Work supply device and picking system equipped with the same

Abstract

To provide a work-piece supply device capable of simply resolving overlapping in a conveyance process even in a state where flat work-pieces such as small bags are overlapped, and to provide a picking system using the same.SOLUTION: A work-piece supply device 1 comprises a first conveyance conveyor 2 provided with a first conveyance face 2a for conveying a work-piece, and a second conveyance conveyor 3 provided with a second conveyance face 3a opposed to the first conveyance face 2a. The first conveyance face 2a forms a first distribution of a first suction area having a first suction part for sucking the work-piece, and a first non-suction area having no first suction part. The second conveyance face 3a forms a second distribution of a second suction area having a second suction part for sucking the work-piece from the first non-suction area, and a second non-suction area sucking no work-piece. At least part of the first non-suction area and at least part of the second suction area are opposed to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a work supply device that can eliminate overlapping even when flat workpieces such as sachets are randomly overlapped and can perform picking by a robot with high precision and efficiency, and a picking system equipped with the same.

Background Art

[0002] In food products such as bento boxes and instant noodles, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, etc., in order to improve the convenience for consumers and maintain the quality, sachets containing only the necessary amounts of seasonings such as soy sauce, lotion, and powdered pharmaceuticals are often contained in resin packaging and placed inside and outside the packaging. For example, in the case of instant noodles, sealed sachets of ingredients and powdered soup contained in a cup container correspond to this. In addition, due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, which has been expanding since last year, the need for sachets that can be taken and used individually in small portions is increasing. When manufacturing food products and the like in which a predetermined number of such sachets (hereinafter referred to as workpieces) are placed inside the outer packaging, it is necessary to perform an operation in which the workpieces that are usually randomly stacked (loose stacked) are individually cut out and then contained inside the outer packaging. Although such a simple but cumbersome operation can be performed manually, it is very time-consuming and requires a large number of workers depending on the production volume of the product, which rather increases the production cost. In this case, the manufacturing manufacturer may not be able to obtain sufficient profits.

[0003] On the one hand, in recent years, in order to reduce production costs and stabilize quality, efforts have been made to automate production lines in various fields. Among them, several applicable methods have also been developed for the operation of individually cutting out and accommodating in the exterior from the piled-up workpieces as described above. For example, there are methods of placing the piled-up workpieces on an inclined conveyor for transportation, and cutting them out while dispersing the parts by utilizing the inclination and frictional force, or putting a plurality of parts into a drum and rotating it, and discharging and cutting them out while separating them by centrifugal force. In addition, there are also methods of putting a plurality of parts into a vibrating bowl and discharging them while separating them, or the robot individually sorting and cutting them out based on the images of a plurality of photographed pouches. By automating the operation of individually cutting out the piled-up workpieces and accommodating them in the exterior using these methods, it can be said that a large number of products can be manufactured at low cost while suppressing labor costs. However, when targeting workpieces having a flat shape such as pouches, in order to obtain sufficient effects by using the above-described methods, several problems still remained to be solved as follows.

[0004] One of such problems is that since the workpieces have a flat shape and are flexible, they are difficult to roll, deform, easily get entangled with each other, and do not easily separate even when rotation or vibration is applied. In addition, the workpieces are often lightweight in addition to their shape. When they are put into a drum and rotated, they are easily lifted up due to air resistance along with centrifugal force, and the frictional force received from the conveyor for transportation is also small, so it is also a problem that they are difficult to separate. And because of such workpieces, sorting by a robot has also been difficult. As a technology for solving the above problems, inventions shown below have been disclosed in recent years.

[0005] In Patent Document ①, an invention related to an article transfer device capable of supplying piled-up parts while eliminating overlaps is disclosed under the name of "article transfer device". The invention disclosed in this Patent Document 1, when explained using the reference numerals described in FIG. 1 in the same document as they are, among a plurality of articles 9 stored in a stacked state in the storage unit 10, an article 9 having a predetermined posture is sent out to the downstream side in the transfer direction X by an article sending unit 11, a first transfer device 21 composed of a conveyor that places the article 9 sent out from the article sending unit 11 and transfers it downstream at a first speed, a second transfer device 22 composed of a conveyor that transfers at a second speed faster than the first speed, a stacking elimination device 3 composed of a rotating brush installed above the first transfer device 21 to eliminate the overlap of the articles 9 on the transfer path, a vision sensor 4 having a pixel element for detecting the position, posture, etc. of the article 9 being transferred on the second transfer device 22, and a robot device 5 having a gripping hand 51 that grips the article 9 based on the detection result of the vision sensor 4 and supplies it to a preset position. It is characterized by comprising these components.

[0006] In the case of the invention having the above-described configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, among the articles 9 stored in a stacked state in the storage unit 10, only those in a predetermined orientation are sent out by the article sending unit 11 to the first transfer device 21 on the downstream side in the transfer direction X. Next, by passing through the stacking elimination device 3 placed on the first transfer device 21, when the articles 9 are in an overlapping state, the article 9 located above hits the rotating brush and is pushed back, so that the overlap between the articles 9 is eliminated. After that, when the article 9 is transferred from the first transfer device 21 to the second transfer device 22, it is said that the distance between the previously transferred article 9 and the next transferred article 9 can be changed so as to become longer in proportion to the speed difference.

[0007] From the above, in the case of the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, the articles 9 stored in a stacked state in the storage unit 10 are aligned in a predetermined orientation and the overlap is eliminated in the process of being transferred to the downstream side of the second transfer device 22. And due to the speed difference between the first transfer device 21 and the second transfer device 22, the distance between the articles 9 being conveyed on the second transfer device 22 becomes longer, so that the articles 9 can be dispersed. As a result, it is said that the gripping hand 51 of the robot device 5 can surely grip and take out the article 9.

[0008] Next, Patent Document 2 discloses an invention related to an individual cutting device that can individually cut out and align packages such as small bags containing food products, etc., under the name of "package individual cutting device". Regarding the invention disclosed in this Patent Document 2, using the reference numerals described in FIG. 1 in the same document as they are, the disclosed individual cutting device, which is the invention, individually cuts out a plurality of packages P input from the supply mechanism 18 and discharges them by the discharge mechanism 23. It includes a front belt guide 12 and a rear belt guide 13, a suction belt 14 that is wound around the front belt guide 12 and the rear belt guide 13 and rotates, a suction belt drive unit 15 that drives the suction belt 14, a package storage unit 14b that is partitioned along the inner peripheral surface of the suction belt 14 and individually stores the packages P, a through hole 14c (see FIG. 2 of the same document) that is provided through the suction belt 14 and adsorbs and holds the packages P stored in the package storage unit 14b, a suction chamber 16 that is arranged along the outer periphery of the suction belt 14 so as to cover a part of the outer periphery of the suction belt 14 and sucks the inside of the package storage unit 14b via the chamber suction drive unit 17, and a suction release means 20 that releases the suction of the package P adsorbed to the package storage unit 14b of the suction belt 14, and is characterized by having these components.

[0009] In the case of the invention having the above configuration disclosed in Patent Document 2, among the plurality of packages P input from the supply mechanism 18 to the package storage unit 14b, all except one package P adsorbed to the inner peripheral surface of the suction belt 14 by the rotation of the suction belt 14 are shaken off. Then, the adsorbed one package P has its suction released by the suction release means 20 and is discharged to a predetermined position by the discharge mechanism 23. From the above, in the case of the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is stated that the operation of continuously cutting out one by one from a plurality of bag-shaped packages P containing food products, medical supplies, toys, cosmetics, machine parts, etc., and aligning them at a predetermined position can be automatically and easily performed without using a robot.

[0010] Patent document 3 discloses an invention entitled "Conveying system and suction conveying conveyor" that is capable of accurately removing objects that need to be removed when transporting objects, minimizing the amount of removed objects, and is easy to introduce due to its simple equipment. The invention disclosed in Patent Document 3 will be explained using the same symbols as in Figures 1 to 3 in the document. The conveying system 10, which is the disclosed invention, is suitable for use in a process of washing and drying bottomed cylindrical can bodies C, and is equipped with an upstream conveyor 20 equipped with a washing device 21, a suction conveying conveyor 100 provided downstream of the upstream conveyor 20, and a downstream conveyor 30 along which can bodies C are continuously conveyed by the suction conveying conveyor 100 and equipped with a drying device 31. A tipping can sensor 40 for detecting tipping cans CT is installed downstream of the washing device 21 on the upstream conveyor 20, and the suction conveying conveyor 100 is characterized by being equipped with a suction strip 110 having a conveying surface that sucks the upper parts of the can bodies C, and a suction unit 120 that sucks the can bodies C from the back side of the conveying surface of the suction strip 110.

[0011] In the invention having the above configuration disclosed in Patent Document 3, a large number of can bodies C, aligned with their openings facing downward, are washed in the washing device 21 while being conveyed by the upstream conveyor 20. Next, the aligned can bodies C are sucked by the downstream suction transfer conveyor 100 at their upper sides and continuously conveyed toward the downstream conveyor 30, which is equipped with the drying device 31. On the other hand, if a can body C falls during washing, for example, and becomes a fallen can CT, the fallen can CT is not sucked by the suction transfer conveyor 100 but falls below the downstream end of the upstream conveyor 20 and is removed. Furthermore, a fallen can sensor 40 located downstream of the washing device 21 on the upstream conveyor 20 detects the position of the fallen can CT, and can bodies C that were attracted to the suction transfer conveyor 100 around the removed fallen can CT are also released from suction and removed.

[0012] Based on the above results, in the case of the invention disclosed in Patent Document 3, it becomes possible to selectively exclude only the can body C that is around the inverted can CT and is highly likely to have poor cleaning, and it is said that the loss of the can body C can be suppressed as much as possible. It should be noted that the invention disclosed in Patent Document 3 is not a direct solution for separating the stacked workpieces aimed at by the present invention. However, the technology of separating such articles during the conveying process is considered useful for separating the stacked workpieces as described later.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0013]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0014] In the case of the invention described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, surely, since the articles 9 in the stacked state are spaced apart while being transferred downstream while passing through the article delivery unit 11 and the overlapping elimination device 3, it is considered that cutting out by the robot becomes easier. In addition, it is stated that the object to be conveyed may be other than a rectangular parallelepiped. However, if the workpiece to be conveyed in the present invention is stored in the hopper-shaped storage unit 10 with respect to the invention described in Patent Document 1, the workpieces around the article delivery unit 11 below the storage unit 10 may be deformed and entangled with each other, and are highly likely to be caught and clogged around the article delivery unit 11. And even if the workpiece can move from the article delivery unit 11 to the first transfer device 21, when it is in a state of being stacked multiple times, since it has a flat shape, it is difficult for the rotating brush of the overlapping elimination device 3 to leave only one small bag below and exclude the others. Therefore, it is considered that there is room for improvement in the case of the invention described in Patent Document 1.

[0015] Next, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, the packages P to be processed are small pouches, and it is thought that these packages P can be individually discharged to predetermined positions without using a robot by suction using suction belt 14 and then released at predetermined positions by suction releasing means 20. However, in the case of the invention described in Patent Document 2, it is thought that there is a good possibility that, of the multiple packages P placed in package storage section 14b, not only one package P adsorbed to the inner circumferential surface of suction belt 14 but also unnecessary packages P sandwiched between this package P and the inner circumferential surface will remain. For this reason, it is thought that multiple packages P will be mistakenly discharged when suction releasing means 20 releases suction, reducing the device's extraction accuracy.

[0016] In addition, as with the invention described in Patent Document 3, by using a method for removing unnecessary fallen can CT and can bodies C that may have been imperfectly cleaned, it is believed that the workpieces can be separated by moving the uppermost workpieces among multiple stacked workpieces. However, the invention described in Patent Document 3 targets can bodies C that are arranged in an orderly manner, whose position information can be easily obtained by the fallen can sensor 40, and that do not overlap each other, which is different from the loosely stacked workpieces targeted by the present invention. For this reason, it is believed that it would be difficult to utilize the technology described in Patent Document 3 as is.

[0017] The present invention has been made to address such conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a work supply device that can eliminate overlapping during the transport process even when work containing seasonings, medicines, etc. is in a loose pile, and that enables robots to pick items with high precision and efficiency, and a picking system equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0018] A first invention for solving the above problem comprises a first transport conveyor having a first transport surface for transporting workpieces, and a second transport conveyor having a second transport surface facing the first transport surface from above in a vertical direction, wherein the first transport surface forms a first distribution of first suction areas having first suction portions that suction the workpieces and first non-suction areas that do not have the first suction portions, and the second transport surface forms a second distribution of second suction areas having second suction portions that suction the workpieces from the first non-suction areas and second non-suction areas that do not suction the workpieces, the second distribution is such that, in a first area on the upstream side of the workpiece transport direction and a second area on the downstream side of the first area, one or more second suction regions and one or more second non-suction regions are arranged parallel to the transport direction in the width direction of the second transport surface, facing the first area; At least a part of the first non-adsorption area and at least a part of the second adsorption area face each other.

[0019] In the first invention having the above configuration, the first distribution, which is the arrangement of the first suction areas and first non-suction areas formed on the first conveying surface of the first transport conveyor, has the effect that the workpieces transported on the first conveying surface are subjected to suction force in the first suction areas and are not subjected to any suction force in the first non-suction areas. Similarly, the second distribution, which is the arrangement of the second suction areas and second non-suction areas formed on the second conveying surface of the second transport conveyor, has the effect that the workpieces transported on the second conveying surface are subjected to suction force in the second suction areas and are not subjected to any suction force in the second non-suction areas. Furthermore, since at least a portion of the first non-adsorption area faces at least a portion of the second adsorption area, when workpieces piled up randomly on the first conveying surface of the first conveyor enter the first non-adsorption area, they are adsorbed in order of distance to the second adsorption area facing vertically above, and are then received on the second conveying surface of the second conveyor. In this application, facing means being aligned in the vertical direction, and specifically in the first invention, it means that at least a portion of the first non-adsorption area is aligned with at least a portion of the second adsorption area in the vertically upward direction.

[0020] Next, the second invention is the first invention, wherein the first distribution is Record numberIn one area, one or more of the first suction areas and one or more of the first non-suction areas are arranged in parallel with the conveying direction in the width direction of the first conveying surface, and the Record number In the second area, the first non-suction area is arranged in the conveying direction, and the second distribution arranges the second non-suction area and the second suction area so as to face the arrangement of the first suction area and the arrangement of the first non-suction area of the first distribution, respectively.

[0021] In the case of the second invention having the above configuration, in addition to the same operation as the first invention described above, in the first area on the upstream side of the first conveying surface, the work that is in the first non-suction area and is not adsorbed is adsorbed by the second suction area of the second conveying conveyor before the work adsorbed by the first suction area. It has the effect of being adsorbed. And in the second area arranged on the downstream side of the first area, the work adsorbed by the first suction area of the first area is released from adsorption, and the work that was not adsorbed in the first area and was adsorbed by the second suction area of the second conveying conveyor is also adsorbed by the second suction area in the order of being conveyed to the second area, although it is delayed. That is, it has the effect of changing the timing of adsorption of adjacent workpieces to the second conveying conveyor, which are different in position in the width direction, by the first distribution and the second distribution. Needless to say, this timing can be adjusted by the length of the first suction area in the conveying direction.

[0022] On the other hand, the third invention is a first transport conveyor having a first transport surface that transports workpieces; and a second transport conveyor having a second transport surface that faces the first transport surface from above in a vertical direction, wherein the first transport surface forms a first distribution of first non-suction areas that do not have a first suction portion that suctions the workpieces, and the second transport surface forms a second distribution of second suction areas that have second suction portions that suction the workpieces from the first non-suction areas and second non-suction areas that do not suction the workpieces, and the second distribution is such that, in a first area upstream in the transport direction of the workpieces, one or more second suction areas and one or more second non-suction areas are arranged parallel to the transport direction, facing the first area, and at least a part of the first non-suction area faces at least a part of the second suction area, In the first area and Downstream from this first area In the second area, the first non-suction area is arranged over the entire first conveying surface, and the second distribution is ,before Characterized in that the second suction area is arranged over the entire second conveying surface facing the second area.

[0023] In the case of the third invention having the above-described configuration, in addition to the operation of the first invention described above, the workpiece on the first conveyor no longer receives any adsorption force from the first conveying surface. When the workpieces are placed in a stacked state on the first area of the first conveying surface, only the workpieces below one or more second adsorption areas of the second conveying surface arranged opposite to the first area are adsorbed and received by the second conveyor earlier than other adjacent workpieces. Then, the workpieces on the first conveying surface that have passed through the first area are adsorbed by the second adsorption area arranged opposite to the second area, lagging behind the workpieces adsorbed earlier in the first area. That is, it has the effect of changing the timing at which adjacent workpieces at different positions in the width direction of the first conveying surface are adsorbed by the second conveyor. Needless to say, this timing can be adjusted according to the length of the second adsorption area in the conveying direction in the first area.

[0024] In addition, the fourth invention is characterized in that, in the second or third invention described above, all of the second non-adsorption areas of the second conveying surface are arranged in a third area on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the workpieces from the area facing the second area, and a third conveyor having a third conveying surface facing directly below the third area is provided. In the case of the fourth invention having the above-described configuration, in addition to the same operation as the second or third invention described above, the workpieces conveyed by the second conveyor move to a third area that is on the downstream side in the conveying direction from the area facing the second area and in which all of the second non-adsorption areas are arranged. Then, within the third area, the adsorption of the workpieces is released, and they have the effect of falling by their own weight onto the third conveying surface of the third conveyor.

[0025] Next, the fifth invention is the first one described above or the 2 first Clearly invention, wherein the first adsorption portion and the second adsorption portion are provided with air suction holes, and the air suction holes are arranged at a distance from each other greater than the maximum length dimension of the workpiece. In the case of the fifth invention having the above configuration, in addition to the same operation as described above for the first or the 2 same Akira and operation, when one workpiece is adsorbed to the first or second adsorption part, it is ensured that the workpiece is not adsorbed to two or more air suction holes. That is, it has the effect of preventing the workpiece from being adsorbed across adjacent air suction holes. Note that "not having an adsorption part" is a concept including a part not provided with an adsorption means and a part in a state where the means cannot be exerted even though it has an adsorption means. That is, when the adsorption function cannot be exerted even if an adsorption part exists, it is included in the category of not having an adsorption part. Therefore, in a state where the air suction hole is blocked or air cannot be sucked, even if the air suction hole itself is provided as an adsorption part, it constitutes a non-adsorption area rather than an adsorption area.

[0026] Next, the sixth invention is characterized in that, in the fifth invention described above, the first transfer conveyor and the second transfer conveyor are provided with opening and closing means for opening and closing a part of the air suction holes. In the case of the sixth invention having the above configuration, in addition to the same operation as the fifth invention described above, by opening and closing a part of the air suction holes formed in the first transfer conveyor and the second transfer conveyor respectively by the opening and closing means, it has the effect of adsorbing or not adsorbing the workpiece to a part of the air suction holes. Note that the opening and closing means here is not particularly specified. As described later, for example, a shielding plate having holes and slits may be arranged on the back side of the first and second transfer surfaces in which the air suction holes are formed (see Fig. 5). If the position of such a shielding plate can be adjusted in the width direction of the first and second transfer surfaces, the above-mentioned holes and slits can be overlapped with the air suction holes to be sucked, a row composed of a plurality of air suction holes, etc. to suck air, or shifted so as not to overlap to stop the suction of air. Here, the row includes a case where two or more adjacent rows of air suction holes are arranged at a predetermined interval. Also, as another opening / closing means, as will be described later, for example, a chamber may be provided on the back side of the first and second conveying surfaces, which covers an air suction hole, and a row or region composed of a plurality of air suction holes, and is provided with an openable / closable door (see Fig. 6). By opening and closing the door of such a chamber, air can be sucked or the suction can be stopped in the air suction hole or a row composed of a plurality of air suction holes where air is to be sucked.

[0027] Next, the seventh invention is characterized in that, in the sixth invention described above, rows of the air suction holes arranged in parallel with the conveying direction at different intervals are formed by the opening / closing means. In the seventh invention having the above configuration, in addition to the same operation as that of the sixth invention described above, among the rows of a plurality of air suction holes respectively formed in the first conveying conveyor and the second conveying conveyor, the air suction can be performed or stopped through the opening / closing means in a desired row having different intervals in parallel with the conveying direction.

[0028] Eighth and 9 The invention is ,before characterized in that the conveying speed of the second conveying conveyor is faster than the conveying speed of the first conveying conveyor. In the eighth invention having the above configuration and 9 if , Wa When a work is adsorbed and received from the first conveying conveyor to the second conveying conveyor, since the conveying speed of the second conveying conveyor is faster than the conveying speed of the first conveying conveyor, the intervals between adjacent workpieces with different adsorption timings on the second conveying surface widen in proportion to the time difference at that timing.

[0029] Next, the 10 invention, the picking system, is from the first to the 9A work supply device, which is any one of the inventions of the present invention, a work feeder that supplies work to a first conveyor, a robot that picks up work on the downstream side of the work supply device, and a receiving device that receives the work picked up by the robot. In the invention of the above configuration 10 if it is the invention of, the respective operations of each provided with the work supply device of the first to 9 are exhibited, and further, work is supplied from the work feeder to the work supply device, the robot picks up the work on the downstream side of the work supply device, and the receiving device receives the picked-up work. Here, "picking" means an operation of gripping and sucking the work by a hand (end effector) of the robot or the like and an operation of moving to the receiving device, and the same meaning is used hereinafter.

Effect of the Invention

[0030] According to the first invention described above, from the relationship between the first distribution, which is the arrangement of the first adsorption region and the first non-adsorption region formed on the first transport surface of the first conveyor, and the second distribution, which is the arrangement of the second adsorption region and the second non-adsorption region formed on the second transport surface of the second conveyor, at least a part of the first non-adsorption region faces at least a part of the second adsorption region. For this reason, when work is placed in a stacked state on the first transport surface of the first conveyor, the second adsorption region of the second conveyor can sequentially adsorb and transport the work from the work that is in the vicinity on the first conveyor. That is, it becomes possible to separate the work that overlaps in the height direction and the work that is before and after in the transport direction. As a result, the individual cutting-out operation of the work by a robot or the like can be easily carried out.

[0031] According to the second invention described above, in addition to the same effect as the first invention, for workpieces that are close to each other but have different positions in the width direction on the first transfer surface, by changing the timing of adsorption to their respective second adsorption regions, these workpieces can be transferred downstream while maintaining a distance from each other on the second transfer surface. That is, for workpieces that are close to each other in the width direction of the first transfer surface, individual cutting operations by a robot or the like can be more easily performed.

[0032] Also, according to the third invention described above, in addition to the same effect as the first invention, the workpieces placed on the first transfer conveyor can change the adsorption timing to the second transfer conveyor between the workpieces located below the second adsorption regions arranged in one or more parallel to the transfer direction in the width direction of the second transfer surface within the first area and the other workpieces. As a result, it becomes possible to separately transfer the workpieces adsorbed first to a plurality of second adsorption regions and the other workpieces while maintaining a distance from each other on the second transfer surface. That is, for workpieces that overlap or are close to each other in the width direction of the first transfer surface, by finely separating them according to a plurality of second adsorption regions, individual cutting operations by a robot or the like can be more easily performed.

[0033] Furthermore, according to the fourth invention described above, in addition to the same effect as the second or third invention, the workpieces conveyed by the second transfer conveyor are dropped onto the third transfer surface of the third transfer conveyor below in the order in which they reach the third area. As a result, the workpieces on the third transfer surface have the effect of being conveyed downstream while substantially reproducing the distribution state of the workpieces in the second area of the second transfer surface on the third transfer surface.

[0034] In addition, according to the fifth invention described above, the first or the 2 invention Akira andIn addition to the same effect, since one workpiece is no longer adsorbed across two adjacent air suction holes in the first adsorption part or the second adsorption part, the adsorption release of the workpiece can be smoothly performed, and an unadsorbed workpiece is not clamped between the first transfer surface or the second transfer surface and the workpiece, thereby preventing separation failure. As a result, it is considered that the individual cutting operation of the workpiece can be efficiently performed.

[0035] Next, according to the sixth invention described above, in addition to the same effect as the fifth invention, the first adsorption region can be arranged in a desired shape at a desired position on the first transfer surface by the opening and closing means, or the second adsorption region can be arranged in a desired shape at a desired position on the second transfer surface. As a result, it becomes possible to adjust the adsorption mode of the workpiece, the timing of adsorption release, etc., and it becomes possible to efficiently set the cutting conditions suitable for the workpiece to be transferred.

[0036] And according to the seventh invention described above, in addition to the same effect as the sixth invention, by the opening and closing means, for the rows of air suction holes formed in the first transfer conveyor and the second transfer conveyor respectively, which are arranged in parallel in the transfer direction at different intervals, air suction can be selectively and easily performed for each row. That is, a row of air suction holes with an appropriate interval along the size of the workpiece can be selected by the opening and closing means. In particular, if a plurality of rows of air suction holes are arranged in parallel in the transfer direction on the first transfer surface and the second transfer surface at the same interval for each row and at different intervals in the width direction, the first adsorption part and the second adsorption part can be formed at a desired interval according to the maximum length dimension of the workpiece to be transferred.

[0037] According to the eighth invention described above and 9 not only is the workpiece separated by the timing difference when moving from the first transfer surface to the second transfer surface, but also according to the transfer speed difference between the first transfer conveyor and the second transfer conveyor, the distance between the workpieces adsorbed in the second adsorption region can be widened. , th

[0038] ​ According to the invention described above 10 by incorporating a work supply device capable of individually and efficiently cutting out workpieces in a stacked state where they are densely packed and overlapping each other, a series of operations can be more efficiently performed, in which the workpieces in the stacked state are supplied to the work supply device, conveyed, the robot on the downstream side of the work supply device picks up the workpieces accurately, and the receiving device receives them.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0039] [Figure 1] It is a conceptual diagram of the work supply device of Example 1 of the present invention. [Diagram 2] It is a diagram showing the concept of the elements constituting the work supply device of Example 1 of the present invention. (a) is a plan view of the first conveyor, (b) is a bottom view of the second conveyor, and (c) is a plan view of the third conveyor. [Diagram 3] It is a conceptual diagram of a picking system using the work supply device of Example 1 of the present invention. [Figure 4] (a) to (e) are all conceptual diagrams for explaining the actions exerted by the elements constituting the work supply device of Example 1 of the present invention on the workpieces. [Figure 5] It is a plan view of an example of a conveyor provided with opening and closing means. (a) is an example of the arrangement of the shielding plate, and (b) is an arrangement of the shielding plate different from that in Fig. (a). [Figure 6] It is an example of a conveyor provided with opening and closing means different from Fig. 5. (a) is a plan view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow X-X shown in Fig. (a). [Figure 7] It is a conceptual diagram of the work supply device of Example 2 of the present invention. [Figure 8] It shows the concept of the elements constituting the work supply device of Example 2 of the present invention. (a) is a plan view of the supply conveyor, (b) is a plan view of the first conveyor, (c) is a bottom view of the second conveyor, and (d) is a plan view of the third conveyor. [Figure 9](a) to (d) are all conceptual diagrams for explaining the actions exerted on the workpiece by the elements constituting the workpiece feeding device of Embodiment 2 of the present invention. [Figure 10] It is a conceptual diagram of a modified example of the workpiece feeding device of Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0040] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. Note that all the figures are examples of the present invention, and within the scope where the actions and effects of the present invention are achieved, the shape, arrangement, and number of the components can be arbitrarily set.

Example

[0041] First, with reference to FIG. 1, the structure of Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram when the workpiece feeding device of Embodiment 1 of the present invention is viewed from the side. Regarding the expressions indicating height such as upper side and upward in the description, the direction toward the upper side of the paper surface is represented as the height direction, and the arrow shown by the thick line in the figure indicates the direction in which the workpiece (not shown) is conveyed. In addition, in order to facilitate the explanation of the actions exerted on the workpiece by the workpiece feeding device 1, the area from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction of the workpiece is divided into areas A to E. The same applies to FIGS. 7 and 10 in the subsequent description. As shown in FIG. 1, the workpiece feeding device 1 includes, in order from the upstream side in the conveying direction, a first conveyor 2 having a first conveying surface 2a for conveying the workpiece, a second conveyor 3 provided with a second conveying surface 3a facing the first conveying surface 2a from the vertically upward direction, and a third conveyor 4 provided with a third conveying surface 4a facing the second conveying surface 3a from the vertically downward direction. In addition, the conveying speed of the second conveyor 3 is set to be faster than the conveying speed of the first conveyor 2.

[0042] Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the work supply device 1 receives the supply of work from a work feeder (see FIG. 3) not shown. Therefore, a connection portion 2b (a portion surrounded by a square dotted line) that connects to the work feeder may be extended in an area A that is upstream of the first transport surface 2a of the first transport conveyor 2. Due to the connection portion 2b that slopes upward toward the downstream side, the work being transported receives forces from other work it contacts along with its own weight (components of the weight of other work and forces caused by frictional forces from other work), as well as various forces such as frictional force and adsorptive force (when air is sucked by air suction holes) from the first transport surface 2a. And since the work that is farther away from the first transport surface 2a upward receives no frictional force, adsorptive force, etc. from the first transport surface 2a, it is more likely to slide downward. That is, the work passing through the connection portion 2b can reduce its overlap, and it becomes possible to further improve the work separation ability of the work supply device 1. Alternatively, instead of extending the connection portion 2b, the work may be supplied from the work feeder to the work supply device 1, and a supply transport conveyor that slopes upward toward the downstream side may be separately provided (see FIGS. 7 and 10). Even with such a configuration, the same actions and effects as those of the connection portion 2b can be exhibited. In addition, by appropriately adjusting the transport speed of the supply transport conveyor, the interval between works that fall onto the first transport conveyor 2 at different timings can be widened, and it is also possible to further promote the separation of overlapping works.

[0043] Next, the structures of the first transport conveyor 2, the second transport conveyor 3, and the third transport conveyor 4 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the first to third transport conveyors constituting the work supply device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2(a) is a plan view of the first transport conveyor, FIG. 2(b) is a bottom view of the second transport conveyor, and FIG. 2(c) is a plan view of the third transport conveyor. Here, the thick dotted line is a boundary line of any one of areas A to E, and the arrow indicates the transport direction of work not shown. In addition, for a plurality of identical components, they are not all labeled so as not to complicate the figure. The same applies to the following other drawings. As shown in Fig. 2(a), on the first conveying surface 2a of the first conveying conveyor 2, a plurality of air suction holes 2c are arranged in a row at a distance from the maximum length dimension of the workpiece in the conveying direction, and three rows of these rows are formed at intervals from the air suction holes 2c in the conveying direction in the width direction. And based on these rows, on the first conveying surface 2a, there is a first suction area (an area not hatched) having air suction holes 2c through which air can pass to adsorb the workpiece, and a first non-suction area (an area hatched with a two-dot chain line) having air suction holes 2c in which the passage of air is suppressed by a shielding plate or the like so as not to adsorb the workpiece. Two different areas are formed. Although not shown in Fig. 1, inside the first conveying conveyor 2 provided with the air suction holes 2c, an exhaust device such as a fan is provided to create a negative pressure so that air can be sucked from the air suction holes 2c. Hereinafter, the structure of the conveying conveyor provided with the air suction holes is the same. However, in the first suction area, air can be sucked, but in the first non-suction area, the air suction holes are blocked or in a state where air cannot be sucked to form a non-suction area. Hereinafter, the concept of this suction area and non-suction area is the same for other conveying conveyors.

[0044] Here, regarding the areas (areas B and C) other than the connection part 2b (area A) of the first conveying surface 2a, if the distribution of the first suction area and the first non-suction area is defined as the "first distribution", in the first area corresponding to the upstream area B, two first suction areas are arranged in the width direction of the first conveying surface 2a. And in the second area corresponding to the downstream area C in the conveying direction continuous with these two first suction areas, the first non-suction area is arranged over the entire surface. Note that in the connection part 2b (area A), the first suction area and the first non-suction area are arranged so as to be arranged in the opposite arrangement to the first distribution in area B. And the first suction area located at the center in the width direction conveys the workpiece while sucking air. Next, as shown in Fig. 2(b), on the second conveying surface 3a of the second conveying conveyor 3, A plurality of air suction holes 3b are arranged in a row at a distance from the maximum length dimension of the workpiece in the conveying direction, and this row forms three columns in the width direction at the same interval as the air suction holes 3b arranged in the conveying direction. On the second conveying surface 3a, there are a second suction area (an unhatched area) having air suction holes 3b through which air can pass to adsorb the workpiece, and a second non-suction area (an area hatched with a two-dot chain line) having air suction holes 3b in which the passage of air is suppressed by a shielding plate or the like so as not to adsorb the workpiece. These two different areas are formed in the same manner as the first conveying surface 2a. Here, if the distribution of the second suction area and the second non-suction area in areas B, C, and D of the second conveying surface 3a is defined as the "second distribution", in areas B and C, the second suction area is formed facing the arrangement of the first non-suction areas in the first and second areas. That is, the second suction area is formed at a position that coincides with moving vertically upward from the first non-suction area, and the suction area and the non-suction area of the first distribution face the non-suction area and the suction area of the second distribution, respectively. And in the third area located in area D on the downstream side in the conveying direction continuously with area C, the second non-suction area is arranged over the entire surface. Next, as shown in Fig. 2(c), the third conveying surface 4a of the third conveying conveyor 4 becomes areas D and E in order from the upstream side in the conveying direction, and there are no air suction holes in both areas. Therefore, the third conveying conveyor 4 does not adsorb the workpiece, and the workpiece is conveyed to the downstream side mainly by the frictional force received from the third conveying surface 4a. Although there is no particular specification regarding the conveying speed of the third conveying conveyor 4, considering that the present invention separates the workpiece by utilizing the difference in the conveying speeds of the first conveying conveyor 2 and the second conveying conveyor 3 (details will be described later), it is desirable that the conveying speed of the third conveying conveyor 4 is equal to or higher than the conveying speed of the second conveying conveyor 3. However, considering the picking speed and accuracy, it may be constant speed or decelerated because the workpiece has already been separated.

[0045] Next, regarding the usage method of the workpiece supply device 1, it will be described with reference to Fig. 3 based on a case where it is utilized in a picking system. Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram of a picking system using the work supply device of Example 1 of the present invention. Note that the description of the components already described will be omitted, and the description and labeling of the components unrelated to the description of the picking system 5 will also be omitted. The same applies to the following other drawings. As shown in FIG. 3, on the upstream side (right side of the paper) of the work supply device 1, there is a work feeder 8 that supplies the work W to the connection portion 2b (the portion surrounded by the square dotted line) of the first conveyor 2 of the work supply device 1, and a camera 7 that photographs the work W conveyed to the third conveyor 4 on the downstream side (left side of the paper) of the work supply device 1 to recognize its position, and a robot 6 that picks the work W on the third conveyor surface 4a, and a receiving device 9 that receives the work W picked by the robot 6. In the picking system 5 described above, the work W supplied in a stacked state from the work feeder 8 is individually separated in the process of being conveyed downstream by the work supply device 1. Then, the work W that reaches the third conveyor 4 is picked while being individually recognized by the robot 6 and arranged in the receiving device 9. With such a picking system 5, the work W is individually cut out from the stacked state by the work supply device 1 and accurately picked by the robot 6 and received by the receiving device 9. That is, the picking operation of the work W in the stacked state can be accurately and efficiently performed by the robot.

[0046] Next, regarding the operation and effect of the work supply device 1 described above, it will be described while specifically showing the movement of the work in the work supply device 1. The work supply device 1 shown in FIG. 1 places a work having a flat shape such as a small bag in a stacked state on the connection portion 2b of the first conveyor 2, so that the work moves and is conveyed on the first conveyor surface 2a, and then is received by the second conveyor 3 and moves on the second conveyor surface 3a and is conveyed downstream, and then is received by the third conveyor 4 and moves on the third conveyor surface 4a and is conveyed downstream. The work supply device 1 is characterized in that it separates and makes it easy to cut out the stacked work in this series of conveying processes. In such a work supply device 1, the actions that the work undergoes in the process of being transported along the first transport conveyor 2, the second transport conveyor 3, and the third transport conveyor 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0047] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of the work supply device as viewed from above to explain the action of the components of the work supply device of Example 1 of the present invention on the work, with time passing from FIG. 4(a) to FIG. 4(e). Note that the thick dashed lines indicate the boundaries of any of Areas A to E, and the second transfer conveyor 3 is omitted from the illustration to make it easier to see the movement of the work. The arrows indicate the work transport direction, and the area hatched with a two-dot chain line is the first non-suction area described in FIG. 2(a). In addition, the work transported by the second transfer conveyor 3 is indicated by dashed lines. As shown in Figure 4(a), workpieces (workpieces W1 to W4) are placed overlapping in the width direction and transport direction in area A, which corresponds to the connection part 2b of the first transport conveyor 2. Each workpiece is subjected to various forces, such as its own weight, forces from other workpieces in contact with it (force components resulting from the weight of other workpieces and frictional forces), frictional forces from the first transport surface 2a, and suction forces from the air suction holes 2c. In area A, workpieces W1 and W4 are in the first non-suction area, and workpieces W2 and W3 are overlapping in the first suction area. Furthermore, workpiece W4 is held down by the suction of workpiece W3, so it is transported at the same speed in area A even though it is in the first non-suction area, and workpiece W1 is transported by frictional force without falling from the first transport surface 2a even though it is in the first non-suction area. In FIG. 4(b), the workpiece W1 is separated in area A so as to gradually lag behind the other works due to slippage in the first non-adsorption region of the first conveying surface 2a. In Fig. 4(c), the workpiece W2, which was located at the head in the first adsorption region, first enters the area B corresponding to the first area. Since the area B is the first non-adsorption region on the first transfer surface 2a and the second adsorption region on the opposing second transfer surface 3a, the workpiece W2 is immediately adsorbed onto the second transfer surface 3a, its speed increases, and it is transferred to the area C corresponding to the second area. When the workpiece W3 enters the area B following the workpiece W2, the workpiece W3 is also adsorbed onto the second transfer surface 3a in the same manner as the workpiece W2. At this time, the workpiece W4, which overlapped at the timing of entering the area B, is separated and enters the first adsorption region on the first transfer surface 2a of the area B. Since the second transfer surface 3a of this area B is the second non-adsorption region facing the first adsorption region, the workpiece W4 is not adsorbed onto the second transfer surface 3a, and the workpiece W3 and the workpiece W4 are completely separated. Since the workpiece W1 is held only by frictional force, it may slide on the first transfer surface 2a and is separated later than the other workpieces. In Fig. 4(d), the workpiece W2 is being transferred from the area C to the area D on the third transfer surface 4a. Subsequently, the workpiece W3 is being transferred from the area B to the area C by the second transfer surface 3a, which is faster than the first transfer surface 2a. The workpiece W4 is being adsorbed and transferred in the first adsorption region in the area B on the first transfer surface 2a. The workpiece W1 is at the timing of trying to reach the area B without slipping in the area A. In Fig. 4(e), the workpiece W2 has reached the area E on the third transfer surface 4a, and the workpiece W3 is being transferred in the area D on the third transfer surface 4a. The workpiece W4 is in the area C. Since the entire surface of the first transfer surface 2a is the first non-adsorption area and the entire surface of the second transfer surface 3a is the second adsorption area, the workpiece W4 is adsorbed onto the second transfer surface 3a, its speed increases, and it is being transferred. The workpiece W1 is in the area B and is being transferred without increasing its speed while being adsorbed in the first adsorption region on the first transfer surface 2a.

[0048] Note that the first and second adsorption regions each include a plurality of air suction holes 2c or air suction holes 3b arranged in the conveying direction, and adjacent air suction holes are arranged at a distance greater than the maximum length dimension of the workpiece from each other. As a result, when one workpiece is adsorbed to the first and second adsorption regions, two or more air suction holes are not involved in the adsorption. That is, it also has the effect of suppressing the workpiece from being adsorbed across adjacent air suction holes. From the above description, it is considered that the workpiece supply device 1 has the following effects. First, in area A, by having an inclination, the workpieces in the first non-adsorption region or the overlapping workpieces can be dropped or slid to be separated from other workpieces. Also, in areas B and C, since the first non-adsorption region of the first conveying surface 2a faces the second adsorption region of the second conveying conveyor 3, the workpieces entering the first non-adsorption region of the first conveying conveyor 2 can be adsorbed and transferred from those close to the second adsorption region. It can be separated by a deviation in the timing of floating or the movement until it floats and is adsorbed, and the overlap of the workpieces can be reduced. In addition, in area B corresponding to the first area of the first conveying surface 2a, workpieces with substantially the same position in the conveying direction are divided into workpieces adsorbed to a plurality of first adsorption regions arranged side by side in the width direction and workpieces not adsorbed by entering the first non-adsorption region, etc., and it becomes possible to change the timing of adsorbing them to the second adsorption region. That is, by providing the first distribution of the first adsorption region and the first non-adsorption region in the width direction on the first conveying surface 2a and providing the second distribution on the second conveying surface 3a so as to face the first distribution, it is possible to separate the workpieces in the width direction. As a result, it becomes possible to separate the workpiece adsorbed to the second adsorption region first and other workpieces while keeping a distance in area C on the second conveying surface 3a and convey them to the downstream side.

[0049] Then, the workpiece conveyed to the second conveyor 3 drops onto the lower third conveyor surface 4a in the order of reaching the area D which corresponds to the third area on the downstream side of the second conveyor surface 3a. Here, the workpiece on the third conveyor surface 4a has the effect of being conveyed downstream while almost reproducing the distribution state of the workpiece in the area C of the second conveyor surface 3a on the third conveyor surface 4a. In this way, since the workpieces in the stacked state can be separated at intervals, it becomes possible to improve the efficiency of the individual cutting operation of the workpieces by a robot or the like. In addition, if the conveying speed of the third conveyor 4 is made faster than that of the second conveyor 3, the distance in the conveying direction between the workpieces becomes longer, so that the accuracy of individual cutting of the workpieces can be improved. However, when the third conveyor is for the robot 6 to pick up the workpieces, the conveying speed may be equal or slower while considering the picking efficiency and accuracy. In addition, in the first adsorption area or the second adsorption area, since one workpiece is no longer adsorbed across two adjacent air suction holes in an arbitrary direction, adsorption and adsorption release can be performed smoothly, and other non-adsorbed workpieces are not clamped between the first conveyor surface 2a or the second conveyor surface 3a and the workpiece. That is, it is considered that the separation of the workpieces in the conveying process can be performed more efficiently.

[0050] Next, a case where the first conveyor 2 and the second conveyor 3 are provided with opening and closing means for opening and closing a part of the air suction holes 2c, 3b will be described. Although there is no particular specification for the opening and closing means, for example, a method of installing a shielding plate which is position-adjustable and has holes, slits, openings, etc. formed in a desired shape at a predetermined position on the back side of the first conveyor surface 2a and the second conveyor surface 3a can be mentioned. With this method, by changing the position in the width direction of the first conveyor surface 2a and the second conveyor surface 3a of the shielding plate provided with holes, slits, openings, etc., the air can be sucked by making the holes, slits, openings, etc. overlap with a desired air suction hole or a row composed of a plurality of air suction holes, or the air suction can be stopped by not making them overlap. By providing the opening and closing means as described above, it is possible to open and close a part of the air suction holes 2c and 3b formed in the first conveyor 2 and the second conveyor 3, respectively, and adsorb or not adsorb the workpiece to the desired air suction holes 2c and 3b. From the above, it becomes possible to install the first adsorption region at a desired position and shape on the first conveying surface 2a, or to install the second adsorption region at a desired position and shape on the second conveying surface. As a result, adjustments such as the distribution of the adsorption region and non-adsorption region of the workpiece and the timing of adsorption release can be made in detail, and cutting conditions suitable for the size and shape of the workpiece to be cut out can be easily set. Further, the opening and closing means described above may be capable of forming a row of air suction holes in which a plurality of air suction holes capable of sucking air are arranged side by side along the conveying direction, with a desired interval in the width direction. Here, the row includes a case where two or more adjacent rows of air suction holes are grouped together. Two types of conveyors provided with such opening and closing means will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0051] FIG. 5 is a plan view of an example of a conveyor provided with opening and closing means. FIG. 5(a) is an example of the arrangement of the shielding plate, and FIG. 5(b) shows a case where the arrangement of the shielding plate is different from that of FIG. 5(a). The arrow indicates the conveying direction of the workpiece. As shown in FIG. 5(a), the conveyor 20 provided with the opening and closing means has six rows of columns (A to C) of air suction holes 20b arranged in parallel with the conveying direction on the conveying surface 20a at two different intervals. The intervals between the air suction holes 20b in the A row, U row, E row, and C row are configured to be shorter than the intervals between the air suction holes 20b in the I row and O row. On the back side (the back side direction of the paper surface) of the conveying surface 20a, two shielding plates 21 having two slits 21a formed at the same interval as the interval between the rows when the rows of the air suction holes 20b are separated by one row in parallel with the conveying direction are arranged so as to be movable in the width direction of the conveying surface 20a by a locking structure (not shown). With the conveyor 20 configured as described above, as shown in Fig. 5(a), four slits 21a can be superimposed on a row (A, U, E, KA) of air suction holes 20b arranged at four desired intervals, and air can be sucked only through these four holes. Then, as shown in Fig. 5(b), by changing the arrangement of the shielding plates 21 and superimposing two slits 21a on two rows (I, O) of air suction holes 20b arranged at a wider interval than in Fig. 5(a), air can also be sucked through these two holes. That is, by adjusting the arrangement of the shielding plates 21, 21, the interval between the air suction holes for sucking air can be easily changed for each row. That is, it is possible to eliminate the need to replace the belt of the conveyor for separating workpieces of various dimensions.

[0052] Next, a conveyor 22 equipped with opening and closing means different from the conveyor 20 shown in Fig. 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is an example of a conveyor in which opening and closing means different from those in Fig. 5 are installed. Fig. 6(a) is a plan view, and Fig. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X-X shown in Fig. 6(a). The arrow indicates the conveying direction of the workpiece. As shown in Fig. 6(a), the conveyor 22 equipped with opening and closing means has six rows (A to KA) of air suction holes 22b arranged at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction on the conveying surface 22a in the width direction. Then, as shown in Fig. 6(b), in the housing 22d of the conveyor 22, a chamber 22g is provided with a door 22f that individually surrounds a part of the six rows of air suction holes 22b from the back side of the conveyor belt 22c and is rotatable about an axis 22e parallel to the conveying direction as a rotation axis. With the conveyor 22 configured as described above, by opening and closing the door 22f, it is possible to easily suck air or stop sucking air into a desired row of air suction holes 22b for which air suction is desired. Moreover, since the interval between the air suction holes 22b for sucking air can also be easily changed for each row, as with the conveyor shown in Fig. 5, there is no need to replace the belt of the conveyor when separating workpieces of various dimensions. Needless to say, such opening and closing means can also be applied in Embodiment 2 and Embodiment 3 described later.

Embodiment

[0053] Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the structure of Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram when the work supply device of Embodiment 2 of the present invention is viewed from the side. The work supply device 10 according to Embodiment 2 shown in FIG. 7 includes, in order from the upstream side in the conveyance direction, a supply conveyance conveyor 11 having a supply conveyance surface 11a for conveying a work (not shown), and a first conveyance conveyor 12 provided with a first conveyance surface 12a whose downstream end is disposed at a position lower than the upstream end of the supply conveyance surface 11a, a second conveyance conveyor 13 provided with a second conveyance surface 13a facing the vertically upward direction of the first conveyance surface 12a, and a third conveyance conveyor 14 provided with a third conveyance surface 14a facing the vertically downward direction of the second conveyance surface 13a. In addition, the conveyance speed of the second conveyance conveyor 13 is faster than the conveyance speed of the first conveyance conveyor 12. Here, since the work supply device 10 receives the supply of the work from a work feeder (see FIG. 3) not shown, as shown in FIG. 7, it may be provided with a supply conveyance conveyor 11 that is connected to the work feeder on the upstream side and is inclined upward toward the downstream side. Further, a first conveyance conveyor provided with a connection portion 2b, similar to the work supply device 1 shown in FIG. 1, may be provided. The actions and effects of these configurations have already been described, so they are omitted here (see paragraph "0042").

[0054] Next, regarding the structures of the first conveyance conveyor 12, the second conveyance conveyor 13, and the third conveyance conveyor 14, a detailed description will be given with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of the supply conveyance conveyor, the first to third conveyance conveyors that constitute the work supply device of Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 8(a) is a plan view of the supply conveyance conveyor, FIG. 8(b) is a plan view of the first conveyance conveyor, FIG. 8(c) is a bottom view of the second conveyance conveyor, and FIG. 8(d) is a plan view of the third conveyance conveyor. As shown in FIG. 8(a), on the supply conveyance surface 11a of the supply conveyance conveyor 11 that becomes area A, a plurality of air suction holes 11b are arranged in a row at a predetermined distance in the conveyance direction, and two rows are formed so that this row is separated by a predetermined distance in the width direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 8(b), in the first conveyance conveyor 12, the first conveyance surface 12a that is divided into area B, area C corresponding to the first area, and area D corresponding to the second area from the upstream side has a first distribution so as to become a first non-adsorption area throughout, and all the air suction holes (not shown) are in a closed state. Note that area B is an area for receiving the work that falls from the supply conveyance conveyor 11. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8(c), in the second conveyance conveyor 13, on its second conveyance surface 13a, a plurality of air suction holes 13b form a row while being separated from the maximum length dimension of the work in the conveyance direction. And five rows are formed while this row is also separated from the maximum length dimension of the work in the width direction. Further, due to these rows, on the second conveyance surface 13a, there are a second adsorption area (an area not hatched) having air suction holes 13b capable of sucking air to adsorb the work and a second non-adsorption area (an area hatched with a two-dot chain line) having air suction holes 13b in which air suction is suppressed by a shielding plate or the like so as not to adsorb the work. Two types of areas are formed.

[0055] Here, if the distribution of the second adsorption area and the second non-adsorption area in areas C, D, and E of the second conveyance surface 13a is defined as the "second distribution", in area C facing the first area, two second adsorption areas in the second and fourth columns from the top in the width direction of the second conveyance surface 13a are formed parallel to the conveyance direction. And in area D facing the second area, a second adsorption area is formed throughout. And in area E, which is the third area located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction continuously with area D, a second non-adsorption area is arranged over the entire surface. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8(d), the third conveying surface 14a of the third conveyor 14 is composed of areas E and F in order from the upstream side in the conveying direction, and area E faces the third area. Since there are no air suction holes throughout the third conveying surface 14a, the third conveyor 14 conveys the workpiece downstream without adsorbing it. Although there is no particular specification regarding the conveying speed of the third conveyor 14, since the present invention separates workpieces by utilizing the difference in the conveying speeds of the first conveyor 12 and the second conveyor 13, if the separation of workpieces is to be achieved by further utilizing the difference in conveying speeds, the conveying speed of the third conveyor 14 may be equal to or higher than the conveying speed of the second conveyor 13. Since the actions and effects thereof have already been described in paragraph "0049", they are omitted here. On the other hand, if the workpiece on the third conveyor 14 is to be picked up by the robot 6, the conveying speed may be made constant or reduced while considering the picking efficiency and accuracy.

[0056] Next, a method of using the workpiece supply device 10 according to the second embodiment will be described. The workpiece supply device 10 can be utilized as one of the components of the picking system in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Regarding the configuration of the picking system using the workpiece supply device 10 shown in FIG. 7, it is basically the same as that of the workpiece supply device 1 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, although not specifically illustrated here, the picking system using the workpiece supply device 10 includes a workpiece feeder connected to the upstream end of the supply conveyor 11 for supplying workpieces, a robot that photographs the workpieces conveyed to the third conveyor 14 on the downstream side of the workpiece supply device 10 to determine their positions and picks them up, and a receiving device that receives the workpieces picked up by this robot. Similar to the picking system using the workpiece supply device 1 described above, when workpieces are supplied in a stacked state from the workpiece feeder in the picking system using the workpiece supply device 10, the workpieces are individually separated in the process of being conveyed downstream by the workpiece supply device 10, and then the workpieces are picked up while being individually recognized by the robot and received by the receiving device. Such a picking system allows robots or the like to perform picking workpieces that are piled up in bulk with high accuracy and efficiency.

[0057] Next, the operation and effect of the work supply device 10 according to the second embodiment will be described while specifically showing the movement of the work. The work supply device 10 has a feature in common with the above-described work supply device 1, and when flat workpieces such as small bags are placed in a bulk state on the supply transfer conveyor 11, the workpieces are transferred on the supply transfer surface 11a, then received by the first transfer conveyor 12 and transferred on the first transfer surface 12a, then received by the second transfer conveyor 13 by suction and transferred on the second transfer surface 13a, and finally received by the third transfer conveyor 14 and transferred downstream on the third transfer surface 14a. The work supply device 10 is characterized by separating the bulk workpieces during this series of transfer processes, making it easy to cut out individual workpieces. The action that such a work supply device 10 receives in the process of transporting the work along the supply transport conveyor 11, the first transport conveyor 12, the second transport conveyor 13, and the third transport conveyor 14 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0058] FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram of a work supply device viewed from above to explain the effects of the components of the work supply device of Example 2 of the present invention on the work, with time passing from FIG. 9(a) to FIG. 9(d). Note that the thick dashed lines indicate the boundaries of any of Areas A to F, and the second transport conveyor 13 is omitted from the illustration to make the movement of the work easier to see. Also, the air suction holes 13b are indicated by dashed lines to make it easier to understand the position of the second suction area shown in FIG. 8(c), and the work transport direction is indicated by an arrow. In addition, the work transported by the second transport conveyor 13 is indicated by dashed lines. As shown in Fig. 9(a), when the workpieces (workpieces W1 to W4) are placed on the supply conveyor 11 in a state of overlapping in the width direction and the conveying direction, they are subject to various forces such as the force received from other workpieces in contact with their own weight (the components of the force caused by the own weight and frictional force of other workpieces), the frictional force and the adsorption force from the supply conveying surface 11a. And the workpieces farther away from the supply conveying surface 11a are no longer subject to the frictional force, adsorption force, etc. from the supply conveying surface 11a, and are more likely to slide upstream. As a result, the workpieces are conveyed while reducing the overlap to a certain extent, and fall onto the area B of the first conveying surface 12a at a timing depending on their respective arrangements. At this time, the first conveyor 12 is faster than the supply conveyor 11, and due to the speed difference, the workpieces with different falling timings are arranged on the first conveying surface 12a with the distance between them widened (see Fig. 9(b)). In Fig. 9(b), in the order of falling in area B, the workpieces are W1, W2, W3, and W4 and are being conveyed. Among them, if workpieces W1 and W3 continue to advance in area B, they will enter the first non-adsorption area of the first conveying surface 12a that faces the second adsorption area of the second conveying surface 13a shown in Fig. 8(c) in area C. On the other hand, since workpieces 2 and 4 also enter the first non-adsorption area of the first conveying surface 12a that faces the second non-adsorption area of the second conveying surface 13a in area C, workpieces W1 and W3 are adsorbed onto the second conveying surface 13a and are conveyed at an increased speed, while workpieces W2 and W4 are conveyed while remaining on the first conveying surface 12a. In Fig. 9(c), among workpieces W1 and W3, the workpiece W1, which was being conveyed at the front, is adsorbed in the second adsorption area of the second conveying surface 13a in area C and is conveyed at an increased speed, and the adsorption is released in the second non-adsorption area of area E and it falls onto the third conveying surface 14a and is being conveyed in area F. Workpiece W3 enters area C behind workpiece W1, is adsorbed in the second adsorption area of the second conveying surface 13a, and is shown to enter area E while being accelerated. Workpiece W2 is being conveyed in the first non-adsorption area on the first conveying surface 12a in area C, while workpiece W4 is still being conveyed in the first non-adsorption area on the first conveying surface 12a in area B. In FIG. 9(d), the workpiece W1 and the workpiece W3 have already been conveyed on the third conveying surface 14a of the area F, and although the workpiece W2 was adsorbed in the second adsorption area of the second conveying surface 13a in the area D, the adsorption was released in the area E and it has fallen onto the third conveying surface 14a and is being conveyed. The workpiece W4 is being conveyed on the first non-adsorption area on the first conveying surface 12a in the area C. In the second embodiment, when the positions in the width direction when entering the area B are different, the timing of adsorbing to the second conveying surface 13a of the adjacent workpieces can be changed by the arrangement of the second adsorption area in the area C. Further, since the conveying speed of the second conveying conveyor 13 is faster than the conveying speed of the first conveying conveyor 12, the timing of adsorption as described above is different and the interval between the adjacent workpieces is widened in proportion to the time difference at the time of adsorption on the second conveying surface 13a.

[0059] Then, the workpiece conveyed on the second conveying surface 13a is released from adsorption when entering the area E corresponding to the third area on the downstream side of the area D, falls onto the area E of the third conveying surface 14a by its own weight, and is conveyed to the downstream area F. On the other hand, the second adsorption area includes a plurality of air suction holes 13b arranged in the conveying direction, and the adjacent air suction holes 13b are arranged apart from each other by more than the maximum length dimension of the workpiece. Since the action and effect thereof are the same as those of the workpiece supply device 1 described above, the description is omitted here. From the above, it is considered that the workpiece supply device 10 has the following effects. First, the workpiece that passes through the area A and is conveyed from the area B has the effect of being adsorbed in order from the one closest to the second adsorption area and transferred to the second conveying conveyor 13 when passing through the areas C and D where the second adsorption area of the second conveying conveyor 13 is arranged to face the first conveying surface 12a. In addition, within area C corresponding to the first area of the first transfer surface 12a, the workpieces being transferred are divided into those adsorbed onto a plurality of second adsorption areas arranged in the width direction of the second transfer surface 13a and those not adsorbed, and the timing of adsorption onto the second adsorption areas changes. As a result, the workpieces previously adsorbed onto the second adsorption areas and other workpieces can be separated and transferred while maintaining a distance on the second transfer surface 13a. That is, workpieces overlapping or close to each other in the width direction of the first transfer surface 12a can be finely separated according to the intervals between the plurality of second adsorption areas. Then, all the workpieces conveyed by the second transfer conveyor 13 in area D fall onto the lower third transfer conveyor 14 in the order in which they reach area E corresponding to the third area on the downstream side of the second transfer surface 13a. As a result, the workpieces on the third transfer surface 14a have the effect of being conveyed downstream while approximately reproducing the distribution state of the workpieces in area D of the second transfer surface 13a on the third transfer surface 14a. And due to such an effect, the workpieces are sufficiently separated from each other, and it becomes possible to efficiently perform individual cutting of the workpieces by a robot or the like. Furthermore, as described above, if the speed of the third transfer conveyor 14 is made faster than the transfer speed of the second transfer conveyor 13, the distance between the workpieces in the transfer direction can be further widened, and it is also possible to further improve the cutting accuracy. Also, in any direction within the second adsorption area, since one workpiece is not adsorbed across two adjacent air suction holes, adsorption release can be performed smoothly, and it is considered that the unadsorbed workpieces will not be pinched between the adsorbed workpiece and the first transfer surface 12a or the second transfer surface 13a, and separation failure of the workpieces will not occur. As a result, the individual cutting operation of the workpieces can be performed more efficiently. Furthermore, in this embodiment, no adsorption area is provided on the first transfer surface 12a, and the adsorption area is provided only on the second transfer surface 13a installed in the vertically upward direction. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the structure of the first transfer conveyor 12 compared to the first embodiment. In addition, in the second embodiment, the speed of the first conveyor 12 is made faster than the conveying speed of the supply conveyor 11, and the distance between the workpieces is increased due to the timing difference when moving from the supply conveying surface 11a to the first conveying surface 12a. Also, the speed of the second conveyor 13 is made faster than that of the first conveyor 12, and the distance between the workpieces is further increased due to the timing difference when moving from the first conveying surface 12a to the second conveying surface 13a. However, if it is only necessary to ensure the distance between the workpieces in either case, a conveying speed difference may be provided for either one of the supply conveyor 11 and the first conveyor 12, or the first conveyor 12 and the second conveyor 13. The same applies to other embodiments.

[0060] Further, the workpiece supply device 10 of the second embodiment may not include the third conveyor 14. A workpiece supply device 15, which is a modified example of such a workpiece supply device 10, will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram when a modified example of the workpiece supply device of the second embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the side. Note that descriptions of components already described in FIG. 7 and descriptions of components irrelevant to the descriptions here are omitted. As shown in FIG. 10, unlike the workpiece supply device 10, the workpiece supply device 15 has a structure in which the third conveyor 14 is omitted. Therefore, it is not necessary to drop the workpiece onto the third conveyor, and in the second conveyor 13 of the workpiece supply device 15, there is no area E corresponding to the third area provided with the second non-adsorbing area as shown in FIG. 8(c). For this reason, the workpiece conveyed to the area D of the second conveying surface 13a is conveyed above the second conveyor 13 while being adsorbed to the second conveying surface 13a. With such a workpiece supply device 15, separation of workpieces equivalent to that of the workpiece supply device 10 is possible, and picking of workpieces by the robot 6 can be performed on the upper surface of the second conveyor 13. That is, with the workpiece supply device 15, the third conveyor 14 becomes unnecessary, the picking system can be made compact, and reduction of manufacturing costs (increase in profit rate) and price reduction can be achieved by reducing the number of constituent devices. Needless to say, the above-described configuration is also applicable to the workpiece supply device 1.

Industrial Applicability

[0061] As described above, the present invention is a workpiece supply device capable of eliminating overlap during the conveyance process for flat workpieces such as pouches in a stacked state, and a picking system using the same, and is applicable in the technical field related to cutting out of workpieces.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0062] 1... workpiece supply device; 2... first conveyor; 2a... first conveying surface; 2b... connecting portion; 2c... air suction hole; 3... second conveyor; 3a... second conveying surface; 3b... air suction hole; 4... third conveyor; 4a... third conveying surface; 5... picking system; 6... robot; 7... camera; 8... workpiece feeder; 9... receiving device; 10... workpiece supply device; 11... supply conveyor; 11a... supply conveying surface; 11b... air suction hole; 12... first conveyor; 12a... first conveying surface; 13... second conveyor; 13a... second conveying surface; 13b... air suction hole; 14... third conveyor; 14a... third conveying surface; 15... workpiece supply device; 20... conveyor; 20a... conveying surface; 20b... air suction hole; 21... shielding plate; 21a... slit; 22... conveyor; 22a... conveying surface; 22b... air suction hole; 22c... conveyor belt; 22d... housing; 22e... shaft; 22f... door; 22g... chamber; W, W1, W2, W3, W4... workpiece

Claims

1. A first conveyor having a first conveying surface for conveying a workpiece, and a second conveyor having a second conveying surface facing the first conveying surface from a vertically upward direction, wherein the first conveying surface forms a first distribution of a first adsorption region having a first adsorption portion for adsorbing the workpiece and a first non-adsorption region not having the first adsorption portion, and the second conveying surface forms a second distribution of a second adsorption region having a second adsorption portion for adsorbing the workpiece from the first non-adsorption region and a second non-adsorption region not adsorbing the workpiece, and in a first area on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the workpiece and a second area on the downstream side of the first area, the second distribution arranges one or more of the second adsorption regions and one or more of the second non-adsorption regions parallel to the conveying direction in the width direction of the second conveying surface facing the first area, and at least a part of the first non-adsorption region and at least a part of the second adsorption region face each other. A workpiece supply device characterized by this.

2. The first distribution arranges one or more of the first adsorption regions and one or more of the first non-adsorption regions parallel to the conveying direction in the width direction of the first conveying surface in the first area, arranges the first non-adsorption region in the conveying direction in the second area, and the second distribution arranges the second non-adsorption region and the second adsorption region respectively facing the arrangement of the first adsorption region and the arrangement of the first non-adsorption region of the first distribution. The workpiece supply device according to Claim 1, characterized by this.

3. A first conveyor having a first conveying surface for conveying a workpiece, and a second conveyor having a second conveying surface facing the first conveying surface from a vertically upward direction, wherein the first conveying surface forms a first distribution of a first non-adsorption region not having a first adsorption portion for adsorbing the workpiece, and the second conveying surface forms a second distribution of a second adsorption region having a second adsorption portion for adsorbing the workpiece from the first non-adsorption region and a second non-adsorption region not adsorbing the workpiece, and in a first area on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the workpiece, the second distribution arranges one or more of the second adsorption regions and one or more of the second non-adsorption regions parallel to the conveying direction in the width direction of the second conveying surface facing the first area, at least a part of the first non-adsorption region and at least a part of the second adsorption region face each other, In the first distribution, the first non-adsorbing region is arranged over the entire first conveying surface in the first area and a second area downstream of the first area. In the second distribution, the second adsorbing region is arranged over the entire second conveying surface facing the second area. A work supply device characterized by this.

4. In the second distribution, the second non-adsorbing region is arranged over the entire second conveying surface in a third area downstream of the area facing the second area in the conveying direction of the work. The work supply device according to claim 2 or claim 3, characterized by comprising a third conveying conveyor having a third conveying surface facing vertically downward of the third area.

5. The first adsorbing part and the second adsorbing part are provided with air suction holes, and the air suction holes are arranged apart from each other by a distance greater than the maximum length dimension of the work. The work supply device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

6. The work supply device according to claim 5, characterized in that the first conveying conveyor and the second conveying conveyor are provided with opening and closing means for opening and closing a part of the air suction holes.

7. The work supply device according to claim 6, characterized in that rows of the air suction holes arranged in parallel in the conveying direction at different intervals are formed by the opening and closing means.

8. The work supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the conveying speed of the second conveying conveyor is faster than the conveying speed of the first conveying conveyor.

9. A first conveying conveyor having a first conveying surface for conveying a work, and a second conveying conveyor having a second conveying surface facing the first conveying surface from directly above. The first conveying surface forms a first distribution of a first adsorbing region having a first adsorbing part for adsorbing the work and a first non-adsorbing region not having the first adsorbing part. The second conveying surface forms a second distribution of a second adsorbing region having a second adsorbing part for adsorbing the work from the first non-adsorbing region and a second non-adsorbing region not adsorbing the work. At least a part of the first non-adsorbing region and at least a part of the second adsorbing region face each other. A work supply device characterized in that the conveying speed of the second conveying conveyor is faster than the conveying speed of the first conveying conveyor.

10. A picking system comprising: a work supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 9; a work feeder for supplying the work to the first conveyor; a robot for picking the work downstream of the work supply device; and a receiving device for receiving the work picked by the robot.

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