 in that it has a hook 63 and a bracket 62 that extend in the vertical direction (the same direction as the central axis AX7), but is different from the support unit 51 in its mounting structure to the rail member 45. Specifically, a slide mechanism 65 that allows the support unit 61 to slide in the long side direction of the base part 41 is interposed between the rail member 45 and the support unit 61. The hand control part 35 described above is equipped with a pneumatic actuator that is a drive part of the slide mechanism 65, and controls the drive of the slide mechanism 65 in response to an instruction from the motion controller 21.

[0039] A claw portion 64 is also formed at the lower end of the hook 63, protruding toward the center (inside) of the hand 29. The orientation of the tip of the claw portion 64 differs from the orientation of the tip of the claw portion 54 of the support unit 51. Specifically, the tip of the claw portion 64 faces the longitudinal direction of the base portion 41, whereas the tip of the claw portion 54 faces the lateral direction of the base portion 41, so that they are perpendicular to each other.

[0040] Furthermore, the thickness dimension of the claw portion 64 is also smaller than the gap between the opening flange 88 of the shipping box 80 and the horizontal rib, and when holding the shipping box 80, the claw portion 64 is inserted into the gap and the upper surface of the claw portion 64 abuts against the lower surface 89 of the opening flange 88 (see Figure 6 (a)).

[0041] The upper surface of the claw portion 54 and the upper surface of the claw portion 64 are at the same position in the vertical direction (height position). As will be described in detail later, when the shipping box 80 is lifted, the claw portions 54, 64 come into contact with the opening flange 88 at the same time by raising the hand 29.

[0042] When the hand 29 holds the returnable box 80, the claws 54, 64 each come into contact with an opening flange 88 formed on two consecutive side plates of the returnable box 80 from below. In this case, the returnable box 80 may rotate (change in posture) about a virtual line SL passing through the claws 54, 64. In the example shown in FIG. 7, a portion (flange portion 88a) of the opening flange 88 protruding from the side plate portion 83 is pushed from below by the claw 54, and a portion (flange portion 88b) of the opening flange 88 protruding from the side plate portion 84 is pushed from below by the claw 64. The virtual line SL passing through both the claws 54, 64 is not only shifted toward the corner portion CNR1 connecting the both side plate portions 83, 84 with respect to the center of gravity GPC of the returnable box 80 in a plan view, but also shifted toward the corner portion CNR1 with respect to the overall center of gravity GPA taking into account the weight of the workpiece W and the like. The commuting box 80 shown in this embodiment is designed to be transported with the workpieces W evenly spread out on the bottom plate portion 82 as the above-mentioned parts, and it is assumed that the centers of gravity GPA, GPC are located at approximately the same position when viewed vertically.

[0043] The hand 29 shown in this embodiment is devised to stabilize the holding posture of the returnable box 80 by restricting the rotation of the returnable box 80. Hereinafter, the devise will be described with reference to Figs. 5 and 6(b).

[0044] 5, a regulating unit 71 that regulates the rotation of the return box 80 is disposed at the one end of the rail member 45. The regulating unit 71 has a lifting mechanism 76 that raises and lowers the output shaft (moves it in the same direction as the central axis line AX7), and the lifting mechanism 76 is fixed to the rail member 45 via a bracket 72. The hand control unit 35 described above has a pneumatic actuator that is a drive unit for the lifting mechanism 76, and controls the drive of the lifting mechanism 76 in response to instructions from the motion controller 21.

[0045] The output shaft of the lifting mechanism 76 protrudes downward from the mechanism body fixed to the bracket 72, and a pressing block 77 is attached to the tip (lower end) of the shaft. As shown in FIG. 6(b), when the hand 29 holds the return box 80, the pressing block 77 descends and abuts against the edge 93 of the lid 91 from above. Specifically, the pressing block 77 is disposed above a corner that connects two side plate parts that are perpendicular to each other in the return box 80, and abuts against the periphery of the corner part at the edge 93. The pressing block 77 is prevented from descending further by abutting against the edge 93, but is maintained in a state of being biased toward the return box 80 even after the abutment. In other words, the pressing is continued.

[0046] Further, a protrusion 79 is formed on the underside 78 of the pressing block 77, protruding into the recess 95 of the lid body 91. This protrusion 79 faces an edge 93 of the lid body 91 from the inside, and the protrusion 79 regulates the displacement of the lid body 91, i.e., the shipping box 80 (the displacement in the short direction of the base part 41). This reduces the engagement between the claw part 54 of the support unit 51 and the opening flange 88, thereby preventing the shipping box 80 from falling off. In addition, it prevents the above-mentioned rotation regulation function from failing to function properly due to the displacement of the shipping box 80.

[0047] Next, the flow of transport of the returnable box 80 by the transport robot system 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0048] The transport robot system 10, together with the conveyor C, constitutes a part of the transport line in the factory. When a group of incoming returnable boxes 80 is placed in the arrangement area of ​​the accumulation site, the group of returnable boxes 80 is photographed by the camera 13, and the transport control device 12 identifies the position and orientation of each returnable box 80 based on the photographed image, and determines which returnable boxes 80 are to be transported (targets) (step S1). In this determination, the returnable boxes 80 that can approach two mutually orthogonal side plate portions are determined as the transport targets. The transport control device 12 determines the operation mode (including the above-mentioned target position) of the robot 11, and transmits the result as an operation command to the motion controller 21. The motion controller 21 sets the target trajectory of the robot 11 based on the received operation command (step S2).

[0049] Thereafter, information indicating the interpolated positions, which are positions obtained by dividing the target trajectory, is sequentially transmitted to the servo amplifier 31. The servo amplifier 31 controls the drive of the motor 32 based on the information (command) received from the motion controller 21 and the current position information identified by the encoder 33. As a result, the posture of the robot 11 changes.

[0050] Specifically, first, the posture of the robot 11 is changed so that the hand 29 is placed at a first target position (first preparation position) offset outward from the two side surfaces of the container 80 to be transported (step S3). At this first target position, the posture of the hand 29 is horizontal with the central axis AX7 facing vertically, and the claws 54, 64 of the support units 51, 61 are positioned diagonally below the opening flange 88 of the container 80 (see FIG. 9(a1)). At the first target position, the pressing block 77 of the regulating unit 71 is maintained at the standby position, which is the upper limit position (see FIG. 9(b1)).

[0051] Next, the posture of the robot 11 is changed, and the hand 29 is moved horizontally from the first target position to a second target position (second preparation position) closer to the transportable box 80 to be transported than the first target position while maintaining the horizontal posture (step S4). Specifically, the hand 29 is moved horizontally in the short direction of the base part 41. By moving horizontally to the second target position, the claw part 54 of the support unit 51 is inserted between the opening flange 88 and the rib 87 (more specifically, the horizontal rib). However, immediately after being placed at the second target position, a gap remains between the claw part 54 and the opening flange 88 (see FIG. 9(a2)). In the horizontal movement from the first target position to the second target position, the position of the support unit 61 changes along the side plate part of the transportable box 80, and the distance between the support unit 61 and the transportable box 80 does not change. In addition, at the second target position, the pressing block 77 of the regulating unit 71 remains in the standby position, and the pressing block 77 is positioned above the edge 93 of the lid body 91 (see FIG. 9(b2)).

[0052] Thereafter, while keeping the hand 29 at the second target position, the slide mechanism 65 for the support unit 61 is operated to move the claw portion 64 of the support unit 61 horizontally in the longitudinal direction of the base portion 41 (step S5). As a result, the claw portion 64 is inserted between the opening flange 88 and the rib 87 (more specifically, the horizontal rib). However, this movement does not change the height of the claw portion 64, and a gap remains between the claw portion 64 and the opening flange 88 (see FIG. 9(a2)).

[0053] After the claws 54, 64 are positioned directly below the opening flange 88, the lifting mechanism 76 for the regulating unit 71 is operated to lower the pressing block 77 of the regulating unit 71 toward the pressing position where the pressing block 77 presses the return box 80 (step S6). As a result, the pressing block 77 is pressed against the edge 93 of the lid 91 from above, and the lifting of the return box 80 is restricted. In addition, the projection 79 of the pressing block 77 restricts the positional deviation of the return box 80 in the short direction of the base 41 (see FIG. 9(b3)). Note that, although the pressing block 77 is prevented from descending further by abutting against the edge 93, the pressing (biasing) by the lifting mechanism 76 continues.

[0054] After the pressing block 77 is pressed against the commuting box 80 from above, the posture of the robot 11 is changed so that the hand 29 rises while maintaining the horizontal posture (step S7). Specifically, the robot 11 is raised from the second target position to a third target position directly above the second target position. During this process, the claws 54, 64 come into contact with the lower surface 89 of the opening flange 88, and the commuting box 80 is supported by the claws 54, 64 (see FIG. 9(a3)). At this time, the rotation of the commuting box 80 has already been restricted by the pressing block 77, and the positional deviation of the commuting box 80 when supported by the claws 54, 64 is suppressed.

[0055] After the hand 29 is lifted to the third target position while maintaining the horizontal posture, the robot 11 is rotated horizontally while maintaining the hand 29 in the horizontal posture (step S8). Then, after the hand 29 is moved to the fourth target position above the conveyor C, the hand 29 is lowered to the fifth target position while maintaining the horizontal posture, and the shipping box 80 is delivered to the conveyor C (step S9). In this delivery, when the fifth target position is reached, the pressing block 77 of the regulating unit 71 is raised to the standby position, and the claw portion 64 of the supporting unit 61 is retracted. Thereafter, the hand 29 is returned to the initial position set above the arrangement area (step S10).

[0056] According to the first embodiment described above in detail, the following excellent effects can be expected.

[0057] Even when multiple commuting boxes 80 are lined up vertically and horizontally, at least the commuting boxes 80 located at the corners are not opposed to adjacent commuting boxes 80 at two mutually perpendicular side plate portions. Thus, by configuring the claw portions 54, 64 to abut against flange portions formed on the two side plate portions, respectively, and supporting the commuting box 80 with the pair of claw portions 54, 64, it is possible to suitably prevent the holding operation of the hand 29 from being hindered by the adjacent commuting boxes 80.

[0058] However, when a pair of claws 54, 64 are hooked onto orthogonal side plate portions, an imaginary line SL passing through both claws 54, 64 and the center of gravity of the shipping box 80 will be misaligned when viewed in the vertical direction, and rotation (change in posture) of the shipping box 80 may occur around the imaginary line SL when the shipping box 80 is lifted. When such rotation occurs, the catch of the claws 54, 64 becomes smaller, increasing the possibility that the shipping box 80 will fall off.

[0059] In this respect, according to the configuration shown in the present embodiment, such rotation is restricted by the restricting unit 71, and the falling off of the returnable box 80 due to the rotation is suppressed. The restricting unit 71 (pressing block 77) abuts against the returnable box 80 at least from above, and this configuration can suitably suppress other adjacent returnable boxes 80 from interfering with the restricting operation. In addition, since there is no need to change hands of the returnable box 80 when transporting the returnable box 80, this contributes to shortening the transport cycle. Incidentally, even if the returnable boxes 80 are stacked, the returnable boxes 80 are simply lifted upward, so that the balance of the lower returnable box 80 is not lost. For the above reasons, even if the returnable boxes 80 are arranged side by side, the returnable boxes 80 can be transported appropriately and sequentially.

[0060] The edge 93 of the lid 91 of the returnable box 80 is pressed from above by the pressing block 77 of the regulating unit 71. This has the advantage that the hand 29 can be used in the same operating mode (setting) even when the returnable box 80 is used with the lid 91 removed, for example.

[0061] When the hand 29 is moved horizontally to place the regulating unit 71 above the edge 93, it is preferable to secure a certain amount of operating gap between the pressing block 77 and the edge 93 in order to avoid the pressing block 77 and the edge 93 from getting caught. However, if the operating gap becomes large, the posture of the passable box 80 may change significantly when the claws 54, 64 push the passable box 80 up. In this regard, as shown in the present embodiment, the change can be suitably suppressed by restricting the rotation by the regulating unit 71 before lifting the passable box 80. Note that the regulating unit 71 is configured to abut against the passable box 80 from above, and therefore, compared to a configuration in which the regulating unit 71 abuts against the passable box 80 from below, the posture of the passable box 80 can be suitably suppressed from being disturbed during the preparation. In addition, the approach to the passable box 80 can be suitably suppressed from being obstructed by other adjacent passable boxes 80.

[0062] <Second embodiment> For example, when the amount of articles contained in the returnable box 80 is small, the center of gravity of the returnable box 80 and the whole of the articles may vary greatly due to the movement of the articles within the returnable box 80. When the range of variation in the center of gravity does not cross the virtual line SL in the vertical direction, the support units 51, 61 and the regulating unit 71 can appropriately hold the returnable box 80 by restricting the rotation in a pre-expected direction (positive direction). On the other hand, when the range of variation in the center of gravity crosses the virtual line SL in the vertical direction, the rotation direction of the returnable box 80 around the virtual line SL varies from time to time. In this embodiment, one of the features is that a device is used to improve the versatility of the transport robot (transport robot system) in consideration of such circumstances. Hereinafter, the device will be described with reference to FIG. 10, focusing on the difference from the first embodiment.

[0063] The restricting unit 71X of this embodiment is obtained by adding a configuration to the restricting unit 71 shown in the first embodiment, which restricts the rotation in the reverse direction around the imaginary line SL by contacting the container 80 from below. Specifically, a hook 73 is disposed as a configuration for restricting the rotation in the reverse direction. The hook 73 extends in the vertical direction (the same direction as the central axis AX7), and its upper end is fixed to the bracket 72. A claw portion 74 is formed at the lower end of the hook 73, protruding toward the base portion 41 side (inside). The claw portion 74 is located below the pressing block 77, and faces the lower surface 78 of the pressing block 77 with a gap therebetween. The thickness dimension of the claw portion 74 is smaller than the gap dimension between the opening flange 88 of the container 80 and the horizontal rib.

[0064] Next, a flow of the rotation restriction of the returnable box 80 by the restriction unit 71X will be described with reference to FIG.

[0065] 11(a) to 11(b), the hand 29X moves horizontally from the first target position (first preparation position) to the second target position (second preparation position) while maintaining the horizontal posture, so that the claw portion 74 of the regulating unit 71X is inserted between the opening flange 88 and the rib 87 (more specifically, the horizontal rib) of the box main body 81, and the pressing block 77 of the regulating unit 71X is disposed above the edge portion 93 of the lid body 91. In this state, the claw portion 74 and the opening flange 88 are vertically spaced apart, and the pressing block 77 and the edge portion 93 are vertically spaced apart.

[0066] Thereafter, as shown in Figures 11(b) to 11(c), while the hand 29X remains at the second target position, the pressing block 77 descends from the standby position to the pressing position and comes into contact with the edge portion 93 from above.

[0067] After the rotation of the commuting box 80 in the forward direction is restricted by the pressing block 77, the hand 29X rises from the second target position to the third target position as shown in FIG. 11(c) to FIG. 11(d). During this process, the claws 54 and 64 come into contact with the lower surface 89 of the opening flange 88, and the commuting box 80 is supported by the claws 54 and 64. At the same time, the claws 74 of the restricting unit 71X come into contact with the lower surface 89 of the opening flange 88, and the edge of the commuting box 80 is sandwiched between the pressing block 77 and the claws 74 from above and below. That is, the rotation of the commuting box 80 in the reverse direction is restricted by the claws 74. As a result, the rotation of the commuting box 80 in both forward and reverse directions about the virtual line SL is restricted.

[0068] According to the configuration shown in this embodiment, rotation in both forward and reverse directions around the virtual line SL is restricted. In other words, even when it is difficult to narrow down the rotation direction of the returnable box 80, the rotation of the returnable box 80 can be suitably restricted. This can increase the versatility of the transport robot system 10.

[0069] Furthermore, when the conveying speed is increased in order to shorten the conveying cycle, there is a high possibility that the article will move inside the container 80 during conveying, causing the center of gravity to change. If such an event occurs, the rotation moment may be reversed, causing the holding posture to become unstable. In this regard, according to the configuration shown in this embodiment, rotation in both the forward and reverse directions is restricted, so that disturbance of the holding posture caused by the movement of the article can be suppressed, contributing to shortening the conveying cycle.

[0070] <Third embodiment> In each of the above-described embodiments, the support units 51, 61 provided on the hand 29 support the opening flange 88 of the returnable box 80 from below to hold the returnable box 80. In this embodiment, the configuration of the support units 51, 61 differs from that of the above-described embodiments. Hereinafter, the configuration of the support units 51, 61 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 12, focusing on the differences from the support units 51Y, 61Y shown in the first embodiment and the like.

[0071] The support units 51Y, 61Y of this embodiment are each obtained by adding a configuration for sandwiching the edge of the shipping box 80 between the claws 54, 64 and the support units 51, 61 shown in the first embodiment. Specifically, lifting mechanisms 56, 66 for raising and lowering the output shaft (moving it in the same direction as the central axis line AX7) are provided. The lifting mechanism 56 is fixed to the bracket 52, and the lifting mechanism 66 is fixed to the bracket 62.

[0072] The above-mentioned hand control unit 35 includes a pneumatic actuator that is a drive unit for the lifting mechanisms 56 and 66, and controls the drive of the lifting mechanisms 56 and 66 in response to instructions from the motion controller 21.

[0073] The output shaft of the lifting mechanism 56, 66 protrudes downward from the mechanism body fixed to the bracket 52, 62, and the pressing block 57, 67 is attached to the tip (lower end) of the shaft. The pressing block 57, 67 is located above the claw portion 54, 64 of the hook 53, 63, and when the hand 29 holds the return box 80, the pressing block 57, 67 descends from the standby position to the pressing position and abuts against the edge portion 93 of the lid body 91 from above. The timing at which the pressing block 57, 67 abuts against the edge portion 93 is specified to be the same as the timing at which the pressing block 77 of the regulating unit 71, 71X abuts against the edge portion 93. In other words, when the support unit 51Y, 61Y holds the return box 80, the pressing block 57, 67 first abuts against the edge portion 93, and then the hand 29Y rises, causing the claw portion 54, 64 to abut against the opening flange 88. As a result, the edges of the shipping box 80 are sandwiched between the supporting units 51Y and 61Y from above and below.

[0074] In addition, protrusions are formed on the lower surfaces of the pressing blocks 57 and 67, similar to the pressing block 77. When the pressing blocks 57 and 67 are in contact with the edge portion 93, the protrusions face the recessed portion 95 of the lid body 91 from the inside, and the positional deviation of the passing box 80 is restricted. Specifically, the protrusion formed on the lower surface of the pressing block 57 restricts the passing box 80 from being displaced in the short direction of the base portion 41. This prevents the hook portion 54 of the support unit 51Y and the opening flange 88 from being reduced. In addition, the protrusion formed on the lower surface of the pressing block 67 restricts the passing box 80 from being displaced in the long direction of the base portion 41. This prevents the hook portion 64 of the support unit 61Y and the opening flange 88 from being reduced.

[0075] By providing the pressing blocks 57, 67 on the support units 51Y, 61Y and configuring them to clamp the edge of the returnable box 80, it is possible to suitably suppress the positional deviation of the returnable box 80 even when the conveying speed is increased to shorten the conveying cycle. This is preferable in order to properly exert the rotation restriction function described above.

[0076] <Other embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiments, and may be implemented, for example, as follows. Each of the following configurations may be applied individually to each of the above-described embodiments, or may be applied to each of the above-described embodiments in combination in part or in whole. It is also possible to arbitrarily combine all or part of the various configurations shown in each of the above-described embodiments. In this case, it is preferable that the technical significance (effects to be exerted) of each of the configurations to be combined is guaranteed.

[0077] In each of the above embodiments, the regulating unit 71 is disposed on the long side of the base portion 41 of the hand 29, but the regulating unit 71 may be disposed on the short side of the base portion 41. That is, the position for regulating the rotation of the passing box 80 may be set on the short side of the passing box 80 when viewed from above. Also, the position for regulating the rotation of the passing box 80 may be set at a corner portion connecting the long side and short side of the passing box 80 when viewed from above.

[0078] In each of the above embodiments, the support units 51, 61 are disposed near the ends of two side plates connected via a corner portion on the side farther from the corner portion, thereby reducing the distance between the center of gravity GPC of the shipping box 80 and the imaginary line SL passing through the claw portions 54, 64. Here, as shown in the first embodiment, in order to limit the rotation direction of the shipping box 80 about the imaginary line SL to substantially direction 1, it is preferable to increase the distance between the center of gravity GPC and the imaginary line SL passing through the claw portions 54, 64 to some extent by, for example, disposing the support units 51, 61 near the middle between the corner portion and the ends farther from the corner portion on the two side plates.

[0079] In the second embodiment described above, when the passing box 80 is held, the regulating unit 71X regulates rotation in both forward and reverse directions of the passing box 80 about the imaginary line SL that passes through the claw portions 54, 64. Specifically, the forward rotation is regulated by the pressing block 77 that abuts against the passing box 80 from above, and the reverse rotation is regulated by the claw portion 74 that abuts against the passing box 80 from below. As long as it is possible to regulate rotation in both forward and reverse directions, the specific configuration for regulating rotation is arbitrary.

[0080] 13(a), a regulation unit 71 the same as the regulation unit 71 may be added on the opposite side to the side where the regulation unit 71 shown in the first embodiment is offset with respect to the virtual line SL when viewed in the vertical direction, specifically, at a position diagonal to the regulation unit 71. In this case, both regulation units 71 abut against the shipping box 80 from above. One of the regulation units 71 (the regulation unit 71 shown in the first embodiment) regulates rotation in the forward direction, and the other of the regulation units 71 (the newly added regulation unit 71) regulates rotation in the reverse direction.

[0081] In addition, as shown in FIG. 13(b), instead of the regulating unit 71X, a long pressing block 111 that can abut against the shipping box 80 on both sides across the imaginary line SL when viewed vertically may be provided, and the pressing block 111 may be brought into contact with the upper surface of the shipping box 80 by a lifting mechanism 117.

[0082] In each of the above embodiments, the pressing block 77 of the regulating unit 71 continues to press the shipping box 80 even after the pressing block 77 comes into contact with the shipping box 80, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the pressing block 77 comes into contact with the shipping box 80, the pressing block 77 may be locked so that it cannot be raised or lowered.

[0083] In each of the above embodiments, the object against which the claw portions 54, 64 abut when holding the shipping box 80 is the opening flange 88, but this can be changed so that the object against which the claw portions 54, 64 abut is the rib 87 (more specifically, the horizontal rib).

[0084] In addition, the lower surface (lower surface 89) of the convex portion (opening flange 88) provided on the outer surface of the side plate portion is used as the abutment object (corresponding to the ``face portion'') of the claw portions 54, 64, but it is also possible to use the inner surface (upper surface) of the recessed portion provided on the outer surface of the side plate portion as the abutment object of the claw portions 54, 64.

[0085] In each of the above embodiments, the pressing block 77 is brought into contact with the shipping box 80 (specifically, the edge 93) and then the claws 54, 64 are brought into contact with the shipping box 80 (specifically, the lower surface 89 of the opening flange 88), but this is not limited to the above. A configuration in which the timing at which the pressing block 77 is brought into contact with the shipping box 80 (specifically, the edge 93) and the timing at which the claws 54, 64 are brought into contact with the shipping box 80 (specifically, the lower surface 89 of the opening flange 88) are aligned may also be used.

[0086] In each of the above embodiments, the protrusion 79 formed on the pressing block 77 of the regulating unit 71 is configured to regulate the positional shift of the shipping box 80 in the short direction of the base portion 41 of the hand 29. However, instead of or in addition to this, the protrusion 79 formed on the pressing block 77 may be configured to regulate the positional shift of the shipping box 80 in the long direction of the base portion 41 of the hand 29.

[0087] In the second embodiment, the pressing block 77 and the claw portion 74 constituting the regulating unit 71X are arranged vertically, but this is not limited to this. It is also possible to shift the positions of the pressing block 77 and the claw portion 74 so that they do not overlap when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0088] In each of the above embodiments, an example has been given of the case where the object to be transported is a returnable box 80 formed so that the opening for putting in and taking out an item faces upward, but the object to be transported may also be a returnable box 80 formed so that the opening for putting in and taking out an item faces sideways.

[0089] <Inventions extracted from the above embodiments> The following describes the features of the inventions extracted from the above-mentioned embodiments, while indicating, as necessary, their effects, etc. In the following, for ease of understanding, the corresponding configurations in the above-mentioned embodiments are appropriately indicated in parentheses, but the present invention is not limited to the specific configurations indicated in parentheses.

[0090] Feature 1: The present invention is applied to a transport robot (robot 11) that transports a rectangular parallelepiped storage box (commuting box 80), and is a robot hand (hand 29) that holds the storage box during the transport, The two side plate portions (e.g., side plate portions 83, 84) that form the outer periphery of the storage box and are perpendicular to each other are each formed on the outer side with a surface portion (lower surface 89 of opening flange 88) facing downward, A pair of claws (claws 54, 64) that contact the respective face portions and support the storage box when the storage box is held; a regulating mechanism (e.g., a regulating unit 71) that, when holding the storage box, contacts the storage box at least from above and creates a state in which rotation of the storage box is regulated around an imaginary line (imaginary line SL) that passes through the set of claw portions; A robotic hand equipped with

[0091] Even when multiple storage boxes are collectively transferred and the storage boxes are arranged vertically and horizontally, the two side plate portions that are perpendicular to each other in at least a storage box located at a corner when viewed vertically do not face other adjacent storage boxes. Therefore, as shown in this feature, if the configuration is such that the claw portions each abut against a downward-facing surface portion formed on the outer portions (outer surfaces) of the two side plate portions and the storage box is supported by the pair of claw portions, it is possible to preferably prevent the holding operation of the robot hand from being hindered by other adjacent storage boxes.

[0092] However, when a pair of claws are hooked onto the orthogonal side plate portions, an imaginary line passing through both claws will be misaligned with the center of gravity of the storage box when viewed in the vertical direction, and the storage box may rotate (change in posture) around the imaginary line when the storage box is lifted. When such a rotation occurs, the hooking allowance of the claws on the surface portion is small, Ku This increases the possibility that the container box will fall off.

[0093] In this regard, according to the configuration shown in this characteristic, such rotation is restricted by the restricting mechanism, and the falling off of the storage box due to the rotation is suppressed. The restricting mechanism abuts against the storage box at least from above, and this configuration can suitably suppress other adjacent storage boxes from interfering with the restricting operation. In addition, since there is no need to change the storage box when transporting the storage box, this contributes to shortening the transport cycle. Incidentally, even if the storage boxes are stacked, the storage box is simply lifted upward, so the balance of the lower storage box is not lost. For the above reasons, the storage boxes can be transported properly even when they are arranged side by side.

[0094] It should be noted that the "rectangular parallelepiped storage box" includes both a configuration having a lid that covers the opening and a configuration having no lid that covers the opening.

[0095] Feature 2. The robot hand described in Feature 1, wherein the regulating mechanism, when holding the storage box, abuts against the storage box at a position offset from the virtual line when viewed vertically, thereby forming a state in which rotation of the storage box around the virtual line is regulated.

[0096] As shown by this feature, if the structure is such that the housing member comes into contact with the storage box at a position offset from the imaginary line when viewed in the vertical direction, the rotation of the storage box can be suitably restricted.

[0097] Feature 3: The regulating mechanism has a first abutment portion (pressure block 77) and a second abutment portion (claw portion 74) as abutment portions that abut against the storage box, and when holding the storage box, the first abutment portion abuts against a portion of the storage box that faces upward, and the second abutment portion abuts against a portion of the storage box that faces downward and is on the same side as the side to which the first abutment portion is offset from the virtual line when viewed in the vertical direction, forming a state in which the rotation of the storage box around the virtual line is regulated by the first abutment portion and the second abutment portion.

[0098] When storing items such as workpieces in a storage box, the variation in the center of gravity of the entire system including the items and the storage box (the variation when viewed in the vertical direction) is small because a certain amount of items are stored in the storage box. Therefore, it is not necessarily necessary to assume both forward and reverse rotation restrictions for the storage box. However, in order to increase the versatility of the transport robot (transport robot system), it is preferable to assume a case where the amount of items stored in the storage box is small, that is, a case where the rotation direction may differ depending on the position of the items. In this regard, according to the configuration shown in this characteristic, since rotation in both forward and reverse directions around the virtual line is restricted, it is possible to deal with a case where the variation in the center of gravity is large and it is difficult to narrow down the rotation direction. In addition, when the transport speed is increased to shorten the transport cycle, there is a high possibility that the items move in the storage box during transport and the center of gravity changes. When such an event occurs, the rotation moment is reversed and the holding posture may become unstable. In this regard, according to the configuration shown in this characteristic, since rotation in both forward and reverse directions is restricted, it is possible to suppress the disturbance of the holding posture caused by the movement of the items and contribute to shortening the transport cycle.

[0099] Feature 4. The robot hand according to Feature 3, wherein the second contact portion is configured to be located below the first contact portion when the restricted state is formed.

[0100] According to the configuration shown in this feature, when the first contact portion is brought into contact with the storage box from above, the second contact portion can suitably prevent the storage box from tilting due to the pressing force. Also, when the second contact portion is brought into contact with the storage box from below, the first contact portion can suitably prevent the storage box from tilting due to the pressing force.

[0101] Feature 5: The regulating mechanism has a first abutment portion and a second abutment portion as abutments that abut against the storage box, and when holding the storage box, the first abutment portion abuts against a portion of the storage box facing upward, and the second abutment portion abuts against another portion of the storage box facing upward that is opposite the side to which the first abutment portion is offset with respect to the virtual line when viewed in the vertical direction, forming a state in which the rotation of the storage box around the virtual line is regulated by the first abutment portion and the second abutment portion.

[0102] When storing items such as workpieces in a storage box, the variation in the overall center of gravity position including the items and the storage box (the variation when viewed in the vertical direction) becomes small by storing a certain amount of items. Therefore, it is not necessarily necessary to assume both forward and reverse directions for the rotation restriction of the storage box. However, in order to increase the versatility of the transport robot (transport robot system), it is preferable to assume a case where the amount of items stored in the storage box is small, that is, a case where the rotation direction may differ depending on the position of the items. In this regard, according to the configuration shown in this characteristic, since rotation in both forward and reverse directions around the virtual line is restricted, it is possible to deal with a case where the variation in the center of gravity position is large and it is difficult to narrow down the rotation direction. In addition, when the transport speed is increased to shorten the transport cycle, there is a high possibility that the items move in the storage box during transport and the center of gravity position changes. If such an event occurs, the rotation moment may be reversed and the holding posture may become unstable. In this regard, according to the configuration shown in this characteristic, rotation in both the forward and reverse directions is restricted, so that disturbance of the holding posture caused by the movement of the article is suppressed, which contributes to shortening the conveying cycle.

[0103] In addition, in the configuration shown in this characteristic, both the first abutment portion and the second abutment portion abut against the storage box from above, so that even if multiple storage boxes are arranged vertically and horizontally, the regulating operation can be effectively prevented from being obstructed by other adjacent storage boxes.

[0104] Feature 6: At least one of the first contact portion and the second contact portion is provided with a portion (projection 79) that faces a wall portion of the storage box facing the inside of the storage box when the restricted state is formed; A robot hand described in any one of Features 3 to 5, wherein when the restricted state is formed, the opposing portions restrict the displacement of the storage box in a direction in which the engagement between the claw portion and the surface portion becomes smaller.

[0105] As shown in feature 1, etc., there are various technical significances in using the claw portion and the regulating mechanism to hold the storage box. However, there is a concern that the claw portion will not be able to properly support the storage box if the hooking allowance with respect to the surface portion becomes small. In this regard, as shown in this feature, if the opposing portion (stopper) formed on at least one of the first abutting portion and the second abutting portion restricts the displacement of the storage box and suppresses the reduction in the hooking allowance of the claw portion, such a concern can be suitably resolved. In particular, suppressing the reduction in the hooking allowance by using a regulating mechanism (abutting portion) that operates while avoiding other adjacent storage boxes is preferable in terms of reducing the influence of the arrangement of the storage boxes.

[0106] Feature 7. A transport robot system comprising a robot body to which a robot hand described in any one of Features 1 to 6 is attached, and a drive control unit (transport control device 12 and motion controller 21) that controls the drive of the robot hand and the robot body.

[0107] According to the transport robot system having this characteristic, the storage boxes can be transported properly even when the storage boxes are arranged next to each other.

[0108] Feature 8. A transport robot system according to Feature 7, wherein when the robot hand holds the storage box, the drive control unit controls the drive of the robot body and the robot hand so as to lift the storage box with the claw portion after forming the regulated state with the regulating mechanism.

[0109] When the storage box is lifted by the claw portion, the position of the storage box may be disturbed at the moment the storage box is lifted. It is assumed that the disturbance of the position of the storage box makes it difficult to restrict rotation at the proper position or causes the rotation restriction function to not be properly performed. In this respect, in the configuration shown in this characteristic, when the storage box is held by the robot hand, the above-mentioned restricted state is first formed by the restriction mechanism. In this way, the occurrence of the above-mentioned inconvenience can be suitably suppressed by preparing for rotation restriction before lifting the storage box. Note that since the restriction mechanism is configured to abut against the storage box at least from above, it is possible to suitably suppress the occurrence of disturbance in the position of the storage box during the preparation, compared to a configuration in which the restriction mechanism abuts against the storage box only from below.

[0110] Feature 9: An analysis unit (image analysis unit 18) that analyzes the position and orientation of the storage box based on an image of the storage box captured by a camera (camera 13), the drive control unit is configured to perform drive control of the robot body and the robot hand based on the analysis result by the analysis unit, The two side plate portions of the container are continuous via a corner portion (e.g., corner portion CNR1), The transport robot system according to feature 7 or 8, wherein the drive control unit, when holding the storage box, operates the robot hand and the robot body so that the regulating mechanism abuts against the storage box at the corner portion or the periphery of the corner portion.

[0111] If the rotation is restricted at the corners connecting the two side sections or at the periphery thereof, it is possible to prevent the presence of other adjacent containers from interfering with the securing of the operating area of ​​the restriction mechanism. In addition, particularly in combination with feature 9, it is possible to preferably realize stable holding while restricting rotation with a small force.

[0112] Feature 10: An analysis unit (image analysis unit 18) that analyzes the position and orientation of the storage box based on an image of the storage box captured by a camera (camera 13), the drive control unit is configured to perform drive control of the robot body and the robot hand based on the analysis result by the analysis unit, The two side plate portions of the container are continuous via a corner portion (e.g., corner portion CNR1), The transport robot system according to any one of Features 7 to 9, wherein the drive control unit, when holding the storage box, operates the robot body and the robot hand so that the claw portions support the surface portion at each point on the two side panel portions that is closer to the end portion opposite the corner portion.

[0113] As shown by this feature, by configuring the surface portion to be supported at each point near the end opposite the corner portion on two mutually perpendicular side plate portions, the load acting on the regulating mechanism during rotation restriction can be suitably reduced. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 10...transport robot system, 11...robot, 12...transport control device, 13...camera, 18...image analysis unit, 19...operation command determination unit, 20...robot body, 21...motion controller, 29...hand, 51, 61...support unit, 53, 63...hook, 54, 64...claw portion, 71...regulating unit, 76...lifting mechanism, 77...pressure block, 79...protrusion, 80...transport box, 83 to 86...side plate portion, 88a, 88b...flange portion, 89a, 89b...bottom surface, 90...opening, 91...lid body, 93...edge portion, 95...recess, SL...virtual line, W...work.

Claims

1. a robot hand that holds a rectangular parallelepiped storage box when transporting the storage box; a robot body to which the robot hand is attached; and a drive control unit that controls the drive of the robot hand and the robot main body; A transport robot system comprising: The two side plate portions that form the outer periphery of the container box and are perpendicular to each other are provided at outer portions thereof with downwardly facing surfaces, the robot hand is provided with a set of claws that come into contact with each of the surface portions and support the storage box when holding the storage box, and a restriction mechanism that comes into contact with the storage box at a position offset from an imaginary line that passes through the set of claws when viewed in the vertical direction and creates a state in which rotation of the storage box about the imaginary line is restricted, the regulating mechanism has a first abutment portion and a second abutment portion as abutments that abut against the storage box, and when the storage box is held, the first abutment portion abuts against a predetermined upper surface portion that is a portion of the storage box facing upward, and the second abutment portion abuts against a predetermined lower surface portion that is a portion of the storage box facing downward and that is on the same side as the side to which the first abutment portion is offset with respect to the virtual line when viewed in the vertical direction, forming a state in which rotation of the storage box about the virtual line is regulated by the first abutment portion and the second abutment portion; the drive control unit, when holding the storage box with the robot hand, controls the drive of the robot hand and the robot main body so as to bring the second abutment portion into contact with the specified lower surface portion of the storage box while the first abutment portion is in contact with the specified upper surface portion of the storage box, and lift the storage box with the claw portion while the first abutment portion and the second abutment portion are in contact with the storage box, A transport robot system, wherein the width of the first contact portion is wider than the width of the specified upper surface portion in the inward / outward direction of the storage box when viewed vertically.

2. The transfer robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the drive control unit is capable of lowering the first contact portion while maintaining a position of the second contact portion.

3. The first contact portion is provided with a portion that faces a wall portion of the storage box facing an inner side of the storage box when the restricted state is formed, The transport robot system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the restricted state is formed, the opposing portions restrict displacement of the storage box in a direction that reduces the engagement between the claw portion and the surface portion.

Images