Parts disassembly device and foreign matter removal method

Abstract

To provide a component disassembly device and a foreign matter removal method that facilitate removal of foreign matter on a placing surface.SOLUTION: A component disassembly device has: a trough having a placing surface on which a workpiece is placed; a vibration generating device for vibrating the trough to move the workpiece; a recess having an aperture opening to the placing surface and recovering foreign matter on the placing surface through the aperture; and a lid part overlapping with the aperture in a vertical plan view. The trough has a wall part erected from an outer edge of the placing surface. The wall part serves also as the lid part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a parts disassembly device and a foreign matter removal method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vibration transfer device that transfers powder and granular material by vibrating a transfer trough supported by multiple spring legs with a vibration motor. In this vibration transfer device, the vibration motor is composed of two standard motors and one offset motor, and by individually controlling these three vibration motors, it is possible to impart vibration in a certain direction to the transfer trough. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Registered Utility Model No. 3175501 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, such vibration transfer devices are prone to collecting foreign matter such as dirt, dust, and broken parts in the trough, and the collected foreign matter must be removed periodically. This requires time and effort. Furthermore, the device cannot be used during the removal process, which forces the work to be interrupted, resulting in a decrease in work efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The component disassembly device of the present invention comprises: a trough having a mounting surface on which a workpiece is placed; a vibration generating device that vibrates the trough and moves the workpiece; a recess having an opening that opens onto the placement surface and that collects foreign matter on the placement surface through the opening; The container has a lid portion that overlaps the opening when viewed in a vertical plane.

[0006] The foreign matter removal method of the present invention includes: a trough having a mounting surface on which a workpiece is placed; a vibration generating device that vibrates the trough and moves the workpiece; a recess having an opening that opens onto the mounting surface; a cover portion overlapping the opening in a plan view from a vertical direction, the cover portion including a part separating device and a part placing surface of the part separating device; The trough is vibrated by driving the vibration generator, and the vibration moves foreign matter on the placement surface toward the recess, and the foreign matter is removed by being collected into the recess through the opening. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall view of a pickup system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device as viewed from the horizontal direction. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the component disassembly device as seen from above. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which the lid portion is removed. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which the workpieces are aligned along the guide wall. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the component disassembly device shown in FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing a foreign object removal method for the part disassembly device. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart showing a foreign object removal method for the part disassembly device. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the second embodiment as viewed from the horizontal direction. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the third embodiment as viewed from the horizontal direction. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the fourth embodiment, as viewed from the horizontal direction. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the configuration shown in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the configuration shown in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the fifth embodiment, as viewed from the horizontal direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the parts disassembly device and foreign matter removal method of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0009] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is an overall view of a pickup system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the component sorting device as viewed from the horizontal direction. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the component sorting device as viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the lid portion has been removed. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which workpieces have been aligned along a guide wall. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the component sorting device shown in FIG. 2. FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts each showing a foreign object removal method for the component sorting device.

[0010] For ease of explanation, each figure illustrates three mutually orthogonal axes, the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. Hereinafter, the direction along the X-axis will be referred to as the X-axis direction, the direction along the Y-axis as the Y-axis direction, and the direction along the Z-axis as the Z-axis direction. The arrowed side of each axis will be referred to as the plus side, and the opposite side as the minus side. The Z-axis runs vertically, with the plus side being the upper side in the vertical direction and the minus side being the lower side in the vertical direction.

[0011] The pickup system 100 shown in Figure 1 includes a part disassembly device 200 that aligns multiple workpieces W in a predetermined shape, a vision 300 that images the workpieces W on the part disassembly device 200, a robot 400 that picks up the workpieces W aligned on the part disassembly device 200, a stage 500 on which the picked-up workpieces W are placed, and a control device 600 that controls the operation of each of these parts.

[0012] To briefly explain the flow of the pickup system 100, first, a worker or the like loads multiple workpieces W into the component disassembly device 200. However, the method for loading the workpieces W into the component disassembly device 200 is not particularly limited, and may be performed by, for example, a robot, a conveyor, or the like. Next, the component disassembly device 200 is driven to align the multiple workpieces W in a predetermined posture and align them in a predetermined position. Next, the robot 400 picks up the workpieces W and transports them to the stage 500.

[0013] The workpiece W to be picked up is disk-shaped. Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 2, the posture in which the main surface faces vertically will be referred to as the lying posture Wa, the posture in which the main surface faces horizontally will be referred to as the standing posture Wb, and the posture in which one workpiece W is stacked on top of another will be referred to as the stacked posture Wc. The height of the workpiece W in the lying posture Wa will be referred to as Dw, and the height Dw is lower than the height of the workpiece W in the standing posture Wb or the stacked posture Wc. However, the configuration of the workpiece W is not particularly limited.

[0014] [Parts disassembly device 200] As shown in FIG. 2, the component separation device 200 has a plate-shaped base 210, a vibration generator 260, a trough 250 connected to the base 210 via the vibration generator 260, and a gap forming section 240 and a foreign matter removal section 280 arranged in the trough 250.

[0015] The vibration generator 260 has four voice coil motors 263. Each voice coil motor 263 has a main body 263a and a vibration shaft 263b that vibrates in the Z-axis direction relative to the main body 263a when energized. The main body 263a is fixed to the base 210, and the vibration shaft 263b is fixed to the trough 250. As shown in FIG. 3 , these four voice coil motors 263 are arranged in a balanced manner at the four corners of the base 210. The vibration generator 260 configured in this manner can generate various vibrations by independently controlling the magnitude and timing of the vibration of each voice coil motor 263. Note that, for convenience of explanation, vibration that moves the workpiece W toward the positive side of the X-axis will also be referred to as X-axis positive-side moving vibration, and vibration that moves the workpiece W toward the negative side of the X-axis will also be referred to as X-axis negative-side moving vibration.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the trough 250 is box-shaped and opens upward, and has a mounting surface 251 on which multiple workpieces W are placed, and a frame-shaped wall portion 252 that extends upward from the outer edge of the mounting surface 251.

[0017] Furthermore, the trough 250 is provided with a gap forming unit 240 that eliminates overlapping of the workpieces W within the trough 250. The workpieces W are piled up haphazardly on the trough 250. In this state, highly accurate image recognition is required to detect the workpieces W that can be picked up and to detect the position and posture of the detected workpieces W. Furthermore, because the approach direction of the robot 400 differs for each workpiece W, control tends to become complicated and it is not possible to improve the cycle time. Therefore, the part sorting device 200 uses the gap forming unit 240 to eliminate overlapping of the workpieces W and place each workpiece W in a lying posture Wa, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem and improving the pickup cycle time.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the gap forming portion 240 is disposed above the mounting surface 251. The gap forming portion 240 is in the shape of a rod, column, or plate, and is spanned over the wall portion 252 like a beam. Also, in a plan view from the vertical direction, the gap forming portion 240 divides the inside of the trough 250 into a first region S1 located on the minus side in the X-axis direction and a second region S2 located on the plus side in the X-axis direction. At the start of the operation, a plurality of workpieces W are randomly placed in the first region S1.

[0019] Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower surface 241 of the gap forming portion 240 is a flat surface parallel to the mounting surface 251, and is disposed to face the mounting surface 251 with a gap G therebetween. Also, the height Dg (vertical length) of the gap G is set within the range of Dw < Dg < 2Dw. Thereby, only the workpiece W in the lying posture Wa placed on the mounting surface 251 can pass through the gap G and move from the first region S1 to the second region S2, and the workpieces W in other postures, that is, the overlapping posture Wc and the standing posture Wb of the workpiece W, cannot pass through the gap G, and the movement from the first region S1 to the second region S2 is restricted.

[0020] However, the gap forming portion 240 may be omitted.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2 , the trough 250 is provided with a foreign object removal unit 280 that removes foreign objects D from the trough 250. As described above, multiple workpieces W are randomly placed into the trough 250, and various foreign objects D, such as dirt, dust, scum, and fragments of the workpieces W, may get mixed into the trough 250. If the foreign objects D are present on the placement surface 251, they may hinder the movement of the workpieces W or cause the workpieces W to become misaligned, hindering smooth pickup operations. Therefore, by removing the foreign objects D from the placement surface 251 using the foreign object removal unit 280, smooth pickup operations can be performed continuously for a long period of time. Furthermore, the placement surface 251 requires less frequent cleaning, thereby reducing the effort and time required for the cleaning. Furthermore, a reduced cleaning frequency reduces the time the pickup operation must be interrupted, thereby extending the operating time of the component disassembly device 200 and improving the efficiency of the pickup operation.

[0022] 2, foreign matter removal unit 280 is disposed in second region S2. Foreign matter removal unit 280 has an opening 281a that opens to mounting surface 251, a recess 281 recessed from mounting surface 251, a discharge hole 282 that connects the inside of recess 281 to the outside of trough 250, a collection box 289 disposed directly below discharge hole 282, and a lid 283 that closes a portion of opening 281a.

[0023] 4, the recess 281 is formed along the outer edge extending in the Y-axis direction on the positive side of the X-axis direction of the placement surface 251 in a plan view from the vertical direction. Therefore, when the vibration generator 260 vibrates the trough 250 to move in the positive X-axis direction and moves the foreign matter D on the placement surface 251 toward the positive X-axis direction, the foreign matter D is collected in the recess 281 and removed from the placement surface 251. With this configuration, the foreign matter D can be easily removed from the placement surface 251.

[0024] 2, the discharge hole 282 extends vertically and communicates with the bottom surface of the recess 281 and the lower surface of the trough 250. Therefore, foreign matter D contained in the recess 281 is discharged to the outside of the recess 281 through the discharge hole 282 due to its own weight. With this configuration, foreign matter D is naturally removed from the recess 281, so the frequency of cleaning the recess 281 can be reduced. This reduces the effort and time required to clean the recess 281. Furthermore, a reduced cleaning frequency reduces the time during which the pickup operation must be interrupted, thereby ensuring a longer operating time for the component disassembly device 200 and improving the efficiency of the pickup operation.

[0025] 4, the discharge hole 282 extends in the Y-axis direction and is formed over substantially the entire length of the bottom surface of the recess 281. Therefore, the foreign matter D in the recess 281 can be more reliably discharged to the outside of the trough 250, and the foreign matter D is less likely to accumulate in the recess 281. This further reduces the frequency of cleaning the recess 281. However, the configuration of the discharge hole 282 is not particularly limited as long as it can discharge the foreign matter D in the recess 281 to the outside of the trough 250.

[0026] 2, the collection box 289 is disposed directly below the discharge hole 282 and collects the foreign matter D discharged from the discharge hole 282. This makes it possible to prevent the foreign matter D from scattering outside the trough 250. The collection box 289 is detachably attached to the base 210. Therefore, the foreign matter D inside the collection box 289 can be easily disposed of by removing the collection box 289. However, the configuration of the collection box 289 is not particularly limited, and for example, the collection box 289 may be detachably attached to the bottom surface of the trough 250.

[0027] 2 and 3, the lid 283 covers a portion of the opening 281a of the recess 281 in a plan view from the vertical direction. By covering a portion of the opening 281a with the lid 283 in this way, the opening area is reduced, and it is possible to effectively prevent the foreign matter D from flowing back due to vibration of the trough 250, that is, the foreign matter D collected in the recess 281 from being discharged onto the placement surface 251. This improves the efficiency of removing the foreign matter D.

[0028] 3, in a plan view from the vertical direction, the width Q of the portion of the opening 281a exposed from the lid portion 283 is sufficiently smaller than the diameter of the workpiece W. Therefore, the lid portion 283 also functions as a stopper that prevents the workpiece W from falling into the recessed portion 281. This allows the workpiece W to be picked up more reliably.

[0029] Such a lid portion 283 is detachable from the trough 250, and in this embodiment, is attached with screws. With this configuration, the lid portion 283 can be removed from the trough 250, making it easy to clean the recess 281. However, the configuration of the lid portion 283 is not particularly limited, and for example, the lid portion 283 may be formed integrally with the trough 250 and not be removable.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5 , the lid portion 283 has guide walls 284 for aligning multiple workpieces W moving from the first area S1 to the second area S2 in a predetermined position. The guide walls 284 are formed on the side surfaces of the lid portion 283. The guide walls 284 also have V-shaped unit guide walls 284a, with multiple unit guide walls 284a arranged along the Y-axis direction. The term "V-shaped" refers to two straight lines forming an angle smaller than two right angles in a vertical plan view. By providing multiple unit guide walls 284a, the length of the lid portion 283 in the X-axis direction can be shortened compared to, for example, a single large V-shape. This contributes to the miniaturization of the component disassembly device 200. However, the number of unit guide walls 284a is not particularly limited.

[0031] Furthermore, each unit guide wall 284a faces the first region S1. Therefore, the workpiece W moving from the first region S1 can be more easily guided into each unit guide wall 284a, and the workpiece W can be more reliably and smoothly aligned along the guide wall 284. However, the orientation of each unit guide wall 284a is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the orientation of at least one unit guide wall 284a may be different from the orientation of the other unit guide walls 284a.

[0032] Furthermore, the V-shaped angle θ of each unit guide wall 284a is 60°. Therefore, the multiple workpieces W are aligned in a close-packed manner at a predetermined position along each unit guide wall 284a. The close-packed arrangement refers to an arrangement in which the centers of three adjacent workpieces W form an equilateral triangle. In this way, by aligning the multiple workpieces W in a predetermined position and in a predetermined shape using the guide walls 284, the subsequent pick-up of the workpieces W can be performed efficiently.

[0033] In this embodiment, the lid portion 283 covers a portion of the opening 281a in a plan view from the vertical direction, but this is not limiting. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, the lid portion 283 may cover the entire opening 281a in a plan view from the vertical direction. In this case, the lower surface of the lid portion 283 may be positioned above the opening 281a, forming a vertical gap therebetween.

[0034] [Vision 300] 1, the vision 300 is a device that captures an image of the workpiece W in the trough 250 from above the part disassembly device 200 and detects the position and orientation of the workpiece W based on the captured image. The vision 300 has a camera 310 and a detection unit 320 that detects the position and orientation of the workpiece W based on the image captured by the camera 310. In this embodiment, the detection unit 320 is incorporated into the control device 600.

[0035] In addition, each pixel of the camera 310 is associated with world coordinates by the detection unit 320, and when a workpiece W is present within the field of view of the camera 310, the coordinates of the workpiece W can be identified based on the position of the workpiece W in the image data.

[0036] However, the configuration of the vision 300 is not particularly limited. For example, a 3D camera capable of detecting depth may be used as the camera 310. Alternatively, a configuration combining a 2D camera and a depth sensor may be used, or a configuration using a measuring device that measures three-dimensional shapes using a phase shift method may be used.

[0037] [Robot 400] The robot 400 is a SCARA robot (horizontally articulated robot). As shown in Fig. 1, the robot 400 has a base 410 fixed to the floor surface and a robot arm 420 connected to the base 410. The robot arm 420 has a first arm 421 whose base end is connected to the base 410 and which rotates around a first rotation axis J1 that is vertical to the base 410, and a second arm 422 whose base end is connected to a tip end of the first arm 421 and which rotates around a second rotation axis J2 that is vertical to the first arm 421.

[0038] A working head 430 is provided at the tip of the second arm 422. The working head 430 has a spline nut 431 and a ball screw nut 432 that are coaxially arranged at the tip of the second arm 422, and a spline shaft 433 that is inserted through the spline nut 431 and the ball screw nut 432. The spline shaft 433 is rotatable around a third rotation axis J3 that is perpendicular to the second arm 422, and is also movable up and down along the third rotation axis J3.

[0039] An end effector 440 is attached to the lower end of the spline shaft 433. The end effector 440 is detachable and can be selected appropriately for the intended task. The end effector 440 in this embodiment is a hand that sucks and holds the workpiece W.

[0040] Although the robot 400 has been described above, the robot 400 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a six-axis robot equipped with a robot arm having six rotation axes.

[0041] [Control device 600] The control device 600 controls the driving of the part disassembly device 200 and the robot 400. Such a control device 600 is configured, for example, by a computer, and has a processor (CPU) for processing information, a memory communicatively connected to the processor, and an external interface for connecting to external devices. Various programs executable by the processor are stored in the memory, and the processor can read and execute the various programs stored in the memory. Some or all of the components of the control device 600 may be located inside the housing of the robot 400. Furthermore, the control device 600 may be configured by multiple processors.

[0042] The above has been a description of the pickup system 100. Next, a foreign object removal method of the component disassembly device 200 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0043] First, in step S101, vision 300 captures an image of the inside of trough 250, and it is determined based on the obtained image whether or not a predetermined number of workpieces W or more are present in trough 250. If the predetermined number of workpieces W or more are not present, in step S102, workpieces W are placed in first region S1 of trough 250, and the process returns to step S101. On the other hand, if the predetermined number of workpieces W or more are present, it is determined in step S103 based on the image obtained in step S101 whether or not there are any workpieces W that can be picked up.

[0044] If there are any workpieces W that can be picked up, in step S104, one of the workpieces W that can be picked up is selected, and the selected workpiece W is picked up by the robot 400. On the other hand, if there are no workpieces W that can be picked up, there is a high possibility that a foreign object D is interfering with image recognition of the workpiece W by the vision 300, or that the workpiece W is in an abnormal position. Therefore, in step S105, the trough 250 is moved and vibrated in the positive X-axis direction to move the foreign object D on the placement surface 251 toward the recess 281, and an attempt is made to collect the foreign object D in the recess 281. Next, in step S106, the vision 300 captures an image of the inside of the trough 250, and it is determined based on the obtained image whether there is any workpiece W that can be picked up. If there is any workpiece W that can be picked up, the process proceeds to step S104; if there is no workpiece W that can be picked up, the process returns to step S105.

[0045] According to this method, the foreign matter D on the placement surface 251 can be removed in a simple manner.

[0046] 8, foreign matter D can also be removed by another method. First, in step S201, the trough 250 is moved and vibrated in the positive direction of the X-axis to move the workpieces W from the first region S1 to the second region S2, and the workpieces W are aligned in a close-packed manner along the guide wall 284. At this time, the foreign matter D on the placement surface 251 moves toward the recess 281 and is collected in the recess 281. Next, in step S202, one workpiece W is selected from the aligned workpieces W, and the selected workpiece W is picked up by the robot 400. Next, in step S203, the trough 250 is moved and vibrated in the negative direction of the X-axis to temporarily release the aligned state of the workpieces W, and the process returns to step S201.

[0047] According to this method, the foreign matter D is removed each time one workpiece W is picked up, so that the foreign matter D can be removed more reliably. Also, it becomes easier to keep the placement surface 251 clean and free of foreign matter D. Note that, in the above-described method, the foreign matter D is removed each time one workpiece W is picked up, but this is not limitative, and the foreign matter D may be removed each time a predetermined number of workpieces W, such as 10 or 20, are picked up. This improves the efficiency of the pick-up operation.

[0048] The above has described the part disassembly device 200 and the foreign matter removal method for the part disassembly device 200. As described above, the part disassembly device 200 includes the trough 250 having the placement surface 251 on which the workpiece W is placed, the vibration generator 260 that vibrates the trough 250 and moves the workpiece W, the recess 281 having the opening 281a that opens to the placement surface 251 and that collects the foreign matter D on the placement surface 251 through the opening 281a, and the lid 283 that overlaps with the opening 281a in a plan view from the vertical direction. With this configuration, the foreign matter D can be easily removed from the placement surface 251.

[0049] As described above, the recess 281 extends along the outer edge of the placement surface 251 in a plan view from the vertical direction. Therefore, the foreign matter D on the placement surface 251 can be removed by moving the foreign matter D toward the outer edge of the placement surface 251. This makes it easy to remove the foreign matter D.

[0050] As described above, the cover portion 283 has the guide wall 284 that aligns the plurality of workpieces W that move due to vibration on the placement surface 251. This makes it easier to pick up the workpieces W.

[0051] As described above, the guide wall 284 has two straight lines that form an angle smaller than two right angles when viewed from above in the vertical direction. In other words, it has a V-shape. This makes it easier to align the workpieces W along the guide wall 284, and allows multiple workpieces W to be aligned with greater precision.

[0052] As described above, the recess 281 and the outer surface of the trough 250 are connected to each other by the discharge hole 282, which discharges the foreign matter D in the recess 281 to the outside of the trough 250. This allows the foreign matter D in the recess 281 to be easily discharged.

[0053] As described above, the vibration generator 260 has a plurality of voice coil motors 263. With this configuration, various vibrations can be generated by independently controlling the magnitude and timing of vibration of each voice coil motor 263.

[0054] As described above, the foreign matter removal method is a method for removing foreign matter D from the placement surface 251 from the part disassembly device 200, which includes: a trough 250 having a placement surface 251 on which the workpiece W is placed; a vibration generator 260 that vibrates the trough 250 to move the workpiece W; a recess 281 having an opening 281a that opens to the placement surface 251; and a lid 283 that overlaps with the opening 281a in a plan view from the vertical direction. The method vibrates the trough 250 by driving the vibration generator 260, moves the foreign matter D on the placement surface 251 toward the recess 281 by the vibration, and collects the foreign matter D from the opening 281a into the recess 281, thereby removing the foreign matter D. With this configuration, the foreign matter D can be easily removed from the placement surface 251.

[0055] Second Embodiment FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the second embodiment as viewed from the horizontal direction.

[0056] The pickup system 100 of this embodiment is similar to the pickup system 100 of the first embodiment described above, except for the configuration of the component disassembly device 200. Therefore, in the following description, differences between this embodiment and the first embodiment will be mainly described, and descriptions of similar points will be omitted. Furthermore, in the drawings of this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components as those in the previously described embodiment.

[0057] 9, in the component disassembly apparatus 200 of this embodiment, the discharge hole 282 is located on the positive side in the X-axis direction of the recess 281. The discharge hole 282 also extends horizontally, and communicates with the side surface of the recess 281 and the side surface of the trough 250.

[0058] The second embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the first embodiment described above.

[0059] Third Embodiment FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the third embodiment as viewed from the horizontal direction.

[0060] The pickup system 100 of this embodiment is similar to the pickup system 100 of the first embodiment described above, except for the configuration of the component disassembly device 200. Therefore, in the following description, differences between this embodiment and the first embodiment will be mainly described, and descriptions of similar points will be omitted. Furthermore, in the drawings of this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components as those in the previously described embodiment.

[0061] 10, in the component disassembly device 200 of this embodiment, the discharge hole 282 opens to a portion of the bottom surface of the recess 281. The bottom surface of the recess 281 is inclined downward toward the discharge hole 282. Therefore, foreign matter D accumulated in the recess 281 is guided to the discharge hole 282 by the inclination of the recess 281 and is discharged through the discharge hole 282 to the outside of the trough 250. With this configuration, the collection box 289 can be made smaller than in the first embodiment described above.

[0062] As described above, in the component disassembly device 200 of this embodiment, the discharge hole 282 communicates with the bottom surface of the recess 281. Furthermore, the bottom surface of the recess 281 is inclined toward the discharge hole 282. Therefore, foreign matter D accumulated in the recess 281 is guided to the discharge hole 282 by the inclination of the recess 281 and is discharged to the outside of the trough 250 through the discharge hole 282. With this configuration, for example, it is possible to reduce the size of the collection box 289 for collecting foreign matter D discharged to the outside of the trough 250 through the discharge hole 282.

[0063] The third embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the first embodiment described above.

[0064] <Fourth embodiment> Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the fourth embodiment as seen from the horizontal direction, and Figs. 12 and 13 are cross-sectional views showing modified examples of the configuration shown in Fig. 11, respectively.

[0065] The pickup system 100 of this embodiment is similar to the pickup system 100 of the first embodiment described above, except for the configuration of the component disassembly device 200. Therefore, in the following description, the differences between this embodiment and the first embodiment will be mainly described, and a description of the similarities will be omitted. Furthermore, in each drawing of this embodiment, the same components as those in the previously described embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0066] 11, in the component separation device 200 of this embodiment, the wall 252 also serves as the lid 283. This simplifies the configuration of the component separation device 200 compared to the first embodiment, which has the lid 283 separate from the wall 252. In the trough 250 of this embodiment, the bottom 250A having the placement surface 251 and the portion of the wall 252 that also serves as the lid 283 are formed separately, and these are detachably fixed with screws. Therefore, removing the wall 252 makes it easy to clean the inside of the recess 281.

[0067] In this embodiment, the lid portion 283 covers a portion of the opening 281a in a plan view from the vertical direction, but this is not limiting. For example, as shown in Fig. 12, the lid portion 283 may cover the entire opening 281a in a plan view from the vertical direction. In this case, the lower surface of the lid portion 283 may be positioned above the placement surface 251 to form a gap in the vertical direction.

[0068] As described above, in the component disassembly device 200 of this embodiment, the trough 250 has the wall portion 252 standing upright from the outer edge of the placement surface 251, and the wall portion 252 also serves as the lid portion 283. This simplifies the configuration of the component disassembly device 200 compared to a configuration that has the lid portion 283 separate from the wall portion 252.

[0069] The fourth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the first embodiment. However, the configuration of the recesses 281 is not particularly limited, and for example, as shown in FIG. 13, the recesses 281 may be formed along each side of the outer edge of the mounting surface 251. With this configuration, the foreign matter D can be collected in the recesses 281 regardless of the direction in which it is moved. Therefore, the efficiency of removing the foreign matter D is improved. Furthermore, the recesses 281 may be formed along two or three sides of the outer edge of the mounting surface 251. Furthermore, for example, the recesses 281 may be formed at the four corners of the mounting surface 251.

[0070] Fifth Embodiment FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the component disassembly device of the fifth embodiment as viewed from the horizontal direction.

[0071] The pickup system 100 of this embodiment is similar to the pickup system 100 of the first embodiment described above, except for the configuration of the component disassembly device 200. Therefore, in the following description, differences between this embodiment and the first embodiment will be mainly described, and descriptions of similar points will be omitted. Furthermore, in the drawings of this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components as those in the previously described embodiment.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 14 , the component separation device 200 of this embodiment has four legs 220 connecting the base 210 and the trough 250. Each of the four legs 220 has a coil spring 221 and is elastically deformable. Although not shown, these four legs 220 are arranged in a balanced manner at the four corners of the base 210, similar to the four voice coil motors 263 of the first embodiment described above. When these legs 220 elastically deform, the vibrations of the vibration motors 261 and 262 are amplified and transmitted to the trough 250, allowing the trough 250 to vibrate significantly relative to the base 210. Therefore, the position and posture of the workpiece W on the trough 250 can be easily changed.

[0073] The vibration generator 260 also has two vibration motors 261 and 262 arranged on the underside of the trough 250. The vibration motors 261 and 262 are eccentric motors in which eccentric weights 261b and 262b are attached to the rotation shafts 261a and 262a of the motors, respectively. When the vibration motors 261 and 262 are driven, centrifugal vibrations are generated in the rotation shafts 261a and 262a due to the action of the eccentric weights 261b and 262b. This vibration is transmitted to the trough 250, causing the trough 250 to vibrate, and the position and orientation of the workpiece W in the trough 250 changes. However, the configuration of the vibration generator 260 is not particularly limited as long as it can generate vibrations.

[0074] Furthermore, the vibration motors 261 and 262 are arranged separately on both sides of the center of the trough 250 in a plan view from the vertical direction. In the illustrated configuration, the vibration motor 261 is arranged on the negative side of the center in the X-axis direction, and the vibration motor 262 is arranged on the positive side of the X-axis direction. The rotation axes 261a and 262a are parallel to each other and extend in the Y-axis direction. In other words, the rotation axes 261a and 262a are both parallel to the placement surface 251. The rotation axes 261a and 262a are located on the same horizontal plane. This arrangement makes it easier to generate vibrations that move the workpiece W on the trough 250 in a predetermined direction, particularly in the X-axis direction. However, the arrangement of the vibration motors 261 and 262 is not particularly limited.

[0075] For example, as shown in FIG. 14, when the vibration motors 261 and 262 are driven to rotate in opposite directions from a state in which the eccentric directions H1 and H2 are both pointing diagonally downward to the right, these vibrations cancel each other out and are superimposed on each other, elastically deforming the leg 220 and applying a diagonal vibration B1 to the trough 250. This causes the workpiece W on the trough 250 to move in the positive direction of the X axis. This drive can move the foreign object D toward the recess 281. Therefore, the foreign object D on the placement surface 251 can be more reliably removed.

[0076] As described above, in the component disassembly device 200 of this embodiment, the vibration generator 260 has two vibration motors 261, 262 whose rotation axes 261a, 262a are parallel to each other and to the placement surface 251. In addition, the recess 281 is open at the end of the placement surface 251 in the direction in which the two vibration motors 261, 262 are aligned, i.e., in the X-axis direction. This makes it possible to easily generate vibrations that move the foreign object D on the placement surface 251 in the X-axis direction, and to more reliably remove the foreign object D into the recess 281.

[0077] The fifth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the first embodiment described above.

[0078] While the component disassembly device and foreign matter removal method of the present invention have been described above based on the illustrated embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these, and the configuration of each part can be replaced with any configuration having a similar function. Furthermore, any other components may be added to the present invention. Furthermore, the various embodiments may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 100...Pickup system, 200...Part separation device, 210...Base, 220...Leg, 221...Coil spring, 240...Gap forming portion, 241...Underside, 250...Trough, 250A...Bottom, 251...Placement surface, 252...Wall portion, 260...Vibration generator, 261...Vibration motor, 261a...Rotating shaft, 261b...Eccentric weight, 262...Vibration motor, 262a...Rotating shaft, 2 62b...eccentric weight, 263...voice coil motor, 263a...main body, 263b...vibration shaft, 280...foreign matter removal section, 281...recess, 281a...opening, 282...discharge hole, 283...lid section, 284...guide wall, 284a...unit guide wall, 289...recovery box, 300...vision, 310...camera, 320...detection section, 400...robot, 410...base, 420...robot arm, 421...first arm, 422...second arm, 430...work head, 431...spline nut, 432...ball screw nut, 433...spline shaft, 440...end effector, 500...stage, 600...control device, B1...vibration, D...foreign object, Dg...height, Dw...height, G...gap, H1...eccentricity direction, H2...eccentricity direction, J1...first rotation axis, J2...second rotation axis, J3...third rotation axis, Q...width, S1...first area, S2...second area, S101...step, S102...step, S103...step, S104...step, S105...step, S106...step, S201...step, S202...step, S203...step, W...workpiece, Wa...lying posture, Wb...standing posture, Wc...posture, θ...V-angle

Claims

1. a trough having a placement surface on which a workpiece is placed; a vibration generating device that vibrates the trough and moves the workpiece; a recess having an opening that opens onto the placement surface and that collects foreign matter on the placement surface through the opening; a lid portion that overlaps the opening when viewed in a plan view from a vertical direction.

2. the trough has a wall portion extending from an outer edge of the placement surface, 2. The component disassembly device according to claim 1, wherein the wall portion also serves as the lid portion.

3. 3. The component separating device according to claim 1, wherein the recess extends along an outer edge of the placement surface in a plan view from the vertical direction.

4. 4. The component separating device according to claim 1, wherein the cover portion has a guide wall for aligning the plurality of workpieces that are moved by the vibration on the placement surface.

5. 5. The component separating device according to claim 4, wherein the guide wall has two straight lines that form an angle smaller than two right angles when viewed in a vertical plane.

6. 6. The parts separating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge hole communicating between the recess and an outer surface of the trough and discharging foreign matter in the recess to the outside of the trough.

7. the discharge hole communicates with a bottom surface of the recess; 7. The component separating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a bottom surface of the recess is inclined toward the discharge hole.

8. the vibration generating device has two vibration motors whose rotation axes are parallel to each other and parallel to the placement surface; 8. The component separating device according to claim 1, wherein the recess is open at an end of the mounting surface in a direction in which the two vibration motors are aligned.

9. 8. The component disassembly device according to claim 1, wherein the vibration generator includes a plurality of voice coil motors.

10. a trough having a placement surface on which a workpiece is placed; a vibration generating device that vibrates the trough and moves the workpiece; a recess having an opening that opens onto the mounting surface; a cover portion overlapping the opening in a plan view from a vertical direction, the cover portion including a part separating device and a part placing surface of the part separating device; A foreign matter removal method characterized by vibrating the trough by driving the vibration generating device, moving foreign matter on the placement surface toward the recess by the vibration, and removing the foreign matter by collecting it through the opening into the recess.

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