Rebar tying robot

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of moving a reinforcement binding robot to a primary reinforcement that is a target for binding work without previously setting a movement amount by a lateral movement mechanism.SOLUTION: A reinforcement binding robot 100 comprises a reinforcement binding unit, a conveyance unit, and a control unit. The conveyance unit comprises a longitudinal direction movement mechanism, a lateral direction movement mechanism, and a first three-dimensional distance sensor for outputting first point group data. The control unit is configured to be capable of executing first reinforcement extraction processing of extracting a point group whose vertical position is within a predetermined reinforcement depth range from point groups included in the first point group data, first determination processing of determining whether or not a primary reinforcement exists within a predetermined determination range on the basis of the point group extracted by the first reinforcement extraction processing, and lateral direction movement processing of driving the lateral direction movement mechanism. The control unit executes the lateral direction movement processing when it is determined in the first determination processing that no primary reinforcement exists within the determination range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a rebar tying robot. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a rebar tying robot that moves over multiple primary rebars and multiple secondary rebars that intersect with the multiple primary rebars in the direction in which the multiple primary rebars extend, and ties the intersections of the multiple primary rebars and the multiple secondary rebars. The rebar tying robot includes a rebar tying unit, a transport unit that transports the rebar tying unit, and a control unit that controls the operation of the transport unit. The transport unit includes a vertical movement mechanism that can move the rebar tying robot forward and backward, and a horizontal movement mechanism that can move the rebar tying robot left and right. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-39174 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the rebar binding robot of Patent Document 1, in order to move to the primary rebars to be bound, it is necessary to set in advance the amount of movement by the lateral movement mechanism in accordance with the pitch of the multiple primary rebars. This specification provides a technology that enables the rebar binding robot to move to the primary rebars to be bound without setting in advance the amount of movement by the lateral movement mechanism. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The rebar tying robot disclosed in this specification may be capable of alternately performing the following actions: moving over a plurality of primary rebars and a plurality of secondary rebars that intersect with the plurality of primary rebars in the direction in which the plurality of primary rebars extend; and tying the intersections of the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars. The rebar tying robot may include a rebar tying unit, a transport unit that transports the rebar tying unit, and a control unit that controls the operation of the transport unit. The transport unit may include a vertical movement mechanism that can move the rebar tying robot forward and backward, a horizontal movement mechanism that can move the rebar tying robot left and right, and a first three-dimensional distance sensor that outputs first point cloud data that represents the three-dimensional position of a subject within a first field of view using a point cloud. The control unit may be configured to execute a first reinforcing bar extraction process for extracting points whose vertical positions are within a predetermined reinforcing bar depth range from the point cloud included in the first point cloud data, a first determination process for determining whether the primary reinforcing bars are present within a predetermined determination range based on the point cloud extracted in the first reinforcing bar extraction process, and a lateral movement process for driving the lateral movement mechanism. The control unit may execute the lateral movement process when it is determined in the first determination process that the primary reinforcing bars are not present within the determination range.

[0006] According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine whether the rebar tying robot has moved to the primary rebar to be bound using the first point cloud data acquired by the first three-dimensional distance sensor. Therefore, it is possible to move the rebar tying robot to the primary rebar to be bound without setting in advance the amount of movement by the lateral movement mechanism in the lateral movement process. The first point cloud data acquired by the first three-dimensional distance sensor includes not only point clouds corresponding to the primary rebars and secondary rebars, but also point clouds corresponding to objects such as the ground located below the primary rebars and secondary rebars. According to the above configuration, it is possible to extract point clouds corresponding to the primary rebars and secondary rebars using the first rebar extraction process, and it is possible to accurately determine whether the primary rebars are present within the determination range. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment, viewed from above and to the front left. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a reinforcing bar binding machine 2 used in a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment, viewed from above and behind on the left side. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of the internal structure of a main body 4 of a reinforcing bar binding machine 2 used in a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment, viewed from above and to the rear right. [Figure 4] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a front portion of a main body 4 of a reinforcing bar binding machine 2 used in a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view of the internal structure of the upper part of the main body 4 and gripping part 6 of the reinforcing bar binding machine 2 used in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment, viewed from above on the front left. [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view of the power supply unit 102 of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment, with the cover 112 open, as viewed from above on the front right. [Figure 7] 1 is a perspective view of a reinforcing bar binding machine 2 attached to an operation unit 104 in a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment, as viewed from above and to the rear right. [Figure 8] 1 is a perspective view of the reinforcing bar binding machine 2 attached to the gripping mechanism 132 in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment, as viewed from below and rear right. [Figure 9] 1 is a side view of the operation unit 104 and the reinforcing bar binding machine 2 in a state where the reinforcing bar binding machine 2 is raised in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] 1 is a side view of the operation unit 104 and the reinforcing bar binding machine 2 in a state where the reinforcing bar binding machine 2 is lowered in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 1 is a perspective view of a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment, viewed from the front right below. [Figure 12]1 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a tensioner pulley 224 of a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment, viewed from above on the front left. FIG. [Figure 13] 1 is a perspective view of a side stepper 196 of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment, viewed from the lower rear right. FIG. [Figure 14] 1 is a perspective view of the front portion of a side stepper 196 of a rebar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment, as viewed from above and to the rear right. FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the front crank mechanism 276 of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment, as seen from behind. FIG. [Figure 16] 1 is a perspective view of the rear portion of a side stepper 196 of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment, as viewed from above and to the front right. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a front view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment, showing the step bars 272, 274 in a raised position. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a front view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment, showing the state in which the step bars 272, 274 are lowered. [Figure 19] 10 is a flowchart showing processing performed by a control unit 126 in the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. [Figure 20] 10 is a flowchart showing processing performed by a control unit 126 in the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. [Figure 21] 1A to 1C are top views showing an example of the operation of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. [Figure 22] 10 is a top view showing another example of the operation of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 23] 10 is a top view showing yet another example of the operation of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 24] 1 is a top view showing an example of the relative positional relationship between the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment and a primary reinforcing bar R1'. FIG. [Figure 25] 10 is a graph showing an example of a trajectory in rebar tracing control of the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. [Figure 26] 10 is a graph showing an example of the difference in trajectory between the presence and absence of rebar tracing control in the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. [Figure 27] 10 is a graph showing an example of differences in trajectories in various rebar tracing controls of the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. [Figure 28] 10 is a flowchart of a side step process performed by a control unit 126 in the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. [Figure 29] 10 is a diagram schematically showing a point cloud PG1 handled by a control unit 126 in a side step process in the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 30] 10 is a diagram schematically showing a point cloud PG2 and a confirmation range DR that are handled by a control unit 126 in a side step process in the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 31] 10 is a flowchart of a primary reinforcing bar model generation process performed by a control unit 126 in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. [Figure 32] 10 is a flowchart of a primary reinforcing bar model generation process performed by a control unit 126 in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. [Figure 33] 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a point cloud PG1 handled by a control unit 126 in a primary reinforcing bar model generation process in a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 34] 10 is a diagram schematically showing a point cloud PG2 and a secondary reinforcing bar model RM2 that are handled by a control unit 126 in a primary reinforcing bar model generation process in a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 35] 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a point cloud PG1 and a secondary reinforcing bar model RM2 that are handled by a control unit 126 in a primary reinforcing bar model generation process in a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 36] 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a point cloud PG3 and a provisional primary reinforcing bar model TRM1 that are handled by a control unit 126 in a primary reinforcing bar model generation process in a reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 37]10 is a flowchart of an intersection location identification process performed by a control unit 126 in the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. [Figure 38] 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a point cloud PG1 and a primary reinforcing bar model RM1 that are handled by a control unit 126 in the intersection point position identification process in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 39] 10 is a diagram schematically showing a point cloud PG2 and a primary reinforcing bar model RM1 that are handled by a control unit 126 in the intersection point position identification process in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 40] 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating how a control unit 126 generates a reinforcing bar model using the RANSAC method in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 41] 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating how a control unit 126 generates a reinforcing bar model using the RANSAC method in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 42] 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating how a control unit 126 generates a reinforcing bar model using the RANSAC method in the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Representative, non-limiting examples of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the drawings. This detailed description is intended simply to provide those skilled in the art with details for implementing preferred examples of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Additionally, the additional features and inventions disclosed can be used separately or in conjunction with other features and inventions to provide further improved rebar tying robots.

[0009] Furthermore, the combinations of features and steps disclosed in the following detailed description are not essential to practicing the invention in its broadest sense, but are described solely to specifically illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, the various features of the following exemplary embodiments and those described in the claims do not necessarily have to be combined in the exact embodiments described herein or in the exact order listed to provide additional and useful embodiments of the invention.

[0010] All features described in this specification and / or claims are intended to be disclosed individually and independently of one another as limitations to the specific features described in the original disclosure and claims, apart from the configuration of features described in the examples and / or claims. Furthermore, all numerical ranges and group or aggregate descriptions are intended to disclose intermediate configurations thereof as limitations to the specific features described in the original disclosure and claims.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying robot may be capable of repeatedly performing an action of moving over a plurality of primary rebars and a plurality of secondary rebars that intersect with the plurality of primary rebars in the direction in which the plurality of primary rebars extend, and an action of tying the intersections of the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars. The rebar tying robot may include a rebar tying unit, a transport unit that transports the rebar tying unit, and a control unit that controls the operation of the transport unit. The transport unit may include a vertical movement mechanism that can move the rebar tying robot in a forward / backward direction, a horizontal movement mechanism that can move the rebar tying robot in a left / right direction, and a first three-dimensional distance sensor that outputs first point cloud data that represents the three-dimensional position of a subject within a first field of view using a point cloud. The control unit may be configured to execute a first reinforcing bar extraction process for extracting points whose vertical positions are within a predetermined reinforcing bar depth range from the point cloud included in the first point cloud data, a first determination process for determining whether the primary reinforcing bars are present within a predetermined determination range based on the point cloud extracted in the first reinforcing bar extraction process, and a lateral movement process for driving the lateral movement mechanism. The control unit may execute the lateral movement process when it is determined in the first determination process that the primary reinforcing bars are not present within the determination range.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, the control unit may be configured to execute a cluster extraction process to further extract a point cloud included in a largest cluster from the point cloud extracted in the first rebar extraction process. The first determination process may be based on the point cloud extracted in the cluster extraction process.

[0013] The point cloud included in the first point cloud data acquired by the first three-dimensional distance sensor may include point clouds corresponding to objects other than the primary rebars or secondary rebars among point clouds whose vertical positions are approximately the same as those of the primary rebars or secondary rebars. Since the point clouds included in the first point cloud data acquired by the first three-dimensional distance sensor include point clouds corresponding to the primary rebars or secondary rebars that form clusters, extracting only the point cloud included in the largest cluster makes it possible to exclude point clouds corresponding to objects other than the primary rebars or secondary rebars. This configuration makes it possible to more accurately extract point clouds corresponding to the primary rebars or secondary rebars.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, in the first determination process, the control unit may determine whether the primary rebar is present within the determination range based on the number of point clouds within multiple confirmation ranges with different forward / backward positions.

[0015] According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not a primary reinforcing bar is present within the determination range without placing a heavy processing load on the control unit.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, the transport unit may further include a second three-dimensional distance sensor that outputs second point cloud data representing the three-dimensional position of the subject in a second field of view behind the first field of view using a point cloud. The control unit may be configured to execute a second reinforcing bar extraction process that extracts a point cloud whose vertical position is within the reinforcing bar depth range from the point cloud included in the second point cloud data, and a second determination process that determines whether the primary reinforcing bar is present within the determination range based on the point cloud extracted in the second reinforcing bar extraction process. The control unit may execute the lateral movement process even if it is determined in the second determination process that the primary reinforcing bar is not present within the determination range.

[0017] According to the above configuration, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the reinforcing bar binding robot has moved to the primary reinforcing bar that is the target of the binding work.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, the lateral movement mechanism may comprise a side stepper.

[0019] According to the above configuration, the lateral movement mechanism can be realized with a simple configuration.

[0020] In one or more embodiments, the control unit may execute the first reinforcing bar extraction process and the first determination process each time the control unit executes the lateral direction movement process.

[0021] According to the above configuration, the reinforcing bar binding robot can be caused to repeatedly move using the side stepper until it reaches the primary reinforcing bar that is the target of the binding work.

[0022] (Example) As shown in FIG. 1 , the rebar binding robot 100 of this embodiment includes a rebar binding machine 2, a power supply unit 102, an operation unit 104, and a transport unit 106. The rebar binding robot 100 moves over a plurality of primary rebars R1 arranged parallel to one another along the horizontal direction and secondary rebars R2 arranged parallel to one another along the horizontal direction, and uses the rebar binding machine 2 to bind the primary rebars R1 and R2 at their intersections. When viewed from above, the extension direction of the secondary rebars R2 is perpendicular to the extension direction of the primary rebars R1. The secondary rebars R2 are arranged above the primary rebars R1. The primary rebars R1 are arranged, for example, at intervals of 100 mm to 300 mm, and the secondary rebars R2 are arranged, for example, at intervals of 100 mm to 300 mm. The rebar binding robot 100 has a front-to-rear dimension of, for example, about 900 mm and a left-to-right dimension of, for example, about 600 mm.

[0023] (Configuration of rebar binding machine 2) The configuration of the rebar binding machine 2 will be described below with reference to Figures 2 to 5. Note that the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction in the description of Figures 2 to 5 do not refer to the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction relative to the rebar binding machine 2, but rather refer to the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction relative to the rebar binding robot 100.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the rebar tying machine 2 is an electric tool for tying mutually intersecting rebars R (e.g., primary rebars R1 and secondary rebars R2) using a wire W. The rebar tying machine 2 can be detached from the rebar tying robot 100 and held by a user, or it can be attached to the rebar tying robot 100 and used. The rebar tying machine 2 includes a housing 3. The housing 3 includes a main body 4, a gripping unit 6 provided at the bottom of the main body 4, and a battery attachment unit 8 provided at the bottom of the gripping unit 6. A battery pack B can be attached to the bottom of the battery attachment unit 8 as shown in FIG. 2, or a battery adapter 108 can be attached as shown in FIG. 1. The battery pack B incorporates a secondary battery cell (not shown), such as a lithium-ion battery cell, and can be charged by a charger (not shown). The main body 4, gripping unit 6, and battery attachment unit 8 are integrally formed.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3, a reel 10 around which a wire W is wound is removably housed in the upper rear portion of the main body 4. As shown in Fig. 2, the housing 3 is provided with a reel cover 5 that covers the upper part of the reel 10. The reel cover 5 is rotatably held by cover holders 7 provided on the rear left and rear right portions of the main body 4. The reel cover 5 opens and closes by rotating relative to the main body 4.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the rebar binding machine 2 includes a feeding mechanism 12, a guide mechanism 14, a braking mechanism 16, a cutting mechanism 18, a twisting mechanism 20, and a control device 80.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3 , the feed mechanism 12 feeds the wire W supplied from the reel 10 to the guide mechanism 14 in front of the main body 4. The feed mechanism 12 includes a feed motor 22, a driven roller 24, and a driven roller 26. The wire W is sandwiched between the driven roller 24 and the driven roller 26. The feed motor 22 is, for example, a DC brushed motor. The operation of the feed motor 22 is controlled by a control device 80. The feed motor 22 rotates the driven roller 24. When the feed motor 22 rotates the driven roller 24, the driven roller 26 rotates in the reverse direction, and the wire W sandwiched between the driven roller 24 and the driven roller 26 is fed to the guide mechanism 14, and the wire W is pulled out from the reel 10.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, the guide mechanism 14 guides the wire W fed from the feed mechanism 12 in a circular shape around the reinforcing bar R. The guide mechanism 14 includes a guide pipe 28, an upper curl guide 30, and a lower curl guide 32. The rear end of the guide pipe 28 opens toward the space between the drive roller 24 and the driven roller 26. The wire W fed from the feed mechanism 12 is fed into the guide pipe 28. The front end of the guide pipe 28 opens toward the interior of the upper curl guide 30. The upper curl guide 30 is provided with a first guide passage 34 for guiding the wire W fed from the guide pipe 28 and a second guide passage (not shown) for guiding the wire W fed from the lower curl guide 32.

[0029] 4, the first guide passage 34 is provided with a plurality of guide pins 38 that guide the wire W so as to curl the wire W downward, and a cutter 40 that constitutes part of the cutting mechanism 18, which will be described later. The wire W fed from the guide pipe 28 is guided by the guide pins 38 in the first guide passage 34, passes through the cutter 40, and is fed from the front end of the upper curl guide 30 toward the lower curl guide 32.

[0030] 5, a return plate 42 is provided in the lower curl guide 32. The return plate 42 guides the wire W fed from the front end of the upper curl guide 30 and returns it toward the rear end of the second guide passage of the upper curl guide 30.

[0031] The second guide passage of the upper curl guide 30 is disposed adjacent to the first guide passage 34. The second guide passage guides the wire W fed from the lower curl guide 32 and feeds it from the front end of the upper curl guide 30 toward the lower curl guide 32.

[0032] The wire W fed from the feeding mechanism 12 is wound in a circular shape around the reinforcing bar R by the upper curl guide 30 and the lower curl guide 32. The number of turns of the wire W around the reinforcing bar R can be set in advance by the user. When the feeding mechanism 12 has fed out the amount of wire W corresponding to the set number of turns, it stops the feed motor 22 and stops feeding out the wire W.

[0033] The brake mechanism 16 shown in FIG. 3 stops rotation of the reel 10 in conjunction with the feed mechanism 12 stopping the feeding of the wire W. The brake mechanism 16 includes a solenoid 46, a link 48, and a brake arm 50. The operation of the solenoid 46 is controlled by a control device 80. The reel 10 has engagement portions 10a with which the brake arms 50 engage, which are formed at predetermined angular intervals in the radial direction. When the solenoid 46 is not energized, the brake arm 50 is separated from the engagement portion 10a of the reel 10. When the solenoid 46 is energized, the brake arm 50 is driven via the link 48, and the brake arm 50 engages with the engagement portion 10a of the reel 10. When the feed mechanism 12 is feeding out the wire W, the control device 80 causes the brake arm 50 to be separated from the engagement portion 10a of the reel 10 without energizing the solenoid 46. This allows the reel 10 to rotate freely, and the feed mechanism 12 to pull out the wire W from the reel 10. Furthermore, when the feed mechanism 12 stops letting out the wire W, the control device 80 energizes the solenoid 46 to engage the brake arm 50 with the engaging portion 10a of the reel 10, thereby prohibiting rotation of the reel 10. This prevents the reel 10 from continuing to rotate due to inertia even after the feed mechanism 12 stops letting out the wire W, and prevents the wire W from becoming loose between the reel 10 and the feed mechanism 12.

[0034] The cutting mechanism 18 shown in Figures 4 and 5 cuts the wire W while the wire W is wound around the reinforcing bar R. The cutting mechanism 18 includes a cutter 40 and a link 52. The link 52 rotates the cutter 40 in conjunction with the twisting mechanism 20, which will be described later. The rotation of the cutter 40 cuts the wire W passing through the inside of the cutter 40.

[0035] The twisting mechanism 20 shown in Fig. 5 binds the reinforcing bars R with the wire W by twisting the wire W wound around the reinforcing bars R. The twisting mechanism 20 includes a twisting motor 54, a speed reduction mechanism 56, a screw shaft 58 (see Fig. 4), a sleeve 60, a push plate 61, and a pair of hooks 62.

[0036] The torsion motor 54 is, for example, a DC brushless motor. The operation of the torsion motor 54 is controlled by a control device 80. The rotation of the torsion motor 54 is transmitted to the screw shaft 58 via a reduction mechanism 56. The torsion motor 54 is rotatable in both forward and reverse directions, and accordingly, the screw shaft 58 is also rotatable in both forward and reverse directions. The sleeve 60 is disposed to surround the screw shaft 58. When the rotation of the sleeve 60 is prohibited, the sleeve 60 moves forward when the screw shaft 58 rotates in the forward direction, and moves backward when the screw shaft 58 rotates in the reverse direction. The push plate 61 moves forward and backward together with the sleeve 60 in response to the forward and backward movement of the sleeve 60. When the rotation of the sleeve 60 is permitted, the sleeve 60 rotates together with the screw shaft 58.

[0037] When the sleeve 60 advances from the initial position to a predetermined position, the push plate 61 drives the link 52 of the cutting mechanism 18 to rotate the cutter 40. A pair of hooks 62 is provided at the front end of the sleeve 60 and opens and closes depending on the position of the sleeve 60 in the front-to-rear direction. When the sleeve 60 moves forward, the pair of hooks 62 close and grip the wire W. Thereafter, when the sleeve 60 moves rearward, the pair of hooks 62 open and release the wire W.

[0038] The control device 80 rotates the twisting motor 54 with the wire W wound around the reinforcing bar R. At this time, rotation of the sleeve 60 is prohibited, and the rotation of the screw shaft 58 causes the sleeve 60 to move forward, and the push plate 61 and the pair of hooks 62 move forward, causing the pair of hooks 62 to close and grip the wire W. Then, when rotation of the sleeve 60 is permitted, the rotation of the screw shaft 58 causes the sleeve 60 to rotate, and the pair of hooks 62 to rotate. As a result, the wire W is twisted, and the reinforcing bar R is bound.

[0039] When twisting of the wire W is completed, the control device 80 rotates the twisting motor 54 in the reverse direction. At this time, rotation of the sleeve 60 is prohibited, and after the pair of hooks 62 open and release the wire W, the sleeve 60 is moved backward by the rotation of the screw shaft 58, and the push plate 61 and the pair of hooks 62 also move backward. As the sleeve 60 moves backward, the push plate 61 drives the link 52 of the cutting mechanism 18, returning the cutter 40 to its initial position. Thereafter, when the sleeve 60 moves backward to its initial position, rotation of the sleeve 60 is permitted, and the sleeve 60 and the pair of hooks 62 rotate by the rotation of the screw shaft 58, returning them to their initial angles.

[0040] 2, a first operation unit 64 is provided on the upper part of the main body 4. The first operation unit 64 is provided with a main switch 74 for switching the main power supply on / off, a main power supply LED 76 for displaying the on / off state of the main power supply, etc. The first operation unit 64 is connected to a control device 80.

[0041] A second operation unit 90 is provided on the front upper surface of the battery attachment unit 8. A user can set the number of turns of the wire W around the rebar R, the torque threshold value when twisting the wire W, etc. via the second operation unit 90. The second operation unit 90 is provided with a setting switch 98 for setting the number of turns of the wire W around the rebar R and the torque threshold value when twisting the wire W, a display LED 96 for displaying the current setting, etc. The second operation unit 90 is connected to the control device 80.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, when the rebar tying machine 2 is detached from the rebar tying robot 100, a user uses the rebar tying machine 2 while holding the gripper 6. A trigger 84 that can be pulled by the user is provided at the upper front part of the gripper 6. As shown in FIG. 5, a trigger switch 86 that detects whether the trigger 84 is on or off is provided inside the gripper 6. The trigger switch 86 is connected to the control device 80. When the user pulls the trigger 84 and the trigger switch 86 is turned on, the rebar tying machine 2 performs a series of operations, including winding the wire W around the rebar R using the feed mechanism 12, the guide mechanism 14, and the brake mechanism 16, cutting the wire W using the cutting mechanism 18 and the twisting mechanism 20, and twisting the wire W wound around the rebar R.

[0043] (Configuration of power supply unit 102) 1, the power supply unit 102 is held by the transport unit 106. The power supply unit 102 includes a housing 110 and a cover 112. The housing 110 accommodates a control unit 126. The control unit 126 controls the operations of the power supply unit 102, the operation unit 104, and the transport unit 106.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 6, a battery chamber 110a is formed in the housing 110. A plurality of battery attachment portions 114 are provided in the battery chamber 110a. A plurality of battery packs B can be attached and detached to each of the plurality of battery attachment portions 114. A cover 112 is attached to the housing 110 via a hinge 115 provided at the rear of the housing 110 near the upper end of the battery chamber 110a. The cover 112 can rotate about a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction relative to the housing 110. As shown in FIG. 6, when the cover 112 is open relative to the housing 110, each of the plurality of battery packs B can be attached and detached to and from the plurality of battery attachment portions 114 by sliding it up and down. As shown in FIG. 1, when the cover 112 is closed relative to the housing 110, the plurality of battery packs B attached to the plurality of battery attachment portions 114 are surrounded by the housing 110 and the cover 112. In this state, even if water gets on the power supply unit 102, it is possible to prevent the water from getting on the battery packs B inside the battery housing chamber 110a.

[0045] The cover 112 is biased in a direction to close relative to the housing 110 by a torsion spring (not shown). The cover 112 is provided with a latch member 116 that can be operated by a user. As shown in FIG. 6, the housing 110 is formed with a latch receiver 110b that corresponds to the latch member 116. When the user rotates the latch member 116 with the cover 112 in a closed state, the latch member 116 engages with the latch receiver 110b, thereby maintaining the cover 112 in a closed state relative to the housing 110. When the user rotates the latch member 116 in the opposite direction from this state, the latch member 116 and the latch receiver 110b are disengaged, allowing the user to open the cover 112 relative to the housing 110.

[0046] A plurality of remaining battery indicators 118, a remaining battery indicator button 120, and an operation execution button 122 are provided on the top surface of the housing 110 forward of the battery storage chamber 110a. Each of the plurality of remaining battery indicators 118 is arranged corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of battery attachment sections 114, and displays the remaining battery level of the battery pack B attached to the corresponding battery attachment section 114. The remaining battery indicator button 120 is a button that allows the user to switch on / off the display of the remaining battery level by the plurality of remaining battery indicators 118. The operation execution button 122 is a button that allows the user to switch between executing and stopping the operation of the rebar binding robot 100.

[0047] A power supply cable 124 is connected to the upper surface of the housing 110 forward of the battery storage chamber 110a. A battery adapter 108 is connected to the power supply cable 124. When the battery adapter 108 is attached to the rebar binding machine 2, power is supplied to the rebar binding machine 2 from multiple battery packs B.

[0048] The battery storage chamber 110a is provided with a key attachment portion 119 to which a key 117 can be attached or detached. The key 117 can be attached or detached by inserting or removing it from the key attachment portion 119. When the key 117 is removed from the key attachment portion 119, the supply of power from the multiple battery packs B to the rebar binding machine 2, the operation unit 104, and the transport unit 106 is cut off. When the key 117 is attached to the key attachment portion 119, the supply of power from the multiple battery packs B to the rebar binding machine 2, the operation unit 104, and the transport unit 106 is permitted.

[0049] (Configuration of operation unit 104) As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the operation unit 104 includes a lifting mechanism 130 and a gripping mechanism 132.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 7 , the lifting mechanism 130 includes a lower base member 134, an upper base member 136, support pipes 138 and 140, a lifting platform 142, a screw shaft 144, a motor connector 146, a lifting motor 148, a sensor support member 150, an upper limit detection sensor 152, and a lower limit detection sensor 154. The lower base member 134 is held by the transport unit 106. The lower ends of the support pipes 138 and 140 are fixed to the lower base member 134. The upper ends of the support pipes 138 and 140 are fixed to the upper base member 136. The support pipes 138 and 140 are arranged parallel to each other. The support pipes 138 and 140 are arranged at an angle in the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions relative to the up-to-down direction of the rebar binding robot 100. Hereinafter, the direction in which the support pipes 138 and 140 extend is also referred to as the lifting direction. The lifting platform 142 has through holes 142a and 142b through which the support pipes 138 and 140 pass. Holding members 156 and 158 that slidably hold the support pipes 138 and 140 are fixed in the through holes 142a and 142b. The holding members 156 and 158 may be, for example, linear bushings embedded with solid lubricant, linear ball bearings, or oil-less bearings. The lifting platform 142 is disposed between the lower base member 134 and the upper base member 136, with the support pipes 138 and 140 slidably passing through the corresponding holding members 156 and 158, respectively. The screw shaft 144 is disposed between the support pipes 138 and 140. The lower end of the screw shaft 144 is rotatably held by the lower base member 134. The vicinity of the upper end of the screw shaft 144 is rotatably held by the upper base member 136. The screw shaft 144 is disposed parallel to the support pipes 138, 140. A male thread is formed on the outer surface of the screw shaft 144 between the lower base member 134 and the upper base member 136. A through hole 142c through which the screw shaft 144 passes is formed in the lifting platform 142. A nut 160 is fixed to the through hole 142c. The nut 160 has a female thread formed therein that corresponds to the male thread of the screw shaft 144.The screw shaft 144 passes through the lift platform 142 with its male thread threadedly engaged with the female thread of the nut 160. The upper end of the screw shaft 144 is connected to the lift motor 148 via a motor connector 146. The lift motor 148 is, for example, a DC brush motor. When the lift motor 148 rotates in the forward direction, the rotation of the screw shaft 144 causes the lift platform 142 to descend from the upper base member 136 toward the lower base member 134. Conversely, when the lift motor 148 rotates in the reverse direction, the rotation of the screw shaft 144 causes the lift platform 142 to ascend from the lower base member 134 toward the upper base member 136. The sensor support member 150 has a lower end fixed to the lower base member 134 and an upper end fixed to the upper base member 136. An upper limit detection sensor 152 and a lower limit detection sensor 154 are each fixed to the sensor support member 150. The upper limit detection sensor 152 is normally off and turns on when the lifting platform 142 reaches its upper limit position and comes into contact with the lifting platform 142. The lower limit detection sensor 154 is normally off and turns on when the lifting platform 142 reaches its lower limit position and comes into contact with the lifting platform 142. The control unit 126 of the rebar binding robot 100 rotates the lifting motor 148 in the forward direction when lowering the rebar binding machine 2, and stops the lifting motor 148 when the lower limit detection sensor 154 turns on. Note that the control unit 126 also stops the lifting motor 148 if the rebar binding machine 2 collides with a primary rebar R1, a secondary rebar R2, or another obstacle during the lowering of the rebar binding machine 2, causing a sudden increase in the load on the lifting motor 148. The load on the lifting motor 148 can be determined, for example, from the current value of the lifting motor 148. Furthermore, when raising the rebar binding machine 2, the control unit 126 rotates the lift motor 148 in the reverse direction, and stops the lift motor 148 when the upper limit detection sensor 152 turns on.

[0051] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , in the rebar bundling robot 100 of this embodiment, when the rebar bundling machine 2 is lowered, the primary rebars R1 and secondary rebars R2 approach the rebar bundling machine 2 from the side of the lower curl guide 32, not the side of the upper curl guide 30. This makes it possible to prevent the primary rebars R1 and secondary rebars R2 from colliding with the upper curl guide 30 when the rebar bundling machine 2 is lowered. Also, in the rebar bundling robot 100 of this embodiment, when the rebar bundling machine 2 is raised, the primary rebars R1 and secondary rebars R2 move away from the side of the lower curl guide 32, not the side of the upper curl guide 30. This makes it possible to prevent the primary rebars R1 and secondary rebars R2 from getting caught in the upper curl guide 30 when the rebar bundling machine 2 is raised.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 8 , the gripping mechanism 132 includes a first support plate 162, a second support plate 164, connecting shafts 166 and 168, a pivot pin 170, a torsion spring 172, a support pin 174, a link 176, a plunger 178, an actuator 180, and a torsion spring 182. The first support plate 162 is disposed facing one outer surface of the gripping unit 6 of the rebar binding machine 2 (for example, the outer surface on the right side as viewed from the rebar binding machine 2). The second support plate 164 is disposed facing the other outer surface of the gripping unit 6 of the rebar binding machine 2 (for example, the outer surface on the left side as viewed from the rebar binding machine 2). The first support plate 162 and the second support plate 164 are fixed to each other via the connecting shafts 166 and 168 while sandwiching the gripping unit 6 of the rebar binding machine 2. The surface of the first support plate 162 facing the gripping portion 6 and the surface of the second support plate 164 facing the gripping portion 6 each have a plurality of protrusions (not shown) that fit into a plurality of recesses 6a (see FIG. 2) formed on the outer surface of the gripping portion 6 of the rebar binding machine 2. Therefore, the position of the gripping portion 6 of the rebar binding machine 2 is fixed relative to the first support plate 162 and the second support plate 164.

[0053] The first support plate 162 is connected to the lifting platform 142 of the lifting mechanism 130 via a pivot pin 170. One end of the pivot pin 170 is fixed to the lifting platform 142. The other end of the pivot pin 170 is rotatably held by the first support plate 162. Therefore, the rebar binding machine 2 held by the first support plate 162 and the second support plate 164 rises and falls in accordance with the rise and fall of the lifting platform 142, and can rotate about the pivot pin 170 relative to the lifting platform 142. The support pin 174 is fixed to the lifting platform 142 and extends from the lifting platform 142 toward the first support plate 162. The first support plate 162 is formed with an elongated hole 162a into which the support pin 174 is inserted, and a protrusion 162b that protrudes toward the lifting platform 142. The elongated hole 162a defines the range of rotation of the rebar binding machine 2 when it rotates around the pivot pin 170. The torsion spring 172 is disposed on the outside of the pivot pin 170 and biases the protrusion 162b toward the support pin 174 in a direction in which the protrusion 162b moves away from the support pin 174 (i.e., biases the first support plate 162 toward the lifting platform 142). If the rebar binding machine 2 were configured to be unable to rotate relative to the lifting platform 142, a large impact would be applied to the operation unit 104 if the rebar binding machine 2 were to collide with an obstacle. As described above, by configuring the rebar binding machine 2 to be rotatable relative to the lifting platform 142, it is possible to prevent a large impact from being applied to the operation unit 104 even if the rebar binding machine 2 collides with an obstacle.

[0054] The link 176 is held by the second support plate 164. The link 176 is rotatable around a rotation axis along the left-right direction relative to the second support plate 164. The link 176 includes a pressing portion 176a and an operating portion 176b. The pressing portion 176a is disposed opposite the trigger 84 of the rebar binding machine 2. The operating portion 176b is connected to an actuator 180 via a plunger 178. The actuator 180 is, for example, a solenoid. The operation of the actuator 180 is controlled by the control unit 126 of the rebar binding robot 100. The torsion spring 182 biases the link 176 toward the second support plate 164 in a direction in which the pressing portion 176a moves away from the trigger 84. When the actuator 180 is off, the biasing force of the torsion spring 182 moves the pressing portion 176a away from the trigger 84. When the actuator 180 is turned on, the link 176 rotates in the direction in which the operating part 176b approaches the actuator 180, causing the pressing part 176a to press the trigger 84. As a result, the trigger 84 of the rebar binding machine 2 is pulled.

[0055] (Configuration of transport unit 106) As shown in FIG. 11, the transport unit 106 includes a chassis 190, a right crawler 192, a left crawler 194, a side stepper 196, a front three-dimensional distance sensor 198, a rear three-dimensional distance sensor 200, and a central three-dimensional distance sensor 202.

[0056] The chassis 190 includes a base plate 204, a right frame 206, a left frame 208, a right plate 210, a left plate 212, a front frame 214, and a rear frame 216. The base plate 204 is arranged along the front-rear and left-right directions. As shown in FIG. 1, the power supply unit 102 is held in the transport unit 106 by fixing the housing 110 to the upper surface of the base plate 204. A through hole 204a is formed in the base plate 204. As shown in FIG. 11, the operation unit 104 is held in the transport unit 106 by fixing the lower base member 134 to the edge of the through hole 204a. When the operation unit 104 raises or lowers the rebar binding machine 2, the rebar binding machine 2 passes through the through hole 204a.

[0057] The right frame 206 and the left frame 208 are fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 204. The right frame 206 extends in the front-rear direction from the right end of the base plate 204. The left frame 208 extends in the front-rear direction from the left end of the base plate 204. In the front-rear direction, the front ends of the right frame 206 and the left frame 208 are located at the same position as the front ends of the base plate 204, and the rear ends of the right frame 206 and the left frame 208 are located at the same position as the rear ends of the base plate 204. The right plate 210 is fixed to the right surface of the right frame 206. The right plate 210 is arranged along the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. The left plate 212 is fixed to the left surface of the left frame 208. The left plate 212 is arranged along the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. In the up-down direction, the upper ends of the right plate 210 and the left plate 212 are located at the same position as the upper surface of the base plate 204. In the front-rear direction, the front end of the right plate 210 and the front end of the left plate 212 protrude forward more than the front end of the base plate 204, and the rear end of the right plate 210 and the rear end of the left plate 212 protrude rearward more than the rear end of the base plate 204. The front frame 214 connects the vicinity of the front end of the right plate 210 to the vicinity of the front end of the left plate 212, forward of the front end of the base plate 204. The rear frame 216 connects the vicinity of the rear end of the right plate 210 to the vicinity of the rear end of the left plate 212, rearward of the rear end of the base plate 204. The front frame 214 and the rear frame 216 extend in the left-right direction. In the up-down direction, the front frame 214 and the rear frame 216 are disposed lower than the right frame 206 and the left frame 208.

[0058] The right crawler 192 includes a front pulley 218, a rear pulley 220, a plurality of auxiliary pulleys 222, a tensioner pulley 224, a rubber belt 226, a right crawler motor 228, and a gearbox 230. Teeth that mesh with the rubber belt 226 are formed on the outer surfaces of the front pulley 218, the rear pulley 220, and the plurality of auxiliary pulleys 222. The rubber belt 226 is looped around the front pulley 218, the rear pulley 220, the plurality of auxiliary pulleys 222, and the tensioner pulley 224. The front pulley 218 is rotatably supported by the right plate 210 via a bearing 232 near the front end of the right plate 210. The rear pulley 220 is rotatably supported by the right plate 210 via a bearing 234 near the rear end of the right plate 210. The multiple auxiliary pulleys 222 are rotatably supported on the right plate 210 between the front pulley 218 and the rear pulley 220 via corresponding bearings 236. The multiple auxiliary pulleys 222 are arranged side by side in the front-to-rear direction. The outer diameters of the front pulley 218 and the rear pulley 220 are substantially the same, and the outer diameters of the multiple auxiliary pulleys 222 are smaller than the outer diameters of the front pulley 218 and the rear pulley 220. In the up-down direction, the lower end of the front pulley 218, the lower end of the rear pulley 220, and the lower ends of the multiple auxiliary pulleys 222 are located at substantially the same position.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 12 , the tensioner pulley 224 is rotatably supported by a movable bearing 237. The movable bearing 237 is supported by the right plate 210 so as to be movable up and down. Note that the base plate 204 and the right frame 206 are cut out near the movable bearing 237 to prevent interference with the movable bearing 237. An adjustment bolt 238, a nut 240, and a bolt support member 242 are provided below the movable bearing 237. The bolt support member 242 is fixed to the right plate 210. A through hole 242a is formed in the bolt support member 242, through which the shaft portion 238a of the adjustment bolt 238 passes. A female thread corresponding to the male thread of the shaft portion 238a is formed on the inner surface of the through hole 242a. The nut 240 is disposed below the bolt support member 242. The head 238b of the adjustment bolt 238 is positioned below the nut 240, and the shaft 238a of the adjustment bolt 238 is threadedly engaged with the nut 240 and also threadedly engaged with the through-hole 242a of the bolt support member 242. Therefore, the vertical position of the adjustment bolt 238 is fixed in a so-called double-nut manner. The upper end of the shaft 238a of the adjustment bolt 238 abuts against the underside of the movable bearing 237. By adjusting the vertical position of the adjustment bolt 238 while the rubber belt 226 is looped around the tensioner pulley 224, the vertical position of the movable bearing 237 relative to the right plate 210 can be adjusted. This makes it possible to adjust the tension of the rubber belt 226.

[0060] 11 , the right crawler motor 228 is supported on the right plate 210 via a bearing 232 and a gearbox 230. The right crawler motor 228 is, for example, a DC brushless motor. The right crawler motor 228 is connected to the front pulley 218 via a reduction gear (not shown) built into the gearbox 230. When the right crawler motor 228 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the front pulley 218 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, causing the rubber belt 226 to rotate in the forward or reverse direction around the front pulley 218, the rear pulley 220, the multiple auxiliary pulleys 222, and the tensioner pulley 224.

[0061] The left crawler 194 includes a front pulley 244, a rear pulley 246, a plurality of auxiliary pulleys 248, a tensioner pulley 250, a rubber belt 252, a left crawler motor 254, and a gearbox 256. Teeth that mesh with the rubber belt 252 are formed on the outer surfaces of the front pulley 244, the rear pulley 246, and the plurality of auxiliary pulleys 248. The rubber belt 252 is looped around the front pulley 244, the rear pulley 246, the plurality of auxiliary pulleys 248, and the tensioner pulley 250. The front pulley 244 is rotatably supported by the left plate 212 near the front end of the left plate 212 via a bearing 258. The rear pulley 246 is rotatably supported by the left plate 212 near the rear end of the left plate 212 via a bearing 260. The multiple auxiliary pulleys 248 are rotatably supported on the left plate 212 between the front pulley 244 and the rear pulley 246 via corresponding bearings 262. The multiple auxiliary pulleys 248 are arranged side by side in the front-to-rear direction. The outer diameters of the front pulley 244 and the rear pulley 246 are substantially the same, and the outer diameters of the multiple auxiliary pulleys 248 are smaller than the outer diameters of the front pulley 244 and the rear pulley 246. In the up-down direction, the lower end of the front pulley 244, the lower end of the rear pulley 246, and the lower ends of the multiple auxiliary pulleys 248 are located at substantially the same position.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 12 , the tensioner pulley 250 is rotatably supported by a movable bearing 264. The movable bearing 264 is supported by the left side plate 212 so as to be movable up and down. Note that the base plate 204 and the left side frame 208 are cut out near the movable bearing 264 to prevent interference with the movable bearing 264. An adjustment bolt 266, a nut 268, and a bolt support member 270 are provided below the movable bearing 264. The bolt support member 270 is fixed to the left side plate 212. A through hole 270a is formed in the bolt support member 270, through which the shaft portion 266a of the adjustment bolt 266 passes. A female thread corresponding to the male thread of the shaft portion 266a is formed on the inner surface of the through hole 270a. The nut 268 is disposed below the bolt support member 270. The head 266b of the adjustment bolt 266 is positioned lower than the nut 268, and the shaft 266a of the adjustment bolt 266 is threadedly engaged with the nut 268 and also threadedly engaged with a through-hole 270a of the bolt support member 270. Therefore, the vertical position of the adjustment bolt 266 is fixed in a so-called double-nut manner. The upper end of the shaft 266a of the adjustment bolt 266 abuts against the underside of the movable bearing 264. By adjusting the vertical position of the adjustment bolt 266 while the rubber belt 252 is looped around the tensioner pulley 250, the vertical position of the movable bearing 264 relative to the left plate 212 can be adjusted. This makes it possible to adjust the tension of the rubber belt 252.

[0063] 11 , the left crawler motor 254 is supported on the left plate 212 via a bearing 258 and a gearbox 256. The left crawler motor 254 is, for example, a DC brushless motor. The left crawler motor 254 is connected to the front pulley 244 via a reduction gear (not shown) built into the gearbox 256. When the left crawler motor 254 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the front pulley 244 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, causing the rubber belt 252 to rotate in the forward or reverse direction around the front pulley 244, the rear pulley 246, the multiple auxiliary pulleys 248, and the tensioner pulley 250.

[0064] As shown in Fig. 13, the side stepper 196 includes step bars 272, 274, a front crank mechanism 276, a rear crank mechanism 277, a stepper motor 279, a gear box 281, a worm gear case 283, and a rotation transmission shaft 285. The step bars 272, 274 are rod-shaped members having a substantially rectangular cross section and extending in the front-rear direction. As shown in Fig. 11, in the left-right direction, the step bar 272 is disposed between the center and the right end of the base plate 204, and the step bar 274 is disposed between the center and the left end of the base plate 204.

[0065] As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 , the front crank mechanism 276 includes a support plate 278, pulleys 280 and 282, a belt 284, crank arms 286 and 288, crank pins 290 and 292 (see FIG. 15 ), a crank plate 294, rollers 296 and 298, and a guide plate 300. The support plate 278 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 204 near the front end of the base plate 204. The support plate 278 is arranged along the left-right and up-down directions. The pulley 280 is arranged near the right end of the support plate 278 and rearward of the support plate 278. The pulley 282 is arranged near the left end of the support plate 278 and rearward of the support plate 278. The pulleys 280 and 282 are each rotatably supported by the support plate 278. The diameter of pulley 280 is approximately the same as the diameter of pulley 282. Belt 284 is looped around pulleys 280 and 282. Therefore, when one of pulleys 280 and 282 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the other also rotates in the forward or reverse direction at approximately the same rotation speed.

[0066] The crank arms 286, 288, crank pins 290, 292, crank plate 294, rollers 296, 298, and guide plate 300 are disposed forward of the support plate 278. As shown in Fig. 15, the crank arms 286, 288 have fitting holes 286a, 288a into which the shafts 280a, 282a of the pulleys 280, 282 are fitted, and elongated holes 286b, 288b extending in the longitudinal direction of the crank arms 286, 288. When the pulleys 280, 282 rotate, the crank arms 286, 288 rotate integrally with the pulleys 280, 282 around the shafts 280a, 282a. The crank pins 290, 292 are slidably inserted into the elongated holes 286b, 288b. The crank pins 290, 292 are fixed to the crank plate 294 while passing through it. The crank plate 294 is disposed forward of the crank arms 286, 288. The crank plate 294 extends in the left-right and up-down directions. The rollers 296, 298 (see FIG. 14) are attached to the crank pins 290, 292 forward of the crank plate 294. As shown in FIG. 14, the rollers 296, 298 fit into guide grooves 302, 304 formed in the rear surface of a guide plate 300. The guide plate 300 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 204 forward of the crank plate 294. The guide plate 300 extends in the left-right and up-down directions. As shown in FIG. 15, the guide grooves 302, 304 of the guide plate 300 are formed in a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners. Guide grooves 302, 304 define a side step path S, which is shown by a dashed line in Fig. 15. The side step path S has a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners, and has upper and lower sides extending in the left-right direction and right and left sides extending in the up-down direction.

[0067] In the front crank mechanism 276, when the pulleys 280, 282 rotate, the crank arms 286, 288 rotate, causing the crank pins 290, 292 to move in the rotational direction of the crank arms 286, 288. At this time, because the rollers 296, 298 are fitted in the guide grooves 302, 304, the crank pins 290, 292 slide inside the elongated holes 286b, 288b and move along the side step path S defined by the guide grooves 302, 304. As a result, the crank plate 294 to which the crank pins 290, 292 are fixed also moves along the side step path S defined by the guide grooves 302, 304.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 16, the rear crank mechanism 277 includes a support plate 306, pulleys 308 and 310, a belt 312, crank arms 314 and 316, crank pins 318 and 320 (see FIG. 15), a crank plate 322, rollers 324 and 326, and a guide plate 328. The support plate 306 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 204 near the rear end of the base plate 204. The support plate 306 is arranged along the left-right and up-down directions. The pulley 308 is arranged near the right end of the support plate 306 and forward of the support plate 306. The pulley 310 is arranged near the left end of the support plate 306 and forward of the support plate 306. The pulleys 308 and 310 are each rotatably supported by the support plate 306. The diameter of pulley 308 is approximately the same as the diameter of pulley 310, which is also approximately the same as the diameter of pulleys 280, 282 of front crank mechanism 276. Belt 312 is wound around pulleys 308, 310. Therefore, when one of pulleys 308, 310 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the other also rotates in the forward or reverse direction at approximately the same rotation speed.

[0069] The crank arms 314, 316, crank pins 318, 320, crank plate 322, rollers 324, 326, and guide plate 328 are disposed rearward of the support plate 306. As shown in Fig. 15, the crank arms 314, 316 have fitting holes 314a, 316a into which the shafts 308a, 310a of the pulleys 308, 310 are fitted, and elongated holes 314b, 316b extending in the longitudinal direction of the crank arms 314, 316. When the pulleys 308, 310 rotate, the crank arms 314, 316 rotate integrally with the pulleys 308, 310 around the shafts 308a, 310a. The crank pins 318, 320 are slidably inserted into the elongated holes 314b, 316b. The crank pins 318, 320 are fixed to the crank plate 322 while passing through the crank plate 322. The crank plate 322 is disposed rearward of the crank arms 314, 316. The crank plate 322 extends in the left-right and up-down directions. The rollers 324, 326 (see FIG. 16) are attached to the crank pins 318, 320 rearward of the crank plate 322. As shown in FIG. 16, the rollers 324, 326 fit into guide grooves 330, 332 formed in the front surface of a guide plate 328. The guide plate 328 is fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 204 rearward of the crank plate 322. The guide plate 328 extends in the left-right and up-down directions. As shown in FIG. 15, the guide grooves 330, 332 of the guide plate 328 are formed in a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners. Guide grooves 330, 332 define a side step trajectory S, shown by a dashed line in Fig. 15. Side step trajectory S has a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners, with upper and lower sides aligned in the left-right direction and right and left sides aligned in the up-down direction. The side step trajectory S defined by guide grooves 330, 332 is the same as the side step trajectory S defined by guide grooves 302, 304.

[0070] In the rear crank mechanism 277, when the pulleys 308, 310 rotate, the crank arms 314, 316 rotate, causing the crank pins 318, 320 to move in the rotational direction of the crank arms 314, 316. At this time, because the rollers 324, 326 are fitted in the guide grooves 330, 332, the crank pins 318, 320 slide inside the elongated holes 314b, 316b and move along the side step path S defined by the guide grooves 330, 332. As a result, the crank plate 322 to which the crank pins 318, 320 are fixed also moves along the side step path S defined by the guide grooves 330, 332.

[0071] 13, each of the step bars 272, 274 has its front end fixed to a crank plate 294 of the front crank mechanism 276 and its rear end fixed to a crank plate 322 of the rear crank mechanism 277. Furthermore, the pulley 280 of the front crank mechanism 276 and the pulley 308 of the rear crank mechanism 277 are connected by a rotation transmission shaft 285. Therefore, the pulleys 280, 282 of the front crank mechanism 276 and the pulleys 308, 310 of the rear crank mechanism 277 rotate synchronously with each other, and the crank plate 294 of the front crank mechanism 276 and the crank plate 322 of the rear crank mechanism 277 operate synchronously with each other. A zero-point detection sensor (not shown) is provided in one of the front crank mechanism 276 and the rear crank mechanism 277 (for example, the front crank mechanism 276). The zero point detection sensor includes, for example, a permanent magnet (not shown) fixed to the crank plate 294 and a Hall element (not shown) fixed to the guide plate 300. The zero point detection sensor can detect whether the crank plates 294, 322 are at the zero point position, with the center in the left-right direction of the upper edge of the side step path S being the zero point position.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 13 , the worm gear case 283 is disposed rearward of the pulley 282 of the front crank mechanism 276. The worm gear case 283 is fixed to the support plate 278 of the front crank mechanism 276. The gear box 281 is disposed to the right of the worm gear case 283 and is fixed to the worm gear case 283. The stepper motor 279 is disposed to the right of the gear box 281 and is held by the gear box 281. The stepper motor 279 is, for example, a DC brushed motor. The stepper motor 279 is connected to the pulley 282 via a reduction gear (not shown) built into the gear box 281 and a worm gear (not shown) built into the worm gear case 283. When stepper motor 279 rotates forward or reverse, pulleys 280, 282, 308, 310 rotate forward or reverse, causing crank plates 294, 322 to move clockwise or counterclockwise along side step trajectory S, and step bars 272, 274 to also move clockwise or counterclockwise along side step trajectory S. As shown in FIG. 1, base plate 204 is formed with through-holes 204b to avoid interference with stepper motor 279, gear box 281, and worm gear case 283.

[0073] 17, when the crank plates 294, 322 are on the upper side of the side step track S (see FIG. 15) and the step bars 272, 274 are moving upward, the crank plates 294, 322 and the step bars 272, 274 are separated from the primary reinforcing bars R1 and the secondary reinforcing bars R2. In this state, the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194 are in contact with the primary reinforcing bars R1 and the secondary reinforcing bars R2, so the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 can drive the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194 to move forward and backward.

[0074] 17, when the stepper motor 279 is rotated, the crank plates 294, 322 move along the side step path S (see FIG. 15), and the step bars 272, 274 move downward accordingly, causing the crank plates 294, 322 and the step bars 272, 274 to come into contact with the secondary rebar R2. When the stepper motor 279 is further rotated from this state, the crank plates 294, 322 and the step bars 272, 274 move further downward, causing the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194 to move away from the secondary rebar R2, as shown in FIG. By continuing to rotate the stepper motor 279, the rebar binding robot 100 moves to the right or left by a step width corresponding to the left-right width of the side step track S, and then the crank plates 294, 322 and step bars 272, 274 move upward, causing the right crawler 192 and left crawler 194 to again abut against the primary rebar R1 or secondary rebar R2, and the crank plates 294, 322 and step bars 272, 274 to move away from the secondary rebar R2. When the zero-point detection sensor detects that the crank plates 294, 322 have reached the zero-point position, the rotation of the stepper motor 279 stops. As described above, by driving the side stepper 196, the rebar binding robot 100 can move to the right or left by a predetermined step width.

[0075] The side step path S defined by the guide grooves 302, 304, 330, 332 is not limited to the generally rectangular shape described above and may have various other shapes. The side step path S may have any shape as long as, when the step bars 272, 274 move along the side step path S, the lower ends of the step bars 272, 274 move below the lower ends of the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194, then the lower ends of the step bars 272, 274 move in the left-right direction, and then the lower ends of the step bars 272, 274 move above the lower ends of the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194. For example, the side step path S may be circular, elliptical, triangular with a base at the bottom, or polygonal with pentagons or more sides.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 11 , the front three-dimensional distance sensor 198 is provided on the front surface of the front frame 214, near the center of the front frame 214 in the left-right direction. The rear three-dimensional distance sensor 200 is provided on the rear surface of the rear frame 216, near the center of the rear frame 216 in the left-right direction. The central three-dimensional distance sensor 202 is provided on the underside of the base plate 204, near the center of the left end of the base plate 204 in the front-to-back direction. The front three-dimensional distance sensor 198 and the rear three-dimensional distance sensor 200 are each arranged to face downward. The central three-dimensional distance sensor 202 is arranged to face diagonally downward and to the right. The front three-dimensional distance sensor 198, the rear three-dimensional distance sensor 200, and the central three-dimensional distance sensor 202 are, for example, TOF (Time-of-Flight) sensors capable of outputting point cloud data that represents the three-dimensional position of a subject within a field of view using a point cloud. The control unit 126 of the rebar tying robot 100 can identify the relative positions of the primary rebars R1 and secondary rebars R2 with respect to the front three-dimensional distance sensor 198, the rear three-dimensional distance sensor 200, and the central three-dimensional distance sensor 202, respectively, based on the point cloud data acquired by the front three-dimensional distance sensor 198, the rear three-dimensional distance sensor 200, and the central three-dimensional distance sensor 202. The field of view of the front three-dimensional distance sensor 198 is disposed forward of the field of view of the central three-dimensional distance sensor 202, and the field of view of the rear three-dimensional distance sensor 200 is disposed rearward of the field of view of the central three-dimensional distance sensor 202. Note that instead of TOF sensors, stereo vision or pattern projection three-dimensional distance sensors may be used as the front three-dimensional distance sensor 198, the rear three-dimensional distance sensor 200, and the central three-dimensional distance sensor 202.

[0077] (Operation of rebar binding robot 100) When the user operates the operation execution button 122 to instruct the rebar binding robot 100 to perform an operation, the control unit 126 executes the processing shown in FIGS.

[0078] As shown in Fig. 19, in S2, the control unit 126 executes the side step process (see Fig. 28) until it reaches the primary reinforcing bar R1' that is the target of the binding work among the multiple primary reinforcing bars R1. The side step process will be described in detail later.

[0079] In S4, the control unit 126 generates a primary reinforcing bar model in which the position and angle of the primary reinforcing bar R1' as seen from the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 are modeled as straight lines. The process of generating the primary reinforcing bar model will be described in detail later.

[0080] In S6, the control unit 126 determines whether the horizontal position of the primary reinforcing bar R1' is within a first predetermined position range from the reference position. The reference position here refers to the position where the intersection of the primary reinforcing bar R1' and the secondary reinforcing bar R2 should be located when the operation unit 104 lowers the reinforcing bar binding machine 2 to perform binding work. For example, the reference position is located at the center of the base plate 204 in the front-rear and left-right directions. The horizontal position of the primary reinforcing bar R1' here refers to the horizontal position of the primary reinforcing bar R1' at the same front-rear position as the reference position. The horizontal position of the primary reinforcing bar R1' can be calculated based on a primary reinforcing bar model. The first predetermined position range here refers to the range within which the reinforcing bar R1' can be bound by the reinforcing bar binding machine 2 if the horizontal position of the primary reinforcing bar R1' is within this range. If the horizontal position of the primary reinforcing bar R1' is not within the first predetermined position range (NO), the process proceeds to S10. If the left-right position of the primary reinforcing bar R1' is within the first predetermined position range (YES), the process proceeds to S8.

[0081] In S8, the control unit 126 determines whether the angle of the primary rebar R1' is within a predetermined angle range from the reference angle. The reference angle here refers to the angle that the primary rebar R1' should take with respect to the front-to-back direction of the rebar binding robot 100 at the intersection of the primary rebar R1' and the secondary rebar R2 when the operation unit 104 lowers the rebar binding machine 2 to perform the binding operation. For example, the reference angle is zero degrees. The angle of the primary rebar R1' can be calculated based on a primary rebar model. The predetermined angle range here refers to a range within which the rebar binding machine 2 can perform the binding operation if the angle of the primary rebar R1' is within that range. If the angle of the primary rebar R1' is not within the predetermined angle range (NO), the process proceeds to S10. If the angle of the primary rebar R1 is within the predetermined angle range (YES), the process proceeds to S22 (see FIG. 20).

[0082] In S10, the control unit 126 starts rebar tracing control. In rebar tracing control, the control unit 126 moves the rebar binding robot 100 forward or backward while applying a speed difference between the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194, and moves the left-right position and angle of the primary rebar R1' closer to the reference position and reference angle. Details of the rebar tracing control will be described later.

[0083] In S12, the control unit 126 generates a primary reinforcing bar model for the primary reinforcing bar R1′ by the same process as in S4, in order to update the primary reinforcing bar model as the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 moves.

[0084] In S14, the control unit 126 determines whether the left-right position of the primary reinforcing bar R1' is within a first predetermined position range from the reference position. If the left-right position of the primary reinforcing bar R1' is not within the first predetermined position range (NO), the process returns to S12. If the left-right position of the primary reinforcing bar R1' is within the first predetermined range (YES), the process proceeds to S16.

[0085] In S16, the control unit 126 determines whether the angle of the primary reinforcing bar R1' is within a predetermined angle range from the reference angle. If the angle of the primary reinforcing bar R1' is not within the predetermined angle range (NO), the process returns to S12. If the angle of the primary reinforcing bar R1' is within the predetermined angle range (YES), the process proceeds to S18.

[0086] In S18, the control unit 126 ends the rebar tracing control. By performing the processes from S10 to S18, the rebar binding robot 100 moves so that the left-right position and angle of the primary rebar R1' coincide with the reference position and reference angle, as shown in Fig. 21. Note that in Figs. 21 to 24, the reference position and reference angle of the rebar binding robot 100 are represented by a cross cursor C.

[0087] As shown in Figure 19, in S20, the control unit 126 performs a return process. In the return process, the control unit 126 moves the rebar binding robot 100 in the opposite direction to the direction in which the rebar binding robot 100 moved in the immediately preceding process from S10 to S18. At this time, the control unit 126 moves the rebar binding robot 100 while imparting a speed difference between the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194 so that the left-right position and angle of the primary rebar R1', which fell within the first predetermined position range and predetermined angle range in the immediately preceding process from S10 to S18, do not deviate from the first predetermined position range and predetermined angle range. The control unit 126 measures the forward or backward movement distance of the rebar binding robot 100 from the start of the rebar tracing control in S10 to the end of the rebar tracing control in S18, and then moves the rebar binding robot 100 in the opposite direction by the same movement distance in the return process in S20. By performing the return process of S20, the rebar binding robot 100 moves in the opposite direction while keeping the left-right position and angle of the primary rebar R1' consistent with the reference position and reference angle, as shown in Figure 22.

[0088] 20, in S22, the control unit 126 starts the rebar tracing control in the same manner as in S10 (see FIG. 19), which causes the rebar binding robot 100 to start moving forward or backward along the primary rebar R1′.

[0089] In S24, the control unit 126 generates a primary reinforcing bar model for the primary reinforcing bar R1' by the same process as in S4, in order to update the primary reinforcing bar model as the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 moves.

[0090] In S26, the control unit 126 identifies the position of the intersection between the primary reinforcing bar R1' and the secondary reinforcing bar R2. The process of identifying the intersection position will be described in detail later.

[0091] In S28, the control unit 126 determines whether the position of the intersection of the primary reinforcing bar R1' and the secondary reinforcing bar R2 is within a second position range from the reference position. The second position range here is a range within which the reinforcing bar binding machine 2 can perform binding work if the position of the intersection of the primary reinforcing bar R1' and the secondary reinforcing bar R2 is within that range. If the position of the intersection is not within the second position range (NO), the process returns to S24. If the position of the intersection is within the second position range (YES), the process proceeds to S30.

[0092] In S30, the control unit 126 ends the rebar tracing control, which causes the rebar binding robot 100 to stop moving forward or backward along the primary rebar R1'.

[0093] In S32, the control unit 126 performs a rebar binding process. In the rebar binding process, the control unit 126 drives the lifting mechanism 130 to lower the rebar binding machine 2, sets the rebar binding machine 2 at the intersection of the primary rebar R1' and the secondary rebar R2, and drives the gripping mechanism 132 to perform the binding work of the primary rebar R1' and the secondary rebar R2 with the rebar binding machine 2. Thereafter, the control unit 126 drives the lifting mechanism 130 to raise the rebar binding machine 2. After S32, the process proceeds to S34.

[0094] In S34, the control unit 126 determines whether the bundling operation performed in S32 was completed normally. If it is determined that the bundling operation was not completed normally (NO), the process returns to S32. If it is determined that the bundling operation was completed normally (YES), the process proceeds to S36.

[0095] In S36, the control unit 126 determines whether or not all of the binding work for the primary reinforcing bar R1' has been completed. If it is determined that the work has not yet been completed (NO), the process returns to S22. By repeatedly performing the processes from S22 to S36, as shown in FIG. 23, the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 moves along the primary reinforcing bar R1' while repeatedly performing binding work at the intersections of the primary reinforcing bar R1' and the secondary reinforcing bar R2.

[0096] As shown in FIG. 20, if it is determined in S36 that all the bundling work for the primary reinforcing bars R1' has been completed (YES), the process proceeds to S38.

[0097] In S38, the control unit 126 determines whether or not the binding work has been completed for all the primary reinforcing bars R1. If it is determined that the binding work has not been completed yet (NO), the process proceeds to S40.

[0098] In S40, the control unit 126 changes the primary reinforcing bar R1' to be bound to another primary reinforcing bar R1 for which the binding work has not yet been completed. After S40, the process returns to S2 (see FIG. 19).

[0099] If it is determined in S38 that the binding work has been completed for all primary reinforcing bars R1 (YES), the processing of Figs. 19 and 20 ends.

[0100] 19 and 20, when the rebar binding robot 100 repeatedly performs binding work at the intersections of the primary rebar R1' and the secondary rebar R2, it may bind the intersections of the primary rebar R1' and the secondary rebar R2 by skipping every other intersection. In this case, the rebar binding robot 100 may select the intersections to be bound so that at least one of the adjacent intersections is ultimately bound.

[0101] (Rebar tracing control) When moving the rebar binding robot 100, the control unit 126 determines the traveling speed vR(t) of the right crawler 192 and the traveling speed vL(t) of the left crawler 194, and rotates the right crawler motor 228 at a rotational speed corresponding to the traveling speed vR(t) of the right crawler 192, and rotates the left crawler motor 254 at a rotational speed corresponding to the traveling speed vL(t) of the left crawler 194. As shown in Fig. 24, the forward traveling speed v(t) and the angular velocity ω(t) of rotation about the up-down direction of the rebar binding robot 100 realized in this case are respectively given by the following equations. v(t)=(vR(t)+vL(t)) / 2 (1) ω(t)=(vR(t)-vL(t)) / 2l (2) Here, 2l is the distance between the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194.

[0102] 19 and 20, the control unit 126 determines vR(t) and vL(t) so that the reference position and reference angle of the rebar binding robot 100 approach the left-right position and angle of the primary rebar R1'. Specifically, the control unit 126 calculates vR(t) and vL(t) using the following equations: vR(t)=vconst+Δv(t) (3) vL(t)=vconst-Δv(t) (4) Here, vconst is a constant value, and Δv(t) is a correction amount for bringing the reference position and reference angle of the rebar binding robot 100 closer to the left-right position and angle of the primary rebar R1'.

[0103] When vR(t) and vL(t) are given by the above equations (3) and (4), the velocity v(t) and angular velocity ω(t) realized by the rebar binding robot 100 are expressed by the following equations. v(t)=vconst (5) ω(t)=Δv(t) / l (6)

[0104] As shown in Figure 24, if the left-right position of the primary reinforcing bar R1' (deviation from the reference position) is e(t) and the angle of the primary reinforcing bar R1' (deviation from the reference angle) is θ(t), the control unit 126 calculates the correction amount Δv(t) using the following equation. Δv(t)=k1×e(t)+k2×e'(t)+k3×θ(t)+k4×θ'(t) (7) Here, e'(t) is the time differential value of e(t), θ'(t) is the time differential value of θ(t), and k1, k2, k3, and k4 are all positive constants.

[0105] As is clear from Figure 24, if the rebar binding robot 100 is given an angular velocity ω(t) (= Δv(t) / l) when moving forward at a speed v, then both e(t) and θ(t) will approach zero as the rebar binding robot 100 moves forward. For this reason, by giving a correction amount Δv(t) as in equation (7) above, the reference position and reference angle of the rebar binding robot 100 can be brought closer to the left-right position and angle of the primary rebar R1'.

[0106] FIG. 25 shows, as an example, the trajectory of the rebar binding robot 100 as it moves forward using rebar tracing control when there is a predetermined deviation between the reference position of the rebar binding robot 100 and the left-right position of the primary rebar R1'. In FIGS. 25-27, d1 [mm] indicates the position in the direction along the primary rebar R1', and d2 [mm] indicates the position in the direction perpendicular to the direction along the primary rebar R1'. As shown in FIG. 25, by performing rebar tracing control, the deviation between the reference position of the rebar binding robot 100 and the left-right position of the primary rebar R1' is eliminated, allowing the rebar binding robot 100 to move along the primary rebar R1'.

[0107] As another example, Figure 26 shows the trajectory of the rebar binding robot 100 as it moves forward when the right crawler 192 operates normally and the left crawler 194 slips. When the left crawler 194 slips, the actual moving speed of the left crawler 194 slows down, and as shown in Figure 26, without rebar tracing control, the rebar binding robot 100 gradually deviates to the left from the primary rebar R1' as it moves forward. In contrast, when rebar tracing control is performed, even if the left crawler 194 slips, a correction amount Δv(t) is applied so that the reference position and reference angle of the rebar binding robot 100 approach the left-right position and angle of the primary rebar R1'. This means that the rebar binding robot 100 does not move away from the primary rebar R1' and can move forward along the primary rebar R1'.

[0108] When vR(t) and vL(t) are given by the above equations (3) and (4), vR(t) and vL(t) may become values ​​that exceed vconst. For this reason, it is necessary to prepare right crawler motor 228 and left crawler motor 254 that are capable of operating at high rotation speeds, which may result in an increase in the size and weight of right crawler motor 228 and left crawler motor 254.

[0109] Therefore, instead of the above equations (3) and (4), vR(t) and vL(t) may be given as follows: That is, after calculating Δv using the above equation (7), if Δv≧0, vR(t)=vconst (8) vL(t)=vconst-2Δv(t) (9) If Δv<0, vR(t)=vconst+2Δv(t) (10) vL(t)=vconst (11) It may also be possible to use the following.

[0110] When vR(t) and vL(t) are given by the above equations (8), (9), (10), and (11), vR(t) and vL(t) will never exceed vconst, so it is sufficient to prepare right-side crawler motor 228 and left-side crawler motor 254 that can rotate at vconst, and it is possible to prevent the right-side crawler motor 228 and left-side crawler motor 254 from increasing in size and weight.

[0111] When vR(t) and vL(t) are given by the above equations (8), (9), (10), and (11), the velocity v(t) and angular velocity ω(t) achieved by the rebar binding robot 100 are expressed by the following equations. v(t)=vconst-|Δv| (12) ω(t)=Δv(t) / l (13)

[0112] That is, when vR(t) and vL(t) are determined using the above equations (8), (9), (10), and (11), the forward movement speed v(t) of the rebar binding robot 100 is reduced by |Δv| from vconst. Therefore, if |Δv| becomes larger than vconst, the rebar binding robot 100 will move backward instead of moving forward.

[0113] Therefore, in this embodiment, upper and lower limits are set for Δv(t) as shown in the following equations. |Δv(t)| <k×vconst (14) where 0 <k≦1である。

[0114] FIG. 27 shows the trajectory of the rebar binding robot 100 when vR(t) and vL(t) are given by equations (3) and (4) (denoted as acceleration and deceleration in FIG. 27) and when vR(t) and vL(t) are given by equations (8), (9), (10), (11), and (14) (denoted as deceleration only in FIG. 27). As shown in FIG. 27, when vR(t) and vL(t) are given by equations (8), (9), (10), (11), and (14), the larger the value of k in equation (14), the more quickly the trajectory of the rebar binding robot 100 approaches the primary rebar R1'. However, if the value of k is too large, an overshoot occurs, slowing down the convergence of the trajectory of the rebar binding robot 100. Therefore, when vR(t) and vL(t) are given by equations (8), (9), (10), (11), and (14), the trajectory of the rebar binding robot 100 can be quickly brought closer to the primary rebar R1' by setting k to, for example, about 0.8.

[0115] (Side step processing) In the side step process shown in S2 of Fig. 19, the control unit 126 executes the process shown in Fig. 28. In the following description, with the rebar binding robot 100 as the reference position, the right direction is the X direction, the forward direction is the Y direction, and the upward direction is the Z direction, and the reference position of the rebar binding robot 100 is represented by X0, Y0, and Z0.

[0116] In S52, the control unit 126 acquires point cloud data from the front three-dimensional distance sensor 198. In the following description, the point cloud data acquired from the front three-dimensional distance sensor 198 will also be referred to as front point cloud data.

[0117] In S54, the control unit 126 extracts, from the point clouds included in the front-side point cloud data, point clouds located at positions in the Z direction corresponding to the primary reinforcing bars R1' and the secondary reinforcing bars R2. Specifically, the control unit 126 extracts, from the point clouds included in the front-side point cloud data, point clouds whose Z direction positions are within a predetermined reinforcing bar depth range (for example, a range whose upper end is the Z direction position of the underside of the right crawler 192 and the left crawler 194 and whose lower end is a Z direction position that is below the upper end by the sum of the diameters of the primary reinforcing bars R1 and the secondary reinforcing bars R2). The front-side point cloud data acquired in S52 contains a mixture of point clouds corresponding to the primary reinforcing bars R1' and the secondary reinforcing bars R2, as well as point clouds corresponding to the ground and other objects located below the primary reinforcing bars R1' and the secondary reinforcing bars R2. By performing the processing of S54, it is possible to exclude point clouds corresponding to the ground and other objects and extract only point clouds that are likely to correspond to the primary reinforcing bars R1' and the secondary reinforcing bars R2.

[0118] In S56, the control unit 126 clusters the point clouds extracted in S54, identifies the cluster with the largest number of points as the rebar cluster, and extracts the point clouds included in the rebar cluster. The point cloud clustering is performed by, for example, associating points included in the point cloud with each other so that, when the distance between points is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the points are included in the same cluster.

[0119] In S58, the control unit 126 extracts only the point cloud that falls within a predetermined judgment range from the point cloud included in the reinforcing bar cluster identified in S56. The judgment range is set, for example, in the X direction as a range from the reference position X0 of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 to a position a predetermined distance away (for example, the range from X0 + ΔX0 to X0 - ΔX0, where ΔX0 is 1.5 times the diameter of the primary reinforcing bar R1'). As a result, as shown in FIG. 29, only the point cloud PG2 that falls within the judgment range is extracted from the point cloud PG1 included in the reinforcing bar cluster (see FIG. 30). Note that in FIGS. 29, 30, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, and 39, the point cloud is illustrated as a hatched area, and the individual points that make up the point cloud are not shown.

[0120] As shown in FIG. 28, in S60, the control unit 126 determines whether the number of points within the confirmation range for the points extracted in S58 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. As shown in FIG. 30, the confirmation range DR is, for example, the same range in the X direction as the determination range used in S58 and a range with a predetermined length (e.g., 1 mm) in the Y direction. As shown in FIG. 30, in this embodiment, multiple confirmation ranges DR are set with different positions in the X direction. As shown in FIG. 28, if the number of points within the confirmation range does not meet the threshold in S60 (NO), the control unit 126 determines that the front of the rebar binding robot 100 is not positioned on the primary rebar R1′, and the process proceeds to S72. If the number of points within the confirmation range is equal to or greater than the threshold (YES), the control unit 126 determines that the front of the rebar binding robot 100 is positioned on the primary rebar R1′, and the process proceeds to S62.

[0121] In S62, the control unit 126 acquires point cloud data from the rear three-dimensional distance sensor 200. In the following description, the point cloud data acquired from the rear three-dimensional distance sensor 200 will also be referred to as rear point cloud data.

[0122] In S64, similarly to S54, the control unit 126 extracts points whose Z-direction positions are within a predetermined rebar depth range from the points included in the rear-side point cloud data.

[0123] In S66, similar to S56, the control unit 126 clusters the points extracted in S64, identifies the cluster with the largest number of points as the rebar cluster, and extracts the points included in the rebar cluster.

[0124] In S68, similarly to S58, the control unit 126 extracts only the point cloud that is within a predetermined determination range from the point cloud included in the reinforcing bar cluster identified in S56.

[0125] In S70, similar to S60, the control unit 126 determines whether the number of points within the confirmation range of the points extracted in S58 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. If the number of points within the confirmation range is less than the threshold (NO), the control unit 126 determines that the rear of the rebar binding robot 100 is not positioned on the primary rebar R1', and the process proceeds to S72.

[0126] In S72, the control unit 126 drives the side stepper 196 to move the rebar binding robot 100 to the right or left. After S72, the process returns to S52.

[0127] In S70, if the number of points in the confirmation range is equal to or greater than the threshold value (YES), the control unit 126 determines that the front of the rebar binding robot 100 is positioned above the primary rebar R1'. In this case, both the front and rear of the rebar binding robot 100 are positioned above the primary rebar R1', and there is no need to move the rebar binding robot 100 left or right, so the control unit 126 ends the processing of FIG.

[0128] According to the processing of FIG. 28, the control unit 126 can determine whether or not the side step movement of the rebar binding robot 100 has been completed by processing with a relatively small calculation load.

[0129] (Generation process of primary reinforcing bar model performed by control unit 126) In the primary reinforcing bar model generation process shown in S4 and S12 of FIG. 19 and S24 of FIG. 20, the control unit 126 executes the processes shown in FIGS.

[0130] As shown in FIG. 31, in S82, the control unit 126 acquires front point cloud data from the front three-dimensional distance sensor 198.

[0131] In S84, the control unit 126 extracts points whose positions in the Z direction are within a predetermined rebar depth range from the points included in the front-side point cloud data.

[0132] In S86, the control unit 126 clusters the points extracted in S84, identifies the cluster with the largest number of points as the rebar cluster, and extracts the points included in the rebar cluster.

[0133] In S88, the control unit 126 identifies the maximum value Xmax and minimum value Xmin of the positions in the X direction for the points included in the rebar cluster identified in S86.

[0134] In S90, the control unit 126 determines whether the difference between Xmax and Xmin identified in S88 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., three times the diameter of the primary reinforcing bar R1'). If the difference between Xmax and Xmin is less than the predetermined value (NO), the control unit 126 determines that the reinforcing bar cluster identified in S86 does not include a point cloud corresponding to the secondary reinforcing bar R2, and the process proceeds to S102. If the difference between Xmax and Xmin is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (YES), the control unit 126 determines that the reinforcing bar cluster identified in S86 includes a point cloud corresponding to the secondary reinforcing bar R2, and the process proceeds to S92.

[0135] In S92, the control unit 126 identifies the maximum value Ymax1 and minimum value Ymin1 of the Y-direction positions for points whose X-direction positions are near Xmax among the points included in the reinforcing bar cluster identified in S86.

[0136] In S94, the control unit 126 identifies the maximum value Ymax2 and minimum value Ymin2 of the Y-direction positions for points in the X-direction positions near Xmin among the points included in the reinforcing bar cluster identified in S86.

[0137] In S96, the control unit 126 extracts only the point cloud that is within a predetermined secondary rebar candidate range from the point cloud included in the rebar cluster identified in S86. The secondary rebar candidate range is set, for example, as a range from Xmax to Xmin in the X direction, and a range from the larger of Ymax1 and Ymax2 to the smaller of Ymin1 and Ymin2 in the Y direction. As a result, as shown in Figure 33, only the point cloud PG2 that is within the secondary rebar candidate range is extracted from the point cloud PG1 included in the rebar cluster (see Figure 34).

[0138] In S98, the control unit 126 generates a secondary reinforcing bar model by using a RANSAC (Random Sample Consensus) method based on the point cloud extracted in S96, in which the position and angle of the secondary reinforcing bar R2 as seen from the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 are modeled as straight lines. Details of generating a reinforcing bar model using the RANSAC method will be described later. As a result, a secondary reinforcing bar model RM2 is generated based on the point cloud PG2 within the secondary reinforcing bar candidate range, as shown in Figure 34.

[0139] In S100, the control unit 126 removes the points near the secondary reinforcing bar model generated in S98 from the points included in the reinforcing bar cluster identified in S86, and extracts the remaining points. The points near the secondary reinforcing bar model here are, for example, points whose distance from the secondary reinforcing bar model in the direction perpendicular to the secondary reinforcing bar model is less than a predetermined value (for example, 1 times the diameter of the secondary reinforcing bar R2). As a result, as shown in Figure 35, a point cloud PG3 is extracted from the point cloud PG1 included in the reinforcing bar cluster by removing the points near the secondary reinforcing bar model RM2 (see Figure 36).

[0140] In S102, the control unit 126 generates a tentative primary reinforcing bar model by the RANSAC method based on the point cloud extracted in S100 (or, if NO in S90, the point cloud included in the reinforcing bar cluster identified in S86). As a result, a tentative primary reinforcing bar model TRM1 is generated from the point cloud PG3, as shown in Fig. 36.

[0141] In S104, the control unit 126 extracts the point cloud used in generating the provisional primary reinforcing bar model TRM1 in S102 (i.e., the point cloud that was not determined to be an outlier in the RANSAC method) from the point cloud extracted in S100 as a point cloud that is a candidate for the primary reinforcing bar R1'. Note that the point cloud extracted in S104 is also referred to as the front primary reinforcing bar candidate point cloud hereinafter.

[0142] Next, as shown in FIG. 32, in S106, the control unit 126 acquires rear point cloud data from the rear three-dimensional distance sensor 200.

[0143] The processing from S108 to S128 executed for the rear-side point cloud data is the same as the processing from S84 to S104 executed for the front-side point cloud data, and therefore the explanation will be omitted. The point cloud extracted in S128 is also referred to as the rear-side primary reinforcing bar candidate point cloud hereinafter.

[0144] In S130, a primary reinforcing bar model is generated by the least squares method based on the front primary reinforcing bar candidate point cloud obtained in S104 and the rear primary reinforcing bar candidate point cloud obtained in S128. Once the primary reinforcing bar model is generated in S130, the processing in Figures 28 and 29 ends.

[0145] In the process of S130, the primary rebar model may be generated using the RANSAC method instead of the least squares method. However, when the RANSAC method is used, if there is a difference in the number of front-side primary rebar candidate point clouds and the number of rear-side primary rebar candidate point clouds, the primary rebar candidate point cloud with the fewer number may be treated as an outlier and may not be used to generate the primary rebar model. As described above, generating the primary rebar model using the least squares method allows for a more accurate primary rebar model to be obtained.

[0146] (Intersection location identification process performed by control unit 126) In the intersection position identification process shown in S26 of FIG. 20, the control unit 126 executes the process shown in FIG.

[0147] In S142, the control unit 126 acquires point cloud data from the central three-dimensional distance sensor 202. In the following description, the point cloud data acquired from the central three-dimensional distance sensor 202 will also be referred to as central point cloud data.

[0148] In S144, the control unit 126 extracts a point cloud whose Z-direction position is within a predetermined rebar depth range from the point cloud included in the central point cloud data.

[0149] In S146, the control unit 126 clusters the point cloud extracted in S144, identifies the cluster with the largest number of points as the rebar cluster, and extracts the point cloud included in the rebar cluster.

[0150] In S148, the control unit 126 removes the points near the primary reinforcing bar model generated in S24 (see FIG. 20) from the points included in the reinforcing bar cluster identified in S146, and extracts the remaining points. The points near the primary reinforcing bar model here are, for example, points whose distance from the primary reinforcing bar model in the direction perpendicular to the primary reinforcing bar model is less than a predetermined value (for example, 1 times the diameter of the primary reinforcing bar R1'). As a result, as shown in FIG. 38, a point cloud PG2 is extracted from the point cloud PG1 included in the reinforcing bar cluster by removing the points near the primary reinforcing bar model RM1 (see FIG. 39).

[0151] In S150, the control unit 126 determines whether the number of points extracted in S148 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the number of points is less than the predetermined value (NO), the control unit 126 determines that there is no intersection between the primary rebar R1' and the secondary rebar R2 within the field of view of the central three-dimensional distance sensor 202. In this case, the control unit 126 does not identify the position of the intersection, and the processing in FIG. 30 ends. If the number of points is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (YES) in S150, the processing proceeds to S152.

[0152] In S152, the control unit 126 identifies Yc, which is the Y-direction position of the intersection of the primary reinforcing bar R1' and the secondary reinforcing bar R2, based on the point cloud extracted in S148. For example, Yc is calculated as the average value Ymean of the Y-direction positions of the point cloud extracted in S148.

[0153] In S154, the control unit 126 identifies Xc, which is the X-direction position of the intersection of the primary reinforcing bar R1' and the secondary reinforcing bar R2, based on the primary reinforcing bar model generated in S24 (see FIG. 20) and Yc identified in S152. For example, Xc is identified as the X-direction position of the point on the primary reinforcing bar model whose Y-direction position is Yc. This identifies the positions Xc and Yc of the intersection of the primary reinforcing bar R1' and the secondary reinforcing bar R2, as shown in FIG. 39. After S154, the processing in FIG. 30 ends.

[0154] In the process of S152, Yc may be determined by the least squares method instead of calculating the average value Ymean of the Y-direction positions. In this case, Yc can be determined by assuming that a line perpendicular to the line represented by the primary reinforcing bar model is the secondary reinforcing bar model, and by finding the intersection of the primary reinforcing bar model and the secondary reinforcing bar model by the least squares method based on the point cloud extracted in S150. However, by calculating the average value Ymean of the Y-direction positions and determining Yc as described above, the processing load performed by the control unit 126 can be reduced.

[0155] (Generation of rebar model using RANSAC method) In this embodiment, the control unit 126 uses the RANSAC method, which is one of the robust estimation algorithms, to estimate a correct straight line model (provisional primary rebar model, secondary rebar model, etc.) from a point cloud including outliers, as described below.

[0156] First, as shown in FIG. 40, the control unit 126 randomly extracts two or more points (for example, P1 and P2) from the point cloud as modeling reference points.

[0157] Next, as shown in Fig. 41, the control unit 126 estimates a straight line model (e.g., L1) based on the extracted modeling reference points P1 and P2, for example, by the least squares method. Then, the control unit 126 counts the number of outliers when the estimated straight line model L1 is applied to the original point cloud. In the example shown in Fig. 41, the number of points in the original point cloud whose distance from the estimated straight line model L1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (points in the hatched area in the figure) is counted as the number of outliers.

[0158] Then, as shown in Fig. 42, the control unit 126 repeatedly performs the random extraction of modeling reference points and the estimation of straight line models as described above to select candidates for the correct straight line model. In the example shown in Fig. 42, straight line models L1 and L2 are excluded from the candidates because they have a large number of outliers, and straight line models L3 and L4 are selected as candidates because they have a small number of outliers. Then, the control unit 126 estimates, from the candidates for the correct straight line model L3 and L4, the one with the smallest error from the original point cloud (excluding outliers) as the correct straight line model. In the example shown in Fig. 42, of the straight line models L3 and L4, the straight line model L4 with the smallest error from the original point cloud excluding outliers is estimated as the correct straight line model.

[0159] (Variation) In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the reel 10 is attached to the reinforcing bar binding machine 2, and the reinforcing bar binding machine 2 binds the reinforcing bars R using the wire W supplied from the reel 10. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which a wire supply unit (not shown) equipped with a large reel (not shown) is mounted on the transport unit 106 of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100, and the reinforcing bar binding machine 2 binds the reinforcing bars R using the wire W supplied from the wire supply unit.

[0160] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which a commercially available rebar binding machine 2 (for example, the TR180D sold by Makita Corporation) is detachably attached to the rebar binding robot 100. Alternatively, the rebar binding robot 100 may be configured such that a dedicated rebar binding unit (not shown) is permanently attached to it. In this case, the rebar binding unit may be configured integrally with the operation unit 104.

[0161] In the above embodiment, the rebar binding robot 100 (for example, on the housing 110 of the power supply unit 102) may be provided with an emergency stop button (not shown) that allows the user to emergency stop the operation of the rebar binding robot 100. In this case, when the user presses the emergency stop button, the control unit 126 stops the right crawler motor 228, the left crawler motor 254, the stepper motor 279, and the lift motor 148, and turns off the actuator 180. When the user presses the operation execution button 122 again after removing the danger, the control unit 126 first drives the stepper motor 279 to return the front crank mechanism 276 and the rear crank mechanism 277 to the zero point position, and then drives the lift motor 148 to return the lift mechanism 130 to the upper limit position. The control unit 126 then performs normal control to operate the rebar binding robot 100. The emergency stop button may be provided near the outer periphery of the rebar binding robot 100, for example, near the front-rear or left-right ends, so that the user can easily press it in an emergency. Also, multiple emergency stop buttons may be provided.

[0162] In the above-described embodiment, the rebar bundling robot 100 may be provided with an operation display indicator (not shown) that displays the operation status of the rebar bundling robot 100 (e.g., on the housing 110 of the power supply unit 102). In this case, the operation display indicator may display to the user the status of the bundling work performed by the rebar bundling robot 100. The bundling work status may include, for example, a state in which all intersections of the primary rebars R1 and the secondary rebars R2 have been bundled, or a state in which intersections of the primary rebars R1 and the secondary rebars R2 have been bundled without skipping a single intersection. Alternatively, the operation display indicator may display to the user a state in which the rebar bundling robot 100 has stopped abnormally. The operation display indicator may display the operation status of the rebar bundling robot 100, for example, by the luminous color or blinking pattern of one or more light-emitting elements, or a combination thereof. Note that, when the operation display indicator is provided on the housing 110, the operation display indicator may be placed at a high position so that it can be easily seen from a distance.

[0163] In the above embodiment, the transport unit 106 of the rebar binding robot 100 is described as having a right crawler 192 and a left crawler 194 as a vertical movement mechanism that can move the rebar binding robot 100 in the forward and backward directions. However, the transport unit 106 of the rebar binding robot 100 may be provided with another type of vertical movement mechanism.

[0164] In the above embodiment, the transport unit 106 of the rebar binding robot 100 is described as having a side stepper 196 as a lateral movement mechanism that can move the rebar binding robot 100 in the left and right directions. However, the transport unit 106 of the rebar binding robot 100 may have another type of lateral movement mechanism.

[0165] As described above, in one or more embodiments, the rebar binding robot 100 is capable of repeatedly alternately performing the following actions for a plurality of primary rebars R1 and a plurality of secondary rebars R2 that intersect with the plurality of primary rebars R1: moving over the plurality of primary rebars R1 and the plurality of secondary rebars R2 in the direction in which the plurality of primary rebars R1 extend, and binding the locations where the plurality of primary rebars R1 and the plurality of secondary rebars R2 intersect. The rebar binding robot 100 includes a rebar binding machine 2 (an example of a rebar binding unit), a transport unit 106 that transports the rebar binding machine 2, and a control unit 126 that controls the operation of the transport unit 106. The transport unit 106 is equipped with a right crawler 192 and a left crawler 194 (examples of a vertical movement mechanism) that can move the rebar binding robot 100 in the forward and backward directions, a side stepper 196 (an example of a horizontal movement mechanism) that can move the rebar binding robot 100 in the left and right directions, and a front three-dimensional distance sensor 198 (an example of a first three-dimensional distance sensor) that outputs front point cloud data (an example of first point cloud data) that represents the three-dimensional position of the subject within the first field of view using a point cloud. The control unit 126 is configured to be able to execute a first reinforcing bar extraction process (see S52 and S54 in FIG. 28) that extracts points whose vertical positions are within a predetermined reinforcing bar depth range from the points included in the front point cloud data, a first determination process (see S58 and S60 in FIG. 28) that determines whether or not primary reinforcing bars R1 exist within a predetermined determination range based on the points extracted in the first reinforcing bar extraction process, and a lateral movement process (see S72 in FIG. 28) that drives the side stepper 196. If it is determined in the first determination process that primary reinforcing bars R1 do not exist within the determination range, the control unit 126 executes the lateral movement process (see S58, S60, and S72 in FIG. 28).

[0166] In one or more embodiments, the control unit 126 is configured to execute a cluster extraction process (see S54 in FIG. 28) that further extracts a point cloud included in the largest cluster from the point cloud extracted in the first rebar extraction process. The first determination process is based on the point cloud extracted in the cluster extraction process (see S58 and S60 in FIG. 28).

[0167] In one or more embodiments, in the first determination process, the control unit 126 may determine whether or not primary rebar is present within the determination range based on the number of point clouds within multiple confirmation ranges with different positions in the forward / backward direction (see S60 in Figure 28).

[0168] In one or more embodiments, the transport unit 106 further includes a rear three-dimensional distance sensor 200 (an example of a second three-dimensional distance sensor) that outputs rear point cloud data (an example of second point cloud data) that represents the three-dimensional position of the subject in a second field of view that is rearward of the first field of view using a point cloud. The control unit 126 is configured to execute a second rebar extraction process (see S62 and S64 in FIG. 28) that extracts points whose vertical positions are within the rebar depth range from the point cloud included in the rear point cloud data, and a second determination process (see S68 and S70 in FIG. 28) that determines whether primary rebars are present within the determination range based on the point clouds extracted in the second rebar extraction process. The control unit 126 also executes the lateral movement process when it is determined in the second determination process that primary rebars are not present within the determination range.

[0169] In one or more embodiments, the control unit 126 executes the first rebar extraction process and the first determination process each time it executes the lateral movement process (see S72, S52, S54, S58, and S60 in FIG. 28). [Explanation of symbols]

[0170] 2: Rebar binding machine 3: Housing 4: Main body 5: Reel cover 6: Grip part 6a: Recess 7: Cover holding part 8: Battery mounting section 10: Reel 10a: Engagement part 12: Feed mechanism 14: Guide mechanism 16: Brake mechanism 18: Cutting mechanism 20: Torsion mechanism 22: Feed motor 24: Driven roller 26: Driven roller 28: Guide pipe 30: Upper curl guide 32: Lower curl guide 34: First guide aisle 38: Guide pin 40: Cutter 42: Return board 46: Solenoid 48: Link 50: Brake arm 52: Link 54: Torsion motor 56: Reduction mechanism 58: Screw shaft 60: Sleeve 61: Push plate 62: Hook 64: 1st operation section 74: Main switch 76: Main power LED 80: Control device 84: Trigger 86: Trigger switch 90: 2nd operation section 96:Display LED 98: Setting switch 100: Rebar tying robot 102: Power supply unit 104: Operation unit 106: Transport unit 108: Battery adapter 110: Housing 110a: Battery compartment 110b: Latch receiver 112: Cover 114: Battery mounting part 115: Hinge 116: Latch member 117: Key 118: Remaining battery indicator 119: Key mounting part 120: Remaining battery level display button 122: Action execution button 124: Power supply cable 126: Control unit 130: Lifting mechanism 132: Gripping mechanism 134: Lower base member 136: Upper base member 138: Support pipe 140: Support pipe 142: Lift platform 142a: Through hole 142b: Through hole 142c: Through hole 144: Screw shaft 146: Motor connection part 148: Lifting motor 150: Sensor support member 152: Upper limit detection sensor 154: Lower limit detection sensor 156: Holding member 158: Holding member 160: Nut 162: First support plate 162a: Long hole 162b:Protrusion 164: Second support plate 166: Connecting shaft 168: Connecting shaft 170: Rotating pin 172: Torsion spring 174: Support pin 176: Link 176a: Pressing part 176b: Operation section 178: Plunger 180: Actuator 182: Torsion spring 190: Chassis 192: Right crawler 194: Left crawler 196: Side Stepper 198: Front three-dimensional distance sensor 200: Rear 3D distance sensor 202: Central 3D distance sensor 204: Base plate 204a: Through hole 204b: Through hole 206: Right frame 208: Left frame 210: Right side plate 212: Left side plate 214: Front frame 216: Rear frame 218: Front pulley 220: Rear pulley 222: Auxiliary pulley 224: Tensioner pulley 226: Rubber belt 228: Right crawler motor 230: Gearbox 232: Bearing 234: Bearing 236: Bearing 237: Movable bearing 238: Adjustment bolt 238a:Shaft part 238b:Head 240: Nut 242: Bolt support member 242a: Through hole 244: Front pulley 246: Rear pulley 248: Auxiliary pulley 250: Tensioner pulley 252: Rubber belt 254: Left crawler motor 256: Gearbox 258: Bearing 260: Bearing 262: Bearing 264: Movable bearing 266: Adjustment bolt 266a:Shaft part 266b :Head 268: Nut 270: Bolt support member 270a: Through hole 272: Step bar 274: Step bar 276: Front crank mechanism 277: Rear crank mechanism 278: Support plate 279: Stepper motor 280: Pulley 280a: Axis 281: Gearbox 282: Pulley 282a: Axis 283: Worm gear case 284: Belt 285: Rotation transmission shaft 286: Crank arm 286a: Fitting hole 286b: Long hole 288: Crank arm 288a: Fitting hole 288b: Long hole 290: Crank pin 292: Crank pin 294: Crank plate 296: Laura 298: Laura 300: Guide plate 302: Guide groove 304: Guide groove 306: Support plate 308: Pulley 308a: Axis 310: Pulley 310a: Axis 312: Belt 314: Crank arm 314a: Fitting hole 314b: Long hole 316: Crank arm 316a: Fitting hole 316b: Long hole 318: Crank pin 320: Crank pin 322: Crank plate 324: Laura 326: Laura 328: Guide plate 330: Guide groove 332: Guide groove

Claims

1. A rebar tying robot capable of alternately and repeatedly performing an operation of moving over a plurality of primary rebars and a plurality of secondary rebars that intersect with the plurality of primary rebars in the direction in which the plurality of primary rebars extend, and an operation of tying together the intersections of the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars, a rebar binding unit; A transport unit that transports the rebar binding unit; a control unit for controlling the operation of the transport unit; The transport unit is a longitudinal movement mechanism capable of moving the rebar binding robot in a forward and backward direction; a lateral movement mechanism capable of moving the rebar binding robot in the left and right directions; a first three-dimensional distance sensor that outputs first point cloud data that represents the three-dimensional position of a subject within a first field of view using a point cloud; The control unit a first reinforcing bar extraction process for extracting a point cloud whose vertical position is within a predetermined reinforcing bar depth range from the point cloud included in the first point cloud data; a first determination process for determining whether the primary reinforcing bars are present within a predetermined determination range based on the point cloud extracted in the first reinforcing bar extraction process; a lateral movement process that drives the lateral movement mechanism; The control unit executes the lateral movement process when it is determined in the first determination process that the primary reinforcing bar is not present within the determination range, A rebar tying robot in which, in the first judgment process, the control unit determines whether the primary rebar is present within the judgment range based on the number of point clouds within multiple confirmation ranges with different forward / backward positions.

2. the control unit is configured to be able to execute a cluster extraction process to further extract a point cloud included in a largest cluster from the point cloud extracted in the first reinforcing bar extraction process, The reinforcing bar binding robot according to claim 1 , wherein the first determination process is based on the point cloud extracted in the cluster extraction process.

3. the transport unit further includes a second three-dimensional distance sensor that outputs second point cloud data that represents, by a point cloud, a three-dimensional position of a subject within a second field of view that is behind the first field of view; The control unit a second reinforcing bar extraction process for extracting a point cloud whose vertical position is within the reinforcing bar depth range from the point cloud included in the second point cloud data; The system is configured to be able to execute a second determination process of determining whether or not the primary reinforcing bars are present within the determination range based on the point cloud extracted in the second reinforcing bar extraction process, The reinforcing bar binding robot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit executes the lateral movement process even when it is determined in the second determination process that the primary reinforcing bar is not present within the determination range.

4. The rebar binding robot of claim 1 , wherein the lateral movement mechanism comprises a side stepper.

5. A rebar tying robot capable of alternately and repeatedly performing an operation of moving over a plurality of primary rebars and a plurality of secondary rebars that intersect with the plurality of primary rebars in the direction in which the plurality of primary rebars extend, and an operation of tying together the intersections of the plurality of primary rebars and the plurality of secondary rebars, a rebar binding unit; A transport unit that transports the rebar binding unit; a control unit for controlling the operation of the transport unit; The transport unit is a longitudinal movement mechanism capable of moving the rebar binding robot in a forward and backward direction; a lateral movement mechanism capable of moving the rebar binding robot in the left and right directions; a first three-dimensional distance sensor that outputs first point cloud data that represents the three-dimensional position of a subject within a first field of view using a point cloud; The control unit a first reinforcing bar extraction process for extracting a point cloud whose vertical position is within a predetermined reinforcing bar depth range from the point cloud included in the first point cloud data; a first determination process for determining whether the primary reinforcing bars are present within a predetermined determination range based on the point cloud extracted in the first reinforcing bar extraction process; a lateral movement process that drives the lateral movement mechanism; The control unit executes the lateral movement process when it is determined in the first determination process that the primary reinforcing bar is not present within the determination range, In the first determination process, the control unit determines whether the primary reinforcing bars are present within the determination range based on the number of points within a plurality of confirmation ranges having different positions in the front-rear direction, A rebar binding robot in which the control unit executes the first rebar extraction process and the first judgment process after executing the lateral movement process and before performing binding using the rebar binding unit, and if it is determined in the first judgment process that the primary rebar is not present within the judgment range, executes the lateral movement process again.

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