Adsorption device

Abstract

To provide a suction device capable of placing an article on a placement surface while suppressing an excessive load from being placed on the article.SOLUTION: Provided is a suction device 10 which lowers, as the upper support mechanism 11 lowers, an article W being lifted with an upper side thereof being suctioned and held by an upper support mechanism 11, and which places the article on a placement surface G. The suction device comprises: a lifting body 25, which is lifted from and lowered to a base part 23, integrally with the upper suction unit 11; switching means capable of switching a state A of fixing the lifting body 25 to the base part 23, and a state B of lowering the lifting body 25 to the base part 23 by its own weight; control means for controlling the switching means; and resistance force applying means for applying resistance force against lowering of the lifting body. The control means brings the switching means into the state B, causes the lifted article W to be lowered together with the upper support mechanism 11 and the lofting body 25, so as to cause a bottom of the article W to come into contact with a placement surface G.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a suction device that sucks and lifts an article and places it on a placement surface. [Background technology]

[0002] At sites where items are loaded, unloaded, or moved, suction devices are used that pick up the top of an item and lift it onto a placement surface, and specific examples of such suction devices are disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3. This type of suction device uses information about the height of the item to determine the amount by which the item being lifted should be lowered, and after lowering the item and placing it on the placement surface, the suction device releases the suction state of the item. When multiple items of varying heights are to be sequentially lifted and placed on the placement surface, the suction device determines the amount by which each item should be lowered based on the height of each individual item detected using image recognition technology or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-198542 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-168700 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-70917 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if the detection accuracy of the height of the item is less than a certain level, the amount of descent of the item may be excessive or insufficient. If the amount of descent of the item is excessive, as shown in Fig. 6, when the item 100 is lowered onto the placement surface 101, an excessive load is applied to the item 100 from the upper support mechanism 102 that is adsorbing the upper side of the item 100 in a direction that crushes the item 100. Furthermore, if the amount of descent of the item is insufficient, the adsorption state is released at a position where the item is some distance from the placement surface, causing the item to fall and placing an excessive load on the item.

[0005] In this regard, it is conceivable to solve the above-mentioned problem by adopting a system that can detect the height of an article with a certain level of accuracy or higher, but adopting such a system would lead to other problems, such as a longer time until the height of the article is detected and higher manufacturing costs for the entire suction device. Furthermore, there are limits to the precision with which the shape of each item can be made uniform (for example, to prevent the formation of protrusions on the top of the item) and the manufacturing precision of the equipment (for example, the pallet on which the item is placed), so even if the accuracy in detecting the height of the item is increased to a certain level or higher, the above-mentioned problem of excessive stress being placed on the item will still occur.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a suction device that can place an article on a placement surface while preventing excessive load from being applied to the article. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The suction device of the present invention, which is in line with the above-mentioned object, is an suction device in which an article, which has been lifted by suction and held at its upper side by an upper support mechanism, is lowered as the upper support mechanism descends and placed on a placement surface, and is equipped with a lifting body that rises and falls integrally with the upper support mechanism relative to a base portion, a switching means for switching between state A in which the lifting body is fixed to the base portion and state B in which the lifting body descends relative to the base portion by its own weight, a control means for controlling the switching means, and a resistance force applying means for applying resistance to the descent of the lifting body, and the control means sets the switching means to state B, causing the lifted article to descend together with the upper support mechanism and the lifting body, and bringing the bottom of the article into contact with the placement surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The suction device of the present invention comprises a lifting body that rises and falls together with an upper support mechanism relative to a base part, a switching means that switches between state A in which the lifting body is fixed to the base part and state B in which the lifting body is lowered relative to the base part by its own weight, a control means that controls the switching means, and a resistance force applying means that applies resistance to the descent of the lifting body, and the control means sets the switching means to state B, causing the lifted item to fall together with the upper support mechanism and the lifting body, and bringing the bottom of the item into contact with the above-mentioned placement surface, thereby making it possible to place the item on the placement surface while preventing excessive load from being placed on the item. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram of a suction device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the connection of a control means. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are explanatory views each illustrating a process up to when the suction device lifts up an article placed on a placement surface. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are explanatory views each illustrating a process up to when the suction device lifts up an article placed on a placement surface. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are explanatory views illustrating the process in which the suction device places an article on the placement surface. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing how a suction device according to a conventional example applies a load to an article. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to facilitate understanding of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, a suction device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a device that lowers an article W, which has been lifted by suction and held at its upper side by an upper support mechanism 11, as the upper support mechanism 11 descends, and places the article W on a placement surface G. This will be described in detail below.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the item W in this embodiment is a roughly rectangular cardboard box containing a PET bottle containing a beverage, and on the upper side (the upper surface in this embodiment) there is a seam (glued portion) formed by bonding overlapping pieces of cardboard with hot melt H.

[0012] The suction device 10 includes an upper support mechanism 11 having an upper suction pad 12 that contacts the upper side of the article W and an upper suction unit 13 to which the upper suction pad 12 is adhered to the lower end with an adhesive, and a side support mechanism 16 having a side suction pad 14 that contacts the side of the article W (in this embodiment, the side surface) and a side suction unit 15 to which the side suction pad 14 is adhered to one horizontal side with an adhesive.

[0013] The upper suction pad 12 and the upper suction unit 13 are both rectangular (including square) and of the same size when viewed from above. A hole (not shown) is formed in the upper suction unit 13, and the upper suction unit 13 can take in air into the hole from its lower end. As shown in Figure 2, the upper suction unit 13 is connected to an air compressor 19 via a solenoid valve 17 and a regulator 18, and the solenoid valve 17 and the air compressor 19 are connected to control means 20, which can be constituted by an electronic circuit or the like.

[0014] The control means 20 can send command signals to the solenoid valve 17 and the air compressor 19 to control them. Unless otherwise specified, the following description will be given assuming that the air compressor 19 is operating (in a state where it can send compressed air to the solenoid valve 17, etc.).

[0015] When the control means 20 sets the solenoid valve 17 to a state in which compressed air sent from the air compressor 19 is supplied to the upper suction unit 13, negative pressure is created inside the hole formed in the upper suction unit 13, causing the upper suction unit 13 to suck in air from the lower end. On the other hand, when the control means 20 sets the solenoid valve 17 to a state in which compressed air from the air compressor 19 is not sent to the upper suction unit 13, the upper suction unit 13 stops sucking in air. Therefore, the control means 20 indirectly controls the upper suction unit 13 (upper support mechanism 11) by controlling the solenoid valve 17 and the air compressor 19, i.e., switches the state of the upper suction unit 13.

[0016] The upper suction pad 12 is made of an elastic body, and has a plurality of through holes (not shown) formed therein that pass vertically through the upper suction pad 12. Therefore, when the upper suction unit 13 starts to suck in air from its lower end, the air below the upper suction pad 12 is sucked into the upper suction unit 13 through the plurality of through holes formed in the upper suction pad 12.

[0017] 1, an air cylinder 26 is provided above the upper suction unit 13. The air cylinder 26 has a cylinder tube 23, which is an example of a base portion, connected to a robot arm 22, which is an example of a transfer unit, a piston 24 that moves up and down within the cylinder tube 23, and a rod 25, which is an example of a vertically disposed lifting body, the upper end of which is connected to the piston 24. A connecting member 27, to which the upper suction unit 13 is fixed, is attached to the lower end of the rod 25 that protrudes downward from the cylinder tube 23.

[0018] 2, the cylinder tube 23, whose axis is disposed vertically, is connected to the air compressor 19 via a solenoid valve 29 and a regulator 30, which are an example of a switching means connected to the control means 20. The control means 20 controls the solenoid valve 29 so that compressed air from the air compressor 19 is supplied to a lower region below the piston 24 in the cylinder tube 23, so that either or both of the lower region in the cylinder tube 23 and the upper region above the piston 24 in the cylinder tube 23 are open to the atmosphere, or so that air does not flow in or out of the upper and lower regions in the cylinder tube 23.

[0019] When the solenoid valve 29 enters a state in which compressed air is sent to the lower region inside the cylinder tube 23 (at this time, the upper region inside the cylinder tube 23 is open to the atmosphere, and the same applies below), an upward force acts on the piston 24, and the upper suction unit 13, connecting member 27, piston 24, and rod 25 rise together relative to the cylinder tube 23. The state of the solenoid valve 29 at this time is referred to as "state A." When the solenoid valve 29 enters state A, an upward force acts on the rod 25 via the piston 24.

[0020] Furthermore, the solenoid valve 29 opens the entire interior of the cylinder tube 23 (both the upper and lower regions of the cylinder tube 23, the same applies below) to the atmosphere, causing the rod 25, together with the upper suction unit 13, the connecting member 27, and the piston 24, to descend relative to the cylinder tube 23 due to the weight of the rod 25, upper suction unit 13, connecting member 27, and piston 24. The state of the solenoid valve 29 at this time is referred to as "state B." Therefore, the rod 25 moves up and down relative to the cylinder tube 23 together with the upper suction unit 13 (that is, the upper support mechanism 11).

[0021] Then, with the rod 25 and piston 24 at their upper limit positions relative to the cylinder tube 23, the solenoid valve 29 is brought into a state in which it sends compressed air to the lower region inside the cylinder tube 23, whereby the rod 25, together with the upper suction unit 13, the connecting member 27, and the piston 24, are fixed to the cylinder tube 23. The state of the solenoid valve 29 at this time is also "State A." Therefore, the solenoid valve 29 is switched between State A and State B by the control means 20. Furthermore, the control means 20 is connected to a pressure sensor 28 that measures the pressure inside the cylinder tube 23 .

[0022] 1, a cylinder tube 33 of an air cylinder 32 having a rod 31 arranged horizontally is fixed to the connecting member 27. A piston 34 connected to one end of the rod 31 is provided inside the cylinder tube 33, whose axis is arranged horizontally. The upper side of a vertically long arm 35 is fixed to the other end of the rod 31 protruding from the cylinder tube 33, and the side suction unit 15 is attached to the lower side of the arm 35.

[0023] The side suction unit 15 and the side suction pad 14 of the side support mechanism 16 are both rectangular (including square) and of the same size when viewed from the side. The side suction pad 14 is adhered with an adhesive to one horizontal side of the side suction unit 15 (the side opposite to the side attached to the arm 35). The side suction unit 15 has a hole (not shown) that opens at one end of the horizontal side.

[0024] 2, the side suction unit 15 is connected to the air compressor 19 via a solenoid valve 36 and a regulator 18, which are connected to the control means 20. The control means 20 can control the solenoid valve 36 by sending a command signal to the solenoid valve 36. When the control means 20 sets the solenoid valve 36 to a state in which compressed air sent from the air compressor 19 is supplied to the side suction unit 15, negative pressure is created inside the hole opening at one horizontal end of the side suction unit 15, and the side suction unit 15 sucks air from the one horizontal end.

[0025] On the other hand, the control means 20 controls the solenoid valve 36 to prevent compressed air from being sent from the air compressor 19 to the side suction unit 15, so that the side suction unit 15 does not suck in air. Thus, the control means 20 controls the solenoid valve 36 and the air compressor 19 to indirectly control the side suction unit 15 (switch the state of the side suction unit 15).

[0026] The side suction pads 14 are made of an elastic body, and have a plurality of through holes (not shown) that pass horizontally through the side suction pads 14. Therefore, when the side suction units 15 are in a state of sucking air from one horizontal side end, the air around one horizontal side of the side suction pads 14 is sucked into the side suction units 15 through the plurality of through holes formed in the side suction pads 14.

[0027] 2, the cylinder tube 33 is connected to the air compressor 19 via a solenoid valve 37 and a regulator 30, which are connected to the control means 20. The control means 20 controls the solenoid valve 37 so that compressed air from the air compressor 19 is supplied to either an area on one horizontal side of the piston 34 in the cylinder tube 33 (hereinafter referred to as the "first area") or an area on the other horizontal side of the cylinder tube 33 (hereinafter referred to as the "second area"), or can open either or both of the first area and the second area in the cylinder tube 33 to the atmosphere, or can prevent air from flowing in or out of the entire cylinder tube 33.

[0028] The side suction unit 15, piston 34, and rod 31 move together in the horizontal direction to the other side (in the direction in which the length of the rod 31 protruding from the cylinder tube 33 increases) relative to the cylinder tube 33 when compressed air is sent to the first region in the cylinder tube 33 and the second region is opened to the atmosphere. Also, the side suction unit 15, piston 34, and rod 31 move together in the horizontal direction to one side (in the direction in which the length of the rod 31 protruding from the cylinder tube 33 decreases) relative to the cylinder tube 33 when the first region in the cylinder tube 33 is opened to the atmosphere and compressed air is sent to the second region.

[0029] By preventing air from flowing in or out of the cylinder tube 33, the lateral suction unit 15, the piston 34, and the rod 31 are fixed to the cylinder tube 33. A pressure sensor 28a that measures the pressure inside the cylinder tube 33 is connected to the control means 20.

[0030] In addition, the control means 20 is connected to a pressure sensor 38 that detects the pressure inside the hole opening at the lower end of the upper suction unit 13, a pressure sensor 39 that detects the pressure inside the hole opening at one horizontal side end of the side suction unit 15, and an image analysis means 41 that detects the position of the item W based on an image captured by the imaging means 40 of the item W.

[0031] Next, a process of lifting an article W on the placement surface G using the suction device 10 and placing the lifted article W on the placement surface G will be described.

[0032] <Process 1> The image analysis means 41 detects the overall position of the item W, the height position of the upper side of the item W, the height of the item W, and the lateral position of the item W supported by the lateral support mechanism 16 based on the captured image of the item W placed on the loading surface G captured by the imaging means 40.

[0033] <Process 2> The control means 20 acquires various positional information of the article W from the image analysis means 41, and operates the robot arm 22 based on the information to move the air cylinders 26, 32, the upper support mechanism 11, the lateral support mechanism 16, etc., so that the upper suction unit 13 is positioned at a predetermined position directly above the article W placed on the placement surface G, as shown in Figure 3(A), and then stops the robot arm 22. When the upper suction unit 13 is positioned at a predetermined position directly above the article W, the upper suction pad 12 may or may not be in contact with the upper side of the article W.

[0034] However, the upper suction unit 13 must be positioned within a height range that does not apply excessive load (e.g., a load that would crush the item W) to the top of the item W via the upper suction pad 12, and that allows the upper support mechanism 11 to suction and hold the upper side of the item W without lifting it from the loading surface G by increasing the protruding length of the rod 25 from the cylinder tube 23.

[0035] When the upper suction unit 13 is positioned at a predetermined position directly above the article W, the side suction pad 14 must not come into contact with the side of the article W, and the side support mechanism 16 must be positioned so that it can suction and hold the side of the article W by shortening the length of the rod 31 protruding from the cylinder tube 33.

[0036] <Process 3> Next, the control means 20 controls the solenoid valve 29 to open the entire inside of the cylinder tube 23 to the atmosphere, thereby causing the rod 25 to descend under its own weight (i.e., putting the solenoid valve 29 into state B), causing the upper suction unit 13 arranged above the item W to descend together with the rod 25, etc., and causing the upper side of the item W placed on the loading surface G to be adsorbed and held by the upper support mechanism 11, as shown in Figure 3 (B).

[0037] Here, the amount of air released per unit time from the lower region of the cylinder tube 23 is limited by a speed controller (one example of a resistance force applying means that applies resistance force to the descent of the lifting body), not shown. Due to this limitation, the descent speed of the upper suction unit 13, rod 25, etc. becomes slower than if there was no such limitation. In step 3 and step 4 described later, the cylinder tube 23 is kept stationary (static state) by the robot arm 22.

[0038] In this embodiment, when the upper suction unit 13 is lowered together with the rod 25, etc., the control means 20 controls the solenoid valve 17 to put the upper suction unit 13 into a suction state, and the suction force of the air via the upper suction pad 12 of the upper suction unit 13 contributes to the lowering of the upper suction unit 13 and the rod 25, etc. The control means 20 detects that the measurement value of the pressure sensor 38 has exceeded a predetermined value, and thereby detects that the upper suction pad 12 (upper support mechanism 11) has sucked and held the upper side of the article W.

[0039] In this embodiment, the state in which the upper support mechanism 11 adsorbs and holds the upper side of the article W means the state in which the measurement value of the pressure sensor 38 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (the state in which the upper support mechanism 13 adsorbs the upper side of the article W with a force equal to or greater than a predetermined magnitude).

[0040] <Step 4> Next, the control means 20 controls the solenoid valve 37 to send compressed air to the second region within the cylinder tube 33 and open the first region therein to the atmosphere, thereby moving the rod 31 together with the side support mechanism 16 and the arm 35 to one side in the horizontal direction relative to the cylinder tube 33, and bringing the side suction pad 14 into contact with the side of the article W, as shown in Fig. 4(A). In this embodiment, when moving the rod 31, the side support mechanism 16, etc. to one side in the horizontal direction, the control means 20 controls the solenoid valve 36 to put the side suction unit 15 into a suction state.

[0041] The rod 31 and the side support mechanism 16, etc., move horizontally to one side and stop until the side suction pad 14 is sandwiched between the side suction unit 15 and the article W and is compressed and deformed in the horizontal direction, and the side support mechanism 16 is in a state of suction-holding the article W. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control means 20 causes the upper support mechanism 11 to suction-hold the upper side of the article W, and causes the side suction unit 15 to start suction, causing the side support mechanism 16 to suction-hold the side of the article W. Note that the state in which the side support mechanism 16 suction-holds the article W means a state in which the side support mechanism 16 is suction-holding the article W with a force equal to or greater than a predetermined force.

[0042] Thereafter, the control means 20 detects that the measurement value of the pressure sensor 39 has exceeded a predetermined value, thereby detecting that the side support mechanism 16 has adsorbed and held the side of the article W, and controls the solenoid valve 37 to prevent air from flowing in or out of the cylinder tube 33, thereby fixing the rod 31 to the cylinder tube 33.

[0043] <Process 5> With the upper support mechanism 11 suction-holding the upper side of the article W and the side support mechanism 16 suction-holding the side of the article W, the control means 20 controls the solenoid valve 29 to send compressed air to the lower region inside the cylinder tube 23, opening the upper region inside the same to the atmosphere, as shown in Figure 4(B), thereby lifting the rod 25 relative to the cylinder tube 23, and also controls the robot arm 22 to operate the robot arm 22 to lift the cylinder tube 23, thereby lifting the article W from the placement surface G. Then, the control means 20 controls the solenoid valve 29 to prevent air from flowing in or out of the cylinder tube 23, thereby fixing the rod 25 to the cylinder tube 23.

[0044] <Process 6> Next, the control means 20 operates the robot arm 22 to move the article W, which is suction-held by the upper support mechanism 11 and the side support mechanism 16, together with the cylinder tube 23, to above the intended position on the placement surface G where the article W is to be placed, and then stops the robot arm 22 to stop the article W together with the cylinder tube 23, rod 25, upper support mechanism 11, side support mechanism 16, etc. Thus, the robot arm 22 is controlled by the control means 20 to move and stop the cylinder tube 23. Here, the control means 20 determines the height at which the upper support mechanism 11 will rest (the distance from the loading surface G to the upper support mechanism 11) based on the height of the item W detected in step 1 (in this embodiment, the distance from the upper surface to the bottom of the item W), and operates the robot arm 22.

[0045] The control means 20 determines the height position at which the bottom of the article W is reliably out of contact with the placement surface G as the rest height of the upper support mechanism 11. It goes without saying that the placement surface G on which the item W was originally placed and the placement surface to which the item W will be moved may be the same surface or different surfaces. For example, the item W may originally have been placed at one position on the floor and the item W may be moved to another position on the same floor, or the item W may originally have been placed on the top surface of a pallet and the item W may be moved to the top surface of the platform of a cart.

[0046] <Process 7> As shown in Figure 5(A), the control means 20 controls the solenoid valve 29 to open the entire cylinder tube 23 to the atmosphere, releasing air from the lower area of ​​the cylinder tube 23 and causing the rod 25 to descend under its own weight (i.e., putting the solenoid valve 29 in state B), and lowering the lifted item W together with the upper support mechanism 11 and the rod 25, etc., so that the bottom of the item W comes into contact with the loading surface G.

[0047] Therefore, the control means 20 controls the robot arm 22 to bring the cylinder tube 23 to a stationary state, sets the solenoid valve 29 to state B, and lowers the lifted item W so that the bottom of the item W comes into contact with the installation surface G. In this way, by opening the entire cylinder tube 23 to the atmosphere and lowering the item W, the bottom of the item W comes into contact with the loading surface G, thereby avoiding excessive load being placed on the item W when the bottom of the item W comes into contact with the loading surface G.

[0048] Moreover, in this embodiment, the control means 20 adjusts the amount of air released per unit time from the lower region within the cylinder tube 23 by controlling the solenoid valve 29 (it may also be possible to adjust the amount of air flowing into the upper region within the cylinder tube 23 per unit time), and adjusts the descent speed of the item W, the upper suction unit 13, the rod 25, etc., thereby reliably avoiding excessive load being placed on the item W when the bottom of the item W comes into contact with the loading surface G.

[0049] <Process 8> After detecting the contact of the bottom of the article W with the placement surface G based on the measurement value of the pressure sensor 28, the control means 20 controls the solenoid valves 17 and 36 to stop the suction of the upper suction unit 13 and the suction of the side suction unit 15, and controls the solenoid valve 37 to send compressed air to the first region within the cylinder tube 33, leaving the second region open to the atmosphere, thereby moving the rod 31 together with the side support mechanism 16 and the arm 35 horizontally to the other side relative to the cylinder tube 33, and moving the side suction pad 14 that was in contact with the side of the article W away from the side of the article W, as shown in Figure 5(B).

[0050] Thereafter, the control means 20 controls the solenoid valve 29 to send compressed air to the lower region of the cylinder tube 23, so that the upper region thereof is open to the atmosphere (i.e., the electromagnetic source 29 is set to state A), thereby raising the rod 25 relative to the cylinder tube 23, and also controls the robot arm 22 to operate the robot arm 22 so as to raise the cylinder tube 23.

[0051] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and all changes in conditions that do not depart from the gist of the present invention are within the scope of application of the present invention. For example, it goes without saying that the object to be sucked and held by the suction device is not limited to a cardboard box containing a plastic drink bottle, and the object may have any shape that can be sucked by the upper support mechanism and the side support mechanism, such as a triangular prism or a cylinder.

[0052] Furthermore, it is not necessary to use an air cylinder with a lifting body. Instead of an air cylinder, for example, it is possible to use an electric cylinder with a rod as the lifting body, or a mechanism with a rack as the lifting body, a pinion that meshes with the rack, and a motor that applies rotational force to the rack.

[0053] However, when an electric cylinder is used, the time required from when the upper support mechanism holds the upper side of the article by suction until that state is detected is longer than when an air cylinder is used. Also, when a mechanism with a rack, pinion, and motor is used, it is necessary to put the pinion in neutral so that the rack can be raised and lowered, making the design more complex than when an air cylinder is used.

[0054] When an electric cylinder is used instead of an air cylinder, the motor that powers the rod (when a mechanism having a rack, pinion, and motor is used, the motor that applies rotational force to the pinion) functions as the switching means and resistance force applying means, and the control means puts the motor into state B by putting it into neutral.

[0055] The base unit may be fixed without the transfer unit for transferring the base unit. When the transfer unit is employed, the base unit may be brought to a stationary state after the switching means is set to state B. Furthermore, the side support mechanism does not have to be raised and lowered integrally with the lifting body and the upper suction unit, in which case a mechanism for raising and lowering only the side support mechanism may be provided.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, both the upper suction pad and the side suction pad are formed of an elastic body, but it goes without saying that upper suction pads and side suction pads that are not substantially elastically deformable can also be used. Furthermore, the position of the article does not have to be detected by an image means and an image analysis means, and the position of the article may be detected using, for example, a laser distance meter or a photoelectric sensor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10: suction device, 11: upper support mechanism, 12: upper suction pad, 13: upper suction unit, 14: side suction pad, 15: side suction unit, 16: side support mechanism, 17: solenoid valve, 18: regulator, 19: air compressor, 20: control means, 22: robot arm, 23: cylinder tube, 24: piston, 25: rod, 26: air cylinder, 27: connecting member, 28, 28a: pressure sensor, 29: solenoid valve, 30: regulator, 31: rod, 32: air cylinder, 33: cylinder tube, 34: piston, 35: arm, 36, 37: solenoid valve, 38, 39: pressure sensor, 40: imaging means, 41: image analysis means, G: placement surface, H: hot melt, W: article

Claims

1. In a suction device, an article is lifted by suctioning air from an upper support mechanism, and the article is lowered and placed on a placement surface as the upper support mechanism descends, an air cylinder having a cylinder tube and a rod that moves up and down relative to the cylinder tube together with the upper support mechanism; a switching means for switching between a state A in which the rod is fixed to the cylinder tube and a state B in which the inside of the cylinder tube is opened to the atmosphere and the rod is lowered relative to the cylinder tube by its own weight; an electromagnetic valve that switches between allowing the upper support mechanism to suck in air and stopping the sucking; a control means for controlling the switching means and the solenoid valve; a resistance applying means for applying a resistance to the downward movement of the rod due to its own weight by limiting the amount of air released per unit time from the cylinder tube that is open to the atmosphere, The suction device is characterized in that the control means sets the switching means to state B, lowering the lifted item together with the upper support mechanism and the rod, and bringing the bottom of the item into contact with the placement surface.

2. 2. The suction device according to claim 1, further comprising a transport unit that is controlled by the control means to move and stop the cylinder tube, wherein the control means controls the transport unit to stop the cylinder tube and sets the switching means to state B, thereby lowering the lifted article.

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